Our family had a very delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend! Here are some pictures from the past few days…
Our little cutie on Thanksgiving, with the painting she made at preschool.
We brined the turkey this year! 21 lbs of moist deliciousness!
Complete with sides, many of which the hubby prepared…
Great job Dan and Mio on the pumpkin pie!
So much to be thankful for…
…especially these two. They are my world!
Mio and I, stuffed after Thanksgiving dinner.
The day after Thanksgiving brought a lot more hustle and bustle to the house. My brother Ted and Elisa had spent Thanksgiving Day in New Jersey, but came to join us for dinner on Friday, as well as Dan’s sister who visited us from New York.
The Yokoyama day-after-Thanksgiving dinner. Gotta have our sashimi fix!
Spending the weekend with Hyo. It was so nice having her visit! Chicken masala pasty from The Pure Pasty for lunch on Sunday. Delicious!
“All aboard!” Mio playing at the red caboose train that I used to play at as a child in Old Town Vienna.
Some more photos of our little cutie…Â When I put her hair in a milkmaid braid, she pulled on my bathrobe and called herself “Queen Mio.” 😛
This time of year is gorgeous with all the beautiful fall foliage. Dan took some footage of Mio last weekend enjoying autumn, and created this sweet video! (Make sure to watch in HD!)
I love that Dan can create these beautiful videos that we can look back on when Mio is older to remember how she was in her younger years. I’m sure she’ll love to watch them, too! (If you missed the one he made this past spring, you can find it here.)
Every year on Memorial Day weekend, the community of Vienna celebrates with Viva Vienna!, a 3-day festival of amusement rides, entertainment, food, crafts, and vendors. 100% of proceeds go to charitable, community and humanitarian organizations. Growing up in this community, I have so many fun memories of attending as a child with my family, and then with my friends as a high school teenager! It’s yet another fond memory that I’m really happy I can share with Mio and Dan now that we’re back in my old ‘hood! Mio and I went two days in a row, and she had so much fun!
On Saturday, Dan was teaching a video workshop all day to the local community youth (such a great gesture on his part — so proud of him!), and our friends SunJae, Mie, and their son Kosei were visiting from Maryland so that SunJae (who is also a video editor) could assist Dan with the workshop. So Mie and I decided to take the kids to Viva Vienna! for a few hours of festival fun!
Kosei and Mio riding the merry-go-round together! Mie is pregnant with baby #2 (a girl!), due in September.
Mio going on the merry-go-round a second time. So many ponies, but this time Mio picked the freaky monkey to ride on. They had free face-painting at the festival. The kids are happy with their painted faces! Kosei got a spider (“Spiderman!”) and Mio got to be a kitty cat.
Mio and I really enjoyed going to the festival with Mie and Kosei on Saturday, but because Mio had so much fun there and we still wanted to go with Dan as a family (especially since it’s so close!), the three of us went again the following day on Sunday. 🙂 It was actually much more crowded on the second day, probably because the vendors (who weren’t there on Saturday) had set up all their tents down Church Street on Sunday and Monday.
Mio grabbing a hold of Dan’s chicken on a stick! Mio nomming on the chicken skewer. You have some chicken in your teeth! She was SO HAPPY. She enjoyed the chicken skewer so much that even when Dan and I requested to take bites in between, she wouldn’t let go of the stick and would just guide it into our mouths, before putting it back into hers. I think she ended up eating most of it! Mio was fascinated by this “pet cool-down zone” pool they had set up. She loved watching the dogs go in and out of the water, and wouldn’t budge from the spot for about 15 minutes! We ran into the Lee family by the carousel! Here’s Mio riding with Danny and his mommy Stephanie! I’ve always wanted to go on the ferris wheel with Mio, but she was never allowed to go on them in California, even with her parents. We were really excited to ride it together! The view of Viva Vienna! from the ferris wheel. Mio bravely looking over the edge. She really enjoyed the ride! The rides she could go on were limited due to her height, but maybe next year she’ll get to go on more! We met up with newlywed friends Mimi and Sujay, and Xiaolu and her new adorable dog! Mio was of course very interested in the dog. She kept pointing at its curly tail and eventually was brave enough to pet it. It got really hot as the day progressed! Cooling down with a frozen drink on the sidewalk. Waiting for pizza afterwards at Luciano’s! Love this smile. “Enough pictures! Bring out the food!”
Mio staring at the huge pizza in front of her.
We had a truly memorable couple days at Viva Vienna! Festivals, carnivals, and county fairs are probably one of my favorite things about summer, and I love that now I can experience it with our little family. We’re looking forward to making more fun summer memories in the coming months and years ahead!
This was a run and gun test using the Black Magic Cinema Camera. This was the first time shooting outdoors without the help of an EVF or other devices. There were many shots in there that can be considered ruined, however the amazing flexibility of the Raw saved these shots. This was most apparent when I was in harsh sunlight where the LCD is practically useless.
Ultimately I created this short to test the dynamic range of the camera. Without a doubt, it is an amazing performer.
The weather was beautiful last Saturday, so we spent the afternoon at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. The park has become a favorite place for Mio to go, because my parents and I have taken her at least a half dozen times in the past six months. She loves seeing all the geese and koi fish around the pond, even in the cold winter months. We usually go during the weekdays while Dan is at work, though, so this was Dan’s first time going to Meadowlark. Spring has made it even more beautiful, as a lot of the flowers (especially the tulips!) are in bloom now.
Mio hanging out with the geese at Meadowlark Gardens
Walking hand in hand with Auntie Miwa.
She just melts my heart…
Taking a break at the gazebo and bridge overlooking the pond.
A family picture. 🙂
A picture with just the girls.
We saw some snapping turtles!
Mio loved seeing the geese, turtles, and fish in the pond. She kept pointing and naming them.
An exultant Mio.
Mio against a sea of tulips!
A picture with Mama… …on the condition that I let her try on my sunglasses. Planting a kiss on Auntie Miwa’s cheek. Giving Mama a kiss! She’s on a kissing spree! So sweet I think I’m going to get cavities just looking at this picture. Gorgeous tulips at Meadowlark Gardens A fountain surrounded by tulips.
Dan also took some great video clips from this past weekend, including some moments from this outing. We’ll post when he’s done editing it! 🙂 Â I love that the weather is getting warmer and we can have more outdoor outings!