Lugo Family

Our Family Grew By Four Feet

2011-05-02T18:35:00.000-06:00

As of the last week of February, I was so swollen, my skin super stretched and I wasn't moving very fast. My Dr wasn't very happy that I was still working, but I didn't want to take the time off before the girls got here if I didn't have to. He did promise me that I wouldn't have to go to a full 40 weeks, he would induce me by 37 if they hadn't come on their own. After talking with my Dr and my boss at work we decided that starting March 1st I would need to go out on partial bed rest. I worked my last day on February 26th and then got ready to just sit at home until the girls made their appearance. I was 34 weeks at that point. I had a Dr appointment at the IMC hospital in Murray for what we hoped would be my final visit to the high risk Drs on February 28th. Things looked good and both girls were head down ready to go! We were worried that I would have to have a c-section because the placenta had been right over the cervix for my entire pregnancy. When the high risk Dr did an ultrasound however, she found that the placenta had actually moved!!!! C-section would only be necessary if something was wrong on delivery day!!! Since the girls were head down and the Dr never saw a sign of twin to twin transfer, she let me know that my regular Dr could take over from then on! WOOHOO!!! Only 1 Dr visit every Monday instead of 2!! On March 7th I went to my OB visit at the Riverton Hospital. They checked my blood pressure to find that is was super elevated.....the nurse was a little concerned, but I had just made the trek from the parking lot. A hard thing to do when you are super pregnant. :) They did the normal check to see if I was dilated at all. I was dilated to a 3 and effaced 70%. Good news I thought, however I was told that was no big deal. They checked my blood pressure again at the end to see if it had dropped. It hadn't, but they could get it to drop if I laid down. So, I got put on complete bed rest and sent home. I was not super happy. They told me I could come back if my water broke. Every day I waited and hoped that my water would break but it didn't. I was able to have a baby shower on Saturday the 12th. We weren't sure if I was going to make it, but I did, just as pregnant and miserable as ever. By Sunday night when my water still hadn't broken, I thought I would take matters in to my own hands. I had a Dr appointment the following day and I really wasn't going to be sent home without babies. So, since I was supposed to be on bed rest, I did everything that the Dr had told me not to. :) Oops. I spent the day Sunday doing some major cleaning. I was climbing in and out of closets, get up and down off the floor. On Monday March 14th I went in for another Dr appointment. They checked my blood pressure which was again super high. They checked to see that I was 3+ dilated. When I was hooked up for a non-stress test they realized my blood pressure just wasn't dropping. At this point, I was diagnosed as preeclamptic, meaning I had high blood pressure. So my Dr gave me the great news....We were headed to labor and delivery!! I was 36 and a half weeks along, which is almost full term for twins. Since both Miguel and I didn't believe that I was really going to be induced that day I had gone to the Dr by myself and he had gone to work. Secretly I wanted them to be born so I had put my hospital bag and camera in the car just in case. Good thing I did! My OB office is across the hall from Labor and Delivery in the Riverton Hospital, so one of the nurses walked me over to be checked in. I sent texts to my mom and husband to let them know where I was. My mom called me in a hurry to see if she needed to come to the hospital and my husband texted back asking if he needed to leave work even though he just got there. I told both of them that I was just being checked in and they would start the pitocin any time. The nurse felt it would take awhile for things to progress. This was about noon on the 14th. My mom worked for a little bit longer and headed to the hospital and I told my husband to stay at work. The pitocin started to work very quickly. I was starting to get contractions pretty quick. The Dr came in and broke my water and it seemed to make the contractions come on faster. After talking to my sister, I realized it was a great time to get an epidural. I also started to get sort of scared and asked my husband to come to the hospital. This was around 2 or 2:30. The epidural was fantastic!! I didn't feel any of the contractions from then on. My husband, mom and mother in law had all made it to the hospital. I had been checked to see how dilated I was around 5. I was at a 6 and the nurse felt it would be a little while before I made it to a 10. My mom decided to leave the room and go get the camera out of my car and get some food from the cafeteria. The Dr came back in about a half hour later to see how dilated I was and I was to a 10!!! I hurried and called my mom to come back with the camera. Since I was having twins I had to deliver in the OR just in case they had to do an emergency c-section for either of the girls. Only me and Miguel could be in the OR so our moms just wanted in my delivery room. At around 5:30 they had me start pushing. With the epidural I couldn't feel anything so they had to tell me when to push. I really didn't want to have to be pushing for a long time, so I decided I was going to make every push count. The nurse told me how to tell when to push since I couldn't feel it. When the baby's heart rate dropped on the monitor that was a contraction and I should push. A couple of times the Dr and nurses thought I needed a break and didn't have me push during a contraction. I was not about to have that, so I grabbed my own legs and started pushing on my own as soon as I heard the heart rate drop. I told them "come on! I am done being pregnant, lets get them out." Miguel did a great good holding my head every time I would push. Our sweet baby Gabriela was the first out at 6:33 pm on March 14th. She weighed 5 pounds 2 ounces and was 18 inches long.

Gabriela being weighed after being born

As the nurses were cleaning up Gabriela, I still had work to do. I had to get baby number 2 out! So I was set to start pushing again. At this point the epidural medicine had started to wear off. The nurse asked if I wanted more medicine. I told her no, lets just get this other baby out!! Since I didn't have medicine, I could feel the contractions and knew when to push. I was going to get her out quick! So at 6:52 pm on March 14th our sweet baby Sophia was born. She weighed 5 pounds 15 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.

Sophia being weighed after being born

So after less then 2 hours I was the mother to 2 perfect, healthy, baby girls. I had heard lots of labor and delivery stories and I was freaked out, but after experiencing it, I couldn't believe how easy it was and how little pain I had, even after the epidural wore off. I would rather go through labor again then be pregnant for 9 months....call me crazy. :) My mom ran in to my Dr in the hall outside the OR and she asked how things were going. My Dr replied, everything is great, she is on her way. She thought that he meant I am on my way to having some girls. She didn't realize he meant, I was on my way out of the OR with my babies in either arm. I had been in there for less then 2 hours after all.

