Mid-December

Hi Friends!

Life just keeps happening! We are plugging away in our new, much different life. It has been a very emotional month for me, particularly. Recently, my mom had a very minor stroke - no permanent damage - but it did keep her in the hospital for about five days. She is back home now and taking a few well-deserved weeks off work. So, the library, her tutoring students, and the school district will miss her! I miss her (and Daddy), too, and am eager to have them move out here as soon as they are able.

There's not much news, so I'll keep this post short. But, know that we are thinking of all of you often and miss all of our good friends very much.

Lots of love,

Sharon

Thanksgiving Weekend

Hello there friends! November 28, 2008

It’s Friday morning, and I am sitting on the couch having coffee, still in my jammies. Dave had to work today, unfortunately. The kids are off doing their own thing (Sarah on the computer, Brian watching cartoons). Oscar is sitting on my lap after having finished his breakfast. Mante is trying to figure out if he wants to eat or not, and Cooper is guarding his bowl for fear someone will come and snatch it away if he lets his guard down!

Since I wrote last a few weeks ago, we’ve gotten settled in to our cute little house. It looks like a barn ~ bright red with white trim. Although it is very different from our Colorado house, it is very homey and we are feeling like we fit well. Here are some pictures of the inside & out.

The house has 3 bedrooms & 2 ½ bathrooms. The master is on the main floor, which my knees appreciate. The main floor also has an office, the kitchen, laundry, and a dining/family room. Upstairs is just the kids’ bedrooms and a bathroom. Down in the basement, which is unfinished, Brian’s drums and the other musical instruments are in an area, and then another spot is set up with our basement furniture & the TV with PS2, rock band, and stuff. The back yard is really little (about the size of our front yard in Colorado) and doesn’t have a fence yet, so the dogs are going for lots of walks and Weenie has to be leashed when we take them out so he doesn’t bolt. This morning, we’re taking them to the dog park so they can run around.

We also had Halloween since the last letter. Brian’s school had a Fall Festival, which was really cute with Monster Bowling, Donut Eating Contests, and a photo op. Here’s the picture they took of the kids:

Sarah dressed as an Indian Maiden for trick-or-treating, and Brian was some dead guy with blood in his skeletal chest. Of course. I was a hippy with a blonde afro wig. I dressed up at work and was one of probably 100 out of 1,200 who did! Next year I’ll know better. Dave was just Dave.

It’s nice out after having about a week of snowy weather. A couple weeks ago, we had about 4” of snow in the valley and up to 4’ in the mountains. Then, it rained a lot down here, but kept on snowing higher up. And, then we got a week or so of temperatures in the 60s’, and now it’s cold and cloudy. The mountains are just spectacular with all of the deep snow. Things in town haven’t turned brown yet, so it’s a really nice time of the year.

My mom and dad came last weekend to visit! They stayed at my aunt’s house, but spent lots of time with us. We had an early Thanksgiving on Saturday night at our house with my mom & dad, aunt & uncle, cousin Jerrick and his girlfriend Sierra, and other cousin Alicia and her two little ones, Ashleigh (10) and Jackson (5). Dave deep-fried a turkey and we split up the sides. While they were here, my mom and dad looked for a few housing options, as they hope to move out sometime after winter. My mom also turned in her application with the local school district to be a substitute teacher. It was so nice to see them! It felt like it had been so long.

The big news is . . . Dave got a job! He’s been there two weeks now. It is as a service advisor position at an independent repair shop in Sandy (about 15 miles away from the house) called McNeil’s Auto. They have just one shop now and are hoping to open a second one in April in Riverton which is the neighboring town to where we live. The intent is that he will be ‘groomed’ to be the service manager at that new store when it opens. He’s really excited about it. The two weeks prior to starting that he painted the inside of his parents’ house, which I think he enjoyed being able to do for them.

Unfortunately, his mom fell about two weeks ago and broke her hip. She had surgery to repair it and, thankfully, it wasn’t as badly broken as they thought. She had to get three screws put in, but didn’t have to have it replaced. That’s good, since the other hip is already artificial! She was up and around for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, using a walker to get around. Since she has had cancer three times, has a bad heart, and has osteoporosis, they didn’t expect this good of a result. So, we’re happy.

