The Story of Being 33

I have found emancipation in being 33! It's made me daring and brave.

For instance, when I went to a restaurant the other day I didn't order the same thing that I have ordered since I was 10 years old. As a kid my parents would laugh at me, and make bets with each other over what I would order. Inevitably I would order the Turkey Club (no Mayo), where upon I would receive my order and proceed to pull out the bacon, the middle piece of bread and the ham (which by the way...why, when it is called a turkey club, do they insist on putting in ham?). This routine made my "turkey club" a dry Turkey sandwich.. So, when I ordered my lunch the other day and branched out from my usual order I thought to myself--Must be the "33 Factor".

This is true with others things as well. For my birthday my mom gave me a gift certificate for some shoes I had been looking at: they are Red, a little funky, and I love them. I haven't owned a pair of red shoes since I was like 5... So two days ago, I was wearing jeans and a maroon shirt and I thought to myself --These red shoes don't exactly match what I am wearing. But then I decided, I am 33 years old...who cares?

Well today I made another 33 year old decision...

I am going to make tamales for Christmas.

I know, I know... My dad will say "You always managed to find something else to do on the weekends we made tamales." And yes, I have a history of bailing...there was even that one year when I was dating that sweet man of mine; He came over to help with the tamales and I managed to sneak away. My Brother will say "Is this such a great idea? Do you not remember that year when you burnt 12 pounds of the Masa?" (note: the masa isn't supposed to be cooked until the tamale is already rolled with meat and placed in the pot to be cooked together!) My mom will laugh and say, "Make sure you get it done before we get there to visit. The mess is amazing....and I know messes. We have made tamales for 30 years together... plus, I raised three kids." My youngest brother will say "Cool. Send me some."

Maybe this decision comes from being 33, or maybe it comes from a desire to establish traditions in our home that creates a place of belonging and creates a centerpiece where stories are born. It's a fact that parents want to give their kids what they never had, and I am no exception. But being 33 also makes me think that I want to give my kids what I did have...traditions.

So, look for the blog sometime around Christmas when I write about my first attempt at tamale making. Having grown up in a house where tamales are a tradition, it is common knowledge that where there are tamales being made, there's always a story!