Vamonos Americanos!

The presidential election of 2008 was great on so many fronts. One being that it brought me closer to my extended family. When my grandmother died 3 years ago, she had on the top of her reading stack Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama. I remember my brother thumbing through the book the day she died. I said to Chad, "How many 93 year olds have a book about Barack Obama on the top of their reading stack?" Perhaps she campaigned from heaven because I dare say all of her children, children-in-law, grandchildren, grandchildren-in-law, and great grandchildren are die-hard Obama supporters. I exchanged several e-mails with my extended family throughout the campaign. My (bilingual) Uncle Bart, whom I affectionately call "Tio" (Spanish for "uncle") sent many in his address book a photo of this campaign poster he had hanging from his deck. I e-mailed him back saying only, "I want that poster." To my surprise, two days after the election it was waiting for me on my doorstep. James, a budding reader, read it aloud upon seeing it, "O-bam-a-nos...Oh I get it, because Obama knows a lot about our country." I explained that "Vamonos!" is an exclamation in Spanish that means "Let's Go!" and that this was a play on words meaning "Let's Vote for Obama!" In our excitement for inauguration day, we proudly displayed our Obamanos! poster and hung our flag from our deck.

I personally know 7 people who went to the inauguration of our 44th president. I was so envious of each of them but reminded myself that I was much better off in my warm family room without the crowds and crowds of people. A friend sent some great photos of the day and the photos of the crowds literally made me get feel panicky...no, I don't do crowds well.

Inauguration Day was such a great day. The day before, MLK Day, we looked up a community service project on Obama's website. We got up early and met 20 new friends at a storefront downtown where we all disbursed to clean up our downtown area of trash. It was cold, some of the trash was frozen to the ground...but it was such a great thing to be out as a family in our community doing something good for our community knowing that community service projects were happening all over the country. We picked up trash where we had celebrated the new year, at the "Pine Cone Drop". I noticed that the clock was counting down again even though we were 19 days into the new year. Then, I realized the clock was counting down the time until our new president would be inaugurated. 27 more hours until a new President. 27 hours later I was snuggled up on the couch with Meagan glued to the television. We gave Meagan and James the option of coming home to watch this historic event. Meagan wanted to come home. James didn't want to miss art, so he chose to stay at school and listened to the inauguration on NPR during his art class. We didn't give Charlie the same optionto come home from school because...well, because I knew he would chat through the whole thing and ask to watch Go, Diego, Go! instead. The boys did get to watch it on TIVO later. Jeff watched it online at work. I could hardly pull myself away from the television. During the inauguration itself Meagan and I clapped and prayed and cried and cheered with the crowd. It was just like being there, only warmer. Or so I had myself convinced. But now the reports from these 7 different people are starting to trickle in and their descriptions of what it was like to be there have me amazed and wishing I could have been there too. Maybe in 2012. Until then, Obamanos Americanos!

Savoring 2008 Before Diving into 2009

Visiting Arches National Park in Utah....One of the many highlights of 2008

Happy New Year!

I know it's been 2009 for 19 days now, but I never feel like I can say good-bye to a previous year until I write my BEST OF letter. This is a tradition that I, along with my two best friends (Deirdre and Mary Alice) from college started many years ago...maybe in 2000. We write a letter much like the one below where do BEST OF lists and then we send it to each other via e-mail. It's been a great tool to tack down a year and really savor it before letting the year go. I also love getting to know the highlights Mary Alice and Deirdre's years. It's also a great way for me to get recommendations of songs, movies, and books to visit in the year ahead. I'll warn you now, this is long (and I even took some chunks out)...so move on to your next favorite blog if you could care little about my entire 2008 in a rather large nutshell.

