Letter #61 - Tammy

I have mentioned before how great my cousins are.  Tammy is no exception.  As I've grown older, the age gap between me and my cousins on my dad's side of the family has become less important, and we've all grown to be good friends.  If I had to pick one word to describe Tam it would be spunky.  She's hilarious, kind hearted and knows her way around the kitchen (are you noticing a trend on the van Rossum side yet? lol) she and my brother are actually probably closer than she and I, but I love her all the same and according to her status updates on facebook recently, she needed a little extra love.  So I sent her a card with a big hug and a smile and well wishes for a better week ahead.  Knowing the Canadian Postal Service, she may not get my card until next year, but hey, one can hope :o)

Writing to Tammy made me think about family gatherings to come, that side of the family has really tried hard the last several years to get together on a regular basis again.  When I was a kid we always did Christmas, then as we grew older it fell by the wayside.  Now a lot of my cousins have their own kids and it's become a priority for us all again, which has been really nice.  This year we're actually in the process of trying to get an Easter gathering together as well.  I'm not sure yet if it's going to work out for my husband and I to go, but we're hoping we can.  I love my family, as insane as they are, and look forward to spending time with my cousins because I don't get to very often.

Letter #23 - Tante Mary

I have never really gotten to know my grandparents very well.  Moving around has taken me geographically far from them most of my life, and now I only have one who is still living.  As a result, I don't know them nearly as well as I would have liked.  I've always envied my husband who had all four of his grandparents until he was in his twenties.

On the flip side, I have had the blessing of getting to know some of my great aunts and uncles very well.  When my family lived in the Netherlands, I was able to meet a lot of my fathers' extended family.  One of these is my Tante (Aunt) Mary.  Her husband passed away before we moved there so I never got to meet him, but she is a wonderful wonderful lady.  We spent so much time with her, shopping, sitting chatting, drinking tea, etc.  When I was able to take my husband with me to Europe to meet some of my friends & family, we spent lots of time with Tante Mary.  She introduced Austin to stamppot, which is why I now have to make it regularly for him :o)

My note to Tante Mary included some photos of the kittens - she's a critter freak too :o)  Her dog Rocky is 15 years old and acts like a puppy still.  Tante Mary isn't much of a writer, but I know she enjoys hearing from us.  I usually hear from her at my birthday and at Christmas, and I hope that life will allow us to go back and visit at least one more time before she's no longer with us...!

Letter #19 - Margaret

Today I decided to pair my letter with a gift I've been meaning to send to my aunt.  Auntie Marg is one of the van Rossums, and super awesome.  She was the one who started the work on my wedding gown (and would have finished it if life hadn't exploded).  We share a love of cooking, and she is always giving me new ideas to try in the kitchen.  I don't really write to her, and as I started the letter I was suddenly really insecure that I wouldn't be able to think of anything interesting to say, or that anything I wrote would come off as lame or forced.  Before I knew it, I had written the entire inside of the notecard and the back of it as well.

Auntie Marg and I also share a love of crafting.  While we express ourselves with different mediums, we have had some great creative conversations, and are always eager to see the new projects the other is working on.  In fact, I'm excited to show her a new project I just finished that I'm considering adding to my Shutterbug crafty repertoire.

Writing to Auntie Marg made me miss her, and miss my cousins (her kids) quite a bit.  Maybe my husband and I can take a long weekend sometime this year and go visit them.

Letter #17 - Airen

As many people as I know, today I actually had a hard time thinking who I felt like writing to.  It was an interesting experience for me, because usually when I decide I need to send a note to someone, it's pretty easy to pick someone out quickly.  Today I thought and thought all day.  A few times I even went so far as to put the stationary in front of me with a pen, and nothing would come.  Finally I decided to try something.  I closed my eyes and just focused on my breath as I meditated for a moment.  Almost immediately, the face of my friend Airen entered my mind.  So Airen it was!

Airen and I met via my husband's network of musician friends.  She used to be married to a guy he performs with sometimes, and she and I quickly became friends.  Airen and I run with very different circles.  She's a rock 'n' roll biker chick, and I'm well, not.  We do, however, share views on many things in life, and we share a passion for photography and for cooking.  I had the privilege of photographing her wedding.  We also share a passion for yoga, though I hate to say I haven't been in probably a year... which I hate.  She is a true free spirit and I just love her.

Writing to Airen made me reflect on the artistic side of my life.  Whenever I hang out with her I always feel inspired to just go out somewhere with my camera and shoot until I run out of disc space.  I hardly ever get the chance to do so anymore... rather, I hardly ever make the time to do so... another thing I need to improve about myself.

I hope my card finds her in good spirits, and that she acts on the request I included :o)

Letter #15 - Oma

I hate to confess, I am not always the best granddaughter.  I love my Oma dearly, don't get me wrong, but I'm really bad at keeping in touch with her.  We haven't lived very close to her for most of my life, which means the best I can do most of the time is write or call... neither of which I do very often.

Today I decided to do better at that, so I started by sending her a letter.  My Oma is awesome.  She's Dutch by birth and immigrated to Canada when my dad was three years old.  She's hilarious and a great cook... I have yet to master her soup making skills!  She's very religious but in an oh-so-Dutch was :o)  Anyone who meets her instantly understands my and my dad's sense of humour much better.  She once spent about 30 minutes telling me about her 'new boyfriend'.  When she asked if I wanted to see a photo, she pulled a picture of the Pope out of her wallet.  She's not catholic, or senile.  It was hilarious.

If anyone reading this is lucky enough to still have living grandparents, send them a note, give them a call, or go visit them this week.  Oma's the last living grandparent I have, and I need to appreciate her better while that's still true!

Letter #8 - Sam

I have known Sam since I was a freshman in college.  He was one of my first friends there and has stayed someone I keep close in my heart ever since.  A group of us used to meet for lunch on Thursdays, every single week and Sam & I were almost always the first two to arrive, so we would save tables for everyone else and spend the time catching up with each other while we waited.  We became housemates for awhile and Sam was always around to chat with, complain about class schedules to, to cook with or eat with (we both love to be in the kitchen!)... etc etc.  When Sam moved out I really missed having him around.

Writing my letter to Sam brought me right back to the kitchen... me trying in vain to only cook for one (he was great at helping me finish off my leftovers... I can only repeat the same meal so many times before I would just rather not eat at all!) and Sam either pitching in, looking on, or leaning in the doorway making conversation.  It was a great experience, being able to let my mind focus on such great memories.

There is a church event coming up next month and I am hoping that he will be there and that we will have a chance to chat.  The last time I was supposed to see him he had a death in the family, so we didn't end up connecting.  I close this entry heading to the kitchen to make dinner for my husband and I, but knowing that Sam will be in my head, leaning against the doorway :o)