Oh Christmas Trees

We need a new house. We only have room for a medium sized tree in this house, and with all new ornaments, we hardly have room for them all on this tree. Gone are the filler ornaments Han and I bought when we got our first tree together 10 years ago. Now we have tons of E ornaments, Beau ornaments, yearly Van Goh ornaments, travel ornaments, etc. In the years to come, we're going to need a big tree with sturdy branches! We did have lots of fun reminiscing over each ornament. E got his new one, the karate boy to the left. E also put up his little tree in his room with his little ornaments. Later we'll put up the Harry Potter tree, the Curious George tree, and the frog tree. Yes, we like trees. E also tried on his suit for the wedding next week :-)

Thanksgiving Fun

We had a nice Thanksgiving at home, the 3 of us and Carrie (one of the BAs that works with Han). After feasting on the usual, plus vegan pumpkin cheesecake (which was really good), we watched a movie and played the Wii. This is Carrie and E playing tennis :-)

Early Friday morning, Carrie, Angie and I went to the mall. And by early I mean 3:45 a.m. We found great deals and many presents. We nearly got trampled trying to get a goody bag, and were sorely disappointed in the contents. But the worst part was when Angie got home and realized she had a $50 gift certificate that she hadn't noticed, and it was too late to use it!

Today we shopped for supplies to make the yearly Christmas ornaments and got our tree :-) We also ran into Camille and family at lunch. Camille, if you're reading this: we miss you! Come have lunch with us!!

Old Man Goh is 40!!

Today is Han's 40th Birthday!! Due to us just getting back from the trip and having eating a ton of junk food, Han decided on a low key day with a tiny cake. And when I say tiny, I mean tiny! I made cupcakes for E's Thanksgiving feast at school and used some of the batter to make a little cake. We sang a song (well, E did) and played with Han's new Wii game.

Fall Day 11 - Zoo-rific Day!

Today is the last day of our wonderful fall trip (well, not counting tomorrow's travel day). Our hotel, though cute, is not all we hoped it would be. Aside from it being noisy and bright (part of that is being in the city, I know), the heater would not turn off! We eventually had to get someone to come and just turn it off completely, but it was still hot all night. Still, we got up early and headed out. We made good use of the Metro today, as we had many places to go, and didn't want to drive.

First we headed to the National Zoo. It was a beautiful fall day, really perfect. Cool and crisp and sunny.

We went in search of the pandas and found the two adults. Sadly, the baby (toddler now?) was hiding, but we did see him on one of the monitors. Apparently, there are cameras everywhere and you can see the pandas anytime they are in view online on Animal Planet's website!


We also saw an orangutan climbing these ropes high above the zoo. The ropes went right over where we were walking!

We stopped at the visitor's center on the way out, and E decided that it would be a good time to practice some karate. So he proceeded to do his kata in the middle of the zoo. I'm happy he likes it so much :-)

After the zoo we went to China Town for lunch. We went to Tony Chang's for dim sum, where everyone got way too much food (even E, who found plenty this time!). No worries, we took the left-overs back to the hotel and headed out again.

We only had time for one museum, and it was the Air and Space, where we heard there were many activities for kids. This was definitely the case, as E got to fly a plane, play with all sorts of avionics, and hang out with astronauts.

Things were closing up, so we walked down the Mall, to the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial as the sun went down. The WWII Memorial was new to all of us, and it really was beautiful. There were many families out, laying flowers and pictures of their loved ones. The Lincoln Memorial was impressive as ever and our last stop in D.C.

We headed back to the hotel, ate some left overs and organized our stuff to pack. One of E's favorite activities has been to find a Christmas ornament from each place we've visited, and he wanted to see them all together. I think decorating the tree will be particularly fun this year!

And that is it for the Fall 2007 fall trip. We head our early in the morning. Maybe tomorrow I will post some final reflections on what has been the best fall trip to date!

Fall Day 10 - "But I See Lots of White Houses!!"

We had a nice leisurely morning...Ray cooked us breakfast, we relaxed by the fire, and we took pictures. Here's one of the two boys (only a tad older than when they meet as undergrads).

We then headed into D.C. (thankfully, no traffic!) and made our way to The Quincy. Our room is very cute (the kitchenette is hidden in a large closet!) and about a 15 minute walk to the White House. E finally saw THE White House that we had been talking about.

