A Bunch of Mallets in the Air

Listening to my brother-in-law's marimba composition made me think of how many things Jimmy is able to juggle at once -- and he makes it all look so easy.  I wish I could always remember to live in the moment.

Grandpa and Karen's Visit

Over the weekend Mike's dad, Kenny, and his girlfriend, Karen, came to visit us.  We celebrated both Grandpa's birthday and our 12th wedding anniversary, which are on the same day.  Although the visit was quick, we had time to go to Petland, Karen and I found a great used book store, and we probably ate too much.  Karen brought lots of clothes that her son Ryan (who is leaving for the Navy next month) had once worn -- some with tags still on them.  She also brought so many great Disney movies and well-loved toys that Ryan used to play with.  Hot Wheels in cases!  Legos! Jojo hasn't tired of playing with all the cars.

Grandpa Kenny donned a birthday hat while we serenaded him, and  Jojo helped him to blow out the candles.

 

 

Karen also brought a nature book for Christian that he can't put down.  We are supposed to build a birdhouse using plans from the book, but I think we'll go to Michael's craft store and buy some that they can paint themselves. 

Tennessee

We went to Tennessee two weeks ago and returned yesterday.  One of my favorite parts of the drive on I40 east to TN is crossing the Mississippi River into Memphis. My least favorite part is when you cross the Mississippi from Memphis into West Memphis, AR -- it's like cold water in your face.

I really try to take better pictures, but I'm not a photographer like Mike.  Either that or it's my camera. 

The boys love to splash around in the creek behind Nana and Papa's house.  Getting there is half the fun!

Grandpa Kenny and Karen came from Indiana to see us, too. One day, Great-Grandpa Clo (Poppy) had to check on something at the golf course, so Gaby went along for the ride and did some driving himself with Grandpa Kenny.

We had fun seeing the tractors, too!  

We went with Nana to see 'Toy Story 3' (it brought a huge lump in my throat). We also went swimming at her friend's house -- a most beautiful house on a hill.  Nana also prepared many home cooked meals and Mike and I both gained some weight!  What I love about Nana & Papa's house is the deck with her blooming flowers, the deer in the yard, and the fireflies at night ('lightnin' bugs'). 

Nana and Papa also had friends over to visit.  One night we went to Nashville to see our friends Jeff & Karen along with other old friends Bryant and Linda.  The kids had so much fun jumping on the trampoline (all three got over their fear and bounced away for most of the evening).  But what was most exciting was watching 'Meet the Robinsons' outside on the huge screen.

Last weekend Nana and Papa kept the boys so Mike and I could stay the night in Nashville.  We met up with our friends and went to Printers Alley and other fun places to hear great live music, something I've been craving for awhile.  We also got some much needed relaxation. Later that evening Mike asked me, "Do you hear that?" I said, "I don't hear anything. What is it?" And he said, "Silence." 

The Stogie Boys

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...

Sleepy Jojo's foot

I wish I had taken more photos of everyone.  We had a great time and can't wait to see everyone soon.  Nana and Papa will be here for the Balloon Fiesta in a couple months and we're looking forward to their visit.

A Day in the Park

Recently I was able to re-connect with my cousin, Lisa, who was like a sister to me when we were young.  Many years had passed since we had last seen each other, but we have fun reminiscing and we remember the same stories. Especially about the mud hole and the moped.  She now has three beautiful children, Aaron, Emma, and Ingrid.  Our kids get along real well and I am grateful to have them in my life.  Aaron is closest in age to Christian.

One day last week we went to the park with the kids.  Gaby and Aaron, who are both daring and rambunctious, went on the tire swing while some 'big kids' spun them round and round.  As they were spinning, I headed towards the swing to make sure they were not getting sick.  Gaby, whose adrenaline was pumping, turned to Aaron and yelled, "We're gonna rock and roll!" 

Here is Emma on the right with her friend Trinity.

And here is Lisa with Ingrid on the right.

Here's to more good memories and fun times. Rock and roll, indeed.

This is How We Roll

Alberto, Alberto II, Alberto III, Alberto IV, y ....Diego!

Here is my little nephew, Diego, who is about two weeks old in the photo above.  He is my cousin Alberto and wife Rosa's child.  Alberto helped deliver his son into the world on January 25.

Look at his beautiful baptismal gown.  One can find many beautifully sewn, knit, and beribboned children's clothes in Spain.  Diego was about five weeks old in those pictures.

