When people hear my last name for the first time, many ask if my family is like the Portokalos family from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Lamentably, they are not, but I've discovered that I still love my family about as much as is possible. And we are crazy and loud and familiar and welcoming and warm and fantastic in our own way.
This evening we were all in the kitchen for a rare family dinner, everyone shouting at each other and warming up individual leftovers or pre-prepared dinners which normal families don't allow at "family dinners." Mom had just gotten home so of course there was the Christmas mail haul to work through, everyone fighting to see Christmas cards they hadn't opened or reread ones they had after someone else mentioned how cute the card was. As if they had missed something the first time around.
Far from the norm when we are all at school, dinner conversation revolved around charitable donations and tax deductions which escalated into an unprecedented form of hilarity when Kelly and Laura decided to mimic every hand motion that Mom performed while talking. Apparently explaining the intricacies of taxes and charitable giving requires a lot of hand motions. The entire family was in stitches, Dad most of all, which is rare during dinner table antics.
After dinner the girls had sisterly bonding time with the ab workout from Satan. Mary breezed through it, barely taxing her six-pack while the rest of us grunted and Lamaze-d our way through most of the motions. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, but it was a treat to spend even that time together since the past couple weeks have been "go your own way" to the extreme. My way has involved a lot of couch time and desserts. Laura's way has involved a lot of making me feel guilty for not studying. And a lot of couch time and desserts.
Total side note before I sign off: I just finished reading The Things We Do For Love and it was refreshing and encouraging to read a book that had nothing to do with spies or cops or agents or murder and still thoroughly enjoy it. It was the type of uplifting book that restores my faith in power of love and the wonder of life that I have been looking for since my New Year's resolution to read books outside my comfort zone. It took me 11 and a half months to find that book (with lots of other treasures read in the mean time), but I think I can call it a successfully met resolution. And I still have a little over a week to think of a new one for next year.
Merry Christmas, and extreme peace as you celebrate the birth of Jesus. Catch you on the far side of the cruise!
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