Call us WILLAGIRLS!

Olivia & I signed up to be WillaGIRLS! 

So, if you know me, you know that I'm not into selling stuff. I just don't feel like I'm good at it, and it doesn't come natural to me. BUT if you know me, you know that I'm passionate about products that can replace what you already use and are gentle on the environment. I feel that as I mature, I care more and more about the part I play in the world and what I can do to make a change for the better. 

When I had Matthew & Olivia I started to care about how I could make this world a better place for my kids. Before my kids I never cared about recycling or anything having to do with conservation. I didn't care about anything or anyone but myself, and if you are a parent, you know that life changes the moment you have a family. All of the sudden I wanted to do better! I wanted to be gentler, I wanted to teach my kids to love the earth, and to do their best in caring for it. It's crazy how having children changes the way you see the world. When Matthew was a toddler, he would always point out balloons out to me,  I remember thinking: "WOW, there are a LOT of balloons in the world!" I have never seen so many balloons in my life! The reality is that there are still MANY balloons in the world, we just don't take the time to see them. Life with a little one changes your perspective. All of the sudden, I cared to recycle, to not overuse things, I cared about the diapers my kids wore and the impact they caused on the environment. I tried to change, and I succeeded in some areas and failed in others. But we all try our best each day, and now, we do it together. 

Matthew during his: "look, balloon!" phase.

Olivia wearing flushable "g" diapers. They were pricey but gentle on the enviroment.

Crazy how pets affect you in a similar manner. Before we adopted Riley our dog, I never cared about animal rights. When we lived in San Antonio we went to Sea World, and enjoyed the water shows with the killer whales. It never occurred to me, that maybe those whales are not thriving in this unnatural environment. I never cared to know if animals at the zoo where being properly taken care of. Of course, we need Sea World and the Zoo for our children to get to see and learn about these magnificent animals that we are blessed to have in the world, but I just didn't care. Ignorance is bliss indeed. After we adopted Riley, we found out about how many dogs, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals are used for testing out cosmetics, medications, etc. I know that we are blessed with modern day medicine and cures to many diseases thanks to the sacrifice of these animals, but when it comes to the use of animals for testing something that is not really that important or necessary, such as make- up, I have a hard time justifying the torture of these innocent creatures. Did you know they blind many animals during tests for cosmetics by measuring how long chemicals burn through a rabbits cornea? Did you also know you don't need to do that, as you can now drop that same chemical into 3D tissues structures produced by human cells? But what can you do? Simple, don't purchase any product that utilizes animal testing. This also goes for household products.  After 3 years with Riley I see how animals have feelings. Feelings like you and me. They care, they hurt, they love. 

As my kids get older and approach the tween years, I now face another stage where facial cleansers and acne prevention are thing I have to start thinking about. I have looked and looked and I couldn't find gentle, natural, ethical products that I was OK with Matthew or Olivia using on their face. There are products out there that state on the label that said product is not tested on animals, BUT that doesn't mean that the company putting them out doesn't have another product line that does test on animals. So, when a friend of mine started to sell Willa products I was intrigued. What caught my eye was they claimed to NEVER test on animals, and to be gentle, using only necessary chemicals in their product to be effective, but nothing else. With more research I have found this company to do as they claim. I went as far as to calling them and asking detailed questions about their process. 

You can read about their ingredients and about the company here.

After a few doubts, and thoughts, I decided to sell the product simply to make it more accessible to others that, like me, care about the environment, want the best for their family, and care about animal rights. Will I make money? Maybe, maybe not. But in all honesty, that's not why I want to do this. I really want to make a product available to a younger generation of girls that care about their appearance far more than our generation did, and instill good values while doing it. That you don't have to sacrifice inner beauty for outer beauty. That the best way to shine, is by doing it in an honest, conscious, and ethical way. In doing this, Olivia is participating in every step. She is using the lip gloss, and trying out the lotions and really learning about the product. And Matthew is already really loving the gentle skin cleanser, because dudes need skin solutions too! 

Want to learn more about these awesome skin products? 

Head over to Olivia & my webpage here:

Willa

They have an awesome, awesome deal this month that we are already using!!!

Buy one of their 3 step kit (valued at $68 & $58 dollars) for $35! 

Choose between their 3 step daily routine or the acne 3 step! 

And guess what? Although the target market for these great products are the tweens & teens, you too can use them! Especially their tinted SPF face sunscreen! I just put that on and the lip gloss and I look put together in seconds. 

Best part?! No added chemicals only the ingredients used to make this product effective and that's it!

 This ^ sits on our entry table, I like having it ready so I can apply and go.

Be sure to check out our page to order!
www.willa.com/wg/jazmin-and-olivia

I hope you stop by our page and learn more!

Jazmin 

Denver Apartment Pics

Denver Digs. 

Here are so pictures of our little apt here. I love it so much mainly because it gets a TON of light! I will do a "tour" once it's all done, I feel like the living room and the kids room is in progress, but for the most part we feel pretty settled. 

