Good Eats!

 Shortly after Vi and Anh arrived, Gahee and I took them to Saigon Bistro, a local restaurant in downtown Columbia, MO.  I'm sure it wasn't like home cooking, but it was at least a bit familiar.

Compare the healthy Vietnamese style of cooking to one of my husband's Saturday morning brunches - delicious, but typically American....cheesy eggs, vegetarian bacon, hash browns...and, of course, do nuts. Also in the picture is Jack....barely awake that Saturday morning.

Welcome, Vi and Anh

  Here they are!  Vi and Anh arrived in Columbia, MO on August 11 after attending community college in California.  Originally from Vietnam, they are settling nicely into life in a Midwest college town.  No ocean or mountains around here, but they'll adjust.  Hope they like snow.  We had a ton of it last winter and the early weather forecast indicates we could again have more snow than usual this winter.

The girls have settled into the room they asked to share, have become familiar with our local Wal Mart, met with some students from the Vietnamese Student Association, experienced Columbia's favorite cinema:  The Ragtag Cinema, and have located a few yummy eateries near campus/downtown Columbia.

Last night they joined thousands of other new MU students and participated in the traditional "Tiger Walk;" pictures of that will be posted soon.  It was a fun evening with ice cream and music from Marching Mizzou.

Today we all wake up to the first day of classes.  An exciting day!!!

Gahee Gets a Glimpse of DC

We finished up the summer with a quick trip to Virginia Beach to visit my son followed by a few days in southeast Pennsylvania.  My granddaughter, LaEabha, traveled with us and we managed a quick, one-day peak at DC so that Gahee could say she's been there.  Our time was spent at the National Art Gallery and the Natural History Museum.  We all enjoyed the beautiful sculpture garden next to the art gallery.  Gahee's conclusion:  DC seems better than New York.  Sorry, New Yorkers, but I would have to agree with her.   Maybe some day Gahee will be able to spend a week or so getting to experience all the great restaurants and sites of Washington DC. 

Enjoy Idaho, Ali !!

After sending him an email, I learned that Ali arrived safely in Idaho and registered for classes.  He said he's "alone," but I know he will make friends easily.  He reported that Boise is a beautiful city.

Unfortunately, the photo of him below is a bit blurry, but we wanted to get a picture of him in his Coca Cola shorts holding his fishing rod.  I think he'll find some great fishing opportunities in Idaho.

And here's a photo of Ali with "Eddie."  Eddie the cat visited us for a couple of weeks, but Columbia Second Chance animal sanctuary decided to keep him because of health complications.  During his stay with us, Eddie seemed to enjoy being near Ali.

We all wish Ali the best and we know that if we ever travel to Boise, Idaho Ali will give us a great tour.