Category: Friendship

Monday, October 27th – I had a long to-do list that needed to be accomplished before 4pm. Alaethia’s 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Hammond, had approached me about encouraging her to join UIL Creative Writing. So I did, and she accepted and she gets out of practice at 4pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. I was glad to pick her up and find that she really enjoyed herself :). When I’d brought it up to her the day before, she was nervous and got teary about it. She had flashbacks from last year, when she tried out for Chess Club and she was left in the cafeteria with the bus kids, they tried putting her on a bus and she didn’t even get to try out till Mario got there and couldn’t find her. So, I got where she was coming from, what with being traumatized and all. But, Mrs. Hammond walked her to the pick up area so she could become familiar with the routine, so that was great :).

Got home and talked to the boys, then helped Jaylen re-do his Powerpoint presentation that we’d worked on over the weekend. Helped the girls with homework, made Frito-pie chili (awful, you don’t have to tell me!!) and then watched “Guardians of the Galaxy” with them and Jorgie and Justin. Of course I missed the entire thing ’cause I fell asleep, heh.

Tuesday, October 28th – Tuesday was another day spent going non-stop at work; calling potential exhibitors for the upcoming Expo and working on January’s 1st Expo. It was another day I had to get my to-do list done before 4pm. Although it felt amazing to get 30 extra minutes at home with the girls, I helped Alaethia with her math till 7pm. The way they teach that math, OMG, it’s ridiculous. Completely different from the way I learned math, but well, that was decades ago!

Once the girls had finished up homework, eaten dinner, showed me videos on Youtube and were put into bed, Jorge, John and I watched Sons of Anarchy. My favorite part of Tuesday :).

Wednesday, October 29th – I got the girls ready to go right on time and dropped them off (in the drop-off area–such big girls!) and then I made my way to United Way to meet the girls for a Forum we were invited to. It was very informational and we got to have some snacks. Ms. Thelma outdid herself with the decorations, like always :).

I arrived to the office and ran to the kitchen/conference room to help serve fajitas for the luncheon at work. We had so many people arrive, which is good, but out of 200, only 100 RSVP’d =\. We almost ran out of food; the staff got to scrounge around for bits hehe. Still, I was grateful for my awesome taco and then went to the front desk for reception duty. I wore heels that day for the first time in months…and realized right away just WHY I never wear them anymore. Grr. My feet haven’t been the same since, I think. #oldfart

Thursday, October 30th – Got to work after dropping the girls off and my boss and I started the day by scouting new exhibitors. We actually got one to sign up on the spot! It’s amazing how many new health-related businesses there are since February!

Got back and got ready for a lunch meeting regarding that same Expo. We’ve been having weekly meetings since it’s so close. I’ve never had so much Jason’s Deli in my life hehe.

Since Mario had already taken the girls (his weekend), Rosie and I took a stroll through a nearby thrift shop to find something 60’s-esque for the Annual Banquet. Michelle, Rosie and I had realized with a jolt of shock that the Annual Banquet was in a week…and we had no costumes yet.

So we looked around and found a few things and laughed at a few other ensembles but didn’t find anything we actually liked once we tried them on. We decided to check out Amazon with Michelle the next day.

Friday, October 31st – Halloween! This would be the first Halloween in 3 years we don’t have my kiddos. I’d gotten away with having them so far, even when it was their Dad’s weekend, but he asked to have them this year =\.

We had cake from Maritza and those delicious cookies Trisha brings from Sweet N Tasty every year. I got ready for our Food Festival meeting and once we finished up with that, met Valerie at her workplace. She’d invited us a couple of weeks before to try out their amazing burgers and visit the facility since we’d never been.

It was a great visit; they were having their Halloween costume contest and pumpkin-decorating contest, so that was fun to watch/judge.

And the burgers…oh my gosh, the burgers. They really were amazing!!

We headed to make more visits for the Expo. Got back to the office and checked out costumes with Michelle and Rosie. We ordered some and crossed our fingers. Then I made some calls and took some payments and made my way home.