The kids and I went to see a community theater production of Peter Pan earlier this month. The elementary schools here are year-round, so when the kids are ‘off-track,’ meaning they don’t have school, there are lots of different activities and camps for them to go to during school hours. One of those is a theater camp at Brian’s school. The lady who was running it was so successful that she started a Community Theater program, too. That’s what this production was for. Brian hopes to do the theater camp during his next off-track break, which is in February.
He’s off-track now, which worked out well with Dave not having been working the first two weeks of it. Now that Dave’s back to work, though, Brian has been home alone. It was interesting to say the least! He did well, but is bored out of his mind and actually excited to go back! He starts again on on December 8th. So, he started school, went for two weeks, is off for four, goes for two, then Winter Break starts for everyone and he is off for another two! Then, after the new year, he will be on for 7 weeks, off for three, through the end of the school year, which doesn’t end until early July. Weird! He started drum lessons again, which will be good for him, and I’ve given him a book report assignment to do while he is off-track. (I know, I know. It’s just me.) Other than that, he’s just being a goofball!

Sarah is LOVING her pony, Fransesca. (Pronounced with a sss, not a ch.) She’s a good little horse. It’s working out really well to keep her at my aunt’s house. Winter hasn’t really hit yet, so she is still able to ride a couple times every week. We have looked into a local Equestrian Center where, for $60 a year, she can have full use of all of their facilities including indoor and outdoor arenas, a race track, hot walkers, and round pens.

My work is going really well. It’s still a little unchallenging, but I guess that’s better than being overwhelmed. My boss and the other people are really nice, and the building is really beautiful and well-appointed with a catered cafeteria, fitness center, big glass atrium in the middle, walking paths all around the facility, and a lake right behind it with hundreds of geese.
Well, I’d best get off my big butt and get going! I hope to hear from you soon. I miss you all so much. It’s really weird being here without all of you. Please write or call soon!

Love,
Sharon

The first few weeks - 10-18-08

Ahoy, Mates!

I wanted to check in and let you know how everything has been going. We had a pretty uneventful trip out until we hit Rock Springs. It was about 5:00 p.m., and we decided to fill up our gas tanks and get some snacks. As we went down the offramp, something flew off of Dave’s car and he lost his brakes! Thankfully, he was able to downshift and coast down, needing little braking. We spent the next 2-½ hours looking for parts & socket wrenches, and he was finally able to fix it. That put us going through the canyons at night, which were icy. So, it was a pretty long haul that last 150 miles. We arrived at about 11 p.m., safely, but with our sanity barely intact!

So, you all know that the house we were supposed to move into fell through the week before we left, right? So, we are bunking with Dave’s mom & dad while we find a new place. (!!!) The next few days (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) were spent looking at house after house after house after . . . okay, you get the idea. Late on Wednesday, we got the lockbox code to a home that looked really cute and, lo and behold, it was the same floorplan as the one we originally wanted but didn’t get! We called the property manager and told him we were interested, so now we are awaiting our approval to move in. Hopefully that will come tonight or tomorrow.

In the meantime, on Thursday, I started work at my new job as Executive Secretary to the CIO (Chief Information Officer) / Vice President of IT for SelectHealth, the insurance branch of Intermountain Healthcare. They are the second largest healthcare provider in Utah with over ½ million insureds, 28 hospitals throughout Utah and Idaho, and over 21,000 employees. There are 88 people in my department (IT), and 1,200 in the building I work in. The office is really nice, with a huge cafeteria, fitness room, security-guarded entry, and outdoor area with basketball hoops, a little lake, and walking paths. The first day, Thursday, was really easy. The management team that I am a part of went golfing! So I went into the office in golf clothes, got familiar with the area, and then headed out to play 18 holes! Funny, huh? The second day, Friday, though, was a regular work day, which was a good one. I think I’ll like it there.

