LAS VEGAS!!!

So I decided to roll up this Vegas weekend into one post. I mean this weekend away was exactly what I needed. Just us girls, having fun laughing soo much that my stomach was hurting and making so many memories...oh and this was all before even leaving the driveway!! hahaha

Yeah we're all in the car and my cousin, the driver, says "So how do we get to Vegas?"....off to a great start right?! lol it was a lot of fun, and it was my first time going to vegas as a 21 year old and with no parents, actually it was all 5 of our's first time. It was nice planning our own trip for the fist time. And believe it or not we were actually VERY RESPONSIBLE with money!! hahah and we took care of each other and we had fun and we all made it back home safe and sound! :)

It was all I love bunched up into one weekend. ROAD TRIP!!, Family, Friends, time away from the chaos, and well....VEGAS! lol

Not gonna go into detail about vegas but I will say that I (as well as my wallet) appreciated being a girl SO MUCH this weekend haha getting into the clubs for free was not bad at all! Now I dont want any of my people from home to get sad cause I had such a great time away from them. I missed you all very much!

hahahha oh and I have to share that I knew I had gotten too use to Vegas when I started to show the cashier at panda express my ID when I got lunch today and then realized I dont need to be 21 to eat Chinese food hahhahhahah.....

To sum up Im thankful for, my friends and family that I can always have a GREAT time with, thankful that my parents (even though they hesitated at first) let me go to Vegas, and Im thankful for the amazing, fun and very memorable weekend I had

M.I.A.

So just thought I would let you guys know that I will be gone this weekend because I'm going to Vegas for my cousins 21st birthday. This "announcement" is for the people who literally text me asking why I have not posted my blog yet if it's already late in the night hahah I highly doubt I will be around internet long enough to sit down and type my thankful post. HOWEVER!! When I get back I will post 3 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) when I have the chance I promise...so yeah jus heads up haha

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!! :)

Busy Busy Busy

I have to say as much as I love peace and calmness, today I felt very happy about how busy my life is right now. I have meetings with people pretty much everyother day, have a lot of things to do in not so much time, still have to call people back since last saturday but cant because the conversation requires at least an hour of privacy which I have not had so that's been pushed back. But again today for some reason I actually got the feeling that I love being busy, maybe not in general but for right now I am enjoying it.

I guess it just makes me feel like Im accomplishing something by working hard and getting things done. I honestly don't see it as "stressful" because it is something I love to do. The reason im extra busy these days is because of this retreat that I am helping out with . I've talked about  it before how I volunteer at my church as a junior minister and the retreat is coming up. Again as busy as I am, and as many things as I have to get done in such a small amout of time......I love it. Because it's something that means a lot to me. I know what my retreat ment to me and how much I really enjoyed it, and so putting on these retreats for the students is important to me.
 It's one of those things that takes forever, and a lot of energy and late nights and some all nighters at times but once you see the result you completely forget how hard or "stressful" it might have been to get there because it is always worth it to see how many kids actually get something amazing out of this retreat.

CHALLENGE: Continue to be thankful in your life especially to the small things in life. When there is something you love to do, dont let anyhting ruin the happiness you get from it even if it can be "stressful" at times...remember why it is that you love it.

Thank God!

OH MY GOSH!!!!! So im sitting here at my desk trying to think of what to write about today when I decide to grab my water from my bedside little counter hahah and guess what I saw???? So my lamp top the like cover part had disconnected from the bulb so instead of the metal part being hooked onto the bulb, it was just the cloth cover part hanging on the bulb. And I dont knwo how long my lamp has been on but it had already burned through and had made a big circle of just burnt crisp cloth. Basically at the point where anysecond and my room would have caught fire!

I swear I dont know what it is but im pretty prone to accidents ahhah actually im prone to almost disasters, that somehow thank God I always avoid but just barely! If you read my "Guardian Angels" blog you get more of a back ground on my history of close calls like tonight. So then my mom came in to see why I was on the compuer in pitch blackness in my room (cause you can bet I turned that thing off real quick! ) and she saw and she just helped me throw the cover, which was permanently attached to the bulb now, in the trash with out my dad seeing lol. Now she is not helping me lie to my father, she simply knows how to "pick your battles" and it just was not the rigth time to tell my dad I almost burned the house down. Which in my defense would have been a total ACCIDENT!

But again I am thankful that I saw it before anything bad really did happen, and im thankful for my understanding mother who helped me out with it hahahah

CHALLENGE: Todays post was in a way light hearted, but still something to be thankful for. It doesnt always have to be a huge life changing thing just a simple thought that you know you are thankful for maybe it made you smile, laugh, or it saved your life and house. Those "thank God" moments, even though we say it out of instinct and habit. Well, really make sure you atke time to thank God for whatever it is that happened even if it was a small little thing.

Family Time

Today I am thankful for how close my family is. I mean I use to think that all families were like mine but as I grew up and met other families I learned that that's not true. There are MANY different types of families and to me that is beautiful and honestly I have many families(school,church, etc..) as well and I love that because no matter where I am, I am always surounded by family I love.

But I am talking about my blood family today. As I said my sister is visiting rigth now from Chicago and so today we had dinner with my cousin and it was a good time. As always!! hahahha The reason I say I'm thankful for how close we all are is because I love the fact that we always make time for each other and we honestly do have each others backs. Everyone had crazy schedules but we all made a little time and canceled some stuff to have this cousin family time together that again, we grew up with. My family raised all of us this way. As I have said in the past my family honestly does not go more than a week without meeting up for something or other and I love that! I know there are people who are not too close with their blood families or cousins and so I am very thankful that we all love each other and love spending time with each other. Now I have A LOT of cousins and I love them all with all my heart! but there is one cousin who my older sister and I have always been a little closer too. His name is Eric. Now all of us cousins are close now that we're older and we hang out together but growing up the older cousins did ther own thing and so my sister, eric and me would always do our own thing together. If you spend enough time with either of us and then meet another one of us, within minutes it is beyond obvious that we grew up together and that we're close hahahhahha we laugh at mostly the same stuff, have the same sense of humor, and compliment each others personalities very well lol.

