Happy Easter!

Today was a quiet, mellow Easter. We woke up late and then took my mother for an Easter lunch. We took er to her favorite restaurant and had a fabulous paella. She was happy and ate well. Then we came home, I watched 3 episodes I had *Tivo-like substanced* from a recent "House" marathon. Oh and I took an hour-long nap. Then I watched "The Sopranos" (YAY! It's back!) and "Brothers and Sisters".

Today was very different than the Easters while I was growing up, and even after I grew up but before I got married.

I have few memories of my Easters in New York (I was 5 when we moved to Miami) but based on pictures I know *hats* were involved. There are pictures of my mom, my grandmother and me in Easter hats. Scary.

Many Catholic Cuban families consider Easter as the "godparent/godchild" holiday. So while growing up we would always go to my godmother's house for Easter. She's my godmother, and my mom is her youngest daughter's (Patty, the one with breast cancer) godmother - so it was a double-whammy.

There was always a ton of people there. And a ton of food. We would do the Easter ham, but we'd have it with black beans and rice (in Spanish called moros y cristianos). I'd get Easter baskets from my parents, my godfather (he lived in Michigan and New Orleans while I was growing up) and from my godmother, and then she'd also give me an extra present, usually earrings, or a bracelet or something like that. Now I send my nieces Easter presents. I get them a toy and a book.

Later when I got older and my friends started having kids, we had Easter Egg hunts for the kids a couple of times. I'd go even though I didn't have a kid, it was fun and loud with lots of people.

Even though today was nice, I kind of miss the ruckus. My godmother now lives too far away to go for a day, my friends' children are too old to hunt for Easter eggs, and it's not worth making a big meal for my mom and us. Everything changes I guess.