ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS.....

Christmas is coming early this year to our house!   We have a remodeling project in full swing which will count as our CHRISTMAS!   Big Bear is very happy (as am I!) with what took place while we were in Arizona and Utah!   Wish I had taken "before" pictures but, I didn't so we'll just show you the progress so far!

The upper cabinets and wall have been removed from this area to open up the view into what will soon be the "family gathering room!"   The cabinets we took out are now installed above the sink in the laundry room!   When finished this backside of these cabinets will be a bar, complete with stools!

The computer desk is gone and a few walls.   This really opens up the living space.

and shows off a new entry way!

Looking back into the kitchen from the "bar" where the sweet little granchildren will get their meals served to them at Lita's house!

We now have a arch the goes down into the living room.

The new resurfacing of the fire place.   This was a surprise to me.  I had thought to put stone here but when I left I told the builder... "just do what you like!  I know I'll like it!"   And I do!   Amazingly this looks very similar to a fireplace at Ashley Furniture store that I really like and took a picture of!   Arturo must have ESP!

We plan to put the dinning room table in front of the fireplace when we are all finished!    So, you can see the progress and how much we still have to go!  I think I will be living with a "happy mess" all through the holidays!   This is a long anticipated face lift for our house!   Big Bear is thrilled and comments every time he walks in on how much he likes it!   He says "You may never get me stopped now!"

Don't I wish!!????

Rest in Peace, Phillis !!!

I got Phillis from the animal shelter in El Paso.  The instant I saw here I knew she was the cat for me!   I loved her distinct looking face.... mustache and all!  After we got her home I sent a picture of her to my kids and asked what I should name her.  Angie had the best response.  

She asked me, "Mom, who is your favorite person with a mustache??"  

 " Dr. Phil, of course!"  was my response.  And so my kitty became Phillis!

Phillis died today and I am sad!!   She had practically ruined all our furniture with her constant scratching and clawing!  We got her a scratching pole but she refused to use it.   We tried spraying the furniture with something that was supposed to make it upleasant for her to scratch.   That didn't help.   So, when our remodeling project began... (we are planning to buy some new furniture too!)  Frank took her to the vet to have a front claws removed.   After we brought her back from the surgery she just seemed so depressed!   She hid from us!   After a few days I noticed she wasn't eating or drinking anything.  I told Frank that I thought she was depressed. so I began to pay more attention to her.... petting her and talking to her.  I even called Shauny to ask what I could do for her but she didn't answer.   Finally on Wednesday evening I told Frank that I thought she was going to die. I think the minor surgery, plus the big remodeling mess, and constant pounding and hammering as they took out walls and floor were just more then she could handle.   Frank took her back to the vet and asked them to keep her and treat her for a couple of days.   The vet called this morning to say that she had died.   I feel like we murdered her!  I feel really sad!   Although she wasn't a friendly cat, I loved her!  She slept on the bed between mine and Frank's feet!   Frank often laughed about her skiddish personality!   He said she was "one mixed up cat!   Any why wouldn't she be??   First off, she was abandoned by her mother and left in a shelter.  Next.... what female with a mustache would have good self exteem???   Then her female reproductive organs were removed!   She must have had a hormonal imbalance!  (something I can relate to!!)   And I guess the straw that broke the camel's back was having her "fingernails" removed!   That was just something she could not handle, I guess!   So this post is my little tribute to Phillis!   I loved her and will miss her!  (tear rolling down my face!)   I have always loved cats but right now don't feel like I wanna go through this again!   It's happened many times in my life!   You love a pet and then you HURT when they die!   We will especially miss you at night, Phillis!    Rest in peace!

Maybe Phillis will be buddies with Nacho up there in "kitty heaven!"   Nacho was a unique and very smart cat the belonged to Darron and Shauny!   He would play fetch with them!   Eat fruit and drink water out of a glass!  He liked to sit on the bathroom counter and watch Shauny get ready for the day in the morning!  I also shed a few tears when Nacho died!   He was a special feline!!

This past year we also lost Echo and Thriller!   They were Jared and Meghan's dogs.  When Jared and Meghan moved to El Paso I took to taking them walking with me in the morning so they could get out of the yard!   They LOVED running through the orchards chasing rabbits and birds!   One day.... after our walk they didn't return home with me!   I didn't worry too much about it because I thought they would eventually show up.  But they didn't!    About a week later we learned that they had wandered down to Longhurst's pecan orchard and were bothering a horse there so the Longhurst foreman shot and killed them both!   Besides making me just so sad, this also made me furious!!   These two dogs were beloved family pets who 99% of the time were locked behind a fence in the yard.   One time the run off and were senselessly murdered!  

