We moved to Washington state in the summer of 2018. I simply cannot believe the beauty that I see again and again.

Each state and region has it's own beauty and benefits; however,  as I grew up in Colorado, I have always loved the mountains. 

Then when I was 18, and living in California, I fell in love with ocean.

Now, I am near both.

This is Gig Harbor. I don't live here...I live in Olympia which is about 30 minutes away. But what a beautiful place, and they have a fantastic women's consignment shop. Yay!

Dear reader,

Let’s talk. Talk the only way you and I can actually talk. I’ll speak, you listen. You don’t know me yet, but you will. It will take time of course, you may have to read many of my posts, but that shouldn’t be very hard. If it is difficult for you, well, I am sure you can make it through such a tremendous trial *Sarcasm*. This will however be much more of a one-sided relationship. I do not believe that I will ever really know you, the reader. Not in this way at least, not in the intimate way that you will get to know me. You will have the opportunity to listen to the whispers of the darkest corners of my heart. Well, at least occasionally. I won’t always speak of dramatic or romantic things when I write, I am simply in a mood at the moment. Everyone has those, right? Sometimes you just want to dance under the moonlight with a lover, study the stars as if it’s your first time doing so, just taking in life in its purest moments. That mood, you know that one don’t you? If not I encourage you to learn about it. Take time to smell the flowers, as the saying goes.

Life is beautiful because life is small. We are small, but we have the potential to be so large. Interesting thing that potential of our souls. Someone can be full of so much nothingness, so much of a void, yet they have the opportunity to become a shining star. If my writing is coming off as very poetic, dramatic, and romantic, it is probably because I am a very poetic, dramatic, and romantic person.

               You don’t know me though. I mean, you are probably summing me up right now. That is fine, but let me help you with this process a little bit by giving you some basic information about who I am. My name is David Lehi Sagastizado. I am the 7 child of Tammy Sagastizado. I am her youngest living son. I am 21 years old. I love what love is, and love to give love to everyone I meet. So yes that does mean I will love you too. Despite your flaws, despite your weaknesses, despite the things you find ugly in yourself, you deserve love. Everyone does. I know my love may not be what you need or want right now, but it is here. In the times where you think that you don’t think anyone loves you, prove yourself wrong and say

“Uh, actually, that random guy online said he loves me.” Then laugh to yourself, let the tears slide down your face as you receive a bit of relief from that overwhelming sadness. I know I can’t do much from here, I can’t help that sadness leave completely, but I hope in some way I do help you. Even if you read my words simply to insult them, to show to a friend and laugh, that is enough for me. Even if you think my writing is ridiculous and foolish, that of a fool, then so be it. Maybe it will help you vent a little, maybe it will make you feel better about yourself. That doesn’t matter to me. You will always have my love, even when you do me wrong.

               Hopefully I am not coming on too strong. I tend to do that. I am very much all in man. When I love, it is completely and totally, poems written to sing the songs of my heart that I can’t quite find the rhythm for to sing out loud. When I am sad, I am drowned in waves of my own self-loathing, torn apart by the idea that I am not good enough. For now, I am excited for what we will create together. It may just be one other person that ever reads my writing, and that is enough for me. I hope that I can be enough for you.

Until we meet again, may the sun shine brightly on your path, and may your blessings be well lit. 

Wow! I know...I know. I have been negligent in updating this blog. But a new year brings new goals. So let's start by catching up a bit.

This is Tony, Colette, and Miriam. They are in Washington State (too far away for GrammyTammy). Tony is still in the Army...engineer officer...and spent a year in Afganistan, then came home and was sent off to fight all the wild fires in the West. Colette, is the strong wonderful mother that is giving sweet Miriam one of the best childhoods ever...eating berries...climbing, running outside, lots of books...actually...ALL my married children and their spouses  are doing an incredible job of loving and raising their children.

We miss them so much. They did come for Thanksgiving and it was so much fun to see cousins play together and start to build those wonderful, life-long special relationships that only cousins and siblings have.

Next, is Douglas, Ary, Celeste, and Bella. They are in Houston. Not so far away ( a 7 hour drive). So we see them more frequently, but certainly, not enough. Celeste turned 8, so she is our first grandchild to be Baptized which was a wonderful experience. One, that I hope and pray, is repeated again and again. Ary is a teacher, and Douglas is doing really well as a Construction Specialist for CDM Smith.