Family story time! hahahh we (Eric Beni and myself) use to put on little plays for the family during different holidays. The one EVERYONE always remembers is the thanksgiving play we did one year. I was pretty little but i do remember bits and pieces of it. Beni narrated, Eric was the pilgrim and I..................I was the turkey. BUT I WAS THE BEST DANG TURKEY EVER!! lol We use to play ninja turtles hahah aahhh man just had a crazy trip down memory lane! awww I had a good childhood and its mostly thanks to my family and cousins that made it fun cause we always had fun together.

      This is Eric, me, and Beni when we were really REALLY little hahhahah

 CHALLENGE: No matter what kind of family you have, there is someone if not many someones haha in our families that has always been there for us and that we love. Someone that when we look back on memories, they are always part of them and they made us who we are in some ways. Now yes we ALL have those tramatizing fmaily stories that we don't liek to think about as well, but forget those and take this time to think and remember a good time. Appreciate them, and if you dont already do this then maybe try setting up some sort of cousin (or whatever) lunch/dinner thing. Make time for family! :]



SURPRIIIISE!!!

So last night I pretty much got NO SLEEP! Had a lot on my mind and just could not get myself to go to sleep, so I was not planning on waking up too early you know haha

But my sister came down this week from Chicago as a surprise to my mom. Well a surprise to a lot of people actually haha I'm not sure who knew and didnt know but I knew haha. So I woke up to the sound of my little sisters screaming and cheering because they were so surprised and excited when they saw her. She like ran up to the door and started ringing the bell like a crazy woman and when my mom and sisters opened the door they didnt even know what to say hahha it was really cool though.

So me and her went out for happy hour tonight and just hung out and tomorrow we're going out again with another cousin and just a full week of activities and good times haha. I'm thankful for this because I thought it was really nice to see my mom genuinley surprised and happy to see my sister. Plus I could definitley use a week of family dinners and movie nights like we use to have and just a nice way to take my mind off of other things that are going on rigth now. So Im thankful for my sisters surprise visit :]

Now she is actually waiting for me to go start the first movie we gonna see...I'll give you a hint "and yoouuu, doin that thing you doooo!" if you dont know what Im sayin......look it up hahahhah

CHALLENGE: Appreciate your family and make the best out of the time you have with them. I never really understood when people complained about family parties. I love my family time! :]

My Friend

..................Yes, yes I know I did not post anything yesterday and I know it's ok and it's not a crazy big deal but remember I have a big competitive side to me and well the fact that I missed one day when I actually went 3 weeks (which for me is an accomplishment lol) you know....kinda not happy bout that hahahha

But alright here is my second post of today to make up for yesterday. Now one of the things I noticed about this blog of mine is that it kinda doubles as what Im thankful for and also things that make me really happy. which makes sense cause we SHOULD  be very thankful for all the things that make us happy right? That and the other day at a retreat meeting the adults were talking about "Bad days" and giving the peer leaders ways to try to focus on the good and you know kinda what I'm trying to do with this blog haha. And one of the adults (steph <3 ) started asking us of a list of things that make us happy and well my mind went to my blog and everything Ive said so far that Im thankful for. So anyways hahah yesterday was a good day!

I hang out with some friends and normally we watch movies and laugh at them haha but last night we decided to start telling scary stories and it kinda just turned into a sharing session on ANY story you wanted to tell haha but it was a lot of fun. And it made me happy and again just reminded me of how much friends in general mean to me. We all have friends some of us more than others but we all have at least one (but most likely more) but at least one friend who always makes us smiel and who we LOVE hanging out with. I'm thankful for ALL OF MY FRIENDS...yeah ll 2 of you hahah just kidding I have more I swear......hahhaha

CHALLENGE: The next time you feel down and you catch yourself saying "life sucks" think of your friends. What we don't exist anymore? They do and they are reason enough to be happy in life.

Sunday!!

I love Sunday mornings! Now I go to the 6:30pm mass but my parents go to the 8am spanish mass and so do my aunts and uncles and my grandparents as well (sometimes I go with them too). But even if i don't wake up early with them they always call me after mass to wake up so I can get ready to go to breakfast with the fam bam :]

Are spot is NORMS, and it always has been and it always will be haha but if my sister has to alter serve at 9:45 and we cant go to breakfast with the family we just go somewhere else just us 5. But I love Sunday breakfast with my family it's always fun and nice haha. And just in general Sundays to me are always happy and chill days.

Especially Sundays like this one where after a few days of rain it is sunny and bright and you look outside and you can just feel the good times! hahahha like right now my mom is laughing and having a great time talking to her sisters in Mexico, the girls are watching a movie silently which is amazing! lol, my dad is helping my mom make soup (Caldo de Camaron Mmm! ) cause my aunt and cousins are coming over later today and Im in my room listening to music chilling and writting this hahah. Just could not be happier right now and I really think you should enjoy moments of happiness to the FULLEST!

CHALLENGE: Appreciate the good moments in the day. I don't think we should look at a day as a whole, but rather look at it in sections or in moments. It's not fair to say it was a "bad day" just because the last few hours were bad even though morning, noon, and most of the afternoon were good. Or just because morning was bad but the rest of the day was great or whatever you know? Take each moment as it comes and dont let other moments spill into the rest of the day. Just cause morning sucked dont be upset at lunch time...give each moment the chance to be great which means let go of other things. Unless its happiness, thats ok to let spill into the rest of yoru day hahah. I hope everyone has a GREAT Sunday. :]

Singin' In the Rain

So it's raining today, or it rained today cause it's close to the end of the day but it's still raining so....yeah it's raining today...

