Each morning Uncle rolled out huge dusty towers of fresh flour tortillas for his boys and served them hot with butter and salt for breakfast, or if he was feeling daring, with peanut butter. —Nothing like a hot peanut butter taco and a cup of coffee, Uncle said.

♦♦♦

In 1915 more than half of the Mexican-American population emigrated from the Valley of Texas into war-torn Mexico fleeing the Texas Rangers, rural police ordered to suppress an armed rebellion of Mexican Americans protesting Anglo-American authority in South Texas. Supported by U.S. cavalry, their bullying led to the death of hundreds, some say thousands of Mexicans and Mexican Americans, who were executed without trial. The end result was that Mexican-owned land was cleared, allowing development by Anglo newcomers. So often were Mexicans killed at the hands of the “Rinches,” that the San Antonio Express-News said it “has become so commonplace” that “it created little or no interest.” Little or no interest unless you were Mexican.

From Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

A nice, quiet end to an eventful week! As I mentioned earlier, the Resounding Harmony Singers performed “A Suppertime Celebration” on Wednesday evening at the Myerson Symphony Center here in Dallas. This was my first performance with the group. We’ve been practicing for this concert since August, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The music was fantastic. I had an incredible time. It’s been longer than 12 years since I sang in a choir, and all the joy just came rushing back. I expected to be nervous on stage, but I couldn’t have been more excited. It was wonderful. We sang our hearts out… and all for a good cause. Thanks to ticket sales, fundraisers and donations, we raised more than 200,000 meals for the North Texas Food Bank!

One of the best parts of this experiences was having my parents see me perform. They live more than 500 miles away and don’t have much money, so it’s rare that I even get to see them. They haven’t been to Dallas since last year. I really wanted them to see the show, so I bought them tickets front and center and they made the trek up here. They enjoyed it thoroughly. This was also the first time Brad has seen me perform on stage. Of course, he’s used to me singing songs from The Little Mermaid at the top of my lungs in the shower. But this was a whole new experience for him. I’m so happy he enjoyed it.

It was so nice to have my parents over for a visit. It was too quick, but Brad and I will be down in the Valley for Thanksgiving. That, too, will be a quick visit. But it’ll be nice to be with my sisters, nieces and nephew and all the family I rarely get to see.

After spending the afternoon shopping for fall clothes (I love Zara!), Brad and I made ourselves up for a night out at the Cedar Springs / Oak Lawn Block Party in Dallas. We live only two blocks away from the event, but that didn’t make our evening any less stressful. We got home just as everyone had descended upon our neighborhood, and our un-policed apartment parking lot was full. Luckily, after alerting our landlord, I was able to squeeze my car into a legal spot behind the complex.

Since Brad had been feeling ill and we had things to do, we had to throw together some sort of costumes at the very last minute. We didn’t arrive at the block party until 11:30, but there was still lots to see. We had a good time overall — even if our costumes weren’t as top notch as last year’s.

Brad has created a brand new tumblr blog which documents his daily life… and many of his meals. Shown above: the meal I cooked this evening — fideo with ground turkey and black beans. If you’re interested, you can find it at http://goodbyecolumbus.tumblr.com/

My niece Lilah is celebrating her first Halloween, and she is adorable! In the photo above, she is dressed as a witch while visiting a local pumpkin patch. But my sister has also posted her wearing a fairy costume and a Pooh Bear costume. I have no idea which character she’ll be for Halloween, but since Brad and I live more than 500 miles away, we’ll have to be satisified with whatever photos we can grab.

It’s difficult being so far away from family, especially since it means missing the little ones growing up. My other sister just has her third child, Basilia Rose, on the 13th, and I’ve only seen a few fuzzy cell phone pics of her. Zachary, her oldest and Coral are also growing up so fast, and I only get to hear their voices for a few fleeting minutes on the phone.

At least Brad and I will be able to visit for Thanksgiving. I miss the kids so much, and I can’t wait to see them again.