crime scene.

clue.

guilty.

we started off the day with a visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which was informative but very sobering. it was difficult to reflect on how horrible human beings can be, as well as how brave we can be under extreme conditions.

memorial weekend in DC coincided with the annual Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally, which drives through and around washington in celebration and remembrance of veterans, POW’s and MIA’s. strange to see thousands and thousands of bikes congregated in one spot…also very very loud.

the day was very hot, but we somehow made our way slowly to see some famous monuments, starting off with the washington monument. did i mention it was really hot?

then past the world war II monuments, the reflecting pool, and onwards to the lincoln memorial. hey, that building looks familiar…

vietnam memorial.

we took a break on the stairs of the lincoln memorial, and had a beautiful view of the washington monument and its reflection. we had a surprise visitor from new york: pam! thanks for spending the day with us!

inside with abe lincoln.

after a long day, we drove to dinner, during which we were caught in a thunderstorm and had a near-death experience with a lightening bolt. it was so close we saw blue. thankfully we all arrived to the restaurant safely and enjoyed a good last meal together.

next morning, back to chicago!

we spent the long weekend in virginia and washington dc for a friend’s wedding. a bunch of people from vancouver flew out as well, so we all met up in falls church, VA. eager to sight-see, joe and i squeezed in a few sights with kimu in the morning before the ceremony. first on the list was 1600 pennsylvania ave.

there was a peaceful protest across from the whitehouse, which apparently has been erect since 1981. the area had many big buildings, big streets, quite pretty in a serious kind of way.

we drove by and snapped some pics of the Capitol building and Pentagon before heading back to get ready for the wedding ceremony, which was very lovely. congratulations dave and kayla!

the hour between the ceremony and reception was plenty of time to swing by Target, and pick up a few items.

finally we went to the wedding reception to celebrate some more. joe found another date.

it’s great having our jetta here with us in the city…it certainly makes life easier. unfortunately, today gas prices broke the 4 dollar mark per gallon in chicago. it costs $4.09 per gallon of premium gas. so sad. apparently illinois has the highest gas prices in the country.

now that gas is so expensive, do you try to take transit or walk more frequently? we try our best, but it’s hard when places are so far away and when the weather gets hot (not that we can use our air con; it keeps pooping in and out…more out than in).

i went to paper source, my favorite paper store in chicago. i’m always like a little kid in a candy store. i couldn’t believe the wedding gown was made of paper! and then i found a piece of paper with a chocolate brocade print which was very inspiring.

we had visitors…mr. joe wong himself with auntie sue (aka soo). we were glad he could squeeze in some time to hang out during their business trip, so we wandered around downtown and navy pier in the evening. it’s always great catching up with old friends!

we tried a new sushi place in lincoln park with joe’s fellow U of C compatriots. check out the hamachi jalapeno roll. afterwards we were surprised with one more wedding gift: a tassimo machine! thanks guys

we love our mommies. now that we live independently, i especially appreciate my mom and all the everyday things (cooking and cleaning) she’s done for me and my family without complaining. thanks mom!

step 1. pull hard on ignition thingee (while holding down lever on handle).

step 2. push in a straight line.

step 3. mow in an orderly fashion.

step 4. avoid play things.

step 5. mow in the front.

step 6. refill gas.

step 7. keep mowing on the side.

step 8. fill garbage bags with cut grass.

step 9. enjoy lawn.

ps. i helped with picking up sticks.

i know that this blog is technically about what we’re up to…but mommy and daddy ting just came back from jamaica and wanted to share some pics with the world too. i was especially impressed with the “ting” restaurant discovery.