The Mendoza Family

Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

2012-01-27T02:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

Instead of one big cake, we got you a Lego CCC (Cup Cake Cake)! It's like having a whole bunch cake in Fun Size!

You are our very special Lego Engineer, and Hockey fan. You do an amazing job with your God-given talent at the Violin, and give glory to the same God by serving at his Altar.

God bless you this day as you celebrate your birthday. Your Mom and Dad and siblings love you very much. May Go grant you many of health, happiness, and Faith for many years.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

I can think of no better cake for you in this year when Part One of The Hobbit comes out than to make you a virtual cake of Minas Tirith...

Of Course, I don't know how to bake or make a cake, so more than likely, this will be the scene...

Yeah, there's gonna be a lot of angry Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and men at your birthday.

Happy birthday anyways, Sweetie, and may God bless you all the days of your life.

Beatem Nativitatem!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Breviarium Romanum
Septies in die laudem dixi tibi...
« Feria Quinta - Nono Kalendas Ianuarii »
In Vigilia Nativitatis Domini,
Classis: 1
Ad Primam
Octavo Kalendas Ianuarii

Anno a creatione mundi,
quando in principio Deus creavit cœlum et terram,
quinquies millesimo centesimo nonagesimo nono:
A diluvio autem, anno bis millesimo nongentesimo quinquagesimo septimo:
A nativitate Abrahæ, anno bis millesimo quintodecimo:
A Moyse et egressu populi Israël de Ægypto, anno millesimo quingentesimo decimo:
Ab unctione David in Regem, anno millesimo trigesimo secundo;
Hebdomada sexagesima quinta, iuxta Danielis prophetiam:
Olympiade centesima nonagesima quarta:
Ab urbe Roma condita, anno septingentesimo quinquagesimo secundo:
Anno Imperii Octaviani Augusti quadragesimo secundo,
toto Orbe in pace composito, sexta mundi ætate,
Iesus Christus æternus Deus,
æternique Patris Filius,
mundum volens adventu suo piissimo consecrare,
de Spiritu Sancto conceptus,
novemque post conceptionem decursis mensibus

(Hic vox elevatur, et omnes genua flectunt),

in Bethlehem Iudæ nascitur ex Maria Virgine factus Homo.

Nativitas Domini nostri Iesu Christi secundum carnem.

The year from the creation of the world,
when in the beginning God created Heaven and Earth,
five thousand one hundred and ninety nine;
from the deluge, the year two thousand nine hundred and fifty seven;
from the birth of Abraham, the year two thousand and fifteen;
from Moses and the going out of the people of Israel from Egypt, the year one thousand five hundred and ten;
from David's being annointed King, the year one thousand and thirty two;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
from the foundation of the City of Rome, the year seven hundred and fifty two;
in the forty second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus,
the whole world being in peace,
in the sixth age of the world,
Jesus Christ, the eternal God, and Son of the Eternal Father,
wishing to consecrate this world by his most merciful coming,
being conceived of the Holy Ghost,
and nine months since his Conception having passed,

in Bethlehem of Juda, is born of the Virgin Mary, being made Man,

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to the Flesh!

The Original Account Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe: The Nican Mopohua Part 2

2011-12-12T04:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the account of the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Part 1 can be found here.

94 And on the following day, Monday, when Juan Diego was to take some sign in order to be believed, he did not return.

95 Because when he arrived at his house, the sickness had struck an uncle of his, named Juan Bernardino, and he was very ill.

96 He went to get the native healer, who treated him, but it was too late; he was very ill.

97 And when night came, his uncle begged him to come to Tlatilolco shortly after midnight, while it was still dark, to call some priest to go to confess him, to go to get him ready,

98 because he was sure that the time and place had now come for him to die, because he would no longer get up, he would no longer get well.

99 And on Tuesday, while it was still night, Juan Diego left his house to come to Tlatilolco to get the priest.

100 and when he finally reached the little hill which ended the mountain range, at its foot, where the road comes out, on the side that the sun sets on, where he always passed before, he said:

101 "If I go ahead on the road, I don’t want this Lady to see me, because for sure, just like before, she’ll stop me so I can take the sign to the church governor for her, as she ordered me to;

102 because first our tribulation must leave us; first I must quickly call the (Franciscan) priest; my uncle is anxiously waiting for him".

103 He immediately turned toward the hill, climbed up across it where there is a pass, and emerged on the eastern side, no that he could quickly to Mexico so that the Queen of Heaven would not detain him.

104 He thinks that where he made the turn, the one who is looking everywhere perfectly won’t be able to see him.

105 He saw how she was coming down from up on the hill, and that from there she had been looking at him, from where she saw him before.

106 She came to meet him beside the hill, she came to block his way; she said to him:

107 "WHAT’S HAPPENING, YOUNGEST AND DEAREST OF ALL MY SONS? WHERE ARE YOU GOING, WHERE ARE YOU HEADED FOR?"

108 And he, perhaps he grieved a little, or perhaps he became ashamed? Or perhaps he became afraid of the situation, be became fearful?

109 He prostrated himself before her, he greeted her, he said to her:

110 "My little Maiden, my smallest Daughter, my Girl, I hope you are happy; how are you this morning? Does your beloved little body feel well, my Lady, my Girl?

111 Although it grieves me, I will cause your face and your heart anguish: I must tell you, my little Girl, that one of your servants, my uncle, is very ill.

112 A terrible sickness has taken hold of him; he will surely die from it soon.

113 And now I shall go quickly to your little house of Mexico (Mexico-Tlatilolco), to call one of our priests, the beloved ones of Our Lord, so that he will go to hear his confession and prepare him,

114 Because we really were born for that we who came to wait for the painful effort of our death.

115 But, if I am going to carry it out, I will return here after that to go carry your breath, your word, Lady, my little Young one.

116 I beg you to forgive me, be patient with me a little longer, because I am not deceiving you with this, my youngest Daughter, my little Girl, tomorrow without fail I will come as fast as possible".

117 As soon as she heard the explanations of Juan Diego, the Merciful Perfect Virgin answered him: .

118 "LISTEN. PUT IT INTO YOUR HEART, MY YOUNGEST AND DEAREST SON, THAT THE THING THAT FRIGHTENED YOU, THE THING THAT AFFLICTED YOU IS NOTHING: DO NOT LET IT DISTURB YOU: DO NOT FEAR THIS SICKNESS NOR ANY OTHER SICKNESS, NOR ANY SHARP AND HURTFUL THING. .

119 AM I NOT HERE, I, WHO AM YOUR MOTHER? ARE YOU NOT UNDER MY SHADOW AND PROTECTION? AM I NOT THE SOURCE OF YOUR JOY? ARE YOU NOT IN THE HOLLOW OF MY MANTLE, IN THE CROSSING OF MY ARMS? DO YOU NEED SOMETHING MORE? .

120 LET NOTHING ELSE WORRY YOU, DISTURB YOU; DO NOT LET YOUR UNCLE’S ILLNESS PRESSURE YOU WITH GRIEF, BECAUSE HE WILL NOT DIE OF IT NOW. YOU MAY BE CERTAIN THAT HE IS ALREADY WELL". .

121 (And at that very moment his uncle became well, as they later found out). .

122 An when Juan Diego heard the lovely word, the lovely breath of the Queen of Heaven, he was greatly comforted by it, his heart became peaceful. .

123 and he begged her to send him immediately to see the Governing Bishop, to take him something for a sign, for proof so that he would believe. .

124 And the Queen of Heaven ordered him then to go to the top of the little hill, where he had seen her before: .

125 She said to him: "GO UP, MY DEAREST SON, TO THE TOP OF THE HILL, TO WHERE YOU SAW ME AND I TOLD YOU WHAT TO DO; .

126 THERE YOU WILL SEE THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FLOWERS: CUT THEM, GATHER THEM, PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER; THEN COME DOWN HERE; BRING THEM HERE, INTO MY PRESENCE." .

127 Juan Diego climbed to the top the top of the hill right away. 128 and when he reached the top, he was astonished by all of them, blooming, open, flowers of every kind, lovely and beautiful, when it still was not their season: .

129 because really that was the season n which the frost was very harsh: .

130 they were giving off an extremely soft fragrance; like precious pearls, as if filled with the dew of the night. .

131 Then he began to cut them, he gathered them all, he put them in the hollow of his tilma. .

132 The top of the little hill was certainly not a place in which any flowers grew; there are only plenty of rocks, thorns, spines, prickly pears and mesquite trees, .

133 And even though some little herbs or grasses might grow, it was then the month of December, in which the frost eats everything up and destroys it. .

134 And immediately he came back down, he came to bring the Heavenly Maiden the different kinds of flowers which he had gone up to cut. .

135 And when she saw them, she took them with her precious hands; .

136 Then she put them all together into the hollow of his ayate again and said: .

137 "MY YOUNGEST AND DEAREST SON, THESE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FLOWERS ARE THE PROOF, THE SIGN THAT YOU WILL TAKE TO THE BISHOP; .

138 YOU WILL TELL HIM FROM ME THA HE IS TO SEE IN THEM MY DESIRE, AND THAT THEREFORE HE IS TO CARRY OUT MY WISH, MY WILL. .

139 AND YOU, YOU WHO ARE MY MESSENGER, IN YOU I PLACE MY ABSOLUTE TRUST; .

140 AND I STRICTLY ORDER YOU THAT YOU ONLY OPEN YOUR AYATE ALONE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE BISHOP, AND SHOW HIM WHAT YOU ARE CARRYING. .

141 AND YOU WILL TELL HIM EVERYTHING EXACTLY, YOU WILL TELL HIM THAT I ORDERED YOU TO CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE LITTLE HILL TO CUT FLOWERS, AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAW AND ADMIRED, .

142 SO THAT YOU CAN CONVINCE THE GOVERNING PRIEST, SO THAT HE WILL THEN DO WHAT LIES WITHIN HIS RESPONSIBILITY SO THAT MY TEMPLE WHICH I HAVE ASKED HIM FOR WILL BE MADE, WILL BE RAISED." .

143 And as soon as the Heavenly Queen gave him her orders, he took the causeway, he comes straight to Mexico City, he comes happily now. .

144 His heart is tranquil now, because his errand will come out well, he will carry it our perfectly. .

145 Along the way, he is very careful of what is in the hollow of his garment, lest he lose something: .

146 As he comes, he enjoys the fragrance of the different kinds of exquisite flowers. .

147 When he arrived at the Bishop’s residence, the doorkeeper and the other servants of the Governing Priest went to meet him. .

148 and he begged them to tell him how much he wanted to see him, but none of them was willing; they pretended they didn’t understand him, or perhaps because it was still very dark; .

149 or perhaps because they felt by now that all he did was bother them and keep on insisting, .

150 and their companions had already told them, the ones who lost him from sight when they were following him. .

151 For a long, long time he waited for his request to be granted. 152 And when they saw that he was simply standing there for a long, long time with his head down, without doing anything, in case he should be called, and that it looked as if he was carrying something, as if he was bringing it in the hollow of his tilma – then they came up close to him to see what he was bringing and thus satisfy their curiosity. .

153 And when Juan Diego saw that there was no way in which he could hide from them what he was carrying and that therefore they might harass him or push him perhaps rough him and the flowers up, he finally gave them a little peek and they say that it was flowers. .

154 And when they say that they were all exquisite different flowers and that it wasn’t the season for them to be blooming, they were very, very astonished by how fresh they were, how good they smelled, how handsome they seemed. .

155 And they wanted to grab and pull a few out; .

156 They dared to try to grab them three times, but there was no way in which they could do it, .

157 because when they would try, they could no longer see the flowers, they saw them as if they were painted or embroidered or sewn on the tilma. .

158 They went immediately to tell the Governing Bishop what they had seen, .

159 and how much the lowly Indian who had come other times wanted to see him, and that he had been waiting a very long time there for permission, because he wanted to see him. .

160 And as soon as the Governing Bishop heard it, he realized that this was the proof to convince him to get started on what the humble man was asking him for. .

161 He immediately ordered that he come in to see him. .

162 And when he had come in, he prostrated himself in his presence, as he had done before. .

163 And again he told him what he had seen and admired, and his message. .

164 He said to him, "Your Excellency, sir, I have done it. I have carried out your orders, .

165 That is, I went to tell my Mistress, the Heavenly Maiden, Holy Mary, the Beloved Mother of God, that you were asking for proof so you could believe me, so that you would make her sacred little house, where she as asking you to build it; 166 And I also told her that I had given you my word to come to bring you some sign, some proof of her will, as you told me to. .

167 And she listened carefully to your breath, your word, and was pleased to receive your request for the sign, the proof, so that her beloved will can be done, can be carried out. .

168 And today, while it was still night, she ordered me to come again to see you; .

169 and I asked her for the proof so that I would be believed, as she had said that she would give it to me, and she kept her promise immediately. .

170 And she ordered me to the top of the little hill where I had seen her before, to cut different flowers up there; Castillian roses. .

171 And when I had cut them, I took them down to her at the bottom; .

172 and she took them with her holy hands, .

173 again she placed them in the hollow of my ayate, .

174 so that I would bring them to you, so I would give them only to you. .

175 Although I knew very well that the top of the hill isn’t a place where flowers grow, because there are only a lot of craggy rocks, thorns, spiny acacias, prickly pears, mesquite bushes. I didn’t doubt because of that, I didn’t hesitate because of that. .

