Church of the Madalene

             

And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him and said, arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee.  And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.  1 Kings 19:7

This was the first reading from the August 12^th Mass.  My heart smiled as I felt these words embrace my family.  After each Mass on the weekend of August 11-12^th the parishioners hosted a bake sale.  The Madalene Social Concerns Committee sold “Team Diego” wrist bands as a reminder to pray for Diego and his doctors on a daily basis.  In addition, the Women of the Madalene sold their Tastes of Yesterday & Today cookbooks throughout the bake sale.   All proceeds benefited Diego’s Heart Fund to assist with the medical and travel expenses to Boston. But even more, the parishioners of the Madalene saw that Diego’s heart journey was too great for us to walk alone.  Their gift provided nourishment for our soul that will strengthen us along Diego’s heart journey.  We are grateful and blessed to be a part of the Madalene parish. 

Less than Perfect

This morning, Saturday, August 11, 2012 Diego’s soccer team had a scrimmage.  On the way home from the scrimmage Diego was struggling with the fact that he would not be playing in the fall soccer season because of his upcoming surgery.  He asked, “Mom, did you want to have a child with a defect”.  That question hit me hard, right in the stomach.  During the years when my husband, Cesar, and I were dating I told Cesar that if a child had to be born less than perfect that I was one of God’s warriors…I could handle it…I could take care of a child with a defect.  I don’t know why I felt that way, but I did.  So when Diego asked me this question I was reminded of that conversation between my husband and I over 15 years ago.  I told Diego that no mother ever wants their child to struggle with any type of defect, but that I always knew that I was strong enough to help my child if they were not perfectly created. 

Interestingly, last night my Dad and I were watching a YouTube video of how the human heart is developed in utero.  At the end of the video my Dad and I both commented that given the precise development that must occur that it is amazing that any heart develops perfectly.  The human body is truly a miracle and should be cherished and appreciated.  If you have children, whether they are perfectly created or not, please hold them and know that they are a precious gift from God that should be cherished forever!

Blueberry Muffins

Typically my second meal each day is a whole wheat bread.  I have found that eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast followed by a whole wheat muffin or slice of bread 2-3 hours later will help curve my appetite and sustain my energy level during the day.  I like to bake muffins or a loaf of bread over the weekend to eat throughout the week.  I have several recipes that I enjoy, but this blueberry muffin recipe is one of my favorites. 

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups of whole wheat pastry flour

¼ cup of ground flaxseed

½ cup sucanat

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 cups of fresh blueberries washed and dried thoroughly

½ cup of chopped pecans

1 large egg

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

3 tbsp virgin coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

In a large bowl mix the flour, sucanat, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda

Gently fold blueberries and pecans into the dry mixture

Bring buttermilk to room temperature in a medium bowl

Whisk egg and coconut oil into the buttermilk

Gently fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients being careful not to over work the batter

Fill each muffin cup with ¾ cup of batter

Bake for 16-18 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick, inserted in the center, comes out clean

Remove from oven and let cool before gently removing muffins from tin

The Best Day Ever!



OU Cheerleaders & Diego

 

Our dear friends, Cliff and Debbie, wanted to do something special for Diego before his upcoming surgery date.  Little did they realize that Diego would proclaim this day as the best day of his life!  Cliff and Debbie are devout OU Sooner fans.  So, they invited Diego to the Sooner Caravan on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 in Oklahoma City. 

Diego was thrilled to meet the following OU coaches:  Bob Stoops, Sherri Coale, and Lon Kruger.  He received an autograph photo from each coach and had Bob Stoops autograph his brand new OU football.  He even had his picture taken with the OU horses, Boomer and Sooner!

In addition, he took pictures with some of the OU cheerleaders and pom squad.  Diego was especially fond of the cheerleader on the right in the above picture, Morgan Pistole.  Diego called me from the event to tell me that he met the cheerleaders.  He said, “Mom, they knew about my surgery!”  Morgan explained to Diego that she recently had to have surgery.  She told him not to worry because he was going to be just fine. 

