Philippines Bound

The December travel extravaganza has started.  Allisen and the kids left for the Philippines this morning.  They are on their way to visit her Dad as I type.  They have a layover in Korea and then it's on to Clark Field near John's house in Angeles.

It's a funny thing about kids and how they express their feelings.  Karina and Kevin were a bit "bouncy" this morning, but nothing really out of the ordinary.  I took them all to the airport and after getting checked in, Allisen suggested we kill some time by visiting the newly re-opened observation deck atop the iconic Theme Restaurant at LAX (now called "Encounter").  The elevator was out of service and the attendant that was supposed to be there on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 to 5 was nowhere to be found.  We hung out for a bit on the grass in front then headed back to the terminal so Allisen could get everyone some lunch before heading to the gate.  Up until the minute I got out of the car at the curb, everything seemed normal.  However, both kids became visibly upset as we started to say good-bye.

I was surprised by the sudden change in emotion.  I also was left with some mixed feelings of my own.  I felt bad for the kids and tried to reassure them, but I was glad that they were expressing the fact that they would miss me.  The next month or so should be a great learning opportunity for all of us.