I think this is a wonderful picture of Susan. She is patting Blondie in my lap.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Going home
We had to get up early Friday morning to get me to the airport. We had packed our bags beforehand, so it didn't take much time to get ready. Silvia and Susan were planning to stay at Dora's until time for their plane at midnight, so we cleared the room. Most of the things I had fit into my suitcase. I had to carry the digi frame in my carry-on. Dora and Fei came to get us.
Susan and I sang most of the songs we know in the hour it took to get to LAX. The others laughed when she told me what animals to use for Old MacDonald and wanted some zoo animals. We could use the commuter lane. I was surprised by the traffic. It was heavy, but everyone left space between cars and trucks and would let you cross their lane to get off.
running away say cheese
ready to go
I really hated to say goodbye to Susan. I don't think she knew what was going on. The trip was easy except in Las Vegas when I had to change terminals and didn't know how to. The airport personnel were helpful and pleasant.
Silvia called to let us know they had arrived at home. Susan had slept most of the way, so Silvia got some sleep too. We got to talk to Susan for a minute, and she was full of news, but most of it was gibberish. I miss her.
Susan and I sang most of the songs we know in the hour it took to get to LAX. The others laughed when she told me what animals to use for Old MacDonald and wanted some zoo animals. We could use the commuter lane. I was surprised by the traffic. It was heavy, but everyone left space between cars and trucks and would let you cross their lane to get off.
running away say cheese
ready to go
I really hated to say goodbye to Susan. I don't think she knew what was going on. The trip was easy except in Las Vegas when I had to change terminals and didn't know how to. The airport personnel were helpful and pleasant.
Silvia called to let us know they had arrived at home. Susan had slept most of the way, so Silvia got some sleep too. We got to talk to Susan for a minute, and she was full of news, but most of it was gibberish. I miss her.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
LA
I woke up about 9, but the others were still sleeping and the room was exceedingly dark, so I showered and went down to the lobby, thinking I could get a cup of coffee. They had just cleared away all the breakfast things. I got a drink from a machine and made a reservation for the shuttle to take me to the airport. The woman at the desk said the trip took 10 to 15 minutes. I was surprised that we were that close.
I went back upstairs to find everyone still sleeping and asked if they wanted to get up. We had planned a trip to eat dim sum. When everyone was ready to go, Susan wanted to take Dora's picture. Dora was taking hers at the time. She is no bigger than a minute and full of fun. Susan was ready to go in the pink Dora shorts and
backpack. She also took Silvia's picture. I had to help a little with the camera. The breakfast/lunch was wonderful with a large variety of dishes. We went into a nearby grocery to get Garrett's sticky rice lunches. I got 14!
The plan for the day was to go shopping--a quilt store for me and the Lego store for the others. The quilt store was not far away; we were in Orange County somewhere. The shop was impressive and I enjoyed an hour there. Fei went to Barnes and Noble, and the others looked at fabric until Susan got tired. There was a children's play area with Legos, so they had fun playing. We drove south and west (I think) to get to Highway One on the coast. There are a lot of businesses and homes all along there. When we got to Anaheim, we turned east and looked for the Disneyland area. It is greatly changed from 1961.
The place we went was called Disneyland Downtown, a sort of shopping area. The Lego store probably had every known set. There were quite a few large pieces, including a 15-20' giraffe, Darth Vader and some other Star Wars figures, an Empire State Building. Susan and I had fun
building with the Legos at the tables in the middle of the store with other children and adults. Silvia, Dora, and Fei bought several things. We were hungry when we came out. We had had bubble tea in the afternoon, but it hadn't stayed with us.
What is bubble tea? It is made with tapioca and a drink. The tapioca is dark colored and not as big as marbles, but larger than the food we are used to. You drink it with a large diameter straw. Dora had green tea with milk and flavoring. I had a peach smoothie. I can't remember Fei's. Silvia and Susan wanted water.
We had to pack. Silvia had brought Garrett some food in her suitcase: hot cereal he loves, dried fish, seaweed. She brought me a jeweled hang-up for the car mirror and a brayer for clay. The best thing she brought is called a digital picture frame. You load your pictures onto a compact flash disk or a memory card and insert it in the back of the frame. You plug it in, and the device shows a continuous slide show of pictures about 6" by 8". It is wonderful. I had sent most of Susan's things in the mail, but she had Legos and diapers to fit into her suitcase. It's a good thing I brought the little bag for Susan's clothes. They were going to Costco and somewhere else the next day, but would ship those things.
