Family

Could it be? Is it she?

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

It is with awe and amazement that I sit here early today, pondering the fact that my baby girl has turned 20 – and since she was born at 2:40am, she truly has!  I remember that day like yesterday, the fact that Kirstie made me a mom, and the wonder and joy I felt when I heard her cry for the first time.  Those feeling have only become stronger over the years as I watched that infant turn into the wonderful woman that she is today!

Kirstie has redish blonde hair when she was very young, as you can see from this picture that was taken when she was 18 months old.  You can also see that she inherited the curly hair Edgar and I both have (and which she’s very good at straightening out today!).  Even at a young age, Kirstie was extremely inquisitive and able to sit for HOURS pouring over pictures, books, magazine – ANYTHING that she could investigate.  And she ALWAYS loved to dance, even before she could walk!

As Kirstie grew older, her hair became VERY blonde, especially intriguing since she carries Mexican blood!  But her Grandma Jan’s genes are pretty strong!  🙂  I loved the fact that Kirstie was very attached to me her first 4 or 5 years; we were often inseperable.  She would sing, read, be goofy with me……..it was great.

We usually call this pic the “Josh with long hair” picture, but it’s Kirstie.  She was always making friends, talking up a storm, and loved doing doing doing.  I guess she’s still that way, huh?  I never really had to stay on top of her at school, either, because she did her work (remember the inquisitive nature?) and usually did well in school.  She also showed signed of musical talent at a young age – maybe it was all those years of being around the worship band?

Alas, despite my threats to beat her if she kept growing up, today she is twenty.  TWENTY.  I don’t know how that happened!  I look back with fondness at the years behind me and have so many clear images of this girl – ah, to imagine that they add up to two decades!  And yet, I would be remiss if I didn’t say those years have filled my soul with such love and joy!  I look at her, hear her share stories or vent or plan her life, and am continually blessed to know she is AMAZING!  She is real, she is smart, she is a doer…….but most of all, SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!  She is going to do MORE amazing things in her life, it’s really only the beginning, and yet I sit in wonder ponding this amazing woman who is also my beloved DAUGHTER.

So, while many of these ruminations are for me alone, please join me in celebrating a fantastic human life, twenty years of amazement – HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRSTIE!  I love you VERY much!

And just in case you’ve not heard her sing, check this out:

Mom

P.S.  She is also VERY good on XBox 360 (those killing games, but hey, I don’t want to sound old) and can type nearly 80wpm using pretty much two fingers.  IMPRESSIVE if not trivial.

Wax Philosophical……

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

Not really, at least I am prefacing this that I may NOT be very philosophical in this post.  Perhaps the INTENTIONS are there, but it’s been a while since I’ve written here and I’ve been known to ramble.  Plus, I did something to my left thumb and it hurts to type, so we shall see!

First Waxing – the whole Prop 8 thing in California.  Now, I know MANY (if not most) of my friends (especially those who have incorporated faith into their lives) were for Prop 8.  I can understand that, and it is not my intention to debate your stance or mine.  I just wanted to share some points that I have pondered this week.

First of all, I read this amazing article and it brought up some thoughts I haven’t – for example, it doesn’t surprise me that the Catholic Church is for Prop 8 and that they were disappointed that it was found as unconstitutional.  However, this article points out that the Catholic Church also does not acknowledge marriages outside of the church (something which was affirmed in my OWN life when my parents sought to be married in the church after getting married in Vegas), yet they don’t demand that these unrecognized marriages stop receiving social security benefits, etc.  Yet, that’s what they are demanding for gays and lesbians.  Hear me – I am a Christian and my faith is in Christ, but when I pay taxes to my government, that is a secular law and one which Jesus said I should do……but it is not related to Jesus.  I feel the same about marriage; if I have to pay taxes and my neighbor can marry wife #4 and get all this and that through the government, but I can’t…..how is that right?  And this ruling WAS right based on the constitution.  If the Catholic Church chooses to not recognize gay marriage, that is their right.  But they have no control over the constitution.  And if you find gay marriage morally wrong, don’t do it!  Just like I have a friend that finds it morally wrong to re-marry after a divorce and therefore has remained single, but doesn’t force her friends to do the same even though her friends share the same faith.

