quick and dirty

hi. excuse the no caps or bad grammar, but i´m in mexico and they only use pc´s here, and it bugs the crap out of me but i can´t find the at sign, or caps, or shift, or whatever. so deal! cool. i found the exclamation point.

so, we got here fine after a great but long plane ride. celia loved listening to rock and roll on her headphones, and ate the adult pasta meal, saying how delicious it was, and then fell asleep at the end after hours of coloring and bobbing her head to rod stewart probably, and effie was asleep the first hour, and then happy just looking out the window. so that... was great.

and we have been here in guadalajara, walking a lot lot lot, carrying effie way tooo much, eating a lot, eating churros, tortas ahogadas, posole, carne asada, birotes, fresh everything, the works, and paletas de agua de limon, tamarino, guayaba, and chocolate everyday so far, and the girls are eating well, even though the first day effie almost starved herself saying she wanted to wait to eat at home.

and they are chillin watching backyardagans in spanish while alex and i are at the internet cafe thing, with no cafe. and the funniest story to me so far was that we spent our first day on alex´s cousin´s farm, and they have a small home, 2 kids, one 3 years old who played with celia and effie, and a baby who´s 1 who was a dream of a baby, just super chill, and anyway, they have pigs. smelly, and lots of them, and some are huge, like the size of a hippo, i swear. so, about 10 of them are in all seriousness the size of small hippos, about 500 pounds i´d say no joke, and anyway, effie ate a banana and she didn´t finish it, so i asked his cousin, what should i do with the peel and remains ? and she said throw it to the pigs, so i threw it to a big monster pig who freaked and trembled the ground when he jumped for it. scary.

so... a few hours later, after both my kids had napped and blah blah blah, his cousin came and asked me ... sorry about no quotation marks

which one did you feed it to? The BIG one' Well, i think she said a different word, but i thought she said big, and i said yeah. then she said, it´s dead.

oh my god. i thought........ i killed a pig. this is what they eat with. this is thier living. she said.. don´t say a word. i think he choked on the peel. it´s my fault, and don´t say anything. so, i just was sitting there, worried, and sad that i murdered a humongous pig, and she called her dad, and it was just a little wierd. anyway, a little later it turns out, to make this long story short, the pig i fed was still alive and well, cuz dummy me never went to go see which one was dead, and the one who actually died was the only male pig they have who had been good for nothing cuz he hadnt impregnanted a girl pig in a long time, and that morning the male pig actually did his business for the first time in months and months, and died after having relations. hahhahahaha.. the dad who is a vet , knew which one had died, cuz he said he was sick and a good for nothing man, so in the end i was very happy that on my first day in mexico i did not kill a zillion pound oinkster.

i have to go cuz the laundry waits. i miss you all, and will see ya soon!

sara

Mexico or Korea?

So many Korean things happened to me today.

1st. I began my morning by delivering a borrowed camera to a girl I borrowed it from. She was Korean.

2nd. I went with Alex to the HK market - which is Korean.

3rd. My Friend Skot called and came by. He's half Korean.

4th. We ate dumplings and bulgogi for lunch. Korean.

5th. My sister said that in Remo Williams one of the guys says that Korean is the master race. Korean.

6th. I went to Korea town for Dinner. Korean!

7th. I ate Korean BBQ for dinner with for my friends Birthday. Once again Korean!

Wow... what a day - so cultural right! And tomorrow it'll be Mexico's turn to captivate me!

Ok, enough of that nonsense. I just thought I'd share. But once again, I'm postponing what I should really be doing - Cleaning up and Packing - but it'll happen. Some how or another everything gets done right? Right.

And since I'll be gone - for the next 11 days I wanted to say goodbye. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we all have a safe fun trip, cuz that's all I want. And I'm super excited about leaving LA! Yeahoo! For the past 2 years we made over 6 trips to LAX to pick up or drop off different people, and every time we went I was always a little bitter that it wasn't me who was gonna get to go on an airplane - but now it's our turn! Yippy!

