So I am not big on Valentine’s Day or Sweetest Day, to name a few of The Hallmark Holidays. I guess in my high school days, I loved it. I loved receiving little tokens of love from another person, particularly from the one who would end up being my husband. As I got older though, I realized that I was not into it anymore. I think Dex and I celebrated it our first 2 years together until I demanded him to stop giving me flowers and gifts. I didn’t want to go out Valentine’s Day or the weekend of it, because we went out to eat all the time and went on our dates to great place on a regular basis. I didn’t want him feeling the pressure to get me something or do something special for that one day in the calendar when he always did it for me anyway. Why would you have to give someone a gift of love for a day in the year? Maybe it is because Dex has always showered me with gifts on a daily basis ever since we have been together that he killed it for me. Dexter has always been very unselfish and giving, not only to me, but to people he comes into contact with. I remember when I was struggling with school and working two jobs. He told me to quit one of my jobs. He paid for my car, insurance payments and credit card bills. He helped me pay for things I needed for school. He took me on full paid vacations and cruises and showed me the world. He has always spoiled me rotten. I think that is the reason why Valentine’s Day is just like any other day for me. So of course, even though Dex knows I don’t want any gifts or that trip to a fancy restaurant, he never fails to get me even a little something on Valentine’s Day. I woke up to a card with a beautiful message on the inside. He also always gets me my favorite chocolate- Ferrero Rocher. Since I am trying to cut back on chocolate, he gave me just three pieces- symbolizing I Love You! He’s so sweet! But not to spoil it- I still wish everyone a day and life full of love and romance on this Valentine’s Day.
Last week, I went and finally got my tattoo that I have been waiting to get done in the last couple of years. I finally found the picture I wanted and have been searching for. I love the infinity sign and I knew my mark had to have something associated with it. I got married in the month of August, which is the number 8, for that very reason. 8 is the infinity sign turned in a different direction. I Love Love. I have always been a very emotional person when it comes to Love. It melts my heart and I am glad I have it in my life. So this tattoo that I got symbolizes infinite love. That is what I have with my husband and that is what he has given me- my family. It was painful, but it’s done and I LOVE it.
I absolutely do LOVE it. It is everything that represent me. My infinity sign that I love so much. My anniversary month. My marriage. My family. Our love. It looks bigger than it actually is in this picture, but it is the perfect size. It is right on my neck/back. What matters the most is that my husband loves it too. He was really against me getting another tattoo, but he loved it after seeing the concept. I don’t regret doing it at all. That is all. May your everyday be filled with more than just flowers, candy and that gift. I wish you the REAL thing on a daily basis. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
It’s not so much that I never wanted to throw her her own party, but I just never got into the mood. It’s no excuse, I know. On my better days over the summer, I had envisioned her Halloween Extravaganza. … Continue reading →
Isn’t that picture I took up there lovely? Doesn’t it just make you feel so at peace with nature? The colors are beautiful aren’t they? WRONG! For me, it does everything but that. It only means that we are closer to winter and it really gives me butterflies in my stomach. It got so cold so fast this year. I have already started on my Calcium regimen. I haven’t started on my tanning yet, but will be looking forward to some sun in my coming vacation. In fact, I have increased my dose from last year. It did work wonders for me last year. I got a huge Christmas tree. I decorated the inside of our house. I even bought lots of decoration for outside the house too. I wrapped the Christmas gifts in style. I made up Christmas games and I really was feeling the opposite of blue. Thank goodness we had a burst of summer last week to up my spirits a little bit. I find it odd that it hits me almost as soon as the sun don’t shine after 5pm. My SAD symptoms don’t gradually occur. It hits me like a train. Maybe it’s also because of all the changes going on in my life at this time. Well whatever it is, I hope I cure myself just like I did last year and actually enjoy the holiday shopping!
