happy birthday to my mama

so, as my family often does to commemorate a household event, we are throwing a little party tomorrow.

it's my mama's birthday -- and it's a big one. i probably shouldn't mention this ... but it's the 5-0! not that she looks it. i don't know of anyone who looks as young for their age than my mama.

so instead of the over-the-hill jokes and sybollic milestone remarks, i wanted to do something a little different.

august 4 is a wonderful day (in my heart is always will be, at least). as with any day, there have been many monumental events and births. i thought i'd take some time to mention some which have occurred on my mama's special day.

i think maybe the biggest milestone is that president Barack Obama was born on the exact same day -- in 1961. other notables born that same day include actress Lauren Tom, german footballer Peter Reichert.

though born a little more than two decades later -- in 1985 -- portland trail blazers center Ha Seung-Jin was born on august 4 as well.

as far as notables who share an august 4 birthday, they include: Duke Leopold I of austria (born in 1296), Pope Urban VII (1521), french designer Louis Vuitton (1821), norwegian writer and poet laureate (1859), Louis Armstrong, American jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong (1901), journalist Helen Thomas (1920), actor Richard Belzer (1944), actor Billy Bob Thornton (1955), baseball player Roger Clemens (1962), race car driver Jeff Gordon, and twin actors Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse (1992).

there were also quite a few major events in history which occurred on august 4. perhaps the one which pops out the most is that this day is generally credited as the day Dom Perignon invented Champagne, in 1693.in 1924, diplomatic relations were established between Mexico and Russia.

in world war I -- 1914 -- germany invaded belgium, which prompted the united kingdom to declare war on germany. two years later, liberia would declare war on germany.

the billboard hot 100 was created in 1958. in 1977, president Jimmy Carter created the u.s. department of energy. NASA launched the phoenix spaceship in 1977

some great births and great events happened on my mama's birthday, but hers is the biggest highlight of my august 4 -- in any year!

Happy Birthday Mama! i love you!

~ Kassandra

Aubrey II

nearly a year ago, i was on my post-high school graduation vacation; a trip to both sets of grandparents.

it was a wonderful trip, starting in my mother's parents in new mexico and concluded with a visit to my dad's parents' nebraska home. suffice to say, there was no shortage of sightseeing in both places. seeing new parts of the country was an absolutely amazing experience.

perhaps the most amazing, however, was when i met my nine-year-old cousin from albuquerque, new mexico. i'd never met Aubrey in person but, upon meeting her, i knew i was to be in for a privilege.

despite she and her dad's assertions that she was legitimately trying as hard as she could, she had been having difficulties in school. knowing that my mom had home schooled her children and that i had worked as a licensed tutor through the state, her dad reached out to us about six weeks prior to my visit. we looked into a couple things and i had the idea to have her undergo some testing through the state. i would be there for her the day her testing was to be scheduled.

* * *

it was a great visit with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, including Aubrey. we got acquainted, we visited the four corners monument at the intersection of new mexico-arizona-utah-colorado, and we took Aubrey to her testing.

what we found out was that Aubrey, who described her homework as "all inside-out" was dyslexic. she would begin getting help to work through it immediately.

following that visit last summer, i wrote the following blog: http://tinyurl.com/3um2987

* * *

my oldest brother's wedding was last weekend in san jose (about an hour south of he and my now sister-in-law's home of san francisco). family members came from all around the country, including Aubrey and her dad. i had a hunch they might show up with my grandparents, but was unsure until they all rolled in just a day before the wedding.

seeing my cousin brought both smiles and tears to my eyes. little did i know, both would not go away any time soon.

after the initial greetings and pleasantries, my grandmother told me that Aubrey wanted to see me alone. i had wanted time with her as well. just some time to catch up and find out how the past year had been for her. we'd kept in touch via e-mails and some phone calls, but there would be nothing like hearing it from her fact to face.

a bunch of us had a snack and several conversations had begun. Aubrey grabbed something from her backpack and asked me to join her in private. we went to my room at my brother and sister-in-law's and began to talk.

my now 10-year-old cousin told me about her sessions with a special instructor who helped her retrain her brain to accurately interpret what her eyes were seeing. she told me about how her grades had gone from D's and a couple F's to C's and then B's. she was working just as hard as before, but now feels like she has a fighting chance.