And to top it all off - this past week of summer went well - and after a lot of swimming, working, lazying around, playing, seeing family, and so on, there's more fun to be had elsewhere.

See you all when we get back - and I may not be posting images - but I will definitely try to blog while I'm in Guadalajara to make a list of all the things we will be doing in the rain.

Till next time.
Sara

Post 76

There are a million things I'd be better off doing but I won't - for your sake.

But I can't help but want to procrastinate so I can mention a few things that I should not share but I will.

1. I never ever ever put the house phone back on the charger.
2. Every time I walk in the kitchen I notice that there are cabinet doors open. It erks me to pieces.
(I'm the one who doesn't close them)
3. There are various children's shoes all over the house.
4. I never seem to be able to fold laundry straight outta the dryer. Ever.
5. The dishes are NOT done. Because they are NEVER done!
6. There is a chair on my front porch that belongs to Effie that I was supposed to bring in the house 2 weeks ago, and there it is. Along with Giraffe boots.
7. We have a green and hot pink carousel horse mounted in rocks on the front lawn. We must be the most interesting people on the block.
8. It would be nice to be organized. So nice. It's my dream. The dream of the future. Pray that I will make this a reality.
9. There are legos next to the gas pedal of my car. They have been there for 2 weeks as well. Why are they still there?
10. I hate dust. I think it is my worst enemy. That and dishes.
11. You know what stinks? When you make a fancy meal for your kids and they don't touch it. Hmff. All that time working while the kids veg out on tv for nothin.
12. My zucchini plant don't look so hot. hmf.
13. I had a new pair of Gold LA gear jazz shoes that I wore to death for 4 whole days and they are already dead. I'm so mad.
14. My flip flops are dead too.
15. I lost my other slip on shoes.
16. Now I have to spend wasteful time tying shoes. What ever happened to velcro? I need me some nice velcro kicks. Or new flip flops. Or Flojos. Anyone have some?
17. Celia cut Effie's hair in a big way today. I mean, half of the length on the right side of her head is gone. Now she's extra rock and roll.
18. Celia always seems "too tired". I think it runs in the family.
19. When I finally get time to do things... I like to sit and think about what it is I should be doing when I already know what to do.
20. This list of "whatevers" has 20 things, so I better stop now.

No! Never! More lists! I like lists! They make me feel organized! So let me now list some lovely things.

1. Effie drew a lovely drawing on our easel in Orange Permanent marker.
2. Celia then said - "Oh no. She used 'permative' marker mom."
3. Summer is lovely. Summer is lazy. Summer is swimmy.
4. Celia really likes to write letters. Send her a letter with her name on the envelope and she'll write you back. I promise.
5. We planted new flowers.
6. We like going to the magical gardens. Care to join us? (Descanso Gardens)
7. Got tickets to Mexico. I'm So so so so so so so so so excited. I won't have to do MY dishes at least. Other peoples dishes are never as bad!
8. We've discovered coloring pages printed online. When all else fails, print out a minnie coloring sheet from the internet.
9. Play-dough really does make children happy.
10. I've been able to live without napkins in my house for 2 months. (Lucena may understand - because she too grew up with the communal toallita) (translation - little towel)

Ok kids. Time to get to work. Just thought I'd distract myself for a moment. I love summer, and hate that it goes by so quickly. There's so much to do, and I can't seem to get any of it done, but I try. Please distract me, and come over, and help me clean the girls room if you're bored, or lets have a picnic, or steal my children whenever you'd like. Have a great day. I love you.

Wups.

Sorry this has taken me so long, and either way I am in no position to write. There are way too many other things I should be doing right now at 11:36pm, I have no real funny stories that I can think of, and I have no idea what portraits I have not posted.

Anyway, either way, I am going to write and see what the heck comes through these fingers with freshly cut nails.

