Life is Strange

I've been thinking about my friend who lost her baby. There is this great sadness that I have inside, but at the same time, it's a feeling of relief that the baby did not have to suffer.

I recently watched the repeat episode of One Tree Hill where a student so distraught by his tormented high school experiences turned gunman. It's the tragedy that we've all heard before in the news and the same one that we've conveniently put in the back of our minds because it's so disturbing and painful. Fortunately, I did not have to suffer through a horrific tragedy such as Columbine during my high school years, but at the same time, the entire country got a jolt of reality and suffered alongside with them in shock and loss just the same.

At a church service, a young man testified about the goodness and greatness of God amidst the tragedy of losing half of his family. This man had come from a family who served the church in numerous ways; in fact, his parents were serving as missionaries somewhere in Slovenia. His family had just left for vacation. In a single instant, he lost both of his parents and his youngest brother in a terrible car accident. Thankfully, his other two younger sisters survived.

There are so many tragedies in the world where the ones mentioned above are just a few. There's war, poverty, sickness and disease, natural disasters, hate...it's so overwhelming.

Then when we take look at our own lives, the problems and dramas that we are going through seem so trivial compared to others. Sure, I may have financial difficulties and be up to my neck in debt, but I still have clothes on my back and a bed to sleep on at night. I currently do not have a job, but at the same time, there are so many opportunities open to me, a woman of color living in America. I may be going through marital problems, but I've learned the hard way that while people do make mistakes, there's always room for change and change of heart.

I look at my life and while I often find myself down and out depressed, while it is easier to sulk and be miserable, I have to remind myself how truly blessed I am.

In all of the things to believe in this world, there are two things in which I am certain. One, there is a God. Two, all things happen for a reason. I believe that our paths have been carved out for us and while we do have the gift of free will, God is up there just watching what we do, KNOWING what we'll do, and probably chuckling and laughing at how we do it. In all things, I have faith that whatever happens in our life, good or bad, major or minor, trivial or not, that we will be taken care of. This is not to say that we can just sit back and expect good things to happen to us- on the contrary!

I believe that everything happens for a reason; that opportunities present themselves when we least expect them; that when a door closes up a chapter of our lives, another one opens; that we are on this particular path at this particular moment for a particular reason; and finally that EACH and EVERY person that comes into our lives has a purpose, too.

Life is strange, isn't it? It's a confusing maze of instances and yet, while we may not understand any of it, we just have to trust that everything will turn out okay. Life happens and we have to happen with it...and be thankful and grateful for each day.

What is Preeclampsia?

Preeclampsia is a disorder that affects approximately 5-8% of pregnant women. It's also referred to as "toxemia." Toxemia causes the blood vessels to constrict and decrease blood flow to the organs such as the liver, kidneys, and brain. It also results in high blood pressure. With less blood going to the uterus, it can result in poor growth, decreased amniotic fluid, and placental disruption for the baby. Basically, a pregnant woman is diagnosed if she has high blood pressure AND protein in the urine after twenty weeks of pregnancy. Preeclampsia can range from mild to severe, and it can progress either slowly or rapidly. Most women who develop mild preeclampsia closer towards their due date deliver just fine with proper care, but if it is severe, it can affect many organs and be life-threatening. The only way to find out if you have preeclampsia is via urine sample during doctor visits...that's why it's vital that pregnant ladies do not miss their scheduled appointments. And if a woman is found to have preeclampsia, the only way to get better is to deliver the baby early.

I never heard of this word until this week and the circumstances in which I came to know about it are unfortunate.

A friend of mine found out in December that there were complications in her pregnancy. While she was told that the chances of her baby surviving were slim, everyone held on to hope for a miracle. Just last week, she celebrated her last day of work to go on maternity leave. That weekend, her doctor told that she had preeclampsia and that she would have to deliver as soon as possible.

She delivered a baby boy.

In the next few hours, I can only imagine the love both mom and dad radiated upon that sweet baby. God did, indeed, provide them a miracle. I was fortunate to see her on her last day of work. She was happy and confident. She allowed others to marvel at the baby moving inside by letting them touch her tummy. She simply glowed.

