Hotel Torres

Is it REALLY the 9th day of March?? I mean, REALLY, is it possible that time flies by so fast? I just think it was New Year's the other day or something, and it's almost Easter already. What's happening? Am I getting old? (If I am, please don't tell me.)

I don't know how it happens, but it does happen. I can't believe my daughters will be 6 & 2 this year, and I really can't believe it's almost Easter! LOL. What's going on?? Well, for starters, we are keeping busy. And I do mean BUSY. Not only are we involved with MOPS, a Mom's Group, church, and friends, but we're also running Hotel Torres! Of course, we love it absolutely when friends & family come to visit. There's nothing better!

January brought my mom & sis-in-law to town for a 10-day visit. February brought my BFF Karen & her hubby for a long weekend. And now the Finns are here. YES, I have Finnish friends. Is that so unusual? ;) Markus & I have been friends for almost 10 years, it's hard to believe! And despite distance, we keep in touch. I love to visit Finland, but it's been a while since I've been there. So I do owe them a trip, and I will pay my debt next summer!!

We have had so much fun visiting all our friends so far this year! We hope that April brings my cousin, Brookie, and my parents plan to come in May. All these things make time go by faster, but they also make me miss home a little less. :)

Speaking of home, I really miss South Carolina beaches. As I write this on my laptop, I'm sitting at South Padre Island, Texas. Now, before you go hating me, take this in: THIS BEACH SUCKS. Oh yeah, I said it. For all the people who've told me it's great...I'm pretty sure this is the only beach they've been too. I mean it isn't horrible, but it isn't good either! And I could get past the crappy beach if there was something - ANYTHING - to do!

How bout a round of mini-golf? Oh yeah, there isn't one. Well....a mall? Some shopping? An aquarium? A zoo? A Starbucks, for crying out loud?? No, nope, and don't think so. On a rainy day, seriously, there is NOTHING to do here. Now, maybe it's a party if you're old and have no kids and really don't mind sitting in your room all day. But, that's not how we roll....so it's been a bit frustrating. Even more frustrating is that Gonzalo is in training, so he's missing this whole terrible wonderful trip! I guess I'm too spoiled by Myrtle Beach, HHI, and all the FL beaches I've been too. I imagined this would be a little like Gulf Shores, AL or Panama City, FL...but, not even close. Until this morning, there was an enormous pipe (like 3-ft. wide) lining the WHOLE beach. And that took up most of the sand, because there isn't too much!!! So, needless to say, I'm disappointed. But maybe I'll come back....when my kids are grown. ;)

I'm sure (I think) that I'll look back on this trip and laugh...maybe? Rayven is enjoying the pool a lot, and we may even venture out to the beach tomorrow since that dreadful pipe is gone. Rylee is saying more and more words everyday...some new ones are "cup", "all gone", "thank you", and "night-night". Can't believe my baby is turning into a little girl so quickly!!

That's all for now....hope we're going home tomorrow! :)

The Month of Love!

Okay, so I'm inspired by my cousin Brookie (I luv that name!) to write about things I love this month...in the month of love! She has been blogging about something she loves almost everyday, but of course, I would wait until the last possible "love day" to write. LOL...just my style. Better late than never?

Things (and People) I Love, in no particular order:

My 2 Beautiful Daughters, which are God's greatest gifts to me
Jesus
My Wonderful, Loving Husband
My Parents
All my family & friends
The beach
Travelling
Scrapbooking
Girls' Nights
Cooking...although I HATE to clean up the mess!
A comfy pair of heels
Sweet tea
Chocolate
Reading
Singing
Listening to the rain
The smell of the ocean
Longaberger baskets
Ice cream
Taking my girls to the park to play
My cellphone :)
Reconnecting with long lost friends
Quaint small towns, although I also love big cities!
Macy's
Christmas

And I could really go on and on! I am so blessed, and so are we all. Our blessings come in so many shapes and sizes, but we are all truly blessed in one way or another. I'm thankful for all the love I have in my life, and for having so many things to love!

