Summer Shin-Dig

Before I get too behind on my posts and Christmas starts to roll around, I must post our annual summer shin-dig with the Gang.

Everyone was present except the Paterson boys (Kevin & Jaren), one Lew boy (Kyle) and our SoCal gals: Lisa and Lisa

This time it was at Marty & Doris' place and we learned how to make homemade spring rolls! They were the bomb!!

My turn to host for Christmas... hopefully it'll be posted by Chinese New Year 2015!

College Bound

When I was at CAL many moons ago, I never stayed in a dorm. I had the privilege of staying in an apartment on Northside.  But Matthew lived in a dorm for his freshman year.

Creative Decor!

It was Unit 2 Dorms and he shared a room with another freshman. He took down his closet door and made it into his 'desk'. Posters hanging everywhere along with stuff on the ceiling..

 ... and fancy door decorating.. although I'm not sure about what the soda cans were for. Collecting for recycling?

Maybe it was a 'guy'-thing..

Now during this summer vaca down South, we went to visit our new high school graduate,
Jessie, who was moving into Biola University. Her whole family came along to help her move.

Jessie and her family, her roommate and track mascot, llama?

It's pretty cool that they provide a loft bed.. saves space but looks like Jessie doesn't need much space. :)

Funny thing, Matthew's sister, Matthea went to Biola also..

Here's Matthea's dorm room when she moved into Biola. Notice the land line phone in the picture. They don't offer those anymore! But I'm sure they have to offer internet now.

After visiting Jessie, we went to see our goddaughter, our other newly minted high school graduate, Mandy, who moved into her dorm at Azuza Pacific University.

Campus Security is located in the same building! Very safe!! So glad!

She wasn't done decorating yet but check out that closet space on the right... It's a whole wall closet organizer!

We also spent some time visiting Matthew's Auntie Stella (A-Ee) and Uncle Danny's (A-EJeung)
family. We got to meet one of his cousin Lemuel's sons. He has four boys! We still can't believe little Lemuel is a father of four kids!

Lemuel, A-Ee, A-E-Jeung carrying Isaac (their #4 grandson)

Matthew with his two cousins, Lemuel and Simeon (right)

We all went out to lunch.. they do know where to eat and let me tell you JJ Noodle House was DELICIOUS! Best meal on our trip!

The brothers when they were wee little ones!

Lastly before we went home I had to drop by this bakery.. the creme of the creme of Asian Bakeries down here. I bought a box of buns and pastries home. Delish! Oh the food down South is so good.

But I STILL wouldn't live down there. WAY TOO HOT!! I'm a Bay Area girl at heart!

Happiest Land on Earth Part 3

I got to hang with both Lisa's here. It was so great to hang and catch up with them.. the SoCal girls of my Girl's group.

A new addition was the Fantasy Faire which included a new statue, Rapunzel's Tower...  well.. a miniature version of it.

Another one of Hannah's favorites was Space Mountain (you can see a pattern here.. she loves roller coasters)

 JD's huge lightsaber..

 And canoeing with Auntie Lisa...

Emily loved Tinker Bell's Pixie Hollow (where Ariel's Grotto used to be)

Entrance to Pixie Hollow

The bridge from Fall to Winter 'Lands' (there's Periwinkle on the bridge) from "TinkerBell and the Secret of the Wings"

TinkerBell's house

Sign to the 'fake' fairy house in "TinkerBell and the Great Fairy Rescue"

This the book that TinkerBell and Elizabeth made also from the "Great Fairy Rescue"

NEXT UP: College Bound

Hottest and Happiest Place on Earth Part 2

So we met up with Lisa and her kids, Jonathan and Marissa, who live down South, and spent some quality time together... riding rides at California Adventure!!

Another new ride in CarsLand... Luigi's Flying Tires.. you had to 'lean' to move

Matt & Emily face off Lisa & JD

The next ride that Hannah loved was Californian Screamin'.

Getting ready to scream!

Then we checked out the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail...

JD

Emily & JD

Emily, Hannah with Marissa & JD

After climbing around, we (or should I say 'I') rested at Animation Academy...

