Nowadays, Kristin is doing many things well… but then she always did!
Happy Birthday , Kristin. This is your day.
Love,
Dad
Happy Birthday ,Kristin!
when daughters go rogue
What’s wrong with this picture? Kristin is having a ball, while I sit and try to detect the mysteries of a traditional Sifnos Honey pie with Myzithra cheese? Actually, we are each doing what we love, besides she loves to cook and she and Karen will be with us soon for Christmas!
I do enjoy FACEBOOK if for no other reason that it provides a wonderful glimpse into the lives of family. Kristin posted some of these pictures today on Facebook and I could hear her mother screech!
Back to the Greek Honey Pie called Melopitta, the traditional Easter treat of the island of Sifnos! Searching for authentic ingredients for “Melopitta” is challenging. Most of the knock-off recipes substitute the Greek cheese Myzithra (μυζήθρα, pronounced mee-ZEETH-rah) with Ricotta, Mascarpone or even Cottage cheese… but it is far closer to cream cheese in practical use. There are also many ‘cheesecake’ variations utilizing Myzithra with brandy, fruit and nuts.
Enough, it is lunch time with some wine and Tiropetes!
Roger
remember veteran’s day
Before our daughter Kristin redeployed to Iraq, Kristin and I started the process of making a wine that would be ready to consume on her return… and there it sat until now. I had promised to open a bottle to ensure that it was developing along acceptable lines and waited until she had returned … it is a bit dry but nice.
So, I offer a toast to all my family members present and past who have carried arms in service to our country… and especially a thank you to my daughter Kristin (Iraq) and her Uncle Jim (Afghanistan)… and to all the men and women in in our armed services… thank you.
Roger Freberg
welcome home kristin
Life is supposed to be interesting and my daughters certainly love to do curious things. Sometimes they are a bit too ‘interesting’ for their mother… but I do see much of their mother in them. Laura is a professor who loves what she does and, by her example, our daughters have had the academic experience of both sitting in the seats and at the lectern. They both have masters degrees and have the genuine thirst that comes with life long learners.
Kristin is competent and professional, but her appearance has generated a few comments from friends and family with the moniker “Combat Engineer Barbie.” She just tactfully smiles when she hears it.
Kristin has finished her second tour of Iraq, the first coming at the original invasion in 2003. We have had some glimpses into her life as we all are ‘friends’ on facebook and Kristin has been nice enough to share some of her everyday life with us. Her Army future seems to be planned out for the next few years… and I hear, that teaching for a while at her alma mater West Point may be in the works. With Kristin soon to be on the east coast near Karen, I suspect that they will continue their travel adventures together as Kristin has leave.
In the meantime, welcome home Kristin!
Love,
Dad
Happy Birthday, Kristin!
Another year for Kristin, and a wonderful reminder to me of how this all came about. Yes, I remember it had been a long hard week, we just had friends over and then it happened! Kristin made her appearance on the world, but not right away… I finished my beer and it was off to the hospital. This is how the adventure began…. and continues. Here are pictures of Kristin cooking with me and off at a convention with her mom and sister in Athens this past summer…. always moving.
One of my favorite stories of Kristin have to do with her at West Point. A very nice feature had been done in NY Times Magazine on West Point and … well… I thought I would comment… and the snowball began moving down the hill.
The New York Times magazine published an article on the summer basic training of the cadets referred to as ‘Beast.’ I wrote the following:
The Beauty of Beast Barracks
Published: November 2, 1997As the father of a daughter who survived this year’s Beast experience, I enjoyed Winerip’s article on West Point’s technique for breaking in plebes.
A big plus for parents: my daughter now knows how to clean her room (in fact, she can clean anything), and her academic work actually gets done!
It was a wonderful article.
Roger Freberg
San Luis Obispo, Calif
The letter had some unintended positive effects.
While many parents and others whined about this or that, my letter engendered sympathy for my daughter… and a protective brotherly nature from the often hazing upper classmen. They thought that she had already been through enough having to grow up with me as her dad! ha!
Funny, not much Kristin can’t do now. Here’s Kristin’s signature dish!
Happy Birthday, Kristin!
Roger