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End of Summer Trip to Napa with Lees

We didn’t see the Lees much this summer, so we planned a trip to celebrate the end of summer together. Napa is close and we’ve been to Carneros Resort with them a couple times before. Mike and Amy and other friends were also up at their home, so we joined forces for dinner over there on Saturday.

This seemed to be a turning point in our travels with the kids. We put them on bikes and sent them off. We saved them seats at the family pool, but they never came. They drove themselves to Oxbow to satisfy their açaí bowl addictions. The adults did nothing all day except collectively wring our hands about the impending college admission process. Very relaxing.

We left them on their own while we enjoyed an adult dinner out at Charter Oak in St. Helena. Even after spending all day together, they wanted to have a slumber party. There’s no room for that.

We’re so lucky to have close friends with whom to travel. The kids and adults can have endless fun together. The only thing missing was golf… (Julie!).

It’s been exactly 10 years since our first visit to Carneros and I love it every time. The kids even humored me to recreate a favorite photo they don’t even remember taking. Looking forward to making more memories here in the future.

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Albert’s 50th in Lake Tahoe

Mike hosted Albert’s BFFs for an early 50th birthday celebration at his home in Tahoe. I haven’t known Al as long as his other buddies, so I was honored to be in included. We played golf at Northstar, Gray’s Crossing and Coyote Moon. It’s unclear if the golf itself or devising a game for 7 very unequal players was more difficult. In any case, it was a lot of fun.

Mike prepared Waygu steaks for this special occasion and they were amazing. This was followed by random card games requiring no skill with a goal of getting Mike to bed as soon as possible. The evening was capped off with the last in a string of stunning losses for Brian.

Tom sold us on all riding together in a van and I had grandiose visions of a Sprinter with lay-flat captains chairs. I didn’t know he chose his swagger wagons based on carbon footprint. To its credit, it carried all 7 of us in style with 7 golf bags. Amazing!

This weekend was a ton of fun and Mike is proposing to make the Lee Golf Invitational an annual event. Sign me up and let it not be forgotten that my 22 handicap is not enough. Happy Birthday, Albert!

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First Day of School – 2023

First day of school for Olivia (11th) and Lucas (9th). It’s hard to believe we have two high-schoolers! It’s also bittersweet that Liv will be driving them both to school.

We had a parent social at school so we walked Lucas all the way in and Grace gave him a big kiss goodbye inside the school. That was a bold move with potentially tragic consequences. Lucas is so new to high school, he didn’t seem to mind.

It’s going to be a great year!

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Full House with Yoons and Haus at Michigan Grandma’s

We haven’t seen my mom since the holidays, so it was extra special to visit her before camp. Jen and Blue completed the Rhees. My mom is loving life in her new home and community.

Growing up, our best family friends were the Yoons. Our moms worked together for several decades at Beaumont, but knew each other well before that. We did most holidays together along with other family friends. Although Auntie Yoon moved even farther away to Hawaii with David’s family last year, the ladies were able to see each other in Oahu this year.

Auntie Yoon made the long trip with the kids to spend the week with my mom while the grandchildren were at camp. My mom’s sister also came from NY with three of her grandchildren and uncle Sandor. We had a fuller house than we had imagined for one night, which was very fun.

After camp, we also had one final dinner with the Yoons, where we celebrated several birthdays, including David’s big 5-0! All the kids are closer than ever but don’t fully grasp that they’re the third generation of Yoon-Rhee BFFs. I hope they’ll always remain friends.

Our dads were friends before they were even married and they were missed during our reunion. We were able to visit Michigan grandpa before we came home to California. Hopefully it won’t be so long before we’re all together again.

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Sae Jong Camp 2023

Despite all the amazing adventures we had this summer, SJC is still a highlight for Olivia and Lucas. This year, some new cousins (Emily and Xavier) and friends (Audrey, Caden and Colin) attended as second-generation campers and staff.

Things are really getting back to normal, which meant we were also able to drop in for drop off. We parents (and our parents) also reunited with lifelong friends during visitors day. It’s extremely gratifying to see our kids view their kids as some of their favorite friends in the world.