Speaking of the holidays, I’ve already gotten ahead of myself and ordered our Christmas cards. November will be a busy time and I don’t want to fall behind on my favorite thing about the holidays! This year, I decided to have our pictures taken on location as opposed to a studio. I find that is much more fitting when you have young children. There are no appointments or people waiting behind you. It’s just more natural. I got my proofs last week and was so excited to see them. They turned out great and I’m really excited to share the best part of Christmas with everyone. The only thing I would probably enjoy about the holidays even without taking my happy medicine is receiving XMAS cards in the mail. I’m like a freaking child receiving the best gift ever when I get ‘em. So email me and request my home address so you can send me one too! Come on. Don’t be shy! *insert smiley face*
Anyway, it’s been a very good and productive last couple of weeks. I’m also enjoying decorating all over again and trying to figure out what goes best where. Color schemes. Style. All of that. I just want it all to be finished and I can truly be happy and comfortable. I’ve been busy with all of that and finishing up on my favorite thing to do- making my cherished albums of memories. I finally was able to finish our Orlando Vacation. I got the album and wished it was a little bit bigger. I currently just finished my July 2011 album as well. July was jam packed this year and I can’t wait to get it in my hands- all 60 pages of it! I know. I know. I sound obsessed, but I truly am the one who takes a crap load of pictures and preserves them for the future. I’m the one that has had a journal since I was in elementary and still reads them every now and then. I am the one who has this website (still) and prints it off getting excited of what I would think when I read it many, many years later. I even sometimes read my entries from two years ago and can’t believe some of the things I have written or how amazingly fast time really is. I even think what my kids will think when they read it when they are older! I’m the one who wrote a letter for my daughters this year for them to open on their 13th birthday. It’s a different perspective writing it to them when they are such precious, innocent babies! I think everyone will thank me for it later. I THANK myself actually. So shut it! LoL! Have a good week everyone! Stay warm!
I hope that when people Google Search “Rogers & Hollands”, this posting comes up and people get access to it. I’d like you all to repost this and share it with the world so that you can stay away from this company if you had a choice at all. I also want to help people become more aware and careful consumers regardless of what jewelry store or diamond seller they go to. Let me tell you a little something, which happens to be my own personal and true to life experience. It was something so unexpected and I am writing of it now after two and a half months of heartbreak and drama in dealing with this company- Rogers & Hollands at Woodfield Mall. Yes! I will keep repeating that name throughout this posting in hopes that it will be found if anyone searches their name somewhere in this world of WWW.
My husband proposed to me on July 15, 2004. That was SEVEN years ago. He worked hard to get me the ring he knew I would love. Every 6-9 months I get my diamond ring cleaned and polished to keep it looking spanking new and shiny. I’ve handed it to the same lady for the last seven years. She is the same lady who I buy all my jewelry from at Rogers & Hollands at Woodfield Mall. They have also had the same jeweler who works in the back room for the last 10 years. Each time I hand it to them, I sign a piece of paper and come back for it the next day. Sometimes when I don’t have time, I have even left it for a couple of days without ever doubting anything could happen to my ring. I’ve never even had to sign a piece of paper stating that I have taken possession of my newly cleaned diamond, except the first 36 months, if even that. I actually loved that Rogers and Hollands does resizing and cleaning and all sorts of things FREE OF CHARGE and at an UNLIMITED number of times FOREVER! Now in retrospect, I wonder if there was a hidden agenda behind that warranty and guarantee. After some searching I have seen some complaints against them from consumers. They even have a few complaints with the Better Business Bureau. So here is where my story begins.
