vagabond

People Watching Me

 

 Download 03 People Watching 

 

No more morning dishes piling up, rushing out the door stuffing down the last bite of Eggo waffles, and speeding down the street to make it on time before the school gate closes at 8:06 by Mr. Brown. Today was the last school day for 2011-12.  I kissed the boys goodbye and told them to be sure they said thank you to all their teachers for the wonderful jobs they did. After all they did help me raise them to be a little bit more wiser and disciplined ;).  

Throughout the year on our way to school, we would always pass by the same group of people every morning.  There were these two jr. high boys standing at the corner waiting for the bus to pick them up. I noticed somedays they would laugh and goof around, and other days how they sat away from each other after having an argument.  Then making a left turn around the corner were two Korean ladies walking faithfully with their hats on from getting sunburned. When I saw them, I felt like we had all synchronized our watches to pass each other at the exact same time. And of course at the very end of the neighborhood was the school bus driver passing us to pick up the two boys. He would always wave to us like we had become best buds.

I have to admit there was some comfort keeping a schedule for 9 months and watching these people every morning.  But now summer break will begin this afternoon when I go and pick up the boys from school.  I know I will not see the same two boys or Korean ladies again in the usual spot as before and I will begin  a new unscheduled routine for the summer break. Who knows,  after all maybe we will do a little people watching at the park and start a new routine ;). 

Happy Summer everyone! 

365 "Sonny" Days

I started out 2011 with a fun new year's resolution.  I decided to join a 365 day photo group thinking it would be a great experience for me.   The object was to take a photo of a little doll doing something everyday. The first couple of weeks I was gung ho about my little project. Then I realized that this project was for the entire year, every day!!  I'll admit I was starting to get nervous.  What if I forgot to take my picture for the day?  What if I ran out of ideas? Or what if I got sick?  But as the days went on, taking a photo of Sonny became just like another routine in life.  I figured how hard could it be?  It's just like brushing your teeth everyday.

 

My friends and family got used to the idea of me carrying around this little doll named Sonny.  I no longer felt like a nutcase when people around me started asking where Sonny was and what his adventure was going to be for the day. Some people would even suggest their ideas or give me extra props for part of his adventures.  This made me smile secretly in my heart :)  

 

 

 

I want to say that this project was just for fun, but after looking back at it all I feel like it has taught me a valuable lesson instead.  I've learned what commitment really means and the fruits of your labor.  I value the word commitment even more now.  It feels great when you can say that you were committed to something 100%.  But I have to add that I couldn't have been commited all by myself.  You need accountability in order to succeed.  My fellow 365 day group members have been there everyday checking up on my adventures with Sonny, giving their comments on each photo.  Thank you.  

 

 

The year is coming to a close, and like always I feel a bit weepy.  Having done this project was unique because without realizing it, as I was taking a photo a day, I was documenting what happened in 2011.  This year had its ups and downs.  I lost a couple of dear friends due to cancer, and shared in joy the birth of my dear girlfriend's baby boy.  There were weddings and birthday celebrations, school graduations, and learning new skills along the way.  With these events in mind, I took pictures to honor and show how precious every single day life can be.  My prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones.

 

To finish off my last day with these dolls, I made a small movie with the  Sonny Angels.  I must say goodbye to them for now, but it's not forever.  I hope tonight you can celebrate with wonderful friends and remember the good times you've spent together. So  here is to making new friends and treasuring your old ones!  Happy New Year!!

 

 

No One Gets Left Behind

We are commanded to be open-handed toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. Deuteronomy 15:11  

 

This is a short film that I did with a dear friend of mine and my father (thank you Marilynn and Papabelo)

21 days

 

I met a friend for coffee on Tuesday.  She was talking to me about how she was fasting for 21 days from Indie music.  I asked her why and she said she realized that she was spending too much time looking up new music and it was taking away hours from her day. Not that Indie music was evil or anything but she realized that those hours could have been spent more wisely by connecting with God in prayer.  So for 21 days she challenged herself to only listen to worship music and meditate on holy scriptures.   I told her I knew exactly what she was talking about.  I started thinking that I should go on this fast as well.  I've never fasted in my life before so I figured now was the time. 

 

 On Sunday my pastor was challenging us to read this book called 'The Hole in Our Gospel'.  I will admit that I'm not a reader but for some reason I felt the need to pick up a copy of this book and start reading it. Today I decided to take on both of these challenges.   I believe I will get something out of this experience.  Something that is life changing. To keep me motivated with both challenges,  I will be documenting my 21 days. 

this blog is dedicated for the ones who want to make the world a better place

Oh I can't love anymore than I do today

 

Download 02 Chugjug

 

 

According to dictionary.com, the definition for the word family was a little bland for my taste.  It said that a family was a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family.  I kept reading further down the list in hopes of finding something more affectionate and got to number 10, a group of people who are generally not blood relations but who share common attitudes, interests, or goals.  The word family has been kinda special to me this year.

