新年快樂！恭喜發財！
Happy Chinese New Year from Connecting Four!!
Category Archives: Connect
Merry Christmas!
Just stopping by to wish all of you a very merry christmas! Life has been hectic having to finish up this semester of school and go christmas shopping but somehow I think everything worked out perfectly. No matter how much stress comes with the christmas season I still love it anyway!
I hope all you guys’ christmas day turn out great.
Preparing for Thanksgiving
This year we are celebrating Thanksgiving a couple days late because Jessie was in Singapore on Thursday attending a Model United Nations (MUN) conference. We simply could not celebrate Thanksgiving without her so while everyone else is getting out their christmas trees and listening to favorite, holiday music, we are still seasoning our Turkey. Although I’m not crazy about cooking I enjoy being around the bustle and hustle of meal preparations. I love the ambiance created when the fragrance of baking pumpkin pie drifts through the house, when Rachel and Mom tie their aprons to begin our feast, and when Megan and I can snuggle up with pumpkin lattes to watch a movie. What would Thanksgiving be without these?
Stuffing, devilled Eggs, and roasted turkey only comes once a year and I am determined to enjoy every bit of it!
Autumn Fest 03
Activity for day three: “Share thanks with each other!”
Rachel: Over the past couple of weeks I have received much encouragement and motivation from friends and family- I am so grateful for the people who daily impact my life!
Maddie: Today I’m so very thankful for my little sister, Megan. I could not due without her warm cuddles, sweet laughter, and cheerful spirit 🙂
Jessie: I am so thankful for God’s gift of smiles each day; whether it be from friends, family, or a little Chinese girl heading to school – smiles bring joy to my day!
Autumn Fest 02 (Maddie)
With my newfound photo blog obsession, I was MORE than ready for day 2! I have a feeling Rachel knew that I would love completing this activity!
To me all the pictures above scream JESSIE. From the beautiful lace shirt, to the Twinings tea box, these photos totally encompass Jessie’s personality.
For example, the first picture, “there’s no other like you” reminds me of how confident Jessie is and how she’ll defend her ideals to the very end (no matter how strange :). This attribute urges me to stop doubting and start living OUT LOUD! The photo of Iced Coffee comes from our Latte dates in our favorite Cafe & Bakery, Paris Baguette. These five pictures only just begin to describe the sweet, positive, and encouraging sister Jessie is. Thanks for being unique. <3
As for Rachel’s 5 pictures, I had a hard time finding the right ones, but I finally picked a few that really impersonate her character in my eyes…
Rachel has always been the “calm” half of us and I really appreciated that aspect of her. Though she doesn’t respond too well to my LOUD laughter and MASSIVE hugs, I know she will be there for me in other ways 🙂
The Anne of Green Gables shot above is one of my favorites, this movie never gets old for Rachel and I! While in the process of tumblr searching, I had this Starbucks image in the back of my mind… where would Rachel be without her Starbucks runs?! It amazes me how much time she can spend sitting in a Coffee shop; reading, working, or chatting 🙂 Rachel, you’ve always been able to encourage and love me when things are rough, your peaceful spirit is a true blessing in my life. I love you!
Autumn Fest 02 (Jessie)
<Before I begin… RACHEL, thank you for creating this amazing calendar for us! I cannot imagine enjoying this season without you! >
This particular day is especially fun for me because now-a-day I don’t get the luxury of browsing pictures online. I had so much fun finding these photos and collaging them into pinterest-like boards for you two!
1. Maddie, this looks like a place where you would travel — I can imagine you (with a rich husband 😉 driving around Europe in this vintage, blue BMW Bug.
2. When I found this picture I instantly thought that these feathers, in a clip or headband, would look fabulous in your short hair!
3. I imagine this as the view from your future city penthouse — very elegant.
4. This is definitely the Asian version of you! I can totally see you biking through a city in this outfit!
5. You may not be a big fan of cookies, but this cookie dough is so you; it completely encompasses your PINK style. I can imagine you making a whole bowl of this dough and eating “raw.”
1. I debated including this photo in the top 5 at first, but now I’m confident that this photo illustrates your style to the max 😉
2. This collection would not be complete without a picture of coffee! Alas – the good old days when we drank tea together are gone ~
3. This is your dream home – it has everything you desire for a country home: a white victorian-style house (with plenty of kitchen space I’m sure ;), lots of GREEN land, and horses!
4. This photo represents your love of Hong Kong and family vacations — How can we ever forget those late nights in Hong Kong sitting around chatting with HKwaffles and bubble tea in hand?
5. Your love of photography and Asian kids are combined in this photo – adorable!
Love you two (and this challenge)!
Autumn Fest 02 (Rachel)
Activity for Day Two: “each person must find five photos which remind them of the other [in my case 2] group members.”