Diego arrived home late Wednesday evening full of energy and talking non-stop about his fun filled day.  His eyes were glowing as he showed us his autographed photos, football, and even some balloons he brought home.  He slowly started to unwind as he retold the events of the evening.  As Diego was saying his prayers and drifting off to sleep he sighed, “I wonder when I will ever have a day better than this.”  Sweet dreams son and thank you Debbie and Cliff for giving Diego the best day ever! 

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!



When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

This familiar quote could not be more appropriate.  When I set off on the surgical path to Boston I did it with great hesitation.  I didn’t know how we could financially afford Diego’s medical treatment and travel expenses.  I never imagined finding such an enormous support embracing my family.  The Awesome Sipes Boys and the Marvelous O'Connor Girls had a lemonade stand open from 2:30 until 5:00 on Monday, July 23, 2012. The donations they received will help with our expenses to Boston for Diego’s upcoming surgeries. They also had Team Diego Bracelets for sale at the lemonade stand for $5.  I feel deeply blessed to be a part of such an amazing community of friends and families.  With a humble heart I thank you for your love and generosity!

Operation PA Wrist Band: Angels Among Us

Mission:  “I want to live to be at least 100 years old”

In order for you to fully grasp this operation I have to provide you with a little background knowledge.  I’m an introvert.  My motto has always been “Pull up your big girl panties and deal with it!”  I’m not a big fan of reaching out to others for help.  This would take a few pots of coffee to discuss so we won’t go into that right now.   Another bit of information, I like things to fit perfectly in a box.  Sometimes I think God gets his giggles by pushing me out of my box. 

Up until about 1 year ago not very many people even knew that my son had a CHD.  Slowly, I felt my walls caving in and I was forced to start reaching out to others for help.  Looking back, I realize that God surrounded my family with angels.  These angels have pushed me out of my box, forced growth on many levels, and shown me even more shades of God’s grace. 

The most recent angels, well let’s just call them the real Blitz Soccer Stars, are carrying out this operation; The Wassons (Diego’s awesome soccer coach), The Walkers, and The Burdens.  Together they created wrist bands that they are selling in support of Diego’s upcoming PA band operation.  The support is both financial and emotional.  They are asking that buyers wear the wrist bands until Diego returns home from his PA band operation.  In Diego’s speech he explained that his first surgery is to have a band, similar to a rubber band, placed on his pulmonary artery.  At the end of the speech Diego encourages everyone to eat healthy and exercise because he wants to at least live to be 100 years old and he knows you do too!  The Blitz Soccer Stars had his quote printed on a narrow wrist band and “Blitz Soccer Star…Diego” printed on a thick wrist band.  The Operation PA Wrist Band has already become a visual reminder for Diego that he has the love and support of many angels around him.  The first thing he said to me this morning was, “Mom, did you wear your wrist band all night?”  Comment below if you would like to support Diego and help him accomplish his mission. 



Operation PA Wrist Band



Jumping for Joy!!!

I did it….it’s official…I regained my living room back and all thanks to my middle daughter, Lucia.  We are a family of 5 living in a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home.  My 2 youngest children, Lucia and Diego, have shared a room together for the past 9 years.  During this past winter Lucia took a stand!  She was refusing to live in the same room with her brother any longer.  She developed and presented multiple options to solve her problem.  After much consideration, Cesar and I decided we would enlist the help of our brother-in-law to convert the garage into Diego’s Cave. 

Diego wanted to spend his saved money on a TV for his room.  I’ve never been a big fan of my children having electronics in their bedroom, but the more I thought about this the more I realized it would be nice to no longer have a multitude of gaming systems in control of the living room.  Reluctantly this weekend, I gave in and let Diego buy a TV for his room. 

A few weeks ago my cousin encouraged me to purchase a mini trampoline.  She has been using it for a while now to increase muscle tone and as a cardio workout.  This morning, I felt rejuvenated when I came into the living room and did not have to fight for my time to jump.  Therefore this morning I set a goal to jump each day for Diego’s heart until we leave for his first surgery on August 26^th, which is Lucia’s birthday.   42 days of jumping has begun, wish me luck!