I remember the exact moment when we first “formally” met (we had crossed paths once before…and I’ll admit, I wasn’t very nice). I was in the parking lot of Starbucks, getting something out of the trunk of my car with Brooke, when he came over and Brooke introduced him as a new hire. Brooke and I were heading to South America for two weeks within a day or so.
After I got back, I was pulling my evening shift at Starbucks after working my 8 hour shift at a law firm (ahh, to be young). I was scooping ice into a venti cup when he came around the corner onto the bar floor, and we were re-introduced. Little did either of us know that that moment was the beginning of something truly amazing.
We had exactly two shifts together. The Starbucks life wasn’t for him, so after two weeks (the two weeks I was out of town), he had already put in a two week notice. Thankfully two work shifts and one night out with coworkers was all we needed. And massive, massive, misinterpretation on both ends. Jeff had mentioned to Abby that he thought it was cool that I spoke Spanish, it was conveyed to me that Jeff “liked” me. I got the butterflies. The jokes were on for the next and last shift (“should I thank you now or later?”), phone numbers were exchanged (he put my name in his phone as “Beautiful,” it was quite the power move, it worked), and that was that.
Since then, we’ve had sleep overs at homes and my Redhill apartment, we’ve had two apartments together, lived with his parents for an extended period of time (thank you Linda and Shelly!), we’ve travelled to Washington DC, GERMANY, Salt Lake City, Arizona (does that count? I’m counting it), Guatemala. We’ve spent weekends in Big Bear, Solvang, and Santa Barbara (aaaaaages ago). We bought and sold a business. We’ve jumped into various creative endeavors to varying degrees of success. We’ve supported each other in all of them. We’ve both lost jobs and found others. We’ve supported each other through all the emotional ups and downs of that as well.
We’ve watched fireworks erupt all over the city from my grandma’s rooftop. We’ve watched the rain from a quant little German balcony. We’ve tried to party with my cousins in Antigua. We’ve painfully explored Neuschwanstein Castle and in bewilderment paddled through a mountain lake with swans. We’ve camped, we’ve driven, we’ve walked. We used to bike. A little. Maybe twice. Oh there was that bike ride through Germany with Mike and Henry, with rain and music. That was pretty epic.
We got married (still the best dance party I’ve EVER been to). We’ve had kids. We bought a home. We’re raising a beautiful family. We appreciate each other, we love each other, we respect each other.
10 years of birthdays. Nosebleed Lakers tickets. Coheed and Cambria tickets. Weekend get away in Big Bear with friends. Family dinners. Beer. Lots of beer. And chocolate cake. Always chocolate cake.
Jeff, you’re an amazing man, an awesome husband, and an admirable father. I just can’t get enough of you. Thank you for sharing your life with me and always putting in 110% when it comes to our family. Or anything you do, for that matter. Thank you for being my Vanilla Sky.
Did you know that this coming Saturday is “Small Business Saturday”? I didn’t know this was a thing until we had our own little shop in 2012. That experience made me realize how important it really is to support our local, small businesses. So, I thought I would share some of my favorite local small businesses with you (in no particular order).
ORGANIC DESIGNS BY AGGELIGE(located in Costa Mesa): Some of the cutest succulent arrangements you’ll ever see, all hand made by our good freed Agg.
UNURTH BY JENN LAMB (located in Los Angeles, webstore): we met Jenn when our shop was placed next to hers during a Patchwork Festival in what feels like ages ago. She makes some beautiful ceramic pieces and it’s my dream to own a hanging planter for a plant in my kitchen someday:
SCOUT FOLKS BY ALLY SCOUT(located in Costa Mesa, website): I’ve known Ally for years, and I’m constantly blown away by her creativity and artistic talent, not to mention how much she can accomplish while having a full time job and two kiddos at home. Although I want all the things she sells, I’m currently itching to get these adorable kitchen towels.
