SURPRISE!!!!

Over the past few weeks I have been planning, along with Efren's parents, a birthday surprise for Efren. The idea was to get his brother, Carlos, here without Efren suspecting a thing. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Apparently I tell Efren everything including what I had for lunch yesterday and which route I took home from the hospital this morning. This became obvious to me in the days leading up to the big surprise. There were so many lies! Ah, it was terrible to try to keep them all straight! Carlos was flying in on Tuesday. I was working Tuesday. I got off, but Efren didn't and wasn't supposed to know that. So when he asks me, "Do you want to take the left over pizza for dinner tonight?" I'm freaking out thinking....."Take it where??" pause.....oooohhh he thinks I'm going to work! "No, honey, thanks, but you can have it." Whew.

I had to get out of the house, without him coming along, to pick Carlos up from the airport. So I told him I was going to lunch with the ladies to plan a baby shower (yes, for you B and KK). With a little stalling (ladies talk alot!), Efren left for Norman before Carlos and I got back to the house. Now for the surprise. When Efren got home that evening there was a package delivered for him on the front porch. Wow, a large package, actually huge! After a couple seconds of awe over how large the box was and wonder of what could possibly be inside, Carlos busts through the top giving Efren the surprise of his life! Wow. He couldn't believe it! He was completely caught off guard and had never suspected a thing. Success!

Ok, so this first picture is a little set up...I wasn't fast enough to get both of them in the initial picture, but that's about what it looked like. Efren hit the wall when Carlos popped out!

It's so fun for me to hear them talking and catching up. I am now realizing what it has been like for him to be so far away from his family. What a sacrifice he has made for me.

Last Saturday Efren and I, along with some of our friends, went out to Lake Thunderbird in Norman to go horseback riding! Now, I really like horseback riding, in fact I used to be quite obsessed with it, but I'm not a huge fan of just sitting on the horse while it plods along staring at the horse butt in front of him. Usually, that's as exciting as it gets. Saturday, however, we were able to choose either beginner, intermediate, or advanced horse. Beginners are trained to stick to the trail, and let me tell you, they do stick to the trail. Intermediates will basically go where you tell them to and will trot with a slight kick in side. Advanced horses will do the same, but are a little harder to handle because they are somewhat finicky. There were 6 of us. Five of us chose intermediate and only one girl, who was a little nervous, chose beginner. There is a trail that you follow, but when you come to a clearing you are allowed to trot or go around in circles or what have you. There is no guide so you have free reign, all they ask is that you don't run the horses. My horse was named Rocky and Efren's was Mojo (or Moho as he called him with his Venezuelan accent). Efren was a little nervous at first, not that he admitted it, but I could tell. ;) But after we got on and he and Moho bonded he had a blast trotting around and taking pictures. It was such a fun day and cool to do something different. I hope we can make it an annual thing.

One Year and Counting!

This past weekend we had the awesome priviledge of heading south to Dallas for a weekend gettaway and OU/Texas madness. Our one year anniversary was only a couple weeks before so we decided that's how we would celebrate. We headed out early Friday morning to beat traffic and spent most of the afternoon shopping at one of the huge outlet malls right outside of Dallas. That night we ate dinner at the House of Blues right down the street from our hotel. It was good, but I know the one in Anaheim is better. ;) After dinner we walked along the West End just to see the madness of thousands of people dressed in either burnt orange or crimson doing.....anything to show allegience to their team. Our hotel was about 10 feet from West End so needless to say I barely slept a wink that night!

Saturday was the game, and although the outcome was sad and we were all hurt again for Sam Bradford, it was an exciting game and such a fun atmosphere. It's true, there is nothing else like it.

That night we had an amazing dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and walked around a very expensive mall filled with designer stores. Sunday morning we packed up and headed north, but due to the potential traffic we stopped off for a few hours at yet another outlet mall. We got some great Christmas presents, found some good deals, lunched at BJ's, and headed home.

