Life Back In Cali

Welcome 2011....oh my goodness, it's half over ALREADY!!!

2011-05-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

It's been over 6 months since my last blog update...lots happened since then.

November 13, 2010
Detroit Pistons were in town to play the Lakers...so my buddy called and offered couple tickets for me and Noah and his friend. Always love going to Laker game with Noah when they play the Pistons...Noah hates the Lakers and loves the Pistons, so you'll see me with Laker jersey on sitting next to my son with his autographed Piston jersey. After the game (which the Lakers won easily ; )), we got to stay and meet some of the Piston players....here is Noah getting a 2nd autograph of Ben Wallace on his jersey. His biceps are bigger than my thighs!!!

December 17-19, 2010
Abby performed in her first play...Charlie Brown Christmas...this was serious...practice twice a week for few months and they were the opening act to Nutcraker...all taking place at the ACME Comedy House in Hollywood....Abby, of course, played Snoopy!!! Final performance, everyone came to watch...grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...

Feb. 6th
Taught Noah how to shave today....NO HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY HAIR...but I was in the shower couple days ago and noticed my shaving cream half empty...I thought, "hmmm, I don't remember shaving so much?" I asked Noah if he's been using my shaving cream...he blushed and nodded. He then asked if I can teach him to shave. I reminded him that he has no hair, but he insisted that he just likes to shave. So, I agreed. I gave him his own disposable razor and showed him what to do and what not to do. He asked if he should shave everyday, twice a day....I told him shaving once a week was plenty for him.

Feb. 10th
I came home and noticed Noah's cheeks all red. Amber told me that his face is all dry and that he was complaining about his cheeks burning. She told him to put some lotion on. I took a look and realized something, so I asked, "Noah Kim. How often have you been shaving?" He smiled and said, "Everyday, sometimes, twice a day." I couldn't stop myself from laughing. He now understands why he shouldn't shave everyday (twice a day) as an 11-year old boy.

Feb. 19th
Noah had a basketball game today where his team got blown out by 20+ points. Nobody on his team actually played very well, but the disappointing thing was that they gave up in the first quarter when they were down by 10 points early in the game. Noah supposedly hurt his foot and was limping around. After the game, mom and dad let him have it. We came home and sat down to talk. Noah immediately got defensive and said, "I really hurt my foot!" Mom asked, "did you really hurt it or did you make it look worse than it really was because your team was losing so badly?" He denied everything, but make long story short, he finally said, "Everyone was saying how we were going to get our butts kicked, so when they scored and led by 12 points, what was the point in even trying? We were going to lose anyway!" Finally, the truth came out. Mom talked to him about Mental Fortitude'...about how it doesn't matter if you lose by 100 points, what's important is that you keep battling, you don't give up, you try your best, you get your teammates to try their best, you get back up every time you get knocked down. After our talk, we went and got something to eat. As we were finishing up, Noah says, "mom, dad, thanks for talking to me. It makes sense. I understand it." I then asked, "What do you understand?" He responded, "well, you know how you guys talked to me about Mental Fornication." ; ) Biting her lip, trying desperately not to laugh out loud, Amber gently said, "you mean Mental Fortitude?" "yeah, that's what I meant." said Noah....FUN TIMES!!!

It snowed today in La Crescenta...enough to cover the lawn and for kids to make little-bitty snowman....kids were so excited.

March 4, 2011
It's been few months since Abby started jump roping on a local team. She's quite good at it...non biased, of course. Well, she decided she was ready to compete, so her first competition will be in May of this year. This means her jump rope practice goes from 4 hours a week to 6 hours a week. She loves it.

March 8, 2011
Abby started playing softball last week and today she played in a scrimmage against another team. Abby's team on defense...bases loaded...no out...batter up (hitting off a tee)....swings and hits a line-drive right to third........took me back to the scene out of Sandlot where Smalls puts his glove up....Abby sees the ball come right at her face...she puts her glove up, the ball zips in for the 1st out....she takes 2 steps over to third for the 2nd out, then everything stopped....coaches from both teams are yelling...the other team is yelling (at the runner on 2nd who is between 2nd and 3rd and forgot to tag up), and our coach is yelling at Abby, "tag her, tag her!" Total chaos for good 5 seconds with none of the players moving...trying to make sense out of the adults yelling and screaming. Well, the base runner finally understands what her coach is saying, and takes off running back to 2nd base. Abby sees her running back and immediately starts chasing her...tagged her for the 3rd out right before she got back to 2nd....UNASSISTED TRIPLE PLAY!!! I was rolling. I texted some of my friends including high school baseball coaches and one of them replied, "at the age of 8 she's already accomplished what I have never been able to do." I wish I could have videotaped the moment!!

April 5, 2011
Spring Break...packed up and got on the road...much, much shorter road trip this time compared to our last one in the summer. Just 300+ miles up north past San Francisco to Fairfield...the home of Original Jelly Belly Factory. The tour was amazing...got to taste variety of flavors, view beautiful Jelly Belly art, and spent a fortune in their store...

Noah, Amber, Abby

It's got her name on it, don't you think?

One of my favorite presidents!!

Hey guys, I just did a report on her!!!

John Wayne!!

After our visit to the factory, we did a quick drive-by thru San Francisco....Next time, we'll stay longer.

Golden Gate Bridge

Downtown, San Fran in the background

April 15-16, 2011
Ragnar Relays....12 of us teachers decided it'd be fun to do a 200.3 mile relay run from Huntington Beach to Coronado....so we signed up for Ragnar!!!! We met at work at 3AM and headed down to Huntington Beach...2 vans, 12 tired middle-aged men and women (with couple young'ns as ringers). Our first leg started at 6AM....to explain, 12 runners, 36 legs, each runner runs 3 legs staying in order. My legs were 5 miles around 7AM followed by 9.7 miles around 5PM, then finally 6.7 miles around 4AM. Our last leg finished 32 hours after our start time. It was CRAZY FUN!!! Students at our school asked "why are you doing this again?"...many thought, "mid-life crisis" It's been 7 years since our last relay, "Wild Miles"...187 mile relay from Borrego Springs to San Diego....temperatures topped off at 113...hope our next one isn't 7 years from now. We finished 206th out of 500 teams. Not too shabby for bunch of teachers.

Mike Flower getting ready to start us off...about a minute before the gun

waitin' for Mike...gettin' psyched!! 7AM

Mike Flower finishing strong on his first leg!

5 miles down, 16 to go (9 down, 191 to go as a team!)

Bertram getting ready

Saw (right) after his first leg.

Smiley taking off on his first leg...only guy I know who runs in his reading glasses?!

Schilling after his grueling first leg!!

Schilling giving us play by play

teams waiting for their runners and taking in a little nap

all coiled up, ready to strike....on Ricky's 2nd leg

Saw (lt.) getting ready for his 2nd leg, Smiley (rt) just being Smiley

2nd Major Exchange (Van1 - first 6 runners to Van 2 - second 6 runners)...I'm on the far left.

that's right....Hot For Teacher!

May 14, 2011
So after 5 months of jumping rope, Abby competed for the first time. We made today a family event....you only get to compete in your FIRST competition once. She competed in multiple events (individual and team) and did GREAT. This is one of her clips...something didn't quite go right when I was uploading...no sound...but her routine was to Addison Road's "All that matters"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rc2KTzJVkA

I'll plan on not waiting 7 months between updates....let me leave you with some photos....

Abby Nov. 2010

Noah Nov. 2010

Kibera keeping Abby company, Dec. 2010

Abby playing super hero Feb. 2011

St. Patty's Day, 2011

Crazy hair day, March 2011

Noah, April 2011

shooooot!! just realized, I need to take more pictures of my beautiful wife.

'til next time, be well my friends.

PK

vacation OVER, school BEGINS

2010-10-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

Last week of August....

kids were busy going from grandparents to grandparents knowing that once schools starts, sleepovers at their places were going to be few and far between. Spent couple nights with Amber's parents and couple nights with my parents. Amber and I were busy unpacking from 2010 Kim Fam Summer Road Trip (read previous posting) and getting ready to go back to work. But before going back, we went car shopping. Amber's vehicle (the nicer one of the two) has been co$ting u$ $o much in the la$t 4 month$, and we learned that Volvo does not stand behind their product, so got tired of throwing money away and paying insurance on a 'luxury' vehicle...we never knew 5 year old mid-size suv was considered 'luxurious'...we traded it in and Amber went back to her 'roots'...she loves her good ol' American Chevy...in fact, starting the engine and hearing it 'roar' tickles her fancy ; )

My car, after serving me well for 10 months or so, started going as well (Amber says it "already went long before I purchased it") Things were falling apart, engine started to overheat frequently and 'smoke', couldn't go over 25mph coming up the hill, topped off at 60mph on freeways and the top half of the right rear door literally started to 'FLOP' whenever I went over 35 mph. I was excited when I bought the car back in November seeing that a 23 year old car only had 112,000 miles on it. Well, I soon realized that the odometer often got stuck and wouldn't roll over...one time I drove to Artesia and back (about 70 mile round trip) and my odometer stood still. Blue Book calculated my car to be worth $800 (that's with 120,000 miles, who knows what the actual mileage is) with fair exterior...mine was FAR from fair...molding was half falling apart, one of the headlights rattled up and down, CASSETTE TAPE deck was on its final leg, etc. One of our friends said that my car was suffering from car leprosy. So after discussing it with Amber, we decided to donate the car to 'Cars 4 Causes' They came and picked up the vehicle and did all the paperwork...turns out they cleaned it up and sold it for $1500. That's $1500 for a charity and we get the same amount as a tax write off. Pretty cool. So, in 4 days, we ended up with 2 new cars. Surprisingly, not much difference in insurance, and I love knowing that my car isn't going to start smoking.

Back to School / Back to Work....

Noah and Abby are enjoying school for the most part.

