This Reminds Me

Archive for the ‘Celebrate’ Category

Most adoptive families celebrate “Gotcha Day” – an acknowledgement of when a child joined a family.   Instead of “Gotcha Day,” we celebrate “Sisters Day,” recognizing when our family was completed by the addition of the fourth and final sister, Julia, then age six, from St. Petersburg, Russia.

We’ve not traveled for Sisters Day since our first celebration in 2007.   Five years home – it was time.   So at the girls’ request, we had a weekend in Austin – about 90 miles north of us, but oh-so-different.

“Keep Austin Weird” is more than a slogan – it’s a commitment.  Often described as “Texas’ Left Coast” or “The Third Coast,” Austin is a mecca for aging hippies, today’s hipsters, UT students in shorts, lawmakers and lobbyists in suits – and all manner of folk in between.   Julia didn’t really care about the slogan.  She just likes tie-dyed clothes. 

As we’ve done before – everyone got to pick out a new book but this time at Book People – the largest independent book store in Texas.  Hannah surprised me with an autographed copy of Connie Rice’s  autobiography for Mothers Day – score!  Hannah – “Twilight – The Official Illustrated Guide.”  Rachel – “My Booky Wook” by Russell Brand.    Lois – “This is a Book” by Demetri Martin.  Julia – a book about crystals and gems, which I am hoping she can use to develop her fifth grade science project next year.   

A little iPod action while awaiting our lunch from Flip Happy Crepes, the trailer the girls and I visited last June sans Keith.   Everyone got something different, but mine was the best – fresh spinach with feta and garlic.  So, so good.  We also hit Cornucopia Gourmet Popcorn.

Trailer eateries have mushroomed in Austin.   This one – Hey Cupcake – sported a funny sign on its back door.

We took a two-hour cruise around Lake Lady Bird arriving back on shore with pink noses.   Julia was disappointed we weren’t kayaking with all the college students and their dogs.  The most interesting part of the cruise…

 ….was definitely passing under the Congress Avenue bridge, where 750K pregnant bats currently live in the cracks.   We couldn’t see them, but we could hear them “cheep,” and the smell?  Sort of like spoiled corn tortillas.  The tour guide warned us to keep our mouths closed.  The colony will grow to about 1.5M bats before they migrate in October, as they’ve done each year for decades.   We were interested because we knew we were coming back at dusk to see them fly out.  What a rush!

Not the world’s greatest video, but after all, it was dusk.  The swirling mass at the top of the tree line that looks like mosquitoes?  Those are bats.  Watch carefully for the flying specks as they come out from under the bridge.  They eat about 30K pounds of insects each night. 

 Really like this pictures.  I used the flash on my little waterproof Olympus and it highlighted their fluttering silhouettes.

I am fearful of Sisters Day become just “one more thing” with no real meaning.  So, through the weekend, I tried to spark some conversation with the girls about what was happening five years ago.  “This is the day Daddy and I left for Russia to get Julia.”  “Julia, do you remember the Neva River in St. Pete?”   “Hannah, you taught Julia to count to 10.  Do you think that’s why she’s so good in math now?”  Pretty much – that fizzled.  The girls are way more interested in what is than what was.   Julia usually acts politely bored when I bring up Russia, her birth mother, how she rolled her r’s when she came home, her asking for “cheese y bread,” etc.   From what I’ve read and the parents to whom I’ve spoken, that’s pretty normal.  The pendelum has swung one way; it’ll swing another in a few years (those delightful teen ones), then someday – if we’ve done our jobs right -  it’ll stop somewhere in the middle.

While the girls were celebrating Sisters Day, we squeezed in Mother’s Day, too.  It all goes together.  Without those sisters, I’m not a mother.   They’re talking about a “Ssisters Cruise” in several years, once college is behind them and – please Lord – they’re all gainfully employed.  Maybe I’ll be invited for that.  I would like that.  Because what I really want is for them to want to celebrate Sisters Day when I’m not around to remind them of it.  There is so much unhappiness in this world.  You have to take time to celebrate the happy things.

And celebrating the happy things are what sisters do best.

Our church presented the “Living Last Supper” last night, and will do so again tonight.  If you hurry, you can just make it.

If Peter – the big fisherman – looks familiar, there may be a reason.

No dying his hair this year.  Our worship reminded all that the original Peter was more “seasoned” than the other 11 apostles, therefore, this modern-day enactment should reflect that age definition.   So Keith went the natural salt’n'pepper look.  We’re proud of you, Keith!  And Phil, Bill, Rodger, Brad, Travis, Jeff, Jason, Ray, Jon, Zachary, Daniel, Wade, Chris, Brian, Jonathan and Kyle.

We stay home for New Year’s Eve. It’s Amateur Night, and we don’t want to be on the roads. Instead, we play games. Download a movie. Guzzle age-appropriate sparkly grape juices. Usually enjoy a few (supervised) sparklers in the cul de sac. But regardless of what we do or don’t do – there’s a constant in the celebration.

It’s “Dad’s Ravioli,” which Keith has served on New Year’s Eve for more than a decade, ever-improving it each year. In years past, he’s rolled his own pasta. He’s had pasta air-freighted fresh. He’s experimented with fillings. But in the last couple of years, he’s settled on an optimal (to date!) filling and prep method, as shown here.

I always tell my girls, “Marry a man who can cook.” Mine can!

We top the pasta with “Mom’s Alfredo,” which is a mix of green onions and garlic simmered in chicken stock and butter, added to sour cream and tangy shredded cheeses. I’d share the recipe if I had one. I just taste along the way. Keith’s also making Veal Marsala and Chicken Parmesan. This year, the vegetable is spinach sauteed with garlic. And homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert, topped with homemade dulce de leche. I will have a bit of ice cream with my dulce de leche, which calls my name every time I open the refrigerator door.

At midnight, we usually have “crackers,” too – the pull-apart cardboard tubes with a surprise inside.

After Christmas at World Market, we found crackers wrapped in Russian nesting doll paper, plus two Russian nesting doll candles. The one box of crackers and two candles were all they had. Sigh. I would have bought more. Russian-themed “anything” is hard to find in San Antonio.

So what are you having for dinner tonight? Be sure to take the new poll – it’s near the bottom of the left nav bar.

Happy 2011!

We’ve had a great week here with a quick trip to Houston to see the cousins…….

(clockwise) Hannah, 15; James, 3; Lois, 17; Rachel, 19; Laura, 7; Julia, 10

…and visit Bucee on the way to and the way home from Houston.  Hannah was sporting one of her (many) Buckee’s shirts while shopping in the store, which I understand is an apparel faux pas.   They let her in anyway.

When you see the billboards, you might as well sigh and say “Oh, dam” – because you’re stopping for the beaver.  No way around it.
I’ve always been a believer in “wearing them out” on Christmas Eve so they’ll go to sleep and Santa can come.  So today it was two games of laser tag, with a mechanical sketch before the zapping began.

We’ll be off to the Christmas Eve service soon, and watch The Nativity after we get home.

There are no “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” in our house.  But we do wish you a…

Merry Christmas!

And to all a good night.