December Part 2

December continues with the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and our 2 year wedding anniversary! I got a dozen roses with one white calily. I was sick with a cold for our anniversary but we still had a special day watching movies and relaxing. My sister-in-law helped me to make Christmas decorations for our baby Christmas tree. It was very mexican w/ OL of Guadalupe as the background and making tamales for the first time. Then on Christmas day we spent the day with my family and the day after with Jack's family eating those delicious tamales.



We are still celebrating Christmas until Epiphany which is Jan. 6th for us as it is in Mexico. We also got to spend some time visiting with our very good friend Br. Mark Menegatti O.S.A. We went over to Hollywood and chilled at a Coffee Bean over there. We actually found this really good mediterranean food place over there. It was nice to spend some time w/ Br. Mark before he went back to Chicago.




Stay tuned to see what new adventures await us in 2010...dun dun dun. Shalom and Happy New Year!

December Part 1

This December started off for us w/ making a great apple pie in honor of USC's victory over UCLA! Jack likes UCLA and I like USC so there was a bit of tension in our household especially after this pie. We also went to L.A. Live which is in downtown L.A. we met a friend there to see the movie The Blindside which we loved. They have this big electrical Christmas tree that looked interesting...I'm sure it looks better at night but I prefer a real tree. It was nice to discover more of L.A. that we never see living away from the city.

East Meets West... Catholic Style

This Saturday we went on a one day retreat/pilgrimage in the high desert just outside of L.A. It was awesome, we got to experience a Byzantine rite Mass. Mass was about 2hrs. long and it was so beautiful! There was so much symbolism in everything that was done. The Byzantine Bishop was the main celebrant for the Mass and he was really funny during the homily.

It was an ancient experience and by the time we got to receive the Eucharist I was totally ready and yearning to accept the gift of this beautiful sacrament. The entire Mass was sung/chanted which made us really feel like we were at the heavenly banquet. It was great to learn more about Byzantine Catholics and how they celebrate Mass (btw they have never had a liturgical reform) and how they have been celebrating Mass for hundreds of years!

Hip-Hop

Saturday we saw a hip-hop group at Catholic Underground Los Angeles. The group was Mars Ill (well Manchild was there solo), which is one of Jack's favorite hip-hop artists. For someone who does not know much about underground hip-hop I think the performance was top notch.

It was really awesome to see that hip-hop smooth street side of my husband. Jack's artistry is part of the reason I fell in love with him. There is something about when Jack raps, sings, plays instruments or draws graffiti art that makes his soul shine. Jack has taught me that there is so much more to hip-hop than the music. I am thankful that I get to see my husband's creativity flow day to day.

Packing... packing...and more packing!

Ok, so packing has been going well but there is much more to go. We have two weeks to go and we are excited to move into our new place!

Moving on east...

We are moving to a new apartment in a month! It is 10-15 min east of our current place. We will miss our 1st little apartment but God is giving us another wonderful opportunity. We are very excited and will post pictures of our old place and our new place within the next month.

Best Friends Forever...

I sit awake at 4:30am(that's the time that the first alarm goes off in our house) with a queasy feeling in my stomach from some very greasy zucchini that I ate last night and a crazy dream that I just woke up from. I am taking this time to realize two life changing lessons. I know this is epic! Well let me explain...

The first lesson is friendships, especially female friendships, are hecka imporatante! We can often take advantage of things that are right in front of us. As I see it Jesus had lots of friends. He had disciples the 72, apostles the 12 and the inner circle the 3 (Peter, James and John). Now we each have our own chosen three or as we girls like to call them our B.F.F. My crazy, and I mean crazy, dream last night kind of forced me to realize that I need to work on being a better friend.

Naturally I am better at being there for people but I do not often let people do the same for me. I usually like to stay hidden because I am shy and introverted. It takes a lot more energy for me to receive than to give most of the time. I am also a very bad communicator. I can often forget to call people just to see how they are doing and by the time I remember its been so long that I am shy and scared to call. Despite my many flaws having lunch with a friend who I have not seen or talked to in years and having my good friend Meli leave to Mexico for 6 months has given me even more inspiration to be a better friend. Even though Jesus had His inner circle within the apostles He never forgot about the needs of the rest of the 12, the 72 or us for that matter. This is because Jesus is the ultimo friend! So we too must not forget about those people that we can often take for granted.

