Shopping and Burger Cook-off

On Friday Mom and I spent the morning walking around Lake City and doing some shopping! We had a great time together and I got some Christmas shopping done! It is is peaceful and beautiful here. The city is just so laid back and the pace here is completely different from in Dallas! My parents talk about how they want to retire here and I haven't ever supported it since it is so far away from me but now that I have spent some time here I love it and totally support them!! Later that night we helped some friends of my parents host a Hamburger Cook-off. It was held out at this outside ampatheater here and there was a band that played all night. We served 3 different hamburgers- a Chipolte Burger, a French Onion Burger, and a Italian Burger and then there were 6 differnt Sutter Homes Wines that were served with the purchase of a ticket plus we had a full bar set up that served other beer and wines. The Chipolte Buger won the contest and so that recipe is now being entered in the Sutter Homes Wine Burger Cook-off and hopefully will be picked for the Championship Contest to be held in California next summer. Here are some pictures from our day.

They call this "The Postage Stamp" (these are the 1st trees in the area to start changing colors)

Of course, I had to visit the local Fire Department!

Seth, Mom, and me getting ready to cook burgers

All the kids behind the bar

This is the couple that own the restaurant and ampatheatre (Hutch and Roxa) and 2 of their kids (Hunter and Neeley)

My family

Final Stephens Family Vacay

Gregg has gone to Galveston as part of a relief team for the Galveston Fire Department (pictures to come once he's back) so I decided to fly to Lubbock to meet up with my parents and take a impromptu mini vacation with them! My little brother Seth's wife has gone to Colorado City for the weekend with friends so, our "original" family- Dad, Mom, Seth, and I- have come to Lake City, Colorado to spend a few days together. The city is having a burger cooking contest tomorrow and the annual Wine and Music Festival on Saturday so we are going to participate in those fun activities while we are here and then on Sunday we are planning on renting a jeep and touring the area or renting 4 wheelers to go play around here! Here are some pictures from today and I will post more pictures as the weekend progresses.

The Aspen Trees are changing colors right now and are so pretty!

The mountains

These are the mouth waters of the Rio Grand River

Seth and I posing for a picture in front of The Rio Grande

Mom and Dad

Lake San Christobal on the outskirts of Lake City, CO

This is our cabin

The Miracle of Birth!

Over my 4 years as an L&D/ NNICU nurse at Parkland I have seen many, many babies being born. I still feel that it is a beautiful and miraculous sight but on Tuesday I got to be a part of a delivery that had God's hand print all over it and it was truly beautiful and miraculous!

This story all started last year. It has a long and very sad background to it so be prepared now. On June 12, 2007 I was working an extra shift from 7pm-11pm in Labor and Delivery before working in the NNICU from 11pm-7am. I went back on a delivery of a 24 week baby boy. The baby was very sick and premature and was taken to the NNICU. When I went to the NNICU at 11pm to work I was assigned care of the baby for that night. Since I was working the following 2 nights also I got to care for the baby those nights. Over those 3 nights I fell for tiny Ricardo who was fighting so hard for life and for his parents. I signed up to be Ricardo's "Primary Nurse" meaning that each shift that I worked I got to take care of him, helping to promote continuity of care and be an advocate for the baby since I would get to know him and his likes/ dislikes so well. Because Ricardo was so very sick he was moved into the only private room that we have in our NNICU so that we could try to control the noise and prevent him from being over stimulated. So, I would spend just about every minute of my 12 hour shift either alone with Ricardo or with Ricardo and his parents Martin and Martha (this was their 3rd pregnancy- the first 2 she miscarried early on). I really got to know these parents and looked forward to work so that I could be around them. Martin and Martha would bring me some incredible Mexican food to eat, they taught me a lot of Spanish and I helped them with their English!

Ricardo lived for 44 days. He was so sick and although he fought very hard he just had too many problems. It was a tough 2 months in the NNICU for all the staff as we all got to know this family so well and were all pulling for this precious baby to survive. His death was probably one of the hardest things that I have been thru because I was so attached to him- he had become a part of me and my life. I helped the family plan the funeral (they didn't live in Dallas and all the funeral homes that we work with were so far away from their house that they wouldn't be able to visit the baby). So I called around until I found a small, family run place that was willing to work with this family and their situation. I went to the funeral and sat beside the Mom and held her hand and cried along with her for her loss.

