!ADIOS 2009 / BIENVENIDO 2010!

On Christmas Eve this year we met for appetizers, cocktails, conversation, a White Elephant Gift Exchange and a Game of "Charades" , or as Joey would say "CHARAD!"; and the evening turned out to be a lot of fun.

Appetizers Gallore...........


>Julie looking very festive and guarding the Hor'deuvres

Que Guapo!

Cuncu getting ready to slice her appetizer & Blaine looking on

Handsome Young Men, Alex & Gabe

Joey & Charlie doing a "Rapp/Song Mano A Mano"

Charlie, Jess & Gabe

We did a White Elephant Gift Exchange , and stole from each other while the gifts were still wrapped. There was a lot of negotiating going on at the end to acquire the desired gift. It was a good time!

I got a juicer(from Cuncu), the perfect gift , as our 25 year old juicer had just broken.



Cuncu got an Onyx Egg (from Blaine)

Joey got a car vacuum cleaner (from Katie)

Julie got red socks (from Jessi ?)


Josh got a Gillette Case for shaving, just perfect! (from Joe Sr.)

Alex got wine (from J&J) and Blaine got Binoculars (from Gabe)


Katie was really happy to get a Snuggie (from me) . And Gabe tried on the right away; he walkwed arund looking and acting like "Ceasar".



Gabe got a windshield wiper (from Alex) and it was another perfect gift

Charlie got heavy duty socks (from Josh) and Jessi got Fancy, coffee liqueur (from J& J)


Joe Sr. got a a long sleeve Hurley shirt that he traded with Jess, but he was the one taking pictures and we don't have a picture of him with his shirt. But we DO have another picture, of him hanging out talking to Joey

It was an Evening filled with Joy, Laughter and Great Memories




MEXICO CITY / DECEMBER 2009

Joe and I decided to make a Viaje Relampago/ Lightening Trip to Mexico City during the holiday weekend. We attended Christmas Day Dinner at the Reed's, and went straight to DIA from their house. This year, it was wonderful to be able to spend time with ALL of our Familias: The Morales from Colorado, The Suegros/Reed and their out of town extended Family, and The Mexico Familia

We tried a new Marriott Hotel on Avenida Reforma and liked it very much. The service was impeccable.

Waiting for Jessica and Meli to pick us up to go "Do The Town". The reason I have a suitcase with me is that Jessica was unable to take all of her stuff from her last trip to Denver, and we brought it with us.





One of Joe's favorite things to do in Mexico City is to visit Plaza San Jacinto, located in the San Ángel district. Bazar Sábado is a superb handicrafts market that has created quite a name for this plaza.
In Mexico, pretty much wherever you go, you can count on always finding an adorable liitle girl dressed like a Princess


Going into the Food Court in the heart of the Market. Jessica and the perritos, along with the Great Dane and its owners, or anyone with Perritos/Perrotes cannot go in . But many of the sidewalk restaurants and cafes allow perros to sit by their owners tables.




Quesadillas, always a highlight in our Mexico City trips


Gladly waiting for our quesadillas, along with a lot of other people


Quesadillas de papa con queso, chorizo, queso con rajas, amongst others


Getting ready to fight the crowds back out of the Food Court. The Plaza gets very busy on Saturdays. We even saw a couple of guys that were on our plane the night before. What are the chances of THAT in a 22 million inhabitants city ?


Looking at Paintings



Meli, Papi & Jessica posing in the narrow streets. The Chihuahuas got a lot of attention; and many conversations with people at the Market were easily sparked by their size and cuteness


This Bebito fell in love with the dogs and kept chasing them around going "Ito, Ito (from perr-ITO), Guau, Guau, Guau..." (that's how you make the barking noise en Espanol)


Mexican Hairless Dog, Xoloitzcuintli or Xoloitzcuintle pronounced /ʃoʊloʊiːtskwiːntli/ (approx. sho-lo-eets-quint-lee). Xolos were considered sacred dogs by the Aztecs (and also Toltecs, Mayans and some other groups) because they believed the dogs were needed by their masters’ souls to help them safely through the underworld, and also they were useful companion animals.

According to Aztec mythology, the god Xolotl made the Xoloitzcuintle from a sliver of the Bone of Life from which all man was made. Xolotl gave this gift to Man with the instruction to guard it with his life and in exchange it would guide Man through the dangers of Mictlan, the world of Death, toward the Evening Star in the Heavens. The Aztecs also raised the breed for their meat. 16th Century Spanish accounts tell of large numbers of dogs being served at banquets. Their skin is very rough, feels like an Armadillo.





Jessica eating MAMEY (fruit)that we bought from a Plaza vendor. The mamey sapote is a species of tree that is native to southern Mexico. The fruit is about 4 to 10 inches long 3 to 5 inches wide and has orange flesh.It is eaten raw out of hand or made into milkshakes, smoothies, ice cream and fruit bars. The fruit's flavor is variously described as a combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, and maraschino cherries with the texture of an avocado.
She's waiting for us outside the store because some stores let perritos in, some don't.


Waiting for the car. Watching the valets moving cars around in small, tight places is almost mesmarizing.

Pyramids Sue brought back from her Middle Eeast Trip, and that she gave to Jessica. They now sit in Jessica's Living Room Credenza.




Joe helped Jessica fix the door to her apartment with a "Serrucho" (Hand Saw) and a bit of ingenuity.


La Casa de Jessica & Meli


La Familia at Dinner at Villa Maria: Daniel, Joely, Joe, MoonRaka, Melissa, Jessica, Nora & Felipe.
Over dinner, we got to hear the story of how Joely and Daniel became a couple; and we got to admire the engagement ring. They'll be getting married in July.


Nora, MoonRaka & Felipe

Melissa


Jessica, Melissa & MoonRaka / Hotel Lobby

Hotel Christmas Tree

The Biggest Christmas Tree in Latin America this year sits on Paseo de La Reforma. Picture taken from our Hotel Room. During the holidays, the streets around the area where the Three is are closed down to automobile traffic every night so people can walk around and enjoy the Christmas activities


Christmas Tree and thousands of people doing holiday activities around it. The


It was a wonderful holiday season.

!FELIZ ANO NUEVO FAMILIA!