Category: Jorge

Of course I’m typing this up a month later than it actually happened! But it was such a AMAZING birthday I just have to document it! It was especially amazing because we didn’t have anything planned since Jorge and I both worked Saturday and neither of us had gotten Monday off. And my kiddos were at Mario’s for the weekend =\.

This post will be photo-heavy, as our adventures could be told with pics alone.

I’ll start from April 9th, 5 days before my birthday, when Jorge gave me the charms he went and picked at Kay Jeweler’s and Pandora, all by himself during his lunch hour :*). He even paid in cash so I wouldn’t see it on our bank account! He was seriously like an excited kid: jumping up and down and texting me randomly that he couldn’t WAIT to show me my gifts. And then he brought them out that night LOL.

Love them! My bracelet is now halfway full!

On Friday, April 12th, the entire staff had lunch at Tony Roma’s, courtesy of our boss and the owner of Tony Roma’s himself. That was pretty darn awesome. We closed down the office and everything.

We got ready to celebrate Sally’s birthday that evening (which is the 13th, the day before mine :)). Carlos had organized a surprise birthday party for her at Kobe Sushi. Jess met us there, too, and we waited for the guest of honor :).

She was simply stunning in all her 9-month pregnant glory!

Speaking of, you would have never guessed Jessica has a baby (much less 3!)!!

Jorge had begun the Keto Diet about a week before this, so he was watching what he ate and drank. He ordered sashimi, absolutely nothing carby (well, except a Michelob Ultra, heh). I was being mindful, but I still had sushi and a drink hehe.

Jorge, Jess and I chit-chatted; Sally and Carlos were on the other side of the grills so it was difficult to chat. We got to get up and chat once everyone was getting ready to go. The night was still young, so we made plans with Jess to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. We joked that we were starting my birthday celebration early :). We talked, ranted and just had a good time :). I still wasn’t much in the mood for drinking, so I only had one Margarita.

The next day was our BBQ Cook-Off at work. The day went by fast since I switched stations several times and the weather was AMAZING!!

My love and Marco stopped by to have lunch, which was great :).

5:30pm rolled around and our boss appointed me as “trophy girl” LOL. I wasn’t too into it, seeing as how one of the band’s band members had been staring at me the entire event and eventually told EZ that he wanted my number. To which EZ replied, “No way dude, she’s got kids and is married.” Not even that deterred him -_-.

Luckily, Wally took over most of the handing out of trophies (with the occasional one our boss wanted me to stand in on). Then it was 6pm, clean-up time, time for our 2nd annual group photo and then we got to leave home.

Jorge was on his way home, as it was “Night at the Brew-seum” and his company was one of the sponsors. He’d been working on this for the last few days and he said I was going to be amazed.

After we got ready (surprisingly fast for me!), we left in his car, and when we arrived one of his guys told him they’d forgotten a remote they needed. So back home we go, with Jorge muttering profanities, heh. We got the key to the van that the remote was in and when we opened the van…it wasn’t there! Then Jorge’s VIP tickets hadn’t arrived because his bosses hadn’t arrived. So he spoke to their marketing guy and all was well. Jorge got everything running manually, just in time! And man, was I amazed with he and his guys’ work!! Everyone was!

The rest of the night was the complete opposite of our hectic, high-energy start. It was a nice night out, the food was amazing, there was a Vineyard for people who don’t drink beer like me :).

I tried so much great food, but seriously, this ice cream sandwich from House.Wine was THE BEST DAMN THING EVER!!

Jorge enjoyed trying all these different types of beers, and we had some good laughs with the guys. I got to chit-chat with Jorge’s bosses for a while, too, so that was nice. Selene congratulated Jorge on such a great job and told him he deserved the day off on Monday!! Woohoo!!!

I also ran into tons of people I’ve met through work, Audrey’s parents, and Jeramie, but by then my darn phone was low and my flash wasn’t working so we didn’t get a photo together :(.

Jorge and I stayed late, since he and his guys had to pack up their equipment, but we didn’t stay for the VIP after party. We were beat! And we had a lunch date with my kiddos for my birthday the next day so we needed to be nice and rested :).

We decided on Dairy Queen. I had my favorite, a Reese’s ice cream cake. The kids loved it, too :).

We ate and laughed and just had a nice time :). We dropped them off and went home, and I made some coffee while we caught up on The Voice episodes.

Jorge said, “Let’s go to the beach. Right now. Let’s get a room.” I had a 20% off coupon for La Copa Inn at the beach from work, so it was perfect! We set up a reservation, packed, and were on our way :). I was already having such a great birthday; I didn’t think it could get any better! I texted my boss that I wouldn’t be in on Monday and he ok’d it :).

