New Traditions

Easter has always been a holiday of family and close friends. Growing up, my mother would always make us a huge breakfast with all the yummy good things that are bad for you. Lots of bacon, blueberry muffins, more bacon, eggs covered with cheese for those who like them (not me), fresh fruit and everyone's Easter basket sitting on the table. Everyone got an Easter basket every year. It didn't matter that we were adults, our baskets just became ice chests or serving dishes.

For a couple of Easters I spent them with my girlfriends going to the Catamaran Hotel in San Diego for their Easter brunch. Yum does not begin to describe their food. Always yummy and lots of it. We would all get dressed up in our new Easter clothes (a biggie with Michelle), take photos, go to brunch and do a ride on the ferry boat afterwards across the bay. Very relaxing and very fun.

Now that I live way away from my parents and my girlfriends I am trying to find a new set of traditions for here in Bend. Traditions are important to me. Things that you look forward to every year even when you don't realize it. Last year I just made a big breakfast and we all got Easter chocolate bunnies. Bob's parents and my sister in laws all went and did their own thing. Alexis was too young for an egg hunt and Katya was too old. Also, it snowed. It would have been tough to do an egg hunt in those conditions.

This year I've got Ginger and crew up here as well as Bob's parents and Debbie K. Patti is in Arizona until the summer. So this year I did a big breakfast again, but I had a much bigger audience than last year. It was great! We had blueberry muffins, orange juice, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit & eggs covered with cheese (courtesy of Ginger) and waffles. (Sounds like I miss my Mommy's breakfasts.) It was nice to have so many people that I care for under my roof eating one of the few meals that I enjoy preparing. We all got Easter bunnies or baskets or both in Katya's case. Katya's basket was filled with candy while Alexis and Logan just got baskets filled with empty plastic eggs. Alexis spent a couple of hours putting those eggs into and out of her basket. I still have plastic egg parts all over my living room.

After breakfast Katya hid Easter eggs (which she decorated last night) on our newly renovated front porch (I'll post pictures of that later) and on our front lawn. It was fun watching Alexis go around and find the Easter eggs with some assistance from her big sis. Katya had done Alexis' hair into ponytails and she looked especially cute. Logan slept through all the comotion.

After the big egg hunt everyone basically just settled in, napped or chatted for hours in the dining room. It was really nice. I do so enjoy having a house full of people to visit with. I called Vista and chatted with my cousin Beth, whom I miss terribly, and wished everyone there a very happy Easter.

Everyone eventually trickled their way home and we had a nice quiet meal of french dip sandwiches (recipe courtesy of my fab sister in law, Mandee) before the kids all went to bed.

We had a fabulous Easter and I hope you all did too. I look forward to next Easter when I will have two little monkeys looking for Easter eggs all over the front deck and lawn with the help of their big sister after having eaten a huge breakfast surrounded by family and friends.