Sister Emily

My sister Emily was here visiting last Wednesday until yesterday morning. As we get older, I feel we grow even closer. She is the peanut butter to my chocolate and I miss her already. I wish we lived closer to each other and I know we will one day.

We had a really fun Monday night and made it sort of progressive dinner. We started at Emmy's Spaghetti Shack and got a cocktail and dinner. Second, we walked down to Mission Pie and each got a slice of pie. After our sweet break and a little walk, we headed down to El Rio for a night cap. We wanted to check out the evening's events there since they had Fry Bread on their calendar. A Navajo gentleman comes to El Rio and makes Fry Bread and sells it based on donation, which is pretty sweet. Seemed like they may have been a bit behind schedule Monday night, but it was still fun. Great music and a cool back area, I had not been there in years. When we left we got propositioned by a Russian man looking for us to join him for a burlesque style party. It was hilarious and I reenacted it the entire walk home and we laughed.

I dropped Emily off at the airport yesterday morning, I cried. Every time she leaves I feel she takes a little piece of myself with her.

I do feel super blessed to have been able to spend time with my sister in Arizona at Christmas, Chicago in May for her Graduation, Michigan trip in July and this past long weekend here in California. So funny we have seen each other 4 times in the last 9 months each time in a different state!

I miss you my sister, our next visit cannot come soon enough.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is the Birthday of one of my favorite people...my dear ole' Dad.

I knew we were a lot a like, but this year alone has taught me how much we really are cut from the same cloth. I am so glad to have a Dad that is a wonderful role model, sensitive but at the same time is tough as nails, and most of all...fun to be around.

Have a great day Dad and a terrific upcoming year!

We should have had a bumpy cake in Michigan to celebrate!

Sunday in the City

Today Tim and I met Angela and Frankie in Fisherman's Wharf for lunch. We met around 11:30 and had a walk about before going to eat at The Blue Mermaid at the Argonaut Hotel. Living in San Francisco we generally stay away from this part of town as it is very touristy, however, Angela was in town visiting her Grandma who was visiting from Germany so it was a great excuse to get together. I think I have mentioned it before, I do enjoy being a tourist in my own town once in a while, it serves as a reminder of why I fell in love with this place. Thanks Angela for reminding me of the great city I live in and the amazing people I have met here and now consider part of my family. Missed you Brian, but will see you in a couple weeks!

Here are some of my favorite photos from today...

Sunday with the Family

From left to right - Steve (Jaime's boyfriend), Jaime, Frankie, Cheryl (Angela's Mom), Angela, Ginny (Robin's Mom), Robin, Kenny and Tim.

Years ago, I posted about what I refer to as my "Urban Family" - click here to link to original post. Well, today I was lucky enough to hang out with a large part of my Urban Family. These are some of the best people on the planet, I wish everyone had people like these in their lives. My Urban Family is always supportive, tolerant of my craziness and I love each and every one of them. It was a beautiful day in Berkeley. Thank you all for coming together today, it was amazing.

Frankie and Tim - so adorable.

Happy Birthday Emily

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my sister Emily.
Emily, it is hard to believe we are 10 years apart....
You are my best friend, my confidant, my therapist, my sounding board, my coach, my inspiration and best of all....my sister.
The world, and life itself would not be the same without you!
I love you!

Thanks for always understanding, especially today, I swear you won't have to punch me, ever.

Visit with Cheese in Berkeley

This photo is of my friend Cheese. He decided to change his name and kept correcting me when I would call him Frankie, which is what his name used to be. Isn't he adorable? Cheese loves to hang out on 4th Street in Berkeley, even when he was a wee baby like in this post here.

