(43-294) Luis' Big Trip

In May 1994 Luis moved from Puerto Vallarta to New York, so that we could get married.  And in the seventeen years that he's been here, we've never spent more than three nights apart; until now.  We'd been married for four years, the first time that Luis went away over night without me.  And the only reason that I was amenable to it, was because he was going treasure hunting.  YES, you read that right.  I said treasure hunting.  We were at home in Puerto Vallarta, and Luis and his brother's drove out to the town where Luis was born (about three hours away), and they took Luis' metal detector so that they could look for gold that their grandfather had buried on his property a long, long, time ago.  Yep, the prospect of finding gold felt like a good enough reason to be separated for an evening.  Alas, no treasure was found that night; but one returned to me.

Two years later, Luis had to go to Northern California for his Aunt's funeral; so we apart for a couple of nights. (Two or three I think.  I can't exactly remember.)  And then of course there were the SMF trips to Laughlin and Vegas; but if I'm not mistaken, I think those were only two night stays. I've had a few nights away from home myself.  There was my 40th birthday Scraptacular weekend, CHA with Rachel for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out; as well as Rachel's 40th birthday party weekend.

Truth be told, I don't like to be away from my family.  I prefer to travel with them; but given this economy and the fact that we didn't feel safe planning a road trip to Puerto Vallarta this year; it seemed only fair that Luis should go home without us. 

I dropped Luis at the airport this morning and although I was nervous about him being gone for a week, I was sincerely happy that he was going to see his family and spend quality time with them. When I picked my kids up from school, they told me that they already missed Luis.  I assured them that they would speak to him every day, and that we would keep very busy this week so that the time would pass quickly.  Luis called tonight and spoke to everyone, even Hershey who barked when I said that Daddy was on the phone.  He sounded very happy and relaxed and he truly deserves to be. 

I hope that Luis and my in-laws have a wonderful visit, and that the kids and I aren't too stressed by his absence.  I'm going to encourage everyone (myself included), to use this week to realize how much Luis does for us and how much we love, respect and value him. 
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-121) Eternally Grateful

In yesterday's post, "Forty Three Reasons That I Am THANKFUL;" I wrote "Thanksgiving is my very, FAVORITE holiday. It always has been, and if you tune in again tomorrow; I promise that you'll find out one of the biggest reasons why..."  So today is the tomorrow that I was referring to; and first and foremost; HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

When I was a kid, I LIVED for Thanksgiving. I remember Richie Howell taking me to the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade a number of times; and coming home to our house, that was filled with the delectable scents of the feast that my mom had been cooking since very early in the morning. My mom was an excellent cook and Thanksgiving dinner was the jewel in her crown. My mom would serve 3 course meals on a nightly basis; (I don't know how she managed it;) and on Thanksgiving she would prepare a spread that was beyond compare. My mom would make her own stuffing, from scratch, candied sweet potatoes and candied carrots, Turkey, of course; mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and if that wasn't enough, she made homemade stuffed cabbage as an appetizer. The stuffed cabbage itself could have been the meal; but it was just her way of showing us how special we were to her. I have enjoyed many Thanksgiving meals since my mom passed away in 1986; but I can honestly say that I've never had one as perfect as my mom's.

I ALWAYS treasured Thanksgiving. I'd wake up early to watch the parade on the years that Richie Howell didn't take us. I adored the aromas that would permeate our house, from our Thanksgiving fare. And I savored every minute with my Nana, and Papa, as all too often they were our only Thanksgiving guests.

Since Thanksgiving had always been so special to me; once my mom passed away, it became my most difficult holiday. I would typically be invited to spend the day with a friend and her family, and even though I was happy to have somewhere to go; I always felt very alone; because I wasn't with MY family. Which is why in 1993, I asked my friend Stacy if she wanted to go on vacation with me, during the Thanksgiving holiday. Now, I can't give you ALL of the details, since they're contained in my "Glamour magazine" essay contest submission; BUT, I can tell you this... Thanksgiving 1993 fell on November 25, just like it did this year. AND on Thanksgiving day, 1993; I met and fell in love (at first sight,) with my husband, Luis. Talk about having something to be thankful for!!

Today is the 17th anniversary of when Luis and I met; and I could not be more grateful. I went to Puerto Vallarta for vacation, in order to avoid how terrible I'd felt on Thanksgiving, after losing my mom; and I wound up finding the cure for what ailed me. No, of course Luis couldn't replace my mom; but within a few short months we were married, we became a family, and we started our own traditions. I had been to Vallarta three times before I ever met Luis, and I don't think that it was a coincidence that I met him when I needed him most. Once again, I had a reason to rejoice at Thanksgiving; and each year I have something EXTRA special to be thankful for.

Luis has transformed my life. He gave up everything that was important to him, in order to be with me; and I don't know that I could ever really express my appreciation enough. Luis and I have weathered many storms.  We created our amazing family; and we continue to work, plan and dream together. It's for all of these reasons and so many more; that I will forever be eternally grateful and celebrate Thanksgiving.                                               

Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING                                                                                       

When Ya Gotta Go...

DISCLAIMER: For some this just may be a little TOO MUCH INFORMATION.

After arriving at my in-laws, we were promptly fed copious amounts of food. Carne Asada, rice, beans, guacamole, tortillas and Diet Coke. I think that it is a commonly known fact that Coke in Mexico, tastes different than the Coke in the states; and by different I mean better. I don´t know if the syrup is sweeter or what exactly makes it better; but just like Domino´s - it just is. I had told Luis before we left for our trip that although I LOVE Mexican Coke (That doesn´t sound right - does it...) that I was not going to drink any because I am ONLY drinking Diet soda and one sip of the regular and I knew that I would be hooked. So imagine my surprise, my delight, to find that Diet Coke is ALSO much better in Mexico - YAHOO!! or should I say Arriba, Arriba, Arriba!! Which according to Luis is the Spanish equivalant to Yahoo! Hmm, and I always thought that when Speedy Gonzales said that; he was telling the other mice to go Up, Up Up! LOL.
So, as I was saying - The Diet Coke is DELICIOUS; and trust me when I say that I never thought that delicious was a word that I would use to describe a dietetic, carbonated beverage - but I must!

