Casa Jenkins

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

christmas adventures

Christmas day we had a lot of snow which made it perfect!!!!!! We all wanted a white Christmas and it came true. We had our traditional dinner on the 24th and invited my sister in-law, parents in-law and the set kids from our ward. This year has been great right up to October when things just got hard and decisions made were hard. We all knew they needed to be made but it still was not easy. I think this year was the first year as long as I can remember that I could get a gift for my husband and the kids had very little to open. Secretly I had hoped that someone would do a sub for santa for them. I was only able get a tree due gift card some one gave me which I used for food and a very discounted tree which was only $15. Totally scored with the tree, it was exactly what I wanted for such low price. I didn't take a lot of pictures like I usually do and I have felt more stressed then normal but overall it was a good Christmas. Glad for the small miracles and the spirit in our home. In September our water heater and water softener both went down. After having several people who came and gave me estimates and how much it would be, I was shocked on the cost. I called my plumber Jeff and told him what was going on and he sent one of his guys and said no worries we will take care of you. Everyone else told me it would be 1500 and Jeff looked at the work and said he could do it for 300. When our neighbors were remodeling their house they found a brand new water softer and gave it to us for free!! still in the box. I called Jeff and he sent one of his guys and the service guy told me that the normally don't do this type of installed and said that whenever I call Jeff says whatever Patricia needs will get it done. I love this man of being honest and caring. I feel the same way about my furnace guy. Winter finally arrived and the furnace stop working 100%. I called Roger and he came looked at it and said to me to call the people who installed it and make sure I had all my registration work done and told me how to get it done. He said that it would save me a lot of money if I did that. I called the original installer and $95 dollars later they covered the parts. Thanks Roger for your words of advice. My car needs new breaks and I ran into the mechanic at the gas station and I told him what the problem was and he was so nice he said he would sent me a coupon so it would cost me less. I am so glad to have nice honest people in my life. With all this crazy extra expenses we had in the last 3 months, I am looking forward a new year and fun new adventures.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Friendships

I have come to the realization that I must not be a good friend. I hear stories of friendship and of undying love. I must say that it doesn't apply to me. I can go out of my way to help someone and the act is not returned. I recently read an article that talked about how if you went missing who would show up to help look for you and honestly other than my kids and husband, I don't think anyone else would come. If they are too busy to hang out with me now and call to see how I'm doing why would they show to help. I have tried to make closer connections with people and I just decided that they don't want that connection with me. The visiting teaching message was great this month. Make your home Christ centered. We have been going thru some family challenges, a card, a text or maybe a knock would have been nice. I can honestly say that the Lord has been my constant companion and best friend thru all this. I am glad he is there and answers when I call him. I don't need to set an appointment, he doesn't need to check his calendar to see when he can give me half an hour of his time. He know exactly what I need to feel better and I swear I have felt his arms around me when I really have needed that the most. Christmas is almost here and I am so happy that we can celebrate his birthday. I was finally able to get a tree and his presents (Jesus) is already under the tree. I was given a box many years ago with a gift inside that was beautiful and the box it self is so beautiful. Every Christmas eve we open this box and put our gift inside, we take a piece of paper and tell baby Jesus what we will do that year to be better and make others better. It has become a tradition in our home and I hope to pass that down to my kids and their kids. I might not have a wall full of cards but I do have a home where I can find peace and comfort in every room. Count your many blessing name them one by one. I have ran out of fingers counting all the Lord has done for me. I might not have a BFF in this life but I think I am finally ok with that.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Where have I been

Where have I been, well running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I have been doing some soul searching and what the heck I want out of this life, the only one I get. With everything that is going on in the World where can we turn to peace. I have found music to be a refuge for me. There is so much sadness and people being people that one can loose faith of what the goal is. I have been planing a birthday party for my daughter who will be turning 15 next year. I know that the area which I have chosen to live in is mostly caucasian and they don't always understand latin traditions just like I don't understand why they eat nasty food for Thanksgiving. I've mostly positive respond from people about the party and some who just have been flat out rude. Look buddy I have adjusted to your culture as much as I can but for peat sake don't be rude just because you don't understand my culture. I have seen my daughter realized that I have lied to her about people and how they are. She asked some of her friends to dance the traditional dance and some where so excited to embrace something new while other were almost disrespectful. I have tried to teach my child that people are people and they will make dumb choices (me included) my problem is that I have sheltered my kids too much from this reality that now I feel like I have failed them. I feel like they may not be prepare for the cruel World in which we live. I have started talking to them more about how it was when I was growing up in the Mission District of San Francisco California. We took a trip to SF this past week and I took the train into the city and my daughter had a reality check of what the city can really be like. I consider my self an attractive women but in the city I can not go anywhere with out some sexual remark being made about my body. My daughter in my eyes is beautiful and while walking in the city we got a lot of comments. I want her to know how to handle some of this remarks. She is a very smart, talented girl (can you tell I am bias). We visited family while there and my aunts funeral. It was such a different feeling when we told the family there about the Quinceanera for my daughter but was taken back by one of the questions I got. My second cousin asked me if my husband who's white was okay with that? I have never thought about it. Why wouldn't he be? he knew I was of a different culture? why would he expect something different? I just kept thinking about and realized that he was not okay with it at the begging when we were first married but later he too learned to embraced my culture they way I have embraced his. Money is tight and yet he has never said to me that the party could not be done in fact he asked if I had asked his family to help cover some of the cost. In the latin culture it is custom to ask family members to help pay for some of the items. To make everything more fun were not catholic but members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In our church we don't celebrated Quinceaneras since is mostly a Latin catholic tradition which I feel we should continue in our half white half spanish family. At the end of the day I will continue to be who I am a loud, proud Nica!!