Going home

A friend asked why I love Hawaii as much as I do. There isn’t really an answer I can give him, or anyone. I asked the Wendalls if they could help me put it into words, and all we could come up with is “aloha”. Then we tried to define aloha, and we were stuck again. We stopped only after we started singing.

So what is it about this place? Why does it have such an amazing hold on our hearts?

It isn’t Waikiki, though some of our favorite times have been spent sitting on the beach there, surrounded by a few hundred people as we watched a movie.

It isn’t the Arizona Memorial, though that is a moving and thought provoking place.

It isn’t Haleiwa, the surf capital, though sunsets from those shores are among the best we’ve ever shared.

My love of Hawaii is a combination of the land and the people. It is the sun and the sand and the mountains. It is the daily rainbows and the magnificent sunsets. It is the music and the dance. It is the joy that people are not afraid to let you see. It is the idea that family and connections are what make a person whole.

We moved to Hawaii in the fall of 2001. We loved it immediately, but is did not become “home” until at least a year later. By the time we left in 2005, we knew that we would spend the rest of our lives working our way back to the islands. Part of that was time, and part of that were the friendships we had formed. Part of it was the time we had been able to spend with my brothers, both of whom moved to Hawaii shortly after we did.

Leaving Hawaii was much harder than we thought it could be. I am an emotional person, and had expected a few tears, but I remember crying most of the way to L.A., where we caught our connecting flight to Germany. Being away has been much more like being away from a person than a place.

When we were told that there was a 20-hour layover on our way from Germany to Korea, I burst into tears at the travel agent’s desk. The idea of heading back there next summer has me in tears again. The realization that it will be for years instead of days has my heart soaring, and the thought that I will be HOME is pushing all other thoughts out of my head.

So here we come, Hawaii. Our little family is coming home. Mom, Dad, Local Boy, and three Polynesian Kitties. We are truly the luckiest people in the world, so happy to live Hawaii again!

Wendall has his assignment, but does not yet know what his position will be. What we do know is that we will leave Virginia in June or July and we will be in Hawaii for 3-4 years. And of course we will have room for guests! We look forward to sharing the aloha.

We have news

And it is the best kind of news. The BEST!

This summer we will head home.

Aloha!

Where have I been?

Ive been here:

Live Journal

My life is way too boring to post in multiple places. It is too boring to post in one place, honestly, so at the moment I am mostly posting memes. So sad. Come visit me there, though, and if you have an lj account, please let me know. About half of what I write


Today's excitement was making sweet potato biscuits. In an hour or so we will pack up the car and head to Dover for Thanksgiving with family. It will be a nice change from our usual table of three. Last year we spent Thanksgiving at the Hartell House, so we were not alone, but a buffet is no excuse for family. The cameras are charged, and I am looking forward to introducing the boy to a bunch of cousins he has never met.

Have a wonderful holiday!

14 months away from home

I'm thinking of a friend who made it home today. This isn't him, but I know that his family is just as happy to see him.

So proud of my boy

This weekend was all about the boy. It was about us as well, but really the boy was the main focus.

Friday night we watched Speed Racer. We saw this in the theater when it came out, and the boy mentioned wanting to see it a few hundred times. Astonishingly enough, Wendall and I both agreed that we would like to see it again and again and again as well. The story and writing are not-so-good, but the visual aspects of this movie are truly amazing. It is animation brought to life in the most wonderful way, and I am thinking seriously about owning this in Blu-ray.


On Saturday we went ice skating and then watched Igor. OK, the boy watched the movie and we took a nap. This is not a movie that anyone needs to see in a theater. It was a good reminder to us that movies are expensive, and we need to be more selective. Three years of no choice but cheap prices has us programmed to run to the theater without thinking. We will get better, but it is taking a while (and a bunch of really bad movies).

After the movie we went shopping, and the boy picked out his latest LEGO set. We told him that he would have to build it all on his own, as Wendall had to study and LEGOs make me scream. I promised that I would stay in the room with him and I would help when I could, but we both know that I am restricted to a three minute window when it comes to LEGO, so he was really on his own.

He picked this set which has 333 pieces. And he put every piece together on his own. I was called in to help tighten things and to realign a few sections, but he did the rest of it. Three hours of steady concentration, no tantrums, and a perfect finished product. I'm super duper impressed by my boy.

I have a kitty sleeping on my foot

All is well.

