Tag Archives: Family

Mar13

Happy Birthday Pedro!

Posted on March 13, 2017 by iamkaren23

Happy Birthday Pedro!

I was on the phone yesterday morning with a friend from Leavenworth and our conversation turned to how God has done awesome things in our lives by having amazing people cross our paths. In this post I would like to share with you one of these amazing people who came into my life almost four years ago when I lived in Guadalajara.

I had just returned from having my second knee replacement in Winnipeg. While I was glad that I did not have to contend with ice and snow, I was a little apprehensive about leaving my security blanket of medical expertise back in Canada.

I was teaching English at a school in Miravalle and Saturday was Grammar and Conversation Club. One of my new students, Pedro, is a doctor who was an orthopedic surgeon. His specialty? Knee replacements! Of course he often chides me that I should be using a cane and that I walk too much, a very different philosophy than that of my doctor back in Winnipeg.

Pedro is an amazing student. He constantly reads books in English………classic novels, philosophy……….you name it, he is intrigued by it. He also introduced me to Spanish literary works, and encourages me in my quest to become more fluent in this language. Here is a photo of him giving us an anatomy lesson.

And here he is proudly displaying his diploma upon completing a grammar unit.

When I moved to Mazatlan, we kept in touch via Facebook and What’s App. Pedro has also become a loyal follower of my blog posts. And he is now studying French in his constant search for knowledge. And he is an avid cyclist. I snagged this photo of him last month when I was in Guadalajara last month.

Back in January I was faced with the dilemma of where to have cataract surgery. I was not confident with either of the two doctors I had seen here in Mazatlan. And if I went back to Winnipeg I was looking at a surgery date of September for the first eye. My anxiety level was at an all-time high and I could feel a cloud of depression about to descend.

What do I do when I’m upset? I write. So I wrote a blog post called Curve Ball. One of the first comments I received was from Pedro, wanting to know what my problem was. So I messaged him and explained. He asked if he could check around and help me. I agreed and the following day he phoned me with the name and phone number of a colleague at the hospital where he works.

I finally got the courage and entered the number in my cell phone. To my surprise it was a personal number complete with What’s App, rather than an office number. The doctor answered immediately and asked if I wanted to come in the next day. Taken aback, I explained that I needed to organize a few things before I could come to Guadalajara. So we agreed to a time the following week.

The rest is history. The entire experience was a great one, where everything went smoothly. I was impressed with the technology and most of all the professionalism of the staff. Everyone was most attentive, caring and compassionate before, during and after the surgery.

Back to Pedro. He welcomed me into his home, where his daughter gave up her bedroom to me when I stayed there after the surgeries. He accompanied me to my surgery and if I couldn’t see my own kids’ faces immediately upon leaving the recovery room, it was definitely a feel good to see Pedro’s face after the first surgery. Pedro’s wife Maria is also a doctor in an emergency room, and she was there waiting for me when I came out of the second surgery as Pedro had to go back to work. Needless to say, their support means the world to me. I could never have done this without them.

Living in a foreign country with no blood family here, my friends are important to me and they become my family. I am both honored and proud to include Pedro and Maria among them.

I am truly blessed that Pedro came into my classroom that day back in 2013. Today is his birthday so I thought this blog post would be appropriate. I hope you have a fabulous day, Pedro, and an amazing year. Feliz Cumple!

May9

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 9, 2016 by iamkaren23

Happy Mother’s Day

Today is Mother’s Day in many parts of the world although here in Mexico the actual date to celebrate is always May 10th. It’s always a day of reflection for me as my own mother has been gone for twenty years. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think of her and wish I could see her smile or hear her voice one last time. In my heart, it’s always Mother’s Day. It isn’t necessary to designate one specific day a year to honor mothers.

I was fortunate to live in the same city as my mother until the day she died. We lived ten minutes away from each other, talked for hours daily on the phone and saw each other several times a week. My situation with my children is very different because we live in different countries.

I live in Mazatlan now and my children are back in Canada in different provinces. Today my daughter sent me a photo of the two of them at a Blue Jays game in Toronto. How nice that they were able to be together and how thoughtful of them to send me that picture!

The last time the three of us were together on Mother’s Day was in 2009 when my daughter made a lovely brunch for us. I have been able to spend a couple of Mother’s Days with my son when I returned to Winnipeg for visits, most recently last year. I recall other years when my children were small and would make me greeting cards to commemorate this special day. Sometimes there would even be a hand print included with the verse. But what I remember most is their beaming faces and loving hugs.

I had a wonderful day today at the beach and then lounging around the pool at home. But the highlight of my day is this photo.

Kyle and Kimmy, thank you so much for making my day extra special. I hope someday all three of us will be together again on Mother;s Day. Love you lots!

Oct2

My Dream Theory of Life

Posted on October 2, 2015 by iamkaren23

My Dream Theory of Life

They say that cats have nine lives. My dream is that we have three. We need one life to nurture a family, one life for education and a career, and a third life for travel. Wouldn’t it be great to focus on only one area at a time rather than having to juggle it all together?

While I was busy raising a family, I furthered my education and pursued a career, albeit not the one I would have preferred. But that did give me the luxury of staying at home with my children when they were young. I was there to hear their first words, see their first steps and enjoy the blessings of motherhood. I was able to do this because I moved my office to my home and was able to work while my babies napped. I was able to combine family and career. Of course it meant a great deal of strategic planning when I went back to school as I was the main chauffeur, and it was a great help when my son was old enough to drive and could transport himself and his sister around for me. Yes, I was very fortunate. I didn’t have to worry about daycare. But most importantly I was THERE for my children. So many women today miss this opportunity.

