Keepin' Up with the Ramos'

Any Day... or Minute... Now

2011-11-21T16:51:00.002-07:00

We had an appointment with the doctor today and he is a couple days away from his due date and I am already dilated between 2 to 3 centimeters. The doctor said he will be coming soon and it should be a pretty quick delivery if I am already this far along and haven't been having contractions for over a week. If for some reason he doesn't come we have a scheduled induction for the 28th at 7am. The doctor doesn't think he'll make it that long though.
Sal is having second thoughts about the middle name now. I still like Benjamen, but he isn't feeling it anymore. My husband changes his mind all the time, I'm surprised we've had Joaquin this long! In the end we may be taking a baby name book to the hospital with us.

Week 38... It's Taking Forever!

2011-11-09T15:05:00.003-07:00

We had another appointment yesterday with our Dr, since we have been having weekly appointments for about 3 weeks now. He is still measuring HUGE and now they are telling me that I have early signs of pre-eclampsia. I wish they would just induce already. They are saying because of my height (5"10") and long abdomen that he has plenty of room to spread and he could easily be a 10 lb baby! The Dr says that he doesn't want him going past his due date (November 24th- Thanksgiving Day!) and they will induce if he does. I wish that he would come sooner since he is the size of a 40 week old baby already, and pre-eclampsia stresses me out a little.
Our next appointment is November 15th but Sal and I are hoping just maybe he'll want to come join us on Friday 11/11/11. I think that would be an awesome birthday! Much better than Thanksgiving!
We have decided to deliver at Fountain Valley Regional (http://www.fountainvalleyhospital.com/en-us/ourservices/hospitalservices/pages/default.aspx) and we will hopefully have a picture of him up on the virtual nursery they have online! It just seemed like the better choice. A neo-natal unit as well as a more cheerful atmosphere!

A Week All About Baby

2011-09-26T15:08:00.002-06:00

We've finally decided on a baby name (I think, its stuck for about a week!). Joaquin Benjamin Ramos... how ethnic it sounds depends on who's saying it, lol. Sal says Benjamin (Ben-ha-meen) very Mexican and it rhymes with Joaquin... I of course say it all very white.
Tonight we have a hospital tour at the second hospital that my Dr delivers at in Fountain Valley. It is a little bit further but may be a better fit for me. The hospital here in Santa Ana is right next to my Dr's office (they share a parking lot) and the nurses speak English but all the signage and paperwork was in Spanish. One of the receptionist at my Dr.'s office sold me out to the patient advocate that works at that hospital and she has called me three times to offer a free car seat, her personal cell number, and a private room. Still... we'll see.
Tomorrow is our appointment to see how big he actually is and if our due date is accurate. The next day our Childbirth classes start. So much to do!

Week 29 Appointment

2011-09-11T13:30:00.003-06:00

We had our 29 week appointment and he seems to be doing well although BIG! In our ultrasound in June we were told that he had really long legs... so maybe he's just a Terry and going to be tall? We have another appointment on the 27th of the month to have an ultrasound to confirm. When I googled it there were lots of reasons to measure big, most of which I've already ruled out, but it could be due to Rh incompatibility which can cause excess fluid. But I seriously need to not worry about it. All the things are relatively low... so here's hoping for a future basketball player!
Luckily, gestational diabetes was ruled out during the 1 hour glucose test and I didn't have to do the 3 hour one. Yay!
Also, we are thinking of switching hospitals from Coastal Community to Fountain Valley Regional. These are the two that my doctor delivers at. We were originally going to go with Coastal because its closer and literally next door to the Dr.'s office but after a hospital tour I changed my mind. The entire tour and class was in Spanish and Sal was whispering translations in my ear the whole time. Other classes that we wanted to take at the hospital say bilingual but will basically be the same situation. And all of the signs and everything are in Spanish. Granted, if I was concentrating I could figure it all out, but who is going to be concentrating while in labor?! Fountain Valley seems a little nicer, more English friendly, and almost ALL of their rooms are private so Sal can stay the night with me. Only 2 rooms out of 29 aren't private and you share. This will also make me feel a little better because I will know everyone walking into a room with my baby and me.

Baby Ramos

2011-08-24T20:36:00.011-06:00

Its a Boy!

2011-07-27T13:55:00.003-06:00

During our first ultrasound in week 18, his legs were a little crossed. Today we went again (week 23) and there he was, eagle style, showing all his boyhood! As much as I wanted a little girl to dress up, I will have just as much fun dressing this little guy up! He has long legs and a strong heartbeat :) 17 weeks left to go and figure out what to name him! We can't decide between a Mexican or All American name or combining the two... maybe when we see him we'll know?

Boy Or Girl?

2011-06-15T16:33:00.003-06:00

So, we have an appointment next week to see the doctor and have an ultrasound. I will be at just about 18 weeks and so we are hoping to find out if we are having a boy or girl! The anticipation is already killing me and I don't know how people can go a whole 9 months! I am rooting for a little girl (along with my mom and nieces!) while Sal and his family are hoping for a boy to pass the Ramos name down to. Either way I will be excited! If its a boy just means he will need more accessories like hats and cute shoes to make up for the lack of boy clothes most stores stock! :) Here's hoping for a good clear ultrasound!

16 Weeks Pregnant!

2011-06-08T16:21:00.003-06:00

I think that 2011 is going to be a crazy and exciting year for us. Things never seem to "settle down" for us, so why should it be any different when having a baby? After 3 years of trying to get pregnant I kinda had it in the back of my mind that it would never happen for us... at least not without some sort of intervention. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I was already a week pregnant when I got laid off. The timing is a mixed blessing. Being out of work means I lost my medical coverage and Medi-Cal has been a NIGHTMARE. How is it that they want OVER HALF of the money that I get from unemployment each month to be covered before they kick in coverage?? But all the nausea the first trimester was horrible. And now all the throwing up in the second trimester is horrible too. I just want to stay in bed all day. So, I am glad that I didn't have anywhere to go at 7am each morning.
So, yes we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl as soon as they can tell us! I am super excited. And hoping for a girl while Sal is rooting for a boy. We are due right around Thanksgiving. So exciting!

Lay Offs at Amega

2011-03-03T12:30:00.002-07:00

Ugh, so I worked a year with Amega and got Laid Off this week. Which we all knew layoffs were coming... but still, you are never ready for it! The Launch of the company was last weekend and I think we LOST close to $1 million. The product that we were launching wasn't there, we discounted ticked over $200, gave out $1,000 to everyone who pre-ordered product that they didn't get, and some crappy management.
I worked as the team lead of correspondence, answering all the emails and Messengers. The person that was working with me quit before the lay offs. So now there is no one answering emails or Messengers and I hear after 2 days customers are getting angry. Which makes me breath a sigh of happiness. That wasn't the only thing I did there. I also solely managed the internal website, did birthdays and recognition, trained new reps, organized office supplies... etc etc.
A couple of my friends that were laid off with me and I are thinking of starting our own party planning business. We are going to have a dinner meeting tonight and discuss some options. In the meantime, I am looking to see if any jobs interest me, filled out the unemployment paperwork, and am looking into some other ideas. Also I am getting some scrapbooking done! Trying to stay positive!

I hate that its been so long...