This above is Michael on Ashley's lap, with Benjamin on Matthew's lap. Matthew is number 3 son. They live in Oklahoma City and are both in college and working. I will share another time, but they really have suffered a lot this past year...so it is nice to see them in this picture from December, happy and healthy. Ashley is expecting again, and this will be grandchild number 9.

Benjamin (# 4 son) and his girlfriend, Ariana, also live in Oklahoma City, so they are close by. We absolutely love Ariana. Fito loves that she speaks Spanish (Ashley and Maria are learning...and Douglas is almost there...)

This picture is from their trip to Costa Rica. Ariana is a teacher, Ben works full-time and goes to college at night.

Maria, my first girl, after 4 boys, is child number 5. She finished school to become a dental assistant, and is back in school taking business classes, and planning on becoming a dentist. Here she is with Travis, and their 3 children: Tori, Greyson, and Xander. They live in Moore, OK, which is part of the OKC metro. Travis works hard in the oilfield and has done really well this past year.

Felipe Joshua is child, number 6. He lives in OKC with Benjamin. They also work at the same company: CLEAResult, which is a really good company that does  good and is good to their employees. He is dating a teacher (my grandmother and Fito's grandmother were teachers, Several of Fito's relatives are teachers, Fito, me, Ary, and Ariana are teachers, ben wants to be a teacher, and Felipe is dating a teacher).

I love this picture of Felipe with Grandma Nena, Fito's mom.

Child, number 7, is David. David has lived in severe pain for almost 5 years. Not being able to do many of the things that normal young adults do and having to give up many of his dreams. But then we found a new doctor (we have gone from doctor to doctor for years in search of relief) and David finally has the pain to a point it is manageable. He recently just went out to Utah, where he is living with his cousin, Nick, working, and hopefully, will be able to finish college.

Isn't this a great pic? How the nieces and nephews love their aunts and uncles!

Now we have Elizabeth, who is 18, and living presently in Houston with Douglas and Ary.

She is working and getting ready to go on a mission, hopefully, leaving this summer.

We miss her; but I know Douglas, Ary, and the girls love her cleaning and playing!

 

That just leaves Beca, who is 14. She will be with us for awhile, but thankfully, she is not alone as we have one of my former students, Sarah Lynn, living with us at present as well. Sarah is in her senior year of high school and plans to go on a mission, too, in June.

Beca is organized!! She cleans the pantry, the drawers, closets, etc. She and Elizabeth have been the sweetest ending to many years of raising children. (Although, it's not an ending at all, as the family keeps growing and growing!)

This is Sarah, Elizabeth, and Beca. Great girls!

Oh my goodness. It has been over a year since I blogged, and what a year it has been. Three new grandchildren have been born, Tony and Colette moved from Missouri to Washington state, Benjamin moved from Texas to Oklahoma City. I started a full-time job teaching Spanish at a high school. We moved out of our house believing it to be sold, and just moved back in as it did not sell.

We lived with Maria and Travis for most of the year…while Maria was pregnant, I might add. It has been a complicated and very difficult year for all involved, but at the same time, there have been many blessings.

I loved living with my grandchildren, actually. Little children are so innocent and they always are so welcoming and kissed and hugged us when we got home from work, wanted to watch scripture videos with us, and just wanted to be held or have their back"s scratched. And of course, dark haired, new little Victoria; Maria's baby girl.

Grandma Nena was here part of the year, as well, and we all squished in to Maria and Travis’s home. Maria and Travis had the master bedroom, and had moved the boy’s bunk bed into there. They also had the baby’s bassinet and swing in there. What a sacrifice they made to allow us to live with them. (But now in hindsight, it was a blessing for both of us. Travis became unemployed during this time and both of us would have lost our homes, had we not done so).

Then David, Elizabeth, and Rebeca shared a room. While Grandma Nena was here, she shared the room and one of the girls slept on the couch. Then Fito and I slept on a futon in the third room, where I also had my office set up.

We are buying a custom made latex bed which will be done next week. We have never owned a new bed in 32 years of marriage. I am so excited; I feel like a little girl at Christmas!

The children, of course are happy to be back home and have their own rooms. We pulled up all the carpet, have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning (yes, I meant to repeat it that many times…my level of clean is completely different than many other people’s level of clean) and have been painting, fixing things, weeding, working on the house, and so on.

