ONE STEP AT A TIME

I did not really pay much attention to any daredevil performances before or anyone who tried to set world record by doing something extreme (i.e. sitting in a box suspended in midair for 7 days or climbing a tall building).

I watched Nik Wallenda walked across the Little Colorado River gorge near Grand Canyon because the Grand Canyon was one of the most amazing places I have been to.  We were there in 2009 during our Route 66 Adventure.  It was so majestic and incredibly beautiful.  I especially was glad that we stayed at a hotel right at the Grand Canyon and got up real early in the morning and had the whole place all for ourselves.  No crowd, no heat and seeing the Canyon in the morning sun was absolutely glorious.

I am not afraid of height but got ozzy when I looked down at the Colorado River, even from behind the rail.

The lesson I learned from watching Wallenda walking across the Grand Canyon was (1) just take one step at a time towards your goals; (2) you must have steady feet and concentrate on what or where you are going; (3) draw your strength knowing there are others supporting and cheering you on; (4) most importantly, trust in God for He will always provide what you need.

NEW YORK ROAD RUNNERS CLUB (RUNNING DOWN THE MEMORY LANE)

Hey Qap, look what I found - letters from New York Road Runners Club and New York City Marathon.  The above was a summary of race performance when I ran in the L'Eggs 10K Mini Marathon in 1988.  My PR was 1:04:33.  I still have the shirts from the three marathons but will need alterations from all three shirts to make one big XXL size to fit my current chubby body!   

Above is a letter dated November 17, 1986 from New York City Marathon thanking me for helping with organizing and providing communication to International runners during the Marathon.  I was able to enlist about 20 foreign college students from International Exchange Program to help with this task.

I think I only helped with the Pasta Party in 1988.  It took place at Tavern on the Green, well not inside, a big tent was put up outside of the restaurant.  I don't remember much from this event.  I don't even remember if I ate any pasta that day.  Maybe I was not even there.  Maybe someone else did all the work and the letter was sent to me by mistake!

HAPPY LIKE TOTA DURING NHL PLAYOFFS

 How do you measure happiness?  Just like in the commercial asking how happy the customer is when saving money after switching insurance company - as happy as TOTA during NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Regular readers notice that I have not mentioned as much about my beloved Detroit Red Wings after the lockout ended.  I was occupied with school plus disappointed with the Wings not playing at expected level at the beginning of the "season" and the last few weeks, I could not sleep or eat (just kidding) worrying because there was a possibility that the Wings might not get into the Playoffs. 

After dropping to 10th place, then struggling just to stay alive in the last playoffs spot, I am pleased to report that the Wings climbed up to 7th place (still embarrassing compared to previous years when they would be the first team to clinch playoffs spot).  Playoffs (Round 1) start tonight with the Wings against Anaheim Ducks so I might not be able to stay up late (puck drops at 7:30 p.m. in California but that will be 10:30 p.m. St. Louis time).  Other interesting match-ups - Toronto v. Boston; Montreal v. Ottawa; Rangers v. Capitals; and St. Louis v. LA Kings.  I finally got my wish - all Original Six teams are in the Playoffs, (Blackhawks v.Wild) including Maple Leafs after so many years of missing the fun!

Today is April 30th - 38 years after the Fall of Sai Gon in 1975.  The day when the Viet Nam war was supposedly ended but a different kind of war began for the Vietnamese people, my family included, living under Communist controlled government.  We escaped by boat in 1979, survived the journey and the refugee camp and began a new life in American (New York City) on January 10, 1980.  I am reminded of how blessed we are to be living in America and grateful for the freedom and liberty we have enjoyed.  God Bless America and those who have served this great nation.

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE

 'Twas the night before Christmas Eve, when all through the streets in the Historic St. Charles, not too many people, not even a shopper dashing in and out of the stores trying to find that perfect Christmas present.  The doors to the shops were closed and the people were nestled all relax in their homes. 

We went to St. Charles last night.  It was around 1800 hour, the main streets were not crowded, plenty of parking space, crispy cool weather, clear sky, we located a safe spot for "Ralphie" precious Mustang, walked along main street, selected a restaurant we have not been before, enjoyed a nice dinner, walked around, took a few photos (my cheesy camera did not take good photo even though it was set for twilight mode so I have to post old photos taken during the day.  Hey Qap, just think of what the streets looked like when you were there in April 2011 and use your imagination, adding the Christmas lights to the image - haa haa).  

