Life is good

Life is good at home. I recently took a trip back to San Jose to visit my family, relatives, and friends. I had such a wonderful time I nearly forgot that my other "home", which is not much of a home, is in Hawaii. I love it when people ask me, "So, what did you do at home?" I would always answer, "Nothing, nothing much. Just sleep, eat, TV, shop, and babysit." Last time I visited home was back in April of last year, and only briefly. It was a business trip to a conference in Denver and I made a stop at home for a day before and after the conference. Therefore, it was especially difficult leaving this time because I had not seen my family for so long. I wanted to stay but reality is cruel, because it is rarely perfect.

I had dim sum with my grandma and ate the most delicious bao. It was a steamed bun with sweet mushed-up taro on the inside. My parents very much wanted to order one on the first day we went dim sum but the bao were sold out really quickly. We didn't even get to see them come out of the kitchen because people take 3-4 orders! Before I flew back to Hawaii, we went dim sum one more time. We were not thinking of that particular bao but the cart came and we ordered 2. We were all so happy.

My house is full of beautiful blooms. When I woke up that first morning upon my return and looked outside, I saw this tree with so many pink buds. I thought, is this tree new? It wasn't. I went outside and took so many pictures because while I live in Hawaii with plants blooming all year round, I couldn't believe how amazing it was to see winter blooms!

Here is another wonderful bloom, an orchid with green flowers that I bought for my parents. The flowers are big and cute. My mom described the flowers as smiling little bashful girls. See for yourself!

Here is what I spend most of my time doing, babysitting these two wonderful monkeys. My niece is 5 years old now and she is so adorable. She ran around the backyard dancing like a ballerina. Then she told me to take a picture of her with a mini pink rose that totally speaks to her bold character.

My nephew (3 years old) is a little more reserved but when he expresses his likes and dislikes, you better listen because he can be very persuasive! He has the cutest smile and attractive eyes. One time, he saw my dad watering flowers in the backyard. Since then, he followed his footsteps.

I will always miss home :)