Mi Vida

New Hope Family Church

2008-04-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Walk-A-Thon
I participated in a 13 mile walk-a-thon for my church.
We are raising money to finish paying for the kitchen we remodeled.

6:30 A.M. Meet at Church
7:20 - 9:20 A. M. Walk from NHFC to Starbucks in Kingsburg
9:20 - 9:40 Snacks and rest
9:40 - 11:40 Walk back to NHFC

I am not sure how much money we made.
The count is not yet official.

My shins hurt, my rear and my sides hurt too.
(Weird...my sides?...it's from pumping my arms for 4 hours...I guess.)
Patti you are awesome to complete a full marathon.
I could barely walk half the distance.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

1970 Engagement Photo
Ramon Alvarado and Maria Magdalena de Leon

A couple of Sundays ago Pastor was talking about his parents and how they taught him about Jesus. He encouraged all the parents, especially those not raised in a Christian home, to break the cycle of ungodly living. To bring up their children to know the Love of Jesus and experience His peace and true joy. So in the middle of service I just started thinking of all the things mom and dad has done for us so that we could have more than what they had when they were growing up. I thought of how they made a choice to bring us up to know God. I thought of how different our lives would have been if they didn't bring us up to know God.

I thought of how stubborn Mom was with making sure we went to Church every Sunday, how she kept us from having boyfriends as long as she could to protect our hearts from being broken and how she would threaten us within an inch of our lives about having sex before marriage.

I also thought of dad always working so very hard in the fields and at PG&E to provide us with everything we needed and wanted....clothes, food, $ to motivate us to get good grades, class rings, year books, $ for going to the movies with church friends, college...and even as adults helping us with purchasing vehicles and homes.

Wow! I do not know any other parents like them. None. They have never stopped giving. They have never stopped protecting us. They have never stopped wanting the best for us. They never stop. They are so generous....so full of LOVE. So in the middle of church I started weeping like a little baby. I put my head on mom's shoulders and kissed her and thanked her . Then I looked at Dad and when he looked at me his eyes were filled with tears and I thanked him too.
Elisa...Patti... Ana
We are so blessed.

This morning while driving to school I started thinking of Dad and Mom again since it is Dad's birthday and how much they love us. Then it made me think of God. Wow! If we think our parents love us a lot...HOW MUCH MORE DOES OUR HEAVENLY FATHER LOVE US?

*************************************************

"Happy Birthday Vito!"
From Kati and Tori

****************************************************************

Me in Daddy's arms.

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS PAPA!
TE AMO MUCHO!

Happy Birthday Tio Serjio!

2008-04-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

Fernando and I with the Birthday boy.

New Parents Juan and Becky with Baby Levi...que chulo!

Las Primas
Claudia y Mari

On Saturday Fernando, Mom and I went to Tio Sergio's Surprise 50th Birthday Party. The food was delicious and the company was awesome, of course. Come on...a back yard full of crazy de Leon tios, tias and cousins.

Spring Break 2008!

2008-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

The weather is nice...
...the sky is gorgeous...
...everything seems to be blooming...
...AND!.....

Woo Hoo! 10 days without having to go into work!
Sorry handsome.
I wish you can take 10 days off with me.
Here is a list of things I will be doing at the house while you are at work:

Sweep and Mop
Vacuum
Clean all bathrooms thoroughly
Clean out closets in the office and front room
Clean out and Organize Garage
Start Geometry Lesson Plans for Summer School
Organize class room

Now aren't you glad you don't have vacation.

Class Of 94 Rules!

2008-02-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mari and Mari

Tracie and Sara

Sara and Mari
I can't believe I have known you since the 3rd grade. My how time flies!

There is a picture of us girls posing like this in our senior yearbook.
Ahhh...good times

To Lupe, Sara, Tracie and Marisol:
Thank you so much for coming over. It was so fun looking at photos, reminiscing about old times and catching up on our lives. I do not remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was a blast! We must do this again really soon. You all are ALWAYS welcome.
Until then ladies....I miss you and love you!

Sara...you left a certain beverage at my house. I will keep it for next time.

PICTURES FROM OUR
PHOTO BOOTH
PHOTO SHOOT

Don't we all look gorgeous!.....Hee Hee

Gotta love cleavage

This is our "Fresno Fair" Picture

This is called "Sweet and Innocent"

This is by far my favorite picture....we are all "crossing our eyes"....right?