 

 

I have been blessed with a family of my own.  Our children mean the world to us.  We love to hang out together and daydream about the future.  The boys have declared their love for me everyday with the little things that they do.  Preston is my little gentleman who loves to dance with me in the living room, paint along with me at my side, and hold my hand when we go out for walks.  Julian runs ahead to open up doors for me, is my baker's little helper, and is desperately trying to find a "magical formula" so he can remain little forever and never have to grow up and leave home.

 

 

The Family Dollar is a store that sells cheap merchandise at a one dollar value.  The store itself may not seem anything special but for me and my husband, along with my nephews and their wives, took on that name over a year ago.  We were celebrating one of our birthdays together at a restaurant and as we were about to tip the waiter, we discovered a dollar with the phrase "happy birthday" carefully written on there with a magic marker.  Little did we know that our bond as an ordinary family was going to blossom into a very lovely relationship.  We hold value to that adopted name because we have seen how much we love to spend every special occasion together as a family.

 

 

 

I discovered a wonderful band named Family of the Year back in March.  The band puts on a "family" vibe on most of their songs.  Let's Go To The River  is one of those songs. Over the summer the Family Dollar went down to float the Guadalupe River, and what an adventure that was. I was also able to do some paintings based off of a couple of their songs too; Chug Jug, Treehouse, and still in the making Hero, Summer Girl, Surprise, Stairs, and Let's Go To The River.   

 

 

 

We have come to an end of another year and another decade.  Tonight on this New Year's Eve, I hope you are able to spend it with not just a crowd of people but with those who you would call a brother or sister.  Yes, the definition of a family does mean sharing the same attitudes, interests and goals. I am thankful that my family has adopted an attitude of love for one another, and have invested those interests in keeping us tightly knitted as a family.  But the most important goal that we share is our spiritual values.  We give thanks to our Creator for giving us the opportunity to be together and to build memories in the years to come.  2010 you were good to me, and I will forever hold you close to my heart. :)

 

  

for my friends

But I realized how I need you

 

Download 06 First Day of My Life

Many people feel lost whenever they can't find love in their lives.  They travel the world looking for it.  Some of them grow up not ever finding it at all.  What is it that drives us to want love?  And why do some people get hurt by it when they do finally think they are in love? 

 

 

Whenever there is an unconditional commitment to a relationship, it seems that love does appear. This is going the extra mile for that someone in your life.  My husband has taught me this.  No one, and I mean absolutely no one is perfect, but they sure come close to it when they show this kind of love.  It is a highly coveted thing to master.

I've realized how much I need him in my life.  My Creator gave him to me.  It takes time and attention to let a garden grow but the end results can be breathtaking.  I now know where I want to go…home, to be with my one true love.

 

 

 

to be sure you will not cry…the weepies.

Download 11 Not a Lullaby

one of my favorite bands, the weepies, will be performing at lakewood theater this fall. they came out with a new cd called be my thrill.  if you haven't heard of this band, i totally recommend you go and buy some of their music.  their songs have influenced me to do several paintings. i created this painting based off of one of their songs called 'not a lullaby'. originally i had a guitar in her arms, but it made more sense to have her hold the moon instead.  

 

i woke up one morning in a terrible mood. i don't remember exactly what caused it, but i knew that it was going to be a long day. to get me in better spirits, i played that song on my ipod that morning and i had it on repeat the entire day. when i'm into a certain song, i like to hear it all day and see what images pop into my head. then i quickly sketch something into my notebook. and the thing that's so weird, is that the next day i will do it all over again, and a totally new image comes up and then i'll try to incorporate it with the existing sketch.  it makes me wonder why i didn't think of it before.  i won't start painting until i squeeze the life out of a song and i can no longer interpret it into my sketch.  the following night started raining, and what better inspiration it was for me to start painting. as i finished the painting i fell in love with the song even more than ever.  

 

i spoon you into my coffee

12 Bookends

 

i believe i was 6 years old when i took my first sip of coffee.  i went with my mom and john (my nephew who is the same age as i am) to visit my dad at work.  we got impatient waiting around for my mom.  our curiosity sent us off down the hallway from his office, where we found the forbidden pot of coffee.  no one was looking. we carefully took two styrofoam cups making sure not to make any noise so as to give away our chance to try out this so called delicious cup that people couldn't get enough of.  john poured us our cups while i prepared the sugar and powdered creamer.  we used the cute little brown straws to mix our cups and then we both looked at each other. counting to 3, we carefully took our first sip with excitement.  it didn't taste good.  so we poured more sugar, and more creamer.  still disappointed.  a little bit more and then we got it.  we managed to finish our secret just on time.

 

you ask me today what i like to put in my coffee, and i'd answer it depends on my mood.  i have tried almost everything.  from straight up black to an overly high caloric iced frappuccino.  but it doesn't matter what you put in it to taste good.  it's still coffee going into your body.  some people get affected drastically while others don't get the "effects".  i realized just then that no matter which person you are, we all pretty much get addicted to it.  so my question is just this, 'is coffee good or bad for us?'

