New Jersey

I know this three-day post is cheating, but this trip has been full of times of such rich conversation that I have not had much time to sit down with my computer. And it has been hugely therapeutic to be off the grid for a few days, so to speak.

New Jersey isn't the most alluring destination for a family vacation, but actually, this visit has felt like a vacation in many ways. First of all, it's felt very foreign. We're not familiar with the part of Jersey that Paul's sister has just moved to, and don't know our way around. We were also not familiar with the 7 BR house that they just bought - the place is so huge that it is easy to get lost inside! It's a colonial-style home built in 1885 with original details like stained glass windows, decorated moldings, and chandeliers. It even has a servant staircase and dumbwaiter. Umma (Paul's Mom) and Halmuni (Grandma) have their own rooms, and there is a guest wing with 3 extra empty bedrooms. The home has so many lovely interior touches that feel quintessentially East Coast to me. Everything here is so steeped in history. It's also foreign to see Suzi driving a Honda Odyssey with automatic doors, baking brownies, and making chicken soup. She's an ambitious, MBA-holding ex-banker that seems more grounded and content than ever after moving to the suburbs. It's a beautiful thing to see her embracing this phase of motherhood with vigor.

We also had the pleasure of hanging out with Danny and Kristen for a few days as they vacationed here for a few days, going into the city every day to hang out with friends, see the opera, go to shows, and just being awesome in their late 20's. We didn't even bother going into the city during this trip with the various kinds of treacherous weather (below freezing, snowing all day, torrential rain) we have had when there is a whole play room with dozens of toys for the kids to enjoy all day. Instead, we let the kids have their cousin time, played in the snow when it was not quite as freezing, ate tons of Korean food prepared by Imo (Paul's super-Aunt), played an epic and hilarious game of Cranium (Suzi/Dave vs. Danny/Kristen vs. me/Paul - we won due to his knowledge of the moon's phases and my expert humming skills), had long conversations with Suzi and Dave, and enjoyed the new 65-inch TV mounted above the decorative fireplace. Perfect vacation.