Fall break vacation (Key West, FL)

Southernmost point of the continental U.S.

Gotta catch 'em all

The days of going to Target or Walmart to causally buy Pokemon cards are over. I heard that Pokemon had become popular but never experienced it first hand until recently. I stopped buying cards back in 2015 when the big boys lost interest but recently bought some when I went to Japan in 2025. I just got random Japanese Pokemon cards that looked "cool" for the kids and thought, I actually like these cards. I want some cool cards too. And that's how I got into Pokemon.

But this is the absolute worst time to get into this hobby. It's nearly impossible to buy Pokemon cards. The shelves of major retail stores are always empty. Sure, you can go to a local card shop or trading card show but it's marked up way too much.

And now the Pokemon 30th celebration set just released, which I really want, but so does everyone else. 😞

Croissant workshop

I finally cashed in on my birthday gift, a croissant cooking class.

Elliot's birthday weekend

For Elliot's birthday, we did an escape room (Escapology) and finished with only 3:51 left to spare.

Random pics of the week

Elliot got to participate in the Shadow Creek homecoming parade.

Pickleball tourney

I played in my first pickleball tournament, but it was just for funsies. It was held at the Viet Culture Fest; not at a proper pickleball venue. We played on the concrete floor with taped yellow lines. There were multiple activities going on simultaneously, which were loud and distracting, e.g. banging drums and cymbals. It was not ideal but everyone had to deal with it too. 

Labor Day weekend (Dallas, TX)

We took a brief trip to Dallas to finally watch The Odyssey, but in IMAX 70 mm. According to the internet, there were only 25 theaters in the U.S. playing the movie the way Christopher Nolan intended it to be watched. 

I really didn't think much of it until I saw a behind the scenes clip of what it took to show this movie in IMAX 70 mm format. Wow, that's crazy. Cinemark Dallas was the closest IMAX 70 mm theater so that's when I started looking for tickets. But every showing was sold out, even those playing in the wee morning hours (2:45 a.m. start time). I ended up buying our tickets over a month in advance.

It was only the four of us though. The big boys attended the Texas A&M football game on Saturday and then went to Austin that weekend.

Andrew (and Jacob) go to college

Andrew will be attending Texas A&M (and sharing a room with Jacob).

First day of school

And then there were two... Elliot starts 5th grade and Tyson starts 10th grade.

Tyson's birthday

Tyson celebrating his 15th birthday with his friends.

Beach birthday (Port Aransas, TX)

Look at the blue water at the horizon.

College Station, Spider-Man, etc.

Brisket and fried rice at Brisket & Rice.

Daddy daughter day

It's been nearly four years since our last daddy daughter day.

Family, Pokemon, and mahjong

Family reunion (photo by Lilly)

City of Angels (Los Angeles, CA)

Lynn and I took a five day getaway to Los Angeles all because I wanted an Ohtani bobblehead. Well, that's how it all started... when I bought Dodgers tickets before buying our plane tickets or booking a hotel.  

I've vowed to never come back to LA but I keep coming back. It's mainly due to the horrific traffic but I serendipitously booked a hotel close to the Metro, saving myself from driving in congestion and the headache of hunting for parking spots. 

The Metro is like the best kept secret. I knew it existed but never thought to actually use it. It was never crowded, even during rush hour times.  

Our hotel was in downtown LA, walking distance to Little Tokyo, but also a block away from Skid Row (IYKYK). Just pay no mind to those mentally unstable bums and you should be fine.