14 posts tagged “family”
Last week I was a bit off in my photo-a-day efforts. Between accidentally deleting (on my camera) several sunset and moon shots...spending all my energy shooting school activities on Thursday (and I keep those off my blog)...and two days flat out forgetting (in all the craziness) to even shoot a daily photo...well, let's just say I'm glad I'm doing this only for myself and not playing by anyone else's rules. Here's a sample of what my week looked like with just a tiny bit of 'cheating'...
Monday - I really shot this the day before (on Sunday afternoon). I was getting out of the truck at a strip mall on the northern edge of town when I suddenly noticed this barn across the road in the distance. I do love the zoom on my new camera.
Tuesday - You already know we had In-n-Out on Super Tuesday. :)
Thursday - This is to replace the pretty sunset photos I had taken. It was sunny last week and it began to feel like Spring was on her way. (I took a lot of photos on Thursday for two school events.)
Saturday - You'll have to settle for this cheesy, free souvenir photo from the golf tournament (with Jeffrey's closed eyes).
Although I was late for all of the prompts, I did write three poems yesterday for Sunday Scribblings (2/3 prompt was "foul" and 2/10 prompt was "fridge space") and Writers Island (2/4 prompt was "magic"). The poems are here: foul, fridge space and do you believe?
And now, I'm going to spend my holiday day off seeing if I can get caught up a tiny bit. ;) Happy Monday!
Another busy day yesterday. If I get a work email that requires action but I'm too busy to act on it in the moment, I print it out and toss it in my IN box. I was starting to feel overwhelmed at what might be sitting there un-acted on. So yesterday around 3:00 I finally spent about 20 minutes going through my IN box...and was relieved to find that several things were already done. Whew. Yesterday was another day of one unexpected thing after another. I have a big project I need to get done for the counselors and I've been trying to get to it since Tuesday morning. We'll see if I can finally get to it today. Oh, wait, I just remembered--I have to get to it today because ultimately there are some letters that need to go out...today.
Jeffrey had a gig in San Mateo last night, so he was gone by the time I got home from work. I went from work straight to the bank to deposit my check. (Thank GOD. December 21--when we got our December checks early on our last day of work before Winter break--was a LONG time ago.) Then I raced home with 3 minutes to spare before the debate. Flipped on CNN, logged onto Twitter and the BlogHer open thread, and settled in to watch and listen. Some are saying 2008 is the year of Twitter (just like YouTube and Facebook exploded in previous years.) If that's the case, they need to get more power behind it, because when it gets used heavily it starts getting all wanky. But I am loving Twitter during this campaign season. I get a lot of my campaign news via Twitter links these days. I mostly stayed away from the BlogHer thread last night. When I saw some of the views being espoused by the moderator (there are different moderators), it didn't feel very welcoming. It seemed odd to me to have a right-wing, evangelical Republican moderating the thread for a Democratic debate...but...whatever... :) Everyone's viewpoints are always welcome there and that's a good thing. But when I see someone write that they think rich people are taxed too much...well, it makes me think we're probably viewing the world through different lenses. ;)
This campaign seems like it's been going on for years, so it's hard to believe that we're only 4 days away from Super Tuesday. This will, I'm sure, be an intense campaigning weekend here in California for all of the candidates. I'm just hoping (as someone who has a good rapport with our Latino students whose issues I care greatly about) that Latino voters in my home state will really start looking at Obama's record on immigration. It's a huge issue here and one I care about deeply. Daily Kos posted yesterday about Sen. Kennedy's appearance yesterday on a Spanish-language morning radio show that has the largest audience in the U.S. Kennedy was telling those listeners about Obama's record on immigration.
This is a hugely exciting campaign. To think that we're arguing over whether to elect an African-American or a woman...I just never thought I'd see the day...
The minute the debate was over I threw on my coat and ran around the corner to meet up with my family for dinner. I took C across the street afterwards for Baskin-Robbins while my brother grabbed their car. Then I came home, curled up in bed with my book (that it's taking me months to read) and fell quickly asleep.
