my folks will be visiting!

I don't really have too much to say but my parents are coming to visit tomorrow and stay the night!  I was actually planning to go home this weekend but I just wasn't feeling like driving.  so, I decided to just go ahead and ask my mom to come visit, not getting my hopes up, because she usually doesn't want to make the drive either.  but, to my surprise, she said she would think about it and ask my dad if he wanted to go.  earlier today I talked to her and she said they would be coming Saturday morning!  I'm super excited and surprised, because I usually have to beg to get them to come here to see me!  I don't have much on the agenda for us to do, except shopping of course!, and we'll go out to eat and otherwise just sit around and enjoy each other's company.  I absolutely love spending time with my mom and dad and am so looking forward to the next two days :)

something to think about

my mom sent me an email with a power point attachment of wintry pics with quotes. here's the one's that really stood out to me...

"Don't compare your life to other. You have no idea what their journey is all about."

"Frame every so-called disaster with these words, 'In five years, will this matter?'"

"If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back."

good stuff. I think I really needed to read those few lines as of late. although the cruise for Christmas was fun, it's never easy to spend that amount of time with the whole family when you know problems will occur. and they did.

it's not worth it to complain, or dwell on it, because I have better things to do(that's what I tell myself), but I needed to share those quotes. made me feel better :)

have a great week!

Merry Late Christmas!

I had a great Christmas! my family and I went on a 7 day cruise to the Virgin Islands. it was beautiful and great to get away to the warm weather for a little while. I'm back to work tomorrow...

here's a few pics of the vacay:

Celebrity Cruises

waiting to go on our first excursion of the trip

my dad and I

niece (Sydney), sister (Mikayla), sister (Lisa) and my mom...and some random guy that jumped in the pic!

brother (Brandon), me, niece (Sydney) and sister (Mikayla)
about to board the helicopter

sitting in the front seat of the helicopter!

Monserrat Soufriere Hills Volcano
this volcano is currently active and the views we got to see were amazing!

this was a formal dinner night on the boat with my brother (Brandon)

what a weekend!

this last weekend I got some horrible, crazy news. my older sister, Lisa, needed surgery. major surgery. and they were not sure she was going to make it. so, Thursday evening I went home to Spring so I could be there Friday for her surgery. everything went fine. a robot performed the surgery, which makes the chances of bleeding out much less, and she got to go home this morning. obviously she's in a lot of pain, but thank God she's alive!

I took this picture not too long after she got to her room and she's obv. on a lot of drugs!!

this weekend, Sunday, was also my little brother's birthday and he got a new car!

he loves it and I drove it around a little Thursday night. love it!

then we went to eat at Kobe's for Brandon's birthday and we ate some great sushi and I even tried escargots for the first time! not bad...


and last but certainly not least, today I helped Sydney, my niece, make mums for her homecoming!


the mum on the bottom was one we made for her friend. I hope they'll love them! and now I'm back in Waco, sitting around, catching up on House. ready to go to bed and back to work tomorrow :)

real quick...

my MOM is in town for the weekend! she's been here since Thursday night and is staying until Sunday! I'm so happy she is here. I'll write more later. Happy Saturday :)

i seriously cannot wait for this week to be over...

This has been one crazy week for me. It all started out when I woke up Monday morning. I had put a cream on my face the night before (that I'm pretty sure I've used before) and apparently my face did not like it. For the whole day Monday, I had a red, swollen, burning, itching face. It was not pretty. But I still managed to go to work and make it through the day. Then, Tuesday, my little monthly friend decided to stop by for a visit. At this point my face was much better though. And then...when I got home from work Wednesday evening I could barely talk let alone swallow. I'm feeling better now but not 100%. I went to HEB before work this morning and stocked up on Sprite, couch drops, Tylenol and throat spray. I am not letting this get to me!

My mom is on her way to Waco though and I'm so excited to see her and hang out with her! She will make me feel better!!!

wow, it's been a while

and sooooo much has happened! I've been really trying to be a little more crafty lately too and I've gotten a lot done! I also picked up the pieces I did last weekend at Practically Pikasso...check it out!

It turned out a lot cuter than I thought it would :)

This most recent weekend I went home Saturday-Sunday and had a great time. Friday was my mom's b-day, Saturday was my 8-year anniversary of being sober, and Sunday was my little sister's b-day. We had a great dinner out together and got some shopping done! While shopping I bought some more stuff to paint with and as soon as I got home Sunday night I did this...

