Rasch-Herrera Family

Feliz Christmas!

2010-12-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Navidad to all!

This Christmas was spent in Las Vegas, more specifically Circus Circus. We left on Thursday (after I got out of work) and got to the Primm Outlets around 5:30 p.m. The boys, Maddie, Bryan and I were so excited to do a little bit of shopping... Believe it or not, the boys were probably more excited than I was (and believe me, that is shocking!). We got some nice things and headed out to Circus Circus around 7:30 p.m. or so. We checked in and waited for my brother to come from Utah with Lydia! When they got there, my mom gave each of the grandchildren their Christmas gifts (the boys got $75 each and the girls got $50 each). I must admit, I wished I was her grandchild at that moment :) The rest of the night was spent catching up with my brother and Lydia.
Friday was the day for all the girls to go get on rides. We bought Maddie, Lizzy, and Lydia their all-day bracelets and we took them on all sorts of rides... I got to ride for free because Maddie wasn't tall enough to go on her own! All the while, the boys and Bryan went to GameWorks and spent the whole morning playing in the arcade. We all ate at the buffet and we finished off the night winding down in the hotel room.
Saturday was our big day for fun because it was our turn to buy the all-day bracelet. We got on rides with Maddie again and it was a blast getting on the roller coasters (you guys should know me and rides). We also went to Midway, or the amazing carnival games located in Circus Circus. My favorite games are the horse races and the chicken-in-pot game. I always enjoy playing at Midway because it reminds me of a time not too long ago (really, like five years ago LOL). We won A LOT of stuffed animals, and of course Maddie was fascinated with all the "toys". Bryan had a lot of fun too, especially since he won FOUR 50" BEARS and FOUR GUITARS (and the ones you can actually play on). He won them at the game where you have toss a bean bag at three stacked blocks and knock them completely off the little table. Walter's truck was full of stuffed animals on the way back.
Sunday was a little more calm because we didn't go on the rides anymore. We did go to Midway again but that was pretty much it... I stayed in the room with my mom and Maddie while Bryan went out with my sister and Walter. From what I heard, they had a lot of fun at the Sahara. While he was away, I spent time with the boys at Midway and we remembered our good times we had as kids.
Today was our last day there and we actually left at 10 a.m. because I needed to be here in Lancaster at 3 p.m. on time for work. We really enjoyed our stay and of course, Maddie was in heaven with all the new bears and stuffed animals we won for her. I can't wait to go back to Vegas!

I Suck at Blogging

2010-12-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

My post's title says it all... I try and try to keep this thing updated but I just can't find the time or energy or whatever it is that I need to keep it refreshed. And if there's anything that I suck at more, it is the fact that I do not take pictures of anything! I guess I hesitate in posting comments and news because I lack the photographic "Kodak" moments. But having said that, I have decided that I will post new blogs even though I might not have proof of these happenings with pictures. Each blog will describe everything I have done in detail!

My Maddie

2010-09-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

My Maddie is growing up! She will soon be turning two in October (which I am celebrating at Build-a-Bear) and I just cannot believe how fast time has gone by. She finally walked after turning a year and now she can't sit still... She says quite a few words, including: mama, papa, ball, candy, cookie, juice, baby, cheese, elmo, pee pee, poo poo, nasty, eww, doggy, no, agua (water), salchica (hot dog wiener), yogur (yogurt), pacha (bottle), izzy (Lizzy), coca (Oscar), vi (Vinny), and Pee Wee. She is just so cute and sometimes I just want to smother her with kisses and hugs. She is my pride and joy and I cannot see myself without her. I love playing barbies and tea parties with her (my inner child comes out to play with her). I love her so very much and I hope that our relationship can continue to grow strong. She will be my best friend. The picture above was taken at Ezra's birthday party (and it's the most recent picture I have on the computer). I promise to post more later!

Random Events

2010-09-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

These are just random events that I will post (simply because these are the only events I have pictures for LOL). My sister and I have callings in the Young Women organization and therefore, we went to Girls Camp this Summer! It was great to finally go to a camp with another family member! This was my sister's first camping trip EVER and it was great to see her go through this experience. Of course, she did trip and land flat on her face, but I'm sure she learned a lot about camping with all these little experiences.

