Dance2003

BeiJing

Xian

Photo Album

Salt Lake City

Greetings for 2003 from the Lu Family

 Hi:

 This is a busy year for us:

Cindy & Paul became the president of the orchestra parent booster club. Cindy got a second fulltime job, we got to know more people, make more friends and really enjoyed the community. It was fun this summer, when orchestra had a pool party while Debbie was away, the rest three of us joined the party.

Paul lost his youngest sister at age of 38. It is a shock and both Paul and Sisi are very sad by this. We pretty much shutdown everything back home and sold Mom’s house to move on. Selling Mom’s house is quite a lesson from Mom after she died for twelve years: a neighbor who is very grateful for Mom’s nagging her child to be a good student found us the buyer within two days – who says good deed goes in vain? You just never know when it’s coming back!

In spring break, we went to Sea World because Cindy was giving a talk in her company’s convention. On the way back, the minivan lost one or two of its spark plugs. For the first time, Paul was the slowest car on the road for 200 miles. Nobody wanted to drive it after a tune up brought the car back to working condition. So we said goodbye to it after 9 years and 160 thousand miles of service. Cindy got a new SUV – the Honda Pilot.

We finally made our Grand Canyon trip. It was just a wonderful experience. Paul got up in the dark at 4 every morning heading out under the stars trying to catch the sunrise. Everybody else joined once or twice. Lake Powell was our favorite, but a day in the sun wore us out! Debbie got the best out of it: she drove a whole week and we didn’t realize the rental company is totally against the customers under 25. For Paul, riding shotgun is wonderful: he can enjoy the view and not worry about driving.

The JetSki(or Seadoo) was used twice this year. We sure enjoyed it, but it does bring up the question: do we really need the problem of keeping it and hauling it? One thing for sure: we enjoy the camp site by the lake. As for Cindy’s retirement lake house? We will have to wait and see!

 We’ll go up to the big apple for Christmas. Hopefully, we will have a white Christmas.

Michelle really grew this year. Now she is only shorter than Dad. Mom and Debbie still share some of the clothes, Michelle sure is out of that club.

 Debbie is a very good driver. She has her license for 15 months now and is ticket and accident free. On the other hand, Paul got involved in 4 accidents. He is not at fault in any of them. But the insurance premium sure went up.

 This Spring, Debbie danced semi-solo in the recital.

Cindy’s work is now seven days a week, whenever she is awake. She does have a very productive and coherent team. On top of that, she got the orchestra, too. Talking about juggling a ball and chew bubble gum.

 Paul’s meditation practice is getting him some unexpected result. Besides doing very well, he enjoys better health. Whenever it is to rain, when it is raining or it is to quit, Paul’s body knows about it. Just like those who with join problems, his body responded to whatever the change is. His habit of practicing in the rain doesn’t make Cindy feel good at all. One day, Cindy yelled at him: “It’s thundering!”. Paul insisted that he is safe given our house and the hill in the back make him the lowest point and he is safe from the thunder. Maybe it will take a lighting strike on him for him to learn the real “benefit”. The girls kept asking Paul what he wanted for his birthday & Christmas, Paul replied with “Practice meditation”

The government is giving Paul very confusing signals: when our defense secretary went to Japan and solute to the soldiers died in war, Paul can only think:

 To the Japanese soldiers in Pearl Harbor, from Rummy. 

Now that US snatched up Iraq and captured Saddam. Libya is giving up their weapon for money. Israel builds the third famous “wall" Great wall, Berlin wall). Wonder when and how we are to get out of this hole.

 For Paul, he thinks the WW III  has started because he learned from the history: the Japs had been getting in-and-out of Chinese for more than 10 years before the whole world realized that WW II was happening. His only wish is that: the two countries he loves the most: China & US does not get into war. It’s is late to keep USA away from war, he just wishes US doesnot wage a war against China. For sure the politics back home in Taiwan is not going this way, either.

Back home in Taiwan, it is crazy. The funny thing is: we found so many of our friends on the news.