We sang out hearts out as we drove. It was great :). It was dark by the time we reached the island and we were starving since we didn’t really have lunch. We wanted to try Dirty Al’s, but they were closed so we went to Daddy’s. The atmosphere changed a lot since they moved locations, but the food was AWESOME:

We had tons of food leftover. It was safe to say Jorge was “carbing up” that weekend hehe.

We went to our hotel and checked in. The room was so nice!

We watched Game of Thrones for a bit and then a movie. Then we decided to take a midnight stroll on the beach :).

We got back and took full advantage of all the amenities of the room, heh. And it was truly one of the best nights of sleep at a hotel that I’ve had.

We had breakfast at the hotel the next morning and took our time checking out. We drove around a while, visited a few shops like Tuesday Morning, and called to do the horseback riding but were too late for the morning one and a few hours early for the next one. We decided to just take another stroll on the beach to get some exercise.

We walked at least 3 miles. We decided that was plenty and were ready to go home. We wanted to catch a movie before we had to get home to the girls.

We hadn’t had lunch, and we’d never been to Padreritaville, so we stopped by to have some appetizers and a drink. Our waitress was so sweet and had such a great time chit-chatting we actually stayed for quite a long while!

I made a quick trip to the ladies room and by the time I got back, there was a huge slice of chocolate cake and a crown waiting for me :). How awesome!!

We finished up, talked about how awful the Boston Marathon Bombings were. We’d been sitting right there when the news started announcing the tragedy.

As we drove home we saw a house with tons of bougainvilleas for sale. There were even some red ones!!

Jorge stopped by and got me my final birthday presents, one red and one medium pink bougainvillea!

We got home to the girls and just enjoyed the rest of the evening :). It was truly one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had, ever!

And it didn’t stop that day. Michelle treated me to lunch the next day and the guys joined us :).

Again: Best. Birthday. EVER!! So blessed with all the wonderful people in my life!!

Yesterday, I had one of those types of Saturdays that, as a child, I envisioned having with my best friend as an adult. Like when you’re playing Barbies with your BFF and your Barbies are having brunch and then go shopping? Like that. And the best part is: it’s the same BFF!

I had a hard time sleeping after Jorge left to work (he later told me he was telepathically trying to wake me ’cause he was jealous buahaha). I may or may not have had a headache/hangover due to going out the night before >_<.

Darn air and smoke in there makes my eyes squinty!! >_<

But I took an Aleve and began scrubbing the kitchen down since I was making lunch for Sally after she got out of work :).

A corner of my kitchen counter becomes bombarded with mail and Alaethia’s work she brings home from school. I feel such guilt throwing some of it out, but OMG. I can’t keep all of it. It’s overwhelming. So I have the cutest things she makes saved in a small box. I later asked Sally what in the world she did with all of Quentin’s stuff and she, too, has his work piled in a box.

What do other Mom’s do with your kids’ work??

I scrapbooked some of Eenan’s and Jaylen’s. When I was a “new mom”, I literally kept EVERY. SINGLE. THING. Eenan ever made in school (a huge Rubbermaid tote full) and eventually weeded out the cutest things (and almost shriveled up and died of sadness and guilt LOL) and scrapbooked them.

Anyway, eventually I made myself some breakfast: egg whites with mushrooms, fresh spinach, chives and bacon pieces.

I did my hair, stuck in my contacts and got ready to go drop Mom off with Gramma, withdraw my rent (*tear*) and head to HEB to get some ingredients I needed to make Sally some Pesto Bacon Caprese Paninis (recipe following photo below!).

I also found some cute Celosia flowers on sale for .99¢!! Yes. I’m going to try the garden thing again. Let’s hope we don’t get another hail storm!

I got home and unloaded the groceries and stuck new Plug-ins into the walls, heh. Sally arrived not long after. We caught up for about an hour and she rested on the sofa while I made our lunch. This is seriously one of my most favorite sandwiches EVER.

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RECIPE:

For 2 sandwiches, you will need:

♥ 6 bacon slices
♥ Pesto sauce. I use 1 whole Knorr Pesto packet (in the gravy section;) or half a jar of HEB Basil Pesto (I prefer this one)
♥ 2-3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
♥ 4 slices Oroweat Premium Italian Bread (you can always use your favorite whole wheat)
♥ 4 fresh Mozzarella medallions (I used: 7oz Galbani Mozzarella Fresca Medallions)
♥ 2 large tomato slices
♥ Black Pepper
♥ A handful of fresh spinach

In a large skillet, fry your bacon at medium-high heat. In another, smaller pan, set your burner to low-medium heat and heat up your Pesto. Drain your bacon and toss into the Pesto pan. Make sure all of your bacon is covered. Simmer.