It was a great weekend, a fun weekend, and an awesome way to finish up our first year of marriage. It's hard to believe it's been a year. By the way, when is it that a couple is no longer considered newlyweds? Been wondering that. Our first year was amazing, we have both absolutely loved being married and are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us this coming year. It should be an exciting one!

Updates

I know it's been a while since I blogged, and I always promise to try harder. It may not seem like it, but I really do try....it just doesn't happen. But here I am! This weekend was a blast. Efren's cousin, Patrick, and his new girlfriend, Amelia, came down to spend the weekend with us. Thanks to my awesome brother, Tate, we managed to snag 2 student tickets to the OU game so that we could all go together and it worked out wonderfully that the people in front of our season tickets didn't show up! I never remember them not being there so I think it was a God thing that we all got to sit together. Patrick is also from Venezuela and had never been to a college football game...let alone an OU game. We lent them some crimson attire and we all had so much fun. Amelia and I have the same camera and we busted them out on gameday with great intentions of documenting the whole thing. But.....both camera batteries were dead so I don't have any picks to post of us all bundled up cheering on the Sooners. Sorry.
Efren is doing great in school and really enjoying it. He is very busy since he is taking alot of hours, but still finds time for me and/or golf ;). Now that it is getting quite chilly I'm not sure how much more of the latter he will actually get to do. He is also in the process of looking for an internship possibility for this summer.
This weekend we are going down to Dallas for the OU/Texas game and to celebrate our anniversary. I'm also hoping to get some more Christmas shopping done. I'm actually close to finished! Just the darn boys....they are so much harder to buy for then girls!

Cultural Differences

I have always had a hard time blogging because I just felt like I had nothing cool or interesting to talk about. I have recently thought of something to share. As we all know Efren and I have a multicultural marriage. This can provide for funny, awkward, different situations that not alot of other couples experience. I have decided to share those with you. They started popping up the day we met and I'm sure we will be experiencing them until we get to heaven. Some are English words, some are Spanish, some are situational, some are random, and all are pretty funny. The very first that comes to mind happened at the very moment we met. It went like this:

"Hi, I'm Efren."

"I'm Cayce. What's your name again?"

"Efren."

"What??"

"EFREN."

"Spell it."

I had never heard of that name before and his accent was pretty thick. I felt bad that I couldn't understand him, but I guess he didn't think I was THAT rude.

Thank you, Jesus, for Skype because the first 15 months of our relationship was played out in cyberspace. That's where the next situation took place. As well all know my hair is very straight. One day, I woke up from a nap and did what I always did back then, got on skype to talk to Efren. We say hello and catch up a little and then came his question:

"Um, Cayce......why is your hair so.....(pause)....close to your head?"

Flat, he wanted to know why my hair looked so flat. As women we know that's not a good thing to have flat hair, but apparently mine was. At times he doesn't know the word for the point he is trying to make so he has to describe it. The same happens for me in Spanish. One day I described something as fluffy and he didn't know that word. Try to describe fluffy. "It's like....(waving my hands in a big circles)....fluff...er....fluffy....uh......" Finally I just related it to a cloud. "Yeah, a cloud is fluffy!" Ok, good enough.

In Venezuela there is no Santa Clause. Instead, there is baby Jesus. In all their nativity sets Jesus is missing until Christmas morning when he is finally born and placed in the manger. He is the one that brings the gifts. Quite a night for a little baby. Last Christmas Efren hid all the baby Jesus's from my mom's 47 nativity sets (much to Reagan's dismay) and replaced them Christmas morning. I like that one, I think we will celebrate baby Jesus instead of Santa. Our kids will probably be the one to ruin the Santa suprise for the other kids at school....sorry ahead of time.

What makes your marriage or relationship fun and different?

It's That Time Again!