I was feeling a little lonely since the kids weren’t home. We’d been invited to Jim and Joyce’s yearly Halloween party but I wasn’t feeling much up to going. Jorge got home and at the last minute, we decided hey, we’re kid-less, why not go out and enjoy ourselves?

I found my bag of Halloween makeup (bought tons last year on clearance) and made a quick zombie costume. Jorge got out of work a bit later than he planned, so he didn’t dress up. We waited for my kids to arrive (their Dad was nice enough to bring them over) and we had Krispy Kreme donuts I’d bought from a fundraiser and had a quick visit.

Those two!! Hilarious!

My kiddos left and then Jorge and I took off to Jim’s. Jim and Joyce were dressed as hippies (doubled as their costume for the Annual Banquet–smart!!), Thelma and her hubby were a cloud and a person struck by lightning, Michelle was a Christmas “HoHoHo” 😛 and EZ was a priest. We had fun chatting and eating little snacks.

Jim and Joyce always out-do themselves! It wasn’t a very long visit, but we were proud of ourselves for leaving the house for once hehe. All-in-all it was a great Halloween!

Saturday, November 1st – Jorge went to work and I stayed in bed, covers over my head. He kissed me goodbye and told me to sleep. And I did: till 8:30am. And it was AMAZEBALLS!! It was the first weekend in a few months that I didn’t need to be up at 5 or 6am!

I made myself some breakfast and coffee and ate outside on the porch while I read my book, all huddled up in my hoodie and sweatpants.

My happy place <3[/caption] It was 75 degrees outside and such a beautiful day. I put my phone down (where I was reading my eBook) and admired the birdies perched on the branches and flying around. I eventually got sleepy and curled up on the sofa to allow myself to pass out. Then I remembered I had to withdraw money to pay bills and I got over the sleepiness right away. But oh well; duty calls. I even did grocery shopping, cleaning and visited Gramma with Mom :). Evening came and I spoke to my kiddos to see how their day went. Then Jorge and I went over to Noni's for a BBQ. The food was awesome and so were the Peach Belini's and hanging out with Lisa and Joyce is always fun. There were technical difficulties with the movie we were trying to watch outside, but they changed it over to a game and we enjoyed conversation instead. We had officially gone "out" 2 nights in a row! I sat there, taking it all in (TWSS), and thought, Wow. 4 years later and here we are. 4 years ago was a crazy time for us, but we pulled through and here we are together :’).

Mom and I both had doctor’s appointments yesterday. I remember when all I had to do was drive her and wait with her, but now I’m taking the appointment right after hers *sigh*.

It’s been 3 months since my last doctor’s appointment. Got blood work done. I’m really terrified to find out the results of my cholesterol screening, since I haven’t exercised at all since July and haven’t exactly had the best diet lately =\. The positive side is that–even though I FEEL heavier and was eating like crap–I didn’t gain weight. In fact, since my last appointment in June/July, I LOST 5 pounds.

I also asked the doctor about my darn acne. It’s gotten better since June, but I wish it would just GO AWAY ALREADY. He started me up on a pill again and a new gel, so we’ll see how that goes.

We’ll see how Mom’s results are, too. She wasn’t too keen on going, so I’m pretty sure she hasn’t been eating well *sigh*.

By the time we got home from the doctor and waiting for prescriptions it was almost 11am. Being stuck by needles encouraged me to have a healthy breakfast, as much as I wanted that darn Captain Crunch Berries cereal :(.

I cleaned up my bedroom after (somewhat) and organized my nightstand. Then I got ready for work and took off.

It was a slow day at work. Replied to a few e-mails, organized some bills, dropped off an invoice and that was really it. I was hungry by 2pm so I had a Campbell’s soup drink. Then we get an e-mail from Rosie that a company left us some pastries and fruit from Corner Bakery Cafe. FML. I shoulda just had fruit, but I had a piece of bread, too. No willpower, I tell you!