Noah is in a split class of grades 5 and 6; it's a challenge for him, but he enjoys it. None of his close friends he hung out with last year are in his class, but he's adjusted well. He often talks about 'hanging out with 6th graders.' He is reading at a 9th grade level. 2 1/2 weeks ago, he came home and announced that he was going to run for vice presidency. He was really into it. He came up with his speech all on his own; Amber and I helped him with his campaign posters and his slogan. Every member of the family, on our own, tried desperately to come up with a catchy slogan. We sat and watched TV commercials, looked on-line for help, and finally I got tired of sitting and thinking. So I got up to go to the bathroom and walking down the hallway, the heavenly gates opened up and it came to me.... Cha-Cha Slide....you know...."Everybody clap your hands!" So I yelled out "EVERYBODY VOTE FOR NOAH" clap clap clap clap....then I heard all 3 in the background, "Yeah, that's it!" So his 1 minute speech started with his back turned towards the audience and dancing to Casper's Cha-Cha Slide (about 10 seconds). Then he turned around (music stopped) and started his speech with "oh, I didn't know you were there...." Made a 35 second speech and ended with "Well, I'm gonna go back to my dancin' now" music started back up and Noah spoke into the mic "EVERYBODY VOTE FOR NOAH!" the the whole student body joined in with their clapping. It was pretty neat to see our boy step out of his comfort zone and do what he did. He went up against some great candidates. At the end of the day, he found out that he won. Amber and I were proud at the fact that he got up and did it; Abby thought it was 'way cool' that her brother won the election. My parents are already thinking about next year and running for president ; ) Besides school, our 5th grader continues to grow like bean sprout and is really enjoying water polo. He has also been busy working as a ball boy for CV's varsity football team. He and his buddy (son of head coach) have been diligently showing up and running up and down the sidelines communicating with the officials, exchanging balls for the home team and the other guys.

Abby is enjoying her 2nd grade, but is struggling a bit more compare to Noah. Her 3 Stooges gang from 1st grade got split up. One moved to another school and the other ended up with a different teacher. Turns out all 3 gals were struggling. 3 weeks into school, Abby finally made couple new friends. She is enjoying her school work; she says it's "too easy." Her reading level is just under a 6th grade level...thanks to her brother challenging her from time to time...it might take her a long time, but when she hears "it's too difficult for you", IT'S ON. She started tap/jazz/ballet and went back to her art class. So with school, girl scouts, dance and art, our 7 year old stays pretty busy, yet she still manages to have FUN throughout each and every day....just being silly.

Amber started back up as an elementary school librarian. She enjoys the short hours, the students and the extra paycheck to Kim Family Bank, but is somewhat disappointed at the fact that she can't volunteer more at Noah and Abby's school. Physically, she continues to run in the mornings with her friends...crazy hours...she's usually out the door by 5:10. Really enjoys it especially trail running....gettin' down and dirty. I don't know how she does it. Gets up at 5, runs, comes home by 7:15, showers, gets ready for work, makes breakfast and lunch for the kids, drops them off, goes to work, picks them up, comes home, helps the kids with homework, takes kids to extra-curricular activities, prepares dinner, reads to the kids.....repeat. enough said....Super woman.

Me? heck, I'm back in the classroom and for the first time in my 12 year teaching career, I have my own classroom. I'm having fun. It's so true...'if you can find a job that you enjoy, you'll never have to WORK a single day of your life!' Whether it's here in the states or in Kenya couple years ago, it's FUN. Financially, it's tough, especially this year with district's new bargaining agreement and the effects of recession, I'm taking about a 10% pay cut...it is what it is. I'm thankful I have a job. I'm thankful there are students in my classroom. I'm thankful my family is healthy. I'm thankful that my wife loves me (I'm thankful everyday and quite puzzled that a hottie like her chooses to be with me!") I'm thankful that God blesses and provides for my family each and every day and makes each day perfect. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Dog (Cal)...well, it's been 13 months since Amber and the kids brought this knucklehead home, and he still hates my guts...still cowards as if I'm going to abuse him (as in the picture)....still barks and charges me to protect Amber (which I appreciate) when I come home ...still growls when I walk by. So, the last weekend of September, we visited the shelter. Amber and the kids said, "this is going to be your dog...your choice." I wanted a dog that acts like a dog...who wags when I come home, who gets disappointed and gives me that 'look' when it gets disciplined, who lays on its back and wants you to scratch its belly, who uncontrollably shakes its leg when I find "the spot." Well, long story short, I found her....8 year old white lab/boxer mix. She looked pathetic; she looked like she was roaming the streets for a while...bone thin, barely enough energy to squat to pee (legs were shaking), but as soon as I saw her, the tail wagged and she slowly walked up to the gate. 2 hours later (had to bring Cal by to socialize them to see if two would get along, and they did) I was a proud owner of "Kibera"....Amber actually came up with the name sighting that the first look reminded her of poverty and desperation. It took 2 whole days to get 2 of them comfortable with each other. At night, Kibera sleeps with Cal on his pillow...what an odd couple. Kibera is a DOG. She likes to chew, she has her 'spot' and she looks out the window and longingly waits for me to come home....which makes it alright that she's already chewed up some things and peed in the house. Amber thinks she has separation anxiety....I guess she's right...heck, who'd want to be separated from me....; ) besides Cal.

Halloween is just around the corner...Kim family's worst time of the year. Everything's just too dark. When we're not careful, kids accidentally see images that scare them tremendously. I just don't remember Halloween being this dark. Seems like it's gets darker every year....Abby went as Padmé Naberrie, Noah was 'your grandma' and Amber went to work as hs football player.

Life is GOOD! We continue to look outside of Cali for teaching jobs. As much as I love it at my current place, I still don't know if SoCal is the best place for my family physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually, mentally....gosh, I sound like a Health teacher ; ) Been looking and coming up with many different scenarios...for one, I started looking into teaching for the Dept. of Denfense.

Well, that's it for now. Reporting from the Kim household...hope you enjoy catching up with us and I'll report back with our next update in a few...

Be well, friends and family.
PK

Around the country in 18 days...

2010-08-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Day 6 - Spent last night re-mapping our drive...heck, we already out past halfway mark across the country, why not go a bit farther....so, left Kansas City and headed for Indianapolis, Indiana. Wanted to catch the Ro yals play but they were out of town. Drove past their stadium; nice stadium from the freeway. About 30 minutes into the drive, Amber says, "I think the AC is going out ...it makes this noise before it starts blowing hot air." Well, 99-100 degrees outside and HUMID...and A/C started to go. It wasn't completely gone, but it was no longer cold. It got WARM in the car real fast. We made multiple stops at fast food places and gas stations just to sit in an air-conditioned room for 10 minutes. We all agreed that may be we couldn't make it to Indianapolis. Drove past St. Louis and crossed Mississippii River. As soon as we had the sun behind us, it got much better in the car...so, we kept on driving. We got to Indianapolis about 9PM, checked in at the local motel and ate at Bob Evans diner...what a great little place to eat.

Day 7 - got up early to get the A/C recharged. got back to the motel and kids and Amber were just getting up. Packed up and left for Cincinnati...after 7+ hours of driving yesterday, today's 2 hour drive with AC working was nothing. Outskirts of Cincinnati was beautiful. Kids and I swam for couple hours, then we headed for the Great Am erican Ball Park to see the Reds take on St. Lo uis Cardinals. Central Division's 1st and 2nd place team going into tonight. Place was packed with both Reds and Cardinals' fans. Cards had a great 4th inning where they scored 7 runs and that was the ball game. Kids had fun, but it was hot. We were in direct sun for first couple innings. the sun seemed to be moving sideways, not down. Hot and Humid. Left after 8th inning. Kids and Amber are asleep now. Better hit the hay as well...driving up to Cleveland tomorrow.

Day 8 - took the day off today. Spent the day slowly driving up to Cleveland. Drive was beautiful, but every time we got out to rest/stretch, there was this faint odor of what seemed to be pesticide...probably from all the farmland. This didn't sit well with Amber...she's got better/more sensitive sense of smell than a canine. I even smelled it which means the odor must have been pretty strong.

Day 9 - the Indians game against the Orioles wasn't until 7PM, so after getting up and swimming, we took the kids on a surprise trip to Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. We didn't tell the kids where we were going...(it was more of a surprise for Noah; Abby would be happy as soon as Noah got excited). As soon as we got off the freeway and Noah saw the sign to the Hall of Fame, he screamed in excitement which brought Abby to agreement. The Class of 2010 Enshrinement Ceremony was just held the week before, so when we pulled up, workers were still busy taking down tents, folding up chairs, etc. We were greeted by a picture of Walter Peyton on the side of a building as we parked. 'Coach Nelson would love this entrance,' I thought. All 4 of us were fascinated by its rich history...learning about how the game evolved, evolution of the helmet/pads/cleats, etc. The kids' favorite part of the Hall of Fame was "the telephone" as Abby puts it where they got to hear an authentic play-by-play of a player who recovered a fumble and ran the wrong way 60 yards for what he thought was a touchdown...Amber and my favorite was seeing Jim Thorpe's used blanket draped over a life-size statue of him kneeling. After the visit, we headed over to the Indians' game at the Progressive Park....Indians hosting Orioles...division's 2 bottom dwellers this season. The park was EMPTY, but we had SEAT-NAZI who wouldn't let anyone move to empty seats until the 6th inning...our row was packed with 2 kids (our own) and 6 adults (3 of them quite big) and the next section was COMPLETELY EMPTY. It was a great stadium though. Walking in, we walked by Quicken Loans Arena where the Cavaliers play...where the 'self-claimed' the King, LeBron James used to play. There are billboards everywhere directed at LeBron...vendors selling anti-LeBron t-shirts, etc. Back to the game...it was what you'd expect from 2 bottom dwellers...not so exciting (to be polite), but it was a neat stadium.

Day 10 - So, about 3 1/2 weeks ago, Amber and I were channel surfing and came across what looked interesting....Burt the Conqueror...Burt goes around the country and does/tries what the locals are known for....this one episode we caught, he was in Sandusky, Ohio visiting Cedar Point Amusement Park and riding the FEARSOME FOUR...4 of the scariest coasters/rides the park is known for. Amber turned to me and said, "wow, Noah would love it there." I agreed. >>>>>Fastforward 25 days...we were already in Cleveland, an hour away from Sandusky....ahh WHY NOT...So, we packed up and headed to Cedar Point. Six-Flags' Magic Mountain was still fresh in his mind, so it was a great opportunity to compare the two places. The first ride we got on was Top Thrill Dragster (check out the video)...0 to 120 mph in less than 3 seconds, then straight up, corkscrewing up to the top, then over the hump and corkscrew back down (180 degrees straight down)...WOW!!! Greatest ride ever!!! Noah, as he did waiting in line for Goliath (Magic Mt.), was sweating profusely. But he came off the ride screaming, "that was so awesome!" The best ride of the day was Antique Cars, that Abby drove. She drove Noah and me around and was very careful not to hit anyone or anything. The second best was the SkyHawk. 2 groups before us, someone literally pee their pants and walked off without saying anything. They had to wash the seats off and let it dry. Amber took some great pictures. We capped the day with Millenium Force which in my mind was a close tie with Magic Mts' Goliath. One thing that this had going was that the ascent was FAST and SMOOTH. Overall, another great day!!! Noah was a great big brother riding with Abby on her junior-size roller coaster, Jr. Gemini.

