As we drove to church for Christmas service, we crossed Daniel Island. It’s a very upscale part of the Charleston area. On the way back from church (excellent sermon, by the way), we had to stop on the island and get a couple pictures of Daniel on “his” island.
Category Archives: Family
Friday
Our first full day in Charleston was fairly relaxing. We spent much of the day at home with Kyle and Sarah. Margie & Ruli had planned to arrive that morning but ran into travel difficulties; they would not arrive until Monday morning. In the afternoon, all the boys (Randy, Kyle, Daniel & David) made a bunch of sandwiches to take downtown later.
David & Kyle
At dinnertime, we went with a large group of volunteers to feed a number of people who lined up for food. All of the people receiving food were extremely nice to us and very appreciative of the food. Many of these people were quick to engage us in conversation and they were generally optimistic and upbeat, despite the fact that most of them would spend the night outdoors on a very cold (for Charleston) night just a few days before Christmas. The experience was a good one for us, althoug it might have been a bit more than Daniel was prepared for. He didn’t really want to talk about it so all we can do is speculate, but it seems he wasn’t prepared to see poverty in America.
After that we met up with a couple of Sarah & Kyle’s frieds, Matt and Crystal, for dinner at Barsa restaurant. Dinner was fantastic and the conversation even better.
MLK Museum
David, Daniel & Sarah
We’re in South Carolina, visiting Sarah and Kyle for Christmas and New Year. We flew into Atlanta (yes, we understand the geography; we also understand the economics of airline travel with a party of four). Sarah made the five-hour drive from Charleston to pick us up. We took the opportunity to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr., Museum. It’s an inspiring place and I recommend it for anyone who wants a better understanding of the struggles that were faced by many in our country. It’s a testament to our better nature that now we can walk freely on those same streets with a mixed-race family without any strange glances.
The museum has some short films playing, and some powerful photos and other exhibits. When we finished in the museum, we walked to the MLK birth home, the reflecting pool, grave & eternal flame, and then on to Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Click the picture to see more photos.
Seattle Christmas
David & Daniel mailing their letters to Santa
Saturday was pretty much wall-to-wall Christmas. In the morning, the boys finished their letters to Santa and we headed in to Seattle. Every year we visit Santa at the downtown Nordstrom for pictures and to mail letters to him. This year, we had already seen Santa in Tacoma, so we just needed to stop by his mailbox in Seattle. We also enjoy the gingerbread house display – the creativity amazes us each year. While we’re downtown, we try to squeeze in some time at Game Works (in past years, one of the girls would take the boys for games while we waited in line for Santa).
After Seattle, we went to Julie & Cindy’s for the Averill family Christmas gathering. As usual, we had a great time eating and visiting and eating and eating. The boys played FIFA soccer on the Wii with Borja, Mason and MacKenzie. Dinner was awesome – paella loaded with clams, shrimp and scallops. After dinner, we exchanged gifts.
Natsumi
Of all the exchange students we’ve hosted, there have been a few that remain “special” in our hearts. Natsumi was the first to stay with us for several months (most of the school year) and remains close. She came to town to visit with a couple of her former teachers at Puyallup High School and we were able to have dinner at the home of the Prudens and visit with her. It was a special time to catch up on her and her family, as well as with the Prudens and Sniders. We reminisced, received updates of Natsumi’s family in Japan (hard to believe Honoka is 15!) and, of course, talked about Sarah behind her back (it’s all good).
On top of that, we were honored to be with them as they lit the Menorah for the seventh day of Hannukah. We had recently talked with the boys about Hannukah, so it was particularly meaningful to be present and to hear our friends explain its significance in a bit greater detail and authenticity.
It was a great evening!
Danny’s Brief Visit
Sary-Jo’s brother came to Seattle and we were able to spend some time with him on Saturday, Dec. 8. We had brunch with him, Joany and Alyssa. Then he came to the boys’ basketball practice and helped us put up our outdoor Christmas lights. Later, we went to Seattle to have dinner at The Naked City while the boys were with Margie, Richard and Ruli seeing the stage presentation of Elf at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle (what a treat for them!). Even though Donald and Michelle weren’t working (their family Christmas party), we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Although the time went by too fast, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Click the picture to see more.
Daniel Reciting a Poem
Daniel needed to memorize a poem for school. Here he is reciting it. He did a great job!
Thankful
We have so much for which to be thankful. In fact, I won’t even try to list things here because the list would be incredibly long – yet still incomplete. God has been so good to us and we appreciate His close watch over us. Thanksgiving comes but once a year, but our gratitude is felt every moment of every day.
Janel and Ryan flew up from San Francisco on Wednesday evening. Wednesday night was pie-baking (& cranberry sauce) night. Janel and David baked the pies this year with Randy playing a consulting and training role. Janel is now officially better at pie shells than Randy. We had two pumpkin, one pecan and one coconut cream pie, all of which were amazing!
Thanksgiving day was quiet for most of the morning. Janel helped Randy with the turkey and the stuffing (again – amazing), while Ryan helped out by setting up Randy’s new printer (the old one died while printing Christmas letters). Daniel and David were in and out – alternating between playing and helping get the house ready for company. For dinner, Randy’s parents and Joany, Lauren and Alyssa were here. The 11 of us made a dent in the 25-pound turkey, but were unable to devour the whole thing. After dinner, Julie, Cindy, Jackie (friend), MacKenzie, Mason and Borja (exchange student) arrived for more fun and frivolity. Sarah Skyped in to the room for a while. We turned off the football games and turned on the Wii, had card games running, and a little general mayhem. It was fantastic! A bit later Chris and Carrie came over for a little while. We were blessed by everyone who showed up – thank you to all.
The video below is a brief compilation of games and horseplay – Daniel and Borja get a bit competitive playing Fifa soccer on the Wii (Borja’s player earns a red card) – card games and general visiting. Also, Sarah joined via Skype. Click the picture above to see more.
Veterans Day
I thought we’d take a moment to recognize our veterans. It’s impossible to fully state our appreciation – we are so grateful to God for this amazing country. Occasionally you come across a song and/or video that does a much better job of expressing your feelings than you are able to do on your own. For us, this video fits that bill. Please listen to it and truly thank a vet.
Halloween 2012 – revised with new pictures – 11/23/12
The boys enjoy Halloween, especially the goodies. They like to dress up, but they don’t seem to like to go overboard. This year, their costumes were rather simple, with hooded sweatshirts that zip over the face to provide the mask. We really tend to enjoy the pumpkin patch and we went to see the Picha Farms patch this year. Sarah and Janel had a couple of the Picha men as teachers in Junior High and High School. We saw both of them and they asked about the girls. Meanwhile, we explored the farm, launched some gourds with the slingshot (David missed winning a free pumpkin by about 2 inches), and then navigated the corn maze. It was challenging, but we took a picture of the map using David’s iPod before we entered; then we wound our way through to all of the check-in stations.
Also, the boys went with Sary-Jo and a couple friends to Fright Fest at Wild Waves. They had a blast! Finally, Sary-Jo and Randy went to a Halloween party in costume (pictures added 11/23). This is highly irregular for Randy as he is not a fan of costumes. Still, it was pretty good. Click on the picture above to see more.