28 posts tagged “family”
Who do you tell your secrets to?
Or, if we're feeling grammatically correct, to whom do I tell my secrets? As much as I love you, dear Internet, not to you. But hey, I don't paint secrets on billboards (which are not nearly so easily searchable as content on the World Wide Web), either.
Luckily, there are lots of things I am happy to share, things that aren't quite secrets, but you still probably didn't know before. For example, last night I dreamed that someone was splashing though a pond turning neon tetras into turtles with a sort of magic crayon. This was after I dreamed that one of my cousins was acting as kind of a seeing eye person and helping a blind girl to ski, but although it was winter at the top of the slope, by the bottom it had become summer in all its muggy, mosquito-ridden glory. Would you believe that waking up puzzled is not entirely unusual for me?
I'm going to blame this set of crazy dreams on the action-packed couple of days M and I have had this week, owing to a visit from our twin nine-year-old nieces. Their Summer Vacation Ultra-Energy coupled with bonus Giggle Factor is as fun as it is exhausting. I'm still trying to process all our adventures: braving the chilly beach, amassing prize tickets at the arcade, playing a lot of Wii, marveling at butterflies at the botanical garden, paper footballing at various and sundry meals, chasing the cats around trying to put paper hats on their heads, chasing M around trying to put a paper hat on his head, peering into a battleship's nooks and crannies, running amok at a science museum...
I'm flat worn out! Somebody asked me at the CAP meeting last night if I was feeling all right (a question which always makes me wonder how much of a mess I look), but he understood immediately upon hearing that we'd just had a whirlwind visit from a set of nine-year-old girls.
It was a blast, though, and I can't wait to see 'em again.
...I'm told that April showers bring them. Actually, this post hasn't much to do with flowers at all, but I couldn't come up with a better idea for this month's catch-up. If I stretch the metaphor, I suppose I could say that personal firsts have been sprouting like spring blossoms in the past few weeks, and heralding my own growth and bloomi--what, too much? Yeah, okay. Moving on.
I turned twenty-five a couple weeks ago, thus making me older than I've ever been (but now I'm even older). It tickles me to refer to myself as one quarter century old. All in all, I think I'm happy to be closer to thirty than to my teens.
M was able to take some leave for the week leading up to my birthday, so we piled a couple of irate kitties into the car and drove up to the DC area to spend some time with our families and get reacquainted with our old stomping grounds. Valentine, as is her wont, was completely miserable and got carsick on the way up and back, but Vera comported herself much more admirably than she had in the past. We'll turn these cats into travelin' Navy felines yet.
Another first for the week: getting a professional manicure. My mother-in-law invited me to come along with her and my sister-in-law to get our nails done, an indulgence hitherto absent from my experience. I found the exercise a little strange, but by no means unpleasantly so--I'd do it again for a special occasion. My father-in-law joked that it was my first step to becoming high maintenance. I was sure I was going to chip the polish within the first day, but I was pleasantly surprised when it lasted a full week before I destroyed it. Not bad at all, considering my next first that week...
...shooting a gun for the first time! I had wanted to for a very long time, especially since Dad took Mom to the range without me a few years ago. This long-standing void in my life skills repertoire was finally remedied when M and I accompanied Mom and Dad to the range one fine day after a stroll through Meadowlark Gardens and lunch al fresco at Clyde's. The dichotomy of my newly-manicured, shiny pink nails and the black Walther P22 in my hand was not lost on me. I did not distinguish myself as a fabulous shot, but I think I at least hit somewhere on the target every time. My husband (who wears ribbons on his uniform for qualifying "expert" on pistol and rifle) impressed the heck out of me with his shooting. I had a great time, and we might look into getting some more local range time.
I became the sister of a college graduate for the first time a couple days later. Turning twenty-five didn't make me feel old, but watching my baby brother walk across the stage and pick up his [blank piece of paper rolled up to look like a] diploma... well, that was a little surreal. Granted, he did bang it out in just three years, but still! Old big sister or not, I am extremely proud of him and his accomplishments.
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All right, I am going to feel like a big liar unless I actually put some May flowers in this post. Here are a few more from our venture to the botanical garden last weekend.
Lookit what I made!
