Cooking For My Family

If I could cook one meal for my family I would love to make it a simple yet delicious meal. I would want to create a big, "stacked" sandwich with cesar salad, some chips and salsa on the side, and a strawberry lemonade made with real fruit. I'd start off by grilling the chicken breasts for my sandwich. Once the perfect sear marks are on the chicken and the aroma only a grill can give is in the air, I'd add the cheese so that it could melt. Then I'd put the bread on the grill. Once the bread is nice and toasty I'd add the chipotle sauce, some avocados, a slice of red tomato, some cucumber, and some spinach leaves. Once the sandwich is built I'd take a knife and cut it diagonally down the middle into triangles. For the cesar salad I would take the lettuce, add the cesar salad dressing, some parmesan cheese, and top it off with some homemade croutons. The homemade croutons would add that special toasty flavor. For the croutons I'd simply cut up some bread into squares, add some oil, sprinkle a hint of garlic, and toast them in a pan. For the strawberry lemonade I would need a box of fresh strawberries and a bag of limes. I'd squeeze out all the juice from the limes and blend in that juice with the strawberries. Then I would add water, ice, and sugar. I would want to make my meal special so instead of eating inside, my family and I would eat outside on the patio table set for that day.

The Time I Was Brave

When I was about seven or eight years old I was put into a situation where I had to be brave. The fear I felt on that day is still such a clear memory to me. I remember the sun's warmth on my body as it crept in our house through the small openings in our window's blinds. As I look back on that day I realize that it had to be sometime in the afternoon around 5:00 PM because both my parents had been home. However, they had decided to go shopping at the local market and since I didn't want to go I stayed at our house.
I was watching cartoons on the television when I heard my mother's voice call out. "Helllloooo!" I responded and opened the door for them. My mom walked in carrying grocery bags and then walked right back out. I asked if she need some help but she waved me off and said that it was okay. About a minute after I saw her walking back up the stairs as my dad walked behind her with a heavy box full of more groceries on his head. My mom was carrying a bag of chips in her hands. She put some in her mouth and then turned around and put one in my father's mouth. Suddenly my dad started coughing. I didn't pay much attention to it because everybody coughs every once in a while just to clear their throats. However the coughing didn't stop. It got louder and louder. I looked over and saw my dad's face turning red. Sweat beads had formed on his forehead and he was clutching his throat. I immediately realized he was choking and was scared. I started to panic and felt my eyes getting watery. Within a couple of seconds I realized that I didn't have time to be scared. I had to be brave because every second I spent scared was a second my dad spent without air. By this time my mom had realized what was going on. I gave her a glass of water to give to my dad. He put the water in his mouth but it all poured back out. Things were starting to get serious. My dad was turning purple. I started hitting my dad on the back as hard as I could. I didn't care about the pain in my hands I just wanted him to breathe. My mom moved me out of the way and put her hands around my dad's stomach. Meanwhile I grabbed the phone. I started dialing 911. Just as I was about to hit "Talk" my mom squeezed with all her strength. Out flew the chip and my day took one giant breath followed by quick little ones. His face slowly went back to normal color. If I had let fear take a hold of me instead of being brave and thinking clearly things might have been a lot worse.

One Hundred Dollars You Couln't Keep

If I had one hundred dollars that I couldn't keep, I would give it to my mom. Sure we argue every now and then but that is all overshadowed by all the times we laugh. I feel lucky to be able to see a different side of my mom some people never get to see and if I had one hundred dollars to give she would be my first choice. She has done so much for me that I would be more than happy to return the favor at any chance I get. I would definitely want her to spend it on herself. My mom has bought me many things from clothes to jewelery and yet I'm only able to give her things on special occasions such as her birthday or mother's day. I know these gifts still mean a lot because I save up money and give her presents from my heart but I would definitely love to buy and give her things "just because" every once in a while.