Proud papa with his new baby girls

Proud mama being wheeled out of the OR

With twins it is common to have more bleeding then normal so they had me on multiple medications to help it stop. The down side is that it made me very sleepy. I really don't remember most of the rest of the evening. My husband and mom went down to the nursery to give the girls their first bathes. Considering all of the things that could have gone bad with this pregnancy, none of it happened. I was in the hospital until March 16th and was released with no issues.

Getting ready to go home

I am so grateful for the sweet girls that we have been blessed with. I am grateful that they came into this world with no complications. I am extremely grateful that they are both completely health. Our family now feels complete :)

All the Help I Can Get

2011-02-07T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have been limited with what I can actually accomplish the bigger my belly gets and the more swollen my hands and feet become, so my mama has been a super helper. Every time I need to get something cleaned or put together she offers to come out and help clean and build. We started around the first of the year getting the ladies room put together and she has been taking days off of work to help as well. I couldn't ask for a better helper. She also helped my sweet husband pick out the VERY BEST Christmas present ever......The worlds BEST rocking chair for the ladies room!!!!! Once we finally get the crib mattresses I will have to post the final product to show off all of our hard work.

The worlds BEST rocking chair after we had put together 2 baby cribs

Putting together the bouncer

The swing fully assembled

We are having........

2011-02-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

GIRLS!!!!! Yes that is right, Miguel and Champ are going to be overwhelmed with all the hormones in the house! And to top it off, they are going to be identical. How crazy is that. Little did I know that when you are blessed with twins, you get the luxury of getting ultrasounds every Dr visit, but also if they are identical you get to have the opportunity to see a high risk specialist on top of your regular OB who also does ultrasounds every time!! Needless to say, I probably have more ultrasound pictures of my 2 sweet ladies then most women who have at least 5 kids!

Side Profile of baby "B". She is the one on the top of my belly. This is the best picture we have been able to get since they are such movers.

Side profile of baby "A". She is the baby on the bottom. Again, the best picture we have been able to get. It seems like they are both pretty camara shy.

We found out they were going to be identical when the Dr saw the membrane that separates them was so thin. I thought that we were just going to have to wait until they were born to know.....but Drs go to school to know right? Having lost our first baby back in April I just wanted both of these babies to be as happy and healthy as they could be. I was sent to the high risk Dr to check for TTTS. What is that you ask? Well I asked the very same thing to the Dr.....it is Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Hmmmm. And that is why I am being sent to a high risk Dr? Apparently it is super common for identical twins to get TTTS and it is not a good thing and needs to be detected early. Not really the news I was wanting to hear, so I read up on it. One twin basically dies because they give all they blood and nutrients they have to the other twin........you are kidding me right? So off I go to the high risk Dr every 2 weeks starting at about 4 months along to check to make sure that the ultimate in sibling rivalry doesn't start in the womb.

At 14 weeks. Tying to make myself look pregnant and not just like I have a little weight I need to lose

Next I get told that since I am having twins I will more then likely get gestational diabetes. Great, bring it on. After taking my glucose test with the super yucky drink they made me drink, I waited patiently to get my test results.

At 21 weeks. Finally starting to look pregnant and not just fat

And finally, on my most recent visit to the high risk Dr I got some GREAT news!!! The Dr couldn't believe that I was in fact pregnant with identical twins at all. She told me that I was the "poster child" for an identical twin pregnancy. They both are growing at the pace that they would if they were single babies (good for them, not for me and my ever stretching belly), the amniotic fluid for both babies is great, no gestational diabetes what so ever and absolutely no signs at all for the TTTS!!!!! And I am 31 weeks along!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!! I also don't have to go see both my high risk Dr and my regular OB every 2 weeks any more! I am very grateful that both of my Drs took such good care of me and my Lugo ladies. Not a single problem :) However, I did get put on unoffical bedrest. My OB doesn't want me up on my feet if I don't have to be and isn't super happy that I am still working, but said that as long as I watch what I am doing and my blood pressure doesn't spike, he will trust I know what I am doing. He also promised me that he wouldn't let me stay pregnant longer then 38 weeks, which moves my due date from the first week of April to more the middle of March, if I can make it that long. Now I just wish the swelling in my hands and feet would stop and I think I would be just fine to make it to 38 weeks no problem!

My big belly at 30 weeks. My how it has grown...

PS....My husband will probably never admit it in public, but he seems excited to be having twin girls. He has been super excited about picking names and even calls them "his ladies". He is even talking about me quiting work to stay at home with the ladies and that has never been an option in the past. Every man needs at least 1 little lady, but he was lucky to be blessed with 2 :)

Orlando 2010

2011-02-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Wow I really haven't been good at keeping track of all the fun we have been having!! So time for another update!

We had been planning a trip to Florida with my Sister and her family for, gosh, over a year I would say. Her husband, Dan, had a dental convention he was going to be attending and of course he was lucky enough to get to take his extended family with him! Little did I know that I would be 3 months pregnant with twins, but my Dr gave me the go ahead (little did HE know, we had already bought the tickets and would be going regardless, hehe). So on October 7th I took Champ to the boarders for the very first time. I was EXTREMELY nervous to leave him, however, he didn't seem to care one bit. When I dropped him off he didn't even look back but ran as fast as he could to play with the other dogs. It was super strange to have a quite dogless house for a night, but it made packing much easier! On the morning of October 8th we got up and got ready for our flight out to Orlando. We had a layover in Denver and just happened to be on the same flight as my Sister and family. Ok, so we planned that, but that way the grandkids could hangout with Grandma Suzie longer :) We were going to get to be in Florida until the 17th so we had lots of days to find fun things to do. For the first 3 or 4 days Dan had to go to dentist classes, so the rest of us just kind of hung out at the hotel, went swimming and shopping. It was great to just get to relax, especially since I was just finally starting to get over my morning sickness faze. Then after those first few days, it was go non stop!!! Dan had plans for every single day. In the remaining 5 days we were able to go to Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Center, and all 4 DisneyWorld theme parks. I didn't get to ride very many things since I was pregnant, but Miguel was able to take turns riding rides with everyone else while Kyle and I hung out in the stroller parking section. We then made our way home on the 17th, ready to take a vacation from our vacation.

