Friday, May 28, 2010

Family trip

I still remember it well. I was only 10. The bedroom door opened. Pa and Ma woke Sa and I - who shared a room in our tiny 2-room apartment - up. Pa could barely contain his glee: he got 5 out of the 6 numbers in Lotto 6/49.

A few moments later, we sat around the breakfast table, excitedly dreaming about the possibilities. Then Pa and Ma said they'd like to do a family trip to Ottawa. Later that day, we discovered 5/6 numbers did not equate millions; but rather $1,500.

I don't know what cracks me up more to this day: thinking we were millionaires or deciding that - out of every single thing to do in the world with our imagined millions - we'd go to Ottawa.

Sadly, since coming together as a family to Canada in April 1989, we had never travelled as a family again. It was a dream of Ma's to travel together again, before Pa passed away in September 2008.

And in less than 24 hours, that dream will become a reality as Ma, Andrew and I travel together to Paris for a 5-day stay, followed by a weekend soujourn to Zurich. Sa can't join us - but I'm ever hopeful this will be the first of many such trips - and will include Sa and Andrew's family - in the years ahead.

I hope this trip is filled with joy, laughter, pleasant surprises, good weather, adventure, good food and relaxation. Honest to God, I can barely contain my excitement!

2 comments:

~m said...

oh, wow! this was both hilarious and really touching :) have a beautiful time!

p.s. you weren't showing up on my feed for a while, so now i have to get all caught up, genesis-a-thon style!

AV said...

Yah, it's been ages since I updated my blog. Just been really busy - and frankly had nothing too interesting to say (when do I ever? lol).

I'm looking forward to catching up on blogging - and other people's lives (I love the blog about your mom's sayings, hehe).

When we get back - and perhaps when Valeria's in town next, or not - we'd love to have you guys over! :)