No One Sippin' on Lemonade Here!

Mothers, Mothers, Mothers. What to say about ours? All I can do is shake my head. If you want a visual, she's teeny, has boy short hair, and has a Chinese accent.

Tara has recently informed me that the couple times she's asked my mom whether she likes my boyfriend or not, she's said the same thing:

"Aw, Peter. He does everything for her. Everything! She needs to learn how to do things for herself!"

I'm just putting the pieces together now and realizing that with my mom, first impressions are key when it comes to boyfriends. She gets an idea about them from the beginning and she sticks with it. Luckily with Huz, she always just said,"He is a good boy." Tina wasn't so lucky. She said, "He knows how to talk."

I realize now that I blew it in the beginning. I really wanted her to like him so I always told her things he did for us or the house, saying things like:

"Mommy! Look Peter mopped the floors after the bbq!"
"Guess what! Peter washed the car!"
"Peter already took out the garbage."
Peter, Peter, Peter

I forgot to mention that while he was washing the car, I was making him lunch. Or while he was mopping the floors, I was picking trash off the floor and wiping down tables.

I wasn't sippin' on lemonade, Mom!

Sigh... [Shake my head]

Happy Halloween 2009!

Every year for Halloween the 3 sisters get together and do some pumpkin carving. This tradition started a few years back and it's been something we always look forward to at this time of year, besides trick-or-treating with the kids. I have to say our pumpkin carving style kind of reflects our different personalities. Laura, the artist, of course likes to make her own creations and never ever uses stencils. Tara, the lawyer who always likes a good challenge, chooses the most complicated stencil she can find and creates an elaborate design fit for any professional pumpkin carver. I, on the other hand, choose the most simplest and easiest design to make. FYI: I have also accidentally decapitated a cat I was making. I'm not sure exactly what it says about me. Maybe I don't like challenges. Or maybe I'm just not creative or artistic. But I like to think that I appreciate simple things. Isn't it the simple things in life that we later appreciate the most?

Tara's "Graveyard Scene"

Laura's "Decapitated Boyfriend"

Tina's "Ichabod's Fate" (Yeah, I didn't make it up.)



Carmen's "Pirate Boy" and Rachel's "Macy, just Macy"

Dear Tara

This is a letter in response to Tara's Letter in a previous post.

_________________________________________________

Your letter surprised me a lot. I never knew how you felt about my sensitivity. It's pretty funny, actually. Yes, I admit, I'm a big cry baby! But I'm pretty secretive about it. So shush!

Now that I'm older, I really see all that you do for the people you love. It's a lot to shoulder, and you do it all with ease, because you've been doing it for so long. It's your way of showing us how much you care and I really see that and appreciate it. I admire it too. You do things because you must, no complaints. It makes you a great leader, and I hope I can be like that some day.

I got over my freshman jitters because of you! You helped me through it so much. I admire that you have no doubt like the rest of us mortals do. You go through life knowing you can achieve anything you put your mind to. You went into law school without a doubt in the world that you would do just fine, and of course you do better than fine! Almost everyone who knows you loves you, Tara, because you're so great. You genuinely care about people, and I hate when the occasional person puts you down. You don't deserve to be treated that way by anyone.

You know how I always say I wish we were closer in age. It's so true! Although our 12-year age gap hasn't prevented us from being best friends, it would be so much cooler if we were the same age! Instead of you guiding me through life and giving me advise, I wish all three of us could be going through the same problems together! I wish I could have been one of the girls you and Tina confided in about your boy problems or whatever problems. Because you are the ones I confide in about those things, I only wish I could do the same for you guys and give back what you have given to me.

I'm happy at least that I had the chance of being your Maid-of-Honor in your wedding. It really meant a lot to me. Although I still grumble about not being a triplet, I'm happy that you and Tina are in my life and that, as the years go by, our bond gets stronger. I feel so lucky to have so many people in my life that love me unconditionally just as I love them unconditionally. We are each others' rocks and nothing can stand between us, of that I'm sure.

I'm sorry I was so distracted this summer to spend as much time with you guys as I used to, but some boy *ahem* was particularly distracting. But he and all my friends know that hanging out with my sisters is my favorite thing to do!

Although much of my childhood I've felt like an only child (only because you were off at college), I'm glad that I'm growing up and we continue to get closer. I love you guys so much I can't stand it!

I end this letter with four words of wisdom: Monopoly nights are epic!

I Am My Mother's Daughter

When I was younger, I wanted to be like my mother. I strove to be like her actually. She is well-educated and a successful business woman. She is her own boss and is a really good one too. She is independent and could do anything. She sets her mind to something, and things got accomplished. I wanted to be like that.

Then out of nowhere, I've found I've become her. I didn't even have to try. Growing up, I didn't let being a girl get in my way. I thought and knew that girls can do anything that boys can do. I adopted this feminist mentality without even knowing it. Only years later did I realize that I got it from my mother. However, she didn't tell me "girls can do anything." She showed me. She actually did anything and everything.

Since I was 17, she treated me like an equal. Perhaps she saw herself in me before I did. She talked to me like an adult. She asked me for advice. So I assumed that role...assumed the responsibilities of being an adult. I am who I am today because of her.

Like my mother, I am very independent. I have no patience with other people. If I can do it myself, I usually do. In that way, I am self-reliant too. I depend on myself. My mother is the same way. She rarely asks me or anyone for help. If she does ask, and it takes too long, she would sooner do it herself. I know how she feels because I am exactly like her. So I often have to remind myself to ask her if she needs help. No one can do everything alone. Not even me. Like my mother, I recognize my own flaws...and try to better myself every day.