Me and Annika just waiting for Dan to come back so we could go explore Florida

Miguel and Justin deep in thought while playing video games

The famous Hogwarts in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios

We got to try butterbeer while on our outing to Hogsmede

I figured since I had a Thing 1 and Thing 2 growing in my tummy it was only fitting to get my picture taken with the real "Things"

Universal Studios archway

NASA emblem when you first walk into Kennedy Space Center

The "parking garage" for the space shuttles

Getting our 3-D glasses on and ready for the hubble telescope experience

Wouldn't he make such a cute astronaut?

Working the controls inside Apollo 1

On our way in to the wild and crazy toon town

Taking a ride on the carousel

While we were relaxing in the shade, a Disney working thought we were just so cute that we had to have a picture taken.

Micky's magic wizarding hat

On our way in to the Animal Kingdom park

Getting ready to see just what it is to be a bug

They brought Captain EO back!

The famous Epcot Center

Train station at the Magic Kingdom

Gotta love the hat :)

Fun filled vacation coming to an end. That is the fabulous light parade in the background that was also brought back

Say What!?!?!?!?!?

2010-09-20T23:42:00.000-06:00

I think deep down I knew something just felt different. So the first week of August I decided to confirm. And I have always been really good at taking tests :)

The next 4 weeks were some of the longest of my life. I am not a patient person, and since I lost the first baby I was very nervous going in to the first dr appointment. Shortly after I took the test I started to get really sick really fast. Sure do LOVE morning sickness......On August 31st I had my first appointment at what would have been somewhere between 8 and 9 weeks along. Miguel wasn't able to go to the dr with me, and I was NOT going to go alone, so I took my mom with me. We patiently waited for the best OB ever to come in and do an ultrasound. I was very apprehensive since the first time I had an ultrasound the baby didn't have a heartbeat at all. The dr got a VERY strong heartbeat right off the bat!!!! I was so excited!!!!!!!! SUCCESS :) He did some measuring and found the baby to measure just over 9 weeks. But he also seemed concerned about something.....So he started poking around. All of a sudden he stated, "do you see that?" My first thought, what is that a tumor????? You have to be kidding me. But then he said, "see, the other heartbeat?" THE WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Babies only have 1 heartbeat right??? So if I have 2 in there, then that means.......no......twins?? And sure enough....................2 little jelly beans growing side by side.

Of course my supportive Mom was in about as much shock as I was, so her first comments "TWINS?? You aren't going to sleep for 2 years!" Thanks Mom......I was more concerned with how I was going to tell Miguel that not only was the one baby doing fantastic, but so was the second one! And yes, I asked the dr if he was going to be the one the call my husband to tell him, to which he just responded with a laugh.

So after some poking we got baby "A" to move so we could measure baby "B". The second measured at just under 9 weeks and heartbeat was just as strong as the first. I was given a due date of April 7th but was told that with twins I would definitely not make it that long. I would be lucky to make it to about the first week of March. All of this now explained why my morning sickness is so bad. I actually have to be medicated in order to keep enough food down for me to not loose a ton of weight.

So yes, I freaked out. I have to admit I was probably more nervous and scared then excited right at first, but the idea of twins is becoming more exciting every day. When I called Miguel to tell him that both heartbeats looked great he could only respond with "ok". I think he was as shocked as I was. Apparently you are more likely to have twins if the mother's family history has twins or if you have already had quite a few kids. However, there is only 1 set of twins that are in my family anywhere and it was my Mom's aunt who already had a few kids and these are our only children. So we aren't really sure how this happened......except divine intervention :) Everything happens for a reason right?

I am a person that has to have a plan for everything. Having 2 kids at the same time is going to be VERY expensive. I have always wanted 2 kids, I just wasn't planning on taking care of it with 1 pregnancy. So yes, I have already started planning ahead. I sent my Mom and Grandma out on a Labor day shopping extravaganza and this is what they came back with..................

Gotta get started as soon as possible right??

So I am now nearing the last week of my first trimester. Every day the morning sickness seems to be getting better and better. Hopefully it will be gone soon so that I can at least enjoy some of this pregnancy. We will have our 2nd appointment in about a week. I am just praying that both are still doing amazing. For those that know my husband, he has always said "I don't like kids" but he did state to me a week or so ago, "I am actually excited to be having twins". He also seems to like to tell people that he is having 2 kids at once. Maybe it is because he will only have to deal with a sick, fat, moody wife once :) (but he probably will never admit it). Wish us luck!

Family Fun

2010-09-20T22:11:00.001-06:00

July was a very busy month for our little family. Correction, the last 2 weeks of July were very busy for our little family. We had a lot of extra time vacation time that we could take at work. My sister and her kids were coming out from Colorado to visit. Since I was not able to get time off work to go to Colorado when Kyle was born, I figured July would be a good time to take a "staycation". I started the week and a half off by getting a massage. I have tendinitis in my left shoulder and apparently that can cause massive issues in your back. I have a friend that is a certified massage therapist and was willing to travel to my house. Needless to say, she was great, and my back and arm have never felt better.

We went to my Mom's house the first Sunday they were in town to have dinner. Great food and great company always makes for a great time. While we were eating dinner, Justin announced, "If you don't like an Iphone, you can take it back". Not sure where that came from, but you know what, he has a great point!