We ended up getting a storage unit because we had so much stuff! We went through our storage the other day and took several boxes to Goodwill making me feel a little better. 

Anyway, I have bought a few things here and there, and I wish I could get some rug and other accessories, but then I remember that this is a very temporary situation, so I don't think I'm going to add much more. 

Anyway, here are some pics. 

This is what you see when you first come in^ The apt is super open and airy.

If you turn around you will see our dining room/ "flex space" which has some shelves and I don't know what other things you would use that for. 

The apt has a to of little nooks that are useful, like this desk/entry table. We use it for keys, mail, and to put sunscreen and lip balm on. That's a ritual now, because this sun really dries our skin. 

The kitchen is kick butt! It's pretty big, and has great new appliances and granite countertops, which is really nice. We use this island as a breakfast space for the kids, and the dinner table for dinners or just to work on. 

This half wall is off of the kitchen taking you into our bedroom, but I needed some extra shelves for work stuff, so I found this shelf at Ross and it's working perfect! I didn't even measured but it works and keeps our office stuff in one place.

Our bedroom has awesome floor to ceiling windows! It gets the most light and I really like to spend time there.

This is in the kids room...and I'm still trying to figure out how to arrange it all. It's bigger, but has big windows, and we just got another dresser for Olivia because we didn't have enough storage, so once I get that room organized i'll take pics. 

Anyway, we like it here, and the neighbors are really nice! We already used the s'more pit and invited friends over, and the kids really like the park across the street, which is nice. 

Overall I'm happy we went for this place even though is a bit higher in price that we wanted. The central location makes it so nice for the kids and for Steve's job. Did I mention there is a Target within walking distance? Yeah, Steve should of thought of that detail before moving me here!

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

Life Happenings

Life is a bit hectic right now, and I'm trying to absorb it all, but man is it kicking my butt!

We went from a relatively plain/ boring life to all of the sudden, too many changes in very little time that has my head spinning. 

For example: After 5 years of residency, Steve finally graduated! He honestly has been super busy, and will continue to be busy until he finishing taking the BOARDS.. does it ever end? Apparently, it does! And I'm NOT ready!

Here are some pics of the last few weeks.. more like days really.

Graduation! Steve is DONE being a resident, and is we are off to Denver in about 2 weeks! 2 WEEKS people!

Matthew turned 11 yesterday! I have a VEEEERRRRYYY long post on him, but I need to sit down to really put it all together... I just can't believe he's a pre-teen! And growing up too fast, which is giving me all kinds of anxiety.

Last week was probably the longest week of my life. I volunteered to help at the kids school, and even though it wasn't too difficult, I had lots of stuff and emotional baggage to get through add all the end of school parties and graduations.. I was barely hanging on!

Here is a pic of some props i made for Matthew's graduation photo booth.

The end is here! Again, more pictures of Steve's classmates as full blown Orthopedic surgeons! It was a loooooooooonnnnnnggggggg road for everyone.

 At Steve's class "ROAST" celebration. Basically a fun celebration with all residents and new comers. They are passing the torch sort of speak, and it's a fun time for everyone. Steve and his class made a super funny video for the party, and it was a hit! Funny, stuff for sure!

 We SOLD & CLOSED on our home! 

WHAT A BLESSING THIS HAS BEEN! The whole process was a packaged in a pretty box with a bow! Super fast process of selling, and closed on the house without any issues. I don't think this will happen again for a long time, but glad this was super smooth for us!

Oh, and Olivia fractured her wrist too... oy!

Yeah, I just feel all sorts of emotions. From wanting to move, only because I want to feel settled, but not wanting to move because I will miss all of our dear friends and family.. but I'm also excited to get going with our last year of "school" and I just don't even know how I feel about renting our house for a few weeks and officially giving up the keys.. just so much! I just need to pray and try to stomach it all. I will say though, that we are feeling soo blessed, and it feels almost like we don't deserve it!

I'll get back to you, when I feel l have my grip on things!

Jazmin

House Hunters: Denver

Last week was fun/stressful. Steve and I were excited to finally fly into Denver to pin down a place to live. At first, and due to all of our research we knew that we were going to have to downsize to a condo, or town-home. We were set on the area, and wanted to rent a town-home from an owner instead of a apartment community but Denver's real estate is booming so much, that there was hardly any rental properties on the market, as most decided to sell. So, we had to look into an apartment community in our target area. 

First of all, can I just say, that Denver is really pretty but it's also surprisingly pricey for Texas standards. We knew that we were going to pay more, but expected more space or storage than what we got. Thankfully, the area and schools really make up for it. We will be in the suburb of Aurora in Denver. It's a carefully planned community with tons of kid activities, great schools, and super safe streets. Bonus, is only about 10 min away from Steve's work! Steve is SUPER excited to cut his commute down! He's been known to sit in traffic for an hour on really bad rush hour days. So, off we flew early in the morning and arrived to some scheduled showings. 

