Giving Thanks

I know I have been the world's worst blogger these days, and I know it has been 2 weeks since Thanksgiving, but I just HAVE to write a post about the Thanksgiving holiday as it is my most favorite. 

As you probably know, I have a very big family.  We are close knit and get together on every holiday at my grandmother's house in Palestine.  Growing up, while my grandpa, Jiddo (grandpa in Arabic), was still around, he would ask that all five of his kids and their families be present at Thanksgiving so that they entire family could be together and the families could go to their separate ways on Christmas if needed (to the in-law's).  Thanksgiving was very important to him as I think his family is what he was most thankful for.  I think I have carried his tradition and meaning behind Thanksgiving.

Our holiday starts off with a Thanksgiving Eve party the night before Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house in Palestine.  We normally have lots of food and drinks and visit with those we have not seen in a while (close friends and extended family).  Here are a few pictures I took at this year's party of family and friends from all over:

Normally, the party goes on for a while and ends up with the uncles and boy cousins playing poker.  However, I guess age is catching up to them these days as they now end up turning in pretty early.  This year, a few of my cousins and I went out to the local bar, The Shelton Gin, after the party.  Look who I ran into from high school in Texarkana:

That's right - Ben and Bailey Idom!  It was funny seeing them there since I haven't seen them since high school in 2002.  They are working at Lakeview Church Camp located right outside of Palestine (I went to camp there when I was young).

On Thanksgiving Day, we went over to my grandma's for our big lunch.  I guess you could say that our family is pretty much centered around food.  Maybe because we are Lebanese and our family grew up in the produce business?  We eat the traditional turkey and dressing, but we also eat lots of Lebanese/Arabic food.  The menu this year included kibbeh (a dish made of bulgur and chopped meat), cabbage rolls (meat and rice rolled inside boiled cabbage leaves cooked in garlic and lemon juice), grape leaves (meat and rice rolled inside grape leaves from the vine and cooked in garlic and lemon juice), meat pies (flat bread pies with spicy meat toppings), and okra and rice (okra and lamb meat cooked in tomato sauce and served on top of rice).  Our family craves this type of food 24/7 so we always get excited in anticipation with this meal.  The aunt's prepare this food weeks in advance as it takes lots of time.  In fact, this year, I helped with a few of the items.  Here is a look at the spread:

Then, of course, after the meal, we all sit around and watch the Dallas Cowboys game.  We also draw names for Christmas (to see who you have to buy a present for).  Since there are 15 of us first cousins, we have to draw names or else it would cost a fortune to buy gifts for everyone.  Normally, the aunt's would draw names according to the number of kids they have, but since me and another cousin are now married, and we are all getting a little older, us, cousins, draw the names for each other.

Mark's mom is still up north in Wisconsin taking care of the family estate so we did not do Thanksgiving with them that big this year.  We did have lunch with his dad and sister the day after Thanksgiving at Ojeda's, one of their favorite Mexican restaurants in Dallas.  After lunch, Mark and I went to Home Depot to pick out a Christmas tree.  A real Christmas tree is another tradition of mine.  I love the process of picking one out.  Home Depot also makes it easy as they cut and smooth the trunk for you, wrap it up, and tie it up to the top of the car. 

Now that I have told you a little bit about my Thanksgiving, I want to take a few minutes to talk about what I am thankful for this year.  This is a subject I do not talk about much, but now that the holidays are here, and things seem to be looking positive, I figured it's time for me to say a few words about the situation.  My brother, Jeffrey, has battled a drug addition for several years now.  Being we are such a close knight family, you can imagine the toll this takes on our family.  My brother has the biggest heart; anyone will tell you that he is such joy to be around.  However, this addiction got to the best of him and he has been in lots of trouble (drug charges).  The result is prison, a rehab program in prison to be exact, for those that have addictions.  We were fortunate that he was placed in this rehab sector of prison called Safe P (Johnston Unit) in Winnsboro, TX.  He has to stay there for six months.  This is blessing number one as he could have gone to "regular" prison with a mixture of all kinds of criminals.  This rehab program encourages the inmates to be accountable for their actions.  They are there to help themselves and their colleagues be better people and to get to the bottom of their problems.  They are given privelidges as times goes on...things that you and I take for granted like working out, eating certain foods, purchasing stamps, eating certain foods, etc.  After a month or two into the program, they allowed my brother to get a job (he does not get paid of course, but it is something to do with his time and to gain work ethic and appreciation).  He is responsible for the warden's yard.  He mows it, gardens, and does other landscaping jobs around the facility.  He was also given the privelige of playing the guitar at chapel service on the weekends.  He is a very gifted guitar player, so it is great he is able to showcase and envelop his talent.  The second blessing is that I think his mind is finally clear and he has strengthened his relationship with God.  Going to visit him, you can tell that he is learning and realizing his strengths and weaknesses.  He has hope for what lies ahead of him, and he is putting his best foot forward in trying to live life the sober way.  He has been in Safe P since August, and he told me last weekend that this is the longest time he has been sober in years.  I really hope he has the strength and courage to fight the demons and temptations when he gets out and to live a normal life.  I am so proud of him and his progression in this program.  He also turns to the bible and even gives me enlightenment in his letters he writes me.  Even though Jeffrey wasn't present this Thanksgiving, I felt like he was with us more than ever.  I love him and look forward to the future having him back as my brother.  I am so thankful that he is still with us and turning a new leaf in his mind, body, and soul.  Please continue your thoughts and prayers as I know that is part of his recovery and it is much appreciated.  If you are interested in writing him, let me know and I will get the information to you. 

