Friday, December 6, 2013

the ROCK… part 2

When i think of the rock, 3 things come to mind…
1. the ROCK... the wrestler now actor.
    PS. loved his recent movie Pain & Gain

2. the ROCK… as in Alcatraz, the prison in the San Francisco bay.

and 3. wait for it...


So… I forgot to heed Kim's aka Ice's advice and purchase our Alcatraz tickets in advance, & it was sold out while we were there in San Fran. We decided to drive on, as planned, to Monterey and then had to return. How could you go to San Francisco and not go to Alcatraz? The answer is, you just can't.

Juan and I aren't gangsters or anything, but we are avid fans of prison movies :o). Shawshank Redemption being one of my favorites…"Get busy living or get busy dying." We even have this hilarious onesie for baby bear. Complete with 9 month tally!







3. & now, the ROCK, Morro Bay
Morro Bay was absolutely one of our favorite spots in California! A quaint little fishing village with this huge, yes, you guessed it right!  ROCK :o)



Arrival at hotel!
www.morrobaybeachbungalow.com
Our all time favorite hotel during our 10 day trip was The Beach Bungalow. We arrived late on a chilly night to be welcomed by the warmth of the fireplace. Whether it be a real fire or not is besides the point :o). The owner was equally welcoming and helpful. We enjoyed our included breakfast at a little place near the ROCK. As we ate outside, we were greeted by Monarch butterflies flying overhead... every 30 seconds or so… on their migration back to Mexico… I know… You couldn't make the s**t up if you wanted to :o).


















lots and lots of love…
Morro Bay, CA

little lisa lollipop



P.S. Speaking of prison... and with his passing, I can not, not mention Nelson Mandela. I love him, and I am mesmerized by him!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Cali love… part 1


Sorry for the delay in this long overdue post. We had some computer glitches, and it didn't feel right to post about my new love without including pictures.  Well... it's almost been a month since our return, but i miss it so much already. Pure, unadulterated, Cali love!






We first heard these words on our bike ride along the Venice Beach bike path. An older man riding his  bike with a huge California flag shouted it to us. Perhaps under the influence (if you've ever been to Venice Beach, you know what i mean), but nevertheless, his words stayed with us. Cali Love! I personally like to say it in a Barry White sexy voice :o).

Venice Beach bike ride

We went to California to find out the sex of our little pumpkin, and on Halloween we met him so to speak. As you know, it's a boy! We made a honeymoon trip out of our visit too. We traveled a total of 1,382 miles in our rental. Up, down, and around California. Each place promising to be the place where we would relocate to and spend the rest of our lives. We loved it all.

Rental car complete with bird poo
after being on the road for 12 hours














And the taste of yummy food like churros



In some ways, your senses are heightened. You can literally feel the warmth of the sunshine... I now know why my beloved Jimmy Kimmel always taunts us about the warm weather out there. Or the smell when driving past huge strawberry farms... so yummy. The artichokes farms… not so much. The peaceful sounds of the ocean and seals. And the views… amazing. I am smitten!!

lots of Cali Love to you all…
little lisa lollipop




Monday, November 11, 2013

A tribute to all our veterans...

1965, Daddy: OCS field exercise, Fort Benning, Georgia

Monday, November 11th is Veteran's Day, a day we honor all who have served in our military forces. They have served honorably in conflicts that were just and some that were not so, but they did their duty.

My father is a veteran who volunteered and served three years. He went thru basic and advanced infantry training, OCS (Officer Candidate School) and Airborne training.

lots of love and appreciation to all our veterans…
little lisa lollipop

1965, Paratroopers: Fort Bragg, North Carolina




Thursday, October 31, 2013

All i gotta say is…. Yeah Booiiiii!

All i gotta say is…
YEAH Booiiiiii!!

Little pumpkin is a boy!!!!
Happy Halloween!

lots of love and candy and chocolate...
little lisa lollipop

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Happy National Cat Day!


BFF
Did you ever notice there's a day      and a month to celebrate everything? Some worthy of having it's own day... while others... not so much. Today happens to be National Cat Day... which in my book is a worthy one.

