Well we are home safe and sound now.. Getting back to the routine and daily hustle and bustle. It took us three full days of driving, fifteen hours a day morning to night, but it was actually a fun adventure. Not dangerous as I had pictured and actually not too tiring. Even Giselley belly did great.. She just cruised in her car seat most of the time.
It is nice to be home, very nice. Being away gave me a fresh perspective on my home and my country. I appreciate all of the things I took for granted so much more now. When I left for this trip I knew it would be growthful and that I would learn alot. What I didn't realize is that I would be learning more about myself than others or a new place. I learned where my strenths and weaknesses are when being thrust into a new environment with new people. Before I thought, "Man, I am a world traveler. That is my path." ;) Well actually, yes and no. I do like being in a new place, with different culture and all that. But I don't like living cramped or 'roughing it' as much as I thought I might. I like comfort. No suprise, I think every human does. But take me out of my comfort zone and I'm a little more edgy than I would sometimes like to admit. And that's okay. It's no judgement on me, it's a recognition. And a bit humorous.
I also learned alot about boundaries. I learned that I was blessed with a good amount of patience, but also with a strong will and intuition. And as much as I respect different paths and traditions of life, I respect my own. I am not closed to learning, I am open. I desire to learn and enjoy to learn. But in respecting others I also expect the same respect for myself. Maybe this is where unconditional love comes in, or unconditional acceptance. To respect someone even though they might not know how to give you the same kind of respect. I realize that. But as a woman and as a mother I also feel strong about how my family is shaped and the underlying, subconscious messages that we pass to eachother throughout our lives and relationships. I want my daughter to spread her wings as fly as she grows into her own person because we loved her so much and gave her the encouragement and tools that she needed to be independently marvelous. I want my husband and I to continue to nurish and grow our love, strength and commitment in this union through our affection, respect and adoration of eachother. Each person and each family has beautiful and strong qualities and those are the one's that I want to focus on and grow within myself and my family. The other qualities that don't suit me or do me any good I wish to realize, accept and lovingly release into the ethers, because I don't need them around.
So in bringing together hearts, minds and very different cultures I am finding a balance that I'm sure every merging couple experiences. As a mother, everyday, I am learning to trust myself, to take suggestion as it comes with a grain of salt, and to laugh as much as possible. Because if I don't laugh I might just cry :) Kind of tired these days.. But I'll leave all those details for my mama blog :) The important thing is that we are surrounded by family and friends who love us. And although they may all show it in different ways, that is what makes the beautiful fabric of life. And for this I am thankful. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Coming to a close..
Well we are about two weeks away from being in our cozy apartment in San Jose, and yes by now I am looking forward to that! This has been a wonderful trip. Finally meeting Marcos´ family and being able to experience his roots first hand. To drive the streets he´s driven a thousand times over and see the schools that he attended. More than that, to hear the stories of how he was as a child. (Funny enough he was a little like me, kind of cried and pouted alot :) I was able to meet some of his closest friends, spend alot of time with his sisters, nieces and nephews and parents, god parents and friends of the family.. In fact we had a beautiful dinner with a couple who are good friends of 40 plus years to his parents.. The wife comes from Italian descent and the husband is practically Italian by association.. Apparently there is a town near Cordoba with practically all Italian descent, it was her grandmother who was born in Italy.. After dinner the husband shared poetry that he had written, talked about the little things in life that are really the most important and talked about how in love he is with his wife after 40 years of marriage saying, ´More so now than ever.´ I felt like I was in Italy listening to him talk.. He is a beautiful soul, and she too, and I had such a wonderful evening getting to know them. Marcos´ god parents, too, are very sweet.. They have also known his parents for more than 40 years and they came over for the weekend to see Marcos and meet his daughter and yours truly ;) Unfortunatly, I came down with the flu and ended up in bed all weekend. We were supposed to go to the hotsprings where I was due for a massage seeing as it was my birthday!! Yes, classic. Did I have to end up with the flu and miss out on the hot springs.. Yes Kristin Carlson, take two steps back ;) Oh well, wasn´t meant to be..