The Newlywed Game

2008-02-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Anointed Marriages with a Purpose
The AMP Ministry
put together a game show for the married couples at New Hope.

The Hostess:
Joe McCrackin

The Contestants:
Pastor Charles and Sarah

Jesse and Bonnie

Dad and Mom

Question #1
How many rooms in your house have you had whoopie in?

Question #2
What time of day was the last time you had whoopie?

There were other questions asked. But these two were the funniest ones.

A Shower for Baby MaPas

2008-02-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Proud Family

Claudia arrived at the shower in a "tribute to New Kids on The Block" outfit.
Are they really making a come back???

I use to love the pinch and roll!

Happy Faces

Funny Faces

Decorating Part II

2008-02-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

Thank you Ana and Chris for the gift certificates that helped us purchase the clock I have been wanting for a really long time.

Good job Handsome!

How does it look?

Decorating Part I

2008-01-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start decorating little by little every month....
when I have the time....
and the money.

Here is what I have going so far in the master bathroom.

I am very proud of this fake plant because I made it all by myself!
I bought the pot at Vivo.
AND it was half off!
AND I used a gift certificate that Ana gave me in 2002.
Thank you Ana! I FINALLY used it!
I bought the flowers and leaves at World Market.
The styrofoam and moss from Michaels.
And Boughta Bing Boughta Boo
I made this masterpiece.
Okay so it's not a masterpiece but it's pretty good for an amateur.

I also bought this Cross from Vivo.
Thank you again Ana.
The plant is from Home Goods
If you can't tell they are on top of our cabinets in the kitchen.

This is the wall in our guest bathroom.
I like to call it the Geisha bathroom.
I had been looking for geisha pictures and
didn't have much luck finding something I really liked.
THEN Allison to the rescue!
When Allison, her hubby and baby Aiden came to visit
she brought us this awesome piece of art.
It's not a picture.
If you look closely you can see the geisha is made of fabric.
Very nice!

Thank you Allison! It looks great!

First Dinner Guest to Eat on Our New Table

2008-01-26T19:33:00.001-08:00

Last night the McCrackins came over for dinner. I was so excited to finally use my new table. Thank you Joe and Danielle for coming over. Thank you Handsome for helping me with everything. I hope everyone liked my Chile Colorado. It came out better then the last time I tried to make it.

Christmas 2006 to Christmas 2007

2008-01-21T10:54:00.001-08:00

Kati excited about a present in 2006

Kati excited about a present in 2007

Me in front of the tree in 2006

Me in front of the tree in 2007

The Alvarado sisters in 2006

Alvarado Sisters in 2007

The Grand Kids in 2006

The Grand Kids in 2007

Just a funny picture from Christmas 2006

I miss my sisters! The holidays came and went by way too fast this year. Thank you hermanas for coming over to the Chen's for Christmas. The next time we will all be together again will be Christmas 2008. I love you!!! Oh and next year we will have a bigger tree.

Alvarado and de Leon Family Get Together

2007-12-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas at the Chen's

2007-12-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

The first Christmas in our new home.

Thank you Mom for the Pj's.
I wear them every morning while getting ready.
They are so comfortable.

The brother in laws

The Alvarado grand kids

Oh, we can't forget Niko. He is a grand kid too.

All the Presents Are Wrapped

2007-12-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

Yeah! I finally finished.

Busted! I knew I shouldn't have put any presents in a bag.

Our awesome neighbors, the Monte family, made us
Delicious Sugar Cookies!
Thank you Shawna, Eric, Trent and Grant
Trent it the 8th grader who mows our lawn.
And he ALWAYS does a fantastic job!

Yummy Yummy Yummy!

Niko's New Bed

2007-12-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Look what daddy (Fernando) brought home for Niko this evening!
Thank you Handsome! Niko LOVES it!

It has been really cold lately and Niko started to curl up on the carpet even though he knows not to go on the carpet. So after we scolded him he curled up on a towel that we have sitting on the floor by the door. (We use it to wipe his feet if they are wet when he comes in from going restroom.) We figured that he was cold so we put a blanket on the floor for him until tonight. Now Niko has a real doggy bed!