Specifically, I would want my mom to buy herself a purse. My mom loves to purchase new purses that match with all her clothing. I know how happy she would be to get any purse, but I believe she would be even happier to know that I gave it to her. I guess it would have more sentimental value. One hundred dollars may not go as far now as it use to but I know that for my mom one hundred dollars that I gave her with love means just as much. In the future I know that treating my mom is something I will enjoy doing.

Do You Remeber...?

Do you remember when you were five?
When we were so excited to start kindergarten because that meant we were "big kids" now.
When ten page research papers and the theory of relativity didn't exist.
Remember looking forward to two recesses per day.
When swinging on money bars and playing kickball meant you were awesome.
When class lessons were all about shapes, colors, numbers, and the ABC's.
When class work was painting and homework was writing your name three times in big letters.
When you came home ready to keep on playing and having fun.
When it was a major accomplishment to be able to ride your bicycle without your training wheels.
When you weren't afraid of anything because you were an unbeatable, undercover superhero
When college ruled paper meant the paper the "grown-ups" used in the "big" school.
When you could spend a whole day looking for "rollie pollies".
When the world was your playground.
Do you remember when you were five?

Free Write (He got out of the car...)

He got out of the car for the first time as I watched from my house's window. I had seen him before at the hospital when I went to visit him and my mom, but now he was actually here. My new born baby brother was home. Raymond Enrique Alvarado. I'm sure he had no idea what was going on but I remember clearly. I even remember the instructions my mother gave me. 1- Be careful he is not a toy,
 2-Always hold and support his head because his neck is not strong enough, 3- try to be quiet, and
 4-babies are fragile so always be gentle. I remember that everything turned out to be way more different than I imagined. I quickly learned that newborn babies don't really do much except for three things; Eat, sleep, and "use" their diapers.
I was constantly helping take care of my brother and my mom. See my mom didn't have a normal delivery. She had a C-section or in other words her stomach was cut open and the baby was delivered through there. For that reason my mom was very weak. Recovering from a C-section is a lot harder than recovering from normal childbirth. For one you have to be really careful because you have an open wound inside and any little damage to the wound can cause internal bleeding. You have to think of infection and do your best not to touch it no matter how much it itches. With a C-section even the little things become hard work. I remember seeing my mom struggle so much with the pain that came with just getting out of bed. Walking around was even harder but she knew she had to do it to speed up the healing process and get in little moments of exercise; doctors orders. I did my best to be there when she needed water or help with the baby. I even woke up various times in the early hours of the morning to help so she could get as much sleep as possible. Needless to say I was a very busy little girl on that month of April 2004 but I didn't mind. Thank God my mom eventually healed completely. Meanwhile I continued enjoying every moment I spent with my new little brother.

Free Write (when I wake up...)

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I hear is my beeping alarm. I fling my blanket off and turn the alarm off. The faster I turn it off the better. I routinely begin to stretch and rub my eyes. After a minute or so I reach for my glasses and my day truly begins. I make sure my mom is awake so she isn't late for work. I turn on some music to cheer me up and keep me awake. Then I put on my contacts, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Once that is done I go and wake up my little brother. I help him prepare for his school day and make him some breakfast. Although I would like to take my time with all of this preparation, I need to keep a close eye on the clock because come 7:20 AM I need to make sure I'm walking out the door and heading to the school bus stop. Missing the bus isn't an option!!!

Free Write(The house we lived in...)

The house we lived in when I was a child was small. So far in my life, I have lived in a total of three different houses in three differnt cities. Each house was bigger than the previous one. I lived in the first house from the time I was born to the time I finished second grade. I had to share a room with my parents but I didn't mind since I was still little. I lived in the second house from the beginning of third grade until half of fifth grade. It was in this house that I got my own room. I remember I asked for the walls to be painted pink. From then on I lived in the third house. Let's just say I no longer have pink walls.
Although every time I moved was an adventure, there were some things I disliked. Perhaps the worst part was getting use to my friends and then having to pick up and move. I ended up going to three different elementary schools and each time I had to deal with being the new girl. However, I haven't had that problem anymore. I'm pretty sure I won't live in my current house forever but for now I am glad I do. I guess all the moving was worth it because now I have a great house and even greater friends.