Same Old, Same Old- Happy New Year!

I was reading Facebook updates Tuesday night and many people were commenting that it was nice to "get back into routine." I felt the same way. Getting on my motorbike and riding to school against traffic on the sidewalk felt so great!!

We sure had fun, but I don't feel very rested after this vacation and plan to do only that and gym stuff all weekend long.

I have asked my family - who is now back in the (much colder) greater Seattle area - to write reflective blogs sometime this weekend. They are busy sleeping off their jet lag, though, so we will see if that happens.

I am wondering, specifically, what part of Vietnam they would take home with them, if they could. (As well as what they would leave here. Which is obvious to me but maybe not to you.)

I don't even know where to begin to tell the stories of our three weeks together traveling through Northern and Central Vietnam, or how great it was for me to see my family become addicted to T and T, my seamstresses, my pomelo guy, rice cake ladies, spring roll lady, make-up lady, wonton soup cart guy, seafood alley people, yellow rice stand crew, the Bum Bum girls, etc, etc, etc... However, one morning in particular - I think it was Christmas Eve morning - all seven of them ran around collecting food for a few hours, and we used the castle as a Home Base Reporting Center for Neighborhood Eating. That was fun.

As for pictures, we have millions of them. But here is one of my favorites - Nolan and his new shorts with the neon green stripe - THE SHORTS THAT TOOK A VILLAGE TO MAKE. Remember, Thuy rode all over Saigon looking for the color he wanted and Sweet Seamstress really got a kick out of his design expectations. And here they are, on the flesh. Nolan was very very happy with those as well as his green and red checkered shorts and his designer shoes from Hoi An!

Ok, family, I am taking more time off. You tell a story - or whatever. It was so much fun to have you here.