Trip Home to NY and NJ - Day 2

On Sunday, Chris, Kate, and I drove to Liberty State Park in Jersey City so Kate could see Lady Liberty in the flesh. Or at least her backside. Kate, as soon as she spotted her. She screamed like a groupie. Kate asked if she could see The Statue of Liberty's face, but I told her only New Yorkers get to see it. People in New Jersey get her tushy. A storm was brewing and the wind suddenly picked up. Kate took the opportunity to bust out some Lady Liberty-inspired hip-hop moves. A patch of Black-Eyed Susans. Camera-shy Kate. In the background (the white tents), they were setting up for the All Points West Music & Arts Festival with Radiohead and Jack Johnson. You know you're old and unhip when you recognize a singer because he's on the "Curious George" soundtrack. And because your 3-year old daughter's preschool class plays his music. Kate wanted to be ready in case it rained. Aside from the roadies setting up for the concert, I think we were the only Americans there. Kate and Halabugi watching a "Little Einsteins" DVD after dinner.

Trip Home to NY and NJ - Day 1

We arrived in NJ late Friday night tired and hungry after being diverted to Baltimore due to a lack of fuel (!), but Kate's Halmoni and Halabugi greeted us with big smiles and a homemade Korean dinner, and all was well again. While Kate ran around the apartment, we caught the tail end of the impressive opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Halabugi, who usually goes to bed very early, remained in his chair way past his bedtime, glued to the set. We realized what he was waiting for when the South Korean team appeared. After watching them march around for a few minutes, he got up and went to bed. The next day, we drove into Manhattan to meet Halmoni at The Art Students League where she studies drawing. Halmoni took us to lunch in Koreatown and Kate gobbled up a ginormous amount of bibimbap from a trough-sized bowl. Afterwards, Halmoni headed back to school and Chris, Kate, and I went to meet our friend, Kirk, and ride the 100-year old carousel in Central Park. I decided not to hop on because I wanted to take pictures. A wise decision, as it turned out. The carousel whipped around so fast, it took Chris and Kate by surprise. Chris said the speed plus the lights and the crazy-loud organ music made it feel like a 1970's horror film. No wonder a man gave us his extra ticket when we were walking up. A shot of Kate on the horse (just barely). She's on the right. Here is a video of the Centrifuge. See if you can find Kate and Chris, I obviously couldn't. (hint: watch for a pair of green sneakers and short white socks).

Kate, post-ride, stunned and gouging Batman's eyes out. She must've been really out of it because she specifically asked for the Batman blow-up doll. We said, "Really? Batman? The Dark Knight? Are you sure?" We didn't even know she knew who he was. But she was adamant.

Then a few minutes later she asked, "Could I have Dora instead?" And Batman went back on the rack. Our old friend, Kirk finally found us (after asking four different people how to get to the carousel -- apparently, no one knew). He had been eager to meet Kate ever since she was born, so it was long overdue. It was great to see him. Chris and I met Kirk at the Council on Foreign Relations over 14 years ago. Chris was the advertising manager of Foreign Affairs magazine and Kirk was one of the editors. Now Kirk is the foreign news editor of The New York Times. He helps shape all the international stories we see on the front page. Not too shabby. After a quick stroll out of the park, Kate and I left to meet Halmoni and drive back to NJ. Chris stayed in Manhattan to hang out with Kirk and catch up. Later, Kate kept asking me why Appa was with Kirk, and when I finally said, "they're on a playdate," that seemed to satisfy her, and she stopped asking. At midnight, when Chris came back, Kate woke up and asked, "Appa, did you and Kirk play with blocks tonight?"

Back in NJ, Kate took Halabugi and Dora to the park and had a good time, despite a low-grade fever. Things got interesting when an Alpha Girl came by and asked if she could play with Dora. Kate said yes, but I don't know if she was very happy about it. Then Alpha Girl wanted me to take a photo of her and Dora. And Kate said, "And me and Dolly!" and inched towards her. After Alpha Girl asked to borrow my camera (er, no), and then took Dolly and hurried off, it was time to tell her to get lost. "She's a little bossy," Kate said.

A short video of Kate singing "Happy Birthday" in Korean.

Bon Voyage, Fr. Tae Woo

We returned from our trip to New York and New Jersey on Friday night (to be blogged on later), just in time to say farewell to my Uncle Tae Woo, who is headed back to Korea after eleven years in the States. Fr. Tae Woo had been studying at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania and earned his Ph.D. a few months ago. It's been wonderful having him here, as we were lucky to see him often -- in LA and in NY -- and have him officiate both my brother's wedding and our wedding, and be present at Kate's baptism. He has been a part of all the significant events in our lives, large and small, and he will be missed.

