Our first Tet party was just incredible. Beatrice and all of our guests seemed to have a ball, eating their fill, playing music and games, and immersing themselves in our new family tradition. I know it was wonderful because we took so few pictures. I was too absorbed in it all get our of the present and pick up the camera, so here's just a few that Anthony snapped. I'm somewhat regretting not documenting it better, but will have to rely on my visceral memory to relay it to Beatrice in years to come, and to help us plan our future celebrations. Our friend Quynh (from Hanoi) came by unexpectedly and I was most pleased that she seemed to feel right at home. She brought Beatrice some beautiful decorations from the northern mountains of Vietnam, and two other Vietnamese families sent her a lucky money envelope. I am so touched that these Vietnamese-Americans recognize, accept, and love our daughter and, furthermore, that they seem to accept and support Anthony and I as her parents.
Monday morning we left for a spontaneous 24-hour visit to Cape Cod. Anthony's client owns three homes there and she wanted us to spend a night in the largest of the homes to get a feel for it. It was a nice getaway and we drove home in a snowstorm, safely thank goodness. Today is a day of rest and catching up. Tomorrow Bea and I head to New Hampshire where we'll meet at least two other Bac Ninh "sisters." I am really looking forward to this, especially to meeting Martha and Rachel who were in Hanoi just days after we left last year. Rachel and Bea appear to have a special connection, so it will be interesting to see if this pans out in real life. Other than that, it's nice to have the week off, to watch the Olympics, eat lots of Tet leftovers, relax, and try to get some reading in.
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