16 More Days Until Christmas!!!

2007-12-08T22:12:00.001-08:00

Mommy and Daddy Chen at Our House for the First Time

2007-12-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

Daddy Chen and Jaylee :)

Mommy Chen and Niko :)

Mommy Alvarado finally got to sit down with Daddy Alvarado
and eat after "helping" me prepare
Chile Verde, Beans, Spanish Rice and home made Tortillas.
(She actually did most of the work....if you didn't already figure that out.)
I think mom looks so cute in this picture.

Here is the Kao Familia, Mom Chen, Dad Chen and
Cousins Ivy and PChang eating dinner too.
Mommy Chen liked the Spanish Rice so much that she had seconds and
asked for the recipe.
Jimmy said it was the best Chile Verde he had ever tasted.
Thank you Mom for all your love and hard work in preparing this delicious meal.

Juliana and I are the first ones to use my Fine China.

The young ones eating breakfast Sunday morning.

On Saturday Juliana signed all the ladies up to take a baking class at William Sonoma.
It was fun.
One of the things I learned was a different way to frost a sugar cookie.
The Hubby doesn't look too thrilled that I made a cookie just for him.
Either that or he wasn't in the picture taking mood.

Thanksgiving Dinner on a Plane?

2007-11-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

Our last half day in Kauai.
It was beautiful, fun, adventures....awesome!
Thank you Handsome for taking me.

Going going back back to Cali Cali
(Is that how the song goes?)

Great job Hawaiian Airlines with hooking us up with a Thanksgiving dinner.
I was sad, not having turkey for Thanksgiving for the second year in a row.
Then the Captain announces we are getting a traditional turkey dinner.
We were excited!

Lunch with Mommy and Daddy Chen

Kauai Vacation Day 7

2007-11-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

Today we drove all the way to the Northern most part of the Island.
The beach at Haena State Park the waves were so big that the
life guards would not let anyone go near them.
They were the largest waves I have ever seen in my life.

Before the Lu'au we took some pictures near our hotel.

At the Lu'au

I think we had one too many Mai Tais.

Make Room the the Chens!!

The best Lu'au on the island: Smith's Tropical Paradise
First they greeted us with necklaces and took pictures of us.
Then they gave us a trolly tour of the beautiful grounds.
There were chickens, roosters and peacocks everywhere!
Then there was the ceremony where they took the pig out of the ground.
We ate and drank.
Then in an outdoor theater we watched the show.
It was really good with all types of dances:
Polynesian
Philipino
Chinese
Japanese
Hawaiian
Really cool!
There were flames, arrows, fighting, volcanoes erupting..
Very Cool!

Kauai Vacation Day 6

2007-11-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

On this day we drove through the Weimea Canyon on the West Side of the Island. Mark Twain calls it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It was gorgeous! Then We went back to Poipu on the South side of the island to the Hyatt's Anara Spa for massages. It was GREAT! And boy did I need it. My arms were sore from the kayaking the day before.
For dinner we went to Kintaros.
There sushi was really good.
I would rate it the second best sushi I have ever had.
Number one, of course, goes to the sushi we had in Japan.

Kauai Vacation Day 5

2007-11-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

On this day we kayaked 2.5 miles up the Wailua River, hiked a mile in a tropical rain forest, had lunch at a 100+ foot water fall, hiked out and kayaked back to where we started. It was dirty, la little strenuous but gorgeous and fun.

Kauai Vacation Day 4

2007-11-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

Fernando is ready to go Snorkeling at Lygate Beach Park.

Took a small trip to a really cool Light House on the East Side of the Island.

At Roy's Fernando ordered the Fish.
I had to introduce Ana to their famous Chocolate Souffle.
It is delicious!

Kauai Vacation Day 3

2007-11-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

New Friends
Tom is Chris' cousin
Beth is Tom's Wife
Thank you for all the laughs and memories!
It was awesome!

ATVing out on Kipu Ranch

We drove all the up to this look out.
The land is privately owned so this beach is totally empty.
Must be nice.

The Whole Kauai Gang

Our guide told us about a short hike to the Kipu Falls.
So we went.

