Happy Birthday to Me

Hola amigos. Well, today is my special day. I am now 29-years-old. It has been a very beautiful day so far. I received many phone calls from friends and family. My love, has showered me with compliments and teases.

My wonderful co-workers left me the greatest card ever. When I opened it, I was in tears. No! Not moochy tears, but happy tears of course. I laughed and laughed because it was the perfect card. I couldn't believe they actually found something that awesome. You are probably wondering what this great card says. If I tell you it won't seem that exciting, but I'll tell you anyway.

Before I tell you, I have to give you some background information. A couple of months ago, we had a gathering at my job for a colleague that was leaving the company. The menu consisted of Chinese cuisine. Well at the end of the meal, me and a couple of my coolest chica co-workers decided to open our fortune cookies. So before anyone read it out loud, I told everyone about a game I learned during my college years. Every fortune must end with the words in bed.

They all looked at me like I was crazy, but they decided to go ahead and see if it actually made sense like I had told them. So the first girl went and her fortune read "Don't be afraid to take that big step in bed."
After that one everyone laughed and read there fortunes with giggly appease. So I am now the girl who made Chinese fortune cookies dirty.

Well, when I opened my birthday card, I was surprised to see that the card had this in the front. "When NOT to add the words 'In Bed' to your fortune: You will grow closer to your family_ _ or You will achieve career success _ _ or You will meet hundreds of people_ _."

I loved it so much I had to blog about it. Rarely in my life, I have been given a card that made me laugh that much. It's definitely a keeper and all the inscriptions inside from the gals made it all the more special.

Well it is officially 4 days before I say "I do." I can't wait to marry the LOVE of my life. Next time I write, I will be a married woman.

As always, remember to take a zen moment and reflect.

"It is not age that defines you, but wisdom." Zen

Comicbook Love!

Hello amigos! Today, I thought I'd share a little bit of me and my amor's conversation, which serves as a case in point that men aren't always the best listeners. We were hanging out this weekend. All was well; we went roller blading, ate out, and then sat in our front porch to enjoy the day.

I had a moment of wow. You know the kind of moment that makes your heart race and your palms sweaty. It hit me like a ton of bricks that it really was only 1 month before our wedding. As I verbally expressed this quite panic, I expected him to agree and maybe join in with a comment. Instead, there was only silence. I turned over to look at him and he was in deep thought or rather day dreaming. "Hey", I said. "Did you hear me." He looked over and said, "Yeah, ahuh." Clearly he did not, but I smiled and kissed him on the forehead. My wow minute had ceased and a peaceful afternoon lay ahead.

Here is a comic I created to replicate that moment. Enjoy!!!

Don't forget to take time out and reflect with a zen moment!

"Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them"
....Zen Quotes by Alan Watts.

Bridal Bliss

Hola amigos. Well, I had a fantastic weekend. This weekend was my bridal shower! Yes! It was an awesome time with friends and family and gifts. There were lots of gifts and even though I chose most of them in my registry, it was exciting just opening them and revealing them. My maid of honor Tina, did a wonderful job. She hosted the gift unraveling and included prizes and even a trivia quiz about me.

The place looked amazing. There pretty twinkly lights everywhere and it was immersed in my favorite colors purple and lavender. My uncle headed the decorating operations and made sure all the details were just right. I even had my own chair, which also had twinkly lights. it was a Jack and Jill affair, so the men were invited, but us ladies had a little private time for ourselves too. ;)

There was one incident that could have been handled better (putting it lightly). I received a gift under my grandfather's name, which made me cry because he has been "deceased for a year now. The card was beautiful and the inscription said it was from my grandfather and grandmother. So naturally I thought the gift came from my grandmother.

I opened it carefully and was amazed to see a set of two beautiful rosaries. This would have come from my grandmother because she is deeply religious and prays the rosary every night before going to bed. Well everyone clapped and I even took a photo with her and the rosaries. After that emotional moment, we continued opening gifts. My maid of honor then decided to make an announcement. I could tell she was troubled about making it, because she said this could be said privately later, but my future mother-in-law responded "No go ahead."

It turns out that the gift made in my grandfather's name was done by her. Well everyone was a little taken back and I of course was confused. But I graciously thanked her and moved on to opening the next gift. Everyone seemed to move passed it and not another word was uttered about it until my maid-of-honor corned me later during the remainder of the party to apologize about it. I told her I knew she did everything she could to make that moment go smoother and I hugged her. You see my mother-in-law, for lack of a better word, is an attention seeker and would do anything to bring attention to herself - even bring a gift under my deceased grandfather's name and say it was told to her by him in a prayer to do that. Yes!!! If cookoo comes to mind then you are on the right track. But enough about her. She is another 20 page blog post.

Aside from that moment, I had a great time. My cake was gigantic. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. It had a miniature bride and groom on it, which was very cute.