Because of how much time I spent with this family we became very close and so I have kept in touch with them over this last year. In January I heard from a doctor at the hospital that she had seen Martha and she was pregnant again. I had just talked to her on the phone at Christmas time and she hadn't said anything about it so I decided not to call her and ask her about it but to let her tell me when she was ready. In July Martha called me and told me that she was 36 weeks pregnant (almost full term) and that everything was going great! The doctors decided to admit her to the hospital at 36 weeks, to keep her at Parkland till 38 weeks and then deliver her (she is also a diabetic and so that puts her at a higher risk for a still born baby the longer the pregnancy goes). On August 13 Martha was admitted to our high risk antepartum unnit where I have been able to visit every few days.

On Tuesday morning Martha was taken to the L&D unit and was induced. She was given a Misoprostil pill (for induction) at 9:45am and at 1pm I got the call that she was completely dilated and that I needed to come for the delivery. I got to help coach Martha as she pushed and be there for the delivery. At 1:55pm Tuesday, August 26 baby Alejandro made his appearance in the world. A perfectly healthy 8 lb 1.9 oz baby boy. It was the most joyous and wonderful thing that I have ever been a part of! I really don't think that there was a dry eye in the room when this baby was born. He is just the most beautiful and precious little boy! I saw God at work at Tuesday and over these last 9 months and I do believe that Ricardo has been a guardian Angel keeping watch over his Mom and baby brother. I am so very happy for this family- they do truly deserve this baby and I am so blessed that I got to play a small role in their joyous day!

Day at 6 Flags!

We went to 6 Flags on Wednesday with a couple of my friends from junior high. (The whole group of us went last year and had a blast but some people had to be responsible adults this year and not skip work so there was just 5 of us.) We still had a lot of fun while there and the weather only interfeared with our adventures twice so we were happy! We were able to ride everything that we wanted except for Titan and Tony Hawk which were both closed for repairs- BOOO! My favorite time of the day had to be when all 5 of us squeezed into one of the log chutes on El Aserradero- we were quite the site and I wish we could have taken a picture of us then! Here are a few pictures from our day of child like fun!

We are ready to go!!!

Susan, Gregg, and I on Superman!

Craig and Brynn on Superman

Cowboy Craig riding the bull!


Susan and Craig (in the 3rd car) rode Texas Giant while Brynn, Gregg and I watched


Gregg and I in our cute 3D glasses!

My Parents!!!

Today is my parents 31st Wedding Anniversary! They got married on August 19, 1977 (the same year that they graduated from High School!) My Dad was 19 and my Mom 18. I can't even imagine that- I was no where close to being ready to get married at 18 years old! And now 31 years later they are still together and going strong! As I get ready to take this next step in my life and marry Gregg I look at my parents and the love that they have for each other and always had for my brother and I and I am inspired. I have learned so much from my parents and their relationship and hope that Gregg and I can be just as happy as they are! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Thanks for everything- I love yall!

Save the Date!

We started sending out our "Save The Date" e-mails tonight and I think they are SOOO cute and wanted to post it here!

Make a Smilebox greeting

I’m an Aunt!!! (Officially)

As a lot of you already know, my younger brother, Seth, got married to Brandi last August. On their Wedding Day Seth not only said vows and gave a ring to Brandi but he also said “vows” and gave a ring to Brandi’s 9 year old daughter Bailey. It was the sweetest ceremony that I have ever been a part of! Brandi and Bailey have been a part of our family for about 3 years now (including the time that Seth and Brandi were dating) and I couldn't ask for a better family for Seth. For the last several months they have been working on Seth adopting Bailey (which is just almost as difficult and expensive of a process adopting a child from another country) and on Friday, August 8, 2008 their adoption was finalized!!! My little brother became a DAD! Our whole family is so excited and happy about this! It is hard for me to believe that the little boy who asked my Mom if he could drop out of school in the 4th grade now sits down at the table at night to help Bailey with her homework! He has grown up into a truly wonderful man, husband, and father.

Brandi, Seth and Bailey

Seth and Bailey have their First Dance at the wedding. (I LOVE this picture because she is dancing on his feet!!!)

Bailey "driving" the Fire Truck!