Eleven

Today I have been married for eleven years! After eleven years Jim and I have:
Five children
Moved six and half times
Bought a brand new minivan filled every seatbelt and pretty much worn it out (80,000 miles)
Gone on a total of three over-nighters without the children (scary!)
Spent over $2,500 in babysitting
A few of my favorite together times:
1996-97: Hiking Mt. Washburn in Yellowstone
1997-1998: Walking the Kona, Hawaii boardwalk with Gracie
1998-1999: Watching Jim just about pass out as they try to put an epidural in for Miri’s birth, and hearing him say, “Are you okay, Kim”.
1999-2000: Having Jim teach me how to ski
2000-2001: Moving to Chicago together, driving our 52 ft moving van across the states. And of course having Anna.
2002-2003: Seeing Jim get accepted to Northwestern’s Ph. D. Business program
2003-2004: Having little James. Visiting "The Farm" in Door County Wisconsin
2004-2005: Going to the Opera and Pete Miller’s steakhouse
2005-2006: Having little Maggie, (including our walk along the golf course before she was born)
2006-2007: Jenny Lake and our hike to the waterfall, Mackinaw Island, Wingaersheek Beach and Mt Auburn Cemetery
I love you, Jim! It just gets better!

Treat or Treat Part II

Halloween night in our neighborhood was…interesting. The seven of us started off down our street. First stop, a nice house, the only problem is the two-hundred stairs leading to the front door. That's okay, my determined children will not be deterred. They start the hike, reach the top, pound on the door and no answer. Oh well. They start back down the stairs and someone opens the door,“Oh, we’ve never had trick or treaters before!” (The stairs must have been a bigger turn off than we thought.) “Let’s see if we can rummage something up.” Moments pass. Our five children wait with what seems to be a dog pant. Awkward. Finally, the nice man comes back to the door with the most eclectic range of “toys” I have ever seen: glittery horse figurines, a plastic flower pot that bends if you push on a button, etc. They were kind of like upscale McDonald’s toys. Jim and I look at each other a bit confused. Meanwhile, the kids are bounding happily down the stairs and hey, we’re off to the next lucky house on our street.

"Trick or Treat" Part I

Halloween was…interesting. First of all, we had the “Trunk or Treat” at the church. The activity was a real treat (we walked away with a trunk load of candy); getting there was the real trick. It was a Friday night in Boston. Jim came home just in time for us to treat the kids to Chili’s (their favorite restaurant) on our way to the "Trunk or Treat". First question I asked as he came in the door was, “Did you get the kid's asthma medicine?” His response, “Oh, I was supposed to do that?” Nice. Conveniently, the only pharmacy our plan covers is next to Jim’s office. Unfortunately, it’s a 40 minute commute from our home. Scratch the Chili’s. Ugggh. We all pile into the van to go back down to MIT to get the meds. Long drive. Forty minute wait at the pharmacy. On our way back to Watertown, we stopped by some lame Pizza place in a rush to make it to the church on time. As we charted our course to the church (there are ten different, yet equally lengthy ways to get from Watertown to our church in Weston), Jim and I couldn’t agree. He veered left, I scowled. Lucky for him the traffic jam on the freeway was somewhat insignificant. Another fork in the road, which way to go? Another disagreement. Jim veers left, I scowl. On this one Jim doesn't get so lucky. He took the wrong freeway and we were now packed in like sardines, bumper to bumper. Very unfortunately for the sardines in the lane next to us, one wasn’t paying attention and slammed into the car ahead of himself. He hit that car so hard that it then smashed into the car ahead of it. Ouch! Not a good place to be and here we were trying to get to the "Trunk or Treat". When was the next exit, dare I ask? Eight miles! Scowling just wasn’t going to cut it now and I reverted to the infamous nag. “Okay kids, it looks like we missed the ‘Trunk or Treat’, thanks to Dad”. Just as I was getting going, Jim notices an off ramp to the State Patrol Headquarters. He questions, “Should I take it?” I’m thinking, “Why does he ask me?” “No, don’t take it. It’s not an exit”. He takes it…and, sure enough, it’s not an exit. But, uncanny as this may seem, the patrol building is surrounded by a gate and not only is the gate open, but it is directly connected to the parking lot of the church! We drove right onto the church parking lot and the “Trunk or Treat” activity. Who knew? We were practically the first ones there. I have always said Jim was charmed. Just when he seemed to be absolutely down on his luck, wa la, a road appears out of no where and he's a hero.

