Many reasons to love living in Texas...

I've got to say that other than dealing with the unbearable heat of the summer, it sure is nice to be back in Texas. Ok, so the scenery is not nearly as beautiful here as it is Pennsylvania, but the people sure are friendlier and the customer service is SO much better down here! What's funny is that I was born, raised, and went to college in Pennsylvania, so you'd think that I wouldn't have culture shock returning home. But I am always stunned at how rude people are in public and how unhelpful people are in grocery stores and whatnot whenever we go back to PA. Nobody waves hello from their cars or around the neighborhoods, people just look down as they walk past, nobody asks me if I'm finding everything alright in the store or if I need any help out to my car (heck, I had to bag my own groceries), if you ask someone for help they act like you're bothering them, and if the cashier starts talking, it's usually to another teenager across the aisle and not to you. I chuckled to myself as I read the standard note below one cashier's name tag which said, "I'm here to help you!" I wanted to ask, "But are you really?" I mean, really?!?

John and I noticed the service get better and the people get friendlier at every stop the farther south we drove on our way back to Texas. People start talking to you about just anything at gas stations, everyone from truck drivers to cashiers will coo at your babies and talk to your children, and customer service sounds more like, "Are you findin' everything alright?", "Is there anything else I can get you?", "Here, let me get that door for you.", "Y'all have a good day, now.", and, of course, "Y'all come back!" And yes, even the teenager cashiers and baggers will ask you these questions and help you and your children out to your car. I remember getting nutritional advice from the butcher at Albertson's when he noticed that I was pregnant. I asked him to help me find the ham hocks, and when he showed them to me he stopped and said, "You're making that dozen bean soup, aren't ya?...What you really need are these pork bones because they're much tastier, they've got more meat on 'em, and you need to be eatin' your protein." I found the whole conversation very endearing.

Yes, I've seen the joke lists of "you know you're from Texas if..."
- you pick your parking spot based on shade instead of distance
- you've ever burned your hand on your car door handle
- you start your car to cool it down instead of to warm it up
and on the list goes joking about the heat. All very true, but another equally true one that I've come to appreciate is, you know you're from Texas if you wave to people you don't know from your car. I remember the first time I came to Texas and John waved to someone as we drove out of his neighborhood. I asked, "Who was that?" and he said, "I don't know." "Then why did you wave to him?" "Because that's what you do."

Ha! Not where I come from! But after living in Texas for 8 years now, I wave and smile to perfect strangers without even thinking of it. So maybe it's hotter than a firecracker down here, but at least we can talk about it with the people in line at the store or the pharmacist, who will probably recommend a good sunscreen and then tell us to stay cool.

Sisterly love and fun...

While I was in the kitchen scurrying around to get lunch together after a full morning at VBS, the kids were happily playing around the house. I could hear Hannah and Sarah giggling in the family room, so I walked over to see what they were doing. I found Sarah holding Hannah in the little rocking chair and both thoroughly enjoying it. So of course, I grabbed my camera and now have to post the pictures because they're just too cute not to share.


Hannah, as you can see, is loving every minute of this.


You may recall an earlier post of both girls sitting side by side in this little rocking chair. They're both a little too big for that now.


The proud big sister just lounging back in the chair.

Our 8th anniversary...oops!

We've been a little silent on the blogosphere since we've been home from vacation. This is probably because we came home, unpacked and essentially hit the ground running. We got home late on a Friday night, and then Saturday was spent unpacking and getting our house in order so that Sunday, we could host one of our favorite missionaries (Dan Iverson - Japan) who was preaching that Sunday and spending the night at our house. We probably should have let someone else in the church host him considering the circumstances, but we insisted on hosting him because we wanted the extra time with him...and we had a wonderful visit with him, as usual. Then our denomination's General Assembly was the following week, where all of the pastors and ruling elders in the PCA gathered in Dallas. Then the next week (THIS week), was our church's vacation Bible school (VBS), where I've had to get all 3 of my kiddos up to the church every day by 9:00a.m. and where I've been in charge of teaching the Bible story to the 3rd through 5th graders. It has been a lot of fun, but pretty exhausting as you can imagine.