As some would say, and I would agree....it's the most wonderful time of the year! Tomorrow begins the much anticipated 2009 OU football season. I can't wait. I love the sounds, the smells, the feelings, the competition, and comradery that it entangles. I love the feeling of being here...

and listening to the band play the national anthem followed by OOOOOOOklahoma which inevitably brings goosebumps to my arms and a sense of good ole OK pride. Ok ok, maybe a little water to the eyes as well. What can I say, I'm an emotional being. The excitement is tangible surrounded by 86,000 people all yelling in unison. I know there are a few in my family who would agree.....aaaaand then there are a couple who couldn't care less. But, all this to say, we are excited about the season as always, it seems to get more exciting each year. Look for Efren and I in the stands. We will be there thanks to my parents (and the fact that we are the only true fans left in the family ;) ). It should be a good one.

Just call me Aunt Cayce

Weeeeeeeellll, I'm not exactly Aunt Jemima, but I am most definitely Aunt Cayce!!! My brother and sister-in-law found out a several weeks ago that they are expecting a baby, due in March! It has been hard to keep the secret, but I am very happy to be able to talk about it freely now! It's very exciting since I will be an aunt for the first time, but also because my parents will finally be grandparents. My dad especially has been waiting for a little one to come along for years now. He encouraged marriage as a prerequisite, but I'm pretty sure he would have taken one any way they came! I'm sad B and KK live so far away, but I am looking forward to bump pictures alll the time!! (note to KK! ;) ) Yay for Baby James! Can't wait to meet you little one!!

Big Government. Small Brains.

So I was slightly bored and decided to do a little research. We have all heard of some of the crazy laws that have actually been passed in our states so I decided to post several of my favorites....er....most retarded from the three states in which my family resides. Enjoy.

Alaska:
*Owners of flamingos may not let their pet into barber shops.
*Moose may not be viewed from an airplane.
*It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.

California:
~No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour. hmmmm....
~City Council order reads: “No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash.
I am sure there are a few that would benefit from being on a leash...
~You are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows.
(There are many many more in Cali, but too many weird ones to choose from)

Oklahoma:
>Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
>Oklahoma will not tolerate anyone taking a bite out of another’s hamburger. We are all going to jail for this one.
>Whaling is illegal. Really? Even in Lake Arcadia??
>It is illegal to have the hind legs of farm animals in your boots.

Hmm...it makes me think of the circumstances surrounding the making of these laws...

Defibrillate at 200 jules

This has been a busy week for both Efren and I. He finally starts his masters program in Industrial Engineering on Monday so he has had to make several trips to Norman for various reasons. Unlike many he is so excited to be going back to school. When his books came in from Half.com it was like Christmas. Engineering statistics and something about the methodology of supply chain management and some such. I really don't know, and he is used to that so he just shows me with a big grin and I smile right back with, "so cool, babe!"
I had a course this week at the hospital that is known in the medical field as ACLS. It stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support and is a certification for health care professionals. According to Wikipedia it is a "set of clinical interventions for the urgent treatment of cardiac arrest and other life threatening medical emergencies, as well as the knowledge and skills to deploy those interventions." Since I work at a heart hospital all RNs are required to pass the course and be certified. I have been dreading this for a long time because to be certified you have to perform as a "code leader" in front of instructors. This means they simulate a Code Blue situation and we have to take over knowing when to shock, how many jules to use, when CPR is indicated, when medications such as epinephrine, amiodarone, adenosine, atropine, lidocaine, vasopressin, and others should and should NOT be used. etc, etc, etc. It's a little overwhelming at first, but come game time I was ready and all went well. What a great relief when it was over.
It's interesting because since becoming a nurse I have thought alot about the work I do every night. Bare with me here because I have alot of thoughts about this and it's hard for me to write them out. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, patients die. As the nurse we tend to play the "what if" game for so long afterwards. The thoughts that I dwell on are the work that nurses and doctors due versus God's will. Ultimately, everything that happens in the universe is up to Him and in His timing. So if I sat at the computer all night and did nothing for my patients would they make it through the night because it wasn't when He had determined for them to go home? Or if I run my booty off allll night until I'm green in the face doing anything and everything I can for them, would they still die despite my efforts because it was their appointed time? God doesn't really NEED me. He doesn't NEED any of us, but He has chosen to use us to do His work. No matter what the line of work, God could have it covered, but I believe He likes to see His children work hard and use the abilities that He has given them to accomplish His work. Hmmmm, well, I'm not sure if any of this has made sense. I'm sorry if it's hard to follow. Just something I've been thinking about.

