Christmas 2006

This year, we spent the Christmas Day with my sister's family. They had recently moved to their new house in Temecula, and we had not had the chance to visit her since they moved in. Kids also wanted to spend some time with their cousins, Taylin & Matthew. We drove down on Saturday before Christmas, six of us and our dog Coco ... big mistake...for it took us 11 LONG hours to travel approximately 500 miles! Too many travelers on the road...accidents...bottleneck...looky-look traffic... you get the picture. When we finally got within 30 miles of her house the whole freeway (6 lanes) were shut down! Apparently there was this guy who kidnapped two people, took them to ATM for withdrawal, then police chase ensued...onto the freeway...resulting in one fatality. I never did find out who was killed...but there were tons of angry travelers!

Once we got to my sister's house 11 hours later, we were all very exhausted and hungry. They had a nice dinner ready for us. They bought this huge house with an avocado groves in the canyon in Temecula. House was Tuscany style and beautifully decorated. My sister always did like things in a grand scale. I loved the main living area... with 18 ft ceiling and fireplace. I always preferred one large main living area vs. smaller living & family room. However, I found all the counters/sinks to be too high for my height. Go figure! Are people who live in these houses taller? I had to use step stool to brush my teeth, wash my face, etc. I felt very short.

On Christmas Eve Curtis, my brother, along with Lauren, my cousin, also came over to my sister's house. We all celebrated Christmas together. It was very nice. Kids always enjoy spending time with Uncle Curtis... and it was good to see Lauren again too. Kids went on hikes with Coco on their orchard, and also persimmon picking in their neighbor's orchard (with permission, of course).

Kids with Grandparents

Grandma & Grandpa Song

Girls with Uncle Curtis

Eddie had to leave on Christmas Day... he was scheduled to work on Dec. 26th. Rest of us stayed for couple more days. Kids were having too much fun! And Coco was enjoying the open space... chasing birds, and on one morning we found him chasing a baby coyote! Yikes! We left on Thursday, Dec. 28th. This time it only took 9 hours... this with 3 pit stops! It was much better ride up. Although we enjoyed being at my sister's house, it was so good to be home!

2006 in a Glimpse...
Reflecting back

Well, lot has happened in this past year. For a starter, today is our 15th Wedding Anniversary. Yes, Eddie & I got married on December 15, 1991. It's hard to believe that we've been married that many years. However, it has been quite an interesting marriage so far. We have accomplished quite a bit in those years too (4 kids, 3 graduate degrees, 1 post-doc studies, an internship & residency, 8 residences which includes 4 cross-country moves with kids, total of 6 surgeries between the two boys, 2 ER visits for stitches...both on Jeffrey, and 1 broken bone, and at one time or another all 4 kids have had some form of appliances for their teeth). All in all, we all managed to make it to this point...

In January we decided to make Sacramento our permanent home and purchased our house in Arden Park area. Despite the unstable real-estate market, we found a home in a neighborhood we liked and moved in during the first week of February with the help of Sacramento Korean SDA Church youth (Thank you so much). They were great! Although we were in the new neighborhood, we decided to let our kids finish off the school year at their previous schools... so that meant countless miles logged on my car.

Once summer arrived, our children joined the neighborhood swim team and began swimming daily. Although it was tough at first (especially the younger ones), they gradually got better. It was a great chance for our kids to get to know the neighborhood kids they will be going to go to school with in Fall while getting a great workout. Boys also joined the Metro Soccer team. Swimming & Soccer kept our children busy during the summer months. During the meantime, Eddie was still busy studying for the Anesthesia Oral Boards.

In Fall, with the exception of Christopher, our children enrolled in our new neighborhood schools. We wrestled with couple of options available for our children, but in the end we enrolled our girls together in Mariemont Elementary school and Jeffrey at Arden Middle School just down the street. Rachel started 2nd grade, Elizabeth started 4th grade and Jeffrey started 7th grade. We kept Christopher at his current middle school... because he'll move again next year for 9th grade. It took couple of weeks for the kids to readjusted to the new school, but now they like the new schools and are thriving in their new environment... maybe because they know we're not planning on moving for a long time. Girls have started violin at their school once a week, and Elizabeth(Lizzy) joined the school band playing flute as well as the choir singing alto. Girls also started taking piano lessons again. They truly enjoy playing music! Jeffrey is adjusting nicely to his new middle school. He's taking school bit more seriously and doing well. He's even made the Principle's List!

