Her Thumb by Mia Lowry

OK, so this is the story I was told regarding Suzie taking off Tonie/Mary's thumb.
I am hopine Suzie and Tonie will e-mail me with their versions of these events.


The first time she did it. Suzie was mowing the lawn with those old-fashioned push mowers. She was angry she had to do this chore. Tonie was playing with her toys on the lawn. Suzie asked, well, told her to move and she wouldn't. So, she ran over her toys and her thumb happened to get in the way. Her thumb was almost completely off.

They rushed her to the clinic and she almost died because of the anesthetic. I was told they gave her too much. Then another version I was told was that instead of giving her the antidote to bring her back they gave her another dose to put her to sleep. Mom knew it was taking too long and started to pray. She was OK.

However, the second time Suzie (same thumb too) cut off her thumb (not sure how much later this was from the first incident) Tonie was playing on the gate located on the front yard fence. Mom had told Suzie to close it and she was upset about it. Tonie was hanging on it playing and she would not get off. Suzie closed the gate and off went the finger again. This time Mom did not want to take her to the clinic out of fear this time she would die. What did she do? She made some homemade remedy for her thumb, wrapped it up and prayed fervently it would be fine. It worked because she still has her thumb today. Although it does not move like her other one, I am sure she is the only person I know who had the same thumb come off twice and only saw the doctors once.
.l

Sis-in-Law Delia by Mia Lowry

I spent a few weeks with her, Abel and Josiah one summer after my break-up with the guy I was first engaged to marry. She was so kind to me and it was fun helping her around her little apartment. She loved to go shopping and took me to eat my first In 'N Out burger.

We watched some of her favorite movies and I remember watching one with Brad Pitt, but right now the name escapes me. She really loved this movie. She showed me all the decorations she had so far for the house during holidays. It was not much, but now she has tons of decorations.

Bro-in-Law Chuck by Mia Lowry

The first time I met Chuck was when Suzie brought him home from Phoenix for some big church service to meet us. I did not know what to think of him because I was use to seeing my brothers with girlfriends, but my sister with a boyfriend was too much to handle. I was 13ish at the time.

Then we moved up to Glendale and Suzie was engaged. I was happy and sad. I really did not know how to feel about it, but was really excited Tonie and I would have our own rooms. Chuck was really nice and super funny to me. I can still remember his jokes at the wedding when he was being teased by his family.

When I moved in with them I really got to know Chuck and his sense of humor. He is such a good Dad. I can still see his face when they handed Zaq to him. It was a mixture of awe, supreme joy and then concern for Suzie. He asked the doctor within seconds of getting Zaq how his wife was doing. Then when told she was OK, his face relaxed and then softened as he looked upon his son. It was neat to see him as a day. I knew then how great of a Dad he would be and how much he really loved my sister Suzie.

Zaq would follow him everywhere and I could tell Chuck love(d)(s) it. His face beamed with pride as he related how old he was and how he could hit a baseball, throw a football, etc... Zaq was a chip of the ol' block in the sports department (plus his Mom was not too shabby at sports either).

I can still remember one day we went to visit them at the house on 59th & Northern. You could see how happy he was to have a wife that would watch sports with him and keep track of all the stats of the game for him.

He is an excellent coach and you can see he loves to coach football if you ever get a chance to watch him at a game. I am very grateful he is in our family and Suzie got a good guy for a husband.

Memories of my Sis-in-Law Jill by Mia Lowry

The first memory I have of Jill was when I met her at their house on McClellan (I think it was called that) Street/Drive. They lived in a nice little apartment. She came out with Sheba (sp?) their Great Dane. I had never seen one before and I must admit it was intimidating. She really loved those dogs. I called her Marmaduke and Jill laughed and said Marmaduke is a boy and Sheba is a girl.

She had plants everywhere. I couldn't believe how beautiful they were and when I saw them I knew Mom (who was sitting next to me) was going to be loving each and everyone of them. Later, Mom said she wanted to know how she got her plants to do so well.

My next great memory is when I went over to visit while they lived in Peoria. Lit'l Ish came running inside and asked her, "Why do kids keep asking me why my Mom married a black guy? Dad is not black." Jill turned to see my face and we both started laughing. She got a look and then said, "You tell them if they ask you again because your Mom likes black men."

I remember when I came over to see her as she was dying. She told me how she needed to get things in order but Ish would not let her discuss it. She was worried about how he was going to handle her death. I brought her some yellow roses and she was happy to get them. Then she asked me to cut her hair. I freaked out. I told her I couldn't do it. You see, Jill would get mad at me whenever I cut my hair. She loved long hair and said she liked mine. She said she wished hers would be able to get as long as mine did and that it was beautiful. I knew if I ever cut my hair I was going to get a lecture from Jill. So, you can see why I was freaking out over her request for me to cut her hair. I told her I couldn't do it and she asked me again with such persistence I could not deny her request. She felt terrible about it, but let me know she was OK with it being cut because she couldn't take care of it right anymore. It took all of me to keep from crying as I cut her hair. She said she was glad I cut it and could not think of anyone else who she would have do it for her.

My last conversation with Jill was when she was in the hospital in 2000. I had taken the day off to watch Ish and Meghan. It was a Friday. She called me to thank me for doing this for her family. I asked her how she was and she burst into tears. She said she was tired of being sick and tired of living. She was ready to go. I did not know what to say or think or feel for that matter. This was new ground for me. I don't even know what lame response I probably gave her when she said this to me. A few weeks later she passed away. I was there, but I can't write about it today.

Merry Christmas! Welcome to Your Blog!!!

To: Mom & Dad, Rodrigo & Jovanni; Ismael, Ish Jr. & Meghan; Steve; Abel, Delia, Josiah, Caleb & Jared; Sergio; Suzie, Chuck, Zaq & Ani; and Tonie


From: Your daughter, sister (in-law) and Tia Mia or Lucy Lowry


I am excited to give this gift to our family this Christmas. I had been wanting to gift this to you two Christmases ago, but I did not have it together. I still have tons to add to it and this is where ALL of you come in with this gift. It is meant to be the gift that keep on giving.

Ok, so I have more to say about this blog; so, please read on and if I repeat myself I apologize. I feel really awful and can't really think straight right now. Getting use to the local germs are a killer and I am currently under attack. Normally, I would review this post, but to be perfectly honest, I just don't feel like it right now. So, I know there will be mistakes in this blog.

All of you have data/memories stored in your minds of events, history, etc... pertaining to our family's history that I do not have. I would like you to send me an e-mail and I will happily add it to the blog. You can leave it as a comment, but then it won't show up on the sidebar under 'posts' and I would hate for your contributions to not be part of the main blog. I would like the comment sections of the posts to be for additional insights on a particular 'post'/story. You know, like if I said it was so-and-so sister who did something when it was so-and-so brother. Know what I mean??

I do hope you like this idea and enjoy reading what I rushed to put together. Please forgive the type-os, but PLEASE let me know about them and I will correct it. I want to eventually add ALL of the family pictures Mom has, Tonie, Suzie, or anyone else has onto this blog. If you can help by scanning them since I am no longer in Arizona then send it via e-mail or disk would be better. I would really appreciate it! Then we will all have access to her pictures to enjoy them whenever we desire to view them. :)

I want our blog to be as factual as possible and it is not meant to embarrass, hurt or cause any negative feelings. This is not only for us, but for Mom and Dad's (great)grandchildren. They will not have the opportunity to know Dad or anyone else who will die before they are born. This is meant to preserve their stories, their history for all of us to enjoy.

So, my hope and desire is that ALL of Francisco and Lucia's children will contribute (and yes, this means grandchildren too!)to this blog with their stories. All it takes is at least 5 minutes or so to write a story you remember about anyone in the family. It can be short, long or however you want to have it be shown on the blog. Just please contribute to it.

I love you and really miss you all. I wish I could see your faces when you see this, but then again, you might hate this idea and if it's the case then I am glad I won't see your faces. hahahahaaa

Oh, one more thing....this blog is private. You can only see it if I let you. So, I have to give you permission.

Merry Christmas!

Cain Killed Abel by Mia Lowry

Mom told me a story about how when Abel and Ismael were little Ismael would torment Abel by saying "Y Cain mato Abel." Abel would complain to Mom. Then Mom would say, "Stop it."

"Why? It's true," Ish said.

"Well, stop saying it to your brother."

"I'm not saying it to him. I am just saying it because it is true."

Later, he would say it again. "Cain killed Abel."

"Ay, Ama tell him to stop saying it."

Spending Money by Mia Lowry

Whenever Mom gave us money to spend on sweets/treats at the local Circle K down the street from our old Yuma house. Suzie and I would rush in and out with our goodies. However, Mary would take forever. Finally, in frustration Mom would walk into the store to see what was taking so long. She said she would see her standing in front of the candy section with arm held out in front of her. She had one hand in a cup shape and the other moving around 2 pennies as she was trying to decide what she could buy with those last 2 cents. YES! You could actually purchase candy in those days with 2 cents. If I remember correctly you could get a jolly rancher or some Bazooka Bubble Gum (the ones with the little comic strip in it).

