libertadvelarde

Kate Spencer: Why Kristen Stewart Matters: A Screed About Girls, Role Models And Tearing Down Those Who Are Different

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:51:26 -0800

Kate Spencer: Why Kristen Stewart Matters: A Screed About Girls, Role Models And Tearing Down Those Who Are Different:

The other day I found myself standing in front of a rack of princess costumes at the Disney Store. We set out to find a last minute costume for Baby E, and the lady at the Sunglass Hut directed us there after we failed to find the pop-up Halloween store in the mall. “They have a ton of princess…

sweethesound: How Do I Love Thee?

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:01:20 -0800

sweethesound:

How Do I Love Thee?

Photo

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:15:13 -0800

vegnews: It’s… so… beautiful… veganfood: Vegan Nutella...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:05:14 -0800

vegnews:

It’s… so… beautiful…

veganfood:

Vegan Nutella Stuffed French Toast (by veganmiss)

Recipe

From Me To You: The PHOTOGRAPHERS...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:51:40 -0700

From Me To You: The PHOTOGRAPHERS...:

fromme-toyou:

You know, as a photographer I’m always interested watching other photographer’s work, how they work and what their process is. When I come around at NYFW I’m very aware that I’m in the colosseum with these guys (who mostly ignore me since I’m the quiet one in the skirt) and this is their world….

courtjustice: Kristen Stewart rocks @BALENCIAGA looks from the...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:41:15 -0700

courtjustice:

Kristen Stewart rocks @BALENCIAGA looks from the Spring 2013 CAPSULE collection. Love these!

wetheurban: #NYFW: MARCHESA SPRING/SUMMER 2013 Marchesa...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:22:42 -0700

wetheurban:

#NYFW: MARCHESA SPRING/SUMMER 2013

Marchesa designers Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman gave us Bollywood glamour realness to the T in this very extravagant and flowy collection. From soft silks and chiffon to dresses, blazers, and pants accented with tassels and stones, their collection is the purest form of class. See the Spring/Summer 2013 Marchesa Collection (above)!

wetheurban: AN EVENING WITH MARILYN - DOUGLAS...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:05:04 -0700

wetheurban:

AN EVENING WITH MARILYN - DOUGLAS KIRKLAND

Photographer Douglas Kirkland has released a beautiful book of unreleased photographs titled An Evening With Marilyn. The photographs were originally commissioned by Look magazine back in 1961 and, as the title suggests, depict a single evening Kirkland spent with the superstar.

Kirkland is a prolific photographer most notably known for his ultra-chic old Hollywood clientele that stems from Marilyn Monroe to Elizabeth Taylor to Audrey Hepburn, in total shooting over 100 famous movie sets and, as a result, has been named “Photographer of the Year.”. You can get your copy over at Amazon.

littlewishjar: kittaaaycat: thecakebar: Giant Smores Stuffed...

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 11:04:03 -0700

littlewishjar:

kittaaaycat:

thecakebar:

Giant Smores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie (tutorial/recipe)

omg….

HOLY CRAP

littlewishjar: thecakebar: how to make mini cakes!...

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:06:41 -0700

littlewishjar:

thecakebar:

how to make mini cakes! (tutorial)

Eek! Cuteness!

La Última Estación / The Last Station

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:45:12 -0700

Quiero reconocer a esas personas que me han dado un poco de su amor, tiempo y amistad en la última estación de este viaje llamado vida.

Trabajé en un hospital oncológico que combina terapias convencionales con terapias alternativas, por ende, vienen pacientes de todos los rincones del mundo a luchar contra algo que no debería existir llamado cancer.

En el tiempo que trabajé ahí pude conocer a personas de todo el mundo, con culturas muy diferentes a la mía.

De todas las personas que conocí hubo unas que dejaron una profunda huella en mi vida: Max Huffman, Paula Terry, Gayle Morrow y Sandra Bores por mencionar algunas. No soy doctora ni enfermera; me encanta conocer gente, platicar con ellos y conocer sus historias. Muchos de los que conocí siguen vivos pero estos que les menciono lamentablemente ya fallecieron. El maldito cáncer se los llevó sin importarle si tenían sueños por cumplir, familia que dependiera de ellos o amigos que los quisieran.

Paula Terry Estuvo luchando por 15 años a puño limpio contra el cáncer; no esperas mucho de una persona que lleva tantos años luchando, incluso entenderías si no tiene el mejor humor. Paula era especial siempre nos saludaba con una sonrisa sincera, llena de cariño, sin importar que tan mal se sintiera. Decía que éramos su segunda familia, que el hospital era su segunda casa y que este era el único hospital que llorabas cuando te ibas.