Road Trip!!!

So last week Efren and I had the awesome chance to take a little time off and go on a road trip. We stayed one night with Efren's cousin, Christian, in Salina, KS, and then drove on to Littleton, CO. One of my best friends in the world and her husband and sweet little boy live there. It was so much fun to see them and just hang out without anything major to do. It was a very different dynamic then what Alaina and I were used to. In college we were together all the time, lived together, worked together, everything. Now, throw in 2 husbands and a 2 year old. It was an interesting change and a good change of course, just different. We had both been around each other's husbands for short periods before but never for a whole week. That was fun to get to see the interaction and for all of us to hang out like we had talked about so many years ago, before Adam and Efren had even entered the picture. We shopped, hiked, slept, watched movies, laughed hysterically, played with toy trucks, cooked, road the Lightrail, ate, talked for hours, and laughed some more. It was a great trip! Thanks Adam and Alaina for letting us crash for a week! We love you! Here are a couple pics from the week!


Skywalker or monk?? Either way, CUTE!!

Natural amphitheater at Red Rocks!

The 4 of us on our hiking expedition!

Just Dance...but not Lady Gaga style

There are lots of things that really get my blood pumping. A few of those things are music, worship, and dance. I feel like these are such awesome forms of expression, especially when the three are combined. Over the last couple of years I have had a hard time finding my passion. Yeah, I'm a nurse, and I like to think I'm good at it, but it's not my passion in life. Recently, I have started realizing I have a huge passion for dance. Yeah, I've liked it pretty much my whole life, but it never was a passion like it has been in recent years. It touches me like few other things do. I love it...all kinds.
My mom put me in ballet and tap classes when I was young, but the tutus were way too girlie. I was always jealous of the outfits of the girls in jazz class. They were so much cooler. Now, looking back, I wish I would have stuck with it. I got into ballroom dancing a few years ago and absolutely loved it, but had to quit a few months later because it was outrageously expensive. I have wanted to go back since. Yesterday, as I was sleeping to prepare for tonight's shift, my sweet husband found several adds in the newspaper for the local dance studios, cut them out, and had them waiting for me when I woke up. I called them all looking for one that offers classes to those of us past our dancing "prime," aka over 18, and may have found a couple options. I'm hoping to get into a class or two for the fall and see what happens. I would love to find a place that I can worship through dance. It's kinda like "make a joyful noise to the Lord." Not necessarily a beautiful noise, but just a joyful one. I want to make a joyful dance move! Maybe it will be a beautiful one, that would be nice, but at least it will be joyful! Maybe this will be me in the future, who knows. Hey, one can dream, right? ;)

Awake

So it's 4:39 am and I'm wide awake. Actually I usually end up blogging (the very few times I have blogged) in the middle of the night because I am at work with a little bit of downtime, but this time I'm at home. Over the last few weeks I have had alot of trouble sleeping when it's dark outside. Maybe after a year of working nights my body is getting used to the schedule....which is good I guess, but makes for some very long nights when I'm off and there is no one awake to talk to me.

This has been a very different week for me, personally. I guess it all starts last November when my oldest brother and my sister-in-law moved to Huntington Beach, California.

That was big. Yeah he had lived in Fort Worth for a while by that time so I was used to not seeing him everyday, but at least at 3-4 hours away we could see them on a long weekend. That is not the case now. Fast forward 8 months and my parents moved to Alaska, followed by my sister this past thursday.