2010-10-15T14:34:00.002-06:00

It has been so long since I have posted and I feel like every time I start a new blog it starts that way! I have been working crazy hours (7 to 7 Monday through Friday and some weekends and overtime... yes, beyond 7)! Things are finally caught up at work after months and months. 8,000 Messages answered and 5,000 emails sorted through and cleared out. Help Desk and QA are still getting put together and I got raise... although I am working for another one and a promotion! Hopefully this will happen soon.
Right now I am working from home/hotel/hospital as my mother in law is ill and I am grateful that I am able to be there to help out. Jaxon is helping keep me sane under all this stress. We have all been so exhausted lately that it amazes me we are still able to function.
So, to all of my friends and family... take care of your health. Its such a fragile thing.

Trip To North Cali August 2010

2010-08-14T00:52:00.000-06:00

The Magic Wand People

2010-07-05T13:50:00.002-06:00

It has been so long since I have written anything, I can't believe it!
So, what is going on with the Ramos'?
Well, I have been working with Amega Worldwide as Business Associate support since the beginning of March. The company manufactures energized products and its a MLM company. Or as Sandi calls it, those crazy magic wand people! Its been a lot of crazy hours (7am to 7pm M-F with some weekends thrown in for good measure). But I finally have benefits!
On that notes, Sal is having his root canal completed today! Yay! Well, not yay that he has one, but yay that we have insurance for it.
Jaxon is doing good. Hyper and handsome as ever! We are still working on the non 4 legged baby, but for now he is the center of attention.
My 10 year reunion is coming soon... hopefully people are going to this thing!! I've been busy losing weight and my next goal is to see how much I can lose before August 7th. Currently I am just under 60 lbs, the same as my 7 year old nephew!
And... thats about it for now!

At the bowling alley

2010-01-27T10:37:00.003-07:00

We went to the bowling alley the other night for my older brothers girlfriends niece's birthday (whew!).
Here is a picture of me telling my niece that I don't have a picture of her with her tongue in her mouth and people on my blog are going to start thinking maybe her tongue is too big for her mouth and she can't keep it in. So, I got this smiling picture...

And then this lovely picture right after...Ryan's girlfriend, Michele, helping Sierra concentrate on the task at hand...

Sal... being Sal and avoiding his handsome face being captured on camera...

And Ryan... and Ryan's decorative Martini glass... not being so decorative...

My 2nd Favorite Photo of Jaxon

2010-01-16T15:33:00.001-07:00

And then the World Turned Right-Side Up Again

2010-01-12T14:31:00.003-07:00

Moving back to California from Utah last May has been a crazy time for us. We had no idea on the serious state of the economy and how hard it would be to get an interview, let alone a job! So, I have applied to business after business with no response. And then the New Year came and so did some job possibilities.
The first one from a text book rental company in the Bay Area. And yes, the drive is a two and a half hour commute from where I am currently living. The pay was great and my fathers wife had been asking forever for us to come and live with them. Which I was against, but after finding no work for so long I thought I would go to the interview.
I really liked the job. It was a great work environment, free catered lunches, easy calls and friendly people. But the place to live didn't work out. Apparently my father wasn't in on the whole situation and when I went to talk to him about it, the conversation went horribly hostile. I will spare the details but to say the things between us are just as they always have been. I don't know anyone else in the bay and don't have the money yet to move anywhere. That drive just isn't realistic.
In the meantime, I got a call from Sprint for their retention department in Sacramento, CA and also a call for eBay customer service in Utah. Both jobs I applied to months ago. I have been going over the pros and cons for everything and I have decided to pursue the Sprint position. So, we will see how that plays out.
Alright, I'll keep things updated!

The Post Christmas Wrap Up

2009-12-28T10:51:00.008-07:00

Today is the 28th and our 7 Year Anniversary! So, naturally we slept in until 9:30 and wonder what to do. So, I decided to update the blog. Romantic, I know.
So, Christmas Eve my brother Ryan came over with my beautiful nieces, Dawnna and Samantha. We opened presents and had dinner. I got some great gifts. A fancy hot chocolate kit, a perfume from Celine Dion, an exercise mat, and new underwear! LoL. All things that I will use daily!
Dinner was great if I do say so myself and then we got caught up in the addiction that is Catch Phrase and played a few rounds after Ryan kept saying, "This is the last one, we have to get home for Santa." I had a lot of fun.
Sunday, Sal and I went with my mom and Dennis to Sacramento. We bummed around the mall for an hour but seriously, where were all the after Christmas sales? We did hit Ulta because they always have great after Christmas sales and picked up a few things. We exchanged a sweater Sal got that didn't fit right for some shoes that he really needed. Then we went down to Old Sac and went through the shops. There are some great stores and 4 stores were having a 50% off the entire store sale. And they still had their nightly Christmas program with Mark Twain going on and that was really good.
Sunday Sal and I woke up early and drove to the Bay Area to visit my dad and his wife, Hung Ye. It was really nice getting to see them after so much time. We got to go through some of my grandmothers old papers and I got some new genealogy information and it was like Heaven for me! I held old family Bibles that were over a hundred and 40 years old and got to look at old letters and newspaper certificates. Hung Ye was a great cook and we had some delicious food and we talked and watched some movies. And then I was given an amazing gift at which I am still truly shocked. A Canon EOS 50D!!! We've been shooting with our Nikon D70S for a few years now and my dad says that photography is something that his father enjoyed, he enjoyed, and now I enjoy. And Canon is better, LoL! I still want to jump up and down! I am going to be playing with my new toy for quite a while! YAY! So here are some photos!

The Best Rolls EVER!

2009-12-25T09:11:00.005-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS
For Christmas Eve dinner last night I made these rolls and they were seriously the best dinner rolls ever and so I thought I would share the recipe! This is the only bread i ever want to eat! They were all eatten last night so I will have to make more!

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Holiday Baking

2009-12-23T18:01:00.003-07:00

I've been doing some holiday baking to make some goodies for friends and family. So here are some things I've done so far;
Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Conchas, a Mexican Sweet Bread! And the Christmas cookies aren't done yet but there will be pictures when done!

Getting Ready to End the Year

2009-12-21T15:34:00.006-07:00

Sal's home for a couple weeks at least before going back to his mom's :) And I was flipping through my memory card and looking at the photos that I haven't gotten the chance to post. So I thought I would just post a lot of photos and catch up for the year!

Sammy over playing Jenga with her Auntie and Uncle...

Dawnna's 8th grade graduation...

My godson and his grandma...

Halloween 2009 with my brother and nieces

Winds that made the tree fall and cover the yard

Annie caught sleeping on the table

Baking Bread

2009-12-13T19:46:00.006-07:00

I told my mom that I wanted to start baking bread. And yeast is the most expensive part of it. So my mom went to Smart and Final today and got this giant bag of yeast;Two pounds for $5! When we spend $2 for 3/4 ounces at the stores up here it is quite a deal. And when I saw it it made me think of this;
I LOVE LUCY! I thought I would share with you!

Dear Santa

2009-12-11T12:46:00.004-07:00

Dear Santa,

I tried to be good... most of the time... unless it was REALLY hard... or I really didn't feel like it. But from all of these Christmas movies I watch, I know you can relate to family and the economy can drive you crazy! I promise to try harder next year. There are only a few things I would like for Christmas this year;

1.) World Peace

2.) A job with decent pay that doesn't make me want to run screaming

3.) My car paid off

4.) My favorite scent from Bath and Body (Green Tea and Cucumber) to be sold in stores again so that I don't have to order online

5.) A bread machine

6.) To win the lottery without actually having to play

7.) To make my husband not so far away (maybe just pick him up in the sleigh on your way)

8.) A new supply of lip gloss and chapstick, I'm running low

9.) Those cute hoop clip ons I saw at K-mart (In either gold because all my jewelry is and it would match, or silver because thats what I actually like), because although I want to wear earrings the thought of piercing my ears again is more then I can take

10.) Mexican clay handpainted candlestick holders that I used to see at all the thrift stores but can no longer find. I think they're pretty.

