Friday Five - Pad Thai Anyone?

Friday Five - Pad Thai Anyone?

1.  I made Pad Thai at home for the first time, and it was delicious! I thought it looked fun when I first spotted the recipe in the cookbook below, but when it came time to actually make it, I was a bit nervous. Nervous because it was a new-to-me cuisine, and I didn't know if the recipe would actually evoke the taste of the Pad Thai that I've enjoyed in restaurants over the years, including in the country of Thailand itself.

Plot spoiler: It did! And it turned out that it was quite easy to make. Sourcing the ingredients, on the other hand, primarily the rice noodles and the bamboo shoots, necessitated a trip to a specialty market, which then involved some hunting around. However, I now know where to find both items, so the next time I make it should be a snap.

We enjoyed it warm from the pan the first night, topped with fresh bamboo shoots, cilantro, fresh lime, and peanuts, and cold from the fridge the second night, topped with same. Both ways were delicious, and I'm not actually sure which I prefer!

2.  We are helping my sister-in-law (SIL) re-settle into my mother's 55+ community, and it has been a process. My SIL doesn't drive, nor use a smart phone, so we've had to sort of train her to get to the places she'll need, which has involved a lot of sitting in our car and watching this week to make sure all goes well on her walking routes. She did have a few missed turns in the beginning, but she now seems to have her routes down, and this should be the last weekend we'll need to stick to her so closely. We know she is doing the 100% absolute best she can, and this transition has been a tremendous one for her, but my spouse and I do miss our daily walks together (generally we've been taking turns), and will be happy to get back to them.

3.  Senior Centers are worth their weight in gold. My SIL now attends the senior center near her new home each day, Monday thru Friday, and it has made me realize the value these centers provide. She not only has lunch there, but also attends a variety of classes ranging from exercise to art to bingo to singing and dancing, and she is socializing and making new friends daily. It is providing the daily structure in her life, and she is increasingly excited each day to get there and visit with her steadily increasing group of friends. 

4.  I am thankful we were able to retire so young, and have 15 completely self-centered years. It's been a big change having both my mother and my husband's sister now so reliant on our help and guidance. I am deeply moved that we are able to do so at this phase of life, and that they are now both so close by, however I am also thankful that we had 15 years of Go-Go-Go when nobody needed us, not children nor parents, and we could live and be as hedonistic as we desired. We will absolutely continue to travel - we still have five upcoming trips just this year - but we'll no longer go away for months at a time. We'll contain our trips to 30 days or less, generally two or so weeks depending, and likely even shorter as time goes on and my mother and SIL continue thru the aging process.

5.  Summer energy is building here for sure! Our walks at the beach and at the harbor are increasingly filled with buzz - kids, families, parents, couples - and it makes me both happy and appreciative to live somewhere people make big efforts to come visit. Yesterday at the harbor, I laughed watching one of our Coast Guard boats shoot water at a group of excited children playing in the water. The positive energy that one action created was wonderful, and stayed with me throughout my walk.