Uptown Living & Visitors

I had promised myself to keep up with this blog like I used to when we were in med school, as I feel is the best family "diary" I have. But of course, days get busy and Nolan is turning out to be a little energizer bunny, and just keeps going, and going, and going! Which leaves me with very little time to write or do anything extra. Still, I adore his tiny face, so I'm soaking it all up before he turns into a full fledged toddler! Which, he is turning into, an is making me so saddd! but that's for another post. 

A week ago our friends from Dallas came to visit! It's always so fun to have family and friends from Dallas come down for the first time to New Orleans, I love getting their reaction to this city! New Orleans is CHARMING, but it's OLD, and broken down! It's definitely not shiny and new, but to me, it has really captured my heart! There's something really amazing about such a historic rich city! In fact, I never understood people when they would talk about how much they love "their city" whatever city that was, usually New York or California, I just never got the whole "love the city you live in" thing because to me, Dallas was just a city that I love because the people I love live there, the city could have been any city really. And then, I met New Orleans! 

New Orleans is unique to say the least. It's like a mix of the store Anthropologie mashed up with a dumpster = New Orleans. Truly. I love that it's not perfectly manicured, and I love how each cafe or park looks like they could belong in a movie. The architecture and little shops and bakeries make it feel like I could easily be in Europe.. the homes are dreamy and it feels like you are stuck in another time period in the past but not really. We love living in Uptown for those reasons and because I feel Uptown is the heart and soul of New Orleans.

Anyway, back to our friends visiting! We went to the 'Lafayette Cemetery' with the Moreno's a and we took too many pictures! But these are the ones that I thought were creepiest! 

Open grave! ^ :O

All over New Orleans you will find gorgeous trees like these! I don't know why, but I just love taking pictures of them, I have too many pictures of trees on my phone, so here is another one of a tree outside of the kids school.

Alison and I in Jackson Square! We loved the music and magic shows street performers put on!

Lots of Art in the French Quarter!

yummy beignets! 

French Quarter! The verdict was in! The Moreno's enjoyed their trip here! They ate a ton of food, good food, so it was OK, but we pigged out!  

OK, how creepy cool is this pic?! ^ we woke up to the thickest fog the other day, and again, it feels like i could easily be in a vampire movie! New Orleans is definitely a cool backdrop for my stupid day dreams.... 

So, yeah, NOLA is cool, we are loving the city living here and are currently open to more visitors! I think as far as NOW, we plan on living here for the next 10-15 years... thank goodness we like it this much! 

Jazmin

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

Greetings From Austin!

Ortho Quiz Bowl happens once a year? Anyway, Steve's Orthopedic department has this jeopardy type thing happen in Austin, where 2 residents from each Texas Residency program from their specialty department will go and compete to win the title of best residency program? Actually, I'm not entirely sure of what it really is, but basically, Steve volunteers because if you go representing Dallas we get a free night stay in a super fancy hotel in Austin.  And any reason to visit Austin, is a good reason!

The truth is, we love Austin because of the food, free hotel, food, and hotel!

JK, we really just go for the food, and to go to the Texas Longhorn Co-Op store which for Steve is like visiting holy ground... Seriously, it is. That store has a pull on Steve! The minute we arrive, Steve suddenly becomes Mr. Money Bags and anything you see in the store with a longhorn on it, is the perfect thing to bring home!

Seriously. Olivia got an overpriced Texas Longhorn dress. 

We didn't need it.

Below are some pictures from our weekend trip! Also, this time we got to meet with some amazing friends from our medical school days! 

We love the Kunz!!! They are one of our favorite families, because we all get along, and all really love eating out, and talking about nonsense! Love how they are so laid back!

We got to stay in the Austin Downtown Double Tree hotel! What's super funny, is that they double (no pun)booked us, so when we walked into our suite, we saw some dude laying on the bed! After the confusion, we went back to the front desk, where they apologized profusely and gave us a suite in the 14th floor with the best view! Total upgrade from the 8th floor. Plus, we got free chocolate chip cookies, so it was fine.

Olivia admiring the view in her expensive NEW dress. ^^^

We met the Kunz for some grub and to hang out. The Kunz totally know exactly where to eat in Austin, as they often drive there from San Antonio. Plus they are major foodies, and we love that! We ended up at Torchy's because I kept saying I didn't like their tacos, but told me to try the corn and the Democrat, and they were sooo right! I loved the barbacoa taco!..and the corn!!!!!!!!!

The Kunz were our neighbors while we were in medical school, and we got super close! We really missed hanging out with them, and with our move to Colorado just a few months away, we knew we had to see them while in Austin, so we both drove there to meet, and it was fun times as always.