Jaxon would like;

1.) A new bone

2.) Toys that squeak

3.) His own heated blanket

See? Just a few things. Nothing you can handle, right? Thanks, and I'll see you in a couple weeks!

Sincerely,

Traci

Barbie's Letter to Santa:

Dear Santa:

Listen, I've been saving your butt every year, being the perfect Christmas Present, wearing skimpy bathing suits in December and dressing in fake Chanel at sappy tea parties. I hate to break it to you, Santa, but it's payback time. There had better be some changes around here, or I'm gonna call for a nationwide meltdown, and trust me, you don't want to be around to smell it. These are my demands for Christmas 2009:

1. Sweat pants and an oversized sweatshirt. I'm sick of looking like a hooker in hot pink bikinis. Do you have any idea what it feels like to have nylon and Velcro up your butt?

2. Real underwear that can be pulled on and off. That cheap-o molded underwear some genius at Mattel came up with looks like cellulite.

3. A REAL man. I don't care if you have to go to Hasbro to get him, bring me GI JOE. Heck, I'd take Tickle-Me-Elmo over that pathetic bump of a boytoy, Ken. And what was up with that earring anyway?

4. It's about time you made us all anatomically correct. Give me arms thatactually bend so I can push the aforementioned Ken-wimp away once he is anatomically correct.

5. Breast reduction surgery. 'Nuff said.

6. A sports bra. To wear until I get the surgery.

7. A new career. Pet doctors and school teachers make real money.

8. A new, more '90s persona. Maybe "PMS Barbie," complete with a pint of cookie dough ice cream and a bag of chips.

9. No more McDonald's endorsements. The grease is wrecking my vinyl complexion.

10. Mattel stock options. It's been 40 years -- I think I deserve a piece of the action. Considering my valuable contribution to society and Mattel, I think these demands are reasonable.

As ever,

Barbie

New Layout

2009-12-07T14:29:00.002-07:00

So, while helping my brother start his blog I starting looking at new layouts. And I love my usual layout but I thought I would do a something a little christmasy. And I tried out a few before committing to this one, but this one is the only one that went with all my usual font colors, and I didn't want to change all of them since it took my a while to get how I wanted and this way, once the holidays are over it will be an easy transition back! And being that i can't leave it on Christmas forever it will shame me into keeping my blog updated!

Attention K-mart Shoppers

2009-12-06T20:13:00.002-07:00

Alright, I worked at K-mart for a month (although it feels like much much longer) and I completely hated it. The work wouldn't have been so bad (and I firmly believe that K-mart and retail employees should be paid more. Think about that next time you're shopping), but the organization and lack of communication was horrific. And while there were a people there that were amazing and I will miss, there were enough that weren't that I don't think I'll be regretting it any time soon.

So, for now I am working at a local thrift store that opened in Ione. Nothing fancy, but I'm there by myself a good deal of the time and the people are cool. And I found these great books there. Spanish language learning books from the 1930's. Some of the sentences and the illistrations are hilarious.

Its interesting the things people will donate. I would have been so embarassed to donate a lot of the things that have been dumped out on our sorting table. For example; used men's tighty whities, trash, carrots thrown in the bag with some clothes, things torn or horrifically stained, something a child got sick in, etc. I just can't imagine what's going through their minds when they are bringing this in as a donation. If you wore a shirt to fix your car and can't wear it anymore due to oil/blood/large tears, then no one else can either.

Ancestry.com

2009-12-02T12:31:00.005-07:00

For the past nine months or so I have been obsessed with Ancestry.com. And while I know that there are so many sites out there that are free this one is awesome because I find so many things on here that I haven't found anywhere else. Such as my grandparents high school yearbook photos. I also found the connection to the Royal families of England, Scotland, Germany, Spain, etc etc (they all married each other).
There are so many blank spots that I am getting frustrated with though. Such as there is nothing I can find regarding my mom's biological family. The Knigge line I can only get back to her grandfather who was from Germany. Trying to get anything on the Ramos side is a dead end, I can't find records from Mexico. And the Terry side is only what I was given by my great aunt Katie that goes to Daniel Terry born in New York in 1798.
But I love getting those shaky leaves. There have been some fun photo discoveries (such as the Messier brothers, who would have been my grandmothers great grandfather and his brothers) and a photo of the sister of my great grandfather that she had on a passport for her to travel Europe for a year. I found an address for the house my grandpa Terry grew up in and was able to find an old real estate listing for that address. It is so weird to be looking at that house. And I posted a lot of the photos my mom had of her childhood and sisters and grandparents and parents. If anyone has more pictures or would like to contribute to the tree let me know. I tried filling in cousins and extended family to the best of my knowledge but I am not sure of all the birth dates and maiden names and everything.

Carrots

2009-12-02T11:20:00.007-07:00

So, I am sitting here reading my blog, which is sorely neglected, because someone asked about my tortilla soup recipe that's on here. And while doing this I am slurping down homemade chicken noodle soup (for which I will be eternally grateful to Sandi for showing me how to make, I even made the noodles Sandi!) and in this soup is of course carrots. I hate carrots. I don't like them dipped in ranch, I don't like baby carrots, even carrot cake can be a give or take depending on how much I can actually taste the carrot. But in soup, carrots are a must have. I love carrots in soup. Probably because they've been released of all their nutrients that make them healthy. I don't know.

And apples. I cannot stand apples. And did you know that Snapple Apple taste like biting into an apple (so naturally I am not a fan) but apples are NOT listed in their ingredients. Pears are. I LOVE apple juice (not cider). Oh, and carmel apple empanadas from Taco Bell, which I haven't had since moving from Utah. If I could figure out how to make those...

Tomatoes are great but ketchup makes me gag...

I really love anything made with mangoes but I can pass on the actually mango (which is probably more due to the messy factor then anything).

Pineapple, coconut, any type of nut and all melons cannot be saved so matter which form you make them though. Even melon flavored gum (which I've had) is kinda gross. Well, I guess you could make peanut butter and I would love it.

And I don't like things with bones or the skin still on it... anything to remind me it once was an animal. Which my father-in-law thought was hilarious when he offered me a fish and I told him in my broken Spanish "No me gusta comida con caras." Which translates to "I don't like food with faces." Not saying that I prefer the processed with beaks chicken nuggets, but that I want my food deboned and skinless when I get it. And my husband is my enabler. Shrimp nights at his mom's involve him peeling a lot of shrimp for him and me.

And then there is off course that I don't eat beef (I can't digest it) although at times I'll smell some cooking and salivate. I can't have artifical sweetners because they give me horrible stomache pains and migraines. I am not supposed to eat leafy greens, broccolli (which I LOVE) and Jell-O due to thick blood. And I know I was living in the Jell-O state.

My mother doesn't know how I quite got to be this way since I come from a beef 5 nights a week eatting family. I seriously didn't know I liked pork until I moved out and now its my favorite.

And no you are wondering why you took the time to read this blog... well the Chicken Nugget picture, the fish with the human face and carrots. You love carrots right?

Dragging Along...

