Allergy testing.. Warning: Graphic Photos!

Yesterday I went to Albuquerque for my first allergy test. They also are an asthma place too, and not only am I allergic to the world, but my asthma was pretty bad yesterday, as well. The air in the little parts of my lungs was only at 33%, so they gave me some puffs of an inhaler and that bumped me up to 82%.... concluding that I need to take a regular inhaler.

Then came the fun part... the allergy testing. They made a grid on my back and tested me for 82 different things ranging from the things that grow in NM to animals and food. That part actually wasn't horrible, except that it REALLY itched and you couldn't move or scratch it at all. After that part was over came the yucky part. Anything that had a mixed reaction, where it wasn't really a hive, but they wanted to make sure you were allergic to it, they injected it deeper into the skin to see how you reacted. They did this process on my arms and I had about 25. One arm was MUCH worse than the other! Here are some pictures of both my back and my arm! (after they test you have to wait like 10-15 minutes to see the reaction... I was bored!)




It turns out I am allergy to EVERY tree they tested me for, except Oak. I am not allergic to any animals, except Cats. I am Really allergic to dust. I am allergic to all of the grass, weeds, and fungus/algae that they tested me for. And I am not allergic to any food accept I had a slight reaction to wheat! That being said I am sitting here eating a bowl of wheat free cereal (yucky) to try and see if helps me at all. Because I was soo allergic to soo many different things, my main route will probably be allergy shots. The only issue is our insurance is not that great when it comes to the shots, so we will see. Anyway, I thought I would share my allergy visit! :)

Weekend

Whew, what a Whirlwind!

This weekend we went to Colorado Springs for our friends, Travis and Ashlee's wedding. We both took Friday off of work and left that morning. We stopped in Albuquerque on the way to pick up my new glasses. 8) I have been sporting glasses instead of contacts for about year now, because of my extremely dry eyes (booo...). The last time I went to Albuquerque and met up with my parents, we stopped to look at the glasses at Sam's Club. They had these stylish frames that had magnet sunglasses that go with them and my parents decided to buy them for me for my birthday! :) After we picked them up... so I could wear them for the weekend, of course, he headed North.

Anyway, after making only a couple stops to eat and pee and all that fun stuff we got to Colorado Springs, which is only a little over 6 hours from us. After we checked into our hotel we called up the bride and groom and went out for some drinks with them, to celebrate the night before their wedding. I think they really needed that as a stress reliever, but doesn't every couple the night before their wedding?!

Saturday, before the wedding we headed to Castle Rock, a town about 30 minutes from Colorado Springs. Our main purpose of going there was an outlet mall! I have NEVER been to an outlet mall and I already can't wait to go back! I have been wanting a new handbag and it turns out this mall had a Coach outlet store...sigh... *heaven*. I felt pretty bad for Ryan, but they were having an AMAZING sale....2 handbags later and then a quick trip to the Banana Republic we headed back to Colorado Springs to get ready for the wedding.

Their wedding was the first one we have been to since our very own wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony in the mountains and we all missed getting poured on by about 5 minutes! The reception was a BLAST!! Free alcohol and good dance music... Ryan and I danced the night away. The photographer came up to us when we were leaving and told us we tore up the dance floor and that he took a ton of pictures of us, so that outta be interesting!

And finally we drove all day Sunday and got back at 6. Whew!! I actually have tomorrow off as well, but only because I am going to Albuquerque for a 2 hour allergy test. I am excited to see what I am allergic to, but I am a little nervous at the same time. I will probably blog about that when I get back manana. Anyway, that was MY weekend... a New purse, new clothes, a wedding and a fun trip with my husband... couldn't get any better!

Update on my new job...

So I started my new/old job this week.

Monday was amazing! I went to Albuquerque, with the other new guy and we filled out all the millions of paperwork that is required for a federal job. Everyone in Albuquerque was very excited to see and they all welcomed me back. It was a great day!

