Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day FOURTEEN!

Today is Thursday and I was supposed to leave on Sunday. Realizing that I have yet to accomplish a few things, I decided to extend my visit another week. I spent all day doing laundry. I did three loads, but it took a while since I had to start the dryer twice for each load. We went to baseball/T-ball practice with the boys and then came home. We came home in time to watch the SPURS play! Gooooooooooooooooo Spurs! The final score? 97-87!!! Spurs beat the Mavs! ;) While I was sitting here watching the game, Ethan came up to me and said the darndest thing!Out of the blue, he came up to me and said, 'Duh Duh when you die, I will NEVER forget you!' My eyes flew to the back of my head and them the world went black! AFTER I picked myself up off the floor and composed myself I asked, 'Why did you say that, Ethan?' He looks at me with complete seriousness and sincerity as he replies, 'Because I love you and you will always be in my heart!' He said this as he started thumping on his chest over his heart. I always say that I love people and I pat my heart to signify how much I love them. I am quite sure that's where he picked that up from! I tend to get goofy and be extra melodramatic!!! The sincerity and obvious LOVE behind his declaration meant everything to me, but KID don't try to be placing me 6 ft under ANY time soon! ;) That took my breath away! Right after that I got a text from my friend, Janie. The text said, 'ASPIRE to INSPIRE before you EXPIRE!!!' WHAT THE HECK!!! SHEESHKABOB! Today was another quiet day, just like I like them! Well, the in-home daycare kids were a little rowdy, but I survived! ;) I notified all mommies that the daycare was closed until further notice! lol! ;)Overall, day fourteen in San Antonio was good!

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day THIRTEEN!

Today is Wednesday and the count down has begun until I go back home to the Valley on Sunday. Still feeling the sore throat, headache and a little congestion. Didn't do anything in particular today. I helped wash the lunch dishes for my friend Jenn's In-Home Daycare. I've done her dishes before, but today I reflected on how hard it is to wash the Sippie/Toddler cups. Every single cup or glass has a lid, attachment, straw, gadget, gizmo or chingadera like I mentioned on my Facebook status. Before you can wash them, you have to take them apart and then the hard part is to put them back together! For those who do NOT know, you can TELL I am NOT a mother! I am a mother in my heart having miscarried five babies, but actual day to day living from birth to adult hood has yet to be experienced! Which brings to mind the time Ethan was a baby. I was making mijo a bottle and dumped the contents of the measured baby formula into it. I fed him the bottle and was content that I had done a great job. Jenn came home and was washing the dishes when she noticed the bottle I had made for Ethan. She asked me what measured container I had poured into the bottle. Ummmmmm, it turned out to be the cereal one. All I gave him was cereal water, and no formula! No wonder the formula wasn't mixing well! Jenn forgave me and allowed me to keep caring for Ethan! ;) Poor baby! He turned out just fine! He's seven now! ;) Should be going out for a bit tonight. Will be back to update the blog! Ended up going to dinner at Cici's with Bettina and her family. I met Bettina when I moved to San Antonio two years ago. My friend Daryl picked me up and we headed to Cici's near 1604 and Shaenefield. Isaiah and Bella ran to me and hugged me tight. Isaiah remembered Daryl and said hello. Daryl was the one who got Isaiah to shoot me with a dart gun one time. They laughed as I yelped in pain! ;) Then the little Princess, my baby Iris ran to me! She hugged me, kissed me and laid her head on my shoulder! She is just too adorable! Bettina, Javier and Iris traveled from San Antonio to the Rio Grande Valley for Josiah's funeral. It was an honor they did that for me and baby Josiah. Iris was exactly who I needed to see when I was grieving. Her hugs and kisses made the grief subside, even for just a moment! It was a nice dinner. It was Bettina, Javier, Javier Jr, Isaiah, Bella, Iris, Bettina's mom Mari, her step dad Dennis, Daryl and myself. Iris kept coming up to me and showing me her Dinosaur toys. I was trying to get her to pose for pictures and she would squeeze her eyes shut! I did get one good picture of her with her eyes open! It was awesome to see Bettina and the family again! Iris is just toooo adorable! It was a grand evening! Like Daryl said, Good kids and Good people! I told him that's what life is all about! AMEN and good night! ;)

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day TWELVE!

Today is a BLAH day! :( My throat hurts and I do not feel well at all. I stayed at Jenn's all day just relaxing. The boys had T-ball and baseball practice so the family went to the ball park. I did have a RASPA, which I had been craving forever! A RASPA is a Snow-Cone! I had the PASSION FRUIT flavored! It was yummy! We came home, Jr. brought Bill Miller's and then we watched the Spurs Game. MY personal opinion is that Najera was playing dirty and took a cheap shot at Tony Parker. Nobody can prove if it was done intentionally or not. So, each to their own opinion! Please be nice if you like the MAVS!!! ;) Yes, the Mavs won this game! :( That was the extent of my whole day! Just relaxing and trying to get better. I really think it was a touch of food poisoning or something. The sore throat and headaches can be attributed to allergies with all the ragweed and etc in San Antonio. Thus ends my QUIET 12th day in San Antonio!

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day ELEVEN!

Today is MONDAY!!! Ugggghhhhhhh! Everybody has to go back to their daily routine and the kids have to wake up early! My friend Don, whom I have known for over TEN years picked me up around 10:30 am to go out and about in San Antonio. We ran a couple of errands, including dropping his dog Bender off at the Groomer's. We then had lunch at 'The Panda Restaurant' The food was delicious, but as always one gets full way too fast! We enjoyed a leisurely lunch as the movie was not until 2:30 pm or so. Don and I met at the TSTC dorms and have a LONG history! There are stories that we BOTH can tell on each other that are better left UNSAID! That is all I can say about that unless I want Don to kill me! ;) Those were some crazy times! I had just gotten divorced and was a Domestic Violence Survivor and not coping very well at all. I am glad we still keep in contact and get together every once in a while. We had vowed to marry each other after 5 years if we each hadn't met anybody, but I think we would KILL each other! We are both toooo stubborn and set in our ways! lol! So, as my dear friend he shall remain! ;) Living with him day in and day out would certainly be an ADVENTURE to say the least! ;) After we had lunch and we had a couple to three hours to kill before Bender had to be picked up we set out to the movies. Over all, Don CAN be a gentleman! He paid for my lunch and the movies. He also let me choose the movie we were to see. I chose to watch 'The Back-up Plan' with Jennifer Lopez. Oh my goodness, did Don make me want to CHOKE him! He started complaining right off the bat that this movie was boring and then he pretended to snore. After he PRETENDED to snore, he actually fell asleep and started snoring! I punched him HARD in the arm like TEN times and he yelled at me to stop hitting him!! That's the OLD Don I remember! SHEESHKABOB! lol! ;) So, I left him alone and IGNORED the snoring whether it be FAKE or REAL!! The movie was good, but not EXCELLENT! It lacked some 'sparkle' it fell a tad bit flat! It had some funny scenes, but over all I would wait to see it at the Dollar Movies if you haven't seen it! I love J-Lo as an actress, ever since she played SELENA!!! It's just that the movie didn't seem to 'flow' right..... I started feeling VERY ill at the restaurant, so I asked Don if he would take me back to Jenn's after the movie. My throat started hurting and felt very sore, my eye balls were burning and I had some congestion along with a tummy ache. I don't know if he had anything else planned, but I was SERIOUSLY not feeling well. I got back to Jenn's and hugged Don good-bye. I immediately got into my pajamas and after telling Daryl about the movie, I fell asleep. I woke up around 7 pm or so and spoke to my mother on the phone. She advised me there had been an earthquake in Corpus Christi (or near it). I immediately thought about my ex-husband and although I wished him dead many times before, I was genuinely concerned. I wanted to call his mother since I STILL remember her home phone number, even though we have been divorced for ELEVEN years. Some things, you just don't forget! Yet, I REFUSE to go into details about THAT!!! I didn't call because I did NOT want to open up a can of worms, so to speak. Plus, one of the articles I read said it was outside CC and there was no reported casualties or serious damage. I pray they are fine, but in my PAST is where that WHOLE family belongs! This heart of mine can be RETARDED at times, STILL feeling concern for a man that abused me and caused me SOOOO much heartache and grief! Sometimes I wish that I could be a super mean ugly person (which I have been when I was dealing with the divorce and losing my four babies) that didn't LOVE as much as I do. Everyone tells me I view the world thru rose-colored glasses! All I can say is that is how GOD made me! I LIVE, LAUGH and LOVE!!!! I have caught up on all of my blogs now and the entire family is asleep, so I am going to 'follow suit' and go to bed myself! The count down has begun! I will be going home this Sunday!!! Over all, I still feel ill but I had a great day with my friend, Don. I have NO plans tomorrow and I think I will keep it that way! I hope to get better and not worse! :( Good night all, and God bless!

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day TEN!

Sunday morning ALSO came way tooooo soon! We all piled in the car and took Ms Carly to the Doggie Park again. This park was HUGE!!! There were MANY baseball fields, walking/biking trails, soccer fields and a huge doggie park. There was ANOTHER long walk that kicked my butt again! When I get back home, I SERIOUSLY need to start exercising consistently instead of SPORADICALLY!!!! This is so humiliating to get so winded from a long walk! I have WAY too many things to accomplish in life that cannot be hindered by lack of health and fitness!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really felt good AFTER the walks, but DURING the walks I felt like I was going to DIE!! I even tried to bribe my friend Monica at the Parade to drive me over to the Parking Area where we had parked. She had gotten there early and had gotten a GREAT parking spot! I walked back with the family, but even the FACT that I asked her to do that is HUMILIATING! I do not have a problem with continuing to exercise once I get consistent, it's just actually MOTIVATING myself to START and STAY motivated! I could use MANY and VARIOUS excuses... I lost a baby and was depressed/grieving.... (which is true) but the fact is that EXERCISE is a great source to relieve pain, stress, anger, hurt and etc....... You walk/run all that off! So ladies and gentlemen, this is MY public announcement! When I get back home next week, I am going back to eating right and exercising! I have to be held accountable! I do little things such as drinking water, juices and milk. I LOVE salads and chicken! There is NO excuse! I KNOW how to eat and exercise. Now it's just putting it into practice and making a life style change. This personal journey I have been on for two years has really helped me grow spiritually. Now it's time to concentrate on physical well-being. For those of you back home who are wondering if I've been a bad girl in San Antonio, my vow of celibacy is still intact!!! ;) It's VERY difficult, but I am at a great place right now and wish not to interrupt that! Back to my Sunday!! I got off on a very deep tangent! Realizing, understanding, accepting, and then actually 'doing something about it' is a GREAT place to be! It's time to start walking and STOP talking! I feel it in my heart that the timing is right. It's time for the whole world to see the beauty outside that many have claimed to see the beauty within! Back to my Sunday, AGAIN! lol! ;) Right after the doggie park, we dropped off the kids and husband at home. Jenn and I went to HEB and bought the ingredients to make Chicken Ranch Burgers to stay home and watch the Spurs kick the Mavs HINY!! ;) While I was at the dog park, I had called mi amigo Daryl and asked if he wanted to join us. He hates the SPURS and the Mavs. He is from Tennessee and lives in TEXAS! I think he needs to MOVE BACK home of he's going to go around hating the SPURS!!! Go back home, Daryl! Go back home, Big D! ;) He agreed to join us so he could watch the Spurs get their butts kicked or so he thought! The SPURS won! Goooooooooooooooooooooooo Spurs! In your face, Daryl!!! The kids had a great time hanging off Tio Daryl and playing ball with him. They acted as if there hadn't been a whole YEAR's span in which they hadn't seen him since I had moved back to the Valley! Big D, I am going to miss you when I go back home! I think it's time we had another intellectual debate! It's been a while since we've had one! ;) Like Jenn said, there is an intellectual level that we meet upon and nobody can enter in it's realm! She didn't put it quite like that, but I totally agree! ;) You understand my quirkiness, my 'way of viewing the world' and you 'GET ME!' Thanks friend! I appreciate that! ;) AFTER all of that, you STILL stick around! lol! I admit, I am 'totally out there' in my way of thinking at times! ;) Jenn and I ran to the Post Office after Daryl left and she told me she had a new appreciation for me! That's an honor! My personal journey is being reflected in my fruits! I just have to stay consistent and not lose sight of what is important! I have to keep God first and then everything else will fall into place! This evening was AWESOME! I loved watching the Spurs play and hanging out with the Garza-Castillo family and Daryl! Over all, this day was eye-opening and pleasant at the same time! Thank God for friends who are considered as family!

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day NINE!

Saturday morning came by way too soon! We were out the door by 8:15 am to go to Espen's T-ball game. I have seen Ethan play but this will be the first time I get to see Espen play. We got to the ball park just to find out that the game was forfeited due to something or other. 'Blue' aka The Umpire allowed both teams to have one chance at bat as a scrimmage, I think. Either way, I got to see Espen play for a little bit, even though he had done great at practice! After the forfeited game/scrimmage was over, Jenn and I took the Expedition for a re-wash since it had rained the night before. I bought some cute key chains. One for my brother, Dan who is in the Airforce, one for my brother Richard who is an avid poker player and one for my cousin Joe who graduated as a dental hygienist! We were allowed to take Carly into the carwash shop and everyone was petting her. She is just so adorable! Then Jenn and I took Carly to the vet while the rest of the family went to breakfast. We saw sooo many cute pets there and OF COURSE Carly was being petted by everyone! 'Fat girl' Carly now weighs almost 18 pounds! She gained 7 pounds in 2 weeks! After Carly's vet visit, Jr picked up Carly to take her home and Jenn and I went to the Olive Garden. We were having a pleasant lunch when we saw this man out with his four children. He had three girls and one little boy. We found out the oldest daughter was 17 years old and we were admiring the baby. I asked what his name was, and they told me his name was JOSIAH. That is two JOSIAH's in ONE week. The first time, the tears threatened to spill but I stayed strong. My heart stopped beating for a few seconds and I felt like I was in a long tunnel and I just STARED at Jen. She couldn't look at me because she didn't want to cry... she just whispered, 'It's ok!' The tears started rolling down my face so quick and I tried really hard to stop them. This Josiah was only seven months old. He was so cute and the tears were in grief for my son, but the kids didn't notice anything. Josiah was keeping them occupied. I took a deep calming breath and the world returned to normal. Jen reminded me I always asked God for signs that Josiah was fine and she's right. I ASKED God straight up to give me little signs that he hadn't forgotten me and to please allow Josiah to say hello once in a while to mommy. I am not debating any biblical truth here, other than with GOD all things are possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I, as his princess child (He is a KING), asked him PERSONALLY to show me that Josiah said hello once in a while.... who are WE to doubt that my GOD can answer a mother's heart? WE are NOBODY! God is mysterious, so I have no doubt that he can do such a thing. If it's a grieving mother's disillusion, then it helps me cope with the grief and nobody should question MY personal belief of faith that God can do strange and miraculous things! Needless to say, I was at the Olive Garden with people around so I cried a bit and then forced myself to remain strong. I was helpless to stop the tears that fell. We continued on with our lunch, and I had the (everybody guess)...... TOUR OF ITALY! ;) That's what I order most of the time, so I get to take the Lasagna home and have it for dinner or lunch the next day! ;) As Jenn and I were sitting there enjoying our lunch, an elderly lady was being seated. She was asked if it was only two people at the table. She replied, 'Oh no! My husband is joining us! He is the tall handsome one!' Jenn and I looked at each other and laughed. She heard us laughing and we smiled at her as I told her that she was toooo cute! She smiled and said it was TRUE! We sat in great anticipation waiting to see someone like Harrison Ford come in! Her husband walked by us and he was tall and handsome! He needed a haircut though! lol! ;) Jenn and I both looked at him until we caught his eye and said, 'Hello handsome!' At first he looked at us like we had fallen off the short bus until his wife explained what had just happened! Just shortly after we told Josiah's dad and family good-bye, Jenn and I were finishing up our meal. We 'made friends' with Andy our waiter and learned he was also from the Rio Grande Valley, Progreso to be exact. He said MANY of the staff was from the Valley. We talked about Fiesta and etc. Andy is pursuing a degree in business and just has about 6 months left. Great job, Valley boy! ;) Proud that my Valley is 'repping' in San Antonio! ;) As we were getting ready to leave, I asked Mr. and Mrs. Handsome how long they had been married. She said 57 years! If she still calls her hubby handsome after 57 years, they are doing something right! I found out their name was Mr. and Mrs. Salinas. Mrs. Salinas had her sister with her. She was familiar with the Rio Grande Valley and asked me what city I was from. She then proceeded to tell me that what her sister said about her husband was true. She said when her husband passed away, they allowed her to live in the guest house and that Mr. Handsome was a GEM! Mr. Handsome seemed to have a QUIRKY sense of humor because he promptly said his sister-in-law's nose was GROWING! He said, 'Put THAT in your blog!' lol! ;)It's such an honor to meet 'real' men who honor their wives and extended family. I told them they would make my blog and Mr. Handsome asked what a blog was. I told him in simple terms it was an online journal of sorts. He said he would never read it because they don't have a computer, but I told him how other people would read it and be INSPIRED by him and his wife. They both seemed pleased! What an AWESOME couple! They reminded me of my 'young' parents who have been married for 42 years! Love you mom and dad! My lunch at Olive Garden was pleasant, even though I cried for my Josiah. Coming back to that topic, SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!! The name Josiah is NOT a common name. I saw TWO Josiah's in ONE week! My baby really wants mommy to be happy and know that he loves her! That is so like my God to send a little hello from Heaven! Mommy loves her some Josiah! Whatever my future holds, it's friends and family that make the road seem brighter. Jenn said I should find a 'baby daddy' donor and she would carry the baby for me. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! I soooo should take her up on that! Even though that may NEVER happen, the gesture of her EVEN offering filled my heart with gladness. For now, she lets me 'borrow' Lauren, Deandra, Ethan and Espen to fulfill my 'motherly' quota! Oh and now Carly! ;) I don't get to borrow Jr (her man) but he has accepted 'the Duh Duh' (as the kids call me) and has been a TRUE gentleman! Now what he says about me behind my back is another matter! He knows we can get crazy when we want to! ;) He is always so patient and kind when Jenn and I start making plans to do this and that! He just 'goes with the flow' and tells Jenn, 'Whatever you want to do, baby!' Awwwwwww! Que cute! It is now time to get ready for the Fiesta Night Parade, so I will blog about THAT later tonight or tomorrow! So far, it has been an EXCELLENT day! Shout out to my cousin Carolyn and the family back in the Rio Grande Valley! I will be home next week-end! ;) We stopped at Walgreen's before we went to the Parade. Elvis was walking out of the store an Jenn dared me to stop him and ask if I could take his picture. I jumped off the truck and asked if I could take his picture. He said yes and posed for a picture. He then asked me if he could give me a hug and I said yes. He hugged me tight and held on a little too long! lol! ;) We got to the Parade and had a little walk to the spot where the family had gotten 'front row joe' seats! I seriously need to start walking again! That walk kicked my butt! ;)The San Antonio Flambeau Parade was a SIGHT! I was told at least 500,000 people attend the parade! It was so much fun! I got a text from an old HHS classmate, Monica that said she liked my floral blouse. I was like, 'WHAT?' I got another text that said to look up at the crowd in front of me. Monica was sitting right across the street from where our seats were! What are the odds to run into an old high school friend in a crowd of 500,000? That was AWESOME!! The San Antonio Flambeau Parade was completely and totally beyond words! All of the Military Branches were represented. I saw some Floats from the Rio Grande Valley. The Citrus Fiesta and Border Fest were a couple that I remember from the Valley. There were clowns, fire trucks, police cars, beautiful floats, the UT Longhorn Band 'Hook 'em Horns' and soooo much more! Over all, the experience was very much appreciated. I want to try and come every year if possible! The food booths were great too! There was turkey legs, fajita tacos, super nachos and etc. The evening was beautiful and it is an experience that will never be forgotten! These are the MOMENTS! ;)