My mother is a strong woman. I am a strong woman. She is reliable, and I am reliable. My mother is accomplished. I want to be accomplished. I am my mother's daughter.

Making Dinner for the In-Laws

I started dating my husband when we were both 17. We basically grew up together. I went over his house a lot, and his mom cooked for me all the time. She is a superb cook and makes awesome authentic Chinese food. So it is a big deal when I cook for my in-laws. It is a chance to show them that we are adults now and can take care of ourselves. Also, I want to show them that I can cook. Believe me...my mother-in-law has voiced her doubts (with no basis whatsoever). They still think of us as children, which drives me mad. So I feel like I have something to prove.

We've only invited them to dinner at our house a handful of times since getting married and moving into our house two years ago. When we invite them over, it is a whole production. And I mean, a PRODUCTION. One that needs at least two whole days of preparation. I tell my husband to give me at least a week's notice.

We invited them to our house for dinner last night. You may have noticed that I haven't blogged since Thursday. I was too busy preparing for Sunday. That was where I was. So this is what went into last night's dinner. First, the menu. I know better than to make my in-laws Chinese food. I am definitely not as good as my mother-in-law. So I have to cook something she doesn't know how to make...something non-Chinese. I also like to make something complex so as to impress them but nothing too complicated that I can screw up. So I never ever make them something I haven't made before. Never. I would just be asking for trouble. So this time, we decided to barbecue steak and chicken thighs. They don't barbecue at all, so it is a nice change of pace for them. I also made my sweet potato casserole and a Greek pasta salad as sides. Oh, and I made the chex mix as a snack, which was a hit. My mother-in-law loves to snack and also likes spicy food. Perfect, right? And I made homemade strawberry ice cream, which is my father-in-law's favorite. However, it's fancier and more impressive because it's homemade. Clever, aren't I?

Second, hard labor. At 9:30a on Saturday, I woke up and started cleaning the house immediately. No joke. I started in our bedroom and worked my way out. I dusted every surface and pledged every surface. Then I put everything away. After I was done with our house, it looked like no one lived there. Seriously. My husband vacuumed upstairs while I swiftered and mopped downstairs. We were finally done around 3:30pm. We just had enough time to get ready to go out for a party that same night.

Then on Sunday, I woke up early and made the chex mix with walnuts, almonds and chex. Not sure if they'd like cheezits and popcorn. Their palates are not as sophisticated. ;) Then we went grocery shopping for the rest of the stuff. When we came home, I got cracking on the sides and the ice cream, which took several hours. After that, I finally got a chance to take a shower. Right before they came over, we did last minute tidying up. I asked my husband to do the bed. He whined "What? But we never do the bed!" My response "Yeah, but your parents are coming." His response, "They are not coming upstairs." I acknowledged that he was right, but knowing his mother, she'll make an excuse to go upstairs at least once. (If you are wondering, she did go upstairs. Ha!) Then they arrived at 5:30p.

The house was pristine. They came to a clean and neat house with a snack, dinner and dessert already prepared. Little did they know that we were slaving away just moments before their arrival. And I made it look effortless.

Disney World: The Happiest Place on Earth!

My family and I went to Orlando this month and we had a blast! I have to admit there's no place like Disney World. I am not an amusement park kind of person and I hate roller coasters (mainly because I get motion sickness the moment it starts). But Disney World has all kinds of rides and shows for adults and children. Where else can you watch "Beauty and the Beast" live, ride "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror," and ride a Star Wars simulator? 3D and 4D shows are always a hit, and every park has one. And you also get to watch some of your favorite Disney movies live on stage or take a ride through the world of some of your favorite characters. If you love Disney movies, you'll love Disney World! I know Orlando, Florida, will be a regular vacation destination for our family for years to come.

Tina's Top 5 Disney Attractions:
5) Finding Nemo-The Musical: It's like watching a 30 minute Broadway show! It was such a treat, even though I was the only one who liked it. HELLO, they turned Finding Nemo into a musical! (Animal Kingdom)
4) The Haunted Mansion: It's fun and the holographic effects are pretty cool. (Hollywood Studios)
3) It's Tough to be a Bug!: It's a 4D show where you get stung by a hornet, sprayed by a stink bug, and attacked by spiders! (Animal Kingdom)
2) Dinosaur!: You take a ride through the Jurassic era where carnivorous dinosaurs want to take a bite out of you. (Animal Kingdom)
1) The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: They drop you from the thirteenth floor, three times! (Hollywood Studio)

Honestly, I missed a lot of rides and shows, but these are some you shouldn't miss! Disney World is the happiest place for all ages!

Treasure Trove of Memories

I found a treasure trove at my mom's house tonight! Home videos! When we were younger, we used to love making home videos. We have videos dating back to 1989!! Can you believe that? Laura wasn't even born yet. Sigh...those were the days. ;) Our first video camera was those giant ones that fit a whole VHS. You had to rest it on your shoulder when taping. Haha! So you can imagine how big it was. Tina, my little brother and I would pull out the video camera every so often and just tape random things that we were doing that day. So there are a lot of videos of us at home (usually during the summer) sitting around and basically doing nothing. However, among the many hours of tape, there'd be nuggets of pure hilarity...or at least, we thought they were funny. I can't wait to watch them all. That's exactly what I plan to do.

And that is not even the best part!! The whole thing came up because I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to convert all of our home videos to DVDs. Turns out my wonderful mother happened to buy the software and converter recently but just never figured how to use it. In comes me. Yay! So I brought a whole bunch of tapes home with me. My mom is going to dig up more. Now I can make copies upon copies, and everyone can enjoy them. I am so excited!