I would love to hear what you were the most thankful for this season.  Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Stars and Stripes

It was fun to read about everyone’s Fourth of July weekend festivities.  My Fourth of July weekend turned out to be a very busy, jam-packed weekend. 

We kicked off the weekend on Saturday at our house.  My family came down from Texarkana Dad’s new truck.  For those that do not know, my family was in a car accident over Easter weekend in Tyler.  Someone rear-ended my dad which caused him to hit the car in front of him.  The truck was deemed totaled from the front and back.  My parents were in the front, and my sister and brother were in the back.  Needless to say, my family was OK as they came out with only a few bumps and bruises.  Mark and I had to go pick them up from Palestine.   My dad has been driving around a rental car up until last week.  After “oohing and awing” over Dad’s new truck (he got a sweet deal), we headed out to the pool.  Jessica brought her new dog so we were able to get to know him a little (he is a Chihuahua Terrier mix…name is tbd).   

Later that evening, we cleaned up then headed to my favorite restaurant, Campisi’s, to celebrate my birthday and Father’s Day (I'll do another post on my birthday festivities soon).  Campisi’s has been in the family for a long time.  My dad grew up going there with his brothers, cousins, and uncles (when living in Palestine, once a year, they would hire a limo to take them from Palestine to Dallas while getting tanked, then they would eat at Campisi’s and go to a Cowboys game).  My parents continued the tradition by taking us kids to Campisi’s every time we would come to Dallas for a weekend trip.  Now that I live here, I like to say that I continue the Campisi’s tradition as we have celebrated many events there from birthdays to girl’s night to family get-togethers.  I was extremely bummed when I found out I couldn’t have my rehearsal dinner there, but I am still fortunate we were able to get Campisi’s to cater my bachelorette party.  My favorite (and only) pizza I order from there is Italian Salami and Mushrooms.  Many places try to duplicate the pizza, but they never have that one topping that sets Campisi’s apart – Italian Salami.  Anyway, enough about Campisi’s and on to the pictures!

After dinner, we headed back to my house to open a few family gifts.  My dad is hard to buy clothes for as he wears a 2X or 3X (big and tall).  I ran across two sweater vests in the clearance section at Old Navy that happened to be returned from someone that bought them special order online.  They were a 2X big and tall.  SCORE!!  My parents got Mark and I a joint birthday gift of a large picture of The Last Supper to put in our dining room (we get to pick it out).  To tie us over until we pick it out, I also got a few pieces of my Arthur Court Grape kitchenware (salt and pepper shakers and a frame). 

Sunday, my parents went to Palestine and Mark and I headed out to Lake Ray Hubbard with our friends, Alex and Andrew.  We were invited out by Scott and Dana Buckner as they have a boat that we frequent on the weekends.  Scott’s brother and sister-in-law, Gary and Natalie, also have a boat.  The beauty of their boat is that Gary rigged up a grill on the boat so we the guys are able to prepare food while we are hanging out in the lake.  The evening was supposed to end in fireworks, but for some reason, we either missed the show or weren’t able to see it or maybe it just didn’t happen!  Nonetheless, it was a nice day out on the lake with friends.

Monday, Mark had to work half of the day while I stayed home and did a few things around the house.  That afternoon, Mark was able to get my family and I tickets to the Rangers Game in the Napoleon Suite along with his boss and his family.  It just so happened that my aunt Gina from Chicago was also in town so her and my other aunt, Meems, joined us.  It was definitely a family affair.  We were spoiled of course by all of the food in the suite, and we were very fortunate to get our fireworks fix at the end of the game (and the Rangers won 13 to 4 to top things off).