My in-laws have a very modest, very large, home. Well, basically I guess you could say that it is more like a compound. There is an enclosed patio at the entrance, a small living room, kitchen and 2 small bedrooms. The bathroom and shower are outside in the courtyard, but they are enclosed and the courtyard is also filled with various plants and trees. There are 4 apartments on the ground floor, each with its own shower and toliet at the back of the house and on the upper level of the house, there is a beautiful terrace, 4 more bedrooms and another living room and kitchen.
Typically we stay upstairs but as the apartments are currently vacant; we chose to stay in one of those instead. When given the choice it was a no brainer for me, because even though we rarely go to the bathroom in the middle of the night; it seems inevitable at my in-laws, and all of the bathrooms are downstairs.
When I saw our apartment I was thrilled with our decision and made a mental note of how MUCH easier it was going to be to go to the bathroom. I woke up in the middle of the night and I had to pee like a racehorse. (It must have been from all of the delicious Diet Coke.) I happily went to the door, anticipating how much quicker and easier I was going to make it to the bathroom and I was horrified to find that I could not unlock the door. I know (now) that it required some kind of twist and pull action; but with my legs crossed and the pressure building, I just couldn´t figure it out. So, in a moment of desperation I grabbed a cup and proceeded to pee; right there in our kitchen. As I am the Queen of CLUMSY, it took me quite a few attempts to get the cup in the right place; and about 4 pee and dumps (yes, I still LOVE the Diet Coke) and finally; I was done. I cleaned up the floor, cleaned out the sink, threw away the cup (I hope;) LOL, (No, I know that I threw away the cup;) and went back to bed sans pajama pants, which got slightly wet during the first few "attempts." A few hours later I threw on some shorts, successfully unlocked the door and went to the bathroom again. In 41 years, I have never been so thankful to unlock a door in my life. You would have thought that I was Geraldo Rivera opening up Capone´s vault and actually finding something in there.
Oh, why is it that I am willing to sacrifice my privacy and my dignity for the sake of this blog? Why do I repeatedly share my mishaps, and acts of utter stupidity with you? I guess, I am just trying to adhere to that old addage "write what you know."
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Ask The Queen

It has been absolutely nuts at my house during the past few weeks (yes, even more so than usual.) About a week before Thanksgiving, Luis decided that he did in fact want to go home to Puerto Vallarta for Christmas. He traded shifts with a co-worker so that he would work a double on Thanksgiving, and then be free and clear to be gone for the holidays; and we have been scrambling ever since, to get ready for our trip. We're going to drive (approx 24 hours and 1,000 miles each way;) so we've had to do all types of upkeep on our minivan, go shopping for relatives and their various requests; in addition to going to 5 soccer practices a week (between the 3 kids,) attending 3-4 soccer games a week, celebrating Kelsie's 5th birthday on the 11th, Lyndzi's 7th birthday on the 18th, having their birthday party, Nicky's holiday show, Luis' holiday party, and a partridge in a pear tree. Well, you get the picture.

Anyway, I thought I would challenge myself and see if I could actually manage to get a blog out in the midst of all else that I have been doing. I should have been packing 2 hours ago when I finished work, but hey - I HAVE PRIORITIES; and "The Bumpy Ride" is one of them.

So, in the interest of getting on with all that I have to do; I am going to challenge myself yet again, and I am attempting to keep this brief. (Smelling salts anyone - LOL)

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced the idea of trying my hand at an advice column. I've set up an email address, in case anyone wants to give me a try. Please send all questions to AsktheQOE@gmail.com If for some reason you do not want your question published, that's fine with me; just let me know. OR if you want to wait for my response before you decide about letting me use your question / my answer,that's fine too. This is all new to me, so we can give it a try together; and hopefully it will bring about some GREATER GOOD for all of us.

Now, as if the advice column portion of the blog wasn't enough; I took a big leap and set up a group on Facebook, called The Bumpy Ride Fan Club (at the risk of sounding arrogant.) I described the club as a " A group for people who enjoy the blog "The Bumpy Ride" by Paige Ramos. Discuss the blog, Ask the Queen of EVERYTHING for advice, share ideas for the GREATER GOOD or just show your support while Paige Pursues her dream of becoming a published author." And I am SO excited to say that within less than an hour, I already have 5 members - YAY! So if you are on Facebook PLEASE join my group; AND tell / invite your "friends." OK, and now here's the biggest surprise of all - I actually invited Maks (DWTS) to join the group. I discussed it with Michelle (the New year is coming and she's still not legally) K and after hemmng and hawing I decided to invite him - What has come over me?? Heck, I'm a fan of his; so why shouldn't he be a fan of mine - "right?" she said squeamishly. And you thought the crush reading the blog was a big deal - just you wait...

So there you have it. This is basically just a little housekeeping before I go away. There is a little Internet place up the street from my mother in laws house, so I am planning on doing my weekly blog; if not more while I'm away - hey look at me , I'll be ON LOCATION; and I'll hopefully have plenty of stories to share.

In the meantime I do wish you all the happiest of holidays. I hope that you are able to squeeze in some moments to enjoy all that is wonderful at this time of year, and savor your memories as you are making them. As for me; I'm seriously thinking about adding Festivus as a holiday tradition; the airing of the grievances sounds like it's got my name ALL OVER IT.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING