Off to a School Start

One of the by-products of growing up in a family in which the parents or at least one in in education is that much of life revolves around school... when it starts... when the breaks are... faculty events... friendships with other families... and so forth. It was true for Virginia and me as we grew up in households with teachers. It was true of our kids... at least much of their growing up life. And it's really been true for Kaleb... raised in an academic environment all of his life. Of course, for the last few years he has had school experiences of his own as well, and this year third grade apparently is off to a great start. Here's a pic Jen posted on their new blog of Kaleb off to his first day.

And, as a bonus, here's Claire's two-week old shot that Jen posted.

Home from Moscow

We caught the shuttle to Spokane a little after 9:30 this morning to begin our trip home. Around 5:00 our plane touched down in Oakland where Kay Jennings was nice enough to pick us up. We had planned to ride the Air BART buss to BART and had asked to get us at the Pittsburg BART station, but she was in Oakland anyway, so she just got us at the airport. We stopped off at the Elephant Bar for supper and made it home well before dark. It was a great trip... time with Claire... oh... and the rest of the family too. :-) Tomorrow it's back to a more normal schedule. Blessings...

Mission Moscow - 4

Today was another full day. We started off with French toast (thanks, Nanna!!) and then went to church together. One really cool thing they did at the end of the service was to invite all the church members who had anniversaries in July or August up to the front just to honor them and tell them thanks for being good examples. About 8 or 10 couples went forward. Some had been married only a few years, and others have been together a long time... we clapped for them all.
We hung around in the fellowship hall for a while after church and Jen and Fok met some people, including at least one other couple new to the area.

The afternoon included another trip to the hardware store and WalMart, some yummy Chinese take-out, and a brief picture session orchestrated by Nanna... of course!! Here are some samples:

Tomorrow it's up early for Nanna and me to catch a shuttle to the airport in Spokane. We'll get home in time for supper and back to our respective offices on Tuesday... savoring the memories of our trip and God's many blessings.

Mission Moscow - 3

With the kitchen up and running, we've had home cooked meals the last two nights. Basically some of Jen's favorite recipes with Virginia doing the cooking. Last night it was a wonderful pasta dish with bacon and in a wonderful sauce; tonight it was bow tie pasta and a sausage/veggie stir fry mixed in... yummy both nights.

After eating we were all sitting around and decided to let Claire test drive her new vibrating bouncer from Fok Shuen and Catherine. I think she decided she likes it. Check it out.

After a while she let us know she was ready to park the bouncer for a while and go back to that "being held" thing. No problem, Claire.

Mission Moscow - 2

Well yesterday was definitely a work day... go a lot of stuff done, including replacing a window, killing wasps. washing outside windows (I even remembered the basic squeegee skills from my brief stint at window washing 30 years ago), cleaning out cob webs outside, cabinet catches, new furnace filters, a trip to the hardware store, and..... all the stuff the others did as well. Kaleb was a good helper, and we had fun. He and his mom also walked to his new school for a tour and to meet the principal... think he'll like it.

This morning started with a trip to the local farmers' market... not a big one, but lots of good stuff, and man was it crowded. We made it home with plenty of produce and and some homemade sweet rolls.

Well, off to get some more stuff done. More later...

Mission Moscow - 1

The flight to Spokane was smooth and on time, and after Virginia picked me up we grabbed some lunch and headed back south to Moscow... about 1:45. We spent the rest of the day working on boxes, making lists of needed repairs and things to buy, and, of course, enjoying time with Claire (Kaleb, Jen and Fok too). Today we unpacked more boxes; Kaleb and I got his room into pretty good shape... that boy does have a lot of books!! I also made a few minor repairs to drawers and such so we can get the kitchen stuff put away. It was a good day, and we discovered that Lefty's has the best burgers in town. Here are a few pics

Cutie Claire has already grown past her birth weight. She really likes to eat!!

Kaleb and I are having fun playing with her.

Nanna is one of Clarie's favorites... she's my favorite too! This girl is in the right family... she already has a sense of humor.As the day closed and we downed those burgers from Lefty's, here's what God was doing in the western sky. Pretty cool, eh?
More news tomorrow...

Oh, My Bags Are Packed...

Go ahead and cue up Peter, Paul and Mary or just hum along. Either way, I'm heading to Idaho in the morning. Randy, a friend from church, will pick me up about 5:40 and drop me at the Oakland airport on his way to work. The two-hour flight to Spokane arrives about 11:30, where VJ and Kaleb plan to pick me up. Then it's on to see sweet little Claire. So, I'm packed... plants are watered... dishes are clean. About all that's left is to get some sleep, set the alarm, lock the door and head to the airport. More later.

More News from Moscow

Well, the movers arrived today with all Jen's and Fok's stuff. Interestingly enough, a light rain started just as they arrived. Than fully most everything was either boxed or wrapped, and what wasn't got wiped down upon entry. At one point VJ and Kaleb picked up KFC for everyone, including the movers, and they all sat where they could find a spot and ate lunch together.