I'm not one of those people who can say that "I LOVE THE RAIN!", or "I HATE THE RAIN!"...Honestly I havnt decided if I love it or hate it. Hate and Love are both very strong words. Sometimes rain is good but you have to admit it can cause troubles at times also. But usually I do like the rain and enjoy it, and I don't mind getting caught in the rain, it's just water,and it's actually a lot of fun :]  But I am thankful for the time inside the rain gives me.

Maybe some people hate being stuck inside their houses and normally Im one of them but on rainy days, I dont really have much of a choice I guess. And I usually make the best of being stuck inside all day. I love writting so I get to catch up on that creative side of me that I never have time to excercise cause im always to busy to sit and think and write normally. Also I learned how to play some songs on the piano during some rainy days. But honeslty I think it's being able to wear sweatpants and sweatshirts and get the fireplace on and just be all cozy all day that I really enjoy! Plus I do love the sound of rain and looking at the rain, but not in a depressed or sad sort of way but rather in a....I honeslty think rain is kinda cool kinda way hahha. I know I sound like a dork and thats fine lol but looking at the rain, especially if it's a lot of rain like building up into big puddles I find it fasinating and fun hahaha. 

So I love this song and this movie and honestly who doesnt get this song stuck in their head a rainy day? lol well I do so..ENJOY! LOL

CHALLENGE: So I know many people say they don't like the rain, and if that's the case then don't think of the rain but rather think of the time it gives you to do things at home. Or if you do like the rain then maybe you dont like being stuck at home, but that's just cause you're focusing on being "bored", but don't do that hahah Just be creative with your time get warm, watch your favorite movie, or draw or write....Sometime we need a little "being bored" time to really relax...

No Excuses

So I said before that my mom and I have recently joined a gym. I love the gym, for those who know me you know that I can have a bit of a temper on me....just a tiny one though haha. But honestly that's just part of who I am. I am competitive, (like everyone) I don't enjoy losing to much and yeah haha. When I was younger I use to play a lot of sports and that would always help me release energy and stress you know, it was good for me. But I havnt played sports like on an actual team in a long time so going to the gym now has helped me alot with just feeling happy and not feeling like so stressed you know. And of course it's better fore my health and all that combined is great. However, eventhough all these reason are valid reason to why I love going to the gym there is one more specific reason why I love my particular gym :]

My gym is your normal everyday gym. It has trainers and all the machines you can think of and people of all ages go there! But the gym is connected to a senior living center. So there is a few more seniors there than in a normal gym I guess. But they are awesome!! haha Straight there is this old lady who goes everyday, and she has her little oxygen breathing machine with her. She's there with her oxygen tubes in her nose doing her excercises. This other lady is in one of those like scooters (not reallya  wheelchair but she cant walk without so kind of the same idea) but she still goes everyday to do her weights! Then there's this one old man comes in like takes him forever to walk from the entrance to the locker room, he has a cane and he is there right next to me doing the rowing machine!! Now obviously there not dong INTENSE workouts like the rest of us and they go for like 20 minutes and they're out but still, everyday they go for at least a little while! There's others too these are just the ones i see all the time. Oh and I dont say "old man" or "old lady" in a mean way I say it as a term of endearment haha seriously these people are my heroes right now!

I am thankful for them at my gym because they remind me of one simple rule in life....NO EXCUSES! Seriously I can't wake up and say "oh I feel sick", or "I'm tired today", or whatever because well....with ALL THE RESPECT...they cant breathe and they still go to the gym!!! I literally have no excuse to not go to the gym when I have plenty of time in the mornings! They are my motivation to get my butt to the gym everyday and keep myself healthy. And well you know you have to take the lessons you learn and spread them to all parts of your life And that's what I want to do with this lesson. You can't not do good thinsg in life, or things that might seem hard or scary just becasue you are afraid to be out of your comfort zone. This might seem "mean" but either you do it or you don't, either you succeed or you dont but dont make a bunch of excuses. Just live with the choice and with the outcome. It's ok to lose or to fail a few times by the way...that's how you learn and grow. I'm just saying we need to except when we have fallen short either because we tried and it did not work out (which then we can learn from our mistakes) or we did not give it our all. You can't blame other people for your life, it's your life.

If you know what you have to do to make things "right" and if you CAN do these things(sometime we need to recognize that we can't), then you should do them. In school, at work, at home with family, with friends, or in your own individual person. No Excuses, do what you have to do and no blaming everyone else.

So thank you old people, elderly people, wiser people (whatever you want to call them hahah) at my gym, you motivate me to continue this new life style I'm trying that involves more than just going to the gym and even though it is hard for me at time because as I've said long projects lose my interest at times haha, you have reminded...NO EXCUSES

CHALLENGE: I think this one is pretty self explanitory...In anything you have to do in life. School work, job work, or just in general bettering you life, yeah trust me I know it's hard but it can be done. So just remember this week and hopefully for the rest of your life...Do what you know you have to do, no excuses.

Canceled Class

There's not much personal growth or spiritual growth and anything significant about todays post hahah.
Today my last class of the day got canceled and I got to go home early...not before visiting my choir girls tho! hahah

Sometimes it doesnt have to be some big huge emotional thing that you are thankful for in life. It's the little simple pleasures that give the best "warm moments" haha So short and simple tonight. Im thankful that every now and then for whatever reason teachers cancel class which is always a great surprise hahaha

CHALLENGE: Enjoy the simple things. they may not be life changing, and you may not remember them tomorrow but for the moment they take place something as simple as a canceled class which means a free afternoon...that was awesome! haha

Today Was A Good Day!