If someone would have told me a year ago that we would all be where we are today I would not have believed it. I am so happy for all of them and the places that God has pushed and pulled them, and I'm so excited for all the new and different things that they will each experience, but I have to be honest and say that I wish it were different. I know that is selfish but it's the truth. It may seem weird, but in my perfect world we would all live in the same neighborhood. Yes, it would be somewhere on the beach but where the cost of living was like Oklahoma. ;) Keep dreaming, right? I know. I dread the day when Tate graduates and moves too. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself. Maybe you'll have to commit me, or maybe I'll have to get pregnant to force my parents back down to the lower 48. Ha, that's terrible.....but don't think I won't do it! I know change is good, (not all change, but that's another topic) but I'm just not one that deals with it seemlessly, especially when it comes to my family. Being here without my safety net is something I will just have to get used to, but I don't know if I ever truly will. Praise the Lord for technology such as cell phones and skype, but even that is not the same as the craziness that is the 8 of us when we are all together. Maybe now I will cherish those moments even more.

I'm not trying to make this post a pity party, and I hope it doesn't sound that way. This has just been a major life change, and I couldn't help but write about it.

On a lighter note, Efren and I are leaving monday afternoon and heading to spend some time in Colorado with one of my best friends! I can't wait to get to hang out with her and her husband and sweet little boy. It will be awesome for them to be able to get to know Efren even more too. If you think about it, please pray for His protection as we drive. We are planning on leaving Monday around noon, or after I wake up since I'm working the night before. We are stopping in Salina,KS to spend the evening and night with Efren's cousin Christian, and then we will head to Littleton Tuesday morning. We will just spend the week hanging out, enjoying life and little Beckett then Sunday, we are making the looooong drive back since we both work on monday.

By the way, which flag is coolest??

It's Been A While...

Wow, It's been so long since I blogged! I'll try....key word, try, to be better at it.

Things have changed alot over the last few weeks. Efren and I are now living in my parents house and my parents are now living in Alaska. What a change. It's the house I have lived in on and off for the last 15 years, but somehow now it just feels different. I guess because I'm used to it being filled with the sounds of so many different people, the constant beeping of the doors opening and closing, and laughter that seems to rise as tall as the two story cielings. For the most part now the house is dark and way too warm due to our effort to decrease the electric bill. At least Reagan is occupying part of it, but soon she will be gone too. It's definitely going to take some getting used to for the two of us. Efren has taken on the responsibilities that come with being the man of the house. Changing filters, watering the grass, mowing the lawn, etc. It's very interesting when things start making funny noises because we have no idea how to fix them! Living in an apartment, something goes wrong, call the maintenance guy! Not so in the house. well, great practice for when we have our own!
Other news, Efren got a job! We had pretty much given up hope in the economy at this point and decided that for the next two years he could just focus on his masters and not worry about the job thing, but, like usual, the Lord had other plans and he got hired on to a company called RGIS. His title is "auditor" and he does inventory for stores around the OKC area. Yesterday they did Sears, for example. It's a part time position, but extremely flexible and will work wonderfully with his school schedule. The biggest thing is that in two years it will look great on his resume as experience in that field. Not that I really know what the industrial engineering field is, but that is what he says so that works for me! He has been enjoying it so far. Not the actual work part necessarily, but the chance to contribute and fill his days with something other than waiting for me to get home or wake up. Needless to say he is very excited for school to start. Yeah, he is one of those people. ;)
Nothing much new with me. Just working. The last couple of weeks I have been training a new nurse which has been an interesting experience. I have found that I do enjoy the teaching aspect, but it's hard for me not to take care of things myself instead of letting him do it, or to keep my mouth closed and let him figure it out on his own. Sometimes I'd rather just do it myself. I know, mom, you're shocked.
So that's us, I'll try to be a more faithful blogger. No promises! Mostly I feel like I just don't have anything cool to write about!

