Sebastian and Joaquin's Crazy Midwestern Life: June 2008

Dear friends, relatives and other fans:

You'll have to excuse me if this post seems a bit melancholy but we've reached that inevitable point in a baby's foreign service career when he has to say goodbye to a dear friend. Well folks, that time came for me last Sunday when I had to say goodbye to my best buddy Caleb...and his Dad (Kenny), Mom (one of my best ladies, Linsey), and baby brother Isaac.

I first met Caleb at his first birthday party (see incriminating photo), when I was just 1 month old. Considering that Mama and Dada had met his Mommy and Daddy months before and how well we have gotten along since that day, it is down right criminal that we did not meet sooner.

Over the ensuing months, we chased the chicks together (both Abuelito Pablo and Uncle Jamie would be proud),

discussed world politics,

volunteered at the local old folk's home,

painted the town red in our best clubbing clothes,

composed some rockin' tunes (our first cd is due out next fall, stay tuned for details on our cd release party),

and took road trips together.

But one of my favorite memories of Caleb and his family is when we spent Labor Day (the international one, celebrated on May 1st, not the American one) having a picnic, playing soccer and trying to keep our parents from jumping into the pond at a local park. You can read his mom's version of the day's events here: http://ramblesandruminations.blogspot.com/2008/05/may-day-is-lei-day.html. But I have to warn you that her version isn't quite accurate since she says that it was really Caleb who wanted to jump in the pond and not her.

Linsey, Caleb, Kenny, Baby Isaac, Dada and Yours Truly

Kenny and Baby Isaac (Uncle Kenny, if you are reading this, Dada really misses you. Now he has nobody to share is Coke Zero obsession or take leisurely lunches with at Tierra Santa. Also, Mama says that you took the good hummus karma with you.)

Yours Truly and Baby Isaac (I love babies!)

Mama and I (that's an olive tree in the background, the park is full of them).

Limsey and Baby Isaac

Yours Truly and Linsey. I love her! She makes me laugh. (Aunt Linsey, I know you are reading this, so I thought that I would let you know that Mama really, really, really misses you.)

But sadly, all good things must come to an end (at least temporarily anyway, our paths will no doubt cross again soon) and so it was that I found myself on a grey, drizzling Lima evening bidding, not adios, but hasta luego (that's see you later to those of you North of the equator and then some) to our dear friends. I would have liked to have indulged in my sadness but Mama and Dada were grief-stricken and so I had to be strong for them and put on my best game face. So, in closing I leave you with a couple of photos of our last moments with our friends before they hopped on a jet plane to Venezuela, with a 2 month stop-over in D.C. and Utah, where they will be rubbing elbows with international luminaries and statesmen such as Hugo Chavez. Lucky them!