Nextweekers

August 27, 2010: Thao-Duc's Wedding 

Thao, Duc, Mai Vu, Vince, Binh, Loan, Hanh, Jenny, Chi, Nga, An, Tuyen, Thinh, Trang, Vy, Quang, Jen, Long, Chinh, Hoang, Mai, Binh, HaMy, Toan, Trung, Sophorn, Lily 

Memories: This couple got the Nextweekers' hearts, almost 4 tables of the Nextweekers, did I miss anyone name??? Thao Duc were singing, Vy was also a singer. Duc's cousin Khanh KKKK (badminton group) sang very "romantic" song: "Hua Yeu Em Dai Lau" and got Tuyen's flowers...we missed HaTien and Thoa out of last minutes family's matters. Chinh and Hoang got all the photos...

August 27, 2010: HaTien's Dad Funeral (photos)  

HaTien, Mai Vu, Vince, Uy, Binh, Loan, Hanh, Jenny, Chi, Nga, Chuong, An, Tuyen, Andrew, Thinh, Lily

Memories: a big crowd on a Friday to give HaTien's Dad a last walk to a better world. Busy, emotional and sad day for HaTien, it was a hard to describe feeling for all of us...

August 15, 2010: Gathering at Thoa's house
Thoa, Hoang, Thinh, Trang, HaMy, Toan, HaTien, Jenny, Chinh, Thao, Duc, Tuyen, Andrew

August 4-11, 2010: Glacier National Park
HaTien, Jenny, Nga, Chi, Joan

July 31, 2010: Mai-Binh's wedding

July 17, 2010: Thoa-Tuan's wedding

July 5, 2010: Kayak in Huntington Beach
Jenny, HaTien, Harrison, Vy, Lien, Tuyen, Vincent, Hung, Hien, Khoa, Andrew, Thinh, Trang, Mai V, Vince, Phu, Tam, Phuong, Thuy, HaMy, Toan
Memories: good turn out for kayak at Sunset Beach/Huntington Beach, lunch at Happy Buffet in Santa Ana, and badminton group headed to San Gabriel Valley for badminton

June 12, 2010: HaMy-Toan's BBQ (pictures on Facebook)
HaMy, Toan, Thao, Duc, Mike, Trung, Chinh, Hoang H, Mai V, Vince, HaTien, Thoa
Memories: fun BBQ in the backyard of HaMy-Toan's home, karaoke, and poker.

May 30-31, 2010: Camping Lake Cuyamaca (San Diego County)
Lily, Andrew, Tuyen, HaTien+2, Jen, Quang, Angie, Phu, and others
Memories: HaTien debated to go or not and decided at the last minute to go for the day with her niece and nephew. Met with Tuyen's badminton group and caravan to San Diego, we took turn leading and the Dodge big truck of six finally took off leaving the Infinity 5 and Camry 3 behind. The last two cars got lost a little bit and made it to the campground by 1pm for a late lunch. Group gathered around waiting for Lily to come back from the hike and rested in the shade. Lily met briefly with the group and took off again to go for additional hiking with Meetup. Viet group went to lake Cuyamaca in three cars and had to pay for private parking at the lake of $6 each and a deal of $15 for 3 cars. We walked on the marsh and in some mud to the trail of nowhere and returned part of the way. Thanks to Chu Phu for carrying Brady on his back through the muddy trail. The kids did well all things considered as aunt HaTien wants them to have an early training with the outdoors. It was a fair day, although some sun but with nice breeze. Group returned to campground and HaTien sat around to observe Angie's attempts at boi bai, not the smooth talker as Lily is. Thanks Co Angie, Co Jen, Co Tuyen, Co Angie, for feeding HaTien's family of three. HaTien said goodbye to the group before taking the children to visit the historic distric of Julian. HaTien said goodbye to group before taking the children to visit the historic distric of Julian. Thanks Lily for organizing the camp. Thanks to the badminton group for allowing HaTien to crash for the day, and thanks Angie for a partial accompany in the car. HaTien had a nice drive back on Julian Road and stopped by for some apple pie. :) Thanks photographers and we expect to see pictures soon.