So as I am well ready to go home, I am also remembering that that means Marcos must say goodbye to his family, friends, country and language for another good chunk of time and for that I try to not be in a hurry. This has been a real trip. No sugar coating. Beautiful yes, easy, well not all the time. And that´s okay. One thing I knew as I got on the airplane to come down here was that this trip was going to be growthful for me. And it has been. It has also shown me how brave Marcos is and how much he must love me. It is not easy to be away from your family and friends, from everything you know and then throw in a language that you must learn really fast or feel like a total idiot. I told him before we came down, ¨I don´t understand why you are so afraid to speak, you know almost everything you need to say. Just wait till I am in Mexico, I will be talking away!¨ Then I got here and I was like, ¨Gulp! Uhhh, yo p-p-p-puedo t-t-tener uh una a-a-a-agua?¨ Oh really big talker? I have so much more respect for him now. The fact that he even came to the US alone, then started working. I´m kinda surprised he didn´t take the midnight train when he found out we were pregnant! (just kidding :) But really, it takes not only alot of courage but the will power to make new friends, enjoy new family and enjoy a different way of life. And I give him an A+ for all of the above.
So upon arrival to our home, things I will be thankful for are: clean streets, relatively clean water, recycling, space, English, MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS!! , my kitties who I miss so much and supposedly have been very good and patient, getting back to work, driving myself around again, going to Santa Cruz, restaurants, being my own boss, chai tea, my bath tub, our king size bed, eating Thai food, eating anything other than Mexican food, not eating tortillas for breakfast and lunch and dinner, cooking, salads, the beach the river and the mountains whenever I want, my farm visits, getting back to music, watching Giselle as she starts out on her exploration of the world seeing as she is just about to crawl and talk, go for my Sunday morning outings, and yet saving all our money so that we can come back and do it all again next year! (Hopefully with some of my friends and family to balance it out a bit ;)
I don´t know if I´ll post too much more, maybe I´ll have some great story to tell before we get back.. Well actually I´m sure I will. And the drive home will be quite a story in itself I´m sure.. But don´t worry.. We will be totally safe, surrounded by our angels.. And hopefully Giselle will be in good spirits as we make the treck back up.. She is chewing on an onion right now! Sweet little gal.. As always, we send all our love and kisses, can´t wait to see you all very soon and thank you for your love and support as we continue to make this wonderful journey!! Besos XOXOX
So as I am well ready to go home, I am also remembering that that means Marcos must say goodbye to his family, friends, country and language for another good chunk of time and for that I try to not be in a hurry. This has been a real trip. No sugar coating. Beautiful yes, easy, well not all the time. And that´s okay. One thing I knew as I got on the airplane to come down here was that this trip was going to be growthful for me. And it has been. It has also shown me how brave Marcos is and how much he must love me. It is not easy to be away from your family and friends, from everything you know and then throw in a language that you must learn really fast or feel like a total idiot. I told him before we came down, ¨I don´t understand why you are so afraid to speak, you know almost everything you need to say. Just wait till I am in Mexico, I will be talking away!¨ Then I got here and I was like, ¨Gulp! Uhhh, yo p-p-p-puedo t-t-tener uh una a-a-a-agua?¨ Oh really big talker? I have so much more respect for him now. The fact that he even came to the US alone, then started working. I´m kinda surprised he didn´t take the midnight train when he found out we were pregnant! (just kidding :) But really, it takes not only alot of courage but the will power to make new friends, enjoy new family and enjoy a different way of life. And I give him an A+ for all of the above.
So upon arrival to our home, things I will be thankful for are: clean streets, relatively clean water, recycling, space, English, MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS!! , my kitties who I miss so much and supposedly have been very good and patient, getting back to work, driving myself around again, going to Santa Cruz, restaurants, being my own boss, chai tea, my bath tub, our king size bed, eating Thai food, eating anything other than Mexican food, not eating tortillas for breakfast and lunch and dinner, cooking, salads, the beach the river and the mountains whenever I want, my farm visits, getting back to music, watching Giselle as she starts out on her exploration of the world seeing as she is just about to crawl and talk, go for my Sunday morning outings, and yet saving all our money so that we can come back and do it all again next year! (Hopefully with some of my friends and family to balance it out a bit ;)
I don´t know if I´ll post too much more, maybe I´ll have some great story to tell before we get back.. Well actually I´m sure I will. And the drive home will be quite a story in itself I´m sure.. But don´t worry.. We will be totally safe, surrounded by our angels.. And hopefully Giselle will be in good spirits as we make the treck back up.. She is chewing on an onion right now! Sweet little gal.. As always, we send all our love and kisses, can´t wait to see you all very soon and thank you for your love and support as we continue to make this wonderful journey!! Besos XOXOX
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Yes and No
As the days go by I find myself saying, ¨I definitely like this¨or ¨Nope not for me¨.. So I decided I would go through some of my funny yes and no´s..
Yes to people walking in the streets.
No to packing the car way above the alloted limit.
Yes to a favorable exchange rate.
