CURRENT SIT REP:

1:00 PM (LOCAL TIME) - We're here in Newark, NJ chilling out watching the Raiders on the flat screen tv's. My sister-in-law went to find another flight out of here that would get her back to LAX before our scheduled arrival of 8:30pm. Fortunately she was able to find one flying out of JFK that gets her home around 4:00pm... score!!

I called my bro to see what their plans are for this evening - looks like he's sick, and trying to get his wife sick too (misery loves giving their bad germs to someone else so that he could have fun tonight!!). *hahaha - nice one bro* Anyway, I'm so glad that I called them because Maria suggested we look into the Admiral Lounge here (since our flight to LAX has been delayed and won't leave here until 7:30pm now). Yeah, that's 6 more hours we'll be stuck here sitting around doing nothing - so we might as well take advantage of some soft leather seats, a quieter surrounding, and Internet access!!! *whoo-hooo* I suppose we could do worse with our time. Thanks again sis!!!

So we'll be here - hope everyone has a safe New Year!! We'll see you in two-double-oh-seven!! ;-)

FLIGHT STATUS:

CANCELLED...

Yep, looks like one more night in Durham, NC. We checked the flight status before leaving this morning at 6am. Everything flying through Texas has been cancelled. So this morning was spent on the phone, and on the net looking for a way to get home. We finally were able to get seats on a flight to New Jersey (where we will enjoy a 5 hour lay over) before catching our flight back to LAX that lands us at 8:30pm... SUNDAY night. =S

I drove out to the Raleigh Airport to try and talk with the ticketing agent about getting us re-routed today. Needless to say, it was a madhouse at the airport - all of the ticketing agents looked so stressed out (not to mention the hoards of travellers on their cell phones waiting to take their shot at the agents). When it was my turn I didn't want to make too much of a fuss. I was given a phone number to call to get re-routed, but that wasn't going to help me there. Realizing the futility of this exercise I wished her a happy holidays and headed back to my sister-in-law's place.

Holiday travel is a first for us - we usually stay close to home or at least drive to where we want to go. I understand there can be a lot of unexpected surprises in travelling during the holidays, but seriously, you can't get mad at the airlines for bad weather in Texas, can you? We're all safe and sound, enjoying the comforts of home... well, my sister-in-law's home, anyway. Besides, it's better than being stuck in Texas somewhere among crowds of miserable people at the airport, right? =)

Maybe tomorrow will be a better travel day? Stay safe out there everyone!! We'll be home soon...

HARD TO SAY GOOD-BYE:

So this post comes from Durham, NC (still). It looks like we're extending our stay one more night. We arrived at the airport, checked in the rental car with Avis, loaded up the luggage onto the shuttle, got dropped off at the terminal, made it to the electronic self-check-in... all no problem! We moved forward to get our bags checked and noticed that our flight was delayed (original departure at 6pm now became 7:20pm). The agent assured us we would not miss our connecting flight in Dallas Fortworth, and he proceeded to load our luggage onto the conveyor belt. Since we have a lap-child (Jacob), we have to notify the agent that he is with us. As this agent was punching up our info into her computer, our flight went from DELAYED to CANCELLED!! This is a first for me, so we asked what our alternatives were, and if there was some other way to route us to southern California. Several minutes and keystrokes later the answer came back: no. Oh, as a consolation (don't ask me why she told me this) she told us that she could get us to Boston or St. Louis... but that was it. No way to get us out west tonight. I just gave her the "what-am-I-going-to-do-in-Boston-or-St.Louis-with-two-kids" look. She got it.

Fortunately we were able to call back HieRan's sister and her husband to come and get us from the airport - check out Mia's look as we were waiting for our ride: www.themkids.blogspot.com

It seems there was a tornado watch in Dallas Fortworth, and the bad weather cancelled all flights into Texas. Hopefully we'll be able to catch the 7am flight tomorrow morning *crossing fingers*. Safe travel to everyone out there!!! *That means you two, Bertrand & Kimmy*

Well, I'm clicking away here on my sister-in-law's computer, and the doorbell just rang. PIZZA's HERE!!!!