2009-10-20T15:31:00.002-06:00

Nothing seems to be new and exciting and I know that I haven't been keeping up the blog as well as in the past. :( So to sum up the last couple months... We stayed at my mom's in Ione, CA until the end of August when I finally gave up finding a job and we moved to an apartment in Riverside, CA. It was soooo nice being on our own for a change but sadly the job situation didn't get any better down there. And OF COURSE 2 weeks later I got a call on a Friday from northern CA telling me they wanted me to start work Monday. So, I packed up everything Saturday that was mine and Jaxon's and drove up Sunday to my mom's (its like a 9-10 hour drive). Started work and I though everything was going ok. Then 3 weeks later I get a call telling me that I've been let go, with no reason behind it. They said I learned quickly, was great with customers, etc etc., but wasn't a good fit for the company. So, I cried for like 10 minutes and then went and looked for a job again. My job is still posted but at a couple $$ less then they were paying me. I'm trying not to lose all hope of working again but its been like 2 weeks now and I feel like I'm getting no where.
Sal moved out of the apartment and back with his mom in Orange County for the time being. His grandparents are visiting from Mexico right now and this is the first time he's seen them in 20 years. And we don't have any extra money for me to drive down there right now to see them. I'm not sure how long they'll be staying for exactly.
I started baking some dog treats to make a little extra money and selling them at the fairs my mom sells her antiques at. Not much else is happening... I wish I had happier or more upbeat news to share!

The Newest Laker

2009-07-30T11:33:00.006-06:00

My mom just came home from the Flea Market where she found this Lakers jersey for Jaxon. Its actually from Build A Bear but it fits him pretty well. Sal LOVES the Lakers. Muy Guapo!

July

2009-07-30T11:01:00.004-06:00

Well, another month has come and almost gone and I still feel like I don't have much to show for it other then a rising age. I've just been feeling so BLAH lately! Sal went down to Southern Cali about a week ago because he needed to help his mom out and totally missed being with me on my birthday. His grandparents are coming from Mexico to visit in August and so I'm now fully motivated on my diet and exercise plan. The first time they meet me I don't want them thinking, "THIS is who my grandson married??" Watching the Biggest Loser Show has totally inspired me and so today I went online to find out more about the diet they use and this is what I found;

Breakfast: 1/2 serving protein, 1 serving
whole grain, 1 serving fruit
Snack: 1/2 protein, 1 fruit
Lunch: 1 protein,
1/2 whole grain, 1 vegetable
Snack: 1/2 protein, 1 fruit
Dinner: 1/2
protein, 1/2 whole grain, 2 vegetables
Dieters are urged to choose foods that
are not processed and contain no added fats, sugar, or salt. "Read food labels,
and if you can't pronounce some of the ingredients on the list, don't buy it,"
suggests Forberg.
Whole fruits and vegetables are preferred over juices or
dried fruits. Foods should be eaten raw or prepared simply without extra fats.
Whenever fats are used, they should be healthy fats -- not saturated or trans fats.
Dieters should choose whole grains that are less
refined and have at least 2 grams of fiber per serving of bread or 5 grams of
fiber per serving of cereal, with no more than 5 grams of sugar. Protein choices
include lean meat or fish, vegetarian protein, or low-fat dairy. Your calorie
level determines portion sizes and your protein options.
Still hungry? You
can eat more than four servings a day of fruits and
vegetables.

This is the diet I'm going to start and then start my Slim-in-6 again. I know late night infomercials will get you. :) But I am feeling really motivated this time. It'll be my baby body diet. All my friends seem to be having 2nd and 3rd babies and I'm still working on that first one! Dropping a few lbs will help in that department. I'll try and stay better with the blogging and keeping you posted. I'm sure my puppy will love all the extra walking he's going to be getting to keep me company too.
The pictures are of Jaxon on my birthday. The one on the top he's standing on top of a rock in the river right before he fell in. The bottom he's taking a nap with my mom's dog, Annie. He always has to sleep on top of or next to her.

I know its been FOREVER but meet Jaxon

2009-06-06T18:39:00.005-06:00

Wow, so many things have changed in the past couple of months. While planning on buying a house in Utah and living there for a while, things drastically changed. We turned in the 30 days notice on our apartment with intentions of moving closer to Sal's work but we could not find an apartment. We couldn't find a place. Several places just never called us back. And other places we didn't fit the mold as to what they were looking for. Then I was reading an article on the local news site and there were so many racist comments that I wanted to scream and throw my computer. And while I know everyone there isn't racist and there are racist people everywhere it was my last straw. So we packed up and moved back to Cali. We are staying with my mom for a while and were originally planning on going to some apartments his friend owns in Riverside, we are now just hanging out for a while. Sal went to check out the apartments and called them "ghetto". So, we are here and working some photography gigs. I'll start looking for a job sometime soon but have been working on advertising and the website (ramosphotography.net so check it out. Make an appointment if you're in Cali). And we got a new puppy, Jaxon (pronounced Jackson). They said he's 3/4 chihuaua and 1/4 terrier, but we are thinking the other way around. I fell in love with his picture on craigslist because he reminded me of Charlie but small. So, we drove all the way to Pacifica (PAST San Fran) to pick him up one night. He will be extremely spoiled, right after he gets trained better :) He is about 90% potty trained, but in this crazy weather lately he doesn't always want to go outside. I love his little curly tail and the fact that he won't go to sleep at night unless we cover him in one of Sal's shirts like a blanket. We constantly find him alseep in the laundry! It took us like 3 days to name him. Sal wanted everything from Ben (because he cost a benjamin) to Pulga (spanish for flea because he's so small) and of course Kobe (because of the Lakers). But I liked Jackson and if I agreed to spell it with an "X" so it would be cool then I could have my choice. Although he still does get called Charlie from time to time...

Cleaning out a time capsule

2009-04-07T16:44:00.003-06:00

Okay, in an effort to declutter our apartment and maybe get rid of some stuff I made the effort to start at the beginning of our overflowing walk in closet. It is just filled with things. I have one plastic tub in there that I have been refusing to go through since I filled it up when we lived in Vegas with a box of stuff my mom sent from my old room when I lived at home. Well, this box does not fit into my closet and so I lifted the lid today. There is such a collection of memories in there that I have spent the last 3 hours reading and sorting and realizing that I am getting nowhere. I am actually going back 9 years. There are journals and binders filled with everything from family history back to the 1700's (which I thought had been lost long ago) and notes and things from when I was Laurel Class President in YW and scrapbooks and writing and notes. It makes my heart ache and like I am going nowhere in life for my heart to be aching as much as it is. I MISS MY FRIENDS and my goals and talents. I'm a writer, a journaler, a memory keeper.

Our senior year of high school we had senior projects that had to be completed in order for us to graduate. I think I was the last one of all my friends to decide on what I was going to do. I was going to write a book. I mean how hard could it be? And I had a great cast of characters around me everyday in which to steal some funny stories and personality traits. I had this giant green notebook that I would glue down printed pages on one side and then leave the other side open for comments and suggestions from my friends who were all too eager to help. I was reading the story (I got about 6 chapters done) and then started to read all the comments. Mostly from Cheryl and Eric and they were so insightful and funny that even 9 years later sitting on my floor hundreds of miles away I can still feel the presence around me and I regret that I was not a better friend and did not make more of an effort with the people I was closest to. And it makes me want to write again. I ache to write again. Like it burns in me to put thoughts and stories and memories down on paper. But I feel like there isn't still the people that made me funny or seem like what I was doing was important. Although the people in the book I was writing had different names they were my friends and the stories were my memories. Cammy getting her lip stuck to a Popsicle. Does anyone remember that? I had forgotten until I read it. And Jill not wanting to date a guy who brought her cookies?