                         And so in 2010 I have lost some dear friends!   It's sad and my heart aches but I still am glad to have known them!   The love you feel for a pet is a special kind of love because they love you back unconditionally!   They keep you company without demanding a big investment of time and money!   Just knowing they are "around" puts a smile on your face!    I will miss you Phillis, Nacho, Echo and Thriller!   You have gone to join the many, many cats and dogs who have belonged to the Hatch Family!   I wonder if we will get all our pets back after the resurecction and if they will be a part of our eternal family!!   ??????? 

This spot reserved for pictures of Washington, D.C.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier... changing of the guard, Arlington National Cemetery

I wanna be a part of you, New York, New York!!!

 For our 38th Wedding Anniversary, Frank gave us a trip to New York City and Washington, DC!

The "anticipation" was from August 8th till October 26th when our trip began!   New York City is a crazy, crowded city that just hums with engergy and life!   There is much to see and do!   The crowds were crazy and I didn't like the feeling of being stuffed into the packed streets but am so glad I got this one chance to experience New York City!

We loved visiting the Statue of Liberty!   I have so many pictures that it is hard to narrow them

 down to just a few but will try!  

 As a Family Search Support Missionary, I loved Ellis Island!   This is were so many of the people of the United States imigrated into the U.S.

 The New York City skyline is a gorgeous sight!

 Ground Zero.... where the twins towers once stood.... before 9-11 was a must see for me!

They are now building a Memorial here...

 These are some of the people who were killed on 9-11!

We had rainy, cool weather one day while in N.Y but everyone was prepared for it!

 

I am a Today Show fan, so I was anxious to visit the set of the Today Show.  It was not easy getting Big Bear out of bed to head there at 6:00 a.m. but he kept saying "This is YOUR trip!" so he was a good sport about it!

We got to see all the stars!

And even made it on TV so this excursion was a success!

Next on the agenda was a bike ride around beautiful Central Park!

We caught some beautiful glimpses of the fall follage!

The Trump Tower and Hotel...

In the evening, we watched the ice skaters at Rockefeller Plaza!

Attended a session in the Manhattan New York Temple.   Not too much to look at on the outside but a stuningly beautiful temple inside!

Stood in line for a LONG time to go up the Empire State Building... only to realized we were gonna be late for Wicked and left when we got to the 80th floor so never got to see the view from the 102nd floor!

Saw the Broadway Show, WICKED, which is what I had been waiting for for 4 days!

Loved it!

So there you have it in a nutshell.... our trip to THE BIG APPLE!

 A nice place to visit but I felt sorry for the people who live here!

I wouldn't trade them places "para nada!"

UNA RAZON PARA SONREIR!!! ( Something to smile about! )

 I love to see other's suceed and progress in life!   Lamoni and Jasmine were in school about the same time as Preston, Angie and Brandon!   After serving a mission in Monterrey, Lamoni went to dental school in Cd. Juarez.... while Jasmine was studying Psychology at BYU!    After they were married, Lamoni went to work with a Dentist in Utah while Jasmine got her Doctorate at BYU.   A few years ago, they moved back to Dublan to set up their business here! As they get the money, they have been slowly working on their office building.   Lamoni told me that it is going slowly but that they don't owe any money on the building.     When I drove by today I noticed they had installed these new letters to announce they business!  It looks so cool!!!

While Olivia was here last summer she developed an infection in one of her molars!

It was causing the whole side of her face to swell.

So, she got to sit in this chair (lucky girl!!! lol!) and

have her tooth pulled by Dr. Vizcaino!

Lamoni's wife, Jasmine, is the daughter of one of my best high school buddies, Anna Lue Taylor!   We are also so proud of Jasmine who sees her patients

at an office adjoining Dr. Vizcaino's!  

Jasmine studied 5 years at BYU and then did five more years to get her Doctorate, also from BYU!   (The thought of 10 years of schooling makes MY HEAD SPIN!)

Way to go, Jasmine!  Jasmine was one of MY Young Women when I was the Ward Young Women's President!  I have had my eye on her for a long time!

They have a darling little family.... two kids, Bella and Taylor.  

Bella was at school and so wasn't available for our picture!

You can be sure if Big Bear and I need any dental work done, we'll be right here, under the careful hands of our favorite dentist/orthodontist!

You never know... we could also need Dr. Jasmine's counseling too at some point in our life!   

I imagine they both find their careers very rewarding!

We are so blessed to have the Vizcaino Family

living in our community!

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world....

Today I was on the internet, looking for a pretty "Fall Screensaver" for my computer!  After not finding anything that really excited me, I remembered the beautiful fall follage I had wittnessed firsthand when Frank and I went back east with Tony and Chris, Rick and Lynnette and Dana and Trisha!  "I have better fall follage pictures than these!" I thought as I went to my photo album. As I flipped through the pictures I was aw-struck by the beautiful scenery we had seen when we visited New York, New England, New Hampshire and Vermont back in 1999!   As we traveled along, we began to come upon breathtakingly beautiful fall colors!  One of us would holler out... "Kodak Momment!!!"  and we would pull off to the side of the road and  all scramble out of the two cars we were traveling in to take pictures!  We didn't make it very far that day because we had a "kodak momment" about every 100 yards!   Here are some of our pictures!   And REMEMBER.... the pictures never are as pretty as the real thing!  This trip was a once in a life time experience and it was so fun to share nature's beauty with people that I love!!!



