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 right now.)

This is how I found her this morning:

Sharing a cake with her blog-friend the Modern Mami.

A couple of hours later Mami was enjoying a Dulce de Leche cupcake from InStyle Cupcakes.

After a quick stop to visit Tio Abuelo Fernando (yes, the 99 year old one I went to Cuba with in March)...

Mami had lunch with her cousin Yllien at the Gables Diner (yes, I got to go too).

Next it was time for the main event.

It was time for the big, fat, Cuban birthday party.

And we made it happen!

We had such a great group of people show up! And from all over the United States!

Lea & Vidal made it from New Jersey (and yes, we're going to pretend that the only reason they were in Miami was to say hello to Mami on her birthday).

 

Scott and his daughter Daryn came all the way from Georgia.

Billy trekked in from New Orleans.

Carrie showed up for some Tiki Tiki.

My cousin, Michael, made an appearance along with his lovely wife, Kimberly.

Amanda from Brandon's Puppy brought her whole brood with her and even Abe was there with his daughter Alissa.

It was so wonderful to have such a mixed group come and share such a fabulous evening. To all of you who were there, thank you. Mami was incredibly touched and feels oh-so-loved (which was the whole point).

To those of you who couldn't make it, here's what you missed (beyond delicious Cuban food and fun-tastic conversation):

Since my Dad and the rest of my siblings could not be there with us, they sent a video. Ok, it was all my Dad's idea. He worked hard on his video slide show and couldn't wait for Mami to see it. It was really quite adorable.

When I set up her computer and started playing it, she burst into tears because the song he'd chosen was the song they had danced to at their wedding.

It was a very sweet moment and a very sweet video.

I hope you enjoy it:

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 my absence. I was back in class exactly 12 hours after my plane landed in LA. I was back in class, but I was lost. They were in the middle of discussing past preterites and my (recent) past was all too present in my mind to worry about their preterite past.

(Are you confused yet? Yeah, me too.)

One of the reasons I had taken the class was to learn the very thing I'd missed while I was away, but that's not important right now.

Where was I? Ah, yes. The past. Cuba.
I've already talked about how excited I was to attend a meeting of Cuban Dissident Bloggers, but I left out some of the mind-numbingly boring stuff.

Kiki, "mind-numbingly boring"? In CUBA? With DISSIDENTS? Seriously?

Well . . . mostly. . . yes.

It was an hour on "signos de puntuación."

That's right.

A whole hour of learning about punctuation in Spanish. While I was thrilled to be in that room and feeling like I was a part of history, I was also feeling pretty bored and thinking, "When is this lecture ever going to end?"

I hate to admit that in such an amazing moment I was beginning to wonder if it was worth it.

BUT, ignoring my internal boredom, I paid attention and even participated a little.

Then I took pictures with some of my heroes and continued my journey. The journey that has no coincidences. The journey that helped me get caught up in class. The journey that eventually brought me to today.

I have been down with an ugly case of tonsilitis. Without going into detail, just know that I still have my tonsils and when they decide to get sick and swell, they do so with gusto and great pain. (Basically, I was in bed for 3 days sipping water, sleeping, missing school and occasionally reading.)

I wasn't feeling 100%, but I knew that I'd be taking my Spanish final early since I would be in Miami(!) the day of the test so I dragged myself to class to learn one last thing before I take my final next week.
The first thing we did in class was have a test. GREAT. And my teacher, who knew I had been sick, handed it to me anyway. DOUBLE GREAT.
Now I had to take a test on a bunch of stuff I'd never learned and my grade would suffer and . . . wait.

NO. WAY.

I thought I was hallucinating when I looked at the title of the test:

"Signos de Puntuación"

Needless to say, I aced the test and am not too worried about my final. ;-)

**Note: I am well aware of the fact that we abuse punctuation in this blog. That there are times when we use unnecessary commas, parenthesis, etc. We do it on purpose. We do it to sound more conversational and make the reading easier on your eyes. =D

A Big, Fat, Cuban Family Mother's Day

My big, fat, Cuban family is made up of dozens of amazing women that I am blessed to be related to. I know many of you feel the same.

And because I consider (our readers) as family, I thought Mother's Day would be a great day to pay tribute to your special moms right here.

Thank you for the privilege of including us as you celebrate the lives of these special women.

