Happy Independence Day!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE fireworks. I always have. Besides Christmas I think the 4^th of July is my favorite holiday. I love the patriotism (even if it’s just for one day) and I love all the people that get together for the festivities. I also love that it’s in the summer. 

When I was little 4^th of July was mostly going to the local college(s) to see the fireworks display they sponsored. I don’t remember ever having burgers and hot dogs for the holiday, but it’s what I’ve always wanted. The past couple of years I’ve done it with Thomas at his parents’ house. Actually, as I think about it I think once or twice I spent the holiday with my sister and her husband (when I was a pre-teen) and I think they grilled up some burgers. I’ll have to ask them. 

I want the 4^th of July to be “my” holiday. Christmas is taken by Thomas’ family and mine as well, so I want a holiday that people can come celebrate at my home. 

Unfortunately because of the wedding, honeymoon, and Thomas traveling in the past months we were unable to get things together enough to do anything this year. 

Next year, however, I will hold a party at our place. Well, maybe not in our home itself, but in the rec room that belongs to our building. There is a pool there and we can bring the grill (that we have yet to buy) there and grill up some burgers and hot dogs and corn on the cob as well. Actually I may do this this year, just not for the 4^th. 

In my mind these grill-outs will be at about 1pm so that we have enough time to cook, chill, swim, talk, and then clean up to head out to a park or wherever the fireworks will be. 

The last several years I've gone to a local show that puts on a pretty awesome 30-60 minute show. Before hand it's like a small fair with some activities, a concert, and lots of food options. 

This is from 2012, our first 4th of July together. I look so different with dark long hair! 

This is from 2013. We aren't very original when it comes to poses or t-shirts, I guess! 

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TBT: Favorite Vacation

I don't remember specific vacations, at least not in the way I see family vacations on TV. When my siblings were little in Argentina my parents took them on family vacations to Brazil another areas. By the time I was old enough to remember family vacations my entire family wasn't together. 

I was two when my sister left for college and three when my brother left. My other sister was on dialysis so we couldn't go far. After my sister received her transplant in 1987 we did take some trips to the Grand Canyon, Vegas, Baja California and up to the Bay Area. 

In 1991, ten years after my family came to the US, my mom took me and my brother back to Argentina. My brother was 21 and I was 7 at the time. 

This would become my most memorable family vacation I got to really meet my grandma and all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins - which I have a lot of!

In additional to getting to know all of these people we got to spend Christmas at my grandmother's house out of all my trips this one I remember the most.

Later that trip we went to Bariloche (the same place I went on my honeymoon), Mar del Plata and to the beach as well as other cities. 

Can you spot me? This is a hotel my grandparents vacationed in. I took a picture there with Thomas as Well! 

Bariloche, Argentina - 1991/1992

This is in front of "El Abuelo" - a very oooollld tree. It died a few years ago.

This is our classic family picture. Except for the two youngest grandchildren, all of us have a picture in front of this tree. Thomas included!

I had a great time and so thankful that my mom took me!

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Throwback Thursday: Picky Eater

I really had to ask my mom about this. I don’t remember being a picky eater. My memory of myself is of what an easy, adoring, loving child I was. My parents and siblings, of course, may remember this a bit differently. 

My mom says I was like any other kid and loved Macaroni & Cheese. She remembers that I didn’t eat everything but she didn’t have any trouble in feeding me. 

My mom reminded me that when my dad made the “asado” on Saturday nights I would put on my yellow shirt to match my dad’s grilling shirt, and I would sit outside or by the door and my dad would feed me directly from the grill. I think it was just the juice that would be on the plate that he would feed me via a piece of bread. 

You can see me looking out of the corner of my eye!

This is in 1988 (I was about 4) with my sister, Gabriela.

I’m a picky eater now, though. At least that’s what people around me tell me. Mostly it’s because I don’t like Mexican food and to them this makes me weird. 

However, I do think I have an issue with textures. For example I generally don’t like beans of any kind, cooked in any way. I don’t like things that are too greasy, either.

I think this is because I was raised with foods that were generally Argentinean in nature. This included: milanesa’s (although fried, very dry not dripping oil), empanadas, grilled beef (no sauce – generally just salt), and pasta. As I grew older my interests in food increased as well, but I’ve stuck to some of the basic ideas that I grew up with and am used to (as far as greasiness goes anyway)

Throwback Thursday - Grandparent Edition

I wanted to be ahead of the game this week so I texted Amanda Nicole for the topic which was then decided to be about memories with grandparents.

One of the bad parts of being born to older parents (my mom was 40 and my dad 50 when I was born) is that it makes it less likely to have living grandparents, which was the case with me.

