Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen

It's been a crazy few months for me, and I feel as though time is passing by so quickly. I recently returned from my honeymoon, and my husband and I went on a seven day cruise. At the last stop on our cruise my husband planned for us to disembark from the ship in order to spend the next four days at an upscale and exclusive resort. So our first day at this beautiful resort we decided to go lay out on the beach and take advantage of the sun and beautiful scenery. Those of you who know me, know I need to take as much advantage of the sun as possible. So as we laid out we kept seeing a group of people walking back and forth to small tent in front a large home that the resort rents out. Come to find out the group that kept walking back and forth was Gisele Bundchen (famous Victoria Secret & Sports Illustrated Model) and her crew working on a photo shoot right there on our beach. What are the odds of that happening? Once we discovered who she was my husband and I began to wonder if Tom Brady was perhaps lurking around the resort as well (considering that the two are dating), but he was no where in sight. My husband of course thinks he is Mr. Paparazzi trying to take pictures of this gorgeous woman on the beach and from the balcony of our suite, and I had hope of seeing Tom. The next day we decided to go lay out by the pool on a side that faced the ocean, and guess who comes and literally sits right next to us, with her boyfriend? You guessed it, Gisele and one of the hottest and most talented QB's in the NFL Tom Brady!! My husband finally built up the courage to talk to Mr. Brady and informs him that he is one of his fans, but that he also was a Miami Dolphins Fan. I nearly wanted to kill him, how can you tell one of the best QB's in the NFL that you are a Dolphin Fan? I loved Mr. Brady's response to my husband it was a mere "oh no". I wanted to tell Tom (because we are on a first name basis now...right!) how he was my first pick for my fantasy team this year and how he killed my team by getting injured so early on in the season, but then I thought to myself he probably gets that a lot. What kills me is that I have never picked a QB in the first round, and what are the odds that Tom Brady is going to get injured. Ugh! I guess you just never know!! As far as his injury is concerned let's just that Gisele nursed him back to health. As the next few days passed we continued to see the couple in the resort as they enjoyed there time there as much as we did.

How many people can say they met Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen on there honeymoon?

Gisele and her crew walking back and form from the tent during the photo shoot.

The guy laying out in the black shorts and white tank top behind me is Tom Brady

These picture are from the Boston Herald and they must have been taken from the ocean or from a helicopter in the sky, but they are literally right next to us in the picture where Gisele is feeding Tom. The location in which the Boston Herald states that they are at in these pictures is incorrect, but who am I to tell a newspaper they are wrong.

Thanksgiving Sunrise

First let me start out by saying Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I woke up rather early this morning, and I am so glad I forced myself out of bed on this chilly November day. My Church had decided to hold some beach baptisms on Thanksgiving morning along with a short sunrise service. The idea of having to wake up at 5am to be at the beach by 5:30am did not really sound all that appealing to me, and it was freezing at least for a Floridian it's freezing. Once we finally arrived it was so peaceful and serene to see the sunrise that morning with some hot cocoa and close friends, I couldn't have had better morning. I would love to wake up every morning to a view like that. So before the baptisms began my pastor asked if any of us wanted to share anything we were thankful for this year. I really wanted to share my thoughts, but just the thought of sharing what was on my mind brought tears to my eyes, since I did not share my thoughts on the beach, I will share what I am most thankful for here on my blog. I am thankful to God that in October my father made 13 years of being a sober man. I am thankful that He (God) is with him (my father) today and everyday so that he remains a sober a man. In January my father is going to walk me down an aisle and give me away, and I am thankful to God for that, and the for the many blessings He has given to me, and to my family. I recently read a book by Mitch Albom entitle "For One More Day" without spoiling the book to much it talks about a man who had a drinking problem and because of it, missed out on his daughters wedding. His daughter refused to invite him because he was not in the right state of mind. Several weeks later my father rented the movie not knowing that I had read the book and we sat in our living room and watched it together. That afternoon my father told me as he has told me countless times before, when I have shared life's problems with him, that he was so thankful to God that he was able to have a relationship with me, and that he was able to give me good and Godly advice, because he was not longer a slave to alcoholism as he once was.

The Book

Movie Poster of the Book

The Sunrise

You Know How I Know Your Gay?

If you have ever watched the movie the "40 Year Old Virgin" you will know exactly why I titled this post the way I did. Am I gay? Yes, because I not only like COLDPLAY, I absolutely LOVE them!!!! They are by far my favorite band, and in my mind I am going to marry Chris Martin, he can serenade me any day!!! I better stop talking before I get myself into some trouble! Anyhow, I was fortunate enough to go see Coldplay for the second time around, I went few years back and absolutely loved it, but was stupid enough to forget my camera!!! Ugh, I am still regretting that!! Once again I was in awe by this skin and bones band, they played three of my favorite old songs (In My Place, Polotik, and Yellow), but its always so hard to pick favorites with them, because even there least popular songs are awesome! They turn everything into something beautiful, its really all about the lyrics!!!!

Here are some pics of my glorious night!! At least this time I have something to show for it, but even if I didn't I wouldn't forget how much they ROCK!!!!!

How Ironic

It only happens a few months out the year, but its finally here again. The Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, is by far my favorite cup of coffee, so as I sat and enjoyed my seasonal coffee and nibbled on my lemon cake, I read "The Way I See It" #141 from the back of my cup. I always find these little excerpts to be so interesting, I have yet to receive a cup with something I have already read, not only do I read my cup but I also read the cup of the person who accompanies me as well. It is something I must always do, no question about it. My cup read as follows:

I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, "Hi." They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.

-Augusten Burroughs
Author of Running with Scissors

What I find to be so ironic about this excerpt it not so much what it says, but the title of the book that it comes from. Now I have not read this book, but I do know that running with scissors is considered to be something dangerous, but can saying hello to a complete stranger really be all that dangerous? It's crazy to think how easy and how hard it can be to make friends, but the wonderful part about it is, that it is always unexpected when you do. Doing so is easy when we do not care about what could possibly happen, but hard when we do care. It is not always easy to be vulnerable, but I believe and have learned that in order to have any kind of meaningful relationship you have to be willing to be vulnerable. If running with scissors means saying hello, than perhaps I am willing to be a little dangerous.

