Family

I have made it safely to California! No problems on the flight or in the airport. Takumi and his girlfriend, Bianca met me and brought me back to my brother's house and we've been busy ever since.

My mother looks well... smaller, sleepier, not participating so much in conversation. But smiling, so that is the best news. She looks pretty with it in this picture but photos only capture a tiny portion of a person's day and activities and thoughts. Doesn't she look lovely here? But Marcy watches my mother like a hawk and is much more in tune to her expressions.

"Tired Grandma? You look tired. Are you feeling okay?"

And I look over to see what I have missed from the far off gaze in my mother's face.

Takumi is relaxed and stress-free. No school and no job this summer. He is very happy with his American life and has already approached me about trying to convince Tetsu to move to the States some day! Although Takumi is between jobs and doesn't know how graduate school classes are going to go for him in the fall, he happily comments that he is "confident" that things will go well for him. He has an abundance of interests and hobbies, the latest being the acquisition of a bass guitar that he practices with much gusto. Though Takumi grudgingly took piano lessons when he was in elementary school, I have never thought of him as being particularly musical and here he is plucking away. He wants me to teach him to play a folk guitar this summer.

The roles have been reversed on me... Driving home from the airport Takumi says,

"So... What are your plans for the summer?"

"Um. I don't know... I'll probably see my friend, J. Besides that, no plans."

"Are you going to the quilt show this summer?"

"I'd like to... if anyone else is interested..."

"I'll go!" says Takumi.

"I'll go!" says Bianca.

Great! One thing scheduled for the summer.

"What else do you want to do? Who do you want to see? You can't just loaf all summer." (This is coming out of my son's mouth?) "You've got to make some goals and see them through!"

"Uh-huh?"

Takumi also recommended books I should read... Wow... I remember the summer vacations when I stood over him trying to get him to do independent projects and stay on top of the summer reading program at the library!

Marcy doesn't want her picture on my blog until she gets prettied up so she's not featured today.

Colin met me at the door sporting a black and blue eye from having stitches just taken out last week. Bopped himself on the head with a boogie-board.

Kiana and my brother were having some father-daughter time in the kitchen this morning. (This is something you don't see in Japan. Most adolescent girls shun their fathers in Japan.)

I'm afraid most of the next month is going to be family pictures. As I say every summer... Tetsu only gets information from my blog and he wants to see what is going on in the family (he doesn't read the English). So please bear with us or come back blog visiting at the end of August!