Lent

Hi everyone. So it's the first week of Lent and we are trying our best to give up sodas and fast food. Even though I usually only have one soda per day, it's hard for me to give them up because I crave that sweet fizzy stuff! It's my afternoon pick-me-up...so I'm going to have to find a replacement, or better yet just drink MORE WATER!! I've brought lemons to work with me hoping that will tempt me to drink more, and so far it's working. We don't eat a lot of fast food, but I admit that we will fall victim to it at least once a week when I just really don't feel like cooking or we are in a hurry. I'm going to have to plan ahead in order to make this work, but I feel up to the challenge! I am also going to try to have more patience with people during this Lenten season, especially with Nate. He pushes every button he possibly can, so this will be hard for me, but I'm going to try. Praying more should help my blood pressure during these situations!!

Most of you know I am going through classes to become Catholic. DJ and I have been going to classes every Tuesday night for about 7 months now, and I have 6 weeks left! DJ is my sponsor, and they provide daycare for Nate so it works out for all of us and this whole experience has been awesome. Yesterday I got to meet the Bishop, it was so cool! There were like 11 churches all represented at a service yesterday called the Rite of Election where the Bishop welcomes us into the initiation process...it was a PACKED HOUSE!! I was amazed at how many people are taking these classes just in the Fort Worth Diocese, and this was only part of the Diocese! It was really cool to see so many people wanting to be closer to God and making this important step in their journey. I won't bore you all with the details, but I really enjoyed the experience yesterday and truly look forward to the Easter Vigil when I get to be Confirmed and take the Eucharist (communion) and will finally be a real member of the Catholic church. I'm so excited to be sharing this experience with DJ too, it has really brought us closer as a couple. Since I am learning so much about the Catholic faith, this year Lent means a lot more to me because it is really all about people like me...people who are seeking to know more about God and want to be better people, better Christians. Lent is not just the 40 days when you give up something you love and wait for Easter to come around...it is a time for penitance, to ask for forgiveness, to live a better and more Christian life...to examine your life and find things you truly want to change within yourself. I need more patience, this is not a secret! So I am going to take advantage of this Lenten season and TRY to exercise more patience in every situation. Good luck to all of you with your Lenten challenges. I hope you use this time to become closer to God. Have a blessed week!!

Finally an update...RECAP of 2011

If anyone out there still checks this blog occassionally, you'll be shocked to find an update. I know I have been neglecting this blog and I will try to be better in the future...but no promises!! It's just been a very busy year for us. Let's do a recap of 2011, at least the major things that made an impact on the Vargas family.....

1. I will start with summer since that is where I left off last time. My sister Lori, my friend Michele and I walked the Race for the Cure 5K in Plano in our friend Renee Linke Sendelbach's honor. It was a very meaningful experience that I will always treasure, and I was honored to be a part of it. I'm hoping to enlist DJ this year! More on Renee a bit later....

2. My sister Jenni and her family moved to The Woodlands, TX for Brian's job. It stinks that we're not all together in the same vicinity anymore, but this move has been wonderful for their family! Davis is on a great new baseball team and is starting to make lots of new friends in his new school. They found a church that they love, and Brian is loving his job. Success!!

3. Nate turned 2 in November!! He is such a joy to watch him grow and develop. He is right on par in his size and development, and we feel so blessed to have such a funny and smart child in our lives. He is definitely in that "terrible twos" phase, and throws plenty of frustrating tantrums, is a somewhat picky eater and presents many challenges each and every day. But we just can't imagine our lives without him. :) He was a lucky boy and got two birthday parties this year since we had one for him up here in DFW area, and his Vargas family in San Marcos had a party for him there too at Thanksgiving. Spoiled much?? :)

4. The same week that Nate turned 2, my beloved grandmother "Grammie" passed away. She came down with pneumonia and it was just too much for her body. She was 87, and lived quite a nice life, full of travels and adventures with her kids and grandkids. We were blessed to have her for so long, and we will miss her like crazy for the rest of our lives. Luckily we have all inherited many of her things that we will always treasure.