So glad Jaqline insisted we took a family picture! Matthew is starting to really hit that phase, where he doesn't want to be photographed and it's making me sad. I miss my little boy. 

Love this family ^

The Kunz had planned to visit the Bat area in Austin... I actually, don't know what is called but a bunch of bats that live under the bridge come out all at once each night! It was creepy cool, but those suckers were so fast, I could NOT get a picture of them!

Batman & Batchick! the weather was soo perfect! Little did we know 30 minutes after this photo, a monsoon hit the city!

Matthew is turning into a teen! Why?!?!?!?!? He's anti pictures these days...

For our last day in Austin, we went to the State Capital building. Now, this is the type of place we have shied away from before, mainly back when our kids were little, but now, they were super interested in learning all about the history of Texas!

 Matthew & Olivia just loved the architectural details, and kept asking me to take pictures of the floor, the cealing, and they both want to live in a "old house" one day. Love these two!

 I believe this is the House of Representatives? or the Senate, one of the two. Good thing I'm not the one giving tours!

Representing Mexico! ^^ Aguila y Serpiente!

We will miss you Texas, especially Austin, such a fun city!

Jazmin

Denver is Pretty.

So, it's been a few weeks now that Steve & I went to Denver, and I swear that we had so much crammed into two days, that I really neglected taking pictures. 

But I do look forward to moving there, because it turns out that Denver is pretty. 

Like, super pretty. 

For two days we went looking for places to live that were safe, close to work, had good schools, and were affordable. We were really set on living in a town called Stapleton.

We decided that the town of  Lowry is probably where will be. Stapleton may still happen if we find a good apt to rent by owner, but as of right now, it looks like Stapleton is out of our budget. 

I sooo wanted to decide on Stapleton, but the town is almost too pretty. Like so pretty that it seemed fake looking. All of the houses and streets were like the Truman show! Just felt a little too, "Stepford Wives", but again, if we find a deal on an apt by the time we move, I will not be complaining that the town is well kept and safe you know?

The lifestyle seems so different, and it looks like being outdoors is going to be our favorite past time, because the amount of parks, and dog friendly areas is so big, that I have a feeling the kids will want to be outside 24/7.

It will be a good year. At least this is what I keep telling myself. I feel that since this is our "last stop" before getting a real job, we should really take advantage of this crazy adventurous year in a new city to really explore and live it up. Afterall, who has the opportunity to move for just one year? Don't get me wrong, I wish we were settled and in one spot, but I also see how fun this can really turn out. 

Anyway, here are some pictures of Denver! 

We went to the LDS Temple & then visited Boulder Colorado, which is really a gorgeous town! 

I loved this temple! It was surrounded by gorgeous scenery!

 OK, can we talk about the gorgeous fall trees?! Look at that color!

Stapleton is full of pretty, and new!

I didn't plan on hiking, so I was really hot and tired by this point. This is in Boulder.

Steve was so excited to go hiking! He and I were not doing great with the altitude.

I guess we will see Denver in 7 months!

Jazmin

The Dark Cloud.

I'm a big fan of honesty. Honesty in everything, and especially when it comes to blogging. I feel blogs can be deceiving and only show people in their brightest light, and that can be positive at times. In fact, this has cheered me up on many occasions. But I also feel that if you post the positive always, you are really leaving out an important part of life that is worth talking about, even if it's not pretty.

Life is hard. Life is not always easy, and while we know these times are only momentary I think they are worth noting.

So, I'm going to be honest, and say that I'm feeling like the dark cloud is upon me again. That cloud that comes from time to time and makes my world gray. That cloud I try to outrun on the treadmill, so that I may go on about my day. The cloud that seriously casts shadows on my craft projects and I can't seem to photograph in good light. The cloud that mocks me every time I get up and try to put on a brave face.

This cloud has been with me since I was younger. I have always been depressed. Ever since I could remember. I grew "out of it" in my late teens, and then came back to pay me a visit again, after giving birth. Postpartum depression just felt like an old episode of my teens. The thing is, that this is something we all go through from time to time, and I just need to hang tight, put my faith in God and hold on for the ride. I always come out on the other side. Eventually, it all goes away, and then I get stronger, grow more powerful and hopefully be better prepared for the next visit.

Until then, I will try my best to not sink, I will try my hardest to smile even if I don't feel like it. I will try my best to put my foot in front of the other and continue walking.

Because life is a journey worth traveling.