Candy for Mama by Mia Lowry

One day Dad gave Rodrigo and Ismael some money to get candy. Rodrigo got the candy and ate it. Ismael stood there thinking and finally said, "One for me and one for my Mama." Dad was very happy and proud of him for being so little and thinking of others.

Grandma's Stomach Cramps by Mia Lowry

Mom told me how one day Grandma Maria was in bed complaining about her stomach cramps. Ismael came in and said, "Otra ves te hico dano la comeda."

Grandma Maria said, "Ay, ya me estas dicendo comelona."

Jose Palabras by Mia Lowry

Mom related this story to me about my brothers Ish and Rodrigo when they were little. Ismael loved Rodrigo, but Rodrigo was moody/genioso. One day Ish came to Mom and Aunt Monica, Mom's sister, and said, "El H me dijo malas palabras."

Aunt Monica was furious and told Mom she had to spank Rodrigo. Mom said she wondered how he would know them because they did not have a TV and she did not use those words. Monica told Rodrigo to come in and then asked Ismael what he had said about him. He said, "He said I am Jose Palabras."

Aunt Monica had a fit of laughter.

The Upstairs Room in Yuma by Mia Lowry

Our old home located at 408 N. 21st Ave in Yuma once had an upstairs. The staircase when into the living room closing the dining area from the living/great room. Mom once told me there were 3 reasons this place was sealed off. The first is the easiest to relate-the stairs were dangerous. I cut my forehead bouncing down the stairs. However, the next two stories (I think) are really the reasons it was closed off.

Both stories revolved around the boys playing "Cowboys and Indians". One day she came in as they were trying to start a campfire. The next time they had cast Sergio as the bad guy. They had tried him and found him guilty. He was to be hung. Mom came in as they were hanging him out of the window. Fortunately, they had put the rope around his body and not his neck.

So, that was the end of our living in a house with upstairs. Dad sealed it off at Mom's request and now the house only has a window to evidence of an upstairs.

Easter Sunday by Mia Lowry

When we were little we would sometimes go to the sun-rise service and then have the church picnic in the school's playground located behind the Yuma church building. We would have an Easter egg hunt, eggs to smash over people's head and lots of food (pot luck). When the park activities were done we would head home for a quick nap and then head back to church in our new Easter clothing.

The children of the church would have plays, like at Christmas time, of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was lots of fun to see the plays and then later be a part of them.


When we moved to Glendale Church I don't remember if we had a park activity. Mom and Dad went there for a little while; then moved to Pastor Iglesia's church. We sort of did our own Easter celebrations at our churches. I don't think we ever had what other American families had on Sundays-a big family dinner.

Then we all made Mom and Dad empty nesters. This is when things changed and we began to get together for meals. We did picnic at Tonie's house, Easter egg hunt and dinner at our house one year and at Suzie's, but Tonie's house was the final pick for this event since she is the only one with a pool.

Reverence by Mia Lowry

It never ceases to amaze me how parent's nowadays say it is hard to keep children in line during church or any setting in which reverence is a requirement. My parent's had eight children and we all behaved in church. If not, we knew we were in for it. Either Mom would lean over and twist our arm skin to keep us in line. She'd do it and then whisper in your ear, "If you start crying, acting up or yell from the pinch I will do it again." So, you had to suck it up and take it. You knew it was your fault you got it because of your actions.



If that wasn't bad enough punishment to endure alone we had Dad to content with if we were ill behaved in church. He would stand up from the minister's platform walk over to the wooden divider and point at us while giving us the "You better watch it, kid" or "You are gonna get it, kid" look. If he stood we knew we were going to get a good ol' fashioned woopin' as soon as we got home.



All eight of us learned quickly how it payed off to just sit and endure the long sermon given to us by Pastor David Silva, all the songs by each group of the church (esp. the Dorcas marching all over the church while singing "Gloria, gloria, alleluia-I still can't stand that song. Sorry.), and the alter calls. For a kid of age 5 or 6 this was a lot of sitting still without any toys, books or any other thing to entertain us (distractors).



When Mom took us to visit her friends in their home we ALWAYS got the lecture---"You are to sit still. Don't move. Don't talk. If she asks you if you want water you say 'No, thank you' and I don't care if you think you are going to die from thirst. You're answer is still 'No, thank you'. Don't ask to use her bathroom. You better just hold it in until we are done with the visit. Do not touch anything she has in her house and don't ask her if you can play with any of the things she has in her house. If you misbehave in any way I WILL punish you when we get home."



This talk was modified for hospitals and stores. In stores we were told-"We are only here to buy what I have on this list. Do not ask for anything. You are not going to get it. Understand."



All of the above was a very effective method of learning reverence, obedience and self-control. All of these are important life lessons and I for one am thankful we did not get any distractors to teach us places of reverence were places of entertainment and that as Sergio use to sing the Stones song (which annoyed me) "You can't always get what you want".
See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxkdmL3iMCY

Steve's Birth Story by Mia Lowry

Mom told me how when she was pregnant with Steve they lived in a small house far from anyone, town, and phones. She did not have a phone at home. When the time came for her to give birth to Steve. She told Dad it was time. He sort of took his time and then it was too late because a huge storm hit. The car they owned at the time could not be driven due to all of the flooding. Dad ran and borrowed a grua* (not sure of the spelling or the translation). Dad and Mom sat in the seat and she had one hand on Rodrigo and the other on Ismael to keep them from falling. They made it to the midwife's house and Steve was born.


*Please add a comment below if you know the spelling and what this word is in English. Thanks!

Lucia the Handi-(wo)Man by Mia Lowry

Sometimes Dad worked too many hours and left no time for the chores that needed to be done around the house. So, Mom picked up the slack and did them herself. She did almost everything from: painting the house-inside and out, mowing the lawn, hanging doors, putting down new linoleum in the kitchen or bathrooms, she even replaced the doors of the kitchen cabinets, she trimmed trees, and all of these things were done in addition to her regular chores.

The house was always SUPER clean, we never had a time where she did not cook a meal, when we were little she sewed our clothing, she made crochet-afghans, doilies, and any other project she wanted to make, and she embroidered-pillows and kitchen towels.

I might be leaving some of the things she did off this list.

Toys from Lucia's Childhood by Mia Lowry

Her brother Juan was very creative and he would often make things for her out of clay/dirt from around their home. He would also make things for himself. He would mold cars complete with tires, he would make furniture for Lucia's homemade dolls and sometimes he would catch a beetle. He would put the live beetle on a string and they would let it fly around them like a kite.

Christmas Traditions by Mia Lowry

*CHURCH---On Christmas Eve we went to church. There was usually a play and one of us (the kids) had a part in it. After church, we would go to the 'comedor/kitchen' of the church to eat some tamales, menudo or drink some Mexican hot chocolate. We would hang out there chatting with friends and when we finally made it home it was almost midnight.

*PRESENTS----We would open them after we got home from church. We enjoyed our time at church, but we always were chomping at the bit to get home. We couldn't wait to open our presents. We were never taught the story of Santa Claus in our home. What we learned of him was through television shows (Rankin/Bass see: http://www.rankinbass.com/) or our friends who were more knowledgeable of the story of Santa. I know as a child I wished we were taught the story of St. Nicholas (http://www.stnicholascenter.org/ This is one of the many websites about this man in history who did some good in the world.) and were taught about Santa. Mom said that in Mexico they received gifts from "El nino" on their porch inside of their shoes. Grandma Maria tried to do this tradition for her children, but Lucia or Mom poo-poo'd it and that was the end of this tradition for her family.

We always had at least 4 gifts under the tree. We knew we were getting clothes and one toy. It was exciting to see the gifts appear under the tree for us kids.

*TREES---When we lived in Yuma, I remember us putting up a fake tree. I always wanted a real one like my best friend had in her house, but we had to be practical with our money. In hindsight, I am glad they did this for us because I know we received more gifts as a result. Plus, I have this "wonderful" tree to tell about. Back in those days, fake Christmas trees were nothing like the ones they sell now. Back then we did not know any better, but looking back you can honestly say these trees were the ugliest trees you could ever find.

Charlie Brown's tree is sort of a good way to describe it, but at least his tree was real (www.imbd.com/title/tt00559026). Just like his tree there was a lots of needles missing. The branches were made of thick wire and the wire would be without needles for the first inch or two from the body of the tree, which was made of wire and had no needles on it. The needles were the WORST plastic imitation of a real tree. You could not say it at least had many branches on it because it did not. To shape the branches to make it look like a pine tree took the strength of a giant because the wires were not easily bent. However, when we decorated we were never more proud of our tree. I wish I could find a picture of it on-line, but luckily, I know Mom has one of it. I would like to scan it and put it in here.