About four months ago, a co-worker of mine was checking out rings she could upgrade hers to because her 10 year anniversary is coming up. She was randomly talking about certificates and diamond switching and how well she knew her diamonds. After all this talk, I realized that I didn’t know a damn thing about mine. Beside the shiny bling bling outer aspect of my diamond, I didn’t know what it’s characteristics were. She encouraged me to buy a loupe magnifier and even showed it to me on Amazon.com that very same day. I did end up purchasing one that week out of curiosity. When it arrived, I was super excited. It even had a built-in-light. Now in no way am I saying that I had a perfect diamond, but when I looked into my diamond with this magnifier, I didn’t know what to look for. I couldn’t see a thing. I’d look at it before bed sometimes trying to find that “fingerprint” that I could use to identify my diamond and I honestly couldn’t find something. I must have looked at it in different angles and in different shades of light and still could not find that one mark that I could use to identify my rock. I was kinda bummed!
About a month later, my ring was due for it’s rhodium plating and cleaning. I dropped it off and my husband picked it up two days later as scheduled. For some odd reason, I went shopping at Macy’s for a last minute gift we needed for the next day and had the husband pick it up. I think because of the fact that I examined my ring with a loupe for the whole month, I asked my husband to make sure to check my ring before leaving. For the first time in 7 years, she actually tested it with the light to make sure it turned green- meaning the diamonds were real when we got it back. My husband was pretty upset, telling me that my coworker has made me a paranoid freak. It was also the first time in the seven years that I was not present at the time of pickup. It was a a sign from above that something was going to go wrong- and I didn’t even take notice of it.
The next day, I took my ring out of the box and put it on. For some odd reason, when I looked at it once it was on my finger, it didn’t have that shine that it normally had. I knew it right away and my heart was beating really fast just looking at my diamond ring. My husband calls me absolutely crazy and says my coworker has really made me crazy and paranoid. I explained that I have been looking at my ring for SEVEN years and I know how it shines. A corner of my diamond was completely blurry looking. So I got my loupe magnifier and my heart started beating faster. There was a big bubble right on that corner. I knew my ring had been switched because I had such a hard time looking for an imperfection for over a month.
I went back into the store the very next day and calmy/nicely told my saleslady what I found. She told me I had to get my certification. She was absolutely positive that this was my ring that I had been wearing for seven years. Two weeks later, I get my certification from New York with a diagram of where the imperfections should be. Let’s just say that my original inspection was probably correct. Nowhere in the diagram did it indicate that there should be a HUGE bubble in the corner of my ring.
To make a long story short, Rogers & Hollands completely denied any wrong doing for the next two and a half months. They stated that I had the wrong certificate or could have probably switched the diamond myself due to the fact that they didn’t check my diamond before I gave it to them, nor did we check it when we picked it up. My original receipt also did not include the certificate number of the diamond purchase. That basically means that I have no proof that the Certification Card belongs to me and not anyone else. They tried to do many different things to keep me satisfied, but in the end, I realized that they were truly trying to still scam me. They refused to give me a refund of the value of my diamond after 7 years. After much debate, they did agree to refund me the original price paid after trying to scam me into getting “higher quality” diamonds in exchange of my original one. They basically stated that they could not get laser inscribed diamonds in their store, but they would inscribe it after I picked the diamond I wanted to replace my “switched” one with. They were also only showing me copies of the actual certificate which looked like it was copied 10 times over. This was total BS because pre-inscibed diamonds are found in almost all diamond sellers stores, especially diamonds that are high cost. My husband also had to sign a statement that HE could not sue them or do anything else to try to go after them. I had HIM sign it, because if HE didn’t they refused to give me my money back or replace my diamond. I say HE, because this diamond actually belongs to ME and not him. Thankfully, I WAS NOT required to sign this paper, which was pretty stupid in their part.
This has been one of the worst experiences of my life. It was totally unexpected. I learned so much about diamonds and the business of diamond sellers only after it was too late and it has already happened. I watched people come in and out of the store during my almost two months of trying to resolve this and couldn’t help but think that they are just like me- NAIVE. There were so many guys buying the rings and they probably had no clue what was going on. So here is what I learned that I want to share with all of you. I wish that I was this educated before this happened to me. It’s kind of sad that the ring I’ve had blessed at the church on the day I got married is gone. I am currently ring-less, happily married and somewhat excited to get another ring back on this finger soon. Good luck and always be careful. This does happen more often than people think because when it does happen, people are just not aware because they’ve never taken the time to know their diamond. So read the following and hopefully, this will be a lesson for all of you diamond owners and those of you also getting ready to buy that diamond for your loved one!