176 When I reached the top of the hill I saw that it was now paradise. .

177 Every kind of different precious flowers were there, each one perfect, the very finest that there are, full of dew and shining so I immediately cut them; .

178 and she told me that I should give them to you from her, and that in this way I would show the truth; that your should see the sign that you were asking for in order to carry our her beloved will, .

179 and so that it will be clear that my word, my message, is truth, .

180 here they are; please receive them." .

181 And then he held out his white tilma, in the hollow of which he had placed the flowers. .

182 And just as all the different precious flowers fell to the floor, .

183 then and there the beloved Image of the Perfect Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of God, became the sign, suddenly appeared in the form and figure in which it is now, .

184 where it is preserved in her beloved little house, in her sacred little house at Tepeyac, which is called Guadalupe. .

185 And as soon as the Governing Bishop and all those who were there saw it, they knelt, they were full of awe and reverence. .

186 They stood up to see it, they became sad, they wept, their hearts and minds were in ecstasy. .

187 And the Governing Bishop weeping and with sadness begged and asked her to forgive him for not having immediately carried out her will, her holy breath, her holy word. .

188 And when he got up, he untied Juan Diego’s garment, his tilma, from his neck where it was tied. .

189 On which the Heavenly Queen appeared, on which she became the sign. .

190 And then he took it and placed it in his private chapel. .

191 And Juan Diego still stayed for the day in the Bishop’s house, he still kept him there. 192 And on the next day he said to him: "Come, let’s go so you can show where is that the Queen of Heaven wants her chapel built." .

193 People were immediately invited to make it, to build it. .

194 And Juan Diego, as soon as he showed where the Lady of Heaven had ordered her sacred little house to be built, asked for permission: .

195 he wanted to go to his house in order to see his uncle, Juan Bernardino, who was very ill when he left him to go to Tlatilolco to call a priest to confess him and prepare him, the one whom the Queen of Heaven had told him had already been cured. .

196 But they didn’t let him go alone, rather people went with him to his house. .

197 And when they arrived they saw that his uncle was now healthy; he had absolutely no pain of any kind. .

198 And he, for his part, was greatly surprised by the way in which his nephew was accompanied and very honored; .

199 he asked his nephew why it was that they were honoring him so much; .

200 and he told him how, when he left to go call a priest for him who would confess him and prepare him, the Lady of Heaven appeared to him there at Tepeyac; 201 and she sent him to Mexico City to see the Governing Bishop, so that he would make her a house at Tepeyac. .

202 And she told him not to worry, because his uncle was now happy, and she consoled him very much with this news. .

203 His uncle told him that it was true, that she healed him at that exact moment, .

204 And he saw her in exactly the same way she had appeared to his nephew, .

205 and she told him that she was also sending him to Mexico City to see the Bishop; .

206 and also that when he went to see him, he should reveal absolutely everything to him, he should tell him what he had seen .

207 and the marvelous way in which she had healed him, .

208 and that he would properly name her beloved Image thus: THE PERFECT VIRGIN, HOLY MARY OF GUADALUPE. .

209 And then they brought Juan Bernardino into the presence of the Governing Bishop, they brought him to speak with him, to give his testimony, .

210 and together with his nephew Juan Diego, the Bishop lodged them in his house for a few days. .

211 While the sacred little house of the lovely Little Queen was built out there at Tepeyac, where she revealed herself to Juan Diego. .

212 And the Reverend Bishop moved the beloved Image of the Beloved Heavenly Maiden to the principal church. .

213 He took her beloved Image from his residence, from his private chapel in which it was, so that all could see it and admire it. .

214 And absolutely this entire city with no exception, was deeply moved as everyone came to see and admire her precious Image. .

215 They came to acknowledge its divine character. .

216 They came to offer her their payers. .

217 They marveled at the miraculous way it had appeared..

218 since absolutely no one on earth had painted her beloved Image.

FIddler On The Roof; Or...

2011-12-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

Don't try this at home.

Or at least not on our our roof.

The Original Account Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe: The Nican Mopohua

2011-12-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

The earliest account of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe dates from 1556. It was written almost completely in Nahautl, the language of the Aztecs, by Fr. Luis Laso de la Vega, Vicar of the Shrine of of Guadalupe. Original copies can be found in the New york Public Library, and the National Library of Mexico. What follows is part one of the story right up until the miraculous image on the Tilma of Juan Diego.

NICAN MOPOHUA
("HERE IS TOLD") and set down in order how a short time ago the Perfect Virgin Holy May Mother of God, our Queen, miraculously appeared out at Tepeyac, widely known as Guadalupe.

First She caused herself to be seen by an Indian named Juan Diego, poor but worthy of respect; and then her Precious Image appeared before the recently named Bishop, Don Fray Juan de Zumárraga.

1 Ten years after the City of Mexico was conquered, with the arrows and shields put aside, when there was peace in all the towns,

2 just as it sprouted, faith now grows green, now opens its corolla, the knowledge of the One by whom we all live: the true God.

3 At that time, the year 1531, a few days into the month of December, it happened that there was a humble but respected Indian, a poor man of the people;

4 his name was Juan Diego; he lived in Cuauhtitlán, as they say.

5 and in all the things of God, he belonged to Tlaltilolco.

6 It was Saturday, not yet dawn; he was coming in pursuit of God and his commandments.

7 And as he drew near the little hill called Tepeyac it was beginning to dawn.

8 He heard singing on the little hill, like the song of many precious birds; when their voices would stop, it was as if the hill were answering them; extremely soft and delightful, their songs exceeded the songs of the coyoltotl and the tzinitzcan and other precious birds.

9 Juan Diego stopped to look. He said to himself: "By any chance am I worthy, have I deserved what I hear? Perhaps I am only dreaming it? Perhaps I’m only dozing?.

10 Where am I? Where do I find myself? Is it possible that I am in the place our ancient ancestors, our grandparents, told about, in the land of the flowers, in the land of corn, of our flesh, of our sustenance, possible in the land of heaven?".

11 He was looking up toward the top of the hill, toward the direction the sun rises from, toward where the precious heavenly song was coming from.

12 And then when the singing suddenly stopped, when it could no longer be heard, he heard someone calling him, from the top of the hill, someone was saying to him: "JUAN, DEAREST JUAN DIEGO."

13 Then he dated to go to where the voice was coming from, his heart was not disturbed and he felt extremely happy and contented, he started to climb to the top of the little hill to go see where they were calling him from..

14 And when he reached the top of the hill, when a Maiden who was standing there say him,

15 She called to him to come close to her.

16 16 Ant when he reached where she was, he was filled with admiration for the way her perfect grandeur exceeded all imagination:

17 her clothing was shining like the sun, as if it were sending out waves of light,

18 and the stone, the crag on which she stood, seemed to be giving out rays;

19 her radiance was like precious stones, it seemed like an exquisite bracelet (it seemed beautiful beyond anything else);

20 the earth seemed to shine with the brilliance of a rainbow in the mist.

21 And the mesquites and nopals and the other little plants that are generally up there seemed like emeralds. Their leaves seemed like turquoise. And their trunks, their thorns, their prickles, were shining like gold.

22 He prostrated himself en her presence. He listened to her voice [her breath], her words, which give great, great glory, which were extremely kind, as if from someone who was drawing him toward her and esteemed him highly.

23 She said to him, "LISTEN, MY DEAREST AND YOUNGEST SON, JUAN. WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

24 And he answered her: "My Lady, my Queen, my Little Girl, I am going as far as your little house in Mexico-Tlatilolco, to follow the things of God (everything that makes God be God) that are given to us, that are taught to us by the ones who are the images of Our Lord: our priests."

25 Then she talks with him, she reveals her precious will;

26 then she says to hem: "KNOW, KNOW FOR SURE, MY DEAREST AND YOUNGEST SON, THAT I AM THE PERFECT EVER VIRGIN HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF THE ONE GREAT GOD OF TRUTH WHO GIVES US LIFE, THE INVENTOR AND CREATOR OF PEOPLE. THE OWNER AND LORD OF WHAT IS AROUND US AND WHAT IS TOUCHING US OR VERY CLOSE TO US THE OWNER AND LORD OF THE SKY, THE LORD OF THE EARTH. I WANT VERY MUCH THAT THEY BUILD MY SACRED LITTLE HOUSE HERE.

27 IN WHICH I WILL SHOW HIM, I WILL EXALT HIM ON MAKING HIM MANIFEST:

28 I WILL GIVE HIM TO THE PEOPLE IN ALL MY PERSONAL LOVE, IN MY COMPASSIONATE GAZE, IN MY HELP, IN MY SALVATION:

29 BECAUSE I AM TRULY YOUR COMPASSIONATE MOTHER,

30 YOURS AND OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE TOGETHER IN THIS LAND,

31 AND OF ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ANCESTRIES, MY LOVERS, THOSE WHO CRY TO ME, THOSE WHO SEEK ME, THOSE WHO TRUST IN ME,

32 BECAUSE THERE I WILL LISTEN TO THEIR WEEPING, THEIR SADNESS, TO REMEDY, TO CLEANSE AND NURSE ALL THEIR DIFFERENT TROUBLES, THEIR MISERIES, THEIR SUFFERING.

33 AND TO BRING ABOUT WHAT MY COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL GAZE IS TRYING TO DO, GO TO THE RESIDENCE OF THE BISHOP OF MEXICO, AND YOU WILL TELL HIM HOW I AM SENDING YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY REVEAL TO HIM THAT I VERY MUCH WANT HIM TO BUILD ME A HOUSE HERE, TO ERECT MY TEMPLE FOR ME ON THE PLAIN; YOU WILL TELL HIM EVERYTHING, ALL THAT YOU HAVE SEEN AND MARVELED AT, AND WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD.

34 AND KNOW FOR SURE THAT I WILL APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH AND REWARD IT,

35 THAT BECAUSE OF IT I WILL ENRICH YOU, I WILL GLORIFY YOU;

36 AND BECAUSE OF IT YOU WILL DESERVE VERY MUCH THE WAY THAT I REWARD YOUR FATIGUE, YOUR SERVICE IN GOING TO REQUEST THE MATTER THAT I AM SENDING YOU FOR.

37 NOW, MY DEAREST SON, YOU HAVE HEARD MY BREATH, MY WORD: GO, DO WHAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR (IN THIS EFFORT)."

38 And immediately he prostrated himself in her presence; he said to her: "My Lady, my Little Girl, now I am going to make your venerable breath, your venerable word, a reality; I, your poor Indian, am leaving you for a while."

39 Then he came down (the hill) to put her errand into action: he came to get onto the causeway, he comes straight to Mexico City.

40 When he reached the center of the city, he went straight to the palace of the Bishop, the Governing Priest, who had just recently arrived; his name was Don Fray Juan de Zumárraga, a Franciscan Priest.

41 And as soon as he got there, he then tries to see him, he begs his servants, his helpers, to go and tell him he needs to see him;

42 after a long time, when the Reverend Bishop ordered that he enter, they came to call him;

43 And as soon as he entered, first he knelt before him, he prostrated himself, then he reveals to him, he tells him the precious breath, the precious word of the Queen of Heaven, her message, and he also tells him everything that made his marvel, what he saw, what he heard.

44 And having heard his whole story, his message, as if he didn’t particularly believe it to be true,

45 he answered him, he said to him: "My son, you will come again. I will still hear you calmly, I will look at it carefully from the very beginning, I will consider the reason why your have come, your will, your desire".

46 He left; he came our sad, because the errand entrusted to him was not immediately accepted.

47 Then he returned, at the end of the day, then he came straight from there to the top of the little hill,

48 and he had the joy of meeting the Queen of Heaven: there exactly where she had appeared to him the fist time, she was waiting for him.

49 As soon as he saw her, he prostrated himself before her, he threw himself to the ground, he said to her:

50 "My dear little Mistress, Lady Queen, my littlest Daughter, my dear little Girl. I did go to where you sent me to carry our your dear breath, your dear word; although I entered with difficulty to where the place is of the Governing Priest, I saw him, I put your breath, your word, before him, as you ordered me to.

51 He received me kindly and he listened to it perfectly, but from the way ha answered me, it’s as if he didn’t understand it, he doesn’t think it’s true.

52 He said to me: "You will come again: I will still listen to you calmly, I will look well to what you have come for, from the very beginning, to your desire, your will.

53 The way he answered me, I could clearly see that he thinks your house that you want them to build for you here, maybe I’m only making it up, or that maybe it is not from your lips.

54 I beg you, my Lady, Queen, my little girl, to have one of the nobles who are held in esteem, one who is known, respected, honored, (have him) carry, take your dear breath, your dear word, so that he will be believed.

55 Because I am really (just) a man from the country, I am a (porter’s) rope I am a backframe, a tail, a wing, a man of no importance: I myself need to be led, carried on someone’s back, that place your are sending me to is a place where I’m not used to going to or spending any time in, my little Virgin, my Youngest Daughter, my Lady, Little girl;

56 please excuse me: I will grieve your face, your heart; I will fall into your anger, into your displeasure, my Lady, my Mistress."

