His first race was the M30 (athletes aged 30-34) 100 m preliminary. It was incredibly hot and we were dripping with sweat while we sat in the stands! Before long, we learned that since some athletes had scratched, Jason automatically advanced to the finals (we had hurried to get there so it was a bummer he didn't even race).On Saturday, since Jason's first race wasn't until after lunch, we were able to squeeze in a visit to Sutter's Fort. Unfortunately, it wasn't too interesting for Grace and Jeremy. We'll definitely have to return when they're older.
Jason's first race was the M30, 100 m final. It was so exciting to watch Jason finish in 3rd place, earning a bronze medal!
His next race was the M30, 200 m preliminary. There were two heats, and Jason's time qualified for the final. Unfortunately, that race left him feeling rather sore. For dinner later that evening, we were able to visit Old Town Sacramento.
On Sunday, we decided to head to IKEA before Jason's race. I love that place! Of course we left with plenty! Jason's race was in the afternoon, and he had a hard time warming up. When it came time for the 200 m finals, he did great coming out of the blocks, but injured his achilles tendon coming around the bend. It has bothered him in the past, but not in the past few months. Needless to say, that forced him to stop and he ended up hobbling over the finish line. He was so disappointed, and we were disappointed for him. It's one of those things- an athlete devotes to training for months, and it all comes down to a few seconds... We are already looking ahead to next year. The World Masters Track & Field Championships will be held in July at the same venue in Sacramento. Despite having to hobble around, after we left the meet, Jason still wanted to take our kids to the California State Railroad Museum. I am so glad we did- Jeremy LOVED it. I loved seeing his excitement as he ran from train to train. He couldn't get enough! After getting some treats in Old Town, we finally headed for home. Jeremy threw one of the longest tantrums ever, and he kept saying, "I don't want to go home!"
I am so proud of Jason and not just because he earned a bronze medal at this meet. I am inspired by his commitment, determination, discipline, and drive. What an amazing example he has shown our kids of how to live an active lifestyle, how to strive towards a goal, and to not give up when it really would be easier to quit. Way to go, Babe- we love you so much! 
We grew up together and I am grateful that despite the distance, we're all still close. We spent Saturday with my brother, Peter (aka PT), and sis-in-law, Teresa (who came up from Calgary), Thao and her husband, Peter, and their daughter, Sam. Jason went golfing with PT and Peter and the rest of us went to watch Sam play soccer. 
After some shopping in the afternoon, and a visit to a new bubble tea cafe, PT and Teresa prepared dinner for all of us at Peter and Thao's house.
After church on Sunday, we went out for a family lunch before heading to Galaxyland, the indoor amusement park at West Edmonton Mall. 
My parents get a lot of joy from watching the kids go on the rides. Actually, they enjoy taking the kids to the annual fair here, but it doesn't start until later this week. Grace was old enough to try going on some bigger rides- she definitely inherited her "guts" from Jason!
Tomorrow, we leave Edmonton... It's hard to believe that we've been here for 3 weeks! Despite the crazy weather not allowing us to do as much as we wanted, it has still been a good visit. We were able to spend some quality time with family and close friends. This past Saturday evening was particuarly meaningful for me. My whole life, I have never known the whole story of how my parents met, how they escaped Vietnam during the war, and how they ended up in Canada. I have heard bits and pieces over the years, but I have never heard it from them. They finally opened up and shared about things from their past. I finally know more about my family's history! That evening is one of the highlights of this trip for me. Often times, I tell people that I keep this blog as a way to journal things that I consider important. I will most definitely be writing everything down that they shared with me in the weeks to come.
For her special time with Jeremy, Sarah decided to bake cookies with Jeremy. I am certain that he felt important, particularly since he got to be the only helper. Luckily for us, we got to reap the benefits of their hard work! 
Thanks, Di Dao, for being such a fun, amazing auntie! We love you!
Later in the evening, my sister offered to watch our kids for us so we could have an early anniversary dinner. Our actual anniversary is July 24, but we're going to be in Sacramento that day for Jason's track races (he'll need to focus on that). The weather cooperated long enough for her to take the kids to the Millwoods Farmer's Market. Being the good aunt she is, of course she let them get all kinds of sweet treats!
