Cupcakes

I have been reading Nienie's blog and then linked over to The Sweet Tooth Fairy's blog, which then linked me over to some other cool cupcakes sites/blogs. I am so inspired. There are sooooo many delicious and super cute cupcakes to make! My mission is to make some and sell them in a cute little cafe in Mexico City......The only problem is that I can't actually bake very well.....slight oversight. Where there's a will there's a way, right? I think I can....I think I can....I think I can....

Happy Holidays

We have had such a great 2009! We started off the new year celebrating with our good friend George and my mom! It was so great having them with us to welcome in 2009! I honestly cannot believe it is nearly 2010! We got to visit Acapulco a couple of times this year, and it is beautiful there! We also made a couple of trips to visit Enrique’s family in Puebla. Gabriella and I were lucky enough to make it back to Salt Lake City for 2 visits during 2009 and it was great to see everybody! My job title this year is full-time English teacher and I also got a promotion being the English team representative. It has been a great professional experience for me. I have also been lucky enough to be conducting some professional development workshops for other English teachers here in Mexico CIty! Enrique is looking into opening an import business, so wish us luck on that front!
"Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first." Frederick B. Wilcox
This year has also been a great time for reflection. I have really been thinking about how crazy this adventure we call life is and about fate! I sure didn’t imagine my life turning out this way. I never thought I’d be living in Mexico City with my husband and daughter. On the flip side, how great it is that Gabby gets to grow up with both of her parents and in one of the largest cities in the world. Rather than weep and morn for the life I wish I had, I’d rather be thankful and appreciate all that I have been given. I am very thankful for a super supportive family, amazing friends who are always willing to listen, a fantastic husband who truly cares for his family, and a good job. We may not be in Utah right now, but we are making the most of our time abroad. Gabriella is picking up both English and Spanish with ease, and being bilingual could be the best gift we ever give her! So, I am trying to live the optimistic life and keep thinking “when life gives you lemons....make lemonade!” It tastes great!
Love and best wishes to all our family and friends. We have really appreciated the support and words of wisdom over this past year. We hope to see you all soon!

Immigration Reform

So, we heard on the news here in Mexico yesterday that immigration reform has been introduced. If anyone of persuasion having to do with immigration reform happens upon this blog, please remember WE ARE NOT JUST CASE NUMBERS! WE ARE PEOPLE AND FAMILIES WITH FACES, FEELING, EDUCATION, AND DREAMS!!!!! That is all I ask. Treat everybody like a HUMAN BEING and not just a case being processed or a quota to fill.
Thanks for your time!

November Already??

I cannot believe that we already in mid-November! It is so crazy how time flies by! We have been busy picking out Gabby's Christmas presents, planning her 2nd birthday party, celebrating Thanksgiving with our friends here in Mexico, putting up the Christmas tree, and enjoying each other. Gabby is working on potty training and she talks up a storm!

The holiday season really brings on the homesickness. These are the times where I wish we could at least go back to Utah for a visit as a family. I still think it is unfair that Enrique can't get his visa right now. If I just knew the right people... :) An ambassador maybe....congressman???? Consulate officer?? :) Oh well! Here we are! Hoping some of my family and friends can come down and visit us for the holiday season!

Work is going well. I had given some professional development classes to a group of English teachers down here. We started the sessions last spring and finished them up this fall. The teachers really enjoyed them and I enjoyed teaching adults! That was first for me! I learned a lot and it really pushed me to remember to incorporate the programs that I have been trained in into my everyday teaching. A different school contacted me this week hoping to take some classes from me! Yeah! I have also been thinking alot and jotting down ideas for creating a teaching handbook for Writer's Workshop. There aren't a lot of teaching aids down here, so let's see where I can go with this idea!

Enrique is still daddy of the year! He and Gabby have a blast during the days and Gabby really enjoys getting out of the house. Enrique is taking steps to start a lunch catering business down here. He loves cooking Chinese food and he's ready to do something with his cooking flair!

We have been realizing these past few months how fortunate we really are. I had a great opportunity to come down to Mexico and work, Enrique has had a chance to stay home and take a very active role in the raising of our daughter, and best of all we are all together. Things aren't going as we planned (with having to live down here), but here we are and we're going to make the best of it! We still talk regularly about trying to migrate up to Canada. Seems like it would be more like how I envisioned our life in the U.S. I don't know if it the country of Mexico that depresses me at times, or if it is being in the big city. I am certainly not used to being in such a large, congested, busy, polluted, dirty place.