Well, we got snail mail today from Alyssa. That was cool. Of course the regular letters come from "ME" (mr. h) which are always well received as well. The girls love our mailman "Arsenio", and I can't help but want to bark "Hoo Hoo Hoo" while swaying my punching fist every time he brings the Penny Saver.

And these past few weeks have been overly busy, and moments of clarity have sprinkled through my life as the summer has become more pronounced. I love summer. Especially summer nights, and I'm so glad they are here, but wish I could enjoy them a little bit more.

On a side note- we threw some of our caterpillars in a jar a few weeks ago, and metamorphisis ....well.... actually happened without killing the poor creatures. Last year the girls were a little obsessed with naming each caterpillar and taking it on a walk with us, and this year - they like giving them away to people in jars with some extra leaves to eat. If you wanna see some - there are about 15 of them on display or already in a cocoon at the Glendale Central library children's department.

So, the computer is going back in the house - so I may actually write more. Walking out in the cold, or dodging skunks and raccoons, or rain, or lightning, or black widows has not made it easy for me to blog. Now that I'll have a computer within reach - you just may be hearing from me a bit more often.

And because I JUST HAD TO BECAUSE IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MOST ANYTHING:

I had to mention a few things.

1. I love Michael Jackson.
2. Vicky and I used to listen to "BAD" without end in my 1992 4-toned Ford Escort, and even busted my speakers listening to "Liberian Girl" way too loud down Ventura Blvd. You can just imagine the amounts of men drooling over 2 strange girls blasting Michael Jackson as if it were 1985 in 1997.
3. I think hearing of the death of MJ was harder on me than finding out Captain EO was pulled outta Disneyland.
4. Mary has the MJ lifesize cut out. Enjoy him forever.
5. I still have 5 MJ t-shirts.
6. It's a shame, but MJ dying has meant almost non-stop MJ music on the radio. I used to say that any day I heard an MJ song on the radio would be a good one, so I can tell it'll be a good summer. (just too bad he had to die for this to happen. Ugk.)
7. If you are ever in a sad, bad, mood Michael can help. I promise. Just listen, or watch.
8. Yeah, I think I'm a little too obsessed, but please let me know if you are coming with me to the funeral. I'm going. For sure.
9. If it weren't for MJ, I wouldn't be the Sara I am today. No way. LIstening to the Jackson 5 in high school forever changed my music taste. Little MJ is my hero. (and Celia's too these days)
10. Dang. Liberian Girl is SUCH a good song.
Thank you Michael Jackson, for making my life so happy. You really really really did make a difference to me.

(Do you think he will read my blog from heaven? hmmm. I wonder.)

And on to other things:

I'm teaching A LOT more - music that is, and by the end of the summer I'll be teaching 5 days a week. (Not full time obviously) So, if you are interested in knowing more about what I'm doing - just email me - and you can join a class or refer someone.

And- we found out the fate of our little almost 5 year old. She'll be going to Kindergarten in September and not at her home school, but South of us a ways, as she'll be in a Spanish Immersion program. Kindergarten will be 90% in Spanish - so let's see how that goes! We're excited for her.

Ok, This will have to stay brief, cuz I have to go. Again, the new computer location will change everything. Talk to you later.

Before I forget

Before I forget all the funny things I was thinking about I should write them down. Well, I probably won't remember too many funny things - but I may remember one or two.

And after that - I'll mention Celia's graduation by request of Gina ok?

Well, tonight it was really late when we were hitting the bed, and had just come back from my moms, and neither kid was asleep on the way home cuz they were taking turns listening to their favorite disney songs, from an old disney cassette tape; so this is how it was:

"My turn! My turn next! I want to hear Mr. Piano Man (an Annette song) and Ducktales!"
Then Effie would say

"Mie Toorn! DIsneywand Song Furst!" (so she'd hear tiki room, then small world, then we'd hear Ducktales over and over, then we'd skip the Tale Spin song, cuz they for some reason don't like it as much, and because of this no one was asleep, but they had peed and brushed, I grabbed the gummi vitamins and told them to march right into bed, and they did so - so I turned off the light, and was able to skip the reading books part of the night by telling them I had a surprise.

