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Just one year ago today my life was very different. I lived alone in a little house with my dog, Nikon. I was pregnant though, and knew my life was about to drastically change. However on this night, one year ago, I went to bed alone (sorta).

I remember this day vividly. It started off with me driving to work very, very tired. As with most nights, I didn’t sleep very well. My sweet Eva had been kicking me all night, and I had bad leg cramps. But off to work I went, my co-workers had planned a baby shower for me, and I was really looking forward to it.

Right off, I got into a fight with a friend/co-worker. Of course I was quite hormonal at the time, and probably picked the fight. I was a royal pain the ass! I feel quite sorry for my fellow co-workers and am grateful that they didn’t all completely shun me. Anyway, I remember being quite stressed that day. I had to leave a little early because I was getting my hair cut after work. So I was trying to get everything done before I left.

I also had a lot of stuff on my mind, you know, being pregnant and all. Thoughts of packing for the hospital, a list of to-dos, etc. had been going through my mind. Anyway, I ran out the door that afternoon feeling bad for leaving my desk a mess because I had planned to work from home the next day. And I was still a bit upset over the fight I had had earlier. But nonetheless, I had a hair appointment I had to get to! I would clean my desk, and mend my friendship later.

As I drove home that night from my getting my hair cut, I remember being so so sleepy. I told myself that I would go to bed as soon as I got home. Of course, that didn’t actually happen. I let the dog out, made myself something to eat, then got online. I was trying to finish up my to-do list, and was feeling chatty.

When I finally went to bed, I remember laying there thinking about what all I had to do the coming weekend. For the most part I was ready for Eva, but I have a few last minute details to finish up. But no worries, I had the weekend to do that. Luckily I also had been thinking about what to pack for the hospital (of course it would have come in even handier had I actually PACKED the suitcase). And I remembered thinking, wow only a month to go. I bet this little girl comes earlier than that though.

The next morning, I awoke to a very strange feeling and quickly realized my water had broke. Eva was here. My life had changed for the better. Happy Birthday my sweet Eva! Thank you for making my life more enjoyable. I love you!

1 Comment | In: All about MOM, Jennita | | Author Archives: Jennita

In a previous post, Hope and Change for the Future, I wrote about my experience making signs for the Democratic National Convention. At the time I was very overwhelmed by the experience and excited about the chance to attend Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. However, there was a lot of confusion going on, and we weren’t really sure whether we were actually going to get tickets or not. A couple days before the speech, I got a call saying I could pick up my tickets the next morning. Since the entire operation seemed to be pretty disorganized, I made my way down to the union office bright and early. Thank goodness I did! I picked up my and my husband’s tickets right before I heard someone say “the interns called the wrong people last night…” EEK! I already had my ticket in hand, and had picked up the union T-shirts they wanted us wear. I practically RAN out of the place! I didn’t want them to take the tickets away. As soon as I got home, I logged into the community site and claimed our tickets. WHEW! Now they wouldn’t be able to take them away from us.

The morning of the speech we left early because we knew there were going to be 70,000 people attending and we wanted to stay out of lines as much as possible (yea right). I went with two of my cousins (one happens to be my baby sitter as well) and Eva’s daddy. The only lines we really had to wait in was while we waited for the gates to open. We were so early that security was quick and when we got into the stadium it was empty! (Even though it was empty, I still managed to literally run right into the 9 News team). We had a great time roaming the stadium and checking out all the shwag. We figured that we already looked silly enough wearing our bright yellow-orange T-shirts that we might as well get every button, sticker, hat, etc. that we could find. I think I did pretty good, and had plenty of “flare”!

As the day wore on, the stadium really started to fill up. It was exciting to see all the smiles on people’s faces. I heard rumors of people waiting in line for 4 hours to get in, but I didn’t hear one person complain (of course I waited a total of 30 minutes!). The vibe of the entire stadium was of pure excitement. I noticed that people were chatting with their neighbors as if they were long, lost friends. It was amazing to see the entire crowd rooting for the same team. Normally, at a football game, most of the fans are for one team or the other. And when your team is losing, the crowd gets crazy… yelling, drunkenness, rudeness, etc. Not here. Not now! There was a buzz in the air. People were laughing, smiling, dancing, clapping, cheering and helping one another. For example, at one point in the day we came back to our seats with our arms full of food. The guy behind us reached forward and pulled our seats down so we could sit. I guarantee that wouldn’t happen at a Bronco’s game!

