First Visit to Grandma's

I think a lot of our friends thought we were crazy to travel 9 hours north (driving, of course) with a newborn baby (only a week old).  Trust me, I did too.  But my parents weren't able to be here for Baby V's birth and it's hard for them to take off from work and we didn't want them to miss seeing her at this age.  And I'm so glad we made the trip.  We had so much fun showing her around and having her meet her family and our close family friends.  And the times spent with Grandma, Grandpa and even her Great-Grandma...priceless.

I took so many pictures, but these are my favorites.  We strutted from house to house with paparazzi in tow--it's almost second nature to Baby V strike a pose because she's seen camera flashes for the last five days in a row.  And I didn't know this, but it's Filipino tradition for newborn babies to receive  money from family and friends when you stop by their houses for the first time.  So people were so generous and Baby V made out like a bandit for the entire weekend!

 Baby V with Uncle Jon and Auntie Jolene

 Four Generations of Rosete Women

(with Grandma Ruby and Great Grandma Ines--Baby V is her 5th Great Grandchild)

 With Auntie Rosalynn (Baby V's middle name, Rose, came from her)

Proud Grandpa Mati

Our last morning there

(with Jon, Grandma, Rosalynn, Uncle Ray & Auntie Jeannie, Jolene and Cousin Ray)

Thanks so much to our family and friends for making the weekend so enjoyable.  We miss you all so much already!

Baby V slept pretty much the entire trip both up there and back, although she was a little more fussy on the way back (her car seat is not that comfy).  And woke only to eat and be changed.  We could not have asked for a smoother trip, but won't be doing it again for at least a little bit.  I'm taking the next few weeks to continue getting her into some kind of routine/schedule.  She has her two-week follow up appointment on Friday (I can't believe it's already been two weeks!) and I'm going about it solo.  My hubby is going to Airborne School for the next three weeks.  He's been such a super-dad around here, I don't quite know how I'm going to make it!

Blogging has been difficult to do with a newborn around.  Not that I didn't expect it, but I miss doing it on a regular basis and apologize to many of my bloggy buddies out there for not commenting lately.  I promise to catch up soon!

Malu's R&R from Iraq

Hello! In case anyone forgot who I am since I haven't blogged in AGES, let me re-introduce myself. My name is Michelle and.....ha ha ha! Seriously, it has been forever since I've mustered the energy to blog. It's mostly been my job...okay, it's only been my job, and I just haven't had the time. Or maybe i just didn't make time. Whatever. Since I've missed blogging so much, I've decided that I'm going to post at least one blog a week until I deploy at the end of the year. In fact, I promise to do so. So my fellow bloggers, please help me keep this promise and send me a message anytime you see me starting to slack again!

Anyway, for the past two weeks, my sweet love, Malu, was here for his R&R from Iraq. Not knowing exactly when he would arrive in El Paso, we didn't make any big plans--only to visit family in Utah and Colorado, since we are big-time home bodies anyway. It was all so wonderful! I'm sad to say that he left this morning and I've been a wreck since he left the airport. I'm just wondering where all the time went, and even more so, when all these good-byes are going to get easier. Probably never.

Just taking a stroll down our R&R memory lane...when Malu showed up at the airport, I picked him up in our brand new Jeep Commander. The only thing is, Malu didn't even know that we (or I, rather) had purchased it the week before. So it was a complete surprise to him too. He wasn't all too upset, but quickly warmed up to his new ride. A few days later, we packed our bags, loaded the Jeep, and head out to Utah to see Malu's family.

This was my second trip to Utah to see Malu's family. My first visit had been in July 2006, so it was a long time coming and it was so great to see everyone--Malu's grandparents, his aunt and uncle, his cousins and even his sister, Lulu, flew out from California to be with us. Here is a picture of the gang at a local buffet in Ogden, Utah. The food was absolutely marvelous there--and even better at Grandma's house! We spent the majority of our time with the kids and sharing memories and laughs with Malu's grandparents. We were so sad we had to leave...but happy that we still had more family to see in Colorado.

Our first stop in Colorado? A Flores de Mayo celebration for the Fil-Am Community. We literally arrived on a Saturday afternoon, dropped off our bags at my parents' house, took showers, and head over to this party. Typical. But it was so nice to see the entire community, who have given Malu and I so much support over the years. Here, we're taking a picture with my brother and some of our close friends.

Besides seeing my family, Malu and I were able to spend time with our baby girl, Lucy. Back in March, I drove up to Colorado from Texas to drop Lucy off with my parents. I'd become accustomed to working 12-15 hour days (I know, ludicrous!) and I didn't feel it right for Lucy to be neglected like that. So, I thought it best that I leave her with mom and dad, where she has the company of my entire extended family as well as their dogs, Rusty and Misty. Here's our little fur-baby with her daddy! They're about to go for a long walk.

A few days before we left, mom and dad threw a huge party for us at the house. I don't have a picture here, but you would not believe how much food and how many people came. It was ridiculous! I swear, in total, I gained five pounds the entire weekend!

Another cool thing...Malu and I were able to meet our first (and only--so far) godson--Joshua James Tajuna--son to our closest friends (practically family), Charisse and Jacques. He was born, I believe, on May 8th and is a precious bundle of joy! Malu and I can't wait to see him grow and even more so, to give him a little playmate. But that's way down the road!

After visiting with family, we ended up spending Malu's last few days here in El Paso, just doing what we do best--lounging around, laughing, being silly, talking and getting reconnected. It's funny, despite how long we've been separated (and how often) we always seem to fall right back to where we left off. How comforting is that? It's also so makes our relationship that much more exciting. Absence really and truly does make the heart grow fonder.

