Las Vegas 2012

The kids had fun making this video as we played in the casino, Too funny!

This weekend we felt like just getting away from Tucson and decided to take a drive to Las Vegas with our good friends Marcos and Melissa. Our last trip was back in 2007. Boy, alot has changed in Vegas. Marcos and Melissa go quite often and lucky for us Marcos is considered a high roller at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. We were treated to a beautiful two bed room suite equipped to have a party of all our friends and family. On top of the free suite, all our meals, our Love Beatles show, the spa, etc... were free due the high number of points Marcos had accumulated. To top it off, we were given 6 free tickets to the hotel buffet courtesy of a Tropicana beauty queen contestant who was walking around the casino floor trying to get rid of them. Yes, you heard right, everything was comped, yep, $ 0 balance on the hotel bill. All I could say was wow., how lucky are we to have such giving friends. The trip was so much fun. Unfortunately, Celine Dion was sold out, so Melissa and I saw the Holly Madison Peep show. It was a very tasteful show. Our ice bar experience was pretty cool. We only lasted 15 minutes in that ice bar, brrrrr. All in all I felt as if we had hit the jackpot.

One off My Bucket List

So proud of Melissa, who has never run in her life. She finished despite finding out she had a genetic childhood knee deformity which will not allow her run long distances. She finished in 3 hours, but had to walk her last 5 miles. She was in severe pain.

So folks, I finally did it. We completed our first 1/2 Marathon this morning. It was a cold start, but turned out to be a beautiful morning. Our run started in Oro Valley, a picturesque town outside of Tucson. After 12 weeks of training, we were so prepared to do this race. We had to be at the buses by 5 am, which meant waking up at 3:30 am to leave Vail at 4:00 am. It has been a long day, but so worth everything we went through to train. My unofficial time was 2 hours, 9 minutes which was really good for me. Rene finished much sooner than I did. All in all, we were smokin'! We plan to do our next 1/2 in November of 2012 in San Antonio (Rock n Roll Marathon). I hope all my running friends from San Antonio can join us. Overall, this marathon had it's issues. I was not happy about having to wait in the cold for 1 1/2 hours, running on the streets for most of the race and then finishing with a 2 mile incline. The positive aspects were that the weather and scenery were great, and it was very organized. Had a great time, and can't wait to do it again.

I'm Back

Thanksgiving day with Rene's Family

JW Marriot Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, our favorite resort in AZ. On our way to go have drinks.

Mi Corazon

Renie's NHS special night. What an honor in a school of 2000 kids. He has worked hard for this honor.

So lets see, it has been some time since my last blog post. So sorry for being such a bad blogger. It seems all I have time do these days is just keep up with Facebook and email. The days continue to fly by as I continue to train for the 1/2 marathon which is just 8 days away. I can hardly wait. I feel so ready for this run. Unfortunately my running partner Melissa is out with a knee injury. So it looks like it will just be Rene and myself running. Tomorrow I will do my last long run until the race. It is amazing how the body becomes accustomed to running and how now 5-6 miles seems like a breeze. We just celebrated Thanksgiving and had Rene's family over for the long weekend. We all had such a great time. I felt like Martha Stewart as I prepared the bedrooms and house decor for their arrival. Did I mention, I also did all the cooking from scratch, except of course for the sweet potatoes which came from a can. Rene did a great job on the turkey. We capped off our weekend with a trip to Scottsdale. We felt very blessed to surrounded by our friends and family.

As we move into December, I continue to enjoy my wonderful blessed life. My job is going well as I was recently given an extra department to supervise. Oh well, the management experience will do me good. I kinda seem to like being the boss and was humbled by the fact my boss considered me for the task. I can't tell you how rewarding my job makes me feel each and every day. My WIC department is thriving and we are working hard to keep our numbers up. My Spanish is improving every day. It seems like 90% of our patients are Spanish speaking. I still struggle through some of my material while teaching, but I think the patients are happy I can still communicate with them.

We are looking forward to spending Christmas in Texas. Rene gets so homesick this time of the year. We still get that special feeling in our hearts when it is time to go home.

As for the kids, Larissa continues to enjoy Cheerleading. Renie was inducted to the National Honor Society this week. We are very proud of him. He also interviewed for an Air Force ROTC scholarship, so I am praying he gets accepted. College applications are in, and now it is just a waiting game. Well as I finish my blog, I want to wish all my readers a great holiday. Cherish these special times with family and friends.

Good Memories, Fun Times

Old Town Scottsdale, such a nice place to walk and browse through the shops, take a horse carriage ride, and listen to the sounds of mariachis playing. My phone camera had to do.










So blogging has not been one of my favorite things to do lately. I knew going back to work full time would mean less time for myself to do the things that matter most to me. Training has become somewhat of a challenge, but I am committed to do this race even if it means waking up at the crack of dawn to get my miles in. This weekend we will be up to running 8 miles and it just goes up from there. December couldn't come any sooner. Having a running partner like my wonderful husband helps to motivate me even when we lay in bed at 5:00 a.m. and wish we could sleep just a few more minutes. Since Tucson does not have a time change, it can be pretty dark here in the early morning hours. Each day I tell myself, we can do it.



This weekend we met our friends from Japan in Scottsdale. Mike (pediatric dentist and his friend Chris next to Rene) the second person to the left of me was a good friend and is now stationed in Florida. Heidi the gal to the left of me was one of my docs at Yokota whom we met through Mike. Her husband is active duty and stationed her in Tucson. Unfortunately, he is deployed for six months and she is expecting her first baby in January. Luckily her family is from Phoenix. We had a nice dinner in Scottsdale on Saturday. It was so nice to see them both and walk the wonderful shops in old Scottsdale. We got to talking about the wonderful times we had in Japan. Times you can only reminisce about.......

