RODRIGUES REUNION 2012

 It all started with a Hawaiian Luau dinner Friday night. We ate delicious food but debated over whether or not papaya is absolutely disgusting. The majority ruled that it in fact is. Interesting enough, all of the Rodrigueses (except for Nana) detested it and those "adopted" into the family like Don, Tom, and Josiane didn't mind it. We left it up to them to eat it all. I really like dried papaya but had never had it fresh before. Yuck. 

Then, to refresh and please our taste buds, we of course had dessert. . .

What's a Rodrigues get-together without a little 

(or I should say a lot of) pie?

After dinner it was time for presents! (It was Stacie's and Nana's birthdays.) We surprised Nana by publishing a new and improved copy of  her cookbook that she had put together and printed for the family years before. My Aunt Josiane reorganized and edited all the recipes and compiled pictures of the family actually making the recipes from the book.
It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Nana was so surprised, touched, overwhelmed.

  She cried . . . and then we all cried. It was a very special moment. I only wish my grandpa had been there to share it with us. But then again, maybe he was.

Saturday we went for a hike up to the Wind Caves. We didn't make it all the way, but far enough to get some awesome views and a good workout. 

Towards the top, we found a place to scatter the ashes of my grandpa. (which may or may not be illegal) It was a very memorable and spiritual experience for me. I guess it gave me the closure that most people get when the casket is lowered into the ground. 

 

All the emotions of my grandpa's death came flooding back and I started to cry.

Colter noticed my tears and came and gave me a hug. 

After the hike (and much needed showers) it was time for "High Tea." While we were out on the hike, Nana was preparing a special surprise for us. 

We came back to find that each couple had their own new teapot and matching mugs. 

We enjoyed little sandwiches, scones, cookies, cake, and of course - tea!

It was a jolly good time, and the food was delicious. I think we should do it again.
But maybe next time, dress up. :)

To wrap up the weekend, Tom and I performed a musical masterpiece we had put together for the family - over 30 minutes worth of classical and spiritual songs. 

There were a few rough spots, but overall I think it went really well. 

I wish everyone could have stayed longer; we always have so much fun! But I am really looking forward to seeing them when Tom and I go to California the end of August (yahoo!) and when everyone comes out for Christmas. Wow, already thinking of Christmas in July.

P.S. Stacie also taught me how to knit and I am trying to be diligent in practicing. Last night I stitched my best stockinet swatch yet!

P.P.S. It's my 25th birthday in 29 days. Get excited, cause I am! I would like a new dress and knitting supplies in case you were wondering.

letter to me

I have been reflecting a lot lately on my past, and more particularly my more recent past; my college years. Even though it wasn't that long ago, I guess that I have had a hard time reconciling the person I am now with the person that I was back then.

I decided today to read over some of my old journals to relive and remember those days. I have never been an avid journal-keeper. In fact, I am quite terrible. But I find it interesting, and probably no coincidence, that the most trying times of my life (thus far) are the times when I wrote the most in my journal. I am grateful that I have records of these experiences so that once in awhile, on days like today, I can go back and read about them.

2006 was my best journaling year by far. As I read the entries, I began to see patterns in my life and in my emotions/feelings. Like probably every college-age young-adult, I was struggling to find out who I was, what I wanted to do with my life; I was wanting to find friendship, acceptance, attention, and love. Those years of my life were a constant battle with myself as I struggled to love myself for who I was. I was (and still am) really good at picking out my weaknesses and flaws, at magnifying them, and in the meantime blocking out all the positive things about myself. All I could see when I looked in the mirror was someone who struggled with depression, with being overweight, and who got anxiety from social settings. Hello, college could practically be defined as a whole series of social settings! But aside from those relatively minor things, I was also struggling at the time with my parent's separation and divorce. At a vulnerable time in my life, when I needed stability at home, it was not there. I found myself very lost and looking to other things for comfort - like food.

As I read through some of my innermost feelings and experiences of that time, I found myself crying. I felt so sad for this 18-year-old girl who used to be me. I wanted to reach out to her in someway and tell her that everything was going to be alright. Suddenly songs like "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley and "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert came to mind. I wanted to tell her to just hang in there. That in six short years she would be happily married; that on her wedding day she would be thin and virtually acne free; that those hard and difficult experiences would only help her and mold her into the person she would later become.

I truly know that those things have shaped me into who I am today. And I think I can honestly say I am grateful for those experiences; for everything that I went through; the good and the bad. I look back now and realize how far I have come. But I know that the growing up for me is not over. More trying times are bound to come, but I know that I can get through them. I have done it before.

Picture Post

Guess what?! I found out that I do have some pictures after all!

Red Lobster

Aquarium

Amber's ferrets - (told you he was an animal lover)

First time cooking on his new grill!

City Creek Mall

Temple Square

Easter Eggs!

Bowling!

Ok this game was just pathetic. . .

but then I got my revenge!

Just for fun, we decided to camp-out in our living room.

Riding on Rosie! This one's for you Bekah!

Here comes the sun

Summer is on its way folks, and I am so excited! Summer means camping, birthdays, 4th of July, family reunions, warm weather (cross your fingers), swimming, and even a trip to California this year! Can't even tell you how awesome it's going to be. Pretty much every weekend of our summer is already booked.

