Jullien's 20 Today-Is It Possible?

 

photo by: Pino Gomes

 

20 years ago today, I gave birth to a long, skinny, string bean baby boy, with huge lips and dimples. A persistent little bugger who wouldn't let me out of his sight. 

Bright and early I called my son, Jullien, to wish him a Happy 20th Birthday. As the words were leaving my mouth, my mind screamed, "How is this possible?" What's even harder to comprehend...he's been gone for 3 years already, since he was 17 years old, when I sent his pictures to a Top New York modeling agency. They swept him off to the Big Apple, Paris & Italy two days after graduating high school.

British Elle Magazine 25th Anniversary w/Supermodel Coco Rocha/Jullien Herrera

Jullien with his girlfriend-model Nichelle

 

 Jullien Herrera in Pierre Cardin 60th Anniversary Runway Show

Imagine, my little guy, Juju, who spent his life hiding and scowling from the camera, now making a living gracing the pages of magazines, video's & strutting in front of hundreds of flashing camera lights on the runway.

He perfected the intense look he's famous for on the football field, baseball field & basketball court. He has an inner intensity that pushes him to excel, and succeed at whatever he puts his mind to. He learned to be an achiever by having to compete with kids a year or two older than him in every sport. He started school when he was 4, (which to this day, I never hear the end of.) But I think it has helped him realize that in life, everything requires hard work and dedication, no one is going to hand you anything. 

After an accident this past year which left him potentially scarred & possibly ending his career, he stayed strong, did what he could...finally completely healing. After getting his start and being represented by Red Models for two years, (whom he is very grateful to and continues to maintain a close friendship w/agents George & Dave) he decided he needed a fresh start. He received several requests from Top Agency's to sign with them and finally decided to go with the very large, well established, worldwide agency,  Major Model Management,...once again succeeding.

He has made me so proud! Even during unforeseen life set backs, he picks himself up, brushes it off and moves on...refusing to give up. These are the same characteristics he has displayed since he was a toddler. Persistence. It's who he is. It's an inner personal drive that is undeterred. It's what makes him special. A leader. An example. 

Today I celebrate a special gift from God, my son Jullien. I Love You & am proud to be your mother! 

Our 'Brady Bunch' family several years ago 

 

Streetwear Today Magazine - photo by: Stephan Kallaus

 

Sid Magazine - photo by: Reno Ranger

 

Details Magazine - photo by: Eric Ogden

Sisley (Campaign) - photo by: Terry Richardson

HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY JUJU! 

   

BE THE DIFFERENCE!

After receiving a prayer request for a young, 13 year old, Pop Warner Football player, Donnovan Hill, who fractured his spine last Sunday in the Orange Bowl Championship game, I felt like I needed to do something. I have a little talent...not something most people would consider anything special, but it has served me well in a number of situations. I often refer to myself as the research queen. I can hunt down information, find email addresses, names, companies, whatever it may be...I'm persistent. I decided that this family needed some hope, guidance, and direction in the days, weeks, and months ahead. I can't begin to imagine, nor would I want to, what this family and boy will be having to deal with. BUT...I wanted to do something.

I had five boys play Pop Warner Football and thank the Lord, nothing serious ever happened. But it touched my heart & I started looking for help. I came across an amazing, incredible man, Eddie Canales & his son, Chris, who started the non-profit organization, Gridiron Heroes, after Chris was paralyzed in the last game of his high school season. They had nowhere to turn. There wasn't any help out there. Most people wanted to sweep the 'ugly side' of contact sports under the rug. So instead of sitting in their sorrow, they decided to make a difference. Eddie Canales & his son, Chris have made such an incredible impact on the lives of so many athletes seriously injured in sports. Eddie is one of CNN's Top 10 Hero's & is up for the CNN HERO OF THE YEAR AWARD (PLEASE VOTE FOR HIM HERE-he'll win money for his charity!) He also was featured on HBO, the Today Show & several news feature stories such as MYFOX Houston.

I sent an email to Eddie & that very same day he called me back. He wants to help this family. He's lived it. He is someone who can make a difference in this young boys life. He didn't hesitate...he stepped forward and offered his assistance, all the way from Texas. He has now been in touch with the Pop Warner Organization & will be contacting the family as well.