I know the family had one of those white small trees before I was born and when I was a baby. It was a table topper. These are now considered 'retro Christmas trees.' It's a shame we did not keep it as it would be nice for Mom to have it now because I know these trees are low maintenance to put up.

When the family moved to Phoenix, then we stopped having a Christmas tree. Dad felt it was wrong to celebrate Christmas with a tree, and we did not have one anymore. However, I worked with a friend and she found out about this situation. She and her boyfriend came over with a REAL Christmas tree for us. So, we finally got a live Christmas tree. There is a picture of Jovanni as a toddler in front of it.


FOOD---
We ate tamales, menudo or posole (sp?) soup, bunwellos (sp?), which taste like funnel cakes, but thinner, rice and beans. We had the traditional Mexican hot chocolate. Mom made the best Christmas Mexican food you could ever taste. We always said she should have opened a restaurant.

CHRISTMAS DAY---
For our family Christmas Day was just a regular day when we lived in Yuma. I guess it could be like Dec. 26th for the rest of the world who opened gifts on Christmas morning. When I was little I wanted us to do Christmas like most Americans did on Christmas Day, but we always did it on Christmas Eve (probably because we did not want to wait another day to open our gifts).

As we grew older, this day has been modified. We would do Christmas presents for the Villanueva descendants on other days, like the 26th or the 28th. It would prolong our season, which I think is pretty great. Last year we spent the night at Tonie's opened gifts; then went home. It was the start of a great tradition. Hopefully, it continues as the family in Arizona grows. Maybe one day Abel's family and mine will get to come too.

Home Remedies of Lucia by Mia Lowry

OK, so here are a few I remember. If you know more then please send me an e-mail and I'll add them.


SORE THROAT/TONSILS----If you ever got sick and your tonsils were swollen or you had a really bad sore throat she would slice a tomato. Take two pieces of the tomato (one for each foot) and heat them by sauteing them on a pan without any type of oil. Once they would get hot and a little blackened she would bring them to you.

She would get out your socks and two long strips of cloth, but before placing the tomatoes on the arc of your foot. She would make you go to the restroom. You had to go to sleep with them on your feet for the entire night and could not get up during the night. If you did try to get up she would scold you for doing it. I know because I tried this once.

She would tie the tomatoes on with the two long strips of cloth and then you'd put on your socks. She told me the hotter you can tolerate the tomatoes the better the remedy.


ORGANIC PENICILLIN----Boil 3 garlic cloves very well. Add 1 cinnamon stick and continue to boil well. Then after both have been boiled well add oregano. Boil the oregano for a little while. Pour into a cup then add some lemon juice and honey. Then drink this homemade tea.


DIARRIAHA----Straight lemon juice with 1/2 spoonfull of baking soda and drink it.

CURE ALL OLIVE OIL----2 spoon fulls of olive oil. This is good for diarria, if the child eats something they shouldn't like mascara, for lot's of fever. But with fevers you heat the oil on your hand and rub it on the feet if they are really cold. You can also use it to rub on the tummy of a child who wets the bed before he/she goes to bed-put the oil on your hand then rub it on them.


PREGNANCY HEMORRAGE TEA----silk, a ring (not sure what metal), figs


BED WETTING----Put warm olive oil on the child's belly before he/she goes to bed to heat up his bladder. This is done with the idea that the bladder is cold and this is why the child is wetting the bed.

Lucia's Parking by Mia Lowry

When we lived in Yuma and were little girls going to the store with our mother we would often complain at her parking practices. It did not matter which store we were going to do some shopping the parking practice was the same. As soon as we pulled into K-mart, Fedmart, Yellowfront or the Pic 'N Save strip mall she would park.

We would complain about the LONG walk to the store because she parked at the first spot next to the street we just came off of to enter the lot. We would see all the many spaces near the store and point them out to her. "There's one. Why couldn't we park here. See how close it is to the store!" She would smile and say, "We need our exercise. This is good for us." Of course, we would complain about how much our legs hurt and how we did not need exercise.

It wasn't until years later I found out why she would do this 'peculiar parking' habit. She told me she was nervous about parking next to other vehicles; so, she would find the furthest spot knowing the likely hood of a car parking next to her was zero. I laughed and borrowed her method when our family vehicle was the Red Chevy Long Bed truck. I know that Tonie borrows this method sometimes when she drives her Porshe, but not because she can't park. She does it to keep people from hitting her car and chipping her paint job.

Francisco--The Shocker by Mia Lowry

I remember Dad was pretty daring and fearless at times. There were things he would do that would shock me. There was this time when we still lived in Yuma. I was the only child left living there as everyone had moved to Phoenix to spread their wings. I had gone into the backyard to read and I saw it. We had a lime tree to the left of the back door of our home. It was big and gave the best limes. I was sitting near it when I saw a swarm of wasps going in and out of this tree. There it was hanging from the tree-a paper wasp nest. It was small, but would soon be larger from the looks of how busy these wasps were.

I ran inside to tell Mom. She told me I would need to let Dad know too. So, when he came home from work I told him. He shrugged and seemed like it did not worry him. I have to admit I was worried because my imagination starting to run away from me. I began to imagine them coming inside the house on the attack and unlike honeybees these insects can sting you repeatedly without dying. Dad said after he saw I was worried, "Just wait and see what I will do."

Later after the sun had set, he came into my room and said, "Come here I want to show you something." I had forgotten about the wasps at this point and thought "Uh-oh, what did I do now?"

So, with much trepidation I followed him as he took me to the back yard. He walked over to the tree and then I remembered the wasps. Without any gloves, or bee type gear to protect him for a stinging wasp he picked up the nest. I ran towards the door yelling for Mom. I was sure he was going to be attacked and we would have to rush him to the hospital. He calmly walked over to the garbage bin and threw it in. He turned to look at me and said, "See. I told you to wait and see what I would do. There was nothing to worry about."

I shook my head in disbelief and turned to see Mom at the back door. I began to tell her how my dad, her husband was the craziest, most daring man alive.

Another crazy thing I witnessed Dad do was when I was car shopping. We pulled over and saw this blue Ford Tempo. It was the same model and year of his red one. He and I were peaking inside of it. He checked the tires, the paint and said he wished he could look under the hood. Then he looked around and got out his keys. I figured out what he was going to try. I said, "Don't even try it, Dad. It's not going to work." He said, "Let's see."

He took out his Ford Tempo key and tried the lock on the one for sale. To my astonishment it worked! He turned and smiled at me then he said, "See. You never know until you try." He opened the door and if I remember correctly he looked under the hood. I freaked out! I told him we couldn't do this and it was wrong, but he ignored me. I was panicking because I was sure the cops were going to pull up and haul him or both of us away. We finally left after what seemed like a century to me. He said, "I'm glad I got to thoroughly inspect this car because it is no good. We saved ourselves another trip to see it." His face was frowning as he shook his head. We would have to continue our search for my first car elsewhere. However, I did not care I was not getting a car because I was just relieved we were leaving berfore anyone else showed up.

Some Stories/Events I Remember With Mom by Mia Lowry

MOM AND GAMES:

Jacks: Mom really never had a lot of time on her hands to play with us, but I do remember on a few occasions were she got to play jacks with us. She was a natural (must be where Suzie got it from). She could pick up lots of jacks and still catch the ball. It was fun to see the playful side of Mom as she sat on the floor, which was weird to see (because Mom was so prim and proper), and bounce the little red rubber ball.

We would play jacks in the front of our old Yuma house on the long red sidewalk that lead to our porch and front door. She would play with us girls until it was time for her to return to some household duty. As far as I can remember she was only able to play jacks with us 2 or 3 times. These are memories I will never forget. She taught us, Suzie, Mary and I how to play jacks. We would spend what seemed like hours playing by ourselves. No doubt all three of us were secretly hoping Mom would come out and play with us again. Well, to be honest, I can only say I was waiting for her to stop her chores and come to play with us.


POOL TIME:
There is a picture in a frame at Mom's house inside a perpetual calendar I gave her. This is my favorite picture and memory of Mom. She had purchased an above ground kiddie pool for us to swim in during hot summer days. It was hard to live inside the swamp cooler home during the high humidity days of summer. On those days, we would go outside and swim in the pool.

The day we took this picture was a really hot one and we begged Mom to come out to swim with us. Finally, she consented to go out with us, but only for a little while. We had a wonderful time swimming with our mother. Since it was a small pool, you really could not say you were swimming in the traditional sense of the word. It would be better to picture or describe what we were doing as "we sat, jumped around, splashed each other and maybe tried to swim. I remember Mary wanting to swim (she loved the water), and asking us to move back to give her room to swim. We played in it as long as we could or until our hands hurt from pruning. Mom, true to her word, left after a little while to go do some household duty, probably make dinner. But while she was with us, we splashed her and played like little girls do with their mom. It was a lot of fun.



