Headed to NEW ORLEANS!

Following our NOLA

I can't believe we are actually moving to NEW ORLEANS! I have to put down in writing all my feelings about this, as this whole New Orleans job/opportunity came out of nowhere almost. It was REALLY weird, and I feel like it was inspired and we are meant to be headed there.

So, as some may know, Steve is 3 weeks away from finishing up his Pediatric Orthopedic Fellowship here in Denver, and we had been looking for our first post training job for a few months now. As you can imagine, there is a long process for a surgeon to find a position. The interviews are long, and the  job doesn't come as easy as applying to MONSTER.COM. I mean, its hard to figure things out! After being in school for 10 years, you have a plan for your career, but that doesn't always mean its going to materialize when its finally time to look for employment. For example, where we were hoping to go, isn't hiring right now, so we were left looking for other options. The biggest thing with our job search was definitely location. We wanted to go back to Dallas, or Texas and we knew that Steve wanted to work in a University/Academic setting and not in private practice. There are MANY reasons for this, but it comes down to preference.  Steve just really likes teaching and research, in fact he presented at a conference in Indiana a few months ago, as his paper was chosen to be published recently. Very proud of his hard work. :)

Ok, so back to the NOLA job. So, when looking for work, we knew we wanted to be in Texas or at least close to Dallas. We knew we could do neighboring states,  just as long as we were within a 5-7 hour drive from home. We were thinking, Oklahoma and Arkansas as options. NEVER DID WE THINK LOUISIANA.... until we went to Disney World! 

And this is how the New Orleans thing came about. Bare with me as this will sound pretty stupid/cheesy but it really all started from there. 

When we went to disney world, I reserved a hotel called Port Orleans Riverside. It's a newer resort, and it's all modeled after New Orleans/Princess and the Frog theme. I loved all the details of the hotel, even though we stayed in the SWAMP part of the hotel and not the French Quarter! haha, we are cheap! Anyway, while at the hotel I remembered that after hurricane Katrina, Steve went with our church to help clean up the city, so, while at the hotel, I began to ask Steve about what he remembers of New Orleans. At the time of the hurricane, Matthew was a baby so, I didn't really ask or knew too much about that mission trip, other than he and other members of our church went to help out one weekend. We started to talk about Louisiana, and Steve started to tell me about how hot and humid it was, and how it was total devastation. And that was that.

Days after getting back from Disney, there was a job posting in Lafayette, LA. Having been charmed by the hotel, I told Steve to apply to that job, as I thought it would be cool to live in a place with so much character and rich culture. Steve did apply for the job, but apparently the job posting was outdated and the job post was closed but had not been taken down. For some reason, I felt kind of bummed about that. I don't know why, but I did. So, that was that. 

But then a week or so later, there was a new job opening at Tulane University in NOLA, and Steve asked me if we should apply. I was thrilled! I really felt like I wanted him to apply to that job!

Steve was also interviewing in other places, but for some reason, I really, really wanted him to go to New Orleans and like it (mind you, I had never been, and I had no clue if I would even like the city) but one day as I was walking Riley (our dog), and with the stress of the job interviews, and my pregnancy hormones, I prayed about clarity in knowing where to go. For some reason, I always wanted New Orleans.

Steve was invited to interview, and he went, and liked the program, the city, and it just felt right.

Now, we just had to wait to see if we got a job offer. I wish I could say that I wasn't nervous, but I was. Job searching, interviewing, and where to go post training is no walk in the park. For us is a bigger deal, as we kind of don't have the luxury to move much anymore. Our kids are older, and they need stability. There were SO many decisions to make! I wish that I had been more patient, and in tune with what Heavenly Father was trying to tell us, because looking back, I could see so many signs that pointed to us going to New Orleans. Perhaps this won't be our forever home. Maybe we will be there a year or three, but i know that we are supposed to be there for now.

Also, when i talk about signs that lead us to New Orleans, there were MANY.  For example, Olivia started watching this movie called 'Invisible Sister' I remember she really wanted me to watch it, and when I finally sat down to watch, I realized it was set in New Orleans!

