My Little Princess Mimi

Here's Mimi by the window and with her new toys. I am happy to say that she LOVES them!!!

The Pampering Christmas

Here are some pictures from Christmas day with my family. I have a gorgeous and wonderful family! I am so thankful to have them in my life. They're great!
I spent Christmas Eve at my mom's church for midnight mass and later on went over to my Godparents' house. It was a great evening! The following day, we woke up a little late than usual since my mom, bro and myself stayed up til 4:00am talking. We opened our gifts. Mostly, I was looking forward to seeing my mom open the gift I gave her. Which, by the way, was a Homedics pedicure spa! She wanted one for Christmas and I made sure she got one. The cool thing about it was that my brother got a dead sea spa manicure kit which is completely awesome!!!!! So both go together.
As far as gifts this year, I was totally blessed with many that I completely love. Mostly were pampering gifts such as perfume(Red Delicious by DKNY), makeup (drool), and the dead sea spa manicure kit. This'll come in handy as an escape during those crazy, stressful times. Of course, I gave myself a crock pot and a new laptop... (from November...kinda had to, though) and some silverware.
Later that afternoon, we went to Allen to see our family. We had TONS and TONS of food! My mom made her ham and my cousin made her famous Honduran Enchiladas. Along with that, we had horchata (silent h) which is a cinnamon rice drink (drool). All was wonderful and delicious and it was great to be around people I love!
I hope ya'll had a great Holiday!
Love ya'll!
Laura
Things to ponder: How to spend the last week of 2007? Coming soon to a blog near you! (LOL!)

Topsy Turvy

Well, here I am on a Friday night before Christmas stuck at home. I attempted to go shopping, but found myself coming straight back home. All the freeways surrounding my area were shut down. I'm not too thrilled about it, but I'll take this time as an opportunity to rest. I mean, it has been a really long day.
I've been a busy girl with my job and graduate school. I've recently finished my first course in graduate school and I PASSED!!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!!! :D It's a miracle...that's for sure!
With so much work and school work, Christmas snuck up on me. This year, I totally had no time to prepare which is unlike me. Worst of all, since we started our break today at 3pm just a couple of days till Christmas. So, I apologize for not sending anything out. But...

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Many Blessings to all of you! :D

Thinking of ya'll!
Abrazos (OOOOO) Besos(XXXXX) y Bendiciones (blessings),
Laura :D

YAY ME!!!

I am so happy and thankful to say that I made it through my first graduate course with Lamar! This research course was really challenging. I was totally out of practice. It was super insane given the facts that I started in the middle of the 3rd week of 5 weeks. Moreover, I didn't do so hot on the midterm(it was 2 days after I began), but only by the Grace and Mercy of God I am passing and points were added to my midterm grade. I was so stressed out and ready to quit. But that all changed when I was around friends who were so encouraging, supportive and determined to finish this program.
Well, I don't know my final grade as of yet. In the last week, an application assignment, a final exam, 3 journal entries have been completed. I hope I did well on these assignments. Whew, am I happy this research course is over!

The next thing to tackle is this coming week at work and christmas shopping that I have not started...which by the way won't be until the 21st. HA! Also, THE GRE!!!!! yay.

I hope everyone is doing well!
Take care and many blessings on ya'll!

A Quick Post

Hey guys,
Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. Things have been really insane on my side of the world. But, all the while, I am enjoying it!
Graduate school is kicking my butt. However, I have to keep in mind that I am doing 3 weeks of work in a matter of days since I got my laptop a into the third week of the course. But, this course is almost over! :) Also, I've been meeting up with colleagues for study time and it's been fun.
Other than that, I've become a full-time Rockwall church-goer. I felt strong that God was leading me to no longer go to church at Word of Life Family Church-Commerce. It felt like it was my time to let go and surely God confirmed it.
For those that don't know, I went to that church for more than 5 years. Thankfully, we've opened a church, Word of Life Family Church-Rockwall. Right now, we are in the process of moving into our own facility...God-willing...really soon. This church has been a great blessing in my life and God has used it to mold me into a better person. And, It's because of the awesome spiritual parents, my pastors, that He placed in my life. Now, I am a part of the staff as a Asst. Youth Leader and it's been great!
Well, work is keeping me busy and at the same time I am trying to figure out how to balance all these responsibilities in my life!

Ya'll take care and I hope to hear from ya'll soon!

Love,
Laura :)

Taking a Break...

1.So, I have been cleaning most of my evening. It's my fall cleaning time. My apt is starting to look great and ready for the holidays.

2. I started school last week and it's been quite a strain to be honest. I borrowed my brothers pc laptop and my internet connection would not work..:( So, now, I am way behind. But, I'll catch up. Last night, I ordered a Dell Inspiron 1521 Laptop in Jet Black. I am super excited!!!! I know it's going to help me very much with school. I should be getting it in the next week or so. It was a really good deal if I do say so myself, it was much cheaper than my current macbook.

3.Tomorrow, I'll be spending the daytime studying and doing some HW. Later, I'll head out to Dallas to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I can't wait to see them! :) They're a blast to be around.

4. My utility bill ordeal is still up in the air. My apt manager says if something on their part is found I'll get a rent deduction for this coming month. I'm waiting on God. He's got the answer. It'll all work out!

