JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

After I wrote our holiday letter I realized that I had a number of pictures in my Flickr account to accompany the summary of the year. So here are a few excerpts with the photos and explanations. I’ve also added at the end some pictures that I like from the year.

The girls waited with banners to welcome their grandparents.

A-ma and A-yeh’s arrival

Ted’s parents sold their home in Pennsylvania, drove across the country and moved to the small town next door.

Susan sang carols in a quartet.

“Almost-Aunt Susan”

Julie’s brother proposed to his girlfriend, whom our daughters now call “Almost-Aunt Susan”.

Apple raspberry pie I made for Thanksgiving from a Martha Stewart recipe (discovered while waiting at the dentist)

Time with family

Thanksgiving was our big holiday of the year, hosting Julie’s mom, brother and sister along with Ted’s parents at our home.

This picture of chicken pox is my most viewed photo ever with more than 2000 views…(are people using Flickr to make a self-diagnosis?)

Health

The girls earned their immunity from chicken pox, two of them recovering in time to wear Easter dresses over their scabs.

The three sisters in downtown Poulsbo.

Growing girls

Abigail passed through levels of swimming lessons. Michaela jumped off the diving board and Elisabeth was fearless in the water. Our girls also have enjoyed soccer, dance, pottery and piano lessons. More than what is visible, we cherish the amazing changes in their minds and hearts.

With our homeschool friends at the salmon hatchery.

Friends

New families joined our homeschool group this year: we are grateful for more companions in the journey.

Chatterboy

This fall we adopted a guinea pig. In 4-H terms he is an “American broken senior boar” but to our kids he is simply their beloved pet and the star of Guinea Pig TV.

The three flower girls

A wedding and an anniversary

Our friends Chris and Ponzi invited all three daughters to be flower girls, and Julie was a bridesmaid at their December 9th wedding. It was a fun wedding and a great reminder – we celebrate our 15th anniversary in a few weeks.

More favorites from 2007

Giving a keynote at Northern Voice was an honor I’ll always remember. Speaking at SXSW was exciting. We also enjoyed going to Gnomedex as a family.

I like this picture because it was a challenge. We watched these butterflies develop from caterpillars and then let them go.

“Preparation” is the title I gave this photo, and I like the way this picture from the Fire Station speaks about the work and mindset required.

Our trip to the salmon hatchery was one of many adventures with our homeschool group this year. A tricky picture, trying to focus the camera on a fingertip of a child.

2006 was the year I cut my hair. A big decision. Symbolic of the year of changes and taking risks. My graph may be the reverse of Darren’s hair care graph, but I think I like the shorter ‘do even though it’s sometimes hard for me to recognize myself.

The weather this year has been memorable. This photo too was a challenge and I think I lost my memory card due to the wet. But who can resist the calendula blooming in late November, covered in snow, bright orange amidst the ice.