* * *

when i first met Aubrey, she was nervous about asking for help. she was certainly nervous about going to be tested. i still recall vividly the telephone conversation last june -- my mom and i on phone extensions in oregon, and Aubrey and my uncle Richard on phone extensions in new mexico -- where she pretty much outright refused to go.

it was that june evening on the phone when i presented her with my idea:

"well, you may know that i'm going to be in albuquerque in a month and a half. if i promise to go with you to testing, and be there, will you promise to go and be tested?" i asked. "i'll wait for you there and we can talk about any part of it you want to beforehand or afterward. all we have to do is schedule it for when i'm going to be there. would that be all right?"

there was a long pause, and then:

"if you come with me, i promise to go."

* * *

as a registered tutor, i had seen several different students, and each had their own issues. i had actually assisted in helping a 15-year-old girl discover a minor learning disability.

when Aubrey and her father described her troubles learning, it sounded familiar to something i had learned when taking the course to being a tutor, as well as seeing the other girl i had helped.

i did a little test with her the second morning i was in albuquerque and that all but told me she had dyslexia. therefore, the state of new mexico's results did not come as a complete surprise.

it was then when i was optimistic that Aubrey would do just fine.

* * *

she reaffirmed her earlier claims that she would not have gone in for testing if i had not gone with her. at least that's what she wanted to make sure she told me last week when we talked. we talked about general confidence and self-confidence. we talked about pride; not the pride which is a sin, but the pride of seeing the result of your hard work.

we talked about a lot of things. we even talked a little about boys -- and particular cute boy she kind of has her eye on. she says he's funny. i can't believe this innocent-looking angel might already be interested in boys!

we talked a lot about her grades. she calls her academic school results this past year as an accomplishment, but more over, as a good start. she says she knows what and whom are responsible for her turnaround.

Aubrey is the same girl i met nearly a year ago but, at the same time, she's quite a bit different. she's not so quiet. she's not so timid. she's not so unsure.

Aubrey is growing up.

* * *

it was time to go back out to the others and join the festivities of Brian and Carla's pre-wedding night reunion. Aubrey thanked me for my help and, with a wry smile she handed me the folder she had grabbed before.

"this is my writing paper for the end of the year," she said, still smiling. "look, i got an "A" on it! her smile now beamed. she said it was the best thing she's ever written in her life, because it meant more to her than anything than anything which has ever happened to her in her life.

i smiled back at her as she left the room, then opened the folder. i saw the red marked letter A on the upper right corner. i then read the title:

"The Person Who Has Inspired Me the Most In My life"

i love Aubrey ... and i am honored.

~ Kassandra

my brother, new sister-in-law & flower girl

well, they really went through with it!

of course, there was no doubt to be that they would. my oldest brother, Brian, and his fiance, Carla, made their union official on june 25 as they exchanged vows in her hometown of san jose.

i could not be happier for the both of them. i look up to my brother for many reasons. ever since i met Carla in person at my high school graduation party a little over a year ago, i had the feeling she was the one for him.

i had tried to skeptical; tried to find that one thing that might make me think she wasn't good enough for my brother. somehow, i couldn't.

in fact, i was shocked, amazed and moved last august when i visited them at their san francisco apartment by an extreme act of kindness. essentially, she designed a spare room for me for whenever i wanted to get away from school for a weekend. there was a cute little bed, study desk and a chest of drawers in a room with a theme of my favorite color.

for a refresher; please refer to my blog from that time: http://tinyurl.com/sfbayarearocks

a year later, i was as anticipatory as anyone as the wedding approached. it was extremely exciting, yet a little sad. the latter of which was that with Brian being the first of the eight of us kids to marry, it was almost like the end of an era. of course, i gained a sister-in-law rather than lost a brother (though i've always hated that line!).

