Cuban Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium happened and Los Angeles Cubans came out in force. Because it was a very full weekend, I'm still trying to gather my thoughts in a "Wow. Did all that just happen?" kind of way. I'm going to try to describe the weekend with a basic chronology and from my own personal point of view, starting with Saturday night. ...
Celebrate
I'm Cuban. I throw lots of parties. You shouldn't be surprised.
Sebastian Turns UNO – First Birthday Party
My beautiful grandson, Sebastian Darby - you may call him Bash - just turned one. Back in the day, the Cuban baby's first birthday party was something you celebrated in a big way. I sometimes wonder if, after that first eventful year, it isn't a great collective familial sigh of relief. First Year - DONE! Yes! High fives all around. He's alive ...
Celebrating a Life
I realize I've spent a bit of time now writing about how losing my mom, Luza has affected me. I'm not saying that apologetically. She was a tremendous part of my life and for so many years. And I have a lot to say on this particular subject, but today I want to share how we went about organizing a Celebration of Life.How do you go about ...
When It Rains…
I should preface whatever it is I'm going to write next with these words: IT NEVER RAINS IN CALIFORNIA. Seriously. When it does rain here, we hunker down and stay home. We don't know how to drive when weather happens. We don't know how to act. I'd be hard pressed to name any friends of mine who own a raincoat. No rain. It's California. We don't ...
Selective Reality
It's not that we didn't know it was coming. I'm talking about my mom, Luza. She was, after all, 102 years old - going on 103, mind you. My sisters and I had often discussed things like, "this might be her last - *Birthday, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas." *(__________) fill in the blank* We started throwing her birthday parties when ...
Deck the Hall With Arturo Sandoval
I often say that there's nothing better than being Cuban at Christmas. Click here to read 10 Things That Are Awesome About Being Cuban At Christmas for the definitive proof that I'm right. I was delighted to learn that El Maestro, - the Walt Disney Concert Hall - next week. Do you hear that, LA? That's the sound of some Latin Christmas Magic ...
Getting It Before Christmas
I'm a giver. That's just in my Cuban DNA. Maybe it's something in my personal genetic programming, but I have a hard time saying, "no." "Do you want me to do something that will take me lots of time I don't have?" "Yes. Of course I'll do it." I'm convinced it all started with my family of origin. Have you ever tried to say, "no" to your ...
Love Me, Love My Tech Christmas Gift Guide
{This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Amazon and #WeAllGrow Latina Network. The opinions and text are all my own.} It's no secret that I'm a lover of all things Cuban. But did you further know that I'm a lover of all kinds of techie devices? My daughter, Lucy just moved to Austin and we were able to text with her and ...
The Smart Cuban’s Christmas Gift Guide
Who doesn't appreciate a little shopping help at this time of year?Of course, I know you can head down to the local mall and spend a few frustrating hours hunting from store to store to find just the right thing. Of course, there's always the issue of finding a convenient place to park and fighting the Battle of the Parking Structure. And this ...
My Big Fat Cuban Christmas Playlist
Do you love everything about December? I absolutely do. Also, being Cuban at Christmas is like the best thing ever. I wrote about that here: 10 Things That Are Awesome About Being Cuban At Christmas. You're welcome. And because I'm a giver and you asked for it, I created a very Cuban Christmas playlist for you to enjoy while you're making your ...
