2012 Retrospective

This year of 2012 was one of the busiest and most challenging years of our lives, so far! Dan and I had grown so much throughout the many events that took place this year and we are really thankful to God for letting us face all of this!

We started the year on a trip to South California with Gabby's parents. We spent our 3rd wedding anniversary (January, 18th) in San Francisco and got to know many beautiful places along or close to the coast like Carmel, Big Sur and Solvang. It was a really special trip and we are so thankful to them for this opportunity and for the quality time together!

February is the month of our birthdays. Dan's on the 2nd (turned 32 years old) and Gabby’s on the 10th (turned 26 years old)! So a month filled with great food and some presents! Generally, a happy month!

Then one of the biggest events of the year took place early in 2012 with Dan being approved on his preliminary proposal. This was a huge and important step towards obtaining his PhD degree, which he ended up getting mid-July! So many people prayed for us during this whole process and we couldn't be more grateful to them! This whole experience led us to a needed human growth and spiritual boost! We have only good things to acknowledge and praise how God works in us!

Meanwhile, in July, we found out we are expecting our second baby! We were very happy to know that God has granted us a new child once more! But we tried to keep it a secret until we were finished with the first trimester of pregnancy! We are blessed with so many family members and friends who were just as happy for us when we finally shared the news!

During and after obtaining his PhD degree, now Dr. Daniel Kota started looking for a post doc position as a researcher everywhere in the World. But we had a feeling God was calling us to live in Houston due to its comparable living affordability and also because of the presence of Opus Dei activities there! In fact, there was a job opening in Houston in his field just in time and Dan did really well on his interview getting the job!

In August we were very busy finding a home for us in or around Houston! We had to make two trips and finally found a great place, a small but very nice house in Kingwood, TX. After this, in September we were just as busy (but more relieved) trying to manage the moving out (of our lovely old apartment) and move in (to our new home). MEANWHILE, we had a trip to New York City with Gabby’s parents once more! We had been dreaming of a New York trip since the year we got married and again thanks to their generosity we could make it! It was also great seeing them after 9 months and we loved the city!

Just a few days after this trip, we had to say our goodbyes to friends in Temple and load the Uhaul with some great help from Dan's coworkers and their families! We thank them all for all the help and friendship during these three and half years we were living there!

We are loving our new house. Everyone is happier than ever!!! Gabby and Rebecca go to mass every morning in our new parish “St. Martha, Mary and Lazarus, Friends of Jesus”. It's a beautiful church and its name reminds us to be better friends of Jesus, as well! Rebecca sends a big kiss to Jesus every day!

In October, we found out the gender of our new baby due in March, 19th. It’s a BOY! We are still figuring what we’ll name him, but his second name is going to be Jose (from St. Joseph). He is doing great in my womb and moving quite a lot! It will be exciting to find out how Rebecca and the baby will interact with each other!

Dan is really enjoying his new job and taking full advantage of his freedom to research and experiment what he has in mind! He takes the bus+train practically every day and he is being good busy! He also found a pickup soccer group in our city and plays at least once a week! He is playing well again and enjoying it and his new soccer mates a lot! God is good to him!

Rebecca is doing great, walking, climbing and drawing everywhere! She can't say many words yet - although she is quite chatty - but we are being patient and understanding that each child is different, that she is still under the normal path, especially for bilingual kids! But for what she can't speak she makes up for it in cuteness and mobile skills!

And finally about the Opus Dei activities, it's being more blessing than we could have hoped for!!! Gabby’s been going to the recollections and circles in Houston! Everyone she met was so kind, generous and welcoming! She loves that they all share the same spiritual life views that she grew up with. Dan is planning to start attending the men’s activities soon.

And last, but not least, we bought our first real Christmas tree and it is looking beautiful in our hard floor living room!! And Rebecca loves to take out the ornaments from it!