Catching Up on Me!

You may have noticed that I’ve sort of been on sabbatical the past little while.

I posted on Monday about the reason behind it (in part).

But let’s move past the drama and leave that in the workplace. Let’s talk about what has been going on since the last time we really spoke.

FITBIT/WALK: I’ve continued on my path of making sure I get my 10,000 steps in by using my FitBit. I absolutely love being able to track my activity. I’ve done as much as about 18k in a day and most days I make it to 10k. Because of physical limitations I’ve been not on my feet so much this week, but I should be back to normal soon.

My niece Mika also got a FitBit so we can push each other. She was doing really well for a bit but has slowed down (but she is 13, so, you know – a teenager) but I’m trying  to push her. She was beating me and I need the inspiration!  If you still aren’t my friend on there – I’d love to be FitBit Pals!

ANNIVERSARY: On April 26^th my husband and I celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary. We were able to take a day off and go on a short weekend getaway up the California Coast. If you follow me on Facebook you will have seen a ton of pictures. We went to Hearst Castle and lingered on the coast. We had both been before, but not for over 10-15 years. It’s a gorgeous place and the history is incredible. If you ever get the change I recommend it (even though it is a little pricey - $25 per tour and I think there are 2 or 3 in total). We also went to Morro Bay the next day and had a great time.  

I’ll write a post just on this because the weekend deserves its own attention.

MOTHER’s DAY: Thomas and I celebrated Mother’s Day the night before by taking our mommy’s to dinner at Flemmings. It was an interesting night. My mom doesn’t speak English and his doesn’t speak Spanish. My mom was not happy with the food – her meat with undercooked (she likes it well done). We complained and they took it back but when they brought it out again it was still red inside. One of the managers asked her how it was and when she said it was still red he said that if they cooked it more it would be burned. Umm. No. That’s only if you don’t know how to cook a steak well done.  We were able to talk to someone else, who spoke Spanish, who was able to remove the steak from her bill and give her a free dessert. Score for our bank account!

VOTE!: On May 19^th we had a small local election for school board. I have voted in every single election since I turned 18 and am happy to continue with that. Unfortunately the candidate I wanted didn’t win – but it’s the fact that I voted that counts.

May 21^st: On May 21^st it was a year since my sister passed away. I left work early and went to the cemetery with my parents and Jonathan (who was at their house at the time). It was a gorgeous day and it was nice to know that my sister is somewhere that is beautiful and that has such a great view.

NAILS: For the first time since before my wedding I went to get a mani/pedi with my mom. I had stopped going to save money because $27 every month seemed like a bit much. However I WAS paying $75/mo for a housekeeper, but her last month was December – so that’s a lot of money I’ve saved on that… and I’ve been doing it instead which means… I deserve this! It was nice to be pampered again. I decided on the pedicure at the last minute and that ended up being a good decision.

PICNIC: My niece has been planning Memorial Day picnic’s for the past 5 years (except last year since I was in Argentina on my Honeymoon at the time). This year we had it at a nice park in which she held it the first year as well.  And apparently I don’t learn my lessons. The first time we had it there in 2012 I was walking barefoot on the grass (what I always did when I was little) and stepped on a freaking bee. It stung me on my toe of my left foot. It got swollen and I got a nice little picture of it. Guess what happened this year!? Once again I stepped on a bee as I walked back from the ice cream truck (same thing as last time). This time it was smack in the middle of my right foot. The first day I was fine but the itching woke me up in the middle of the night. By Tuesday morning I could barely walk.  Luckily I brought back Caladryl from Argentina last year and that has helped, but again on Tuesday night I woke up twice with incredible itchiness! The area got more swollen and red through Wednesday but finally overnight into Thursday it finally started to get better.

I was walking on the side of my foot which now has left that painful. *sigh*

This is the reason why my steps have not been up to 10k this week.

So that is me for the past month or two! 

Weekend Recap/Monday Rewind

This weekend felt nice. Which sort of hurts to write. I shouldn't be feeling nice/good/fine. 

Friday was tough. My mom went to visit my sister in the hospital and... well it's just not good news. I broke down at work. I broke down on Saturday with my husband. I broke down on the phone with my eldest sister. 

The day ended in higher spirits. My niece and nephew's school was having a Family Fun Night event and my dad and I took them so they could play games, jump, and generally have tons of fun. 

Daddy and me selfie.

That's Jonathan up there! 

Nikki had a blueberryItalian Ice, can you tell?

Jonathan with his best friend, Evan!

Playing  a carnival game.

Mmmmm, yummy quesadillas for dinner!

On Saturday morning I took my momma to the dentist and then met my friend at the park with the kids for the opening of a new playground which includes a water area - a total cost of $1.8 million!

Mitchell Englander, our city counsel member.

