Someone get that girl a Hankey!!

If you read my blog last week stating that I somewhat successfully was able to transfer some video from my parents' video camera to my computer - after I thought I had lost it all - you will understand that I will be (except for any technical difficulties) posting some videos onto Youtube and here.

They are mostly of family, and I certainly wouldn't expect any one of you readers to spare a couple minutes watching them. That said, this blog serves, more than anything- as a journal of my life - which includes family, travel, my cat, friends, deep thoughts, poetry and YES: Patrick.

Call me a martyr but I am posting the video of last Easter which was when we announced our engagement to some of my family -only about half were there. I admit, that I cried upon viewing it the first time but they were mostly tears of happiness at seeing such a joyous occasion.

Too bad, for whatever reason, uploading it onto youtube lost the good quality the original has. This video is much more grainy but that might be just as well since you can't really see the tears streaming down my face the entire time on the video he he he :P

Of course, my huge family has a great sense of humour so I want to point out things I thought were noteworthy to watch out for.

Firstly, my oldest brother Gabriel is filming - he didn't know what was going on - so you hear him first asking out loud, "What? What is going on?" as we await my father's announcement. Another thing that I love is seeing my autistic nephew, Ryan, jumping around and pounding on the piano excitedly when he hears the family cheer for us. He most likely was unable to wrap his head around why we were cheering - but the fact that he was happy and cheering along with all the rest makes me think that deep down inside that beautiful boy knows exactly what is going on - he just doesn't vocalize it like we do... :)

Next you see Gabe congratulate Patrick and welcome him into the family with a hearty handshake and even heartier, "I wish you, 'good luck', Patrick...goooood LUCK" - gotta see it to hear the emphasized comic timing.

Then you see my oldest sister, Cecilia and Gabe looking at my Irish Claddah ring that Patrick brought me from Ireland and you hear Ceci comment to me and then pan to the camera, "It doesn't look 'masculine' one bit.." - hilarious!!

But the best part was hearing my dear mamma ask for everyone to pray for us (deaammn, ya'll didn't pray hard enough - shoot!!) and 'how she wished that Ciara - their new granddaughter-to-be was there with us all that day'. My family knows that it takes a lot to be involved with a someone who has a child from a previous relationship. Especially if you have a heart and concern similar to mine in regards to children. I remain utterly grateful for my family and extended family's ease in acceptance and love for Ciara and Patrick right from the beginning. I know we are loud, gregarious and very spiritual and that sometimes overwhelmed my shy, quiet Irishman - but he was extremely blessed to be in our family and I suspect he knows knows it quite well.

And of course, it wouldn't be a Latino family without right after the short, but important announcement and cheering, the host and other sister, Sylvia, jumps up and commands, "Okay, now we can eat!" as if to say, "Okay, let's get to the REAL announcement that: dinner is served!!"

As I mentioned in the blog written about it at the time (click here), there are sometimes downsides to being the youngest - mine was just another engagement announcement in a huge family - which probably was just as well as you can see how self-conscious Patrick was during the whole thing - he doesn't like being the center of attention - sigh :)

Cousins Jacob & Rosa Wedding!!

If you know me at all (or read past blogs) you are tuned into the fact that mine is a huge family. My mother is the oldest of 8 children so you can imagine how many aunts, uncles and cousins I have just from her side of the family!! :)


True to our Mexican roots - we have many get-togethers, eat a lot, are loud, gregarious and fun to be around. And when something extra special comes up - engagements, births, graduations - the Araizas (my mom's maiden name) sure know how to throw a great shindig!

In this case, one of my 19 Araiza first-cousins: Jacob got married last weekend to his long-time novia: Rosa. A wedding is always a blessed and huge celebration with much happiness - and this was no exception. Oddly enough, for a hispanic family, with major role models of the love and importance of 'familia' and having children - 11 of us (me included) have not yet taken the plunge to get hitched. Therefore, the 8 weddings we have had the last 2 decades (starting with my oldest sister Cecilia) have been far between.

Thus, one can imagine that when we do have one - it's hailed as the 'Wedding of the Year'! It feels like we've all been waiting and emailing and making travel plans for ages! Being Northern California residents for some years now, the couple decided to have the wedding take place in San Francisco. Most of the 150 guests were either our southern Cal family or Rosa's also large family. Thus everyone essentially made a vacation trip out of it.

