So that we don't feel too guilty about not journaling enough (or at all), we thought we'd start by do a little catching up with monthly highlights of our year thus far...
September:
Joy finally got to join on a Kong girls trip, after missing out the last 3 years due to school and limited vacation days. Being the Andrea Bocelli groupies that we all are, Mama Kong, Lilian, and Joy went to NYC to hear Andrea Bocelli sing in Central Park. The tickets were free, but we didn't get any at first. Thanks to the Todds, we got their extra tickets which made this trip possible. It was definitely a very memorable trip. We got to hear Andrea sing in the cold rainy weather, visit with our Lin family, and also got to hang out with our dear friends the Todds.
Start of the line to enter the west gate at Central Park on 72nd
By the time we got there at 3 pm, the line was already at 68th
About 15 mins into our wait... should be entering the park anytime now.
1 hr later and in our rain jackets, we're still waiting to enter the west gate for the concert.
What kind of crazy people wait in the rain and cold for a free concert? Andrea groupies, that's who!
Finally inside and secured our seats for the concert.
Not exactly front row seats, but this is the closest anyone with a free ticket
for the west gate can get to.
'Night under the Stars'
Andrea and Celine Dion singing 'The Prayer'
Hanging out with Lynda and her beautiful kids at Highline.
One of the rare pictures we have of the three of us
This is a great picture... perfectly captures Joy not knowing what to do about Ava.
Beautiful day in NYC, with the empire state building in the background.
Lilian and Brandon on the makeshift train, "Choo Choo"
Aren't they the cutest kids?
Brandon showcasing his scootering/skateboarding skills along the sidewalks of NYC.
Sightseeing around the city
Cousins playing on the 'Big' piano
In addition to Joy's fun girl's trip, Dan had a very big surgery which kept him out of commission for almost two weeks. Being the nice husband that he is, he didn't want to keep Joy from having good sleep anymore because of his loud snoring.
(And we me LOUD, you can hear him in the next room, with the doors closed!) He decided to do the snoring surgery (despite Joy's protests) which included cauterizing his upper palette and removing his uvula and tonsils. This, in addition to correcting his deviated septum again, made it a very painful 2 weeks for him. Thank goodness for vicodin! But, we're happy to report that he's fully recovered now and fully functioning. And for those of you wondering, NO he doesn't snore anymore! Ironically, after being so used to hearing loud snores from Dan at night, Joy has had to check on him a few times, to make sure he's still alive in the middle of the night.
Here's Dan right after surgery, in recovery. Poor guy! We'll spare you
the graphic pictures of his mouth. They're pretty gross!
We had quite a scare when the Texas wildfires hit really close to home this month. It's been a driest and hottest year in Texas, with most of the state in a drought. There was a fire in George Bush, which is less than a mile away from our apartment. We could see and smell the fire from miles away. Here are some pictures Joy took on her way home from work, in the horrible traffic. Luckily, firefighters were able to contain the fires that evening, so we didn't have to evacuate.
August:
While Mama Kong and Lilian went on a two week Scandinavian cruise without Joy, we got to go on our own exotic vacation to Kalispell, Montana for the annual Dernick Family summer vacation.
Yes, this is the plane we took to fly to Montana.
We checked and there were flights to Amsterdam, not just Canada;
which makes this an official international airport.
Catching 'The Wedding Singer' at the Big Fork theater.
Made sure to get in some golfing time.
Start of our hike to Hidden Lake overlook from Logan Pass.
Snow the rest of the way up to the overlook
One of the many wildlifes we found along our hike
View of hidden lake behind us
Our usual hiking pose, next to the hiking trail map
A quick stop to touch the cold glacier water on our way out of the park
Also, our friends Jeremy and Angie Funk had their baby boy - Logan McKell Funk. We went to visit them at the hospital, and Dan got to hold his first day old newborn ever.
July:
Celebrating Independence Day with some patriotic breakfast.
Joy's decorated pancakes
Dan's decorated pancakes
What a sexy guy! Dan looks like a human computer with all
the wires taped to him for his sleep test.
Joy helped host a baby shower for her good friend Angie Funk. This is her
first attempt at not outsourcing the dessert for the party favors. Here are some
of the cakepops in the making, prior to some 'Kong packaging'.
Joy and Lilian with the shower honoree.
Celebrated Father's Day with Papa Kong at the Dynamos game.
Angie Leach came to visit Houston and we had a mini-reunion at Rudy's BBQ.
The girls had fun catching up and reliving old times. Thank you husbands
(Dan and Jeremy) for keeping yourselves entertained talking about dentistry the entire time.
May:
May was a beautiful month in Houston with perfect weather. We took advantage of the weather and did as many outdoor events as possible.
Scored some great seats to the Arcade Fire concert in the Woodlands
We're supposedly on the screen of people. Well, you can probably see Dan, not Joy.
We got to visit with Will and Win after the concert. They're from the
Woodlands and went to the same church as the Dernicks. Small world, huh?
Checking out Discovery Green to listen to the Beatles Concert
Celebrating Dad's birthday at the Palm. He looks excited to dig into his birthday lobster!
April:
Dan had surgery to fix his deviated septum and can now breathe through his nose... yay! We're just glad we both survived the surgery. Also, we now have a niece - Elle Christine Hardy, born on April 6. Congrats to Rex and Lisa!
Elle's first front cover and announcement
March:
The most anticipated month in Houston... rodeo month! We went to the Houston Rodeo with our friends to pig out and listen to Joy's favorite country singer - Brad Paisley.
Some pictures from the rodeo. Is it obvious enough that we were there to eat everything?
And, everything we did eat!
Oh yeah, and we celebrated our 1 year anniversary too! :) The Costa Rica trip was our main celebration, but Dan also planned an evening at the ballet - Sleeping Beauty for Joy's anniversary present, and he got personalized license plates from Joy. How romantic, huh? We spent the actual day with a home cooked meal and watching our wedding video. Can't believe we got married a year ago!
Apparently, people who are 1-series fans would get it. For those of you wondering,
'Einser' means 'Oner' in German. Yeah, Joy doesn't really get it either.
But, Dan chose it and likes it.
February: Dan and I decided to forego our plans to visit New Zealand and took a short trip to Costa Rica instead. (New Zealand will just have to wait until next year, after we have some time to save up) There, we experienced what the locals call 'Pura Vida' (pure life).
