Thursday, June 23, 2011

10th Year Wedding Anniversary

Yep, we made our 10th year anniversary last week, June 16th and John made me cry on my anniversary. We did promise to take off on our anniversary every year moving forward no matter what! So, we went out to the place where we had our first date. I'm not the type who needs to be showered with flowers and bling (jewelry.) No. I look for something more meaningful than that, I seek closeness, dialog, and holding hands. So, we went to Cafe Madrid, is a tapas Spaniard restaurant and John advise me that we could have anything on the menu, so we ordered a very good bottle of  red wine, "Campo Viejo" and had a good amount of tapas and of course dessert.

Prior to our dessert being served, John slapped a small box on the table and said, "Happy Anniversary, baby." I thought, how romantic, I was only waiting for dessert. "thank you, you shouldn't have," I replied. So, I opened the box and it was my old wedding band with a pearl. "But, where's my diamond on my wedding band." I have not worn my wedding ring since I got pregnant with Sofia in 2007, my knuckles on my fingers got big, therefore, I couldn't wear my ring.

Then, John took out my ring and inside the box, there was my Marquee diamond in a new spanking wedding band! I couldn't believe my eyes, and I cried! I missed wearing my ring but one thing after another, resizing my ring was like the last on our list. I love surprises and John admits it is hard to surprise me. Forget flowers, our anniversary was amazing!! I'm signing for many more!! Yey to us!! This past 10 years have not been a peach but our marriage was worth saving!

-Sandra.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Top Ten Good Things About Winning the NBA Championship

David Letterman Top Ten
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

10. I don't have to sit here and lie about how winning isn't important
(Forward Shawn Marion)

9. The congratulatory sext from Anthony Weiner
(Guard J.J. Barea)

8. Helped take the sting out of hearing Hef's wedding was cancelled
(Guard Roddy Beaubois)

7. It's every kid's dream to lick the Larry O'Brien trophy
(Forward Brian Cardinal)

6. U.S. Constitution permits NBA champions to sit in on national security briefings
(Coach Rick Carlisle)

5. Celebrating with my kitties
(Center Tyson Chandler)

4. Why didn't anybody tell me we won?
(Forward Caron Butler)

3. Now I can ask Mark Cuban for a raise
(Guard Jason Terry)

2. Man, if you thought I was cocky and obnoxious before -- get ready
(Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban)

1. It might land me a Kardashian sister
(Series MVP, Forward Dirk Nowitzki)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Inflated Expectations - How not to Treat Your Spouse

By: Chuck Colson

What do you expect from your spouse?

In a 1999 film titled “Music of the Heart,” a character named Roberta begins a relationship with a man named Brian. At one point, Roberta—whose husband had left her—asked Brian a question: If you ever met a woman who fulfils your needs better than I can, would you leave me for her?”

Brian’s answer: “Theoretically, yes.”

June is the traditional month for weddings, and in my view, every engaged couple ought to watch this film, and discuss it with marriage advisors in their church. As Robin Phillips notes in a BreakPoint article titled Generous Love, it’s all-too-common today for brides and grooms to seek to have all their needs met in the person they are about to marry.

Certainly, marriage does satisfy many of our needs, Phillips writes, but “at best it does so partially and imperfectly. At some point, our marriage partners will always let us down.”

Are we wrong to seek personal fulfillment in our spouses? Of course not. The problem is that, in expecting our marriage partner to meet all our needs, we are seeking fulfillment in the wrong place. No mere human can possibly meet all our needs. Only God can do that.

Phillips quotes Augustine, who said in his Confessions, “Seek what you seek but not where you seek it.” Interestingly enough, the Bishop of London made the same point in his outstanding homily during the recent wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

As the bishop noted, “As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This,” the bishop said, “is to load our partner with too great a burden.”

He's right.

And when we do this, it’s not surprising that we are often tempted to move on to someone else whom we think can do a better job of meeting our needs. This is why we must ground both our lives and our marriages in Christ. When we do this, “a deeper type of love can kick in,” Phillips writes -- a “generous love rooted in the other-centeredness of Christ.”

Again, quoting the Bishop of London’s marriage homily: “Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this; the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves...In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.”

