Happy Holidays 2023

中文版在英文版的下面 ↓↓↓

Dear family and friends,

This year, many in our family had the opportunity to visit Taiwan. 2023 for our family included the newest baby, the passing away of a matriarch, and a blissful retirement. Li-Fang and I now have 6 beautiful grandchildren. We are grateful for family relations and blessings. Happy new year!

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We really enjoyed the visits from our two older daughters and their children. After Megan also came home for a month, we commenced a cross-country drive to Utah and California. We visited my brother, Tim, and his family, and San Francisco. Then we flew to Taiwan for a 2-week around-the-island tour, in which we visited over 100 people in over 50 places. By the way I retired from federal government service. While I do miss the amazing opportunities at NIST and the wonderful friends I made there, I am relishing my retirement, still teaching part-time at Montgomery College, keeping busier than before with more service, physical, and social activities. I really enjoy choosing the fun things I always wanted to do in life. I was able to enjoy two major events on my bucket list: attend a BYU football to see Megan's colorguard performance, and to attend our church's General Conference in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, UT.

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After graduating from University of Maryland, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to teach at VisArts in Oil Painting, Sewing and Fiber Art. This is also my 21 years of teaching piano lessons. I am so happy that I can finally do what I like to do for myself. I feel great joys for reaching my personal goals, marrying a very kind and supported husband, wonderful children and grandchildren who are always so sweet and dear to my heart. I am grateful for a wonderful life that God provides and blesses me.

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In the beginning of the year we did not expect to make many travel plans but we ended up doing some big trips! Most to see family and friends. We got to meet up with Henry’s brother’s family in San Diego for this summer (haven’t seen them since before Covid), Maryland this summer, and Taiwan in October (we haven’t seen Henry’s parents and extended family since before Covid too). It was not the easiest to travel with 2 additional toddlers but it was so worth it and special to be able to spend time with family ❤️ Time is something so precious that you can’t get back so enjoy and make the most of it! 😊

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Hi everyone! This year seems to have flown by so quickly. Since the last time that Dad asked us all to submit our yearly reports for this Christmas newsletter, I've moved once (exchanging one basement dwelling for another), enjoyed trips to Mexico and Taiwan, and started working at a local Walmart Auto Care Center. It's been great being able to see my sisters (and their families) more often, especially seeing my nieces and nephews grow. Looking forward to and wishing everyone a productive and fulfilling new year!

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I've had a lot of fun at home this year. It has been fun experiencing the DMV as an adult and exploring all the new places around here. This year I took my first post-pandemic trip to Taiwan and first ever visit to Hong Kong, while business trips took me around Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Nebraska, and rounded it off with a trip to Utah to visit those old folks. I turned 30 this year! Who thought that would ever happen? Excited to see what this decade has in store.

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It's been an extremely eventful year for us. We welcomed Javi's parents to the US, visited Melinda's parents in Maryland, and bought a new car for our growing family. Melinda kept herself busy by teaching piano, flute, and dance lessons, working part time, and being pregnant! Javier has been working hard to grow his company, Engin.AI, and was also promoted to Senior Product Manager earlier this year at DealerOn. Sofia finished preschool and is now loving going to kindergarten. Evelyn is enjoying spending more one on one time with Mommy while Sofia's at school. We welcomed our third daughter, Sydney, and Sofia and Evelyn love being her big sisters! We look forward to many more exciting adventures for our family next year. Merry Christmas!

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I started junior year in BYU and had some of the hardest classes I have ever encountered so far. We love junior core! It is a lot of fun and I was also able to make a lot of memories with family and friends this year. I went home to Maryland in the summer to visit the re-opening of the DC temple and to see the cornerstone ceremony of the YA 43 house I helped design in high school. Then mom, dad, and I went to Taiwan where we enjoyed lots of night markets, sightseeing, and learning how to navigate the transportation system. In Provo, I started an internship for a Landscape Architect on campus and it's been great! Growing up never ends and college is a little crazy, but I feel that God has been helping me through it all day by day.

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Best wishes for the new year. We wish each of you prosperity and happiness and peace throughout this coming year.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
The Tsai family,
Ben & Li-Fang,
Jessica & Henry & Blake & Grace & Trey,
Jonathan,
Joshua,
Melinda & Javi & Sofia & Evelyn & Sydney, and
Megan

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親愛的親朋好友們:

2023年我們家的大事有: 新生兒的誕生、 岳母的過世和格文的退休新生活。

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我們甚是喜悅這個夏天，兩個大女兒帶著孫子女們在不同時間段來訪。自從學校結束後，小女兒回來與我們相聚一個月(被邀參加她在高中時設計的房子蓋建落幕典禮致詞)，隨後我們一同開車橫跨北美經過猶他州探望一下岳母和子孫們，然後到達加州拜訪二弟格智的家庭並到舊金山遊玩了幾天，緊接著就是我們計畫好到台灣兩週的環島之旅。此次旅遊，我們直接間接或有意無意地與一百多位親戚朋友相聚，走過五十多個景(聚)點，整趟旅行十分豐富，回味無窮。 十月我從聯邦政府國家標準局退休。雖然想念我在局裡認識的一些朋友，我很喜歡退休生活並繼續晚上在社區大學教課，做一些社會服務、 晨間運動和社區活動使得生活更加忙碌。 我非常喜歡現在可以選擇一些一直想做的事. 今年終於可以如願去畢生想做的兩件事: 觀看楊百翰大學的美式足球賽 ( 致涵是足球賽旗隊的一員)和參加猶他州鹽湖城的總會教友大會 。