What an amazing way to illustrate (literally!) how I view my sisters. At first it seems obvious… of course they know how I see them- we’ve slept in the same room for how many years now? But its not always that simple. Sometimes the way we view ourselves is much different than the way others see us from the outside.
That’s what made this activity so interesting.
I searched around several hours trying in vain not to get distracted for a while on tumblr blogs until I pinned down just “five” pictures that impersonated Jessie and Maddie in my mind.
Maddie, you were so much more difficult to find pictures for than I expected! In the end I chose photos that I was positive you’d like (sorry no risks there). Believe it or not, you are a mystery to me. For example, when I think you’ll love what I bake, you end up politely eating a few bites before handing it off to Megan. When I’m positive that you’ll absolutely hate a dessert, you love it! Seriously, what’s up with that?!
Though there are some aspects of your person that baffle me (and I’m planning on taking you out for a LONG explanation of this), I am certain about a few things. For one, you are THE most amusing yet laid back person I’ve met. My life would be boring and uneventful without your (often foreign-accented) jokes, randomly executed back hugs, and queer obsession with fried rice in the mornings. Thanks for being so uniquely awesome.
Jessie, you have such an adventurous attitude matched with great sensitivity. For that reason (and for the fact that spending time with you is one of my “favorite” past times), I chose images of places that I want to visit with you. A rustic cabin in the mountains, a lovely picnic on a trip to France, coffee and tiramisu in a coffee shop in Korea- I can’t think of anyone besides you who I’d ask to be my world traveling buddy! Some day it will happen 🙂
I love you two! <3 Rachel
Enjoy Friendship. Enjoy the Season.
We are preparing to embark on an Autumn adventure filled with festivities, fellowship, and happy memories.
How it began…
I was incredibly blessed this year to take an extended amount of vacation time from fixed responsibilities and accustomed busyness. You see, I decided to stay in China for one more year to seek direction in my life. This year’s blessing has been two-fold; not only do I have the opportunity to discover my dreams for the future, but I’ve been given the chance to create lasting memories with my sisters before I leave home. I’m determined to take full advantage of this.
So, I created a 20 day challenge for us to complete during the month of November. Everyday there is a different activity which we will complete together, both to enjoy the holiday season, and each other. As we make our way through this Fall bucket list, I will be posting about our adventures.
But the story doesn’t stop here. The purpose of the Autumn challenge isn’t just for connecting4, it’s for you to enjoy the precious relationships in your life as well. My hope is that you would ask a couple of friends to join you in making the most of this season together. Gather great ideas for fall spirit below and make tons of awesome memories!
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As of Late
As of late, we have all been caught up in the whirl-wind activity of a new school year! Personally, I feel like I have jumped on a boat that I am trying in vain to steer through churning waters, (Anyone else?). So what’s been so crazy about the beginning of this school year? – the real question is what hasn’t been crazy about the beginning of this school year?
For starters, my dad, Maddie, and I had our annual Fall Camp, a high school retreat, last week! Maddie is discovering the “joys”of a high school homework load, and I am discovering the “joys” of three AP classes.
Over in Hong Kong, Michael just returned from a church retreat which was very encouraging for him as he begins his sophomore year at Hong Kong University!
Rachel has been busy as a bee at home. She’s our “sweet little fairy,” baking delicious desserts, working in the blog room on her goals, and supporting us in school. Rachel too has been unusually busy this week; it seems that the news of her baking skills are getting around. This week she has baked 2 layer cakes, pavlovas (tonight to satisfy me and Maddie’s meringue craving :), and biscotti. Sadly, the only above dessert we get to try is the white fluffy cookies in the oven now. The birthday cakes were made for a friend and a client!
On top of ALL of that, add the usual homework load, dentist appointments, student council work, and time spent with friends then you’ve about nailed down our lives as of late!
Me and my Fall Camp team during the stew competition! ~Smokey~
Maddie posing with her team after the Fall Camp Skits!
The 3-layer Lego cake that Rachel baked for a boy in our community turning ten. It is a vanilla cake with multi-colored layers (red, blue and green), meringue buttercream filling, and marshmallow icing on top!
Michael’s Church retreat – seems like he had fun!
Tianjin Memories
I’ve been back to Hong Kong for a week, and getting back into the swing of things has been difficult. Looking through my photos for this post made me miss Tianjin and remember the summer and all the adventures I had.
I remember the huge construction materials market-and dreaming about new projects.
I remember the hundred year old architecture in downtown Tianjin, where I spent times with my sisters, mom and friends.
I remember brainstorming with Jessie on her art portfolio and working in the blog office.
But I guess most of all, I remember the times I spent with my family. I miss you guys.
This post is part of my Memories Collection-revisiting places where Connecting Four really connected and explored the world together. See my Thailand Memories post here. See my Guilin Memories post here.