Big Island Adventure

Hawaii... what could be more relaxing?  Unless you decide to go to the big island, bring along 3 kids under 3, and eschew the fancy resorts in favor of a couple of "Westy" WW camper-vans. Then, not so relaxing. But an adventure? Absolutely.

We did actually start our trip at a resort-- enjoying a night at the Sheraton Keauhou outside Kona.  The swimming pool was nice, and seeing manta rays from the restaurant was cool, but we were here for some adventure. So off to "Happy Campers" we went to pick up our Westies!

The next couple of days were pretty memorable: we ate, slept, and played from these little vehicles at some of the most spectacular beaches around the island.  We saw huge waves, amazing rainbows, spectacular sunsets, and tremendous vistas.  We BBQ'd some amazing meals, and loved being able to roll out of our Westie in the morning to have breakfast on the beach.

There were definitely some rough moments: Tyler was eaten alive by the bugs.  Adam and Rachel would move their Westie to a deserted corner of the parking lot since Lilah was up so early.  And I don't think either one of us really remembers Volcano National Park thanks to a massive toddler meltdown in the parking lot of the visitor center.

After a couple of sleepless nights with all 4 of us in the van, Ryan took the boys out to camp on the beach.  A great plan, until a storm came through and knocked over the cheap rental tent!  Ryan will never forget ferrying the Spencer back to the Westie in the rain, and coming back to find a now-awake Tyler screaming at the rainclouds in confusion.

We even had a breakdown-- one of our Westies overheated on Easter Sunday, stranding us on a desolate stretch of highway outside Hilo.  As luck would have it, there was a charming Hawaiian church across the street that took us in for an amazing brunch and afternoon of hospitality while Happy Campers tracked down the right parts.

The grand finale?  Tyler took a fantastic nap on the flight home, only to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  He was unconsolable for the last 2 hours of the flight.  It was horrible.

Well, you really do get to see the Big Island in a unique way from the back of a camper van.... a lot of fond memories from this trip, but suffice it to say that it took us nearly a year to brave getting on a plane again after this Big Island Adventure!

Full slideshow here....

Newport Beach with the Brackenburys

With the Brackenburys expecting twins, we knew that their trip to Long Beach would be the only chance until the kids go off to college to catch them on the west coast.  So we found a beach house on VRBO, rented a minivan, and made a week of it (combining the trip with a visit to Eunice's grandparents in Monterey Park).

We learned that when you have 3 under 3, there's a world of difference between 3 blocks to the beach and beachfront... treking down to the beach felt like planning Normandy.  But the beach was beautiful, and the kids loved it... memories include beers on the deck, watching sunset from the cliffs, BBQing in the alleyway, a night out to a local Italian place (where we spent half the time walking the kids around the block to watch the boats), and lots of time in what was truly a fabulous house.

Slideshow here....

Morning in Montery Park

For the first leg of our 2-week spring vacation, we flew to Los Angeles, crashed at Eunice's mom's apartment, and then spent the morning living life-as-usual in Montery Park. This entailed playing in the park where Eunice's mom does tai chi and Chinese dance starting at 7am in the morning and hanging out with Eunice's grandma (Po Po) at her hair appointment.


Of course, there was lots of eating, eating, and more eating.


Topped off with even more eating at our favorite dim sum restaurant.

Sadly, two days after our visit, Po Po passed away. What a blessing to have just been with her, doing some of her favorite things. Eunice has written a tribute to her beloved Po Po here.

Concert in St. Louis

One of the highlights of our trip to St. Louis was a special concert put on by the Tangs. Valerie and Melody had just performed in their first public piano recital back in Dallas, which was organized by Jennifer for all of her piano students, so they were eager to do a repeat live performance for us.

Valerie, never one to be shy, announced that she would go first, performing "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Melody, Jennifer's star pupil, went next, memorizing two songs, "Riding on a Mule" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Not to be left out, Paxon, just two years old, showed us that he wasn't afraid to "perform" either.