Sunday, Mom and I met Angela and Cheese at Tacubaya for brunch and a walk around the shops. For those of you who have not been to Tacubaya on the weekends, you are missing out because they have great coffee, hot fresh churros and wonderful breakfast food. We all hung out here for a while and then walked around and popped in and out of shops along 4th Street. Cheese loves walking around the stores and asking me how things work, I do my best to explain but letting Cheese try things himself is the best way for him to really grasp it. We have so much fun together, he makes me laugh and I think I make him act very silly. Cheese acted as the salesman at Crate and Barrel and flipped through the rug selection asking at each flip "Do you like this one?", it was great fun. The rule in the stores is always, before Cheese touches anything he must ask "Katie, can I touch this?" sometimes the temptation is too much and he gets the buzzer sound which means foul play. We went into Anthropology and there is a little frame of a house inside that you can walk into which kids love, there are tons of ornaments and LOTS of colorful things to look at. When the shopping and visiting was done, Cheese simply said to Angela, "Can we go home now?". I love that child! Angela said he passed right out in the car on the way home. It was a nice Sunday afternoon!

Napa Trip

Saturday we had planned a trip to Napa to have a tour and barrel tasting at the St. Supery winery. My parents are members of their wine club as well as Tim and I so we thought it would be fun.

Robin, Kenny, Mom and Dad all met us at our house on Saturday morning, weather was clear and sunny even though there was mention of rain in the forecast. We all jumped into my parent's mini van and headed up north. We packed breakfast for the road, which I think is always a must when taking a long drive in the morning. We had hard boiled eggs, bagels with cream cheese and left over pecan bars from Thanksgiving. As we got to Napa the sky turned a dark grey and before we knew it we arrived at the winery in Rutherford and it was pouring! We went inside and got warmed up just in time for our tour start in the coldest part of the facility.We learned about harvest, process time, barrels, and then we got to taste straight from the barrel. We had a great guy (Ryan) showing us around, he was a good sport, we are all a little crazy and he dealt with us really well.We tried a couple different varietals from the barrel and then got to make our own blend by telling Ryan how much of each wine we wanted in our glass, it was super fun and mighty tasty. After the barrel tasting we got to go to the members only Divine tasting room and continued to taste some of the wonderful wines St. Supery has to offer. They just kept lining them up, I had to stop, I was the driver and all.

After drinking our weight in wine, we got back in the car, ate some more from our breakfast box and headed to St. Helena for a walk around the shops and lunch at Cindy's Backstreet (which I super love thanks to Wendy). Hey, is that Robin in the window?

After lunch we went over to Mumm, we heard that they had a great photo exhibit that included some Ansel Adams plus I love being surrounded by bottles of sparkling wine. The photos were pretty cool, I really enjoyed them, the photographers name was Art Rogers and he does family portraits. The exhibit was full of family photos taken at one point in time and then at another point in time years later in the exact location so one could have been taken in 1985 and then the other in 2010, such a cool concept. Click here to check out his website, click on the "yesterday/today" tab, that is what we saw.

When we came out of the exhibit the sky was just incredible, check it out, this photo doesn't even do it justice. Can you see the face in the C curve, so cool (think of the dark part as sideburns and a beard). It is when the sky turns amazing colors like this where all I can think is God is Good.After Mumm, we hit the road and headed back to the city. Mom and Dad went back to their hotel and Kenny and Robin drove home. I think we all slept pretty good that night. It was a great day.

Beach House Weekend

I have been trying to post this since yesterday but flickr has been acting a little weird (PS - I do not like the new flickr).

This photo is hilarious, my expression alone makes me look like the cat that ate the canary.

This past weekend was the 8th Annual Beach House Weekend in Bodega Bay with my lady friends. It was basically 6 gals, lots of drinks, 3 nights and one beach house.

Here are some highlights:

:: Appetizer night
:: Arabian Nights dinner
:: Greekfest dinner
:: Make 'em yourself Nacho Bar!
:: Good meals all around
:: Many blender drinks
:: Pedicures
:: Haircuts
:: Henna
:: Fashion Show
:: Sex and the City (reruns NEVER get old)
:: Breaking all the rules (I will leave it at that)

This is a weekend I look forward to all year. We always have so much fun and I think it is a must for all women to get a group of friends together that get along very well and lock yourselves in a house in the middle of nowhere for a weekend. Pack lots of snacks, drinks, music, movies/DVD's and have a giant slumber party! I don't know how I would get through the summer without my Beach House weekend.

Our globe trotting Navy Wife, Erika (in white) was able to rejoin the group this year after being overseas the last couple years. It was like she was never gone, we all just picked up where we left off - that is how you know a true friend. Erika, please don't leave us again we all missed you so much!

