No Passport Required

I left the country breifly yesterday afternoon. Not really, but it felt like it. I went to La Michoacana to buy pork shoulder roast and dried guajillo chilis for a special Mexican recipe I am going to attempt today. La Michoacana is one of several Mexican grocery stores within a few blocks of our house. Some refer to the section of Spring Valley Road near our home as "Little Mexico" and for good reason. There is a huge hispanic population. La Michoacana is also known for having some of the best tasting meat (and at great prices) in the entire Dallas area. The area around the meat counter was packed. There were at least 15-20 people standing around waiting for their number to be called. I took a number...41. The display above showed that they were currently helping number 25. I waited over 30 minutes for my turn. Each person bought so much meat which made each turn last a long time. There was a slight problem, though. Everything in the entire store was written in spanish. And, none of the workers spoke English. I did ask for help from another customer. She helped me figure out what I needed to order. But, I still had trouble when it was my turn because the pork shoulder roast was not displayed in the case. I knew the word puerca (pork) and I touched my shoulder to request that specific part. But, I didn't know if they understood I wanted a boneless roast. I am still not totally sure I got the right thing, but it looks like it may be correct. I felt uncomfortable and conspicuous as I tried to find the ingredients I needed. I was probably the only non-hispanic person in the store most of the time (I did see a young white guy in there for a few minutes). There was Mexican music blaring, and conversations in spanish going on all around me. I was really wishing I could speak that language. I may be making more trips there since Cody bought me a Rick Bayless cookbook for Christmas. He has a Mexican food cooking show on PBS called Mexico, One Plate at a Time. This cookbook has supposedly "simple" everyday Mexican cooking recipes. Some of them look pretty tricky to me. I guess we'll see how my Guajillo Roasted Pork and Potato taco filling dish turns out tonight.

2005

I read a few other blogs now and then...one of my favorites is www.barryland.com which is written by the husband of a friend of mine from college. Every year he compiles a neat list of what he did during that year. The list includes all sorts of things, not just the usual things one would think about, and it doesn't read like a list of accomplishments. It's a more personal reflection of the unique experiences the year brought to his life. I hope to follow his lead and compile a list of my own this year. 2005. Think about what happened in your life during this year. And look for my list soon.

Bear Feet

Nate and Ava are running around barefoot today...it's so warm outside for late December! Ava asked me if we could put Nate's monkey socks on his feet and I told her he was just fine with bare feet. She said "No, not "bear" feet, he has children feet."
I can't argue with that.

Olive

That Christmas book/special that came out years back about "Olive, the Other Reindeer" has completely messed up the classic Rudolph tune for me. They took the line, "All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names," and created this character named Olive. Now I can't hear or sing the song without picturing this snotty girl reindeer named Olive picking on Rudolph. Ava likes the song. I like the beginning. When I was in junior high, I won a prize by calling in to a radio station in Abilene and naming all 8 of Santa's reindeer. (minus Rudolph of course) I sang the beginning of this song outloud to myself to get the answers I needed. I can't remember what I won.

A shock

I received a bit of a shock today. A friend of mine that goes waaaay back...I'm talking high school church youth group, college, maid of honor at my wedding kind of friend...told me today that she is pregnant. With quadruplets. Wow! I've never known anyone that was expecting quads before. It's amazing, incredible, shocking, scary, exciting, all rolled into one big ball of emotion! I'm really happy for her and her husband, and I hope all goes well with the pregnancy and delivery of these little ones.
Boy, is THEIR life going to change. She should chronicle her pregnancy with a blog...I would tune in to find out what life expecting 4 babies is like. I am assuming that after she actually has them, there might not be time to blog.

Back to Normal

Ava did great during and after her dental procedure Wednesday. She is totally back to normal today. Thanks for all the prayers on her behalf. I actually woke up sick that morning and was unable to go with her and Cody to the hospital. Thank goodness Cody's parents were over here ready to help. Carol went to the hospital in my place, and Don watched Nate here at home. I just slept most of the day. I am back to normal today as well. Especially around this time of year my thoughts tend to dwell on what a blessing family is. I'm thankful for these two kids, and my wonderful husband that cares for them as deeply as I do, and for all our extended family and friends that love on the four of us. The gift of relationship is precious.

Big Day Tomorrow

Ava is going into the hospital for dental work in the morning. She has some cavities that must get filled, and we all know a 2 year old isn't going to just sit there with their mouth open. So this means she has to be put to sleep, and it will be done safely in a hospital setting. Still, parents don't like to hand their babies over to crews of doctors and nurses to be put under anestheisia for any reason...even something as minor as dental work. Cody and I will wait in the surgical waiting room during the hour or so long procedure, and then we will join her in the recovery room. She should be able to come home by noon. I had never been to Children's Hospital before our pre-assessment appointment Monday. I was really moved. I felt such a sadness knowing that so many families were there facing a terrible illness or injury of their precious child. At the same time, I felt joy in all the hope and healing that takes place there. Every staff member was so kind and pleasant. I am glad to know such a wonderful hospital exists in our city.

Ava's Prayer

Before Ava goes to bed, we pray. About half the time Cody or I say the prayer and the other half Ava says it herself. Last night I asked Ava to say the prayer and I was touched by the sweet words that she must have learned from her preschool teacher Miss Carolyn. Ava said "Dear God, please help us to use our kind words and gentle hands." That just about sums it up, doesn't it? It applies to grown ups just as much as children, and is a perfect mantra to guide us each day as we interact with those around us. I think I'm going to have to steal that idea from Ava and incorporate it into my own prayer time.

Kindness at the Meat Counter

Know what? Kindness goes a long way...especially in the way of free and reduced price meat. I alternately shop at Kroger and Albertsons, depending on who has the better deals that week. At both stores, I've got a "meat counter" friend. It started a long time ago at Albertsons when I happily greeted the guy working the meat counter and asked how he was doing before I told him what I wanted. He put the meat up on the scale, weighed it- which caused the price ticket to spurt out, then added some more meat before wrapping it up. He does that every time I buy meat at the counter there...whether chicken or bacon, he adds a bit more after the price ticket has already printed. Maybe he does it for everybody, but I like to think it's because I am nice to him. Last night, I made a friend at Kroger. The guy was out stocking meat in the case. I greeted him and talked for a minute. Then I asked where the 1.99 per lb. chuck roast was located. He said that was only the family pack size. My face fell a bit and he suddenly suggested that I choose a regular package and he would go mark it 1.99 for me, although they were supposed to be 2.99 per lb. So I did. Again, he might have been doing that for everyone, but it COULD be because I talked with him and treated him with respect. People just want to be spoken to with kindness and respect, not ordered around while they do their jobs. That's all.