Tuesday, was not so great. I met up with my supervisor so he could give me my schedule. When I accepted the job, and when I applied I asked if I was going to have to work weekends, because I love my weekends with my husband. If I had to work every single weekend, I wasn't going to accept the job. I was told by Albuquerque that I would NOT have to work every weekend. I was told it was going to be either every other weekend or every fourth weekend and THAT I can handle. Yesterday, when I got the schedule... it had me scheduled for EVERY weekend. I was SOO upset, I cried on my second day. :( I talked about it with my super and then I had to call Albuquerque as well. I was told that Albuquerque would talk to my super and I had to wait. What a scary and frustrating day! I was soo embarrassed that I cried, how sucky. And I was thinking maybe I made a mistake and maybe I shouldn't have taken the job.

Wednesday I show up and my Supervisor immediately calls me into his office. He rehashed the schedule and can give me Sundays and Mondays off, but I will have to work EVERY Saturday. He explained to me that Albuquerque made a mistake. I have 3 options, I can take the old schedule, with my days off being Tues and weds. I could take the new schedule with Sun and Mon off. OR I could protest my schedule and make a big ole deal about how I was promised every other weekend off. I had to call Albuquerque and they apologized up and down for the mistake. What a nightmare.

I still don't know what I am going to do. However, I have a 4 day weekend (believe it or not) that I can thing about it. Ryan and I are going to Colorado this weekend for a friend's wedding and we are leaving early Friday morning. We have a long drive ahead of us, so I am sure we will have plenty of time to think about it. Work gave me until Tuesday to make my decision.

So that is how my new job is going. HA! :)

Baby Isabella

Meet my new baby cousin!



We had a GREAT weekend in Albuquerque, but by far the biggest highlight was getting to see Isabella, or Baby Bella as I like to call her. I went to my Uncle's house around lunch time on Saturday and before we ate I got to assist in giving Baby Bella a bath! After she was squeaky clean I got to hold her for the very first time! She is just adorable! Like most newborns, she slept most of the time we were there, but that didn't stop me from taking a million pictures of her. Ha! She hardly cried and seemed like such a good little baby girl. I can't wait to see her grow!

Here are some more pictures:

Already?

My two week vacation is almost over. I can't believe it! Where did it go? :(

Last week went by fairly fast because I had a lot to do, especially having Ryan's sisters for part of the week and babysitting the kids next door. However, this week...well, I am trying hard to figure out what happened to it! I cleaned my house, my bathrooms especially, I organized some cabinets in my kitchen and my bathroom closet. I reorganized my closet and shoes. And I have been cooking a lot more... But... hmm... that is about it. I do have a hair apt and an eye apt today. But it just seems like this week flew by and I didn't really do anything productive or fun! Ha!


Today after my apts I am planning on baking a cake or two, we finally got NEW neighbors next door, (replacing the ones we didn't really like, with the mean ole dog that used to jump the fence) they moved in yesterday. I figured I would give them a day to get settled, so today when Ryan gets home from work, I hope to have a cake baked and will bring it by to welcome them to the neighborhood. When we moved in a YEAR ago, we were very thankful and felt very welcome when people came over with food welcoming us to the neighborhood and I'd like to keep that tradition going!

AND we should have a fairly fun weekend. Ryan's company is having a baseball day at Isotopes Park. They gave all their employees tickets to the game and will do a barbecue there. Since it is Father's day weekend we invited my parents to come to the game with us... and we also decided to spend the night in Albuquerque, so we don't have to drive after the game and so we can spend Father's day together on Sunday in Albuquerque. We also plan to visit baby Isabella :) and I imagine a trip to the casino will be in store as well, since my parents LOVE gambling.

Then Monday... I start work. Eeek!!

More Baby-ness

She is HOME! Baby Isabella left the hospital this afternoon after a week's stay in the NICU. I am glad she is healthy and I am very excited she is HOME!!! Here is a picture my Aunt snapped of her in her car seat, for her first car ride.



I look forward to more pictures of her and I anticipate taking some pictures this weekend of her as well! We are planning on visiting them this weekend and I can't wait to hold that precious angel!

Weekend

We had a fairly eventful weekend this past weekend.