A surprise to us all, Spencer asked to take a turn as well. He had been banging aimlessly on the piano all week before the Tangs arrived, so we were all amazed at Spencer's performance, clearly inspired by what he had just heard...


Jennifer wrapped up the concert in style, separating the pros from the amateurs...


The Tangs' influence on Spencer went beyond music to include theater. Melody, Valerie, and Paxon love putting on "shows" for their parents and friends. Spencer was fascinated by this concept and put together a few shows of his own:

Pre-Holidays in St. Louis

Eunice took Spencer on a trip to St. Louis to visit Po Po right before the holidays (she hinted that it might, just might, be her last in St. Louis!). It was a mini-reunion, with Jennifer and David's family coming up from Dallas and cousin George and Lindai's family driving out from Peoria.

Click here for the full slideshow....

Eunice and Spencer arrived a few days early to get in some quality time with Po Po. We had fun visiting a butterfly sanctuary, riding the merry-go-round at historic St. Louis Carousel, listening to Christmas music at Eunice's childhood church, eating lots of yummy home-made food, and of course, making a special trip to McDonald's for the a nostalgic McRib. :)

With the arrival of the Tangs and Lins, the relative quiet of the house exploded with six kids chasing each other around the house and putting on "shows." We also took them on some fun outings riding to the top of the St. Louis Arch and making two visits to the truly magical Magic House, one of Jennifer and Eunice's childhood favorites!

Try explaining the elevator ride up the arch to a bunch of nervous kids!


Best of all though was the quality time spent with old childhood friends and family. Thanks for hosting a very special Christmas, Po Po!

Click here for a slideshow with more photos.

Joyce Family Reunion in San Diego

This has definitely been the year of family reunions. The week of September 13th, we joined Ryan's step-mom, Nancy, for her family reunion in San Diego. We decided to drive instead of fly so we could stop in Los Angeles to introduce Tyler to Eunice's grandmother for the first time.

All of our travels were centered around the boys' sleep schedule. We did the first 3 hour leg during the boys' nap time, stopping in Coalinga where some friends recommended Harris Ranch as a kid-friendly place for a rest stop and some good food. We had no idea this oasis existed in the middle of nowhere, halfway between the Bay Area and Los Angeles! The boys had an awesome time burning off energy in the inner courtyard. Best of all, we had a fantastic meal, dining on some of the tastiest steaks we've ever had! We drove the remaining 3 hours to LA during the boys bedtime, arriving at Eunice's mom's apartment just before midnight.

The next morning, we spent some quality time with Great grandma Tao - and as an added bonus, Eunice's Uncle Ben was in town from Abu Dhabi! The agenda was predictable: food, food, and more food. We snacked on fruit, scallion pancakes, and black sesame dumplings at Eunice's grandma's place, and then left shortly thereafter for a tasty dim sum lunch. Tyler ate a ton, but got as much food on him as in him. We had to strip him down to his diaper to get him out of the restaurant. :)

Later that afternoon, we headed off again during the boys nap time, pulling into our Mission Beach house in San Diego just before dinner. By the end of the evening, multiple families had converged, including Nancy, the Barrons, the Joyces, the Leinbachs, and of course the matriarch of the family, Mimi.

Our days were filled with strolls along the boardwalk, cold dips in the ocean, sand castle building, bike/stroller rides out to the nearby playground, and naps. Nights included gorgeous sunsets, large-scale group dinners, cut-throat poker tournaments (with card shark Mimi winning every time!), and even midnight games of volleyball... Spencer and Tyler had an especially good time getting to know their second cousins, Owen, Pearson, and Colby.

Ryan's step-dad, Fran, managed to join us after work one afternoon, and Ryan's mom Susan and her partner Jim made it out another night.

We're so glad we were able to catch up with Fran, Susan, and Jim while in San Diego - it made this into the family reunion to top all family reunions!

After a great week, we sadly bid farewell to Mission Beach. We braved an early morning drive to LA with the boys awake for once, meeting up with our good friends Jon and Allison at Griffith Park where we got to catch up with one another while the boys were entertained by train rides and pony rides.