My boss left early and then it was time for a grand-re-opening Ribbon Cutting for Kohnami. It’s under new management and remodeled (it’s been forever since we’d gone there; I think the last time was for Michelle’s birthday last year and it still looked kinda raunchy >_<). We did the RC and then they fed us. OMG. Sushi. Boat. [caption id="attachment_2474" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sushi boat at Kohnami![/caption]

The food was so good. I only served myself 5 little sushi pieces (I can eat around 10!), some rice and edamame.

Wally and EZ kept Michelle, Marie, Rick and I laughing. It was a blast. I ordered some rolls for my love (50% off, can’t beat it!) and was home by 6pm. I called the kiddos, got a summary of their day (the boys were playing Super Smash Bros together and the girls did the usual, like play Littlest Pet Shop and watch their customizing/baking/Littlest Pet Shop/Minecraft videos on YouTube). I rolled out of bed, where I’d been talking on the phone to the kids, and put on my workout clothes. I had told myself all day I was going to run because I ate that bread, heh. I seriously want to get into a routine again, and since Jorge was working and the kids aren’t here this weekend I had no excuse. So I went outside, where mosquitoes swarmed me, and watered my succulents. It was thundering and turning dark fast, so I went inside.

It took me forever to just START running. I put on Biggest Loser on NBC while I ran. I did 30 minutes (5 of those were spent vacuuming under the treadmill LOL) and I was EXHAUSTED. I couldn’t get control of my breathing.

Jorge got home and he ate his dinner while I showered. We watched “The Knick” for a while. I was getting hungry so I made us a snack :).

I managed to stay awake long enough to finish watching “We’re the Millers” and the rest of the most recent Sons of Anarchy episode. I fell asleep when I was watching each one the first time, surprise, surprise!

It was Karina’s birthday party that night at Ice House, but it started at 11pm and I was already falling asleep by 11pm =\. Jorge and I had discussed earlier in the day if we’d end up going.

It just seems like such a TASK for me, getting ready, driving, staying awake that long =\. Plus, if I wasn’t already sleepy and I have one drink, I’ll for sure GET sleepy. Had it been earlier, we might have gone. I hope she wasn’t offended :(.

Plus, we had to be up early for the boys games, and they were both far. I was already running late when Jorge barges into the bathroom, upset, because the boys mother didn’t wake up on time to drop them off for their game after a night of partying. I can’t believe that crap. No shame whatsoever!

But anyway. I already ranted about that earlier, heh.

I get to the school and squish my way to the bleachers. The grass was still wet from the rain and mosquitoes were everywhere. Thank God Mary had some OFF. We sprayed the girls and ourselves and the girls had their breakfast while we watched. Poor Jaylen’s teams lost. And since he played the entire game 2 weeks ago (they cancelled last week’s), they let the other boy play the entire time. Jaylen just went in for a while.

But at least I got to see them all :).

I waited for Jaylen and he told me about his thoughts of the game while we picked up some McDonald’s for him. I dropped him off and saw Eenan for a bit, till the GIANT mosquitoes started flying all over the place. There’s been 2 cases of West Nile in the Valley, so that makes me super nervous =\.

The skies turned gray as soon as I drove away and it started to drizzle. I went to Dollar General to pick up some birdseed. I was actually hoping to find a hummingbird feeder for cheap, but I didn’t, grr. I did, however, find some bags of soil for $0.30 each!

I got home, ate my oatmeal I picked up when I got Jaylen McDonald’s and now I’m here, typing. We need to go see Gramma and then Mom wants to pick up El Pato. Maybe I can convince her to pick up something at Salads Plus!

Going back on this post…I realize my life really does revolve around FOOD hehe!

I think we’ve successfully gotten into somewhat of a routine now that school’s started. Unfortunately, that means waking up at 5am every. single. day for me. And being exhausted by 8pm. And passing out on the couch. And forgetting to wash my face at night. And starting the cycle again.