If You Look, You Shall Find!

When I was a senior in high school, I went on a search! I went on a search for my prom dress! As some of you may know, I am extremely picky when it comes to formal wear, especially when its for one of the biggest events in High School! I went to every store in the South Florida searching for the perfect prom dress, I even flew to New York for a day in hopes of finding her! After many months of searching I found a pink Lillie Rubin dress that I fell in love with. Almost eight years later I still think the dress is beautiful, but now I am on a search for a different dress! I am now searching for my wedding gown. I believe that this search will not be as easy as it was searching for my prom dress, but nonetheless know she will be found. It is crazy to think how swiftly time passes by, and as I embark on my search I was given the advice that once you find her (the dress) STOP looking!!! The elderly lady that gave me this piece of advice told me in Spanish "si sigues buscando, vas a encontrar" translation "if you keep looking, you will find". What she said to me that day really stuck with me, because it was something so simple that made so much sense. The way she said it was as though it had a second meaning that not only applied to finding my dress, but that it applied to other aspects of life as well. If you think about it, it really does. If you have found what you are looking for, why keeping looking? If you are looking, then keeping looking till you find!!!

Down To The Last One

My coworkers and I decided to go to a Thai restaurant for lunch today, Fridays are usually our cheat days since we are all trying to watch our figures. After our delightful sushi lunch we decided to order some Thai donuts for desert with condensed milk on the side of course! What else would we dip those fried donuts into? As the three of us ate the first set of 6 donuts, we decided to order another six, because I of course was not satisfied with the two I already had. I had to have another two to myself. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and shared an appetizer or desert and it comes down to the last chip or the last spoonful of ice cream and you don't want to be the glutton of table to eat the last piece of food? Of course you have, everyone has, so you casually wait to see if someone offers you the left over piece, well this is what I was hoping would happen, but to my dismay did not turn out that way. He offers one of us the last donut and before I can say okay you don't have to twist my arm, she is already gobbling it down. I guess we were both waiting for our opportunity and I did not rise to the occasion.

I want more Thai donuts!!!

Endurance

Several months ago I was given an opportunity to be a part of a major non-profit organization here in Hialeah for one of its major fundraising events. Although I was thrilled in taking on this big task, I was also very relieved when it was over, not because it was boring or uninteresting, but because it consumed a great deal of my time. There were several times that I felt like giving up because I just could not juggle all the other things that were going on in my life. Apparently I did a good job of juggling all 5 things, but that's besides the point. My point or thought is, what happens when we get to a point that we are so frustrated and stressed out that we just want to give up. Is giving up even an option? For me it was not, only because I gave my word and commitment to several things at the same time, and my word, my dependability etc. meant so much more to me then to sever some one's confidence in me. Have I learned my lesson about committing to several activities at the same time, absolutely!!! I learned that being stressed out is okay sometimes, it allows you to become resilient to other things. I learned that as much as I enjoy being surrounded by other people there are times that you just need some time to yourself. I also learned that I can handle a lot more than what I would have ever given myself credit for. Some times you just have to push yourself and ask yourself what is most important? Doing something I love that benefits others is what's most important to me!

According to Webster, Endurance is the power to withstand stress and it is the ability to carry on through hardships. How much are we willing to endure?

The Boys Are Out!!!!!!

I am sadded by the loss of my boys to the New York Giants. I guess now Tony Romo can go wherever he wants with Jessica Simpson, and we will see how the Giants matchup against Green Bay.

:sigh:

From one moment to the next

Yesterday was my first day back to school in over a year! That's right I decided to get a Master's degree, I was excited and nervous about what to expect in this new program, but I thought it can't be that bad! People juggle full-time jobs, family, and school all at the same time! What would be so different or hard for me to accomplish that same goal that many others seek? I left work a little earlier to race to Ft. Lauderdale and make it to class on time, but as I was driving my mother called to inform me that she had some bad news to share with me. Her voice sounded calm, but very serious and I did not expect the conversation to end the way it did. The first thing I thought about was my dog, I was certain something had happen to Puchie, but as she continued she assured me that Puchie was fine and that the news was far more serious than something being wrong with my dog. She hesitated and I questioned her as to what was wrong and she continued on to inform me that her Aunt had passed away in a tragic accident. I could not help but feel awful because here I am thinking about a dog instead of human being. I guess I did not realize the seriousness of the conversation when we began talking. I thought about the last moments that Bertica (that's what we called her) and I shared together, never thinking that new years eve would be the last time I would ever see her again. I did not appreciate her as much as I should have, perhaps because we were never really close, but this has made me think twice about how much I should appreciate those around me. When my phone conversation with my mother ended I began to drive a lot slower and bit more cautious than what I usually do, you see her tragic accident involved a car collision that was not her fault but took her life in flames. I thought about a conversation I had with one of my best friends as I continued driving to school and how her mother always tells us "Mejor que llegar tarde que no llegar" translation "it is better to be late than to never arrive". Here I am flying down I-95 without a thought in the world that anything can happen to me and to some degree nothing can until I am called to leave this earth. Whether I make it late or not at all to my destination does not matter because when it's my time, it's my time! It hit me as news such as this always does we are here one moment and we are not the next, we believe we have so much control when we do not, and we forget how important life is.

Life is nothing and everything at the same time!