We have 2 girl cats, and even though they're 5, i still call them kittens. They have brought me so much joy over the years.  Our kittens are litter mats and best friends... well they used to be BFF.  Now... not so much. They both are obsessed with eating, and Zöey is just like the cat in the video... trying to wake it's owner for food. What she also does, that isn't in the video is breath in my ear and put her ass in my face. Not so much fun to wake up to. Gotta love them.

Zöey as a kitten
Mayá as a kitten




       
   Old farts










OMG! National Drinking Straw Day.
That's cra-cra. Pass the cat nip!


Other upcoming holidays to look forward to... Pizza with the works except anchovies Day: November 12th, Flossing Day: November 29th.  And forget about New Year's Day, January 3rd is Drinking Straw Day. Holllllaaar! I'll be looking forward to them all... as the cheesy saying goes, everyday is a gift... especially if there's a kitty in it.


Lots of love... little lisa lollipop meow



Friday, October 25, 2013

this is how i roll...(+er coaster)

City Jet, New Jersey
My first roller coaster ride was the City Jet with my father in Ocean City. My first upside down one was in 4th grade... the Sooper Dooper Looper in Hershey Park... sounds dangerous, doesn't it.

And believe it or not... I'm riding a roller coaster right now... as we speak or as i type...on my computer... at my home. :o)  But right now, I'm on the fun part of the ride... where you can lift your arms in the air and act like it was all a piece of cake!
                                 
See... when we first started the fertility process three years ago in 2010, we weren't told that we were really getting on a roller coaster ride. And  to hold on tight. It's a ride that consumes you... emotionally, sometimes physically, and definitely financially.

We got on the ride after losing Rylan Cruz, knowing we would need help. Duh... i don't have a uterus anymore, so that's a given :o).  At first, I did all the fertility treatments/ injections, but I only had one follicle that responded. Thus even further proving how much of a miracle Rylan was. When they went to retrieve the egg, the follicle burst... and the egg was lost to the bowels... talk about a rotten egg. lol

When i tried the fertility treatments a second time in 2011, i didn't respond at all.  That was when we transitioned to finding a donor egg. After a long process... see... i'm giving you the short version :o)... we found a donor that we liked. Finally in January of 2012 we were the proud parents of 9 little frozen embryos. P.S. More to come in the future about the egg donor selection process.

little duckie: 3 cells!
Our next step was to find a carrier for our little bambino which led us to a lawyer/ agency. (More to come regarding selecting a carrier in the future.) P.S. I am also limited by law about what i can actually say/ type. :o)

After the long screening process, our first embryo transfer was in September 2012. Our plan was to thaw 3 embryos and implant 2. But only one had survived the thawing process.. so we defrosted 2 more, and only one of those survived. However, come the next morning, only one continued to grow and divide. He or she was a whopping 3 cells, but the transfer was not successful.

November 2012... we thawed the remaining four embryos. And in the end, none of the embryos were viable for transfer. Nada. Zilche. The clinic wasn't sure why we had such bad outcomes... they could only attribute it to bad luck. At this point, Juan was tired of riding this emotional roller coaster ride. And i could sense the clinic's despair. Perhaps, they didn't remember how stubborn I am... Whoops. Cross that out, I meant determined. :o)  (see March post: Stubborn as a Mule)

So... back to square one & finding another egg donor. More of a long story made short... i found one that i absolutely loved. And then... Duh, Duh, Duh... I was diagnosed with cancer. The hospital held a whole ethics board committee meeting. But in the end... it was decided that we could move forward since we had been invested in the process for three years. That was the worst part of the roller coaster... when you have no control over anything and you pee your pants... lol. That and when they spoke of me...in my presence... at the meeting as if i were already dead. My carrier also had to sign a form with her lawyer saying she still wished to proceed with us even though i was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Seeing it in writing was even a little harder than hearing it.



Well on the second attempt with our selected anonymous donor... *"I wish i had a million dollars...HOT DOG!" (*footnote: It's a Wonderful Life) We are having another baby or baby bear :o)
Or now, we can say little pumpkin. Because if all goes well, we'll be finding out the sex on Halloween! Best Halloween EV-ER!

So with all its twists and turns and ups and downs... it has all been worth the ride.

lots of love... little lisa lollipop

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Greetings from Munich!


Soooo hilariouos!
Had to post it on the blog as well. LOVE it!

lots of love & PROST!
little lisa lollipop :o)