This hectic pace from vacation until now is probably the reason why John and I both forgot our 8th anniversary yesterday!! What's funny is that yesterday morning, John turned on the computer and I asked him to check my email before I ran off to VBS. While he was pulling up my email, we both saw a notification from my facebook calendar that today was our anniversary! We simultaneously let out a slight gasp, looked at each other and said, "Uh...happy anniversary!" Where would we be without our facebook birthday/anniversary calendar?? Gotta love technology...

These are not our professional pics, but a couple of the only digital ones that I have from one of my bridesmaids. After John got home from a pretty busy day at work, we ate a normal dinner, got the kids in bed early and then spent the remainder of the evening reflecting on the last 8 years of our marriage - how MUCH has happened, how far we've come, and in what ways we need to grow. What's funny is that this isn't the first time we've forgotten our anniversary! Believe it or not, we BOTH forgot our 1st anniversary for the same reasons! We had just gotten back from vacation, John had just been installed as senior pastor at Trinity, we were in the process of packing, moving and, in the meantime, commuting from Dallas, and our anniversary fell on Father's Day, which is a Sunday...a day that John had to get up and preach. So it wasn't until one of my in laws came over to me and whispered, "Happy anniversary" that I nearly fell over. John said that he remembered right in the middle of his sermon. We always joked that it would be really easy for us to remember how many years we've been married since we got married in the year 2000. Now if we could only remember the date!

Here we are, walking happily down the aisle...finally able to relax and enjoy the moment! The pastors who married us (look behind us) were Peter Lillback and Michael Easley.

Here is our bridal party. My matron of honor was my sister, Melanie, and my bridesmaids were Hien Nguyen-Le (my best friend from college), Lillian Campbell (a dear friend who went home to be with the Lord a little over a year after this picture was taken), Lizabeth Swayne (a dear friend of mine from Proclamation PCA in Bryn Mawr, PA who is now with RUF), and Kim Starr (one of my neighbors with whom I became very good friends). John's best man was Joe Gage (his best friend from college and now one of the ruling elders in our church!), and his groomsmen were Mike Emlet (one of his roommates from Westminster and now a counselor with CCEF), Jake Yohannan (another great friend from seminary who became one of our church's associate pastors and has now gone on to plant a church in northern NJ), Claude Taylor (another great friend from seminary who is now the pastor of an OPC church in NJ), and Rick Shurtz (a great friend from Baylor U. who is now an assistant pastor at Gateway church in Austin, TX).

Finally HOME...

After 1 month in Pennsylvania and 2 VERY long days in the van (traveling through PA, MD, W.Va, VA, TN, AR, and finally TX), we are finally HOME in the great state of Texas. As soon as we crossed the state line from Arkansas into Texas, we all broke out into song - "The stars at NIGHT, are big and BRIGHT (clap clap clap clap) deep in the heeaaaarrrt of Texas!" There was much rejoicing, and yet we still had 3 hours of driving left before we reached our front door at 10p.m. (CST). The kids were troopers and all did very well on the long drive, but we were all very relieved to walk into our own house, bathe in our own tubs and sleep in our own beds last night.

Hannah was very eager to help Mommy unpack today.

Picnic in Valley Forge...

I cannot tell you how many times I've been to Valley Forge, either as a mock tour guide for out-of-town family or friends or simply for pleasure. The place never gets 'old' to me and I always enjoy taking walks out there. I used to do a LOT of running there, but not so much these days unless it involves running after my children...


Yesterday we took advantage of the near-perfect weather to have a picnic under the shade of the many trees surrounding the arch. We kind of decided to do this at the last minute, so we just made a bunch of pb&j sandwiches, packed some snacks we had around the house, loaded the cooler with drinks, grabbed some blankets, and piled into the van. The park is only about 10 minutes from my mom's house, so it made for one of those incredibly simple, no-fuss outings that turned out to be one of our most enjoyable and relaxing!


Here is my mom (Paw Paw) and Sarah thoroughly enjoying their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.