Distortions Through a Perfume Bottle

It was the first night of the year and I could not fall asleep. I must have stayed up until 3am tossing and turning flicking on and off my television set, perhaps it was the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks that I had earlier that kept me up so late. On most occasions I can fall asleep no matter what amount of coffee I drink prior to bed time, but I guess it was not one of those nights for me. As I laid in bed under my warm comforter, I began to stare at the objects that were sitting on a small table next to my bed. I focused and observed two large clear perfume bottles that stood out to me amongst other things in my room. I noticed that I could see straight through both of them onto the other side. I could see fragments of a distorted basket in which I kept the rest of my perfumes except for the two bottles I had just mentioned. As I laid there I wondered how may times do we assume we know someone or believe that we can see straight through them? For the most part, most of our assumptions and beliefs about people come about when we begin to get to know the person or from our first encounter with them. Did you know that most first impressions or what we believe about a person is inaccurate information or an inaccurate assumption? That's some social psychology for you!!! What do we really see when we look at people? Do we see them for who they really are, or do we see a distortion of what or who we think they are?

YOGA!!!

In an attempt to get in shape I have been going to the gym with my cousins and some friends for some time, but with the holidays approaching it has not been an easy task. I am not one who believes in taking aerobics classes or anything of that sort unless its a spinning class, if that is the case I will spin my but off!!! So my cousin suggests that we take the 7:00pm yoga class, and I am little hesitant, but later become open to trying something new. I walk into the class and set up my mat and wait for the class to begin, 15 minutes into the class we are still lying on the floor and I can't help but think so this is considered exercise, gees I missed the 6:45 spinning class for this, but from one moment to the next we are in the squatting dog position and then the scorpion position!!! I couldn't help but think how on earth I went from calm and soothing to unbalanced and uncomfortable. I will say you may think yoga is just some foo foo class that does not really work you out, but on the contrary it is quite the opposite, it teaches you how to focus, how to remain balanced and works out muscles you barely even use. Will I be taking another yoga class? Absolutely, once my body is no longer sore from the one I just took.

They Barely Win...

I am not usually a person to hate on other NFL teams, but last night I really really wanted the New England Patriots to lose!!! Although I am very fond of Tom Brady (he's cute) I just wished there team will lose at least one game, that way they will no longer have the best record, and be considered the best team in the league. It was a close game, but the Patriots pulled through for another win, and are currently still undefeated! My boys are still 12-1 ugh!!!

We are always one choice away from a different life...

Have you ever stopped to think about where you were a year ago? Stop and think about what direction your life was headed and into what direction you wanted it to move towards? Have you gotten there yet? Have you thought about whom you were friends with? Are you still friends today? Where did you work or go to school at? Is your life any different today than it was a year ago? Are you better off today than you were yesterday? Perhaps your life is not much different, but perhaps it is and if so are you happy with the changes that have occurred within those 365 days? Do you realize that part of the reason we are where we are, is due to specific decisions we have made throughout our lives? I can say that today my life is much different than it was a year ago. I could have made different choices, and looking back I realize that the decisions I have made were a lot more important than I thought they were back then. Those choices seemed so minuet and unimportant but I guess small things can alter big things or big changes!!! Something I have learned is to always be humble, it is something my father has tried to instill in me since I was a child, and is something that even to this very day he still talks to me about. Be humble and be thankful for those who were in your life, those who are in your life and those who will one day be in your life.

My question is would you change anything if you could?

Week 6

All I can say is...

I hope Tony Romo learned something from Tom Brady.

Thank God last weeks disaster did not happen again this week!!!

Where is the Dallas Cowboys "Welker"...we need one of those...

They should have gone for it on 4th down...

Final thoughts...
My popcorn was stale!!!! "sigh"

5-1 =(

What a crazy Game...

Have you ever taken an exam or test and barely got a passing grade? You knew that if you got one more wrong answer you would be begging the professor for some extra credit. Many of us have had to deal with this very circumstance whether it was in middle school, high school or in college, but at one point or another either in our personal or professional life we have had to deal with something similar to this very situation. If you have dealt with anything like this than you know exactly how the Dallas Cowboys felt on Monday night. I am pleased to say that the Dallas Cowboys are 5-0 but were very close to being 4-1. My beloved Romo did not play up to par this past week against the Buffalo Bills and I am very disappointed in him but he did pick up his game in the fourth quarter. This is the second time in history that a QB throws so many interceptions and the team still manages to win the game. If you did not know, let me tell you that the Dallas Cowboys are fighters!!! Next week Dallas plays New England and I hope that the disaster of the buffalo game does not happen again against the Patriots.

We will see what happens in week 6

Get your popcorn ready!!!

Bears vs. Cowboys!!!

VS.

It was a sad day for me this past week in fantasy football world, I unfortunately had my first loss not in one of my leagues but in both of them. It did not affect my overall place in the league but a loss is still a loss. Week 3 has been a very interesting week for me not only in fantasy, but also for my beloved Cowboys, they are 3-0 and just played the best defense in the NFL and I am happy to report that the Cowboys beat the Bears 34 to 10. I have no idea what must be going on through Rex Grossmans head right now but he must be a little worried, due to the fact that he will be sitting on the bench in week 4. Its amazing how young athletes come into the NFL with the same dream and hopefully the same goal which is to win a Superbowl. Tony Romo and Rex Grossman both entered into this major football world in 2003. Tony Romo entered into the NFL undrafted during the 2003 draft, while Grossman was first round pick in the 2003 draft, go figure!!! Romo later became an undrafted Rookie or free agent for my dear sweet Dallas Cowboys and it was not until the 2006 season that Romo actually got to play!!! If you compare theses two 27 year old men you will see that both of these athletes have had major flops throughout there careers and have also had the same opportunities entering into the NFL. I believe that Rex Grossman has not been performing to par, but that does not make him a bad athlete perhaps he was thrown out to the wolves to quickly and perhaps Romo was able to ease his way in and learned a thing or two in the process. Whatever the case may be they are both young men who still have a lot to learn, and great deal of room to grow. Hopefully this season Romo will step it up, and we will see who really has HEART this year!!!

Sorry Bears fans, but the Cowboys stepped it up this week!!!

GOOOOOO COWBOYS!!!!!!!!! WHOO-HOOO

Dolphins vs. Cowboys!!!

VS.