We’re all so grateful for everyone who is committed to keeping camp going strong after nearly 50 years. Special thanks to Doug, who was has been a presence and steward for the majority of those years. He’s earned his retirement after so many decades of service. Great job, Hannah, and thank you, Dr. Park and staff!

Every year is the best year ever and may they continue to be.

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Golfapalooza in Northern Michigan

Bobby brought his kids to camp for the first time, which meant he was able to join our annual golf trip after dropping the kids off. He happened to catch us as Grace is particularly obsessed with golf. We played Sunday through Tuesday at Arcadia Bluffs.

Wednesday, we were supposed to take the day off, but Grace and I played at Grand Traverse anyway. We played 36 there on Thursday and only played 18 on Friday (mostly due to rain). All in all, we played 6 and 2/3 rounds during the week. We also had some great meals at the resort and in Traverse City.

While we only have a few years left, if Courtney also attends camp, Bobby could be doing this trip through 2040! I’ll probably be playing shuffleboard by then.

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Summer Travel: Chicago College Tours

We’re technically on our annual summer trip to Michigan. However, while we were nearby, we took a quick day-and-a-half trip to Chicago to see a couple schools. It was a fairly easy drive (for the passengers).

Despite my dad’s history at University of Chicago, this was really the first time both Grace and I visited the campus, not counting the time I took my MCAT there (guess how that turned out). All of us were really impressed with the beauty of the campus as well as the undergraduate program. The first photo is of some dormitories, designed by architect Jeanne Gang, who also coincidentally designed the beautiful hotel at which we stayed.

Jen suggested Siena Tavern for dinner and it was (mostly) great. It was a nice night out, so we walked back to the hotel along the Riverwalk. We had to navigate the bowels of lower Wacker, which felt very Gotham-like.

Also despite the fact that I went to Northwestern for grad school, it just didn’t register with the kids that the Northwestern is in Chicago and Kellogg is at Northwestern. That was quickly straightened out when we toured campus, which was all new information to me because my whole experience there was pretty much in one (old) building. It seems like most of the campus is new since I attended, including the very beautiful new Kellogg building. Olivia was really starting to see the advantages of having beaches on campus as well as close proximity to Chicago, which is undeniably a great city. Lucas enjoyed it, too, though conceded it could just be recency bias.

My first college roommate made a career change over a decade ago and founded one of the foremost craft distillers. I spotted his brand (FEW Spirits) on our menu at breakfast, which was a sign to reach out. Within a few hours, he joined us for lunch in Evanston. Seeing Paul was a great end to a successful return to Chicago.

This trip was exactly two years since our last trip to Chicago, which was the last time we traveled with my dad. Like last time, the weather was great, and also like last time, we had to navigate Lollapalooza. Hopefully, we’ll be back again soon.

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Summer Travel: Boston, Newport and Providence

Olivia’s summer schedule is packed and includes a couple weeks at Brown summer school. We made a family trip out of her drop-off, which was the first time the kids have visited Boston and New England in general. We visited a few schools and ate our way through the city as we are known to do.

There were a few other friends from her school also attending, so we have family dinners along the way. This also included our first trip to Fenway Park. It was a great experience and I’m trying my best to forget how steamy it was.

Over the weekend, we made our way to Providence with a stop in Newport. I haven’t been there since 1998 when I fell in love with it. Olivia loved it, too, and said she would live there. Lucas felt it was a bit touristy, which is fair. We didn’t get a chance to drive around (i.e., see TS’s house).

In Providence, all four families met up for dinner and we walked around town and campus. We got the official tour during drop-off. Coincidentally, Olivia’s closest cousin is also attending, which was only figured out by the their aunts who connected the dots.

We’ve spent almost every hour together as a family this summer. Between that and the heat, Olivia seemed anxious to be rid of us. After getting her settled in, we bid her farewell. It’s going by fast and she’s having a great time, though it’s a lot of work, too. We hope it will be a great experience for her and her friends.

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