day thirty : grown

day thirty : ways you believe you have grown over the past thirty days

aside from the obvious fact that i have entered into my thirties, which in and of itself is a huge growth, i feel as though i have been faced with many difficult and life changing decisions. i hope that i have made the right decisions for me, and if i have not, then i hope that i learn from those choices. only time will tell.

day twenty nine : what you live for

day twenty nine : what you live for

easy. my kids.

day twenty eight : happiness

day twenty eight : a moment you remember being completely happy in and a description of why you believe you were. what is your definition of happiness?

the day i got married, was one of the happiest days of my life. being high school sweethearts right out of high school, this was the day i had only dreamed about. the only sadness was that it didn't last longer. the day was perfect. my definition of happiness is when everything is right and nothing can be wrong. even the wrongs cant be wrong. hehe

tgif advice

i am so happy it is friday! are you?

the hubs will be hunting/scouting this weekend and i have my sister's kids all weekend (she works) so here is my plan on how to survive:


1. have fun and jump around


2.  love what is left of summer (like watermelon. lol)


3.  bake some seriously yummy cookies


4.  settle down to a 'kids' movie (or two)


5.  rest and take it eeeeeaaaasssyyy....

what does YOUR weekend look like??

day twenty seven : life

day twenty seven : your definition of life

my definition of life would be how you live it. honestly, i haven't the faintest clue. i seem to go where i am told, follow the line set before me. i hope to one day learn more about life, experience more life and all its wonder-filled possibilities.

day twenty six : love

day twenty six : your definition of love

to me, there are so many different kinds of love. different types of love. but overall, love is a feeling, a physical and emotional and even spiritual connection between two people. it is beautiful and vast and accepting of all who embrace it. it is all things good and pure.

day twenty five : unstoppable

day twenty five : something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn't fail

this is quite the interesting question. i think if i could do anything, it would be to backpack around Europe for one year, working my way through and experiencing what life is like to others in the world. 

day twenty four : childhood

day twenty four : something you did as a child that other people remember you for

hmmm, something i did as a child to be remebered by. no clue! anyone who knew me way back in wanna chime in? lol. i could probably be remembered as the girl who was always matchmaking my friends with boys. like at Skate Express, i would always ask the boys if they wanted to couples skate with my friend so and so. of course I never skated with boys (because they have cooties, lol).

now that i'm official...

I can still hardly believe I'm 30. 

My party was incredibly beautiful! Everything was black and hot pink (totally me), and I had the most beautiful dress with matching zebra print shoes. The dj was awesome and I danced my booty off! And... the best surprise ever... I had 5 dozen Sprinkles Cupcakes at my party (all with little pink "J"s on them)!

Most all of my beautiful friends were there. My beautiful mama and daddy were there (ya know, responsible for making me and all. lol) It was just a blessed day. I had so much fun!

And (to be honest) I am glad it is done and over with and now I can venture into my life as a beautiful and confident 30 year old woman. lol.

day twenty three : awkward first impression

day twenty three : most awkward first impression you feel you've ever given

hmm, what an awkward question. lol

i'll have to go with my recent visit to MO. meetings so many people that i've only spoken to through computer, emails and blogs. i wouldn't say awkward, especially with Miss Jamie, but when i met my inspiration super hero Miss Elsie Flanagan I was SOOO Not myself! I was nervous and quiet, which is totally not me (I'm more outspoken and dorky in real life. lol)

day twenty two : someone

day twenty two : someone you would give your life up for without question

my babes

day twenty one : favorite medium of art

day twenty one : your favorite medium of art

hmmm, my first response would be paper. after all, i've been scrapbooking since i was 17 years old. 

but i also really enjoy paint. i enjoy getting messy with paint. :-)

august 21, 2010

today... i turn 30.

happy birthday to me.

day twenty : band i like

day twenty : a band that you immediately liked and the song that made you like them

oh, there are so many! a band...