We had a great weekend with our friend Ann and her kids. The weather reports had been awful, but when we woke on Saturday the skies had cleared so we canceled all of our plans and ran for the lake. How wonderful to have such a perfect spot just a few minutes from home.

Sunday morning we woke, ran to the lake once more, and then they went home. We are all hoping that they will come back soon!

The only bad spot in the weekend was Ann's discovery of a dead doe in our backyard. Te man who came to get her said he was pretty sure she had been poisoned because she was young and looked very healthy, and there were no injuries. Our community is in the middle of a huge fight over the deer population and how to manage the numbers. This is not the answer! I can only hope that it was accidental.

Picture by TargetCat

DSCF0141, originally uploaded by TargetCat.

We visited the folks at a show a few weeks ago, and the boy managed to take this wonderful photo while we were there. I am so happy that he took this picture!

New tooth

DSC_1463, originally uploaded by Zanla.

A new tooth is on the way. He realized it yesterday while we were out and about. This is his first adult tooth, so we are pretty excited. Look for gap-toothed photos soon.

Picture day is tomorrow.

School is going well, and we have managed to visit a good portion of the family. We have had a very successful August.

First day of school

First day of school, originally uploaded by allysther.

They went off to school on Monday.

This year looks to be much better than last year, for oh so many reasons.

It takes 10 minutes to walk to the bus stop and 20 minutes to walk to the beach. I'm thinking that I can get the boy to the bus and then walk to the beach before I head home. I think that would be a great way to begin each day.

It is a 30 min drive to school for the Elder W. He is looking forward to Morning Edition.

I'm wanting life to be a bit easier at the moment. It will be soon, but the past two days kicked me in the butt a bit.

The guys head to class on Monday. Both of them. We will all head out the door in the morning, and then I will head back to the house on my own. And then I will continue to unpack boxes like a crazy person.

Ok, back to cleaning and setting things right. Sleep is in the near future.

Robert Hazard died. He was before my musical time in Philly, but he wrote a few of the songs of my youth, so I am sad.

By the way---can someone please tell me why I can still spell David U's last name with no hesitation, but I have to think hard before spelling Pennsylvania? How many brain cells did I hardwire to music?

WHEW!

The movers are gone. The house is filled with stuff. I think we might actually live here!

And we have internet!

I'll be sending out a mass email soon.

Watch this until then....

Horseshoe Falls

Horseshoe Falls, originally uploaded by allysther.

Family

Family, originally uploaded by allysther.

This is my favorite picture from Niagara Falls. The boy managed to get a shot of us being ourselves. My father is taking his traditional nap (he can sleep ANYWHERE!) and my mother and I are discussing the day. The boy spent the time wandering about, taking pictures and playing with small toys.

International Boundary Line

International Boundary Line, originally uploaded by allysther.

We went to Niagara Falls for the day. 12 hours of soaking in the sun and the mist. We can't wait to come back and do it again soon.

pslee...leeps...sleep...eepsl...epsle...sleep

pslee...leeps...sleep...eepsl...epsle...sleep, originally uploaded by allysther.

This is my favortie pillowcase. Sadly, after almost 20 years of faithful service, the seams have gone. Happily the seams can be repaired just as soon as I am near a sewing machine. A few monts from now this pillowcase will be back in service.

What makes this my favorite pillow case?

It was a high school graduation gift to me from one of the people I love most in the world. She kept the sheets, but this came from her bed. We spent or high school years lounging on these sheets, and I would amuse myself by trying to read them aloud. Now my son and husband are the ones who laugh at me as I attempt to pronounce "pslee", but the memories are still very sweet.

Last Day of School

Last Day of School, originally uploaded by allysther.

Waiting for the bus this morning. I'm off to pick him up now. The official countdown says 1 hour, 40 minutes to go.

Completed book cover

Completed book cover, originally uploaded by allysther.

Wondering where I've been? Wonder no longer. I've been quilting. This was my final project. It consists of 96 hexagons and five billion stitches. It took me two weeks of piecing it together, sewing the pieces, and finishing. I began the class in March, and have made quite a bit of progress. My first project, a pin cushion with 10 pieces, also took two weeks.

Today is my last class, and I am really just going to say goodbye and to share some fruit and cake. I'll post my favorite photo of the class later today.

Acknowledging the sacrifice

For the first time, Bush revealed a personal way in which he has tried to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers and their families.

