Once again, I’ve been gone for quite a while (almost a week) but the good news is, I have some good stuff to share.
Over the weekend, Greg’s parents came to So Cal to pay us a visit and to see my baby belly which is being occupied by Selah. Well that, and also because we were in for some sweet family time at the San Diego Safari Park! We took the above picture and up until now I had no idea how funny and embarrassing it looked. I guess my in-laws realized how goofy it looked and went ahead and took an even more embarrassing shot…
Hahaha, I promise this was not done on purpose! Children, please do not attempt this trick at home.
While we were at the park we got to experience one of the coolest things we’d ever witnessed! Besides basking in the cool and sunshiny weather while looking at all sorts of different animals we never even knew existed, we purchased the VIP passes to see the Cheetah Run.
Wow. That cheetah (named Johari) was amazingly speedy running at 70+ miles, and she was the sweetest little thing! I bet you didn’t know that Cheetahs are actually less fierce than you would think. They choose flight over fight due to their speedy nature, which makes a lot of sense. 
Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures since my batteries ran out right after these photos. I always do that when I’m on some noteworthy trip—it never fails, boo.
This week we also had the opportunity to choose and purchase Selah’s baby crib, ahhhhh! My in-laws wanted to follow in the footsteps of Greg’s deceased grandma and buy the crib for us. We felt so blessed, bad, yet, did I say blessed yet? “We definitely don’t mind that kind of a tradition”, Greg said. And I would have to agree or else we’d be in serious debt right now. The whole experience made everything more “real” and exciting for us, and we’re certain that Selah and the next baby will make good use out of that crib. I just can’t wait to show it to you guys!
While at work I’ve been enjoying the leek potato soup that I made the other week, and since I just have to have a strong contrast in everything I eat, I sprinkled it with some Stacy’s pita chips. Those are the best ones I’ve tried so far! Do you have a favorite pita chip? If you do, I bet it’s hard to top Stacy’s. 
Sometimes when I’m on my work lunch break I like to make a quick stop at Whole Foods. Not because I need to shop for groceries or anything in particular, but that place is like the foodie’s Disneyland when it comes to browsing through the snack aisles. The other day I discovered this fabulous macaroon made by the company Wonderfully Raw. It’s made with a minimal number of ingredients and it contains almond flour in the mix. I couldn’t help but think that these wonderful bites of goodness resembled my vegan macaroons in terms of taste. I guess I could make these at home but…I’m afraid to admit that pregnancy has me a wee bit on the lazy side when it comes to these things. I have to be in the mood to bake, cook, and do all of my favorite stuff in order to do it right! I wonder if this is normal for other expectant moms.
Okay so coming back from that tangent. These Coco-Roons were so good that I could have easily eaten 4 at a time! But just because I’m pregnant it doesn’t mean I need to gorge myself by impulse. Anyway, it’s better to spread out my snacks evenly throughout the day, right?
After having baked that huge loaf of Strawberry Cream Cheese Swirl Bread last week, I ran out of oats and have been trying to get creative with my breakfast. Last night I finally bought some groceries at Trader Joe’s and this was the result this morning.
Ta-da! Haha, nothing too out of the norm but it was so out-of-this-world delicious! I added chia seeds, egg whites and bananas to make it extra creamy. And what took the cake oats were the raspberries and sweet blueberries, topped with almond butter, chocolate biscotti, and get this. Crunchy Speculoos cookie butter! Now, I was already familiar with the creamy stuff. But the crunchy spread takes the game to a whole different level.
Then I took care of some house chores and mustered up the motivation to work out. Following a rewarding upper body session with Leah I had some Fage yogurt with all the mix-ins.
