Mi Chica My Love

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Santa Must Be a Fellon

All through the month I've been having the Christmas Spirit and have been loving every minute of it. Certainly since we started our Bible Studies with my sister I've been seeing things from a different perspective. The true meaning of Christmas is alive and well but the commercialization of the season tries hard to over power it.

I remember growing up in Los Angeles, every year during Christmas Broadway boulevard in downtown L.A. was lit with colorful lights. Whittier boulevard was lit as well, cruising this famous place during December really got you in a Christmas mood, and just like those two streets there were many more throughout the city that also expressed with those beautiful displays of lights that we were celebrating something grand.

Now as a society we are losing respect for each other's customs and beliefs and in a world that demands political correctness people are not practicing some of these customs because of the risk of being sued for offending someone else. A principal at a local high school here in Phoenix banned any and everything Christmas related on campus and in the school, he simply didn't want to offend anyone.

Today a friend of mine from our car club was escorted out from an annual Christmas event called Glendale Glitters in the city of Glendale, Arizona. His crime was to be dressed as Santa Claus, yes you read it right, he dressed as Santa Claus and was kicked out of a Christmas event. Glendale Glitters is not an indoors event, it happens in the streets of Glendale.

As I was store hopping today I saw a few cars with these little reindeer antlers on their windows, I also saw a car with a red fuzzy ball tied to its grill, yes this car was impersonating Rudolph, I also saw a biker riding on a full dresser Harley dressed completely as Santa Claus. I truly hope cops won't start stopping people for daring to celebrate something we have been celebrating for centuries, something every body of every religion and of every part of the world knows as Christmas because for some odd reason to some is "offensive".

Because the Christmas season brings happiness to my heart and because I love my fellow man I wish a Merry Christmas to all and to all a Happy New Year. And if this simple warm wish of goodness and kindness offends anybody out there, believe me when I say that it's not my intention at all. Stop the insanity before it's too late and let future generations live and enjoy what for generations has been a beautiful custom.

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Update On Mi Chica

I haven't been here commenting lately but with mi chica not feeling so good and having to rush her to the hospital things have been a little crazy. I normally don't blog a lot about the down times, I've concentrated more on our family gatherings and the good times but it's good to let friends know about what's going on.

Other than having high blood pressure and high cholesterol which she has been taking medicine forever, mi chica has always been pretty healthy, or at least as healthy as a smoker can be. The beginning of 2009 brought new health issues to her that she was not expecting. At first all the doctors said she had vertigo, then it was something else, eventually it was decided she suffers from migraine headaches.

All throughout the year she has been fighting these headaches, for a few months she wasn't even allowed to drive as the medicine she was prescribed would make her drowsy. Thanks to a few guardian angel friends that would come and pick her up she was able to go to work although many times I was called to go pick her up.

Eventually she started driving once again and was even able to drive herself home when the pains started. We sorta got used to the situation and adapted to it but this past Sunday while watching Christmas movies and without much warning she started feeling dizzy and had an upset stomach that eventually made her pass out. Passing out wasn't really a part of the routine so off to the hospital we went.

As soon as she told the doctors that she suffers form migraines they said that what just had happened was migraine related, I wonder if she had said she had vertigo they would have said oh it's vertigo related. It's frustrating because it doesn't seem that they (the doctors) really look for a diagnosis. So after a three hour stay in the emergency wing we were being sent home. "Follow up with your doctor" is all they said.

Monday she still couldn't go to work so she stayed home and we had a fairy uneventful day, Tuesday however after I came home from work she called me to the office, she was trying to log on the computer and her left hand got numb and she couldn't move some of her fingers. I massaged it a bit and eventually (some 30 minutes later) the feeling came back, not completely but for the most part except this time she looked at her arm and kindda panicked because she noticed her veins were getting darker almost black.

That was the deciding point, five minutes later we were in a super packed hospital, just to be taken in took about two hours. She was asked why she was there and she explained about the numbness etc. etc. and then she told them about how her veins were getting black. The doctor concerned looked at her arm and immediately said, ummm are these the black veins your are talking about, looks more like tape outline to me, the nurse cleaned her arm with a piece of cotton soaked in alcohol and presto black veins were gone.

Ha, ha, the joke was on us... or was it? The tape from the IV from Sunday night didn't completely washed off therefore brought us in but as you know God works in mysterious ways. She was to be admitted except there was an influx of sick people. The hospital started sending many of them to Thunderbird Hospital as there were no available beds, Thunderbird got full as well so they started sending them to Good Sam Hospital. So, at around 7:00 am an ambulance transported her to Good Sam, where she was admitted in the transition area immediately.

It wasn't until around 6:00 p.m. that she was finally moved to a room. We are hoping she will be released tomorrow, they have done an MRI, cat scans, eco or echo tests and many more things. The MRI showed that she in fact had suffered a mini stroke and they told us that it was good we had gone in to emergency. Thank God for tape residue that looked like black veins.