Well, we made it! We left our house in Edmond about 3:25 am on Tuesday morning and got to Caracas about 9:05 Tuesday night. It seemed like a long day, but it actually wasn't too bad. We flew to Dallas first which we all know takes longer to taxi to the runway than to actually fly to Dallas. We only had a bit in Dallas before we headed to Miami. For some reason when we checked in in OKC they had us in different rows on our flight from Dallas to Miami so we asked about it and easily they changed it. The plane had been changed and for some reason there was no row 19 so we got put together in row10. As we were boarding the plane headed for Miami Efren says, "I really wish I could sleep on planes but they are so uncomfortable."
"Iknow, me too." I chimed in. We get on the plane and see row 10...."definitely not our row 10," I said, "this is first class, there must be another row 10 in the back...keep walking." So we passed right by walking back to steerage where we always sit. Wait, 20, 21, 22..."Where is row 10?" We asked the flight attendant. "It's up there you missed it. That's still coach."
Wait, what?? Are you kidding me? We walked back up to row 10....O....My....goodness. Each seat was in it's own little box. Each seat had it's own tv, a real size pillow and a comforter! Each seat could lay down COMPLETELY flat!!! Efren and I could have fit in one seat! We couldn't believe what was happening. We started taking pictures. I'm sure people were thinking it was our first time on a plane! We kept looking around just waiting for the man in a suit with a briefcase to come tell us we were in his seat. As soon as the doors were closed and the plane was off the ground our seats were flat and we were already snoring. That was the best flight I have ever been on. I don't remember any of it. Thank you, Jesus, for that little suprising blessing!
The flight to Caracas we were back to what we know, little seats and no leg room. That's ok though. We are well rested. We can handle it now. Since then we have just been seeing family and gettin used to the weather. It's perfect.
Thank you to all who have been thinking of us and praying for our trip. I know it's gonna be a good one. Love you all.

One More Day

Only one more day of work until I'm off for....53.....days....wow. Doesn't that sound amazing? It does, but honestly it scares me a little bit. What if I forget how to be a nurse? Oh no.

Efren's grampa is pretty sick and since we didn't have any plans to go to Venezuela for a while we were worried we may not see him again. :( so, after much thought and prayer we decided this is the time we ought to go. I have a very flexible job and for some reason Efren doesn't have one yet. Efren starts his masters in August and after that, he won't have much vacation time. This seemed to be the only time we would ever be able to go for more than a week so we thought we might as well take advantage of that.

As for what we will be doing for 7 weeks, we aren't totally sure. I know Efren will be working at the store his parents own, and I will be working on my spanish skills. Possibly some trips to the beach and I know we will be spending alot of time with his family. Since hearing that we are coming, his grampa has felt better and been more active. I think it's one of those things. He has something to look forward to so his demeanor improves. Sweet grampa.

There are a few major things that I will be missing. My dear friend is getting married. Not only are we missing the wedding, but my brother and sister-in-law are coming home from California and we will miss seeing them too. Also, my sister has the starring role in this.....

Which we will miss too :(

It's definitely not ideal timing, but I am trying to remember that in all things God works for the good, so I am ok with it.....most days anyway.

Please pray for us while we are gone. Pray for Efren's grampa and his family. We will keep you all updated!!

