Wedding vows. Graceland. Elvis. SWEET!

At the end of July, my niece Helen and her husband, Daryl celebrated their ten year wedding anniversary with a renewal of vows. (I know. Awwww....totally sweet, right?)

The blushing bride....

 

Of course, after ten years there are two adorable children in the mix.

The lovely Miss Daisy....

 

And the Grand Poobah of Cuteness himself, Mr. Ben....

Having a vow renewal on their 10th anniversary... totally cool.

Having their adorable kids in the "wedding party"... totally endearing.

Having the event at the Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas ... totally inspired!

 

Having Elvis officiate...totally PRICELESS.

 

Of course, as many of the family as could be there were in attendance. "Vegas? Count me in!"

(Except for my mom. She couldn't attend. Not because she is 95(!), but because she's still partying it up in Miami for the summer, but that's not important right now.)

The reception/party was held at the Burger Joint at the Flamingo Hilton. 

Fabulously Old School, right?

He promised to "Love Her Tender." She vowed that he would always be her "Hunka, Hunka Burnin' Love." (notice that that's what Ben's shirt says...)

Awww....

Plus it was a totally fun Vegas weekend with my big, fat, Cuban family. 

I was waiting to write about it til we got the group photo back from the Graceland people with all of us and Elvis, but that hasn't happened and besides.....it's already time to go back. (What??)

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We're returning to Las Vegas today. (I'll probably be on the road as you read this in the morning, but that's not important right now either.)

My sister, Miriam is celebrating her 60th birthday tonight. Can't wait!

 

We're having a fabulous family dinner at Caesar's Palace. Eric is stuck in work projects, so I'm taking Amy (my cubiche for these things.)

So if you're in Vegas this weekend, stop on by. We'll be the noisy Cubans winning big at the roulette tables, singing "La Bayamesa!"  =D

I'm feeling lucky and this weekend looks totally promising..... =D

You know the drill....

"What happens in Vegas........is just fodder for the blog." ;-)

BTW, I made some pastelitos de guayaba to deliver to my friend Desi on the way out there. I know. Shut up.

(This is gonna be a blast!)

God is in the details.

When I was a kid in Cuba and lived in Havana, we never spent summers in the city. Never. We would leave the heat and humidity behind and head out for Varadero Beach.

Ahh, Varadero. Home of pristine white sand, warm water and some of the best family-summer memories of my life.

Varadero is where we "did summer." And we did it well. In grand Cuban style.

Varadero. (Vahra-deh-roh) It's like a magical word, isn't it?

Where we were never more than a stones throw away from sand and water and food and a sweet independence. (I know. Cuba - independence. How ironic.)

We would travel in sibling/cousin-packs, wandering the strip of beach and vendors and having adventures on a daily basis.

We would always eat late (9-ish!) as is the Cuban custom, because of the heat. To this day, I love that so much. Late dinners and playing games until we were too tired to stay up any longer. And everybody was okay with that.

We would stay in a house that was practically-on-the-sand. And we'd swim in the warm waters. For hours. (days? weeks? years?)

Such sweet memories. It saddens me that our kids will never know that kind of summer freedom.

However, this year we managed to take a week off and get away. Just an hour's drive from here to fabulous La Jolla. (It was a little over an hour's drive from Havana to Varadero. Coincidence?)

And we stayed in a right-on-the-sand-old-school resort, aptly named The La Jolla Shores Hotel.

This is the view that greeted us each day...

We spent hours (days? weeks? years?) in the warm, clear water.

Lucy and Jonathan managed to escape from us to explore in the walking-distance-from-our-hotel vendors.

And we relaxed. And played together. And laughed.
And ate dinner at odd hours because we always waited for the sun to set before we would leave the beach.

Of course, my camera was my constant companion.

I'll say this for my husband... he knows the value of a relaxed andcontented wife. We're going back in just a few weeks. (Or he may be sick of my nagging...but that's not important right now.)  =D

It was absolutely wonderful to do nothing but play with my husband and the kids. To dive and dip and laugh in the waves.

Just for a few days, (maybe only for a few moments, really) I reached back through time and distance and once again, became that little Cuban girl with no decisions to make except for what flavor of granizado (shave ice - not a snow cone!) to buy from the corner vendor.

And so my kids were able to get a taste of that sweet summer freedom, after all.

Which only goes to show that God does answer prayer, and He can always make a way.

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Check this out....I have a hand-painted-by-me (shut up. I know!) Varadero Sign. (wooden. about 18 inches long. suitable for hanging.)

For a chance to win it, please leave a comment and tell me your favorite summer memory.

(No, you don't have to be Cuban to win! =D)

I'll do the drawing on Thursday, August the 27th at 10 am Pacific Time.

Come on, tell me everything. I LIVE for stuff like this!  ;-)

El sol y la playa

Today's Spanish lesson:

"escuche y repite" - listen and repeat...

