Last day of 2008

We are at University of Virginia to pick up Thuỵ at the end of his summer camp

Today is the last day for year 2008, and I spent few minutes browsing through all pictures that I've took in the year, trying to find one which I can sum it up for a year coming to end. This year must had been a year that we've been travel, going to places the most. Many of these are just short trips, places that we went and stayed for only one or two days. Sometimes, they are just a day trip. Most noticeable is that we spent with the whole family, which is a good thing. Family quality time, to me is always good, does not matter much where we visit, as long as time we can spent with the ones we love.

Nags Head Sand dunes, North Carolina, Thanksgiving 2008. - Now, who did that?

Browsing through the pictures, good memories are gushing back, a wonderful warm feeling for a cold blustering day like today. Here is another one, when we spent a short vacation in North Carolina during Thanksgiving holidays. We were on the sand dunes, enjoying the sun and cool sand under our feet. I can still recall the cool sensation of sand under our bare feet. Having a good laugh when we could not figure out who just broke-the-wind! We all suspected Huân, but in fact that was a stranger, out of frame, to the left of us. He apparently did not realize that we all heard the noise he made.

National Arboretum, Washington DC, May 2008

Here is another one, when I took my brother & sisters to visit the National Arboretum in Washington DC. We recognize plants which we were familiar when we were kids or when we growing up in Vietnam. Seeing the plants, also bought back memories, the place where we grew up, and time when we were living in Vietnam. Just a wonderful feeling to recognize the quality time we had in such a short moment inside that beautiful giant glass house.

Looking back at those time, I feel so fortunate that I had those time; for I know those are the treasures for me to keep forever. For 2009, I wish you all have a wonderful new year; more time to spend with your love ones, and enjoy every moment of it. For me, I just wish to have another year full of quality time with family and friends, just like the one I had in 2008 and more.

Family portrait

Family portrait on December 24th, 2008

Every year now, we try to take family portraits; pictures which give us sense of time and family. Pictures bring us back in time as well as pull back the curtain to show the packed emotional, well hidden inside the subjects. I like those pictures. The emotional portraits, the ones which do not focus on the beauty, shape of the jaw bone, flattering lighting, skin tone, or long curve eye lash; but the ones which reveal the feelings. It's really fun to watch the viewer looking at an emotional photograph; you can see that sentiment leaps from the picture on to the viewer's face. If I can see that little smile, ever so slightly, when a viewer looking at my picture. That's when, I feel that I have successfully taking an emotional picture.

When I showed my wife this picture, I can see that little smile on her lips; even though when selecting a favorite one, she went with a different picture, the one which shows her in more dignify position, serious expression. Oh well, as long as I have other pictures for her to choose, I am happy. As for me, I keep the picture that she is laughing, both inside & out.