A New Grocery Store Find - Look Closely!!

So, as I was searching Hong Kong Island for some key ingredients for the Sandness cheesecakes (yes, we are making them even though the numbers will likely be down given the change in Venue...Minnesota to Hong Kong) and I stumbled across this scrumptious looking item and couldn't help but share. Sorry the picture is blurry...took it with my pathetic cell phone. We were thinking just in case we can't get a turkey this Thanksgiving, we can get a leg of some sort instead. Although, I was worried about fitting a turkey in our oven...pretty certain this won't fit. We are used to seeing the animal pieces in some of the street markets here, but this was in what is considered one of the "upscale" grocery stores.

Baseball Victory!

Well, even though the baseball season seems to have been going on for quite a while for us, there have only been two official games so far for Trey's team. Trey pitched his first game this past weekend and had a great outing. The team also came away with the victory - apparently the first U.S. team victory against a Japanese team (in this league) in the past two years!!! He pitched the entire 5 inning game and walked only one batter. It was great fun to watch, although a bit tense at times, as a mother watching...

Baseball is quite a commitment here...I think the season goes through March and involves a weeknight practice that is relatively close, a 3-hour Saturday practice that is about an hour drive one-way, and a Sunday game at that same distant field...if you can call it a field...apparently, it is dubbed "the construction site" by some. There is no "normal" ground ball on this field (not sure of which direction or how high it may bounce at any given moment), which I guess just makes the kids be more on their toes than usual...but can make for frustrating fielding at times.

Some different rituals also exist that stress good sportsmanship that include the teams separately bowing to each side and saying "thank you", as well as bowing and saying thank you at the end of the game to the umpires and a few other things that I am still learning about. Respectful behavior is highly stressed throughout.

Anyway, he is truly enjoying this baseball season ... stay tuned for future updates...

Tyson's 7th Birthday

We gathered to celebrate another birthday in the Sandness family. Tyson turned 7 this year and his choice of restaurant for his birthday meal (tradition of the family) was Outback Steakhouse - the home of nearly all the Sandness birthday meals so far here in Hong Kong. The rest of the family seems to be ok with his choice also! This cake only cost around $60 USD...hmmm...I might actually have to start baking some birthday cakes or we won't be able to afford presents!

Halloween in Hong Kong

Halloween in Hong Kong was a bit different than what we were used to back in Minnesota. The kids were a little concerned about having such a "limited audience" to trick-or-treat to...no neighborhood walk, only one apartment building to get through, but somehow they still managed to come home with more candy than they could possibly eat. Trey and I had fun picking out the costumes as they have a street market filled with costumes all year round...he was like a kid in a candy store looking at the endless options.

Craig and I also went out later in the evening with our friends and enjoyed doing some people watching in Lan Kwai Fong. (photos of the crowds)

Some Pics to Share

Just thought I'd share a few photos from our time spent at "THE field"...even though it is turf, it reminds us of playing on grass...you take what you can get sometimes.