Sometimes I think that if we were rich life would be much better down here. Then I think about the children I teach. Most of them are rich and I have already had two conferences this year with parents who are in the midst of a divorce. That hits home with me. Money isn't always the answer....it's a band-aid.

I will never stop wishing for a visa to come through. I do want to Gabby to experience life in the U.S. and I hope that our family can be there together.

Hope life is treating you well.
Hugs.

And These Are The Days of Our Lives...

Wow! Time has FLOWN by and we haven't been blogging! Facebook has been consuming my life....so easy to put up pics and video that I've forgotten all about our blog!

Since it's November and the time of year where we heavily reflect on that for which we are grateful, I thought I'd take a minute and blog about what I am grateful for.

First, I am SO grateful for my awesome husband and spirited daughter. They are the highlight of my life and make me want to work as hard as possible so we have a great life. Enrique is my partner and I couldn't accomplish all that I do professionally, without him. He takes such good care of our baby girl and I can't imagine anyone else who would be so great to me! Gabriella is a total delight and joy. She has the best smile and laugh and is so social! She loves talking to people and making them laugh! I cannot believe everything she learns and how quickly she learns it!

As much as I have had a difficult time this year being away from family and friends, I really am grateful for the opportunity we've had to live in one of the largest cities in the world! I have really come to appreciate the diversity here and the cultural experiences. I now highly enjoy sushi, tacos al pastor, and Chai tea. Weird how I had to move to a new country to step out and try some new things!

I am also very grateful for my family and friends back in Utah. Being able to keep in touch with them via the internet really makes the distance seem less vast. I love catching up and hearing from everybody!

My job is another thing I am thankful for. I really do enjoy where I work and my students are awesome! I have been given quite a few extra opportunities this year to teach English teachers and develop myself professionally. It's kind of exciting to think of what could come in the next year or two....

You know back when Enrique's visa was denied I thought my world was over. I couldn't imagine moving away from Utah..even less to Mexico City! I didn't know how we could make ends meet and keep our house in Utah, but here we are! It hasn't been easy, but it has been an eventful, fun, eye-opening year. The best is yet to come!

Home Again Home Again...Jiggety Jig

Gabby and I are back from a fantastic visit to the states. We spent 3 weeks catching up with family and friends, enjoying the summer heat, and of course eating at my favorite places! The time FLEW by so quickly! We had such a great time, but really missed Enrique so we are happy to be back in Mexico once again.

Gabriella is growing up so quickly! She can say many single words like: up, down, out, off, hi, hola, hello, bye, papa, dada, daddy, mom, mama, mommy, cat, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth. She knows most Spanish and English forms of the words and will literally "gab" for a good length of time with you (even though most of it is jibberish right now). It is so amazing to watch her grow and to see how influential we as parents are. She really looks to us as role models...which is a good reminder for Enrique and I to watch what we eat and how we talk to each other and other people.

Being back in Mexico, I really miss being in Utah! I just want to have my cake and eat it, too! I want to be able to be with Enrique while raising Gabby in a clean, safe environment. To me, that would be in SLC, but that is not what is in store for us right now. We have to be strong and roll with the punches. Who knows what's in store for us and where life will take us! I am content here in Mexico, but I wouldn't say I'm super happy. Nor is Enrique. He misses being in the states--working, seeing his friends, our house, my family, etc... It has been awesome getting to know his family which probably would never have happened if we were still in SLC. Gotta keep looking at the positives....

We are thinking of trying to head to to Canada next year. Enrique would love to go to a culinary arts school and perhaps I could teach up there. That idea is complicated by Canada requiring visas for Mexicans now, but I think it could work out for us if we can get him a student visa. We'll see...... We are also thinking that maybe we just need to get out of the big city. Maybe we'll end up closer to the ocean. You just never know! We don't give up hope that Obama may pass legislation to help our immigration situation...again...you never know!

Hope all is well with one and all.
Hugs,
LFG

Catch Up Time!

