April showers...

It's been an eventful March and April so far, in good ways and...not so good ways. ;-) But let's focus on the positive, shall we?

In March we celebrated two back to back 50th birthdays...Rich one night with his Taco Murder Mystery Party, and then the next, for Ayako at LLBC.

We started off April very memorably with my getting to celebrate one of my best friend's birthdays with her...then co-hosted a festive Easter celebration that quickly turned south fast...when all three of us tested positive for COVID that Tuesday. So we were clearly infectious on Sun, when we had the party, and didn't know it. Rich fell first, then Ryan...then me. And then even more horrifically, we infected SIX others- my parents, Kenichi (they had all been at the house on Sat), two of Ryan's friends who were at the party, and one of their moms. Needless to say, it was a nightmare watching them all fall ill, and praying they wouldn't get terribly ill. This was a stunning demonstration of the high transmission/infectiousness of Covid, and humbling to see it is no where near disappearing anytime soon.

Fortunately for me, and me alone, it was a very diminished COVID infection, likely because I was just sick with COVID for the first time last Sep/Oct. I had a fever/body aches on Day 1, and then only a cough from Day 2 on. I'm now on Day 6 or 7 and ran 8.5 miles today...so I'd say I'm fine?

I was very lucky to be able to work from home all last week, and because we had to clear our schedules for 7 days to isolate...I was able to reread one of my favorite books (The Glass Castle), which I'm now having Ryan read. He's also had extra time to get homework done, and play the piano (all foisted upon him). 

In other non-illness related news...my brother Joey, who just moved across the country to VA/DC, quickly moved back for a variety of reasons. He's moved again, this time, to Portland...and has started a new opportunity there that I think will really challenge him.  

A friend turned the big 5-0 and did it up big at Lava Lava Beach Club for some toes in the sand dining on the beach at the sunset. It was lovely!

The Mears Farm produced some gorgeous produce in March! Heirloom tomatoes, three types of eggplant, oranges and rosemary.

Rich's 50th Murder Mystery Taco Night went extraordinarily well...and loud! We had refried beans, Spanish rice, tamale, a beef/vegan taco bar, gauacamole and 5-layer bean dip...

The succulent garden has gotten out of control, and I couldn't be more pleased.

Sei Sei came back home for a quick visit and we got to say hi!

We celebrated Easter with a few of Ryan's closest friends, which was cohosted by three of us this year.

We had egg decorating...

Cookie decorating, sometimes a hit, sometimes not...

The nieces came over to join their older cousin and his friends.

A candy-filled egg hunt...

With some well hidden eggs. Maybe too well hidden?

I had a surprise at work when this little girl hugged me from behind when I was working at the bar on my laptop...I was so shocked to see her as it was a weekday! She and her family came to celebrate her birthday at her favorite restaurant (Lava Lava Beach Club)! Even better, earlier that day, Ryan's BFF's parents were there having lunch...so I got to see two folks I knew in a day at work (rare, as I was in Waikoloa and not Kona).

Got to spend some time with the family at Kai...the girl's 'other' favorite restaurant.

I did not take this photo, but is there a cuter face on the planet? I think not. The birthday girl getting in some roller blade time!

Rich at Wrestlemania

His brother met him LA and they attended together

                                                

And in other more recent news...I do not often treat myself to many things. But I guess this month, I did? I finally caved and got the fake orchid I'd been wanting that seemed outrageous at close to $40 with tax for the bathtoom. It needed some color and I'm so glad I got it.

And although not really a splurge, since health and fitness is not so much a passion as a necessity...when you eat as much as I do? I did my annual shoe hoarding for the year from New Balance, which Rich schlepped back for me from CA. I'm now set for a little over a year.

To help my mom back on the road to recovery, I made her a giant pot of nishime (my fourth or fifth since I learned how to make it maybe 4-6 months ago)? I have to make it with gluten-free soy sauce for her, and I make it chock full of 8 different types of veggies- saraimo/araimo, buttom mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, lotus root, konbu seaweed, carrots and tofu/soybeans. The only other ingredients are chicken broth, chicken breast and 1/4 cup of sugar, so it's very simple. Like a country-style Japanese stew, but super charged with tons of vegetables? I like to joke it's Million Dollar Soup, since many of those Japanese veggies are not easy to find/cheap.

It is back to civilization for all of us tomorrow...and I'm excited to get out of the house, not so much the grind. It's always nice to take a break otherwise!