Tom and I have been doing lots of fun things over the past few months to include:

Easter weekend in Utah (aquarium, City Creek Mall, Temple Square, the works);
another trip to Utah which involved a dance competition, visiting friends, and going to a Clay Walker concert in West Jordan with dear Bekah (so much fun!);
fishing at Warm River and visiting Mesa Falls (gorgeous!); and,
celebrating Tom's 25th birthday and scoring some awesome gifts like a grill and a movie projector. (I made him a four-layer red velvet cake but unfortunately the shaved chocolate on top ended up resembling sawdust.)

Sadly, all the photos and evidence of these happenings are trapped inside other people's smart phones. Friends, family (you know who you are), if you are reading this and have photos of us on your phone, please forward them to me asap. Gracias.

American Idol

I think I've become obsessed.

I don't know what it is, but I think about this show all.the.time.
I anxiously look forward to Wednesday nights.

Have any of you every daydreamed about being on the show?

I have. Several times.

I imagine what songs I would sing, how nervous I would be, etc.

I think the most challenging part for me would be finding something suitable to wear on stage. (I spent 3 hours at the mall the other day with Tom and did not find a single thing to purchase. Not one.)

But really, I like to fantasize about being good enough to actually be on the show. With the right song choice maybe I could make it to Hollywood . . . just maybe?
Ok, who am I kidding, really. Let's be honest here. Natural singing ability is one talent I wish I really had. And I'm talking about a really wow voice if you know what I'm saying.

Every week these young people get up on that stage and astound me with their talent. They are so incredible, and at such a young age. In my opinion, they possess much more talent and natural ability than many of today's top performers (including some of those who have had guest performances on the show).

At this point in the competition, all the performers are such amazing singers that you really have to choose whose style and character you prefer. My favorite this year is Hollie. She is so cute, and can really belt it. I love the tone of her voice. And part of me loves rooting for the under-dog. She has been in the bottom three so many times, but she's made it through this far! I feel like the judges are really tough on her and influence people's votes. If she gets elimiated tonight I will be incredibly disappointed, and probably start yelling at America like I did last week when Colton Dixon was kicked off. Of course, since I don't vote I really have no right to be disappointed when everyone else doesn't vote the way I would have. haha

But, I actually voted for the first time ever last night!

So tonight I'll see if it did any good. My guess is that either Elise or Phillip are going home. So far I don't have a good track record about predicting these things though.
Happy watching!
Go Hollie, and Skylar!

My Grandpa

Remember the extra-special blog post I have been promising?
Well here it is at last.

This post is a dedication to my grandpa, Robert Anthony Rodrigues, who passed away over a year ago now. I think of him often and miss many things about him. Here is a compilation of photos and memories that I have of him.
I look forward to the day when we will see each other again.


My grandparents on their wedding day.

What a great looking couple!

With me as a newborn.


This is me also. And I am guessing the cake in the photo is a Buckland Cake,
which was my grandpa's favorite.


With my younger sister, Amber. I love his smile!


Three generations - taken in 2002.

Some of my most cherished memories of my grandpa come from when they were still living in their house on Carmel Drive:

• I remember making "soup" out of loquat tree leaves and other backyard treasures which we ate out of abalone shells on the back deck.


• I remember playing Lode Runner with him at his computer, probably my first introduction to computer games. I would always freeze up as the evil monks approached and consumed my character with horrible bone-crunching noises.


• I remember the bedtime stories he would tell to Amber and me about the adventures of "Reggie the Raccoon" who one day climbed into a hollow tree trunk which then turned into a rocket ship!


• I remember him faithfully watering the front and back yards. The well-tended green foliage served as a "forest" for me as a child when I would be exploring, looking for bugs, or playing cops and robbers with the neighbor kids.


• I remember him sitting in his armchair in the morning while reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of tea or coffee.


• I remember sneaking into his bedroom with Amber so we could eat his large chewable vitamin C's that he kept on his night stand. They tasted like orange candy.



Eating our "soup."



My grandpa helped instill in me a love for baseball, and made me an Oakland A's fan at a young age. I remember taking the BART to the games, meeting up with his friend Richard, and munching on pistachios as we watched. Baseball will always be my favorite sport.




Working on the car with Grandpa. He loved his cars.
And I love the fact that I look like a little boy in this picture.


One thing people always noticed about my grandpa, is how cheerful he was. You could almost always find him with a smile on his face. My grandpa definitely had a goofy side to him which would come alive when the whole Rodrigues clan got together.
I wish that I could hear his laughter again.




To me, this photo is the epitome of my grandpa's goofiness. :)


At my dad's wedding - May 1, 2010.




I regret that as I grew older, time and conversation with my grandpa became less frequent. I suppose he wasn't sure what to do with me now that I wasn't a little kid anymore. Both of us are quiet by nature and so not much was said between us. I always wondered what his thoughts and opinions were as he sat in his armchair, listening to others' conversations. But I never got the courage to ask. I hope others don't pass up these opportunities with their loved ones due to fear. You never know how much time you have left.


Probably the last picture we took together as a family before grandpa passed away.


I think this is my favorite picture of them all.

Love you, Grandpa!