Truth Parlor

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

There are a zillion things about Canada I love, starting with my family: aunt, uncles, tons of cousins & 2nd cousins and of course my 90 year old grandma seen here:

If you can't figure out which one's my grandma, then this may be the wrong blog for you.

My favorite Auntie & her beautiful family tops this list:

Grandma, Aunt Lisa & her oldest daughter Rosalinda.

But from the time I was little (we’ve had our family reunion/grandma’s milestone birthdays since I was little), I remember one of my favorite things about Canada is that their potato chip selection is vastly different than ours. For God’s sake, the make ketchup chips.

Ketchup chips are even better than salt & vinegar & dill pickle chips, though I love them both, they don’t come close to the delectable tangy sensation of each crunchy bite.

Best dang chips this side of the great lakes.

So while we’re talking about food, here’s a shot of how we Chinese folks like to eat: 12 course meals or no food at all. If you speak Chinese, you can hear my dad in the background saying, “She just keeps eating (referring to me).” But duh, who wouldn’t keep eating that scrumptious food?:

Yes, we really eat like this all the time. Especially when we get together after a long time apart. We only had 8 courses the night before though, so it wasn’t video worthy. Though we apparently got a tongue lashing from the horrible waiter because he was left just under a 10% tip…but when I say he was awful, I mean, he never cracked a smile, was not gracious. We had to set down our own plates and dishes. He never asked if we needed anything, we always had to flag him down, etc.

Anyhow, that was like the worst part of the trip and was over so quickly and was awesome from then on.

So we caused quite a ruckus, as we always do with these big family trips.

So follow the math here:

There are 6 of us and only 5 can fit in my dad’s car for the road trip up. Sooo, I fly up while Dad, hubby, 2 kids + my nephew drive up. This means:

1. Friday:  Pick me up from the airport
2. Saturday:  Pick up my sister from the airport
3. Sunday: Drive my hubby to the airport
4. Tuesday: Drive my sister to the airport
5. Thursday: Drive my uncle to the airport
6. Saturday: Drive my aunt & cousins to the airport

6/8 days were spent shuttling to the airport and back as well as seeing lots of family & Niagara falls (I’ll post a vid after all have been rendered and uploaded to YouTube).

But all in all, it was so good for my heart & soul. Each time I see my tiny little grandmother I remember it may be my last and hold on to her as much as I can. This feisty old woman is worth every straight 24 hour drive we take up there.

So here’s to Canada: you hold the keys to my heart…my family & ketchup chips.

My gal-pal Laura just moved out. She has been staying with us since August and she’s probably the closest thing to a 2nd wife I’ll ever have…sniffle. I mean, the lady does dishes and likes Oprah & American Idol. So it’s so very sad to see her leave me to my testosterone filled life again.

Let’s face it, no matter how great my wonderful boys are and as supportive as my husband is with almost everything I do, it was still nice to have someone who actually wanted to watch my favorite girly shows and could stomach a conversation about anti-aging methods and boob lifts.

So here’s to you my dear friend.

Congratulations on your beautiful home…and no matter what your Realtor says, your new stained concrete floors are super fab!

I’ll miss our Smoothie Sundays and thanks for kicking my butt into (yoga) gear. I’m now no longer a hater of Jamba Juice, and will remember you every time we juice up some carrots around here.

Thanks for not hurting yourself on the mess of toys (those damn legos will cut as hard as razorblades) since I would’ve hated for our homeowner’s insurance to rise because a bodily injury claim. Thanks for doing dishes after you’ve worked all day when you didn’t even dirty one up.  Thanks for staying up past midnight many nights when trying to help salvage one of our businesses after it was beaten to hell by our buyers.

Thanks for joining Facebook with me so I could have at least one friend.

Thanks for telling me about all the fun places Dallas has to offer up. You’ve experienced more places in 9 months than I have in 28 years here. WTF – I gotta get out more. I bow down to you and Gladys (her GPS).

Thanks for laughing (and not fleeing) when Justin would run a full circle around the house naked before each and every bath. Oh, and of course for acting like you’ve never seen anything like that even the 200th time.

Thanks for walking Donut. He loves you the most.

And many thanks for just listening to me rant. A lot. Actually, let’s say the internet thanks you for listening to me rant so they don’t have to (much). Jason thanks you for talking to me…it’s saved him many hours of engaging and intense conversations;-) But I’m wondering, who’s gonna greet him when he comes home now? He’s going to miss seeing a woman doing laundry in his home…

We’ll keep your room in the exact condition you left it, in case you are on this side of town and feel like a slumber party. We won’t even wash your sheets. I’ll even put the police tape up so no one even crosses into your room.

We’ll miss you…but enjoy that home and all your good looking, single, tool-toting guy neighbors!