Later today VJ was at the one WalMart that is shared between Moscow and Pullman. It's actually on the west side of Moscow, but it attracts students and families from both schools. Sooo... there was Virginia, patiently negotiating the crowded aisles, searching the unfamiliar layout for everything on her list... when the lights went out. The whole store went dark, nobody panicked, employees used flashlights to usher everyone to the front, and all the shoppers had to leave their overflowing carts, go the parking lot, creep through the traffic snarl, and go their ways. I gotta say... probably better it was VJ instead of me. :-) Oh well, WalMart will likely be up and running tomorrow.

Can't leave without sharing some pics:

Mom and her girl.

Jen has been boxing at a gym for the last year or so; her comment about this pic was that Claire seems to already know how to keep her guard up.

Now, this last one is definitely "printable" material... maybe even "contest winning publishable" but then I may just be a little biased.

News from Moscow

Well, all I hear from Moscow is good. Jen is feeling good which is leading her to try to do more than she should each day, but she's getting pretty good rest. She's finished her class syllabus and plans to be there the first day to meet her students. Fok is loving being a dad and is starting to get set up at WSU and UI. Kaleb finished his swimming lessons and has gotten registered for school. VJ is running errands and enjoying Claire. The cable is in and the internet connection is up and running. And (cue drum roll here)... the movers are coming Sunday.

And Claire... well, she seems to be about the sweetest baby ever, and I'm counting the days until I get to hold her.

More to come...

Number 36

36 years ago today was a Saturday and it was the day of our wedding. Wow!! How time flies! Curiously enough, the importance of this date goes back at least 19 years deeper in the past to 1952... Virginia's birthday. Yes, we were married on my sweetie's birthday. Suffice it to say that I've never forgotten either.

Actually, throughout history August 14 has been a pretty good day to be born:

• Frederik Willem I, king of Prussia, was born in 1688


• Walter Scott, the novelist, was born in 1771


• Ernest E Just, the guy who pioneered cell division, was born in 1883


• Earl Weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles, was born in 1930


• David Crosby, of Crosby, Stills N Nash fame, was born in 1941


• Daniele Steel, the author, was born in 1947


• Debbie Meyer, 3-time Olympic Gold Medal swimmer was also born in 1952


• Earvin "Magic" Johnson was born in 1959


• Susan Olson of Brady Bunch fame was born in 1961


• Halle Berry was born in 1968


• Ben Affleck was born in 1972 (on our first anniversary - yikes!)

OK... you get the idea. I could write a lot of things about Virginia, but you might expect that. Instead, here's a link to something written by a former co-worker and close friend. The post is called "What Can I Say?"

I'll just say "ditto" and HAPPY BIRTHDAY & ANNIVERSARY, SWEETIE!!!

Ruby Claire Gah Yee Johnson Leung

Well, about 1:30 this morning, miss Claire made her appearance into this world. Fok had called us along the way a couple of times, and he called right after the birth with the great news. Apparently the whole evening went really smoothly... mother and daughter are both doing great.

August 13 is one day short of Virginia's birthday, but this way Claire gets her own day, although we do have a good friend in Houston born on 8/13. She was 7 lbs and 1 oz, 20 inches long.

Here are the very first photos of this sweet little girl.

First pic with a phone camera.

Kaleb with his mom and his brand new sister.

Claire with her Daddy.

One last shot of sleeping beauty. Can't wait to see her eyes and hold her myself.

The birthing center at the hospital is really cool. Claire's "official" pic should soon be posted here. If you're interested you can surf around the site.

So, it's time for another trip to Idaho. Virginia will fly out early Wednesday morning. I'll follow the following Tuesday, and we'll both come home on the 27th. Can't wait!!

Michigan Wedding and Baby Update

Virginia's plane went wheels up at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, heading to Detroit for Matt's and Melissa's wedding, so we were up about 3:15. She arrived back at 3:00 this afternoon, and was just full of good stories about the weekend and the wedding. Here are a few pics so you can sort of join in on the festivities... even though most of you reading this may not even know Matt and Melissa. :-) Enjoy the pics anyway.

Family who were able to make it to the wedding.

Matt and Melissa with Grandma Bean.

This was pretty cool... a "candy bar" with all of Matt's and Melissa's favorite candies.

The four Storm boys with their Grandma Bean.

The proud mom and dad, Mel and Diane, along with other family. Not sure who the guy in the back with the beard is, but at least he's smiling.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NEWS FLASH

On the way home from the airport Jen called us with the news that she thinks she is in early stages of labor. Guess Claire is getting ready to make her appearance in the world. Don't know how quickly it will happen, but Virginia is packing her suitcase and will probably fly back to Idaho on Wednesday or maybe Thursday... we'll see. Please keep Jen and Claire in your prayers. Thanks!!

