Cali Darling

February 26, 2016

Why Adoption Is The Route For Me

So I’ve talked about how I have some exciting things planned this year and some of those exciting things are approaching real fast — like my trip to New York in March. I also posted that I have some stuff to be announced and I’m ready to announce the big thing… I’m adopting!

Ever since I was a little girl, I felt like my “calling” was to be a mom. When I was younger, I even thought about adopting but I had no idea the way my life would turn out so it was just a thought in the back of my mind. In my mind, I’d be married by the time I was 25 and have at least one kid by the time I’m 27. Well, I’m going to be 28 this year and none of that stuff has happened yet. So I took matters into my own hands and decided to pursue that dream of adoption.

When I lived up in Northern California, my boss got custody of her 4 grandchildren through CPS and is fostering them. She plans to adopt them and it should be finalized this April. Seeing her go through that process and talking to her social workers made me realize that doing the foster care to adoption plan would be a great fit for me. I never even thought of that before, I always assumed I’d do a private adoption agency but I feel like it’s a good fit for me.

I also talked to my mom a lot about it and expressed my interest in it and my mom was excited about it as well. I started talking to her about it when my boss was going through the process. When my mom was in the hospital, I also talked to her about it and she was still very excited about it and so that is another reason I’m moving forward with it because I know I have her blessing and I know she would have enjoyed being a Grandma.

So, when I moved down to Southern California, I started looking into agencies around here and what I needed to do to get the process started. When I finally moved into my house where I am now, I contacted the agency near me and scheduled my classes. I had to take 3 classes about foster care that took place over 3 consecutive Saturdays in January. During the classes, I also received a bunch of paperwork to fill out about myself and also my house. Once the classes were over, I got called to schedule my interview. The interview went amazing. I met with the director of the agency and also the certification specialist. The next step is the home study, which should be coming up pretty quick.

So with the home study coming up, I’ve had to get the house ready. I’ve started baby proofing all the rooms (putting outlet plugs in, baby proofing cabinets, etc). I also am starting to get the nursery set up. I’ve purchased the crib and just waiting for that to be delivered. I’ve also purchased the car seat, as well as, many miscellaneous items.

I’m excited and ready for this process to continue. I’m not sure when the certification will be completed, but I know I’m excited for what’s to come. I know it’ll be hard choosing to be a single mom, but I’ve always said that I’d choose to be a mom before anything and this is the start of chasing my dream.

February 22, 2016

My Journey With LASIK

I have been wearing glasses since I was in the 4th grade and was happy with my glasses. I never really considered LASIK because I felt my glasses were part of who I am but over the last few months, I’ve realized how bad my eye sight really is and decided to look into LASIK.

I wanted to make sure that I chose the best of the best because I only have one set of eyes. I watched Shay Mitchell’s video on her getting LASIK and saw she got hers done at the Caster Eye Center. I looked it up thinking it would be in Canada (since that’s where she’s from) but to my surprise, it was located in Beverly Hills! I decided that I would go there for my consult. I didn’t end up calling to make the consult appointment until early February but once I did, it was scheduled for February 2!

I went in for my consult and they did extensive tests to check my eyes and also had me watch a video on LASIK. The doctor ended up letting me know that I am a good candidate for LASIK, however, I may need to have 2 procedures done because my eye sight is pretty bad. I decided to go forward with it and scheduled my surgery for February 16.

The day finally arrived for my LASIK and I was super nervous the day of. However, the days leading up to it I was more excited than anything. I was excited to be able to wake up and see without having to put on my glasses, excited to put face masks without having to be 3 inches from the mirror, excited to go swimming without needing prescription goggles, just things that most people who don’t wear glasses don’t think about. I also never wore contacts because my eyes are super sensitive.