57 The Perfect Virgin, worthy of honor and veneration, answered him:

58 "LISTEN, MY YOUNGEST AND DEAREST SON, KNOW FOR SURE THAT I HAVE NO LACK OF SERVANTS, OF MESSENGERS, TO WHOM I CAN GIVE THE TASK OF CARRYING MY BREATH, MY WORD, SO THAT THEY CARRY OUT MY WILL;

59 BUT IT IS VERY NECESSARY THAT YOU, PERSONALLY, GO AND PLEAD, THAT MY WISH, MY WILL, BECOME A REALITY, BE CARRIED OUT THROUGH YOUR INTERCESSION.

60 AND I BEG YOU, MY YOUNGEST AND DEAREST SON AND I ORDER YOU STRICTLY TO GO AGAIN TOMORROW TO SEE THE BISHOP.

61 AND IN MY NAME MAKE HIM KNOW, MAKE HIM HEAR MY WISH, MY WILL, SO THAT HE WILL BRING INTO BEING, HE WILL BUILD MY HOUSE OF GOD THAT I AM ASKING HIM FOR.

62 AND CAREFULLY TELL HIM AGAIN HOW I, PERSONALLY, THE EVER VIRGIN HOLY MARY, I, WHO AM THE MOTHER OF GOD, AM SENDING YOU."

63 For his part, Juan Diego responded to her and said to her "My Lady, Queen, my Little Girl, let me not give you anguish, let me not grieve your face, your heart. I will most gladly go to carry out your breath, your word; I will absolutely not fail to do it, nor do I think the road is painful.

64 I will go and carry out your will, but perhaps I won’t be heard, and if I am heard, perhaps I won’t be believed.

65 Tomorrow afternoon, when the sun goes down, I will come to return to your word, to your breath, what the Governing Priest answers to me.

66 Now, I respectfully say goodbye to you, my youngest Daughter, young Girl, Lady, my Little Girl, rest a little more."

67 And then he went to his house to rest.

68 On the following day, Sunday, while it was still night, everything was still dark, he left there, he left his house, he came straight to Tlatilolco, he came to learn what pertains to God and to be counted in roll call; then to see the Reverend Bishop.

69 And around ten o’clock everything had been taken care of: Mass was over and roll had been called and the crowd had gone away.

70 And Juan Diego went to the Reverend Bishop’s residence.

71 And as soon as he arrived he went through the whole struggle to see him, and after much effort he saw him again;

72 he knelt at his feet, he wept, he became sad as he spoke to him, as he revealed to him the word, the breath of the Queen of Heaven.

73 that would to God the errand, the will, of the Perfect Virgin would be believed, of making for her, of building her sacred little house for her, where she had said, where she wanted it.

74 And the Governing Bishop asked him many, many things, pursued many, many, questions with him, to make certain of where he had seen her, what She was like; he told absolutely everything to the Lord Bishop.

75 And although he told him absolutely everything, and that in everything, he saw and marveled that it appeared with absolute clarity that she was the Perfect Virgin, the Kind and Wondrous Mother of Our Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ,

76 nevertheless, it still didn’t happen (his message was still not believed).

77 He said that not simply because of his word would his petition be carried out, would what he asked for happen.

78 That some other sign was very necessary if he was to believe how the Queen of Heaven in person was sending him.

79 As soon as Juan Diego heard that, he said to the Bishop:

80 "Señor Governor, think about what the sign you ask for will be, because then I will go to ask for it of the Queen of Heaven who sent me."

81 And when the Bishop saw that he was in agreement, that he did not hesitate or doubt in the slightest, he dismisses him.

82 And as soon as he is on his way, he orders some of house-hold staff in whom he had absolute trust to go along following him, to carefully observe where he was going, whom he was seeing, to whom he was talking.

83 And that’s what they did. And Juan Diego came directly. He took the causeway.

84 And those who were following him lost him on the wooden bridge where the brook comes out near Tepeyac. And even though they searched all over for him, they couldn’t find him anywhere.

85 And so they turned back. He made them angry, not just because they had made terrible fools of themselves, but also because he had frustrated their attempt.

86 So they went to tell the Lord Bishop, they put into his head that he shouldn’t believe him, they told him how he was only telling him lies, that he was only making up what he came to tell him, or that he was only dreaming or imagining what he was telling him, what he was asking of him.

87 Therefore they decided that if he came again, if he returned, they would grab him right there and would punish him severely, so that he would never come again to tell lies or get the people all excited.

88 Meanwhile, Juan Diego was with the Most Holy Virgin, telling her the response that he was bringing from the Lord Bishop;

89 when she had heard it, she said to him:

90 "THAT’S FINE, MY DEAR SON, YOU WILL COME BACK HERE TOMORROW SO THAT YOU MAY TAKE THE BISHOP THE SIGN HE HAS ASKED YOU FOR;

91 WITH THIS HE WILL BELIEVE YOU, AND HE WILL NO LONGER HAVE ANY DOUBTS ABOUT ALL THIS AND HE WILL NO LONGER BE SUSPICIOUS OF YOU; 92 AND KNOW, MY DEAR SON, THAT I WILL REWARD YOU CARE AND THE WORK AND FATIGUE THAT YOU HAVE PUT INTO THIS FOR Me.

93 SO, GO NOW: I WILL BE WAITING HERE FOR YOU TOMORROW."

Part 2 to follow! at 5 AM, December 12th, the hour of the apparition.

Our Lady Of Guadalupe, Part 2

2011-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

For part one, you can go here.

Updated: Thre is also a previous post earlier this week on Our Lady of Guadalupe and the painting of the Mona Lisa. It can be found here.

Let us look at the image of Guadalupe as an icon, for that is how the Aztecs saw the image that our Blessed Lady left us. They saw that the the image had many messages that spoke to them, and could just speak to us today in our world that reflects theirs in so many troubling ways.

1. In front of the Sun. Our Lady is standing in front of the Sun. The god Huitzilopochtli was the Sun god (It was to Huitzilopochtli that people would be sacrificed to, children included, by having their hearts torn out while alive, and then stuffed into the mouth of Huitzilopochtli). Huitzilopochtli was the one of the highest ranking gods, yet Our lady is standing right in front of the Sun, indicating that she is greater than the sun god. Read Apocalypse 12, where it talks of the lady clothed with the Sun. This leads directly into #2...

2. Orientation of the eyes. The Aztec gods would typically be looking right at you in the statues that were built of them. They had this fearsome look that directly reflected their brutality. Our Lady is standing in front of a fearsome god, yet she is looking down. When a statue of an Aztec god looked down, it was because there was a greater god present. Our Lady is telling us that even though she is greater than Huitzilopochtli, there is one even greater than herself, and sh is in the presence of him. Her eyes also appear to be gentle, loving. There will be more on the eyes later.

3. On top of the Moon. The hill on which Our lady appeared is called Tepeyac, and had been dedicated to the Moon goddess Tonantzin. She was a goddess that would on the surface would seem to be sympathetic, as she lamented that so many of her children were lost. She was also the goddess of corn and was one of the very few Aztec gods or goddesses that was satisfied with the sacrifices of doves, swallows, and other birds. Again, refer to Apocalypse 12, with regards to the woman with the moon beneath her feet.

4. The Angel. The Aztecs also believed in messengers from the gods, what we would call angels. In the Aztec culture, only a King, a Queen (who were seen as living gods), or another royal dignitary would be carried upon the shoulders of another. That an Angel would carry someone who is not a God was seen as bringing a new age. She is being carried by an angel, yet she is in supplication to another. She is seen, however, as royalty. After all, we know that her son is the King of the Universe.

5. The Hands. Her hands are held together in supplication, in prayer. Certainly this was not a typical Aztec posture. One god may have yielded to another, but it was not because they wanted to. They did it because the other god was much stronger. Our lady's hands are in supplication to one who is greater.

6. Her belt. This belt or girdle would be seen by the Aztecs as a sign of virginity. However, the way that it is tied wold make it seem like the four petaled flower called Nahui Ollin. This flower was called the Flower of the Sun, and was used in the ceremonies to end the 52 year Aztec calendar cycle. Every 52 years, the world would be born anew. In other words, the way the belt looks, it indicates that a new age is coming, and that Our lady is pregnant by the position of the belt and the Nahui Ollin.

7. Her Mantle. We are used to having Purple referred to as the royal colour. To the Aztecs, turqouise, or the Teal she is wearing is the royal colour. That she is wearing this colour indicates that she is of royalty. Although the Aztecs would wear gold as jewelry, to have it on clothing was very special. It was yet another sign of nobility.

8. Her Mantle pt. 2. Some have speculated on what the stars on the mantle would look like if one were to take the Mantle of our Lady and spread it out. With the aid of computers, this can now be done. The stars appear to be in a pattern. The stars appear to be arranged in a pattern that would be consistent if one were to view the sky above Mexico City on December 12th, 1531, right around 5 AM (This is the time that Juan Diego would have seen Our Blessed Lady right before he went to Bishop Zumarraga). As this was before the Gregorian revision of the Calendar several decades later, this day would have been the Winter Solstice.

9. The eyes of our Lady. In 1929, the photographer for the Basilica of Guadalupe, Jose Marcue, took close-up photographs of the entire image. When he photographed the left eye of the Virgin, he noticed that there was an image of an old, bearded man in it. As some extreme persecutions had just reached its zenith a few years earlier, the Episcopal Conference and the Archbishop of Mexico, Pascual Diay y Barreto decided to keep this silent. In the eyes can also be seen other figures, which would match those who would have been in the room with Juan Diego when he came into the presence of the Bishop upon showing him the sign he wanted. That would be Bishop Zumarraga, his translator Juan Gonzalez, St. Juan Diego himself, and an unknown woman. The images are even distorted to account for the curvature of the eye, just as one would see something slightly distorted if one were to look closely at the eyese of another. There is a video below in Spanish of a study done by Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann.
The image was formed on the tilma of Juan Diego, the outer garment of the Aztecs. The coarse fabric, made of ayate fiber, was derived from the threads of the maguey cactus plant. It is dired, flattened, and then woven into thread. It is a bit sturdier than fabric derived from cactus in northern latitudes, but not by much. The normal life span of the ayate fiber is approximately 20 years. Yet, after 477 years as of 2008, this tilma still shows no sign of decay, has maintained its vivid and fresh colors, in spite of having been displayed for more than 100 years, unprotected, in a damp, open-windowed chapel located in the yet undrained marshes of Mexico. For the first 100 years, the Tilma had been exposed directly to ceaseless smoke and incense, myriad of votive candles with their excess of ultra-violet light. It hand been handled, touched, kissed, by millions of devout pilgrims.

It has even survived a bombing. On November 14, 1921, a bomb was placed right underneath the Tilma by a government agent by the High Altar in the old Basilica. The Tilma was covered only with glass. The Altar was destroyed, and this Crucifix that was right in front of the bomb was bent over to a 30 degree angle by the force of the bomb. The Tilma, however, was untouched, and the glass right in front did not shatter. This Crucifix is now in the museum of the Basilica.

The Meaning Of The Name Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Of Guadalupe: Part 1

2011-12-10T02:23:00.000-08:00

Cuix amo nican nica nimonantzin?
No estoy aqui, que soy tu Madre?
Am I not here, who am your Mother?

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is approaching, when we celebrate the visit and apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego in México.

Before the arrival of the True Faith in what is now México, the native people worshipped a multitude of gods. One could make the argument that Satanism is what was being practiced, what with gods who demanded blood sacrifice. Some people may lament that there were codices lost and burned by Franciscan missionaries. Insight into Aztec life might have been useful to historians. However, let us look at some of what has been preserved: bloody scenes of battle, and parents allowing Aztec priests to tears the hearts out of their children. When Hernán Cortés saw this, he was outraged, and saw it as his duty to smash the idols that he saw. Cortés helped to put an end to that, finally, in 1519.

For over a decade, the Franciscans tried their best to convert the Aztecs, but there were very few who came to the Catholic Faith. Paganism was deeply rooted in the Mexican people. One of the few was an Indian by the name of Cuahtlatoátzin (Singing Eagle), and his wife, María Lucía. His wife died in 1529.

Juan Diego would frequently walk from his house in the village of Tolpetlac, to the Franciscan Church at Tlaltelolco. On the Feast of the (Immaculate) Conception of Mary, December 9th (as it was kept in those days by the Franciscans in their calendar) St. Juan Diego was walking to hear Mass. Over the next four days, while walking to church, St. Juan Diego had visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In another post, the entire story, called the Nican Mopohua, will be posted.

Where the visions of the Blessed Virgin happened was on a hill called Tepeyac. This hill, before the arrival of the True Faith, was dedicated to a goddess called Tonantzín. If one looks at the image of Guadalupe, it conveys a great amount of information, almost like an eastern icon. One actually could start with the name. What does Guadalupe mean? Bishop Zumárraga, the Bishop of México, did not speak much Náhuatl, but did have an interpreter, Fr. Juan Gonzales. When Juan Diego and his uncle Bernardino (who also experienced a vision of the Virgin), were asked what the name of the Virgin was, they were astounded to hear the name of Guadalupe, the name of a shrine in the Bishop’s native land of Spain. It is not a name that has any connection with México or the Náhuatl language. Dr. Mariano Rojas of the National Museum of Anthropology of México in 1895 says that the name probably used was “Te Coatlaxopeuh.”

te = stone
coa = serpent
tla = the
xopeuh = crush, stamp out

Her name means that she is the one who will crush the Serpent. She in other words, was identifying herself with the Immaculate Conception, with her name and the date on which she first appeared. Bishop Zumárraga wrote to Cortés on December 24th, 1531, inviting him to the procession taking the image from Tepeyac to the Cathedral of México. In that letter, Bishop Zumárraga refers to the image of Guadalupe as the Immaculate Conception; so he saw that there was a link between the image, the Immaculate Conception, and Genesis 3:15. In her name, we can see that she says she will crush the serpent, and the cruelest serpent to the Aztecs was Quezacóatl, behind whom was Satan. 20.000 people annually were sacrificed to Quezacóatl. In Genesis 3:15, we see that God says that he will put indemnity between he and the woman, and that she will crush his head. In Apocalypse 20:2, the Serpent is specifically identified as Satan.

