F is for...

Though I think many important things begin with the letter F (faith, family, friends, etc.)....

For the sake of this blog F will stand for Family, Festival and Food.

 Once a year citizens from the state of Nayarit, Mexico travel to Southern California (a 30+ hour drive) and participate in the annual "Feria de Nayarit California."

It is a festival full of fun activities and yummy food. We go to visit G's family that has made the long trip to participate in the festivities and celebrate by putting yummy food in our tummies.

 Mother, Cousin, and G

 Look at the beautifully detailed craftsmanship and beading on this necklace.

 Hand sewn shoulder bag.

 I love traditional cultural garb. This is such a beautiful dress.

 Put that city in your vocabulary.

 My favorite part? The inexpensive food!

 Tacos de Asada

 Ceviche de Pescado

 Tamal de Camaron.

I think he should be called Mr. Camaron...look how happy shrimp makes him. :)

 Of course dessert...Mango con Chile y Limon. 

7 in 1

7 cats in 1 year.
That is the highest number of cats that G and I have had at some point or another in the last year. Some we're found in alleys, underneath homes, in the middle of the intersections, and some just simply showed up at the front door.

Momma's Boy - "Mamasito"

~Found underneath a house

~Brother to Shay, Emme and Twin.

~Now residing at G's as an outside cat (by choice)

Twin - "Twinkie"

~Found underneath a house. 

~Brother to Shay, Emme, and Mamasito

~Now residing in Costa Mesa with a very nice family

Scrappy - "Granddy", "Paps"

~Found in a alley...well she came running out of an alley, chased after G practically crying for a home.

~NEEDS A HOME

Shay - "Shaylee Fernandez"

~Found underneath a house

~Brother to Emme, Twin and Mamasito

~Currently residing at G's.

Emme - "Emily"

~Found underneath a house.

~Sister to Shay, Twin and Mamasito

~Currently residing at G's.

Tom -"Tommy"

~Found at a very busy intersection.

~Currently residing at my house with Peas and Lucy. 

*Not pictured - Missy.

~Found on G's front porch...and has not left in the last 4 months. NEEDS A HOME. 

  

Let's Eat!

"Let's Eat!" was the theme of this years Orange County Fair.

Between four weeks and four trips to the fair (via the OC Flyer - $1.50 bus ride to the fair plus they give you a voucher for a $2 entrance ticket) we tried a variety of fair food. The key for me was to try it all- not eat it all. That didn't work out too well....

Be prepared for a plethora of food photos

Warning - may cause nausea and vomiting thinking of all the fair food we consumed.

Deep Fried Bacon Sandwich and Fries

Chocolate Covered Bacon

Deep Fried Butter

Criss-Cut Fries and a Jumbo Sausage Dog

Sharing the Jumbo Sausage Dog

G gives it a thumbs up

BBQ Ribs, Coleslaw and Fries

Peanut Butter Cupcake for Peabody

Mini Key Lime Coconut Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich, Baked Beans and Coleslaw

French Fries

Turkey Leg

What is a fair without Funnel Cake and Lemonade

Cinnamon Bun with Cream Cheese Frosting from Pismo Beach

(Seriously, this could be the only reason I go to the fair)

John enjoying his food.

What is a fair without a Ferris Wheel?

With all this food, he is one happy and extremely full man.

Orange County Fair...you have served our tummies well (Oh yeah) and expanded our waistlines (Oh No)!

12 Weeks

I am officially done with my second semester of grad school as of today.

It was a very long 12 weeks: coffee became my dear friend, good sleep seemed so distant, and I know nothing more about statistics than I did 12 weeks ago.

During the next few weeks off I plan on doing the following:

Hanging out at the beach....

...getting lots of R & R...

and of course catching up with some very neglected family and friends.....