So the lights were off, we were in the bed, Celia sleeps on my stomach, Effie, under my right arm always, and Celia says:

"What's the surpize! What's the surprise!???"
"Well". I say... "I wanted to tell you how happy I was that you were in my life, and I'm so happy I had you guys cuz you are the most wonderful children. That was my surprise."

There was a bit of a long pause..... and I thought Celia might say "Aww mom, thank you so much!"

But she said:

"Hmm... I was hoping that the surprise was going to be glow in the dark".

Then as the night time bed time stories progressed she begged for stories of the wuzzles. Do you know who the Wuzzles are? Well, it was an 80's Disney cartoon about split personality animals, anyway, Celia and Effie are in love with it, and beg to watch youtube episodes, and Right when Celia was almost asleep she says:

"I'm so excited to have the Wuzzles Collection DVD".

I don't know where she's gonna get it. It's only in the UK.
Anyhow, about 2 minutes later she says " I have to pee"
And Effie says "Poo Poo"

So I take em both to the potty. They go, they wipe, they flush.

Then back in bed, I say I'll tell you one more story then you gotta go to bed.
Celia says:

"What kinda story are you gonna tell us?!"

I"ll tell you a story about your mom and dad and how we met.

"Mom, I don't want a story about you and Dad in the human world. I want a real STORY about when you and Dad traveled to the land of Wuz."

So I told them that story, which I won't recount, and they fell asleep, and so did I, but Alex woke me up and here I am.

And so Celia's graduation:

Effie and I -my folks, in-laws, and Becky and Louie were among the select few to watch this elaborate ceremony, and I really may actually try to post the video - but ... I was expecting a small thing, pass out a paper, have a paper hat on, say good bye and eat some chips.

Nope. It was the real deal.

Special seating.
Balloons.
Pomp and circumstance.
Microphones.
a PA system.
DIplomas.
Ceremony.
Entertainment.
Speeches.

This was the real deal. I felt bad that I hadn't invited everyone I knew. But I had no idea.

Anyhow, all the kids walked out to "Pomp and Circumstance", which I thought was cute, and even cuter when every kid was walking in a straight line, except fancy Celia who was strutting and gliding across the floor waving and bowing, and blowing kisses as if she were in a Disneyland parade. It was too funny.

And when all the kids were in their seats, that didn't stop my fancy child from waving, turning her head like a coy Snow White who's shying away from the prince, and holding her dress so properly. It was very hard not to laugh the entire time.

And they did a show, and sang some songs, and everyone's favorite was the "hi. my name is bill song."

Then all the kids went up to say what they wanna be when they grow up, and Celia said she wanted to be "An artist cuz I like to draw", which was rather boring in comparison to "I wanna be an Ice Cream maker cuz I like to give people Ice Cream", or "I wanna be a wrestler because I like to hit", Or "i wanna be a prince so I can slay dragons".

Ha. I guess the boys were a bit more inventive on that one. But Celia did great. Effie was so proud as well and excited for her sister, and I'm sure she'll do the same one day.

Well, that was the jist of it. Things have been quite busy and insane lately, and I'll try to keep keeping up. But hope everyone is good in the hood.. cuz I am. Good night.

Coffee in the System

It's 12:24 am.
Lots to do.
Places to go.
People to see.

Did I ever mention we went camping?
Well, that was fun.
Remind me to always take water guns whenever we go camping. The girls liked that.

Did I mention we went to Disneyland?
Well, we do that here and there now, and taking Brownie there is much more fun than taking a car with Leather Interior for some reason. And Effie almost knocked over Minnie Mouse again cuz she was SO excited to see her. Well, considering that EVERY single thing that Effie wears, eats, or touches is called "Pink Minnie _____" it's not a surprise.