Gorgeous. It looks like it's straight out of a movie.
It probably was. There have been so many movies filmed in Kauai.
Jurassic Park
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Six Days, Seven Nights
Honeymoon in Las Vegas
Outbreak
Hook
Lord of the Flies
The Thornbirds
Throw Mama from the Train
Dragonfly
George of the Jungle
Mighty Joe Young
Just to name a few

Beth is my new hero.

We had to take the gang to have some Shrimp truck Garlic shrimp.

Kauai Coffee Fields

The Coffee Bean

Tasting all types of coffee at Kauai Coffee

Doesn't it look fake?
But it's not.

Dinner at the Brick Oven

Kauai Vacation Day 2

2007-11-16T17:21:00.000-08:00

Today we just hung out until Ana and Chris arrived.
Went to the Hyatt for coffee and to take pictures.
Visited a Botanical Garden and the Spouting Horn.
Shopped at an out door jewelry market and farmers market.
Had lunch at a shrimp truck parked on the side of the road.

Bird at the Hyatt

Flower at the Hyatt

Bird Dancing at the Hyatt

An interesting McDonalds snack

Look what was hanging out at Wal-Mart

The Cary's are very excited to be here

Kauai Vacation Day 1

2007-11-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Fernando and I spent the night at the Stephanie and Robert's place the night before we left.
It was awesome!
This meal was prepared and ready for us at 5:15 AM!!!
Thank you again Steph and Rob!

Check out this guy who was sleeping
(or at least trying to sleep)
during our entire lay over in Honolulu.

Early Christmas present from my Awesome Hubby!!!
He totally surprised me in the airport.
I had been wanting these exact sunglasses for about 4 months!
Thank you Handsome, I was totally surprised.
Thank you as well Becky for your "help"

I read about the chickens hanging out everywhere in Kauai
but I didn't think they would really be EVERYWHERE.

Patricia Meneses Finishes the Long Beach Marathon

2007-10-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Patti ran and completed the Long Beach Marathon!
She started at 7:30 AM and finished somewhere around noon.
Carlos, Eliseo and Mommy Alvarado were there to cheer her on.

Pata,
What an awesome accomplishment.
When mom told me about the race
how they cheered as you would pass them,
how Carlos would call you (on your cell phone)
and give you little pep talks and
how they eagerly awaited your finish
I couldn't help but start to cry.
I am so proud of you and
wish I could have been there for you.
I guess you will have to run in another marathon
so I can run the last mile with you.

I love you,
Mari

Click on the link below to hear Patti
narrate as she runs her last mile during
one of her training sessions.

21 miles_092207.WAV
572K Download

Patti in the Long Beach Marathon

New Hope Family Church's AMP Ministry Presents...

2007-10-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Nacho Libre Movie Night
at the Chen's

AMP stands for Anointed Marriages with a Purpose.
Our Ministry leaders, Joe and Danielle McCrackin,
came up with this cool idea to have a
movie night for all the married couples at New Hope.

It was so fun! We ate salad, nachos, corn on the cob
and for dessert we had an assortment of cookies,
caramel popcorn and a cake.
The cake was shaped like a wrestling ring with Nacho Libre on it.
Then we watched the movie.
We ended the evening with Joe speaking about marriage
and he tied in parts of the movie and how it related to marriage.
Very clever.
Thank you everyone for coming out.
We have to do it again!

The Daughters of the King.

The Sons of the King

A special thanks to:
Debbie for making the Carmel Popccorn
and
Ralph for making the Nacho Libre cake.

Breakfast at The Luxury Chen Suites

2007-10-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Kao Family stayed at the Luxury Chen Suites for the first time.

For breakfast we had eggs, turkey bacon, poppy seed and lemon scones, juice and coffee.

Thank you for staying at the Luxury Chen Suites.
We loved having you. And we hope you enjoyed your visit.
Please come again.

Dr. and Mrs. Chen
Owners

Niko The Lion Dog

2007-10-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

Niko was so excited to meet Jordyn and Jaylee.
He would sniff them, chase them and jump on them.
They were so afraid of him at first.
Jordyn said that he was crazy and later said that he looked like a lion.
I thought that was very interesting because
Niko is a Shih-tzu which means lion in Chinese.

Good job Jordyn!
Both girls knew that Niko couldn't walk on the carpet so
they would run from the guest room to the living room
trying to escape from Niko.