Have a great night!

Laura

Not A Quitter...

Well, here I am. It's been 4 days straight that I've been home. I'm tired of being sick, but I know that I'm on my way to a full recovery. It turns out I had an upper respiratory infection. I surely am not enjoying it, but I am taking advantage of getting some much needed rest.
Another thing, I started graduate school last week. I'm not liking the format of the whole program. For a moment, I wanted to drop the program. After coming to my senses, I thought to myself that this is an opportunity for me to learn some self-discipline. It's been a while since I had been in grad school therefore, it's going to take some time to get used to it. I'm not a quitter, I never was. I persevere and fight until I get to where I need to be. This is just a new challenge for me and it's what I've been waiting for so, I'm going to keep going. I know I'll be thankful for it later. I can always go for my other degrees after I finish, but I need to stay focused and on track for now. It's a growth opportunity and therefore I need to grow up even more.

Ya'll take care!

Love,
Laura :)

Untitled...heehee

Well, there is still no solution regarding my VERY HIGH electricity bill. But, the solution is out there somewhere. I've done my part and I'm waiting for an answer.
Other than that, I just got my installation CD for grad school, but unfortunately it didn't
work. They still don't have a mac compatible software. So, this means I have to look for a new computer. Thankfully, I just got my tuition reimbursement and can use it to purchase one.
Speaking of grad school, I just got my GRE study guide book. So, ya'll can guess what I'll be doing.
All in all, I'm just staying busy as usual.
So, now I'm going to spend the rest of my Friday night at the UPS office picking up some packages.
Take care and have a great weekend!
Love,
Laura :)

Life, life, life....

Had a great, relaxing weekend! On Friday night, I joined my APO family for dinner in Allen which was really nice and fun! On Saturday, I slept in until 7am and caught Ella Enchanted on TV. It is such a cute movie! Afterwards, I went to the mall to pay a bill and bought some black all-star chuck taylors..really cool and super comfortable!!! Later that evening, I went to evening service and came home to relax.
Today, I went to church and our Pastor was not there because he caught the flu as well as Brian who is having problems with his pancreas. I know the Lord promises healing and I am sure they are on the way to recovery! Well, after church I came home and slept for 2 and half hours!!!!! I must have been tired or something. Anyway, now I am doing absolutely nothing and just enjoying time at home.

Other than my weekend, this will be my last week before I start my master's program. I am super excited and looking forward to some new knowledge.

On a bad note, I received my utility bill last week and it came out to be $620.49!! I was furious!!!! Well, it turned out my A/C was acting up all along and it used an excessive amount of electricity. Well, I did call the utility company and they offered a re-read, but surely it was my A/C. I can't afford that and I have to pay $412.50 for my tuition this week!!! AAARGHHH!!!! It ticks me off, but I know it will work out. I have to take it up with the apt management and see what we could do because I have called many times to have them fix my A/C condensation problems, but it just kept getting worse.
Well, that's enough for now. I'll keep ya'll updated on this little obstacle!

Love ya'll,
Laura

My Thursday...

What's new? What's new? Not much. Work as usual keeps me rather busy as always.
As I was telling my class to quiet down during the school announcements, I found out that I made Teacher of the Week. Actually, I didn't hear my name, but two of my girls told me, "Miss, did you hear your name? did you hear your name? You made Teacher of the Week!" I responded calmly, "wow, I wasn't expecting that at all!" They said, "Congratulations!" and wrote it on the white board. All day I felt the love, heehee. It was very encouraging and I felt like I did not deserve it, but it was so nice. After the announcements, A group of the T.A.F.E. (Texas Association of Future Educators) came in and gave me a certicificate and a Otis Spunkmeyer cookie.....I felt special..(big grin!)
Afterschool, the Spanish Club got together to make flowers for our Teacher Appreciation Day to decorate the Teacher's Lounge. We're also giving out sweets and snacks! :D Hopefully the faculty will like it!

Those were the highlights of my day!

have a great day!

The Weekend!

Well, this week and weekend came and went. It flew by!
On Friday night, the youth went to Hell House in Cedar Hill. This house is not your usual, cheesy, corny haunted house. I would say it's a "reality" house that consists of the harsh realities our youth is facing: abusive relationships, school shootings, bullying, drug abuse, deception, self-injury and abortion just to name a few. It was very intense and those images are going to remain in me forever. Unfortunately, I didn't make it through the whole house because I almost fainted...yes, fainted. Either I became overwhelmed by what I saw or the strobe lights had to do with it. It was really awesome however!!!! I wished I could have finished, but you're not allowed to return. once you exit. If you want to go to a "haunted" house, go to Hell House "City of Death". It's definitely worth the $10
After that, we all went to Kara and Kevin's house for the lock in. It was so much fun, but I was so tired. I left around 2am because I had work the next day.
On Saturday, I did my usual Sat. morning errands and met up with my friend/coworker Stephanie to go costume shopping for the school's fall festival. She already had her costume, but she needed another one for teaching purposes. I couldn't find the chili pepper Iwanted, but I got the best thing...THE CAT IN THE HAT!!!!! Yes, I was the Cat in the Hat for the fall festival.
Anyway, the festival took place that same night and it flew by. The Spanish Club had a blast and so did I! We had the busiest booth....The bean bag toss. The members made it more interesting by having a member stick his head out through the holes as the little ones through a bean bag through the holes. LOL! It was a great night.
Today, I went to church and received some really good insight and word (another blog). After that, I drove to Dallas to help my cousin with his SAT application. It was really nice to spend time with my Godmother and cousin! Later on that evening, I left for home and started working on the progress report grades....wish me luck on that.