We went down to the National Aquarium. It was pretty dark and gloomy downstairs, but it made the tanks brighter. I liked the way they had it set up for each section of the U.S. and it had some pretty cool fish!

After that we headed back to the hotel to warm up and relax. E was a bit chilly just sitting in his stroller, so we tried to cover him up best we could :-)

Han went out to find us free parking (it's like $28 a day at the hotel) and food from a nearby Belgian restaurant, while I update the blog and E watches Shrek. The food from Beck's was OK! The beef carbonnade was pretty good (not as good as my dad's, or mine :-), but Han didn't like the pork too much. Tomorrow is our last day of Fall...hopefully it will be clear enough to go to the zoo and walk around the Mall...

Fall Day 9 - History Lessons

It was a rainy day today in Fredericksburg, but we found some dry spots :-) In the morning we went to the new Marine Corp Museum near Quantico (I took a wrong turn, tried to go into Quantico...the guy at the gate was actually amused before telling me to turn around immediately). The museum was amazing. It had planes hanging from the ceiling and very realistic looking figures, as well as tons of information.

We later headed to downtown Fredericksburg to do a little shopping. It was lined with very charming little shops and a fun toy store E loved. I hunted for and found our ornament, and then we rushed off to have lunch with Ray at an Indian place. After that, we went to Chancellorsville Battlefield park, which was right by Ray's house. It was still raining, so we didn't get to hike around, but the park is beautiful! The cannons were fun as well, some still had visible markings. After that, we headed back to Rays and looked through pictures of Han's college days and relaxed.

Fall Day 8 - Blazing Through Baltimore

We left the Philly area early this morning and headed for Baltimore. We were hoping to meet up with the Borreros, but unfortunately Bella was sick, so that was a no go. We headed to the harbor, and although it was overcast and chilly, we still had a good time!

We tried to go to the aquarium first, but something was going on and they had all the visitors outside and weren't selling tickets. So, we were off to the Science Center. It had an awesome dinosaur area, Newton's Alley, and tons of other interactive exhibits. There was tons to do, like lay on a bed of nails, play tug of war (E won, it's all in the physics), dig for dinosaur bones, search for weather patterns online, and make the planets turn.

After the Science Center, we had lunch at P.F. Changs and did a little shopping at Fileene's Basement. We then headed to the Aquarium, which as even more impressive than the one in Camden. The displays were beautiful, and there was a large tank in the middle of it all with huge sting rays and sharks. E was getting sleepy, so we didn't stay long.

We headed towards Fredericksburg at about 3, thinking we'd miss some D.C. traffic. Uh, we were wrong. It took us 3 hours and Mr. Darcy and I had our first fight. See, we were eyeing the H.O.V. lane, discussing how technically we have 3 people, so we should go for it. Then Darcy keeps telling me to keep right, so I'm thinking maybe the interstate is going to split off or something. Oh, it did, split between H.O.V. and the slowest, most congested strip of interstate EVER! I really don't know how people make this drive every single day! It would make me nuts! We finally got to Ray and Marleene's at about 7 and had some great BBQ from Red, White, and Blue. E got introduced to their two dogs, Mr. B "Simba" "Scooter", and Kala (very white golden retriever, gorgeous!).

Fall Day 7 - Goodnight Philly

Today was our last day in Philadelphia, but we made it count. We had some trouble driving around the city though. A popular police man was killed recently, and today was the funeral (or some event). There were hundreds of cops near the church (which was near the museums were were going to). It was so sad and so touching to see them all. We somehow found parking at a hotel, and walked most of the day.

We went to the Children's "Please Touch" Museum in the morning, with Lori and Alec. E "built" a tree house, had a tea party with Alec, rode the many modes of public transportation, and did some grocery shopping.



We then went to Reading Terminal Market, where there is just about every type of food one can imagine under on roof (both raw and prepared). This is the only place we've been to where E could get everything he requested (rice with soy sauce, corn, fries, and chicken taco). Han and I had cheesecakes, then I found a crepe place (nutella banana, yum), and got some Chow Chow from the Lancaster people (since I somehow didn't remember to buy when we were actually in Lancaster). Yes, food is a big part of our trips. We obviously couldn't hit all of our favorite places, but I think we did a good job. Sadly, the Belgian Chocolate House was closed, and we didn't have time to get food from our favorite street vendors (although I saw both my morning fruit truck and my evening Chinese truck near Penn).