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1. Only buy certified diamonds (preferably GIA certified) and only the ones that have been pre-laser inscribed. These diamonds have the certification number laser printed on them and can be viewed under the loupe magnifier. Make sure this number matches the Certification Card you are getting at the time of purchase.
2. Get a copy of your certification with the diagram of your imperfections. This certification has all the information you could ever need about your diamond. Make sure you get this BEFORE you purchase the diamond so you can compare the diamond with the actual report. GIA certifications have a hologram of authenticity. Here is their link: GIA
2. Make sure that the Certification Card number is printed on your receipt at time of purchase. This proves that you bought that particular Certified diamond.
4. Make copies of your official (GIA) report. When you get it cleaned or rhodium plated, check the report with the jeweler. Make sure you both compare the report with your diamond. Sign off that your diamond was laser inscribed and matches the report. When you pick it up, sign off that everything is the same. In my research, I have learned that doing this alone will decrease the chances of your ring being switched by 99.9%. They will not mess with you if you have this information.
5. For those of you who already have a certified ring, find out who certified your ring and order your official Certification Report with the diagram. Get yourself a loupe magnifier. It costs as low as $5. Mine was $18.95 with free shipping. Get to know your diamond and always sign off before giving it to the jeweler for any reason.
This is the picture of my so-called-ring that I knew was not mine. You can even see the bubble with the naked eye located in the right upper corner in this shot. I can’t believe I have to replace the original, but I am at least happy that I discovered the switch by the simple fact that my friend from work had warned me just a month before. I know in my heart it was all a sign from above.
According to Forest Gump, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get! I agree with that comment. Not only do you NOT know what you’re gonna get, but it will also keep moving on. In this short life I’ve lived, I learned that there is no mountain high enough and no problem so big that tomorrow can’t fix. Even if it can’t be fixed, it’s tolerable so long as you have love in your life from family, friends and yourself! In the end, that is all that really matters- LOVE! Thank god I’ve got plenty of that around me. So in this journey of life, I know that no matter happens, I will survive and I’ve got my family with me.
I thought that header might get a lot of attention, but it really will make some sense to you by the end of this post. This week, a patient of mine died on my shift. I’ve only had a handful of MY patients die on my shift while I was taking care of them. Of course, deaths are expected in the hospital, but for nurses, it comes only a few times when you are THE actual nurse taking care of that patient. Many of our patients die, but not necessarily on my shift while I am their nurse. They may have died in the nursing home or in the emergency room or maybe they died in the ICU. God works in mysterious ways, I guess. Even though there are countless deaths that surround the nursing profession, he spreads the burden of those deaths through many nurses before it hits you again. I’ve had to place a body in a bag less than 5 times in the almost 8 years I’ve been a nurse. More than half of those personal deaths I’ve had was actually related to lung cancer. They didn’t die from complications of lung cancer (such as cancers from other parts of their body), but they actually suffer through suffocating to death. They go through the act of not being able to breath anymore and you see the terror in their eyes as their families watch in terror. I don’t know why that is, but I’ve had it happen three times, and all in the same manner. The only difference is the reactions of the families.
My patient from this week was DNR, which means Do Not Resuscitate. He was young. He left behind a wife, three kids and all his extended family. It was too late when he quit. He died of lung cancer after almost a year battling it with chemotherapy and all the problems that come with it. He had been smoking for almost thirty years. The day that it happened, he was fine. He was walking and talking just fine. There was even talks of going home the next day. It was another battle fought. Then that golden hour when it just suddenly happens hits them. I knew it was going to happen the moment he said he was having a hard time breathing and I was heartbroken. There is that look in the patients eyes and then that look of hope in their families’ eyes. It’s so weird, but it’s always been the same.
