2022 November List | 十一月清單

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October was confinement month. I stayed at home, fed the babies, and got fed (thanks to my mom and my in-laws). After confinement, life resumed as normal, and so did my monthly list!

十月是坐月子月，啥事都沒做（也沒有十月清單），天天在家餵寶寶和被餵食（感謝公婆和我媽）。月子出關後，生活開始正常運行，例行的每月清單當然不可少。

U. S. Marine Corps Birthday Ball | 美國海軍陸戰隊生日舞會

Another Marine Corps Birthday Ball! Happy 247th Birthday Marines! Every time I attend MC Birthday Ball, I am impressed by the Marines' dress uniform. After a two year hiatus, I’m excited to be able to celebrate MC Birthday again. We weren’t able to stay until the dance, but UN and I still had a blast!

又是一年一度的美國海軍陸戰隊的生日舞會，每次參加都會不停稱讚海軍陸戰隊的制服（每件都超好看！）因疫情關係，已經兩年停辦生日舞會，這次大家能聚再一起都非常興奮，雖然我們無法待到跳舞的部分，但我和UN都很開心能來這個活動。

OROBAE

14250 Culver Drive Suite #E, Irvine, CA 92604

I’m usually not a fan of boba, but I can sing OROABE’s praises all day long! UN calls himself a boba enthusiast, and he’s quite picky when it comes to boba. UN has confirmed that OROBAE is the best boba in business! We love OROBAE so much that we would bring our babies and stand in line when the craving is strong! If you have other recommendations for boba, please let us know!

首先聲明我對珍珠奶茶不太有興趣，但我對這家的珍奶讚不絕口。UN是珍奶愛好者，對珍奶特別挑，但這家是UN認證過（南加）最好喝的珍奶！我們好愛OROBAE，想喝時還是會不嫌麻煩的特別帶寶寶開車來這排隊買飲料！但如果有其他推薦的店，務必要告訴我們！

San Diego SeaWorld | 海洋公園

https://seaworld.com/san-diego
500 Sea World Dr., San Diego, CA 92109

When UN brought up the idea of bringing our babies to Sea World, my mom was in shock, but I was in favor! This mini trip is us testing the water to see how the babies will do and what we can do to prepare for longer trips in the future. Other than finding a place to feed the babies, everything else happened according to plan, definitely count as a success! We got pictures of the babies with dolphins, and they even got to watch orca show (they should be able to see the black and white orcas, lol!)

當UN提議我們帶寶寶們去Sea World時，我媽傻眼，而我一口答應。這次帶H和G出遊，完全是爸媽想試水溫，想知道以後出去玩有什麼需要改善。除了需要找地方餵食寶寶們以外，整體都在計畫之內，算是非常成功的小出遊。UN還讓寶寶們有機會和海豚照相、看殺人鯨表演（寶寶們應該可以看到黑白殺人鯨，哈哈哈哈！）

Wrench and Rodent

1815 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054
http://www.seabasstropub.com/

Grateful for grandparents watching over the babies, so that UN and I can go out for a date night. One of the top Japanese restaurants in O-side! Although their style is Americanized sushi, it's not your typical California roll, volcano roll type of sushi stuffed with avocado and cream cheese. Their chef creation rolls are delicious, and we also quite enjoyed their appetizers. Highly recommend hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail collar)!

感謝grandparents照顧寶寶，讓我和UN能一起出去吃飯。在Oside數一數二好吃的日料店！雖然風格走的是美式日本料理店，但絕不是一般的加州卷、火山卷這類滿滿酪梨和cream cheese的壽司店。創意壽司卷味道都很棒，小菜也很推，魚下巴也是我們很愛的一道。

Northside Shake

1255 Rosecrans St, San Diego, CA 92106
http://www.northsideshack.com/

Recommended by a friend, said they have the best açaí bowl in San Diego, I strongly agree! Overfilled with toppings, and taste spectacular! The storefront is small, so you’d have to eat in the car, but the quality of the ingredients used is well worth the drive!

朋友大推的，堪稱聖地牙哥最好吃的açaí bowl，我完全認同！料多到滿出來，味道不單調。雖然小小一間，只能在車子裡吃，但真材實料覺得開這麼遠來吃非常值得。

Long Weekend in Solvang | 長週末到美西丹麥小鎮

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During the July 4th long weekend, we drove from San Diego to Solvang, and hit many spots along the route. Solvang isn’t too big, and slow-paced enough for a weekend getaway. Parking is quite convenient and free, even with the long weekend crowd. We stayed at a lodging on a nearby Air Force Base.