ANYHOW……….

Deana started her job this past week and she LOVES it.  She is working in HR for the City of Dallas – her department has 4 employees and they support over 13,000!  I am very proud of her and she is gonna rock!  This job is a direct – I said DIRECT – answer to prayer!  Our prayer lives have really grown since joining Crossroads and it has taken on a life beyond anything Deana and I have experienced before.  In this case, we asked for a positive email the next day and BAM!, Deana received one stating she had made the first review in the application process.  Then, we prayed that she would get a call by the next week and BAM!, she did!  Now the interview process was intimidating; she had to have a 15 minute, Power Point presentation covering four topics, including HR Benefits.  She freaked out a little, especially since I had to leave for a business trip and she felt I could help her.  But she did it on her own and did a great job.  Prayers from all over Dallas were being raised, she did a GREAT job during the interview, and received an offer THE NEXT DAY!  THAT is unheard of when dealing with municipal agencies!  Now, let me be clear – this is NOT a story of how great we are at praying……this is about the Faithfulness of Jesus!  HE made this work out PERFECTLY!  To hear Deana’s take on this miracle, check out her post here.

I, for one, have been struggling a bit with my own job.  I swing between being loyal to being beat up and unmotivated.  I feel as though the Lord is telling me to be faithful to Him and He will lead me.  So I am trying to do that and not focus on all the things I could complain about – here on this blog or otherwise!  I WOULD like to travel less, that’s for dang sure!

On that note, I have expended the full amount of non-pain movement for my thumb, so this post will have to end.  I hope all of my 2.78 readers have a fantastic weekend!

Gina OUT

Update on Gracie

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

So, it’s been a LONG and saddening 6 days since Gracie went missing.  At first, since I had received no calls, I had hoped she had been picked up by the pound and due to the holiday they hadn’t had time to call me.  So Sunday and Monday I sucked it up, hoping beyond hope that Tuesday morning I would have my Gracie back.  However, it turned out ALL the local pounds did not have her, and the devastation returned.  D and the kids were still on vacation, so it was hard to have these feelings without an outlet to share.  But I stepped up my efforts, posting and reviewing Craig’s List postings, driving through neighborhoods, etc.

The Wylie Animal Control Officer was especially kind, calling me every couple days for updates and to encourage me.  Then my prayers went to hoping AT LEAST a family found her and loved her so much that they didn’t call the tag or take her to see if she had a microchip.  I just wanted her safe and loved.  It still broke my heart, but the idea of her having been hurt or still out and starving broke my heart.

Then yesterday the first lead happened – Tammy, the Murphy Animal Control Officer – called me and asked a few questions.  Turns out a lady about 3.75 miles from my house had been seeing the same dog for the past 2 mornings and had called the pound.  The description fit Gracie to the T, so I called Deana to go to the area where she had been sighted.  No sign of Gracie, so I went there after work, too.  When I was there, Barbara (the kind lady who called), came and talked to me.  I showed her a picture of Gracie and she is 100% sure it was her!  So we walked around but no sign of her.

D, Sophia and I went back yet again, but still no sign of her.  We are going back this morning and praying that she comes back so she can come home!  Please pray!  I miss my Superdog.

Gracie

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

So Gracie is missing.  No areas in our fence where she could have gotten out.  No calls.  Very suspicious.  Please pray that I get my superdog back.

Thanks.

A New Song

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

The kids and I are working on a new CD – “A Family That Praise Together”.  We haven’t gotten too far into the album, but we DID get one song down!  It drove Deana a little crazy as the kids were singing “do do’s” all week!  But it was awesome fun!

The song is “Jesus is Just Alright”, a cover of the classic Doobie Brothers song.  While I am NOT the guitar player they were, it was fun recording with the kids.  Josh, Zack, and Sophia make up the vocals.  Check it out here.

