Adios a San Diego

Well our time is up in San Diego, and I'm feeling a bit sad, yet I know that we have a lot of excitement ahead. (which by the way is the key to happiness for me, always having some excitement around the corner)

It has been so wonderful being with Ernesto's family all summer. I will really miss them, and of course this fairy tale life style that we have gotten so used to. (wake up, internet and coffee for a few hours, talk about what to do that day, do it, or don't, eat dinner, play cards, go to bed and get as much sleep as I want) I now have a full understanding of the Espinoza's. I knew they were easy going laid back people, but it really amazes me how consistent it is. There is absolutely no rush, or pressure or obligation to get anything done. A bit different from my mid-west upbringing, but those of you that know me, know that I am a very adaptable person, and live by the "when in Rome" philosophy.

This weekend was a series of goodbye parties. Friday night was with Ernesto's long time buddies (and wives/girlfriend) at a bar downtown. I love seeing him with his friends. There is so much shit talking and laughing, it's fun to be around them. I'm glad I got to know them better this summer.

Saturday there was a party at Ernesto's sister Veronica's house. It was a huge carne asada, with just Ernesto's mom's side of the family. They have the perfect party house overlooking a golf course and with a pool. 

{Veronica y Ernesto's mama}

The 5 million kids were loving the pool, making lots of noise. There was music playing, lots of mingling, and even more tequila drinking. Many people I had not seen for a couple years and they were all impressed by my Spanish improvement (love that!) The afternoon cookout turned into a late night poker game...

...and a few Mexicanos borrachos.  

{Pepe, Ernesto, mi Papa, tio Javier, tio Mario}

**on a side note, this carne asada was "supposed" to start at 1pm and people started arriving between 3-4pm. Can you imagine if you told your family and friends a time and they showed up 2-3 hours late? No one blinks an eye at this (except me)... no excuses, no apologies. This is normal. This is the Espinoza way.

Sunday was our "Last Supper" and so mi mama y yo decided we would do it differently than the regular Sunday family dinners (always a carne asada) and make something other than Mexican and actually sit down together at the dining table. It was a success and I know can really see the importance of sitting down to eat with your family all together, something my family did all our lives.  The table setting was really nice and the food pretty good [even though the fish I made turned out a bit salty and dry and I forgot the ginger, a key ingredient].
We tried the little activity that my friend Maureen told me about. When everyone arrived, they had to draw a name (not their spouse) from a hat. After dinner we went around the table and said one thing that we love about that person. It was so touching. I started since this was my idea, and of course I got all choked up talking about my person: Octavio, mi papa. It started a chain reaction and there was a lot of crying going on. Happy tears. It was a beautiful night that we ended with a family picture.  It has been a great summer, thanks Espinozas! 

{From front left: Tyler, Beth, mi mama, Erin, Adrianna, Jorge, Maia, Veronica, Andrea, Cariza, Tavo, Pepe, Jorge, Ernesto, Jerry, Alex}

Oh! One last thing!  Besides having goodbyes this weekend, I had a great introduction to a friend of my brother Brrrian.   Melissa is a fellow Ohioan and moved out to San Diego a couple years ago.  Brrrian connected us through email and we decided to meet for coffee.  We had a nice time getting to know each other.  She is really sweet and teaches drawing and painting, I wish we could've gotten together earlier in the summer because she was really inspiring.  I told her I would love to see her artwork, and she whipped out her beautiful business cards.  Made by Moo Cards, they were printed on the front with her actual paintings and the details were on the flip side.  What a great marketing tool.  I loved them.  So Unique and professional.   They have a great deal for 10 free samples too.  Just upload your pictures and wa-la! Professional b-cards. Thanks for the tip Melissa.  

Melissa is in the process of setting up her website to showcase her work, Ill be sure to pass it on when ready.