I love Ju(ju)-Life Ethics

Today im lovin' Jujus Life ethics.


I know what your thinking life ethic? Yes, his ethics! Juju is one of the most persistent people i know. He's obviously more persistent when its something that really interests him. He does what a lot of people don't do... he researches. He researches everything and anything he buys. He researches until he is 110% satisfied with the results. He is not a man who gives up easily, nor can he be convinced to. I mean yesterday alone he spent 20 minutes in the coffee aisle deciding which coffee to buy. He always reaches his goals, both big and small. His persistency has gotten me up from writing 12 page papers to go watch a basketball game, his persistency has made me leave piles of dishes undone to eat popcorn and watch a movie, his persistency has resulted in middle of the night jogs.

Along with his persitnency, Juju has a unique outlook on life. I am the type of person who likes to have fun, shop, go out, entertain, travel- regardless of what it costs or does to our pockets. He on the other hand always has our best interest at heart. He always talks to the future and thinks of things long term. He brings me back down from the clouds when necessary, but he also knows how to go along for the ride. He knows when to splurge and went to save. He knows when to give in to my pout and yet knows when to put his foot down. He not only critically thinks about his( & our) decisions but also thinks about them logically.

Even though i am the voice of reason in the majority of situations, he always helps me see his side of story. His persistency is most noticeable when he is fighting against the grain, when he doesn't give up, even when others tell him to let it go. He shows true passion for what he believes in, even if its not pretty. He is relentless to give in because of what people think is right or should be right. He never compromises what he believes to play no ones game.
His persistency shows courage and is admirable. I admire it. I admire him.

I love Ju(ju)- Swagger like that

Today im lovin' Jujus swagga'. Juju has a distinct sense of style. When we step out, hes dressed to impress. Hes not afraid to step out the boundaries of acceptable norms for fashion. Not only does he dress well, but he helps keep me on point too. He always offers constructive criticism when i ask him how something looks. He is quite fashion savvy, both in men's and woman's fashion.


Along with his ability to dress and impress, he is able to keep my stomach aching with his sense of humor. I've never been in a situation that Juj hasn't been able to turn right side up with his sense of humor. I remember when i first met juju i thought he was by far the funniest person i had ever met. I've always told him that the day he cant make me laugh any longer... its over. I love that he doesn't take himself too serious (only when needed). He can make light of any situation and is not afraid to act like himself in front of my family. His sense of humor is easy going, non offensive and honestly unique.

His swagger goes beyond 'no on the corner has swagger like us' .... His swagger is confidence and sophistication. His swagger earns him respect because he conducts himself in a respectful manner. His swagger means he owns the room because of his natural charisma.

I just have to say... If he's Mr.Swagger, I'm Mrs.Swagger.

I Love Ju(ju)- i love thee face

There are many reasons why i love him. Today, I'm loving his face. That's right, his face.

Not only is he easy on the eyes, but he has an amazing smile. That was one of the first things that i noticed about juju. Not only does he have a great smile, but its highly contagious. I think about how smitten i was when i first met him. I was like a school girl, i couldn't help but smile when he smiled. Juj likes to smile, and he looks good doing it, and hes not afraid to do it either. Not like those guys who think they are too 'tough' to smile and when they try to smile they look odd. Not only his jujus smile perfect, it is perfectly proportionate to his face.

I also love his big brown eyes. I can remember how intrigued i was when i first looked at him in the eyes. From the get go i knew there was something different about this boy. In a good way. He seemed so rough and tough on the outside, but one look into his eyes and i knew he was nothing more than a big teddy. Plus he can wink both eyes, not simultaneously.

I love his ManBrows. He is as rugged as the brawny man but his manbrows don't give it away. They are nicely maintained, never caveman like nor too girlyman like. They are perfect.

 I never met someone that had this particular skill or talent he has. Not only can he wiggle his ears, he can wiggle both of them. He was the first person i ever met that could wiggle his ears. He can also flare his nose. I know that's not that impressive, but i cant do it, so he has one up on me.

I love his lips, well because of the obvious, but also because he can sing. He doesn't do it often, or in front of many people, but every time he does it make me smile (& melt a little on the inside). He is also really great at speaking in foreign accents, imitations and just right out funny noises.

