April 25, 2012

Right on Target

This post will be a silent post- no words just pictures.  Pero first, an intro.
 Queee???  You thought I meant  the whole thing sin palabras??  JU SO FONII!!! 
 Remember, soy Cubana.


This is my way of saying Mil Gracias to Target  and its' marvelous Team Members.
Hispanicize2012 wouldn't have been the same without your cool ways.


 

wonderful ambiente and fun place to hangout 





the calm before the storm


  


Oh si, a massage chair...
 
y BB relishing the possibilities!




Snacks



Could there be anything more perfect for this CubanChinese Babushka??


Salvation 

Mr. Bryant Freay

Ok, si, maybe there was something more perfect...
after 4 days of nonstop events and panels this was soooooo needed and appreciated.

I asked him how many marriage proposals had he gotten- he just smiled.
BB would have proposed to him herself, but then realized she could have given birth to him.
Retiro lo pensa'o.

; )


So what happened to my wordless post? 


Ok, esta bien-
I'll put my experience at the Target Luxe Lounge down to dos palabras, two words.



QUE RRRRIIIIICCCCOOOOO!!!




And for a Cubana, that's as close to wordless as you're gonna get.





Babushka Besos a todos.  Cuidensen






April 18, 2012

Babushka's Booty

And Boy there's a lot of it!  Hispanics believe bigger is better and if you've got it share.  Oh si, we are a giving bunch and in Miami BB's booty was impresionante. 


BB's Hispanicize 2012  Booty



Que???  What did you think BB was talking about??  Oh.  JU SO FONII!!!

Ok, si, bueno...

 that one  is impressive too, especially after a visit to Miami, but I was talking about



  and the great goodies attendees received.

As you can see from the picture there were many great sponsors and plenty of swag,
but this post will be a shoutout to the sponsors of the main events. 

In no specific order I gratefully list:



 They gave all of us 2 park hopper tickets- Oh si they did!!!

PLUS 
 BB received 4 adorable Mickey shaped chocolate dipped rice crispie treats
for 4  adorable grandbabies. 

Disney's details- ya can't beat it.



CLOROX

 


for their wonderful and slightly wacky
(think virtual bowling, scavenger hunts, etc.) reception party





The BlackBerry Black Carpet- National Latino Film Showcase.
Where we got to preview films, dance, drink and definitely be merry.

Yacht cruise anyone??






Mingling in a mansion- oh my!



Babushka's booty be bountiful, beautiful and bastante
because she dared to dream, dared to ask,
and dared to eat that extra helping of life!


How big is your booty??

; )



Babushka Besos a todos.  Cuidensen.
P.S.  Martinique my Muse informs me this will be the first in a series sobre Hispanicize2012.  
Of course this suits me perfectly as there were so many experiences,panels,and events! 
Let's just say Babushka is still bushed- but still so happy that I joined that baile.

April 11, 2012

BB's an Original, but Ms Olivia is the Real Thing.

Saw her at the bus terminal and knew right away I was seeing my future self.  Older but oh so stylish, she meshed the retro past with the boldness of today and gave it a flair of her own.  She was marvelous.



Traveling with her two daughters and her granddaughter, you could see she had loved and lived and continued to do both with grace and a natural air.  I was all excited with plans and strategy for the Hispanicize 2012 conference and was in my own little world- and then I saw Ms. Olivia who reminded me what my real world should be.

Here was a woman who had found her way a long time ago, was comfortable in her skin, whose very essence exuded "this is my style, this is my life, this is me- and I like me".  Her beauty - inner and outer brought tears to my eyes.  Have you ever sensed the presence of true beauty?  The knowledge of self worth and the radiance of self acceptance- THIS is true beauty  and Ms Olivia embodied it.

I had to take a picture of her, to remind myself of what is possible, to remember what I aspire to be,  and so I shyly approached my new idol to ask her permission.  Ok si, I hear you- "BB, You- Shy?!?  JU SO FONII!!!"  And you'd be right 99% of the time to doubt, but this was the 1% of our human race who had actually attained self love and BB was in awe and humbled. 

She graciously heard my petition, smiled, and told me she'd discuss it with her daughter.  Her daughter of course wanted to be assured of my sincerity and asked why I wanted to photograph her mother.  I explained how I wanted to capture her mother's style and love of self.   Apparently she believed me because she came looking for me when we had a stop over and I didn't give her a chance to change her mind.

Ms. Olivia was pure joy when she posed for the camera as was I that she had allowed me the honor. I believe her daughter had known her mother was exceptional and thanked me profoundly for noticing.  But how can one not notice?  It would be like not noticing the Lady Moon as she shines and shimmers, not noticing her beauty naturally escaping and filling our nights. No, I'm the one who is thankful to Ms. Olivia for her example and hope this does her justice as she inspires us all to embrace our lives and ourselves. 



Babushka Besos a todos.  Cuidensen.


April 04, 2012

Life is but a dream





Row, row, row your boat- gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.


Wow- how deep is that? Almost scary the simplicity and how "in your face" that is.


¿Que creen?  What says you? Should we go gently but with a smile on our face?  No se, I'm Cuban- the smile esta bien, pero the "gently"?  Ok, Si,  I hear you.  "Pero BB dear, you're getting older you should start doing gentle." JU SO FONII!!!  Slower mayyyybbeeee pero gentle?  So sorry, can't do it.  It's not in my constitution, not in my soul.

Perhaps it was all the sofrito, but I need a bit of "oomph" in life, a bit of spice.  I need the passion, the energy- everything felt and done with every atom of my being and down to my very essence.  There is no gentleness there, for even in a tender caress the intensity of my beliefs come through, and though "this ol' gray mare ain't what she used to be", she can still give a pretty good kick!

 "Life is but a dream"?  No, no, no- it's not how most interpret that.  Life is not something that happens to us while we're in a dreamlike trance.  Bueno, if you think about it, maybe that's why it's usually interpreted that way- because most people are living lives that were pre-programmed by someone else.  Por fa gente, MAKE your life YOUR dream.  Set your own sights, chart your way, and since you picked the destination, don't fight the voyage.  Si, in this way you truly can go merrily down the stream.


BB is living her dream merrily, still with gusto, focus and style.  Perhaps the pace has slowed and the baile I dance is now a waltz, but the choice of song is always mine.






Babushka Besos a todos.  Cuidensen.



P.S. The video is from YouTube titled "Viennesse Waltz".  A waltz performed by the SUU Ballroom Dance company during their 04 Spring concert  Music by Goo Goo Dolls, song title Iris, posted by willowbrook32. BB thanks them all for the brilliance and beauty of this piece.