February 2016

Today is an exciting and sad day :) it is 2/3/2016 and we are getting out of  Dodge :) going to Alabama for Mardi Gras :) Such an exciting time :) its a new family tradition :) we plan to go every year now :) this is our 2nd year in a row :)

Its great that our trip for Mardi Gras also landed on Super bowl weekend :) We had a great time doing it all :) We SO enjoyed seeing the family :) We had our share of waffle house and home cooked fried food :) We always get church in when we go down south :) I LOVE it :) GREAT sermon :)
2/3/2016 before we got out of dodge we had to lay Man down to rest :S it was the hardest decision ever :S but we had to do it :S So, we finally did after going to the Vet 3 times.  He is one of the best dogs EVER :) truely mans best friend.  He was just in bad shape :S he couldn't hold any food down, couldn't get up on his own and was limping A LOT :S we said we would never have a dog living in misery so we did it :( still was the hardest thing EVER :S he's playing with his brother Bear.  All dogs go to heaven.

The Man
Mans best friend :)

Photo op with Granny :) Williams family :)
Franklin Street Baptist Church
Then we got back home & back too our regular routine which didn't consist of anything :S
I had crafts to do with the kids but those plans got cancelled but I still did some things for B :) I bought him a frame with a love saying on it :) made him gifts :) A lottery bouquet and a bucket of cheap date ideas :) We werent big winners and well see when we embark on our first date :) I bought him a stout and made him a cake :) I like being crafty :)

That weekend we went to the Riverside Black History parade/ car show :) it was cool :) totally an experience :S can't believe we went from Mardi Gras to this :S 

 We had lunch at Heros in Riverside with the Burrell family to end our day :)

Then I got to go baby shopping with my mom & sister :) we had a fun filled day and got all our shopping in for a GREAT bargain :) we got all this stuff & didn't have to pay much at all thankfully :) we had tons of coupons & went on a good sale date :) we are so bargain shoppers :) I don't do anything these days without a coupon 

We are such bargain shoppers :) we got a hell of a deal on all this stuff :) 

I got another date night in like I usually do on the weekends :) I am SO blessed & spoiled :) On the Border Restaurant has picked there game up to :) totally an  enjoyable menu :)

Then my cousin and BFF came over and I enjoed the day with them.  I got my 1st hike of the 52 hike Challenge in and I was SO excited :) I decided to challenge myself this year and have been bummed I haven't gotten any in until now :) it was a GREAT girls days :) we enjoyed GREAT girl time on our hike and ended with a fabulous brunch that was much needed after our 2 hour hike :)

Etiwanda trails 2 hour hike so glad I got this in :)

Then we got to attend Coopers 1st birthday party :) such a CUTE kid :) and was GREAT seeing everyone :) Happy Birthday Cooper :)

Coopers 1st Birthday Party :) had a BLAST :)

Then I went on hike number 2 out of 52 :S with my friend Michelle :) it is always an experience with her and I love that being with her pushes me :) she loves to push me :S and I may be bitching & complaining the whole time but I love it too :) She motivates me :) We found a new loop in Chino hills that was 2.1 miles but we added to it for the day and did 4 miles :) We both love to be active :)

Overall this is my month of February in review and I plan on staying active in March :) and my diet has been ok as well :) Ive been doing a good job staying away from soda and I have no complaints when it comes to lint :) My diet welcomes all the fish :)

Yummy fish dinner I whipped up :) Fish, asparagus and baked red potatoes :) all recipes has been doing me right :) I LOVE that app :)

My month in review, i plan  to pick it up in March :) I like to stay active :) nothing better to do and I have tons of time to kill :)

Im obviously taking a break from Facebook.  Ive just made a conscious effort to not post as often and not check it as often either :) Im doing OK :)

So now we are into March :) time just keeps flying bye :S In some respects I'm like slow down time  and in others I'm ok with it flying bye a lot to look forward too, like the return of my brother from deployment, the birth of a new niece / nephew and a couple of other things that I'm working on ;)

