Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Maria's Journey West, Part 2: Family Joy

So After I left Atlanta, I had a great opportunity to discuss my views of marriage with a Greek man on the plane. I was glad that it was fresh on my mind, due to my late night post just hours before. When I got to Albuquerque I was so excited. I knew that my sister was getting there around the same time. I love her baby!!! She is the cutest. SO anyhow, she and her hubby got there about a half-hour later, and we all piled in the car to head to Nani and Tata's house. Nani and Tata are my mom's parents. We drove up and in seconds were enveloped in hugs and kisses from my sweet grandparents, brother, sister-in-law and sweet nieces. What JOY!!! Minutes later we were whisked off to a beautiful sunny park where we waited for admittance into our rental house. As we sat under a big tree and laughed, snacked, and played with the babies, I thought about how wonderfully blessed I was. Dad and Paul joined us and we were soon walking around and exploring our new little "casa."
The house was a little adobe place with an unmistakeable southwestern feel. It was complete with a lion claw bath tub and nice outdoor patio. It was perfect for us. We had the best time. Being with my sisters, my brothers and nieces was like heaven for me. However, for the first time in my life, I felt lonely in my own family. Mom and Dad had eachother, each of my siblings has their little family unit, and Paul had some friends in town. I felt a little alone, and found that I had alot of time to myself. I poured this time into reviewing a young adult sci-fi novel for a friend of mine. I enjoyed the idea of reading with a critical eye. I think reviewing books may be something I might enjoy doing in the future. So it was a quiet and a peaceful time. There were days, however,that were busy and full. The day we threw my Nani's birthday party was one of those.
My Nani turned 80, and as always with the Baca's, we had to have a big party. It was a HUGE success. We had music, dancing, great food, and lots of family. I've learned a lot of things from my Nani, but the most important thing I think I've learned from her is to enjoy life. She enjoys every minute of every day. I want to be like that. I want to be positive and enjoy the lonely times as well as the busy times. I want to thank God for every circumstance. Spending time with my family was just pure joy.

P.S. Pictures to come...