This is Going to be the Best Christmas EVER!!

Looks like there's a lot of Christmas activity being planned for tomorrow. That's right! In case you live on Mars....

Christmas Eve is Tomorrow!!!

This year is going to be a little different. As you all know there will be no big opening of presents this year. Instead we are only taking the Gift exchange presents and the presents for the White Elephant Game. (Exchange and Game Times TBA)

(And remember this doesn't mean that you can't bring a present you have for someone else so they can take it home and open it on Christmas day. Bring the presents for your God Kids or that cousin you got a gift for so they can take it home)

We are going to have a pinata which Mi Tia Silva is making as I write. And I hear candy as well, Which is some old tradition they had in Mexico which I guess they will explain.

And of course we will have a performance by the younger cousins.

So lots of new activities this years. Hopefully we will be entertained til 6 in the morning...Okay like 1 or 2.

Oh! and Favorite Uncle...Trust! You do not want to know about twitter. Its addicting. Here is my twitter. You can go to the other cousins twitters from there.

Click the link at your own risk http://twitter.com/RobertitoV

Twitter

What is Twitter?
It looks like everybody is in it. Nobody posts here anymore.
Yourfavoriteuncle

Random Picture Tuesday!

The Vega House

New Translator

You can now read the blog in Spanish or any other language you want. Simply scroll down on the google translator to the desired language and it will translate the whole page.

And if you don't know what I'm talking about, It the thing above the posts right under the Page Header in the middle. So tell all the aunts and uncle that have been wanting to read the blog that it now available in Spanish. Or tell your Japanese friend that has always wanted to read about our family that he can now do it.

Oh! and thank Gaby for finding this.

PEACE

RobeRt. V

So Milo came to see me for therapy today...

He has some unresolved issues.

WHY IS OUR FAMILY SO COMPLICATED!?

The Gonzalez drama seems to follow us through all holidays.

Start the Exchange over

I Propose that we do the exchange over and add more cousins. If we do do no presents this year and only the exchange. We should include every cousin thats going to be at Christmas that wants to do it.

We made the exchange on thanksgiving and it was only like 3 of us thinking of people that would want to be in it, and of course we forgot people.

So call all the cousins and see if this is a good idea. and find out who else wants to take part in the new tradition.

and since the young kids are doing an exchange too. We might not even need any other gifts.

My Idea:

• Get every cousin that wants in on the exchange
• Have the young cousin do there own too
• If the aunts and uncle want to do one to, Even Better!
• Open these exchange presents at midnight (no early then that)

no other presents will be opened that night (if you have a gift for another family member bring it and give it to them so they can take it home and open it in the morning)

This way everyone is happy and no one gets a better present then the other since there is a limit on how much.

Whatcha Think?

Less is More

I've been thinking a lot about the holidays this year and I am really excited for the first time in a long time because we have Andy to share it all with. But at the same time I became sort of sad at the thought of all the gifts we had to buy and the not so great financial situation we are currently in. And I realized we are not alone. We are all taking a hit during these tough financial times. Some more than others. For some it may be a matter of "Will I be able to afford that daily latte?" and for others it's more like "Will we be able to afford our next mortgage payment." It's the reality of our times. This is when I began to think of the motto "less-is-more."

Our family has always been BIG on a huge family Christmas, and I love it. I love getting together and eating and singing and opening presents. But I do believe that amongst all the material items we have lost the true meaning of the holidays. It seems that Christmas has became a competition of who will get the most or biggest or best present. The tradition of waiting until midnight is no longer upheld.

With so many families struggling this holiday season I suggest we take a less-is-more approach. Let's remember why we get together and celebrate in the first place. In a year full of ups and downs within our family it is even more reason to be thankful for what we already have. Most importantly - our health. Thankful that our grandparents continue to be fight on and continue to be with us.

I have heard people say they don't want to get together this year. And no one has said it, but I know it's because it's just to expensive to compete. Sad but true that it does work this way. The younger generation has gotten so use to this that they EXPECT great gifts so everyone else could "oh" and "ah". So I propose we get together, eat and enjoy each others company without the stress of material gifts. Maybe leave the gifts for Christmas morning or once you return home. Maybe call it an early night this year. I mean, it's not like anyone waits till midnight anymore anyway.

Just an idea and solely my opinion. But we should all definitely take a step back and figure out what it is that we love to do during the holidays and what it is that we hate about the holidays and be happy. For example:

I love:
- to decorate my home
- drink holiday coffee drinks
- giving presents to my immediate family
- midnight mass

I hate:
- Christmas cards [what do I do with them afterwards?]
- Long shopping lists
- feeling stressed out during a happy time

No one should feel obligated to do anything. We should all take a less-is-more approach to the holidays. Be happy. Go out and do what you enjoy with your family. Make new traditions, but please don't let our old family tradition of celebrating on Christmas Eve be ruined by material woes. It would be so sad for this gathering to disappear because of this.

Think about.

As I was saying...

Therapy 101 provided by Therapy in a Box:

If you talk to God, you are praying. If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.

A Psychiatrist asks a lot of expensive questions that your wife will ask for free.

The statistics on sanity are that 1 out of every 4 Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your 3 best friends. If they are okay, then it’s you.

Gamophobia: Fear of marriage (sounds familiar)

Kathisophobia: Fear of sitting down (all you couch potatoes, its not you)


Now that you guys have all analyzed your selves, its time for Adeedodokie’s blog!

As I was telling my Twitter world, I tried really hard to get to work late today but instead failed miserably as I got here 45min early.

It looks like Kenny and Milo might be headed for a shelter. There have been talks about selling the Kenny and Milo house.

There was a kid who was ran over and killed in South Gate waiting for the bus after school after a van blew a tire out. Wondering if I’m going to have a No-Show today.

I have floor tickets for this Sunday’s Lakers game….well not exactly floor tickets but 6 rows back from 1st row.

I bought my first Lakers shirt on Sunday.

Mario Jr Gonzalez deserves a cookie for being one of a handful of physically active Gonzalezes. He did pretty damn good on our mountain run on Sunday. I kinda felt like a looser.

This coming Sunday we will be running/walking/hiking the Rose Bowl trail. Come if you aren’t too lazy.

Lets play a guessing game:

Where would each of the Valdez-Gonzalez family members end up living? K-Dog and Gay-Dog are members of the family and not pets! So let’s guess! Who ever gets it right will get to help us move.


Gotta attend an 11am meeting!

-Adedodoo loves her family