This month has been good :) I had a girls day/night that ended early :S  Brandon went to a bachelor party so I had the girls over :) he did his thing & I did mine :) :S We hiked, made a yummy homemade brunch, went to a baby shower ate pizza made the oreo brownies and watched part 1 of magic mike :) we had a GREAT time :) it was cut short though :S my niece went into labor so I had to take off :S me and the fam bam made a 12 hour drive 10.5 hours :) we made it in time for the birth of Cyrus Mohammed-Rida Hazzouk :) he is PRECIOUS  we left at 2am and made it there by 2:30pm and he was born at 5:06pm :)

Ive done this hike 2x now :) I like it :) time to keep exploring new trails though :)

Brandon took the train to enjoy himself in LA at the bachelor party :) I had to drop him off and we had to part ways :S

This oreo brownie is so yummy its worth all the calories :) I would SO suggest it :)

the prince and I :) he was 19 inches long and weighed 6.12lbs

The prince and his Great Grandparents :) my parents are so blessed to have witnessed this :)

My niece and the prince :) she did GREAT and had a good natural labor :)

 my dad & I with the Prince :) my dad so took in every second :)

the Grandma and the prince :) she is a Glam-mom and looks wonderful :)

 on his way home :) its incredible he looks big in here and then there is this :S

This thing looks HUGE for him :S he will grow into it :)

Ive taken a break from Facebook at first it was rough but not so bad anymore :) I just post everything here now to keep myself posted & up to date on all my life events :)

SO, since we spent some days apart we enjoyed our weekend and took this bitch out LOL thats here technical name :) but she is one of the best dogs :) we take here everywhere :) she did ok except for her occasional moments :S she SO has a soul of a rot :) she was trying to get into fights with dogs bigger then here :S she is such a nerd :)

On March 14th I also decided to celebrate Maleventines day as a thank you to Brandon for all he does :) SO, I did what I always do, I cleaned up and made him dinner :) Made his favorite :) Steak, Greens, mashed potatoes and watergate salad for dessert :) It was GOOD and I believed he enjoyed it :)

 New Garden Design

The garden is coming along wonderfully :) I LOVE that it is producing :) Brandon gave me a great idea and I ran with it :) I had other labels that I made out of rocks that I got from my friend Monica, but he was saying to be clearer use the wall and chalk, so I did and I LOVE how it turned out :) The strawberry tree is producing wonderfully, as is our bell pepper and jalapeño trees.  Our papaya tree has 2 full on papayas growing and a bunch of other seeds.  We only have 1 bundle of greens out there :S but that will change :) I will be planting more :) we added squash out there and I planted a new cherry tomatoes tree.  I can't wait for it to start producing :)

We bought this pear tree last month and it was brown and damn near dying :) but it has leaves now and is looking lively :) Cant wait till it gives us some pears :)

Fresh squeezed OJ is the best :) we only drink fresh OJ these days, our neighbors tree has so many oranges and they are hanging over to our yard so I pick them :) our lemon tree still has a bunch of lemons on it and our orange tree is going to have A LOT of Oranges this year hopefully :) it has a lot of flowers and I see it producing I just hope they stick :)

She is SO spoiled like I said she does everything with us :) she is Brandons new best friend :) they are SO attached :) she has a nice big dog bed upstairs, downstairs and outside, everywhere but where does she decide to sleep, with us of course, so we have to keep her clean because of my allergies :S and they have been crazy already this year so we will see how the year goes, Benadryl has been my best friend in the beginning of Spring when my allergies started to flare up :S

 We went out on a family outing for Easter and had some yummy Bubba Gumps :)

My nieces know the way to my heart :) I LOVE this time of the year because I get yummy Thin Mint cookies :) #GirlScootCookies#ILOVE THINMINTS

Its Easter So happy resurrection Day :)

Today is 4/1/2016 and is a BIG day for me and Joeys birthday :) Happy Birthday Jory #suchasweecharacter:)

We have had a BLAST the last couple of months and I hope everyone else has too :) We are beyond BLESSED :) I took a break from Facebook and it wasn't too bad :) but I am still here :) Thats part of the reason this post is SO long as well, its 2 months in review while I was on break from Facebook

Stay BLESSED people we plan too :)

