Happy Father's Day!

Today was a relatively sunny day in a string of cloudy, overcast days here in (supposedly sunny) San Diego. And it is also Father's Day!

It's been a pretty low-key day and my father (who never takes a day to stop working because there's always something to clean or fix around our house) has - hopefully - been enjoying himself.

Here are some chocolate covered strawberries I made today to celebrate the holiday!




My dad plays a very unique role in my life. Sometimes I feel most similar to my father than anyone else in my family. Its from him that I think I get my appreciation for things such as classical music and art. I'm more inclined toward creativity, such as my father, rather than methodical and calculated approaches towards situations.

But the trait I most enjoy that I've inherited from my father is my natural pessimism. Now, If I had to classify myself as an optimist or pessimist, I would say optimist. But underlying that cheery outlook on life, is my natural negativity that causes me to always see the worst case scenario that can arise from specific situations. For example, what if I fail my German class? Or, if I'm going on a trip, what happens if I lose a contact lens?
When making plans, I always identify these negatives. And then I worry about these negatives.

Now why would this be a good trait for my father and myself?

I see it as an asset. Because of this natural, underlying pessimism, my dad and I never rush headlong into situations without first assessing all the negatives - and then preparing for them. We clear the path before sprinting ahead. So if I fear I may fail my German class - I study harder. Or, if I'm afraid of loosing a contact lens, I pack extra.

Don't get me wrong. Spontaneity is great, but so is planning ahead (at least within reason).

I'm glad to be my father's daughter. Aside from the excellent parenting he has provided to me over the years, I would be nowhere without this healthy dose of natural pessimism that I learned from him. Love you, Dad!

Happy Mother's Day!

Upon waking up this morning I was contemplating what I should do for mothers day to express to my Mom my love and admiration for her. I decided that I wanted to post here about how amazing she is and perhaps provide a small anecdote that would illustrate the fact that she is the best mom in the world.

Unfortunately I've been sitting, staring at a blank screen for 10 minutes now.

Don't get me wrong, I love my mom to death. It's not like I don't have anything wonderful to say about her, because I do. Its just that there are too many wonderful things I could say about her and I can't even decide where to start. Its like when you walk into a See's Candy, or some other equally delicious candy store or bakery, and you are virtually blinded by the assortment of delectable treats - unable to make any sort of selection.

I guess one of the best ways for me to express how impressive my mom is, would be for me to talk about myself. I say this because I am a product of my mom's hard work to raise me and her love for me (and my dad's work and love as well - but this is mother's day. Dad, you'll get your own father's day post...).

You know when people say "like mother, like daughter"? They have good reason to say that. As I've grown up and gone away to college I have seen myself become more and more like my mother. I've seen myself grow into a person who values her family and friends, someone who believes that happiness is always attainable, someone who appreciates intelligence and creativity, someone who cares for others' happiness to the point where they forget to care about their own at times, and someone who has more than enough love to give. I even make some of the same lame jokes and say the same silly things my mother does.

Mom, you've turned me into the person I am today and I couldn't be more happy about that. I am honored to be your daughter and I love you.

Happy Mother's day!