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Entries Tagged as 'heather'

Christmas Dinner at Aunty Gail’s

December 28th, 2010 · No Comments

Cory, Miko, John

Kenji, Hideto and Derek playing the super-old pinball machine

Tickle fight with Tommy

Dallas & Rachelle. I don’t know why I’m so squinty. Wine?

As you can see, the kids were really focused on eating dinner (Tommy & Kenji)

Mitch & Hideto

Cory, Chris, Aunty Laura, Scotty, Krystyn, Hideto. In the front: Danny & Caroline.

Chris won the prize for figuring out how to fold up the chairs.

Aunty Glenna and Uncle BB

Trying to assemble for a family photo.

This always takes a while.

Getting closer…..

Almost there….

Made it! (Photo by Heather)
Back: Jeff, Heather, John, Kyle, Miko, Dallas, Chris, Caroline, Danny, Chris, Aly, Brad, Amanda, Cory.
Middle: Uncle Neil, Kate, Aunty Gail, Kenji, Aunty Peggy, Derek, Aunty Laura, Hideto, Uncle BB, Aunty Glenna.
Front: Doug, Naoko, Tommy, Mitch, Ben, Winnie, Rachelle

Dallas, Hideto, Cory

Kenji

Tommy

Some of the older kids help facilitate the gift exchange.

Derek, Chris, Mitch

Gift exchange in full swing.

Amanda and Brad. Brad got bacon popcorn that we brought.

Danny got Spam in the gift exchange.

Mitch & Chris

Tommy & Kenji

Dallas with his rice. (Photo by Heather)

On Christmas day we always go to Dallas’s Aunty Gail’s house out in Mount Prospect, IL. Every year Aunty Gail makes beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole and her mom’s lettuce/mayo/crab/pea salad. It never varies. Dessert varies because other people always bring different desserts, but Aunty Gail always makes her signature cookies. Now, I’m not complaining that it doesn’t vary, because it’s not like I’m eating steak and potatoes every night! And dinner always tastes super good.

After dinner all of the adults have a $10 gift exchange. There were a lot of people participating in the gift exchange this year. 25, I think, but it wasn’t very crazy at all. Not compared to some of the other years. We’re going to have to kick it up a notch next year. This year I came out with some votives and Dallas got a big bag of rice. Actually, he got something else and traded for the rice. He always wants that rice gift that Aunty Gail puts in every year.

This year it was amazing to see all the kids in the family. .. and more on the way!

Previous Christmases at Aunty Gail’s:
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005

Danny & Caroline’s Wedding Shower

May 24th, 2010 · No Comments

On Saturday Aunty Gail, Heather and Naoko hosted a family wedding shower for Danny and Caroline in Schaumburg at Heather & Jeff’s house. It was fun and relaxing. We drank an endless supply of margaritas, ate Mexican appetizers and for dinner had some great takeout from a local Mexican restaurant. I finally got to meet Caroline’s parents who came down from Wisconsin. Mostly it was just fun to hang out with everyone, especially Danny and Caroline. We don’t see them nearly as much as we used to because Danny’s restaurant schedule doesn’t really coincide with anyone elses. Danny & Caroline’s wedding is in just about a month exactly. Excited for the big celebration!

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Tags:caroline·danny·gail·heather·jeff·naoko·schaumburg·wedding

Heather & Jeff’s New Years Day Party

January 2nd, 2010 · No Comments

Every year Dallas’s cousin Jeff and his wife Heather host a New Years Day party for all of their family and friends. Some years we haven’t always made it because sometimes we’re just too hung over, but the past few years we have gotten ~~older~~ ~~more responsible~~ less fun, and have made the party. Even hungover, it’s an easy party. We do a lot of this:

And some of this:

And eat a lot. Every year Dallas’s aunts and cousins make homemade maki sushi, cone sushi, pork shumai, sashimi, somen, mochi soup, Hawaiian chicken salad, char siu, ribs, chicken, and all kinds of stuff. So, sit around.. and eat. I can do that!

2009 Camp Fukuda

July 8th, 2009 · No Comments

After golfing we headed over to Aunty Peggy and Uncle Neil’s house. For the last two July Fourth holidays Dallas’s family has gotten Camp Fukuda tshirts made and then taken family photographs in them.

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Trying to assemble 25+ people can be maddening. People walk off.

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Other people pose together.

assemble_family_2

Kids run around.

assemble_family_3

Finally. Only Heather and I are missing. Heather was setting up her camera on a tripod so I took that time to make my own photo. There’s a photo floating around somewhere that has all of us.

family_photo
Back: Caroline, Aunty Glenna, Uncle BB, Jeff, Cory, Chris, Caroline, Danny, Aunty Gail, Naoko, Kenji, Doug, Tommy, Derek, Krystyn, Hideto, Scotty, Peggy, Neil. Front: Adam, Chris, Dallas, Kathy, Laura, Mitch, Kyle, Kate, Winnie, Ben.

Aunty Laura’s Family -

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Cory, Chris, Danny, Caroline, Aunty Laura, Krystyn, Hideto, Scotty

Kathy’s Family -

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Kathy, Caroline, Dallas, Rachelle

Shaka!

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Caroline, Dallas

Aunty Peggy & Uncle Neil’s Family –

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Aunty Peggy, Derek, Uncle Neil, Kyle, Kate, Ben, Winnie

Dallas & his sister, still goofing-

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Caroline, Dallas

Aunty Gail’s Family -

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Jeff, Heather, Chris, Mitch, Auny Gail, Tommy, Doug, Kenji, Naoko

Aunty Glenna & Uncle BB’s (sort of) family-

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Uncle BB & Aunty Glenna’s kids didn’t arrive til later in the night so they got Adam, a family friend, in their photo.

These are the people that won the 2009 Fukuda Cup earlier in the day. Notice that they changed into their winning shirts.

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Kyle, Jeff, Adam, Chris, Aunty Gail, Danny

I poured my beer into the award cup and each winning team member had to drink from the cup. Notice that Chris’s shirt is all wet. Doug, a sore loser, sprayed the hose all over the winners while they were posing for photos.

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Chris, Aunty Gail

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Adam, Jeff

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Kyle

These are the people who lost the 2009 Fukuda Cup. Dallas was giving “the finger” in some of the photos. He told his mom to do it and she gave thumbs up… wrong finger.. and everyone started laughing.

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Dallas, Doug, Kathy, Uncle BB, Uncle Neil, Scotty

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Dallas

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Glenna

After photos we spent the afternoon and evening eating delicious gumbo that Danny made, drinking, and visiting in the yard. Or inside. The mosquitoes were kind of brutal in Michigan.

Cory & Chris’s Wedding Reception

July 2nd, 2009 · 1 Comment

Cory and Chris’s wedding reception was held at Maxim’s de Paris in the Gold Coast. It’s a unique venue, decorated in the stylin’ art deco style. Cory wrote a bit about Maxim’s here if you’re interested.

After busting open the sake and cutting the cake we all had dinner and drank and ate and drank and drank and danced and danced and drank and danced and danced. It was a super fun time. You can tell from everyone’s huge smiles in the photos below.

(Click on photos below to see them bigger.)