Day 11 - Left Howe, Indiana (1 mile south of Michigan border) - known as Michiana Area - and headed for South Bend Chocolate Factory. We got a tour of the factory and got to make our own chocolate-dipped Golden spoon. Easy relaxing day overall. After the tour, we headed west to Chicago...traffic is as bad as LA...thought I was stuck on the 110 near downtown...yeah, that bad!! We're staying about 15 miles outside the city which is good. Spent the afternoon swimming with Abby while Amber and Noah rested. After dinner (seems like nobody knows how to do Mexican food like southern California, especially Joselito's, La Cabanita and Los Burritos...I guess we're spoiled), we found a mom & pop ice cream store, Tate's Old Fashion Ice Cream Store. LOVED IT!!! Started to POUR CATS AND DOGS while we were enjoying our ice cream...I offer to pull the car up and Abby wanted to join me, so we went out in the pouring rain...thunder and lightning and buckets of rain coming down...had to run about a 1/4 mile to our car...I hate getting wet with clothes on, but it was so worth it to see Abby smiling ear to ear...before she went down for the night, I asked her, "how was it running through the rain?" She responded, "that was the funnest thing I ever did in my life!" My clothes are still hanging soaked from the rain 2 hours later.

Day 12 - spent the day swimming and resting....Abby started to not feel well, so she went down for a nap and kept on sleeping...so did Noah...Noah got up an hour before game time...waited for Abby...Amber decided to stay with Abby and rest. Noah and I went to the White Sox game...ChiSox hosting Tigers (2nd and 3rd place team in division at the time)...no love lost between the two teams...never knew so many Tigers fans drive down to see the game. Sold out crowd, $32 to park...OUCH!!! That was worse than Los Angeles. Sat way up top...surrounded by a rough crowd...Noah sat next to a drunk...couldn't move to another seat (sold out), and she was so GONE, I told Noah, "I would talk to her, but she's so unpredictable, I'm going to leave it alone." But we made a life-lesson out of it. We talked about her behavior, how she was dressed, her actions to get attention, etc. We also tackled some tough questions like "do you think she's old enough where she should be in a serious relationship?" "do you think she's capable of carrying on a serious relationship?" "Why do you think she's the way she is?" "How strong do you think her relationship is with her dad?" Noah and I talked inning after inning. It was good.

Day 13 - got up early and drove outside the city to Rockford (about 90 minutes from Chicago) to meet up with the Dellamater family from Kenya. Amber met Heather at WNS and ended up volunteering together in the slums of Kibera (if you recall). Abby and Gabriel were in Kindergarten class together, and their Noah was in my PE class as a 6th grader at the time. Brian and I became friends over time and this is the family who traveled to Egypt with us over Christmas in 2008. We met them at church and we were so happy to see all of them. We ate at Beef-a-roo, "Rockford phenomenon (according to them)" and met up with some of their friends...and guess who was in that group. Friends we met in Egypt (Dellamater's friends who showed us around Cario). It was one big happy reunion. After lunch, we drove another 30 minutes out to a town called Rockton, 'village' of 4,000 people where they live. It was so beautiful. We first stopped at their friend's tree farm. As the adults sat around and relaxed, their Noah took our Noah and Abby on ATV ride all over the farm. Abby even played with their reindeer...yes, a reindeer. We went to the Dellamater's and chatted and chatted and chatted. What a beautiful little town. Didn't want to leave. There was a small 2-bedroom house right next door for sale that we joked about purchasing. We ate at a local Italian restaurant and topped it off with ice cream for everyone at DairyHaus, a hole-in-the-wall joint that was packed with people of all ages. Didn't want the day to end, but we had to say good-bye to our friends.It was so good.

Day 14 - Kids went swimming again (while I had to get the AC recharged again), then for lunch, we headed into the city...Giordano's...coach Torres recommended. WOW!!! Their 'stuffed deep dish pizza' took 35 minutes to cook and it was honestly the BEST pizza ever!! Amber said it was the sauce that was the difference. After, we headed to Shedd Aquarium, then to Wrigley to watch the Cubs take on the Padres. What a GREAT stadium! Felt like we were back in 1950. It was Amber's all-time favorite ball park.

Day 15 - Packed up and started on our way back home. Drove through Illinois, Iowa and stopped in Kearny, Nebraska. Drove past flooded areas of Des Moine; it was a sad sight.

Day 16 - Visited the original Pony Express station in Nebraska today. Great history lesson for the whole family. Exited Nebraska into Colorado. Brief stop at the Mile High Stadium to see the outside before tackling the Rocky Mountains. It was beautiful driving through until the sun went down and the rain started to pour. Kids were asleep in the car and I was busy paying attention to the road. Took a lot out of me, so when we finally came out of the Rockies, we decided to call it a night (11:46PM) in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Day 17 - Amber and the kids got up and swam while I did couple loads of laundry and loaded up the car. Found out the city of Grand Junction was hosting their annual Peach Festival....who knew! Anyway, got back on the road again right as it started to rain again. It cleared up in about 10 minutes and I said, "Hey, this will be the last rain you'll see in a while as we head back to southern California." We drove for a while...leaving Colorado and entering Utah when I saw the meanest looking clouds up ahead...thought I was in a movie. We started to climb through a pass (I don't even know where we were....only that we were on Interstate 70). As soon as the road started to twist and turn, DOWN POUR!!! Thunder, Lightning...Noah's Ark-Rain. 2-lane highway, I was driving 25 miles per hour and passing other cars. I couldn't see 5 yards past me. It was scary...but fun at the same time. All the vehicles had their hazards on; nobody dared to pull over because we couldn't see how much room there was on the shoulder. Down pour lasted about 15 minutes then the sun came out. Interstate 70 finally ended and Amber and I celebrated as we approached the I15...a familiar interstate...hooray! Kept on going and arrived in Las Vegas just in time for dinner. I love buffets. Amber is not much of a 'buffet' person; however, dinner buffet at the Mirage she likes a lot. So we thought last night that it would be fun for the kids to eat and stay at a nice place to end this long road trip. We got a great deal at Mandalay Bay. Had plenty to eat and then checked in at Mandalay Bay...on our drive over there, we had to keep telling the kids to close their eyes...if it wasn't for the buffet, we'd never go to Vegas. We checked in only to find out that our room was still a mess (I actually walked in and expected to find a body in the bathroom or something). Anyway, we had to go back down to registration and discuss the issue. We were not rude; we just wanted to put our luggage down. Without asking, they upgraded our room to 3rd to the top floor overlooking their pool(s). And they gave us a $50 credit (which is nothing to them) for food. Kids thought that was "very cool" of them to give us $50 for free. Amber and I explained "there's no such thing as free lunch." They responded, "Ohhhhh..."

Day 18 - got up and kids had breakfast in the room (not room service, but what we took with us...granola bars and cereal with rice milk)...had to eat quickly so they could swim. Amber got up in the morning to use the restroom and when she came out, she noticed Abby wasn't in bed. So she started calling for her and paniced a little...where in the world did she go? Turns out she was sitting with her face glued to the window looking at the hotel's 8 pools (she had the drapes closed to keep the room dark, so it looked like either somebody kidnapped her or she just vanished). Anyway, from "lazy pool" (river) to "wave pool" all 4 of us spent good 2.5 hours swimming before heading home. As we approached Los Angeles county, kids came up with a plan to stay the night at grandparents' (we were going there to pick up our dog anyway, why not?) So, we dropped the kids off, picked up our dog and came home around 9pm.

2 days later after kids got home, we finally sat down and had our first home-c00ked meal in over 3 weeks. Tortilla Soup (Amber), Tortilla chips (prepared by Noah), and guacamole (prepped by Abby)...I was busy taking pictures ; )

Fast facts.....5,400 miles driven...0 wins and 4 losses by the home teams...$2.53 the lowest price per gallon of gas (I forgot where)...$32 for ChiSox parking, the most I've paid for any sporting event...$2.99 everyday kid's meal at Bob Evans...4 arguments between the kids where Amber and I had to ask them to close their eyes and be quiet...12 episodes of Cosby Show(season1) plus 10+ movies kids watched in the car...2 novels read by Noah...396 pictures taken...1st visit to White Castle (as a family)...that about sums it up.

Be well, friends and family

PKim

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

2010-08-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

August 7th...5 days into our road trip

Day 1 - we were on our way to pick up Noah from church camp, then be on our way to Mr. Dixon's wedding. We were 5 minutes from dropping off Cal (our fierce miniature schnauzer) at kids's grandparents' house when we got a call from Mr. Dixon himself. His older brother, one of the groomsmen, was having visa issues in Spain and couldn't make it out to the wedding. I was asked to repalce him. So, I had to stop, get a tape measure (couldn't find a cloth one, so I got one out of my in-laws toolbox and sent Mr. Dixon my measurements for the tux. I'm so honored to be in the wedding, but couple hours later, it dawned on me that it's going to be 100 degrees with 50-60% humidity in OKC...I hope I'm not the only one passing out. Noah and Abby are such great travelers...we put in 550 miles today and stayed the night in Holbrook, AZ right next door to Wigwam Motel, made famous in Disney's Cars...in the movie it was called Cozy Cone, in shape of construction cones.

Day 2 - another 570 miles today...all the way to Amarillo, TX the home of Big Texan Steakhouse. We ate there 3 years ago on our way down to Houston to visit our friend, Uncle Bruce. this time, it was late Wednesday night, so we opted for Denny's . We drove thru a beautiful thunderstorm heading into Amarillo. Driving got a bit hairy at times, but Texas Lightning Show made it all worthwhile.

Day 3 - only 4 1/2 hours of driving today. Nothing compared to last 2 days. One regret is that we drove right past Shamrock, TX and we didn't bother to stop and take a picture of the service station made famous in Cars where Luigi and Guido worked and where Lightning McQueen got his new white-wall tires. Both Amber and I were bummed....what were we thinking? It would have been a great Christmas picture for this year....oh well. After driving, 1,400 miles, we finally arrived in Oklahoma just in time to check into our hotel and drive some more to the wedding rehearsal. It was HOT!!! Everyone was talking about how they were going to survive in a black tux tomorrow. While I was baking outside in Oklahoma heat, the kids stayed back at the hotel to swim. After the rehearsal, I picked up the kids and Amber and headed over to dinner with the wedding party. It was so nice to meet both sides of the family especially Mr. and Mrs. Dixon. We also got to sit with a young couple from Tennessee who are getting ready to leave for Spain with Young Life ministry. They are such a neat couple; God is going to use them in so many wonderful ways. After dinner, I dropped the family off and headed over to Joel's bachelor party. It was a small gathering of his groomsmen. We drove to a nearby lake to have some beer, share fun memories of Joel, give him encouragement and to pray over him and his marriage to Sarah. I was the oldest member of the group by 10 years, and I pray that Noah has group of friends like this and when it's his time to get married, he experiences something like what I witnessed this night. All of us (most were married) gave him encouraging words about marriage, how AWESOME it is to be married!!! Some of the advice that were shared (all biblical)...'never argue/fight in bed...keep the marriage bed sacred...continue to date your wife...keep her laughing...continue to surprise her...be the leader that God created you to be, etc.' Then we threw him in the lake...it was about 11:40 when the police pulled up. "hey the park closes at 10 and you're not suppose to have any open bottles here, but I don't really care. What's going on?" We told him what we were up to and he stayed and chatted with us for few minutes and left. I got back to my hotel room knowing that Joel and Sarah were not going to be 'another statistic.'