Have things been busy for you this "love month?" We have been busy as usual at Hotel Torres! We have had lots of fun days, and we had a great time with Karen & Brian last weekend (our friends from TN). We managed to squeeze in the rodeo, zoo, shopping, and several trips downtown into 3 short days! It was so fun and so great to see them.

Tonight, we're preparing for tomorrow's arrival of our third set of guests for the 2010 season. Our friends are coming from FINLAND! Yes, that's right. FINLAND! They will be staying with us for the next 3 weeks, and there will be much fun going on at Hotel Torres. We're so excited to see them after 2.5 years, and also to meet their newest addition, Martti. We can't wait until they arrive tomorrow night!

Here's to another month - so glad I managed to blog at least 3 times. Now I have to get better about posting pictures! Happy Valentine's Month! :)

Fun times!

I'm getting behind on this blogging thing! It's too funny....I always feel like I need to put pictures in every post, and I just downloaded all the pics on my camera today. Yipee! There were over 900....Disney World, Christmas, trips, etc....you get the idea!

So Valentine's Day was great! On Friday night, we went to our church Valentine banquet. Then on Saturday morning, we took advantage of Parent's Morning Out at our church! We left the girls there for a few hours while we had brunch on the river walk. Fun times! Saturday afternoon, Daddy took Rayven on a date to the movies while Rylee & I had a nap. :) On Sunday, we enjoyed the morning at church before Daddy had to work. All in all, it was a good weekend!

Today we had more fun on a playdate to Magik Theatre to see "If you Give a Moose a Muffin!" It was fun, and the girls had a great time. We're so busy these days, I can hardly keep up. And Hotel Torres is expecting the arrival of its next guests late tomorrow night. Another busy and fun weekend ahead!

Rylee's favorite thing these days is the cabinets! She loves to clean out a cabinet, climb inside, and shut the door while saying "BYEEEE!". It's adoreable! I've got to get some pictures of her in those cabinets. She loves them! She is saying all kinds of words, like Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Bye-Bye, Hola (yes, she's bilinguel!), Hi, Ba (for bath), and - her favorite - MY MY (for mine)!!! She is quite the talker!

Rayven is busy too! Her favorite things are games, puzzles, and "chefing", which is helping out in the kitchen. Making cookies is her favorite! She loves playdates, and she asks me every night, "MOM - what are we going to do tomorrow???" She is the social butterfly (like me?). They are both fun, and she is a great big sister!

Well, this is all for now friends. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow, in between the cleaning!! Love to all!

The Higher Calling

WOW! I'm really doing better than last year, but it's been 2 weeks since I've blogged! I can't believe how time flies when you're having fun.

So, this past weekend, I went on a cruise with 2 of my San Antonio girlfriends! Yes, this trip was husband-free AND child-free! It was 4 nights of bliss with room service, maid service, wonderful restaurants, dancing the nights away, funny shows, girl talk, and even some shopping & beach time in Mexico. PURE BLISS, I say. :)

I did miss Gonzalo & the girls while I was away, and I was a little sad (note: A LITTLE) at how well they managed on their own. Although, it may have helped that I left a 4-page letter with directions! LOL! They went to Chuck E. Cheese, had a picnic in the backyard, and even made it to church on Sunday. I'm going to make leaving a priority at least once a year...it's good bonding for Daddy-daughters, right?

One morning last week, as I'm sweeping Cheerios off the floor, I had a little twinge of longing. I missed getting all dressed up on the cruise ship. I even miss putting on my business suit and going to work! I went from making great money to somehow sweeping Cheerios off the floor. How did that happen?? And, of course, I'm still in my pj's. Doesn't seem that glamorous.