No to cow tongue tacos.
Yes to hearty family meals everyday.
No to even more expensive gasoline.
Yes to foodstands every ten feet.
No to not wearing seatbelts.(I´ve kinda had to get strict about this one :) Safety first!
Yes to exploring the cities and neighborhoods.
No to working on vacation.. Marcos
Yes to finding all the great little shops with cheap treats.
No to talking, if they find out I´m American the price doubles!
Yes and no to a smoking volcano.. very pretty, a little nerve racking..
Yes to meeting friends and family.
Yes to pushing myself beyond comfortable limits.
No to eating at buffet restaurants.. Made Denny´s look like the Metropolitan Grill..
Yes to fully tiled bathrooms with walk in showers.
Yes and no to cement houses.. Great for the heat, a little chilly though in winter..
Yes and no to bar windows.. Gives the impression of unsafe, but actually gaurantees safety!
Yes to cobble stone streets.
No to car polution.
Yes to fruit water.. Mmmm, I love the pineapple water!
Yes to tacos arabes.. yummy, high calorie carnitas tacos, grilled to tenderness..
No to tortillas, cheese and beans everyday.. getting a little plugged up :(
Yes to the dogs in the streets.. Actually some of the happiest and smartest dogs I´ve ever seen.. The street´s their oyster!
No to toll roads.. Lots of ´em down here!
Yes to all the cute little kids walking home from school in their uniforms with their parents. (Side note: Vendors selling candy, ice cream and toys wait at the entrance of the schools for when school gets out to sell to the kids! They sure know their target audience!!)
Yes to fire blowers in the intersections, on red lights clowns, and fire blowers and jugglers perform for tips.. I saw a woman juggling with her toddler strapped in sleeping in a front pack, sweet and a little sad..
Yes to the beautiful Spanish architecture.
Yes to Giselle playing with her cousin´s.
Yes to cerveza.. Although somehow I´ve become a total light weight.. I´m about a one drink and done sort of gal these days! What?!
Yes to mamey a yummy sweet red fruit, tasting in between melon and strawberry.
No to speed bumps.. Instead of putting in stop signs Mexico decided to put more than enough speed bumps on every road, hwy, you name it.. I think they were drinking too much cerveza when they mapped out the speed bumps!
Yes and no to Spanish programming.. Funny, interesting, but very body conscious.. Although I´m sure if I was an outsider looking into American programs I would say the same thing..
Yes to Mexican laundry mat´s.. You drop your clothes off, come back four hours later and it´s folded in a bag clean and dry and waiting for you.. 7 bucks!
Yes to hand made tortillas.
Yes to fresh made sweet bread.. Been indulging in that waaaayy too much, probably not helping with my whole digestion process either..
Well, I´ll keep filling the list in as I go.. Love to you all!!
Yes to people walking in the streets.
No to packing the car way above the alloted limit.
Yes to a favorable exchange rate.
No to cow tongue tacos.
Yes to hearty family meals everyday.
No to even more expensive gasoline.
Yes to foodstands every ten feet.
No to not wearing seatbelts.(I´ve kinda had to get strict about this one :) Safety first!
Yes to exploring the cities and neighborhoods.
No to working on vacation.. Marcos
Yes to finding all the great little shops with cheap treats.
No to talking, if they find out I´m American the price doubles!
Yes and no to a smoking volcano.. very pretty, a little nerve racking..
Yes to meeting friends and family.
Yes to pushing myself beyond comfortable limits.
No to eating at buffet restaurants.. Made Denny´s look like the Metropolitan Grill..
Yes to fully tiled bathrooms with walk in showers.
Yes and no to cement houses.. Great for the heat, a little chilly though in winter..
Yes and no to bar windows.. Gives the impression of unsafe, but actually gaurantees safety!
Yes to cobble stone streets.
No to car polution.
Yes to fruit water.. Mmmm, I love the pineapple water!
Yes to tacos arabes.. yummy, high calorie carnitas tacos, grilled to tenderness..
No to tortillas, cheese and beans everyday.. getting a little plugged up :(
Yes to the dogs in the streets.. Actually some of the happiest and smartest dogs I´ve ever seen.. The street´s their oyster!
No to toll roads.. Lots of ´em down here!
Yes to all the cute little kids walking home from school in their uniforms with their parents. (Side note: Vendors selling candy, ice cream and toys wait at the entrance of the schools for when school gets out to sell to the kids! They sure know their target audience!!)
Yes to fire blowers in the intersections, on red lights clowns, and fire blowers and jugglers perform for tips.. I saw a woman juggling with her toddler strapped in sleeping in a front pack, sweet and a little sad..