So, there's my weekend! Short, but busy! :D
Blessings,
Laura

Update...

Today, we had a staff development day at work...no kids. I got to see all the Spanish Teachers from the whole district. Which was really nice. For me, it was a half day since I only teach Spanish 2 and spent the rest of the day in my classroom cleaning and planning the next unit. I was happy to have accomplished so much!

Well, It's been an insane month with work, work, work. But, ya'll know I wouldn't have it any other way!:)
Sorry, I haven't updated. Well, not much has changed, but my hair....oh yeah...I CHOPPED IT OFF!!! It was time for a change. My hair was getting long and I don't do long hair too well (it gets stringy and looks unhealthy)...too much maintenance for my busy lifestyle.

My health is getting a little better. I have noticed that my metabolism has kicked up a notch since I started my treatment. I've lost a couple of inches. I can't tell if I've lost pounds because I have sucky, inaccurate scale. (There's 5 dollars I'll never see again,LOL!)

Other than that, school is starting for me soon. Nov 12, to be exact. I've been mentally preparing myself for what's to come. I know my life is going to change once again. I will have to make some adjustments to adapt to my new schedule.

Well, ladies and gents...I hope all is well!
Take care and I'll try to write more often. Like I said, October is bonkers right now!!! :)

Love you all and God Bless ya'll (I mean it!)
Laura :)

Fall is here....

I am excited to say that Fall is here. I love the weather...just absolutely love it! :D

That's all.

Have a great day!

October: The Eventful Month!

Here's a picture of Beans and Mimi sunbathing in the paradise of Garland, Texas..LOL! Beans stayed with me a week in September.
I'm just busy as usual. October is a very eventful month for me every year. I have several family birthdays, church events, and work events to make time for. My brother, my cousin and my God mother have a birthday this month as well as my dear bff Iris.
At work, I've got a Fall Festival to work and a Teacher Appreciation day to arrange with the Spanish Club. With church, we are going to Hell House in Cedar Hill towards the end of the month and have a lock-in the same night. That should be fun! :D Life's keeping me busy, but it's a good thing!

I hope everyone's doing well!
Take care and God Bless!

Love,
Laura

Where I'd rather be right now...

Oh yes, Australia!!! A girl can dream, right? ;)





I really miss traveling outside of the country very much...

Have a great weekend!
Love,
Laura :0)

update...

It's been unusually busy with work, work and work...it's non-stop!!! Yet, I still have so much more to catch up on. I've become more forgetful than ever and it's caused some problems. yikes...maybe I'm just rusty or unorganized or probably just got alot going on the past month! :D I am still blessed despite everything!

So here are some updates of the past couple of weeks!

1.Since I last wrote, I left off with the diagnosis of my thyroid situation. I'm taking Synthroid for my hypothyroidism/goiter problem. It really explains alot of what's been going on with my health.

2. Beans, Olga's dog, stayed with me all last week and it was alot of fun having her around. Since fall started, taking her out for walks at night was really relaxing.

3.Well, school is almost starting, however I come to find out that the university only supports PC/windows..uh, hello...what about those of us that have mac books...why do they always leave us out? (lol!) I guess I will have to do some of the studying at work on the Dell comp. Hopefully, they'll develop software that is mac compatible REALLY SOON.

4. This weekend was a 3-day weekend for me due to Fair Day for my district. It was very much needed! I got alot of things done including dying my hair back to one color. I had to buy a hair-color remover to remove my blonde highlights and the color I wanted to retint it with. As soon as, I rinsed out all of the color remover and dried it...I looked like the bride of frankenstein...I had 3 colors in my hair....my natural hair color, the color from spring 2006 and my highlights became frost! LOL! Of course, I retinted my hair with my natural hair color shade and ta-da...I was done! I was happy with the results and boy may i say that I was a little nervous about the whole thing, but it worked out! So, my hair is back to one color! WOO-HOO!!! :D

I hope all is well with everyone!
Love ya'll!!!

The Results are in!!!!!

My biopsy results came out well! My nodule is not cancerous!!!! I will be given medication for it on Monday.

I am SO Thrilled!!!! Praise GOD!!!! He promised healing and He kept! I am so thankful for His faithfulness!!!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!!! Without them, this would not have happened!!! :D

Love ya'll!!!
Laura :D

Today...

I went to the doctor for my biopsy. All went well, but I am a little sore...which is normal. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I will find out the results of the biopsy in 2 to 3 days!

Have a great week!

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!

Guess what??!!!! I am going back to school!!!! GRADUATE SCHOOL!!! My district is offering an opportunity for teachers to get their master's degree through Lamar University. It's an 18 month program that offers degrees in two areas: M. ED. in Teacher Leadership or M. ED. in School Administration. Of course, I am choosing the Teacher Leadership program because I know it will be very beneficial for me in the classroom. Above all...the best thing about it....MY DISTRICT PAYS FOR IT ALL!!!! :0) Many of my fellow colleagues are going to begin the program as well, so it will be really nice to have some study buddies.