Our Lady of Guadalupe did have her victory over Satan, as after her visit to México, the greatest mass conversions in history took place, with over 7 million coming to the True Faith in a little over 10 years.

The Mona Lisa And Image Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe

2011-12-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

The Mona Lisa, or La Giaconda, is probably one of the most famous paintings in the world. It was begun around the year 1503, and was finished by Leonardo Da Vinci in France shortly before his death on May 2nd, 1519. It has stayed in France, mostly, for these past 490 years. After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre. It was exhibited in Italy for a while after an Italian Patriot stole it, as he felt it should stay in Italy.

In a book by Jean-Pierre Mohen, Mona Lisa: inside the Painting, one can read that all through its history, the Mona Lisa has received exceptional and restrained care. An international commission in 1952 deemed that the care it has received has helped to conserve one of the most famous paintings in the world. This commission recommended that it be restored to remove some layers of varnish, and for some special treatment. It has also been treated with carbon tetrachloride, and later with an ethylene oxide treatment to preserve the painting from an insect infestation. In 1985, the painting was again treated with carbon tetrachloride as a measure to prevent further insect damage. To help with any warping, a crosspiece was installed in 1977.

In 2005, it was moved to a purpose-built, climate-controlled enclosure behind bullet-proof glass in the Salle des États in the Louvre.

Despite all of this work, and experts from around the world, the Mona Lisa will need further work in the next 15 years to fix cracking in the varnish that had been applied in the past century. Without this fixing of the varnish and further preservation, the Mona Lisa could face irreparable damage in the next few decades.

In December of 1531, 12 years after the Mona Lisa was finished, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in present day Mexico City. She left her image to us, and she is known under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is contemporaneous with the Mona Lisa.

The image of Guadalupe is on a Tilma, an outer garment that was worn by Aztec males, like a cloak, with a long front to it like an apron, and used as a carry all. At the time, and as is the case with the Tilma of St. Juan Diego, it is made of the ayate fibers of the Maguey plant. The normal life span of such a garment is around 20 years. As of 2009, it has been 479 years since the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe appeared in 1531.

For roughly the first 160 years, the Tilma of St. Juan Diego hung in damp air and before the emissions of numerous candles in the Chapel of Tepeyac. There was no glass to cover the image. No soot appears to have ever damaged the Tilma. Dr. Phillip Callahan of the University of Florida studied the image in 1979. He records that a single votive candle can put out in its life over 600 microwatts of ultraviolet light. If you multiply this over hundreds of thousands of candles over centuries, and it is an intolerable environment for a painting. That much ultraviolet light should destroy any painting. It is not a painting though, at least by human hands. Numerous people also touched the image.

In 1791, roughly when the French Revolution happened and the Mona Lisa was moved to the Louvre, the Gold and Silver Frame around the Image of Guadalupe was being cleaned. The image was miraculously preserved when Nitric Acid used to clean the Gold and Silver spilled onto the image. The only trace of this disaster is what appears to be a watermark.

The image is 479 years old, yet the image cannot be reproduced. The colours are as vibrant today as 79 years ago, as vibrant as they were 479 years ago. The fibers of the Tilma are as pliable now as a new Tilma, despite its age.

On Monday the 14th of November 1921, in the midst of Government Anti-Catholic activity, Mass was being said in the Basilica of Guadalupe. at 10:30 AM a bomb, placed by a Mexican government agent, Luciano Perez, went off right below the Image of Guadalupe. The bomb had been hidden in a wreath of flowers, and heavily damaged a nearby Altar, and much of the surrounding masonry.

A Bronze and Iron Cross right underneath the Image was bent over by the explosion, so powerful was the blast, as can be seen above. The image of Guadalupe was untouched, with even the thin glass that was in front of the image undamaged. Miraculously, none of the faithful who were present at the Mass were injured either. As a side note, After having ascertained that everyone was alright, Father Juan Bautista Rangel Avila had a Server summon the police, and then continued to say Holy Mass.

This is just a brief, very brief history of the Mona Lisa, and the Image of Guadalupe. They are both roughly the same age. One is one of the most famous paintings in the world, having received the attention of the world's Art experts, and roughly 20 million dollars worth of restoration.

The other, we Catholics hold to be the image of Our Blessed Lady, is an image that is on Ayate fibers from the Maguey plant. The Tilma should have disintegrated about 460 years ago, had been exposed to the Salt Marshes of Mexico City, had countless people touch it, was exposed for 160 years without protection, had acid spilled on it, and survived a Terrorist Bomb.

Happy Birthday, Margaret!

2011-12-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Princess Margaret! As our favourite Californian Kramer, we hope your day was a special one, and that it was filled with cake, family and friends!

Here is your virtual cake...

We hope you enjoy this cake, although we are sorry we are not there to share it with you.

May God bless you today and every day, and May God grant you many years of fruitful and devoted life.

We love you very much, and we hope to see you soon again.

December 8th 2011: The Feast Of The Immaculate Conception

2011-12-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

Sequentia, Missale Cluniacensis, 1523

Veneremur Virginem
Genitricem gratiae,
Salutis dulcedinem,
Fontem Sapietiae.
Haec est aula regia,
Regina prudentiae
Virgo plena gratia,
Aurora laetitiae.

Let us venerate the Virgin,
the Mother of grace,
the sweetness of salvation,
the fount of Wisdom.
She is the Palace of the King,
the Queen of Prudence,
the Virgin full of Grace,
the aurora of joy.

The Definition

"We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."

Blessed Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus
Apostolic Constitution issued on December 8, 1854.

This day, known in the East as the Feast of the Conception of the Mother of God in the Womb of St. Anne, is the most solemn one during Advent. In Eastern Catholicism, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception falls one day later on the 9th of December. It is not a full nine months to show that, even though she was the highest of creatures, she did not have the perfection of God, being one day off. Even in the West, before the definition of the Immaculate Conception, the day to celebrate this Feast was fluid. St. Juan Diego, visionary of the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was on his way to Mass for the Feast of the Conception of Mary on December the 9th in 1531, as it was kept by the Franciscan in that day. That year, it had fallen on a Saturday, before the Gregorian revisions.

The reason that we have the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is for the following. At the very moment that God united the Soul of Mary with the body it was to animate, the ever blessed Soul of Mary did not contract the Stain of Original Sin which defiles every human Soul. In this way, she mirrored the Sanctity of God himself, insofar as it is possible for a creature to do so. We are all born with Original Sin, but are saved unto Eternal Life by the Waters of Baptism. If we walk through a forest, we could fall into a pit that is unseen. We could fall into it and be saved from it by having someone pull us out. Another could be saved from the pit by having someone pull them away from the pit before they fall in. Both are said to have been saved from the pit. With us, the saving comes after we have fallen into the pit. With Mary, it came at the very instance of her Conception, for not a speck could be permitted to stain the womb of Mary, a creature that was to have grow within her the Saviour of the World. God could do no less for the Second Eve than he could for the first Eve. The sentence of Original Sin was universal, but God's own Mother is not subject to this. The second Eve is to be worthy of the second Adam.

No wonder the Angel Gabriel looked on with amazement at the Virgin Mary. If the Ark of the Covenant was to be made of purest Gold to contain the word of God, would not the same be true of the Ark that would contain the Word (Ex 25:11-21)? The Akathist Hymn to Mary says,

"As soon as the angel had received his command, he hastened to Joseph’s house and said to the ever-virgin: “Behold, heaven was brought down to earth when the Word Himself was fully contained in you! Now that I see Him in your womb, taking a servant’s form, I cry out to you in wonder: Hail, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure!” An Archangel was sent from heaven to greet the Mother of God, and as he saw you assuming a body at the sound of his bodiless voice, O Lord, he stood rapt in amazement and cried out to her in these words: Hail, O you, through whom Joy will shine forth!

"The Angel Gabriel greets Mary, knowing that she is his Queen, by saying, "Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women. (Lk 1:28-37)" The Angel also tells her that she had found favour with God, and that with God, nothing is impossible. Gabriel called her, "Full of Grace;" an Angel who lives among the magnificence of of God.

Mary did need a Savior, and her Savior was Jesus Christ. Mary’s salvation was accomplished by Jesus through his work on the Cross. Mary's Salvation was different and more glorious than the way it is for the rest of us. Jesus' Cross was Salvific for Mary in that its application to her was from the moment of her Conception. The Crucifixion is an eternal event and that the appropriation of salvation through Christ’s death is not impeded by time or space. That is how the Cross can be applied to Mary. It was applied to the very moment of her conception. Some may point out that some Saints and Doctors of the Church did not affirm the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Saints are Canonized for the totality of their teachings, and leeway is given for their mistakes. Medieval Theologians can be forgiven if they did not understand that the fertilized egg is a separate life and Soul apart from the mother at the moment of conception.

Those who create crafts want to to the best work possible. God was able to create his own Mother, as he created all things (Col 1:16). He created Mary immaculate, and in his Divine Mercy and compassion, kept her that way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T02:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all, especially those in service to our country.

Proclamation Establishing Thanksgiving Day

October 3, 1863

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

A. Lincoln

That's No Moon... That's A Jack 'O Lantern!

2011-11-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are the Pumpkins that we all carved this year.

From left to right, the Pumpkins are a Grim Reaper, Hello Kitty, an Imp (with a long nose), Totoro from the Animé movies, and the Apple logo. The kids carved most of these themselves, Mom helped Lizzie with Hello Kitty. Juan spent two days working on the one below...

We also had a Death Star make an appearance on our lawn this year as well. As far as we know, no planets were harmed, and no rebels attacked.

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!

2011-11-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday! We hope you enjoy this little (well, medium sized) Horse cake! It reminds us of how funny you are, and the horse looks kinda like it's up to no good!

E is for Enigmatic

L is for Lol!

I is for INSANE!!! (in a good, charming way)

Z is for Zzzzzzzzzzz.....(i hope you get to sleep in)

A is for ALLRIGHT!!! YOU'RE 12!!!!!

B is for Brain-y

E is for Eh? Wussat?(stoned after a party)

T is for Terrific! let's go smash mail boxes

H is for Horse Eater-I mean, Hilarious Horse Lover!

Bonne Fête Elizabeth! Have a totally awesome day!

(that bit from Mónica)

We found you a Horse Cake, and it even has your NAME ON IT!

My Dad said he wanted to give a reference to the Godfather movie,but I don't know what that is about.

WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED DIGITAL CAKE!!!

From the Mendoza Family, Elizabeth, we would all like to wish you a happy and blessed birthday, with so much cake that you almost have to go to the bathroom four or five times!

No really, have a great birthday, and we will pray for you today to the Lord and to the Saints to keep you safe for many years. May God grant you many years.

I say "HAPPY!"

You say "BIRTHDAY!"

"HAPPY!"

"BIRTHDAY!"

19 Years and counting...

2011-10-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

19 Years ago, the Mendoza Family got its shaky start. Right before our Wedding, there was a Funeral for a Lady who was also named Mendoza (no relation), who had no flowers and no one really to serve her Funeral Mass. Hey, how about 6 current or former Seminarians to serve her Funeral Mass or pray the Office of the Dead? The person who delivered our flowers was early, so we got two uses out of the flowers.

Here is a picture of the happy couple right after the Wedding at St. Mary of the Nativity Church in Salinas, Halloween, 1992.

The Priest who witnessed our wedding was really nice. We can't recall his name right now. We often wonder what happened to him, what he's doing right now. Hope he's doing alright.

Reeks Of Maine, 2011 Edition

2011-10-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Advent season is coming, so, it is time to think about what to stick to your house.

Instead of tacky plastic displays, why not get a beautiful, tasteful Wreath From Maine!

They not only have wreaths, but garlands to wrap around pillars or posts, and swags to go over doors. We have had them in the past, and they smell so good without being overpowering.

We even happen to know someone who is selling these online, our friend Elizabeth Kramer.

So when you are ready to order, head on over to the Wreaths Of Maine website, and choose your wreath, garland, or swag. Ms. Kramer has a seller ID, which is 4144. Click on the above link, or go here:

http://www.wreathsofmaine.com/

So this Advent and Christmas, put a little beauty in your house. Get a Wreath of Maine. Don't buy a cheap Mexican knock-off where the "Balsam Fir" is actually made out of coloured Chili Lights.

Come on, buy a Wreath of Maine from Elizabeth, Seller ID #4144. This little girl right below is happy that you are going to buy one.

Don't make her cry by NOT buying one.

This little girl's Godfather would greatly appreciate it if you would make her happy if you bought a Wreath from Elizabeth, Seller ID #4144.

REMEMBER!!!

SELLER ID #4144! "Pookielizard" is another ID!

Occupy Chualar

2011-10-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Is not off to a good start.

Hey look! The freeway!

Happy Birthday, Mónica!

2011-10-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Mónica!

