This is the Birthday Girl!! En sus 26, digo 27 abriles

My Birthday Girl on our Birthday Week

It happens every year in April to the Canino-Vazquez-Morales family. Three significant members of our family celebrate birthdays. First, it was Tito, God rest his soul, who had his birthday on April 3rd. Though he passed away several years ago, we all remember him with love. Then, Abuela Gisela had her birthday, yesterday, April 6th. Ella celebro sus 85 abriles. Finally, comes Rosita, who TODAY celebrates her 27th birthday( corrected below). (This is the magic of edit in a blog. Rosita was born in 1979.) So I followed the tradition in our family of calling her early in the morning to sing her happy birthday. When I called Kendall, answered the phone and he was as cordial and sweet as he always is, in spite of the fact that it was 8:24. Rosita was still asleep and hoping to catch at least 10 more minutes of shut eye, yet she endured my serenade pleasantly and then was going to try to squeeze in those last couple of minutes of sleep. If we don't call each other, there is of course a vacuum that only a little singing can fill, and no, No te estas poniendo vieja! You are just right. What better time to be alive than right now!

So mamita muchas felicidades y que cumplas muchos mas. I am so glad I had you. I can remember outstanding markers in your life, first, your sheer energy, and wanting to be in everything, and a strong opinion from the very start. Then you learned to count to 15 and you hadn' t even been weaned. Then you decided one day out of the blue, you didn't want to be breastfed any more, at a year and a half. So dramatic, that my breasts got sore (a little bit more information than you needed, I know). Then you enjoyed books, laying on the grass with me and Annie, and Juan, and figuring out the clouds and what was in them, exploring the little field in Valle Escondido, cuddling in bed when there was a thunder storm, walking down the street and seeing the mamey trees, painting with Tito, visiting with Nana y Tito, discovering Ataris, and memorizing constellations, climbing trees, exploring hills and construction sites, going to Cupey Maria Montessori, and then Wesleyan with its ups and downs, falling off a hammock and breaking your arm, designing clothes and making a cape, reading The Three Investigators, feeling things deeply when your family was falling apart, climbing that special tree as a refuge, writing poetry to heal, going to WCC to the youth group, dressing in dark colors, and moving to Orlando and starting a new life, changing your name to Rowan, which I never recognized, still writing poetry, then dressing in the light, graduating from ACA, going to Calvin, starting a new chapter in your life, working three jobs at college, the Help Desk, Technology on call in the dorm, and the Planetarium, the Calvin Poster girl, meeting Kendall, memorizing C++, Java, and Pearl all in one summer!, and missing Kendall all that month. Then the list goes on and on, now you are Canino-Koning in the back of a convertible riding around Zeeland, the Image Group, Black River Media, buying your own home with Kendall, and now Rosie, pero siempre mi Rosita, Rosangela, Pink Angel, and I love you very, very much and I am so thankful to God that you are my second child, and that he entrusted you to me for a very special time in our lives starting on a day like today.

Muchas felicidades Amor,

Te quiero mucho.

Mami

Link

Check out what God did in Orlando this past weekend. Go to www.orlandofestival.com. Try to go soon since they will probably take it down soon. You'll probably see a girl with two visors on and the orange one means that she speaks Spanish and the white one is that she speaks English and she was a Counselor and could lead someone to Jesus. I only got one only because the lady that was handing them out was running low and I thought I would look silly with two. Which one do you think I got?

Luis Palau Festival

I spent the day yesterday, mostly guarding the fort. I was assigned to the Radio/Communications detail at the Festival, but nevertheless, the job was significant. In the Radio Room, we kept tabs of the equipment, listened to the security line, and communicated with the security leader as to where to send the security volunteers to be deployed as needed. Since there was a large area for children, the information dealing with lost children was of particular interest . I made it a point to keep tabs on the missing children's reports and descriptions, and pray for their location and their being found. It was very rewarding and gratifying for the whole security team whenever a child was reunited with their parents. I wouldn't mind doing that work again.

Unfortunately, my friend Maria, didn't have that great of an experience. She was selling tickets for the food sales and the lines were endless and it was hot outside (86-90 degrees), and she didn't get the break she needed on time. By the time she was released her back was killing her, and she almost had a meltdown, since she hadn't had anything to eat nor a bathroom break. She isn't planning to go back today. =( It's understandable.

On an other note, today is first day of Day Light Savings and it is going to be a great day! Just set those clocks ahead one hour. God bless you all.