Thanksgiving 2005

We've been pretty bummed recently about the fact that, over the Christmas and New Year's holiday week, Brian will not get any days off, and in fact only gets one day off in mid-December. So on the day before Thanksgiving, when things miraculously worked out such that Brian would be able to take some time away from the hospital over Thanksgiving weekend, he called Sherry at work and we decided to visit our family in California. We booked tickets for 7 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving at about 1 p.m. the same day. In case you were ever wondering what kind of crazy people do such a thing, now you know. It was worth every penny, we might add. We called our parents from Boston Logan Airport to tell them-- surprise!-- we'd be home in some hours. We flew into Oakland, rented a car, and made our way to the Sacramento area. We stayed with Sherry's mom Wednesday night, and she was so excited to see usthat she barely slept. On Thanksgiving, our sister-in-law Kristen's sister Cindy and her husband Joe had a whole crowd for Thanksgiving dinner--their own children; Eric, Kristen and the boys; all of Kristen's siblings and their spouses and children; Kristen's mom Gail and stepdad Dwight; Sherry's mom Pat; Brian's dad John, and the two of us! It was a lovely dinner and we all had a great time catching up, stuffing ourselves, and watching football. We stayed with Sherry's mom, Pat, Thursday night. On Friday, we met up with a group of high school friends (Maya, Julie, Liz and Liz's fiance Phil) for lunch (Mexican...mmmm). We then had a nice visit with Brian's dad, John, and dinner with John, Eric, Kristen and the boys. We stayed with Eric and Kristen at their place in Placerville. The next day (Saturday), we went wine tasting with Eric and Kristen in the Sierra foothills near their home, and had a blast. The weather was perfect and we were very lucky to be wine-tasting in California with family in great weather rather than slogging around in the cold by ourselves on a holiday weekend in Boston! We stayed with E & K Saturday night and had a great Mexican dinner (we really miss Mexican food!). Sunday, Sherry's mom took us out for lunch at Brian's favorite pizza place of all time (Round Table) before we got on the road. We tried to give ourselves extra time to get to the Bay Area, and realized that we had some time to spare, so we gave our old junior high/high school friend Jason Bromley a call. It turned out he was getting together for dinner with some college friends of ours who did not know we were in California for the weekend. We drove to the home of our friends Bill and Rowena (and their darling twins), and were able to have dinner with them, Jason, and our friends Shanti and Jessica-- all together! It was a great send-off! For pictures from our great holiday weekend, click here.

