Not sure I need to post another word, given the photo evidence above of the fun time Taryn and I had on our post-Christmas cruise!
What we did was fun – swimming with the dolphins (despite some VERY cold temperatures in and out of the water that day); buying jewelry in Grand Cayman (tanzanite, of course, because there is “ONLY ONE TANZANITE MINE IN AFRICA AND IT’S RUNNING OUT!”); dining on board ship (we found a restaurant that had chicken parmesan, Taryn’s favorite); ATV’ing in Cozumel (yes, I was a bit of a maniac on the quad); drinking margaritas and doing tequila shots at Senor Frog’s (a proud moment as a mother, teaching my daughter how to do a tequila shot – thanks for the lessons Lisa!); losing money in the casino (what, you thought we would win?); shopping for the perfect pink sombrero. So what if the waves were so high the first day that it was hard to stand upright (and hard to hold on to one’s lunch – poor Taryn needed some Dramamine to get through it). And so what if the overcast skies and moderate temperatures spoiled any chance for a tan? It was still vacation – and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Yes, what we did was fun. But what we had, what we enjoyed? A priceless opportunity to share precious time together, memory-making moments in the here and now, laughing with carefree abandon, and loving as only a mother and daughter can.
We stayed in Florida a few days after arriving back in Miami so that Taryn could spend time with Chris. Warren came down so that we could all spend New Year’s Eve together and our friend Danny B. made us all the most magnificent meal that evening. He is a culinary wonder and we were immeasurably spoiled by him. We rang in the new year quietly but happily.
I also got the opportunity I’ve been seeking for 5 years now to visit my cousin Fred in Stuart, FL. That’s a photo of us above. Fred and I pretty much grew up together - our mothers were first cousins and best friends (and ironically, both died of pancreatic cancer within a year of each other); we were born 2 weeks apart from each other, first born in each family; our sisters were born within months of each other, our brothers within weeks of each other (yes, Trish, my mother failed to provide you with a “counterpart cousin”). Next to my cousins Lisa and Bud, I probably spent more time with Fred than anyone else as a child. For many reasons, too numerous and personal to go into here, we lost touch in our early adult years, but reconnected several years ago and vowed to (at some point) get together. Which we (Warren and I) did, the Sunday after New Year’s.
We spent some time at Fred’s house, getting to know each other again and when his daughter, Liz, made mention of her Dad’s “OCD” with respect to where things go in the house Warren just looked at me with a “Wow, that sounds familiar!” expression on his face. And during lunch at a local restaurant right on the waterfront we confirmed what we already suspected - we are more alike than not in a great many areas of our lives (for instance we are both absolutely great-looking for our age AND terribly bright and humorous to boot). Fred and I spent some time reminiscing (not too much – neither of us thought of our childhoods as a magical time!) and looking at old photo albums, some time dishing about our families, but most of the time was spent enjoying the present moments together. And we agreed – it will not be another 20 years before we see each other again.
On a health note, I am officially the George Steinbrenner of cancer patients – about to break in a new oncologist, the 6th one in 6 years. Why do they keep leaving me? Are they pissed because I keep hanging around and hanging around and hanging around long after most in my circumstances expire? Guess it’s exhausting keeping me alive for so long – the latest one is actually leaving the country to go practice medicine abroad (so she says). Any bets on whether or not I outlast this next one?
My wish is that we all get to enjoy 2011 to its absolute fullest. Blessings and Love to All.
What we did was fun – swimming with the dolphins (despite some VERY cold temperatures in and out of the water that day); buying jewelry in Grand Cayman (tanzanite, of course, because there is “ONLY ONE TANZANITE MINE IN AFRICA AND IT’S RUNNING OUT!”); dining on board ship (we found a restaurant that had chicken parmesan, Taryn’s favorite); ATV’ing in Cozumel (yes, I was a bit of a maniac on the quad); drinking margaritas and doing tequila shots at Senor Frog’s (a proud moment as a mother, teaching my daughter how to do a tequila shot – thanks for the lessons Lisa!); losing money in the casino (what, you thought we would win?); shopping for the perfect pink sombrero. So what if the waves were so high the first day that it was hard to stand upright (and hard to hold on to one’s lunch – poor Taryn needed some Dramamine to get through it). And so what if the overcast skies and moderate temperatures spoiled any chance for a tan? It was still vacation – and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Yes, what we did was fun. But what we had, what we enjoyed? A priceless opportunity to share precious time together, memory-making moments in the here and now, laughing with carefree abandon, and loving as only a mother and daughter can.
We stayed in Florida a few days after arriving back in Miami so that Taryn could spend time with Chris. Warren came down so that we could all spend New Year’s Eve together and our friend Danny B. made us all the most magnificent meal that evening. He is a culinary wonder and we were immeasurably spoiled by him. We rang in the new year quietly but happily.
I also got the opportunity I’ve been seeking for 5 years now to visit my cousin Fred in Stuart, FL. That’s a photo of us above. Fred and I pretty much grew up together - our mothers were first cousins and best friends (and ironically, both died of pancreatic cancer within a year of each other); we were born 2 weeks apart from each other, first born in each family; our sisters were born within months of each other, our brothers within weeks of each other (yes, Trish, my mother failed to provide you with a “counterpart cousin”). Next to my cousins Lisa and Bud, I probably spent more time with Fred than anyone else as a child. For many reasons, too numerous and personal to go into here, we lost touch in our early adult years, but reconnected several years ago and vowed to (at some point) get together. Which we (Warren and I) did, the Sunday after New Year’s.
We spent some time at Fred’s house, getting to know each other again and when his daughter, Liz, made mention of her Dad’s “OCD” with respect to where things go in the house Warren just looked at me with a “Wow, that sounds familiar!” expression on his face. And during lunch at a local restaurant right on the waterfront we confirmed what we already suspected - we are more alike than not in a great many areas of our lives (for instance we are both absolutely great-looking for our age AND terribly bright and humorous to boot). Fred and I spent some time reminiscing (not too much – neither of us thought of our childhoods as a magical time!) and looking at old photo albums, some time dishing about our families, but most of the time was spent enjoying the present moments together. And we agreed – it will not be another 20 years before we see each other again.
On a health note, I am officially the George Steinbrenner of cancer patients – about to break in a new oncologist, the 6th one in 6 years. Why do they keep leaving me? Are they pissed because I keep hanging around and hanging around and hanging around long after most in my circumstances expire? Guess it’s exhausting keeping me alive for so long – the latest one is actually leaving the country to go practice medicine abroad (so she says). Any bets on whether or not I outlast this next one?
My wish is that we all get to enjoy 2011 to its absolute fullest. Blessings and Love to All.
No comments:
Post a Comment