thanksgiving!

Is 6 days too late to post about thanksgiving? Oh well, we should be thankful everyday anyways.

A little bit about our thanksgiving, because I know you are all dying to know what Dominicans do for an American Holiday. Well let me tell you, we spice it up.

First of all, the ONLY typical American food we consistently have is turkey, oh and we always have and pecan pie. I'm serious. However, we do have other different American foods depending on on who's coming or what was on sale that year. Stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potato, cranberry sauce, etc. have all had a place on our table some year or another. This year it was cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, incase you were curious. The rest of our beautifully delicious spread (which is number 2 on my list of things I'm thankful for by the way, Salvation is number one) is full of Dominican stuff. I'm talking pastelitos, pasteles en hoja, rice and beans, ham cooked with pineapple, tipil (which turns out is actually Arabian), and other random stuff. We also have other things that aren't "typical" anywhere, like I said, it depends on the people and the sales. This year the Malone's came over. their dad couldn't come, but to make up for it, he, Mr. Chef made......... GUACAMOLE!!!!!!!! You all know how near dear that is to my heart. Anyways the rest of the night was full of loud people, laughter, kids bumping into walls, explodingly full stomachs that we kept filling anyways, festering wounds being considered refreshing (long story, it involves apples to apples), sticky babies and much more that made me extremely thankful to God for the friends and family I have. Here's some snapshots. I'll try and comment as little as possible, promise.

p.s. Remember that last post I wrote? About the preparation for Thanksgiving? Well I took pictures of it all. I even managed to take pictures on Thursday night. But of course, when the actual EATING part came, I forgot all about my blog. As usual. Sorry.

 

We made these little guys for a Hispanic senior center. 

 

Pastelitos in the making 

 

  Julian's hand made these!

 This was on wednesday during some food prep, but nevertheless it was Julian's first real thanksgiving food.  turkey and mashed potatoes.

 That's right, we listen to hispanic music while setting up for an American holiday.

This is how you cook a thanksgiving meal without an oven. BAM. 

and may I just say, my mother has been successfully cooking without an oven for about 4 years now. 

 Based on above and below, that kid is going to have a lot of fun growing, though he may not appreciate it yet. or ever.

 My beautifully pregnant sister

 Dum tada dum! GUAC (Mr. Malone made the salsa too)

 And this my friends, are cooked pastelitos, and of course, we began eating at this moment, so my camera was long forgotten. Sorry you weren't able to view our extremely interesting game of Apples to Apples and my honey covered nephew.

 

Hope you all had a great thanksgiving. And don't forget, God blesses us so much through out our lifetime, we don't need to wait till thanksgiving to thank Him.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

 

Thanksgiving has many parts. A big part of it is the smells that come in the week of preparation. Each morning you wake up to a different smell, leave with a different smell on your clothes, and come home to a different smell. Whether it is meat cooking, pies baking, or decorations being pulled out of closets and basements, they are the smells that let us know that something is coming. For those of us in school, we already get a taste for the holidays by being off for the week, but those with jobs, or those at lame schools that only give you a long weekend, those smells, sights, and sounds, the things that awaken your senses are the things that get us ready for the holidays. So even those still in their morning commute can get excited. Thanksgiving and Christmas preparation, especially the food prep, has become one of my favorite times of the year. We started making food on Monday. It’s exciting. When we remember to enjoy these things along with the actual holiDAY, we get so much more out of the entire week, months, and even years. It also has given me more time to spend with my family, especially my mom. This school year I have been a crazy busy fast moving train, and it’s nice to slow down and appreciate what we have and remember how much we love our families.

the golden rule

...You shall love your neighbor as yourself ...Mt. 22:39

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Phil. 2:3

 ...In the same way, others 

Are thickly dear to themselves.

So you shouldn’t hurt others,

If you love yourself.

-The Blessed One

 

What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others. -Confucious

This is hanging in our hallway, I don't think we look at it enough.

 

 

The Golden Rule. It's all over the place, said in many different ways by many different people, but always the same message. Why is it then that we live in a world where people are always looking out for "number one?" Why is it then that we live in a world where people hurt each other for selfish gain? One reason is that people have forgotten or rejected the ultimate example. Christ. Who died for us, that we might live.

In so many books that I've read, in particular one I'm reading now, called "set apart femininity." they say that for those who struggle with selfishness, who are trying to live lives that actually have an impact, lives that bring glory to God, it's important to think about those around you and what their needs may be instead your own. Something a book suggested was to start by being considerate to your family, make an effort to have good times together and be aware of what you can do for them instead of what they can do for you. It's what your parents have been doing for you your whole life. For example. One dinner, my sister Leslie decided to set the table as elegant as she could while still keeping it simple. This little act made us all feel slightly more important and good about eating together.

Today I just want to leave you with these sayings that remind us to live each day for others. I promise its a much more satisfying way to live. 

If you open it, close it.

If you turn it on, turn it off.

If you unlock it, lock it up.

If you break it; admit it.

If you can’t fix it, call in someone who can.

If you borrow it, return it.

It you value it, take care of it.

If you make a mess, clean it up.