Hello All! First off, NO swine flu for this family! We have been just fine and after many weeks off work....we are all back into the swing of things. When schools closed down here we left for Puebla to visit Enrique's family. While there, we FINALLY got Gabby's Mexican passport and a few days later she and I left for the U.S. We were able to stay and visit for about a week. If we didn't get to see you....no worries! We will be back in July!

We had a great time in Utah. It was so great to see my family and expose Gabby to some firsts...walking around on carpet with bare feet, playing on the grass,running around a more spacious home than our apt. here in Mexico, and trying new Gerber flavors that aren't available here. The thing she probably enjoyed most was playing with the cats and dogs at our house in Utah! Our cats slept with us at night and Gabby would wake up in the morning, hold her finger up to her lips and say, "Shhh! Meow!" and point to the cat. I believe she was telling me to be quiet because the cat was sleeping! So cute!

We flew back to Mexico last Sunday and I returned to work Monday. We are required to wear face masks for these first 2 weeks back, the kids are washing and sanitizing the hands like crazy, and we are workin hard academically! I think some of the new hygene req. seem silly in a way...like OBSESSIVELY washing hands and sanitizing pencils and whatnot....but it is great to see Mexico getting cleaned up. They even cleaned the metro for crying out loud...that has probably happened...NEVER! So, people here being far more aware of the need to wash hands after using the restroom, sanitize when on getting on/off public transportation, seeing mounted bottles of sanitizer at Wally World...all that is pretty cool.

It is Teacher's Day this week, and we have Friday off of school. I will probably celebrate by cleaning the house, taking a walk, and chillin with my sweet baby and loverly hubby!

Hope all is well for one and all!
Cheers!

Easter and Spring Break 2009

Back to life....back to reality.....we are back from our Spring Break adventures! George arrived on April 8 and we hung out in the city until April 13. We walked down Reforma on a Sunday afternoon, visited Chapultepec, the HardRock cafe, ate some yummy tacos, soent eah day at the fair, and prepared to leave for Acapulco!

We left early early on Monday morning and arrived at our hotel at about 11:30 a.m. We changed into our bathing suits and hit the beach! We ate lunch on the beach and hung out for a bit. We then drove to watch the Cliff Divers. That was awesome! The next day we went to a free breakfast, went to hear about a time share (waste of time, but the breakfast was sure good). We went down to a beautiful beach and spent the day there relaxing, swimming, talking, relaxing...you get the drift! We ate some yummy dinner and crashed out for the night. On the third day, we went to the beautiful beach once again. We lounged around, left to eat pizza for lunch, then went on a sunset cruise of Acapulco bay. It was beautiful and relaxing. We got back to the hotel and relaxed, ordered in dinner, and crashed out. On the fourth day we all woke up dreading the fact that we were leaving. We got ready to check out of the hotel. We were then going to hit the beach before leaving for Mexico City again. Enrique and I got to talking and decided we should stay for another day. George agreed and we went to pay for another night at the hotel. The hotel was booked up for the night, so we decided to go find another one. We did! We got a beautiful ocean view room at the Avalon hotel so we checked in and spent the day at the beach once again! We went to see the Cliff Divers again that night, passed by the HardRock Cafe, and ate dinner at Planet Hollywood (thanks George!). We also did a little souvenir shopping. The next morning we woke up and went right down to the beach. Around noon we checked out, went to eat lunch, and headed back to the city. What a great trip! I feel totally refreshed, but I also feel like we saw a ton while we were there!

Easter was great! We dyed eggs with Gabby the night before and when she awoke on Sunday morning she found her basket and looked around to find hidden eggs. We spent the day walking in the city and passed by the HardRock for a snack.

Almost Spring Break!

Only 4 days left until Spring Break! Acapulco here we come!!!!! Our good friend George will be coming for about 10 days. We are planning to do some sight seeing and spend some time on the beach relaxing in Acapulco! Yeah! We will post pics as we take them!
Gabriella is growing up sooooo fast! She is so darn cute and smart! She learns so fast and she is a real charmer. She loves being out and talking with people. All our neighbors just love "gabbin" with her and it is so cute!
Hope all is well.
LFG

Visit With Tony

We were lucky enough to have a friend stop by Mexico City for a night on his way back to Utah, Tony Yapias! Enrique picked him up from the airport and brought him to our house. We went to our favorie taco place and ate 2 kinds of alambre. Tony thought the tacos were delicious! It was so great chatting with him and hearing about his trip to Peru.
It was a great visit, quick but great, and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to Tony! He took some great pics and hopefully he will be coming back this summer with his wife!
Hope all is well!
La Familia Gonzalez

On A Personal Note...

