43

This is 43. What will this year bring???

First day of school for the 17th year

This is my 17th First Day of School as a teacher and it is one of the weirdest yet.  We are teaching at a time where all the students on our campus are unvaccinated and where it is impossible to keep the distance between students 3 to 6 feet apart.  We are in a pandemic teaching and we have to do our best to keep the students safe, engaged, and happy.  This is no small feat.  My partner teacher and I wear aprons to keep our belongings near us... like band-aids, hand sanitizer, phones, and pens.  There is so much to keep track of that it can be really stressful.  The students I am teaching did not go to kindergarten or first grade for the majority of the year, so this is their first experience in school which is a big transition.  What will it be like this year???

First Day of School- Freshman Year

Noah is starting his freshman year at Venice High School!  I can't believe that he is in high school!  We are so fortunate that Noah is going to high school with a handful of good friends and that his schedule was programmed a few weeks prior so he was ready.  It took Noah about 45 minutes to get onto campus but at least he waited in line with his friends so that helped.  Noah is 6'1'' and in high school!  Where did the time go?

First Day of School- 8th Grade

It was Micah's first day of 8th grade!  It was a weird start for a weird year!  Micah had to wait in line for about 20 minutes to get scanned with the Daily Pass to enter the school.  The Daily Pass ensures that the students have a recent negative COVID test and they have to answer that they are in good health before they enter the campus.  Micah never completed his 6th grade year here and missed 7th due to COVID, so starting this 8th grade year will be interesting.  I hope that he sees some familiar faces and that he has a good time.  What will the first day of school be like for Micah???

Bubbe's House

The boys love going to Bubbe's house and spending time there.  She sets up their space and they like being able to eat in front of the tv!  Now that the boys are getting older, they can help more and they had the task to vacuum her garage.  They did a great job!  They also enjoyed eating all of her baked goods.  The boys had fun bouncing between her house, GA's house, and Uncle Steve's house.  When will they get a chance to visit again???
 

Time with GA

After our trip in Yosemite, we continued northward and visited family for a few days.  The smoke from the fires made it difficult to enjoy the outdoors but the boys had a great time spending time with GA playing cards, solving puzzles, and listening to old stories.  We feel so lucky that the boys penpal with him and that they got to spend time with him face to face.  I hope they never forget having pancakes made for them by their 94 year old great Grandpa.  When will we have our next visit???
 

The Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee Hotel shines as Yosemite National Park's distinctive upscale hotel and it has been booked for over a year.  It seemed impossible to get a reservation but by sheer determination and constant website checking, I was able to book not only the hotel for a few nights but also a cottage!  It was a nice experience staying at the hotel because of the stunning interior design and architecture.  I also loved that there were hardly any people around in the hotel which made me feel so much safer.  We ate at the Ahwahnee Dining Room which was a contactless buffet where mask wearing was required except while eating.  Due to my concerns about the dining room, we were moved to the perimeter table next to a grand piano that kept us safely distanced from all the other tables which was amazing.  The next night, we moved into the cottage and we learned that we were staying in the exact cottage that President Obama stayed in!   As soon as we walked in we saw his presidential photo and excerpt of his speech.  The evening in the cottage was calming and very nice.  When will we return to Yosemite???

Lower Yosemite Falls

We were so lucky to see that the Lower Yosemite Falls still had water at this time of year!  It is the 5th largest waterfall in the world.  The boys ended up hiking over boulders and slippery rocks to make it to the actual falls.  I decided to stay back and I sat on a bench under some shade until my phone rang and the boys face timed me from the falls.  This was not an easy trek by far but the destination was worth it because the boys loved feeling the mist of the waterfall hit their faces.  When will they have another adventure like this again???

Fun with the W Family

Out of pure coincidence, we were in Yosemite at the exact same time as the W Family!  We had such a nice afternoon hanging out with the W Family.  The boys swam in the Merced River and we revisited the Yosemite Falls.  Then we went to the village to have a pizza dinner.  It was a busy day and it was so nice to share this memory with friends.  What are the chances of that happening again???
 

Curry Village to Mirror Lake

This afternoon we rented bikes and rode through Curry Village to take a loop to Mirror Lake.  At this time of year, the lake was completely dry but we still had a nice time bike riding.  It was pretty hot outside so it was nice to bike ride instead of walking through the trail.  The boys really enjoyed riding fast and cruising with the wind in their face.  It's been such a long time since we went bike riding so the old saying is true:  once you learn how to ride a bike you never forget.  When will we go bike riding again???
 

