Patoaventuras : )

I talked to Dad this morning… called him like 5 or six times bc his phone kept losing signal. Dad and Mom are in Kansas, visiting friends and raising scholarship money for our kids. They do it every year, but this year’s trip has so far been beyond memorable. The plane they were in went through major disturbances, and both Mom and Dad say they will have a difficult time getting on their plane back to Mexico. Dad said they're happy to be back on safe ground, and I think he's also very happy to see old friends and preach, which he doesn't do on a constant basis anymore. I think he does miss being a pastor, even if he brings out the Church Council every time I ask him.

My sister is doing very well. She has been asked to stop working, and I hope she will eventually give in. We’re worried about her driving to and from, and I wonder how healthy it is for her to both stand and walk for such lengthy periods. I’ll have to find out about that.

Val and I talked on the phone a week or two ago. She is doing well too. Still worried about her family. I’ll see her in November, I hope, when I go back home for thanksgiving. If not, then I’m sure the Xmas holidays will give us enough time to visit. I am amazed at how enjoyable and cultivating our conversations are. She challenges my ideas, makes me consider options I hadn’t even thought of, sees right through me when I try to avoid things... and I have a feeling she does all of this quite effortless too. We are so different and so much alike.

Janie is also doing well. Jeremy, her boyfriend, will start working the night shift, and she has decided to take a year off before starting to teach. It sounds so good… she’ll be taking fun classes and maybe keep working at the library or go to back to UPS. She says she loves it, and I’m sure she does. She’s the kind of girl that enjoy that type of jobs… all I’m worried about is the hours… she had trouble with it last time. We’ll see what happens. Ah! Janie, if you’re reading this, would you email me your xanga web address? My computer crashed, and I don’t know it, so I haven’t been able to keep up with it. The A-Psi boys are in Nationals. I’ve stayed because I wanted to get stuff done, but I do regret not being able to see the northern peeps… and my friend from Laredo called me to see if I was gonna go… it made me a little sad… but it was very nice being able to talk to him after such a long time. He’s graduated and is now working, and seems very happy with his job. I’m very glad for him. Joel and, Yuritza, and Michael didn’t go either. Joel had auditions this week, and was gone by Thursday night.. hehe.. which I completely forgot about, as is usual… we called the kid while he was still in Chicago to see why he wasn’t in chapter… “ay Ms. Thingy”… I could almost hear him say…

The boy and I went to the opera last night. My friend Joel is a vocal performance major and he had the tickets but couldn’t go. He had just gotten back from the auditions, and he called me last night and asked if I wanted to go and take someone else. Of course I want to go! So I called the boy and asked him if he wanted to go, he said sure (and didn’t tell me he doesn’t enjoy opera too much –but he liked that second one- until we were on our way back) and so it was that the adventure started. I was like 15 min. late (had one of those what-to-wear crisis that I usually don’t have). Joel gave us terrible directions (as in take 75 North, instead of South, to 35 instead of 30… lol…. he was like “you’re gonna laugh” …and I laugh now, but oh gosh, I was stressed out by then… we had 20 mins to get there and we were lost, and there was an unbelievable traffic everywhere (the boy ha already called someone a jackass) … and I was starting to wonder if going back was a better idea… you know… let’s just go back and rent a movie and I can cook dinner (which I haven’t since the spaghetti surprise) and we’ll just have a relaxing evening… I have three hrs of sleep on me and I won’t be able to stress for much longer… and then the boy found the exit! …and so we got there, and my pantyhose and I were the first show of the evening… and we finally got to the theater just in time to hear the voice on the speaker say “The presentation will start in three minutes. There will be no seating after the doors close.” We got in, right on time. The opera was great. it was actually two one-act pieces. He liked the last one and I enjoyed the first one… mainly because by the time the second one had started my eyes couldn’t stay focused anymore. But the acting in the second one was much better. Minino and I had Wendy’s afterwards, and then I got to sleep : )

…and now I have to go back to work : ) hehe… already spent a long time writing this thing… : )