We all left the Beach House on Monday and headed back to our homes with great memories of a weekend that always passes way too fast.

Emily and I stopped at Sams Anchor Cafe in Tiburon on the way home and ate out on the deck and yes, there was a little sun and it felt sooo good.

My sister and I had an extra day in the city before she had to fly back to Chicago on Tuesday night. Seeing my sister is also a must every summer and I am so blessed, I got to see her in June in Michigan and this past weekend out here in California. I love her so much, everyone should have a sister like mine, if you don't, you can borrow her for limited time at a LARGE fee. We hung out in the city on Tuesday, went to some used clothing stores, ate lunch at a vegan Mexican restaurant, I showed her my Bird's Nest and we went to Baker Beach. We made dinner together at my place on Tuesday night and then she cut my hair (again, I needed more cut off than what was cut at the Beach House) and I cut her some really cute bangs! At about 10:00 PM Tim and I drove her to the airport and said our goodbyes, that always makes me sad. We live to far away from eachother for sure!

It was a wonderful long weekend to break up the summer a bit.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is the Birthday of one of my favorite people...my Dad.
An amazing man with courage and spirit that most of us can only dream of possessing.

He is one of my best friends, my role model and my own personal superman.

Oh, plus he is really funny and smart and he can draw and has great penmanship and given the right tools, he can fix almost anything.

Happy Birthday Dad, hope you have a great day down in SoCal, playing golf and relaxing with Mom, Aunt Linda and George.

Sweet Pea (Peanut)

My parents dog Peanut passed away Friday evening. Well, she was my sister's dog who adopted my parents when my sister went to college, but was really the family dog as we all loved her very much.

It was a very sad weekend. Even here in San Francisco my heart was aching for my parents and for our Sweet Pea. She wasn't sick and went very fast like my Marley did a few years back. So the memories of her are those of good times and not of a sick doggy.

Peanut had a happy life and everyone who met her loved her. Her last hoorah was our road trip across the US moving my parents to AZ. We had a lot of fun with her. I will never forget my Mom walking her on Navajo Nation after dark and seeing a coyote come up out of the bushes, my Mom looked over and saw it and made a quick "about face" and walked right back in the direction of the hotel. It was hilarious because as soon as I saw the coyote approach it was too late to make a noise to try and scare it off. I was watching the entire thing go down and from afar, it was very funny. I took a video of Peanut at my parents new home playing like a puppy with her teddy bear. I am glad she made it to Arizona and got to live in her new house for a while.

She was the best dog ever, hands down.

Sadness all around, first the family home is gone, now the family dog. Ugh.

I feel better today, but am still worried about my parents. I know they are fine, but an animal is such a huge spirit in the house and with her gone, it will be awful quiet and they will be lacking a security guard. My crying too much headache has lifted and today has been very good and I know Peanut is in heaven watching over all of us with that grin on her face that we all loved so much (not like in this photo, this was a more serious side of Peanut).

Catchin' Up

Seems like I have been chasing my tail for a couple days now. I was gone just a week, but I think my mind was in Michigan for most of June - thinking about my parents move, the long drive, etc.

We had a fine time driving across the states, we were very blessed not to have any trouble at all with any of the trucks or the car.
Here are some highlights from the trip:
This is the dream team, my brother Andy, my Dad's friend Al (who lives in AZ) and my Dad. They packed the trucks all day Thursday.

Friday morning we said good bye to the house we all grew up in and hit the road!

My Dad was driving a large pick up truck with a trailer, Al drove the big moving truck with a trailer and my Mom and I drove the car with Peanut (our canine copilot in the backseat).
We headed out of Michigan and into Indiana and then into Illinois where we stayed for the night (right near the MO boarder). Saturday we drove through Missouri, Oklahoma and into Texas and stayed overnight in Amarillo. Sunday morning my Dad and Al left early to push on through all the way to El Mirage, AZ. My Mom and I were going to Clovis, NM to visit my Grandma's last remaining sister and meet family I had not met before.

