Party in Pacifica! I am not a big fan of Halloween, but Erin and Randi threw a really fun party on Halloween and some of our friends went all out for their costumes. Above are Queen Elizabeth, a crazy witch lady, and a lame cowgirl hanging with the resident pup dog.
A cowboy/EMT, Superman, and Tyra Banks.
(From left) Blessing in Disguise, a drunk Mexican/cowboy/EMT, and a dancing queen/Greek goddess of some sort.
On Saturday morning, we headed over to Brance and Fi's old apartment to help them move. Half the stuff is headed to San Jose, where they will be living, and half is headed to Brance's mother's house in Hanford, CA for storage. Check out the cute movers above! Need a hand, boys?
Brance organizing the new and improved large truck. The first truck they rented was only 10' long, not large enough for all their stuff. So Brance and I went back to Budget and rented a 15 footer.
Fides looking cute as a button, as usual. Even in her scrubs!
We stopped for a bathroom break and a hot dog somewhere off Route 5. Fi and I rode in their Prius, listening to sermons about marriage on CD. Francis and Brance drove the truck, and probably made stupid jokes the whole way.
Hanford is kinda hick, but they do have a Super Walmart, so Fi took me shopping after dinner. She pretended to buy a few makeup brushes for herself, but ended up surprising me with them as a gift. She showed me how to apply eye mayeup and blush when we returned to Brance's mom's house.
When Fi and I returned from the store, Francis was engrossed in a game of chess with Keith, Brance's mom's friend. Francis ended up triumphing, but he said it was a very hard fought battle. After the chess game, we all settled in to watch the movie "Amazing Grace".
Whew! We made it! I am happy to report at the one year mark that our marriage is healthy and blissful to the point of nausea for those around us. Francis planned a surprise anniversary weekend for me. Part of the weekend was a trip to the movie theater to watch Fireproof, a straight up, unapologetic Christian movie about marriage. In the movie, one of the supporting characters explains to the main character that as a husband, you must study your wife the way you might study a book. Notice her likes and dislikes, her hobbies, her interests. Francis earned an A+ this weekend in that department. He took me camping, orienteering, and to eat breakfast!
I was so shocked when we pulled into the KOA campground, I just couldn't believe my husband would try camping. He hates bugs, dirt, and public restrooms...but apparently he loves me more.
The campground was a short drive from the beach, just south of Santa Cruz. Ah, sunset over the ocean. Don't be jealous East Coasters.
I was very impressed with Francis's novice fire-starting skills. He had a nice little fire going in no time. We cooked hot dogs and marshmellows over the flames. You know, a balanced diet. The campground was unlike any I'd ever been to before. The sites were organized in a circle, rather than individual little slots, so it really encouraged campers to talk to one another. There was quite a bit of fire envy going on in the circle. Everyone was inspecting everyone else's work.
The next morning we packed up and headed to breakfast at a cute little diner the folks at the KOA recommended. The only problem was that it was so popular that we had to wait a while to get a table. So long that we missed our orienteering event. No worries, my eggs benedict was worth it.
We decided to go to the park where the orienteering meet was being held anyway. It is located south of San Jose, where the hills are covered in dry grasses and the occasional lonely tree. The park is built around a "reservoir" that was more puddle than pond. These poor people were trying to boat on it, despite the large islands of dry land rising up from the center. Nothing to see here folks, just the desperate last gasps of the California water table. We took a 3.5 mile hike up the mountain on a trail. The trail passed a large horse pen and the horses meandered slowly over to greet us as we passed. Sorry, boys, no carrots today.
I snapped a shot of a few old school orienteerers discussing the event. Maroon and gold are the colors of the Bay Area club. As usual, they were mostly comprised of Europeans with funny accents and even funnier clothes and shoes. They march to the beat of their own drum, that lot.
Since Francis's dad just returned home from a three week trip, we decided to get together for a family meal. Michael loves nothing more than to feed and care for his family. He pulled out all the stops for this meal, including driving to San Francisco's Chinatown to purchase marinated duck and preparing special dipping sauces like garlic vinegar and a hot sauce/ soy sauce combo.
Here are Mr. and Mrs. Tao senior putting the finishing touches on our meal.
I have to be completely honest, this meal was tough on a white girl. I'm not exactly used to sitting down to a steaming plate of meat that still has a healthy layer of fat attached to the skin. Francis said I should have been thankful that the head was not still attached to the duck. Look at all this food! This was intended for two women who eat like birds and two men. What a spread! Michael watched me intently throughout the meal to be sure I was getting enough to eat. He only picks at the cheaper items like rice and tofu until he is sure his family has had their fill of the good meat.
Michael brought back a Fila track suit for Francis.
Francis and I are relieved that Michael is not interested in taking the job he was checking out while on his trip. We are praying that God provides a steady and well-paying job here in the Bay Area. We hope he can have weekends and nights off to spend with his wife and go to church.