Does his hair on the top of his head count as part of the face? Because if so.... He had me at hello with his curls. 'Nuf said.

Fast Approaching

In less than a week Juj and I will be celebrating our first year anniversary. Its crazy how fast time flies. Its not unusual to hear people say, "oh we want to wait at least a year* to have kids after we get married" Boy does a year come and go quickly. *Note, NO we are not preganant nor will we be any time soon. This past weekend i was remembering that a year ago, i was going crazy, i was busy trying to finish my monogrammed aisle runner, I had a laundry list of things that i had yet to do for the wedding. But, i was also the happiest, and luckiest, girl in the world. I was days away from marrying the man of my dreams and today i am days away from celebrating an unforgettable year of being married.

In honor of our anniversary this week will be extra mushy and lovie dovie with a daily segment of : I Love Ju(ju)

I have a crush: Michael Antonio

I recently discovered a shoe designer that I'm currently gaga over. Seriously. He has awesome shoes, great prices and who doesn't love a name like Michael Antonio? (Not to be confused con El Buky Marco Antonio Solis)

He has some Badass heels and some great looking flats for those who don't care as much for a heel.

I cant deny that shoes make me happy. Matter of fact.... remember these strappy taupe ones?? I can take those off my list. Those arrived in the mail on Friday. Eeek!!

You see the first picture, of the woven strappy ones? I actually saw someone wearing a 'replica' of the shoe. I'm sure its discouraging to designers when companies imitate their designs. Though I'm sure the designer still feels a bit honored, no? One thing i can truly ates (sp?) to is that the real deal, the designer shoes, are heck of a lot more comfortable than imitations. I mean, sure designer shoes are more expensive, and sometimes you feel like you are just paying for the name, but you are also paying for a better fit and construction of the shoe, let alone a better quality.

So when ever you eye up a pair of designer shoes that are a wee bit over the amount you anticipated spending, just remember.... they are not a expense, they are an investment. =-)

If i were a boy

Sometimes, i amaze myself- really. I always have these really romantic ideas. Or very thoughtful and carefully crafted projects. Or i spend weeks upon weeks researching and exhausting all my options to find the perfect anything.This leads me to believe that i would make a great boy, or guy, or male in a relationship. I mean it was February and i was already bouncing ideas off my friends for a great anniversary gift. I know girls are wired differently than guys are, but still. I mean we are identical in make up, with the exception of a few parts.

So what is it about guys that seem to lack this Romanticism? Or is that we, as girls, forget that men aren't generally in touch with their softer side? I think a lot of times we get swept away with the protagonists from those romantic comedies. You know, where the girls walk away from the relationship and he sits at home all alone,  thinking... only to discover that he really does love her and takes a plane, a cab, a train ( anything ) to find her and profess his love for her before shes gone forever? And at this point it has started raining and he catches up to her in the middle of the street and simply pulls her in and kisses and embraces her in the pouring rain.

*sigh*

So if i were a boy, would i be as romantic as i have proclaimed to be? or would i simple be that. A boy?

I have a crush

I have been doing really good lately. I haven't shopped much. Do i want to? yes. Is there a few things on my list that I really want  need? yes. Unfortunately, im the type of person who gets what she wants, not in the way your thinking. In a non-mean girl type of way. Once the idea is in my head, it really wont go away until it comes to fulfillment. For example, not long ago i had a thought. I said- "Lolo, You need a good pair of nude shoes" so i searched high and low, online, on sale, at the store... everywhere. I knew i wanted them. In my head... i already had them, i just needed to find them. In my head, they looked great with a top i had just purchased (with my debit card =]). One day as we were shopping for some new work clothes for juju, there they were. Sitting, being nicely displayed in the store's window. I asked for my size and they were perfect, and so they were mine.

Below is a random compilation of all the things that have recently caught my eye....

So honey, if your reading this, these are a few of the items i may or may not like as a gift....in the near future. Please.

I just notice how many shoes are on my crush list. You know what they say 'Diamonds and Shoes are a girls best friends'

Mother's Day!!

Happy mothers day to all ya'll Mommas out there!