We also celebrated Ezra Flores' second birthday! They had a huge party out in Lake Los Angeles and we all had a blast; we even went horseback riding!

Working Woman

2010-09-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

On January, I started working at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Lancaster! I owe this job to Gaby Flores... Thanks, Gaby! I absolutely love working here; I couldn't have asked for a better immediate boss. She works with my school schedule (which I will go over a little later) and she is a well-liked person. And I'm not kissing butt because she doesn't see my blog LOL My co-workers are great and I each one of them has a unique sense of humor. For being my first job, it's not bad! Of course, I still want to be an immigration lawyer and I'm working hard in accomplishing that goal.

My school schedule is packed, as usual, and I hope to transfer to Cal State Bakersfield next Fall. This semester I'm taking 15 units and they're basically all English classes; I can't complain because I love English!

My overall schedule is crazy and I barely have "me" time, but I love staying busy! A typical day for me is: wake up to Maddie's kicking, take my nephews to seminary, drop them off at school, feed, bathe, and change Maddie, get ready for school, go to school, go to work right after, come home at 11:30 p.m. and do it all over again the next day at 5:30 a.m. But, honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way... I love being a mom/student/worker/ because it doesn't leave me time to mope around and do nothing.

My Apologies

2010-09-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

It has been ten months since I last wrote in my blog; if you don't know by now, I procrastinate these types of things :) A lot has happened in these past months, and I simply don't know where to begin...
My father passed away on November 12th, 2009, at 10:25 p.m. I remember that Thursday as if it had been two days ago that I lived it. It was a regular, common day and I had errands to run. I went to my English 101 class at 8 a.m. and soon after came home. I remember going into the kitchen and sitting at the table, while Bryan went to my dad's room to ask him if he wanted to come with us to eat chinese food. Bryan had just gotten paid that day and we wanted to treat my dad to lunch, since he had been taking care of Maddie for us. My eyes get watery as I remember Bryan coming to the kitchen and telling me that my father wasn't responding. I went to go check on him and my heart is racing now, just like it was at that precise moment. I walked in on him laying on his side, as if he were a baby. I called to him and shook him but all that would come out were grunts. The rest of the day was filled with brethren coming over and showing their love and support. There truly was not one brother or sister that I could pinpoint as being unbelievably charitable, but the truth is, everyone was just so supportive. My father passed away in a good atmosphere; he was surrounded by close friends and family members. It has been very difficult for our family to get through this, but things have gotten a lot better. What has gotten us through this is our love for each other and definitely, our support. We visit my dad's grave frequently and I know that he is with us in everything we do. I miss him, but I know that he will be waiting for me when my time comes. I love you, Papi Freddy!

FAMILY REUNION

2009-10-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

We just came back from our family reunion with my brother. We went to Las Vegas and then to Utah for five days. We left Wednesday night and spent the night at Luxor. On Thursday, we headed out to Utah and we got there like at 10 p.m. Friday was really fun because we went shopping! Bryan took us to a really big Distribution Center and after we went to Deseret Thrift Store. Bryan, Maddie, and I got really good clothes for cheap. We spent some time at home with my brother, Anita, and Lydia. Saturday was fun as well because we broke a pinata for the girls. My mom wanted to celebrate her granddaughters' birthdays all together so went made them break a pumpkin pinata. We also took family pictures that day (and don't worry, I will post some soon). Sunday was amazing beyond belief because we were able to go to General Conference. It was so much fun and of course, very spiritual to be able to witness the presence of our beloved President Thomas S. Monson. In the evening, we got together with Terry, Mardi, and the kids and we chatted for a little bit. We then went home and got ready for the long drive back home. Monday was exhausting but we finally got home at like 7 p.m. The trip was lots of fun and I can't wait for all of you to see my pictures!

Happy Birthday Oscar!!!

2009-09-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

So Oscar just turned fourteen on Monday, August 31st. We didn't do anything big or exciting, we simply stayed home and ate Costco cake. He got pretty good presents in my opinion: iTunes giftcard, cash, and a cell phone. We also went around the kitchen table and said something that we liked or admired of Oscar. It was really nice and I think he had a good time!

