One Memory Away...

THE SANTOS FAMILY

I have been thinking that all this time I never shared any moment or any story of my FAMILY... the people that brought me to this earth…my parents. Of my brothers, my nieces and nephews and my new dad and my new two sisters and my new brother...They mean EVERYTHING to me...We have gone through so much together and yet so many times I tend to forget just how blessed I am because they are a part of my life...So I would like to share them with you all… Unfortunately many of my pictures were stolen from me, from someone that was a trustworthy person at some point in our lives...and used and abused of out trust…But that has taught me great lessons...and has also created great trusting issues on my part... But I am living by this structure of thinking in my life… "All the things that break me are all the things that make me strong. I can't change the past cause it's gone. And I just got to move on because it's all lessons learned....." With this said…and having a much stronger awareness of the vindictiveness and brutality of certain people that I can’t even bring myself to call IT human beings… I will move to what my blog is all about :=)

I am waiting from my mommy to send me some pictures, however I want to share with you...something’s about my family...even if I don't have pictures of all of them, I will eventually have some that my family will send, and I always carry them in my heart regardless the fact that I don’t have my pictures and that I am a continent away and have an ocean in between us...we are always together and I do carry my reminiscence..

MY MOMMY- She is my rock...she taught me how to be who I am today...she was always the kind of person that I wanted to be...She loves me and my brothers in such a strong way that she always made and still makes us feel for ever and a day, that as long as we had her love we didn't need anything else...My mom is afraid of the beach, the ocean...she is a small town girl who grew up in a big town... a little girl that had to grow up faster and never had the chance to live a childhood... She had the best mother that God could ever given her, and she did fall into my grandma's footsteps when it comes to be the utmost mom...I grew up knowing that my mom was always there for me ...no matter what...I was and still am her little girl and I always new that she believed in me unconditionally. Not to mention that she was always my greatest fan...and she was my brain-wave!!!! I remember when I was a little girl watching my mommy go to work to the hospital in the night shift and I would put her night gown and would fall asleep at the door awaiting for the morning, juts so I could hear her steps on the stairs and I would open the door and just to run to her arms...I grew into the woman that I am today and more than ever I will say that I can't envision my life if my mommy was to not be a part of it... She makes me want to be a better person every day that I am alive and even that she is facing so many health problems herself, not a day goes by that I don’t feel that she always puts MY health issues ahead of her own. ...She is an extraordinary grandmother… all her grand kids love her to death and just like her kids her grand kids look up to her and truly adore her…Let me tell you… the strength that this amazing lady has...wow...if one day I'll be able to say that I accomplished 1/3 of what my adored mom did in her life...then I will know that I had a successful life. Eu Te Amo Mae... Every day I realize that God should have given a much better daughter to my mommy, but instead... He gave me to her...I am so far from being the perfect daughter she deserved to have...but one thing I know...no other daughter would ever love my mom the way that I do...She is my rock and she is my MUSE....

MY mom and TIA FATIMA...My second MOTHER I LOVE these two women.

Then I have my FATHER- He was a very strong man...he would take the shirt out of his back to give to a homeless in the street...he always loved his fellowman...He had such a strong personality and I had times in my life where I hated the way he was...I couldn’t just "GET" him...I was the only daughter, sister, granddaughter... I was the only girl in the family and he was extremely overprotective... I detested that with passion. When my dad comes back from the war in Africa, he was a much traumatized man, (like everyone who goes to war), but because of his errors in life...I learned to never do the same... Joking was one of his best qualities...my father could always be the life of any party... I never met anyone so loyal to his roots...to his origins. I got that from him... Today as I look to myself and see a grown up woman with a deeper understanding of life than I didn’t have back then... I can say that he loved me so much and I was so unappreciative to his protection... the best thing that happened in his life after my mom, was becoming a grandfather... he turned into a baby around Sara... he was so full of joy looking forward to hold Jessica in his arms… he would put his head on my belly and would talk with Jessica for hours...he retired just so he could take care of Sara and this way, she would never have to be raised by unfamiliar people... She used to do whatever she wanted to him... he would became a puppy barking on the floor is she were to ask him to... So many times when I would be laying and he would be seating on the floor with his hands on my belly talking to Jessica, telling her stories about his life and she would kick his hand, he always cried and would shout in joy "She is answering me back...she knows that its grandpa"... but God called him 10 days before she was born...and he was buried the day before she was born... I am sure that God permitted them to meet when they were crossing paths… he was leaving this earth and she was coming… I will be posting MORE pictures later...

MY brother SILVIO- What can I say that will ever make justice to just how much I love this little brat? We are only 13 months apart... so we were always Bonnie and Clyde,( But the brother and sister version). NOT the romantic version lol. We were always together... we went to the same schools, we had the same friends, and we were each other’s first BEST FRIENDS... We would cover and had each other‘s backs in every way... I was one year of school ahead of my brother Sly, and so I was a gymnastic, learned Judo, Karate, and my dad coached us in free style kick box... so when every bully messed up with my brother in school the other kids would come pick me up wherever I was and I would punch up everyone that ever dared to mess up with my little brother...the bullies used to call me "the police...". Good memories... and you had to see Silvio when he was with me and would see one of the bullies that was bulling him around… you would think that my Silvio would be humble...But NO...Not Our Silvio... he would start calling the other kid's name and telling them “Come on, beat me up now... show me the man you are"...No one dared to touch him because they knew that I would catch them...then the day came when I went to Junior High and he stayed in Elementary alone for a whole year... he says up to this day..."That was when I truly grew up, because my sister was no longer there and I had to learn to defend myself". We were undefeatable together...and so loyal to each other...now that we are in our 40's or almost there... the last time I saw my brother...March 2005... I knew that the bond that we have shared since we were little kids is stronger than ever... And now he is THE one who defends me and protects me…THE one who is always so worried about me...(That is a feeling that we have in common…worry about each other). Last time I saw him…We held each other and my brother and I cried together...Silvio taught me what trust means... he was the first person that I entirely trusted in my life... we are no longer kids, but my daughters spent one month last Summer in Portugal and they came home saying that they were missing me so much, but when uncle Silvio was around was almost like they were with me, because we look like we are twins in every way. I will take that as my greatest compliment ever...Silvio Got married with a good friend of the family...an LDS girl that grew up in love with my brother :=) Her name is Ana Cristina Vieira SANTOS and together they have two children... Mariana Santos and Guilherme Santos...And as life goes by our ties just get stronger and stronger...till this day and for all eternity...

