Summer '26 Wrap-Up
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Summer is coming to an end fast. So many things have happened; it feels like a whole year has passed (in a good way). After coming back from Thailand and Korea, we all went back to our usual routines. For Sarah, she got back to ice skating to prepare for the National Showcase competition in Denver, taking place the first week of August. She woke up early for a two-hour skate, came home, took a nap, and went back for another skate session in the afternoon, 5 days a week. For David, he was busy with work and training for the NYC marathon. And for me, my day was running to Liftonics, working out for 45 minutes, and running back home, then working and walking Benjamin, who turned 11 on May 24th. Benjamin is slowing down a little, so we don't take him out for runs with us anymore. The weather in New York this summer has been very hot, and that is not Benjamins' favorite kind of weather.
We attended two high school graduation parties and one wedding. David turned 60 this year, and that was something to celebrate. Sarah wrapped up her summer at National Showcase in Denver with 5 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals, while David and I attended Jake and Delaney's wedding in Rangeley, Maine. We did FaceTime with Sarah after each competition. We felt proud of her for accomplishing so much in these short 10 weeks. She is amazing as always, fighting the pain and fatigue to perform and win the judges' hearts with her smile and enthusiasm. Big congratulations to Sarah as a champion in many things; you are so special beyond words.
We want to extend our congratulations to Desta and Kathryn for graduating and getting into great colleges to pursue their dreams! Hope their journey is sweet and filled with excitement as freshmen. Congrats to Jake and Delaney on starting their life journey together. The wedding was so romantic and so beautiful! even though it was one of the hottest days in Maine ever. The wedding was so much fun, and Delaney's family was so lovely; we felt like we were at a fairy tale wedding.
National Showcase 2026
Denver, Colorado, August 3rd - August 8th
This year's national showcase was Sarah's best. Not in my wildest dreams could I have hoped for Sarah to win medals in every event she wascompeted in, just incredible!! She worked so hard all summer and at every break from school to perfect all the characters she portrayed. She entered 5 individual categories and one trio.
There are many songs and choreographies to edit and learn; some were last-minute decisions. At the end, a personal best and the excitement of waiting for results to see if she could get in the top 4. Emotions were unreal beyond words. We were not there to witness her happy moments, but I could understand how she must have felt when she won first place in 5 competitions 3 days in a row. WOW!!!
Monday, August 3rd
Theme Event, 80's, 90's divas
This routine started with the making of the piano to wear at the beginning of the song. The task assigned to me seemed undoable. I had to come up with ideas in my head to make it light and wearable. From fixing all the clothes to fit Sarah and packing the piano into the suitcase, I felt like I couldn't fail this job. I was glad that she won her first competition with it; it was worth it.
Tuesday, August 4th
Characters' performance, as Derek Zoolander
Sarah won first place in group B and had to compete with the top 4 from group A in the final on the same day. She had to perform this routine twice, and she won first place both times. This qualified her to compete in the parade of champions at the end of the week.
Wednesday, August 5th
Emotional
This was a new category for Sarah. She didn't think she would be able to compete with other skaters who have done this technical routine without being so goofy and funny. She was nervous and only hoped to be in the top ten at most. At the last minute, we died the straight jacket costume with tea to give it an old, stained look that was very effective and looked really good on the ice. The song went well with the choreography, and it was an amazing routine that many people remembered and talked about. She competed in group B and won first, then competed again late at night in the final and won first. She would go to the parade of champions with this routine on Saturday.
The medal ceremony.
After learning that she won first place.
Thursday, August 6th
Comedic Impressions
Not many younger people know who Richard Simmon is anymore. As a tribute to a guy who made fitness fun with his vibrant personality, Richard was a one-of-a-kind entertainer in the 80s. Sarah did a great job in this routine. She won third place for this event. She said she was exhausted while performing this fast routine. For the medal ceremony, she was already in her Rooster Hannigan costume for her Easy Street Trios routine. Two hours after being Richard, the makeup came off and the outfit changed so fast, but she and her team with Sofia and Rider were ready to compete. They won second place in this competition. Congratulations to the Sky Rink All Stars with Marni Halasa as their coach.
Friday, August 7th
Lyrical Pop Event, Lady Gaga
This routine scared Sarah most; the technical aspects and many skilled skaters in this category made her practice really hard on this one. she will use this routine in her collegiate skating competition too. The outfit was custom-made and designed by Melody Champion, Sarah's former skate coach, who introduced Sarah to showcase more than a decade ago. Sarah looked stunning in this outfit, and her skate was flawless, she won second place for this. She was thrilled to be in the top ten of this event.