Now they are finally looking into other areas other than the headaches. We believe in the power of prayer and I know that God has been listening to all of you out there. No matter how small you think your prayer may be God will listen to it so keep them coming.

I'll give you another update soon. Love ya all.

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Just For Fun

This is a cute idea. Copy this note, ask your child (In this case my child is 25 years old --- lol) the questions and write them down exactly how they respond. Leave me a comment if you have done this, I’d love to hear the answers!

1. What is something Dad always says to you? How about... Hi my baby! Or Hi Princess!

2. What makes Dad happy? Me of course! :)

3. What makes Dad sad? Dad is to cheerful to be upset but I would say maybe if his kids disappoint him.

4. How does your Dad make you laugh? Dancing. He does it out of nowhere and usually it's the funniest moves. Now I know where I must get that from. But when isn't he making me laugh?

5. What was your Dad like as a child? The same as he is now... Loving, Making people happy, Dancing, Silly

6. How old is your Dad? Half a Century!

7. How tall is your Dad? Not very tall

8. What is his favorite thing to do? Play with his Grandkids... and Karaoke... and Blog... and Love Me!

9. What does your Dad do when you’re not around? Rest! Haha!

10. If your Dad becomes famous, what will it be for? Singing!

11. What is your Dad really good at? Dancing

12. What is your Dad not very good at? Enunciating

13. What does your Dad do for her job? Email me and blog... Just kidding! He's a warehouse manager.

14. What is your Dad’s favorite food? Tacos! Of any kind... meats, eggs, beans.

15. What makes you proud of your Dad? He's the most AMAZING man I know. He just has so much love and everything about him is positive. Seriously he's like the best person ever.

16. If your Dad were a cartoon character, who would she be? Joe Cool!

17. What do you and your Dad do together? Anything... he loves spending time with us. Me and my Dad are both very creative so anything that has to do with creating, designing, DIY stuff.

18. How are you and your Dad the same? I keep saying him and I are like twins... just ask my Mom. We're both spoiled :) We're both lazy. We both love to sleep and eat. We love to take pictures. We like sight seeing and having lots of family time. I mean I can go on and on.

19. How are you and your Dad different? Well we're not the same person for one... but I have to say my Dad thinks through all his decision and choices where as I sometimes forget that... Haha!

20. How do you know your Dad loves you? Because I am the apple of his eye... he tells me ALL THE TIME!

21. Where is your Dad’s favorite place to go? Manny's to karaoke? Or maybe Hobby Lobby cuz I love going there with him.

Michelle, these made me laugh. But I'm not lazy atl all. lol

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Mi Chica

On Sunday night while watching Christmas movies and almost towards the end of the one we were watching mi chica asked for a small brake as she wasn't feeling too good, the next minutes happened too quick and to tell you the truth they were blurry at best. Mi chica had gone to the rest room, the next thing I heard was a faint "Joe" and the next thing we know is I'm rushing her to the hospital. Her blood pressure went so low that she even passed out. I know it wasn't a good feeling for her poor thing but it wasn't a good feeling for me either. Trust me, acting like a chicken with no head is no fun.

With all the medication she takes, it seems when she starts with a new one which she did the day before something always happens. While at the hospital the medication she was given made her feel cold inside, so no matter how many covers we put on her she would still be cold. After a cat scan and the medication her blood pressure returned to a "normal" level and after making sure she could walk without getting dizzy she was released.

It was a nice feeling to see her in her bed under the covers feeling all nice and warm and resting like nothing had happened. In one way or another she has been fighting migraines all year long, it has not been a good year for her. I pray that next year is not as bumpy as this one was, and if you are up to it don't be shy and join me, I have always know that the power of prayer is very strong.

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La Guadalupana

La Virgen de Guadalupe a National Symbol

The key figure in acceptance of the Catholic religion by the indigenous peoples of Mexico was the Virgin of Guadalupe, whose story goes back to 1531, just twelve years after Hernan Cortes first set foot on Mexican soil. On December 12, 1531, as the story goes, a poor Indian named Juan Diego was walking along in a desolate area north of Mexico City, seeking water for his uncle. Suddenly, on a hillside, he saw a vision of a beautiful woman, who directed him to a spring of fresh, cool water. A few days later, in the same spot, the vision appeared again to Juan Diego. This time, she instructed him to go to Mexico City to tell the high church officials to build a church in her name on that site. Of course, the ecclesiastical officials did not believe the poor Indian. Why would the Virgin Mary appear to someone so lowly? They asked for proof. When Juan Diego returned to the hillside and the Virgin appeared again, he asked her for a sign. Suddenly he saw some beautiful red roses, even though roses do not normally bloom in that area in December. He gathered them into his rough Indian tilma (blanket) and took them to Mexico City. When he opened his tilma for the high church officials, they fell to their knees in veneration and amazement. There, imprinted on the humble Indian blanket of Juan Diego, was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, exactly as Juan Diego had seen her. It is said that the image is so perfect in detail that one sees in the pupil of the Virgin's eye the image of Juan Diego.