Without a single cry and without any pain or suffering, their baby boy left this earthly world for a heavenly one. While I cannot understand why certain things like this happen, I am certain that God has a new companion at His side. It's been said that God doesn't give us trials that we cannot handle. If God brings you TO it, God will bring you THROUGH it.

My love, prayers, and hope for comfort go out to the Lew family during this difficult time. Rest in peace, baby Lew, and know that you will always be loved no matter where you are.

Did You Wear Green Today?



Let's forget the fact that I have no Irish blood in me whatsoever. Grade school memories came back to me today as I recalled that if one didn't wear green on March 17th, that was permission to be hit, punched, or pinched. Why? I have no clue. I do remember, however, that back in the day, we would find something, anything, that was green just to avoid being attacked by overly zealous freaks who went around saying, "Hah! You're NOT wearing green..take that!" Oh, the trauma. I want to say that we went so far as to get a piece of paper, color it green, and pin it to our uniform! To get out of the dreaded pinching or punching, some claimed that they were wearing green underwear only to be met with taunts of showing proof. Then, and this will be totally gross but true to its word, I remember some guys would say that it wasn't the underwear that was green, but it was what was ON the underwear that was green. Ewwwww....

ANYWAYS...as I was saying, I do not have any Irish blood in me whatsoever...no ties to Ireland...and definitely no luck.

BUT, I do have the claddagh symbol (as pictured above) tattooed in black on my back. Why, you ask, would MnM get that permanently inked on her body? 'Tis simple really...I love what it stands for.

The heart represents eternal love, the two hands stand for friendship, and the crown is for loyalty and lasting fidelity.

According to Irish legend, there was a man named Richard Joyce who was bound for a slave plantation, but then kidnapped by Meditteranean pirates. During his exile, he learned and mastered the skills of a master craftsman. In the late 1600s, Irish King William III negotiated the return of all slaves and though Joyce was offered the daughter of a Moorish slave owner along with much wealth, opted to return to a woman who had remained faithful the entire time. When they reunited, he presented to her the now famous Claddagh ring- a symbol of their enduring love.

Ain't that beautiful?

As crazy as it sounds, I've actually been asked if I was part or any Irish. I end up giving them this I-can't-believe-you-asked-me-that-question look. If it happens that I do NOT wear green on March 17th, I just bust out the tatt on my back...it may not be green, but it's as close to Irish that I'll ever get.

Speaking of tatts, I got my first one when I was nineteen. Let's just say that my mom wasn't too keen on the idea when she first saw it, but that's another story! Lol! I am planning for a fourth one, hopefully this year. It's true what they say, you can't have just one. They are addicting! I'll keep you updated on that for later.

In any case, Happy St. Paddy's Day all...drink up and be merry!

Disney Playhouse

After breakfast today, I was watching the Disney Channel with my nephew, Nico. Now, I have to say that although MnM is well into her 30s (although I sure don't look it- hah!), I still enjoy watching the Disney channel. I could easily watch the kiddie shows in the morning and you gotta love 'em because as silly as they could be, there's always a lesson to be learned. At this very moment, "Rollie Pollie Olie" is on...y'know, those circular bodied robots. Totally cute. I can also sit through an entire episode of "Raven," "Zack and Cody," and most recently, "High School Musical." It's all so corny really, but I wish that we had access to these kind of shows when I was growing up! Hmmm...I just realized that I have this weird fascination with kid shows and teeny bopper shows...does that sound like the whole Toys R Us mentality of I-don't-want-to-grow-up? Eh, I think I'd rather liken it to a well-rounded taste in television choice. Lol!

Anyways...came upon this "mini-show" called "Johnny and the Sprites." I didn't get to watch it because I was busy making coffee, but the message that I heard was so positive that I had to google it. Take a quick peek here and click on the "Yes You Can" clip. In a nutshell, it's about a sprite who was depressed that she wasn't good enough because she couldn't do something so well. But Johnny sings his way through this lil' song about trying to focus on the things that she COULD do instead. Good message, I thought.