I don't really get to spend a ton of time just hanging out with my sister since she always has kiddos around, so while she was here I stole her and showed her the great shopping of Tai Pan Trading. I sure do love that store. Sometimes you just need a little sister time.

We attempted to go to the zoo since that is a great kid activity. However, Annika ended up getting strep throat. So for the first time in I couldn't tell you how long, Miguel and I went on a date. He took me to the movies and we saw Inception. Mind blowing movie.

Since our first zoo trip didn't work, we tried it the next day! We were afraid that it was going to super crowded since it was the 24th of July but it was actually not too bad. It did get a little warm, but we all survived. Justin helped Grandma Suzy do a little housework before we left. He is such a good helper.

To end our trip to the zoo, Uncle Miguel and I took the kids on a fantastic train tour to see the remaining animals.

While Kyle hung out at the train station with mom and Grandma Suzy, hot, but happy.

After a quick trip to the zoo, we headed over to a park in down town Salt Lake to spend some time with the Lugo clan. Miguel's sister moved out of state so the family all got together to have a bbq and hang out with Silvia before she left.

After we got our fill of bbq, I took Miguel to the Murray golf course to do a quick 9 holes of golf with his friend. I headed back over to my Mom's to get ready for a night of fireworks.

We decided that we didn't get to spend enough time with Miguel's family at the bbq the day before, so we went over to his Mom's house hang out some more. They taught me how to play "Mexican Bingo". All the squares have pictures along with Spanish. I may not be so good with Spanish, but you better believe I was going to win! I sure did get a laugh out of the entire group when I yelled "BINGO" instead of the word in Spanish the rest of them yelled when they won.....but I am ok with it, they knew I won. I think I walked away from that game winning a total of $1.50. WOOHOO!!

To end our "staycation" Grandma Suzy and I took Annika and Justin to LAGOON!!! Since Miguel doesn't like to go to Lagoon, I only ever get to go with the kids. I love all the memories that it brings back.

You would think that they would want to ride in there own "car" however on almost every ride, they decided it was way more fun to ride together!

And of course we had to go over to Pioneer Village to get some super delicious ice cream.

We did a lot in a short amount of time, but it was great to get to spend time with both sides of the family.

M.I.A

2010-07-09T21:39:00.019-06:00

Well folks, I kind of went MIA and haven't posted in WAY over a year.....Oops :) Seems like life gets extremely crazy at times and blogging sort of slips one's mind. So here I am back, ready to attempt this again. Hopefully I am better at it this time. So here comes a long post trying to recap the happenings of the last year. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Shortly after coming home from Florida with my hubby, I was sent off to a work training in Irvine, California. This was my first ever company paid for trip! I left SLC and flew in to Orange County on March 9, 2009. I had been participating in a "manager" training with coworkers from Colorado and Utah and Irvine was the final stop. We also met up with Verizon Employees from all over the western US in California. We sat through 3 days of training. While there we laughed, ate LOTS of food, learned a lot of skills to become upper management, broke boards with our bare hands (courtesy of our motivational speaker, Brian Biro), and made great friends. I flew back home on March 12, 2009. I wish I had taken more pictures while I was there, but I am not the best picture taker. However, I did get a good group shot.

Shortly after arriving home from Irvine I found out the manager at work that was expecting a baby would be going out on maternity leave around the end of April. Our store was going to need someone to fill in for the 3 months that she was out. Of course I jumped at the chance! Since I was the only candidate that was interviewed and had the qualifications they were looking for, I was given the job. I started in the "Acting Assistant Manager" roll on April 15, 2009 and was in the acting roll until the end of August 2009. Needless to say, that is why life got so crazy and blogging got put on the back burner. Being an assistant manager at a retail store is a lot of hard work and time spent living at work.

In May 2009, Verizon ran a contest for all the retail sales employees. (For those who don't know, Miguel is also employed with Verizon.) Whoever could sell the most Blackberry smart phones in the month of May would be flown to Dallas, Texas for a Blackberry sponsored training. Of course my husband, the selling machine, won the contest for our district. I guess since I got to take a company trip, it was only right that he was able to as well. So on June 15, 2009 I dropped Miguel off at the airport for his trip to Texas.

This is the only picture he got of himself while he was there. He is out to dinner with one of the guys in his training.

And of course he had to stop by the Dallas Cowboys new stadium......

.....and go to a Texas Rangers baseball game.

On June 18, 2009 he came back home, convinced that we just HAD to move to Dallas. The next day, June 19th was Miguel's 29th birthday. As always, we didn't do anything super exciting. We went out to dinner with my family and that was really about it. How sad are we?

We had some very annoying backyard neighbors. Since our yard was finished and we had a trampoline, all of the kids from that family felt they needed to play in our yard and jump on our tramp.....ALL DAY LONG. I would come home ready to call the police for trespassing every day. To eliminate the problem we decided it would be a good time to get our yard fenced in. So we called up Best Vinyl and they came out and put our fence in the end of June. One of the best decisions ever!

And then the first part of September we decided that it was also a good time to just finish off the backyard, so we had a guy come out and lay a concrete pad. Now we have a patio!! We can now sit outside and BBQ or just relax in our great backyard as Champ runs free.

We also purchased one of the best items ever......A DOGGY DOOR!!!! Champ can let himself in and out as much as he wants. I love that if he has to go potty, he just goes.

Miguel has a good friend Will, who has a groomsman in our wedding. He found the love of his life and they got married August 15, 2009. He asked Miguel to be in his wedding party so we were able to attend and participate in the wedding.

The day was busy with the ceremony, pictures and reception so I didn't get many pictures, but I did get the groomsmen to pause for 30 seconds while trashing the grooms car to snap a good pic.

In October a great high school friend of mine and I got thinking how great it would be to get a group of old friends together. We decided that we would do a "Girls Night Out" once and month. We have been doing that ever since. It is so great to know that even after all this time, I have such a great group of friends. We have gotten together 8 months already so there are way too many pictures to post but I will try to do better going forward......

