It's Official...

...I have a middle name! It is Elena, my mother's name. I have always wanted a middle name - always. I love names! It is the first thing I ask new parents about their newborn children. I want to know the first, middle, and last name of every baby or child I see. I always ask people to tell me their full names. I like to hear stories of why people have certain names. You know, the story behind it. I had so much fun naming my girls. I like naming my pets - always have. I even like helping my daughters choose names for their dolls and stuffed toys. I even named my car! That will have to be under another post. Anyway, then it hit me about a year ago. I can have the perfect middle name for me. Why didn't I think of it before? I LOVE my mom's name...Elena. I really do. Why couldn't it be my middle name? Lisa Elena. I love it! I mean here I was all of these years, a person who loves names, with one simple first name...Lisa. I don't even have a fancy story to go along with it. My mom simply named me that because she was sure I would be a boy named Gilbert. She had no girls name picked out. Well, along I came and she had no name for me. So there I rested in my incubator for five days without a name. Then she decided on Lisa because it was a popular name for the time and she liked it better than Linda or Deborah I guess. That is it. She didn't believe in middle names so I didn't get one of those (neither did my sister Sylvia). Just Lisa. So I finally put it on my first official documents this evening. My teaching and administrative credentials. I had to renew them and I wrote in Elena in the middle name section. That is it! It is official and I am so elated about it. I can't wait until the hard copy arrives so I can stare at it and love it. I will forever write in Elena as my middle name or E as my middle initial. I am Lisa Elena. See...my mom did give me a middle name after all...

Not so fun surprise...

So I had to have an emergency root canal on Thursday afternoon. That is definitely not my idea of a fun way to spend a summer afternoon. I thought I was only going to see a specialist on a consultation and voila! Root Canal! It was for one of the teeth involved in the infamous motor scooter accident in 1987 that will remain a part of my life forever. The dentist said I definitely have a problem going on in there. This is before I explained that I was in an accident, crushed my jaw, had five teeth re-implanted the night of the accident, the original surgeon said I would only have 5-8 years with them, they've lasted 21 years, can't lose them because there is not enough bone to hold implants, dentures, bridges, etc. After I told him all that, he said, "Hmmm....I guess they are doing well". Anyway, I had the root canal because there is a severe change in one of the teeth and I may be losing it. This guy invented a special kind of root canal that can freeze that process. I have my fingers and everything else crossed because he agreed that there are still not good alternatives for me. He was shocked that I wasn't fainting from pain with the infection he could see in the x-ray. That is before I told him I had no feeling in the teeth and lower jaw because of the accident. Of course, that makes the whole thing trickier because I cannot actually feel when there is a problem. Thankfully, my awesome regular dentist monitors these five teeth carefully when I go in for cleanings. She always X-Rays them. She is the one who saw the changes in the tooth and referred me. Thank God for smart people! Anyway, I let myself have a pity party for a brief moment and then thought about Alan, who did not survive the accident at all. He has been on my mind since. The tooth feels fine now. My jaw is sore from all of the shots. Onward.

I love you dad...

My father is so alive in my heart and brain everyday that it is scary. I missed him yesterday for Father's Day and the feelings rolled over into today. Today is one of those days when I really needed his concise, but truly insightful advice. He just had a way of summing up his thoughts in one or two sentences. It seemed to always hit the mark. I miss that so much. Since he never held back his opinions, I can usually figure out what his feelings would be on most of my current situations. Even though there was a time when I felt cursed because of my parents constant need to communicate their opinions of my actions and offer unsolicited advice, I actually feel quite lucky now that they did this. I am lucky because I hear their voices in my head about most everything and can still seek and follow their guidance. In other words, I often find myself receiving their advice even in their absence. I've been thinking about all of the advice my father gave me over the years, especially the last 5 of his life. I have also been thinking about his one line advice that never changed over the years. Things like...

"You can always tell the biggest dummy in the room because they are the ones talking the most."

"Everyone can't like you."

"Tell them to go to hell."

"Do what makes you happy."

"No one respects a liar. Even if it is bad news, tell the truth."

"Don't giggle. If it is funny, laugh. People think gigglers are dumb."

"You better not bring a loser into this house."

"Don't take us back 5 generations."

"Study!"

"Know your place. Don't be tut-tut."

I lit his candle to honor him yesterday and to remind myself of his everlasting presence in my life. Thank you Lalo for being the voice in my head and for giving me a strong heart. I know that you never wanted me to be a "tonta" and I hope I am delivering on that.

An Introduction

Welcome to my new personal blog. I recently ventured out into blog world and started a family blog that focuses mostly on my two spectacular daughters. I've decided to have my own blog that is separate from that blog...a place to discuss my thoughts and opinions. I really enjoy my new blogging hobby! Mi Riconcito means "My Little Corner" in English. That is just what the focus of this blog will be. A little area where I can speak freely and journal. I have always enjoyed journaling, so why not do it in this current technological format? I am going to keep an open format for now and see where it takes me. The current stage I am in is to seek happiness and peace despite everything that comes my way. I also want to take nothing for granted - especially my loving friends and family that I treasure beyond belief. I hope that will shine through. I know that there are very small, simple, and silly things that make me happy and then decisions I make on a larger scale that maintain peace, contentment and fulfillment. I have always heard and stated the cliche that "Life is short and we only go through once." As of late, that statement has come alive to me in a HUGE way and knocked me over. It has been a long time coming. Thanks for checking in...