My First Poem

I loved you when 

 

I loved you when you were just a tiny human when your parents would drop you off at my house in your car seat

 

I loved you when you wanted to have sleepovers

 

I loved you when you decorated Christmas cookies with us

 

I loved you when you sang at the top of your lungs “Wannabee” by the Spice Girls a zillion times on the way to Disneyland

 

I loved you when I took you to choir lessons at St Isidore’s Church after school 

 

I loved you when I picked you up from grammar school and drove you to gymnastics practice with Andrew and Keri

 

I loved you when we gave you a birthday celebration with all of your friends and family at the gymnastic studio

 

I loved you when you wanted a yearbook and your dad wouldn’t buy you one

 

I loved you when you needed someone to sit by your side at the dentist 

 

I loved you when we made kitty blankets for the Tri Valley Animal Shelter

 

I loved you when I picked you up after school to volunteer for Children’s Hospital’s Family House to cook meals for the families of children that were ill

 

I loved you when the dozens of times we got lost and I didn’t have a GPS or written directions driving to a philanthropy and you were always patient with me

 

I loved you when you needed a hairdresser to comb out the tangles in your hair and give you a haircut

 

I loved you when at Christmas time, I gave you a beautifully painted pot from Mexico to plant your succulents in

 

I loved you when we spent hours shopping for the perfect dress for the many National Charity League events

 

I loved you when we made happy birthday and thank you cards for the senior citizens and we chatted for hours

I loved you when we volunteered at the Ice Cream Social and you met the 100 year old man who wanted two scoops of ice cream instead of one

 

I loved you when I brought you to Kaiser Hospital and made sure you were up to date on your immunizations and made sure you had adequate birth control

 

I loved you when Iron Horse Middle School called me because they couldn’t reach your dad. They told me you fell while playing on the monkey bars. I drove you to Kaiser where we learned you broke your arm. You didn’t want to get out of the car, but finally did and needed surgery immediately

 

I loved you when we spent the day in Capitola and Santa Cruz buying shoes because your feet hurt

 

I loved you when I had Emily at the Livorna Swim Club teach you how to swim

 

I loved you when we made macaroni and cheese with your girlfriend in my kitchen

 

I loved you when I made you a quilt for your bed and months later it was burnt up in a fire

 

I loved you when we went to the movies together

 

I loved you when I picked you up from the San Ramon Library

 

I loved you when you got transferred to San Ramon Valley High

 

I loved you when you helped out Roxanne Stone the school secretary every morning at 7AM after your dad dropped you off 

 

I loved you when you got into Treble Clef and Concert Choir at San Ramon Valley High School

 

I loved you when you and Andrew would endlessly sing “Everywhere” by Michelle Branch in the back seat of the car

 

I loved you when you took off without me in San Diego while riding a scooter at a very young age

 

I loved you when we played in the butterfly garden at Marine World and when we let the parakeets stand on our heads while we fed them at the San Diego Zoo

 

I loved you when we played on the beach in Santa Cruz and went on the “Giant Dipper” roller coaster with my Dad and Andrew at the Boardwalk

 

I loved you when we sat in Berkeley at the coffee shop and you were inspired by and watched the homeless woman do her nails and wrote a book about it

 

I loved you when we volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Bay Point painting houses

 

I loved you when we read books before bedtime and I would rock you on my lap and give you a special blanket to sleep with

 

I loved you when we played with and brushed the dogs and cats at TVAR

 

I loved you when we drove to Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek and you, Andrew and I picked out our dog Baxter after just going there for popcorn during Christmas break

 

I loved you when you were the only one who noticed I had been crying after my cat Woody died and you wanted to know if I was okay

 

I loved you when we ate peanut butter on apples for snack after school and you didn’t ever finish your drink

 

I loved you when we played with the kids at the Concord Child Care Center at the swimming pool and they hung all over you and you never wanted to volunteer there again

 

I loved you when you gave out baskets of food to the hungry at Monument Crisis Center during Thanksgiving

 

I loved you when I watched you and Andrew thrive in a summer drama program through Contra Costa Christian Theater acting in “High School Musical.” And you wanted to drop out, but didn’t

 

I loved you when you and your boyfriend Sean bought a kitten

 

I loved you when you graduated from High School around all of your family and friends

 

I loved you when you took on leadership roles in your Vista Oak NCL. Your graduation video was so inspiring that it is still used as a template for all upcoming seniors that need to write a speech

 

I loved you when you worked at the front counter at the Hospice Thrift Store 

I loved you when you went to Camp Concord in Lake Tahoe with your cousins Vince and Marie

 

I loved you when you married your cousin Vince at auntie Sue’s house in Belmont

 

I loved you when you cared for your cousin Kendall when she cried at night

 

I loved you when you danced with your Dad when he and Aly got married and you got a new Mom

 

I loved you when we spent hours at the beauty salons having our nails done

 