Oh yes, my aunt did get me a gag gift. A penis necklace. Yup! It was hilarious and I wore it throughout the night. We danced, laughed, and even had a karaoke session which was a blast. I sang Freak on a Leash with my future brother in law.

My fiance got down to Michael Jackson's Rock with You. It was an awesome time and one that I will cherish forever.

Hope you enjoyed the pics. Well until next time, remember to take a zen moment and reflect.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
~ Mark Twain

Here I Am

Wow. The last time I posted was in August about 8 months ago. So much has happened. I didn't buy that beautiful condo that I fell in love with, but I did mange to buy my first home. Yes! I'm a homeowner. I'm still not use to saying that. It makes me feel like an adult. I know, I know. I'm 28 going on 29 in May; I have been considered an adult for quite some time. Yet, there is just something about owning a home that really makes you feel grown-up. People respond to me differently now. I have conversations about gas bills and the rising cost of electricity. I am now part of the home owners club where venting about rising taxes and interest rates is the main objective.

Don't get me wrong. I love owning my own home. Mi casa is a great place. I have so much more space and ideas for decorating/designing. But my pockets say, "Mamacita hold up. You are still getting married and have that wonderful mortgage to pay." So for now, home renovations have come to a halt. We did manage to redo our living room and added our own personal touches throughout the house. So we are content. It took a lot of work and sacrifices (mainly sleep).

We truly feel blessed and know that all the work was well worth it. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you the best part. I live across the street from my parents. Some of you are shuttering in dismay. Hold on now. It has been going good thus far. My fiance would agree with that statement. I know some of you are thinking of the show Everybody Loves Raymond. It's not like that at all. I hardly see my parents. Mom works nights and dad is a busy man. He is a singer and performs a lot. But it is a comfort to know they are close by. =)

Well, I have to say it feels good blogging again. Life is great!!! I honestly couldn't ask for more. I now have a new zen place.


Home sweet home!!!

Well until next time, don't forget to take a zen moment and reflect.


Zen is not some kind of excitement, but merely concentration on our usual everyday routine.
Shunkyu Suzuki

And Then We Woke Up

Hello all. It has been about two weeks since my last post. A lot has happened since then as you can imagine. I saw a loft with my fiance that we truly fell in love with. They are actually under construction until early next year, but we saw the show room of a sample apartment. The apartment was hooked up. We are talking granite counter tops, bamboo flooring, ceramic tiles and stainless steel appliances. As we walked through the showroom, we individualized ourselves sitting down watching TV or hanging out in the kitchen with family members.

After looking around, we began interrogating the sales women. She pointed us to the different blue prints neatly placed on a wall. We were immediately drawn to the 2 floor, 2 bedroom apartments. They layout was awesome. The bedrooms were spacious with walk in closets and it came with a personal sun porch. she then asked if we wanted to see the apartments under their constriction phase. We immediately said yes. She gave us hard hats that you usually see on construction workers and began our tour. My fiance, who is a certified carpenter and who works with contractors, was engaging himself on all of the details of the construction. He asked very specific questions regarding layout and design. I was just nodding in agreement with all that he said. When honestly, I had no clue of what he was talking about, but it was important enough to bring the chief engineer down to talk with us.

After our tour, we decided that we wanted to take a packet home on the application process. It wasn't till then that we actually got to see what the lofts were being sold for. After bringing our eyes back into our sockets and patting each other sympathetically, we addressed the sales women. She smiled at us and said, "Yes, they are pretty expensive. But the property is projected to increase on these lofts after 5 years...so they are a good investment." We looked at each other and then smiled back at her and told her we would be in touch. It was like being in a perfect dream and then being rudely awaken by the slap of cold concrete. Sigh!!! Well we still have the packet and it sits comfortably on the coffee table waiting to be opened and examined.

We are planning a wedding at the moment and know that this is our first financial obligation, but it hasn't been tossed in the garbage so at least there is still hope. I just keep thinking about those floors. They're real bamboo you know. Well, until next time, take a Zen moment and reflect.

"Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking."
- Goethe.

A Meeting with Father Frank

On Saturday morning, we arrived for the first of many meetings with the man who will marry us. Father Frank graciously welcomed us in his office with open arms. I was quickly drawn to all of the photos on the shelves and walls. They were everywhere. People of all ages and ethnicity's smiling back at me as I glanced at their beaming faces. Noticing us starring at the photos, he began to tell us a little about some of their backgrounds like where they were from, how he came to know them, and what they are doing today. I was deeply impressed. Father Frank was responsible for helping many of these faces get a college education and helped them find work. Many were from different countries like Africa and South America, to name a few.

