Never say never

  When we started this journey to become foster parents a little over a year ago we had a clear plan in sight.  We would take anyone 5 yrs old and younger in hopes of adopting them figuring it would be easier to bond with a small child.  Like the saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans " - (Woody Allen).  Because here we sit with a 11yr old boy in our home and it is looking like we will be taking in a 13 yr old girl.  Victor, the 11 year old,  has been with us since the beginning of the year and is an awesome kid.  We have our struggles for sure, mostly getting him back on track with school and learning to trust us to be the adults and for him to just be a kid.  To hear the things he has gone through and what his 11 yrs of life have been is heart breaking.  But with our help and the help of his awesome counselor we are hopeful he will continue to grow and heal.

  The 13 yr old girl is named Destiny.  She is a gorgeous young lady and has made leaps and bounds in her progress.  She is currently in a special foster home that is a lot more structured and has helped her make the progress she has achieved.  She has an awesome counselor too.  We have been meeting with her and will begin the transition of her moving into the house by the end of the month.  She is a typical kid, likes, clothes, shoes, arts and crafts and has been doing very well in school.  She is a bit nervous about changing schools and living out here in the mountains when all she has known is the city.  But we truly believe that this peaceful place we have is therapeutic in many ways.  Animals are great ways for kids to feel a connection and without having to deal with adults and the quiet and sounds of the mountain are calming.

  And if that isn't enough crazy we are also in the process of adding 3 boys to our family.  They are all brothers and their ages are 5, 8 & 9.  The 9 year old, Nathan, will more than likely be placed with his father who lives in another state but will stay with us and his brothers until he is.  He is also a history and military buff so he is already excited to hear that Travis is in the Air Force and we have already made a promise to take him to the base to see the helicopters.  The 5 year old, Angelo, is a character and has a big personality and likes to be the center of attention but is a very sweet little guy.  And finally the 8 year old, Anthony, he is having the toughest time with the change.  He is the more emotional one of the bunch.  They are a great group of kids and the treatment foster parents they are with now have done a wonderful job of getting them through their treatment plan and learning to control emotions and anger.  As well as get them on track with school.

  It still amazes me everyday how resilient and strong these kids are.  We are blessed to be able to be part of their journey and can only pray we are able to bless them.

I Did it!!

I stepped foot on stage on May 31st, 2014 in the NM Fitness Championships.  I met my goal, I competed in a bikini contest.  Did I place?  No. Do I care?  No, that was never the point of all this.  It was to prove to myself I could get my body to a point that I felt comfortable enough to step on stage. Did I have the best abs or booty there?  Nope, but I had the best abs and booty I have ever had, even in my high school days my tush never looked that good!

The entire day before everything flowed wonderfully.  I prepped the things to take, not just clothes and toiletries but food, extra sheets and towels so I didn't get tan product on the hotel ones.  We checked in to the hotel and went to check in at the convention center as a competitor.  We stood in line for about an hour, I received my number, the hair and make-up schedule and a goodie bag.  We rushed back to the room so I could get my tan done.  This was the only stressful part, would it be dark enough, would it be orange, would it turn me green??  Three coats of pro-tan competition tan later I was transformed.  I wasn't totally sure I was dark enough so after a few convos with my tan lady she agreed to come back out at 4am that morning to apply two coats of her product.  I put on loose jammies and lay on my special sheets and slept like a board so I didn't mess up the tan or the hair extensions I was wearing.    After those final two coats, Perfection! It looked great and stayed put all day.  The funny thing is with a tan like this you haven't rinsed the bronzer off yet so water is your enemy, which includes going to the potty.  Luckily you are on limited water the day before and day of competition.

The morning of I was awake a 3 a.m. tanned and packed up, put on a robe and walked down to the convention center my sweet hubby carrying my bags so I didn't mess up the tan.  I sat in hair and makeup trying not to fall asleep at 5:30a.m.   As part of the bikini competition we had to com up with a theme wear.   I choose Dorothy as my costume - hey I am a KS girl after all.  I had gingham dress, basket with todo and even ruby slippers.  With competing in  two classes I was able to grace the stage twice.  The first time was surreal.  After I just kept smiling, I had done it.  Oh, I know it wasn't the best performance they had seen but I rocked it best I could.  The rest of the day was wonderful.  All the girls were friendly and nice and I received many texts, messages and phone calls giving me support.  I had several friends and family members that were able to watch the show live.  Amazing!

The final portion of the show went late and being in heels all day was rough on the feet.  After stepping on the stage for the last time I was ready to go find my husband and hug him and go back to the room, get a shower and eat pizza!!  And as soon as I took off those heels I walked out the door and there he was waiting for me with a big smile on his face.  He later said, sorry I didn't get you flowers.  I didn't need flowers, he had supported me all the way, never asking me to give it up or saying he didn't like the person I had transformed into.  He supported me just I have done for him over the years, that is marriage.  Love, support and growing together.  Not wanting the person to never change for fear of what that means.  Honestly, the fact that I didn't place does not bother me at all.  I didn't need that to know I had accomplished my goal.  It amazes me how many people put their happiness in others hands.  I don't need a pat on the back or someone to tell me I did a good job, I am strong enough to know how I did.  This was about me, and my goal and that was it.