It’s the morning of my last day up here.

I had a fairly long and busy day yesterday with a movie, dinner, then hanging out with the kids.

I didn’t drink my water and now I’m dehydrated and tired as fuck.

I need rest today.

I have a long drive tomorrow. 18 hours. 17 hours if I’m good.

We’ll see how it goes. Let’s see what time I get up.

I need to make sure Pickles is okay. Don’t need any accidents that will delay me.

Rest.

Tired.

Zen.

Kids.

It was good seeing them all together, all grown up, all drinking.

Time flew.

I’m old.

I was the same age as Sinh was when I first met them. 23.

The year I graduated high school, ’97, was the year that Thien and Minh were born.

Cloud is 26.

Fuck, I’m old.

They’ve all assimilated quickly. They’ve all seem so American now and to think that they came over in 2002.

They didn’t know English and mostly knew Viet and Canto.

That’s how we communicated, canto.

Now, two are out of college and two are graduating next year.

Time flies.

It’s great seeing them grow and become who they are.

Overall, it was a great trip, bad news and being rained out this past week aside.

I got some alone time in nature.

Hiking.

Some form of exercise.

Zen.

I was able to be a couch potato as I let the weather play out.

Pickles…..Pickles is Pickles.

He’s old and still young at the same time.

It’s a grumpy fighter like me with his own neurosis.

I wonder about him sometimes.

I wonder what’s he thinking when he’s acting up and I worry about his stomach.

Now, I will take the day easy, going with the flow, spending whatever time I have left with family, doing laundry, and packing and bright and early tomorrow, be off.

Let’s do this.

Let’s go.

Roll.