Yes to the beautiful Spanish architecture.
Yes to Giselle playing with her cousin´s.
Yes to cerveza.. Although somehow I´ve become a total light weight.. I´m about a one drink and done sort of gal these days! What?!
Yes to mamey a yummy sweet red fruit, tasting in between melon and strawberry.
No to speed bumps.. Instead of putting in stop signs Mexico decided to put more than enough speed bumps on every road, hwy, you name it.. I think they were drinking too much cerveza when they mapped out the speed bumps!
Yes and no to Spanish programming.. Funny, interesting, but very body conscious.. Although I´m sure if I was an outsider looking into American programs I would say the same thing..
Yes to Mexican laundry mat´s.. You drop your clothes off, come back four hours later and it´s folded in a bag clean and dry and waiting for you.. 7 bucks!
Yes to hand made tortillas.
Yes to fresh made sweet bread.. Been indulging in that waaaayy too much, probably not helping with my whole digestion process either..
Well, I´ll keep filling the list in as I go.. Love to you all!!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A great loss
This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Mary Riedel, her boyfriend Nate Peterson and their beautiful baby girl Liliana. I recieved news on Sunday morning from my mom that late Saturday night due to Menangitis Liliana had passed away. It took her in less than twenty four hours. She was nine months old, born a month before Giselle.
I grew up with a group of about seven close girlfriends. Four of which, including myself, ended up pregnant together. Amazing but true. Our big bellies brought us together after years of not being connected. This wild journey has been even more amazing being able to share it with the ladies I love and dream about our children growing up as best friends, just as we did. I have watched my friends and I grow in amazing ways. Our hearts wide open, our wisdom and direction deepening. Being a mother has been the utmost of blessings.
A parent never, ever wants to survive their children at any time, any age. And a new mom looks out onto the world with bright eyes, a big open heart and deep contentment for the beautiful gift they posess in their arms. I know from first hand experience right now. And I think that is why this is excrutiatingly painful for me as well. My heart is in a million pieces as hour by hour I think about Mary and Nate. As I kiss Giselle and nurse her, I thank god, but am also so overwhelmed by the great loss that Mary is feeling. I feel it with her. In my Christmas album that I emailed a month back there is a picture of Mary holding Giselle and I holding little Liliana. For that visit, Liliana didn´t want anyone but her mama. I watched the two of them so in love, and this image is forever imprinted in my mind. So I wrote a poem for them. It´s is just how I feel. Not rose colored, because I can´t find the reason in this quite yet. But it is a deep connection with how I feel, and a piece of what I imagine Mary must be feeling.. Please say a prayer for them. I thank God for all of you..
In my minds eye
I think back to
a time not so far away
When a sweet baby girl
only wanted her mama
And her mama only for her
With eye brows raised
and lips closed tight
She slowly made her way through the world
But her life cut too short
For any to understand
A space no one can fill
And though they say
It is better to have loved and lost
Than not ever loved at all
I wonder if that author
ever said a short goodbye
to the one they loved the most
so as I sit in silence
As the quiet night creeps in
I say a prayer for my dear friend
in the same breath wishing
I could turn back the time
How does a mother go on
with empty arms?
Where does the strength to
take the next breath come from?
What can I do to ease even
the slightest of the pain?
I reach out my arms to you
an embrace from near and far
whisper in your ear
I am so sorry. I am so sorry.
I pray for you healing and strength
I share in your broken heart
And Liliana, in my heart will live on
for the rest of my life.
I grew up with a group of about seven close girlfriends. Four of which, including myself, ended up pregnant together. Amazing but true. Our big bellies brought us together after years of not being connected. This wild journey has been even more amazing being able to share it with the ladies I love and dream about our children growing up as best friends, just as we did. I have watched my friends and I grow in amazing ways. Our hearts wide open, our wisdom and direction deepening. Being a mother has been the utmost of blessings.
A parent never, ever wants to survive their children at any time, any age. And a new mom looks out onto the world with bright eyes, a big open heart and deep contentment for the beautiful gift they posess in their arms. I know from first hand experience right now. And I think that is why this is excrutiatingly painful for me as well. My heart is in a million pieces as hour by hour I think about Mary and Nate. As I kiss Giselle and nurse her, I thank god, but am also so overwhelmed by the great loss that Mary is feeling. I feel it with her. In my Christmas album that I emailed a month back there is a picture of Mary holding Giselle and I holding little Liliana. For that visit, Liliana didn´t want anyone but her mama. I watched the two of them so in love, and this image is forever imprinted in my mind. So I wrote a poem for them. It´s is just how I feel. Not rose colored, because I can´t find the reason in this quite yet. But it is a deep connection with how I feel, and a piece of what I imagine Mary must be feeling.. Please say a prayer for them. I thank God for all of you..