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day EIGHT!

Today is Friday! Yeah! We went to dinner at Bud Jones and it was yummy! Today is Al's (Jenn's man, I call him Jr.) 35th birthday! His family joined us at Bud Jones. We had a nice time, talking about the Fiesta Night Parade on Saturday. Then Espen and Grandpa spilled a glass of tea! Espen said it was Grandpa and Grandpa said it was Espen! All I can say is there were NO cell phones and such in the way! That was a GREAT thing! After we got the table cleaned up we all enjoyed our various meals. I personally think Espen's Grandpa was the one who spilled the tea, because Espen is a good kid! ;) (said tongue in cheek!) He is as rambunctious as any three year old can be! ;) Since Grandpa probably won't read this blog, we'll all just say Grandpa did it! ;) As a matter of fact, I am SURE Espen won't read this blog either, because he is THREE! ;) So all in all, the birthday dinner was a success. Oh, besides the fact that Lauren told Jenn she had a spider on her blouse and Jenn started screaming so I started screaming! Then the spider slipped into Jenn's blouse and I was yelling, 'Turn around, take your blouse off and get it out!' Needless to say Jenn slapped me on the arm because Jr's family was there including his mom and dad. Yes, the same dad who SPILLEd the tea and blamed it on Espen! ;) I was just trying to help, I wasn't trying to get her to FLASH the family for Jr's birthday! ;) Or was I? *insert evil laugh here* Lol! Just kidding! I love the Castillo family! No disrespect intended, just trying to be funny! After dinner was over and the family said good-bye, we headed home. I immediately jumped into my pajamas and fell asleep. I had a headache and was a little tired. Jenn told me we were going to Simply Simon's for Kurrrokie (Karaoke) and Margaritas. I've been to Simply Simon's before, it's a family-oriented Pizzeria. We arrived to Simply Simon's and the Spurs game was on! We ordered some margaritas and my 'new' friend, Jen joined us. The 'Hot & Sexy' Ev brought the birthday boy Al aka Jr. a bucket of beer. Jenn, Jen and I ATTEMPTED to sing the song, 'What a man!' All I wanted to sing was, .....' I want to have your baby!' Does it say that in that song? lol! ;) We were messing up the song and Hot and Sexy Ev jumped in and tried to help us sing it. We wound up singing 'I kissed a girl!' That was fun! In the meantime, we were ROOTING for the Spurs while new Jen was being a hater. She was rooting for the OTHER team! ;) Some girl sang a song in Spanish, and I had to 'REP' my Valley roots.... so as soon as the song started and BEFORE she began singing, I did the GRITO!!! It was a GREAT grito!!! It felt soooo good! I had missed doing the GRITO!! Where was my Mari & Andy? They help me do the Grito! Jenn asked if I had to do that and Jr laughed and said I was DYING to do it and had been holding it in for a WEEK! ;) I like Jr's response better! ;) Jenn sang 'When you say nothing at all' and Jr sang, 'Rehab!' We had a great time, laughing and singing! They brought Jr a BIG slice of chocolate cake and we all sang Happy Birthday! The best part of the evening was that........ the Spurs WON, new Jen! ;) Ha ha! ;) Gooooooooooooo Spurs! Overall, it was a GRAND evening! I missed hanging out with the San Antonio crowd! :( Just as the evening was coming to a close, the storms seemed to be rolling in and the trees were SWAYING out in the Patio! It got a little chilly! We came home and went straight to bed, safe and sound! Thank God. Had a fun time on my EIGHTth day in San Antonio! Happy Birthday, Al aka Jr! You are awesome! A great daddy! Hope you have MANY more birthdays! ;)

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day SEVEN!

I will be in San Antonio a week already tomorrow! That is why I chose to stay this long, because the days just fly by! I miss the Valley! My parents, sisters, and everybody else! I miss my cousin Carolyn and her dogs, Sabastain and Chloe! Have you ever wanted to be in two places at one time? I would live in the Rio Grande Valley AND San Antonio! San Antonio is a huge bustling city! There are so many things to do and soooo many people to meet! Last night at Chacho's my friend Daryl and I were waiting for the girls to join us. I suggested we start playing a game that him and I have played before. We look around and try to guess what the person passing by does for a living. Some people are gracious and humor us but some of them can be a little rude! Which is expected, because not just ANYONE sits in the middle of a restaurant asking, 'Excuse me, we're sitting here waiting for our friends to arrive and we are guessing what you do for a living. Will you please tell us?' One woman with long hair I guessed was a teacher, professor or librarian. Daryl guessed she was retired. She was a good sport and she told us that we would NEVER guess! She was an EXOTIC ANIMAL KEEPER! She worked with Lions, Tigers and Bears! OH MY! ;) I wonder NOW if she was putting us on! I like playing that game! The whole point of playing the guessing game is looking for seemingly OBVIOUS details. Such as tattooes, style of hair, method of dress, piercings, and their demeanor. One man didn't want to play and we decided he was a serial killer, dumb jerk! ;) He said you would NEVER guess what I do and walked off! :( I guess we were stereo-typing, but we were just having fun! SOME of the people we DID NOT ask were pretty WILD guesses! lol! ;) I'll keep THOSE between Daryl and I! ;)This day was pretty quiet. I helped change a poopy pamper and WOW, did I gag! Sooo much stuff coming out of own baby! *gags* ;) I've changed plenty of pampers before, but it had been a while. I felt a little sting in my heart thinking that Josiah would already be four months old. I accept those little heartaches, because I am human. Sitting in the play area watching the kids, I was bombarded by Cody (new Jen's son) diving into my arms and burying his head on my breast and hugging me tight. I kissed the top of his head and he ran away and started to play. Those little moments of a child's unadulterated acceptance of a person by showing their love thru a simple hug is PRICELESS to me. I consider myself a fairly decent person and I love when children can see my good heart and accept me. There is a belief in my mexican culture that states, 'A person has a good heart and is decent when children and pets are not afraid of them. Children and pets can sense evil.' It sounds better in Spanish, but you get the gist of it! Needless to say all children and pets adore me! ;) The day passed by fairly quickly. Jenn and I ran errands after the kids went home. The cool night air was so awesome! Driving around, the city is enveloped in lights and there is always traffic. San Antonio really does crawl into your skin and makes you fall deeply in love! I don't think it will ever get old when I do move back! It's just like a relationship, we have to keep the home fires burning! There is always SOMETHING to do! We didn't go anywhere special tonight. We stayed at home and we had sandwiches for dinner. Now I am doing laundry and fixing to clean the kitchen! EVERYWHERE I go, I seem to be washing dishes! lol! I really don't mind washing dishes. I get to think and write some things in my head so that when INSPIRATION hits, I jot it down on Microsoft Word. Washing dishes actually HELPS with my writing. I can just hear ALL of the housewives saying, 'Come wash my dishes and clean my kitchen to get your inspiration!' ;) I am going to say Ta Ta because I have a slight headache. Must be the drinks I had last night, hence the picture! ;) They were yummy! Tomorrow is a new day! Let's see where my adventure leads tomorrow! God bless and good night! ;)

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day SIX!

My sister Monica woke me up today to let me know a non-profit Christian organization was looking for Summer help, working with children. There was a possibility of it becoming permanent work. My heart leapt in joy! I have always dreamed of working for a non profit Christiam organization, ESPECIALLY with children. I pray to God that the door opens WIDE if it's His will! If not, He will prepare a path to where I should be! I truly believe that! I met up with Janie and Danette from the Rio Grande Valley. They went to High School with me and are now living here in San Antonio. I hadn't seen them since High School but we recently started keeping in touch thru Facebook. My Jenn came with the other Jen, who is now my new friend and D joined us also. Janie brought her cutie patootie son, Zac who was a very good boy and was kept occupied with some technical gadget or another! ;) We had a pleasant dinner at my favorite Chacho's on Perrin Beitel and caught up on where everyone from high school was. I had a couple of frozen drinks. Just so that people know (not that I need to explain myself), I am a SOCIAL drinker! I do not go around drinking day in and day out! At times, I can go for months without drinking! As long as I am not creating a spectacle of myself and getting 'stinking drunk' then I see nothing wrong with having a few drinks every now and then! ANYWAYS, now that that is said and done.... I truly enjoyed myself with my friends. Chacho's is a GREAT place to hang out and have fun! I even took pictures of the 'balloon guys'! I missed seeing Richard the Artist who does face painting on the weekends. He is the one who painted the butterfly fairy on my face for 'writing and research' purposes as I explained to him! ;) He was so sweet that time! He was like, 'You go girl! Whatever you want!' He did a GREAT job! ;) Of course we had to take pictures! That's why some of you have dubbed me, 'Ms Paparrazi!' ;)If the door is opened for me to move back to San Antonio in the near future, Danette and Janie will be visited very often! ;) Some of us hung around and watched the Karaoke singers. Some people have a REAL talent and SOME people need to KEEP their day job! ;) The 'Cha Cha Slide' was going on as I snapped some pictures of the crowd. This was an excellent day! I missed seeing Santiago tonight as he had to work! He is another HHS alumni of the class of 1990. All in all, my sixth day in San Antonio was FANTABULOUS and Cinderella was home by midnight on a week night! ;)

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day FIVE!

Today has been a quiet day. Spent time 'assisting' my Jenn with her daycare. I say 'assisting' because she has everything organized and doesn't need my help! SO I do what she asks me to! ;)Some of these children, I have known since they were in diapers! For a woman who has no children, staying in an in-home Daycare is an ADVENTURE! There are wonderful kids, each showing their own little personality! Most of the parents have met me before and are used to me visiting frequently! I love seeing them play and listen to them talking to each other. It's always nice to 'hang out' with the kids and the ones that have known me for some time run up to me and give me a big hug and then run off to play. It's been a year since I've seen P and A, they are sooo big and I believe they will start school this coming year! In just a little bit, we are going to Espen and Ethan's baseball practice and probably hit up Chick-Fil-A for dinner as kids eat free today! The owner's mother works at Chick-Fil-A as a hostess and she is so wonderful! I LOVE that they play Christian music and Mama Chick-Fil-A takes the time to talk to us and make us laugh! One time she told us her son had bought her what I call 'Space Shoes'!! They are the new tennis shoes that help support your back and etc. She looks so 'hip' in those shoes! One by one, the kids are now being picked up by their parents and yet another day will come to a close! Will post about my evening soon! We headed to the ball park for the boys baseball practice. Espen was up first and he did a great job! We had Carly, the Rottweiler pup out playing on the grass. The coach was yelling out everyone's name as they came up to bat when I heard the name, 'Josiah.' My heart skipped about a dozen beats and my gasp of surprise seemed to be loud enough for the world to hear. At that exact moment, my eyes filled up with tears, but I remained strong and didn't let the tears spill over. Little moments like that make the grief feel insurmountable, yet I know it is not.We moved over to Ethan's practice as Espen continued to practice on his own. After practice, we headed to my favorite Chick-Fil-A near the Ingram Park Mall. The staff is wonderful and the family got their regular VIP welcome. Being at that particular Chick-Fil-A brought some bittersweet memories. I had met up with Josiah's father there one night.I felt a little nostalgic after hearing Josiah's name at the ball park and remembering meeting his daddy at that exact same Chick-Fil-A for dinner one night. I miss my baby, but the healing process is in place. The hurt will probably never go away, but each day I am stronger and I know Josiah's memory will never be forgotten. I love you son! On a lighter note, I met a friend of Jr's (Jenn's husband) tonight. His name is Chris and I told him he would be mentioned in my blog! I told him he would be referred to as 'Playa' Playa'!!!' :) He mentioned all the women of San Antonio already knew that but not to let all of the Valley women know just yet! Speaking of Playa's... I let 'Big Daddy P' know he had also made my blog today when he picked up his son and he just LAUGHED!!! Running the Valley, lol! ;) From San Antonio? Ha!!! ;)You're too funny, Percy! ;)Some of the employees at Chick Fil A came out beating play drums and shouting, 'Gooooo Spurs!' The manager said they were doing that because he was a Lakers fan! All I can say is, 'Gooooooooooooooo SPURS!!!!!' ;) Overall, it was another quiet day. Just what I like, I am not looking to party like a rock star... just spend quality time with good friends aka family! My fifth day in San Antonio is now coming to a close! It was a great day! ;) God bless and good night!

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day FOUR!

This morning I awoke and went straight to the living room to see what was going on. Woke up just in time to meet Miss Jen S. I had talked to her online since she is my friend Jenn's friend. There I stood with my hair in total disarray, morning breath and still rubbing my eyes to wake up. Jenn said this is Jen and all I saw was a cloud of blonde hair and I was instantly enveloped in the BIGGEST hug a person could receive. I felt like I was her LONG lost friend! That hug spoke VOLUMES to me! 'REAL' people speak from the heart, and that hug was straight from the heart! It was a pleasure to meet my Jenn's friend Jen! Her babies are beyond ADORABLE! Big blue eyes and blonde hair running around speaking in his own baby language! ;) I have spent the fourth day in San Antonio online doing some paperwork and writing a Drama for Mother's Day at the Church. We'll see if I do get to go to the movies and dinner with Don! He is off today! So far, my fourth day in San Antonio is quiet as I STRIVE to keep focused and finish the Drama. Sandralee O-U-T for now! Ta ta! ;) The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging out with Jenn and the kids. They are a handful, but Jenn is organized and makes it look so easy! I spent all afternoon and most of the evening finishing up a Drama for Mother's Day at our Church. Sister Bonnie, who is in charge of the Puppet/Drama Team asked me to submit the work to her. I leave it to her discretion if she wants to use it or make any changes. Just being given a chance to help in this small way is an honor. We had Steaks, hot off the Grill with baked potatoes for dinner! Plus some of Jenn's 'crack head' tea! No offense meant to anyone with the 'crack head' comment! It's just that the tea is SWEET and DELICIOUS!! ;) Over all, it was a quiet day on my fourth day in San Antonio. Don called and rescheduled our dinner and a movie since he had spent all day with the Satellite Company. He switched his service to Dish Network! ;) Hopefully, we will get to spend some time on his next day off, which is Sunday! I did get to see Big Daddy P...... who told me he was running the Valley. Running the Valley, P? As in Mobster! Ha ha! Surrrre! ;) He asked me if I hadn't heard his name mentioned in the Valley.... ummm yeah, P!!! ;) Keep dreaming! I got some great news today! My cousin Carolyn joined the Gym today! So when I get back home, it's ON!!!!! I am hitting my 'Walk at Home' Videos ten times as hard! You guys are not going to leave me behind! ;) Let's do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am getting ready to call it a night. I am proud of my accomplishment today, and that was finishing the Drama and submitting it to Sister Bonnie today. Let's see what day 5 has is store for me tomorrow! God bless and good night! Good night San Antonio, good night ALL the way over there, Rio Grande Valley! ;) God bless!

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day THREE!

Sunday morning my sleep was interrupted by a 'crazy' woman yelling for 'Guerra to wake up!' I was told I had 45 minutes to get dressed if I wanted to go to the Doggie Park. Since I am 'OPEN' to any ADVENTURE, I jumped out of bed and got dressed. The day was beautiful and sunny despite the previous heavy rains. The family piled into the Explorer along with Carly the Rottweiler puppy and headed for a day of adventure at the doggie park. Getting to the park, we saw several dogs running around having fun. Jen took Carly's leash off and let her explore at her leisure. There were a couple of snooty Pomeranians yapping and being noisy. They were off in a corner, keeping to themselves. We spent a couple of hours letting Carly play and talking to the other dog owners. There were beautiful dogs there. The sun felt awesome and my skin turned pink and then bright red quickly. I talked about my brother Dan's Rottweiler Harley and how Carly's goal was to grow up and be his mate! ;) All of the dogs were running around and Carly was playing along with everyone. She looked so tiny with all of the other dogs around her. The Alpha Male was aptly named Chief. That is until MOJAVE showed up. He is a 152 pound American Rottweiler and Chief was promptly insulted as Bailey instantly ran to Mojave and started humping him. Bailey's mother was mortified. She just came into San Antonio on Saturday night from Pennsylvania, and her first stop of the day was a doggie park for Bailey. All of the other dog owners assured her that Bailey's behavior was normal. Mojave and Carly were put side by side as I took pictures. The smallest and biggest dogs in the park were ROTTWEILERS! ;) That was a fun adventure and I got a little sun! ;) We came home picking up some Bill Miller's for Lunch. We chilled at home until it was time for Ethan's baseball game. The boys had a great game and Ethan made the first run! The final score was 5 to 3, with Ethan's team winning! I was so proud to see Ethan playing baseball! He needs a little work, but he did excellent! We stopped by to see a 'model home.' We will be praying for God to open the door for Jen and her family to purchase a home when His time is right! The model home was beyond BEAUTIFUL! They really know how to 'STAGE' homes in order to SELL them! The decorations, furniture, the color of the walls and everything else was EXQUISITE! Every little detail was to perfection! The candles, hand soap, towels and etc were all in it's perfect place! We went to dinner at a little Mexican place close to home and the food was superb! I drank an 'Agua Fresca de Pina'! It was yummy! ;) The taco de Carne Asada was good too. The Enchiladas were Jalisco style...... blah!! :( Didn't like them too well. Ethan got a mexican candy with Lucas in it and he was so excited to eat it that he unwrapped it right away. As soon as we got home, it was time for baths. Ethan had slipped into the potty when we heard a loud scream followed by crying. Come to find out, Mr. Ethan had decided to go potty WHILE he was eating his lucas candy. In the process, his candy fell in the toilet and he wanted to get it out and keep it. Daddy said no and Ethan was crying as if his heart would break. He said, 'I will NEVER ever ever NEVER ever see my candy again, FOREVER!!!!!' As much as I LOVE my Ethan, it was PRETTY hilarious! Such DRAMA for a candy! If I had my vehicle, his Duh Duh would have jumped into her Star Jade to get him another candy! ;) Poor baby! ;)It is now the third day of my Adventure in San Antonio. The family is settling down, getting ready for school and work tomorrow. I am already in my PJ's and was watching the Spurs Game for a little bit. Going to just chillax and enjoy a quiet evening. Today was a great day! Running around all of San Antonio is fun! I am happy to be here! ;) My friend Don called me earlier today and he wants to go watch a movie and have dinner tomorrow night. We'll see what the fourth day in San Antonio has for me. I am planning to go to Chacho's with old High School Friends Janie and Danette on Wednesday night! Other than that, just playing it by ear! ;) The third day of my adventure was fun, but I am very sleepy, sunburned and tired! Good night, God bless! ;)

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day TWO!

Saturday morning dawned with heavy rains! The grounds were saturated with the continual rain. Sleeping in was great since we expected to wake up early for baseball games. Yet, I was a little saddened since I wanted to see Ethan and Espen play baseball. I knew Espen would be a great player as I have been 'clocked' many times in the face by his fast ball. We finally taught him he had to say 'catch' before he threw the ball yet I would hear, 'Duh Duh, CATCH!' A half second later I would hear a fast whoosh and then the ball would clock me in the face! His huge brown eyes would look at me quizzically as if to ask why I didn't catch it if he yelled for me to catch! Aaay those big brown eyes! I call him my 'Big brown eyed soon to be a heartbreaker boy!' ;)How could one yell at such innocence? Instead, I would yell in pain and go grab some ice to prevent swelling! ;) Being back at Jen's house, I easily fell into my Saturday morning ritual from when I lived with her. I made potato and egg tacos for whomever was awake and settled in to catch up on Facebook and watch some TV. Jen is a GREAT cook but I would usually make potato and egg tacos on Saturday mornings so she could sleep in a bit since she gets up at the crack of dawn during the week. Since it was raining again, we hung out at home all afternoon and I unpacked ALL of the clothes I had brought for a two-week stay! We planned to go to the Enchilada Warehouse for a comedy show Saturday night. Jen, Al and I went to Mr. Roy Lopez Jr's 23rd Annual 29th Birthday Party. There was quite a line-up! There was Cleto Rodriguez from 'The Cleto Rodriguez Show' on Time Warner Cable, Channel 988? in San Antonio. We had the Comedic Duo Regin and Larry from 'Barbacoa and Big Red.' There were a few movie actors also. The line up was funny and I had a great time! I posted some pictures on Facebook. I sat at the self-imposed VIP table since I had called Mr. Lopez and asked him to reserve a table... and he didn't.... he did last time! ;) I got to meet Mr. Lopez's mom and had the pleasure of having her sit with me as we laughed while they were roasting her son! After the great comedy show, we went to eat at IHOP! Overall, my second day in San Antonio was great and I am HAPPY that I was able to attend Roy's birthday party! ;) HAPPY to be in San Antonio! Tomorrow we are going to the Doggie Park and Ethan will be having a baseball game! ;)

Sandralee's Adventures in San Antonio, Day ONE!

The day after Tax Season ended with H&R Block, I boarded the bus from the Rio Grande Valley to San Antonio. I wanted to go visit all of my friends, most of whom I consider family. I decided to stay for two weeks and then come back renewed, refreshed and refocused. Right after I lost my son, Josiah in July I started taking a tax preparation course to keep me occupied. Now that tax season is over, it is time to face reality again and see where my life is going to lead me. I have many goals, dreams and aspirations. Many things weigh on my mind. Should I move to San Antonio or do I stay in the Rio Grande Valley? Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to be a teacher. I remember that my neighbor Mary Lou Mendez and I would fight about who was going to be the teacher and who was going to be the student. Mary Lou fulfilled her dream in becoming a teacher while the road of life lead me to a marriage full of domestic violence. I traveled a road of destruction for many years, full of self-hatred and guilt. I am not going to dwell on that, but wanted to explain why I am here standing on the precipice of a life changing decision. Hence the trip to San Antonio, where I am going to relax, rest, visit great family/friends and try to meet up with some very inspirational people. I decided to take the bus to San Antonio so that I could write about my adventures, meeting different people and not having to drive. I also needed the valve cover gaskets changed on my baby, Star Jade. Left my SUV (along with the new parts)at my parents house in hopes that my dad has time to fix it! ;) At 12:15 pm I boarded the bus and two hours later we were just hitting McAllen! I had traveled by bus YEARS ago and I had forgotten how bumpy, jerky and how many FREQUENT stops the VTC bus made. I quickly got motion sickness and almost asked the bus driver to STOP and let me off. Like a valiant trooper, I closed my eyes for a little bit and was rudely woken up by someone snoring close by! How dare they! I surreptiously looked around to find everyone awake and realized the quiet LADY-LIKE snores were mine! ;) On we traveled down life's highway heading to San Antonio. The heavy rain made me a little uneasy, but I quietly prayed for God's protection as I studied how many escape routes the bus had. Not that MY God could not protect me, but accidents can and do happen. I giggled to myself when I saw the escape hatch on the roof of the bus. Would my big body and booty be able to ESCAPE thru that? I cleverly devised different methods of SQUEEZING all of me thru the escape route, just in case. If I had to hold my breath and wiggle my big booty thru, a few HUGE bruises would be worth it to get out and be safe! I imagined myself raising my arms and DIVING thru the hatch like a swimmer and then laughed when I imagined getting stuck. A bus accident is NOT a laughing matter, but those who have seen me in person, know I am a BIG beautiful woman and that kept me entertained for a few minutes. Satisfied that I knew where ALL of the escape routes were and what lever to push to get them open, I read for a little while. The book by J. Lindsay was about three women who had gone thru traumatic events and were sent to a home in hopes of helping each other. One woman's INTENSE grief was due to a miscarriage. Not wanting to dwell on my FIVE losses, I only read for a little bit. Since the beginning of the trip, there was one little Mexican boy about 5 or 6 years old that was chatting incessantly. I tried playing the older mean lady by glaring at him and putting my finger to my lip with a loud SHHHHHHH! Josue just started laughing at me. I noticed he had a book on Super Heroes and he had his super hero garb on. I made the hand gesture like Spiderman does when he weaves a spider web and Josue started giggling. Advising him my Princess Girl Powers were stronger than his Boy Powers, we engaged in a BOY VS OLD LADY ACTING LIKE A KID Super Hero Power Struggle! He kept blocking my shots with his Power Shield x 100. I told him this is a Sleep Hold x 1000. The Sleep hold x Infinity didn't work since he continued laughing, talking and being silly. I serenely and regally bowed in surrender as Princesses do when they know they are beat and told him good night! He told me good night, turned around and sat down.... STILL talking! SHEESHKABOB! ;) I slept for a little bit and then woke up when the rain stopped enjoying the fields filled with beautiful wild flowers of blue, yellow, red and purple! How majestic is Texas during the Spring! Meanwhile, we were stopping at various places embarking and disembarking passengers. One young couple was taking a short trip and the woman was 6 months pregnant. It was her first child and it was going to be a boy. I didn't regale them with stories of my losses. There is a time and place for everything. The purpose for sharing Josiah's Love is to help others who have lost a baby thru miscarriage or stillbirth. Sharing my son's story is to help others cope with grief and let them know others have gone thru such tragedy too. As the couple disembarked, the young woman looked back and wished me a good day with a huge smile on her glowing face. My stomach didn't clench in anger, grief, envy or hatred. The smile I returned was genuine and fulfilled with the knowledge that God has MY life in his Hands. If I am ever to be a mother in this life, God will open the door. I was genuinely happy for them and even gave them a little free tax advise! They will be enjoying that 'little tax deduction' next year! ;) About thirty minutes outside of San Antonio, we came upon some very HEAVY traffic. We literally CRAWLED thru traffic for about an hour and then had to take a detour. While everyone else turned left to get back on the right road, the bus driver went straight. At that EXACT moment, I knew we were in trouble! We traveled thru long winding farm roads and got lost for about two hours. The passengers were telling the bus driver where to go. I felt my motion sickness coming back full force and I wanted to SCREAM!!!! I was being picked up by one of my best friends, Jen and her family and the kids were hungry! I called her and told her we were in Timbukto. She suggested the bus driver drop me off by the side of the road so they could pick me up and we would go back and get my suitcase full of CHONES (undies) at the station later! We had planned to go to Chacho's with Mari's family and my best male friend Daryl. Thanks to the bus driver, we had to cancel those plans. :( We FINALLY made it to the bus station down town, TWO hours after our scheduled time and Jen's hubby helped me with my luggage. I said goodbye to Josue and I patted him on the head since I didn't dare hug him in case his mom wasn't comfortable with that! He was such a pleasure to duel with! I got into the SUV and saw the handsomest little boys in the world.. that is besides my nephews Jon, Josh & Brandon!! Don't want my other boys to feel left out! ;) Espen & Ethan were so big and my heart filled with joy upon seeing them! Ethan pretended to ignore me until I tickled him and he laughed and held my hand the whole way to the restaurant. We went to Hu Hut Mongolian Grill for dinner. It was my first time and it was FUN!! For those who have never been, you basically get to pick & choose your meal and then have it cooked right in front of you. I selected lots of chicken in one bowl. In a second bowl, I chose Lo Mein Noodles, Cilantro, Cabbage, Spring Onions and selected the HOT HOT sauce. We stood in line while three or four guys stood around the grill and 'put on a show' while cooking our food. It was exciting to watch the various choices everyone made. My heart was full of happiness as I felt I was HOME! I LOVE San Antonio and one day I hope to move back!! My 'niece' Deandra helped me select my food and it was yummy! I had a great time with my Jen, Al, Ethan, Espen & Deandra! We came home and I got to meet Carly the newest addition to the family. She is a 9 week Rottweiler puppy whose goal in life is to be my 'nephew' Harley's girlfriend when she grows up! She immediately started biting on my toes and fingers. She is adorable! I am happy to be back in San Antonio. Tonight we are planning on going to a local comedy show! I will blog about my second day later on tonight! The evening ended with a great new experience at a fun restaurant and a quiet evening at home with the awesome Garza-Castillo family! My heart is content and I thank God for the safe trip on the bus, my adventure which turned out to be a REAL adventure! I am happy to see my 'nephew' Ethan which holds a big piece of my heart! One of the girls from the 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Stretchy Pants' is Jen. I will be staying with her these two weeks. She lets me get some experience in 'mommyhood' with her babies: Deandra, Ethan, Espen and now Carly! My Jen has an awesome heart! We've had our ups and downs, but overall she loves me! It doesn't hurt that her Al is a GREAT cook! I see a BBQ in the near future! Maybe he will make some more home-made cinammon rolls! They were yummy! ;) If we do BBQ, I will share my 'Pico de Gallo' recipe... MAYBE!!!! ;) I am waiting to see my Mari and her family! Of course, we can't leave my friend Daryl out! I met him when I was living in San Antonio and I can tell him anything! See you all tonight, my San Antonio peeps! To my Rio Grande Valley peeps, I love you & miss you! Don't miss me TOO much! 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder!' Hoping to get everything situated soon and keep getting my life back in order with God's help!! God bless, this was my FIRST day in San Antonio...... Sandralee O-U-T! ;) Much love!