Christmas Eve

I cannot believe tomorrow is Christmas! This year has flown by. I hope you all have a great Holiday spent with loved ones, remembering what Christmas is really about (emphasis on the Christ :) and making memories with the ones who REALLY matter.This day means much more than the gifts, much more than the dinner, much more than the ornaments and the lights.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

and so it begins

the Christmas shopping..dun..dun..dun!!! Yes, I'm one of those people who has waited till the very last minute. I picked up things here and there and some people are done like my dad and well, I guess just my dad. lol. I scratched the biggest gift off my list last night. This my friends, is what I bought my boyfriend. It was on sale, he needs it and I wanna beat him on the gift giving thing this year. He better love it (I know he will) and I better marry his arse one day. lol. I seriously considered keeping it and cleaning up the one I got for Christmas last year and giving him that. haha! then I remembered I want a macbook anyway so he can have the Vaio.

Tonight I'm picking up my sister and doing some shopping. Tomorrow more shopping and dinner at P6 and sunday bf/gf time. I haven't seen my bf in FOREVER! Last years Christmas I just knew we'd be living together for this Christmas...ummm..yea...not so much. Which makes me realize, things in my life never, ever go the way I think they will or the way I plan for them to go. I'm sure this is probably a good thing but, sometimes you just want what YOU want. I'm not complaining, just typing.

Where'd all my energy go???

i feel so freakin drained!!! I don't have the energy to do anything and this weather isn't helping. I'm not complaining though, i love-love-love the rain, I just wish I could cuddle up in my bed with some yummy tea, a good book and nice blankie.

I have my very last final tomorrow and I don't feel prepared at all. I'll probably be up all night going over notes, reading chapters over and trying to soak it all in. I wish I didn't have to go to work tomorrow but there is just way too much that needs to be done to call in.

Gotta get back to studying. I'll be fun again S O O N!!!!

Untitled

at what point do you walk away and let the situation work itself out?

Happy Birthday Bria

Today is my sisters 6th Birthday! Man do I feel old. I still remember meeting her for the very first time. I was a senior in High School and she was this teeny tiny bundle.

She has brought so much joy to my life. She is an amazingly bright girl who has the kindest heart.

She's smart, she's funny, she's adorable and she holds they key to my daddy's heart (we're just alike my friends). Because of her, I so look forward to having my very own daugther and because of her, I know that I should wait (did I mention, she's a HANDFUL).

I surprised her this morning with Balloons at school. I so badly wanted to bust out the camera but she was giving me the stink eye. It was too early for pictures. Dont' worry though. I'll get plenty of pictures tonight at the Princess Spa Sleepover :)

Happy Birthday Bria. Your sissy loves you soooooooooo much!

Pondering....

Yesterday in my Af Am studies class, we touched on the subject of marriage and African Americans. Some of what my teacher shared with us left me dissappointed, sad, angry and fearful.


African Americans currently have the lowest marriage rate of any racial group in the United States. 2/3 of African American children are born out of wedlock.

Damn, will I ever get married?

On a happier note, only one more final to go! yesssssss!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I've been so busy this past week. I haven't had an opportunity to blog at all. Thanksgiving was wonderful. I had such a great time with my family. I went to my dad's during the day and ate dinner with my my mom's side of the family at my brother's house. We had way too much fun being crazy, playing Monopoly and watching Christmas movies. I think we've started a new tradition.

I started Christmas shopping about two weeks ago and haven't bought a thing since. ugh! Last year I did most of my shopping online but that's so not the case this year. I haven't really gotten into the Christmas spirit yet. Dunno why. Maybe because this is my first year without a tree :( I think I might buy a tiny one this weekend. We'll see.

I heard that I'm getting a dog for Christmas (shhhh, I'm not supposed to know). Dunno how I'm going to convince my roomie.

Speaking of roomie's, might be moving out with Jessica in February but nothing has been confirmed thus far. That would be fun, fun, fun though (although my boyfriend would NOT be happy..lol)!!!

School has been craaaazy. Thankfully, I am almost done. I need to catch up on my reading this weekend and start studying for Finals..big whooooomp.

My charger died. It just stopped working so my phone has been off all day. I'm going to get another one on my lunch. I feel so disconnected.

Ummm I paid $4.35 for a Grande Peppermint Mocha this morning. That will be the last time. Starbuck's has gone crazy. I love me some coffee but $4.35??!?!?! That's just ridic. I will be purchasing Peppermint Mocha flavored liquid creamer tonight at my local Ralph's thankyouverymuch.

I'm soooo hungry. I really want Chipotle but I had In n Out last night so that's definitely out of the question.

I have been in such a great mood this week (maybe that's why this week has just flown by)!!!

I'm getting excited about my January trip to Mammoth woot woot!!!

