Reminder: Be Thankful

Today I was very excited to come in to work for many reasons, one it's Friday and well who doesn't love Friday's? And 2nd yesterday I had spend my day doing company Christmas cards and sending out the holiday bonus my boss gave out.

So I have to admit I was not expecting to have the kind of morning that I did. I get a call from our Boston location and the manager is just complaining about how the "bonus wasn't big enough and how they had too much taken out in taxes." I was flabbergasted the gwal of this guy!

We are living in a time where people don't have jobs and here he is complaining about not getting a big enough bonus. I was mad & the more I thought about it I became just flat out pissed off. All I could think of was that scripture Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 says, “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things..."Earlier in the week I had been talking to Melissa and we were talking about the good ole days when we got nice bonuses but how we were just thankful to have a job.

I'm not saying that I am not ungrateful or a bit selfish at times, yes I am guilty of that myself. I think we all are, but today's event served as a reminder to me that I am so blessed in my life. I am thankful that I can see the hand of the lord in my life and in the life of others.

I had my little freak out and then decided that I was not going to let this ruin my day. I am still going to enjoy the Spirit of this wonderful Season. Now I am counting down for my day to be over so I can go hang out with Melissa and have our girls night out as we go check out the Christmas lights and displays.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Lately I have been reading a lot of people status on Facebook is things they are thankful for and it has gotten me thinking on what am I truly thankful for in my life.

As I thought about this I realized that it's easy to say the basic things such as family, friends, job etc but I really wanted to think about this. So below is a list of some of the things I am thankful for.

1. The Gospel in my life. No matter how crazy or hectic my life gets at times I always know where I can turn for peace and for answers.

2. Scriptures & the answers they provide. When I feel lost I always seem to find my way back through the scriptures.

3. Prayer: For me this is something I can neglect and take for granted as well, but I think what keeps me going at times is the fact that I know my prayers have been answered. It's those prayers that give me strength when I feel like questioning things in my life. I can look back and say "I know this is true" or "I know this is where I'm supposed to be because I received an answer to my prayer."

4. Family relationships: For better or worse they make us who we are but we also earn so much from them. I have been so lucky to have the opportunity to get to know my sister-in-law Melissa so well this past year. She is so freaking funny and resourceful and smart. I can honestly say she is one of my friends not just my sister in law.

5. I'm thankful for how beautiful Seattle is. I see the hand of my Heavenly Father on my drive to work everyday and I love it.

6. I'm soooooo thankful for my friends. This year I have realized how I was not a very good friend to them because I let other things take priority. But they were always there for me. I always get a call or a text from a friend on rough days when it would be so much easier to give up and say screw it. They call or text with exactly what I need to hear to keep going.

7. I'm thankful for books. I love them so much! I am sometimes amazed that I am enjoying a book because Heavenly Father has blessed someone with that amazing talent of writing.

8. I'm thankful to have had the blessing to serve a mission. This year I have been getting in touch with families from my mission and no matter how much time has passed by I love them just as much as when I had to opportunity to serve them.

9. I'm thankful for my talent of creativity. I'm not saying I am so artistic or anything by any means. I have always enjoyed decorating and building and I have had the opportunity to do so this year.

10. My job. I didn't always feel that way. There were times when things would get frustrating mainly because of miscommunication or mismanagement but my boss has a good heart. He cares for the employees and is always willing to help them and me. Without me asking he paid for my tuition for school.

11. Education: Being back at school has been a great and humbling experience as well. I am very excited to be able to learn but mainly I look forward to being able to be a contribution to my community when I'm finished.

12. I'm thankful for the Atonement. I think we all realize how imperfect we are and sometimes that can be a little overwhelming and discouraging but I am thankful for the sacrifice my Savior did for me. The knowledge that I can repent and start fresh gives me so much hope.

Well these are a few of the things I am thankful for this year. I hope everyone had an amazing holiday with family and friends.

On My Own Again :0)

As you know I have been having a blast with my roommate's a.k.a Monico & Melissa. But as much fun as that has been I missed living on my own and having my own space. In September after a trip to CA I decided to start looking for my own place.

I found a MIL in Renton, WA which is the perfect location because it's right in the middle of school and work, but the best part is that I get to stay in the Skyway Ward (I love this ward). I love Bishop Sablan, I have been spoiled by having amazing Priesthood Leaders in the places I have lived. I also love my Relief Society Sisters, they make me feel loved and always welcome.

Well with the move also came the decorating. Since I moved from CA almost 2 years ago I only brought some things with me. I got rid of all my furniture so I had to start fresh. I wanted to do my decorating on a budget so I hit up our local Goodwill's.

I wanted to add some fun color to the house so I saw this material at Jo Ann's and based the decor from them. And thanks to Melissa I now have curtains.

I'm also very glad that Melissa loves Goodwill as much as I do. The books are currents and at amazing prices, but they sometimes have some very nice furniture for cheap as well. The brown lamp Melissa found and I love it! Its all metal, brown color and cream design. It has its own personality.

I found the 3 drawer at Goodwill for $14.00 but it was Blue Tag which was the color of the day so I got it for $7.00. It was originally a brown color so I sand it and painted it "Sea Breeze" color and then sanded it again to give it an "antique" look. Melissa was not a fan but I think it's grown on her haha.

I also found the table at Goodwill for $12.00 and it was Pink Tag so I paid $6.00 and it was falling apart but I noticed it just needed to be re-screwed. The main thing that attracted me was that it was all wood. I also sanded it and painted it "Antique White" and then re sanded to give an antique look as well. The metal container under it I found on clearance at Marshals for $5.00 because it was missing a screw on one of the handles which was a simple fix.

