party!

Tonight I went to Jamie's (she is the other travel nurse that I worked with in Seattle) place in Alexandria, VA. Her sister was having a Pampered Chef party. However, the pampered chef lady couldn't make it, so Jamie's sister showcased a little bit of the pampered chef stuff herself. There are a lot of really cool things to buy (like this apple peeler) that I would only use once. But maybe I would use it twice, so I am thumbing through the catalog a little more. Anyways, there were a few people from work that I really like, but mostly it was Jamie's family and friends. A lot of them had flown in from Florida today and all gathered at this house. There was tons of Filipino food. I love the fried beef rolls and rice! It was really fun to get to sample a lot of different food. Everyone in her family was so nice and welcoming, and it was a really nice, comfortable evening.
The best part of the night was when everyone gathered in the living room to play music. I only thought this kind of stuff happened on tv... but it happens in real life too! Before Jamie was a nurse, she was a concert pianist- so she played the piano, her cousin and brother-in-law played the guitar, and her mom and sister sang. It was really beautiful, and you could tell this is what they did together growing up. I really enjoyed getting to see that. In the end, the sangria they provided won out, and everyone joined in singing around the piano. Jamie told us, you had better not tell anyone at work about this.. but I thought it was great! We hung out awhile longer eating and talking. At the end of the evening we were informed that if we did not take food home it is considered offensive in their culture... so we did! The food was great anyway, so it wasnt like they had to twist my arm.
It was really one of the best nights that I have had since starting this assignment. Even though my family gambles instead of sings.... it made me miss my own family a little more.