Here is Diego this morning. He's barely three months old and he's growing like a weed.  I wish I could squeeze those chubby legs! Cousin Alberto stopped in Dallas for one night to visit Jaime and Jeanne at the end of some conferences he had attended in Louisiana.  This morning he sent us these photos after having arrived in Madrid.

And here he is with his mama.  He's almost as big as her! We can't wait to meet you, Diego!

Adios, guapo!

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

We drink to your coffin. May it be built from the wood

of a hundred year old oak tree

that I shall plant tomorrow.

It's Saint Patty's day, so it also means that we celebrate Aunt Patsy's birthday.  AFTER we returned from lunch, but BEFORE we could dig into the cake, Grampa and Mike set up Patsy's new table.  Grandma G.G., who has such a sweet tooth, kept asking, "When are we going to have cake?  The table can wait!" 

The boys kept staring at the luscious cream cheese cake with chocolate icing Yours Truly made.  And they put two candles on the cake.  "She's 65?!" Christian exclaimed.  "Wow!" 

The ladies were all decked out in green.  Aunt Patsy posed with Grandma G.G. and Aunt Tonie.

The boys wanted to blow out their own candles when they received their piece of deli-cio-so cake.

Happy birthday, Aunt Patsy!  Although the family celebrated with her this past weekend, today is spent bingo-ing and lunch-ing with her friends.

May you have all the happiness

and luck that life can hold—

And at the end of all your rainbows

may you find a pot of gold.

Life's Journey

Last month my Great-Uncle Frank, my grandma's brother, passed away after having suffered for many years with Parkinson's-like symptoms.  To be honest, I did not know him very well, even though we lived in the same town for most of my life.  But I saw my cousins, his children, rally around their father. But especially, I saw how Aunt Loretta dedicated herself to staying by his side, even with all the round-the-clock nursing care they had. 

Funerals and weddings are the two occasions in which our family gathers.  In a strange way, the reunion with everyone last month was joyous, and some of us commented how we regretted that our families only see each other during these times.  Within families, there are often many regrets.

My dad gave the moving eulogy.  Something he said struck me: "...sometimes God, in His infinite Divine Mercy, elects to choose a Victim Soul – a soul who will participate in the redemptive process of atonement begun on Calvary to expiate flaws in him, his family, his community, his nation, the whole world. Frank answered this call with an embrace: without complaint and with immense faith and humility and dignity. We owe Frank a lot."

Sometimes we don't know where the road of life will lead to.  As we wait for a job to come through for Mike, we wonder where will we end up?  Will we stay or will we continue down another path?

The sky's the limit. And I'm (almost) at peace.

Love You Too So Much

Hello! Well, some of you were wondering what happened? I had set my blog to 'invitation only' and had assumed that Blogger would send a message asking me to 'allow' certain of you to view it; but nooooo...you have to type in all the e-mail addresses yourself, and this queen of procrastination just could not get her act together to do it. So for now it'll remain public. I guess you could say I was actually a little disconcerted when I recently received an anonymous comment from the 'Soggy Pretzels' posting last November. It was pretty neat that someone out in the vast Internet world found this blog, but it leaves me wondering if I am giving too much information. I'm sure it's a topic most of us bloggers consider when we lay out a portion of our lives on the 'Net.

The weekend before last we had my grandmother's (Mama G.G.) surprise 90th birthday party and what a fun time we all had! She had no clue that the 60+ family and close friends were meeting her at the restaurant (we had reserved a very special room at Pappadeaux's, complete with giant screen tv and seating area apart from all the tables).

Here we are, the five of us, ready for the party. Gaby is a hat man like Grampa.

Here is Grandma when she first arrived waving at friends nearby. She was slightly confused by all the clapping as she entered the room until she recognized familiar faces and realized everyone was there for her (we celebrated her birthday one month in advance since we'll be gone this month).

Grandma with Aunt Dora and old friend Elizabeth P. Aunt Dora, who is 95, stone deaf, and as a result speaks loudly, made many memorable remarks. As each entree was brought to her she would exclaim (loudly), "I can't eat all of this!" or "No, that's too much!" or "Who ordered this?"