I'm not completely sure how to explain what I'm thankful for today. I'm thankful for the Peace in my life today. Usually at least once a day the little ones do somehting that I have to intervein. For example they start fighting with each other, or they fight me cause they dont want to do their homework. Or something happens with one of my friends that causes me to worry, or just in general with going to school, doing homework and and taking care of my little sisters and the everyday drama that seems to never be to far away haha you know the days can get hectic and chaotic at times.

You get that feeling like you are just dead tired by the time you get home and sit down and it's not really a peaceful tired it's a "omgosh what a loooong day!!" kind of tired, like you are over worked or over stressed. The past few weeks there has been some stuff happening with my friends that causes some stress from time to time, but it's a good stress I think hahah it's more like concern, it's the kind of thing that happens when you really love someone so it's ok haha and school and family stress is a normal thing. I have to be honest and say that there has been some tention lately with certain people in my life and I've been angry with them and lettin the situation with them kind of follow me (like I think about it to much). And well being angry at someone so much for a long time it gets stressful, so yeah.

But something about today felt really really peaceful. I woke up, went to the Gym, came home cleaned my room, had lunch, took a shower, chilled for 30 minutes, went to work, came home fed the girls, went to yag and now Im here jus chillin again. haha The girls behaved all day, parents are chill today, I dont know I just felt realy happy and relaxed and peaceful today. I mean my life is not a ball of stress but again lately Ive been tensed up by some stuff so it was really nice to feel peace today and Im just not really sure how to exaplin it. All I know is that I needed a day like today and I am very thankful for it.....maybe it was the light rain we had hahah i dont know, but just need to make sure I say. God, thank you for today and the peace Ive been feeling all day, it was a good reminder of the peacefulness of letting go of your problems and not letting people make you angry and such but rather just pray for them and live your own life so...Thank you!

CHALLENGE: Let go of your problems, even if it's just for one day. Try to feel that peace and I guess what Im trying to say is that if you're having a good day? LET YOURSELF HAVE A GOOD DAY! sometimes we are so caught up in whats wrong that we force ourselves to think of negative stuff even when nothing bad has happened today. Breathe, relax and dont anticipate bad things happening, be peaceful and let what needs to happen, happen. And when you do have a good day or a good moment, make sure you take the time to thank God for it. :]

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

Hey! Alright so actually a few things to talk about today! First..HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Now if you don't have a Valentine dont you dare get depressed and feel bad for yourself now! Remember this is a positive blog, where we think of what we ARE blessed to have not to think of what for whatever reason we don't have. (Cause sometimes we may not realize it but not having something even if we really want it, is a blessing). If you dont have a significant other, what are you gonna do? You cant "hide" from a day, it's.......a day! I know it can get depressing if you see other people constanlty post all their lovey dovey stuff on this day hahhaha be happy for those people! They found someone they love and want to share their life with right now. Step number one to being a happy person, is being able to be happy for other people, not Jealous.

So you don't have someone, personally I think the first step to being able to "have someone" is to realize that you don't need someone. You have to be happy with who you are as an idividual person in order to really be happy with someone else! Cause if not then you end up looking at relationships as some sort of "therapy" for you to be happy and you have way to much dependancy on them like you can not live without them. Yeah it's romantic to think that way but it's just not true. You will survive just fine without a significant other. Plus Valentines day can be celebrated with people you love and people who love you, not only with "significant others". But just be happy with who you are as a person, understand that you are ok alone(even though you never really are alone), and give it time. The right person will come along.

SECONDLY: Just wanted to point out that you can be thankful for the same thing multiple days hahahah. I mean I know Im trying to go the longest I can without repeating stuff, but just cause I wrote about my mom 3 weeks ago doesnt mean Im not thankful for her everyday! (Especially today cause she bought me food and when I got home from school starving it was a great surprise! ) lol. I say that because sometimes there are people who struggle with realizing all they are thankful for. But you can not tell me there is not at least ONE thing you are perfectly aware that you are thankful for. So if you genuinely can only think of one thing, then you be thankful for that one thing everysingle day! But now, we get to what Im thankful for today hahhaa

I am thankful that sometimes we don't have control over things we REALLY want control over. Now in my life I'm really big on Self control, and the idea of taking responsibility for what you do and the fact that we always have choices. So the idea that I can't control everything is definitley scary for me, but even if I dont like not having control of a situation, I have to admit many times that's for the better. I say this because this year my little sisters had to go to a different school. Now this does not seem so bad or crazy but the school they had to leave is the school where ALL the grandchildren so far have gone to. I honeslty don't know dates and I'm sure my cousins will appreciate that I don't haha But the oldest grandchildren who first attended this school are married and one has a son. So we've been part of this school for many years and also part of the parish there. It is a huge part of our life and we love it. So it was hard to not drop them off at that school anymore, and picking them up was weird because I was so use to knowing EVERYONE! My little sisters did not want to leave, I did not want them to leave, my Mom did not want them to leave, but because of certain reasons my parents decided it was better for my little sisters to go to a different school at least for a while. One of my little sisters needed extra help with understanding some material and the new school offered that help. It was hard, people cried the first few weeks at the new school, and the little ones still say they miss the old school.