The muy importante second life lesson is not to eat VERY greasy fried zucchini after 8pm if you're not used to it. It will give you a stomach ache and crazy dreams. To all the friends in my life whether close or distant i love you and thank God for you. God bless and Yahweh-Shalom!

Marriage 101

As Jack and I celebrate one year and seven months of marriage today I am prayerfully reflecting on what I have learned so far. In five months it will be two years, that blows my mind! My communication skills have definitely improved considering I am the type to not say anything when something seriously bothers me and I avoid confrontation. Jack will probably tell you that I don't have a problem with that anymore. More than anything Jack has taught me that each of our feelings matter and we must hear one another out.

On a lighter note I have learned to be more creative in cooking and baking. I have learned that I really like it and that (according to Jack) I am awesome at it! I feel like God is allowing me to discover all these great tips and tricks to cooking healthy, delicious food on a modest budget. I have also learned not to wash clothes when the washer hose is not properly secured to the sink (oops)! I haven't shrunk any clothes yet so that is a plus :-)

I think the most important think I have learned so far is that I have a wonderful husband. God has truly blessed me with who I need to lead me closer to heaven day by day. So praise be to God for our marriage! May we have many more days, months and years together. I Love you babe!

Santa Barbara/Solvang

We had a great Saturday in Santa Barbara and Solvang!

We saw two California Missions in one day! Wild!

As the dryer hums along...

As the dryer is humming away i thought i would take a few minutes to update. We were suppose to go to San Diego this past weekend but i was sick the whole weekend, yuck! I guess it was God's way of saying that we needed rest and sleep because we slept a lot.

Monday evening Jack and I randomly went to a church that has perpetual adoration down the road from us. We stopped into to say what's up to the Lord for about five minutes or so. I think we are going to try and make it a point to go more often considering we can walk there in 15 min. After that we (it was Jack's idea) were inspired to make a fort/tent. It was the best idea ever! We had alot of fun and it once again reminded us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Here are some pictures from last week's field trip from work. We took the class to the L.A. Arboretum. My sister-in-law and my niece were able to go which was awesome. The peacocks are out and about this time of year.

Ah! The dryer is done just in time gtg duty calls. Yahweh-Shalom!

What we need...

So our past week has been fun, busy and rewarding. So the craziness from our last blog was basically the fact that Jack got a lay off slip from the job he was on:( so he went back to the union hall and worked there for a couple of days then he had two full days of not working then this past Thursday he got hired on another job. Praise the Lord! So its like he had two days of vacation which was a nice break for us to spend more time together. God gave us what we need...

We also had a couple of friends stay with us for a couple of days. I had all guys in the house for two days, i kinda felt like a den mom. It was fun! Jack and i felt like empty nester's when they left. We are also looking in to going to Mexico for our friends Amelia & Javier's Wedding. They are such a beautiful couple that we are very blessed to know.

Yesterdays Mother's Day was awesome. We had breakfast with my mom and brother. Then I cooked dinner for my wonderful mother-in-law and some of Jack's family.

Crazy Fast Blog...

We have been really busy and our computer has been a little crazy hence the non-blogging. This weekend is another busy one as is the rest of May. We are excited for what is to come and know that only God is in control in this crazy economy. My wonderful husband and I are being challenged in a different way with the Lord and it is pretty adventurous. Can't give all the details now but please ask St. Joseph's intersession for us. Hopefully I will post more and some pictures soon. BTW in my Child Dev. class today we watched a little bit of Pinocchio, it was cool.
Happy 25th Birthday to our friend Meli on Saturday! Happy feast of St. Joseph the worker! Yahweh-Shalom!

Game Night...

Last night I went to see the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the San Francisco Giants 5-4! I went with a friend and we had a blast. It was looking grim for the Dodgers until we tied the score then we scored in the last inning to win it. My friend and I agree that we would have beat the Giants by more if we finished the inning but hey I am not complaining, we won. I am new to being a fan of baseball considering my first Dodger game was almost two years ago. I know I was deprived as a child! Jack was not able to make it because he had school. We still have many more chances to catch games this season.

Tonight my awesome mom is going to make us dinner. There's nothing like mom's home cooking! Today is my friend Xochitl's Birthday! Happy Birthday Xochitl! She is a very caring person who we met about six months ago. We are very thankful God has put her in our lives. We love you! Yahweh-Shalom!