I am so thankful for the friends that I once had and because of their support 9 years ago I suddenly feel inspired again. The belief that I can do something that I want to do. LoL, if I could copy this notebook and send it out to all of them I would. It just means so much to me.

So, 3 hours later and I ended up 9 years ago. This cleaning out is going to take a lot longer then I thought.

More Slow Cooker Recipes

2009-03-30T11:23:00.002-06:00

Slow Cooker Stroganoff
INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed 1/8 cup margarine
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

DIRECTIONS
Put chicken, margarine, soup and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Add cream cheese, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.

Okay, I LOVE stroganoff but it is usually made with red meat, which I HATE. So, I was happy to find a recipe that used chicken. And it was sooooo yummy. I usually use sour cream and not cream cheese so I was a little weary of it, but so good. You don't have to cube the chicken first, I just put in 3 half breast and it was easy to pull apart before adding the cream cheese. I added baby bella mushrooms to it to because we both LOVE mushrooms. And I used all the low fat, reduces salt items to make it a little better for you and you could never tell. Then just served over some whole wheat pasta (6 grams of fiber per serving! The Barilla brand whole wheat is a lot better then the whole wheat pasta they had at that health food store I used to work at!)

Mother-in-law Inspired Pork for Tacos

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs pork butt (fat removed)
1 pkt chicken taco seasoning
3 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
frozen peas
frozen carrots
Chicken broth (enough to cover)
garlic (I used 2 TBS of the minced...but we really love garlic)
half of a red onion, minced
pepper and salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into the slow cooker except the peas and carrots. I covered the pork with the chicken broth (I cut the pork into 4 big pieces to use less broth). Set to cook on low for 8 hours. Added the peas and carrot the last hour of cooking. When done remove pork from broth and shred and then returned to juices to keep moist when serving.

This was kinda an experiment trying to get close to some pork my mother in law makes which is delicious. Sal was super excited and ate many tacos of it. He likes dipping his tortilla with meat into the broth while eating, which is why I didn't get rid of it and it keeps the meat moist. Serve with warm tortillas. Yum Yum.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2009-03-27T14:52:00.002-06:00

Okay, when I make something that Sal doesn't add hot sauce to and asks for seconds and finishes mine... We'll it happens rarely. And those recipes I use forever. A new one got added to the rotation last night. Chicken Tortilla soup from the slow cooker. And it was sooo easy. I didn't thaw the chicken, I just through in some rinsed dry black beans and yum. So I thought I'd share with you all.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

I didn't add the water and instead just added more chicken broth, figured its liquid with more flavoring. And I topped with Campbell's Fiesta Cheese Soup and avocado. Really yummy. I just thought I'd show you the recipe as printed.

My new Crock Pot.

2009-03-26T11:31:00.003-06:00

Okay, so now that I am home being a professional job seeker, I've also decided to become a domestic goddess (I know I know, laugh it up). Anyway, my mom brought be a new blender when she came to visit and we already have a blender and I don't see us as big margerita party people needing two so I took to back to Wal-mart to exchange and I got a Crock-Pot that just happened to be on sale for the same amount as the blender was! Yeah, and from the advise of Sandi I got one that will keep warm after the food is done cooking. I am very excited. So yesterday I spent online at allrecipes.com looking for slow cooker recipes and they have a ton. I decided so start with chicken and dumplings because I had all of the ingredients basically. I added veggies to mine so it ended up kinda like a slow cooker chicken pot pie which is fine with me! I can't wait to try it out more... anyone has any good recipes feel free to pass them along. Oh! And does anyone know where I can get Hawaiian Sea Salt? I want to try making a luau pig. It got really good reviews on the website and it calls for both Hawaiian Sea Salt (which is apparently either red or black in color) and Liquid Smoke. Neither of which I can find and the website said to go to Trader Joe's, which we sadly do not have here.

Soooo long since I have posted!

2009-03-23T18:06:00.006-06:00

It has been so long since I have posted on our blog and I feel so behind so maybe I will try and get as much done as possible in one...

Well, I am no longer at Verizon Wireless. Anyone who has talked to me in the last year knows that I have been so unhappy there. Great paying job with great benefits... and customers that call in and complain over a $0.20 charge because they used text messaging. Working in the loyalty department was beyond stressful most days and then I started working a bunch of overtime and lost my voice! Sick time didn't start again for a couple weeks and they wouldn't approve my vacation time without prescheduling so... I walked out after 2 and a half years there. While it has been this great relief of NOT having to go to a job that gave me ulcers anymore there is that problem of I wasn't really ready to be looking for a new job. I realllllllly don't want to work in another call center, I just have all of this experience at it... since I was 18! So, I am going to take a little time and see what else I can find... and if I get desperate at least it will be new customers with new problems. Sigh.

Sal and I went to see his mom who got out of the hospital finally a couple of weeks ago. She is on 16 medications! It was craziness getting everything situated for her at home and then I found black mold growing in her bathroom. After convincing everyone how toxic that can be it was torn out and luckily only on the first (of several) layers of wallpaper. I got all her pills into a time schedule and hopefully going well. We stayed a couple days longer then we thought and got home on a Thursday, and then my family arrived on Saturday morning. I wasn't nearly ready for them. I thought I would have a week to get the place in "mom approved" condition but oh well.

While they were here we went to Antelope Island where my mom, brother, and husband all learned to lasso a fake bull, we went to yet another Diner, Drive Ins and Dives resturant in Roy, Utah called the Burger Bar; we drove up to Park City for the day; went to the Scrapbook Expo at the Sandy convention center and did so my shopping my feet were killing me. If there was any doubt where my shopping gene came from its been erased. Compaired to my mom, I think I only got half of the shopping gene. We did find some fun deals though! At the scrapbooking expo they had metal signs and vinal lettering saying "all because two people fell in love" and "always kiss me goodnight" for only $2.50 each. Amazing! And at Deseret Thrift I found a purse that was brand new with the tags and plastic still covering the handles for only $3! And the next day I found the same purse at Fossil for $40!!

All family is gone now and while I love seeing them I am glad for the rest! Sal slept until noon they day after they left! Anyways, posting some pictures now!

Lone Star Taqueria from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives

2009-03-07T12:49:00.003-07:00

Okay so we went to another resturant from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. And this one was delicious. Lone Star Taqueria tasted like home (after being married 6 years Mexican food can taste like home to a gringa, go figure). Great atmosphere, great view, and great food. I highly recommend Maria's Plato (I think that's what it was called) and the tacos were yummy. Its on our list of must eat places. It was a little crowded by dudes in snow suits but still there was seating (and a drive thru if need be). Anyways, we took some pictures so I will let them do the rest of the talking.

Yuridiana Jimenez Perez

2009-03-07T12:39:00.002-07:00

So, Sal and I have always said that we'd look into adoption of a child, possibly from Mexico, one day. While we are not at that point yet we did decided to sponsor one. Yuridiana is from Mexico where she lives with like 6 brothers and sisters. She likes soccer, running and playing games. Her birthday is August 13, 1997 and she is currently about a 5th grader. We sponsored her through www.compassion.com and we are so excited that we get to write her (either letters or emails) and become a part of her life. If anyone else is interested please go to the website. There are children from countries around the globe looking for sponsors. We knew what country and we picked from the children that had been waiting the longest.
Anyway, I can't post a picture right now, maybe later. We were just so excited we thought we'd share!