Below is what the drive looked like and is also the area where my Grandmother grew up in Eastern New Mexico.We got to my Great Aunt Lynn's house at about 11:45 AM and stayed until about 3:15 PM and hit the road to cross New Mexico and get into Arizona. On our way across New Mexico we came found this abandoned Church that I fell in love with.

When we got to about the middle of the state, we saw some mean looking clouds to the North and thought we may just be a spectator to a lightening show or something, WRONG. The next thing we knew it was raining really hard and then hailing. I couldn't see the road and there was no shoulder to pull over on. Thank God, we came up on a picnic area and pulled over there and waited a few minutes before hitting the road again. I ended up driving out of the storm, but it was a little hairy there for a while. We got to our hotel on the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation late and it was as dark as dark can be. You know, the last time I experienced dark like that was when I was on the Pineridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota with Tim in 2002. We checked in and went to bed shortly there after.

Monday morning we woke up and I was excited to get to Window Rock (a place I have always wanted to see). We ate breakfast at the hotel and then departed to see what we could see on the reservation. Window Rock was super cool and a sacred place for the Navajo people. It lies at the capitol of the Navajo Nation. When we pulled in to the area, there were 5 horses just walking down the street, I jumped out of the car to check them out, they kept walking.

Window Rock is pretty cool , there is not much else around there however, there is a massive code talker statue (see below) which was pretty cool. For more on the Navajo Code Talkers click here. After Window Rock, we kept driving through the Navajo Nation and stopped at the J.L. Hubbell Trading Post. The structure was super cool, the floor boards were creaky as all get out and the things they sold....amazing to say the least.
We didn't stay at the trading post for too long, it was hot and Peanut was in the car (in the shade, but still). So we hit the road again and powered through to Flagstaff, stopped for gas and lunch and then drove to El Mirage, AZ where my parents new home is.

When we got to the new house, Dad and Al were working on unpacking the truck so we pitched in and got a lot done. We ended up going to eat dinner at a Mexican restaurant that was soo yummy. We all slept really good that night.

Tuesday - slept in a little, not too much, I knew we had a lot to do. Mom and Dad went to the grocery store to get breakfast and lunch stuff. I stayed home with Peanut and started to unpack the kitchen boxes and made a list of things we needed from Bed Bath and Beyond. Mom and I worked all day in the kitchen until we were cross eyed. Then went to Bed Bath and Beyond and Target. It is amazing, it is so hot there and there is no one out during the day. It was weird for me coming from a big city to be able to pull right into a parking lot, close to the store and not have to wait in line to pay for things. We went home and worked on the kitchen a little more and then went to dinner. After dinner I set up my parents computer and did some laundry and went to sleep.

Wednesday - flew back to the Bay Area, went home and slept.

Phew! It was a whirlwind trip, I have been procrastinating updating my blog for some reason too - not sure why.

Anyway, I will get caught up now - tomorrow (or even later today) I will post about my weekend.

Christmas Recap

What a nice little hiatus - went by way too fast but it was just lovely. All flights were on time and security leaving Detroit to come back to San Francisco was a breeze (maybe because it was so early in the morning when we left).

Here is a rundown of our holiday events...

Christmas Eve -

8 PM early to the airport to get parked and shuttled, went through security (no lines), ate dinner (Chinese Food, everything else was closed) and waited at the gate for our flight to board. 11:15 PM plane departed (on time)

Christmas-
Landed in Chicago at 5:50 AM (that is 3:50 AM for us West Coasters) walked to the gate and waited for flight to Detroit. Arrived a little early in the D and Dad came to pick us up - super easy without having checked our bags.

Had breakfast when we got "home" - Mom made cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and fruit salad followed by many cups of coffee. We exchanged gifts with Mom and Dad (just the four of us) and then Tim and I had to take a nap before Emily and Mat showed up. We slept for about an hour and a half. I set the table and watched a little TV until Emily and Mat showed up. We exchanged gifts with them and then went down in to the basement to eat a wonderful turkey dinner with all the fixins'. It was so delicious, there is nothing like Mom's cooking if you ask me. After dinner we sat around, Emily and I watched her "Sing Along Songs" video from when she was a toddler and sang all the songs. We all had some dessert and coffee and then played cards for a bit (Emily, you owe me 90 minutes of my life back, ha ha!). The night seemed to go by way too fast and before I knew it, I was so tired and needed to hit the sack so Tim and I went to bed.

