360 Degrees

This is where MacDaddy and I had our first-ever date.  It technically wasn't a real date (and I think I reminded him that way too often that day).  So it seems kind of cool actually that we would find ourselves here on our very last day in this amazing city.  Fourteen years later. Officially on a date this time. With two four-year olds waiting for us back home. 

kids, kids, kids

A little trip down memory lane.

Kids posing above are (from back to front) my baby brother Matisse looking kinda gangsta, and cousins Niki and Paolo. There's a big age gap between them and me, so I was their big cousin babysitter. They were sort of like my practice kids before I had kids.

They're not kids anymore though. These photos were taken years ago by our Tito Cholo, which I stumbled upon while sorting through old family pictures. Reminded me of when I used to take care of them when they were small, during my summer visits to New York or LA and thereabouts. They're my Fil-Am family.

Tito Cholo lets go of the camera to join this picture.

I think Matisse did the shooting this time, which is why he's missing in the shot. These days, Matisse - the young man - is pretty nifty with the camera himself. He's turning out to be quite the artist too.

They were a handful as little people. Loved them! Love them still. Flashback to an entire stay in Martha's Vineyard, a toddler Niki would only go potty with ME. No one else could put on her shoes but ME. Memories! Look at that cheeky little girl....

I really miss them. Now I can never huggy-wuggy and kish them or zerbert their tummies like I used to. That would be weird. Kids just grow up so darn fast.

grace

The New York Times has this fantastic web project called One in 8 Million featuring some great characters from their great home city. No celebrities, just real people living quietly extraordinary lives. Basically it's beautiful pictures telling even more beautiful stories.

Their feature on Ms. May Wong Lee is a touching ode to adoptive mothers. She and her husband already had three biological sons when they decided to adopt a 3-year-old girl from Ethiopia. Turned out their adopted daughter Mebrat was already 6-years-old - just malnourished. Here's their story.