Our trip to Rome and Florence

We spent a week in Rome and Florence, and returned on this past Sunday. One of Brian's "assigned" vacation weeks fell over his birthday, so we flew to Rome! Here is a synopsis of our trip: Saturday/Sunday-- We flew out on Air France Saturday night (immediately after Brian finished a 36 hour shift), arriving in Paris on Sunday morning, and then rushed to our connecting flightto Rome. After checking into our hotel, we took a very long (and needed) nap, then went to the city center for dinner and some walking around. We walked up the very busy Via del Corso, which is the main "strolling and shopping" street in Rome. In the evenings, both weekdays and weekends, the primary source of entertainment for Romans seems to be eating dinner, visiting a cafe, then "strolling" the streets, chatting and having fun with one another. It was a very lively scene. Monday-- We woke late on Monday, then took the Metro to the Colosseum (see photos left above and right below). It was amazing to actually stand in such a famous ancient ruin, straight out of every child's history book teachings. It was gruesome to imagine the happenings there, though. We then took a walk and headed over to the Piazza Venezia (a piazza is what Americans call a "Square") and the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the most well-preserved ancient temple in the world, and an architectural marvel. It was one of our favorite sights in Rome. We had dinner in a trattoria and explored the Campo di Fiori area at night. The Campo di Fiori is the site of Ceasar's assasination, the neighborhood from which Rome sprang from near extinction in the 14th century. Despite its significant history, it now houses a lot of touristy restaurants, cafes, and bars where a lot of young people hang out. Tuesday-- We woke up early to get in line for the Vatican. The Vatican Museum was simply wondrous, and we saw so little of it! One could literally spend a week exploring that museum alone. The corridor ceiling alone was awe-inspiring, let alone the other major works of art (many Raphaels and Caravaggios, da Vincis, etc)... and then you finally reach the Sistine Chapel. Sherry had tears in her eyes, it was so awe-inspiring. Michelangelo's ceiling is one of the most spectacular works of art in the world, for very good reason. We stood there, looking at the ceiling and the walls, for a very long time. It was then out to the Vatican's St. Peter's Square (Piazza St. Pietre), where thousands recently thronged to see the announcement of the new Pope, and St. Peter's Basilica, the cathedral. Bernini designed the semi-elipptical colonnades approaching the basilica to emulate welcoming arms embracing the faithful. We went to the top of the dome of St. Peter's, designed by Michelangelo, which boasts the most beautiful views of St. Peter's Square, the Vatican, the Tiber River, and all of Rome. The interior of St. Peter's is equally magnificent; our favorite features were Michelangelo's dome interior, and Michelangelo's Pieta-- a sculpture of Mary and Jesus that was so masterful it gave Brian the chills! We then checked out the famous Trevi Fountain (above left) as well as the Victor Emmanuel Monument (right), and had a very late lunch at a pizzeria. For dinner that night, we found a tiny little restaurant with very good food. Wednesday-- Brian's birthday! We slept in very late, went shopping in Rome for Brian's birthday presents (some winter clothes) and then got ready for dinner. We went to a very modern restaurant (right), complete with changing lights, a wall of video images, a DJ, a guitarist, waitresses with crazy makeup. The seating was all couches. You had to take off your shoes, and climb up on the couches to sit. It was fun. There was even a roaming masseuse-- Brian got a birthday back massage! We had a fun time. Thursday-- Thursday we visited the Roman Forum, which is basically Ancient Rome (left). It was the place for religious porcessions, political demonstrations, elections, speeches and parades. As the Roman empire expanded, it was the center of the civilized world, in just a few acres of land. Of most interest to us were the Temple of Julius Caesar (the place where Caesar's body was burned after his assasination), the Curia (Senate House), and the remaining columns of all the various temples and palaces. We also visited the Campidoglio (capital), the Victor Emmanuel Monument, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is on the monument itself and protected by many Italian soldiers wielding serious weapons. We still had some daylight left, so we headed over to the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome (see right), on the other side of the Tiber River, and toured around a bit. We came back and checked out the night views of the Castel Sant'Angelo (Hadrian's tomb turned castle, prison, papal refuge, and now musuem) and Vatican. We had a not-so-good dinner that we'd rather not recount. Friday-- Friday was so relaxing! We took a train from Rome to Florence and toured the city. The Tuscan countryside reminded us very much of our Northern California home, and Florence was an amazingly beautiful city. We found it much more relaxing than Rome, and Sherry actually preferred it to Rome. We only spent a day there, so we will have to go back! While there we saw Michelangelo's David and other of his sculptures at the Galleria Dell'Accademia. Michelangelo was only 25 years old and already immensely famous when he carved David. We stood there for so long, looking at it. "The grace of this figure and serenity of its pose have never been surpassed ... To be sure, anyone who has seen Michelangelo's David has no need to see anything else by any other sculptor, living or dead," the 16th century painter and art historian Giorgio Vasari wrote in Lives of the Artists. It is so true: the towering sculpture is acclaimed for its depiction of male physical perfection, and came from immense anatomy studies. It is a piece equally amazing to Sherry's love of art, and Brian's love of medical science. We then headed over to Piazza del Duomo, home of one of the largest cathedrals in the world. We viewed the city from the top of the bell tower (called the "Campinile" Cal fans!) and fell in love with it immediately. Florence is set in the heart of beautiful countryside, and is bathed in a soft, amber light. Florence emerged in the 11th Century as a cultural centre. Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael all made their debuts at Florence. The Florentine architecture is unparalleled in its beauty. We made our way to the Galleria Degli Uffuzi, one of the most renowned art musuems in the world and checked out works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, and others. As the afternoon waned we wandered over to the Ponte Vecchio (the Old Bridge) area (right), where there are quaint shops and cafes lining the Arno River. It was relaxing and fun, and we found ourselves having a glass of wine at a beautiful hotel with a view of the river, next to a fireplace. We then headed to a restaurant that the Michelin guidebook rated "2 coins" (out of 3) for price, meaning mid-level price. After sitting down, realizing there were no menus, and noticing the gorgeous silver place settings and candlelight, as well as the international staff (we heard waiters speaking English, Italian, Japanese and German), who simply "told" patrons the menu (sans price), Sherry began to suspect that we thought we were going to Nola's but had been sent to Spago. When the bill came, it confirmed that she was right. Don't buy Michelin guidebooks. Saturday-- was also relaxing. We checked out the Villa Borghese, which is Rome's "Central Park" complete with a lake, many fountains, multiple art galleries and museums, a zoo, soccer fields, horse-jumping grounds, et. The best feature was the Galleria Borghese, a beautiful villa sitting in the greenery of surrounding gardens, that holds art commissioned by the luxury-loving Borghese family displayed in the very rooms they were created for. It is a gorgeous museum. Our favorite pieces by far were the many Bernini sculptures. We've never seen anything like them, and any attempt to describe them here would be futile. We walked around the Villa Borghese, rented a rowboat and took it around the lake (see right), enjoyed some gelato, and generally enjoyed our final day together in Rome. We ended it with very good pizza at a pizzeria packed with Italian locals, grabbed our final gelatos in the Campo di Fiori, and went back to our hotel to pack. You can see all the pictures from our trip by clicking here.

