Pretty Blessed

Day 2 of Wings

2011-11-07T10:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was day one of winged eyes... My right eye was easy but my left eye was hard! I had to re-do it twice. I also think it was a little exagerated, which was fine because it was the weekend. Today, however was kind of a failure. My pencil ran out so I could only do a very short wing. When I looked online they recommend a liquid eyeliner... maybe I will try that.

A note on my hair: It feels like it was literally chopped. It's straight, no real layers. Let this be a lesson to acting on impulse... mmm... let's see if I learn my lesson in a few months once it grows out a little.

Also, in an effort to not comform to the blandness of corporate I have updated my notebooks with a little label. It's not much but at least it adds some color. I hope it also helps me to be organized. I hope to have one notebook per project as opposed to one for everything. Happy Monday!

Eye Wings

2011-11-06T00:39:00.001-05:00

Today I chopped my hair. One of my 2011 goals was to let my hair grow... well mission was accomplished. I lived with long hair throughout the summer and for part of the fall.

BUT lately I renewed my subscription to the pony tail club and that did not make me feel good. I thought, well what's the point of the long hair if its always in a ponytail!? So today I couldn't wait any longer. At 7 o'clock I went to the only salon I found open and had my hair cut to chin length by a 16 year old.

I am still afraid I made a mistake, mostly because I didn't really trust the hair dresser... but I was too much of a whimp to stop her once she told me she was a senior in HIGH SCHOOL! Over all I think I am just being dramatic and it's ok. I am sure I've had worst!

Anyways, this post is not about my hair but about another beauty topic... winged/cat eye eye liner!

I will do this eyeliner for the next week and report back on whether it made me feel better. I do believe that how you look or better said, the effort you put into how you look directly correlates to how feel. So here is to feeling sexier!

P.S. I might do a more humble eyeliner for work. Humble = Shorter Eye Wings :)

Photo

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! May you find a way to inject some fun into your day!

Do you remember being a kid and looking forward to getting up just to put on your costume?! That's how I felt about these tights. No one in my department dressed up, but I refused to let go of every bit of joy just because I am caged in a boring beige cube. May your inner child never be quieted by your grown up profession!

Sweet Nothings

2011-08-22T19:41:00.001-05:00

Sweet Nothings by prettyblessed on Polyvore.com

Ralph Lauren Home "Arles" Dresser
$5,090 - bloomingdales.com

Orleans Tufted Bed : Target
$570 - target.com

Faux Sheep Skin Rug
$179 - urbanoutfitters.com

Buy Designers Guild Charlottenburg Cushion, Peony Pink online at...
£70 - johnlewis.com

Vintage Italian Carved and Gilded Sunburst Mirror
$3,890 - oldplank.com

Country Mondays: I Love You This Big

2011-07-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

I know not a lot of you listen to country... ok, that's an understatement. More like, none of you listen to country.

So my goal will be to post a country song every Monday for your listening pleasure.

First up is this song by Scotty McCreery. He is the America Idol winner this year. I am neither a fan of American Idol nor of his name. I simply heard his first single on the radio and loved it!

Then I youtubed it and found out who he and that he looked nothing like how I imagined him. I thought of him more like a Josh Turner (more of him in the coming weeks).

So without further delay, here is Scotty McCreeryyyyyy!

(Close your eyes when you hear this song... it will transport you!)

Dear Jackie, Welcome Back!

2011-06-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

Jackie,

Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful time in Ecuador. I hope you found more of yourself there and are ready and excited to re-star life in the states.

We are very happy that you are back safe and sound!

This bean welcomes you!

(Also this other bean, Eva)

Finding a New Job Part 3

2011-06-30T14:29:00.001-05:00

You are probably thinking... damyum girl how many parts are there?!

My answer is... Well gurrl, finding a job is hard! So the story continues!

That day I was very sad. I may have shed a tear in the privary of the courtyard at work.

BUT since "mujer preparada vale por dos" I had not stopped networking. The week of the second interview another position became available and I applied for it. I was scheduled to have an interview the Monday after I was "rejected" for the Chicago position. That weekend I was sad since my "life plan" was not going to go as planned, but I knew I needed to get over it, shake it off and prepare for the upcoming interview.

By Sunday I had still not "shaken" it off. Ugh.

Then I heard this reading at mass: (it's long, but come on, it's the Holy Gospel, you must read)

Holy Gospel

John 20:19-31
Thomas no longer doubts the resurrection.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

This is exactly what I needed. I needed to believe that "something better" was going to come along. That a better job for me will be coming my way. What is meant for you can't nobody, but God take away (Co-worker's words).

In other words, I had the blue attitude when I needed to have the red faith. (Who doesn't love color coded life lessons?)
That night I finally decided to let go of my sandness, have faith and prepared for my interview. The next day I rocked it and then a day later got an offer.

So what does Oprah have to say about this?

“What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.”

... and ...

"God can dream a bigger dream for you... far beyond...what you could ever dream for yourself."

Lesson Learned? Do your best. Prepare to the max. Rock it. Pray and accept the outcome because God has your back. Amen.

Some flowers from blogger Heart of Light because the day I got the offer it felt like God handed me this mini bouquet. Yes, I am cheesey, eat me (and vulgar).

Finding a New Job Part 2

2011-06-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

The story continues...

That Friday I received a call around 4 pm. Needless to say it was the longest day ever! Every time the phone rang my heart would drop to the floor!

The hiring manager called me and said they couldn't make a decision so they were going to interview me and the "strong internal candidate" once again!

I thought, well at least I am still in the running!!! (Stay positive Eva!)

The next week there I go again back for another round of interviews. This time the interview was from 10-12:30 (no lunch). It was a total of three interviews with four people! Again, very intense! I swear, this postion was "just a financial analyst" not CEO! Again, I left feeling good with my performance.

I thought, well I did my very best so whatever the outcome I will be ok with it. I know I am more than qualified so if they don't select me it's because of my personality and that's something I cannot or am not willing to change. If they don't think I fit their team, well then I probably don't and that's that. I was getting myself ready for whatever came my way. This is not to say I didn't want the job. I DID! I crossed my fingers, my toes, my eyes!

A week passed by and no news. I thought no news is good news, right? Well on Friday I got a call and I had not been selected. After all that, they decided to stay with the strong internal candidate. Well so much for all that preparation. My fabulous life in the city came crumbling down.

Finding a New Job Part 1

2011-06-30T13:42:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to share the journey of finding a new job/position.

It all started at the beginning of the year. As soon as I decided to proactively look I set up informational meetings with a few different managers. This informed me of the what opportunities where out there. Not all these managers had positions open, but I met with them with hopes that something would open up and then they would think of me. Just getting the ball rolling on "the search" made me feel that much better.

Then in March I learned that a position I had been interested in for over a year was becoming available. Yey me! This position was in Chicago, so what this meant to me was that I was going to be able to move back to the city! This position was also very interesting. It would complement my previous work experience while allowing me to expand my cost accounting knowledge. I was beyond ecstatic!

When I applied to interview for it I noticed that they already had a strong internal candidate for the position. This was so heartbreaking since I had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I decided that was not going to discourage me because I truly believed I was the best candidate. I prepared for the interview by practicing questions and also by interviewing someone who had previously held that position. I also had some help... there was a friend who was also interviewing for that position before me and he was kind enough to let me know what questions they asked him. I was more than ready to rock this!

