Dinner: My mom's family and Ellen's parents

We had dinner tonight at Newport Seafood in San Gabriel. The party consisted of my mom, Aunt Claire, Aunt Jane, Ellen's parents, and of course Ellen and I. Afterwards, we went to xiao mei for shaved ice. It wasn't as bad as I originally thought it would be, and Aunt Claire made the conversation work because she did most of the talking, not to mention she made me look good.

This is the second time my mom had dinner with Elle's parents so she didn't say much either.

My mom met Elle's parents

Last night my mom met Elle's parents. I have never had that happen before. We ate at a Islamic restaurant. It was explained to me that just means there's no pork. I stayed quiet the entire time while they talked. It wasn't all that bad. My mom was just being her, slightly naive and talkative. All in all, I'd say it was a good first meeting.

Elle and her parents go to New York

This morning I took Elle and her parents to the airport. They'll be gone for a week until Saturday. I'll be heading to Las Vegas in 2 days for a convention, and I'll return Sunday. It'll be a strange and hectic week. We have never been apart for longer than a couple of days. This will be a new experience.

Ellen's parents come visit

Yesterday morning Ellen's parents came to visit from China. It was planned that they would stay with me but a week ago Ellen's friend offered her place because she'll be in Taiwan/China until January 21st or something like that. At that time, her parents will move in with me.

We ate at Cheesecake factory last night. It was quite an experience because I had never had such a formal dining experience before, at least not one with my girlfriend's parents...

Birthday Dinner!

Since I was in Las Vegas for my birthday, I didn't get a chance to celebrate with my family and friends. So, in order to celebrate we decided to have a dinner at a local restaurant/cafe in Arcadia. It was great and we had a lot of fun. I love my family and friends. Thanks everyone, for making this the greatest birthday ever.

Ronnie, me, Stacy, Gloria, and Brain

And because Stace had a birthday present for Elle from 2 months ago, she gave it to Elle at the dinner. And because Elle loved the present so much, she started acting like it was HER birthday lol

Me, Elle, and purse

Las Vegas Birthday and the Sad Part - Coming Home...

Returning home is so depressing... All the freshly minted memories of fun devoid of responsibility and expectations. And you know what's the worst part? Unpacking. It's as if I'm taking out all the laughter and excitement and replacing it with emptiness; hanging up cloths and pictures to remind myself of what could be.

But with every dark night there's a bright day. I have a goal now - early retirement. I would like to retire young enough to enjoy life with Elle. I know people feel the need to work so they'll feel fulfilled but not me. Life is pretty okay just doing nothing.

Baby monkey holding my birthday card.

And this is how we look to drunk people...

Birthday Trip to Vegas!

Elle surprised me by buying tickets to go watch the Jabbawockeez in Las Vegas for my birthday. To top it off, my request to take Monday off from work for my birthday was confirmed and my dad got us two nights at the Bellagio plus tickets to Cirque Du Soleil. Everything seems to be coming together for what I anticipate will be an amazing weekend.

Edit: Turns out we couldn't get tickets to Cirque Du Soleil and we're gonna be staying at the Venetian. But still, I expect to have a great time watching the Jabbawockeez.