Remodel the Study

書房

今年夏天 我們終於把書房的地毯換成木板了

也趁機把書房好好重整 一下

我們一家三口都參與了工作

(1) Clean up the space.

(2) Put down the base layer

(3) Put down the wood panel, one by one.

(4) Finish and clean up

(5) Reposition all stuff and enjoy it!

Laura is 6!

蘿拉的生日派對

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Happy Birthday Happy Birthday Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Laura

On July 22, 2006, Laura had her birthday party at the Jungle. Her real birthday is July 19. We checked in at 12:30 pm. She invited 10 of her best friends to the party. They explored the Jungle Safari. It was over 100 degrees F outside and pretty steaming in the jungle, too. At 1:30 pm we ate pizza and cake. Our special guests were Spencer, Juli, Claudia, Diana, Elena, Thao, Emily, Kira, Ingrid, Grace.

Spencer was the only boy and we enjoyed having him. Even though Laura does not see Claudia very often, she is still a good friend, and Laura loved seeing her.

Grace and other kids used their tokens to win prizes. In the photo, Grace and her Mom are smiling at the length of the tickets.

Ingrid and Emily were dressed in cute matching clothes. We had not seen them for a long time and were glad to see them again! Best wishes for your moving!

Juli got the most tickets, and she seemed to know everything about the Jungle. Elena and Diane are best friends and they explored together. Kira and Spencer rode with us to the Jungel at 12:00 p.m. and came back to the house at 3:30 pm. They were the most boisterous and enthusiastic participants at the party.

Your Gifts and Love

With the help of Spencer and Kira, Laura opened her gifts at home. Laura enjoyed each and every gift. Thank you especially for your companionship. Thank YOU all!

Birthday Happy Birthday Birthday Happy Birthday

4th of July Parade 2006

美國國慶



This was the first year that we attended the community parade. The Bownies Girl Scouts decided to get together to decorate a banner and their bikes at 10:00 am. Laura and I went to a new neighbor's home to do it.

At 1:00 pm the parade started. Many kids, boys and girls, rode their bikes, scooters, skateboards, or tricycles all showing up. There were different cars representing different groups, including a dog's soceity. It was a short walk but it was meaningful because it came from the community.


Laura's friend's dad.

San Jose Family Camp

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四天三夜露營記
from June 28 to July 1, 2006

Departing 出發
We were excited but somewhat nervous about this trip. It was the first camping trip for us with some neighbors. Laura was especially excited because she would be able to play with her friends for three whole days. I felt so grateful that I finally have a sense of community in the US, being able to connect with other American families.

We left San Jose at 10:00 am, and stopped twice to get food and to buy small cute items such as stuffed animals. Then we met other families at the Cowboy Museum for lunch. Some families brought their own lunch but we decieded to eat at a Chinese restaurant which was not very tasty.

cowboy museum 牛仔博物館

Arriving 到達
After lunch, we invited Laura's friend Juli to ride with us to the camp for another one and a half hours. The camp is at 3000 feet, about thirty minutes from the north entrance to Yosemite National Park. It is on the middle fork of the Tuolumne River. We arrived at our campsite and saw our tent, which was pretty big with five twin beds inside, and a chair, a table and a bookcase. It also had a deck in the back. The first thing I did was to clean up the floor and the mattresses. Fortunately I found a broom. The mattress looked dirty and saggy. The view was great though. We parked right in front of the tent.

our tent 我們的帳篷

Our First Meal 第一餐
John went to the office to sign in, while I unpacked our stuff. I realized that we did not bring Laura's bathing suit! Our friend Lara happened to bring an extra one, so we were saved. People started to go to the beach. At 6:00 pm we had our first meal in this camp. It was b-b-q chicken. They served ice tea and juice. There was hot water with tea bags and coffee all day long. Too bad that I forgot to bring my Chinese tea.

meal time

Campfire 營火
After dinner, we went to a campfire. The kids got to roast some marshmallow and played games. Our first night sleeping on the soft bed was not very comfortable. Laura said the sleeping bag was sometimes too hot sometime too cold. I used only blankets.

Hiking 健行
The next day Laura and John and some of Laura's friends and their parents went on a hike downriver. The hike was about two and a half miles, and descended 1000 feet, so everyone was exhausted and hot (it being over 90 degrees F) by the time they got back.

Water Fun 玩水

After lunch we went to the outdoor natural pool to get cooled off. The water was very very cold. Laura and John went into the water, but I just sat and read a book by the pool. Laura and her friends went on a rubber raft down the river. The river was the center of activities. People can go fishing, or rafting. We picked out some beautiful river rocks. Laura said,"It is so cold! "

Art and Craft 手工藝
After John built a boat out of plastice bottles for Laura, we went to the river to float it. Later that day, there was a boat race but our boat was broken already by then.

John and his creative boat and Laura 他做的船 boat race 賽船

For the rest of days, we all started out with breakfast at 8:00 am, lunch at 12:30 pm and dinner at 6:00 pm. There were a couple of activities in between. I spent most of the time reading my book. Our last project was to weave yarn into a pattern called "god's eye".

Laura's art work. 蘿拉做的手工藝

Going Home 回家

Finally, it was time to say good-bye. Luckily, we will be able to see everyone again back in San Jose. After the breakfast, we left for home. We first stopped by the nearest town Groveland to have lunch in a Pizzaria. Then we walked around the downtownl. I bought two watches from a gift shop. There was an art show in a fancy hotel, so we went to take a look.

I was so tired that I fell sleep in the car until we were almost home. Home sweet home. That's true.

For more info about this camping program,

click on San Jose Family Camp.