“I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”

Gee, thanks, George. Glad to know that you've put it all into perspective for yourself, there. Good job.

Just what I needed

This is six minutes long, and only watchable if you love kitties, have a fondness for engineers, and have a skewed sense of humor.

Mildred Loving

Mildred Loving died on Monday. She married her husband, Richard Loving, almost 50 years ago. Such a long/short time!
This is a statement she prepared last year for the 40th anniversary of the court case which legalized her marriage and overturned laws in 17 states.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loving for All

By Mildred Loving*

Prepared for Delivery on June 12, 2007,
The 40th Anniversary of the Loving vs. Virginia Announcement

When my late husband, Richard, and I got married in Washington, DC in 1958, it wasn’t to make a political statement or start a fight. We were in love, and we wanted to be married.

We didn’t get married in Washington because we wanted to marry there. We did it there because the government wouldn’t allow us to marry back home in Virginia where we grew up, where we met, where we fell in love, and where we wanted to be together and build our family. You see, I am a woman of color and Richard was white, and at that time people believed it was okay to keep us from marrying because of their ideas of who should marry whom.

When Richard and I came back to our home in Virginia, happily married, we had no intention of battling over the law. We made a commitment to each other in our love and lives, and now had the legal commitment, called marriage, to match. Isn’t that what marriage is?

Not long after our wedding, we were awakened in the middle of the night in our own bedroom by deputy sheriffs and actually arrested for the “crime” of marrying the wrong kind of person. Our marriage certificate was hanging on the wall above the bed. The state prosecuted Richard and me, and after we were found guilty, the judge declared: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” He sentenced us to a year in prison, but offered to suspend the sentence if we left our home in Virginia for 25 years exile.

We left, and got a lawyer. Richard and I had to fight, but still were not fighting for a cause. We were fighting for our love.

Though it turned out we had to fight, happily Richard and I didn’t have to fight alone. Thanks to groups like the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund, and so many good people around the country willing to speak up, we took our case for the freedom to marry all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And on June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that, “The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men,” a “basic civil right.”

My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God’s plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation’s fears and prejudices have given way, and today’s young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry.

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the “wrong kind of person” for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wendall and I married on the 27th anniversary of the decision. It was a happy accident that it fell on a weekend day in 1994. While we would not have changed plans in order to be married on the 12th, we were both very pleased to be able to honor the day.

Thank you, Mrs. Loving.

Hectic, but fine

I will post an actual something later today. I have photos to upload and things to say, but no time to actually do much more than think them towards the computer.

Life is fine. Really.

How steep was it?

100_2283, originally uploaded by TargetCat.

These were the steps we climbed on the Great Wall. The boy took this photo. Click through to see other photos from him.

We spent the day doing simple, good things. We had a good breakfast of rice and fish and eggs. We took a walk by the river. We wrote letters to a few friends. All in all a perfect Saturday.

The freaking out will come soon, so I am savoring this day.

I miss Dr. Demento

"Wet Dream" by Kip Adotta



"Existential Blues" by Tom "T-Bone" Stankus

The Dr. is still in, but unfortunately he does not allow downloads of his show. Though I do sit in front of the computer long enough to listen to the show, my best memories of the show are the times that I was able to listen while in the car or while doing other things. There's nothing like trying to hold in laughter while on the bus.

Seven years ago today I awoke to some wonderful news. Wendall had been accepted to the Basic Course at the JAG school in Charlottesville Virginia. It meant that he would be heading back to the States after many long months in Korea. It meant that we would be together again after almost two years of being mostly apart. It meant that he had been accepted as an officer in the JAG Corps. It was one of the best days of my life, and every year I smile on this day.

This year I have more reasons to smile.

Last week we received word that Wendall has been accepted to the Graduate Course in Charlottesville. This means that we will be heading back to the States after many long months in Korea. It means tat we will be near family again after six years of being mostly apart. It means he is one step closer to being promoted.

We have no details yet, and when we have them they will not be posted here. If you need to know them, you will hear more. If you want to know them just let me know. I will be sending emails begging some of you for help and/or advice. All we know now is that we should be leaving Seoul sometime this summer.

Now for a bit of truth. We have not lived in the US for three years. We have not lived on the Mainland for over six years. While I am very excited to be near our families and friends for the next year, I am also worried about living on the East Coast again. I am honestly looking at this move in the same way I looked at moving to Germany or Korea. This will be a completely new experience for the three of us. I am looking forward to introducing the boy to a slice of American culture. I’m hoping that we are as adaptable there as we have been in the other places we have lived.

