Chilean New Year V 4.0 (et.al.)

champayne (sparkling wine) and 12 spoonfuls of lentils at midnight.
my "cacerolazo"- every New Year's, I bang pots and pans and scream "Happy New Year"!!
and we kiss :)

And this year, my neighbor came over! (She heard me banging pots and pans outside!)

Lori wanted to try the lentils for good luck.

This is my favorite holiday. I love Dennis's little traditions like the lentils and cleaning the house. He's really aggressive about the house- it has to be really clean!! (like move the furniture and vacuum underneath clean)

And it's so nice to think of a new year with a fresh start. I like thinking about all I've accomplished since last new year and all that I will do this year- Dennis will travel and study and I will learn to drive! and our family will be at a different stage in one year. It's more exciting for me, even than Christmas.

Prayers please for Pancho- we have an update (already!) and reasons to hope for good things in the new year. He is sicker than he thought because apparently the cancer has spread to his spinal fluids. It sucks because the doctors knew that it was so serious months ago (and so they gave him a higher dose of chemotherapy than he realized, and without his consent). It's not ethical but he can't do anything about it legally. The point is really that we are all realizing that his cancer is alot more serious than we ever understood. I have to believe in miracles and in the possibility that what looks like a death sentence is really not, and that Pancho will be okay. But we are all scared and very prayerful for Dennis's brother.