July 4

All four of us kids managed to meet for the 4th of July. Peter and Nancy brought Daniel from North Carolina; Susan and Cory visited Washington DC with Matthew before coming to York; Leonard and Liz returned from their vacation, picked up Rachel from camp and hosted a picnic at their house for all. Laura brought Domenic up to spend time with the Wong side of the family. She is just back from "the desert" deployment and enjoying her return to the States. There were three grandkids who were unable to make the trip. The 3A's - Andrew who was reporting to Ft Lewis, Washington; Anna working in Colorado at camp; and Alicia who had to remain in Boston for work. We missed all of them but hey, we had a great time without you! Here is Gung talking to Alica - I do believe he was promising her he'd make it to Boston for the Christmas holiday. A promise she will hold him to keeping!

The kids (and Susan) enjoyed the latest fad, not a zip line, but a tightrope of sorts hung between two trees. Josh seemed to be the master with Daniel a close second.

Laura was very tenative considering her skills on the beam, Susan was confident as long as Cory was there to spot her.

Domenic was game to keep up with the young kids but after one tumble had to admit he isn't as young as he once was! Pat, great dad-in-law that he is, supplied Dom with some much needed Advils!

As usual Liz and her girls put out a fantastic meal, ribs, glazed salmon, fresh York County corn, and double chocolate brownies.

Dinner was a noisy affair with two tables of family story sharing, lots of laughter, and explanations. Then the younger boys (minus Domenic) put on the protective gear for the paintball battle.

Most of us brought out the lawn chairs and served as observers to the battle.

And then it was PICTURE TIME!

First the immediate family, that is Mom and Dad with the four kids.

Front: Susan, Mom, Dad, Debbie Back: Peter, Leonard

SPOUSES

Cory behind Susan, Peter/Nancy, Pat behind Debbie, Leonard behind Liz

Grandkids
From front row L to r: Jon, Apo, Gung, Daniel, Matthew

Back row L to R: Josh, Lydia, Laura, Domenic, Rachel, Abby

And then there were MORE!

Denver Conference

I was fortunate enough to attend a math conference in Denver over the summer. The conference itself was - well disappointing because there wasn't too much new information given out. But being near the mountains and USAFA gave me the chance to enjoy the West again. One day was spent traveling into Colorado Springs.

Rachel and I drove up on the High Road area and spotted a fox in a Broadmoor driveway.
The view from one spot on the High Road. We stopped at Helen Hunt Falls. No not the actress Helen Hunt - this woman was an old time advocate for Indian rights and preservation of natural lands. She was pioneer in the true sense of the word. The falls were beautiful. No I did not climb up to the little bridge at the crest of the falls. We went up the side of the mountain until the undergrowth disappeared. Nothing growing at this level except coniferous trees so I guess this would be a coniferous forest but not quite a tundra. The aspen groves were so picturesque but I was busy trying to stay on this NARROW dirt road and forgot to take pictures.

Alicia was home for the weekend. Jim, Sue, Nate, and Helen along with the Brickner family were coming over to celebrate the Lord's resurrection. Here is the table waiting for company to arrive. Dinner is served. The menu included Olive Garden's Zupa Tuscany Soup and deliciously refreshing Peach tea. From the right side: Pat, Alicia, Nancy & Don Brickner, Allison, Sue, Jimmy, Nathan, and Helen.

After dinner we talked in the family room,

challenged one another to pool games, or
played a new card game - Apples.
Clancy greeted all the guest and handed out the Easter baskets. Not really, but isn't he a cute little bunny?

Allison's husband Josh is currently serving in Iraq, his daughter Ashley is a little sweetheart!

The young and the old celebrating together. This is what makes family gatherings so special! Babies reminding us of God's wonderfulness.

And then Clancy shared his ears with Ashley. Alicia would have no parts of wearing them.
Can you tell it was a long day and someone was tired (of the camera being shoved in her face?) I love having the kids, small and tall, home for the holidays!

Personality test hmmmm....

Outgoing, logical and decisive, the ENTJ leads by providing conceptual structure and setting goals, rather than by detailing and enforcing procedures, codes and regulations. This “big picture” type rises naturally to conspicuous positions of power and responsibility in all organizational settings (business, military, educational, governmental.) Disorganization, confusion, emotion, inefficiency and illogic drive ENTJs to take charge of situations and institutions. Their intuition fuels their vision and defines their goals. They deal with the world boldly, in an assertive, analytical, objective and organized way which inspires others to salute them and do whatever the ENTJ needs done--including all the detail work! ENTJs certainly do get things done, both at home and at work, but often at substantial cost in terms of wear and tear on the human spirit, for they may neglect the importance of the personal element in accomplishing their purpose. More than any other, this type seems to struggle between an inner drive toward creative spontaneity and the desire for order in the universe.

Gung Hay Fa Choy

Gung Hay Fa Choy!!

New York celebration was da bomb, an experience that brought back fondest memories of my childhood and traditions.


Chinese New Year


Dragon dancing in the street
In this video the Chinese Free Mason Association dragons make their appearance.


This second video shows the dragons in front of the building, doing their thing. Needless to say, being so close, hearing the boom boom chong, and soaking in the celebration atmosphere set my tail to wagging (some call it dancing).

End of the Month

Here are the plans for my New York birthday weekend:

Friday Feb 16 - arrive Newark airport
Sunday Feb 19 - depart Newark

Things to do:

• Empire State Building
• Broadway show
• Chinese New Year events

Send me an email or call my cell if you can do something with me~

So I had a phone interview yesterday for a local district. Evidently there was an overwhelming amount of interest in the position, 120 applicants. Twenty of us received phone interviews then from there the field will be narrowed for face to face meetings. Please pray that I make the second and final cuts!!! Seriously, I need a job overhaul!

EDIT: 7/22/07 - Update: I didn't get the job :(