More later.

Bargument

Last night, while sitting in a restaurant in Beijing, Wendall explained that he had had a "bargument" with a shopkeeper in a nearby market. I think it is the perfect word to describe the shopping experience in China. I'd heard that bargaining was expected, but I did not realize how vicious it would be. Sadly there were things that I did not buy because I was not mean enough to get the seller down to a reasonable price. Wendall was much better.

We just returned from a 4 day trip to Beijing. We went with 17 other people and had a whirlwind tour of the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and so many other things that it will be hard to remember them all.

The food was great and cheap enough that we could sample everything. The wall really was great, and the city was amazing. Almost everyone on the trip is planning to return. Check out Flickr tomorrow and there should be a few photos up. Wendall has a few up now, including one of the boy at the Great Wall.

Off to pet the kitties and sleep in my own bed!

Day off

We have a day off today. The boy has started Spring Break, so we are off to the War Museum. I'm hoping that we will be able to stay long enough to see everything. Two adults and four first graders. Should be interesting!

MAD magazine fold-ins are 40 years old

I remember sitting on the floor in the kid's section of the Lewisburg public library and folding madly. I tried so hard to see the picture before I folded it, and though I was to young to understand all of the jokes, I knew that the concept was brilliant. Occasionally the magazines were folded badly the first time, and the pictures did not quite line up. How frustrating it was to not see the seemles transformation!

The New York Times has a gift in store if you click the links. Al Jaffee's Fold-Ins in an interactive format. A perfect fold every time, along with an explanation for those of us still too young to get some of the jokes.

There is also a very nice feature article on Mr Jaffee. Enjoy!

What is stuck in my head today

Though this isn't how my life is here, there are many things in this video which are very familiar to me. It will be fun to look back at this gem.

Purple to brown belt

Purple to brown belt, originally uploaded by allysther.

Hey!

"Mom--how do you spell "hay"?"

"Sound it out. You can do this one!"

"Hmmmm..H...A...Y?"

"You got it. Good job."

"Do you know there is another way to spell hay?"

"Oh? How else would you spell it?"

"AH! I have to go to the bathroom! I'll be right back!"



Ok, it's not as if I could argue with that!

Thank you, USPS. It's about time!

I t looks like the Post Office might finally have noticed that they make a huge amount of money collecting boxes for APO addresses. I say collecting rather than shipping, because they honestly only do half of the work (if that much!) and do not provide all of the services available for Stateside addresses. I'm not complaining about what they do, I'm just saying that I'm glad for the price cut.

So this is the special Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate Box. It is 12x12x5 and will cost only $10.95. The same sized box will be available for non APO addresses but it will cost $12.95.

Let me explain why I say that the postal service does only half of the work when you send a box to an APO or FPO address. I'll explain it step by step.
1 You take the box to the post office, fill out the customs form and pay the postage. It costs the same (or less with this new box) as sending the box anywhere in the States.
2 The USPS takes the box as far as New York or California.
3 The box is handed to the Military Postal Service (MPS). This is a service which is run by all branches of the military and is dedicated to getting the mail to those of us who live overseas.
4 the MPS takes the box the rest of the way. Once it has left the USPS it can not be tracked in any way. Insurance still works, and I suppose you could ask for a return receipt, but don't bother with delivery confirmation or Express Mail. Especially Express Mail! Priority mail makes sense, because it will get to the MPS a bit faster, and because it is usually almost the same price as First Class mail, but I've had Express Mail take the same two weeks as a standard letter.

So that's the news. The boxes will be available as of 3 March, but it is possible that you will have to request them. The link above will let you order them and have them shipped directly to your door, for free. Did you know that you can request USPS shipping products for free and that they will be delivered with your normal mail? And that the postal carrier will also pick up you boxes once they are all packed up and ready to go? The flat rate boxes are great for this, because you know the price. Happy shipping!

Every once in a while we need to be apart.
It is the best way to remember why we are together.

Sunday

Today was a lovely day. We spent it as we love to spend our Sundays, completely at rest. We had brunch on base and then went to the grocery store. After a stop at the hair salon we came home, worked on homework, read, ate dinner, and watched a movie. The boy went to bed and now we are playing online for a bit before we head to bed as well.