In September, Eddie finally took his Anesthesia Oral Boards in San Diego... and after a long 4 weeks of waiting he got his result. Yes, he passed his boards. And now that he's a Board-Certified Anesthesiologist he was made a partner to his Anesthesia Group. We were so ecstatic! It seems as if we took all the detours (or scenic roads) in our lives... it took a long time to get to this point in our lives... However, it all feels so much sweeter. It seems like everything is falling into places. We truly have been blessed... All these years, it seemed as everything was going our way. Yes, it's chaotic here on a daily basis, but I don't think we'd want it any other way. We're always busy and on the go, but it feels so alive! In looking back I realize that it's the process of getting somewhere that's just as exciting as getting there. To have a goal to move towards... that is just as, if not more, exciting as actually achieving that goal.

In reflecting back, I am thankful for everything; for our wonderful family and friends. Without being around those we love, nothing else would matter. I am thankful that we have had an exciting 15 years of marriage, and am looking forward to many more years together with Eddie. And without any hesitation, I am looking forward to 2007.

Thanksgiving 2006

We had a great Thanksgiving Day this year. We were unable to travel down to Southern California this year to visit our relatives, but was fortunate enough to have Eddie's sister Sung's family visit us. They came up late Wednesday night and stayed with us until Saturday. Our kids had a blast playing with their cousins Sammantha & Tyler. They have grown so much! They played so well together. By the end of their stay even our dog Coco was playing well with their dog, Max. It was sad to see them go.

On Thanksgiving Day morning, the boys (Eddie, Trece, Chris & Jeff) went out to play "Turkey Bowl" with our church youth. It turns out it was a football game with Napa church youth as well. They all came back tired & sore (and hungry). During the meantime we got our Thanksgiving meals ready for the troop. Somehow we managed to prepare tons of food for our families as well as SKSDA bachelors. I think we had about 8 bachelors including my cousin, James, who now resides in Santa Rosa. It was good to see these men share Thanksgiving meal with our family. We truly enjoyed it.

We ended up getting two turkeys... long story... but it happened. Anyhow, Eddie decided he'll try grilling one on our charcoal grill. It was a success. The grilled turkey came out so nice... it was preferred over the oven roasted one. It was more tender, and more flavorful than the original way. I think we now have a new tradition! Eddie's looking forward to grilling turkeys in the future.

Overall, it was a nice week (our kids had the whole week off). It was nice for our kids to have a break, and enjoy each other. It was especially nice for Christopher to catch up on his sleep. He's been really busy with school work and has been somewhat behind in his sleep. I, however, have a hard time believing that the year is almost over. It just flew by! I'm not so sure I'm ready for 2007 yet! Anyhow, it has been a good year for us. For that I am very thankful!

Here are more pictures of the kids...
1) Choi & Trias kids together by the Fish Ladder at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, 2) Eddie with Rachel at the Nimbus Hatchery Visitor's Center, 3) Lizzy, Rachel & Sammy overlooking Nimbus Dam, 4) Foursome peaking out of the tent, and 5) Lizzy, Rachel, Tyler & Sammy waiting to be seated at The Old Spaghetti Factory.

NorCal Retreat 2006 - Leoni Meadows

November 17-19

Sacramento Korean SDA Church youth, along with three other Northern California Church youth, spend a wonderful weekend up in Leoni Meadows with Dr. Billy Chung (from Georgia) as our guest speaker. Other three church in attendance were Napa, Rohnert Park, & Pleasanton Church. Kids from Jr. High school up to College (and some young ones at heart) gather together worshiping and fellowshiping with our fellow Christian brothers & sisters. It was even more enlighting in that Eddie and I were the parents this time. It seems like just yesterday when I attended these campmeetings.