But today they went to visit the old school (which by the way is still our parish so we didnt just "leave" it completely hahah but still it was hard for them not seeing their friends and stuff). And my mom told me that when they got home they were really happy they got to see their friends and they had a great time! And that my sister was really excited to tell my mom that she listened in on some of their classes and that she already learned what they were learning and that when no one else knew the answer to a few quetions she raised her hand and knew the right answer. And she also already learned what they were learning in math, so much so that she actually taught the class how to do a certain math problem! She was sooo happy and confident that she knew the material and knew the answers! It honeslty was a great moment for a lot of people but the fact that she wasnt afraid to answer or that she wasnt nervous about the teacher calling on her but rather WANTED to answer, that just makes me very happy to know that she is getting the rigth help she needed and that she is confident in her own intelligence. It also proved to my parents and me that they made the right choice. It didnt always feel like the right choice and it sure as heck was not the easy choice, but it helped my little sisters a lot and will help them in the future as well. See if I had control of this, they would have NEVER left the school. But THANK GOD I had no choice in it hahhaha.

Everything happens for a reason in this case we got to see the reason a year later, but sometimes you never see the reason, you just have to know that there is one. It's hard to understand you have no control of certain things, and it might hurt to make a decision sometimes but in the end, the hardest decisions to make can be the right ones. Just have faith.

CHALLENGE: Be happy for those around you and for all the blessings they have in their life! Constantly remember what you are thankful for. And have faith, let go of what you cant control, and just know that Everything Happens for a Reason. You may not always see the reason, but the challenge is to have faith. 

SMILE!!

You know what's a good problem to have, having so many things to be thankful for that I cant choose which one I want to write about tonight, now that's a GREAT problem haha

But I have decided to go with the first thing that I thought of so yeah haha. Today I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a Eucharistic Minister. For those that don't know what that is, it is the person who gives out the bread and the wine at church or the body and blood of Christ rather haha. There's definitley a lot behind being a Eucharistic Minister but the reason I feel thankful for it today is because I get to smile at everyone.

See back when I first got trained for this the guy who was teaching us said something that has stuck with me through out these past few years that I've been doing this. He said when you're handing people the bread or wine, make eye contact with them and make sure you smile. He continued by saying it's important to him, to smile at everyone and make that eye contact because you never know who you might be looking at. Maybe you are the only person who smiles at them that day or possibly the only person they really have contact with that day. I mean church definitley is a place where people think and contemplate their lives and  pray if they are having troubles so a smile may be just what they need from someone. That lesson always stuck with me, because it's true, one time a girl came to me when I was giving the bread and she just looked at the ground never at me, and she seemed like awkward almost like she didnt know how to react to me. I dont know it just makes me think that maybe there are some people who im the only person who smiles at them that day and so I make sure Im always smiling when I give out the Eucharist, cause you just never know.
And im thankful because I get to smile at people and possibly help someone else smile for the day :]

CHALLENGE: Make sure you smile at people, strangers walking by, if you happen to make eye contact, just make sure you smile. Cause I agree you never know who may need a smile that day.

You Got Mail

Today I am thankful for mail. Like mail that goes through the post office and takes a few days to actually get to its destination. I know it's a crazy thing right that you actually have to wait to recieve information someone else wants to give to you. But I actually love getting mail!

Yes I am thankful for technology and the idea that the second we have a thought we can share it with others is amazing and definitley is efficient, but every now and then the idea of sitting down and taking the time to write (or even type if you're feeling the withdrawls from technology to hard haha) someone a letter I think is really nice :] Today my little sisters recieved a letter from my older sister who is in Chicago and they were really happy about it. It was a nice Valentines day card, and see she could have called, or emailed, or video chatted or whatever but a concrete physical thing that they can  touch and save is what gives it that extra good feeling. I think many times it makes it mean way more than just the words you would read in an email or text. Don't get me wrong I think a nice email is also very sweet and I've already posted on how thankful I am for texts as well haha. I know it still takes the time to sit down and think and type it out, but getting something other than ads or bills in the mail is always a "make you smile" moment hahaha

CHALLENGE: Write ON PAPER! someone a letter this week. And for an extra challenge actually write it dont type it. A NICE LETTER! haha don't be usin' my blog as an excuse to vent on how much you dislike someone now! lol Pick someone you like and send them a letter that they will get in a few days or sometimes even the next day but still, trust me it'll make their day :]

HIPPY TREE

Im not even going to lie I almost forgot to post something today! hahah And I can't not post something cause this is the longest project I've ever actually stuck to like it's been what maybe 3 weeks, I dont know I'll go back and check later but yeah so Im really proud of myself that I'm actually staying on top of this one thankful thing a day stuff, but anywho lol

I'm honestly still pumped with this whole retreat time so it was a great day again :] But today I am thankful for this past year, well almost a year now haha. See I went out to eat with some friends and half way through the meal we realized that the last time we were at this specific place was a year ago and also the very first time we ever hung out and basically was the day all of our friendships with each other began and lets just say that was a GREAT DAY! But you know when I realized it's been almost a year (a year come this March) just made me think of how much has happened this past year with these specific friends I was with tonight. And it has been a craaaazzyyy year of non stop.....activities??? I mean for almost 4 straight months or more we did something every single weekend, not to mention almost everysingle day during the summer. And our hangouts were not just, movies, or ice cream, we went ALL OVER THE PLACE! lol I mean there has been some EPIC hangouts, and allnighters/sleepovers, there has been some drama, some arguments, things have changed you know ups and downs but there has also been a lot of laughing and good times :]

All I know is that this has been a very life changing year for me and I havnt had one of those in a long time! and the reason it's been such a great year with a lot of personal growth and changing parts of who I am (for the better) is pretty much 90% because of these people I was with tonight.  Which is funny because it hasn't even been a full year of knowing and being friends with them but I feel like it's been so much longer than that! So I'm a little hesitant to put the names on here just cause hahahha well they know who they are and they know why it might not be the "best" idea to name them. But I am thankful for them and I am thankful for this past year and all the adventures we had and all the good times and great memories.