Well, you have been a teenager for a whole year, and none of us are dead yet. That is agood sign so far.

You are a very special daughter, and we are blessed to have a delicate flower such as you.

Enjoy this birthday cake made especially for you!

May God bless you, and keep you, and grant you many years. We love you very much, and hope that this day is special.

We say, "HAPPY!"

You say "BIRTHDAY!

"HAPPY!"

"BIRTHDAY!"

Happy Birthday, Eddie!

2011-10-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

Or, why we should rename this blog:

The Kramer Birthday blog!

Now on to the next birthday cake in a series of seventeen. I think.

Happy Birthday, Eddie!

Can you believe that we first met you almost four years ago? You have gotten so big in that time! You're like nearly six feet tall, now. Who gave you permission to grow so big?

Well, sorry we cannot be with you on your birthday, so here is a cake that looks like a submarine, because we know how to like to play with submarines.

We out here in California wish you a happy birthday, and hope you get plenty of cake, nice presents to unwrap, and a good time with your family.

May God grant you many years to love and serve him, and may your patrons, St Joseph and St. Placid and Companions intercede for you. You are a good father, and even though humility prevents and protects you from saying so, you are a good role model of a Catholic husband, father, and friend.

I say "Happy," you say "birthday!"

"HAPPY!"

"BIRTHDAY!"

Happy Birthday, Miriam!

2011-10-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Miriam!

Can you believe it? We first met you when you were just over one year old! Now you are getting so big.

Sorry we could not be there to share your birthday, but enjoy this virtual cupcake with Bees, a worm, a Ladybug, mushrooms, and a delicious Beehive.

May God grant you many years ahead of you, and we pray that you have a blessed day.

May your Birthday BEE Happy!

Happy Birthday, Sophia!

2011-09-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Sophia! We wish we could be there with you, and try out that lovely looking cake your Mom got you. But since we can't, we are sending you this silly Princess cake. It makes us think of you, because you are lovely like a princess, and funny too!

God bless you today! We hope you have a wonderful day!

May God grant you many years, and Our Lady, Star of the Sea, intercede for you.

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

2011-09-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

We wish we could be with you on your birthday building Legos and eating cake. Most of all, we wish this was like last year when we were on our way over to see you all.

So enjoy this virtual birthday cake that looks like a Lego pyramid.

May God bless you, and grant you many more years. We love you very much!

Hey! I Grew Some Sunflowers!

2011-09-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Our little gardener wanted to grow some sunflowers, so this summer she got the chance.

Here are some pictures to show the progress over the summer.

In April, we planted the seeds in pots. By the beginning of May, they were ready to be planted in the garden.
Right above, early June...

Right below, late June....
Right below, we are into very late July....

Finally in late August, they surpassed her in height!

She commented that the leaves were as big as her head. Here's proof.

Here they are even taller than she is.

The sunflower head. It was really large.

Our yard is now safe from Zombie attacks, and none have been seen on our lawn.

Great job Lizzie!

Happy 18th Birthday, Ramon!

2011-09-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

Ah, it was Labor Day, 1993. The fourth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation had aired three months before, and we were going to find out what the deal was with Mark Twain and Data's head. David Letterman had jumped to CBS, and his show was going to start that night, along with Dennis Miller. The top song in the country was "Can't Help Falling In Love," by UB40. A young Internet was all abuzz about a new sci-fi show called "The X-Files," or something or another, about some FBI agents who hunt monsters and weird phenomena. Probably won't waste all that much time on a show like that.

Your mom started having her labor pains on Sunday the 5th. We were not sure what to expect, but we were told that once her contractions were at a certain point, we were to go to the hospital, which was about 5 minutes a way.

We got to the hospital, and labor was about 4 hours. Your regular doctor was not around, so some things were unfamiliar, but we all managed.

Finally, at 2:05 AM on Labor Day 1993, you made your appearance in the world, and we had waited our whole lives to met you.

And here is your first picture! You are about 20 minutes old here. Dr. Cepeda and nurses. Then they made us take you home. Without instructions.

Your first Halloween costume.
Your first portrait.
Boy, sofas were ugly back then.
Your first time eating at (or near) the table.
And another portrait.
How did 18 years go by so quickly?

Happy Birthday, Ramón Jesús, We all love you very much!

Kramer Sighting

2011-08-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Once again, the white van that may very well belong to a much beloved Military family has been spotted.

Let's take a look.

Belivibility Rating: 80%. This van sure looks like it could be the Kramer's. It is white, and looks big enough to seat all 9 of them. The van in the foreground may even be familiar.

However, it looks like they must have painted over most of the windows, which were there last time. It also looks slightly shorter than I remember.

Well, looks like we bombed out yet again, but tune in soon for the next

KRAMER SIGHTING!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Cecilia!

2011-08-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to our favorite (and only) God-daughter! We hope your Mommy and Daddy get you a great birthday cake, and that you have lots of fun getting it all over your face and everywhere else within reach. Meanwhile, enjoy this virtual cake courtesy of the Mendoza Blog!

May God bless you on your special day, and may grace drop down upon you like dew.

I say "Happy!"

You say "Birthday!"

"Happy!"

"Birthday!"

Yosemite Falls

2011-08-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Some have asked where the picture was taken up at the top of our blog. Well, that is Yosemite Falls, at least the parts you can see coming out of the clouds, on a weekend afternoon in February of 2010. Again, another one day visit. Yes, we have stayed at or near the park!

Yosemite Falls is the tallest waterfalls in North America, coming in at 2,425 feet tall from top to bottom. It consists of three sections, the Upper Falls at 1,430 feet, the Middle Cascades at 675 feet, and the Lower Falls at 320 feet.

There is a short trail that leads up to the base of the Lower Falls. Here is a shot of the entire Falls as framed by trees on the trail.

Here is a different shot of the entire Falls as seen from Glacier Point. You can see the Middle Cascades here.
The Lower Falls.
In summer and autumn, the Falls can run completely dry. In winter, they may start to flow again, but at the base of the Upper, a cone of ice and snow can build up. A small cone is building up in this picture.

O ye frost and cold, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever. O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.

Daniel 3:69-70 (DRV)

Yet more waterfall pictures tomorrow!

Vernal Fall In Yosemite National Park

2011-08-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Since just about all the country is in the midst of the summer heat, here are some pictures to cool you down, or maybe to visit Yosemite National Park.

Last month, we took a one day visit to Yosemite to take one hike, the Mist Trail hike. This past winter saw a higher than normal snow pack. Vernal Fall would normally have a diminished water flow by now, but even now, at the beginning of August, the snow is still melting, and looks just like in the pictures.

All the blogs and websites we checked in preparation said that the Fall was full, swift, and very wet. We even bought ponchos in anticipation of getting wet, and they were well used!

About half a mile from the Trailhead at Happy Isle, you come to a Footbridge. Here is a view of Vernal Fall from that bridge. It is like it is enticing you to go further.

Half way up some 700 VERY WET steps, you catch this view of Vernal Fall. Sorry for these photos, but it was very wet, windy, and a bit difficult to shoot there. At least there is a rainbow at the bottom.

Was able to get this picture of the bottom of the Fall, again with another rainbow. The lens quickly got wet again.

At the very top of the Fall, you can see this view of the precipice of the Fall, as it goes 317 feet to the boulder-strewn bottom. We didn't even have to cross the barrier to get this picture, as it is spectacular enough as it is. You can feel the force of the water as it plunges over.

As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.

Psalm 41:2 (RDV)

We'll post some more waterfall pictures tomorrow.

Kramer Sighting: Baptist Edition

2011-08-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Kramers, how could you???

We saw the Kramer Bus recently at Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite. We figure it was them as a whole bunch of people got out of the van, from adults to small kids. It had California plates, although it seems to have been painted a silver color. The windows are tinted as well.

Believability Rating: 63%. Although the number of people who got out of the bus was about 10, there were no little children in the group, which make about half of the family.

The bus also appeared to belong to a Baptist church.

No luck this time. They did not come to California to visit friends, unfortunately.

Tune in next time for another edition of ...

KRAMER SIGHTING!!!

Ulysses Sighting: June 2011

2011-07-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

Once again, we have spotted a truck that may very well be the one that belongs to a much beloved Naval Officer.

Belivability Rating: 99%. Pretty close here! This Red Toyota Tacoma is parked in front of Palma High School, where Byzantine Divine Liturgy takes place once a month. However, during the Liturgy, Ulysses was nowhere to be seen.

The truck pictured above appears to be a slightly darker shade of red than what Ulysses had.

Perhaps we failed again, but tune in soon for

ULYSSES SIGHTING

Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Air Show 2011

2011-07-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

We went to our first Air Show of the year, to the Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Air Show in Morgan Hill. It was a little warm, but not as warm as Morgan Hill can get.

We got there just in time to see Snoopy flying around!

Someone built this Star Ship Enterprise that was flying around. Apparently it has lights as well, and flew last night. Wonder how many reported a UFO last night?

There was also Superman flying around. No capes!

A fly-by of World War Two era British Spitfire and another American plane.

An American Corsair.

A hand-built B-17 with four engines. This plane was large!

B-17 against hills and sky.

It was so graceful in the air.

Here a Radio controlled bi-plane is looking for Cary Grant.

Some really neat helicopter stunts and flying maneuvers. This helicopter could fly upside down, and the pilot even made it rotate along the X< Y, and Z axis', or in other words, every which way he could.

A model Eagle.

The highlight for us was an actual Jet Model Airplane, this one of an USAF F-16. They are fueling the jet right here. It takes about a gallon of kerosene, and it burns it up in eight minutes.

The F-16 taxis to the runway. There is a Model Helicopter hovering that takes video in the air.

Here it is making a pass at around 160 MPH.

Coming in for a landing.

The pilots kept talking about taking off, but not of landing. At this point they spoke more of recovery. Some landings were very smooth, like the B-17, and some crashed.

The F-16 skidded off the runway.

Still better than every Northwest flight I have ever had.

All in all, we had a great Saturday looking up at the sky watching Radio Controlled Planes. Thanks Santa Clara County Model Aircraft Skypark!

In Memoriam

2011-07-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Guinea Pig, Henry Ulysses Kramer de Mendoza died recently. He was given to us by dear friends who had allergies to him.

He gave us much pleasure in lives, and he was fun to watch eat, gnawing at his food with relish, stuffing it into his mouth and thrashing about. Kinda like seeing teenagers at Denny's.

We buried him in the backyard and planted flowers on his grave.

Thank you, Lord, for the animals you put in our lives, so that we can learn to care for them, the creatures you have made.

Happy Birthday, Lizzie!

2011-06-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday, Lizzie!

Well, it is your birthday today, and hopefully your day is filled with your favorite things, like flowers, birds, and friends.Maybe you will be even suprised by a few things.

Enjoy your cake from a couple of years ago. By now, the frosting is rock hard like that candy in that dish at Grandma's house that no one has touched in several years, and you are afraid to eat.

May God bless you on your birthday, and grant you many years of life.

Happy birthday, Lizzie!

Happy Birthday, Rev. Father Anthony And Teresa!

2011-06-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

Today we bring out our official Mendoza Blog virtual birthday cake for our favorite Byzantine Catholic priest and our favorite mother of our favorite God-daughter.

Thank you Father Anthony, for your Priesthood, for the Sacraments you bring us, and for being an alter Christus to us. When you celebrate Divine Liturgy, it is with great solemnity. When you show your humor, it makes us all laugh. You are a great example of what a Priest should be. You make us desire Jesus, and to aspire to holiness. Happy Birthday, Father!

Thank you Teresa, for being a great friend, even with such a great distance between us. You are a good mother to your children, in imitation of our Blessed Mother, and a good example of a Christian. Thanks for choosing us to be God-parents to one of your children. May God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe watch over you.

May God bless you both, and have a blessed birthday!

Pentecost Sunday, 2011

2011-06-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

Pentecost Sunday 2011, at St. Basil Ruthenian Catholic Church at St. Albert the Great, Palo Alto.

Green is used in the Eastern Catholic churches to denote new life. Here is the reading of the Gospel.

Incensation.

Pentecost Sunday 2011, at Five Wounds Portuguese Church. It was a Traditional Latin Mass. Here the Priest is about to intone the Gloria.

The Servers saying the Confiteor.

A long, but beautiful day!

San Jose Sharks Vs. Calgary Flames: March 2011

2011-06-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

For some fun, went with three other dads to see the Sharks play the Calgary Flames. We went to this game since one of the dads is actually a fan of this team.

Here is the Shark head from which the players skate out of.

Annti Niemi, goalie for the Sharks right before the game starts.

Pavelski at the Face-off.

GOAL!!!
Shark head spouts fog / dry ice from its mouth when the Sharks score.

The Zamboni during the intermission.

If you ever get to go to a Sharks game, it comes highly recommended. It's lots of fun, the fans are friendly, and it is REALLY LOUD!

Maybe some more sports shots later!

Our Annual Visit To The Mall, 2011

2011-06-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Actually, we have been to the Mall several times over the past six months, mainly to walk around when the weather was lousy.

We saw some weird things the last time we were there, so we decided to go back and document what one sees at the mall.

First of all, why do all the mannequins at this unnamed anchor store -we'll call it "Schmears"- have purple hair?

Why are they on a communal commode?

More purple hair.

Here is a store that sells chairs that look like shoes with extremely high heels. We'll come back to this one.
I don't know. A white suit with orange vest? Reminds me too much of Vanilla Orange Sorbet ice cream.