Favorite shirt of the day: “Burritos for Obama” from Qdoba

Favorite sign of the day: “Obamalicious Bar-B-Que Sandwiches”

Throughout the day, there were bands playing, and speakers talking about why they were voting for Barack Obama. It was fun to see Stevie Wonder, Al Gore, and all the real people who came out to speak. I got goosebumps many times during the day for different reasons. It was just such a feeling of excitement. And not like the excitement you get before you go to a concert, or before you get a book signed by an incredible woman (yay Hillary!). It was different. It was the feeling that all the crap that we’ve been dealing with for 8 very long years is about to come to an end.

Obama didn’t come on stage until around 8pm that night, but hanging out with family and being a part of that amazing crowd for over 8 hours was worth it! It was a night that I will never forget and I’m grateful to have had the chance to attend such a historic event.

I have been trying to write this post for almost 2 weeks now. Every time I sit down at the computer to try to put my experience into words, I come up blank! The other day I realized that the reason this has been so difficult to write is that I have wanted to keep the experience to myself. It was such an amazing day, that I didn’t really want to share it with the rest of the world. The entire day moved me. But I realized it was time to open myself up.

Also, this is post is about my experience that day. I didn’t want to give a play by play of the day, plenty of other bloggers and reporters have already covered that.

3 Comments | In: Jennita, Politics | | Author Archives: Jennita

After my post Let’s get focused several people asked me which books I had been reading to help me to focus. I wanted to add the titles here with links back to Amazon in case anyone wants to actually buy the books. Personally I find it difficult to find the time to actually get to a bookstore and browse around! I love the fact that I can do much of my shopping online and just get my new products shipped to me (within 10-15 working days hah!). Plus… We actually get a slight kickback, so please when you need to purchase something on Amazon, come visit us first. Click away!

Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, & the Truth about Reality is a great book about Zen Buddhism written in a way that “normal” people can relate to. The author, Brad Warner, does a great job of speaking at my level. Now, I’m an educated woman but when it comes to Buddhism I’m a newbie. And I appreciate his approach. The book was easy to read and every chapter seemed to hit me with a punch in the gut… “read that sentence again! remember what it’s saying!”

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose (Oprah’s Book Club, Selection 61) is one that Oprah has recommended to the world. Seriously… she had online course and many many shows on the topic. This one was not as easy of a read as Hardcore Zen but it is quite engaging. I also found a number of “aha!” moments in this book.

Next books on my list (which I’ve already purchased yay):

• The Tao of Pooh - classic!
• American Nerd: The Story of My Peoplee - hehe this was a gift, telling isn’t it?
• Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye - The sequel to Hardcore Zen
• This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession

Do you have any good books you recommend? Have you read the ones listed here?

1 Comment | In: Jennita, Recommendations | tags: focus, oprah, recommended books, zen buddhism. | Author Archives: Jennita

Most people are aware that this is a Presidential election year, and that the Democratic National Convention is taking place right here in Denver, Colorado. I have been excited for it, but it really hadn’t sunk in until tonight. It’s not JUST that the DNC is in our neck of the woods, but that the fact that I’m actually proud of our candidate Barack Obama.

Tonight I worked for about 4 hours making signs for the convention at the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Initially I did it because I was told that if I helped make signs I would get a ticket to see Barack’s acceptance speech next week (Woot!!). When I first got there, I wasn’t prepared for the amount of people who were busily working. Staple… staple… staple! Chatter… chatter… chatter! There was an actual buzz in the room. Everyone seemed to have a job, and they were quite happy doing it.

I jumped right into the humming of the room and got to work. My job: fill trash bags with 25 signs each, then tie the bag, and finally add a yellow sticker to either side. Done. Then start all over again! At first I was a bit shy because it seemed that everyone else already had their place… their role in the system. I’m not very good at being a newbie, I like to be a part of it and become an expert! Luckily the task at hand wasn’t too daunting ;). In no time I was moving around the room, gathering up signs and trying my best to not lose count.

I imagine that everyone was there for different reasons. Some were volunteering because they wanted to be a part of something great. Others were there because the Union was paying $10/hour (they also provided food… well Taco Bell if you call that food). Many were talking about all the different things going on this weekend and upcoming week. And there were at least 3-4 different languages being spoken!

As I moved on to my next job of stapling two posters together (one side said “Obama” the other read “Unity”), I realized that I was a part of something greater. My simple task of staple, staple, staple, flip(!) was going to mean something to the 70,000 people who will be attending the acceptance speech as well as the thousands watching on TV. These very simple signs, mean Hope and Change for many Americans.

