Birthday Celebration at Riverside Casino

We planned a ladies' night to celebrate Mei's birthday on Nov. 9, but the birthday girl cancelled it because her lab work wasn't done. A week later, we got together and picked an unusual celebration spot--the newly opened casino 15 miles away from school. After a dinner buffet and exchange of many jokes and laughters, we stepped into the casino for some "luck." Interestingly, it was the birthday girl who had more luck than the rest of us. We left Riverside feeling quite entertained and relaxed. On the way back in Hsin-Yen's car, we saw fog spreading over the narrow, dark road, making us more alert than with the slot machines earlier. We looked forward to a good night sleep, except for Ally. She had to finish her 12-page paper due the next morning.

做巧克力蛋糕 Making Brownies

星期六下午我們在家裡做了一個核桃巧克力蛋糕. 小琳和小麗熱情參與整個過程. 做法超簡單,味道很好. 這個品牌是朋友特別介紹的.

We made walnut brownies at home for the first time. Lo-lin helped sprinkle the peanut crumbles on the brownies. Raleigh mixed the ingredients together. Then they both licked the bowl. Of course, the brownies turned out to be quite delicious.

萬聖節又來了! Halloween Does Not End

Halloween again. Games, costumes, jack-o-lanterns, parties, trick or treats, even basketball social and church concert . . . We were really out there, everywhere.

If parents would allow themselves to think and feel with their children, Halloween can be fun, and all the running around could actually be tireless.

美麗的九月天 Beautiful Days in the Fall

Beauty and joy are immensely felt at the end of September. That's when we sing Happy Birthday to Raleigh and see leaves turning red outside our window. At this time next year, the tone will be heard, but the color will be missed. Everything of this lovely town will be missed.

週末下午 Women's Music and Choo Choo Train

The 13th Annual Iowa Women's Music Festival was held on Saturday, September 9, at the Upper City Park. We got there during KJ Denhert's performance. I didn't know anything about this urban folk and jazz artist, but the caption of a postcard promoting her music reads if you want to know what KJ sounds like, imagine combining Cassandra Wilson, Roberta Flack and Sting with a dash of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. Add lots of soul, groove and BIG hair!

In Iowa City, it's quite often to see lesbian couples attending certain events, and that afternoon at the music festival, many of them gathered to enjoy a lovely afternoon.

I wish we could stay longer for more music, but Raleigh and Lo-lin ran out of patience and wanted to get on the rides at the other side of the park. So we left as music lingered on . . .

and got on the choo choo train, and watched Lo-lin becoming a pilot.