Mini Road Trip

Last weekend Jeff and I took a road trip
just the two of us no teenagers we took the
back country roads and ended up in Solvang
a fun little Danish town that we had visited plenty
of times in our younger years. it was the same yet
different. then we drove up the coast and ended
up staying in a hotel near Disney Land we did not
go to Disney land. we went out to dinner at one of
our favorite old southern eateries called Po' Folks
they make really awesome sweet tea! and after dinner
we strolled around found a little bar in one of the hotel's
and had a nightcap. it was kind of fun doing something
we haven't done in a very long time.

On Sunday we got up and went to one of my favorite
places we went to the swap meet it was unsually hot
there in the Orange County area and we were doing
our best to enjoy the swap meet with out dying from heat
exposure!!! after the swap meet we decided to call my sis
and surprise her, so we stopped at her house and ended
up visiting and having lunch for a few hours it was great
to spend time with them.

then we headed for home and on our way taking our time
we stopped at my husband's old homestead checked out
the old house and neighborhood it was the same yet very
different and we took a break and ended up at one of the
new mall's there it was a blast then headed on our road trip
once more and stopped at a quaint little BBQ joint in a town
called Buttonwillow .
we arrived home Sunday evening about 10:00 pm
and found the kids and house in tact. we were in constant
touch with the kids and they were fine.

we plan on taking more of these little weekend road trips
in the future.

A blonde thing

When I was little I always wanted to have
pretty blond hair( not as blond as the play wig)
so my mother bought me
a play wig for Christmas one year and when
I played make believe I would always wear it
I have always been dark haired and when I got
older I experimented with hair colors like Auburn
but that did not work so I began to put highlights in my hair
to this day I have my hair highlighted on a regular basis.
I like having blond highlights in my hair and to my surprise
I can wear it pretty well.

I am not quite ready to let it all go gray I think
I have a few more good years before I let that happen!!!

special ladies

above photo of my godmother, cele, and Mrs. Dando

I have known these three ladies most of my life
and came across this photo so thought I would do
a little blog about them,
they were always good to me two of them Cele, Mrs. Dando
are deceased and my godmother is still living I don't get to
see her often as she travels to her daughter's quite often
I think eventually she will move there to be close to her
which is a good thing. My godmother and Cele were sisters
and also my mother's cousins. I used to remember picking
blackberries at Cele's house when we visited her.
Mrs. Dando became a family friend to Mary and all of us
she had the most contagious laugh and twinkle in her eyes
she adored my little boy because of the way his name is
spelled and informed me that was the Scottish spelling.
in Scotland and Germany it is pronounced (KEEL) we just
pronounce it like the American version which is Kyle
even though we spell it differently.

I learned a lot from these women and I am
glad that I got to know them.

Daddy

This is me and my Daddy it is the only photo I have of
him and me alone. I won't repeat what I have already said
about my Daddy how he loved my Mom but I wanted to express
my memories and feelings about him.

Roberto

in his younger years he was a very handsome man
with piercing blue eyes and gorgeous red hair
( his ancestors decenseded from Spain.)

when I was born My father was in his 60's when I was
16 he passed at the age of 82! I said it before those
baby blues of his would get a smile out of anyone.
he was a family man through and through with mainly
daughters he did have three son's with my mother and
a son with his first wife whom he never got to know.

I think that is why he was such a family man
he was strict and when angry he meant business
but( he knew when my mom meant business too!)
he was also full of love. he did not speak
a whole lot of English he understood and spoke enough
with me to get by but stuck
with Spanish. to bad for me that somehow I
did not become fluent in speaking spanish
I can understand but can not think fast enough
to converse.

as stated before he enjoyed all his grandchildren
and would spoil them rotten. that was his job
speaking of jobs he worked for many years as a
coal miner and then in a plant nursery.

he had a very good "green thumb" and his vegetable
and rose garden would thrive with beautiful colors.

I remember he used to have this little dance
he would do kind of a jig of sorts and laugh/twinkle in his
eyes as he would dance those little steps ( looking back
kinda reminded me of a leperchaun jig!)

anyway, I miss my Daddy, he was there for
my siblings when important events occurred.
upon his passing he would never see me graduate
from high school, walk me down the isle, get to know
my children. but I learned at a very young age
that he his with me, always by thinking about him
remincising about my memories with him, and
I feel his presence when I think of those times
and some may think I am Loco as daddy would say
but I sometimes find myself talking out loud to him
as if he is listening and hearing me. ( maybe he his)
funny, because after I do talk out loud I somehow feel
a sense of contentment in my heart.

Whining

This past three days at work this is all I have been
hearing from parents and teachers calling in at work
with "whining complaints" and when I came home
I decided that I would take a photo of this old sign
I have hanging in my computer room.

I sat there staring at it thinking people
whine about something on a daily basis
I must admit I am guilty of it as well
then I imagined what if this were true
what if you were charged $5.oo dollars
for whining?

Jessica's family

This is my Niece Jessica and her husband Eric and
their sons Vincent and Evan.

Jessica is Angela's sister
and again we were the 3 musketeers well their aunt Kim
made the 4th musketeer when we were young gals growing up.
as stated in my last blog when the girls parents divorced
it was hard for me. over the years I have managed to have
a great relationship with Jessica. both girls have so much of
their father my brother Peter in them ( must be a Garcia ) thing!
anyway, Jessica has a bit of Bohemian free spirit like her aunt Jeanne
and classic artsy spirit like her aunt Eva. she has a sense of fashion
that is all her own and a passion that is like no
other and I learn a great deal from her every time we talk on the phone.

I hope to develop a closer relationship to her family as well and get to know
her two adorable little boys. we talked last Saturday and bless Jessica's heart
she is trying to help me find a way we can make a tamale at Christmas time
that our Mary can have ( with less/no fat) we will see what we can come up with !!

again, I am blessed these gals are in my life and that I am related to them
but also that I am their friend and I hope that they will feel the same way
about me.

So to my lovely Jessica if you are reading this
I send great love to you
always

Angela's family

My niece Angela, her husband Charlie and their children
Rob and Diandra

This is the only family photo I have of my niece Angela
and her family this was taken at Diandra's high school
graduation.
As kids we were friends/not just Aunt and Nieces.
Angela, her sister Jessica and I we were close then we grew apart
because of circumstances beyond our control and even
though we seen each other from time to time I felt like it was different
like we knew each other just cause we were family.

I was saddened by it for a very long time,
it was not anyone's fault that is just something that happens when
a divorce takes place. but to me it always felt like when her parents got divorced
it was like divorcing the family too in a strange way. though that was not the case at all.

I would have loved to have been in her life more and
had a closer relationship to her and her family. I was lucky to
be able to develop that a bit with her son Rob,when he graduated
and I love him so that we talk by emails and I am so proud of him
today is his birthday and I hope somehow he has a happy one as best as he
can being in Kuwait serving his country.
I know he will feel the love of wishes and prayers
for a blessed birthday and his safe return home. blessings
do happen and Lately Angela and I have begun to rekindle our relationship
and I am also getting to develop a relationship with Diandra as well.

I hope this continues and grows. I know the bond will remain in my heart
forever.I love her and her family and look forward to having
a closer relationship with them and maybe visiting
or spending more time together. I hope she knows that I am always
here for her and her family.

she and her family will always be apart of my life and I thank
the Lord for that blessing.
so to my dear niece if your reading this I say
with heartfelt joy
I Love YOU

Kisses and Hugs
always