A fantastic brunch outdoors topped off our time with Jon and Allison. Then we did an exact repeat of our earlier trip south, but heading north this time, making it to Harris Ranch during the boys' afternoon nap, letting the boys run around the courtyard, eating yet another great steak dinner, and then tackling the final leg home during the boys' bedtime.

An epic journey to be sure, filled with good friends and family! Click here for the full slideshow.

Spencer's Trip to San Antonio

As a precursor to the Tao Family Reunion at Lake Travis, Eunice took Spencer on a special trip to Sea World in San Antonio with Jennifer & David's family from Dallas and cousin Mimi & Steve's family from Virginia. Despite the fact that it was a sweltering 100+ degrees, Spencer had a fantastic time cooling off with ice cream, playing hide-and-go-seek in the air conditioned rental house, taking a cruise along the Riverwalk, exploring Sea World, watching Shamu do flips in the air, going on his first real roller coaster ride, splashing around in the water park, and hanging out with cousins Melody, Valerie, Paxon, Joshua, and Justin.

Traveling alone with Spencer was SO much easier than bringing the whole family. Spencer kept himself happily entertained on the flight with books and crayons.

Spencer had so much fun with cousins Melody, Valerie, Paxon, Joshua, and Justin. They spent a lot of time playing hide-and-go seek in the home we rented just a few miles from the Riverwalk.

Some roles never change. Jennifer was put in charge of the "kids' program" for the upcoming Tao Family Reunion in celebration of Uncle Bonnie and Uncle Daniel's 60th birthdays. She came prepared with a special birthday song for the kids to learn and perform, complete with hand gestures and musical instruments. Spencer wasn't too sure about this whole thing, but as Eunice experienced all too often as a child, Jennifer has a magical way of getting people to agree to participate in embarrassing public performances...

Click here for the full slideshow.

Boston-Martha's Vineyard-Cape Cod Adventure

After the Joyce Family Reunion in San Diego, we continued on our adventure, heading east for an epic journy to Boston, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape Cod. The boys didn't always like being on the move for such long periods of time, but we were saved multiple times on the plane and on the road by a borrowed portable DVD player which entertained Spencer with 101 Dalmations and Elmo's World. :) Click here for a slide show of our trip.


In Boston, we stayed with Ryan's old b-school friend Josh and his very pregnant wife, Kimberly. The next morning Eunice' childhood friend Sunru and his wife Anne treated us to a delicious homemade brunch before we high-tailed it to Woods Hole to catch our ferry to Martha's Vineyard. We stayed in the uber-family-friendly Edgartown Commons, complete with a 1-bedroom apartment, playground, swimming pool, and laundry facilities. We had a great time hanging out with Jon and Allison's friends and family at the many wedding festitivies throughout the weekend, which included the groomsman dinner, a special brunch hosted by a family friend, the rehearsal dinner at Jon's family home overlooking the water, the wedding in a beautiful small-town church, and the reception in a fabulous barn. The highlight for us, however, was Jon's toast to Allison during the reception which brought down the house! Unfortunately, our camera battery died right after we got to Martha's Vineyard, so photos of Jon and Allison's wedding will be forthcoming once we track down some shots from various friends and family. We topped off our east coast adventure with a less-than-24 hour trip to the tip of Cape Cod to meet Jesse and Eileen's newborn son, Henry. We had the most relaxing time in Eileen's family home, eating a gourmet dinner prepared by Jesse, sleeping in, and taking a long walk on the pristine beach near the house. The highlight for us, however, was an evening hanging out in the hot tub after Spencer went to bed and Tyler and Henry had been rocked to sleep in their car seats. Almost convinced all of us that parenting is a piece of cake. :)

Click here for a slide show of more photos from our trip.

San Diego Part II: Joyce Family Reunion

Nancy orchestrated a Joyce family reunion in Mission Beach that brought together nearly 30 people from California, Texas, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Click here for a slideshow, or see highlights from the reunion below:


People-watching from our beachfront house right on the boardwalk and taking long naps in the sun...


