85 Years

Normally I don't pay attention to forwarded email messages but this has to be the cutest thing I've seen/ read in a long time. The Fishers hold the world record for the longest marriage of a living couple, they've been around long enough to see 4 generations of their family, and they offer some pretty great and simple advice. This is their interview that was organized with Twitter. Enjoy...

"Meet Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of North Carolina. They have been married 85 years (86 in May) and hold the Guinness World Record for the longest marriage of a living couple and get this…. Zelmyra is 101 years old and Herbert is 104.

The happily married couple teamed up with twitter this Valentine’s Day to answer some relationship questions.

1. What made you realize that you could spend the rest of your lives together? Were you scared at all?
H & Z: With each day that passed, our relationship was more solid and secure.Divorce was NEVER an option – or even a thought.

2. How did you know your spouse was the right one for you?
We grew up together & were best friends before we married. A friend is for life – our marriage has lasted a lifetime

3. Is there anything you would do differently after more than 80 years of marriage?
We wouldn’t change a thing. There’s no secret to our marriage, we just did what was needed for each other & our family.

4. What is your advice to someone who is trying to keep the faith that Mr. Right is really out there?
Zelmyra: Mine was just around the corner! He is never too far away, so keep the faith – when you meet him, you’ll know.

5. What was the best piece of marriage advice you ever received?
Respect, support & communicate with each other.  Be faithful, honest & true.Love each other with ALL of your heart

6. What are the most important attributes of a good spouse?
Zelmyra: A hard worker & good provider.The 1920s were hard,but Herbert wanted & provided the best for us.I married a good man!

7. What is your best Valentine’s Day memory?
Zelmyra: I cook dinner EVERY day.Herbert left work early & surprised me – he cooked dinner for me! He is a VERY good cook!  Herbert: I said that I was going to cook dinner for her & she could relax – the look on her face & clean plate made my day!

8. You got married very young – how did u both manage to grow as individuals yet not grow apart as a couple?
“Everyone who plants a seed & harvests the crop celebrates together” We are individuals, but accomplish more together.

9. What is your fondest memory of your 85-year marriage?
Our legacy: 5 children, 10 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.

10. Does communicating get easier with time? How do you keep your patience?
The children are grown, so we talk more now. We can enjoy our time on the porch or our rocking chairs – together.

11. How did you cope when you had to be physically separated for long periods of time?
Herbert: We were apart for 2 months when Z was hospitalized with our 5th child. It was the most difficult time of my life. Zelmyra’s mother helped me with the house and the other children, otherwise I would have lost my mind.

12. At the end of bad relationship day, what is the most important thing to remind yourselves?
Remember marriage is not a contest – never keep a score. God has put the two of you together on the same team to win

13. Is fighting important?
NEVER physically! Agree that it’s okay to disagree, & fight for what really matters. Learn to bend – not break!

14. What’s the one thing you have in common that transcends everything else?
We are both Christians & believe in God.Marriage is a commitment to the Lord.We pray with & for each other every day."

Twisted Tuesday

Talked to my parents last night for a while, and apparently they are really into Bruno Mars and Adele, while this is my favorite track right now. Maybe we swapped generations on accident? Maybe they're cooler than me.

Arid Arizona

Halocha mi gente,

It's been a while since my last post so I figured it would be good to update you on my life in the state of Arizona.

My job is phenomenal. I love it. So very blessed to be doing what I love and loving what I do. God is amazing, and being a part of what He's doing on an international level is a real privilege. I have wonderful co-workers and just really enjoy going to work and being busy, knowing it serves a much greater purpose.

Arizona... has taken some getting used to, on the other hand.

It is a desert in a very literal and cultural sense, which is a huge adjustment from Los Angeles. I'm not trying to be snobby, occasionally you do find an oasis of quality/ genuine culture out here, you just have to work hard to find it. Not having a car has been a challenge, but thankfully I live right across the street from the slow, yet reliable, light-rail and have been able to go on some foodie adventures, discover some interesting events, and venture into different parts of town in search of hot spots and creative art.

