Happiness

So Ive missed the last few days of the May challenge, but I'm picking back up here :)
Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy

This man right here...

This lil princess....

The Beach

Hello Kitty

Pink!

The fact that I get to see my family in 4 days!

New books

The sunshine

Helping people - I love that I work at a non profit & that I'm HR, its a win win for me

Blogging and making new awesome blog friends!

 

My advice

Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.......

 



Don’t worry so much about what other people think about you.  Do what makes you happy. 

 

I enjoy dressing up and being cute, and yea, sometimes I make look a little ridiculous, like above..., but I always ask myself? Do I like it? Does it make me feel happy and feel good? If it does, I wear it.  Who cares what other people think about me, as long as I'm happy with myself, that's all that matters.

 

What scares me...

Day 7, Tuesday: The thing(s) you're most afraid of

Not becoming a mommy.  Even though Miley makes my heart happy, I would also love to be a mommy to a human baby..... Ill be 30 next month, time is ticking and it really freaks me out.

Losing my connection with my nieces and nephews.  I miss those kids SO much!! (even though some of them are not kids anymore) 

Not being able to own my own home with Jon

Someone from my family dying, especially my mom, or even my dad.  If my dad would pass away right now, I would hate myself for never speaking to him and trying to rebuild our relationship after so many years.

Mustard..... 

What do I do???.....

Day 6, Monday: If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?

Such a hard question to answer!!!

I laugh
Im a dog mommy that I love to spoil with kisses, presents, and lots and lots of treats
I'm a wife to a comedian and my best friend
I paint, color, cut & paste, and draw
I make our home as cute as possible
I try to live a fun filled life, with lots of adventures
I ride my bike with my husband and have picnics in the park together
I try and cook healthy meals for the Mr.
I'm a little bossy and a little more sassy...
I dress up
I shop, maybe a little too much...
I make new friends
I blog :)
I read
I work
I love
I like to pretend I like trying new things, but really, it scares me but I try not to let the fear take over.

Quote

Day 4, Saturday: Favorite quote (from a person, from a book, etc) and why you love it

Couldn't agree with this any more! I love this quote because it is so honest.  This is the way I try to live my life everyday.  I am so thankful for the life that I have, even when I have my bad days.  Id rather have a bad day than no day at all.

Day 3 of the May challenge....

Things the make me uncomfortable........

I could probably go on and on about things that make me uncomfortable, but here my top 3.

Mustard, like I have a fear of it.  I can’t touch it because I feel like the smell will be on me forever.  Just thinking about it makes me shudder, ugh! When Jon eats it, I wont kiss him for a while afterwards, he usually has to brush his teeth or chew some gum.  And by the way, did any of you ever see the mustard episode of my strange addiction? I would have to change the channel when the previews would come one, the guy would rub that crap all over his face and brush his teeth with it, YUCK!!!

People standing too close to me when I’m waiting in line…. It makes me angry and makes me want to yell at them.  Personal space please???!!! It’s even worse when I move to get some space and they move closer! Get the hint!

Driving on the freeway, which I do every day of my life, but it still makes me uncomfortable, and I always take the quickest exit that I can to get off.  I just always imagine terrible things while driving on the freeway, and now living in California it makes it worse.  People drive CRAZY around here, and it freaks me out! I do feel a lot safer in my new car, but I still get really uncomfortable.  Oh and I get super uncomfortable when I’m driving on the freeway and there’s bumper to bumper traffic.  If I was a rich celebrity, I would NEVER drive, that would be awesome.  I don’t drive on the weekends unless I have to, husband hates that he has to drive everywhere.

I probably sound like a freak to you now, but really just writing this post makes me have a little bit of anxiety, expeically thinking about the 1^st point…. Ugh! Gotta go!

Happy Friday!!!!

Missing......

I'm heading back to Portland in 21 days……

 

And It’s been 7 ½ months since we made the big move from Washington to California, and boy oh boy was it quite an adventure!!!! If you are new to the blog, you should definitely check out this post and this post!