Day One

Our original plan was to leave the house by 8 am, but decided to sleep in a little more. By the time we got to our first stop, San Juan Capistrano, it was almost noon.

Sundried Tomato

31781 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Outdoor seating is spacious, perfect for enjoying lunch in California’s nice weather. Lunch specials are a good deal!

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Ticket: $14 (include multi-media guided tour)

Founded in 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano was the 7th Spanish mission built in California. The multi-media guide has a lot of wonderful explanations of the history of the mission. I hope to visit other missions in California.

Saffron & Rose Persian Ice Cream

What unique ice cream flavors! We picked Faloodeh, Saffron with pistachio, and Date! Pro tip: add some lemon juice!

Griffith Observatory

Wanted to hike here, but my condition wasn’t optimal for strenuous activities, so we visited the observatory instead. The obsera houses the most visited telescope in the world. Come and be a part of Guiness World Record!

Day Two

Solvang is a small town perfect for exploring on foot. Nicknamed Little Denmark in USA, Solvang is decorated with Danish architectures, windmills, and various museums.

Solvang Windmill

A must visit place. Easy to spot, and in close proximity to many popular restaurants nearby.

Solvang Restaurant

1672 Copenhagen Dr #2759, Solvang, CA 93463

People line up early in the morning for the world famous Abelskiver (be sure to ask the locals how to pronounce it). Goes really well with raspberry sauce, but is it worth the hour long wait? You be the judge!

Hans Christian Andersen Museum

1680 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463

Hans Christian is the creator of many familiar childhood stories, including Little Mermaid! Museum is on the second floor above the bookstore. Pays a lot of tribute to Hans Christian’s works and his life. The only downside is the museum doesn’t have an elevator or escalator.

Old Mission Santa Ines 1804

1760 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463

Compared to Mission San Juan Capistrano, it’s much quieter here. Self-guided tour is provided here.

Lincourt Vineyards

Solvang is also known for wine tasting. Why is a pregnant lady visiting a vineyard, you might ask? UN wondered the same thing too. We had a nice late afternoon stroll in the vineyard, perhaps next time we can bring our babies back with us.

Industrial Eats

UN found this restaurant on Yelp, their Beef Tongue Pastrami is a must order! Pizzas are wonderful too! They also offer fresh raw oysters, but too bad I was not able to enjoy them this time.

Ostrichland USA

Hard to associate a Danish town with ostriches, but if you google Solvang, you will definitely not want to miss this place. I came here with no expectations, but UN thought we would see free-range ostriches roaming in the open pasture. It wasn’t exactly that, but we had a lot of fun. I got scared by the ostriches when trying to feed them, but UN had a blast closely interacting with them. Tip: bring close-toed shoes, or prepare for your feet to get really dirty.

Day Three

We had plans for a few other places to visit on our third day, but we were too hungry. Ended up standing in line for 2 hours for a really popular breakfast/brunch place. Breakfast was meh, a bit disappointed, maybe because we waited too long. After breakfast we headed back to San Diego. We met up with UN’s college friend on the way back. What a relaxing long weekend!

長週末時，我們從聖地牙哥開車到丹麥小鎮（Solvang）。沿途經過一些清單上的景點，趁這次旅行順路參觀。Solvang不大，步調也不快，非常適合長週末來。停車方便，有幾個免費停車場，路上也有許多停車格，即使長週末也很好找到停車位。我們的住宿則是住在附近的空軍基地（Vandenberg Space Force Base），我就不在此介紹。