While I was working, Dave took the kids to the Kennecott Copper Mine to go on a tour, then took Sarah to look at a horse she was considering buying. She totally loved it and we went back again today and bought it for her! Sarah has been riding so long, has tried out so many as potential purchases, and is so knowledgeable, that it was an easy decision for her once she got on. She knew it was a good purchase and a perfect fit. That was a bargaining chip we used to get her to come to Utah (you know, ‘don’t cry little girl and we’ll buy you a pony!’) Brian’s is that there is a community pool in the neighborhood we are (hopefully) moving to! So, they’re both happy campers.

Today, I was able to attend my niece’s baby shower, which was a lot of fun. She is such a cute girl. It is her first baby, and she is having a daughter that she is planning to name Nora. She’s due in January.

So, hopefully we’ll hear about the house tomorrow so that we know whether we need to go looking again, or have Dave fly back to Colorado and get all of our stuff. As soon as we have an update on that, I’ll let you all know. The kids are ready to get back to school and out of Grandma’s basement, and Dave and I are ready to stretch out in our own place again.

Our little house in Colorado is being well cared for by my mom and checked on regularly by my friends. It is listed for sale and has had 5 or 6 families come through it. The kitties are still there, hopefully to move with Dave in the U-haul, provided the house we get allows them. The dogs are with us (ugh!), and will probably go with us too if they don’t drive me completely insane before that!

We still have our Colorado cell phones for now, and will keep this msn email account. I’ll let you know, too, when we switch our phones to Utah numbers.

Take care, and I’m missing you all!

Love,

Sharon

We're Moving

We've had some strange turns of events in our life and we're moving to Utah. More later!

School Starts Tomorrow!

The kids are excited that school will be starting back up tomorrow. Sarah will continue at Niwot High School in the international baccalaureate program as a 10th grader. She got her learner's permit on her birthday, so she has been enjoying driving around with mom and dad. One more year until she can do it on her own! Ugh! Brian will be moving to middle school this year, as a 6th grader at Coal Ridge. He is very excited to have all the different classes during the day, and will be a drummer in the band. He recently got his own set of drums and is teaching himself some rhythms by ear, listening to CD's. We will be starting back up will regular lessons soon, but wanted him to get settled at school first. Dave is plugging away with work. I am looking forward to having some time to myself during the day and getting some much-needed organizing projects done.

Have a good week. We'll check back again soon.

Our final week :>(

Oh, we are so sad to tell you what we have been doing during our last week with Yiying. Tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m., we will meet the group at Flat Irons Mall and say our goodbyes. They will go to the airport together for their flight to Seattle, and then on to Tokyo. I'm already sad!

Monday, 8/4/08

Yiying was back in classes today, with an afternoon spent shopping at the University Book Store, then bowling. She was very tired when we picked her up at the bus and said that she didn’t like bowling very much! Oh, well. Another experience to check off her list!

Tuesday, 8/5/08

Sarah, Brian & I joined Yiying and the students for an all-day excursion to beautiful Georgetown, Colorado. It is about a one-hour bus ride from the campus up into the mountains. Our day began with a ride on the Georgetown Loop train; an old mining steam train built in the 1870s to carry the ore found in the mountains. (Check out the website at www.georgetownlooprr.com.) After the train ride, we rode our bus to Idaho Springs, a quaint little town with a population under 2,000! We ate lunch at the famous Beau Jo’s Pizza, enjoying their ‘Mountain Pies’ (a.k.a. huge pizzas!). Yiying and her friends, Chihiro and Yu, each ate 3 pieces, I had 2, Sarah had 1, and Brian ate 4! After lunch, we took about a five-block walk to a little park where we had a gold panning demonstration, then got to try it ourselves! Yiying found three pieces of gold, and Sarah and Brian found two. They were very excited.

Our day ended with a drive to the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater where we got a backstage tour, including the dressing rooms that the rock stars use when they come in concert! The next day, James Taylor would be playing there! All in all, it was a really wonderful day. We finished it up with dinner at my mom and dad’s house – Nana Alice’s Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, honeyed carrots, and rolls, followed up with ice cream and cookies. It was delicious.

Wednesday, 8/6/08

All of the students held their class at Flat Irons Mall today. They learned all about shopping (like they didn’t already know about that!), at lunch at the Food Court (Yiying had Subway), then went to see ‘Journey to the Center of
the Earth,’ which she didn’t think was very good. Once again, she arrived home tired, but excited from her day. That evening, she made a delicious dinner for us called Hayashi Rice, which had pork, onions, mushrooms & carrots in brown gravy over steamed rice. YUMMMMMMMM!

