Our time with Liz

On May 8, my AFS sister from Chile arrived in Milwaukee. After 17 years, we were able to reconnect in person. I am thankful for the phone, email, and Facebook, but there is nothing like seeing a friend and spending time with them in person. We were both unsure of how things would go. From the moment I saw her walking out of the concourse from her flight, all the uncertainty went away and we hit it off. It was just like it was so many years ago.

The kids adored her from the moment they met her.

We enjoyed showing Liz Madison. We started with a trip to our favorite restaurant, New Seoul, for some delicious Korean food. Liz had never tasted Korean food, so it was a nice treat. She loved trying Kimbop, Bibimbop, Kimchi, Chop Chae, among many other traditional Korean food. We visited State Street and the Capital building, which had a great view of the city, ate some famous Clary's popcorn, and had some pizza at Ian's pizza. With mom in town and Mike and Kylie coming for a visit, it was like a mini family reunion. We enjoyed a Friday Fish Fry, frozen custard, and Red Robin burgers. There's nothing like tasting the local cuisine when you travel to another country!

Despite the rain and colder than normal temperatures, we spent time at Olbrich outdoor gardens. We spent several hours walking around, learning about the bees from the beekeepers, and taking a lot of great pictures. The kids enjoyed running around. We headed to Ella's Deli after for Chocolate Shoppe custard and a ride on the Carousel.

We spent time around Madison, but also enjoyed just hanging out at home and catching up on the last 17 years. It was really hard to let her leave for her high school host parents in Minnesota then for New York. I am jealous that I no longer have flight benefits to travel with her! I look forward to our time together some day in the future.

Liz and Ian at the top of the Capital building

Red Robin

Ian and Liz at our coffee time at Cool Beans

Kylie, Uncle Mike, and Cami at Culvers

Olbrich Gardens

Ian and Aladodo at Olbrich Gardens

Kylie and Cami loving time together

Some yummy ice cream at Ella's Deli

A ride on the carousel at Ella's

A family picture by Monona Terrace

Time for a Fish Fry at Essen Haus

Cousins in front of Lake Monona

Liz and Cami in front of the capital

Ian, Ben, and Aladodo spend time planting tomato plants

Ian and Ben planting at a demo during Farmer's Market

It's time to say good bye

Cami is sad to see Liz leave

We were very sad to see Liz go. He asked where "people" was for several days after she left.

A Special Mother's Day Gift

This year for Mother's Day, I had two very special presents. My friend, Liz, who lives in Chile, was here to visit. The other gift was my mom coming into town. This is the first time we have all been together in 17 years. I feel so blessed to have a sister half way around the world. We picked up exactly where we left off so many years ago.

Family is SO important to me. I feel so blessed to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom, Liz, and my family.

Mom is beaming with joy

Liz and Dana

A Knight For A Princess

Lake City Church, which is associated with Abundant Life Christian School, held a special night for dads and daughters. Justin escorted Cami to A Knight for a Princess, where they ate a special dinner, danced, and had a great evening together.

Grandparents Day

This year, Grandma Aladodo flew in from Oregon to spend time visiting and going to Grandparent's Day at ALCS. She is officially retired, so she is looking forward to being able to take more trips with Bruce and trips to see kids and grandkids.

She was able to visit Cami's kindergarten class and Ben's 1st grade class.