The Space Time Continium

I went to visit my family rather unexpectedly in February, and it felt like a dream.  Sureal but nice... I was walking, breathing, talking and feeling my beloved Mexico all around me; from the "Hola, preciosa" greeting by the customs officer, to the desert dust on my shoes. I was home.  I was speechless!!  I had been sent by my children to join my mother, father and brothers at our grandmother Sebastiana Urias' funeral.  That's why the trip was so sudden and unplanned.  But those have been the best 6 days I've had.  There was lots of talking and eating, hugging and remembering.  I did take the time to bring memories for my senses.  I've been blessed with a rather sharp memory of place and time.  So here's my sample finding myself where I'm loved and accepted and most of all.  Where I belong.

Double the trouble and double the fun

I've the unique experience, at this point of my life, to be surrounded by my family.  Two of the grandchildren are very close in age, and it's very entertaining to see them interact.  Brooklyn and Jonathan are 3 months apart, and they are turning two this year; they are at the age when they are loving, playful, cranky and dangerous all in a matter of minutes.  They must be watched carefully when they are together.  Double trouble without a doubt.  I personally enjoy seeing them figure things out-because they are very smart, and communicate well to work together.  Brooklyn has a sweet tooth, so she brings the big tin of sugar cookies to Jonathan and he opens it for her.  Jonathan also can open the refrigerator for a snack, and can open the cases of DVD and uses the TV controls.  All very valuable skills for a toddler.  Altogether they are normal children living close to each other and enjoying every bit of it. I enjoy being able to see it first hand. I'm not sure their parents are so amused, but I'm.  

 Grandmotherhood rocks!

Happy Birthday to Jazmine Leigh Joyner Livingston!

A quarter of a century goes by fast... Did you know that I was almost 25 when you were born?  This means that when your Peanut turns your age, you will be mine, and we'll be even cuter.

Dreams

I love to dream because it's so intriguing to create these crazy stories right in my head while asleep, but there's also those dreams of things I wish could happen; things that may be so far from my reach that they feel more like fiction than reality.  Working in a temple has been a dream of mine.  From the time when I first understood about temples and what takes place in them, I thought that spending time there would be a very rewarding job.  Temples  are the most  wonderfully sacred places on earth, and to me they provide that sweet feeling of "going home".  Perhaps because I have lived away from my parents' home for so long, and I love the anticipation of going there, feeling like I belong, and because I have so many memories of being in the temple with my parents, my siblings and my own children that I just don't have the words to describe how much I love going to the temple.  Well, today this dream comes true and I become part of that group of saints who dresses in white and works in the temple.  There are many dreams in my archives that are just that: dreams; but this one is becoming a reality this morning, and I am nervous, and excited and looking forward to today.  My children are camping at the beach this weekend, and I changed my plans to be at the temple. It will be interesting to see how my life changes because I'm a temple worker.  I was teased (by my own children, who else?) that I would be the official turkey wrangler- maybe because I have such extensive experience working with long legged, funny looking birds... like my children.  Anyway, I thought it was funny that as I drove up the temple driveway, the turkeys were in mass grazing on the lawn, and when I left after 5pm the turkeys were at the ball field, so the picture was taken to record the fact that there was a game of turkey ball going on, and the turkeys don't need a wrangler really.

De tal palo, tal astilla

These are my beautiful parents Carlos Pineda and Abigail Plasencia de Pineda.  #22 is my older brother Carlos David Pineda.  I am so blessed to have them.  I see them and I see myself.  They live in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.  I wish we didn't live so far away, but such is life, and I chose to marry a gringo , but that is another story.  Back to my parents, my dad has been retired from the power company and with my mom they served 5 missions in different places in Mexico.  Presently he is a sealer in the Hermosillo Temple and my mom works there too; when I grow up, I intend to be like them.  

Getting started

 

This is me, I'm known by many names depending on the surroundings and the people.  At home and to my family I'm Mom, Yom, Aby or Abs.   I'm also Carmen to my friends and coworkers; Mrs. Joyner for some of my students and Maestra Joyner for others; in my Mexican Home, I'm Lalis, Carmen Abigail, Gordis and other embarrassing names in Spanish.  I'm a teacher by profession, and presently I teach English to immigrant students at an elementary school in Sacramento, and one night a week I teach adults who want to learn Spanish.  I've been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints all of my life, and what a blessing this has been for me and my growing family.  Oh, yes my family... let's see there are 3  daughters and 2 daughters-in-law all very beautiful; there are also 3 sons and 3 sons-in-law all very handsome; there are 6 grand-daughters and 5 grandsons all from the above average variety.  Like I said I'm blessed.