The best way to contain a highly mobile baby on a picnic is by putting her in a booster chair with an attached tray. As long as we supplied her with food and drink, Hannah was perfectly content to sit here while the rest of us ate.


Christopher and Sarah thought it would be fun to climb on Daddy, who thought he'd try and relax by sprawling out on the picnic blankets. No such luck...


Even after the kids ran off to play, Hannah was happily munching on goldfish, raisins, or whatever else we put in front of her.


Inspired by the cabins that are set up in various places all throughout the park, Christopher and Sarah began to build one of their own.


Christopher points out the windows that he put into the cabin.


And here is the finished product!

Hien and Dave

Yesterday we drove to see our good friends, Hien and Dave in New Jersey. Hien is my best friend from college and since Hien and Dave were college sweethearts, I've known Dave for as long as I've known her. I met them during my freshman orientation (they were juniors at the time) and we've made a concerted effort to keep in touch over the years and miles. We were in each other's weddings, they've flown down to Texas a couple times to visit us (she even drove with me when I first moved to Texas back in 2000!), and we always make a point to visit them on our PA visits.


Here is Mai An, their youngest baby girl (~10 months old) showing off her tongue.


Happy Mai An in the exersaucer.


Aunty Hien holding our happy Hannah.


Quarter Asian baby meets 100% Asian baby! (yes, that blue-eyed, strawberry-blond-haired, fair-skinned girl on the left has a 1/4 cup of Asian blood in her veins, believe it or not)...


Christopher, Dan (3 years old) and Sarah hanging out in the basement with all of the toys.


So Goldilocks sat down in Papa bear's chair, but it was toooooo big.


Dan takes his chalk drawings very seriously.


Christopher was so excited to color with the giant chalk. Sidewalk chalk is such a cheap and effective form of childhood entertainment.

Philipsburg

After spending the day in Martindale, we headed back to Philipsburg, PA, which is about an hour and 15 minute drive north of Martindale. My sister was born there and we both spent most of our early childhood there until 4th and 6th grade, respectively. Most of my dad's side of the family still lives in and around Philipsburg, so we always make a weekend trip there during our vacation in PA.


Here is Sarah sitting in my Pap's Maple tree. I told her that mommy used to climb that tree when she was a little girl...and always got in big trouble for it!


Here is a picture of the Philipsburg cousins - Sarah Ruth, Sarah Jane, Christopher, Rebecca, and Hannah.

Here's another good shot of all of them together. Sarah Jane and Rebecca are my cousin Shelly's kids...which makes them my 2nd cousins...which makes them my kids' 3rd cousins. They remembered each other and played so well together.


Here is a great photo of Mam Mam and her girls - my Aunt Linda and my Aunt Bubby.


This is a great 4-generation shot, minus Sarah Jane. Mam Mam in the center, her daughter (my Aunt Bub) on the left, my Aunt Bub's girls, Missy and Shelly, and Shelly's oldest daughter, Rebecca.


Here are the preachers: John on the left and my Uncle Paul, a retired CM&A preacher.


Here is Hannah enjoying all of the applause she is getting from simply picking up these whiffle balls and clapping them together.


My Aunt Bubby with Sarah.


The day we headed back to my mom's house, we stopped off at Black Moshannon state park and walked around. The weather couldn't have been more perfect all weekend long, and it's always so refreshing to walk and drive around "Blacky."


Here is a view of the lake from the Bog trail.

Martindale

Funerals can be a very sad event, but they can also be a wonderful time of reflecting and remembering your loved one's life while being reunited with family members that you haven't seen in a long time. My Aunt Sis' funeral service was on Saturday, May 24th at the church where she and my Uncle Chuck served for 28 years, Martindale Alliance Church in Portage, PA. Many tears were shed that day, and yet everyone acknowledged that our grief was not for her, but rather for us who are left behind, missing her. Even Rachel, her youngest daughter who sang a song at the service (don't ask me how on earth she got through it but she sang beautifully and had us all boo-hooing), said at the end, "We grieve for us, but we rejoice for her!" My Aunt Sis' hope was built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. It was a very beautiful service commemorating her life and filled with the hope of heaven. My Aunt Sis wanted to have inscribed on her tombstone, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?"


