Dear Dad

Miss you like crazy.  You left the physical world about 10 years ago. 

Some things I wanted to share with you, although I know you are watching down on us and with us too.

I'm keeping it light, just like you were.  I enjoy the little things, small and large sometimes talk with "nobody's a stranger" and deeper talks with friends and family.  I love laughing and find the humorous side to most things.

Some things I want to share with you:

• We bought a house in Oxnard.  We love it!!  It's a mile from the beach, and yes, outside the tsunami zone. 
• Brie and Cammie have graduated from college. (Brie is on to very sciency stuff/ Biology/ Forensics and Cammie is getting her Master's to be a math teacher. Brie's getting her Master's too.
• Alyssa is in the Coast Guard!  She's up in Seattle.
• Zoie is going to CSU San Marcos to study Criminology
• Malzeee and Alyssa have gone skydiving!!
• Bill and I have now been married 19 years in August...and yes, you saw it first.  You said...uh, I think you like him...something like that....you have a decision to make :)
• Bill is now a GS-13.  You know all about that government stuff. He got a position right after retirement in 2009.
• My sis in law Mary passed away. (Miss her like crazy, we do)
• We have 3 cats.  Yes, you heard me right.  But two of them are Bill's fault
• Johnathan is driving now...high school
• Sophie plays basketball, soccer, polo and also playes the trombone!!
• I'm working for/ with Seniors now and love it.  I've always been drawn to kids and senior kids.
• There's a few new babies in the family.
  
• This is most of the good stuff.  We are all mostly healthy

I miss our daily talks.  I miss you.  I drive by the last place I "double hugged" you...in front of the Oxnard Train Station from time to time.  When I do, I say, I love ya, dad!!

Fluff With A Fork

You got chocolate in my peanut butter.

You got peanut butter in my chocolate.

We remember the happy coincidence marketing of Reese's peanut butter cups...well most of us.  The age appropriate ones of us do.

So, this evening I'm making Spanish Rice.  The Grandma Lola way...but adding my twist.  I sometimes put in a cube of TJ (Trader Joes), garlic...toward the end.  I guess I forgot that I bought a jar of garlic this time vs. the cubes (and yes, for the record, I have real garlic).  I added one to sautee' ...in the beginning...taking a risk of bitterness.  I add the onion, the tomato sauce, the smidge of o.p. (onion powder).  It's all going good.  Smells so ethnic chic in our house.  I add two cubes toward the end...again.... not to be bitter.  Bitter bad.

I taste...and well OOPS!!  It's ginger!!  It's Ginger Spanish Rice!!  It tastes pretty good.  I fluff with a fork.  I then opt to break out my jar o' crushed garlic.  I spoon in a bit.  Voila!!  It turned out great!!

Just wait until I do a Ginger Stir Fry.