Hi Tricia Ann

I can still remember the first time I saw you
You were happy and smiling from day one
You always radiated charm and a fabulous personality
around everyone that you met.

Your heart was one that felt for others and the world.
You eyes never missed one that was in need of some loving.
The time you spent with us all on this Earth was too short.
We will be meeting up with you one day and catching up on lost time.
We will always have you in our heart!
We all love you Tricia’
(1988-2015)

(My brother Bobby’s daughter)

Happy Mother’s Day

Reflecting on our cherished memories
with smiles of happiness on our face
We celebrate Mother’s Day with our children
Thankful to be so blessed.

May you all enjoy the day with peaceful moments of love!

Believe in Yourself;

Luisa Doraz

I am just remembering…….

My dad would have been shaking his head

at all of the grief this world has seen lately.

He would have been wondering if

he made the wrong move coming to America.

He would have thought that things

would be better by now.

He would have expected it from others.

He was one to not take life for granted.

He enjoyed the moments he shared with us all.

He looked at the beauty in life and smiled.

He was thankful for each given day.

One night he just fell asleep.He never saw the next day.

His heart could take it no longer.

His brain was at rest.

Now I belive him to be with God.

I believe him to be watching over us.

I believe he is still sad about things

in this world.

I, like him do believe that

one day it will all be peaceful.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of my dad’s passing.

I think of him everyday.

I miss him a lot.

I do smile everyday remembering all of the

times we got to spend together.

Love one another.

Believe in Yourself;

Luisa Doraz

Memories in the sun*

How did I ever miss it?

How could it be ignored?

Loud and inviting at the same time.

Offering many silly or quiet moments.

Take a look.

Embrace the madness.

Sometimes angry and making a point.

Other times timid and wanting your challenges.

The beach is all around you, if you live near by.

Do you take it for granted each day you drive by it?

Do you just assume that it will always be there for you?

Why not take some time to introduce yourself.

You will be amazed at all the smiles.

You will welcome the waves.

You will feel the coldness of the ocean on you.

What fun.

What a miracle.

It all awaits you.

Why do you hesitate?

Believe in Yourself;

Luisa Doraz

For my neice….born August 18,1988….

Memorial Day… a poem I wrote

This is a poem I wrote last year. I hope you do not mind I posted it again. I want to thank all of you who fight for your country. Without you, there would be no country.

He was a very enthusiastic lad.
Who wanted, so much, to please his dad
He stood for bravery, honor, and pride
But, while doing so..unfortunately died

He left behind the symbol of hope
So while pursuing our dreams, we could cope
He gave us the courage to go on
Even though, from this world he is gone.

Freedom lives because of you
True Americans will NEVER forget all you knew
Fighting for your country was a dedication you accepted with all your heart
I only hope we will be as worthy to do our part.

So, when you look down upon us from above
I hope you can feel all of our love
I hope all Americans feel your pride
I hope they decide to join the right side.

Thank You to ALL who fought for us all.

Believe in Yourself;

Luisa Doraz

I will be away. See you soon. Stay well.

Just Thought I’d Ask You A Question……….3/11*

If you put together, or are putting together, a SCRAPBOOK for each of your children, what material did you include in it?? If you do not have children yet, what do you think you would want to include in it???

AAADD…..No, it has nothing to do with AA or AAA….

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. What is it, you ask?I will tell you!

Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway,

I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I’d been drinking.

I’m going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the

refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye–they need water.

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I’ll be looking for the remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the
spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

The car isn’t washed

The bills aren’t paid

There is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter

The flowers don’t have enough water,

There is still only 1 check in my check book,

I can’t find the remote,

I can’t find my glasses,
and I don’t remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,

I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day long,
and I’m really tired.

Blog Inspiration…….

This story was inspired by an article Luisa wrote on her blog. It brought back memories. The story is mostly true, only the author knows for sure. ; ) Let me know what you think.
Kristi

When I was growing up my family always planted a garden. Even when we lived in the middle of Fresno. When we moved to Visalia my maternal Grandmother passed away and Papa came to live with us. My Dad and Papa were very close. Papa was like a mentor toward my Dad. I remember we planted a really big garden that year.
Planting day was always a big deal. A family project to plant tomatoes, squash( zucchini, yellow crookneck, coyote ) carrots, honeydew and cantaloupe melons, leaf lettuce and chard, okra, cucumbers, onions (green, red and yellow), peppers, and of course beans and black-eyed peas.
The beans and peas were always my special item to plant. I would soak them over night in water to give them a head start. Sometimes my mom would plant a row too. My plants always grew better and had more beans on them tho. My Papa said it was because my Granny’s green thumb had skipped a generation. My Mom said it was because I talked to my plants more then hers.
My Dad, Papa and I were the ones to water and weed the garden. The men would stand, arm propped on a hoe waiting for the water in the ditch to reach them. If needed, they’d be ready to dam a gopher hole or shore up the ditch walls. I would pluck a few green beans and pass them out to munch on. Or pull a carrot from the warm earth wash it with the water hose and Umm..Umm… nothing better! I remember Papa commenting that there was nothing like watching your garden grow.
I would always have to mark a tomato as mine so it wouldn’t get picked too soon. Every body picked the tomatoes too early IMO. Dad said that if you waited too long the bugs or birds would get them. I say let the birds and bugs have a bite, they know when a tomato is at it’s best! They don’t eat that much anyway.
Papa was only with us for about a year before passing on. Mom said he missed Granny too much to stay on earth any longer. That was the first time I saw my Daddy cry.
Years later when I stopped at his house on summer evenings, Dad would be out in the garden. Sometimes sitting, sometimes leaning with one arm propped up on the hoe watering. If I asked ‘Whats up?’ He would answer ‘Nothing, just watching the garden grow.

Thank you Kristi for sharing your great story!

Pies Made by Granny…joke

Granny made such beautiful pies!One day I asked her, “How do you get such beautiful pies with the crimps around the edge so even?”

“Well, it’s a family secret”, she said, “but if you promise not to Tell, I’ll let you in on it.”

“OK”, I said. “Tell me!”

“Well, first I roll out the dough, making sure it is flat and even. Then I cut out the bottom layer and carefully put in the pie plate and make sure it is firmly against the sides of the plate. Then I slowly pour in the filling, making sure that it’s not too full. Next I cut out the top layer, and carefully put it over the filling. Finally, I take out my teeth and just run them around the edge of the pie crust, and they make the nicest even impression you ever did see!”

Thank you Kristi!