5. We went down for Grammie's funeral which was in Round Rock, and stayed in San Marcos for Thanksgiving with the Vargas family. It was very bittersweet for me, having to say goodbye to my most favorite person...and spending good quality time with the Vargas family. We had a blast, and Nate got lots of face-time with his family! And the food was DELISH!! :)

6. My friend Renee, the one we did the Komen walk for...she has been told that there is "NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE"!! This was her second battle with breast cancer that had spread into her lungs and bones, and yep...she beat it again!!! We will continue to pray that cancer stays out of her body, and remain cautiously optimistic! YAY for RENEE!!!

7. Christmas this year was two-fold. We celebrated Christmas Day with my family for the first time with Nate. This was quite different for DJ, but he enjoyed Christmas with the Davis family despite missing his family. Nate was SO excited to be opening his presents with his youngest cousins and enjoying all the family time. We then went down to San Marcos to open presents with the Vargas family. Nate figured out what "presents" are, and really hammed it up this time around! Every present drew an "OOOOOHHH", or "AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" response from him, so enthusiastic that we wished we had gotten it on film for future blackmailing!! ;-) It was really fun, and once again Nate was totally spoiled by everyone. We now have WAY too many toys in our small apartment!


So, that's the rest of 2011 in a nutshell. Hopefully 2012 will be just as fun and memorable as 2011. Wishing you and yours a very good 2012!

Love, Meg

More pictures

Us at the Amarillo Zoo

Showing Nate how to blow bubbles

Wow, Gramps...you're really tall!

Getting some Grammie lovin'! You can't tell, but he was laughing and giggling away!

My friend Corrine

Ok, I've got a few pictures to share from our Amarillo trip. It was a great trip home and long overdue. I am so happy I got to see my old friend Corrine while I was in town and meet her family. I even got to spend some time with her mom as well, who was practically my 2nd mom for about 7 years. It was such a good time, and I wish it hadn't gone by so quickly. We also FINALLY got to visit my Grammie A, Nate's Great-Grammie, at her Assisted Living home. We had a good time, and all the residents there really loved seeing Nate! I just wish she would be more social, it's a really neat place to live! Here are some pics of the weekend.

Ups and Downs

The Vargas family had a weekend full of ups and downs this past weekend. First, we had a short but VERY nice visit with DJ's brother Rene, his wife Angela, and the girls Amie and Jamie. They came to Arlington to watch a Rangers game and stayed Friday night with us. We had dinner at our favorite Mexican food place, then they went to the game. After they got back from the game, we played Dance Central on DJ's new Kinect (Father's Day gift) and made fools of ourselves...it was AWESOME! Then we had a huge breakfast before they left early in the afternoon. It was so sweet, Nate didn't want his Uncle Rene to leave, he wouldn't go to anyone else, and cried when I finally had to take him away so he could get in the truck! It was really cute.

DJ and Nate and I then spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and playing around the apartment. Then we got the call from my mom. She was already crying when she told DJ the news, and he looked at me with a very sympathetic face while handing me the phone. He said "Marvin is gone". I couldn't believe it. "Nooooo, he's not....no!" I yelled before taking the phone. I proceeded to whimper and cry while talking to my mom who was doing the same. We knew he was old and wouldn't live forever, but this was too soon...he wasn't even sick! My poor Dad, I just kept thinking, poor Dad!! What is he going to do now? It was a very sad evening.

For those of you who did not know Marvin, he was my puppy in college when I was in my first apartment. I had two roommates at the time, and this rambunctious and overly energetic basset hound was not fit for the apartment he was living in with us. After he chewed up a couple different comforters in my bedroom, plus a ton of other stuff, I decided he needed a yard and room to stretch out and hunt animals...just be a dog. My parents were so nice to take him in and have been taking care of him ever since. He hasn't been my dog since he arrived in Amarillo. He was my Dad's best bud and source of entertainment for the last 10 years and it is so hard to imagine life in Amarillo without him. :(

Some other updates: Jenni, Brian and Davis have moved to The Woodlands. We are excited for them to have this new opportunity and we know that this is the best place for them. But we will all really miss them and will miss having all of us sisters so close in proximity. We will just have to do more traveling to visit them now. :) Davis turned 9 this month...can anyone believe this?? I know I can't! He just loves baseball and is such a smart young man. We will miss going to his baseball games, but I'm sure we'll catch one or two in the future!

Ramsey turned 6 this past Saturday! She truly is the princess of the family...being the only girl will do that to you! We are all so proud of her. She is so sweet and loving, and she absolutely LOVES Baby Nate!! Happy Birthday, Ramsey!!

