Leaving the Hornet's Nest

First things first... Happy Birthday Angel!

So we left Charlotte at 8:30PM last night and arrived back home early this morning at 1:40AM. The drive back home is always long. It's like being away from that one special person for months, and you've got that one plane ticket weeks from now to go back to them. The wait is unbearable. Haha. ;]

So yesterday was Angel's birthday party, but I'll recap on what happened before then. Woke up to the sound of Vietnamese music blasting downstairs and my sister said we needed to get ready to meet up with my older brother, Tri, for dim sum at 12:30PM. It was around 11:00AM, and it takes about 20 minutes to get there so I basically had an hour for me and my brother to get ready. Dad was already hanging out downstairs, dressed and ready. We actually got ready pretty quick with time to spare so we just played around with Mitchell. Except for the morning, he was Monster Mitchell. Haha.

What a ferocious and scary monster. Haha, I love that kid. Even if he freaks me out sometimes. I got him back though! Haha. --->

So after the beastly brawl, we all gathered our things cause we wouldn't be coming back to the house after we leave for dim sum. I was pretty excited cause I was starving for some food. I love dim sum. Another reason would be that I would be meeting my little niece, Hayden, for the first time. It was good to see my brother, my sister-in-law, and my two nieces. I played with Hayden and tried to take pictures with her. She has a need to touch my cheeks and mouth for some reason. Haha. We caught up with what's been going on since we last saw each other. Just like my sister, Dinh, Tri wanted Dad to move down to be closer to family. He's actually considering it seriously and there really isn't anything holding him back nowadays. Not to mention, houses are pretty much dirt cheap in Charlotte. I got to admit, they're pretty nice.

After our little brunch with them, we said our goodbyes and I drove my Dad to my Uncle Ken's restaurant cause he wouldn't be able to go with us to Angel's birthday party. How weird would that be? My Dad (who could definitely pass for my Grandpa) would stick out, just like his rock-hard belly. Haha. So we dropped him off, but the party was still 2 hours away. So i called Sandy to see if we could chill. She sounded excited over the phone cause she got me my early Christmas gift. Haha, about time! But it wasn't the Mario Kart Wii that I wanted. I actually prefer that though. Even if it turns out to be a little lame, it's better to be surprised. She was returning from the mall and would be at her house soon, so I just headed over there. She handed me my large gift, which was obviously not a game. I opened it up and found two things; a blanket with city design on it and a tiny art piece with a small mouse with a tennis racket and a bag. Haha!! She really thinks outside the box. Actually, before the blanket and picture, she was going to buy me a jacket/cardigan. I was happy either way. Thanks, Sandy. :]

We just chilled at her house for a little bit, but left around 3:15PM so that we could make it to the party at 4:00PM. A lot of people were already there when we arrived. Some who I haven't seen in so long. I actually missed a bunch of them. The party was kind of chaotic in the beginning. There was a lot of food there. Too bad I already ate out with my family earlier, cause the food looked delicious. I am actually craving sushi now that I think about it. Volcano rolls!! Haha.

Everyone gathered around the television to watch the football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. Haha.

Angel: You guys didn't come to my party to just watch the game did you?
Everyone: Yessss!!
Angel: :'[ *walks away*

Haha. Nah, we turned off the television so we could focus on the birthday girl. Vietnamese soup was passed out as a sort of appetizer to everyone. But then we raided Angel's kitchen for the food. I didn't eat though cause I was full from earlier. I was surpised Jimmy was piling on so much food on his plate! That boy can seriously put it away. There were plans for a food relay race and a fear factor food thing Angel had planned, but everyone got full. So the plans changed and we did charades instead. Here are a bunch of clips of the event.

chaotic explanation of the rules

the first game!

no homo?

Mimi and Sandy :]

patrón

After all the screams and the laughs, we all went to the family room so that Angel could open her gifts. So the first thing she opened was...

Mitchell took the camera away from me after that video. Haha. So he became the photographer while she was opening all her gift. She got so many shirts, and pretty much all of them were caught on the camera... except the shirt I got her. Haha. I think Mitchell was running around with it chasing Sandy's little brother at the time. It was a blue shirt that had "đề thường" on it. It means cute or adorable in Viet. Just imagine the image to the right on an all blue baby-tee. :]

Out of all the gifts, her favorite one was from Vinh. We had to all go upstairs to see this one.

It's so good to see Angel so happy. Haha. We all went back downstairs and out went the lights...

After we all ate cake, everyone just did random activities. Karaoke (of course, we're Asian), basketball, more food, and just chilling out by talking. It was fun, and I had a great time seeing all my friends down here. It really was so sad to leave again. If my Dad really does decide to move down, I could actually stay as long as I want to on my visits. Haha. I really miss these guys. Here are a few photos from the night before I peace out.

my non-bro and my non-sister-in-law :P

all smiles on her birthday


oh word? it's going to be like that, Mimi?


haha, didn't think so ;]

Dang. I miss it already. Haha. I'll see you guys in '09 though! Mark your calendars.