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From Angela Garcia (and the grandkids) to her mother-in-law:

Happy Mother's Day Mamasan! 
We are so lucky to have such a beautiful and smart Grandmother.  
Your smile, the sound of your laughter, and the tastes and smells from you kitchen
 will always be in our hearts no matter where we are.
We love you,
Alexis, Rachel, Billy, Charley, Andie & Matthew

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From Chantel Acevedo to her mother, Marta Quinn:

The most important thing a person can know is that she is loved, and my Mami gave me that gift every day.

Abrazos,

Chantel

 

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From Magy to her mother, Irma Navarro:

Hi! My name is Magy and I am sending this picture of my beloved and most cherished mom of last year's Mother's Day.  Mami passed away Dec 7th of last year.  Here she is in this picture with our dad, Julio, my nephew Jonathan, mu sister Jackie, Mami, Me (Magy), my brother Juli and my niece Jeanette.
 
My mother was blessed in so many ways and in retrospect, I would say last year was one of the most memorable years.  I guess it was the Lord's gift to us in preparation of what was ineveitable.
 
Our Mom was an Alzheimer's victim for 12 years and at almost 77 yrs of age, Jesus came and, while still sleeping, took her back to her eternal home.
 
I thank you God for having blessed with such a beautiful, sweet, simple and sensitive mother, my madrecita querida, Irma Navarro, may she rest in eternal peace.  Thank you, mami, thank you for everything.
 
I'll love you through eternity. 

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From Maria E. Prieto to her mother, Pilar Dieguez:

My mother, Pilar Dieguez, is 91 years old and is the best mom anyone could ask for.  She always has a smile and gives the best hugs in the world.  It is from her that I got my love of cooking!  She is a great example of what a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother should be!

Maria E. Prieto
"Orgullosa de ser Cubana"

 

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Anne Marie Fields to her mom, Angie:

My mami is an amazing woman. She loves her family like you wouldn't believe. Whatever life sends her way, she overcomes. What I love about her is her spirit - that she can love God with reckless abandon, hug whomever needs to be loved, and strike up a conversation with a wall. It helps that she's the greatest person to have at my side when I'm cooking. Hats off to the greatest sous-chef and nurse and counselor I've ever known! <3

 

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From Carice & Chelsey Marie Fabregas to their Mom, Ody:

Dear Mommy,
Thank you for your love and kindness all the time, not just when things are good, but when things are tough too. Happy Mothers Day! I love you very much,
Te quiero,
Chelsey Marie

Mommy,
Thank you for being such an amazing mother. You are an example to me everyday. Thank you for everything you do for me and the family. When I grow up i pray that i have the same grace and attributes that you have.

Happy Mothers Day! I love you!
Carice

 

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From Matt Atkinson to his Mom, Penny:

My mother is so cool.  She's one of the only mother's I know who dyes her hair unnatural colors, gets tattoos, and performs in college plays. I can't count the number of times people my age have come up to me saying: "Your mom is so awesome!"  My mother really is a character, and she's comfortable with being herself.  Sometimes she may be a little embarrassing, but it seems like I'm the only one who ever thinks so, everyone loves her.  Including me.  I can't thank her enough for all sh e does for me. 

Thanks mom. Thanks for being cool.

Matt

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From Mary Zonneveld to her mom (My BFF), Pam Pensiero:

What can be said about a Mom as amazing as mine? She is always trying her best to put the needs of others above herself! She did an amazing job raising us. She had to sacrifice a lot to raise Godly kids, but her efforts paid off! I have so many fun memories of my life growing up and it's all because of her and all the hard work she did for us! Now that I am a mom I can only hope to be as good of a mother as she was to me. She is the best "Coco" (Grandma) I could have ever wanted for my daughter! I thank God every day that He allowed her to be my Mother!
All I can say is "Thank you Mom. I am so thankful for everything you have done in my life!"

"I love you more, Mom!"

MARY (& CJ)

 

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Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your lives. I am richer for knowing you all.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Week in My Life or Why I Love Mondays

I often wonder how my Cuban grandmother spent her days. I wonder what she cared about and how she decided what to have for dinner. 

I have stories, of course, from my mom, about how she would make desserts every night. Homemade desserts EVERY NIGHT, people! Doesn't that just sound glorious?