Jazmin

Fotos y Recuerdos {Photos & Memories} Part 1

'Tengo una foto de ti,
Que beso cada noche antes de dormir
Ya esta media rota ya se esta borrando
Por tantas lagrimas que estoy derramando

Y es todo lo que me queda de tu amor
Solo fotos y recuerdos

Tengo un recuerdo de ti
Que siempre me hace tan feliz
De aquella fiesta en que te conoci
De ese timido beso que te di

Y es todo lo que me queda de tu amor
Solo fotos y recuerdos'

-Fotos Y Recuerdos

Selena

This past weekend we headed to Corpus Christi for some much needed vacation! This was a last minute plan and we were totally throwing plans together, since Steve had someone cover his night call on Friday, which made him a free from work for 3 whole days!!! THAT IS CRAZY, UNHEARD OF! So, away we went! My mom, sister & step dad went along as well, as they were the ones who thought it was a great idea to do before the kiddos all went back to school next week... something I'm SAD about! :(

Anyway, since the getaway plan was thrown last minute, Steve ended up booking a cheap hotel for the sake of not breaking our bank accounts for a weekend trip. We drove 7 hours to Corpus and I can honestly say, I was excited to do so! When Steve & I lived in San Antonio, we always made it a point to take the kids to the beach, and Mustang Island is a very nice, clean fun beach to go to. We made some great family memories there, and since it was 3 hours away from San Antonio we went there as much as we could. Now, living in Dallas, I only have the Little Elm beach as my source of "beach fun" but its sooo not the same. Still, we figured it was worth the drive, and refreshed the kids of our little family vacations and living in San Antonio. It had been 4 years since we last visited Corpus!!!

Anyway, when we arrived, we realized that the hotel we were staying at was so not like it showed in the pictures... it was soo bad, we wanted a refund! BUT they didn't do refunds!!! we decided to make the most of it, and just chill. While there, we unpacked our stuff and Steve mentioned that the Selena Museum was only two blocks away. I loveeee Selena and we really didn't have time to visit the museum, but we will do so for sure next time. In any event, if you know about Selena, you know about her tragic death. We knew that Selena was shot in a Days Inn motel in Corpus about 18 years ago. We googled, and to our surprise, it was THAT same hotel we were staying in! NOT GOOD. 

Ugh, we joked a little about the ghettoness of the place and we looked for the room Selena was shot in (not to be disrespectful, although it probably sounds like that) we were just curious, and were trying to make the most of the place. Anyway, the trip was fun, but it really got me thinking about the impact Selena made in my life. As a Hispanic immigrant, especially Mexican, when Selena was shot, it was a HUGE shock. Selena was a girl just like me, who made it big. It was as if you knew her, and she was on her way to making it HUGE! My friend and I had a conversation about Jennifer Lopez being J-LO thanks to Selena. Jennifer Lopez would have had some tough competition if Selena were still alive. And pretty much Selena would have been what Jennifer Lopez is now, especially because Selena had a lot of signing talent. In any event, it was a reminder of my roots, of being not only Mexican, but and immigrant and adopting American as my home. I will write more about that later, as I really think it is important to remember your beginning... 

For now, here is some of the pictures we took of the beach!

Steve is joking about how fun it is not to drive.. Until we hit hour 4 and then it was boring...

I was really bored at this point... that's usually when selfies happen.

We are HERE!!!!!!!!! The beach looked heavenly!!!

Steve and the kids got in the water in NO time! So, ready to ride waves!

Vicky was super happy! She sat in the back of my moms van with Matthew & Olivia and mentioned her butt was numb and her ears as well, since she had to hear Olivia and Matthew complain about this and that... She was a trooper! And probably the happiest to be out of the car and into the water!

I wanted to take a million pictures of these two! But decided to cut back in order to enjoy them!!!

Steve looks super cute in this picture, but I look hideous. Still I took one for the team, to show his handsomeness. You are welcome Steve.

Look at these two!!! I look at this picture and my hurt just wants to jump out of my chest! I love them so much! And, doesn't Olivia look like she's 15?! Time is flying!

 We found these little shells with some sort of slug in them, that made little holes in the sand. Olivia is an explorer at heart!

After some fun in the sun, we headed to Snoopys. A sea food restaurant by the Pier. A friend that lives in Corpus recommended the place, and it was so gorgeous to eat outside watching the sunset!

Matthew NEVER smiles! He hates pictures, which really clashes with me, since I'm obsessed with pictures.

Was the food good?... You bet your sweet mermaid fin it was!!!

Olivia ATE everything which never, ever happens!

Here was our view... It was so relaxing!

If you want to go for a quick weekend trip, we suggest going to Mustang Island! Seriously, super clean, fun, and as inexpensive as it gets for a weekend getaway. I took living so close to the beach for granted! And I see it now!