Friday, December 31, 2010

Thank you!

2010 is coming to an end tonight. As I look back on the events most of it was pretty awful, but there were two wonderful bright spots, mi hija was accepted at her #1 college choice and mi sobrinito was born. Those are two awesome events. It's a shame I let myself overlook those wonderful moments.

I am hopeful about 2011. Maybe a new relationship is in store for me, or perhaps someone from my past will become an important part of my present? Will a failed marriage turn into a beautiful vow renewal? Who knows what my future will be, but I'm looking forward to the wild ride, mi vida loca, or a peaceful journey. Whatever God has planned.

I'd like to thank each and every one of my readers for your comments and support. You all keep me going, thinking, and laughing. Gracias mil por todo.

Happy New Year/Feliz Año Nuevo/Feliz Ano Novo/ Felice Anno Nuovo!
Monica

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Update...

No more tears, well at least for now. I guess I was just having one of those days. I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.

I just needed some time off and a lot of rest. Stress is bad for everyone. It made me crack. I was crying and super depressed. Stress also triggered two days of flares. Ugh.

I feel so much better now. I'm enjoying life again. I'm functioning like a productive member of society. I will also do my part to stimulate the economy by doing all of my Christmas shopping tomorrow.

Besos,
Monica

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Tears...

It's four days before Christmas. One of my favorite holidays. I haven't done anything to prepare for it:
    -no Christmas cards sent
    -no gifts bought for anyone other than mi sobrinito
    -no food purchased
    -no plans made.

I'm sitting here on my lunch break at work bawling my eyes out watching depressing videos on AOL music. I'm so sad I can't even function. I know I have to get myself together. Christmas will be here. Mi hija is home from college. I know she's wondering what's wrong with me. Why I'm not my usual self. Why I'm not running around like crazy. Why I haven't bought any presents or wrapped any gifts.

Maybe it's because I am sad. This has been an awful year. I have been through so much. I've held it all together for so long. I've put up with so much. I've given to everyone. I've been everyone's support system. I've tried to make everyone happy.

I look back on 2010 and see a bunch of sadness, hurt, and pain. I see a man that promised to love and respect me before God hurt me and leave me over and over again. I've seen my baby girl grow up and move far away. I've had mi madre make comments that sliced my heart open. I've been near death and transported via ambulance to the hospital.

I don't know how much more of this year I can take...

Triste,
Monica

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

Unconditional Love


Mi amorcito,
Monica

Friday, December 3, 2010

X

Dear Sir,
I have absolutely no respect for you. You have made my life a living hell for the last two and a half years. Your constant financial instability, your disrespect for my house, my religion, my family, and me have been unbearable.

Everyone told me you were worthless. I didn't listen. I thought you had a heart and were worth saving. I thought you could get it together and make something of yourself one day. I thought you could overcome your demons and break through your issues and grow up. I was very, very wrong.

You have shown yourself to be a complete idiot. A lazy son of a bitch who has no desire or follow through. You blame everyone and everything for YOUR failures. Look around, see how many people you have alienated. See how many people want nothing to do with you. You say you have no real friends, have you ever been anyone's real friend? You are a liar, a cheater, and a thief.

Ask yourself how you got in the situation you're in right now. Think about everything you have done. All the people you have hurt, shot, stabbed, robbed, lied to, manipulated, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused. I'm one of them. Now leave me alone. Forever. Remember I am a child of God. He loves and protects His own.

Safe,
Monica

Saturday, November 27, 2010

"Save the Best for Last"



 One day,
 Monica

Chicago!!

I just returned from a fabulous trip this afternoon visiting mi hija in Chicago. We spent a jam packed four days together over our Thanksgiving Break. I left right after school on Wednesday to be there as early as possible because the day before a holiday is typically the busiest traveling day.

I arrived at the Cleveland Hopkins airport breezed through security (no x-ray scan or groping session) and found a comfy seat and waited for my flight to board. Little did I know I would be in that seat for the next four and a half hours! The United Airway flight from Cleveland to Chicago was delayed to to weather. It was a nightmare. I watched grown people act like small children. One women had a meltdown because she was getting married in the morning, cutting it a bit close chica.

Finally our flight was called and we had to board IMMEDIATELY. That gave me pause. Why the rush? If it was a small break in the weather, what would happen if the storm came storming back? I left it in God's hands and boarded the airplane.

The flight scared about five years off of my life. I've never experienced such turbulence in any flight before. I thought to myself, "at least I"m closer to heaven". When the pilot announced we were landing in Chicago I felt like a new person. Never mind I had to do this all over again in four days...

Sonrisa,
Monica

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Cruel Intentions??

Yesterday my soon to be ex called me and asked me if I wanted to have sex with him.

Yes, you read that right. He has some HUGE cajones on him to try that shit with me after all he's put me through lately. I guess he thinks I'm that desperate and lonely. Umm, no. I have absolutely no desire be anywhere near him any time soon. I guess I didn't make that clear enough. Maybe I was too nice, should I have chased him out of the house with a machete? a hot pot of grits or masa? How do you make an ex truly an ex? Any suggestions??

Abrazos,
Monica

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Grrr!!!


Disappointed in your behavior then and now,
Monica

Sunday, October 17, 2010

OUCH!

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids.
I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours:
"Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet."

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits.
No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off.  No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?
I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together.
Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees.  ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh.
Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this!
Hair removal no longer eludes me!
I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north.
After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship.
I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet.

Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip)

I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRRRIIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!!
Blinded from pain!!!!...

OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!
Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted.
I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.
Do I hear crashing drums???
Breathe, breathe..................
OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy -
a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it.
I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair.

I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it.

Where is the hair???

WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet.
I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not!
I touch. I am touching wax.

I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.
Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something.
So I put my foot down.

Sealed shut!  
My butt is sealed shut.
Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself  "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax?

Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!!
I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should
melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???

*WRONG!!!!!!!*

I get in the tub -
The water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.
Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water.
Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!!
God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!
I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone.
It's a very good conversation starter  "So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!"

There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me.
She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?"

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her.
I give her the  rundown a nd she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.

YEAH!!!!! Right!!

I should be the joke of someone else's night.
While we go through various solutions I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor .
Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!

By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic
Stress counseling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point?
I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!

The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend.
It's sooo painful, but I really don't care.

"IT WORKS!!

It works !!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up.
I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....

THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts.

I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color......
*Originally sent to me by my friend Monica See. I just had to share it.
**Okay guys, I know you looked.  See what kind of shit we go through to look good for you!!!
xoxo

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

10 days...

Praying,
Monica

Thursday, September 23, 2010

No me ames...


Sola,
Monica

Friday, September 17, 2010

Venting...

Things that make me mad!

-My classroom is extremely hot. People stop by all day to remind me. The next time someone comes in my room and says "Wow, it's hot in here!!" is going to get punched in the neck.

-Due to my many health conditions I have a limited diet. The workplace is full of food. Especially chocolate. I cannot eat chocolate. I am offered brownies, cookies, and cake all made of chocolate every week. I say no thank you. The reply is always "Why?" I respond, "I can't have chocolate." Person looks at me with a sad face, "Oh you poor thing, I would just die if I couldn't eat chocolate". *sigh*

-All of my friends are obsessed with their cellphones. A former friend never, EVER lets it out of her sight. She even sleeps with it.We all know this about her. Well we all started to notice that whenever one of us would call or text her she wouldn't pick up or reply. Her response would be *giggle* I didn't hear the phone ring or I never got that text. Whatever. We know you miss nothing. You're just ignoring us for your latest novio. When you finally get that diamond ring, we'll be ignoring YOUR calls when you want bridesmaids.

Ahhh, that feels better.

Besos,
Monica

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Eminem - Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna

Some scars are on the inside...




Taking one day at a time,
Monica

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Nozze

My first year of teaching was hectic. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I admit it. No clue. College does not prepare you for anything that will happen in a realistic school day. Student behavior, psycho parents, inept administrators, backstabbing teachers, lack of supplies, etc.

Those are just the negative happenings around a school building. There are many, many more positives. The messy little faces that run up to you for hugs at the end of the day. The piles of interesting gifts on your desk around the holidays. A parent that stops by just to tell you that you're her child's favorite teacher.

During my first year of teaching I met a student who did not speak very good English. Her name was Pina. I read her file and discovered that she always came about 2 weeks late into the school year because she was in Italy on holiday. The day she arrived I knew she would be special to me.

Pina stayed with me during recess everyday practicing English and helping me grade papers and clean the classroom. I always tried to encourage her to go outside, but she never wanted to go. She did this the entire school year.

The next year we both changed grades. I was now teaching a higher grade and Pina had made friends over the summer. We still kept in touch all through her schooling. I was there for her communion, her high school graduation, and her college graduation. If you know anything about big Italian celebrations, you are made to feel like family. Plus you don't leave until you are FULL. Mama says so!

Pina was recently married in Italy to the love of her life on August 4, 2010. I was invited to go, but I was sick and could not make the journey. I told her I was there in spirit. Teaching is so much more than just a paycheck.

Complimenti,

Monica

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Mi Madre...

Yesterday was my mother's birthday. She didn't want gifts, just her children y su nene over for dinner. Sounds simple right? It should have been.

My Dad picked up chicken from some unknown place and my Mom cooked a bunch of sides. My new meds don't allow me to drink soda, so I couldn't drink anything and I wasn't hungry. She was immediately offended and proceeded to make comments under her breath for the rest of the dinner.

Every who knows me knows I am under dietary restrictions. If I don't know where it came from and what it's made of, I don't eat it. I don't make a big deal about it either. I stay quiet and eat what I can, when I can.

Time for dessert. There were two choices, a double chocolate cake and an apple pie. No chocolate, but the apple pie would be okay as long as I ate a small piece. I guess my piece wasn't so small to her. In front of everyone she says, "Oh, I see what you're eating, sweets. Obviously you have been eating SOMETHING over there". Her words were like a hot knife cutting through my wrist. Her ojos full of disappointment.

I am so hurt and saddened by her comments. I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore. First mi esposo emotionally and verbally abuses me and mi madre finishes me off. There is only so much a person can take.

Why am I so hurt? Mi madre has always been thin her entire life. Even after having her babies. She was so happy that I was thin as well. Until I got really sick in 2007. After that she constantly makes comments about my weight. My sister-in-law is super thin, so at the table I looked like the elephant in the room.
 
I've finally snapped. I haven't eaten much of anything since Sunday. It makes it easy since I have zero dolares. I've lost interest in everything and everyone one.

Triste y sola,

Monica

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The perfect man...

If I could create the perfect man here's how he would be:
-honest (I almost always find out if you lie)
-spiritual (know that there is Someone all knowing and powerful in our lives)
-loyal (to me, to himself, his job, and others)
-tough (can kick ass if necessary)
-employed (we're in a recession gente)
-good sense of humor (if you make me laugh, you've almost won me over)
-faithful (sharing is NOT caring)
-sensitive (hug me when I cry, enjoy cooing at babies in the store)
-affectionate (I LOVE to kiss, besame mucho)
-good hygiene (a soapy washcloth, hot water and deodorant should be your best friends)
-respectful (you must have respect in order to truly love another)

I'm not asking for much, just the basics.

Amor,
Monica

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Who Rules the World?

Kat Stacks is out of jail and already back to her ignorant ways. Hate to say I told you so.
She's still not admitting her guilt and blames others for her incarceration. I give her a month  to go back to her old ways. Shame on you Kat Stacks. 