Happy 30th Birthdays to Eric and Shannon!

We have not posted for a week or so, as we were celebrating Brian's birthday with a vacation! We'll report on our Roman Holiday soon, when we recover from jet lag and have time to upload photos and such. In the meantime, we want to wish a belated Happy Birthday to two very special people whoturned 30 while we were away-- on November 16th, in fact, which is Brian's birthday, too!

Happy 30th Birthday to Eric! , Brian's twin brother, on November 16th! Eric went on a camping/ATV trip with his buddies to celebrate, and we hope he had a great time! Here he is on an ATV with his older son, Lucas.

Our friend Shannon also turned 3-0 on November 16th! Happy Birthday Shannon! Shannon (shown here on the left with our other friend Becky and Becky's daughter Kayla) lives in Dallas and is a hilarious Southern Belle. Hope you had fun, Shannon!

Happy 30th Sherry Hsieh!

Happy 30th Birthday to our dear friend Sherry Hsieh (shown with Brian at Sherry & Jens' wedding reception in 2004)! We love you, Sherry, and can't wait to celebrate with you today/tonight! Sherry has been a close friend of Brian's since college. She and Sherry have been friends since then, too, but now that we all live in the same city, the Sherrys have a lot of fun together, and generally engage in crazy conversations and activities that make Brian and Jens laugh and/or roll their eyes. (Shirts below are an example.) We'll post pictures from celebratory activities soon!

Sherry H- Squared

This is Sherry writing again-- In fulfillment of my wish to stretch my birthday well past a week this year, I got some beautiful flowers from my friend Becky this week. Then, I went to lunch with my friend Sherry Hsieh, who gave me birthday gifts of some delicious chocolates she brought back from the south of France a couple weeks ago, a guidebook for our upcoming vacation (a place she's visited twice, and can thus provide some good insight) and -- the coolest gift-- a t-shirt she had made that says "Sherry H2" (the 2 is in superscript, as in "Sherry H-squared" which is what we've taken to calling ourselves). When I opened it, she took off her sweater to reveal her own shirt. So fun. We took pictures in our shirts on Saturday, when she and her husband Jens (click Jens' name for picture) came over for fondue. We enjoyed some truly wonderful wine (a gift I forgot to mention in my birthday post below!) given to me by Emily, who lived for some time in the Sonoma area. Sunday, Sherry and Jens made us a pizza dinner at their place, and we all celebrated when Mom called to tell me I passed the Massachusetts bar. (Yes, it takes four months to find out!) I hope I never have to take another bar exam again-- ever.

Happy Birthday to John, Kathi and Hannah!

Happy Birthday John! Brian's Dad celebrated a birthday on November 4th! We miss you very much Dad, and wish we weren't 3,000 miles away.