We also have a HUGE IKEA which I love, so I put together the 2 white shelves and bought boxes that complimented colors from the curtains to add more color. I was very excited to finally be able to have all my books out.

But last night Melissa and I emerged from our Thanksgiving coma and went to some Goodwill's. We went to one where they has everything 50% off and that's where we found the TV stand. It was originally $39.99 but I got it for $20.00.

I will also be getting a "free" sleeper sofa from Monico & Melissa so in total so far my furniture cost has been minimal. I am going to learn how to make my own sofa cover so I am very excited about that. More pictures to come :)

Puyallup Fair

One of the perks of having a brother thats a teacher is that I can sometimes score free tickets for fun things. I love the fair! I always have so much fun. The AV fair is always a big thing in my hometown, so when Monico said he had free tickets to the Puyallup fair I was all over that.

It was actually bigger than I expected and reasonobly priced. We had alot of fun at the games mainly because my brother rocks at them so we got lots of stuff toys. I don't know what it is about cheap fair prices that when you win them one gets so excited.

We had a great time and can't wait for next year.

Vancouver Aquarium

One of the places we visited was the Vancouver Aquarium. I lived in Monterey and their aquarium is pretty amazing so I was excited to go visit this one. Again the weather was beautiful. Here are some of the pictures.

CANADA or BUST

Since I moved to WA we have talked about going to Canada. it seemed every time we talked about making the trip things fell through :(. So we made a last minute trip and hoped the weather would cooperate with us, which thankfully it did.

We went to this restaurant and I can't remember the name but what I remember is that they love their mayo. Instead of ketchup I was offered 3 types of mayo. Canada also has plenty of Tim Horton's donut shops which we had to visit as well.

Canada is a very beautiful country. We stayed in Vancouver and its a combination of Seattle and NYC except it's very clean. Melissa was our navigator and found some very cool places to visit.

It was a short visit but I look forward to visit again :)

Bluff Trail & it's lessons

I don't know about you but there are times when I just have to get out of town and clear my head. So I did some research and looked for some trails that I could head out for the weekend. I decided on Bluff Trail. It was an overcast day but it was perfect weather for the hike. The hike started on the beach and then it went all the way to the top of the mountain with a view of the coast. I had so much fun.

On Sunday I was teaching the class in Relief Society on Eternal Marriage and I had been stressing out about it because I have never really have made "marriage" a priority i my life. To me it's something that other people do but not something that I want to do myself. I always feel so close to my Heavenly Father in nature because to me the beauty of this earth testifies that He lives. So as I finally make it to the top I look over to the view and see a wedding getting ready to start. I could not blame them for choosing the location because the view truly was breathtaking. But as I sat there I couldn't help but think of how no place can replace the temple. yes the location was beautiful and the bride and groom looked so in love but it was "til death do us apart".

I won't say that I received a big testimony and how I now marriage has become my priority but it was a moment of peace and a moment where I knew that I knew the principle of eternal marriage was ordained by a loving Heavenly Father. I was also reminded of those amazing people in my life who have been amazing examples to me of the marriage I hope to one day have. The Lord is always ready to teach us if we are willing to open our eyes and hearts and that is amazing.

Summer Road Trip

One of the things I love about WA is that there are plenty of places to visit. It's quite nice because it's like a mini vacation within the state :) I had been to the coast but the north side of the state, so we decided to head south. We stayed in Ocean Shores in these really cute cottages by the beach.

The nice thing about this place was that it had no cell phone reception which was so nice to just enjoy the place. We visited this local light houses and museum. There was this local sea food restaurant and the food was AMAZING!

After Ocean Shores we drove down to Astoria, OR which if you're a movie buff that is where the Goonies was filmed. The drive was beautiful and the weather could not have been better. This was our last trip before we started school and a great way to say goodbye to summer.

4th of July 2011

Last year's 4th of July was a wet one and the first time I had ever seem fireworks in the rain. My friend Jessica was visiting from Monterey and we had a great time. I have always loved the 4th of July. Growing up we would go to our Stake Center and watch the fireworks being set-off from Palmdale High across the street. Later I moved away and it was a great time spend with friends.

This year Chelsea invited us to join her and her family on their boat and enjoy the fireworks off of Lake WA. Well how could we pass on that right? The day was beautiful and in good old American fashion we ate sushi and enjoyed the sun. I realized I had my camera on me once the sun started to go down so that's why the pictures are a little dark. But thanks to the Entrops I had a great 4th of July.

Monico's B-Day

I come from a family of four boys and 2 girls. Although we are all related we all have such different personalities. The reason I say this is because although I act really stupid and crazy around family and friends I am actually a very private person in public. I do not like any attention on me. My brother Monico for my B-Day made me wear this button that said "B-Day Girl" to dinner and I was mortified! It just felt like the longest dinner of my life.

so in a few days I knew it would be Monico's B-Day and I wanted to make it "special" so I went and got him a few things for him to wear for his B-Day breakfast. And well lets just say my brother has no problem with being shy & he rocked his look.

Monico's 2nd Master

It's been a REALLY long time since I have updated this blog. So I am actually havig to go way back. This June my brother Monico graduated from Seattle University with a 2nd Masters (Show-off hehehe)I am so proud of his hard work and the sacrifices he and Melissa have made.

He is currently living the dream. He is a Special Education Teacher at Garfield High School in the Seattle School District. His students love him and I have to admit I have never seen my brother happier. I know he is changing & touching lives for the better.