I loved you when Uncle Kenny took you to Oak Hill Park to take photos of you

 

I loved you when you liked auto shop and worked on cars

 

I loved you when you welcomed your baby sister into our family and loved her

 

I loved you when you fell in love with Darius and brought him to family events

 

I loved you when you began making YouTube tutorials on how to do skin care and make up

 

I loved you when you became famous on Twitter after helping a jobless man become employed

 

I loved you when you said you were married on Twitter even though you never shared it with me

 

I loved you when you took me to the Facebook and Instagram Campus in Menlo Park and showed me where you worked

 

I loved you when we spent the day in Carmel chillin on the beach, going to art museums, chocolate shops and beer tasting after my foot surgery

 

I loved you when we toured Pixar Studios in Emeryville and how Pocahontas was your favorite princess

I loved you when you and Andrew would sing “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne at the top of your lungs while riding in the back seat of my car

I loved you when you wanted to be a part of my life and family

 

A Foodie Day in Emeryville and a Visit to Pixar

Met a friend for lunch at Emeryville’s Koja Kitchen for Korean-Japanese fusion food inside the Public Market, then the two of us joined another friend for a tour of Pixar. The  Market was quiet because it was early, but it was similar to the Ferry building in San Francisco, or also Napa’s OxBow Public Market. If you like food, wine and beer and ART you must get yourself to Emeryville.

 

Let’s begin with the various businesses at the Public Market. I found fourteen choices of places to dine, drink or just hang out with a loved one for a cup of coffee at Peets. I passed since I had already had my espresso w steamed milk while driving to this destination, but Peets is definitely my favorite coffee house. Lucky me I had time for a quick pedicure at The Lounge Nail Spa since I arrived an hour early. How convenient was that?

Pauline admiring the Coco art on the back of an employee’s Jeep in the parking lot.

Pauline is my brother in law Hanson’s niece (that’s a mouthful!) and she had asked if we could spend a day at Pixar a few months ago. Pauline is a HUGE Disney fan and has never had a tour before until today. This was my second opportunity to visit Pixar since several months ago when I took a tour with my niece Jasmine.  Here are a couple of pics from our day together.

Jasmine saluting w Woody

This is the building where all the future ideas are being developed. There are seven movies now in the works

Pauline and THe Incredibles

Buzz and Woody from Toy Story

Cars

Pixar is studded with art from the very famous award winning Movie Coco, The Incredibles and many other Disney favorites. It’s truly an animators playground, of which is why Pauline loves it there. She has a degree in animation, yet chooses to work with children in San Francisco as a teacher since in her words, “it is more rewarding.”

More cool art on the way up stairs where no pictures are allowed

The Incredibles Art Work on back wall

This is the auditorium when you first walk in

 

The pathway into the Steve Job’s Building

Pauline excited to see Pixar’s logo lamp

We had a blast walking through the Pixar campus even spotting a famous director. Very cool. The gardens are gorgeous with huge trees and purple blooming irises. One of my favorites since I have them in full bloom in my garden as well.

 

I am fortunate to have connections and visiting privileges to this iconic institution. You can feel the creative energy inside and out of the buildings and know very special things are coming from the brilliant minds of the people who work there. Coming soon is Toy Story 4 and I will be lining up to see that feature film being released in June 2019. My son Andrew had the action figures Woody and Buzz Lightyear back in 1995 when the movie won 3 oscars.

Well, I thought this blog was going to be all about the restaurants that I stumbled upon at the Public Market. I guess I can get a little excited about Disney/Pixar movies too and get sidetracked. Thou you won’t want to miss checking out these dining experiences either. C Casa, Fish Face poke Bar, Hot Italian, Mayo & Mustard, and Mr Dewie’s Cashew Creamery dairy, soy and gluten free just to name a few. And don’t miss trying Paradita Eatery a Peruvian restaurant and stop by Oui Oui! for a light and airy macaron right after. You will want to bring co workers with you to try The Periodic Table’s huge list of local brews, then Shiba Ramen for an authentic fast casual really delicious Japanese ramen bowl.

My raw sushi dish w rice from Koja Kitchen

Plenty of places to choose from at the Market in Emeryville

Of course, many would opt for a vegan dish and would choose an eggplant curry from  Wazwan Indian Cuisine. Or if you are in the mood for sushi, try We Sushi who started out as a food truck.

It was a dream come true to come across this destination before spending the day at Pixar. Our lunch was healthy, reasonably priced, quick and tasty at Koja Kitchen and we had just enough time to make it for our 2PM Pixar tour. I really can’t think of a better way to spend the day.

Maybe you have a favorite new hot spot to hang out in? Are you a Disney fan? Here’s a blog from my recent trip to Disneyland. If so leave your ideas in the comment section below. And thanks for reading this. It means a lot.

Sneak peek from recent Disneyland Adventure