hola!

Hello... at the start of this blog, I just didn't know how busy things would get for me... But it's been a productive positive busy. Here are some little glimpses of my life's activity:

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Even though we started planting a little late, Saniego and I had a successful garden this year! Here are pictures of some of our last yummy fruits and vegetables.

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Lately, my work in the studio has been dictated by the routes I take on my walks. I keep a little journal with me so that I can draw out the routes I take. I've re-drawn some of my "walking drawings" into larger (3' x 3') pieces of Vellum paper using pencil and embroidery techniques.

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The Center for Visual Arts on 10th y Santa Fe Avenue hosted an incredible art exhibition called "Return of the Corn Mothers," organized by Renee Fajardo (whose daughter, Asia, happens to be a high school friend of mine). Saniego and I attended several of their community oriented and academic events including a Panel Discussion about Indigenous Prayer in Contemporary Society, Lectures by Maxine McBrinn, Ph.D., and Jill Mollenhauer, Ph.D. about female gender roles in light of agriculture in Southwest and Pre-Columbian MesoAmerica, Lectures by Dr. Devon Peña about Water Asequia rights in southern Colorado; and Día de los Muertos Celebration. Here is a picture of the Panel Discussion:

Here is a picture of the Youth Poetry Event we attended, where we were honored by the dancers of Cleo Parker Robinson's Dance Studio:

It was an amazing experience to have these community events so rich in culture and social awareness right in our neighborhood. It felt so stimulating to be re-connected with an intense academic community and to be able to learn about so many strong women in the US who keep culture alive and communities strong. I found a link from Renee Fajardo's website which tells of one of the featured "Corn Mothers," Rita Flores de Wallace, a woman who I admire very much and feel such a privilege to be able to work with her and learn from her: http://www.reneefajardo.net/articles.html?subfuse=wallace

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With Saniego's encouragement, I sold my greetings cards at the Denver Art Museum. The picture shows cards that Saniego and I collaborated on - he made the paper and chose the thread colors, which I used to embroider my designs. Preparing cards to sell for this event got me in the mindset and studio practice to get me going on opening my esty shop called HOLAyola. I've been reading up on what it takes to have a card business, tuning into to Online Labs for Esty Sellers, and working on my Photography Skills - on top of making Cards, ha ha!

 My earliest memory of wanting to start a 'card business' must have been in middle school, so it's never too late, Check it out: www.holayola.etsy.com

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Saniego left to Miami this week for his job with the Dikeou Art Collection. Here is a picture he sent me of his view from his hotel on Miami Beach (jealous! although this sunny weather in Denver is nothing for me to complain about...):

Saniego and I will be reconnecting in Mexico City come Dec. 10th! So my next post will be about our travels through Mexico, where we hope to visit family, las Mariposas Monarchas, attend Dia de Guadalupe festivities at la Basilica on the 12th, be in Patzcuaro for the renewal of the Mayan Calendar, visit as many art and cultural museums as we can, and of coarse, eat eat eat!

Yey!  You can all be happy I figured out how to post things on this blog!

Unbelievably so, I find that I’ve now been in Aspen for a year and two months working as Secretary and Catechist for St Mary Parish.  Thinking over this past year is still a bit of a whirlwind, but overall I can say that I am extremely blessed to be where I am and am so grateful for the gifts that everyday brings.

The beauty of the Aspen trees is at its peak this week, so I’ve been doing a lot of hiking.  One of the greatest gifts of being here is that the mountains are my playground and there is such a joy in finding myself at the top of a peak looking out over the beauty that is creation.  Just as in everything though, many times the journey is the best part.  I love the challenge of climbing and find that the physical challenge of climbing usually also applies to the spiritual journeys of my heart where there is the ever present push to become more fully who we are meant to be.

The parish activities keep me very busy; activities Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, with Women’s Group on Thursday afternoons.  Despite the busyness, I am very fortunate that my “work” is also what I love and a safe place to give myself away in love to those I serve.

I’ve recently moved to an apartment about ten minutes away from the parish.  While I miss my “holy timeshare” (as some came to call it), my new apartment has a guest room for any of you who’d like to visit : )  It isn’t nearly as modern or furnished, but there are many new blessings that come with it, including a beautiful brisk walk in the mornings and more opportunities to run into people.

I look forward to sharing the gifts of my everyday life and hope that this is a fruitful endeavor!

With great joy,

~ Mónica Marie

“By its own weight, a body inclines towards its own place. Weight does not always tend towards the lowest place, but towards its own place. A stone falls, but fire rises. They move according to their own weights, they seek their own places. Oil poured into water rises to the surface; water poured on oil sinks below the oil. They act according to their own weights, they seek their own places. Things out of place are restless. They find their own places, and then they rest.

My love is my weight. Whithersoever I am moved, I am moved there by love. By thy gift, O Lord, we are set on fire, and are borne aloft: we burn, and we are on the way. We climb the ascents that are in the heart.” - Confessions of St Augustine

First post!

A few weeks ago, Yolanda talked to Mo and me about starting a blog where all three of us could post our going ons. So here we go!

It really does make a lot of sense considering that us Chichester-Fauvet girls love to make our lives incredibly busy.

This year I returned to Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH for my second year. My mom and Peggy, our long time family friend joined me on a great road trip up to school. We made it through St. Louis, where my mom had an "anxious" time inside the top of the Gateway Arch. Then we drove to Erie, PA and got lost finding a hotel, and finally we visited Niagara Falls. We made it to Steubenville (with more than a few mishaps, tears, and a flattened traffic cone) and there it was, the end of summer.

This year has already panned out to be a most intense time. I am the chairman of the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at Franciscan. We lost many seniors last May, and are now struggling with the loss of a few more officers. It has been most challenging because I am now accountable for a variety of different events and student involvement. I am also involved in the University Chorale for my third semester. This year we are preparing a Requiem which is beautiful! I am also a conservative columnist for the school newspaper: The Troubadour. Meanwhile, I am taking a total of 20 credit so as to make it possible for me to travel in Europe next year.

So yup, that is what is up! Enjoy the craziness of our lives and please, we would love to hear from all of you and the going on of your equally hectic lives!

Saludos de Yolanda

Warm Greetings to you, our dearest family and friends. I invite you to our blog:

Seeing as we live in different places (and have the tendency to be busy gals), I would like to use this blog as one forum in which us Chichester Girls can keep in touch with eachother as well as with our close family and friends.  Now please take "keep in touch" with a grain of salt. By no means should this, and will this, replace phone calls and hugs. My hope is to explore this as a venue which would allow us to share our lives in a more considered and content-filled fashion. Random facebook posts and text message pictures are certanily fun and friendly, but they just aren't enough to express what all goes on.

Tanya, Monica, and I are at exciting times in our lives - Tanya is in her second year at Fransiscan University of Steaubenville, Ohio. She is very involved in the campus community through her work in a political student group and the University Chorale, while enthralled in her studies (International Business Major and Math Minor). Monica is going on her second year living in Aspen, Colorado and working with the parish of Saint Mary's Catholic Church. She is an active leader within the Catholic Community. I am going on my third year living in Denver, Colorado and am newly wed to my spouse Saniego Sanchez. When I'm not working at the Clyfford Still Museum, I am working on my artistic and creative practice. - As we lead our very distinct lives, we have much to share!

As we journey through our lives, I believe it is important we reflective on what's happening. And who better to share and reflect with, than family and friends! I hope you may be able to stop by this site now and then to see what we're up to. And perhaps even share some of your life and thoughts with us.

- yolanda