Azucena's Blog
Here are Azucena's thoughts and ramblings and personal news on a variety of topics.
Texas GOP Convention June 12-14, 2008, Houston Texas
Azucena was selected as an alternate delegate to the GOP convention in 2008. She took little Doug (aka Doug III) along for the ride.
Heading to Charlotte
Randy and I are sitting in the Admiral's club waiting for our flight. We're going first class, BABY! We were very excited last night, making sure we packed everything we needed and I think we did a pretty good job. We only checked one bag and the rest is carryon. As we went to bed, it felt like Christmas eve, we almost couldn't get to sleep but we did. The one thing I am a little jealous about is the fact that he will get to attend the driver crew chief meeting before the race. How cool is that?? We've gotten a couple of autograph requests and naturally its for the drivers who are really hard to get, but we'll do our best. The plan for the rest of the day is to get to Charlotte, pick up our rented RV, drive it to Lowes Motor Speedway and park it. We might go to the dirt track race tonight and then head to the hotel. Why a hotel when we got an RV? Well, at the time we thought we were going to have a trailer setup on Thursday since it was the only non-luxury RV available at the time from one Charlotte Rental place. I didn't realize after I rented it that it didn't have a generator which means no electricity. Luckily he accidentally double booked that and found us a better deal with another RV place not too far from the airport. This one we can drive and it does have a generator.
The Catholic Vote
A friend sent me a link to this good video. You can find more information at http://www.catholicvote.com/ You can also find an excellent voting guide from Texas Alliance for Life which can be used in the voting booth as well as distributed at churches. Here's a link:http://www.texasallianceforlife.org/PDF/2008General/TAL_Voter_Guide_NOV_...
The Bailout and the Economy
I heard one of the best descriptions of the current financial crisis on Relevant Radio this morning. Fr. Robert Sirico from the Acton Institute (www.acton.org) had a compelling argument against the bailout. I would also strongly recommend Relevant Radio to anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith, just go to www.relevantradio.com and listen online if you don't have a local station. I love how they keep us up to date with what's going on in the world in addition to what's going on in the Church.
A Saturday without Randy
Randy's out of town visiting his Dad and helping him learn how to use his new computer. His other brothers also decided to show up and so they're having a boys weekend, playing golf. He called me this afternoon to tell me he got a hole in one. Pretty cool! I can tell he's having fun because I can hear the dimples in his voice. Since Randy's out, I invited Evelyn and Kymmie over for a girl's night. I made jambalaya, Evelyn brought wine and we watched chick flick. It was nice. This morning I had my first experience block walking in a political race. What is block walking? It's going to neighborhoods, knocking on doors, talking to complete strangers about a local candidate. If you know me at all, you know it wasn't much of a stretch for me. Well time to hit the sack so I can getup early to visit the Nursing Homes.Please oppose the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)
Please contact your senators and representatives to oppose FOCA. It took me all of 10 minutes to do from the comfort of my computer. Here is a sample letter from Texas Alliance for Life that you can use, although the one I used is close to what I sent to President Elect Obama at the bottom of this blog. "I ask you to strongly oppose the so-called Freedome of Choice Act. This bill seeks to expand Roe v. Wade. This radical bill would make abortion-on-demand our nation's policy. It would strike down Texas statues such as parental consent laws that give parents an opportunity to help their young daughters who are faced with crisis pregnancies. It would require me to fund abortion with my tax dollars. Please publicly oppose this bill" If you are in the Round Rock area, your contacts probably are US Representative John CarterDistrict 31www.house.gov/carter202-225-3864 Senators U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Does not have a prolife record)www.hutchison.senate.govPh: 202-224-5922F: 202-224-0776 U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (Excellent prolife record)www.cornyn.senate.govPh: 202-224-2934Fax: 202-228-2856 Please also consider joining Texas Alliance for Life. They provide you with a means to learn the latest legislation and contact your government to support life causes. You can learn more about them at www.TexasAllianceforLife.org. This is what I wrote to Mr. Obama, who can be contacted via www.change.gov Please reconsider your stance on the FOCA. Abortion is the hidden holocaust. One in four pregnancies now end in abortion and why? There is no longer a stigma associated with unwed pregnancies. There are social programs to assist. Adoption is still an option. There was a time when Jews were considered less than human. There was a time when Blacks were considered less than human. Please don't let your legacy be, continuing the belief that the unborn are less than human. Let those who have ears hear. We will be praying for you. God Bless!Azucena OvermanWays to give this Christmas Season (And all year long)
I just wanted to plug some local charities that I support but there are so many to choose from. With the economic crisis, those of us who are blessed need to share more than ever now.
