Chinese New Year

My new school held a Chinese New Year parade in the morning. There is a large Vietnamese population, and many of the students wore beautiful ao dai. One of the aides has an extensive collection of ao dai and I was immediately drawn to the red embroidered one. It was a lovely celebration with staff, students, and families.

Pinewood Derby

Sam just joined Boy Scouts recently, and the first big event he participated in was the Pinewood Derby. The boys (and families) construct a wooden car with specific material and weight specifications. The cars are set off in random heats on a sophisticated track system, timed by computer. The Pinewood Derby has quite a history, and the races were exciting. Sam's car won a few heats, it was a great way to start off his Boy Scouts experience.

School Scenes

This class of 35 fifth graders has got to be one of my favorite classes ever. Diverse, smart, spunky... never a dull moment. They kept me on my toes and made teaching very fun.

I went jogging at Peters Canyon with a group of teachers and friends. It was great meeting outside of the classroom setting.

Glamorous in Newport Beach

Bumping into an old friend

Well, I don't like to think of Irene and I as old, but I did bump into this college friend at the local Japanese market. We were very close friends at UCI, attended each other's weddings, kept in touch while I taught in Japan, and when she moved to Japan briefly with her family... and hadn't seen each other in years. Irene lives outside of Orange County now but comes here to get her fix of Japanese food. Her son Masa is now in high school. Irene and I chatted for a while, and picked up where we left off. That's why I don't think of us as "old", but she is an old dear friend.

Walking Shiloh at Mile Square Park

Holy Jim Falls Trail

We finished our winter break with a hike at Holy Jim Falls Trail near Trabuco Canyon. We hiked the 3-mile round trip trail to the waterfall.

Crystal Cove

The beach at Crystal Cove is not easily accessible, stairs and sometimes steep walkways are involved. But the payoffs include rock formations, shallow caves, and tide pools with starfish, sea anemone and hermit crabs. It's a beautiful stretch of beach.

Huntington Gardens

We love visiting the Huntington Gardens in San Marino. We usually visit the Chinese Gardens, where we get a bite to eat, and the Japanese Gardens. This day we also went to the Desert Gardens. The cacti are spectacular, they look like from another world.

Happy 9th Birthday Sam!