With Love, Lu

Me: I have lots of questions for you. Let’s do an interview?

Lola: Really don’t want to but…

Me: Why are you so antisocial?

Lola: I am a fine cat, a Norwegian. I don’t like noises, I hate people, can’t tolerate other animals. I just like to be left alone.

Me: Wow. that’s harsh. I wish you were more social. I really would love to have another cat in the house. You know.. a playmate, a little sister or brother for you?

Lola: No thanks. I think I already made my point. Sending all 4 cats you adopted, trying to get me a sibling, back to the shelter. Remember? I guarded them by the food bowl and never let them eat any of it, bit them, hissed at them but you guys were not getting the point so I started to destroy your plantation shutters and peed on the carpet

Me: Oh Lola, I was so pissed at you. How can I forget the money I spent changing the carpet and fixing my plantation shutters. And you paid a huge price too. I want to apologize for sending you back to the shelter after I saw you pee on my carpet.

Lola: Do you have any idea how bad it was that night I spent inside of the jail with all those cats around me? When they took a picture of me to post on the shelter’s website for adoption, I knew you would see it so I made a very sad face to see if you could forgive me, come get me and take me home again.

Me: It breaks my heart to think I did that to you. When I saw your picture up on the website I crashed. I will never forget coming into to the shelter, crying my eyes out and taking you out of that cage. Gosh Lola, mommy is so sorry ok?

Lola: Ok

Me: What’s your favorite things to do?

Lola: Hmm… I love destroying strings from shoe strings to Iphone headset and charger cables. But I think my favorite thing to do is really hiding stuff like chapsticks, your car key, Maya’s hair clips, Disneyland passes and whatever card you guys leave on the table. I love hiding them under the couch or under the refrigerator, I even love to put that stuff inside of my water bowl… teeheehee it’s fun!

Me: I think it’s mean. Sometimes I think you get a weird pleasure on seeing the whole family on their knees trying to find for example, the car key when we need to leave

Lola: Yep. I love watching this scene.

Me: Who are your favorite people?

Lola: Like I said I don’t really like people, the only ones I love are you guys. You are my favorite and then daddy, he pets me a lot and the kid. Well, I kinda like the kid, she is very noisy

Me: Why do you sleep all day?

Lola: Not much to do around this house, boring. You used to buy cat toys for me but I don’t even have a window porch anymore… so I sleep.

Me: Well you kept us up all night with your cat toys…

Lola: Whatever. Please ask the kid to stop bringing her friends to see me under the bed. I’m under the bed for privacy and no, I won’t stop hissing to them, don’t like them at all. And please change my water bowl every day or I will continue to remind you only around 3am.

Me: You know kitty cat, you put on this tough face and seem like you are always in a bad mood but daddy and I know you are a very sweet baby girl. You never ever bit or scratched anyone, I always loved the way you protected Maya when she was a baby, you never left her side. Every time she cried you did not know what to do, you meowed, you ran up and down the stairs, I felt bad and you would only calm down when she was ok.  Thank you for never leaving my side when I’m sad or sick, you know when I need to feel your love fur. You bring so much joy to this house… sometimes I can almost understand what you are trying to tell us. I’ve never seen a cat that talks so much. Last but not least, I think you have the cutest pink nose on the planet.

♥

1. Strawberry, banana, Greek yogurt, soy milk, honey and wheat germ heaven

2. Big Apple Red ♥

2 and 3 Taylor’s birthday party

5. Enjoying happy hour at home

6. chunky homemade tomato sauce

7. Grape lover

8. Eye infection

9. Sunday start

10. Yummy dinner

11. Treats from the mailman

12. Tuesdays churro delight

13. Warm winter day

14. morning

15. My walking trail yesterday

16. Baby Maya

17. Taco Tuesday fun

18. Me

19. Lunch with daddy at Johnny Rockets in Laguna Beach

20. Sunset walk

Have a lovely Wednesday!

♥

We spent the whole day at home. The weather was beautiful but we all felt like being around the house…

Maya and I did our nails, we drew a life size Maya and colored it, I did some laundry and we all had lunch in the back yard while listening to great music on Pandora. Daddy caught  up with some work and did some house projects.

It was an easy day.

This afternoon I had my Flip in hand and decided to make an interview movie with Maya. I think I will continue to do it often. Thought it would be a cute idea to go back in time and see what was on her mind.