The first week of November, Miguel and I were sent to Pocatello, Idaho to help with one of the Verizon stores that was short handed. That was the first time either of us had been to Idaho! Lucky us :) They asked us on such short notice and we were only there like 3 days, so we really didn't get any pictures. The remainder of the year flew by as it only can when you work retail around the holidays.

On February 2, 2010 we went to Vegas with some good friends to celebrate birthdays. My friend, Adriana's birthday was a few days before we went and my birthday was the day after we got home. Miguel and I have never really been and done the Vegas thing, so this was a fun experience for us. We walked around the strip and saw everything we possibly could. Miguel threw $20 on the roulette table and found out he is actually really good at doubling his money! We had a great time with great friends even though it was a short trip.

Here is the group, minus Miguel, who was taking the picture.

Us on the walkway by our hotel that went over the strip

February 5th was my birthday. The Vegas trip had completely worn us out so all we did was go to dinner with my family and then went with friends to see Avatar.

The last day of February we found out that I was pregnant. That would have meant I FINALLY got Miguel to agree to a baby, however, on my first appointment with my OB on March 30th I found out the baby had not survived. My body wasn't rejecting it so I had to have surgery so that I didn't get sick. On April 7th I went in for surgery. I had some great friends and family that were there for me during this trying time. I am not looking for anyone to feel sorry for us, we truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and now we have the opportunity to try again.

During all this time we also welcomed 2 new babies to our family. Miguel's brother Alberto had a beautiful baby girl on February 25th. My Sister Jamie had a fantastic baby boy on April 24th.

On June 7th we celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast times flies. It seems like just yesterday Miguel and I had met and become inseparable, and now 7 years later we are still inseparable and have made a great life together.

June 19th Miguel turned the big 30!! I asked him if he wanted to do anything big for the day. All he wanted was to take the day off work and hang out together. I told him we had to at least go to dinner with the family, so that is just what we did.

Our dinner group, minus my mom, who was taking the picture and Brian, who was avoiding the picture.

Which FINALLY brings us current. I am sure I left a ton of fun stuff that happened out, but it was not intentional. Not a whole lot is happening now, and I am ok with that. We have family that is going to be coming to visit in a week, and then maybe I will have more fun stuff to share :)

Last Day in Paradise

2009-02-25T18:14:00.004-07:00

On our last full day in Florida we decided to just have a chill day. We went to one last sports stadium, stopping to see where the Orlando Magic play basketball. (If you can't tell, my husband is really into sports!)As you can tell from the picture, the storm came rolling in.....the rainstorms in Florida are crazy. They hit hard and then are done. So we drove around some to kind of wait out the rain. It cleared up in a few hours and then was beautiful again. We decided to finish out the trip we would do some shopping. In all of our travels we kept driving past this huge outlet mall. Every time I would see it I would just watch it longingly. I think Miguel finally caught on. I had been saving up my birthday money so he decided to take me birthday shopping. I found the store of my dreams.......the have a Victoria's Secret Outlet!!!! Everything was at least 50% off the normal price! I was in absolute heaven. Usually I can drop $200-$300 without even trying but I walked out having only spent $88 and getting a ton of stuff!!! We then went back to our hotel to begin packing for our trip back home the next morning.

Miguel just hanging out on our balcony looking over into the airport.

Our flight left at 8:30 in the morning. It was incredibly nice staying at the airport since our flight was so early. We could sleep in later and still make our flight! We were ready to go home since the huge rainstorm the day before had brought with it cold weather....That morning the temperature was a chilly 22 degrees. (Good thing we didn't have to go outside to get to the airport!) Champ was sitting at home with Miguel's brother just waiting for us. He was more excited then I have ever seen him when we pulled in. This was the first time since we got him that his mom and dad have both left him. It was a fun trip! Get ready sister.....you are going back with us next time!

3rd Day

2009-02-25T17:33:00.007-07:00

On Wednesday we decided that we needed to go to one of the world famous amusement parks that are in Orlando. We really weren't sure what park we wanted to go to, but decided to rule out DisneyWorld since it would be more fun to wait until we could go with neices and nephews. We decided that we were not in the mood for super scary rollercosters, so we picked Sea World. It was super beautiful weather. The amazing killer whales

The cute dolphines

The did have 1 rollercoster and it was way fun but scary.

We finished out the trip with matching suckers.

After Sea World we decided to go out shopping. The wonderful Downtown Disney shopping center was right where we had been staying so we decided to stop in. I sure do love Disney stuff and they had anything you could possibly want.....

I even got to hang out with my kind......a princess!

We were given a free hotel stay for 3 nights when we signed out mortgage so we pick a super fancy and expensive one.....right inside the Orlando Airport! It was a super nice room and a cool atmosphere.

Day Number 2

2009-02-25T17:16:00.004-07:00

On our second day in Florida we decided to make a trip over to Tampa Bay to see some of there sports arenas. Our first stop was to the Tampa Bay Downs to see the horse races. We bet a little, but being new to the game we didn't win. It was nice and warm out though!

We then made our way over to see that stadium where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play football.

We then crossed over to bay to see where the Tampa Bay Devil Rays play baseball.

We did a lot of driving, but got to see a lot of beautiful places.

Florida or Bust!

2009-02-25T16:45:00.011-07:00

On February 15th we left the great state of Utah for a trip to Florida! I was super excited to be going back. (For those who didn't know, I lived in Daytona Beach while going to flight attendant training back in 2004). When I asked my sweet husband what he wanted to do while we were there he replied, I want to see what you saw when you were there! Oh how sweet. We flew in late on Sunday to Orlando and just went right to the hotel to get some sleep.

The following morning we rolled out of bed about 9am got ready and headed off to see Daytona Beach, my home away from home.

The Pier almost 5 years ago........

And here it is 2009! (notice we are on the other side)

Welcome to Daytona Beach!

