Remembering Miami part2

So, um back to the story at hand…

Round 1 also included a butt-load of sushi and night of dancing at Ara’s favorite salsa club… 

We packed into someone’s car (I forgot who’s) and got to know each other REAL well, lol. Found out that Nikki is a Southern girl, and also Protestant, so that was a kindred spirit moment.  

We all made it there, and everyone at the club knew Ara…It was a fav reg. spot of her’s after all, and once she got on the dance floor she got to it. I just sat and watched in awe at her and her partner (s) movements on the floor.

*Hispanics can shake their “you-know-what’s” btw. 

Man alive!!! It’s amazing… young or old…short and fat, it doesn’t matter when you can dance salsa, you can dance amigo…whoa, yes sir!

Said my goodbye's to Rodolfo and Nikki as soon as I said "hello" to them, it seemed. Nice people...good friends.

The next day, we had a full day running around getting ready for the pro life event on Sunday. But, before that, Ara, David, and I went to mass for Ara’s confirmation (I am assuming to/through Mary). I didn’t know much of what was happening, but that it was an important moment in her life. She needed a sort of fatherly stand-in, and David provided that service. There were these little pins that said: “I have called you by name; you are Mine” , given out to the confirmation participants by the nuns. David grabbed one for Ara (as custom tradition) from the basket, but also grabbed a SECOND ONE…which he gave to me when he sat back down. 

Another inclusive gesture that I had not anticipated, nor asked for…Made me feel special indeed, and I wore it during Rosario por la Vida’s event in their honor.


Eating kind of took a back seat that fast-paced weekend, so, when I could I grabbed it. At the church, I bought some tamales or other and some coffee. 
A girl's gotta eat.

David thought he'd lost his camera...I recall there was an urgency to find his bag. We did find it under the seat luckily as it was a brand new lens.

Ivette, Ara, and I went to Ara’s friends Tanya’s place, for them to finish up some much needed computer work and fine tuning of a promotional video for the event. I had also recognized Tania in pictures (along with her daughter Bella) but hadn’t known that they knew her well, nor that they lived in Miami…and was also surprised at how at home I felt there, at their home that day, despite not having previously known them or having never been in their presence.

It was an added bonus, for sure to meet them, and there was the evident language barrier, but it didn’t seem to faze Bella at all. She took me to her room, showed me her toys, music, and then had a good time poking me while hiding…showing me her dog, etc…Loved every moment of it! 

And like mother, like daughter, they were both soooo beautiful…

*Hispanic (cover my bases) /Mexican people are beautiful, period. There, I said it..lol.

Tania’s place had an amazing balcony that overlooked the heart of the city. Loved the view! You could see many different shiny skyscrapers and water in the near distance.

*I didn’t get to the water or many other parts of Miami…maybe next time.

David, the photographer, joined us there later that afternoon and we ordered Pizza. They wrapped up their work there and we then went back

to put together the small takeaway goody bags for the event. Stuff was strewn everywhere on her dining table and we spent a few hours knocking out as many as we could. It was fun, although admittedly for me, it was interesting to have shown support and help out with the Catholic event.

Clearly there were religious differences that we could have addressed and the Mary contention did came up again later when David, Ara, and I came back from Ara's confirmation, but I was just happy to be there and be with them; meeting many other fun people, not get deeply theological. 

Maybe I was a little in denial about the trip and my participation in these events, but I truly didn’t know what to think or what I would encounter during it, and however complicated the notion of it all (while knowing what WOULD possibly come to the surface), I enjoyed it nonetheless. It is true that I love discussing theology and the bible, but time was a luxury that we didn’t have that weekend, nor did I see that it plausible to attempt a try and make the time…so, discussions of the sort were cut extremely short.

 

I do think these things are able to be discussed, and in a friendly way, but it is best when time allows…You don’t want to rush into things as important as worldviews and friendship…

 

We got ready to go out again that night for another birthday outing. This time, it was a Mexican restaurant. 

Picture this: A little restaurant full of frenzy…A lady singer in a Santa inspired red leotard, salsa dancing, and of course, Mexican food…pretty fun atmosphere and also heavenly, I will just say. 

Met some other friends of Ara’s there: owners of the restaurant, the singer, and a former Univision television PR friend Janie, and her husband…We had more birthday cake…two more in fact. She had lots of friends that loved her, that’s for sure, to have gotten her so many cakes.

continued....