MAX & MITCH BY HAYLEE (located in Los Angeles, Etsy store): I met Haylee through my wedding planning jobs with Events by Katherine. Not only is Haylee great at event coordinating, she can make [tons of] very cool coffee mugs! I bought these for my cousin and her husband when they bought their home, and I’m sure it won’t be my last purchase from her shop. I mean…who wouldn’t want these…
And don’t forget, there’s also:
Cyber Monday: shop via smile.amazon.com and select Haiti Scholarships as your organization, and Amazon will donate a portion of what you spend.
Giving Tuesday: donate directly to Haiti Scholarships and help us reach our Giving Tuesday goal of raising enough to renew two scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year. Maybe even become a monthly donor!
My amazing mother-in-law recently upgraded some of her furniture and was getting rid of her china cabinet. Have I mentioned that I’ve always wanted my very own china cabinet? It took some convincing with Jeff, but after planning a little facelift for it, we decided to give it a new home. We’re VERY happy with the outcome :)
I didn’t get a good before image, but the top of the china cabinet had doors and a glass shelf. We took off the doors and replaced the glass shelf with a wooden shelf.
This is what happens when you turn your back on a toddler and a can of paint…
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve posted tid bits here and there, but nothing really of substance lately. I still keep a running list of all the ideas of things I want to blog about, and most of them become outdated before they become a reality.
A big reason why I don’t blog as much is the lack of time. With a two-year old running around and a home to keep up, and let’s be honest, my general laziness, the time available to just sit and put my thoughts into written word is pretty limited. When I do have time, I feel guilty if I’m not spending it working on something for Haiti Scholarships, or writing a blog for Nuestras Manos or The Merry Ministers instead (neither of which have been done in a long time…see: laziness).
So I’m trying to turn a new leaf. I’m trying to let go. I’ve often wondering why I work the way I work: why do I always have to have multiple things going on? Why am I not happy with just my 9-5 job? Why do I have to add on volunteering on projects or organizations, or trying to promote side businesses? I know each of these makes me happy to a degree, but with baby #2 on the way, I’m really trying to be realistic about my expectations of myself. I feel constantly stressed about the to-do lists that I’m not getting done…so I wonder…what if I just didn’t have those to-do lists? What if all my worries focused on home, kids, hubby, and work? That seems like enough, right? Haha.
So here’s my plan: I’m trying to de-clutter. I need to start letting go of Haiti Scholarships tasks and start delegating things (this is VERY hard for me because I’m very specific about how I think things should be done, ha!). I don’t need to write the agenda and the minutes, and do the newsletter, and our yearly taxes, and thank you letters, and update databases, and respond to emails, and update social media. I’m just hoping I find someone to take over a thing or two :)
I need to start being realistic about what I can do with Nuestras Manos and The Merry Ministers. I have a long list of ideas that I’d love to accomplish, but the reality is that now isn’t the time. So I’m no longer putting “write a blog for Nuestras Manos” on my to-do list. I’m no longer saving my Bloglovin emails in hopes that I’ll find inspiration for a blog that I’ll never write (I still have hundreds saved that I can resort to should the occasion arise). Deleting those emails every morning is already reducing some of my anxiety.
And probably most importantly: I just need to stay out of things that require monthly meetings, haha. I thought this year would be the year I could re-commit to the Corazon Annual Meeting Committee, but I’ve attended 1 of 3 meetings so far, and I’ve found it challenging to keep up with the two tasks I’ve been assigned. It’s not fair to them or the organization. I also got myself nominated as the secretary for our local school district employees union, which requires two meetings a month (one for the e-board and one for the chapter meeting). I’m already two meetings behind on getting my minutes typed up. So I think I need to finish up my tenure on these and understand that once the kids are a few years older, maybe I’ll be able to pick up where I left off (if sports and activities aren’t all-consuming at that point, haha). And hey, maybe then I’ll actually get to write about all the things I’ve been wanting to write about for the last couple years! :-P
Many of you probably don’t know this, but one of our few famous Guatemalan artists won an “award of excellence” at a Latin awards show this week, which prompted me to binge on all of his albums on repeat, haha. Which means that now I get to share some of my favorite songs with you guys :)
Some of my favorites are songs that might not be “mainstream” songs, but they’re the ones that have the greatest impact on me. Arjona is a lyrical mastermind, and his songs are always very clever and have a point or message. One of my favorites is called “La Nena (Bitacora de un Secuestro)”, which is the retelling of a little girl being kidnapped.
