December Birthday

Tomorrow my nephew turns seven and all he wanted for his birthday was a fiesta.  He made a list of the guests he wanted to invite, chose a football theme, decided that he wanted a bounce house, to play freeze tag and to perform some of his piano songs at his birthday party.  My sister and I worked diligently following his instructions to the nose, but on the day of the party - God decided to water the plants and it rained like crazy.  The bounce house rental called to inform us that due the rain they would not be able to bring the bounce house after all.  Breaking the news to my kiddo was difficult, but surprisingly he didn’t cry - he just looked out the window and wished it would stop raining.  At which moment I told him it was time for prayer.  He looked confused, “but tia the clouds is what creates rain not God what good will it do to pray.”  After I explained that God controlled the clouds because He created them, he looked at me and said, “God, please kick the clouds to another place and clear the sky.”  He really has a way with words and no one needed to tell him to be specific in his prayers (smile).  And of course, the sky cleared soon after that!

Football Theme Birthday Party

Had to improvise- decorating cake pops instead of bounce house.

It wouldn't be a Mexican Party without a piñata

My nephew has been a blessing from the moment we found out my sister was pregnant.  She and her husband had been trying to conceive for a couple years unsuccessfully, and a few months after my brother died we found out that she was with child.  God really has perfect timing, because the announcement of my nephew's arrival gave my family (specifically my mom) the biggest reason to go on.  We had something wonderful to focus on instead of the loss.  He’s the only grandchild (other than Dollar), the only son (to my sis & her husband) and the only biological nephew that I have.  And life since his birth has been a million times more joyful and prosperous. Happy Birthday my love.

Opening presents (Dollar is smiling at the corner)

Make a birthday wish...

Mi Familia

'Tis the Season to Count Your Blessings

The Celebration Begins...

'Tis the season for celebrations, on Friday we had our annual Christmas Work Party at the Fairmont Hotel in Newport Beach.  I’ve been with my company for about four years now and I look forward to the big bash that our company’s president prides in throwing every December…  This has been the first job that I have managed to hold onto after my mental breakdown.  Following a year of healing and unemployment I prayed daily for God to make me well enough to work again.  At the time, confidence in myself was very low and I remember asking God for any job even if I had to earn minimum wage and my Master’s degree went to waste.  During that period, a priest advised me to be very specific in my prayer life. So, I asked God for a job where my boss would be understanding of my need to leave work for therapy and doctor appointments, someone who would be patient with my insecurity and help build me up, I mentioned the salary that I was hoping to make and that I wanted the job before the end of the year.  I prayed for a whole year this prayer at times I doubted, cried, became discouraged, angry- but I was at my lowest and all I had was God, so I pressed on.  On December thirty-first (the last day of the year, the last day God had to grant my wish) I got hired by my current company making the EXACT salary that I had been asking Him for and my boss was a good Christian woman (Praise Jesus)!  Prayer moves mountains for real I couldn’t believe that my very specific prayer had been answered very specifically! 

One-Hour Cocktail party...

Mix and mingle...

 Dinner & Dessert...

Since then, I have been built up and I have been slowly climbing the employment ladder - while I don’t see myself doing this type of work for the rest of my life, my job has been a major blessing in countless ways.  Thus, every December when I attend the party, I toast to my loving God for my sanity and my employment is tangible evidence that God listens and provides.  

 Entertainment included the next Michael Bublé

Having fun in the photo booth, dancing and spending time with friends.

The celebration always begins with an hour cocktail mixer with entertainment. This year we had a juggling, unicycle, circus performer; a caricatures artist and a photo booth.  During dinner we had raffles and according to the president of our company the next Michael Bublé was hired to sing to us.  We closed the night with a little dancing.  Over all, I had a swell time!

Best Friends Christmas Potluck

Snaps of the night...

I’ve talked about how as adults we have the power to create the lives that we always dreamed about.  We have the power to let people in or keep people out… The power to begin traditions, keep old ones or a little of both.  For some years now my bestest friends & I started a Christmas Potluck tradition, where we gather together during one night in December and we all bring a dish to share, we rotate homes and hostess’ every year to even things out.  This year my naughty (she wore a red shirt with that word on it for the holiday night) & her sister opened their home to us and they did a marvelous job! Thank you my lovelies!  

The Pioneers of the Friends Christmas Pot-luck Tradition

The Hostess with the mostess...

Cheers!

En familia...

Happiness is having friends...

