End of the year letter

Well, it’s that time of the year again with chilly weather and you can see your breath every time you are outside. Oh, we are in sunny Hawaii and that being said you know it’s fall when Starbucks start to make the delicious pumpkin spice latte or when you see Christmas commercials on T.V. It always amazes me how fast a year can go by when you do not think about it.

I sometimes wonder how parents or grandparents feel about how fast a year can go by, since they have been on this Earth longer than usy. This year, I have done a lot of firsts. For example, it was the first time I rode a jet ski and alsoor went boxcar racing with my dad and my uncle. Riding on a jet ski was truly a scary, yet satisfying experience. I was hesitant  at first but I am glad that my dad and my uncle pushed me to go. In fact, I held onto the jet ski as tight as I could, worrying I would fall off at one point. The boxcar racing with my dad and my uncle was truly a fantastic experience. My dad was in control the whole time, and we raced with my uncle for three laps.  My uncle won, sadly,but, still, a checkmark on my bucket list.

The funniest moment of 2015 is when my family drove to the water park during the summer in Taipei. We had to cross a long tunnel, perhaps 12 miles long on the freeway. There was my ten year old cousin Colin, my little sister, my cousin Khloe (who is the same age as my sister) and her little brother Liam, who is a feisty two year old boy. Of course, there were our parents in the car and our uncle driving too. Hannah and Khloe wouldn’t stop talking in the third row of the minivan. The rest of us tried to ignore them and basically enjoy the ride, except for Colin, who was seated in the back with the girls. Colin isn’t a fluent English speaker for his age. We could tell that Colin was a little agitated with the little girls talking nonsense in English, but he was quietly playing games on his iPhone and listening to music. What could possibly go wrong inside the tunnel with no cellluar connection?? Colin’s iPhone was disconnected from the internet andI could tell Colin was a bit annoyed by this. The girls couldn’t wait to get to the water park and were having a mini pillow fight in the back. Once the pillow hit Colin by accident, chaos erupted in no time.

“NO TOUCH ME,” Colin yelled to the girls angrily.

The girls shrugged and changed the subject to My Little Pony.

“SHUT UP!!” Colin yelled in broken English once more.

Now tears erupted in the back with Hannah and Khloe crying. It was a madhouse back in the 3rd row. To make matters worse, little Liam made a stinker in his diaper and was playing with himself but we didn’t notice it because we were so busy trying to calm the waters in the 3rd row. I didn’t care about all the commotion and was listening to music that my uncle pre-downloaded on his car console (a good mix of K-pop and Michael Jackson). In fact, I might have been the first to know that Liam made a stinker because he wanted me to give him a high-five.

“What is on your hand, Liam?” asked my mom.

“Is that poop?” said my uncle.

It sure smelled like it and we had all the windows down for the remainder of the ride. It was miserable at the time, but it’s funny now that I think about it. Luckily, we exited the freeway and drove to the rest stop to get everyone at peace with each other.  Everyone was busy like a bee being scolded , changing diapers or buying a bottle of Starbucks Frappuccino from 7/11 (totally me). We headed back in the car with new seats. I realized these kind of memories stick in your head somehow. That day might have been the most annoying day of my life but I couldn’t stop laughing at the antics of the 3rd row and little Liam.

It is fun to reflect on it.

Now, we will all enjoy the turkey, pies and spending time with our families during this holiday season. To me, the holiday season isn’t about the gift-giving or the delicious food. It’s about spending time with your family.

This year, I laughed, I smiled, I met some new people and I wrote for the Kalani newspaper. Fun times all the way. Overall, it’s been a great year with a few bumps along the way. But the bumps made the whole year interesting. I don’t want to think about the challenges I face in 2016 because I want to live in the moment and take it day by day.