ROAD TRIPS:

Ensenada, Baja, Mexico-
The people in this trip were: Dad, Mom, Suzie, Tonie, Chiquita (Mom's dog) and I.

We were so excited to drive to Ensenada one summer vacation. Suzie and Tonie were the most happy that we were taking Mom's little Pomeranian dog with us on this trip. For me it was a fun and not-so-fun trip. As can be expected the drive there was a long one and not without incidents. Dad was always a crazy driver and the roads to Ensenada were extremely dangerous. It was a scary drive. As you drove up the mountains, you could see cars that had fallen down the cliffs.

For Dad this trip was fun. He especially enjoyed tormenting all of his passengers by pretending to loose control of the vehicle or swerving it to the left then to the right (now you can see where his sons got their sense of humor). I remember thinking as looked at the cars on the side of the mountain how we were going to end up in the same situation. Mom kept telling Dad to stop it, but he would just laugh and do it even worse. She told him we were getting sick, but he would say, "Tell them to stick their heads out the windows to get some air. That will make them feel better."

I would not even consider sticking any part of my body out of the window while he drove like an intoxicated mad-man. I am surprised we did not get pulled over by the local authorities, but we were in Mexico and maybe the reason why Dad never got a ticket. Finally, we were overcome by the nausea and we all vomited. The only ones in the car who did not vomit where Dad and Mom. Even the dog threw up all over the car floor. Dad finally pulled over to allow us to get cleaned up and Mom had to clean the car.

When we got to Ensenada we found the only food served by vendors in port cities (back in the day) in Mexico was fish. None of us liked fish. Suzie ordered some fish dinner at Mom's suggestion, but when they put the plate in front of her she looked disgusted. They served her a fish with it's head and tail still on it, in fact, it looked as if they took it from the ocean to the stove then to her plate.

Later, not sure if we were overcome by hunger or if we truly liked it, but we were introduced to our first fish taco. We ate and ate till we could eat no more. We had lots of fun playing on the beach. Mom has a picture of us burying Suzie in the sand. In this picture, Mom was hurrying us to finish and Tonie was trying to put more sand on Suzie. Her hand was not yet covered and I did not know what to do; so, I sat on it. This is why when you see the picture Suzie's head is lifted up laughing.

The hotel we stayed in had a pool upstairs above the rooms. We had fun swimming in this pool. Dad even went swimming with us. This was a fun trip and when it was over we were ready to come home.

YUMA TO PHOENIX-
If I had not been born; then Mom and Dad would have been empty-nesters in 1989. All of their children save one, me, had moved up to Phoenix. Steve, Suzie and Tonie shared a condo in Glendale. It was a nice two-story condo located on 59th Avenue and Olive near Glendale Community College. Steve was working at the Jack 'N the Box across the street from the college. Later, Tonie was working there too. I can't remember where Suzie was working at this time.
I believe Rodrigo, Elizabeth and Abel lived in an apartment together. Ish was living with Jill in Tucson. Sergio was attending Bible College in California.

I became Mom's traveling buddy to come up and visit her other children in Phoenix. The was always fun. We would sometimes come alone or bring either Ramces or Ireri to visit their sister, Liz. When we would come we would stay at the condo in Glendale and go to Glendale Apostolic Church with Steve, Suzie and Tonie. Sometimes it was only a weekend visit, and we'd leave on Sunday afternoon because I had school the next day and Mom needed to come home to care for Dad's breakfast/lunch for work.

Mom was a great traveling partner. During the trip we'd talk, laugh and stop to eat in Gila Bend. In those days, Mom was not afraid of driving, and her nerves were not like they became after she moved to Phoenix. She could drive on the freeways too. It was always hard for her to leave her children in Phoenix and return to Yuma. She was torn between her love of her children and the comfort of her house, friends, and the familiarity of Yuma. Eventually, they decided to move to Phoenix after Dad retired and I finished out my freshman year at Yuma High School and the next day we moved. I was not happy about the move, but looking back now I am glad Mom can be a widow near most of her children. Yuma would have been too hard for her to be alone and a widow with her children living in Phoenix.

Parent's Embarrass Kids Part 1 by Mia Lowry

When I was going to the Christian school in El Mirage my dad would come to pick me up. I remember asking my mom not to have him do it, but Dad loved to drive. I can recall how he would holler at me "Hija!" and wave his arms like crazy. I would pretend I did not see him because I was the typical teen embarrassed of her father. However, the more I ignored him the louder he yelled at me and the wilder his hands would get.

I can still remember my friends saying, "Your dad is trying to get your attention." I wanted to die or have the earth swallow me up, but neither occurred.

Then there was this one week (I can laugh about it now) he came to pick me up and he wore the same clothes. My friend's noticed it and asked me about it. Talk about embarrassing! They wanted to know why. I think I made up some half-truth and told him he was a janitor. So, I let them think it was a uniform.

I remember telling mom I was mad at her for not picking me up or at least making sure dad wore something different. She just laughed.

My Dad, My Grandpa? by Mia Lowry

I know I was not the only one privy to this type of questioning, but you must remember that being the youngest of all of my siblings I probably got it the most. My dad was almost 50 years older than I was, well, actually, he was 48 years older than me.

So, whenever he would pick me up from grade school, Jr. High and High School he would often be referred to by my friends who did not know him as my grandfather. For example, at my High School graduation I heard the following:

"Oh, how sweet your grandpa came to your graduation."

"My grandpa? Who are you talking about?" I asked.

"The man you were talking to in the parking lot."

"Oh, you mean my Dad," I said.

"No, I am pretty sure he was your grandpa."

"No, it was my dad."

"You're grandpa."

"Dad."

"I am sure he was your grandpa."

I described his appearance and clothing to them to make sure they were talking about my dad and sure enough they were. I explained to them how my grandpas were dead and my dad was almost 50 years older than me. Of course, they would be embarrassed.

I can still remember my friend asking me when she saw a picture of my dad before my wedding if he would be able to walk down the aisle. I knew she was thinking he looked feeble, but I never saw him that way or maybe I was just use to it. Some of my other friends were offended by her question, but I was not. I guess you can say I was use to people thinking of my dad as old; so, it was not that big a deal. I thought it was kind of funny, but maybe I am warped.

I can recall a moment when I realized the age difference of my parents. Mom and Dad were 17 years apart and Dad proposed to her when she was just a 16-year-old girl. Grandma Maria asked him to wait until after her 17th birthday to have the wedding. So, when I realized this I told Dad if he had finished high school as a senior he could have went to the maternity ward and picked out his future bride/wife. He was not too happy about my saying this about them. In fact, I got an earful from him regarding my comment. Mom told me I should not have said it to him. I was just in high school myself and did not understand what the big deal was about saying something if it was true.

Waiting For Two Phones Calls by Mia Lowry

One day a long time ago, our family (Franciso, Lucia, Sergio & I) that lived in Glendale had a washing emergency. The dryer was broken. Franciso or Dad as I liked to call him, was a handy man and was calling around to find the necessary part for the dryer. Dad was waiting for this man to call him back with the price of this part. Dad was great at haggling over prices and could usually get the price of anything he felt was too much down by whatever amount he felt was needed.

At this time Dad, was also expecting a phone call from his primary care physician. He had been diagnosed with diabetes and was having issues controlling his blood sugar. He had had an appointment a day or two before the day of this incident.

Mom, Dad and I were sitting in the kitchen talking after our meal. Sergio was out. The phone rang and Mom went to pick it up. She told Dad it was the doctor's office calling him, but they were speaking in English. She told him he should ask for a Spanish speaking nurse to relay the Dr's message. Dad either ignored her (selective hearing, which I think he often suffered from) or he just did not hear her (during this time we thought he was going deaf too) and got to the phone.

As soon as he heard what the person on the other end said, he got upset and started to tell her, "No, it's too much money. No pay, no buy." He would get silent and listen to the caller then repeat what he said over and over again. At this point, Mom turned to me and said, "He did not hear me that it's the Dr's office. He thinks it is the man about the part." I laughed and Mom went over to Dad to tell him. He, like most of us do when on the phone, shook his hand at her to leave him alone.

So, there he was yelling about the price and Mom was yelling about the caller being his Dr's office. I joined in the yelling to assist Mom, but Dad ignored me too. It might have been because I could not stop laughing and was probably annoying him with my laughter.

After some time, Mom and I surmised the nurse on the other end went to get someone because Dad said something along the lines of: "Ay, se corto la lina." Then he began to holler, "Hello, Hello, hello" over and over again until someone returned. This time the nurse on the other end spoke Spanish. Dad was able to converse with her.

When he came back to the table, he was smiling and said, "The weirdest thing happened I was talking to the man about the part for the dryer then it switched over to my Dr's office without even ringing."

