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My Birth into the World
I was born in Miami, Florida immediately into the arms of my parents, Martha Barrios and Raul Barrios. Immediately two languages were spoken to me. "Que Bella.....she is so beautiful." -
Period: to
Ages 0-10 Infant
"Needs maximum comfort with minimal uncertainty
to trust himself/herself, others, and the environment." -
Celebrate Good Times
My first birthday was in my backyard in Miami, Florida. I was crying throughout the party, but then my parents put me down on my favorite rocking chair and I enjoyed the rest of the day! -
"It's a boy"
My baby brother was born in Miami, Florida. My mother told me that I was very protective over him throughout our childhood. -
It is a whole new world
At age 4, my whole family moved to Nicaragua where I would grow up learning different traditions! -
Preschool
I learned my ABC's and started to count in both English and Spanish. -
An End to Gymnastics
I stopped liking gymnastics and decided to quit my school's gymnastic class. I started to like other competitive sports like basketball and soccer. I joined my first basketball team that year and kept playing until my sophmore year of high school. -
Leaving Everything Behind
July 1st, 2004 was the day I moved back to the United States. Even though I knew how to speak english I was not fluent. I had to make new friends and interact with people in a different way. When I was introduced to adults, I was accustumed to kissing them on the cheek but all of a sudden I had to shake their hands! -
Period: to
Ages 10-20 Toddler
Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
"Works to master physical environment while maintaining
self-esteem" -
Puberty=Period
My brothers and I were about to watch a movie. We cooked the popcorn, but I really needed to go to the bathroom, therefore the boys decided to wait for me. As I pulled down my underpants, I noticed the blood and yelled as loud as I could. My brothers ran upstairs and they were the ones that explained to me what was happening. I called my mother immediatly and she showed me how to deal with it. Puberty was significant for me because I was the first girl in my class to get her period. -
First Kiss
I went to watch Music and Lyrics with the boy I had a crush on and we kissed. It was the first real intimate situation I was in. -
The First Christmas Show
This was the first year I ever had to memorize lines and perform in front of an audience. It was the first year I discovered I had stage fright. While I was playing the role of Mary, I forgot some of my lines when I looked at the audience. -
High School
I went from attending a middle school that had only twenty people in a grade to having 90 girls in my grade. -
Death
My grandmother, Mimi, had died this year. It was the first death I had experienced in my life. Her funeral was an open casket and I remember touching her cold, purple skin. It was a sudden death from an aneurism. I cried for months since we were so close. Her death made me contemplate the concept of death and what happens after. -
Fiesta
This year was my sophomore year in high school and one of my best friends threw me a Fiesta! It was a celebration with my closest friends throughout high school. I learned that those girls will always have my back and we would be friends for a long time. -
Where Am I Going?
Second Semester of junior year was the time I started to decide my future. Our first college counseling class guided me to determine where I would like to go to school and what I would pursue as a career. From that day on, I knew I wanted to be a hotel manager of a Ritz Carlton. -
Farewell Family
My parents and my brothers dropped me off for my first day of college. It was one of the hardest good-byes I had ever gone through. My mother was crying for an hour and she would not leave the campus. She ended staying for three more days and forced the whole family to stay too. After the three days I was ready for her to leave and she did. -
Go Hokies!