Kidnappings in Latin America are very common, hovering in the thousands per year.* This doesn’t include the number of kidnappings that go unreported because of fear or lack of confidence in the local police (or fear of collusion). There are also different types of kidnappings: 1) your good ol’ traditional kidnapping, where the victim is followed for a period of time (could be several months) to trace their steps/routine, then kidnapped to obtain a large ransom–these victims are usually picked because of their wealth. 2) “Express kidnappings,” which was news to me but seems to be very common: basically the victim is taken for a period of 24 hours or less, during which time they are forced to take all their money from ATM’s and bank accounts and the family is contacted in order to provided whatever money they have available as well. The victim’s in this scenario can be anyone–regardless of your income level. Another play on this is the “paseo millonario,” or “millionaire tour,” which happens when you take a taxi–the taxi stops slightly ahead of where it picked up the victim, where his friends hop in to the taxi with guns/arms and rob the victim of whatever is on him.
Like many things, the causes of why these countries have so many kidnappings (and violence in general) are many: financial instability in the region, lack of financial opportunity for people (no job=get money instead), lack of enforcement or punishment by local police force (which can also include the fact that many times kidnappers are better armed and have more technology at their disposal than local police forces), corruption and collusion by local police force, as well as a huge gap between the poor and the wealthy. Basically,“rule of law is weak, economic opportunity is scare, and education is poor.”Wikipedia.
For example, the “millionaire tour” type of kidnappings are only able to exist in an atmosphere where taxi’s are not strictly regulated. If each taxi had to have a clearly labeled registration number, and these were enforced by making sure that each taxi had legitimate paperwork, then kidnappers would no longer be able to use this method (they would be easily identifiable or hopefully law enforcement procedures would reveal that the “taxi” was not a legitimate taxi).
I found this in a document that pertains specifically to Guatemala:
During the years of 2010 and 2011 the judgments/sentences for kidnappings increased up to three and four times respectively in comparison to prior years. Not withstanding we have to take into account that of 632 reported cases during the period from 2008-2011 only 330 reached a judgment, which amounts to a 52% total of the cases.
To be honest, I’m surprised that even 52% of cases reached a final judgment. When I was doing research on a similar issue in law school, I think it was something like only 2% of cases that were reported were actually investigated and prosecuted. Granted, this was ALL reports of crime, not just kidnappings, but still, I’m actually quite happy to see that there’s a 52% here! It’s sad to be excited about statistics like these, and expecting such low standards.
One final thing before we get to the song (if you’ve made it this far!), there’s one line in this song that strikes me and gets me a little angry every time: when the kidnapping occurs, all the neighbors close their doors and pretend like they haven’t seen/heard anything. You can’t blame people for not wanting to get involved, really, when they are probably afraid of getting caught in the crossfire and have little to no faith in the local police, but it’s still hard to accept the fact that people live in a situation where their best option is to just ignore everything that happens around them–until they’re the next victim. **
I couldn’t find the official video, so this will have to suffice.
The housemaid woke her up at 6:42,
The girl wrinkles her eyes to keep out the light,
Recites the same prayer as always to do her duty to god,
Right after she makes the sign of the cross on her chest,
Whose is the car which is waiting two blocks to the south.
The chauffeur takes her, loaded up with her books,
Mom waves goodbye to her at the door,
The girl is 9 years old; how was she was going to know
That for more than 4 months they have been tailing her,
And the the car awaiting two blocks away starts its engine.
A shot in the chauffers temple, the girl drifts away,
A tree stops the momentum; they have her surrounded,
Her forehead struck against the glass and has opened a wound, The neighbors all lock themselves in-no one has seen anything,**
and the hand which killed her chauffeur now silences her screams, The girl is a one with a lot of zeros from here on out.*
The girl is a bulk tied up in a brown Chrysler,
A shoe presses her spine, a handkerchief her mouth,
The girl is scared to death and doesn’t understand why.