Gayle Morrow Una mujer entregada a Dios, con una fe y devoción admirable. Cuando yo entré a trabajar al hospital era solo por un mes. Ella fue de las primeras pacientes que atendí; al platicarle que solo estaba ahí por un mes me preguntó si podía orar por mí. Le dije que sí y oró para que me quedara en el hospital, en ese puesto o en otro pero que me quedara. Le platiqué que estudiaba fotografía , le regalé una de mis fotos que a mí me gustaba mucho pero que a nadie más le había gustado o por lo menos no les había llamado la atención. Cuando se la mostre le fascinó, me emocioné tanto al ver su reacción que se la regalé. Al mes regresó para otra ronda de tratamientos y le dio gusto verme, le dije que me habían contratado. Me platicó que la foto que le regalé la había enmarcado y estaba en su cocina y que todas las mañanas al tomar su té la veía y oraba por mí. En su última visita descubrieron que el cáncer ya había invadido su hígado y que necesitaba quimio y radiación. Recuerdo como lloró cuando supo, oramos para que Dios hiciera su voluntad en su vida, fue un momento muy crudo que compartimos. Esa fue la última vez que la vi. Un mes antes de que falleciera recibí un mail de ella donde me decía que ya no tenía fuerzas para nada y que le encantaría que me fuera a pasar un tiempo con ella porque necesitaba de mi compañía, mis platicas, mi energía y vitalidad.

Max Huffman Un señor alto, 6 pies y cahito; gordito, con pancita de obispo. Cáncer de esófago. Cabello canoso, tez blanca de ojos azules. Era muy chistoso ver a tremendo señor pedir que le licuaran sus comidas; tenía tan inflamado el esófago que solo podía pasar líquidos. Nos hicimos amigos al instante, pasábamos horas platicando todos los días. Un hombre muy generoso con su tiempo, cariño, consejos, dinero; es de los que vienen a esta vida a dar. En su último día de su primer ronda de tratamientos fui con algunos pacientes a un restaurant a celebrar que nos habíamos conocido y que Max pudo comer pan. Cuando Max regresó a su casa empezó a comer sólidos pero tuvo complicaciones; tuvo que ser intervenido y en un procedimiento de “rutina” le perforaron el intestino grueso y no se dieron cuenta. Al llegar al hospital con nosotros para recibir su segundo ciclo de tratamientos se empezó a sentir mal; cuando encontraron el problema [intestino perforado] ya era muy tarde, estaba todo infectado por dentro. Cuando eso pasó yo estaba incapacitada porque tenía un esguince cervical y tenía que usar collarín. Hablábamos por telefono todos los días, la última vez que hablé con él me dijo que en noviembre que regresara íbamos a celebrar su cumpleaños y que yo ya estaba curada de mi cuello. El sábado 31 de octubre fui mi mamá se sentía muy mal y la llevé al hospital; al llegar al hospital me dice una enfermera “vienes a despedirte de Max?” Cómo les explico lo que sentí en ese momento? En lo que atendían a mi mamá me subí al cuarto de Max y la escena era tétrica, pacientes, enfermeras, acompañantes de pacientes, personal del hospital y misioneros alrededor de su cama orando y llorando por él. Max estaba amarillo como pollo por la falla hepática, intentando respirar con todas sus fuerzas. Solo estaban esperando que dejara de latir su corazón, ya llevaba así unas horas y no podían hacer nada más por el, la infección había invadido todo. Lo primero que hice fue agarrarle la mano y decirle “Hey Max! It’s me, Liberty” (Hey Max! Soy yo, Libertad). No pude contener las lágrimas, le recité el salmo 23. Una compañera de trabajo, le cantó un himno. Me dijeron las enfermeras que solamente era cuestión de minutos.

Eran las 10:00am y yo no había desayunado, mucho menos me había tomado las pastillas para el dolor de cuello por las prisas de que mi mamá se sentía mal. Me aseguré de que la estuvieran atendiendo bien y me quedé en el cuarto con Max. A los 10 minutos de estar con él su color cambió, ya no estaba amarillo; su respiración no era tan agitada. De pronto abrió los ojos, me apretó la mano y me dijo “Hey Liberty”; minutos después me volvió a decir “Hey Liberty. Love you.” Así estuvo todo el día, eran las 8:00pm y yo seguía con él, no me dejaba ir; cada que le decía que ya me iba me apretaba la mano y abría los ojos. Si le hablaban los doctores y las enfermeras no respondía, solo cuando yo le hablaba abría los ojos y de vez en vez decía mi nombre para asegurarse que seguía ahí. Me quedé con él hasta las 8:45pm porque el dolor de cuello ya era insoportable. A la hora de que me fui falleció, ya no pudimos festejar su cumpleaños ni mi cuello. Espero encontrármelo en el cielo y celebrar allá arriba.

