Happy Birthday, Cupcake!

Hey it’s Terrific Tuesday again! How’s everything in your neck of the woods?

Today my baby Julia Be-Becca (Rebeca) Ewen turned 15 at 3:07 p.m. It is the day  in Mexico when a big party would have been thrown for her called a Quincenara which is a coming out party for the girl who hits 15. Here in the US we go for 16 and call it Sweet 16. She’ll get the US version next year (I hope.)

I was 23 days shy of the big 40 when she was born. I credit her with keeping me young and sometimes for keeping me sane. She is my technology guru and she can handle a smart phone for this old dummy like a pro.  I am more like her granny than her “Mommy.” A few of my friends were older when they had their children and ironically she is good friends with two of their children.

As you can tell by looking at her, she doesn’t look like me at all. My husband had domineering genes. She is as my husband says “a Latina beauty.” However as my oldest son Brian  said growing up, “But, hey she’s 3/4′s white guy and just like me.” He and his baby sister have always been close. My oldest daughter Brittany was thrilled to have another  girl in the family after two boys. The girls are amazingly close today even though they live 12 hours apart. The youngest son, Zach, well…he always said he didn’t like her, but he really does. HE just likes to complain.  He gets that from the Thomas side of our family.

In America I prefer to think she is a prime example of our national heritage. We all came from someplace to get here. I have run across plenty of idiots who ask me what she is, where she came from and other  completely stupid stuff over the past 15 years. I have been quick  to point out their lack of intelligence. She’s mine,  she’s ours and I am as proud of her as I can be.

However, mostly people are really good. Hopefully race relations will be better and better through out her life. We see some discrimination around here, but mostly it is o.k.  Some people think all Hispanics sneaked across the border and well, refer to the paragraph about stupid. My husband was born in New York City. Grandma Petra came from Mexico City on a student Visa and became an American citizen. She married a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn.

I know who I see in Julia. I can see my mother in the shape of her face. She is Thomas mule head stubborn at times. She has Petra Ewen’s dimples. She is basically a sweet person and I think that came from Tia Beci and Abuelita who were both really sweet people and from our cousin Mary Fanny through the Gill side of our family.

She loves to sing. That came from the Thomas and the Barerra families– one terrific grandparent singer  on each side. My Dad and Petra both would sing all night if allowed. Sometimes they sang together for hours.

She likes Mathematics and designing things. My mother was an accountant and Grandpa Joel Ewen, an engineer. She loves to take pictures. Don’t know where she gets that. She is pretty easy going much like George my husband.  She hates to be alone. My Dad hated to be alone– he liked companionship. Our daughter is a genetic melting pot in the good old USA and a reflection of those who have gone on before, even though she doesn’t know that. She is girly girl and loves shoes,too. Grandma Petra had over 400 pairs of shoes in her closet. Julia loves shoes. The absolute worst place to go with her in tow is a shoe store.

So Happy Birthday, Miss Baby.  That was my pet name for you when you were little and being passed around through the crowd while I coached baseball and basketball. I used to wave and you’d wave back. You traveled to everything and with everybody and well you haven’t met many strangers.  To say you are a social child is probably the understatement of the year!

God Bless you and keep you and may you live long and prosper! Love you !

See ya next week!