...where the kids were able to draw "Pluto"

Then we headed back to ride Hannah's second favorite ride, Hollywood Tower of Terror

Doesn't look that scary to me.. look at those faces.. Matthew's even taking pictures!

And we visited Bug's Land... Marissa & Hannah (appropriately in the Chinese take-out box)

To end the fun filled day, we had to drop by Downtown Disney's Build-A-Bear.

New additions to Marissa'a and Hannah's Bear-ful family

Next day is to the Happiest Land on Earth.. Disneyland!

Happiest (and Hottest) Place on Earth Part 1

Lastly we squeezed in a very last vacation before school started and it was to the happiest place on earth. And it was HOT!! Not only did we go down to finally check out CarsLand we got to reconnect with some old friends: Patrick and Christina and their two kids; my besties, Lisa and Lisa, along with visiting Matthew's Uncle Danny, Aunt Stella and their sons, Lemuel and Simeon along with one of Lemuel's four sons, Isaac. Plus we got the great opportunity to check out our new freshmen on campus: Jessie at Biola University and Mandy at Azuza Pacific University.

But first can I just tell you how much I LOVE LOVE flying into Long Beach Airport?

We just exited from that plane behind us, exited the gate and are a few steps away from the baggage claim.

Seriously it's always been such a smooth experience, I have to tell you all! (But of course with my luck you try what I recommend and you get a horrible experience.. but that's not my fault.)

We like to fly JetBlue or Virgin America.. which to us are always on time; you get assigned seats; and they serve you drinks and snacks for free. We fly into Long Beach, deplane out of two exits of the plane (front and rear for faster exiting); walk onto the tarmac into the building and out again in a few yards to the baggage claim and car rental building. Seriously it took less than 10 minutes to get off the plane to the rental place and that's with a stop to the bathroom in between. And the rental place rarely has a line or a long wait.

Matthew reserved a full sized sedan but it wasn't ready when we got there so they upgraded us to this huge luxury vehicle! So comfortable and HUGE!!

As we entered into the crazy So Ca freeways.. I soon spotted this!

*****STOP!! WE BREAK FOR AN IMPORTANT SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!!********

We were following her for a few minutes and she was just texting away.. in LA traffic!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 

DO NOT TEXT OR 

TALK ON YOUR CELL PHONE 

WHILE DRIVING!!
IT'S SO SO VERY DANGEROUS!

No back to our regular programming..

We checked into the Paradise Pier Hotel and met our friends Patrick and Christina and their kids Nathan and Amanda (who always just come to swim with us) to hit the pool!

Hannah, Emily and Amanda

Nathan sliding...

It was a great time seeing them.

The next day we were off to CA Adventure...very very early I must say! We left our room at 6:45am to get to the park gates at 7:00am (one hour earlier for hotel guests).

And why pray tell so early?

We had to get to CARSLAND before the rest of the world gets there.

We got to the line at 7:15am and after standing in line and riding the ride it was 7:55am. Pretty 'short' considering the popularity of this new "Land'.

Radiator Springs Racers

After we got off the ride, Matthew rushed to get in line for the Fastpass so we could ride it again. The line was already really long..

Can you find Matthew in line?

...and at 8:00am McQueen and Mater escorted the rest of the guests into the area...

Mater and McQueen; you can't tell but there is a HUGE HUGE crowd behind those Disney Cast Members behind Mater

Cars Land really looks like how it was depicted in the movie.

The Stanley Statue (in front of Radiator Springs Courthouse & Fire Dept)

Casa Della Tires

Flo's V8 Cafe

Sarge's Surplus Hut

Filmore's Taste-In

Cozy Cone Motel

Funny thing is that I never watched any of the Cars movies until literally a few days before we left... never was interested in a movie about cars so I never bothered to watch it. And everyone was telling me how Cars Land's Radiator Springs looks exactly like the movie's Radiator Springs that I had to watch it so I'll know what I was looking at when I got there. Neat to see it in real life you know?

Next we met up with one of my closest friends, Lisa and her kids Jonathan and Marissa (Hannah's BFF)... that's for the next post.. this one is getting too long already!