"Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world" ~ Casablanca, 1942.

It's been a week since my last post and I would like to say I was just 'hung over' from celebrating our second National Championship, but in all honesty, some days it's just hard to get up or get excited about anything. When I heard your 'travel arrangements' have been changed, it took all the wind out of my sails. However, I know how much you hate it when people feel sorry for themselves and you don't like whiners either.

So check this out first and please pray for Salzman.

Marsh and Daron spent a lovely evening with friends from school to celebrate Shanti's fifteenth birthday. A good time was had by all. We found Daron a beautiful dress at BCBG and Aunt Tami let her borrow her pearls as I still have not found mine. Marsh was fitted with a new tuxedo he plans on wearing a lot in the next few years (from his mouth to God's ear). Both looked smashing!

Daron is NOT taller than Marsh

The Quinceañera or Quince Años is, in some Spanish-speaking regions of the Americas, a young woman's celebration of her fifteenth birthday, which is celebrated in a unique and different way from her other birthdays. The closest equivalents to the Quinceañera in the English-speaking world are the sweet sixteen or, in more affluent communities, a debutante ball at the age of eighteen. In some cases, the birthday girl has a choice of a quinceañera, a trip, or a car. Shanti chose the party.


The traditional color of a quinceañera's dress is white but now in modern cultures they are letting the girl pick the color (most girls want to wear a pink dress and save the white dress for their wedding) and they wear a tiara because she is a princess in God's eyes that night. Shanti wore a beautiful white dress and the other girls wore either white or cream. Daron wore cream. Traditionally, the birthday girl holds a court with 14 girls (damas) and 15 boys (chambelanes) which including herself would equal 30 people, or, 15 couples (to represent each year). At the party the court does a waltz and a surprise dance.

Shanti in her tiara

The birthday girl dances with her father, but first changes from flats to heels to represent the first time she can wear them. I think I have seen Shanti in heels before, but that's okay. The Honoree might also receive a doll with the exact same dress she has on to signify this will be the last doll she ever will receive. In the past, the party signifies the girl is ready to be married, but in today's culture it is so the girl can date. Shanti didn't get a doll, but we gave her a white bear that played the tune "When You Wish Upon a Star". Oh, and money. I don't think her parents want her getting married any time soon.


Marsh escorted his little sister and danced the first dance with her. Evidently volleyball has not given Daron any dancing skills as Marsh claims 'dancing with Daron is like dancing with a chair'. We may have to work on this before next year's Homecoming dance.


Some other traditions observed in the celebration may include the giving and throwing of a quince doll. The display doll signifies the young lady's last doll as a child and the throwing doll, usually a Barbie type, is thrown by the young lady to the other female children in attendance much as the garter is thrown in a wedding. No Barbies were harmed during Shanti's party. The celebrant is wearing flats, or flat shoes for the celebration but after the inaugural dance the father of the young lady, who is sitting in a chair in the center of the dance floor, removes her flats and puts her high heels on signifying her becoming a young lady. Shanti DID change her shoes, but has always been a young lady.

Marsh had a great time and used the evening to pick out a date for prom. More on that much later.

Call me.