No complaints there - who doesn't want to go to San Fran in the summertime??! It was a real blast with a lot of the family staying at the same hotel in Union Square - thus starting the celebration days early by dining together and hitting the hip hotel bar's Happy Hour.
As for the wedding, itself - we all know Jake enough to know that his Cal Berkeley education and liberal upbringing would call for a somewhat, ahem, unconventional ceremony. I loved it! Taking place amongst the tall redwood trees of Stern Grove near Golden Gate Park, the ceremony was full of nature, spirituality, and ethnic origins as the bilingual and uber-cool officiant dressed in white linen traditional ethnic dress first greeted all the guests asking us all to take a bead and hold it in our left hand for good blessings and love throughout the ceremony, until the end when we placed them all back in front in a basket for the newlyweds. With Jake being a superb music-lover, collector and DJ, I knew music would be a treat at this wedding - and thus I greatly enjoyed the conjunto trio softly playing their latin rhythms and percussion throughout the ceremony off to the side. In the smoke of burning sage as incense, a bird's feather was waved from head-to-foot over the couple in a traditional Apache gesture, as well we acknowledged the different signs and directions of the earth (north, south, east and west) and their representations - - it was all very cool!!

Of course, being San Fran and in the midst of the very tall trees blocking out the little sun there was, it was quite chilly, thus as soon as the ceremony ended - we all (very uncharacteristically for such a Catholic family, might I add? hahahah) rushed the open bar and started sipping on wonderful rum, wine and sangria to take the edge off. Pictures followed - Patrick took some of the Aunts and Uncles and then of us cousins - everyone was in ridiculously great spirits and by the time the heat lamps were turned on and the yummy latin food was laid out - the noise level was as high as the alcohol buzz most of us were feeling!
There is so much I can write about. I shall try to sum up the highlights: great dancing music provided by DJ David (my cousin Maddy's husband); the 'loteria' table cards that told us where we were sitting were amazingly hand-drawn by Rosa's sister; the gorgeous, multi-colored and multi-textured flowers were painstakingly and generously done by cousin Maddi (employing her old job's skills); great speeches were toasted to; Cousin Paul (freshly returned from his 2-month sojourn to Europe) was actually able to pull off wearing blindingly-white dress shoes; Rosa's tiny 94 year-old grandmother was drinking wine both at the wedding and the previous evening at 11pm in the hotel bar with everyone!!

It was such a great time - and one last word - as I informed Patrick, "All celebrations in our family are such blessings, but especially my cousins that were close to me in age (Jacob, Maddi, Noey, me, sister Sara and Jude) because they we were not only close in age, but also some of our best friends growing up: attending camp and the beach together, play time at each other's houses, going to TJ when we got older - shoot: my cousins were the only ones my mom let us spend the night at!"

Therefore, an extra special abrazo of happiness to my younger cousin Jacob - who, being the youngest of our troop, was forced to eat dirt, dress up as a girl, follow Maddy around on all fours as her dog, make lemonade stands with us, play church with us (we'd put uncooked popcorn kernals in his squished-up wonderbread and make him eat it for 'communion') and seeing him always play with his dinosaurs and Transformers - I am mighty proud of the tall, handsome, gentle, and socially-aware young man he has grown into. I am so happy for him and Rosa - Que Dios los Bendiga!!!

Click below and watch the slideshow!!

Jakewedding

Mexican Birthday Parties

The Top 15 ways to tell it's a MEXICAN birthday party:

1. Some of the guests didn't bring a gift - but brought
extra uninvited kids.

2. The party is separated into women cooking, men
drinking, and kids playing.

3. The party is at Chuck E. Cheese but they brought their
own food, cake and a Pinata.

4. It's a child's party, but there are more grown ups
than children.

5. It's "M'ijo's" 1st birthday and the party food is carne
asada, arroz, frijoles and 10 cases of beer.

6. For entertainment, instead of playing pin the tail on
the donkey, there is usually a televised baseball or futbol (SOCCOR) game, or a live fight.

7. The party was supposed to be over at 5pm, but its 7:30pm and the party is just starting.

8. The host calls someone who's on their way and tells
them to stop and get some tortillas and ice.

9. You hear someone go up to the birthday child and say, "Mira, que lindo. I'm going to have to get you something next week when I get paid."

10. The party is Saturday, and you get a call from the hostess Friday saying, "I'm giving M'ijo a birthday party tomorrow at 3pm"

11. Some guest bring gifts that are still in the Wal-Mart bag.

12. The cake didn't come from the store; it came from the mother of the comadre of your best friend's sister who makes really good cakes.

13. You are told you have to save your plate and fork you ate your food with, so you can eat your cake.

14. Guests automatically wrap up a plate of food and cake to take home.

15. It's M'ijo's birthday, but since his cousin Maria is there and her birthday is in a few days, it becomes Mijo's and Maria's party.

I know that I can relate - verdad, mi gente querido? :)