A couple of weekends ago we went home for my father's 60th birthday. We were really excited about going to DC, I had been getting pretty homesick since we hadn't been there since April. It's funny. On the plane on the way there, I was talking to the guy sitting next to me, and he asked me if I was visiting or coming home. I said to him, "DC is home, but we live in Atlanta". What can I say, I lived in the same house for 22 years until I got married. I can't wait to move closer. With God's grace, Andres will be able to graduate next May and we'll sell our house quickly so we can move.
But anyways, back to the weekend. We had the extra bonus of my sister having had her 7th baby (little Agnes Christine) the day we arrived! So that meant her other 6 were staying with us at my parents' house. It was definitely a full house. My mom remarked how she was going from having to cook for only 2 people to cooking for 11!! We had a great time though.
Upon being picked up at the airport by my dad driving my sister's 15 passenger van, we went straight to the hospital to meet the newest addition to the family. Mom, dad, and baby were all healthy and happy. I'm glad we made the trek out to the hospital that night, because unfortunately it was the only time we got to see Marisa and Dave.
Saturday we went to a fall harvest festival in Fredericksburg. We had tons of fun there. There was a corn maze that we split into teams and raced through, my team won!!! There were baby pig races. I don't think the pigs knew they were racing. There was pumpkin cannons, swinging on ropes in to hay, big slides, and a hayride. Fun was had by all.
Sunday we celebrated Papi's birthday with a gourmet lunch that my mom prepared. It was super yummy. Papi was surprised to receive a wine cooler from all of us.
Andres had to go home Sunday evening, but I stayed an extra night and got to watch the Redskins game with my brother and dad. I donned my Darrell Green jersey that I got dirt cheap on e-bay and had fun watching the game with true football, Redskins fans. My husband likes football, but he doesn't quite get into it like I do. I guess since he hasn't had to cheer for a sorry team like the Redskins he just doesn't have the passion, yet. He's getting more into the games. But unlike us, when "his team" loses, it doesn't put him in a bad mood. And I put that in quotation marks because I tease that Andres is a bandwagon fan, which he gets mad abot somtimes. He just cheers for whatever team he lives near. He didn't really grow up watching football. He didn't even know who Emmit Smith was. He even thinks that I will let him cheer for the Eagles should we move to Philadelphia. So wrong. He doens't quite get the division rival thing yet. But anyways, fortunately the Redskins won, in over time. Very stressful game.
Monday, my parents and the kids and I had a picnic along the Potomac River off the GW parkway. The weather was beautiful. Then we went to Gravelly Point to see the airplanes take-off. It's been so long since I had been there. The kids did not seem to think it was as cool as I did, remarking that it was more fun at Abuela's house because there was "nothing to do" at Gravelly Point. And little almost 3-year-old Kay kept remarking there was no playground. I thought it was cool. It's impressive to see the planes take-off and think how man found the ability to fly.
Then it was time to head back to Atlanta. It was a great wekend and went by too quickly. It's always hard to leave.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Fall-like Weather and Football
These last two days we have woken up to crisp fall-like weather. Definitely feels very nice, since this was an exceptionally hot summer. We would love to live somewhere that has weather like this for longer periods than you get in Atlanta.
Last night Julia and I went to the Virginia – Georgia Tech game. We had a blast, just wish that Virginia had represented itself better than they did. The only good thing was that we at least saw them put some points on the board, and were able to sing the “Good Ol’ Song” with the other Virginia fans that were sitting near us.
-Andres
Last night Julia and I went to the Virginia – Georgia Tech game. We had a blast, just wish that Virginia had represented itself better than they did. The only good thing was that we at least saw them put some points on the board, and were able to sing the “Good Ol’ Song” with the other Virginia fans that were sitting near us.
-Andres
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Recent Studies on Global Warming
Yesterday I came across a speech given by Al Gore on the recent discoveries on global warming. Here is the link to his speech:
Al Gore, Sep. 18, 2006, NYU Law School.
He states how the American Institute of Architecture and the National Conference of Mayors have endorsed the "2030 Challenge," asking the global architecture and building community to immediately transform building design to require that all new buildings and developments be designed to use one half the fossil fuel energy they would typically consume for each building type, and that all new buildings be carbon neutral by 2030, using zero fossil fuels to operate.
I find what he said to be very moving, and an eye opener to what our situation really is, and how we need to start changes now or it will be too late for our children to have a chance.
Al Gore, Sep. 18, 2006, NYU Law School.
He states how the American Institute of Architecture and the National Conference of Mayors have endorsed the "2030 Challenge," asking the global architecture and building community to immediately transform building design to require that all new buildings and developments be designed to use one half the fossil fuel energy they would typically consume for each building type, and that all new buildings be carbon neutral by 2030, using zero fossil fuels to operate.