Day 4 - big day for Joel. the kids swam for couple hours in the afternoon. I was dreading at the thought of being in a tux in 100 degree, 50% humidity Oklahoma heat for couple hours, but it's my dear friend's wedding, can't complain. We got ready and went out for pictures at 5:45...overcast with slight breeze...bearable...everyone thought, 'this is good' We went back inside and cooled off. When we came back out at 6:55 for 7PM wedding, guess what? The sun came out!!! We walked in and the wedding party was facing the sun the whole time. Beautiful sermon was given by Mr. Dixon (dad)...it was great...he started with "this is a Christian wedding..." beautiful. By the ceremony was over, we were DRENCHED!!! I had stream of sweat running down my legs, my arms, shirt was completely soaked! But well worth it. I'd do it all over again for my friend. Noah and Abby looked so beautiful. Amber was...wa-wa-wow! Stunning! During the whole process, I got to meet some great Christian men (ages 17 to 60+) So happy for Joel and Sarah.

Day 5 - slept in til about 10 and got on the road by 11:30. Never knew Whichita, Kansas was so small...it wasn't too small, but I guess I expected something bigger. Made it all the way to Kansas City today. Ate at a Mexican place next to our hotel...it was fantastico!!! Almost as good as Joselito's back home. Tomorrow, off to Indianapolis (I think)

Until next time...

take care, my friends...

Can't help but laugh...

2010-08-03T00:19:00.000-07:00

July 21, 2010
Noah and Abby were playing outside in the backyard (playing baseball with Junkball), and Amber and I heard Noah scream...followed by Abby marching in the house and yelling, "That's it! When are we moving to Pennsylvania?! We're tired of losing balls over the fence!"

July 23, 2010
Noah and I spent the day at Six Flags' Magic Mountain. He's been talking about how he's tall enough and old enough to handle roller coasters, so we made a boys' day out of it. We got there right when it opened and got to most of our rides before it got too busy and warm. It's been over 17 years since my last visit to Magic Mountain....and boy!!! has it changed. Roller coasters are AMAZING!!! I convinced Noah to ride Goliath which makes the old Colossus look tiny, and after that, everything else was piece of cake. Batman, Deja vu, Goliath and Tatsu were our favorites. We're going back before school starts....I think. It's so cool to have a 10 year old who wants to do things with you.

August 2, 2010
Noah's been gone at church camp for 3 days now and Abby is missing her brother so much. We thought she was going to enjoy her own time with mom and dad, but no go. All she wants is her "brothie" She loves him so much; she thinks he walks on water. It will be so good for her when we pick him up tomorrow on our way to OKLAHOMA CITY.
Oklahoma City for a wedding, then planning to go all the way up to Chicago...that's right my friends, GETTIN' OUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66...hoping to hit some of Guy Fieri's favorite stops on route 66 and nearby areas, especially gettin' me some of that Kansas City BBQ!!!

Be well for now.
PK

Summer is here...

2010-06-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

June 5th...Life just keeps on getting faster and faster...it's been a year since we've been back on American soil and things are interesting. Bottom line, it's GREAT! I wake up each morning next to my beautiful wife who I love more each day, two great kids who I'm so blessed to call "our son and our daughter", have a job that I love...I just don't think if where we are is the best place for our family.

June 7th...I sent off job applications to 3 different schools, 2 in PA and 1 in NC...yes across the country. All 3 school are small Christian schools in rural setting...something each member of our family desires. We'll see what the good Lord has planned for us.

June 9th...kids and Amber were driving home from school and this is the conversation that took place...
Abby: after having a tough day at school, whispers, "I miss home."
Noah: trying to comfort his little sister says, "We are going home, you silly. We'll be there in 2 minutes."
Abby: "I meant Kenya."
Noah: "We were only there for a year, Abby."
Abby: "So? It's my home. I really miss it."

June 15th...I received an email response one of the schools stating that they really liked my resume and want to keep it in their file for a year, but they already filled the position before my application got to them. Oh well. it's all good.

June 21st...1 day before start of summer school...finished up at school early and went to our annual coaches' golf tournament. Last time I played...last year at the tournament. I got to team up with Coach Beck who puts this even together. It was his last year as a teacher at Crescenta Valley, so it was really neat teaming up with him. Our 4-some consisted of Beck, his father-in-law, Coach Nelson and me. I won closest-to-the-pin on one of the holes and our team came in 3rd. It was a lot of fun...I wonder if Beck is going to put this on next year???

July 1st...As soon as summer school got out, I got picked up and we headed down to Long Beach to meet up with Chris Ritchie...our friend who we met in Kenya. He was home for couple months and was traveling all over the country to meet up with family and friends. We were honored that he would spend couple hours with us. He needed to be back in Laguna Beach for the evening, so we met half way in Long Beach. Met at Tequila Jack's and had a great time catching up with his life in Kenya and our lives back here in the states. It was so cool. We knew he had things to do and people to see; however, when we were together, all of us were "in the moment." Nothing else mattered...ignored all the calls, in fact, I turned off my cell. It was so refreshing.

July 10th...had a chance to coach Noah's water polo practice, so I took it. Had a blast. Felt so in my element. Kids were great and I had so much fun being on the pool deck interacting with them.

July 17th...my buddy KG was in town and I got a chance to meet up with him for couple hours. We did our best to catch up in 90 minutes or so. I know he had prior plans and things to do, but really appreciated the fact that he made time for me....I guess that's what friends do.

When I got home from having lunch, I received a call from my best friend...he was on American soil...in NY waiting for his connector flight to North Carolina. We spoke for an hour and did a lot of catching up. He shared a lot about Malaysia, and listening to him really made me miss living overseas. We talked about many different things from political correctness to BP and people around the world just see things differently than the people here in the states.

July 18th...Got a chance to skype with my buddy in OKC. I wished I could be there closer by to meet with him and pray with him during this stressful time in his life. It amazes me how he stays focused on pleasing our Father during tough times.

July 19th...about 15 days 'til our Road Trip across the country. I can't wait. Old Route 66...hopefully all the way to Chicago, then back through Nesbraska, Colorado...probably around 5 to 6 thousand miles of driving. So looking forward to it.

Noah...is busy playing water polo and being a kid during summer. No school, get up early, read, play outside, read some more, shower (when it's too hot), play outside some more, go swimming, practice water polo, play Super Mario on Wii with mom and sis, go to bed, repeat.

Abby...is busy with gymnastics and pretty much the same thing as Noah. They play so well together. Amber and I are so blessed to have such easy kids.

Until next post...

Be well.

PKim

LIfe is precious

2010-05-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Go hug your kids today!
Tell them:
"I love you"
"I'm proud of you"
"You are Great at _____!"

From a tragedy that I witnessed last night, I'm reminded again, that I NEED TO LOVE ON MY KIDS DAILY even when you don't see eye to eye....life is so precious and so unpredictable.

All you TOUGH dads out there, get over yourself and go hug (not shake with one hand and tap the back of your child with another)...I mean "the I love you so much-I'm so blessed to have you as my child-THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST TIME I GET TO HUG YOU" type of hug.

Be well and love on your kids today and everyday.

In a blink of an eye....

2010-05-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! It's already May; it's absurd how fast this school year has gone. School doesn't end 'til end of June, but I can't believe we've been in school for 33 weeks already. It's crazy thinking about Noah and Abby becoming 5th and 2nd grade students in 4 short months. Since my last posting in March, a lot has happened...that always seems to be the theme in So Cal.

Trip to Virginia over Easter

We took a week-long trip to Virginia to visit my sister and her husband in Fairfax, Virginia. My mom came along as well. I purchased the cheapest non-stop tickets available leaving LAX at 11:40 PM and arriving in D.C. at 6:45AM the next morning. All of our past Red Eye flights have been great, allowing us to sleep, but this one didn't go as well as I'd hoped...completely forgot about the time difference when I purchased the ticket (thought 'kids can sleep for 7 hours and they'll be good to go')...well the story goes more like this...after a 4 hour flight with most of us only sleeping for 3 hours, we staggered off to meet my sister and my in-law. As we waited around baggage claim, I had this strange deja vu...I looked over my shoulder to see this sign (pictured below) and laughed out loud.

If you readers remember one of my first postings when we first got back from Kenya, you might remember the chaos that took place going through US Customs, missing our connector flight, and US Customs Officers questionning me for entering an area with "DO NOT ENTER" signs all over the wall...was still in Kenyan mindset and had to do what I had to do. Anyway, above picture is the gate that I went back through before I got to multiple double doors with multiple "DO NOT ENTER" signs which I also went through before being questioned by the customs security officers. Great memory.

While in Virginia, we visited Mt. Vernon (home of George Washington) and Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson). It was such an amazing experience for all of us; Noah and Abby had so much fun learning about our nation's Founding Fathers.

We also spent two days driving down to North Carolina to visit my best friend's parents who I haven't seen in 13+ years. It was so nice to not only catch up, but finally have Noah and Abby meet "Uncle Bruce's parents." Both of our kids have heard about them and have always wanted to meet the person responsible for their Christmas stockings (Beth made both Noah and Abby's which they use every year during Christmas time). I also wanted to visit with coach Bradley (my high school coach), but being the knucklehead that I am, forgot to take his phone number and address with me. That was disappointing. I really wanted to see him, his wife and especially his son who I met during California AIDS Ride (now known as AIDS LifeCycle) 9 years ago, when coach came out to cheer me on. Next time I will make sure to see him.

Kids...

they're growing up so fast.

Noah is breaking our bank with all the books he's reading. Can't complain, though. I was never an avid reader, so it's really neat to see him love reading so much. He's read over 25 novels this school year; he's reading at 6th grade level. He loves his teacher, and she's been so good for him. She continues to challenge him in all areas. What a blessing! He's been busy doing track and field. He does 200 Meters, shot put and high jump. He loves it.