Over the years our group has grown- we might need to look into renting a hall soon (smile)- and every year the new additions make the event even more spectacular and special!  Three of us are the pioneers who began the tradition, and back then we would swap gifts, stories, food and most importantly come together as a family to celebrate such a special month and Christmas holiday.  The same premise continues: we share a yummy meal, catch-up, celebrate, create family but now we buy gifts for the kids only!  The opening gifts celebration is perhaps the most joyful part of the night, to see the kids getting so excited and to realize that we have successfully created a safe haven for them and an environment that we all wished for as children is richly overwhelming and utterly satisfying.

Miss Santa...

Openning gifts...

And more gifts

Someone had too much wine LOL

The growing family!

Cutie pies having fun!

The rest of the gang...

Of course the night is also full of fun adult moments too - like the men being the designated drivers and the women being allowed to drink a glass or more of wine to honor the bond that has been constructed over almost two decades of amistad.  The sharing of laughter and silliness – what a special night it was!  Happy December, I challenge you to start your own traditions and to fill your life with only goodness, hope, and love.  Happy Almost birthday Jesus! 

Mi familia. 

Four Novenas

I have been praying for you, from the moment God told me that I am part of two.  Wonder if we already met, if you are at this moment making your way to me.  I hope you are…  I feel you getting closer.  In the meantime I am exploring the deep reaches of my heart, healing all the wounds, releasing that which stands in our way and preparing for your arrival… This week I will complete my fourth Novena for my future husband – which means that for the past 36 days I have been setting time aside to pray for my soulmate and uniting in prayer with Saint Joseph, Saint Rafael, Saint Anne & Saint Valentine (smile). 

Someone wants a daddy... LOL

It all began one morning last month when I jokingly asked my mom to pray a novena so that I would find my future husband soon, and she burst out laughing.   I guess that’s what I get for always joking around- no one takes me seriously (wink).  So, the following day to express my sincerity for the favor asked, I showed mom my printed Saint Joseph Novena guide, and she laughed again!  Though, I was only going to do the one novena, friends started telling me of other saints that have prayers for “future husbands” and I am on my fourth!  Though, I began this exercise in fun – it has become such an integral part of my day.  Jane Austen very cleverly put it, “we are all fools in love,” - I find it rather romantic to pray for my one-and-only because he exists somewhere in the confinement of this planet and he is on his way, on his way since the beginning… My name written across his heart... AWW!

I was discussing my prayer adventure with a close friend who expressed her lack of understanding in regards to novenas and I am no expert, but this is what I have learnt in my short experience of prayer.  From the novena to Saint Joseph- I got to walk alongside Joseph and study his character, his love for Mary, his dedication to young Jesus and his strong faith in God. I closed the nine day prayer with a better comprehension of who Jesus’ earthly father was and witnessed the selfless love with which he loved.  I want to love like that one day (aww).  My last novena, the one to Saint Valentine has been the most romantic - in the prayer I ask God to prepare me for my spouse and to assist me in my efforts.  It’s always so nice to get God involved!  From all four I have learned to love in a way that wants the best for my beloved – and to enjoy my singleness as a time of preparation.  To be patient and wait on Him… I found some mistletoe today so if you guys see my man out there, with my name written across his heart, send him our way (wink). 

We Come in a Two-for-One deal!

Advent Traditions

Advent is a time of hopeful waiting… This year on December first we (Catholics) started a period of expectant waiting for the birth of Jesus that lasts until Christmas Day.  During this period, while people rush to the stores for presents, attend Christmas parties, hang lights, decorate trees, bake cookies, mail out cards- occupy their days with millions of outward signs of “Christmas” in my home we work at getting our hearts ready to Celebrate Jesus’ happy birthday.  We toil at remembering why we follow all those fun holiday traditions and work at not leaving out the guest of honor, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - on His big day.

 My Advent Wreath (3 Purple candles, 1 Pink, 1 white)

What God Wants for Christmas Book & Gift Boxes

One of the neat Catholic traditions that I started doing at my home a few years back was the Advent Wreath.  On the center of my dinning room table, during the Christmas season, an evergreen wreath with five candles decorates the center.  This multi-purpose decoration serves to add Christmas cheer, but more importantly to unite the family on Sundays’ for family scripture reading accompanied by a short prayer.  The wreath is a church tradition used to symbolize the passing of the four weeks of Advent. Every Sunday one of the 5 candles gets lit successively for four weeks until on Christmas Day all five are lit – the fifth one representing the light of Jesus. In all simplicity, the wreath functions like a spiritual countdown to Christmas Day.