I spent the morning finishing up a HUGE paper and presentation for school today. Then it was off to celebrate with my family.

I ate relatively healthy. Sorta.

I had Caldo de Res, or Beef soup with 2 tortillas. Only drank diet soda. Then i had a Johnsonville Chorizo Sausage. That's right, Johnsonville. Who knew Johnson was into Chorizo? I snacked on a few chips here and there but other wise fully satisfied.

And i guess your probably wondering what the results of my diet where?
Well im down 3 pounds. Not bad eh? Im going to keep eating better and trying my best to work out. I'll try to log my meals, not too much in detail, but when i log it, i feel a little bit more accountable.

Day 6

Today was my last day. Seeing that sunday was mothers day there was just no way i would be able to follow my diet through the weekend.

Saturday morning i had a meeting with my school group. We met at the starbucks by my house. I resisted the temptation of drinking a nice hot frothy latte.

I went home and had the soup for lunch with black coffee.

Then juju and i spent the day shopping for our mothers. Before we knew it, it was 5pm and we were both starving. We gave in and went to eat an early dinner. And that was about all i ate for the day.

Later on in the evening, Dulce stopped by and i had 2 glasses of wine with her. So even though i didnt follow the diet to the T i still didnt eat too much.

Day 5

Today fairly easy, as we could incorporate meat into our diet.

Breakfast-
Black Coffee
Sliced strawberries

Lunch-
1 cup of soup
cubed cantaloupe and grapes

Dinner-
12 ounces of steak
frijoles de la hoya =-)

I didnt work out today. I've been terrible busy with school... i cant hardly stand it, (in a southern accent)

Day 4

Today was odd. According to the diet you were supposed to eat at least 3 bananas and drink skim milk all day today, along with the soup of course. I say it was an odd day because i wasnt sure if i was allowed to eat other fruits and veggies.

Breakfast-
1 lrg banana
via cold coffee made of skim milk

Lunch-
2 cups of soup
1 med orange

Afternoon snack-
1 lrg banana
via cold coffee made of skim milk

Dinner-
2 cups of soup
grilled squash
1 lrg banana

By the end of the night i was hungry. VERY hungry. I was able to resist the temptation of eat anything else for the day. I did work out today but i was sore from yesterday and really didnt give it my all. Oh well. i tried.

Im allergic to....pasta?!?

I have definitely been feeling better the last couple of days. I mean my eating habits have drastically changed. I've eaten very little to no starchy foods, no breads, no wheats, no nothing. Recently, my Dr. and i discussed gluten allergies. She told me that many people develop allergies to gluten as adult. For some it can be drastic- like those who have Siliac (sp?), for others it can be very mild- like a few stomach aches here and there. In a nut shell, if you love pasta as much as i do, you know that after stuffing your face with pasta and garlic bread, your stomach starts hurting and not just like a "ouch" i ate too much, more like an "ow.. i feel bloated, with a sharp pain when i try and suck it in"... feeling. And its not only when you eat a wheat/flour filled meal. For example, If i had pasta for lunch and then i had pizza for dinner, then perhaps a sandwhich for lunch the next day, your stomach ache never really goes away.

Some days i would wake up and my stomach was already ( or still ) hurting. I would easy off the wheats/flours and slowly it would feel better. So for a while i stopped eating as much breads/flours/pasta/wheats when ever i could. This lasted for about 3/4 weeks. Now just to make it clear, I'm not talking about starches, like potatoes and rice. Those, actually are ok to eat if you have gluten allergies. My stomach felt better, i slowly introduced wheats/flours slowly back into my diet, but still regulating my intake, making sure i didn't eat them more than once a day. My Dr. also recommended homeopathic remedies. I picked up a bottle of 'Carbo Vegetabilis' at Outpost and it definitely works to soothe the pain associated with gluten allergies. Now since ive been eating nothing but fresh, natural, raw food my stomach has been feeling better than ever. It really makes me think twice about what i put in my body, don't get me wrong, I'm only human and i do get cravings, and giving in once in a while is fine, but i really enjoy living pain free as well.

Tough call, huh?

Day 3

Today was easier than the first and second day. Today i was able to eat both fruits and veggies along with the soup.

