Rewind to April 8-26, 2010:Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Here's an abbreviated rundown of everything that went down during my April vacay/RM visit. Warning, if you get tired easily, you may not want to keep reading.

4/8

Almost late for my flight. Arrived at the gate 15 minutes before takeoff. Landed at the Orange County airport on time but had to wait for sister to get her butt in gear. Got into fight about two hours after being in CA (a new record) about her significantly older boyfriend. Said hello to the puppies and passed out.

4/9

Woke up early, made amends with sister and prepared for 8-hour trip to San Francisco that ended up being a 10-hour trip because of traffic.

4/10

Drove sister to Sonoma so she could stay with her friend. Dropped mom off in Union Square so she could visit with her friend. Met up with my friends for a little quality time. Met AB's brand-new baby boy and BV's newest boy toy. Had tons of fun catching up. Always nice to see those girls. I miss them. After visit I picked up mom and we had dinner at Fisherman's Wharf.

4/11

Mom and I met up with JM in Novato. She took us to Bodega Bay--where one of my favorite movies of all time, The Birds, was filmed. It was rainy and gloomy all day, which made it the perfect weather for a Bodega Bay visit. After an awesome lunch, we drove around exploring the small towns in the area. We picked up sister from friend's house in Sonoma, said our goodbyes to JM and AM, then headed back to San Francisco for dinner with cousin.

4/12

Packed everything into the car and headed back down to SoCal.

4/13

Woke up early to go walking by the beach in Dana Point with AD. Spent the day with her and hung out with her kids for a little bit. Spent time with the family that night.

4/14

Had one of the worst birthdays ever, but it ended with a nice dinner with family and friends at one of my fave burger joints--Islands.

4/15

Woke up early again to go on a hike in Laguna Woods with AD then had a lovely dinner with DS and NG at The Block.

4/16

For my bday present, RJ took me to the Taylor Swift concert at the Staples center. Had an awesome dinner at Trader Vic's before the big show. Awesome concert--lots of fun.

4/17

Breakfast with RJ and RM at Madison Square Cafe in Laguna Beach. Had the best pancakes ever! Spent the afternoon with PB, HB and their adorable daughters. Thankfully SB didn't run away from me screaming. I think we're making progress. Finished off the day with a visit to Yogurtland. YUM!

4/18

Low-key day full of packing and napping before boarding the red-eye flight back to NJ.

4/19

Back at work. Time to get ready for RM's visit. Estimated date of arrival: Thursday 4/22.

4/22

RM and MP arrive from Boston. Met up with them after work and found out our Nobu dinner is that night, not Friday night. I'm really stylin' in my black Converse sneakers at Nobu Next Door. Thanks guys for the heads up!

4/23

Spent the day in the city. Here's what we did: Breakfast at Dean & DeLuca's in Rockefellar Center, short stop in St. Patrick's Cathedral, strolled up Fifth Ave to Lexington Ave., went downtown for lunch at Momofuku (best ramen ever!), headed down Broadway into Chinatown and Little Italy, had a snack at the really cheap dumpling place in Chinatown (soooo goood! can't beat 5 fried for $1 and 10 steamed for $1), picked up another snack at Rice to Riches, headed to Katz's for dinner, picked up dessert at Crumb's and Magnolia's, went home to relax. Since RM is a foodie, this day was all about the NYC food tour. I need to detox as soon as she leaves.

4/24

Another gorgeous day in the city--headed in to take in the sites. Here's what we did: Started with the best breakfast at Alice's Tea Cup, took a stroll through Central Park, sat in Bryant Park and ate some scones, took in a puppet show at the New York Public Library, wandered around Grand Central Station, walked part of the Brooklyn Bridge, saw the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park, walked by Ground Zero, had dinner at Lombardi's on Spring st., took a peek at Serendipity and Dylan's Candy Bar, went home and conked out. Phew...long day.

4/25

RM wasn't feeling well, so we opted to have a lazy day. Spent the entire time watching romantic comedies. We did manage to leave the house around five to get some hot dogs from Rutt's Hut in Clifton, NJ.

4/26

Went to work while RM got her things together for her early AM exit the next day. Stopped by Gray's Papaya to get her some hot dogs and picked up some White Castle burgers in Jersey. Such a nutritious dinner! It's salads for me for the rest of this week and next week.

Phew...all done. Next up...May Madness.