Did I mention we are going to San Luis Obispo?
Well, Lucena - I'm so excited! Wedding on Saturday which means I don't have to go to my Saturday Job for the first time in almost 2 months! Yeeehaww!! (Isn't it funny that I only really work once a week and I think it's too much??) Hmmm. I'm a questionable person.

Did I mention that I am so very much loving my children?
I mean.... there is no doubt in my mind that my 2 kids are probably in the top 2% of all time amazing people created on the face of this earth, so I feel rather proud.

And this is just a catch up blog, cuz if I ever figure out how to pack for a weekend trip, we'll be leaving till Sunday. You are welcome to come over and water my lawn, any of you if you'd like. And my vegetables, but DON'T steal any. I'm eating them. Well, then again, if you do come to water the lawn I will allow you to take no more than ONE zucchini and ONE small handful of Basil. Ok? But the cilantro is MINE!

And My dad left me and spent time in Alabama...... Why Alabama?? Well, if you marry a trucker you just may end up in alabama. No. My Dad didn't marry a trucker, but someone he knows once did, and blah blah blah. I'm just waiting for my chance to explore the strange south.

And... uhh... Celia graduates from Preschool next week. If you wanna go let me know. And the girls have a 15 minute Dance recital in a very tiny room this week. Let me know if you wanna go. And... It's almost summer... which means, lots of time at the carousel, the zoo, the library, the house, the neighbors' swimming pools, in the sprinklers, and trying to organize my life and find a way to survive and find things to sell to afford a trip to Mexico. I wish. Hmm.. I think I can handle it. (maybe not the trip but everything else)

And... well, hope all you peeps are ok, cuz I'm ok, and all is good. Let's hope it stays that way. One day I promise to get back on the blog train and post portraits and write every week. Oh yeah, that'll happen when I get a laptop... so probably not anytime soon.

Oh - one funny story tonight. But it's a little Rated R, but it was funny. I was trying on a dress for the wedding and I told Celia that the one I was wearing didn't look good, cuz I needed boobs like Miss Yvonne to look better in it, and she said to me :

"But Mom! Humans don't have boobs like Ms. Yvonne! She's only on TV!"... hahahahah.. little does she know...

And... our new thing after we do all those goodnight checks is: Celia and Effie beg me to tell them a Ghost Story. Then they take turns telling stories. They tell the stories into a microphone that lights up. So tonight, Effie''s story went something like this:

"Pink... Minnie.. Hello.. hello... Dere was a gost. Da gost was a big doo doo. Dee end"

Depressing!

F.Y.I - I'll go back to portraits soon, as soon as I can - but for now, and for a change - here's a pic -


I know i know I know I know.... I haven't written in ages.. it's a shame. It's really bad. I didn't mean to let this happen.. but with those two children I conceived and gave birth two, anything I get to do by myself is somewhat miraculous right?

So this morning - I knew I'd have to blog cuz it was an extra extraordinary morning.
You see... I woke up pretty late. 8am on the nose to be exact - and if I wanna get anything done before Effie gets up and asks for "chocat mewk", I should be up around 6:30. An alarm of some sorts went off at 7:32 and I managed to sleep a bit longer to finish a dream about being on the freeway and dead-ending into a large mattress that covered the freeway floor near a wall with 5 identical 60's model Pontiacs.

So I got up - and Alex. Yes Alex Quintanar, said to me (for the 4th day in a row), "let's do the dishes together before Effie wakes up". I'm still having a hard time believing this one. Pinch me please. So we attack the mound of dishes I left the night before and get em done in NO time at all, cuz DISHES that TOTALLY suck can actually be manageable and not so HORRIFYING when someone helps you move those suckers out back into their chambers. SO, if that wasn't wonderful enough - Effie didn't wake up until we were done with the dishes, cleaning the counters! Wow! Yes!

