2 years ago Won bought us a Groupon for oyster picking from the sea!! Of course with all sea creature picking you have to go during the hours of low tide during the times of year where the water temperature is just right so your food does not poison you. Long story short, we never timed it right to go. Until…

Hama Hama! Don’t bother getting dressed cute in Washington because it’s always so FREEZING COLD!

ALL MINE!!!

Hard at work picking the biggest oysters we could find!

 
Good thing we had rain boots! We could walk in the puddles. Except she got a hole in her boot! And everyone else got their socks wet from wearing tennis shoes

We had the biggest and heaviest bucket! Everyone complimented us on our haul! I helped!

Photo op is over, Won Choe carries the bucket home. Hahahahahaha.

We could have also digged for clams. But we skipped out on that experience because there was nothing special about the clams and it was $5/lb! Hello, they are only $3.99/lb at the Asian market and $2.89 at Winco. We DID buy some fresh steamed clams at the picnic though

Oysters on the other hand were cheap at $5/dozen! Our goal was 6 dozen (as it was 2 dz/person) but we were tired and hungry at 4 dozens so we stopped. Plus the tide was coming up and the wind was getting really strong.

 
I specifically also picked a few of the smallest oysters I could find to eat raw!! YUUUMMMM!!

At home for a nice wash before we baked them! After scrubbing them thoroughly, I found tons of little shrimps left floating in the sink. Ha! 

I wasn’t kidding when I said we picked the biggest ones we could find!!

For some reason I thought watermelon would go well with them. And it did!!

The oysters were as big as my chubby little hand (no thanks to Won’s bad camera angle skills)! But as fun as it was to pick and bake the biggest ones (no it was not, these took almost an hour to cook!) I prefer the smaller ones. Next time I will not be so greedy

I took Pinky for a jog. But she kept stopping to pee and smell things so we didn’t get very far. That and because I was getting tired. Hahahaha. But let’s blame it all on Pinky.

Then I drove up to Seattle where Won works in some big corporation. I watched as business people flocked in after lunch. I brought a salad and Won took me to Chinatown for some tapioca and roast duck. We had a nice picnic in Chinatown. 

More tiny ingredients! and my shredded chicken! 

I put the quesadilla into muffin pan slots to make my deep dish pizza crust.

Tomato paste!! And Cheese! For pizza pizza!

Add the onions,bell peppers, mushroom, chicken, cheese, and parsley! Into the oven we go!

Out of the oven! And 2 missing already! Yummm!! Melty cheesey mushroom chicken goodness!
Ignore my freaky double jointed thumb. I’m extra opposable!

A platter full for the family. All gone by this morning.

Because somebody eats like this…. -_____-

I LOVE this bouquet accessory! So I’ve been on the hunt for something for my own bouquet. I found something in my wedding colors.. but I want something more crystal-ly!

Picking out our wedding outfits for our Pae Baek. I love the company we went with, they have so many more options than just the typical red and blue outfits (that we wore for our engagement shoot) that EVERYONE has. These outfits are much more expensive and reserved for royalty! We had 6 sets to choose from, from princess to knights to queen to empress. OF COURSE we went for the empress outfits. Hahahahaha. It’s okay if you don’t know what I’m talking about, Won has not a clue either. 

And here is Pinky… totally not understanding the concept of personal space -____- 
You can see I was blogging in the background. 

These were the wedding shoes I wanted but they didn’t have my size left. So I just ordered 2 other pairs. Hoping they come and I like them. Will update you all later

Since I’ve officially become a housewife, I try to be a good one by cooking!! Every recipe is my first time because I’ve never cooked prior to living with Won! 

Chicken wings in Char Siu sauce and honey. My sister in law taught me how to make this back when I used to bum around at my brother’s house. With boiled broccoli! So happy I did not over cook it, my first time too!

I normally do not like corn but it is one of my favorite ingredients in cajun food. The sweetness is so yummy in the spicy hot dish!

LOTS of little ingredients. Anyone want half an onion, half a jalapeno, half a bell pepper, half a parsley, half a celery, half a garlic? The leftover ingredients is so annoying! BTW, I cried the WHOLE time. Sad me!! I hate onion.