100 for 2008

1. I got a new job at a new hospital.
2. I experienced my grampa get sicker and sicker and die at that hospital.
3. Helped a friend through a hard break-up.
4. Helped that friend move into my parents house.
5. Was in my brother's wedding.
6. Maintained a relationship on Skype.
7. Took a last minute trip to Venezuela.
8. Got proposed to!
9. Accepted the proposal!
10. Ziplined through the canopy of Venezuela.
11. Missed my flight in Puerto Rico.
12. Spent the night by myself in Miami.
13. Ran the 6 mile leg of the OKC Memorial Marathon.
14. Finished nursing school.
15. Graduated with my BSN.
16. Missed my pinning ceremony.
17. Sold stuff on Ebay.
18. Bought a wedding dress.
19. Went to Puerto Rico for the second time in 2 months.
20. Met up with my fiance in Puerto Rico.
21. Went on my 4th cruise.
22. Went to Barbados...
23. St. Kitts...
24. Antigua...
25. St. Thomas...
26. Dominica...
27. St. Lucia...for the first time.
28. Accepted a position at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital.
29. Had my 24th birthday.
30. Saw/loved Wicked.
31. Helped a dear friend through the shocking news of her pregnancy.
32. Passed the NCLEX.
33. Became an RN.
34. Got my own insurance.
35. Saw/ loved Spamalot.
36. Met awesome friends at OHH.
37. Became nocturnal.
38. Lived in the same city as my fiance for the first time.
39. Lived in the same house as my fiance.....with my parents.
40. Got a joint bank account.
41. Bought a car.
42. Got scammed by the car company.
43. Hung out in the VIP section of a club in Dallas.
44. Swam in a closed hotel pool.
45. Planned a wedding.
46. Attended a wedding shower....where everyone brought a gift for me.....overwhelming!
47. Saw, in person, the Texas Tech v. OU game.....
48. Went through pre-marital counseling.
49. Took birth control for the first time.
50. Filled out immigration papers.
51. Pushed the Code Blue button.
52. Welcomed Efren's family to Oklahoma.
53. Had a bachelorette party......;)
54. Saw Venezuelans dressed as cowboys.
55. Practiced for my wedding.
56. Fired a DJ two days before my wedding.
57. Hired another DJ two days before my wedding.
58. Promised myself to someone forever.
59. Danced with my dad at my wedding reception.
60. Spent the night with a boy.
61. Changed my last name after 24 years.
62. Went on a honeymoon.
63. Cried on my honeymoon.
64. Met up with Efren's parents on our honeymoon....
65. Learned to live with a boy.
66. Went to the driving range for the first time.
67. Became the "bread winner" of our little family.
68. Tried to play 9 holes of golf.
69. Went house hunting.
70. Played 2 holes of golf.
71. Got my husband addicted to 24.
72. Started attending my childhood church again.
73. Had a patient call the police on me.
74. Helped my brother and sister-in-law move to So Cal.
75. Had early Thanksgiving at a BBQ joint.
76. Voted...no comment.
77. Worked on Thanksgiving.
78. Gave my precious dog away.
79. Woke up crying because I gave my dog away.
80. Bid on something on Ebay that was ultimately sold for more than $2,000.
81. Started a blog.
82. Made an offer on some land.
83. Made a second offer on the same piece of land.
84. Decided that wasn't the land the Lord had for us!
85. Spent Christmas morning with my husband.
86. Opened gifts via web-cam with my brother and sister-in-law.
87. Packed for a week-long trip 10 min. before we had to leave to catch the plane.
88. Watched the movie Voces Inocentes.
89. Cried uncontrollably for 30 minutes after watching Voces Inocentes.
90. Acquired the taste for beer.
91. Learned of the scripture my dad had claimed over my life more than 20 years ago.
92. Spent the night in my parents closet with my friend and my sister.
93. Felt the impact of the failing economy first hand.
94. Helped my husband get a SS#!
95. Saved money for retirement.
96. Filled up our car for 35 dollars.
97. A few months later, filled up our car for 13 bucks.
98. Joined a small group of young married couples.
99. Learned more about God's love for me through the bond of marriage.
100. Celebrated the new 2009 at the hospital with coworkers, a bottle of sparkling grape juice, and Efren.

Live to work....Work to live....

Efren and his friends that he went to college with in Venezuela keep up with each other through email since they are now spread out in several different countries around the world. That's what happens when you're an exchange student and meet your future wife, I guess. ;) The topic they have been discussing recently was basically that people in our society today, for the most part, live to work and work to live. Because of the way the world works the "work week" is Monday through Friday 8-5 or 9-6 what have you with Saturdays and Sundays off. If you're lucky your job MIGHT allow you 2-3 weeks of vacation time a year....out of 52. Step back and think about it for a second. I know I hadn't really ever considered it strange because this is commonplace. We grow up, graduate college, and then start our careers, all the while knowing that at some point we will enter the mighty work force. The guys started talking about this and realized how backwards it seems. We all spend soooo much time working, when do we get to enjoy each other and live life...not live work. There are professions that are the exception, nursing of course being one of them. Not only do we only work 3 times a week but we get to make our own schedule. For the most part we work just as many hours, but we get several days off at a time. What if the rest of the working world was like that? What if companies let their employees work 10-12 hours a day but only 3 or 4 times a week?! On top of that, what if we ALL got to pick which 3 days of the week we wanted so that the other four could be spent with our families? At my current position at the hospital I am required to work a certain amount of hours per six weeks. It can be anytime within those six weeks. If I cram them all in at the beginning, I could have up to 5 weeks completely off. I am SO blessed with that opportunity....but what if all jobs were like that?! Get your work done and then go enjoy your family or take a mission trip, or as our friend on the "Cash For Gold" commercial did, take "the vacation of a lifetime!" (Sorry, we only have 5 channels, daytime TV is where it's at, and the same Medicare and Platt College commercials are played C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-L-Y).
Sometimes it seems like we live to work, and for some people, they work to simply live. I don't think it will ever change because society says that is the "norm."I wish it would though. Life is too short to work so hard and miss something. Make every moment count.