Things have been moving along here and time has been flying by! I am getting very excited to come home for visit this summer...We have been trying to the baby her Mexican passport, but because my maiden name is on her birth certificate and my married name is on my passport they won't issue it. They are telling me to go and change my passport back to my maiden name, which means I also have to change my visa here among other things. Que cosas. I don't really care if she has a passport from Mexico. She has her US one. The thing that is worrying me is that her visa to get into Mexico has expired and I don't know what they will say when we try to leave the country. I prefer to just pay a fine and go on our merry little way, but since she is technically Mexican they will want her to leave and enter Mexico on a Mexican passport. I feel stuck because we have been to 2 different passport agencies and they both basically said the same thing. I am irritated because there should be somebody that we can talk to that can authorize the stinkin passport since obviously I am who I say I am. The main problem is that the systems are different for how they list a mother's name in Mexico and in the US and the agency here doesn't want to notice that this is a bit of a different case since I am a US citizen. I really hope we can get this solved because I am really worried about it.

Please send positive thoughts that this will be resolved sooner than later. It is one of those worries that eats away and eats away no matter how hard I try to push it out of my mind....

Playin on the New Potty

We got Gabby a new potty. We aren't going to attempt the potty training quite yet, but we figured if she has the toilet and can "bond" with it a bit maybe it will make the actual training a bit easier.....we'll see! There is also some video here of her in motion. The video if from Jan. and we have been meaning to get it on here....here you go!

Growing Up!

Gabby is about 13 months now and walking is now her preferred mode of transport. She adores going for walks outside and making friends. She is so much fun and we are enjoying being parents!

I am in awe of her each and every day. She is just so happy, so curious, and so adoring. I am starting to believe that a huge part of parenting is to be able to nurture her and provide safety and security to her while allowing her to keep her curiosity, happiness, and adoration of everbody and everything. I don't know when I began to lose these traits (I like to think I am still a bit curious....), but I want to strive to help Gabby keep them as long as possible.

Acapulco, Baby! SLC friends eat your hearts out!

This past weekend we were invited to Acapulco with some friends. They have a condo there...right on the beach! It was so beautiful, quiet, and relaxing. Gabby loved swimming in the pools....she wasn't too fond of the sand or the ocean waves, but she had a great time anyway! She got to play a ton (or tease shall I say) her friend William who is only 6 weeks younger than here. He was running all around and she was crawling around chasing him! Yes--she has regressed to crawling....faster, maybe?

Anyway, we had a wonderful weekend with our friends. It was so nice to get out of the city and relax. It is so amazing to think that places so beautiful are right here in Mexico....

First Steps

So, Gabby just took her first totally independent steps tonight! She is 1 year and 3 weeks old and she seems quite proud! It is like a whole new world has just opened up to her! Enrique and I have been having her walk to each of us while we sit on the floor with her. She usually takes 2 steps or so and then just reaches out so one of us will grab her....but not tonight! She got her balance and started walking! She took about 5 steps and we were cheering and clapping and she had a huge smile on her face. Enrique ran to get the video camera and of course she was not cooperative. After a few more minutes she started up again and now she is getting even better balance....7 steps independently is the record for tonight! We did capture some good footage on the video camera and we will get it on here asap! On another note.....it is FREEZING here! All of Mexico is getting hit with massive cold front and it even snowed in one part of Mexico today! We have a heater in our room and we are staying warm in there for now! Hope all is well. Looking forward to Tuesday. What a marvelous day that will be....a new President!

2009

I would like to say this is my first blog of the new year, but since I have been catching up today since Christmas.....this is the third blog of the new year!
We have been visiting with my mom and George this past week. My mom has been ill (she must have drank the water!) so she has been resting. Enrique and I have been taking George all around the city. On New Year's Eve we went to some ruins called Tepotzlan. The cool thing about these ruins is that you have to hike to the top of a mountain to see them. Yeah---the pyramids were stratigically built atop a mountain. The hike is difficult, but well worth it. I had been there before, but Enrique and George were newbies. They had a great time, as did Gabriella. She was chattin it up with people left and right and everyone was getting a kick out of it!

