Ramblings

Well, life goes on and the sun keeps rising. That in itself is motivation enough for me to get up in the morning, thank our Lord for the new day and then just hit it. Go out to work, decide which car to drive that day, or maybe just take a ride instead since our Phoenix weather is so nice these days.

Nothing like getting up and having that morning cup of coffee, too bad it does not wake me up like it used to, I have reached the conclusion that caffeine does not have an effect on my anymore, not in the morning on or at night for that matter. But I continue to have some only because of the simple reason that I enjoy it.

Last week would have been mi chica's 29 birthday again, so it was nice paying her a visit to take her some flowers and just to chit chat a bit with her. The kids had been there a little earlier and they placed these beautiful roses for her, so I added some of the flowers I took and put them with the roses and the rest were for my dad. I was not surprised to get there and to find her smoking, so typical of her.

So now in her memory I get ready to celebrate what I always thought was her favorite holiday, "Thanksgiving". She always found peace and joy in cooking and would cook daily but for Thankgiving she always made sure we had enough turkey and ham along with all the sides that go with them, she was good at coordinating with everyone else so that nothing would be missing. So I really hope this coming Thansgiving is just as great as they had always been.

The plan is to have the same delicious dishes we've had in the past and between my daughter, my sister in law, and my daughter in law I think this feast will be accomplished with no problem whatsoever.

To make the holiday even more enjoyable for me I decided to take the whole week as vacation time which means I will have some time to take a motorcycle ride and with a little luck I'll even take a drive to California again, these are only options of what I may want to do but we will see.

How are your holiday plans coming along? Are you all looking for Thanksgiving as much as I am?

.

As Christmas Nears

Our Thanksgiving celebration was really nice, it is a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by all my family and even a few friends. The rest of my family got together at my sister's but my little family core is already too large and too loud, with seven grand kids many of them under the age of five things can get chaotic fairly fast.

Thanksgiving is the day set aside from the year to reflect and to give thanks for what we have, for what we accomplished, for what we love. These days the Thanksgiving Celebration is being overshadowed by the commercialization of Christmas, but truth be told, there are many of us wanting to extend the Christmas season just a little longer. After all, Christmas does bring the best in most people, aside the never ending amounts of food, and the ever present commercials and ads, people tend to be nicer that they would normally be during the rest of the year.

Thanksgiving being a special day all on its own has come to be the kick off to the Christmas Season. Most of us will start assembling Christmas trees the very next day. Mi chica and I decided on a real tree this year so we will wait until December to get it but the Christmas decorations went up the Friday after Thanksgiving. I am already in that warm fuzzy feeling associated with Christmas.

Yes, the presents and the food is a nice and important part of the Christmas season but I prefer the part where people warm up to each other. Goodwill, compassion, and most importantly love are the least expensive and yet the most important gifts we can give each other.

I am so looking forward to the remaining days of the year. I am ready and willing to share them and enjoy them to the max, and you all are invited. Be a part of my Christmas, and allow me to be a part of yours, that will be the best gift.

How about you? Are you ready to find out about the reason for the season?

Fifteen stockings hanging this year. Next year three more will be added.
Mi chica loves to set her table. It looks different every year.
Some very cozy pillows.
Yes people, I believe in Santa!
.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, we set one day out of the year for this but giving thanks should actually be a daily ritual, there has to be something everyday for which we are thankful for. The air that we breathe, the world that we live in, the freedom we have, but most importantly the gift of being alive. What a concept, being alive, definitely something worthy enough to be thankful on a daily basis. Thank you dear God for giving us that precious gift.

Yet on our daily routines there has to be many other things worthy of our thanks. How about, thanks for the best wife I can have, the most loving mom, the greatest family in town, three wonderful kids that are not so young anymore, and seven precious grand kids. Thanks for my health, my food, my friends, my job, my house, my car, my bike, the things that matter and the ones that don't.

I can probably sit here and think of an infinite list of things I am thankful for, life is too short to not be thankful, and for every "bad" that we can encounter just be thankful that you didn't get a "worse".

