Have Yourself a Wacky Little Christmas

Here are Hubby and Me wishing you a fabulous holiday season...in our own special way...:)

The Dixie Interview and Props to My Wonderful Hubby

I'm on the road but nothing wildly exciting happened today, so I'll use the Dixie interview, which I had saved up for just such a situation.

I want to acknowledge my wonderful husband who after driving a gabillion hours and arriving to the hotel and getting all comfy, went out again in search of a web hot spot so I could post this. The hotel is supposed to have web access but it was messed up.

Isn't he wonderful? That's him up there...:)

Dixie interviewed me!

Here are the instructions as posted on her Blog:

"Leave me a comment if you'd like me to interview you for you to answer on your blog. Check back on the comments on this entry for your questions. You NaBloPoMo participants may especially be interested in an interview since that'll knock off one of your daily posts!"

1. I can't sew but I wish I could. Is there are skill or craft you're unable to do but wish you could? I was just telling Hubby today that I'd like to be able to play the violin.

2. Is there a childhood birthday of yours that stands out in your mind? Why does it stand out? I have memories of my birthdays in New York - I left there when I was 5 years old - but I don't know that I can pinpoint a specific birthday. I remember that my parents' friends and the family we had in New York and Philadelphia would come to my party. There were only a few kids my age, but I remember feeling so loved and special by not only my actual family, but by my "aunts" and "uncles" that weren't related to me technically but might as well have been. A quick clear memory: I don't know if everyone does this or if it's a Cuban tradition, but I would always have to lay all my presents out on my bed like a fabulous display of wonderfulness. I loved going into my room after everyone left and look over all my *loot*...

3. Is there an infamous world leader that you would like to have a conversation with for an hour? Which one would it be? Honestly - I'd love to have a conversation with Dubyuh (I'll wait until everyone picks themselves up off the floor). I really don't think he's a bad man - I just think he's being manipulated by bad people. I'd like to know if he realizes how much he's hurting our country. And then I'd ask him to do the right thing: ask Dick Cheney for his resignation and then resign himself.

4. Is there something that you absolutely love that would surprise most people if they knew? Hip hop music - in small doses.

5. If you were to mentor a 15 year old girl, which 5 lessons would you want to be sure she learned? This is a great question!
a) Believe in yourself - you can do anything if you work hard and focus

b) Have fun - you'll never be 15 again, and right now you're golden

c) Learn everything you can, no matter how obscure or unimportant it seems

d) At this point in your life, never ever choose some guy - no matter how hot he is - over your girl friends. Guys come and go, real friends will be there for you in 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 years.

e) Don't rush to get married. Get to know and appreciate yourself before you share your life with someone else.

Thanks to Dixie and remember if you want me to interview you, let me know in my Comments!

A New Chapter

Today my husband and I started a new chapter in our lives. After 8 years of working in a bank, my husband quit and is returning to school to earn his AS.

His last day was Friday and he'll start classes at Miami-Dade college in January - which is the beginning of the Spring semester- working towards his AS in Technical Support (there's a more complicated name, but that's the gist of it). He's also going to work on getting some certifications that are pretty much required for any type of Tech Support work.

I'm very happy he's going back to school. He is so smart, I mean really smart, and he was wasting his abilities in retail banking. Some issues regarding vacation time was the impetus that led to the decision, but we had been considering this for a long time, and it's something he's been wanting to do.

To be honest though, while I'm happy for him and for us, I'm a little scared. All of a sudden being responsible the family's sole income source is daunting. And of course I'm concerned we'll run out of money. That's not really a positively, we reviewed our finances carefully taking in various considerations and we're really OK. But still, I'm me. I worry. That's what I do.

So - please, think a good thought for our new beginning.

Our 10th Wedding Anniversary

Happy 10th Anniversary to hubby and me! Yep, it's been 10 years. It's so strange - in a way it feels like yesterday, but it also feels like we've been together forever.

We're not doing anything special today. Our trip to New Orleans back in April was our anniversary trip and Saturday we're going to lunch at a new Mexican restaurant that's gotten wonderful reviews. Then when we go to Philadelphia we're planning on going to our *special* restaurant in South Philly, the Italian neighborhood.

Actually our *big event* tonight is to play World of Warcraft with some friends and do a major "raid event" - we'll see how we do. But, as I told you last year, we'll still find time for our anniversary tradition.

So, to my husband: Happy Anniversary baby - thanks for giving me a wonderful 10 years. I'll be with you forever, you're my heart.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day has been a special holiday for me since I was a kid because it was one of my dad's favorite holidays. Yes, my very Cuban father loved St. Patrick's Day because it reminded him of New York - and let's get real because of the eating and drinking!

Since I was in my teens, my father and I - and sometimes mom - would always go to the St. Patrick's Day parade and celebration here in Miami. OK, so Miami might not be the first city you think of when you thing about a St. Patrick's Day celebration, but we have a parade and a big carnival like event in Downtown. Really. So what if in addition to being able to get corn beef and cabbage or shepard's pie you can also get arepas and Cuban coffee?

Anyway, once I got older and my father retired, every St. Patrick's Day my father would come pick me up at work (if it was a weekend, my mom would come along) and we'd have lunch at a tavern close to work for corned beef and cabbage, green beer (or in my case green Sprite) and an Irish coffee! For years we did this, and I really miss it.

Today I woke up with a mild case of the mean reds, so my husband, God bless him, tried to find a place to get me some corned beef and cabbage. There were several places serving it but they were all packed, or too far, or whatever - so we wound up eating sushi! Hey - it's OK to break a tradition every now and then, right? I just love him for trying.

So, here's hoping the luck of the Irish shines upon you and that you find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Slainte!