That was my 4th of July weekend in a nut shell.  

A Special Anniversary

Yesterday was my parents' 28th wedding anniversary. My parents are an incredible couple. They are compassionate, strong-willed, incorrigible, spiritual, honest, self-giving, empathetic, and hard working. While their 28 years of marriage has definitely had its ups and downs, I know they wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Having put up with my brother, sister, and me, they can handle anything. I am sure of it.

Here are a few pictures I dug up of my parents back in the day:

I believe this was at their engagement party at my grandparents' house.

This was at another party in honor of their engagement.



This was at their rehearsal dinner - I love how Mom is wiping something off of Dad's face - he is a messy eater!

My parents' wedding day on June 4, 1983.

I want to share a couple of examples of their kindness and generosity.

This morning, we went to mass at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Plano. The sermon was given by a special guest, Most Reverend Edward Burns, the bishop of the Diocese of Juneau (in Alaska). He explained to us the challenges they face in Alaska. While Diocese of Juneau is a very small diocese consisting of around 12,000 people (approximately the same size of the congregation of the parish we attended), it is spread out on land the size of Florida. He went on to say how there are only nine priests in the diocese which means they have to travel in order to get to the church they are celebrating mass at that day. In Juneau, there is not a "church bell" that rings on the hour when it is time for mass to start. Since the celebratory priest has to get to Juneau by a small aircraft that takes off on water (he described it as a VW Beetle with wings) and weather conditions are always a factor in Juneau, mass time is whenever the people hear the aircraft land in Juneau which could be at any time of the day! I found that very interesting. Anyway, after sharing a few other stories with us about the Diocese of Juneau, he mentioned that a second money collection was going to be taken for the Diocese of Juneau since they are in desperate need of money (and our prayers). Once the collection baskets started going around, my dad took out his wallet and threw a $100 bill in the basket. He said, "We better help Alaska." He didn't think twice about donating that kind of money on the spur of the moment to this diocese in need. My parents could have used that money for so many other things. They already give annually and weekly to their parish in Texarkana as well as other parishes they visit. I found this to be so admirable and honorable. This is just one small example of how my parents are always trying to do what they can for the community and help others. They put others above themselves.

Besides celebrating their anniversary, they came to Dallas this weekend to help move my sister into her new apartment in Denton. She has moved more times than I can count on one hand, but my parents are still there for her every time to lend a hand and get her set up and started at her new place (that goes for any of us kids). They are always there if/when we need them.

I could go on and on about my parents, and I am sure I will have many more opportunities to blog about them, so I will stop there. I just hope that one day, Mark and I will be married for 28 years and have at least half of the character that my parents' do.

Having said that, here is a recap of our weekend....

Friday night, Mark and I watched Salt (with Angelina Jolie). It would have been really good if I could only have understood everything! I went to bed early to get a good night's sleep for my Saturday morning activities. Mark greeted my parents when they arrived around 11:00 pm. Saturday morning, I went for a run with a few people in my running class, then I went to play my tennis match for my USTA Ladies 3.5 league. I played line 1 doubles with Wendy Blackwell and pulled off a win. Overall, our team won 3 lines out of 5 giving us a point for Saturday's matches. My parents spent most of the day moving my sister into her new apartment in Denton. That evening, my brother and his girlfriend came into town, and we all gathered for a few celebratory toasts at my house, and then had dinner as a family at Pappas Bros Steakhouse. This was me and Mark's treat for my family in honor of my parents' 28th anniversary.  It's one of our favorite steakhouses in Dallas.  I know it was very special for them since my whole family was there - my parents, my sister, my brother (and his girlfriend, Erin), and Mark and I. We got home late (and miserably full from dinner) and crashed. Today, Sunday, we went to church, did some things around my house, and then my parents headed out to Denton to help my sister with some last minute touches on her new apartment. Mark worked most of the day yesterday, and is working all day today since there is a Mav's playoff game tonight in Dallas. Here are a few pictures from our evening:



Jeffrey arrived late afternoon.  Sonny immediately flocks to him.



My parents outside of Pappas Bros Steakhouse before dinner.

Mark and I patiently waiting for our food.



My parents were SO happy!!



The whole family (plus Jeff's girlfriend, Erin) with a special Happy Anniversary dessert.



The whole family, again, but with our belly's stuffed!!

Overall, it was a very special weekend for my parents simple because the whole family was together.  I wish it could be this way more often, but as we all know, life happens.  Best wishes to all of you married couples out there...may you be married for many, many happy years.