Breakfast-
black coffee
cubed pineapple
cubes cantaloupe
sliced strawberries

Lunch-
2 cups of soup
carrot sticks
broccoli florets

Afternoon snack-
grapes

Dinner-
2 cups of soup
grilled squash
butter/pepper green beans

Evening snack-
watermelon

I exercised on Tuesday for about 20 minutes. I did my turbo jam work out video! Its awesome. And today i kicked it up a notch and did worked out for 40 minutes. Man those videos really make you break a sweat. My obliques were very sore today, but i guess that means I'm doing the "zig zag" right =-) So far so good. I am halfway there. I haven't weighed myself, i sorta don't want to jinx it.

Day 2

So yesterday didn't quite go as planned. Not in a bad way though. Out of all of my fruit i only ate the oranges and the pear. Oh and turns out I'm also allergic to pear peel. Bummer. Before i went to class last night I picked up a black coffee and during our break i ate my 2 oranges. I was actually hungry by the time i made it home, so i served myself another cup of soup. The nice thing is that you can eat as much and as many times as you want.

Today was soup and veggies- Fresh, raw, canned, cooked- how ever you like them. This morning "breakfast" was harder. Its odd eating veggies in the morning along with your coffee.

Breakfast- (odd)
tall black coffee ( w/ sugar in the raw)
1 sliced cucumber (con sal y limon)

Lunch-
2 cups of soup- i added some hot sauce for a little kick
2 cups broccoli
water

Snack-
carrots
celery

And for dinner... wait for it...

2 cups of soup, grilled squash and a BAKED potato ( w/butter ). That's right. A baked pah-tay-toh, that's if you haven't cheated, sorta. I'm really looking forward to it tonight. =-) On day 5 you incorporate 15-20 ounces of meat into your diet. I think this will be the longest I've gone with out eating meat since we were temporary vegetarians. I'm not a big red meat eater, i can't however, get enough chicken, veggies and pasta. Red meat is really hard for your body to digest and excess consumption can lead to heart and cholesterol problems. I'm looking forward to not eating meat for a couple of days, and even on the day i have to incorporate beef into my diet, I'm having chicken.

I forgot to talk about by starting weight. I was 128 when i weighed myself on Monday morning. I'm not expecting to lose a miraculous amount of weight. I would be happy with 5 pounds.
I'm also going to work out. I have tons of workout DVDs that are currently collecting dust on our bookshelves. I did a few crunches last night before going to bed, nothing much ... but i figured hey better that than nothing, right?

Day 1- Lunch

The soup was not bad at all! Even i was surprised. I was expecting it to be bad, and i would have to lie to myself (& others) saying that it was good, but not need to. I did add a little bit of salt and black pepper. I went easy on it while cooking it last night. I also added chicken bouillon (the diet said i could) since I'm not a big fan of beef soups/stews/stocks.

I wonder if i can make the second batch with chicken stock instead of beef? i don't see why not... Oh and also, I'm not a big fan of big chunky cooked tomatoes, i get bad heartburn, so i really ate around those. The soup itself was very filling. I actually had 2 cups of soup and watermelon. I couldn't muster up the courage to eat the orange. I am too stuffed.

SOUPerb Dieting

Go ahead, say it... Dork! ( the tittle )


Today is diet day 1


First of all i would like to say- 'Save the drama for your momma' if your going to say something crazy about me dieting. I've heard it enough. and no, I'm not obsessed. I just cant fit into my clothes. End. Of. Story.


This diet basically consists of a soup made up of veggies that you have as your main meal, supplementing it with fruits, vegetables, protein, brown rice and liquids. I know sounds silly right? Each day of the diet is a bit different from the next. Its a combination of foods that help you loose weight. For example today, I will have soup 3 times a day, eat as much fruit as i can and drink water, unsweetened juices, cranberry juice etc.


The soup itself is pretty easy to make and if you like veggies like i do, then you wont have a problem eating it- The soup has: tomatoes, carrots, celery, green beans, green peppers, and then it has Lipton chicken noodle soup mix, noodles and all. Not that there  is a lot of noodles, but still gives you the satisfaction of eating noodles. i love noodles. Salt, black pepper, season to taste.