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自從馬里蘭大學畢業後，以為下半生就閒著了，沒想到還能在社區藝術中心(VisArts)教授油畫、縫紉、編織和幼兒藝術班，對我來說是驚奇和不可多得的機緣。 今年也是我教授鋼琴的第22個年頭。這一年我也陸陸續續地在中心碰見以前在馬大的同學來中心授課，遇見他們真開心! 回想一生忙忙碌碌、平平庸傭 、矜矜業業，全職媽媽三十餘載、五十五年的學生生涯終於告一段落，可以為自己放任的做喜愛的事而心無旁騖。 特別慶幸能完成年少時設定的個人目標，又能嫁給一位善良又支持的好好先生，還有一群貼心的孩子和甜美可愛的孫子女們。 我終究要感謝神一生的指引和祝福。 特別感恩一生中沒有經歷戰亂，是個幸運兒。

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年初時我們並沒有想到會計畫這麼多的旅遊，甚至一些長途旅行。大多的旅遊都是 拜訪親人。 我們夏天去了舊金山拜訪政哲的弟弟和他的家庭(疫情之後都不曾再見)。八月時去了一趟馬里蘭州 ，然後十月去台灣(因為疫情，我們很久沒有拜訪政哲的親戚了) 。帶著兩個不到五歲的小孩旅遊實在不是一件容易的事，但確實是一件十分值得的事，特別是能與家人團聚 ❤️相聚的時間是那麼的珍貴 ，時光一去不復返，所以一定要珍惜當下，實實的抓住每個片刻! 😊

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時光飛逝! 記得才剛剛寫完去年的年終報告，一轉眼又是一年。 我又搬了一次家(時常搬家! 這次是從一個地下室搬到另一個)。今年去了一趟墨西哥，也和姊姊一起去台灣玩。換新的工作環境到附近的 Walmart Auto Care Center修車廠工作 。 我極其享受能時常和姊姊妹妹們的家庭在一起，特別是跟我那些侄子姪女們玩並看著他們成長。 祝福每一位都有豐收的新年!

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今年我回父母家住，滿好玩的。更是有趣能在此地經歷一下成年人為自己買車和與機動車管理局打交道的過程，並且探索這個新住處和周圍的環境。 我今年在疫情過後的第一次旅行是台灣和香港。工作出差使我有機會到各州去見識見識，比如康州、麻州、北卡、內布拉斯加，此外我也去了猶他州找老朋友們。 我今年三十了! 怎麼可能呀? 興奮地想知道接下來的"十載" 故事將如何進展延續。

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對我們而言這是個豐收的一年。先是迎接Javi的父母來到美國，到馬里蘭州拜訪致慧 的父母， 為我們加增的家庭人員買了一部新車。 致慧除了盡心盡責地做全職媽媽，還抽空教鋼琴、橫笛、芭蕾舞、甚至整年帶球跑(懷孕)打臨工! Javier 十分努力地擴展他私人的公司事業 , Engin.AI, 並今年在他的全職公司DealerOn晉升為資深的生產部主任。 大女兒蘇菲亞今年結束了學前班，進入她特別喜歡的幼兒園。 二女兒伊芙琳喜愛圍繞在媽媽身邊 。 今年九月十八日我們迎來了小女兒欣婗。蘇菲亞和伊芙琳特別高興能成為大姊姊。 我們期待明年有更多彩更豐富的生活經驗。

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我是楊百翰大學大三的學生，這學期有一些課是我修過的課程中最富高難度的課程。我們真是喜歡大三的必修課!今年有許多好玩的事，也跟家人和朋友們留下了許多美好的回憶。夏天我回馬里蘭州並參觀了華盛頓DC聖殿重新開放，同時有機會參加我在高中時建築設計中獎蓋建的YA 43 house完工慶典。然後爸爸媽媽帶我去台灣旅行, 我們去了好多的夜市，逛逛古蹟街道和旅遊景點，學著如何使用交通系統。回Provo(猶他州)後, 我在校園開始實習美化園藝建築的工作，感覺非常棒! 成長的路永無止境而大學的過程似乎有一點瘋狂，不過我知道神一直在幫我渡過每日的考驗 。

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把最美好的祝福留給您! 祝您在新的一年繁榮昌盛、平安快樂!

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
The Tsai family,
格文 & 麗芳
致潔 & 政哲 & 彥承 & 恩妤 & 仁杰
致琦
致賢
致慧 & 哈維爾 & 夙菲 & 一薇 & 欣馜
致涵