Chris' Birthday

Though Chris' birthday is today, we decided to get a cake while Nana was here so we could celebrate together. When Chris stepped outside to get the mail, we scrambled to light the candles to surprise him. Kate was so excited that she flung open the door and shouted, "Appa! We have a SURPRISE CAKE FOR YOU! COME INSIDE!!" Chris did his best to look surprised anyway. That night, Chris and I took advantage of Nana being here and went to the movies. Unfortunately, we picked "Journey to the Center of the Earth (in 3D)" (painful), and then tried to wash it away by sneaking into "Mamma Mia!" (more painful), but it was wonderful to go out and not worry about the ticking meter of a babysitter. We spent the last couple of days of Nana's visit hanging around the pool and showing her the things Kate learned in class.

Since the moment Nana arrived, she played with Kate, fed her, sang and danced with her, and most importantly, indulged Kate's repeated requests to read to her, sometimes reading the same book three or four times in a row. By the last day, Nana had probably read to Kate at least ten times a day. No wonder Kate kept saying, "I love you, Nana." When we dropped Nana off at the airport, Kate was very sad. "I don't want her to go. I'll miss her." Luckily, Tucson isn't tooo far and we will see Nana again very soon.

Andrea's Here!

On Thursday, Andrea, one of my oldest and dearest friends (I met her in kindergarten!), flew in from Minnesota for a business meeting. I hadn't seen her since Lisa's wedding a year and a half ago, so I was very excited to hear she was coming for the day. Since Andrea was staying at a hotel downtown (the building they used in the '80's sitcom "It's A Living"), we decided to swing by the Disney Concert Hall and show her and Nana the impressive architecture. The weather was lovely -- sunny and breezy -- and Kate took advantage by prancing down the sidewalk.

Chris and I took Andrea, Eleanor, and Kate to one of our favorite spots for lunch -- "Philippe's," home of the original French-dipped sandwich (so they claim), founded in 1908. Definitely not a place for vegetarians. The guy sitting next to us was reading a book about Buddha, and Eleanor started up a conversation with him. After he left, Andrea realized who he was -- Piers Morgan from "Celebrity Apprentice" and "America's Got Talent," and was very excited about her "celebrity" sighting. I guess "Philippe's," is also home of the D-List stars.

Much to Kate's delight, Andrea had bought a book for Kate as a gift and read it to her at the table. After lunch, we dropped Nana off at the LA County Museum of Art, and Andrea, Kate, Chris, and I headed to The Grove where Andrea bought a couple of presents for Chessa. On the way back to the hotel, Kate requested (as usual) the '80's CD Lisa made for us, and Andrea indulged her in a singalong. Between peals of laughter, the two of them belted out Kate's favorite tunes, "Mickey" and "Putting on the Ritz," and Andrea wowed Kate (and the rest of us) with her knowledge of all the lyrics.

Though the visit for short, it was wonderful to see Andrea and have her spend a little time with Kate.

Nana's Visit

On Wednesday, Nana Eleanor came to visit for a few days. She went with us to pick up Kate from school, and as soon as Kate spied her coming through the gate, she screamed, "NAAANAAA!", raced across the sports court with her arms out and gave her a big hug. A hero's welcome. Apparently, Kate was so excited about Nana coming, she told all the teachers and her friends that day. When Kate's teacher, Ms. Candice, saw Kate's "Nana," she gasped, "She's so young!", which made Eleanor smile. We made a stop at the park where Kate and Nana hit the swings, and then headed over to Kate's swim lesson. Kate was a little nervous and refused to get into the water, but after some encouragement from Nana, she jumped in. This didn't last very long, and Kate tried to make a break for it. Several times.

Then it was time to practice jumping off the side, Kate's favorite thing to do. She was game until she saw the little girl in pink cry and run away. Then she tried to make a break for it, too. But the female teacher, Brittany, was able to coax her back in, and all was well again.

Earthquake!

On Tuesday, we had a "moderate" 5.6 earthquake that shook our house for about 30 seconds, an eternity when you're grabbing onto the door jamb, waiting for the ceiling to cave in. There was thankfully no damage, but Chris and I were worried about Kate at school so I picked her up immediately afterwards. As soon as she saw me, she ran up to me and exclaimed, "We had a quake! The ground was shaking!" Kate seemed completely fine, as did the other kids, but their teacher, Ms. Candice, was very shaken up. She said the children didn't really understand what was happening, but they knew it was serious and did as they were told. They hid under the tables and then quickly evacuated the building once the shaking stopped. Ms. Candice said that Kate even helped her keep all the kids in one area. When we got home, Kate wanted to re-enact the earthquake drill, so Chris and I practiced hiding under tables and holding on. Our 13-year old neighbor said that Kate must've been really scared. Kate overheard her and said, "No, I wasn't scared. I was just SURPRISED. The ground was shaking, and I was SURPRISED." I'm grateful that Kate was too young to be scared. Needless to say, we were very lucky.