Family Reunion

Matthew had a sleepover at Dinah's house with his cousin Justin. Justin and Matthew share the same birthday. They were born 11 hours apart. This was the first year they didn't get to celebrate their birthdays together. They had to call each other instead and it just wasn't the same.

We had a reunion over at Dinah's and there were seven kids running around her place either in the pool or on the trampoline while the adults were busy eating and chatting. My cousin Viola was in Shanghai recently for business but, we didn't get a chance to see each other in Shanghai due to her hectic schedule. It was funny that would see each other back in New York.

It was great to see all the kids and how they've grown. Johnny (Dinah's son) is taller than all of us and he definitely went through a growth spurt while we were gone. AJ (Viola's son) has changed quite a bit as well. Justin has grown his hair out and Matthew has filled out and is now eating lots of things. The girls- Amanda, Ava and Laina have grown up as well and each have gotten more beautiful since last year. This only confirms that we are getting older as we watch the next generation grow before our eyes.

Long Island Chinese School Reunion

We had a reunion with the kids from the Plainview Chinese School that Matthew attended for two years. The whole gang convened at Jimmy and Suzy's house and it was as if we never left. The kids were all in the pool, the moms were in the kitchen chatting and the dad's were outside by the barbeque.

It was great to see how big the kids got since we saw them last a year ago. Suzy and I are busy planning our kids future wedding. Emily has been pegged as my "future daughter-in-law" and Matthew's been Suzy's "future son-in-law" since they were 4 years old. Good to know that somethings haven't changed.

The Guys

Tony had a BBQ and we finally met up with Anthony Tallini. Tallini is Matthew's Godfather and we had a great reunion with all the guys again. The usual suspects were there- Tony who was the host, Gus and Tallini. The Guys were reunited again and it felt really good.

We had a chance to see the changes that Tony has done to his house (yet again). Matthew was quiet as a mouse with the Nintendo Wii system for several hours and now we're frantically trying to see where we can buy one before we leave for Shanghai.

Tony and Gus are planning to visit us in Shanghai in November and it'll be nice to have The Guys with us. We're trying to guilt Tallini into making the trip as well and then it'll be a fraternity house in Shanghai.

Zio John

We spent Father's Day in Woodstock, New York. Tony's Zio John lives on a farm surrounded by 14 acres. A bit much for me...but he likes it. Zio has always been an avid hunter and somehow this has turned into a full time fascination for Matthew. Recently, he's expressed an interest in BB guns and cap guns. I chalk it up to being a boy. However, hunting is a very serious hobby. Zio and my father-in-law would plan their hunting excursions around Deer season. Something that I don't agree with, but then again, I'm sure they don't agree with some of the things I do.

After a three hour ride, we arrived and Matthew was ready to go. Surrounded by 14 acres and adult supervision, Matthew took his first shots with a BB gun and did quite well. Zio and my father-in-law were THRILLED that Matthew did so well. They're even planning his first hunting trip when we finish this assignment. It's time for me to pray that Matthew is only going through a phase and he'll be out of it soon.....VERY SOON.

Needless to say, we had a great day with Zio and spent the bulk of the time eating of course. Didn't I say that this trip would turn into an intensive eating marathon?

It's Good To Be Back

Tony had a reunion with his friends from Duracell today. I dropped him off and it was as if he never left. He walked through the doors and people were greeting him. He called me on the cell phone and told me that he wasn't going to go back to Shanghai. Ok- I can totally understand. Returning to the States, you realize how much you have sacrificed and what a great country this is.

We had dinner with Boris and Irina and had a wonderful time catching up. Irina served a wonderful dessert of ice cream and fresh berries. Something that we don't indulge in when we're in Shanghai.

Catching up with all our friends, it has been so seamless. We know that the next two years will fly by fast and we're already anticipating our return home. Tony and I have been discussing home renovation since we've returned. A large project that we're both not looking forward to but, we may as well start laying the groundwork for what we want done.

Uncle Tony and Uncle Gus

We had a reunion with the guys today and it was great to see them. We saw Tony in Hong Kong during the Christmas holiday and it seemed like yesterday that we were there together even though it was six months ago (yikes!). Nevertheless, it was wonderful to see Tony and Gus. We didn't get a chance to see Tallini yet. He had a previous commitment but we'll see him sometime soon.

Tony, Gus and Tallini are Tony's best friends from college. I often refer to them as my "other husbands". They are often at our weekend gatherings, family events and other social events. These guys have been an important part of Matthew's life and have been there for every event. They have been there for the good and the bad.

The reunion was wonderful and Matthew was back to his old self teasing his Uncles relentlessly. Somethings just never change.

Ahhh...It's As If We Never Left

Ok- we made it out of Chicago and we found our luggage waiting for us at LaGuardia. I envisioned me fighting with the baggage claim about our luggage. I even envisioned it floating around somewhere in the world. Ok, I admit I have an overactive imagination. I picked up a SIM chip for my cell phone and the phone has been ringing off the hook since I sent out the phone number in an email. My father-in-law laughed when consecutive calls came in...he said "She's back in business."

We tried to get back into the swing of things and resume our normal day to day routine. I booked the doctor appointments and we were off and running. It felt as if we never left. My doctor thought it was a mistake that my name showed up on his calendar. Irma, his assistant laughed as well. They didn't think it was possible for me to show up for an appointment. They thought I was going to do it through a teleconference from China. HAH!!