Also we neglected to post Happy Birthday to Kathi for Brian's sister! She celebrated a big birthday on October 16. We wish we could have been there!

Finally, Happy *Birth*day to Hannah Katherine, newborn daughter of our friends Amy and Jason. Hannah was born on October 26th, and she's cute as a button. Congratulations A&J!

My Super-Sweet 30th Birthday

This is Sherry writing, to report on my 30th birthday! My birthday is on October 29th, but it lasted a whole week this year. Brian told me well before my birthday that he was scheduled to work that weekend. He is on ortho trauma, working 110+ hrs/week, so I understood. To make up for it, though, he said, some friends had decided to come visit and have a girls' weekend in Manhattan. He wouldn't tell me which friends (or how many) were coming, when, if they were coming to Boston or NYC, where we would stay or what was planned. On Tuesday night (10/25), he told me, "Person #1 is arriving tomorrow," and so it began.

Wednesday (10/26): The concierge rang our apartment at 7:30 a.m. to tell me that Emily had arrived. Emily has been our friend since age 15 or so, and I was thrilled to see her. I had to work, but she took a nap, explored the city and we met up for lunch in the Fanueil Hall area near my work. That night, she, Brian and I enjoyed dinner at the yummy East Coast Grill in Cambridge, and beers at one of our favorite bars since grad school, Grendel's in Harvard Square. The whole time, Em and B chatted about the arrival of "Person #2" the next day.

Thursday (10/27): When I came home from work, Person #2 was waiting. My sister, Stacy, had been let in by the concierge, and had an entire scavenger hunt filled with gifts in my apartment when I walked in. It was so sweet, and I was ecstatic to see her. I also received a beautiful vase of flowers from my in-laws that day and a great card and gift from Mom! Brian, Stacy and I went to dinner at another of my favorite spots-- Metropolis Cafe in the South End. We then met up with Emily and her friend David for drinks at the Bell in Hand Tavern, the oldest bar in the U.S., near our apartment. We had a good time.

Friday (10/28): I took the day off, and Emily, Stacy and I drove to Manhattan, where I was told Person #3 and Person #4 were already waiting. When we arrived at our hotel (the W), we checked into one of the very nice, large suites Brian had booked (with views of the Empire State building from our rooms). Then there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, there stood Liz and Julie, friends since I was 11 and 12, repsectively. I was speechless. I could not believe all these girls had flown in from California for my birthday. We all went down to the gorgeous lounge in the hotel and had cocktails and caught up on each other's lives. The entire time, I couldn't help thinking how lucky I am. (A sweet phone call from my friend Erin in San Francisco to, and wish me a good time made it even nicer.) We all went back up to the room, made cocktails, and got ready for dinner. Brian had made dinner reservations for us all at a a surprise location-- Manhattan's hip Butter restaurant and lounge in Greenwich Village. It was really fun, with beautiful decor, good food and even better people-watching. Then it was off to the chic Hotel Gansevoort rooftop pool bar in Soho, with eye-popping views of the night skyline. We had some drinks, and then moved on to another bar in the meat-packing district for a little dancing. So much fun!

Saturday (10/29), my actual birthday: When I awoke and went into the living room area, my jaw almost hit the floor when the elusive "Person #5" (about whom everyone had been talking, but who had not yet appeared) popped out from under a blanket. My friend Maya (a friend since age 14 or so) had flown the red-eye in the night before and arrived without me even waking. (Every single person that came out for my birthday went WAY out of their way to make time in busy schedules to be there, but Maya coming was a huge shock. She is a medicine resident at UCSF, and her hours are crazy. She basically flew out for a little over 24 hours, just to be there. I cannot begin to fathom what a selfless friend that makes her.)

