the paterson’s invited us over for a delicious meal: beer-can-smoked-chicken. it’s made exactly how it sounds, and it was sooo juicy… good job brian! we’re coming back for smoked turkey next time!
i’m not sure why it took me three years to visit the hyde park art center despite passing it a billion times, but i finally dropped in to check it out for the first time. in addition to offering many programs for the community, the center exhibits work from emerging artists from the chicago area. read more
i’ve always liked to draw although for some reason, either due to lack of time or lack of drive, i never do it. anyways, now that i have a lot more time on my hands, together with seeing good friends who are artists producing beautiful work, i’ve been inspired to be more intentional with being read more
i was pleasantly surprised to come home last week to a thriving vegetable garden in our church backyard. let’s be clear though, i didn’t do any of the hard work… which was done by our friends the stefanuts, and in particular, their amazing romanian grandmother. lucky for us, we get to help eat. it really read more
after the wedding, we had one day to spend in LA for sightseeing. we left the house at lake elsinore and took the scenic route over the hills and by the beach (avoiding rush hour on the big highways). during the entire trip, we had been looking for an opportunity to try eating at “IN-N-OUT” read more
the wedding day was on july 12th, at Hidden Oaks, Rancho Cucamonga. we began the day at a friend’s home for hair and makeup. the big arrival at hidden oaks. getting ready. it was a perfect spot for the wedding, from the big trees shading us from the sun, the cute gazebo decorated with a read more
i’m back from Los Angeles, Riverside area to be more exact, where I attended Gina and Jonathan’s wedding over the weekend. helen was the maid of honour, and we arrived a few days earlier. we were very lucky to stay at a retreat center at Lake Elsinore, which is around 45 minutes south of Riverside. read more
i always love visiting the chens. matia is now three and still super cute. it was fun taking turns playing doctor, although matia had to instruct me on how to put on a stethoscope. thanks for my shot dr. boo!
on canada day i went to visit jp and louisa… who surprised me with a belated birthday party. yay! we may be over 30, but you can never be too old for hawaiian leis and yellow bday balloons. pre-dinner activities involved eating gummy bears and making a pooh bear. we made bbq pizza from scratch read more
today while we were downtown, we went to a festival called “chicago arabesque.” it gave a glimpse into various aspects of the culture of the arab world. we milled around the little tents and shops while listening to middle eastern music. it was really hot and we were happy to eat some handmade syrian (roasted read more