Idaho Trip 5 - The Trip Home

Virginia and I left Moscow about 5:00 Wednesday afternoon with the plan to drive about 3 hours down the road and do the rest of the trip on Thursday. We did that, but Wednesday was a bit more eventful. It turns out Hwy 195 was closed due to a big accident, so the highway department guys were re-routing everyone to the right or left at an intersection. Most of the cars were turning left, and the guy in the orange vest said we should follow them since we needed to get to Hwy 26... so we did. About a mile down the road, the guys in front of us turned right onto dirt road that wound up and over hills, disappearing into the wheat fields. The road had a name (although I don't remember it) and it was easy to follow the dust clouds, so we took a deep breath, switched the vent to recirculate, and followed. For the next 20 minutes or so we drove literally over hill and dale, past workers in the wheat fields, sometimes barely able to see because the dust was so thick, eventually arriving at a paved road which took us to Hwy 26... amazing!! Interestingly enough, nobody behind us followed us on the dirt road... probably that California plate... so there was likely a more conventional way to get where we arrived. My guess is that we were just following some locals who knew the shortcuts.

Below are some shots take on the way home.

A couple of shots along the Columbia River.

Mount Hood in the background from Hwy 97 south.

From right to left, the Three Sisters peaks and Broken Top (I think).

Back in California, Mount Shasta from the north.

Idaho Trip 4

While Jen and family were still in Boston, they used on-line resources and a helpful math department secretary to rent a house in Moscow... sight unseen except for photos. Well, it's quite a house. From the street it looks like the average 40+ year old house in need of a little paint. However, looks are deceiving in this case. You see, the back of the house is on a hillside, so most of it isn't even visible from the front. The upstairs is fairly roomy, but the downstairs is even bigger. And, there's a two-story deck all across the back of the hose overlooking the jungle of a back yard. The panorama pic above is from the deck.

Here's the back of the house from down the hill in the back yard.

Kaleb down in the yard.

Virginia's down the hill as well.
Kaleb has his own jungle gym.
One more backyard shot.

Idaho Trip 3

I couldn't resist one more shot of Multnomah Falls to start this post. We didn't have time to hike to the top of the falls, but VJ and I did that a few years back, and it's definitely worth the trip. Not sure you can tell from this shot, but it's the 2nd tallest falls in the states... yes, those are people up on that bridge which is just part way up the falls.

On Tuesday Jen finished the deal on her new car in Lewiston, a 2007 Toyota Rav4 with the 3rd seat option. She had a protection package added (undercoating, paint protection, fabric), so we came back Wednesday morning to pick it up. It drives really nicely, and should serve them for many years.

Kaleb went to a rec center day camp each day from 9:00-3:00, giving him something to do, allowing him to meet some kids, and allowing us to easily do stuff or Jen and make appointments. In the evening he took swimming lessons at the pool. We were really impressed with his instructors.

Next post I'll talk a little about the house they rented and share some photos of the yard.

Virginia has been in Michigan for Matt's and Melissa's wedding. She called to say it was a really neat ceremony as she was driving to the reception with her brother, Jim. More about that after she gets home. That's it for now.

Idaho Trip 2

We went by way of Portland for two reasons. First, more cities and, therefore, more hospitals in case Claire decided to make an early appearance. Second, and so Jen could hang out with some good friends from William and Mary days. Carrie (left) is in law school, and Vanessa works at a lab in Portland. They had a great time catching up.

Kaleb had a blast playing with Carrie's 2 wild and crazy dogs.

Our route took us down the Columbia River gorge, so we stopped for a little sightseeing.

Jen, Kaleb and Nanna at Multnomah Falls .

Idaho Trip

Well, VJ and I made it home safe and sound from helping Jen and Kaleb (and yet to be born baby Claire) begin to get settled in Moscow, Idaho. It was a great trip, and I'll post more words and pics over the next few days. For tonight, this will have to do because we need to get up about 3:00 to get VJ to the airport in time for her 6:00 flight to Detroit to attend nephew Matt's and Melissa's wedding.

Just before we hit the road last Saturday.

Kaleb spent part of the time enjoying his video game.

VJ and Jen taking us down the road.
Mount Shasta from the west.
A scenery shot by Kaleb.

Winding Down

Well, the time Kaleb and Jen have had with us here in Antioch is winding down. Jeremy is flying into Oakland tonight; Amber has been in Santa Rosa; she will pick him up and they'll head out here tonight to have a little time with Jen and Kaleb. Tomorrow evening Jeremy, Amber, VJ and I will all go to Peter and Lindsey's rehearsal and dinner in Santa Rosa. They'll stay on for the wedding Saturday, but VJ and I'll come back here to get ready for a Saturday morning departure.

The plan is to drive to Portland Saturday and stay with Jen's friend from William and Mary Days, Carrie. Then Sunday we'll head on to Moscow. On Monday Kaleb starts a day camp and swimming lessons so he can meet some kids and begin to make new friends. We'll have lots of errands to do, including picking up Jen's new car, a Toyota Rav4.

We'll start back sometime Wednesday... unless Claire makes an early appearance. Fok flies in Wednesday night, and I know Jen and Kaleb will be glad to see him as he will to see them.