Tag: family

Stepping out

Sometimes, it’s really hard for me to go out, to go to new places or just typical could-be-dirty-type places. Sometimes, it’s not very big of a deal. Tonight, I was excited about the idea of going to one place – a clean place in my mind. Then, the excitement transferred to a new idea of watching the baseball game somewhere nearby over drinks, instead of and after the meeting with drinks farther away. As we got into details of where this other place would be, I started to struggle a bit. It became something that I wanted to do for my man, much more so than for myself or for us to have fun. I found pleasure in the idea mostly out of his desire to go out and do something, to be somewhere that isn’t home, doing something relaxing and enjoyable.

So, I asked my brother if he and his wife were interested, and they almost immediately joined the plan. I made it clear that finding a place was on them, though without being rude or mean. My man recommended two spots, and my brother picked one. Once my man finished with his meeting across town, we headed to join my brother and sister-in-law at the selected patio bar place. I was only a little scared about it all, and it proved to be very reasonable a place, with clean amenities, even at night (I’d been there once during the day already). I enjoyed my time there with my family, and I’m glad we went. Hopefully, my man and my brother both got the relaxation and bit of fun and variation they likely both were needing tonight, my man especially.

God, grant them both blessed refreshing sleep tonight, please, that they be best prepared to pursue and fulfill your will in their lives tomorrow. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Pretty Woman

We saw, again, La Traviata at the opera tonight. It was done well, of course. The music was spectacular. Supposedly, when it first released, Verdi said, when the opera was rather a flop, ‘It was either my opera or the singers – only time will tell.’ It is now one of the most renowned and loved operas of all time. Time told.

It is also part of Día de Muertos today – today is All Saints’ Day and tomorrow is All Souls’ Day. My mom and I wore our respective Día de Muertos skirts. And, last-minute, she used spare fabric from when she made my skirt a few years ago, and she made a bow tie for my lovely man to wear to the opera with us tonight. He wore blue pants that went quite well with the mixed coloring of the calaveras on the fabric, and he looked stunning.

He also fell asleep off and on for most of the show, but neither of us holds that against him. For one thing, opera music can be so lulling and soothing, relaxing – it’s not that hard to fall asleep in a dark, cool theatre with opera music playing, as she and I have definitely had our fair share of it ourselves. For another, he was exhausted going into it. Even still, he enjoyed it all with us, naps included. (Opera naps really are quite satisfying, somehow. I think it is due to the wonderful music that is still stimulating the ears and brain while the body rests.)

Post-a-day 2022

Happy Halloween

And now, we step into the true holidays of the season: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, also known more popularly as Día de Muertos (a misleading singular name for a two-day celebration/event).

May we all take the time to appreciate specifically the roles the lives of those who have already passed have played to affect our own lives positively. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

And what did she say?

“And what did she say?”

“She didn’t.”

“She didn’t say anything at all? She just packed up and disappeared?”

“Well, she packed bags and said she was going to visit her dad.”

“And she just never came back…”

“Yeah…”

“That makes it less surprising that you always have the experience of not being good enough, not being enough…”

Post-a-day 2022

It’s Friday night…

And I juust-juust-juuust-juuust-juuuuuuuust Got Paid!

Anyone recognize that early 2000s jam right there? It occurred to me on my way home this afternoon after school that it was the last day of the month – thus my reason for taking the scooter to get its state inspection at the time – and so 1)October starts tomorrow(!!) and 2)I must have gotten paid today. And then it hit me that today is also Friday… and then the song hit big time with great haste.

After I got home, when my man was with me and almost finished with his own work for the day – he works remotely – I just had to play the song. So, I blasted it as a surprise for him. It was wonderful and ridiculous and stupid and genius all at once.

Thank you, God, for such a silly and amazing time. Amen.

Then, when he finished working, we goofed off a bit before heading to the driving range. My mom and stepdad then stopped by the range to give us some petit fours from Louisiana, where they had just taken a small vacation, and some October Louisiana beers for us and my brother and sister-in-law. We chatted for a while and it was awesome.

But he time they finally left, the sun was getting close to setting, and my brother was finishing at his event for school, and so he came and joined us at the range and even hit some balls with us. Then he and my man enjoyed two of those not-cold beers from my mom as we all just hung out after the balls were all used up, and we waited for a table at the wings restaurant we had planned to visit for dinner. (We had checked in online, and the wait was over an hour still.)

After a while, we gave up watching the poor tactics of the ball carts, and headed to use our coupons for free wings that we had gotten at the Astros game for a player having stolen a base. And we had a grand ole time at the restaurant, being idiots as usual.