On this trip we also visited Niagra Falls, the Hill Camorah, the Sacred Grove,

Massachusetts, and Main!  There is something special about wittnessing the beauty Heavenly Father has created to "please the eye and gladden the heart!"  I felt a special kind of reverence and aw as my soul drank in the beauty of nature and an added measure of my Heavenly Father's love for me!

Frank and I have planned another trip back east soon... to New York and Washington DC.

I am hoping that we planned it just right and again will wittness the magestic beauty of fall colors! 

There's nothing else quite like it!

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world...Heavenly Father created for me!!

THE BIG CAR SHUFFLE!!!

Anyone who knows my dad knows that he does not like to shop....EXCEPT FOR CARS!   My dad is famous for saying "Anticipation is greater than realization!"  And he really believes it!!   He started about 3 years ago "anticipating" buying a new car!

He has searched high and low... been to every agency both in El Paso, Chihuahua city and here!  In fact, he has been the Chihuahua TWICE just looking at cars!   Frank and I took my mom and him a couple of weeks ago and went to 8 car dealerships and then back to some of them a second time!  (Did I mention that this guy loves anticipating??)    Well, after checking out every make and model imaginable... he finally settled for this one!   A new Nissan Altima!    The anticipation is OVER!!!!

My dad is also someone who loves to "share the blessings,"  so once he had his new car.....

 the big car shuffle began !!!

  

 My dad traded my sister, Trisha his light blue 2004 Dodge Grand Voyager, with 126,000 kilometros for her maroon color Dodge Town & Country 1999 Mini-Van with 348,000 kilometros.   

Next in line for the blessings, my dad swapped me my 2000 white Dodge Intrepid
with 147,000 miles for his 2000 Ford Lincoln with 33,000 miles!
As they say on Facebook, "My daddy whipped my ride!"

This is Rosa... she is practicaly a member of the family!   She has worked for my mom and me for over 30 years!   There were enough blessings to share with her too!

She inherited Trisha's maroon mini-van!   You cannot imagine how much she will appreciate owning her own car!   She has either walked or road her bike to work her whole life!!

My dad gave me the assignment of teaching her to drive and making sure she got a drivers lisence!   We have been driving and driving!   She is actually pretty good for someone just learning to drive!   Today I parked both my cars on the street and made her practice paralell parking between them!   When she got her lisence she was beaming from ear to ear!!!  

And last of all.... my Dodge Intrepid is being sent to live at my dad's house in El Paso, Texas for my mom to use when she is shopping in the good 'ol USA!  And so... my dad buying a new car has blessed the lives of 3 other people!  

We are so happy and thankful but now we worry....

"What will dad "anticipate" now????

WE ARE SOOO BLESSED!

On our early morning walks, Chris, Lynnette, Jennifer and I often go past where these Indian workers that Uncle Ron brought up to help with the harvest live.   We usually see about 6 women with a bunch of kids sitting on the dirt under this tree.  We figured they must be the "nursery leaders" for the day.  What a simple life these women lead, barely surviving with the bare necessities!   One day we took some Chocolate Chip cookies to share with their nursery group!   On this particular day we had a bunch of little toys gathered from around the house.  We stopped under the tree and began passing a small toy out to each of the kids!

At first the children didn't know how to react but then they began to holler for the other children to come over...  which they did!   Thankfully we had enough toys for each child to have something with a few things left over!

This woman was happily doing her laundry in this cement sink... and hanging it to dry on the fence!  When I was a child my mom used to tell me, "Poor people have poor ways." (Notice the trash on the ground.)  It doesn't cost anything to pick up the trash.  I wonder if they just don't notice it or they just don't care.   Either way, it doesn't matter, I'm sure Heavenly Father loves them just as much (and possibly even more) than he loves the rest of us!

Many families sleep in a bunk house all togther and have one kitchen between them all, where they cook and eat.  They also share  communal shower and out houses.

They are very shy and seemed to me to feel very uncomfortable with us around!

It made me sad to see this baby laying on a piece of cardboard!

 I'm sure her mother does the best she can to provide for her child!  These people are hard working and spend long hours in the hot sun every day!  It seems unfair that so many of us have so much and some have so little.  I imagine our Heavenly Father will hold us accountable for what we didn't do, but could have, to make their lives more bearable!  I feel extremely grateful for my many material blessing when I see the way these people live!  I am so blessed!