Salsa and Soul

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y"ALL - 2011

Well, 2010 is gone and now we are at the beginning of a new year, 2011, with lots of exciting challenges, changes, adventure and new people to meet and places to go.

We attended a New Years Eve party with our neighbors and their family-they had about 30-40 family members visiting them from Mexico. Had a wonderful time and here are a few of the pictures from that party.

Sylvia made about 10 doz of these beef/bean/cheese and salsa taquitos

Jesus (Chito) and Claudia Solis - our neighbors

Chito's father and us

We had a white elephant exchange and it was crazy but fun.

some of the revelry and hugging at midnight

Mason was happy but has a hard time remembering to Smile altho on the earlier picture, he did show his enthusiasm. We were up till 1:30am

We were supposed to go to Albuquerque on the first and got as far as Dallas but the flights to Albuquerque were sold out, and, as we travel standby, couldn't get on so we came back to San Antonio for some much needed rest - we slept the day away.

God is in control and He knew we need to hear a much needed sermon on Sunday by a guest speaker, Phillip Williams, about how storms don't define us; its how we get thru them and what we do after the storm that define us; the blessing is waiting. We need an attitude of gratitude, putting pride aside because satan will try to take us off course on serving God and being good Christians. When we humble ourselves before God and do His will, God will open up heaven and pour out blessings - GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!

Christmas Eve was great. First, we went to our church and had a wonderful worship and communion service to our Lord and King, JESUS - THE REASON FOR THE SEASON, then Troy and Kaleigh came over and opened our presents to them. We all ate supper along with Brianna's mom and dad (ma and pa)

Christmas morning (9am) we went to Phil and Brianna's home to watch the kids open more gifts-it is so much fun to see the kids having so much fun. We got a wonderful ceramic"pit" fireplace for our backyard patio. We ate a marvelous breakfast of a hashbrown potato cassarole.

We went home to finish the lunch we were preparing: ham, sweet potatoes, baked potato salad, posole, tamales, cranberries and a marvelous stir fried zuchinni/mushroom/garlic that Brianna's brother, David made for us. We had all kinds of goodies like persian squares, fudge, 7 layer cookies, biscochitos, danish and chocolate cake Sylvia had made the day before. Phil, Brianna, Kaleigh, Troy, Ma(Pat), Pa(Tom), David, my mom, my sister Hattie and her daughter Rebekah joined us for dinner

We left for Dallas about 5pm and stopped in Cedar Hill to visit w/Paige and Troy overight. Next morning at 7:30 am we left for Keller to have breakfast and exchange gifts w/son Trae, and his wife Julie and our grandson Sam (almost 2).

From, Keller we drove 1 1/2 hrs to Allen to visit w/son Ernie and his family: wife, Kelly, grandkids: Connor, Austin and Violet and exchange gifts w/them. From Allen we went to Plano to visit w/oldest son, Simon Paul, wife Alice and Sara-Caleb was away at Winter camp. We had supper w/them: yummy beef soup and prime rib sandwiches on his famous rolls from his bakery: Kolache Station.

We left late back to Cedar Hill to rest and see a movie w Paige and Troy and be entertained by their dogs: Bo and "baby girl". We stayed with them the next day and on Tues early we left back to San Antonio. Sylvia needed a few things so we stopped in San Marcos on the way home. In all, I put about 700 miles on the car from this trip.

We rested and tried to catch up on things before we leave tomorrow to Albuquerque,NM for the Sanchez fest-anywhere between 80-120 people at her brother Andy's home. We will visit w/mama and hopefully a few friends before we come back home Tues to plan our next trip, cruise or whatever.

I don't know if we can top 2010 with 4 cruises and 30 other trips includng a trip to Canada, but already on our agenda is a trip to Sao Paolo, South America for Carnival the first of March. Sylvia met some people from there on her last trip to the Panama Canal and they have invited us to come visit them and enjoy "Carnival". Sao Paolo is just south of Rio de Janero.

Yesterday, her brother Albert flew into San Antonio to help his son drive a truck full of furniture from Florida to Albuquerque and he made a great statement:: First its your growing up family, bros and sisters, then its your wife and kids, then its the grandkids, - now they have their busy lives so we are back to bros and sisters and our spouses - time to live for us and enjoy what time we have left in our lives - we don't know how much time we have left! Sylvia was fortunate enough to go on a Panama Canal cruise with her mom and her oldest brother Ernest and youngest brother Albert and they had a wonderful time getting to visit and catch up with each other.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y"ALL AND ENJOY THE SHOW!