Later Jordyn got use to Niko and felt
comfortable enough to pet him,
play catch with him and
even put princess stickers on him.

Even Jaylee was more calm around Niko after a while....
but she always kept a close eye on him.

Thank you Jordyn and Jaylee for playing with Niko!
He loved meeting you both and can't wait to see you again.

Meneses and Kao Family in Fresno

2007-10-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Carlos, Patti and Eliseo arrived in Selma late Friday night.
Saturday they went to the Big Fresno Fair.
Mom went too and Dad was stuck out in the vineyard rolling trays.
Poor Daddy.
That evening they came over and less then an hour later
Jimmy, Juliana, Jordyn and Jaylee
arrived at our house for the first time.

We all went out to eat at Famous Daves.
We waited for an hour and a half.
But the food was well worth the wait.

The de Leon Picnic

2007-09-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening the Hubby, Mommy Alvarado, Daddy Alvarado
and I went to the de Leon Picnic.
This picture is less than half of us. Of the 11 children
(my aunts and uncles on my mom's side)
of Abuelo and Abuela de Leon 6 of them attended.
And out of the 37 cousins only 13 attended.
Mi familia eres muy grande!

My cousin Claudia with her daughter Lyric.

Cousin Stephanie and I with Tio Serjio.

Saturday night Steph and Rob spent the night at the Chen hotel. And on Sunday we went to church with Juan, Becky, Sarah, Claudia, Cruz and Lyric. We went to a non tradition Baptist church. The pastor was really good.

Then some of us went out to eat at the
Cheesecake Factory
and
walked around the mall for a while.

We need to this more often.

Labor Day Weekend

2007-09-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Hubby and I had a great weekend. First of all the Hubby rarely gets two days off in a row and this weekend he got
THREE DAYS OFF IN A ROW! Yay!
Here are some of the things we did.

On Saturday we had Dim Sum for lunch with
Nini (the Hubby's grandmother), Con Con, Juliana, Jordyn and Jaylee.

Saturday and Sunday evening we spent the night at the Meneses Manshion so we got to spend some quality time with the familia.
Here is Eliseo trying to eat peas.
I don't know how he got some on his forehead.

On Sunday we got to hang out with Stephanie and Robert.
First we went to church, then ate lunch at Mi Piace and dessert at Pinkberry.
While we were at Pinkberry we all agreed that we saw
Long Duck Dong from that 80's movie "16 Candles".
It totally looked like him. No one had the guts to ask him.
It looks like the heat was really bothering Robert.

Sunday evening we went to Johnny and Rita's house for a BBQ.
The food was delicious.
Thank you Johnny and Rita for inviting us to your new house.
Here is mommy Allison smiling at baby Aiden and
Baby Aiden smiling at daddy Mike.

I had to post this one of Jordyn fake stabbing the Hubby.
What a great actor! The Hubby really looks like he is in pain.
(What adults will do to amuse the little ones.)

Busy Busy Busy

2007-08-20T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school. Back to the ol' drawing board. I love the first day of school with Freshmen because they are all really scared. It's their first day of high school so they all behave like little angels. Give them a couple of weeks and their true colors start to show. My classes are so small this year! Look at the class size on the schedule above. First period I have 20 students and all the rest are less than 10. It looks like smooth sailing for me this year.

Today was a busy day!
5:00 AM Wake up
6:30 AM Go to school
3:30 PM Go to gym
4:30 PM Go home and shower
6:30 PM Go to baseball game

This is Mary and Baldemar's 4 month old son
looking at a magazine at the
Fresno Grizzles baseball game.

Dad acting like a little boy while singing
"Take Me Out To The Ball Game"
during the 7th inning stretch.

Maryhelen and I.

By the way, the only reason why we went to this game was because dad got free tickets at church. It was Christian night so we got to sit by a lot of people from New Hope Family Church. Oh, and I saw my High School Geometry teacher, Mr. McFall. He remembered me and Ana. I wish I would have taken a picture with him. He looks exactly the same. The evening was fun but I was so tired. It would have been more fun if my Handsome Husband was there with me.

Thank You Handsome!