Mom and I exchanged a "yeah, right" look, but I was the only one bold enough to call him on the carpet. He was trying to save face with this one because I am sure he figured out what we were saying to him and why I was laughing. I told him I was on to him, but he ignored me and drank his coffee.

Some Types of Food Lucia's Family Ate... by Mia Lowry

Lucia during a phone conversation relayed the following to me. She told me how when she was a little girl they would oftentimes eat baby pigeons for dinner. There was lady from her church who had a son that raised them. Whenever they would go and visit the mother of this young man would ask him to give her some of them. He would protest to them having some because he knew they would kill them to eat. Sometimes he would relent to his mother's plea and give them the baby birds and other times his mother would give them some birds when he was out.

Lucia's brother, John, would go hunting with a sling shot and get them meat for dinner. Due to their poverty they would eat meat sparingly. However, on a good hunt John would come home with some rabbits or other birds for them to eat. If they had money, Maria would send Lucia to the store to purchase some meat for dinner.

Maria was a good cook, Lucia said she would dress the rabbits and birds to prepare them for dinner.

Children Embarrass Parents Pt 4

During a banquet in their ward, Vincent ran up to his dad and announced, "I have to make poo-poo!"

Children Embarrass Parents Pt 3

It's payback time for Celeste's mother. She is constantly embarrassing her.

*In the mall restroom she looked up and saw an elderly lady in there and said, "Look at that woman. She is a woman."

"Yes, she is." Then the lady asked what she was saying. I told her and she laughed and said, "Yes, I am a woman."

On the way out of the bathroom. Celeste looked back and asked, "What is that woman's name, Mommy?"

"I don't know. I don't know her."

"That woman was crazy!"

"Be quiet! We don't call people that word, and you need to stop using it."

*In church, she looked back and saw a lady from the ward. She asked, "Mommy, why did that lady do that to her hair? It looks crazy!"

"Be quiet, Celeste! We don't use that word. Her hair looks nice."

"Yes, it looks nice. It looks crazy and sweet."

"No talking in church!"

*On our way home from a church activity, she turns to a lady from the ward and says, "I want to go to your house. Will you take me to your house?"

"Sure. Come on!"

"Bye, Mommy."

"Oh, no you don't," says Mommy, "and stop inviting yourself to people's houses. We don't do that it's rude."

*The Lowry family had just went to a reunion and met some of Glenn's dad's first cousins. Celeste had fun there, but on the way out. She asked, "Can I keep this?" Whenever she goes to some one's house she either asks for their things or takes them.

*A family from the ward invited them over for dinner. As Celeste's mother was strapping her into her car seat she noticed a big lump in her jacket pocket. "What is this? A ball. Where did you get it? Did you take it? We don't take things that do not belong to us. It is stealing and that is choosing the wrong." As Mom was asking her these questions, Celeste just stared at her not answering but looked much like someone who is caught in the act of doing something wrong.

Children Embarrass Parents Pt 2

One day at the Yuma church, the men's auxiliary (Varones) were singing. Lucy (Mia) was busy writing and looking down. Suddenly, she looked up and saw this man; then turned to her Mom and said, "Look, Bro. So-and-So looks just like a bear. How cute!"

"Be quiet!"

"But he does! Did you see him? Look at him. He looks just like a bear."


********

Years later, Lucia told this story of her daughter commenting how this man looked like a bear to her old family friends: The Briones. Carmen, their daughter, said that Lucy was right. Bro. So-and-So did look like a bear.

Children Embarrass Their Parents Pt 1

Teenagers get embarrassed by their parents, but before this happens children can embarrass their parents. Here is a story how Lucia was embarrassed by her daughter Suzie.

One day in the Yuma Apostolic Church a lady with three sons came to visit the church. When Suzie saw her children she said excitedly, (in Spanish) "Mom, did you see that lady? Her kids are so cute! They look just like monkeys."

"Be quiet, girl!" (Callajete, muchacha!)

"Why? It's true. They look just like monkeys. They are so cute. I want my kids to look just like monkeys."

Turkey Day by Mia Lowry

I remember asking my Mom regarding how our family came to celebrate Thanksgiving. She told me how their first American friend, Mary, told her about Turkey Day. (Please note: Mary did not speak Spanish and my Mom did not know English at the time. Dad just knew enough to work.)

My Mom wondered why they would celebrate a turkey in America. She said she just impulsively decided to cook a turkey (she had never done it before) and have us celebrate this American holiday. As I write this I wonder if Mom whether consciously or sub-consciously wanted us to assimilate into American culture. At any rate, we ate turkey and it was years before she finally learned the story of why Americans celebrate 'Turkey Day'. She found out it was not about the Turkey, but about giving thanks. She said she was happy she decided to celebrate such a nice holiday.

Nap Time With Tata A Story of Lucia's as retold by Mia Lowry

When it was time for a nap Meghan would go to her Tata's bed and lay next to him. If her Nana ever wanted to get in bed she would say, "Noooooo. Tata tell her to go away." And sometimes she would say, "Hold me Tata. I don't want her next to me." She really loved nap time with my Dad, but I guess she did not want to share him with my Mom.

Combing Tata's Hair: A Story From the Memories of Lucia as retold by Mia Lowry

When Jovanni was a toddler she would love to play with her grandparents. One of her favorite things to do was to brush her Tata's hair. She would do various styles. Some where silly and some were good. Whenever she did a silly hair-do she would get in front of Dad and giggle. It was amazing to see my father who was always at work or too tired after work for his children play with his granddaughter. He was such a good sport and did not mind her giggling at him.

Jared by Mia Lowry

Jared, I think, was like Meghan was towards me in the beginning. Not wanting to have anything to do with me. I would try to hug him and he acted like my arms where made of sandpaper. I would talk to him and he would run like my breathe was made of fire.

Years pasted and he was more receptive especially when I had my own children. I remember how one visit Vincent was a baby and he kept knocking him down into his pack 'n play. He was scolded repeatedly by his mother for doing this to a baby, but he was little too. I am thinking he thought it was a game or maybe he was upset Vincent came into the picture. I guess I'll never know as he was so little and hardly spoke during those times.

The next visit we had Celeste and she would not leave him alone. She tried to eat his shirt and he laughed about it. It was really cute and sweet. He kept wanting to hold her, but Vincent wanted to play with him. He must have really loved holding babies because it took Vincent some time to tear him away from Celeste.

My children had no clue because of Jared and his siblings that a hospital is not a playground. They could not wait to go to the hospital ICU waiting area to see their cousins. I am happy they had this time to bond and get to know Jared and his brothers.


During our first visit to Delia and Abel's home for Thanksgiving, he shared his toys with my children. Then he gifted his scooter to Vincent. He has a big heart and no trouble sharing, which is such a good quality to have in life.

It is a happy day when a child is born and I know we all are happy to have Jared in our family. We are blessed by his example of giving.

Memories of Ani by Mia Lowry

I was living with the Salas family at the time I heard the news of Ani's birth. I can still picture Suzie asking me to come into the kitchen as she had something to talk to me about. I was watching her sweep the floor as she asked me how I liked living with them. I told her I was happy there. I was thinking here it comes I am going to be asked to move out. Then she said, "Well, I am not sure how you are going to take this, but I am pregnant." How was I going to take it? That was an odd thing to say, I thought. Of course, I was elated! I was going to have another baby in the family to love! She told me she did not want me to move out. So, I stayed.

I remember Suzie's car broke down one day or would not start and I took her to work in my turquoise Jeep Wrangler. She was noticeably pregnant and the the jeep was really high. It took her some time to get in and she couldn't even strap herself with the seat belt. Off we went to take her to work. It was a bumpy ride. I was nervous it would hurt her (the jeep) or the baby.

Ani came. I did not get to be there at her birth because I could not take the time off of work. By this time I was saving my days for my honeymoon. So, after work I went to see this new little baby girl. Suzie came home and the real fun began. Like clockwork this baby cried EVERY night at 2 in the morning and cried for hours. After the weeks of it, I got use to it and was able to ignore her, but I really felt bad for her parents.

The next memory is pink. Everything in her room had to be pink, princesses and not just any princess, but a Disney princess. If you did not like pink then you could not enter her room as you would receive a pink overload. I remember my niece Vanessa was over her house with me and she said, "I can't take all this pink. I have to go." I always thought that was pretty funny.

I remember how Meghan and Alexandra where painting their nails and Ani came by to request hers be done too. No matter what they did, Meghan and Alex could not please Ani. I believe they told me they painted her nails 3 or 4 times before they gave up on trying to please Ani. She just had an idea in her head and I guess no one could successfully achieve the look.

