Merry Christmas!! and Happy New Year!!!

Welcome 2007. so far...day 3...2007 has been great! Spent Christmas down in LA and New Year up in the Bay. It was great to see the little neice and nephew again! seems like they've changed so much...and then haven't. i wonder...did i fight like that with my brother when we were that age?? sometimes i think i just ran away or cried or something. Maile seems to be much smarter than i was at her age. she is much more sly and subversive in her "getting-her-brother's-toys-to-play-with" tactics. kudos to little sisters everywhere!!

still...tyler is so lovable. got his own digital camera to use. i'm secretly hoping that he will be the avid photographer in his later life.

and he is quite the master of the timer setting on our camera.


love those kids...with #3 neice/nephew on the way.


even though this christmas was impacted by my grandmother's passing...it was still a good time for all. seemed like family took my grandmother's passing in stride. sad for us of course, but happy that she is in a better place. she is not in any more pain or discomfort. and i believe, while we can never really be ready to say goodbye, we were as prepared as we could be. the occassion brought a gathering of family that has not been in decades. got to see a lot of my cousins i hadn't seen since i was 8 years old. nice to catch up and learn about their lives in chicago, boston, and florida. hopefully, we'll be able to stay in touch as we grow on.

new years...cold cold cold. and i was practically wearing the same thing this new years eve, as last new years eve. sad? frugal? or perhaps, awesome b/c my clothes have longevity! haha. i think more on the sad part. but i was warm. vince, karen, greg and i went up to the embarcadero after some dinner and drinks in awesome SAN BRUNO, CA!!! our friend BART took us smack dab in the middle of thousands of people.




and by the time it was midnite...thousands more people lined the streets at the ferry building to witness the fireworks. fireworks...awesome! someday, i would love to go to the world series of pyrotechincs. haha. we jammed out of there quick so as not to get stuck in the massive stampede of those riding home. i have to say, that the countdown and the anticipation are half the fun of new years. with no second hand letting us know how many seconds were left...seeing the minute hand slowly ease on over to the stroke of midnite and then having the fireworks blast out of nowhere...not quite the exciting impact. missed the loudly counting down of...THREE...TWO...ONE...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! but still...fun times for all and no trouble getting home.

here's to 2006...still reflecting on all the events thereof. here's looking towards 2007 and all it has in store for us!! last thought...2006 and my mom's fruit trees have been good to this well fed creature:(picture taken by Tyler Shu)