But the third life I’d like to dwell on is that of travel. We traveled a fair amount when my children were younger. My son was only four months old the first time he flew on an airplane.By the time my youngest was seven, she had been to Disneyworld three times. We also saw The Alamo in Texas, plantation ruins in South Carolina, Rawhide in Arizona, The Riverwalk in San Antonio, as well as numerous zoos, aquatic parks, theme parks, museums and beaches all over the USA. We were at The Mall of America the week it opened. And there were all those weekend trips to Fargo and Grand Forks. Alas my children became teenagers and our days of family vacations came to an end.

Since I have been living in Mexico, I have met so many young people in their twenties and thirties traveling in Mexico and Central and South America. How I envy them! I would have loved to have thrown a backpack on and traversed through these countries when I was younger. Many have traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia as well. What an education they are receiving! There is no better classroom than THE WORLD! So education can easily be combined with travel. Of course you do need the money, so that’s where a career comes in as well.

I would have preferred three lives; the first and most important being the one devoted to family, the second being a life where we devote ourselves entirely to education and a career, while the third being travel, where we have the unlimited freedom to go where we want whenever we want.

I know I’m dreaming. We only have one life and we need to juggle all three at the same time. But without dreams, life would be just a narrow road leading nowhere.

Jan3

New Years Eve Nostalgia

Posted on January 3, 2015 by iamkaren23

New Years Eve Nostalgia

Another new year has begun with the arrival of 2015. This is a time when people reflect upon their lives and propose various resolutions for the future. It’s also a nostalgic time of year for me.

I remember vividly New Years Eve of 1996. We were in San Antonio, Texas. We had a lovely dinner at Marie Callenders and brought a pie back to our condo. We had one of our friendly family card games. At midnight we toasted 1997 with champagne and watched on television a hotel in Las Vegas being blown up. But it’s a bittersweet memory as it was the last winter vacation we took together as a family. It was also the last time we all rang in a new year together. My children were now teenagers and wanted to spend New Years Eve with their own friends instead.

My first New Years Eve in Mexico in 2010 marked the end of my train trip through the mountains up north. Our tour group had a delicious dinner in the dining room of the hotel in El Fuerte where Zorro was filmed. We then watched some amazing fireworks.

The next year I was back in Culiacan with my Mexican family.

The following year I was in Mexico City with Angie and her family. I met these wonderful people when I was on my train trip two years before.

Last year I welcomed 2014 with my neighbors. And this year I rang in 2015 with my housemates and friends.

We had a lovely dinner together, chatting and listening to music. And at midnight we toasted 2015………Mexico, The Netherlands, Australia and Canada represented.

As for my own resolutions, I have but one. I am determined that 2015 will be the best year ever. I eagerly anticipate the many adventures that lie ahead in the future. I will not stress over the past but will remain rooted in the present.

Feliz Ano Nuevo! Happy New Year!

Nov23

Those Labor Pains Were So Worth It!

Posted on November 23, 2014 by iamkaren23

Thirty-four years ago today I was in the early stages of labor with my first child. Although physically I was in agony, emotionally I was excited. All these months of carrying this baby in utero were about to end. I was finally going to meet this tiny creature who had caused me so much nausea and discomfort. My sleepless nights were over, or so I mistakenly thought. In actuality, they would continue for several more weeks.

My bag had been packed for weeks in anticipation of this event. Gleefully I grabbed it and headed for the car. A short fifteen minute drive later, I was at the hospital and was escorted via a wheelchair to the maternity ward. Thankfully I had already completed the pre-admission process.

Misericordia Hospital in Winnipeg was an old building with standard delivery rooms. Birthing rooms had not yet been invented, at least not in this hospital. The room I was in contained little more than a bed and some monitoring equipment. And of course there were the obligatory crucifixes adorning the wall as a group of nuns had originally founded this facility. And indeed several were still on staff the day I delivered.

I arrived at the hospital that morning, anticipating an experience similar to the one that had been described in pre-natal classes. However it soon became evident that this was not to be. Each shift of nurses assured me that I was fully dilated and that nature would take its course. The doctor advised that the next procedure was to break my waters as time had passed and this hadn’t happened. That was fine with me. I was growing impatient.

But hours later I was still having very regular and extremely painful contractions. I was nauseous and exhausted. While my husband was comfortably seated in a waiting room watching The Grey Cup (Canada’s version of The Superbowl), I was in hell. To his credit he did come in to sit with me occasionally to coach me in my breathing, but no way was he suffering like I was.

At around midnight my doctor started talking C-Section. I was not impressed. I wanted a natural childbirth as I had prepared for in the pre-natal classes. By some miracle, (possibly my baby realized my exasperation), my son turned and moments later the head crowned. My son Kyle Isaac entered the world at 12:25 am on November 24th.

Rooming in was not an option in those days. Every few hours a nurse would bring my baby into my room for me to nurse. And those quiet times were treasures. He would look up at me with his gorgeous brown eyes that spoke volumes. “You brought me into this scary world so please take care of me.”

And I have done my best to care for him and help him grow over the years. Nursing him, hearing his first words and watching his first steps were only the beginning. He started school and then took skating, swimming and piano lessons. He joined Beavers and then Cub Scouts. And he discovered five-pin bowling which became his focus for many years. He learned to play the clarinet and then became a sensational drummer. Riding his first bike all too soon began driving his first car. After several graduations, he has settled comfortably into a career as a Chartered Accountant. And just over two years ago he had his first house built.

Kyle, I am so very proud of you and all that you have accomplished. The difficult pregnancy and painful labor were well worth it. I couldn’t ask for a better and more loving son.

We may live thousands of miles apart but when I talk to you on the phone tomorrow, the distance will vanish. I love you and I hope that all your wishes and dreams come true next year and always.

Happy Birthday!