I find what he said to be very moving, and an eye opener to what our situation really is, and how we need to start changes now or it will be too late for our children to have a chance.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Agua de violetas
Last night we went to a Shakira concert. It was an awesome show; the music was great, the people were fun. We really had a great time.
Besides a good soccer game, there may be nothing else that gathers so many hispanics as a Shakira concert. As we were approaching the door to enter Phillips arena, amidst the throngs of other hispanics, I was reminded of how us hispanics love to bathe ourselves in cologne and perfume. I guess it's something we're taught from birth, being "baptized" daily in agua de violetas (maybe that's just a Cuban thing). Even one of my preschool students in CCD last year came wearing cologne every week. And no, it was not rubbed off from his dad. I guarantee you they put cologne on their son. And as much as the overdosing on perfumes and colognes bothers my nose somtimes, I am just as guilty. I admit, I LOVE wearing perfume. I work with kids that tend to hypersensitive to different smells so unfortunately I can't wear any to work. But I love picking out which perfume to wear when we go out. And you better believe that my kids too will be "bathed" in agua de violetas. I still love the smell of it.
Besides a good soccer game, there may be nothing else that gathers so many hispanics as a Shakira concert. As we were approaching the door to enter Phillips arena, amidst the throngs of other hispanics, I was reminded of how us hispanics love to bathe ourselves in cologne and perfume. I guess it's something we're taught from birth, being "baptized" daily in agua de violetas (maybe that's just a Cuban thing). Even one of my preschool students in CCD last year came wearing cologne every week. And no, it was not rubbed off from his dad. I guarantee you they put cologne on their son. And as much as the overdosing on perfumes and colognes bothers my nose somtimes, I am just as guilty. I admit, I LOVE wearing perfume. I work with kids that tend to hypersensitive to different smells so unfortunately I can't wear any to work. But I love picking out which perfume to wear when we go out. And you better believe that my kids too will be "bathed" in agua de violetas. I still love the smell of it.
Monday, September 04, 2006
PCB
We spent this past Labor Day weekend in Panama City Beach visiting Abuelita Gladys. We weren't really looking forward to travelling on the holiday weekend (and we did spend an extra hour and half in the car on our way home because of the traffic), but it was really nice to get away for the weekend. We spent Saturday on the beach and drinking frozen drinks, going to the dog track, and Sunday we spent on my uncle's boat looking for sand dollars and swimming with dolphins. It was a great weekend. We got some much needed time to ourselves, and got to spend time catching up with the family. It's amazing what you can pack into two short days away from home.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Faith and Healing
I struggled for the longest time to find a doctor I liked, a doctor that wasn't afraid to let their morals dictate how they practiced. I was tired of the stupid Kaiser physicans saying that the sympto-thermal method and the rhythm method were the same thing. Or being asked when I went in to confirm that I was pregnant if I was going to keep the baby. Or them making me feel irresponsible because I wouldn't consent to having a shot to terminate the pregnancy when they kind of sort of suspected that I might be having an ectopic pregnancy. Or when stupid Dr. Nixon suggested that I think of plan B to prevent the pregnancy from being ectopic (which you can't prevent anyways, so you know what she really meant by "prevent") if I "made a mistake" and got pregnant (Can you tell I hate Kaiser?). I am so tired of all the crap that you have to put up with and how doctors start to worry so much about their own asses and getting sued that they don't stop to think of the patient's needs anymore. I myself am in the healthcare field and I confess, it took a while (and a long debate at the beach with my family), for me to realize that I don't have to just turn a blind eye and keep my faith out of my work. On the contrary, I now strive to be characterized by my faith. I wear a cross to work, I tell my patients I pray for them, I talk about God's will when consoling my patients and their families. It is who I am. And if those patients have a problem with it or with me, then they can go see someone else. I am not going to change who I am just so that I don't offend someone.
But I'm getting off topic. My mom always talked about her doctor and how their were images of the Virgina Mary in the clinic. It sounded like exactly what I needed, except I was in Atlanta and my parents are in DC. After contacting some NFP teachers, I was blessed to find Dr. Raviele. This morning I was reading the Washington Post online and found this article. The cool thing is it talks about my mom's doctor, and my doctor here in Atlanta is also quoted. I hope that more and more practices like this continue to open.
But I'm getting off topic. My mom always talked about her doctor and how their were images of the Virgina Mary in the clinic. It sounded like exactly what I needed, except I was in Atlanta and my parents are in DC. After contacting some NFP teachers, I was blessed to find Dr. Raviele. This morning I was reading the Washington Post online and found this article. The cool thing is it talks about my mom's doctor, and my doctor here in Atlanta is also quoted. I hope that more and more practices like this continue to open.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Long day
Today was a long day. Started out with BFN today which was really disappointing.
Then Equis was really bad on his walk and refused to go to the bathroom. So I left him with a warning that if he went in the house he'd be in big trouble.
At least the drive to work was uneventful.
