Life Lately....AGAIN

You should've seen the way the Gorillas were looking at Alan. 

 Okay, I have to admit, seeing this little guy sleep was just too precious. 

So, recently after our long vacation for my birthday, we had Alan's family come and stay with us for a weekend. Alan's family is big on food, meaning his mom is an outstanding cook (seriously, chef Ramsey doesn't have much on her), and her husband loves to try new plates and new places(think Adam Richman); yeah, a whole lotta food entered us last weekend. I'm not so thrilled about indulging in so much food, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it. We always seem to go out on an adventure with Alan's family, last year it was Disney World, Key West, and Miami; this year it was San Diego--not so impressive, but still enjoyable. *Sigh-- Can we hit the rewind button to a whole year and go back to Key West, I loved it there. It's not a place I'd like to live for more than 6 months, but I sure would love to take annual summer trips out there, now it doesn't even seem within grasp since we moved to the complete opposite side of the country---hmmm, maybe Hawaii could be in our future? A girl can only dream, right? While we weren't cracking open coconuts straight off the tree this year; we did manage to make it to one of the World's favorite Zoos. Personally, I am not that big on zoos, I mean, I enjoy seeing animals I wouldn't otherwise see, but I can't help but to feel sad for those little/big creatures. I don't care if they rescued them or whatever one may argue; it just isn't natural to see pandas in California. My favorite part of the zoo wasn't seeing the animals, but seeing Lyla observing, learning and taking in all of it-- I know she loved the Zoo, she doesn't know any better; to her, the zoo is just one big place where tons of animals live and it's "Super cool!". The morning we went to the zoo, I woke up with a few sniffles and was just hoping that my allergies wouldn't get too bad, but we all know my luck--there was a severe pollen alert that day and the moment we made it to the animals that eat hay, live in hay, poop hay; my life was over. Allergies always come at the most inconvenient times, and there's nothing that really helps besides hot showers, ten boxes of Kleenex and a whole lotta sleep. After an entire day at the zoo we were all craving some Italian food , and Alan's step-father suggested Bucca Di Beppo. I wish I hadn't been so preoccupied with blowing my nose to get pictures; it was quite a unique place(though it is a chain), to be seated they actually had you walk through their kitchen and surprisingly their kitchen was pretty clean. If you're ever downtown with a large group that's craving Italian, I suggest this place because their portions are to feed a family (literally) and it's quite delicious. 

I found these little beauties in the zoo, aren't they lovely?

Easter came around and we were just so exhausted from all the recent traveling, we decided to just stay home, barbecue, and relax. We've been out of routine for a few weeks now, and it has completely thrown all three of us off; Lyla has been fussy, I've been extremely fatigued, and Alan (sorry babe) has been a little moody --he's going to kill me for that later.  I'm so relieved to feel a sense of balance in our lives this week; we've been hitting the gym daily this week, eating better and getting a good night's sleep. Missing the gym really throws my attitude off it's rocker; it's almost as if my body has become dependent on exercising, just like when I'm hungry and I don't eat, I become hangry.  Ever since I started reading Eat Pretty, I have been paying close attention to how my body reacts to certain food intakes and it's quite amazing how many signs your body does give out, letting you know what it needs more and less of or can completley do without. It's a must read book and you mustn't wait any longer to read it! Currently, I am sitting down will a tummy full of phó, watching Vanderpump Rules; I can't get enough of it no matter how hard I try, I am emotionally invested and slightly ashamed to admit, but whatever. Hope you all are having a lovely week, and if you have any tips on how to get back into "real life"  after a long vacation, please, do share!

A two year old's body art. 

Find your own path, baby girl. 

I have a special place in my heart for Asian gardens.

The soup that is now in my belly.