Recap of 2009

As I look over the last 360+ days of 2009, I realize just how far I have come in such a short time.  This year was filled with amazing experiences and life changing moments and I thought I could post my last blog of 2009 by recapping some of the highlights of the past year.

In January, with my weight tipping the scales at about 188 lbs., I decided to get off my fat ass (literally) and start to do something about it. Since then, I have lost 33 lbs and have less than 20 to go!  I am so proud of myself for the progress I have made!

In March, Luis asked me to be his wife!  He proposed to me amongst tons of flowers and candles and told me he couldn't live the rest of his life with out me.  Of course, I said YES!  It was the happiest day of my life and now 2010 will be full of wedding planning!

In May, my wonderful parents threw Luis and I a little engagement party (just 80 people! lol!) and I was truly overwhelmed bu the amount of love that my friends and family had for us.

In May, we also headed out to a Dodger game with a ton of my family and of course, the Brunette Mafia =)

In June, my great friend Amanda welcomed her beautiful baby girl Daylin Alicia into the world!

In June, I also supported Luis' decision to try out for the Team Quest Pro MMA Team, something that he had been wanting to do for a long time and I stood beside him with tears in my eyes as he was told he had made it.  I was, and still am, so proud of Luis and all his hard work!

In August, Luis and I both turned 27.  A few weeks before our birthday we got matching tattoos on our ribs.  We fell in love with the Latin phrase "Nunc Scio Quid Sit Amor" which means "Now I know what love is" and we wanted to do something to show our journey in love and our dedication to each other.

September and October were full of wedding festivities for my cousin Kristen's wedding.  The months were filled with bridal showers and a great bachelorette party!

In November, Luis and I were a part of Kristen and Ben's wedding and we had a great time celebrating with our friends and family.

After the wedding, Luis and I took off to Playa del Carmen, Mexico to spend 8 perfect days relaxing on the beach!  We fell in love with the city and are definitely going to go back!

I also went to the midnight showing of New Moon with my favorite fellow Twilight-ers!  And of course, we all went in our Twilight tee shirts too!

My cousin Mo, Kristen, and I also spent a ton of time planning our family's Annual Adult Christmas Party and it went off perfectly!

Thanksgiving was spent at my Aunt Gaby's house with the best family a girl could ask for!  I am so thankful for our big family and being surrounded by so many loved ones!

December was jam packed with Christmas parties and precious time spent with family and friends

Luis and I also went ice skating for the first time together and had such a blast!  I am so lucky to have someone like Luis in my life who I am able to share so many experiences with!

But for me the best day of 2009 is going to be December 31st.  Five years ago on New Years Eve, Luis and I met, and we both knew that this was it.  We had found the person we were going to spend the rest of our life with and grow old with.  I knew he would be the father of our future children and I knew that he would always stand beside me through good times and bad.  This year we will celebrate that day together with amazing friends as we commemorate the end of 2009 and welcome with great anticipation, the beginning of 2010!  May this next year bring you all countless blessings and joy!  Happy New Year!!!

Ice Skating

Saturday night Luis and I had a pretty awesome date night!  For a few weeks in the winter, Old Town Temecula was home to an outdoor ice skating rink, and Luis and I thought it would be a fun thing for us to do together, since we both had never ice skated.  Turns out, we weren't that bad!  Luis only fell once and I didn't fall at all *pats myself on back*.  It was really cold that night so it made it feel even more like Christmas =)

I'm a pretty lucky girl <3

It's Time to Give Back

I am a lucky girl.  I have an amazing family, a warm place to sleep every night and I don't have to worry about where my next meal will come from.  But I realize that not everyone has these luxuries that we so often take for granted.  So I've thought of a way that I could give back.  I don't have a lot of money, I can't adopt 100 children or feed the homeless everyday, but I can take a hobby and turn it into a way to make people feel just a little more cozy at night.