 
Simmer with shrimp shell for 1 hour to make stock. It’s a lot of work for what it’s worth, I’ll tell you that much. BUYING cajun food from the restaurant is well worth the money for your time. That is the ingredients being strained to get the stock.

That’s the pot of stock in the back. Voila!! And in front is the etoufee! Etoufee is flour mixed in lard (I used butter) and the 1000000x little ingredients and your previously made stock. It’s kinda like a seafood gravy.

Pretty fresh flowers from Jenny’s mom’s garden. Fresh flowers help brighten up the kitchen and not make me feel like I am slaving away. And Pinky, who follows me every single step of the way, waiting for me to drip or drop a morsel for her to help “clean up” with her tongue. 

Butter, the main ingredient in Cajun. At least I’m not using LARD!!! 

Over boxed mashed potatoes! I would have made it from scratch with real potatoes and all but Won INSISTED on how much he loves boxed potatoes. 

 

And to make you drool some more… Jenny came up to visit her family and they took me to casino buffet for King Crab night (for free)!! AHHHHHHHHHHH YUMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was my first time going to a casino. I lost $10 gambling Nevermind it was Jenny’s $10 I lost. At least $5 was given to us for free from the casino. Do you know for $10 I could bought a ticket to go oyster farming ALL DAY at the Oyster festival. Yet here I threw away $10 by pressing a button for 2 minutes. I hate gambling. 

I ate soooo much I spent the rest of the evening concentrating on not throwing up.

Never before seen, Won’s custom wedding band!!! Very simple, very unique! This is the picture we got back from the CAD, which I am assuming is some computer program that uses your specification to design the mold for the ring so they can make it! It’s a ring jacket to match MY wedding band. What is a ring jacket you ask? Imagine two rings fused together but with a space in between for my engagement ring, like a.. jacket!! Get it?! For my ring, we ordered two diamond bands and going to have them bridged together around my engagement ring! And so I wanted Won’s to reflect the double band too, that is how we came up with his design. VERY excited to see it all come together! And more excited to actually get to wear it!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

So I spent all of last night and most of today crying and being angry and sad and imagining all the conversations I am going to have. During my car ride home from work, I remembered the speech game we had during my bachelorette where each girl went around saying their name, how they knew me, and one sentence dedicated to me. When it was MY turn, I gave some super nervous and generic speech and everyone applauded. Ha! So I was driving home remembering that, then wished I had in turn dedicated one sentence to each one of the girls. And I got so teary thinking about all the good memories and how some of them literally dropped everything and rushed to my side in the past.  Then suddenly all the negative feelings I had completely vanished. I feel so happy and normal again. 

 
Our tea party theme was sun dress, open for interpretation by the girls of course. 

I have super cute friends!! Who have such nice table manners, unlike me! Walking around shoving food in my mouth.

 
Super cute tea party at Rose Tea Lounge, which doubles as a florist shop!

Afternoon sandwiches and summer salad and other fancy cheese stuff anybody? 

The X is for xanga girls!!! Why am I the only one???!

We fancy! even our sweatshop tools are designer! 

OF COURSE I am going to be doing everybody’s hair & makeup before the party. I promised myself I would resist the urge on my wedding day. Promise I will not touch anybody!!!

Holy shit, don’t cut my hair by mistake! 

Never seen a cuter bachelorette outfit huh? Admit it! My sweatshop workers are good! 

Awww, I look like a shy little angel!! Because THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM!! duh!!

Learning to dance from my one black friend!! 

I thinks I gots its!!! 

Random collages of my pretty friends that I stole from their instagram. Some are sweet and some will cut you (that bottom right one hahaha). Sadly, none of them are single  for the taking. 

This picture is a little bad ass, which I totally am not. But generations from now they will think I was!

Of the 20 people who confirmed for dim sum the next day, this many made it out.

Happiness for EVERYBODY!! Hope I cheered up somebody in a bad mood! <3

This past weekend was both my birthday and my bachelorette party. I had a good time for the most part and loved seeing my friends who I have not seen in a long time. 