Carla's family came in mostly from california, while several of my extended family members made the trip from as far as new mexico and iowa. we all were treated to a wonderful ceremony between two loving people. She was absolutely beautiful and he looked ever the gentleman. the reception was elegant, inviting and joyous.

though not a member of the wedding party myself, several of my siblings played a part in the event.

my brothers Kevin and Brandon were groomsmen. my next-youngest sister Jessica played the intro music as guests were seated, then the wedding march as Carla walked down the aisle. she also played a couple hours of music after the initial band was finished, accompanied by my youngest brother Keith on the drums. Keith had did double duty as well, having been an usher seating guests prior to the ceremony.

and then there's Monika. this three-and-a-half-year old was princess-like and simply adorable in her dress as the flower girl. as my parents were assisting Brian, i was charged with preparing my youngest sister for her role. i could tell she was a little nervous. she tried to hide it, but finally told me she was just "afraid of messing up." i told her that i had full confidence that she would be just fine.

she was so much better than fine. she was tremendous! her huge smile lit up the aisle as she walked down it, calmly laying rose petals along the way. i was so proud of her. i often refer to her as my munchkin but, on this day, she was purely an angel.

so here i am with a new pride in my siblings and a new addition to the family. i think everything is turning out just right.

~ Kassandra

Julianne; brother's wedding, work

this weekend marks the culmination of one of the best years of my life. i've concluded my freshman year and it's time to head home for the summer. that means saying goodbye to my dorm mate and getting ready for the summer.

Julianne

i had been talking to this southern californian for about a month via telephone, text and e-mail prior to that september 14 day when i moved into what would be my home for the next nine months.

i'd never had a roommate before, despite my large number of siblings. i arrived in the morning and moved my things into our room. it wasn't long before i heard this "hi. Kasey?" it was this sweet girl who would become not only my roommate, but my best friend and "partner in crime" as well.

we've studied together, confided in each other, partied together, prepared food for each other ... well, you get the idea.

i've been so fortunate to have been around a girl such as Julianne ("Jules") this year. she's kept me grounded and said i've done the same for her. this has been a new experience for each of us and i can't put into words what it has meant to me to have her here. fortunately, we have arranged already to share a room next year as well.

today i said goodbye -- no, "see you later" -- to Jules for the summer (though i may make a trip to visit her native oxnard this summer).

it was very difficult and emotional to say goodbye to someone who has been such an integral part of my life these last nine months. the tears wouldn't seem to stop. watching her drive away was akin to seeing my parents and baby sister drive away on that lonely september day.

i shall miss Jules these next few months.

summer full of plans

school is over, but not my time in the bay area. i my brother and his fiance will exchange their marriage vows on june 25 in Carla's home town of san jose.

i will stay with them (in my room at their place) until tuesday before driving home for a week. the following tuesday, my dad and i will drive down to assist Brian and Carla in any way we can, then celebrate with them on their wedding day the following saturday.

while my brother and his new wife are on their honeymoon, i will house sit for them when much of the rest of my family will head back to portland.

i'm looking forward to the week of house sitting, as i will be joined by my sisters, three-and-a-half year old Monika and 14-year-old Angela. there is also a strong possibility 17-year-old Jessica will join us as well (she wants to; has to figure out some band scheduling). that would be an amazing week if the four of us had a chance to spend it together in san francisco. the three -- or four -- of us will drive back the following sunday, just a couple days before independence day.

i'll spend july, august and the beginning of september owrking for my family's business outside of portland. my mom is the general manager, but as acting operations manager, i'll be able to give her some time off to enjoy her summer, as well as fulfill her u.s. army reserve responsibilities.

so, that's what's going on with me. any questions?

~ Kassandra

time moving along

time is an amazing thing.

sometimes something can seem to pass very quickly and other times can seem to move very slowly. i understand that's all about perception. i'm not going to get into the psychological effects of time perception here, however, except to say it amazes me.

i'm amazed that i am one month away from completing my freshman year here at stanford. it seems like just a couple of weeks ago i was waving goodbye to my parents and baby sister as they drove away, leaving me apart from them, and my home, for the first time.

it's been an amazing time over the course of these eight months. my classes have been challenging, but i've done very well. i have the most incredible roommate for whom i could have asked; more than just roommates - great friends. i've been seeing the same guy for three months now; little speed bump when i met his mother, but all is fine with us.

i've had an incredible series of classes. i can't say i had any specific expectations, but i'm not surprised as to the level of difficulty. i was confident going into this year that i'd be able to excel. thanks to a self-arranged study schedule, i've been ahead of schedule with my course work. i'm confident that will continue as i continue my education.