"el sol" - the sun.
"la playa" - the beach.

We're on vacation for the rest of the week.  Rest being the operative word here.

We've found the perfect place to relax and recharge and all those other "R" words that mean we're taking a break.

Yes, we are obviously practicing our Spanish, too. 

Eric has gotten really good. He has mastered the phrase, "Mas cerveza, por favor."  (isn't that great progress??)

And look where we ended up...

Si! Perfecto!  =D

"Bright light city gonna set my soul on fire" (isn't that just an awesome lyric?)

Okay, so I know that everyone's family is quirky. But sometimes I think my people take it to another level.

And as soon as I start telling them what we're doing and they give me the "deer in the headlights" look, I know I'm right.

So, we're taking some time off and going away for the weekend to go meet the rest of the family and some friends for An Auspicious Event.

Our four hour drive takes us through lovely (?) Baker, California. Home of the World's Largest Thermometer and with the dubious claim to fame of being the Gateway to Death Valley (seriously).

The World's Largest Thermometer will most likely be registering in the 100's as is typical for this garden spot on a typical July day.

Our destination?

Fabulous Las Vegas, of course!

The reason?

Umm.... it involves the Graceland Wedding Chapel, an Elvis Impersonator Tribute Specialist, and my big, fat, Cuban family.

I'll have to blog about it in great detail when we return after the weekend.

Until then...Viva Las Vegas!

"The Eagle has landed."

Forty years ago this day, I was a 14 year old kid who along with my family (and the rest of the world) was glued to our TV set, watching a fuzzy picture and holding our breaths as we waited for Neil Armstrong to take his famous first steps.

I vividly remember the moment he stepped on the moon and the scratchy voice coming across those thousands of miles.

On July 20, 1969 a man walked on the moon. I sat and let the enormity of the moment sink in. A man has walked on the moon today.

I remember getting all goose-bumpy and teary and thinking to myself, "Wow, anything is possible."

In May of this year, we had the privilege of visiting the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and got to see the Apollo 11 craft up close and personal.

As my husband and son stood and posed for this photo, I couldn't help but reflect on just how far we had come. Not just mankind, but me personally.

As I snapped this photo I thought, "I'm standing just below the actual Apollo 11 spacecraft." The same one that brought astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins back from the moon. From the moon! (I'm sort of an uber-dork, you know.)

Nowhere in my wildest imagination could I have predicted this moment. It was totally surreal. (And yes, I know I was a bit exhausted and jet lagged, but that's not important right now.)

And then I looked into the eyes of my 13-year-old-wasn't-he-just-a-baby-a-minute-ago son and got all choked up once again.

I thought, "Wow, anything is possible."

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind" ~ Neil Armstrong

Speaking of Moonwalks.... go here to see something really cool.*  =D

(*Thanks, Lee!)

Miami Rules.

The following are words to the wise from Kikita.

Mami has certain rules when it comes to being in Miami.
1. Eat ONLY Cuban food.
2. Little or (preferably) NO black amongst your wardrobe - White & Bright Colors ONLY
3. Red Lipstick is a MUST.

These are in no particular order and all are considered a sin if broken.

If you will remember my trip last year, I DID break them. One at a time.

Being older and more mature and having learned from past mistakes, when I was alone in Miami THIS time, I followed the rules.

Day 1 - At a cousin's house. I made the cafecito, primo made the pan tostado.

That night, I did what every good Cuban is supposed to do their first night in Miami:

 

Yes, that is Versailles on Calle 8, also known as El Epicentro (I don't know WHO calls it that, but I like it), arguably the BEST Cuban food in Miami and (since Miami is the best place in the U.S. to get Cuban food) therefore the U.S.

I had a delicious Bistec de Palomilla, while MBFCF reader Ody had Arroz Imperial.

 

(Note the brightly colored teal shirt!)

Day 2 - Amanda's house. Her wonderful husband, Eric, made delicious waffles and the best Cafe con Leche I've ever had!

I spent the rest of the day at Cuba Nostalgia where I had no choice but to eat more Cuban food. ;-)

Day 3 - It got complicated. But I do believe that I had at least two coladas and then Amanda made an awesome pork chop dinner with "crispy potatos." (Maybe, if we are really nice, we can get her to post the recipe on her blog!) I'm telling you, THEY. WERE. AWESOME.

Day 4 - BACK to Versailles, but this time for Cafe con Leche and tostado with my cousin Yllien.

(Yes, the dress DOES have black on it, but it was a white dress with black, not the other way around AND I'm sporting the red lipstick, so all is right with the world)

That was the day I made it to Man Camp for Beer Butt Can Chicken.