i'll go with Flyleaf and the song would be

day nineteen : book passage

day nineteen : a passage from a book that has touched you

Since I became a reader I have found many passages that I feel speak directly to my heart. I've come into the practice of either highlighting them (if its my book) or writing them in my journal. Recently I've read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, and the one passage I took from it was:

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life.
A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave." -Richard from Texas

day eighteen : picture that makes you feel

day eighteen : a picture that makes you feel

To choose just one photo, that is incredibly difficult. I go in search of photos every single day to emulate my feeling or my mood. I suppose the really special ones I actually save to my computer, so I will share those with you. I'm choosing not to share my feeling though, I'd rather you have your own reaction. And these photos are so different from one another, because they were picked up at completely different times in my life. Thanks. (all images from We Heart It)

day seventeen : remember me

day seventeen : what you want to be remembered for

Wow. This one is actually really tough. I have no clue!

Something generic like a good mother, a good Christian, a good person.... all those would work, but I feel like that isn't all encompassing. Perhaps I haven't yet figured out what I want to be remembered for.

Yeah, I think that rings true more than anything else right now. So, I'll go with that.

day sixteen : want to do

day sixteen : something that you want to do within the next five years

Visit England

day fifteen : life changing

day fifteen : a moment, phrase, or song that has changed your life the most.

This one is not that difficult.

A Moment: January 21, 2006

A Phrase: In This Lifetime, Anything Is Possible

A Song:

day fourteen : mashup

day fourteen : best mashup you've ever heard

Okay, being completely honest here... I have no clue what a mashup is! lol

I checked Ashley's blog, and from what I can tell, it is some VS between artists. Hmmm. In any case, I don't feel 'qualified' to answer todays journal prompt, so I take a pass. lol

day thirteen : memory to laugh at

day thirteen : a memory that never fails to make you laugh

(so sorry sista)

Way-back-in-the-day... when i was like, 8 and my sister was probably like 5, my parents took us to Knott's Berry Farm. We spent the whole day there riding rides, and enjoying the parks amenities. At dinner time, my parents decided to take us to a 'nice sit-down dinner'. My sister and I were so excited. This place had nice cloth napkins to place over our laps, delicious bread bowls on the table when we first sat down, and the yummiest of jellies to try on our bread. The dinner went well, and my sister and I were as well behaved and prim-and-proper as a 5 and 8 year old could really be. We were so excited to be at a 'grown-up' restaurant using 'grown-up' plates and napkins and utensils.  

Well, my parents were SO impressed with our behavior that they decided we could go to the gift shop next and pick out a gift that would remind us of this trip. We left the restaurant and headed into the gift shop. We walked around trying to find the perfect gift to take home with us. All of the sudden, my sister froze, grabbed at her pants and ran towards my mom. I thought (being so young) she had an accident. A while later my sister and my mom came back into the store, my mother was holding back her laughter. Once we left the store, my mom had told us that my sister had tucked in her nice cloth napkin at dinner, and forgot to take it off. So there she was, walking around the store with this cloth towel hanging from her pants. I still laugh when I think about it! Love it! Love you Lisa!!

fill in the blank friday

Fill in the Blank Friday

This weeks Fill In The Blank Friday is in honor of Lauren's birthday! Here goes...

1.  Birthdays are:       a wonderful day to be reminded how loved you really are.

2.  My favorite birthday memory was      my 16th birthday party that my best friends threw for me; practically our entire high school was there and I had the best time ever.

3.  A birthday tradition I (or my family) has is       hmmm, probably just getting together and spending that family time together .

4.  If I had to choose one birthday meal to eat for the rest of my birthdays hence forward, I would choose      ooh, I want to say sushi, but honestly, I would give anything to have my grandma Eva's homemade mexican food; my favorites are her fideo, her spanish rice, and the burritos she used to make us while cooking the red chile and meat for tamales.

5.  My birthday is on     August 21st - I'm a Leo! .

6.  If I could take a birthday trip I would go       to England! Without a doubt... I want to go and visit with my friends so badly, and see all the beauty that Europe has to offer .