School had ended and I received a text message from my cousin demanding I check the Virginia Tech website to receive the news. I started to cry thinking I would not get in, but I finally got the nerve to check and I got in early decision to my top choice university! -
First Job
After four years of college, I had got my first job at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown. I was in charge of greeting the celebrities. The first celebraties I ever met were the Jonas Brothers. -
Period: to
20-30 Young Adult
Intimacy vs Isolation
"Learns to make personal commitment to another as
spouse, parent or partner." -
Husband Encounter
I was on a business trip to Greece and on the airplane ride I fell in love with the man sitting next to me. His name was Ryan Haslin. We were joking the whole way to Greece and decided to get married two weeks after we met. -
Marriage
My wedding took place in my cousin’s mansion. All the cousins were dressed in white and there we more flowers at this wedding than I’ve seen in a forest. -
First Child
Ryan and I had our first baby boy. We named him after my father, Raul Antonio Barrios. He was a very calm baby and loved to sleep. -
Four Rooms to 10
As a couple, Ryan and I decided to leave the apartment in the city and move to Virginia. We bought a house in Arlington, Virginia where I grew up. The house was big for seven guests. -
Period: to
30-40 Middle-Age Adult
Generativity vs Stagnation
Seeks satisfaction through productivity in career, family, and
civic interests -
Here Comes Another One
The title is a little deceiving because instead of one baby, we had three. The morning of February 24, 2028 I had triplets. It was a very stressful day, but all the babies were born healthy and beautiful. There names were Nicole, Lindsay, and Charlie; two girls and a boy. -
Promotion or Ownership
This was a great day for my career. I had accomplished one of the goals I set since I was in high school. I had finally owned my own franchise of a Ritz Carlton in Virginia. -
We laugh, We play, We learn
We laugh, We play, and We learn is an organization I started to give back to the community. It raised money to start schools in third world countries that did not offer an education for children. I felt a close connection with Nicaragua, which is where the first school was built. -
Genie Family Lake House
The Genie Family, which includes my cousins, bought a house in North Carolina. Every summer for two weeks we spend with my side of the family. The family enjoys boating and bonfires! -
Period: to
40-50 Continuation of Middle-Adult
"Seeks satisfaction through productivity in career, family, and
civic interests." -
Zumba Classes
Zumba is a type of dance exercise that includes a lot of Latin dance moves. I got my zumba certification, which allowed me to run classes. It was more of a hobby rather than a job. -
Anniversary Trip
For our 27th anniversary, Ryan bought a trip to Hawaii. Instead of celebrating the date of our wedding, we celebrated the day we met. Each night on the trip we would recite different vows. -
“My face is on fire!”
This time a year was hard for my family. I was very emotional and hot all the time because of menopause. I went through all the symptoms that most women go through during menopause. -
“I am falling...For an hour?”
For my 51st birthday I went sky diving with best friend, Lindsay. It was adventurous and we landed safely. It was exactly what I wanted to do for my birthday. -
Period: to
50-60 Middle Age Adult
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First Time Babysitting Grandchild
I was a pretty young grandmother, but I loved being one. I babysat Raul’s first baby girl, Lulu. She was beautiful and playful. -
Selling the first house to first-born
Ryan and I decided to move out into a smaller house since all the kids were growing up and leaving. We loved our house in Arlington, so we sold it to my first son for cheap. -
New Home
Our new home we bought was three blocks away from the old house. It was a lot smaller; it only had 4 bedroom and 4 ½ bathrooms. We still had the ability to host parties and family. -
Retiring
My children were running the hotel I owned and all the businesses I owned were taken care of. It was hard to retire, but I wanted to concentrate on family for the rest of my life instead of money. -
Period: to
70-80 Older Adult
Integrity vs Despair
"Reviews life accomplishments, deals with loss
and preparation for death." -
It’s an Attack of Both Hearts
My husband Ryan got a heart attack while playing basketball in the backyard. It was an awful experience; I called 911 immediately. It was surprising because he was one of the healthiest men I knew. Always would workout and was always outside doing something active. -
The Dreadful Meeting
After the heart attack, Ryan took test that would see what was wrong with his heart. The doctors told as that day that his heart was weak and he did have irregular heartbeats. Even though he was fit, his family did have bad hearts. -
Death of my Husband
Ryan died from a heart attack. It was one of the saddest days of my life! He was such a great partner and best friend. Even though we got married right after we met, our marriage and love was the best. My love for him was endless. -
Period: to
80-90 Older Adult to Death
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Nikki Again
The first dog I ever got was a wiener dog named Nikki. After my husband died I got the same dog and named it the same. -
#1
I always wanted a tattoo and in memory of my husband, I got a tattoo of the #1. The number 1 represented my one love and how important he was to me. -
Reunion
I had a long life filled with love, success, and happiness. With a big family and a demanding job my life was very busy. I loved every minute of my life except my husband leaving my side. I died in my sleep, I was ready to meet my husband again in heaven.
