relatives in the US

Of all the relatives on both my mom and dad's sides of the family, none lived in the United States but us for the longest time. Second Aunt, Uncle, and Ruben were the closest in Caracas, and now that they all have moved, I wish I had taken the opportunity to travel to Venezuela while they lived there.

Ruben was our big cousin who could single-handedly pin both Grant and I to the ground when we tried to tackle him. Grant and I were scrawny teens when we had last seen him, but apparently I've shot up like a weed. Height perspective has changed, but Ruben still has his unabashed humor. I got to introduce Matt to him, and he introduced Sarah to us. She is so friendly and happy.

I was lucky enough to spend time with Aunt and Uncle over two weekends at Mommy's new house, and we'll see them again in Taiwan in a month. Uncle moved Mommy's furniture and belongings - and my piano - up from Florida because I had to work, so I'm deeply grateful. Aunt came down to help settle Mommy in, too. Uncle doesn't say too much, but he's observant and handy around the house, while Aunt welcomes and chats in Taiwanese, Spanish, and English.




Mommy's new house is beautiful and big, and I'm so excited for her! I would come every weekend if I had the time and stamina to make the 3.5 hour drive to Raleigh. I was going to wait until she unpacked some more and bought more furnishings to post pictures. As luck would have it, Mommy started a job at the same time she moved in, so she doesn't have a lot of time to play house. "North Carolina has been very good to your mother," Mr. Kirk says.