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Pumkin Bread Pudding

Up to Date With Grace & Vince: How Well Do We Keep You Informed?

We have tried (or at least we think we tried) to keep you informed about our activities since our last newsletter. To determine whether you know what we've been up to, we've decided to put you to a short quiz.

Scoring key
8-9 correct: you know us better than we thought!
6-7: Great, we're definitely keeping in touch
3-5: Could use some additional email from you and us
0-2: How did you get to this web page?

1. Our original flight itinerary was for us to travel from Seattle to Orlando via Los Angeles. Which Florida hurricane delayed our arrival from LA to Orlando?
(A) Charley
(B) Frances
(C) Ivan
(D) Jeanne

Originally slated to travel to Orlando on Labor Day, Sept. 6, we delayed our flight for 3 days until Hurricane Frances passed over. Although they came later, we didn't experience Ivan and Jeanne either,  Ivan completely bypassed the Orlando area and we were in Malaysia when Jeanne arrived. By the way, hurricane season is officially from June 1 to November 30. Correct answer: B.

2. We purchased a home in a neighborhood within Orlando city limits that shares the same name as a city in Southern California. What is the name of that neighborhood?
(A) Baldwin Park
(B) Glendale
(C) Riverside
(D) Beverly Hills

In the late 1990's the Orlando Naval Training Base, located near downtown Orlando, closed down, and the military sold the land to home developers. It was renamed Baldwin Park and designed as a environmental-friendly community where families could live close to schools, shopping, and work. For Vincent, Florida Hospital is about 2 miles from home and he hopes to be able to cycle to work. For more information about our home, click here. Correct answer: A

3. Before moving into our home in December, we stayed 3 months with a friend, Linda, and her housemate Aileen. How is Vincent related to Aileen?
(A) First cousin (father’s brother’s daughter)
(B) First cousin once removed (mother’s father’s brother’s daughter)
(C) Second cousin (mother’s father’s sister’s son’s daughter)
(D) In spirit only

Vincent's maternal granduncle, Philip Peng, is a retired teacher living with his wife, Paz, in Virginia Beach, VA. Their daughter, Aileen, is a laboratory technician working at Florida Hospital. We had fun cooking, eating, and chatting with Linda and Aileen, and want to thank them so much for putting up with us during our transition. Correct answer: B

4. For 3 weeks between September and October we went back to Penang, Malaysia to visit Grace's mom. What was the main reason for visiting at that time?
(A) Vincent's medical license had not been approved by Florida, and he couldn't work
(B) Frequent flier miles were expiring, and had to be used by November 30
(C) Grace's good friend, Rachel, was getting married
(D) We wanted to eat fresh durians before they were out of season

When Vince called up the Florida Medical Board, he was informed that his license would not be issued until mid-October at the earliest. We called and found that seats were available on Singapore Airlines using frequent flier miles to fly to Southeast Asia, so we thought, why not go? We wish that C were true, and yes, one day we will attend her wedding. For more photos and information about our trip, click here. Correct answer: A

5. Which of the following took time for us to adjust living in Orlando?
(A) It’s so FLAAAAAT
(B) 90 degree temps and 90 percent humidity
(C) Urban sprawl
(D) All of the above

Orlando, a growing city with a metro population of about 1.6 million, has been transformed into a tourist mecca that boasts numerous attractions and hosts over millions of visitors annually. There are no major hills, as the area consisted largely of swampland. Summer can be uncomfortable, with temperatures averaging in the 90's (30's C) combined with high humidity. Unfortunately, urban sprawl makes public transportation very inconvenient, and Orlando is ranked number one as the most dangerous city for pedestrians (read the report). Correct answer: D

6.  In our search for a home church (we're currently "church-hopping"), which of the following characteristics do we find most desirable?
(A) Close in distance to our new home
(B) Church membership greater than 400
(C) Large proportion of Chinese-speaking members
(D) Active music program including a mixed church choir

There are some 14 Seventh-day Adventist churches in the Orlando area, and cater to a diverse variety of worship styles and cultures. Having attended and enjoyed the Greenlake SDA church in Seattle, we sought for a church here with many of the same characteristics. As many of you know, music is an important part of our lives and of the activities we really enjoyed at Greenlake was singing in the church choir. So far, we haven't found one yet, but stay tuned--we'll find one. Correct answer: D

7. The shift from employment in government public health to private practice has been dramatic for Vincent. Since starting work, which of the following describes where he currently spends the majority of his time?
(A) Outpatient care for HIV / AIDS patients
(B) Infectious disease consultations for hospitalized patients
(C) Hospital infection control, epidemiology, and administration
(D) At home, watching television and working on this newsletter

At this point, Vince is actively getting accustomed to the lifestyle of an ID consultant, and spends 80-90 percent seeing inpatients. Lifestyle-wise, it's a mixed blessing: on the one hand, it does allow plenty of flexibility as consultants generally set their own hours and schedules. If the load is light, Vince can get home at a decent hour. On the other hand, consultants are at the mercy of the consulting physicians, and it's not unusual to be working late into the evenings. Correct answer: B

8. From which West Coast airport is there NOT any nonstop flight available to visit us in Orlando?
(A) Los Angeles
(B) San Francisco
(C) Portland
(D) Seattle

Los Angeles has numerous daily nonstop flights on American, Delta, and United. San Francisco has one daily nonstop on United, and Seattle has two daily nonstops on Alaska Air. The point of this question is clear: with easy access to Orlando from the West Coast, come and visit us. This goes for all of you in the rest of of the country--there are even more nonstops from Chicago, D.C., New York, and Atlanta. Even if you have to connect, come visit! Correct answer: C

9. Since our wedding in 2001 up to the end of 2004, how many cities have we lived in?
(A) 2
(B) 3
(C) 4
(D) 5

This was a bit tricky. Since our wedding, we've lived in Atlanta (Decatur), Georgia; Seattle, Washington; and now Orlando, Florida. Although we met in Southern California, we never lived together there. However, if you were astute enough to realize that in the Orlando area we have technically lived in two cities (Apopka is where we stayed with Linda and Aileen, and Orlando is where our new home is), then the correct number is 4. Correct answer: B or C

Thanks for playing!

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