May 29, 2010: Thao-Duc's BBQ (pictures on Facebook)
Duc, Thao+1, HaTien+2, Thinh, Trang+1, Chinh, Hoang H, Mai V, Vince, Quang, Jen, Thoa
Memories: Birthday celebration for Thao, karaoke and mingling.

May 22, 2010: HaMy-Toan's Wedding (pictures)
HaMy, Toan, Thao, Duc, Chinh, Hoang, Uy, Phuong, Thinh, Trang, Binh, Loan, An, Hanh, HaTien, Chi, Nga, Jenny, Thoa, Mai V, Vince, Hiep, Chau, Lily, Andrew
Memories: Guests enjoyed viewing the couple's movie and photo slideshow during the reception while to dinner. Thao, our very own wedding singer, could not resist being on the stage and sang "Vong Tay Nguoi Ay" where she was cheered by Duc with a red rose. Nextweekers occupied two tables and we had fun with the newlyweds. Hoang/Vince gave the couple a hard time prior to handling their gifts as Toan was made to sing cai luong to HaMy. Everyone had a blast at this beautiful couple's wedding. The bride and groom AWOL toward the end of the party and Nextweekers didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Topics of the night included the long list of upcoming Next Weddings and plans for Memorial Day weekend/future trips.

May 14-16, 2010: Yosemite at Curry Village, hike Half Dome (pictures on Picasa)
HaTien+4, Hoang T, An, Uy, Quan, Giang, Hanh, Phuong Vy, Amber, Lily+3
Memories: Fri: Meeting up at An's place where we were introduced to Quan who flew in from Phoenix, AZ and Giang who flew in from Dallas, TX. We headed to Yosemite with a stop at Fresno and had Pho 75 #2, food was just alright. Met with Hoang at Curry Village after our stop at Bridalveil Fall and got soaking wet. We checked into cabins 740 and 741 which were newly remodeled and furnished since HaTien's previous experience a few years prior. Hoang brought enough food to feed an army of starving hikers who were able to conquer the war of Half Dome. HaTien met with Danielle's group and checked in a cabin for Lily's hiking group which would be arriving later this night. We checked out Little Yosemite fall and stopped by the grocery store prior to closing. Got back to Camp and had dinner of instant noodle bowl with rotisserie chicken from Costco. Lily's group arrived around 11pm, just enough for a good rest prior to hiking Half Dome the following day. Sat: We woke up and looking forward to hiking Half Dome. Breakfast at cabins with bowl noodles and packed sandwich lunches which led to a surprised visit by baby bear. Uy made enough noise to scare of the little one. Everyone took off to begin trekking to Half Dome via Mist Trail. We have some beginners such as Vy and Hanh who have never camped or hiked prior to this trip. Both ladies and Giang who was more of a tennis player did well throughout the hike. The entire group were within a mile from the cable of Half Dome. with the exception of Quan who hiked the furthest among the Vietnamese group and reached subdome, about a quarter mile to the cable. Quan was disappointed as he was so close yet so far with the snow covered trail. Quan vouched to be back and has obtained permit for the Labor day weekend. First timers to Half Dome such as Hanh, Giang, Quan, and Vy were pleased to have a glimpse of the Half Dome from up top. We met with Danielle's group at Nevada Fall, a stopping place to wait for An who was assigned to escort Hanh and Vy on their return hike. This was a place where all 17 hikers got to meet together. Everyone had a good hike and workout by this point. Hanh and Giang were suffering a bit as both were handicapped from Giang's cramped quads and Hanh's allover body pain. Back at Camp, several individuals opt for pizza dinner while HaTien, Hoang, and Uy prefer to get warm shower immediately. Hanh claimed it was the best pizza she has tasted in a while. On our last night at the Curry Village, the six Viet girls of the group had a good time in the cabin, chatting, and having Lily perform card fortune telling on us. The guys claimed the girls talked loud enough for them to overheard our conversation. Sun: It's parting time where we said goodbye to Hoang who heads back to San Jose and with Lily's hiking group who would be taking more hikes. Group picture at the cabin and we headed out to Mariposa Grove toward the entrance/exit of Yosemite but the road was closed and we would need to take a four mile hike to check it out. Raincheck on Mariposa as we were on a time schedule to get Ms. Giang back to LAX by 6pm. We stopped by Starbuck/Jamba Juice in Oakhurst for a morning jolt. Quan helped An out with the driving on our way back. Most people slept on the way back through the curvy road and from being tired. Giang and Uy continued to chat on and off during the ride back. We stopped by In-n-Out in Bakersfield and met up with Danielle's group shortly. Arrived back to LAX by 5pm, a safe trip to Half Dome and back. Thank you Hoang for grocery shopping. Thank you An for car reservation and driving. Thank you everyone for a nice, safe, and fun trip. Thank you for the photos. Nice to meet Giang, Quan, Phuong Vy, and Amber on this trip.