 

This was the toughest and most challenging move Jon and I had to make yet.  Because of all of the obstacles we faced, but also because this placed us even further away from our family and friends, we were no longer just 3 hrs away from Portland, which makes it hard when all you want is to see your family and regroup.

 

This was our toughest move BUT it’s also been the best move we have made.  We LOVE it here.  We still can’t get over the fact that California is now our home.  Yes, it’s only been 7 ½ months, but we already feel right at home here and are so ready to settle down and plant some roots here. 

 

The thing that I miss most about Oregon is my family….. of course I do miss my friends, but my heart has been pretty sad lately because I miss my family SO much.  I miss being around my mom, all of my sisters and especially my nieces and nephews.  That’s what I miss the most, being an aunt.  I miss hearing their voices calling me “Tia Lupita” It’s so hard to watch them growing up without me being around.  I'm SO looking forward to see all of them and giving them a huge hug!  

 

This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing them.  Talking on the phone and face-timing is great, but I’m ready to there with them.   

 

I hope these next few weeks go back fast!!!!  Im ready for some Oregon in my life!

 

Happy Friday!

Hi!!!

Hi blog friends!!! So sorry that I've been gone for over a week now! Spent a few days in Portland last weekend and then work up monday morning sick! And thats how I've spent the rest of my week! Im starting to feel a little better, but still not 100%.  Jon and I fly out to San Jose tomorrow to start our search for our new home! Ill be back happy and healthy on Monday morning to fill you in our our latest life happenings! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and have a great weekend! 

Only thing I've been able to eat and drink

Ive gotten lots of cuddle time with my baby which always makes me feel better! 

Pick up lines....

So while Jon and I were in Vegas, we heard the cheesiest pick up line that actually worked on a girl! So this girl was sitting by herself at a table right next to us and then we heard this guy walk up to her and ask her this:

Dude: "Can I ask you a questions?"

Chick: "Um yea, sure"

Dude: "How much does a polar bear weight?"

Chick: "Ummm, i don't know, why?"

Dude: "Enough to break the ice. Nice to meet you I'm Matt"

The girl then giggled and they proceeded to sit and talk for the next hour and exchange numbers! lol.  Jon and I were like what the heck??! lol.  But I gotta admit, its a pretty funny way to walk up to someone and start a conversation.

So today i was going through things i have saved in my "drafts" inbox, and found a wonderful gem that i had saved from myspace, yea, the email is THAT old! lol.  Anyway, its the very 1st email exchange Jon and I had after we 1st met and our email made me think of the polar bear pick up line we heard in Vegas. 

I like how smooth Jon was with giving me his phone number, lol. 

The night Jon and I first met, i had lost my cell phone at the bar we were at and was pretty upset about it, I had a pink sidekick and i LOVED that phone! 

Anyway, i emailed Jon because i had mention him to an old friend and found out that they had gone to the same high school, which was CRAZY because Jon is from a small town in Oregon.  And of course, i wanted an excuse to talk to him because i thought he was cute :)

But i got to say, his little pick up line in this email worked because we started dating on Jan 5th 2008! I love looking back at our old messages and myspace comments when we first started talking, I think that they're cute!

And yes, my myspace name was *Wen Diesel* and Jon's was Burnsyde, we thought we were SO cool! hahahaha! Oh to be that young again!

What happened????!!!!

So..... you know how I was REALLY excited yesterday about my interview Thursday morning?  How i got everything taken care and my references checked out and completed what they needed for me?  Well guess what kind of email i got this morning?! I got this:

I was COMPLETELY shocked when i got this email.  Like what happened from yesterday to today?! I just feel pretty crushed right now, i really wanted this job and was so excited to interview and move forward in my career, but now I'm back to square one.  I was talking to Gay, who was my boss at OHSU, about this today and she said that this could be a blessing in disguise, which she is right, there has to be a good reason why this just didn't happen for me.  I need to stay positive and move forward.  Its just so hard sometimes, because my current job is SO boring and it makes me depressed sometimes and makes me miss my old job.  