So the day of surgery, Kathleen and I dropped off Annie at family’s house, grabbed lunch, and were on the way to Beverly Hills to get my LASIK done. On the way there, I started getting really nervous. Once we were there, they had us watch a video on LASIK (another one), sign my life away, and then get some measurements taken. Once all that was done they gave me some medicine to help calm me down and put a bunch of drops in my eyes (antibiotics, steroids, numbing drops, etc). They ended up having to give me another dose of the anxiety medicine. A little before 3PM, I was taken into the room and had the procedure done. I was done at 3:10PM. The whole thing only took a little over 10 minutes.

I didn’t really have any complications besides getting a little cut on my lower right eyelid. They did warn me about the blade that cuts the flap and that I shouldn’t try and fight it, but having your eye open and then all of a sudden not being able to see anything freaked me out so I started trying to close my eye and that’s why I got the cut. For my left eye, I was a little more aware and didn’t fight it and had no cut on that eye. They told me that I may feel grittiness or the feeling of having an eyelash in my eye and I haven’t experienced that.

However, sitting up after the procedure and being able to see was amazing. It was seriously life changing. I remember laying there before sitting up and seeing the vent on the ceiling and being able to see every detail of that down to the screws. Driving home, I was reading all the signs to Kathleen and she was amazed. We got to the hotel, and I slept for about three and a half hours. We decided to grab dinner and then come back and just relax at the hotel.

The next day was my follow up and I was seeing better than 20/20. My vision is still blurry but definitely a lot better than before! The doctor said it will take around 3 months for my vision to fully get to where it’s going to be. Then at that time, we will see if I need to have a second procedure done.

The question I get asked the most is “did it hurt or did I have any pain?” and the answer to that question is no. I honestly had no pain at all during the procedure. The only thing that was weird was when you can’t see for a few seconds like I mentioned above but they give you numbing drops so you don’t feel any pain. If you are thinking about doing it, definitely look into it because it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.

Check out my YouTube video documenting my journey below! If you are sensitive to medical procedures, you will want to stop watching about half way through.

February 11, 2016

The Golden Snitch Geeky Giveaway – February

If you missed the first installment of the monthly giveaway hosted by Kimi Who and her geeky sponsors like me, The Golden Snitch – never fear, because we’ve banded together to bring you another geeky giveaway! You will get the chance to win a special prize box containing a mixture of pop culture items which total value is $100 or more (although we’re focusing on the Marvel universe this month because we’re all pretty excited about the new Deadpool movie coming out).

But before we get into the giveaway, won’t you please get to know your hosts? The giveaway sponsors come from all walks of geekdom and I’m excited for you to get to us all better.

The Golden Snitch Geeky Giveaway - Sponsors - February 2016

Say Hello To…

Since the new Deadpool movie comes out this month, Kimi wanted to find out what everyone’s favorite Marvel Universe character was. There are so many to choose from and the answers were quite diverse.

KIMI | Kimi Who?
I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to answer this question until I had to think of my own answer. Oops! I know that there are some obvious answers – one of them for me would be Iron Man, because I’ve always thought he was the kind of bad boy you could still bring home to your parents. But lately, I’m really feeling Kilgrave from Jessica Jones. Okay fine, it helps that he’s played by David Tennant… but I just honestly think he’s an interesting and complex character that I want to learn more about.

MICHELLE | Geeked Out Girl
This is a difficult one for me. I have different faves depending on the mood I’m in. However, I guess I would say Captain America has always been at the top of my list. He best represents who I am as a person and the values I hold dear.

LAURA | Con Couture
My husband’s is definitely Captain America because he’s an all around good guy and American hero. Mine would be the Xmen. If I had to narrow it down to 1 (which is hard,) I would probably choose Magneto. He has awesome power and I like complex characters that vacillate between good, evil, and somewhere in between.

CHRISTINA | Cali Darling
I’m not too into Marvel Universe but I would have to say Spiderman. I loved all the Spiderman movies though.

