Pollen is the enemy!

Our new aquarium

You can see a video of the aquarium at De Mysterii's blog by clicking here and looking for the blog entry called Acuario.

Sunday Synopsis

The weather has been absolutely beautiful lately. We turned the a/c on for the first time today. I love this time of year except for one little bitty thing, allergies! My eyes itch even though I take my allergy medicine. I took benadryl tonight.

I am very happy these days. I am just adjusting to being a wife but really, it feels great! I cannot get used to changing my last name. I still try to write my old name on everything.
We had a fun Sunday. We have a new aquarium and got some fish. I will take pictures of them and show you soon. We went by an antique store and Armando bought me a pretty picture that I liked. I held a chameleon today at the pet store. It was so cute. They move so slowly and their little tails that curl. Just precious!

Sorry I haven’t posted wedding pictures. I haven’t edited them yet. We got married one day and had a small celebration just with family on the weekend. We’ve been focusing most of our attention on the mountain of immigration paperwork lately. When we get over that, we will both feel more relieved.

I hope you have a great week!

-M

Mr. & Mrs.

I couldn't be happier!

Stormy March 1st

I was just thinking of those killed and injured in the tornadoes that swept across Alabama and several other states today. I wish peace and comfort for those who lost loved ones and strength and endurance for those who are injured or lost their homes.

V-Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sunset at Home

I love the colors of the sky in evening.

Sleepless Night

It is early morning and I cannot sleep but I found the cute idea above on real simple's website. Hopefully soon I will fall right off to sleep. :)

Safe Journey

Armando,

Have a safe journey to Chile!

I will miss you but have a great

visit with your family and friends!

Row Row Row Your Boat

Wherever the heck you want to!

When life is not taking you in the direction that you need to go and when things are not healthy, it is time to change directions. This past few weeks have been stormy for me with many ups and downs and in betweens.

I quit a job for the first time in my life. I am always hard on myself and I felt bad because I quit. I think sometimes I am my own worst enemy when it comes to my high expectations. I think all the close people around me were suffering because I was suffering and they knew it and I would not allow myself to admit deep down to the fact that things were not getting any better at the workplace, just more pressurized, negative and stressful. I was trying to stick with it for a year, just long enough to change departments but it just became too much. I couldn't handle it any longer and had gone to my limit.

My attitude changed the other night when I had a talk with my Father. He mentioned, if you knew you were going to die at midnight... Would you still be feeling this way? Of course I said No! He was right. I needed to stop focusing on the past and enjoy my right now!!!

I am relieved now and am just taking a little breather before looking for a better opportunity.

P.S. I designed a new banner for the blog with Armando's help. Do you like it? It has a feather on it that I found at Lake Guntersville.

Obstacles

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

-Michael Jordan

Wishing you a

The warmth and love he offers.

It is such a beautiful blessing in this world when you are with someone who offers you warmth and love constantly. Somebody that you can lean on in any situation and that will be with you through the struggles and help to uplift you during the rougher times. But also, a partner that shares in your joys and accomplishments with as much pleasure and glee as you revel in during those happy times.

The help he gives me on a daily basis is more than I can really tell you or name off. It goes from helping me to have a great start to my day every morning and always meeting me at work and opening the front doors for me, which are too heavy for me to handle and maneuver, (me and my wheelchair) to ironing my shirts and clothes unexpectedly, and even reminding me to take my medicine which I forget often at night. He even writes loving messages in my calendar that I use at work; his little notes inspire me and make me smile. He is always watching over me like a guardian angel. Wrapping the covers around me gently during those cold winter nights, letting me use his chest as my pillow, those little things make me feel so secure. I am thankful for all of the things he does to help me and the support he offers me. I feel blessed and warm inside every day because I know I have him in my life.

Sometimes I get stressed at work and become very uptight. I can be a perfectionist and that makes me feel pressure. He always gives me pep talks and makes me repeat that I am good at my job and positive things before work. He makes me laugh and encourages me when I put too much pressure on myself. He lightens situations up and helps make me laugh when I need it the most.

He has also introduced me to so many new things that I never knew before I met him. Sushi, Japanese Horror Movies, Chobits, SpongeBob Squarepants, Miyazaki's movies like Spirited Away, Pablo Neruda, Piscola, George Orwell, Role Playing Games...I could go on.