Lately I’ve been needing sleep like no other and today I was not about to take a nap after a 10 hour long sleep last night! That is totally not me and I would rather be tired through the day than sleep for so long (hello throbbing headaches), but I just had to go to bed by 9 pm. Needless to say, I wasn’t quite in the mood to to work out today and I’ve been letting my mood rule a lot of things in my life this week, and I kind of don’t like that. I got myself out of that rut and rebelled against that dreaded pattern by working out today. For a girl who is usually relaxed and somewhat easy going, this new hormonal change is quite the beast. I’ll be honest. Even I’m scared of the emotions that I’m capable of feeling! I give all of you women who experience PMS symptoms a huge pat on the back.
Well, I hope you have a glorious day and live it to the fullest!
Do you tend to let your emotions take over your day?
-Not normally, but pregnancy definitely has me experiencing all of that.
Does your family have cool traditions like the one mentioned above?
-Coming from a busy Korean family, we don’t hold many family traditions, if any at all.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve witnessed in wild animals?
-Most definitely the cheetah run! Too bad I couldn’t pet her.
Love,
Ellie <33
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
10 hours a night? Jealous!
haha only that night~not every night. Once I wake up even if it’s only been 6 hours, I can’t go back to sleep for some reason! xP
I so relate to browsing supermarkets just as a source of fun
And those top pictures are so funny – classic shots for sure! I’m glad you’ve been having fun and enjoying time with family.
It’s always nice to know I’m not the only one who enjoys doing that, hehe
So happy that you got to squeeze in many hours of sleep – you deserve it – for baby Selah (whom I can’t wait to meet) and yourself. I, on the other hand, am barely surviving on 4-5 hours sleep every night.
I used to break down due to anxiety attacks and my emotions were totally messed up but over the years I’ve learnt to deal with situations like that by calming down, deep breathing and assuring myself that everything is going to be okay. I just HAVE to do that because otherwise the pessimist inside me takes over and ruins the day!
Hormones are definitely a tricky thing, but overall I’m just glad that you’ve been having fun with Greg and your in-laws because I think although life is hard, with support from family and friends things are much, much better.
Oh man, I’m so glad you’re starting to handle that better Jun! Hang in there, school can be so stressful but remember to not burn yourself out
I think you’ll do great though, you’re such a smartie 
The first two pics are so funny. It looks like you guys were having tons of fun. =)
The wonderfully raw lemon pie thing looks yummy! I’ll have to keep an eye on that at the supermarkets. And, it’s okay to squeeze in a few naps. Your body needs rest for the energy it needs since you’re carrying Selah. =) I can’t wait to meet your little one.
yes I think you’ll like it if you love coconut!
You’ll meet her in about 3.5 months~that is so.soon.
I do the same thing with natural grocery stores! I love to go in and browse…it’s so much better than “regular shopping”
Stacey’s are my favorite pita chips too!
I know, they always have so many options that you don’t know what to expect, hah!
I would love to watch a cheetah run! I once fed a white tiger when I was like 8. That was pretty cool. HA. What a fun adventure!! I hope your moods settled, I get like that sometimes and I’m not even pregnant!!
Haha okay. I saw those first pictures and immediately thought they looked a little awkward, so I’m happy to hear that my mind is not the only one going to strange places. And speaking of strange, I’m definitely feeling you on the hormone issue. I’m not pregnant, but I get absolutely loopy once a month, and it really is kind of scary how little control we have when hormones come into play. But it’s all worth it for the miracles that ouir bodies are able to carry out!
Hey I haven’t checked out your blog in awhile so…congrats on the little one growing inside you! So exciting!
And are you saying that you never experience PMS? Seriously not fair! I can usually tell when it’s my “time” when I start crying at random things (and I’m not overly tired or stressed) or when something dumb makes me overly upset. Lucky you for not experiencing that!!
haha yessss I’m one of those “lucky” ones with non-PMS. I just get super bloated! lol. I truly give you ladies kudos because it’s just one of those things that are “unfair” in life
Why do hormones do that?!
Oh girl I am an emotional basket case half the time, and Im not even preggo. Lord help my husband when I do get pregnant! And its not even around “that time” that I get all emotional. Maybe its the red hair…I just feel like Im always on edge!
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