I know I was close to going to Christ For The Nations Institute, but I am positive I will go when I finish my master's program. All in God's timing I say!!!
As you can tell, I am super excited. I am positively sure this is the right door for me to walk through!!! My first day is November 12!!! YAY!!!!!!!!

Love ya'll and God Bless!!!

Laura :0)

Doc's Appointment

I left work as soon as the bell rang this afternoon to make it to my endocrinologist appt. My nodule was checked and went through a sonogram. The doc told me that is was rather big and needs to be investigated. Next Wednesday, I have a biopsy or "bob-bopsy" (lol! only My Big Fat Greek Wedding Fans will get it). Continue to pray for me, please. I know all the necessary measures will be taken and I am only a step closer to making myself better..:0)
have a great day!
Laura

Tomorrow

I am finally going to see the endocrinologist tomorrow about my thyroid nodule. Keep me in your prayers. I don't know what to expect, but I am sure it will all be ok. I'm actually excited about taking care of it. This means I am a step closer to healing..woo-hoo!!! :0)
Have a great week!!! :0)

It's Smurf-tastic!!!!

1st week of school

It's been a whirlwind of a week with each day ending crashed on the couch sleeping up a storm and not even realizing it!!! Work has been going well. I am really thankful for my job. I love where I work. Each year, it challenges me to take it up a notch.

This week was great to meet all my new students as well as seeing my former students. During the week, I made an observation and realized that I am not the same teacher I was 3 years ago in fact, a year ago. There's something very different about the way I am approaching things. It must be all the experience from the past 4 years. Certainly, it's all God calling all the shots in the classroom and I am just a vessel willing to be used. My experiences this week have amazed me and blessed me.

Whenever I see my old students, I recall the rough times we went through. It hurts sometimes because I felt that I did a lousy job. Those were such rough years, but it was all growing pains.

Now, I see this new generation of students in my classroom and realize that each one of them has a bright future. These kids are awesome as well as those from the past. They deserve a good education and good guidance. They are entrusted in my hands that they will receive what they need. I will make sure that they do!

I guess I finally grew up! It was one of my goals this past summer. It was time to shift focus on others and not on myself (ya'll know how us single people are...it's all about us, lol!) God showed me this summer that I am a spiritual parent and that I am no longer a 20-something year old baby. My goal is to be a good example and a good role model, and oh yeah, teach them some Spanish while I'm at it, too...*wink...:)

Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend!!!
Love,
Laura :0)

Lately...

I've been extremely busy the past couple of days with working long hours. It's a phase I like to call "Falling off the face of the earth." It's typical around this time with school starting and getting things together and organized. This phase is still in effect and soon things will slow down at least that's what I like to believe, HA!
It was the first day of school and the beginning of my fifth year of teaching. The day went well and flew by! The kids were fine. Some are already crackin' wise. LOL! But, I am making sure it's getting nipped in the bud. I must have grown another layer of thick skin over the summer (I think this is my fourth layer, I tend to grow one every year).

Well, that's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well. Have a fantastic week!!!! :0)
Blessings,
Laura

1:1

1:1 (one to one) is the theme of this school year. We're focusing on building relationships with each student as well as with each faculty member.
It was great to be back. I saw my fellow colleagues and met new ones as well. All seem to be really nice, that's how we like it at work!!!
As soon as we finished our traditional first-day-back omelette breakfast, we settled into the auditorium and the opening meeting began. That meeting was powerful. I felt like I was in church because my principal was on fire and as he spoke, many colleagues were shouting out "AMEN!". That attitude ignited a motiviation in us. It was awesome. I can tell God is using him!
After that meeting, we were divided into our "crews" and sent off to our breakout sessions (staff development meetings). These meetings were short, sweet and straight to the point. The highlight of the day was seeing teachers play with play-doh as part of one of our breakout sessions on learning strategies. LOL! It was great.
So, overall....I saw great vids, learned and sang the fight song and school song, had a great lunch, played with play-doh, and laughed and threw out some old junk from my classroom. By the time I knew it, it was time to go home. I stayed till a quarter to 5. I wanted to stay late, but my shoes were killing me...:(
Have a great day!
Love,
Laura :0)

My Birthday Party...08/17/07

My friend Pamela threw a birthday party for me! It was so sweet of her. She picked out some really cute party favors. They were these little gold rings that had a colored stone in them. These rings were so cute!!!
A couple of my close friends came and it was a joy seeing them. We talked and laughed, ate and stayed up pretty late...4:30am!!!! Oh boy!! I was so tired the next day, but it was so worth it. I also received some pretty cool gifts, too. Got a Kohl's card, Bath and Body Works certificate, a really beautiful fridge magnet and a really cute Tweety PJ set!!! I was really blessed that night.

I am really thankful for wonderful friends...YES, all of you!!!!!
Every perfect gift is definitely from above!!!!
Love ya'll!!!

My Tuesday

Here's a picture of a clown fish at the aquarium at the Baylor University Museum. I absolutely love this picture. It's definitely of my favorites!
Many of you all know, I am going back to school. The application process has been slow due to outside circumstances, but it's coming together! I finally took the next step today towards my app process....the physical exam. Yes, my school requires one. Never heard of it and wasn't too thrilled with it, but I do what I gots to do!
The physical went well, however he referred me to an endocrinologist to check a nodule on my right thyroid. It's been bugging me a bit. I'll be setting up an appt this week. Other than that, he told me to improve my weight. I saw that one coming since I did gain weight since February (remember the Bell's Palsy episode of '07??). I wasn't too proud of that, but I'll be taking care of that...so any support will be welcomed, lol.
What I did not see coming was the TETANUS SHOT he said I needed. Oh man, that needle was HUGE. I'm surprised it didn't go through to the other side of my arm. It "hurt-ed" and left me a bit sore...wah-wah..I'm done, LOL!

Well, with all this said, I am excited about my app process being finished!
I hope ya'll are doing great!!!

Lots of love and hugs,
Laura

Dancing with A Fish

This weekend, we had an APO reunion in Waco. A couple of us were there: Elke and her daughter, Rob, Kat and her sons, Kimmy and myself. Also, we were able to see Mr. and Mrs. Green!!! It was wonderful to be surrounded by great friends. It felt like we picked up where we left off. However, we were missing many other brothers. We missed ya'll!!!

The Friday night we arrived, we had dinner at La Fiesta Restaurant. The food there was delicious. After we finished our dinner, we made our way to Elke's house. We watched some old videos from way back when....1998!! That's almost ten years!!! As we watched the videos, we laughed at all the goofy things we used to do! LOL. These guys were my family away from my family during my college years and every memory I have of them is a great one!! I was really blessed and still am as a matter of fact!
Well, going back to the weekend, we laughed and laughed and commented on each others hairdos back then and HOW YOUNG WE LOOKED!!! Mind you, we are in our late 20s and still considered young, but some aging has taken place, LOL! In these videos, I was only a sophomore at 19. We learned later on that Elke's fish "Albie" dances and likes to be petted. Later that night, Kat, Kim, the little ones and I went back to our hotel room and hung out.
The next morning, we all met at IHOP and had a picture-taking session with 5 cameras or so and made our way to the Mayborne museum at Baylor University. (beautiful campus by the way!) We walked around and checked out the exhibits and then went to the children's museum where the kids had a blast. We stayed for a couple of hours and went back to Elke's house.
For the remainder of Saturday, I danced with Albie, we hung out, watched old vids, had some Bush's chicken, watched A Night at the Museum, and went through some photo albums where I found some great pics of my dearest friend Olga. When I saw them, I was almost rolling on the floor laughing. I could not believe how funny they were! They're pics of her getting pied by me and Kyle. It was great!
By 8pm, we said our goodbyes and gave each other hugs and had another pic-taking session and rode out into the sunset.

Blessings on ya'll!!
Laura :0)

My Week

Hey everyone! I hope all is going wonderful!
I had a very nice week!!! This summer keeps getting better and better!
Tuesday, I went to visit my friends Gregoria and Frank. They recently bought a new house. It's very pretty! I had not seen them in such a long time.... almost 5 years!!!! Gregoria and I know each other from kindergarten and we were classmates throughout our grade school days! We enjoyed a great dinner and talked about thing we've been up to. I had a wonderful time! By Wednesday, I stayed home and did some much needed cleaning and finally wrote my paper for admission to CFNI. My application process is almost finished!!! I have to make a dr. appointment to get a physical next week and I am good to go!
Thursday, I spent the day home as well. I had a short day since I slept in late...which I don't like doing because it throws me off! That night, got my clothes washed. Afterwards, my mother and I went to say bon voyage to my godmother and my cousin.They left to Honduras for vacation to visit family. At this time, half of my family is in Honduras right now. Things are not well because my other aunt (she lives in Allen) went to Honduras and became severely ill with anemia/depression. Changes in her health have not progressed, but I am strongly believing that she will be fine. She needs rest and lots of faith and prayer. I also heard that some visiting relatives as well got sick!!! Oh goodness! Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers that get better and come home safely.
Today, I am getting ready to go to Waco for an APO reunion. I am really excited!!! I'll be driving to Cedar Hill and catch up with Kat and Kim and make our way down to good ole Waco! As I get ready, I am also waiting for the UPS man/lady to come to come with a package I ordered. It stinks to have to wait and at the same time have a lot of stuff to do!!! Especially, when it involves errands I have to run...oh well, I will wait, wait, wait...lol....ok I'm done.
Blessings on ya'll!!!
Love,
Laura :0)

Year 5

It's crazy how this summer has flown by! I think I've mentioned this before. I have 2 weeks before I report to duty as a teacher. I will be going into my 5th year of teaching. Every year, I tell many that it always feels like the first year. However, this year I feel quite different about it. I'm not freaking out about it or preparing months before like I used to. Ask those who have lived with me, hahaha.
I can say that I know what I am doing (whoa, I actually said that). Yes, I will take time to prepare and take care of all those responsibilties that are entrusted to me, but I am not going to stress over it.
Before this past school year was out, I learned that I was going to be teaching Spanish 2 only. I was actually pretty excited that I no longer was a Spanish 1 teacher!! Let me tell ya'll that if I was given Spanish 1 again, I was not going to be a happy camper. The thought of teaching the Spanish alphabet again made me queasy and aggravated. Really, it did. I knew then, it was time for a change! So, I requested a different prep. It was granted.... ladies and gents my dues are paid!!!

This year, I know God has the steering wheel and will call the shots in my classroom. It's all in His hands and that's why I feel no worries about it, no stress about it. Yes, it'll get crazy and really busy, but I like it that way. I 'm excited to meet my students and see the ones I've had before...hopefully they matured over the summer.One can only hope, right? LOL

Many blessings!
Love ya'll!
Laura

This Morning Cup of Blessing!

This morning I went to Rockwall to put up my church signs. Afterwards on my way home, I decided to make a stop at Starbucks because it was going to be a good long day. Anyway, I placed my order and I noticed the car in front of me. I got to the window and the girl told me "she already paid for it." The lady in front of me had already paid for my order!!!! I was left in complete shock, a good shock. Before, I knew it she was gone!
Then, I noticed she was behind me as I got on the hwy (she went another way) and I waved to her big and blew her a kiss from my rear mirror.
By the time I got home, I was still amazed and in a daze. I could not believe what had happened. I wish I noticed where she was before I noticed her behind me on the road. I wanted to giver her a big hug.
God is so good, in fact, He's awesome!!!
I am really thankful for people like her, Whoever she is or whereever she is, I hope I see you soon to give thanks in person. God definitely moved in you and used you to bless me in ways I could not imagine. I pray He blesses you ABUNDANTLY and keep you always!!!

I really wanted to share this awesome moment with all of you and I hope it blesses you all as it did me...:0) I'm still in awe and enjoying my cup of blessing this morning!
Have a great and fabulous day!
Love,
Laura :0)

Clean House

Do you like home decor? Organization? Humor? Messy homes with "foolishness" that receive makeovers by holding a yard sale to raise the money for the makeover and on and on and on??? Then you'll love Clean House from the Style Channel!!! It comes on Wednesday at 8pm and everyday at 5pm! I know ya'll will love it!!!!
Here's a clip of the search for the messiest home in America. Enjoy!

Yesterday and Today

I hope everyone has been staying dry. It's been so gloomy out there, but I do love rainy weather. It's so peaceful! Starting off with yesterday, I went to Commerce to make my last payment that I owed. It was a great relief! I was able to order some transcripts as well. I am so close to finishing up my application process for CFNI-Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas (www.cfni.org). Hopefully, I can still get in for the fall. Thankfully, classes do not begin until October 1st. The rest of the day, I spent at home. I watched "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." It was a neat movie...it reminded me of Batman on sugar. It was good, though! The Oompa Loompas were really cute, and it was the same guy, but multiplied!
Today, was uneventful. I took care of some chores....the keyword here is some not all. I separated my laundry, surfed the net, played with the camera/computer (nerd) and watched "The Lake House". The movie was okay, but it didn't catch my attention very much. Besides that, I caught a couple of episodes of Clean House from the Style Channel....CHECK IT OUT, IT'S GREAT!!! You'll love Miss Niecy Nash!!!!
Have a great evening!
Take care and lots of love,
Laura :0)

27

Here's a picture of my Godmommy, my mommy, and my aunt Nena. The next one is the cake with tons of candles and then there's me with my new toy..yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm a nerd and proud of it!!!
Well, I turned 27 on sunday! YAY!!! This time I can say that I am totally wiser than before. I've learned alot and experienced God's presence in my life more than I could ever imagined.
I started out the day by relaxing in the morning and made my way to my mom's church in Dallas with a pit stop to Starbucks. My mom arranged a memorial mass for my Grandmother who passed away July 25, 1996. Each year, we honor her through a mass by her name being mentioned during prayer. It was really nice seeing the family come together for this day.
After church, my mom chased down the priest so he would say a prayer for me and sprinkle me with Holy Water. Fifteen minutes later, I got prayed for and got sprinkled (no, it did not burn me!).
We went out to eat at my fave restaurant, El Ranchito in Oak Cliff. They have the best Tacos Al Carbon!! heehee. There was great food and great Mariachi music. The Mariachis charged 15 bucks a song!!!! So, everytime they sang the birthday song, I dedicated it to myself. You know, I could buy a CD with that money. Come on now!
The rest of the day was spent at my Godmother's house where we cut the cake and opened gifts! The cake was a chocolate tres leches cake....yummeh!!! I rejoiced after I opened my mom's gift which was a laptop briefcase!!! (I KNOW, I KNOW only a nerd would rejoice) Also, I received some money, too!!! WOOP-WOOP!!!! as my youth kids would say!
I had a GREAT birthday!!!!!
Take care and much love to ya'll!!!

C4C

Had a great time last week. Branson is so pretty! I won't miss driving on the mountains, but I'll miss the people and the atmosphere. We were kept busy all last week. There was a morning service and an evening service each day. The worship was led by In the Deep from Go Ministries. Also, we had some laughs with the In Motion Drama team from Go as well. We had Brother Chip Brim (coordinator of the rally), his mom Billye Brim, Del Mar, Dominic Woods, Jeremy Pearsons, and Rocky Clark. What these guys have in common is that most of them are athletic coaches. So, it was like being in the locker room and receiving a pep talk.