January 2016

Happy New Year 

I welcome 2016 with open arms :) only seeing positive things in  our future :)  Today was a much needed LAZY day :) after laying it down at 6am today I have been LAZY all day :) 

got this in :) We spent the day watching the rocky movies  :)  Rocky 1,2,3&4.  we are getting ready for Creed so I needed the back story again :)
Then on the 2nd we enjoyed another Clipper game with the Burells :) We had such a good time :) Premiere access to everything is the only way we do things these days :)

Then last minute we decided to sneak away to Laughlin.  Our neighbors go every year and we decided to join them this year :) it was a good playoff weekend and we didn't come back big winners :S but thats ok :)

On our vacay he had to get his steak in so we went to his favorite spot out there :) I SO over indulged in the buffets and throughly enjoyed it :)       So I need to keep my activity level up.   I came back at an OK weight around 140 so no complaints over here :) my new jeans still fit :) I dropped a size back in October and those jeans still fit :)
Then the following weekend we were busy little bees but I like to try to get everything in :) Brandon had been sick as a dog :S So we had to reschedule an important meeting :S #Ihatethistimeoftheyearforhisbusiness:S
So, on Saturday we spent the day at the Schumann residence and enjoyed the playoff games and some really good jambalaya :) thanks Jamal for everything :) lets see when I actually try the recipe :)
then on Sunday we watched some more football games at home and had friends over :) Thanks Michelle and Andrew for coming over :) We had a GREAT time :)
Then back to a regular week :S and Ive had a stiff as heck neck for the past month :S I need a deep tissue massage so I need it to warm up so I can hit up Glen Ivy.  on MLK day I spent the day with my parents :) they massaged my neck and gave me a warm neck pillow that I had to go invest in because I SO needed it:S
Brandon has been SO sick :) poor guy :( this sickness took him out completely :S we even had to go to the doctors and everything :S I've never seen him SO bad :S but thankfully he got better and we were able to enjoy the playoffs :) There weren't any games on Saturday so we got that important appointment in :) well see what Uncle Sam takes from us this year :S I HATE him :S Then we spent the day with my bro Sean and our god son Isaiah :) Such a good time hanging out with the little man :) Then that day we planned to get together for the playoff games on Sunday ) We are SO last minute planners :S we had no set plans but that quickly changed :S like the night before while hanging out we planned it :) We are SO last minute :S it will be interesting to see what we do for Super Bowl :S no set plans yet :S I only know 1 thing for sure :) #ThanksforcomingoverSean&Andrew

Still on my workout grind :) I like being an active person :) I decided to do this 1x a month this year :) so the last week of the month I did this :) It is SO much easier to do it when he's not home :) It was HARD this time :S I don't remember it being so hard the last time I did it :S I missed chewing it wasn't that I was hungry :S I started off at 142.8 ended at 139.8 so a 3 pound difference :) ill take it :) I think I'm a 140 girl so I need to get over the 135 and embrace my natural curves :) just still trying to tighten it all up :)
The garden is still coming along wonderfully :) A lot died this winter :S but we also got a little something out there :S Our orange tree finally produced us with some yummy oranges this year :) our lemon tree has produced ALOT and is still producing :) we have only 1 collard stock out there :S this spring I will plant more :) our bell pepper tree is giving us bell peppers as is our Jalapeño tree :) the only thing bad about natural Jalapeños is that they are SO hot :S our strawberry tree has been producing here and there but is looking good now :) natural strawberries are SO good :) its like a strawberry with powdered sugar on it :) we also have potatoes growing out there :) our tomato trees are still there :S I'm hoping this spring they come back into full affect :) I also plan to plant some lettuce this spring and maybe some cucumber again too :)
This year/month has been good to us :S the only thing hard about this month is seeing how SAD my parents are with my brothers deployment :S I try to stay positive because at least we got to see him for christmas before he left :S but they have been SO sad :S I try not to think about him being out of the country :S being out of state is one thing & out of the country is another :) his family in Texas is trying to stay strong until he comes back safely :) #militarylife:S
its been a rough month for the man :S he totally isn't himself and just seems to be in a lot of pain :S he just lays there and cries some days its devastating :S  He's thankfully starting to do a little bit better and we trick him to tacking his meds LOL

I bought these decorations for the house :) I LOVE them :) they are so true :) all you need is a dog and love and it has been so hard watching this dog be so miserable :S 

