Letter to Oreo

Dear Oreo,

It's been over day since I last saw your cute little face, your big brown eyes and big clown feet. I'm sorry I wasn't there to say good-bye, I'm sorry you had to go but you must understand that I had to choose Luna over you. She has been with me for 12 years and counting, she has watched me grow as I have watched her. I don't understand why you didn't like her, why you kept fighting with her and hurting her. I know that she can be a little mean because she doesn't like to play but that is no reason to snatch her food/treats away, that is no reason to attack her and hurt her.

I loved you dearly and it was hard for me to say enough is enough. You and I know that I tried to train you, we gave you time and love but you just would not listen and I don't understand why. We treated you no different from Luna and Pucca. We spoiled you as we spoiled them, we let you sleep on the bed and cuddle with us whenever you wanted. We kept you indoors and worried about you every day as we did with them. We loved you as our own but you just could not accept Luna as your big sister.

I will always love you, remember you... I know you will find a wonderful home. Who can say no to your cute little face. I will always remember how you would watch me get ready in the morning, cuddle with me in the middle of the night and run to the door to greet me after a long day of work. I will always remember your silly little ways, like when you would sleep on the couch's back, how you would sleep under the bed and how you would sleep on my feet. How you would jump into the pool, sit on the steps and just look around enjoying a warm California day. I will miss you as my running partner, you were so good at running with me and you never pulled or tired.

I miss you and love you Oreo, I'm so sorry you had to go,

Your foster mom.

Happy Love Day!

Today Mr. Husband woke up sick, so sick that he called off of work and while I'm at the office he is sick in bed. It was so hard to leave him while he has a fever, a bad cough and body aches. I just wanted to stay home and care for him but there isn't much I can do. He just needs to sleep it off.

So today is THAT holiday. Yes, there are a lot of people that don't like it, they hate it and they focus only on the negative. But let's be optimistic and just smile through the day because there is someone out there that loves you no matter what!

Yesterday while I wasn't out and about taking pictures at the park I made cupcakes for the office. No, we do not have a holiday party. No, there is nothing going on. I just made cupcakes so that I can give them out and so that EVERYONE can have something today...

Here they are! The homemade cupcakes! They didn't come out as cute as I would like them to but they are still very yummy! Everyone who was willing to take one enjoyed it very much! I was even called the Valentines day angle by a student who I guess was watching me as I walked around handing out cupcakes. It made me smile.

For lunch assistant and I had a heart shapped pizza from Papa John's. We just had to get one because it just sounded so silly!

That pizza was so yummy! Now if you look closely you will see that there are no slices! We had to cut the pizza on our own! Also, the pizza isn't much of a heart but hey it was funny and oh so yummy!

Then... at 5 p.m. I got flowers delivered at work. I stay at work until 6 p.m. and so I got to enjoy my flowers for an hour. Who that flower shop really didn't manage their timing all too well... what if I would have left work at 5 p.m. today? Eek!

Flowers, ballons, and chocalate. WOW!

A close up for the flowers... I sure do hate filler but this is just something that guys don't know about. Mr. Husband is too cute.

Mr. Husband woke up pretty sick today, he had a 106 degree fever and is just feeling awful. It's time now for me to nurse him back to health. I hope I don't get sick.
I hope all my readers had an amazing Valentine's Day! Remember though to celebrate it everyday! 

Sunday Picnic

Today was such a beautiful, sunny day! Such a perfect day that I went on a cute little picnic with VeroBabies and her friend Noemi. We also made it a date in which to take our cameras and just take pictures of everything and anything for some practice. This was our fun fill day under the sun... 

 The beautiful sky and countless of trees...

 My beautiful VeroBabies...

 How can someone NOT love trees...

The colors here are just so amazing here! Her hair, lips, grass, the blue in her dress...

 Playing her ukulele during our little picnic...

 One of the many lake views...

Noemi posing for us on one of the beautiful bridges in Fermount Park, Riverside...

I see a face... do you?


