Okay, gotta get back to work. I have about 20,000 Expense Reports to do (another big whooomppp).

xo

!HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

It's 1:03am and I have just finished baking Pumpkin Spice Cake #2. Yesterday I baked one and It came out perfect. Today's...uh not so much. I took it out of the oven about 5 mins too early. Dangit! I should be going to bed but I know I wont be able to update tomorrow and I need to do my Thanksgiving post because that's what this holiday is all about right? Giving Thanks! So, in no particular order, here are the things that I'm most thankful for.

1. God's wonderful mercy--I don't think this one needs an explanation but, I will give one anyway. I'm blessed beyond belief. I have come so far this year alone and I couldn't have done it without His mercy. I am so very grateful for the grace of God.

2. My church--I love my church. It is so "me" and I honestly don't know where I'd be without it. It took a very long time to find a church that felt like home and I'm so glad that I've found a place where I can learn, worship, pray & most of all grow in His word.

3. Mi Familia--I may not have the best family and we may not be as close as most families but we do love each other. I'm also thankful for those who technically are not family but have become family over the years.

3. My Sisters--I know they fall into the "family" category but, they need their own recognition. My sisters are my world. I love them tremendously and I'm thankful that I have the privilege of watching them become lil' women and Bria, gosh, she brings so much joy in my life I can't remember what life was like before she was here. I can only imagine what that one has in store :)

4. My Friends--Wow, I have some amazing girlfriends. I don't know where I'd be without my two best friends and all my other crazy girls. I consider each and every one of them sisters.

5. My Stinker--My awesome boyfriend who puts up with me even when he shouldn't. He is seriously one of my best friends and I wouldn't trade our relationship for anything in this world.

6. My Job--Even though I may complain my lil' arse off, I really do enjoy what I do. I'm thankful that I work with a great group of people.

7. My Health--The older I get, the more I realize just how important it is to take care of yourself. I definitely don't want to be an old lady thinking back on what I could have or should have done to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I'm nowhere near perfect but I'm healthy; and for that I'm thankful.

There are so many more things that I'm thankful for. I could seriously go on and on but these are the most important to me. I love Thanksgiving, it is my favorite Holiday and I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow (actually, today:)) with all of my loved ones. I hope you all have a great Turkey Day :)

xo

Dwell: to live or stay as a PERMANENT resident; reside.

HE who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Psalms 91:1-2

Permanently--not most days or just Sundays but permanently. every single day. Why is it so hard to place my trust completely in Him? When will I realize that no man, no parent, no friend, no career, no hobby can fulfill me like he can?

I need intimacy with him on a daily basis. My goal for this week is to wake up 10 mins earlier every day to just be with him.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Thanking God

This weekend was crazy. Southern California definitely battled it's fair share of devastating wildfires. I've witnessed things this weekend I thought I'd never see. As my bf's mom was getting a facial in LA on Saturday morning, she started receiving text messages and phone calls that her complex was on fire. She lives in the Cascade apartments in Anaheim Hills and I'm not %100 sure, but I think more than 50 units were totally destroyed. Her neighbors that live directly in front of her literally lost everything. By the grace of God her unit was thankfully spared which is a testament to just how good God is. The units directly in front of her and behind her were completely burned down and not only was her unit spared but her car was too. Walking through her buidling yesterday was extremely sad. There are families that lost EVERYTHING, people that only had time to grab their pets and flee. Children who no longer have a home to call their own. I am so thankful. These fires have devasted the lives of many. We should all be grateful to the firefighters who risk their lives to protect us and our homes. We have amazing firefighters! I was talking to one of my bf's neighbors who lost her apartment (picture below) and she told me that one of the firefighters spent 3 hours sifting through rubble to find her fireproof safe. Amazing.

This is what the building looked life before the fires

and after. keep in mind these were two story units.

Thankfully, everyone escaped safely.

Sunday morning I attended church in our brand new sanctuary. Oh my gosh, it is just BEAUTIFUL. I cannot wait until we are completely done with our rebuild. My pastor delivered an amazing message which I will blog more about later. But, I will say that his message needed to be delivered! I felt like he was sitting right across from me, saying all the things I needed to hear.

All in all I had a very touching (for lack of a better word) weekend. I am constantly amazed at how blessed I am. I am grateful that all of my friends and family members were spared of devastation. I will continue to pray for those who will now need to rebuild not only their homes but their lives as well.

just found a new blog that i'm in love with! Her style is amazing. Everything looks good on this girl. Anyways, while i was browsing I found these cute Minnetonka boots and immediately fell in love. They're so cute. I think they'll will be cute with skinny jeans, a v-neck and a grandpa cardigan. They'd even work with leggings and a long plaid shirt. I bought them from Zappo's last night and should have them by tomorrow woot woot! (i hope mine don't look that long though..haha)

Minnetonka look by britsaprincess

Weekly Random

You have got to watch The Real Housewives of Atlanta. AHHHH, I love this show. I'm addicted. I love these women. I think Kim is my favorite. Actually, no I like Deshawn and I like too the one that's married to the football player and Sharee looks soooo good for her age. I think it's safe to say that I like all of them except for NeNe. She's a lil' too much and who the freak is Big Poppa?!?! ugh, the mystery of this guy is so intriguing. I NEED to go to Atlanta. I have a feeling that since I loved Houston, I'll be head over heels in love with Atlanta. Anyone wanna buy me a plane ticket?

okay moving on, so I think it's pretty obvious that I don't take my blog too seriously. I really blog for myself. Once I start taking my blog more seriously and incorporating pictures and such, I'm pretty sure that I'll turn it into a book and keep it for memories. I'd love to be able to show my future children exactly what life was like for me. What I enjoyed, what I was interested in, what my life consisted of at the age of 23. I like documenting certain stories, and feelings and current events. So I thought I think I'll document what happened to me on Saturday night. It was pretty funny & VERY cute and I'm sure one day when I'm old and gray (omgeez one day I will be old in gray!!!), it'll make me smile.

So, I think I mentioned last week that I was having a rough time with my boyfriend. We weren't even arguing about anything I was just being really bratty towards him and I couldn't quite figure out what the deal was. I slept over the night of the election because we wanted to watch it together but he ended up getting really sick so, I ended up bringing him soup and orange juice and all the other goodies you need when you're sick. We didn't really spend time together though because he was sleeping on and off and I was super into the election. This weekend we hadn't really planned on seeing eachother. I had plans on Friday and he was in a wedding on Saturday. I didn't really want to go to the wedding because we're not really good friends with them. In fact, I've never even met the bride...lol...I just realized this.Plus, I didn't know ANYONE else that was going and I didn't want to be all by myself during the wedding and then have to eat all by myself during dinner. So anyway, I figured I wouldn't see him this weekend. He called me after the wedding and I still had my stupid lil' (actually it was big) attitude. I was being really short with him and just didn't feel like talking. We hung up and I was even more upset after talking to him.

10 minutes later he texts me and tells me that his best friend's mom was going to come by and drop of some papers for him to sign at my house. Mind you, it's close to midnight at this time. It didn't seem out of the ordinary though because I was expecting to pick up the papers from his best friends mom earlier that day, I just never got around to it. He told me she was on her way home from a dinner party and would stop by. I immediately go off and tell him that I'll pick them up from her tomorrow and I proceed to tell him that he should have called me first to ask me if it was okay. He brushes me off and tells me that she's on her way and there's nothing he can do. I'm so pissed! I stay up waiting for her in my pajama's looking a HOT MESS.

20 minutes later his best friends mom calls me and says she's outside, I walk outside to let her in and who do I see standing there with the biggest smile on his face still dressed in his wedding attire with roses in hand? MY BOYFRIEND!!! I was so shocked. I hate surprises and I ruin damn near every surprise because I ask so many questions. I'm that annoying person that needs to know every single details and interrupts you in the middle of your story-telling to ask 100 questions. Anyways, he is the only person who can pull one over on me. I felt like a huge brat. He said he knew the only reason I was acting like that was because I missed him, and he was right. I did miss him. I definitely need to work on my attitude but, It makes me feel really good to know that he loves me despite all of my flaws.

So there is my funny story. I love it. I love making memories. As I grow older, I'm starting to realize that memories are what life is all about. I constantly have to remind myself to live in the moment and cherish every single moment. You never ever know what could happen and it's ridiculous to waste energy on negativity, bratty attitudes and things that really shouldn't matter.

I CUT MY HAIR!!!

Saturday I chopped off about 6 inches of my hair. not all over, but I now have layers which is super funny because i just grew my hair out so it was finally one length..(except for my bangs) and i chopped it all off again! I kinda freaked out but, it's just hair, it'll grow back. I'm at work so I don't have a picture of what my hair looked like this time last year but it's completely different. I just took a couple of pics to send to Audrey so I thought I'd share. I still have my length but it's definitely shorter. I'm worried about what my ponytails are going to look like.

While we are on the topic of hair, let me just share one of my pet peeves. I hate being asked if my hair is my "real" hair. It's so rude and inappropriate. Yesterday my boyfriend and I were picking up pizza and this girl complimented my hair. I of course thanked her and turned around to finish talking to my boyfriend. When we were leaving she said "Can I ask you something, where do you buy your hair?" my boyfriend started cracking up. I didn't even respond, I just kept walking. Don't ask someone if their hair is "real" or not. That is extremely lame. For the record, in case you are confused readers, it is indeed my real hair, no tracks, no glue, no sewing--just scalp and crop, thank you daddy!


p.s.--i have no make up on so be nice & i have NO clue why my noise looks that big in the second pic. nose job maybe?! annnnd i was turning my arm backwards, so it kinda looks flabby. oh gosshhh, this is ridiculous, JUST LOOK AT MY FREAKING HAIR K?! THANKS!

p.s.s-- please excuse the fact that the text is two completely different fonts and sizes. blogger is on drugs.

