Newsweek rated MATCH as the 49th best high school in the nation
and 2nd in Massachusetts!

I should try to keep this up – blog every 2-3 days – just like the good ol’ days!

Roger’s co-workers threw him a surprise going-away party last night. Originally, the plan was to hang out with his co-worker and wife, but when we arrived we realized there were other people present. There were homemade beer cheese, homemade hummus, and other yummy foods! This cake was amazing too!

So, it begins – going-away parties. Today, I’m taking five of my students to dim sum. It’ll be their first time trying it. I know it’ll be a fun experience for them. They’ve been excited for this for a few weeks now. I’ve taken only one other student to dim sum before, and she claimed she felt like she was on Fear Factor. HAH! Next Saturday, my Gund Kwok sisters are throwing me a potluck. Mmm…Gund Kwok potlucks are the best. I’m going to really miss them….oh and of course, my GK sisters too. The weekend after that, Roger and I are having our own going-away party with French food at Robert Petit Bistro and hanging out at Jillians. This really isn’t a goodbye though. We’ll see each other on Facebook, and I’ll be back again. Denver is so close yet so far. I just can’t wait for the craziness to begin…

Almost every day, there’s at least one person who asks me, “So, are you all packed?” Umm, I’m 25 days away from moving. Of course, I’m not packed! But that little question keeps bothering me a little more each time it’s asked. You would think I would’ve already planned out my whole packing schedule, but I haven’t. Instead, I actually have plans for my mother to teach me how to cook my favorite dishes. I plan to buy a FlipUltra HD camera to tape her cooking the actual dishes, so I can take the videos with me to Denver. (I don’t have to get the Flip, but it’s a fun gadget to have.) I’ll be sure to post videos on Facebook so my mom can teach you how to cook some authentic Chinese dishes too. My mom is awesome. She’s planning to pack a Chinese kitchen box for us.  This amazing box will include items such as a wok, cleaver (a must-have in Chinese cooking), rice cooker, a round chopping board, ingredients and condiments, and much more that we will need.
YaY for Mom! I’m going to miss her.

Hmm. It’s been quiet recently, and although some of you have been blogging a little, I haven’t been receiving it in my e-mail as a daily digest as I’ve set it. So today was the first time I’ve read any blogs from 5/12/10 till now since I wanted to update. 

As you can see from the title of my blog, I have 28 days till we make our Mile High move  This hasn’t entirely hit me yet as I haven’t thought about or even planned on when I’ll begin packing and what I’ll be packing. We haven’t even completely decided which stops we’re going to make on our move. However, we have reserved a U-Haul and a car trailer. I also bought a new bike – Dahon’s Mu P24. It’s a folding bike, and I love it. I’ll be riding that to school each day. This isn’t want I wanted to update about though.

I can tell my mom is sad about us leaving, but excited for our big move.  This move is the next big phase in our life when we eventually buy a house or condo and have kids. My mom can’t wait to have grandchildren, of course. So last night during dinner, she told me that I have a chance to make different choices from what she made. As many of you know, my parents came to this country with no education and very little money. The only option they thought they had was to work in a Chinese restaurant. They worked long hours and wouldn’t really see the kids that often.  Growing up, I considered my oldest sister as my second mother because that is what she was like to me. That was normal for me though, and I didn’t think much of it. I just knew that my parents worked hard so that I wouldn’t have to work as hard some day when I grew up. My mother plans to retire in a couple of years. She said that she’s had a good life and doesn’t really regret that much except for one thing. She said to me in a mixture of Chinese and English, “I didn’t miss much, but one second you’re little kids and now you’re all grown up. I missed your childhood because I had to work all the time. I’m telling you because now, you have a chance.” My sister then responded, “Basically, she’s saying you should be a stay-at-home mom…at least till the kids go to school.” My mom continued to tell us a story of how they found someone to babysit my brother when he was a baby. When my mom took my brother to the doctor’s for a check-up, the doctor asked if my brother had been crying a lot because his voice seemed horse. My mom didn’t know how to respond since she wasn’t around during the day to know if he had been crying, but she suspected that the babysitter must’ve let him cry and cry.  I feel sad that my mom feels this way…that she wished she could’ve been there to take care of us and to see us grow up. My parents believed having a babysitter was the only way for them to earn enough money for the family since that was their circumstance. Now, she’s telling me that I have a chance to make choices. My mom doesn’t often bestow advice involving a reflection of her life and the decisions she has made, so this is something I must really think hard about. I don’t want to feel the way she feels. I always played around with the idea of being a stay-at-home mom as a joke with Roger. However, I started thinking that maybe I could find something where I could work from home, work part-time somewhere, or maybe we’ll need to rethink our finances for at least till the kids start going to school. At the same time, it’s hard to think about not working. We have some time to think about this though….