Catching VeroBabies take one of her amazing pictures...

My little size 4 flats against the wonderful green, green grass...

Noemi jumping around...

 The rose garden...

 Noemi lost in the winter roses...












This is me... curves and all. My gray hair, I wear with pride. My legs are strong, my hips are wide, my feet are tiny and my cheeks are chubby. I'm not perfect but this is who I am. This is me, carefree and worry free, this is me in love and loved. This is me...

  

It's Here! It's Here!

Early this week I finally ordered my amazing, cute, girly camera bag and today it finally came in! 

Camera Bag Post

Let me just say that it is massive! But what can I expect when it will hold my MacBook Pro, my camera and extra lenses? Plus everything else I would normally carry in my purse. It basically looks like a school bag but I have no problem with that since... I am a student of life and I work at a university. This only means that I will look more like a student than before. 

Package from the outside

Finally open... does it not just look so welcoming!

This is it! Yes, there is some hot pink to it! 

Dust bag, and thank you card for buying it! 

This is just so amazing to me! This just makes me want to buy another when I get a chance to and when I need a change. Everything came perfect and I can't wait to use it tomorrow. 

Yes, tomorrow will be the day that I will be carrying my camera with me EVERYWHERE and my MacBook Pro EVERYWHERE! This should be fun but I'm sure there will be days in which I don't want to carry it everywhere... and then I'm sure I will feel very naked with out it! 

I'm oh so very excited!! 

Three and a half years later and I still don't know...

Back in the summer of 2007 I graduated with my bachelors in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Very impressive and surprising right? As I have stated before, I never thought of getting my masters degree in anything and being the first in my family to obtain a degree I honestly thought I was done. I've done what others in my family have not and I've set an example. I made my parents proud and I for a moment I was proud of myself as well.

A year later I got a good state job at CSU, San Bernardino in the Public Administration office and then in less than two years I was promoted in that same department. While I love my job and I'm good at my job I feel that I need more. My classes are paid for here at CSUSB. All I really need to pay for are my textbooks so since I have this wonderful opportunity I should just get my master's degree, right?

I have been torn though, I feel that I just need to "Man Up" and make a decision already!

At first I was thinking I would get my MFA, Masters in Fine Arts with a concentration in Creative Writing. What am I going to do with this degree? Honestly. Nothing. One of my goals in life is to be published but I don't need a degree to have my work published. I just need to push myself, work hard and be dedicated with my work. So why waste another two years on a "fun" degree when I can get something that will help me.

Now, for some background on what I do at my job. I help MPA students get their degree. I advise them, mentor them, and guide them through the program. I help the professors and I manage the department. All the professors ask me from time to time why I'm not getting my MPA...I never have a good answer for them. The reason I have stayed away is because, I think it might be too hard. In any master's program students must maintain a 3.0 GPA, I'm terrified that I will not be able to do that and I will let myself down. I'm terrified because I will be showing a whole new side of myself to my co-workers/professors. How smart I really am not...

I feel that enough is enough though, I need to just grow up and do something that will mean something in my life. A masters degree in Public Administration will do just that, at least I think so. This time around I will be the first in my family to go after a master's degree and so I want to make the right choice, I don't want to fail. I have already reached out to a few professors and have asked for their advice, I've even asked a few MPA alumni and current students what they think about the program and the work load.

Talking to Mr. Husband he feels that it would be best for me to go after the MPA. He says that he will support me, he knows that I will succeed and doing something hard will make me grow. Mr. Husband is so smart and so right.

In addition to a masters degree I also want to be certified/fluent in ASL (American Sign Language). Three and a half years ago I took  a course and I fell in love with it, since then I kept saying that I will take more classes, have I? No. So, this will be something else that I will want to accomplish soon enough.

I have so much thinking to do and the clock is ticking... you're thoughts are very much appreciated and so if you want to offer up some advice please do. I'm more than happy to listen and take it all in.

Hard at work during a work event, always working with a smile

Waiting like a kid waits for Christmas...