i know i've mentioned Julie before here. we've become like sisters. we're so close that it's like we grew up together. it amazes me i've only known her these months. we study together, cook for each other, shop together, go clubbing together and just like talking to each other. occassionally, we'll even tweet each other -- when we're five feet away from the other! a couple of the girls on our floor even refer to us as each other's wife. cute, i suppose.

that guy and i have had some very wonderful times together. we hit a rough spot when his mother came to town to go over some financial issues with him. there were basically three incidences. one where she was accusatory toward me, a second time when she basically told me i had no plan for the future, and the third when she told me i was not good enough for her son. the third time i very much held my ground and, when she said good night because she "had to get to the airport," i really pissed her off by saying: "i wouldn't want you to be delayed; perhaps i could give you a ride." after muttering something about me being a smart-ass bitch, she left. things were a little tense for about a week with that guy, but he finally stepped up and told me that if wasn't going to let his overbearing mother come between us. in short, we worked through it.

i've adopted some other habits over the course of my time here. back in the fall, i began walking, then running, 3.3 miles. it started with three days a week, then expanded to four days. three weeks ago, i extended the running to five days. i now start my route around campus at 6 a.m. on sunday, monday, tuesday, thursday and friday. i feel healthier and i feel as if i'm getting stronger.

being a basketball fan, specifically of my hometown portland trail blazers, i recently drew the following conclusion. if my undergrad college career were an nba game, there would be about 1:48 minutes remaining in the first quarter. sure, there's a lot of time left to go, but it feels like i've played quite a bit already.

i also feel that i am winning the game.

~ Kassandra

love at half moon bay

he had been vague when speaking of an evening at beach, with dinner and a walk on the beach. it wasn't going to be a formal place, but we should dress formally.

that would mean a suit for him; something handsome. he would don a black suit with a deep blue shirt, but with no tie. very handsome, indeed.

i would wear a black cocktail dress which extended down not quite to mid-thigh. it featured thin straps extending across my shoulders. the ensemble would not have been complete without black leather boots, extending up over the calf.

the one thing he told me about this date was that there was a town on the coast named half moon bay. it actually sounded romantic, i thought. it would take us about an hour and a half to get there (and another hour and a half to get back).

we met up at about 3:45 outside our dorm hall. he was very dashing and his eyes seemed to explore my outfit. “truly incredible,” he said followed by a wide smile.

the drive to half moon bay winds through some mountains. i had not been aware of so many hills between the san francisco bay and the coast. it was a very beautiful drive, though there were spots where cell phone reception cut out. fortunately, he has sirius satellite installed in his car, so we were able to be entertained by the radio broadcast of the blazers-heat basketball game.

we arrived at half moon bay a little before 5:30 and decided to take a look at the beach before heading to the restaurant. our reservations were at seven o'clock. though it was cold and a little windy, the view shortly before sunset was breathtaking; certainly worth enjoying.

dinner was very nice; it was a seafood and steak house not too far from the beach. the restaurant seemed to fit its town. he had a steak and potatoes and i had white fish with steamed vegetables. it was all very good, and the service was very friendly.

we talked at the restaurant for quite a while; some of the things we haven't discussed before. we'd been dating for just about a month and seemed to have talked about everything. though it was just the second week in march, we're both concerned with what might happen to “us” after spring term and we each head back to our respective oregon and colorado homes for summer break.

he is lining up an internship with a newspaper or television station, while i will work at my family's business. he's dreamed of becoming a journalist for many years, and as a minority owner in the business, i feel i have a vested interest in helping build the company.

we left the restaurant at around 8:30, still unaware of whether we would drive back that evening and or early in the morning.

after grabbing my sweater from his car, we went on to the beach, deciding to take a walk under the dark sky. we must have gone about a mile when he took my hand and we slowly walked to the water. he stood behind me with his arms around my waist. he kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear.

“i love you, Kassandra,” he said to me; for the first time.

i had thought he was feeling the same things as i have been, but i was surprised to hear the words. i smiled and looked up at him. “i love you,” i told him, also for the first time.

we ended up staying up most of the night and staying in his car for a couple hours before taking off back to our dorm, as each of us had class at 9 a.m.

this was the most romantic dates i've ever had. emotionally and physically, i feel even closer to him than when we met for that drive to half moon bay.