I'm not sharing this with you for a pat on the back or an 'atta girl.' It's to remind each of you, when you have an ability, no matter how small or insignificant it may be...please, take a step out of your comfort zone and do whatever you can to help someone in need. You never know the difference one small act can make in someone's life. BE THE DIFFERENCE!

*If you'd like to help Donnovan Hill & his family, send Donations to:

Orange Empire Conference

c/o Donnovan Hill

PO Box 7652

Huntington Beach, CA 92615

Please keep him & his family in your prayers!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

On Saturday my boss and her sister went to go watch a Halloween Thriller dance out in Riverside that she heard about from the news. Unfortunately the dancers never performed that day, but they they had a nice day out. While heading back to their car they spotted a Ford Explorer with their hazard lights on, obviously broken down in the middle of the road. The cars were piled up behind her...so my boss, who's 60, and her sister who's also in her 60's ran over, got beside & behind the car and yelled to the lady who had her window cracked to put it in neutral and they'd push her off to the side. The lady struggled, but eventually was able to, never looking back to see who had offered or saying anything. As they began to push, a young guy ran from across the street to help.

While struggling behind the weight of the car, they noticed there was a man in the passenger seat & two teenage kids sitting in the back. The man slightly opened his door as the car begin to slowly roll due to the efforts of the two 60+ year old ladies...but then closed it. He actually sat there letting them push him safely to the side of the road! 

The lady waved her hand at them, as my boss & her sister looked at each other in amazement but just said, "Well, I guess we did our good deed for the day."

All I can say about that is, "WOW...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Did You Say Free Tickets?

 On Saturday we received free tickets from a friend to the UCLA Football game. This was a great treat for us since we're always on such a tight budget, we don't get to go out very much. Luckily we enjoy each others company or there'd be trouble!lol

There are two boys (Jordan Zumwalt-starting linebacker & Luke Gane-tight end & special teams) who play for UCLA & played at our high school with my son's Jullien & Dillon. It was so fun getting to see boys you know & have watched grow up, playing at the next level. UCLA won, and after the game we let everyone know we're good luck & they need to let us know whenever they have extra tickets.

For those of you who haven't heard of Luke Gane's inspirational life story, please watch this & click on his blog ~PRAY FOR LUKE~ to read more.

To see Luke so healthy & getting playing time as a preferred walk on at tight end & special teams is so amazing. The Lord has truly blessed him! We stayed after the big win to say Hi to Jordan & Luke. We're so happy to see them doing so well, they both deserve it...GREAT KIDS (not really kids, but they'll always be to us!)

We then took a shuttle back to our car & headed around the corner to Old Town Pasadena to grab a bite to eat to finish off our date night. I LOVE date nights...especially when we get to see a football game! So I want to give a BIG thanks to the Gane family! PERFECT NIGHT!

Homecoming Fashion 2011

Over the years fashion & dance rules sure have changed. Most of the kids would rather go with a group of friends rather than have dates. They want to "keep their options open." My hubby never wants to let Elijah go unless he has a date...so I have to tell him, "Times have changed since the 80's!"

So let me share a little Homecoming 2011 Fashion Show with y'all. The boys tend to dress down & have fun with their looks, while the girls follow the latest fashion trends. Luckily the internet has afforded us with an availability to view fashion from all over the world. This definitely helps the girls in their dress/shoe choices, since in our laid back beach community dressing up usually consists of putting on a pair of closed toe shoes instead of flip flops.

 

 

Trenton & my son Elijah (best friends!)

 A BIG thanks to my step-mom Rolene who took these photo's for me while I was in the hospital. It's always a fun event for the parents too. We hang out, eat, drink, visit & take pictures at the pre-dance party. It's quite an evening for everyone!

The Challenge-Roggin's Heroes-Elijah Herrera

Last night we were sitting around the t.v., eating warm chocolate chip cookies, big ice cold glasses of milk and watching the weekly Channel 4 show, The Challenge with Fred Roggin & Petros Papadakis, which comes on after the NFL game.

Now let's rewind to preface my story, last Friday night, my son Elijah, set an Edison High School record, by returning a kick off 99 yards for a touchdown. I was snapping pictures as usual from the stands, which unfortunately doesn't allow me to 'watch' it like everyone else. It's a bird's eye view through a lens...definitely not the full effect of the event.

