Weekend with the Fam

Spent the weekend with the Family, my mom's side, to be exact. I didn't grow up with them so times spent with this side are greatly cherished. I love visiting everyone in Los Osos. This is the view of Morro Bay with Morro Rock from Los Osos.

We decided to make a stop in Santa Barbara since we had plenty of time to get up to my familys'. Chris and I parked along Ocean Ave., near Downtown. We parked and took a walk to the pier, hoping to grab a taste of good seafood from one of the places that was featured in an episode of $40 a Day with the overly chipper Rachael Ray. Folks, the fresh seafood at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company at the end of the pier is no joke. All the prices are super affordable because they always sell the stock for the day. They just have counters to sit at, as well as public tables on the pier so plan accordingly. The crabsalad sandwich was super yummy and my friend was diggin' the calamari sandwich. Their market rate steamed lobster with salad was featured on the show. Market rate means that the price of the lobster is less during peak season (Oct.-Mar.), which also means that it's best to get the lobster then as opposed to any other time of the year. Having gone to school in San Francisco, Chris and I were both glad to be next to the clean ocean again. The sun felt so good on my skin, especially since I spent the last four days indoors, trying to recover from a cold. I just wanted to glab a blanket and sleep in the park until the sun went down and then continue our drive to Los Osos. We went in search of a gelateria on or near State St. after lunch but to no avail. We ended up at the Costco in Goleta to grab a cup of frozen yogurt before we proceeded northward. Thank goodness I remembered the exit! Thanks, UCSB Alums!

The drive along the coast is always breathtaking, rain or shine. You move from one beachside city to another until you curve inland through the mountain tunnel near Vandenberg AFB. Acres of farmland and rolling hills are passed on the drive up to Los Osos. We were tempted to stop at a winery but didn't think of it until we passed the last one in Santa Maria. Oh! Before I forget, if anyone wants to try a winery in Paso Robles, Eos Estate Winery is THE place to go to, especially when you want a great bottle of muscato and muscat canelli, a great dessert wine!

Uncle Andoy, Auntie Linda and Uncle Ray are all farmers. It's wonderful eating there. Not only do they live near the ocean so all the seafood is fresh, but all the vegetables and fruit are also very sweet, crisp and taste the way they used to when I was a kid. Very few experiences compare to being with them...everything about the visit is so down to earth.

My cousin, Ellaine, and I were joking about how her parents had invited the village to her sister's babyshower. The village was truly present yesterday. They helped with all facets of the festivities, down to cooking through the night to ensure that there was plenty of food for everyone at the party. Our families share the same experiences - descending from those who learned to live off the land, living in a 3 bedroom house with a small family in each room during the first years of our lives, growing up with an extended family, calling our parents' comadres and compadres "auntie and uncle" or "lolo and lola" because they looked after us (physically, mentally and spiritually) when our parents couldn't. I see us continuing the same traditions, hoping to extend that feeling of a village to our friends and family members who are not Pilipino. This is, indeed, one of the very many factors that make me feel proud to have been raised the way my brothers and I were. I come from a family of very strong individuals, people who have weathered way too many storms to count.

Everyone is getting older and hopefully a little wiser. My aunts were trying to marry off their sons for some reason. I couldn't help but think that maybe it would be worthwhile for my male cousins to leave home and figure out how to live on their own before they start looking for someone else to be their pseudo-moms. It's one thing to leave home for whatever reason and then come back to get your bearings, with the intention of leaving again. It's certainly another issue of never wanting to leave home until you potentially find "the one." Leaving home or just releasing yourself from your safety net has a ton to do with personal growth. Not being able to find "the one" has a hell of a lot do with that, as well. Questions or implications of marriage and/or children were rampant all weekend, as well. How could they resist with two grandchildren on their way? I think everyone is starting to feel rather aged. They want to see their family blossoming beyond their children. Um...that won't be happening for quite some time so no matter how many questions or implications keep coming, they just keep sliding off my back.

Funny moment #1
I was enthralled with the National Geographic Channel's show, Taboo . The program was about various cultures around the world including insects and spiders and other venomous creatures in their regular diets. I was so into the show that at one point, my mom shoves sinuman (sweet rice steamed in banana leaves) in my face and I jerk back thinking it was something as foreign as what I was watching on the television. That's the last time I'll be watching something like that before I sit down to eat.

Funny moment #2
Of course, the karaoke machine needs to break out at some point during a Pilipino gathering. Aunti Linda went so far as to make a contest out of it. The top three singers received cash prizes. Too bad I was still congested. After the sangria was whipped out and some line dancing started, I would have whipped all of the drunk aunties to an oblivion.

Many thanks to Auntie Amy who let Chris and I crash at their house. People were packed at Uncle Andoy's house. The bathrooms were madhouses and I didn't want to stick around to see what they were going to be like in the morning. Overall, the weekend was a wonderful end to the my ill-stricken week. Can't wait to hang out with the other side of the family come Christmas time.