Glacier Point

 

Just when I thought the views could not be any better, Glacier Point proved that this was the view of all views.  This overlook is a commanding view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Yosemite's high country as we gazed down from 3,214 feet above.  I could not help but feel that this was God's work that gave us this beautiful view.  This overwhelming feeling that I had spurred on quite a discussion in the car on whether God was real, how the world began, and what the boys believed or sorta believed.  I am thankful that we had this time to share and discuss with one another the meaning of it all... what is the meaning of it all???

Mariposa Grove

Our Yosemite adventure began with us getting on a 4 mile moderate/ severe trailhead in 100 degree plus heat with little water and a handful of snacks.  Sounds terrible.  In fact, it felt sorta terrible as well until we decided that we would take this opportunity to trek to the giant Sequoias because carpe diem!  I, for one, was so glad we did.  I loved seeing the trees, taking the hike, and once I saw the Bachelor and Three Graces there was a profound sense of wonderment that I could feel staring at these trees that have been around for thousands of years.  The Grizzly Giant was not too far away and to see a tree that had lived over 2,700 year was pretty amazing.  I would love to come back here again... when will that be???
 

Tunnel View

 

In every review of Yosemite, it is said that Tunnel View should not to be missed.  It really can't be because as soon as you emerge from the man made tunnel, it is the first glimpses of Yosemite that you can see.  We stopped here several times throughout our time in Yosemite and every time we were it was a little different.  It was a great way to start our trip because the majesty of it all is so wonderful to look at...  when will we come back again???

Tennis Tournaments

This was the first tennis tournament that the boys entered ever!  What a completely new experience for all of us!   This particular tournament was set up as a Round Robin so they got to play multiple games.  This was a great day of learning for the boys and we hope that they had fun.  When will they play in their next tournament???
 

Goal: Junior Life Guards 2022

 

Let's speak it into existence...  Junior Life Guards 2022.  I didn't realize that the tryouts happened for this past summer so hopefully the boys will be able to secure a tryout date for 2022.  The boys have been swimming weekly and the last time I timed them, they both made their qualifying time for 100 yards.  I hope that they will be able to perform like this next summer during their tryouts.  Will they be able to make it next summer???

 

Boba or youtube?

The kids went to get boba with Billy and Jawsh and this is the picture that Jawsh took while they were there.  I found this to be a sign of our times.  Instead of just waiting patiently, a phone is whipped out and everyone is staring at a screen.  The way that the kids paired off is an indicative of how they have been spending time together.  Noah and Kaitlyn are usually talking about anime or playing a game together, whereas Micah, Liam, and Emma are off doing something else.  It's nice that they that have one another.  I wonder if they remembered they were there to get boba???
 

16

We went back to the exact spot we were married (7-24-05).  16 years or as GA would say, "sweet 16!"  We are still coming back to Shutters to reminisce but this year we stayed on the boardwalk.  The summer boardwalk was quite busy unlike last year and it was so hot we decided to walk to and get some lemonade from Hot Dog on a Stick.  We returned home and we had a staggered dinner.  The boys had sushi first and then Jawsh and I had our meal... take out from n/naka.  It was really amazing.  This was definitely a new way to celebrate 16 years, but I am so thankful to celebrate this milestone with Jawsh.  What will we do for our 17th year anniversary???

Glasses

 Noah  chose his new glasses from the optometrist by trying them on and sending me selfies.  He landed on this pair from Prada!  What's ironic is that Noah does not know that this is a a high label fashion brand rather he liked the look and fit.  Does Noah have naturally good taste???

USC Engineering Camp

Micah was selected to take part in the USC Viterbi Engineering Camp at USC which is a two week program that engages students throughout LA with the principles of engineering.  He was one of 30 students selected out of a pool of 150 applicants and we were so happy that he got to have this experience.  The staff was very strict about following COVID guidelines and Micah was provided lunch every day from all of the fast food restaurants that he never gets to eat from... he enjoyed lunch from Little Caesars, Yoshinoya, Chick Filet, KFC, and El Pollo Loco to name a few.  We hope that Micah left with more memories than just the fast food... but who knows???
 

Beach days

Every summer, we head to Vegas with Kaitlyn and Co but this summer that was off the table.  Kaitlyn and Co ended up spending a week in Crystal Cove so we were able to visit them and head to the beach.  With the boys being vaccinated and the beach winds constantly flowing we felt it was safe enough to go and hang for a few hours.  The kids loved playing volleyball and spending time with one another.  I hope they look back at these times fondly.  They are so lucky to have their cousins close in age and proximity, don't you think???