During those services, great things took place. My words will do no justice, you just had to be there! Lives were transformed...there were healings, miracles and deliverances. My kids received the Holy Spirit and I received healing! God's presence was so strong that one service went for 5 hours!! It was awesome! I learned, God is God and through Him ALL things are possible..naturally and supernaturally! We learned about the authority that was delegated to us by God and how to operate in it...WOW!!!! We came in one way and left differently.
Between services, we did all the touristic things like going to two amusement parks, Celebration City and Silver Dollar City, also the Branson Belle Showboat and caught a great show while cruising and finally White Water Park! We had such a blast!
I hope all is well and stay dry!!!
Love,
Laura :0)

The Bird

Going back to Thursday, I had an interesting encounter with a bird. Now, this bird sits out on my balcony and chirps his little heart out...every morning! While he chirps, Mimi cackles at him and cackles at him...remember she's quite the talker. She likes to start drama, lol...j/k. Anyway, this past Thursday, I was cleaning up my apartment and realized that I had a couple of bags full of trash.
I gather all the trash bags and head out the door. As I go down the stairs, I see the bird and it looks at me. Of course, I ignore it and keep going. As I walk towards the trash dumpster, that bird follows me! It flies over my head a chirps and lands on a tree nearby. And does it again! It gets better.....well not for me. As I walk back home, it follows me back, however this time it flies into my hair and makes horrible "wack" sound and flaps its wings over and over again! That thing was attacking me!!!!! If only I'd brought the fly swatter. lol. May I just say that this was one out of 2 encounters I had with this bird???

Later that evening my friend Liz and her daughter came over and told me that they had been attacked by that bird as well. Dang bird, if I ever see it again its gonna get whacked with a fly swatter. (Lucky him, I haven't seen him since then, muhahahaah!)
I hope ya'll have a great weekend and God Bless ya'll!!!
Laura

Stuff

This is a picture from BSA Rock Instruction Workshop from 4/22/07. In this pic, I am repelling from a 36' cliff! It was scary at first, but it was alot of fun on the way down!
I started out the day early by relaxing (try it, it's good!). Later, I met up with co-worker friend for lunch! It was really nice to catch up with her...:0) I asked her that if she had been to Wal-Mart lately. She knew exactly what I meant from that question. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, the BACK-TO-SCHOOL supplies are up in full-force at Wal-Mart! LOL! To a high school teacher, our reactions are NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! It's TOO SOON! EEEEEEK!!! To an elementary school teacher, it's a joy and they go all out! We laughed when we made that observation. But, hey, we love our jobs!
Afterwards, I bought groceries and cleaned up a storm. Later that evening, my friend Liz and her daughter Angel (who will be staying with me this weekend) came and visited. It was really nice to see them...:0)
That was pretty much my day! I hope everyone is doing great! Have a fantastic Friday!
Love,
Laura

More on Mimi

Here's Mimi with her favorite toy! She loves this string toy that is attached to a stick. When I first bought it, It had this cute blue fish on it and now the fish is non-existent and the string is half its length! Just a couple of days ago, I attached a piece of ribbon onto it and she still loves it! LOL! Mimi goes ballistic when she plays with it! She jumps, rolls up, pounces, stalks and she meows...it's too funny! She is looking forward to seeing her sister Beans (awww...reunited) and meeting Sam and Elvis very soon!

As far as this week goes, it's flown by! I've had so many things to for my upcoming trip, but I've barely scratched the surface! There's so much more to do: wash car, empty car trunk, get groceries, clean the rest of my apt, plan kid's church, pack, etc. It's bonkers!!! Where has the week gone,lol? Ok, I'm done...lol.
Have a great Thursday everyone!!! :0)

Mimi and Monday

Isn't my Mimi adorable? She's two now and she's such a sweet cat. This cat loves to play ALL THE TIME and is quite a talker especially when she wants to play! Every morning when my foot touches the floor or I come home, she runs to her favorite toy and sits right next to it and meows. When I pick up her favorite toy and play with her, she meows. Isn't she quite a talker? It's hilarious!! However, if she does not get the attention she finds a way to get it!
Another thing she does, is around bedtime. When I get in bed, Mimi sits next to my bed and waits till I am have fallen "asleep". As soon as she hears no movement, she jumps on the bed and snuggles up next to me! It's so sweet.
I think Mimi is a dog trapped in a cat's body. hahahah!

Today, I was recovering from my busy weekend....as a matter of fact I still am. I'm really tired.
I went to Wylie to help out the girls from my Youth group with their talent show routine for next week's youth rally. After a couple of hours, they finished the routine! YAY! It looked great! We're really excited about next week!
I had an uneventful evening, I like it like that! But, I have tons to do especially my weekly cleaning... but I think I'll take care of it tomorrow,heheheheeh! For now, I'll chill.....hehehehehe (I know, I know... I picked on you about it Olga!)
I hope you guys had a great Monday!
Love,
Laura

Brazil WINS Copa America 2007!

