Saturday, August 30, 2014

Three Heidelberg alumnae wish me bon voyage - August 30, 2014

Evelyn, Laura, and Shannon came by my home to give me a little something for Heidelberg.

Their gift came in a shutterfly.com envelope. 
I appreciate the message on the envelope because orange is one of Pepperdine's school colors. 

 Inside the envelope is a magnet with pictures of Manny on it.  The alumnae tell me the magnet is for my refrigerator in Heidelberg.  I am truly touched that Evelyn, Laura, and Shannon understand that I will miss Manny terribly when I am in Heidelberg.

The three Heidelberg alumnae ended their visit by praying for me and my academic year ahead in Heidelberg.  I am truly blessed to be sent on the Heidelberg adventure with love, prayers, and their gift of the refrigerator magnet.

My plants find good homes - August 27, 2014

Because I will not be able to tend to my plants while I am in Heidelberg, I found good homes for them. Dr. Kristen Chiem and her family took in several of my plants. Her husband managed to fit a lime tree, a large terra cotta container of rau ram, a medium container of lemon grass, and a lemon tree in his Prius. Yes, that is indeed a lemon tree in the trunk of his car.
My containers of basil and sweet bell peppers went to the home of Dr. Lincoln Hanks. His wife reports to me that their dog, Pepe, approves of the new pants on their patio.
In preparing my pants for adoption, I found this caterpillar in the lemon tree.  
I gave the caterpillar to a little girl who loves to watch the development of bugs.  

Manny and Pippin entertaining guests - August 22, 2014

On Friday, August 22, I hosted the last gathering at my place before I depart for Heidelberg.  Manny and Pippin (Manny's best friend) mingled with the guests.  Whereas Manny prefers to be held,

 Pippin is happy to snuggle next to guests.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Eight days until departure

Bryan is excited that there are only 8 days left until our departure to Heidelberg.

The Isaacson's at my place for dinner - August 14, 2014

Kyle and Lahela participated in the Heidelberg Program 12 years ago.  They tell me that their Heidelberg group has had a total of five marriages, including theirs.  Below is a picture of them with their beautiful daughter Lucy.

Kyle has earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Fuller Seminary and is now teaching full-time as a visiting assistant professor at Pepperdine.  Both Kyle and Lahela are excited that I finally will get to experience Heidelberg soon.

Russian Tea Cakes for RA's during their training - August 12, 2014

I baked some Russian Tea Cakes for Bryan and Micah during their RA training.  Bryan is holding two plates because one of them is for Micah.

Laura - July 16 & August 12

Laura participated in the 2012 - 2013 Heidelberg Program.  Laura is the same artist who gave me a water painting of Heidelberg.  On July 16, she came to my place for dinner.  She brought dessert, and Manny wanted a bite of it.


On August 12, Laura gave Shannon (another participant of the 2012 - 2013 Heidelberg Program) and me a ride to Costco.  It was Shannon's first time to Costco. Laura and I happily listed what we like about Costco to Shannon.  


World Cup: Germany vs. Argentina - July 13, 2014

I watched the World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina in the HAWC on July 13 because I don't have cable at home.  Most of the people watching the game at the HAWC cheered for Argentina.  In fact, at least 20 people wore the Argentine jersey whereas only 1 person wore the German jersey.  When Mario Gotze scored the winning goal, I took these pictures.


Monday, August 18, 2014

Lunches with Heidelbergers in Waves Cafe - July 2014

Tanner and I had lunch in the Waves Cafe on July 12.


Our conversation over lunch lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes.  I learned how his interest in real estate developed, how he had an amazing time in the Lausanne summer program with Ben, and how many marriages he predicts the Heidelberg 2014 - 2015 Program will produce.

At my request, Tanner shows a picture of Ben and him eating breakfast in the backyard of the Lausanne facility.  

On July 18, Michelle and I had lunch in the Waves Cafe.  I was truly flattered that Michelle made the one-hour trip to campus just to have lunch with me.  I am glad she did so because I got the opportunity to learn a little more about her and her family.  For example, Michelle has a younger sister who will begin high school this academic year. It's clear to me that Michelle is close to her younger sister and is proud of her. 


On July 25, I had lunch with Mallory in the Waves Cafe.  Mal participated in the 2012 - 2013 Heidelberg Program and served as a resident assistant that year.  Over lunch, Mal updated me on what's been happening with his three older sisters, who all graduated from Pepperdine.  When Mal was a freshman, one of his sisters gave him advice that influenced him to choose the Heidelberg Program.  I am grateful to that sister for her advice; otherwise, I would have missed the opportunity to get to know Mal. 

I bought Mal some homemade chocolate chip cookies in boxes that I had made. 



Both Mal and I are excited that I am finally going to Heidelberg as the visiting professor.



Meeting Evelyn's family, eating at Alertos, and shopping at Blackmarket Bakery - July 26, 2014

Evelyn participated in the 2012 - 2013 Heidelberg Program.  Upon her return to Malibu, she completed my introductory statistics course in the Fall 2013 semester.  This past summer she participated in the Shanghai Program with Dr. Denise Ferguson as the visiting professor.

On July 26, Dr. Ferguson and I visited Evelyn and her family at their home in Orange County.  Here is a picture of Evelyn's beautiful family.


From her home, her mother drove us to their Alertos Mexican restaurant in Lake Forest.  

There are five locations for Alertos, as shown below. 


Here are some pictures of the fresh, delicious food we enjoyed. 





The next time I am in Orange County, I will head to the nearest Alertos.  The food is soooo good!

After our meal at Alertos, we went to Costa Mesa to shop at Evelyn's favorite bakery, which is the Blackmarket Bakery.  


I picked up four Black Widow Tarts and a loaf of nuts and fruits sourdough bread.  I also saw this funny card, which I emailed to my friend, who at one point had three cats.  

After our trip to the bakery, we went back to Evelyn's home for tea and pastries. Finally, her parents sent us home with a cooler and two boxes of yummy food.  I was truly moved by their kindness, generosity, and thoughtfulness.


Evelyn is a chef and a serious baker.  For example, she bakes chocolate chip cookies by feel and sight rather than by following a recipe like me.  From Evelyn's baking experience in Heidelberg, I have learned that I need to bring a bottle of vanilla extract.  I have already bought a Costco bottle of it. Maybe I will bring two Costco bottles of it.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Julian and Amelie visiting me on June 30, 2014.

Julian and Amelie are half German.  On the day that they visited me, the German soccer team was competing against the Algerian soccer team in the 2014 World Cup Tournament.  While Julian and Amelie played on the Malibu beach and then swam in my HOA's swimming pool, their mother consulted her cell phone to keep them updated on the scores for the soccer game.  We were thrilled that the German team won!