2013 Changed My Life

2013 Changed My Life

Last year was an eye opener for me. It was a year of many firsts. Firsts that I never thought I would ever experience in my life. Some were firsts I wish I didn't have to experience but kind of glad I did.

On March 22, 2013 I boarded a plane for the very first time in my life. I was scared, excited and overwhelmed. I entered the airport for the first time and it was exactly what I expected. People coming and going in all directions. I stuck to following Ramon since he'd done this before and I was pretty much lost. Didn't know where to start. Went through security check. This I'd done before so that was no biggie. Found our gate, sat and waited. Sitting still was hard to do. I was ready to board. Ready to see what all the fuss was about. Everyone assured me all was going to be ok but I just wanted to get it going. You know how it is. You get excited about your trip, then scared when you think about what could go wrong and then anxious when you have to play the waiting game. Thankfully we didn't have to wait long. When we finally boarded the plane I put my bag away, fastened by seat belt and popped some gum in my mouth. I made sure to bring some. I had researched for hours what first time flying would be like on the internet and every article I read said gum was a must. So I brought some with me (the gum helped but the change in air pressure still seriously sucked). Then I anxiously waited for take off. When we finally did all I could do was smile. It felt like a roller coaster ride to me. Butterflies in my tummy as we steadily rose. I could hardly keep from swallowing my gum in excitement. I wasn't expecting this reaction. Not from me that's for sure. Ramon, the gentleman that he is, let me have the window seat. Thought it'd make my flight experience fun. It did. I found it quite enjoyable. I was glad. I stared out the window as the rest of reality slowly disappeared below us. I put on my headphones and listened to music the whole way there stopping only to chat a while with Ramon and tell him how cool this all was. When we got closer to our destination I could see the water below us. I pulled out my phone and took some pictures from my window. When we began to descend the butterflies came back and I couldn't help but giggle. Ramon, who doesn't like to fly, couldn't believe how much I was enjoying myself. But I was!

After the plane ride we found ourselves in, can you believe it, Los Cabos, Mexico! Will you look at that! When Ramon first told me we were going to Cabo I couldn't stand the excitement. I mean... Cabo! We loaded up on a bus and headed out to the resort. Yes I said resort. That's two more firsts! First time in Cabo and first time staying at a resort. We stayed at Barcelo Los Cabos Palace Deluxe (Which is now named Hyatt Ziva Los Cobos ) for an all inclusive stay. We were in for a treat. When we arrived we left our luggage up front where it was to be taken to our room. We walked up the steps to an open lobby and were hit with a wonderful breeze coming in from the beautiful ocean that stretched out before us. I could see it right where I stood and it was glorious! That was a moment I will never forget. The very first time I saw the Pacific Ocean! I stood there for a moment... shocked. We signed in and went to check out the room but all I really wanted to do was feel the sand between my toes and stare at the ocean. We then went to the pool side bar to meet up with the gang, took some pictures, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed down to the beach. I stood there... right in front of the Pacific and just took it all in. The breeze was wonderful, the waves amazing. I was in awe. I didn't just see the ocean. I could hear it. Feel it. It was beautiful. Words are not enough to explain God's creation. Not enough. At night when everything was quiet we could hear it from our room. Splash after splash. It rocked me to sleep. Literally the best slumber I ever had. The following night we wanted to be closer to those waves so we went down to the beach and sat by the fire pit and just listened. When we got tired we headed back to our room and let the ocean rock us back to sleep. We spent the rest of the trip site seeing (going to see the Arch was a must for me), shopping (we couldn't forget souvenirs), drinking (because why not), eating (a ton, hey, the food was free) and taking like a zillion pictures trying to capture every single moment. We even took a boat ride which was another first for me. Oh and I didn't get a sunburn! Yay! I didn't get a tan either because Ramon decided to buy sunscreen with SPF 1 million but hey at least we won't be leathery in our 50s. We had the best time ever! It sure was an experience I will never forget.

On August 22, 2013 we took our second trip. Ramon came home one day and was like "babe we're going to Chicago in August" I was in full vacation mode. I immediately began planning the trip. All the must see places were on the list. I couldn't wait for our next adventure. Chicago another first! We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel right by the Chicago River. As soon as we got there the boys had to have deep dish pizza and I mean why not we were in Chicago. We went to Pizano's on State Street. It was so delicious and cheesy. Deliciously cheesy! After that we decided to walked all the way back to the hotel stopping at a few stores and had to unwind a bit when we got to our room. Later that day we just had to go out on the Ledge. It was at night and the city lights were beautiful. The Skydeck was so much fun. We were all nervous. No one wanted to go first. I stepped on the ledge as delicately as I could and my tummy did a little flutter. I gasped as I looked down. There were my feet and directly below them was the street... 1,353 feet down! We wanted to go back during the day but there was so much to see we just didn't have time. We went to Millennium Park where we saw Cloud Gate (the Bean!) Biggest bean I've ever seen. We had our first Chicago style hot dog. We visited Wrigley Field home of the Chicago Cubs, U.S. Cellular Field home of the Chicago White Sox, The Field Museum where we met a boy named Sue, the Chicago River, Lake Michigan and The Chicago Theatre but sadly we didn't go inside. Something I will definitely do next time we go. We took one of those trolly tours that took us everywhere. We went to the Navy Pier and rode the Ferris Wheel. We ordered room service for the first time. I mean we just had a blast. We tried to do and see everything in the short time we were there. We loved our stay and wouldn't mind going back someday. I was kind of sad when we had to leave but I had to get home to my Lings (my dog). I missed her so much and was so excited to see her at the airport. My soon to be in laws picked her up to surprise me before they went to pick us up from the airport. So sweet of them! I thought what a great end to a great trip!