We grabbed a quick bite (complete with my Mom singing to me on my cell phone) and then went to the top of the Empire State Building-- a first for both Maya and Jules. While I have come to NY a number of times since 9/11, I had not been to the top since before then, and I was humbled and quieted by the absence of the World Trade Center towers. It is truly a different skyline now. Nevertheless we all enjoyed the views that only NY can provide. I got a birthday text message from my friend Tina while I was at the top; the girl has great timing! Afterwards, per my request, it was off to my favorite spot in the city-- the Met. I got to see my favorite painting again (Figure 5 in Gold by Demuth), so that made me even happier. (A Happy Birthday phone call from my friend Karen while at my favorite place was also well-timed!) We then cabbed it back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

When we arrived, we had just begun to get ready for dinner when there was a knock at the door. I was closest to the door, and someone casually asked, "Sherry can you get that? We ordered some extra towels." I opened the door, and there stood "Person #6"-- Brian: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!" I just stood there staring at him, confused, and so surprised I was momentarily stressed. [He had worked the entire night before, gone directly to the airport in the morning, taken a plane to JFK, napped at the hotel in the other suite while we were out sightseeing, and joined us for the rest of the weekend (Saturday night and all day Sunday) before returning to work Monday morning.] I finally hugged him long and hard, with tears in my eyes. I thought it would be a girls' weekend, and had been happy with that, never suspecting that my wonderful husband, who had planned everything so meticulously, would make it even more. I was elated as all got ready for dinner together, alternating between the two suites, and snacking on chocolate dipped strawberries and cookies (sent by Kristen and Eric, along with another nice gift) and champagne from the girls. Maya and Liz gave me some beautiful earrings, and we all toasted each other.

Then we were off to dinner, at the fabulous Asia de Cuba. The only way I can describe the decor is "dreamy"-- billowy white curtains, perfect splashes of color, modern and chic in a warm, inviting, lovely way. To my surprise, we were joined at dinner by "Persons #7 and #8"-- Shanti, a friend since college and gastroenterology fellow at Columbia, and her boyfriend Rachdish, both of whom live on the Upper East Side. Asia de Cuba was simply beautiful, and the food and cocktails were delicious and flowing. It truly *felt* like a very special birthday, and I was aware the entire time of how quickly it was passing by. After dinner, we cabbed to my next surprise-- the Broadway show, "The Producers." I love musicals, love live shows, love Broadway, and loved every minute of "The Producers." When the curtain came down, I did not want to get up and leave. But I did.

We then walked our way through Times Square, and as I looked around me, surrounded by all those lights and my childhood friends, it was magical. I could not believe what a lucky, blessed woman I am. After some indecision about where to dance away the night, we ended up at a super-fun dance club, where we partied like rock stars. (Daylight Savings Time began that night, so when we left at 3 a.m., it was actually 4 a.m.)

Sunday (10/30): My birthday was over, but the surprises were not. Brian had arranged for us all to go to breakfast at Asiate, an absolutely stunning restaurant on the 35th floor of the Manadarin Oriental in Columbus Circle on the Upper West Side. The restaurant offers breathtaking views of Central Park and the city's skyscrapers through 16 foot windows. We were treated to the only private dining room (with the same to-die-for views). After lounging over a scrumptious breakfast in such luxurious surroundings (we were the last of the breakfast crowd to leave the restaurant), we headed for more sightseeing, on what was a very warm autumn day in NY, including a ferry ride so that the NY virgins could see the Statue of Liberty and trips to the Stock Exchange and the World Trade Center site. After a quick dinner, it was time for the girls to head to the airport, and the weekend was over. We had an amazing time. Stacy, Brian and I headed to Washington Square for coffee and then home to Boston.

Monday (10/31) (Halloween): I returned to wonderful birthday cards, e-cards and voice mails from friends and family alike, and received a beautiful autumn flower arrangement from my friend Erin. That night Stacy, Brian and I enjoyed walking around Beacon Hill (a cute neighborhood which starts about a block from our place in the financial district), and experiencing all the Halloween festivities there (including tiny goblins trick-or-treating Senator Kerry's place and adult residents walking down the cozy streets with cider [the weather was perfect, despite the linked pic]). We had dinner at Figs, a cute pizza place on Charles Street. I worked Monday and Tuesday, while Stacy did sightseeing, but we met up for lunches (Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the U.S., and a great hamburger place on the waterfront that Brian and I really like).

Tuesday (11/1): Stacy left in the evening.

A seriously great time was had by all, especially me, and my birthday had managed to stretch itself to a week! It was a dream come true. For pics from the weekend, click here.