So here it is. Maya’s first interview

March 10th, 2012

♥

My Grandparents

My mother’s parents

Maria Amelia and Alberto Carvalho

This picture was taken in Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro, in 1942 and my grandma was pregnant with my mother. She was sick with tuberculosis at the time and throughout her whole pregnancy in the hospital. My grandpa was always there next to her. I never had a chance to meet her, she passed away when my mom was only 7 years old. My grandpa died when I was only 1 year old, so I could say that I never really met him either.  Growing up, I always heard stories about them. She was a very loving woman, she only had my mom and she loved sewing. But I know her final years had to be very difficult. She never had a chance to bring her baby home. As soon as my mother was born my grandpa took her to live with his sister and she raised my mom. At that time, tuberculosis killed so many and they never allowed my grandma to be close to my mom. This makes my heart so sad. My mom says that she was 3 years old when she met her mother for the first time and then they saw each other every now and then until she died. I just can’t imagine the pain she went through.

I think she was so beautiful. When I see this photo I feel a little sad for her. I try to imagine the fear she was going through and her daily routine in the hospital. She had her hospital clothes on but she made her hair pretty for her husband’s visit.

He looked happy and proud to hug her.

My grandpa was Brazilian but my great-grandparents were from Spain. They came to Brazil and did very well for themselves.

My grandpa died blind because of diabetes  in his mid 60′s. He had a great life though and lots of grandkids. My cousins always say he had a great sense of humor  and was  always upbeat.

I grew up looking at this picture and imagining the day it was taken. Who took it and how the weather was like… I guess I always dreamt of having them around me and wondered how their voices were and hug felt like.

This picture brings a lot of memories. I remember holding it and having my mom telling me she was in her belly and as a little girl I thought it was pretty funny.

This picture tells me that life is very short and we need to enjoy it as much as we can.

I love them and I know one day I will feel their hug.

——————————-

My father’s parents

Maria and Leandro Gonçalves

My dad recently gave me this picture of my grandparents. I stare at it all the time. Photography is a powerful thing!

They look so proper in their elegant wedding clothes.

My grandpa arrived in Brazil from Portugal in 1920, he was only 10 years old. He came with his aunt and some cousins to work and try for a better life.

He did ok for himself, he was a business man and married my grandmother in 1939. My dad says the day before their wedding he found in the street a beautiful gold bracelet and he gave it to my grandma as a wedding gift. He did not have a lot of money and to him, this bracelet seemed perfect. She always used that bracelet but it ended up with his second wife later in life(I wish I could have it)

He was the only grandparent I really met. He died from heart problems when I was 7. The stories my father tell me about him leave me on the floor laughing so hard. All of his adventures and business… He was known for being a very honest man and ALWAYS well dressed. I definitely love the bow tie and the white gloves. For a man who NEVER went to school, not even for a single day, he taught himself to read and to survive as a little boy in a new country. He lived a full life and he always treated my mom as a daughter. She loved him so much!

I love my grandmother’s red lips and red nails. I can imagine her long dark hair… such a beautiful woman.

She was a maid when she met my grandpa and they only had one child, my father.

She also died with tuberculosis. She was waiting for my dad to get home from school one day, as he always made his way to her bedroom… He said hi, she looked at him and fell asleep forever. She was 33 and he was 7 years old.

I am so happy I decided to write a little about them today. It was very special for me. It brought tears to my eyes to think about them.

These two beautiful couples, completely different backgrounds, one day had a baby and those babies met, fell in love, got married and made me. Pretty awesome!

Life is a journey.

One day I will be just a picture with lots of stories to be told.

Sigh.

Life goes on…

I love my grandparents. I always think about them.

♥

Is it really March? Seems like late spring over here. The weather has been amazing and we are making sure to enjoy as much as we can.

Last week Maya skipped a day at school to take care of her plants and hang out at the alley with us

She’s been busy making new friends in the neighborhood and somehow she managed to be the youngest in her group… Did not surprise me. She is a social bee!

She loves playing model. She said she will be in magazines one day.

She LOVES her Mustang. It’s a girl and her name is Strawberry Shortcake

Kale and garlic, sun dried tomato Alfredo pasta… Yum!

Another beautiful day it was and we headed to San Diego

@ San Diego Zoo

The zoo can be very tiring…

Maya super excited to head next door and enjoy Taylor’s 8th birthday party!

Sometimes we go for a walk around the old neighborhood…

I love this view!

And the flowers around…

We love Taco Tuesdays… specially if we get a table by the fire and we always do. Lucky!

And she gets the best dessert ever!

Cinnamon and sugar churro and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Any questions?

♥