In my minds eye
I think back to
a time not so far away
When a sweet baby girl
only wanted her mama
And her mama only for her
With eye brows raised
and lips closed tight
She slowly made her way through the world
But her life cut too short
For any to understand
A space no one can fill
And though they say
It is better to have loved and lost
Than not ever loved at all
I wonder if that author
ever said a short goodbye
to the one they loved the most
so as I sit in silence
As the quiet night creeps in
I say a prayer for my dear friend
in the same breath wishing
I could turn back the time
How does a mother go on
with empty arms?
Where does the strength to
take the next breath come from?
What can I do to ease even
the slightest of the pain?
I reach out my arms to you
an embrace from near and far
whisper in your ear
I am so sorry. I am so sorry.
I pray for you healing and strength
I share in your broken heart
And Liliana, in my heart will live on
for the rest of my life.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Welcome to Puebla
Well Sunday was a wonderful day! We went to the river about 30 minutes outside of Puerto Vallarta.. It was a beautiful river. . No fish, nothing sketchy just clear, clean water.. We were swimming around, diving and we even hiked down to play in a waterfall.. Giselley was playing in the water too! She loved it, didn’t even phase her that it was mildly cold.. The drive up to the river was beautiful too.. The landscape was so lush and green, a jungle really.. On one side you have the beautiful mountainous jungle and on the other the cliffs and beaches with all of their beautiful homes.. I decided that I want a house there too ;) Then we picked up some roasted chicken from one of the local street vendors and made our way to the movies to go see the Benjamin Button movie which is now my favority movie.. It was Giselley’s first big screen, she slept a bit then woke up and started talking away.. So Marcos and I made our way to the side wings where we watched the rest of the movie rocking her to sleep.. It was such a beautiful movie, I give it a ten.. Kind of a tear jerker though. But so worth it!
On Monday we went to a beautiful beach, Marcos Giselle and I.. Where Marcos, Mr. Sunshine hid in the shade the whole time.. He has beautiful dark skin made for the sun but he hates it.. And doesn’t like to go in the water too much because he will get sticky and salty.. It’s the funniest thing, he is one of the most delicate men I’ve ever met :) And I love the sun and the water, except for the fact that I am mildly afraid of the waves.. So seeing as I had to go in by myself I stood at the edge of the waves, I totally felt like I was four years old, watching everyone else bobbing up and down in the water having the time of their lives, while I stood there toe deep. And mind you this beach was beautiful clear turquise, warm water.. The waves were big and the pull strong so I went back with my tail between my legs, “I want to go in but I’m too scared!” I whined to Marcos.. He instructed me to wait for a wave to break then run in and paddle until I was past the breaking point.. So after about ten minutes of waiting while the waves rolled up to my toes I went for it.. I ran and paddled, paddled, paddled!! And amazingly enough, I made it! It was wonderful and I was quite proud.. I floated and swam out there for a good fifteen minutes.. Well once I was out there I was like, “Okay, now how do I get back to shore?” So I paddled and rode in a big wave, then ran for my life tripping through the water with my top practically falling down and threw myself onto shore just before another big wave could crash right on my head..Whew! Made it!
Tuesday we started our trip to Puebla stopping for another night in Atenguillo with his grandma.. She got up with us at six in the morning, made us coffee and sent us off with a kiss.. The sweetest..
Wednesday made for a very long day.. It took us eightteen hours to get here.. Giselle bless her heart did amazing.. She stayed in her seat for all but two of those eightteen hours.. And hardly cried, it was absolutely unbelievable.. I am pretty sure we stopped and asked directions about 150 times.. “Puebla?!” And they’d point in one direction or the other.. We were welcomed by his mom and dad, Nena and Henry, Sister Gricelda and niece and nephew, Alejandra and Fernando.. It was two in the morning but Fernando got himself up, did his hair and dressed himself in a nice outfit to officially meet his new cousin that he had been waiting weeks to see.. Alejandra and Fernando are two of the sweetest kids.. She is 7 and he is 5.. They love to talk to Giselle and play with her.. Fernando smothers her in kisses about every thirty seconds.. It melts my heart.. We have a beautiful little room and bathroom off of the house.. So we’ve settled in, putting our clothes away and are making ourselves at home.. On the wall when I came in there was a sign that said, “Ceballos Chavez Family Give You Welcome Home”.. That was hand made by his dad :) Is that not the cutest?! They also had balloons all over the living room and kitchen.. They really had everything ready for us, and they were so proud.