This past weekend was my first live NFL experience, I unfortunately live in a state that has the worst football team of all time!!!! Due to the fact that they are so bad I have refused to attend any Dolphins game, and although I have been invited to countless games I have refused to sit there and watch them lose week after week. I guess Jason Taylor could be a great motivation to watch them, but I guess not a good enough motivation for me. This weekend the Cowboys played the Dolphins so what did Ms. Melissa Marie do, she attended her first Dolphins game only because my Dallas Cowboys were playing. I was not about to miss out on the opportunity to see my boys and my Romo live. I must admit that those Dolphins fans do have a lot of heart so major props to them for cheering those fish on, but as the band Hootie and the Blowfish says the "Dolphins make me cry." Its pretty bad that you play on your home field and the crowd is yelling "Lets Go Cowboys" "Lets Go Cowboys" I felt so bad for them that I think I may just start cheering for them, they did beat the Chicago Bears last year and they are suppose to have the best Defense in the league, but apparently Miami got through it. I don't know if that win was pure luck or perhaps there may be some capability within all that disorganization. Aside from the humidity and heat, I had a great time and a great experience at Dolphin Stadium and was actually surprised to see that Miami does have a lot of Dallas fans out there...GOOOO Cowboys!!!!

Week 3 here we come, bring on the "Da Bears"

Oh and I won week 2 in both my Fantasy Leagues, not bad for a Rookie!

Did I really need it?

I turned 24 this year and I received many gifts from friends and family; mainly what I received was money aside from clothes and other stuff. So I had the option of spending it or saving it, I decided to do both spend some of it and save the rest of it. I came up with this decision as I strolled around the Nordstrom at Merrick Park; I had originally gone there to exchanged another gift that I had received for a bigger size, because I unfortunately am not the toothpick I once was. When I first arrived at the store I had no intention on spending any kind of money just going into exchange a pair of jeans and coming right back out, but as I walked past the shoe department some shoes that were on sale caught my eye! I figured maybe I should try them on, why not? As I approached the cashier to purchase these very cute shoes I realized that although they were on sale they were still pretty expensive. I for one can not even imagine paying full price for these shoes, but since it was not the original price that in of it self convinced me to purchase them. I walked out of the department store holding a big Nordstom bag with a pair of shoes that I probably will not wear that often. I began thinking as I walked back to car with my purchase in hand, did I really need to buy these shoes? I am not the richest person in the world when it comes to material possession but I am pretty rich when it comes to friends, family, and loved ones etc. When I got to the car I could not help but think about all the people who can't even afford a simple pair of shoes, and here I was sitting in the car with shoes I really did not need, only because I thought they were cute. I know that each time that I wear these shoes I will wear them with thought that I really did not need them. I wore them that night and could not help but feel guilty for my purchase. Perhaps I think to much and perhaps it is no crime to buy something I can afford and regardless of the price I am sure there is much more I could have done with that money. Maybe the fact that my pastor is preaching about budgeting and finances does not help either or maybe it is making me more aware of the things I need and the things I don't!!!

Romo is NOT a Homo!!!

This NFL season I decided to give the fantasy football thing a try, I am currently playing in two leagues (which I might add that I won in both leagues my first week) and my Sundays now consist of Church and football footBALL FOOTBALL. I thought I was a pretty knowledgeable girl when it came to sports but clearly I still have a lot to learn. As most of you know I am a Dallas Cowboys fan (WHOO-HOO-ROMO) and that I believe that yes Tony Romo choked last year against the Seahawks, but who hasn't choked when the pressure is on. We are reluctant enough not to be in the spotlight when the pressure is on us like many celebrities and athletes endure on a day-to-day basis. Who sees you when you mess up, your family and friends people who love you; no one else sees you choke, and if you do, are you any less because you did? It is easy for us to point fingers and ridicule others but who are we? I would like to say that Mr. Romo did a great job at the season opener against the NYG passing for 4 touchdowns and actually scoring a running touchdown (due to his performance I got 40pts in my fantasy league). Although it is only the beginning of the season and his great performance this week still does not make up for last years loss against the Seahawks, he is still a great YOUNG athlete. I believe he still has a lot of room to grow and learn, and I advise you all to just wait and see how he will transform and become an amazing QB. Something I have learned about success in my own experiences and from Danny E. is that success doesn't come when I want it to. In each mistake I make is an opportunity to learn and be better next time and I guarantee you that Romo learned a great deal at that playoff game against the Seahawks and he will be better because of it.

Romo is NOT a Homo!!!

Ready to take a ride!

I was talking to a friend of mine late last night about the future, the present, and somewhat about the past. This person is a lot like myself in the sense that we want to know what is going to happen before it happens, we want to make sure we are moving in the right direction. I have come to realize the more we want to know the less we find out about the future and the more time we waste in trying to figure it out. What about today? Surely one should prepare for the future, be prepared for whatever curve ball life may through our way, but why worry about things that have not even happen yet or may not happen. We forget about the journey because we are so focused on the destination, we forget about the things we could possibly learn before we actually get to the destination. We are so desperate to obtain what we want that we become impatient we forget that sometimes we have to wait in line, wait for our turn. If we go to an amusement park and wish to ride a roller coaster or any type of ride for that matter we have to be patient and wait for our turn to enjoy the ride. We eventually all get to ride it, but we have to be patient. Sometimes life does not always offer us a shortcut and when and if it does it may be beneficial to take it, to take the shortcut to get the fast pass to ride that ride, but what if we are missing out on something greater if we had only taken the long way instead of the shortcut or fast pass?

Stepping out of my box!!!

