Happy Cat Family

Well, there is a reason why meowmy hasn't been telling our stories here lately... she was in Mexico visiting her brother Beto! You see, he is spending a year in there studying for his post PhD while his wife gets her PhD... they are smart cookies these humans of meowmy's family! 
Anyways, meowmy's twin sister, nephew, and mom, decided to all visit Beto, her brother, in Mexico, for a nice family reunion in a different place - It was a full house!

Here I am helping meowmy pack her luggage - she kept saying she was overwhelmed.... There was soooo much stuff to fit into those two luggages! I have no clue how she made it through customs! Meowmy was afraid of the mailman, every day there was a package on the door! We had so much fun with the boxies! Look how many boxies we had to play with! OMG!

Here you can see my close pre-custom's inspection - nothing was left to chance - I made sure meowmy had all she needed for a smooth custom experience - that included making sure no kitties were inside of her luggage - you know, miss Hope is always getting into places where she shouldn't be - I was very very careful! Well, apparently I did a fantastic job - meowmy went through customs without a problem!

The night when meowmy arrived there, Eddy, Beto's neighbor and colleague from University cooked a fantastic dinner for the whole family - he is from Haiti, and the dinner was some yummy chicken Haitian style... Meowmy was concentrated on eating, but was able to snap a few pictures of her cute nephew Gabriel (left) and Maria (right) - meowmy says they are TROUBLE!!!

Next day meowmy went to a beautiful town to check out a huge arts and craft fair - she said she wanted to die! Ok - meowmy is a bit exaggerated, but we kitties know well how much she likes hand made stuff, and can only imagine that she probably went nuts. She told us she wanted to bring the world, but too bad she is unemployed... poor meowmy! Well - we told her next time - Mexico will always be there! She loved all the colorful paintings, the trees of life, handmade wooden boxes, and especially the Hidalgo embroidery.... Oh.... Meowmy fell in love with those!
Anyways, this picture is of a beautiful church right next to this fair - meowmy thinks the name of the place is San Angelo, but she is not sure... duh meowmy! 

Talking about churches...... this is a BIG one in Mexico! This is the Basilica of Guadalupe.
Built between 1974 and 1976, the new Basilica has a circular floorplan so that the image of the Virgin can be seen from any point within the building. The circular structure is 100 meters (330 feet) in diameter, and can accomodate up to 50,000 people. It was PACKED!!! Meowmy said there were people everywhere!! The choir is located between the altar and the churchgoers to indicate that it, too, is part of the group of the faithful. To the sides are the chapels of the Santisimo and of Saint Joseph. It has 9 chapels on the upper floor. Under the main floor are the Basilica's crypts, with 15,000 niches and 10 chapels.
Its seven front doors are an allusion to the seven gates of Celestial Jerusalem referred to by Christ.

This is the original Tilma with the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, here is what the legend says (http://www.thefolkartgallery.com/guadalupe.htm)
"The story of Guadalupe begins in December 1531 in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) when the Virgin Mary appeared four times to the Indian peasant Juan Diego. He was on his way to mass when a beautiful woman surrounded by a body halo appeared to him with the music of songbirds in the background. As the birds became quiet, Mary announced “I am the Entirely and Ever Virgin, Saint Mary”. Assuring Juan Diego that she was his “Compassionate Mother” and that she had come out of her willingness to love and protect “all folk of every kind, she requested that he build a temple in her honor at the place where she stood, Tepeyac Hill, on the eastern edge of Mexico City. (This spot has been identified as the site where once stood a temple to the Aztec goddess Tonantzin.)
Juan Diego went directly to the bishop of Mexico, Zumarraga, to relate this wondrous event. The churchman was skeptical and dismissed the humble peasant, who then returned to Tepeyac Hill to beseech the Virgin Mary to find a more prominent person who was less “pitiably poor” than he to do her bidding. Rejecting his protestations, the Virgin urged him to return to the bishop and “indeed say to him once more how it is I Myself, the Ever Virgin Saint Mary, Mother of God, who am commissioning you.”
Juan Diego returned to the churchman’s palace after mass, waited, and was finally able to enter his second plea on behalf of the Virgin. This time, Zumarraga asked the humble native to request a sure sign directly from the “Heavenly Woman” as to her true identity. The bishop then had some members of his staff follow Juan Diego to check on where he went and whom he saw.
The next day, Juan Diego hastened to the bedside of his dying uncle, Juan Bernadino. The old man, gravely ill, begged his nephew to fetch a priest for the last rites of the church. The following morning, before dawn, Juan Diego set off on this mission. He tried to avoid the Virgin because of his uncle’s worsening condition, but she intercepted him and asked “Whither are you going?” He confessed that it was on behalf of his uncle that he was rushing to summon a priest. During this third meeting, she assured him that the uncle was “healed up”, as she had already made a separate appearance to him. This visitation would start a tradition of therapeutic miracles associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe. She also comforted Juan Diego with the assurance that she would give him sure proof of her real identity.
On December 12, 1531 the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego for the fourth time and bade him to go to the top of Tepeyac Hill and pick “Castilian garden flowers” from the normally barren summit. She helped him by “taking them up in her own hands” and folded them into his cloak woven of maguey plant fibers. Juan Diego then set off to Zumarraga’s palace with this sure sign of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe’s identity. As he unwrapped his cloak, the flowers tumbled at the churchman’s feet, and “suddenly, upon that cloak, there flashed a Portrait, where sallied into view a Sacred Image of that Ever Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of God.”
This imprint of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, the “Miraculous Portrait” as it is often called, hangs today in the Basilica of Gudalupe in Mexico City - This is actually the the image you see framed above the mexican flag!!! Can you believe it?

This is the old Basilica...

This is a picture of meowmy's family on her last day in town.... You see... meowmy didn't see much in there - she got really sick... She spent 6 days in there, out of which 4 she was sick, inside of the house :( poor meowmy... She still doesn't know if it was a virus, or some food poisoning, but meowmy thinks it was some weird virus.... poor meowmy... she was sick as a dog! 
Anways, from left to right:
Chris Meowmy's sister in law, Beto Meowmy's brother, laying down Maria meowmie's niece, meowmie's twin sister Dja and nephew Gabriel, meowmy's mom, and meowmy - whew!
All and all meowmy says she had a good time.... She needs to go back though, as she barely saw anything... she shall she shall!

We are so glad meowmy is finally back! Yes, yes, it was only six-seven days, but for heaven sakes, gee... what was she thinking (NOT)! 
She did leave us with grandma Sharon, but nobody to sleep with us.... She should know better - we only sleep with her! Ai ai ai meowmy! We need to think this better for next time! Ok Folks - thanks for reading!!