In the mist of all this the hubby surprised me and called me last minute and told me to get ready that we were going to a Laker game :) #wonderfulsuprise:) We have been SO fortunate that we attended 3 Raider football games last year 2 Clipper games and 1 laker game so far this year :)#beyondblessed#enjoyinglife:)

We got to enjoy the game with the Schumann family :) 

Of course we had premiere access to everything :) the hubby wouldn't have it any other way :) 

At the end of the month I was blessed and found out that I am going to be an aunt again :) another monster to join the family :) So happy and SO excited :) it is something my brother has to look forward too when he gets back from his deployment :) Kid # 3 is on its way :) Glad y parents are excited and happy too :) 

Its been an eventful and blissful entry into 2016 so hopefully we are able to keep this going :) Stay blessed people and stay just enjoying life :) thats what I'm doing :) being a housewife has grown on me :) I'm not missing work, just the social aspect of it all, not the work at all :) Looking forward to an event full year and becoming a great aunt and aunt agin this year :) #BEYONDBLESSED#LOOKINGFORWARD:)

December 2015

Well its the end of the year :( but as you can see by all my post i've had a very eventful year :) I believe next year will be enjoyable as well and life changing :) We shall see what the future holds :) 

Its the beginning of the month and its this Angels birthday :) she's 21 years old on 12/1/15 :) but, we are not going to party like we are rock stars when she comes home for christmas #wedidntgettoseeherforthanksgiving:S because yes she is pregnant :) go ahead and be in shock cause I think I still am :S its something that I am still trying to process :S not only did my brother have a kid already my niece is about to have one too :S still in disbelief :S but like it or not I have to get ready because the new bundle of joy will be here in March :) 

 12/1/15 my thoughts are with my niece as she is celebrating away from home but also with my cousins in Arizona :) My cousins 2nd bundle of joy is coming today :) #prayers #theyshareabdaynow:)

This month has been extremely eventful and Santa came to visit us early this year :) I've been a really good girl :) he replaced my washer & dryer, which was much needed :S its been a hassle to wash close in my house :S So we SO took advantage of the black friday deals and were able to replace ours :) washing is no longer a headache, its SO easy and actually enjoyable now :) Brandon has been a good boy too :) he's totally on this health kick which is fine with me :) So, he bout himself a treadmill :) I was in shock :S but he got a really good deal :)

new Samsung washer & dryer #bargain:) 

his new baby :) Our garage is a full on gym now :) No excuses :)

he got a hell of a deal on this too :)

Im still on my workout grind and came up with a few new years resolutions :) I gave up coffee 2 years ago cold turkey, I drink hot chocolate now to warm me up on these cold mornings :) its been really COLD we went from extreme heat to freezing temperatures in California.  No real fall weather.  I am also going to limit my carb intake and try to reduce my rice intake which will be hard since I am cuban and rice goes with a lot of meals :S No more soda for this girls either :) I don't drink to much soda anyways I usually opt for lemonade or water when I am out and about so this shouldn't be too hard.  The workout accountability group is doing ok.  i still post stuff and keep myself accountable for my workouts :) I just wish everyone else would do the same :S If you want to join the group let me know  :) its a free workout support group where you just have to hold yourself accountable for your workouts ;) 

Santa thought we are the best people ever cause he surprised us completely :) on Friday 12/4/2015 Brandon called and informed me that he was trying to buy us plane tickets to Oakland cause his work friends have a suite and invited us to go to the game :) but of course trying to get last minute plane tickets was not happening :S and we had to many things going on Saturday :S We had a very important appointment to go to and Saturday evening and I was hosting a holiday party with some very important ladies :) So, we had to buckle down and do that 6 hour drive :S it does not compare to the bus trip last month :) that was well worth it :) the drive was no fun :S but we did it :) all for the love of the game and being a true fan :) 3x this year we attended a game :) incredible :) His friends had GREAT tickets :) we had VIP access to everything :) we got there around 10:30am cause we left at the butt crack of dawn :) he drove there :) we tailgated for a while then headed in :) I was in AWE...it was all amazing :) they have remodeled the coliseum a little bit since the last tine we had a suite 8 years ago :) the suite area was plush :) I loved not having to wait in a line to use the restroom and they had TVs and bars everywhere :) it was off the chain and well worth the drive :S So glad we buckled down and did it :) 

