Scrapbooking my life...one page at a time

Portland ...

This past weekend Mike & I went to Portland to get out of town and just enjoy time away from all the day-to-day stuff that is our life. 

It worked - we had a great time. 

The trip was short but sweet and celebrated out 24th anniversary & Valentine's Day.  

Since my motto for 2010 is, 'Do more * Buy less' and with this in mind for Valentine's Day I gave Mike the gift of relaxation.

I did this by being the his Designated Driver (he always get stuck driving) down to Portland so he could relax on the way  down there. 

He snoozed, he read and he even chatted!

He was surprised & happy with this gift.  

And for our anniversary I again stuck to my 2010 philosophy of 'doing more*buying less'.

His gift - research!  I found & researched what is considered by many to be the BEST "Thai" restaurant (he loves Thai food) in the whole U.S of A.

I had first heard about this restaurant on the Food Network and decided to research it since it was located in Portland.  This restaurant is the whole reason I chose to go to Portland for our weekend away.

The restaurant is called Pok Pok and what can I say besides ... YUM!  

He was very happy with this gift too.

 

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings: definitely an 3 thumbs up. 

One reviewer of this restaurant said that he actually 'licked his chicken plate' clean and so be warned if you ever go there. 

This is not only finger licking good but also plate-licking good!

A little blurb on the place:

This restaurant is unlike any other Thai place in the U.S. First of all, you can't get pad Thai here. Second, the chef is not Thai; he's a white guy named Andy Ricker. Third, the restaurant is in Ricker's house and yard. More important, the food at Pok Pok is unforgettable. Ricker has spent years traveling and learning to cook in Thailand and loves northern Thai–style grilled street foods. ... Unlike many Thai restaurants in the States, where dishes often are oversweetened, Pok Pok serves fresh, clean-tasting food, and it has changed the way I think about Thai cuisine. —Jennifer Neumann, Scio, Oregon (Source: Saveur)

I have been to the Portland Japanese Gardens before so for this trip we decided to go to the Chinese Gardens located in Portland's Chinatown.

So beautiful. 

The gardens are called the `Lan Su Chinese Gardens' and is considered by many to be the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China.

Very, very beautiful.

 

Atop the building at the main entrance sit two 'dragonfish' which are much akin to the European gargoyles.

They protect the building and all those who dwell within it - they swallow all evil trying to enter the gardens and protect it from fire. 

One of the hallmarks of the Chinese Garden is the concept of creating 'views within views' through the use of doorways & windows.

 

The gardens are filled with a beautiful temple, terrace, teahouse & various courtyards. 

They are adorned with the most beautifully carved lattice windows, doorways and panels.

The Three Friends of Winter:
 The Plum, the Pine, and the Bamboo

The Plum Braves the Cold of Winter to Bloom ...

 

The Pine stays Green throughout the Winter Storms ...

And the Bamboo bends in the Winter Winds but never breaks ...

And because we happened upon Chinese New Year (The Year of the Tiger) they were doing many activities at the Garden. 

We loved the Lion Dance - the human-puppets (there was 2 people inside each puppet) danced throughout the gardens to the beat of drums, cymbals and a gong.

At the end of the dance the lions chew a green vegetable (in this case lettuce) and spit it back out over the courtyard symbolizing the spreading of good luck & fortune.

After we had toured the gardens we went for a long stroll through Chinatown to see the sights and enjoy the sunshine.

We had a wonderful weekend away and one of the things I loved about it was that after we had arrived we did not drive the car once.  We took the MAX or walked everywhere (more doing) ...

 

Hope you have a great day &  thanks for stopping by.

N

 

Ten on Tuesday ...

 - Since it is Thanksgiving Week -

Top Ten Things I am Grateful For ...

1. Mike - my Mr. Wonderful
2. My Girls - two of the most beautiful & amazing woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing
3. Family - without which my Life is Empty
4. Friends - the icing on my cake
5. My Church - God, Jesus and my church tie all the bits of my life together 
6. Aidan - my healthy, happy & incredibly sweet grandson
7. I am grateful that my brother-in-law Kevin is coming out for a short visit
8. My Job - it won't make me rich but it will keep me sane
9. Kate is will soon enter her last semester of undergraduate studies
10. 2 Days off work for Thanksgiving this week - with pay!

