Holidays are OVER! part 5

Well today is the day I have been dreading for weeks.  We have a new president in office; one whom I did not vote for.  Over the weeks, I have witnessed his supporters come out of the wood works.  They voice their reasoning on why they chose to put him in office.  I have observed that they usually dislike him, or pick out ONE legitimate stance that they agreed upon.  And that's about it.  I am still pretty confused on how someone can vote like that, but there you have it.
During the holidays, I was aware that the upcoming year was going to have changes.  My mom had entered retirement.  My job had some talk going around.  And now we have a new presidency.  The future seemed unsure.  I tried to enjoy the moments I had with my family and friends but with the holiday burn out I was experiencing, the tension was back firing.  On Christmas Eve stress left me with tension on my shoulders.  I was pooped out.  I didn't realize that I was spreading myself thin.  On top of that, I had rejected two birthday parties and two weekend getaways during the holiday season.  There was simply no way I could do it all but I felt bad rejecting my friends.  I look back now and realize I made the right decision.  In the end, you HAVE to take care of yourself.  What good would it do to be a complete mess for your family and friends?
My dad was hosting a Christmas Day dinner for me and my brothers.  I knew I couldn't miss this.  This was a nice tradition that had started some years ago on the part of my dad.  If you remember, he was not a part of my life for some time, and we reconnected in my mid 20s. 
Some things had lingered from the night before at my aunt's that had me question my dad.  He wasn't around for part of our lives, but I knew he could give me some insight on my family.  During dinner I asked a lot of personal questions this time, mostly to mend the loops I've heard from my mom's side of the family.  I feel I received some clarity, although the next day I ended up telling my mom some of my conversation with my dad.  I guess I thought I could continue this conversation about my family, but instead it got her irritated.  I forgot how much my mom suffered without my dad being around for us, and those feelings were deeply rooted.  Here I was poking my head in someone's business that was not intended for me and my brothers to know.  But I still felt I had a right to ask.
I want to know why things were the way they were.  I want to know about relatives that I've shared brief encounters with.  I wanted to know how things came to light and how people handled the changes throughout their lives.  It was interesting to me, plus it made me learn about my mom and her family more.  Parents seem to think they can place certain information to you, and that they  would be our truths, when in actuality it's not.  It's biased.  It's one-sided.  It's half of the story.
For some years me and my mother had our issues and sometimes wouldn't speak to one another.  I wanted to know why we chose to deal things liked that.  Now that we have a reoccurring relationship, how can I preserve that?  How do I handle her anger and frustrations if she doesn't agree with me?  A daughter needs to know.
In the end, I am grateful I had the opportunity to talk to my dad about other issues besides Chicago politics and sports.  I think me and my brothers learned a lot from him that night and I choose not to feel bad about what I did.  The last thing I want my mom to think is that I'm siding with him when I'm just trying to learn about our family's history. 
What do you think?  Was I out of line?

Best x-mas gift I got this year! 

Me and my younger brother...

Me and my dad talking about family stuff.  I'm not sure if he has selective memory, but it was interesting hearing him out.

His wife made pozole for us.  Perfect for a wintery day!

The green sauce is always the spicier sauce!

The rest of my family at the dinner table.  We had a good time chatting away...

November Wedding

I can't believe Christmas is almost here!  I have been mostly looking for stuff to decorate my apartment, but have had no such luck.  I want to be able to LOVE the items, not just fill up some space.  Unfortunately, this season nothing really stands out for me.  Oh well.
Recapping November was difficult, mostly because of the outcome of the election.  I am not afraid to say I voted for HER, but now that things have been moving along, I'm still saddened by the truth of who is our newly elected president is.  I am in disbelief that people actually voted for him in general, and wonder how the opposing party's vision truly stands with my values.  To be honest, my values have always been to live in a world that peacefully resides with one another; where we can be welcomed to visit and learn different customs and cultures.  Never in a million years would I be compelled to feel that people do not matter to me because they think, look, act differently than me.
Is it wrong for me to think that way?
After the election, I felt sick to my stomach and did not do much the following weekend.  I was in a state of shock.  Talking to my mom made me snap back in reality, mostly because I heard how my mother was handling the news of our current situation.  People have developed fear because of this, but I couldn't accept that anymore.  Yes, he may have won this election, but time will truly tell if our country made the right decision or not to appoint him.  In the meantime, all we can do is live our lives and love our friends and family and continue to contribute to society in this country of ours. 
Luckily I had to attend a wedding for a friend of mine the weekend after that.  It was nice to remember what's important to me, which is to celebrate happiness whenever it's around!  I won this dress off ebay early in the year and I finally got a chance to wear it out.  Since this wedding was in the middle of November, it was perfect to wear something heavier and pair it with black opaque tights instead of bare legs.  Everyone had a wonderful time and we stayed out afterwards too!  I am grateful to have been invited and wish my friends the best in their marriage!