As for now, I have 28 more days till the next phase of my life begins. I can tell these next 5 years of my life will be crazy, and I can’t wait for it all to begin.

We’re only four months into 2010, but it’s truly the Year of DO! Roger actually coined this phrase, and it basically means that this is the year we do things. I’m not talking about doing just anything, but really DO things.

Roger started his own web comic (Cube Hobo) and ran the Boston Marathon (4 hours and 20 minutes).  I drove cross country in 5 days and signed up for a half-marathon in October. It’s part of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. Apparently, there’s a band playing at each mile. Cool, huh?  I’m for real about this half-marathon. Roger and I are planning to go to the marathon store in Copley Square this weekend to find out which type of running shoes I should get. It’s one of those stores where they ask you to run in front of them, and they tell you which shoes to get. Roger trained to finish the Boston Marathon. I want to train to finish the 13.1 miles, but since I have about 5.5 months before the half-marathon, there’s enough time for me train for speed as well. I start my training next Monday.  I know I can already do 2 miles – no sweat, so I plan to run 3 miles after school on Monday. Plus, Roger has been researching how to train for speed. So we’re going to do that together. Then, in our near future,we’re moving to Denver! We’re planning to get a dog. I’m going to be an Assistant Principal for a charter middle school! It’s all so exciting!

Do you see now why it’s the Year of DO?

I’ve realized that I need a bucket list. Roger has one, and I think it’s important to have one so that I can keep these little goals in mind.  So here are a few things in no particular order, and it’s definitely not a complete list.  As you can see, a lot of the things on my list involve traveling. Some of these are pretty easy to cross off the list too, but since it’s on this list, it MUST and WILL be done!

Again, this isn’t a complete list. So how about you? Do you have a bucket list? What’s on your list?

I really didn’t know what to expect from students once I told them. However, I do know that once the school year starts in the fall, they won’t even notice that I’m gone! I will definitely miss my students, but I absolutely cannot wait for Denver.

This year, West Denver Prep hired four Assistant Principals for their four campuses.  One of them happens to live in Cambridge since she’s getting a Masters in School Leadership at Harvard. So we met up for coffee today near Porter Square. She’s actually from Denver and was telling me more about it. She didn’t tell me anything particularly new since I seriously have researched Denver like there was no tomorrow. However, just talking to her made me even more excited than I already am which if you really knew how excited I am, it would be hard to believe. Actually, she did tell me that Denver has the best Mexican food I will ever eat. She claims that the East Coast doesn’t know how to make excellent Mexican food and guarantees that I will fall in love with it while I’m there. She’s cool, and I’m excited about working with her this year.
 
People have been asking us if we’re planning to live in Denver long term and if we’re looking to buy a place in Denver right now.  Roger and I do have plans to purchase a house in Denver, but for at least the first year, we’d like to rent and get a feel for the neighborhoods before we settle down on a home. I’ve been asking around and researching neighborhoods and apartment complexes in the city. I. can’t. wait. After living with my parents for the past year and a half, we seriously dream about our imaginary apartment – our own bedroom, an office, more closet space…*sigh*. After doing much research, I’ve unfortunately fallen love with Boutique Apartments.  I say “unfortunately” since at the moment, they don’t have any 2BR openings in July. However, the management told me that it could change next month since they require tenants to give them 60-day notice if they’re planning to leave. I’m specifically looking at Metropolis and Works since those are the only two that have 2BRs. Seriously, if you have time to click on those links, check out the pictures! The coolest part about these apartments is that they’re eco-friendly – recycled materials, energy-saving lighting, etc. They’re perfect location-wise too. They’re both in the Congress Park neighborhood. It’s close to I-25 which is what Roger will need to take to go to work. I won’t even have to take the highway, and it’s only 15-20 minute drive from the apartments to my school.  Plus, you can walk out to bars, restaurants, parks, museums, and shopping. I’m crossing my fingers that something will open up!

