Thanksgiving with our East Coast Peeps

Between Gary & I, we have family and friends spread out all over the U.S. so when the time comes to take a family vacation, there is no shortage on options! It's been a couple years since we've been to the East Coast, and we were due. So on Nov 16th, Kelly & I hopped a plane headed to Virginia Beach, VA to stay with cousins Patty & Nathan, visit family and celebrate Thanksgiving together. We spent the first couple days relaxing, shopping, eating, laughing and celebrating Patty's birthday.

Every time we get Kelly & Nathan together, I am amazed at how well, and how naturally, Kelly & Nathan get along... I mean they don't just get along, they are great friends and seem to really enjoy hanging out with each other. They played games, joked around, wrestled, and even put together a "carnival" for all of us with "skill" games and prizes and rides (a big spin on the swivel chair!). 

He completely immersed her in the world of Pokemon and gave her a good start to her collection of cards (all his doubles!)

 A couple days before Thanksgiving, Kelly & I drove up to Annapolis for the day to visit Aunt Diane and cousins Michael and Paul, none of whom had even met Kelly. Kelly loved all the leaves and spent a good hour or two jumping in the leaf pile we made her. 

Kelly and her Great Aunt Diane

Cousin Michael, Kelly, Aunt Diane and me

Cousin Paul, Kelly, Aunt Diane and me

We spent the last few days and Thanksgiving day back in Virginia Beach and got to stay at a magnificent Beach House steps away from the sand. Aunt Lois came down from York, PA and Uncle Gary came up from South Carolina. 

All of us along with some great friends of Patty's all spent an incredible Thanksgiving day together. 

Although it was quite cold, Kelly can now say she has been in the Atlantic Ocean.... brrrr!

Kelly has asked me several times since we have been back, "mom, when are we going back to Virginia?" It was wonderful to re-connect with so many of our close family and will definitely be a trip to remember.

A Totoro Halloween

Early October, always with a little trepidation, I started asking Kelly what she wanted to be for Halloween. This year, without hesitation, she said "Totoro!" I had no idea what she said the first (2nd and 3rd) times she told me. It took a while to even get the correct spelling from her, but finally I was able to Google it and found this:

Turns out Totoro is a friendly mythical monster from a beloved Japanese book and movie who becomes an main character in the imaginations of two sisters. Kelly had seen the movie at school and was head over heels about the story and for Totoro, but it isn't widely known in the U.S. yet, so one of my first thoughts was... they probably don't sell this costume at Party City! Boy, I was right about that. I could barely find it on e-bay. And oddly I found more adult costumes (all modeled by Japanese women) than kids! 

So I waited the appropriate amount of time within which she *might* change her mind... but her answer was the same each time I asked. So I began the project of figuring out how I was going to make the costume. Once I committed to the idea, I had a lot of fun putting it together. I think I was channeling my mom who not only made all my Halloween costumes, but most of my clothes as well!  

Kim in her Genie costume, circa 1981

(I was trying to find a costume she made when I was 8, a half-angel/half-devil work of art... couldn't find the photo, but if I do, I'll get it on here!)

Well, I do think my little Totoro came out pretty good. Even though no one knew what she was, she didn't seem to care at all, she LOVED it! (and that's all that mattered!)

Kelly, Kaspian, Skye and Cyrus

Kelly & Krysta