The finished product...

and the chefs that made them.

Sushi 101

The kids really wanted to have another sushi lesson (since Brandon had one at Scouts). They both love sushi, so funny since it took me till about 5 years ago to acquire the taste for it. I still pretty much stick to the California rolls...I don't go too far out of my comfort zone. We sort of made a list of things we would like to do this summer and this was one of them. So we called up the Dranny and asked her when she would be available and marked it on the calendar. So today was the day and her are some pics from the lesson.

Till We See Her Again...

I hate goodbye's. I don't do well with goodbye's. With that said, tonight I had to say goodbye to my niece, Emily, who is leaving for a year to go to Kenya. She will be a dorm mother for 9th grade girls at Rift Valley Academy. We are incredibly proud of her decision, but at the same time we are sad that she will be leaving and gone for a whole year. Last week, Emily, Peter and Brett took Brandon and Shelby out for a last "cousins" dinner at Mongolian BBQ in Bethesda. Tonight my sister hosted a farewell pizza dinner for family and a few friends. It was a nice gathering and I held it together pretty well, I did get teary eyed when Shelby hugged Emily and said her goodbyes. So Emily, its not goodbye, but till we see you again next year. Enjoy this next year, it will surely be a year of continued faith, joy, love, maybe a little homesickness, but definitely an experience you will never forget. We love you!

Routers that warm you....

For those who don't know..we have a cat, Penny, she is a polydactyl cat with very large front and back feet and in general, although not fat, she is a big cat, not quite 3 yet! We laugh a lot about her because she loves Kevin's router for the computer in our room, she squeezes herself onto this to keep warm and take naps, much to his chagrin...I finally got to capture a few photos of her...

One last thing about my birthday....

The best way to end my birthday....




For those who play mahjongg....you know what i'm talking about :-)))

Costume Parties are Just not My thing....

For those who have known me as a child and as a adult, you can atest to the fact that I was EXTREMELY shy as a young child and young adult. It was shortly before I met Kevin that I began to be less shy and more assured. Now into my 40's I love social gatherings, usually not real large gatherings but for the most part I feel pretty comfortable going to a party with Kevin even if I know very few people. With all of that said, there are still some parties that I just prefer not to go to....this being COSTUME Parties. UGH!

So tonite my dear husband dressed up for the annual Mardi Gras party that is held nearby. He loves this party and I love being at home tonite!

So have a good time honey....here's your picture!

Okay...I know i'm biased

I know its been a long time since I posted...and I still want to blog and catch up, but for now...

I know she's not mine..but next to mine...she is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Love you Kate!!! Love, Auntie Boo

Tis' the Season.....

Where did the fall go? After our trip to NYC time has just flown by and Thanksgiving is already over and just a little over 2 weeks to Christmas. Yikes!! Last weekend we were in NJ for Kevin's cousins wedding. Shelby and her cousin Erika were the flower girls. It was a beautiful wedding full of lots of traditions and customs. The bride is Chinese and the groom is Korean. The bride had 3 dress changes and the groom 1 outfit change. The kids had a great time and Shelby loved the reception with the dancing and all the sweets to eat. She even caught the bouquet. Here are just a few photos from the wedding. Hopefully more to come from other family members.

NYC Meets Shelby Lee

So to continue our story, we got up the day after her birthday (we had to leave the house by 5:45 am) and successfully got on the train at BWI. The train was relatively empty and we found seats with no problem. The train ran on schedule till we got to Newark, NJ. They were doing some repairs so that set us back by about 3o minutes, which worked out fine since Erik was running late from a client. Alas, we arrived, met up with Erik and then we promptly got into a taxi to drop our stuff off at Erik and Howard's apartment. Shelby got her first taste of NYC with a cab ride. After taking a little break we headed off to the Empire State Building. We had to wait about 1 1/2 hours to go up, but Shelby was a trooper and really enjoyed it once we got up there. After that we went for a carriage ride through Central Park, had a quick lunch, stopped at Dylan's Candy Shop for a treat, and then went back to the apartment for a little nap and then it was time to eat and get ready to go see Mary Poppins on Broadway. Shelby and I were so excited and Erik treated us to fabulous orchestra seats (8th row). It was truly a magical show!!






Saturday, they were calling for rain but it had not started when we started our day. And since it was Saturday, Howard did not have to work so he joined in for the days adventures. After breakfast we went to American Girl, shopping at Juicy Couture (Thanks Uncle Howard :-))), Rockefeller Center, NBC store,the Disney Store, Toys R US in Times Square and then back to Dylan's Candy Shop before going for a short nap. Then we went to the movies to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Shelby rode the bus, the subway, the taxis and was not intimidated by any of it. On Friday she said, "I feel different here!" "When I grow up, I want to live here...and work at Macy's". My thought was, you can work at Macy's but you will be living in the Bronx on that salary, not Manhattan.



Shelby recognized Erik and Howards building the second time we went there and seemed to have a real sense of direction in the city. Saturday night it did rain but it didn't dampen either of our spirits. Sunday we woke to a lovely day. Shelby and I went to breakfast alone and after that we walked over to Central Park with Erik and Howard. We watched some professional ice skaters and then we went on a Carousel ride. The guys were great sports and some of the things we did, they had never done or ever seen before which made it even more fun. When we got back from the park, they got the car and showed Shelby "Ground Zero" which she had been curious to see and then they dropped us off at the train station to return home. It was bittersweet, never enough time with Erik and Howard, ready to sleep in my own bed, but not wanting a wonderful, mother-daughter memory to come to an end. Hopefully we will have many more like it. A big thanks and hugs and kisses to Erik and Howard for making the weekend so memorable and Shelby's first visit a fabulous success!!! We love you!!

Pics from Sue's 50th Celebrations

Here are a few pics from Susan's 50th birthday dinner. We had a fabulous time together. Unfortunately, I think Kate upstaged Susan just a little bit...she was definitely the star of the weekend. Susan was very gracious and understanding about that :))) I got to witness my sister in Grandmother mode (although she goes by GiGi)--she bathed Kate and I can tell how much she's enjoying being a Grandmother and how much she misses them, since they live in AZ.

More pics to come but for now....

Happy Birthday Dear Sister!!!

Meeting "Kate"

Okay, Okay, Great Auntie Boo! (Sounds so old, though)



What better picture than Kate with her Great-Grandma Dahl. The kids have been so excited about meeting their new cousin, Kate. We had a piano lesson yesterday but their minds were only on meeting Kate. Both of them were very sweet with her. Brandon was a little apprehensive about holding her but after I made him, he liked it and said he could hold her for awhile. Kate is here to celebrate her "Gigi's" big 50th birthday. I think Susan is going by Gigi (for Grandma) or maybe its Marmie, but we are all excited about celebrating her BIG Day with the whole family. Travis (Nora's husband)arrives next week as well as Erik and Howard. I'm looking forward to all of us being together. Lots of photo ops, too!