Earlier this month Lori and my friend Michele and I participated in the Komen Race for the Cure in honor of our friend Renee Sendelbach. She is a friend of mine from high school who is battling breast cancer for the 2nd time now...and it's a fight she is GOING TO WIN!!! It was such a great experience to be with so many people who were all walking/running for someone they loved who battled cancer. Very touching and humbling, and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Alright, that's all I can do for now. I'll try to update more frequently. Love to all!

Pictures

Easter Sunday pics

Mommy and Nate at Easter

Daddy and Nate at Easter

Pepo and the new love of his life! They have a special connection!

Nate loves his zebra!



Realized I hadn't posted pics in a while. I have lots to update you all on, but must do it when I have more time. Love to you all!!

The Encounter

Well, it was bound to happen. We were bound to run into my ex sooner or later. And when it did, I had a very strange mix of emotions that I was not expecting. I'll set the scene for you:

DJ and I went to San Marcos for his uncle's funeral the week before Mother's Day. This was a very large gathering with TONS of family...this particular uncle did have 13 brothers and sisters afterall. Well, DJ's cousin is really good friends with my ex and we knew we would run into him here. The church was full...probably 200 people were there. When most of the crowd was gone, I looked across the church and saw him, made eye contact with him from across the room. What I did not know was exactly how at peace I would feel and this incredible sense of RELIEF that this dreaded encounter had come now....and not anytime sooner. We did have Nate with us, and all of DJ's family, and you have no idea how good that made me feel knowing that I had my loving family around me to "protect" me from this person from my past.

When I made eye contact with him, I immediately felt all of those old feelings of unease, dislike, fear and disgust. But then I remembered that I am not part of his world anymore and he can't hurt me anymore. He looked the same, growing his hair and facial hair out and still had that smug look on his face. Knowing that he still looks the same, still hangs out with the same old crowd, probably still works in the same place, still not doing anything with his life...it all made me feel so relieved that I GOT OUT!!! Yes, I wasted almost 5 years of my life with him, but I'm no longer in that relationship. No longer feeling unloved, unwanted...more like a caregiver than a partner. No sir...I am out of that life.

Now I am in a healthy marriage with an incredible man who has changed his life so dramatically...for me and his son. I have been accepted into his loving and incredibly supportive family. I now have a real partner who contributes equally to our home, pays his bills, and CARES about me and my feelings. Loves me for who I am, and loves my family too. I am so lucky, and this encounter just reminded me of that. So I wanted to share it with you all, if there is anyone left who reads my blog. :)

I also want to thank each and every one of you for the support you have given me over the last three years. I have made so many changes and all of you were a part of them, even if just by being my friend. Thank you for helping me realize my worth and helping to guide me to my new incredible life. Even though it was uncomfortable to run into him at this meaningful family gathering, it was the best thing that could have happened to remind me of what I have now, and where I came from. Have a blessed day everyone!

Where the heck have you been??

That's what you all want to ask me...that is anyone who might occassionally read my blog. I know, it's been way too long, but hey....life's been busy. Since my last post we have moved into our new apartment and it is really great. No more stairs, more space, more storage, etc. And the best part it, no more commute!! It has been really good for us to all be in one town together. Arlington, so far, is an ok place to live...other than the fact that the closest Super Target is in a different city!! We're getting used to shopping at different stores, but really missing our Sprouts grocery store. But overall, it's been good.

I think Nate is getting used to his new caregiver. Her name is Donna and we like her. She is different from Sherry, and I do miss some of the things that Sherry used to do. But Donna is a rule follower, and she is teaching Nate how to follow rules too. It took a few weeks to get settled at Donna's house, but he is now one of the gang and doing well. We also have a new doctor for Nate, and we have met her once and another doctor in her practice once. No complaints there, they have been great!

DJ's job has been challenging...to say the least. But he is working through most of the issues and getting the stores fixed to the way they should be. Lots and lots of issues there, but he's working hard to make his job better! My job has not changed and it is better now that I am not having to make that awful commute. :)

So, to sum it up, we are enjoying our new apartment and getting used to our new work and daycare environments. Life is good, we are all healthy, and I can't complain about anything! We miss our family, but the extra time we have with each other is totally worth it. Hopefully I'll get some Easter pictures up soon, there are some super cute ones!! Have a blessed day everyone!