The day of the interview I arrived 45 minutes early and reviewed my answers AGAIN! The interview was pretty intense. It was from 10 am to 1 pm (lunch included). I was interviewed by five people!

I left feeling pretty good becase I did my best. I prepared, practice and showed up!

The manager said they would be making a decision by that Friday (a couple days after the interview). I also asked my previous manager and my current manager to call the hiring manager to recommend me. Yes, I pulled all the strings I could.. this job was mine!

This was me!

Ready to run up the corporate ladder!

New Apartment

2011-06-28T15:44:00.001-05:00

Today I signed the lease for a new apartment!

Here are a couple pics. It is a one bedroom in Glenview. It is exactly 1.5 miles from work.

I am really excited about the double sink! Man, I must be getting old, for this to be exciting!

~~Get a New Apartment~~ Done!

Montreal Non Work Goals

2011-06-10T01:33:00.000-05:00

I had some goals for my stay in Montreal that were not related to work....

Work Out Four Times
Write Two Posts
Eat Three Salads
Drink Water

AND now for the results... I would say.... FAIL

I didn't work out
I did write 6 posts (including this one)
I ate one salad... but it had lots of dressing and cheese... I don't think it should count
I did not drink enough water... but I did have lots of diet coke

Ugh, EVA GET IT TOGETHER!

My "fat pants" are starting to fit again... and they were very loose... darn it! Ok, I need to get serious!

As serious as the wedgie this girl is suffering from! Ha, ha!

You mean you are not completely miserable at work?

2011-06-10T01:24:00.000-05:00

The title is what kept going through my head while working at Montreal. The people at the office were just so different from the people back home. Maybe it seemed that way because I only spent three days there, but they were friendly and during lunch they talked about other things other than complain about work!

I met one lady who had been with the company for 37 years! She is retiring in August. This was her only job ... ever! Crazy! I am not sure if she held the same position, but I don't think so. I really wanted to ask her what they used before computers...but I felt that was very disrectpectful so I shut my trap!

Office Observations:

People are more laid back. They have breakfast together from 9:30-10 am EVERYDAY. They actually sit in the cafeteria for 30 minutes and eat their cereal/yogurt! I really really liked that.
They dress more stylish. There is one analyst who looked looked like Blake Lively and she wore very cute clothes. She was probably the only analyst in my age group, but everyone else was also had style.

Blake Lively

Financial Analyst

Since the office is in an actual plant they get to interact with the plant hourly employees. I found it nice that they all say hi to each other at lunch. I find that the people from corporate lose touch with reality and don't realize that the decisions made at the corporate office actually affect real people at the plants.
People are nice! So all the cafeteria employees spoke French at first, then I would say "Sorry, I don't speak French, can I have a ham and cheese sandwich?" Yes, that's what I ate because I didn't know how to order anything else! They were patient with me as I pointed to what I wanted on the sandwich. Over at corporate you need to have your order ready and yell it out as soon as it is your turn or else you get yelled at... yes, lunch is stressful like that! Also, today I asked the guy at the register for a straw, but he didn't know what I meant, so I signaled my juice and I think he understood and pointed me to somewhere. I said thank you, but decided to just drink straight from the bottle, well once I was sitting he came by my table and handed me a straw! That surprised me!

I really hope that the "nice" rubbed off on me. I want to go back to work with a better attitude y "con ganas de trabajar"!

Oh! I should mention that the reason I traveled for work was because their responsibilities are being sent to corporate and therefore they are losing their jobs, yes and they were still nice to me/us. I felt like this girl from "Up in the Air", even though I was not the one who broke the news to them I still felt bad. I really wish them good luck because they are a good group of people.

Goals: Get A New Apartment

2011-06-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

I decided I was ready to upgrade to a one bedroom. It was a hard decision because I love my place and I have spent a lot of time on it and I finally feel happy with it... so why would I want to move? Well, I would really love to have people over and you can't really have a get together in a studio... well not comfortably anyways.

I also love interior design so I would love to design my own little apartment. I am very excited about finding a place and therefore "this journey" has been really dissapointing. I found a nice affordable one bedroom, but the problem is that it's ready to have someone move in while my lease is not over until July 31st... bummer! I listed my studio on craigslist as a sublease and I did get a few emails... a lot of them were weird and I didn't trust them. I did show it to two girls, but so far nothing. This whole situation was causing me lots of stress.

I decided to keep my eyes open for other places and this is how I found this other apartment. I was too excited because it looked really nice and it was very affordable. Check it out!

I wrote to them and one later got a response. After I e-mailed them and waiting for a response to a viewing I decided to google the owner's emails since it actually looked like it belonged to a management company. Well, surprise surprise! I found them on the flake list!

It turns out it's a scam. That's the same e-mail is the one I got. So far they have "hit" Colorado, Texas and Illinois! So just be careful when you are looking for apartments (specially on craigslist)!

As far as my aparment search goes, well I decided to stay until the contract expires and start looking at places at the end of June. Wish me luck!

And then Kim Kardashians walks in.

2011-06-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

Don't you hate it when you hurry home from a late Friday night at work to wash the work week off your hair... try on two different outfits.... settle on black, find some semi-comfortable heels and drive the 40 minutes to meet your boyfriend's friends for a birthday celebration... you show up, take some sangria and feel pretty good about not only finishing your week's work but also looking pretty cute....until Kim Kardashian walks in....and you sink to into your sangria.

Damn it... confidence vanishes faster than the sangria. So what do you do?

Well I ask for more sangria and run through the list of sht I DID just get done. Damn it! I worked until 8 pm, went home fed and showered myself even though I was tired and only wanted to throw myself on the couch! I tried to look cute (and was feeling cute until this bimbo walked in) and drove into Chicago dodging other city hungry suburbanites to see my boyfriend smile and party. Yes, I am a pretty awesome girlfriend. I am back to feeling pretty good about myself... but what makes me feel better is that I WAS WORKING (and being an independant self sufficient woman) while this hoe was at home making her hair perfectly straight, probably doing sit ups and adjusting her push up bra. Yes, I am way better than her. THEN I hear someone mention that she is a nurse.... DOUBLE DAMN IT!... she probably saved someone's life today. I am back to my sangria.

Then I mentally btch slap myself and yell, "why must you only feel good about YOURSELF when you feel superior to someone else? STOP... you are awesome because you are awesome, not because little nurse Bethany Whispers is dumb and or lame! Ok. let's just smile, drink your sangria and have a good time."

So I do. We get to the club, order me a Jameson and 7 and proceed to dance like a fool and love it. The end.

.... and little nurse Bethany Whispers?.... I don't know. I stopped keeping track of her after the first sip of my "jimmy"...except I did see her limp out of the club...haha...those heels were killers.

Who I am not.

2011-06-06T23:57:00.000-05:00

My birthday brough upon a lot of reflection. One of the things I reflected on was on who I am, who I was, but more importantly to me, who I am not. I realized that through out time I have "tried" to be a lot of different woman or at least adopt their style. This year I realized that I will never be them, I have my own likes and dislikes. I have my own real life to deal with. In a perfectly designed Eva life, I would have a reality design show with many assistants and also a personal stylist! I would look perfect all of the time! I would wear heels and have a perfectly pedicured toes. I would also have a personal foot rubber... well I did say I was going to wear heels!