The week prior I was in the hospital & unable to attend his big homecoming game (he plays running back, outside linebacker & kick off return) we won! Luckily this week I was there to witness this huge accomplishment. Our high school is a Division I, Powerhouse School with tons of GREAT players over the years, who've gone on to play at USC, UCLA, OKLAHOMA, BOISE STATE, UTAH, BYU...just to name a few. To have Elijah entered in the record books is quiet an honor.

Fast forward...my husband, Elijah & myself relaxing on the couch, waiting for our favorite part of the show to come on, "Roggin's Heroes," where they feature the TOP High School plays of the week, to the tune of music & the commentator's. Suddenly towards the end of the show, they say, "Well if you like that, you'll LOVE this, Elijah Herrera..." WHAT? We all perk up, lean towards the t.v. & Anthony says, "HEY, THERE YOU ARE!" Elijah's big, record setting play, featured on one of our favorite shows...and I actually got to see the whole run away from my camera! I started screaming (Ya, I'm kind of obnoxious when I get excited.) Elijah said, "Mom, I didn't get to hear what they said at the end because you were yelling to loud!" Oops...

So here it is...SO PROUD OF HIM! He's worked so incredibly hard this year. Hoping it'll pay off with some scholarship offers to D1 or DII school's. He's only a junior so he still has one more year. CONGRATS ELIJAH!

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

What Are the Odds?

I hadn't seen my dad and step-mom in a couple of years. They live in Reno, NV and aren't able to come down here to California very often. And unfortunately with our busy schedules, we're not able to go visit them. That's when I came up with a brilliant idea. My dad, LOVES football, so I told him he should come down and see Elijah play this year. He agreed!

Before Homecoming dance-Elijah w/Grandpa & Grandma Lemich 

We planned the date, (made sure it would be during one of our 'tough' games) and had it all set up for 3 weeks from the date of our phone call. In the meantime, I scheduled my outpatient laporascopy surgery, thinking I'd be fine once they got here. But as you saw from my last post...what are the odds that I'd have complications?

Grandpa Mike & Elijah in front of his poster-done before the game by the cheerleaders

 Grandma Rolene & Elijah

 My oldest son Josh & Charmaine

 So, the day they got here, my pains started & I was back in the hospital for the ENTIRE time they were here. Don't get me wrong, I'm SO thankful that they were here to take care of my family. They were able to see my son's game, take pictures of him before homecoming, and spend time with all of them...BUT, C'MON, REALLY? I didn't get to hang out with them & visit or anything, (yes, that was said in a very whiny voice-poor me!lol!) .

Rolene & my sister Stacy-Family BBQ-w/o me!:(

My stepson Adam with Grandma & Grandpa Lemich

 

The baby boys all grown up!

 

Guess I'll just have to use that as leverage to get them down here again...even though my dad is a nervous wreck in all this traffic.

But really, 'What are the odds?'

Hospital-The Ugly Details

"Did I make the right decision?" This question ran through my mind like a hamster on a treadmill. I chose to push for a procedure, hoping to alleviate pain. Now that choice has placed me back in the hospital.

Debated about posting this lovely shot of myself...but then thought you wouldn't get the full affect of my ordeal without it.             

Looking very pretty with my sexy new nose!lol! FLESH COLORED TAPE~REALLY?!

I went in last Tuesday for a Laparoscopy to look for re-occurring Endometriosis. They found tons of adhesion's and removed them. It was an out-patient procedure so I went home the same day.

WARNING: Gross Content (now's your chance not to read!)

The next morning I felt fine, so I ate a PB&J sandwich. That was it...the nausea, pain and vomiting kicked in. By 4:00 a.m., I was throwing up tons of green bile. I knew something was really wrong (having had the procedure done 4 previous times with NO PROBLEMS.) I called my Dr., he said, "You may have an obstruction, head straight to the hospital."

I knew what I was in store for me...the dreaded NG Tube! This is a long tube that required two nurses to shove up my nose (crackling and crunching) as they continued to push it down my throat telling me to take big gulping drinks/sounds while drinking ice water, to stop from gagging and choking as they slid it down to it's final destination inside my stomach. Taping the tube to my nose with FLESH colored tape, which gave me a great look (long tube nose) to add to the pain. I was given Morphin and a CT scan indicating I had an obstruction in the small intestine from the procedure (handling/removal of the adhesion's which happens in about 85% of patients.)