Breakfast-
cubed cantaloupe
sliced strawberries
black coffee ( with raw sugar )

Lunch:
2 cups of soup
sliced watermelon
1 med orange
water

(scheduled) Before school snack:
1 cup of soup
sliced apple ( peel off- i'm allergic )

(scheduled) School snack:
1 med orange
1 med pear
1 bottle cranberry juice.

Since i have class tonight i'll have to have another cup of soup when i get home. I need to eat the soup at least 3 times today.

I'll get back to you after lunch to let you know how the soup was.

A New Chapter

A few months ago Juju and I decided it was time to cut up the ol' plastic cards and rely solely on our debit cards or cash

Those of you who know me, know that i may or may not like to shop. I like shoes. I like purses. I like tops. I like bottoms. I like shinny things, i like big things, i like little things, i like things with price tags.

I shop when I'm happy, i shop when I'm sad, i shop when there's sales, i shop full retail, i shop for myself, i shop for juju, i shop for others, i shop alone, or i shop with the crowd.

Oh but you, you were always there by my side, my plastic little card. All 3.5 x 2 inches of your thousands of dollars worth of purchasing power. You never failed me, you never said no, you never cared how expensive anything was. You simply took each swipe with pride, knowing you were making me happy.

For the last few months you've been tucked away in that little compartment on the side of my purse. I know you're yearning to be brought out and get swiped, but instead, i reach beyond you all and grab the debit card. I know you all hate it- sitting there, with a smug look, knowing its getting all the action.

And today, after months and months of being in my purse, unused, I bring you out once again. Sadly, its to say goodbye. There is no point in keeping you all, It's not healthy, i don't want to lead you on to believing you will be used again.

But before i do the necessary-

                   

To you, my Express A-lister Credit Card:

You and I first met back in December of 2003. I had just turned 18 and for my birthday you got me a beautiful ($200 dollar) jacket. God, I will never forget that day. After that day, you and i were inseparable. You were my first credit card.You always kept me well dressed and never let me down. I will miss you the most.

xoxo,

Mrs.Juju

Halfway cutting though the express card, i felt it was appropriate to leave that one for last. So i started with library card, you know- just to ease in to it. I proceeded with Bank of America, then Chase, then....the rest. And this is what i was left with.

I could almost hear cash registers crying with each cut. Its quite sad, they had no idea it would end like this.

Sock-it-to-me (or cookie)

 We had to improvise, the knit stocking was way too lose. We needed something that would fit snugly around her face and neck to hold the gauze in place. This picture was taken last week Thursday i believe. You can still see how swollen her face looks. Her eye was doing better at this point as well, the swelling and tearing was going away. Its sad to look at her huh? She's got gauze, a sock and a cone on. My FIL said it looked like she had a toothache. =-/

My cooks is such a little soldier. After the attack Juju joked that cookie said " What? Oh this? Oh this is nothing! You should see the other guy"

Scaring Momma

Last week Tuesday my dearest cookie scared me yet once again. We woke up as usual, we took her out of her little makeshift confined bed to get her ready for her medicine. As you might recall here, I have reason to believe cookie might be a little escape artist in training. Juju picks her up to find that she has made her way out of her little net shirt. She's completely naked, her drain is hanging by her side and the fentanyl patch is complete exposed. I thought, ok, just put her shirt back on, no harm, no foul.... right?

We notice that cookie's face, neck and her shoulder blade is wet. We immediately thought she had pulled on her drain and it basically emptied out on her since we noticed there wasn't much fluid in the actual pump. So i grab a washcloth and clean her up as juju gets her back into her little net shirt. Im getting ready to give her her medications when i touch her neck and notice that its still wet. So i clean her up again, really just thinking i missed a spot and go back to her medicine. I pick her up and at this point i felt a watery substance roll onto my hand. I take a closer look at her face and i notice that under her jaw line, she is draining from the side of her face. You couldn't quite see a hole or a puncture, all you could see was a blood like fluid coming out. I put a towel over the area and it was soaked within minutes.

I started to panic, cookie had a hole on the side of her neck! Coincidentally enough, cookie was scheduled to have her drain pump removed that day, so i was taking the afternoon off to get that done. Since the draining wasn't stopping we decided it was best for me to take her in to see the Dr. in the morning instead of waiting until the afternoon.