Ok, back to reality. The two ladies' style I have tried to identify with are Kate and Katy.

I wish I was classic and timeless like Kate Middleton. I pick a nude pink tone for my nails and I feel closer to her. I die my hair a light brown and feel I am getting there. I shop for a white coat because she looks so put together! My hair gets longer and I think "I am really honing in". In reality, I wake up late and pull my hair up in a pony tail, my manicure starts to show stress and distress. Close week comes around and I need to type fast so I make the nail clipper my BFF. Winter is gone and the white coat never happened... ugh I've missed the Kate train.

At the same time, I like hot pink on my nails and leopard print. So after Kate didn't happen, I think Katy is really more me. I find a leopard print dress. I die my hair darker and cut it and style it differently to give it more waves. Yes, I am really getting better at this. I wished I had blue eyes... and fireworks coming out of my bra (fireworks music video)! Ugh, this get's tiring. I can't be her.

So I am not Kate nor Katy. Also, my feet hurt when I wear heels. Most of the time I don't care about my hair because I have places to go (like work), reconciliations to reconcile, blogs to read, shows to watch, e-mails to answer and basically a life to live!

So I give up. I will just forget this whole, who can I be dealio and just be me. I will pick the nail color I like for me, I will go shopping with only me in mind. I know that I will never be that "put together" girl because in reality I guess I don't care that much about style. I wish I did, but I guess I don't.

I have also realized that I will never be the pretty traveler I wish I was. Today I wore my "Mr. Peanut" shirt for the flight... why? Because it's super soft. BUT when I saw myself in the airport bathroom I seriously felt embarrassed! Just because it's a work trip it does not mean I should wear their brand on my chest.

So maybe something I should strive for is... to NOT look like such a hot mess. Yes, that I could try to do. Instead of trying "to be" someone else I will only use their style as inspiration and try to make it my own. After all, if Kate or Katy didn't have all that money, media attention, and professional help they would probably also be wearing a Mr. Peanut shirt... ok maybe not. No one should be wearing that. I am embarrased all over again!

Day 1: New Job and in Montreal

2011-06-06T13:43:00.001-05:00

It does feel like a new day! Ever since I got the new position... I had not felt excited about it...but today is my first day w/out my old job responsibilities and I do feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

I am so excited, but I do not want to jinx myself. I am always afraid of marinating in the excitement/happiness of something new for fear of it dissapearing and being heartbroken. BUT here I am sitting in Montreal full of excitement and hope for a better work life. I am anxious to leave my old role. I learned so much and it was painful. We (me and other analysts) call it boot camp or plain old jail... and today I feel free. Yes, I will probably still have to answer a few questions and I do have one more reconciliation to complete...but I feel free.

Thank you God for helping me through that role... he knows there were many days/nights when I left the office feeling defeated, but had to go home and wash it all away only to go back for more. Now I ask... please take it easy on me with this new role! I need a break! I promise to do my best... but please have them be kind.... even if they don't rewind... LOL. Had to throw that in there.

Downtown Montreal From My Hotel Window

Well it's beautiful out. The corporate card wants to pay for my lunch... so I will let it. My mind says it's a work trip...but my body thinks it's a vacation... hopefully they will compromise and find a happy medium.

Goals Update: Get A New Job

2011-05-05T14:12:00.000-05:00

*Goals Update*

~~Get a New Job~~

It felt like the picture below, but it's finally done!

Cotorra!

2011-05-03T22:52:00.000-05:00

That's what I've been called! Last week I saw this pic on a blog and I just loved it.

I love the wood and white with the green as the focus point. Then on Sunday I found this at my fav place... TJ Maxx. I found it in the clearance section all the way in the back! It was only $7. I just had to get it.

On Sunday, a mass for the 1 year anniversary of my grandma's passing was said and for some reason after her passing I have grown very fond of birds... I don't know why. I think maybe she liked them or for some reason they remind me of her... anyways, I think she also called me cotorra sometime. I don't know where I am going with this... but finding the ceramic parrot felt good, kinda like a hug from my grandma. Maybe I am crazy, but I am so happy with my new "pet".

My Own Dressing Room!

2011-05-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

A couple months ago I saw a posting on a dressing room. The couple had an extra room in their house and the wife decided to make it her dressing room! How great is that?! Well, since I do live in a studio with not even a bedroom... I can't quite have that... but I do have a small closet room!

A trip to Wal-Mart got the decorating juices flowing... I got a $3 poster, a $7 frame and a $10 rug. I also moved a lamp from the "living room" and waaalaaa! I got me a dressing room!

At one point I was upset with myself for getting the red dresser instead of the black one. It has been two years since I changed my bedroom decor from red to green to blue... so the dresser stood out like a sore thumb (literally!), but when I saw this pic it all fell into place!

I also thought the framed poster made it more glam than a mirror could. I already have a full length mirror so I won't be missing out on anything. What do u think? I love it!

It also makes me want to keep an organized closet. Which the actual closet part is still a WIP, but I will keep you updated on any progress.

Goals Update: Q1

2011-05-03T22:27:00.000-05:00

This update was suppose to have happened at the beginning of April, but life got in the way. April was a very busy month...with what? I don't even remember, but I am sure it was a great part work!

So here is the updated Goals List:
~~Join Biggest Loser~~
~~Get New Glasses~~
~~Visit One US State~~
WIP - Get a New Job
WIP - Grow Hair
WIP - Get Laser Hair removal
WIP - Continue To Keep In Contact With Friends
WIP - Call Dad Regularly
Read 3 Books
Get Physical Exams
Go To The Dentist
Go To a Country Concert/Bar
Get New Apartment
Take Excel Classes
Send Out Christmas Cards

Q2 New Goals
WIP - Back Up and Organize Digital Documents and Pictures
Follow a Budget

The crossed out ones are done and done! The WIP ones are a work in progress. I will do a post on the "done" ones and another one on the WIP ones.

I also added two more goals. I really need to keep on track! I think that having this list has really helped me stay focused.

Now for a pic...because a post is better with a pic.

Biggest Loser: Week 9 or 10

2011-04-26T16:16:00.000-05:00

I am a bit late with the last post of the Biggest Loser... and the challenge was 10 weeks but according to blogger I am on week 9... so I don't know where week 9 went...but the challenge is DONE!

How did I do? ... FABULOUS! I lost 8.6 lbs or 5.13% of my body weight! I was the biggest loser on my team. Wooo hoo! That last week I lost .6 lbs. I wish it would have been more, but I won't let that cloud my great accomplishment!

As I changed into my work out clothes right before the final weigh in, this game/fight song was on the radio in the locker room. I don't know the song and I've tried asking people by humming it, but no one knows what I am talking about... anyways, I felt like a fighter getting ready to go out there!

I am so glad I joined this challenge, it has really helped me change my views on the gym, working out, and on people. I use to feel very intimidated, but now not so much. I can't say that I am a gym rat, but at least I am not "afraid" of going in now.

