Thankful Grateful Blessed

My heart and home was full this past week! I spent four wonderful days with my hubby, kiddos, parents, and sissy. I always miss them dearly and one of my goals in life is to convince them to move with or near me. We ate, we bummed, we ate, we watched football, we shopped, we ate...you get the idea. We prepared the traditional Thanksgiving meal and made menudo the next day. I am truly thankful for the blessings I've been fortunate enough to have. My house was filled with those I love the most, it finally felt like home. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky!

My hubby joined me in turning FORTY this past weekend (YES that officially makes me a cougar 10 days out of the year). We celebrated with a surprise trip to an "away" Dallas Cowboys game in Detroit. He isn't to fond of flying and I knew that although excited that might be the one thing he'd have an issue with. He was a great sport, in fact our flight was delayed and we tried accessing the wrong AirBnb at 2 am, even after all that he still fought the anxiety and frustration...lol. Thankfully we got it all figured and had a wonderful trip. We got the WIN, we ate STEAK, we hit up a CASINO and we made it home safely.

Yesterday was a day I had been dreading for years. To my surprise, it wasn't  bad at all. In fact, I was happy to share that not only was it my birthday it was my 40th birthday.  I have to admit that the last 4 decades have been amazing I’ve had quite the journey. I have so much more to do and see, but I am incredibly  proud and blessed to have had life experiences and checked a few things off my bucket list! I  have: ✔  loved ✔  set & met goals ✔  failed  ✔  leaped  ✔  gone to a concert  ✔  paid off debt  ✔  donated life  ✔  traveled out of the country  ✔  learned to appreciate my parents  ✔  invested  ✔  been loved  ✔  owned a pet  ✔  ran a marathon  ✔  fallin in love at 1 st sight (4X’s)  ✔  faced my fear of heights  ✔  been heartbroken ✔ e stablished a career  ✔  gotten a tattoo  ✔  vol...

In all my life, I have NEVER had my makeup professionally done. This past Saturday I checked that and a solo professional photo shoot off my bucket list. The whole day was a blast and I felt very loved and adored. I have to admit, I prefer and pride myself in being so low maintenance. I am 100% certain, I could not make getting dolled up a part of my daily routine!

So thankful to my local friends for joining my family (minus our son) and I for an early Birthday Dinner. I have a very diverse group of friends who sometimes don't mix well, but I loved that they will make an exception to hangout for me.

Halloween 2019 This year our munchkin was a cow! His mommy had an evening class and dad had work, so I was on Lolli duty. We hit up a few houses but he most enjoyed helping me hand out candy. I love him sooooo much!

Another "Besties Trip" in the books... I've been blessed to have had the same bestfriend for over two decades, I've known her longer than my husband. We were great friends and later became family by marriage. For the last few years we've been taking our birthday trips together. This year she finally convinced me to go to Sin City. As expected, we had tons of laughs and plenty of spirits. There's no one I'd rather experience Vegas with, so glad we have them in our lives. We gambled on the strip, hit the old strip, went to a few shows, visited the Mob Museum, walked 1k miles, ate at a buffet, bought gifts for the kids, and spent way too much money. All and all it was a great trip!

My current obsession: Mexican Food I'm nearly forty years old and literally started cooking Mexican food earlier this month, don't judge me. I've made a handful of things like beans, migas, tacos, tostadas but never anything from scratch or real "sabor". My mom is a wonderful cook, sadly I've never taken the time to watch her in detail. My goal is to make a few dishes just as good as hers to pass down to the Twins. I started following a FB group  Mexican Recipes to Share  and good lawd have I been killin it! Check out my new page  I Ate That for some of the dishes I've thrown together so far.

Let me just start with this, I love WINE! I follow a few FB pages related to discounts, couponing, but mostly flash deals. This past weekend I went about my normal day spending time with my hubby and family. We had just gotten home, I kicked off my shoes, plopped down on the sofa, starting scrolling through FB and BAAAAM there it was a flash deal made just for me! I jumped out of my seat and literally RAN to my car, hit up the nearest stores and scored 48 bottles of wine for $.01 each. YOUR READ THAT RIGHT! If I never save another dollar again, I'd be fine with it.

As of last week, Summer 2019 has finally come to an end!  We don't do much traveling during summer (because I'm too cheap). Instead we now enjoy spending time at home poolside. If you've ever lived or visited Texas during summer, you'll know that having any type of pool is a must for those 100° days.   I don't know if there is anyone in my family who enjoys pool days more than our munchkin. He's only just turned three but the kid could spend hours in the water if we'd let him! I often sit by the window (cause it's hot outside) and think about how he'll never know how lucky he really is. I grew up playing at the city pool with a bunch of neighborhood kids. If you were hungry or tired, you'd better make do cause once we left we weren't going back.  Who am I kidding? If munchkin turns out anything like his Pops, soon he'll have our pool full of neighborhood kids too! 😂

Last week I ran across a trending hashtag # Hey19YearOldMe  on Twitter. I found it surprisingly fitting, as I had made a lot of choices in my teen years that would shape and mold my future...good or bad. My husband and I were just a couple of kids when we met at the tender age of 15. We had no idea what love was and in fact rarely saw each other during those first few months of dating. He lived in a small town outside of my hometown and meeting up was mostly timed around a group gathering or event. I didn't know at the time, he would be my forever and I his.  We had our son when we were 16 years old, the summer before my sophomore year. Then came the twins just 7 months after I walked the stage to get my high school diploma. The odds were not in our favor. Statistically, I would not graduate with a college degree and somewhere along the way I should've fallen to the title "single mom". As you can imagine the layers of judgement ran thick those first few years and w...