I believe it was right after we all ate and sang 'Happy Birthday' to Grandma that we showed the very special DVD to all the guests that my brother Sergio and sister-in-law Kyla worked tirelessly on these past months to complete in time for the party. The DVD was an interview with Grandma that we conducted a couple years ago and was made into a documentary-style movie with her talking about her life. They incorporated so many cool clips from the 20's through the 50's, and include pictures that were scanned. The end of the DVD Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' (Grandma's name is Caroline) was played and it brought the house down. At the very end you hear Grandma's sweet voice say, "It's been a wonderful life." I wish I could download the movie somehow and you could view it yourself because Sergio & Kyla did a terrific job; I wish I had half the technological skills they posses. Although Sergio & Kyla were not able to make it, their presence was very much felt.

Fr. B gives a special speech and blessing. He said (I paraphrase), "Today is not just about Caroline; it's about all of us and how she has touched our lives by her example of faith and love. By the way she never has had anything negative to say about anyone." So true. Dad also had a few words to share but could not find the right time to give his own speech. Some of his special words are below.

Daniela joins in singing 'Happy Birthday.'

On the other hand, my other brother Jaime and sister-in-law Jeanne, who live quite a bit closer, were able to come with my niece Daniela and nephew Anthony. We went to the aquarium that weekend, had a barbecue at my parents' house, and Jeanne & I met for some much needed girl talk and catching up one morning.

The cousins worn out after a day of playing in Yaya and Grampa's yard.

My nephew Anthony turns 2 this month -- he already has quite a vocabulary! My boys never uttered coherent sentences until they had at least reached the age of two. When we tell Anthony we love him he responds with, "Love you too so much." He makes my heart melt.

Sweet sis-in-law Jeanne.

Hope all is well! And, please, come back anytime.

Yes, that bush needs to be trimmed, but notice that glorious color!

Dad's special (edited) words for Grandma. For any family members and friends, a full copy can be forwarded at your request:

Introductory Remarks I Did NOT Deliver
At Mom’s 90th Birthday Celebration
Most of this did happen but some of it is apocryphal . . .


My sister, Patsy, and I thank each and every one of you for gathering with us today to honor our mother in this celebration of her 90th birthday. This observance is a bit early since Mom’s actual date of birth is June 28.

Mom is my first teacher and she is still my principle one. Whereas as a child she taught me by rote and training, she continues to teach me by example. Before I entered first grade I could recite all my prayers and some nursery rhymes and Mother Goose stories. I loved to hear her read to me with her lively interpretation which made the characters come to life, and to hear her sing with her clear sweet voice.

When I graduated from “Mary had a Little Lamb” I tried to repeat the songs I would hear her sing while she did her chores. “Mairzy doats and Doazy doats. . .” were sounds that fascinated me “. . . and little lamzydivy.” After some practice I mastered the next line: “A kiddle eadivy, too, wouldn’t you?” Only when I was a teenager did I realize it’s a song about animals, but as a kid I just liked the sounds of those nonsense words tripping off my Momma’s tongue.

...

When I was 2 years old Mom made me a present of a little brother. Since I was always stealing his bottle of milk Frank quickly learned how to take up for himself. Too small yet for him to handle me physically, he learned to disarm me with his charming humor and personality. Everybody was putty in Frank’s hands. For instance whenever I make the mistake of trying to tell an old joke in my wife’s presence she reminds me it’s an old joke. But not so with Frank; in fact, she would ask him again and again to repeat a favorite story and he would oblige and it would always sound fresh.

Frank was industrious. While still a teenager he took a job in a neighborhood grocery store where he did some stocking and sacking and eventually was trained to cut meat. Butchers are always nicking themselves with their sharp knives so in the interest of hygiene the shop always kept a box of latex fingers for protection. Frank always kept extras in his shirt pocket since he would go through several a day. When he got home he would change to go out and toss the extras in a sock drawer where he could retrieve them the next time he went to work.

One evening when Frank came home from work Mom was waiting for him. Very stern and serious she pointed to the kitchen table where she spread several latex fingers she found in his sock drawer. Her outrage rebuked him severely: “In my house! Under my roof!” It took him several anxious minutes to explain what those were all about. He later explained to me, “Ed, if Mom could kill that was the time.” He held out his thumb and forefinger millimeters apart, “I came that close!”

A huge vacuum was left in our family when Frank died suddenly in 1984. All the charm, talent, brains and wit went with him. That left Patsy and me, a little slower of wit and just a little dyslexic. I have to speak slowly and deliberately. If I don’t pick my words then things tend to come out backwards. Less so with Patsy but she did declare once that “Dog is my copilot!” I understood her right away. She was talking about Ethel.

