Wow. So. Much. Eating.

Friday
Hit the grocery store then came home and made birthday cupcakes for my friend Jen. Then marshmallows for my dad. Then I went to sleep, exhausted.

Saturday
Slept in till 11:00. Cut the marshmallows (they have to set overnight.) I experimented with cookie cutters and cut out some hearts and decided I will make and sell these for Valentine’s Day, just a heads up. Did laundry. Cleaned my apartment. Bought Guster/Nada Surf tickets from Ticketmaster. (Reserved seats and general admission standing floor tickets were the same price. I bought reserved, thinking we could move to the floor if we want. I think this officially makes me old.) Went to the new Longs Drugs at Hollywood and La Brea only to find they don’t sell Diet Coke in cans. What the hell?

Came back home. Got dressed. My sister came over, then shortly after, my parents arrived. Relaxed with the family for a bit. Handed off cupcakes to Ann-Marie who would then bring them to the birthday celebration I would not be attending. Went to a really loud Luna Park for dinner then Susina for dessert with the family. Came home. Watched TV then crashed.

Sunday
Woke up entirely too early. Got ready while my sister and her boyfriend made their way to my apartment. My mom, sister, and I headed to Huntington Gardens for tea and the gardens while my dad and my sister’s boyfriend saw Superman at Grauman’s Chinese.

We got to Pasadena in near record time, paid the entrance fee, and made our way to the tea room. (It was a very belated Mother’s Day gift.) Immediately after being seated, we were treated to strawberry-kiwi tea and a basket of hot (chocolate chip and raisin) scones. (The second basket had ginger and raisin. Yeah, we finished the first basket.) Then we hit the buffet, which was filled with finger sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, and desserts. Everything was delicious, and we all ate a ton. After stuffing ourselves silly, we walked around the gardens. They were beautiful, but mostly flower-less, as the extreme heat we’ve had lately killed most of the flowers. Lots of pictures here. As usual, the pictures with people are limited to Flickr family and friends. Let me know if I should add you.

Following the gardens and tea, we came back to my apartment and met up with my dad and sister’s boyfriend. We relaxed a bit more, then went to Lucky Devils for dinner. The food (especially the fries) was really good, but the service more than sucked. And, they show really odd surfing and ice climbing videos that didn’t really go with the interior of the restaurant. Anyway, my chicken sandwich came out five minutes after my mom, sister, and sister’s boyfriend’s food, and my dad’s kobe beef sandwich came out about 10 minutes after that. Not good. While we were complaining to the manager, we were informed that the new chef started tonight, a whole four months after the restaurant opened. Not a good sign. I think this is the kind of place I could find myself eating at late at night after a show. Other than that, I probably won’t be back. And, tonight’s lousy service makes Ellen Pompeo’s story about not eating at Lucky Devils sound way more believable.

Sucky service aside, it was a lot of fun spending the weekend with my family and I can’t wait until the construction on my parents’ house is done so I can spend a relaxing weekend down in San Diego with them.