Sky is always blue

It was my first time flying out from Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT. For the name that it carries, there is nothing "international" about this airport; it's a desolated landscape with no sign of inhabitation. There were only a handful of passengers, myself included, waiting at the gate for the flight to St. Louis where I had my connection flight to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Maybe it was the wrong day to fly out from that airport, or it was simply a lifeless place. American Airlines offered me a round-trip ticket for less than 200 bucks, I couldn't ask for more than that kind of luck. However, little that I knew, the kind of aircraft they had was smaller than the size of my current apartment. The ride was a little bit bumpy from Hartford to St. Louis, where I had my connection flight to Minneapolis. Prior to the trip, I was looking forward to seeing the Gateway Arch from the air, which is an architectural symbol of the city...but I was disappointed, because the arch was no where in sights as the flight approached the area. Mental note -- put St. Louis on the travel itinerary for next Fall business trip.

Upon my arrival in Minneapolis, my youngest brother Kleo (that's his so-called nickname) and his girlfriend picked me up at the curbside pick-up lane. I was happy to see him, and he has grown with more inches, way surpassed my height. I was not too hungry but decided to meet up with my other kid brother Cody (again, that's his nickname) and the girlfriend at the restaurant where Mom is currently working. We got a 25% off from all-you-can-eat sushi. I used to work at this place one summer after my freshman year in college and thus, few employees recognized me. It was nice to see that they remember my face although it has been almost 10 years.

That night, Mom prepared and wrapped Bánh Tét; we both stayed up until 5 am just to chat and get things done. I was exhausted with flare-red eyes by the time we finished wrapping 26 of them Tết cakes.