Sarah was so inspired by Rachel's singing that she got up on the stage, grabbed the microphone and gave it all she got! (Yes, this was AFTER the service, the burial and the reception).


While Sarah was making up words and singing in a very flat key about Jesus, Holy, holy, holy, I will not disobey God, etc., Christopher was singing about pizza. I hope this is not an indication of my children's spiritual state.


Here is a 4 generation photo of the Vaughn side of the family. My grandmother, Mam Mam, is in the center, my dad is on the right, I'm obviously on the left with my 3 1/2 children all around.


My sister Melanie and me with my Uncle Chuck. It was so good to visit with him, remembering old times...but it was also rather heartbreaking since my Aunt Sis was not there.


Here I am with my 2nd cousin, David Jr., my cousin Rachel and her husband, Melvin, and my sister, Melanie.


Here I am with my cousin Debbie, my Aunt Sis' eldest daughter.


Here is my dad (Pap) taking Sarah for a ride on the 4-wheeler. Christopher, consistent with his nature, had no desire to get on that thing. Sarah, consistent with her nature, couldn't wait to get on and had no desire to get off!


Here are Christopher and Sarah by the creek (or as they say in Western PA, "crick") behind my Uncle Chuck's house. It's funny, I remember that creek being so much bigger when I played and explored in it as a kid! Being in that small community again brought back so many memories. I am thankful that my Uncle Chuck is surrounded by all of his kids and grandkids as well as a very loving church community.

Jake and Jaya

While we miss our old friends Jake and Jaya Yohannan ever since they moved to the Northeast from Texas, we are thankful that they live close enough to my mom so that we can visit them on our annual vacation trips to PA. These photos were taken on the day (May 20th) we drove to northern NJ to spend the day at their new house.


Here is John sandwiched between Jaya and Jake. When Patrick, our associate pastor, saw this picture he said, "Look, an Oreo!"


Here is EJ (that stands for Elijah Jedidiah, in case you were wondering) with his mommy.


Here are Sarah, EJ, Christopher and Jesse. I'm so bummed that by the time I thought to bring out the camera, both Josephine and Hannah were taking naps. We realized while we were there that we had kids ages 1 (Hannah), 2(Josephine), 3(Sarah), 4(Jesse), 5(Christopher), and 6(EJ)! To top it off, Jaya and I are both due within a month of each other.


Here is Uncle John with EJ.

Longwood Gardens

Ok, I've been slacking in the blogging department and thought I'd do a few quick posts of the things that have been keeping us so busy!

This post is from the day we went to Longwood Gardens with my mom and my Uncle Paul from Toronto on Monday, May 19th.


Here we all are in the sculpted gardens. Christopher and Sarah remembered this from last year and were so excited when they saw it from a distance that Christopher exclaimed, "Look! There it is!" and then took off running towards it and all throughout it. Thankfully it was not crowded the day we went, so it was relatively easy to find them even though they were running all over the place.


Me, Christopher, Hannah, Sarah, my mom and my Uncle Paul inside the vast conservatory which is a botanical feast for the senses!

Here is Christopher in the orchid room. Oh, it smelled SO wonderful in there!


Here's mommy and happy Hannah in the orchid room.


Hannah was SO happy to get out of the stroller that we just let her walk around the conservatory. She had a BALL. As she was walking down this hallway, she would stop before each of these grates, lean over and yell, "Da!" as if she knew there would be an echo!


Mommy and her girls (ha - all 3 of them!).


What a fantastic display of colors.


This picture cracks me up because it is so typical of my Chinese-tourist family. Never miss an opportunity for a photo shoot!


Here is Sarah on the side of the path back to the visitor center.
Even though we spent the entire morning and afternoon here and were pretty exhausted after arriving home, we felt renewed and refreshed rather than strung-out. Everything there is so gorgeous and walking around the place is so stress-free and relaxing. I can't believe I never went to Longwood when I lived here (only about 30 minutes away from my mom's house). Now that we're out-of-town tourists on vacation, we've seen so much more of my former surroundings than I ever did as a resident.