But then I'm reminded of those two precious girls that I am shaping everyday. And THAT is a full-time job! Sure, somedays I'd love to drop them at a daycare and go to work and talk to people that are taller than 3-feet. I'd love to bring home that big paycheck again and feel as if I can buy almost anything I want and not feel guilty. But this is where I'm supposed to be...sweeping up the Cheerios. It's the better (yet much harder) job of the two. Don't get me wrong, I do understand working moms...I used to be one! And if you have to work, you have to. I did. But I tell you from experience that staying home is far more work than I ever did at a job. And it's also the most rewarding!

I know there will be more times when I miss getting dressed up, bringing home a big paycheck, and adult conversation. Many more times! But I hope I remember that my job here is the most important I could ever have. And I sure hope I'm doing it well. These days will pass by so quickly...they already do. And I know then that I will be missing those Cheerios on the floor.

Whew, that makes me wanna cry!

Okay, on a happier note, here are some recent pics of the girls:

Messing around in the diaper box! :)

They are getting so big!

Christmas Eve, by the tree!

Pink Baby....Lost Again

Well, we lost "pink baby"....AGAIN. The story of pink baby goes like this: I gave Rayven this doll on her very first Christmas! It was a pink rattle doll that says "Just Stay Little" on the front by Carter's. She is a very important member of our family!

A year ago when we moved in our house, we lost the original doll. We came to do our last walk-through on our home, and she must have left it in here. When the cleaning service came to clean, we can only guess that they threw it away! So, that was the first time we lost her....and we both cried. But we found another one on e-bay!

And yesterday we went for ice cream....and baby never made it home. The ice cream store hasn't found it, so we guess some other little girl or boy took it home with them! She was carrying Mammaw's purse when she left, but apparently Mammaw didn't make sure she had baby in the car!

I didn't cry this time, but I felt like it....a lot. I just can't stand the thoughts of her having to be without a "baby". She is growing up too fast anyway, and I do want her to "just stay little!" So, I found another baby on e-bay..... And we're going to leave it home this time! :)

2009 in Review

Okay, since I didn't get to write that much in 2009, I'm going to do a synopsis of the entire year at a glance! You'll either get the picture of why I was too busy to blog, or you'll be bored to tears. Either way, stay tuned....

January 2009:
Well, we lived in a hotel. Need I say more? We left TN for Texas on Dec. 8, 2008. By January 1, we were a little cramped in our hotel suite. My parents came for a 3-week visit, which was good...but like I said, we were a little cramped. And stir crazy. Not a good combo. We took my parents down to visit Gonzalo's family, which was a nice break away from the cramped quarters! We picked out a house in December, put money down, and were supposed to close Jan. 15. The house was in Floresville. While I was away at the Longaberger Leadership Meeting, guess who calls? Yep, Gonzalo. He's found a fabulous neighborhood in San Antonio and he wants to check it out. I screamed A LOT on the phone. I was tired and ready to move in, and get my STUFF back! So I wasn't happy....but I picked out a new house, in a day. BY MYSELF. Wow. I also joined MOPS in January, which stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. I love the group of women and all the new friends I've made! It was my saving grace to be able to get out of the hotel room and actually interact with people. And even better? Some of those sweet ladies actually invited us to their HOMES! Yes, a real home to play in! It was pure bliss to get to go to someone's house when you live in a hotel!

February 2009:
Well, when you scream at people and lose your cool, sometimes you get things done. Sometimes. It SHOULD take 4 weeks to close on a house. We moved in after 2 weeks. YES, 2. But it was hectic, and horrible, and I screamed A LOT. But, we moved in, none the less. The only thing I remember about February is the boxes, boxes, and more boxes that we unpacked. Our house in TX is a little smaller, so we had a hard time fitting all that stuff in a smaller house! But we did, and we unpacked most of it in a week! The girls (ALL THREE OF US!) were ecstatic to be out of the hotel! You see, the hotel had no kitchen! So, it was very hard to eat out every day. YES, every single day. That may be a dream to most people, but when the only sit-down restaurant is Chili's...you know you're in trouble. We were so happy to have our space and our things! It was like Christmas, all over again, and this time NOT in a hotel. :)

March 2009:
I went a little crazy in March. My niece, Jessi, flew to SA on a Friday night (at 10 PM), and we left at 7 AM THE NEXT MORNING bound for TN. It had been only 3 months since we left, but I was so ready to see family & friends from home! Moving is so stressful, and it was such a great break to get away! We spent a fun week in HHI with my cousin and our friends from TN, and then we spent two weeks close to home. It was lots of fun, but we sure missed Daddy. 3 weeks was a long time to be away! When we got back home, Rayven started gymnastics....