Today, thousands of devout Catholics make pilgrimages each year to the huge Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, in the northern part of Mexico City, to view from a discrete distance the image of the Virgin imprinted on Juan Diego's blanket and to worship with Catholics from around the world. Pilgrims may also worship at a small shrine on the very hillside where Juan Diego first saw the vision.

Rich and poor alike venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe. One can see her image in small shrines in humble homes in the most remote villages. Her image can also be found in virtually every cathedral and church in Mexico, as well as in parochial schools, businesses, markets, buses, taxis, and many homes. December 12, the day of Virgin of Guadalupe, is an official national holiday, observed with pilgrimages, processions, special masses, fiestas, and Indian dances in front of some churches. In a sense, the Virgin of Guadalupe represents the essence of Mexico, the fusion of two cultures, Catholic Spain and indigenous Mexico. http://literacynet.org/lp/hperspectives/guadalupe.html

Watching "Las mañanitas a la Virgen" in Univision I couldn't help but be amazed and mesmerized at how us Mexicans deposit so much faith in our Virge of Guadalupe. It was said that at the Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City 90,000 people passed in front of her altar per hour. On this day more than a million people make heir way to the shrine and to her. "La Morenita" as she is called by many is our liaison to get our petitions to her son Jesus Christ.

Ever since I was a little kid I have been faithful to her and have asked her for too many favors, luckily for me she never gets tired of listening. Today is a special day indeed.

Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!

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As I Reflect on This Year

Well what do you know winter decided to show up here in Phoenix after all, for a moment there I thought I would be able to wear shorts all the way to the end of the year but apparently that won’t be the case. I am a light weight when it comes to being cold which is one of the main reasons I love Phoenix so much so when the temperature drops anywhere below 60 degrees to me it’s already too cold. Then again this is Phoenix, which also means that we may be surprised by hot weather next week. It could happen you know, one day it's cold then the next is hot.

As I reflect on this troubled year and what it brought to many, I realize how blessed I am to have a job and to still have to a certain extent the peace of mind that comes with being employed. Yes we did lose certain benefits that we were used to but trust me that was an easy adjustment compared to the alternative.

Moving forward to the new decade clearly the one with for 2010 is for things to pick up and for the economy to start stabilizing in some way, we all know it won't happen overnight but it is up to us to start making things happen, together let's get those wheels of progress moving again.

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Weekend Update

So, I've been away for a couple of days from bloggin', no I haven't been lazy, no I am not stopping, yes my laptop does not want to connect to the Internet and I don't know why. We think it is the router that stopped working for some odd reason. So, with that said know that I have to wait until mi chica let's me use hers to post.

Last Friday we went to Manny's for karaoke as we normally do on Friday, we had fun but in the process of having fun we got our butts frozen. It was cold. Diego went with us and poor thing was freezing too but I covered him up with two sweaters and a fleece cover and he was loving it. So far I have only repeated two songs this season and I have a little fan base. Ha, ha, karaoke fame is going to my head.

Saturday I spent the morning at my mom's and put her Christmas tree up and hung the lights on the roof of her house. Of course she cooked a delicious lunch for me before I went out to hang the lights. Then in the afternoon we went to my sister in law's to celebrate her daughter's (my goddaughter)nine birthday. The theme was the 70's and Disco, so it was nothing but Disco music. Wow, that brought back some memories, you may have read in a previous post that I was a Disco Kid. Humm, those were the days.

On Sunday my daughters and grand kids spent the day with us. I decided to bring out the old VHS tapes and found the movie "Hook" I wanted to introduce this movie to the grand kids but we all winded up watching it. It was pretty fun, that movie is timeless.

So, yesterday as I was typing this it started raining storming. I had not seen rain fall this hard before, it was very windy too and the lights started to flicker, then the Internet went out so I had to finish this today.

It's cold, it's rainy and it's beginning to look a lot like Chritmas. If it keeps snowing in Flagstaff we may have an early snow trip again next year. Can't wait.

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Green Eggs and Thanksgiving Ham

I do not like green eggs and ham
I do not like them Sam-I-An
And I won't eat them here nor there
I won't eat them anywhere
I do not like green eggs and ham
I do not like them Sam-I-Am...

Wait... bite, bite, chew, bite, swallow

I do, I do
I do like green eggs and ham
I do like them Sam-I-Am

Last Sunday for breakfast mi chica cooked some eggs with green salsa, she also happened to use some ham left over from Thanksgiving. I finish my portion and got up to make me another taco, at the same time mi chica was about to sit down to start eating. She doesn't like ham and very rarely tastes it so when I looked at her plate the food against the background of the table and the plate looked very green. Keep in mind it was green salsa to begin with. So I started laughing and I said if your plate would have some ham I would recite "Green Eggs and Ham". She got up and chopped some ham and added it to her plate. Of course I had to take a picture and told her, "You know I'll be blogging about this, right?".

After I snapped the shot she proceeded to make me a taco with all the ham. Because I do like green eggs and ham, I do like them Sam I am.

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