Spain

I'm getting so excited for summer. I get to go to Spain this summer. For 6 weeks! My Dad is coming too. And I'll be dancing the entire time we are gone!



I've heard so much about Spain. I'm really happy that I get to go. It was an honor to get asked to go. I've spent the last year studying hard, practicing, and earning money. It's going to be so fun!



I really can't wait to learn how to dance from all the amazing teachers. That's the real reason I'm going. This is going to be so exciting! Now I just need to finish up school. :) C

Virgen de Guadalupe

Today is the feast day for the Virgen de Guadalupe. What a special day. Dedicated to Jesus' mom. Our mom.

I'm very excited that I get to be a part of the special mass today. I'm getting to dance. We get to use candles. And we've been practicing for weeks. It's very exciting!

I really do like my culture. Not only are we celebrating la Madre de Dios, we are celebrating all mothers. There are going to be mariachis, dancers, and matachines at mass. Very exciting. My Dad is also cooking up a big dinner. That's for after the big day. And all of our fun. :) C

We're Home

We're home from the Mariachi Conference. It was so much fun! We got home last night. I went straight to bed. I was that tired.

But we had a fun week. My Dad taught for my Tio Joe. My Nana performed for him. Because Tio Joe didn't travel with the mariachi. It was a good thing. Since baby Graciella came while we were gone. My Dad is going to be her Godfather. And my Nana is going to be her Godmother. She is a very lucky girl! :)

My tio Juan also didn't go. Because of my friend Sarita is still in the hospital. So my Nono taught and performed for him. We're all still praying for Sarita.

At the conference I got to take both dance and music classes. I was really lucky. I had to take the dance classes. Because my dance group went to perform. But my Dad got me to take a few music classes. And that was a lot of fun. My friend Joe got to go too. I'm so glad! We live so far away. And only get to see each other for the conferences.

We got to sing and play our violins on the river. Because there is always a big concert on the river. It was so fun! I even got to sing with my Nono and Nana. On the night of the big concert, I got to dance. Marissa, Maribel, and Lauren got to dance too. We really did have a good time.

And when my tios and Nana performed, Joe and I got to sing a duet with them. That was so exciting! I really do enjoy the conferences. And I can't wait until the next one. :) C

Traveling

We're going to be in Texas until next week. For a mariachi and dance workshop. I'm so excited! I really like coming to these things. You meet so many good people. And you learn so much.

I've got all my homework with me. My Dad told me that it's important that I keep up with my school work. I agree. But I'm really excited about performing this week.

My Dad is going to be teaching. And all of my dance group is here too. I'm so excited! We had to bring so much luggage. The airports were so busy. But everyone is happy to be here. :) C

Flamenco Dancing

I've been studying Flamenco dancing for more than a year now. I really enjoy it. And I'm happy to be home again. I went to my dance class this morning. It was so much fun! A lot of hard work. But lots of fun!

It's a lot different from the Folklorico dancing that I do. But it's really interesting. Your dancing is just as important as the guitar playing. I want to get really good at it. This video has a really good dancer. One day, I want to go to Spain and dance. I think that would be a lot of fun! :) C

It's Almost Summer Break

School is almost over. We have 15 more days! My Dad is already on his summer break. But he will start teaching lessons at home. During the day. This week at school it is spirit week. And every day we get to dress up. It's a big deal. We usually have to wear a uniform. I go to a private school. But this week we have days like pj day and career day. I'm really excited!

But I'm also sad. School is almost over. I won't get to see all my friends until August. It's a long time. We will still get to talk on the phone. But we won't see each other every day like we do now. My Dad told me not to worry. That I could have sleepovers. But I'm still going to miss my friends.

My Dad has planned a trip to go visit my Nono. We are going to Florida for a few weeks. I'm really excited about that! I like going to visit him. We always spend a lot of time at Disney World. My Nono also has a big swimming pool. And I just like to spend time with him.

I will still be in my dance classes too. We get to perform during the summer. I won't be bored. But I will miss spending lots of time with my friends. :) C

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Today is Cinco de Mayo. I'm so excited! Today I get to dance. I'm a folklorico dancer. And a mariachi. Today, my tios and my Nana are going to be playing. After school I get to go dance at 2 different places. Marissa, Maribel and Lauren get to go dance too! We're going to have so much fun! I hope everyone enjoys their day too! In case you're wondering, those are folklorico dancers in the picture. :) C

Busy Week

I'm still tired from last week. But I had a lot of fun! It was fun to see Joe again. He used to live here too. In our town. But his dad got transferred and they moved to Utah. But we still see each other at the different conferences. My Dad pays for him to go. He thinks it's important for us to learn about our culture.

Our show went really well on Saturday. Sunday we went to see lots of groups perform. We got to sing too! And my Dad and me ate lots of food! That's our favorite thing to do at things like this. I also bought lots of jewelry, monos, and ribbons. We got my Nana some too! She likes these earrings.