The two above are the finished products! One side says IN and one side says OUT. I made them for myself and a co-worker to put on out office doors at work!

have a good day!

great weekend...

i had a great weekend...

i was off (sorta) Friday, Saturday and Sunday! my niece, Sydney came to town to visit and we had lots of fun! Friday we watched THREE movies (He's Just Not That Into You, What Happens in Vegas, and Bride Wars) and crafted.

we woke up early Saturday to go to Glen Rose, TX to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. it was awesome...we had a zebra follow my car for more food, a bill goat gruff looking thing get upset because we quit feeding him and he decided to gnaw at my car door handle and lots of other animals. i would totally recommend this place to anyone!

then i had to go to work at 7 pm...just until 10 pm though!

and Sunday morning i got a phone call from work (i was on-call all weekend) and someone didn't show up for their shift so at 7 am i headed to work...only until 9:15 am, thank goodness!

then we headed to Practically Pikasso. again, i have never been to this place before either, but it was so cool. we both painted two pieces and i can pick them up Thursday. so fun!

i had a long, great weekend with my niece and i look forward to doing it again :)

crazy, wonderful weekend!

yes. i had a crazy, wonderful weekend. as i mentioned earlier, the boys and i attended the Waco Humane Society's Paws in the Park on Saturday. it was soooo hot outside but the boys had fun and even got their pictures taken...check out numbers 49, 101 and 104!

oh, and while you're there, check out Taryn and i at the Family Abuse Center's Annual Luncheon!

then, today (Sunday) i met my wonderful Mom (Happy Mother's Day!!) and Kim in San Marcos to help my little move out of her dorm. and wow, she is messy!! but i still love her :)

so now i'm at home being super lazy, relaxing with dogs, preparing for another week at work!

i've got quite a bit here...

first of all, i hope you all had a wonderful Easter. i sure did :)

i spent the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) in San Marcos with my family. My little sister got confirmed and baptized in the Catholic Church, here. it was so awesome to see her do this, while it was something she was really into. she looked beautiful!

the pic is of her and her boyfriend (who was her sponsor) and their Father.

Our whole family (ok, almost all of them!) were there for the ceremony, including her boyfriend's whole family. afterwards, we went back to the hotel we were all staying at, we were exhausted after the looonnnnggg ceremony. but all were up again the next morning. we had a great lunch and then i headed back to Waco. my cutie little pups were exhausted, but Bo has always refused to even sit down in the car on trips. but Rex still tried to get some rest...


in other news...

while i was in San Marcos, i spent a little time with my sister in her [messy] dorm room. we were watching What Not To Wear and this was said by one of the hosts...

"I think (insert kid's name, i don't remember what it was) is the only one who looks like she isn't on food stamps." ~ Stacy London on What Not To Wear

what the hell was she thinking?!?! i think that comment was absolutely uncalled for and ridiculous. is she saying that anyone who doesn't dress like they have a million dollars is on food stamps?!?! i was really offended by this comment, since i work with lots and lots of women who are on food stamps and are still wonderful people. and some of them even dress nice!

ok so have a good Monday and a great week!

damn crazy kids

so i'm home in Spring for the weekend! i love coming home to visit family...except this weekend it's cold and windy :(

anyhow, i was at my little brother's house and saw the pool in the backyard.

it hadn't been cleaned since Ike came through. it was a real mess.

i dared my little brother to jump in. he said 'hell no,' so i offered him $100 if he did it. again, he said no and went inside. a few minutes later, the door swung open and there's my little brother in his swim trunks running towards the pool. and he jumped in! i screamed as did everyone else. who would've known he was going to be so stupid!! needless to say i lost $100.

but the pool did get a little cleaner in the spot where he jumped in!

