Showing posts with label Quijance Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quijance Family. Show all posts

Monday, December 03, 2007

Welcoming December

We set out for the beach to watch the Lighted-Boat Parade but somehow found ourselves at Main Beach by the Wharf. Finding 'mishaps' like this to be happenstance, I drove down past the Boardwalk to park by this house. Every year this house always makes me laugh but it was always viewed in a drive-by. Part of me thinks of the Griswold's Christmas and I chuckle. Part of me appreciates the time & effort that it takes to pull something this together and I smile. I'm reminded to always keep my sense of humor and to appreciate what others have to offer - no matter how blatantly 'sweet' it is :) This was our first year to park by this house and soak it all in. Each of us saw different aspects of the light display to enjoy. Parking caused us to take the time to acknowledge what each of us found to be important which made the whole display - the whole picture - much more meaningful.For Kylie it was the blue Christmas Trees. For Breana it was how the reindeer looked like a horse (go figure!). For me it was the Nativity scene set upon the slope of the rooftop. For Brayton, well he soaked it all in one glance and returned back to his DS :) He was patient, I'll take it!
Pleased with out "visit" and our shared laughter we set out to the 'right' beach.

We parked high above the bonfires amidst the black backdrop of the night and chalked up the parade as cancelled due to the weather - not a single lit-boat in sight. Staying warm & dry in the vanagon we set for home. Could it be for real?! On our way home I was met by a stream of cars exiting the harbor! Luck have it, we found not only a lit-up-all-fancy-parade but a parking spot and a bench above the glistening water!
While I knew my camera wouldn't be able to snap a clear photo of the boats in motion, the shimmering of brightly lit reflections certainly captured the mood. With our eyes all excitedly lit up and our spirits warm by the lights, we headed for home. A perfect way to welcome December!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving

It was a Quijance Thanksgiving w/ Auntie Millie staying in town for an extra week which added to our love of being with family. This year, and every year, we have many things to be thankful for. From the top of the list, thankful for Mom & Dad's (and Auntie Millie's) safe return home from their trip, all the way down to the bottom of the list...

for cousins we see often yet feel like it's not often enough...


for picking up a song by ear and sharing it with those who can appeciate it...


for the simpleness of childs play...
and for the amount of lego items a boy can fit in his pockets...


for a fun & friendly game of '3 flys up' in the same cul-de-sac that my sister's & I played '3 flys up' 30 years ago...

and for a friendly game of Quiddler...

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Halloween

We got together for dinner & Halloween festivities tonight - mainly because Auntie Millie is visiting from Seattle and, with my Parents, leaves tomorrow for Egypt - and partly because this could very well be the last year the kids will want to go trick-er-treating.

Kylie, assisted by Kaitlin, prepared the ghoulish hor deourves then retreated upstairs to prep for their transformation.

I walked into this scene and my mind fast forwarded to 3 years at best - oh boy!

They are fortunate to have Tisha around - her artistic eye quickly choses & blends colors with ease and her talents allow her to apply her artistry on any medium - yes, she's incredible. With an Aunt like that around maybe they'll never experiment with the wrong shade of lipstick or eyeshadow! Imagine that!

For now, they love this form of "dress up".


For dinner we had Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup w/ Chianti. For dessert we had White Cake w/ coconut frosting and/or (some did chose that option) apple/strawberry pie with vanilla ice cream and Kahlua & Coffee...who said that only children have fun on Halloween!

Breana: A mermaid.
As you can tell her vision was not to be "Ariel - The Little Mermaid" nor did she want a mermaid costume that restricted her from normal mobility. She definitely designed & created this costume on her own. With her sketch she had a consultation with Tisha. Satisfied that her simple design would work, she picked out the material and cut the pants out on her own. The shoes I must add use to be a part of my Mom's evening wear and now is in our costume box! When Breana wore this costume to the Halloween Party she knew she'd be running around so wore flats. For trick-er-treating she started off with these gold pumps - she even wore them all afternoon to get use to them - but ended up with her Uggs upon my insistence (We don't need a sprained ankle during soccer season!)
Her friend, Kaitlin D, was a hobo football player. She had the white wig tied under her chin to mimic side-burns & a beard, it was a great 'hobo' look!

Kaitlin was a girl in the 80's (Having spent my teenage years in the 80's I just showed her pictures and rattled off various outfits that I proudly wore.) This wasn't her original costume. We only pulled this together a few hours earlier. Next weekend she's attending an 80's bday party, that's when we'll add the neon accents, shorten the sleeves so you can see all the rubber bracelets, cut the fingers off the lace gloves...and much much more...