Now, since I hate using so many pans, I washed my bacon pan and set it to medium heat. Drizzle your olive oil and place two bread slices on it. Quickly spread some of the hot pesto sauce the bacon has been simmering in on the bread slices. Add two Mozzarella medallions to one of your bread slices. On top of that, add 1 tomato slice, sprinkle with pepper, add half of your spinach and on top of your spinach add 3 of the pesto bacon slices. Using a spatula or tongs, check that your bread slice is golden brown. Cover the full bread slice with the single one. Repeat for your next sandwich. Enjoy with your favorite hot or cold tea :).

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In this case we had some hot Lipton Island Mango & Peach tea sweetened with honey. I think I found a new favorite tea!

(I just told Jorge I was putting up the recipe for the Caprese sandwich and he said, “What you need to do is put it on the stove!” Buahahahaha. He’s only half-joking.)

We ate, sat back and reflected on how darn good that food was, and got ready to head out to Goodwill. Back in the day, like around 2007, I’d go religiously, every Saturday that they had their 50% off sale. Target takes all their clearance stuff there, brand-new. You could buy anything at 50% off. So we thought we’d give it a try.

We spent about 2 hours there and found tons of new stuff, including new running shorts and cute matching beach hats. I was a little sad I didn’t find any scrapbooking stuff like I used to, but we did arrive a little late.

Since I gave myself a budget I put a few things back, but now I’m having the opposite of Buyer’s Remorse! Although they changed the rules and not everything is 50% off during those sales (brand-new items with barcode tags are the price on the tag) you still can’t beat those prices!

Our next stop was Iguana Rana’s, which is a snack shop. We were still full from lunch, but we had some natural agua de sandia (watermelon water). It was SO GOOD.

We got home and talked some more about an event she has coming up. I hope to be of some help since I can’t totally throw this bash on my own =\. I need to get on Pinterest and research some things :).

Sally left and I tidied up a bit and then relaxed till Jorge got home. I asked him if he wanted me to make dinner, but he said we’d go to Walmart to get a few things and find something quick to make.

Our humungous cats are so horribly messy we decided it was time to get them a new, covered litterbox. Then we found a Lazy Groomer cat bed, which will be great for Kika because she loves sleeping on our mats and covers them in her fur (I know, gross!).

We walked around some more and wandered into the garden section. They didn’t have the plants I wanted, but we did find a topiary. I’ve been wanting one of those darn things since we moved into the house almost 2 years ago (2 years we’ve lived here! Damn!).

We found a cute pot, got a few more things and finally left. It was quite a feat shoving that tiny tree into the BMW >_<. I spoke to Eenan for a good hour while I was making dinner and watching Jorge fix the topiary. We ate, and watched a tiny bit of "The Hobbit". Great Saturday, indeed!!

Positive attracts positive.

It’s one of the motto’s I’ve lived by my whole life. It’s one of the things Jorge says he’s always loved about me: my positive outlook on just about everything. However, in recent days, my optimism was wavering.

I don’t know if it was that I was PMS’ing and emotional (TMI?), that the mother of a good friend I’ve known since elementary passed away (she grew up with Mom), that I was stressed and overwhelmed at work, that Jorge and I are so busy all the time that we hardly have time to spend with each other, that I wasn’t feeling good about myself or if it was a combination of all of that, but it made me feel helpless and was putting me in a foul mood ALL. THE. TIME. I had to remind myself not to snap at Mom and Jorge over stupid things. I had to remind myself not to lose my patience with the girls when they were fighting with each other or climbing all over me for attention.

I told myself this Monday that I needed to snap the hell out of it and be positive!

-Issues with work would get better.
-I’d feel better about myself if I got off my ass and jogged again.
-Jorge and I needed to make it a point to spend time together. And just talk.
-I remembered to embrace the little things and be grateful for my life, my kids, my family.

And sure enough. I kept my positive outlook all day. Even when I got a text from Mario letting me know that there was a “mandatory” meeting regarding Eenan going to high school next year (I KNOW. OMG.) and it was THAT DAY AT 5. Which is when I get out of work. But I told myself at least I’d get to see the boys for a while. Then I had to get gas in the Routan and was 30 minutes late, but Mario was nice enough to give me a run-down of everything. I went to see the boys and they updated me about their day and we joked around a while. I got home and thank God for leftovers. Mom had already bathed and fed the girls for me, thank goodness!! I read them their stories, we played a game of Hide Hello Kitty and I put them to bed. Mom stayed up while Jorge and I went for a jog. We got to spend time together for 4 1/2 miles :).