The girl doesn’t know that even God sometimes makes mistakes,
The girl is sleeplessness and news, the girl is not there.
Her planet changed size, and measures 4 x 3
Her sun is the light that leaks in beneath a door,
The girl now sees no difference beween a day and a month,
The girl doesn’t know whether she sleeps or stays awake,
The girl has now spent 3 months looking for a reason.
The girl now doesn’t wrinkle her eyes, she hasn’t seen the light,
There are no windows in this branch of hell,
Her fate is listed in currency of another country,
Her life is a vulgar trade resembling death,
The girl isn’t going to her English class this afternoon.
Six kilos lighter the girl has pink sores,
Dad almost crazy, mom in hospitals once again,
The delivery is agreed with a disguised voice,
The same one that has come offering bodily souvenirs,
And fear laughs at everyone and rubs his hands together,
The future will look dog-faced if it wants to.
Now the girl doesn’t wrinkle her eyes hasn’t seen the light,
In hell’s branch office there are no windows,
Her fate is bought and sold for another country’s notes,
Her life is a vulgar trade resembling death,
The girl now hasn’t been to ballet for 10 months.
On the specified day the money is under a bridge,
the girl at last leaves the room where the was kept,
Everything goes as they agreed there is nothing pending
Suddenly the boss bursts into the house without covering his face, The girl recognises someone familiar Plans since the incident have had to change.
The closing line always makes me sad, to think this girl was so close to getting back to her parent but one little mishap now counts her as those that are killed anyway, simply because she knew the person involved (which I think is quite common).
So my new job working for the school district means that I get (unpaid) Summer’s off! As financially challenging and stressful as this will be, I’m counting down the days (three) to be able to stay home with Jake, play housewife, and organize and Pinterest like crazy (I want to do all of these and these–totally doable)!
In my ideal world, here’s what our Summer days would look like:
Jeff goes to work, I get up and write a blog on here or Nuestras Manos or The Merry Ministers. I’m usually awake by 6/6:30 a.m., and on weekends the boys tend to “sleep in” until 7:30-8:00 a.m., so I think this should be doable.
After Jake wakes up, we eat breakfast, I pick up the house a little, work on the backyard, some playtime, and then go for a walk/run (ha! me? running? I did say “ideal”…).
Get back home, maybe hit the pool for a little bit, maybe do some crafting/organizing/making stuff for Jake’s birthday while he takes a three hour nap….
We do the lunch thing (maybe meet daddy for lunch), then figure out what we’re making for dinner. Go to the grocery store, maybe meet up for a play date.
Another three hour nap where mommy can do all of the above that hasn’t gotten done.
Then it’s dinner, bath time, bed time, and a glass of wine or beer with the honey!
On a few days, I want to take Jake to some museums, go to the beach, and just have a few adventures.
I have a feeling most of my day will be watching and playing with him rather than really getting anything done, but I’m open to the possibilities and excited for the next month and a half!
This last month has been a huge roller coaster of emotions. As much as I’ve loved my job, we quickly realized that financially it just wasn’t enough. It was really difficult for me to make the decision to start looking and applying somewhere else…this job has been the most supportive, caring, and flexible throughout my pregnancy and Jake’s first months–a time when most jobs are probably anything BUT those qualities.
I’ve grown so fond of the people I work with–not to mention fallen in love with their love and attention for Jake: they looked forward to his arrival almost as anxiously as we did. ALMOST ;)
This job has also helped me learn that I am really happy in an administrative position: I’m good at it and I really enjoy doing it. It’s sad that I became an attorney to realize this, haha, but hindsight is always 20/20, right?
Anyhow, with an excited, nervous, and heavy heart, I will begin a new job at a local junior high as the secretary to the assistant principal. As sad as I am to leave where I am, I think (and pray) that this is a good move for my family: higher pay (which hopefully means we’ll be able to move out in a couple months), better health benefits, and plenty of room to grow. I’m hoping this will be my last career move in a while–I hate having to start learning curves over and over again.
