Happy....

This has been the time of parties the last few weeks with one more to come this next week. Here are some pictures from a few of them!

Happy...

Birthday Damon!
Damon is one of my classmates at the CLP. All us 2nd years went over to his house on his birthday for home cooked Chinese food and then a viewing of "October Sky" (the kids at CLP are getting ready to do a science fair!)

Damon loves chocolate and coke obviously

Cyndie, Lisa, me and Kim Cagle

opening gifts

Birthday Joellen!
We all surprised Joellen at our favorite coffee shop, Maili on her birthday. She thought she was just going with Kim to get coffee but then many of the ladies of CLP met her there with a cake and gifts. It was a nice time to hang out together and celebrate Joellen.

so surprised!

Lighting the candles

St. Patrick's Day!
I had my second annual St. Patrick's Day party again this year. I was much busier this year so it wasn't quite the extravaganza as last year but still fun. We had a meal of Baked Potatoes, Beer Chili, irish soda bread, Barm Brack, green white chocolate mint fudge, and my green snickerdoodles!

Mandy enjoying chili

Bridget and Iain

Reagan and Hannah-sportin some good green

16th Birthday Reagan!
Reagan had her 16th Birthday party on Sunday. It was Hollywood themed so we went all out. It was a lot of fun to be able to celebrate her 16th birthday with her!

Great ipod cake!

The Cool Place! (Youth and leaders from youth group)

Lisa (Lady Gaga), Cyndie (Whoopi) and me (Avril)

Child star Sydney (with a gun?)

Avril (me), Lady Gaga (Lisa), Jackie O (Emy), and Messi (Stowe)

15

For the last day of Chinese New Year, the 15th day, a few of us went to a friend's house to celebrate. Because the New Year was so early this year, many students had to be back to school before the end of the holiday and so couldn't be at home to celebrate with their family. Sooo, my friend Kara invited some of our Chinese friends over so we could celebrate. We tried to make it very Chinese style for them.

We ate Chinese food cooked by Kara (sooo good!)

teamwork

we chatted

we did fun fireworks

there is no rules about what kind of fireworks you can buy. This was from the smallest of the boxed ones they had-only 6 dollars. It is amazing how big of fireworks anyone can put off.

And of course ate tang yuan (er). This is a kind of food that is always eaten on the 15th day. It is made of sticky rice mushed into balls with a flavoring inside. Ours were either peanut flavored or black sesame flavored. Very good though a little strange of texture.