Mike & I will have decided that since Kate will not be home for Thanksgiving we will go out to a really, really nice restaurant for Thanksgiving this year.  Last  year Mike deep-fried a turkey for us and it was scrumptious but this year we feel like getting dressed up and going out on a 'date' night.  I am looking forward to it.

Kate is spending her Thanksgiving break on a cruise to the Caribbean with her roommate Liz.  They flew to Florida and from there they boarded a ship for some Fun in the Sun!  I hope they enjoy the sun because I see on the internet that it is cold & snowy in Pullman - they will turn back into frozen Sun Bunnies in no time at all.  

Kate & Liz (very excited) at the airport- going to catch some sun ...

So sad ... my bear, Yogi - wanted to go catch some rays too ...

But alas, he had to stay home with the other cats & dogs ....

I hope everyone has a Happy Tuesday

- N -

Coming home again ...

Morning Coffee at 'Chez Jessie'

Mike, Katy & I spent this past weekend up in Canada and as always it was a busy but fun weekend. We stayed at Jessica's house in her 'Guest Suite' - very comfy.  She has turned the Master Bedroom into the Family / Guest room and it works out so well.  As a guest, you are treated to a  private bedroom & bathroom, a large sitting area and of course, your own TV and Wii.  Top Notch!  Thanks again, Jessica & Aidan.

Every morning I had coffee out on the patio and although the weather was not as sunny & bright as it has been - it was still pretty warm. 

There is just something about patio's, birds chirping and morning coffee that is an undeniably wonderful combination ...

Doug & Kathryn were also over for the weekend to visit Dad and they invited Dad, Katy, Mike & I to go out to lunch on Saturday with them & Kathryn's Mom & Dad.   Dad treated everyone to a great lunch at Character's restaurant (Thanks Dad!) and we all had a very relaxing & lovely time visiting each other. 

Kathryn's Dad, Al, has just recently bought himself a scooter and since Character's is just a 'scoot' away from both of them - they made plans to meet up there for lunch one day. 

It was definitely the 'Weekend of Meals' because on Saturday night we all met up at Cathy & Wayne's place for some birthday pizza & catch-up!  Happy Belated Birthday Wayne! 

Sunday morning Mike treated (Thanks Mike!)  Doug, Kathryn, Katy, Jessica, Dad & myself to breakfast at Ricky's,

 

After breakfast we all headed out to Cloverdale to take flowers to Mom's grave and visit her for awhile. 

It was a cool but clear morning and while it was hard to visit her there - it was strangely comforting at the same time.  I know that she is with me all the time but being so near to her brought me peace.

It makes my heart feel good to know that she is resting in such a beautiful spot - a spot that she picked out because it brought her home ... home to the farm, to the house & home that she loved so much. 

It was nice. 

 

Cheung's Corner Store - a Surrey Center Landmark!

On the way to the cemetery we passed by Cheung's Cornerstore! 

Think Willy Wonka!  Think Penny Candy!  Mojo's,  Bazooka Bubble Gum, Pixie Stix's!

Think 2 for a penny or 3 for a nickel!  Think Sugar Rush! Think  White Gold - refined sugar!   That's what I think of when I think of Cheung's ...

While little else at the top of hill in Surrey Center has remained the same - there still sits Cheung's - the same little ratty-tatty store - nestled amid the bazillion new houses that have overtaken the wooded lots and empty fields of my childhood.  But still, as soon as I saw it ...it felt like coming home. 

It really is amazing how LITTLE it has changed in the last 25 -30 years!  I have no idea if the Cheung family still owns it but I love the fact that the name is still the same. 

I think it should be registered as a Historic Landmark.  Let's start a petition before someone buys it and tears it down.

Since I was feeling all sentimental & nostalgic, I asked Mike to head down to the border crossing via 168th Street so I could catch a glimpse of my childhood, my heritage  - our family farm. 

And no, I don't live physically live there anymore - I haven't for a long, long time but it is still where my childhood lives.  

Someone else may now live in that house and plow those fields but it will always be my Home Sweet Home. 

 

While I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday or the last movie I went to ... I can still recall my life on that farm in vivid detail.  I love this farm and as sat on the side of the road and looked into the sun-porch (or fish bowl as we often called it) I could literally see us all out there - having lunch together. Dirty fingernails, sun-burnt faces and all ...