Joe went home early Monday morning. We came home later in the afternoon. Our bags are still at the door! We haven't unpacked. Because I had to go back to school yesterday. And my Dad went back to work.

Last night we had a long dance rehearsal. I'm glad we don't have one today. I'm really tired. And I got all my homework done before we came back. I'm ahead of my classes because my Dad got my work before we left. I finished it. And my classes haven't gotten that far yet!

Tonight I think I'm going to bed early. I'm really tired. But we had so much fun last week! It's just sad that it only happens a few times a year! There are 4 conferences that I like to go to most. I'm glad my Dad teaches at them and that I get to go. :) C

Our Big Show

Tonight is our big show. I get to wear a pretty dress like these ones. I think ours are even more beautiful! They have lots and lots of lace. My Dad was trying to steam mine this morning. And our aprons have lots of embroidery and sequence on them. I just wish my Nana was here to do my hair. She is really good at that.

My Tia Alicia is going to help me. And she brought lots of hairspray and bobbie pins. There is a hairpiece that you have to put in. I hope mine doesn't fall out! We also have to dance with a candle on top of our heads. I've done it a lot of times. But it still kind of scares me!

But I'm excited for tonight. We have a rehearsal in a little while for the show. Joe and I have to practice out duet too! I'm not worried about that. Because we have sung together before. I'm just really excited for the show! :) C

Learning A Lot!

I've been learning a lot here at the conference. Joe and I have been practicing our duet. We get to sing tomorrow night for the big dinner. And we are singing Friday-Sunday. It's really exciting!

Our dance group has learned a lot of new dances too! Marissa is having a lot of fun. But she is still made that they don't let her dance with the candles. She has to dance with a vaso of agua. All of my tios are teaching like my Dad. It's really a lot of fun here. :)

I'm most excited for Saturday night's show. My tios are performing a big show too! We get to dance for part of it. The whole conference is fun. I'm glad my Dad brings me. And I'm glad he pays for Joe to come too!

We're getting ready to go for dinner. I'm really hungry today. My pansa keeps making noise. I hope we go somewhere with good food. :) C

I'm Excited!

My Dad and I are at the airport. We're going to the Mariachi Conference this week. We get to see lots of friends! My Nono is going to be teaching too! I can't wait to see him! I wish my Nana was coming. But she has school and work. So she couldn't come.

My dance school gets to come too. But they're not coming until tomorrow. My Dad has to be there tomorrow. Because he's teaching. The teachers have a special rehearsal tomorrow. That's why we're going to be there early.

You should see all the bags we have! I have 2 suitcases with just my dresses, hair pieces, and shoes! My Dad and me each have a regular suitcase. Then we have a garment bag with both of our Mariachi Trajes. And we have our 2 violins. My Dad also has his briefcase for his music and laptop!

We are going to be gone until next Monday. But I'm excited to go! I'm taking the dance classes. But I'm also going to study voice. And my Dad is going to be teaching me the violin stuff in the evenings. This is going to be a lot of fun! I can't wait to see Joe. We're singing a duet too! :) C

We Got to Dance

Today we got to dance for the City. They we're having a Grand Opening for the new buildings downtown. It was a lot of fun! And my tios got to play for us. They were the mariachis. It was so much fun! I'm really glad that my Dad let me go. He wasn't sure, because I had to miss school. But he talked to all my teachers. Last week, I had to stay late to finish all my work for today. But it was worth it. Because I really did have a lot of fun! Thank you Papi! :) C

PS That's not me in the picture. But it's a picture of a folklorico dancer. Like me! But I'm a lot smaller. And the dress I wore today is pink. :) C

Birthday Party

Yesterday we had a big birthday party at our house. It was for Maribel, Lauren, my Nana, and me. All of our birthdays are close together. And Lauren and Maribel's moms just had babies. Their birthday parties were supposed to be last weekend. But my Nana and my Tio Berto asked us if we could make them all at the same time. Since that is when the babies started to come. I was really excited! And my Dad said it was OK to have all the parties together.

Maribel and Lauren turned 3. I turned 12. I'm not sure how old my Nana is. But she is 20 something. Tio Berto asked me to keep the secret. We surprised my Nana. She thought the party was just for us 3 girls. But Tio Berto bought my Nana a big birthday cake, her own pinata, and lots of presents. :)

Our birthday parties are always Matanzas too. That's when you kill a pig and cook it. Early yesterday morning, all my tios and my Dad killed 3 pigs. And then they started to cook. They're really good at it. 2 of the pigs had been at my Tio Berto's house. And 1 had been here. We fatten them up until the day they kill them. My favorite part, are the chicharrones. It's pretty much fried pork fat. But it tastes good in fresh tortillas. :)

Everyone had a lot of fun! My tios played too! They're mariachis. And my Nana sang with them. They even got Maribel to sing a song. She's getting really good! There was a lot of dancing and eating. And we got to see both sets of twins. They came for a little while on their way home.

This was my best birthday ever! I got to spend it with a lot of people I love. And I got to share my birthday party with my 2 friends and my Nana! :) C