Saturday, August 8th
Parade of champions
Friday concluded all the competitions, and all the winners went on to Satuday to compete in the Parade of Champions. Sarah did 3 routines: theme, characters, and emotional. We were sad not to be able to watch her in this final event, but we were tracking the scores and watched the medal ceremony live at the end of the day online. She won 4th place, but the second place and third place were the same person, so she got a bronze medal for the adults category. We were so proud of her for winning a place on the podium and getting the medal on ice with other amazing skaters. It was an accomplishment of a lifetime. Bravo to Sarah!
Jake and Delaney's Wedding
Saturday, August 8th, 2026, at Rangeley, Maine
We attended Jake and Delaney's wedding the same week Sarah was in Denver for the national showcase. We left NYC early on Friday to be able to get there on time for the rehearsal dinner. The trip was shorter and smoother than we thought. It took us about 7 and a half hours to get there. Robin rented a large-sized house with 3 levels for 12 people. That week a heat wave hit Maine hard; the temperature was much hotter than usual. I was asked to make a bride-groom cake with a chocolate layer cake at the bottom and the vanilla layer cake on top. I decided to make a 10" cake at the bottom and a 7" cake on top with Swiss merengue buttercream frosting. I didn't expect that most places in Maine don't have air conditioning, including the house we were staying in. Putting the cake together was not ideal. I made the cakes and frosting in advance and carried them in the cooler with ice packs for that 8 hours on the road. I also made 35 black and white cookies for the wedding. I was honored to be trusted with an important task, and I hope the bride and groom were happy with the results. Here are the recipe links to chocolate Guinness beer cake with cream cheese filling, vanilla cake, and Swiss Meringue buttercream.
We met Delaney's family for the first time at the rehearsal dinner at the restaurant by the lake. They were so lovely. Jake is very lucky to marry into this amazing family. We were so happy for them. Wishing them a happy, lifelong partnership and lots of kids. It was supposed to rain on the wedding day, but the rain never came. It was a very hot and sunny day. It rained in the morning, leaving the lawn wet, but it was better than raining. The wedding ceremony was outdoors; it was beautiful. Appetizers were served before we were seated for dinner. The wedding hall was a beautiful barn decorated with hanging white fabric and summer bouquets in white and blue. We got seated in the front area near the bride and the groom. The DJ played music when the wedding parties entered the hall and the bride and groom entered at the end. Both families gave speeches, then the food was served and dancing began; this was one of the best weddings we have been to! It was amazing.
We left early before 7am the next day to drive back to NYC. We expected the worst traffic on our way back, but we're lucky that there was no traffic at all.
Rehearsal dinner
David's 60th Birthday
July 29th
We had four celebrations for David's 60th birthday. It was a big number, but 60 is a new 40. We went out on his birthday to Nudibranch, a Korean fusion in the east village. The food was excellent, and the service was great. Sarah tried fried frog leg for the first time.
Paul and Grace took us out to Elcialo restaurant on the fourth floor of the Virgin Hotel. This Columbian restaurant has one Michelin star; it was fantastic. One of the best things was the bread that came as a sculpture of a tree; the bread was so special that I want to make it one day.
Dawit and Kurt took us to Makette, a European with Caribbean influence restaurant, for David's birthday. We had oxtail stew, braised lamb shank, peri-peri chicken, grilled prawn, cod fritters, and deliceous drinks. The restaurant was packed, and we had a great time.
We also had a birthday dinner at our house. I made all the food and a rainbow cookie cake.
In June, we celebrated Sarah and Elizabeth's belated birthday at Sushi by Bou.
Desta's graduation party
Dawit and Kurt hosted a nice graduation party at Om, an Indian restaurant, and Pablo and Tsedye had a big party with over 100 guests at their house. The weather was nice and sunny, perfect for an outdoor gathering. Dawit made a lot of appetizers to serve at the beginning of the party. BBQ steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, and Ethiopian foods were delicious. The party was lively with a DJ and a touching speech from Tsedye and Pablo. Good luck at Binghamton University, Desta!
Kathryn's graduation party
Good luck to Kathryn; wish her a lot of success in her agricultural college.
Farewell drinks and dinner for Tata
We got to know Tata through Grace and Paul. He is from Thailand and went to college in Beijing and went on to his master's in urban design at Columbia University. We went to Nubeluz, a rooftop bar at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, for drinks with Tata and Grace. The bar has an amazing view of the city, and the drinks were really good. Tata ordered a signature smoking drink, the Foggy Hill. It features a dramatic dry ice presentation that billows smoke over a beaker-style vessel with infused smoke; it was interesting while our waiter serving him the drink. After drinks, Elizabeth and Paul joined us later at Anytime Kitchen, a Korean restaurant, to send Tata off to LA. Good luck, Tata!
