Tucson, Arizona, USA 2012

This is our first blog since we arrived in the United States on November 11, 2012. It has been a month (it is now December 13) since then and it has been a whirlwind! We spent a few days in the Los Angeles area where we used to live. We met up with some friends and “took care of some business”. The business part was going to our dentist, dealing with taxes and meeting with our financial manager. It was crazy busy and dealing with jet lag was not fun. Just an FYI, DO NOT fly China Southern Airlines – they are not service oriented and you are treated like cattle. Enough said, but I am NOT looking forward to our flight back!
After spending 5 days in So. Cal., we got on a plane and got to meet our grandson when we landed in Tucson. What a wonderful experience! We were soooo happy to see our daughter, Christina, our son-in-law, Micahel, and to touch and kiss Isaac! What a sweet child! No I am NOT biased! He has a great little personality, is bright and doing so well! After these last three weeks I TOTALLY understand why people love being grandparents. You get to experience the miracle of a child without any of the responsibility. I have noticed Isaac doing things that I did not notice my children do (I KNOW they did but I was too busy to notice!). It really is a lovely experience! Especially since Isaac is such a sweet little boy.
Thanksgiving was another wonderful experience. We had all of Michael’s family here for the meal. We spoke with our other children over the phone but they both had to work so we did not get to spend it with them. It was disappointing but totally understood. We get to see them all for Christmas so that is super! The Thanksgiving meal was amazing! No one in the world has turkeys like the USA! They are large and succulent! Dave makes the best turkey and stuffing! When we first married I had never lived on my own and I sure did not make a turkey! Dave said “no problem! I will cook the turkey!” He did such a good job he has made the turkey ever since! I have yet to make a turkey! I usually do all the sides but this year I shared the responsibility with Peggy (Michael’s mother) and Chrissy. It was delicious and making all of them was a piece of cake because we all shared the work.
Since Thanksgiving, we have worked on getting things for Christmas and the boat. We have also spent LOTS of time with Isaac and observing our children being loving and wonderful parents! What a joy to see our next generation doing a lovely job with all of our futures!
There will not be many blogs until we go back to the boat – maybe 3 or 4 more since we really enjoy the time off. However, it is a lovely way of knowing where all time goes! It is a wonderful memory to take out and experience again.
One not so nice experience that has occurred is that I can no longer endorse Kindle as an e-reader. If you are in the market for an e-reader I can recommend the Nook from Barnes and Noble. If you have questions e-mail us and I will answer you.