Jason and I are celebrating 11 years of marriage this year! To celebrate, we went out for a special dinner. For years, I have wanted to try 
There have been many ups and downs over the years. I don't ever want to take for granted how God has really protected and strengthened our marriage over these past few years. I have seen first hand how God has moved in and through both of us- I feel incredibly blessed.
Sorry for not posting regularly about our visit to Edmonton! It's because we have been up to nothing- seriously! We haven't done a whole lot. We've had such a low-key visit so far- I've been able to do plenty of reading, napping, and watching TV (we don't have dish or cable at home, so I've loved having access to HGTV, TLC, Food Network, etc. I've watched A LOT of t.v. this trip). Part of the reason why we haven't done very much is because Edmonton has had a very wet summer. Last year, it was really warm, so for this year, I packed a lot of shorts and t-shirts. Instead, we've been wearing mostly our jeans! The weather has been a good excuse to lounge around and be lazy.
It was interesting how the meet divided up the age brackets. At age 34, Jason was in the 20-34 age bracket. In fact, in that age bracket, there were only 2 people who weren't currently in college. That means that he had to run against athletes that are currently competing at the collegiate level. Well, for his 100 m race, his time was 11.60 secs. He came in 13th out of 14 runners. For his 200 m race, his time was 23.4 secs. He came in 7th out of 10 runners. Jason was really disappointed, but the upside is that he was able to compete in 2 events without getting injured. His next meet is the "biggie!" It's what he's been training for all year: the 
Part of the reason why I love this zoo is because of how everything is organized. There are different sections/pavilions representing the continents of the world. For example, in the African Savannah, some of the animals we got to see were the hippos (my favorite), giraffes, lions, ostriches, and zebras. I also love this zoo because the habitats are incredible- they're roomy and look "authentic." 
Jenny and Huy moved to Calgary last year, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to reconnect with them. My brother and sister-in-law were also able to come and join us for dinner. Jenny made a delicious authentic Vietnamese hot pot for us. 
While the guys watched UFC, Jenny did my sister-in-law's and Grace's nails! Boy, did Grace get spoiled! 
We stayed up late sharing and reminiscing... Next morning, we shared breakfast before heading on. 
We had planned to spend the day at a nearby park, but the weather did not cooperate, so we ended up spending it at their friends' house. Their friends were so gracious, and gave us the place and time to be together. We got to meet their son and they got to meet ours. 
We have missed them so much over the years, and are so grateful we got to spend time with them!
He was an important part of my life-a great listener, supportive, and incredibly fun to be with. Our life journeys took us on different paths over the years, but I still value him and our friendship. 
It has also been about four years since I saw Brian last, so it was good to see him and get a chance to catch up. After dinner, we headed back to Edmonton. 
It has been a few years since we've been in Canada for Canada Day. We intentionally sought out things to do as a family for this special occasion. The day started off with the Silly Summer Parade down Edmonton's Whyte Ave. I've never been to it, so we truly didn't know what to expect. We found a perfect spot near the end of the parade route, and Jason walked to Oodle Noodle to get us some lunch to eat while we waited for the parade to start. I LOVE OODLE NOODLE! Yum! The parade itself wasn't very long, and it was "silly" in the sense that there was no rhyme or reason to it- very random. However, because it was silly and random, the kids really enjoyed it. It was also neat to see everyone decked out in Canada gear all day!
Around 10pm, we took Grace with us to find a spot in the river valley to watch Edmonton's fireworks show. We decided to leave Jeremy sleeping, since it was so late. Can you believe that by the time 11pm rolled around, it still wasn't really dark outside?! The fireworks would've been more amazing against a dark backdrop... The show was pretty good (definitely better than what they've done in the previous years, but paled in comparison to Buchanan High's in Clovis). We didn't get home until past midnight and Grace was definitely wiped out! It was a fun day- Happy Birthday, Canada!
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