While I’m most excited about the apartments, Roger is most excited about the dog we’re going to get! Yes, the Lius are planning to get a dog! Roger already has a name picked out. He wants to call our dog Sammy after Samuel Adams – the beverage not the patriot. We’re thinking Boston Terrier! Aren’t they so cute?

     

So the official moving date is Monday, July 5th – our wedding anniversary. How appropriate huh? We’re going to start driving the U-haul and car trailer on that Monday, stop by Michigan to visit Roger’s family for a couple of days, stop by Omaha, and then end up in Denver by Thursday, July 8th. We’ll have the weekend to settle in a bit, and then I begin my first day of work on Monday, July 12th. Yes, it’s a crazy schedule, but when is my life not crazy?

Anyway, I’m excited. Can you tell?

In less than 4 months, Roger and I will begin calling Denver our new home. We are unbelievably excited. I can’t even begin to explain how ecstatic we are. There are so many things to look forward to now that I can’t even count them on my fingers anymore.

I am the new Assistant Principal for West Denver Preparatory Charter School

– Harvey Campus! The full day interview (7:45am – 5:30pm) felt good. The school, administration, teachers, staff, and kids were great! Surprisingly, I didn’t feel nervous, but I realize now that the school is just a good fit for me. WDP has 4 campuses, and the campus that I interviewed at is the one that wants me! Who knew that one day I would become an AP of a high performing charter middle school? I sure didn’t, but the head of schools believes that I have the potential and can contribute a lot of my experience into helping them continue to succeed. I originally didn’t even apply for the position until he encouraged me to, and now here I am!

Look out Denver! Here we come!

Yesterday, my sushi group – Sushi Love <3 – went out for our our monthly outing at Yokohama. The cool thing about this restaurant is that it’s BYOB.  Before heading out, my brother and I went to Kappy’s and picked up a 12-pack of Sapporo, a 12-pack of Sam Adams, a bottle of sake, and a bottle of wine. There were 11 of us meeting up for dinner.

When I came home, I realized that I didn’t want to just enter the restaurant with the two large boxes of beer so I wanted to put them in paper bags. I looked around the house, but couldn’t find anything. I asked my mom if she had any, and coincidentally, she picked up a few today at Market Basket and told me I could go get them from her car. I came back into the house and this was the exchange we had:

Me: Thanks Mommy! (That’s what I still call her.) 
Mommy: In her Chinese accent – No problem my little girl! (with emphasis on the T)
Me: I’m not little.
Mommy: Okay Mrs. Liu!

At that moment, I couldn’t contain my laughter. I’ve never heard my mom be sarcastic before. By the way, Mommy is turning the big 60 on March 5th!  We’re celebrating her birthday tonight with a hot pot dinner – YUM! Then, we’re actually surprising her next week! My sister Joyce and her husband are secretly coming up to Boston for this.  Ken and his girlfriend are going to pretend that they are taking my parents out to dinner, and we’re all going to surprise her at the restaurant! I don’t think she has ever had a surprise party thrown for her before. I’m planning to get party hats and everything.  It’s going to be loads of fun! I’ll be sure to take many pictures!

By the way, Yokohama was absolutely delicious. It’s a hidden gem tucked away in Brookline! It’s a must try since all the rolls are larger than usual and the udon noodle soup is good enough for me to want to go back there again tonight if I could.

So, I’m off to another Chinese New Year performance today. This time we’re performing twice at the Peabody Essex Museum (12:00 and 2:30)! I can’t wait to take a break to use my Groupon and get a massage next weekend. I really need it!
Woohoo!