Disappointed,
Monica 


Update!! 04-03-2012
Kat Stacks has changed her ways, well at least in print. Andrea Herrera better known as Kat Stacks, has been in Immigration jail since November 10, 2010. While perusing her new Twitter account tweets (she's changed her Twitter name from "@ihatekatstacks" to "@TheKatStacks") most posts seem upbeat and friendly. This is a huge difference from her Myspace and World Star Hip Hop videos in the past. 

Kat is most well known for putting rappers 'on blast' by giving out their phone numbers and intimate details. According to Kat that was the old her. She wants to spread positivity instead of hate and drama. We'll see what happens when she is released. Many close to her have said she plans on writing her memoirs and she will be naming names.


I'm going to write to her and see if she will open up to me. I'd like to know when she's going to be released from jail and what her plans are for the future. If you'd like to write to Kat yourself, below is her address:

Andrea Herrera
#A077712275
P.O. Box 560
Trout, LA  71371 


Intrigued,
Monica


**Warning adult language and content.




While perusing the trending topics on Twitter today, I kept coming across a name, Kat Stacks. Since I'm naturally inquisitive it was my goal to find out who this woman was and why she stirs up so much controversy.

Imagine my shock when I googled her and found out she's a gold-digger who is proud of sleeping with and/or giving blowjobs to famous rappers and athletes. When she didn't get her way or was having some kind of mental breakdown she posted sensitive information about some of these men on her Twitter stream.

It gets worse. Now there is a video going around that shows her being intimidated by a group of men. The comments posted were shocking. Many were cheering these men on. These are some of the same screen names that wanted to burn Chris Brown at the stake. Domestic violence is wrong, always.

I'm afraid for our youth, los jovenes. Women like Kat Stacks and Nicki Minaj are popular right now. These are not role models. Just because someone has a dick doesn't mean they rule the world. Young women AND young men get off your knees. Show some self respect.

Concerned,
Monica

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Latinas only...

THE PHONE CALL...

La Mama: 'Hello?'

La Hija: 'Hi Mama. Can I leave the boys with you tonight?'

'You're going out?'

'Yes.'

'Con quien?'

'With a friend.'

"I don't know why you left your husband. Siempe te queria and he was such a good man.'

'Mom. I didn't leave him. He left me!'

'You let him leave you, and now you go out with these anybodies and nobodies.'

'MA, I do not go out with anybody. Can I bring over the boys?'

'Ni una ves te deje to go out with anybody, except your father.'

'There are lots of things you did and I simply refuse.'

'Que quieres deceir?'

'Nothing, I just want to know if I can bring the kids over tonight.'

'You're going to stay the night with him? Pues que va decir tu esposo?'

'MA!!! HE'S NOT MY ESPOSO...HE'S MY EX HUSBAND!! I don't think he would be bothered considering the day he left me, he's never slept alone!'

'So you're going to sleep over at this loser's place?'

'MOM, HE'S NOT A LOSER!'

'Un hombre no debe salir con una mujer divorciada y con ninos? No tiene verguenza!'

'MA, I DON'T WANT TO ARGUE; SHOULD I BRING OVER THE BOYS OR NOT?'

'Mis pobres nietos with such a mother.'

'SUCH A WHAT?'

'Sin estabilidad!!. No wonder your husband left you.'

'ENOUGH MA!!!'

'No me grites! You probably scream at the loser too!'

'GREAT MA, now you're worried about the loser?'

'AH HA! VES, I TOLD YOU...HE IS A LOSER. I SPOTTED HIM IMMEDIATELY!'

'GOODBYE, MOTHER!'

"ESPERATE...DON'T HANG UP! QUANDO VAS A TRAER MIS ANGELITOS? '

'I'M NOT BRINGING THEM OVER! I'M NOT GOING OUT!"

'AYE DIOS MIO!!! IF YOU NEVER GO OUT, HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO MEET ANYONE?

Besos,
Monica

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Smile of the week!

New show I happened to discover on Hulu. Enjoy!



Laughing out loud,
Monica

Friday, June 4, 2010

Friends...

Mi madre always drilled in our heads, "You will only have a few true friends, but many acquaintances". As I get older, I've come to learn that she was right. Then Twitter came into my life and flipped the script.

As many of of you know, this has been a rough couple of years for me. My health, job issues, a failed marriage, and too much stress have equaled an ongoing nightmare. I don't like sharing my pain and problems with others. I hate to feel like I'm a burden, but then someone in Twitterland sends me a DM or a tweet, because they...care!

The number of quality people on Twitter amazes me everyday. I have found support, laughter, a little flirting, and an outlet to vent and be myself. The real me! I can be overly talkative, naughty, sad, happy, angry, and weepy and someone will be there for me through all my ups and downs.

I can't tell you how many times I have been so low I've wanted to run away and never come back. On those days I've logged in made some mysterious tweet and *BAM* I feel better within the hour.


Thanks to each and everyone of you that have made me smile, cried with me, been inappropriately bad with me, and most of all put up with my rants. I don't want to make a list and leave someone off. You know who you are, and I'm sending Twitter love to all of you.

Hugs, kisses, abrazos y besos,
Monica

Monday, May 24, 2010

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Mi corazon

I'd like to introduce mi corazon. My nephew was born on May 17, 2010 at 2:30 am. He already has my heart in his little hand.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Smile of the week!

Unconditional Love!!

Besos,
Monica

Thursday, May 13, 2010

July 13, 2007

This is probably one of the most difficult blog posts I will ever have to write.

On July 13, 2007 I woke up excited. Mi esposo and I were going to a Def Leppard concert with two of our close friends. I had always wanted to see them in concert. I'm a HUGE fan of 80's hair bands. That morning I woke up and got out of bed. I fell on the floor when I tried to stand. I got up and tried to take a step and fell again. Strange. My legs felt like jelly. I called to mi hija and mi esposo. We all thought is was funny and that I would be fine shortly.

I wasn't fine. After a few minutes we all knew something was terribly wrong. I had lost the ability to walk over night. Mi esposo rushed me to the ER. The staff ran several tests and discovered my CED rate was almost 200 (that's really bad, it's supposed to be around 20). All my blood work was off. I was admitted, given all sorts of medical exams and more testing. After a week I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Undefined Connective Tissue Disease, UCTD.

UCTD happens when your immune system attacks your connective tissue. In my case it attacked the muscles in my legs. I suffered severe atrophy of those muscles and had to take lots of Prednisone (a steroid), pain medications, and Plaquenil (to calm my immune system).

This is a disease that cannot be cured. In my case it was brought on by extreme stress. I'll briefly explain what was going on during the middle of my 2006-2007 school year.

In January of 2007 I was verbally and physically assaulted by someone I work with on a regular basis. He accused me of something I did NOT do and hurt me at work. I told my principal at the time, who has since been fired for misappropriation of school funds, and she took a full report. Nothing was done. It was my word against his best friend, the woman he was sleeping with and of course his version.

I was told by the administration not to go to the police or I would lose my job. I am the only health insurance carrier for my family. I had no choice. I needed my job, so I 'sucked' it up and continued to work with this person. It was a nightmare. I was always waiting for something else to happen (I still am). I had to talk mi padre and mi esposo down on a weekly basis from taking any sort of action against him.

Fast forward to the present. I still have UCTD. It affects every part of my body and was partially to blame for the cardiac event I suffered on Tuesday. I have to use crutches on a semi-regular basis and take 8 pills a day to keep me going. I have a permanent handicapped placard on my rear view mirror. I'm still here though. I'm still trying to smile and be my old self.

Taking one hour at a time,
Monica

Monday, May 3, 2010

In My Mind...




(hmmmmmmmm...)
Imagine seeing him on the town holding another hand.
She's staring me down so I figure that he told her who I am
But it don't matter either way
what they do or say
'cause ain't nothin' changed
he's standin with her
but his soul is callin' out my name.

In my mind, I'll always be his lady.
In my mind, I'll always be his girl.

Saw his momma just the other day
said he'd been through a spell (well, well)
had a bad breakup
thinks he's on his way up
it's hard to tell

She said i think it'd do some good
if you call him every now and then
you see he's been through some things and
I'm thinking he could really use a friend

Chorus:
In my mind I'll always be his lady. (I'll always be)
In my mind I'll always be his girl.
Only time will tell if I'm his lady ( Only time )
But in my mind I'll always be his girl.

They say if you love something
you've got to let it go (Oh----)
and if it comes back
then it means so much more.
but if it never does
at least you will know (Oh--)
that it was something you had to go through to grow

chorus:
In my mind (in my mind) I'll always be his lady.
In my mind I'll always be his girl.
(I don't care what nobody else says)
Only time will tell if I'm his lady.
(ohh yes it will yes it will)
But in my mind i'll always be his girl.
I'll always feel this way about you.
I'll always be your lady!
In my heart(in my mind)
In my heart(in my mind)
In my soul (in my mind)
baby you should know
you're in my thoughts (in my mind)
you're in my prayers (in my mind)
I'll always (in my mind) keep you there.

Yeah, yeah, yeah -----
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah----, yeah, yeah -----

*Words and Lyrics by Heather Headley

Estoy bien,
Monica

Monday, April 26, 2010

I Hope You Dance



**Update 11-18-13 I want this song played at my funeral.

Dancing,
Monica

Friday, April 23, 2010

Smile of the week!

Dogs are truly our best friends.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Kate I. Gosselin...

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know exactly how I feel about the infamous star of "Jon and Kate Plus 8". This used to be my favorite show until I started noticing a pattern, Kate being a complete bitch. Everything that woman does angers me. Making matters worse, she is now on one of the best reality shows, "Dancing with the Stars". If you don't know who she is, look for the only woman that walks around to the music instead of dancing to it.

One of the most awesome anti-Kate blogs is gosselinswithoutpity.blogspot.com A key contributing member of that blog is GoPoshGo. She constructed a perfect post. Here it is:

I honestly didn't think it was possible, but Kate has actually sunk to a new low tonight: Blaming her crappy performance on the fact that "8 little friends" came to visit her in CA. WTF????? They were there on Saturday -- so what's her excuse for not practicing most of last week, when the "8" were still here in PA???? Let's not forget, she didn't return to PA this week, so she theoretically had PLENTY of time for practice in LA.

What's more, as the parent with primary custody, *Kate* had to give the nannies permission to drag those 8 friends across the country. No doubt it was to film useless footage for Twisted Kate, but this was all Kate’s doing -- funny how yet again she turns it around (for the cameras) into something that "happened to her."

The real reason her performance stunk to high heaven tonight: Leno, Seacrest, book signings, Disneyland (filmed by TLC no doubt), etc. etc. Her Highness was too busy promoting herself and her piece of crap book to be bothered with rehearsals for this week's dance -- and BOY, did it show!

I'm so over Kate and the Sheeple excusing her horrendously horrendous dancing due to the fact that "she's not a dancer." No, the truth is that Kate is not a "worker." She's simply an entitled, lazy bitch. She's putting in less than minimal effort -- no doubt because she's been guaranteed so many weeks on the show. Instead of seriously rehearsing like the other dancers, she's focusing on her usual fame-whoring -- appearing on any media outlet that will air her facade of the suffering, single mom with the dead-beat ex-husband [as an aside, when will ONE of these loser "journalists" point out the fact that Jon IS paying over $20,000/month in child support???].

And can anyone explain how that cotton-candy-quilt-of-a-dress had ANYTHING to do with the Breakfast Club?


I <3 br="" posh="" you="">
Voting my fingers numb,
Monica

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Modern Family

Modern Family is one of the best sitcoms I have ever seen. Each episode is hilarious and a guaranteed way to brighten your Wednesday night. ABC has struck comic gold!!

Enjoy,
Monica

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Smile of the week!

Happy Easter...Feliz Pascua

This is one of the funniest videos I have seen on YouTube in a while. This little guy is going to hate this video when he's a teenager. Watch and enjoy!



Besos,
Monica

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Biker




THE BIKER*

I saw you, hug your purse closer to you in the grocery store line.
But, you didn't see me, put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate last Sunday.

I saw you, pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me, playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you, change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me, attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you, roll up your window and shake your head when I rode by.
But, you didn't see me, riding behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you, frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me, when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you, stare at my long hair.
But, you didn't see me, and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you, roll your eyes at our leather jackets and gloves.
But, you didn't see me, and my brothers donate our old ones to those that had none.

I saw you, look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me, cry as my children were born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you, change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me, going home to be with my family.

I saw you, complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me, when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you, yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me, pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you, reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me, squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you, race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me, get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you, run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me, trying to turn right.

I saw you, cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me, leave the road.

I saw you, waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.

But, you didn't see me. I wasn't there.

I saw you, go home to your family.

But, you didn't see me.

Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker. A person with friends and a family.

But, you didn't see me.

EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE US, RESPECT OUR RIGHTS TO RIDE WHAT WE CHOOSE AND TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS TO BE SURE WE'RE NOT IN 'YOUR' WAY – LIVE TO RIDE . . . RIDE TO LIVE 

 re-posted from Monica See

**My Father-in-Law is a biker. Please be careful out there!

Amor,
Monica

No bitch, I don't want your man!

As many of you know, mi esposo and I are now separated. I didn't feel right keeping my Facebook status as "married", so I changed it to "none". I didn't announce it or publish it to my wall. No fanfare or confetti, just a simple click.

It took about 2 hours for me to start getting messages from guys I went to high school with 20 years ago. At first I thought it was sort of sweet. Then it got creepy. I've posted lots of cool things on Facebook, funny videos and tearful updates in the past. No response. I'm now "available" and the men come out of the woodwork, along with their significant others...

I can see through you. I'm NOT interested in your husband, boyfriend, sex toy, friend with benefits, whatever you want to call him. If I wasn't interested in high school, trust me I'm especially not interested now.

By the way, referring to me as BOO is going to get you deleted and ignored with lightening speed.

Rant over! That felt soooo good!!!

xoxo

Monica

Friday, March 19, 2010

Joslyn James

I've been sort of a hermit lately. I'm dealing with a few health issues and I'm completely negative right now. Mi madre always says "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all". This of course doesn't apply to my blog.

Even though I'm taking a little social network posting hiatus, I'm still reading and keeping up with what's going on in the world. Right now "cheating husbands" are all the rage. Tiger Woods and Jesse James are the front runners in this disappointing race.

Tiger Woods' girlfriend, mistress, whore Joslyn James is looking to extend her 15 minutes of fame by posting text messages Tiger sent to her while they were dating, having sex, screwing each other a while ago. Others are shocked at these messages, I am not. Maybe I'm jaded?

Those of you who don't want to read the messages for yourself, I'll sum them up for you. Tiger Woods is a freak, he likes kinky sex including golden showers, threesomes, and cheating on his wife with porn stars.

At least Tiger's girlfriend was cute.

Shame on us all,

Monica

Monday, March 8, 2010

Los colores

Marisol fell in love at an early age. The first time she saw him on the playground, she knew he was special. He had lots of dark shiny hair, caramel skin and light eyes. All the other kids liked and respected Daniel. He was a leader and had a way of knowing just what to say and when to say it. Marisol couldn't help smiling everytime he caught her eye.

Junior High was rough. Her parents split up when her papi when to jail on illegal gun charges and assault. Lots of people started coming to her house, at all times during the day. Marisol recognized some of the people by the colors they wore, always black and gold.

She wondered why everything changed all of a sudden. Her madre started wearning lots of gold jewelry. There was always food in the house, but now all the cabinets were full, all the time.

Marisol's hermana Ana Maria began dating a man everyone feared, his name was Juan. Juan was Daniel's hermano mejor. He was tall, muy guapo y peligroso. Whenever she saw he had a gun in one had and his pager in another. Marisol was scared of him, but was happy he when he came over because he brought Daniel with him.

Ana Maria got pregnant at the end of her senior year. She graduated and had a baby boy all in the same month. Juan and Ana Maria moved into their own apartment. Now it was just Marisol y su madre. Soon she began to spend all of the time con Daniel and his friends. All of them wore black and gold too.

One night Daniel asked her to deliver a package for him. Marisol loved him so she didn't even question what was in it. When she arrived at the building a group of girls were there. They were gang members, but for some reason she wasn't scared. One of the girls came up to her. She called herself Loca, she even had it tattooed on her arm. Loca took the package from her and told Marisol to sit down.

Loca went into another part of the building. When she came back she was smiling. The other girls started laughing and smiling too. Everyone looked at her. Loca touched her cheek and said "You did good mija". That was the first day of Marisol's new life.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

LATISM!!

Latism stands for Latinos in Social Media. It's a wonderful organization of highly intelligent, driven Latinos who happen to be professionals in the social media world. Through the #Latism hashtag on Twitter, I have most a group of the most wonderful people. Our conversations, charity drives, and Twitter parties keep me energized.

Right now there is a lot going on in the month of March. It's the month of the Mujer. A celebration of the fantastic Latina. A woman who can do it all and still manage to spice things up! We're also hosting a special Monday night Twitter party to raise funds and awareness for Chile. The 8.8 magnitude earthquake caused many deaths and horrible destruction of that beautiful country. Por favor, join us March 8, 2010 on Twitter at 9:00 pm. Look for the hashtags #Latism4Chile or #Latism.

I'd like to give special WEPA recognition to the following members of Latism:
@AnaRC @ergeekgoddess @UrbanJibaro @beinglatino @LatinaBella @LouisPagan
@KetyE @LLOnlineBlogera @TheOnlineMom @IsolatedExisten @Latinaprpro
@xavierism @julito77 @OfeliaNJ @chela816 @LTLV613 @hissip @Mcontemporanea
@carogonza @lorena_vale @MsLatina @antonio @httponline @iCuevas @JaiMami
@jeannettekaplun @jennifervides @josieinthecity @kcrojas @KellyMullaney @NancyPerez
@spanglishbaby @SupaSistaLatina @TargetLatino @TikiTikiBlog @vidagirl @mikeroblescomic

Besos y abrazos mi gente,
Monica

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Tattoo

I adore tattoos, on myself and other people. I have one now on my arm of a Native American dreamcatcher. It's important to me because of my culture and what it represents. Dreamcatchers are tribal, they are supposed to allow good dreams to flow through and catch and hold bad dreams. I have a red "bad dream" caught in my dreamcatcher. It represents the year 2007 (another blog for another day).



I've finally decided on what my next tattoo will be and where I will put it on my body. I'm getting a blood red rose blossom on my lower back. Yep, a tramp stamp!!! I've always wanted one there but my former spouse did not approve. Now that he's out of the picture, I'm getting my tattoo. YAY!!!

Abrazos,
Monica

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Whoa...

Soy soltera. Yes, you read that right, I'm single. My marriage is over. It wasn't a surprise, I've detailed my marital issues before in another post. We signed the legal separation papers last week and had them notarized. We file with the court on Friday.

I've a roller coaster of emotions, triste, anger, relief, guilt, and even happiness. This man has caused me so much stress in the last year. We have been through so much and for now it's over. He moved his stuff out on Sunday. That's right, Valentine's Day. I spent Valentine's Day watching his best friend and him move all of his possessions out of the house. After he left, I cried and went to McDonald's, ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, fries, oatmeal raisin cookies and a lemonade. I drove home sat on my bed in my underwear and ate my fattening meal while watching Solitary 4.0 on Fox Reality channel.

The saddest part of it all, mi hija is heartbroken. She spends 99% of her time worrying about me. Since she's going to college in the fall she's concerned I'll be all alone and lonely. Yes, I will be alone, but I will not be lonely.

I've been attached to someone since I was 16 years old. I've had relationship after relationship. I was a single mother at age 21. Now I can be ME. All by myself. I'm looking forward to being alone and finding out who I really am inside.

Abrazos,
Monica

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Coda

My dog's name is Coda. Coda is a common Filipino name for a dog. Mi esposo came up with it since he is part Filipino and Irish. I never had a pet before. I've been allergic to most animals since I was born.

Mi esposo brought Coda home with out telling me one September evening. Mi hija ran into our bedroom to tell me we had a puppy. I was NOT pleased. I walked downstairs to the basement to see a little tiny puppy. No bigger than mi esposo's hand. She was a rescued American Staffordshire Terrier and only 4 weeks old.

It was freezing cold in the basement and Coda was crying. I immediately went into "Mom" mode and insisted she be brought upstairs where it was warmer. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. She immediately peed on me. I handed her over to mi hija and changed shirts. I didn't think she would last long in our house.

I have allergies and asthma, so within a week of Coda and all her dander, I had a severe attack and had to be hospitalized. The puppy had to go. Mi esposo's friend Brian and his girlfriend Jessica agreed to take her while we figured something out. That was the worst week ever. Mi esposo y mi hija were muy triste. I decided to talk to my doctor and see what could be done.

I agreed to have a series of allergy shots to see if it would help. It did. Coda came back and everyone was so happy, even me. She was a funny little dog. Her head was the biggest thing on her and she kept falling over and crying all night long.

We all took turns getting up with her at night and bottle feeding her Espilac (puppy formula). She became part of the family. Coda is now one of my best friends. She follows me around, loves to go "bye bye", and lives for short walks around the neighborhood. Coda is sweet and kind, she loves everyone, especially children. She doesn't NOT like other dogs though. She won't start a fight, but she will finish one.


An American Staffordshire Terrier is part of the bully breeds. She is considered dangerous because of her blood connection to Pit Bull Terriers. Coda is NOT dangerous. It is the owner, not the breed. She is the most caring and gentle dog I have ever been around. BSL (breed specific legislation) is unfair and completely biased.

Coda has been by my side through thick and thin. She is loyal, comical, and part of my heart. I love her like I love my family.

Abrazos,
Monica

Sunday, January 31, 2010

My Mother-In-Law Hates Me

Many of you read the title and said to yourself "Yeah right, MY mother-in-law really hates me". Okay, sit back relax and see if you still feel that way after reading my story.

Mi esposo and I have have been married for five years. We've known each other for much longer. I had his younger brother in class. I met my soon to be MIL at that time. My BIL was a good student. He was smart, funny, and always did his work. He was just very social. No matter who you put him next to, he would talk. If you put him by himself he would talk to himself. Our team called his Mom in to let her know and to see if she had any suggestions to keep him focused. She had none, but was pleased we cared enough to call her in.

I was also the cheerleading coach for the district. My BIL (brother-in-law) played football, so he was at every game and so was I. MIL was there as well. She was always pleasant and said hello and made small chitchat at each game. I thought she was normal and actually nice.

Fast forward a few years. Mi esposo was studying to take his GED. I ran into him going into a store one afternoon. He asked me to help him out and tutor him so he would pass. I've done this type of tutoring before, so I was happy to help out. We met several times over the next couple of months. It was so much fun spending time with him. We got a lot of work done and had fun at the same time.  When he called to tell me he passed, we went out to celebrate.

One thing led to another and we began dating. After dating for a year, he proposed and we were married. Two months before we were married my BIL met and married a stripper from a local club. The wedding was put together in 24 hours. We were all in attendance. Everyone was so happy. Mi esposo and I were not. This was a match made in Hades.

My MIL took my former SIL (yep, they're divorced) out to dinner to celebrate right after their honeymoon to welcome her to the family. SG called me to tell me how much fun they had together.

Mi esposo and I were married that July. The next month we were having dinner at his parents house (his Mom and Step-Dad). She pulled me aside while the guys were looking at a new computer downstairs. She told me that mi esposo would always love Natalie (his first love, former fiance) and she wished things would have worked out between them. I was floored.  I said okay, you're entitled to your own opinion.

Needless to say, she's never taken me out for a get to know you, welcome to the family dinner. There is also a nice big picture of mi esposo and Natalie in the family room, still. They broke up in 1999.

The second year of our marriage she came over to our house and presented mi esposo with a birthday gift. It was a photo album of pictures she had put together especially for him. It started out so sweet, pictures of him as a baby, toddler, elementary school, junior high and high school. Then an entire section of pictures of Natalie and him, pictures of just Natalie and Natalie with my BIL. I said nothing, I just got up and left the room. That hurt. They argued, she left. She said it was MY fault for overreacting. I didn't overreact, I just left the room.

Things have not gotten any better. I always try to be nice, it gets me nowhere. I make sure I buy her a birthday, Mother's Day, and Christmas gift every year. Guess what she bought for me? One gift since we've been married, a gift card to a plus sized store. I'm not plus-sized.

If you're still not a believer, this will convince you. She tried to poison me in 2007. Yes, you read it right, POISON me. I try to never go over her house, one summer day I relented and  we stopped by to pick something up. My MIL was being so sweet. She asked me how things were going and offered me a glass of iced tea. She came out with two glasses, one for me and one for mi esposo. I reached for a glass and she quickly said "No, this one is for you". Okayyyyyy. I took the glass, drank it. At the bottom of the glass was a white powdered substance. I started to feel dizzy. I asked what was that, she said oh nothing, just dust. Dust?

On the way home I felt so sick, we had to pull over. Twice. The next day she called mi esposo and asked how I was doing. Not one time in her entire life has she called our house to ask how I was doing. I don't have any proof, but what do you think happened?

Needless to say, I have very little to do with this woman now. Mi esposo handles anything having to do with her. I refuse to step foot in her house.  Try to take me out once, shame on you. Try it again, shame on me.

Watching my back,
Monica

Friday, January 29, 2010

I am NOT your personal "Geek Squad", okay yes I am.

Everyone who knows me knows that I enjoy technology. I'm always the first to have a new gadget and I also teach technology education for children and adults. These two facts have led to me become everyone's personal geek squad.

My phone rings at work and at home constantly. Here's a sample of the kinds of calls I receive:

"Help, I lost channel 4 on my Direct TV box!!! What do I do????"
Cable channels are not the same as Direct TV channels.

"I forgot my login and password, do you know what it is?"
No, I don't have everyone's password in the building. Please call tech support.

"My printer is jammed, I don't see any paper, help!"
I went to her room and opened the printer and pulled out a piece of paper. 
"Oh, you're supposed to open the front?" 

"I can't listen to voicemails on my Blackberry. Can you call my phone and figure it out?"
Have you tried calling *86? "Yes" What did the recording say? "You have no unheard messages."
That means you don't have any voicemails. "Oh".

"My modem won't connect to the internet. I plugged it in, why won't it work?" (before WiFi)
Do you have an internet service provider? "What's that mean?" A company that allows you to go online, like Roadrunner, AT&T, or Verizon. "I thought all you had to do was plug in your computer and the internet just came to your house." No.

These are just some of the questions I have fielded. I honestly don't mind. Unless it's after 10:00 pm or before 7:00 am. Prices triple during those times ;)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Upcoming Blogs

-Latism!!!

-Reality TV

-I am NOT your personal "Geek Squad", okay yes I am.

-Coda is my heart.

-July 13, 2007

***Stay tuned***

TWLOHA...

To Write Love on Her Arms
MISSION STATEMENT:
To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.



I have a member of my family that struggles with severe clinical depression and self mutilation. She is a beautiful young woman who has so much pain and sadness inside of her. In order to release this sadness, she cuts herself. Her arms are full of old and new scars. MM is absolutely beautiful inside and out. She's smart, funny, creative and so full of kindness.

Most of her depression comes from her longing for her father. MM's father walked out of her life when she was five years old. Just walked away, no reason with no explanation. She used to cry every year on her birthday growing up because she hoped and prayed her Dad would remember and call or send a card. It never happened.

Last year he contacted her mother via email. He wanted to talk to MM because his second wife and he were having a baby soon. He wanted to share the news with his 'daughter'. Her mother agreed, and gave him MM's email.

MM's father wrote to her, she was so excited until she read the email. It was all about how excited he was to have this new member of the family. How excited he was to be able to give her a baby brother. MM was crushed. He never asked about her, how her life was going. Never apologized for leaving and never looking back all those years ago.

MM is a well written young woman. She had been waiting for this opportunity for many years. She wrote the most intelligent and pointed response I had ever seen. All the hurt, anger and sadness flowed out perfectly. MM had finally gotten all of this off her chest. It felt good. She felt good. A weight had been lifted, for the moment.

His response was typical. He blamed MM's mother for poisoning her against him. He wrote back nasty note and it broke her heart yet again. Still no apology or explanation. He was rude and insulting. MM finally got to see who he really was, she finally was able to let go.

Now that MM is older, she is able to better deal with her feelings of depression over her lack of relationship with her father. She is in therapy with extremely competent mental health professionals. She is still taking things one day at a time. I hope to see her arms clear one day, but until then I will support her and the wonderful organization To Write Love on Her Arms. I will also write love on my arm whenever I feel she needs me.

http://www.twloha.com/vision/

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Relief

Today has been a wonderful day. Mi hija is spending time with her friends tonight and mi esposo and I spent the entire day having fun together.

As I've blogged before things have been really rough between us lately. It's tough when finances and no communication come between two people that love each other. Throw in a major health crisis and it spells disaster.

We went through my diary together and I read him passages when we were dating and when we first were married. He was so touched I wrote literally every thing that happened during that time. How much I loved him and how I just loved to just look at him while he was sleeping. Not in a "Paranormal Activity" creepy way, but a deeply in love way.

By the way, "Paranormal Activity" was the scariest movie I have EVER seen. It kept me up for 4 days. I was scared out of my mind. I lit candles, bathed in Holy Water, and prayed hourly. Bad spirit in that movie. Also brought up bad memories and issues from the past.

Anyway, I am happy to report at this time on this day, I am happy. Things are going well. I hope and pray this continues.

**Side note, I have kept a diary since grade 6. It has been the best way to work out issues and document important events. I highly recommend it.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Bueno...

Mi hermano just texted me good news. His wife and he are having a boy!!! I called it. Un chico. I'm so happy. This is their first baby. The doctor says everything looks good and the baby and Gina are healthy. I needed some upbeat happy news.

I love shopping for baby stuff. When my sister had her baby, I bought more stuff than you could ever imagine. Diapers, bottles, bobos, clothes, socks, toys, you name it. Babies R Us loves me. I'm not joking!

I always wanted to have another baby, but I don't think that's going to be possible. We've been trying for 5 years and nothing, nada. I guess everything happens for a reason.

If I can't be a new Mommy, I can be the best Auntie I can be.

Guess what I'm doing after work tomorrow...

Joyful,
Monica

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Mi hija



This is my daughter Brianna. She was born when I was 21 years old. I was a single Mom still in college and shocked to find out that I was pregnant, but excited as well. My parents didn't take the news well. In fact they didn't even talk to me for a long time. After Brianna was born all was forgiven. She's been by my side since the day she was born. It was always Bri and me against the world. Now she's a senior in high school and going away to school in the fall. I'm going to miss her like crazy. I love her and hope she will be a happy and successful adult.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

I love you Taylor!


Many years ago I met Taylor. He was a quiet boy in my Science class. He always looked sad or really sleepy. One day I started to ask questions about some of the stickers on his binder. Turns out he loved to snowboard and to skateboard. I'd never seen any spark in him until that day. From then on he would come to class and show me a picture or tell me a story about boarding. Taylor was a completely different person now.

We continued to be close all year. I found out that his parents were divorced and his mother was on her third marriage. She always married money plus she had a good job on her own. Taylor's mother traveled constantly, for business or pleasure. She was always gone. She would throw a bunch of money at him and say, see you in a week with an air kiss.

Taylor's father remarried and had a new family, so he rarely saw Taylor and his sister. It was around this time that Taylor became my emotionally adopted son. He would come to me before and after school just to talk. He would sit at my chair in the back of the class and leave little hello notes.

Every year we take the 8th grade students to Washington DC. This year Taylor and his friends were in my group. We had the best time. I know Washington like the back of my hand, so I was able to give them the insider's tour. On the way back home Taylor's mother called my cell phone. She wanted him to know that she was going out of town and wouldn't be there to pick him up when the buses got back to Ohio. She wanted me to make sure he got home okay.

I was floored she was gone the week before he left and was leaving again. That would be three weeks in a row she wouldn't see her son. She didn't even care. I made sure he had someone to stay with and that he was taken care of when we got back in town.

Eighth grade graduation day arrived. She was there taking pictures and looking so proud. It made me mad, she knew nothing about him. So phony. After the ceremony, she came up to me, hugged me and said "Thank you for taking such good care of my son all year". "He would have never made it without you". I said you're welcome and walked away.

Taylor and I remained close all through his high school years. It was me he called when he was upset or psyched about something. We spent a lot of time talking and hanging out. I never met a person that needed love and attention more than him. Yes, he had every material thing in the world, but no love from his blood family. I was there to take pictures at his prom and proudly sat at his high school graduation.

We're still close. We celebrated his 21st birthday this past summer. Taylor's a junior in college and doing quite well. He still calls me when he is happy or sad. He still hugs me for the longest time when he sees me. Most importantly, he calls me "Mom".

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Mustard Seed

One of my favorite stores is the Mustard Seed. There are two locations in Northeastern Ohio, one in Montrose, the other in Solon. It's like a smaller version of Whole Foods.

I've been trying to go back to a gluten-free diet (to help with my immune system issues and allergies) and now that I've been struck with awful migraines a non-MSG/nitrate/sulfate diet. All this means is I can eat nothing I like. I LOVE cheese, carbs, and Chinese food. Each one of these things is no longer good for me.

The Mustard Seed sells organic, vegan, vegetarian,  gluten-free, dairy free, non-msg versions of many of the foods I enjoy (except for cheese, sigh). Today I purchased a delicious chicken salad, a half of pound of oven roasted deli turkey, pita bread and BBQ potato chips. All safe to eat. I actually felt full and happy after dinner today. The only downfall is the price. Muy caro. Very expensive. My health is worth it, and so is yours!!

Mustard Seed Market