7.  The best gift I've ever received for my birthday was      um, this one is hard because I get spoiled just about every single year. It could be my diamond earring for my 21st birthday, or my first Coach bag and Coach glasses, all from the hubs, but I think the best gift I ever got (or maybe its just the most memorable) was for my 16th birthday after I got my license, my Daddy was out of town for work, but he sent me the most beautiful boquet of roses... I adore getting flowers, simply adore it .

Link up at Lauren's!

day twelve : musical artist's story

day twelve : favorite musical artist's life story

oooh, kind-of a toss up.

i'd pick the ever-inspiring and all-time favorite

Miss Gwen Stefani

because she is a so-cal girl (very important) and plus i've been a fan since No Doubt was itty-bitty and not world famous. lol

then there is also the sexy 

Trace Adkins

whos life story includes being shot in the heart and lungs by his ex-wife.

and lastly, i love 

Gary Allan

because of his album "Tough All Over" where he wrote through the personal pain of losing his wife to suicide.

remember : the wonder years

The Wonder Years

day eleven : favorite picture

day eleven : favorite picture ever taken on yourself

well gee, i'm just so glamorous it's so hard to choose just one! lol. joke people! i seriously take all sorts of pictures of myself just for the purpose of picking it apart. (perhaps a new goal will be to photograph myself and look for the 'pretties' instead of the 'uglies', hmmm. novel idea.)

anyway, due to the fact that most of my original photos are on my home computer, and i blog from my work computer (not to mention the home computer is sicky-poo) i'm forced to choose something i have access to, so... here goes...

this pic was taken a looooooong time ago... back when i had spare time on my hands, and would get all cutie'd up take pics. lol. like circa 2006 ( i know, dork)

day ten : a dream

day ten : a dream you had this past week described in detail

don't really know if this could be considered a dream....

i was being chased. in a school. pretty sure it was a high school. 

weird people from my past and present, dead and undead, were there and i was running past them screaming for someone to help me. of course, as most of my dreams, nobody can help me.

i find myself at a window, and jumping out will be my only way of escaping this 'person' chasing me.

so. i jumped.

the weird part is, once i jumped, 

my perspective changed, and i was standing below on the sidewalk, admiring the architecture of the old building, when i saw myself falling towards me.

weird, right.

no, i didn't 'hit the ground' (that's always peoples first question).

before you go psycho-analyzing my dream i will have you know that just the evening before i was listening to a few 'cop' stories from my friend (who is a cop) and two stories were about jumpers. so that probably has alot to do with it.

catching up...

hello blogland...


while i would love to say that i've been mia for very fun and fulfilling reasons, i cannot.

i've been bed-ridden (once again)... this time for... (drumroll) strep throat. eek!

i've had strep all of about never in my life, and i can say with certainty that it sucks big time!

good news is that i (A) actually went to a doctor and (B) actually got a perscription and have been taking it! (those that know me, know i won't even take an advil or tylenol for headache, let alone a full-blown antibiotic with crazy-gross side affects!) i decided that i should just give in and take the damn meds because (A) my mother stressed to me how important it is that we all keep in the best health possible because Daddy's immune system is sooo super low due to the chemo and (B) a little on the selfish side, but, yeah... my big 3-0 birthday is next Sat (8/21) and I will be better by then!

i'm going to be catching up on...


been feeling like scrapbooking or painting or something fun and crafty. but by the time i get home from work & the gym and get the family needs taken care of i'm whooped. maybe a goal for year 31 of life. hmmm.

trying to maybe plan a mini vaca before february. really want to go back to Kauai, but that might not be possible. hmmm. we'll see. i feel like i need a mini vaca, and soon. lol

lastly, i wanted to share my love for my lovely girl Lehua who recently lost her father to cancer this past Sunday. i have shed many, many tears for this girl, and her family. she's apart of my very own support group for dealing with my own father having cancer. i love her without ever having met her. she is light to me. please keep her in your thoughts and prayers and remember that life here is so short here on earth. be sure to let people know you love them. if tomorrow never comes.