I guess my point is to say that smoking does the body no good. It is obviously a drug that keeps you wanting it and craving it. Do I judge people and hate people for smoking? Of course not. Do I preach people and tell people not to smoke? Of course I do- but only if you are my patient that I am taking care of at the hospital. Have I gone out with co-workers for smoke breaks? Of course I have. Do I have friends that smoke? YES I DO! Just because I feel that it is not healthy does not mean that I preach people about it because it is not my place. I LOVE BACON FAT, but I would be extremely annoyed if my friends told me to stop eating it because it is unhealthy for me. We’ve been told in school growing up to say no to drugs because of all the harmful things they do. We’ve been told not to eat fat because it clogs up your arteries and cause heart problems. We know that if we eat too much of anything unhealthy, we’ll be unhealthy. Too much fatty foods make you fat. One plus one is two and so forth. Smoking has been accepted in our culture. Maybe many people are really not that aware of their risks. I’m not here to tell you to quit smoking, but I think if you were well informed, it might help you make better choices in life. Just like you choose not to eat bacon fat every day of the week, you can choose the healthy route and cut back on your smoking. If this helps even one person to quit or try to quit, then I have done my piece. If not, I don’t judge. I’ll eat my bacon and you can have your smokes!
Here is some of the information I pass on to my patients from our pamphlets at my hospital about what happens almost immediately after you stop smoking! There is also a good video right after my post for all of your guys who prefer a visual. Okay. That’s my good deed for the year! Now if only I can quit eating unhealthy food every other day, I’d be set!
This is what happens after you stop smoking…
20 MINUTES AFTER: Blood pressure and pulse rate drop. The circulation to your hands and feet return to normal.
8 HOURS AFTER: Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to about half and oxygen level increases to normal.
24 HOURS AFTER: The chance of a heart attack decreases because your blood pressure has started to return to normal. You are also richer and healthier.
36 HOURS AFTER: Carbon Monoxide residue should be cleared from your system.
48 HOURS AFTER: Nerve endings start to regrow and the ability to smell and taste is enhanced.
2 WEEKS TO THREE MONTHS AFTER: Circulation improves and lung function increases. Your immune system is also a whole lot better at fighting off disease and sickness. You are on your way to a healthier you.
ONE YEAR AFTER: Excess risk of coronary heart disease decrease to half that of a smoker.
TEN YEARS AFTER: Risk of lung cancer (or mouth, throat, esophageal or pancreatic cancer) drops to as little as half that of continuing smokers.
The month of August has been a mixture of many emotions for me and those around me. It was a very busy month filled with so many things that I had been looking forward to all summer. It started off with the celebration of uniting two lives together with the wedding of my brother. It was an event to remember with so many special memories of those we love- FAMILY and FRIENDS. Then it was off to celebrate the 7th birthday of my nephew Rolen, whose birth and survival was truly a blessing from God. Every year, we try to make it a point to celebrate his birthday no matter what the circumstance. I remember being a week old mother to Jasmyne and coming to his party confused and barely knowing what to do. This year, Dexter and I did some magic to be able to come since it was our weekend to work. Then came the celebration of my 5th Wedding anniversary with the husband, which deserves its own post on here. It came with little planning, but we had tons of fun. Next on the list for the third weekend was the homecoming party for my brother and his new wife. Everyone was excited to hear from them and talk about their wedding and honeymoon. A time to once again share stories and laugh about all the things that happened.
