One of Us

Due to this bug that have infiltrated my son’s system, we have mostly stayed indoors this past week.  Anyhow, it gave me time to figure out how to decorate the bare walls of our home.

I was browsing through some of the photos that can perhaps be made into a collage.  It is a collection of pictures of some of our most memorable trips in the West Coast.  Here’s some of them.

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During a ski trip at Big Bear Lake, California.

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Posing for posterity at Marina del Rey, California after biking from Will Rogers Beach to Redondo Beach.

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During a short hike at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona…..way back then.

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Posing at one of the rest areas (can’t remember the name) during a wine tasting trip to Solvang, California.

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Posing with our friend Gus during one of the weekend runs with the Finish Line Freaks, our running team.  Boy, do I look freaky!

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A classic pose after climbing the “delicate arch” in Utah.

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At the Monument Valley in Utah.

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Posing after coming back from a short hike down the Bryce Canyon in Utah.

As I was browsing through these pictures, my little boy was with me.  Everytime a picture is shown, he would point  to it and say:  “Tati” or “Mommy.”   But after this last photo, he exclaimed:  “Where’s Jakub?”    It was one of those very simple questions that touched my heart.  He is starting to identify himself as one of us.  He is starting to understand the idea of family.

Looking at those pictures made me miss the past.  But my little boy’s simple question made me appreciate what I have,  enough to get me excited of what’s to come.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Foreign

It is ironic that just when I decided to join the weekly photo challenge, the topic is Foreign.  Being an expat, everything around me is foreign to me now.

But for this category, I decided to pick out an old picture.   This was a photo I snapped at the US 101 freeway, as we were coming back to LA from a weekend trip to Santa Barbara.  The car in this photo looked like it belonged to another place and time.  🙂

 

Reminiscing

In a few weeks, my parents will becoming to the Czech Republic.  Although we talk on skype almost every other week, it has been 3 years since we last saw each other and it will be the first time when they will meet Jakub.

As I am getting anxious about their arrival, I am also reminiscing the good memories we had when they visited us in the US.

This was 3 years ago, when they initially met with my husband’s parents.  Despite the language barrier, everyone became instant friends.

At Sequoia National Park, my dad and my father-in-law explored Tunnel rock together.

But over here at Mono Lake, you can see the geographical differences in their origins.  It was evident in how they responded to ambient temperature.  It was 23C that day.  The Filipinos got cold while the Czechs were complaining of warmth.

But under the warm California sun, everyone felt good the moment we got to Yosemite.

But San Franciso was still cold….even for the Czechs.

This year, it will be a reunion for this team….. with its newest team member.

I can’t wait!