I feel lighthearted more than ever before because I allow myself to watch the cartoons that during my childhood were never watched because of serious illness. I love reverting to childhood sometimes and getting lost in movies and cartoons!

So, this is a little thanks for you my love. Thanks for the warmth and love you show me everyday. Thanks for all that you do today and every day. Thanks for introducing me to so many interesting and fun things. You make my world a happier place.

Here's wishing a great start for a Happy New Year where our plans come into fruition and we can look forward to a bright new life as husband and wife this upcoming year!

So Little Time So Much More To Explore!

States I have visited:

Countries I have visited:

 

What places have you visited? Where would you like to visit? To make your own visited maps, Go here

Lunchtime Pal

Today while Armando and I were pulled over beside a wooded area to eat lunch while on break from work, we were joined by the most adorable lunchtime pal. I had to make sure it was not one of my cats because it had such a big resemblance to my cat named Mocha. (The only thing was, this cat had a tail and Mocha has a tiny, tiny bobtail)

After some envious glances from our lunchtime pal, we gave in and gave her the rest of our lunches. Take a look at the cutie below, Wouldn't you have handed over your lunch too?

Four Day Holiday Weekend!

I was off work Thursday and Friday and I had such a nice and relaxing four day holiday. One thing I felt bad about this Thanksgiving was not being able to help Mom with the Thanksgiving dinner as much as I always do. I had to work Wednesday until 5:30 and I came home and helped her after work but she had cooked so many desserts and had most everything done. I woke up early Thanksgiving to help her. I think I gained some weight this Thanksgiving. I love pumpkin pie and ham and turkey. It sure was delicious!

This evening Armando and I went to look at a few stores. I got an electronic game for my Aunt who will be having another kidney transplant in the near future. I work all week and won't be able to go visit her except on weekends since she is having the transplant at a city not so close to home. I hate that she is going to be staying for four weeks by herself and everybody is going to be working. I am just on my first 90 days at work, so I cannot take off at all, until next year sometimes. I am trying to put together some fun things to keep her occupied while she is in the hospital. Does anybody have any good ideas?

Armando bought me a 80 GB hard drive and installed it. I love it! I feel like I have a new computer. My other hard drive was getting pretty full. I cleaned it up Friday and organized things into folders and placed them on the new hard drive. Then Armando formatted the old hard drive for me. My computer is running a lot smoother.

Before I got this new job, I had decided I would make a blog using html. Each time I posted in the last blog, I had to use HTML to do my entries. I liked being able to use creativity and put things together but I realized later that I did not really have as much time to devote to doing everything HTML. So I just changed back to a template. I am using the Windows Live Writer to publish my entries and it is easier.

Well, I have rambled enough. I really hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as I did!

Learning Flexibility

If you were to look back upon your life and then trace the different pathways that your life has taken through different eras, it is an interesting journey. Isn't it? I was actually thinking about that subject this evening.

I am a planner and usually try to pre-plan for things in life by working toward goals, etc. But, there have been many things that happened in my life that I never could have pre-planned for or even imagined for that matter. Those things ended up playing big parts in my life. Some actually ended up being great blessings in my life!

I guess that is why it is always good to not be a "slave" to your plan but a "master" and remain flexible enough to chart a different course when necessary. It has taken me a while to realize that. I am not always the easiest person to get to change directions when I have my mind set on something. Sometimes it is easy to be blinded when you are focusing on a plan or goal and you tend to lose sight of the fact that sometimes your pre-set destination may not always be the best one for you in the long run! I guess it is called experience and learning flexibility.

Friday Night

November 18, 2006

After getting off work, Armando and I went to eat sushi at Miyako Japanese Restaurant. The sushi was delicious but the restaurant was so busy that it took us quite a while to get sushi. We ate soup while waiting. It was a nice treat. I have been so tired after work that we haven’t went anywhere the past few weeks but I felt good Friday evening.

Afterwards, we went to a Tattoo place and got prices on a new tattoo that Armando would like to get. He wants to find his own design first and then get it done. Right next door to the tattoo store was a "Naughty store" and I couldn't help laughing at some of the shoes on display in the window and outfits. They had some sparkly red Dorothy in the wizard of Oz shoes with huge heels! Hehehe They were hilarious. I wish I had thought to snap a picture of them to show.