That sun-room, over time, replaced the nook to became the 'heart' of our home, our 'war room', our gathering place - our family touchstone!  Yep, we ate many a meal out there, shared many a laugh & probably even cried a few tears out there, but, much to my Mother's chagrin  - we N.E.V.E.R EVER celebrated a family Christmas out there. 

What can I say ... sometimes majority DOES rule (LOL) !!!

But, more than almost anything else - it is these two beautiful old historic trees that hold my childhood - cradling it gently within their branches.

I know that these trees hold the memories of those that lived here long before me as well as those that lived here with me, and even those who will come to live here years from now. 

I love that I share this tree with so many - I cherish this thought because I know that that each year these trees live they  will continue to grow a little bigger and a little stronger and their branches will reach out a little further - enabling them to hold even more memories.

I am part of these trees & they are a part of me.

Strong, silent & solid, planted deep within their old & tangled roots live all my childhood memories, secrets & dreams and through these roots - I am still a part of this land.

These roots are my farm - these trees are my family trees.

 

 

If what I say resonates with you, it is merely 
because we are both branches on the same tree.
-  W.. B . Yeats

Sequim ...

Happy Belated July 4th

Mike & I were lucky enough to be invited to spend the 4th of July with our friends Dave & Dana, their family and other friends over in Sequim Wa.  Dave's family has owned a cabin overlooking the Dungeness Spit, Puget Sound & Victoria, B.C. (which you can see lit up at night from their front lawn).  We had such a GREAT time and Dave & Dana were wonderful hosts.  Thanks guys for such a memorable July 4th!

A Little Blue Pail in Sequim ...

We headed over to Sequim (pronounced: "s'kwim" the e is silent) early Friday morning - we left the house around 9:30am.  Drive time to Sequim is quite variable because there is a ferry ride involved (ferry ride is only 25 minutes) - the drive itself is about a 2 hours but because it was a long weekend we were hit with a 2 hour ferry wait so it took awhile to get there. We were starving by the time we got to Sequim so we decided the first order of business was to go to lunch.  Mike had read online that the '3 Crabs' restaurant was very good so we decided to head over to it since it was near the cottage that we had rented.  The food was great and the view was breathtaking.  If you ever find yourself starving & in Sequim, Wa then I would recommend seeking out The 3 Crabs ...

Restaurant & view

After lunch we headed over the cottage we'd rented.  It was called the 'Tea House' and while it was very cute it was not on the waterfront and didn't have a water view.  A shame when you are so close to the water.

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All the waterfront view cabins, cottages & houses were long ago rented.   You didn't have to look very hard to tell that this place was once someone's much loved Japanese house & garden which had been sold into  the vacation property slavery trade.  So sadly neglected.   

I loved the big covered deck ...

The garden reminded me of an old - long forgotten love story.  At one time ... someone's heart raced as they gazed at it's beauty and they smiled to themselves ... knowing all it's secrets and possibilities.

I must admit that as I prowled around the overgrown & dying gardens - I had to fight off the urge to begin weeding & watering.  To lure it back into the life it had once known ...

The thing I love about nature is that no matter how tangly, messy, overgrown or neglected it becomes it is always hiding something beautiful and if you are very patient and look hard enough and long enough  - you can always find it ...

Sometimes the beautiful is hiding in amongst the overgrown plants & shrubs - disguised as old & beaten remains of the day ....

 

And sometimes Mother Nature just tosses them out to you  ...

There were two houses on the property ... the big house with the view ... and the sad little Tea House and both houses were allowed to use the dock and go down to the beach.  Mike & I decided to stroll down to the shore when we first got there before we headed over to Dave & Dana's place  ...

After playing on the beach for a while and checking out the dock we decided to head over to Dana's ....

Dave & Dana's cottage

Mike enjoying the view ...

There is no doubt about it ... Dave & Dana's place has one heck of view ...  You can see Mt. Baker, the Puget Sound, the Dungeness Spit, and Victoria lit up at night!!  It is so nice ...

The Dungeness Spit ...

Dave has a boat and likes to set out crab pots and catch fresh Dungeness Crabs - which we had for dinner on the 1st night we were there.  I think Dave caught 7 that day ...

Dave & back with the World's Deadliest Catch ...

Can you just imagine how great it must be to go down, bring home your fresh caught crab, smash em, cook em and then eat em.  They were very Yummy!! 
 Seriously, does life get any better ...

