Frisco Part 3

Final Chapter on our road trip to SF.

After raining for 2 days, Wednesday was all sun w/c was great. We took the kids to the zoo and they absolutely loved it. But, a few minutes after walking in to this vast menagere of animals , we realized that this was the exact same zoo where a tiger got lose and attacked and killed some teenagers ( ohmagosh!!!!). That was a buzzkill coz then I was more afraid for my kids and couldn't really enjoy the beauty of these amazing creatures ( BTW, no offense to the SF zoo, but if u ever come to visit Portland, you'll find our zoo has a better selection of animals and much nicer cages ).

Somebody feed This poor Giraffe Did he just gave mo a thumbs up??

Taking a quick break after a long walk. Is That Hedwig?

The rest of the week was just mostly driving around, taking pictures and pigging out.
I took so many pictures that we had to save them to an external hardrive (maybe 3Gb of pics)Here are some of my most favorite shots.

The Golden Gate Bridge

The San Francisco Bay In the Background

A sight to behold. The City Of San Francisco

Entrance To ChinaTown

What A Surprise To See A Reminder Of Home.Chicken Joy Tasted So Good!!

A Beautiful Rainbow Guided Us On Our Way Back Home

It was a memorable week. San Francisco is such an eclectic city. I've never seen so many variation of race and culture in one city. At one Target store, I saw so many filipino I thought I wasn't in the US any more. So much thing you can & see and it makes the visit all the more worth while. Another dream come true for a girl from a small town in QC.

San Francisco Trip ...cont...

Despite the insanely high price of gas we still saved a lot by taking the family car instead of flying which would have cost us 2 grand easily .The weather was chilly in Frisco on our 3rd day . I would have just curled up on our sofa with a hot cup of tea but that would be a waste so we rode around the city just snappin' away with my camera. Lots of tourists were still out there doing their touristy stuff. Nothin' can dampen their spirit to enjoy the city. It made it easy for us to go to many places because we were driving but I imagined that the kids wont last walking around town and riding buses and train. Traffic is hideous most esp during rush hours and drivers are so wreckless that I didn't want to take the wheels. Its hard for me to drive there because roads are confusing and they have massive freeways ( some have 7 lanes of traffic in one direction) . I was so used to the more laid back atmosphere here in Oregon that I find too scary to venture with other drivers and if you don't keep up with their speed you will get a loud honking which I'm not used to anymore.

We followed those red tour buses around and took pictures of many beautiful buildings and architectures.

Transamerica Building The Palace Of Fine Arts

The Alcatraz.It was majestic looking even from afar.We decided to cancel our tour to see this tiny historic island because we thought the kids wont yet appreciate the historic relevance of this place.We saved it for our future

The San Francisco City Hall

The Fisherman's Wharf at the Marina district .Its right next to the bay and is a very popular tourist destination. Famous for its historic waterfront location, delicious seafood restaurants and shop and is its minutes away from the Maritime Museum,Coit Tower and the world famous cable car lines.From here you can see the incredible view of Alcatraz and The Golden Gate Bridge. It was Sunday when we got there and it was jammed packed with tourist.

The City By The Bay is even livelier and prettier at night

Back From San Francisco

After 7 days of being away I am just so glad to be back at the comfort of our own humble home. Not that we didn't had a good time at San Francisco , we surely did and I've got loads of pics to prove it , but I guess I am just such a homey person and home is where my heart is , plus I miss blogging w/c I couldn't do at the hotel even with the free high speed internet coz by the time everybody is settled for bed after a long day of touring the city I'm too tired to do anything else but lay down and look at the pictures that we took.

We planned this trip on a budget and we know that we have to be careful with every penny we spend especially with the construction of our house coming soon ( I will update on that too later on) and also carefully choosing the places that we got making sure its kid-friendly and that the kids will enjoy. We save a great deal of money too on the hotel ( 2 double bed with fridge & microwave for less than 50 bucks/day is a bargain in San Francisco). We stock up on grocery from a nearby store and we also brought a small drink cooler so we have cold drinks ready all the time.

