J.D.T.

It’s been years since I’ve blogged. Duh. (Butwhateverwhocares).

Just wanna shout out that as of today, May 4, 2012, I’m an Auntie! 

A beautiful boy.

Newbie, welcome to the club!

 

 

beautiful

 

I think my blog is in dire need of some pictures.

So here’s one of my bouquet. There’s something so special when a girl holds a bouquet.

I wanna do it more often. pretty-please.

Hurry up and get married friends! j/k. seriously.

contact list

So my parents are leaving for Mexico for their honeymoon. (umm, no, they didn’t just get married… but they’re at least 19 years short of splurging for a trip that never happened).(hey, it wasn’t my fault I was born, m’kay?)

So they’re leaving today and I get the privilege to drive them to the airport.

Dad emailed me a contact list of all the people that we might need to get a hold of if anything were to go wrong without them around. Like MMA Rob. G-“sweetie”. 1-eye Rob. The Stooge. Those are actually their real nick-names in real life. That’s just how amazing they are.

We have the privilege of having some really colourful, messy, raw, but hilarious, incredible, and amazing family friends. Pile them all in a room together, and magic happens. I can’t stop laughing when I’m around them.

I’m not sure what I really want to say in this post… but I’m happy my parents get to relax… and I’m happy for my contact list.

Today.

Only one hand’s finger nails are painted. Been that way for 2 days now.

Milk & salad are in the fridge. Bananas are on the counter.

Papers are scattered on the floor.

Cellphone charged.

Dishes that have been waiting to be cleaned for 2 days.

Pile of used kleenex beside the computer.

My pants are too big. I need a belt.

Have a hole in my sock. Poor sock.

Caught up on readings for Jesse tree.

Get to use new body wash tonight. Oh, the things I look forward to.

Pile of clothes to put away on bed.

Hello, Today.

 

Portugal love & stuff

Last night was incredible.

I got to reunite with an amazing family we used to homeschool with waaaay waaay back when I was a toothpick and had a terrible cow-lick with bangs. *shudder*. Since then I’ve been introduced to hairspray (thankgod).

I love my Portugal friends. I loved catching up with what they are doing and their vision for Portugal.

We spoke truth together. I love authenticity. I love real.

They asked H and I how they could pray for us.

And I told ’em. Straightup. Its something I battle with and will continue to battle with for along time.

Not getting sucked in to ‘stuff’. You know. We have more than enough to survive and I’m feeling the temptation to keep up with the Jones’. ‘Cuz heck, you know, we are coming up to that age when we’re ‘supposed’ to have a nice car. And own a place. And buy nicer, newer things just for the sake of it. For status, for happiness, for security. For comfort.

But it’s BS, really. Lies. Stuff won’t make us happy. We’ll just drown in it.And stuff makes us too comfortable. I see a lot of people who are our Portugal friends’ ages who live the American Dream and they are living in a coma. But our Portugal friends are truly alive.

They have their hands open – God pours things into their hands and it flows from their hands to others. Their money and stuff and time and life isn’t their own.

Some of the most amazing times in my life have happened when I was barely scraping by. ‘Cuz it’s really darn exciting when you don’t have any food in the fridge. Or a couch. Or any money. God provides in incredible ways. Sometimes I wish our place would just burn down and we’d have absolutely nothing. It would be so freeing.

We don’t wanna get sucked into that crap, but we seem to be on the fence a lot.

We don’t want to be consumed by consumption… but at the same time… omg-look-at-that-dining-room-set-so-and-so-just-bought and omg-i-have-to-have-that-hot-sweater-that-girl-is-wearing… and omg-they-have-such-a-nice-townhouse-i-am-so-so-so-so-jealous-i-am-gonna-scream.

Dang, it’s hard.

And then there are our Portugal friends. I want to be just like them. They are absolutely contagious. Everything about them screams real life. They don’t live for themselves. Or for stuff. They are living a truly good life and I want it too. They make me want to burn everything I own and desire and want in life and really live my life and trade it for things that truly matter. People. God. Love. They inspire me to re-evaluate my values and priorities, cut off comfort, and just live a real life – running the only race worth anything.

Jesse Tree

H and I started it last year.

We have a Jesse Tree to count us down to Christmas. We’re starting tonight.

It’s not actually a tree. Just like my worry tree, it’s just metaphorical. But when we have kids, we’re definitely going to actually get a Jesse Tree & decorate it every day. Mom, my bro and I did it for a few years and loved it.

Every night H and I read scripture starting from creation, with highlights through the old testament, especially those prophesying about Jesus, all the way ’till Dec 25 when we read about Jesus’ birth. Last year (our first Christmas as man and wife) was so special. We missed a few readings here & there, so on Christmas day before we did anything, we read the last few days leading up to Jesus’ birth. Then we prayed. It was really special and an amazing time of worshiping the King.

This is one of my favourite times of the year – I love reading the bible with H, all snuggled up in bed. (k, maybe a little too much information here, people). I love going through the bible and seeing all those hints leading up to Christ. Just love it. It’s a great way to keep Jesus the focus at Christmas and to not get all wrapped up in the consumerism bs.