Abby is busy with school, gymnastics, Daisies, art lessons, etc. I'm sure I'm bias but she's quite the artist. Her teacher says she's well advanced for her age. Some of the paintings I look and question if she really did all the work...teacher says she did, so I guess she's pretty good.

Work, money, life...

It's quite interesting how things are turning out with the current economy. My job is secure, but the negotiations are still taking place and most likely there will be reduction in pay...depending on how much cut is made, I don't know if we can make it here in California. Do we stay and barely scrape by and not be able to save anything...not just our retirement, but more importantly, the kids' college...don't want to have to take out a second and a third mortgage to send them to school. Our kids are really bright, but we're not counting on scholarships. I just hope that I get to teach summer school at least. For the first time, the district is having "PAID" summer school which means parents have to pay money to send their kids to school. Yes, the state is hurting. I hope we have enough sign ups for me to teach full time over the summer, or I'll have to start looking for another job. We're constantly looking and if we are to move, we'll be moving to somewhere rural. We're not moving from one CITY to another CITY. I came across a website (http://www.epodunk.com/) that lists every city in the US and gives it's population. We're looking for somewhere with less than 5,000 people. Somewhere with a bit more space where I can't lean out my bathroom window and touch my neighbors wall...that'll be really nice...some place where I'm not stuck at an intersection for 2-3 red lights during morning and afternoon rush hour. Let me know if you know of such a place.

Until next time,

Be well.

PKim

Since Christmas 2009...

2010-03-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

Since my last posting in early December, a lot has happened, so here I go....

Christmas: After being GREAT this year, our kids lucked out with the visit from Santa Claus. Abby ended up with a personalized drum set and Noah received Strat-O-Matic NFL Football board game. After all the gifts were opened, Abby started playing her drums....then, there was a moment of silence before she came out of the room and said, "Mom, Dad. Santa must've been very busy this year 'cause his elves didn't make my drum set. It says 'Made In China.'" I froze at her statement, but Amber being so quick replied, "Honey, I'm sure Santa has his elves in China, in fact I think his elves are all over the world." Abby got a huge smile on her face and said, "ok' and went back to play the drums. Decorating the tree and getting ready for Santa's arrival was exciting.

Abby: She's keeping her self busy with school, gymnastics, Daisies, art lessons, and track and field. She is quite the artist. She gets more and more competitive each and every day; I guess it's natural when you have a big brother. Back in December she asked Noah, "Hey Noah, what book are you reading?" He replied, "you can't read this book, it's too difficult." Abby quickly responded by saying, "Yes I can, Noah." then quietly waited until Noah was done with the book. She picked up the book and read for 30 minutes or so, and said, "Noah, see. I told you I can read it." I asked her some questions to see her comprehension of the book and she actually understood what she was reading. It was a 6th grade level book. Never ever tell this girl she can't do something.

Noah: He's keeping him self busy with school, gymnastics, track and field, water polo, and reading. I honestly have a hard time keeping up with the number of books he is reading these days. He's reading 6th -7th grade level books and really enjoying them. He just finished his basketball season; his team went WIN-LESS, but had a great time playing hard each and every game. He's also been busy working on his California Gold Rush project. He and his best pal also put on a little skit in front of the whole school about the Gold Rush. It was pretty funny.

Amber: She's been busy working part time as the elementary school librarian 4 days a week. It's quite nice to go around town and have kids and parents come up to her instead of me to say, "Hi, Mrs. Kim. Mom, this is my librarian." She's also been reading a lot. She belongs to a women's book club (4 or 5 girlfriends) and gets together once a month to chat and talk about books. She's enjoying their company. But she's already gettin' antsy about 'somewhere else." "ANYWHERE BUT CALIFORNIA" seems to be her motto.

Me: I can totally see why Amber wants out of California. Don't get me wrong. I love my friends here. It still doesn't change the fact that it's expensive, it's busy, it's smoggy, etc.etc. I often wonder, "why do Californians bust their butts to live here for 3, 4, 5 times more than anywhere else in the country? (of course, other big metropolitan areas are exceptions, i.e. NY and SF). Our kids and Amber saw a house for sale on Home and Garden Channel the other day; it was in Austin, Texas...the house is twice as big as ours, the land was 6 times bigger than ours...and it was 30% of the cost of our house in California....how does that happen? No wonder people are so busy here. They have to work and work and work just to stay afloat financially. I'm resenting the statement that's used so often to justify this ridiculousness..."Everyone's busy." So, that makes it right? If I'm not busy, if I don't have twenty million items on my plate, if I say "no" to someone's request,...then I'm a FREAK, I'm lazy, I'm selfish....what in the world is this society coming to. I often get stared at and huffed at when I walk too slow and people have to walk around me. Really? I just don't get it.

Enough of venting...I do love my job at Crescenta Valley High School. My colleagues are great. Students are awesome....but each morning and afternoon when I'm not at work, I'm constantly reminded just how busy everyone expects everyone else to be.

On a lighter note, we're visiting my sister, Stephanie and my brother-in-law, David in Virginia in few weeks during our Easter break. Oops, I said, "Easter"...don't be offended. This is my blog and I don't have to be P.C. You can spend your "Spring Break" the way you want to; I'll be spending my "EASTER BREAK" traveling to Virginia. Hoping to catch the Nationals play. They were out of town the last time we were in DC area. Kids are getting excited as well. Amber is just ecstatic to be out of here for 8 days. Also hoping to catch up with our friends from Kenya who moved back home to Virginia. Good times are ahead.

Take care and be blessed,
I'll try not to neglect this blog for so long next time.
PK

Been a while...

2009-12-01T23:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks Pelayo for getting on my case for an update...
It's been close to 3 months since my last post and a lot has happened. I'm back at my old school teaching (Health and PE) and as the girls' athletic director. Also, I'm the TUPE (Tobacco Use Prevention Education)...my friends (colleagues) poke fun and tell me that I'm "stealing from the district" with my schedule...2 classes of Health, 1 PE, 1 period for TUPE preparation (TUPE meets once a week during lunch on Mondays)and 1 period for athletic director. I have no idea what they are talking about...I've been busier than ever. Having to "dress up" for my first 2 classroom assignment is hard work enough ;) During my TUPE prep period, I've been meeting with different students who have been referred to me by other teachers. We sit and talk about struggles and how they cope with (usually) crap that's going on in their lives. My heart breaks listening to some of their stories. This is my blog and I don't have to be politically correct, so here it is...as much as my parents fought when we were younger and my dad had serious drinking problem, I'm so thankful that my mom stayed put and held our family together. Do my sisters and I have issues? You bet! But we work through them and my childhood problems aren't half as bad as what today's youth go through. It's humbling to just sit and listen to them. Being able to teach PE right after lunch break is awesome. It's a good break for me mentally and physically. I get to "dress down" and go outside to get some vitamin D and watch kids play. We're currently in basketball unit. Athletic Director position is keeping me real busy. We had a successful 1st season of sports and now we're off and running with our 2nd season...soccer, basketball and water polo. It's really neat to see my mentor out their on the pool deck coaching "life skills" to young ladies. Soccer team is doing great; won first 2 matches...today against the #1 ranked team in our division...that was cool. I have a small balcony right outside of my office and I often find myself taking a breather overlooking our track and field especially during 6th period when we have hundreds of our athletes on any given day preparing to represent our great school. We have great coaches who are keeping our kids off the streets, making them better players and helping them to be responsible citizens. It's Falcon Awesome...it's FAWESOME!!!

Enough about me...
Noah and Abby completed their first season of Gladiators together. It was a lot of fun watching Abby cheer for her brother. She loves to cheer!!! Noah did well considering it was his first year of tackle. He and another young man were co-quarterbacks for the team. He was a bit scared, but hopefully next year, he'll learn to "trust his pads" more and be willing to take a hit. He is now in full swing with basketball, practicing twice a week with games starting real soon. Both of them have started taking Art classes and are really enjoying their time in the studio. In the past 5 weeks, Noah lost a tooth and Abby lost 2 and is about to lose her 3rd. They are both enjoying school very much...even though they've been out the last 2 days due to illness. They've lucked out...they were home for Thanksgiving Wed-Sun last week and Sunday night both of them came down with a fever, so they've enjoyed a week off from school. Both of them just participated in a Jog-a-thon to raise money for their school. One day Abby got mad at Noah...he was being a mean brother that day, so she locked herself up in the bathroom for what seemed like forever, then she quietly opened the door and hung this sign that said, "Don't come in unless..." I think she was really upset with him. Ona lighter note, she entered an art contest and brought home a 2nd place certificate. She also made me a birthday card during her spare time. I turned 38 in November and as you can see, she reminds me of that often. My kids ROCK!!!

Amber is in the middle of her job application process. She had her second interview today and feels she did well. This has been extremely humbling experience for her. Before the kids, she worked in finance managing multi-million dollar budget, forecasting, etc. and now, looking for a part-time job while the kids are in school and applying for hourly wage and people in HR telling her "we'll look at your application and IF you qualify, we'll call you." She had to bite her lip many times and just say "thank you for your time." Anyway, the job she's interviewing for is for elementary school librarian...3 hours a day, 4 times a week. I think she'll do a fantastic job, but who am I? I'm not qualified to answer objectively.

We're also busy with our housing situation. We're thinking about moving (again) to a new house...hoping this WILL be our LAST move for a while...meaning at least until kids are in college...so, that's stressing us out somewhat. As much as we love La Crescenta, we want OUT!!! Too FAST!!! Tired of GO, GO, GO!!! Tired of not being able to go to a movie with my wife and not have someone yell across the parking lot, "hey Mr. Kim. Is that your wife?" or "hey coach Kim, why are you failing me in PE?" That one is always my favorite. Looking for a slower pace of life...kinda sounds like we miss Kenya...WE DO!!! Abby and me the most. I put a Kenya sticker on the back of my car and the other day when she noticed it, she yelled out "Oh, Kenya!!" and ran up to the car and hugged the car. I asked her if she misses Kenya and without hesitation, she replied, "YES." With that said, we can't move too far; our kids love going to school here....so the search continues and the number crunching continues as well. We'll keep you up to date.

By the way, I finally got myself my own set of wheels. Had enough money from our tax return, so went out and brought home a "brand spankin' old 1987 Volvo 240 DL sedan." My very first car that I learned to drive in was 1985 Volvo sedan. My 'brand spankin' old" car has all the options...roll up windows, 2 speakers in the front, none in the back, cloth seats, cassette player with radio, no antenna, ash tray, vanity mirror in the glove box (that's old school), etc. I've had it for about 3 weeks and within that time, I've replaced the battery, both headlights and I've purchased one of those cup holders that you hook on the door for $1.95. this picture isn't my actual car, but it's close. This is how I roll...(up my window)

Until next time...be safe and if you're interested and have some free time, check out my other, new blog at www.runswim4him.blogspot.com and let me know what you think.