Thursday, 8/7/08

Today we all went to Water World (www.waterworldcolorado.com). It was an exhausting, exhilarating, and sun-drenched day! Yiying mostly hung out with Chihiro. Brian took a friend, Cameron, and Sarah hung out with them. It was very fun. Yiying liked Thunder Bay best, but thought that some of the bigger water slides were too slow! Sarah and Cameron enjoyed the Half Pipe, and Brian liked the Lazy River and Storm.

Friday, 8/8/08

Today, Yiying took her Yukata (like a Kimono, but made of different fabric) to school with her. They spent the day practicing for their performances during the Sayonara party. We joined up with her at the Old Main Chapel on campus that evening, along with my mom and dad. We were treated to an amazing program including singing, dancing, speeches (including one made by Yiying!), and a slideshow created by Kristy, the program coordinator. Our honored guests were two people from Compass U.S.A., the American recipient of this year’s scholarship trip to Jumonji School in Japan, and the Assistant Principal of Jumonji School, Mr. Fulo, and his wife. It was a beautiful program. Yiying did a wonderful job on her speech, and all of the dances and singing were wonderful. Of course, I cried a lot! After the party, we went to Chili’s for dinner. It was very fun. Check out the slideshow that will follow of this evening.

Saturday, 8/9/08

The kids all slept in late (Yiying finally roused at about 11:00 a.m.!), then joined me in the driveway for a Garage Sale. It was Yiying’s first experience with that! It wasn’t terribly successful, but I made about $160, and ended up with a lot less for the Salvation Army to pick up on Monday! Later in the day, I took all of the kids (including Cameron again) to the movies to see “The Mummy.” The kids all loved it. I thought it was pretty corny! We had hamburgers for dinner, and went to bed fairly early (around 11!)

Sunday, 8/10/08

We slept in again today! Then, Yiying, Sarah and I went with my mom out to do some shopping. Sarah is turning in a job application at a local restaurant this week and hoping to get an interview. So, we picked her up a nice interview outfit to wear in case that happens. Then, we went to lunch at Tony Rigatoni’s, joined by Dave and Brian. On the way home, we stopped by Grama & Grampa’s house to drop off Grama and to let Yiying say goodbye. It was sad! Tonight, Yiying has requested pizza for her final dinner in America. Then, I will help her finish up her packing. We will try to get to bed early since we have to get up at about 3:30 a.m. in order to take Yiying to the meeting place for the bus ride to the airport! I’ll post again soon and let you know how the send-off went!

Monday, 8/11/08

This morning we said 'goodbye for now' to Yiying. Oh, we were so sad to see her go. The morning started very early - 3:30 to be exact - after a very late night - 12:30 a.m.! Final suitcase preparations went into the wee hours as we managed to get her bag under 50 lbs. So, on very little sleep and Brian still in jammies, we hopped in the car (okay, so we didn't really hop, but kind of slunk) and went to Flat Irons Mall to meet the group and the airport bus. There were lots of tears, a few pictures, and many, many hugs. We promised to keep in touch and try to see each other in the future. Yiying sure made an impact on our lives - I think the dogs even miss her! She was a happy spirit to have around the house, smiling and laughing, integrating beautifully into the family, and very confident with her language ability. If we decide to do this next year, the new student will have a high bar to reach! We would like to say a sincere thanks to Yu and Kejian for allowing Yiying to stay with us and giving her this invaluable experience, and a thanks to Yiying for being our new Japanese China-girl daughter.

Farewell! Zai Jian! Sayonara!

The Past Week

Wow - that week flew by! It seems the time with Yiying is going too fast. Thinking that next week she will be going back to Japan makes me so sad! :>( We will sure miss her and hope to keep up a good communication with her family over the years.

So, let's see . . .

Monday - 7/28/08

Yiying had classes in the morning and then activities at the C.U. Student Recreation Center. In class they learned about the early Native Americans, a topic she seemed to enjoy. She spent the afternoon ice skating and swimming. That evening was a relaxing one at home. I had picked up some sushi and miso soup on my way to the bus to pick her up, so she enjoyed that little piece of home.