May 8, 2010: Binh-Loan's wedding (pictures)
Binh, Loan, An, Michael, HaTien, Phuong, Hanh, Jenny, Nga, Chinh, Andrew, Hoang T, HaMy, Toan, Lily
Memories: Congratulations to Binh and Loan. Loan, in her petite figure, was beautiful all day in the different attire of the day with the Vietnamese traditional dress, the Western bridal gown, and the party dress. Friends and family gathered for a private celebration of about 120 guests. HaTien and Andrew acted as MC to introduce the family members of both sides. Although there was a little hiccup we brought a few good laughs and HaTien even did Andrew's part of introducing in Vietnamese at times. Oh well, Andrew could always be just the sidekick. Group applauded HaTien's courage of taking on the MC job and did rather well as a first time wedding MC. HaTien jokingly offered to be the MC for future Nextweekers' wedding free of charge and considered running a side job as the wedding MC. We had fun at our table and volunteered for Andrew to sing to the newlywed but he declined citing there was no lyrics. Michael helped out this date as the driver for the groom and bride. Several ladies Nextweekers helped out in the morning ceremony.  

April 25, 2010: Nga's house party (pictures and on Picasa)
Nga, HaTien+2, Chi, Joan, Thinh, Mai Trang, Mai V, Vince, Uy, Phuong, Duc, Vy, Lien, Thao, Jenny, Thoa, Tuyen, Binh, Loan, An, Chinh, Quang, Jen, Victoria, Robert, Dat, Khanh, Chau, Hy, Chi, Hai, Phong +2, Thuy, Trang. 
Memories: Nga had a full house of people and entertained friends and family throughout the day. Everyone enjoyed Nga's house tour and complimented Nga on her hard work and good job of painting and decorating her place, perhaps with a couple advisors. There were plenty of food including some homecook meals by Nga such as Beef Stew, Chow Mein, Aspagarus Soup, and other homecook dishes such as banh gai, banh dua, brownies, etc. We had lots of other dessert as well to satisfy the sweet tooth. Group celebrated Nextweekers April birthdays with Chinh, Duc, and Jen present. A welcome back to Quang from his Viet Nam trip. Thanks Nga for all the hard work and openning your home to a large group of guests. Thanks to those who came over and shared the joy with Nga and her new home. Congrats Nga!