I can see so much of Marcos in both of his parents.. He looks alot like his mom with his dad’s coloring.. He talks like his dad, but some of his very particular characteristics come from his mom.. His sister is very sweet and very pretty.. Both sisters.. His whole family is beautiful.. Slowly but surely we are getting to know eachother and trying to work through the language barrier conversation by conversation.. They are loving Giselle, as everyone does.. And her first tooth has officially poked it’s way through.. I can’t hardly believe it.. So now we can relax a little and ejoy this time here with the family, have a little of our own space and go explore Puebla.. Which is the 3rd biggest city in Mexico so no shortage of things to do here! Love you all! It has been so wonderful and so comforting to me to be able to share this journey with all of the people I love.. xoxoxo Hugs and kisses!
On Monday we went to a beautiful beach, Marcos Giselle and I.. Where Marcos, Mr. Sunshine hid in the shade the whole time.. He has beautiful dark skin made for the sun but he hates it.. And doesn’t like to go in the water too much because he will get sticky and salty.. It’s the funniest thing, he is one of the most delicate men I’ve ever met :) And I love the sun and the water, except for the fact that I am mildly afraid of the waves.. So seeing as I had to go in by myself I stood at the edge of the waves, I totally felt like I was four years old, watching everyone else bobbing up and down in the water having the time of their lives, while I stood there toe deep. And mind you this beach was beautiful clear turquise, warm water.. The waves were big and the pull strong so I went back with my tail between my legs, “I want to go in but I’m too scared!” I whined to Marcos.. He instructed me to wait for a wave to break then run in and paddle until I was past the breaking point.. So after about ten minutes of waiting while the waves rolled up to my toes I went for it.. I ran and paddled, paddled, paddled!! And amazingly enough, I made it! It was wonderful and I was quite proud.. I floated and swam out there for a good fifteen minutes.. Well once I was out there I was like, “Okay, now how do I get back to shore?” So I paddled and rode in a big wave, then ran for my life tripping through the water with my top practically falling down and threw myself onto shore just before another big wave could crash right on my head..Whew! Made it!
Tuesday we started our trip to Puebla stopping for another night in Atenguillo with his grandma.. She got up with us at six in the morning, made us coffee and sent us off with a kiss.. The sweetest..
Wednesday made for a very long day.. It took us eightteen hours to get here.. Giselle bless her heart did amazing.. She stayed in her seat for all but two of those eightteen hours.. And hardly cried, it was absolutely unbelievable.. I am pretty sure we stopped and asked directions about 150 times.. “Puebla?!” And they’d point in one direction or the other.. We were welcomed by his mom and dad, Nena and Henry, Sister Gricelda and niece and nephew, Alejandra and Fernando.. It was two in the morning but Fernando got himself up, did his hair and dressed himself in a nice outfit to officially meet his new cousin that he had been waiting weeks to see.. Alejandra and Fernando are two of the sweetest kids.. She is 7 and he is 5.. They love to talk to Giselle and play with her.. Fernando smothers her in kisses about every thirty seconds.. It melts my heart.. We have a beautiful little room and bathroom off of the house.. So we’ve settled in, putting our clothes away and are making ourselves at home.. On the wall when I came in there was a sign that said, “Ceballos Chavez Family Give You Welcome Home”.. That was hand made by his dad :) Is that not the cutest?! They also had balloons all over the living room and kitchen.. They really had everything ready for us, and they were so proud.
I can see so much of Marcos in both of his parents.. He looks alot like his mom with his dad’s coloring.. He talks like his dad, but some of his very particular characteristics come from his mom.. His sister is very sweet and very pretty.. Both sisters.. His whole family is beautiful.. Slowly but surely we are getting to know eachother and trying to work through the language barrier conversation by conversation.. They are loving Giselle, as everyone does.. And her first tooth has officially poked it’s way through.. I can’t hardly believe it.. So now we can relax a little and ejoy this time here with the family, have a little of our own space and go explore Puebla.. Which is the 3rd biggest city in Mexico so no shortage of things to do here! Love you all! It has been so wonderful and so comforting to me to be able to share this journey with all of the people I love.. xoxoxo Hugs and kisses!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Part 2 Puerto Vallarta!
