We woke early Friday morning and flew from Seattle to Spokane and then headed 45 minutes due east to Couer d’Alene, Idaho where many of my cousin’s have gathered for the wedding of my cousin, Karen. Arrived after the men had headed out to play golf so we checked in and went out to find them. Pei Lin has never played golf and I am a hack, so we just drove around with them for a little while and took some photos. Took a boat tour around the lake, well at least a very small portion of the lake. Some beautiful homes but just like Shenzhen the prices have skyrocketed over the last few years and are out of reach of most. Guess all the Microsoft millionaires are taking advantage of the short and cheap flights from Seattle and finding a way to spend their stock options.
Pei Lin had fun driving the golf cart. Was worried he was going to crash the not so cheap cart but somehow we managed to not wind up in the lake. He is going to take driving licenses and get his driver’s license when we get back to Shenzhen. Not sure I will be driving with him anytime soon though based on our experience yesterday!
I had lunch with some of my family and sat in the resort’s lobby and just chatted while Pei Lin took a rest. After awhile I joined him and had an awesome nap before dinner.
Since the occasion for us being here was my cousin’s wedding we were invited to attend the rehearsal dinner. There were 46 of us eating at a great Italian restaurant. I was glad I had met most of Mike’s (Karen’s soon to be husband) family in November. Everyone was so excited to meet and welcome Pei Lin to the USA. I hope he felt as welcomed as I did during our visit over Chinese New Year to his hometown. Had a great evening and was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I love going back in time. This morning we left Hong Kong at 8am and arrived in Seattle at 7:45am! It is the simple things in life that bring me joy.
Didn’t sleep much on the flight and when we arrived early we had to wait 20 minutes to deplane while we waited for the US Customs and Immigration officers to start their shift. Pei Lin breezed through immigration and was given a 6 month stay! We just had to talk to 4 different Customs officers after claiming our bags. Watching how arrogant and rudely these officers treat the passengers on our flight as well as us I couldn’t help but think these guys are all on power trips. Oh well, on such a special day I wasn’t going to let them ruin my mood.
We checked into our hotel and then went exploring the city.Was fun watching Pei Lin soak up his first American city. I also enjoyed watching the people, comparing the differences in my native country and China which has become my home. Unfortunately, we only had 1 day in Seattle and head to Idaho early tomorrow morning to my cousin’s wedding this weekend and catching up with family I haven’t seen in 4 or 5 years.
Off to take a short nap before waking at 4:30 for our early morning flight…
Not sure I would be classified a “road warrior” or not but I travel quite a bit for both work and pleasure. Still, I always get a little combination of anxiety and excitement every time I fly. Trains, cars, ferries or other types of transportation don’t seem to bother me quite the same way.
Tomorrow morning Pei Lin and I will be traveling to the US for a vacation over the China May 1 holiday. We both are taking an extra week off and will have 18 days of sightseeing and meeting my friends, family and US coworkers. We have some exciting cities and events planned and I will try to blog about them as we travel.
Last night we packed and repacked. Tonight, before we head into Hong Kong to spend the night, I will probably repack my bag yet again. Why? Because I always overpack. Do I really need to take 3 pairs of shoes? I know I have to take a sport coat because we are attending a wedding and a formal dinner, but do I need that extra pair of jeans? Can I get by with just one pair of shorts? You get the idea…
Pei Lin is excited because it will be his first trip to the USA. He will be meeting my friends and family who he hears me talk about ; he will be visiting my native country and seeing where I grew up, where I went to school and where I earned my first paycheck. Last night he commented that he now knows how I must have felt the night before we left to meet his parent’s the first time. Well, I was certainly nervous and full of excitement back in December on that first trip to his hometown in Sichuan. But I am certain his excitement and feelings are ten times more.
Doesn’t the picture say it all??
We spent Saturday taking two of my colleagues from India and the USA shopping. About 6 hours worth of shopping…Was a fun day and we bought several gifts for my family for our upcoming trip to the US. But my feet were tired and my arms were sore from carrying so many bags.
We capped the day off by joining some coworkers from our local office and having a great Mexican dinner. Then we hit a couple of the local pubs. I am so fortunate to work with such great people and being able to share the most important thing in my life, Peyton, with them.