I woke up that morning and headed straight for the shower. In the middle of my daily routine to wake and start my day, my mother begins pounding on the bathroom door telling me that my uncle is on the phone and that I must answer it immediately! I was not about to jump out of the shower to answer the phone due to the simple fact that I had shampoo in my hair and was still half asleep. To my dismay and hesitation I finally answered the phone after of course, several attempts to get me out of the bathroom. I thought to myself what on earth could my uncle want from me on a Monday morning at 6:40am? He insisted that I meet him in downtown Miami so that I could register!!! In an effort to meet him in a timely matter I frantically got out of the shower, and rushed into my car at approximately 7:55. I was then on my way to downtown Miami to meet my uncle at the AAA. I stood in a registration line with my little cousin (who was there for the same reason I was) and uncle for about 15 minutes and was told that we needed to return on Wednesday morning with all our registration paperwork to audition. As I left downtown that day I was still unsure as to why I even drove there to register to begin with and if I would even go through with the audition at all. What was I thinking? Had I gone insane? I was contemplating on all these things as I drove to work for which I was already and hour late for. You are probably wondering to yourself what on earth did I registered for and what was I thinking of auditioning for? Well for about a day and a half I kept what I had done that Monday morning to myself. I kept it from friends and co-works, which for me was really hard to do, so Wednesday finally arrived and I had taken the day off from work so that I could have a shot at being Americas next American Idol. For me that is not something I had ever even thought of doing although many friends and family always insisted that I at least try it out. I still cannot even believe that I went through will the whole ordeal and it will definitely be an experience I will never forget and one that I have definitely learned from.

What is there to lose?

Flying Solo?

This past weekend I attended the American Cancer Society Relay for Life 2007 Summit in Orlando, Florida. My job asked another young lady and myself to be chairpersons on behalf of the city in which we work for, so the two of us headed to Orlando for this wonderful convention that I knew would be an excellent experience for the both of us. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have traveled my entire life to far and near places, and would figure that it should be no big deal for me to hop on a plane and be on it for several hours, but to my dismay and embarrassment I hate flying, I love to travel and visit new and exotic places but I hate flying. So here I am sitting in my seat on this plane all by myself because unfortunately I had to sit alone on the way to Orlando, which is something I have never had to do before. I am literally freaking out as the plane takes off, because I have no ones hand to hold for some comfort. I begin to pray and ask God for some peace for my soul, and to calm my heart. When the plane finally reached 19,000 feet in the air I began to calm down. I then grabbed my I-pod and started to listen to the songs for Sundays worship, I began by listening to the song entitled "My Glorious" by Delirious, after listening to it several times I began to repeat this one phrase from the song. I kept repeating, "God is bigger than the air I breathe", and each time I would get a little nervous or felt some jolt due to turbulence, I found comfort in saying that phrase. I had forgotten how great God is and how much power He really has, He is bigger than the air I breathe. I had failed to realize that I was never really flying solo and although I was sitting next to complete strangers God was with me throughout the entire experience. My father always teases me and says he loves to fly with me because it is the only time I will hold his hand. I called him the moment I arrived to Mickey town to let him know that I was alive and well and that my plane did not burst into flames and crash; he laughed as I shared with him my experience, and he of course knew that was going to happen to me. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit next to my friends on our flight back home and be able to hold someone’s hand not only because I was freaking out but because they were freaking out as well. I told them God would not have brought us all the way over here for a good cause for nothing.

Picture from the plane while sitting alone.

On the way back home.

You will be used!

I was having a conversation with a girl whom I have known for a long time now, but I have never really gotten the chance to "know" her until recently. We began discussing casual things and our conversation later evolved into a more serious and heart felt conversation. Once her and I hung up from our hour and a half phone conversation, I started to contemplate on the things we had just discussed. I started to think about how sometimes we are so hard on ourselves and kill ourselves over past mistakes and past failures that have occurred in our lives. It is amazing to see how REAL God is and how nothing is by accident, how it was no accident that her and I were having that conversation. I started to think about how at times when we go through stuff and we mess up we do not always forgive ourselves. I have made mistakes in my life, I have failed as a friend, as a daughter, as a co-worker and even as a girlfriend, I am human! I mess up!!! I have no doubt that one day in the future I will mess up as a mother and a wife, but aside from messing up I have always prided myself on the fact that I have for the most part been one to make wise decisions, but there are times when I do not always make the right choice. I beat myself up about it and ask my self what have I learned from this situation what is God trying to teach me in all of this? I realized today that part of the reason we go through things is so God can use us later to help someone else out with same struggles that I may have already gone through. It is amazing to see how God really does use all things to work together for good. The next time you think about past failures and can't forgive yourself think about what you have learned and how God can use you later on to help someone else out.

For you my friend:

Proverbs 4:23
Above all else GUARD YOUR HEART for it AFFECTS EVERYTHING that YOU DO!

Moving On

This past week I received some excellent news that one of my dearest friends bought a house! HOW EXCITING!!!!! I was ecstatic upon receiving this news and anxious to see her new home that her and her significant other invested into. She asked another friend and I if we could help her move out of her current apartment, and as the three of us cleaned, vacuumed, moved around furniture and freaked out about lizards on the porch, I realized then that we are no longer little girls. We are no longer the little girls who attended a private school which we referred to as the little house on 68th street, we no longer dance "15" (Quinces) and have our mothers drive us around from point 'A' to point 'B'. My friends always tease me because I am frequently saying how old we are getting but this weekend I think they finally agreed with me. As we continued in our efforts to get rid of stuff and put away stuff we came across the closet, we tried on some old clothes that we have no idea how we fit into once upon a time, but I guess as time passes our weight increases. We have been grown up for some time now and life keeps moving forward whether we want it to or not, it does not stop for anyone! I can't help but think where does the time go? It seems as though only yesterday I was a bridesmaid at a wedding in which I watched another friend take a vow to be with someone for the rest of her life. In a few days it will mark the anniversary of their wedding day. I can't help but think about the things we have gone through as a group of friends and as individual women. We have gone through horrible conflicts with one another, with past relationships, with family, and even with ourselves, but yet we have always managed to be there for one another regardless of where we live, whether it is in the same state or across the country (on a beautiful island). We fall, we learn, we open certain doors and we close others, we move on! We move on to the next chapters of our lives, on to new discoveries and to new lessons.

I love you girls!!!