Rohnert Park Youth were in charge of all the meals and I must say that I was more than impressed. You see, when they told us that registration fee covers food & lodging I was a bit skeptical and brought some "back-up plan" with us. Needless to say I did not need any back-up. They cooked not only enough but delicious meals for the whole group. Our boys, Christopher & Jeffrey, really enjoyed the retreat. Our girls, Elizabeth & Rachel, had fun as well although they were much younger than the rest.

For me one of the most enjoyable part of the weekend was to be able to see my old friend Billy. It has been about 11 years since we last saw each other. We have been friends since the 80's and have many memories. We used to go to Retreats like this one when we were youth. I'm sure our children have met friends from this weekend, and other Retreats, who will remain good friends for a long time like Billy and I have. It's funny to see your children go through these phases... because like I said before it seems like just yesterday when we were that young... oh well... I will post some pictures later as they become available.

Congratulations Eddie!

For those of you that know our family well, you know that Eddie has been in some kind of school or training forever. And frankly our family has become quite accustomed to our lives around Eddie's studying something or another. Well, that all came to an end as of yesterday. Eddie took his Oral Boards for Anesthesia in September and got his result. Yes, he passed his exams and is now a Board-Certified Anesthesiologist! Actually I'm not sure if he can handle his life without some exam to look forward to. He tells me he is, but he's already started looking for things to read or do. Lately he's been seen carrying the Sudoku & Crossword puzzles around. I guess when you're used to studying all the time it would feel ackward to be without a book in your hand! Anyhow, as you can imagine, we're all excited and are looking forward to a new chapter in our lives. We will keep you posted.

Labor Day Weekend: Part 2 - River City Rebels

Jeffrey also had a great weekend. His team, RC Rebels, also competed in the River City Valle de Oro Tournament. Although his team didn't make it to the championship/consolation games, they certainly made the other teams earn their points.

Jeffrey's turning out to be quite a defensive player. He's fast, and playing more aggressively then he's used to. His foot skills are also improving. He puts so much into his games, that during breaks you can see him dripping with sweat.

He gives all he can during the game. He doesn't hold anything back. He plays hard, and at times a little rougher than referees would like... But he's learning that fine balance between playing aggressive enough, but not enough to get him in trouble.

As you can see in these sequence pictures, he's fast... he can catches up to other players, steals the ball, and pass them by.

Rachel & Lizzy had a blast watching their brothers play this weekend. They, too, want to play soccer like their brothers.

Thank you again Uncle Curtis for these wonderful pictures... and also for spending time with us. We really enjoyed your company. Come back again soon!

Labor Day Weekend: Part 1 - River City Force

This Labor Day Weekend was Wonderful! Not only was it nice to have a long weekend, but the weather was perfect, Uncle Curtis came to spend the weekend with us, and we all enjoyed watching Chris & Jeff play soccer.

This weekend's soccer tournament, River City Valle de Oro, was not only in Sacramento, but was sponsored by our soccer club - River City Soccer Club. Mom, Grace, spent good part of Friday evening checking in soccer teams participating in this weekend's tournament.

Christopher's team, River City Force (U14), played very well this weekend. They were able to make it into the consolation game and after a tough game, finished the tournament with a 4th place trophy. The last game against the 3rd place winner was a real close one.

Here are some more pictures of Christopher's soccer game.

You can see on these pictures that he's even learned how to control the "heading".




Here are some more of the sequence shots Uncle Curtis took.









In the end, it's pictures like this that says it all. They truly had a wonderful time.

Soccer Season!

Soccer season has officially begun! Our boys have been busy practicing their foot skills and competing in soccer tournaments. They are both part of the Norcal Youth Soccer League, in the Metro (select) League. Christopher is in a U14 team called River City Force, and Jeffrey is in a U12 team called River City Rebels. Both of the teams belong to the same soccer club - River City Soccer Club, thus the name "River City" Force & Rebels. This league is in between your neighborhood recreational league and the competitive league. Their season lasts about half year, from July to end of December. It all depends on the coach, and how aggressive/competitively they want to play.

