May 4 , 2003

I had a fabulous time at the CHI (Computer-Human Interaction) conference in Fort Lauderdale April 4-11. Learned a lot, had a lot of fun, met a new friend Barbara from Lubeck, Germany. It was my first trip for that long completely on my own for over 10 years. Quite refreshing!

Katelyn had her first ice skating experience at her friend Kendall's birthday party on 4/12. She also has her first loose tooth. Anticipating the big event...

Lee came to stay with us over his spring break. He accompanied Adrien to Paso Robles for a distant relative's wedding. (Adrien's step-grandson.) Then came back up and stayed with us. Adrien took him to a Giant's game on 4/16 that was a bit damp. During the week I got him hooked on this new game that Val and I are hooked on, Carcassone Hunters and Gatherers. He liked it so much I broke down and bought him his own copy of it.

I took Thursday and Friday the 17th and 18th off from work to prepare for Passover. On Friday Susan and Joel came to visit, and we all got busy. (Oh, and everyone joined us for the Tots and Torah service at Peninsula Temple Sholom on Friday night.) In order to fit the 20 people I had over we had to completely empty the living room and set up the tables. It all worked out well, thanks in part to having hired someone to help clean up. It's exhausting, but a fun family tradition. And with Francesca and Richard's kids (Christopher-5 and Alyssa-3) and Michelle and Giovanni's twins (Miriam and Ariella-7 months) it was especially busy. The highlight of the evening was Haley asking to taste my wine. She swallowed all that was remaining in the glass (only about 1/2 oz) and said "That's good! Can I have some more?" See pictures here.

The following weekend was busy. First I took the kids to the yearly carnival put on by A Child's Way, Katelyn's after-school program. They had a great time with all of the activities, and came home with face paint and temporary tattoos. Then Katelyn had an afternoon play date at her friend Jessica's. We rested on Sunday.

At the same time, Adrien went down to San Luis Obispo to do an Open House on the condo down there. It's on the market. We *really* want it sold soon, so we can be out of there when Christopher graduates mid-june.

On 4/29 we all went out to The Elephant Bar restaurant in Burlingame for Judy's birthday. Well, all except Val, who couldn't get away from work since she was preparing for a lengthy business trip through Europe.

On 4/30 Mikie and Andrea came over and signed papers to purchase the house on Sunnyside. A big move for them, but I'm soooo excited they'll be able to do it.

On 5/1 I took a little time off work, and then accompanied my group from work to the Giant's game in the afternoon. It was a fun "organized hooky" time!

On 5/2 Haley had her first ever dentist appointment. Time marches on...

On 5/2 I helped Val pick out new luggage, and helped her get ready for her trip. She left in the evening on 5/3. I'm bummed... she'll be gone over 3 weeks, and I'll miss her terribly. I already do. She'll be busy the whole time, working hard and visiting in London, Paris, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Genoa, Giove (Italy - where her parents are), and then back home through London, returning on he 26th or thereabouts.

Today the kids and I hiked up to the South San Francisco letters. We had a great time on some rough rope-and-branch swings someone had set up, and also finding bugs and flowers everywhere. It's good to have some outdoor time with the kids after all the rain we've been having.

Normal week coming up: school, work, etc..