I start on Wednesday, which gives me two days to finish EVERYTHING on my somehow still growing list at my current job.
There are so many things I will miss about my current job: flexible hours, great co-workers and volunteer staff, Friday’s off, not to mention the kids and families I’ve gotten to know in the past year. And I’ll have to abandon Project Keep Plant Alive :(
As of now, it’s still alive and well!
Cross your fingers for me that this transition goes well for Jake (new schedule and all) and that it’s a good move for all of us!
I would like to state that the above are my first adventures into the world of Photoshop. Not the greatest, but not awful, right? Although I do have to confess that the roundy cool one for Nena & Co. and The Root Collective was done by the hubby…I don’t have those kinds of skills yet (hence why the rest are not as pretty).
I was too lazy to make a cool Photoshop just for this, but I’m sure this will be a beautiful calendar for next year. I plan on buying one for my office :)
Supports The Network in Solidarity With The People of Guatemala (phew, that’s a long one).
Another gift guide that I came across this year is from Home With the Boys. The website is down right now but hopefully will be back up in the next day or so. And of course, there’s always Nicholas Kristof’s guide from The New York Times.
With the holidays around the corner, I thought I would dedicate this Charity of the Month to sharing a list of places in Orange County where you can volunteer some time to provide holiday cheer to those less fortunate. My compilation is a shorter version of a compilation already made by One OC (hey, why reinvent the wheel?). Click on the One OC link and check out the page number listed below to get contact information–I’m also providing links to each of the organizations in case you’d like to find out more about them. Get your volunteer on! (too cheesy, huh?)
Families Forward in Irvine needs help preparing Thanksgiving bags (p. 11).
Make a Wish Foundation needs volunteers in November and December for their Santa Letter Writing Campaign at Macy’s stores (p. 22)
Colette’s Children’s Home in Placentia needs volunteers on November 25th for their Thanksgiving Feast for homeless women and children (p. 8), as well as November 26th in Huntington Beach (p. 9).
American Family Housing in Westminster needs volunteers on Thanksgiving Day (November 28th) for serving, setting up, and breaking down a Thanksgiving dinner for homeless people (different shifts available, p. 3).
Families Forward in Irvine needs help distributing gift bags to families (p. 11).
Grandma’s House of Hope in Santa Ana (and multiple locations) needs help decorating their women’s shelter’s for the holidays (p. 15).
Giving Children Hope in Buena Park needs help wrapping Christmas presents on December 3-5th and 10-12th (p. 14).
The Wooden Floor in Santa Ana is looking for people to donate a Christmas tree and decorate it for families that cannot afford one. Needs to be done by December 6th (p. 31).
Child Guidance Center in Newport Beach needs help on December 7th and 8thsetting up for and during their Annual Holiday Tree Fantasy Event at the Balboa Bay Club (p. 7).
Colette’s Children’s Home needs volunteers for their Christmas Party at the Huntington Hyatt on December 19th (p. 9).
Well, I still can’t believe it’s true, but on February 28th, 2013, my Birthday Challenge was complete!
In 28 days (after numerous outreach emails, tweets, and Facebook updates), 35 people came together to donate to Haiti Scholarships, and together raised $880.00. I still can’t believe it! That’s almost three FULL scholarships for students in Haiti :) That means three students are guaranteed scholarships this Fall: they’ll be able to enroll and attend school. That’s pretty damn exciting.
Thank you to all of the following amazing individuals:
Jessica K.
Jen B.
Annie
Patty
Adri
Kristina
John M.
Dan S.
Mark
Eileen
Jim
Jim in honor of Jeff Peterson
Jim in honor of Marge Mahar
Caitlin
Valerie
Mary
Darcy
Dan
Emily
Sarah T.
Jenn A.
Katie S.
Charlie
Sheena
Christine
Katie T.
Billie
Bhavini
Patrick
Isabel
Abby
Cisco
Diana
Lupita
Melissa
You’ve all made a huge impact on the lives of three young students in Haiti, an impact you can’t even imagine. THANK YOU!
Finca Cielo Azul 