Finally... Although we had plans, this is the 1st weekend in a long time we got some downtime. We are still helping our daughter settle in to her new place. I was thrilled that she let me decorate Munchkin's room and restroom. I really wanted to keep it toddler themed but since he'll be sharing the room with his older brother we went with Superhero's. We got all the major decorating done and I'll keep adding as the weeks go by. I managed to throw in a piece that I personally decoupaged, what kinda Lolli would I be if I didn't make something with love. I'm thinking about adding a "Craft" page to this blog, but I need to figure out how to do it first. We drove all the way down to South Dallas for my friend's 50th birthday party. Although I know she very much wanted to be on the beach this week, I was glad to see her enjoy herself. God willing, my husband and I will be joining them next May for yet another trip we can mark off our bucket list...

In just a few short months my 3 kiddos have started some serious ADULTING. All three are on different paths at different phases but nonetheless they are all moving forward and as always I am their biggest cheerleader. I have been their strongest supporter, even when I didn't agree with their choices. I will be there to pick them up when they fall and cheer them on when they succeed, till my last breath. This past weekend Twin B and Munchkin moved out along with his dad. They didn't move but 10 minutes away, the move itself was a major accomplishment and definitely a huge step in the next phase of life for our girl. I was proud of them, they took our advice and saved plenty of money before leaving. Last Saturday, I was awakened at 7AM by the sound of cartoons and a jumping monkey. I laid there thinking how sad it was that that might be the last time that happened. NOPE, they were back at the house for breakfast and cable first thing the next day. I had previously mentioned ...

Six years ago I took a leap of faith, flew down to Houston, TX for a month and donated my kidney to my Tia. The decision weighed heavy on my mind for months, when I finally decided I did so with courage and humility. I have absolutely no regrets and I hope that my aunt will continue to celebrate many many many more years of life. I will add that her will and fight to live played a huge factor in my decision. I watched her live a low key lifestyle, never smoking or drinking, and still finding herself in a position she could no longer control. My choice to donate was purely out of admiration and love with zero expectations. My life has been blessed twofold since 2013 and I'm certain this is the reason for that. I am still happy and thankful I was able to donate and would do it all over in a heartbeat!

I've been working out 3 times a week for several months now and although I've limited my drinking I haven't changed my eating habits much. In a few short weeks I'll be FORTY years old! I'm not where I wanna be and honestly I don't know if I'll ever get there. I do know I want to LIVE, not just another 40 years but decades more of healthy fulfilling years. There are so many places I wanna see and so many things I still want to do. So instead of losing 20-30lbs before my birthday (as I had hoped last year), I'm making a commitment to KEEP AT IT. Self care should be a part of life, not as a task, but more like a routine. I know my future self will thank me later!

This past weekend we headed up to Lubbock to see my Bubba off. He's been diligently applying to oil rig jobs and he finally got a call back. We were stoked for him, but deep down it made my stomach turn. My One and Only son would be moving hours away, out of state, with no family or friends to accompany him. I knew right away my husband and I had to get to Lubbock to help him prepare for his 12 hour drive to Fruita, CO. He seemed a little shook when we arrived and I could tell he too was nervous, but ultimately I know he'll be just fine. We took him shopping and got him new tires, then Sunday morning we woke up prayed over him and said our goodbyes. It was gut wrenching but I held it together and squeezed him as hard as I could. I know the second he set eyes on those CO Rockies he'd fall in love. Thank God he arrived safely. Today was his first day of training, soon he'll move on the rig and call it home 2 weeks out of the month. This is definitely a new chapter in lif...

  Birthday Luau ✔ Another awesome birthday pool party in the books for our munchkin. We had so much fun celebrating with family and friends, particularly family from out of town. I wish we could invite all our extended family, but I know that's a sacrifice we made when we moved. So grateful for those who made the trip to celebrate with us! Pops and Tio E made sliders, my bestie and goddaughter prepped ALL the food, and Mom and Sissy helped with the decor. Earlier in the day my poor girl was in a car accident, thank goodness they were all good and we were able to resume our day of festivities.  Last month Twin B purchased the cutest vintage trailer we ever did see. We quickly photo booth prepped it for Chuck's wedding and we're able to use again for Munchkin's luau.  Coming Soon:  Glamper Shots Photo Booth

So much has happened since 2010, I don't even know where to start. We've been in DFW now for 11 years. Last year we moved from Plano to Rockwall, a town far east of Dallas just off of Lake Ray Hubbard. It's been a huge blessing and we look forward to making tons of memories in our new home! My Kiddos My kids are all in their early 20's now. Bubba went back to Lubbock after high school to be closer to our extended family. He turned into quite the health fanatic and likes to dabble in the organic scene. The twins will be 21 this year, I cant believe how time has flown. They're both in school and work locally. Both my husband and I cling to every moment we have with them as kids, it's hard letting them grow up and experience life without wanting to protect them and pick up all the pieces. They may not be in grad school as I had hoped, but I am more than blessed to have respectful, loving, children who always put family first. The Kid We were promoted! In ...

It's been nearly a decade since I've updated and so much has happened! THREE years ago today we were blessed with a new family member, our munchkin. I've probably watched this video a million times and it still gets me every time! I hope to start blogging again soon...