Nov 25 Aussie Thanksgiving
Darwin and his Mum outdid themselves by baking the most delicious turkey for our very first Thanksgiving down under. We also made the traditional side dishes, and John & Dimity were our assistant chefs. Their cornbread stuffing was great. We ate ourselves silly of course and then had siesta time while watching the cricket (not football!). [View Photo Album]
Oct 21 Danse Libran Down Under
We had a lovely time catching up with Irvin Tyan and new wife Heidi who were honeymooning here from San Francisco. Although the weather wasn't too great, we had a late lunch of fish'n'chips at Bondi Beach and drove around the east bay. Irvin and Mei-Ling danced together in the vintage performance group Danse Libre.
Oct 15 Prenatal Class Reunion
We finally got to see all the bubs and share birth stories. Our Swee'Pea Raina is now 3 months old! [More]
Sep 16 Wedding
Mei-Ling's sister Fei-Lee tied the knot today with fiancé Ernesto. What a sweet couple! Ernesto is from El Salvador, so the ceremony included readings in English, Chinese and Spanish. Darwin was honored to be MC, and of course there was latin music and dancing in celebration.
Jul 16 Raina Roslyn makes an appearance!
After a 23-hour birth journey we finally got to meet our little Swee'Pea and the feeling was overwhelming! [More]
Jul 7 D-Day
Our official due date has passed and Swee'Pea seems to be taking his/her own sweet time in making an appearance... [More]
Jun Showered with love
Swee'Pea was treated to a fabulous baby shower from Aunties Su-Yin & Fei-Lee and Grandma Leong. [Photos & more]We're still up to our eyeballs with unpacking boxes and setting up house, and we're hoping Swee'Pea will let us get a bit more organized before moving in!
May New Home, New Job!
We moved into our own little villa apartment, just as all our stuff arrived from Nashville - what good timing. It's great to be able to set up home again, but there are still lots of boxes in Swee'Pea's room and we've got 3 weeks to get them sorted out! The *best* news is that Darwin got a job. He's a business analyst at Abuzz (http://www.abuzz.com.au/), a young technology company that's keeping him on his toes. We've also had the great pleasure this month of a visit from David Hall, on his way to PNG. We got to catch up on all the Nashville news, not to mention the chiropractic adjustments and cooked breakfasts...
Apr Up in the Blue Mountains
We spent a fabulous long weekend with Darwin's Mum Lorraine in Kurrajong Heights, only an hour out of Sydney. Mei-Ling's parents came along too and we put all the grandparents to work brainstorming on baby names! One day we brunched with Mei-Ling's cousin Justin and his wife Susan, visiting from Queensland. On the next day, we picnicked at Mt. Banks and walked to a most beautiful spot where we were completely surrounded by cliffs, valleys, metallic-looking rocks and vast blue sky. Wish you all could have experienced it too. There is something so liberating and wild about the Australian bush. [Photos] NB: Click on the link "View photos without signing in" if you don't have a Kodak account
Mar Happy Naw-Rúz!
March has been a busy month with the Bahá'í Fast, then New Year celebrations, plus Darwin's birthday, a welcome back party thrown by Darwin's sister Melanie, and lots of catching up with old friends. In between the social activities we've been focusing on job and house-hunting, hoping to get settled before baby arrives.Darwin's beloved Aussie Rules football season has now started, so Mei-Ling is gradually being schooled in the intracacies of 'marks', 'punts' and 'rucks'. For our Nashville friends: John Bush is also being indoctrinated! We're going to have to go to the ballet soon to balance out the machismo...The cool autumn mornings have set in now (it's not "fall" over here, as most trees don't lose their leaves) and we are looking forward to unpacking our warm clothes when our shipment arrives mid-April.As for Swee'Pea, s/he has taken up a daily gymnastics class! [More on Swee'Pea]
Feb 10 Boy or Girl??
We had our 19-week ultrasound and saw Swee'Pea exercising and even yawning! S/he kept his/her knees together the whole time so we couldn't find out the gender - guess we'll just have to wait until July 4th! [More on Swee'Pea]
Feb Back in Oz
We set foot in balmy Sydney and were immediately surrounded by a host of family. After two months of packing and moving chaos, the relief (and the wonderful warm weather) was great!After remembering how to drive on the left and getting set up with medical care for the baby, we spent a week in Brisbane, QLD, visiting Mei-Ling's Grammie, Aunty Kaye and many cousins. One afternoon we ate fish and chips at the beach on Bribie Island and swam in the wonderfully warm sea. It would have been perfect if Darwin had not been stung by a blue-bottle jellyfish - ouch!! [Photos]
Jan On our way...in LA
On the way down under we stopped in LA to visit Darwin's Uncle Julian & Aunt Margaretha, as well as his cousin Hope and her lovely family. We even got to visit Darwin's last family home in Malibu - being used as a set for the "Gilmore Girls"! [Photos]
Dec Rachael in Concert
Weekend trip with the Halls to Madisonville, KY, to see our famous niece Rachael in concert! We also got to stay in a fabulous old Victorian B+B, thanks to Aunty Ann's powers of persuasion :) [Photos]
Oct 14 Baby Jowett Revealed
Lachlan Collis Jowett is born to proud parents Su-Yin & Adam! We have a new nephew! [Baby Blog]
Oct Reminiscing in NY
Darwin had to go to New York for work, so we stayed the weekend to share another brownie in Times Square...we also caught up with old friends Nancy, Elizabeth & Tonya, and the Safais. Plus, Darwin finally took in a Broadway musical - "The Producers". [Photos]
July Reunion
Ho San & Mariette and the Saunders gang visit Music City. Together with the Halls it was quite a reunion, with a little trip to a country B+B, the mandatory 4th of July BBQ, and an evening at the Grand Ole Opry where "Little Marietta" took the stage for the first time! [Photos]
May Paris in the Springtime
We enjoyed a romantic "2nd honeymoon" in Paris and the Loire Valley. The crepes were delicious, the architecture and history fascinating, and the chateaux just breathtaking. We also had a lovely time catching up with old friends Alison, Suyash, Caroline & Helene. [Photos]
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