Other than the trip to the salon, this is all we could ever ask from a Sunday, at least until the world warms up a bit. Once that happens we will add a nice walk to our day. We spend so much of our week running about that it is nice to have a day of down time.

Love

Love, originally uploaded by allysther.

Love is a wonderful thing, and I am happy to still be so in love with my husband. 17 years is a long time.

Yesterday a friend commented that we act like we have been married for just a short time. She asked me when our honeymoon would end. told her "Never, I hope." and I wondered again how other people act with their spouses.

We don't act the same way we did when we were first married. We do act as if we are two people who love one another very much.

Long hard week

It's been a long hard week, but we are making our way through the rough patch now, and we should be back to normal soon.

First Book

First Book, originally uploaded by allysther.

YAY! The Boy read me a book from cover to cover. Thank you to Zanla for snapping the picture!

This was Friday, 8 February.

Lovely!

Ok, this is only going to make you laugh if you like cat macros. If you don't like them, lucky you! I find them insanely funny (now you know my dirty secret)!

Anyway--go HERE if you enjoy them. Iz funneh!


To stay in the mood of this silly post, Happy Birthday!


moar funny pictures

Yes We Can

I am still arguing with myself with the candidates, so please don't see this as my endorsement. I think that this was an amazing speech, though, and I am astounded by this video.

Political speech at its finest.



Thank you to my friend Gia for posting this. I know she didn't do it just for me, but I know that she knew it would make me smile.

Ohhhh, there's also THIS

Good for you, Montel Williams

Montel Williams gives a reasoned speech about the importance of reporting actual news instead of gossip. His show was canceled three days later.

More info here.

This is not a story I had heard, and honestly I don't know how it appeared before me, but I thought it was a good thing to post.

I spent quite a few years wrapped up in the cult of celebrity worship. I'm glad I am finished with that part of my life. Heath Ledger's death was a tragedy for his family, not for the rest of humanity. Thank you, Mr. Williams for reminding us of this fact.

In case you are wondering, there have been 40 US deaths so far this year. I found the information at icasualties.org.

Scooter fun

I tried to send this out to a few people, but the link failed. This is the boy on his new scooter.

Giant Gummi Bear

Tonight's discussion was about giant gummi bears. I have NO idea how we made it to this topic, but the boy and I had a very long talk about what we would do if a giant gummi bear ate our apartment building.

We agreed that the gummi bear picked up the building from the top, ripped it from the ground, and swallowed it whole, starting from the first floor. We both thought that being upright in the apartment would be better. We agreed that everyone inside the building would survive, but we argued over what would happen with the gummi innards.

He was pretty sure that the windows would be crushed, and that we would end up suspended in gummi. I disagreed, saying that gummi is actually very sturdy stuff, and the windows would feel pressure but would not break. I also said that if they broke it would be ok, as my escape plan was to open a window and eat my way to safety. He thought we would have too much to eat, and that we would have to tunnel out, but first we would have to break free.

After a long debate over the properties of gummi versus jelly or jello consistency we realized that we needed a tiebreaker. Luckily Wendall was relaxing in a warm bath, and had full use of his rational mind.

He asked us if the building had been pulled out of the ground and eaten immediately. We affirmed that it had. He then smiled and reminded us of all of the water in the pipes. It would run out of the pipes and into the gummi bear's belly. Gummi dissolves in water, so the building would simply slip through the hole that the water created.

I'm so glad we had a rational mind to look at the situation in a new light. I kept picturing the bear to be orange, my least favorite, and I was really unhappy that I would have to eat so much of it to escape!

On Friday we were able to see Bobby McFerrin at the Seoul Arts Center. We had an absolutely amazing time, and The Boy enjoyed every moment that he was awake to see and hear. Unfortunately he is six, and the concert started at eight pm, and it was warm and dark and filled with the music which plays as he heads to bed each night.

So when we got home at 10 we popped in the DVD of the concert from 1986. Most of the songs were different, but the idea was the same, and The Boy was transfixed. What a great way to end the evening.

Yeah, yeah, this is where someone says "Oh, the Don't Worry Be Happy guy." Please don't. Watch this instead.






This is closer to what we saw. He did not speak much, because he doesn't speak Korean, but this is one of the songs he performed. So is this-





It was an amazing show,and I'm so glad we were able to go. It was the third time I've seen him perform, but was out of the country the last time, so it was a first for him.

80's Hair!

80's Hair!, originally uploaded by allysther.

