Graduations, Engagements, and life...oh my
plus a recipe for nachos
Last Friday I texted my neighbor that I had left a graduation gift for her daughter on their front door. She texted back thank you and told me to come to the garage if I wanted to see what they were up to. Moments later, with Giovanni on my hip and my coffee in my hand I popped into their garage only to find a whole production set up. There was a 12’ party table filled with small vases of beautiful spring colored flowers. There was another 12’ table where she and her husband sat stripping flowers and placing them in piles to make bouquets for her daughter and her best friends. Five gallon buckets surrounded them with more flowers.
“Oh my gosh! How beautiful, it looks like you’re getting ready for a wedding,” I said.
“That’s what I told her,” her husband said, rolling his eyes and I understood him to bemoan the work he had been told to do.
Lourdes laughed and explained that they were hosting their family at a restaurant for the graduation and her friend is an event planner and loaned her all the vases. Her friend also picked up the flowers for her at the San Francisco Flower Market. “It’s a special occasion,” she said. She went on to explain how their daughter (and only child) wanted a purple bouquet because that was her favorite color and wanted pinks and yellows for the decor.
I sipped my coffee while Giovanni vehemently pointed at their (very organized) storage racks. He was getting increasingly frustrated by not being able to play with things so I handed him a spare hand soap container which appeased him, at least for the time being.
I graduated high school on June 6th (same as last Friday’s date) but in 2006 (19 years ago!). I still remember the day, I walked around my parents house that morning breaking in my high heels so I wouldn’t fall on stage and recited my speech over and over again until I practically had it committed to memory. I don’t remember if we went to a restaurant or not after but I know we had people over to my parent’s house. I still have the cards people got me saved in a box and I remember being so touched by their kind words. It was a big day for me. I think it’s a big day for a lot of people and I appreciate Lourdes making it so special for her daughter.
It makes me think of something I came across on the internet and quickly sent to Joe:
It’s so true! I know they say it goes by so fast and I already feel it. I want to soak in these moments and indulge in the things that make life special. How lovely that Lourdes spent the time to make bouquets and floral arrangements for her daughter’s graduation. This is what life is about and aren’t we so lucky to be living it?
Later that weekend Joe and I went to an engagement party and again, what a beautiful milestone to celebrate, regardless of age, history, children, whatever. These are the moments we live for. I hear people comment that “isn’t that too much” (with regards to an engagement party or graduation floral decorations or whatever) and sure, we can do things to excess like having a helicopter landing for a 12 year old birthday but there is also the beauty in celebrating love and life and milestones and doing so with the people most near and dear to us.
So, beautiful souls, I hope you always have reason to celebrate and you indulge in putting in the effort to celebrate these things because when we’re sitting down on a rainy day or later in our life (if we’re lucky enough to live a long life), these are the things we remember. Throw the party, eat the cake, live it up.
For those following my strawberry plant/egg nest story…the nest is still there, incubating the four eggs. Every time I open the front door the bird (I’m assuming the mom) flies out and startles me…every time! When I know she’s gone I get up on the ladder and water the strawberry plant delicately around the nest. I have been reading about the nesting habits of house finches and my finches are tracking. The female lays three to six eggs (we have four), the incubation period is about 13-14 days (so we’ll probably have some babies in another week or so!), and the nestling period is 12-19 days. I anticipate my strawberry plant to become completely messy with baby bird droppings but I’ll take it to see these little creatures come to into being.
Homemade nachos
I love nachos but am regularly disappointed when I order them out at a restaurant and the chips are soggy and the toppings are minimal. My neighbor (a different neighbor) inspired me to make them at home with ingredients from the Mexican market in town, Region.
tortilla chips, preferably handmade
meltable cheese, shredded (mozzarella, Monterey jack, etc.)
nacho cheese (comes in a can)
sour cream
pickled jalapeños
pico de gallo salsa
guacamole (I buy this from Region market)
meat of choice, optional
refried beans, optional
Set your oven to broil.
Place the nacho cheese in a small saucepan over low heat to get it nice and warm.
Lay out tortilla chips on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil (for easy clean up later). You’ll want to have it be about two chips deep. Load it up with big handfuls of the shredded cheese, to your liking, we like lots of cheese in this household. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for about two minutes (but this will also depend on the strength of your oven’s broil function). Turn the cookie sheet around in the oven (to properly melt the cheese on all sides of the pan) and give it another minute or two. You don’t want to burn your chips but you want to make sure the cheese is fully melted. Carefully remove from the oven and quickly top (because you’re going to want to eat these hot).
Place large dollops of the nacho cheese all over the top of the melted cheese. Add the rest of the toppings in no particular order and in the amounts of your preference, for example I require a lot of pickled jalapeños and guacamole. Serve hot and enjoy.
I didn’t give measurements because this is a throw it together kind of dish and you’re going to have leftovers of things, like chips, sour cream, etc. So maybe you’ll make it again in a week.