Then more signs!

Months after our Disney trip, we got an invitation to go back to the 'Bayou' in the mail, from our resort at Disney! Total disney marketing fluke, but I still think it was a sign to comfort my nervous heart at that time. Then, there was the nurse named 'Nolan' when I delivered Nolan! (we had accepted the job offer by then, but you never know, contracts can fall through etc.) She walked in, and said: "your baby and I are name twins!" She also had a fleur de lis necklace on, and I asked her if she was from New Orleans, and she said: "I'm from Mississippi, but I just got married in New Orleans 3 months ago, and my husband gifted me this necklace as a wedding present. But we both (her and her husband) go to New Orleans all the time! so weird! And finally, our baby's name sounds like NOLA. Crazy thing is, I always said, that if I had another kid and  it was a boy, I would name him Aaron, but then we actually got pregnant, and I remembered watching the movie 'Inception', and loving Christopher Nolan as the director, and I thought, I like that a lot! And now, we are moving to NOLA with a little boy named Nolan.

A few weeks ago when we went to look for a rental we really liked the vibe! This was the first time I had been to NOLA, and sure it was HELLA hot (didn't like that, much) but the hanging trees, the architecture, the FOOD! <--- the FOOD YALL! and the people (we have met some people from church and medical field already!) and it just feels good! We just need a REALLY good AC!


I forgot to mention, we watched Princess and the Frog a few days before going to New Orleans, and Olivia says: "let me get my frog prince!" I had forgotten that Olivia's crib bedding was 'Princess & the Frog' themed and she still kept her frog stuffed animal! and Princess and the Frog is set in New Orleans!... OK, that may be pushing it, but I still think it counts as a sign ;)

Proof below!

Here are some pictures we took of New Orleans when we went. I was so BLOWN away, and excited for our new city!

St Louis Cathedral was so pretty! And it felt like Mexico!

We enjoyed a 2 hour ride aboard the Natchez Steam boat! Even Nolan enjoyed it!

The French Quarter architecture is so dreamy, it felt like traveling abroad!

I love those cute hanging trees! ^ Don't even know what they are called, but I like them!

We ate po boys, chargrilled oysters, gumbo, and beignets! Olivia gladly tried it all!

^The street cars! They are just so cool! 

I want to ride a street car so I can feel like Tiana! ^

Can you tell I'm excited?!

So, what started as a random thought from a Disney hotel, has turned into a real place that we will call home soon! Some come August, visit us at the swamp! 

Jazmin

Denver Digs & Summertime Sadness

It's been over a week since we arrived to Denver, and already I have been hard at work hanging, unloading, and making sure the apt looks like our home. 

We've had a lot of fun since the moment we got here. We have enjoyed great weather, and today we got to hang out with my sister in law & kiddos as they came from Dallas to play in a soccer tournament here. 

Good times all around. After the tournament, Steve, the kids and I went to see all these model homes in our area! <-----that is literally the most fun for me. I just love to get ideas from model homes, and imagine myself living in them. Also, decorating model homes is the ultimate dream job for me! 

Anyway, all was well and then...I got really down. 

Like, I want to just break down and sob, type of down. WHY?! I couldn't understand! 

And then, it hit me. I want to be settled in a home so bad, and I just have never had that in my life. 

The most settled I have ever been was in our little home in Dallas. I know this all sounds very #firstworldproblems but the reality is, that my childhood was anything but stable, and all I ever dreamed of was having my own room, which happened for a very short period, before my mother and I had to move again. I also wanted a family so bad. My mother & dad had a complicated relationship to say the least, so the happy family home never happened.

Interior Design is absolutely my passion. As soon as Steve is done with fellowship, I will pursue that as my career. I think I have an eye for it, but I realized today, that it's more than just designing and making things  look "pretty". I truly long for a permanent house that I can make a home. A home where I can just settle down, and know that this is where I will be for many years. I want that for the kids too! I want a home where the kids have memories of growing up! We have moved for med school, residency, and now fellowship, and while the kids are seriously loving Denver (so much, that it's impressing me) I just can't help but to feel like I owe them some stability.  Decorating a home is just part of that equation. 