It was a 10 long hour drive from Portland to downtown San Francisco not including the traffic and occasional stop to use the restroom.I was worried that the kids will get bored and throw a fit but they were very good the entire way and both was content just looking out of the window while enjoying the views.

Day 1:
Last minute checking of our luggage and stuff.Making sure all appliances are turned off and no garbage left behind.Plant watered and Beta fishes fed. Packed the car and took one last look at our apartment. It was a perfect day for a road trip.The sun was bright and the wind is just cold enough to wear a sweat shirt.

A Long Ways To Go To San Francisco California

Nap Time For Shinjo

After What Seems To Be An Eternity Of Nothingness We Finally Saw Civilization.At Almost 2am, We Crossed The Oakland Bay Bridge

Day 2:
Arriving so late last on a weekend, the room that we got was not necessarily what we were expecting but the hotel receptionist promised to give us a better room the next day .We slept till noon and didn't really have a plan for that day so we just drove around the city taking snap shot every chance I get. Oh and another thing....I thought I did a great job packing all of our clothes ( all ironed and folded neatly.)Guess what I forgot to pack? Poor DH has no shirt in his bag...only shirts that we wear inside but his polo shirts,short sleeves and other shirts weren't there!!! I couldn't believe I forgot to pack his shirts. No wonder I kept thinkin why his his bag was so light.He only had 3 colored shirt and the rest are white !!

I remember thinking while I was taking this picture that when I was a kid,I always wonder what San Francisco looks like and now there I was

AT&T Park.Home Of the San Francisco Giants.

The Iconic Cable Car

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From The Ocean Beach At Skyline Boulevard west of San Francisco

More later..:)

Happy Hearts Day!!

I wish everybody lots of love on this day of the hearts.

Update on my weight loss:
I lost a pound this week even though I missed my work our for 4 days while taking care of my sick kids and husband. Thank god they are ok now!!!
I am so glad I didn't gain any weight and I will sure to get back to work out routine ASAP!!



Road Trip To San Francisco!!

We were planning on this trip for a while now and finally DH found some time off of work. I'll take tons of pics for sure!! Its very exciting coz it's been so long since our last family vacation.

Have a great weekends to all you guys :)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Cycle Of Life

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Mama Bird Who Lives At Our Roof. Week 1

Week 4

Week8

Week 12.Empty Nest

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Weighing In ~ 4th Week

Pound Lost This Week: 0 lbs :(
Total Pound Lost: 5 lbs

Target Weight : 110-115 lbs


The scale didn't change this week even when I've increased my work out from 3x a week to 5x a week and calorie intake is still very much under control.
The positive side of me says " Atleast you didn't gain weight!". But I make no excuse anymore and I'm not settling for less.
I'd keep doing what I'm doing and probably increase my cardio work out and I definitely need a new scale. I didn't break my old one ( that would be embarrassing) its just that it’s the analog kind and it’s not consistent. I’ll get a digital scale later today so I can see the slightest change on my weight.

The good news is since I’ve been doing more intense work outs , I feel that my muscles are firmer, my butt is tighter and higher and my arms are less flabby. If I’d only rely on the scale I would be really discouraged but when I put on my jeans , it fits better and looks better so that’s my reward for the hard work that I’ve been doing for the past 4 weeks now.

On Sunday during the Superbowl, I was working out while the game was being recorded. I was so pumped up so I decided to do more .While I was on the floor doing planks I felt as sharp pain on the right side of my buns . I was hurting so bad I rolled a few times but the pain just got worse. I called my husband ( he was at a superbowl party w/ friends) coz I thought I’m gonna have to go to the ER. He advised that I lay still and try to relax my legs. It hurt so much I was in tears but after a couple more minutes the pain slowly went away ( whew!). As much as I wanted to keep going with the work out , I had to just lay low because I didn’t want to aggravate if I pulled a muscle . The next day I could still feel a little tingle on the right side of my butt but it didn’t hurt any more so I was able to finish my routine.