Tonight is Isaiah 11:1-10 – Christ will be from the root of Jesse.

Good night.

If you wanna know more about it, go here: http://www.crivoice.org/jesse.html

20+20+20=60

I’m trying this one out.

20 +20+20=60. With the help of a timer. 20 mins. biology. 20 min. break. 20 mins. english. Repeat.

It is a new study regime I’m trying. I procrastinate.

I just want to pass my courses. Really, I do. I’m not looking for A’s or B’s. I just want C’s. (ya, I know, I’m such an over-achiever) But when all of your grades border on a C/C-, that means you really have to study to pass. Or fear taking the whole bloody course(s) over again.

(no gracias, por favor).

Last night I failed the study regime. I got past 20 mins. and then stopped for the rest of the night and watched Project Runway with H. I tried to cry ‘cuz I felt so bad, but all I could feel was guilty. No tears. Sometimes I think I can just scrunch my face up and bury my head into H’s chest and just whimper for a little bit and that will magically make me cry. Go figure. Fail. I also seem to think that crying will make everything feel better ‘cuz then I’ll feel like a victim instead of just a plain ol’ lazy a**. It never works. I just gotta accept that I can be a good ol’ plain ol’ lazy a**. And just move on from it.

So it’s about 5:20 pm on a Friday night. H is working. I’m blogging. Then I’m eating dinner. Then I’m gonna press 20:00 on my microwave and just do it. I’m gonna get messy. I will probably cry (for-real-this-time). I’m trying to curb my swearing phase I’m in, but I’m not sure how well I’ll be doing tonight. But I’m just gonna do the work. damnit.

Cheer me on to the finish line…

(gracias, por favor)

 

Half an Orange (not a a lemon)

When life gets tight and stressful, and our days seem to boil down to switching who gets to go on the computer first to finish their homework, the little things make all the difference.

Yesterday it was the simple gift of a half of an orange.

Speaking of fruit, we’ve been getting some lemons lately. Not the eating kind, but the omg-life-is-so-stressful-and-tight-and-I-just-want-to-escape-to-Mexico kind.

H is great at showing me how small things can really illuminate those stupid lemons.

Like, instead of complaining that we can’t go out to eat ‘cuz its too expensive, we eat dinner by candle-light at home and grab some “champagne” to fancy it up (ya, I know you know don’t drink).

Or instead of complaining that we can’t go to Mexico this year (AGAIN!), we can shut the bathroom door and stand by the heater that blasts out amazing tropical heat on us and smile.

Or instead of complaining that life is so gosh-darn-busy-I-wanna-shoot-myself, I can be happy in the moment, even if its a simple gift of a half an orange.

 

5pm has gotten better

Victory in the making!

Let me explain.

For the past 4 years I’ve worked at a wonderful, evil, amazing, stressful, emotionally draining, completely 100% rewarding, and omg i’m-making-a-huge-difference-in-the-lives-of-a-lot-of-needy-kids kinda job. The ying yang of it is a real B though. And the fact that I work 2 other jobs (as most other lovelies do doing the kind of thing I do to support their family on their meager salary) and for the past 3 years have gone to night school part time is also a real B.

You know the drill. 5pm.  You get home from all that work, stress, and sometimes fun. You gotta leave soon for night school. Or not. So whaddaya do? You throw a cranky crabby bitch fest. Oops.

Its been a journey for me. I started with prayer. God is good.

And then I got a Worry Tree. Yep. I’m not actually crazy. You read it right. A Worry Tree. When I get off work or school and I’m in a crabby mood, I refuse to bring all that negative energy into my home. So I pass on all my crap to a Worry Tree. Just a plain ol’ tree. It’s been very good to me. I give it crap and it takes it.

Kinda like the tree in the story “The Giving Tree”. Good book.

http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/60911-Sheldon-Allan-Silverstein-The-Giving-Tree

Now, it’s all really very metaphorical and not literal. I know trees can’t take away my crap. But it’s a good thing to think about. I want to protect my home from myself. I want to protect myself from my negativity.

God and the Worry Tree. I thankyou.

And 5pm has gotten much better thankyouverymuch.

Extreme Shopping. Or “I hit the freakin’ jackpot!”

So I’m really into this incredible way of shopping. It’s called Extreme Shopping.

Just incredible. Especially for two (married) students.

I just went on extreme shopping trip #2 today. I bought 2 Loreal foundations (15.50 each), 1 concealer (8.99), 1 blush (5.99) and paper towel 6pack (8.99). Ya ya I know… why am I buying all this makeup? It’s Kandee Johnson. I can’t help it. Don’t judge me.

Anyways, should have totaled over $55 and then tax.

But using my new-found extreme shopping skills, I paid (including tax) $24.77 for it all. Yep. I saved $21.75!!!

And don’t even get me started on my super huge extreme shopping trip #1. I only paid 50 cents for a whole wack of stuff – saving over $70!!!

My guru is Mrs. Smith. She is incredible. My local celebrity.

I highly recommend you check her out.

I’ve hit the jackpot. I wanna spread the love.

http://www.mrssmithextremeshopper.com/

 

Hugs, kisses, praises and firstborn babies are appreciated in return.