April 17, 2010: Huntington Beach hangout, biking (pictures on Photobucket)
Hoang V, Thinh, Trang, HaMy, Toan, Mai V, Vince, Uy, Phuong, HaTien+2, Thoa, Tammy, Chinh, Duc, Thao
Memories: Some members of the group were on time and met at Huntington Beach Arts Center to ride the bikes to the beach. Uy, Phuong, Thinh, Trang, HaTien, and niece, nephew parked on Main Street and parked down the HB pier to meet with others. Thoa and Tammy also met with us at the beach and took the bikes for a ride. The rest of us walked down to the sand and took a stroll waiting for the sunset. Hoang brought his camera to take photos of the group and the scenery. It was a bit hazy but we enjoyed what we have. Thanks to Mai and Vince for the fresh strawberries (candies) and the sweet tangerines we enjoyed on the sand. HaTien's niece and nephew enjoyed the attention of the grown up ladies. We were hungry and stopped by Pho Huynh on Bolsa to have dinner before heading over to Chinh's house. Originally we wanted to stop by new Vietnamese restaurant Lang Ngon on Beach and McFadden but it was so crowded. Everyone gathered in Chinh's kitchen and talked about various topics, such as real estate as about half of the Nextweekers are now homeowners. HaTien suggested each homeowner would now rotate to host the Nextweekers' monthly gathering. Other hot topic included weddings as this looks like a popular year for marriage. The wedding bells are ringing from now to the end of the year as five are calendared so far. Hoang proposed future beach BBQ, bonfire but May looks like a busy month for some of us. Perhaps we'll do something for the Memorial day weekend. Duc-Thao joined at Chinh's house after attended a wedding but HaTien had to take the little ones home as they were tired and sleepy. Thanks to those who showed up. It was a good turn out and a nice gathering. Thanks Hoang for organizing the beach outing and for che dessert. Thanks Hoang for the photos.

April 10, 2010: OC Flower Field (pictures)
Lily, Tuyen, Than, HaTien
Memories: Lily took us to Turtle Rock in Irvine by Concordia University for the view of different wildflowers, but mostly yellow mustard, it was beautiful but required some hike up the hill. Then onto Upper and Lower Bay by UCI, which we weren't able to find the entrance. Onto Crystal Cove by El Morro, Boat Canyon of Laguna Coast Wilderness looking down Laguna Beach and lastly, we stopped at Whiting Ranch where we did the majority of the hiking to see the Red Rock Canyon, Limestone Canyon and Wilderness with shading Live Oaks, wildflowers, but we didn't see any deer. Tuyen did a good job with the hike. In the end, Tuyen had hiked about 10 miles this date. Prior to this, Tuyen reported she has never walked more than 2 miles. It was a beautiful day and we were exhausted by the end. Had early dinner at Souplantation to refuel our body before heading home. Thanks Than for taking the photos and driving us girls. Thanks Tuyen for the posting the photos. The pictures of the flowers were beautiful. Thanks Lily for being the OC hike tour guide.

March 14, 2010: Gathering/hang out at Hatien's (pictures on Picasa)
HaTien+2, Jenny, Nga+2, Thanh, An, Hanh+1, Mai V, Chi+2, Uy, Phuong, Anna +2, Thinh, Trang, Lan, Vu, Trung, Thao, Duc, HaMy, Toan, Jen, Vince, Long, Linh, Benjamin, Chinh, Thoa
Memories: It was a full house with children and adults for the birthday celebration of HaTien's family members. The children (at least 16) had a good time with the bouncer and the balloon/face painting artist. It was good to see everyone, including Long and Linh who made a special appearance with baby Benjamin. Thanks to everyone for attending the party on a cool Sunday afternoon, especially the helpers with the food preparation and clean up. Thanks to Duc, Chinh, and Thinh for capturing the photos.

March 6, 2010: Gathering, karaoke and sing a song for HaMy's birthday (pictures)
Chinh, HaMy, Toan, Thao, Duc, Tuyen, HaTien, Jane, Tracy, Trung, Vincent, Bao Chau, Andrew, Thinh
Memories: Gathering at Chinh's house for karaoke; some very talented voices on this night; most everyone sang except for Bao Chau with sore throat and homeowner Chinh who was occupied with various tasks. HaMy and Toan were the first couple to show up after their movie date and brought Lee's Sandwich baguettes, cha lua and pate since there was no dinner out. Tuyen brought very good strawberries to accompany HaTien's original cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory (from Costco) for HaMy's birthday. Thinh showed up late but got a bite of the good cheesecake which he claimed make him exercise harder afterward. Chinh hosted the party with several bottles of Arbor Mist wine, snacks, and Trung also brought snacks and wine for the gathering. Chinh played a few songs on the piano for a few guests that were left at the end. The night ended past midnight but not without having several group photos from both Duc's and Chinh's cameras. Thank you everyone for an entertaining night. Thanks Duc for posting the photos.