I AM BACK! I just got back from a vacation to Austria and Slovakia. First, we spent 2 days at my parent’s house in Maryland so that Zachary would get used to the environment. We visited my high school friend Julie and her family – including baby Gavin, who was one month old! I taught my dad how to change a diaper – it bothered him to use his finger to swipe on diaper rash cream. Zachary adjusted fine and didn’t even cry the first night we were away. THANKS MOM & DAD!

Then James and I headed off to Vienna. For those following the new, British Airways was having a catering strike, so we got $15 food vouchers. I bought 8 croissants and James bought an entire cheese pizza.

We did so much in Vienna - I had a Top 10 of Vienna book, and we saw all the touristy highlights, including a concert at night. We met up with my good friend Carol on our third day -  we stopped for lunch (schnitzel) and dessert (the original sacher torte) before heading to Slovakia.

We were off to Bojnice, Slovakia … a 3.5 hour drive from Vienna. The wedding was wonderful! Here are the highlights:

1. It was in a CASTLE in Slovakia – how awesome is that?

2. We had traditional Slovak food and folk songs. And the favor was a crystal vase made in Slovakia – a step up from the typical candle or bag of Jordan almonds.

3. The bride was very laid back – did her own hair and makeup. Spent more time entertaining her guests than obsessing about the little details. (Although there was a thong situation, but her sister was able to help out.)

4. While we were in Slovakia, everything was covered by the bride/groom. They paid for the 3 night hotel, 4 dinners (one was technically in Vienna), the castle tour, admission to the Bojnice zoo, and a few games of skittles. AND they didn’t want wedding presents (I checked all the typical registry places) - they listed donations to charities on their wedding website. Who are these people and am I even worthy of their friendship?! 

5. The groom (who is an Ironman) nearly fainted during the ceremony when it was revealed they were actually legally married in Vegas in July (Oops. Was I not supposed to say that on a public website?)

It was an excellent time! THANKS & CONGRATULATIONS to NATALIE & JASON!

And last, but not least … Zachary is talking! He says “shoosh” for shoes and “ball?” for ball. He can also say “Hsieh” for shoes in Mandarin, and we THINK he also says “Bloon” for balloon, “tze” for car, and “nah” for get.

Last weekend, we celebrated Alice’s 28th birthday… and this weekend, we celebrated Grandma Jeanne’s 82nd birthday! Happy Birthday! We celebrated Alice’s bday late since she was in Singapore for the actual day. To kick off the bday weekend, we went to SunSplash water park. The lines were a bit long, so we only ended up doing 3-4 rides before it was time to go .. and head off to an Afghani restaurant . For dessert, we had Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cake. The rest of that weekend was spend just hanging out at the house .. playing Settlers and Carcasonne!

Grandma Jeanne’s birthday was in San Jose. I met up with my sisters for Thai food before heading to the party. There were SO many people at the party! Zachary got to play with his cousins Auggie and Brandon. Auggie and Zachary chased each other around the kitchen island until Zachary gave up and just lay on the floor! Auggie gave Zach and Brandon a set of match box cars – and was very good at sharing his toys … which is good, becasue he’s going to have a baby brother next month!

Now, it’s time to pack, pack, pack. We have a room full of boxes, and yet it looks like we barely made a dent. We decided to sell our current house – unless the market continues to grow at such a rapid rate, it did not make sense financially to hold on to it. Plus, we just need to simplify our lives … and by selling it, we basically pay off the new house, which means less financial stress. I could even quit my job if I wanted – not that I do, because I enjoy my job, but I like having that option!