Those two words kept ringing in my ears as I worked away. I started to wonder what the world will be like when Eva is 5 years old… how about 15… what about 35? There’s no doubt that the world will have changed by then, but will this time right now, right here, actually make a change for the positive? Can Barack Obama be the change that I am hoping for? Will his presidency impact Eva’s future? Or am I hoping for too much?

Following are a couple of my favorite YouTube! Videos:

Barack Obama - Reggaeton Style

Flobots - Rise

The Flobots are a local band that has recently hit the national and even international scene. I love the message in this song. It makes me want to get up off my butt and do something!

Take a press tour of Invesco Field at Mile High where Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for the Presidency.

4 Comments | In: Jennita, Politics | tags: barack obama, democratic national convention. | Author Archives: Jennita

When you have so many things going on in one day, how do you stay focused? And by focus, I mean how do you keep from losing control of everything, when you’re so busy? And how do you make sure you don’t lose yourself in the whole process? It’s so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind that is daily life that you forget to actually live and enjoy it.

What about being mentally focused? This is definitely something I struggle with. I lead such a busy life (as most people I know do…) that I find it difficult to stay on track. I’m constantly thinking about everything I need to get done at work, everything I need to do with and for Eva, all the things I want to do for myself, and worrying about money and time constraints. The list really could go on and on, but I won’t bore you with the nitty gritty.

When I lay down at night, my brain seems to kick into overdrive. I start thinking about how I need to find a better brand of diapers, because the ones we use now leak. I remember that I need to take my leased car to the dealership for a tune up. I realize that I forgot to call my grandmother back. I remember the fact that I have to give a presentation tomorrow and I haven’t prepared for it at all because I’ve been “focused” on other things. Then there’s the biggest question of all… If I myself can’t stay focused and keep my mind clear, how do I show/teach Eva?

Clear mind is like the full moon in the sky. Sometimes clouds come and cover it, but the moon is always behind them. Clouds go away, then the moon shines brightly. So don’t worry about clear mind: it is always there. When thinking comes, behind it is clear mind. When thinking goes, there is only clear mind. Thinking comes and goes, comes and goes, You must not be attached to the coming or the going.
—Zen Master Seung Sahn

So what’s my plan? Well I’m working on it. I know that I need to let go of the things I can’t change, and focus on the things that matter. I added the quote above because I really think that Zen Buddhism makes a lot of sense. Although I may never find Enlightenment, I would sure be happy to quiet my brain down a bit and get rid of some of the clutter. I’m reading a few books that are helping me (or should I say that I am using to help myself) to let go of the past, and not fret about the future. The moment is now. I might as well live it to the fullest.

This is really the only way that I can see myself being a good mom. If I myself can learn to live in the moment and be happy with life NOW as opposed to the way it was, or the way it could be… then I’m setting my daughter up to be one stable, happy woman.

How do you keep focused?

6 Comments | In: All about MOM, Jennita | tags: clear mind, focus, mom, thinking, zen buddhism. | Author Archives: Jennita

Baby with remote

We come in all shapes and sizes, come from many different backgrounds, and take various life paths. But the one thing we will always have in common… is that we’re moms! And although our lives our busy and we don’t even live in the same cities (or continents for that matter!), technology keeps us together.

Technology simply is a way of life these days. For the most part, I’m quite thankful for it. First of all, I’m a software developer, so I make a living from technology. My blackberry is pretty much attached to my hip, and I can be reached via phone, email, IM, text, Twitter and Facebook all from the one device, at any time of the day! And when I was pregnant I got weekly updates on how my baby was growing/forming from babycenter.com. Since one of my best friends (Moyamuhle) currently lives in South Africa, and another (MotherT) is about to move to Washington D.C., I need to keep up-to-date with any and all forms of communication.

I have noticed though that we are definitely raising a little techie girl. When my daughter gets fussy and is in need of a distraction, the best form is usually a TV remote or cell phone. She also quite enjoys banging on the laptop as well. She absolutely loves buttons! She even called her father the other day, AND got him on speaker phone (mmm hmm 10 months old). Of course as soon as he answered she proceeded to taste the phone. Somehow she thinks cell phones and remotes are tasty… who knows? Maybe they taste like chicken! Ahh and my sweet little girl already has her own ipod, filled with various types of children’s music. I wonder… are we setting her up to be technologically advanced, or are we setting ourselves up to always have to buy her the newest gadgets? eek…

No Comments | In: All about MOM, Jennita | tags: blackberry, facebook, mom, technology, twitter. | Author Archives: Jennita