So it's almost been a year and half of this year has been spent lookin for this tree lol...and when we found it, it was pretty dang awesome! lol (this is the view from the tree)

CHALLENGE: Sometimes (not all the time) but sometimes we take friends for granted, we don't realize just how long they have been in our lives and how we probably would not be the same people if it weren't for them somehow. Just make sure your friends know that you love them, and that you are thankful for the person they have helped you become.

Oh goodness today was a GREAT day! As I've said I am Catholic and I am very involved in my church confirmation program and it's retreat season! Today was our first official meeting to plan for it and I am very excited!

I honestly wish and hope that everyone at somepoint in their life feels what I'm feeling right now. It's beyond happiness and excitment. So for those who might not know this is actually my 5th year helping out on these retreats and in this youth program. And many people in fact MOST people don't get why I love helping out in these things so much. And yeah I get the jokes and the looks all the time when people find out how involved I am and nights like this one make not care about all those people who might think im weird cuz I rather spend my weekend at a retreat then anywhere else! But again unless you've experienced the feeling Im experiencing right now then you will never fully understand why I do this.
These peer leaders are some of the most amazing teens in the world, and I really do love them sooo much and seeing them grow and being there for them again there are really no words unless you've felt this before haha

Today Im thankful for my church group, my peer leaders, my kids, my second family. This journey we're all starting for the next few weeks is going to be a bumpy one but it's also gonna be full of love and laughter and challenges that will help us all grow. Just remember we always have each other.

CHALLENGE: has anything ever happened to you where you just feel so happy and excited. But more like a journey you were starting and you just couldnt wait for the destination? My challenge is for you to stop and enjoy the journey. Tomorrow will get here when it's time for it to be here, dont rush something that so beautiful and makes you feel so happy just because you cant wait for the end. Make sure you really enjoy the process as well...

Choir Practice :]

So I aint gonna lie today is kind of a difficult day to write about what I'm thankful for, or at least I thought it was going to be hard. See like I said in the first post Im normal and like everyone else I have bad days and bad weeks and stuff happpens. So this week has started off in a rocky way and today wasnt the best day but it wasnt the worst either, just a ehh kinda day .

So I thought it was going to be hard finding something to be thankful for until half way through choir practice. No I am not in choir however I've always been around choirs since I was a little kid because my mom has been part of the spanish choir since I can remember! So listening to her practice use to be my favorite and I guess it just stayed with me cause now that I'm older and I havnt been to one of her practices since I was really little, but I LOVE hearing the 6:30 choir practice and sing all the time. They are from the "teen" mass as we call it haha. Anywho I'm thankful for them because like I said it was a ehh day so I decided to go to choir practice because listening to them just makes me happy and they practice in the church so it's a good place to think you know. And I was sitting their thinking about my day and praying and yeah I was feeling kinda down but everytime I looked up at the choir girls they were laughing and dancing and smiling and always doing something that I just couldnt help but smile! haha It reminded me how much I love them, and then OF COURSE! they sang this song that says "i'm coming back to the heart of worhsip, cause it's all about you, it's all about you Jesus, im sorry lord for the things I've made it cause it's all about you, it's all bout you Jesus". As corny as it may sound that really helped and got to me. I was making it about something that didnt matter in the big picture. I was making this "bad" situations sooo important when the only thing that matters is love and I have a lot of that in my life. I love my family, I love my friends, I love my faith and God and more importantly they Love me....or at least thats what I think hahahhaha. And sure the issue is still here but it's just not number one on my list anymore....still dealing with it, but again their are other things that deserve my attention more.

So I'm thankful for their practice and that they let me listen in on their practice because just them being them and hearing them sing (which I have to brag they are the BEST choir lol) it made my day and it reminded me that there is always something to smile about and today it was their friendship and their "sillyness" lets call it haha.

CHALLENGE: Sometimes it's hard to sit and think about our day and such, especially if it's been a "bad" day we usually don't want to sit and think about it. But I think you should, find a wuiet place where you can just sit, no talking and limited noise (maybe some music). And think about your day no matter if it was good or "bad, and if it was bad dont sit and worry about it but rather just relax and think through it and pray a little. Maybe like me in the midst of the "ehh" feeling something will remind you what is good in your life.

EVERYDAY

Today I am thankful for....today. Yup!
Ok so I'll explain a little more. I guess what Im trying to really say is that I am thankful that life only comes at you, one day at a time. Think about it, we are the ones who insist on looking ahead and stressing over tomorrow or next week or years from now. We constantly worry about things that have not even happened yet and often times about things that wont ever happen. But life in itself only comes at you one day at a time. So why not try living that way. Of course it's good to plan some things ahead but there is a difference bewteen "preparring" for the future and "worrying or stressing" over the future.

Another reason why I'm thankful for every new day in life is because it's a new day to be a new you . Ok so yesterday you were upset or sad or mad, guess what?! Today when you wake up you get to start all over and be whatever you want to be (jus a suggestion but I'd go with happy this time lol).
Maybe yesterday you were fighting with a friend or a loved one. Today you get to start over and not be fighting with them of course that's up to you and if youw ant to hold on to hate or move foward and take advantage of this new day and new opportunity to be whoever you want to be.

Everyday you get a chance to make that the best day, and if it isnt the best day. Well tomorrow when you wake up you get another chance to make it the best day. Yesterday doesn't always have to spill over into today. That's the beauty of a new day, It's like a new start. You dont want to be shy, or angry, or whatever it is that you are anymore? Every morning you wake up is a chance to be someone else, to be a better person. (by the way there is NOTHING wrong with being shy....angry maybe is a little wrong haha)

I hope this made sense Im just saying every day is a new opportunity to make life the best you can so dont focus on yesterday cause you can change it or make it better today.

