Without Dad

As many of you know, my mom, brother, and I have done a lot of trips together in the last year - Savannah / Hilton Head, Alaska, Albuquerque / Santa Fe with the three of us and other relatives. I also took my mom with Mary Ann and her mom and sister on a Marian Trip visiting Fatima, Lourdes, and Montserrat and New Orleans with my aunt and cousin. And then my mom went also to Italy and Vail with her friends.

2023 was a year full of travel - my mom said that she hadn’t been on a plane so much in one year and she averaged once a month!

So when Justin said, "I want to go somewhere, I want to go" and I asked “Where?” Unsurprisingly, he responded with "Japan".

Justin has been 4 times, and he always wanted to take our dad. So as I thought about it, I decided we had to go in early April to see the Cherry Blossoms. Justin's response was, "so you want to go the most expensive time of the year?" Having felt I had just gone in 2017 with fresh memories, I responded "Yes - it’ll feel different". So for Justin's 5th, my 2nd, and my mom's 1st, we are off to Japan for about 10 days.

My brother flew yesterday and transferred in Seoul where he met my mom who has been in an AirBnB for the last 10 days seeing friends. And I fly today via Atlanta landing in Tokyo tomorrow.

I'm excited for this trip and of course, wish my dad could be here. He had not been to Japan either, but I'm glad we're going somewhere Justin really wanted to go and as he always wanted to take my parents.

Before the pandemic, we all went to Chicago for Mother’s Day weekend and before I had a conference. I know my dad enjoyed it because he brought up Chicago a few times when he was in the hospital. And although he can’t be in Japan with us, we know he’ll be with us in spirit as we approach the 3 year anniversary.

A few fun selfies from May 2019 in Chicago…





My brother and mom rendezvoused in Seoul and I tracked my mom on her way to the airport….so proud of her independence and technology capabilities!



We are boarding now and in 15 hours, I’ll be back in Asia with the family!