Tequila Diamonds

Did you know that someone actually made diamonds out of tequila?

I kid you not.


And it just figures that the researchers who discovered this were in Mexico,
where Tequila is the country's national drink.

What else could we use to make diamonds?

strawberry daiquiris?
Bud Lite?
Cat's pee?

The possibilities are endless...in my mind.

I'm not really talking about Doors

I suddenly find myself obsessed with doors.

Kat, from Sunshine and Lemonade, my best blogger friend, asked me to help her come up with questions for her Friday Follies.

And I said, how about questions about Doors.

She thought I was nuts at first, I know.

But, doors are so cool.

Here are some I took pictures of in Mexico City.

Ciudad de Mexico.

We go in and out of doors all day, every day.
Do we notice them?

Do we appreciate our options?

The decisions involved in choosing which door to go through.
How do we choose the doors we choose?

Do we regret our choices?
Or make the best out of the direction we've chosen?

Some doors are deceptively run down...but lead to secret wonders.

And some are not doors at all, but facades.

Have you noticed, appreciated, focused on your doors lately?

This photo is so cool, because it shows the old and the new, all together.
On the right side is a newer, modern intercom, while on the left side is an old ring that people used to tie their horses to when visiting each other.

Have I been talking about doors?

What do you think I've been talking about?

My 7 seconds as a Superhero

I was seven years old.

when my mom and dad took me and my younger sister, The Bug, to Mexico City.





I don't remember a whole lot about this trip, except seeing panda bears in the zoo...





and the lobby of the hotel we stayed in, Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico.

The lobby had antique bird-cage looking elevators and a Tiffany glass ceiling.

It was very memorable.



These pictures above were all taken by my mom in 1984.





Below are recent photos from the hotel's current website:

It was built in the 1800's and is located in Mexico City,
right off the main square, Zocalo Plaza.

When you enter from the street, this is the first thing you see:

This lobby is where my story takes place.

My parents were checking us out of the hotel,
and I was sitting on that round red settee thing (the same one in the photo!) with our bags...

and my mom's purse.

A young man came and sat near me but I wasn't really paying any attention to him.

I was probably practicing the few Spanish phrases I knew, in my head.

Como se llama?

Me llamo Rhea.

Donde esta el bano?

Gracias.

De nada.

Then I heard a strange swooshing, dragging sound.

I looked over and saw that my mom's purse, which had been next to me,
was now next to the young man.

I looked at him.
He looked at me.

I reached over and grabbed the purse back.
And the guy took off.

I saved the day!!

My 7 seconds as a superhero.


I'll never forget that hotel.

Here's one more look at that incredible ceiling.

Have you ever thwarted a crime?
Have you ever been to Mexico City?
Do you know any Spanish?

Como esta usted hoy?

My Homage to Tequila.

I know I promised more family introductions and photos, but I had a sudden change of heart. I felt the sudden need to leave behind the G-rated little kid posts and throw in a little healthy R-rated action instead. Shocking, I know.

Let me say, first of all, that I never drink. Seriously. Practically NEVER. However, I was in Mexico with my husband and NO kids, at a Mexican wedding and there was tequila being passed out like it was water...and we had a huge bus to take us back to our hotel. I didn't know it at the time, but I was a goner the minute I got to that wedding.

Two years ago, our good friend John was marrying a beautiful girl in Mexico City. My Texas Homeboy was asked to be a groomsman, so we flew down there for the wedding. We left our cute boys behind because we heard children get kidnapped a lot down there.

The wedding was gorgeous and held in some 16th century chapel. It was elegant and amazing.

And then the real party started...and the second band showed up.

They started handing out costumes.

and clowns on stilts start mingling in the crowd.

(and, at this point, the photography goes seriously downhill folks because the photographer, who never drinks, had one too many tequilas. Make that ten too many.

Ok, I admit, I lost count.

And lost time...

Someone else may have had my camera for a while even.

In fact, the rest of the night was pretty fuzzy.

Wait, I know these guys. On the left is my Texas Homeboy.

At this point I have my camera back, and this is my abstract art photo of the night...

Behold, batteries on the table!

These are some of our friends.

When you've had way too much tequila, everyone's your friend.

And things get really weird when everyone has masks on...

I might know this guy.
I think he's had too much tequila as well.
Yep, he looks familiar.
We didn't make it back to our hotel until the party was over...

at like 5am the next morning.

It was one helluva a wedding