Happy New Year, and happy new millennium! After the fireworks storm last night, we had a pleasant day in with family. In keeping with a Japanese tradition, for good luck in the new year, we had ozoni for our first meal of the year (a soup with seaweed, mochi, shrimp, and mizuna greens in chicken broth); Mark's mainland family had a similar tradition as Mom always served us "hoppin' John" (a dish with black-eyed peas and bacon). Another of Cheryl's family's traditions is to do a jigsaw puzzle together during the holiday season, so after breakfast and a morning visit from Uncle Masa we started it up.
It is a toughie, with lots of very similar colors; it's from a "Millennium" series, with famous scenes from 1900 to 1940.
For dinner, we went to a pot-luck dinner at the house of Cheryl's uncle and aunty, the Takedas (Mrs. Takeda is Cheryl's mom's next-older sister). Cheryl wore a nice blue dress, and Mark wore his first aloha shirt, a Christmas gift from Cheryl's mom and dad.
Because Mark's family is spread all over the mainland, he's been to extended-family gatherings only a handful of times in his entire life; Cheryl's family does this every New Year's Day! This photo shows about two-thirds of those present (there are couches full of family along both sides of the room), as we played bingo after dinner. This is the first time we've introduced one of us to the other's family and friends as his or her fiancee! Mark is particularly grateful for the warmth which which Cheryl's family has welcomed him into their circle.
To
Next Page of Hawaii Album
Back
to Index of Hawaii Visit
Back
to Photo Albumnew 2 January 2001, revised 14 January 2001