Dave smashing & cleaning the crab

Shoebox sporting a new lavender scarf ...

As you can imagine, the sunsets from their bluff are incredible ...

The next morning (July 4th) Mike & I decided to go and check out the sights in the town of Sequim ...

4th of Julyier's putting their freedom to work and protesting our impending conversion to 'socialism' & over taxation [humm ... maybe next year they will celebrating on July 1st as Canada's 11th province OR my-oh-my - maybe the 4th territory]  ....

An oh-so-cute bird house ...

An even-cuter woodpecker screen door and OH YES, I do need one of those for my front door!
 

After touring town Mike wanted to get some BIG BOOM, BOOM, BANG works and so we headed over the Jamestown Firework Stand on Sklallam Reservation (um, I'm sorry but is that the sign PC?).  They had a whole building dedicated to the selling of fireworks and you probably won't be surprised to learn that the place had quite a crowd surrounding it ...

Now - I have never really seen the attraction to fireworks.  Yes, they are pretty to watch on TV but in real life they are expensive, noisy, dangerous, scare the local wildlife, start fires and usually leave a mess.  Mike had his heart set on some blasting so we ended up with rather large variety pack ...

Okay, I confess, I bought 3 little chicken firecrackers (they are very small - each chicken is only about 2 inches long).  They are called ... 'Hen Laying Egg" and in theory, they are supposed to shoot fire out their butts and look like they are laying eggs.  I say 'in theory' because I forgot them on top of Dana's fridge and so I never did light them off ...

When we got Dana's house we found two deer resting in the shade of the house. 

They were so adorable but as soon as we got there they decided to 'mozy' on home to their neck of the woods (which, BTW, is right next door at the Wildlife Preserve)...
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Kirsten, a good friend of Dana's, and her two children came to join the celebration.  We enjoyed a FEAST of crab, BBQ burgers & hot dogs, various salads and other yummies  ...

The Boybarians hanging around BBQ ...

Dana looking so cute in her 4th of July festive in her flag shirt ...
***************

After dinner they put the tent up for the kids to sleep in ...

Then we had a smore's party down at the fire pit while we waited for night to fall ...
And then my camera battery died so that's end of the pictures.
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We lit up the sky with fireworks and everyone had such a good time.  I can't thank Dave & Dana enough for the wonderful weekend.


I hope everyone had a happy & safe July 1st or 4th whichever the case may be  ...

- N -

Chicagoland ...

By the time Mike finished up his interview on Friday and got back to the hotel is was well after 6pm.  We decided to go out and get something to eat and ended up at the Legendary 'Billy Goat Pub'... well, a legend in Chicago anyways ...

The Pub is underneath the "Wrigley Building" which is considered to the most beautiful building in Chicago.  It was built by and is still the headquarters of the Wrigley Chewing Gum Corporation.  

ABOUT THE WRIGLEY BUILDING ...

"The building's large clock-tower is one of its most well-known features. The giant two-story clock in the south tower features four dials, each 19 feet, 7 inches in diameter. Each dial has an hour hand that measures 6 feet, 4 inches and a minute hand that is 9 feet, 2 inches long. These clock hands were originally made of redwood, but were recently refashioned in aircraft-grade aluminum to increase their durability. Because of its multiple dials and prominent positioning, people coming from all directions use Wrigley's clock to check the time.

The building is clad in approximately 250,000 individual glazed terra cotta tiles, the most extensive use of terra cotta in the world during the time of construction. Each tile is uniquely identified in a computer database that enables consistent tracking and maintenance of each and every tile located on the building. The interior of the building contains extensive brass work throughout each tower's lobby, including the entryway, elevator doors and lobby clock."

The building was constructed in 1920 and is made up of two giant towers which are connected by a two covered walkways on the 3rd and 17th floors. 

Yikes, I think I would be nervous walking across that walkway everyday.

Mike getting ready to 'Butt In' to the Pub - he had, as they say, a Cheezborger!
After dinner we wandered around for a while and took in some of the sights ...

 

The Chicago Tribune Building


The next morning we woke up to blowing winds and light snow. 

We wandered over to the John Hancock Building - it is the 6th tallest building in the United States standing 100 stories tall.

