Don't watch the NEWS...

I have once again realized why I shouldn't watch the news...

It all started in 1999 while watching the evening news I found out that a dear high school friend of mine, Erik Ortega died while surfing. Then a few years later I heard that an old boyfriend of mine, Billy Agnello was killed in PB...

After that I swore off the news... and yet I still watch it. I don't know if it is to be entertained or informed...

After having Franco all the 'nanny cam' stories started to make me panic... so Hermann and I decided that I should stay home and raise our son. But then the stories about infants (newborns) and very young children being harmed by the very people who are supposed to protect them started to appear...

And then today... I won't go into the details... but a young mother's son did not survive and I have had enough...

NO MORE NEWS!!

My darling son...

My darling son, Franco Ulysses was born on December 2, 2007. I cannot even begin to describe the joy that he has brought to my life. He wakes up with a smile and continues to laugh and smile all day long... he has his moments but don't we all.

Even when he is crying... I will catch a light in his eyes that makes me smile. I am thankful that I have him in my life.

Starting again...

The reason why my blog is titled "Starting Again" is due to the fact that my life has started to be full... In 2004 I lost my grandfather (a great man who gave me my first car... a 1967 Ford Mustang) and my beloved dog, Rocky, of 18 years... that was also the year that I graduated from college, got married, and my father was diagnosed with cancer.

It was a very busy year with many ups and downs. In 2005, my marriage ended and I lost my job. But losing my job meant that I could devote all my time to taking care of my father. I spent a month and a half by my fathers side watching the SciFi channel all day at the hospital until he lost his battle with cancer in May.

I moved home and found a job (that I hated) and returned to school to pursue my dreams of becoming an interior designer. I quit my job and went back to Starbucks. Things were going great... I was making new friends and then in December my other grandfather passed away. I was devastated... all the men in my life were gone...

Then I met Hermann... my assistant manager at Starbucks (who I was not supposed to be dating...). We would go salsa dancing every week and make the trip to Long Beach once a week to see my favorite band, Knyght Ryder. We decided to move in together about a year later and within a week of moving in, I found out that I was pregnant.

Franco was born in December 2007 and I realized that even though I had lost all the men in my life... they were slowly being returned to me. I had my beloved Hermann to hold me close when I cried... and my darling Franco to stare into my eyes and know I am there for him.

I am truly grateful to get the chance to start again...