August Part 3 (Legion of Honor, New Beginnings, Carol)

I'm finally getting through August.  Hopefully I can catch up to present day at some point!  August was a full month for us, but also I've learned not to overcommit, so it was also a time of rest and reflection for me personally.  I took Isaac on a solo field trip to San Francisco's Legion of Honor to catch their Pompeii exhibit before it closed.  Reservations and masks were required, but it still was a bit more crowded than expected.  

Manny and I also began meeting with our new "life-on-life missional discipleship" groups at church.  We have a community group, but these are even smaller groups where we really get a chance to do life together and develop friendships.  We are relatively new to our church, and it's predominantly Korean, so we weren't sure how we'd connect, but it's been going really well.

Carol, a friend of ours from a previous church, was like a mentor to me for many years.  She passed away in August following heart surgery.  I found out through another friend.  There are many times I've thought about different things she said to me, everything from gardening analogies to home education to communicating with husbands through Excel spreadsheets 😄.  She was wise, hospitable, and faithful.  I hadn't seen her in three years and she had just left Facebook before her passing, so there's no access to her wonderful posts or photos or memories.  She will be missed by many!

Some more highlights:

Isaac and his friend from swim class making up games

M took the boys out for pizza while I 

Mediterranean food with my discipleship group following the orientation meeting

Hundred-year-old tree

Burning off some energy on the front lawn at the Legion of Honor

Rodin

Collection of European paintings.  I have always admired Baroque art (to stare at, not to decorate my home) and Impressionism.

So neat to be able to get close up to Impressionist paintings

Isaac likes to imagine portals.  This was a tough photo to take.  We had to wait till people walked out of the shot, but we did it!

Saint John the Baptist Preaching by Preti.  It reminded me of Caravaggio.

A chest from Pompeii with intricate details

Representation of Pompeii home

Amazing mosaic--photo doesn't do it justice

Mt. Vesuvius erupting

Lucas used to be into Pompeii and other historical catastrophes, but not so much now.

Inside the entrance

View from the fountain at the parking lot

There's just something about fountains...

We're doing a more hands-on approach to science this year

Naomi and friends at Great America

Streaming memorial service for my friend and mentor Carol from our previous church.  Here are some of her grandchildren singing during the service.

Seeing the community farm on a morning jog

Wildfire ashes making the sky orange

I don't remember everything I made here but it was a lot of food along with some leftovers

August Part 1 (Movies, Tutoring, Swimming, Olympics, Friend Visits)

I might have to break August into four parts as a lot happened that month, including Naomi returning to school in person and Isaac starting his last planned year of homeschool (Lucas started after Labor Day).  I continued my tutoring and Pampered Chef gigs and also visited with friends again, though still outdoors mostly.  By that point, I knew the vaccine was said to prevent severe symptoms, but that you could still potentially carry the virus.  Even before Covid, I quarantined my kids even from each other when one got sick so that illnesses wouldn't make their rounds in our family.  Limiting the spread to others was more important to me than not getting it myself.  

I do have to take calculated risks sometimes, though, like visiting my friend who has underlying conditions or Isaac taking a swim class, or going on dates with Manny.  I've had to weigh the pros and cons and make the best decision for the circumstances.  Manny and I went to see Snake Eyes.  I think that was our first time back to the theater since the pandemic started.  I used to watch the G.I. Joe cartoons with my big brother when we were little and was so fascinated by the Snake Eyes character.  He was a recluse and would show up with his wolf Timber and help save the world quietly and then retreat again.  Of all the cartoons I watched, his character was the most relatable to me.  I watched Jem and She-ra often as well, so I liked the girly stuff, too, but just something about Snake Eyes made me feel like it was okay to be the way I was. Anyway, this film was supposed to be his backstory, and I of course like to support Asian-led films (not just Asian-led films, but that's one of the categories I don't see a lot in Hollywood).  

Naomi made some new friends the summer before school started, so that felt nice that she would have a group to be around once school started.  She got to go to Monterey with one friend and her family, but I don't really see them hanging out together now.  Sometimes friends come and go, and that's part of life.  It's hard for people like Naomi and I who value long-term and really lifetime relationships.  