As told from my Iphone!!

1. Won made that last comment because he knows I am actually not in Seattle. I made a big show about moving out there with literally a carload of luaggage, rearranged all the furniture in his life, bummed around for ONE month then went back to San Francisco where I am have been for the last month. Hahahaa Won says I am not allowed to leave for more than 3 days in the future. Prisoner, I tell you!!!

2. How did I get home? We flew up Seattle native and dearly loved xangan turned one of my most awesome friend, Jenny. Flew her in red eye, woke her up early, then subjected her to a 16 hour non stop drive with me! We are so much closer now. Because we freaking told ghost stories after the sun went down while driving through the forest, even though we made a rule not to talk about scary things after dark!!!

3. Why am I back in San Francisco? I got a job at a dental ofice, yay me! But according to the Washington State Department of Health, I have to wait for my background check and other clearances to go through before I can legally touch peoples germs. And because I am from California, it takes twice as long, so I came back to California where I am working until I can work in Washington! Quite a hustler, yes.

4. I spent many hours in the kitchen out of boredom. It takes almost half a day to go grocery shopping, prepare to cook, actually cook,watch people eat, and then clean up. Oddly enough, I don’t mind. What people say is true, cooking skills just automatically kick in once you’re married.

 

At first I tried to make her a travel companion, a la Paris Hilton. She acted all happy to be getting her leash and going with me. I put her on the passenger seat ready to drive off. I turn on the engine and she starts rattling her bones. -____-   I slowly start to drive and she climbs into my lap, WHILE I’M DRIVING! I’m like wtf!! Get back to your seat!! But noooo! And so to hide her until we got back home, I had to hold her head down so no one would see her. Most stressful 5 minute drive. Ever. Yet when she gets driven with anyone else, she is perfectly behaved. UghhHHHHhh!!! 

7. Going to sleep with yobo at night is nice. Even though I stay up a couple of hours later to read and watch tv, it’s nice to have his 1000 pounds arm wrapped around me. Sometimes  I push him away when his arm gets too heavy, but it’s sweet how even when he is deeply asleep he instinctively reaches over for me.  That or he is just pretending to sleep all night

9. That’s all. Come visit the cold North West!! And take me out to eat  

I tried to read other people’s blog to leech great ideas off from. But no bueno. 

What can I write about? Oh I know,Wedding Invitations!! 

1. WHY do people who haven’t talked to you in YEARS, because you never hang out or even have each others’ numbers, run into you at the farmers market by total coincidence tell you that you NEED to invite them to your wedding. Why do they even care. I mean, obviously they didn’t care about you over the years to keep in touch? So why suddenly care to be invited to some lame wedding of some people too lame to keep in touch with?

2. I wish people would stop asking the exact date of the wedding. It’s so uncomfortable because now it’s like they know WHEN to show up, when I didn’t intend to invite them. I usually answer with a casual, “summer time.” *smile smile change the effin’  subject* 

3. Besides from my xanga, I really do not like talking wedding details to people except people who have to do shit for me for the wedding (cue in amazing friends who I will forever be in debt to) I don’t want it to come off as if I am showing off to them and then insult them by not inviting them. That or when most people ask, it seems so fake. I mean really, do you REALLY care what my wedding colors or theme is? Probably not. But when people fakely ask, I have to fakely answer -___-

4. For the RSVP card, I specifically and politely put a fixed number of seats we reserved for them. Basically our rule of thumb was no kids and no boy-girl friends. We tried to cap at 240 guests. We’re probably close to 300 right now -____-   But people CALLED and asked why their family of 4 only got 2 reserved seat. BECAUSE! Nobody wants your awkward pre-teen pimply faced sons there. NO ONE, not even them, except you.

5. As much as I LOVE my engagement ring, I don’t like it when other people love it, ESPECIALLY when they love it and compare it to their own ring, IN FRONT of their husbands. Gaaaaah so. effin. awkward. 

Doesn’t matter. I’m just happy everyone is happy for me