Watching Spencer and Nani play together on the beach...


Initiating Tyler into the Pacific Ocean, watching Rachel teach Spencer yoga, cooking up a fantastic Mexican dinner for 30 with Adam and Rachel, playing charades with the entire family, witnessing Mimi (the matriarch of this large clan) do a jello shot, and playing a game of "spoons" so rowdy it got shut down by the local police. Now that's a family reunion to remember!

Click here for a slide show of more photos from the reunion.

San Diego Part I: Visiting Ryan's Family

We headed to San Diego a few days before Nancy's family reunion in Mission Beach to catch up with Ryan's family. We only had a few short days, but as usual, we managed to pack in a lot!


Highlights from our time with Ryan's family included watching Spencer play with Ryan and Adam's childhood toys, which Susan had kept in pristine condition these last 30+ years, making a decadent pecan-caramel French toast casserole with Susan and Jim, introducing Tyler for the first time to great-grandma Pinky, eating a tasty Mexican dinner with Ryan's step-family, and hanging out at Fran's place afterwards putting together an impossibly complicated miniature model Ferrari.

Click here for a slide show of more photos.

Spencer's First Backpacking Trip

Before Spencer turns 2 this week , we thought (or at least Ryan and Adam thought) it was important to take him out on his first backpacking trip. Eunice "volunteered" to watch Tyler while the boys were off playing, and Adam volunteered to carry the extra weight, so we were off! We started with a late night drive to Tahoe, an early morning boat ride across Echo Lake into Desolation Wilderness, and a hike up to Lake America where we camped out for the night. What a trip!


There were a lot of really memorable moments on a trip like this-- here's a list: intensive trip prep (e.g., playing YouTube videos of motorboats to make sure that Spencer wouldn't be scared by the first leg of the trip), the horror of Spencer waking up at an 11pm gas stop on our ride up and not falling back asleep, sharing a cheap motel bed with a 2 year old, making a wholesome breakfast of instant coffee and oatmeal in the motel microwave as the jeeps rev their engines outside, negotiating to get Spencer in his sun hat at the trail head, a smooth boat ride punctuated by screams of "fast!," mounting up for the first time and realizing how heavy an extra 35 pounds can be, trying to keep my footing with a squirming toddler on my back, trail-side wailing until we figure out that its nap time, hustling all the way to Lake Aloha while Spencer is asleep, rock-hopping to our own private Lake America, Spencer urging Adam and I into the icy cold lake water (and insisting that he come along for the swim), Spencer copying Adam's yoga moves, Spencer amusing himself endlessly by moving rocks around and throwing them into the lake, overcoming Spencer's bug phobia, rough-housing in the tent, copious dinner of brown rice and split pea soup, sunset over Pyramid Peak, frisbee at dusk, early bedtime for all, midnight thrashing and wailing...blessed sleeping in, massive oatmeal breakfast, Spencer diligently "cleaning" dishes by the lake, rock-hopping to Lake Aloha, Spencer's backpacking games and songs, lakeside diaper change, apple bribery leading to an 'apple pacifier' as Spencer napped in the pack, and finally the long, long trip home via 3 miles of trail, 3 miles by boat, and over 3 hours of driving (punctuated by Spencer's first bloody nose at a Baja Fresh). Worth it? Absolutely!


We definitely under-estimated Spencer's love for the water-- this is a glacier filled lake, yet Spencer had no hesitation first dipping in his feet, then his hands, then wanting to walk in deeper and insisting that Adam and Ryan "come!" We finally succumbed to his demands and took the plunge-- one of my favorite memories of the trip is seeing a buck-naked Spencer cheer as I swam back across the lake towards him.


It was also really neat to see Spencer bond with his Uncle Adam on this trip. Even though he never got used to the idea of Adam carrying him in the backpack, Spencer clearly adores his uncle and tried to copy everything... including some very silly-looking stretches and yoga poses.