Man Camp was all kinds of fun. After dinner (aside from the chicken, all the food was prepared by Maggie) while we were sitting and enjoying each other's company, the little tune of what sounded like an ice cream trunk came from outside.
"It's the viandero!!"
(to me, this seemed like the closest I'd ever come to seeing something akin to "El Manisero")

It was EXACTLY like an ice cream truck, except that instead of ice cream, they were selling fresh fruits and vegetables and other choice items like sodas and cooking oil.

I couldn't let him leave without buying SOMETHING. I mean, it doesn't get more Cuban than this! Maggie suggested "Real Florida Oranges" and they ended up being just as yummy as you could expect.

The next day it was time for the journey home.

The Miami Rules, when properly adhered to, can only elicit one response (albeit cheesy):
"MIAMI RULES!!"

Memorial Day

Eric and I just recently returned from taking our teenage kids, Lucy and Jonathan on a trip to Washington D.C. We saw and learned so much that we were at times overwhelmed with the amount of information coming our way.

We’re still working on writing about and documenting our trip, but the events of one particular day have been difficult to articulate.

Of course, we visited all the monuments, memorials and museums that are centrally located within the D.C. area. All were interesting and beautiful in their own ways.

However, we were unprepared for what we encountered when we visited the beautiful National World War II Memorial.

It is situated at the east end of the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. There are two pavilions, which provide entries to the north and south ends of the plaza. There’s the beautiful Rainbow Pool with the restored waterworks, which adds to the celebratory nature of the memorial.

There are quotes on the granite walls about sacrifice and victory. There’s also a field of 4,000 gold stars on the Freedom Wall to commemorate the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives. During WWII, the gold star was the symbol of family sacrifice.

Already we were impressed and again, a little overwhelmed as we talked about how that brave and amazing generation is dying out and to our kids we said, “If you ever get a chance to meet a World War II veteran, shake their hand and thank them for their service to our country, for their bravery, and for your freedoms.”

No sooner had we given that admonition, than no less than 3 busloads of World War II veterans started pouring into the memorial. Many of whom were seeing the place for the first time.

 

We visitors, along with our children formed an impromptu receiving line as we all shook their hands.  We were so proud when our kids reached out and shook their hands and said, "thank you."  You could see the emotion in their eyes as they received our thanks, some choking back tears as they responded with a modest, “I was just doing my duty.”

On one side were our young teenagers and on the other, seasoned veterans. Neither was prepared to meet the other. Both were shocked by their own strong emotions.

The granite, bronze and water memorial was impressive. But having the privilege to meet and greet the indomitable men and women who make up the living World War II Memorial was truly priceless.

On this Memorial Day, remember that the freedoms we enjoy today came at great personal sacrifice to many.  I know that my kids now have a greater respect and appreciation for those that have fought in foreign wars to protect our nation.

We will never again take their sacrifices lightly.

“We can’t all be heroes. Some of us get to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.”
~ Will Rogers

(cross-posted at Babalú blog)

Here I am!

Kikita here! I am testing this whole "mobile blogging" thing. I spent all day yesterday at the Babalu Blog booth in Cuba Nostalgia. It feels like a family reunion and everybody misses Mami (myselfincluded). If you are in town, feel free to stop by and say hi to me tonight. I will be back at the Babalu booth representing MBFCF as best I can!

Today

Jonathan was only five years old when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occured in 2001.

We didn't have tv then either and chose not to tell him or Lucy (who was 8) about the attacks.

We would tell them later, we decided. When they were older and we could better explain the presence of evil in our world.

There would come a day we'd recall the horror and the heroism. We would tell them in detail about the hijackings. About those that died and the unprecedented bravery of New York's finest.

We had given them the "broad strokes" of that day as part of history lessons. But we knew there would come a day when we would tell them the whole story.

We would tell them the details of terrorism and patriotism.

One day, when they were old enough, we'd tell them everything.

Today was that day.

This day, like that fateful September day, is one I will NEVER forget.

On top of the world

A confession: I'm afraid of heights.Okay, well maybe not AFRAID-afraid, but when I get to a high place my knees start tingling and my neck gets a weird tense-as-a-brick feeling. So I don't choose to climb up to high places much. But I'm in New York City. Home of the High Places That Make Your Knees Feel Weird. ;-) And I don't know which is worse: 1) Peer Pressure. or... 2) Fear of Missing The Photo Opportunity. So here I am at the very top of the Rockefeller Center on the observation deck (The Top of the Rock) on the 70th floor. Mouth dry. Hands trembling. Knees knocking. Heart pounding. To add insult to injury it started to rain while we were up there. I took a few deep breaths (to keep from passing out!) and looked out. "Hey! There's the Empire State Building!" "Is that the Statue of Liberty? She looks so little from up here." It didn't take long for the majesty of the view to overcome my fears. That's Central Park behind me. Beauty, I found, trumps Fear. Every time. =D