Monthly Archives: December 2009

Hello 30!

Posted on
Reply

So I have reached the new 20 and will turn 30 on December 24th at 11:11PM to be exact! I was getting pretty emotional the other day lying in bed and couldn’t sleep thinking back about all the ups and downs I have been through. Sometimes I still can’t believe how far I have gotten and am truly very excited to see what lies ahead. The song above is definitely one of those songs that “sings”  my song of life. Here goes a list of what the last decade of my life was. I warmly welcome another decade- and will inhale each change and moment, because my twenties sure ran past me. Happy (advanced) 30th Birthday to me! It’s definitely an emotional one and a special marker of my life!

1. I turned 21 of course. For me it was a big thing because I never had a fake ID and I seriously did not start drinking until I turned 21. It was one of those exciting moments because I was pretty innocent to all that other stuff! Nowadays, I think people turn 21 and say “been there and done that” all the time.

2. When I was 20-21, I reunited with the love of my life. If turning 21 and being able to go out was a new excitement for me, Dexter was definitely brought into my life at the right moment. Although he was one of those that have been there and done that since he was probably 10 years old, I think my innocence to it all kinda attracted him. Getting re-connected with him has definitely changed my life. He took me to so many trips and introduced me to so many things. Simply, he taught me how to be generous and genuine! I’m truly lucky and blessed and proudly say that to everyone that knows him!

3. 21 was also a tough time in regard to nursing school. I had been currently working for Jewel Food for 5 years and truly enjoyed my job at the service desk. I was also a year and a half away from graduating nursing school. I really wanted to work at the hospital to gain experience in the one thing I was going to do for the rest of my life. So I was going to school full-time and working two jobs that I both loved. I also needed them both to pay for my car and bills and SCHOOL! That’s when Dexter’s generosity really proved to me that he loved me a whole bunch!

4. I graduated nursing school when I was 22. It was a really proud moment to have actually accomplished a goal that I had ever since I could remember. I think I was truly meant to be a nurse. There are no nurses in my family and I had never been to the hospital, but as a child, when people asked me what I wanted to be, my response was always the same- a nurse! I’m glad I made that choice, because I couldn’t have picked a better career that would allow me to work 3 days a week and go on so many vacations and still be able to make a good living for my family!

5. I took my NCLEX and passed and officially became a nurse in 2003! I was so nervous and thought I wouldn’t be able to pass, but thankfully with one month of studying like crazy- I did it!

6. I had one of my first real experience of death in more ways than one. It was my first experience of watching someone dying and it was my first experience of having someone dying in my family. It is a day I will not forget and it was actually the day that I took my NCLEX exam. I know Tita Ludy was there to help me pass my exam. We miss you Tita!

7. I moved out and moved in with Dexter in 2003, the same year I got my first “real job” as a nurse. Talk about moving quickly, huh? It was a big life changer- but a very positive one. It was a great and memorable experience building our first house from scratch.

8. On July 15, 2004 I said YES when Dexter proposed to me at Geja’s Cafe in Chicago after spending a beautiful day together! The day was perfect and I can still remember all the details.

9. A little over a year of planning and settling all the details, we got married on August 13th, 2005. Hands down, one of the best times of my life. I don’t regret any part of it and as much as it cost in the end- it was well worth every single penny spent! We then went to Playa del Carmen Mexico for a week. It was HEAVEN and it became my favorite place EVER. We have yet to come back there, but i think we’re saving it for a special time because it is a very special place for us. After a week in Playa, we went on a week long cruise to the bahamas and we had a blast! Our honeymoon is one of those special times in our life. Memorable!

10. Not very many people can say that they know the exact time of when they got pregnant and in what position or what was said after “being impregnated” unless you are ME! To make a VERY long story short I can get pregnant as easily as you say GO. My bun in the oven started baking on our trip to the Philippines October 2005! HAHAHA!

11. Jasmyne was born July 25th. It wasn’t according to plan, but I’m so glad I didn’t stick with the books. She has been the best present I ever received. Having my first baby and going through the process of labor and delivery was BAD, but well worth it in the end.

12. Amidst a looming recession, we were able to sell our townhome and lost just a little bit of money on it. We took the first offer and said DEAL! With a newborn baby in hand, we were on a mission to move into an apartment far far away. It was one of the most stressful things I have had to deal with- if not the most stressful thing I’ve ever had to do in all my life.

13. July 12, 2007 we closed on our 2nd (and current home) after a stressful year of living in a small apartment with my whole family and a newborn to top it all off. That only means that we had to pack up again and move and start from scratch all over again.

14. Just when we thought we couldn’t get any busier, we decided out of the blue while we were talking on our way to work that we wanted to have another baby. This talk occured one day after New Year’s. I stopped taking my pills. I missed my period that month and got a positive test the third week of January. I told you I could get pregnant as fast as you say GO!

15. We spent our first vacation (and first time being away from Jasmyne for more than 4 hours) in Vegas 2008 for our anniversary. We had fun, but I was in tears every single day missing my Jasmyne pooper who refused to talk to me the whole time we were there.

16. October 26th- our next angel Janelle was born. It was an easy delivery, but PAINFUL labor. By the time I got to the hospital I was 6cm dilated. The car ride going to the hospital was probably one I will not forget. It was like a scene from a movie where the wife about to have a baby is screaming at her husband at 3am to get there NOW!

17. February 2009 I got my nose pierced! I removed it like 5 months later, but it was one of those things where I decided to have one and did it a day later. That’s how it works if you see the trend above!

18. Jasmyne starts Pre-school and my husband and I manage to have a 3 year old and a one year old by October 2009. It has been tough, but the tough times is slowly coming to an end. Slowly, but surely!