JENN | The Diary of a Dreamer
It’s either Deadpool of Captain America. I like Deadpool’s sense of humor and how he isn’t censored, but I like what Captain America stands for (since I was a service member)

HEATHER | The Nerdy Fox
This is such a hard question. I’ve always been a fan of Marvel so it really depends on my mood and what version we’re talking about. I love the Guardians of the Galaxy movie (and adore Rocket Raccoon and Groot) but if we’re talking comic books it’s a whole different story. I love X-Men, especially Nightcrawler. I mean, he teleports by opening a portal to another dimension. He’s pretty freaking rad. Don’t even get me started on the bad guys. HELLO LOKI ANYONE?! I am in love with movie Loki. Basically, what I am saying is that I am a huge Marvel fan and always have been, it’s hard for me to choose just one that I love more than the others.

ANGIE | My So-Called Chaos
A few months ago I would have told you it was Wolverine, or Storm… I loved X-Men growing up and used to watch all the cartoons. However, thanks to Netflix, I’m completely enamored with Jessica Jones. Well and her hunky hunk Luke. Meow.

ASHLEE | Her Geekery
I’ve always had a soft spot for Spider-Man. I think I connected so strongly with him because us geeky kids have to stick together =P Now if only we could get a good Spider-Man movie, I’d be one happy gal!

DANIELLE | From Girlie to Nerdy
Black Widow – she can hold her own with the guys and she can kick some serious butt!

JESSICA | Two Married Geeks
My favorite Marvel character is Hawkeye because he doesn’t need superpowers to be the world’s greatest marksman! A close second is Ms. Marvel, because my daughter’s name is Marvel.

VANESSA | 2 Dorks in Love
I have become amused by wisecracking Deadpool. It’s great to have a character that can break the 4th wall i.e. knows he’s in a comic and talks to the audience. Plus hey – tacos and chimichangas!

LIANA | Liana Art & Illustration
Originally, I’d have picked Spiderman (now you’re saying, which one Liana?!) but after working at a comic shop I got to divulge in the world of Peter Quill (Star-Lord) and the space cowboy that he is! I love the Guardians of the Galaxy movie as well, and the Kitty Pride/Peter Quill fandom that comes with the comics. 🙂

JESSICA | The Nifty Nerd
Who’s my favorite Marvel Universe character? Choosing 1 to highlight, I’d have to say Iron Man. Known as many things – genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist – Iron Man uses his wealth to help fund the Avengers to improve the world around him. He’s also always tinkering; always working on improving his technology and never settling for what he’s already accomplished.

KAYLY | My Open Sketchbook
SO HARD TO PICK JUST ONE. For now, I’ll say Vision. How he must view humans with all his knowledge endlessly fascinates me.

TISH | The Veganista Foodie
My favorite Marvel character is Storm. I’m a big fan of the X-Men. Storm has awesome abilities and she’s bad ass.

DARCIE | Homemaker Vs The World
While I am a huge fan of many Marvel characters, I think Deadpool ranks at the top of my list. I love both the comedic relief of the character and that he breaks the fourth wall. While Deadpool comics may be more on the dark side, I still really enjoy them!

JESSICA | Jessica Takes On The World
Thor, because I am a fan of Chris Hemsworth 😉

Time for a Giveaway!

This month’s giveaway is pretty exciting because it’s got so many items in it! It’s all Marvel Universe based and so incredibly… geeky.

The Golden Snitch Geeky Giveaway - Marvel - Deadpool - Guaradians of the Galaxy - February 2016

This month we’re giving away a prize pack valued at $115! It includes the following:

Deadpool Fleece Robe
Marvel’s Avengers Coaster Set
Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix – Vol. 1 Pendant
Marvel Characters Ladies’ 3-Pack Socks
Captain America #67 Funko Pop
Starlord Dorbz Figurine

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get Ready for March’s Giveaway!

Are you interested in being part of The Golden Snitch Geeky Giveaway for March? Now is the time to sign up and claim your spot! Spots are limited, so please claim yours as soon as possible.