R.I.P. Jazzy

2009-02-22T15:59:00.002-07:00

On Saturday, February 21 of the year 2009 Jazzy "The New Guy" Ramos passed away surrounded by his family. He is survived by his brother Louie.

Jazzy was the third of 3 brothers (later 4 with the addition of Sushi 6 months later) that was rescued from the dollar store in Santa Ana, CA in June of 2007. He was known as The New Guy for several months because both Salvador and Traci could not agree on a name for a purple male Betta fish. This was rectified after he moved to Utah in 2008 and was finally given the official name of Jazzy by Madison Haslam while she was fish sitting.

He was buried at sea on Sunday, February 22 of the year 2009, and will be remembered fondly by family and friends.

Photo shows Jazzy during happier times in the Lava Lamp tank next to his brother Louie in the center.

Ogden, Utah

2009-02-18T11:38:00.004-07:00

Sal and I have been talking about moving for a while. Are we ready to buy or do we want to keep renting? Where do we want to live? How much do we want to spend? Well, if you look at pricing online you will see that Ogden and cities above SLC are much cheaper. But mention Ogden and peoples eyes will pop out of their heads! I guess it doesn't have the greatest history. But there are some good things that I found out about Ogden when looking into it further. Such as it is one of the most culturally diverse populations in Utah, which I really love. They have been doing some massive renovation projects there to bring beauty back to all of the old buildings that are there. Lots of companies have been interested in bringing business there. Lots of things for kids to do. Tons of parks. Dinosaur Land, Antelope Island (right down the freeway a few minutes), and they have started several new programs to make the city safer and better looking. They are at their lowest crime rate in 20 years and still implimenting ways to bring it down further. And USA Today named in one of the top 10 up and coming cities in the US. Actually a couple publications have. Its a large around that has a feeling of a small town when checking it out. But still it has this reputation that we keep hearing about so we needed to go and check it out. We didn't see any homeless people (like we see everywhere here in the SLC area) and the only graffiti we saw anywhere said "don't stop the music" which is a far cry from the graffiti I saw in California or even near where I work now. We went in the afternoon and walked around a park to see Fort Buenaventura near the Ogden River and we drove from one side of the city to the next. We stayed and went to Rooster's resturant on historic 25th. Honestly, it feels safer then some of the areas we're in now. We aren't sure if its just changed that much recently or what but it seemed like a decent place and a good fit for us. So, we'll probably going to look into it more. And some of Ogden's claims to fame... Everwood for the WB was filmed there, Tiffany shot her "I Think We're Alone Now" music video there, LL Cool J's video Doin' It, the movies Con Air, The Sandlot, Dumb and Dumber, Drive Me Crazy, Fletch...

Valentine's Day

2009-02-18T11:22:00.003-07:00

Okay, so I really do Know that Valentine's Day was a few days back but I am catching up. I have been so busy enjoying my time off and thinking of everything that I need to do that I haven't gotten anything accomplished. I'm not quite sure if anyone reads this, but hey, you never know.
We celebrated "going out" for Valentine's on Friday the 13th (romantic I know) because honestly, I hate crowds of people. You can enjoy each other and actually hear the person talking next to you over your Chicken Parmesan and it just feels a little more romantic then having to speak loudly over 50 other couples sitting next to you. We went to a yummy Italian resturant around the corner from us called Roma Ristorante. And when I mean around the corner, I mean it literally. The back wall to the shopping center in the wall of the apartment complex we live in. Being that close, we were still late by like 15 minutes. sigh. Really good food, good atmosphere, candle and roses on the table and they even gave us a bag of chocolates as we were leaving. From there we headed over to the $1.75 movies in West Valley. And no, not because Sal is too cheap to splurge for a newer movie! There was a movie playing there called Nothing Like The Holidays that for some reason didn't release when it was new in Utah. We would have had to have driven to Idaho to see it and we had been wanting to see it since we saw the previews during the summer. And its not going to be released onto DVD until the next holiday season. Anyway, we were the only people in the whole theater and the movie was very entertaining and funny. I felt at some moments that Debra Messings charactor was copying a book from my journal!!
On the actual V-Day we exchanged gifts (I got Sal's name engraved on a Bible) and Sal gave me permission to go and spend a rediculous amount of money on my hair (sigh, its admittedly one of my guilty pleasures in life). And we stayed home and decorated a giant cookie with frosting. It was the most DELICIOUS cookie ever that we bought at Albertson's that came with the frosting and everything. It was a good (2) day(s). I hope you all had a great time as well!

New Toys

2009-02-02T16:49:00.003-07:00

Okay, so I hit the thrift store today just to do a quick walk through and found this old bassinet with a mattress inside and I thought, what a great photo prop. Of course that is what I think about everything I see! It needs a little touch up work but for $5 I couldn't resist.

And on eBay they sell these giant cups as photo props for babies and puppies and such. They sell for like $50 plus shipping and handling! I did some reseach online and found out they sell these cups as planters at Wal-Mart for like $18! How exciting! I couldn't find them at my Wal-Mart (prolly due to the gardening center being all sleds and such right now). My mom, in sunny California, found them in here gardening center at Wal-mart though and bought this color. These pictures aren't ours but I stole them from someone elses page because they are so cute! The flicker page I copied them from is http://www.flickr.com/photos/diyosa/437643549/ and she has a ton of cute photos posted.

AND I just got this backdrop in the mail that I was the only bidder on (thank goodness) and got for a really cheap price! Photo was taken with my camera phone and so its not the best but it'll due for this purpose.

We already have a heavy duty black background and a white muslin. And I found a site online that gave me some inspiration to make my own backdrops, so I can't wait to try that. I got some baby bloomer/diaper covers too for the baby photos so cover up some of those cute little printed diapers for better photos. I'm so excited, there is more stuff coming and we need other things, but I love these little cheap finds!

Bed Hog

2009-01-31T09:44:00.005-07:00

1. bed hog
The bed hog takes over the entire bed, either shoving you up against the wall so you can't even breathe, or pushing you off the side,If they don't hog the bed, they hog the blankets, rolling up like they were wrapped in a cocoon, leaving you blanketless and shivering.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bed%20hog

You Ain't Nothing But a Bed Hog! -- powered by flowgo.com

I didn't even know if "bed hog" was the correct term for it. But after doing a Google search for it I found quite a few things. The video some reason didn't want to work when i uploaded it so there's the link if you wanted to check it out... its a little song about bed hogs. Sal left last night at like 3am to go to Cali for a few days, and while I miss him when he's gone... I never sleep better. Sal is THE WORST bed hog in the world. The boy STARTS in the middle of the bed and slowly moves over during the night. I'm seriously concidering these sheets just to illistrate how bad he is to him.

When we had the side of our bed against the wall back in the day I was always full press against the wall. And while having our bed away from the wall I have been pushed off more then once. When we first got married I used to wake him up and push him back to his side. But it was like 10 minutes before he was back. Sometimes I get to that point if he doesn't sleep, I don't sleep.

Oh! And he hogs the sheets too! If I do by change actually have him on his side of the bed he will have taken all the covers with him. And he will not let me keep the heat on at night because he gets warm (probably because he has enough covers for 2 people), while I on the other hand freeze. And he will wrap the covers under him so that I can't even pull them back. What really gets me though is while my side of the covers is on him and his side is draped down to the floor. I found the best thing to do in this situation is to place one of my freezing cold limbs over his warm body. Wakes him up in a hurry.