All of that was cut short by the news of the tragic death of my aunt, who was very dear and close to my heart. Nothing could have prepared me or anyone of us for the news. It was one of the most heart breaking things I think I have ever had to deal with because we were so close to her. The sudden and unexpected loss turned our world upside down. Our family came together in prayer and to share our memories with her. My last memory of her was at that birthday party we just had to attend and thankfully did. We went with on the lazy river three times and all I could remember was how happy and satisfied she was with her life. She was free and she was smiling and she was truly happy with how everything had fallen into place. Her death reminded me that life is truly precious and waking up is a blessing. I say reminded because I already know this, but tend to not live up to it. Every second is a gift. All the material we hold here on Earth, we cannot take with us. What we do take with us are the memories and feelings of how we treated and cared for one another. This is all the stuff we already know, but can sometimes forget with the hectic schedules we have in our life. Did you get to say goodbye in the midst of the morning rush? Did you say I love you before you hung up the phone? Did you make your child feel special? Did you spend enough time with them or were you busy working so much to buy that special something? Part of the mourning process is also coming to terms with the regret of what you could have changed, but you realize that you can no longer change it. The second that has passed, you can’t get back. So live every second of your life like it were the last. At the moment we remember it, but will we live up to it after a week? After a month or even a year? Sometimes, it takes these events to make us realize an important lesson, but do we really stand up to it on a daily basis? I admit that I don’t, but I will definitely try my hardest.
My family and I can still feel her soul roaming this Earth. I now REALLY believe in life after death because her presence is so intense. If I doubted it before, I believe it whole heartedly now. Many of the stories seem almost unbelievable, but they are really real. Could her sudden death have put her in the same position as we are in? Did she wish she could have said some things that she never got to say? All I know is that she will truly be missed by everyone whose life she touched. I pray for her every night that she may find her way up to where she belongs. I ask that you all do the same. Please pray for the soul of Maudy Santana- that she may rest in eternal peace. We love you Tita Mauds!
Remember when you were young and your parents had so much advice for you? Like don’t do this and don’t do that and remember this and remember that. I remember some of those things and would tell myself I had my own way and had my own life to live. Ironically, after having kids, I could totally picture myself being that type of parent. I think I have mentioned this in my older posts. Life is truly meant to be lived, but once you get to a certain point, you live it backwards for others- like Benjamin Button sort to say. I have no regrets in my life and I love living the life I live, so don’t get me wrong. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I am living it with the right man. Honestly, if it were not for me having the husband that I have, would I truly be happy and content with where I am now in life? If I didn’t have the hubby that I do have, I would probably have more stress raising the kids or doing more mommy things all on my own. I would probably have more nights alone because not all husbands are like mine- the one who prefers to stay home with the family instead of going out with friends. I was blessed with a husband who is so understanding and a husband who took in my family as if it were his own. I have a husband who is committed to family and knows what being a husband and father mean. In more ways than one, I am very lucky.
So remember when your parents told you to slow down? Don’t get married too quickly. Enjoy your life. Go to school. See the world. There’s so much more. I picture myself as being that kind of parent because when I look all around me, I see a lot of people rushing through life without stopping to take a breath. They finish school. Get married. Buy a house. Have babies. The end result however is divorce for many of them. If only having babies could come as the last step. Unfortunately, having babies is the TEST that many couples have to go through. Many people have not been there and done that. They didn’t get to enjoy life or go to school or see the world and only realize that once they have kids. Now these poor kids are suffereing having divorced parents because their parents did not realize they were not ready until the babies came into their life. I wish there was a course in college that covers all of this. That building a family is a bond and a promise. It should not be one that just ends in divorce because you have chosen to give up. Divorce is almost as popular now as getting married. You just sign a paper and voila- it’s done. Unfortunately, when kids are involved, it is not as easy FOR THEM as it may be for the parents! Truly, I think that before you become a parent, you have to have the right mind set and maturity level. Just because you’re married and have a house does not constitute you to have the right to bring a baby into this world. Having kids is a much greater commitment than having all of the above. It breaks my heart to see this trend.
