Our Last night in GZ...

Hi everyone,
C here...again.

Mom is upstairs trying to settle K & D into a slumber before it's tool late.

We leave the hotel tomorrow morning at 9AM headed for the airport, and a late morning flight to Hong Kong.
We expect to have enough time to dump the bags at our hotel and head off to Hong Kong Disneyland for a few hours.
We think we'll have enough time to have a full day, since they are open late.
(PS -  Don't tell Kyle or Dylan - it's a secret.)

We're a bit sentimental about our second trip to GZ and the White Swan.
The first time around, there were 10 other families and things always seemed so hectic.
"Do we have everyone?" "Does everyone have their babies & Passports?"
Today we'll be visiting _____".  There really wasn't a lot of downtime.
This time around was much more laid back, we got a chance to get off the island to the Zoo, but most of the rest of the time was family time, for us.  It was good bonding time and fun time, especially at the pool.  But this time it was just different, maybe not dramatically better or worse, but different.
Lisa would probably say that we were bored at times but sometimes that kind of empty time is good if the alternative is go-go-go.
Anyway, although we're sad to leave such a nice place, leaving means we're heading homeward.
This is a good thing.

Today was Dylan's "swearing in" ceremony, which was done at the US Consulate in downtown GZ.
I remember the walk from the bus into the building for Kyle's ceremony very clearly.
It is still a difficult emotion to explain - the moment that you see Our Flag in a an official capacity, in a foreign country.
(I probably wrote about it in Kyle's blog - since it was a first time experience...)
It's pride...it's comfort...it's English...it's a whole lot of things rolled into one.
You really need to be here to experience it first-hand.  My descriptions would not do it justice.

Our guide MJ assisted us into a large waiting room with 20 or so windows at the front (much like bank teller stations.)
We were first off the bus and, because we were traveling alone with our guide, we were able to hustle inside to be first in line.
Lisa handed over our US Passports, the agent behind the glass figured we looked enough like those horrible photos that he let us sit down.  It took maybe 20 minutes for the other 40 families to get seated and situated.  It was heart-warming to look around the large room and see a very broad mix of people, all proud as could be and all here for the same reason.
Lisa took Dylan's oath this time, since Kyle and I were permanently attached 2 and a half years ago.
She did wonderfully and as quick as it started, it was over. Short - Yes...Profound - Absolutely.
She leaned over to me and as we looked at each others' moist eyes, we pecked out a quick kiss.
It was a great experience this time as well.
The boys were oblivious and we were quickly yanked back to reality as Kyle was trying to tell us that Dylan had just dropped a raisin on the floor and picked it up and ate it. "Goss!" shouted Kyle. (i.e. "Gross")
I'm surprised that raisin hit the floor at all, given the way Dylan is with food!

A funny Dylan story...

The past few times we called to speak to Grandmom & Pop-Pop Lockhead ("the ones that live next to us" as Kyle likes to call them), I have emphatically tried to have Dylan right by the phone to say his name for them.  Wanting to please us, he has noticed that when we were on the phone with GM & PP, he stayed near the phone and shouted out "Dylan Lockhead", in his little Dylan voice.

After bath time tonight, Lisa asked me to call housekeeping to get two fresh new towels for the morning. As I sat near the phone ready to call, I saw Dylan and Kyle playing with their Play-Doh across the room.  I tuned my back to dial, and no sooner did I finish dialing did I hear loudly from over my right shoulder "Dylan Lockhead"!!

Apparently, due to Pavlovian conditioning, any time we pick up the phone for any reason, Dylan see it and makes his way quickly to the handset to offer "Dylan Lockhead."  Lisa and I laughed for 10 minutes as we took turns picking up the phone to a chorus of "Dylan Lockhead".

Very funny.

We had dinner tonight at La Dolce Vita again.  Good meal, reasonable prices.

On the way home we had our final night of "stroller races" on the 11th floor of the White Swan.
The hotel is shaped like a flattened diamond, with the elevator bank in the middle.
The hallway is continuous and circles the floor.  So no matter which way you turn off the elevator, you can still get to our room.
(We're about 3/4 of the way down one of the legs of the diamond.)
For the last few nights, as soon as the elevator doors open on 11 (hopefully no one is waiting to get on!!) Dad grabs the stroller and passenger has has for that night and races the "long way" to the room.  When I say races, I really do means RUNS (to both Kyle's and Dylan's delight).  Mom goes the short way, sometimes trots, but most times just walks quickly.  It is really a lot of fun for the whole family. Like it was tonight, it's usually a tie, but by my count, Kyle was ahead for the week.
Congratulations Special-K!!

It taken me an hour to pound this episode out, so I need to get moving.
Sleep awaits.  Flights and a Big Day tomorrow.  Tomorrow night in Hong Kong.
The next day is a travel day from Hong Kong to Tokyo (long Layover!) then on to Honolulu and the US of A.

I am hopeful that we'll be able to post some photos once we get to Hawaii, since we've been stockpiling them!

I'm not sure when we'll post next, but until then we hope everyone has a safe couple of days and we'll talk to you when we talk to you.

Thanks for following along.
C

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