My Love of Letters and Books

 

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I have a HUGE love for books, good books I might add (Ok I did read and own all the Twilight Books, so please don't judge me) and I absolutely love handwritten letters. When I get a handwritten letter I feel like a child on Christmas morning. Why you ask? It's simple, someone thought enough of me that they took time out of their busy day to write me a letter. I think in this day an age technology has made our communication instant, but at the same time we are so disconnected at the same time. I know I myself take the people in my life for granted and think because I wrote on their "Wall" on Facebook or send them a text that I have talked to them. In reality I haven't and a lot of the times I'm surprised to hear about big events or changes in their lives and that's usually when I pick up the phone and catch up.

So today I went to Kohl's and they had some really cute Dr. Seuss cards so I bought some and figured I would send them to my nephew Billy who is in Boot Camp right now and can only get handwritten letters. As I saw the Dr. Seuss note cards it reminded me of my second love, BOOKS! I enjoy reading many types of books, Romance (not the trashy ones), History, Biographies, Self-help, Cooking, Travel, Friendship, Religion, and I can't live without my Classics. It was through books that I feel in love with travel and knew that the world was a big place and i wanted to see it all! I also found the great love of my life, Mr. Darcy. As I sat there waiting to pay for my things I thought about the man who taught me this love, my father. I have to say I am so thankful for his example for reading. My father didn't learn to read nor write until late in his life and once he did he went crazy reading as much as he could. When I asked him why he read so much he said " I spend so many years not being able to read i have to catch up." How many of us take that simple ability for granted? When was the last time we read a good book? I have a goal of reading at least 2 books per month and I enjoy that time very much.

How will I connect these two random things together you ask? With a simple challenge, write a letter to someone who has given you a love for something. It could be a coach who taught you the love of running, your mom for teaching you to love to cook, or a simple note to say "I was thinking of you." I know I'll be writting my father.

Hello, My name is Monico Ernesto De Leon

 

I'm an auntie again! YAY Baby Monico Ernesto arrival was earlier than expected but very much welcomed none the less. I know I'm biased but he is seriously one handsome devil! He had stoped growing at 28 weeks and was not getting enough oxygen so the doctor decided to do an emergency C-section at 33 weeks. Mommy and baby are doing great.

 

Everything happened so fast that I don't think we had time to react because it was over before we knew it. For me it was after that I thought of all the things that could've gone wrong or that could go wrong but when I saw that 3lbs bundle my heart melted. I don't know what it is about a new born that makes you realize your heart is no longer yours because this tiny human who you've just met has captured it. I just cried because I felt I was looking at the most beautiful creation Heavenly Father had ever made, and here I was getting a private tour of one of His master pieces. And if that's what I felt  I could only imagine what his parents were feeling at that time.

 

As you can imagine you will see plenty of post on baby Ernie and our adventures as I spoil him rotten and get to enjoy him.

Happy New Year!!

 

I bid 2012 adieu and welcomed 2013 with open arms. Here are a few highlights of 2012. Family: Well 2012 has been a very challenging year for the De Leon Family to say the least. Many health scares and many blessings of health at the same time. Miguel entered the MTC to serve a mission and Billy went into boot camp for the US Marines. On a side note let me just say that most of the time I feel young but it's until I have my nephews going off to college, missions, military service that I feel like "Old Man River" here. And after 13 plus years of waiting, Monico and Melissa are expecting their 1st baby! We are all very exited for the new addition to the family. Health: 2012 was the start of getting healthy and back in shape year. In March I joined Weight Watchers and made the goal of doing one 5K each month as a way to stay motivated to be active. It was a rough start as all things are, but as the year has progressed it's been so fun and nice to be able to be back doing the thing I love the most, running. As of December I had lost 20 plus pounds! Work: As I mentioned before on my last post there were some changes going on at work. Changes that I was not a fan of and so when the offer of taking a lay off came along I was very excited. I felt bad because I know I should be grateful for having employment in this economy but work was really taking a toll on me emotionally and physically. In short, I just couldn't work for a man I didn't respect, so my last day of employment was 12/31/12. So what does 2013 hold in store? I have absolutely no idea! And anyone that knows me knows that I ALWAYS have a plan, I must always have a plan. The only set plan I really have is to go back to school and be a full time student. I feel I have finally figured out what i want to do when i grow up and I'm looking forward to this new adventure. I'm also very excited to be completing my one year of 5K's in March and ready to start 10K's in April. I hope Heavenly Father continues to bless our family with much needed health as I know we will need it. I look forward to seeing what great things my nieces and nephews will accomplish. I can't wait to meet my new nephew and enjoy every minute of being an aunt. I am extremely thankful that my Heavenly Father has a plan for all His children and even if at times we feel completely lost its a wonderful feeling knowing that He knows who we are, what we need, and when we need it. Ever since I moved to WA nothing has gone according to plan, but I have never doubted that my Heavenly father brought me here for a reason and I've just been enjoying the ride.

Christmas 2012

 

I am having a hard time falling asleep so I figured I would update my blog since I have not done so in quite some time. I'm quite excited I finally made it to my Christmas post, YAY!!! But then I thought "Ummm what did I do for Christmas?" Well Christmas was very quiet. My friend Jessica who I met in Monterey, CA came to visit and it was so much fun seeing her again. She is getting married this year so I was very excited her fiance was able to part from her for a week so I could hang out with her :o) Many changes were going on at work so I decided to use my vacation while Jessica was here and stay in town for the Holidays. My big Christmas dinner was awesome pizza and apple cider, it was delicious. Another fun thing I did was go see the movie Les Miserables. Oh my heavens what an amazing movie! I feel like FINALLY there is a movie that has done justice to the musical & book. I was crying the whole time, the music was beautiful. There is a scene when Ann Hathaway is signing and she has just hit rock bottom, she realizes that she will never recover from it and her voice just pierces your soul. You feel her desperation in her voice, ahhh simply amazing.