Why block half of your entry with mannequins?

Yes, we blurred out a word of the sign. You know, we have a word for jeans in Spanish.

Couldn't tell if this was a bag, plush toy, or a tribute to children's nightmares. You decide.

So, in Italy, so people go around with shirts that say, "Air Mail?"

The item that brought us back to the mall. In a city that has had such a problen with crime and murder, why not proclaim your love of firearms by displaying it on a hoodie!

Here is a close-up of the hoodie.

Our favourite place in the mall. This place sounds like it belongs in The Simpsons.

We're back to those high heel shoe chairs, and the girls are immitating a talk show. Or at least one of them is.

Is anybody missing half their car?

What will we find next year at the Mall? What will 2012 bring besides London Olympic T-shirts? Guess we will have to wait until next year to find out.

Flash Mob At Northridge Mall!

2011-06-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

A Flash Mob of Michael Jackson's Thriller broke out at Northridge Mall in Salinas yesterday, and we were there to see it!

Check it out!

Actually, the Flash mob was just us four, and we needed one to take the picture. One of us did not want to participate, so she stood by the sidelines.

We actually drew an audience of three: one from Carl's Jr., one from the sports shop, and a lady from the Chinese massage place who was just cracking up! We waved to her as we finished.

We did alright, considering we had a practice that lasted four seconds, and consisted of one of us lifting a leg to show how the dance was done.

If another family would join us, Perhaps we could do a Flash Mob here. Together, we really would be a flash mob.

Just saying.

Mendoza Sighting: New Hampshire Edition!

2011-06-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. It sure seems like the Mendozas get around the country.

Here we see the Mendoza van, in of all places, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is parked across the street from the Old North Church, where George Washington once worshipped in 1789.

So let's see the evidence.

It certainly looks like our van. It is blue, missing a hubcap, and on the left side, it even seems to have had a slight ender-bender in the past. It is even parked in front of an historic church.

Believability Rating: 50%. Although it looks pretty good, there is the possibility that this is not our van. For one, it looked a little too clean. This van had a roof rack, which strangely, seems to be missing on our van. We don't need to carry skis. Its not like we ever go skiing, or snowboarding.

I mean, come on.

The windows are tinted, which also seems to be missing now.

Also, I saw the driver come out of the van, and it could not have been me. How could I see myself come out of a van? It's not like I was watching myself six months into the future. Besides, this guy didn't look ANYTHING like me. Sure he was better looking, but he had that pasty skin that I saw on all New Englanders after a long winter that makes them look like drowning victims. The van also looked way too clean when I got closer to it. It also seems to have been registered in the state of New Hampshire.

Besides, this was a Thursday, and the family would have needed the van to get to Violin Lessons.

This was pretty close, but no cigar.

Oh well. Tune in again later for another edition of...

MENDOZA SIGHTING!

Another Yosemite Moment...

2011-06-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by Fun times in Yosemite!

The kids had just finished having their first Skiing (and Snowboarding!) lessons, and amazingly still had enough energy to climb out of the car for another photo with Dad.

As for something fun and a chance to win a prize*, guess how many layers of clothing we are wearing!

*Prizes will not be given out. Offer void in YOUR state.

Buddy, Could You Spare A Grand?

2011-06-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Ansel Adams Gallery is the place to buy all things photographic in Yosemite National Park, and where their classes are offered. If I were alone, I could spend several hours here. They also sell Ansel Adams reproductions, and every once in a while, originals.

I saw an original one in February that I wanted to get, but I was a few dollars short.

Like $44,900 dollars short.

Anybody out there from whom I could borrow the rest? I would gladly pay you Tuesday.

It will look nice next to my Ansel Adams reproductions and Corvette and SJ Sharks posters.

You can google the image. I couldn't take a picture of it. It looked spectacular, and it would not do it justice.

You'd think for 45 grand you would get a frame, but no.

Farm Day!

2011-06-03T23:53:00.000-07:00

Those who are acquainted with us Mendozas know that Juan is the fun parent, and I am the dull parent. So while Juan was away, I had to fill in and try to be more fun. So I decided that I should take the kids someplace fun, and if possible, something free. As luck would have it, that weekend, while Juan was injuring himself doing yard work for some family in New Hampshire, the Watsonville Day on the Farm was on. So after a quick stop at Wendy's for lunch, we headed out to Watsonville to learn about farm stuff.

The kids got to see real live farm animals and pet them.

There were many classic cars on display as well.

Two wanded Wizard dueling? No! it's an old fashioned game that involves tossing and catching a hoop with sticks. Apparently this was the Nintendo Wii of the 1880's.

Pumping water the old fashioned way.

Nicholas attempts the Jr. tractor pull with a payload of six bricks. Much harder than it looks.

Monica has some fun at the candle making booth.

Ramon also tries his hand at candle making.

Lizzie and Nicholas tried out the sack races and were rewarded with candy.

After the kids were worn out from sack racing and candle making and other crafts, we decided to take the hay ride. We got to ride in a wagon pulled by these beautiful clydesdales. Juan says he could totally ride one of those. And then promptly fall off, and hurt himself.

There is a little Farming museum at the fairgrounds, and we went in to see the sewing exhibit. Lizzie models a lovely bonnet here. Now she wants me to sew her one. Sigh.

Dial-a-beef. It sounded fun, but we were disappointed to learn that instead of dispensing delicious beef products, it only gave out interesting facts about beef cattle.

Not a bad afternoon (except for the dial-a-beef disappointment). The kids came home with things like yarn dolls and ball and cup games, bits of rope, and other crafty things. I picked up a recipe for homemade ice cream that doesn't require any special appliances and instructions on how to make cheese.

Violin Recital, Spring 2011

2011-05-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, the children participated in their Spring violin recital.

First up was Lizzie, with some backup from Monica.

Next Nicholas played a tune called "Waterfall."

Monica performed later with the older students. She played an Irish air called "Aran Boat Song."

Great job, kids! We're proud of you!

Kramer Sighting: May 2011

2011-05-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

Very recently, we drove by the old exit to the Kramer Home, and what did we see?...

Belivability Rating: 100%. As you can see, it is their huge white van, right near the road to their "former" house, on Highway 1 in Seaside.

Wait! If they are here right now, why did one of us go to the other side of the continent to visit them?

Well, another dud, tune in soon for the next

KRAMER SIGHTING

When the Zombie Apocalypse Comes...

2011-04-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

...we'll have enough vegetables for two or three days.

Lizzie The Bird Watcher

2011-04-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

In her quest to find more birds in the area, Lizzie climbs ever higher in the trees to see how high she can go.

Ulysses Sighting: April 2011

2011-04-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

Check it out. Ulysses is still in Central California!! Okay, you may have heard that he sold his manly red pickup truck, but we went over to Save Mart earlier today and saw this amazing sight!

However, he must have had custom work done on it, because this truck appeared to be a convertible. It also rides too low to the ground to go off-roading.

Believability Rating: 50%. It is a red pickup, and Ulysses shopped at this Save Mart often to pick up his favorite kind of wine.

However, as mentioned above, it is too low to the ground, and as far as I know, he did not have a convertible. This also appears to be a Chevy SSR, Not the Toyota Tacoma we used to know. And what would he be doing in the Handicapped Space?

Well, we may have flopped yet again, but tune in again soon for another edition of

ULYSSES SIGHTING!

????????

2011-03-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of crazy churches out there. But this one actually admits it.

Happy 80th Birthday, Rocket Man!

2011-03-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Our Response To A Challenge: Our (1st) Annual Skiing (and Snowboarding) Trip!

2011-02-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

So who was the idiot who suggested taking everyone skiing (and snowboarding)?

Hey, let's not point fingers or anything back at me, even though I did suggest it.

Actually, the blame lies with another family who tried this and suggested it to us. We won't mention any names.

The most daunting part of our journey was getting the chains on the van. Would we be able to untangle them? Would we be able to get them on? Would it all end in tears and swearing? Bungee cords? Really?

Much to our relief, Juan got the chains on the wheels fairly quickly, and in spite of the horrible noises, they did not destroy the car.

Glacier Point Road, just a few miles to Badger Pass, but it was a slow drive.

We arrive at Badger Pass! The high for the day at Badger in Yosemite was 37 degrees.

After much confusion, running back and forth, and trying to figure out how to put on ski boots, we got the kids to their classes. In the time honoured tradition of having nicknames, the kids will now present some of their own comments under their Extreme Sports names!

And now, here is Badger X!:

"you are probably wondering why I am not using poles! Because young children do not use poles!"

And now Ski Bunny!

"Ski Bunny goes down the hill! Ski Bunny loses control and regains control!"

A view of Badger Pass looking Southwest.

Coolest snow boarding helmet we saw that day.

And now a comment by Terminal Velocity!

"Hi! The first thing we had to do was learn how to strap in our main foot. Apparently I am goofy. I was the only one in my class. Goofy is leaning on your right foot. "

"Wheeeeee!"

"Yay! I managed to stop without wiping out!"

And now, here is Bram Stoker's Dracula!

"Hey, I am doing something I couldn't do this morning!"

Skiing was lots of fun, and I enjoyed it. I hope to do this again pretty soon."

This guy looked pretty good. He looked like he was coming down at about 30 MPH.

Ski Bunny!: "Ski Bunny finds her way down the hill."

The Ski and Board equipment for the day as we ate lunch.

All the Mendoza kids on the same slope at once with a little girl who got in the way. Get out of the way, little girl! You're ruining a family moment!

"Ski Bunny goes wild while racing with her brother."

"Here is Badger X is racing Ski Bunny. It looks like I am tied with her."

Terminal Velocity: "Aww, the board was flat. You're not supposed to do that!"
It was all fun and games, until Terminal Velocity wiped out, and mentioned how she was going to break her ankle doing this.

So a great time was had by the kids, especially at the end when they got to the gift shop and choose their stickers. The staff at Badger Pass was awesome. they were friendly and professional, and showed the kids a really good time learning how to ski (and snowboard).

And now back to Mariposa for some delicious and well-deserved Pizza!

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

2011-02-26T14:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

We wish we could be with you on your birthday building Legos and eating cake.

Looks like you have plenty of snow over there. We just came back from snow, and it was lots fun. Now we can ski and snowboard with you over at Gunstock, near Laconia, home to FunSpot!, the world's largest arcade!

It would be fun to throw snowballs, and just have some fun in the snow.

So enjoy this virtual birthday cake that looks like a Lego pyramid.

May God bless you, and grant you many more years. We love you very much!

Catch Us On The Web!

2011-02-19T22:09:00.000-08:00

Unlike the New Broadway Spider-Man Production, no children were harmed in the making of this photograph.

Kramer Sighting: Inception Edition!

2011-02-02T22:25:00.001-08:00

By now, even the Mendoza Family has seen the movie, "Inception," the movie just about everyone told us that we absolutely had to see!!!

Well, we would have seen in it in the theatre if people had just told us that the Kramers WERE IN IT!

Let's look at the evidence!

As you can see here in exhibit A, as Jack from that other movie, "Titanic" is whining on about Rose and the heart of the Ocean, the Kramer van, otherwise known as the Beast, is clearly visible in the background.

Exhibit B... Here they are again , coming out of an abandoned warehouse. Warehouses seem to be in every movie we watch. There is probably a music video being filmed on the other side of the warehouse.

Here they go in Exhibit C. They've got everyone packed up, shoes or no shoes, and are off to church.

Exhibit D...

It seems they're being pursued by some bad guys. Possibly handing out Jack Chick pamphlets. Nothing can outmanuver villains on motorcycles like the Ford Econline Van! Everybody lean to the left!

Believability Rating: 0%. There is no believability in this, as we saw "Inception" in a dream, so none of this actually happened. "But wait!" you say, "how could it be a dream if you've got pictures?" It means that you are also dreaming right now! Wake up! WAKE UP!!!

WAKE UP!!!!!

Why is the top still spinning???

Happy Birthday Marta

2011-01-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Today is a good day for birthdays!

Nicholas, our Schola director's little grand-daughter, and you, Marta!

So just for you, here is the tradtional (you like traditional stuff, right?) Mendozablog birthday cake.

Okay, I know it says 6, and you're actually 21, but that's just a minor detail. The point is, we remembered!

Have a blessed birthday!

Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

2011-01-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday, Nicholas, all the way from Bilund, Danemark! Ole Kirk Christiansen here!

OK, I am not the inventor of LEGO's, but since you see everything as Legos, you might not notice the difference.

I can't make you a cake this cool, but we can get you a picture of one, so here it is.

We love you very much, and we thank God for giving us the gift of a clever, funny, sweet boy like you.

Happy 10th birthday!

Bookstore FAIL!

2011-01-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

One of the things we like to do is go up to San Jose every once in a while. Specifically to go to Bookstores. My family puts up a lot from me.

Anyways, we recently went to Recycled Books in San Jose, and our son took a picture of the Emergency Exit, right below.

What is extra cool is that he submitted this picture to Failblog, and they actually published it today! Here is the entry:

http://failblog.org/2011/01/26/epic-fail-photos-emergency-exit-fail-6/

Congratulations!

Walk For Life West Coast 2011

2011-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Pictures form Walk For Life West Coast in San Francisco on the 22nd of January, 2011.

Last year, there were 35,000 participants, and organizers were expecting more this year.