Blessings Abound

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

So, as often is the case with us stubborn and inadequate humans, we focus on the wrong things.  Our finances, our aches and pains, conflicts in our lives…..the list goes on.  Too often, we are so focused on these things, we lose sight of the beauty and miracles that surround us!  I fall within this area quite often.  So, today, I am taking the time to focus on all that God has done for me and mine………

  • I HAVE mentioned this before, but I will state it again – my current job was a direct answer to prayer.  It was miraculous how the timing was perfect, and I love it.  No amount of time goes by that doesn’t remind me how amazing God is when I consider this.
  • God provided a means to allow me, the kids, and Deana to have our current home.  This was a HUGE miracle and believe me when I say, if it weren’t for direct blessings from the Lord, it would not have happened.
  • Kirstie was laid off from CVS in April.  She also needed to find a new place to live.  She has no immediate family in California with her.  But we prayed and God’s response was better than ANYTHING we could have believed.  Kirstie found a new apartment, then received a call from a different CVS offering her a job.  And said job?  RIGHT next to her new apartment!  Walking distance!  And even more than that, her first week she got 40 hours!  THAT never happened at her other CVS!  Thank you Lord!
  • Deana finished her teaching credential program and is now certified to teach in Texas.  That is a HUGE blessing and a wonderful accomplishment.  Now, we are asking the Lord to provide the perfect job, JUST in time when her unemployment benefits expire!
  • We, as a family, have been blessed by our new church.  In the short time we’ve attended, we have received amazing friendships.  Further, we have all been fed spiritually, which has girded us up for the trials we have had to face in recent weeks.
  • One day this week, while I was driving to work, I was contemplating the issues with my health, the impact all my hospital bills were having on my budget, and such items.  Usually, these thoughts would create great anxiety in me and it would affect every aspect of my life.  And, not to minimize the concern – it definitely is there.  However, it hit me that I felt complete peace.  COMPLETE!  And that seemed remarkable to me.  And I attest that this can only be attributed to my God.

The list goes on and on, but suffice it to say, God is Good, all the time!

Remembering Sally Rivera

/ Gina Marie / 1 Comment

Sally Rivera – July 18, 1942 to May 11, 2010

Sally was Deana’s Aunt and the last remaining sibling to Deana’s father.  I had only met Sally on a handful of occasions, but she was always very friendly, VERY family oriented, and surrounded by her own children and grandchildren.  She was one of those people that made you feel like you belonged too; like you were part of the family or at least had known her forever. In fact, as silly as this may seem, she friended me on FaceBook not that long ago and I was touched.  That’s just how she rolled.

Sally had an awesome smile, was a killer card player, and knew how to laugh almost as loud as I do.  She was always encouraging others to take care of themselves, or cheering them up if things were tough, etc.  Such simplicity is often overlooked, but I am glad these images have come easily to me today.

By today’s standards, I think Sally left us too early – she was only 67 years old.  But what makes this loss all the more shocking was that we had no indication there was a health issue with Sally until a couple of weeks ago.  Deana received a call late one night from her brother Michael that Aunt Sally was in the hospital and she may have a serious condition.  About two weeks later, she is gone.  While the doctors never said there was surety that she would fully recover, the speed in which things happened has been devastating to Deana and her 7 siblings.  And Sally’s daughter and grandchildren, who have been inseparable their entire lives, are feeling this the most.  Please keep them in your prayers.

I believe I will have more to write soon, as the days progress and the stories about Sally are shared between Deana and her siblings Manuel, Jerry, Julia, Victoria, Stephanie, Andrew, and Michael.  We will all be picturing Aunt Sally being reunited in heaven with her brother (and Deana’s Dad) Jerry, her sister Julie, and her parents.  And yet, we will be reminded – as the image of the reunion unfolds in our minds – how much we miss them all.

Love you Aunt Sally.

Sophia

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

So Soph (my usual name for her) has been going through a pretty awesome phase lately – she’s all about being like me.  This was not entirely her idea at the beginning; she IS a lot like me in many ways, and D or I often say “she’s a mini G!”  But, once she got her glasses (which is funny, since D has had glasses longer than me) she has had this big kinship with me in all aspects of her life.

