5 posts tagged “family”
I went to San Diego to go on our second annual apple picking family outing in Julian, California. I wish my dad could be here because he would have loved it! Unfortunately, I am assuming, due to the weather, the apple trees were pretty bare but it was still fun hunting through the orchard trying to find the good apples. Last year, we easily filled 4 bags this year we barely filled 1. Hopefully, next year will be better.
After that, we headed to the Apple Days Festival behind the orchard and just walked around. It was a bit like a farmers market and also a school fund raiser. My sister ended up running into her friend there (random!) who's sister owns a natural ice cream shop in Chula Vista. Julian is an hour away from San Diego so most people don't really go out there. Anyway, the company is called Niederfrank's and they specialize in healthy natural ice cream, a bit like Scoops here in L.A. I guess, the hours of the shop in Chula Vista are a little random so you can probably try it at one of the restaurants in L.A. that orders from them. It is so worth trying their ice cream too! I had their mint & chip which was pink, not green and it was SOOOO good!
And of course, we had apple pie! We bought a couple of pies from Mom's, which I've never had, and it was one of my favorites! We usually have pie from the Julian Pie Co. but ok, Mom's is a little better...Don't tell my bro-in-law I said that..
Afterwards, my sisters and I snuck off and watched Whip It.
It was a really cute movie. We had a lot of fun watching it. It's one of those movies that was a just fun to watch and probably really fun to make. They all look like they are having the best time. Also, that kid, Landon Pigg was in then movie as Ellen Page's love interest. I love that song that's in that phone commercial.
Then in grad school. I became interested in film archiving. One of the big events with in the film archiving community is Home Movie Day. This year it will be held on October 18th, you should check out the different locations if you are interested and bring your home movies. They set up a projector so if you have 8mm film you can show that. I have no idea what happened to our old 8mm films but I think they were lost to the heat of the San Diego desert.
This past holiday season, I received a new camera and then one of the most hilarious family moment (for me anyway) happened right before my eyes. I had to capture it. I suppose you really had to be there but my nephew, Ty, is a really funny kid.
So, the story behind this video, which I hope plays, Tyler is one of the 2nd youngest of my nieces and nephews. His kuyas (old brothers) are 6. The kuyas were doing flips and cartwheels so he decided he would do his own version. He pretty much rolled around like Curly in the Three Stooges. (not sure about that youtube video but whatever...)
Show us what Mother's Day means.
I think I will try to blog my mom stories (stories that my mom tells me) so I have a collection of them here. I think this is the first one. Hopefully I remember that I have a tag called "mom stories."
My mom tends to forget the things I tell her. I work every Sunday. I have been working every Sunday for almost a year now. But every weekend she asks me why I was missing from a family event and every week I tell her that I was at work. I do not think she believe me but that is ok. So, here is my first mom story (I should record her...)
This weekend my mom went to a reunion with her classmates. She has not seen these people for 45 years. First, of all, if I have not seen you in 4 years, I probably forgot your name. My mom is not like that at all. She just recalls everything. We will be in a mall and she will see someone and go, "oh, anak, I think I know that person." I am always horrified. HORRIFIED! Because I know what will come next. "Anak, I am going to talk to them." And then she leaves me standing there holding her purse or bag or whatever.
So, she goes to this reunion at one of classmates house. There are only 8 people there. They all start reminiscing and talking and because my mom has excellent recall, she starts going through her mental list of all of her classmates. Unfortunately, it seem that a number of her classmates have passed on.
"what happened to so-and-so"
"oh...he's gone."
"what about so-and-so"
"she's gone too."
A lot of things have happened to these people. Some are wealthy or well-off, others have passed on, and others are struggling.
It seems that one of her classmates is setting up a thing he calls, "adopt-a-classmate." The ones who can will make balakbayan box (giant box of good things) and send them to the ones who need help. I am pretty amazed at how generous people are. You hear about the major charities or fund-raisers, but, you rarely hear about those who do things for people you will probably never hear about. Also, they are going to have a reunion in the Philippines in 2010.
After 45 years I had to ask, "How did they even find you after 45 years?"
"Oh, your Auntie Rose, knows someone and told him to call her comare (that's my mom - it means "a woman who is your friend) and he was here last year and called me. So now I know."
My mom is just that kind of person who only remembers the good things and remembers good things about the people she meets. My dad was the same way. I, unfortunately, am mean and remember bad things and though I forgive, I rarely forget. I could never imagine meeting people from my past and making an effort to hang out with them. Though, you never know what will happen 10 or 20 years from now.
I went to buy some pants at the mall today because, though I have been trying to stay at my fighting weight, it is near impossible..so bigger pants are needed. I am not ashamed. Such is life. But then as I was walking around, I walked past an older Filipino couple...and the husband was talking to his wife in Tagalog and I just started tearing. Valentine's Day is my pop's birthday - he would have been 65 years old.
I had a hard time this year. I just felt lost and I lacked energy. Some years, months, weeks, days are better than others. Some times people or things just trigger memories.
I wonder how my mom is. My mom was a workaholic and used to work late into the night. My dad would just stay up waiting for her, dinner would be on the table and he would usually be up watching television until she got home. They would spend the next couple of hours, talking into the early morning hours.
I forgot what he sounds like...
I used to have his old cell phone. He left the voice mail message on it. I did not even know until one of my friends called and left a message and said, "Anna, you're dad is the voice message." For awhile, I used to call it just so I could hear him.
(I am at work and I started tearing. my poor supervisor walked up to have me sign the sign in sheet...sorry dude!)
