Margarita In California

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At a very young age I knew I wanted to help make things feel better. My imagination would just run wild and freely. When I wasn't "healing" my dog by placing band aids all over his fur. I would play doctor with my dolls and teddy bears with my assistant often being my grandmother. Fast forward to present day I am a Licensed Vocational Nurse working with school-aged children.

Working with children in a school setting can at times be very difficult, stressful and fast-paced, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. I love how a simple bandaid and a little reassurance can help a child just glow with happiness. My future plans are to return to school and study towards becoming a Registered Credential School Nurse.

Spending time with my family and friends is where my heart feels the most joyous. My family and I enjoy going on trips together, trying yummy new foods, playing loteria (Mexican Bingo) and having Happypuppy Birthday Parties for our furry loved ones. Events such as commencements, anniversaries, birthdays, anything that brings my entire family together, feeds my soul and my spirit, and further assures me that I am ready to share these wonderful experiences with a special little person.

My friends are a boisterous, colorful bunch. There is definitely never a dull moment with them. Whenever I want to laugh, vent, cry or need encouragement, I know I can count on them. When I opened up about my plans to adopt they were so happy and supportive. It was a feeling that filled my soul with glee knowing that my baby will be surrounded with so much love and positivity.

I am an avid collector of butterflies. My bedroom is decorated with them in different sizes and colors. I also enjoy watching documentaries especially those that are related to the medical field. However, in anticipation of a new baby I am looking forward to exchanging documentaries for cartoons and butterflies for baby bottles. I’ve recently began to take up walking not just as a form of exercise, but as a way to decompress, to relax, to recharge for the next day. Sometimes a friend or my mother accompany me on my walks.

I've lived in Altadena, California my entire life and this is the city I want my baby to grow up in and where I want to grow old. I live within walking distance from the Rose Bowl, Loma Alta Recreational Center and Charles White Park. We are close to JPL and many hiking trails. There are multiple Schools and charter schools in our neighboring city of Pasadena.

My home is comfortable, homely and humble. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room/ dining room and a nice sized kitchen. We have a great backyard where we have hosted weddings, Quinseañeras and BBQ's. As the seasons change, so does the yard. I plan for the baby's nursery to be in my room. I want to be near my baby when he/she first comes home. I want to be the first face my baby sees in the morning and the last face my baby sees before they sleep. My room has enough space for a crib or a bedside sleeper.

Over the past 10 years my neighborhood has been changing in a positive way. We have a neighborhood market within walking distance from my home. There is a creamery nearby as well as different coffee shops. My favorite is Robot Cafe. Lincoln Ave is a major street that takes you from Altadena into Pasadena. Along this street you will find different worshiping centers, schools, restaurants, neighborhood corner stores, hair salons and an organic pasta shop, a wonderful cafe with delicious food, auto repair shops and a couple of nurseries. During 4th of July if the skies are clear you can see the Fireworks Show from the Rose Bowl.

From humble roots our family migrated from Mexico to the United States in pursuit of a better future not for themselves but for the future of their family. We don't forget where it is that we came from which makes us welcoming and inviting people. Always helping out those in need. When people stop by, we go out of our way to make them feel at home. You will leave our grandma's house full, with food to go, even if you didn't show up hungry.

As a family we have evolved. Through the hard work and perseverance of our parents/grandparents, our generation has been able to step inside and take advantage of new opportunities in order to further ourselves. We in turn, do it for the next generation. We have taken part in races as a family, such as 5K and marathons. We have even gone to see plays and museums together. Currently, we are planning phase of taking family vacations where we all (we are 10 strong), travel to different parts of the country or explore other countries.

We are very silly, we know the importance of having fun and enjoying life. We all have fun and unique nicknames, that we often call each other more than our actual name, and each one unique. Growing up in my family my siblings and I were always encouraged to do extracurricular activities, such as joining a sport or a club after school, or even playing an instrument. As a family we explore hobbies, and often show off to each other the cool new thing we are into. One of the things we grew up enjoying is gardening, as it is the passion for my grandparents and their love for nature. There are always plants and flowers that decorate our home. People who walk by admire their work. We also grow a lot of our own produce that we use to cook. We also always find time for an adventure. All these experiences, love, support and more are what we will share with your baby.

Caring for eachother and showing our support for one another is important to us. The strong support is something I found lots of comfort in. My grandma's house I considered to be our family's home base. My mom's house, my grandma's house and even my great grandma's house are just walking distance away from each other. It is where we gather for events like birthdays, holidays or just randomly for dinner. When we gather together, we often pass the time playing games such as loteria, monopoly and uno for hours on end. This home base has allowed me to continue exploring life outside, without fear because I knew the stability of my home will be there with family who would help me if I ever needed it.

Like many families, eating together is a bonding experience. It all starts at grandmas house. A trip to grandma’s is not complete if you do not eat. She has the knack of making just what you need just the way you like it without even asking you. I would say she is like a culinary whisperer. Even the pets know, and get excited, when they go to grandmas.

Grandpa is a character just like grandma. He is the “go to” man for any problem you have. From getting help with plants, to handy work to car trouble; grandpa has the right tool for the job and knows how to use it. While he usually takes care of any situation you bring him, he does take the time to show you what to do.

Our family shows our love and support not only to those around us but also to our community. For example, every year during Christmas we volunteer and organizes a toy distribution at our local church.

This was written for me by my sister:

"My sister, Margarita, has been a great source of support for me. I recently started nursing school and she has been very encouraging. She has helped guide me through any questions or concerns I had with the process. She has also provided me with resources from which I could study from. Most importantly, she helped me through the recent passing of my two dogs. I had them for 15 years and due to issues that arise with aging dogs they sadly passed away. I had dove into depression for a while. Margarita was one of many people who helped me out of my depression and even provided me with a new sense of hope and purpose by giving me my new fur baby, Cookie."

From a very young age I’ve always wanted to be a mom. Primarily because of the love I was given by my mother and grandmother, and hoped and wished to one day give that love to my child. However, after painfully having to accept that physically I am not able to I realized I can still become a mother and give all my love to a child through the gift of adoption.