CASSIE BART
Dec. 1, 1994 – Jan. 28, 2010
We lost a special dog this week
the kind you can’t replace
and looking at her favorite spots
We still can see her face.

After a bath she had boundless energy
as she ran from room to room,
Launching over couches
Around the house she’d zoom.
I remember how she’d tug on my sheets
to play her favorite game,
Bouncing forward like a bunny rabbit
When she heard us call her name.
She did her guard dog duty
Each time the doorbell rang,
rolling over on her back
for a belly rub whomever came.
Our Cassie knew what she …

Rachel’s boyfriend Scott makes the BEST pancakes. They live in Washington, D.C. and when Rachel told me that his pancakes were amazing, I thought she was probably blinded by the fact that he woke up and made her breakfast.
They stayed with us for New Years and I asked Scott if he would make his pancakes for brunch the next day. He made them and they were UNBELIEVABLE!

There were a couple extra pancakes from brunch and Adam and I put them in the fridge and heated them up a few nights …

Growing up in suburban Maryland, there was a company called Mr. Omlette that you could hire for parties and brunches. That event’s Mr. Omlette would wear a white chefs coat and a tall toque and it was so much fun to pick as many fillings as I wanted.
Back in mid-September I was visiting my family in Maryland for both Rosh Hashanah and my birthday and our friends the Feldmans/Rices invited us over to brunch.
When we arrived we were greeted by this gorgeous spread:

Jared Rice and his girlfriend Leila woke up …

Earlier this year I posted, “Love, 1930s style,” a letter written by my mom’s father, Papa, upon meeting his future wife. Last November, I posted my dad’s mom, Nagymama’s, recipe for chicken paprikash.
Last week Nagymama passed away. I was lucky to have her in my life for such a long time and have so many loving memories of my grandparents.
I flew home to Maryland and spent the weekend looking through pictures, sharing stories, and being together with my brother, parents, and friends. This is exactly how Nagymama, who loved nothing …

I’m about to board a plane back to Austin from Maryland. The sad reason for this trip was the passing of Magda Bart, my last living grandparent and the woman I called Nagymama (grandma in Hungarian).
It was wonderful to be with family and friends and celebrate the life of my beautiful, determined, and loving grandmother who lived almost 93 years.

Today, my body is stiff from travel and stress. I’m tired and coming down with the cold I have been fighting off for weeks. On top of all this, I’m moving …