We visited the famous International Speedway 1 day after the fabulous Daytona 500 race.

We tried to go to the beach but it was WAY to0 windy to get in the water and it was only about 68 degrees that day.
We finished off our day in Daytona doing a little souvenir shopping.

After Daytona we drove south to see Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. By the time we got there it was way too dark to get any good pictures. :(

Champ

2009-02-08T23:49:00.008-07:00

Some of you may not know how my sweet puppy got his name. Our favorite football team is the Denver Broncos. They have an awesome corner back whose name just happens to be Champ Bailey. (I think Champ is actually the nickname his dad gave him when he was super young.) So since Champ is my favorite player, and it just is an awesome name, it was perfect for our sweet boy. Of course Miguel and I both have Broncos jerseys that we wear during the season, but why leave Champ out!

And he looks super cute strutting around too!

He sure does love his mom!

February 5th

2009-02-08T23:34:00.003-07:00

On February 5th I turned 24! Man I am getting old. I remember when birthdays were so exciting and I couldn't wait for the day.... but now all I can think is "do I really have to keep getting older?" My husband and I had the day before my birthday off, so we spent the afternoon at the mall picking out birthday clothes! Because of responsibilities at my job, I didn't get to take my birthday off like I would have liked to. I am the inventory manager for the store that I work at and had to get a shipment out. At about 9:30am my boss came in to my office and said..."It is your birthday!! I am taking you out to lunch." Wow! How nice of him! Now, since both of us are on a no fast food kick, we had to do sub sandwiches. (we decided not to rule out sandwiches since they aren't caked in grease and hey, Jared lost weight just eating Subway!) I also spent the day entertaining a corporate inventory analyst that does surprise visits to make sure we are following processes. I honestly thought my day was ruined when he showed up, but we passed with flying colors!! After work I met with my family to go out to dinner. The day was fabulous!

The Last 2 Months

2009-02-08T23:26:00.002-07:00

So Christmas came and went. We actually had a very nice time, other then the horrible snow storm we had to drive through to get to our destination. New Years came and went. You will never guess how we rang in the new year......totally asleep! (wow it is hard to get old). Other then that my life has consisted of working. In retail, December is the busiest time of the year, so I began to feel like I did nothing but work. As a New Years resolution, a couple people at work decided to cut out fast food and soda. Mostly to try to not get fatter, but also to help save money. I decided to jump on the wagon so the last time I ate fast food or drank a soda was January 8th. I can really say I am seeing the savings! I also feel a lot better. We are shooting to go a whole year before we introduce fast food.....I should be able to hold out!

Just for you Mom!

2008-12-17T00:17:00.007-07:00

So isn't life funny when you feel like you will never get to have a minute to yourself? Well welcome to life working in retail. The November/December time frame has me on my toes going a million miles an hour every day. Per my mothers request, I am taking a minute to update y'all on my life.........

Verizon sponsors like every concert ever. They try to do meet and greets at some of there stores, so after 23 years of waiting, I had the opportunity to meet not 1, but 2 famous musicians. We had Chris Cornell, formerly of Soundgarden and AudioSlave, now solo and Timbaland who has produced tracks for almost everyone stop in. We had SOOOOO many people in our store most of the day waiting to get autographs. It was crazy. My husband got to come work at my store for part of the day too and was excited since he is an aspiring producer and loves Timbaland's work. (for those who don't know, we both work for the same company, just different stores). The had strict rules about not bothering the artists and we could only take 1 picture, which our marketing department has yet to get to us........ They also did a concert up in Salt Lake later that night, which my manager got me free tickets for. It was pretty fun, and boy were we right up front.

Around the first part of November I decided that I needed to learn a new skill. I am not really that great of a cook. I wanted to try something I had never done but had seen my mom do a million times growing up. I made a stew in the crockpot and decided that we needed rolls........

These are buns a mother should be proud of! I know I was, even though they were HUGE. And they actually tasted fantastic!!! I guess I am not as bad a cook as I thought ;)

I have been working on a training program at work that keeps me busy on my days off too. They are trying to get select employees promoted by putting them through manager trainings and having them work with people that have leadership positions. I had the opportunity to work with the operations department which was exciting. I one day hope to be in operations so I got my name out to some incredibly important people. I got the chance to help plan the kick off meeting we have at the first of the year for all the employees in Utah. We are talking thousands of people. I also go to work with one of the assistant directors at our call center. I know am working on putting together a powerpoint presentation that I will have to present to the President of my region of the company. Holy crap am I nervous for that!!!!! Please all cross your fingers that I will do well!

And that brings me up to present. With Christmas coming up I have been dreading putting up my tree for 1 reason. It seems every year I just seem to get even more lights on then I did the year before. I got my own tree and my own place 4 years ago and I have gone from having around 5 extra boxes of lights to now probably needing like 4 more!! I am not totally sure how I do that. :S But I do have to say that it looks pretty!
And who can forget about our sweet boy Champ! He is doing awesome. He definitely has shown us the meaning of unconditional love, even though sometimes I think he needs to go play with Justin since they both like to get in to trouble.

Photo Tag

2008-10-16T00:10:00.004-06:00

My sister Jamie photo tagged me. Tag instructions, go to My Pictures, chose the fourth folder, and the fourth picture in that folder. I usually don't keep our pix in that folder, but I happened to have a few! Here it is.....

If you can't tell, it is the windmill at Knott's Berry Farm in California. This picture was taken when we were there visiting San Diego in July of 2007.

Changes....

2008-10-15T23:26:00.005-06:00

For awhile now I have been wanting "adult" furniture. The furniture that we have had in our bedroom for the last 3 years just seems like it was less expensive starter furniture. I had been eyeing this very nice set at RC Willey for like 6 months, but as most know, RC Willey tends to be a little pricey. I would check on it online and one day noticed that the price had dropped a little. We actually came in to a bunch of money right at the first of August and Miguel, being so sweet, told me that I could use it to get what ever I wanted. Well first was the backyard. But then I decided it was time for my furniture. We stopped in RC Willey on Labor Day and found that we were getting the last king size set and that it was $500 less because of a fabulous Labor Day sale! We also got a wonderful new king size mattress. We have to say thanks Papa Jim for the recommendation, it is the best mattress ever. (I think I MUST be getting older since home furnishings get me so excited!)