I started wearing a kippah (Hebrew for the skullcap perhaps better known as a yarmulke, which is Yiddish) regularly last year when we began attending services at our current synagogue. While it is traditional for men--all men, even non-Jewish visitors--to cover their heads as a sign of respect while in a Jewish prayer setting, it's usually optional for women in liberal (Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, etc.) shuls. In our egalitarian congregation, women can choose to cover their heads or not when they're in the sanctuary, but they are asked to cover their heads when called up to the bimah (pulpit) to say blessings over the Torah or perform some other part of the service. After a couple times having to scramble to find something to stick on my head when honored with an aliyah, I decided I would save myself the trouble in the future and start covering my head throughout every service.
But what to wear? I didn't care for the idea of wearing the same kind of traditionally-for-men yarmulke as my husband. Some women will pin a bit of lace to their hair, but putting something akin to a doily on my head doesn't really put me in a prayerful state of mind. There are some really cool ladies' hats out there, but I don't think I could pull off that look every Shabbat. What I really admired were the beaded wire kippot I had seen my mother-in-law wearing. They are as easy to don and doff as a standard yarmulke, but they are clearly feminine and quite lovely, to boot. Perfect--just what I was looking for.
What's the best advice you've ever gotten or given on how to make a relationship last?
"Keep him fed!"
At the lovely bridal shower my mother-in-law's sweet friends threw for me, all the guests added kind wishes and some scrap of marriage advice to a tiny notebook for me to take home. That particular jewel showed up over and over, the distilled wisdom of decades of collective experience with husbands. It may be clichéd to note that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but happiness at the dinner table does have a wonderful way of radiating into other areas of life. Conversely, I've never known anyone who was super pleasant to be around when he or she was hungry, so I do my best to cook healthy (most of the time) and delicious (I hope all of the time!) meals for us to enjoy together.
What brings out your competitive nature?
Word games.
I know for a fact that this game also sets off my mother's competitive nature. She can get downright wicked when it's time to show off her prowess with the English language--we're talking no mercy here. So, she gets a special shout-out for being the genetic source of this trait in myself as well as the fact that today is her birthday. Happy birthday, Mom!
I have been shockingly lazy about updating my Vox with anything related to actual recent events in my life. I have meant to, you understand, but I get it into my head that this-and-such deserves a detailed, well-thought-out entry, and I never quite catch hold of the motivation to crank one out. Then it feels like too great an amount of time has passed and I give up all hope of getting caught up. This go 'round, though, I am telling myself that it is still only January and that's in plenty of time to catch myself up on the year today. So, in abstract form for possible future entries in greater detail, what we've been up to in the year to date:
The Commissioning of the USS George H.W. Bush: Thanks to a father-in-law who ensured that we received an invitation, M and I had the privilege of witnessing our country's newest aircraft carrier come to life. I can't compare the experience to anything else I've ever seen, except to say that it definitely ranks up there as one of the coolest.
Z's Bar Mitzvah: Almost exactly thirteen years after M's own bar mitzvah (memorable for a massive blizzard that snowed everyone in and made his family leery of all wintertime events forevermore), his cousin Z celebrated his ascension to religious adulthood. Not only did this young man do a fantastic job with the intricacies of leading a Shabbat morning service, but he spoke with grace, humor, and insight about growing up African American in his adoptive Jewish family. The service and the celebration that followed recognized the multitude of cultural influences that have shaped him into the person he is--an intelligent, loving young man whom I am glad to call my cousin.
The Inevitable Bit About Civil Air Patrol: Yep, I'm back in the swing of CAP things after the holiday break. Last week, my squadronmates and I were guests of another local squadron for some Urban Direction Finding training. We learned the theory of how to use radio equipment to locate emergency beacons in non-wilderness areas. Around here, the practical application of this skill usually involves going to one of the local military bases to find and deactivate ELTs that have been set off accidentally. Next weekend we're going to do a short exercise with practice beacons to show that we know how to use the locator equipment. Mission Observer (aircrew) training is still in the offing, but it's nice to get an idea of the bigger picture of the emergency services CAP provides. It ain't all about the airplanes all the time.
All right, even if I never actually get around to writing another word on the above subjects, I can at least consider myself caught up for having mentioned them! In fact, I'm caught up enough to talk about today. It's actually off to a pretty good start for a Monday: dinner's already in the slow cooker, I've run the dishwasher, and my friend Annie is coming over for coffee or tea and perhaps even rum cake modified from this Pioneer Woman recipe, if I'm feeling motivated. Even though I'm still lazing about in my PJs, I feel like I could get motivated enough for cake.
