Rembe, Jr., entered his second quarter century of life... So, as with any momentus event in the Rodriguez/Dominguez Familia, we had to cook a pig!
...just like when Reemberto Sr., changed professional paths, a pig with friends had to be had...
And, you heard it here first: We'll have yet another pig sometime in July to celebrate Geraldina's entry into her second 1/2 century of life. (More info to follow in the Spring.)
There were lots of births in the familia: Daniel, Lino, Alejandro, Olivia - and others in Miami as well...
AND: There are more on the way (Michael & Kaki in Denver are also pregnant.).... [There MUST be something in the water! In our extended "NeighborWorks" family, 5 of the 40 co-workers in the Training Dep't are havinig babies in 2010!]
In 2009, there was the sad passing of Alina, who was overcome by brain cancer way too early in her life... Tia Elena and Mrs. Mobely also met their Maker after celebrating long lifes on this earth.
We also celebrated life by joining Toto and Jennifer in their wedding, in beautiful - if economically challenged - Michigan over the 4th of July weekend.
With all the births, baptisms, weddings, and funerals, we did not have a 'vacation', but rather a series of 'stay-cation'.
We were visited by Mario Sr., Tio Paco & Tia Carmin, and Ibri and Elina.
Geraldina and Iggy also had the opportunity to visit with Lola and Charles and their beautiful three kids in downtown San Francisco.
We went up to New York a couple of times to help Carmen Yoli get settled into her new life in the big Apple's upper upper West Side.
Oh, and how could we leave off the 'new lifes celebration' without mentioning the new life that has come into our house, our mean fat Chihuahua Benny, who has already bitten us multiple times and refuses to be thankful that we saved him from the pound and eventual termination of his life!
Reemberto Sr.'s momentous move to focus on our local Silver Spring region has been a truly seismic shift... Gone are the travels; but, so are gone the good times had with communities from throughout the US and Puerto Rico... We have welcomed a whole new set of friends and acquaintances; but we miss dearly the NeighborWorks familia & friends - so we brought them together for this picture!
Gone too are the opportunity to grow our list of "Cuban Restaurants Outside of Miami"... Remberto was able to visit almost one a month during 2009 - and here are but a few:
Geraldina's journey has taken her to South Africa and Tanzania, the cradle of humankind... And, she continues fiercely committed to battling the ugly consequences of HIV/AIDS throughout the world.
Iggy's Swarthmore academic adventure is exhilarating, taking liberal arts courses in topics as varied as Islam, Middle East Cities, and Spanish. He continues balancing the academics with the commitment to baseball, pitching for the Garnets.
Reemberto Jr., new position with the Nats (as Security Manager) is fascinating... His life in inner-city D.C. (Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, U Street) afforded him shedding his car and getting a bike to get around.
We were very fortunate to - for the first time as a familia - participate together in an Ignatian Spiritual Exercise. The four of us joined friends from the NY & NJ ACU in our annual silent retreat... Quite an experience!
Another experience - not quite spiritual, but certainly moving - was sharing the Presidential Innauguration with community organizers from Lawrence, Mass. and our friends from IMPACT Silver Spring. We were blessed with the opportunity to host three of their Latina organizers ... It was simply beautiful to see this historical event through their eyes!
And, of course, we made our usual treks to the big A (as in ATL) and Moultrie to visit family, doctors, hospitals, and such... (And to check out WalMarts & Dollar stores!)
Lastly, Geraldina & Reemberto Sr., have formally and officially ventured into the FaceBook world! (Obviously Iggy & Reemberto, Jr., have been there a while - and no, they are NOT our 'friends'!) We have decided to take a decidely personal vs. professional approach to FaceBook, however.
[] You can 'friend' Reemberto, Sr., as "Reemberto Rodriguez" for 'all things Silver Spring'.
(Please do become a 'fan' of the page "Silver Spring Regional Center" to stay in touch with our neighborhood! )
[] You can 'friend' Geraldina & Reemberto, Sr., as "Rembe Y. Geraldina" for family & friends purposes.
(Baby pictures and such.)
As this Holiday Season approaches, we participated in our community's Thanksgiving Parade, celebrating our thriving business and civic community... And of course we've begun our Christmas giving adventure... It is truly wonderful to share the spirit of the season with you and yours!
May 2010 bring you the peace you seek and the strength to overcome whatever challenges may come our way.
Paz,
Reemberto, Sr., Geraldina, Reemberto, Jr., & Iggy - (and Benny)