Well we didn’t end up going to Puebla this week seeing as we are waiting to rent out our house here before we head out.. So this week consisted of tying up alot of loose ends, running around town and hitting every good taco stand on the way.. I am going to be one big taco when I get home! I also found a beautiful stretch of beach here about ten minutes away that I am going to attempt to walk on every day.. I had to put my foot down after only one beach trip and say, “Marcos I need to go alteast walk on the beach for a half hour a day.” So there! On our anniversary before we went out in the evening we were invited to family friends Tita and Don Salvador house for dinner.. It was sweet.. We hung out on the terrace while Tita cooked Enchiladas and Don Salvo told us Mexican riddles.. I didn’t get a single one right :) Couldn’t hardly understand what they meant let alone figure the riddle out.. They are the family in law of Marcos’ older sister Gricelda.. They have a beautiful house located right down town where they also have a restaurant on their front terrace on the weekends.. Tita is the sweetest, I have really taken to her.. She speaks the little English she knows and cracks herself up.. Cracks me up too.. As we head out the door she says “Okay, have good day!” Laughing as she waves us off. She calls Giselle the little munecita, which means little doll, who stole her heart. Don Salvo is very sweet too, he strolls around the property picking herbs and telling me the names in Spanish and pointing out all the different fruit trees. Tita is Don Salvo’s daughter.. They live together..
For our anniversary night out Marcos and I found a cut e little lounge in downtown PV and had tequila from our window view that was open looking down into the town.. It was nice, quiet and some much needed few hours alone.. We haven’t been able to hit any of the night life like we were hoping due to our sweet little Giselle ;) Doesn’t want to be out of sight of either of us for more than a few minutes.. Which is okay, next time we come we’ll be able to get out a bit more just the two of us.. It’s hard for us to leave her too.. She is the light of our lives, we don’t really know what to do when she’s not with us.. So then on Saturday Lluvia, Raul, Dana, Marcos, Giselle and I packed in the truck and headed three hours over the mountains to Atenguillo to visit his 79 year old grandmother..
Atenguillo is a quiet little ranch town located in the mountains. It is a beautiful little town and we had a beautiful couple of days.. I love his grandmother she is absolutely amazing.. First off her house is beautiful.. It’s big filled with rooms and beds to accomodate any of her ten children and their children at any given time.. She has a few dogs, a few cats, lots of chickens, and lots of birds hanging out in her courtyard.. She is so warm and so welcoming, she hasn’t hesitated or even let there be a language gap.. She talks away to me as if I understand every thing she’s saying, which actually I do understand alot.. When she kisses Giselle she grabs her face, squeezing her cheeks, and kisses both cheeks and her forehead. She’s like Grandma Scoppettone was and my Grandma Carlson is, cruising around not letting a thing slow her down.. She raised ten children, gave birth to twelve but sadly losing two at young ages. Her son was telling us that for a a good chunk of years she would cruise around town with one little one on her shoulders, another on her hip and a big pregnant belly with the others trailing behing her.. Her husband was coming back and forth from the states alot of the time working to send money for the famiy, so she practically raised them on her own. And this was in a time of no electricity, washers, nothing.. Just a ranch with alot of kids, alot of animals and alot of work! And a three hour horse ride to her nearest family member.. You would think that a beginning like that would take the starch out of you but she was out hiking around in the hills and down to the river with us on Sunday not letting a thing get in her way.Her warm heart and strength and livelyness left a major impression on me.. And made me so proud to be a part of their family..
On Sunday morning we rose up early to go drink fresh chocolate milk.. And I mean fresh.. We trecked over to his Uncle’s ranch (the only son to live in town with her, most of the other’s are in San Jose) to milk the cows.. It was hilarious! I was sort of gaggin because fresh milk, like literally from a cow’s teet is not in the least bit appetising to me.. Thank god they had chocolate mix to give it a little flavor.. Everyone else was like, “Mmmm this is so great! Gulp, gulp, gulp..” As I was sliding to the back of the line.. When it came my turn to milk the cow I again looked like the total out of towner.. I couldn’t get a single squirt out.. Then the uncle calls over his three year old son to show me how to do it :) Classic..