I had told them I would take the shuttle and had already arranged it, that it would take 10-15 minutes. They told me I was going to the wrong airport, John Wayne instead of LAX. They would take me, even though it was an hour away with good traffic.
I went back upstairs to find everyone still sleeping and asked if they wanted to get up. We had planned a trip to eat dim sum. When everyone was ready to go, Susan wanted to take Dora's picture. Dora was taking hers at the time. She is no bigger than a minute and full of fun. Susan was ready to go in the pink Dora shorts and
backpack. She also took Silvia's picture. I had to help a little with the camera. The breakfast/lunch was wonderful with a large variety of dishes. We went into a nearby grocery to get Garrett's sticky rice lunches. I got 14!
The plan for the day was to go shopping--a quilt store for me and the Lego store for the others. The quilt store was not far away; we were in Orange County somewhere. The shop was impressive and I enjoyed an hour there. Fei went to Barnes and Noble, and the others looked at fabric until Susan got tired. There was a children's play area with Legos, so they had fun playing. We drove south and west (I think) to get to Highway One on the coast. There are a lot of businesses and homes all along there. When we got to Anaheim, we turned east and looked for the Disneyland area. It is greatly changed from 1961.
The place we went was called Disneyland Downtown, a sort of shopping area. The Lego store probably had every known set. There were quite a few large pieces, including a 15-20' giraffe, Darth Vader and some other Star Wars figures, an Empire State Building. Susan and I had fun
building with the Legos at the tables in the middle of the store with other children and adults. Silvia, Dora, and Fei bought several things. We were hungry when we came out. We had had bubble tea in the afternoon, but it hadn't stayed with us. What is bubble tea? It is made with tapioca and a drink. The tapioca is dark colored and not as big as marbles, but larger than the food we are used to. You drink it with a large diameter straw. Dora had green tea with milk and flavoring. I had a peach smoothie. I can't remember Fei's. Silvia and Susan wanted water.
We had to pack. Silvia had brought Garrett some food in her suitcase: hot cereal he loves, dried fish, seaweed. She brought me a jeweled hang-up for the car mirror and a brayer for clay. The best thing she brought is called a digital picture frame. You load your pictures onto a compact flash disk or a memory card and insert it in the back of the frame. You plug it in, and the device shows a continuous slide show of pictures about 6" by 8". It is wonderful. I had sent most of Susan's things in the mail, but she had Legos and diapers to fit into her suitcase. It's a good thing I brought the little bag for Susan's clothes. They were going to Costco and somewhere else the next day, but would ship those things.
I had told them I would take the shuttle and had already arranged it, that it would take 10-15 minutes. They told me I was going to the wrong airport, John Wayne instead of LAX. They would take me, even though it was an hour away with good traffic.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Going to LA
It was time for Susan to go home to Taiwan. I had been saying for a couple of weeks that we are sending her things home and flying to LA to meet Mama. We packed most of her clothes in a small bag, but needed room in my suitcase for the milk, diapers, and a few other things like toys and things for the long trip. We kept out travel entertainment like the magic fingerpaint book and paints, a doll and bebe, and some clay for the backpacks. And of course, Susan's quilt and diapers for the trip had to be included. The new security rules made it impossible to carry juice, water, jellos, and most other foods. We did take chips and candy.
Garrett took us to the airport. It was very hard for him to say goodbye. He couldn't pass security, so he held her as long as possible. We put her in the stroller and started through the gate. She really didn't want to get out of the stroller or give up her quilt. The security officers and other passengers were very kind and accommodating for a screaming two-year old. We had to send our backpacks, shoes, and other carry-ons through. I didn't realize until later that we had my eyedrops and Susan's little bubble bottle in the packs. They didn't find the bubbles, but they did check out my drops.
When we got to the gate, we discovered the
flight was delayed, so we had lots of time to waste. We went end to end several times with Susan pushing the stroller most of the time. She looked really cute in the Piglet outfit and backpack. She was pretty excited. We 
boarded early and got seats near the front. Susan looked out the windows and saw her suitcase being loaded. The flight to Albuquerque was a little bumpy, but we had fun looking at the clouds and the ground.
We had a light meal in the airport and were late to board because we didn't hear the announcement. Susan got the window again, but we were by the wing, so we couldn't see as well. The flight was good, but we ran out of things to do, or Susan was just tired of sitting still. I finally put her in my lap so we could sing and tell stories. She went to sleep for about 30 minutes, awaking just in time to land.