Speaking of that, I am very blessed with the longstanding friendships I do have.  My friend was up to take care of her mother who is undergoing treatment for cancer and see her brother, and we and another friend were able to meet up at a central point for coffee and mochi donuts.  My friends also brought a number of gifts for us.  I felt lame just having a small gift for my friend's birthday, but I don't have much to give.  I actually wanted a break but decided to take Isaac.  I'm glad I did.  My friends each brought one of their children as well.  But Isaac expressed disappointment over feeling excluded from our adult conversations.  He doesn't understand why children should just sit there and play on the phone or whatever while adults talk.  My friends were gracious and did try to include him.  I was kind of bothered, but just dealt with it patiently till we started walking and Isaac could hang out with my friend's son since he wasn't on his device.  That ended up being Isaac's favorite part of the day.  Both boys were pretty nice and friendly with each other.  I also visited an old friend from our previous church with lunch and a prayer plant.  She is currently disabled, and life hasn't been very easy on her following complications from a surgery.  She is a good prayer partner, and I'm thankful for our visits.

Some photos:

The sweet little girl I tutor gave me some pretty flowers.

I thought this picture posted upside down at first, but it's rock climbing, one of the new events this Summer Olympics.

First time in the newly opened AMC theater and first time back since Covid hit.

About to watch Snake Eyes.

These mochi donuts were good but kind of expensive!

Isaac and N. coming up with games to play on this little patch of turf we found

My friends from/since college, S and A.  S's daughter took the picture.

S got us this amazing apple pie from the orchard.

  My other friend got us a beautiful ming aralia and sous vide machine!

My stalker photo of Naomi on the way to the park to meet friends

Visiting a beautiful nursery to buy a prayer plant for a friend

Naomi took a day trip to Monterey with friends, first time doing that in ages.

My friend's housemate's cat Toffee

With the prayer plant (the leaves stand straight and together in the evenings, like praying hands)

Here's Pluto in the window.

Isaac's swimming class was his favorite class ever.

July Misc Update (Cooking, Interests, and Extra Trip Photos)

[I accidentally published this prematurely, and there was stuff from June mixed in and missing photos; this is the updated post]  July was a great month for me.  You don't know what you have sometimes until it's gone, and being able to get back out again for fun, get back to (swim) class for Isaac, continuing my tutoring and Pampered Chef gigs, among other things, just felt great.  I also loved the return of the Olympics, though sad about Covid, and "Top Chef."  

I was pretty excited for all the new sports coming to the Summer Olympics, including rock climbing, surfing, skateboarding, and karate.  I was also excited for it to be held in Tokyo. Unfortunately, with Covid, they didn't have the host city segments they often do, and the athletes didn't have all their family and/or friends cheering in the stands.  It was a little strange that everything still said 2020 even though it was 2021, but they probably had all the merchandising and logos set to 2020 for years.  I'm glad for the athletes that they were able to compete, especially those for whom this would be their last games.  My favorite events are...all of them.  But mainly I followed track and field, gymnastics, archery, diving, swimming, and the new events.  The big talk of course was women's gymnastics and Biles pulling out.  I feel it was the right thing to do, to look out for her health and the team.  No one who's followed her can accuse her of not having grit or determination.  A lot of athletes expected to do well didn't, and that's sometimes how it goes.  But the opening and closing ceremonies were still great to watch, and I had my little watching buddy in Isaac.  He surprisingly enjoyed the swim races the most.  

Here are some highlights from the month.  One thing not pictured is my return to tutoring with a family who found me through tutors.com.  It was a great match, and I enjoyed teaching the little girl.  I only planned to do it through the summer, but I am still tutoring her now at her parents' request.  I decided not to take on any other students or I wouldn't be able to take care of and teach my own kids.  It feels great to be able to do this, and I will probably continue to tutor until I can fully return to the workforce.

At the mall with Naomi

Out for spicy ramen

Key Lime Cups I made for a Pampered Chef online party in the Quick Cooker (basically their answer to Instant Pot, and yes, superior in many ways).

Locomoco made in Pampered Chef Rockcrok Everyday Pan

Tiger Sugar Boba, one of the best

After watching Luca, Naomi was craving the Trenette Al Pesto featured in the movie, and I was happy to oblige since I wanted some, too.

I forgot to post some photos Manny and Naomi took.  More close up.

Tomatoes have arrived!

Isaac getting into using the telescope from Grandma

Nectarine upside-down cake also in the PC Rockcrok Everyday Pan.  I was using up overripened nectarines but forgot we don't all love baked nectarines

So glad to see it back, and it was in a different climate, where many restaurants were closing due to the pandemic.  Really brought out the best in many of the contestants.

Ham, shrimp, broccoli beef, mandu, and I can't remember what else.  We eat a lot!

More from Santa Cruz--Pizza My Heart

They have a special relationship

On the swings

Waiting for the log ride

Carousel

Isaac in swim class.  He turned into a fish in July and August and loved it.

A critter got to my tomatoes!  I lost a lot of tomatoes before getting some netting from the Buy Nothing group and covering it.

Pluto deciding which bag to crawl into.  He actually ended up trying all of them.