I remember seeing her at her concert at some school. She did a few dances, and cheer. She looked so precious! Suzie was very proud of her and let us know how her teachers told her that of all the students Ani was the one most focused of her age group. I got to see her dance Christmas 2009 at the Glendale Glitters. She did a great job. It was fun to cheer her on and see my children/ her cousins get excited about seeing her on stage. How she did not freeze in those dance costumes is still a mystery to me!

Ani loves her little cousins and I know they love her dearly. She is a good cousin to my children. Whenever she and Zaq would come over they would be so happy to see them. They still talk about them to this day. I for one am thankful for Ani and the choice made long ago to have her be a part of our family.

Memories of Caleb by Mia Lowry

It's hard to have lots of memories when you are so far away from the people you love, your family.

The first memory I have of Caleb was one Thanksgiving we had at my parent's old house (Sergio's house) and we were in the back room watching television and talking. My Mom, Suzie, Delia and I were in the room when all of a sudden little Caleb walked into the room holding an egg. He must have been really little because he still looked like a baby does or maybe he was a toddler. It was so long ago that I really can't remember for sure. I was surprised to see him holding an egg, but curious as to what he was going to do with it. I wondered if he got it out of the refrigerator himself or found it out on the table or something.

He noticed I saw him and proceeded to hid it under his shirt looking about him to verify if anyone else saw him. I laughed and looked around too, but everyone else was engaged in conversation. So, engrossed in their talk they had no idea he was there let alone he had just put a cold egg against his tummy. He started to walk out the door towards the backyard. I got nervous and thought I had better say something because I did not want to get yelled at for seeing this and keeping my mouth closed.

I turned to Delia and said, "Delia, why does your son have an egg under his shirt?"

"What?!" she said and started to look for him.

"He went outside with it." I told her as she began to run towards the door to take his item of mischief.

Caleb has a funny sense of humor. I told him a story once about how my brother's teased me and I believed them. He said, "That's your fault for believing them." ha, ha! I can't believe how much common sense this child had for one so young.

He is a big joker, but I guess it was inevitable for him being a Villanueva not to inherit this trait from at least one of his Tio's, not to mention that his father had the same gene too.

I can still see his anger and disappointment when he could not see his Grandfather in the hospital, but he got to say good-bye when Dad was transported to the Hospice of the Valley.

He played well with my children and they talked about him and his brothers for weeks.

One nice memory was of him playing the drums at his Tata's funeral. I know my father was watching and was happy to see him doing this act of service for him.

I am happy I have some memories of my nephew, Caleb, and I hope time will allow me to gain more memories of him. I love my nephew and am glad he came to be a part of our family.

Memories of Zaq by Mia Lowry

Oh, Zaqie! I have many memories from Suzie's pregnancy to birth and on. I was in the back room (what is now Sergio's bedroom) or family room of my parent's house when Suzie and Chuck came over. We were surprised to see them, but Suzie couldn't wait to share her joyful news. She was pregnant. She related this news within two steps from the door and burst into tears. Yes! She cried, my sister who cries every 2nd blue moon, cried with joy over the news of having a baby.



She hugged her mother for a bit; then hugged her father. I ran up to hug her and congratulate her too. It was such a neat experience and I was glad I was home from school. :)



Her labor with Zaq was not a happy time for me. If I had superpowers to hurt someone with my mind I would have engaged them on every doctor responsible for her painful experience. Once out of mom, proud Daddy Chuck was lifting him at the window until the nurse came to take Zaq away for testing. Both grandma's hugging and shedding tears over the precious healthy child born.



The first few weeks of Zaq's life, Suzie was home, but Nana Lucia (the little Nana is what Zaq would call her later) was there to assist Suzie. He was a cute and good baby. We could not wait to see who he would look like when he was older, but I can't say who he looks like since I might get a round house kick to the face for saying it. hahahaha



I was blessed to live with Suzie and Chuck when Zaq was a 3-year-old. He was such a cute kid. I loved it when he would come out of his room dressed like Woody, Superman, Buzz Lightyear or Benny 'The Jet' Rodriguez. You knew if he was dressed up like one of these heroes he was no longer Zaq Salas, but his alter ego. You had to call him Woody, Superman, etc... It was too cute!

He'd recite quotes from the movie and tell you what you had to say next to complete the dialog.



I remember one time when I was using the computer and my friend sent me an e-mail. It was a quiz you could do to find out your computer digital image of yourself. The image came from the answers of your questions. Naive me thought it would be fun. Zaq was zooming around me and I told him about it. I kept saying, "You're going to see my picture. Do you want to see me on the computer?" He was excited, but probably because I was. Then came the reveal time and up came the picture and out of the room went Zaq as fast as lighting. He screamed and cried all the way to his mother. I don't know if it was the computer or my yelp that scared him or both, but he was out of there. Suzie came to investigate me and see how I was traumatizing her son. I explained to her what I did and showed her the digital quiz version of me. Here is what we saw....




















When I was getting ready for my wedding day I told Zaq I was moving out because I was getting married. He was not happy and asked me why. I tried to explain it to him, but he did not understand. Instead he had a simple solution: Glenn should move in with us. I said, "That is a nice idea, but it won't work because where will he sleep?" He thought it over for a moment and replied, "The bathtub."

On another day he asked me again why I was getting married and why I would want to do such a thing. I tried to explain it to him and told him about his mother's wedding. He got mad and said, "My Mom is not married!! Mooooooommmmm!!! Tia said you are married and I know you aren't tell her it isn't true! Tell her!" Suzie said, "No, mejo I am not." I was mad at Suzie for lying to him and told her so in front of Zaq. He said, "She said no and she is going to marry me." Then he walked away in a huff. Suzie and I just laughed.

Zaq was ALWAYS a natural when it came to sports. I remember one Thanksgiving Steve took him out to the school that was to the west of their house. He had him swing his golf club and Steve was shocked at how well Zaq did. I can't remember a time when he was little where he did not have a ball in hand. He could hit a baseball with a bat when he was....if I remember correctly....a 2-year-old.

As he got older it was football, baseball and now it's Karate. I think it's Karate, well, it is some form of martial arts. He is doing very well and I know he does well in school too. I know his parents are very proud of him and all he sets his mind to do. I know my life has been blessed because of Zaq and I for sure will never be the same because of it.

Memories of Josiah by Mia Lowry

Unfortunately for me I was not present at Josiah's birth, however, I did get to visit one summer in my early 20s when he was a baby. Delia and Abel were living in a cute upstairs apartment near a park and during the evenings you could see and hear the fireworks from Disneyland. Josiah's room was decorated with Classic Pooh, which I love, by the way.

I can still see his skinny little body in his diaper, with a red baseball cap, holding a lego and sippy cup. He was not much for words, and nothing has changed in the word department. Yet, he could let you know what he wanted and thought without the aid of language. He was a precious baby with a sweet disposition.

My next memories of him was in the backyard of my Mom's old house, which is now Sergio's house. We had a cream colored chow dog and the kid's were playing in the back. You could tell he liked this dog and kept playing with him too. I thought at this moment he took after his dad in how they both loved animals.

Always quiet, but with a great sense of humor and a good laugh is how I would describe Josiah. He plays the piano very well too. He and Zaq are great cousins. Whenever Josiah would visit Arizona he would have to go over to spend the night at Zaq's house.

I am thankful and love my nephew Josiah and thankful for his talent of music.

Lucia's Favorite Memory/What She Liked Best About Her Mother, Maria

Lucia said that wherever she went her mother was always there beside her. She loved to be with her mom. Her mom was her best friend in the world. If you see the wedding photo of Francisco, and Lucia with Maria in the middle, you can tell from her expression that she felt the same way about her daughter. Her face has the saddest, most mournful look about it. From this photo one would think she was one who could not hide their feelings very well.

The greatest gift she said her mother gave to her and her siblings was to never remarry again. Sh had opportunities, as men came to call on her, but she said she would never marry anyone again. Her reasons were good. She said, "I do not know how these men will treat my children, and they are the most important people in my life." She was proven right about her marriage theory because one of the men who came to call on her married a woman from down the road of where they lived. This woman already had children when she married this man, and when she gave birth to children he began to abuse her children. So, Lucia's mother, Maria, knew after she heard this that for her marriage was not an option.


MORE OF MARIA'S LIFE STORY BELOW....

Maria worked hard to support her family. She worked in the fields, took in laundry, sewed and did all she could to bring money into the house. She would give money to her daughter, Lucia, as an allowance or gift, but Lucia would save it. Then when times were hard and her mother would sit down worried. Lucia asked her what was the matter, and Maria would tell her daughter she had no money to buy food for them to eat. Lucia would promptly hand her the money she saved. Maria would not want to take it because it was for her to spend on what she wanted. Lucia told her she knew it, but she wanted to spend it to help the family.

Maria's little family consisted of Juan, her son and Lucia. Monica, her eldest daughter, who was married, would often visit their home. She was married to a man named Julian. Lucia's father abandoned Maria and the children when Lucia was a baby. She was already walking when he left, but somehow knew her father was never coming back. She stopped eating, walking and pretty much gave up on life. Somehow Maria pulled her though this hard time, and she soon forgot about her father.