Fourth of July Fireworks
Mandy, James, and Devorah invited us to watch the firework and have dinner at their place in Brooklyn. We saw fireworks pop up in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
The Knicks and the World Cup
The streets of New York these past few months were busy with tourists. New York hosted the World Cup, and the Knicks won the championship. Our apartment was near the public space that broadcasted both the Knicks' game and the World Cup games.
Dinner with Leo's family
We took Leo's family out for dinner at our favorite sushi place, Sushi by M, to thank them for taking Sarah with them to Mexico. It was a Tuesday night, so the restaurant was not crowded. We had the restaurant for ourselves, with the owner, "M," personally making sushi for us. David got a little sushi piece with a candle because I mentioned that David's birthday was coming in 2 days. The food and service were amazing as always.
BBQ Upstate
We had a relaxing catching-up BBQ lunch at the upstate house. It was nice to hang out and take a breath from busy life in the city. Benjamin tore his ACL, jumping out of the window of the truck from excitement. He will have a surgery at the end of August.
Food and drink we made.
David made many great dishes these past few months; we just got an air fryer, so we heated up some fried calamari and made some crispy french fries too. A cherry syrup drink was so pretty, made from homemade cherry syrup (fresh cherries have been so good this year). I made salted buns from this recipe that were so good while warm.
The Mushrooms
It has been a wet summer, a perfect condition for mushrooms on the trails upstate.
The restaurants we tried.
Aside from some occasions, we went to some of these restaurants.
Ivory Peacock, we went while the World Cup game was going on between England and France, the bar was packed with soccer fans. I ordered a serving of dirty martini that came in a small bottle for a refill. It was an excellent place for a casual meet with light bites and drinks at a reasonable price.
Wang Lang, Thai restaurant
We went to Wang Lang, a new Thai restaurant nearby our apartment, with Sarah and Will. The food and the service were good.
Summer Flowers
After Benjamin tore his ACL, I walked him very slowly and had time to take a lot of pictures along the way. This year's flowers had been so vibrant in color.
Sculptures at Madison Square Park
Friends we saw
Brendan's Family: Brendan with Daisuke, Naomi, and Toto. We had dinner at our place and went to visit the Maybelline office at Hudson Yards.
Mica and Pavan's family at PMT's 25th Anniversary
Joelle's Cabaret
We went to see Joelle perform a cabaret at Yotel. Joelle amazing; we loved it!
Dinner at YingTao
We went to Yingtao, the only Chinese restaurant in NYC with a Michelin star, with Nancy and Marni to thank them for coaching and helping Sarah at the national showcase in Denver. We talked about the experience at the showcase and how Sarah was. We were so happy to hear that it was beyond their expectation, and we have already started thinking about what to do in next in Boston.
David and Sarah's concerts
David and Sarah went to 2 concerts together in NYC. One was an outdoor concert featuring Landmvrks and another was an indoor concert at Palladium featuring Black Veil Brides.
Visiting Boulder
We went to visit Sarah and met her roommates for the first time. This was our third trip to Boulder. Sarah moved into a house shared with two other friends. The place was nearby where she used to live. We caught up on the things she had been doing, went shopping and had dinner together.
At Maisonette near Pearl Street, it has great coffee and pastries.
At Ikea with her roommates, cinnamon bun was better than I had in the past.
Sarah's new place
At Aloy Thai restaurant, very good khao soi, beef salad, larb, pad thai and pad see eaw.
We went to Spruce Coffee Shop. They had excellent mocha and scones. They had maple syrup and honey to sweeten your coffee or tea; that was a great idea.
Last day in Boulder, we took a trip to Bass Pro Shop near Denver. It was our first time visiting the store; we love the interior, so we took so many pictures. David bought some hunting clothing, and I got some clothes for the cool weather.
After shopping we drove back and went to have dinner at Cozobi Fonda Fina, a Mexican restaurant in Boulder. We loved the restaurant; the food, the vibe, and the service were great.
This summer passed by so fast; the weather started to cool off a little bit in the morning, and the days are getting shorter. We are back to our usual routine with running, lifting, and eating summer fruits and vegetables. The watermelon, cherries, and blueberries were so good this year. As much as I love the warm weather and getting out of the house without jackets, I am looking forward to the beautiful fall season without so much traffic on the road and quite time walking in the woods with only the sound of cracking dry leaves and branches underfoot. Fresh, crispy apples from our trees and many more comfort meals to make. Life is good.
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