19. My grandma passes away in another one of those death experiences I will not forget. She was in hospice and it was very challenging for me. I went from my first death experience with my Tita Ludy, to all of a sudden being experienced with death by the time my Lola passed. It’s so hard to sometimes separate the emotions of going though the motions of hospice because i deal with death and dying all the time. So telling my family and talking about hospice in the early stages was so easy for me. I knew it was the right decision at the time. It was one of those things that definitely got me in the end and when I got the text message from my dad that she was gone, I just lost it at work. It has taught me that in life, you should tell people how you feel and not to hold grudges. Sometimes it will be too late to talk to someone. Thankfully for me, it was close, but not close enough!

There is my last decade in a nutshell! WoW! I was in tears just thinking of all my little and big life events. The constant in it is my family- especially my understanding and loving husband. You all may think it’s cheesy, but I have been truly blessed. I pray for continued blessings for more years to come!


HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!


NINE & TEN DAYS

Posted on
Reply

Press Play:

I am very proud to say that I am done with all my Christmas shopping except for our family grab bag. I think that is pretty good considering I have a BIG shopping list, most which consists of little kids. I am also very proud to say that my tree is almost packed- meaning I have wrapped most of the gifts and placed them there ready to be opened. I am also proud to say that I sent my holiday cards earlier than I normally do in previous years. I don’t know what it is this year, but I am wired about Christmas. I decorated the house and even bought candy canes to line my driveway. We also went to Winter Wonderland last week and I highly recommend it for all of you who have children. It was like a Christmas Carnival and so very festive. My kids had a blast- and I secretly did too. The only thing that sucks and kills my mood is this cold weather, but I have surprisingly held up and stayed pretty upbeat this season.

So there is TEN more days until Christmas and NINE more days until I welcome another decade of life and say goodbye to my twenties. I will write about it later, but my TWENTIES have been a whirlwind of change after change after change. I’m very excited to see what the next 10 years holds for me. I am predicting that it will be much more calm than the last ten years. I am obviously expecting more changes through my children than that of myself.

Anyway, I completely forgot that I have to get my husband a Christmas gift too. I’ve been so blah during the holidays over the years that my poor husband always gets the dead ends of my crappy holiday mood. I really want to make up for it this year since I’m so happy this time around. One of my friends also told me that I have to learn to accept gifts given to me. Ever since I can remember, even as a child, I would always feel guilty for getting NICE gifts. I would always say “Oh you don’t have to” or “Please take it back. It’s too much” or “Are you sure”. I always feel guilty inviting people to go places in fear that they would feel like they “had” to come, when in fact, I NEVER mind when they have other plans. I’m just weird that way. Anyway, Dex may secretly like this personality of mine, but I  have come to find that he HATES when I return his gifts.  I do this not only during the holidays, but for many occasions throughout the year. I guess I don’t feel like I need a lot of those things and I didn’t think he would be so hurt by it. I honestly always tell him NOT to get me anything- and I honestly would not be mad. It is not one of those tricky things that a woman says. LoL. This year, I WILL accept whatever is given to me by anyone. I won’t reject it or I won’t say “Are you sure about that” or “You don’t have to get my kids anything”  like I normally would. I guess it is offensive to people, even though I don’t think of it in that way. With that, THANK YOU Natalie for my kids’ present! I’m sure they will love it. *wink*

Now I’m just thinking what I can get someone who I think has everything? It’s just so damn hard! Well, I have ten days and counting!

Holiday Shopping

Posted on
Reply

I’ve definitely started my shopping early this year. I feel the Christmas spirit in the air when I’m out there shopping. It seems as though there are more shoppers this time around as compared to last year. I think this means the economy is slowly getting better. Anyway, I finished off all the girls in my list and most of the kids this morning. I bought all the gifts online. Thank goodness for free shipping codes. I also bought myself an early Christmas birthday gift last week- my new Blackberry Bold. I love it. At first I thought I would hate it because the battery kept running out, but I figured out what I was doing wrong. Now it’s working and I LOVE IT! I gotta love it for the next two years now because I had to renew my contract! Now I just have to get my Keurig Coffee Maker- and I will be set and happy!

It is so cold out that I don’t feel like going outside. Hopefully I can make use of my day off and start cleaning our bedroom and the girls’ rooms too. There is always so much to be done and not enough time in one day. At least we’ve caught up on our laundry last week. On that note, I’m off to clean our nasty bathroom. Be warm everyone!

The First Already!

Posted on
Reply

It’s the first day of December- the last month of the year! It’s so sunny outside, but it’s probably colder than it looks. I wanted to start off this post with a picture of my kids from the month of November. They are growing right before my very eyes. Janelle has a very unique personality. She has NO patience whatsoever and gets frustrated very easily. She also gets easily amuzed. Jasmyne, on the other hand, is quite patient with her sister who tends to beat her up. Thankfully, she doesn’t fight back. She’ll just start crying and move to another spot away from her abusive little sister. They are so cute- and not only because they are my kids!

The christmas tree went up over the weekend. The house is pretty much decorated. This morning I woke up around 530am to take a shower anticipating Janelle’s wake up time. I wanted to have the energy to do stuff for the day. I made a list of all the people I have to buy gifts for- and yes, I checked it twice just like Santa. I organized the kids’ gifts, put them in their boxes and now it’s ready for wrapping. I pretty much have all the kids crossed off my list. I still have a crapload of things to buy though.

Now off to take Jasmyne to school and do some more shopping! Enjoy your day everyone! 24 more days until Christmas. Oh and 23 more days until the end of my 20′s and I welcome another decade. Blah!