Christmas 2008

Christmas morning I met with my family for our traditional Christmas breakfast out. Todd and two of his kids, Thomas and Samantha, arrived just before I did and we were seated right away. My dad was running late due to the mass starting 15 minutes late, we learned when he did arrive. Before he came, it gave Todd and I a chance to talk, which was nice. I only see him this time of year.

Breakfast was okay, although Todd opened up a package of jam that was moldy. That made him lose his appetite. He asked for a manager, but a food assistant manager, dressed in a cook's uniform, came over. He didn't do much but give a weak apology. This irked my brother, but being who he is, he didn't say anything more. If they can't offer to pay for a meal that he was too disgusted to eat, he wasn't going to tell them. They should know without him having to demand it.

After breakfast I drove home and talked on the phone with my sister, Erika, and her kids. Then I began to watch the movie "Into the Wild" which is about a young guy in his 20's who gives all his money to charity (about $25,000) and he goes off into the wild. I wasn't able to finish it before leaving to pick up my dad for dinner at Scotti and Rich Steip's (my sister, Erika's in-laws).
Before getting my dad, I popped over to say Merry Christmas to John and Maria Konyalian, my dad's neighbors from across the street. They were my neighbors once, years ago, when I lived with my parents as a teen. John and Maria have two sons, and it was their youngest, Michael, who answered the door. He's a grown man now, but when they moved in, he couldn't have been more than 7. "Merry Christmas, Alexis" he greeted me with a hug.

Maria was there. I was glad to see her. It had been a long time since I had talked to her. I handed her some fudge and thanked her for being a good neighbor to my dad. "He's more than a neighbor to us...he's a friend. He helped me when John was sick." At the same time my mom had gone into a coma, John had a surgery and the doctor's made a mistake and he was internally bleeding which caused more problems. He was very sick and couldn't do much but sit on his porch. My dad would come over and sit with him, most likely telling him lots of interesting stories about practical jokes he's played or projects he worked on when he worked in aerospace.

I said my goodbyes and promised not to be a stranger before running across the street to get Dad. The drive to Palos Verdes was an easy one since it was Christmas Day. When we arrived, the wind had really picked up and the air felt ice cold--something you don't experience much here in sunny California. The morning had been rainy and the hills of PV were surrounded by grey.

The Steips have a city view and on clear days you can see downtown Los Angeles. The whole day had been overcast, but about 4pm, the clouds parted right above downtown and the sun shone on the buildings as if it was a forbidden city. I could have sworn I heard angelic music playing in the background as the sun bathed and brightened the area, as if I was witnessing the birth of a new era.
Dinner was delicious and very much worth the wait! Scotti served a roast with crispy roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes (that Katie prepared), a broccoli almond dish, as well as carrots and parsnips. I had never tasted parsnips before and I was satisfied in the fact that I liked them very much.

Here is Katie and Scotti:
Every holiday I've been to at the Steip's, you could always find Andy dozing off. Here he is lying next to the warm, cozy fire, pre-zzzzzz's.
Here I am with Scotti.
My dad and I left the Steips at about 8pm. I hadn't slept well the night before, having gone to bed around 3am and waking up at 6:45am. I finally opened my remaining Christmas presents before hitting the pillow hard that night. I feel very blessed to have been given so much in life, gifts are the cherry on top!