I plan to continue watching what I eat and only splurging once a week. Also, I hope to continue to work out at least 2/3 times a week. So far it hasn't gone so well because of work, but I hope not to lose all the lessons learned. Even after the chanllenge adrenaline leaves me I hope to keep the lessons. BUT if not, I will always have "pretty blessed" to remind me.

It's the LITTLE things

2011-03-30T13:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's the little things that brighten up your day. Sometimes it's the little thing you buy yourself that brighten up your day... as it is in my case... almost most of the time.

Over the weekend I was over at Wal-Mart (go ahead, gasp!) and saw this goblet. It's part of their summer outdoor collection so it's plastic, but it look "real". I brought it in to work and it makes me smile.

That's all. Just smiling like a dork because I have a cool pen cup.

Biggest Loser: Week 8

2011-03-30T13:31:00.000-05:00

Week 8?! Really? So I weight in today and what happen? NOTHING!

I was at the same exact weight as last week. At first I said, yes!!! and saw it as an accomplishment! I didn't gain any weight yuppy! BUT really Eva? That's an accomplishment? NO! I must get on it. There is only two weeks left and I have to bring it on! How? I don't know. I also don't feel very ambitious.

Maybe because I just had 2 chicken tacos which have put me in a food coma. I will think about it and try to pump myself up. I really wish I had a more positive attitude and was ready to kick this challenge in the butt... we will see.

Biggest Loser: Week 7

2011-03-23T18:03:00.000-05:00

So I have good news and I have bad news... which ones do you want first?

The good? Ok. My team was in first place for week 6. Yey! This is our first time.

Ready for the bad? I gained 0.60 lbs. Yikes! Well, not really yikes, because to be honest I didn't work out from Thursday to Sunday. Yes, after I lost two pounds I relaxed. Oops! Time to step back in it!

I was going to weigh in later to see if that 0.60 weight gain had dissapeared, but I decided to stick to my words of weight is only a number and accept the 0.60. A half pound is not going to put me down!

So far, 4 out of 5 teammates gained weight and I don't know about the 5th one. Yes! Misery loves company:)

Lesson Learned: Just because you did well last week does not mean you can "relax". Yes, I did relax because last week went well, so I did earn that half pound. Now time to look forward and work it!

In other happy thoughts: I did do two good things last week. I filed my taxes. Yesss! Should be getting a return which will go to my hair zapping (aka laser hair removal)! The other good thing is that I finally washed my couch slip covers. My white couch is actually white again! Aww love it! I will have to post a studio tour soon!

Goal 2: Get New Glasses

2011-03-21T19:31:00.000-05:00

The prescription in my current glasses does not feel right anymore so I have been wearing my contacts. It's nice, but it gets bothersome, specially during the long hours of close week.

I have decided to change up my eyeglasses style since my current frames are looking a little worn. I have decided to go with these Ray Ban frames. They are small enough for my face, but long enough to be chic!

Now I just have to decide on one more thing...color? I would usually go for black because I wear so much black, but the brown matches my hair nicely so I don't know. I think the brown looks a little more stylish.

Everyone I have asked has said the black, but I think I like the brown. The guys said brown looked a little granny. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

What do you think?

Biggest Loser: Week 6

2011-03-17T00:51:00.000-05:00

Today started as a good day, but for some reason I feel down now. I lost -1.8 lbs this week. I was very happy because again I was scared I had not done that well, but I am glad it was a good week.

Lesson Learned: At first I thought my "lesson learned" was going to be to stay "Eva" through out this process. What I mean by that, is that I don't want to give up things that make me... such as enchiladas. Who would I be if I didn't eat enchiladas on a special ocassion? Not me. On Sunday I went to Maya Del Sol restaurant to celebrate Fabian's mom's birthday. I kept on struggling with what I was going to order. Part of me wanted to "be good" and order the salmon and the other part was "screaming" for the mole rojo chicken enchiladas with the chihuahua cheese. I decided on the enchiladas and I do not regret it one bit! They were delicious! I was still afraid that they were going to hurt my weigh in today, but I worked out on Monday and had healthy meals. So ONE of the lessons I learned was that it's ok to celebrate special occasions and allow yourself an indulgence... as long as it's not everyday!

Lesson Learned TWO: Now on to the other lesson learned...or actually the one I am trying to learn. After dinner I told Fabian, "You didn't tell me I looked pretty." He said, "Oh sorry, yes you look gorgeous!" Then I asked him, "Why do I always have to remind you that I look pretty?" His answer?

"Because I don't want you to be full of yourself."

WHAT?! Well, if you can't rely on your boyfriend for a self-esteem boost...who can you count on? That's right, no one but yourself! I can't wait for him or for anyone else to validate me. I have to realize that I am enough, that I am pretty/gorgeous/smart...everything! I am everything I was meant to be. I am.

Now... "knowing" that, tell me why I started to get sad about my weight loss? I have lost a little over 8lbs now and that is great! What is not so great is that I have about 20 more pounds to go. That is overwhelming! Ahh!!! I have to keep reminding myself of all the things that have changed ever since I started caring for myself and that it's not only about losing the weight, it's about enjoying life and making the best of my time here, with my family, with my friends, with my coworkers and with my love.

It's hard to take yourself out from a hole which you have dug up. I realized, that no one else can get me out... specially if I don't stop digging. So here is me halting the digging. I already gave myself a pep talk, yes out loud because my ears need those words. So this entry is attempt number two, because my eyes need to read these words.

I am enough. I am of value. I am everything I need to be. I am.

Goal 4: Laser Hair Removal

2011-03-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

Goal number 4 for 2011 is to finally get laser hair removal. I have been waxing for a couple years now and it's not only expensive, but also painful. I stopped shaving because it was causing my skin to itch... a lot. My skin was too dry which would cause the itchiness which then would leave me scars... because I have no self control and I can't stop scratching.

Well, I finally went to my first treatment on Thursday Feb 24th. It all happened so fast. The Saturday before I woke up and decided to call "the spa"... they said, they had an opening that day in a few hours so I took it! I had been growing my hair because I thought they needed to see it, but it turns out they don't! So I was a hairy monster for nothing!

My appointment was scheduled and I was given the isntruction to shave before coming in :) On Thursday I went in 30 mins before my appointment. I was given a dress bathrobe and numbing cream to apply to the areas. I applied it to my arms, underarms and full legs. After 20 mins I was taken to "the room" where the procedure was going to be done.

I laid down on a "rotating doctor's bed", given some goggles and she went to town zapping away my hair! The procedure feels like a rubber band hitting you. It's really not bad at all. The only part that hurt a little more were the forearms. What was weird was that it smelled like burnt hair, specially for the underarms. The room was equipped with a fan machine to help with the smell, but since the underarms are so close to your nose, you can really smell it.

The whole procedure took less than an hour. There is no recovery time. Right after my appointment I went to Lockdown Burgers to celebrate Fabian's compadre's b-day! The next day there was a bit of redness, but not bad at all!

Here are is the site to the place I went and the pricing. I have my next visit scheduled for the beginning of April. The nurse thinks I will need about 4 sessions. It's gonna be pricey, but worth it!

If you have any questions, ask away! If you are interested, let me know because they have a referral program!

Wish me luck!

Biggest Loser: Week 5

2011-03-10T17:06:00.000-06:00

I have been sick with a cold for about a week now. It was a light cold last week so I kept working out and going about my business. I even came in early on Monday to work out. After last week's little set back I was ready to bring it on!