The Plank.One Of the best work outs for the Abs

My goal this week is to increase my cardio to 10-15 more minutes. Valentines Day is coming and it would be nice to be able to wear nice outfit if my DH decides to take me out for a special dinner.



Eating Healthy:



Ginger-Carrot Vinaigrette

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Note: This is my home made salad dressing. I got this idea from our favorite Japanese restaurant and added some more twist to it. The ginger might to be too strong for some but you can balance the falvor with vinegar or salt & sugar. The carrot is the surpirse ingredients for this recipe and I love the freshness of its flavor and work perfectly well with the salad greens and other fresh veggies.

Ingredients:

• Carrots cut into chunks


• Ginger ,about an inch


• Clove of garlic


• 1 Tbp Chopped Onion (optional)


• 1 Cup Olive Oil


• 1/2 Cup Cider Vinigar


• Salt And Pepper to taste


• 2 tbp Sugar

Put all ingredients together on a blender and mix for about a min.
Store left over in the fridge and it will last up to 2 weeks

What's In Your Kitchen

This is a thread that lovely Rhebs started to give us a glimpse of the food choices that we have in connection with our goal to healthy lifesyle and staying fit.
I was adamant to show photos of our fridge but what the heck. I wish I have a SubZero refrigerator but its not the point of this thread so I guess its ok .
We are renting an apartment and the appliances are already set up plus there are limited space so I try to only buy food that will fit in our storage. The good thing about our location is we are very close to the mall and grocery store so I can always get fresh produce whenever I need it.

This fridge does not contain 100% healthy food ( see the ice cream?).My kids are allowed to have some treats every now and then.

Morning:
My morning typically start with a hot cup of coffee with lots of cream but I have healthier substitute for sugar & fatty cream.I love toast with some butter (the butter substitute is godsend) and also whole grain cereals.

Lunch:
Usually I would just have some salad and some fresh fruits. For dressing, I like to make my own vinaigrette or if I don't have time I'd have my favorite pomegranate raspberry vinaigrette.Gotta have cheese with my salad and feta is always the high light of my salad.

Photo on the left shows my homemade dressing.I'll post its ingredients later on.The next photo is the only other dressing that I like

I love cheese!!

Late Afternoon:
This is the time when I usually do my work out and 30 mins before that I like having a glass of protien shake.This two are my favorite. It helps build lean muscles and curbs appetite.

I like the rich chocolate flavor of Slimfast.I use 1% milk coz I like to have some flavor in it.I alternate with whey protein w/c is also great if your are working out

Dinner:
This is the meal that I spend lots of time and is kinda tricky for me because my kids and husband have different food preference and nutritional needs .It try to make the dishes that I make as healthy as possible.

Skinless boneless chicken breast a favorite in our household

Tofu is a great source of protein with very little fat.I also like roasting chicken and some meat for stir fry veggies

Other Healthier alternatives Of My Favorite Food

There's Always Fresh Veggies In My Fridge

And Some Frozen Too

I buy fruits that are in season coz they are fresher , tastier and cheaper

Seasonings For Tasty Meals

Snacks:
I prefer fresh fruit for snack or maybe some cut veggies.I love nuts too but what I do is I buy them in bulk coz its cheaper then I roast them.this way I can control the salt and oil. Sometimes I like having some chilled jello too.

Guilt Free Desert

Raw Peanuts

And don't forget multivatimins and supplements which are also vital in keeping our mind and body in tip top shape.

As We Get Older Our Body Gets Extra Help From Multivitanmins,Minerals and Supplements

So there you have it.
I hope I have offered healthy ideas to those who are also trying to lose weight and stay healthy.