December Days - 12.25.10

One of our favorite family traditions is Christmas pajamas.  Not that they are Christmas themed, just that we all get new pajamas for Christmas and they typically match in some form or fashion.  We open our Christmas gifts on Christmas day, but the one exception is the Christmas pajamas we all open on Christmas Eve.

It's not a unique tradition, I know many other families that do the same thing or something very similar but it's a tradition that my family had growing up and Marcy and I have adopted for the past 16 holiday seasons.

This year, Grandma Simpson provided the pajamas for everyone (Thank you Grandma!) but we had a slight breakdown in communication and for a brief time it looked as though we would not have the pajamas available for opening on Christmas Eve.  Marcy was filled with anxiety that this important family tradition wouldn't be continued this year, but Christmas was saved when we found the pajamas and were able to let everyone open them.

Overall, we had a great Christmas celebration with lots of family and lots of food.  As today comes to an end, I feel very fortunate to have so many blessings in our lives.

Merry Christmas from the Kaopuiki 'Ohana (family)!

December Days - 12.22.10

Those who spend any time around me know that I have a creative side of my person that I will occasionally let out to tackle various projects, hobbies, or just as a way of relaxing.

Out Family Christmas Card:
http://christmas.hawaiianhoosiers.com

One of my creative outlets that has grown over the past several years is our family Christmas Card.  It's turned into a sort of tradition since it started four years ago when we wanted to use our Christmas Card and Christmas letter as a means of allowing our family and friends in Oregon/Washington a way to experience, in a greater sense than a standard letter and card could convey, how we were doing in the midwest.  I also found the exercise of creating the cards a great creative outlet for myself.  So, beginning in 2007 we started a combo Christmas Photo Card and Website/Online Letter as our family's version of the holiday cards so many people send.

As it's evolved over the years (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), part of my motivation has changed  because I am enjoying the challenges of coming up with ideas.  It's not for everyone, but I like creating something someone else doesn't have and that does a good job of conveying our family's personality.  Admittedly, they aren't even the best cards I've seen but they do represent our family, the Hawaiian Hoosiers.

I have about 6 more years worth of ideas and designs already floating around in my head, so I may need to start thinking of expanding beyond just a family Christmas Card and start thinking about other holidays we can send cards for. :-)

And while it is a creative outlet for me, the true intent really is to provide a different way to simply say to those we love and care about, Merry Christmas and God's blessings on a Happy New Year!

December Days - 12.18.10

Coming to Oregon for the Christmas holiday has become a great tradition for the family. Within that tradition we've started several traditions that have become favorites for Marcy and I.

Sunrise over Nahalem Bay, the view from the Beach House

One of these is an adults only weekend trip to the Oregon Coast with Marcy's brother and sister and their spouses. The kids get to stay with Bumpy and Grandma for the weekend doing lots of fun stuff while the parents all get a break to relax and have fun without the worries of entertaining and watching the kids.

For what is supposed to be a relaxing weekend, I feel like we pack a bunch of stuff into two days, but by far and away my favorite part is just the chance to visit, share, and laugh with Marcy, Jason, Kim, Lisa, and Travis. Whether we are playing tourist in small coastal towns, playing board games, shopping, or eating at our favorite spot on the OR coast (The Lumberyard in Cannon Beach) I love the chance to just spend the time with our family.

I have been fortunate to have been part of Marcy's family even when we were just friends as kids, so I have known Lisa and Jason real well for a very long time as we have all grown up together. It is truly awesome that we have all stayed close and enjoy each other's company so much. I am a little sad that this weekend is winding to a close but comforted by the fact we are already planning next year's getaway.

December Days - 12.13.10

Christmas time is always cookie time in our house and for several generations on my side of the family that means my Grandmother's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

These are not your ordinary oatmeal chocolate chip cookies though.  This is a family recipe handed down on my Mom's side of the family for generations.  They are a connection to the past, a shared bond between family crossing space and time, and a little bit of heaven in every bite.  I've taken these cookies to work before and had them quickly disappear off my desk as people clamored to get a sample.  We've made them for parties, gatherings, and events and rarely had extra to bring home.

But, before you even think about emailing me to ask for the recipe though, it's important to understand that this is for all intended purposes, a secret family recipe.  In all the cook books my Mom contributed to while growing up, non included Grandma's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Corner my mom on how many people she has shared the recipe with and her answer will confirm the recipe's secret status: (1) Kelsey (my sister), (2) Marcy (my wife), and (3) Erika (my sister-in-law).  The list ends there.  Tell me that doesn't qualify as secret recipe status!

A Bitter Sweet Thanksgiving Day

As we celebrate another Thanksgiving holiday today, it is not lost on me how blessed I am and how blessed my family is.  This year represents a first for Marcy and I though, and as a result I can't help but feel bitter sweet about today.

In our fifteen years of being married, today represents our first Thanksgiving with just our family and no extended family.  It was very strange to be without either one of our parents or siblings around, but at the same time it was something special to have a quiet (as much as it can be in our house) day with just the six of us.  I am very thankful that we have such great family to miss though and look forward to seeing them all in just a few weeks.

As I found myself missing our Oregon and Washington family today, we all shared stories from Thanksgivings past about family.  I realized what an impact my Aunt Gail had on me and our Thanksgiving Day traditions within our family.  I didn't really have Grandparents that lived near me while I was growing up, the closest thing I had was my great-aunt and uncle, Gail and Bill, who lived a few hours from us.  We spent every Thanksgiving with them at their home in Hermiston, OR.  Food was always an emphasis, but not in the way it traditionally is.  I have never really liked turkey, so Thanksgiving day dinner has never really been a highlight for me, but my Aunt Gail put out a spread of food starting early in the morning and extending into the evening that we all just grazed on all day, to the point we were always stuffed by dinner time.  It's this type of snack food spread of cheese, crackers, dips, veggies, shrimp cocktail, etc that I think of when I think Thanksgiving.  Those were some of my favorite holiday memories, our family in Hermiston with my Aunt Gail and Uncle Bill.  

We continue this food tradition in our family today, and as I grazed on all the great food all day I was very thankful for my Aunt Gail and that her memory lives on through the holidays.  That we ALL could be so fortunate to have something as simple as a cheese ball carry on our legacy!

The Easter Spider Experience

Our family has become known for one of our favorite Easter traditions, the Easter Spider.  Many people have asked us about this tradition and probably the best way to understand it is to experience it.  We did things a little different this year and instead of tying the individual strings of yarn to each Easter basket/bucket we tied them to pieces of paper with various parts of the Easter story printed on them. To find their baskets, they had to work together to retell the Easter story.....

Family Tradition: The Easter Spider

Moving 2/3 of the way across the country away from all of our family has given us the opportunity to establish our own family traditions. We have a few that have become special, but one of the favorites occurs Easter morning.

The spiritual significance of the day is given and we spend a good deal of time discussing what the entire weekend means to us individually and as a family, but we have a lot of fun with Easter baskets as well. Not so much Easter eggs or even the candy, but Marcy puts a lot of energy into making themed "baskets" each year and I put my energy towards hiding them.



The tradition we've started has involved us hiding the Easter baskets somewhere in the house and then tying yarn to the basket. We then wind that yarn all over the house creating somewhat of a web look throughout our house and eventually finishing at the top of the stairs. When the kids wake up they find their color of yarn and wind it up, eventually leading them to their Easter baskets. The web of yarn has caused the kids to refer to this as the work of the "Easter Spider." It sounds a little more scary to me than bunny, but it works for them.