My girl is 30 years old today. Let me tell you about her... She is the real deal. She has the most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen. She doesn't like to hear the word, "no." She has a raucous, distinctive, infectuous laugh. She feels things deeply. She is a fiercely loyal friend. She is tenacious. She is oh-so-very ...
Amy Kikita Hohneker
Kikita, the Luckiest Girl in the World, Sees Ruben Blades in Concert
I very well may be the luckiest girl in the world. I'm sure there are other girls that think that, but I bet I can make a pretty good case for being the luckiest. (This is Kikita, by the way, Marta's eldest daughter. <-- That alone makes me pretty lucky, but that's not important right now ;-D) A little over a week ago, my timbales ...
Kikita Loves Monkeys
Familia! It's Kikita here. In case you didn't know, I love monkeys.I also love movies.So when the chance to see a movie about monkeys comes up, I'm SOOO there. "The Lion King" is my favorite Disney movie and Rafiki is a huge reason for that."Aladdin" is one of my favorite Disney movies because of Abu.Can you guess ...
Voices From Mariel – a Screening (or 2 or 3)
**The following post was written and brought to you by the one and only Kikita. Marta and the rest of the big, fat, Cuban family are currenty cruising to Puerto Rico** Mami, Marta, has been collecting your Cuando Sali de Cuba stories for quite some time now getting ready for Hispanic Heritage Month. What better way to kick off the month than with a ...
Cuban Food Review … Or is it?
*The following post was written by Kikita, la hija de Marta.* Here in "The Bubble" (as Mami likes to call it), there is not much Cuban food to be had. That's why Mami posts recipes over on Babalú Blog. That's why we cook so much. If we want to eat out and we want to eat Cuban food, we have to take a road trip. So, imagine ...
Southern California Cuban Festival 2011 in San Dimas
The following post was written by Kikita. It's that time of year again! Time for the Cuban Festival! It's been a few years since I've been, but I'll definitely be there this year! So... COME AND DANCE WITH ME! (Seriously, if you're a blog reader and you decide to go to the festival and you do see me, please come up and say ...
Curses! Foiled Again!
**The following post of daring ingenuity and all-around cleverness has been brought to you by the one and only Kikita. I've been temping.'Nuff said. Actually, there's so much more to say.I've done temp work before. I've worked all kinds of places. In fact, there was even a time when I worked as a "Staffing Agent" ...
Why Kikita thinks Spain Will Win the World Cup
Kikita here. At some point I'm sure Mami has mentioned that we don't have TV. If you didn't know that, well, now you know. We live in a valley, so we can't even get basic channels without basic cable. We watch movies and are big Netflix fans, but that is not important right now. Not having cable has made watching the World ...
My Father’s Day Gift
(The following post was written and lived by Kikita. It is dedicated to her Big, Fat Verdés Family.)**WARNING: You may need tissues.** My grandfather, Rodolfo Verdés, died on December 11, 1999. I never called him "Abuelo." Instead I affecionately called him "Papi" as did all of his children and grandchildren. My grandmother, Luza, never ...
How to Turn 55 While in Miami
The following post has been brought to you courtesy of Kikita. Greetings from Miami! Yesterday was Mami's 55th birthday (it's ok, she told me I could tell you) and the celebrating started early in the morning and went late into the night. (Ok, technically I think she will be stretching her birthday out through the weekend, but that's not important ...
A Big, Fat, Cuban Family Birthday Party Invitation
Kikita (la hija de Marta) here and I have a happy announcement: Mami will be turning...*ahem*... 21 on Friday, May 21st, 2010. We will be in Miami for this momentous occasion and I've decided there is only one thing we can do. We must have a Big, Fat, Cuban Birthday party and EVERYONE is invited!Where is the party, you ask?Habana Vieja ...
What I, Kikita, Learned in Cuba
Kikita here. There are plenty of things about my trip to Cuba that I haven't written about for various reasons. One of those reasons is that I went back to school this semester. School started exactly 4 weeks before I left for Cuba so I made sure to clear my trip with my teachers. I went back to study Spanish, so my teacher was happy to excuse ...
Mother’s Day Blog Shout Out
Kikita here. In case you didn't know (because you've been so busy getting ready for "Kikko de Mayo") Mother's day is THIS SUNDAY. I know what you're thinking: "¡Ay Kikita! I'm not ready! I don't know what to get her!" Never fear! Kikita is here! (Ok, I really can't take the credit for this ...
Kikita and La Casa de la Loma
Kikita wrote this post about her recent trip to Cuba; depending on the kind of person you are you may or may not need tissues. Have you ever had one of those moments where you thought, "Dang it! I should have taken more pictures!"? I am having one of those moments. At the time, I was worried about running out of battery power or ...
The Sound of Silence
The following post was written by Kikita. The Damas en Blanco (Ladies in White) held their demonstration in Havana one week after my abuela, Luza, and I had returned from our trip. Most of the members of my big, fat, Cuban family have all expressed the relief they feel that Luza and I were not in Havana when everything happened. As one who likes to ...
Kikita and The Most Beautiful Beach in the World
The following post was written by Kikita. My trip to Cuba was many things and I saw all kinds of things. I guess it was sort of magical. Some of the things I saw were as legendary to me as the Sphinx or Stonehenge or the Eiffel Tower. I knew the video of my mother being dragged into the water of Varadero by heart. I knew the games they used to ...
