Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Celebration

Ok, so we weren't falling apart yesterday, but there was a general pall over our moods, missing Teri, acknowledging her birthday. We would be doing something today. We should be doing something today.

Tim called me on his lunch hour, and we updated one another. He was doing ok also, he said, though there had been a few tough moments. And then, he said, "Want to go out to dinner tonight and celebrate anyway?"

God. Yes. I do, I so do want to go out.

I called Mom after work, and told her today was Teri's birthday, and that instead of being sad, we were going to have a party and celebrate her life. Mom said "oh, that's wonderful, I love that."

The kids picked the restaurant, a Chinese/seafood buffet. We met up around 7:30, and proceeded to have a blast, trying to get one another to try foreign stuff. No takers on beef tripe, but Brandi and I manned up for chicken feet:

One foot for her, one foot for me.

Here we go:


Blech! No like!! The first time I've ever spit food right back out on the plate. The look on Brandi's face cracks me up here:

(Confidential to LA Lori): Chicken Feet, No!

Dane came back to the table with this play-doh looking blop. It was just some sort of rainbow sherbet, chockful of artificial coloring.



It tasted like bubblegum, which prompted a story of Mom, back in her daycare days, buying bubblegum-flavored pudding. The kids all hated it, and one of them ended up, at the end of the day, riding his bike into a tree and being transported to the hospital in an ambulance. When asked what happened, he reported that he was in a "Bubble-Gum Pudding Haze."

Our bill for the evening:


Quite a coincidence, as Teri was born in the year 64 dollars. I mean, 1964. After paying and receiving fortune cookies, Tim read his, and said "Oh, wow." Expecting some spiritual, ethereal message from Teri in his fortune, we made him show it:

Blurry shot, but that says "There is no such thing as an ordinary cat."

Hm. "Wow" was right, and if it was a message from Teri, we remain perplexed. We also hoped it had nothing to do with anything we ate from the buffet table.

Mom's fortune was a good one too:


"If we are all worms, try to be a glow worm."

I'd go back there just for the cookies.

We celebrated, laughed, and raised our crab-legs to Teri last night. We all felt great, I know, because the evening would have been right with her. We could imagine her saying "yeah. That's right," and rejoicing in our celebrating her day.

It was, it was just right.

I'll sign off now, and go try be a glow worm.

13 comments:

  1. Looks like a fun night!

    I love, love, LOVE those fortunes!

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  2. Anonymous2:41 PM

    Just the look of those chciken feet on the plate made me wanna throw up. Sorry, but it comes easy to me these days ;)

    Very happy that you all went out and celebrated Teri's day with good food and laughs..just the way she liked it (am sure).

    You look good Lori..keep up the smile always.

    {{Hugs}}

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  3. I was out last night at a restaurant with family celebrating my dad's 89th birthday (but you know I can't write about it). You look like you had way more fun than I did. I am so happy you were able to have a good time and celebrate Teri's life.

    I think you're probably safe with that first fortune unless you've coughed up a hair ball today.

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  4. Glow little glow worm...glimmer...glimmer!

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  5. Why didn't you try the tripe at least tripe doesn't have toe nails!

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  6. The usual game of making fortune cookie fortunes more interesting by adding "...in bed." just made those cookies creepy.

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  7. OMG, Glock, I have to go rewind and play the entire night back in my head. I can't believe I didn't think of that! (We always said "between the sheets")

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  8. What a great night... except for chicken feet!

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  9. Anonymous12:43 AM

    Glad you all got together, for the feet, fortunes, and fun.
    Zia
    I really dig those fortunes !

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  10. You guys all did the right thing. I'm glad it was a success. As soon as I saw the chicken feet thing, I was all, "NO! NO!" The bubble gum pudding haze made me laugh out loud. And then again right now!

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  11. I'm glad you had fun. My dad's birthday was the 4th and he passed away on the 7th nine years ago. I still miss him terribly.
    You are more of a glow worm than I am...I would never try chicken feet :)

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  12. Great job on the chicken feet. I'm with you though. Tried 'em twice so far - blech doesn't describe it. Glad to hear you made it through to "nearly the weekend". Maybe the next few days will be less stressful. Knock on wood.

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  13. I've had tripe in menudo and it's really not all that bad though I've no hankerin' to get me some more. Those chicken feet, though... Were they at least deep fried? I always said I could eat ANYTHING if it was deep fried. I may have to reconsider that statement.

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