Houston

On Sunday, Tuyet accompanied me in my drive down south from Dallas to Houston, to see my Aunt Anna (Da Bo Mu). I don't think I'd seen her in nearly 20 years! I was glad to have some time to spend with her, however short. She was absolutely wonderful to be with - telling me stories about the past - from my nai-nai and ye-ye to people they knew to funny stories about her kids (my 3 cousins on my dad's side).

She treated us to a delicious lunch at the new Chinatown that sprung up where she lives. I've already forgotten some of the dish names (a tofu-beef soup), but some of my favorites were the jyo-tsai-he-zi and the fan-tuan. I took a much needed nap (having not gotten enough sleep the previous night due to stomach problems) and then felt refreshed for a lovely home cooked dinner and more talking about the family.

It was a visit too short, and I hope to see her again soon. Tuyet and I awoke at 4 am the next morning in order to return the Budget rental and catch my flight out of Dallas. I gobbled up a cha siu bao on the road for breakfast and managed to stay awake for the whole drive up.

Coating fish with Japanese breadcrumbs

Mrs Susie Poozie to you

Susie and Tan got married!

Susie had a radiant smile on her face the whole weekend. I've not seen her so happy in 10 years of knowing her. It was great to be able to celebrate with her and finally meet Tan. They had an American style wedding, with elements of his Vietnamese background and her Korean background thrown in.

Tuyet and I shared a room at the Magnolia Hotel. After a week of camping and cheap motels, I was at a loss as to how to behave appropriately at such a fine establishment. I was going to buy toothpaste at a local drugstore when some friends mentioned that I could get it from the front desk. I called down, asked for it (yes we have it), confirmed it was free (yes with a chuckle), and said I would be right down to get it. "We can bring it up to you," was her quick helpful reply. Oh ya - I forgot that's how it works. Our valet coordinator, Jason, was really good. There were some newbies working there, one who opened my door "Welcome to the Westin!" -- clearly overworked from too many summer jobs. A few of us tried out the gym, which had quite a few broken machines. I made use of one of the working stairmasters for 30 minutes, in hopes of keeping some of the hiking shape that I'd gotten into at Yosemite. The Korean BBQ dinner, the wedding lunch buffet, and the hotel nightly cookies weren't really doing much to help.

Susie, Tuyet and Janet: pre-wedding


getting dressed


Susie with her parents and sister


The Ceremony


Tan and Susie, Vietnamese style


Korean style


Karen Wong '00 with Mrs Susie!