Our criteria was the following: 

2 bed 2 bath

At least 1000 sq feet

First floor/ preferably

Had to belong to amazing schools

Needed to have lots of light (apartments can be so dark sometimes, I didn't want to be stuck in a place like that all day)

Dog friendly complex, so that we didn't have to worry about taking Riley. 

No. 1

The first place we saw was great, and immediately felt like that was THE apartment we should go for. It's a new complex, and all apartments had tons of windows. There was a lot of light, and was very airy. These are pictures of their 2 bed, 2 bath model, and if we wanted something like this, we needed to be on the second floor, as there is no 1st level floor plan like this... No bueno.

I love this little desk nook off of the entry. Perfect place to place keys, or even use as a desk for my laptop since I would have to sell my actual desk! Yep, not enough space in any of these properties.

LOVED how bright it was! And I also loved that had laminate floor, because I was dreading carpet during the snowy months, when we will have to take off shoes, and leave a slushy mess everywhere.

The kitchen was on point! But I think that's all properties in that area, because all of the places we looked at had a ton of counter-space and updated kitchens. Did not expect that from an apartment.

LIGHT AND WINDOWS! Yes, this place really impressed me! I loved the windows everywhere! I think I get seasonal depression when it's all cloudy, so I told Steve that we HAD to get a place with light, or I was going to be miserable. This apt had all of that.

 This complex was really dog friendly! Had a little doggy run and washing station, the only thing is that the doggy run, was truly tiny. The picture makes it look big, but it was more like a large bedroom size. Still is better than nothing for exercising Riley on really cold days.

Again, we loved the property, but still wanted to see if we could find a better deal. 

No.2

Second place we looked at was a 3rd floor 2 bed, and 1 bath. Was slightly cheaper than the first place, but not by much, and we would have to give up one bathroom. 

Already, I was like: "NO." I mean, 3rd floor?!

Apparently, those are the nicer ones, because you get a vaulted ceiling and a large porch that wraps around the place. And are slightly less expensive. 

I kept an open mind, but I was already thinking how miserable it was going to be to take Riley out to pee everyday, going up and down 3 flights of stairs! The bathroom thing didn't bother me, because Steve leaves really early, and we all have different times that we shower, that don't conflict.

I did like that the floor plan was very open, and bright.

The only bathroom was pretty nice size, so it wasn't going to be hard to share. 

The kitchen (not pictured) was long and narrow, but very nice and had a lot of cabinets, but not enough counter space. The apt lady suggested we add a little cutting board counter or something. 

This place had a GREAT dog run! More like a doggy park! and was closest to Steve's work, 5 min to be exact, that would mean we could take the kids out for walks, and bike rides as a family, which is what we are planning to do.

No.3

The third place we looked at a 2 bed, 2 bath in another property, but was at the very tippy top of our budget, and that made me feel uneasy. I mean, to just be moving to Denver for a year, I wanted to really enjoy all that the city has to offer, and not worry about budgeting, and feeling house poor, so I was kind of not even interested in looking at it, but it did offer the most square footage, and storage.

The pictures don't do it justice, but it was light and spacious. 

The master bath was HUGE!

This place had the most spacious dining room, and I liked that because I would be able to put my desk and dining room table along that wall. Again, it was pretty large, but my pics aren't very good.

The laundry room was nice. The other apartments have small dryer and washers. These were full size and brand new!

This was a small bathroom, but it was nice for the kids.

This place was nice, but it felt a little dated and the price was too much in my opinion, but they did have the first floor option.

So, which one did we choose?...

We chose No. 1! 

We will be in the second floor, which was not really what I wanted, but that promised the most uninterrupted light and a little nook that made all of the difference in the world to me.

Basically, the first level apt was exactly as the pictures above for the first option, but it didn't offer a closed off balcony, and didn't have this nook below:

This nook was only available on the second floors, and was only $50 dls more added to the rent. Now, that was important, because this is where we will have our dining room table/desk for me to work, plus it offers those little shelves ^ and a large corner closet (not pictured) for winter stuff, so those $50 bucks made it worth it to me for storage, and to not sale my dining room table, which would have bummed me out. It also saves us a storage unit that we were thinking of getting, saving us more in the long run.

Also, because it was a new apt complex, the rent is more on level with what we wanted to pay as they are just being introduced and had more available options.

So, although it's not huge place it feels open, and nice. We also plan on selling even more furniture, and that alone has really made me think of how I live and what I truly find to be necessities, which are giving me a whole new perspective on clutter and living within our means.

Remember, visitors are WELCOME! We can fit an air mattress in the living room, or there is a hotel 2 min from our place if your prefer to spread out.  The other plus about this complex is that we have a whole shopping and movie theater withing walking distance, and the rent includes the Stapleton Community Card!< that's huge, because Stapleton offers a Community Garden, 6 resort style pools, and dog parks that can only be accessed with that card! If we didn't have that, we would have to pay a membership for our family and that would have been a lot of $$$! 

So, it was an awesome deal in the end! 

Can't wait to start decorating the place! I really hope to make it feel homey and enjoy our year there. 

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