Las preguntas que quedan sin responder son: Por qué Gayle quería que estuviera con ella en sus últimos días? Por qué Max reaccionó de esa manera cuando lo fui a ver? Por qué solo quería que yo estuviera con él? No tengo ni la más mínima idea; solo les puedo decir que para mí fue un honor conocerlos. Fue un honor estar con Max en sus últimas horas y hacerle el viaje más ligero.

En general doy gracias a Dios por toda la gente que conocí mientras trabajé en el hospital; lamentablemente muchos ya no están en este mundo. Gracias por darme un poco de su cariño, por pensar en mí, por permitirme ser parte de su equipo en esta interminable lucha contra el cáncer. Créanme que se han ganado un lugar en mi corazón de por vida. El solo hecho de conocerlos me han hecho una mejor persona.

Sobre todo gracias a Dios por permitirme conocerlos, espero haber sido de bendición en sus vidas.

I want to acknowledge those people that have given me their love, time and friendship in the last stop of this journey called life.

I worked at an oncology hospital that uses both traditional and alternative therapies, because of that we have patients from every corner of the world to fight against something that shouldn’t exist called cancer.

During the time that I worked there I got to meet people from all over the world, with cultures and backgrounds very different than mine.

From all the people that I met, they were a few that made a big impact in my life: Max Huffman, Paula Terry, Gayle Morrow and Sandra Bores to name a few. I’m not a doctor nor a nurse; I love meeting new people, talk with them and know their stories. A lot of the people I’ve met are still alive but this guys unfortunately have passed away. The damn cancer didn’t care if they had dreams, families that depended on them, or friends that loved them.

Paula Terry For 15 years she fought fair and square against cancer; you don’t expect much from someone like her, in fact you would totally understand if she wasn’t the friendliest person. Paula was special; she would always greet you with a warm and sincere smile, even when she was having a rough day. She said that we were her second family and that this was the only hospital that you cried when you left.

Gayle Morrow Was a women devoted to God, with a faith and devotion worthy of admiration. When I started working at the hospital it was temporary, just for one month. Gayle was one of the first patients I met, when I told her that it was a temporary job she asked if she could pray for me. She prayed so I could stay in the same position I was or in another department. I told her that I was studying photography and I gave her one of my photographs that I liked a lot but no one else seemed to care bout it. When she saw it she really loved it and that’s why I gave it to her. When she came back a month later for another treatment cycle, she was glad to see me, I told her that I got the job. She told me that she framed the picture I gave her and that it was in her kitchen and that every morning while she had her tea she would look at the picture and pray for me. On her last visit they discovered that the cancer had spread to her liver and she would need quimio and radiation. I remember how much she cried and we prayed together. That was the last time I saw her. A month before she passed away she sent me an email telling me how tired she was, she couldn’t do anything anymore and how she wished I could go and visit her because she needed my company, positive energy and vitality.

Max Huffman A tall guy, over 6 feet, chubby. Gray hair, white skin and blue eyes. Esophageal cancer. It was estrange to see a big guy asking to have his food pureed; his esophagus was so swollen that he could only pass liquids. We became friends instantly, we would talk for hours everyday. He was very generous with his time, advice, friendship; he was a giver. On his last day of his first cycle of treatment we went with a few patients to a restaurant to celebrate our friendship and that he was able to eat bread. When he went home he started to eat solids but had a few complications; during a “routine procedure” the doctors didn’t realize that they had punctured his large intestine. He came back for his second cycle but when he got here he started feeling really sick. By the time the doctors found out what the problem was [punctured intestine] it was to late. All his organs were infected. When that happened I was on sick leave because I had a whiplash and had to use a cervical collar. We talked on the phone every day; the last time we talked he told me that when he came back in november we would go out to celebrate his birthday and that my neck had healed. On october 31st my mom was feeling very sick so I took her to the hospital; when we arrived one of the nurses asked me if I was there to say good bye to Max, I can’t explain to you how I felt. While my mom was in the ER I went to Max’s room. As I came in to his room the scene was terrifying; patients, nurses, hospital staff, doctors, missioners were all surrounding his bed crying and praying. Max was yellow due to his leaver failure and his breathing was very heavy. I graved his hand and said “Hey Max! It’s me, Liberty”. Tears came down my face immediately and read to him psalm 23. The nurses told me that it was just a matter of minutes, he’s been like this for a while now.

