Picnic in the Living Room

It's so nice to have friends home for the holidays!! I mean it's so nice to have Huguette home for the holiday's...since she is really the only close friend that lives so far away!!! Anyhow tonight my friends and I decided to have a potluck dinner and catch a movie after!!! Our potluck dinner or should I say picnic...because that's what it turned into took place on my living room floor. Why did we eat on the floor with a perfectly good table only a few feet away? I have no idea, I guess that's just how we do things. Nonetheless I loved our little picnic and how cozy we were sitting together on the floor. I love girls nights, we just get so silly, laughing and talking about God knows what. I can't wait for our next dinner and a movie...oh and if you haven't see "It's Complicated" go see it for a good laugh!!!

Let's Talk Ornaments!

This year I decided to participate in the Nestie Holiday Ornament Exchange with the girls from TheNest. I have participated in other gift exchanges or secret Santa's before but never in one specifically dealing with exchanging ornaments! When the girls were beginning to put everything together I wondered to myself how on earth are we going to do a gift exchange over the Internet. I figured we would meet in someone house or something. I apparently was not really using my noggin!!! Hello!!! Anyhow Johanna did a wonderful job putting this whole thing together on www.elfster.com (very cute website to do gift exchanges), and I am please to say I received a very adorable ornaments of t two penguins kissing ornament from Virginia!!! Thank you so much Virginia I love it! I also want to congratulate you on your new baby as well!!!

My Husband and my mother were looking at me as if I had three heads when I noticed that I had received this package. I was jumping up and down like a little girl with so much excitement because I knew exactly what is was.

This is the Ornament that was inside the package and what was sent to me by Virginia...cute huh!!!

Speaking of ornaments here are a few others that either have some sort meaning or has been gifted to me by a friend or family.

My husband gifted me this ornament back when we were dating on our First Christmas together! He also gave it to me with a promise ring taped to the bottom of the umbrella and sticker on the boys foot indicating to look under it. I laugh looking back at that now!! Time as flown by.

This one my friend Ingrid gave me when Fernando and I got engaged! I love Ingrid she is always so thoughtful and thinking of others!!! I love you my friend!!!

I am hoping to get this one as our first married Christmas together!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

WOW What a year...granted I know it is not over yet, but there is so much I am thankful for! I began the year marring an amazing man, and having an absolutely beautiful wedding my parents gave us. I live in a great community, go to an awesome church, and am surrounded by the best friends and family any girl could ask for. I have a job, in a time where some do not, and I do not want to sound as though I am boasting, but I feel God has truly blessed us. I believe Thanksgiving is not only about giving thanks but about giving as well. I hope and I pray that just as much as God blesses us that I may have opportunities to bless others as well.

I am Thankful for him...because he is an amazing man!

I am Thankful for Family...

I am thankful for them ...for being the best parents in the world and always supporting and loving me unconditionally! I could never thank them enough for all they have done and will do for me... I love you!

Thankful for her...there is no one I love more than my grandmother, I hope that I always have the energy she has...

For them...for being the brothers and sisters I never had...and now do!

For my uncle who I absolutely adore and would tell anything to without hesitation!

For all of them...where would I be without family?

For her...because God has blessed our family with new life!

For Friends...

...because they have seen me at my worst and at my best...and we have watched each other grow up into women!

For them...my extended family...I am thankful for them because I get to do life with an amazing group of people! A group of people who make me better and want to make this world a much better place.

For my co-workers...they are more my friends than they are co-workers...they make my days so interesting and we always have so much to laugh about, and learn about together! Thank you!!

I am also thankful for my family in Georgia, New Jersey, Boston, and Costa Rica and for the family and friends who may not be pictured above, but are very dear to me as well! I love you guys, God Bless, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Esther's 27th Birthday

So my friend Esther turns 27 tomorrow, and well her Husband Hector decided to throw her a little surprise at there new home today! Now my friend hates turning a year older, and has cried the last few years on her birthday because "she is getting older", but I say age is just a number! HA! I have always been teased about saying how old we are getting, but you won't hear that coming out of my mouth lately! Anyhow so Esther's sister-in-law Suzy thought it would be a great idea to throw her a child's theme birthday party, and what else would describe Esther best than a Disney themed princess party? Can I just say I did not see any tears this year! How could she possible cry with all the wonderful things going on right now!!! Happy Birthday my friend may you have many many more birthdays, and always remember to be a kid at heart. I love you!!