She was reminded of his absence when other children in her life would question about his existence. Monica, her sister, came up with a plan to keep her from having a father. She spoke to Julian and Maria and they agreed it was a great idea too. Julian, Maria's son-in-law, would be her father. So, Lucia began to call Julian 'Papa'. How could they pull off the conversion of brother-in-law to father? Back in those days, people did not really know much about the world. They were sheltered in life, and because of her sheltering she never questioned why Julian did not live with them. Lucia loved Julian dearly and she loves him still. If you hear her speak of him, you know that her bond with him is more than blood-he is her Daddy.

This of course went well until some children questioned her as to how come her Papa did not sleep in the same room as her Mama. So, Lucia was given the truth about her real father and Julian. She felt her world crashing in. Maria was not pleased by this turn of events, but Julian remedied the situation by saying he was and always would be her father.

Julian was good to his wife, Monica, but sadly she divorced him. She regreted it later, but it was too late for Julian had died.

A STORY ABOUT GRANDMA MARIA AND GRANDSON:
During the last leg of Maria's life she was tired and ill. However, she did not want to go to the doctor's for treatment. She came over to visit her daughter and grandsons. While she was sitting at the table resting, (I think it was either Rodrigo or Ish) her grandson came over with a toy plane. He was zooming it all around her, but when he flew it over her head he said, "Ay, va el avion para fumegar los peojos." Lucia turned in horror, but her mother was laughing.

Lucia's Earliest Memory-El Viejo

(One day I came home from school and asked my mother, Lucia, why she never told us about "El Viejo" or "La Llorona". The girls from school had told me about them, and I felt left out. Mom said it was something she wanted us to never learn because those stories traumatized her as a child and she did not want us to feel what she felt.)

Here is her story:
When she was a little girl her mother, Maria, had told her if she misbehaved or refused to sleep when it was bedtime, something bad would happen to her. She told her that "El Viejo" would come, get her and take her away. She wondered, "Como sera 'El Viejo' que me quiere agara?"

Her fears took over and she found herself very fearful of this man called 'El Viejo'. One day while she was out walking, she came across a strange looking man riding a horse. He was a man from India. He sat upon his horse with a blank expression on his face. He had a turban on his head with a little ball on his forehead right above and between his eyes. She saw him and ran the entire way home.

Once inside her home, she told her mother she had seen "El Viejo" down the street riding upon a horse. She was very frightened he was coming for her to take her away. This is what she told her mother, "El Viejo, El Viejo, lo mire!" Her mother's reply was, "Andale, te encansa El Viejo y te agara."

Memories of Meghan by Mia Lowry

I was living in Stockton, California attending Christian Life College when Meghan came into the world. I was told she was an itty bitty baby as most preemies are. The first time I saw Meghan she was about 14 or 15 months old. She wanted nothing to do with me. I can recall a day when my best friend, Jennifer, was over visiting me at my house. Jill came by with Meghan and I tried to hold her, but she would not have it. She instead went to Jennifer and I can still remember getting mad about it especially when Jenny said, "She likes me more than you."


Eventually, she warmed up to me, but she did not like me hugging on her. I wanted to just hold her like I did Jovanni, but she was like her brother...on the go, go, go. I remember my heart breaking when she was only 3-year's-old and I came to visit them. She said to me, "My Mommy's sick. She is in her room and can't get up."


She finally got old enough to go with me places, but never wanted to leave her Mom or her Dad. After I got married, I remember her driving me crazy because as soon as she would walk through my door she would ask, "Can I call my Dad." She loved her dad and worried about him. I got to have her one summer all to myself when Vincent was a baby and I was pregnant with Celeste. I went crazy loco on her (thank you hormones) and got upset over cookies. We laugh about it now, but then it was a big deal.

I can still remember the day we convinced Glenn to allow me to home school her. That was an experience! It really brought us closer and I finally got the relationship with her I always wanted. We had our ups and downs during this process, but it all ended when I got pregnant with Scarlett, which was a good thing for both of us.

Meghan was such a help to me with the kids and they loved her so much (still do). She was overly helpful and then I realized why. She did it when she was tired of her schooling. She did really well in the environment, but towards the end of the 2nd year she was having a hard time with it or was bored with it.

I can still remember the day she said good-bye to me as she left to LA. I lost it after she hugged me then left. It was so weird not having her next door popping over to borrow this or that or eat dinner with my family. There's more, but this is all I can write for now.

Memories of Lit'l Ish by Mia Lowry

When Jill and Ish were expecting their firstborn son they were living in Tucson. We were already living in Phoenix at the time. So, I feel lucky that I was present at his birth too. My first nephew. I was really excited. Now I can't remember if we knew he was a boy before his birth, but I remember Mom telling me she was sure it was a boy.

The waiting room was a typical cold type of hospital waiting area with that smelly hospital odor. It seemed to take a long time for her to have the baby for us, and I can only imagine how it felt for Jill. Mom was in the room with her and Ish while she was delivering. She said that Ish kept going in and out of her until he finally came out. The result was a misshaped head. I can still remember my horror when I saw that distinct cone shaped head. I thought he was going to be like that forever, but after shushing me (I was being loud. I was freaking out over his head.) she explained it was normal. I did not believe her and I now know she was right because Ish has a normal head.

Wow! Was he ever a rambunctious child! I can still remember how he got into EVERYTHING as soon as he could move. I am not exaggerating about the EVERYTHING! He got Sergio's cassette tapes once and pulled out all of the tape. I can't remember how many he destroyed before he was caught. One thing for sure was that if you could not hear him making a sound, he was up to something and/or something was about to be destroyed.

He got into my Mom's powder and made her dresser white. He would pull out dishes, pots and pans or whatever he could out of the kitchen. He would run around the house and smash his little body and head into the washing machine (it was in the kitchen at the time). Then he'd laugh, get up and run around and back into it again.

When Mom tried to get him to nap and his eyes would start to close he would get up, move or do whatever he could to keep from taking a nap. If he was in trouble and Mom was about to punish him, he would laugh and laugh until my Mom laughed too. He was such a cute baby. He was loads of fun, but he sure did keep you on your toes. He was never grumpy and he never complained even when he was sick or you woke him up from the 'once in a while' naps he took.

It is funny to see Ish now around kids and he complains at their energy when he was the king of them all. He is good with little children and you can tell he loves his little nieces and nephews. Ish loves his family and loves spending time with them. I can recall how he would call me to ask him to take him to the movies. Two movies stand out in my mind. One was a good pick and one was, well, I got a lecture from my brother Ish about taking him to see it (which I knew was coming). The first one was "There is Something About Mary" and the other was "SuperStar" with Molly Shannon. I was thankful Meghan fell asleep on the 'Mary' movie, but Ish had some questions about it that I luckily (learned from the master-My Mom) deflected giving an answer. I knew he was going to ask his dad about it and I knew I was going to hear about it. Why I did not walk out was beyond me? This was not a good aunt moment for me. I am still surprised Ish let me take his kids out to another movie after this bad choice.

The other movie has nice memories for me. I can recall Ish laughing so hard, actually, he was the only one laughing for quite some time. I really do enjoy watching movies with my nephew, especially horror flicks and comedies. As a kid, he really liked comedies. I enjoyed them even more with him because of his reaction and laughter. :)

My wedding was not a fun time for him. He told me that he thought Glenn was going to take me away. We had a picture of Glenn and I at my wedding and people could sign it. Here is what he wrote at the time....."Ish Jr. call we won't proble see you that much by Ish." (When we told him of our move to NC, he said, see I knew he would take you away from us one day. *sad face*)However, he did in fact see plenty of us. There was the kid's apartment. The summer he, Meghan and Vanessa or was it wintertime, well, I can't recall when it was exactly, but they made a movie for Vanessa's seminary class. Such a funny movie that was made at 2 am. I can still hear how they complained about Ish's complaining on their walk home from Alberstson's. The girls: Vanessa, Jovanni, Alex and Meghan had loaded their arms up with grocery bags while Ish was just carrying a gallon of milk. He, according to the girls, whined about it all the way home.

Later that day, we got out my pilates DVD and exercised. He did a few of them (3 kicks, actually) then started to complain about how hard it was to do. We continued exercising. He opened a bag of chips, watched us and critiqued us on how unlike the video we looked. At the time the girls (all 4 of them) wanted to brutalize him. During this particular visit, they decided it would be fun to whip Meghan and Alex while asleep with the cat toy and tickle them with the feather. I am pretty sure this was Ish's idea and the girls, Jovanni and Vanessa, just went along with it. How they tortured poor Meghan and Alex! At one point I had to have them sleep with me in my room. Glenn was working in Tucson for 2 weeks while they were visiting.

