Today ... is a special day... It's mother's day and I happen to have the privilege to have been born in a wonderful family with the best mom ever... and ... it's also special because it's my sister's birthday! She is turning ... well... who's counting? Right?? So... This is for them!
---- OUR "Mud Run" ----
While I see so many people... voluntarily submit themselves to mud runs... I can't help but think of MY FAMILY... and our own adventures!
We lived in a rural area in Mexico for a few years.. The romantic idea of "chickens and goats" (not even our own but the neighbors') running through our big piece of land (a bit bigger than 2 acres) really enticed my parents... The land was cheap and the house seemed nice when we bought it... In that house we lived through some of the hardest (financial) times of our lives growing up and some of the most wonderful and REALLY WEALTHIEST (not financially) times as a family too! It was our very rural "piece of heaven" (and to be honest, anywhere we lived was always a piece of heaven, not because of the place but because we were together and because singing praises to God was always, ALWAYS happening wherever we were). Sometimes we had no electricity or even gas inside the house... so neighbors thought we were always 'partying' because we were outside cooking beans and cactus on a grill and of course... singing... always singing!
We had no running water there, the streets were not paved... and this is when THE MUD comes in.. oh the mud!!! every time it rained!! we would get deep in the mud (sometimes knee deep or even deeper if anybody happened to fall) it was thick, it was heavy and it was hard to walk in it... Many times we had no car and when we did... well... it would get stuck... backs were hurt while trying to push it out of the mess (did I happen to mention that our car, when we had it, had no "reverse"?) and even feet were trapped under the tires of the car when it managed to slip out of the mess...
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| I took this picture from the internet, because I don't have pics of our own, a very common scene! |
Because we had no running water, we had to wait for "la pipa" to get our containers filled up with water, sometimes "la pipa"
wouldn't pass... most times the water wasn't that clean so we used it
mostly to "flush the toilet" with buckets...
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| "La Pipa" |
So many times my dad would carry big containers (yes, like the ones people use in mud runs to take pictures with), my dad would fill the containers up and bring them to the house (no time -or camera- to pose for a picture of course)... My dad carried most of them but my mom wouldn't wimp out of it and my sister... being only as young as 10 years old would gather all her strength to help carry too! Sometimes we had a car, many times we didn't ... so we would either travel long distances with those containers of water in the car or even walk a lot with those containers... filled with water... all to be able to wash dishes, clothes and take ... well... I can't say baths... and I can't say "showers" either for obvious reasons... but we would use buckets to "wash ourselves"
We would do all this whether the weather was nice or not.. if it was rainy season sometimes we would fall in the middle of the mud while carrying buckets of water... sometimes the containers would end up spilling... sometimes we would lose a shoe that would end up trapped in all that mess... and yet... I think we always found a way to laugh about it! We actually became "really skilled" at the whole "mud thing" ... we knew where to step and the balance we had! Was pretty impressive! We would do this daily of course because we had go to school, work and church, miles and miles away from home... sometimes with a clean change of clothes in plastic bags for when we finally made it to our destination.
I can say I've been in many "MUD RUNS" with my parents and siblings! Sometimes it felt like a "permanent and endless" mud run... But I am happy to say that by the grace of God nobody ever quit! There are so many stories I can share of our "Free and involuntary MUD RUNS" ... We never had to register to join any of them... Life just brought them to us... We didn't get to take any pictures either... but they are forever burnt in our minds and souls.... They became part of who we are... and they make us appreciate every single thing and not take it for granted.
Today the special recognition goes to my mom and sister... Who... being the princesses and ladies that they are... They were tough and strong through it all and they're still going through their race with a smile in their faces!
Thank you Mom for being such an example to your daughters! The only reason why we could go through all that with such peace and joy and not even have a "bad memory" about it is because of your constant prayers and content attitude!
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| My mom and me! |
Thank you sister for being the best sister of all and for showing your teeth to adversity... both literally and figuratively! I am proud of YOU! And I am glad we went through all that TOGETHER! As best friends! With you in my team is easy to get to the other side!
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| My sister and me! |
Happy Mother's Day Mom!.... Happy Birthday sis!
Thank you Lord... for washing us clean from the mud... in every possible way!
MUD RUNS help you bond with your family FOR SURE!!!
----------- TRADUCCION --------------
Hoy es un dia especial... Es dia de las madres y resulta que yo tengo el privilegio de haber nacido en una maravillosa familia con la mejor mamá del mundo... y ... es también un día especial porque es el cumpleaños de mi hermana... Ella cumple... Bueno... eso no se dice.... verdad? Este post de hoy es para ellas!
--- NUESTRA CARRERA EN LODO ----
Al ver a mucha gente inscribirse voluntariamente en carreras en lodo... no puedo evitar pensar en MI familia y nuestras propias aventuras!