Our weekend started when Ryan got off work Friday, we were supposed to head to Socorro, but we took a detour to Albuquerque, so we could meet baby Niko! What a cute baby boy! I could have held him FOREVER, he was just adorable. And of course we enjoyed spending time with his brother Diego and his parents too! :) Here is a picture of the new baby boy the day he was born, I forgot my camera when we went to visit him...



After our visit we headed to Socorro, like planned. Ryan's mom and sisters are moving to Utah, so we went down to help her load up a moving truck with all of her stuff. Well, I didn't actually do very much work, but Ryan did a lot and I helped out when I could. We also acquired a lot of stuff that she couldn't pack, like food (tons of green chili!!!), cleaning supplies, and bath and body lotions! :) We also took Ryan's brother's truck back with us and his four wheeler.

I have been unloading boxes all day and cleaning out our freezer to make room for the green chili... which there can never be enough of!

Their moving company came today to drive her stuff to Utah and she will be stopping by our house this evening for a pit stop in their drive there. I am really going to miss them being in the same state as us, especially my sister in laws, who I love like my very own sisters! I know we will still see them a couple times a year or so, but it definitely won't be the couple times a month like we are all used to.

Anyway, I just finished baking a feast and I am looking forward to my last visit with my sister in laws and mother in law for a while.I will probably cry, because it is an emotional time of the month for me.... lol but I hope they have a safe trip and find happiness in Utah.

Baby #2 for the week

My friend Dawn had her baby today!

I am SOO excited for her! She did not know what she was having and I joked with her, during her ENTIRE pregnancy that she was going to have a girl (she already has a son, Diego, who will be 3 next week!). I mean I flat out only referred to the baby as a girl for the first couple of months.... if not longer. Then one day I saw a picture of her pregnant and I thought that her bump didn't look like a girl and I knew it would be a boy... but still hoped for a girl. lol.

She went into labor this morning text-ed me this afternoon with a simple: It's a...
I called her and her response was, "It's a Baby!" That brat! lol And then her next response was, It's a Boy! I am soo excited for her and for her family and I can't wait to meet her new baby boy!

Welcome, baby Niko Santiago Chavez!

Ironically Dawn is in the SAME hospital as I was in just YESTERDAY, visiting Baby Isabella. I missed her and Baby Niko by one day! Sigh... its ok though, I shall see them this weekend! :)

Update on Isabella: She is still in the NICU and won't be out until early next week. The Dr's are now treating her for pneumonia because of the fluid in her lungs and are now limiting her visitors to just her parents.

Baby

Isabella Grace Conticelli was born June 8, 2009 weighing in at 6 pounds and 9 ounces and was 19.5 inches long.

She actually had quite a few complications coming out, even though she was delivered via C-section. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and the placenta was in the wrong place. Her mom lost a lot of blood during the process, but is ok. Isabella was diagnosed with Transient tachypnea, which isn't too uncommon with babies that are delivered via C-section and she is also having a hard time eating. Transient tachypnea pretty much is fluid retained in the lungs from the womb. She was having a really hard time breathing, so they put her in the NICU and she probably won't be released for a couple of days.

TODAY, I was lucky enough to get to visit her in the NICU. She is in a little incubator thingy and has all kinds of things hooked up to her. She has the most beautiful little baby face I have ever seen, I mean, just beautiful. She has little tiny ears, a full head of dark hair and the cutest little lips. I saw her and fell in love. She was just perfect. I couldn't hold her at all, nor could I take any pictures. I rubbed her little head, touched her soft skin, admired her little toes and pretty much just stared at her in awe! Lol.

So say a little prayer for Isabella for us that she will feel better and get out of the hospital soon. Her momma gets to go home tomorrow evening, but while I was there the Dr. came by and said that Isabella isn't really improving as fast as they would have liked her too and she may have to stay awhile longer.

I just hope this little angel is better soon so she can go home where she belongs!

Here is the only picture I have, taken right after she was born. I assure you, this picture does not do her justice, she looks different and much prettier in person! lol!

Vacation

So Friday at 6, my vacation officially began. I don't start my BLM job until June 22, giving me about 2 weeks off. However, my first week is pretty much already booked! Lol.