Grandma Gina and Papa Visit Boston

Grandma Gina and Papa are great fun to have around. They make nice company. No matter how much food I have in the fridge, Pops isn’t content until food is bursting out of the kitchen seams. The day after they got here, we went shopping and he bought lots and lots of food. Pops discovered Wilson Farm and I think he bought every type of fruit bread they carried. The paradox is that after he bought all this food, he asked, “Where’s the best Mexican restaurant?”
Grandma Gina loves Christmas. There is no one I know that loves Christmas like Grandma Gina does. This year is extra special because during the holiday we will be celebrating Pop’s 70th birthday. Grandma is absolutely ready for all of this fanfare and has let every grandchild and their parents in on decorating for the grand event. While Grandma Gina was here, each of us made our own stocking to be hung by the fireplace and decorated our own plates to set on the dinner table. What an impressive feat, Grandma! She has twenty-five grandchildren.

Out on the Town

Finding a babysitter is virtually impossible for us; so is going on a date. This month it was our good fortune to have Grandma Gina and Papa come to visit. What a treat for us all. Jim and I took advantage of this opportunity and went on some really fun "outings". We discovered Boston, via the Duck Tours and then wandered around Beacon Hill after a lunch at Quincy Market. Later that week we visited the Boston Opera House where Wicked was playing. Great musical. Unfortunately I paid twice as much as I should have for the tickets. Uggh! Once I got past that kick, I was able to enjoy the musical and the bag of Boston Baked Beans that Jim and I were sharing. What a delight it was to be with Jim. I love him.

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars, 1939

Mount Auburn Cemetery

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir, 1913

Mount Auburn Cemetery remains a favorite “spot of earth” for me. It is such a sanctuary of nature, a place for quiet reflection on life and death. The headstones so often speak of good lives and inspire me to think about what really matters and what will be remembered years from now. The landscape is picturesque. Every tree is labeled with a plaque that states its species. Our family has spent many Sunday mornings walking the hills there, smelling the pine, reading the tree plaques and headstones and enjoying the quiet beauty and space. It is a hidden treasure. This month we discovered a tower in the cemetery. We each took our turn climbing to the top (including Grandma Gina and Papa who were visiting us) and we were able to see for miles in all directions; miles and miles of color. I enjoyed looking around and picking out landmarks like The Harvard Business School, The State House on Beacon Hill, The Charles River, and The Boston Temple. On Veteran's Day we took some time to look at a few of the Civil War heroes’ gravesites. The history of the cemetery is so rich. The American Flags for the Veterans' graves made the cemetery seem quieter and more reverent. I couldn’t help but think about my two grandpas that served in World War II and all of the service men and women now serving, and all those who have given their lives serving our country. I am thankful for the United States of America.

Unfortunately, my children didn’t quite connect with the moment and while they were sliding down the stairs that lead down out of the tower, one of them grabbed onto a brand new sprinkler head and snapped it in half. Breeaakkk!! Uggh!

The Head of the Charles Regatta

In October, there is a giant rowing contest on the Charles called, The Head of the Charles Regatta. We went down to Cambridge to enjoy the festivities. Our children were in seventh heaven with all of the free give outs from the various sponsors. James loved it and being the three year old that he is, he left with his arms completely filled with a bunch of trinkets that he had no idea what their use was. He just knew that “he who leaves with the most trinkets, wins”. Believe me, he won.

Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons. ~Author Unknown

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving I can’t help but look back upon our experience in Chicago and Jim’s years as a Ph D student and give thanks for where we were, where we are, and where we are going.

Giving thanks for where we were:
I am thankful for Lake Michigan and our dragon kite.

I am thankful for the Lincoln Park Zoo and the mighty lion's roar.

I am thankful for the Devonshire Aquatics Center and the "tube slide".

I am thankful for the swings at the Rand McNally Park.
I am thankful for the Skokie Public Library Children’s Department and the "bean bag" song.
I am thankful that by default and under much duress, I learned how to grocery shop and cook (a few things at least).

I am thankful that my children had clothes to wear; Thank you, Thank you.

I am thankful to anyone who has ever opened their home to me and taken me in; Thank you.
I am thankful for small budgets and big blessings.
I am thankful for student loans (I think).
I am thankful for the piano and the Anna Magdalena Bach Notebooks.
I am thankful for Jim’s motto, “Happy wife, happy life”.
I am thankful for Jim’s creed (adopted from Sir Winston Churchill), “Never, never, never give up."
I am thankful for Jim’s wholehearted belief in the statement by David O. McKay, “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.”

Giving Thanks for where we are:
I am thankful that my husband has a job.
I am thankful my husband likes his job.
I am thankful that the things my children have broken here in someone else's house, can be fixed (I hope).

I am thankful for Maple Trees, Oak Trees, Burning Bushes, etc.
I am thankful for Google maps.

Giving Thanks for where we are going:

I am thankful that my children speak my language (most of the time).
I am thankful for the Seoul Foreign School .
I am thankful for the English Branch in Seoul.
I am thankful for the 17 Costco Stores in Seoul.
I am thankful for the knitting club in Seoul.

I am thankful for the Chicago Temple, the Boston Temple, and the Seoul Temple.

Many more thanks.
Love, Kim