At work, though, I noticed a horrible smell as soon as I walked in the door. Apparently, one of the owners decided we would paint in the clinic last night, right by our desks. The fumes were AWFUL. I almost came home early because they made me so sick. I wish I had because my last kid of the day had a total meltdown. Now, there are only a couple things that I ABSOLUTELY do put up with from my kiddos (patients). One is raising their voice at me. I will not allow some "mocoso" to yell at me. The other is hitting me, or any other type of physical aggression. So little "Bob" went on immediate time out when he hit me because he didn't feel like wearing ankle weights. Well, trying to get a kiddo with Asperger's to sit quietly and face the wall is harder than it sounds. You would have thought I was beating the child when all I was asking was that he keep still and quiet and facing the wall. I mean, he was sobbing, hitting, kicking, throwing the chair. At one point, he starts throwing himself on me and moans "I'm dying!". He was breaking my heart. I hate when my kiddos get so out of control, I just feel so bad for them because they really have crossed a point in which they have absolutely no control. Any type of reasoning or consoling is almost hopeless. It made me scared about raising my own kids. I don't know if I'll have the strength not to just pick them up just so they stop crying.
At least my drive home wasn't bad.
Well, we decided earlier in the day that we really wanted spaghetti for dinner. So we start defrosting ground beef in the microwave. Well, I don't know if it's because I didn't take it out of the plastic bag first or because our freezer broke 2 weeks ago so some of our meat started to thaw and then refroze, but something STANK. We decided it was completely unedible. It was already past 7 so we didn't want to start over. So after debating whether we should order out Italian or just make something at home, we decided on saving some money and having chicken nuggets. So we turned on the oven and went to walk to dogs. Now remember, Equis did not poop this morning. So we were sure he had to go on his evening walk. Well, he was SO bad. He saw another dog and then refused to go to the bathroom. We tried to make him go for at least 20 minutes. It was no go. So if he tries to wake us up in the middle of the night because he's desperate, we wil not be happy campers.
Then we come inside to find that the oven is cold. Not that it's not done preheating, but cold. No heat whatsoever. Which sucks because we just spent about 200 bucks to get the fridge fixed, and then had to get new tires for the car. So not excited about having to get the oven fixed now.
I guess the evening was salvaged in part by the fact that we did get our spaghetti in the end. We figured it was destined for us to have Italian takeout. It was really yummy and I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day.
Then Equis was really bad on his walk and refused to go to the bathroom. So I left him with a warning that if he went in the house he'd be in big trouble.
At least the drive to work was uneventful.
At work, though, I noticed a horrible smell as soon as I walked in the door. Apparently, one of the owners decided we would paint in the clinic last night, right by our desks. The fumes were AWFUL. I almost came home early because they made me so sick. I wish I had because my last kid of the day had a total meltdown. Now, there are only a couple things that I ABSOLUTELY do put up with from my kiddos (patients). One is raising their voice at me. I will not allow some "mocoso" to yell at me. The other is hitting me, or any other type of physical aggression. So little "Bob" went on immediate time out when he hit me because he didn't feel like wearing ankle weights. Well, trying to get a kiddo with Asperger's to sit quietly and face the wall is harder than it sounds. You would have thought I was beating the child when all I was asking was that he keep still and quiet and facing the wall. I mean, he was sobbing, hitting, kicking, throwing the chair. At one point, he starts throwing himself on me and moans "I'm dying!". He was breaking my heart. I hate when my kiddos get so out of control, I just feel so bad for them because they really have crossed a point in which they have absolutely no control. Any type of reasoning or consoling is almost hopeless. It made me scared about raising my own kids. I don't know if I'll have the strength not to just pick them up just so they stop crying.
At least my drive home wasn't bad.
Well, we decided earlier in the day that we really wanted spaghetti for dinner. So we start defrosting ground beef in the microwave. Well, I don't know if it's because I didn't take it out of the plastic bag first or because our freezer broke 2 weeks ago so some of our meat started to thaw and then refroze, but something STANK. We decided it was completely unedible. It was already past 7 so we didn't want to start over. So after debating whether we should order out Italian or just make something at home, we decided on saving some money and having chicken nuggets. So we turned on the oven and went to walk to dogs. Now remember, Equis did not poop this morning. So we were sure he had to go on his evening walk. Well, he was SO bad. He saw another dog and then refused to go to the bathroom. We tried to make him go for at least 20 minutes. It was no go. So if he tries to wake us up in the middle of the night because he's desperate, we wil not be happy campers.
Then we come inside to find that the oven is cold. Not that it's not done preheating, but cold. No heat whatsoever. Which sucks because we just spent about 200 bucks to get the fridge fixed, and then had to get new tires for the car. So not excited about having to get the oven fixed now.
I guess the evening was salvaged in part by the fact that we did get our spaghetti in the end. We figured it was destined for us to have Italian takeout. It was really yummy and I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day.
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