That evening we had steak tacos, yes more tacos, at the uncles house where he and a few friends played Spanish songs on the guitar as we sat sipping tequila and looking out over the country side.. After a few hours of prodding from Marcos and a shot of tequila I picked up the guitar and sang a few songs too! They were surprised and really liked my songs.. I was pleased, I think I finally had connected with his Uncle after that.. We chatted about music for a few hours more before climbing back into the car to get back in time for his Sister and brother in law to get some sleep for work in the morning.. So now we are off to the beach for my half hour walk! Love to you all...Can’t wait to keep sharing more as the story unfolds! xoxoxo
For our anniversary night out Marcos and I found a cut e little lounge in downtown PV and had tequila from our window view that was open looking down into the town.. It was nice, quiet and some much needed few hours alone.. We haven’t been able to hit any of the night life like we were hoping due to our sweet little Giselle ;) Doesn’t want to be out of sight of either of us for more than a few minutes.. Which is okay, next time we come we’ll be able to get out a bit more just the two of us.. It’s hard for us to leave her too.. She is the light of our lives, we don’t really know what to do when she’s not with us.. So then on Saturday Lluvia, Raul, Dana, Marcos, Giselle and I packed in the truck and headed three hours over the mountains to Atenguillo to visit his 79 year old grandmother..
Atenguillo is a quiet little ranch town located in the mountains. It is a beautiful little town and we had a beautiful couple of days.. I love his grandmother she is absolutely amazing.. First off her house is beautiful.. It’s big filled with rooms and beds to accomodate any of her ten children and their children at any given time.. She has a few dogs, a few cats, lots of chickens, and lots of birds hanging out in her courtyard.. She is so warm and so welcoming, she hasn’t hesitated or even let there be a language gap.. She talks away to me as if I understand every thing she’s saying, which actually I do understand alot.. When she kisses Giselle she grabs her face, squeezing her cheeks, and kisses both cheeks and her forehead. She’s like Grandma Scoppettone was and my Grandma Carlson is, cruising around not letting a thing slow her down.. She raised ten children, gave birth to twelve but sadly losing two at young ages. Her son was telling us that for a a good chunk of years she would cruise around town with one little one on her shoulders, another on her hip and a big pregnant belly with the others trailing behing her.. Her husband was coming back and forth from the states alot of the time working to send money for the famiy, so she practically raised them on her own. And this was in a time of no electricity, washers, nothing.. Just a ranch with alot of kids, alot of animals and alot of work! And a three hour horse ride to her nearest family member.. You would think that a beginning like that would take the starch out of you but she was out hiking around in the hills and down to the river with us on Sunday not letting a thing get in her way.Her warm heart and strength and livelyness left a major impression on me.. And made me so proud to be a part of their family..
On Sunday morning we rose up early to go drink fresh chocolate milk.. And I mean fresh.. We trecked over to his Uncle’s ranch (the only son to live in town with her, most of the other’s are in San Jose) to milk the cows.. It was hilarious! I was sort of gaggin because fresh milk, like literally from a cow’s teet is not in the least bit appetising to me.. Thank god they had chocolate mix to give it a little flavor.. Everyone else was like, “Mmmm this is so great! Gulp, gulp, gulp..” As I was sliding to the back of the line.. When it came my turn to milk the cow I again looked like the total out of towner.. I couldn’t get a single squirt out.. Then the uncle calls over his three year old son to show me how to do it :) Classic..
That evening we had steak tacos, yes more tacos, at the uncles house where he and a few friends played Spanish songs on the guitar as we sat sipping tequila and looking out over the country side.. After a few hours of prodding from Marcos and a shot of tequila I picked up the guitar and sang a few songs too! They were surprised and really liked my songs.. I was pleased, I think I finally had connected with his Uncle after that.. We chatted about music for a few hours more before climbing back into the car to get back in time for his Sister and brother in law to get some sleep for work in the morning.. So now we are off to the beach for my half hour walk! Love to you all...Can’t wait to keep sharing more as the story unfolds! xoxoxo
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
More on PV
I've been trying to think of how to explain the city better and it came to me.. It's like one giant flea market.. People have store fronts and restaurants right out of their front door or off their front porch.. Marcos' sister Gricelda's family in law have a beautiful home in the center of PV.. They have a restaurant on their front deck, we went over yesterday and they made us home made Mexican style enchiladas and fresh corn bread.. I love the food here.. Besides the tortas :) In the neighborhood we are staying there is a kindergarden next to our apartment so I wake up every morning to hokey pokey in Spanish and kids screaming.. It's so cute.. And all of the different vendors honking and yelling.. Selling oranges, water, a knife sharpener that whistles with a flute.. It's really fun. And the streets are lined with outside open barbeques grilling up chicken and carne asada.. Smoke rises up in the streets and people surround on their stools.. Eating their tacos and drinking the fresh made fruit waters.. I love drinking from the coconut it is so fresh and so healthy.. Okay so that's all I have time for I'm getting the toe tapping again :) We love you!!
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