After lunch, we tried to take a cab to the Franklin Institute, but after 10 minutes and only going 2 blocks (many roads were blocked off still), we just walked. It was so nice to just see different parts of the city, watch the kids get out of school, and enjoy the cool air (the feet didn't enjoy this quiet as much as the heart, soul, and mind, but it can't all be perfect). We finally made it to the Franklin Institute, where we learned all about the heart (even took a walk through one), electricity, trains, space, etc. We tried an IMax movie, but it was too much for E.



E and I waited on the steps of the Franklin while Han wen to get the car. We said goodnight to Philly as the sun went down and the lights went up. E says Philly is his favorite city too, and we'll all miss being here. But, we didn't get to do and see nearly all that we wanted to, so we'll just have to come back soon :-)



We had a great dinner with Ashesh and Lori, and E and Alec got to play with puzzles and trains again. It was fun to reminisce about old times and how the city has changed since they were all undergraduates here. I hope it won't be quite as long before we see them again. Did I mention we want to come back soon???

Fall Day 6 - "What's his name? Elijah?"

Today we saw Alex and Chip and Maura and Caitlin! We hadn't seen them in over 3 years (well, we'd never meet the kids at all). But first, we spent the morning at the Aquarium in Camden. It was very nice, and one of the unique things I liked the most about it was the "naturalistic" environments they had for some of the displays. Like, a beach scene for the crab, a bayou seen for some of the fish, etc. We also got to see the divers in with the sharks, which was very cool!

The view of Philly from across the river is nice :-)

We drove to Alex's after lunch (btw, "crab fries" in Philly are fries with Old Bay seasoning...not actual crab). E and Maura played all afternoon and Maura kept saying "what's his name, Elijah?". She's very cute :-) Caitlin is a little love too, so cuddly. We all had nice dinner together, but the visit wasn't nearly long enough. I hope they make it to Florida soon :-)

Fall Day 5 - The Soul of Belgium in the Heart of Philadelphia

Today was very busy! We drove into Philly early in the morning...



We drove by all the places we used to hang out. We showed E where Han went to school and where we both worked. I pointed out the food truck where I used to get my morning banana for 25 cents. I showed him where I lived (my room was on the top floor, to the left) and my favorite tree (the nice orange one in front).

Then we headed to the Italian market. There E wanted to buy a banana for 25 cents (hm, wonder where he got that idea) and seemed disappointed when the lady gave him 5 for a dollar instead. We did have some great coffee though!

We found parking near Independence Mall and headed to Bonte, a cafe with supposed Belgian waffles. Believe me, they aren't close (it's a chain, I should have known better than to expect too much). We then saw the Liberty Bell (wow, was there a lot more security this time around!) , Independence Hall, and the Constitution Center, where E signed the constitution :-)

Next it was time for lunch, so we went to China town, where we found a wonderful Malaysian restaurant. We hand a broad noodle dish that we have been searching for for years, as well as mango chicken and roti. E even tried to eat with chopsticks (that didn't last long, rice is pretty hard to grab).

After lunch we hopped on our double decker bus and took a tour of the town on our way to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day to walk around outside, and it was pretty empty so we didn't have any crowed to fight. E really enjoyed the elephants and the reptile and amphibian section, and I loved the mosaic mural in the children's section.

After the zoo, we got back on the bus and headed to Monks Belgian Restaurant. The food and beer were excellent! We had trout and chicken and terrine and fries :-)

And finally, after 5 days of non-stop activities, E was tired out! He fell asleep at dinner, on the bench. Pretty funny that my son fell asleep in a Belgian bar (considering how many times I did the same thing back in the day). We took extra dessert to Ashesh and Lori's, ate and chatted, and now Han is just waiting for me to finish so he can stop trying to stay awake on the couch.

Fall Day 4 - Fast Friends

Early morning in Cherry Hill, NJ! With the time change and E's excitement, we were up before 5 this morning. We relaxed in the morning and headed to downtown Haddenfield. Unfortunately, all of the shops were closed, but we did have a good breakfast at Starbucks (perfect Chai weather here).