We came home in the evening to find most every business shut down for the night! Enrique and George went off in search of dinner, while I layed down to relax with my ma and Gabby. We all fell asleep....and soon Enrique came in to say "Happy New Year!" I was quite grouchy, went back to sleep, and woke up the next morning...not quite as we had planned, but ce la vie!

George and Enrique, on the other hand, stayed up watching the countdown on T.V., drinking a few beers (maybe a few more than a few) and did a tradition for the New Year. Here, each person has 12 grapes in a cup and when the New Year is ringing in you make a wish for each of your 12 grapes and then eat them. Normally, you share your wishes aloud with the group and usually you end up wishing good things for family and friends, rather than for yourself. I still need to wish upon my grapes.....

I cannot imagine what this year holds in store for La Familia Gonzalez. We had a crazy, difficult, and amazing 2008 so here's to 2009! Bring it....

First Birthday

It seems like just yesterday I brought home this amazing little creature from the hospital. I was scared, tired, scared, nervous, excited, scared, full of self-doubt, amazed, scared, exhausted, scared... And here we are a whole year later! Everyday is amazing and full of surprises. I now feel: amazed, excited, tired, fulfilled. The scared is mostly gone.....it is so different and wonderful having made the move to Mexico and sharing all these moments with Enrique and Gabriella. Even a year ago, I didn't know when we would all be together and here we are! We've made it! We celebrated Gabby's birthday with Enrique's family first. We planned a small party with hamburgers and french fries--a la americana--we called it! Just as the party was beginning a clown arrived! Enrique's mom had gotten the clown and it was so fun! The clown was great--he had everyone participating. Later, we ate and sang, cut the cake, and opened gifts. It was such a great time chatting with everyone and enjoying such a great celebration. We also celebrated back at our house with my mom and George. We went to the zoo downtown with one of Gabby's friends and some of my friends from work. It was a beautiful day! Very very crowded, but a great day nonetheless! Gabby fell asleep during part of the visit, but what are you gonna do? She needed her beauty sleep! I am so thankful for such amazing family and friends. I am realizing every day how lucky I am to have the chance to be here with my little family and I am learning to live each day...not just exist. Gabby does a great job of reminding me that even though we are not living in Salt Lake like I had always pictured, we are still very much alive and have great opportunities to be happy every day if we choose to be so.....

Merry Christmas!

I really cannot believe that Gabby's first Christmas has come and gone already! We spent the holiday with Enrique's family. We had a traditional posada on Christmas Eve at his sister-in-law's house with all his family and some friends. A traditional posada begins around 11 p.m. A group of people are outside the house and a group of people are inside the house. Everybody has a little candle. The candles get lit and all other lights, music, etc. in the house are turned off. The group outside the house starts singing the posada song and the group inside sings back....this goes on for a good 10 minutes or so, then the group outside is offered a chance to come inside and celebrate and eat. The group outside enters....the first person to enter is carrying a small porcelain baby (representing Baby Jesus) and everyone sings some songs to the baby, takes a turn holding it, gives it a small kiss, and the last person places the baby into the nativity scene. By this time it is just after midnight and Christmas has begun! We then did a gift exchange (we had drawn names...you know the drill) and then sat down to eat. When all was said and done it was about 2 a.m. and we finally went home to sleep! We didn't take any of Gabby's Santa presents with us because we celebrated Santa style once we got back to the city and my mom and my friend George arrived. They flew in on the 27th and on the morning of the 28th we opened presents and the sort. Gabby got some blocks, books, dolls, and a kitchen with some dishes. She didn't really get what was going on, but she sure has enjoyed her stuff. Speaking of stuff....that is what I have focused on for so many Christmases....buying stuff for people. Will they like it? Do they already have it? Until this year. I didn't send anything back to Utah. We didn't buy presents for everyone in Enrique's family. I didn't get everybody at school presents. We didn't buy Gabriella presents galore. We chose carefully for our daughter. We celebrated. We laughed. We created new memories. We spent time together. We enjoyed the holiday....it was amazing. Hope your holiday was amazing, too.