Easter fun

I had the fortune to be at the Merkley's cabin at Sundance for Easter and had the extended family over. Cristi prepared the Easter egg hunt for the grandchildren. Bianca went to a seminar for local artists there at Sundance. It was a way of celebrating the graduation too.

A quadruple Graduation!!!!

Valentina, Lexi, Alejandro and I graduated at BYU this spring 2011. It was the highlight of our Easter trip. According to the children who seemed so happy by looking at their smiles, nothing must feel so good than to finish something that you have started. I am still finishing a couple of classes but by December of this year, I should be done!

2011 cluster meeting

At the Orlnado cluster meeting Daniel and I went to the Church owned Deseret Ranch in Orlando Florida. It was an interesting field trip. I never knew there was so much to a ranch than raising cattle. It was a nice visit with the wives too who normally are not invited to these cluster meetings. We spent a day at the Epcot park and later went to Disney town. It was fantastic!

A day running the city of Salt Lake

I decided to get ready to run a half marathon. I know that running is not what I enjoy doing but it is a good way to get in shape. On Friday April 15, after I got my packet, I went out to eat pasta and got to bed early. On April 16, I woke up early to drive from Lehi to the gateway where the race ends and where people park to find the shuttle that takes you to the start line. I started following a group of people that had a number on their shirt thinking that they were going to the race just to find out that they were the fans from a radio station. I then realized that I was in the wrong place and needed to take the trax so I run as fast as I could to get take the train but I got 10 minutes too late and the race had started. I didn't stretch and that caused me to get a bad hamstring strain. It was very painful. It happened right at the start of the race, so all I could do was to walk. It was the longest 13.1 mile walk ever but I did it.

What's in a name.

Working on genealogy, finding out more names related to my mother and grandmother and their origins. For now, I want to find more details about: Virginia Alvarenga, Sebastian Zelayandia, Soledad Melara, Carlos Marroquin, Clara de Jesus Henriquez, Romualdo Ayala, Joaquina Cerros and Juan Lopez. I plan to do research when I visit El Salvador this year.

Summer is upon us!

How do  you know it's Summer? You get out the garden hose of course! There something about water and Summer that go hand in  hand like bread and butter. A toast for Summer finally and happy mothers day to all those wonderful mommas out there!

Bianca's first interview

New York singer-songwriter Bianca Merkley’s sultry sweet voice is self- described as “tasty as a cupcake”. Bianca lays sandy vocals over simple arrangements with stirring melodies that come together to rival the likes of Jewel and Tori Amos. Starting at only eight years old, Bianca began performing anywhere she could, from company Christmas parties to the 2002 Olympics. At sixteen, when most teenagers would kill to be gifted with a car, Bianca choose a guitar and never looked back. Armed with the same guitar, Bianca’s refreshing sound and conviction move listeners to “forget their problems”, in turn inspiring Bianca’s debut album. Promise, released in 2007, bakes in everything delicious—from pop to folk and even jazz. Top it off with a dash of Latin influence and you’ve got yourself a tasty treat indeed. You can download Bianca’s track “The Canvas” below, and be sure to check out her interview on MTVMusic.com.