What's making us Happy? Dad's Birthday!

It was Dad's birthday this week. Would have been 90 yrs old. We miss him and mom. They took good care of us. He did have a couple names for me: Stevie Reno and Stevie Wongie-dongie. Will miss him with his dry dad humor and try to give me some advice in my days. Happy Birthday Dad! 

What's Making us Happy? NY Half (Week of 3/21)

 What's making us happy? New York Half Marathon!!!

This was the first real trip away of Kristen and I without kids and it was EPIC! Highlights of the trip...

• Peloton ride with Hannah - She helped me train when my legs were hurting with arthritis. If not for her and the peloton coaches, I would not have been ready.
• Hamilton! Such a great performance live. Such a diverse cast. Worth seeing
• NY Half Marathon - Well organized and let me see and run through a lot of the city
• No kid vacay. Kristen and I had a great vacation away. Thanks to Kristen's friend Andrea to show us a great time and got us reservations to Jose Andres' restaurant and the Ritz's rooftop bar. Epic

Now for the downside... it's short. 

• Both kids got covid while we were away. Sorry to Al and Joleen to care for the kids
• We saw a "unhomed guy" aka homeless guy whip it out and pee right in front of us.
• Not enough time to do everything. Next time ferry to Statue of Liberty and visit Nike NY HQ

Epic trip!!! 

What's making us happy? Great question. Covid is on the rise, Nike is re-organizing, and in-home schooling is now through November. So, what's left to do? Watch stuff... Here's what has been keeping my attention...

• Scott Pilgrim 10th anniversary read - Great movie and fun to watch the actor re-enact the movie.
• Netflix - Old Guard - Charlize Theron leads an immortal group of warriors
• Hulu - Taste the Nation - Learn about history and food. Watch the one on Poke
• Disney+ - Hamilton - A show that we had no chance to get tix to see live. 

What's Making us Happy? Berry picking, Rainer cherries, and Homemade Sweet Tea! (Week of 7/11)

Hello all. This week was a little more contentious in the Wong household. Breaking points come every once in a while. This week was one of them. I cancelled my trip to Colorado for my annual half marathon trek. Hope to get there one day. So, we are digging deep to the essentials for the summer of Covid. :)

• We've been berry picking a lot. Twice blueberry picking for our smoothies and desserts. Kristen and Olivia made homemade raspberry roll-ups. Was great! 
• Rainer Cherries - Only around for a short time, Rainer cherries are the local cherry favorite. They don't last long. Both times the batches were polished off in the day we picked them up. :)
• Homemade Sweet Tea - The summer go to drink that I make my own batches. Helps bring some comfort these days. 

So, that's what we've got this week. For your visual pleasure, here's a picture of the Rainer cheeries (before the kids), and Davis' baking (Don tat and cake decorating) 

A note from Olivia

Hi. I am Olivia  last week  i did a doll making class.

What is making us happy? 4th of July, eating out, and Wonder Woman Run!

Hello! We survived the 4th of July. With everyone at home, there were more home fireworks than normal. Either way, we had a great weekend. It also made up of what was making us happy...

• We started by eating out at McMenamins. First meal at a restaurant in a long time. It was nice to sit down at somewhere other than the kitchen table. Beer and tots hit the spot.

• On the morning of the 4th, Olivia and I did a 5k to Pirate's park for our July 4th run and for her Wonder Woman 5k! She did great!

• Finally, we finished the day by roasting marshmallows and lighting fireworks. A great 4th!

What is making us happy? Trevor Noah, Old friends, and Watchmen (June 28th 2020)

Hello all, been a busy week for us. School is out so the kids are doing Outschool classes and, this week, Golf camp! And guess who got "Most Improved for the Week"? Olivia. It's that positive recognition that has got her interested in Golf. Davis, has been reading like a fiend on the Wings of Fire series. Almost a book a day. I said he has his Gung Gung's genes. Dad used to read a book a day. So, the kids are excelling in their own way.

Things that made us happy this week:

• Trevor Noah spoke to the Nike community. It was exciting and inspiring to hear him. 
• Old friends - Finally took the time to reach out to some elementary school friends. It was great to hear from them. Then got an email from a junior high friend. Neat events in this crazy time.
• Watchmen - Finally got the opportunity to watch the HBO series. It was timely and well written. Would definitely recommend it. 

Finally, a hot day to bring out the pool!

What's making us happy? Horseback riding, Volcano treats, and Father's Day! (6/21/20)

Hello all, Happy Father's Day to all the fathers (and mother's too!). We've earned that card and pair of socks this year. I though 2019 was tough with Mom's passing. This is the next level. Just like video games, ya just dig in, learn and beat the boss to the next level. Keep the faith. What's making us happy this week?

• Horseback riding! We took a couple days away to Sisters Oregon. It was great to get back to nature. We tried to fish with no luck, but... Horseriding was a blast. Kids really enjoyed riding. Olivia's first time on a horse. Pony rides don't count. Recommend it!
• Volcano treat. Helped Olivia and Dakota had a class to make a rice crispy volcano that oozed red lava. Successful class! Just a piece of advice. Separate the eruption from the rice crispies. Vinegar is the reacting agent and makes the rice crispies taste terrible.
• Father's Day. Hope you all get a day of rest or at least a moment to regroup. All are on double/triple duties. I hope your fam treats you like a king for a day.

Again, stay safe. Oregon just declared that masks are required in public. Finally! 

