A day in the life of a Lohse

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Summer Vacation

School’s out, bedtimes defined by how long I could force my eyes to stay open, fish fins sprouted at my sides, and ice cream flowing at every meal. I fondly remember these days of my own childhood like they were yesterday.

I can't help but remembering a good friend telling me years ago how good his kids had it. Their summers were filled with much of the same and they didn’t know how good they had it. He joked that he had to come to work every day to fund their summer adventures and that when he died he hoped that he could come back as either his kids or his dog. Only years later can I truly appreciate what he meant.

Summer vacation started for us the last week in June when we picked the kids up from their last day of school and went straight to the airport and off to the US. We were all so excited that the 13 hours to Toronto hardly fazed us. We then spent the next 5 weeks bouncing all over the US, flying on 7 more flights to visit with all of our families and friends, meeting our newest cousin and niece Emma, and feeling our future cousin and nephew Charlie kick in rhythm with the chaos of his big sister and two older cousins. We ate more ice cream, hot sticks, cheese curds, steaks, brats, cereal, pancakes, and Chipotle then I thought was humanly possible. We went to every park, zoo, water park, lake, and amusement park east of the Mississippi. At every turn, we all felt like kids again, without a care in the world, wiping ice cream from our faces, and sound asleep by 9.

Sitting on our final plane, waiting to take off back to China, I stared out the window and found myself wiping tears from my cheeks. Happy tears. We had a summer that you dream about. One you just never forget.

Oh...to be a kid again.

1st Stop - The land of the never ending hot sticks, boat rides, and Miller Lite - Wisco

Our costume birthday party - A bunch of crazy cats!
(click on the picture to see more Wisco photos)

Our Pia and the new toy from Grandpa Dar (guess who is still talking about it?!)

The cousins

Forth of July Parade - A classic picture, perfectly timed to capture each of their true personalities

Family. Enough said.

Next Stop - Dogs, dogs, dogs...and finger-licking Bojangles - North Carolina

The newest Wisch addition - Our beautiful Emma Marie
(click on the picture to see more NC pics)

Grandma Les and Grandpa Don doing what they do best

The Great Wolfe Lodge and Tweetsie Railroad

Can we say kiss a$$?!
Final Stop - Fun-noodles, camp fires, and 4th birthday parties - New York

Happy 4th Birthday Eric!! (FINALLY!!)
(Click on the picture of Eric to see more pictures of NY)

BFFs and their Super Heros

Dare Devil Pia

Bonus - Our Surprise Trip to Detroit (Thanks Delta Airlines!)
The Detroit Zoo and the Dino Exhibit
(Click on the first picture to see more of Detroit)

Cool pool time with "Grandma" Debbie and Uncle Mike ;O)

Great-grandpa Ted

Monday, August 8, 2011

Total System Meltdown

As an adult, you think of jet lag as a minor inconvenience, a few days of being a bit tired, going to bed early and maybe seeing your day start before the sun shows itself watching CNN. However, as a parent of two kids who board that 15-hour plane ride with a continued sense of adventure and flexibility, I have come to despise the mere mention of the word. I am not sure who actually came up with the English term “lag”, but it should be more aptly named “jet havoc” or perhaps “total system meltdown”.

We have gone through 3 bouts of this so-called jet lag with the kids now and it doesn’t get any easier. Eric in particular had a rough go this time. While we have done everything possible to keep him awake, tire him out, fill his belly up at dinner, without fail I hear the whisper next to me around 3AM. Momma, I am hungry. Momma, I have to poop. Momma, can I watch a show? Last night he literally fell asleep at the dinner table and then snuck into his bed to fall asleep again while we cleared the table. We had to prop him up in the tub to wash away the obvious fun-filled day he had. And again…4AM…Momma, is it time to get up yet?

They say give it 1 day for every time zone you cross. Guess that means another 5 more days until all systems are a go. At least I will have plenty of pre-dawn time to contemplate time travel.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Sheer Determination

Plum Rain

We are in the midst of our first Plum Rain season here in Shanghai. The Plum Rain is a "special" meteorological phenomenon of the middle and lowland areas of the Yangtze River. Usually, this glorious season starts in the middle of June and ends in early July, lasting for about 25 days. The climate during this season is characterized by continuous rain and hot temperatures. I think they should have named the season "afro season" because that is what has resulted of my hair over the last few weeks!

The season gets its name from the ancient Chinese, who timed the arrival of the season by the growth of the plum. Usually, the rainy season begins in early summer when the plums are ripe, and lasts about three weeks. There is an old saying about the rainy season: "When the rain falls on the ripe plums, there follows 40 rainy days".

I am amazed at how well people are able to stay dry, even on days like today where they are forecasting 100mm of rain (4 inches for those that don't want to do the math). Until around 10 years ago, Shanghai was mostly a bike/scooter city. So, no doubt there have been many rainy afternoons to tweak one's design.