Be blessed,
PK

a little bit of resentment....in souther cal

2009-09-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

September 8...today was a TOUGH day for me and it turns out, it was a TOUGH one for Amber as well. It was non-stop from early morning til Amber and the kids picked me up at 8:35 in the evening. Seemed like one thing after another and another....So tired. Looking back at today, there were so many people I could have had a deep conversation with, but didn't have the time...I had to get to the "next" event on my "to do" list. I guess I had a choice and chose not to have those conversations...uh oh, this is exactly what I didn't want happening....going back to the way it was...superficial conversation followed by another meaningless conversation. I resent SoCal Lifestyle today. Praying it will be better tomorrow.
Be blessed.

fire, school, dog, football, cheerleading...

2009-09-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

September 7.
Met up with my buddy this morning and had an AWESOME time. Just spent time catching up with life...discussing our struggles, hopes, etc. over a nice cup of coffee at the local Coffee Bean...we ended our time with a prayer...it was beautiful! God is so good.

September 6.
Noah and Abby stayed the night with my parents...they like going to Chuck E. Cheese with them
Anyway, Amber and I spent some time driving around looking at homes in different neighborhoods...we came across one neighborhood where there were no sidewalks, but dirt. We didn't think we'd ever say this, but we miss dirt....I miss the "red, clay" dirt in Nairobi...I'm sadden by the fact that our kids can't get dirty at school, they can't run around, slide and stain their clothes with grass, dirt and mud stains during recess...this upsets me.

August 31.
It is 1:22 on a "smokey" Monday afternoon...I was suppose to be with my 5th period PE class going over usual first day stuff with the new students right about now; however, the Angeles National Forest Wild Fire has thrown us a curveball in our neighborhood. School district canceled all 30 campuses due to unhealthful air quality as the roaring fire rages on right in our backyard. Check out these photos courtesy of Los Angeles Times. People have been evacuated from homes and schools have been turned into shelters. My sister got a "reverse 911" call from the Sheriff's Station this morning at 2:30; she and her husband had to take their 3 little ones and evacuate their home. They spent the rest of their early morning at the local shelter (Crescenta Valley High School cafeteria). When they were released to return, she went to her shop (she runs a little coffe shop) and made coffee for the volunteers at the shelter...how cool is that? Way to go!!!

It is now 11PM and I find myself sitting in a dark room with my laptop trying to stay quiet so people can go to sleep. My sister was again evacuated this afternoon, so we are hosting her family (family of 5) and my other sister with her 2 'yappin' dogs...total napoleon complex....they won't shut up. Hopefully, people can return to their homes tomorrow.

Enough about the fire....

here's what's been going on in my life in the last 30 days....

Early August...my parents took the kids for the weekend as we spent Friday evening celebrating our friends Carlos and Rocio's wedding. We were so happy to share their special day with them. Carlos....all grown up...gettin' married...it wasn't long ago when I coached him in water polo and swim...when I had to shave my head because I lost a bet (he dropped something like 20 seconds off his 500 in 2 days)...when he was lying on a hospital bed after braking his neck and I was blessed to hold his hand and pray over him 11:30 at night...when I had the privilege to coach water polo with him..........so cool!!!! Pelayo, if you're reading this...THANKS FOR INCLUDING ME. I'M SO HONORED TO KNOW YOU AND CALL YOU MY FRIEND. I sat at the wedding wondering, "how in the world do knuckleheads like myself and Carlos end up with hot wives????" Life isn't fair, huh? ; )

Noah keeps practicing with his football team...still a bit shy to hit or take a hit, but slowly getting there. He loves it...bruises all over his body...doesn't matter. He says he "loves it." Had a scrimmage couple Saturdays ago and the whole team showed a lot of promise. He is currently playing quarterback, linebacker and defensive end.

Abby started cheerleading for the Gladiators couple weeks ago; she'll be cheering for her brother's team...how cool is that? She loves it!!!....to a point where I have to ask her to be quiet for 10 minutes so I don't have to listen to her recite her cheer over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...get the picture? She sprained her ankle 2nd day of practice (stepped on a water bottle learning a routine), but she hasn't missed a day of practice...atta girl!!!

Amber took the CBEST...thinking about getting a teaching credential. She was freakin' out for few days....being out of school for 12 years and trying to review for a 4-hour exam can be quite harry...and she wouldn't believe me when I told her "you're too darn smart to not pass this test." She heard stories of people not passing, but when the test date rolled around, she was like Tiger Woods and brought her 'A' game. She hasn't gotten her official score, but the computer print out unofficially has her passing with flying colors. Like I said, she's too smart not to have done well. Looks and Brains...

Kids and Amber have been asking to get a dog for quite some time now...started in Kenya. Visited couple shelters and checked out some dogs...I really didn't want a dog to begin with...not really a dog person...actually, call me heartless...I'm actually not an animal person...anyway, make long story short, kids and Amber brought home a perfect dog for our family. Cal's been with us since end of August and we know we are the perfect family for him. It's clear that he was "severely abused" by who knows...he's TERRIFIED of people, but he's sure getting much better as he's finding out that we're going to love on him. He's been with us for 9 days as of September 4th and we heard him bark for the first time. We came home that night and he was so happy to see us, especially Amber, that he was wagging his tail and didn't know what to do with himself, so...he let out a bark...just once, but still a bark of affection. I think this guy's going to be a 'lifer' with our family.

"Am I living the American Dream"? or in my case, should I call it "the Amesian Dream"...a hot wife, 2.2 kids (.2 for the dog), quarterbacking son, cheerleading daughter, a job that I love... ; )

Fun and joke aside...
Family in our own individual way is still transitioning....we thought it was going to be so much easier than this...we often have our "Kenya" moments...almost a daily thing...the smell of diesel, the recent fire (reminds us of burning trash)...the other day, I was driving down to my parents house during rush hour traffic. I approached this intersection and had to wait and wait and wait...without thinking, I pulled this move (I don't even know how to explain it) that would have gotten me a very expensive traffic ticket...luckily, there was no police officer around. My wife sitting next to me said, "oh man, that was Kenya all over again. you do realize you could get a ticket for reckless driving here in the states?" There are days when I don't want to talk to anybody, there are days when anything and everything people say just bother the heck out of me, there are times when I'm driving (smaller streets with no markings on the ground) and realize I'm on the wrong side of the road, there are times when I walk up to the register to order food and start by saying "for take away" instead of "to go" before I catch myself....

I'm gonna stop right here...I have to go to work in 5 hours, so better get to bed.

Until next time,

Be Blessed.

Some other photos...

mom giving Abby a pedicure, kids planting sunflower seeds, Abby and her friend acting like dogs, Noah and Abby sleeping with Cal and Abby practicing her first memorized cheer.

Officially unemployeed

2009-08-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Aug. 3
Enjoying my first Monday of sleeping in. Summer school got out last week, so I'm officially unemployeed for the next 4 weeks before school starts back up. I went for a quick jog this morning and felt great. Here's what's been happening in the past couple weeks....

July 24-26
Went on our very first "weekend getaway" with nothing special to do and nobody to entertain. Just drove up to Agoura to watch some of Noah's friends play in a baseball tournament. It was great not being stressed out about game time, wins and losses, etc. Saturday morning Amber took the kids to watch the morning game; I stayed behind and sat around the pool...jumped in couple times to cool off and read the sports section of Los Angeles Times. Kids spent a lot of time swimming as well. Noah for whatever reason, wanted to wear his Speedos. Can't put his picture up because there are some sick people out there (One of Abby's video somehow ended up on some child porn/pedophile site)...Anyway, with his long hair and his black Speedos, he could have passed for a European gigalo. Abby had a great time by the pool as well.

July 27
The day Noah has been waiting for....first day of football (tackle) practice. He played flag for 2 years, skipped last season (in Kenya), so he's been going crazy about wanting to play tackle...helmet, shoulder pads and all. For the next 4 weeks, Monday through Friday, 2 hours each day. The kids picked up their helmets on the 2nd day and had a tough time. Pads go on this week. Excited to see how he does. He had a hard time moving around the first few days. Check out this short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McnRYX0Gpgc

July 28
Did some Facebook Chat with a former student of mine. Talked about God. We went back and forth; it was awesome. Everyday I stand in AWE of who God is, what He's capable of, and what exciting events He has lined up for me and my family. Through my unfaithfulness, He continues to love, serve and forgive me everyday. Awesome Possum!!!

August 1

Noah went on his very first overnighter with his youth group. We were all excited; Abby was sad to see him go. Not having her brother to play with for the next 3.5 days is eternity for a 6 year old. She's broke down coupld times already, and keeps asking when he's coming back. Our youth pastor told all the kids that they each get 1 phone call home during their retreat. It is the 3rd day as I'm typing this and we have not gotten our 1 call. That's cool. I hope he's having lots of fun and making lifetime memories.

Saturday evening, I went to the local movie store to pick up some dvds for the girls. Abby was missing her brother too much and Amber thought this would be a good time to catch up on all the movies we missed in the last 12 months. I thought I was adjusting well to the So Cal lifestyle...then I realized I'm still adjusting. I was at the movie store when a crowd of people came in. I found myself 'hiding' by the VHS section (I don't even own a vcr anymore) until everyone left. It was too much. They were too loud and in too rushed; I couldn't deal with it. This got me thinking just how much I miss Kenya. Friend of ours told us this the day before we left Nairobi (and most of us have heard this cliche before) "you can take a man out of Africa, but you can't take Africa out of a man." If you've been there, you know it rings true.

Aug. 3
Went to the Dodger game for the first time in over a year. It was just the three of us since Noah was gone. For all of my Kenyan friends, Dodgers currently have the best record in baseball and we were fortunate to get free tickets from a friend of mine. We have visited many different stadiums over the years, but something about the Chavez Ravine that gives me goosebumps every time I'm there. Maybe I'm a little biased. So much history...click here to check out how Chavez Ravine came to be. Great game...thought the Dodgers were going to pull another come from behind win, but the veteran Trevor Hoffman was able to get Manny Rarimez to fly out with bases loaded. Abby has been sick for last 5 days, so I thought "3 innings and we're home," but she wanted to stay the whole game. Good thing we did; the bottom of the ninth was awesome.

Tried to secretly get a video clip of my girl cheering

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVtGI5D5La0&feature=channel_page

Lastly, what's the point of going to the Dodger game without a "Dodger Dog?" My wife called me a "freak" for taking a picture and then had the audacity to say, "there's nothing appetizing about that." I disgree...just take a look at this masterpiece!!!"

'til next time...Be blessed.
Peter Kim

Still transitioning...

