Baby You're a Firework

Fourth of July has always been a special holiday 'round these parts.  For one thing, my mom celebrates her birthday on the 3rd and mine is on the 4th, so it's always been about family, friends and freedom. As a kid, it meant riding on the back of my dad's bike or decorating my own for the neighborhood bike parade.  It meant birthday parties at the pool or beach with puffy-painted party favors and ice cream cake. And now, I love what the holiday itself stands for, but more than that, I love how it epitomizes summer: long, sunny days, sangria pitchers, dining al fresco, watermelon mojitos, delicious fruit, happy tunes, and quality time with the ones you love.

This past 3-day weekend was no exception.  We invited the family over for a "3rd of July" barbecue to celebrate my mom's birthday, and a whole bunch of friends over for a "4th of July" barbecue to celebrate mine.  And America's.  :) 

the hubby and the mama-in-law

red, white and blue fruit kebabs :)

red, white and blue cupcakes (the blueberries help disguise them as "healthy")

so many beautiful friends came out to play!



amy, queen of caesar salad and PB chocolate chip cookies!



baby, you're a firework :)

finished off the holiday weekend with a visit to meet mr. justin ginsburg!

Big Changes Create BIG Results

There's been something BIG on my mind lately... something life changing, scary, exciting...something that has consumed my thoughts to the point of no return.  What if this, what if that, what if, what if, what if...
I don't get too personal on the blog these days but I guarantee you'll be hearing about it if and when it happens. 
In the mean time, I've been coming across so much reading material (blogs, quotes, excerpts from books) that have me convinced I'm not alone in my neuroses.  I don't know exactly what my future holds but I'm beginning to make a more conscious effort to be happy, to find joy in the every day, and to put in valiant effort towards "life," foregoing the constant and consuming worry.
I came across an excerpt from Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert... one of my all-time favorite authors.  The book is next on my reading list but in the mean time, she's certainly whet my appetite with this one:

"The problem, simply put, is that we cannot choose everything simultaneously. So we live in danger of becoming paralyzed by indecision, terrified that every choice might be the wrong choice…Equally disquieting are the times when we do make a choice, only to later feel as though we have murdered some other aspect of our being by settling on one single concrete decision. By choosing Door Number Three, we fear we have killed off a different but equally critical piece of our soul that could have only been made manifest by walking through Door Number One or Door Number Two… All these choices and all this longing can create a weird kind of haunting in our lives, as though the ghosts of all our other, unchosen, possibilities linger forever in a shadow world around us, continuously asking “Are you certain this is what you really wanted?"

What's in a name?

Buzzwords in the news this week have included funny things like Weinergate, Weiner Scandal, Weiner Sexting.  The media is surely getting a kick out of it all and coming up with every possible use of the word "Weiner," it seems.

But locally, I've been keeping my eye on the growing list of Orange County charities whose nonprofit status has been revoked this week, and I can't help but laugh like a 5 year old here too (In 2007, laws changed regarding filing a charitie's financial reports, and over 275,000 charities nationwide have failed to comply). 

Let me preface this by saying I am VERY passionate about the nonprofit sector and the success of nonprofits that do good work.  I think you all know this.  This issue is by no means laughable, but I get a kick out of the causes that are supported by our community (welp, not after Thursday...)

Behold, my top 10 list in no particular order:

10. Sled Riders Motorcycle Club (so do you ride sleds or motorcycles?)
9. Your Favorite Charity (the power of using positive psychology at its best!)
8. American Darts Organization (guess they missed the bullseye!)
7. Hoi Ai Huu Bentre Kienhoa (something tells me that if the IRS doesn't understand your name, they might not like you...)
6. Irvine Rose Parade Float (really? you need 501 (c)(3) status for this?)
5. Orange County Chincilla Club (there's a pot for every lid, i guess...)
4. Knee and Laser Institute (is that all?)
3. Not One Square Inch (of what?)
2. Triple X Fraternity Orange County (dirty bastards)
1. Orange County Federation of Lesbian (just one?)

Memorial Day Weekend : 2011

There aren't many things I love more than snuggling up on the couch in Lake Arrowhead, glass of wine in hand, episode after episode of Glee/Criminal Minds/Food Network shows on the tube, and staring up at this view:

Lists

Things I Am Doing This Weekend:
1. Exercising (too many office lunches this week)
2. Drinking a cocktail or two (to balance out the exercising)
3. Celebrating two wonderful mothers in my life (where would we be without them?)
4. Celebrating my father-in-law's birthday (i adore him)
5. Thinking, over-thinking, and thinking some more about my (our) next steps in life (lately it seems like all i do)
6. Planning something fun (a camping trip, a summer party, a themed dinner...anything!)
7. Snuggling (with my main squeeze.  literally.  i squeeze him so hard that i occasionally hear a pop.)
8. Drinking my favorite coffee (waking up san diego since 1968)
9. Soaking up the sunshine (or any fresh air for that matter)
10. Giving the apartment a scrub-down (love me some clean sheets, sparkly floors and toothpaste-gooey-free-countertops)

Things I Am Not Doing This Weekend:
1. Working (enough said)

Trying to Make Sense of the Non-Sensical

Call me naive, but in our country's jubilant reactions to the announcement of Osama Bin Laden's death, are we not made more and more evil like the hatred we've fought so hard to eliminate?  I believe in justice, and I believe that this atrocious leader was brought to justice.  But parties, riots and dancing in the streets?  This isn't the end of terror and it most certainly isn't the end of bigotry in our world.  Let's focus our energy on the servicemen and women who responded to the call of duty, and recall this timeless and most appropriate commentary for Martin Luther King, Jr:

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate, adding deeper darkness to a night that is already void of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. -MLK



Passover on Piedmont

A few weeks ago as I stood over a pot of chopped parsley and Carciofi at a Passover cooking class, a crazy little idea popped in to my mind. "I can do this," I thought. "I can totally do this."  I ran over to my mom and begged for her help to make it happen.  I texted my mother-in-law to tell her the news.
Fast forward three weeks and here we are hosting the very first annual Double T Degnan Passover Seder! Yes, I just crowned it that. I hope that doesn't commit us to a lifelong tradition of hosting seders, but I think I could do it again as long as there are no more oven fires, no more lost potatoes in the bottom of the oven and no more burnt macaroons!

It was a night to remember and a fun first milestone for us and our itty bitty kitchen:

Adding charoset to the seder plate...

Our awesome table!

When your family lives 10 bajillion miles away, you celebrate Passover together via Skype...

Where the magic happens

Happy in-laws!

KFP birthday cake for Amy

Elijah's Cup

Our friends and family spoiled us with beautiful flowers everywhere!