Dog vs. Cat

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore my dog Puchie, I love her as though she were an actual person, she is literally my baby no doubt about it. Lately it seems as though Puchie feels a little neglected because of the new addition to our family, Kitty! She seems to be a little jealous of Kitty and Kitty only adds to her insecurity by fighting and teasing her. They are constantly at each other’s throats; I guess they are still learning how to get along. If you touch Kitty Puchie is ready to attack and eat her if given the opportunity, but if you leave Kitty alone Puchie will be fine and treat her normal. We decided to cut Kitty's nails to keep her from ruining our furniture and poking one of Puchie's eyes out, but that has only made Puchie more confident in knowing that now Kitty cannot defend herself. What a dilemma to have your pets constantly getting at each other! I leave them alone together all day, and I have yet to find a dead animal when I get home, so they must be getting along well enough. They are literally forced to get along, so what do we do when we are placed in a situation that is uncomfortable and nothing can be done to change it? What do we do when we are forced into things we have no control over? Do we kick and scream, run and hide, or do we just deal with the situation at hand? Could it be that the reason we are placed in certain situations is so that we can learn something about ourselves and about others? Could it be that God wants to teach and show us something that we will only be able to see and learn in that given situation? Sometimes our emotions are so visible to others that we cannot hide them no matter what we do, we let our anger get the best of us and when this happens we fail to see the lesson behind all the madness. So how do we move out of "A" versus "B" or "you” versus "them"? Do we always have to be on one side or another? My first guess would be, is to stop seeing the other person as an enemy. We tend to reject people that are different from us when perhaps what we need to do is embrace those that are dissimilar in order to see that maybe they are not all that different after all. Its funny how people pick sides and segregate things, we pick sides based on similarities, proximity; things we can relate to or things we believe in and stand for. Not everyone views things the way that you or I do, and I believe at times we forget that, we only see "me" or "I" instead of "us" or "we", we forget that there are other people on this planet beside ourselves. We become so focused on the negative or bad things that other people do to us that we make the situation worse by drowning in our anger and bitterness due to the injustices we are encountering. I guess we would really have to know the person, know their quarks and quinks so that they cannot get to us. We could always take the nonchalant approach and go to Publix and buy a tub of Vaseline and rub it all over ourselves not literally, but figuratively speaking! Or even the juvenile approach and simply state I am rubber your glue and whatever hits me bounces off and sticks to you, but whom are we kidding? We cannot go through life with these attitudes because things do not always slide or bounce off of us so easily. My mother has always given me the advice of "knowing" a person. If you know the person you will know how to deal with them accordingly. So I guess when we are stuck in these situations where we cannot do anything about the people we have to deal with, what we need to do is keep in mind who they are and handle them accordingly. Have you ever thought there usually is a reason that some people are very difficult? More than likely, part of the problem is that they don’t have anyone to love them or even enough love to give in return. So think of it like this, hopefully you are lucky enough to have people love you and love them in return, but what if we were kind to those who where rude and loved those we disliked. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we took that approach instead of fighting like cats and dogs?

Personality Differences

This past weekend was an interesting weekend for me, not because anything out of the ordinary happened or anything extravagant happened, but because I was given the opportunity to hang out with many different friends of mine. The thing about hanging out with these girls was that I mixed all of them together. Its funny how you can see personalities more distinctly when you put them around others they are not necessarily comfortable with, yet! I guess you could say it was a girls weekend since everyone was having some kind of dilemma in their relationships, as we all do at times. It is amazing to see how everyone has a different point of view, or perspective on things. How people give different advices that one or the other may or may not agree with, but somehow we can all relate to. So I sat there giving everyone advice as though I had all the answers when in reality I do not, but I guess we all use our own experiences to help others out with theirs, my purpose that weekend was to offer my friends support and strength. Its funny how we all give each other advice when we are going through stuff but then we cannot follow that same advice when we are struggling. I guess that is why we have friends to bring us up when we are feeling down because lets face it we all get down from time to time. We fight with people we love and care about because we are different, and thank God for that! Could you imagine what it would be like if were all the same? How boring would that be? The key is to learn about each other so that conflict can decrease and not increase, so that we can be better prepared when conflict does arise. We as human beings have distinguishing qualities and personal characteristics that define us, that make us who we are, and although we have our own personality, and it probably meshes better with certain other personalities, there is always someone we do not always see eye to eye with. Through each friendship and relationship we learn more and more about ourselves and how to deal with each other. I believe fighting or arguing in any kind of relationship is just a way of learning more about one another. The question is do you really want to learn about the person or people we are currently doing life with? Do we want to learn about them to the extent that we can overcome obstacles because of our individual differences or particular arguments? Can we even compromise? Life is really all about dialogue, and without it we get no where!

CHANGE - What does it mean to you?

I had to go to this seminar the other day about change, it seems as though all the seminars I go to lately are about change, if its not change management, its strategic change or something to that effect. I always leave these seminars feeling as though I can do much more than what I already do, I guess in a sense we can always do more! I begin to wonder that perhaps I am supposed to be elsewhere and not where I am at momentarily. The word change is only a six-letter word that can cause a tremendous difference in someone’s life or a minuet one, all because they decided to "change". Change what? Anything! How open are we to change? Do we receive it wholeheartedly or do we repudiate it? Often time’s people reject change because they have become so complacent and comfortable where they are, that they keep from growing. I know, because I have been guilty of that myself and at times, I still am. Mostly I think we are afraid of change because we are afraid to fail, but we forget that change is inevitable, and we can't always control it but sometimes we most definitely cause the change to occur. I guess what we need to remember is who we are when change does occur, and know that we are not defined by our circumstances. What does change mean to you? Is that word related to something positive or negative in your mind? My hope is that it is related to something positive, and that regardless of whatever does occur in your life that you do not see change with a selfish eye but with a selfless one. My hope is that the changes that do occur or that we cause can benefit others and not just ourselves, that we can be people that make things better for all involved, people that make some kind of difference in this world, whether large or small, a difference is a difference no matter what the size. As the Buddhist Gandhi once said be the change you wish to see in the world. The question is do you believe you can be that change?