2007-08-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Look what came in the mail today! I have been wanting a coffee maker for a long time and one with a stainless steal carafe. The Hubby and I have been researching online which coffee maker had the best reviews within our price range. We found this one on Amazon.com. So I told the Hubby I was broke this month that I would buy it next month.
Three days later this comes in the mail.
Yes I am spoiled...finally.
Yea Handsome! Thank you so much!

A First Year Wedding Anniversary Tradition

2007-08-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

It is tradition to save the top tier of your wedding cake and eat it on your first Wedding Anniversary. So we did it. Last year I looked up online how to preserve a wedding cake. I wrapped it in plastic wrap, foil, another layer of plastic wrap, another layer of foil, two types of plastic bags and finally in an oven bag.

It worked! We took the top tier in an ice chest to Avila Beach this weekend and put it in the fridge when we arrived. It thawed out great and tasted pretty good.

Just remembering our big day. Don't we all look happy in these pictures.
Can you tell that we were in 115 degree heat.
Our wedding day was very hot but every one looked awesome!
Thank you again to our wedding party, friends and family for celebrating with us.

Avila La Fonda Hotel

2007-08-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend Fernando took me to Avila Beach to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. The hotel he picked out was awesome! Once you walked into the lobby it felt like you were in Mexico, minus all the Mexicans. The floors were tiled, there were water fountains, stained glass windows and Diego Rivera paintings on the wall. It was so nice. I loved it!

Our room was really cute. And I especially liked the complimentary snack basket. They also had available 24/7 hot chocolate chip cookies, fruit, tea, coffee and juice. I think I ended up eating 6 cookies over the course of three days. Ooops. It was the Alvarado in me. It was free so every time we passed the lounge it was very difficult not to take one.

Gotta love the jetted tub in the bedroom!

This is after check out and I was finishing up my last cookie for the weekend.

Avila Beach

2007-08-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

When we arrived in Avila there was an ocean front farmers market going on with delicious food booths, produce booths, dessert booths and live music. We shared a tri-tip sandwich and a fish taco. Oh and we took back to the hotel these juicy peaches and a big bag of kettle corn. Yummy!
The last time I had a peach that good I was about 7 years old sitting in a fruit stand with Claudia in front of the Garcia Packing Shed.

Shell Beach

Swinging. My favorite!

And sleeping...
Actually most of our time in Avila was not spent lounging around. The first morning we were there we went into a building that said "visitors information". The business was actually a real estate business with a few pamphlets advertising what to do while visiting Avila and Pismo Beach. We ended up talking to the agent and he showed us some properties. We spent most of our time looking at homes and condos in the area. We looked around Shell Beach, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Avila Beach. We decided that we really liked Avila the the best and need to get serious about saving our money to invest in the near future....maybe in vacation rentals.

Happy 60th Birthday Mommy Alvarado!!!

2007-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Mom's birthday celebration started yesterday (Saturday the 28th). I took her shopping and she bought a pair of Black Croc Mary Jane style shoes and some really nice brown Clark sandals. She put them on dad's credit card. Then we watched Hairspray, ate at California Pizza Kitchen, did a little more shopping and finally went to Marble Slab for some ice cream.

Today after church we took mom to Red Robins for lunch. The Red Robin Bird was walking around greeting everyone. I had to take a picture with him. Mom was sung to for her birthday and given an ice cream sundae. The birthday song was really cute it was sung to the Flinstones tune. We had fun! See the post below for more birthday excitement.

A Surprise For Mom and .....

2007-07-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

Check out mom's reaction to the present all her daughters bought for her.

More birthday fun.

Dinner at Yoshinos

2007-07-22T23:45:00.000-07:00

Our Alvarado and de Leon families
(at least all the people that heard about it and could make it)
met one last time to hang out with the Lyons and Quintana families before they flew back to Texas. Even though the service was NOT good the food was yummy and the company was fantastico!

After dinner everyone was invited to our house for dessert.
Thank you
Tio Jesse Alvarado, Tia Rosa, Tia Irene Ramos, Tio Elias, Tia Maggie, Tio Arturo, Amanda, Sarah, Jon, Claudia, Cruz, Lyric, TJ, Angelica, Tony, Monica, Sandy, Victor, Patti Carlos, Elisa, Louis, Sonia and Dave for coming out. It was fun!

A special thank you to Daddy Alvarado, aka Vito, for driving to Fresno to watch
Hannah and Elijah while we ate dinner.
You are awesome Dad!

