yes, the rest of the family was there too.

i’m sitting in seat 33h, 38000 feet over canada more than halfway through the first leg of my return trip home to honolulu. it at the same time feels that i just left and that i have been gone for ages; i’m struggling to find words to put down here. i mean, should i give a detailed, blow-by-blow account of my two weeks? or, should i do more to describe my impressions, feelings, etc?

well, first thing’s first, just in case you’ve forgotten, or haven’t been paying attention. isis is my new baby niece, four months old on new years eve. i’d seen dozens of pictures of her before arriving in london, but somehow the pictures just don’t do her justice. i’m not a particularly huge fan of babies, first of all. sure, they can be cute and sweet and blah blah blah. a handful of my friends have babies (one is a few years old now and more like a person than a baby and a very funny kid), but i can’t say as i’ve been terribly interested in them (sorry).

i knew that would all be different just as soon as i saw pictures of her. don’t ask me what it was, but i was so excited to be an uncle. and that excitement was amplified when i met her for the first time. my sister comments often (almost entirely seriously, i think) that isis is just the most beautiful baby in the whole history of the world. while a certain practicality in me makes it impossible for me to make the same statement seriously, i feel much more confident in saying she is the sweetest baby i’ve ever seen. it’s not just her little fingers and toes, or her little rolls of fat, or chubby little cheeks. she is just so well mannered and happy. yes, she alss has just the sweetest little smile and giggle i’ve ever seen or heard.

i won’t deny the fact that i’m just a little biased. there is no doubt that i am very proud and happy to be an uncle.

seeing the rest of the family was nice as well, even my brother. he and i have, admittedly, an odd relationship. then again, maybe it’s just brotherly; we get along just fine, but aren’t particularly close.

this was also only the third time i’ve seen and spent any time with my brother-in-law. i do really like him and think he’s great. at the same time, though, i still don’t feel like i know him that well. i guess that’s to be expected and the feeling will certainly diminish as we both get older….

I’m not sure there’s much to say with regard to what when on while i was there. i went to spend time with family and that’s pretty much what i did. most days were spent hanging around the house, playing with the baby, and getting out at least once a day to walk around town or for lunch or dinner. i did travel into the city one day to see my best friend from college, hal, and meet for the first time his girlfriend, zoe, who lives there. She’s great. Perfect for him. We had a good time at lunch and i was glad to have the opportunity to meet her and spend time with him.

christmas was, as far as i’m aware, pretty basic. we spent much of the day at charles’ parents’ house with his side of the family. it was quite nice and entertaining to see his nephews open and play with their new christmas gifts. their house is very cozy and i’m glad to have been able to spend the holiday with them.

two days after christmas, charles became violently ill and was actually taken to the hospital for a few hours. that started a domino chain of illness in the house, with i being the last to succumb nearly a week later and just a few days before i was slated to return to the islands, though i didn’t get nearly as sick as some of the others. even baby isis seemed to get a cold for a day, or so, though it didn’t stop her from being well mannered and oh so sweet.

lastly, i was fortunate to be able to spend the new year holiday with hal and zoe, along with some of their friends. it was also a typical new year’s celebration for me without too much to report. i had a great time and am thrilled that i got to do that while i was there….

i’m back now. back in honolulu and back to my life. i was a little sad to leave, as i don’t see the london contingent very often, but i’m so glad to be back. i missed my friends, my bed, and i missed the islands. vacations are wonderful for so many reasons, among them being their ability to take you out of your life temporarily and make you appreciate the things you have as well as the people in your life. there’s no place like home.