Freindships

Larissa enjoying her DC cupcake, she loves this show. I am still trying to run off the 3 cupcakes I ate that week. They were so yummy!

Thursday morning after only a few hours of sleep, we woke up early to head to the Today show. It was neat to see how it all worked. Al shook Larissa's hand and Ann Curry looked amazing in person. We saw Star Jones with our own local Samantha Guthrey from the window taping, and we could see Cloe Kardashian up at the window with Hoda. Pretty Cool!

Here we are at the WA mall. Rex is stationed at the Pentagon and Adora was my co-worker in Japan. They are so giving and kind and made us feel right at home.

We met Patty and Eric in Japan. Patty was a contractor (Physical Therapist) on base. We ran many a miles with them. We had so much fun on our runs. We were so blessed to have met so many wonderful friends in Japan.

Central Park, where everyone was out and about taking pictures this day. It was beautiful!

Alejandro playing soccer in the apartment hallway. He was exhausted and too cute!

The Adams Family Show starring Brooke Shield's. The kids and I loved it.

This blog is not about our amazing trip, but about the wonderful friends we have all around the world. It was because of our friends that our trip was truly amazing. Fall breaks give us wonderful opportunities to take advantage of uncrowded tourist destinations. We truly enjoyed our vacation to Washington. At 44 years old, this was my first time in WA and NYC. My kids have seen so much in their short life than I have experienced in my lifetime. I keep reminding them of how lucky they are. I am not sure they truly appreciate the advantages they have. On our trip we were able to visit most of the sights in DC thanks to our friends and their willingness to drive us all around Washington. The weather was great other than some clouds and sprinkles every now and then. Some of the monuments were closed for repairs, but all was good. My personal favorite area was Georgetown with its quaint shops and charming upscale appeal. My friend Adora cooked for us each evening and what a good cook she was. Everyday she cooked for an army. Her home was large enough that we each had our own bedroom.

On Wednesday we took the train to NYC because I really wanted to see our running buddies from Japan Patty and Eric and little Alejandro. Our trip there was great. Patty and Eric were nice enough to invite us over for dinner. It was nice to see Patty's parents again. We had met them in Japan. They are some of the nicest people around. I was amazed at how functional Patty and Eric's apartment was, given the small space they live in. We got to see New York living at it's best. The bell man opening the door for Patty, the fruit, vegetable, and flower stand right outside her apartment. The front desk man, tenants, they all new Patty by first name. As a small town girl, I could never imagine living in such a big city, however, it all had a unique charm to it. My personal favorite was Central Park. How nice to have such a beautiful park just a few step down from where you live. So to Patty, Eric, Adora, and Rex, I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for such a memorable trip. We look forward to visiting again sometime soon with Rene.

A sign

Wow! Can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged. I have been so busy keeping up with FB changes, work, and 1/2 marathon training. Each week life here in Tucson tends to get busier. Weekends are spent with our friends, golf, and chores. It has been tough keeping up with the yard. With all the recent rain, our weeds have been growing out of control.

Well on another note, my last blog focused on how I gave up my dream job. This week that same job with a different company popped right back on the job internet sites. I just happened to be home that day and decided what the heck, I am going to apply. Monday, I applied, went in for an interview that afternoon and all sounded really good. I had a really good feeling about this one. It was a smaller clinic, and my gut instinct immediately told me not to let this one go. On Wednesday I had a second interview with a panel of seven people. It still looked positive. On Friday, I was called with a job offer. I couldn't believe it. These jobs never surfaced our first year here. After touring the clinic, I knew I had to brush up on my Spanish, and quickly. Was this a sign? I contemplated on my last decision asking myself how I could turn down such a good job, and here I was given a second chance at that very same job. I felt ready at that very moment. Working full time again and doing what I love doing suddenly felt right. So starting October 12th, I will officially start my new job as a WIC Director. I will also be the RD consultant for the medical clinic. I will miss my PRN position and all the people I have met and worked with these past few months. At the end of the day, my heart is with public health and helping to make a difference in the lifes of those who truly need my help.

Sacrifices By A Military Wife

Well, we are all done with senior pictures. So glad Renie's high school does this early. This is my favorite picture of many the photographer took. Can't believe we are fast approaching September. This month has flown by so quickly. Larissa is now playing Volleyball with her school, so I am getting excited to watch her play soon. She tells me her weak little body struggles to get the ball over the net, but she seems to be having so much fun with the sport. Renie is well into his Senior year joining clubs and becoming more active with friends. He seems to be having a fun time. He is also getting his college applications in order. I can only hope this year slows down. I am excited for him, but not ready for the day I have to let go. I am happy to be back into my running routine. My goal this year is to run a 1/2 marathon which is scheduled here in Tucson in December. I only wish I had my running buddies here.

I have been behind on my blog due to working almost every day lately. I have picked up another PRN position so life has been busy. Two weeks ago I turned down a very good job as a WIC Director. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make. Working full time again was something I am not sure I was quite ready to do yet. I feel my kids still need me and it is nice to be able to be home for them. Plus we justed learned our tour here will be over summer of 2013.

So as for now I am content and love my work schedule. I can only hope this job opportunity will come again at a later time in my career. At the end of the day, it felt good to have been chosen for my dream job.