Something I LOVE to do...

Medical mission trips are something I have always loved to do. My mom and dad have been doing them for as long as I can remember. That is where I found my interest in dentistry. I really wanted to be a surgeon like my dad and because of it  I got to see a lot of surgery by the time I was 6 years old. I would stand on a wooden box, next to my dad and hold, cut, retract and at the end of the procedure I helped wash the instruments and sterilize. This was done in make shift operating rooms that we set up in school classrooms! It seems crazy but it was just normal everyday things for our family. Going on mission trips was fun, exciting and we got to do a lot of exciting things.

One time, my dad told me; "Why don't you go with the dentists and ask them if they would let you pull some teeth" Of course, I thought it was a great idea! My dad just wanted to keep me out of the OR for a vaginal procedure the OB's were doing. So...I went and one of my dad's good friends said, "Sure, I will let you pull some teeth" at the end of the day, I had about 6 rotten teeth in my pocket to show to my dad. I was pretty proud of myself. I showed him the teeth and he said; "maybe you should be a dentist" and that is when the thought crossed my mind for the first time, I was 6-7 years old and I remember it as it was yesterday.

I have probably been to as many as 40-60 medical mission trips all over Mexico throughout my life, some in towns up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, some in jungles with heat you wouldn't believe and more mosquitoes than I care to remember! Every single trip, I loved!!! I love helping people, I love to love them...and it is my hope and prayer that my boys have that same passion and love to help others. 

Soooo, in 2 weeks we are heading down to Southern Mexico for another mission trip and I am taking the boys. This will be Bennett's second mission trip, he doesn't know it but he will soon enough. They will see other children with no shoes that die for a balloon or a ball!  He will also see children with cleft lips and palates that have not had surgical corrections, children with burnt hands and faces that never got treated! I want them to know how blessed they are!

So, will you join us in our journey? I will post everyday as we go...and let you know how it is going! I will post some pictures of our bags of supplies so you can see how it all works.  Please pray for a safe and productive trip for our group coming from Arizona but also from all over the United States. Pray that lives and hearts are touched and that all the glory goes to Him.

Thanks for checking in, I will keep you posted!

xo, L

PS...Don't forget to post your love stories ladies!!!

This is how we do our exams... with an audience! Here is the dad of a friend of ours that came to help from Florida, Greg behind him and my mom helping translate.

This is one of our mission trips in the 80's , one of my most favorite trips, 1 month before I started dental school.
My dad in the front, my sister in red, my mom behind her and me behind my dad with other friends.

This is our makeshift consultation areas...Fancy huh!!

I will keep posting more pictures as we go! 

My Love Story

We all have a "Love Story", mine is nothing special but, I want to share it in hopes that you might share yours with me.  Why? because next month we will be celebrating Valentine's Day and we want to help you celebrate it by sending you and "the love of your life"  to a date night. Dinner at a nice restaurant, a movie and child care. Remember!? like you used to do before you had kids?!

Even though, I can't wait to read your love stories, my purpose is to remind everyone, myself included, why this man is so special to you. SOoo, after you write your story, write why you love him so much and why he is so special to you and then don't forget to tell him. Thanks for sharing.

xo, L

I moved to Connecticut to complete my training in Pediatric Dentistry. We spent the first month taking a crash course on Anatomy and Histology. During this time, all the residents from different programs took these classes together. That is where I saw Greg for the first time. He came into the conference room wearing shorts and sandals and I was appalled. I thought how dare he come to class like that, he is a doctor! My dental school was very conservative, all the boys were required to wear pants and sometimes even a tie for class so needless to say I was shocked.

Our first conversation didn't go so well either, there was an ice-breaker exercise and I got Greg's name (I did not know it was Greg at the time). I really didn't feel like doing it so, I just spoke to my fellow residents and waited for the exercise to be over. After it was over, the teacher asked if everyone had been found and I thought "There is no way that whoever I got will say they weren't found" Sure enough he raised his hand. So, I Had to walk over to him and talk to him for a while. He was not that nice... so I liked him even less. 

He would sit in the very back of the conference room everyday with his buddy and was not that friendly, when we were preparing for our final Anatomy exam, we were in the lab working on heads and studying. He came into the lab and starting going to every table and looking at the head for a while. Finally he got to my table and when I looked up, I smiled...why? I don't know but, he looked at me and turned around and left. I disliked him even more.

To make a long story short, we both passed our classes and that night after getting our scores,  I got a call  from a friend inviting my roommate and I to go out for dinner with the rest of the residents. I asked who was going and "Greg Libby" was on the list and I told my friend, if Greg Libby is there I am not going, I hate that guy! He was interested in my roommate so he insisted until I agreed. We show up and who sits in front of me? The infamous, Greg Libby and I just about died...I thought "I am staying for dinner and I am out of here!"  Pretty soon, he starts to try to talk to me and he was actually pleasant and then we all went out dancing and he could actually move so I thought, I can hang out with this guy! We can be friends. Did I mention I had a boyfriend I had been dating for 5 years?

Needless to say, I broke up with my boyfriend and began dating Greg immediately. We were engaged to be married 13 months later and were married 2 months after that in Connecticut. We had no money so, Greg made my engagement band (no diamond) with scrap gold from the dental lab and we borrowed his friend's ring for the ceremony with the justice of the peace and bought his ring later. 

I love Greg because he is the most unselfish person I know, he cares about us more than himself.  He always is kind, gentle, loving, trustworthy, supportive and loves me with all of my flaws (and they are many). He is the best father in the world, and although he is very loving with his boys he is also tough. He loves the Lord and that makes me love him even more. 

I love to spend time with him, he is truly my best friend. I also happen to think he is the most handsome man in the entire world...   I am the luckiest girl in the world!

Another Beautiful day in Arizona!!!

Enjoy outside it is just gorgeous!

Please don't do it!

I know it is tempting to see these snacks on sale...the kids love them, some parents too, they are cheap, will last a long time because it is a huge "barrel" and on and on.
I am asking you please don't do it. Resist the temptation!!! This is one of the worst snacks we can give our kids.
Just say no my friends and if you already bought one give it to your hubby to take to the office or bring it by the office and I will trade you and give you a Starbucks card! Deal?

xo, L

2011 Happy New Year!

It is a new year which means new year resolutions...change, out with the old in with the new. 

I am sure many of you have all this year planned out, not me. I don't want to stress about it. Not yet anyway! I do have a lot of changes coming to our office and I am very excited about it!

For now, I wish you and yours a year full of health, joy and all the blessings from above.

xo, L

Leg warmers are back!

This was a test. Sometimes I want to post something from my phone and I had not been able to figure it out until now.... this is so cool.

This is...I am not sure Hannah Montana or iCarly or one of those girls from the Disney Channel during the Disney parade and I noticed she was wearing leg warmers, so I took the picture from the tv.

Never in a million years would I have ever imagined that LEG WARMERS would make a comeback.

Too Funny!