reunion week

The end of September was a whirlwind.  In the course of five days, I saw many people that I haven't seen in a very long time.

It started with Marty and Myron.

Myron and Marty

Myron and Myron live in Arizona.  The last time I saw them was six months ago when we took our girls' trip to AZ and we met up with Marty and Myron for a couple of hours for dinner. M & M were in town for a wedding, and they were able to get some time away from their family so that we could go out for dinner.  We went to Green Zebra for some excellent vegetarian fare.  

The food was delicious, but the company was better.  I love my time with M & M.  

Two days later, I made my second pilgrimage to Girl and the Goat to meet my cousin Dave and his wife, Kathi.  Sure, it's no big deal to have dinner with your cousin, right? Well, Dave and I figured out that we haven't seen each other in 26 years!  Yeah, you heard me, 26 years.  You see, Dave is like all smart and stuff, and after high school, he headed out west to that Stanford place, and just stayed out west after college.

me and Dave

Kathi and Dave

I was so happy that Ignacio and Dave were adventurous and tried the pig face at this restaurant.  I think they liked it, but weren't able to finish it because it was so rich.  The meal was delicious, but as I said before, the company was even better.

Two days later, Ignacio, my mom, and I were on the road to Iowa to celebrate my Uncle Butch's marriage to  Aunt Jackie.  We drove 8 hours through a million miles of corn fields to arrive in a little Iowa town.  

Uncle Butch and Aunt Jackie

My dad was the middle brother of three, Uncle Butch is the youngest bro, and Uncle Rich is the oldest bro.  My Uncle Rich and Aunt Pat came in from Florida, my cousins came in from Florida, California, Minnesota, and Missouri.  It was a wonderful family reunion.  The last time I saw most of them was at my dad's funeral.

Uncle Rich and Aunt Pat

Andrew and Julie

Ignacio and Aunt Pat

my mom and Missy

Ron and me (we have the same chin!)

Our trip was great and it was so good to see everyone together in one place.  It very rarely happens.  Uncle Butch and Aunt Jackie were the best hosts; fabulous home cooked dinners, and fun lunches.  The wedding reception was a lot of fun too.  Uncle Butch and Aunt Jackie are fantastic dancers and can really cut a rug.  We all did our best to keep up, and we did cut a pretty good polka or two.

the happy couple

The weekend was great and it was such a treat to spend it with my aunts and uncles and cousins.  The Mikolajczaks are a great bunch, and you will always be laughing if you are with us.  (yeah, you may be laughing at one of the MANY illnesses we have to offer, but at we least can we laugh at ourselves with the best of 'em)

A slideshow of the Iowa trip:

Iowa Mikolajczak Weekend from Natalie Mikolajczak on Vimeo.

21 x 2, 7 x 6, whatever it takes

I celebrated my 42nd birthday on August 10, and my nephew, Cooper, celebrated his 7th birthday on August 15.

I had a great birthday celebration. The Friday before my birthday, my beautiful friends, Susan, Aimee, and Jodee took me to dinner at Cibo Matto. It is a swanky place with very good food. I am just so thankful that even though I’ve known these women for over ten years, the past year has brought us so much closer, and that really is the best gift.

The Saturday before my birthday Ignacio, Jodee, Gabby, Camel, and I went to my mom’s house and my bro and his family went as well. It was a very low key day spent poolside, and it was great. It was just what I wanted: calm and easy.

On my actually birth day, Ignacio, my mom and I walked to Trattoria No. 10 for my birthday dinner, then walked to State Street for a little shopping at The Body Shop, and a little frozen yogurt for dessert.

Carter, Cooper, Gabby, and Camel

Carter, mid-trick

Ignacio and Cooper, discussing ab workouts

Jodee, Gabby, and Carter discussing the meaning of life

The Friday after my birthday, my friend Don came to stay for the night before jetting back to LA the next morning. Our old dancing school friends Jenn and Jean stopped by, and we had pizza and snacks and watched the finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Ignacio came home a little later and we started playing some dancing games on the Wii. There was nothing better than watching Ignacio get a higher score than Don whilst dancing to show tunes. Classic!!

Now for Cooper’s 7th birthday, his parents gave him a choice of having a kids’ party or going to the Bristol Renaissance Faire. My man Cooper chose the Ren Faire. We went two years ago for my 40th birthday celebration and he had a good time, and he wanted to go back. So, umm yeah, I chose to go to the Ren Faire when I turned 40, and Cooper chose it when he turned 7.

We had a blast at the Renaissance Faire; it’s really an amazing place. I laughed so hard when Tiger and Cooper were in the ring to fence one another. Tiger had to sit down since he is so much bigger than Cooper, and Cooper got the advantage of being mobile. The object was to pop the balloon on top of your opponent’s helmet with your sword. Tiger and Cooper had on so much protective gear, that you couldn’t see their faces at all. But once the first match began, Tiger starting yelling really, REALLY loud, and scared the crap out of Cooper (and the audience) and he popped Cooper’s balloon. Then entire crowd booed Tiger, it was hysterical.

Enjoy the slideshow.

Bristol Renaissance Faire 2010 from Natalie Mikolajczak on Vimeo.

if I were the Bachelorette...

Last night was the finale of The Bachelorette and the final two guys had to meet the girl’s family. The entire time I was watching Ali, the bachelorette, I was chuckling and giggling as I thought about how everything would go down if I were the Bachelorette and my final two guys had to meet my family.


(for those of you living under a rock, on the show The Bachelor/Bacherlette, after 8 weeks of weeding out potential spouses from a pool of 25, the final 2 ‘candidates’ meet the Bacherlor/Bachelorette’s family so that the family may bond with the candidates and give their 2 cents as to whom the final pick should be)

On the shows I’ve seen, when the final two meet the family, it’s always a normal dinner and normal conversation, and everything seems so comfortable.

My family has always been a family of few words. We don’t say much, but I think when we do say something, it’s either important and you’d better pay attention, or it’s funny/sarcastic, and you’d better get a tough skin.

I can just see it now if I was the Bachelorette, and I brought Ignacio as one of two men to meet my family.

Take one:

Mom: You know Ignacio [obviously of Hispanic heritage], we love Mexican food, and always eat tacos and salsa.

Dad: So, after 2 months, you really think you love my daughter? Did you know she can be a real bitch sometimes?

My bro: You’ve got to be freaking kidding me…you had to come on a television show to meet a chick? What kind of loser are you?


Take two:

Mom: [crickets chirping]

Dad: [crickets chirping] I can’t believe I am forced to have a conversation with you on camera. This is ridiculous, why the hell would my daughter go on a television show? I can’t believe I had to buy new jeans for this.

My bro: [crickets chirping] Do you like Walter Payton? Yes? Cool.


I would be scared to death to bring someone to meet my family on camera. Do they have Photoshop for TV? Because my family would make me so nervous, that they would have to Photoshop the pit stains out from my underarms.