last last weekend: surprise!

I meant to post about this earlier, but it's been busy and I think my stomach is still recovering from that weekend. Some of us surprised Hana with plane tickets to the Bay for her birthday, horray!. She had no idea, despite multiple hints (Sarah, Steph, and I all telling her separately sorry for the delay, but just wait till you get your present, you'll love it!), until her parents dropped her off at the airport. She blacked out from shock.

I don't think I usually get so happy at 7 o' clock in the morning, but as Sarah and I drove to Oakland Airport, the car full of the morning sunlight, with our friend Marty (see above), I couldn't help but feel life was...great. I'll break up the weekend for you into manageable posts, since I don't want you all to fall into a gorge yourselves into a coma (which was pretty much our perpetual state Saturday, Sunday, and Monday).

So I'll start you off with Saturday morning. We picked Hana up, she was running! Her words stumbled and tripped over themselves on their way out of her mouth and her voice seemed squeakier than usual as she poured out her thanks, excitement, surprise, and joy. It was bliss--early wake-up times, midterms, despondency, and whatever whatnots from the week leading up to that Saturday--none of it mattered. It was bliss to be reunited.

Then we did what we do best: eat. We met up with Steph at Brenda's Soul Food, which, just in case you were wondering, has the second most and highest reviews on Yelp under the "Breakfast & Brunch" category. At 9 o' clock in the morning, whilst half the beautiful city of San Francisco was still slumbering away, we were stuffing our faces with crayfish beignet, oyster and bacon scramble, pumpkin pancakes with walnut streusel and vanilla cream cheese on the side, and pork belly over cheesy grits. It seriously touched my soul. My stomach is aching in the pain of remembering how I felt like throwing up after so much food, and aching for more of it. The biscuits they served alongside our scramble was the butteriest, softest biscuit I have ever had.

And can I tell you what made the meal even more delectable? As I was chomping down on the last huge bite of the scramble (after the courteous "Can I take this last bite?" that was undermined by my fork, which was already scooping it up), I crunched down on something hard. I was all set to be indignant and complain, but upon spitting it out into my hand--what do I have but a wee little pearl. It's minuscule, and not perfectly spherical, but I found it and it's mine, therefore it is perfect. Surprise! Surprises all around!