The Walk stats, and we are off to the Marina Green.

Liked this Monk on his mobile Phone.

TransAmerica Pyramid.

About halfway there, at Fisherman's Wharf.

The SFPD were great, and truly keep order. The ones I talked too were pretty friendly as well. Thanks!

Alcatraz (Pelican) Island form the Walk.

A blessing to see many Spanish-speaking groups.

Thank you Lord, for a beautiful day to Walk, and to pray for the unborn. Convert the heart of our President and of our country, and do not hold this Sin in judgement of us.

Thank you and God bless all those who prayed for us as well on our Walk.

Our Annual Visit To The Mall

2011-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason, we just haven't gone to our local Mall as much. Perhaps it was the young ladies dressing in a scandalous manner. Maybe it was the crazy shopper who tried to run over somebody with their car. Or perhaps it was the insane gangs members shooting inside the Mall.

Just seems like a better shopping experience could be had elsewhere. Every once in while though, you gotta go get a free sample at See's, Check out Best Buy, catch a movie, or just take a walk while the weather outside dips all the way down to the 50's and turns nasty.

We recently did just that, and on the busiest shopping day of the year. Come take a stroll with us to our local mall and have a look around.

Some exercise program being sold at one of the kiosks.

A fun shirt to have!

We thought that businesses with names like this were only on The Simpsons.

The little Old Navy dog that creeps out the children.

We looked for the other Deadly Sins, but all we found was Gluttony which was located in the food court.

Got this calendar for afriend last year, and apparently it was pretty funny and informative. Come on, it's poop!

We swear, this store was just a few doors down from...

This one! Guess not having a star in the "R" made it alright.

Now here was something nice! One of the 72 Jewelers in the mall sold some very nice Rosaries made out of precious and semi-precious stones.

"There's a camera trained on me, gotta make a scene!"

That about wraps up our annual, state and federally mandated one trip to the local shopping mall. We didn't buy anything, so it didn't do the economy any good. Since we had some free candy at See's, we may have actually taken away from the economy. So much for our civic duty.

Christmas And Epiphany, 2010-2011

2011-01-10T00:26:00.000-08:00

35 dollars for a package of pictures with Santa?

Really? And it is not even the most expensive one!

Man, I'll take my own.

For whatever reason this past Christmas, the two smaller kids wanted to mail off letters to Santa.

They never asked to do this before!

The letter is off to the North Pole.

Christmas Eve dinner. We lit up the advent wreath for the last time.

After dinner it was off to Byzantine Divine Liturgy. It was one of their shorter liturgies. Only three hours.

Lizzie has been wanting to wear Monica's old First Communion dress somewhere. We decided Christmas Eve was special enough for a dress that fancy.

In spite of our late night, we all woke up early Christmas morning to open presents.

She actually chose a Hat over a video game.

It's not rattling...

Christmas Win!

Twelve days later, it was time to break out the Official Mendoza Family Epiphany Wrapping Paper.

After Mass, we had a Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread). The lucky person to find the hidden baby Jesus figure in the bread won a glamorous aluminum foil crown and a collectible photo of the Mission. Taken by your humble blogger.

Funny, a lot more people showed up to share the Rosca than we thought.

All in all, it was a beautiful Christmas Season, which is still going on until Christmas ends on the 2nd of February, the Purification of Mary.

Thank you all for the prayers and the presents, both known and anonymous, and God bless you!

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

2011-01-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

No, this is not a repeated posting!

Happy birthday, sweetheart!

Here, enjoy a delicious Princess cake.

Also, please enjoy this video of a love song by a 70'2 big haired rocker who amazingly is still alive.

Happy Birthday again, Sweetheart. I love you very much.

Happy Birthday!

2011-01-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Laurie! We can't take you to Chuck E. Cheese, so we hope you will like this picture of a cake. I know it says you are six, and we all know you are twenty-nine, but close enough, right? And who doesn't love Disney Princesses? So we hope you are having a great day, Catholic Kansas Mom!

Jesse Tea!

2010-12-25T16:10:00.000-08:00

This month, in an effort to help the kids focus on Advent, we made Jesse Tree ornaments for each day of Advent (pictured in an earlier post.) And so, on the 23rd, with Advent nearly at an end, I surprised them with a Jesse Tea Party. The idea is to have treats that represent the Bible stories we read to go along with the Jesse Tree ornaments, and see if the kids can identify them.

"O Radiant Dawn" grilled cheese sandwiches. Okay, little bit of a stretch, but we needed an anchor food before the kids started on the cookies.

Not everything I made turned out so well...

and a one, and a two...angel cookies burned on high!

Now on to what worked: Ten commandment Milano cookies, and Isaac's bundles of wood in the form of pretzel sticks and string cheese (incidentally, tying string cheese around pretzels is way harder than it sounds).

My best work for the day: Flower of Jesse cookies.

Abraham's descendents would be more numerous than these star cookies.

Tobias' fish crackers and apples with the gummie worms standing in for the serpent.

And finally, "House of Bread" rolls for Bethlehem.

I didn't tell the kids about the tea party or what we were doing, but as soon as the girls sat down they started guessing what the snacks were for. In fact, Monica was coming up with stuff that hadn't even occured to me, like the bread rolls and sparkling cider representing Melchisedek. I wish I had thought of that.

So the kids stuffed themselves silly, and had no idea they were learning catechism. Thanks to the Shower of Roses blog for this great idea.

Lunar Eclipse, December 20th, 2010

2010-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

The clouds broke apart for a few minutes for an early present, a Lunar Eclipse. Here are a couple of pictures.

This one is from 2257 hr. local time in California.

The moon in totality at 2355 hr. in California.

However, we did not have snow to start our winter for the 48th year in a row.

Advent 2010

2010-12-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

It is Advent time again, so up go the decorations!

"You're tall, string those up there!"

No children were harmed in the decorating of this house.

The Mendozas do an art project, and the house does not burn down!

This is a Jesse Tree. It represents the Family Tree of Jesus, and each ornament stands for an event or person in the Bible.

Because nothing says christmas like the Starship Enterprise.

I can see Jean-Luc Picard from my house!

Need antlers and a red nose for the van now.

Kramer Sighting! Jimi Hendrix Edition

2010-12-17T20:38:00.000-08:00

While watching our fine copy of the Monterey Pop Festival on DVD, we had a Kramer sighting!

Look and see...

Believability Rating: 33%.

The spelling of the name is spot on, and this Kramer is an engineer of sorts.

The Eddie Kramer who remixed the Jimi Hendrix portion of this Festival was born in South Africa, however, and is a sound engineer. The Kramer we know has NEVER heard a Jimi Hendrix song. Much less heard OF Jimi Hendrix.

Plus sound engineer Eddie Kramer is about 30 years older than Oklahoma Kramer. Oklahoma Kramer would also not approve of burning an instrument just to upstage the band The Who. Maybe.

Oh well.

Stayed tuned next time for another edition of

KRAMER SIGHTING!

Thousands Of Teddy Bears Leap To Their Deaths In Calgary

2010-12-17T07:37:00.001-08:00

Actually this was a charity drive by Petro Canada.

Over 23,000 Teddy bears were donated. Not bad considering attendance for the game was 16,000.

This was on Sunday the 12th of December, and the next day, players form the Calgary Hitmen went to a Fueling Station where 50 agencies picked up some stuffed Ursine-Canadians. Some players also went to the Alberta Children's HOspital to deliver some bears as well.

Finally, a Hockey Team from Calgary that San Jose Sharks fans can love!

ALAN! ALAN! ALAN! ALAN! ALAN! ALAN! AL! ALAN! ALAN!

2010-12-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

"i'm kind, I'm caring...."

STEVE! STEVE! STEVE! STEVE! STEVE! STEVE!

Perplexing Church Signs

2010-12-12T21:12:00.000-08:00

Can anyone tell me just what is going on here?

OK, we know about wolves and and lambs in the Bible. Bears are mentioned in 1 Samuel, chapter 17. Cows are in the Bible frequently as well.

Let's see, Gangs, gangs, gangs....

Nope. Can't find the word "gangs."

Even in the messed up New World Translation, I can't find Gangs.

Would the Philistines count as a gang?

I am so confused.

Seen at Sacred Heart, Salinas, CA on the Feast of St. Nicholas, 2010.

Happy Birthday, Margaret!

2010-12-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, Margaret!

It is a lot warmer over here in the land of your birth today, although we have not had snow either since 1962.

Enjoy yourself some cake and presents, as we enjoy this time-traveling cake.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary, who appeared on this day to St. Juan Diego, ever look after you.

We love you very much!

Monterey Bay Aquarium, December 2010

2010-12-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

It's free week at the Monterey Bay Aquarium!

If you ever get a chance to visit the Central part of the Left Coast, one suggested stop, besides Yosemite National Park, is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. If you have ever seen Star TrekIV, The Voyage Home, then you might recognize the aquarium. One of us was even there when they filmed!

Here are just a few pictures to view. Let's head on inside, shall we?

Here is one of the Sea Otters. They are actually trained in a manner of sorts, but it is for their benefit. They are trained to get into nets so that they can be taken out of the tank for treatment. All the Otters at the Aquarium cannot be returned to the ocean for various reasons.

Hard to get a picture of them under the water.

Not fossils, but the skeleton of a whale.

Some of the Jellyfish found in the Monterey Bay.

Yes, this is actually a Seahorse, one called a Dragon Seahorse.

Yet another Seahorse that looks like the plastic plants you buy for your aquarium. Weird!

Seahorse swimming on by.

Sunset in Monterey.

Next time we go, it will be during Library Week when they give more free tickets!

Kansas Mom, How Could You???

2010-12-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

FAIL!

Spotted in Monterey, CA on December 7th, 2010

We didn't know you were into this sort of stuff....

Violin Recital by the kids, November 2010

2010-12-05T12:01:00.001-08:00

Violin Recital by the kids at Church of the Wayfarer in Carmel, CA from last month.

First up is Long, Long Ago.

Next, Shortin' bread!

Finally, our newest Violin player, with Mockingbird.

You kids did very well, and we are very proud of you!

Halloween, 2010

2010-12-05T12:01:00.000-08:00

A shot of our front yard for Halloween, 2010.

It is hard to tell, but that is a headless pirate, and two giant spiders way in the back on the lawn.

Shelob, eat your heart out!

Congratulations To Lieutenant Commander Eddie Kramer!

2010-12-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the now Lieutenant Commander Eddie Kramer!

He now becomes our favourite Lieutenant Commander of all time, replacing this guy...
Data spent 12 years as a Lieutenant, while Eddie has has done it in substantially less time. They both also share a love of Sherlock Holmes, and have had alternate realities. Data experienced his in a temporal rift, while LCDR Kramer had his in California. Brent Spiner was born in Texas, and LCDR Kramer was born in Oklahoma, right above. However Eddie does not have a cat, which is a strike against.

So, congratulations, Lieutenant Commander Kramer! Enjoy putting on that third pip to indicate your rank like they do on Star Trek, The Next Generation.

And now for a musical tribute to Lieutenant Commander Kramer from the Simpsons:

Thank you for your service to our country, and all the hardships you have endured being away from your family. We love you very much! Congratulations!

A Bunny's View Of Los Angeles

2010-11-27T23:23:00.000-08:00

In our our effort to bring news about people who know or want to learn how to ride horses(Seller ID # 4144 click here!), we now present another one of our friends.

Many people blog and post pictures of Los Angeles.

Not many of those people are Bunnies.

Here is one of Heather's friends from High School who has lived in Los Angeles for quite a while, although he is a native of Salinas (something he does not want people to know, but there it is now out in the public).

Robert has a great sense of humour, honed by hours and hours of whatever it is he does in his spare time. One of the things that Robert likes to watch is Mystery Science Theater and its newest incarnation, RiffTrax, where old and new movies are made fun of. It seems peculiar that we have a set of friends who would watch these with us, yet we have never had the full complement of people over to our house who do like these. When all these people are considered, it is highly unlikely that they would ever meet in any other circumstance, yet if they WERE to come for a movie to be made fun of, they would all have a great time.

We just wouldn't mention the Blue Man Group.

So if you want to see what LA looks like from a cute, but rather mischievous rabbit's point of view, check out Robert's (or Rob to anyone who met him after 1988) blog.

http://troubleinhollywood.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Reeks Of Maine, 2011 Edition

2010-11-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Advent season is coming, so, it is time to think about what to stick to your house.

Instead of tacky plastic displays, why not get a beautiful, tasteful Wreath From Maine!

They not only have wreaths, but garlands to wrap around pillars or posts, and swags to go over doors. We have had them in the past, and they smell so good without being overpowering.

Come on, buy a Wreath of Maine from Elizabeth, Seller ID #4144. This little girl right below is happy that you are going to buy one.

Don't make her cry by NOT buying one.

This little girl's Godfather would greatly appreciate it if you would make her happy if you bought a Wreath from Elizabeth, Seller ID #4144.

REMEMBER!!!

SELLER ID #4144! "Pookielizard" is another ID!

Space Hippies Are Evil

2010-11-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

You know it.

Gene Roddenberry knew it.

The American People know it.

Space Hippies are evil.

Sunset Over Seaside, California

2010-11-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

Sunset over Seaside, California from the parking lot of Best Buy.

My Weekend Is Starting To Take Shape....

2010-11-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

What more could I want from my weekend?

