blah blah

so not bland

today was kind of bland.  probably because i spent it grading.  no doubt because i spent it grading.

i will do the same thing tomorrow, then have a break.  then everything will be okay, right?

because at this very moment i'm on the brink of an existential melt down.

allow me to take a moment to reflect on the tangible evidence of the real and good in my world.

and to  show you pictures of the most unexistential thing in the world.

tamales.

mi amigos green corn tamales. thanks to my parents and brother david for their hard work keeping a high quality restaurant going and for being so generous with it.

these are from the family restaurants, mi amigos, bought by my parents in 1980 (or '81?) and now run by my brother in mesa and phoenix.

whenever my parents visit utah, they bring a dozen or two green corn tamales, frozen in a bundle, and a quart of the best green chile sauce in the world.  we so look forward to tamale dinner at my parents' condo on each and every visit.

every time, the menu is exactly the same:  tamales with green sauce, my dad's roasted chile salsa, "corn crisps"(a kind of open faced quesadilla on a corn tortilla), black beans garnished with cilantro and diced white onions, and shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

my dad's roasted chile salsa.

it's part mexican, part gringo, and 100% candland family tradition.

don't you love little boxes with presents inside?

so sunday was ingrid's birthday (have i mentioned that?) so my parents hosted a dinner for her.  the light was so beautiful, the table so warm, and lula's lemon curd filled cupcakes so tragically delicious.

anna did the pretty writing.  i added sparkly sprinkles cuz i couldn't leave well enough alone.

sexy close-up of lula's lemon curd cupcakes.

i'm lucky to have a great family and some really fun, strong traditions.  and parents who have worked really hard to create family unity and loyalty.  julie has reminded me on several occasions that i can't take this for granted.

the older i get, the more grateful i am for my family, and the more i realize how unusually blessed i am in this regard.

christian, mom & dad. something about the light was special that evening.

also lucky to have my 90 year-old grandparents around and my wonderful aunt bonnie who is like a second mother to me slash really awesome therapist/girlfriend.

feel the luv.

more details and photos of someone else's family dinner than anyone could possibly care about, but thank you for the indulgence.  i do feel slightly less existential now.

it's time to start talking about julie turley's birthday now, right around the corner.