Tuesday - 7/29/08 (Sarah's 15th birthday!)

There was a slight problem on the bus on this morning - Yiying fell asleep and missed her stop! Although there were six other students and one parent chaperon on the bus, by the time everyone got off and did a headcount in Boulder, realizing that Yiying was not with them, the bus had driven away! Yiying woke up 1/2 way back to Longmont, understandably nervous. She told the driver that she was supposed to have gotten off at C.U. Of course, by that time (an hour later), we had the Boulder police, campus security, and RTD involved in locating her. So the driver radioed in letting RTD know that he had her and she was safe. What a relief! The police department met the bus at a stop along the way and gave Yiying a ride back to campus in their squad car, along with a little stuffed puppy dog! She was none the worse for the wear, though, and still wanted to join the group in Estes Park (again!) for a day of horseback riding and shopping. The chaperon who had stayed behind to wait for her drove her up to meet the group. She ended up having a great day after all.

While she was there, Sarah and I went to the DMV and got her learner's permit! Oh, man. What a milestone! That evening, the family and a few friends came over for cake and ice cream for Sarah's birthday. Although tired after the day's excitement, we all had a fun time. Sarah got lots of nice presents, including a wallet that says "Daddy's Money" from Brian, cash from both sets of grandparents, a beautiful purse from Yiying, a book of cute quotes from the Bartons, and jammies from the Thomas'. Dave and I gave her a digital camera.

Wednesday, 7/30/08

Once again, the students had their classes in the morning and then headed to the C.U. Student Recreation Center for afternoon activities. Yiying bravely tried tennis, and had some fun with her favorite - yoga.

Thursday, 7/31/08

Today's adventure was a trip to Greeley to see Centennial Village, a replica of a Western Pioneer Town with actual buildings, farm equipment and a beautiful chapel. They then returned to Longmont, where Sarah, Brian, and I met the group at Texas Roadhouse restaurant for a traditional western meal, barbecue pork sandwiches & cole slaw. The group then headed on to Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory for a tour & shopping (Yiying's favorite, I think), and then a tour of the Leanin' Tree Museum, which is an art gallery. While she was there, the kids and I went to our eye doctor appointments. She was very tired when we picked her up at the bus! That evening, we went out to dinner at a local restaurant called Parrot's. Then, Sarah's friend, Rochelle, came over to spend the night so that she could join the girls the next morning for Teen Day!

Friday, 8/1/08

This was a very exciting day for the Jumonji school girls - their first Prom! The day began with many American teens joining the girls for classes and talking about typical American teenage activities & customs. They played a fun game that is traditionally played at Christmas - a white elephant gift exchange - when everyone brings a gift-wrapped present (funny or serious) and puts it under the Christmas tree. Then, each person chooses a random number from a hat. The person who chose #1 selects a gift from under the tree and opens it. The person who chose #2 can then steal person #1's gift, or choose a new one. If they steal person #1's gift, person #1 opens a new one. The person who chose #3 can then steal from #1 or #2, or choose a new gift from under the tree. Play continues until everyone has a gift! Sarah and Yiying said that it was very funny and all of the girls were hysterically laughing!

In the afternoon, I joined the other host parents at the school's gymnasium and decorated it for the Jumonji students' first Prom! For those of you reading from Japan, this is a school event that is typically held in the evening during the spring of the students' Junior or Senior year of high school. The kids get really dressed up in long, flowing dresses and tuxedos, enjoy a fancy dinner out (often riding in a limousine), and then attend the dance for the evening. The Jumonji girls had a fabulous time, doing lots of group dances such as the Macarena, the Electric Slide, and the Achy-Braky-Heart! The American teens had a lot of fun, too. Kristy and Carol did a phenomenal job, as usual, putting on this great event.