I waited 14 hrs in the ER bed (no beds available in a room) with some crazy patients all around me. One guy was so out of control, 5 security guards followed him as he ran by screaming, swearing and threatening. Which caused me to instantly scan the room for the nearest exit in case he ended up having a gun or knife. I can't believe what goes on in there! I was finally admitted to a room, head pounding, taken for more x-rays (4 hrs on an x-ray table waiting for the Barium to travel down.) Finally they returned me to my room, continuing to bring a portable X-ray machine up every hour, telling me that the dye wasn't moving down very quickly (ummm duh, I have a blockage!)

I was desperate to be done so they could hook the suction back up to my NG tube and drain the excess out of my stomach (it was swollen like a 6 month pregnant woman-NO EXAGGERATION!) I suddenly began throwing up HALF a bucket of green bile mixed w/barium. Shaking, needing to rush to the bathroom to clean up, I swiftly set the bucket on the table to unplug my IV. All of a sudden, behind me I heard a loud SPLASH. The weight of the swaying contents propelled the lime green bile off the table & across the entire floor. I was trapped. I couldn't slide the IV unit across the bile, so a sat on the edge of the bed, my bile holding me prisoner from cleaning/washing/brushing my teeth. I frantically pushed the red button for the nurse, who said they were coming. After 5 minutes- pushing it again. Finally 15 minutes later (turns out my little 'episode' happened right smack in the middle of a shift change.) I eventually made it, but had two more LARGE barfing episodes.

I then asked my nurse to please change my lovely 'flesh' colored band aid holding my NG tube in because it smelled like vomit (huge mistake.) She couldn't get the tape off. I held the tube as she yanked, pulled, twisted and slowly cut it. While the tube moved up and down my nose and throat, gagging me, and causing me to sneeze about 15 times in a row over and over again. I finally lost it! I'd had enough. I'm normally the type to just suck it up, I NEVER lose it when it comes to pain. My hubby got a little stressed and nervous watching me cry. I finally said, in the middle of a sneeze/gag attack, "I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE! JUST OPERATE ON ME ALREADY AND FIX THE PROBLEM!" But I quickly grabbed hold of myself again, and felt bad I let myself snap like that:(

The next morning at 7:00 a.m. They took the final x-ray. It took an entire day to get the Barium through me (it normally takes 2hrs) talk about a blockage huh?

The next day brought one more episode. My IV began to leak. When they came to move it, my veins (due to dehydration) collapsed. They stuck me 4 separate times, one time causing blood to spurt out all over the bed and down my arm, while she called the nurse to bring more gauze. They told me they had the vein & the bleeding and burning I was experiencing was due to the fact that I jerked my arm. I told the nurse that it 'didn't feel right.' When she rudely replied, "LIKE I SAID..." A few minutes later she hooked up the IV and my arm began to swell up like a balloon. She walked back in and I said, "Does this look normal to you?" Boy, her attitude changed once she took one look at my elephantitised arm!lol! I wanted to say, "From now on, LISTEN TO YOUR PATIENTS!" But I didn't, she changed her attitude after that. Finally a 4th nurse tried to get the IV into a vein in my hand and it took!YES! My arms are sore and look like a bruised up drug addict now, but I survived without losing it again (proud of myself, I must say!)

After 5 days in the hospital, I was finally released on Tuesday. All in all I had AMAZING nurses (only two bad night time nurses.) I was even able to send out a prayer request for one of the nurses, through my church after talking to her about personal stuff for a while. I wanted to try to make the best of a difficult situation. We all go through tough times, but remembering that you have a choice in how you act helped me to keep a positive attitude...for the most part:)

Right now, I'm not completely out of the woods and need to slowly ease back into eating solids and stay on a low fiber diet for a while. Just had my first 'solid' food in 8 days- Cream of Wheat & it was the best thing I've ever tasted in my life!

Somehow, I always end up having the strangest things happen to me. But I've learned to trust God in ALL things and this has helped me become stronger through each and every obstacle.