Clapper

A former student of Elba Cardona.

Ven, Ven, Ven
Siéntese aqui.
Los caballitos corren
Asi, asi, asi...

We Made It

After 3 days of celebration we finally came out on the other side. What a great 3 days it was. I was hoping to post more but a certain someone (ahem…) left his video camera AND digital camera in his garage. The only thing I had was Blue Eye’s camera and my useless phone camera. I’ll have to post the professional pictures when we get them.

Anyway, we all left for Tampa Wednesday morning because we had rehearsal at 10 am. The wedding and reception was held at the Kapok in Clearwater. It is a stunningly, beautiful place.





That night we headed over tothe Iwanski home to have a barbecue.




This is Nathan Poole, Adam's best man who came in from Arizona (he's in the Marine Corp). They've been friends since they were 6 years old.


When you marry someone you automatically become part of another family. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes it’s not. We absolutely love Sarah. She is everything we could have wanted for Adam. When we met Matt and Rita (her parents), we came to understand why Sarah was the way she was. When we met their extended family it became even clearer. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more loving, giving and accepting family. Everyone from her grandparents to her cousins were as gracious as they could be. They also know how to have a good time.

Thursday was Thanksgiving so our rehearsal dinner turned out to be quite the event. We had it catered and had about 65 family and friends turn out. We capped the night with a two hour Karaoke bash. It was an evening we will never forget. At first folks were a little hesitant. We started with a few group songs. When we got to Billy Joel’s Piano Man, we had the whole place rockin’.

We even had our own Ruben Berrios belting out My Eyes Adored You. He did a great job!



The parents got together and sang Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills & Nash.


At one point we had both families up there singing We Are Family.

Here's a video clip of a group singing a song from Grease.



Friday was the big day and it went on without a glitch. It could not have been a more perfect wedding. Here are a few picts.


Whew! I'm tired. I'll post more later when I get the good pictures back.

I leave you with my boy and his boys.

At the end of this, Sarah's grandmother turned to me and said:
"This is the first wedding I've been to that's had a floor show."
What can I say? My son's a ham.
Superman

A FREE ONE FOR VISA

What a beautiful place for Adam and Sarah's wedding. The place was spectacular and everything was just beautiful. The happy couple was gleaming all night long. I'm really glad I could make it. Cheers to the newest Mr. and Mrs. Cardona. May the Lord grant them many many years of happiness.

Married for about 3 hours: Memories

in the making . . .

Married for 26 + years: A proud
accomplishment . . .





















Married for 51+ years: "PRICELESS"

2 hours and counting

Sorry for the bad picts. I need a new phone
Ulyses

My new grandson

I'm finally in with this blogging deal. I'm just starting to wet my feet so for my first blog I will post a picture of our new grandson Omar Miguel Cruz. This onesy that the baby is wearing was the first one that his father Omar wore 25 1/2 years ago. It brought tear to my eyes. We will be abuelita and abuelito to our boys.

Elf Yourself!

We decided to take dance lessons for the holidays and look how far we've come!

Click on the this link.

Feliz Cumpleano, mi hermanita

Con much amor!

Miriam and Papo Grandparents Again

Omar and Abby had a son, Oct.23rd.
His name is Omar Miguel Cruz. He weighed 6 lbs 5 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long.
Of course, via grandma's eyes, he's adorable. He was born with a full head of hair and features.

Waiting for pictures from Miriam.

Congratulations!

Two Weeks & Counting

Happy Birthday Lisa

28 years ago. Don't they go by in a blink...
Love you, Baby.

Thanksgiving a bit early

El Amor De Familia,

I was so moved this weekend that I thought it was “blog-worthy”. My very homesick Rosi came home for the weekend. Prior to her arrival, she called her family to attempt to gather them all together at a restaurant to see them all at the same time. She was disappointed in knowing that she will, for the first time, be missing our annual family Thanksgiving Day dinner. Rosi is very familial and loves to gather with her uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins.

Jim and Iris, God Bless them, suggested that we surprise Rosi and plan a “Pre-Thanksgiving Day” dinner/birthday party in her honor at their home. Everyone came. We had turkey, stuffing, green beans, potatoes….all the traditional Thanksgiving Day stuff. Rosi and Polito were very moved by our family’s gesture. I was moved even more!

In the words of Rosi, "Que emocion, I love you all!”

Cardona's Annual Christmas Party

Every year for the past 10 or so years, Dave and I have hosted a Christmas Party. It's a combination of family, friends and co-workers and everyone seems to really enjoy themselves. We've had lots of fun with trivia, karaoke, door prizes, dancing, and of course lots and lots of food. We almost cancelled this year because of the number of things going on, including a wedding coming up (Adam and Sarah), but we've decided it's a go! The party is on for Saturday, December 1st. I know it's early but we always have it the first weekend of December and that happens to be on the 1st this year. So we'll kick off the season with a blast! Ulyses will entertain us with his DJ talent and you won't be disappointed with the menu, so come and join us if you can for a fun filled night.