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

December 23: Travel day
After a long night of doing laundry and packing up, we headed out to LAX to catch our flight. Surprisingly we were able to check in pretty quickly, and it was off to the gate!! The first leg of our trip took us to Dallas / Fort Worth where we were scheduled to have a 3 hour lay over *grrrrr*!! If not for the TGI Fridays located in the airport, and the several flat screens showing the Raider game, I don't know what we would have done in our time there! *btw, the Raiders were spanked, yet again, by the Chiefs... whatever, right?* We finally took off for the second leg of our trip to Durham, NC where we arrived at around 2am (local time). We picked up our rental van and headed out to my sister-in-law's home (a whole 10 miles away from the airport!!). The weather wasn't too much colder than it has been in Woodland Hills, so we were all pretty comfortable. The kids did great on the flight there - Jacob slept a lot of the way while Mia kept herself entertained with her Auntie Yung, who met us at LAX.

December 24: We spent the day meeting with the newest edition to the family, baby Gordon (aka - Gordo the Conqueror) as well as playing with his older siblings, Nicholas and Haley (see their various pictures here with Mia and Jacob). I'll post more pictures when we return home on Friday.

December 25: the Kids Tear it UP!!!
With gifts galore under the tree, all of the kids tore into the packaging with zeal. Mia was a little slow to get up (the time change hadn't caught up with her yet), but once the sound of laughter and paper tearing filled the air, she was up!

December 26: The Mall
So we took a little drive out to see some of the local areas, including their mall.

December 27: To the airport
I play chauffeur to my sister-in-law and husband who flew out this morning back to Orange County. I return with breakfast and a hankering for some coffee. ONWARD TO STARBUCKS!!!

December 28: Chill day
A pretty relaxing day today. Jacob and I caught up on some sleep while everyone else headed out to the shopping mall in Raleigh. Jacob caught a bit of a cold (which he's kindly shared with the other kids... sorry about that, sis) and it's zapping some of his energy... though not enough as he is STILL as active as ever. This was made quite evident when we went to dinner later that night at the Nantucket Grill. HieRan and I still tag-team during mealtime. Usually I scarf down my food while HieRan entertains, distracts, and feeds Jacob... then we switch. The food was good, the company was great, and the desserts (yes, we had more than ONE slice of six-layer cake which we brought home) made the evening perfect! That and a nice cup of coffee kept me up late enough to catch some NBA on TNT. Yeah, I was up past midnight watching the west-coast games... sheesh! =S

December 29: Homeward bound via the RDU
We take off today, so before I forget, I want to give a shout out (YO YO YO... whaddup!!) well, a "thank you" anyway, to my sister, HieWon and Dr. Alex, for providing rooms for us this visit. It was really great to see you all again - especially the kids (who have really come into their own and aren't scared of me anymore - yay!!!). Gordon, you are in great hands with this family - but I'm hoping you'll keep everyone on their toes in your own way *heh*. Nicholas (the big bro), take care of your sibs, and keep an eye on mom and dad. Haley (the princess), you are turning out to be such a cutie-pie!! We can't wait to see you all again soon.

*little did I know that it would be much sooner than expected... read on next post*

ICE ICE BABY:

So today started out like every other school-day:

-get up at 4am to feed Jacob, then put him back down to sleep

-turn off alarm at 6am

-get up at 7:30am and convince Mia that it IS time to get up

-wash her, dress her, feed her breakfast

-pack her lunch

-brush teeth, fix hair... then realize I'm still in MY pajamas *haha*

-step out and head to school... wait!!

The last part didn't go as smoothly as usual. It was soooo cold last night and this morning that I found the jeep covered in ice!! Now I KNOW I have an ice scraper from our days up in the Bay Area where frosted windows were commonplace during this time of year. I guess we've just been spoiled with the 75 degree weather here in southern Cali (I'm going to miss this). I dug it up and began to scrape away... forgetting to put on my gloves, of course. Naturally my hands were nice and frosty by the time I finished my task (good job there, Arnold).

