Ah, the Holidays!

Week 7 from this journey has been exciting and a little bit of a rush. Because we were planning to leave to go spend Christmas with my husband's family, I was running like crazy! Between buying last minute gifts, prepping the house to be by itself for a few days. Making sure that the cats were not going to burn down the house, or make any unsupervised parties without us being here, whatever happened first, there were a lot of things going on. We also had to make sure that the car was prepped for a 4 and a half hour drive to Santa Maria California. I do have to say that I wasn't looking forwards on that drive, as I get really stressed on the highway, lucky for me, I was not the one driving and I could just chillax and focus on something else. I was lucky that though I had to work that week while on our trip, I had the days off during the actual days we were driving, so I did not have to worry about having a wi-fi connection available or not. I also have to share that having the smart phone was very handy, as I was able to report all my way to our destination how everything was going. From freaking out in the cliffs passing Santa Barbara, to the "bridge of death" that is not really called that way, but I call it that way because it is really scary and high, to the lovely vineyards that were visible when we were so close to our destination. I have to say that it looked so green and lovely that it reminded me so much of Ireland. It is a fun trip for the most part. I take my shoes off, so I am more relaxed with the fact that I hate being in the highway for so long. I love the view when we get to Ventura and Santa Barbara, and the rest, is just the feeling that we are almost there when we pass all the lovely green scenery. Don't worry I will share some photos.

Being there, was a lot of fun. We got to hang out with both sides of my husband's family. I really love hearing all the stories that both his grandmother's share. The family home tour was very entertaining, and we got to spend enough time with the family in order for me to get to know them even better, because I really didn't know them that well, as they live far away and we don't frequent each other as often. I have to confess that I am very blessed to have such a lovely extended family on my husband's side. They are so much fun, and they are such nice people, that I couldn't be any merrier. There were only three people that would had made this even more perfect; My mom, who lives in Mexico, but who had lots of fun spending Christmas with my best friend's family, and shopping like crazy in San Antonio, Texas; My brother, who went to visit family in Laredo, Texas, which is good, because I did not want him to spend the holidays working, like tends to do; and last but not least, my mother-in-law, who is such an amazing person and couldn't make it to Santa Maria, because one of her champion German Shepherds had 10 puppies and obviously she could not leave them by themselves. I guess, sometimes things happen unexpectedly and you just have to do what you have to do, however they were with me during the whole trip in thoughts, and in communications, thank you technology!

The most exciting thing during the trip is when sharing our plans for our future with a baby in mind. We really couldn't share much about our plans on getting pregnant, because unfortunately last year it back-fired and all of a sudden there was a rumor about us already being pregnant, and that got my father-in-law a little disappointing as he did not want to be the last one to know. Lucky for him, it seemed that WE were the last to know, as we did not know that rumor was floating around. Therefore, we decided to share, but clear out that we were NOT pregnant, and that whenever it did happen, we would make sure that everyone would know but from our own word. There were a lot of new winter babies in the family, and that made this trip extra special, as the vibe of the little new lives was wondering around the air. I thought of that song: "Love is in the air", changing the words to "Babies everywhere, a cry here, a diaper there...". You get my groove, laughs*

Overall, by the time we got back home, I was very happy and pleased to had spent time with my husband's family that is now my very dear family too, we had enjoyed good food, good times, and created new memories alongside those we love so dearly. We also learned about some of my husband's family ancestors and family traits, which I think was very important to know, because that way we understand more about the possibilities with our babies, and they would know where they come from, which I personally find it very exciting. You see, we have a very vast cultural background in our families. My husband has: Norwegian, Danish, Mexican, Spanish, French, Welsh, and it seems that Scottish and Irish too, with a little bit of Native American somewhere along the way. I on the other hand, have; Mexican, Spanish, and as what now seems to be a bit of Irish or Scottish lost somewhere in my genetic pool, which would explain a lot of things as I grew up, and my heartfelt love for Ireland. It is funny how sometimes even if you do not know it, you can feel it. When I was in Ireland, I promise that I did not want to come back. Deep in my heart, it felt like home. Anyways that is a story for another blog post and for the moment back to our pool of cultural diversity. So our babies are definitely going to be a very intriguing surprise, but at least we have the background so they can figure it out when they grow older and become curious about their genes.

For the moment that is it for week 7, and now it is our favorite time.

Get into a discussion with me. Question time!

1. Did you and your family have to travel somewhere to spend the past holidays with your family? If so, how did you guys made it with little ones, so that you would all survive your trip there?
2. How long do you usually stay for the holidays?
3. Do you also have a diverse genetic pool like ours? What is the most you know runs in your family?
4. What do you do, if you get stressed like me on the highway, in order to arrive to your destiny without having a heart attack first? I would love to know!

You can answer one or all of the questions above if you'd like. Since my family is far away, I appreciate all the input and insights that my readers and this community have to offer.

Until next time.