Unfortunately, I have not been taking my faith seriously. Why?? I'm really unsure. Any excuse would be lame so rather than think of something, I've chosen to recognize the fact that action is indeed necessary. In all honestly September and October went by way too fast. I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do.

So, I will catch up. I will rethink some things and get my priorities together. I'll make time for the things that have been put on the back burner and constantly remind myself just how important and mandatory these things are.

On another note, please pray for my dear friend Audrey. One year ago her brother Matt was jaywalking and was hit by a car. He was in a coma for two weeks. He will never be the same. He is alive and well but his mental capacity is nowhere near what it should be. This past weekend her father, her brother Matt and step-mother were driving. A fifteen year old boy riding his bike darted into the street. Her father hit him. He is in critical condition with a cracked skull. Audrey's stepbrother who is also fifteen goes to school and has two classes with this poor boy. I am so so sorry for her family and cannot imagine what they are going through.

Sadly, accidents and tragedies like this sometimes force us to put things into perspective. We all have problems, but in comparison to others, sometimes the problems we are facing are extremely minute.

Hope you all had a great weekend and a great week ahead. Can you believe it's already November 10th?! wth?! time is just flying by.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)

Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, "Behold, the LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded, 'Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun.

King James Bible

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

American King James Version

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said to him, Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

American Standard Version

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not Jehovah, the God of Israel, commanded,'saying , Go and draw unto mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

Douay-Rheims Bible

And she sent and called Barac the son of Abinoem out of Cedes in Nephtali: and she said to him: The Lord God of Israel hath commanded thee: Go, and lead an army to mount Thabor, and thou shalt take with thee ten thousand fighting men of the children of Nephtali, and of the children of Zabulon:

Darby Bible Translation

She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abin'o-am from Kedesh in Naph'tali, and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand from the tribe of Naph'tali and the tribe of Zeb'ulun.

English Revised Version

Ands she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded, saying, Go and draw unto mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

Webster's Bible Translation

And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go, and draw towards mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali, and of the children of Zebulun?

World English Bible

She sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said to him, "Hasn't Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded, 'Go and draw to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

Young's Literal Translation

And she sendeth and calleth for Barak son of Abinoam, out of Kedesh-Naphtali, and saith unto him, 'Hath not Jehovah, God of Israel, commanded? go, and thou hast drawn towards mount Tabor, and hast taken with thee ten thousand men, out of the sons of Naphtali, and out of the sons of Zebulun,

Jueces 4:6 Spanish: La Biblia de las Américas (©1997)

Y ella mandó llamar a Barac, hijo de Abinoam, de Cedes de Neftalí, y le dijo: Esto ha ordenado el SEÑOR, Dios de Israel: ``Ve, marcha al monte Tabor y lleva contigo a diez mil hombres de los hijos de Neftalí y de los hijos de Zabulón.

Jueces 4:6 Spanish: La Nueva Biblia de los Hispanos (©2005)

lla mandó llamar a Barac, hijo de Abinoam, de Cedes de Neftalí, y le dijo: "Esto ha ordenado el SEÑOR, Dios de Israel: 'Ve, marcha al Monte Tabor y lleva contigo a 10,000 hombres de los hijos de Neftalí y de los hijos de Zabulón.

Jueces 4:6 Spanish: Reina Valera (1909)

Y ella envió á llamar á Barac hijo de Abinoam, de Cedes de Nephtalí, y díjole: ¿No te ha mandado Jehová Dios de Israel, diciendo: Ve, y haz gente en el monte de Tabor, y toma contigo diez mil hombres de los hijos de Nephtalí, y de los hijos de Zabulón:

Jueces 4:6 Spanish: Sagradas Escrituras (1569)

Y ella envió a llamar a Barac hijo de Abinoam, de Cedes de Neftalí, y le dijo: ¿No te ha mandado el SEÑOR Dios de Israel, diciendo : Ve, y atrae en el monte de Tabor, y toma contigo diez mil hombres de los hijos de Neftalí, y de los hijos de Zabulón;

Proud would be an understatement.