Wednesday was KA-RAZY at work. Forgot to bring lunch and also forgot to grab anything from the cafeteria before they closed. But I made a last-minute dash to Safeway to grab a few snacks for a meeting our school was hosting in the afternoon, so I picked up a frozen entree while I was there. Wolfed it down while continuing to work. Left the office nearly an hour late, walked in the door and J said my mother had called. Called her back and spent the next hour+ helping her do stuff online. Had about 15 minutes before heading out the door to my brother's for dinner with the folks. That's all just to say that by the time we got there, I felt like I'd been going non-stop (and in top gear) for about 12 hours. I was really ready to just sit. And sit we did...around a fire in the family room...enjoying yet another great meal by Chelle (fettucine with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto--she's a fabulous cook)...watching "Idol" auditions...and then that goofy "Moment of Truth" show. I showed Zak the videos I'd shot of his game the night before, Kayla arrived in time for dinner after cheering at her school in Vacaville (my naturally blonde niece has gone brunette again), Ciara sat down to do her homework (she's one of the few 5th graders in her class pulling a 4.0) and we just chilled.
That snapshot of the girls in the upper right corner was lying on the coffee table when we arrived--that brought back memories. I took it on their last night on St. Thomas when Marty and Chelle brought the kids and my Mom for a week-long visit over Thanksgiving 2002. Their last night Jeffrey had a gig at an open-air restaurant right on a beach on the east side of the island. Ciara had just turned 5 a couple of weeks before and Kayla was 12. C.--always fearless and feisty--was amazing that trip. The first time we took her to the beach she ran right into the (Caribbean bay) water...dove in...then came sputtering right back up, ran up to her Mom and yelled, "There's SALT in that water!" :)
Sorry I haven't been posting much in the last week. I've just been on the go. And there was something else afoot, too, I realized in retrospect. I was getting very depressed about what was happening in the Presidential campaign. I know some might not understand that. Some might say: jeez, girl, relax--it's just politics. But it was getting so personal. You all know I'm supporting Obama and I'm honestly not trying to sway anyone in who you choose to support. I'm just speaking for me. I felt what Bill Clinton did last week was blatant race-baiting. I felt strongly that he was trying to marginalize Obama and paint him as 'the black candidate.' So you can probably imagine how happy I felt on Saturday when voters in South Carolina of all colors and ages and genders supported Obama enough to give him a resounding victory. If there's one thing America doesn't need right now it's further damage to our already fragile race relations. If you didn't see Obama's victory speech, I suggest you watch it even if he's not your choice for candidate. I think it's a speech that speaks to all Americans. "Out of many we are one." The video is here. I was overjoyed to hear that Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg endorsed Obama, comparing him to her father. Her Sunday New York Times Op-Ed piece is here. And as I write this, Teddy Kennedy is about to endorse him, too. Like many Democrats, I believe there aren't huge policy differences among the three Democratic candidates, so it comes down to things like character and vision. I know I'm not alone when I say that Barack Obama makes me feel proud to be American again...and I haven't felt that way since childhood.
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I said one of my steps would be to write two poems a week. I wrote two this morning...to catch me up for last week. :) The first was for the Sunday Scribblings prompt of "miscellaneous"--it's here. The second one is here.
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My family likes to get together for dinner to celebrate each of our birthdays. Because of schedules, we still hadn't had my birthday dinner, but my sister-in-law was insistent that I swing by their house Friday evening before going to my nephew's basketball game. She wanted me to come by before she'd be taking C. to her dance recital. My brother and I would be going to the game and all of us would be attending C's performance on Saturday afternoon. When I opened my gift, I understood. Marty, Chelle and the kids gave me a camera. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. It made me cry. I told her that I'd just put a new camera on my Mondo Beyond list. She said, "Well, you document our entire lives!" (I maintain a private blog for the family.) I asked C., "Is this because I'm 'the official family photographer?'" She laughed and said, "Yeah!" Chelle wanted to give me one with a great zoom and good video capabilities. I'm still trying to figure out the settings, but I played with a zoom a bit at C's recital yesterday. I also shot video of every one of her performances and it really does do good video. I'm having a hard time uploading the clips--maybe the files are too large. Not sure, but I'll get it figured out. But here are a few tentative first shots...
