Translation: "Wishing You Great Happiness and Prosperity"

Tonight was the annual extended family dinner celebrating the Chinese New Year. My sisters, my dad, and I convinced my mom to simplify things a bit, which was a good thing. There was still plenty of good food to be had though, in part because people volunteered to help a bit more than happens sometimes. And the most important parts of the feast were still there, of course-bao, wontons, gau. At least those are the most important parts in my opinion. Malia tried gau again, even though she despised it last time. But Kate was pretty much daring her to eat it, so she finished a small piece just to prove she could, even though she still thinks it’s completely revolting. 😂

Daniel was super brave and invited Tawni to attend with him. My family can be pretty overwhelming at first just by sheer numbers. I mean, there are seven siblings plus spouses and children and my parents…it adds up pretty quickly. And while most Sunday dinners have seen lower attendance of late, Chinese New Year is the one that no one misses. So, it’s a lot of people and a lot of noise. But Tawni was not cowed by the situation. She was talkative and answered questions and tried all the food, even the weird stuff, and pretty much, by the time the evening was over, she had won all of us over, even my parents. 

My little portion of the insanity lingered a bit longer than most of the others. And like always, levity ensues when we are together and Tawni just rolled with it. Which is good. Because sometimes people get all deer-in-the-headlights when the puns start rolling. But she jumped right in. I’m really beginning to like this girl. Not only does she bring out the best in Daniel, but she fits right in.

It was a highly enjoyable evening. We ate too much and talked too much and laughed too much (if that’s possible) and had a fantastic time. Gung hay fat choi. May the next year be a happy one.