My baby Anna

36 years ago at about this time I was fixing Efren' s breakfast and packing his lunch as always. I remember his instruction to have the baby Today, but i 😎only explained I had no control over these things, and the baby will come when it's ready!
 I felt a bit queezy, and couldn' wait to go lay down. he soon left for work, and I went to take a nap, hoping my rather large belly would settle down as I waited for the main event. I had no idea that you were trying to tell me it was time!😆
Around 8:30 I awoke from a restful sleep, and realized that these cramps were puzzling, and feared something was going on, that was not like the normal pregnancy discomfort. I didn't really believe I was in labor, because my due date was not until Jan 8th. I had asked the doctor, "How will I know?" several times, and he assured me that when I was truly in labor, there would be No Doubt about it!
 I started noticing that feeling a few more times, so thought it was time to call my mom and dad, so they could take me to get checked, thinking probably this was that false labor that the books talked about.

Mom and Dad soon arrived, and I invited them in for a visit, thinking these feelings would soon pass, but felt better with their presence, just in case.

I did a bit of housework, and my mom Sat with me as I cleaned the bathroom sink. I thought it wise to time what I now believed to be contractions, thinking that is probably the first question they will ask, when I arrive at the hospital. Let's just say there was little doubt as to what was happening now!

Mom used my Dads wristwatch for the official timing, and the first test showed 3 minutes apart. To confirm, as I was lifted into my toes with the next one, yup, 3 minutes-Holy Crap, we gotta go NOW!

I remember fairly rolling myself into the backseat of dad's 78 Thunderbird, and he took off for Lakewood General. I remember hoping we would make it in time, and as we neared So Tacoma way, I realized we would cross the railroad tracks, and slightly feared the "flight",as with this speed, the dip just may be my undoing! yup, quite a thrill added to the journey.

I was wheeled into a room around 11:30 and immediatly prepped, connected to monitors, and hooked up to the IV drip with patosin. My mom was by my side the whole time. She  was very intrigued with the monitorung, and shared each ride of the contractions. 

Patosin made me hurl, which i think ultimately deepened the strength of the contractions. I remember trying to sleep in between them, just to prepare. Before long, I felt the uncontrollable urge to Push. 

I told Mom to Get the Nurse! and after watching another contraction pass on the monitor, she did. 

Such efficiency, these nurses really knew what to do, and after checking me, called the doctor. I remember trying to be patient and hoping he would arrive in time, cause this baby was Coming Out!

The doctor arrived just in time, of couse, and the team guided me through the delivery part. My mom had the honor of cutting the cord, and shared the news that I had delivered a beautiful little girl! My heart soared as I watched them clean my little pink bundle, and tears of joy ran down our faces!

So Anna was born at 3:41 pm, 9lbs, 2 oz, 21 inches long, if my memory serves me correctly. I wanted to share my story here, on in the blog, so that if the memory ever starts to fade, we will still have our story of the most amazing day of my life! 

Happy Birthday Anna Maria!

Love JoMama

One foot forward

Sometimes I feel like one step forward, two steps back.
Recently I stepped outside my comfort zone, and had the chance to travel to Denver to learn rock climbing. From that experience, I gained some perspective into my life, and realized I had been neglecting my adventurous, and somewhat outdoorsy self. I got back into a vigorous exercise routine, and even returned to Scandanavian folk dancing.  Oh the feeling of twirling! Accomplishment, once again driving me forward to embrace or muddle through much needed home projects, a rekindled social life, and an occasional girls night out to keep me looking forward to what rewards await After the chores are done.
I dont even want to think about the communication issues I am experiencing with my husband of almost 11 years, and how i am not sure whether we will continue to grow older together. I don't want to recognize that my mom's health seems to be declining, or how my foot pain could be early signs of a serious problem.
In my mind, at least for now, I will keep putting one foot in front of the other, and remember the exhilarating feel of the dance.

Love the Harvest, Harvest the Love

Camp Courage friends

 My camp adventure ended at the base of 150 ft. climb, that we all repelled down. A fabulous ending, and our final acts of courage together in this trip.
I will cherish the harvest of love I received, and do my best to pay the feeling forward, again and again.

Upon my return home I was greeted by this wonderful garden bounty. I had more than this, and like to share with my neighbors. I hope they enjoy the fantastic freshness in their own homes.
I started my breakfast with coconut oil date of onions, some summer squash, and green beans from my harvest last night. I scrambled in some eggs, and topped it off with some feta cheese and heirloom tomatoes. I am always thankful for the dekiciis combinations that come from a little hard work, and perservierance.

My week has been filled with a harvest of love, in many ways.