Worship Leaders

2007-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

Brian and Kristen Ming use to lead worship at New Hope Family Church in Selma. Three years ago they moved to Oklahoma. From there they moved to Texas and are now the worship leaders at Christ for the Nations Institute. Even though I miss them dearly I am so proud of them and their faithful hearts towards the Lord.

Fernando has heard me talk about Brian and Kristen a lot. He now knows about the choir we use to have, their CDs, Blitz Ministry Tours, illustrated sermons, Kristen in our dance team (Sacrifice of Praise), Easter and Christmas productions and how Brian could turn something like food, burping or farting into a hilarious yet convicting church message.
Thank you Brian and Kristen for all the awesome memories.

Well, this morning Fernando finally got to hear and experience them lead worship for the first time. They lead worship at Bethel Community Church in Sanger and it was powerful.

Brian, Kristen, Breanne, Kaitlin and Tyler
You all are always in our prayers. We Love You!

Tia Rosa's Ranch

2007-07-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today Patti's Family, Mommy and Daddy Alvarado and I spent the after noon at Tia Rosa's Squaw Vally Ranch. It is only 45-50 minutes from our house and it is so peaceful. I was very excited when we spotted a humming bird feeding. It is only the second time I have ever seen one. We also saw a woodpecker. It looked like Woody Wood Pecker with red feathers and everything!

Eliseo had a fun playing with the rocks, riding Ella and playing in Ella's water bowl. I guess Eliseo was hot because he dipped his head in the bowl.

Every guest that visits Tia Rosa and Mary paints a rock.
Then Mary glazes it and displays it outside on a stone wall.
What an awesome idea!

Thank you Tia Rosa and Mary for welcoming us into your cozy home. It was fun!
And next time Fernando wants to come and paint his own rock.

Check It Out

2007-07-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

On my Hubby's Blog there are some cool pictures of Jon, Juan Jr. and Dave jumping from a trampoline into the pool at the Hartman home. Click on the link to the left that says Hubby's Blog. Good Job Sweetness! You are a great photographer.

A House Warming Party For The Parents To Be

2007-07-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you Juan and Becky for opening up your home to all of us loud Alvarados and de Leons. I love family gatherings. We need to have them more often. And congratulations on the little bun in the oven. You two are going to be awesome parents.
Love ya!

Look carefully at this photograph.
Juan, Becky and little Juanecky are not the only people in it.

The Lyons Family Are In Town

2007-07-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to see Dave and Sonia back in California.
We miss you guys so much!

Hey, when are y'all movin back?

This is what happens to someone if they even think about giving Stephanie's new husband a dirty look.
Even her own nephew got an a#@ woopin.

The Little Divas: Lyric, Hannah, Mercedes, Katarina and Victoria.

The kids were very entertained when
Tio Fernando came up with this cool twisting cushion ride.

Very close cousins. Our birthdays are all one month apart: Mari's 01/22/76, Claudia's 02/23/76 and Sonia 03/23/76. Funny facts about this trio: We use to mail letters to each other. Even Claudia and I who only lived 25 minutes from each other. We use to grow our pinky nails long and tell Ana and Debbie that they couldn't play with us because they were not in our "long pinky nail club".

I had to post this awesome picture of Tia Rosa and her contagious smile.
Did it make you smile?
I love you Tia!

Cruz, Mercedes, Hannah and Elijah in their fort made from cushions and a Dodger blanket.

Tori. Que Chula!

Hannah and Elijah

2007-07-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

After Church the Hubby went to have lunch with his relatives and I went to have lunch with some of mine. I finally got to hang out with Hannah and Elijah. They have been here for 2 weeks. They have grown so big! Hannah looks like a totally different little girl. We played outside, took pictures and waited for the Hubby to come.

When the Hubby pulled up Hannah and Elijah ran to the curb yelling,
"Tio Fernando Tio Fernando!"
It was so cute.
We haven't seen them in so long I actually thought they would forget our names.

Hannah teaching Tio Fernando how to take apart these things from the tree. I am not sure what it was but Hannah would twist it and it would just crumble into feather like pieces. Then she would throw or blow the pieces into the air. We had fun.

Here is Hannah's demonstration.