At the top of the building is an Observation Deck and we decided to go up & check out the views ... even though it was not a very clear day.  The elevator to the Observation deck is the fastest in the world and travels at a rate of 20 mph.  It only takes 40 seconds to get to the top ... Here is what we saw when we got up there ...
 













After we had spent several hours up top the Hancock Building we decided that we were both hungry and so we decided to try some authentic 'Deep Dish Chicago' pizza and set off to find a pizzeria ...


After we were full & warmed up we decided to take the trolley over to the Navy Pier (it used to belong to the Navy but is now a Midway Fair)

Did you know that the 'Ferris Wheel' was invented as a ride for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair!  This is a replica of the original and is located at the Pier.

 
Look closely at this picture ... Can you see something strange ... Any guesses ...

Mike took this photo and I Love the juxtaposition of the old Water Tower, skyscrapers & carriages!! 

And then we got on the plane and came home again!
Love to all & have a great day

- N -

Chicago ...

Our Hotel - The Millennium Knickerbocker

Our flight to Chicago went without a hitch - beautiful clear skies all the way.  As someone who used to be afraid to fly - terrified - I now love flying.  I don't really know what changed for me but I have absolutely NO FEAR and would fly anywhere, anytime now.

Our hotel, The Knickbocker, is gorgeous ... It is full of wood and marble, actually, most of the hotels downtown look very old and historic.  The hotel across the street, The Drake, is also very old and has these amazing lights on it's outside street entrance ... the craftsmanship of years gone by is so incredible - could you only imagine what it would cost to build a hotel with 6 of these lights on it today????

When we landed in Chicago the temperature was 21^{o ...} burrrr and wouldn't you know it ... I forgot to bring my winter coat and only have a light sweater with me.  I hate being hot on the airplane and so I just worn a thin little sweater and thought I would pack my heavy winter coat.  Oops ...

So, this morning I am off to explore 'Magnificant Mile' and see if I can buy a new coat without breaking the bank [oh yeah, Mr. G already did that ... didn't he].  Anyhoo, 'Magnificant Mile' is much like 'Rodeo Drive' in LA - any & every desinger store you can think of ... Neiman Marcus, Sak's 5th Avenue, Louis Vitton, Coach, etc ...

I ended up buying a really nice dress coat at Bloomingdales - It cost too much but I love it and it's supposed to snow 8" overnight so I will get go use out of it for the next 2 days anyways.  Actually, I have been thinking about getting a dress coat for a while now ...

So, Mike is out on his interview right now ... He was very nervous about going so I hope he feels that he did well whether they offer him the job or not.

 

Mike on his way to his interview

I wandered around the shops for a couple of hours and then headed back to the hotel for a rest & lunch ...

My walked consisted of most walking around ... looking up!!  Here is some of what I saw ...

 

The Old Water Tower:  One of only 2 buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire that burnt the city to the ground

 

 

The John Hancock Building & Observatory

I'll admit it ... I'm a room service junkie.  I love to just sit in the hotel room - alone - with my laptop, TV turned on to the local news, order room service ... have lunch or dinner and then nap ...I love the feeling of being transported to another place & time ...In fact, I'd rather to this than go to a spa or salon - massages creep me out and I'm not into facials, mud packs or any other such procedures ... 

 

I forgot to post this yesterday ...

 Have a great day

- N -

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane ...

 
The Knickerbocker Hotel - Chicago

I am excited because Mike & I just finalized our plans for our trip out to Chicago!  The company that Mike is interviewing with has, of course, paid for his airfare & the hotel but I needed to pay for my own plane ride out.  I guess they feel I am just a tagalong ... humph!

 Anyways, We are leaving on February 19th and will be back on the 23rd.  A short turnaround trip but we are excited nonetheless since neither of us has been to Chicago before.  They booked Mike into a really nice hotel ... The Knickerbocker!  Very Old World & Elegant!

The hotel is right downtown and looks very close to many of Chicago's main sights & tourist attractions.  It will be a short but fun vacation for me anyway ... as always ... Mike is very nervous about interviewing - he just wants a job so bad!  Anywhere!  Nobody that he was laid off with a Philips has found full time work yet ... 

Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the US with 2.8 million people in the city proper and 9.8 million in the surrounding metropolitan area - referred to as 'Chicagoland'.

Seattle, by comparison, is the 24th largest city in the US with 595,000 people living within the city limits and 3.2 million in the surrounding area.

