Hi everyone, it's me Kikita and I will be in-charge of posting today. :-) I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but here in Orange County there are not many Cuban restaurants or cafés. Which means that if we want Cuban food we cook it. If I want a cafécito, I have to make it . . . Starbuck's just doesn't understand about a good ...
Archives for April 2008
The BIG Family
After agreeing to take on the massive task of Family Historian, things I never even dreamed of are falling into my lap. Family members are finding photos and remembering stories. I feel like I've discovered buried treasure! And as I start receiving photos and dates, a picture starts to form. And then there are the stories. So many wonderful stories ...
And they lived happily ever after. . .
WARNING: SUPER Dork Alert! Yes, I admit it. I'm a big sappy dork when it comes to my home and my family. And, like any good dork, I admit that I have always childishly wanted a house with "a white picket fence." I know. Uber-dork. I probably read too many books in the Anne-of-Green-Gables/Nancy-Drew genre as a child. The white picket ...
In praise of quinceañeras
At Disneyland the other night... Me: "Hey, that blond lady looks like Cristina." Them: (eye-rolling, full-body complaining ensues..) "Not again, Mom! Who's Cristina?" Me: "She's like the Cuban Oprah, but that's not important right now." Them: "Why is there an elaborate platform in front of the castle ...
Don’t Mess With Texas!
Brought to you by: Kikita Tio Timbiriche has been gone for a week now and before he gets to Miami, he's stopped to visit my Tio & Tia in Texas. To be honest, I'm missing him terribly. But I've been getting regular updates from my favorite Tia. They are doing for him what we did here. And lucky for us, they sent ...
Be careful what you wish for…
SIGH. My closest, oldest, and dearest friends all live so very far away. And I really wanted to spend time with someone to de-compress from all the frantic let-me-show-you-the-highlights-of-California activity of the past few weeks. (This is a perfect example of my whiny prayer life, but that's not important right now.) My very favorite ...
So near and yet so foreign. . .
I still have papers to grade and end of the year things to finish for school, but my heart is already gone. My heart has made its way to Miami. I'm hoping it has the decency to wait up for me.....3 weeks I must suffer. It's not a pleasure trip, really. It's more like a holy pilgrimage. I guess I'll amuse myself with picking out just the right ...
How does my garden grow?
In 1970, when our home was built, the "country-look" was in. Rugged, exposed beams were the hip thing.Fast forward to when we actually bought this house in 2001. I struggled with those once-hip exposed beams. Truthfully, I hated looking at those things sticking out of our roof line. I wondered if there was a way to cover them so ...
After 4 cups of wine… am I Jewban? Or Cubish?
No. We're not Jewish. . . most of the time. . . but we were tonight. We had the wonderful pleasure of being asked to participate in a Passover Seder this evening. Our dear friends, Barry and Anne Koff and their kids, Jonathan and Shoshana, were our very gracious hosts and teachers. Seriously, we learned so much about the Passover rituals. ...
Listmania
I'm a world-class list maker. I make grocery lists, things-to-do lists, and lists of chores. I have lists of books I want to read and movies I want to watch. I have lists of places I want to visit and emails I need to answer. I just put my Cuban uncle on a plane this afternoon and to be honest, I'm a little wiped out.As I sat down just now to ...
A good man
At the top of my list of "things I talk to God about" is this man. I am ever so grateful. . .- that he takes his role as Dad so seriously.- that he has such a wonderful sense of humor.- that he is steadfast in his faith.- that he is just so smart.- that he is compassionate.- that he puts up with all my silliness.- that he is an amazing ...
My name is (insert name here), but everyone calls me . . .
Another fabulous post brought to you by: Amy (who would like people to start calling her by her new Cuban nickname: Kikita) During one of my many adventures with Tio Timbiriche and Luza (my abuela), one of them was commenting on the clutter in my room (I think it's artistic - but that's not important right now) and they called this clutter a ...
A Day Without My Cafecito . . .
The following post is brought to you by: Amy, La Hija de Marta. Since Tio Timbiriche has been here I've gone all over Southern California and have learned SO MUCH. The day of the Gran Cucufate was no different. I woke up late, so the first thing I had to do was call and tell Timbiriche and Abuela that I was going to be late. ...
The decadence of capitalism
I'm so jaded.I forget that we live such a privileged lifestyle.I take so much for granted.Until I have an out of town visitor who, every time I show him something declares he's never seen anything like it before.Like Sprinkles.There was a "cola." A line snaking out of the front door and wrapping around the shops.The people seemed ...
My Cuban Roots
Family history fascinates me. Maybe more so because we lost our home and family so many years ago when we left Cuba.There's that familiar tension again of living "life on the hyphen." That feeling of being 100% Cuban and 100% American. The question haunts me sometimes: What would my life have been like if. . . . . . there had been ...
My Favorite Tio
Disclaimer: It’s Amy,AGAIN. Being mostly unemployed (I am doing some work for my dad, but it isn’t much) has left me with plenty of things to say and plenty of time to say them. So I hope you don't mind that I've been hijacking my Mom's blog so much recently. :-) If you’ve been reading this past week, you know that Tio Timbiriche ...