第一天

原先預計八點前出門，但實在很想睡飽在出門（預料之中），我們到San Juan Capistrano已經快中午了。

Sundried Tomato

31781 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

室外用餐區空間非常大，完全能享受到加州的好天氣，當然大部分的人都坐在外面用餐。中午有提供套餐，經濟實惠！

Mission San Juan Capistrano

門票：$14（含多媒體導覽）

起源1776年，是西班牙人在加州第七個駐點的mission。透過導覽能學到許多創立過程，希望之後能到加州不同的mission參觀。

Saffron & Rose Persian Ice Cream

好特別的冰淇淋口味！我們選了Faloodeh、Saffron with pistachio、Date，店員推薦能加點檸檬汁！

Griffith Observatory

原先想來這爬山，但這天我的狀況不太適合，所以改為到天文台參觀。這裡有全世界最多人使用的天文望遠鏡，看了你就是金氏世界紀錄一部份！

第二天

Solvang非常適合步行欣賞這個小鎮，丹麥建築、風車、博物館。沿路走走停停參觀這些不同景點，有幾個地方是我們特別喜歡。

Solvang Windmill

必看景點！非常好找，也在許多有名的餐廳附近。

Solvang Restaurant

1672 Copenhagen Dr #2759, Solvang, CA 93463

一大早已經大排長龍！大家都特別來這裡買這裡的著名甜點Abelskiver，配上覆盆子醬還不錯，但至於值不值得排將近一小時的隊伍，不方便說！

Hans Christian Andersen Museum

1680 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463

你沒看錯，就是最近許多人在討論的小美人魚也是他的作品！博物館位在書店二樓，雖然不大，但有許多安徒生的介紹。唯一缺點是沒有電梯或手扶梯到博物館，需要走樓梯上樓。

Old Mission Santa Ines 1804

1760 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463

比起第一天參觀的Mission San Juan Capistrano，這裡安靜許多。風景是一片葡萄酒園。這裡有提供自由導覽！

Lincourt Vineyards

來Solvang就是要來酒莊品酒。懷孕的我當然不能喝，UN也很傻眼我竟然把這行程排進去。我兩只能在這走走聊天，等下次帶寶寶們來好了！

Industrial Eats

181 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427

UN意外找到的餐廳，絕對要點Beef Tongue Pastrami，比薩也很推！這裡也有一些海鮮生食，可惜我吃不了。

Ostrichland USA

610 E Hwy 246, Solvang, CA 93463

實在是很難聯想丹麥小鎮和鴕鳥有關係，上網查丹麥小鎮必去的景點，這裡是大家必推的點。我帶著完全沒有興奮的心情配上UN以為能和鴕鳥在大草原奔跑的想法到Ostrich World，我們在這玩的很開心。餵食鴕鳥時，我狂被鴕鳥嚇；UN好開心能近距離看鴕鳥。切記：穿包鞋，不然腳會超髒。

第三天

原本第三天還有安排幾個景點作為尾聲，但我們太餓，吃飯勝過看景點。我們去當地很有名的早餐店，排隊人潮湧不斷。不知道是不是等太久，但早餐有點普通，失落感有點強烈。吃完我們就往回聖地牙哥方向開，順道與UN的大學好友見面，結束這長週末。

2022 September List | 2022 九月清單

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In the blink of an eye it’s already September! My mom came right before my birthday. I haven’t seen her in person for almost three years, and now she’s going to be a grandma! By the time that this post gets uploaded, we would already be (sleep-deprived) parents!

一瞬間就到九月了！我媽趕在我生日前來美國，沒想到快三年沒見到我媽，這次來就準備當阿嬤了！而當我把這篇文章上傳時，我們已經當爸媽了（缺睡眠中！）

Piper

105 Mission Ave, Oceanside, CA 92054
http://www.piperoceanside.com/

Our impromptu date night because UN and I took a long afternoon nap and we didn’t want to cook. Lately we have been taking advantage of every opportunity to sleep in or nap as much as we can. I used to feel that napping is a waste of precious time, but we have been advised by our friends that such opportunities for sweet dreams won’t come by very often when our babies arrive. We picked this restaurant which shares the same namesake as our neighbor’s dog. The food did not disappoint. I have to say Oceanside really has changed a lot. I hope you guys can come visit and even take a stroll by the beach after dinner!

我和UN（因午覺睡太久，不想煮飯）的約會日！最近能睡就睡，完全不會覺得浪費時間，畢竟孩兒們出來後就很難有這種機會了。選擇這家餐廳純屬我們最近照顧鄰居狗狗和餐廳同名，食物完全沒有讓我們失望。只能說Oceanside真的變好多，希望大家能來這裡玩。用餐後還能到海邊走走！

Our goal is to eat all of the flavors here and create a flavor guide like we did with Blue Seal Ice Cream in Okinawa! Even my mom likes it, except that she has more self-discipline than we do. No wonder she’s able to keep her figure while we are gaining weight. If you don’t know which flavor to order, just ask the worker for recommendations!

目標是把全部口味試一遍（把這裡當成沖繩Blue Seal Ice Cream）！連我媽都覺得好吃，只是我們不像我媽這麽有紀律只吃一口（難怪我們天天臉腫），我們一口接一口，完全停不下來！P.S.店員推薦口味都非常棒！

Fishing with Dynamite

1148 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
http://eatfwd.com/

It is said that this restaurant is very busy everyday and a reservation is hard to come by. But we were super lucky to be seated right away without reservation! Their crab cake is seasoned with Old Bay and tastes very different from California crab cakes.