This was all brought on because as I was looking for invitations online, I came across DIVORCE PARTY invitations. It was pretty interesting and it hit a soft spot in me. There are now celebrations for these things as much as you celebrate your wedding. How ridiculous is this? So if you are reading this, make sure you enjoy life and get everything out of your system before you bring a person into this world that we live in. Parenthood is a commitment of both parents guiding their children together as a family!
I understand that it cannot always happen this way if you have children before you get married, but if you guys get married first and then have children, you should stay true to your marriage vows and work harder on being a family. Being a single parent is hard. So to those who have children without getting married and surviving on their own, much props to you. Things happen in this world for a reason. To those who are committing themselves to marriage, I hope that you have made a conscious decision in knowing your lifetime partner is there to the very end- or to the very least, that you two will work things out to the best of your abilities when the going gets tough. Some people get married just to get married and walk down the aisle. They do it without really thinking about what it really is. They are just fulfilling their childhood dream of having that fairytale wedding. Marriage is not an act of getting married on that one bliss filled day. It is a future and a forever status. It’s so easy to step out and just give up. We have to work much harder than just taking the easy way out! More importantly, we have to stop getting married just to get married knowing in the back of our minds that you can divorce. You have to be truly sure that he/she is worth it in the end so that fighting for that person will be worth it as well.
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!
So I am not big on Valentine’s Day or Sweetest Day, to name a few of The Hallmark Holidays. I guess in my high school days, I loved it. I loved receiving little tokens of love from another person, particularly from the one who would end up being my husband. As I got older though, I realized that I was not into it anymore. I think Dex and I celebrated it our first 2 years together until I demanded him to stop giving me flowers and gifts. I didn’t want to go out Valentine’s Day or the weekend of it, because we went out to eat all the time and went on our dates to great place on a regular basis. I didn’t want him feeling the pressure to get me something or do something special for that one day in the calendar when he always did it for me anyway. Why would you have to give someone a gift of love for a day in the year? Maybe it is because Dex has always showered me with gifts on a daily basis ever since we have been together that he killed it for me. Dexter has always been very unselfish and giving, not only to me, but to people he comes into contact with. I remember when I was struggling with school and working two jobs. He told me to quit one of my jobs. He paid for my car, insurance payments and credit card bills. He helped me pay for things I needed for school. He took me on full paid vacations and cruises and showed me the world. He has always spoiled me rotten. I think that is the reason why Valentine’s Day is just like any other day for me. So of course, even though Dex knows I don’t want any gifts or that trip to a fancy restaurant, he never fails to get me even a little something on Valentine’s Day. I woke up to a card with a beautiful message on the inside. He also always gets me my favorite chocolate- Ferrero Rocher. Since I am trying to cut back on chocolate, he gave me just three pieces- symbolizing I Love You! He’s so sweet! But not to spoil it- I still wish everyone a day and life full of love and romance on this Valentine’s Day.
Last week, I went and finally got my tattoo that I have been waiting to get done in the last couple of years. I finally found the picture I wanted and have been searching for. I love the infinity sign and I knew my mark had to have something associated with it. I got married in the month of August, which is the number 8, for that very reason. 8 is the infinity sign turned in a different direction. I Love Love. I have always been a very emotional person when it comes to Love. It melts my heart and I am glad I have it in my life. So this tattoo that I got symbolizes infinite love. That is what I have with my husband and that is what he has given me- my family. It was painful, but it’s done and I LOVE it.
I absolutely do LOVE it. It is everything that represent me. My infinity sign that I love so much. My anniversary month. My marriage. My family. Our love. It looks bigger than it actually is in this picture, but it is the perfect size. It is right on my neck/back. What matters the most is that my husband loves it too. He was really against me getting another tattoo, but he loved it after seeing the concept. I don’t regret doing it at all. That is all. May your everyday be filled with more than just flowers, candy and that gift. I wish you the REAL thing on a daily basis. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! 
