Frosted Flakes, my new godson, Ann’s foot-longs, and more (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

The Year of the Tiger starts Tuesday, Feb. 1, and I am not sure I am ready. But don’t worry. I will be. I may have ordered a 40-inch inflatable tiger today.

What will we do with it? I don’t know. But I just have a feeling that life might be a little more fun with an inflatable tiger.

My friend Jaime surprised us with a beautiful Chinese New Year card and zodiac stickers for each of us. I love all things Chinese New Year, and I am so excited to have these new, creative pieces.

~2~

We will order Chinese food for our little celebration, but I also really enjoy celebrating the Chinese zodiac animal for the year. Frosted Flakes were on sale at the store this week, and they’re just grrrrrreat for the Year of the Tiger.

I’m fairly sure our children have never enjoyed the festivities as much as I do, but that is a high bar. I do love Chinese New Year.

We are going to celebrate as fully as we can without our traditional giant indoor bash.

~3~

My newest little godson was baptized last weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I was so honored to be able to be there and hold him for the first time. Being present for a sacrament is something special, and becoming a godparent is an extraordinary honor.

His mom and I became friends through the Catholic blogging world several years ago. I had never expected to be godmother to one of her children. Then one day she tweeted about the challenge of finding godparents, and I jokingly replied to ask whether she was taking applications on Twitter. She messaged me and asked whether I was serious. Of course, I was. I am absolutely thrilled and honored to be her little one’s godmother.

Whenever people say terrible things about social media, I think of the incredible friendships I’ve made there.

This little boy was born on my younger son’s birthday, and the two of them are birthday buddies and Oxen under the Chinese zodiac. Isn’t that amazing? I’m so excited to watch him grow.

~4~

On the way home from the baptism, I stopped at Ann’s Dari-Creme, which we call “Ann’s foot-longs.” My husband grew up in Glen Burnie, so he has known Ann’s for much longer than I have. It’s been there for 71 years, but I never knew that area as a child.

When I called my husband and said I was thinking of stopping there, he sounded excited. But then I heard him hesitate.

“Do you know how to order there?” he said. “You really have to know what you’re ordering.”

Suddenly I was worried. I realized I had never actually ordered at Ann’s. I usually wait in the car. But I decided that a 45-year-old mother of two and godmother of four should be about to handle most situations. Here was a chance for me to be strong and sure and capable.

So, I went. I stood in line, chatted with friendly people from all over who were waiting with me, moved up to the front, and when the employee yelled to me from behind the counter, I was ready.

“Four foot-longs with everything and a vanilla shake!” I called out.

The staff there is on fire. Somehow, they take in all the orders, put all the food together, calculate the cost, serve the food and shakes up in warm paper bags and red cups, and send you on your way. We should put them in charge of solving some bigger problem than foot-long hot dogs. I was blown away by the whole experience.

Better yet? When I got home, the hot dogs were still warm.

~5~

A friend stopped by the other day with a surprise gift with a beautiful note.

She included tea, a bath bomb, and a beautiful “Liquid Optimism” teacup.

There’s something wonderful about the term “Liquid Optimism,” especially during this very long January, which I believe does have an end in sight.

~6~

Our younger son got braces this week. I decided to keep him home the next day because we were trying to stay on top of the pain. Instead of learning math and social studies and whatever else, maybe he learned that day that sometimes you should skip a day of school and stay home. That would be worth it to me.

~7~

Last semester I started pursuing my master’s degree and took two classes. I realized taking two classes was too much, so this semester I signed up for only one. A week into the semester I dropped it. I just couldn’t do it. I was disappointed, but it was also completely clear to me that I would not make it to the end of the semester. There are only so many hours in the day.

Sometimes saying no is empowering. Sometimes it’s more a matter of survival. I think this was more the latter. But I will start back up this summer, when the sun is shining and the grass is growing and maybe the rest of my life is a little less full.

Enjoy these last days of the Year of the Ox as we get ready to welcome the Year of the Tiger!

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