Last month we celebrated my mom’s birthday at a park in Irvine. My brother-in-law made yakitori, roasted peppers and rice balls. We brought lemon pie. My mom is such a blessing to me, and the kids love their Zaza dearly!
First and Third
I needed a couple of more weeks of vacation, but alas, school has started. No fancy Pinterest signs for us, just our trusty IKEA whiteboard.
It is funny how n and k dressed alike. I don’t think it was on purpose, but they don’t mind.
k is half-way done with elementary school. How can that be?
We had Back to School Night the night before school started, which was a new thing. k has not been sick one day this summer, but after we returned from Back to School Night, she had a fever! Later at night she had a stomachache and her fever was worse. I was having nightmares of her missing her first day. Thankfully, some children’s Tylenol did the trick and she felt better this morning.
Ugly Pie & Baker Ranch
Last month we went to the Grand Opening of Ugly Pie Co., yet another pizza assembly line joint. The pizzas were good, but the regular prices seemed kind of steep in comparison to Pieology and Blaze. They were a bargain when we went, $4? (can’t remember, it was too long ago!) We took our pizzas to a Baker Ranch community event where they had a free concert, drinks, popcorn and slices of pie. Yep, it was a classic Friday night for the Lim’s!
Yakult Factory Tour
Last month k’s girl scout troop took a tour of the Yakult factory in Fountain Valley and n and I were able to tag along. It was quite fascinating and informative. We were able to see a lot of the factory in operation, which was exciting. I love automated processes, so this tour was right up my alley! I am always reluctant to buy Yakult because of the high sugar content, so I wrote on my feedback form that I would prefer a product that tastes more sour, with less sugar.
A Very Delayed July 4th Post
Summer is almost over and I just finished blogging about the trip we took the first week for summer. Oops. Well, let me rewind to July 4th.
We ate dinner with my parents the day before July 4th. My mom made these cool-looking red-white-and blue drinks. Next year I want to make red-white-and blue ice cubes. Let’s see if I remember!
On July 4th we went to the Irvine Police Department firework show at Irvine High School. We were ill-prepared and should have brought the umbrella and more drinks/snacks. Mazda was a sponsor, so D accepted a plaque on Mazda’s behalf. n fell asleep during the firework show again!
Home Stretch in Henderson
It is always a treat when our hotel offers free hot breakfast! This was the best breakfast of our whole trip!
Mini waffles…how cute.
After breakfast we drove to Henderson, Nevada.
We were so fortunate to be in the air-conditioned car.
We then went straight to the air-conditioned lobby, to our air-conditioned room.
For dinner we went to Buddha Belly Deli, a Yelp find.
We had the Chicken Katsu Club and Char Siu Pork Roll, with furikake chips. The portions were quite large and everything was delicious! Beware that the coleslaw has nuts, though (not listed on the menu).
An Afternoon in Salt Lake City
On our way home, we spent a night in Salt Lake City. We arrived during lunchtime so we went to City Creek Center. It is a nice shopping center with a retractable roof. The air conditioning was appreciated, yet there was still an “outdoor” feel.
We split a couple of sandwiches at Bocata, which is located in the food court. The freshly baked pita pocket bread was so good! The kids were not too fond of the fillings, so they just had Chick-Fil-A.
There was a cool river running through the mall, with live fish!
After lunch we walked around Temple Square a little bit, but it was warm so we did not last long.
We checked into the Fairfield Inn Suites, which was our nicest place to stay during our entire trip. Thank you Marriott Rewards!
Our n can still sleep anywhere!
For dinner, we ate at Oh Mai. It was a cute Vietnamese-American place, and the food was really good, with large portions. It was a bit warm and stuffy, though.
I did not realize that Utah is the “Beehive” state.
After dinner, we stopped by the hotel lobby and grabbed our free coffee and cookies. I think this is also when we watched a few too many episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Teton Village/Jackson Hole
n was so tired after our hike he fell asleep with food in his mouth. Guess who took it out with her fingers while trying not to wake him up to ensure that he did not choke? #MomLife.
We tried to check into The Hostel in Teton Village, but it was too early.
The kids killed some time by playing with the horseshoe pit.
We had a private room with four twin beds, including one bunk. Although it was nothing fancy, it was nice to take a hot shower after two nights of camping.
Afterward we rode the gondola, which offers free rides in the evenings during summer.
The Deck is a popular dining destination. We skipped it, but had some of the free ice water. Hehe.
On the way down, we watched some mountain bikers on the course.
Next we took a short walk to dinner, and passed some animals along the way…
After eating too many sandwiches and bad Xanterra food, Teton Thai was a welcome treat!
Too bad that I believe we left n’s beloved Captain America sweatshirt there.
After dinner, we took a stroll around Jackson Hole.
Unfortunately, this was the closest we got to a moose sighting.
The kids let off some steam at the upscale playground. It will be a sad day when they are not interested in playgrounds anymore.
We let the kids have Jolly Rancher popsicles. Only on vacation!
Next we went to the basement of The Hostel and played several rounds of ping pong.
This was the kids’ first time playing ping pong, and they did not want to stop. It must be their Chinese side. 
Grand Tetons
Goodbye Yellowstone…Hello Grand Tetons!
I love how the mountains appear to just sit on the water.
We saw this book in all of the visitor centers, and the kids laughed every time!
Our first stop in Grand Tetons was Colter Bay Village. We walked part of the Lakeshore Trail.
Rock-throwing ensued.
I really wish we had stopped the car to get a better shot from this vantage point!
Next, we took a boat shuttle from the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. It only took about ten minutes.
After we disembarked from the boat, we hiked to Inspiration Point. This was a real hike, as opposed to the strolls along the boardwalks of Yellowstone. The incline up the mountain was pretty constant, and quite challenging!
We made it!!
Amazingly, n did not complain and claimed that he was not tired. k claimed she had about “10% battery life left”, but she did well overall too. I probably complained the most!
We bought a round trip boat ticket. It was refreshing when the driver maneuvered the boat so that we were sprayed with water from the lake after our hot hike.
Yellowstone: Grant Village
For our last night in Yellowstone, we stayed at the Grant Village campground. When we checked in, the ranger told us there was a bear in the campground, but thankfully, we never encountered it.
After setting up camp, we went to the Visitors Center. We listened to talk about bear safety.
There was a small audience, so D ended up having to volunteer to play the bear.
For dinner, we ate at the Lakehouse restaurant. Let’s just say that the food here is a travesty.
The view was nice, though.
We tried the grill, and ended up with these pale, undercooked fries. Xanterra, you need to step up your game!
Still unsatisfied, we ended up buying huckleberry yogurt and apple slices at the general store and eating some more of our stash of cup o’noodles. I was excited to see that there were actual huckleberries listed as one of the ingredients this time!