CHALLENGE: Today is to try to take life one day at a time. While you're going through your day try to make that distinction between planning and preparring for the future and "over planning" or stressing for the future you know? You cant plan everything, some things you just have to let happen. Also make sure you say "Good morning" and smile to everyone when you wake up. Just to make sure you get the day started happy and positive! :]
  

Teachers

So today's is short sweet and simple. I must say I am thankful for all the good teachers I've had. I mean you never know what kind of a teacher you're going to get and if you'll like them or if they will be borring or fun. And this I most of my classes are 3 hours and at night so I am very thankful that my teachers are great! haha

I love having teachers that make the class actually something I want to go to and learn from. Having two back to back 3 hour classes at night time is hard but you can tell these teachers love what they do and they love talking/lecturing about the topic at hand. I mean yes the fact that I actually love the classes I'm taking because they are things I want to learn helps a lot. But still to keep me entertained in the same seat for such a long time to the point where I dont even notice it's already been 3 hours....THAT IS TALENT! lol So as I said short and simple Im thankful for dedicated teachers who love what they do and make learning fun.

CHALLENGE: This shouldnt be a "challenge" but it is to some people unfortunately so here it goes. Be nice to your teachers and not like "dont be mean" I mean like listen in class, and dont give them such a hard time when they tell you to do something. Be thankful someone wants to teach you haha

Family Like NO OTHER!

Alright let's start off by saying that, that was a GREAT Superbowl game hahah no matter who you were rooting for it was a good game. My family has always had a tie to the Green Bay Packers since I can remember so even though they are not our number one fav team we wanted them to win today so we're all happy on that haha.

My family is a BIG football family we just love it and so superbowl is beyond a big deal for us every year and we always have a huge party and it's just a bunch of good times haha. Today I am thankful for my family and our amazing get togethers we have. Wether it's for birthdays, holidays, or random weekends I love it when my family  gets together which honestly is a lot! We don't go more than a week without meeting up in someway or another haha. Now I know there are a lot of people who feel the same way about their families but I'm pretty sure my family is the BEST! lol Or at least I know for a fact that there is no family in the world like mine!

For example we are all really into the Wii danicng games "Just dance 1 &2" and the Michael Jackson one and we kinda have a little competition going I mean literally inbetween family parties we all have the games and practice cause when we get together oh it's on!!! lol And today after the game and everything we started dancing and again it was just a great moment and I'm very thankful for the family I have that is sooo crazy!

k so video I took from today doesnt want to load but this is one from a few weeks ago of my little sister and nephew ivan hahah

CHALLENGE: Families always seem to be a sensitive topic for some people so today its a free for all. Be thankful for anything you want but it has to be something that makes you happy. Maybe it's those that we see as family or if you have a family like mine then be thankful for you're family even with the ups and downs we have with them they are always there for us in someway. So be thankful for your family whoever they may be to you and the great memories they give you!

Let It SHINE!!

Alright just in case there is someone reading this who does not know...I am Catholic and I am very involved with my youth group at my Church and I LOVE it and I LOVE them! haha Trust me they will be the topic of many thankful post especially within these next 6 weeks or so because it's RETREAT TIME! :]

Today we had a Peer Leader retreat to kick off this retreat season. And days like these just I honestly can not describe how happy and thankful they make me. Todays main topic was talking about our "Light" and through out the day we also talked about who have been "Lights" in our life. Aka people who have been positive role models for us, who remind us how beautiful life is, help us find peace or hope when we seem lost, and specific to tonights retreat people who in some way lead us/guide us to Christ and our faith.

Now if I start naming off people who have been lights to me in my life my fingers would hurt and i would get in HUGE TROUBLE cuz I will forget someone and they will feel bad haha so instead I'm just going to say that today I am beyond thankful for all the "lights" in my life and I PROMISE!! At some point through the next few weeks I will personally let you know how much you mean to me, but I really am thankful for those people in my life who always remind me of Love, both how I shoud love others but also remind me how much I am Loved as well. I know for a fact I would not be the same person I am today if it were not for these amazing people in my life who in their own way have raised me, and taught me SO MUCH!...

CHALLENGE: Think of those "lights" in your life and somehow let them know how much they mean to you in your life. As important as it is to be thankful for things in our life it is even more important to be thankful for the people in our lives because everyone is in your life for a reason and well as we know people cant stay here forever, make sure you appreciate those you love everysingle chance you get! :] 

Home Alone

So I'm sure we've all had those days where for whatever reason we're home alone. Maybe you got the day off from school or work, or everybodies out doing stuff and you just stayed home. I personally love when that happens! That's always turn the radio up really loud moments haha it's okay I'm pretty sure my neighbors like the same music as me right? :]

So this morning my parents went to work and my little sisters had to go to school. Now my mom left me a huge list of things to do around the house which kinda sucked cause I'd just be lazy on my day off haha. But for me, every situation has it's perfect type of music. So I turned on my Pandora and put it on my "*Nsync" station lol. Now if you know how pandora works you knwo it was not all Nsync songs, there was everything init but mostly stayed in the 90's type music and I loved it! haha I honestly love cleaning the house if I have the right song playing and I got everything on that list done in 2 hours. And I ain't gonna lie, I was singing to my broom, to the mop, to the dishes...it was godo times haha. So today Im thankful for those few times I get the house to myself, and I dont mean lets through a party cause no one's home type of thing, I mean I love having the house literally all to MYSELF! And also might as well throw in ther that I am thankful for my Nsync Pandora station for getting me through these cleaning days haha

CHALLENGE: As always keep thinking of things you are thankful for. And think of those moments were having the right music makes everything and anything enjoyable....we can make "hard, borring work" fun so instead of crying about how you have to clean or do whatever, try to make it fun or at least dont complain and enjoy that time by yourself...