I loved my job at OHSU, it was stressful but it was a job that i was proud of and it was a career that i had a future in.  I had so many opportunities to grow and to advance at that job, and with this one, i just feel so stuck.  I know that we are not going to live in Washington forever and i should just stick it out until we move but i also just want a job that makes me happy and keeps me busy.  

But I do have something to look forward to at work.  We are having a department retreat  next month with the department chair, my supervisor and the volunteer coordinator, and part of this retreat, we are going to reevaluate my job duties because they know that i am bored out of my mind and know that i am capable of doing much more in my position.  So hopefully things get better for me at my current job.

So overall, I'm pretty sad that my interview for tomorrow has been canceled, I'm going to keep looking for a new job, BUT i am hopeful with my current position that it'll get better.  

Ill leave you with a picture that makes me happy of my love and I.  I love Jon and how supportive he is with all of this. All he wants is for his wife to be happy and him telling me this makes me feel a little better and look into the future with a smile on my face.   Because I am happy, I'm just a crazy person that wants a job that keeps me busy, instead of spending my entire day playing online, lol. 

Fast Food Vegetarian?

Is there such thing as a fast food vegetarian?  If there wasn't before, now there is, because that's what i decided that i am.  Last year when we moved to Washington, i stopped eating Taco Bell, mainly because there wasn't one near us, lol, but i stopped and haven't had it since.  I'm pretty proud of myself for not eating there anymore, so for my new years resolution this year, i decided that i should stop eating McDonald's. 

I ate McDonald's all.the.time!  I loved (love) their chicken nuggets and french fries, but i was getting a little out of control, and every time i would eat there i would feel fat and guilty and i would be mad at myself for giving into the greasy goodness. 

I've done pretty well with my resolution this year, I've only given into to McDonald's twice, and both times were late at night after leaving the bar (that doesn't count right? lol).  The only place I've eaten at since is Taco Time, and I only order the crisp bean burrito or a regular bean & cheese burrito, so that makes me a fast food vegetarian right?  If i DO happen to eat at a fast food restaurant, ill only order non meat options.  A main reason why i stopped eating at Taco Bell and McDonald's is because of the meat and all of the gross stories i hear about the meat that is used. Just thinking about it makes me think of the pink slime picture thats been floating around on Facebook. 

I'm pretty proud of myself for doing so well, and trying to have a healthier life style.  And since I've been so good about fast food, Mr. Burns doesn't eat it anymore either.  Jon always tries to eat healthy and I've been the bad wife encouraging him to indulge in fast food with me, lol, but not anymore.  Yay me!

My weekend in Portland

So I headed to Portland Thursday night, to be able to attend Gunnar's memorial Friday morning.  I am so thankful that I was able to go home and be there with friends Friday. 

Thursday:

I was a little worried about riding the train down by myself, since this was my 1st time riding the train home.  Thankfully, when i got to the train station, a friend, that was also head to Portland for Gunnar's memorial was there.  I'm so glad that I had someone to ride down with and to show me the ropes.

Bored on the train.

We arrived in Portland at about 9pm.  My friends, Aubrey and Koli, were there to pick me up, we headed to dinner, then they dropped me off at Alyson's house.  Alyson and I stayed up pretty late, I helped her get last minute things finished for Gunnar's memorial on Friday.  Alyson had been working on a slide show of Gunnar to present during the reception.  She did a wonderful job with it. 

Friday

Gunnar's memorial was beautiful.  It was nice to see everyone that had been touched by Gunnar's life.  I'm pretty sure there were over 200 people there for the service.  After the service, there was a procession to the cemetery where Gunnar was laid to rest.  It was a beautiful cemetery with a view of Portland and its mountains.    There was a bagpiper at the cemetery and he played music as we said our final goodbyes.    There was also a reception for Gunnar where the slide show was played and people had the opportunity to stand up and tell stories about Gunnar, it was great to hear such wonderful stories about him and how he truly lived his life to the fullest. It was a hard and emotional day, the memorial really helped with the grieving.