So, I've gotten to making the bed every night (after he's already in it) so that I can pull the sheets over to my side to start with and I got a body pillow as a line of defense but he just sleeps on top of it. Sigh. I LOVE my husband, but enjoy these times apart ever once in a while. So that I can catch up on all the sleep I'm not getting when he's here.

I think I'm seeing while some older couples have seperate beds... :) Not happening for us (yet!) but I can see why. Good thing he's still so cute.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and the Betty Crocker connection

2009-01-28T09:54:00.006-07:00

I think my loving and adorable husband is planning on leaving for another weekend without me to go and see his mom... because I am being buttered up. Just our most recent example is last night. We love Guy on the Food Network and the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and he has been to Salt Lake a few times. One of the resturants that he went to is Ruth's Diner. Last night we decided to check it out, even though breakfast is what they are known for (so we have another excuse to go back). Its all the way up the mountain past the zoo in Emigration Canyon. Originally opened in the 1930's by Ruth and is an old rail car. It has the neon lights outside and pink flamingos litter the decor. One of those fun places. There was no cell reception at this turn in the canyon because you are literally surrounded by mountains on all sides and they have a lot of snow up there. It was really beautiful.
Sal got the pork which is one of Ruth's specialties and I got the special of the night, chicken pot pie. Sal's was delicious. Very moist (which you don't always get with pork) and well seasoned. I got the pot pie which was unlike any pot pie I had ever seen before. It has the chicken, potatoes, and carrots on the bottom and then the top was 2 pieces of garlic cheese french bread. It was well cooked although a little too much rosemary, still very edible. And very filling.
Also, on the wall they had a framed napkin with writing on it and so I had to go and check it out. It was a handwritten note from Betty Crocker saying that he breakfast was worth the wait, and how much she enjoyed the pancakes and coffee... which means we are going back for the pancakes... I mean if they are good enough for Betty Crocker they are good enough for me!Here's the website so you can check it all out yourselves. http://www.ruthsdiner.com/ And if you're going for breakfast, call me, I'll join you!

Photography

2009-01-26T01:38:00.003-07:00

I have always wanted to be a photographer and have worked as one a few various times, like at Disneyland, where I met Sal, and in Vegas at resturants and shows. But never really as a "professional". My husbands ability to take pictures and know how to capture them really amazes me. Sometimes I think, that's never going to work and then I see the outcome and its completely great. So, currently I am trying to put together a portfolio for him and luckily we have some great friends who have volunteered themselves and their children for the cause. There are so many cute pictures to chose from that I could just fill up a page with all 148 of them. I love watching him take photos too, especially of kids. He becomed half clown half photographer to get the shots he wants and the expressions. I know he would love to open his own studio and he would be great at it. I am just so proud of him. Thanks to Sandi and Brandon for coming to take pictures with him and to Jill for asking for him to and for everyone else that eventually will. ;)

Tucanos

2009-01-21T11:41:00.007-07:00

The company Sal works for all went out for dinner at Tucanos for their holiday party and since Sal was in Cali with his mom they were nice enough to buy a gift certificate for him and I to go together. Sooo nice of them. I looked up the menu online and was a little confused. Shows only lunch and dinner pricing and the things that they offer. But everything looked good so off we went. It was in downtown SLC at the new Gateway Mall area (which I had not been to since everything relocated). It was really nice and only a $1 for 2 hour parking which can be validated any place you purchase something.

As we are walking through the resturant it has this huge salad bar area that has everything you could think of for your salad (I tried quail eggs for the first time), also tons of different pasta salads and other types. They had mashed potatoes, rolls, fried bananas, pasta with 3 different sauces, rice, beans, collard greens, soup... everything. And then behind the counter is a huge open roasting grill.

There are 17 different kinds of meat, veggies, and seafood that roast on these skewers over an open flame. The bring the skewers around the tables and carve directly from them for your plate. Really delicious and filling. At the end they bring around the dessert tray and they had 3 different kinds of cheesecake, a massive chocolate cake, brazillian flan, creme brule, and then this ice cream mixed with fruit juice and put into a bowl that was made from a fried tortilla and covered in cinnamon and sugar (it reminded me of a flat churro). Sal got the flan (which I tasted but am not a huge fan of flan anyway) and I got the ice cream dish made with mango. Heavenly. I only ate like half of it and Sal gladly finished the rest for me.

I am so glad we got to go and try out a new place. I am very grateful to Sal's company. So next time someone comes to visit we'll have an excuse to go back! So please.... come visit us!

Sal's Home

2009-01-20T13:05:00.003-07:00

Okay, I am so happy that Sal is home and that he made the drive safely. But every time he goes somewhere and come home boxes of stuff just seem to stick to him. We live in a two bedroom apartment and just do not have room for all this "stuff" as you can see in the photo it is creating a maze through our living room. So, while he goes to work today I get to stay home and rummage through all the treasures that he brought back with him from California. And while I learned to love antique and thrift store from my mother, I don't appreciate them in my own home (unlike my mother, Love You Mom!). And he never wants to throw anything away. He's always convinced someone will buy this junk. And some of it I feel too embarrassed to even donate to a thrift store.

Such as these fine feathered gems. There are 3 of them in total but I can only get 2 in the picture. He brought these home thinking we could hang them from the many hook in our ceiling and they could be in flight around our living room. He was very disappointed that I was appalled by them. And these are NOT little birds. Their winspan from tip to tip would go from the floor to my hip (and I am 5'10"). If anyone is intested please let me know or they may end up on our porch to scare solicitors away!

Money Money Money

2009-01-18T21:10:00.003-07:00

Working in the retention department of a company can give you some real insight into the minds of people across the United States. A lot of people I feel are prematurely freaking out. Granted, there are some changes going on in the economy and I know some people that are really being effected by these, but then there are others that are just listening to everyone else freak out and they are getting caught up in the whirlwind and jumping on a bandwagon. Gas prices have fallen (thank goodness) and home prices have fallen as well, which is a mixed blessing. Cheaper to buy a home, harder to get financed and if you are one of those people trying to sell your home during this time its frustrating. So, in the spirit of trying to save money so that we can buy a house I have been thinking about what we can cut back on. Its not like we're big vacationers or have extravagant purchases. Luckily, I work for a cell phone company and only spend like $40 a month for our services and we don't have a home phone. But our cable and internet bill is a whopping $100 a month! This is really crazy. I am not crazy about Dish or anything like that because I hate signing contracts (which I know seems contradict working for a wireless company). I'm thinking we should cut the cable. I can get a blackberry and pay a lot less for the internet (with my employee discount) and Sal can always get a phone that he can watch TV on if he really wanted to. Cancelling cable and internet and going to a smartphone would save like $85 a month. And cancelling cable might encourage us to get out more, have more conversations, do things maybe? But the thought of not having House, CSI, and American Idol can be kinda scary too. I'm sure the world was probably a lot different before these great inventions came into our lives, but honestly, I don't know a time without them.

Mixed Emotions

2009-01-16T23:45:00.002-07:00

Sal is feeling bummed because his old employer is giving him the run around because they don't want to pay him for what he can do and so he is probably not going to end up back there. Which makes me completely excited because that means he's most likely going to be home in the next couple of days! I feel bad that he will be so far away from his mom but he can still drive to go visit when he wants to. He is currently looking into other employment opportunites but I am hoping he doesn't find any so he heads back here... to me.

