Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Trip to the Sunshine State

Mommy, Ah Gong, Ah Mah, Uncle Nick, and I got to Florida on Saturday morning. Daddy had to stay in LA to "work" again. Too bad, because he missed out on a great trip and lots of yummy food.

I was asleep for most of the flight to Atlanta and the connecting flight to Fort Lauderdale. When I woke up again, I was surrounded by luggage!

Whoa, you expect me to carry all of these luggages?!!
Whoa, you expect me to carry all of these bags?!!

I found out later that Mommy just wanted me to keep an eye on them while she, Ah Gong, and Uncle Nick went to get the rental car. Where was Ah Mah during all of this? She was busy calling Great-uncle Willy to let him know that we were on our way.

Meeting Great-uncle Willy and Great-aunty Ann
Great-Uncle Willy and Great-Aunt Ann

After meeting up with Great-uncle Willy and Great-aunty Ann at their restaurant in Sunny Isles Beach, we went to the hotel to rest and clean up.

Mommy blowing up my hot tub
Mommy blowing up my hot tub.

Checking out my crib at the hotel
I had my own crib. Here I am eyeing the metal bars of my cage.

After I got all cleaned up, we went to meet Laow Mah (Great-grandma in Chinese) for dinner. She came all the way from Thailand for Aunty Lana's wedding and to meet me!

Laow Mah giving me a kiss
Laow Mah giving me a kiss

Something strange happened that night after dinner. There were lots of loud cracking noises coming from the sky that were followed by flashes of light. Mommy said it was a thunderstorm. It sounded pretty scary to me. Luckily we didn't get caught in the heavy rain for too long.

The next morning, we went back to Great-uncle Willy and Great-Aunty Ann's restaurant, which got transformed for the wedding. While Ah Mah helped to get traditional food ready for the couple, I hung out with Mommy, Uncle Nick, and Ah Gong. I was in a better mood that morning since I slept really well at the hotel thanks to Mommy snuggling me all night (I got scared in the big boy crib, and I didn't want to sleep in it so Mommy let me sleep in the big bed with her.)

Thinker man
Uncle Nick thinks I look like the "Thinker" in this picture. Thinking about eating, that is.

Mommy and me on the veranda
Mommy and me on the veranda. Thanks, Uncle Namphol and Aunty Vivian for the cool BabyGap outfit. Too bad I soiled it right after the picture was taken. Luckily, Mommy brought another outfit for me to change into.

Ice sculpture and wedding cake at Aunty Lana's wedding
Aunty Lana's friends made the ice sculpture and the cake. Uncle Nick was so impressed with the ice sculpture that he wants one when he gets married.

Aunty Lana, the bride, is Great-uncle Willy's oldest daughter. Uncle Tony is also Thai, so they had a Thai wedding followed by a Chinese tea ceremony.

Ah Mah blessing the happy couple
Here is Ah Mah blessing the happy couple by pouring water over their hands. Mommy and I didn't get to do this since I got hungry and mommy had to feed me.

The family at the wedding
Here's a family picture after the Thai ceremony. Behind Laow Mah and Aunty Lana is Uncle Yong, Aunty Lana's brother. The groom's father and older brother made the letters in the background - pretty cool, huh?

I know how to wai
I know how to "wai" - putting my hands together to greet or pray. Great-aunty Yi holding me while listening to the monk's blessings for the happy couple.

The tea ceremony
Aunty Lana and Uncle Tony presenting tea to the bride's parents


I fell asleep on Ah Gong
The ceremony and reception was so long, I got bored and fell asleep on Ah Gong

Aunty Lana and Uncle Tony
Aren't they cute?

After the wedding, we all went over to Aunty Lana and Uncle Tony's new house. Apparently, the elders needed me to "play" on the wedding bed to ensure that Aunty Lana and Uncle Tony's first born will be a boy.

Me blessing the wedding bed
Uncle Tony promised me a handsome reward if he does get a son. I'll be paid double for twins!

The next morning, we went to see Great-uncle Chai, Great-aunty Yi, and their daughter for breakfast before our flight back home. I got to play with Aunty Muntoa's toys.

Pikachu is so cool
Pikachu is so cool - it talks, moves, and lights up. Mommy, can you get me one?

I was on my best behavior during the flights back to LA. Mommy thinks I'm getting the hang of flying on the plane.

Playing with Ah Gong on the plane
Playing with Ah Gong on the plane back to LA.

Overall, I had a great weekend. Ah Mah, Ah Gong, and Uncle Nick all entertained me when I got bored. Ah Gong even sang some Thai songs to me and I laughed so much! I'm going to miss them when Daddy, Mommy, and I move to Boston in a few weeks.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Looks like you had fun Owen. Although I agree with the quotes around "work" for your Daddy...I don't think he worked much. But guess what, tonight is my last night of work at UCLA. Ask your daddy how many days he has left :)