We then drove to Chris and Jim's house, where E and Ian got reacquainted. We packed a lunch and headed to Longwood Gardens, which was absolutely beautiful! We were there for over 3 hours and didn't get close to seeing it all. E and Ian quickly became friends and were inseparable.

Later in the afternoon we arrived at Lori and Ashesh's, where E managed to find another train lover and train set. He finally fell asleep, but only checking to make sure we had a fun day planned tomorrow!

Meanwhile, Han and Ashesh went to the Eagles game. Han loved the field, and was very happy not to be too cold. Apparently, Eagles fans are more fanatical than Gator fans!

Fall Day 3 - A Day on the Farm

Today was our last day in Lancaster Country. We woke up early, packed, and said goodbye to the little Cottage. We drove around, looking for places to have breakfast and looking at the sights. We then went to the Strasbourg Toy Train Museum, which was awesome! Huge train displays, some interactive. E loved making the trains go and probably would have stayed there all day if not for the actual train ride coming up.

We then rode the Strasbourg Railroad line, which was a nice 45 minute ride through farm lands. E enjoyed Kettle Corn and pointed out any Amish so I could make sure not to take their pictures or capture them on video.
We got off near Cherry Crest Farm, where we spent most of the afternoon. Today was their last day, and it was a chilly one! There was a huge corn maze, which we didn't attempt, because it really was HUGE and E wasn't sure he'd make it all the way through. We did take a little wagon ride through part of the maze though. The farm had tons of activities, from their "Make-A-Friend" workshop, where E made his new friend, Leon. Leon is a little Amish boy whose name means "Brave". E slung pumpkins, jumped in the hay stacks, went through a hay obstacle course and tunnel, saw some farm animals, nearly crushed a chick (the boy has huge hands), rode a horse, had a duck race, and nearly twisted his ankle on a huge open bounce platform. We headed out as E started stumbling around, yet proclaiming not to be sleepy the whole time. On our way out of the area, we stopped at the Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, which is a very large shopping center full of fun crafts and gifts. I finally found my Amish Christmas ornament (we try to get one from every place we visit) and headed to Cherry Hill, NJ.

We drove into Philly, saw the skyline and felt happy :-) Oh, another note about Mr. Darcy (our GPS - he has a British accent): it only works well when one enters the correct address. Turns out that Cuthbert Rd. is different than Old Cuthbert Rd...one takes us into Camden, the other to Cherry Hill. Camden is scary, but we finally made it to the hotel and got some Thai food. E fell asleep during the trip and didn't wake up until early the next morning. For those wondering how a 4 year old is handing such a busy schedule: at 5:30 a.m., he was already asking when we'd get to go do the fun stuff and wanted to go over a day to day itinerary to make sure there was going to be enough to do. The adults haven't run out of steam yet either :-)

Fall Day 2 - Cottage Living

Our little cottage is so cute! It's really tiny, but has plenty of room for just a couple days. It's absolutely beautiful out here! The leaves are turning, the grass is green, and there is a creek right by the cottage.

We started the morning just running around outside, then we drove around in search of covered bridges. Here are a couple we found.

Then we went to Lancaster's Children's Museum, where E played all sorts of Lancater-esk games, including fishing, farming, and building. After lunch, we went to the Amish Village, where we got a tour of an Amish home and farm. It clearly wasn't "real", but it was very interesting. Driving around we have seen so many beautiful farms, families working and playing, and travelers racing down the street in their buggies. Since they don't like their picture taken, you won't see any here...

Then we headed to Strasburg, a train lover's Paradise (btw, we also went to Paradise, the little town). We went to the National Train Museum first, where there were dozens of actual trains on display, from all eras. E was able to (pretend) conduct one of the trains.

We then went to the Choo Choo Barn, which is one of the best train displays I've ever seen! It was designed to be a miniature version of Lancaster Country, complete with an Amish barn raising, local attractions, and even a burning house (the little fire truck goes right over, and the firemen climb up ladders to put the fire out. We bought the DVD in case anyone wants to see it :-) Right next door was the Thomas Depot, were E got a new friend, Whiff. We spent our last night at the Cottage watching the Choo Choo DVD and preparing for out next adventure.