And My LITTLE BROTHER NUNO- My little brother has always been Silvio and mine "Baby Brother, Our Protégé "... we have always protected him and loved him more than life itself. I remember very well my brother Nuno's life considering that I am 7 years his elder...Nuno was always our little cuddlier little one, with his green eyes and very blond hair with those amazing curls...He was always very close with me and Silvio, and always looked up to us in everything we did. He knew just how much we loved/love him and he reciprocates his love for us. I was his babysitter for most of his childhood and I proudly will tell you guys a family hush-hush lol "I was the FIRST person that my little blond angel called "Mom"... for the longest time, plus because our mom worked so hard to assist the family, Nuno was brought up mostly by me and Silvio... (Yep... we had to work hard just like every member of our family since a very young age) so therefore Nuno was my responsibility... I adored sitting him and I must have done a good job since until this day he always says” Sis, you will always be my second mom". Nuno is THE member of the Santos family with the sweetest personality, he is sweet, and so dang funny in his own way...!!! He has an intellect that goes above and beyond everyone else I have ever met...My little brother is one of the supreme reasons of joyfulness and pride to me and to all our family; every day of his life. He got very sick when he was a little baby and was always a trooper...Nuno is the kind of person that we can seat down all day long and talk, talk, talk, and we will never run out of a topic. He is extremely intelligent and is a very victorious man in life...in every characteristic of his being. I was my brother's Nuno hero when we were growing up...and I would take him with me on "Little Brother-Older Sister" dates all the times...I would buy him clothes and would surprise him with tickets to a concert, or some night of movies and Ice cream... he was always so appreciative, thankful and so humble and modest. My Nuno is a rock...although everyone who meets him for the first time will think that he is very timid and reserved...Wow…Just how wrong people can be when it comes to OUR Nuno ...Nuno is very talkative, tremendously modest, loving, caring about his family...He is a VERY family oriented man and he astonish me each day with all the accomplishments that he achieve. I never met anyone so determinate as my little gifted brother Nuno. I absolutely adore him and all that he represents in my heart. He believes in everyone and always gives second chances to people. I am not exaggerating when I say that Nuno is indeed the sweetest member of our Santos Family. He got married with this pretty girl that he met while both were working at the same hospital… Her name is Carmen Sofia SANTOS…together they had a baby boy and a baby girl… Tiago Santos and Maria Inês Santos.

And There's ME... After all I am also a SANTOS- Well...I am terrible talking about myself...I am a simple person. I love to do what I believe that is right, I am honest and I fight for what I want and for what I believe. I am a very family oriented person, I adore my family and make sure to always be nagging them across the Ocean and here, just so they don't forget that I am alive and kicking. I like to work. I believe in fighting the good fight. I have a hard time trusting in people, actually I will be honest and will say that I can count in one hand how many people I truly trust. trust. I am a very proud mommy of two wonderful girls. I am a single mom and a dad. I married Carlos Santos and he gave me two amazing daughters...Sara Emilia dos Santos ( named Emilia after my grandmother) and Jessica Andreia dos Santos.

MY STEP DAD ALBERTINO, MY STEP SISTER CARLA AND HER HUBBY MARCUS, MY STEP SISTER ELSA AND HER SON AND MY NEPHEW MAURO AND FINALLY MY STEP SISTER PAULO AND HIS GIRLFRIEND TANIA AND THEIR SON AND MY NEPHEW VASCO.-Granted they are NOT Santos, BUT I love them with all my heart and to me they represent my FAMILY... we don't use "STEP" among ourselves... we use my dad, my mom , my brother and my sisters... they act just like we do... we are a big family and is growing more and more with the great news that my little sister Carla and my Brother in Law Marcus are expecting their first baby... we are all so happy and so thrilled for them and for all of us... our family just keeps on growing. I would love you all to see their pictures and meet my new family...

My NEW DAD (Albertino) - He is amazing and treat my brothers and me just like he treats his own kids, we don’t make preferential treatment or nepotism towards any of us… He is indeed a father and a great grandfather to us all…

My sister Carla's wedding last summer... I regrettably don't have pictures of my two nephews nor my brother Paulo, I am waiting for them to stop been slackers and send me some :=) given that I mention in the beginning of my blog; I was mercilessly deprived of many of my pictures, by someone who at a certain point a long time ago was an important person in our lives. Someone who we allowed in our home, and he took everything that are tremendously important and of the great essence to our family. And it happens that to all us three what matters the most were our family pictures...those were our most precious belongings in our hearts…since so many of our loved ones already left us and we can't restore many of the pictures... but once again our family will come together to replace and make copies of the few they have and between us all we will do our best just so Sara, Jessica and myself will be able to replace them...
Hope that you all know a little bit more about my family… at least a little better and will know that I have a family unit that I love in every way that is possible to love someone...they are my treasures and I would be nobody without them...

Many hugs and Kisses (The Portuguese way),

Bela