Later, we bought a few Christmas gifts. We needed to get them soon to send a package off to Chile before the deadline. Right now, I still have no idea when the Christmas deadline is for mailing packages overseas but hopefully it will be ok. Then, we looked at Best Buy and went to Barnes and Nobles bookstore. I fell asleep on the way home and woke up a few minutes before we turned into the driveway!

At a few stores we looked at the Sansa mp3 player that Armando has been telling me about. I like it a lot. It is really nice because you can watch windows media player videos on it and listen to mp3's. I have wanted something to listen to music at my desk at work when the phone calls slow down. They don't usually slow down that much but now and then they do and it makes me feel happy to listen to some good music lightly during those times I am doing paperwork and orders, etc. Armando has been a sweetheart and allowing me to take his palm to work and listen to music. My palm doesn't have a speaker or way to listen to music.

I have been thinking about that little Sansa too much since we saw it. It sure is cool. Well, we will see...

Sorry I have not posted in so long. I've been at the new job three weeks and everybody tells me it will take me six months to feel comfortable. I am starting to believe them! The new job is stressful and there are many things to learn. I use a lot of programs every day and this is a whole new field for me. The last few weeks have been rough for me and I have been tired and just have not felt like doing much else besides resting when I get home. I worked overtime several days also. I think this job is always going to be stressful because you have many angry customers calling and yelling at you, etc and then you have a lot of multi-tasking to do and you absolutely have to be organized. I have had to learn to not take those customers personally. I am normally a sensitive person so that has been a learning experience.

I have heard a lot of stories about this new job from my co-workers. I've heard that they have a high turnover rate and many people take anti-depressants etc. I am trying to keep positive and motivate myself and find healthy ways to deal with the stress. I don't want to work at a job that makes me be on anti-depressants. If it gets to that point, I will be looking for a new job.

Sleeping Kitten

October 15, 2005

One of the kittens asleep today.

Our Story Part 2

October 14, 2006

One fun part of our long distance relationship was sending letters and packages back and forth. He would send me Chilean (cafe) coffee, candy, and all kinds of fun things. One package he sent me a bottle of Chilean wine and a book by my favorite author and a natural quartz crystal from the mountains in Chile. Nobody had ever sent me a bottle of wine before or cared enough to even remember what my favorite author was... Another very special gift was an alpaca poncho to keep me warm in the winter. I always get cold in the winter. One year for Christmas he surprised me and sent me a digital camera! The dial had broke on my digital camera.

His first visit:

I arrived before dark in the early morning hours at Atlanta International Airport in Georgia to pick A up on his first trip to Alabama. I did a bit of worrying and some frantic rounds around the airport before I finally saw him. He explained later what had happened. He was actually put in the security orange room because when they asked him his return flight date he honestly could not remember the actual date. Welcome to the USA via the orange security room, right?

He had mistakenly got his Mom's tickets to Argentina instead of his own return flight tickets. Imagine A's surprise when he reaches in his bag to show them his tickets and they are his Mom's tickets instead. (Mierda!) He was honest with them and after some verification they let him through.

We stayed busy going places the whole time he was here. We had a lot of fun and sadly, the time flew by. We took a trip to Biloxi, Mississippi (before the hurricane did so much damage there.) We gambled and got free drinks, had lazy sleep in mornings and enjoyed the view of the sandy beaches and water. He was so caring and loving and he made me laugh a lot. I was on cloud nine!

My sister gave me an early birthday gift of a hotel room for Armando and I in Birmingham. That was so sweet of her and her husband. We got a bottle of Chilean wine and sushi and just relaxed. Later we went to the Science Museum with my sister and niece and nephew. We also went to the Birmingham zoo. We both love animals so it was fun.

On the day A had to return to Chile, I tried hard to be strong and not show sadness but I found myself tearing up on the drive to the airport. I was going to miss him a lot. On the drive back to Alabama, I cried and got upset and then resolved to try and be strong and focus on the day he was to return to live here.

Our plan was for him to return to Chile and finish his classes so he could get his degree and then he would move here and I needed to find a job that had health insurance. We knew it would take some time for us to go through the immigration process and marry but the most important thing was the love that we have for each other. We can work through the rest.