Happy Election Day

Wow, the big day is finally here. I will admit to my lovely blog readers that I've already cried. Watching the news this morning and realizing that later on this evening we will finally know who will be taking over the White House made me extremely emotional. No matter what the outcome is, history will be made today one way or another. People will look back on this election for years and years to come and I feel extremely blessed, honored and privileged to be alive to witness this amazing race firsthand. With that said, make sure your voice is heard. Get out and Vote because every Vote DOES matter.

am i the last person to see this? sooooo cute.

you know you love the random's

i hung out with my mom this weekend and it wasn't nearly as awkward as i expected it to be. whenever i'm out and about and i see mothers and daughters shopping or hanging out i get a tad bit jealous. i can't help, i just don't have that relationship with my mom. BUT, this weekend i did and it was good. real good. the fact that i actually picked her up, took her to Nordie's and helped her find something to wear to her party is a testament to just how much i've grown up this year.

speaking of this year, hasn't it just flown by? i mean geesh, i feel like i was just celebrating my birthday.

the craziness i experienced at work last week was basically just a teeny tiny test of what this week would be like. never ever have i been so out of it. i had my boss at the airport with no flight!! wtf?! don't fret too much, he was sittin in first class on his way to Seattle 15 mins later but to say that i felt like an idiot would be a huge understatement. not only that but we're having a huge gala in about 2 weeks and the rsvp email address was incorrect. now, i wasn't responsible for proofing them but i looked at this things probably 100 times. i even noticed that the phone number was wrong, how did i not see the email address?!?! arrgggh.

i still haven't gotten over the spat i had with my bf last friday. I am fully aware that it's 90% of my fault but my pride won't let me give in. i mean, i'm over it but still. sometimes it's just easier to not talk to him for a lil' while.

i had my Marketing mid-term yesterday and it was easy as pie. i was done in no time. Tomorrow is Af Am Studies and this is the one i am not prepared for. i devoted all of my time and energy towards studying for Marketing. i should be studying now but, I can't stop thinking about my bf :( ...lame, i know.

i started reading this book on Sunday and I finished it last night. it was good. trashy but still good.

my dad suckered me into baby-sitting my sister this weekend which really isn't baby-sitting cause i love hanging out with her but i've just been in such a shitty mood. i need to snap out of it so that her and i can have some fun this weekend.

i'm watching celebrity rehab as i'm typing this and some guy (don't know his name, this is my first time watching) said that the word GONE stands for Getting Over Negative Energy. Very appropriate for me right now.

i neeeeeed to go shopping!! i want some new boots and a purple pea coat and these really cute juicy couture earrings. I also want some new sunglasses. i always feel guilty shopping for myself during this time of year because really, the holidays are right around the corner.

Jessica's birthday is in two weeks and i'm finally going to Beso. YAY!

okay i'm done yall. i'm going to download some music on itunes because the shuffle that my ipod comes up with has been pretty weak.

xo

ahhhh, life is crazy kids. you never know what you're going to to get, what you're going to face or how you're going to deal with it. this has seriously been one hell of a week. so much bullshit @ work. working 50 hours a week and taking three classes is kicking my butt. things with my boy are just...ugh right now. sometimes i think that I'm too high maintenance and i just need to be by myself for the next 10 years. I've found myself fighting tears on a daily basis for the past four days. i thought Starbucks would cheer me up this morning BUT, it didn't :( Anyways, enough ranting.

Last night I had dinner with my dad and younger sister Bria. She is seriously the most adorable kid ever. Prior to me getting there my dad told me that they had stopped at Macy's to pick up a pair of shoes for her. They were only there to buy SHOE'S, nothing else. Well, Ms. Bria decided that she had to have a new dress for Friday and she put on a quite a scene at Macy's. My dad went as far as threatening to spank her and she asked him if she could get the dress after her "spankin'"..lol.

Here's a snippet of our hilarious convo about the situation:

me: "Bria, i heard about what happened at Macy's"

Bria: rolls her eyes and looks at dad. "Did Daddy tell you?"

me: "Nope I have a friend who works at Macy's and she saw you crying and throwing a fit"

Bria: "All I wanted was the dress".

me: "yea, but didn't daddy buy you shoes?"

Bria: "yes, but daddy should buy me EVERYTHING i want to make me happy".

ummm yes, I'd have to agree with you on that one Bria.

Shortly after that conversation, I found her in my dad's bed sleeping like a baby. I guess temper tantrums wear you out :)

excuse me, did she just say "if the black's take over"?

and she does it again....

for some reason blogger is dumb and i can't upload the video (this happens way too often by the way), so check it out here.

Beyonce is freakin' amazing. Period.

and i thought I'd add this just for fun. Cess took a random pic of Jess and I on Fri night. I saw it and I immediately thought of this girl. I don't quite have it down yet, but i'm gonna talk to her about some "sexy face" lessons... ;)

p.s., i saw Hope Floats for the first time this weekend O M G, how cute is that movie?!?!?! I'm so naming my future daughter Bernice.

T G I F.....

I'm so happy the weekend is finally here. I haven't had a free weekend in a minute and i'm excited to have very little on my agenda. Tonight i'm going to Social with Cessy and Jess. Tomorrow I'm free like a bird and Sunday I am FINALLY going to my church. I most definitely need some R&R.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

xo

Decisions, Decisions

Wow, it's only Wednesday morning and I already feel like this week has been quite a long one. First of all, my anniversary (i feel so lame saying that cause it's not like we're married but, anywho) was fantabulous! Let me just say that not only do I hate surprises but it's very difficult to surprise me. Somehow my boyfriend managed to surprise me and it was all very, very sweet. Without going into too much detail, we had dinner at this lovely restaruant. He bought me this perfume that I blogged about some time ago and we spent some time at this spa. BUT, you wanna know what my favorite gift was?! The card! He NEVER buys cards for any holiday or special occasion except for Valentine's Day. Cards are so important to me. In fact, 9 out of 10 times I'm most excited about the cards I receive, not the gifts so I was super, duper happy that he had taken the time to pick out a nice card. It's the small things in life, right?!