Except the cold really hit me on Monday! I couldn't breathe, my nose was too stuffy, I was sneezing, coughing and basically dieying!

I took a half day on Tuesday and a full day off on Wednesday. I finally felt better on Thursday and came in. It was time for the weigh in (since I missed Wednesday). I was scared. I didn't work out hard, I ate too much and I was ready for the consequences... Well, guess what?! I lost ONE pound! How does this happen? I don't know. I even had pizza yesterday (because I thought all effort had been lost).

I thought, maybe it's the pound of muscle that I gained last week, but who cares?! I am taking my pound and running with it!

Lesson Learned: Sometimes, when your body is sick, it needs a break! I should have taken a break when my body had the light cold... but I didn't. I kept working out and going on with business as usual until I couldn't anymore. Sometimes you just need a break. I can't wait until I am back 100% to really bring it on!

Biggest Loser: Week 4

2011-03-10T16:44:00.000-06:00

[Week 4, 03.02.2011]
The number is +0.80. Yes, I worked out. I was very good. SO WHAT HAPPEN?!

According to the trainer, I gained muscle. Which I will believe, because I did work out! I promise I did! I even came in on Monday morning again to work out! She said, that people always gain weight around week 4 because we are finally starting to gain some muscle.

I am so glad that last week's learning was that weight is just a number... what a way of testing me.

Lesson Learned: Weight is really just a number. Even though I "gained" weight I still feel well. My clothes fit better, so yes weight is just a number.

A side story: After I weight in and the trainer told me I was up 0.80 she also said, "Take a deep breath, it's going to be ok." Like she expected me to break out in tears or something. She said that the previous person had also gained weight and that she was practically in tears, because she had worked out so hard. That put things into perspective and made me realize I need to chill. I couldn't let this week take a toll on me. So I accept that 0.80 of muscle gain and move on!

Biggest Loser: Week 3

2011-03-10T15:47:00.000-06:00

[Week 3, 02.23.2011]

The number is -1.6. I was very happy with this number. Hearing that made want to give it my all. So that week I worked out super hard. I was in the gym 3 days doing eliptical and classes. I was a bit obsessive. It was also the first week I worked out before work! Now, THAT I thought would never happen. Me giving up sleep for the gym...never. Until now. I am a new person...LOL.

I also worked out over the weekend! Wow. I know, I was shocked too!

No need to be sad... only you see that number.

Lesson Learned: Weight is just a number. That's is an on going lesson. One of my teammates does not look like she needs to lose weight, but she claims she gained 20 lbs from college. She wanted to lose 20 lbs, but for the first 3 weeks she lost 1 lb. I told her to realize how hard it was going to be for her to lose weight because she didn't have that much fat to begin with... unlike other people. That instead of focusing on the number of lbs, to focus on the way she felt and her attitude. No one but you sees that number on the scale, but what people do see is whether you have a smile on, whether you are happy or stressed. So we decided, that how we felt was more important than what numbers we pulled in... because the other girls were not doing so well. Some gained weight after Valentine's day so the team pressure was off!

I also noticed a difference in me. I am way happier and also a lot less stressed. I am able to talk to certain people (at work) with out wanting to punch them in the face! Yey me!

2011 Goals

2011-03-10T15:20:00.002-06:00

Hi y'all! I am a little late on posting these goals. Let me tell you why...

First, I didn't write them down until February... I wanted to marinate in them and make sure they were true to me.

Second, I lost them. Yep, after taking a month to write them down... I lost them! I thought there were in my personal computer and considered them lost for a week when I didn't find them... but luckily they were in my work computer.

Now that my goals have been found... here they are!

1. Join Biggest Loser at work….

a.To finally start working out

b. Lose fear of the gym

2. Get new glasses

3. Grow hair out

4. Get Laser Hair removal

5. Get physical exams/dentist

6. Read 3 Books

7. Continue to keep in contact w/friends

8. Call Dad regularly

9. Send out Christmas cards

10. Visit one US state

11. Go to a country concert/bar

12. Get a new job

13. Get new apt, one bedroom maybe?

14. Take excel classes (online and classroom)

Yes, here they are. In no particular order. Nothing out of this world, but my goals none the less.

Pic Source

Biggest Loser: Week 2

2011-02-17T23:57:00.000-06:00

I worked out 4 times last week... that was an accomplishment for me. A couple years ago, I would take my gym bag and literally walk past the gym... why? I don't know. I was scared, lazy... I don't know. So that alone was huge for me...now add losing THREE pounds...wow! Great!

While at the gym, I do the eliptical and I've taken two classes. One was Zumba and I love Zumba! It's like dancing at the club and you get to shimmy all you want without the stares! I also took a spinning class... that was tough! I took it on Monday and my butt was in pain until Wednesday.

Tuesday I didn't get to work out and I was starting to get really bummed out! I had to work late and just couldn't get to the gym. I was also in pain from spinning and dead tired from work. That's when I decided to just rest.

Lesson Learned: I also learned that crap happens and that sometimes I won't get to work out and I can't let that get to me. BUT that, that also should push me to work out when I have a chance. On Wednesday I didn't want to work out, but I told myself...I don't know if I will be able to go tomorrow so go! I did, and boy am I glad, because today I had to work late again! I wished I would have been able to go, but there are things that need to get done. I needed to finish some work today because I can't work late tomorrow because I have dinner plans with Ed and two other coworkers. I am happy to work late today if I get to enjoy my friends tomorrow. I am learning to prioritize and to not get bummed out...because ~~crap~~ work happens!

Biggest Loser: Week 1

2011-02-17T23:14:00.002-06:00

{this was suppose to be posted on 02.09.2011}

So today was the moment of truth....the dreaded first weigh in.....and I am lucky to report that my prayers worked.... I lost TWO pounds.... yey!

How?! I don't know, prayer I guess...because this was not the best week.

The first day was easy, but on Tuesday I left work at 1pm because of the snow storm... I went to my parents because I didn't want to deal with parking and with my car being buried by snow. I stayed there until Friday morning when I went back to work. I did not leave the house, other than to shovel some snow. While at home I ate delicious homecooked meals, exquisite chinese take out, sneaked in a few Oreos, a few Chips A'hoy, some chocolate Abuelita, some sweet bread....and I think that was it. AND I didn't work out. Mmm yea not too good.

On Friday I went back to work and had a salad and worked out. Trying to recover... but then I went out with Fabian and his friends for a very delayed Christmas dinner at Nandu's Argentinian Restaurant. It was delish!

The rest of the weekend I tried to take it easy, but it was Super Bowl Sunday and I had to have a couple wings.
I worked out Monday and Tuesday to try to recover again...and then on Wednesday I was at -2. Prayers I tell you!

As for prizes...we haven't been told, but I do know we get t-shirts.

Lesson Learned: This week I learned that if you let people in they will support you! I have always been closer to the guys at work, meaning I stay away from the girls...well now with the Biggest Loser I am surrounded by girls and you know what? They aren't so bad! They have been so supportive! They come by ask how I am doing, ask about going to the gym, and my fave... they hi-five! Yea, guys don't really hi-five!