The whole evening was just really awesome tonight, and I am immensely grateful. Thank you, God, for such fun and fellowship and love. Thank you. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Friday night

Tonight, I think I want to go home after school and just go to bed.

Mom invites us to a family dinner at an awesome Mexico City restaurant, where we go once or twice a year, essentially to celebrate Mexican holidays. (Remember, we’re part Mexican [though, not really].)

We stay there way later than expected, as my brother can’t arrive until an hour after planned, and then we have a lovely time just all being together. Man has to go run errands, and I stay with family. Brother takes me home, and stays to hang out and talk. Man comes after his errands. They have a beer together. It is now almost one A.M.

Seriously? So much for going straight to bed tonight… ugh. Definitely not doing the morning workout, now, and hopefully can get enough sleep to function for the karate training seminar tomorrow. And hopefully I can go to bed early tomorrow night, so that I can be prepared for the part-time job I have to do Sunday (though don’t want to do).

Post-a-day 2022

Arrived

Things have improved much on our trip. We talked through some things last night and this morning, and cleared up some important points in how we each were relating to the trip and aspects of it. We had a slightly tough start at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, but ended up having a lovely time throughout it, and then an awesome time visiting with my sister tonight. We both tend to get very defensive, very quickly, so it is certainly a process to stop relating to things as a potential threat or unkindness from which e must defend ourselves… but we are improving as a whole, and I am certainly grateful for that!

I think this will be a lovely visit with my sister tomorrow and Monday morning. Thank you, God, for these blessings so far. Please, help us to continue to honor you through our love in all its forms. In your name, I pray. Thank you. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Prayer

My mom told me the other night, ‘I just listened to Mark Wahlberg say the rosary.’

Uhm… What?????

It’s this prayer app called “Hallow”. I immediately downloaded it and did the daily rosary with narrator Mark, who happens to be the Mark Wahlberg. Super cool.

But it gets a bit better.

The app tracks your use in terms of streaks… ‘Congrats! You’re on a one-day streak!’ We all know that I’m a fan of streaks, what with an 808-day streak on Duolingo right now. So, where I’ve already been wanting to pray more, and I find this app with lots of really cool prayer options – the organization and usability could use some definite improvement, and having the paid options listed all mixed in with the free ones (with no filter) is a bit of a big hassle, though – that not only has Mark Wahlberg for the rosaries, but that also makes it like a game of sorts. I’m in!

Check it out, y’all, and have fun with prayer and meditations and learning all those prayers we hear so rarely but to which everyone else always seems to know the words! (Yes, those are all on there for free, too!)

Post-a-day 2022

Friday night

We had a birthday dinner at Benihana for my sister-in-law tonight. We brought gifts that all were shades of purple, and the smaller ones were wrapped somewhat Japanese style, what with the wrapped item then put inside a decorative bag and tied closed, while the larger was simply wrapped in purple wrapping paper. The money was green, but it was wrapped in a cute pink Japanese gift-giving cloth. (My mom had gotten a money envelope, but I couldn’t remember the kanji that were right for birthdays or general events, so I wasn’t sure it was the right kind, and thought it actually was a wedding one…, so we didn’t use that.)

We also brought glow sticks for everyone to choose and wear. And Haribo Goldbären and Kit-Kat minis and mochi doughnuts – also wrapped in Japanese style baggies with colorful ties and stickers – were the party favors we gave everyone.

Basically, it was a silly little surprise-party-type dinner, without being an actual surprise party. Just the level of festivity was a surprise, I guess. Oh, and we also had a candle that we stuck into her ice cream when they brought that out and sang to her.

And I am exhausted right now. But that’s okay. I actually had a great time at dinner, even though it went until around 9pm, which is already late for me to be out, but especially so after this tough, tough week and the start of school.

And we’re going to a dance event tomorrow night, just for the night. I’m slightly terrified.

God, please, help me to have the energy and comfort in my body and mind to enjoy tomorrow and tomorrow night fully. Help me to help my man enjoy it all fully, please. And thank you for getting me through everything this week. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Claim to fame?

I ran into my second cousin at Costco yesterday. She informed me that one of our great-great-somethings wrote a song for Elvis, she thought….

Naturally, I looked it up. And, wow, she is correct! I’m not certain of who specifically the woman was, but I think it was a great-great-aunt. My dad’s mother’s aunt, I think. But it might have been her cousin. Actually, her cousin makes more sense, based in lifetime… hmm… Well, I sent it to my dad just now, and I’m hoping he’ll be able to tell me where she was in the family! Super cool to learn, nonetheless.

“Heartbreak Hotel,” co-wrote by someone in my bloodline. Way cool. Haha

Post-a-day 2022