Ciara's 10th birthday party yesterday was quite the hit. A few of her close friends were there early to help with set up. The youngest guest, 3-year-old Gracie in the upper left corner, arrived wearing a pale pink tutu, white tights and brown cowboy boots. A get-up that her mother said she picked out herself. She was the cutest cowboy-rina ever...and I totally want that outfit. ;)
Guests were greeted by a 'red carpet' (a long piece of red fabric) that stretched from the curb to the front door. The girls were given single red roses by C's big brother, Zak, and then they were 'interviewed' by big sister, Kayla (who, from certain angles, is the 'separated at birth' twin of Guiliana on E!) When Kayla asked the girls if they had anything they wanted to say to Ciara on her birthday, the unanimous response was, "Happy Birthday, C!" ;) Chelle hung sheer black drapes in front of the front door, and I snapped individual shots of each girl in front of that backdrop with Ciara's birthday gift, a Nikon Coolpix. Chelle would later print the photos for the girls so they could put them in the picture frames that were part of their Hollywood-themed goodie bags.
Then the party moved inside. Chelle and her mom, Patti, made 90 glitter-covered red stars that were dangling from the ceiling and gracing the top of the black drapes that were moved inside to form the backdrop for the stage (the wooden coffee table). There were blinking star-shaped light strings and balloons and red Chinese paper lanterns and a multi-colored disco ball that Auntie and Uncle picked up at the mall in Sacramento the night before and the food table was all done in red. There was a hair coloring station set up on a trunk in the living room, which as you can tell from the later photos was very popular. And a craft table (two wooden TV trays pushed together) was in front of the living room couch where the glue guns were already warm so the girls could decorate their plastic champagne flutes (in their goodie bags) for a birthday toast with sparkling apple cider. (An idea I'm totally copying if I ever get around to throwing a party...)
Then it was into the family room for the highlight of the night--karaoke! They own a karaoke machine (and, yes, they entertain a lot), and Chelle rented a fog machine. Between the stage and the fog machine and the disco ball, it made for a pretty cute set. Skinny birthday candles were put in the tiered cupcakes so we could sing "Happy Birthday." There was another platter of cupcakes that had paper umbrellas in them.
Chelle's a fabulous hostess for all ages, and she threw Ciara a great party. (And I just realized there's no photo of her here, but that's her arm holding the video camera in the middle of the bottom row.) When I left, the girls were changing into their pj's for the sleepover, and when I checked in about an hour later, they were playing hide and seek in the dark.
She barbecued steak and chicken breasts, and served them with toothpicks in bite-sized chunks. She also had chips and salsa; cheese, ham and crackers; a huge bowl of Chex mix; and a big hit--a fondue pot filled with chocolate for dipping strawberries.
The girls were told they could dress up or down, and several, including C, went for big make-up, including false eyelashes. It was a very fun party.
These girls had no problem channeling their inner rock star. You could tell that each one loved what she was wearing. And they each had their own style--one girl arrived wearing a black Beatles cap sideways. Victoria and Gracie's middle sister, Abby (left photo, middle row) who's only 6, was sporting ripped black tights and brown cowboy boots with that checked shift. These girls have style for miles, and it was delightful--given all that we talk about on our blogs about unleashing our authentic selves and our creative essence--to see them so full of themselves. And I mean that in the absolute best way. They posed, they danced, they sang with exuberance! It's a lesson we could all take to heart. ;)
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Jen Gray was one of the first bloggers I 'met' several years ago when I was new to blogging and living a very isolated life in the islands, so she'll always have a special place in my blogging heart. This video of her has been making the rounds...and rightly so. Given what I witnessed with the girls last night, I'd say Jen definitely knows how to "party like a rock star!"
Ciara won't turn 10 until the 11th, but her Dad's leaving town early today and won't be here next weekend. So we had our family birthday last night, at the restaurant of her choice for it--Caffe Italia here in Davis. (That girl could eat pasta morning, noon and night.) Clockwise from top left: Marty and Chelle, brother and sister-in-law)...Ciara and her good friend and gymnastics teammate, Jessica...Kayla (17) and Zak (16)...me and Jeffrey...C and me...Jessica. Marty had taken Ciara and Jessica to Arco Arena in Sacramento before dinner to see "High School Musical on Ice," hence the matching pink "HSM" caps. ;) When we asked how the actors were, C quipped, "There were a bunch of 'grandpas' in the show..." You know, guys that were really OLD...like 18 or 20. :) And, yes, she liked her dream chair (which I brought into the restaurant). She especially liked that it's going to glow in the dark. She's growing up way too fast...could someone make it stop, please?