Somewhere over the...

It was an normal day nothing unusual about it, but for some reason I felt a little down, perhaps because the weather was a little gloomy, who am I kidding the weather was very gloomy. I figured once I went spinning my somber mood would shortly depart; at least that is what I had hoped. Exercise can be a great way to relieve stress and tension, but although I had an excellent workout I still felt a little bummed out. About what? I do not know! I have no reason whatsoever to be down but for some reason I was, I guess it was just one of those days. As I drove home from my intense spinning class, I started to observe the very dark sky and noticed a bright rainbow in the midst of it all. I do not want to sound cliché in saying that after the storm there is always a rainbow, but I couldn't help but think that the sky was so gloomy and within it was something so beautiful. It was as though God was saying everything else could be falling apart but hey I am still here, there is always beauty in all the mess. In everything good or bad, happy or sad He is in it. The rainbow was proof enough for me; there is hope...

The Fantastic 4 - Rise of the Silver Surfer

I had made other plans, plans to go out dancing and to meet Ami the tattoo artist from Miami Ink on Friday night, but instead I chose to do something else. I really did not feel like doing anything, I did not want to get all dressed up only to come home late and have to be up by 6:00 am on a Saturday. Ugh!! It was a choice we made to do something that others might have thought was not so fun compared to our original plans for the evening; we chose to go to the movies. We decided to see The Fantastic 4, what can I say I love all those marvel comic movies. Who would have thought that a simple comic book would later become a major motion picture? I always tend to find these movies very insightful because they are all about sacrifices, choices and heroes. The scene that stood out to me, is the one in which the invisible girl tells the silver surfer "you always have a choice", at first you do not think much of what she says to him until the movie progresses to the point where the surfer tells her husband to be, Mr. Fantastic that "she is right, you do have a choice". The Silver Surfer then chooses to save the world from what is about to consume and destroy it. He had a choice and he chose to do something, he chose to save the world. He sacrificed himself to save everyone else; he was the ultimate sacrifice in the movie. I guess with some choices comes scarifies, and with sacrifice may come opportunities, or at least that is what I would like to think. Opportunities that can be positive and sometimes even negative, but I guess that would depend on the choices we make preceding the sacrifice. What choices are we making and are we willing to sacrifice anything for it? Is it even really worth it? Today was Relevant Church's first day at Country Club Middle School, the church made a choice to leave the small yet comfortable Courtyard Marriott where we have met every Sunday for a year and a half, or leave and step into the unknown to sacrifice our time, energy, and sleep so that an opportunity can arise. An opportunity for others to come to know God!!! Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY!!!

White as can be...

I recently got a kitten that is absolutely adorable, shes all white with light blue eyes and looks absolutely perfect! I thought of naming her Sky because she has white fur like the clouds, and light blue eyes like the sky, but some people thought that would be a cheesy name for a kitten, so now we just call her Kitty. The thing about this kitten is that she is always scratching and biting, and it seems as though she is always trying to defend herself from us (my family & I). I don't understand why, we offer to rub her belly, feed her, give her a good home and offer her our love, but she still insists that we are trying to hurt her. I know that most of the time it is her way of playing, but at the same time I know its not just her innocently playing but really her defense. I think often times people are very similar to this kitten, on the outside they seem okay and appear to be happy but on the inside it is something completely different, they are defending themselves from people who are not out to get them. If you see Kitty, you would never think she would be as vicious as she can be, due to her sweet appearance. Sometimes in life we give the appearance that everything is okay and that we are fine but we have been hurt so many times by others in the past that is affects us in our future. So how do we move from vicious and defensive to genial? My hope is that the more I show my kitten she in not in any threat, the more likely she will become amicable. We at times tend to ignore those around us that need that kind of attention, just showing someone a simple gesture or a kind word can perhaps help them lighten up. Literally!!! We can never be as white as my kitten without blemishes or marks, we can not go backwards and erase all the things that have happened to us, but we can move foward and deal with the blemishes and marks that we have obtained from past which have shaped who we are.

Can you see a bigger picture?

Lately I feel as though I am not in control, but its not a bad thing! I am seeing things and people becoming part of something greater. I am beginning to see pieces of a puzzle coming together to create one big picture. I am still very far from seeing exactly what that picture is, but I know there is a bigger picture that I will one day see. There is a purpose for my life and even when I think some things go unnoticed and have no effect on others, to my surprise it is reviled to me that not all things go unnoticed. It is in those moments that you can see God move! It's in those moments when things come together and you don't know why or how they do, but they just do! For those of you who actually read my blog if you do not know what I am talking about, I pray that you get to experience that, because it is amazing, to see how people come together and how lives change. The smallest thing anyone can do for someone else can sometimes cause the biggest change one could have ever expected. Life is most definitely uncertain but within that uncertainty is when miracles can happen. I guess it really would boil down to what you define as a miracle, and whether or not you believe they can happen.

A different shade of brown...

Its funny how things work out in life, I met a young lady several months ago which at that point in my life, I would have never guessed would be a friend of mine today. My first impression of her was that she was snobbish girl who probably only cared about herself. Today I have a completely different view of that very same young lady. I guess that is why they say, you should not judge a book by its cover. I have always thought that things happen for a reason, and that all things work together for good even when things seem to be going down hill. Is is possible that God really has a hand in our lives? Most definitely!!! Could it possibly be that my hair getting dyed the wrong color be a reason for me to see someone in a different light? I was in a beauty salon for four hours today with a girl whom I never thought would be such an amazing friend, because the direction in which our lives where heading nearly a year ago I would have never imagined would point us in the same direction, but most likely in the opposite. Its amazing how things can change in the blink of an eye, and how God can turn any situation around. Thanks to her wanting to help me with my hair dilemma and being selfless, I now have a different shade of brown. If someone can sit in a salon for hours with you just to make sure you look fabulous, be your eyes, and actually care, than if that is not a friend I don't know what is. I guess my first impression of her was like my dyeing gone wrong experience and my new shade of brown is my new found appreciation for her. All I can say is thank you and that there are many different shades and tones to one person, we just have to figure out how to uncover them.