Click here for a slideshow of photos...

Easter in Dallas

We headed to Dallas for a special Easter with the Tangs (and Eunice's last plane trip before the arrival of baby #2 - doctor's orders!).


Highlights of our weekend included exploring the Dallas Arboretum in full spring bloom, watching Spencer tackle his cousins with big bear hugs, eating a fabulous brunch at Cafe Brazil, participating in the DTS Easter Egg Hunt, letting Spencer take a spin in various toy cars at the entrance of the dorm, playing soccer with Melody, attending the Tang's church for Easter service, and getting a glimpse into the crazy and full life of being parents of three kids!


It wasn't easy wrangling everybody into one spot for a photo op, but we managed to take a great family photo in front of some colorful tulips at the Arboretum. Thanks to the Tangs for being such fantastic hosts!

Click here for a slideshow.

Kibbutz Redux: Venice Beach

The New York crew came together again for another "kibbutz" in Southern California, this time in Venice Beach with Jesse, Eileen, Lee, and KB. We rented a great old house on a quaint alley just a block off of Venice Beach. We left Spencer with Grandma Terry in San Mateo, and enjoyed what's probably our last couple's weekend before baby #2 arrives!

Click here for a slideshow of our photos...

We knew that our first night was going to be rough-- Ryan flew in from Germany, Lee flew in from Singapore, and Eunice and Eileen are both increasingly pregnant. But we rallied in true LA fashion: Ryan spent the afternoon with Jon brainstorming script ideas over beer at the beach. We ate Friday dinner at Three Square Cafe & Bakery‎ on trendy Abbot Kinney Boulevard, and even managed to crash the tail end of a private party to celebrate the end of the writer's strike!

The weather was lousy on Saturday, but we grabbed a foggy breakfast at Figtree's Cafe‎ and set out to see some sites.

Now we've been to LA a lot, but Jesse managed to plot a course through parts of the city we'd never seen before (you can check out all the details on the incredible map he assembled to help us plan, embedded below). We started at the Grand Central Market downtown-- a great indoor farmer's market that was a fantastic blend of Asian and Latino food culture. Next up was the Frank Gehry designed Disney Concert Hall and the very modern Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (known by LA hipsters as "Cool-Ota"). We ate a late lunch in East LA, sampling the outstanding barbocoa of El Borrego de Oro. We spent the afternoon up at the Griffith Observatory, where we lost Jesse and Eileen for hours as the rest of us napped in the car. We finally met up with KB at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, where we paid respect to our favorite stars. We ate dinner that night at Grace Restaurant‎ in Beverly Hills... good food, but we were too full from gorging on Mexican food earlier that afternoon to truly enjoy it. Everyone zonked out in our minivan on the way home, but rallied for a killer game of speed Scrabble before calling it a night.

Sunday was beautiful-- a perfect day to hit the beach. We strolled along the boardwalk to Santa Monica, relaxed on the beach, walked out to the end of the pier, and headed to the 3rd Street promenade. We tried to hop in a cab to check out Father's Office, our dream lunch spot (30 beers on tap), but actually had to track down a police officer to force the minivan to take all 6 of us (we think the cab was just a front for nefarious activities). To top it all off, the restaurant wouldn't take the cheese off their cheeseburgers (even for someone with a severe dairy allergy!), so we had to cancel our orders and walk out.

All's well that ends well-- we found a fantastic new spot just across the street to grab California - Mediterranean. Then we were off to the airport. Farewell, LA... at least until the next Kibbutz!

Check out Jesse's map, plotting our adventures:

View Larger Map

Hawaii Vacation

We headed to Hawaii for our first major vacation of 2008. What a fabulous trip! Click here for a full slideshow.


Eunice's childhood friend Jerry and his fiance Emily provided the perfect excuse for us to head to Oahu. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding at the Waialae Country Club, officiated by the federal judge Jerry clerked for when he first moved to Hawaii. We had a great time catching up with old St. Louis friends, including Loretta, Anthony, and their two kids, Pat, Gloria and their daughter, Sunru & Anne, and Mamie.