April 2009:
April was an action-packed month! We went to Poteet's Strawberry Festival (a nearby town). We saw Disney on Ice at the Alamo Dome. We discovered "Parents Night Out" at the church where I attend MOPS! And we filled weekends with Easter Egg hunts! Also, SA has "Fiesta" in April. We didn't attend many events, but there was definitely a buzz in the city! This year we plan to go to some fun family things. We also became members at the zoo, which we have really enjoyed this year! And, sweet little Rylee turned 9 months old. What a big girl!

May 2009:
In May, it was heating up in San Antonio! We swam. A lot! And we spent a leisurely week up in Bandera (at the Flying L Guest Ranch), since we had an expiring timeshare week to use. It was a lot of fun, and some great friends even came up to join us! They had camp fires, hay rides, s'mores, music, cookouts, and a water park! We had a blast, and we enjoyed laying low for the week. We plan to go to Bandera again! Another highlight of May was a tea party that Rayven had with her friend. It was our first "formal" tea party, and she was so excited about it! We even made chocolate-covered strawberries, which were her favorite part.

June 2009:
Are you still with me? Whew, this is getting long! June brought some fun birthday parties we attended. Also, my parents came for a 2-week visit, and we had a great time with them! We went to the Lavendar Festival in Blanco, and we also hit Market Days in Boerne. We took them to Fredericksburg also, and we all had lots of fun! My personal highlight of June was getting a piano - for $100! Our MOPS group had a yard sale at the church to raise money, and it was one thing that hadn't sold by lunch...so I got it half price! And my super-sweet friend had her dad to deliver it for me. What a blessing! In June we also joined a neighborhood playgroup so we could meet more friends who live nearby to have playdates with. We have enjoyed it so much and have made so many great friends for me and the girls!

July 2009:
Wow, my baby Rylee turned ONE in July! We had a great party for her here at home, and mermaids were the theme! We had a water slide (courtesy of my friend) and a baby pool (thanks to another great friend), so everyone loved it. We also had a visit from our neighbors from TN and we enjoyed showing them the sights of our lovely city. We squeezed in a quick trip down to see Gonzalo's family also in July. It was hot, but we enjoyed seeing all of them!

August 2009:
In August, wow, was it ever hot. We swam....a lot. Again. We also enjoyed Gonzalo's family coming for a visit before school went back in session! Rayven signed up for soccer to start the next month, and she was very excited about it! We relaxed quite a bit, and prepared for a busy September!

September 2009:
Well, it was a very busy month at the house of Torres! We spent a week in the Outer Banks of NC with my parents and brother & sis-in-law, then we came back to TN for another week in the mountains visiting family and friends. It was one of our best vacations! The drive (YES, I said DRIVE) was long, but it was better with TWO of us! Rayven also started Mother's Day Out two days a week, and soccer officially started as well. We had a fun September! (And, I'm NOT talking about how I turned 30...)

October 2009:
I don't know what it is about the fall, but it's always busy, isn't it?? I think it was so busy that I didn't even write it in my planner! LOL. Of course, we celebrated Rayven's BIG 5th birthday party at ...... Chuck E. Cheese, of course! She wouldn't have it any other way! And it was a great party with a ton of friends. She loved it! We also celebrated Daddy's birthday with a quiet dinner at home, complete with a cake and candles. Soccer continued, and Rayven decided to lay off the gymnastics for a while... She sure loves soccer, but she isn't too good at it yet! We visited pumpkin patches, went to fall festivals, and did the trick-or-treating of course. Both girls dressed as matching fairies, because Rayven wanted her "baby" to match her! They were adoreable, and we had a great time as usual.