December 26 -
Slept until about 9 AM, had the BEST bagels ever for breakfast (this is a Michigan must have when I am in town). Bagels are NOT even close to what they are back home out here on the West Coast. Believe me on this one. Watched "Christmas in Connecticut" and waited for Emily and Mat to get up since we were planning on going to lunch. At about 1:00 PM, they came upstairs and Tim and I went to lunch with them at Anita's Kitchen for some awesome Middle Eastern food. After lunch we went to Trader Joe's so Mat could see some of his old coworkers and then went to a sporting store so I could get a Red Wings sweatshirt. That evening my brother Andy and his girls Veronica and Violet came over for dinner. We had a ton of fun! I wish I lived closer so we could spend more time together, but I guess distance is what sometimes makes the time we can spend together so precious. My Mom again made a large dinner, lasagna, salad, garlic bread, vegetables, Maltese bean salad, etc., etc., etc. The meal was followed by a million kinds of cookies and left over pie from Christmas night and peppermint ice cream! I played with the girls until it was time for them to leave around 9:00 PM. We all just hung out at home the rest of the night because we had to get up super early since my parents were leaving as well as us in the morning.

December 27 -
4:00 AM (1 AM for West Coasters) - get up and leave for airport at 4:30 PM. Drive on ice covered roads and get ready for a line at security due to recent events at Detroit Metro Airport. Security was a breeze, the only real line (which was totally disorganized) was the line my parents were in to check their bags before their flight out. Mom and Dad departed on their flight at 7:10 AM and Tim and I went to get breakfast and then left at 8:50 AM, we arrived at 11:00 AM in San Francisco. We have a tradition that when one or the both of us lands at SFO, we go to lunch or dinner at Celia's Mexican Restaurant, so that is what we did. After that, we went home and of course, BayLee gave us the business about not being around, but he had fun with his cat sitter who popped in to feed him each day. We took long naps on Sunday afternoon and took Monday off work so we could sleep in and rest, I was happy with that decision.

Hope you all had a great holiday!

Happy Birthday Emily!

I know, I am a day late on this post and it kept me up most of the night as I have been just thinking about how truly blessed I am to have my sister in my life. I can't believe that we are 10 years apart and so close. She is my sister, friend, confidant, therapist when I need one and always listens to what I have to say when I just need to talk something out. She asks for advice which makes me feel like my life experience is respected and my opinion counts. We are so linked, sometimes when things happen to her, I can feel them and vice-verse.

This photo is pretty funny because just the other night I called her and was singing one of the songs from this video she is holding up (I didn't even know I had this photo until looking for one today). The ironic thing is, they are all Disney songs and that night I left the message she was at work and at the bar where she works, they played a game where you had to guess what Disney song went to what movie. Seriously, I had no idea and then to find this photo - so funny!

Anyway, I could gush, but I won't here - you all pretty much know how I feel about Miss Emily, Little Crow, Lee Lee, Emma Lee Lee, Emmer, Em and the one name only I can get away with even though she hates it... Emma.

I love you my sister, you are an inspiration to me always, I am so proud of your life's accomplishments so far and looking forward to living vicariously through you as you start Grad school next month. I can only imagine what the future holds for you and am so happy I have a VIP pass and front row seat to see it all happen.

Best wishes to you in the upcoming year.

Memories

I saw these ginkgo leaves this morning and though of my Aunt Mary, its her birthday today!

I miss her.

Happy Birthday Andy

Happy Birthday to my brother Andy!
Hope you have a great day - I miss you and love you! I wish we lived closer to each other so we could celebrate your special day together.

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Mom!

I hope all of your wishes come true and you have a wonderful day!

A Story of Familija (Family)

Frank, Roger, Marlene, Mary Rose, Mom, Me, Noel

For the full story on how I found my extended relatives in Malta in 2006, please refer to posts from October 13-23, 2006.

This time around, I wanted my Mom to come with me and meet her cousin and her extended family in Malta and that is what we did.