 What God Wants for Christmas building the Nativity

 I have a collection of Nativities

Having a six-year-old nephew, I always look for ways to teach him about our Catholic Culture in an age appropriate way.  Two years ago, I found a really neat book, What God Wants for Christmas, that tells the Christmas story using little gift boxes.  Each gift box contains a human character that helps create a nativity.  For example, the first page contains the story of the Angel Gabriel and how God chose him to be his messenger (Luke 1:26), after reading the first page my nephew opens gift box number one to find a small angel that is part of the manger scene.  He places the angel in its proper place on the nativity and we continue to the next page, until we reach gift number seven, the best surprise, what God wants for Christmas.  This has helped him understand that gift giving started with Papi Dios and that Saint Nicolas is only one of God’s instruments. 
   

Santa Kneeling in front of baby Jesus.

In the Spirit of Christmas

The artist in front of his masterpiece!

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving, in my house tradition has it that on that festivity we decorate our house for Christmas.  My brother (in heaven) and I started the tradition- for many years it was just the two-of-us putting up the lights, adorning the tree and the decorating the rest of the house.  The Christmas after he died I decided to continue the tradition, knowing he would have liked me to.  Like always, God provides, a couple years ago my nephew grew-up tall enough to start helping and now there's a new power decorating duo (smile).  

Stockings hung...

Nativity in every room...

The Decorating Duo

This year I purchased my first light-up-outdoor nativity which I am super excited about! After looking for it at my local stores for the past couple of years and never finding one- I gave up and bought it online.  It was promptly delivered to my house and I became so enthusiastic about it that this year I recruited all of my family to help decorate.  Before & after we ate a satisfying meal we worked off the calories transforming my home into a Christmas haven.

Snoopy homage...

Outdoor Nativity... And Tigger on demand by nephew...

Christomas wreath & outside lights 

Exhausted furry supervisor...

For a few years now we have celebrated Thanksgiving – just the immediate family.  It’s quiet and intimate.  Though, my extended family is very large and once long ago we all would get together for the holidays - as we grew up and our family multiplied and spread - it became too difficult to come together.  I like the intimacy of our small group it gives us the opportunity to do things that with a big crowd would be difficult to do, like our annual Thanksgiving toast.  We all get a glass with champagne and we go around the table giving a thank you cheer to God for the things that each of us are thankful for, then we hug and eat (yum).  It’s a simple and heartfelt day.    
   

Mommy & I

Penny & Dollar

My Feliz Cumpleaños

I have so much to catch-up on, am going to work my way backward.  On Saturday, I celebrated my happy birthday and it was a day of blessing after blessing. In the morning, I woke up to my nephew serenading me with his latest learnt song on the piano, “Happy Birthday.”  Then my sister put “Mirando al Cielo” (from the new banda cd my brother-in-law gave me for my birthday) and my nephew asked me to dance.  We dance our first dance ever around the kitchen floor -he’s going be such a ladies man!  After that we went to Park Bench Café for breakfast- the pet friendly café is located outside in Central Park.  So, after a yummy breakfast with my family (Dollar included) we went for a walk.

Celebrating with my family...

Cake & Drinks

Some of the 80's outfits

There’s a saying that states something to the effect that you can’t choose your family- but when it comes to friends those are left to your selection.  In my chosen family of friends, I have those who have been around since I was a little girl, high school; college, work and my most recent addition- my church buddies.  God has blessed me with women of great character who influence and challenge me to be a better version of myself- who care and love me unconditionally like sisters.  This year they dressed up in their totally, radical 80’s outfits and gave me the greatest gift – their company.  My mommies came out to the dinner portion of the night and made me feel so special by the effort it took to be present for my big day.  My single hotties dance the night away with me, designated a driver for the night, bought me birthday drinks, took silly pictures with me, and made me feel like a queen with their attentiveness. I love all my girls!   

"I want to dance with somebody...

Somebody who loves me..."

The day had its challenges like having to move the dinner venue for the twenty-five guests at the last minute to another restaurant after the one I was hoping to celebrate at told me they couldn’t accommodate us.  I whispered a prayer and God lead us to Acapulco’s where they took us in right away.  The cake I ordered, looked a lot smaller in real life than what I expected- I was afraid that it wasn’t going to feed the amount of friends that came out to celebrate with me – though God didn’t multiply it (like the loaves and fish) we had enough and plenty left over (smile).  When we made it to Hully Gully I finally relaxed and had an amazing night full of happy moments and a lot of dancing with all my best friends!  Gracias Diosito for another splendid year of life and another enjoyable birthday celebration.

Material Girls!

Happy Birthday to me :o)