據說這是一家天天超忙且位置超難拿到的餐廳，真開心我們馬上拿到位置！Crab Cake是東岸Old Bay口味，和加州常吃到的crab cake味道不太一樣。

Dija Mara

232 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054
http://www.dijamara.com/

Cereal Prawn is a must order! An unthinkable combination, but simply perfect! Reminds me of the cereal milk from Milk Bar in New York, except this is on a flavorful dish!

絕對要點Cereal Prawn，意想不到的搭配完全是絕配！讓我想到在紐約的Milk Bar，只是這是鹹食！

Sugar and Scribe Bakery

7660 Fay Ave Suite I, La Jolla, CA 92037
https://www.sugarandscribe.com/

This shop is full of my favorite desserts, and the decorations are very Instagrammable. I will definitely try their croissants next time.

店裡滿滿我想吃的甜食，擺設也非常適合拍照。下次來，我一定要試看看可頌。

The Yellow Deli

315 E Broadway, Vista, CA 92084
http://yellowdeli.com/

Found another chain sandwich restaurant that I like! If you are a bread connoisseur, you must come and try their sandwiches. My favorite is Deli Rose, and my mom likes the salmon sandwich. You can skip the salad!

又找到一家我喜歡的連鎖三明治店。如果你覺得三明治的麵包很重要，一定要來這裡！我最喜歡的是Deli Rose，我媽則喜歡鮭魚三明治。至於沙拉，可以不用點！

Javier’s

4301 La Jolla Village Dr Suite 1000, San Diego, CA 92122
http://www.javiers-cantina.com/

Came here with my Uncle and Auntie to cross off this restaurant that has been on my list for the longest time. Their enchiladas are stuffed with fresh ingredients from the sea, simply yum! Caution, salsa and chips are very spicy, yet delicious! Compared to their namesake restaurant in New York, this one in California has more of a chill vibe to it!

我的叔叔阿姨帶我們來吃這家放在我的清單上好久的餐廳，沒想到也是他們喜歡的餐廳之一！真材實料的enchiladas，滿滿的海鮮是我們的最愛！Salsa and chips，很辣但很過癮！和紐約的Javier’s比起來，這裡滿滿加州悠閒感！

CREDO Marriage Retreat

CREDO Marriage Retreat is hosted by Navy Chaplains, and they also have family retreats! I’m grateful to God that we are able to attend one marriage retreat before I give birth! We have been wanting to attend one since we were in Okinawa, but they always get filled up fast! During the retreat, both UN and I were worried that our babies would come in the middle of one of the sessions, but neither of us expressed our concerns until we got home. Funny that we had the same thing on our minds! From this retreat, my favorite takeaway is Daily Temperature Reading, a great way to get to know each other on a deeper level through simple questions every day. Before the retreat started, UN and I went for a walk outside of the hotel in the marina. A couple noticed us from their yacht and invited us for a visit! UN’s dream is to own a boat/yacht one day, and this invitation sent him over the moon! We both learned so much about yacht living, and UN is one step closer to achieving his dream!

CREDO是美國海軍牧師辦的婚姻營，也有專門給家庭的營會！太感謝神我們竟然能在生小孩前參加CREDO婚姻營！在沖繩時，每次只要CREDO一放消息，立刻報名滿人，我們幾乎沒機會參加！這次參加婚姻營，我和UN都超怕我上課上到一半需要去生小孩，卻不敢說出口，直到我們平安回家才敢提出來，原來我倆頭腦都在想一樣的事！這次上課，我覺得最有幫助的是Daily Temperature Reading，讓平日對話能更深入更了解對方！題外話：上課前，我們在飯店外散步，一對情侶邀我們到他們的船參觀！UN夢想擁有一艘遊艇，這個邀約讓UN開心到不行，讓我更了解遊艇人生，好像很可行耶！

Valle Guadalupe Valley Kitchen


222 N Pacific St, Oceanside, CA 92054
valleoceanside.com

Very special date night for UN and I! Not only did my mom keep wanting us to have date night, but it was also our last date night before our babies arrive. It also happened to be San Diego Restaurant Week. UN picked this place next to the beach where we can see the sunset and enjoy our dinner at the same time. Every dish was so perfect from the beginning to the end! I W YOU BOO!

這個約會日非常特別，不但是我媽一直叫我們去約會（很怕我們沒情調），也是我們生小孩前最後一次兩人的date night！恰巧遇上San Diego Restaurant Week，UN選了一家在海邊旁的餐廳，每道菜都非常用心而且很有創意。從一開始的前菜到最後的甜點，我們都稱讚不絕。