Because home is where the heart is.

The Scary Truth

2009-01-15T17:58:00.004-07:00

In a given day:
4000 new cases of diabetes will be diagnosed.
600 people will die from diabetes complications.
200 people will undergo an amputation due to diabetes.
100 cases of kidney failure will occur due to diabetes

Sal's mom is currently still in surgery due to complications that arose from having diabetes. It really is a scary disease and it seems like more and more people you know have it and most of it seems completely preventable (although not all sadly). Sal and I both have mothers that have diabetes and both could be at risk of it ourselves. So, while waiting to hear the news as to the results of her surgery I thought I would post some of the shocking statistics I found online at http://www.diabetespharmacist.com/2008/02/articles/diabetes-statistics/scary-diabetes-statistics-keep-getting-worse/. We have both decided to eat healthier and lose some weight this year and try to prevent diabetes in ourselves. And I want all of our friends and family to also do all they can to reduce their risk as well. Things we can control are weight, diet and exercise. This is that extra push I really needed for my New Year's Resolution!

Weight and Risk
Find your height in the left column, then look to the right to find the corresponding weight. If you weigh the amount shown (or more), you may be at risk for diabetes.

So, I just got the call from Sal while in the process of adding these wonderful pictures from the web. The doctor says that the surgery to add the artificial vein seems successful. The blood is circulating and the foot is warming up again. They are going to give it some time and make sure it stays working correctly and then they will go about removing the two toes that they can't save. I would say this is good news, but how can anything that requires removal of a body part be good? Instead this is hopeful news. Hope that things will improve and she will be able to get past this. In the meantime, it has effected the lives of everyone around her and I hope for the better. I hope it incourages people to prevent it instead of having to someday live with it.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-14T14:33:00.014-07:00

Thinking back to some happier memories, we don't have to think far. This past Christmas Sal's little sister, Gaby, came to visit with her fiance, Fernando, and our little nephew, Sergio.

Brandon and Sandi were nice enough to chop down a tree for us when they got theirs and I had so much fun getting to buy new decorations to go on it. Sal brought some more home from work when they took down their holiday decorations at the studio hoping that I wouldn't have an excuse to go buy more next year. Next year I am hoping we have a house and a need for a much bigger tree (or I saw on a decorating show they had 3 trees next to each other! It was really beautiful.) I made some stockings and Sergio made some cookies and we got all ready for Santa to come! I just feel like Christmas isn't really as exciting unless you have someone under 10 to celebrate it with you. I am so glad that they were able to come and have a White Christmas with us.

We went Christmas night to have some fun playing on the Wii at the Haslam house and Sergio got to play with Sandi's little girl, Maddie, and her cousins.

Also while they were here we took them to see Antelope Island in the middle of the Salt Lake and we hoped to see a buffalo and we were in luck! As soon as we got onto the island one decided to walk across the road right in front of us.

And more followed him so we stayed for a few minutes just to watch these amazing animals! While we were there we also went to the ranch that was on the Island where people actually lived and worked. Until this point in the trip Sergio had not quite been impressed with Utah. Then we got involved in our first snowball fight and after that he was hooked. I don't know what it is about clobbering your favorite aunt that is so exciting?? I had is down my neck, in my hair, under my jacket! It was so cold. As long as he had fun....I guess... :c)

We stayed until sunset and visited the gift shop where we got some fun things to send back to California to all of those of the family who haven't seen the amazing Salt Lake and buffalo just roaming around as they were meant to be. And I also got a buffalo ornament for our tree!

In this picture Sal, Sergio, and I are standing next to one of the amazing buffaloes created by various artist for the island.

We also went sledding up towards Park City at this golf course that had great hills to go down. In this picture Sergio was getting his first crack at it with Fernando. It was a big hill and I wasn't sure how he was going to take to it, but after his first run he was ready to go by himself! He went much faster by himself but you could hear him laughing all the way down.

Wheeler Historical Farm is only like a half mile from where we live so we went there as well so Sergio could see the animals because he missed his class trip to the farm in California. He really wanted to see the pigs and there were lots of baby pigs and one great big mama pig!

Christmas Eve we went to Temple Square in Downtown Salt Lake to see all of the Christmas lights and take lots of pictures. It was really cold out that night. I'm sure we were frozen by the time we walked around and got back to the car. We got free parking a couple blocks away at Crown Burger because we stopped there first so they could have their first taste of Fry Sauce. I took them there because when I came to Utah the first time it was the same place my friend Brittany took me to after picking me up from the airport. Needless to say, it was a hit and we sent a bottle home with them.

And if you don't believe we could have done any more in 5 days... we did! We hit the Hogle Zoo too! The zebras, gorillas, and monkeys and bears... and my favorite, the giraffs! Not only because they are beautiful, but because they were inside and there were two stories that you could view them on! The lower level so you have to look up and get the full concept of their height, and the higher level so you can look them in the eye. The one with Sergio and I in this picture in the youngest there and also the most friendly. He looked in every picture.

Sal and I had so much having people come and visit and spend the holiday with us. Hopefully they come back soon (and this inspires more people to want to come and visit us!)

When it Rains, It Pours

2009-01-14T12:12:00.002-07:00

This is a photo of my Mother-in-Law, Mini, taken with my father-in-law, Jeronimo during happier times. Doctors have completed their test and decided on a course of action at this time. They are going to attempt to save her leg by performing a bypass surgery on her leg. Sadly, they were unable to find another vein strong enough or capable enough to take on the task so what is happening instead is they are going to be using an artificial vein instead. The bypass will be taking place on Thursday 01/15 and after she has had some time to recover from that surgery they will be removing two of the infected toes and hoping that the new bloodflow to the leg will save the rest of her toes and foot.

Sal has decided that he should be around to help his mother with recovery and any complications that may arise in the next few months. He will be heading back to Utah sometime in the next week after the surgery to pick up some clothing and give notice at his work before heading back. I will be staying in Utah at my job with Verizon Wireless and working hard as well to save up some money so that when things calm down again we can go back to working on our family and getting our house, which were our original plans for this year. I am going to go crazy missing him while he's gone, but will be in California next month to visit my family so I will be seeing him then too and as often as possible. Luckily, Sandi and her family are all here and have been amazing to us since we moved here a year ago. I am so grateful to the Haslam/Joseph families. I don't feel so alone here!

Starting the year with Sadness

2009-01-12T17:38:00.002-07:00

This year is starting off with some sadness. Sal went back to California last week because his mom was admitted into the hospital. He was supposed to be coming home tonight but is going to be staying longer due to his mom needing surgery. She has been having pain in her legs for some time now and has been neglecting going to the doctor to get checked out. She woke up in horrible pain the other night and was taken to the ER where she started getting immediate treatment for her diabetes which were out of control. While they were trying to correct her blood sugar levels they tested her feet and she had the onset of gangrene in her toes on one foot. They couldn't do any further testing until they got her blood sugar taken care of. Sunday night the doctor came and advised her that she would be losing at least one toe and maybe up to three, but they wouldn't know the full extent of the damage until until they completed some further testing on Monday morning. Well, sadly after further testing, she might actually be losing her legs and not just a toes. Needless to say, Sal is suffering greatly with this news and is planning on staying longer then anticipated. They are still at the hospital waiting to meet with the doctor for a full diagnosis. More will be posted as the news comes in.