Also, the St. Charles Carolers heard about "Da Qaptain" great work in NYC and they want to ask you to join the group here.  If you are interested, please let me know and I will negotiate a great contract for you for a reasonable commission - heh heh.
To all my adoring fans, faithful readers and all visitors to this boring blog of mine, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night"

BRYSON CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

Our wedding anniversary is in mid-June, so we usually have a low-key celebration with dinner at a nice restaurant (where the waiter keeps watch and immediately picks up the wrapper as soon as we finished eating the crackers, then proceed to clean the crumb off the table with a tiny comb he keeps in the front pocket of his vest).   The first time we were at this restaurant, I looked around the dining room to see all the paintings and also checking if there were any "movers and shakers of St. Louis", each time I conducted my "surveillance", the waiter kept coming over asking what I needed.  So I learned not to look around nor making any eye contact with the servers.  My husband always sends me flowers (well, except one year but we won't talk about that) for the special occasion.  We would give each other little gifts and then do something special when we go on our annual July 4th road trip.  This year, my husband rented a caboose (like the one in the photo below) for a ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Train Ride.  We had the whole caboose with lunch, drinks and snacks just for the two of us, instead of being in the other cab with the masses - haa haa!

The modern Bryson City is a premier spot for many outdoor activities.  The Nantahala River offers lot of fun to those wanting to raft, kayak, hike (along the Appalachian Trail to Wesser Bald - 2.8 miles or a little harder and longer 12-mile to Cheoah Bald), mountain bike (you could try riding out-and-back the hilly 18.5 mile of paved road to the Road to Nowhere) or trout fishing.  It might be one of those fish stories but we were told that a lucky person caught a 30-inch brown trout and a 24-inch rainbow trout and all he did was dropping his fishing rod in the river! 

From the comfort of our caboose, we enjoyed the view through the Nantahala Gorge (the Cherokee called it "Land of the Midday Sun"), and watched the rafters crowded on the river.  We stopped at a campground for a break and only when we dipped out feet in the river that we realized that the water was so cold, probably in the lower 50s.  I wondered how the kids could be playing in the river and not turning blue! 

THURSDAY RAMBLINGS - RUNNING WITH MY SISTER

My sister is coming in for the Lantern Festival on display at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  It would be just us "girls" because my husband will be driving to Detroit to visit his sister who has been suffering from manic depression since her divorce.  It worked out that we both got to spend special time with our sisters.  I visited CH in November after she moved to Atlanta last year (September 2011).  This will be the 4th time CH visits St. Louis.  The 1st time was in 1996 to see the exhibit of Lewis and Clark bicentennial expedition.  We drove to Memphis and Nashville when CH came to visit last year.  We had a great time at the Grand Ole Opry.

CH is my only sister and 4 years younger.  Our childhood was different because we did not do most of the regular things sisters would do since CH was born with muscular dystrophy.  She did not walk on her own until she was almost 7 years old.  What CH lacks physically, she made up for having a brilliant mind.  Growing up, CH was unable to go to school but I was able to provide regular lessons based on the curriculum I had learned.  By the time CH was able to walk and began to attend school, she not only was placed in the grade according to her age but was much more advanced than other kids.  From the time we came to America, CH has taken full advantage of all the benefits available.  CH graduated among the top of her class, earned a full scholarship to Hunter College, and another full scholarship from New York University for her graduate degree.  CH has always been an indepedent person.  She never allowed physical difficulties became the barriers of her goals to live life to the fullest.  CH has travelled to all the countries in Europe, Russia, enjoyed many cruises and visited most of the States.  A smart investor, CH was able to make wise decision when she purchased a condo in Park Slope, New York and again in Atlantic Station, Atlanta.  I am proud of my sister and her accomplishments.  CH is an example of the strength of human spirit to overcome obtacles and what the American Dream offers to those willing to do what it takes to reach their goals.  I look forward to spending quality time with my sister.  Just hope we don't get into the subject of politics and which direction America should be moving forward in the coming (election) years!    

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (WHAT MISSION?)

This post is way long overdue. One month late to be exact! Originally this post was dated February 29th because I felt that I would not be able to proudly claim "Mission Accomplished" if I did not publish all 29 posts during the month of February in the year of 2012. I promise that this would be the last time I set this silly goal posting each day during the month of February.