We had the best accommodations imaginable on the island - at Eunice's cousin Susan & Steve's new 20,000 square foot home pushed right up against Diamond Head with views of the ocean. We've never seen Spencer happier than running around with his cousins Mckenzy and Hudson, playing on the swing set, throwing balls out on the basket ball court, swimming in the heated outdoor pool, getting rides in Mckenzy's "barbie" jeep, and chasing after their two huge Akita dogs!


We also had a chance to do a bit of island exploration. Highlights included a hike up Diamond Head with Sunru and Anne, getting a local-perspective on Hawaii from our friends Dave, Caroline, and their son Evan, eating a spectacular 5-course meal at Alan Wong's (a Hawaiian-Asian fusion restaurant), visiting a hopping farmer's market, and tasting local specialties like shave ice, mochi ice cream, Portuguese donuts, and pork/mac-salad plate lunches. :)


Last but not least, the bulk of our time was spent on the beach, whether at the fantastic Outrigger Club (where we had a guest memberships thanks to Steve & Susan), on the beaches of Waikiki, the lagoons of Ko Olina, or the wind-swept waterfront of the north shore. We watched Spencer go from being fearful of sand and salt water to gleefully running in and out of waves for hours and hours. What a perfect way to start off the new year!

Click here for a full slideshow.

Kibbutz LA!

Our good friend Lee came up with the idea of "Kibbutz LA" - a weekend in which a bunch of friends would gather in his hometown of LA to live, eat, and play together. Lee flew in from a business trip in Singapore. Brian and Ellen flew in from New York. We happily left Spencer at home in San Mateo with Eunice's mom and headed out for the weekend sans baby! Click here for a full slideshow of our Kibbutz LA weekend.


Highlights from the weekend included a romantic gondola ride at sunset through Long Beach's "Venice," dinner at Lee's favorite LA restaurant - Hatfield's, a jam-packed day of rock scrambling at Joshua Tree, pretending to be Lee's parents' long-lost kids as we crashed their home in Long Beach, lots of great conversations with old friends, and riding around in our trusty minivan rental while trying to figure out the automatic side doors. Thanks for being the mastermind behind a great weekend, Lee!

Adam and Rachel's Wedding

Adam and Rachel were married in Rachel's hometown of Westport, Massachusettes on September 29, 2007. What a fantastic weekend! Eunice was honored to officiate their ceremony and Ryan was asked to speak, so we were a little nervous... but the whole weekend went off perfectly.
Our favorite memories include: Navigating the backroads of Westport at 2am, making ourselves at home at the fantastic summer home of Rachel's neighbors, seeing Rachel's childhood home, introducing Spencer to his cousin Maureen, playing frisbee with the Hills in the meadows, seeing Spencer launch himself into the arms of the young ladies picked to be our babysitters, enjoying sunset and a fantastic rehearsal dinner at Castle Rock Inn, hearing a whole series of very special toasts by Adam and Rachel's friends, riding on a firetruck to the ceremony with Adam and Rachel, walking down to the beach on a picture perfect day, hearing mom read "if I should fall behind, wait for me," seeing such a perfect couple tie the knot in such a personal way, learning how to pull off a clam's turtleneck from Gillian at our first clambake, seeing the local fireworks show right after dinner, and dancing the night away to fantastic Reggae...

Click here for a slideshow of photos taken by friends and family... click here for the official wedding photos. And finally, click below for a video that Ryan made to show at the rehearsal dinner: lots of cute photos, not-so-cute photos, and never-before-seen footage of Adam rapping to Vanilla Ice. A must see!

San Diego with Jesse and Eileen

We were able to take our long planned trip to San Diego with Jesse and Eileen over the holiday weekend... and also celebrated our first weekend away from Spencer since he was born, thanks to the generous babysitting of Susan and Jim!