Then we had to drive home after the game :S it was a BITCH but worth it :) I drove most of the way back :) my anxiety kills me especially about having to drive at night :S but self talk was SO helpful and I did it :) we got home safely :) We didn't get home until about 12:30 and B had to be at work at 6am and I had a medical appointment at 1:30.  So we rested :) thankfully he can operate on little to no sleep but i'm a different story :S I need my rest :) So after my medical procedure that was supposably not a big deal we had a lazy evening at home :) I SO needed it and deserved it after all I had to endure this weekend  :) overall it was a great weekend :) B kept on telling me this is a glimpse into our future :) which I can see and dig :) it was an awesome experience :) the drive not at all but it is a doable drive and if you have a heart like we do for the game you would do it too :)

 Brandons co-worker my new friends :) #awesomepeople:) to bad we lost the game :( but it was a GREAT experience :)

Suite view :) we enjoyed the game from up here in the suite :) I can see myself doing this more often in the future :)
Then we had another surprise in the middle of the month :) we have been really good people :) It was Brandons BFFSs birthday and she wanted to go to a Clipper game :) So, we went to a clipper game :) Spent the evening at LA live and then had premier access into the game :) it was plush as well :) We enjoyed it so much we decided we are going back on 1/2/2016 for sure :) we are planning to make a day out of it :) it was also a GREAT experience :) We are ending the year on such a high :) I see this carrying over to next year :) we can only go up from here :)

We enjoyed the clipper game with these fabulous people :)
Happy Birthday Mrs. Wendy XOXO :)

Sweat shot :) In front of the Staples Center :)

Couple shot :)

Couple shot inside the game :)
Then I hosted a baby shower for my niece and we had a good turn out :) We were SO surprised my brother even came into town for the holidays :) So we had a blast and tons of cousin time :)

My brother & his family at the baby shower :)

I LOVE her theme :) it is elephants :) This is the wonderful cake my mom's friend made :)

US :)

This is the best picture I have of my sister and all the girls :S

Great Grandparents shot :)

This little monster had a GREAT tine hanging out with his grandfather :)

Then we went to the disney on ice show :) We had a BLAST :) Then I got a little nifty and decided to be crafty with the kids.  So we made Christmas tree brownies which they did a good job decorating :) Then we had this gingerbread house that was a complete mess :S So I had to opt to just give the kids pieces of the gingerbread and to go at it :) We also made reindeer lollipops :) they are cute and simple :) gotta love pinterest :)

Family shot at the Disney on Ice show :)

Cousin time :) The gils were shocking up Joey :)

Me & my Ellie Belllie

We got down in the kitchen :)

We had a fabulous christmas :) I hope everyone else did to :) Then the day after christmas B had a work function to attend :) it was his works holiday party at IPIC theaters is Pasadena :) this is the 2nd time we have gone to the movies here :) since the first time we went to the movies here we haven't gone back to a regular theater.  You can't after going here and spoiling yourself :) RF10 is the company he is working with and they are SO legit :) We saw Star Wars and it was a good movie :) I'm not a big star wars fan :S but it was still ok :) GREAT way to have a holiday party :) this theater is plush :) I haven't gone back to a regular theater yet but with all my xmas gift cards to the movies and having to see Creed like the rest of the word I have to go back to a regular theater, which is fine :)

IPIC theaters=Date Night/ Work function :)

Ita the end of the month, so end of the year, and I feel fine :) I didn't really have new years resolutions last year, which is fine :) All year i just continued to work on myself, keep the house up and stay active :) So, overall I've accomplished my goals :) I have the same new years resolutions/goals for next year.  No more soda, limiting my carb intake, continuing to work on myself, stay active and keep the house up :) So not to hard at all :) We had a FABULOUS new years :) Enjoyed the night and brought in 2016 at the Burrell House :) Enjoyed a few games and GREAT company.  Overall, it has been a GREAT year no complaints :) Goodbye 2015 you were good to use :) Hello 2016 we await and embrace all you have to offer :)

Happy New Year everyone :)