My Junior Highers

Their formal uniform

Their athletic uniform

First day of school

                                                         
We have been back from the States for less than a week and my sweet kids are back in school.  They are in the local public school for two and a half days and the rest of the time they are at home.  I can't believe how fast the years have flown by. They are both now junior highers. (And in less than three months, I will have two "teenagers"!!!)  Soon, they will both be high schoolers. And with another blink of my eyes, they will both be university students.  What a blessing they have been.  They are wonderful and loving. Yes, they have their "moments", but as I reflect on the years past, I can only seem to recall the joy they have brought into my life.  I am so glad that I have decided to retire and spend more time with them.  This year is going to be amazing. I don't know what God has in store, but I know He is good and faithful and He has promised to be with me always. I hold firm to that Truth and rejoice!

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The Send Off

Will has enlisted and headed out to boot camp.  You can follow his brigade via their FB page.  We had a little send off breakfast and of course, we took lots of pictures.  We have encouraged him to keep a journal about the experience and perhaps he will publish a best seller.  We will miss him and be praying for him.

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"Busy Vacation" -- July Happenings

The first morning in the States, we were up early and went to Home Depot.  We found a can of "reject" paint for 7US$ and started on the fireplace.  It was very difficult to paint over the rocks on the fireplace.  We also rearranged the furniture and started cleaning up at my mom's place.  Cleaning means going over all the closets and drawers, asking them to try on clothes.  The clothes that didn't fit went into the donate pile. The clothes that fit but had missing buttons or needed repair went into another pile. The clothes that need to be washed went into the laundry basket.  We went through all the cupboards and dusted and scrubbed.  The work continues as we went down to San Diego and helped Alan's mom's as she has been wanting to clean up the garage as well as inside the house.  We still have a few more jobs to do. The biggest one will be redoing my mom's dining room flooring.  Of course, I will also need to reorganize my mom's garage shelves.  Needless to say, "busy vacation" is exactly how I'd describe these past few weeks and I am sure those two words will sum up the weeks ahead.  The kids are looking forward to going to Magic Mountain and we have signed up to bowl for free this whole summer.  They have also enjoyed hanging out with their cousins at the beach or at the Y or just playing a board game at home.  And my brother Eddie has decided to come back for a 10-day visit, so that is just fabulous.  We are enjoying seeing our friends and family members and being in Southern California.

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July Happenings

We're in the States for the summer and these pictures were taken at the Taoyuan International Airport on the day that we took off.  The flight was great as the kids enjoyed the movies and the food. I slept as much as possible.  I knew that once we land, the wheels would not stop until I was back on the plane heading back to Taiwan.

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Celebration

Abby graduated from elementary school on Monday, June 18th. But we didn't have time to go out to celebrate.  So the next evening, we decided to use her teacher's generous gift of four restaurant coupons to a fancy restaurant as a family night out to celebrate. The food was fabulous and we had such a splendid night.  Now, in August, she will start 7th grade and we will be homeschooling both kids "part-time".  What joy!

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Cool Picture

This was taken on the last day of class. I love green... and this student photoshopped the picture so beautifully. He uploaded it on FB and then when I asked how I can get a copy of the picture, he wrote back in ENGLISH with the instructions.  What am I going to miss about being retired?  It is definitely seeing my students grow in their love for learning!

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Abby's Graduation

My sweet little girl has graduated from Xi Hu Elementary School. I can't believe it.  These are pictures from the day -- on stage receiving an award, with her diploma and her teacher, the front steps to her school and with her classmates during the ceremony.  Truly, how fast the years have flown by.  She has so many fond memories of being at this school and all the activities she joined and the friends she has made.  It was a God-thing for her to transfer from Wen Hu to Xi Hu some three years ago.  Absolutely no regret... only joyful memories.

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