I can still remember how shocked I was when he began working at Sonic. I never thought he would work at a fast food joint, but when he got the job at the bank I knew that this was more up his alley. I am proud of how hard working he is in school and work. There are many more memories I have of him, but I will have to write them at a future date. Hopefully, I won't repeat myself.

Lucia's Funny Sayings....

OK, so you all know my Spanish is pretty much garbage. Well, if it's misspelled, please feel free to correct it.

***"Manana a las deis." Translation "Tomorrow at 10 o'clock" meaning..."not going to happen"

***"Cuenta me uno de vacero" Translation "Tell me a cowboy story" meaning...."yeah, that story is bogus"

***"No, es de los vecinos" Translation "No, this belongs to the neighbors" meaning....well, it's basically, her sarcastic reply to the question, "Who __________ is this?"

Photos

Eek! Sheesh! I did not realize how little time I have before this Christmas. I am not going to procrastinate this any more and I have to make sure I gift this to you all this year. Where did my time go? Ay! Curse you facebook! I need to stay away from it and dedicate my time to this blog. I have hardly any pictures in here. I need to start uploading them. I know that Tonie has tons and Mom and ay, I have 4 boxes of pictures. I know I need every one's help on this project. I only hope you all will have time to e-mail pictures: I need some from each of the 8 branches of children. I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now. Plus, I still need to decorate for Christmas and send out 3 letters with the picture of this blog, not to mention I need to figure out how to make a copy of the blog header for my envelope gift. I am sending one to Tonie's since Christmas will be at her house this year (from what Mom told me), Abel's and Steve's. Tonie will open it up for Rodrigo, Ish, Sergio, Suzie, Tonie, Mom and all the grand kids.

Some Memories of Jovanni by Mia Lowry

I can still remember the day Jovanni was born as if it was yesterday. Liz looked so uncomfortable, but to me she still looked great. I was very excited as this was the day I would become an aunt. I had already made up my mind that all my nieces and nephews were going to call me Auntie Lucia. I laugh at this now because I am just Tia now, but I don't mind it.

I remember coming up from Yuma to visit and as luck would have it Jovanni came that weekend. It was a Saturday when she was finally born. I am not sure if we came up intentionally or by chance. We were to be moving to Phoenix the next weekend. I was not happy about the move, but the only positive was getting to see more of this baby girl.

I can still see Liz sitting in that long red caddy Rodrigo drove in those days. She had gone to the hospital, but they told her it was not time and she needed to walk. I have to admit now how insensitive I was on this day. I kept asking her why it was taking so long, but ever so kind, Liz did not get upset with me. What a brat! I would probably have gone off on some dumb kid who asked me that during labor. She endured and had to have an emergency C-Section. I had never seen a newborn before, but when Rodrigo came out holding her. I instantly knew I would love her forever. It was such a happy day for the Briones and Villanueva family. I can still picture her perfect little round head. I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms even if the idea scared me a bit.

Then I found out my Mom was going to take care of her when Liz went back to work. Oh, happy day! I would get to see her every morning before school and after school. It was fun for me to finally have my Mom babysit someone I actually wanted in the house. Mom/Nana babysat her until she was in the 1st grade, I think. I was sad when Mom couldn't babysit her anymore. I think it was due to her health. However, that did not exclude her from my life. We would often go to the movies. Sometimes just us and other times with Little Ish too. We'd drive away in that Red Ford of Dad's and go to the Harkins in ghetto Phx. 67th and McDowell

Oh, and the news came Liz and Jovanni were moving to Yuma. What a terrible day this was for us! I thought I would never see her again, but luckily I was wrong. During the summer she would come to visit us in Phx. Sometimes during the holidays too. It was fun times. Then there was my wedding and her unhappiness about the whole affair. If I remember correctly she and Ish thought Glenn was going to take me away from the family. Which of course turned out to be wrong....proven by what was known to be called 'The Kid's Apartment'. I had them for such a long time living with me: Jovanni, Vanessa, Ish, Alex and Meghan. They have such happy memories of almost burning it down, getting me possibly evicted by the knocked down light pole and/or the swimming in the waterfall areas, and who knows what other mischief they caused. Now as a parent I wonder how any of their parents could have ever trusted me with their children. Ay!

She moved in with Tonie and I was happy she was back in Phx area. Things worked out for the good in the end and she moved in with Glenn, the kids and I. Many memories were shared during these years. I can't recall them at this time, but will at another date.

Memories Of My Big Brother Sergio by Mia Lowry

For as long as I can remember Sergio was a joker in the family. When we were little girls he was the one who played with us the most. I can still remember some of the games we played. One game that sticks out the most is when we played 'Animals'. Suzie, Tonie and I would always pick cutesy furry animals (of course, we are girls, what do you expect?) such as a bunny, kitty, deer, etc..Sergio, however, would choose a lion, tiger or bear (no pun intended here).

We would pretend to be these gentle creatures in the forest and suddenly, the ferocious beast Sergio was emulating would come upon us to devour us. Sometimes he would not know when to stop and freak us out (on purpose, I am sure) until we would say, "OK, OK, you ate us! You ate us! Game over!" Well, he wouldn't stop the first time, but more like the seventh or eighth time we would say these words.

I remember once how we were wrestling and he knocked out my tooth. There was blood all over our green blanket. Why I ever thought that playing with an older brother was OK is beyond me?

Another moment of trickery was when we, girls, were folding our laundry. It was a cool evening and we had the window open. The light from the street streaming into our room. When suddenly we heard a mysterious heavy breathing coming from the window and an evil laugh. Somehow he managed to cast his shadow (intentional or not, I don't know) into our room and all we knew was that a man was laughing at our window. Tonie, who was quick on her feet (it's no wonder she works for 911) got the closest thing she could to defend us and began to whack the window mercilessly. What did she get? A pair of panties. I am sure she was going to bludgeon him to death with those underwear if not die trying. :)

Then there was the time I had to go out and hang my towel in the backyard to dry. He came and kicked the aluminum (from the shed, the door of it) fence meant to keep the dog in the yard. Some protector that dog turned out to be! It yelped all the way behind the dryer and left me alone to fend for myself against this unseen villain. After I gained control over my hysterical screaming, and froze in fear, he came out to let me see it was him.

He did this to me another time when I was taking the trash out at night, but this time he was in a tree. He was hooting like an owl. Now let it be known (even if she does deny it now, she did in fact tell me this) Mom had put a fear in me of owls. She told us owls will come down and pluck out your eyes to eat them. So, when I went to take out the trash at night as a routine before bedtime up above in a tree I heard the hooting of an owl. I froze and closed my eyes tightly. I did not want my eyes to be plucked from my head. Then after a few hoots I heard a laughter to what sounded to me like the cackling of the devil himself. I screamed and started to cry. He jumped down from the tree, and I wish I could say this did not scare me more, but it did. I know he felt bad about it, but in bouts of laughter he asked if I was OK. I guess I looked pretty scared.

There was never a dull moment with Sergio in the house. He was always up to something. Trying to trick Mom or Dad and us girls. You always knew when he was home or coming home because he made himself known that is, unless he was about to get you with one of his practical jokes. I wish I could remember all of the pranks he did to us, but they are so many to recall and my memory is fading.

I do, however, remember how one time we started a fire in the front yard. It was fun, but it got out of hand. If I remember correctly we put lighter fluid onto it and it jumped higher than I was tall at the time. It's a wonder how Mom ever survived his childhood (well, all of us for that matter).

The one thing I remember that freaked me out more than any of his pranks was when we, Mom and I, drove to Phoenix to see him in the hospital when he was 19. He had surgery on his nose and he looked like he was beat up. I could still picture him lying there in bed. Suddenly, his eyes popped open, he jumped up and ran towards the bathroom mirror. I had to run behind him to push his IV as Mom was worried it would come out of his hand. Later, Mom told me how hard it was for her to see him like that and how scared he made her when he jumped out of bed.

One thing about Sergio you should always remember that beneath his gruff exterior (the persona he puts out there) he has a soft heart under it all. I am grateful to have him as a brother. I remember the times we had at the First Phoenix Apostolic Church and Glendale Church and how people would either ask me: "Are you twins?" Twins! He is way older than me. Ugh! Do I look that old? I would wonder. "Where's your boyfriend?" What boyfriend? "The one you come to church with?" Ugh! That is my brother! Sick! "Oh, I am sorry."

I remember when he was choir director at Glendale and Kelli May and I would be cutting up. He was such a tough director. He would get so mad at me and expected me to be an example because I was his sister, but I couldn't be anything more than his bratty kid sister. I can still remember the look he would give us. It was much like the look Dad use to give us at church during the sermons in Yuma.

I am grateful I am blessed with my brother Sergio. He was and always will be not only my brother, but a friend. I love him dearly as I love all of my family and miss them so much.