At first the goal of posting everyday was fun and helpful, keeping me motivated when I don't feel like blogging or have no interesting story to share. But then it became such a chore and the goal was meaningless. I cheated by creating a new post everyday but then trying to catch up a few days or even a week later. Who am I kidding?

Then I could not move on to more posting in March. It was as if I was stuck in 2nd gear. (Well, playing Scrabble was part of the reason.) I read somewhere about how social media has created a kind of "zombie" state of mind in modern society. Words are instantly transmitted and people write, blog or text without thinking, whatever happens to be on their mind and often without any consideration for others. My Dad often reminded me to be careful because once the words were spoken, you could not ask the other person to forget what was said. "Communicate only 1/3 of what is on your mind.", he wrote in the Guest Book when he visited us in 1996. How I wish I was able to follow Dad's advise each time I open my big mouth!

You probably want to know why these photos from Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir in Utah. No particularly reason. Just because I was so impressed with the structure, especially the sort-of rainbow/archway bridge, just like the time when I could not stop talking/writing about the Hoover Dam. If you are in the neighborhood, be sure to visit "George".

SWIM OR SINK ( IS THERE A THIRD OPTION?)

When I saw the drawing/invention of the flotation device (below photo), I thought of QQ and his son swimming together and the frustration QQ feels by JL inability to let go of the aid of the flotation device. I must admit that if I was not forced (or threaten) by my swimming instructor (a high school kid), I would probably never let go of the floating board, the noodle and the life vest either. I could swim the entire length of the pool as long as I could see where the instructor was. That is my security blanket knowing that she would save me if I got a "charlie horse" and started sinking. Most of the time I swim with my eyes closed and since I could not see without glasses and I don't wear contact lenses while swimming, I could only identify my instructor by where I last saw her. One time she wanted me to follow her around the pool, since I was unable to see her face, at the turn around the corner, I got mixed up and followed someone else!

"I wish our boat was built this way when we left Viet Nam" I commented to my husband when we saw Leonardo's invention of the double hull system. The method was designed to prevent boat from sinking when the outer hull were breached. Leonardo invented the system to be used in maritime warfare. In recent legislation, this system has been widely promoted as a solution to the problem of oil spills by replacing all single hull oil tankers with double hull vessels.

If only our boat from Viet Nam was built with double hulls, we could have sailed all the way from My Tho, to South China Sea, crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived safely in California, without having to make a 7-month stop in the refugee camp!

FIRST SNOW FALL IN 2012

Not only I back-dated my posts, I am also late (very late) writing about events that happened days (a long time) ago! My feelings were hurt (deeply hurt) when Qaptain Qwerty made fun of me in his recent post. Since I never claimed to deliver the latest news or provide intelligent opinion about current events, it is my provocative to write whatever and whenever (at my earliest convenience) on any topics. Take that, Qaptain!

Thursday, January 12th - I got up around 5:00 am for a drink of water, when I looked out the kitchen window, it was still dark but I could see the snow already covered the ground. I did not pay much attention to the weather report so I was surprised to see that it was snowing outside. It must have started coming down after midnight since the backyard looked like a white blanket of fresh snow. There were reports of accidents, vehicles got stuck and shut down of the major roads. St. Louisians were caught off-guard, unprepared for this first snow fall. The salt trucks were out in full force but did not help much during morning rush hours. My husband had to park at a church parking lot because he (and many other drivers) were unable to get up the steep hill then down to the industrial park. The road were cleared by the early afternoon. It still took my husband an extra half hour to get home.

I am glad that I made the trip last weekend to drop off my wedding dress and a few other items at a local thrift shop. Proceed from donations funds scholarships to individuals with special financial needs. It took me a few years to finally let go of my wedding dress. After we celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary in 2009, I mentioned to my husband that I planned to give away the dress. I would never fit into it again and there is no daughter for me to pass it on. Even if I had a daughter, she probably would not want to wear my dress anyway. I have kept the dress long enough. We will always have the memory (in our heart) so it was time to donate my wedding dress and hope that it would be put to good use for a worthy cause. To readers who are ladies, do you still have your wedding dress? How or what do you plan to put the dress to good use? To the male readers, you sure got off easy with very little work - all you had to do was to return the tuxedo after the wedding!

LAST FRIDAY SKY IN 2011- GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

After the whole day (Wednesday, September 7th) at Yellowstone National Park, we again entered thru the North Entrance from Gardiner, Montana to get to the Grand Teton National Park. We were overwhelmed by the manificient jagged mountains rising 7,000 feet with the chiseled peaks touching the blue sky. It was postcard perfect views all around us.