I am excited to visit Chicago because last year I read the book, "Devil in the White City'  by Erik Larson which as a historical nonfiction account of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.    The books describes in such detail the birth of Chicago and the amazing work of  Frederick Law Olmsted (he is the Landscape Architect who designed & built Central Park) .  In fact, out of the 200+ buildings constructed for the Fair only 2 remain and although 2 days isn't long I am hoping to see them both.

The Palace of Fine Arts which is now the Museum of Science & Industry

And the World's Congress Auxiliary Building which is now the Art Institute of Chicago

Hope everyone has a great day
- N -

Off To The Mall ...

After we got back from Jo & Bill's beach house we moved over to Mike's Mom's so we could spend the rest of our trip with her at her place.  She lives in a really nice retirement village with 6 large apartment buildings and an assisted living complex.  In her complex they have 2 beauty salons, a bank, church, 2 small convenience stores, a pub,  movie theater, classrooms, meeting rooms, laundry facilities, several dining halls and restaurant and a bus that will drive the residents almost anywhere they need / want to go.  I told Mike - it is like living on a cruise ship ...

Mike's Mom's Apartment - her's is on the top floor on the left

On Tuesday - Inauguration Day - we decided NOT to go down to the Mall.  It was so cold & so crowded - unbelievably so.  We ended up watching the Inauguration at the pub in Mike's Mom's complex.  It was warm, cozy and not too crowded.

The next day we went down to the Mall to wander around and check things out and here's what we found ...

 

Mike & his Mom in front of the US National Archives


Washington, DC. is such an interesting place to visit ...




Inauguration Leftovers ...


The US Capital where President Obama was Inaugurated ...

Mike & I on the Mall ...

Smithsonian Museum of American Art ...

Old Smithsonian Castle ...

Jefferson Memorial ...

Washington Monument ...

Flags at the base of the Washington Monument ...

Much of the City down around the Mall was still festooned with flags & banners ...
ps: the flag in front of the American flag is the DC flag





AND GUESS WHO I RAN INTO AT THE MALL ...

White House ...

The US Government Printing Office where Mike's Dad worked all his life ...

I Love, Love, love all the old Row-houses in the DC area ...



They are almost ... story book !

I hope everyone has a great Day!!!
- N -

Rehoboth Beach, DE ...

 

 
 Rehoboth Beach

Mike's sister & brother-in-law (Jo & Bill) own a beach house in nearby Delaware at Rehoboth Beach.  It is about a 2 hour drive from where they live in Maryland and they generously invited invited us to go and spend a few days there - so the day after Ron & YuPing's wedding we all (Jo, Bill, Mike's Mom, Mike & I) drove out there.

I had never been to Delaware and it was such a beautiful drive - we crossed the Chesapeake Bay and although I didn't get to see much of it - what I did see was beautiful.  The Eastern Shore of Maryland is very different than the PNW & very, very beautiful.  Different ecosystems, landscape, architecture and different beaches - their beaches are covered in beautiful sand (not rocks like ours) ...       

 
Jo, Bill, Lois (Mike's Mom) & Nancy

Jo & Bill's house is so nice!  They bought their townhouse it last summer and Jo is decorating it a very 'coastal' beach way - plenty of comfy furniture, fish and beachy colors!   It is very charming and so welcoming ...

It has 4 bedrooms (plenty for guests), 3 floors although their basement is unfinished and a screened in sun porch out back.  Gorgeous!  They drive out to the beach almost every weekend with their 2 dogs - Bandit & Smoky!

 

It is a perfect vacation home because it is within 2 hours of their home so driving out on the weekends is not a big deal, it is a townhouse so all the grounds work (mowing, watering, snow removal etc) is done for them and is within minutes of an incredible beach!  It is also nice because Bill's parents only live about 20 minutes from it so that makes visiting handy ...

After we arrived & unpacked Jo & Bill took us into town (which is super cute) and we also strolled out to the beach for a look around.  It is breathtaking ... 

 

 Mike & Bill wandering ...


Miles & Miles of endless sandy beaches ... with no houses!!!

Rohoboth Beach is a small but oh-so-charming town.  It was small but not too small and was filled with interesting shops, restaurants and brew pubs.

Later that day we went over to an old WWII military base which was long ago decommissioned and turned into a park / museum. 