Saturday, 8/2/08

On this day, we had a fun 'girls day out' with Sarah, Yiying, my mother, and I going to a make-your-own jewelry store, and then seeing a children’s theater production of ‘Anastasia.’ It was delightful. Afterward, we headed to Boulder to purchase a swimsuit that Yiying had found on her first day here. The suit she brought was too small for her and she had borrowed Sarah’s on a couple of occasions, but wanted to have her own. She said that swimsuits were much less expensive here than in Japan. We came home to find a delicious steak and mushroom meal prepared by Dave, and then the girls headed over to Rochelle’s house for Yiying’s first-ever sleepover! They had a great time, staying up late, watching movies, and eating doughnuts!

Sunday, 8/3/08

I picked the girls up at about 11:45 a.m. and dropped Yiying off at the house, then Sarah and I went down to Invesco Field for a defensive driving class that I had signed her up for several months ago. She was able to practice accident-avoidance breaking from full speed, emergency lane changes, and skid control, along with participating in several interactive booths including how to check your engine fluids, drunk-driving simulations, and what happens in a rollover accident, exemplifying the importance of seat belts. The program was put on by Drivers Edge (www.driversedge.com). It was very beneficial and informative. I think she feels more comfortable that she would know what to do if she needed to stop quickly or avoid something that came into her lane unexpectedly.

Well, I’ll stop for now and catch you up with this week tomorrow. Remember to check back for pictures!

Estes Park Camping Trip

What a Weekend!

We had a wonderful past few days. Let's see . . .

Thursday (07/24/08), Yiying and the other students went into Denver for the day. They toured the capitol building, went to the Colorado History Museum, and did some shopping at the 16th street mall. When she got off the bus at the end of the day, she said she was tired but very excited! She bought a beautiful new handbag and a few other small things.

Then, on Friday (07/25/08), we kept her out of school for the days so that we could go to the Denver Mint as a family. We awoke early and headed to Denver, catching a 9:00 a.m. tour of the building. It was about 1/2 an hour long, and very interesting. Unfortunately, our tour guide spoke very fast and made a lot of jokes, which made it difficult for Yiying to understand her. I tried to explain as much as I could and I think she enjoyed herself. She bought a postcard as a souvenir. After the tour, we came back home and packed up the trailer for our camping trip, leaving the house at about 1:30 p.m.

The next couple of days were spent in Estes Park, Colorado. She really loved the camping trip. Sarah's horse show wasn't until Sunday, so we had some time to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoy the campground. On Saturday, two large male elk came within about 50 yards of our trailer! The drive through the park was wonderful, with many herds of mama elk and their babies throughout. The mountains are spectacular. I taught her the word 'elevation,' and she enjoyed tracking how high we were getting as we drove to the Alpine Visitors Center, which sits above the treeline. We enjoyed lunch at the visitors center and bought some souvenirs. On Sunday, most of the afternoon was spent at the Stanley Park Fairgrounds, preparing to watch Sarah show in Copper Penny. She participated in three classes, taking 2nd place out of three competitors in one, 5th place out of 17, and not placing in the third class that had 40 participants. She was pleased with her effort and we think she did a wonderful job. Her horse behaved, which was a nice change from last year's attempt.

The only glitch to our weekend was that, about five minutes after we arrived at the campground, I fell off the steps going into the trailer, and thought I had a broken ankle or foot. Dave took me to the E.R. and, to my pleasant surprise, I had just a bad sprain. So, I spent the rest of the weekend either in bed, with my foot propped up on a pillow in the car, or hobbling around on crutches! It is feeling significantly better now, so I can be up on it but limp quite a bit. Oh well. If that was the worst that happened, I consider it a good weekend!

Yiying is back at classes today. She will spend the afternoon at the CU Student Recreation Center, where she will have the chance to play sports, swim, and ice skate! She was looking forward to the skating. I am going to venture out this afternoon to do some birthday shopping for Sarah. Tomorrow, she turns 15 and we will go to get her learner's permit! Wow. What a milestone. It still seems like she is my little girl!

I'll check back in a couple of days and give another update.

Welcome Picnic

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Today was Yiying's first day of classes. But, let me tell you about yesterday, first!

We had a relaxing day. Yiying slept until almost 11:00 a.m. We lounged around the house, played with the dogs, and met Sarah and Brian's grandmother, Gloria, at her work - the library!