Well, everytime Malu leaves, I always make it a point to take a picture of him getting ready to go. Here he is with that million-dollar smile early this morning. As always, he was a good sport, offering me encouraging words and doing his best to remain composed as I was falling apart at the seams, crying sporadically even up to a few days before his departure. I thank God for giving me a patient, understanding, and caring husband.

Not sure what the months ahead look like, other than the fact that I will deploy by the end of the year. Malu is trying to extend in Iraq so that he can be with me during my tour. If not, he will redeploy in September and attempt to re-mobilize for another deployment to Afghanistan. These are such busy times! Please keep us both in your prayers!

I just spoke to Malu a few minutes ago and he was about to board his flight to Kuwait. Baby, I love you and miss you so much. Thanks for a wonderful two weeks! Have a safe trip back and be safe on all your missions and travels.

The Best of Colorado Springs: Auntie Sepa's Visit

We were fortunate enough to have some family visiting with us this weekend--my Auntie Sepa (my dad's sister), her husband Mike and their 10-year-old cocker spaniel, Cupid. This is the first time I'd seen them in over 15 years, so you can imagine the excitement, especially for my dad. It was so nice to see him so happy. His sister's visit totally made his year! On Saturday, as we do with all our visitors, we took them to see the hottest tourist spots in Colorado Springs. Before we did that, we couldn't resist the opportunity to take a few family photos in front of mom and dad's house.

First, we headed out to the Garden of the Gods. Most people would see it and think, "wow, great rocks," but it really is just gorgeous out there. I never tire of going. As a matter of fact, Malu and I used to bring Lucy out there for hikes, which she absolutely loves! It was a beautiful Colorado day--not too hot or cold, and barely a cloud in the sky. This picture was taken at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center. I was able to capture both the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. So pretty!

Here are mom and dad with Auntie Sepa and Uncle Mike with the "Kissing Camels" off in the distance. These guys absolutely loved playing tourist all morning!

This is the "Balancing Rock" and Dad, Uncle Mike, Auntie Sepa, and Roz doing the signature pose in front of the renowned landmark. I swear, these pictures never get old!

And of course, Cupid got to play tourist too! He got some really good exercise out there. Isn't he just an angel?

Our next stop was to Manitou Springs--a quaint little town nestled at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains (particularly Pikes Peak) and yet another popular tourist attraction. I love going to Manitou Springs. There are little shops that line the streets, which I absolutely love.

You can find just about anything--cookware, State souvenirs, jewelry, antiques, and most importantly--food! There are some great restaurants and what I enjoy most are the candy and ice cream shops that sell homemade fudge. As a matter of fact, one candy store sells chocolate-covered gummy bears. Malu and I have made the drive down there a few times just for those delicious treats! Ooh, I can go for some of those right now.

Our last stop (since we all started to grow weary at this point), was Old Colorado City, which is very similar to Manitou. Only here, we went to the Farmers' Market and got our hands on some of the finest produce in the city. Here's mom getting some of those smoked chilis. She later used them to make an omelette. Oh yeah!

I saw piles and piles of some of my favorite cooking ingredients. Here, you'll see basil, garlic and onions--oh my!

The La Baguette Bakery was out there too and they had these interesting loaves of bread. The girl manning the station told me the name, but it was something in French which I can't remember at the moment. If I had more cash on hand, I would have bought both loaves and eating them with some of that olive oil dipping sauce.

This is one of my favorite photos from that day. The fruits looked so delicious. I didn't buy any because I have tons of fruits already in the house that need to be eaten. I do, however, plan on going back so that I can whip up some nice pies or cobblers with these things!

All in all, Saturday was quite an eventful day. My Aunt and Uncle left early this morning (Sunday). They stayed at my house and tried to sneak out without waking me up. Too bad for them...I wanted to be up to say good-bye. I hate saying good-bye, really! It was so nice to see them. Surely, we won't let another 15 years go by without seeing each other again. I wish them a safe trip home and by now, they should be somewhere between Utah and California--Nevada, perhaps? Let's hope so.

Just so you know, I hosted a Pampered Chef party on Saturday night. I'll be posting those pictures on my cooking blog so that I can share some of the recipes we experimented with. You'll love them!

You'd think it would have ended there. Nope! Today (Sunday), we had a barbecue at Antonette's house. Since I was tired from all the cooking and company in previous days, I almost contemplated not going. Good thing I didn't--because the purpose of the get-together was to announce that Antonette's sister, Charisse (shown below) is expecting a baby. She's about 7 weeks pregnant! Charisse has always been a sister to me and I'm so happy for her and Jacques....so congratulations you guys!

Another week ahead. Not as busy as last week, but still...school? Yuck! Malu is actually in the field this week. Those of you that know Malu know that he LOVES being out in the field--well, being outdoors period. So he's enjoying himself immensely, I'm sure. He's actually on my phone right now. I've got it on speakerphone and he's snoring. We've been doing this as long as I can remember--sleeping on the phone together. It's corny, but when you've lived apart as much as we have, you find all kinds of ways to remain close and for us, this is one of them. Over the years, we became accustomed to sleeping with our phones on. These days, I usually wait until he starts snoring and then shut the phone off. Occasionally (like today), I miss the snoring and just leave the phone on. It kinda makes me feel like he's laying right next to me. Crazy, huh?

Well, sorry for all the rambling! Have a blessed week everyone!