No More Sandro... It's PEE WEE!

2009-08-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

So as a family, we decided to change Sandro's name to PEE WEE. I know it sounds kind of weird but it's really cute and the name goes with him. He's really small and "pee wee" means small so I guess it works out! So I just decided to post another picture of Pee Wee with Maddie. She loves him but at the same time she gets kind of nervous. I guess they can be best friends though!

Sandro!!

2009-08-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

So I am very happy to let you know that we got a new doggy in our home. His name is Sandro and he is a 9-week-old chihuahua. He is the smallest dog we have ever had in our house. He is just plain adorable and we all love him. I was curious to see how Maddie would react and actually, I was quite happy to see her reaction. She was not shy at all and she right away started playing with him. Of course Lizzy was excited as well because she sees him as a toy. She takes him everywhere! Bryan also really loved him because he said that he had never had such a small puppy. So to let everybody know how small he is, he weighs exactly two pounds and the most he will ever get to is seven pounds. He is black with a white chest and white paws. He is really cute and I will try to get a picture of him a.s.a.p.

MADDIE

2009-08-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is Madeline Nicole and she is currently ten months old. Maddie puts joy in our life. She has grown up really fast and soon she will be turning one. I can't believe that time flies by so quickly when you're a parent. Being a parent has definitely been more hard than what I thought it would be in the beginning. But it is definitely more rewarding than what I thought as well. I now can't see myself without Maddie or Bryan because they truly complete my life. I love waking up in the mornings and having Maddie be the first one to smile at me. Her smile is contagious and I just melt inside every time. Even though she isn't crawling yet, I know she's going to be a bright girl when she gets older. She's not good at crawling but she's definitely good at eating and sleeping :)
I love you, Maddie, and I want you to know that you mean the world to me. And I am so, so, so happy that we are sealed as a family for all eternity.

My Brother, MANU

2009-08-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have a brother, Manuel Alfredo Herrera, and he lives in Utah. He has been married to his loving wife, Anita, for some time now (I don't know how long but I'd say like eleven or twelve years). They have a beautiful and loving daughter, Lydia. She will actually be turing eight this month so we are very excited for her. I don't know a whole lot about my brother because I really didn't grow up with him. I mean, we're thirteen years apart... what do you expect? But what I do know is that he is a really great guy. My mom always tells me that he never gave her any problems when he was an adolescent and he always listened to them. I believe that because he seems like a pretty chill guy. He is very funny and he has a great sense of humor. He is also very helpful because he has given me advice on things that I needed help on. He recently decided to go back to school and get his degree, which I am very proud to share with all of you. I am very happy to have a brother like him because he is very loving and compassionate. I love you, Meme and I love your family as well.

My Family

2009-08-14T13:31:00.001-07:00

I have a wonderful family and I would like to share with you how amazing they are. I will start off with my parents since they were the ones who brought me into this world. My father is great because without him, I would not be able to go to school. He takes care of Maddie for us and he does a great job. My mother is simply amazing because she is always willing to lend a helping hand. She motivates us to work hard and follow our dreams so that one day, we can have everything we have ever dreamed of. Next is my second mother... My Mami Nena (or in other words, my sister). She has always been and continues to be my role model. I love her very much because she is an example of overachievement. I am so happy she got sealed to her husband and their three children. Her husband is a good guy and I am happy he got married to my sister. My nephews are not my nephews, they are my little brothers. I have grown up with them and I don't know what I would have done without them. They cheer up my day... when they are not being annoying :) There is my little niece that I absolutely love because she looks like me. She is very smart for a four-year-old because she speaks both English and Spanish very well. I am already so proud of her. I have a brother who lives in Utah but I will write a post just on him and his family. I also have my in-law family who is great as well. I have two wonderful sisters-in-law and two great brothers-in-law. My parents-in-law are amazing too because they always have interesting stories to tell. I am never bored whenever I go over to their house. Family is important to me and without them, I would be nothing in this world.