It has been really hard to keep current with my blog. My laptop has been non-functional since the end of November. Although it was built in Taiwan, it is an American name brand so I had to take it back to the US to have it worked on. So I took it in while I was in Texas. They replaced the motherboard but didn't fix the problem. Mark took it back to the repair center. Of course, they shipped it back two days after we left Texas. Now I am waiting to see whether anyone can ship it to me. So I am using our TV/entertainment center as a personal computer. It is harder than I imagined to work with an 37 inch screen.

Being in Texas was wonderful. We spent so much time with our friends and family. But when we got back to Taipei, Mark and I realized that we also have a home here. Everything is becoming familiar to us. We feel more settled in that we realized.

Probably the best part of returning to Texas was seeing how independent our daughters have become. It is the job of parents to raise your children right and then let them go. Letting go is the hardest part but what a joy to see that they could be independent and still be close to us. They have managed to surround themselves with good support from good friends and family. I don't think I will be as nervous about leaving them as I was during the first few months. Miss them, well I don't think that a parent ever gets over that part.

We have been blessed with wonderful weather, warm and sunny, to help ease our transition back. Oklahoma and Texas have been blessed with cold and ice. Sometimes, it is nice to be somewhere else.