To the motherland...

How do we blog about our three week vacation without boring or taking up fifty pages of our blog?? This was my (Lisa) second time to Vietnam... we went five years ago: childless. So, this trip was extremely different from the previous time. This trip Joel, Kaden and I went with Joel's sister and their family: Thu, Thanh, Gabby, Nathan and Zachary. We were at the beach a whole lot more, ate at "cleaner" places, had a driver and stayed at people's houses. I loved having the driver... I think we spent a lot of time catching buses and taxis last time... and with a driver we can stop when we want... go farther quicker... and not have cigarette smoke blowing in our faces at all times. It was really good to be gone during the hustle and bustle of the holidays in the US. We weren't worrying about presents, parties, and all the stresses that come along with the holidays. But it was very weird to be in a warm (hot) place and not all bundled up with our coffee. It didn't feel like Christmas even though everywhere was decked out with Christmas trees and snowmen. Which felt soooo wrong. Hahha! It was great to be with Joel's parents and all the extended family in Vietnam. We celebrated Christmas Eve in Can Tho where my grandfather pastored. I never met my grandfather... he passed away the year I was born. But I felt like I knew him from the legacy of the churches that he pastored and planted all along Southern Vietnam. I loved hearing the stories of the simple stories of our parent's and aunties and uncle's childhood... what they liked to eat, where they went, what they did... very nostalgic. The weather was perfect. The food was okay. (we ate way better on the last trip.... cleaner restaurants usually doesn't mean better food). hahaha! Last trip we did more night life stuff... obviously this time with younger kiddos we were in the hotel fairly early. Overall this was an amazing trip to be with family and friends. I love my people. I love the motherland. I hope Kaden can feel like he knows where he comes from... the hardship, the perseverance, the love, the beauty, the pain, the uniqueness... the motherland...Vietnam.