This and That...

This past weekend we had a fun time hanging out with my sister-in-law and her boyfriend. We went to a great BBQ place. Jack had the porch platter which consisted of: tri-tip, baby back ribs, bbq chicken, mac&cheese, mashed potatoes and sweet tea, of course. I had the salmon w/out sauce, veggies, mashed potatoes a couple of biscuits and sweet tea. I kinda splurged on the mashed potatoes and biscuits but they were so worth it.
We are excited because my younger cousin is on spring break from middle school and she will be staying with us for a couple of days! I used to take care of her when she was a baby but now she is growing up... okay i am done embarrassing her. I am happy because she is coming during holy week and I am excited to show her the traditions that we have as Catholics during this time. She received the Sacrament of First Communion last year so she gets to participate more fully in the Mass.
Thanks for reading, Yahweh-Shalom!

The Golden Years...

Wow its been almost a month since we have blogged. Well in the last few weeks we served on a retreat for adults and i had a stomach flu like virus last week. It was not fun (the flu not the retreat). On the retreat we got to talk to people about NFP and marriage which was awesome. We really feel that God is moving us to be more outspoken about the vocation of marriage as a valid vocation and path to sanctity. We are meeting new friends who are married young adults and it has been so refreshing to support one another.

Speaking of marriage this weekend my great uncle and aunt celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary! It was so incredible to see them so in love after all these years. They have brought wisdom and a great example to Jack and I. We had a whole wedding weekend with a rehearsal dinner, ceremony&reception and Sunday lunch with the family. I am so lucky to have my family that i can't express all the blessings they bring me. It has been beautiful to see how much Jack has really become a part of my family and I his.

We have started this Lenten season with open hearts to what God wants to reveal to us. We know that it is going to be a great opportunity for growth. Jack has started school two nights a week again :( which means he leaves the house by 6am and doesn't get home until 8:30 or 9pm. I started work again and I am taking a class Friday mornings. I also just finished applying to college to finish my BA and applying for FAFSA. The process was very long but I am glad its all done with. So starts all the busy time that we blogged about that was coming at the end of Feb., well beginning of March. God Reward You!

Jack's Turn...

Jack decided to blog today so here it goes...

This is crazy. I'm blogging! Well, this is the information age.. or ages, what a big deal, right? I never thought I would own a computer or something so high tech cause I never had much growing up in the ghetto(well my house was ghetto).I have an extreme appreciation for simplicity. Not to say that I am anti change or anti technology, its all good stuff. I mean high tech stuff can help save a life or allow us to see an infant in the womb.

This past weekend at Disneyland, of all places, I had a reminder of my appreciation for simple things. Out of all the rides, I found my self favoring the scary snow white ride. I had no idea what to expect since I never been on it. It through me for a loop! Just the sheer originality of it all! The scary factor was enough to scare the hair off a kid, but for me it was just right to keep me interested to see what came next. After experiencing this masterpiece, I was contemplating what the artists were thinking when they put it together... Some stuff! My wife is awesome!amen.

Weekend Re-Cap...

Saturday we went to the happiest place on earth...no not Mass, Disneyland. We had to go on Pirates of the Caribbean first of course because that is a family tradition. Then we honed our inner child and went galloping around Disneyland like a bunch of ten year olds. It was an awesome time!

Jack's favorite ride was the scary Snow White ride, "there were twists and turns and unexpected surprises."-Jack

My favorite ride was the AstroBlasters. Where we got to play laser tag on the ride, "We had awesome blasters and I kicked butt!"-Kat

My mom's fav. ride was the the coffee break where we chilled out and listened to a swing band and watched swing dancers,"Woohoo."-Mom

Then we had quite an adventure trying to capture an eel... on film.

Sunday was the Superbowl! We watched it at John, Tina and Makayla's house, our friends. It was great fun and I made apple pie, yum. God is good! Amen.

Well I've been trying to keep busy lately. I am on break from work until the end of February! I am also taking a class that doesn't start until the end of Feb. So i have been doing projects around the house like staining our glider rocking chair. After the chair I will move on to upholstering a coffee table (dun dun dun). I have certainly had more prayer time which has been great. Jack and I have spent more time together since he goes back to school at night at the end of Feb. There will be a lot going on at the end of February...