After watching that clip, it just dawned on me how many talented singers are out there on these kid shows. I could easily see this Johnny Tartaglia in some Broadway musical. In any case, 'twas just something cute that I thought I'd share.

The End of an Era



When I was in MN last month, we were in for a rude awakening at the Mall of America (MOA). As I have bragged many a time about (and simply because it is one of the only major things that I CAN brag about), MOA only isn't the biggest shopping mall in the country, but it is complete with a theme park furnished with roller coasters planted in the very center. In the three years that we've resided here, we have always known the theme park as Camp Snoopy. I suppose there was no question to naming the theme park "Camp Snoopy" for it has been a long-lasting tribute to Charles Shultz, the creator of the Snoopy comic strips. Seeing that he was born in St. Paul, Minnesotans are just as proud of him as they are of their native son Prince. In any case, somewhere within the past few months, Camp Snoopy has been getting a sort of facelift. Not that any rides were being taken out or construction been set to build something new; rather, (and as one helpful cashier simply put it), "some people just got greedy." While I do not know the details or really truly care about them, whatever went down resulted in the expulsion of anything Snoopy on the premises.

Everywhere you walked and looked, there were Snoopy, Woodstocks, and Charlie Browns and the gang posted and pasted on every ride and corner.














The theme park's new name is simply "The Park at Mall of America." How boring! They went from pizazz to blah. Because when I say that Snoopy has left the building, there is literally no trace of him and the gang anywhere. And if there is, they are quickly being put to rest. All the benches, the pictures, posters, t-shirts, souvenirs, store fronts, cardboard cutouts, giant size Snoopy drinking bowl/fountain, and most obviously, the immensely huge inflatable Snoopy...all gone.


All I can say is that I'm glad that we were able to experience Camp Snoopy as it was and that the cool people who have actually come through to MN to visit us (J, my sis & family, my auntie, and the kiddies) got to experience it as well. I would've loved to have had more souvenir pennies, but all of them crank-'em-yourself machines are gone, too. But hey, at least we got to say that yah, we were there when it was still Camp Snoopy...we got to see the Charlie Brown marching band complete with Charlie Brown fashion wear...we even got to see and take pictures with Snoopy himself! 'Tis the end of an era as we know it...

While sad to see the passing of the Snoopy era pass us by, we were pleasantly delighted to see an addition to a certain spot of the theme park. We had seen an episode of one those Travel channel shows where MOA was featured. 'Twas quite an interesting show because there were so many cool facts that wowed me. For example, if I am not mistaken (and please correct me if I am wrong), MOA is about the length of 7 or 8 football fields. If you took the five floors and placed them side by side, that would equal to about 56 or 57 football fields. We had learned that there was a wedding chapel, a university campus, a police station, and a full-sized aquarium on the premises as well! MOA also sits on the land where Metropolitan Stadium used to stand. And here, they actually put an honorary plate of where the original home plate would've been.





Although you can't read much of what is inscribed in the above picture, it basically shares about one of the most talked about baseball hits cranked out in Met Stadium. Harmon Killebrew hit one of the furthest home runs in the stadium and he also happened to be the 10th baseball player ever to hit 500 home runs! When they were building MOA, someone suggested that they honor Killebrew's famous hit by placing a red stadium chair up on the wall where the ball first landed. It would forever be a reminder of the history that took place all those years ago. We had heard this story, but we never knew WHERE that chair would be. All we knew is that it was a chair mounted up on a wall. For three years....THREE YEARS...we have searched the walls of the mall, hoping to catch some glimpse of it just to say that yes, we found it...but to no avail. UNTIL...until the above sign explained in detail the exact location!



As blurry as this shot is, the chair is located above the Paul Bunyan log chute ride...yes, as in the tall tale character Paul Bunyan and his famous blue ox. He's from Minnesota, too! I couldn't get a really good picture, but can I just say what a feeling it gave us to finally see it? After three years?! Without that sign, our eyes would never have been trained to go up that way! But hey, if you're ever in MOA's neck of the woods and happened to remember reading about the famous stadium chair mounted on the wall to commemorate some baseball player's homerun hit on MnM's blog, well, you can actually say that you know where it is now! (and it didn't take you three years to find it!)