BUT!! The girls are doing well in the morning. We had a couple of days when Emily cried and didn’t want to stay at school, and a couple of other times when she got in a bad mood before leaving the house, but she’s doing so much better, thank goodness. Waking up at 5am and waking the girls up by 6:30am means that we leave the house by 7:35am and Emily gets to test her book. It annoys me that–even though I wake up at 5am–I’m still arriving at work at 8:15 >_<. I'm just glad my bosses don't mind. That first week was crucial to the girls (especially Emily) getting accustomed to attending school again, so it was crucial that I drop them off in the morning, but a group from Irapuato had scheduled a visit for the end of that same week and I had to be at work super early Thursday and Friday. Ugh. It's always fun taking the groups on tours, don't get me wrong, but I just wish it had been a different week. I worked late Wednesday to meet the group at the airport with my boss, and when they took too long to show up I left to a training Michelle, EZ, Wally, Maritza and I had. We all passed! We started the tour Thursday morning with breakfast at Cracker Barrel: [caption id="attachment_2424" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A somewhat healthy meal from Cracker Barrel[/caption]

We finished up there and continued with our tour for the entire day; a lot of it being outdoors in the heat, and later: humidity >_<. It was a late night for us. We didn't end up eating dinner till 10pm and left Republic of the Rio Grande at 11pm. (My first time there, ever.) Needless to say, I was beat. The girls were already in bed thanks to Mom so I re-tucked them in and kissed their foreheads =\. I had an early morning. Michelle met me at the office to help me pack up my truck with all the stuff we'd need for the El Salvador Consulate Ribbon Cutting. Thank God that went without a hitch; though the building was teeny tiny and hot. Bob and EZ helped us take all the equipment and stuff back to the office and then my boss and I were picked up by the limo where we met the group at the Library. We went on our way for the rest of the tour and it was supposed to be another late night, but I got out of going to the going-away party. It had been raining all day, I was tired and wanted to go home to the kiddos <3. It was a mix of bubbles and painting and the boys being silly, like always. I cleaned and was literally in the kitchen most of the day so I gave myself a break to re-pot some of my succulents. I love them, but sometimes they stress me out! I just want them to LIVE. I don't know what got into me, but I saw my plain clay pots and decided to draw and paint them. I didn't really even measure, so it was a bit crooked, but I think it came out alright: [caption id="attachment_2407" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My first painted sugar skull pot[/caption]

I had to come in to make dinner, but I couldn’t wait to make more. I got a lot of compliments on it :).

We had movie night with them on the porch, which we hadn’t done in a while. We got snacks together and watched “Blended”. It was SUCH a good movie!!

The next morning (the 31st), I had the itch to make a good breakfast. I had been wanting biscuits forever and decided to make some from scratch! They were a hit (thank goodness hehe)!

The girls had a playdate with their BFF’s later that day. They’re not in their classes together, so Jenny and I agreed that we needed to have a playdate every once in a while so they could spend time together.

We started the date off at Ben & Jerry’s then went a few doors down to Barnes & Noble.

They spent a lot of time, running through the isles and giggling. We were surprised nobody kicked us out or “ssshhhh!!”‘d us heh.

They had a short playdate back at Jenny’s and they were so disappointed when it was time to go, but I had laundry to do and dinner to make and they only had a couple hours before they needed to get in bed.

It was Dad’s 1-year-anniversary since his passing. I’d been thinking about him a lot; regretting, still, not taking that final photo at the hospital. Not having that last bar-b-q :'(.

Woke up early again on Labor Day to drop the boys off at school. There was tons of traffic, so for the 3rd morning in a row, Jorge dropped the girls off. I spent the day cleaning, visited Gramma with Mom, ran errands and cleaned some more. I at least got to paint one of my pots :).

It was back to the grind on Tuesday. That was the morning Emily had her first meltdown, which I should have seen coming when I went into their room at 6:30am to snuggle them awake. As I lay there next to her she softly says, “I don’t want to go to school today, Mama.” She was fine until we got into the cafeteria. She cried and wouldn’t let me leave and then Alaethia became sentimental for her sis and started crying, too. A counselor had to intervene and held her back. I hate when they do that, but I know I have to let her be strong and leave. It’s just heartbreaking to look back and see the counselor holding her and Emily pulling forward with her arms outstretched for me :(. Alaethia calmed down, too, but not before saying, “Why can’t you just take her home, Mama??”