Pretty church!

Proud parents...

Loved my dress from BCBG!

Up close...

Everyone LOVED the mariachi band!

The dessert table.  A friend of theirs baked the wedding cake!  Perfect gift to the bride and groom!

Who doesn't love tacos from Big Star?? 

The lovely couple!

Selfie time!

Look how tired I look!  I can't believe I went out after this!  lol

The End of An Era

It's back to norm here in Chicago.  A brand new week along with a brand new election that will be officially over today!!  Yay!  With all of the Cubs hoopla taking over the city, it was a nice break from hearing the election propaganda.  I voted in the morning but I think I'll stay off of social media and television for the rest of the day.  Tomorrow I will know who the next president will be.
This election definitely stirred up emotions for me and everyone else I know.  It's brought out the worst in some people.  I get anxious just thinking about since I have friends who support both sides.  I wish we could find a peaceful solution on how to live amongst each other in this day and age.  I am a firm believer of this country's rights of free speech.  But why the hostility?
We're at a time where people are not afraid to express their opinions.  They either have "no filter" or "no chill" when it comes to letting everyone know how they feel about things.  At first it was refreshing to know that people could be admired for not beating around the bush.  If you say what you mean, there's no miscommunication.  Yet with issues being brought to light, and no suggestions to solve them, we then turned on each other.
Spreading love within our communities, our cities, our states, our country, and then so forth, will not only strengthen our love for one another, it will bring joy to everyone we encounter, including countries from beyond.  I still believe we can have world peace!
At this point in my life, my goal is to bring joy to the people that matter to me: my family and friends.  I pray that they in turn pay it forward, so in the end we can have a domino effect.  How cool would that be?  During the 2nd week in October, I met up with some friends for happy hour at Henry's and then Public House and Spin Chicago afterwards.  It was nice catching up with one another, plus I like hearing if my friends are doing ok.  With our busy schedules, I don't want anyone to feel lost in the shuffle.  Sometimes you get so busy earning a living, you forget to live your life.

Henry's on Hubbard have happy hour until 8pm!

 

Public House motto

That same week was a significant moment for me and my family.  My mom's last day of work!!  I couldn't believe this day had finally come!  My mom has been working in the hotel industry for over 40 years!!!  I'm amazed her body endured so much especially in the hospitality department.  She was pretty nervous in general about how she will live her life afterwards.  When she got to work that day, she felt as though no one would notice her gone.  Boy was she wrong!  They held their weekly meeting with all staff members and it turned out to be a surprise retirement party!  She had no idea!  They even gave her a pearl bracelet and flowers.  I think she felt so surreal, she didn't realize someone had recorded the whole experience on their phone.  She was crying the whole time.
I came down from work to meet up with her.  She had some stuff to clear out of her locker and a bag of all of her goodies.  I wanted to take her out to dinner and with some hesitation, she finally agreed.  We went to McCormick and Schmick's restaurant down the street from her hotel.  She was in the mood for their soup, but since I ate a heavy lunch at work, I ordered the tuna tartar along with two glasses of wine so we could celebrate.  It was nice having dinner with her and talking about this next stage of her life.  I know she's nervous about what she will do with herself, but I feel hearing her out first will give me the opportunity to know where her thought process is.  I want her to slow down for a bit so she could enjoy her life a bit more before the weather gets really cold here.  As for now, I am overwhelmed with emotions knowing that she reached this milestone in her life as a healthy, strong woman!

Our celebratory toast to this milestone!!  She did it!!

Luckily her soup came with this huge salad.  I want to make sure she had a full meal.  She deserved it!

She was completely surprised on her thoughtful gifts!  I'm glad they took their time to appreciate her dedication...