relatives – Page 2 – thosecoolkims

Michigan/Ohio Trip 2013, Days 2-3

The past two days have been a whirlwind of great times with family. So much in fact that I have neglected to take pics of people! :( Today was a low key day with Mom and Dad, driving through Dexter and Ann Arbor. I got to catch a few views of my beloved red barns, we found an incredible park to play at, and Ruby had her 1st Zingerman’s sandwich!

We even got to have a date night with Rachel + Brian while my parents stayed back to watch the kids! It was so much fun to hang out with them that I forgot to take any pics!

Yesterday was equally as great. Mom, Dad, Ruby + I spent the day in Tecumseh with dear cousin Kay and Dave. It was a wonderful day — Kay made her amazing sausage gravy and biscuits for me and we celebrated Dave’s birthday with cake! We had a blast visiting most of the day and then we headed out to Adrian to place an order at my cousin’s pizza shop so we could bring pizza to the reunion on Saturday. Then, we were off to Deerfield to spend the evening with Wes & Brenda and the family! We had fresh sweet corn that was delivered from the farm that morning, delicious veggies and beef sandwiches and some super scrumptious desserts! We loved seeing everyone and the highlight of the evening was Wes busting out his guitar so Ruby could get her 2nd private concert! Ruby was just as enchanted with the music as she was the 1st time we visited in 2011 and she was just 9 months old.

Smalltown USA (Adrian, MI)

Ruby gets a special concert from Wes …

This was her 1st time seeing Wes play when she was 9 months old!

Loving this time with family … leaving Michigan and off to Ohio tomorrow!

Michigan/Ohio Trip 2013, Day 1

Our epic family vacation to Michigan and Ohio has begun! We got to spend time with my awesome cousin Rachel and her family today — they took us to breakfast in Ann Arbor and we hit up Erie Orchard and Cider Mill in the afternoon. It was an awesome fall day; chilly, light rain, an amazing sky — and we had Cider & Doughnuts just like real Midwesterners! We ended the day at the Anahid’s house in Troy for an amazing dinner — we met up with my parents and Kay & Dave. Kaily, Carolyn & Hassan and Sahra and Parisa were there too, and we had everything from homemade hummus to Hassan’s homemade Persian ice cream with rosewater and saffron! In one day we logged just over 200 miles. It was a blast!

Ed, Ruby, Brian, Baby Dexter, Jack and Rachel

Cider & Doughnuts combo!

Ruby on the tractor

at the Orchard

Peek-a-boo, we see you, pumpkins!

Pony ride!

Our kid, our Prius for the week and an amazing sky!

Family shots are hard to come by!

Ruby absolutely adores Dave. It’s safe to say the feeling’s mutual.

Road Trippin’, Day 4 – SF and Petaluma

A little late, but Day 4 consisted of a few more hours of just Ed + Carrie time in San Francisco before we headed back to Petaluma. Of course, we had to get an amazing breakfast, and we sure found it at Town’s End! Ed had a fantastic eggs benedict, and I tried my 1st Swedish Oatmeal Pancake with pears + almonds. The pancake was ok, but it was nothing stacked up against the cobb scramble I had on the side. Just like it sounds — it had avocado, green onions, tomatoes, and applewood smoked turkey. So yum.

After checking out of our hotel, we made one last stop at the Ferry Building. I geeked out over all the adorable deliciousness at Miette, and picked up some caramels and cookies to thank my sis-in-law for watching Ruby! Oh man, that Lavender shortbread…

We took our time and took in a little more of that awesome city. I think I love it more each time I visit. One day, if only we could live in one of those unmistakable SF apartments with the big windows that seem to hang out over the sidewalks …

Once we headed back to Petaluma, Shannon and Mani had the great idea of taking us to the Lagunitas Brewing Company. Ed was so happy! It was a great afternoon in the sun with our family!

Petaluma is such a great little town and we had a blast with Mani and Shannon! Can’t wait for more good times with them soon!

Shannon took some really great pics while we were away:

Family Road Trip, Day 2 – Petaluma

It’s a miracle – we are actually relaxing on our vacation. If there was ever a place to relax, it’s Shannon and Mani’s place in Petaluma. Not only is Petaluma a charming little town, but Shannon and Mani’s place is so comforting that we kinda haven’t needed to leave. Shannon is an amazing cook, Ruby loves their dog, Kiwi, and there are fun things to play with like ukelele’s from Hawaii and tiny tea sets!

Ruby is a huge fan of her Auntie Shannon and we’re enjoying watching the love fest:

Our 1st Family Road Trip: Day 1, Visiting Davis, CA

We have been itching and yearning for a road trip since before Ruby was even born, and we knew one destination we’d definitely plan on would be Northern California. There is some serious Kim family history in Davis, Ed’s sister Shannon lives in Petaluma, and Ed + I both love San Francisco — so there were many reasons to make the trip. Now that Ruby is a little older (and much happier in the car), we decided to go for it. We are proud to report that Ruby did very well the whole way — that’s our cool Kim in training! :)

The destination for Day One was Davis. Aside from the fact that Davis is where Ed’s aunt + uncle lived for many years and where he would come as a kid to visit often, all three of his grandparents are buried here. Before we were married, Ed’s mom planned a special trip for me to go up to Davis to visit these gravesites and be introduced to his Halmoni and his “Sacramento Grandpa and Grandma”. Now that Ruby is here, Ed has been anxious to take her up and do the same. It was a very special visit, and very moving for all of us.

Ruby did a great job with the flowers, and then drew a special picture for each great-grandparent.

We took our time there and Ed told Ruby + I some special stories about each of his grandparents. It was a beautiful day and the 1st of many trips to come (A few more pics here). We’re off to Petaluma first thing in the morning!