Fourteen

Welcome to the Celebration of my 14th Year in the Blogosphere!

*insert lively party music here*

It makes me really happy to be able to be writing this blog post today for a few reasons. 

• Because I can’t even believe I’ve kept at this blog thing for this long.
• Because I’ve created something that I’m super proud of.
• Because it has afforded me the opportunity to go lots of cool places and meet tons of people that I now consider part of my big fat Cuban family. 
• Because I have fourteen years worth of stories and recipes and celebrations all documented here. 
• Because when I go back and read some of my older posts it takes me back to that time. For example: when I started this blog, I was homeschooling my two younger kids, Lucy and Jon. Now I’m writing about my grandsons (!) Asher and Sebastian (you may call him Bash).

• Because my original goal was just to “find my voice,” and I feel I’ve been pretty successful. 
• Because writing about my everyday life has been extremely cathartic and enjoyable. 
• Because the internet has helped me connect with so many wonderful people in so many ways. 
• Because writing this blog has made me “Miami famous.” (Little “f.”) LOL!

• Because I love celebrating pretty much anything. 
• Because in the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite Cuban vendors to bring you some seriously fun and fabulous giveaways.
• Because you’ve been amazingly kind, loyal, and enthusiastic supporters of My Big Fat Cuban Family through the years.
• Because I have cupcakes! 

My Big Fat Cuban Family has changed in the past 14 years. If you’ve been reading long enough, you know that in 2017  I lost my mom, Luza at the ripe old age of 103. And I still miss her every day. 

I’m so happy that in my attempt to entertain you, I documented her in lots of ways. I hope you will join me in celebrating my favorite video of her, when she was a young 96, explaining how the internet search engines work. Please appreciate: Cuco and Yayo.

My siblings have gotten older and because of covid it has been more and more difficult to get together. This saddens me greatly, but I’m comforted in knowing they are well and quarantining with their own families.

However, I do see my kids and grandkids regularly and am delighted to report that all are doing well and are in good health. 

The kids are now calling me the Matriarch of our growing family and I’m starting to embrace the inevitable. (Shh! I kind of like it.) 

I had not written about it before, but I survived breast cancer and if I’m being honest, there are some underlying side effects I’m still dealing with. But life goes on and I’m grateful I’m still here to be a part of everyone’s life. Read about that here –  One Bad Year. 

My daughter, Amy and grandson, Sebastian (you may call him Bash) have been living with us for the last year and a half. When I was going through cancer treatment, it helped to have all the life that only a 3 year old (now 4) can bring. They’ve just found a place of their own and moved out two weeks ago.

Our home is quiet like it hasn’t been for a long time. And we miss them terribly, but they’re in a home of their own and it makes me happy that they’re doing so well. 

We have continued to celebrate the every day in spite of lockdowns. We’ve had movie nights and even a pig roast. Because life goes on and it must be celebrated.

Please enjoy – May the 4th Be With You.

If you follow both of my Instagram accounts you’ll see that that’s true. Here’s my family’s social distancing photo. (They crack me up.)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybigfatcubanfamily/ AND https://www.instagram.com/martadarby/

Last year when I celebrated my 13th Blogging Year, I went a little more in depth into what I have done in past years, but 2020 will pretty much stand on its own. You know what I mean? 

And this video that my daughter Lucy made for my 10th Blogoversary still makes me super happy. Because we seriously love to celebrate anything. 

Also, I probably should have named this post: Things That Make Me Happy, but that’s not important right now.

But today, as I celebrate my 14 Years in the Blogosphere, I am simply grateful. 

• Grateful for all the little things I listed above. 
• Grateful that I’m still here to celebrate them all.
• Grateful that you’re here reading about my cyber-life and celebrating with me. 

GIVEAWAYS!

Let me remind you again that I have some amazing Cuban friends and vendors that are generously sponsoring giveaways for the entire month of October. I hope you’ll come back and participate in those. I’m so excited!!

Meanwhile, let’s have cupcakes! 

Or maybe some pastelitos? 😉

Happy Blogoversary to ME! Please come celebrate with me! 

10/5/2020 First Giveaway – Feeling Welcome with Palm * Pine