I didn’t make it on time to my morning meeting, and my boss asked me about my absence at the end of the day. I apologized and explained about the girls and he listened and empathized. Thank GOD.

Jaylen’s Meet the Teacher night was that evening and of course, his teachers had nothing but nice things to say about him. He’s such a good boy :). His football coach also said, “He’s doing well. I put him up against some big guys and he took some pretty good hits.” Oh, my little guy!!

I went back to Mario’s to see Eenan and the boys and I took a selfie:

I love my guys!

Emily did a little better the next morning. There were still a few tears, but nothing like the day before. Alaethia was alright, too. It was pouring, so they were grateful I still took them all the way into the school. I was drenched :(. I headed straight to the place of one of the events I help coordinate. We had a great turnout, despite the pouring rain. Dania, one of our local artists, made a wonderful, inspiring presentation. Her story really hit home and I felt motivated. Jorge kept saying how good I was at painting my sugar skull pots and I decided that I may just start selling them :).

I got home that evening and the girls were inspired, too. They asked to paint some pots, so I let them while I made dinner :).

Eenan’s Meet the Teacher Night was Thursday evening. Again, good things from his teachers, of course. He DID get his phone taken away during his World History class that day, and the teacher held on to it to give it to us that evening, but he wasn’t angry about it. He said he wanted to hold it hostage so we’d show up for sure, hehe.

He’s doing PE this year and he runs and works out every day. He’s sore all the time, just like the other 3 boys who are in football LOL. I’m glad they’re all getting physical activity this year!

I worked for only half a day on Friday, which was awesome. I met Jessica at Cheddar’s and we celebrated her birthday almost a month late, heh. We caught up on all the gossip and life in general. It was good seeing her :).

I went to Hobby Lobby to pick up a few supplies for my pots. I love that place! I could spent hours (and tons of cash, heh) there! But instead of doing that, I scurried out of there. It’s dangerous!

I was bored all evening without my love and the kids, who were at the other parents’ homes for the weekend. Jorge was driving back from working at the Island. I’d wanted to go to the Music After Hours-Craft Fair, but I had already gotten into PJ’s and felt lazy, heh. When he got home we sat at our kitchen nook while he played his Clash of Clans and I painted :).

The one on the far right is one I’ll have up for sale. I was pretty amped up about starting this :).

We made ourselves go to bed since Jorgie, Justin and Jaylen were all having games the next morning.

We were so proud of those boys :). Mary had Emily and Alaethia with her and we all sat together and cheered Jaylen on. I was crossing my fingers that he’d get some play time, so I was thrilled when he went into the field every single time :)!!

And they won!!!

I stayed at home mostly that day, paid bills online and painted another pot. A black one this time. I got a lot of good feedback for that one!

When Jorge got home that evening, he asked what I wanted to do after all. We had discussed the night before that we were totally going to go out, maybe to a bar…but we decided on Kumori, heh. In our defense, we did have a cucumber Martini! It was great just talking and spending time together, just us two :).

We debated doing something after dinner…but decided we would just go home. And we were both okay with that :).

I started painting another pot as we sat at our usual spot in the house. This time the pot was for Dina :). Briana was in town so I wanted to send it back with her when we saw her the next morning :).

I sent her a photo and she liked it :).

Jorge and I woke up the next morning and got ready to go to Peñitas to meet Briana and the kids. We had breakfast from Subway (been wanting one of those breakfast sandwiches for ever!) and then were on our way. We tidied up the house a bit, caught up, I brought back a few wild succulents and then we said our goodbyes and Jorge and I ran some errands at Walmart. We dropped the stuff off with Mom and then met Jr. at his apartment so we could go hunting with him. It was hot, but it was fun :).

My love did pretty good, although he lost a few birds in the field. Jr. and I just lounged around watching, and we can’t forget the amazing bar-b-q Jr.’s Dad’s friends had made!

We cleaned up and I was relieved ’cause I REALLY needed to pee. The guys kept telling me to “pop a squat” but I just got the heebie jeebies thinking about it. *shudder* I was grateful to arrive at Jr.’s, where we hung out with Rudy and then came home :).