Happy MLK Day everyone. -- Angie

10 Best Memories/Moments (no particular order):

Time with Jeff. When I reflect on the year, I am again overwhelmed with the gratitude I have that I share my life with Jeff. We are quite different people in so many ways but I think we share the same spirit and that bond is so very strong. I think we mostly admire and find humor in our differences and relish our many commonalities…this seems to be what makes us tick. Highlights with Jeff include sharing political news and conversations with each other, dates to the movies, dinner, or even Target, a weekend away in September in Phoenix where Jeff had a conference. Our best date of the year was on his birthday. He wanted to take snowboarding lessons. Neither of us had ever done this and are mediocre skiers at best. I was resistant to it, but I didn’t want to say “no” to his one birthday request. So, we did it. The learning curve was steep, but by the end of the day we were both doing it with success. I loved that we took on a new challenge together…and that we didn’t break anything doing it. Another highlight was our 11th anniversary. We went out to dinner and then to the First Friday Art Walk (something we’d always wanted to check out) where all the artisans have their shops/galleries open downtown. We then came home to a quiet house b/c Anne and Brian were hosting our kids at their home for a sleepover. I don’t think Jeff and I have been alone in our home since the day before I went into labor with Meagan.

Family- This year, more than any, I’ve been acutely aware how much I love my family. The family I’ve come from and the family I’ve created. In March, I went to Nebraska to celebrate the life of my Uncle Wally. Because of the man he was and because of the familys he and my aunt come from, so many had gathered under the grey Omaha skies to offer love and support to one another. Even in the sadness, my heart soared to be part of such a family. In April, we went to Phoenix to watch Chad do the triathlon. My mom, my aunt, and Shawna and the girls were also there to cheer him on. I was moved to tears as I watched the swimming portion of the race, knowing that he was taking that on. Chad is probably the most humble person I know…even when he has much that he could toot his horn about. On that day in April, I felt especially proud of him and grateful to call him brother. I also couldn’t feel more grateful to see him obviously so alive and so healthy after two deployments to Iraq. May found our nephew, Cory, surrounded with family (see below). June found Meagan surrounded with family and godfamily (see below) at her first communion. Jeff’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary in October was a beautiful reunion of family and when we said good-bye we headed to Tucson where my aunt and Chad and his family were all visiting my mom. So, in the course of one weekend, my kids saw every single one of their cousins. Amazing really. Thanksgiving and Christmas again found us making new memories with both of our families. I always wanted to be from a big family and now through the magic of marriage and extended family and sheer love, I am.

Meagan’s First Communion. Our church typically doesn’t make a big fuss over first communions. But, to my delight, all I had to do was express that this day carried very special meaning in my heritage and the pastor, assistant pastor, and Sunday School teacher took my intentions for the day to heart in such a sincere and authentic way. I never felt like I was forcing anything to go my way against the will of others in the church…the manner in which it was made special by the people of our church and even more so by my family, Jeff’s family, and Deirdre and Brian and their boys (Meagan’s Godfamily) made the whole day seems like a gift to all of us from God. I especially treasure seeing Meagan make her First Communion in my mom’s First Communion Dress with my grandmother’s first communion veil and how I really felt such a connection to my faith, family, and culture that day.

Summer 2008. In my mind, summer started for us when we took a family road trip to Colorado to see Cory graduate from college. The detour to Moab to see the Deirdre and Brian and then Arches National Park made the trip really complete…time with family, time with good friends, and time outdoors where the sun was so nice and warm and promising that summer was upon us. Other highlights of Summer 2008 include my most fruitful garden yet (not counting the garden I had in Iowa), seeing the kids ride up and down the street day in and day out with the sweet kids from the family who moved in down the street this year, eating outside, running VBS at our church again with Jeff and without it being the first time we ever did something like this, watching the Olympics every night of its tenure, watching the Democratic National Convention, having a few “no carbon days” when we got everywhere we wanted to go on our bikes or on foot, learning to make jam and biking/hiking/swimming with Tiffany.

Leadership Program. This is a program in our city that I had wanted to take part in since I first learned of it shortly after moving here 11 years ago. The timing was never quite right, but this year with the kids all in school I knew I could make time for it. I felt good about my application, but thought I didn’t do well at all in the interview. After the interview, I decided that maybe next year would be my year…convinced and saddened that this wouldn’t be my year, I didn’t return a call from the program for a day or two because I didn’t feel up to the rejection. I was so excited when I returned the call and learned that I would be in the 2008-09 leadership class. We had a two-day retreat in September and started our once/month day-long education days in October. These will continue through June. I am so grateful for all that I am learning about this community that I love so much and even more grateful for the lasting connections I’ve made with others in my community.

