Easter

Easter was once a holiday that I loved and it faded a bit while I was in college and grad school due to proximity and lack of time off. When we moved up to Buffalo a lot of the big family traditions shrunk and we all got older the easter egg hunts around our backyard were a little less intense (or nonexistant really).

When I went away to G-town that was the first year my family got a great deal on a vacation home in Myrtle Beach or Hiltonhead or someplace warm. It was also the first year I joined MTC (musical theatre club), and since Geneseo is a State school we did not have the week off for Easter, and our final semester performance landed on Easter weekend. So not only did my parents miss the first year performances but I couldnt go home for the weekend cause I had to perform that weekend. I think that year Bri also couldnt go to the vacation because he had school and I'm not sure if I'm mixing years because this happened all of the four years of Gtown,,, but one of the years I went to an Easter party in Rochester (freshman) and one year I came home to go to my friend Erin's house for her fathers amazing lasagna and Bri came with too.

Regardless... when I went to Bloomsburg, I still was not getting very much time off, and living 4 hrs away made me less likely to drive home while my family is all in S.C. or N.C. One year I went home with a friend from grad school Nikki and did all her family's easter festivities. That was super fun cause we painted eggs (syracuse colors cause it was prime NCAA time) and her dad hid them on us and we hunted them down for a long time in search of all of them (he's a good hider!).

I came home one of the two years I was in NYC but I had to be on a plane to go back to NYC mid Easter sunday which really takes the fun out of it.

This year I was home, but being home also means being available for two family Easters now that Kevin and I live together everyone seems to think that we have to mix holidays. I can't say that I fully agree but mostly because its been so rare for me to have Easter with my family that I didnt really want to share it just yet. I eventually gave in on that one.

So this year I woke up and Kevin told me he had hid my easter present somewhere in the house. YAYYYYY Like a mini easter egg hunt except he's terrible at keeping surprises so while he's telling me 'its somewhere in the house'.... his body and facial expressions all pointed directly at the bedroom closet... to the point where his eyes seriously couldnt turn away from the closet giving away EVERYTHING. I played along and searched in a few obvious places that it wasnt (like under the hats on the headboard and in a few boxes. But I also didnt know WHAT it was so that was super fun. He got me the new Rascal Flatts CD (WHICH I LOVE!) and just came out on Tuesday. I jumped on him and screamed "I KNEW IT!!!'.. hehehe. So fun.

Then we got dressed up and went to church. I was very disappointed by the lack of easter dresses.. To be fair I just wore a dressy version of what I wear to work, but the people at church were NO JOKE,,, wearing jeans and sweatpants! The only people dressed up were children below the age of like 5. I was amazed and slightly saddened as its a fun part of church. Also I was saddened by the mass exodus (pun intended) PRIOR to communion??? granted we sat near the back but so many people left before communion and a ton left directly after and people were actually racing the priest down the aisle.. I wonder if I could write a bulletin letter on 'appropriate church etiquette'. seriously.

Then I went over to my parents to hang out with them and my sister and had breakfast (my mom made this casserole with lasagna noodles, broocoli, cheese, eggs and ham),, my sister and I picked at that and then went to town on the fruit and the Entenman's coffee cake. We just kinda hung around for the afternoon then Kevin picked me up and we drove to a local firehall to go to his family's Easter brunch. Where I proceeded to eat the dinner buffet they had (and a few mini bites of cheesecake SO GOOD)...and then rushed out of there and headed back to my parents house for Turkey dinner (none of us like ham,, well i think mom does but its not what the majority of us like)... cranberry sauce and all. I stuffed myself.. mostly on turkey and cranberry but omg... SO FULL. I tried to hang around till my stomach shifted and I could have some awesome dessert that my mom made special for me (this french vanilla layer cake that I LOVE LOVE LOVE..) but Kevin had to work at like 4am this morning so we couldnt stay late. I might have to go over there this afternoon before its all eaten!..

Needless to say Easter was a busy and belly-filling day, but surrounded by family it was a wonderful holiday of which I'm sure I'll have many more.