Mad's Happy Life: MONDAY -- February 11, 2013

My Three Favorite Couples for your Valentines Day!

Dear Blog readers,

Happy week of lovers! You would be surprised to hear that brasil is celebrating holidays this week too-its called carnival and it is a friday-wednesday event (we are in full swing as i type) where everyone gets naked and drinks and dances in the streets and throws parties with lots of meat. Thank goodness i am living in an area FAR from the beach and the only thing thats going on in this part of brasil is the drinking and nothing being open. Oh yes, and lots of meat. Other than that, its been pretty quiet here in Lagoa. At least the streets that is.

I thought I would introduce to you today three couples that i have come to love here in Lagoa. They are my three favorite couples in that their interactions one with another crack me up and both i and sister anderson comment a lot about how one day we would enjoy finding ourselves someone like these couples have. Então-

Gloria and Eduardo

These two are our landlords. More specifically, they live right above us and we have the privilige to hear everything that goes on between them all the time. Gloria is a movie star (not really) but she has the hair and the body and the attitude. Everything except her voice-which is a thick brasillian shreeking woman voice. we often comment gloria can not talk normally. She yells. EVERYTHING. and sometimes sister anderson has to interpret what she is saying because its just so loud and crazy. She also works a salon from their home and she constantly tells us how horrible our outfits are and how ``if you two wear that how on earth are you ever going to get married!?`` to which we respond, ``because we are beautiful, gloria!`` We love her. And the funniest part? Her husband Eduardo is a short, almost mexican man. He is brilliant in that he knows everything from how to fix your car to how to speak english and french and italian. He is a crack up and gloria and him seem like the couple that should NOT go together-but they fit perfectly. Almost every morning eduardo decides to sing (loudly) and almost every morning glora is all ``eduardo-SHUT UP!`` we love them and they crack us up on a daily basis.

Jose and Candida

The two met first when she was 7 and he was 12. A few years of growing, he came back to her town and married her. they have been married ever since. (40 plus years). Candida suffered from a stroke a year ago and since then, she is completely dependent on others for everything-food, walking, bathroom...everything. Thankfully, their daughter lives with them and takes care of Candida during the day while jose works-however most days as we pass their home we find candida in her wheelchair watching jose fix up the cars. We thought it was cute for a while-and then one sunday jose finally came to church and after sacrament meeting he told us he needed to go home. We were confused and then he told us ``i havent left Candida for more than an hour since her accident, i cant start today``. He loves her so much. So for the past 6 weeks jose has come to church for the first hour, and then he goes home to who he calls ``lady candida``-although she has no power to do anything around the house, he still treats her like his queen and it is just the cutest little love fest ever.

Valaria and Gilberto

We call Gilberto Gilbert because he lived in the states for a while and speaks a little bit of English. Gilbert was married for 40 years...and then his wife died. After a few months of being alone, he decided he wanted a little Valaria in his life and began the persuit of winning over Valaria. Only problem for Gilbert? Valaria was a member of the church. and she only dates members of the church. So naturally, Gilbert got baptized and confirmed a member of the church and a few weeks later the two got married-her being 24 years his junior. (the two remind me a lot of don and tina creek). And i think the reason i love them is that they both are convinced the other is crazy. And that Valaria is not ´valaria`` to gilbert-she is ``my woman``. so you hear things coming from his mouth like ``my woman is crazy`` or in the case of this photo ``stop talking to my woman!`` I also wish i could take a photo of the two of them when they come out teaching with us-in their beat up car, him with his cup of cervada (knock off coffee) in hand, and her with her tub of popcorn she just popped. you know, while driving the car. totally normal. after being married for a year, the two got sealed in the temple (a few months back). I asked Gilberto about the whole thing and he told me in english ``i am stuck with my crazy woman for forever``.

love and kisses and maybe a little craziness,

sister mad

Pictures!