Hola!  Como esta usted?

Me, I'm not too good.  School starts back up next week, on Monday; I am not looking forward to it.  Have been having too much fun on summer break; I'm not ready to hit the books or do homework just yet!!

Yet on the other hand, I am.  I can't wait for school to start!

Go figure.

Arturo here.  Arturo Jiminez.  Hope this finds you better than me. 

I have had so much fun this summer:  going to Sea World San Antonio.  Going to Fiesta Texas.  Going to the Riverwalk.  The Zoo.  Going to see my tio Carlos at Lackland AFB; he joined the Air Force; he has a few more weeks to go before he is shipped over to Afghanistan.  That part's sad, but the rest of the period has been nothing but happy times, good times!

This coming weekend, mi tio Carlos is coming, as are mi tio Rosaldo and his esposa, tia Concepcion.  Great.  I don't get to speak Ingles with them; it's todo Espanol!  (They don't speak English, which hacks me off big time!)  I love mi tio y tia, but dang, I wish they'd learn English, so I could communicate better!  Thank God I know Spanish, but man, it sure bothers the gringo people!!  I hate the stares, nasty looks, or comments!!

They're coming because mami invited them to come to a play at a friend's church.  It's called "Heaven's Gates And Hell's Flames."  We are also going to have a barbecue and invite the neighbors; it's going to be one big blowout, Mexican-style!!

I just hope little Packy (Pacquito), my nine-year-old brother with autism, doesn't do something crazy to embarrass me or them!!  He has a reputation for doing that, and I get ragged on about that, in addition to everything else!

My sisters Ysabel and Carmen aren't too bad; it's Packy who gives me the most problems other than my non-English-speaking relatives!

Mami y papi, they are still busy with their cantina.  They work all the time; when they are home, they spend a lot of time sleeping or trying to unwind.  I know they do this to make money por la familia, but dang, I hate to see them working themselves to the bone!  That can't be good for their health!!

That's one reason why I can't wait for school to start.  To get away from Packy!!  Or stop worrying so much about mi parentes!

I am so confused.  I hate school; yet when it comes to stuff like Packy, I can't wait to hit the textbooks or see mi vatos again!!  I think la educacion has fried my brains!!  *rolling eyes*

Well, compadres, I am outta here.  Mi famlia is getting up; don't know what we have planned, but hope it's something fun!  I'd like to go to see my uncle at Lackland AFB; maybe we can see some more cool planes!  The last time we were there, we saw an SR-71 take off.  Wow, what a beauty!!  And loud!  Thing shook the ground; it about deafened all of us!  Boy, talk about a piercing, high pitched whine!!  Holy smokes!!

Until later, this is Arturo saying Adios!  Hasta luego (or as mi amigo Tony likes to say, Hasta la bye bye)!  LOL  Vaya con dios!

~Amor, tu amigo, Arturo Jiminez.

*to be continued.*