Snippets

I am really behind in my blogging, so let me just give you a few updates from the last few weeks.

On our last day in Visalia, we spent a lot of quality time with the family, first by visiting the grandparents and then with a family dinner with Henry, Susan, David, Monica and Michela. I always tell Dan that he is so incredibly lucky that all of his four grandparents are still in great health and spirits. (All of my grandparents are long deceased and I never had the opportunity to meet either of my grandfathers). Throughout the day, I decided to take a portrait of all four grandparents, and when I came back to work, my co-worker Kara showed me how to make a nice collage in Photoshop. Here is how it came out:



You can click on it to make it bigger. What do you think? Technically it is not perfect, but I love having a picture of all four of them together. I think it's kind of funny that the men in white are facing one way, the women in florals facing the other. Completely unplanned. I am thinking I might do a portrait collage of my own family. It's fun.

The following weekend, I headed to NJ with my friend Meagan and her mom Kris for a good old fashioned barbecue. Meagan loves to coming to visit me in NJ so much that when her mom was coming to visit NYC from Michigan, she asked if we could do a barbecue at my mom's place. I am glad she initiated the idea because then my mom invited Pete and Annette and it became a nice little family gathering. I haven't seen my brother since the wedding! Because I wrote in my blog that we enjoyed visiting LA, everyone in my family was acting like we had already made the decision to move out West and my mom even gave me her blessing! We haven't made any decisions people! This week, we watched Spike Lee's New Orleans documentary "If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise," which revitalized Dan's desire to live there (his thought: I can fix things!) and decreased my own (my thought: wow, things there are still pretty messed up!). And we're still talking about staying in NYC for a bit longer. So like I said, we haven't made any decisions yet. Believe me, you will be the first to know.

We were super lucky this weekend to be blessed with the presence of Emily Jackson who was making a pit stop in NYC from Switzerland for the weekend before heading out to Los Angeles. She said she was delirious and tired but was such a joy and burst of energy. We met up with her and Adam and Nell at Congee Village for a delicious Asian feast, and then we grabbed some beers and headed to Adam and Nell's rooftop. I think Emily is pretty happy to be back in the States.


Have you ever seen anyone more excited to get a six pack of Magic Hat?

And lastly, there is a new Kunka! Clayton James (CJ) Kunka born this weekend. We both guessed the baby would be a boy and we were right! Strangely, they didn't call him Luther, which was my Dan's suggested name for him.


Congrats to Dan and Jacey. What a cutie.