ACONP

i'm going home this weekend and i can't wait. Bo gets his stitches out tomorrow morning so i know he'll be excited to get to play with his family this weekend! and i just haven't been home in a while so it will be nice...

so in celebration of my beautiful family (and myself)...


have a great rest of the week and weekend :)

my own fruit roll-ups!

so this past Friday UPS came by my place but i missed them, as i was in Dallas with Bo. they left their standard note and on it they put that the package was from 'my fruit roll-ups.' i thought that was really odd since i don't remember ever ordering anything fruit roll-up. i finally got the package yesterday and still thought it was really odd. but, i opened the box anyways and found a huge box filled with fruit roll-ups. i still thought this was super odd but i wasn't going to let these things go to waste so i quickly stuffed one in my mouth not thinking anything about it.

later i was talking to my mom and started to tell her about this weird happening with the fruit roll-ups. she started laughing and asked if i had paid any attention to them. i told her no and she immediately told me to go over to them, open one up and look at it.

omg. i did and guess what!?!?! my dogs picture was on them with the sayings 'happy valentine's day' and 'hugs and kisses!' i was so surprised!! my mom said they were from my boys - via her of course!

so now i have personalized fruit roll-ups! who would've thought!!

check out the website!

and have a good day :)

'this grudge'

for some reason, something that has fairly recently happened to me hit me like a ton of bricks today. i felt anger, disappointment, depression, and just overall pissy-ness at one particular person who said some hurtful things. then, like a Godsend, the following song began playing in my car. as i listened, i was reminded of myself and of the fact that by holding this grudge i am only hurting myself. then, i began thinking about all the things that people have done to me or said to me in the past that i still hold on to. why? for what purpose does it hold? i'm not sure about much right now, but i am sure that the person and what they did that is making me feel this way are in no way worth any feelings (good or bad) from me and i am wasting only my own time by worrying about them and how they have made me feel. it's time to stop this vicious cycle. i cannot and will not ever forget what the past has brought me but i can let go. i'm working on that now.

Fourteen years
Thirty minutes
Fifteen seconds I've
Held this grudge

Eleven songs
Four full journals
Thoughts of punishment
I've expended

Not in contact
Not a letter
Such communication
Telepathic
You've been vilified
Used as fodder
You deserve a piece
Of every record

But who's it hurting now?
Who's the one that's stuck?
Who's it torturing now
With an antique knot in her stomach?

I want to be big and let go
Of this grudge that's grown old
All this time I've not known
How to rest this bygone
I wanna be soft and resolved
Clean of slate and released
I wanna forgive for the both of us

Like an abandoned house
Dusty covered
Furniture
Still intact
If I visit it now
Will I simply re-live it
Somehow gratuitous

But who's still aching now?
Who's tired of her own voice?
Who is it weighing down
With no gift from time of said healing

I want to be big and let go
Of this grudge that's grown old
All this time I've not known
How to rest this bygone
I wanna be soft and resolved
Clean of slate and released
I wanna forgive for the both of us

Maybe as I cut the cord
Veils will lift from my eyes
Maybe as I lay this to rest
Dead weight off my shoulders will rise

Here I sit
Much determined
Ever ill-equipped
To draw this curtain
How this has entertained
Validated
And has served me well
Ever the victim

But who's done whining now?
Who's ready to put down
This load I've carried longer than I had cared to remember

I want to be big and let go
Of this grudge that's grown old
For the life of me
I've not known
How to rest this bygone
I wanna be soft and resolved
Clean of slate and released
I wanna forgive for the both of us.

~ Alanis Morissette, 'This Grudge'

it's been a long time

yes, it has been a long time since i've been on here. i've been away...on a cruise with my family! but, i am now back to Waco and back to work. i have lots to say so bear with me...hear goes...

the cruise my family and i went on left on Sunday, December 28 so i went home to stay with my parents on Saturday, December 27. i went and met a friend that night and it was a little weird. the last time i saw this person, they were fucked up on cocaine and God knows what else. it was great to see them finally sober, but it was a little awkward. on the way home i talked to another friend and had an amazing conversation with them about life (including mine) and lots of other in-depth stuff.

the next morning we all woke up and met at Denny's for breakfast. then, we drove on to Galveston to get on our boat. we waited for ever and ever to get on the boat but it was great once we did. we actually stayed in the exact same room as we did last year when we went on a cruise. weird! and as soon as the casino opened i was there, only to loose the money i brought down there with me...

the next day was great. my little sister won at bingo and we both got a facial and a massage. amazing. the next day we arrived in Cozumel and my little sister, niece and i went parasailing. neither of them had ever been before so they thought it was awesome. i had been before but still had lots of fun. our next stop was Roatan, Honduras. we went to a beach there in Tabyana. i can't even describe how beautiful it was. we hung out for a little while and on our way back we all stopped at Diamond's International where i bought this amazing sapphire ring in white gold. then back to the boat to get ready for formal night and New Year's Eve.

