Tsai Family of the Parklands

It was a big deal with Megan graduating from high school. She is the last in a long line of excelling high school graduates in our family. So, we took occasion to make the event into a family reunion. We were so thrilled to reunite with all of our children and their families. Jonathan flew in on Thursday evening, May 30. Joshua, Jessica, Henry, and Blake flew in on Friday afternoon, May 31. The actual graduation ceremony was held on Friday afternoon at 2:30pm at Constitution Hall in Washington DC. We witnessed the 2019 class of Quince Orchard High School walk in their commencement ceremony. After the graduation, we had a great big reunion and enjoyed hotpot together. Then we drove out to Damascus to eat at Jimmie Cone. On Saturday, at about 10:30 AM, I gave Megan a written fathers blessing and presented her the laminated blessing with her name etymology in English and Chinese. It was cool to have my sons, Jonathan, Joshua, Henry, and Javi, helping me in giving her a blessi...

On Memorial Day, we visited 4 memorials with Javi and Melinda and Sofia.  We walked around to the World Ward II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial.

Megan received several awards at the Quince Orchard High School Senior Awards Night.

Megan received awards at the Thomas Edison High School of Technology Awards Ceremony.

On April 27, the Washington DC Temple Choir had an unusual opportunity to sing an Easter concert with Clay Christiansen at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.  The Basilica was a cavernous chapel with many satellite chapels.  Echos resonate through the chapel.  Clay Christiansen, former organist for the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, was invited to play the Basilica's famous pipe organ.  He invited our choir to sing with him on two songs.  Can you see me behind Clay in the group photo?  Everything was incredible!

During Spring Break, we drove up to Jonathan's place in Connecticut just for fun.  During our whirlwind tour of New England, we managed to squeeze in a quick superficial tour of Cliff Walks in Rhode Island, Boston, and Cape Cod.  The clam chowder was delicious.  The beach at Cape Cod, or the part we saw, was windy.  And finally, Cliff Walks was the windiest.  It was dark by the time we arrived, by we snapped a photo with the Atlantic Ocean in the background.

As part of Li-Fang's art class requirements, she attended a special tour of the National Gallery.  She observed artworks by Giotto, di Buoninsegna, Angelico, Lippi, Carnevale, del Castagno, da Vinci, Giorgine, da Carpi, Bassano, Titian, Strigel, van Eyck, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Heda.  Here Li-Fang is standing by The Alba Madonna by Raphael.

Dear family and friends, 2018 has been a most exciting year.  Below we share our thoughts about this past year and our wishes for the new year. I am grateful for my expanding family. They have truly taught me a lot, especially my two grandchildren, Blake and Sara Sofia. Children are a great blessing! I am thankful to my beloved wife, for helping me cope with my father's death and for accompanying me to Taiwan to resolve my father's business. I am grateful for the blessings of health, freedom, love, and peace. I am grateful for all the learning opportunities in school and in real life. I am grateful for the gospel to lead and guide me. When I am home, I have all the support from my family members; I didn’t know that was the greatest strength to push me through difficulties easily. I thought it was all me who can do that all by myself. As I am here alone at night in Taiwan, I started to re-evaluate my strength. I don’t know what is ahead...

親愛的親朋好友: 迎新送舊！願幸福永遠伴隨。 感謝家人，和睦相處，相互授受。 孫子孫女，Blake and Sara Sofia，祝福滿滿。 感謝吾妻，相伴相隨，父親後事，得以順利。 感謝神所𧶽福份，得健康、自由、愛與和平。 感謝神恩常看護，愛在家中學可成。 歸心似箭事難理，毅步毅屈始終成。 家人挺力量自來，勢孤力單事難成。 故鄉人事憶如昨，點點滴滴在心頭。 感念往日神示訓，恩寵笨拙無知的我。 事多變動多祝福！ 政哲工作晉升職，彥承新入幼稚園，致潔忙碌為彥承，游泳溜冰籃球樣樣來。 全職媽媽兼教琴，左鄰右舍齊來學。身體健康多挑戰，心懷感恩歷人生。 用盡假期遊墨西哥，偶爾週末渡小假。 Pratt & Whitney 滿一年，期待聖誕與新年。 祝福大家佳節愉快！ 學士最後一學期，專注Capstone project，上完最後幾堂課， 努力做研究，參加管弦樂團，終於順利畢業。 五月跟隨管弦樂團，澳洲巡迴演出後，緊接續讀BYU碩士班， 跟隨 Dr. David Fullwood研究機械工程。 忙碌中更珍惜享受著每個片段閒暇假期。 祝聖誕快樂！ 今年哈維爾畢業於哥倫比亞大學世貿管理；致慧畢業於楊百翰大學化學工程系。 哈維爾完成了在Libra Group的實習後，順利地進入了 DealerOn 工作。 七月底，我們可愛的寶寶 Sara Sofia 誕生了。 我們深知神的手帶領著我們的小家庭。祝賀聖誕節快樂！新年快樂！ 從哥哥姐姐的畢業丶小姪女的出生丶進入高中最後一年丶 填發大學申請表丶興奮地參加了學校樂團和旗隊， 我覺得最後一年的高中生活滿輕鬆的。 只有四堂課，我可以每天在八點鐘睡覺。 感謝寒冬的美式足球比賽和樂團季節巳過。 挑戰自己的興趣開始繪畫來完成Personal Progress, 彈彈豎琴丶練練鋼琴丶烤些甜點丶洗洗碗丶逛逛街丶練開車丶做卡片…， 期待聖誕假期和新年的來臨。祝佳節愉快！ 祝您闔家平安 ！ 聖誕快樂 ! 新年快樂！ 蔡家庭 格文、麗芳、 致潔及政哲 和彥承、致琦、致賢、致慧、致涵

On a quiet Friday afternoon, we headed for Wheaton for the AALEAD Christmas party. It was still afternoon, but it was dark. After a catered Chinese dinner, the kids competed in a fashion show made from cardboard and paper and created fashion is based on the five elements. I actually won the raffle for Cava. They had a program where people entertained. They even have a young man who sold a Rubiks cube in less than one minute. After the group picture, it’s been a long time saying goodbye with friends.

The first snow fall of the year arrived on November 15.  Due to the inclement weather, school was canceled.  However, I did have to drive to work.  We were dismissed two hours early.

As part of their class, Li-Fang 蔡王麗芳 and her classmate 殷佳子 at Montgomery College organized an art exhibit.  They invited a third classmate and 4 professional artists (Rob Talbert, Anatol Woolf, Frances Luk 譚換芬, and Hua-Sheng Wu 吳華勝) to display some of their artwork in the Kentlands Chapel on November 10 from 4pm to 8pm.  Over 70 people signed the registry.  It was a very successful cultural event.