What a Cool Date 7-7-7

2007-07-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

The Hubby and I took a weekend trip to Los Angeles to visit family and friends. We spent the night at Patti and Carlos' house. We watched Eliseo for an hour and a half while Patti and Carlos went shopping. Eliseo just kicked back and watched TV until he fell asleep.

Here is a picture of the Meneses family in front of their gorgeous house.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLOS!

Eliseo not sure about getting into his new pool. Look at that pansa!

Later on that evening we ate with Fernando's friends and then played poker. Fernando let me play in his place for a while and I lost all his money. Sorry Handsome.

Fire Cracker! Fire Cracker! Boom Boom Boom!!!

2007-07-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

This morning Fernando and I drove to Selma to eat breakfast with Daddy and Mommy Alvarado. I made scones.

Later that morning we were blessed with a California King Size bed that Dad and Mom were not using. Fernando and I spent the next 3 hours moving boxes out of the guest bedroom, vacuuming the guest bed room, moving our full size bed to the guest room, vacuuming our room, setting up the Cal King size bed in our room, washing sheets and comforters and making both beds.

Fernando didn't want to turn on the AC until Daddy and Mommy Alvarado came so we had to sweat it out. He is a hoot. I would hint by saying, "It's hot in here." He would just say, "No it's not." I just laughed because in some aspects Fernando is just like my Dad.

Isn't he cute up there untying the ropes?

Here is our guest bed room. Sonia and Dave will be the first guests to enjoy this room. Sonia already informed me that she wanted vanilla scented candles in the room and mints on the pillows. I will see what I can do.

Niko being very patriotic with his red, white and blue bow.

Mommy and I with our the evening's main dish, a chicken and broccoli wreath.

Daddy and Fernando with our Dessert. It is an original Helen Alvarado concoction. It consists of Angel Food Cake, Whip Cream, Vanilla Yogurt, Strawberries, Blueberries (Need those anti-oxidants), Walnuts and Almonds. DELICIOUS!

God Bless America!

Chile Colorado

2007-07-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

Try this recipe and let me know how it comes out.

1) Salt and Cut 2 lbs of tri-tip into chunks. Put meat in crock pot.
2) Blend 5 dried Nuevo Mexico Chiles, 4 dried Guajillo Chiles, 3 Tomatillos, 3 Garlic Cloves, 1 tsp Vinegar, 1Tbsp Oregano, 2 Cloves, 3 Pepper Corns and 1 tsp salt. (Add water)
3) Strain blender ingredients into the crock pot. Place 3-5 bay leaves on top.
4) Cook on high for 1 hour and on low for 7 hours. Or 6 hours in oven at 375.
(Remove bay leaves when done.)

Passing the Torch

2007-07-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

Today Claudia, Jon, Sarah and Amanda came over for dinner. Our menu was: Chile Colorado, Mexican rice, beans, tortillas, chips salsa and a Reese's Peanut Butter cup Cheesecake. A special thank you to Claudia for making the delicious cheesecake and to Mommy Alvarado for the beans. I thought I was all Mexican with making the Chile Colorado. I totally messed up. The recipe says to cook the meat in the crock pot on high for one hour and on low for seven more hours. After the first hour I checked the meat and it was already cooked all the way through. I was afraid I would over cook it if I left it cooking so I turned off the crock pot. I was puzzled because the meat was not tender. I later learned from Fernando that the tenderness comes from cooking the meat for a long time. Everyone said it was good but I think they were just being nice.

Now look at the shirt Sarah is wearing. She is the one wearing a shirt that says "virgin". This shirt has been in my family for about 13 years.

When I was a sophomore in high school my sisters and I were given a purity ring for Valentines Day. At this point we all had it engraved in in our heads that we were to wait until marriage to have sex only with our husband. This purity ring served as a reminder for my sisters and I to WAIT.

My oldest sister, Elisa, found this t-shirt at a Virgin Records store. When she got married she passed the shirt down to my youngest sister Ana. When Ana got married she passed it down to me. Now that I am married I passed it down to Sarah. I know she will uphold this title with the confidence and honor that we did. Be strong Sarah. We are rooting for you and are very proud of you. If all my sisters and I waited (some of us longer than others) you can too. You can do it!!! Or should I say NOT do "it".