Small Traditions

I have touched on this subject before; traditions - a long-established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another. I don’t remember many things about my childhood, a lot of the memories have been suppressed. I wish I could bring them to light. I really do. There are some memories that always show themselves when I least expect it. For example, I went to our local Steakhouse, The Drover, a few days ago and their Pepperoncini peppers from the salad bar reminded me of the days I went to In & Out with my family and ate a Double Double with cheese. Every bite of the burger had to have the juice of a Pepperoncini pepper in it. Those memories mean the world to me, I want my kids to have those types of memories as well.

I can’t determine how my kids will think of me as they get older. But what I can control is how I present myself to them. I am trying my best for them to have a positive reminder of me. I want them to know that I worked so hard to be in the position that I am in today, and that I am not done working for them. I am already winning in life, everything else is extra. I live by that.

I show them music that I hated to listen to when I was younger. We watch movies and shows I watched growing up, shout out to Looney Tunes and Napoleon Dynamite. We try new foods in Omaha and the surrounding areas. Last week we tried Dairy Chef, a must try in the Summer! At the peak of Covid, I was having a hard time finding things to do with the kids that seemed safe. It was the height of paranoia and instability, there was little information about what Covid was and what it could do. I was extremely cautious and wanted my kids to be safe. One weekend, I took the kids to Lauritzen Gardens. II went there years back when they had a Legos display and during the holiday time, but never with the kids. The kids and I enjoyed the Botanical Garden, but we were captivated by the Union Pacific trains that they had on display. My daughter immediately told me she wanted to be inside of a train and ride one. I wanted to make that happen. That Holiday season I took the kids to The Durham Museum. It was a great opportunity to see a huge Christmas tree and talk to Santa. But for me, it was more to show them the indoor train display that the museum is proud of. Show them how people used to travel, how small in size we all used to be, and what little we used to have. Camila was hooked! She began to notice trains everywhere and her curiosity grew. I worked on finding a train that we were able to ride, not an Amtrak, but a historic train. I waited a few years because Elena was still small and driving almost 3 hours with a 2-year-old sounded terrible.

We ended going to Boone, Iowa. A small town near Des Moines. I decided to make an overnight trip out of it, we stayed at a hotel in Des Moines, and enjoyed the Iowa Science Center afterwards. We drove to Boone, to ride their train at The Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad. It was a 2-hour train ride through Boone that touched on the history of the Railroad and how Iowa was a special part of the growth of America. I truly enjoyed it. The kids not too much, a 2-hour train ride after a 2-hour car ride wasn’t the best idea. But it’s a learning experience because it was my first trip with the kids, alone. I thought the Iowa Science Center was amazing, every room had a different learning experience, every exhibit brought the kid’s joy. I remembered when I first went to the Science Museum in Los Angeles when it first opened. It was the talk of the city, we went there for countless weekend trips with the family, school field trips, and I remember taking pictures in that area for quiceaneras. It was a beautiful memory.

Today we continued one of my cherished traditions and a memory that Camila already has. As soon as we cross the state boarder, into Crescent, Iowa, Camila knows where we are going. Christy Creme holds a special place in my heart. It’s a place in Council Bluffs that made me feel accepted. The owner at the time knew who I was and treated me just like he did everyone else. With the insecurity about being unwelcomed in a town that looked nothing like you and feeling like an outsider, it was a bond that a few restaurants provided me. Salty Dogg is the other. Shout out to them.

As soon as Camila turned 1, we took her to Christy Creme to enjoy their delicious food and their fantastic soft serve ice cream. Every August since then we have made the drive to Council Bluffs just to go to this ice cream restaurant. We take pictures and enjoy our time together. As soon as Elena was born and turned 1, we took her with us to partake in the tradition. Today, Elena was able to order her ice cream order all by herself. Every year there is something new that we learn about them. I truly love this tradition. I call this a tradition because it connects the kids to a place that helped raise me. It allows me to show them a different part of me which is important. I can’t control what they think of me, I can only show them who I am and where I came from. The rest is for them to decide. As the kids continue to grow, my only hope is that they allow me to continue to bring them into my world. Being a parent is a continuous learning opportunity, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.