Yesterday was our 15th Wedding Anniversary. Yea us! Traditional gifts for this milestone are Crystal. Modern gifts are Watches. I have no need for a fancy watch but I do really like crystal. I like rocks in general. I really like rocks. Good thing, too, since I'll be living in a cave soon. But that's a different story...

We went to see a movie and tonight we will go out to eat. I'm thinking Chinese, but not the usual buffet. I'm hoping for an actual restaurant. I LOVE Chinese food! I grew up on Chinese food. Literally. My parents would bring a baby food grinder to the restaurant. We went there so often that we became friends with the owners. Their "American" names were Carl and Mary and the restaurant was named Mai Lin. Every time we went there Carl would greet us like long lost friends and take us to "our" table. I felt so special. I felt pride and awe that my parents were so elite. I was a child.

I'm all grown up now and I've learned that it doesn't take much to impress a child. Especially coming from your parents, who, when you are young, can do no wrong. This reminds me to be careful with the impressions I leave with my kids. I think it's one way and they get a completely different message. It works that way with adults, too. Different life experiences, different backgrounds, different cultures all influence how we interpret any given situation. Therefore, how can we say that someone else is wrong? One person may be calm, while the other one totally freaks out! They each may think that the other should not have reacted that way, but that their way was right. Given their differences and the rules they have given themselves to live by, they are both right. I have the blessing/curse of being able to see both sides of an argument. I should be a Mediator.