Fundamental Rights Violation

Today is the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Anniversaries are usually happy occasions, this one is not. It is a day where our country took a huge step back in our progression toward being a better nation. The USCCB calls for a day of penance today that we might be reminded of a great call to fight for the Gospel of Life. I am reminded that this fight is not over and it will continue to be an uphill battle especially if the Freedom of Choice Act is signed and passed into law. If you don't know what FOCA is please look it up and go to fightfoca.org. Though at times it seems like this fight will be lost I am reminded of the babies I know like Makayla, Emily, Seraphina, Gianna, Cristiano, Vincent, Mateo, all those I work with, and my future children. It is in them that I get inspiration to fight for God's little ones that don't have a voice of their own. We must continue to pray and not be silent for we are the Body of Christ. May God continue to give us the grace and strength to seek out justice for all those in the womb. Amen!

A day out with the girls...

On Tuesday I went to the LA Arboretum with my sister-in-law and my niece. It was so much fun! My niece is very adorable and she had a great time, especially feeding the ducks. It was a clear day with highs in the 70s. We also got to give our niece her Christmas present, painting supplies. Then Jack met us at home and got to spend some time with them too. Then it was off to dinner where our niece was again adorable as ever as she got ketchup and pudding all over her hands and mouth. Kids do the cutest things...

And the Two Become One...

Saturday was the wedding. It was beautiful and it put the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony at center stage. Tom and Sophia were beaming with grace.

Jack did a great job of being the best man and it turned out the maid of honor grew up in my same neighborhood. What a small world! It was awesome!! It was a nice warm day.

BTW its been really hot this last week. It has been in the mid-upper 80s and its January!! The good thing about it is that you get to see the mountains very clearly.

After the wedding we picked up my younger cousin went to dinner and a movie. It was good quality family time.

Here Comes the Bride...

Friday we had a wedding rehearsal for our friends Tom and Sophia. Jack was the best man in the wedding. The church is really pretty it is kind of a old California pueblo style. They have a dress code posted right outside the church before you enter. That's pretty hardcore. After the rehearsal we rested so we could be ready for the big day.

Food a la Crow

Today I got to be adventurous in cooking. I made Japanese soba noodles with chicken and scallions. I've never made soba noodles before, it was really good. Jack and I both had seconds. Monday I made homemade pizza, that was fun i got flour all over the kitchen table. Tuesday we went to a praise&worship event at our church; there were a lot of things to pray for.

Grandma is doing better but the Dr. said she shouldn't live alone anymore. So my family is thinking of who she can live with. Tonight we are relaxing and watching one of our fav. movies Kung Fu Panda.

Crazy Week...

This week has been pretty adventurous and crazy. On weds. I helped my friend in her classroom with some work and it was tiring but it felt good to help her get organized. Then my friend Amelia stopped by my house out of the blue, it was nice. I got to eat food from one of my fav. places Pita Pita! the hummus from there is sooooo good. Thursday i relaxed and did some housework then we went to Trader Joe's (the grocery store). Then we went out for dessert with our new friends Xochitl and Juan:)It was nice to venture out and be random.


Friday was crazy i went to the flower mart in downtown LA with a lady from our church and my father-in-law, Papa Crow. We got some nice flowers for the picture of Our Lady of Sorrows in the church. I got some white gerberas and blue/white carnations for the house. After that i came home made an apple pie, Jack got home and we were off again to a healing Mass. The drive was kinda far so we stopped and got Taco Bell on the way it was not one of our smartest moves. The Mass was kinda long but they had adoration prior to Mass so that was good. Then we went over to an awesome family's house, the Toapanta's. There was apple pie, Mexican hot chocolate and coffee. I had chamomile tea; i know i can't believe i passed up coffee, but my stomach was having the Taco Bell effect. Then we watched part of Signs. We left in the middle of the movie and ended up watching the same movie when we got home.

Saturday was spent all day at the hospital with my grandma, she had gone in on Friday because she fainted and hit her head. Her medical situation is complex and we are not sure if she can live alone anymore. Her nurse is very nice and tells her jokes. It makes my grandma laugh despite her situation. I gave her the blanket I made her for Christmas finally, it was purple, her fav. color, and dark grey.

Today we are chillin' ! We need to rest due to our crazy week. The plan is Coffee Bean, Mass and then the hospital to see grandma. Jack got a little wired after Coffee Bean and decided to break dance. Amen.