It was 10:00am and I didn’t eat breakfast and forgot to take my pain medication, I was still wearing the collar. After I checked on my mom and made sure that she was taken care of I stayed with Max. 10 minutes passed since I got there and his skin tone was more normal and his breathing was less agitated. Suddenly he opened his eyes and said “Hey Liberty”; minutes later he said again “Hey Liberty. I love you.” It was like that all day. It was 8:00pm and I was still there, he wouldn’t let me go; every time I told him that I was leaving he would squeeze my hand and open his eyes. He didn’t respond to the doctors or the nurses, only when I talked to him he would open his eyes and from time to time he would call my name just to make sure I was still there. I left at 8:45pm because the pain on my neck was too much. An hour later Max passed away; we didn’t get to celebrate his birthday. I hope to see him in heaven so we can celebrate up there.

I’ll never know why Gayle wanted me to be with her on her last days. Why Max had that reaction to my presence and why he only responded to me. What I do know is that it was a privilege to know them and an honor to be with Max on his last hours.

In general I’m thankful with God for all the people that I met while working at the hospital; sadly many of them aren’t here anymore. Thank you for loving me, for thinking of me and for letting me be on your team on this never ending battle against cancer. Believe me that each and everyone of you have a very special place in my heart. And just by meeting you guys I am a better person.

Above all thank you God bringing this people into my life I hope I was a blessing to them.

"Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together; sophistication demands that they submit to..."

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:49:49 -0700

“Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together; sophistication demands that they submit to sex immediately without proper preliminary talk. Not courting talk — real straight talk about souls, for life is holy and every moment is precious.”

-
Jack Kerouac

On the Road

Gotta love VANS

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:29:31 -0700

Gotta love VANS

HA! love it when that happens

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:07:03 -0700

HA! love it when that happens

"Grief drives men into habits of serious reflection, sharpens the understanding and softens the..."

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:36:06 -0700

“Grief drives men into habits of serious reflection, sharpens the understanding and softens the heart.”

- john adams (via serenedean)

explore-blog: The World of 100 – what global population...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:51:58 -0700

explore-blog:

The World of 100 – what global population statistics would look like if the world were a village of 100 people, in brilliant minimalist infographics by designer Toby Ng.

peetashoneybuns: Rihanna sits down to talk about her album...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:39:15 -0700

peetashoneybuns:

Rihanna sits down to talk about her album “Rated R” (2009)

"I know you’re in a better place, but I wish that I could see your face. I know you’re where you need..."

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:05:47 -0700

“I know you’re in a better place, but I wish that I could see your face. I know you’re where you need to be, even though it’s not here with me.”

- Miley Cyrus, I Miss You (via simply-quotes)

"Responsibility to yourself means that you don’t fall for shallow and easy solutions—predigested..."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:00:20 -0700

“Responsibility to yourself means that you don’t fall for shallow and easy solutions—predigested books and ideas, marrying early as an escape from real decisions, getting pregnant as an evasion of already existing problems. It means that you refuse to sell your talents and aspirations short…and this, in turn, means resisting the forces in society which say that women should be nice, play safe, have low professional expectations, drown in love and forget about work, live through others, and stay in the places assigned to us. It means that we insist on a life of meaningful work, insist that work be as meaningful as love and friendship in our lives. It means, therefore, the courage to be “different”.”

- Adrienne Rich (via simply-quotes)

spiritualinspiration: “For God’s gifts and his call can never...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:17:09 -0700

spiritualinspiration:

“For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn” (Romans 11:29, NLT)

Today, I want to remind you that you are full of incredible potential. When God created you, He deposited seeds of greatness inside of you. He’s given you your own dreams and desires. You have something to offer that no one else has. But too often, we allow adversities, disappointments and setbacks to push these things down, until one day, we find that we’re not pressing forward anymore. We’re not stretching; we’re not believing to rise any higher.

When adversity comes, it’s easy to think, “Why is this happening to me?” The answer is because the enemy knows what’s on the inside of you. He’s going to do everything he can to keep that seed from taking root. But, he will only be successful if you let him. He can’t stop you unless you quit.

During the difficult times, remember that the gifts and callings God has placed within you are still there. Don’t become stagnate in pursuing your dreams. It’s time to get your fire back! It’s time to press forward. It’s time to dig deep inside and take hold of the marvelous destiny God has prepared for you!