Maybe a friend to watch a painful MST3K movie with.

Where are you Robert Chin and Michael Jackson impersonator?

Stop The Press! Ulysses Has Sold His Red Pick-Up!

2010-11-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

It is with great sadness to hear from one of our favourite Naval Officers, Admiral Nimitz, that Ulysses has sold his Red Toyota Pick-up truck?

Has the world gone mad?

Maybe next, one of our friends will start rooting for the SF Giants, or something similarly vile.

The Red Toyota, to put it simply, was almost synonymous with Ulysses.

Personally, I can remember Ulysses and I going out at 2100 hrs. on a Wednesday last year, going to 6 different stores in search of Batman: Arkham Asylum for the PS3. I can remember going 65 on Boronda Road, sure we would be stopped by the cops.

Our kids loved riding in the Red Truck. It was a badge of honour, and something that they all wanted to do.

When he parked his truck in Moss Landing, some birds had done their business on his truck. It looked like the windows were broken, and Ulysses promised to get the "Vandal Punks" who had messed his truck.

We would often see his truck on Sunday afternoons, speeding by us on 101 on the way to Holy Mass, just passing us up.

One could also hear him before seeing him as well, as often The Dark Knight soundtrack, or Andrea Bocelli would be blasting at roughly 135 Decibels.

Good times!

Ulysses will be stationed overseas, and will not be in need of his Truck. So we will miss you, big Red Truck. You provided us with so many happy memories, from forays to East Salinas in search of Tequila, to gong to Holy Mass and Divine Liturgy.

We will miss you too, Ulysses.

Kraemer sighting! Wichita, Kansas Edition!

2010-11-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

It seems that the Kraemers are ever expanding their reach into every corner of America. Now they are getting into the Media!

Call it the Military-Industrial-Entertainment-Kraemer complex.

So we are just minding our own business, watching TV like mind-numbed Robots, when a piece comes on about visiting the great prairies of Middle-America, when lo and behold, there is a Kraemer, right there on TV, in front of our children. We had to cover the eyes of the two smaller ones.

Let's take a look at the video evidence.

Believability Rating: 78%.

Confidence is high on this one!

First of all, this gentleman works for a station based in the mid-west, where the Kramers are from. In fact there are 7770 people with the last name Kramer in Oklahoma, according to the U.S. Census. They are all related.

It would seem strange that they would have a child who is older than any of them, but they do watch a lot of Star Trek, where time travel is a daily occurrence on the show.

this gentleman also works for a station that has a bureau in SALINA, Kansas, which sounds suspiciously like SALINAS, California. Let's compare the two. Here is a link to the most recent image we could find of Salina, Kansas. Here is one of Salinas, California.

They look similar, don't they? It just could NOT be a coincidence. They used to live near Salinas; this guys works for a station with a bureau in Salina. It is so uncanny, it sends shivers up your spine. Or it could be my fourth meal from Taco Bell trying to come back up.

Don't think that we are fooled by that extra "E" in your name. We knoew thaet you are a KRAMER!

Stay tuned for a strange but true Ulysses sighting in Carmel!

We Need A New Computer...

2010-11-08T17:41:00.001-08:00

Our old is starting to get a little old.

Back To The Future!

2010-11-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, from the past, Elizabeth!

Hey!

2010-11-02T09:41:00.001-07:00

We found out what happened to the priest who married us!

We found out about him RIGHT HERE! (Click on the link!)

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!

2010-11-01T10:41:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, Dear Elizabeth,
Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday greetings, not from the past...
Not from the future...
But rather like Star Trek or Lost,

From an alternate universe!

Yes, an alternate universe where Birthday Cake from Shaw's is health food, and vegetables are junk food.

An alternate world where all you kids go to public school.

An alternate world where Ulysses is a Hippie. With long hair. And a Volkswagen Bus.

And don't even ask about what your Mom and Dad is like here.

An alternate universe where our families actually live right next door to each other. As a matter of fact, you are over here right now, and it is really creepy because you are watching me type this. Whoa, this is weird.

Hey, stop hitting me with your Riding Crop! That hurts!!!

In this universe, you are still having your birthday today, although this month is known as Glacqnor (the Q is silent), so you were born on the 41st of Glacqnor here.

There is one thing here that is the same: You are a very precious young lady to us here too, and we love you very much.

And so, your alternate universe friends wish you a very Happy Birthday. We hope you enjoy lots of yummy Brussels sprouts and asparagus which is what we'll be having here.

Hey, quit hitting me with your Riding Crop, and stop kicking me (O.K., I guess some things don't change, even in alternate universes)!

18 Years Ago Yesterday...

2010-11-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

18 Years ago, the Mendoza Family got its shaky start. right before our Wedding, there was a Funeral for a Lady who was also named Mendoza (no relation), who had no flowers and no one really to serve her Funeral Mass. Hey, how about 6 current or former Seminarians to Serve? the person who delivered our flowers was early, so we got two uses out of the flowers.

Here is a picture of the happy couple right after the Wedding at St. Mary of the Nativity Church in Salinas, Halloween, 1992.

The Priest who witnessed our wedding was really nice. We can't recall his name right now. We often wonder what happened to him, what he's doing right now.

Man charged with assault with sandwich in Dover, New Hampshire

2010-10-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you read that headline correctly.

In one of the most dangerous states in the union, a man in south eastern New Hampshire has been charged with assault with a sandwich.

One has to wonder when dangerous things like these will be regulated. Although the sandwich was not identified, what if the sandwich had been a KFC Double Down?

Kramers, I would appeal to your common sense, to take this story under advisement, and urge you to move back to California. For your own safety. We promise not to throw any sandwiches at you. Well, maybe some softer Mexican food at worst.

Plus we sort of miss you guys a lot.

NB: Bring some sandwiches and KFC Double Downs with you. Maybe some Dunkin' Doughnuts too.

You can read more on this story here.

Happy Birthday, Rafaela Sanchez!

2010-10-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Monica!

How appropriate you should be born on the Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and on the anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

You are a soft, delicate flower, just like an earthquake, yet you have a love for Our Lord and his Blessed Mother like St. Margaret Mary.

God bless you on your birthday. You Mom and Dad love you very much.

Sometimes.

Most of the time.

Just where does your personality come from?

At least I did not misspell YOUR name.

New Hampshire 2010: The Musical!

2010-10-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Baptism of Cecilia Kramer

2010-10-16T13:27:00.001-07:00

The reason for ultimately going to New Hampshire has not been all the fun that we have shown, albeit it would have been worth it to do just those things.

The reason for going was to go to the Baptism of the latest Kramer Kutie, Cecilia, born on the 12th of August of this year. By grace, we also went to be the Godparents for this child.

We had figured that this particular post would have appeared on a certain other site. However, with the kind permission of the Kramer Family, we are blessed to post here this selection of pictures from the Baptism of Cecilia Kramer on the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary.

The day of your Baptism is here!
The Tabernacle is the focus of the Church.

Baptismal Shell.

The anointing before Baptism.

The blessing of the Font.

"We ask you, Father, with your Son to send the Holy Ghost upon the water of this font. May all who are buried with Christ in the death of Baptism rise also with Him to newness of life. We ask this through Christ our Lord."

" Cecilia, I baptise you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "

" Parents and Godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. She is to walk always as a child of the light. May she keep the flame of faith alive in her heart. When the Lord comes, may she go out to meet him with all the Saints in the heavenly Kingdom."

Blessing over the newly Baptised, the parents, Godparents, and Families.

Happy Baptism Day, Cecilia Rose! We love you very much.

Thanks again to the Kramer Family for letting us post these pictures, hosting us, and having us as Godparents to your new daughter. We really cannot thank you enough.

Godfather FAIL!

2010-10-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

"I need to learn how to spell my Goddaughter's NAME!"

From a deleted scene of "The Godfather," right after he is talking to Bonasera.

On The Role Of Godparents

2010-10-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Terrible: Latin, terribilis, from terrere, to terrify, or to fill with fear.

The meaning of this word has changed over time.

To be chosen as Godparents is terribilis, terrible.

What do we mean?

Let us look at Genesis 28. Jacob is in the presence of God. He is filled with Terror and Awe. It is terrifying to be in the presence of of God. Jacob recognizes this, and he crys out, "How terrible is this place!"

"Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world be in awe of him." (Psalm 32:8)

"The fear of the Lord hateth evil...." (Proverbs 8:13a)

If we were truly aware of God's presence in the Blessed Sacrament when we walk into Church, it truly would fill us with fear and awe.

Being a Godparent should fill us with the same type of fear and awe. It is an obligation of the most severe kind, a terrible obligation. A Mother and Father of a new child ask you to be Godparents. To be a Godparent should fill us with awe, and it should fill us with fear.

Awe, that someone would think we are worthy of such a role, and this awe also fills us with reverence. It should also fill us with Fear, the Fear of the Lord being one of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. Fear to offend God's solemn majesty.

It is not simply a matter of showing up at the Church, holding the child to have the saving waters poured upon their head, and then going to the party afterwards.

Rather, what has happened, the mother and father have now obligated you to a task, a joyful task, that will last until you take your last breath on earth, and you meet the Lord for the judgement.

It is with happiness to meet the Lord at the end of the earthly journey and say that one fulfilled the role of a parent and Godparent as best one could: Prayers were said, Masses were offered, examples were set, and important dates in the spiritual life of the child were remembered.

This is what it means to be a Godparent, and that is why we went to New Hampshire.

Things To Do In New Hampshire When You're Dead: Lake Winnipesauke Edition

2010-10-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

One of our final stops in our whirlwind tour of Southern New Hampshire was Lake Winnipesauke.

Here is the extreme southern arm of Lake Winnipesauke. Just before we got to this point, we made a wrong turn onto a private road, and we turned back, as there was no public access to the Beach. As we are turning around, this gentleman comes up in his truck and asks us in his best Maine accent,

"Kahn I hep you?"

"Yeah we're looking for public access to the beach!"

"Not around he-yah!" and then he drove off!

Thanks, buddy.
You know, you're not going to get all that sand out of those clothes.

The fearsome Sea Creature emerges form his lair from the bottom of the lake in search of his favourite soft drink, Big Red.

One could walk out pretty far and still only be up to the knees in water.

The MS Mount Washington cruises by on the lake.

Yeah, another two cans for recycling!

The fearsome Se Creature now in search for something to eat....

Well, Lake Winnipesauke was pretty fun, and the beach we ended up at, Ellacoya State Park, had some nice views.

Do you know what town is close by Ellacoya State Beach?

Why, Laconia...

home to FUNSPOT, the World's largest Arcade!

Yes we got within three miles of this Arcade Game mecca.

Here is just part of the Classic Arcade Room.

Quite few records have been set at Funspot, including I believe two Kill Screens for Donkey Kong. If you know what we are talking about, then you are just a big a geek as us.

For more information on Funspot, visit their site at http://www.funspotnh.com/

Did we mention we were only three miles away?!

Next time! There was just too much to see and do.

Speaking of too much to do, we will wrap this series up pretty soon with a couple of more posts on why we were in the great state of New Hampshire.

About These Postings

2010-10-12T03:32:00.000-07:00

It would seem that with the amount of pictures on these latest posting, some of the older ones have been archived automatically. To view those, you can either look at the postings all the way to the bottom and click on older posts; you can also look on the sidebar to the right, and click on a particular post.

Again, thanks for looking!

The Scenery of New Hampshire

2010-10-12T01:18:00.000-07:00

The beauty of New Hampshire is something to be seen. While we were just a bit too early for Fall Colours, we caught the very beginnings of it. Next year perhaps, host family?

Things To Do In New Hampshire When You're Dead: Bumming Around The House Edition

2010-10-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

Well, our vacation was not all fun and games. There were serious moments as well.

Actually...

It was all fun and games!

Here's proof!

Here is some of the gaming. I think at this point, they had just beat "Halo" on the Legendary setting.

Some delicious Barbecue.

Here is something one cannot get in California, Dunkin' Donuts!

Drinking beer wit' my Homies. OK, by myself.

The daughter is warned to keep an eye on her Father, making sure he does not 'act up' too much.

I took this book with me to New Hampshire in hopes that I would learn a little bit about being a Godfather. Let me tell you, I learned NOTHING about the role of a Godfather, and how the role only begins the life-long action of prayer and example.

I did learn that I should have had the enemies of my goddaughter, her parents, and my enemies whacked. At least according to this particular book. Great first two movies, though.

Our host shows off his sweet dance moves.

You can try to imitate, but you cannot beat the original.

Eventually, you just knew I would get punished for something.

Walking around the neighbourhood after dinner.

Teaching one of the kids how to knit. Just keep it up now!

"Yes, my face is funny!"

Did we mention we went apple picking? Here, some of the kids are cooking apple sauce.

Watching some Japanese animation.

So this house comes with yard care, and the gardener comes to fertilize the lawn. Didn't know who he was, or why he was doing what he was doing.

All the way across the continent, and where is the Garlic from?!

Kids love to play street Tennis!

They also like after dinner snacks.

Why, there is even time to build shelves for the schoolbooks.

Evenings are beautiful at this time of year.

There is even time to mess around right before bedtime. Tough love.

I don't thin this little girl has her license yet, but the way she is driving.

Thanks for viewing this edition of,

Things to do in New Hampshire When You're Dead!

Join us next time, when we go to Lake Winnipesauke, home to Funspot, the World's largest Arcade!