Making our Peculiar Nest

I have called many places my home: Seoul, San Francisco's East Bay, South Texas, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. My two oldest children have gone to New York for college. Who knows where my younger two sons will end up? Somewhere exciting to visit, I hope. 

I find myself returning to cities that I had bid farewell to. We moved to South Texas when our family was only four people big. We were a young family back then. We tried to fill our lives with what we believed families should have. A job. A house. Piano, Kumon, and tennis for the kids after school. Any new parent will tell you that every moment with their child is simultaneously a teaching and a learning moment. After moving back to California in the 00's, and then a stint in Korea, here we are in the Rio Grande Valley once more. 

This time, though, we have brought two different children to the R.G.V.. The older two have gone to college and started on their own paths to adulthood (but Eunice, the oldest, will be staying with us for a while!). Some parts of motherhood are easier now. Some parts will always be challenging. Luckily, my younger children have two more examples of how people negotiate their life. Parenting is about guiding young people into making good decisions and teaching them the richness of life. 

 I started this blog to connect with my family since we are often not all in the same place. I'll share my recipes, travels, and musings with help from my children and husband. It's also a great excuse to explore the nooks and crannies of this part of the world. Birds make their home with whatever they can find in their area. In this season of our lives, we have made our nest in South Texas.