The unparalleled majestic mountains, the limitless blue sky, wide open spaces, we were awestrucked by the views around. Even though all the guidebooks and brochures listed abundant wildlife that fill the wilderness, most of the wildlife we saw, from very far away, were large herd of bissons, a few antelopes, a couple of deer, but no bighorn sheep, elk or moose. We did not mind not running into any grizzlies or black bear.

There was a young man (late 30s) from Finland who told us that he travelled by himself. "Johan" picked up a rental car from California and was on a month long trip across America. He approached us asking if we could take his picture. He then returned the favor and took our picture. Then as my husband spent time taking photos of his precious Pony, Johan took off ahead of us. Moving on to the next observation point, we again took photo for Johan and he took photo for us. When we saw Johan standing next to his car at the next stop, I realized he was waiting for us to repeate the "ritual". I had to laugh after the third time, Johan handed his camera to us as soon as we got out of our car and without saying a word, my husband took a photo for Johan. Then we handed our camera to Johan and switched the spot where he stood so he could take our photo. After a few more times, we waved good bye and wished Johan a safe trip when he finally took off for good!

Not that I would ever do it but I thought it would be a once in a life-time experience to witness what would be beyond words to describe the view of the moon over the jagged peaks of the Grand Teton. Since this is the last "Friday Sky" post of 2011, I thought featuring the Grand Teton would end the year with a high note - haa haa

GREAT TIMES IN 2011 (THE YEAR IN REVIEW)

The year was coming to an end. I thought I should write about all the great times in 2011. Sure, there were bad (the worst and the really ugly) times but I would rather remember all the good instead. Let's start with the 31st anniversary of my family coming to America (we arrived JFK International Airport in New York City late evening on January 10, 1980). We've sure came a long way since then. I was a 19-year old refugee with hopes and dreams of saving the world. This year, I turned 50 in February, with hopes and dreams of seeing all the Original Six home games! In April, Da Qaptain came to St. Louis to run the Marathon. The visit was short, but we had a great time (Qap was disappointed with the Marathon being cut to only half because of the warm temperature but let's remember only the good thing, eh?) The following month (May), my sister and I spent a few days drinking and dancing on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans - haa haa. My husband and I celebrated our 22nd Wedding Anniversary in June. He still tells everyone that I "dragged" my feet on the way to the altar and the floor still shows the "skid" marks from my shoes. He also says that it was actually my parents' idea (not mine) to walk me down the aisle because they wanted to make sure I would not change my mind. My parents could not wait to marry me, their 28-year old daughter off!

In July, we began driving a portion of Lincoln Highway from St. Louis to Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio with a detour to Michigan. Last year (2010) we completed Route 66 Adventure with a road trip that totalling 4,437 miles, all the way to Santa Monica Pier in California.

August/September were busy months with three weddings, all from my husband side of the family. A wedding in Houston, Texas in August and two weddings in September, one in Michigan and the other in Colorado. When attending weddings, since most people take photos of the bride/groom, the wedding party (the adults), I enjoyed capturing images of the kids, especially the flower girls (above). It was pure beauty as I watched the girls playing around, unaware of the ceremony and all the "fussing" the adults were creating.

In September, we continued our Lincoln Highway Adventure, driving from St. Louis to Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and to Colorado for the wedding in Vail. We drove a total of 3,838 miles. I was happy when we finally got home after almost 10 days on the road. But after a few days of rest, I was ready to be "on the road again"!

The above is the North Entrance into the Yellowstone National Park from Gardiner, Montana. We spent one full day at Yellowstone and another day driving thru the Grand Teton. We did not rush thru but there was so much to see that I wished we could have a whole week just driving around the parks. These were great times in 2011 and plannings are already in place for our 2012 road trips.

CHRISTMAS 2011

It has been our tradition, the last 7 years or so, to attend Midnight Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (on Lindell in Central West End). We usually arrived around 10:45 p.m. to find "good seats". The Choral Program starts at 11:00 p.m. followed by Midnight Mass. The church was almost full but we were able to find two available seats. There was an old man who kept walking around looking for a family member. We chuckled when we heard the man whispering, calling out for "Mary, Mary". The usher finally approached the man and helped me find his "Mary".