Are you on the verge of getting married? What are your expectations of your spouse?

To dig deeper into issues like these, I highly recommend that you undergo the kind of marital preparation recommended by Marriage Savers, a ministry created by my friend Mike McManus.

Monday, June 13, 2011

NBA Champions!

Ohio Governor Issues Resolution Praising Mav's Title

Jun 13 2011 2:43PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- John Kasich, governor in LeBron James' home state of Ohio, has issued a resolution praising the Dallas Mavericks for their NBA title-clinching win Sunday over the Miami Heat.

Without naming James, Kasich's resolution commends the Mavericks for their "loyalty, integrity and teamwork.'' He also makes them honorary Ohioans.

The resolution singles out MVP Dirk Nowitzki for choosing to re-sign with the Mavericks and forego free agency in the summer of 2010, "thus remaining loyal to the team, city and fans for whom he played his entire career.'' James made an opposite choice by departing the Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami when he became a free agent.

The resolution says "the proud city of Cleveland and the entire state of Ohio share in the excitement of Dallas Mavericks fans everywhere.''

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Until, of course, we have to play them in the playoffs, but in the meantime, Ohio is our second home!
- Sandra.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks! You have redeem yourself! Lebron James, eat your heart out! Sucker!!!!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Movies We Watch

Movie Series: North and South (2004)

Move over Pride and Prejudice (2005 version) I have fallen in love with North and South and I have found my favorite period piece that has put Pride and Prejudice in second place.  This is a series based on 1850's industrial England, here you witness hard labor in a cotton mill, including child labor, it is sad to watch at times. Margaret Hale moves from the South to the North at a place call Milton, there she meets John Thorton (Richard Armitage) the owner of the cotton mill where he finds himself in clashes with workers unions and for his love of Margaret. I vote for Richard Armitage to be the next Mr. Darcy, I think Matthew Macfayden has just been replaced. At any rate, I loved loved loved watching this series, I LOVE Netflix streaming video capabilities, w/out it, I would have waited another week to finish this series. Therefore, if you loved Pride and Prejudice, you will adore and fall in love with this one. A MUST SEE!

5 STARS!


Movie: Unstoppable

Hold on to your seats, this movie is about an unmanned runaway freight train carrying flammable material going about 75 miles per hour and no one is able to stop it before it reaches a major city. This is a true story that happened in 2001 in Philadelphia. The movie brings two ordinary men to become amazing heroes trying to stop an unstoppable train.

This movie went by fast!

4 Stars.








Movie Series: Any Human Heart

Another Masterpiece classic series, this story is about Logan (Matthew MacFayden, AKA, former Mr. Darcy), a writer who manages to publish two books who do well, but goes blank and is unable to find the next title of his next book, meanwhile, he marries and finds himself in the middle of WWII and a prisoner. We see Logan from his college years all the way to 70 years of age. He keeps telling himself that life is about good luck/bad luck and moving forward and not looking back. Very sad series. Not for children.

3 stars.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

I'm late posting, but here it is!

It is officially hot in Texas! And since we don't have a pool, this shall suffice for now.

It was really windy and Raquel's cold hit her once again, but after several rounds of saline drops, she's doing better.

There's that look again!

She cracked a smile for mami!

John got plenty of green beans from his garden! They only lasted about three days in our fridge! 

Sofia is obsessed with Coco Beware. Yes, that's his full name: Coco Beware. If you watched 80's wrestling you know where the name comes from. 

We walked to the big park that is 45 minute walking distance (one way) and Sofia made it riding her bike both ways and never complained! And she did have a great nap afterwards!


In this bridge, everyone talks to you, in this instance, we were surprised Raquel was not at all intimidated by this big dog. She gave the dog her "look" and tamed him. Very clever.

Sofia watching from afar...waiting to see if the dog attacked she was going to run behind daddy. 

Sofia not scared anymore! She conquer her fear of big dogs and tamed him by petting him. 

Having fun at the park. 


Wildlife not living at the zoo! 

It took several times for Raquel to stop pushing her head through the iron fence.  

and to finalize our walk, John walked a pretty good distance to hug a tree 


The End.