Wordless Wednesday: Mile High

Resource for 21st century children

Children born at the dawn of this century will grow up in an ever-increasingly-connected world. Making them aware of different cultures and languages should be on every parent's (and grandparent's) to do list. 

And I can make a suggestion for a charming and entertaining way to start the process:

Yes, my super-talented son and daughter-in-law are at it again! If you followed an earlier suggestion of mine you should know at least a little Korean. And now you can share this fascinating culture (that has brought us kimchi, soju, and cute pro soccer players, among many other advantages) with the little ones.

Hal is co-author and Carey is illustrator of this charming picture book. Yes, I have bought multiple copies, as you can see. I'm happy to be Great-Aunt Kathy (otherwise known as GAK) to several adorable great-nieces and -nephews. Who will soon be able not only to learn a little Korean, but will be proud to have such creative cousins.

Order your own copy(ies) today! Here's a handy amazon link. Give the kids in your life a boost for life in the 21st century!

Wordless Wednesday: you know you're in Austin when...

Hill Country Nuptials

I've been to some pretty scenic locations for weddings in the last several years.

In pre-blogging days, my oldest nephew got married in on the beach near Wilmington, North Carolina. My own son and his lovely wife said their vows on Mt. Megunticook in Maine so that we could overlook Penobscot Bay while we watched . (This event was from pre-blogging days, but I do have a few pictures... Here's a favorite:)

Then, more recently, two nephews got married in Colorado. Oddly enough, although they are from different sides of my family (one son of my sister's, one of Henry's) the receptions were at the same country club, with the same great views when you strolled outside in a (vain) effort to work off the wedding cake calories.

2008 Colorado wedding

2009 Colorado wedding

There'd been something of a drought since William and Mollie tied the knot in 2009, but Labor Day weekend we had the joy of attending another scenic nuptial. Not family this time, but almost. The bride was one of Sally's oldest friends, whom we have known since first grade, at least.

Here is a drawing she made of her soccer team and coach in the 3rd grade. Can you recognize me in the coach's role? I think it's a good likeness. 

Her mom made me a copy of this drawing for my surprise 50th birthday party and it has a special spot on the wall in my study to this day.

At any rate, here is the lovely bride on her big day:

And, as you can see, she chose a beautiful setting for the ceremony. (Another scenic shot of the place was featured a couple of Wordless Wednesdays ago.) We were at Jester King Brewery, near Dripping Springs, which is near Austin. Not only a scenic place, but a fun one, too, for the after-ceremony party. 

The fun element of the whole affair should be evident from the groom's footwear above, but they were also just being practical. The aisle the party processed up and down, being outdoors, was somewhat uneven. High heels might have proved disastrous for the lovely bridesmaids!

Yes, everyone was very lovely, but I think you'll forgive me if I feel that the Maid of Honor was the prettiest:

Aren't the pink tennies cute!?

Sally took her maid of honor duties very seriously, hosting what sounded like a very fun bachelorette party at our Canyon Lake place a few weeks ago, and then driving the bride in our specially decorated van from the "getting ready" house to the ceremony:

All in all, a very enjoyable weekend in the hills. Thanks and best wishes to Katerine and Jim! It was such a great party, and it was so sweet of you to include the bride's old soccer coaches in the fun!

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Future blog note: we have not one, but two, family weddings upcoming in the next several months, so I can look forward to more enjoyable parties and yummy cakes! And you can look forward to more pictures of happy, lovely young people. Stay tuned!

I have a *very* good excuse...

...well, at least, an excuse.

For not blogging, that is. I know I've been very remiss. Part of the reason is that I've been quite busy with non-blog-worthy activities. Like catching up at work after being gone for 5 weeks.

Plus, in addition to the normal start-of-school craziness, I've taken on my own personal crazy project and am auditing Mandarin Chinese. The language is fascinating, and my teacher is wonderful, but it does require a lot of work to make any progress. How do little Chinese children learn this language?! 

Anyway, in addition to the non-blog-worthy stuff, we did make a quick trip to Austin last week, and there are big changes at my library. And I will be blogging about both items, soon, I hope. Thanks for your patience! 

谢谢! *

Thanks to Zander, a real and Facebook friend, for showing me how to do this! 

*This is "thank you," always the most important phrase to learn in any language.

Wordless Wednesday: Texas blue sky