 



 

Ya - that's ice along the ocean shore.  It was COLD!
Bandit!  What a funny dog -she is so cute.

Smokey - he is such a sweet laid back dog - reminds me of Sneakers


We woke up the next morning to a wee bit of blizzard so after puttering around for a while we went out to breakfast / lunch at a nearby sports pub and then headed home.

Hope everyone is having a great week
- N -

A Beautiful Wedding ...

Mike & I had a wonderful trip back East to visit his family, attend his brother's wedding and celebrate the Inauguration of President Obama in the Nation's capital.  Our flight out there was very long (actual flying time was 6 hours but we had a 4.5 hour lay-over in Atlanta so it made for a long day).

The day, while uneventful,  was not without it's humor or small blessings -

US Airways floating on the Hudson

1st (Blessing) - we didn't hear about the US Airways plane's emergency crash-landing in the Hudson River until after we'd landed in Baltimore and Mike's sister Jo told us about it.  I think I'd have been a bit nervous if we'd heard about it sooner and it's just luck we didn't because our plane out to Atlanta was a big one and we each had a DVD/TV inserted in the headrest of the seat in front of us where we could watch movies or TV during the flight. and I watched CNN almost the entire flight (luckily the landing hadn't happened yet).  I didn't catch any news in the Atlanta airport and by the time it had happened we were on our flight to Baltimore which is much shorter so we flew in a much smaller, older plane that  didn't have TV's.   I was saved from knowing about it mid-flight ...

Jet-bridge

2nd (Humor)- when we arrived in Baltimore (tired, hungry & stinky I'm sure) we were anxious to deplane and get to Jo's house (she picked us up at the airport).  So we finallllly landed (safely) and the plane coasted up to the gate and everyone jumped up  & started gathering their stuff and climbing into the aisle way ... we waited ... nothing happened! 

We waited longer ... started grumbling ... waited .... waited ... nothing.  Grumbling grew louder ... 15 minutes passed ... still waiting!  We were in the front of the plane and so we could see out the window that they were experiencing some trouble with the jet-bridge ... Oh dear!  Still waiting - then the bridge starts to move and everyone is excited and begin to regather their stuff ... then we see that the jet-bridge can't reach the plane and so the pilot has to back the plane up ... hysterical - I've never been on a plane that had such a hard time trying to 'parallel park' as it were - back up and then inch forward ... crazy but after about 20 minutes they finally got the plane in place and we were able to get off and our vacation began ...

Stained glass window of the church

I have been very blessed to attend two beautiful weddings in the past few months - Trista & Charlie's and now Ron & Yuping's.  Congratulations & Best Wishes to both couples!

 
I love Wedding, I treasure them because for me they are one of the few events in life that can even rival the birth of a new baby.  They are just as magical and fill us with the same contagious promise of hope, love, joy & innocence.  They are, in fact, the birth of a new family ... 

 

Ron & YuPing got married in Washington, DC in a magnificant old stone church. - so charming and beautiful.  It is the church they both attend regularly and is only a couple of blocks from their house. 

They day was made even more special because Ron's new wife, YuPing , is from China  (she has only been in the USA for about 3 years) and she was  fortunate enough to have  her parents come from China to attend the wedding.   

This was her parents first trip out of China (or anywhere in China  really for that matter) -  they are from a very small village  & do not speak any English so traveling here would have been almost impossible but fortunately they were escorted to the US by American friends  (Martha & Mike) whom YuPing had met while in university in China. 

YuPing's Father & Mother

YuPing met Martha & Mike when she was employed as an interpreter while attending university in China.  They are the nicest people -  who live and work in China and both she and her family over the years have become life long friends, in fact , Martha & Mike  have  unofficially adopted YuPing and it was they who encouraged & arranged for her to come to the USA to continue her education.

Ron & YuPing

The wedding was small, very intimate and it was a very happy event.  Mike & I were so happy to be able to attend and share the day with them.  YuPing's parents & friends are staying in the States until the end of January so they will be not be honeymooning until sometime in the future.

Here are some more photo's from the wedding & reception.

Bridal Bouquet

YuPing

Kevin, Jo, Bill, YuPing, Ron, Mike's Mom, Me & Mike

Mike's sister Jo & her husband Bill

Mike & I

Cutting the Cake

Congratulations Ron & YuPing!

Have a good day
- N -