2009-07-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since my last post...here's what's been happening.

We moved into our new place on the 3rd of July, but didn't have power until the 9th. The in-laws were gracious to continue to offer their home, but we thought, "No big deal...we have water and toilets that flush. Who really needs power?" So, spent the next few days unpacking and trying to settle in. It's summer time here in California, for all you Kenyan readers, and since we're well above the equator, the sun sets around 8 p.m., so we have light 'til about 8:45 which helped us greatly to continue our unpacking. At night we used couple flashlights to get by. It was quite fun and brought back some good memories.

July 21, we have power and internet hooked up. Amber and I decided not to order cable television...this means no Laker games, Dodger games, ESPN, nothing, nada, zip, zilch. For Amber it means no Learning Channel and no Home and Garden Channel. It was a big decision for both of us, but Kenya really taught us that TV just isn't necessary. We did pick up our flat screen and a dvd player from our friends, so we have that hooked up for movies and kids' Wii. Noah and Abby are only allowed about 30 minutes of video games on weekends and actually only watch dvd movies anyway, so having no cable actually works to our benefit. I guess my creative mind will have to continue its work once Laker season rolls around, or I'll just have to go over to someone else's home.

On Wednesday, July 15th, Amber and I drove down to Carlsbad to purchase a car. We had to jump through many hoops to get this vehicle...I was out of the country for a year and I found out that my credit score went down drastically. WUT UP WIT DAT!!! Thanks Verizon Wireless for screwing me over. If you're interested in that story, let me know. Anyway, after teaching summer school, Amber and I drove down in my in-law's Toyota. Traffic was so bad, it took us 3 and a half hours to get down there. It was 7 p.m. The vehicle was waiting for us. Amber did all the research on-lineand found the best deal in a 100 mile radius. By the time we drove off the lot, it was 9:30 p.m. I was tired and hungry, so we stopped at McDonald's for a quick bite. When we got home, it was midnight. I personally don't recall how I made it back. It's all a blur...kinda like our 53 hour trip from Nairobi to LA....All I know is that I made it back in one piece.....oh, the car....2006 Volvo XC90, 7 seater (for hauling Noah and Abby's friends), black on black.

I'm still driving around in a loaner car that my friend/mentor is letting me use....1999 Toyota Camry. Oh, about this car....funny story. On the 7th of July, Amber and I drove out to Sylmar to close out our account for our Self-storage. Amber all of a sudden says, "hey, I smell gas. Do you smell gas?" I replied, "I have allergies, I can't smell a thing." After closing our account, I got back in the car and started driving back. The car had half a tank of gas (petrol for my Kenyans) when we headed back home. The smell was so bad this time, I smelled it. Driving about 70 mph, I noticed the fuel gauge...the needle was at the bottom...we haven't traveled 3 miles at this point. I looked back in my rear view mirror and noticed cars slowing down and driving around me and a trail of gasoline. I quickly got off the freeway and pulled into a parking lot leaving a gasoline trail all the way through. The tank was now empty. There was a big puddle of gasoline underneath the engine. The fire department had to come out and clear the vehicle to be towed away. It was hot...I was disturbed at the fact the fire department had to come out. "In Kenya, I could have paid couple guys to push the car to the dealer." Anyway, the fire department did come out and the car was towed safely....turns out there was a clamp missing on one of the fuel injection hose.

This story wouldn't be complete without the next part. As we were waiting for the fire department, this lady comes out to the parking lot (her car was parked right next to ours), and lights up a cigarette and started to smoke...right next to our car with a fuel leak. So my mother-in-law (who came out to pick us up) goes over to her and politely says, "excuse me, that car has a fuel leak and the fire department is coming out." The lady replies, "Ooh, thanks." Then she walked 10 feet from the car and stood right on top of the gasoline trail...and yes, continue to smoke. Amber this time said, "You're standing on the gas trail." Then the lady replied, "Oh honey, I've been near mechanics all my life. It's evaporated by now. Besides, if something does happen to me, it wouldn't be the worst thing that's happened to me today."

As I stood there listening to her, I thought, "it's because of people like her I have to have the fire department come out to check my vehicle. Thank you SUE-HAPPY-CALIFORNIA."

Noah started age-group water polo...3 times a week in the evenings. Having played and coached water polo and swimming for 25+ years, I didn't want to be that parent "pushing his sport on his child," so I made a conscious effort not to push it. But I gotta tell ya, when he got out of the pool after his first practice and said, "this is great. I like water polo. I'm definitely coming back." This made me very happy. On Wednesday and Thursday of this week (July 22, 23) the poor guy went from 9AM to 8PM...9 to 3 basketball camp and 6 to 8 water polo. And next week...the moment he's been waiting for over 2 years...first day of tackle football (yes, American Football for all my Kenyan friends)...practice 5 days a week. I'm coaching...actually I am the 8th assistant coach...what do I know about football. LOVE WATCHING IT, BUT actually coach it...let see what happens...just glad that there are 7 other assistants ahead of me.

Going a way for the weekend...not very far...but to hang out with our friends and watch little league baseball. It's going to be fun and relaxing. Summer school is going well. Only 4 more days left then, 4 weeks off. Actually, unemployed for 4 weeks. After I get my last paycheck for teaching summer school, I will have to wait about 6 weeks (Oct.1) until my next paycheck. Teachers don't get time off during the summer; they're unemployed.

I have a new position at my church. I took on the leadership role for our men's group. It's really exciting. Already met with the pastor and few other men and we're in the middle of putting together our leadership team. I'm so excited about this new challenge.

Last Sunday (19th), Noah was baptized. He took a baptism class and decided to be baptized. It was so AWESOME. I sat in the tank with our pastor and was given the opportunity to baptize my son. This ranks up there with my wedding day. It's actually better than the day Noah was born just because I know he will live eternally with his Heavenly Father. Doesn't get any better.

Abby made her first trip to Krispy Kreme Donut Shop and had a great time watching donuts being made. Then Abby and mom brought 4 dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts to my 2nd period summer school "Health" class. I always say, "might not be healthy, but gotta enjoy it once in a while"

Abby is also keeping busy just being creative. She often dresses up and plays with her brother. Not your typical "girl dress up" in Snow White costume, but in a super hero cape and baseball helmet (and often with no shirt.) AWESOME!!!

Enough for now. 'til next time.

Be blessed,

Peter Kim

just rambling...lot on my mind

2009-06-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

June 29
I went for a walk this evening. Planned on going for a 20-30 minute walk, turned out to be close to 2 hours. Just started walking and kept on walking...thought about my friends a lot and prayed for them. Walking is really enjoyable, give me time to think and think and think. I really miss Nairobi. Each one of my family members miss it too....Abby especially.

We move in on (hopefully) Wednesday this week, no later than Friday. It will be nice to be in our own place where I can hang up my clothes, unpack our luggage from Kenya, empty out our storage, etc. I think I'm going to put up clothesline in the back to hang dry some of my clothes; it will help me work through this transition.

Yesterday (Sunday), Amber and I got to speak in front of our church family at CVCC about our experience in Kenya. It was quite tough; speaking brought back many good memories of my friends.

Summer school is going well; students are great.

just rambling on...better stop now.
Until next time...10:23pm Los Angeles

Be Blessed.

Transitioning back to fast-paced life

2009-06-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

No pictures or videos yet...I'm using my in-laws Mac and I don't feel comfortable doing anything extra and possibly ruining their computer.

A bad case of JET-LAG

It's Saturday June 20th, 15 days since we've been back and I'm still having trouble sleeping at night. I've been getting up 3-5 times each night and having difficulty falling a sleep. Couple night ago, I found myself counting sheep, zebra and gazelles jumping over the fence (100 to 1), then I got really desperate and sang (in my head) "100 bottle of beer on the wall"...it finally worked...I remember getting down to about 25 before I dozed off...seriously, I'm not much of a beer guy.

A New House

So, we've been staying at my in-laws (cozy 2-bedroom place) since we've been back. My in-laws have been gone for couple weeks to Europe (combination business and vacation), so it's been nice having the house all to ourselves. We have been driving their cars to get around. 3-4 days after we got back, we started to look for a house in the Mountain Avenue School area (this was the ONLY CRITERIA from both of our kids). With the Glendale Schools still in session, there weren't many homes for lease; in 4 days of searching, we found 2. To make long story short, we signed a 1-year lease on the 2nd house that we found. A charming place near Montrose. We move in on the 1st of July. My in-laws have been gracious to open their doors for us. We are excited to be in our own home where we can empty out all our luggage and transport everything out of our storage which would save us $117 each month.

A New Car

Not just yet! As we start our life back in California, we are in a little financial bind. I start work (summer school teacher) next Tuesday which I'm so thankful for (if I didn't get a summer school teaching position, I wouldn't have gotten my first paycheck until October 1st). So, technically, I've been unemployed for the last 3 weeks. The first summer school paycheck is due on the 10th of July...so, without a paystub, it's a bit difficult to apply for a loan, etc. We'll start with one used car, mostly for Amber (big enough to haul our kids and their friends around), and then when we're financially ready, we'll think about a set of wheels for me. She's been busy looking up cars on-line to get a better idea of what's available. We both really like 2005 and 2006 Volvo 7-seater and Saturn Outlook. This will actually be the first used car that Amber and I will have purchased in our marriage (in the states)...we had a 1998 Toyota Corolla in Nairobi (some of you remember). It took 20,000 miles round trip and a year in a third-world country for us to think "Why didn't we buy used cars before?" Will keep you up to date.

Noah

It took Noah all of 10 seconds with his buddies before they were all best friends again. Some of you know that Noah was having a hard time worrying about if his friends have forgotten about him, etc. He's made it out to couple baseball games to watch his friends play and really enjoying the company of Evan, Jordan, Grady, Tanner, Will, Trevor, Jimmy, Michael, Luke, Jack, Ryan, Jason (oops, according to Abby, Ryan and Jason are now her friends)...hopefully I haven't forgotten any names. He starts his first year of tackle football (American Football for all the Kenyans reading this blog ; ) ) in about a month. Mom's not too excited, but Noah has been waiting this moment for 3+ years.

Abby

She's doing much better. Being right next door to her cousins and having opportunities to play with Brynn, Brooke and Cate have done wonders. She has yet to see all of her friends though. She still misses Kenya and her friends; she talks about them a lot and cries. About 5 days ago, she found herself laying on me crying and saying, "I miss Kenya." Few days ago, when a mom (of Abby's friend) asked her about animals in Kenya, Abby started her response with "We Kenyans don't really...." WOW!!! 11 months in one place. It's great !!! It's Amber and my job to foster who she is. We definitely see Abby going back to Kenya in the future for whatever reason.

