Top 10 Memories of 2012

2012 was a great year for us! We grew closer together as a family and created a lot of wonderful memories.  Below are a few of my favorites:

For a description of the people and relationships mentioned below, see Charles' blog, Test Life.

· Dinner and a Movie with Charles and Marie.  This was one of our first 'official' dates as a trio. Charles found a delightful little movie called 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', (It's not what you're thinking! Click here to see the trailer) and treated Marie and I to an evening out.  He was charming and sweet, sitting between us at the theater, holding our hands.  The perfect gentleman.

· Seeing Avengers with family and close friends.  Dr. J and Steph had arrived ahead of us at the movie theater, and when we walked in to a packed out audience, they surprised us by having set up ‘reserved’ seats, complete with signs that bore the family name.  We felt like celebrities as we walked right in and sat down, people whispering and wondering ‘who’ we were!  The movie was absolutely one of the best we saw all year long, and the extra effort and attention our friends invested made the experience very special.

· A Walk in the Rain with Marie.  She and I were helping Sid get set up in his own apartment close to college, and wanting to check out the surrounding area, we ended up taking a walk on a nearby residential street.  It started raining softly, and somewhat to our dismay, we discovered that we shared a small umbrella between the two of us.  As you can imagine, this was not very conducive towards keeping us dry! We had a lovely time anyway, commenting on the beautiful houses and landscaping, laughing as we dodged the raindrops.
· An Evening at Home with the Boys.  While Charles and Marie were out on a romantic date together, Sid, Kaz and I had a fun evening at home, watching You Tube, talking and eating snacks.  They are quite entertaining, and took turns telling me silly stories, seeing who could make me laugh the hardest! We were still giggling when Charles and Marie came home later that night.  Although I'm not their birth mother, the boys and I get along well and I adore them.  (This is very important to Charles and Marie, who took great care to acclimate everyone.)

· Outdoor Movie - Speed Racer.  This was held at Dr. J's house on an outdoor projection screen, our very own 'drive-in'!  Speed Racer is not only a family favorite, but is also special to Isa, who was visiting from out of town.  In addition to the usual refreshments, popcorn and candy, Charles had coordinated a very special ending to the evening.  At the time, Isa and Sid were romantically inclined towards one other; during the final scene - where Speed kisses Trixie after he wins the race - Sid managed to shadow the moment, surprising Isa by dipping her back to give her a sweet kiss!  We all erupted in cheers, with sparklers and fireworks!  If you've seen the movie, you understand how magical that moment was.

· My Dad meeting Charles and Marie for the first time.  Separate meetings, but both went exceptionally well.  My dad is a man of deep faith and although he does not condone my lifestyle choice, he demonstrated nothing but love, warmth and acceptance of Charles and Marie.  He and my stepmom have a very nice pool table in their basement, and in addition to great conversation, there was plenty of friendly competition as they shared a few pool tricks with us.  We left with hugs,smiles and promises to return soon.

· Mexican Dinner with Charles and Marie.  Marie and I have a favorite Mexican restaurant we visit occasionally.  Recently we invited Charles to join us, and thoroughly enjoyed some good-natured laughter and teasing as we clued him in to the silliness that happens when she and I have a girl’s night out!  I think after he experienced all that giggling he was ready to go back to his Xbox gaming, lol!

· Family Fun All-Nighter.  Recently we went on a family vacation to Florida.  Marie is awesome at finding great deals, and had secured a lovely rental home, complete with a game room and outdoor, heated swimming pool.  She and I flew down early to get things set up, and when the boys arrived later that evening, the whole family stayed up till the wee hours of the morning, playing ping-pong, classic arcade games and splashing around in the pool.

· Laser Light Show at Disneyworld.  Standing closely together as a family in a packed out crowd, viewing the spectacular laser light show, Celebrate the Magic, displayed upon Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World.  It was enchanting, gorgeously done and a fitting end to the trip.

· Ghost-Hunting with Charles.  On a weekend trip to a nearby city with Charles and Marie, we stayed at a hotel that was rumored to be haunted.  Marie was tired and decided to go to bed, but Charles and I took the opportunity to indulge in our shared interest of the supernatural. We woke at 4am and set out for adventure.  Holding hands and whispering excitedly, he and I explored every inch of the grounds.  We asked questions of the night staff, crept quietly down deserted hallways, peeked into empty conference rooms, and sat together on dark stairwells, all in hopes of meeting up with the ghostly apparition.  It was raining that night as well, which of course added to the atmosphere! We never did find our ghost, but it created quite an unusual impromptu date. I shouldn't be surprised - after all, that's one of Charles' specialties!

This last year allowed for these and many other adventures.  Not only have I grown through these new experiences, but my heart and way of seeing the world has evolved as well.  If the past is any indication of the future, 2013 will bring only More of all the best things in life!  An investment in Love.

Rika

"This is a new and different world.  The challenges to cope with it, and not just cope - but thrive."  
"There is no past that we can bring back by longing for it, only a present that builds and creates itself as the past withdraws." 
Evelyn, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Love for the Win!

                                                                                 

Something to Celebrate