Category Archives: Holidays

¡Salud!

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Since it is the first of the year, I thought I would give a quick Spanish tip: ¡Salud!

The word salud is used for three different occasions with slightly different meanings. 1) Most commonly, it means “health” 2) when someone sneezes it means “bless you”.
3) it means “cheers” as when you are giving a toast, instead of saying “cheers!” you say “¡salud!”

When I was in Mexico I learned a more intricate rhyming toast that goes a little something like this:

“Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa’ dentro.”  (Literally : “Up, down, to the center, inside”)

This means “raise your glass up, lower it down, bring it to the middle (clink them) and then drink up (bring it inside the body)”.

A todos mis lectores: ¡a su salud en el año nuevo!

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Christmas 2010

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We had a nice, slow Christmas this year and just stayed in Greeley. Even so, it was more stressful than usual with my mom having a hard time adjusting to life without my dad (the holidays are the worst) and all of us trying to help my brother along in his process of moving out and growing up. I really have been missing my dad a lot too even though he visits me in my dreams almost nightly. On Christmas, we were looking through our posts from last year and it’s hard to believe that he was doing so well less than a year ago.

Anyhow, this year Britton and I had two meals again. One at his family’s house and the other at my mom’s. We were hammed out! 🙂

We made a snack/cookies/tea/cocoa basket for everyone and had fun baking up the cookies together. And even though Christmas day was actually quite a nice dry one weather wise (in the 60s or so) we now have a white blanket on the ground just in time for the New Year.

Here are a few photos from the day. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas holiday.


My aunt Laura, my mom, and Rob cooking


Me and my Grandma


Christmas dinner


Cookie Baskets (plus Schnoodle)

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Faith, Hope, and Love

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With the holidays upon us, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on three important parts of our lives. While they are all unseen in that they are just concepts, I think they are really what make life worth living.

Faith- I was especially thinking about faith in regards with how we trust one another. Without our faith in people, we wouldn’t be able to live. There is a social contract inherent in every interaction. But especially with the ones closest to you. They also have the ability to crush or hold high your faith in humanity the most. So take care of this trust, and when someone says they have faith in you, believe it, hold it close, and honor it!

I was thinking about how much Britton trusts me, and how much I trust him. When I went to Puerto Rico a couple of years ago and saw the property in Lares, he trusted me completely enough to sign a contract to buy it sight unseen. Now, I have the chance to do the same with this new property in Isabela. Faith is a wonderful thing.

Religious or spiritual faith is also an important element to remember this time of year. And if you think about it, it’s the same type of thing. We trust unfailingly in something that is unseen and untouchable. But yet, this faith can be very important in our lives.

Hope- This last year has been a tough one on the hope front. I felt like I used up every last ounce of hope I had with my dad. It was all I had left. I knew his death was inevitable and approaching quickly, but I couldn’t lose hope. It got me through those tough nights of worry. And even after he was gone, hope for a better world beyond kept me going.  Hope keeps us going. It keeps us positive. Without it is only desperation. And as it should by its nature, my well of hope is replenishing day by day.

Love- …and the greatest of these is love. Think for a moment what your life would be without those closest to you. It would be so gray and colorless -lifeless. Love brings meaning to our lives. Love strongly, consistently and don’t forget the importance you have in others’ lives, especially those you love and who love you. Give love freely. Commit random acts of kindness. Leave the world -or at least your little corner in it- a little better for you having been there.

Happy Holidays to All and to All a Goodnight

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The Empty Seat

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We had a lovely Thanksgiving meal and time with family at our house this year. Britton’s mom and our niece and nephew stopped by for a few and my aunt’s family (her husband and son Tommy) flew in from out of town to join us for Thanksgiving dinner.


The Kauffmans

We had a sort of pot-luck and we were in charge of drinks. So in addition to egg nog, hot apple cider, milk, izzies, beer and wine, I made some great sangria! We enjoyed our drinks and listened to music and talked for a while before we ate.


Sangria

Then we all sat down at the table for a meal. Except one chair wasn’t filled. And that was the chair for my dad. We decided to honor him and his memory by placing a plate at his seat at the end of the table. We remembered him there for all the Thanksgivings past and it was nice to think of his spirit joining us for the meal. The holidays are the hardest after you lose someone because these holidays are about family, about coming together and enjoying our time on earth. So when someone is no longer there with you, it stings a little more.


The Empty Seat and lots of full ones too!

But my brother Justin did a great job taking over some of Dad’s traditional roles like peeling and mashing the potatoes. I think Dad would have approved! They were great. And Laura’s husband Rob trimmed the turkey and we all said grace. We really hardly ever say grace, but it’s such a nice tradition. To be thankful for the bounty of food, everything we are blessed to have and to be in the company of friends and family.

And this year, I think grace was even more poignant without my dad. It seems perhaps that we tend to under-appreciate what we have until it is gone. Death has a way of waking you up to your life and aligning your priorities. Live it while you can! And maybe, just maybe, after you go, you will leave a mark on the people in your life so profound that you never truly die. For me on this Thanksgiving, that seat may have been empty but my dad will always be here with me on Thanksgiving or any other day.

BONUS: I had never made sangria before, but I think I made a winning mix for Thanksgiving. So in case you are wondering….here is:

Cassie’s Secret Sangria Concoction -err- Recipe

Franzia Chillable Boxed Red Wine (or white if you prefer)
Some Pineapple Juice
Some Cranapple Juice Concentrate
Lots of fruit and squeezed juice (Orange, lemon, lime slices, pomegranate seeds, pineapple)
Chill overnight
When you are ready to serve, add champagne and/or seltzer water to make it fizzy. By using the juice concentrate you don’t water it down too much this way.
Add fruit garnishes like lemon, orange, lime and maraschino cherries.

And, finally, enjoy!

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