the next day we were in Costa Maya and went shopping all day. later that night, on the boat, we went to an ice show. yes, there was an ice skating rink on our boat! i also saw TWO shooting stars while sitting out on our balcony that night!

the next three days were spent out on the water heading back to Galveston. i got acupuncture on the boat, my niece and little brother both won bingo and we all smoked some Cuban cigars we bought! the last two days on the boat were a little different though. while i was getting a pedicure, i overheard one of the workers saying that a rescue chopper was on its way. a few minutes later, there were two rescue helicopters landing on our boat. apparently, a lady had ruptured an artery in her leg and they couldn't stop the bleeding! then, the next day when we were supposed to get to Galveston, we hear from the overhead speakers that we might be a little late getting to the port because the Port of Galveston was closed due to extremely dense fog. wtf! i had a plane to catch and my little doggies to pick up! but, i figured the fog would go away soon and it wouldn't be a big deal. no. at around 1:30 pm we finally were able to get off the boat. i have now missed all flights back to Waco and am trying to figure out how i am getting back there. eventually, my parents had to drive me half way to Waco and a friend came to meet us and take me the rest of the way back. i didn't end up getting home Sunday night until almost 9 pm! i did get to see my doggies though and i missed them so much!!!!

like i said before, i am back at work and super busy! adios

vacation time!

there is a lot i was thinking about writing about but i am super tired right now. i just got done packing too. i'm going to houston tomorrow then leaving to go on a cruise with the whole fam on sunday! i'm really excited.

so, have a good New Year's and until then...

it's Christmas time!

i had a wonderful Christmas today and Christmas Eve last night. I worked until 5 pm yesterday and had to work at 1 pm today, so my parents came to waco yesterday evening and spent Christmas here! it was so nice to have my parents at my place. the rest of my family was going to come here as well but decided they would stay home and saturday, when i get to houston, we will have a mini-Christmas with all of us.

but, my parents got here around 4 pm yesterday and met me at my work. at 5 pm, we left and came back to my place and began cooking for dinner. i made (yes i cooked!) chicken tortilla soup and a spicy chipotle dip with crackers for us. and guess what?? i didn't burn anything! then we sat down to watch tv and hang out. that didn't last long. we were all too excited to be together that we couldn't wait til Christmas morning to open gifts. we had all the gifts open by 8 pm! it was super exciting and fun! i got some really nice things for Christmas and i think my parents were excited and really liked the things i got for them.

afterwards, we actually decided that opening the gifts that night was a great idea so we could sleep in the next morning. and we did. we were all actually not up til about 11 am. so we had some pigs n a blanket that i had made the night before and just sat around watching tv and playing with the dogs until i had to leave for work and my parents for home. and did i mention that i had FOUR dogs in my apartment this whole time??? yes, my parents brought their two dogs, tiny and buddy. rex and bo were in heaven though because they all love to play with each other.

then came 1 pm and it was time to leave. i already miss my parents and the rest of my family, but i will see them saturday and then spend a whole week stuck on a cruise boat with all of them! and actually i'm really excited about going on the cruise.

i hope everyone had a Merry Christmas too!

it's almost Christmas!

it's almost Christmas! i'm so excited. my family is coming to Waco Christmas eve to spend Christmas day with me. i am working Christmas eve and Christmas day but i'll still have time for my family and i'm actually really excited to work at the shelter for Christmas. it's such a special time for families and the clients are really excited for Christmastime. it's gonna be great to see them all happy and actually getting to spend Christmas with their kids while being in a safe environment.

on the other hand, i still have lots to do:

• buy a few more gifts
• wrap ALL the presents
• clean my place
• laundry - and lots of it
• pack!
• and lots of stuff left to do at work...

and after Christmas, i'm off work until January 5th and i can't wait! my family and i are going on a cruise! there's ten of us in all. we went on a cruise over Christmas last year and this year we'll be going over New Year's. We're visiting four ports, including Roatan, Honduras, Jamaica, and Cozumel. i'm really looking forward to it :)

now, i'm on my way to Temple to spend the day with a friend. later!