Things I took for granted a year ago, but now am overjoyed each time I see it...

lines on the road (colored, visible lines), sidewalks, clean streets, self-serve gas stations, clean water, dependable electricity, constant running (clean) water, driving rules and etiquette (driving is quite boring in the states though), the police/sheriff, Coke Light...uhhh...I mean, Diet Coke from the fountain, instant hot shower, US postal service (I haven't sent a letter yet since we've been back, but I smile every time I see a mailman driving around stopping at each house 6 days of the week, freeway system.

Trader Joe's...
We went to Trader Joe's the other day to pick up couple items. We were walking through, and I heard someone sighing behind us, so I turned around to find a lady who was rolling her eyes and sighing because we were slowing her down. I had to tell my family to move to let her through. The irony...5 minutes later down a different aisle, we ended up in front of the same lady who was sighing again. We just weren't moving fast enough. We quickly paid for our items and had to leave. On our way out, another man was trying desperately to get around us. Felt suffocated in there.

Missing my friends...(my Rhino students are also my friends!)
What else can I say, but I simply miss my friends I made in Kenya. I love all of you. Until we meet again.

Overwhelmed by my friends here...
the flipside to missing my Kenyan friends is the love I've felt with my friends here in the states. They've all been so gracious and welcoming. God has continued to surround me with great people all around the world.

Excited to be back at CVHS & Missing my Rhino Family all at the same time...
I hope my last 11 months will make me a better classroom teacher. I really want to invest in as many students' lives as possible and create deeper relationships that will last a lifetime.

I often wonder what my students from West Nairobi are doing right now and when we will see each other again. I wonder:

how Shaqat and Zamar's audition went
how Katie and Becca are doing in the states and if they had their first Double Double "Animal Style"
how many rounds of golf Sam has played in the states
if Kwame is working on his game. (Kwame, I will get you that work out you asked for)
how Hanbeen is spending his time in Nairobi
if I will see Shaqat and Zamar play football professionally, or watch them live on stage playing great music in front of thousands of people
how many coaches are going to ask AK to come tryout for their sport
how Chris is doing and when and where he'll end up next year (I miss our talks, buddy)
if Momoyo will ever bring me food
if Marisa is busy looking out for Adam
if Christine is excited about high school
if I'll see Meitamei in the Olympics
how many points Retoyia and Dora will average next year
if JT is going to miss West Nairobi
how Roelfke is adjusting to her new life
how Isaac got so smart and if he's smarter today than yesterday
if Eliza ever screams and yells
how many miles/km Harriett ran this week
if Seth is satistied with his Phillies
if Christian and Alec are still mourning over the Red Wings
if Alex is still rooting for the Cavaliers
if Kyle has gotten bigger than he already is
if Stacey had any more auditions
how many sports Haley will play next year
if Boris and Horace have gained any weight
what Allen is up to
about many more things about different students every chance I get....

until next time...Be Blessed.

Signing off (10:35PM June 20, Los Angeles)
Peter Kim

Nairobi to Los Angeles in JUST 53 hours!!!!

2009-06-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

June 3 - the van was packed with 16+ pieces of luggage and we were all buckled up, ready for the airport. It was a smooth ride to the airport; no traffic, accidents or police stop at 5:15 in the morning. We were only asked to open up 2 of our 21 (including carry-on) pieces of luggage through airport security. The lady behind Virgin Atlantic check-in counter turned out to be God-sent. Checking in 16 pieces took a long time; 8 of the 16 pieces were over the allowance which meant we had to pay $150 per piece...translation$1,200!!! We were prepared for it; this was still cheaper than sending everything by ship and not knowing if and when it was going to get home (if you have been following our blog in Kenya, you know the story ; )) I was hoping to stay under $1,500, so it was ok.

BTW-we went over with 29 pieces (8 on the plane and 21 16-gallon tubs that we shipped) and we came home with 16 (1 of 16 being Abby's car seat).

Anyway, back to paying for 8 extra pieces...the lady behind the counter gave us a break and only charged us for 5 extra pieces saving us $450!!!

The 8-hour flight to London was GREAT...I guess first 8 hours of what turned out to be 53 hour trek would be great for anybody. In London, we had to say goodbye to 5 of our friends from West Nairobi. They were staying for few days in London; we were taking off in 19 hours. We didn't want to claim our 16 pieces of luggage, so we couldn't leave the terminal. The goodbye was hard for different reasons...with Mike because he was the "solid rock" in the storm which was WNS this year, and he taught everyone so much. I know I couldn't have carried myself like he was able to given the circumstance. "Walk the Talk" is what comes to mind when I think of him...with Amy because she's just Amy...Amy, T and I shared an office this year and it was a blast. The good Lord placed us together knowing we would be each other's support during this tough year. We had so many laughs together...well, it was T and me laughing because of Amy most of the times, but nevertheless, we were all laughing. Our motto which hung on our wall (which my mentor told me over 10 years ago) read "If you can't have fun at your job, it becomes work!" Not a single working day went by without laughter. Tough goodbyes...well, more like "see you laters"

After saying goodbye, we jumped terminals (3 to 4) to check into the Yotel...room by the hour for world travelers. Great concept, worked out for the rest of the family, but me...not so much. We rented only 1 room (biggest one they had) and by the time the kids and Amber went to bed (width-wise on a queen size mattress), I had the foot of the mattress left for me which wasn't too comfortable.

Before checking in we had to get to terminal 4 by airport bus...some comments/thoughts from the family while on the bus.
Noah "Wow, first stop light in a year!"
Abby "Feel how smooth the road is!"
Me "Look at the lines on the road!"
Amber "Cars actually stay inside the lines!"

After checking into Yotel (Yotel.com for anyone going through Heathrow), we ate at the only restaurant available to us and kids got a quick preview of what America would be. "This is so good!" "Look! Mustard!" Just few of the comments from the kids.

After the meal, kids and Amber slept well. I tossed and turned for the next 9 hours and woke up, I mean got up (since I never really fell asleep) more tired than before. We all showered, packed up our carry-ons and headed down to Starbucks for breakfast...YES, STARBUCKS!! We got there excited and culture shock!! Kids were "starving" 5 minutes before, and now, they didn't want anything...translation...overwhelmed by too many choices. We had to sit down and remind them to take their time and place their order. Breakfast at Starbuck turned out well.

On our way to our next flight (to DC), Abby broke down. With a concerned look on her face, her eyes welling up, she said, "Why is everyone white?!" An observation and a question all rolled into one. After talking to mom, she gathered herself and we marched on again.

It was another pleasant flight. 8+ hours to Washington D.C. When we arrived, we knew we only had less than 2 hours to go through customs, hopefully find my sister to say "hi" and then check in for our final flight home. We asked in Nairobi and Heathrow if we had to claim our baggage and go through customs (with 16 pieces) in DC or in LA and they both told us "your final destination, that's where you are paid to." So, we didn't even bother asking "an American"...what were we thinking. After quickly getting our passports stamped, and the officer telling us "Welcome back!" we hurried out and found my sister. After hugs and kisses, we rushed over to United to check in. Had tickets in my hand when a United Airlines employee asked, "No other baggage to check in besides your carry-on?" Amber and I responded with a smile, "No, we'll go through customs in LA" Then our smiles disappeared. We were told we had to go through customs (with all our 16 pieces) in DC and re-check the baggage to LA. Now we're down to less than 60 minutes before our next flight.

Frantically, I sent Amber and the kids to our next flight as I ran back to customs. People were still coming out. There I stood staring at 8 swinging doors with a sign on each door that read "DO NOT ENTER" So...I entered. The first 2 officers I saw, I started talking. They quickly cut me off and said, "First of all, you can't come back in here. You look like you know how to read. It says 'do not enter.' I need you to empty your pockets and tell me why you're back here."

"POWER TRIP" I said...on the inside ; ) I emptied out my pockets (passport, boarding pass) and explained my situation. They told me I can't go back in; I have to send a representative from Virgin Atlantic to claim my 16 pieces for me. As I was listening to this "power hungry" customs officer, I thought to myself, "I so want to be back in Kenya right now where I could have said, 'hey, here's 1,000 bob, just escort me back in.'" When he was done talking, I ran out and went over to Virgin Atlantic. Long story a bit shorter...by the time they came out with our baggage, it was 5:50pm. Our flight was scheduled for 5:25. I had to take 16 pieces up to United and check them back in. Found out Amber and kids never got on the original flight. Gentleman behind the United counter printed out 4 new tickets for the 9:50pm departure. Turns out we were on the waiting list. It was literally 2 minutes before the gate closed, when they called us up and handed us 4 boarding passes.

I was suppose to be back in LA in time for 4th quarter of Game 1 (Magic vs. Lakers), instead it was 12:30am on Friday. As we walked out, kids saw both sets of grandparents and....the Nelsons!! How 'bout that? All 4 of the Nelson boys waiting for us. It meant so much to Noah and Abby. Had a great time chatting with Coach Nelson as we waited for our luggage. My mom brought me ice cold Diet Coke, ice and 32 oz. Baja Fresh cup!!!! Bless you mom!!! Before you can say "Diet Coke" I downed 2 cans.

I rode back with my father-in-law and his pick up truck which had most of our 16 pieces. There was a detour on the 110 which forced us off the freeway near downtown. We missed one of the detour signs and missed a turn and ended up on a dead-end street...2 am, downtown Los Angeles, dead-end street...after a year in Nairobi, NEVER FELT SO SAFE IN MY LIFE!

Got home, emptied out the car...53 hours after we left Mayfield Guesthouse, we were back in La Crescenta.

BTW - drinking fountain water was better than I remember. Who actually needs bottled water in LA?

Mixed thoughts

2009-06-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Spend the last 4 days packing and repacking...started with 19 pieces of luggage and finally got it down to 15. It's 1:26 in the morning in Nairobi and I can't sleep. We are leaving Mayfield Guest House at 5:15 this morning for the airport...9:15 flight.

Mixed thoughts about leaving...excited about catching up with friends and family, really depressed about leaving my friends behind. I've been so blessed with so many spirit-filled people surrounding me here in Kenya. I said my 2nd to last "see you later" with my good friend J. Dixon tonight...it was hard. I think it will hit me when the plane takes off this morning. I'll say my last "see you later" in London when 2 of my colleagues and I go separate ways. Learned so much this year.

I'm really excited about the challenges that await me and my family as we head back. I asked for "smooth transition" and one of my friends told me "may be He doesn't want you to have a smooth transition"...so I got thinking...that is absolutely correct. What I learned in the last 11 months will be put to the test. It time to APPLY. That is the challenge He's set in front of me, and I'm excited to see how I respond.

Signing off...1:35AM Nairobi Kenya