After arriving on Friday, October 2nd we took the weekend to relax, rest and get caught up with the time there and on Monday I called my second cousin Noel and my Mom's cousin's husband Frank to let them both know we had arrived safely and would like to get together soon. We had written and emailed prior so they knew when we were coming, etc. The plan was to meet them at 4:30 PM on the next day and we would go to their house for dinner.

The next day we spent the day around Sliema, walked to the post office and I went for a swim and then we got ready for our night with the family. I had met them before so I was not nervous and knew how relaxed of an environment it would be, but couldn't get a read on my Mom and how she was feeling. I was exited more than anything to see them again. We walked to the hotel where they were picking us up (our apartment was on a tiny one way street) and there they were, my second cousin Marlene and my Mom's cousin's husband Frank. We said our hellos, hugs and kisses and got in to the car. Frank then announces that we are going to Birkirkara (B'kara) where my Grandfather grew up to see the house and to visit the parish Church there (Saint Helen's). Our ride over was hilarious, everyone taking so loud on top of everyone else, in this family, the loudest wins! Please note, just because someone is talking loud does not mean they are mad, it might just mean they are Maltese. An older Maltese man told my husband that at the Maltese Club a while back and I was laughing so hard. Anyway, we get to the square and I look right at my Grandfather's house and try to imagine what it was like when he was here. For my Mom, not having been there before, I pointed the house out to her and took some photos of it. We walked across the street to the church and went inside. Marlene said a prayer for the family and to St. Helen and we went over to where they have the patron saint statue behind glass and Marlene and Frank both told us the story of St. Helen. It was very sweet because Marlene's name is Mary Helena put together so St. Helen is her namesake in a way and obviously one of her favorite saints as she told the story of her with so much passion and fervor. After the story concluded she reached in the little wooden holder to see if there were any cards with St. Helen and a prayer on the back of them and you would have thought we stuck gold as Marlene exclaimed "...only 2 left! And they are both in English where they are usually in Maltese! It is destiny!". She handed us the cards and we scanned both sides and put them away for safe keeping. This Church is one of the most ornate in Malta and it was incredible on the inside. The Church was completed in 1745 towards the end of the Maltese Baroque period (you do the math, it's old). I did not take any photos inside as to not be rude, I never know how people feel about that although you can google the church to see the inside.

After spending time in B'Kara we went on to Balzan where my Mom's Aunt's are buried, but the cemetery was locked and we couldn't get in. I took a photo of some folks that are also relatives who's plaque is right on the edge that you can see from the sidewalk, they are my Great Grandfather's sister and her husband.

It was so nice this time to get a refresher on who is who in the family and also to go to B'Kara and Balzan with them, we didn't do that last time, but I did find my Grandfather's house on my own last time with the help of a Maltese friend Joe who went knocking on doors with me. That is what lead me to my second cousin Father Ray as well.

After our short stop in Balzan we went to Frank and Mary Rose's (my Mom's cousin) house for dinner. My Mom was about to meet her cousin for the first time! Pretty incredible that all of this was happening, I did a quick thanks to God for leading me to the family back in 2006. There is only so much people will let you know over the Internet, pounding the payment is really the best way to find these things and what an adventure it can be, trust me on this one. We pull up and Frank says, Ray is there - sweet, he is the first one I met, how exciting to see him again. We get out of the car and head in the house and my Mom is greeted at the door by her cousin Mary Rose, she is so cute and just as I remembered her. We move inside the house and Fr. Ray says hello and I meet my second cousin Roger for the first time (he was unable to come over last time). Fr. Ray had to leave (he is super busy all the time, he just got a promotion in the spring and is the delegate to the Archbishop for the parishes in Malta). The door opened again and it was Noel and his wife Miriam, I had met Noel but not Miriam last time. I was super happy to see him as we hit it off pretty well last time and have been in contact intermittently via email. Miriam was super cool and so sweet. We all looked at photos in Frank's well organized books (my last visit was in one of them!). My Mom asked some questions abotu who was who in some photos she had and it turns out in one of the photos of a couple, it was Mary Rose's parents! My Mom also told them that when she was a kid her Dad's nephew came to visit and asked who that was, it was Mary Rose's brother! Amazing!