And since I used my portion of our earnings on bedroom stuff, Miguel decided that he wanted a new computer. Instead of sticking with the regular old PC, we decided that we wanted to see what all the hype was with these Mac machines. So on September 24th, we spent the evening at the Apple store at the Gateway mall. Just thinking that we were going in to ask questions, we walked out 2 hours later with a brand new iMac computer. It has been really nice. And the super cool part is that there is no tower. The whole computer is built in to the monitor. So far it has been super easy to use.

How Time Flies!

2008-09-26T10:51:00.008-06:00

So I didn't realize it had been soooo long since I last posted, so this post is gonna be a long one. Sorry! Since the end of August I have moved to a different store for work. So don't stop by the Jordan Landing area to see me, I won't be there. I now reside much closer to home in American Fork. It is so nice to not have to be in the car so long! We also got our backyard set up with grass and sprinklers!!

This is how fabulous it looked to begin with.......

And here is how it turned out!!! Champ LOVES to run around and have fun in his new yard.

We are also hoping to be able to put a cement slab down by the sliding door so that we can get some cool patio furniture for outdoor entertaining!

We also had the opportunity to take some time off from work. In the week and a half that we were off, we did the responsible thing and had our puppy nutered. It was a super hard decision for me, as it is not reversible, but there are just so many sweet puppies that need good homes already. He went in to the Vet at 8am on the 18th and left him. The dr called around noon and said he was doing really well and we could come get him about 2pm. We were expecting him to have one of those cool cone things on his head so that he would not lick his stitches. We the nurse brought him out, no cone. She said he had been soooo good after the surgery and he had not done any licking since he woke up!! What a big boy. She said if he started licking at any point in the next couple of days we could get a cone. He did VERY little licking so no cone necesssary! He healed up so nicely. We were told that we had to watch him and no hard playing for a week, but he would not let stitches hold him down. He was playing the very next day. I love the little guy!

IT IS OFFICIAL!!!!!

2008-08-29T23:14:00.003-06:00

So we officially have the start of a backyard! Miguel's cousin has some friends that put in sprinklers and they offered to help us out. They finished pulling out the killer weeds that had taken over the back (mom, grandma and I pulled out half about 2 weeks ago) and then they proceeded to dig the trenches. So they will be back down on Sunday to basically finish up! Then we just need to go over to the sod store and purchase the grass and they will come lay it once we have it!!!! Miguel's cousin also offered to help us pour a cement pad so we can have a patio. Yay for family that will help us out and save us TONZ of money. I was going to take pictures but it was just too dark when I got home tonight, so I will post some as soon as I take them tomorrow. (If you can't tell I am super excited!)

Such a long time.......

2008-08-21T23:07:00.002-06:00

It has been such a long time since I have posted on this. I guess it is since not a ton of fun stuff has been happening, just the usual. Except for the fact that I have killer weeds in my backyard........Little did I know, but I was SUPER allergic to them and broke out with the SWEETEST set of hives on any part of exposed skin that I had. I tried to take pictures of them to post, but the pictures wouldn't turn out. Sorry, I know every one wanted to see them. We are working to get our backyard all put together before it gets to be way too cold. So wish us luck. I will post pictures of our backyard progress as it comes along!

Part of My World........

2008-08-03T14:48:00.001-06:00

You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-17T23:23:00.005-06:00

Champion Frankfurt Lugo was born exactly 1 year ago yesterday. When he came to our house he was maybe 5 pounds. He has gotten to be so big, 15 pounds, and is now quite a mama's boy. For his birthday he got to spend the entire day with his mom. He has a playpen that he usually has to stay in since he still loves to chew on everything, but he didn't have to go in all day! He was so good and even decided that he was going to take a nap with mom on the couch. We waited until dad came home from work and then he got

to go to Petsmart to pick out his presents. He got

a chicken bone, a squeeky toy and scooby snacks.

After his long day of playing (and dad's long day at work) he crashed on the couch..........along with dad!

Happy Birthday little guy!!

Trampoline!

2008-07-03T21:01:00.001-06:00

Call us weird but we just couldn't wait for a backyard!!

Happy Birthday!

2008-06-19T12:50:00.007-06:00

Miguel Angel Lugo Jr. was born on June 19, 1980 to Maria and Miguel Sr in Los Angeles, California. As you can tell from this super cute picture he came out with a full head of black hair! (hopefully that means our kids will have lots of hair like dad instead of being bald like mom).

Champ and I got him some things that we thought he would have fun with. I tried to get champ to bring the presents in to his dad, but he felt it was more fun to try to eat the paper. He got a PSP (playstation portable) with a game, the movie The Sword and The Stone, and a protective case for his psp. (Miguel felt he was not super "picture ready" so that is why Champ is in these pictures)

It was almost like Champ felt it was his own birthday. He decided that it was his job to help his dad dispose of the wrapping paper. It was super cute to watch him get more excited about the presents then Miguel.

We then moved out into the garage for the "big present". It was something that I could not get out of the car with my own man power so he had to "open" it by opening the trunk. He got a trampoline! Unfortunately we can't set it up because it is taking a lot longer to get the backyard all done. Happy 28th birthday sweetheart!!!

Gift

2008-06-12T16:10:00.002-06:00

So I have to admit that in the past my husband has had a hard time with getting the most perfect gift. But I have to give him credit.....with no help from anyone, he got me a fantastic anniversary gift. I was given season passes to Lagoon! As we get more chances to go and spend time out having fun on the rides I will post some pictures. Should be loads of fun! And way to go honey for the perfect gift!!