Anyhow, they have been practicing with their team atleast 2x a week for the last couple of months. And on the weekend of August 12-13, unfortunately they were both scheduled to play in a tournament in different town. Christopher's team was scheduled to play in the "Skunk Classic" in Fort Bragg, and Jeffrey's team was scheduled to play in the "Kickin' Chicken Soccerfest" in Petaluma. So our family split up and traveled in different pat. Eddie & Christopher drove up to Mendocino for the weekend and Grace & Jeffrey (and Lizzy & Rachel) drove up to Petaluma. It was a bittersweet weekend for all of us. Both boys' teams had a disappointing start, but it was good to see them play hard and contribute to the team. They were both a good sport, and although they were exhausted and sore by the time the weekend was over they were excited to be able to play again.

Jeffrey's team had another tournament on August 19-20 here in the Sacramento area. I haven't taken any action photos yet, but here is a picture I took of the team. More photos to come later.


There are still many more tournaments left in this season. I will update the blog when I can. Hopefully we'll get some great action shots.

Summer of 2006

I can't believe how fast this summer has passed. Usually we are able to take mini-field trips with the kids, take few short vacations, and count the days until the beginning of the new school year. This year, however, before I knew what hit me I realized that we have less than 2 weeks of vacation left! We were only able to make a handful of visits to our local library, only finish few pages of workbooks I bought for the kids, and have not had any "field trips". I suppose that means that somehow we managed to keep busy and occupied. We did have handful of visitors this summer.

Uncle Curtis managed to visit us couple of times. Kids really enjoy Uncle Curtis' visits. Uncle James came up and visited for about a week. Couple of weeks ago the Chung family came and visit us for a day (it was so much fun to play with all five of them), and the Kim family visited us before & after PUC campmeeting. Auntie Sue's parents also stopped over and stayed a night before PUC campmeeting. Auntie Helen & Uncle Tae's family came over twice, and grandma & grandpa Song stopped by after PUC campmeeting. great aunt & great uncle Lee (James/Janie's mom & dad) stopped by after PUC campmeeting too. I guess we make a great stopping ground for PUC. Although at times it may have been somewhat chaotic, we really enjoyed the visits from our friends & family.

We just got back from Western Korean SDA Campmeeting at PUC this past Sunday. Kids had a blast! This year Christopher & Jeffrey decided to enter the talent show with their cousin Matthew. Although they didn't figure out what they were going to do until about a day before, their performance was great! It was soooo cute! Three of them, with the help of Taylin, choreographed a dance routine to the Pokemon theme song. They called themselves the "Pokemon Masters". They all said it was the highlight of their experience. Taylin also entered the talent show, playing the Fantasy Impromtu, and won the 3rd place. She played flawlessly! She is so great!

Here's the "Pokemon Masters" with Grandma Song & Auntie Helen

Next couple of weeks will surely fly by as well. We still have to go to the school orientations, finish registering for their classes, get lockers, PE uniform, school supplies, etc... not to mention the soccer practices. Oh yea, and the soccer tournament this coming weekend. Christopher will be headed to Fort Bragg with Eddie and Jeffrey will be headed to Petaluma with me and the girls. Poor Coco will have to be boarded for the weekend. I hope he does well. Anyhow, I didn't take much pictures last couple of weeks but once I get a hold of some pictures from others (of PUC campmeeting) I will be sure to upload it. Well, that's about it for now... I'm just trying to catch up with the laundry from our trip before we have to head on out again this weekend... wish me luck!

Swim Championship

Woodland, California

Over the hottest weekend, our children competed in a swim championship. It was a first for all of them, so we didn't really know what to expect. Five teams from our conference participated in this 2-day filled event.

Coming into the championship our team was undefeated. All the kids were to swim all events, however with each event lasting from 30 seconds to at most couple of minutes there were lots of down times. This was the first year our children were in a competitive swim team. Although over the season our children had improved dramatically, it is hardly a match for those
seasoned veterans. I was blown away by
some of the kids there. Boy, you can never underestimate the size of a child! Our kids, however, hung in there... trying their best, and at times beating their best time. We were very proud of them. Despite the hot and humid weather, and long-drawn out swim meet, they cheered for their siblings as well as other teammates.