The above and below images are part of the cakes I ordered for my husband's 53rd birthday. I ordered two cakes, one was delivered to his office the week before Christmas and the 2nd cake was picked up on the 24th, just in time for his birthday on Christmas Day :)

Both cakes had Happy Birthday, Christmas tree and decorations from the photos of my husband's pride and joy - the T-bird from our Route 66 adventure and the Mustang from our recent Lincoln Highway roadtrip.

*** Christmas Eve (Saturday, December 24th) was a busy day with making perogies. This year, we tried making a batch of cheese (sweet dry curd) filling instead of the regular mashed potatoes. We also made a batch of the traditional sauerkraut with mushroom. We decided to make only one pumpkin pie since we already had an apple pie the previous week when we invited Sister Roberta Anne and Brother Danny Matthew to the house for lunch.

We took a long afternoon nap in preparation for the Midnight Mass. Last year, it was almost 2:00 am when we got home after Mass. We enjoyed a nice and quiet dinner around 7:30 p.m. and opened our presents (another family tradition from my husband' side of the family) after dinner. My husband was disappointed that we did not have a white Christmas. The temperature was in the mid 40s and very dry. Personally, I don't miss the snow so a "brown" Christmas was just fine for me!

2011 THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

Taking advantage of the sunny, warmer than expected weather, my husband worked on the Nativity display. After Ma passed away in 2006 (Pa passed away in 2000), the family went thru items in the house and getting it ready to sell, we mentioned that we would like to have the Nativity. We have been carrying on the tradition of displaying the Nativity in front of our house since then, just like the way Ma and Pa used to do during Christmas season.

For football fans, Thanksgiving is also a special time since we could eat and be merry watching the games all day. Traditionally, the Detroit Lions and now the Dallas Cowboys would schedule gameday on Thanksgiving. Nothing against Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay but I thought it would be funny if the Lions won the game and broke the Packers' winning streak. (Only serious football fans would understand why I thought it would be funny if that ever happened.)

My husband once again did a great job with cooking the turkey. He also made pumpkin and apple pies and my favorite side dish, green bean casserole. I reminded my husband of our "insider" funny story what happened in 2009 after we found the wishbone in the turkey. We silently made our wishes - my husband got the larger piece of the wishbone and I got the shorter part. CP then told me that his wish was that the exact model of the 2010 Mustang he ordered would be delivered sooner than scheduled. Well, he did get the Pony a few months earlier. What was my wish? I wish for peace in the world and for God's blessings for America. Talk about priority - if only I got the larger piece of the wishbone, the world would have been a peaceful place! (This year, we both wished for peace. Hopefully our wishes will come true!)

FROM SAVANNAH WITH LOVE

That is right - I took these photos during my visit this week to Savannah, Georgia. (It was the reason why I am behind with blogging, trying to catch up with new posts.) My sister moved from NYC to Atlanta in September. I thought it would be nice to see where she lives and I would love to see Savannah again. We attended a conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1998. After the conference, we drove to Savannah and I immediately fell in love with the city.

I flew into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, picked up the car rental and drove to Atlantic Station where my sister lives. CH lives in a modern "Live, Work, Play" area. The next day we drove to Savannah. It was a four-hour drive but a simple route to follow. We took I-75 South for about an hour and then merged onto I-16 East for about 2.5 hours, right into Savannah.

I am going to borrow a few words from the Official Visitor Guide to describe this beautiful city and how it captured my heart. The moss-draped trees, the lush, tree-filled squares (all 27 of them), the picture-perfect cobblestone streets, the history and mystery in the architecture that were well preserved, and so much more that would give visitors a memorable experience of the Old South charm and its exquisite beauty.

We strolled the city's streets, stopping at the city squares to learn about this grid-like model of urban planning, homes, churches and businesses around each square, each with its own distinctive style. My sister pointed out the Moon River Brewing Company at 21 W. Bay Street. She explained that Savannah's only brew pub was the location of a Ghost Adventures where the crew was locked down for the night and did have a paranormal experience.

We had a full schedule while in Savannah. I even managed to attend a 7:30 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. After a walk along the Riverfront, lunch at the Cotton Exchange, Da Sistas enjoyed a 45-minute carriage ride around the Historic District. More about our dinner at Paula Deen The Lady & Sons Restaurant in future posts. My 2nd visit to Savannah was wonderful as in 1998. The City has so much beauty, charm and I love learning more about its history. Savannah definitely is on my list of many more returning visits.