2 Years......

2008-06-06T22:47:00.007-06:00

Wow, can you believe it! We have made it to our 2 year wedding anniversary. We have had our ups and downs, but all in all it has been well worth it. We were married in the afternoon and it was raining just a bit.

We had our first dinner as a married couple at Dee's on 4700 and Redwood Road after we had not had time to eat all day. We were going to go a stay in a hotel that night but decided that we would rather just stay at home. We spent the night at home in our townhouse in Salt Lake and the next afternoon went to the fabulous Cafe Rio.

A couple of days after (I think the 9th) we left for beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We spent 5 days playing in the sun right by the sea. It was fabulous.

Fun Date Night

2008-05-30T11:16:00.002-06:00

So on May 16th we had the opportunity to attend game 5 of the Jazz/Lakers playoffs. Miguel, having grown up in Los Angeles, is a huge Lakers fan. I decided to cheer for the home team. The day before we went I stopped at Fanzz and bought us jerseys to wear. We had many people comment on the fact that our jerseys didn't match but we were walking in holding hands..........

Good News? (continued)

2008-05-07T11:02:00.003-06:00

Well I have a second interview for the Supervisor job. Wish me luck! If we get this, the chances of Champ getting a backyard will greatly increase....

Princess

2008-05-03T20:39:00.004-06:00

Well I guess Champ has decided that whatever mom and dad have, he needs too. So since we needed to sit at the computer, he did too.......

Now the funny part about this, not only did he have to have his very own seat, the window had to be open. Well there was a very fun thing going on outside I guess cuz next thing I saw......

Guess I have a parrot-cat-dog!

Good News?

2008-04-24T20:41:00.000-06:00

So I have been in my current position with Verizon for over a year. That is a long time for me. I tend to get bored and need to do something new. So I applied to be an Operations Consultant for Northern Utah/Southern Idaho as well as to be the Supervisor/Manager of the store I am at now. So everyone wish me luck on this new adventure. Hopefully I will have some good news to report soon!

Our Crazy Puppy

2008-03-30T23:12:00.000-06:00

Our sweet little puppy is slightly crazy I think. He is being crate trained so he has his own special bed. I got up one morning to find him with his nose sticking through the bars. Not barking or trying to wake us up, I think he was simply passing time. So of course I grabbed the camera.

Not even 2 weeks later, I wake up again to a silly sight. We have a ceiling fan in our room but Champ doesnt find it to be as pleasant as his dad does. He usually has a blanket that covers his crate so he doesn't feel the breeze, but he threw up on it and it was in the washer. He had to find another way to get away from the fan. So I found him having rolled himself up in his blanket like a burrito.

He has an urge to chew everything. So to get him to stop, we bought him rawhide bones. He LOVES them more then anything, but the ones his size he finishes in about 30 mins and then is back to chewing my couch. So I found something to last awhile, the bone of all bones. As you can tell by the picture, it is huge compared to little Champ, but it is his favorite. He insists on carting it around with him.

And last, but not least. I think he may have been a parrot in another life time. He seems to think that the greatest place to just sit and hangout is on someone’s shoulder. (I think part of it could be that he is just too small to see out the window without a little help).

Bag Tag

2008-03-30T21:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, so since I am so on top of things, here is the contents of my purse about a month after I actually got tagged. (thanks sister). I didn't realize I had so much crap. I have my 2 wallets, one for each bank account, a million pens, coupon organizer, cough drops, pack of gum, eye drops, perfume, lotion, hand sanitizer, asprin, toothbrush and toothpaste, pink personal pouch, 2 cell phones, bandaids, 2 bluetooth headsets, my business cards, nail clippers, lip gloss, car keys, and family's house keys. And now I am supposed to tag 5 people. However, the only person that I know on this blog site is the person that tagged me, so as I add more friends......they will be the ones to get it!!

Rules: Empty all the contents of your bag (NO CLEANING OUT FIRST). Take a picture of your bag and all the contents. Then you get to tag 5 more people!

Sicko-s

2008-02-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

So we decided to get sick as an entire family. I had an entire glorious weekend off (which in sales is something I NEVER get). I woke up Saturday morning not feeling so well and continued that way for the rest of the day......in comes the flu. I spent the entire weekend sleeping and doing little else. And since my sweet little puppy was with me keeping me company.........in comes the puppy flu. Did I know that a puppy could get the flu? Not at all. He just sleeps and wants to be held non stop. Then my husband, feeling left out, decided to one up the both of us and was diagnosed with bronchitis. So if you are planning a trip to the Lugo House anytime in the near future, probably wait until there is not so much sick going on!

New Addition

2008-02-14T20:18:00.001-07:00

After purchasing our home we decided that it seemed a little empty. Since neither of us is ready for kids, and we have both always wanted one, we got a puppy. He has really filled our house with fun and he has helped us to learn what unconditional love is. He still has his accidents in the house every once in awhile, but we can't blame him since he has no backyard yet. We got him on September 9th, 2007 when he was about a month and a half old. He seemed so little then.......He prefers to be wherever we are and will follow us around non stop. He also has his little tantrums when we leave the house and he is not in his carrier going with us. He has learned lots of fun tricks as long as there are treats involved......and he has Grandma Suzy wrapped around his little paw (although she may not admit it!).

Our New Home

2008-02-14T19:43:00.001-07:00

So as some of you know, we bought our first home. We used to live a a townhouse but found out really quickly that we needed something bigger. We put down money and they started building in April. Thinking that we had 6 to 8 months to save up money we moved in with Mama Ruff. We didn't get more then 4 months to save since the house was finished in June. We moved in the first week of July. It has been so exciting and fun, but we found it that it is also super expensive!

What am I doing????

2008-02-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

So since I have sooooo much free time.....I thought that I would give this blog thing a try. Hopefully I will be able to keep it updated! ;)