Corrine Bella's Baptism

Let me start by saying I am completely absent minded!!! My Sunday's are usually pretty crazy and if you thrown in an event, all chaos breaks loose. Well...not really, my Sunday's usually consist of church all morning and afternoon. So today I decided to leave a little bit earlier from church to give me enough time to go home change and drive to Corrines baptism. So I leave my house and I am driving to the church when I realize I left my cell phone at home!!! Yikes!!! I get to the church, get off sit inside the sanctuary, and think to myself this does not look like a baptism...hmmm! I ask the lady next to me and she informs me that this is only a mass. I automatically think I must have gone to the wrong church!!! I feel completely mortified to get up and walk out of the church I had just walked into! Ugh!!! I run home to get my phone only to find missed calls and text messages asking me where I am. I was under the apparent assumption that the baptism was at St. Barbara's Catholic Church when in reality it was St. Benedict's Catholic Church!!! Where oh where has my mind gone? Once I got to the right church I was so late that I missed the whole thing. I am so sorry Corrine Bella I missed such an important moment in your life, please forgive your absent minded tia!!! Always remember to put God first in your life no matter what! My prayer for you is that you grow up knowing who He is and knowing that He always loves you! May God Bless You little one! =)

Corrine getting baptized!

Us at the church!

Us at the House!

Friends = )

The Cake

Jessica's Birthday

Tonight was my friend Jessica's 26th birthday...ahh we are getting old. Some friends and I went to her new place to cut her a cake, drink some wine, and just enjoy each others company. Happy Birthday my friend I hope you enjoyed your day and the rest of the celebrations that are to come. I pray for many new adventures in your 26th year!! I love you!

Esther & Hector's Wedding

Last night I witnessed one of my oldest friends tie the knot. I love weddings!!! I love everything about weddings! I love all the details that go into it, the events leading up to it, the anticipation of the bride arriving to the church, the look on the grooms face as she walks in. The preparation of a new home and I especially love sharing in someone elses happiness. I can not stress enough how much I love weddings!! Getting married is a special time in a couples life, and should be cherished. Watching my friend reminded me of that special time Fernando and I had as well, and I can not believe we are almost a year in. I am am very happy for you my friend as you open a new chapter in your life. Congrats to Esther and Hector as they begin there new life together. I pray that you always put God in the center of your marriage! I love you guys! I can't wait to see your honeymoon pictures!

Mr. & Mrs. Hector Mesa!!!

Photo Sign In

Party Time

Goodbye!

Note: Photo Credit to Fernando Herrera & Melissa M. Hernandez-Herrera

Pumpkin Carving Contest 2009

Yesterday evening I participated in my very first pumpkin carving contest. Some friends of ours (Julie and David who were also the judges) invited a big group of us to their home for an evening of pumpkin carving and hanging out around a fire. I was very surprised to see how nice all the pumpkins came out considering that many of the people who participated had never even carved a pumpkin before. We had a great time and I am already looking forward to doing this again next year.

The pumpkin we picked for the contest!

Carving

The Final Products

Eight of the Nine Pumpkins

Everyone!

My Teams Pumpkin!

Connect Weekend 2009

Where do I begin? All I can say is what an awesome weekend! I love my church, and I can clearly see God really doing something here at Relevant. What I love about connect weekend is how people connect (hence the name connect weekend..lol), the silly games and pranks everyone is involved in, the worship, the lessons learned, the friendships created, God moving, and the list can go on and on. Connect weekend is all about connecting to God and to others and that is exactly what happened in Bradenton, Florida this past weekend. I am hoping to have a video recap by the end of the week from Bryan Lobos so stay tuned for that.

Here are a few pics my dear husband (DH) and I took of Relevants awesome weekend.

The Welcome Bags

Everyone

Green Team

Some of the Blue Team

Yellow Team

Red Team

The Little Boy Who Stole My Heart

The Worship

The Moon