Happy Passover

The 2012 Carter Family Passover Seder is now in the books.  Last night we had family and friends over to celebrate the holiday by retelling the stories of the slaves in Egypt, eating yummy food, and of course indulging in more than a bit of wine.  I came home after work yesterday and the drive was nice and easy, though I was really tired from having to get up early for a private, so I made an essential Starbucks pit-stop.  When I got home the preparation was still underway and I was asked to make a hummus run...easy enough.  By the time I got back the first guests were beginning to arrive and the festivities began.  We enjoyed some finger food while we waited for our neighbors to show up but before long everyone was in attendance and we were able to get started.

My mom decided to do things a little differently this year and host the seder in the living room instead of more formally around the dining room table.  It was an interesting experience but I think everyone enjoyed the comfort of the couches over the rigidity of the straight-backed dining room chairs.  Even though I know the story of Passover, I always like hearing it again and find it interesting.  We always go around the room so everyone gets a chance to read and participate.  At one point, the "kids" (in quotes because there was only one of us involved who wasn't in at least in high school) were excused to go find the hidden piece of matzah...always one of the best parts of the seder.  Of course everyone knows I am very competitive and I swore I was going to win.  I came through and won $5 for my efforts, woohoo!!

After all the formalities were complete it was finally time to sit down for the feast.  There was so much so good food:  an amazing beef brisket, potatoes, asparagus, matzah ball soup, salad, and of course, KUGEL!  My mom has the best recipe for my favorite dish and it took everything I had to not fill my entire plate with it.  Everyone indulged while taking their time eating and talking before we brought out a variety of games.  I played a couple of rounds of Skip-Bo and I'm happy to say my dad and I teamed up to beat Kenny and his girlfriend.  It was late before our guests left and everyone got to go to sleep, but worth getting tired over.  I missed the seder last year and was happy to be able to take part again.  It's always nice to see my family and we had a great time...definitely worth the drive and all the effort my mom put in.  Happy Passover everyone!