Aren't these clouds pretty? They're from this morning as I was driving on HWY 50. I couldn't help but look at them, make shapes out of them, and take a picture of it! The picture doesn't do the beauty of the sky any justice, It was taken in my car through my dirty windshield. Anyway, they were so beautiful. One of them reminded me of the "more power" fist. See if you can find it in the picture...hehe.
Other than clouds, I had a pretty good day! I went to church and came home to relax for a couple of hours. Then, I got ready to go pick up my mom and go to my cousins house to watch the futbol game with Brazil and Argentina! After so much ooooo's and aaaahhhhs and GOOOOOOOOOLs, BRAZIL wins without a doubt! They whooped Argentina big time 3-0! Half of my family was hurting while the other half rejoiced! LOL, you had to be there to see it. We're passionate about our futbol! it can get a little crazy. After the game, we had a pool party and grilled some fajitas! They were really good. My cousin Darwin did a great job grilling and my cousin Karen made the best raw cabbage salad ever...no, not cole slaw. It was dipped in lemon juice with cilantro, tomatos with salt and pepper. YUM!
We had a lot of fun and it was great to see all of the family again...it had been a while! I didn't realize how much I missed being around them since I'm always on the road.

I hope ya'll have a great night and great Monday!
Love,
Laura

El Sabado

I realized that my weekends are my weekdays and my weekdays are my weekends...well at least for the summer. (Wouldn't be nice if it were this way in the real world, lol) My weekends are full and very eventful! It's really hard for me to make plans because I have family and church commitments.
My Saturdays have a set routine. I'm up early and I drive to Rockwall to set up Church signs for Saturday night service. Afterwards, I drive to Dallas and spend the 1st half of the day with my family. My mom and I run our errands together and just spend time together. Like today, we took a detour to Whole Foods Market which I've never been. I thought it was the coolest place. They have all these great products. It was my amusement of the day...I may go back...if only there was one nearby.

Time flies so fast that by 3pm, I drive back home to get ready for Sat night service. I gather my stuff together and leave to Rockwall.
As soon as I arrive, us "roadies" (commerce and rockwall church stafF) set up technical equipment. In this case for me, I'm the techie which I enjoy doing! I do all multimedia tech stuff except for sound...that's Kevin's job. I still cannot figure out all those knobs and wires. Anyway, later on, we enjoy the message of the evening and then break equipment down and pack it up and go! It's bonkers, but it's so worth it! Later on, I'll be launching the Devoted Youth Group meetings as soon as we set in stone our weekly bible studies in Rockwall. It's really exciting!

Well, those are my Saturdays! Crazy, huh?

I hope ya'll are doing great!
Continue to enjoy your weekends!!!
Love,
Laura

My Appointment with God

You'd think it being Friday the 13th and it being such a gloomy day that it would be filled with chaos and unwanted problems, but nope...not tonight! Tonight, my friends, was a total blessing!

My friend Lynn and I went to "A Night of Worship" at Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas. (I've never gone to this event and I wanted to check to see what it was like.) Well, this place was filled with people of ALL ages and from all over the country. Ok, let's just say it was so cool to see a 50 or 60 yr-old guy jump up and down with his arms up praising God. Anyway, this event consists of the CFNI praise band and the body of Christ coming together to sing to the Lord. I don't think I've mentioned that this praise band ROCKS! It was full of energy and full of passion!!! This band is not like any other I've ever seen. I mean they really really worship in spirit and in truth!

Well, for 2hrs and 45 minutes we were singing our hearts out, and of course left with raspy voices, lol...but most importantly God's presence was there tonight. Usually during worship, I feel His presence, but tonight there was no "feeling". He was there, though. However, he showed Himself in a different way by showing me that He was holding my hand and told me "Do not rely on your feelings, RELY ON ME." He taught me that He is always around whether I feel Him or not or hear Him or not...I needed to stretch out my arm of faith further out. Also, to worship Him wholehearteldy inside and out whether the feeling is there or not...."worship Him in spirit and in truth." I tell ya'll for sure...I wasn't expecting that. But, I am thankful it did happen! I really needed to hear that. He is so good!

Tonight, God moved. He taught us something very important. He took us to another level. He changed lives. But, He's not done with us yet (that includes whoever reads this).

Well, that was my night. At first, I went because I heard it was awesome and I wanted to check it out, but it turned out to be an appointment with our Father!


I hope ya'll are doing great! Take care and many blessings on all of you!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Laura

Summer 2007

This is the first summer I've had off...I mean off in a long time! It feels great! Although, at first, I was feeling pretty guilty that I was not doing anything. However, I was reassured that it was ok and reminded of the very very very eventful past school year. Let's just say I was pretty burned out on both ends of the candle.

This summer has been such a blessing, not only because I'm on vacation, but the fact that I've had many opportunities to catch up with family and friends.Especially, my high school friends and college friends! It's been such a blessing to reconnect and become once again a sociable person.

Well, I have a month or two to go and there's so much more to look forward to! I have a trip coming up the last week of July for my youth group. It's a Youth Rally called Champions 4 Christ in Branson, MO. Also, I have an APO reunion the second week of August. Finally, a JROTC Leadership Development Course camp in Bridgeport where I'll be instructing safety in rockclimbing sites to the cadets...I'm excited, but not looking forward to hot weather and no porcelain.. if you know what I mean, lol!

I hope all is well!
Take care and many blessings to ya'll!
Laura

p.s. Thanks Olga for inspiring me to start a blogspot! Love reading your blogs!