Camp Courage 2016

I have the opportunity to attend Camp Courage🦁, a program through my work that is designed to help cancer survivors get back to a more normalized life, and make some new friends we might never have met.
The event is held this time outside of Denver, and I and 2 other survivors will be taught rock climbing!😮
As I waited for the Start of 'camp' I visited a family friend and got to know her better. That was the best part of my trip, being able to build a lasting relationship! From her house I toured Estes Park and took a leisurely Sunday drive down to Black Hawk. What a beautiful, cool drive through the mountain pass!
I awoke early and decided to tour the Denver Mint, learning all about the manufacture of coins and the jobs we provide by hording coins, as collectors. Nice to know we are doing our part to build the economy.
I am currently waiting to coordinate with my fellow passengers, and having fun taking pics for people on the chairlift display. ahhh the scrapbooker in me can't pass an opportunity to build memories!😆TTYL

Camp Courage 2016

I have the opportunity to attend Camp Courage🦁, a program through my work that is designed to help cancer survivors get back to a more normalized life, and make some new friends we might never have met.
The event is held this time outside of Denver, and I and 2 other survivors will be taught rock climbing!😮
As I waited for the Start of 'camp' I visited a family friend and got to know her better. That was the best part of my trip, being able to build a lasting relationship! From her house I toured Estes Park and took a leisurely Sunday drive down to Black Hawk. What a beautiful, cool drive through the mountain pass!
I awoke early and decided to tour the Denver Mint, learning all about the manufacture of coins and the jobs we provide by hording coins, as collectors. Nice to know we are doing our part to build the economy.
I am currently waiting to coordinate with my fellow passengers, and having fun taking pics for people on the chairlift display. ahhh the scrapbooker in me can't pass an opportunity to build memories!😆TTYL

I recently changed phones, and though I am happy with the upgrade, i was not able to transfer my pics, nor my notes. This gives me a chance to start with fresh thoughts, which I am sure you can't wait to listen to.(I am sure you hear my voice, if you already know me)

Today I am waiting for my flight to Denver. I have been looking forward to spending time with my bother's sister-in-law, and I finally have an opportunity to do just that.

My other reason for a trip to Denver is that I have been invited to attend Camp Courage through my work. The program is participating with First Descents, a program to teach me rock climbing. I know, I never would have tried anything like this in my own. Our company offers this excursion for cancer survivors, to help us conquer our fears, and share with others what amazing things we have already been dealing with. Pretty cool, if you ask me!

So as I embark on my adventure, I thought that maybe some of you have had the opportunity to take on a challenge that you never planned to include, and I'd sure like you to tell me how Fabulous you felt when you achieved your goal.

Ta ta for now!

A night at the Mandela

After having relatively low to no waiting around lately , the thought  occurred  to me that I can still Make  some time to write a bit.
So I'll share my favorite  day and one of the adventures and challenges I encountered on my vacation in November.
My husband Peter and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in  Puerto Vallarta the first week of November. Fabulous warm  weather, beautiful resort, super nice and accommodating people,  and great foods- just what we wanted in our vacation. The pool was refreshing without being cold, and the ocean seemed great for all those  who were swimming there. We made friends with a few other guest's and enjoyed laying out to work on our tans. There were  many organized activities, and one that we decided to join was a trip to town for dancing in the evening. We arrived with the other resort folks and after locating seats, we went to the dance floor. Was it ever fun to have a group of fun loving, dancing however we want to  people filling my evening with music and eye candy and smiles. After a margaritas filled day we really got moving with the crowd! All the music was from the US, so my karaoke sing along dream was also fulfilled.
Well eventually I used the restroom, and unfortunately took off my cross body purse, and you gessed it, left it hanging there, unbeknownst to me at the time, of course.
After dancing for what felt like a couple more hours, I returned to the restroom, had a brief moment of recognition and realized that I did not have my purse. Mild panic caused me to return to my original stall, and all the other stalls, to check for the missing article. Darn, no luck, so I also asked the restroom attendant,  and she knew nothing either, double darn. Now at this point the only other thing to do is report the missing purse, and hope someone turns it in eventually.
So I returned to our table after reporting the lost bolsa to one of the many security guards, with my limited spanish, and my deep seated knowledge that I will probably never see that purse again. Funny how losing something instantly had me taking an inventory of contents, and in that process, realizing how fortunate  I was for locking most important things in the room safe at the hotel!
So did we go home immediately? No way I was giving up a night of fun because of a mishap! After a few more dances, we did leave for the hotel, and Peter gallantly paid for everything the rest of the evening, too.
Upon our return, I found that I had not taken my phone- hooray! And after checking  the safe, my passport was still there, so all in all, a terrible inconvenience to cancel cards, but not nearly as horrible as getting through the first moments of loss!
My lesson learned was to NOT take off a purse, or better yet, not take one out dancing, and let my husband pamper me instead!