Nosotros vivimos por un tiempo en una area rural en México... La romantica idea de gallinas y cabras (que ni siquiera eran nuestras, sino de los vecinos) corriendo en nuestro terreno (de poco mas de dos acres) realmente atrajo a mis padres... El terreno era barato y la casa parecia comoda cuando la compramos... En esa casa vivimos algunos de nuestros tiempos mas dificiles en cuanto a finanzas en nuestra vida y algunos de los tiempos mas maravillosos y ABUNDANTES (no financieramente) como familia. Era nuestro "pedacito de cielo rural" (y para ser honesta, en cualquier lugar donde vivimos siempre fue un pedacito de cielo, no por el lugar sino porque estabamos juntos y porque cantar alabanzas a Dios fue una constante en dondq quiera que estuvieramos. Algunas veces no teniamos ni electricidad ni gas dentro de la casa... asi que los vecinos pensaban que eramos unos fiesteros porque a menudo nos veian cocinando en el asador (frijoles y nopales) y por supuesto siempre... siempre cantando!
Ahi no teniamos agua corriente y las calles no estaban pavimentadas... Es ahi donde comienza nuestra carrera en el lodo! Cada vez que llovia terminabamos enlodados (algunas veces hasta las rodillas o aun peor si nos caiamos) era un lodo espeso y pesado en el cual era dificil caminar... Muchas veces no teniamos un automovil y cuando si teniamos se atascaba, hubo espaldas lastimadas y hasta uno que otro pie apachurrado tratando de ayudar a que el carro saliera del lodo (por supuesto nuestro carro no tenia reversa)
Como no habia agua corriente, teniamos que esperar a que pasara "la pipa" para llenar nuestros contenedores y pila de agua, a veces no pasaba la pipa y la mayoria de las veces el agua no estaba tan limpia asi que solo la usabamos para "bajarle al baño" con cubetas...
Tantas veces mi papa tuvo que cargar botes (si, como los que usan en las carreras de lodo para tomarse fotos y verse muy "fortachones"), mi papa sin mucha pose llenaba los botes y los traia a la casa... MI papa cargaba la mayoria de ellos pero ni mi mama ni mi hermana se rajaron jamas... Aunque apenas tenia 10 ella tambien le entraba con todas sus fuerzas! Algunas veces, teniamos coche y muchas veces no... asi que teniamos que viajar largas distancias con esos botes famosos en el carro o aun caminar cargandolos... todo para poder lavar trastes, ropas y bañarnos a cubetazos.
Todo esto lo haciamos cuando el clima era favorable y también cuando no lo era tanto... hubo ocasiones en las que nos caiamos en medio del lodo y a veces se nos terminaban vaciando los botes... algunas veces se nos quedaba un zapato atrapado en medio del lodo y aun asi encontrabamos algun modo para reirnos al respecto! De hecho nos volvimos unos expertos en todo eso de caminar en el lodo... sabiamos bien donde y como pisar y que buen balance teniamos! Era digno de verse! Todos los dias teniamos que ir a la escuela, trabajo y 3 veces por semana a la iglesia, kilometros lejos de nuestra casa... algunas veces teniamos que cargar con ropa limpia en bolsas de plastico para cambiarnos cuando llegaramos a nuestro destino.
Puedo decir que he participado en muchas 'carreras en lodo' con mis padres y mis hermanos! A veces se sentia como que estabamos en una carrera "permanente e interminable"... Pero me alegra decir que por la gracia de Dios nadie se rindio jamas! Hay tantas historias que podria contar de nuestras carreras "gratuitas e involuntarias"... Nunca tuvimos que pagar un quinto por ellas! La vida simplemente nos las regalo... Tampoco pudimos tomar fotos... pero las memorias quedan para siempre en nuestras mentes y corazones... Son parte de quien ahora somos y nos ayudan a valorar cada cosita y no dar nada por hecho.
Hoy el reconocimiento especial es para mi mamá y hermana... que... siendo las princesas y damas que ellas son... fueron lo suficientemente "duras" y fuertes a traves de todo eso y aun lo son en su carrera que siempre enfrentan con una sonrisa en sus rostros!
Gracias Mamá por ser tan gran ejemplo a tus hijas! La unica razon por la que pudimos atravesar por todo eso con tanta paz y gozo y no tener malos recuerdos al respecto es por tus oraciones constantes y tu contentamiento.
Gracias hermana por ser la mejor de todas y por enseñarle los dientes a la adversidad (literalmente y en sentido figurado). Estoy muy orgullosa de ti! Y estoy agradecida de haber pasado todo eso juntas! Como mejores amigas! Contigo en mi equipo es facil llegar al otro lado!
Feliz Dia de las Madres Mama! Feliz cumpleaños hermana!
Gracias Señor por lavarnos del lodo! En todos los aspectos!
Las carreras en lodo de veras que unen a la familia!
© Paloma K.
and chill in the refrigerator until it is very cold (at least 4 hours). Churn in Ice Cream Maker
according to manufacturer's instructions, then serve right away or transfer to an airtight container and chill in freezer for 1 hour to let custard firm up slightly. Serve custard within two hours of it being made, don't store for another day.
... I've actually added more healthy ingredients to my pantry by stacking it full of 
,
,
,
, 
for my "E" meals... I've used egg whites on occasion for a desert here and there and I do allow myself to use stevia for desserts because I figure that all the other good stuff, all my exercising and all the positive changes I've made outweigh any other concerns I might have about stevia!