Flowers for Grandma

Most public phones seem unnecessary nowadays. However, I was very grateful to find a long line of them at the Los Angeles airport. I dug out a couple of quarters from some American change I had intentionally kept and called up Auntie.

The phone hardly began to ring before it was answered (and she said it sits on the opposite side of her cubical...sounds like someone was excited to get that call. I know I was excited to make it.)

Auntie picked me up from the airport 15 minutes later, and we started the hour and a half drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Along the way we picked up the usual treats for visiting the grandparents: flowers for Grandma and beer for Grandpa.

It's wonderful to be back with family! I'll be returning to my Thai family at the beginning of the new year, but until then, I'm planning on a lot of cooking in western kitchens, plenty of outdoor time in the mountains, and just hangin' with the family.