Her original costume was to be a dead Barbie. The sketch of her costume was well-planned out, her idea 'approved' by Tisha, the material chosen well and the plan well thought out and sewn. I was real proud of her. Unfortunately the evening of the party the costume didn't look right on her. The idea, the planning and the execution of it was incredible - admirable even. However some how it didn't work out. Fortunately it didn't bother her. Kaitlin went to the party in her everyday clothes and didn't bat an eye. I did offer her many costume ideas, none amusing her at all. I had to tell myself to give up and let her be.

Kylie: A Peasant. See what I mean by talented? Yes, a costume designed & created by Tisha.

Usually Dan & Tom take the kids around while Tisha & I stay back in the warm house to greet the trick-er-treaters. This year felt different. I wanted to savor this moment...this time where I am still a part of their lives...sigh... After walking around Tom & Tisha's neighborhood, my Parents, Auntie Millie & Dan went back to the warmth of the house. Tisha went back to finish the desserts (she definitely was excused from the trick-er-treating task hands down!)
It seemed like many homes weren't interested in Halloween this year. Not as many homes were decorated as last year and years prior. Most homes had their porch lights off. A few had a bowl of candy outside. The homes that were decorated went all out. They ranged from heart-pounding eerie (for the kids, of course) to mysterious & intriguing. Even the weather contributed - crisp cold air & a low hanging misty fog.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

A special day

The evening before Father's Day, Kaitlin & her Poppa were Altar Servers together. Kaitlin literally got to Church immediately after seeing the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" with Breana & their Uncle Jesse (a gift for his birthday in May.) She went from the movie theatre to Church just in time for 5:00 Mass.

Still feeling self-conscious of having my camera out, I quickly took these last 2 shots while waiting for Kaitlin after Mass. These shots don't express how beautiful our Church is nor can they express how thrilled & proud my Dad was to serve at the Altar with his Granddaughter either!

Picture of Kaitlin & Poppa by Breana.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Our Kylie

This week Kylie is on a missions trip with her class to Rancho de Sus Ninos, Mexico. Rancho de Sus Ninos runs an orphanage, day care & Bible College. There Kylie is participating in manual work projects, spending time with the children in the orphanage and various ministry activities. Kylie is an intelligent young lady with a big heart. At 13 she has already participated in numerous mission trips. She contributes a lot to this world.
When I saw this picture in Tom's Blog, I was taken to an image in the future of a young lady w/ her Father. I could feel the everlasting bond between the two, I could sense the security she will have knowing that she always has her Dad to go to and I could feel the satisfaction that Tom has in knowing that he has a special~special daughter.
I love pictures that depict that sweet irreplaceable Father-Daughter relationship.


picture of brother-in-law, Tom, with Kylie at a mission trip last year to Mexico.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Lovely hands


I love hands.
These are the my Mom's hands. My Mom has beautiful-beautiful hands, like her Mother before her.
Her hands are so elegant & graceful.
I have outlines of my late-maternal Grandmother's hands as well as my late-Father-in-law's hands. I plan on creating a quilt with hands - special hands from loved ones. The design remains in my head for now but one day this quilt will be created.

Birthday Celebration for Mom Q

We gathered for Mom Quijance's birthday at Tom & Tisha's house. We had Tisha's yummy homemade chicken soup (Tisha makes the best chicken soup!) and I made a lemon angel food cake using the lemons from our yard. The cake came from a Lemon Dessert cookbook that Dan gave me for my birthday last July. The book has incredible recipes. Kaitlin made a lemon tart by herself during the summer but couldn't for Mom's birthday due to the heavy whipping cream.
I can't believe it's Mom's birthday. She is such a beautiful woman.
I enjoy simple family birthday gathering like this - we don't get together for dinner that often so it's nice to have a reason to in the middle of the week (thursday). We did miss Teresa's family
though :(

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Quijance Christmas

The Quijance Christmas was celebrated early this December (however, :( without Teresa's family.) Unfortunately only a few blurry pictures were taken of the girls and there were no family shots to share. Mom & Dad decided to spend the holidays in Washington w/ the Quijance clan. They arrived in Washington the day of the huge storm with 70-90 mph winds...




Pictures compliments of Uncle Jimmy the great.