I can't even begin to describe what kind of year 2015 has been. So many ups, so many down, and so many in between moments occurred but I'm thankful to have made it through the year with my health and sanity intact. More than anything 2015 was a year of growth. Personal growth. I have learned so much about me, life, and people around me that I only see it fitting to take all that I have learned this year and apply it to 2016.
I don't know what this coming year has in store for me but I look forward to the challenge, the adventures, the frustrations, the success, the happiness, the tears, the joy, and everything else that it will bring. This year I will embrace and welcome with open arms all that is to come, the good and the bad.
Adios, 2015. You were good to me but I'm ready for 2016 :)
We returned from our trip on December 2nd and from that moment on it was all about getting into the holiday spirit. I had off from work the following day and as soon as I dropped off the kids at school I headed to the store. My only intention was to pick up some red and gold ornament balls because I had lend my mother mine but with the move she could not remember where in the storage she had put them. However, when I walked down the decoration isle I came across some "rustic" style decorations in red and burlap style and I was sucked in. I've been looking for this type of decorations for two years now and could not find it locally. I did find some online but the price scared me a bit and I never bought them. Needless to say three hours and $200 later I was on my way home.
Having my mom living with us brings back so many memories from my childhood and teen years. I remember always convincing my mom to buy all sorts of stuff to decorate the house for the holidays and she would just look at me wondering what I was up to. While setting up our Christmas tree and decorating the house I thought of the many times I did this growing up. I don't have a single creative bone in my body when it comes to decorating a home or dealing with fashion but bring around the holidays and they are sure to appear. Even more now that I have kids of my own. Although my boys could really care less about the decor around the house I was very pleased with the way the house looked.
Work this month has been stressful because my work schedule is just all over the place. With my being off almost three weeks for our vacation, my mom leaving to DR, the kids going on winter break, the end of school semester for me, and holiday rotations at work I had to planned ahead and my schedule was just crappy. I'm looking forward to the first week in January being away from work to start the new year.
All of our shopping was pretty much done two week before Christmas. I have to admit though, our kids are spoil brats. We had the hardest time trying to figure out what they needed and what to buy them. With the exception of clothes, because you know that kids grow miles per day right?, they have it all. Steven Jr. ended up with a few xbox video games and a guitar as his big gift and AJ got books, some learning toys that teaches colors, letters, shapes, numbers, etc and boy am I impressed with how much my little guy knows. For his big gift he got a basketball court which I'm sure will be put to good use this coming year. They both got tons of clothes, pajamas, underwear and socks. Now we are on to saying goodbye to 2015 and ringing in the new year with AJ's 3rd birthday celebration. Let the festivities continue!
This month I was lucky enough to partake in several girls night. A friend and I tried a new Mediterranean restaurant for happy hour one evening and it was so nice. Everything from the food, drinks, ambiance, service, and talks was just perfect. Another night I met up with my cousin for another happy hour moment to celebrate my last night in class for the semester. Drinks and appetizers are always a yes in my book :). The weekend before Christmas I went over to a cousin's house for Karaoke night which I have to admit left me impressed with my skills, Not! but it was so much fun. Now whether or not I dare to try it in front of strangers is another thing but I do enjoy the singing and being able to let go in front of those I'm close to. That Sunday I hosted a taco night in our home. It was originally a girl's night but then it turned in to something bigger and came the day of few showed. Or I should say, only those that mattered showed. I was a bit upset because I made so much food but it was a good time either way so I let it go.
Before my mom left to DR we had my nieces over for some quality time and well, I just love them so much! I love having a house full of kids, especially kids that are the new generation, kids that are my nieces and nephews, and second and third cousins. I love the way my boys and nieces interact with each other. I love to sit and watch everyone play, get along, argue, and fight. It takes me back to my own childhood and I can't help but to think ahead into the future and wonder how their lives will be. Whether they'll be close to each other or stay in town like us, what career path they'll take, how many kids will they have, will they gather and try to keep the family together like us. So many questions pass through my head as I sit back and watch them interact but at that moment, the only thing that matters most to me is that they are together, healthy and enjoying life.
