An Outing

 
This is one of many things that I love about being home with the kids -- we can be spontaneous and go out for fun outings.  As I have taught at Ming Chuan for the past 25 years, I was invited to receive a special award.  I asked the kids to come along and Alan also joined us after he finished his classes in the morning.  Since the place was right near Hsimenting (a trendy part of Taipei), we decided to explore the area.  It was so fun to visit the Aroma Cafe and to run into old friends who happened to be upstairs.  We went walking around and saw a special exhibition for an upcoming release of a new video game.  It was fun and the afternoon stroll was refreshing. 

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The Joy of Being Retired

 

Well, can I just say that I love, absolutely love, being retired!!!  I made sofa covers for our living room sofas.  I have altered some of my favorite shorts and skirts.  I have organized some of the piles of "stuff" in our house. I have sorted through and given away things.  I am home with the kids on their homeschool days. I have not had the time to run and have not gone for a workout at the local rec center, but this is really only the third week of being back in Taiwan.  I still have a long list of things that I want to get done in this first year of being retired.  I am in no way bored.  Each day seems to hold some new adventure.  Recently, a dear sister GAVE me her bike and now I am determined to run my errands on the bike, even going to Costco. So, I got the bike "rigged up" with two very sturdy baskets so that I can lug my Costco goods.  (And I have four bungee cords!!!)  I hope to get a picture for you all one of these days and write about the experience.  Did I mention that I want to learn Hebrew and take up tap dancing?????

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All Things New

 
 

 
The summer has passed and the new school year has started.  These pictures are just a few to help you to know what this summer has been like. 
My daughter got a new haircut.  She got a free haircut and donated her hair. 
We went to Jon and Judy's new house in Pasadena and had a great time. 
My kids went to Soak City and Magic Mountain, which was a new experience for them. 
I took my mom and Daddy George to a new place -- the Botanic Garden right near Torrance. 
And one evening while walking, I saw the most gorgeous array of colors at sunset.  I thought it would be a good closing shot.  With the beauty of the skyline, I was again reminded of the newness of each day and the amazing ways of the LORD.

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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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