Good thing we're heading to the sunny shores of North Carolina next week!! *hahaha - j/k* Maybe we'll go to Florida next year?! =S

MERMAIDS BANQUET:

Tonight was Mia’s soccer banquet. We were joined by the families of her teammates: Abbey, Annika, Emily, Gillian, and Hayley – the Mermaids!! The night started with dinner – an Italian feast that quickly put me into “food coma” status. Yep - good food, and good times with great friends... what more could you ask for? After our meals, Coach Allison gathered the team together to hand out certificates and trophies.

Abbey: As the enforcer of the team, and daughter of Coach Allison, Abbey wouldn’t let anything (or anyone) stand in the way of her getting to the ball. This often included (at times) gently “nudging” the opponents out of the way *he he*.

Annika: As the youngest member of the team, Annika has come the furthest in her soccer education. Now a seasoned veteran, Annika continues to pass balls with accuracy to her fellow Mermaids!

Emily: The “scoring machine”. Emily took advantage of every opportunity to score – get her going in the right direction, and she’s UNSTOPPABLE!!!

Gillian: Also known as “the Flash”, Gillian gave the Mermaids a burst of speed that left everyone in the dust. No one could catch her on offense or defense, and that was instrumental in the team’s success.

Hayley: The defensive specialist. Hayley Z stopped a handful of goals from making it into the net this season. There were a number of times where she intercepted the ball just in the nick of time and kicked the ball out of play.

Mia: With her “super kicks”, Mia would set up the balls that eventually found their way into the goal. I can’t begin to tell you how proud we are of her this season.

All of the girls did such a great job. With Coach Allison guiding and teaching them, the Mermaids all came away developed new soccer skills, a sense of team work, and a trophy to remember this special time together. Sadly, this will be Mia’s last time playing with the Mermaids as we are moving back to the Bay Area soon. Thank you Mermaids, and thank you to Coach Allison and Assistant Coach Jan.

GO MERMAIDS!!!

IT IS OFFICIAL:

Remember in one of my earlier posts how I said this year could end in a blur?

This past Friday HieRan returned from Chicago (her company's US Headquarters) with a promotion, a new title, a new team, and a new geography to cover. After two years calling Woodland Hills our home, we are heading back to Northern California and the Bay Area. Our time here has been so fulfilling - we leave with new experiences, new friends, and a new baby boy.

To all of our family and friends, thank you for your continued love and support these past couple of years. And to our friends here in Woodland Hills, we will make plans to visit and be with you who made our stay here a pleasure. =*) Thank you for everything!!

-Arnold, HieRan, Mia, & Jacob

WHAT TO DO... WHAT TO DO?

*sighs* No more soccer games this year - so we really didn't know what to do on Saturday. I will say that "sleeping-in" was a renewed (and somewhat unusual) experience for me. I tend to be the one who gets up when Jacob or Mia summon us, but HieRan was kind enough to get up (with a little assistance from my foot in her backside) and get Jacob when he woke up. *thanks babe*

Once we were all up, we decided to head out to the mall to do some shopping (yeah, the mall on a weekend... pretty brave of us, right?). Earlier in the week we promised Mia a reward if she completed book #6 in her school (thinking it would take her at least another week to do this... boy, were we wrong). It turns out Mia completed book #6, then proceeded to finish reading book #7 in the same week!! *I don't know why my forehead isn't redder for smacking it as often as I do... nice job, Mia!* So instead of just one reward, she earned TWO rewards (which she traded up for one BIG reward). It's no surprise that she got up bright and early on Saturday morning with shopping on the brain (I know... it won't be the last time for that, either). By the time we got ready, Jacob decided he wanted to take a nap (thanks, buddy). About an hour later (now 12 noon) we were ready to hit the mall! I was pleasantly surprised at how easy we found parking by Target, but I'm not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, so I took it! A quick bite to eat up at the Dining Terrace, and we were ready to do hit Target (haha - no pun intended... but pretty clever, yes?). With so many stores between us and Target, it took us a while to actually GET there - but we made it and got our shop on!! We escaped the mall with several bags in tow just as it started to get dark (and more crowded). A quick stop at home and a much needed potty break, and we were off to Calabasas!