What's your favorite winter activity?
I love cooking hearty meals that warm us from the inside out. As of yesterday afternoon, thanks to the generosity of M's folks, we now own the perfect vessel in which to create such dishes.
Isn't it gorgeous? I snagged this picture from the Williams-Sonoma website, as my poor camera is on the fritz, but I assure you this five-and-a-half-quart dutch oven (Le Creuset calls it a "French oven" for reasons of national pride, I assume) is even prettier in our kitchen. It's satisfyingly heavy, and I know the heat retention characteristics of the cast iron willl make this a pleasure to cook with. I'm a believer in the notion that things one has to do every day regardless--such as cooking--might as well be elevated beyond merely fulfilling a need. Using a beautiful tool to accomplish a necessary task makes it feel like a special privilege rather than just another chore.
Many, many thanks to my mother- and father-in-law for the housewarming/anniversary present. We can't wait to cook you up something tasty with our new addition next time you visit.
Looking back on 2008, what were the highlights of your year?
Here we are, starting the fifth day of 2009, and I'm still "looking back on 2008." I guess there hasn't been much of import to report so far this year, which is just fine with me because last year at this time we were running around like headless chickens trying to get ready for a buddy's wedding and prepare for the move from South Texas Town #1 to South Texas Town #2 at the same time. That was not one of the year's highlights, by the way. These were:
M's winging: The culmination of flight school and my husband's designation as a Naval Aviator was a time of joy, giddiness, and relief. Getting to celebrate with M's folks as their son's hard work and accomplishment were recognized was absolutely wonderful.
Adopting our two cats: Sure, there's been some property destruction, an emergency trip to the animal hospital, and some distinctly unpleasant messes to clean up, but we can't imagine life without Vera and Valentine. They provide such affection, entertainment, and liveliness to our household. And hey, if we manage not to screw up our feline charges, maybe we won't do too badly with kids someday.
Honeymooning in the Bahamas: Nearly two years after we signed the ketubah and agreed to embark on this crazy marriage venture together, we finally squeezed a solid week of leave out of the Navy for a honeymoon. We met some interesting people (including a tiny, foul-mouthed pistol of an activities coordinator and a sketchy, overgrown frat boy in his forties who tried to "adopt" a set of sisters in their twenties). We had some amazing experiences (the dolphin encounter, walking through the mangroves to Gold Rock Beach) and some experiences I don't care to repeat (the bonfire, the semi-submersible), but the best part of the whole trip was simply having a week for just us, no other obligations or worries that the squadron was going to call to tell M to come in on a day off. I hope we can manage more such getaways in the future.
Getting involved with CAP: In 2008, I went from having maybe heard of this Civil Air Patrol thing once or twice (but not having a clue what it was all about) to being an active volunteer with my local squadron. Through CAP, I not only went up in a small airplane for the first time, but I got qualified as an aircrew member who can assist on search and rescue operations. I'm excited about what 2009 holds with regard to my CAP "career." In the early months, my squadron is going to continue to focus on getting people trained for various emergency services qualifications. I'm going to be working on becoming a Mission Observer (right-seater in the airplane), so I'm hoping to go flying again within the next couple of months. We should also be working on getting everyone qualified to be on a ground team, too, so we have multiple valuable assets to offer in an emergency. I'm glad to be a part of it, and I'm glad that 2008 brought me the opportunity.
So, 2008 was quite a year. I've got high hopes for 2009.
Hanukkah began at sundown last night. What are you doing this year to celebrate the Festival of Lights?
Submitted by David G.
Lighting candles and eating fried foods, of course, just like we did last year. Of course, I was on my own for most of the nights last year because M was away on his CQ det proving he could land an airplane on a boat. Because M's winter leave happened to line up with the holiday this year, we are lucky enough to be able to spend time with family and friends this go 'round.
We had dinner with some old friends last night, and they very sweetly marked the start of Chanukah with some delicious oniony, savory potato latkes. They also procured Chanukah-themed party crackers containing puzzling prizes such as paper hats, beaded bracelets, and golf pencils. (Golf pencils?) The amusement value, it was high.
Tonight we're going to celebrate with M's side of the family. I can't wait to hear how No Limit Texas Dreidel went over with my mother-in-law's friends. I know I'd have trouble bringing myself to ante up any of the precious chocolate.
Show us your reflection.