It appears that we may be able to keep the house, but several miracles will have to occur. But even a month ago, I didn’t have any hope, but now I do.

Some other things that have happened in the past year is that Matthew joined the National Guard. He did so for several reasons: college, opportunity, security. To have insurance for Ashley. Poor Ashley. She has been so sick and in pain for so long. She keeps getting kidney stones and/or infections and with a new baby and a toddler to take care of…a mother doesn’t need to be ill or in so much pain.

Benjamin and Michael are soooo cute, though, and Michael is constantly trying to climb everything! He even caught a squirrel one day playing outside. Ashley heard a scream (from the squirrel) and just as she looked over…it was running away from Michael.

Besides those two, we also have Miriam: Tony and Colette’s little girl and she has blond hair and porcelain skin. This new generation is just as mixed up as their parents were. I used to tell my children when they were little that they were Twists (an ice cream treat) because they were vanilla and chocolate mixed together. My grandchildren are the same!

The Army transferred them to Washington state, and Tony is soon to be deployed to Afghanistan.

Douglas and Ary are still in Houston and doing well with their pretty girls: Celeste and Bella. Both are growing up and are so much fun because now they talk to me on the phone, they're not in diapers or trying to run away. They love Grammy Tammy and are just great girls.

 

 

 

Michael on a trike acting like a big boy.

Benjamin swinging.

Xander, Greyson, Maria, Bella, Rebeca holding Victoria, Abby, a cousin, Celeste and Elizabeth, me at the end.

Ary, Celeste, and Isabella.

Miriam, Tony, and Colette.

My son Douglas, and his wife Ary have two sweet little girls. First, are the pictures Ary sent me of the girls in the Easter dresses she made for them.

Now, I'll show you the pictures of the girls on a Saturday when Dad dressed them:

Actually, this is good parenting as children need to learn that there are different roles, tasks, and different behaviors are needed for different occasions.

Plus, every woman needs to know how to use power tools!

They are learning many different things from each parent...and each time a child learns a new skill, it gives them a sense of accomplishment, which in turn, builds true self-esteem.

What an absolutely beautiful Spring we are having. Oklahoma turns brown in the winter. The grass is brown, the trees are brown and leafless, and the sky is a dull gray much of the time.

But now, it is green and vibrant. We have had several good rains and our lake is starting to fill up. The trees have leaves and the flowers are reminders of new life.

Mud is part of spring and children are attracted to mud. Aunt Kathy has the girls this week as they are going to a Homeschooling Teen Camp in Texas. 

Wednesday night, she sent me the following pictures:

Now, this is GOOD parenting! I truly believe that children who are allowed to get dirty and play outside will be more creative and have less allergies and immune problems.

See how she is glowing?!

This is Agate Beach in Northern California off the Redwood Forest Highway. Incredible! We had to hike down all the way, then hike back up so we couldn't bring too many treasures.

Rebeca and I on the beach.

The agates are in the cliffs and storms and rain bring them down to the beach.

Hiking back up from the beach. Treasures in our hands and pockets. Ferns, moss, beach flowers, tall trees, and amazing rocks. What a pretty place.

Plus, it was 60 degrees here and the rest of the US seemed to be caught in cold.

Beca and Liz at the beginning of the trail. Cool trees.

So much of the coast of northern California was like this...big rocks, wild waves, beautiful forests....really gorgeous.

Tony and Colette were married in Seattle on Saturday. We are driving Colette's car back to Oklahoma...(David, Elizabeth, Rebeca and I) that's why we are here...

The beach (sand) is made of tiny, tiny rocks.

Our treasures of smooth rocks, smooth drift wood, canes of driftwood.

The Redwoods were so amazing! I had to delete most of the pictures we took. They simply did not come out. It is really hard to take pictures of such huge and tall trees.

It would get really shady on the highway when you came to the bigger groves of trees. then the sun would filter down through the trees and it was such a sacred feeling. As if the trees were a cathedral to God.

We drove through this tree. Almost took the mirror off the side of the car. Rebeca's yelling saved me at the last minute.

Now this is a "tree house". Made from a Redwood...

A herd of Elk...just enjoying the soft grass of someone's lawn instead of the dry grass on the side of the mountain. they were in the middle of the road as well and we all had to stop and wait for them.

Can you believe we saw all this in one day? What a beautiful place.