As we continued to talk, there was a knock on the door. Father Frank welcomed them in. It was a young man. He nodded at us and apologized for the disturbance. Father Frank said, "Don't worry about it. Come in!" He then introduced us to the young man and told us that he was leaving back to Ecuador the next day and that the church was holding a celebration for him and his wife because they had just completed their college education. We congratulated him and allowed him to speak briefly with the Father. After they were through, Father Frank sat in his chair and starred at us. Then without warning he looked me straight in the eye and asked, "What would you change about him?" All I could say was "Huh". He smiled and said, "Give me some examples of things that he does that you wish he didn't." I jokingly said, "Let me pull out my list." Everyone laughed. But then, when the laughter was over, I had to answer.

Now this meeting was not going exactly like I had expected. I went in thinking it was going to be more about getting the proper paper work filled out and maybe an overview of things we had to do throughout the year. It turns out that Father Frank has three different Master Degrees in Psychology along with a Doctorate in Theology/Psychology.

My answer consisted of careful analysis of what I think my fiancee can improve on - NOT! I was put on the spot and trying hard to think of something that would not make me or my fiance look like fools or worse...cause an argument later when we left. So I quickly spoke about my very detail orientated nature of having to plan everything and how sometimes my fiance can be very inpatient. He then said, "A lot of men have this problem. Women by nature are more organized then men and that is why 90 percent of my staff were women when I was a principal at a catholic high school. Then, it was my fiance's turn to answer the question.

He was consumed in nervous laughter. All of the things that were going through my mind, seconds before, were now going on in his. He then said, "Her planning...that has to be something that I can't stand sometimes." And the referee calls, "Safe". He stood in the safe zone - as I did. Father Frank quickly paraphrased what he had said before and quickly moved on seeing that none of us were really going to say anything that may potentially come back to haunt us later. He then asked, "What is one thing you like?" Well this was an easy one. With out any hesitation I said, "His sense of humor", which is so true. I can have the crummiest day and he will find some way of making me laugh. And his answer you ask? He said my understanding nature, which is in tune with my zenness of course.

The day was spent with many more questions and even some tears. Tears? Yes tears. You see, his last question to us was, "If you had one moment to say something to him/her before you died, what would it be?" Wow! Talk about intense. He gave us a couple of moments to think about it before we answered. I went first and then he did (No. I won't tell you what was said - too personal). We then got up and hugged each other. It was really nice. Then the Father concluded the session by giving us a blessing. He walked us out and gave me some paper work to fill out at home. Then we parted telling him we would come to see him soon.

Although the meeting was different then what I expected, I learned a lot about my partner that day. It was an awkward, funny, tear jerky day, to sum up. The remainder of that day went smoothly as you can imagine. I just wonder what the other sessions will be like. One thing's for sure. I will bring my handkerchief - LOL. Until next time, take a Zen moment and reflect.


A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tzu

A Tail of Two Ricans

In the mist of axes, chains, bloody rats, and devilish attire, I saw a young man who took my breath away. He was tall, dark, and handsome - You're thinking quite the cliche, but it's true. He had long, wavy hair that reached his shoulders and dark mysterious eyes. I was awestruck at the sight of this man. I was also deeply concerned about my appearance. You see, I was wearing bunny rabbit ears, with a tee that had a huge white star, black jeans, and a vampire cape. No I am not a loony, I was working at a Halloween shop in the local mall.

As I began re-stacking masquerade masks to their proper places, I saw that one of my fellow co-workers began talking to this handsome stranger. They were chit-chatting for awhile, but to my dismay there were no looks my way. Stupid rabbit ears! As I continued stacking masks, I noticed a costume on the floor that needed to be put away. I nervously carried the costume just behind the rack of costumes they were standing in front of. As I made my way back to the masquerade section, the co-worker who was speaking to the handsome stranger made his way towards me. I smiled and said, "Wow, who is that you're talking too?" He looked back at me curiously and said, "Why? You like him?" I said, "He is really good looking." Then he smiled and said, "I'll be right back." I quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Where are you going?" He then looked and said, "Don't worry. He asked about you too?"

I was mortified. All sorts of things started popping in my head. What will he tell him? What will he think? I am such a loser to have a co-worker approach this man for me. After about two minutes, my co-worker came back. He told me to go over to the horror and mask section. I was dumb founded. I am suppose to meet him where? Everything was happening so fast... before I knew it I was being shoved over there. My heart begin to beat faster with every step. I approached and saw him waiting for me. He smiled and said hi. I shyly replied hi (looking mostly at the floor out of embarrassment of what I was wearing) and then he asked where I was from. I told him and then he said something that has stomped me to this day. "You have an accent", he said. "An accent?" "Nobody has ever told me that before", I answered. After a moment of awkwardness, he asked for my number. I quickly looked for a scrap piece of paper and pen and wrote in perfect penmanship. He took it in his hand and glanced at it once and then said he would call me. I watched him walk away with dancing butterflies in my stomach.

Two days later, I got the magical phone call that has changed my life. I met a handsome stranger that day. And now I'm on the road to being his wife. Until next time, take a Zen moment and reflect.

Student says
I am very discouraged
what should I do?
Master says
encourage others
Zen proverb