~ Kassandra

parents' weekend and that guy

well, what a whirlwind month this has been. it seems as if there is so much to tell.

parents' weekend

parents' weekend at school was slated for the weekend of february 25-27, with most events scheduled for saturday the 26th. of course, this coincides with my birthday, which falls on the 27th.

Julie's parents were coming up from oxnard and everyone I know had at least one family member showing up. unfortunately, my mom and dad told me it would not be possible for them to come. i couldn't blame them – if there was any way possible, they would have been there.

in lieu of this, i decided to invite my oldest brother and future sister-in-law, who live in san francisco. at least i could take them around campus and show them about my life here at school. Brian and Carla have been supportive of me and I’ve benefited from being near them as i go through my freshman year in college. we decided they would meet me at my dorm at about 8:30 saturday morning, start with a tour, and then do a video conference with my parents and other siblings back home in portland.

i got up saturday morning and something seemed off. just a little weird. i dismissed it and headed out for my 3.2-mile morning run, which i do four times a week. Julie was up and talking on the phone with her parents when i left.

i made my way around my little course and park to the parking lot where i passed my car. Julie was out near it and urged me to walk with her back inside.

i stopped. froze is more like it. i saw the impossible, and it took my breathe away.

in front of my dorm, milling around and smiling, were my dad, mom, youngest brother Keith and two youngest sisters, Angela and Monika. they had surprised and shocked me. they'd kept this visit a secret, which is not easy to do in my family the size of mine. i would find out later that they had someone on the inside. Julie had not been on the phone with her parents; she had been on the phone with mine!

as our conversations transpired, i was informed that there was never any doubt my parents would show up; just a question as to how many of and which of my siblings would accompany them. they basically pulled a fast one on me!

we went to my room and talked for a while and caught up. it was Keith and Angela's first time to meet Julie so they enjoyed talking to her. Brian and Carla showed up right on time. i had seven visitors for parents' weekend and i was beaming. Brandon, Jessica and Kevin each had conflicts in their schedules and were unable to come. apparently the plan was for my parents, Keith, Angela and Monika was to drive to san francisco after they got of work on friday and stay the night with Brian and Carla, then meet me after my run.

i played tour guide most of the day; showing them where all my classes were, introducing them to people and basically sharing my college life with them. we joined Julie and her parents for dinner which was really nice. i absolutely loved having them there.

my birthday was sunday so we spent most of the day together before they were to leave at around four or five in the afternoon for the drive back to portland. we hung out in the morning then had a nice celebration lunch for my birthday.

i had the best gift for which i could have asked for this birthday, but there was one more surprise. all my family pitched in for a present which shocked and astounded me. it was a 32” lcd flat screen television. that was just about the only thing Julie and i did not have in our dorm room (we've been using a 13-inch emerson hand-me-down!). it's perfect. i love my family immensely. i could not have asked for more that weekend.

that guy

it was just about a month ago when Julie and i decided we would go out to a club to listen to some music. we were talking about it in the lobby of our dorm when a couple guys we had met a couple times previously overheard and asked it they could tag along. why not; the more the merrier. so we all went and had a pretty great time.

the four of us hung out all night then one of the guys and i ended up staying up the rest of the night getting to know each other better. he's really interesting and, unlike some guys, is very good at listening once he asks a question. we began seeing each other right after that.

now, to be honest, i don't have the best track record with relationships. it's just really a matter of not finding someone compatible. the guy and i always seem to be going in different directions. while i'm not necessarily looking for anything long-term, i know that it's just about at that time when that kind of things happens. i don't know what's going to happen in the weeks and months ahead, but i'm enjoying being with him right now. he's very considerate to my schedule and goals, which is extremely important to me.

i've met a couple of guys here and there, and i've mentioned them by name to people and on websites. those potential relationships didn't work out. this time, i decided to give him a nickname. thus, i am referring to him as That Guy.

he even came by and met my parents during their visit during parents' weekend, and i had the chance to meet his father.

but alas … that's another blog!

~ Kassandra

back in the swing of things

well, i've been busy lately. i was trying to come up with a better word for it, but "busy" seems to be the best word to describe it.

following christmas break, i returned back to school for the beginning of my second semester. i made it a point to become immersed in this semesters classes as i had in in the fall. my classes are again challenging, but i have no doubt that i can do just as well.

