When I was around 12, we took the long Greyhound bus ride to spend the holidays in California with my cousins. I was in that in-between age of being too young to hang with the adults and too much older than the kids. It was an awkward time of my life but I always looked…

Growing up, our Christmas tree was decorated in an overdone mess of colored balls and glittery shapes with cheap, scratchy garland and homemade popcorn strings that gave off a stale odor after a few days. Seemingly, if it was hangable, it was hung! There was no rhyme or reason to the visual cacophony that passed…

If someone had told the teenage Adriana that I would one day be cooking beans ON PURPOSE, they would have been met with such a derisive scoff they would have questioned their own relevance in the world. I didn’t like beans and I certainly didn’t EAT them! Unavoidably, like all kids in a Mexican family,…

As autumn brings a fresh crispness in the air, the trees take their cue and burst into flames. Blood red Rich rust Ripened orange Mustard yellow Burnt caramel Cocoa brown Featuring a brand new outfit each day, the trees unashamedly put on a fashion show that tantalizes the eyes and romances the soul. Aromatic wind…

My husband and I moved away from our hometown when my son was just under a year old. We were far from friends and family for the first time so when Christmas rolled around we started a new tradition for our new family: the photo holiday card. Because Christmas card exchanges seem to be a…

I don’t hate Christmas. Let’s get that straight right from the get go. I piss and moan the whole of December so people tend to get the wrong idea. I definitely don’t love Christmas but to say I hate it is a bit extreme. It’s stressful and I don’t like the forced frivolity of it;…