SuperBowl Sunday 2012

Enjoying the game with Mama and Papa!

Titus 2 Tuesday

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever) Write your own "Titus 2 Post" (linking back to ateachableheart somewhere within the body of your post) and also enter your link in the Mr. Linky below the Titus 2 post at ateachableheart!

This week I'm proud to say that I spent time under my grandmother's wing and I(as usual) I learned something!

I wanted to make dinner for That Dude but when he asked for Rice and Beans with Chicken cutlets, I was worried! It may sound like a simple enough meal, but growing up in a Latino household, this is a standard meal, meaning that I knew he'd eaten it a hundred million times done "correctly" and would easily notice if I screwed it up. There's an ongoing joke about my (lack of) cooking skills and having NEVER made Puerto Rican style beans before, I was worried that I'd prove everyone right, so I called my grandmother who lives fairly nearby, and asked if I could come by for guidance. She laughed and told me she'd be waiting.

While we cooked together, my grandmother told me a few (quite funny) stories about her adventures in cooking during the early years of her marriage to my grandfather (over fifty years ago!). It was especially side splitting to hear stories about my grandfather (who LOVES to cook - evidenced by his affinity for the Food Network, his collection of various cooking tools, and the many cookbooks that he owns) eating my grandmother's meals as she said "...con sus ojos cerrado" (with his eyes closed) but being so in love that he just didn't know how to tell her!

We chatted about her health and about my uncle who is about to buy a new house, we discussed the pros and cons of taking a family vacation to Puerto Rico, and then, all of a sudden, it was done! I packed up the food and ran out the door.

I learned how to make my grandmother's beans (SCORE!) but I also learned a bit more about the honeymoon period of marriage and above all, I learned more about my family's matriarch and THAT truly was the best feeling of all!

7 Quick Takes

Life has been an absolute whirlwind of activity lately and it's sometimes hard to keep up with writing, but since a faraway friend asked for an update, I knew I had to oblige! **I wrote this out and forgot to post it on Friday, sorry!

1. The concert is over and we took a financial loss. I still don't know what that will mean for my job, but I'm totally relaxed about it.

2. We've started the wedding planning process again. Checked out a photographer, DJ, and a bridal show at a Catering Hall, so far. The wedding party is pretty much set, except for a flower girl and ring bearer, although I'm pretty sure I'll be asking to have my cousin's daughter or my boss's daughter as our flower girl.

3. That Dude bought me a Blackberry and added me to his phone account, and despite my former aversion to all things Blackberry, I must admit, I actually don't hate it! It's WAY better than the Samsung Instinct from Sprint (IMHO) so I'm happy as a clam!

4. I have officially taken on the position of Kids' Church Coordinator for the non-denominational church that I belong to. I've also agreed to coordinate the Youth Group at the Catholic Parish that That Dude and I will be getting married at. With work and the possibility of school this semester, I've pretty much got every minute of the day taken up! But I love it, so I'm not stressing.

5. Many people have only heard about my oldest younger (step) brother in passing, but don't know much about him. First, although we aren't biologically related, he has always been and will always be my brother in my heart. With that said, I've been pretty actively searching for him for a few weeks now, and finally have some good news! He's not laying dead in some California ditch but is in fact taking the necessary steps to improve his life and I'm so proud of him. I hope to someday share his story, not today.

Also, my search has brought me two wonderful new friends that (based on my limited experience so far as well as the fact that my brother very obviously loves them both) I can't wait to repay them for all that they've done.

6. Each day That Dude manages to say or do something that makes me fall more in love with him. There had been some tension because of my stress levels, but as the fund raiser becomes nothing more than a memory, we've worked our way back into a (semi) normal relationship - well, at least normal for us!

7. The Lord is revealing different facets of His glory and mercy to me everyday. It seems though, that each time I have a glorious moment with the Lord, I get a spiritual attack that I always feel is "the worst it could ever possibly get.". I'm spending a lot of time in prayer and praising the Lord. I know that I cannot let these attacks get the best of me.

Thanks for reading!!

Someday Saturday....

Callan's Mom came up with an idea for posts that I love called Someday Saturday. Make sure to check out her blog right here.

Onto my "someday"...

Someday, I'm going to donate lots of money to an organization to offers counseling to children of addicts.

Even at 25 years old, my father's alcoholism has the power to bring me to tears and absolutely stop my productivity. This is something that I'm thinking about right now because of the drunken phone call that I received about an hour ago. I used to deal with the calls much more often and even had the ability to just let my dad go on and on talking nonsense, while I did whatever I was doing when he called. As I've gotten older though, this has become more difficult. At some point a few years ago, my father finally decided to seek help and was even going to regular AA meetings. I was so proud of him whenever we'd go somewhere and he'd have a soft drink instead of liquor. After about a year, my father secretly began drinking again, and out of his embarrassment, he stopped speaking to me, my sister, and everyone else in the family. After landing himself in the hospital with ulcers a couple of years ago, my dad cut back to just a few beers here and there. I know what he's doing to his body and it scares me that he really is out of it when he drinks. Which brings me back to my "someday". I know that I'm not the only one dealing with this, and that I'm very lucky because I have a great support system, but I feel for others who've had to deal with the unfortunate problem of addict parents on their own.

What will you do "someday"?