By the time we had collected our bags and found a place to sit, Dora and her husband Fei arrived. We sat to visit and play with Susan until about 7:30. Silvia was to come to a different terminal, so we loaded the car and moved to a different parking place. Then we waited...and waited...and waited, until nearly 10:30! Silvia's plane was on time, I think, but she had to collect her luggage and go through customs. Susan played with a small Chinese girl in a stroller and between the rows of seats. I was a little nervous about letting her move around much because there was a crowd of people waiting and lots of others with huge baggage. They couldn't always see around their bags to a small girl.
By the time Silvia came, I had put Susan in the stroller; she was tired. Silvia came around the corner, and when Susan saw her mother, they both broke into BIG smiles. Granma was toast. Susan was so happy to see Silvia that she wouldn't let go of her. We loaded the car and drove to a Thai restaurant about 45 minutes away. It was late, but we were hungry. Susan, Silvia, Dora, and I stayed at a LaQuinta near Dora's home. It was about 2 when we got to bed.
Garrett took us to the airport. It was very hard for him to say goodbye. He couldn't pass security, so he held her as long as possible. We put her in the stroller and started through the gate. She really didn't want to get out of the stroller or give up her quilt. The security officers and other passengers were very kind and accommodating for a screaming two-year old. We had to send our backpacks, shoes, and other carry-ons through. I didn't realize until later that we had my eyedrops and Susan's little bubble bottle in the packs. They didn't find the bubbles, but they did check out my drops.
When we got to the gate, we discovered the
flight was delayed, so we had lots of time to waste. We went end to end several times with Susan pushing the stroller most of the time. She looked really cute in the Piglet outfit and backpack. She was pretty excited. We 
boarded early and got seats near the front. Susan looked out the windows and saw her suitcase being loaded. The flight to Albuquerque was a little bumpy, but we had fun looking at the clouds and the ground. We had a light meal in the airport and were late to board because we didn't hear the announcement. Susan got the window again, but we were by the wing, so we couldn't see as well. The flight was good, but we ran out of things to do, or Susan was just tired of sitting still. I finally put her in my lap so we could sing and tell stories. She went to sleep for about 30 minutes, awaking just in time to land.
By the time we had collected our bags and found a place to sit, Dora and her husband Fei arrived. We sat to visit and play with Susan until about 7:30. Silvia was to come to a different terminal, so we loaded the car and moved to a different parking place. Then we waited...and waited...and waited, until nearly 10:30! Silvia's plane was on time, I think, but she had to collect her luggage and go through customs. Susan played with a small Chinese girl in a stroller and between the rows of seats. I was a little nervous about letting her move around much because there was a crowd of people waiting and lots of others with huge baggage. They couldn't always see around their bags to a small girl.
By the time Silvia came, I had put Susan in the stroller; she was tired. Silvia came around the corner, and when Susan saw her mother, they both broke into BIG smiles. Granma was toast. Susan was so happy to see Silvia that she wouldn't let go of her. We loaded the car and drove to a Thai restaurant about 45 minutes away. It was late, but we were hungry. Susan, Silvia, Dora, and I stayed at a LaQuinta near Dora's home. It was about 2 when we got to bed.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Packing boxes
We packed Susan's boxes and mailed them Friday. I mailed the clothes she can still wear (maybe not by the time she gets them), books from the library sale, some toys people have given her, the bottles she was using when she came, her cowgirl boots, her CDs and DVDs. It cost about $40 for each of the three boxes. It seemed easier to mail the stuff than try to carry it. It takes some time in the post office to fill out the paperwork. You have to know the contents, addresses, value, etc.
We were probably a sight going into the post office. I decided to let Susan walk and put the boxes plus one to Arlene and an envelope for Marylyn in the stroller for the trip in. They wouldn't all fit, so I had to carry one and let her push the stroller with a little help. Luckily some people came along and helped us.
Michele (Taiwan student) and Gian Carlo (Peruvian student) came for dinner last night. Michele is a teacher working on her master's here. Susan and Michele had lots of fun together exercising and coloring.
I have just discovered how much Susan likes soup. I guess I had just given her the wrong kinds before. It has been cold and rainy, so I made a rice, ham, and veggie soup for lunch. Then when we got to Los Insurgentes for dinner, Lluvia gave her soup made of chicken broth, rice, and chicken. She loved it!
Susan and Granpa like to play "soccer" with a
soft green ball about 6" across. They throw and kick it. You should hear Susan say "I dot(got) it"and "Susan det it". They always play by the front door; there are fewer breakables there. One day last week she and I were outside working in the yard. She had the ball, and it kept rolling down the neighbors' drive to the street. I didn't get much done in the flowerbeds for chasing the ball. She had to have her feet on the grass while I was in the street. If she didn't stay there, I kept the ball a couple of minutes to remind her.
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