Just Because - A program where you can sponsor a family by providing a box of groceries and Christmas gifts for the child. Gifts are dropped off on Friday, December 19th and the families pick them up on Saturday December 19th. Randy and I are sponsoring a family of five children being raised by a grandmother. We called her to confirm the ages of the kids and she said we were making her Christmas. It is amazing how little it takes to make a difference in people's lives. http://www.austindiocesemedicalmission.org/justbecause.html
Saint Vincent De Paul Society - provides food, help with electricity and guidance on how to get people back on their feet. Their food pantries are open on Mondays? and Fridays. http://currentnews.net/StVincent/
Austin Diocese Medical Mission - A team of doctors, dentists, nurses, aides and translators bring medicine and treatment to the poor in Latin America a couple of times a year. I'm working on the new website now, but you can visit the old one at www.austindiocesemedicalmission.org.
Catholic Relief Services - provide assistance in the forms of emergency relief, education, medical, training and micro loans all around the world. www.crs.org
The Acton Institute also has an excellent article on giving as well as a Samaritan Guide to giving so you can pick organizations that suit your priorities. http://blog.acton.org/archives/2592-Tis-the-Season-for-Giving.html
Medical Mission Update
Just found out that our next Medical Mission will be February 28 - March 6th. We're either going to San Pedro de las Colonias or Arteaga, both of which are fairly close to Saltillo.
Novena for Life starting today, January 14th
Got this from a friend of mine... The Catholic bishops of the United States have designated January 22 as a special day of prayer and penance in reparation for the massive killing that has resulted from the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision (handed down January 22, 1973) which permitted abortion throughout pregnancy. Therefore, we at Priests for Life invite you to prepare spiritually for that day by joining a Novena that starts on January 14 and concludes on the 22nd. We invite you to say the prayer below each of those days, and to let us know through this form that you have committed to say it. The english version is below. The spanish version can be found at http://www.priestsforlife.org/novenas/prayer-of-reparation-sp.aspx Prayer of Reparation God and Father of Life, You have created every human person, And have opened the way for each to have eternal life. We live in the shadow of death. Tens of millions of your children have been killed Thanks to the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Father, have mercy on us. Heal our land And accept our offering of prayer and penance. In your love for us, Turn back the scourge of abortion. May each of us exult in hearts full of hope And hands full of mercy And work together to build a culture of life. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.My honey bunny is sick
Yep, Randy's still sick. He came down with something just before New Years. He had fever and his loving wife even sacrificed her trip to see the King Tut exhibit to run him to the emergency room on Saturday (Jan 3) just in case it was pneumonia or something. He tried to talk me out of it, but I couldn't in good conscience leave if he did have pneumonia. It didn't hurt that I had been to an excellent King Tut exhibit in Philly a year or two before. Turns out he didn't have pneumonia or the flu so they gave him some antibiotics, some decongestants, etc. Randy went back to work last week and was supposedly getting better BUT it seems yesterday he is getting a little bit of a fever again so he went to the doc. So hopefully he is staying home today and resting up so he doesn't relapse again. Shockingly, I have not caught his bug. Being diabetic, I notice that I am much more prone to get sick than I used to be but so far (knock on wood) I'm doing fine, except for allergies, but who doesn't suffer from that in Austin?Large Black Rats invade Overman Home
Yes, I know, it's a lot of posts for one day, but there's so much going on.
Anyway, we really don't have rats. We're taking care of 2 black dachshunds, Dante & Shawn, for a couple of months for a friend who has gone to take care of her mother in California. They're very sweet but a little spoiled and not completely house trained. It seems that they're smart enough, we were able to train them in an evening to stay out of the kitchen.
They're getting along well with Papas, Buddy and the cats, although Sneezy will hiss at them. The first night, Bashful was fascinated by them, looking at them through the petdoor in the garage. It almost look like Bashful was hunting them. Since they're about the same size that might be interesting. If Bashful could actually hunt, I might be worried but considering he needs all his meat pureed, I think the dogs will be safe.
Round Rock Woman Suffers from Wanderlust - Books trip to Italy
It started innocently enough when I was checking my mail. There was a catalog from National Geographic featuring their expeditions. Instead of throwing it into recycling, I opened it and quickly found my dream trip: An expedition to Antartica. After daydreaming and drooling and realizing that I didn't have the money for the trip (more than 10 grand), I resigned myself to not going. The next day, still infected with wanderlust, I realized that my father's 70th birthday was coming up in September and we still hadn't taken our trip together to Italy. I found a time frame that worked for both of us and booked our plane tickets to Rome using frequent flier miles. So now, we're going to Italy the last half of October and I only have National Geographic to blame. Dad and I are both very excited and for both of us, the planning is half the fun. We're checking out Servas (www.usservas.org) which is a neat organization that encourages peace through cultural exchange. If accepted, we would get a better view of Italian life than normally afforded to tourists. Stops on the itinerary so far: Rome Venice Milan (probably Bergamo too, Azucena's old stomping grounds. To see a rendering from the Citta Alta, go to http://www.rockover.com/photos/image/54 ) Florence Monaco & Nice (Moves Azucena's country count to 23) Assisi (Azucena's choice) Naples? Dad wants to see the south too. Pompeii was vetoed. It's pretty much up to dad, except for Assisi, that's for sure. So much to see, so little time. I'm currently poring through Rick steves Guidebooks to make sure we make the most of our two weeks in Europe. I'll try and post during our trip as well."All Are Equal" or are they?
