thoughts of waffle taboo

shared by Angelica Bernabe, her childhood friend

I had a moment today where I just laughed out loud and thought of Cyn. I was having brunch with my new husband, Mikey, when I ordered a nice, warm waffle.

Thoughts rushed back to me of us playing Taboo, one of our fave games to play, where you have to get your team to guess what the word you picked out is (from a stack of cards), without saying any of the hints that were already pre-written out. Well, it was my turn to try and give hints and my word was "waffle". Beneath it were words like: pancake, syrup, butter, toast, and breakfast. I couldn't think of a word at all. I was completely flabbergasted.

Time was running out and all I could blurt out was, "I cut it into nine squares!" (and it came out more like a shriek really). And her reaction was just hilarious. She looked at me incredulously and asked, "How am I supposed to know what you cut into nine squares?"

We burst into laughter at how ridiculous my hint was (because I thought all people cut their waffles into nine squares, but apparently not in this household). I shake my head at the memory of this because simple moments of silliness like these stand out most when I think of her.

thoughts of prom night fun

shared by VJ Rabuy, her sister

It may be because the academic year is coming to a close, or because I've been seeing special mega-issues of magazines at the drugstore, or because Disney is coming out with a movie...but this time of year gets me thinking of PROM!!

I can still remember my first prom. It was actually Cyn's Junior Prom and I was invited as a freshman. I think it was because I was an underclassman, or maybe it was because the boy who asked me, Adriel, was best friends with Chris, who asked my best friend, Carolyn; but that first prom I went to was the most fun and most memorable prom or dance I attended in all of high school.

One thing that made it so special was the questionnaire Cyn generated and had her 50 closest friends fill out. It was complete with expectations for the night (romantic, platonic, wild and crazy!), what kind of restaurant to go to (going all-out, staying on a budget, or finding something in between), what people wanted to do post-prom (crash at someone's house/cabin, have a bonfire, go to Denny's), and what kind of arrangement people wanted to make for pre-prom picture taking (because 20-30 couples worth of people in front of someone's lawn or in front of a stretch limo on the street just would not do).

In the end, the friends who filled out the questionnaire - along with their dates - gathered atop the parking garage at New Park Mall to take one large group shot. There must have been at least 30 couples easily. I was included because Adriel and Chris were both friends of Cyn. It takes a very organized person to get 60 people together at one place and direct them to pose for a picture. This kind of thing came easily to Cyn. It's like she could do it with minimal effort.

I didn't see Cyn much during the night, but just knowing she was there made it special for me. I do remember that I unknowingly took the necklace she was planning on wearing and she quickly found me on the garage rooftop and made the switch. It turned out for the better because the silver turtle necklace she had on matched perfectly with my dress. And she wasn't mad that I took the necklace, just relieved she found it in time.

My images of high school are all a blur now, being 11 years out and all, but it is nice to know a few memories still remain. I'm always happy when these moments include my big sister, Cyn.

thoughts of signs of new life

shared by Marlo R. Beall, her sister

Since Easter is one of those holidays that doesn't fall on the same day every year, it was sometimes hard to find a way to celebrate with family, especially while in college. Oftentimes Spring Break coincided with Holy Week, and sometimes it didn't.

I remember one Spring Quarter while Cindy was at UCLA and I was either in grad school or working, we decided at the very last minute to fly home for Easter. I have a couple of vivid memories of us driving home from campus discussing how we could go ahead and just go home, and then of us hopping on the computer to book our flights. I recall that it was one of those "why not?!" moments, when we heard ourselves saying that we wanted to go home, and then suddenly realizing that we should just do it.

When we were younger, my sisters and I would participate in the Children's Mass on Easter Sunday. We would either sing in the choir, be one of the readers, or even play a role in the Gospel reenactment. One of our favorite choir songs, I think it was called "Signs of New Life" or something close to that, was always fun to sing because it was sung in the repeat/echo style, and there were subtle hand gestures that went along with the lyrics.

A butterfly
An Easter egg
A fountain flowing in the park
These are signs of new life
The life of Jesus the Lord

And we sing to Him Alleluia
We give to Him our praise
And we sing to Him Alleluia
Glory be to Him
Glory be to Jesus the Lord

Every year I still break into this song at some point during Easter. My sisters and I will sing it together... loudly... laughing... giggling. I think rolling your hand up and down like mimicking water in a fountain is our favorite hand gesture. And like so many silly, wonderful, childhood memories, it makes us think of Cyn and smile while holding back tears.