On December 17th Steven had his last concert of the year. He has been in El Systema since January and he has gotten so good at playing the viola and reading music notes. I'm so proud of him! Last time I met with his music teachers they told me how much he has improved and how he was one of one the top violist in the class. They divide the kids into groups depending on how well they play their instruments for teaching and concert purposes I suppose and he's on the highest group. On his October concert, which I missed, he even had his own solo moment. Talk about proud parent moment :)
This rounds up my December update. Like always, I have tons of things to blog about but never find the time to sit and write them and then the month comes to an end and my posts go out the window. I really hope with my time away from social media I find more time to write and document 2016, the last year of in my 20s! 8-O
After a quick stop to discuss the change of plans we decided to go to the beach that we were at the day before. Crash boat beach, so beautiful. Is a must go every time we travel to PR. The water, the ambiance, is just perfect. I'm not even a beach person but I get in this water. Well I get in the water in other beaches too but salt water is not really my thing. I mostly hang out on the shore with the little ones. This day however I was daring. I got in waist deep and was on a boogie board with my toddler.
Now you must know that I can't swim properly. I can float and can somewhat swim under water if need be so using the boogie board as a floating device was my way of "protecting" ourselves. We were all enjoying ourselves, chatting, and going with the waves which were not that strong. When suddenly I see a wave come our way. I look back and immediately know that this wave will push AJ and myself way into the shore. But as I look back again I know for a fact that this wave was going to take us under. I seriously thought the worse. And let's not forget, I Can't swim.
As I'm underwater being shaken side to side I think of letting go of the boogie board to protect myself but quickly remember that AJ is on top of it too. If I let go he can go lose and who knows what his fate would be. So in a split second I manage to grab him by the waist and keep him close to me. I hold him as tight as I possibly can scared to dead that he would go lose and get taken by the waves that our coming on strong. Somehow in between all this I go head first into the sand feeling like I hit concrete. It was definitely a front flip under water and then another back flip. Then I found myself out of all that jumbo mess sitting butt first in the sand as the hubby and my son walked toward us. I quickly get up, hand over AJ to one of them I don't even know who it was and fix my top since there's boob everywhere. I started to feel light headed and touched my forehead feeling for the area that I hit on the sand. As I look at hubby's face he looks at me and says "babe your forehead. Is white". With a confuse face I stare at him then at everyone else in the group who are also staring at me. I ask what is it, meaning a scrape, a bump, a sea animal on my face, what was it? He says that it looks like a rug burn that pilled my skin off. He literally said "babe it seriously pilled the brown off your skin". Freaking butt-head said it laughing too. Shame on him. Then I started bleeding so I got out of the water and headed straight for a mirror.
This picture does it no justice. It was mainly bruised but Imagine the stares I got as I walked from the beach to our table :( it wasn't nice.
As I sat down waiting for SIL to care for my forehead all I could think about was my baby AJ. My baby. What if I would have panicked and let go? What if I couldn't hold on to him like I did? What if he would have drawned because I was holding him tight and pulling him under water with me? because I'm sure he drank a lot, a lot of salt water.
Im so thankful that we are both okay. And that only I got hurt from this. As I checked him for marks or bruses and saw that he was fine I thanked God for protecting us.
Needless to say that after that day I have not gotten in the beach again. I walk the beach and chill on the very edge of it but that's a far as I go. My mom always told me that the ocean is deceiving and cannot be trusted and after this experience I have learned the lesson. I will never feel the same about this beauty that although breathtaking can be very very dangerous.
Seven days after the accident and this is what my battle wound looks like. I'm very sad about it. I always say beauty is not everything but my wave story is not that convincing. It looks more like I burned myself with a curling iron. :( the past few days the purple area had turned into scab-like and kept peeling off and today I was able to clear it completely. Of course that this has not stopped me from taking selfies and pictures with my family, after all it could have been worse and right now I'm only thinking about the fact that I'm alive, that my child is alive, and that this was the worse out of the scariest experience of my life.
How is it possible that even when I find myself in the middle of a beautiful place surrounded by so much beauty somehow life manages to kick me down. I have to admit, I'm sure I let the enemy in my head at some point but when things continue to happen over and over and over again is hard to believe that that is God's hand in it. Or is it? As a toddler in my faith how can I distinguish the things that are from the Heavenly Father and those that are not? I mean it has to be the human part of me right? When we have some sort of expectations of how life should be like, a life that has been given to us by God, how do we know that it is truly God throwing us a curve ball instead of the devil trying to attack us and test us? What if it's both a test and an attack from God and the devil just like they did to Job?
Call me crazy but some days I think that way. And I remember that I should do about it. I should keep focus, pray, and worship. But then days like today I wonder, what if it's God? What if he's trying to redirect me and I'm not being obedient to his will? How do I know? What should I do?
How do I know what I should do?
😔
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