As I was sifting through my emails in my inbox today, I came across one from one of my most-visited PR blogs, hispanicPRblog.  The headline grabbed me immediately:

Univision Communications Becomes Presenting Media Partner & Sponsor of Hispanicize 2012

Just upon reading the brand "Univision", I was instantly taken back to my youth when I would spend hours and hours at my grandma's house while my parents were at work during the summer or just out running errands.  I *LOVED* spending time with my grandma.  She was just cutest little old lady you'd ever seen.  Well don't take my word for it, look for yourself.

{This was taken at my bridal shower in 2001 after the make-a-wedding-dress-out-of-toilet-paper game. Not sure if she was laughing harder or I was!}

{My grandma and me at my bridal shower.}

So there I would sit on the big, creaky recliner in the living room of her humble one-bedroom abode in East Austin (Texas).  This was the house that she gave birth to 10 children – 5 boys (one of them being my dad) + 5 girls – in and the house all of those children grew up in.  Yes, you read that right.  ONE bedroom.  And while I would sit and rock in this comfy but old recliner, my grandma would have her TV tuned to her favorite station – Univision.  I was subjected to her outrageous and loud laughs at every funny prank or joke they'd show during their Sabado Gigante program and I couldn't help but laugh right along with her.  My grandma had one of the best laughs ever!! Just a smile that lit up the dark, gray skies and just made me feel like I was home.  It's true.  I've even written to her before here on my blog. 

We'd sit and watch this channel for HOURS, literally!  If it wasn't some outrageously funny program then it was a novela — a Spanish soap opera that would make One Life to Live or The Young & the Restless look like children's theater.  Oh, yeah this is where it really got good!  Thankfully for me, I could understand most of the Spanish soap and ALL the drama that came along with it.  I've never been much of a great Spanish speaker, but I can definitely comprehend when it's being spoken. 

Yeah, sitting with my grandma at her house watching Univision while sharing belly laughs and dramatic gasps is one of my fondest memories as a child.  And for this reason, I want to attend Hispanicize 2012. 

You see, in that email I talked about recieving earlier, I learned that the presenting media sponsor for this year's Hispanicize 2012 is none other than (my grandma's fave) Univision.  I've always wanted to attend the annual event for Latinos in social media, but never before like this!  I have to credit my recent work with the Latina Smart campaign and my wonderful experiences with Latina Mom Bloggers and Verizon Wireless when they sent me to the Vive La Hispanidad Event for igniting a fire within me to become more grounded in my Hispanic heritage and culture. 

Hispanicize 2012 is the premier event for Latino media, bloggers, and press and is in its 3rd year.  I know that with a partnership like this it will not disappoint!  This February it will have been 9 years since my grandma passed away.  I was pregnant with my first-born when that happened and I have always been so sad at the fact that my kids have not been able to know her and what a wonderful spirit she was here on earth.  But they do know about her.  They see her photos and I talk about her and describe what it was like being around her and have her as my grandma.  What a full-circle experience it would be to attend this event and get to learn more about a brand that I feel so connected to.  I'm sure my grandma would have LOVED to be my special guest and attend with me if she were still here and even if she couldn't, she'd probably whisper to me not to forget to get her some sort of "swaggy" item from Univision at the event!  So here's hoping that she'll be my angel in heaven and intervene some way, somehow so that it's possible for me to go.  Fingers crossed, grandma!