Knowing that Patsy is at home with Mom I have never had to worry about her well being. Patsy looks after all the details and things are always in good order...

Mom’s sister, Tonie, is with us. Sister Marie Evelyn has been a Sister of Charity for some 60 years. She has spent most of her religious life in the pagan badlands of Colorado. After she helped tame down that territory she moved to back to civilization 2 years ago. While Tonie does not miss the ice and snow of Colorado, she has had to get used to the dry climate of New Mexico. I am sure she has had to reconsider if the trade off was worth it: muddy roads or itchy skin.

...

...

One other brother of Mom’s, Ray, sends his love along with regrets for not being able to be here today. ...Their children, who also live out state, have sent Mom their best wishes.

Mom’s best friend while growing up and well into adulthood was her sister, Anna. Although Anna was younger than Mom she says Anna was her mentor because she could size things up and know quickly what was going on. That’s the way my own kid brother, Frank, was with me. Mom admired Anna’s spunk and initiative and used to wonder aloud to her “How did you do that?” and she would say “Gee, Caroline, Dad just has to look at you and you look guilty. If you’re going to do something, just do it!” Mom would only take one candy bar with Grandpa’s permission but Anna would fearlessly take one more because “I asked him if I could have SOME candy.” Mom did not have that kind of nerve. About 40 years ago God took Anna and her beautiful soprano voice and she is watching us from a safe place today. But her husband, John Griego, is here with us. Uncle Johnny is a retired principal ... and is accompanied by 4 of his 6 children: Antoinette, Ann Therese, Johnny Junior, and Ron.

Mom, at 90 years of age you’re still a spring chicken when compared to your brother-in-law, Feliciano. Uncle Felix turned 95 in January! At his 90th birthday party I congratulated him on his recent second retirement as a cross guard. But Uncle Felix just shook his head sadly at me and confessed, “No, Edward, I retired too soon.” He meant it. Uncle Felix loves order and duty. Like Saint Joseph the Worker he welcomes labor as a blessing. His daughter, Dolores, and her husband, brought Uncle Felix and Aunt Regi to this celebration.

Not to be outdone, Mom’s cousin, Dora Padilla, is going to be 95 years old this summer, too...

And so many good friends are here, too. Elizabeth P, here from Santa Fe with her son John, has been a comadre with Mom for some 50 years. Elizabeth raised 12 children on the family farm in ..., later commuted to Highlands in Las Vegas and earned her degree and worked at the Boys School in ... long enough to earn a state pension. Our families were always exchanging visits, often without notice especially in those early years when long distance calls were complicated and expensive. Mom found she had a long weekend available so she took advantage of the time and took the Greyhound to visit Elizabeth in Maxwell. Elizabeth’s husband, Manuel, answered the phone when Mom called from the Maxwell bus stop, and when he picked her up he explained Elizabeth was out for the weekend visiting a relative.

Mom spent the weekend at the farm with Manuel and the kids and on Monday morning when she was getting ready to enter the Greyhound, Elizabeth stepped down. Aunt Anna MUST have been right! I can only imagine Manuel, who always tried to avoid even the appearance of evil, was in high blush. But, Ooooooh, did Frankie have a field day with that one! Not long afterward Frank gave Mom a warm peck on the cheek, sat her down in the kitchen, and solemnly told her not to worry, that bad talk has always existed and there’s no stopping it. And he handed her dixie cupful of latex fingers.

Ever since we moved to the South Valley when I was 2 years old I have been in the shadow of the Baca family because they have always been a force in the community. ...

Their brother, Father Paul B., is also here. Father has had a significant impact on our family... Father has consented to say a few words about our mother and to bless the table before we begin our meal. Please welcome Father Paul B.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Happy 'O Day!

I think the Irish woman was freed from slavery by bingo .... They can go out now, dressed up, with their handbags and have a drink and play bingo. And they deserve it."John B. Keane

St. Patrick's Day is big around here. Today is Aunt Patsy's birthday; Yes, she would have been named for the saint had been born a boy. Since she usually spends the day breakfasting/lunching/bingoing/dinnering/more bingoing with her friends on her special day (free bingo for birthday boys and girls at the casino), we celebrated last weekend.

Happy birthday, Aunt Patsy!