I was born in the US while my entire family was from Argentina (although my paternal grandmother was from the US as well). Both paternal grandparents had passed away prior to my birthday (one 20 years prior, the other only 6 years or so) and my maternal grandfather had passed away several years prior to my birth as well.

That left my maternal grandmother. Zuni came to the states when I was born.

December 1984 - Los Angeles, CA 

My mom took me to Argentina to meet my grandma and many other relatives when I was 7 (1991/1992) and then 3 more times in the mid-90’s.  I spent a lot of time with my grandmother during these trips, especially the last 3. My grandmother was in her 80’s by this point and our visits consisted of watching TV, talking, and going out for ice cream.

In 1995 my grandmother was living in a home and I remember visiting her along with my mom and sister (the one who passed away) and walking down the block to an ice cream shop. The traffic in Argentina is pretty bad, and I remember having to make my old grandma do some quick walking to get to the other side of the avenue.

With my sister and grandma - enjoying a dulce de leche ice cream. I wish they were available in the states! 

Another memory I have is going to the party room in the home she was in and drinking mate along with a couple of her friends in the home. We would go to Argentina during their winter, so the mate kept us nice and warm.

Taking notes from her.

I spent some time interviewing my grandma about her childhood and her children. I have it in a notebook somewhere. There was another time in which my mom interviewed my grandma and we taped it. I am not sure where the tape is, but I hope I can find it (I am hoping to transfer all my VHS to digital soon).

A memory that makes me laugh is when, during our first trip in 1991, my mom and grandma were lying in bed watching TV my mom lifted her leg. My grandma scolded her and told her to put it down… so that the people on the TV wouldn’t see up her dress. It still brings a giggle to me and my mom to think about it.

Of course I have many other memories with my grandma, which I’ll save for another day.

My grandma passed away in 1998 at the age of 87. I had seen her last 2 years before.

Graduation - Throwback Thursday

This week's topic is Graduation (very timely, Amanda Nicole!). 

I'm still in the midst of moving/unpacking/organizing my life house, so I don't have pictures, but I thought I'd still join in and share some memories. 

Kindergarten: None. At least I have no recollection of one nor are there any pictures. 

However, on Tuesday it was my nephew's kindergarten graduation and I do have pictures of that!  My nephew, Jonathan, is an awesome almost 6 year old. When he started pre-school when he was 4 he had very little in the way of attention span. His pre-school teacher (which we grew to really really despise) referred him to be evaluated by Los Angeles Unified to see if he was autistic or had any other "disability". 

LAUSD evaluated him and determined that they would give Jonathan services under the autism spectrum. In order for him to be diagnosed officially he would have to be taken to the Regional Center, which we never did. That didn't affect LAUSD's services to him. 

For the last 2-3 months of pre-school Jonathan was placed in a special education pre-school within LAUSD (his first preschool was a private one not associated with the district). This preschool and the teacher were amazing. Jonathan blossomed and grew incredibly. 

After pre-school he was mainstreamed into a regular Kindergarten. I made sure that he was placed with the same teacher his sister had years before because I knew she was the best person to help guide him into school (as well as, you know, teach him). 

Jonathan has done so well in kindergarten! We are so proud of him. Here are some pictures from graduation:

I was blowing kisses to Jonathan, and he was imitating everything I did. Same for the next picture. 

This is Jonathan with his best friend and his friends' sister. 

He looked so dapper! 

Middle School: I did have an 8th grade graduation. I wore a red dress with hearts on it (all like a velvet material). Our homeroom teacher, Ms. Wormell presented us with our diplomas as we walked across the stage. The school sold balloons and my mom bought me some, but beyond that I don't remember much. 

High School: It's been 12 years, but I somewhat remember this graduation. Ms. Wormell had retired by this point, instead we had Mr. Johnson, whom I butted heads with often - he did get my name right, though. I don't remember what I wore to this graduation, but I do have some memories. My eldest niece was just a couple of months old and my sister and husband came down from San Francisco to be there for me. My best friends' (at the time) brother bought us each a pink lei. and after the ceremony (which included beach ball throwing) we went to lunch at Macaroni Grill. 

That very night we had our grad night which is (traditionally, in SoCal) at Disneyland. We get there around 10pm and stay until 5 in the morning (or so). That was a great night. Maybe I'll make a post about just that another day. 

Maybe one of these days I'll have pictures! 

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TBT (on Friday): Siblings

I am the waaaayyy youngest of 4 children. I have 3 siblings – 45, 43, and 42 years of age.