I know some things just by word of mouth. She had an old coffee can that was the perfect size for a flan. She kept chickens. The lights in their tiny port town would be turned off at 9 o'clock, but she would continue to read late into the night by candlelight.

Perez-Puelles family. Circa 1930. My mom, Luz, is the 15 year old in the 2nd row on the right, with the Wilma Flinstone pearls.

How I wish I knew more about their lifestyle. I am absolutely fascinated by the minutia of those lives that came before mine.

I know this intrigues my kids, too. I tell them about rotary phones and curb feelers and they have a hard time believing I was actually alive and survived those barbaric times. ;-)

This is one of the reasons why I blog. I know my kids are fascinated by how I grew up and so I write "now and then" type stories. But more than that, I know that my own ordinary days will be important for them to remember. So I write about the real things we do and the places we go and the people we do them with.

Last week I decided to take up the challenge by Ali Edwards to document A Week in the Life. The idea was to take photos of all the activities we did, what we ate, where we went, what we bought, etc. And then make notes about each day. And finally to compile all this information into a photo album.

Can I just tell you that I really enjoyed and got into it.

So this week I am sorting through the hundreds (!) of photos I took last week.
The observations I made about the week were nothing eye-opening, but I'm glad I stopped and paid attention.

I love the familiar rhythms and routines that make up each day in particular.

For example, every Monday I change the sheets on our beds and put up fresh towels in the bathrooms. This particular ritual makes me profoundly happy. I have such a sense of accomplishment. If nothing else gets done for the rest of the week, on Mondays there are always fresh sheets on our beds and all is right in my little world. =D

So, I documented the process and made notes about each thing I did and the places I went and the people I love.

I took photos of my bed looking all fresh and inviting with the clean sheets that, of course, you can't see, but I know are there and which make me so happy.

And I found that we drink a lot of coffee.

And I did a lot of driving. (Don't worry! Jon took the photo.)

 

And I admit that we occasionally eat fast food. (Well, if you can even think that the perfection that is an In N Out Burger could possibly be in the same category as other fast food places....)

Some days I pumped gas (which, by the way, I totally hate, but that's not important right now).

And witnessed drama. =D

Here are Lucy and Jonathan in the high school drama classroom playing a spirited Improv game of "Playground Dis."

I tended to my garden.

 

And I worked out. (Actually, I try to get out of this as often as my conscience will allow, but that's not important right now, either.)

I made phone calls.

And of course, I blogged. (Here's a screenshot from last week.)

 

Laundry was a constant.

 

As were dirty dishes.

And we also had a house guest. =D

 

I documented grocery shopping.

 

And took photos of my people in their natural habitats. ;-)

 

Those are just a few of the random snippets of my days.

I'm working on the album this week and I've decided to put it together digitally and upload it to Shutterfly for printing.

In the album, I will include my meal plans for the week, grocery receipts, bits and pieces of conversations, and even a look at the weather (from my iPhone app).

Each day's photos will be spread over four pages. I've only just started, but this is what the general layouts will look like with photos and words.

 

To keep it simple, I'm using Ali's Week in the Life Layered Templates from Designer Digitals and pulling the book together using Photoshop Elements. I used digital papers - Manchester, and Laurel.

I'm quite pleased by how it's all coming together.

My own grandchildren will not have to wonder how we spent our days. Or wonder about the things I cared about and why.

And the feeling of what I'm contributing to that continuity feels almost as good as fresh sheets every Monday. ;-)

Brace yourself, South Florida!

On May 20th, 1902, a small island in the Caribbean known as Cubadeclared her independence from Spain. La Republica de Cuba was officially born on the 20th of May. In fact, for years as I was growing up, I thought the celebrations were all about ME, but that's not important right now. (I know. It explains so much...)

20 de Mayo, is Cuba's Independence Day.

21 de Mayo is my birthday. =D

Cuba Nostalgia is scheduled every year around the 20th of May.

My Master Plan each year (when we can swing it) is to somehow get myself to Miami in May in time to celebrate Cuba's independence and my birthday.

This year I will be doing just that.

It turns out that the generous folks at General Mills happen to be launching a new website called Que Rica Vida and have invited a group of Latina bloggers to be a part of their launch. Yes, that includes me and Amy Kikita and our good friend (and partner in blog-crime), Carrie from TikiTiki Blog.