Just think, if we had flexible schedules, Wal-mart wouldn't be so hellish on Saturdays and Sundays and there wouldn't be such a thing as rush hour!

A Big Red Stamp of Approval

So today was the most anticipated interview day! We received a notice in the mail more than a month ago informing us that Efren and I needed to show ourselves at the Department of Homeland Security on 1/23/09 at 12:45 in the afternoon with everything legal ever issued to us throughout our entire lives. Ok, maybe those weren't the exact words, but that is what they meant! Good thing my husband pays incredible attention to detail and is so organized! He had everything from the title of our car to pictures of us (looking like we are really in love) to an indepth medical exam...originals and copies of everything! Wow, it was a huge folder.
We showed up at homeland security at 12:15...excessively early, you say?? I agree. But there's no arguing about it, we are gonna do it his way. No problem. Early is always better than late, right? On time works too. Anyway, in hopes that we might be called first of all the 12:45 appointments we get through security and find our seats at 12:20, before the 12:30 appointments arrive. So now we wait. and wait. and wait. for all the Jose Manuels and Ikabana Sotubas to get called before us. Everytime the door opens we hold our breath....nothing. Until 1:45...FINALLY! They call Efren's name and we make our way back to the office of our interrogator. Good thing Obama closed that prison and did away with Jack Bauer-esque torture techniques because I'm afraid we may have gotten a taste. First we had to stand, raise our right hand, and swear that what we were saying was "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us...." yes help us Lord Jesus! The next several minutes were filled with pointed questions aimed at finding a loop hole in our relationship and proof that he paid me to marry him to get the green card. I believe the exact words were, "Cayce, do you feel like you have been had?" umm, no. "Well, there is gonna be alot of people mad if you are." umm, yes. "When did you meet? Where were you? What time of day? When was the last time you were in the US? Why did you come? Where were you living? Do you have any children? First marriage? Parents names? Shoe size? Boxers or briefs?" Ok...maybe I made a few of those up....but seriously it was nerve-racking! This woman has so much power over us at this moment and she won't even smile!! "Have you ever been in trouble inside or outside the United States?" To this question Efren replies," What do you mean?" "You know what trouble means!" The woman snaps back....yikes! Yes, right now I am feeling like I'm in trouble!
I am able to hear what is going on in some of the offices around us....giggles, laughter, jokes...seriously? I want to be in one of those rooms!
After 40 minutes of this lie detector test it was over. A huge red stamp reading, "APPROVED" was smashed over the top of our huge folder. REALLY?! I believe I kicked Efren under the table...ever so slightly of course as to not alert the officer. Who knows what she could do at this point, but I don't want to find out. She probably has a red stamp eraser in her drawer. She walks us out and it takes us getting out the door, past security before we feel like we really made it! Whew! YAY!!! 4-8 weeks or possibly sooner is when we were told to expect the green card. Praise the Lord. So many things could have gone wrong, but the Lord got us through! Thank you to everybody who has been praying for us. It feels great to be done with the whole immigration process. Now all we need to do is pray the actual card doesn't get lost in the mail!
Congratulations, my new US Permanent Resident!!

Goin' To The Ship!!!