The big age difference between us (I’m 29!) made it so that I didn’t really grow up with them. By the time I was only 2 or 3 my eldest sister and brother had moved 5-6 driving hours away to go to UC Berkeley.  Gabriela, the youngest of the three, was the sibling I spent most of my time with – still she is 12 years older than me. She was very good to me when I was little. She played with me and took care of me. I’ll always be grateful for that. Especially as I think back on it these days…

I’m told, though I don’t remember, that my eldest sister, Margarita, did move back home temporarily after college. My brother, David “Ramon”, also moved back (permanently) and he has become the sibling I am closest to. To this day we speak on an almost daily basis and generally e-mail back and forth during the work week.

When I was 8 my sister got married to Mike – who has become as close to me as a sibling could be, so in general I leave out the “in-law” part from his name. From the time they got married until very recently (when I ran out of summer vacations) I spent a week or two visiting them in Northern California. It was almost like I was their child and they spoiled me with trips I will never forget.

I don’t have my wedding pictures back yet, so here is the newest picture I have of the three of us (my other sister is not generally in photographs).

Here is my brother (in-law, Mike) at my wedding – this is a perfect example of his personality.

We might have a large difference in age, but I love my siblings dearly.

Throwback Thursday: I wanted to be....

I almost skipped this week’s prompt – only because I haven’t been able to catch up on my life and not doing it seemed a lot easier than sitting down and actually thinking about it.  However, as I sat at work Thursday I thought about it and decided that late will be better than never and this one is close to my heart these days.

Many of you will know, from previous posts, that my sister is currently in the ICU at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She is not doing too well at the moment due to intestinal issues. But before she had intestinal problems she had chronic kidney problems. My sister got sick at 9 months and has had 3 transplants in her 42 years of life. I was born when she was 12 ½ years old, and 3 years before she got her 2^nd transplant.

Because I grew up around hospitals and doctors there was only one thing that I wanted to be when I grew up: a “kidney doctor” so I could cure my sister. This is actually written somewhere, in some book, by my mom. Now I know they are called “nephrologists” but back then I simply saw them as “kidney doctors”.

Unfortunately I was never smart enough to be a doctor, not even close, but luckily my sister has had some of the best doctors out there and kidney-wise is doing perfectly, after receiving a 3^rd kidney in 2006 (19 years after the 2^nd one). If I were little now I would probably want to be a surgeon that could take care of my sister’s intestinal hole.

Instead of being a doctor I got a degree in Journalism and then a teaching credential. I am doing neither, instead I am working the public sector as what is basically a social worker (but not nearly as nice). I love my job, though, so it worked out in the end.

Throwback Thursday: First Kiss

(and ON Thursday this time!)

While you are reading this… I’m getting ready for my wedding! (Have I spoken too much about my wedding?).

Today’s topic is First Kiss. I remember mine… and then being told how to be a better kisser. But it was done in a good way.

I didn’t go on my first date (and have my first kiss) until I was well past my 21^st birthday. I was the opposite of a social butterfly in high school (and now) mostly due to my social anxieties. But I finally got my courage up and began using dating sites (including Craigslist!). I met Aaron on the latter and after chatting online and over the phone for a while, we finally set a date to see a movie and walk around IKEA. (Yes, I know. Ikea. Don’t judge.)

I can’t quite remember the movie right now… I think it had Jim Carrey in it possibly. But it was in the midst of the movie that he leaned in for that first kiss. Not as romantic as some, I imagine. I’m not sure if I asked him how I did, but I’m pretty sure I had told him that I had never been on a date before or kissed anyone. He was great about all of it. He was sweet and gentle and very nice with me. I think he made my entering into the dating game much easier than if I had gone out with others (and I went on A LOT of dates in my lifetime, thank GOD that is over with!).

I’m glad my last kisses will be with Thomas, though. His still make my heart melt, especially when he initiates them.  

Throwback Thursday!

Today I'm Linking Up with Amanda Nicole for Throwback Thursdays!

As many of you know I will be moving in… 38 days! This means that my mom has happily began the process of going through the entire house packing everything that belongs to me. While cleaning out a bookcase that she is going to give to me (something sweet of her because it was a book case that she has in use!) she found a notebook that she and my sister kept when I was little.

I’ve seen this book many times before but I never noticed a couple of papers that were taped to the cover. The first one I noticed was my mom’s pregnancy verification. In my line of work I have to ask women who report their pregnancy to submit this same document that my mom got at Planned Parenthood 30 years ago.

It was very weird to see this, but very cool at the same time. It is also weird because I had to go to that same Planned Parenthood a few years ago when I was uninsured (for a pap, FYI). 

Also in the book there was the card that is placed on the crib:

It also included a cute picture of me when I was a baby (but what picture of mine isn't cute?):

In a previous post I spoke about liking my cheeks - well here is a great example of my squeezable cheeks! Looks at those!