November 25

*Happy 13th Wedding Anniversary to my brother and sister-in-law, Thomas and Tammy! They are living the dream for a baker's dozen wonderful years! Their wedding day will always be one of the best days of my life! Ah, the memories are right here in my heart.

*One month until Christmas Day!

*Two months until I am to run the Maui Oceanfront Marathon!

Say Cheese!

Today I got to be a judge at the 2008 US Cheese Bakery Competition sponsored by the US Dairy Export Counsel. It was a cheesy affair! A team from work and I were part of the “consumer” sector of judges. It was our task to judge in three different categories – Taiwanese style cheese breads, European style cheese breads and cheesecake. For me, the European style cheese breads took the cake!

We mixed an mingled for a while waiting for the professional judges to finish, and then we consumer judges got to attack the table. Actually, it was a slow process and I left the judging area stuffed! I surely did enjoy a cup of Earl Grey tea as the speeches and ceremonies continued.

After working at the Krust and Krumb Bakery in New Hamburg for seven years, I did appreciate seeing so many bakeries represented. And the creativity in their work.

“I'm a little bread teapot short and stout. Here is my handle and here is my spout.”

A girl just feels special with a flower in her hair :) A little random thought for this post and an added sparkle to my day!

Don't think I'll be eating cheese bread or cheesecake for a while . . . but it was indeed a gouda experience :) Can't get much cheddar than that!

Gong Gong

Gong Gong is father-in-law in Mandarin Chinese. I’ve taken to calling my father-in-law Gong Gong and my dear mother-in-law, Poa Poa, at times. My Gong Gong, Daniel’s father Christian, came to visit us on the island. This was the first time he visited his son and “his wife” and was the first family member to stay on our roof with us. We had a great week together. We enjoyed lunches together and little evening outings after Daniel and I finished work. Christian also spoke in our company’s chapel one morning, and seems to be remembered from his previous visits too. One night we went to the hair salon together - just my Gong Gong and me. It was a bonding time and getting a hair wash is always a treat. I especially enjoyed it after a long flight back to Taipei.

One night a dear colleague took us out for a hot pot dinner. This is always an experience; we can even say an event for eating. Nancy kept Christian’s pot filled and was a good teacher for this art. There was a lot of laughter as our pots were boiling.

On the weekend we went to a pottery town outside of Taipei called Yinge. Here we journeyed with our umbrellas through down the cobblestone streets of this artsy area. Christian was here for some of our last few really hot days, and was also here for the beginning of a spell of rain. But the rain didn't dampen our time together. And we got some fun umbrella shots!

We were very thankful to have family with us. Thank you, Gong Gong, for your visit! We love you!

Here's a "I'm working" pic :)

Jumping for Joy!

Tante on the trampoline! Christian and Jonah brought me into this world and I jumped with my new title of trampoliner! They recently got this jumping gym and what a workout for all of us! You can even do the Dance of Joy as you jump, and I wasn't even the first one to try it out.

Daniel and I had a winter lemon wedding cake with a playmobil bride and groom on it at our wedding reception. I wanted to try baking the cake at home with hopes that I can make it for our one-year anniversary ;) Since playmobil on this cake is a tradition now, Christian helped me find two figurines that look like newleyweds. I thought it was fitting that Daniel was a knight. He is my knight in shining armour :) The cake turned out really well, and I stocked up on the ingredients to bring back to Taiwan.

Jonah loves his Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) model train. He built his own station and wears his HSR shirt with pride. He even slept with the train :)
Just my big brother and me.
I love my nephews! They are growing so fast!


We all missed Daniel!
Even Amber the cat. She looks like our cat Tickle, eh?
This is our traditional good-bye picture at the airport in Toronto. Good-byes sure don't get any easier, and this one sure wasn't. There is no place like home. Click! Click! What a blessed trip. I give thanks.

Hockey Morning in Canada

The Player: #5 Jonah Brodersen. He's new to the hockey scene. What he lacks in experience he makes up in determination.

The Hockey Dad: Thomas Brodersen smiles with pride.

The Fans: Oma and Tante at 7:00 am on Saturday

The Game: Intensity on Ice

The Post Game Venue: Tim Hortons

Squeezes from Home

Memories of my trip hope continue to wrap themselves around my heart! They squeeze tightly! It's about time I get to updating the Peppers! There are still more delights of home to share, so here goes!

Swimming
My dad and I went swimming twice at the Waterloo Recreation Complex. Sing it, “Swimming swimming in a swimming pool. When days are hot when days are cold in a swimming pool. Front stroke, side stroke fancy diving too. Don't you wish you never had anything else to do but . . . swimming swimming in a swimming pool . . . “ This song sang through my head as soon as I jumped in the water. My dad and I have swum so many waters together and the splashes of joy are always the same. And oh to swim in Olympic length lanes again. I felt a bit of my Waterloo-Oxford high school swim team days of competitive strokes come out again, but then I realized I was just competing with myself. :)

Lego my Eggo!
My favourite little men – Christian and Jonah, my nephews – introduced me to the world of lego assembly. They had both recently received new sets and we are talking super charged turbo sets with magazines for assembly. Christian took off full steam ahead, and I got the role of Jonah's co-captain in assembling his spacecraft. I had no idea what a task it was. I also had no idea I would get so into the completion of each mission. Friends, is you need a little unwind time and want to dig into a fun project, pull out some lego. And you mid as well go toast yourself an eggo :)

The Farmer's Market
My parents and I headed to the farmer's market in St. Jacobs. It was a real fall day and we soaked in all the sights and smells. This market hasn't changed, and that's what I love about it.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear at the farmer's market . . . purple peppers!

The Wedding Dress
So many wonderful wedding memories danced to our first dance song of “I Have Dreamed” from the King and I while at home. It was my first visit since our wedding celebration in February. And how I loved the embrace of love again and again. My mom had sent my wedding dress to the cleaners. I so wanted to try it on again, but didn't want to open the box it is so beautifully preserved in. So my mom and I got pictures in our own way. My wedding bouquet also dried so beautifully. Thank you, Mamale!

The Badlands
I've heard about them in South Dakota, but we have our very own in Ontari-ari-ario! Just outside of Georgetown you will find this landscape wonder. Christian and Jonah had a hoot climbing and running about. The rest of us enjoyed a more leisurely hike about this unique work of God's hands. Good land found in the badlands. This land is your land, this land is my land!

My Dad – A Man with a Birthday

My dad celebrated his 75th birthday on October 23. I was blessed to be part of the celebration. A father is one of the best people to celebrate. I give thanks for my dad and the journey the good Lord has blessed him with.

We had a lunch celebration on the day with close friends. We all met at the King's Buffet – A Chinese Buffet! Even though I live in Taiwan, Chinese food in North America is a treat! Then we went back to our house for a time of sharing and games. I hosted a fun memory game and it was just great how everyone participated and the stories that were shared. Daniel had prepared a special photo sideshow of my dad's life. This went over really well. I smiled a big smile as people sang a long with a German classic song that sings, "My home is the Sea . . . "

My dad wore a T-shirt (a gift from a previous birthday) with a darling picture of him at two years old on it. Many people thought it was me! We also have a painting of this picture hanging up at home. It's a favourite. I guess long hair was in on boys in the 30s. :)

The celebration continued on the weekend with our "family" together. Even though I've been in Asia for eight years now, when family is together again it's as if no time has passed. That is a gift!

Our backyard neighbours also blessed my dad with this birthday banner. What darling shared birthday joy.