Picture Source

This Pretty Much Made My Day

2011-02-17T22:36:00.001-06:00

At work I support 2 bakery plants and 1 cheese plant. Let me just tell you how much I appreciate them! They send me gifts, they ask about my well being when the weather is bad (a lot this winter), and sometimes they are a pain with all of their questions...but sometimes they crack me up!

See this IM conversation with the bad boy of Atlanta, that's the analyst at one of my plants.

Plant: I'm looking at my GR variance report. It appears to be unhappy.

Me: Tickle it. That might help.

Plant: OK...hold on

Me: Ok.

Plant: It just stared at me and mentioned something about a lawyer.

Ha, ha. I couldn't help him with his report or analysis, but this pretty much made my day.

The Biggest Loser!

2011-01-31T17:56:00.000-06:00

So as I have mentioned to most of you...I have joined The Biggest Loser weight lost program at work. This week is the initial weigh in.... it was a reality check... but I wasn't surprised because I have been stuffing my face for the last year!

The program runs from Feb 1st to April 8th. We are divided into teams of 5 people and compete per % weight lost. (pounds lost/initial weight)

My team seems pretty serious about winning which is a great because I need to be pushed!

Today was also my first work out in about a year! Yikes...shock to the body!

I worked out for 40 minutes in the eliptical and here is proof!

I am very excited! Hopefully this is a new healthy beginning for me. Wish me luck friends, wish me luck!

Don't You Dare Be This Person At My Wedding

2011-01-28T14:46:00.001-06:00

So as soon as people find out you enjoy a little youtube comedy... the videos just start dropping like flies!

Check out this video my coworker sent me. Watch it until the end.. because just went you think it can't get worse... it does!

Sweet Appreciation

2011-01-27T14:18:00.001-06:00

Suspicious package arrives at 10 am.

Everyone gathers around my cube wondering what is in package. No mail is EVER received on this side of town.

After five minutes of struggling with packaging tape and scissors … I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

One of my plants sent me this package. It has been one of the nicest suprises I have received. I know it's small, but it really meant the world to me. Specially because the card was signed by all the office employees there. Awww, me blushing.
(In case you are wondering, yes I do have my gift displayed as such on my desk…I have no shame!)

On other work related news... One of my best buds has left the company. Yesterday was his last day so it was specially nice to receive this today since we were feeling kinda down and missing his craziness.

Dirty Dirty Song

2011-01-27T00:34:00.000-06:00

Jackie! You said to keep you updated on what's playing on the radio...well this isn't really being played...but I have played it a couple times on youtube...enjoy... it's dirty.

Ok, so the video I wanted to send u just went private....ugh.

This is the song though...I will keep track of the other one. In the mean time ...check out the song and lyrics.

DIRRRTY!

Oprah to the Rescue

2011-01-21T00:13:00.001-06:00

As always...Oprah to the rescue!

I just went on her site...and within 30 seconds (not exagerating!) found this:

How to Stop Being So Damn Hard On Yourself

Yep...you read right...now click and read the article!

Our Greates Fear

2011-01-21T00:01:00.001-06:00

I am working on my resume and that makes me feel insecure and inadequate. I look at my peer's resumes and feel my experience and knowledge is not enough. I ask myself if I will be able to fool another company into thinking I am smart enought to be hired for them... I need to stop this. I have always told myself (and my peers) we cannot go through life comparing our unique experiences to others'. We are too harsh and therefore will never be the winners in our eyes. Today, I need to follow my own advice.

I remembered I read this on Makeunder My Life. Today, I need to re-read it.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson
Source is Return to Love by Marianne Williamson, Harper Collins, 1992

I will probably have to re-read it tomorrow too.

New Adventures in 2011

2011-01-19T21:17:00.000-06:00

I owe this blog many updates... Since the last post I updated my decor, put up Christmas decorations and have had many thoughts I've wanted to write about...but if it's not one thing or another and then the day is over.

All the updates will have to stay in the vault...for now.

Today I wanted to share this post and video from yahoo. This man found a film of roll in a New York park and is now trying to find the owners/people in the pictures. He has made this video in an effort to be more "adventurous" and in hopes that someone will see it and help him find the rightful owners.

Check out the article here and the video below.

It's been a while...

2011-01-10T20:34:00.002-06:00

Hi Jackie,

Yes, it's me again. You tired of me yet? I've been bugging you quite a bit lately. I just wanted to say a quick hello to you! And tell you that my "Mexico/Ecuador" exercise routine started today! lol I'm thinking of going to Mexico for my Aunt's 50th wedding anniversary (Memo's mom) for 1st weekend in March to Morelia. But we'll see how it all plays out, since I already had Ecuador in my sight :-)

Also, did I tell you our fridge is broken? We have been without a fridge for almost two weeks. This morning I was thinking of Rwanda, and how a fridge is really not a major thing, barely anyone has one. I would say that in Rubona, where I stayed, only one place had one. And here, I'm all upset with the landlord because she is dragging, it's such an inconvenience in this life style, so I decided to calm down and be patient until we get it.

I'm also doing an online "retreat" for a Catholics on Call retreat I went to about two years ago. They have an annual "short" follow up that is January 29, and in preparation we do the online retreat on our own. I'm looking forward to it. It always helps to meet and hang out with other young Catholics that feel as lost as I do figuring out what God's plan is for us.

How was your first day back to school and work?

Yols

Studio Living Room

2010-09-11T16:09:00.002-05:00

Studio Living Room by prettyblessed on Polyvore.com
White, Gray, Turquoise, Yellow and Green!

I've been meaning to change my decor bc I grow bored easily...now I am anxious to get stuff!!!

Cumple

2010-09-08T18:01:00.002-05:00

My birthday was so great. I was completely surprised and caught off guard because I was expecting to go see a movie and have dinner with Diana and Liz. When we arrived to AMC by Navy Pier I was thinking we were going to eat at the sushi place right next door: http://www.niusushi.com/. But we walked right past it and no one said anything. I ant going to lie, I was hungry so on our way up the escalators, I finally said, “where are we going?” Diana responded, we are going to go see a movie and eat popcorn! Yums, you had me at popcorn. But then we go to Lucky Strike, what?! So we are going to get a drink beforehand. Okay, but then we walk in to the lounge area and there is everyone…Eva, Yolanda and then I saw my sisters and was sooooo touched that they would include them. I love my sisters so much that it was nice to share this experience with them. Who attended: Eva, Fabian, Yolanda, Diana, Liz, Yesenia, Nancy, Laura A., Ramon (L.A. boyfriend), Laura Gomez, Jose (L.G. boyfriend), Hugo and his lady friend aka secret weapon. It was all so nice. The food was delicious. So after dinner we had some tasty cupcakes and you would think that would be the end of it but NO!

We were going bowling, woohoo!!! I was so excited, I'm not a huge bowler but I was so appreciative that the party was going to keep on going. The first game was a bit competitive but tons of fun. I think next time I am going to ask if they have kiddie bowl, you know? The one where they cover the gutters. We all could have benefited from gutter guards. Well, everyone except maybe Fabian! Here are a few pics of that night:

Fabian just grinning about how bad bowlers Eva's friend are

Molly's cupcakes-yums!

Yolanda showing my sister and Diana a bowling move!