There are not many mom & pop spots here in Arizona, but the ones that have managed to survive are very good. After a fairly disappointing First Friday (similar to art walk) I made the decision to stick to looking for unique food spots because art does not seem to be a strong point for the city. On one of my very first food adventures, I went to this restaurant called Barrio Cafe in the middle of Midtown Phoenix. The surrounding location is a bit rundown according to Arizona standards, but I think it was the first time I felt like I was back home in LA for a bit. There was some amazing street art/ murals and the restaurant was just kind of this hole-in-the-wall. I talked to the waiter for a bit about the menu and what I should order. I took his advice with the Chile Nogada and am very thankful that I did. It was such a unique combination of flavors and textures I could not put my fork down because every bite was different/ delicious. Serious. And then I managed to walk (and take the light-rail) home in time to catch a ride to a Super Bowl party. That was a very happy Sunday for me... minus the Pat's loss.

Barrio Café - Chile Nogada

The very next weekend I found an Ethiopian hole-in-the-wall restaurant, tucked into the corner of an ethnic food mini-mall by ASU called Blue Nile. It was delicious. Not quite on the level of the food my saintly Ethiopian friend/ co-worker in Kenya makes, but a very close second. And all of their desserts are raw, so I  had to try them and see how they tasted. Really interesting combination of flavors, and they were minimally processed, so... healthy as well! I got the chocolate 'cheesecake' the first time and a chocolate, with healthy greens and herbs blended in, the second time. Oh and friends of mine got a raw cinnamon roll that second time, which was delicious.

Blue Nile - Meat Lover's Combo

Some friends were in town the following weekend and after our initial brunch plans fell through we ended up at Lo Los Chicken Waffles, which (you guessed it) is very similar to Roscoe's. But we discovered the fried chicken at Lo Los is 100 times better than the dry stuff they serve you at Roscoe's. Twas phenomenal. Granted, the waffles were not great, but overall they had great service, we enjoyed our time, stuffed our faces, and left satisfied.

Lo Los Chicken Waffles - Yummy

This past weekend I tagged along with my co-worker and her husband to the Japanese cultural festival, which had very few actual Japanese-Americans or people of Japanese heritage there but was fun to check out and experience the authentic culture that was there. I learned about wish-fishes, which are made out of ribbon and blow in the wind. Very pretty, and honestly... who doesn't like to make wishes?

Hand-made wish fish

In addition to samurai swordsmanship clubs, martial-art and traditional dance performances, Japanese dog rescue programs, and some delicious Japanese food, there was a young artist there who made a very beautiful installation piece in honor of the earthquake and tsunami victims. Had I not been bumped around so much by Anime/ Manga fanatics taking pictures everywhere I probably could have spent a good hour just looking at/ experiencing the piece. It was really moving and somehow captured all of the emotions associated with the disaster and recovery efforts.

Origami Installation piece honoring earthquake/ tsunami victims

Then that night I went out dancing and had my first really fun night out in Arizona, followed by a day of learning how to drive a manual Beemer and shoot guns in the desert! Haha. Sometimes you just gotta let the inner stereotypical American come out to play.

Adventures aside, I have found a great gym with very talented coaches and fighters, but I'm not much of a social person in the gym so I think it will take time for friendships to come out of that. I'll be there for a while though, I'm not too worried. Training has been going very well thus far, and despite all my talk of food, I've been eating very clean, so I should be up and competing by the end of March/ beginning of April, just in time for Rumble in Venice! If you're in LA and free in May we should meet up during that time and you should come out to support Rumble in Venice, it's a great event.

Overall it's been a bumpy ride, but I'm getting there. Still trying to find my social niche and all, but I know that God's got me here for a reason and is leading me in all the right ways so I'm not freaking out about the whole move as much. Moral of the story: I miss LA dearly, and certain people that I've left there, but this is a good adventure and I expect to grow a lot.

Come visit me! I have plenty of space to host people, and would be more than happy to take you on a food adventure or some kind of random excursion to discover the 'oases' here. I will be posting more regularly too so I hope to keep you all updated that way. Besos, abrazos, y bendiciones.

With love from the desert,
-Educated & Employed