I knew the moment we arrived to this apt, that I was going to break out the boxes and hang stuff. I feel that our summer has been consumed by selling the house, prepping for the move, and finally moving that the kids haven't really been enjoying their time off.  I want to be settled asap, so that they get to enjoy some part of it.

So, I gave myself 2 days to hang pictures, mirrors, and unpack. 

I slaved for 2 nights making sure all was unpacked and hung in the right places. I even convinced Steve to make an Ikea trip with me on the 4th of July, because I had a list of very specific things we needed, and I needed his help to get said stuff in the car.

I knew I wanted lamps, we needed a small tv stand, and rolling carts for my craft stuff. He looked at me like I was on crack, but the apt looks pretty much done. Just have to tweak some stuff.

 I recreated our little gallery wall that I had back at home, here. It reminds me of Dallas. 

Anyway, I think I have to accept the fact that we still have one or two more moves after this fellowship, and I think I will have to settle for decorating other peoples houses instead of mine. Will I ever get my forever home? By the time we can or will, I think the kids will be too old to enjoy it, so no memories there! <---- I realize that there are many people in the world that don't have a roof over their heads, and that this attitude is very childish, but I just can't help but to feel like I have a hole that needs to be filled, and perhaps it never will be filled. Perhaps, I need to get over that dream? Maybe, I should let God re-direct those thoughts to something constructive... Anyway, I guess, I was just feeling so down today, that I just needed to vent. Maybe it has to do with my unstable childhood that I now feel like I have to make up for it?! Ugh! I need a shrink... or a different dream. 

Jazmin

Why the Occasional Mommy #Selfie Can be Good for the Soul.

Keep Taking Pictures...

I was 5 years old sitting next to my grandmother eating breakfast. After I had scarfed down my scrambled egg and potato plate, I would sit next to her, and would start walking my fingers towards her saggy, wrinkled arm skin or mama "flab". I would test the waters to see if it bothered her, but it didn't. I would then start jiggling her skin in my fingers. Sounds gross, but to me it was extremely comforting. This was my grandmothers arm; she was my friend, my second mom, and took great care of me. I loved her, and I would spend many days talking to her.

I loved playing in our house patio while she swept the floor of tree leaves.

"What did you use to play when you were little grandma?", I would ask. She always said the same stuff: "I had not time to play! I just had to do my chores!" I would giggle, and she would smile. This was her way of telling me it was time to do my chores. I would continue asking her things about her childhood, and then one day she said: "I used to look just like you. Skinny and short."  "You did????!!!!" I would say surprised. You see, I thought my grandmother was always that age. In my 5 year old mind, we all had roles, and my role was to play the kid and she was the squishy grandma. But then she said "The way I see you, I once looked, the way you see me, you will one day look." That stuck with me. As I got older I would rummage through her pictures, and I never found a picture of her as a little girl, or a teenager, or a young mom. Why? I kept asking her this for many years, and then she said: "Why did I need a picture of myself? I wasn't very pretty, nothing special to look at".

Really?!?! She was VERY special to look at! And she sure was pretty! Now the only pictures of her that I have are the ones that family took of her, and she looked the way I remembered. 

Well, guess what? My grandmother was right. I was going to grow up one day. Now I'm 30 years old with two kids. A cute 10 year-old boy & and a mini-me 7 year-old girl. I only have a handful of kid pictures of me because of my own insecurities - I scratched my face off of most of them one day after school because I got picked on for having a big nose.  Sadly, my kids don't get to see me the way I looked when I was their age.

Perhaps to make up for my lack of childhood pictures, I started to take selfies when I joined Instagram - the 21st century self portrait. This got me a lot of eye rolls from friends and family.

When getting together with friends and family I got lots of phrases like this thrown at me: "Here comes the selfie queen!" or "But first, let me take a selfie!" followed by a cheesy smile.