 Our favorite memories include: Hiking Torrey Pines, eating at a restaurant that only serves food from 33 degrees latitude, eating at the Guild with the "artists, artisans, and architects of San Diego," cooling down in the fountain at Balboa Park, joining the holiday weekend partiers on Pacific Beach with "forties" of Tecate, enjoying warm ocean water and perfect PB sunsets, screaming on the wooden roller coaster in Mission Beach, drinks at the Del, night-time activity at the Zoo, the valiant search for tikki on Shelter Island, watching Jesse get work done in all sorts of unlikely locations, meting Melinda for the first time, and having Spencer spend some time with great-grandma Pinky.

An unforgettable trip-- click here for the full slideshow.

Branson Family Reunion

Each year, Eunice's family gets together for a reunion. This year, we all met up at the Lake of the Ozarks near Branson in southwest Missouri for a week of quality time. We flew out from the Bay Area and picked Terry up in St. Louis. Jennifer, David, and their three kids drove up to meet us from Dallas.


It sure was fun to have all four cousins together for a week! This was the first time Spencer and Paxon had met. Less than a year apart, they're destined to be great friends. From left to right: Ryan (holding Melody), Eunice (holding Spencer), Terry, Jennifer (holding Paxon), David (holding Valerie).


We rented a fantastic 3-bedroom, 3-bath condo right on the lake near Kimberling City. To escape the 105 degree heat, we spent a lot of time in the water (playing in the pool, learning to water ski, being pulled around in an inner tube by a speed boat, exploring the lake in a pontoon, or taking the kids out canoing) and a lot of time indoors (challenging each other to rounds of ping pong in the rec center, cooking yummy meals, and playing games back at the condo).


We did manage to venture beyond our condo and lake, including exploring Branson Landing and taking a tour of the "Talking Caves" where this family photo was taken. The Tangs went to a quintessential Branson show to see the Heygoods perform, and Ryan and Eunice took advantage of superb babysitting services (thanks grandma!) for a night out on the town for their 6-year anniversary. Throw in a family celebration of Terry's 62nd birthday, and we'd say it was a packed, fun-filled reunion. Can't wait for the next family get-together!

Click here for full slideshow and videos.

Trip to St. Louis

Three years after our last visit to St. Louis, we returned for a family reunion with Eunice's mom and Eunice' sister's family. Before heading to our reunion destination (Lake of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri!), we spent a few days catching up with family and friends around St. Louis.


Our first stop was a day trip up to Springfield, the halfway point between St. Louis and Peoria, Illinois, where Eunice's cousin George and his family live. We met up at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. From left to right: Ryan, Spencer, Jairus, Lindai, Kiana, George, and Eunice.



After lunch, we headed to the Lincoln Museum where the kids posed for a photo with the Lincoln family. Spencer's look says it all: who are these people and what planet did I land on?


Kiana plays dress-up with Lincoln.


Back in St. Louis, Terry treated a group of long-time family friends from church to a dimsum lunch. This was everyone's first time meeting Spencer, who was in fine form running around the restaurant saying "hi" to all the guests. Mrs. Kwon (back right) is the owner of the restaurant. her son, York (standing next to Ryan) is a professional musician with an orchestra in Spain, but was back in town for the summer. York and Eunice went to the same school, were in the same Chinese class, and played the violin together when they were kids. <\span>

Williams 10-Year Reunion

We stopped by Williamstown for our 10-year reunion on our way back from Germany, part of our epic June travels. It has been 10 years since graduation, and at least 8 since either one of us has been back on campus. Lots of changes, including a new student center, a new theater, and lots of renovated dorms (we had it rough back in the day).

Click here for a slideshow...

It was a great weekend-- it's easy to forget how beautiful Williamstown is, and of course it was excellent to catch up with so many people. We slept in Mission, an old dorm where we spent our Sophomore year, and Eunice's short documentary, "New Beginnings" was screened at a special film event. Special thanks to Adam and Rachel, our "babysitters" who drove up from New York to allow us to attend the evening festivities!