Julie and i continue to have fun in our dorm room and there have been numerous nights of little potlucks with our neighbors. these are always a lot of fun, since it's like a mini party on our floor. in fact, the opponents of our lingerie flag football game during last semester's secret snowflake came up (clothed) and hung out one night. that was a huge amount of fun.

of the three weekends since the semester started, i've spent two of them at Brian and Carla's apartment, including this weekend when they weren't there. that's no issue since i have my own room there so i can get away from school if i need to.

it's been a fun weekend of a lot of solitude and a couple of get togethers at neighbors, whom i've previously met. it's not like they were strangers, so it was nice getting to know them a little better.

the past weekend, i met someone and became involved for what i thought would be a solid time. as it turns out, he ended up being like a lot like previous guys i've met. i understand wanting to spend time together; however, i don't tolerate ultimatums when it comes to disregarding my studies to spend time with him. that is unacceptable and i quickly told him goodbye.

i still connect with my family as often, and even more so than i did the previous term. things are going well back at home, and speaking via any method with them never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Dad

my dad is doing exceptionally well after his angioplasty before christmas. in fact, he's doing so well that he returned to work about a week and a half ago. they say he's pretty much back to normal, and he says he's no longer going stir crazy at home. i absolutely love him and i know he's best in his element.

Aubrey

readers of this blog may remember my trip to new mexico last summer, and my cousin Aubrey. she e-mails me at least once a week and we talk on the phone a couple times a month. in september she began her tutoring to deal with dyslexia. she just e-mailed me a copy of her grades for the first half-year of school. one A, five B's and a C. that's a 3.00 average ... up about 1.50 points from before the dyslexia diagnosis. i knew she had it in her!

~ Kassandra

an unexpected holiday

as i had planned, i returned home for the holidays. after my last final on december 9, i hung around for a friday night outing with my dorm mate before spending the weekend at my brother's in san francisco. i made the drive home to portland.

first week

i arrived just in time to get some dinner on tuesday the 12th. as with my thanksgiving trip, there was a lot of talking and catching up. pretty much all of them asked how i felt about the finals from my first semester at stanford.

i had a chance to go shopping with my sisters. then i went shopping with a couple of my brothers. then i went shopping with my mama. then i went shopping with my best friend from high school, Shawna. fortunately, i didn't break the bank!

there are 10 members of my immediate family; 11 if you include my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Carla. we all would love to have the resources to buy for everyone in the family, but that's just not possible. a few years ago, my parents adopted a system where we would each draw a name ... well, not one name, but three! now, a few of us cheat and get everyone else a little something, and my parents still buy for each of us kids.

i drew my mama, Angela and Brandon. in turn, Jessica, Brandon and Carla drew me. that's a diverse group, and i received a diverse collection of gifts. not that i would advocate playing favorites, but i had almost wished to draw Monika's name, though i did not.

that was okay since we celebrated her third birthday on december 19. i was able to be there with her and present her with something i really think she can use and enjoy.

our scare

the day after Monika's birthday, on the afternoon of monday the 20th, my dad was in his office at work talking with a clerk when he began having chest pains after a little prodding, his boss took him to the hospital. it appeared he was having a heart attack, but was conscious and trying to talk to the doctors himself. they stabilized him as best they could, did x-rays and blood tests and so forth. according to what i was told later, he had a minor blockage in one of the arteries heading into his heart. they originally thought he was having a grade-4 or grade-5 heart attack, but it was downgraded just past grade-5. they performed minor surgery that night to repair the blockage and he's doing fine. they also determined that the other arteries were in good shape.

my mom wasn't home when it happened, and Keith answered the phone and gave it to me. i was shocked, but tried to maintain my composure. we tried calling my mom's cell, but she had it off because the charge was down. i had Keith keep trying to call her, while Brandon, took the others to the hospital in his truck. i went to the base, talked to the clerk who was with my dad and grabbed my dad's laptop and a couple of other things before heading to the hospital. i knew there was nothing i could do until he was out of triage. i got to the hospital about a half an hour after my siblings did. Keith was still trying to get in touch with my mom, and Brandon and i went to try and get some information from the doctors.

when my mom was finally contacted and made it to the hospital, there wasn't much information available, but we updated her as best we could. she was in a panic and wasn't sure what she wanted to do, so we had my three younger sisters sit down and just be there with her. Brandon and i started making phone calls to extended family and so forth.