Here's the information about the event:

Thursday, May 20th. 6pm to 9pm

Hyatt Regency Downtown

400 S.E. 2nd Ave.

Miami, Florida

contact: Bibi@hispaniapublicrelations.com or (305) 439-9489 if you'd like to attend.

 

But, of course, because we're cool this way...we'll be in Miami through that entire weekend. (My Master Plan is unfolding quite nicely, don't you agree? Buahahaha! *rubs hands together*)

I'll be celebrating Cuban independence and my birthday. (Genius, right?) And even though we will be attending Cuba Nostalgia and hope to see some of you there, I was wondering if any of you Miami readers would like to meet us in a more intimate venue for some cafécito and a pastelito de guayaba (and of course, the ritual singing of Japi Bersdai!) somewhere in La Saguesera. Versailles maybe?

Please let us know. We'd love to have some face-to-face chisme time with you. Leave a comment if you're interested.

Muchos besos to you all.

Brace yourself, South Florida or as my mom would say...

"A viaje que viene agua!"

Win-Win

When I started blogging three and a half years ago, I thought about why I wanted to do this. I decided I wanted to write stories about my life and what it's like to live "on the hyphen." I wanted you (my readers) to feel right at home. I wanted you to laugh and cry with us. I wantedyou to feel like you wanted to be friends with us and hang out with us.

I wanted you to feel like we were trading stories over a good Cuban meal or a cup of coffee and just sharing life.

I love being 100% Cuban and 100% American. (I know. I was never good at math anyway, but that's not important right now....)

My husband, Eric, has always reminded me to "write from your heart." And that's exactly what I try to do.

So as your comments and emails began pouring in, I was blown away. It seems that you like coming here to MBFCF and reading for the same reasons I like writing. (<--- Total win!)

Thank you all for your help and for your gracious comments. I had to reluctantly (because I wanted to give everyone something) choose four winners. 

(How I chose the winners: I entered your names into Random.org and had it generate a new name four times in a row.)

Drum roll, please....

1) The MBFCF cookbook goes to:

alby said...

When I stumbled across your blog, I just felt at home. Your family reminds me so much of my own Cuban family. Your mother is so darling at cute even at her 90+ years of age. I love how you share with others our Cuban culture and all the love behind it. It's just an amazing blog to read, and since I'm Cuban also I can obviously connect with your words. But it's great how even those who aren't Cuban can see and learn about the Cuban way of life, even though we may not be in Cuba at the present moment. Everytime I see a picture (like the one of your Mom sitting with her sisters laughing like school girls) it honestly warms my heart. This is a blog of Love & Family, which I think couldn't be any better. So this is why I read & will continue to read your blog.

Alby Perez-Vergara, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.

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2) MBFCF Mug #1 goes to:

jose s. said... what i love most about this blog is that you dont have to be cuban to enjoy it because it's about family and life and reading the posts here not only make me laugh but as in the posts that amy wrote about her trip to cuba also made me cry. i also ate cuban food for the first time when i made marta's ribs in my crock pot they were great! but i guess the reason i come back is because this site is just a very welcoming happy place that always makes you glad you stopped in.

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3) MBFCF Mug #2 goes to:

Kristen said...

I read your blog because you are my friend and you write interesting stories of everyday life. You find the everyday stuff note worthy (as do I). I appreciate that. Kristen B, Foothill Ranch, CA

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4) Marta's Cuban American Kitchen BBQ apron goes to:

Ody Fabregas said...

First, it was your sense of humor,
second, it was our mutual culture,
then I realized we serve the same Savior!
But now, we are family. ;-)
It's like fixing yourself a nice cup of coffee and getting a daily phone call from a friend to catch up. Ody F. Miami Lakes, FL

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Congratulations! Please contact me via email. In the subject line, please write: MARTA, I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG. Send me your snail mail address and I will send out your goodies ASAP.

Thanks again, everyone. I am seriously humbled by your kind words.

What's in a Name?

From Thomas Jefferson's Monticello to Ronald Reagan's Rancho del Cielo to Bilbo Baggins' Bag End, I have always been fascinated by homes with names.

I have always liked the idea of a home being so deliciously different from all others that it needs a name of its own. 

But how does one go about deciding on a name for a home?

And what, if anything, would I name my own home?

So I started a quest....

We live on a hill. With no one in front of us and no one behind us. Maybe we could somehow incorporate the hill into the name. But seriously, Hill House has waaay too many horror movie connotations for me.

