Back home for a few days [Joshua Burke]

When mom had been in the States for a few days, dad told me after Thai language class that he was thinking about getting a ticket to go back home. I thought that he was kidding, but sure enough he bought the tickets that night and I had 1 hour to pack. Our flight from Phuket to Seoul left at midnight and was 5 hours. At Seoul we had a 9-hour layover at the airport and we just rested. We got a lounge area for four hours and I had a buffet and took a well-needed shower. I also played a cool game called Munchkins. It's a game where you have a character and you fight monsters and gain levels. I love it. After our time was up we went to the cultural center. I painted a fan and watched a really cool performance before going to our gate. The last flight was from Seoul to Seattle and took 11 hours. By boat it would take nearly a month.

Even though it is warmest part of the year in this part of the hemisphere, it still is feels really cold. Although the temperature is not as bad as when I last came here from Australia, in the winter. I basically froze as soon as I stepped out of the airport last time. Luckily this time mom came to pick us up in the Hummer at the airport, which saved us getting a cab. I also got to sleep in the back, since I was basically out. When we arrived at my dad's sister’s house, Aunt Debbie, I was so excited to see her. Unfortunately we were not able to see each other very long and we headed off to Whidbey Island. As soon as we arrived at the house I took out my bike for a spin.  Problem was I didn't fit on the bike. Luckily I fit on dad's bike perfectly. Before going to bed I went to go say hello to my cousins Bruce and Sharon, who just live up the hill.

The pier 

Me with Granny, Arlene, and Glen. 

Whenever I travel to a place by plane I always try to go to bed and wake up at the appropriate time. Going to bed is easy; waking up the next morning at the right time is hard. When we traveled to Norway in 2010 I took a nap in the morning and woke up at midnight. Whoops.

We drove down to Portland, Oregon for my cousins wedding. It is about a five hour drive, but it is not as bad as some other road trips I have done. We went in the Hummer and not some car which barley fit us all. We got two hotel rooms for a couple days and drove around Portland. The wedding was at Kelly's point park, which is really nice. Met up with a bunch of family from my Mom's side that was a lot of fun. Most of them I haven't seen for years.

At the wedding. 

The next day my family, grandma, and my grandma's sister, Arlene along with her husband Glen and their son Ben went out to the Cheesecake Factory. I had a deluxe French toast that was amazing. Best of all I had a peanut butter chocolate fudge cheesecake, which was super filling. It was only one slice and I couldn't eat it all. We then split up. I went with Arlene and Glen to aunt Kim's house. Jacob and James went to granny's house, and mom and dad went shopping. Glen is really good at tennis so I had to play Wii tennis against him. I ended up winning barely. I guess it is not the same, especially when you play both positions. We also played bowling and cycling. After getting our three-entry visa for Thailand in Portland, we headed off back home. 

My all time favourite ice cream store.