Jose, Laura, liz and Yolanda

Thank you to all that may that night such a treat! Sorry for my delay in getting this post up but honestly August has been a whirlwind. To find out more please check out my blog: http://meinthe09.blogspot.com/

A Sprinkle of Growth...

2010-09-05T14:44:00.008-05:00

The chosen title to my birthday celebration is a perfect way to describe the past year. How the title came about? Growth because I was thinking about it on Friday while I was working on the evite, Sprinkle because the day before I had gone to this cupcake place named Sprinkles. I have a feeling, I have plenty of more growing up this coming year! I really would like to share my growth and general happenings with you all. I find it easier to bring up my feelings and thoughts through writing. I also think blogging is a great way to share and catch up :) That's why I decided to create a blog named..............if you guessed A Sprinkle of Growth, you are correct!!!

Please feel free to follow my growth @ http://asprinkleofgrowth.blogspot.com/

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I Do!

2010-09-05T10:13:00.008-05:00

Hey Jackie!

Yesterday I attended a friend's wedding. Before I went to the mass I had to go to Dominick's to pick up a wedding card. When I got there I headed to the flower and plant section, not because I was in need of buying something but just wanted to look around. After looking around this bouquet caught my eye but decided to go get what I needed then come back. Well, I ended up coming back and buying myself the bouquet!!!

Windy City Bouquet

After finally getting ready, I headed out to mass when I was suppose to be there. I've been running on Latina Time but that's another story. I was happy to know when I arrived the bride was still outside the church so I didn't miss a thing. The whole wedding was pretty much Latino Time.

Jasmin & Ray

Flower Center Piece I got to bring home

Yey, I have two flower arrangements at my place!

I enjoyed attending the wedding. Glad I got to hang out with Nina, Francis, & Jasmin. This morning, I've been reflecting on a few of the weddings I've attended. It reminds me of the faith and hope I have to one day be lucky to say I do to that special man but it also reminds me that I don't want a big wedding. If that day comes, I don't want to have to worry about the things that are going right or wrong. I know, I will still have some worries (such as the groom showing up) but having a small wedding will make it more special and intimate. I'm thinking the way to make this happen is a destination wedding :)

I keep thinking about you Jackie!

2010-08-31T08:58:00.002-05:00

Liz and I were chatting about a place down the street from the apartment that is called "Ecua phone cards" or something along those lines. I run or walk by it almost everyday! Every time I see the Ecuador flag I remember you, but I have yet to make it inside. When I do, I'll be proud to tell them all about my friend (o sea, tu!) who lives in Ecuador :-)

I also played soccer on Saturday (after a 12 mile run, I was soo tired, but it was soo much fun!). It was 18 guys and two girls. I was one of the two. The guys were actually very cool about having girls play and I had a lot of fun. We were out there for almost two hours and then had pizza all together afterwards. The team is called International Futbol Club, which is the co-ed version of the female team I started playing indoor with in the Spring. It is truly an International crowd, people from Africa, South America, Mexico, U.S., and Asia are part of it. One of the guys, who I actually invited to come out to play because I knew he liked soccer (I met him recently through a friend) kept poking fun at me (he was trying to be funny and nice, but didn't quite work with me) because I couldn't run as fast as them, he called me turtle and pointed out some flaws of mine. I wanted to punch him in the face, but besides that I realized that I didn't really care what he thought. All the other guys seemed cool with us making mistakes and honestly, I just really like playing soccer!! So he is not going to stop me :-)

But anyway, the important point was that I kept thinking of other girls that would want to play with us and thought about you. Unfortunately you are not here! But when you come back, you will play Jackie! But I'm soo glad you're also playing soccer there. I feel like it's in my heart and my blood. I just have so much fun playing! I imagine you do too. I just wanted to share with you :-)

Check this out:

http://www.womensprosoccer.com/chicago

August is flying by....

2010-08-21T13:17:00.006-05:00

Hey Jackie!

I hope you had an awesome b-day! Can't wait to read all about it :-)

As of me and my adventures, they continue! First, Idalia's celebration. I had so much fun and Eva picked up some delicious cupcakes! But I'll let Idalia tell the story from her perspective, but it was great!

In August my new nice was born, Yaretzi (luna amada or something like that) and I am very happy for the new and healthy addition. I have also had some other celebrations @ the house

with my nieces and their 13 and 14 b-days. The 14 yr old starts high school this week where Eva and I went to high school. I'm so excited and nervous for her at the same time. They're growing

too fast, I remember like it was yesterday when I held them in my arms. I'm going to move on because I think I may just cry.

Any way so I really like it the new place. It's also awesome that Liz lives down the street, I have

seen more of her over the past two weeks than the whole year! lol My room is coming along great (I'll post pics soon). I'm so glad I asked for help, it is easier to have more than just yourself trying to figure out what you want/need. It's been more enjoyable this way. I also brought my bike, but since I'm still scared of riding in

general, I'm having a hard time trying to event take it out of the garage! But I think it is so cute. A friend of mine painted it for me with the youth I used to volunteer for at the church, 'member? If I ever do ride it in the city, I will make a big deal about it and let you know :-)

In regards to travel, I took the free trip with my mom to Santa Fe. I wrote a little bit about in on my blog, check it out. It was fun. The summer dances continue in Chicago and I have also done a few more. The latest were Samba and Bulgarian music. I was sweating bullets both times, but I have to say, it is one of the few times when I don't care how much I sweat! Your cousins didn't come out this time :-/

Oh guess what? We saw Vanessa yesterday. It had been a while and it was nice to catch up. Her baby is so cute and getting bigger! Vane looks great and I think we all really enjoyed the time together. Although I over ate and then had a tummy ache :-( Pero lo comida nadie me lo quita!

It feels like the summer is flying by Jackie! I've enjoyed it very much being back in the city this year and wish you were here to go

dance with me. But it's ok, I admire you so much! Btw, I start school on Monday and my social life will decrease, I'm a nerd, you know how that goes. I focus and it's study time!

So perhaps, you may stop reading about all these fun outings and more about me sitting on my desk and stressing about them papers! Either way, you will hear from me lol

Cuidate Jackie! Sigue disfrutando Ecuador :-)

Yols

FELIZ CUMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-19T23:54:00.005-05:00

Jackie!

Happy B-Day! Best wishes! Pasatela bonito hoy y todo este nuevo ano!!

Con Carino,

Yolanda

Happy Birthday Jackie!!!!!

2010-08-19T22:17:00.003-05:00

Hope you had a wonderful day celebrating your birthday! Cheers to a new year!

Happy Birthday!

2010-08-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday From All of Us!

May you feel our love (and hugs) through out this day and through out your stay in Ecuador.

We miss you, but are so happy to have such a brave friend!

Con Mucho Amor, FELICIDADES!

Idalia's Surprise Bowling Extravaganza Party!

2010-08-04T23:42:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday we got together to celebrate our dear friend's birthday! Since the rain ruined the beach plans for the b-day celebration...we needed to do something....and a bowling party seemed appropiate!

The party was held at Lucky Strike in downtown Chicago.

We had food, drinks, CUPCAKES, and so much fun!

I'll let Idalia, tell u the details...since

1) I don't have pics

and

2) I want to know if she was really surprised!