Anyways, let's get to the decisions-- a while ago (like over a year ago) I applied for a job with a huge company in Fullerton (for those of you who don't live in So Cal, Fullerton is in Orange County, where my bf lives, I currently live in LA). At the time, my bf and I were toying with the idea of moving in together (in OC, not LA). I ended up getting a job at Fox (my last employer) shortly thereafter so we put the moving in together thing on hold. I never heard back from the huge company and I was so excited about my job at Fox that I never really thought about it.

Two weeks ago I received an email from the huge company. I initially thought it was spam and left it in my inbox unread until Monday. I opened one of the emails on Monday and lo and behold, the "big company" wanted me to come in on Wednesday for testing. Now, if I would have received this email maybe 6 or 7 months ago I probably would have been ecstatic but not so much now. The possibility of working for this company is very tempting. The fact that I'd be closer to my boyfriend and the $15,000 salary increase among other things would be great BUT, something inside of me is telling me now is not the right time. I have no clue what it is, but there is definitely a lil' voice in my head telling me not to go for it.

For starters I'd have to get my own place, which I'm not opposed to but I love my roommate and really, I like paying half of the rent versus ALL of the rent...lol and this is embarrassing but I'm afraid to live by myself. When my roommate is outof town, or comes home late, I sleep with my TV and light on...hahaha, yes--I'm lame. I could move in with my bf but he has 2 male roommates and I love them to death but would NEVER consider cohabiting with them. There are various reasons why but, the most important would probably be the fact that I would never feel like that was my home and I'm just not cool with that. **EDIT** Mel left a comment and brought up a really good point. We very well could look for places for the two of us but, his lease isn't up until March of 2009...so that's why we'd have to stay there together at least until March.

Secondly, although I don't know exactly what I want to do when I grow up (yes, in my mind, i'm still a teenager) I know that working for the "big company" is not it. Now don't get me wrong, the job that I'm currently doing is not something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life either but, I'm hoping and praying that this job will allow me to find what it is exactly that I want to do. I'm exposed to so much, and I do so much and I've learned so much in such a short amount of time and to me that is invaluable.

Lastly, the testing obviously interfered with my work schedule. Not to mention my boss has been traveling for over a month and today was his first day back in the office. It would have been kinda lame of me to take off at 11am and be out for the rest of the day. I'm big on signs and all of the signs in my opinion were pointing to not going to the testing. On the other hand most of my friends and family members thought that I should at least give it a try and see what happens. So now, I'm praying that I did the right thing and don't have any regrets.

Obviously I love my boyfriend and the distance thing is getting old especially since we went from seeing each other every single day to now seeing each other only on the weekends and not even every weekend at that. I just want to make my decisions solely based on me and what's good for me. Had I accepted the position, I most definitely would have felt that I had done so primarily because it was closer to him and that's not okay. He has a really great job that he loves in OC, so that's where he is. His family is there and I have to admit, he's happier and he's changed so much (for the better) since moving there so, I'm happy for him. I have a job that I like (not love..lol) and my friends and family are here so, this is where I am and I guess that's just how it will be, for now.

Geesh, blogging can be so therapeutic..lol. I feel much better now that I've gotten all of that off my chest. Hope you all are having a wonderful week.

xo

Happy Anniversary to my favorite boy
in the whole wide world. We met through a mutual friend in a parking lot, had dinner that same night @ Denny's (lmao) and have been inseparable ever since. I wouldn't have it any other way.

xo-pink.

Your lips, your love, your smile, your kiss,

I must admit, it's a part of me

You please me, complete me, believe me,

Like a melody

Your soul, your flow, your mouth, your truth, is simply proof

we were meant to be

But the best quality--

is that you're loving ME for ME

***Loving Me For Me- Christina Aguilera

H O U S T O N

As I promised, here are some pictures from my short trip to Houston. We flew out on Thursday morning (way too early) and got there at 1:00pm. Technically, I was only there for 3 days because we left early Sunday morning but, I had such a great time. I seriously cannot wait to go back.

Moving on.....

here's my bestie and I being silly. We had just landed and were on our way to the hotel. This is proof that I really am trying to finish this darn book!



Here's a picture that was taken while we were sitting in traffic on the way to our hotel. Yes, TRAFFIC. That is the only bad thing about Houston. The traffic sucks. Still not as bad as LA but bad nonetheless. Apparently it's not always as horrible as it was this weekend but, due to the fact that there were still streetlights damaged from Hurricane Ike, the freeways were jammed.