I woke up energized and got ready for work and made some French Toast for all of us. Dropped off Alaethia, got to work, prepared stuff for meeting and my boss and I were on our way. I simultaneously felt optimistic and pessimistic, but I focused on the good. We left the meeting feeling inspired. I told myself, Good things are going to happen for me today!

And they did!

My event started picking up. I set up meetings for the next day. Had a free lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s. We got tickets to a free screening of Jack the Giant Slayer in 3D for Wednesday night, which meant spending time with my love :). I felt incredibly guilty going without the kids (I mean, GUILTY. A gut-wrenching, heart-wringing guilt), but I told myself it’s OK. I need to remind myself that it’s OK sometimes. It’s not like we’re out at bars while we’re supposed to be spending time with them or anything.

I got home and spent time with my little ladies. Made dinner. Did our nightly routine, put the girls in bed after we tidied up their bedroom and Jorge and I (quite reluctantly) changed to go jogging. It was FREEZING outside (well, for us. It was in the 50’s). They’re paving the road we jog on (FINALLY) but the smell of tar and the rocky, unpaved gaps were annoying. We only did 2 miles this time, but I’m glad we got off our butts for a while. We got home and caught up with one of our American Idol episodes. It was a great day!

I dropped off Alaethia at school the next morning and got to work. My meeting was pretty positive and then most of us from work attended the Mayor’s Prayer. The speaker was really inspiring and it was a nice ceremony. Not to mention the food was delicious. They served us a thick steak (which I only took 2 bites of since I have to be in the mood for steak. Such a waste!) and Chicken Cordon Bleu! And cheesecake :).

Got back to work, took care of some things and got more good news. My boss and I made some visits and got even more good news. I picked up Taco Bell for the girls after work, chilled out with them watching Disney and then my love got home. I reminded Mom of the nightly routine and she got the girls in the bath. Jorge and I left for the movies. It was packed, and we were a little lost, but we finally got to our seats and enjoyed the movie. It was much better than I ever expected. The boys are going to be so mad when they find out we went without them!

We drove around McAllen looking for a place to eat. All the good, non-fast food places closed at 10, which was when the movie ended. After 40 minutes of driving for nothing, we ended up at HEB where we got some sushi and beer. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I HATE beer. But I’d had this raspberry beer (the one on the left in the photo) at Roosevelt’s and I actually liked it and just so happened to find it at HEB. Who’da thought?!

My day went buy fast today. There was a meeting so I sorta helped with that. Went to HEB with Michelle to help her with some supplies she needed for an event tonight. We always find great deals when we go, heh. This time they had Wet-n-Wild cosmetics buy one get one free! And gummy snacks for the girls, too!

I bought a coupon for a restaurant called Butter Cream Deli Cafe and met Sally there :). I hadn’t seen her in a month or so, since Alaethia’s birthday party. I missed her! She looks just lovely; the epitome of glowing pregnant woman :). We ate our delicious sandwiches, crepe and ginger peach green teas and caught up on this past month. I loved that place! And it’s down the street from work and affordable to boot!

I took care of a few things when I got back to work. Super happy that we got some GREAT news!! My boss and I did more visits and our last stop was Tapioca Rush:

Jesus. Most of my photos are of food. Heh. What can I say, I love to eat!

I probably undid all my hard work the past two days, but I’ll get back on it :).

I got home and chilled out with my girls before Mario came to pick them up. I gave him instructions on their meds, etc., and they were off :(.

I blogged a bit, made dinner and then, once Jorge got home, began to get ready to go celebrate Jeramie’s birthday. I texted Michelle to ask if they were still at El Divino but they were wrapping things up and leaving. I wasn’t feeling much into going out, so I was secretly glad (isn’t that awful??) but we’ve become such homebodies. What we did instead was head to Walmart to pick up a few things. We saw a few…people from our past. It was weird. But we went about our business. We strolled the entire store and ended up at the electronics department. We saw some laptops on sale and Jorge found the perfect opportunity to try and sell one to me. It worked, heh. And the only reason I agreed (finally) was because it was SUPER ON SALE. He’d been trying since before Christmas to buy me a new one, but I could always think of something much better to do with the cash. I was ok with this one :). Typed up my first blog post on it!

AND I did my nails, too! I’m on a roll!

I’m so glad things have made a 180 for me. I need to remind myself that things will always be better.

Shoot. I’ve been through worse! This is cake!