If you move it, put it back.

If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.

If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.

If it’s none of your business, don’t ask questions.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

If it will brighten someone’s day, say it.

If it will tarnish someone’s reputation, keep it to yourself. 

-unknown

Living for others adds value to your own life, and its another way we can all add a little more flavor into this world.

Ethnic (adjective)

"eth-nic"
Definition: pertaining to or characteristic of a people, especially a group sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.

A few saturday nights ago I was actually free, as in FREE TIME! I was shocked in an extremely pleased way and planned to head home after work and just chill with some tea and a book, or maybe be even chiller and watch a movie. My family on the other hand had different plans. They decided to do something fun for once, WITHOUT ME. They assumed I was working, which I got very offended that they would plan to go anyways, but no matter, it worked out after all. So as tired as I was we loaded up in the car and we went to the greek festival in Dekalb. Where I ended up spraining my ankle. Despite the pain and the tiredness, it was WORTH IT.

                          

 The place wasn't very big, but it was crowded, which gave it a homely sort of feel. I was cold when I got there but warmed up soon enough, just from the sheer energy of the place. There was loud music and a section where Greeks were doing cultural dances. There were people EVERYWHERE. I had no idea there were so many Greeks in the Atlanta area. There were tons, some actually speaking Greek, and others that had grown up in the US. While we were eating, there was a family next to us speaking in English, while the elders had accents, and a girl was talking to another girl and was like "this is my mom and my 'thia' so and so." It was cool how she still used the greek term for aunt like my sisters and I use the spanish word for aunt.

   

Sorry I ate most of the Gyro before I remembered to take a picture. those are LAMB kabobs by the way. Unfortunately we never tried those. :(

  The festival was hosted by a huge orthodox greek church. They opened up all the classrooms in the school section for shops and there was a lot of cool stuff. There was one huge room that was like a market, there were greek goods and PASTRIES. When we went in the market place my brain just went  "aaaaaaaaaawe" (think the angelic music that they put in cheesy movies when people find treasure or something.) It was AMAZING. Leslie and I got a sampler of all the pastries. The only things I actually ate that night were baclava and this little greek cookie. Man that baclava was good. It tasted different than when you get it like at kroger, but it was a good different. They also had these greek fried donought holes, which the line for was incredibly long. That plus my wallet and stomach's conscious didn't let me get any, but man they looked good. They were frying them up to order.

Some of the amazing stuff in the "bakery"

                                      

 

The church also left their sanctuary open for people to see how they worship, and there was a little "lecture" which I assume was about the history, but I'm not sure, we didn't stay for it. It was a cathedral and very impressive. There was a reverence you could just feel in the air, even those who weren't religious. They had signs everywhere explain what and why things where. It was a little sad to see all the regulations they had to go through just to worship, when I know the freedom God has really given us. However, it was a also little convicting, because I know sometimes Christians can be irreverent in their worship. It was definitely good for my perspective.

             

 People could give a donation and get one of these candles. Normally, Greeks pray over them to help them become "pure" and reverent before each service. Then the priest prays over them. (I think)

 It was really cool to just stop and look around, to take in the sights and sounds, the people waiting in line for food, (who were having a jolly old time despite the fact that it was cold and they were STANDING IN A TWENTY MINUTE LINE for food.), the people watching other people dance, the people dancing themselves, the people sitting around chatting about the good old days, and the other people running around trying to figure out what on earth was Pastitsio and what kind of meat exactly was on their kebab (that was us).  It was very impressive. Inside was fun too, it was stuffy and crowded but the things they had for sale were cool. Some places had stuff that was "made in china" and I was like "what? china!?" But then I realized in some shops it wasn't about the where it was made, it was more about the original Greek style regardless of the manufacturer. The clothes and jewelry were in styles you wouldn't find in your local target. (Interestingly, most of the stuff said "made in India." Greeks must use India as their main manufacturers, like we use China) It was lots of fun trying to get in the shops without knocking anyone or anything over, and cool to see the different styles. Also there were shops with paintings and house decorations. The paintings were superb. Most of them were of scenery in Greece and it was beautiful.

 All in all, it was very fun and inspiring and I will probably go back next year. 

 When we were by a shop that said "Ethnic Jewelry and clothing" a group of teenager girls started to go in. One of them, I kid you not said "wait guys, this isn't greek stuff, it's ethnic... what's ethnic anyways?" and the other replied, " haha I bet all these americans are going in there thinking it's greek stuff, when really it's ethnic." And they went away laughing like they knew something no one else did. I didn't know whether to bust out laughing or cry. They didn't know what ETHNIC was!!! They were HIGHSCHOOL AGE. Even if they didn't know exactly what ethnic meant, they should have known the gist of it. It made very sad. I know it's possible they might have been exceptionally dumb, but it was sad because most likely, a a lot kids their age don't know what ethnic means, which is a sad view of how education is going these days. For those of you who may not know, don't lose heart! Just take the time to learn, and I even helped you, just go back and re-read the top.

p.s. we got greek TEA!!!!!!!!!

We have yet to try it because mom wants us to look it up first and make sure we aren't drinking weird stuff.