After such a hard day, i needed a break, so I went to Koli's house and we all headed out to dinner for Daniella's birthday. We went to Oswego Grill in Wilsonville. It was nice to see friends that i haven't seen in months and celebrate a friends special day.

Daniella and her special birthday treat

Saturday

I dedicated my Saturday to spend with my mom and sisters.  Since I haven't been home for over 2 months, I definitely needed to see my mom and family.  I hung out at home with my mom most of the morning, she made me chilaquiles, which are my favorite and she always makes me a batch when I'm home.  I love her Mexican home cooking and i miss it so much! My sister Patty came by and picked us up with my 2 nephews Felipe and Izequiel, We went to see my oldest sister Monica, and i got to see my other nieces, Diana & Jessica and nephew Tony. 

Riding in the car with my boys, Izequiel & Felipe.

After visiting Monica, we headed to lunch at another one of my favorite spots when I'm home, Sanchez Taqueria.  They have the best authentic tacos, nothing compares to tacos in Mexico, but these are pretty good!!

YUM!!!

My favorite Mexican soda

Mexican cookie

Felipe and I.  Love this kid so much!

Photo shoot with Felipe & Izequiel

Zeek is too funny!

After spending all day with my family, I had my little sister drop me off at my friend Courtney's house.  We decided to go out for drinks at my favorite bar, Bartini.  I try to go to Bartini anytime I'm in town.  The moment we got there, our waitress made a comment about remembering me, lol.  I live in another state and I'm still considered a regular, hahaha. Anyway, it was nice to go out for drinks and have some girl talk.

I wish there was one of these in Seattle!

They have the BEST fondue!

Bartini in on 21st ave in Portland, and that street has lots of cute little bars, so we decided to hit up a few other places too

Drinks at the gypsy

Late night snack at North 45

Sunday

I kinda had a rough start Sunday morning.  I unfortunately missed my 8:30 train because Courtney and I didn't wake up until 10 mins before my train left, oops! I was lucky enough to catch the next train at 12:15, and i was home with my hubby by 4:00

View on my way home

I missed Jon so much while i was away, I was so happy to finally be home to my little family!!!  Jon and I had dinner plans on Sunday night with Jon's cousin, so after we got home, I took a quick shower, got ready and we headed out the door for dinner.  Miley was a happy pup that she got to come along for the fun.

She enjoys the car rides for a few mins and then her car anxiety kicks in, no fun

Looking at me asking me where her daddy was?  We had to make a quick stop at Safeway for dessert!

Staring out the window waiting for her daddy's return

 We had dinner with Mamie, her husband Dan and their cute little girl Evie.  We have lived in Seattle for a year now and this is our 1st time getting together with them.  This is something that we definitely need to work on and do more often! We had a great night with them.

Miley sporting one of Evie's hair clips

My weekend in Portland was pretty exhausting, but I'm glad that i was able to spend the weekend down there and am even happier to be home with my loves!

RIP Gunnar

A friend of mine passed away this weekend.  When I found out, I was sad, but it didn't really hit me that he's gone until Monday.  It is so sad to think that our friend is gone.  I can only imagine how his family and best friends feel losing a brother and someone as amazing as Gunnar. 
I'm not very good with my words when it comes to death, I don't know what to say or how to express my sadness over something like this.  All I can say is that I am sad that he left us so soon and heartbroken over this tragedy. 

I leave this post with a quote that a friend posted on FB that definitely describes how our friend lived his life:
People that live wild, on the edge, making everyday count as if it were their last, do they die early from this lifestyle?
Or do these people somehow know their time on this earth is short and use this unconscious knowledge to live everyday to the fullest?
I'd like to think the latter.

 (6/20/1983-2/26/12)

RIP Gunnar.  You will be terribly missed