We're home (well... in CA)

Keith and Scott Kelley in Charlevoix - Summer 2006

I can't really begin this blog again without acknowledging Keith Kelley and his strong will and determination in fighting his battle with Cancer over this past year. We are so deeply saddened by his departure that it's difficult to even write these words. Our nephew and his family have our love, our support but mostly our admiration for the beautiful way they have managed through this insanely difficult journey. We love them all deeply and will always love and cherish Keith. He will always be our nephew and live on in our family.

Here is a link to his beautifully written blog - this is a record of Keith's journey for those who haven't been to his site before.

http://keithkelley.blogspot.com/

Our departure was quick. I'm probably still digesting the fact that this chapter in our lives - an exciting one at that - is finished. Google was remarkably supportive of John's desire to go back to the states and all the folks we've met while in India were - albeit sad, still very supportive and kind.

John's group at Google - those that worked for him and with him in this Indian office - had an outpouring of emotion at the announcement of his pending departure. I don't think they could have done more for him in his final week to show how much they care. I was astonished at the impact he had (according to them anyway) on their young professional lives. They professed immense respect and loyalty to John after only working for him, in some cases, just a matter of months.

Our departing journey to the airport in Delhi, India, consisted of two big cars. Not so much because of luggage but because our entire household was determined to see us off at the airport. Annan (houseboy), Deepok (mgr of houseboy), Jack (the cook) were all stuffed into another car with our luggage and a driver to get to the airport. Very sweet and kind of humorous. Our last day also included a visit to our driver's (Micky's) home to meet with his wife, mother, son, sister, brother in law and niece. It was a joy to see an authentic Indian household and they were more than generous hosts. Great for the boys and for us.

I'm not sure where this blog will go from here. This past week was full of emotions for us - some intensely sad moments, some happiness at the thought of coming home and then frankly, just a ton of hard work to wrap things up quickly. I'm still catching my breath which is hard to do on any given day with 3 darling boys at my side!

ps. I have updated the Picassa page with some recent pics.

Matt turns 7 - In India!

Taste and texture - that's the best way to describe my son Matt. He's always the most difficult to buy a present for because he just doesn't want very much. His wish list - whether from Santa or at his birthday usually consists of something to do with food and something to do with the art store (modeling clay, dough etc.). The great thing about this is that while Jack is emptying our wallets with his electronic and Lego requests, Matt costs us very little (in $$). On the other hand.... how do you make the day special or get him excited? Especially in India?

After talking with John, we decided to take the approach my mom used. Today became "Matt's Day". We made a list of the things he wanted to do, what he wanted to eat and put together an itinerary and menu. I was happy to follow. In my family, you got to pick your favorite foods (which is a pretty powerful thing when EVERYONE else has to eat whatever you choose), pick a gift under $10, decide what kind of cake and icing you wanted and then, the most exciting part, ... you got to choose one person you wanted to stay up with you as late as you could possibly stay up watching TV - no bedtime. My memories were of staying up until the weeeeee hours until someone finally carried me up to bed. Since my dad went to bed by 8, we were probably in bed by 10 but boy did it feel late. I think that same sense of power and control set in with Matt today and he had a fabulous day. As much as he wanted to stay up late, he quietly slipped into pj's and climbed into my bed as soon as we got home. It's 8pm.

His birthday list included:
Brunch at the Trident Hotel (yum, twist my arm)
Family Swim (I had to go to the pool but he gave me a pass on getting in the water)
Tennis with mom (twist my arm again!)
Brownie cake with icing (I actually found a brownie mix)
Go to a movie (Surfs Up - the surfing penguins - it was quite funny)

I've attached a couple pictures of our day but I hope it was memorable enough for Matt so that someday he can say - I remember turning 7 while living in India. That would be a great present for me.

ps - When I asked Matt what his favorite present or moment was - he said when he found a small purple tear shaped crystal on his plate at brunch. Jack helped me pick it out. Matt loves precious gems. He is my precious gem.

India - Phase 2

http://picasaweb.google.com/nkelley66/KelleySummerVacationInMichigan

Click on the link above if you are interested in seeing pics from our trip back to Michigan....

We are back!! No complaints about the trip with the boys - in truth, they are amazing travelers. I think limiting their Nintendo DS use to planes, trains and automobile rides over 1 hour was a brilliant parenting move and pays off in spades when it's travel time. They actually look forward to the ride! If my camera had been available on the plane, I would have posted a picture of Jack, finally asleep after 14 hours of travel (a true all nighter at the age of 9) with his DS still in hands (barely), his eyes closed and an open mouth. Matt was kind enough to gently remove the DS and turn it off to reserve any battery power that might still be left.

Our first day has been uneventful but totally OFF schedule. After going to bed at 1am, two boys were up at 6:30am while Jack slept until 4pm. Seriously - Jack slept for 15 hours. Now Matt and Owen are napping and Jack is wide awake. Will be an interesting night.

We have orientations, unpacking and some re-socializing to do over the next few days. I felt very sad this morning when John left for work - I felt kind of displaced. I'm feeling much better now.

All our help (servants) have enjoyed their US presents even though they are all made in this part of the world. Every tag says, Made in China or Made in Thailand. What the heck? Our houseboy immediately departed after Matt gave him his presents (gap jeans in a 28 waist, a RL polo shirt and an Adidas Mens Kit) so I was a bit confused as he quietly left. Had I insulted him? 30 minutes later he re-appeared wearing his new clothes and VERY excited to show me how nice he looked. He did look fabulous. I also think he was wearing the Adidas cologne and deodorant. Wonderful!

I am going to get back to blogging. Kind of missed it. I'm looking forward to blogging about my first monsoon season, my first visitors from the US and our experiences at the International School. Keep your fingers crossed I can find a soccer team for Jack!