Brian flew up tuesday and it was very comforting to have him there. he and Carla had planned to come up friday morning for christmas, so he was just a few days early. Carla arrived friday morning, as planned.

my dad is in very good physical shape and i wouldn't necessarily consider his diet to be over susceptible to heart problems. be that as it may, the procedure was successful and he was discharged from the hospital three days later.

a normal christmas

with all that happened, we had two objectives. the first was to make my dad as comfortable at home as we could. basically, we made sure a couple people were home with him at all times, preparing the right foods and helping him with this or that. my mom spent a lot of time with him, and each of us did our own little bit to help out and spend time with him.

one of the cutest things i saw was when i went into mom and dad's bedroom, he was laying there with some jazz on in the background. in one hand he was reading his book, and his other was laying on top of my cat, Nikki, who was laying next to him. he told me my cat came in and set herself down next to him. i had to smile wide; Nikki has a knack of going to the person who needs her most. she just seems to be smart like that.

the second objective was to make christmas as normal as possible. this was going to take some doing, but we all were confident we could still make it a special day. when i say we, i mean Brian, Carla and i.

it actually went very well. my dad was able to sit in his chair christmas morning while we all exchanged gifts, and later on for dinner, which we all adapted to match that which my dad was allowed to eat on the day.

there were a lot of laughs, smiles and many tears. the tears were of happiness and joy, and also that of a renewed spirit. i was very happy to see something which could have been mellow and bland, turn into something so special. i would even venture to say that it was one of our best as a family.

in a new light

following my dad's medical issue, Brandon and Angi became a little distant, Kevin wasn't around too much but still, showed his support, Monika was very concerned about her daddy, and Jessi was hit very hard. Brian and i tried to reassure the others as best we could, and he was eventually able to calm Jessi down. Brandon and Angi came on board with supporting dad when he arrived home.

the biggest surprise to me in all this was my 13-year-old brother, Keith. this baseball-playing musical drummer very much stepped up to the plate. he told me later about some nice conversations with my dad, telling him he loved him and wanted him to be around for a long time.

instead of walking around in a daze or showing anger, he approached his oldest sister to get some facts "you're a genius and i know you've already looked up all this stuff," he said. he was correct. we sat down, went online and found some medical charts. i explained to him about the blockage in our dad'a artery and went through my most informative version of what is involved in an angioplasty. he asked questions and understood.

Keith was there with me all week. he wanted to be as helpful and mature as he could be. if that was his goal, then he not only reached it, but surpassed it greatly. i think my youngest brother grew a lot over the past two weeks. i now see him in a new light.

a little work

with the holidays and my dad's situation, the family's distributorship business (the one we entered into in july) was left kind of fending for themselves. my mama wanted to stay at home with my dad so it was decided that i would go in and fill in for her in her role as owner/general manager for a few days (i have a small stake as a minor owner).

we essentially were just tying up some loose ends, invoicing and paying some invoices. i had to deal with a couple minor problems in the fashion and spirit i believe my mama would.

we were open december 27-30, and on the last day, we left Carla with my dad while everyone else joined in for a day of inventory. we'd never done this before, so it took a little getting used to but, all in all, things went very well.

new year's night out

another plan was that my little group from high school would get together for new year's eve. true to tradition, the six of us found out way to four parties (the first two were kind of lame). we rung in the new year at the third, with champagne and kisses from a couple guys i'd never met. no -- it wasn't that kind of thing -- just a closest person thing. really, it was funny more than anything else.

about a quarter after midnight, we left that party and went to the fourth. usually, these parties tend to die down after midnight, but this really seemed to be the place to be. i recognized a lot of people from high school, but mostly in grades higher than me. it was nice to get reacquainted with them, if even for just a night. i ended up hanging out with a couple of guys who were seniors when i was a freshman (not sure where the rest of my group had gone!).

the three of us had a great time and all i'll say is that we rang in the year just right.

so it's 2011 ... this should be an interesting year

~ Kassandra