It seems I've turned into Martin Gore. Wendall says he never wanted to marry Martin. I say I wanted to marry him so badly that this is what happened. Wendall has asked me to please go comb my hair.

Can you guess the song?

In case you can't tell, I'm bored and just trying to keep myself awake.

This was pretty neat, though.

The author of "The Stinky Cheese Man" and a slew of other books written specifically for boys has just been named a "reading ambassador".

A 'Stinky' ambassador

Fri Jan 11, 12:20 AM ET

When the co-author of a book titled The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales wins a Library of Congress appointment as a "reading ambassador," you know there's more to the story. Indeed, there is.

For years, writer Jon Scieszka has been a lonely voice warning that young people, especially boys, are falling behind in literacy skills. His website, guysread.com, serves as a beacon of advice for teachers and parents desperate to keep boys reading.

His message: Don't think of reading as just the classics. Young boys celebrate the gross and the weird, so why not exploit that to get them hooked on reading? Books scoffed at by purists, such as Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series, have a place in classrooms.

What Scieszka saw coming for years — a growing gender divide in reading ability — others are only now discovering. In Illinois this fall, state reading tests revealed broad gender gaps in reading. At one Cook County elementary school, girls' scores topped boys' by up to 55 percentage points.

Once boys fall behind in reading skills, it carries through the rest of their academic careers. Diminished literacy makes it harder for them to earn college degrees or compete in today's economy.

Scieszka's two-year appointment this month by Librarian of Congress James Billington was intended to boost reading by both boys and girls. The Stinky Cheese co-author (the book pokes fun at traditional fairy tales) will visit schools and draw publicity to children's books. That's appropriate, but Billington would be wise to allow Scieszka to focus his efforts where they are most needed.

With Scieszka's encouragement, maybe more teachers will allow Captain Underpants and other fairly stupid stories to roam elementary school classrooms. Lots of boys will love it. And some girls, too.

link is here

Almost Home

Almost Home, originally uploaded by allysther.

Back from the trip

It was good to be in the US, and three weeks was just about right. Three weeks allowed me to see almost everyone and to give the boy a big dose of the culture. There were a few sad moments, as well as a bunch of tense long minutes, but all in all it was a positive visit.

A few wonderful memories:

The boy was able to see all but one of his six grandparents. We had not seen zanla's mother since 2002, so having her fly in for a weekend was truly amazing. She lives in the Virgin Islands, so this trip meant so much to her. She was able, for the first time ever, to have all four of her grandchildren in one place. Wonderful to see, and sadly not likely to happen again anytime soon.

Flying in to see my sister-in-law sing. She is a member of two groups, and she just happened to be performing with both of them in the same weekend. We arranged our flights so that we had a weekend layover in San Francisco, and we were able to attend both concerts. I felt oh so decadent when I told people that we ad flown in just for the concerts, but it was true! I have quite a collection of her music, and play it often for the boy, so he was familiar with a few of the songs he heard. Hanging out with the sibs was a fantastic side benefit. Next time we are in SF I plan to see some of the city, but this time it was all about the family time.

Watching the boy play with his cousins. He does not have many, but the few he has and knows he loves. The last time he saw them was in 2005, but he was able to spend New Year's Eve playing hard with them. He was a very happy boy that night, and was so tired the next day that he fell asleep at the table during lunch.

Commercials. We did not have commercials in Germany, and the only tv channel we watch here is the Disney Channel, which only advertises Disney products. The boy watched endless hours of the Cartoon Network and walked away being able to quote the commercials. At one point he told me that it was very important that we call the number and order Life Alert for ourselves. He was crushed when I explained that it would not work in Korea. He is also desperate for a Chia Pet, some Blendy Pens, and a set of Zoobooks.

The Liberty Bell. We were able to spend a few short hours in Philadelphia, so we ran to visit the bell. The new museum is beautiful, and was filled with people reading and talking about what they saw. The boy and I discussed the bell as an important national symbol, and he asked if it was as important as the Eiffel Tower. He told me that a tower was cooler than a bell, and showed me that we have to work a bit harder on giving him information about US History. Particularly amusing (for me) was trying to explain what a black person was. He was confused by the discussion of the bell as a symbol for freed slaves, which led to a discussion of slavery, which led to the question "What is a black person?" I still have not figured out the best way to answer those questions.

That's it for now. I hope to upload photos later today.

Photos