Now November 25, 2013 was a frightening day for me. It was the day I had surgery. When the doctor first told me I had to have surgery it shook my world. All I could think about was how scary it all was. Being put to sleep and going under the knife. I was terrified. I cried. I cried not only because of having to be cut open but I cried because of what was happening to my body. I had to have an oophorectomy. That meant they were going to remove one of my ovaries. Now for someone who has never had children but certainly wanted them was frightening. The doctor assured me that it was still possible to conceive with only one ovary. It was still heartbreaking. Ramon and I had planned an October wedding but with the news of the surgery we decided we wanted to move it up. I felt the sooner we get married the sooner we can try for a family. I just thought what if this happens again. I had to put it out of my mind and just think how wonderful our wedding was going to be. The sooner my surgery date got the more nervous I became. I tried not to think about it too much but it was difficult. It was up front and center of my thoughts like the burning embers in a fireplace. Haunting me. Ramon tried his best to get me to think positive and God bless him for that. I don't know what I would do without him. The night before my surgery I prepared for the next day. Since I was going to stay overnight at the hospital I packed a night bag. Nerves kicking in as I thought about what all I might need at the hospital. I took a shower and went to bed. I cried and told Ramon how much I wished this wasn't happening. He kissed me and held me tight til I fell asleep. We woke the next morning and drove to the hospital. I was pretty much numb with fear. Having Ramon next to me helped calm me down. Holding his hand has this calming effect on me. We were escorted by the nurse to the prep room where I had to change into this ghastly hospital gown. Ramon and I couldn't help laughing at the way I looked. It was a giant lavender moo moo. The most unflattering thing I've ever put on in my life. Not that the hospital is some kind of fashion show or anything but it made us laugh anyway. Something I desperately needed. The first person to come in was the nurse to insert my IV. Then the anesthesiologist. He talked a bit about what to expect and answered any questions that I or Ramon had. Then my doctor came in and asked if I had any questions about the surgery. Then my mommy showed up. Just warmed my heart having her there. The two most important people in my life. How could I be so lucky! Carlos was there too! Thank you all for that. For being there for me when I needed you the most. A few moments later the anesthesiologist and a nurse came in told me he was giving me medicine for whatever. I don't remember. Oops. They then wheeled me away. I looked at my loved ones and told them I loved them. They told me they loved me and would be there when I woke up. As they wheeled me to the operating room a began to get dizzy. I remember asking God to see me through this. I could see the bright lamps of the operation room. Nurses asking how I felt. Me responding "nervous" Then one nurse told me she was going to give me oxygen and put the mask on my face. The next thing I remember was waking up and hearing a nurse say "how you feeling honey" and my abdomen feeling extremely sore. I told her I was in pain and she said they were soon going to give me pain meds. Then my mom and Ramon came in to see me. They asked me how I was and all I can remember was giving them two thumbs up. I'm guessing that's when the pain meds started to kick in. Who knows. They later wheeled me to my room where I was to stay the night. My soon to be in laws came to visit and brought Ramon food. He didn't want to leave my side. God bless him. I later spent the rest of the day in and out of consciousness due to the morphine I was given. I was in a lot of pain. It was difficult for me to eat or drink anything. Everything made my tummy ache. I spent the rest of my recovery trying to walk, eat, drink, laugh and sleep without too much pain. Everything hurt. Coughing, sneezing, sitting up... everything. Even my shoulders. During surgery they pumped my body with gas/air to make it easier to move the tools around. That gas remained in my body when they stitched me back up. It was getting trapped everywhere but the worst was my shoulders. It was worse than my incision. They didn't tell me about this at the hospital. This I found out through the internet. I couldn't understand why my shoulders hurt so much until I read about it on a message board. A woman who had the same surgery said she had to work the trapped air out of her body because it was hurting her shoulders too. So I spent what felt like a week trying to do the same. When I finally got rid of that recovery went pretty smoothly after that. I was finally able to sleep without meds. Though still in pain and unable to walk Ramon and I had to miss Thanksgiving. Ramon really went above and beyond for me. He helped me with everything. And I mean everything. I couldn't have done it without him. As scary and painful as the surgery was I'm glad I had it. It was something that had to be done no question about it. Thankfully the tumor they removed was benign. When the doctor told me it was benign that was music to my ears. You have to learn to listen to your body the minute you think something is wrong go see a doctor. I went in because of a cramp that wasn't going away. She told me to take advil and to go back and see her if it didn't change. The advil helped with the pain but the cramp came back. So I scheduled another appointment. That's when she felt something that shouldn't be there and ordered a sonogram. It took about a year from the first cramp to the day she felt the tumor. It shouldn't have taken that long and that was my fault. If you think it's worse than the doctor thinks it is insist they take a deeper look. Because you never know what can be lurking around.

Thankfully by the time Christmas rolled in we were able to host Christmas at our house for the first time. We wanted to make it a little more fun so we decided we were going to play a game called Unwrap the Gift. It was so much fun it became an instant hit and decided to play it every year. If you've never heard of that game look it up on youtube. Play it at your next Christmas party trust me you'll enjoy it. We mingled with family, ate delicious food and opened our presents. It was great fun!

That was my story of how the year 2013 changed my life. None of it could have been possible without my love, Ramon. With you life is always an adventure! I love you! And I look forward to an amazing 2014 with you!

Thank you for reading and God bless!

Here are some videos of our Christmas game and a flipagram I did of my whole year. Enjoy!