Covid boringness

hihiihihihihiihiihiihihiihihiihihihiihihihiihiihihi hihihihihhihihihhihihihihiihihhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

covid 19 is BORING
over the time I got animal crossing! it is the best and it is so entertaining I wish I could have more time to be able to do it but it is a short period of time to use it.

i love youtubers like ihasCupquake, LaurenzSide, Vixella and dangthat'salongname #Scott
It is addicting to do and fun.



I also love roblox
and minecraft

-davis

Chenin - We miss ya (Old post that is now getting published)

Pictures of Chenin. we miss her and mom.

Commerical Classic: Mortal Kombat II. Still pumps me to play MK2 (Old post that didn't get published)

Does anyone remember this commercial? Back in the day, it was a big deal to bring MKII to the home systems. Makes me think of the days of SEGA of testing all day and then playing MKII to the early hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3va6exog8fw

Watch and enjoy.

What's making us happy? - End of School, Steve's nomination, and tasty treats!

It's been another crazy week in the world. Again, seems weird to say what's making us happy. It's the right mindset we just need to keep the faith. The Wongs are keeping the faith, but not a walk in the park. The current outlook is that we are in this Covid state for a bit longer. We hope you all are all safe and sane. So, what's making us happy?

• End of School! Davis is now a 6th grader and Olivia is now a 2nd grader! Now, what to do with them during the summer?
• Just Do It nomination - I have been nominated for the annual Nike award. There is still a big pool of nominations as there's a lot of Nike people. We will see where I land, but feel good being nominated.
• Dole Whip - There is an ice cream shop down the street that now serves dole whip. Took the kids there to celebrate end of school. Meant dad got to get one too! Was tasty. 

One thing I do want to pose to whomever is reading this in the now or in the future, how do we elevate the Asian voice? Fully support the Black Lives Matter effort. My hope is that is doesn't stop there. All races and minorities need representation. 

What's making us happy? - Bidet install finished, firepit setup, and Roblox!

Week two of making this blog a habit. :) It's been a very emotional and eventful week for the US locally, nationally, and worldwide. Locally, the kids had a drive by at their school to see their teachers one last time this year. School ends next week. Nationally, there was protesting in various forms that shook the US. Worldwide, oh by the way, Covid is still around changing how we will live going forward. You are asking, as I am thinking, what are the positives of the week? Here are three from me. If you have your three, would love to hear them. :)

• Bidet install done! At the beginning of Covid, all were concerned about toilet paper. Installed a bidet, but the connector to the hot water was through the front. Finally drilled the hole, and now I can check that off! (See below) 
• Firepit setup for Kristen. It was a mother's day gift. Been sitting in the living room for a couple weeks. Olivia and I set up and tested it. Now we are waiting for a sunny evening to try it out. 
• Roblox - Seems to be the game of choice for the kids these days. Safe enough for them to play with minimal supervision and common enough to find friends to play. Who would have thought we would spend so much time being an events coordinator. :)  

Here's a picture of their end of school year dinner and the bidet installation (hole in cabinet).

What's Making us Happy? - Rocket Launch, Asian Americans, and Commencement Speeches!

Hello all,
Almost 4 years since our last post, but felt compelled to write needing to keep a focus on what's making us happy. There's enough out there to not keep us happy at this time, day, and period (i.e. Covid).  Will always keep to a minimum of three items as there is power in three...

• NASA Rocket Launch (Watched it live. Very cool)
• Asian American PBS series (Great update to the Chinese Americans documentary)
• Commencement Speeches (Cheerful and Inspiring) 

It's been an interesting time with Covid and the new responsibilities of parents to be workers, parents, teachers, activities coordinators, and counselors to our kids. We are in the norm that we are challenged and exhausted at the end of the day. We have faith and will not only survive, but thrive! Okay. Off my pep talk. A couple of happy things about the fam this week:

• Olivia learned how to make doughnuts online
• Davis perfected his Hawaiian fried chicken wings (version 2)
• Kristen has made another version of face masks. Gets better each time.
• Steve completed the virtual Idaho potato Half Marathon under 2 hrs! Was supposed to be in Idaho this weekend.

Will start this as a weekly thread unless the kids want to post earlier. 

What's making us happy? - Montana!

We decided to do something different for the 4th of July. We went to Montana! Cuz Angie invited us to spend the hoildays with them and it was a blast! The things that were great:

• Spending time with family and friends - Davis and Olivia got to spend lots of time with cousins Kyle and Lily. More than the couple hours when we visit California. Also, met David's family and friends, and connected with my college friend, Eunice. 
• Fishing - David took Davis and I out creek and river fly fishing. It's been years since I really fished and this was my first time fly fishing as well. Taught this old dog a new trick and I caught 4 trout. The 1st 3 were cut and release, but the last one we did keep. I also learned how to clean, gut, and cook trout. Thanks Mr. YouTube! Davis was there for all of them. I think Dad got some respect after that. I will take any street cred I can get. :)
• Great scenery - Didn't think that Montana as so beautiful. "Big Sky" was very cool, especially when rafting and fishing down a wide river. I also ran a 10K on the 4th around a lake. It was pretty scenic!
• AirBnB - Was a little concerned when renting out, in advance, someone's house, but it was a very pleasurable experience. We enjoyed the space and the ammenities than a typical hotel room. 

We will be back to Montana someday, and will definitely do something with the Crawfords again. Hopefully, we can reciprocate the hospitality. Hope you all had a great 4th.