When she got off work, we went with her to a local Chinese restaurant called Wah Wok. Yiying had vegetable fried rice. The portions were so large! We all had leftovers to bring home. After lunch, we tried to find an Asian market so that Yiying could buy the ingredients she needed to make her special recipe for us. It was too small, though, and she could not find what she wanted. So, we headed back home to relax for a few hours.

That evening, we went to the Louisville Community Park for a Welcome Picnic hosted by the Compass USA group. All of the host families were there, along with their 27 students. (Check out the slideshow coming tomorrow!) It was a lot of fun. Yiying had fun connecting again with her friends from school. We came back home at about 8:00 p.m. and had an early-to-bed night, since Yiying started school the next morning!

So . . . that leads us to today! Yiying and I got up at about 5:30 a.m. and got ready to go to the bus stop. After a breakfast of a bagel with jam, we headed for Longmont to catch her bus to Boulder and the University of Colorado campus. She caught the bus with six other girls from this area at 6:56 a.m., and had an hour ride. They went to class from 8 - 12:30, then went to a local mall for lunch and shopping. The bus brought them back, and I picked her up at 6:00 p.m. What a long day! She was "very tired but excited." We ran a few errands, including going to Blockbuster to rent a movie. To my surprise, she chose a horror film, "The Eyes"! She was so excited when she saw the box for 'Saw III'! I would never have guessed. At home, we had chicken enchiladas, chips & queso dip, and grilled pineapple for dinner. After letting their dinner settle, Sarah and Yiying went downstairs and ran on the treadmill for a little while. It's just after 10 p.m. now and they are going up to bed, finally!

Tomorrow's schedule will be slightly different. All of the girls will meet in Boulder, rather than taking the bus to the campus, and will go into Denver for the day. We'll let you know how that goes!

Yiying's Arrival

She's on her way!

For the next couple of weeks, our blog will be dedicated to our homestay guest, Yiying! We'll keep you up to date with what she, and we, are doing, and put pictures & video often as possible!

This morning at about 2 a.m. Firestone, CO time (4:55 p.m. Tokyo time), Yiying boarded a plane at the Tokyo International Airport for Seattle, Washington. She will arrive there at about 10 a.m., Seattle time (11 a.m. Firestone, CO time), have about an hour layover, then hop on another jet bound for Denver! The group of about 25 girls will be greeted by our program's coordinator, Kristy Shine, and will ride a bus to the Flatirons Crossing Mall, where all of the host families will be waiting with our welcome signs.

We are so excited to meet and get to know Yiying. Sharon has been emailing with Yiying's father, Mr. Wang, so we have had a little bit of communication. The kids are very excited. They have been helping get the house all ready for our guest, including the guest room which is decorated in Americana.

Tonight, after her arrival, we will come back home for dinner and to just relax after her long day of travel. Tomorrow, nothing is on the schedule until 6:00 p.m., when we will join the other host families and students at a welcome picnic. That will be very fun. They will be taking a picture of the families together with their students for a project the girls will be doing in their classes.

I'll post again tomorrow with pictures of the arrival!

Host Family Orientation

Tonight we are going to our Host Family Orientation, the next step in preparing to host our foreign exchange student! Yiying Wang is a "China girl living Japan," in her own words. She is 13, and arrives on July 21, to stay for three weeks. Tonight we will find out all about the schedule during the three weeks and meet other families in our area who are participating so that we can set up some carpools. The girls from the program will be going to English classes on Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings, then will have educational field trips those afternoons, and fun, touristy activities on Tuesdays & Thursdays. We can go to any of their activities with them. In addition, I have tickets to take my kids and Yiying to the Denver Mint while she is here, and Sarah will be celebrating her 15th birthday, so Yiying will get to 'hang out with the girls,' while Sarah & friends go to the mall and out to dinner.

Florida Trip - Part 2

All new to me!

I'm trying out the slideshow feature. These are some photos from our trip last spring to Walt Disney World. Enjoy!

2007 Florida Trip - Part 1

Here We Go!

Thanks to the inspiration of Flee, here's our family blog! I'll do my best to keep it up to date, but not get obsessive! It will take me a while of playing with it to figure it all out, so check back as I'm sure it will become more wonderful and interesting over time.