“…the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” – President Barack Obama, 20 January 2009
When I read these words from his inaugural address, I couldn't help but think about the Declaration of Independence which says ...
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Notice that Life is listed first among the Rights. And let's admit that without Life, it's awfully hard to enjoy the other two.
How does our new president reconcile his own words with his stance on abortion? Is it a matter of political convenience that he groups a whole class (the unborn) as less than human? Doesn't he realize the irony that he was once considered less than human using similarly flawed reasoning?
Here are some sobering statistics about this Hidden Holocaust...
More than 49 Million Abortions since 1973
4,000 more abortions every day
1 in 4 pregnancies ends in abortion (statistics from the Center for Disease Control)
A sad irony is that black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely so on a percentage of pregnancy basis, a minority child is more prone to be aborted than a white one.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece, Dr. Alveda King, is doing her best to point out that her uncle's dream will not come true while abortion is still rampant in America.
I pray that Obama puts his money where his mouth is and reconsiders his stance on abortion.
I also hope you'll consider joining us for the Texas Rally for Life this weekend. You can find out more at www.TexasRallyForLife.org.
My "Brain" Surgery
For those of you not in the know, I was diagnosed with acromegaly earlier this month. Some famous people who have had acromegaly include Andres the giant, both new and old Lurch from the Addams Family and the guy with the gold teeth in James Bond. Acromegaly is also known as gigantism, but you only get to be a giant if you get it when your bones are still growing.
Basically, I had a small (about 1 cm) benign tumor on my pituitary gland. One of my pituitary cells just got fruitful and multiplied. The tumor then excretes insulin like growth factor driving the body nuts. It seems that I had the growth hormone levels of a teenager coursing through my body. It's not a super rare condition, but it's definitely not common. When folks get it at my age, the most visible symptoms are larger hands, feet, facial features. Your tongue can get larger. Your nasal tissue can grow leading to sleep apnea. More importantly you can get an enlarged heart. Because it looks like insulin, you can also get diabetes.
Because it's not real common, it's usually diagnosed when someone starts to have headaches or visual impairment because of pressure on the optic nerve. Because of the position of my tumor, I had neither one of these symptoms. I am just really lucky that I had an observant and smart endocrinologist (Dr Stephanie Shaw) who had a hunch after seeing me for the first time in January. The nurses here were even surprised that she caught it since I didn't have the headaches or visual problems. Dr Shaw says that there's a chance that my diabetes might go away, but I won't be devastated if it doesn't. I'm hoping it should make it more manageable.
Anyway, I had the surgery yesterday morning. Amazingly I was not nervous but that's probably because I had the heavens stormed with prayers from all my wonderful friends, including the most powerful prayers of all, the little old ladies in the nursing homes.
We showed up at 5AM. Did the changing, getting an IV in (after 3 tries), my veins must have been unusually shy. They wheeled me into the operating room which was huge. I transferred over to the operating table, still no worries. I remember putting my arms down on arm rests and them starting to attach electrodes to me and then nothing. The surgery started at 7:30 am and finished around 8:30 AM. I remember waking up with a slightly sore throat and nose and a headache. The sore throat and slight cough was because they had a tube down my throat, which luckily I don't remember. The doc had warned me that it would feel like someone had punched me in the nose. The headache, well, that should be obvious, because they scraped a tumor out of my head. I did get a small dose of morphine at 10:15 AM and I've been pain free without meds since then and its a beautiful thing. I was in a euphoric disbelief that I felt so good. I actually updated my facebook that morning using my mobile.
Dr. Webb did an excellent job and I strongly recommend him if anyone else needs a similar procedure. I've also been waited on hand and foot by the nurses in the ICU unit. One of the anestheology nurses came to check on me this morning and said that I did not look like I had been through surgery. It does help that they were really tiny holes, but I get the impression I did much better than most for even this procedure.
All in all, my first surgery turned out much better than I expected and I was already expecting it to go well. Just for my own notes, my wonderful nurses were Harriet, Jason, Linda and now Shayne from Ontario. I should be going home in the morning. Dr. Webb said that I probably won't be up to full speed and will get tired more quickly than expected, so we'll see.
Also thank you to everyone for your calls, e-mails, visits and your prayers. I feel very blessed. And my hubby, Randy, did an excellent job of spending a lot of time at my side and doting on me. I think I'll have to keep him.