Yesterday at work a professor, (one that gave me a lens for my camera) asked if I had my Nikon with me. He wanted to take a picture of a man that was waiting to get his taxes done by the VITA students. The man had this amazing face, not beautiful but just amazing. Just looking at him you could tell that he has lived a hard life but a beautiful life. I kind of kicked myself in the butt for not having my camera and it would have been rude to go and take your camera phone and ask to take his picture. At least with a SLR camera you will look professional and not scare him off.

I for one do not take my camera with me to work and he was surprised. He said that if I really want to get my money out of it and take it serious then I should have it with me EVERYWHERE. He's right. I haven't really been using my camera and there have been times in which I wished that I had my camera with me to take a picture of something. Plus having my camera with me will help me with my blogging.

The reasons that I don't like taking my camera everywhere are:

1. I don't want to get my camera and lenses stolen. Let's be realistic, EVERYONE knows what a camera bag looks like. Everyone knows when something good is in there. I, at times have to walk to my car at night and I do not want to have to run to my car so that I don't have to worry about someone snatching my camera.

2. I hate the look and feel of my camera bag, it's big and ugly. Mind you, this is one of the nicer camera bags. I didn't pick it out either, it came with the bundle.

3. I don't want to have to carry two big bags with me to work and class. It's bad enough that people at work think I'm an odd ball because of my big Juicy bag.

So what is the solution? I buy and get a cute camera bag. Do these exists? YES! I have been looking around and finally I just made myself buy one.



http://www.epiphaniebags.com/

This will be the bag that I will be getting! I wanted it in purple BUT I would have to wait until April for the purple one so I got it in black because black goes with everything right?

This bag is amazing! It can hold the following:

1 15" macbook pro with battery cord, 1 camera body with lens attached, 1 long lens, 2 extra lenses ,wallet, keys, cell phone, and other miscellaneous personal items.

This is amazing for me because what did I just get this past weekend?! A macbook pro! Sure mine is only 13" but hey as long as it isn't bigger than 15" it's all good. What I love is that no one will be able to tell that it is holding a SLR camera. Sure it will look like a school bag but I don't mind.

So my readers, soon all my posts will have very amazing photos!

What do you want me to take pictures of? What do you want to see from my beautiful everyday life?

That Holiday so Many Love to Hate

Remember grade school?

When every one of us would be excited about passing out valentine cards, candies, goodies? Everything was so much simpler then. There were no couples, well no real serious ones. There was no drama. Everyone was shown love and everyone received something that day. Now, oh how time has changed us! Why is it that after grade school we ended this tradition?

What changed? Why is it that we no longer let our friends know just how much they means to us? Have we forgotten just how important our friends are to us? Aren't they still? To me the few that I have, I hold them near and dear to my heart. I may get upset and cry over the things that they do that cause some pain but I get over it, forgive and move on. I'm sure that from time to time I cause pain to my fellow loved ones. I don't mean to... but that is a whole different story and there is no need to get into that.

Either way, the silly goose that I am, this year again I am sending out valentines day cards to let them know that they are loved. We need to remember that Valentines day is not only for couples, for people in love... it is also for friendship! We must not forget about our friends this day, our single friends, our married friends and our coupled up friends. Everyone needs to be loved. Lets let go of the bitterness some of us hold for this hallmark holiday and celebrate it for everyone that we love.

Buy a bag of candy, chocolates and just hand them out to your family, friends, co-workers. Everyone that you want to show that they are cared about! I'm sure that every person that you remember that day will be thankful for it! Even the girl at work that gets the dozen roses, sure she has someone loving her but I'm sure she will also love to feel appreciated as a friend, sister, mother, grand-daughter and so on. Either way, don't let this upcoming holiday bring you down because if you're not in a relationship I'm sure you are still LOVED!

While I have many friends I love these two are the ones that I feel are always around and I can count on but still... this year I plan to change that. I plan to hang out with many more of my girls!

So girls, guys all of you! Remember your friends and all your loved ones this year... be the first to make the change.