If that isn't wonderful enough! Get this! Effie and Celia walk into the kitchen hand in hand, say good morning - and then say - well, Celia says:

"Mom! Effie woke me up, and we were in a good mood! I asked her if she wanted to play toys with me so we're gonna go in my room now ok? Is it ok if we play with toys before breakfast?"

Well. I was a bit flabbergasted and baffled, and Alex and I thought we were dreaming cuz normally, there is some screaming from the bed asking us to be there with them, and then complaining about something, or begging for milk, or begging to watch a "DVDB" (say's Effie), and getting out of the bed takes anywhere between 10 and 44 minutes. Anyway, their attitude was welcoming.

Then... to make things even BETTER than that - they played like sweet little blessed children and came right to the table and ate all their pancakes and fruit and Alex made them chocolate covered strawberries, and they brushed, got dressed and outta the house without a problem. I call it too good to be true. I'm so glad the morning was good cuz tonight was the first night in a long time that it took both of them an hour to get to bed, cuz Effie asked to poop about 6 different times, never went, ended up grabbing leftover chicken in the kitchen and eating a big slab of fried chicken and about 7 cherries then finally went to bed, so considering that was a bit of a headache, at least I have the memories of the morning.

And that younger offspring is way too funny. She thinks I'm Donald. Calls Alex Goofy, and Celia is Daisy, of course she's "Minnie", but only when she's not "baby Minnie" or "Mama Minnie". Sometimes I am "Mama Minnie", and yes she becomes "baby Minnie", and Celia is "Big girl Minnie", and Alex is "Dada Minnie", then we have "Minnie" parties, and Alex then becomes "Mickey", and I stay "Donald", and she gathers matching bags for everyone so they can bring the party accessories and treats, and we all have to wear matching "Minnie" hats, and talk like "Minnie" and invite the "Minnie" dolls, but we have to make sure everything there is "Pink".

She is obsessed with the color pink. So much so that at the library yesterday she wanted to make sure that the "DVDB" (DVD) she picked out was pink, and good thing the Donald Cartoon Collection had a "Pink" sticker on it, cuz then she wanted it. She checked out about 6 Barbie books the other day cuz they were the only Pink books she found, and they didn't even have pictures. They are chapter books, and she insists on reading the "Pink" things. Yuck.

And don't let me get into Celia's new obsession with the Crucifixion, cuz it's kind of weird and maybe I shouldn't go there, but I had to remove her Bible Stories for kids book cuz I keep finding her sneaking a peek at the Crucifixion page being very sad for Jesus.. ok I'll stop there....

And today while we were walking - which we do every night, and has become more torture than fun or exercise, cuz Effie always wants to be carried, or Celia needs to take her own stroller for her own baby, or they are freaking out about something, or they insist we play dogs the entire way, or they want to chew gum that I don't have or something so lame, and ridiculous, and tiring, when all I want to do is stop the insanity and put them to bed, but Alex insists that we get out just to be tortured into a very odd walk that may also include chasing and falling, and running, and waiting long numbers of minutes for Effie to get off the sidewalk cuz she feels like sitting down, or Celia to get off of someone's lawn while she pretends she's in some magical garden and needs to smell every single rose she can find.. Ugg...

But in the end I have to admit - it's fun, (yeah, I'm not lying), cuz they are just too funny, and tonight while I was holding Effie cuz she didn't want to sit in the stroller, I was holding her and thinking how cute she was in her pink pants, pink shirt, and little tap shoes, her pink lipstick, and of course a minnie mouse hat, and she was cracking up cuz I'd blow bubbles with her pink gum and smash the bubbles on her face and make her scream and it made me think of how sad it is that she won't be this cute forever, and who cares if I have to carry her, cuz I'd carry her for miles if it meant I could just keep her a little funny pink minnie loving child just a bit longer.

And I better go, cuz it's late as usual. But don't forget I miss you guys, I love you guys, and if you haven't seen my kids in awhile, you're really missing out cuz they are the funniest people in the entire world.