suburbs

we got up early this morning and made our way up to the upper east side so that kevin could run in the nyrr UAE 10k. it was sunny, 70F, and muggy out. conditions were definitely not optimal for any PR'ing today, elites or amateurs!

temperatures had reached the mid-80s by noon and it was taking a toll on me. i felt sluggish as we arrived to our friend's home in short hills, nj, but the kids - thomas, jack, and erika, kept me entertained :) carsten and meaghan prepared a delicious bbq for us and we ate together out on their backyard patio.

the last time we visited them, which was probably 8 months ago, erika was just a newborn and immobile in her carrier. this weekend, she was on her feet and walking all over the place (better barefoot than in shoes)! she had a completely different demeanor from the boys, who were boisterous and always rough housing each other; erika was angelic! and so shy at first too. she would look at you in the eyes, blush, and turn away, pushing her face into meaghan or carsten's shoulder. by the time we were leaving, however, she had been happily passing time in my arms and kevin's, and kevin even spent a little time with her inside her gated play area :)

after the bbq, we spent the evening with my parents having taiwanese food at the bowling alley restaurant, shopping at costco, and watching HGTV together. in addition, my mom taught us how to make 酒釀！ here is a pic when we first steamed the sticky rice! now it is in our guest room, the yeast starting to do its work and we will check up on it in a couple days. fingers crossed for the sweet aroma of rice wine and nothing green or fury!