こんばんは。This morning, Koa and I headed to the DPS (Department of Public Safety) to get his driving learner’s permit. The wait at these places is pretty crazy, especially in summer, so we arrived before it opened and got in line. After a few technical snafu’s, I finally got the documents in order and Koa was able to get his permit!
Now begins the fun part… actually hitting the road. 😱
But seriously, teaching Bay wasn’t too difficult so I am not expecting anything crazy with Koa. Vroom vroom!
A couple of months ago I posted about Bay’s last piano recital, and now we’re nearing the end of is regular piano lessons. He’ll be going away to college soon, so tonight was his second-to-last lesson. It’s been a part of our weekly schedule for several years now, so we’ll miss it a bit. 😢
Today Bay and I attended an event organized by the Rice University Alumni for the incoming students from the Austin area. It was a meet-and-greet for the students, parents, Alumni volunteers and also current Rice student volunteers. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was really informative, especially because I sat at a table with a current student who answered a bunch of questions about dorm life. Bay sat with other rising freshman and got to exchange contact info with a couple of them.
I’ve been really happy with the outreach that Rice has extended to all the incoming students. Everyone is so friendly and they talk often about how supportive the Rice community is. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s all true! We’re so happy that Bay is going to Rice. Not only is the Rice Architecture program ranked near the top year after year, but the community and college (dorms) system seem excellent.
As for today’s event venue, it was held at Hula Hut and a full fajita spread was available. It was yummy! I didn’t take a photo of it, which is probably for the best. The amount of guac I ate was a little embarrassing. 😆
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/6 sec, ISO800 “Salmon and Ikura” Cedar Park, 2019
For his birthday dinner, Bay requested salmon and ikura donburi, which was a nice surprise. I thought he would want to go out for sushi at a restaurant, but a birthday dinner at home has a special feel to it. I think it made Mariko happy that he requested a home-made meal. ☺
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/10 sec, ISO800 “Donburi Prep” Cedar Park, 2019
Today Koa finished up his three-week band camp odyssey with a couple of performances at UT Austin. He was part of the Honors Wind Ensemble at the Longhorn Music Camp and for concert day, the kids first performed in smaller ensembles, and then as a full band.
I guess the UNT camp is much more specialized, so if you are really focused on your instrument, these instrument-specific camps are the way to go. But he also enjoyed the UT camp, and it was a great experience, especially if you want to experience a little slice of life at a large university.