This was the view from our hotel room. We were pretty damn close to the Toyota Center (obviously) :) the view at night was AMAZING!



The pictures of the Bachelorette Party are way too X-rated for my sacred lil' blog. I'm not kiddin' either.

So, here we are at the wedding (Friday night). I love this picture mainly because I love my bestie's grandma Geneva way too much. She is seriously the funniest woman alive. I could go on vacation with her time and time again.

Aunt Tonya, Aunt Trina, Geneva & Me

(What you don't recognize me? Does my face look fat? mhmm, yea I know, I was bloated. Apparently my face and tummy were the poor victims.
Sorry, it was that time of the month.)

Friday night we went to some club in Downtown Houston. Totally different then the L.A. club scene but it was fun. I noticed two things @ this club. The first thing I noticed was that every single guy that tried to talk to me was 19 or 20 (the club was 21+ and they were checkin ID's but whatever) which was very disturbing - I blame it on the braces. Second thing I noticed, when someone would ask for my phone number and I just wasn't interested I'd use the whole "sorry, i have a boyfriend" thing - which IS the truth. The guys would then reply with "oh okay, he's a lucky guy, nice to meet you, blah blah blah". Guys in L.A. tend to say something along the lines of "what does that have to do with me?, "well, he's not here", "I'm trying to be your friend", "you can't have friends?" lol, it was quite funny.


Saturday we did a bunch of tourist-ty things. This is the morning I woke up feeling like death. I felt sick-ish on Friday but Saturday was the day the cold decided to infiltrate my healthy body. My throat was burning, my eyes were burning, my nose was burning, everything hurt.


We had a ball @ Hermann Park. The weather was gorgeous and we just sat around soaking it all in, laughing, talking and stuffing our faces with shaved ice, pickles, ice-cream and a bunch of other crap. Believe it or not, this was probably the highlight of my trip. I think you can tell. I'm sick as a dog, refused to put make-up on that morning or brush my hair for that matter and I still look extremely happy......



I don't know what it is about Houston that I fell in love with. I think it's a combination of a couple things. The fact that it wasn't L.A. The fact that people were extremely nice and everyone wasn't walking around with a chip on their shoulder. The fact that it seems to be extremely family oriented. There were families everywhere and I'm not referring to a mother and her children (which is still a family) but, i'm talking about mothers, fathers and children. There seemed to be tons of young married couples. There were black people, and black families and black businesses. People spoke english and I could understand them! Everyone was so damn polite and they have the cutest southern accents. It was just different and I loved it. So much so that I was actually sad to leave....



So there it is. My re-cap. Like I've said (probably 100 times), I had a great time. I plan on going back in December to see if I could really live there. Like foreal foreal.

Dear Houston,

I love you so much and I miss you already. I cannot wait to come back to you my love.

Always Yours,

the disgruntled L.A. Girl.

Omg y'all, I totally fell in love with Houston. I so didn't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did but I had such a good time. I wanna go back. Like for good.

I will post pictures as soon as my bestie uploads them. Btw, I'm sick AGAIN & I hate my job today but, I shouldn't complain because i have a job. AND, i have a test today. arrrgggh.

I clearly remember a conversation my mother and I had one day while driving to school. We were listening to the radio and she turned it off and said to me "when you get married, make sure your husband loves you more than you love him". At the time I thought nothing of it, although I obviously remember her telling me this. I asked her why and she told me that if you love someone more than they love you, you're bound to get hurt. Well, I can see what she meant by that but, I honestly believe that if you love someone, regardless to how much you love that person, when/if the relationship ends, you're bound to be hurt anyway. and if you love each other and you're in love what difference does it make if one person loves the other more?


I've found myself thinking about that one sentence a lot lately. I was reading something ( I can't remember where or what it was) last week and it basically said the same thing; that women should be in relationships with men who love them more. It really got me thinking. Is it safe to say that in every relationship someone loves their partner more than their partner loves them? Does that even make sense? Don't people love differently? I'm torn. As selfish as this may sound, I like the idea of spending my life with someone that loves me more than I love them. Why? I don't know.


I know we've probably all met couples that from the outside looking in, it appears as though one person is "in" to the relationship way more than the other. This always bothers me. I always feel sorry for the person who's "in" to the relationship more. I wonder if they know that they appear to be "in" to the relationship more or if they even care. I know I personally tend to think that women have a tendency of being more "in" to relationships and I attribute it to the fact that we are women and that's just how we are. That sounds bad, but that's my way of thinking..don't judge!

But what do I know? Apparently nothing when it comes to the love department...lol.. but, I'm definitely learning. It is not always easy, it's not always fun, sometimes it hurts but it's soooooo worth it.

Two things are really upsetting me right now.

