The span in age between me and my oldest sister, Ofie, is about fifteen years. Which means she was married and had her first child, Annette, by the time I was nine. Which means that at that point in my young life, my mother, Luz, became a grandmother."La Abuela!" She had waited so long to finally hear those words. She could barely wait until ...
Flip-flop. ;-)
Okay, so we're on our way to the beach on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon in So Cal. As we're getting onto The Toll Road we spot DOZENS of police officers on motorcycles with their lights all flashing, and behind them there were about four or five patrol cars, with their lights flashing too. In front of this dizzyingly dramatic display of ...
Guess who’s in Miami!?!
Hello my party people! Kikita here. And when I say "here" I mean in MIAMI!! Luckily I made it just in time for thunderstorms . . . (which makes landing REALLY fun) :-) This is what my first night consisted of:Yes, I committed the major faux-paux and ate Chinese Take-Out, don't tell Mami! Email me, call me, let's get together, I'm here! :-) ...
“Felicidades, Abuela!” (state your name)
I've written before about how my family spent summers in Varadero Beach in pre-castro Cuba.My grandmother's birthday was in late June so we would be out of Havana and not with her to celebrate. So we would call.... It seems like such a simple thing, making a phone call from Varadero to Havana, but it was quite an elaborate operation because the ...
When in Rome…
It was a TOGA party we had last night for Adam's birthday.(And yes, we did a sing along - to Disney's Hercules)I dressed in a toga.I cooked dinner in my toga.I became quite attached to my toga.They're very comfortable and I think I look spectacular in RED. Heck, this might turn out to be our Christmas card picture this year.... (that wouldn't ...
Nuclear power
When Adam was a toddler, he picked up the nickname "Adam Bomb."He was kind of a big, cuddly, brute of a toddler and the name fit.He was an amazing phenomenon....just like the atom.If atoms are so small, I've often wondered, how can they release the kind of energy needed to create a nuclear explosion?I wondered the same thing as I was attempting to ...
Helen…. Wheels?
My sister, Helen, has a daughter, whom she named... Helen. I know. It was a totally Cuban thing to name children after their parents back in the day, but that's not important right now. Technically, she named her Helen del Carmen.So in order to differentiate between them, the family thing has been to call the younger Helen by her full name: ...
Caught in the moment
Our kids get such a kick out of the way Eric and I interact.There's always a lot of eye-rolling and sheesh-ing when we are affectionate in their presence.But I know they like it. They like that we are always holding hands and giving each other meaningful looks.Lucy especially likes to photograph us candidly. It's probably comforting to think that ...
Bilingual in the Bubble
DISCLAIMER: The following post may not be completely understandable to my non-Cuban blog readers. I apologize in advance. I often refer to South Orange County (where we live) as The Bubble. This is white whole-wheat bread capital of So Cal.I miss my Bilingual in the Boonies friend, Carrie. Unlike my (lovely and fabulous) American friends, ...
Yes, I do live in a Pottery Barn catalog. (I wish)
I'm not jealous. I'm not.I know what it looks like. A spread from a Pottery Barn Catalog.But you're wrong.This was our Fourth of July picnic. Here in Orange County.Yes, that is teak furniture. And Tommy Hilfiger quilts. And fresh flowers. (not jealous at all!)I felt like I had fallen into a fabulous Lifestyle Magazine. (Heavy Sigh)And no, I had ...