SPAGHETTI

So today I'm not thankful for a physical thing or object but rather today I'm thankful for a moment. I think even though it's hard to realize how thankful we are for "things" it is even harder to be thankful for moments because we don't let ourselves stop in the middle of them and enjoy them. I don't mean enjoy them like have fun because if it's a moment we're thankful for then chances are it's fun and we really liked it. What I mean by we don't stop to enjoy it is that we don't realize how much this moment means to us. See we're having a good time but before you knwo it that moment is over and it always feels like it went by to fast right?

The moment of the day Im thankful for today is actually about to begin haha. So I picked my little sister up from soccer practice and when we got home a few hours ago I started making dinner which as you probably guessed is Spaghetti (YUP believe it or not I actually know how to make edible food lol). My little sister were SOOO excited when they realized we were having spaghetti tonight and they started making plans for the night. And they decided we're gonna eat in the living room and watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S (we love that how haha ) Moments like these make me happy because we're all happya nd getting along. So tonight Im thankful for dinner with my little sisters.


CHALLENGE: It's kind of a two part challenge. The first part is to take the time to truly enjoy all the good moments life gives you. The smallest moment that makes you happy is worth taking the time to think about it and enjoy it no matter how small it is. Just nect time you're having a great time try it, either remove yourself from the situation to look at it kind of "from the outside" or simply wherever you are just stop and look around the room. Think about hwo happy you are at that moment and truly enjoy it and live in it. The other part is to think of a moment you were really happy, today, yesterday, any moment from anytime that made you really happy. Remember it, be happy and be thankful for that moment.

Sick Days

So no Im not really thankful for sick days, I mean at least not when I'm actually sick haha. What I am thankful for is all the people that take care of me when I do get sick.

First and formost my parents, who even though there have been times where they think Im not really sick just want to get out of doing something, they still take care of me. They make sure Im nice and comfy in my bed, and that I have anything I need at a hands reach and they call me non-stop through out the day to make sure Im ok if they have to go to work. Like most people I don't enjoy being sick. Like this past week for example not being able to eat and feeling really cold yet realy hot at the same time it's just not a great feeling. So I was really thankful that my dad went out in the middle of the night to find the right medicine I needed and I was better within a day! And of course getting spoiled by my dad and mom for 2 days was not bad at all!! haha

Secondly theres my family and friends. They ALWAYS seem to know exactly what to do to get rid of anything I have haha. One time my throat was hurting real bad and I had to go to my church for these confirmation classes and so many people were trying to take care of me and giving me suggestions on how to make it go away. And well I was desperate so I tried them all haha and as I've said I dont know what worked but something did because the pain went away. Plus just in general if my friends find out Im sick they never fail to provide some type of cure to offer me. Or like my friend Devon who will always Google different solutions for me and send them to me hahaha I've never had someone do that everytime I dont feel well.

Now to me it doesnt matter what the "cure" is because what Im thankful for is that I have kind friends who care about me and I have family that also care about me and Im thankful for the people who take care of me when Im sick.

CHALLENGE: When your sick you dont feel good right? So something makes it better and someone takes care of you or gives the proper medicine to make you better. It might be a parent, or a friend, or a doctor, or the internet tells you, or Oprah gives you the answer. Whatever makes you feel better, be thankful for it, be thankful for the medical advances we have that allow us to feel better and go on with our lives quicker. And if you are thinking of a specific person that takes care of you, make sure you say thank you because really being taken care of that honestly is a good feeling :]

ICE CREAM!!!

So todays Thankful Post is not really about a thing like an ipod it's about an event or events I guess.

So if you read my first blog you know that I started this blog because I was tired of people feeling so sorry for themselves on facebook not realizing they have so much to be thankful for and they are so blessed even with all the "bad" they might have to endure. Spread love and positivity not stress and hate right? But anyways I also mentioned that Im not a meany who's just like "suck it up!" hahah I understand everyone needs a hug or a random text or ice cream everynow and then. And one of my favorite things to do is to make people feel special, and make them happy and....someone once told me that whenever you have an interaction with someone you should understand that you want them to leave the conversation or leave the situation happier, or positive, closer to hope. So I try, and yes for those of you who have seen me at my worst I know I EPICALLY FAIL sometimes at this and Im sorry for that, but I TRY to make sure that Im positive around people and always make them think of good times you know.

So today was one of those days I noticed there was a  few people "freaking out" on facebook, just one of those days I guess poeple were stressed. Ice cream always makes people happy is what I thought, so I decided to offer to buy ice cream and deliver it to people's houses. And I got 4 requests hahaha so I asked what kind they wanted and I took it to them to just chill them out I guess haha. They genuinely seemed happy. And that made me EXTREMELY HAPPY!! This may sound selfish but it's not because its not about what "I" did. Anything that makes my friends and loved ones happy, makes me happy for them. It didnt have to be me that brought them ice cream, it could have been anyone and I still would have been happy that their day brightened up a bit.

So today Im thankful for Ice Cream, because on "those days" it seems to always be able to put a smile on people's faces and Im thankful that God gave me resources to make people happy tonight aka a car, a few bucks, and the idea.

CHALLENGE: So I hope you are all still workin on the "random text" challenge cuz that one's a week one remember haha. But today think of that one thing that always seems to make you happy when you're feeling a little down. Ice cream, chocolate, a specific movie, etc. And also think of sharring this thing that always makes you happy with a friend :]