Ribbon cutting ceremony.

We ended up staying at the park for a good 2 to 3 hours. The kids had a blast. 

I spent the afternoon and evening relaxing and slowly cleaning some parts/areas of the condo. Slowly but surely! 

I did get the "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" decoration up over our bed...

On Sunday Thomas and I took our mom's out to lunch.

I look soooo small! 

His mom invited us over for dinner Sunday night, along with his sisters and brother-in-law. 

I finally got the items that our neighbors lent us back to them Sunday night as well. I also packed all my clothing on Sunday night. I need many more items to pack, but it's a start. I'm frustrated because since my things aren't put away and organized I can't find things that I need for the trip (ie: sneakers). I'm also starting to feel stressed about being able to get everything ready before Friday. This includes actually planning the itinerary. 

While I already have the flights reserved and paid for as well as the hotels, I really want to have it organized and written out. I'll work on that this week during work (so that means less blogging!). As with everything it will all work out, but the in between sucks.

Happy Monday!

Mami's Day!

We all have amazing mom’s and mine is no exception.

She is one of the strongest and most valiant persons I know. When I stop to think about everything that she has gone through in her life I am in complete awe of how she was able to go through all of it and come out the way she has. Simply amazing.

My mom is the third eldest of 8 children and began playing the mommy role when she was very young. Her youngest sister had some medical issues that left her needing close care. Since my grandma had so many kids to take care of my mom took on the responsibility of caring for her baby sister.

That's me inside my momma!

My mami got married when she was 24 years old (my dad was 33, almost 34) and got pregnant soon thereafter. Their wedding date is July 19, 1968 and my sister was born on May 3, 1969. (That’s almost 46 years of marriage!). My brother came not 2 years later on October 24, 1970, and then my other sister (the one who is in the hospital) was born on April 1, 1972.

By the mid ‘70’s she had 3 little ones running around her feet.

As I’ve mentioned previously my sister Gabriela got sick when she was 9 months old and from then until this very minute my mom has not only been a mom but she has been a nurse and doctor. She has also been an organ donor to her daughter – the most selfless thing a mother can possibly do in my opinion.

Awwwww.

My first bath!

I’ve seen many posts over the past few days about mothers and daughters not getting along too well during teenage years but that was not the case for us. Although I wouldn’t have considered my mom my best friend 10-15 years ago, we always got along. We went shopping together often and I accompanied my parents grocery shopping every Sunday until I started working retail and had to work on Sunday mornings.

Nap time with my mommy!

Today, at almost 30, my mom is definitely my best friend. If I could take her everywhere with me I would. I e-mail her constantly (she doesn’t text, but she’s good at e-mailing on her iPad!) and I call her multiple times a day (she would probably prefer I didn’t) and she and I go out shopping at least a couple of times a week(much to both our husbands’ dismay).

She is the person I confide in and the person who will give me the advice I really don’t want to hear. She’ll listen to me and not say anything or simply agree with me because she knows I like to have the last word. I’ve just recently realized how she does this for me and I don’t think she knows how much I appreciate it. Still, she knows when to put me in my place and let me know when I had to just shut up.

On an airplane on the way to Argentina.

She was there for me 100% for my wedding. She went shopping with me for my dress and paid for all of it because she knew how much it meant to me (even though she disagreed with it). She was willing to be a part of the wedding ceremony even though she is very shy and doesn’t like to be the center of attention. She also (along with my dad) are paying for our honeymoon.

(I’m such a nerd, I’m crying just writing this – I love her so much!)

My mom, grandma, and my paternal grandmother's friend from long ago.

La Plata, Argentina - 1994

My mom helped me do the majority of my moving and guides me in becoming a good wife (either by telling me do something she does or by doing something she doesn’t do :).

My mom and I in the apartment my siblings grew up in.

La Plata, Argentina

I hate going shopping without my mom (and I can’t stand to think what I’ll do when she is no longer here with me). We had grown a tradition of going shopping on weekend mornings. On Saturday’s we’d go to the mall with my niece and get some Starbucks (her favorite! Coffee addict!) and just stroll the stores – even if there was nothing for us to buy. On Sunday’s we generally did grocery shopping together.

My mom and I (along with my sister-in-law's and niece) at my Bridal Shower.

Simi Valley, CA - 2014

Mom and me on a shopping trip.

I’m really hoping these weekend traditions will come back in some way (they have been suspended due to my sister being in the hospital).  We have been doing errands in the evenings which I love. Shopping is our thing. We also used to take long walks in the evenings around the neighborhood and talked about just about anything. I can’t wait for life to settle down so we can get back to that as well.

Dinner with my mom and dad.

My mom is 70 years old and I hope to get many, many, many more mother’s days with her. She is my heart and she means so very much to me.

I love you Mami!