day nine : change

day nine : five things you want to see change

1.  This guy

2.  The Oil Spill

3.  Child Prostitution

4.  Obesity Epidemic

5.  More Random Acts of Kindness

day eight : president

day eight : someone you think would make a good president

source

Oh geez. I dislike political talk. It's impolite. If I was forced to choose someone it certainly wouldn't be the current president. I'd pick someone with an open heart and NOT a politician. Why couldn't we just have kings and queens where we didn't get a choice. lol. Joke people. I vote, and I take pride in the freedom of voting, but all in all, politics drive me crazy and I dislike talking about them. I don't fully trust any single one of them. That being said, I choose not to name anyone personally.

day seven : favorite cover of your favorite song

day seven : favorite cover of your favorite song

Okay, I hope that by cover it doesn't mean album art, because honestly, I don't pay all that much attention to it. Instead I hope by cover it means a song re-done by another artist. If so, the only one that I can think of that melts me would be "To Make You Feel My Love" originally sung by Garth Brooks in 1998 and soundtracked for the movie Hope Floats (another all-time favorite movie).

The cover artist would be Adele in 2008 on her album 19. Such a beautiful version. I absolutely love this song.

day six : earliest thing you can remember

day six : earliest thing you can remember

This one is difficult. I believe the earliest memory is sitting on a concrete curb, in front of Beverly Hospital January 14, 1983 waiting for my sister to be born. I was 2-1/2 years old and my aunt Vangie was waiting with me. It was bright and sunny. I wore a navy blue / plaid dress with tights and my hair was in braided pigtails, I think.

day five : thank you

day five : a thank you letter to someone who has changed your life

*This was incredibly impossible to name just one person because I have had some amazing people enter (and exit) my life. I truly don't want to 'favor' anybody, so here is my semi-generic yet completely from the heart note.

Dearest You,

It is my deepest belief that people come into ones life for a reason. A purpose. You have come into life for good reason. Your purpose has touched my heart and opened my soul. I have grown leaps and bounds because of You. I have learned so much about myself, through Your love. Thank You. For sharing Yourself in my life. For giving Yourself to me. For me. For all the wonder and beauty and joy that You continue to give just by being in my heart. I will always be grateful and forever keep you apart of my soul.

All My Love,

Me

remember : three's company

Three's Company

Simple pleasures

Simple pleasures.... like getting a new set of nails put on.... make me so blissfully happy.

day four : paradise

day four : what you imagine paradise to be like

Hanalei Bay, Kauai

wednesday

okay, if you haven't visited the cutie Jenna at The Indecisive Organizer then you really, really should. Her bloggy is so adorable, i really do heart it.


Anywho, she plays along with these fun questionairre things that I simply sometime love, so here's another one! (BTW, if you want to play, let me know, and also link up at Leigh Ashley's!)

{one} what website do you spend the most time on?

Blogger, Facebook and my Google Reader!

{two} what's the furthest you've ever travelled?

Kauai, Hawaii. I can't wait to go back!

{three} what's your guilty pleasure tv show?

Mad Men, followed by Project Runway.

{four} if you had to give up one favorite food, what would be the hardest?

Homemade Mexican, especially my grandmothers fideo or green chile enchiladas.

{five} if you could become any fictional character, who would you be?

Bella Swan or Cinderella

{six} what's your favorite season of the year?

It used to be spring or summer, but as I get older it's becoming fall, October.

{seven} what's your biggest phobia?

Death. Not dying, but not being alive.

{eight} would you rather swim in a pool or the ocean?

Hmmmm. I love being in water. Probably a pool. 

{nine} what did you eat for breakfast today?

Granola with a small amount of milk. Usually, an apple with almond butter.

{ten} if you could only listen to one song for the next month, which song would it be?

The Way You Look Tonight by Tony Bennett.