It's just hair dye...

So I dyed my hair yesterday and I hate it! I went to the salon to get it cut and to match my natural hair color which is medium brown, I walked out with dark, I mean really dark hair, clearly not what I wanted, or even asked the beautician to do. So I ask myself what can I do about it now? I can either stick with it or re-dye it. Wouldn't it be great if life was that easy, that if we mess up we can easily fix it just like my hair. I could slap on a different hair shade since my dyeing experience has gone wrong, but lets face it, life is not always that easy to fix when we mess up. Through this whole dyeing ordeal I was thinking about an experience I had about a month ago. I had gone to the beach one week day afternoon which is not something I usually do, I called Fernando around 4:30pm and asked him if he wanted to go to the beach once we got out of work, he was a little hesitant to my request, but quickly agreed. Once we arrived at the beach it was pretty desolate with a few stragglers here and there, but more than anything we were enjoying the peace that the beach offered. After a while of laying out and reading my magazine three teenagers arrived and sat a few feet away from us, two of them were male and the other was a female. The two young men entered the choppy waters and the young lady stayed ashore reading a book. Several minutes later one of the two young men approached us and asked us to help him look for his lost friend, Fernando automatically assumed he drowned, but I did not jump to conclusions just yet. We then began to search for help and I started to talk to the young lady who was reading her book, her name was Ashley, I will never forget her! As we waited for rescue to arrive I could see the panic in both her and the young mans face, I could only think to myself what can I do to help? The rescue team finally arrived and dove into the waters to search for this young man, after fifteen minutes of searching they finally found him. I remember Ashley's face when they announced that he was found, her eyes became really bright and her expression became hopeful. I did not leave her side and offered her the only towel I had because it was starting to get dark and the beach was getting a bit chilly. Seeing her face I realized then, that God had placed me on the beach that day for a reason or at least that is what I choose to believe. I told her that God does things for a reason and asked her if she wanted to pray, she was hesitant and stood silent, so I prayed to myself by her side. I prayed for her and her friend that was now laying on the beach lifeless surround by a rescue team trying to resuscitate him. After another fifteen minutes of working on this young man, the rescue team decided to take him to the near by hospital. Ashley and her friend left the beach that day with heavy hearts and grim faces. I watched her walk away as she returned my towel and thought to myself...that's it!!! Fernando and I decided to go to the hospital where they had taken the young man. What could we possibly do there? I felt as though there had to be more we could do to help these young people, when we arrived no one offered us any information on his condition. Finally, we left and drove home in silence from the experience we had just encountered. When we arrived at my home we waited for the evening news to see if we heard anything on that young mans status, and they announce that he had passed away. My prayer for him is that his soul was at easy and that he knew God, he was a young man who's death has impacted my life and I did not even know his name. Its amazing how we really take life for granted, those young people were only teenagers who came to the beach to have a good time, not even thinking that there lives would be forever changed. I realized then that the problems that I think are so big, really are not that big at all, and that there are much more important things in life, than having the wrong hair color, after all its just hair dye.

Spiderman 3

:Disclaimer:

If you have not seen Spiderman 3 and do not want the movie to be spoiled than I suggest you do not continue to read this blog.

Every so often, more often than not, my family and I go to the movies. I mean the entire family aunts, uncles, cousins they are all included, so we went to go see Spiderman 3, as we have always done when a new Spiderman movie comes out. So there we are just watching this movie that seemed to be much longer than the first two and also seemed to be a little more corny than any other. Throughout the whole movie Peter Parker is filled with rage and anger towards his grandfathers assassin, aside from being angry he becomes overconfident because of the public's idolization for all of his accomplishments in protecting the city. He also neglects those that he loves, and in turn causes him to have an inner turmoil. This inner turmoil forces him to invoke revenge on the man who has taken his grandfather from him. The whole movie builds up to this one scene, in which Peter is confronted with the Sandman, the accused murderer of his grandfather. In the midst of the struggle between Spiderman and the Sandman, the Sandman admits to Peter that his grandfathers death was unintentional, and an accident. Peter then realizes that things aren't always what they seem and replies to the Sandman three amazing words "I forgive you". At that point in the movie it made me realize how powerful those three words are and how we take them for granted. When he tells him I forgive you he sets himself free from all negative things such as rage, anger, revenge, hate and angst. They are just three simple words that can have a profound impact. Sometimes life is not as simple as saying I forgive you or saying I am sorry to someone, but the relief you feel when you do, and saying it with meaning is amazing, the only word I can use to describe it is freedom!

To my taponsito...

Isn't it amazing how certain people in our lives can open up our eyes to certain things, while another one could be telling us the very same thing, but yet we choose to listen to the other person instead. How one person can give us an option "c" when all we thought was option "a " and "b". How a specific person can tell us something in a strong manner or even in a sweet and loving manner and not offend us in order to get there point across, however they choose to communicate something to us we listen to that certain person for some reason. Who knows why? One of my dearest friends whom I have know since middle school called me yesterday while I was in the middle of freaking out, literally freaking out over nothing. All I can say is thank God for friends. I must say she really put me in my place, something I did not expect from her, its amazing to see how someone can change your whole perception on a certain situation, by telling you to just get over it...

Skepticism from a new blogger...

I have always considered myself a pretty assertive person, and for some time now I have felt, and have also been told that I should start a blog. To some degree the idea has struck my fancy, but at the same time makes me a little uneasy about doing so. I am a fan of stating your opinion and being honest, but writing a blog is something a bit more personal where anyone can read your thoughts and "know" you to some extent, it makes me skeptical because I am not sure I want strangers to know me without even speaking to me, to know my personal thoughts and feelings, but at the same time its as though it is some form of therapy, thoughts that are no longer in me but out there...I guess here goes nothing...sincerely the skeptical blogger!!!