08/23: It's crazy how quickly things are happening. Summer break is already over, and last week Amias began attending public school for the first time. That requires a lot of adjustments for Tiffany and me as well, both to accomodate the new schedule and to be more physically and emotionally present for him. Earlier this month we were able to celebrate Tiffany's birthday with a barbecue/pool party for both sides of the family, and we also had some of Tiffany's friends over for a separate gathering. The ability to host others has always motivated me to have a thankful attitude and find ways to clean and improve our home. The house is slowly but surely feeling more and more like home, and the bulk of remaining things that need renovating, inspecting, or fixing is expected to get done in the coming weeks. Also, I'm glad to say that the peak of car show season is once again in full swing thanks to festivities surrounding Monterey Car Week, and things have already been epic with much more expected to come. It's so great to be back in the scene after such a long break! I know that there are still a lot of deeper issues in my heart and mind built up from this past year that have yet to be resolved, and while much of it takes time, it also takes effort. And I hope and pray that even amidst all the transitions, busyness, and even happiness around me, I'll continue remaining focused on what matters most.

07/19: I still can't believe it actually happened. Last Sunday we opened our new home to dozens of people for our neighborhood housewarming and pool party. A month ago, this is something I would have never imagined would happen - me, as a socially awkward introvert who has trouble meeting people and building relationships, and our family barely getting settled into our new home after a gruesome half a year filled with challenges that still leave us scarred, with the heavy financial realities of the house yet to hit us, now throwing a huge party and inviting literally every household on our street? That's the impact that this neighborhood has already had on us after only a month - so welcoming, so generous and kind, so open... this was our only right response, and one that we decided was worth prioritizing even with much of the house still a huge mess.

It still blows my mind that every single family we had met before actually showed up, even if only briefly due to other commitments. Plus, we got to meet several new neighbors as well. We were also joined by several families who don't live on our street but are still in the neighborhood. We had met them through gatherings with other neighbors and gladly included them in the festivities. The swimming pool kept all the kids (and some adults) busy and entertained. Amias finally got to let other kids see his room for the first time ever. And there was plenty of food and drinks to make sure nobody left hungry. Special thanks to Mom for coming over and helping with the food prep. We definitely couldn't have done it without you. We also introduced our neighbors to some Asian-inspired delicacies - our contribution to this incredibly beautiful and diverse community.

With that said, I can't help but dwell on one thought. I miss you ken. There's no better way to have a pool party than with a barbecue, and you definitely would have had a blast grilling for such a huge, fun, and diverse group. Yes, we have a grill now - in fact, it's a humongous offset smoker great for both smoking and good ol' charcoal grilling. I'm learning to use it and it makes me think of you every time. We couldn't pull it out for this party, but I look forward to upholding our old barbecue tradition once things are more settled down, and I know you'll be celebrating with us in heaven.

07/05: Apparently I turned a year older last weekend. There's been so much to do that I simply didn't have the mental and emotional capacity to care about my own birthday, but I'm glad Mom came over on Saturday and we were able to enjoy a nice take-out dinner (Egyptian food!) together. Things in the house are looking noticeably different with each new day. The windows now finally have blinds, the bathrooms are starting to have basic amenities like towel racks and toilet paper holders, and the dedicated area for the kids to play is almost ready for use. Boxes are starting to disappear, freeing up walkways and open areas that have been hard to navigate. The office room is much more organized as well, and even though it will still be a while before I pull out my music gear and start having fun again, at least the room doesn't look like a warehouse anymore. Of course, getting to this point took a heck of a lot of work. But through it all I learned so many helpful DIY skills that I never had a chance to learn in the past, and there's nothing like jumping in the pool after a long day of hard work to cool off and relax before dinner.

We weren't planning to do much for the Fourth of July other than organizing things around the house until our neighbors across the street invited us over for a pool party and barbecue. This time we didn't have to show up empty handed thanks to a huge appetizer platter from Legend's Classic Diner conveniently located just down the street. We also found out that one of Amias' best friends from his new summer school is actually also our neighbor! We'll be going over to their house for another barbecue tomorrow. And the following weekend it will be our turn to host; in light of this incredibly welcoming community that we're now blessed to be part of, we're planning to have a neighborhood housewarming party and invite both the neighbors we've already met and those living near us that we haven't met yet. We may not have all the cool party tricks of our better-established neighbors, but we hope this will be an opportunity to build quality relationships that will extend beyond merely waving at each other when driving down the street.