Experiencing both sides of the generational fence

 

Mamae as a child 100 years ago

If there was one thing I have always wanted to do if Mamae was still alive would be to introduce her to the internet. I bet she would have loved the ability to chat with people from different countries or find that her inbox was filled with daily recipes for her to try…or critique. I have always heard from my mother that Mamae was an excellent cook. Not just excellent but rivaling with the likes of Anthony Bourdain, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck or Jamie Oliver. She was that good. Believe me when I tell you I have heard plenty of stories.

I was lucky enough to be born in a time when we didn’t have to worry about checking-in to our parents every 15 minutes to be sure that we are safe. We came home from playing hide-and-go-seek or ghost-in-the-graveyard well after the streetlights turned on. We were able to drink out of a garden hose and not have our parents worry if there is some kind of metallic poison running through the water hose. I can remember living in Ft. Carson, CO as a six year old sitting in the front seat of the car without a seatbelt.

But I am also very lucky to be a part of the technological age. There is no way I could live without my laptop or cell phone. I have departed ways with the days of cable television (or even rabbit ears for that matter). Like everyone else in the 21^st century, my home phone is not attached to the wall…except when its charging. Even my own mother, who is a proud member of the ‘baby boomers’, would not be able to survive without her Netflix running through her Wii on her smartTV. Still…she needs her cable in her life. That is probably the only thing from her past that she still holds dear to her heart. I, however am trying to break free from the

I’ve always been an old cat lady.

cable company. Have you ever met a person in their 60s that texts with their loved ones on a regular basis? She Facetimes us when we are giving the baby a bath or other times when Victoria does something new and wonderful.

 

Technology is a wonderful thing so far. And I am so glad I got to experience both sides of the fence.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/16/grandparent-skills_n_5454383.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

http://listdose.com/top-10-best-chefs-world/

Baby..It’s a Polar Vortex outside!

This has been an exceptionally long two weeks. First, my daughter had a prenatal appointment scheduled for 8 A.M. 20 minutes away from our house. A few days later we, like much of the Northwestern hemisphere, got to experience what is called the Polar Vortex of 2014. Like you, I have never been in a Polar Vortex. So, with my inquisitive mind, I decided to investigate about this amazing meteorological phenomenon and I have come to understand what it is and how it has affected me and the community around me.

During the Polar Vortex it was safe to assume that most, if not all of the population in my small town had stayed inside. The wind chill was brutally cold for the most of us (even my friends and family down in South Florida got to experience this!) and the wind currents seemed to strike you down through to your soul, it was that bad. Fortunately my daughter and I had to (and I hate these words) hunker down before this atmospheric episode was upon us by shopping for the staples that we needed to fill our cupboards and refrigerator.. But what makes it such a tremendous scenario?

The reason why it is such a tremendous scenario is because I grew up in a place where cyclones were the norm. This is not a tropical cyclone for what I am used to. This is a winter storm of epic proportions. So this has sparked my interests. I mean, come on! It was so cold in some parts of Canada that it brought on an earthquake in the tundra region. That must have been so frightening for the residents of that area. I’m pretty sure the citizens of the area in this day and age aren’t used to that sort of thing. Not only are they not used to earthquakes but did you know that the temperature in some parts of Canada was lower, (yes lower) than the not-too-distant planet of Mars. Can you believe this??

What I REALLY can’t believe is that my daughter was having a craving at 10 A.M.!! So as any good mother would do, I began to wrap my scarf around my neck, wore my cap and managed to find both my gloves while I took my heavy coat out of the closet. She wanted a jar of dill pickles and she ‘had to have them’. I walk downstairs to the outside of my building and struggle to breathe the low-density in the air. As I am passing the naked trees and bushes, a current of bone-chilling wind blows through my body and makes me lose my breath.

She better believe how much I love her. 🙂

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/13/polar-vortex-scariest-word_n_4589975.html?utm_hp_ref=green

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/09/polar-vortex-strange-stories_n_4557126.html

 

A Survivor’s Story During the Season

On a winter’s day in 2005, she gave birth to a beautiful daughter Lily Rose. Three month later, she was diagnosed with a life-altering disease called Pleural Mesothelioma. Knowing this is the beginning of a long and tiresome journey, her husband  and my friend searched to find the best treatment care for Mesothelioma available. The three finally crossed paths with a renowned mesothelioma surgeon named Dr. David Sugarbaker based in Boston at the Brigham and Women’s hospital.

As a seven-year mesothelioma cancer survivor, she has made it her mission to help other victims of mesothelioma around the world. Raising awareness for other’s that are going through this, she is sharing her personal story in hopes that one day no one will have to go through this terrible and life-altering cancer. Here is her story.

                             See more at: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/#.UrB-wGRDvPw