Yeah, yeah. So, I take the occasional selfie? So what! I defended myself. Yet, I felt their lighthearted judgment on me - which is fine - but I want to explain why I think the occasional selfie can actually be good for your soul.

Why? Because you usually take a picture at an important time of you life to remember that moment, or feeling.

I have taken self portraits, AKA "selfies", at times when collapsing  down on the couch after a long day of dropping the kids off at school, coming home to work, then picking up groceries, passing through the bank, preparing a meal, getting the kids, and finally coming back home and finding that my mascara is still on, and my face - although tired - looks good enough for a picture.

This is me then.

This is me when I was running around taking kids to school, when I was surviving the day, when I was still young, and when I still had little ones at home to help create more forehead wrinkles.

This is me, at a happy time, when I was learning that being a parent is hard work. Like, really hard. And that no matter what I did, and how hard I tried, I would still feel like I didn't do enough. A time I cared about my family so much that I gave my whole entire self to them. Including my dog. 

This is me at different points in life, when I got bangs that were too short, and was old enough not to care or worry too much because I had grown up enough to realize that they will grow back.

This is me with puffy eyes, with worry on my face, with anxiety over bills that looked like we couldn't pay that month.

This is me, the mom who likes herself, who wants evidence that I too was once young, and I too grew older, and earned every gray hair, wrinkle and sunspot on my skin. This is me, the daughter, the mom, and the future grandmother. Yes, the one that will have evidence to show her grandchildren that she was once their age, and that she was special to look at, and she was pretty enough for a picture.

This is me.....then. And my selfie tells, the story.

Jazmin

Fellowship Interviews: Colorado

Colorado

Here is my mood board in the event we end up moving to Colorado! I'm sure our rental will not look like this, but at least this is how my minds eye would decorated if I could!

What do you think?

Colorado Fellowship home by jazmin-gibbons featuring painted mirrors

We find out where we move on April 10th! EEKKK!

Jazmin

Fellowship Interviews: Philadelphia

Philly? 

So, Steve has been interviewing for fellowships, and so far the front runner is Philadelphia. Of course, if it was our choice, we would stick with Dallas, but the more and more he interviews, the more he realizes that things are very competitive and it's almost mandatory for him to go out of his zone of training, and learn new things. 

So, while I hate the idea of moving for JUST ONE YEAR Seriously? I have had to wrap my head around the fact that it may happen, and that it may actually be good for our family in the long run, as he is likely to get a better permanent job after that fellowship. 

As far as our decision and what we should do, it is up to the MATCH, but I try to be positive and get excited about each prospect. 

So, while looking at rental homes in Philly (to get an idea of budget) we have found a ton of row homes with brick walls, and not much square footage. But, I always like to sort of imagine how I would decorate such a different style of home in the event that we move. We will probably sale most of our stuff, except for our beds and tv. But we may need to go to IKEA to get a mini couch, as most of the rentals are no more than 800 square feet on our budget... Yeah.... 

So, here is my Row Home/ Decor Style! 

What do you think? Kinda cool huh? 

I love that the rental homes in the North East have such awesome architecture and charm! If only they didn't rent for so dang much! 

I'm going to create a style board for Denver too! This is really fun!

Jazmin

Dreaming...

Designing Olivia's Room in my HEAD!

I think I have style...I just don't have the funds! Hopefully, someday! Today, I was dreaming of creating a beautiful room for my baby girl. Why? because I never had a bedroom of my own, so I think it's sort of a frustrated dream. So, this is what I was thinking, Olivia would like.

 

It's pink, and modern, with a dash of global. She loves stuff at World market, mainly toys, but this translates to stuff she would like! 

 

Souce: Houzz.

 

But it still looks bare. So, I would add these accessories:

 

Ikat pillow= global looking pillow.

 

 

Source: etsy.com

 

We need to have actual global stuff, so this painting of Friday Kahlo fits the bill! Plus we are Mexican, so we need to bring the Mexican artists into the home.  

 

 

One day...

 

 

Jazmin