We all sat down and had an epic Maltese meal, started with little nuts and crunchy things, then Maltese sausage was passed, then came the timpana (baked pasta with a pie crust top), after that the main dish was served (pork loin roulade), mixed vegetables and potatoes and then there was the cheese course served with Maltese galletti. With all of that we had wine, water, soda and my beloved Kinnie. After all of that came dessert, a cake and also a sort of creamy fruit pie dessert and we noticed it had a Happy Birthday stick in it, I said nothing in case maybe it was put in there for the happy occasion (I have learned to keep my mouth shut when it comes to things like this because I have been to Asia a number of times and I cannot even tell you how many times people have sang me Happy Birthday or have given me a Christmas card in March). My Mom on the other hand was like, "Who's Birthday is it?" I leaned over and just said under my breath, "it is just a happy occasion" her response was "Oh, I thought it said Happy Birthday" just loud enough that people could hear. I then saw Marlene lean over to her Mom (Mary Rose) and then announce to everyone that it was in deed Mary Rose's 81st Birthday - she was just hesitant to say anything! Well, then we all sang and that was an event in itself, I think the entire neighborhood heard us or shall I say Frank for that matter (he was very dramatic). We all ate dessert and the conversations we had were unforgettable and so funny, everyone loves to laugh in this group especially! Frank is super funny as well as Noel and Roger so they were cutting up the entire time. The evening ended and Noel and Miriam drove us back to our apartment. On the drive we had nice conversation about relationships, marriage, etc. and also they mentioned taking us to Gozo on Saturday because it is much easier if you have a car and you can see more of the island. We made a plan to meet at 9:30 AM Saturday morning and we were super excited to see the sister island.

It was a great day! Our family is not super big here in the states or in Malta so I believe it is important to have as much fun as you can when you are together and that is what we did.

Weekend Recap

This past weekend was amazing - Emily and Angela both flew in for our weekend away on the beach and the weather was simply amazing.

Here is my lovely group of gals...

Wendy, Emily, Angela, Robin

We rented a house in Bodega for the weekend. We were not right on the beach, but close enough that we had a great view. Here are some highlights from the weekend:

• Appetizer night
• Fresh locally caught fish dinner that was better than any restaurant
• French Toast casserole with blueberries
• Greekfest dinner
• Many rum drinks
• Moving the living room chairs outside to bask in the sun
• Crabby old men playing golf
• Expanding vampire knowledge
• Dipping everything in chocolate
• America's Best Dance Crew
• Crystal Ball readings by Katie
• Pedicures by Robin

It was a great weekend, yesterday was a rude awakening having to work and it was one of those days that feels like it would never end plus I was tired. Emily flew out at half past midnight so we had a late night taking her to the airport. It was so worth it though. I was sad to see my sister leave, she is moving to Chicago soon and I am super excited for her but sad as well because I don't know how much we will see each other after she moves. You know how things change when you are out on your own, working, paying rent, etc. Anyway, she is the best on the planet and I wish she lived closer to me so I could see her more often.

We had a great time. Thanks Angela for flying out from Colorado, again, wish you lived closer so we could see each other more often. Time with my friends is priceless and I can't imagine not having these wonderful women in my life.

My next post will be a receipe that I made for breakfast while we were away, everyone asked for it.

Emily....

Is arriving in the next hour!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's Birthday! For those of you who don't know, my Dad is pretty awesome! Here are some of the things I love about him:

• He is super funny! A total character, I am telling you.
• He is a great cook - ask my Mom, he has dinner on the table when she gets home (lucky!).
• With the above stated, he will cook outside on the grill in the dead of winter!
• He knows a little about everything - which makes him a perfect candidate to be a Jeopardy contestant.
• He is very creative - makes all kinds of things, my dollhouse when I was a kid, birdhouses, little holiday decorations, "Stanley's Cup" (sorry Mom, had to mention it).
• He can talk to just about anyone and find something in common.
• He always has supported what ever it is I choose to do, even if I end up quitting in the end.
• He is always there to talk, listen or just shoot the shit and I love that.

I could go on forever. Dad, you are my hero, the best man I know and I wish you all the best on your Birthday!