We decided to have dinner at King's Fish House earlier in the day, so I was saving my appetite for their penne pasta with shrimps, scallops, and pine nuts! With our bellies full (and my buckle bursting), we took a little stroll around the nicely lit shopping area. Even though it was chilly, and starting to sprinkle, we were all bundled up nice and warm. The walk was brisk and refreshing (as brisk, refreshing walks go) - and if it weren't for that coffee milkshake I inhaled earlier in the day, I'd like to say that I burned as many calories as I consumed with all the walking (haha- yeah, right). Hey, I said I'd like to say that... but I won't. ;-)

As we arrived home, the light sprinkles started to get a little heavier... perfect timing. It rained pretty hard last night - flash flood warnings in the LA County area, I heard. Regardless, we were home, and the kids (after getting washed up) were tucked in their beds - exhausted from the day's activities. I think we did more shopping for THEM than anyone else (which typically happens), so they made out like bandits at the mall today. HieRan and I decided to stay up a little and watch a movie from our neglected Netflix collection (what do you mean "Star Wars" is an old movie??). *j/k* No, we watched a more pleasant movie, Assault on Precinct 13 - a love story... I think (if you LOVE violence!!). *whoo!!*

We turned in soon afterwards - I guess we did a pretty good job filling up this Saturday. :-)

MERMAIDS FINAL VICTORY:

Today marked the final game for Mia and her soccer team, The Mermaids. Not present for today's game were Coach Allison and fellow Mermaid, Abbey (Coach Allison's daughter). The Mermaids played an inspirational game today - scoring 4 goals against their opponents, The Starbucks. The first 2 goals came in the first half. The Mermaids dominated possession, keeping the Starbucks on their heels and putting constant pressure on their opponent's goal. As the half came to a close, the Starbucks were able to get on the board, scoring a goal and keeping the game close. But after a break (and some much needed refreshments... thanks Kristy!) the Mermaids were back to action! They would score another 2 goals to the Starbuck's 1. Speed, precision, communication, team work, and 5 pairs of purple-clad feet is what won the game! Ahhh yes... a finely-tuned kicking machine, these Mermaids.

Mermaid Emily scored a hat trick (at least 3 goals in one game) while her teammates provided timely assists, a solid defensive wall, precision passing... oh, and group hugs after every score!! Assistant Coach, Jan, stepped in once again to provide inspirational leadership, sound coaching, and on-the-field moral support. Jan was also instrumental in getting the Mermaids to go in the right direction... way to go, Jan! *thumbs up*

Mia and The Mermaids vs. The Starbucks

When the whistle blew at the end of the game, the Mermaids emerged victorious. Final count 4-2. As with every game, a cheer was given to the opposing team (which for some reason had me craving a latte), and both teams ran through the tunnel made up of all the parents' outstretched arms. The Mermaids partook of their after-game snack (thanks for the ice cream bars, Kristy... man, I really should've taken that 2nd one!!) and we said our good-byes before going our separate ways. We'll get together again soon when Coach Allison and Abbey are back to celebrate a successful (injury free) season!! WE MISSED YOU!!!

As a side-note, and since this is MY "sports report"...

Today the #2 ranked USC Trojans fell to the Bruins of UCLA. It was a defensive struggle, to say the least, whereby the (once) mighty offensive USC powerhouse failed to put 10 points on the board (WHAT THE...). Congrats to UCLA for a well-executed game plan, and to those USC fans... *ahem - David* maybe next year... sorry bro. ;) *heh*

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...