When did you last write/receive a handwritten, snail-mail letter? Who was it to/from?
Submitted by Places Unknown.
It was probably from my Aunt Betty. Probably enclosed with a birthday card last January. She died unexpectedly in March, although she hadn't felt well for a few weeks. It meant a lot to me that over the past decade, we'd started and maintained a snail-mail correspondence. She's been gone six months...and it doesn't seem possible that she could be gone at all. Sometimes I catch myself thinking, "I really need to write to Betty" -or- "I should call Betty this weekend and surprise her." I didn't call her often, because we took delight in finding each other's letters in the mail. But when I did phone, she would instantly light up when she'd hear it was me. She was 84 when she died, but she'd always been so young for her age. She'd lived a pretty simple life. Never did learn how to drive, which made things especially hard when Uncle Paul died since he'd always driven her everywhere. But her children and grandchildren took great care of her and made sure she got where she needed to go. She was my mother's only sibling, and when she died my brother, sister-in-law, their youngest child (niece, age 9) and I loaded up in their SUV and headed for Vegas. We picked up our mother there (she can't drive due to glaucoma) and continued on to Phoenix where most of my mother's relatives reside. It was like our own version of Little Miss Sunshine (and if you knew my family, you'd know why I say that). We stayed in Betty's mobile home while we were there, and it was very healing to be able to stay there and be surrounded by all of her things--to be surrounded by her energy. As my father said when I told him of her passing, "She (his former sister-in-law) was a helluva lady." I still haven't gotten used to the idea of her being gone. I realize that will take time. In the meantime, I still think about writing her letters--still compose them in my head. I know I don't have to put pen to paper for her to hear what I have to say--I'm sure she can hear me wherever she is. She loved angels, and she loved things that had a gold finish on them. She should have owned stock in spray paint, 'cause the woman sprayed everything imaginable gold. :) At her service, in a beautiful cemetery in Phoenix on a gorgeous day, we released balloons in her honor. She would have loved it (and I'm sure she did). She never lost her youthful innocence, and I think that's what I'll remember most.
Who is the very first friend you ever had? Are you still in touch?
Wow, I really had to stop and think for a second...until I realized how obvious the answer was. My very first friend was my cousin (who shall remain nameless here). We were very tight all the way through 8th grade. VERY tight. I'm 9 months older...and never let her forget it, even though we were in the same grade. (I always made her be the congregation while I was the priest when we played Mass.) We went to a tiny Catholic school where we were taught by nuns. We were both really smart (always the smartest two in our tiny class) and had only each other to compete against. And, boy, were we competitive. Once we got to high school, we basically went our separate ways. And it happened pretty abruptly. I guess it was all of the freedom (we went from that tiny school to a pretty good-sized high school). It was probably the not having to be friends with each other that did it. She started partying...and by 17 she was pregnant. I won't go into how (from my perception) that altered the rest of her life (and NOT in the way you might be thinking). She did eventually get the college degrees she wanted, although it took decades. And basically she's removed herself from the family. I can understand someone wanting to do that (sometimes I'd like to do it myself), but she still shows up for events...but then behaves rather oddly. Like attending her only child's wedding...but skipping the reception. Only to show up later in a change of clothes wondering if anyone wants to go bowling with her...during the reception. That's all just to say that she feels like a total stranger to me now when I see her. And that, given our history, seems odd indeed.
Tell us a true story that proves it really is a small world after all.
Submitted by havybeaks.
I should preface this by saying that we're Californians. My brother was sitting in a bar at JFK airport in New York waiting for his flight. He struck up a conversation with a guy sitting nearby. They discovered they were both flying to California. One thing led to another conversationally...until it dawned on my brother that our mother had married (performed the ceremony for) the man and his wife. The man was married to our childhood friend.