"Thank you" is such an easy phrase but to some to hard to express. Find it, use it, mean it, embrace it, love it, who knows it may just be contagious.

So from me to all of you out there. I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you will spend it with the ones you love.

So once in every year we throng
Upon a day apart,
To praise the Lord with feast and song
In thankfulness of heart.
~Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

.

Thanksgiving Weekend.

As expected our Thanksgiving Day gathering went really good. Mi chica did most if not all of the cooking and everyone else brought a plethora of sides and desserts, it was all good and we all enjoyed it very much. They decided on a buffet style meal so no sit around the table being all proper, this was more of a everyone for yourself and seconds and even thirds is totally fine because you'll be the one serving yourself. You know what it worked for me, and for everyone else because not one complaint was logged in the complaint box. Oh wait there was no such box so maybe that answers the question.

My little family is not little anymore, it took two turkeys and a ham to feed us all, when I see us all together like this the word multiplicity comes to mind. Last year we had fourteen socks hung on the pseudo chimney a.k.a. the entertainment center. This year we have added one more. Yep, the family just keeps growing and growing and growing, like the Energizer bunny... oh wait that was going, going, going.

The biggest surprise this year was that my brother in law came from California totally unannounced and that brought tears to mi chica's eyes. In the past all her other brothers used to make the trek with the kids but starting last year they could not do it anymore as the kids grew and now due to work and stuff like that they can't get the time off. Yeah, having her brother here really highlighted her celebration.



So, I invited any and everybody that wanted to go to Manny's for karaoke and many took me on my word. We had an area reserved for us and in the end we needed additional chairs. We had a blast singing and even my 5-year old grandson sang a song in Spanish. Awww, takes after his grandpa.



So all in all, the weekend has been great, we kindda forgot a little about the hard times out there these days. I have relatives that have had their hours cut down at work and others have lost the job altogether but you know what, one way or another we will survive, we always do. That's the beauty of being poor, we are kindda used to it and we know how to make do with what we have. Anyway broke and all, my daughter and daughter in law took advantage of some of Black Friday's sales and went to buy presents for the kids. I think they did pretty good. Kids don't need to know about parents having hard times. Their times will come when they will have to face the music themselves.

I did take some pictures but have not been downloaded yet so feel free to come back later and check them out, I will insert a few soon as I can. Also we are planning on going to "Glendale Glitters" we should also have a great time there which most likely I'll share with you all later in the week.

Thanksgiving

They said rain for Thanksgiving and gosh I think this time they got it right. After a cloudy Tuesday we finally got rain all night and as I write this it is raining outside. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind the rain, actually I love it but I hope that it doesn't rain on Friday as we have a karaoke party planned at Manny's and karaoke is usually out in the patio.

Thanksgiving is an American holiday, we do not celebrate it in Mexico but we now live here and in the United States, therefor we now celebrate it along with the rest of America. It's a tradition that goes back to the Pilgrims and the Indians. But really, when you think about it it is a very important holiday. How great that there is one day set aside for us to think and reflect on the thinks that we should be thankful for. And then to spend the day with the family to share this important celebration. The food is just an added bonus.

I was talking to a co-worker of mine and she said she was celebrating Thanksgiving with her father, when I asked how about with your mom she replied that her mom didn't believe in Thanksgiving for religious reasons and although I respects someone else's beliefs I can't help but wonder why is it that any religion would prevent you from being thankful and for celebrating.

I have so much to be thankful but the most important thing at the top of my list is that I am thankful for "mi chica", my wife, my friend, the boss of me, my everything. I found a song that pretty much sums it all up for many of us. During these hard days where so many are struggling I am really taking a hard look at where we are at and realize there is just so much that I am thankful for to even make a list.

There is a really cool song I like to sing that pretty much sums it up for me and I am sure for a lot of you too. I couldn't find a decent video to publish but I did find this video that someone did and did a great job at it.