Jeffrey surprised everyone, including his coaches, by cutting his 100 IM time by 38 seconds. It was just amazing! We just don't know where that came from! During the Awards night the following day, the coaches awarded him with the MOST IMPROVED trophy in his age group. 38 seconds was just off the 100 IM. He shed much more time in all the other strokes as well.

Christopher had a great 100 IM as well. He took off almost 30 seconds in his 100 IM. They all enjoyed the swim championship and has already told me that they want to swim again next season, and for the same team. The team especially wants to make sure that the boys come back... there are less older boys in the team. During the Awards Night, Christopher was also awarded a trophy from his coach. He was the 3rd top scorer in their age group. It's a small group, but during the championship our team won the meet by 13 point, and Christopher managed to earn 13 points during the meet! Needless to say, both boys were both surprised and excited. To have received an award on their first year... well... it was totally unexpected. Both boys also participated in a relay race... Jeffrey in 11-12 boys 200 medley relay (he swam the breast stroke), and Christopher in 13-14 boys 200 freestyle relay. Both boys received a medal. It was good for the kids to see that with some work you can achieve.

Sacramento Korean SDA Youth BBQ & Pool Party!

We finally had our church youth over for a BBQ & Pool Party on July 1st. I'm not sure just how many showed up, but we had a full house. The day was perfect... warm 90's temperature. The guys grilled away and then had a blast jumping into the cool water, and helping others "jump" into the pool as well.

Some of the kids were leaving the next day to Camp Cedar Falls in Southern California for Jr. KAYAMM camp, so it was also a nice way to send them off as well. Other than couple of minor incidents that was handled privately, the party was a huge success. I might even be bold enough to say that the kids had a blast. Maybe next time the girls will be better prepared for the "pool party" part.

It's nice knowing that you can provide an atmosphere, as well as a place and food, that our young members can come and relax in. I look forward to seeing them regularly here. I did enjoy the party just as much as they seemed to have.

Newest Member of Our Family, Coco

Well, sometimes despite our good intentions we end up doing something we swore we'd never do. As if having a family of 6 isn't enough work, Lizzy & Rachel has somehow managed to talk both Eddie & me into getting a little puppy for them. However, I have to admit, he is a cutie. He's a Border Collie mix. We're not sure what he's mixed with, although Eddie thinks maybe there is some Labrador in him. We found him at the animal shelter. We compromised with him because I wanted a small dog, and Eddie wanted a manly dog. Collies are supposedly a mid-sized dog. We'll see how it turns out. Anyhow, we have named him "Coco" because he's a black dog.

So far he's been a calm and very bright dog. He's even managed to convince both Christopher & me into liking him. Christopher didn't want a dog either, because he didn't want to deal with all the work/responsibility of having a dog; typical teenager! Well, here he is couple hours into moving in with us. How can you not fall in love with this face?

Arden Park Dolphins Swim Season 2006



Well, our swim season has officially begun. Our children has joined our neighborhood swim team. Arden Park Dolphins (www.apdolphins.org) consist of kids ages 4-18. I don't know the exact number of kids, but it's a lot of kids. They practice EVERYDAY (unless we have a conflict of schedule). Girls are in group "7-8", and they practice 45 minutes everyday, and boys are in group "11-18" and practice 90 minutes everyday. During the month of June & July they have swim meet about every weekend. We just had our 2nd swim meet, and all of them improved on their times.

Our New Home



Our Sacramento Home


We sure do spend a lot of time in this pool.


Our children love to run around in this backyard.

These are pictures of our new home in Sacramento. Come and visit us soon.

Boy, it's been a while since my last entry. Well, needless to say lot has happened since then. It's coming up on one year since moving to Sacramento. We have been in Sacramento since end of July of 2005. We rented a place in Gold River for about 6 months, and then moved in to our current home in Sacramento in February. We haven't quite settled in completely, but it's getting there. It's nice to know that we don't need to pack up and move any time soon. Kids are settling in nicely, and Eddie is enjoying his "Real" job. I continue to "work" as a driver/housekeeper/cook/personal shopper/nurse. It's a never-ending job (with a real BIG paycheck, hehe. Anyhow, I guess I'll try to keep up a bit better.

More Pictures from the Farewell Picnic







Here are some more pictures from our get-together on Friday.