Our family loves nothing, if not traditions. We have a few old traditions, but mostly, each year, we use any and all opportunity to make new traditions.
When John and I got married, I quickly discovered that he had almost no traditions in his family with the exception of New Years Eve. For some reason, he likes to grill steaks on New Years Eve. He doesn't grill them any other day or time. Then, when we moved to Germany, we started the tradition of hosting a fun New Years Eve party. We planned a large tournament of games in a rented hall for a couple of years, and then we moved on to planning a large, fancy dance followed by a large display of fireworks at midnight. Goodness, just writing about those brings a smile to my face. Those were fun times, for sure.
When we moved to Pennsylvania, we discovered that having no friends severely impacts the success of game nights and dances, so we started family traditions. We still try to shoot off fireworks, but they are nothing like what was allowed in Germany. And food. We like food.
A couple of years ago, I had the idea of giving everyone $20 and a half hour to spontaneously decide on, and shop for grocery items that would be used to create something fun to eat. Kind of like a spontaneous pot luck. However, after doing that for a couple of years, everyone came to expect it, so the spontaneity was lost.
I was getting a massage yesterday for my poor, ravaged back, and my massage therapist was telling me how he used to host and attend progressive dinners. To add more fun to the evening, everyone picked a country for the food they prepared.
It didn't take long for the wheels in my mind to begin turning, and by the time I came home, I threw around the idea with Ethan. He LOVED it, so we ran with it.
Everyone took a piece of paper and wrote down a country. We added "Germany" and a "WILD" card to the bag (since we assumed several people would probably jot down our homeland). In a separate bag, we added cards for two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts (John had the stomach flu and we assumed he wouldn't be participating).
Everyone was actually quite nervous to draw from the bags. Well, I guess it was more a combination of nervousness and excitement. And if you really didn't want to create what you drew (my Chinese dessert seemed just about impossible when I didn't know what the majority of the ingredients are, and they were given in GRAMS), you could redraw from the bag once. Thankfully, I redrew our beloved Germany, and I knew I was set!
I'm really so thankful that my family members are always good sports. Everyone is always down to do anything, and that always makes things incredibly fun. It was amazing, seeing everyone in the kitchen creating their foods. None of us really had any idea what we were doing, and yet it all turned out better than I could have imagined.
Ethan drew FRENCH APPETIZER. Somewhere, somehow, he found a recipe for toasted bread and melted cheese. No big deal, right? Except the cheese melts IN the bread while it's being toasted in the oven. And he added so much good stuff: bacon and onions for starters.
Glo drew WILD APPETIZER. Honestly, Glo just wanted to make cocktail meatballs (no matter what she drew). We called them Swedish meatballs, and they were just frozen meatballs cooked in the Crock Pot with homemade barbecue sauce. Still delicious!
Rebecca drew ECUADORIAN ENTREE. Holy smokes, Rebecca went all out. I still don't know the name of the dish, but it was spiced pork served over Spanish rice. It was so good too! Let's hope Hannah will be eating something similar to that in Ecuador!
Mark drew CHINESE ENTREE. Mark was actually hoping for this so that he would have a chance to use his new wok (yes, he asked for one for Christmas). Man alive, that boy can cook! It was this tender sliced beef and julienned carrots over rice. I wish he would volunteer to make dinner for us on occasion!
Johannah drew CANADIAN DESSERT, and for some strange reason, she felt she needed to make TWO desserts (not that we're complaining at all). She made fried beaver tails (I'm not sure she's even ever fried anything), and chocolate mousse (a play on Canada's favorite animal). It was a great ending to the meal.
And like I said, I drew CHINESE DESSERT, but unless I went to our local Asian market and bought something premade), it just wasn't going to happen. Things like "glutinous rice flour" and "winter melon" aren't exactly at our local Wegman's, so I took a chance and redrew a country. When I saw "Germany", German Pfeffernuessen came to mind immediately.
The nice thing was that everything came out in order. We ate the appetizers first, then the entrees, and then the desserts. Well okay, I might have snuck a cookie when it was still hot from the oven....
Then it was time to review our 2016 lives, and set goals for 2017.
Earlier in the day, during companionship study (yep, we've been holding companionship study for Johannah's benefit), Ethan had prepped us by reviewing what goals are and why we set them. So when it came time to write down new ones, we knew what we were doing!
I'm happy to report that I didn't have a lot of stuff to throw away from 2016. I've worked really hard at not holding grudges and not letting mean people get to me, so for me, it was more a review of what I've done successfully. Sometimes that can be a hard list for me to create because I don't value myself much, but again, I'm working on things like that.
After we had set our new goals, we went around the room and everybody shared what they wanted from their list. We tried to set physically, emotional, and spiritual goals.
For me, I look at 2017, and I see a lot of changes coming down the pike. Us (hopefully) moving, a new ward, a new place to live, Ethan and Rebecca moving, Glo going to college, Hannah leaving on her mission, and possibly Mark getting married (no pressure though...). When I was thinking about my goals, every goal came back to the same thought: "Doubt not, fear not." The complete scripture from Doctrine & Covenants 6:36 is "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." I think that's a good goal for me this year: with everything that's going to happen, don't be afraid but trust in the Lord.