It was back to the grind the next day. It was such a good, productive week, and I’m grateful :). I’m hoping we can do really great with these events. I just have a feeling they’ll be great. I hope I can continue to be excited and motivated about it and not feel overwhelmed and stressed *crosses fingers*.

I made a Halloween wreath on Wednesday night after I spoke to my boys. It’s always good getting an update from them, though they were somewhat distracted this week, with their games. Eenan did let me know he’s been reading my blog. I still don’t know how I feel about that LOL.

Emily has done so much better all week, I’m so proud of her :).

Thursday morning was a bit hectic and it seemed to continue all day. I picked the boys up in the evening after work and Jorge picked up his. My boys and I had all different sorts of conversations. I’m glad we can be so open in our talks :). We got home and I made dinner and then we put all the kiddos to bed.

Took the boys to school the next day. We didn’t converse as much as usual because Jaylen was reading his book. The day was already so much better than Thursday. Something happened that bothered me, but I eventually shook it off after I had lunch with Jorge. We went to Mom’s Smokehouse and we had this:

Yes, you read that correctly: Cheezepotle Elote and Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas. Since I was already in a crappy mood I was annoyed that there wasn’t any “green” in my tostada (some avocado or lettuce, c’mon!) but it was just amazing!! I could go for one of those elotes again!!

I picked up my kiddos after work (the girls included, since Mario took them with him when he picked them up). It started pouring as soon as we got to Dollar General. I needed detergent and of course they had a garden sale so I got a bird feeder and a bathmat for the boys’ bathroom and a few other things. It took us a while to get home since it was pouring. We had pizza night when we got home and just relaxed the rest of the evening since our 3 football players had games very early today.

Thunder woke me up around 3am and when we woke up at 5am it was still going. We knew there was no way they’d play in this weather, but we got no warning from anyone. The kids ate, got ready and Jorge took his boys to their school and I took Jaylen to his. We could hardly see in front of our windshield, the rain was SO BAD. I was going 30-40 miles per hour on the expressway, sometimes even less, hydroplaning all over the place. When we finally arrive at the school, all the parents and kids are still in their cars, in the darkness and only the headlights showing how hard the rain was coming down. A few brave kids got down to ask if they were playing and the nice boy in the car next to us signaled a “no”. The other kids signaled everyone else and little by little everyone left. Jaylen said, “I hope they don’t make those who left do Lombardi’s!” LOL

So we made the trek back in the scary rain again. It was worse for poor Jorge, who drove all the way to Palmview and they said the game was still on, so he drove back to McAllen, where the game was being held, just to get a call when he’s almost there to go back to Palmview ’cause they cancelled the game. Eff our lives!!!

Poor Jorge had to go back to work, but I threw myself on the sofa where I eventually passed out and kept waking up ’cause the boys were playing Destiny. I asked Emmos to take a nap with me, but she wanted to play instead hehe. I got to rest just a bit before hanging out with the kids, picking up McDonald’s for the boys and getting the girls ready for Jessica’s little baby’s party. It’s POURING again by now and we park at the party place. We try 2 unsuccessful times to get out of the car and into the building, but the rain is just awful and the parking lot was flooded. Jessica and I are going back and forth on text and Facebook and after the girls and I have been trapped in the car for over an hour she calls to ask if I can see the empty parking space. Then she says, “Can you see the Boot Jack?” and then I feel like a complete moron because we’re at a completely different party place!! My poor girls were looking forward to it and I didn’t pay attention so they didn’t get to have fun. Ugh. We tried making it the last 30 minutes of the party, but the rain was so bad down Dove Ave. that I didn’t want to risk driving with the girls anymore so we picked up Burger King and headed home. They didn’t seem to mind, thank goodness!

So here we are, lazy and home and I’m so glad. Poor Jorge was stuck in Brownsville for a while and he said the road was completely flooded, even on the Expressway. We ordered pizza and I’m hoping to finally, finally sleep in till at least 7 tomorrow, heh.

And I hope our pond dries up a bit >_<. [caption id="attachment_2421" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The backyard![/caption]