1) the fact that there are people who really believe that Barack Obama is a terrorist because his middle name is Hussein. Are you serious right now? You live in West Virginia, have no job, no health care, no teeth in your mouth and you're afraid of a terrorist knocking on your door? ummmm okay.

2) Ignorance like this:




Come on black people. Let's try really hard not to give others the impression that the only reason we are for Barack Obama is because the color of his skin. Josh Howard,did you really just say "I don't celebrate the Star Spangled Banner because I'm black?" Did you really follow that ignorant statement with "Obama '08, Obama '08, all that shit"? Shoot yourself in the foot please. thanks.

A couple of randoms

First things first, I haven't been to church in two weeks and I'm feeling it. I need some church, like ASAP.

I only have 7 more days till I'm in Houston and to say that I'm excited would be an understatement.

Ne-Yo's cd is sooooooooooooo good and it's 9.99 @ Target. Go get it.

I'm so tired that my eyes actually hurt and I couldn't go to bed at a decent hour because I had too many good shows waiting to be viewed on my tivo (Gossip Girl, Intervention, John & Kate plus 8). So yea, the eyes are burning today.

I'm low key over blogging.

I just found out that Ellen is now being taped on our lot and I'm so excited!! I heart Ellen.

I'm trying to constantly remind myself to ask God when in doubt.

Okay, enough-back to work.

to blog or not to blog. that is the question.

on another note, aren't they pretty?

Don't you love surprises?

Sad..but true.

I cannot believe it's been 7 years.

Funny Facts

Did you know that Meghan McCain thinks Barack Obama is sexy? Did you know that Meghan McCain voted for John Kerry? Did you know that Meghan McCain just recently became a Republican as a Father's Day present this past year?

Meghan McCain was on The View today and she was so well spoken. She answered every single question that was thrown her way (except for one) and she was very funny! Apparently she may write a satire about her experiences on the campaign trail. I admire her for supporting her father and being so involved in his campaign despite her own beliefs. She seems like a very intelligent young woman.


p.s.

OBAMA '08 :)

This girl right here...

is the ONLY reason i tuned in to watch the VMA's. She's effin' amazing.

and she looked sooooo good too!

Blame it on the politics

You can most definitely blame my lack of blogging on the DNC & RNC and all the other political happenings & I guess the long weekend had something to do with it too. I am l o v i n g all this. I surprisingly found myself liking Sarah Palin and her family. Do I agree with her positions? Heck no. But, I must admit that her family is quite an entertaining bunch. I was glued to the television during her entire speech yesterday and i'm still unsure as to whether or not I actually enjoyed it or if I was just waiting to hear more of her shit talking. Apparently over 40 million households tuned in to check her out so I guess we were all somewhat interested (as we should be).

On another note, yesterday was the first day of my African American studies class. I have no doubt that this class will be extremely interesting. I had the hardest time concentrating though because this guy who sat right in front of the teacher had a huge hole in his boxers and of course his shorts were so low so his crack was just staring at the rest of the class the entire time. and of course he was that student who asks 20 million questions and comments on everything.

That's it for now, I'll leave with this quote from Sen. Obama's acceptance speech:

"I realize that I'm not the likeliest candidate for this office, I don't fit the typical pedigree and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington. But I stand before you tonight because all across America, something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me; it's about YOU."

cool mama's

I heart cool mama's. you know,the mom's out there who manage to juggle it all; motherhood, careers, husbands/significant others and still manage to look flawless. the mom's that are hip and still rock their 7 jeans while breastfeeding.

I work with a lady who's in her mid-thirties and she just had her first child. She is always dressed to impress and she does not look like she was pregnant a year ago. I initially thought she was in her mid-late twenties when I started working here. Well, a min ago I kept hearing Big Poppa by the Notorious B.I.G. I stopped typing and started looking around and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I went around to ask the "cool mama" a question and there she was, bobbin' her head with her starbucks in one hand and paperwork in the other. I started crackin' up.

Growing up I always felt like my mom was old. I mean, she was 32 when she had me so she isn't ancient but compared to the mom's of my friends, I always felt like she should be my Grandma. She's always looked much younger than her age but still, I knew the truth despite her annual 29th birthday :). I've always told myself that I'd be one of those mama's. You know, the cool mom who won't embarrass her kids. The cool mom who still listens to "hip" music. The cool mom who manages to stay on top of all the latest fashion trends. The mom that's always wearing heels while prancing around her spotless house and most of all the cool mom who will know when her kids are feeding her some bullcrap :)

here are some of my favorite Cool Mom's

Gwen Stefani. you do realize those are the abs of a woman who has already given birth, right?

of course Ms. Richie. Even more cooler is the fact that it seems as though her lil' one has changed her for the better.

Lisa Bonet. I don't even need to explain this one.

Fabulous Mommy

and i cant wait for this future mamma to pop:

That's it for the cool mamma's. have a great day!