The Dr. examined her and found that it was a bite wound that hadn't penetrated the skin. She said it most likely happened while cookie shook her head no, while trying to give her her medicine or simply shaking in her cone. So they had to drug her up once again, and partially sedate her because the Dr. was going to have to make a large incision where the bite mark was to clear out any bacteria and administer meds.

2.5 hours later cookie came out of her procedure. She was totally zoned out. At one point instead of resting her chin on the table, like she usually does, she had her nose directly on the table. I mean directly on it... making a "T" (as if she was smelling the table) with nothing but her head and the table. She looked quite pitiful because she was wear this knit sock like stocking on her head. She had an exposed incision of a little more than an inch in length, so we had to keep gauze on it to absorb the natural drainage.

That's the knit stocking on her head. The doctor cut out holes for her ears. As the time progressed the knit was becoming looser and looser ( It was all cotton, no lycra) But since she kept trying to shake it off i had to reinforce it, hence the drawstring bow. In the picture you can see her shaved neck, arm and 3x4 patch. Poor thing!

My Tough Cookie

*warning- picture attached below, not for the sensitive*

When cookie came home, she looked quite awful. Obviously not as bad as the day of the attack, but she was still in a lot of pain, she was very nervous and all stitched, bandaged, covered, and wrapped up.

The night of her surgery that Dr discovered that the pitbull has bitten and broken a piece of her eye socket bone off. She talked to me about placing the bone back and doing a type of reconstructive surgery that typically runs 4/5 thousand or she could try reinforcing the area with a ligament. The Dr. explained to us that if cookie were to get into another fight ( she made it sound as if my cooks was running around picking fights =-]) or while rough-housing with other dogs the chances of her eye physically coming out were high. She would also be more prone to bone infections because of the missing bone. We opted to reinforce the area with the ligament and we would cross any other bridges (complications) when we came to them in the future.

The next day we went to go visit her, in hopes that she might get discharged and would get to come home. The Dr. on shift explained what our responsibilities would be if we were to take her home. She was on 2 oral and one topical medications, plus she had a pump/drain going thru the back of her neck, under her chin and around her face to help drain any fluids and blood she was retaining, that we would have to 'pump and drain' a few times a day. She had not eaten anything since she arrived at the hospital. She was actually starting to feel lighter too. That too was a concern. Many times the patients ( dogs/cats) are so scared and nervous they wont eat, little less pee and poop. My heart was aching, i couldn't leave her there another night. So we took her home.

We had to make sure that Leche (my in-laws dog) didn't bother her or try licking her, so we let them see each other when she got home, but otherwise kept them apart. She slept, and slept, and after she was woken up to get her medicine, she fell back asleep. She was extremely drowsy, shaking, and moaning constantly. She still had no appetite.

This picture really doesnt show the extent of her injuries, really. You see the gauze around her neck? She has more stitches there. The bottom of the chin is all scrapped up, she broke a nail (she was very upset about that one) she had a cartilage injury on her left ear, her inner arms and legs were scrapped and cut up and she had multiple bite marks, these were only scrapes, they didnt break skin. You also can't see just how swollen her entire left side of the face is. That net shirt? ( not wearing it by choice) was holding her drain in place. They also shaved an area, about 4x3 on her back to place a fentanyl patch for a constant release of pain medicine for the next 3-5 days.

The next 72 hours after the attack were difficult. All she would do was sleep and softly cry because she was in so much pain. We never left her side. We had a hard time giving her the pain medication because it was so bitter. Not even hiding it in peanut butter would do. She would lick the peanut butter off of the pill and spit it back out.

At one point, while watching her sleep i asked Juju if he thought we did the right thing. Not only by bringing her home, but by putting her through surgery and now the recovery. I started crying, just thinking about what she had been through and now what was ahead of her. I started thinking that perhaps i was being selfish by keeping her here if her quality of life was going to be affected because of her injuries. Thankfully juju was there to see me through my little meltdown. Its just been so hard to see her in so much pain, then juju reminds me that its only been a few days since the attack. And then it all falls back into perspective.