We decided to use our new pop up camper and go camping this weekend. Ryan's brother and his girlfriend came up and brought Ryan's sisters for the weekend and we all went camping! We had such an amazing time! Ryan brought his ATV, so we went on a ton of ATV rides and we hiked all around the Mountains, we roasted marshmallows mmmmmm..., we had tin foil dinners on the fire and we watched bats fly around the campfire! We all had a really great time!

Yesterday when we got back everyone was relaxing, I took the girls next door to play with the kids next door for awhile while I was preparing a feast. We ended up having the next door neighbors over for dinner because the kids were getting along so well. We had grilled chicken and shrimp, corn on the cob, home made salsa, potatoes, brownies and the neighbors brought over lemon cake! We had a really great time with everyone! The kids decided they wanted to try to sleep in the camper outside, but they only lasted until about 10:45pm... I could have bet money on that one! Ha!

The girls are staying with us until Tuesday and Ryan's brother leaves today.

Oh!!! Baby Isabella is supposed to come into the world today!! :D Tuesday I am taking the girls to Albuquerque and we are going to meet up with my mom who is going to drive the girls back to Socorro. Of course we are going to stop by and see the new baby and my Aunt and Uncle! Ooooh I can't wait to see what that little baby looks like!

Weds, I am having lunch with my old teller friends and Thursday I am babysitting the girls next door and then this weekend we are going to Socorro to help Ryan's mom move.

Anyway, that sums up my first week of vacation... I hope my second week is a little more laid back!

I will probably post another blog about Baby Isabella, once I hear word... She should be here by noon! :)

Last Day

So Friday was officially my last day at Grants State Bank. I must say I was pretty sad to leave, in fact I almost shed a tear! They had cake and fruit for me in the morning, before we opened, which was very nice, all the tellers made a card for me and told me how much they were going to miss me...(that was when I almost shed a tear!) and they also offered to take me to lunch, but I had to go home during my lunch break to prepare for my weekend, so that didn't work out... but the thought was very nice.

I sent a goodbye email after lunch, thanking them for the opportunity to work there and for accepting me as a friend and a team member and I got probably about a dozen emails in response. The president came by before the end of the day and shook my hand. He told me that if something ever happens with my new job, to give him a call and he would gladly take me back. So I guess I ended things peacefully with the bank. I don't feel like I have burned any bridges and I definitely feel like I have made many new friends! In fact on Wednesday I am going to lunch with my 2 of my favorite tellers, Kristy and Jenifer! :)

Soccer

My soccer teams had a big tournament this past week to see who was the top teams in their league. My teams both did REALLY awesome! My little kids the 8-10 year olds remained undefeated for the entire season and tournament. They ended 10-0 and won the gold medal in the tournament! I am soo proud of those little kids. They were epitome of a TEAM. There was nobody on there that I can say was the very best player on the team. Individually they each have their strengths, but as a team these guys are unstoppable. I really love them!! This was also the team that Bailey was their mascot. I think I got asked by every single kid this weekend, when their mascot was coming to their game. Well, she came, but she wasn't interested in taking pictures because there were a couple of other dogs on the field that she just had to stare at!
And I have no idea who the kid in front of me is...





My 12-14 year olds ended their season 9-2 and also won the gold medal in their league... although their games were a little closer. They are pretty much opposite than my little kids. They have one player that is just AWESOME... he has mad skills and the whole team relies on him. He is definitely going to be an all star someday that I had the honor to coach. But, Not to leave the rest of the team out, I must admit every single kid improved incredibly from their very first games. I really had some favorites on the team and some kids that I will really miss. For the majority of them being 14 year old boys, they were all surprisingly respectful and good kids... I even got some hugs after their last game. However, after 4 soccer games in one day and a brutal sun burn, I forgot to bring my camera along for the very last game... so I don't have any pictures of them!

I really enjoyed myself coaching this year. Above all, I hope that I taught them something, I hope they had fun and I hope that maybe I was a little bit of a role model for them. Because I know that they taught me something and I had a ton of fun hanging out with them 3 - 5 hours a week for the past several months!