 

i don't know.  i guess if you can't say no to it, maybe?  are all addictions bad for us? is being a health nut ok? or the workaholic who wants to provide for his family?  the perfectionist? yeah well, these are questions that could go on and on with lots of discussion.  so i will leave you with this.  just be careful with your first sip of anything. a new job, friendships, hobbies, and pretty much anything under the sun.  adding a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down is cute in the movie mary poppins, but to mask what isn't good for you in the long run is just sugarcoating what may be a harsh reality. an addiction.

dragon clouds

05 You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Bob Dylan)

when i was 7 years old i asked a friend of mine if she could become anything in life what would she be when she grew up and she said "a mother".  at first i gave her a weird look and thought she wasted her wish 'cause i thought every little girl automatically became one when they grew up.  

 

 

my wish was to get a job as a photographer and work for the national geographic magazine.  my neighbor had a big collection of that magazine, and every morning before school started i would stop by and look through the pages and wonder where were the photographer's new adventures were gonna take place. i knew right then and there that  i had to explore the world.

 

now i am a grown woman with two beautiful little boys. my adventure book has been filled with dragon clouds, flying kites, catching beetles and chasing down the ice cream truck.  i don't regret not seeing the world at this time.  i would have never guessed that my friend's wish was even better than mine.  and all i can think of right now is how i am gonna miss my two little men when they grow up and leave to explore their world. 

 

i do know that my memories with them are far better than any adventure i could possibly have in africa or the amazon.  the world will always be there waiting for me to explore. but the time i have with my children flies by quicker than one wants it to.  so for now i will be a photographer capturing every move they make and that is a job that is highly coveted and not easy to get.  los quiero mucho mis bebos.

for all the explorers and those leaving us back home (jacq & adam)

it's you who makes me happy

Download 04 Love You All Along

one thing that i love about nature is that it is NEVER boring.  i grew up with some of the fondest memories taking adventure walks through the "forrest" aka our backyard.  my parents moved alot but when they knew they would be able to stay in one place for a couple of years they would always find a home with many trees AND a creek in the back.  at the ripe old age of 7, i felt that getting to play outside was like having a big playground all for myself.  i would come in bitten by every bug possible, but that wouldn't stop me.  i'd climb trees, skip rocks, find the deepest part of the creek and make a fishing pole out of a stick and string and pretend i was fishing. i remember telling the neighbor kids to pretend to be wolves and that we should each make a distinct howl so we could communicate with each other when we were at the extreme ends of the creek.  all kids should grow up with a playground like this.  hmmm, thinking i should move so my boys can have these experiences too :)

 

when my dad was 16, he took a trip to telapon mountain with some friends.  this mountain is in between puebla and mexico city.  he said he sometimes liked being alone in nature to daydream.  he wandered off alone leaving his friends briefly to escape up the mountain.  he found a patch that was so green and soft and laid there for a while.  he started laughing when he told me what he was daydreaming about and said that it would have been great if a wolf came up from the valley so he could run fast and climb up a tree. i guess one of his fondest memories was climbing up trees.  

 

when i was a toddler living in puebla, my dad built me a little brick house with a little man made creek and bridge over it .  i wanted to post a picture of it for today's blog but my brother is in mexico and will have to send it to me later because it's in his photo album in his apartment in san diego.  bummer, oh well on to the next story.

my dad and i made "blue prints" for my tree house when i was 9.  we never did get the chance to build it since that year he got transferred to kansas city for his job with sprint.  i was sad but didn't want to tell him because in my own eyes he was still my hero.  we moved to the city and that was the end of my mark twain adventures. today my parents are back in texas.  they bought a small home on a couple of acres next to my sister's home in ovilla.  this year my dad decided to build us an art studio on his deck.  on our first day of painting together in the studio i looked out the window and almost started crying.  i told him, dad you did build me my tree house after all…he looked out and said "I SURE DID", with a great big smile.

kudos mom for having me while in your 40's and THANK you for choosing my dad instead of that other guy named polo…haha.  you are my hero too especially for putting up with how my dad is sometimes AND for helping him catch those bats on yall's honeymoon in the caves in yucatan.  even though you and my dad are kinda the opposite, you always allowed him to act out on his adventures with us kids and i appreciate you for that.  

this picture was taken in puebla and behind us you can see telepan mountain.

my cousin roger decided to host mother's day brunch in his backyard this year.  i told him that i felt like i was in italy.  it was beautiful.  he has alot of bamboo growing in his backyard. he had chopped some down to clear a space for our celebration.  my son preston picked some of the remains and creatively made one into a vase and put some flowers in it, while julian picked up snail shells.  they both came with a BIG smile and gave them to me for my mother's day presents.  i LOVE having little boys.  they give the most unique presents ever :) 

 

and peterman decided to buy me a topsy turvy strawberry planter since i like to bake strawberry cupcakes.  i love these kind of gifts. 

for all the mothers