When I was in college at Cal Poly Pomona, I used to commute about 60 miles each way to go to class.  Thankfully, my Tia Gaby lived just 10 minutes away from my school, so I would often times stay the night there if I didn't want to make the long trek home.  On the nights I stayed there, my Tia would teach me how to crochet and I loved doing it and more than anything, I loved that my great grandmother Mami Chayito taught her and she was passing her knowledge down to me.  Lately I have been crocheting a lot... I'm not great, but I do make a pretty awesome scarf!  Basically, at this point I can't make anything that isn't a rectangle or a square but I am determined to learn!  I am also determined to use this to give back.

So my plan for 2010 is to start a non-profit organization.  I will make scarves, blankets, eventually beanies mittens, and socks and pass them out to homeless shelters and those who are less fortunate.  I realize I'm not curing cancer but if my scarf can keep someone warm at night while not having to spend a dime on it, then I have accomplished my goal.  So all you crafty people out there who already crochet, or those of you who want to learn (I PROMISE its very easy!) I encourage you to help me in this endeavor.  Let me know if you would be interested in helping in anyway, whether it be actually making some pieces over the year, or just donating some yarn.  I will be getting all the details set up over the next few weeks so I will keep you all posted!

Now, I just have to come up with a cute name!

It's always something

Luis came home with a black eye last night..... It looks worse in real life..

He's still cute though =)

Shoes

Carrie Bradshaw once said "I don't play favorites with my shoes but these were very special."  I couldn't agree with her more.  I love shoes, I possibly own too many but each pair has a special place in my heart.  I have a soft spot for platform peep toe heels and will buy them whenever humanly possible.  I have one pair of shoes that I might be able to call my favorites, IF I did have to choose.  I love to wear them, but I try not to wear them too much because it could take away from their specialness.  I think what makes them so special to me is that I wanted them for months.  Every time I went to Macy's I would see them, drool over them, swoon over them.   Brown BCBG peep toe, platform with a heel and a gold buckle???? Amazing! 


But they were entirely way too expensive for me to seriously consider buying.  I'm cheap remember? Its not that I didn't have the money, I just couldn't imagine spending so much on shoes, regardless of how much I loved them.  So I started putting money away into my savings account with the hope that when I had enough, they would still be there.  I finally had some extra cash saved and went to Macy's praying that they were still there, and to my surprise they were!  And on sale for 25% off AND the sales clerk gave me another 20% off.  So my $120 shoes cost me $70 bucks out the door!  I was so proud of my amazing shoes at an even more amazing price.  I especially love wearing them with skinny jeans!  Check 'em out for yourself =)

Oh Blackberry, how do I love thee, let me count the ways....

I FINALLY got my Blackberry.  Being as cheap as I am I waited until I was eligible for an upgrade and fortunately Sprint was having a huge promotion at the time and offering buy one get one free for 50 bucks!  So Luis and I joined the rest of the world and got BB's and we absolutely love them!  Did I truly live before it??? Ok maybe thats a little dramatic but seriously this phone rocks!  Once I figure out how to blog from my phone I'll be a bloggin' machine!

Here We Go Again

The last two and a half years of Luis fighting have been interesting.  We've had several trips to Urgent Care and more bumps and bruises than I care to even try to count.  But, like I always tell everyone, he just loves MMA so I try to hide my frustration when we have to make yet another late night trip to get stitched up.  Last night, he came home with that same look on his face, like the cat that ate the mouse.

I said "UGH, not again" (like I always do) and he said "Eh, its not that bad" (Like he always does).

Except this time, it wasn't that bad.  Just a cut under the chin from getting kneed.  Not that deep but just split wide.  For some reason, the cuts on the chin (this is his second there in about 4 months) seem to split very wide.  Probably because the skin there is pulled tight? Who knows, but nevertheless it didn't warrant a visit to our local Urgent Care.  Just a little super glue (yes you heard that right) and some butterfly bandages fixed this boo boo right up =).  Thank goodness I have the stomach to handle some blood, but I'm hoping I don't have to see it for a very long time (knock on wood!)