CLICK HERE TO SEE IT

LUCKY MAN

I have days where I hate my job,
This little town and the whole world too
And last Sunday when the cardinals lost
Lord it put me in a bad mood

I have moments when I curse the rain
Then complain when the suns too hot
I look around at what everyone has
And I forget about all I've got

[chorus]
But I know I'm a lucky man
Gods given me a pretty fair hand
Got a house and piece of land
A few dollars in a coffee can
My old trucks still runnin' good
My tickers tickin like they say it should
I've got supper in the oven
A good woman's lovin
And one more day to be my little kids dad
Lord knows I'm a lucky man

Got some friends that would be here fast
I could call em any time of day
Got a brother who's got my back
Got a momma who I swears a saint
Got a brand new rod and reel
Got a full week off this year
Dad had a close call last spring
It's a miracle he's still here

[chorus]

My old trucks still runnin' good
My tickers tickin like they say it should
I got supper in the oven
A good womans lovin'
And even my bad days aint that bad
Yeah I'm a lucky man

I'm a lucky, lucky man

On that last note I wish you all have a great Thanksgiving celebration, and for those of you that for one reason or another don't believe in celebrating Thanksgiving Day, well then to you I wish a great Thursday.

Warm Up to the Season

Warming up for the holidays. Yes, my favorite time of the year is approaching fast. I can do without all the hoopla and merchandising, just play me some Christmas music and give me a TV set with Christmas movies, that alone will do the trick. Christmas is a time to be festive and thanks to all the stores that seem to want to bring Christmas even before Halloween and Thanksgiving are here many people get put off and before you know it we have a world full of "Mr. Grinch".

In my case, I just love the season, I love what it represents and I'll be darned if I am going to let anything or anyone spoil it. I go into full Christmas mode the day after Thankgiving. No, you probably won't find me at the malls shopping or in a corner Christmas caroling, but you will find out that during these time I am a happy go lucky kindda guy, the warm and fuzzy feeling that only comes during Christmas is pretty much with me.

I hope that this year as many of us are struggling and thinking weather we will have a job tomorrow really reflect and think about what the real meaning of Christmas is all about, then maybe, just maybe, we will celebrate for the right reason.

Lets keep the Christmas spirit alive.

Thanksgiving

Typically Thanksgiving Day is spent at home, in the past my brother's in law from California have made the trek to Phoenix to celebrate with us but as the kids have grown and now have responsibilities such as work and such they couldn't make it this year.

Thanksgiving is the one day we celebrate with "mi chica's" side of the family. My side of the family is too big and they all get together anyway. This year it was only my sister in law and her family, my father in law and his wife, and my three kids with their families, that still was quite a few of us. My son only visited for little while because him and his wife scored some tickets to the football game at ASU. We got stuck with baby sitting duties until they came back late at night.

This year we've had some hurdles and we are still paying the price for past mistakes, but we are in the process of regrouping and planning a way out. For Thanksgiving we celebrated and gave thanks because we are a big happy family and because no matter what we have each other.

I am thankful for my wife of 26 years, for my three kids and six grand kids, and for having their love. I am thankful for my mom, whom we lovingly spend two nights out of our week so that she is not alone. I am thankful for my brother and sisters and all their better or worse halves as the case may be and to all my nephews and nieces and all their little kids.

I am thankful that we all have our health, maybe not as good as it once was but still good never the less. I am thankful that I have a house, and that I live in a nice city. I'm thankful that I have a job a like and that continues to provide for us.

In a time where there is so much crime and hate going on I am thankful that people that love and care for the same things surround me I do. Many people have forgotten about the real meaning of Thanksgiving Day. Even though I was born in Mexico where this day is not celebrated, our adoptive country does and we have embraced the holiday and it's meaning as if it was from our direct ancestors. We too are Pilgrims that left our country to come here looking for a better way of life.

We celebrated in family unity and enjoyed the feast that was lovingly cooked by my wife, my sister in law and, my daughters (OK, truthfully "mi chica" did most of the cooking) and vowed to maintain our family as close and united as we have done thus far.

And none of these things would be possible without the help and love of our dear God, whom we tend to neglect so easily sometimes.

I hope all of you had a Happy Thanksgiving Day and celebration.