So, in honor of that, here are some Soph Quotes!  Some are especially funny considering the girl is only 6!

#1

S:  (with exasperation) I have lesbian eyebrows!

G:  What?  Why are they lesbian eyebrows?

S:  A teacher came to school and her eyebrows were just like mine.

G:  Do you know what lesbian means?

S:  Yes!  Just look at my eyebrows!

#2

S:  I want to be Gina

G:  Sure!  You can be Little Gina

S:  No, I want to be BIG Gina.  And I don’t know what to have for dessert, there are so many choices.

G:  Well you can have all of them, but then you might get fat like me.

S:  I WANT to be fat like you!

That’s all i have right now – much less than I was prepared to share when I started this post!  But it’s early, it’s Friday and I am already thinking about all the things I need to do at work.  This brain can handle only so much!

Gina OUT

More Academy Award Viewing

/ Gina Marie / Leave a comment

Let me just say that Deana found an AMAZING theater in Plano that is situated in what we like to call “very Los Angeles-ish” setting.  The theater itself was smaller, was showing mosting movies that have been nominated for an Academy Award or “artsy” in nature, and was very…….let’s see…….NOT commercial.  There was a coffee bar and…..well, we loved it.  And to add more bennies, we needed to watch two movies, so we stopped at a little french cafe across the street that was AWESOME!

Our luck was also on our side because yesterday Sophia decided to gash her head open.  She was spending the night at her counsin, Kaylie’s house.  They have a HUGE walk in shower there, in which Sophia decided to run.  Yep, you pictured it – she fell backwards and gashed the back of her head open.  But, as fortune would have it, this happened RIGHT when the second movie was over!  So we met Aunt Julie at the hospital and went from there.  Sophia was a huge trooper – ended up getting 4 staples in her head WITHOUT a shot (her choice) and she pulled through with only a few tears.  Deana practically RAN out of the area because she was so scared!  LOL  But Soph is fine and has huge bragging rights because her brothers have never had staples.  GIRLS RULE!  🙂

Anyway, here are my critiques of the movies:

An Education – the was a lovely British film talking about a young girl (she turns 17 during the story) in the early 1960’s and the exposure to various aspects – besides her drive to attend Oxford – to life’s education.  I walked in knowing NOTHING about this film other than it had been nominated.  The story was REAL, filled with profound subtleties, and the acting was superb.  The title role, played by Carey Mulligan, was quite good actually!  And as a picture, I think it is a strong contender for an oscar.  The story touches, ever so lightly, on controversies such as anti-semitism, views of blacks in the early 60’s, women’s role in society and their reliance on men, and the typical coming of age concept of fun verses hard work.  Even with such standard fair, it never seemed preachy or made me feel like there was an agenda that the powers that be wanted to push.  I loved this movie.  I am holding back tagging this for sure,  either for Carey as best actress of the movie for best picture, but they are high on my list.

Up in the Air – this was another movie I really didn’t know much about, other than George Clooney was in the movie.  I assumed that he was nominated for Best Actor, and I was right.  I was excited to that Anna Kendrick, of Twilight fame, was in the film and even nominated for Best Supporting Actress!  Also nominated for best supporting actress is Vera Farmiga – both did a fantastic job in this movie.  As did George, really.  And the movie WAS entertaining, it DID have a message (or several) and also offered enough pain points that aren’t resolved to say to me “hey, this is typical Oscar”.  I think it was worth the $7.50 I paid.  But I am NOT feeling the immense, “oh my word that was AMAZING” feeling that I think a Best Picture should do.  Of the two we saw, I vote this second.  Is it worth your time?  Absolutely.  And I will probably be eating my words when George wins (or either lady), but I just don’t feel it.

Will probably not have time for any more movies today – it’s Super Bowl Sunday!  While I am intriqued by the historic fact of the NO Saints being there, I am still bitter that they beat my Vikings.  Hence, GO COLTS!

Gina OUT!