Charles and I (and my two sisters) have been home with my parents in Baldwinsville, New York for two weeks now. The jet lag has finally worn off, and we’re beginning to re-acclimate to American culture. We’ve done some shopping which is always a fun thing to come home to (you mean I can buy clothing my size here?!). We’ve also gone on some outings and had friends visiting. My best friend, Sarah, came for a week-long visit, and my sister’s boyfriend also came for a few days. Here are some of the highlights of the summer so far.

OZ-Stravaganza

We live not far from the town of Chittenango, the home of Frank L. Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz. Every year there is a special Oz celebration, and this year we joined in the festivities. The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie, so we just had to go. The event turned out to be little more than a home-town parade, but it was fun to be with so many Oz aficionados.

Chinese Fellowship

Even though we are in New York, we started out our summer feeling pretty close to Taiwan. My parents attend a Chinese Fellowship on Friday nights, so our first Friday here, we went with them. The fellowship includes a delicious Chinese meal, upbeat worship in song, and a Bible study time. We really enjoyed the food and fellowship, but since we were still jet-lagging, we didn’t stay for the Bible study time.

The next day (Saturday), we went to a “cookout” with the people who run/host the Chinese fellowship. What did this Chinese cookout consist of? Simply food cooked outside by the family’s personal chef–some of the most delicious, authentic Chinese food I’ve ever eaten. Then we took a little boat ride out on the lake at sundown. We even got to drive the boat! It was a wonderful day of fellowship, food, and fun.

The captains.

Titanic?

BFF Fun

When my best friend, Sarah, came to visit, we did a whole bunch of fun things. We got pedicures, went out to eat, went shopping, cooked together (though she did most of it), watched a movie at home, and simply enjoyed being together again after a long year apart.

Pedicures!

Olive Garden Fettucini.

Shared desserts are the best.

Sarah’s home-cooked meal.

Thousand Islands Tour

While my friend, Sarah, and my sister’s boyfriend, Tony, were visiting, we took a trip to the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. While there, we took a 2-hour boat tour of the islands that culminated with a visit to Boldt Castle on Heart Island. The tour was incredibly interesting, and the scenery was beautiful. The castle was exquisite too, and such a neat piece of history. We topped off the evening with a big meal at Applebee’s, and everyone came home tired but satisfied.

Breakin’ the rules.

The Boldt family emblem.

Game Night

The last night that Sarah and Tony were here to visit, we played games together and laughed A LOT. We started with Bananagrams, then Sarah taught the family Dutch Blitz, the boys played Duck Hunt, and we rounded out the evening by playing Olympics games on Nintendo’s Power Pad (yes, the original). We had a BLAST playing together. Here are some photos of the games followed by a video montage of our Power Pad play.

Well, that’s it for the first two weeks of summer. Charles and I are going fishing with Mom, Dad, and a friend from church tomorrow, so I’ll be sure to let you know if I catch anything worth talking about. Stay tuned for more exciting tales of our summer fun.