~HAPPY THANKSGIVING ~

our week was PACKED full!!

Monday

Cindy spent the entire day catching up on all the laundry that had piled up. (9 loads!!) Jake had class all day and spent most of the evening doing as much school work as he could before Thanksgiving break.

Tuesday

This was our one “relaxing” day of the week. We didn’t really do anything.

Wednesday

Cindy hung out with her family all day. They went to eat at Din Tai Fung for lunch (the best!) and walked around the mall. Cindy originally planned to hang out with just her mom since they both had the day off. But it turned out Cindy’s dad had the day off too and her sister got off work early. At the last minute, the low-key hangout turned into a whole family hangout, which was really nice. It’s been a while since just the four of them spent time together. They spent all afternoon reminiscing the past and speaking in Chinese lol. Jake had class still, so he missed out on the fun… and food.

In the evening, we re-watched the movie 300. We were reminded of how epic that movie is lol.

Thursday

We spent Thanksgiving day with Jake’s family! It was raining in SoCal (winter finally came!) But this meant our day wasn’t as packed with outdoor activity as it usually is. It was a nice change of pace–hanging out indoors near the fireplace. It was cozy, warm, and overall a great time.

On our way home, we decided to swing by Target to buy the Nintendo Switch!! It was a pretty impulsive decision, which isn’t very like us when it comes to big purchases. But we’ve been eyeing the Switch for a year now and we just couldn’t wait any longer. We’ve been playing Mario Kart every day since we got it lol.

Friday

Jake’s brother spent the night with us, since our place is closer to the airport. In the morning, we had breakfast together and played a quick round of Mario Kart. Cindy always gets excited when Jake’s brothers stay with us.

In the evening we went to a Friendsgiving hosted by our friends in Jake’s PhD program. The food was delicious and the company was even better. There is always an interesting mix of cultures when we hang out with friends from Jake’s PhD program, since a lot of the students are international. It’s always exciting to meet people from different parts of the world and to learn about different ways of life!

Saturday

We originally had a low-key Saturday planned. But Friday night we found out one of Jake’s best friends was in town! So at the last minute we planned an early morning hike for Saturday morning. We’ve been so blessed with all the new people who have entered our lives, but at the same time we also wish we had more time with old friends. Most of our friends are spread out all over the country and we only get to see them once every few years. The time we spent with Jake’s best friend flew by so quickly!

Saturday evening, we went over to Cindy’s sister’s and her sister’s boyfriend’s place for some Mario Kart and movies. Just before going over to their place, we went back to Target to buy an extra set of controllers so we can play 4 player Mario Kart. Cindy mentioned that the value of the Switch increased in her eyes once we had more controllers. Jake was quick to point out that the Switch and the controllers are great examples of perfect complements!

Sunday

Other than church, we made a concerted effort not to make any plans for today. Cindy is sitting here writing this weekly recap of Thanksgiving week 2019 and Jake is sitting at his desk doing work.

Jake has 2 weeks left of this quarter!! But these next 2 weeks mean business.

Anyways, maybe this was a little boring to read. But we wanted to remember this week and how busy and tiring, in the best ways, it was for us. The busyness and exhaustion of the week remind us that we are loved by so many and we have so many people we love. Ironically, now that break is over, it is time to relax and unwind from this week. And get back into the grind…until Christmas!

Other Things

Jake didn’t shave all November and this is the final result.

Our Christmas tree is up!