November 2009:
We wrapped up with the soccer season in November, just in time for the holidays! We had a great post-season party at.....yes, Chuck E. Cheese. She just loves that place! We hosted Gonzalo's family for Thanksgiving, and we had a wonderful time. We also - of course - shopped till we dropped on black Friday, starting at midnight! I haven't lost that much sleep in ages, but we got what we went for!

December 2009:
Can't believe I made it through all 12 months! My fingers are close to falling off! LOL. We enjoyed lots of fun Christmas parties with MOPS and our neighbors. We even had a progressive dinner! Then for the big event...we spent 7 days at Disney World in FL! It was so magical, and I'll have to spend a whole blog writing just about that! We had a wonderful time, but were ready to get back to celebrate Christmas. We had a fun progressive dinner with our neighbors the day before Christmas Eve, then we hosted our cousins, Roy & Ann for Christmas dinner. It was a wonderful day! For New Year's Eve, we also celebrated with neighbors, and even little Rylee stayed up till midnight! We rang in the new year with a toast and a kiss, and lots of games and music and food of course!

So, that was the short-story version of 2009. I promise I'm gonna write more in 2010! :)

Cheers to a New Year!

Okay...well, of course it's been awhile since I've blogged! So, I'm going to make this one of my few New Year's Resolutions! I love all the things my girls are doing, and I know I'm going to forget 95% of it, if I don't keep up with it somehow. I love reading blogs, and I also love to write. I just never take the time to sit and do it!

2009 is history now. And welcome to 2010. We celebrated the New Year with our neighbors, the Cordovas and the Lopezes. We had a great time with all the kids shooting fireworks, eating (of course!), and playing Catch Phrase. I'm so thankful to have found such wonderful friends that live so close by! This has been a tough year, adjusting to life in a new place so far from anyone I know. But that has all changed with time. Doesn't time change most everything? I guess that's why we make resolutions: we want to change. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. As I look ahead to 2010, I have made some resolutions. We'll see if I keep them!!

-Spend more time on blogging (once a week is my goal!)
-Scrapbook at least once a month (two girls = a LOT of pictures people!)
-Be healthier, in general, which I hope results in weight loss
-Do a daily devotion book with Gonzalo (it's a GREAT little book!)
-Take my girls outside EVERY DAY! (yes, even if it's raining)
-Live by the budget (as painful as that is)
-Send more hand written notes and cards
-Keep my house more organized!
-Find a place to volunteer at least once a month (besides church)
-Grow my at-home business
-Get back into accounting from home, very part-time!

I can't wait to see all that God has in store for our family in 2010! I hope it's a year of good health and prosperity for our family (and yours), although I did not eat my black-eyed peas today! Maybe I will make that a tradition next year? Speaking of traditions, here are a few Christmas ones we are going to keep:

-Reading the Christmas story from Luke on Christmas Eve before bed
-Making a paper chain to count down to Christmas
-Putting up the tree the week BEFORE Thanksgiving
-Having ham for Christmas dinner
-Baking Christmas cookies on Christmas eve
-A progressive dinner with friends the week of Christmas
-A Christmas tree in all our bedrooms (and sometimes we sleep with it on!)
-A family photo card and Christmas letter to send to friends and family

We love the holidays! I am sad to see it over, but ready to start a new year. And I'm excited to have Gonzalo home for a 4-day weekend, even though he has to work the next 10 days after that! I will enjoy every minute of it! LOL.

We began the new year today by sleeping LATE...(which was good, considering we didn't go to bed until after 5 AM). Then Rayven & I went to the movies to see Alvin & the Chipmunks - the Squeakwel, and then we all spent the evening at Six Flags for their Holiday in the Park. It was a great day! Cheers to a New Year, and here's hoping it's better than 2009!