We stopped by to see the house and meet our tenants. Harald is a very nice person and we're very happy that he and his wife Marlene are being very proactive on the upkeep of our home. Strange to find someone living in our home with different furniture but nice that they are responsible tenants.

We have a ton of commitments over the next few weeks before Tony leaves to return to Shanghai. Funny how things just fall into place. It's as if we never left. Tony and I have been driving...something we haven't done since we've left. It's been good. Tony's been busy perusing over car magazines (something that you can't find in English in Shanghai) and trying to figure out what to get when he returns. PUHLEEZ. We have another two years on this assignment. There will be a ton of new cars out before we return. Then again, this is his hobby...something that keeps him busy and I know he will be surfing the net to keep up with the cars.

So, it's good that things don't change while we're gone. We had dinner with Belle and Steve at London Lennies this evening. Yes- we did the raw bar and it was GOOD. May and I were busy with the clams, oysters and steamers. I was savoring everything since I can't get this stuff in Shanghai. We devoured the garlic bread and we've already made plans to return one more time before I leave. I gave instructions to Belle and Steve that if they come to Shanghai...they have to find a way to smuggle the garlic bread in. Steve said he will douse himself in garlic and he'll figure out what to do with the custom inspectors.

We're going to see the Tony and Gus tomorrow night for dinner. The eating marathon has begun.

Air Travel Is Fun....Yeah Right

We were very excited. We were finally coming home to the US after a year of living in China. Everything would be perfect. We would have the best seats on the plane. The flight would be so nice that the 13 hour flight time would just fly by and we would be with our loved ones in no time eating, laughing and enjoying ourselves..... that was the plan but, this is what actually happened.

Susan booked our flight to the US in January. Plenty of time for us to get good seats considering our flight was in June! Susan has always done things way ahead of time, it's her nature. As an example, we take our Christmas picture in November, no kidding but I digress. She books the tickets, economy class, because that is what the company pays for. No problem. I have about 500 jillion air miles so we can all upgrade to business class. If I wanted, I think I could fly to the moon and back on all my points. Five months go by and I think everything is good. I find out from Sue that, "Oh, by the way, we are on standby for business class." "Excuse me? Oh yeah, we are on standby". Now gentle reader I'm not a snob. It's not a status symbol for me to fly business class, it's a matter of survival. Thirteen hours on a plane is brutal. Everything hurts no matter how comfortable the seat is. And me being on the large side it's down right torture. So with panic in my voice I tell Susan, "PLEASE CALL THE AIRLINE AND GET US UPGRADED. WE BOOKED THE SEATS SIX MONTHS AGO HOW THE HELL CAN WE BE ON STANDBY?" No dice, no upgrades available, still on standby. Oh God this is not going to plan.

Okay, so we have to fly economy. Maybe it won't be too bad, after all, I'm in a aisle seat and it gives me a little more room to spread out, wrong. They sat us in the center of a five seat row, in economy class. Let me translate, no elbow room, no chance to go to the toilet because you have to wake up the guy next to you so you can get out on your seat, getting the picture? So I spend thirteen hours playing "claim the arm rest" with the guy next to me. At one point, he actually had his elbow in my ribs.

We arrive in Chicago and go through customs. Matthew sees his friend Jason at the airport as well and they have a brief reunion. Everything goes well and we're returning our luggage to the airline to be reloaded for the connection to New York. Susan looks at the board and says: "Our flight has been delayed by two hours." Ok. We'll just eat dinner at the airport and hang out by the gate. After dinner, Susan goes back to check the board and I see her standing in line to speak to a person at the counter. She slinks back to the area and tells me "Our flight has been canceled." Excuse me??? Canceled? What do you mean canceled?

The personnel were telling us that it was weather related. Huh? We spoke to people in New York and the weather was fine. No, the weather in Chicago the day before caused massive delays and this was part of the ripple effect. To make a long story short, we had to stay overnight in Chicago and try to reschedule our flight for Saturday. We decided instead of trying to fight our way out of the airport on Saturday, it would be better for us to stay an extra night and leave on Sunday when everything will be sorted out.

We spent the day in Chicago wandering around to buy clothes and we also enjoyed the incredible weather. We'll be leaving tomorrow to return to New York. Hopefully, our luggage will be waiting for us at baggage claim......if not, we'll have to embark on another adventure to find our luggage that has already traveled around the world.

Matthew's Last Ride

Today is the last day of school for Matthew. This marks the end of his long commute from one side of Shanghai to the other. After enduring a full year of three hour rides to and from school, it will be all over this afternoon and it's kind of bittersweet. He will say farewell to his friends from Pudong today and will make new friends at the Puxi campus in August.

In anticipation of the farewells to come, we held a "Schools Out For Summer" pool party last weekend at the clubhouse for his buddies. All the kids had a great time. It was amazing to see the bonds that have developed over the school year. Jason, one of his best friends will be leaving on Friday to return to the United States. It made me realize that this is a very transient town and many people will be coming and going. Before we know it, it will be us saying farewell to the friends we've made in Shanghai.

We're getting ready to return to the States tomorrow for the long awaited reunion with our friends and family. The doctor's appointments have been made and the calendar is starting to get filled with lunch and dinner appointments. The time will fly while we're in the States and before we know it, it will be time to pack up and return home to Shanghai.