Sofia rejoices in her new two-wheel freedom Another year older: Jan celebrated a birthday (he's no longer telling which one) July 21st. He spent most of the day on the phone, as family called from the Netherlands and elsewhere. After delicious lemon cake (thanks, Trudy), ice cream and gifts, Jan and Amy went to a Left Foot Boogie Summer Dance Party in Bothell. The live band even played a special birthday dance to honor his day! Finally some sun!: While Cameron began (temporary) work at an engineering firm, Jan, Sofia, and Amy flew to San Diego to enjoy some sun and warmth after a record-breaking stretch of lower-than-75-degree temperatures in Seattle (eventually lasting from September 23, 2009, to June 23, 2010!). Sofia enjoyed the motel swimming pool nearly every day, and we had a wonderful time visiting SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, and the San Diego Wildlife Park, as well as the beaches of Del Mar and La Jolla and the lighthouse at Point Loma. Spring 2010Graduation 2: On Wednesday, June 16th, Sofia finished kindergarten at Woodinville Montessori. Her class had held a "moving up" ceremony the previous Friday for all the kindergarteners. After the last half-day of school, we gave a party to honor the seven neighborhood kindergarteners who had all graduated. They received "medals" to wear that said "Kindergarten Graduate June 2010" on one side, and "Class of 2022" on the other.
Future first grader, June 16, 2010 Graduation 1: On Monday, June 14th, the family attended commencement ceremonies at Juanita High School to watch Cameron complete his high school career (see Cameron's Album). The two-hour event in the Field House concluded with photos of Cameron and his friends, some of whom had been in Cameron's classes since first grade! Cameron is excited to be attending the the University of Washington in September.
Future world changer, June 14, 2010 Senioritis: Cameron has it bad. With only one week of high school to go, Juanita High held its Senior Prom on June 5th. The kids were unexpectedly blessed with a beautiful, sunny day in the midst of a miserably cool and wet week. Cameron and his date, Amira K., along with seven other couples, rented a mini-bus to drive them to Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle for photos, then the Icon Grill for a fancy dinner, and then to the Seattle Harbor Club for the dance. They all looked great [below] and, reportedly, had an awesome evening.
Cameron and fifteen other friends pose at Kerry Park in Seattle as family take photos. Eighteen: Cameron turned 18 at the end of April. In part he celebrated by spending the preceding weekend with four friends in Ocean Shores, Wash., watching the Rally America Olympus Car Rally. The independent weekend included some car trouble and expense (welcome to adulthood!), but he saw Travis Pastrana and met Ken Block, two well-known professional rally racers, and all in all they had a birthday blast. Dutch volcation: Jan and Sofia left for a family visit in the Netherlands on March 30th. Sofia loved visiting her Oma and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. She successfully spent some part of each weekday in Dutch kindergarten. They visited several special parks where Sofia was able to go "bungee jumping" on a trampoline and float on "a real live raft"! They also went to De Kempervennen, a tropical swimming (indoor) resort near Valkenswaard, for a weekend, where, among other activities, Sofia dressed up as an Indian and a princess. They were due to return on April 17th, but because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, their trip was extended as a "volcation." Luckily for them, they exchanged their tickets for a return trip on April 21st, and in fact their Delta flight was the first one out of Amsterdam to Seattle since the volcanic disruption. Winter 2010Toe-tally!: Cameron had foot surgery to remove a bone spur from his toe on March 26th. It put him on the couch and on crutches for his spring break, but it was causing him a lot of pain, and once the surgery has healed he'll be good as new. A new dawg: After waiting nervously for what seemed like forever, Cameron finally received an acceptance letter from the University of Washington. It's the only place he wanted to apply for college, where he hopes to major in mechanical engineering, and he is very excited. (Amy is excited, too, not only because the UW is her second home but because, even though Cameron will not be living at home, he won't be too far away!) Go, Dawgs! Six is sweet: Sofia turned six at the end of January. She had a special birthday celebration at the Montessori, after which she shared chocolate chip cookies with her classmates. For dinner at home that night she'd requested chicken nuggets, accompanied by French fries and frozen peas. Cameron and Brennan helped her open gifts, and she blew out candles on a chocolate mousse cake. A week later she had a party for her friends at TechCity Bowl in Kirkland. She chose Space for her birthday theme. ("Space is cool, Mom. It's always moving. It's like we're on a ride.") The kids had a blast bowling, and Sofia was very excited to end the hour with the highest score, a 78. Next followed pizza, cake and wonderful presents. What a terrific birthday for a terrific girl! |
 | A list of many of the books Amy's read and book reviews for some that are recommended. |
| A photo album of Cameron's activities |
| A photo album of Jan's racing adventures; see what it's like at the track if you can't be there. |
| Jan's consumer tips based on his personal experiences. |
| Links to Web sites with family connections |
A little history about Amy, Jan, and Cameron.
"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" —Joseph Campbell
This site was designed and is maintained by Amy, with guidance from Cameron.
It was last updated on Friday, August 27, 2010.
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