We then set up our traditional bonfire, fueled by Christmas wrappings, boxes, and our actual tree. It would just be a regular old bonfire, but Ethan makes the entire thing hilarious. He serves as our fire safety officer, and he warns us all of the dangers of everything that is happening, all while sounding like Gru from Despicable Me. Of course, the hilarity is only augmented by his tiny pitcher of water that he insists will save us from any fire emergency. I do believe the more nervous he gets, the more crazy things John, Mark and Glo throw on the fire. It's definitely a good time!
I'm hoping that the tradition of Michigan losing their game does not continue, nor do I want to repeat the illness that Mark brought home after finals or the stomach flu that John has managed to spread to several of us. Yep, those traditions I can do without. But the rest? Let's hope they continue for many years to come!
Here's to 2017!
When John and I got married, I quickly discovered that he had almost no traditions in his family with the exception of New Years Eve. For some reason, he likes to grill steaks on New Years Eve. He doesn't grill them any other day or time. Then, when we moved to Germany, we started the tradition of hosting a fun New Years Eve party. We planned a large tournament of games in a rented hall for a couple of years, and then we moved on to planning a large, fancy dance followed by a large display of fireworks at midnight. Goodness, just writing about those brings a smile to my face. Those were fun times, for sure.
When we moved to Pennsylvania, we discovered that having no friends severely impacts the success of game nights and dances, so we started family traditions. We still try to shoot off fireworks, but they are nothing like what was allowed in Germany. And food. We like food.
A couple of years ago, I had the idea of giving everyone $20 and a half hour to spontaneously decide on, and shop for grocery items that would be used to create something fun to eat. Kind of like a spontaneous pot luck. However, after doing that for a couple of years, everyone came to expect it, so the spontaneity was lost.
I was getting a massage yesterday for my poor, ravaged back, and my massage therapist was telling me how he used to host and attend progressive dinners. To add more fun to the evening, everyone picked a country for the food they prepared.
It didn't take long for the wheels in my mind to begin turning, and by the time I came home, I threw around the idea with Ethan. He LOVED it, so we ran with it.
Everyone took a piece of paper and wrote down a country. We added "Germany" and a "WILD" card to the bag (since we assumed several people would probably jot down our homeland). In a separate bag, we added cards for two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts (John had the stomach flu and we assumed he wouldn't be participating).
Everyone was actually quite nervous to draw from the bags. Well, I guess it was more a combination of nervousness and excitement. And if you really didn't want to create what you drew (my Chinese dessert seemed just about impossible when I didn't know what the majority of the ingredients are, and they were given in GRAMS), you could redraw from the bag once. Thankfully, I redrew our beloved Germany, and I knew I was set!
I'm really so thankful that my family members are always good sports. Everyone is always down to do anything, and that always makes things incredibly fun. It was amazing, seeing everyone in the kitchen creating their foods. None of us really had any idea what we were doing, and yet it all turned out better than I could have imagined.
Ethan drew FRENCH APPETIZER. Somewhere, somehow, he found a recipe for toasted bread and melted cheese. No big deal, right? Except the cheese melts IN the bread while it's being toasted in the oven. And he added so much good stuff: bacon and onions for starters.Glo drew WILD APPETIZER. Honestly, Glo just wanted to make cocktail meatballs (no matter what she drew). We called them Swedish meatballs, and they were just frozen meatballs cooked in the Crock Pot with homemade barbecue sauce. Still delicious!
Rebecca drew ECUADORIAN ENTREE. Holy smokes, Rebecca went all out. I still don't know the name of the dish, but it was spiced pork served over Spanish rice. It was so good too! Let's hope Hannah will be eating something similar to that in Ecuador!
The nice thing was that everything came out in order. We ate the appetizers first, then the entrees, and then the desserts. Well okay, I might have snuck a cookie when it was still hot from the oven....
Then it was time to review our 2016 lives, and set goals for 2017.
Earlier in the day, during companionship study (yep, we've been holding companionship study for Johannah's benefit), Ethan had prepped us by reviewing what goals are and why we set them. So when it came time to write down new ones, we knew what we were doing!
I'm happy to report that I didn't have a lot of stuff to throw away from 2016. I've worked really hard at not holding grudges and not letting mean people get to me, so for me, it was more a review of what I've done successfully. Sometimes that can be a hard list for me to create because I don't value myself much, but again, I'm working on things like that.
After we had set our new goals, we went around the room and everybody shared what they wanted from their list. We tried to set physically, emotional, and spiritual goals.
For me, I look at 2017, and I see a lot of changes coming down the pike. Us (hopefully) moving, a new ward, a new place to live, Ethan and Rebecca moving, Glo going to college, Hannah leaving on her mission, and possibly Mark getting married (no pressure though...). When I was thinking about my goals, every goal came back to the same thought: "Doubt not, fear not." The complete scripture from Doctrine & Covenants 6:36 is "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." I think that's a good goal for me this year: with everything that's going to happen, don't be afraid but trust in the Lord.
We then set up our traditional bonfire, fueled by Christmas wrappings, boxes, and our actual tree. It would just be a regular old bonfire, but Ethan makes the entire thing hilarious. He serves as our fire safety officer, and he warns us all of the dangers of everything that is happening, all while sounding like Gru from Despicable Me. Of course, the hilarity is only augmented by his tiny pitcher of water that he insists will save us from any fire emergency. I do believe the more nervous he gets, the more crazy things John, Mark and Glo throw on the fire. It's definitely a good time!
Here's to 2017!
Comments
Post a Comment