The election of Barack Obama. From his announcement of his candidacy to his election, I was captivated. So, I can’t leave this off my list. I learned so much about history and politics and I learned so much about these things from a local to an international level because I found that I had every reason in the world to care. I love how the election got me involved with issues in my own community and connected me to my community in ways I never even considered. I love that our kids sense the importance of voting and being a part of the process. My pride in being an American right now is indescribable. I’ll always remember how I felt when I cast my ballot and the way I wanted to hug everyone at the grocery store the day following the election. I know the woes we have in this world will not change quickly and that there will be bumps in the road…but at least we are on the right road now.

Franciscan Renewal Center Retreat. The program director at our church hosts a women’s retreat every year. I had been to one and really enjoyed it. This year it was held at the Franciscan Renewal Center and I was really overjoyed to be reconnected to my Catholic roots. I loved connecting with other women in my church from all different generations. More than anything, I was grateful for the time to recharge in times of solitude surrounded by the beauty of the desert. Other things I loved about this retreat: discovering that this was where Mary Alice went to church as a child and buying a bracelet for myself that I just love.

Scrapbook Weekend 2008. Diana, Jenni, Audra, Stephanie and somehow miraculously found each other in the early days of mothering our young children. We started our annual scrapbook weekends at Jeff’s parent’s cabin around that same time. Audra’s life took her in new directions the same year that Diana, Jenni, and Stephanie all moved away. I thought those scrap weekends were a thing of the past. But, every year I’m overjoyed when I find us meeting again for another scrap weekend. It does my soul good to reconnect with my first “mom-friends” to talk, laugh, scrap, eat, and not sleep.

Halloween 2008. Before kids, I really detested Halloween. Who sets a day aside to celebrate the spooky?! But, now that I have kids I love it! This year we went to Anne and Brian’s for a get-together with a light dinner and then we all took what totaled about 11 kids out trick-or-treating. What could be better than a day dedicated to make-believe and sweet treats and precious kids who adore make-believe and sweet treats?!

Mary Alice’s Visit- We all just adore Mary Alice’s visits. She blends right into our days. Highlights were sledding with the kids, working out together at the gym, staying up chatting, watching Rachel Getting Married, going to the Manone’s on New Year’s Eve for fondue, and then to the Pine Cone Drop at 10 p.m. and then coming home to tuck the kids in bed and then parking ourselves (Jeff, Mary Alice and me) in front of the TV to bring in the New Year again at midnight in front of the TV with snacks, chit-chat, and shared laughter. We brought in 2008 the same way with Mary Alice so it is starting to feel like a tradition. I must say this year was so much better than last year because the temps and winds were so much more cooperative than last year. I loved bringing in the New Year with my family, my good friends, and all the other friends and acquaintance I ran into at the Pine Cone Drop that make this place “home” to me. You know it’s going to be a good year when it starts with dancing in the streets with friends, family, and kids from school and their families!

Best Books (Top 1 of 5)
This was a pathetic year for me for reading. I read very little (how could I with so much Election and Olympic Coverage to keep up with?!) and what I did read was pathetic, except for this:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver, even if a bit or a lot hoity-toity about her issues, never disappoints in the end because she is such a gifted writer. This book was a memoir about her family’s devotion to living from their land and the land very close by for a solid year. I learned so much about gardening and food and it really affected the way I view food, farming, and grocery shopping—something I do weekly, if not more. Months later, I find myself still changed for the better because of this book.

Best Movies (in order, top 5 of 11):

Milk: I saw this with Jeff and my mom over Christmas break. Sean Penn was excellent and though the true story takes place in the 70’s, it was so timely to today and the fight for civil rights for all. I always love a true story done well.

Changling: I saw this movie one afternoon with Jeff. The story, again a true one done well on the big screen, was just heartbreaking, but it was moving to witness the strength and grit of a mother. Plus, the movie and the way it was filmed was just beautiful.