My BFF, Pam suggested I name it Fiesta House or Casa de Fiesta, because of my love for bright colors and my collection of Fiesta dishes.

Frankly, I thought it sounded a little too Mexican.

Eric (with the English roots) suggested Darby Manor, but that sounded a little too regal for our little picket-fenced cottage. 

And so it went....

I spent months thinking about this. Not like 24/7-obsessively-thinking, but every now and then the idea would present itself and I would try to come up with the ever-elusive house name.

Then we went to Cuba Nostalgia.

And we (Amy, Adam and I) encountered The Giant Map of Havana. My hometown.

From the dusty archives of my brain, a memory popped up....

"Look for the bend in the Almendares River," I instructed the kids. "On the northeast side is a street called Avenida de La Loma. That's where we lived."

We quickly found the spot.

 

It's amazing how the memory works.

I had only lived in that house in Havana for about a year when I was five years old. But so many details, like snapshots, quickly came back to me.

The house on Avenida de La Loma was actually two houses - one in front, one in back - joined together by a courtyard. It was brand new when we moved in and my dad had paid $20,000 in cash for it. (I know this because that became a part of the Story of the House, but that's not important right now.)

The kitchen cabinets were painted in Fiesta colors. There was a long hallway upstairs with my sister's roll-top desk at the end. I remember the doorway to the "house in the back," and the mosquito nets in the summer.

Snap shots.

The dark wooden floors. The shutters on the windows. The large window that my parents had installed so we could look down on the courtyard, but not be tempted to dive off.

Just snap shots. But we loved that house. We lived and ate and had parties and played there. We got ready for school there each day, and I lost my first tooth there. (Please read about my daughter's recent visit to that very same house. Bring tissues.)

When we left Cuba in early 1961, my parents locked the door, handed the key to some friends, and walked away. For any of you still confused about what happened in Cuba. The dictatorship CONFISCATED everyone's property. (Any questions? No? Let's continue...)

I found the house easily (based on its geographic location in relationship to the bend in the Almendares River) on Google Earth. (See the yellow tag?)

 

Then Amy Kikita had an extremely inspired brainstorm. "I have a perfect name for our house."

 

So....when you hear the song, Son de la Loma....think of us. ;-)

Genius. What do you think?

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 be right in the middle of everything, I admit I was a little bummed out. I would love to have been there with Las Damas en Blanco, but it was not my fate.

I've already shared about how, while I was in Cuba, I had to keep quiet. How there were things I "did not" see. I think that SILENCE has become one of the most powerful weapons of the evil (c)astro regime. The people are silent because of their fear, but some voices will not be silenced. 

 

How do you fight silence? 

How can you bring forth change if no one can hear what is not being said?

You fight fire with fire . . . and silence with silence.

I don't think I ever fully realized how deafening silence could be until I experienced it this past Sunday in Echo Park. Thousands of Cubans, that had been cheering just moments before, marched in SILENCE.

 

And now, finally, "El mundo esta escuchando!" (The world is listening.) ~Huber Matos

The world is hearing the sound of our silence.

 

Ready to Roll

My 96 year old mom, Luza, has been glued to her tv watching the coverage of all the Cubans marching in solidarity with the Damas de Blanco. (See Amy's post below.)

I have so many posts that begin, "my mom will be with us this weekend...."

Well, this is one of those weekends.

In preparation, I called her the other day and she told me she has been watching the coverage of the march in Miami, and wearing white to show solidarity with the brave Cuban women who are marching to demand Human Rights in Cuba.

Look at this sea of people. My people. Here ends the myth that the Cubans on the island and the Cubans in the U.S. are a divided people.

I explained to her that there would be a march like that in L.A. on Sunday and that we wanted to go. She's 96 and has trouble walking very far because she loses her balance, so I assumed she would not be interested in going. I figured I would just send Amy Kikita to represent.

Luza: "Can you get me a wheelchair?"

At 96, she continues to amaze me.

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WHAT: Cubans Hunger for Change

WHEN: Sunday, March 28,2010

WHERE: Echo Park, 1632 Bellevue Avenue, Los Angeles, California, 90026

**Meet at Jose Marti statue in Echo Park. Please wear white & bring a flower.**

Here's Andy Garcia on tomorrow's march: