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Saturday, May 30, 2009

Say cheese baby!

Last weekend we had a little photo-op at Casa de Burritos. My sweet littlest burrito has quickly become Daddy's little clone. Complete with matching superhero tshirts. We decided to have a little fashion show/photo-op and this is what ensued...

Captian America boys...

Little Burrito wasn't too thrilled that his Papa was putting away his little Captain America shield, so he stole his.
Someone tried to make a run for it in the middle of a wardrobe change..
Time for a little Run DMC...

Nothing is quite as funny as having your Papa eat your hands...

Well, maybe when Mommy's hair tickles your face...

He might be his Daddy's clone, but he's a total Mommy's boy... *swoon*
It was only fair that the good looks of the operation got in a few pictures...she is the star you know!
No one, but no one, know's how to ham it up like our Belle.

I'll claim her as my little clone....looking forward to the many shopping/mani-pedi days ahead...
Strike a pose...

Uh-oh...someone noticed he was no longer the center of attention...


Alright little man, you are adorable and the king of the castle....


Someone heard his reign was over...


Gotta have one of Papa and his best girl...


The End. Thanks for visiting a day at Casa de Burritos.



Friday, May 29, 2009

Faith renewed

I have always believed in God. If truth be told, I was probably born on a pew in church. I have devout Christian parents, was raised in a Christian family, went to a private Christian school from Kindergarten through my Senior year. Yes, I have always believed in God. That said, there have definitely been times in my life when I've questioned God. So many things in this life just do not make sense. So many senseless things happen every day. So many injustices. Still, I have believed.

I must admit that my belief has had various degrees. Although my faith has always remained, there have definitely been certain times where it was stronger than others. It seems like when things are good most people forget to thank God, yet we always call for Him when we need help. We're a thankless bunch, aren't we? To be human is to err I suppose.

The events of the past 2 weeks have opened my eyes to God's goodness. You know when you're watching a movie and all of a sudden a plot enfolds? I feel like I've been having that experience the last few weeks. This may be somewhat circular and ramblish (is that even a word?), but hopefully it'll make sense by the end of my ramble.

5 years ago I was a first time mom to my beautiful Isabelle. I joined an online Mom's group, and there is where I found out about Allie Scott. Allie was a gorgeous little baby girl who was a few months older than my Belle. Allie seemed to have the flu, which was later diagnosed as AML, Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Jenny, Allie's mom, kept a blog that detailed Allie's fight. My heart broke for Jenny and Andrew when Allie lost her battle and became an angel. I couldn't imagine ever losing a child. I've continued to keep up with the Scott's through Jenny's new blog and the charity she cofounded. Watching their journey left a mark on my heart.

Fast forward to the present. We have two beautiful children now. Being a Mommy has given me the strongest love and bond I will ever have. These little burritos are my heart and soul. I'm completely head over heels in love with them.

About 2 1/2 months ago a friend and coworker of mine was diagnosed with AML. This came as a huge shock to me and all of my coworkers. You can see the below post for information on Nick. His mom is also a coworker and friend. From the minute I found out about Nick's diagnosis, I felt a heaviness on my heart for both him and his mom. I kept in contact with her for updates, as did my fellow friends/coworkers. My team especially were very concerned for both of them, and tried to encourage and cheer them up as best we could. 2 weeks ago Carole, Nick's mom, sent an update with the devastating news that the chemo did not work and the doctor's basically said there was no hope, since they didn't see any chance of Nick finding a bone marrow donor match. Carole and I emailed back and forth a few times. I could sense her desperation to save her baby. He may have just turned 28 in the hospital, but he was still her baby. I immediately thought back to Allie. No mother should ever lose their baby. My mother's heart immediately ached.

I knew that I personally didn't know too many people that would fit the criteria of a possible match, but I wanted to get the word out as far and wide as I could. I sent a message out to my email address book and on facebook. It just wasn't enough. I thought for a minute and debated sending out an email to my work's alias to all. That's usually frowned upon and I figured would somehow be snuffed out quickly. It was a shot in the dark, but I sent out an urgent plea to the head of HR which is located in MA. Mind you, this was late on a Friday. There was a high likelyhood it wouldn't even be read. Still, I felt the nudge to send it out with a hope and a prayer. Within the next hour an email went out from Corporate globally (40K+ employees) with the plea to help Nick. From there, it snowballed. A movement began.

There has been global drives, hundreds if not thousands of new registrars, and thousands of people spreading the word about Nick. There has been local news stories, newspaper stories, msnbc, yahoo news, tweets, facebook postings, etc. Various competing companies have sent out emails, hosted drives, sent well wishes. Complete strangers have offered to donate over $10,000 to find a match. Thousands upon thousands have lifted Nick up in prayer.

5 years ago a little angel left a mark on my heart. 2 1/2 months ago I felt a calling to be lifting up a friend and his family in my prayers. 2 weeks ago I felt the nudge to do something. Today thousands of lives may be saved by all of the new donors that have entered the registry.

2 weeks ago I would never have imagined all that has occurred the last two weeks. With every ounce of me I believe that every step of this has been God moving. In no way do I believe that God causes people to be sick. I absolutely believe that God wants everyone to have a long, healthy, happy life. We however, are human. Our bodies fail us at times. I do believe that God can use a horrible situation and make some good come out of it. Nick and his family now have hope. A hope for a match. A hope for that long happy life that I believe God wants him to have.

Maybe I'm an optimist at heart. Maybe you think it's a stretch to think that all of this is woven together. I may be just that. One thing I will say proudly, I am a believer. A believer of things not seen. That's what faith is, is it not? God is good. There are signs everywhere. Sometimes we focus on all of the injustice in the world. I myself have let my sight be clouded at times and my heart be heavy. God is still good. There are signs everywhere, all you have to do is open your eyes.

Bone Transplant Desperately needed for Nick Glasgow, Donors wanted!!






A friend and coworker of mine, Nick Glasgow, is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. Nick was a healthy 27 year old who came down with a sore throat. For 2 weeks the doctors thought he might have strep throat. After a bloodtest, they gave Nick the devastating news that he had Leukemia, AML. Nick underwent 2 rounds of agressive chemotherapy that did not work. His doctor's informed him that he needs a bone marrow transplant to save his life. Due to his ethnicity, doctor's have given him slim chance to find one. The reason? Low registration of donors of mixed ethnicities. If you are of Caucasian and Asian decent, PLEASE go to AADP.org to search for a local drive or order a free testing kit to be mailed to you. All that is required is a simple cheek swab. Please help! You can save Nick's life, or someone just like him. Time is of the essence, please, ACT NOW!

For updates on Nick please go to here.



Sunday, May 03, 2009

Shred is the word!


I've been trying to get off the extra Mommy jiggle I've been rocking and got back to hitting the gym and eating healthier. Then I came across something magical. Something magical and frightening. One of the bloggers I follow started a new exercise program, and was seeing great results. Since she has 4 kids, 2 of which are one year old twins, this got me very curious. I went and picked up my copy of the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels and about died that first night. Okay, not really died, but I was completely surprised at how a 22 minute workout could really kick my butt. Phew, day 1 done and I ended up a sweaty mess. By day 3 I was extremely sore. Must be working. Day 4, thankfully I was much better and starting to notice a change. Hmm, was I really losing some of my oh-so-not-attractive muffin top? Were my eyes deceiving me? Morning 8 I measured my muffin top and was shocked to see it was 2 inches smaller than it was on day 1!!! Wow! It was working! I've Shredded 15 days so far, and have seen results I never expected to see so quickly. I don't even remember when I was in this good of shape tone-wise. I'm taking the night off to ice my knee, as it's been bothering me. Level 2 is a bit tougher on the knees. I think I might switch back and forth between Level 1 and 2 to give it a bit of a break. My recommendation of the day, if you don't have much free time to dedicate to getting healthier/in better shape, give this a try! I guarantee, you won't be sorry!