27 Dresses: Some girlfriends invited me out to see this movie. I went in with low expectations but excited to be out with friends. The movie was more than just fluff and was quite delightful.
Atonement Not as good as I thought it might be, but still a beautiful story shot in a beautiful way.

Charlie Wilson’s War: This wasn’t all that great of a movie, but I did appreciate what history I learned from it.

Best Rentals (in order, top 5 of 23):

When Harry Met Sally: I don't let a year end without watching this, my favorite movie of all time, at least once. This year I watched this all alone while doing my Christmas cards. I love sending out Christmas Cards and having When Harry Met Sally with me made for a perfect snowy afternoon while the kids were off playing at Anne’s house.

Freeheld: This movie was offered to our community free of charge by Equality Arizona. It is the true story of a couple fighting their city government to allow the pension of a dying police officer to be awarded to her partner just as it would if they were a heterosexual couple. The way in which their community rallies behind them and the way in which these women truly love and care for one another as the one partner loses her battle with cancer is so incredibly moving. Our pastor, a community member, and an elected council member made up a panel for discussion after the movie. I felt so grateful to be a part of a church that is willing to stand up for civil rights…for everyone.

The Lives of Other People: Chad got this DVD as a Christmas gift. We all stayed up late and watched it Christmas night. While it’s not your typical feel-good Christmas movie, it was a captivating story of the human spirit prevailing in times of evil.
CNN Election Coverage: Ok, I know this isn’t a movie, but I’m counting it b/c I spent A LOT of time glued to CNN through the primaries and general election and it’s gotta count for something on this list…plus CNN does have the best Political Team on Television…or so they keep telling me :)

Lost Season 3 and Season 4: Jeff and I are addicted to this show and we had several nights when we kept convincing each other to stay up and watch “just one more” until 1:00 in the morning.

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  ** Other really good rentals: The Pianist, Gandhi, and Rachel Getting Married
  
  Ten Things I learned or discovered in 2008:
  1. I learned how to make jam. It even won a blue ribbon in the county fair J.
  2. I discovered some new songs including It’s a New Day and It’s So Cool to Love Your Family.
  3. I learned that the key to Christmas (the one holiday that I can rarely muster the spirit for) for me is to say NO to most of it and really enjoy the parts I say YES to which this year included Christmas Performances by my kids and their cousins, yummy food, time with family, and church services that glorified the beauty and awe of the Christ child.
  4. I discovered some yummy and very healthy versions of chili and gumbo. I am now a big soup fan thanks to such recipes.
  5. Thanks to an iPod intervention by Mary Alice, I learned more about the iPod Jeff gave me for Christmas two years ago and love it all the more.
  6. I learned to be a little bit better and a little bit braver on my mountain bike.
  7. I’ve learned to be a bit more patient with my kids. The fact that they can do more for themselves more than ever before sure helps.
  8. I learned how, thanks to some hand-holding from Deirdre and a lot of encouragement from her and others, to set up my own blog on the world wide web .
  9. I’ve learned that I am a blue on the personality color chart that I am obsessed with. I see everything in terms of “color” now.
  10. I learned how to get involved in a national election at the local level.
  
  10 Things for Which I’m Grateful (Ok, 11—there is much to be grateful for this year) :
  1. Sharing life and everything it is with Jeff.
  2. Family: The family I come from, the family I’ve created, the family I’ve married into and my extended family.
  3. My health and the health of those I love.
  4. Our church.
  5. To live here.
  6. The outdoors especially time at the beach in San Diego, the desert of Arches National Park, and the trails I’ve hiked and biked right here around my house.
  7. I’m grateful I went to Nebraska to be with family and honor my Uncle Wally.
  8. I’m grateful that there is love and harmony in both my family and Jeff’s.
  9. I’m grateful for all the heart-to-hearts I’ve had with Deirdre and Mary Alice over e-mail, the phone, and face to face.
  10. My mom—she fits into the family category but after 37 years I am just beginning to really, really appreciate all she has done for Chad and me and for the example of love and acceptance she sets for not only Chad and me, but our spouses and our children as well.
  11. The election of Barack Obama.