Getting Ready for Abuelo

2010-08-02T23:40:00.000-05:00

This weekend was devoted to family and to turning Hari's office into a cozy room for my grandpa. We moved Hari's desk into the formal living room (into a corner), re-arranged some furniture and put in a twin size bed in and TA-DA! Room is ready!

I really liked it. It feels cozy and cool at the same time. The walls are sandy, the furniture is dark wood, and the bed covers are beige and light blue which match the fish tank!

I only took one quick pic!

Aside from our love of interior design, we did this to make my grandpa feel comfortable. He said he was coming over for two weeks, but we really want him to stay longer. Aside (again!) from wanting to spend time with him...the reason we want him to stay here is because he has been...how do I say...acting up after my grandma's passing. To make it short...he wants to marry someone! It doesn't seem to matter who, he just wants to marry anyone! Sounds funny, but there was a lady half his age that was actually interested...well more interested in his money, which funny enough, he doesn't have much!

Anyways, now he is coming over to visit us and we are excited! It's my mom's b-day on Thursday and I'm excited that my mom will get to spend it with her dad!

I hope this post makes sense, because I am hurrying up to try to catch some Zzzzz....

Groupon!

2010-07-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

My new obsession is Groupon!

Maybe not a full obsession, but that is only because I don't want to go broke! I really admire the innovation behind this new business!

Here is how it works: There is the deal of the day and u buy it, but the deal is only "on" once a set number of deals are sold. If that set number is not sold, your credit card is not charged. It's power in group buying..it's a groupon!

Here is this really good article on the founder.

Ok, so I finally went to cash in on my first Groupon. I bought a Groupon for $12, but worth $25 at Las Tablas. Since I was having a specially hard close, on Monday I decided that I was going to take Fabian to Las Tablas, hopefully having something to look forward to was going to make me feel better. Well, as tired as I was, I kept the date and went.

I literally had to go on some tablas to enter Las Tablas! There was construction all around the restaurant. I used the tabla to cross and get to the door and then the door wouldn't open! Finally I called Fabian, already inside, and asked him "How do I get inside?" He said, "Side Door"...ooops that's where I parked.

Anyways, I had a huge steak! It was juicy and delicious!

The steak came with potatoes, plantains, and maduros? The empadanas (appetizer) were aight, also the chimichurri sauce wasn't all that great, but oh well it was better than what I had been eating all week!

My other groupon is for a ride on Lake Michigan on one of those boats. I'll let you know how that goes!

Fist Pumping!

2010-07-30T23:37:00.000-05:00

In honor of the Jersey Shore premier...

Let the fist pumping begin... CLICK HERE!

Brought to you by your one and ONLY DJ FrenzE!!!

I remember you had wanted to get some music from Fabian, but it didn't happen. Well, here is something to hold you over!

Also, breaking news...Snooki was arrested today for disorderly conduct!
Click here and here! I am sure we will see it on the show!

Also, Angelina is back. I started to watch the premier yesterday, but fell asleep! I know, wtf? BUT it was close week and I was super tired! I will have to catch it online!

Making Life Better, One Annoyance At A Time

2010-07-30T23:26:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post. Do you ever have that one little annoying "to do" task that could literally take 5 minutes but you just keep putting off? Well, I do. I had this board where I tacked up some pics (pics from the pic activity we did a while ago; you 'member?), but wanted to cover the cork board with something a little nicer. I went out, got the paper...MONTHS ago but I had not gotten around to actually doing it. Well, enough is enough. Finally I took 5 minutes to cover it.

It felt good!

I don't know why I waited so long specially because I would see it every time I went out the door! Now I feel good every time I exit my studio. Yey me!

Now, if I could only tackle the pile of clothes that has been living on the couch for weeks...or months? I am embarrased!

Just Another Floody Day!

2010-07-28T22:11:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we had thunderstorms...and that created a huge mess for Chicagoans! So on saturday it was Javier & Yolanda's Wedding Shower at Maggiano's! I was so excited to go;

1) Because I am so excited for them

and

2) Because Maggiano's is so YUMMY!

The shower was from 12-4, so I left my place at 11. It was suppose to take 45 mins to get there so I thought that would be enough time...boy was I wrong!

I ran into issues right away! Dempster was closed due to flooding. When I finally got on 294 the speed rate was around 3 MPH! The only good thing about this situation was that next to me was one of my co-workers...actually ex-co-workers (since he quit that Thursday night). It was such a great coincidence because I had not gotten a chance to say good bye! We rolled down our windows and chatted it up!

So what was suppose to be a 45 min drive turned into a THREE HOUR drive! I felt so bad arriving late, but here is what made me feel better; Javier got there at 1pm!

It was so nice to see them happy! I kept thinking of how far we have come along...remember "the good ol'days"? Yea those. Anyways, the one thing I couldn't get use to was all the ahhhh-ing about toasters and blenders and all the other appliances. I know I get excited about housewares, but it was just weird. Anyways, one thing I did get very excited about was the waffle maker...mmm mmm mmm!

After the party I went to get a manicure to make it up to myself. I love treating myself, don't I?

Here is a pic of them with my other favorite gift...a molcajete!

El Party (Pt2)

2010-07-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

(Me, my dad, Nancy, my mom and Yesenia)

Okay so the party was in my parent’s backyard and it started slowly but that just meant that you had free reign of the food-tacos and enchiladas to the MAX! The party quickly picked up and it was a great mix of family, friends and even more friends. The weather was really nice-not too hot. Here are some pics from the party:

Uncle Julian, Mom, Yesenia and Dad

My sister and baby Caitlin(sp)

You may recognize these peeps!

Nancy, Eva, Alicia(Eva's mom) and Hari!

The last attendee did not leave until 5:30am! I think I m getting old because everyone knows I love to host parties sometimes I find myself hosting a party I was invited to(right David?) But not this one-I was tired! I went to bed at 1:30and then woke up at 3am and found my family picking up the chairs and stuff from outside. Then I moved to the couch and was talking-okay maybe just listening to my cousin and sister and then woke up at 5:30 to move to a bed. Ahhhh, good times. I guess there was some confusion when I spoke with Diana and Liz that morning because I told them the last guest left at 5:30am but then was called out on the fact that I did not stay up ‘til 5:30am. I got major grief over omitting that little tid-bit. And that was the party. Whew-i'm tired just writing this post-I need a nap.

Let's play catch up!

2010-07-22T22:29:00.007-05:00

Ok, so I have gone back to Summer Dance. It is so much fun! So far I have done Chicago style steppin', Salsa, Banda (yes, Mexican Banda Jackie!), and swing. I have enjoyed each one, but I have to say that banda night was a blast. A group of us came out (including your primas) and I danced since I got there until I left! I was dripping sweat from my hair, my chones, from everywhere! Good thing I was not there to impress anyone jaja. But there is something about hearing banda that makes my feet move all on their own :-)

For swing, I danced with a morenaso, he was fun. A slightly older man who was actually teaching me how to swing and really enjoying it himself! Good stuff. (Hey side note, did you hear about the huge Eye sculpture that's in Chicago? Google it! ).

I have attended some networking events in the city and they have been fun, one had free tequila and the other one ran out of food, can't have it all! I also made it to Fabian's very last minute b-day party and that was lots of fun. I was very glad to meet his family and other friends and put faces to the stories Eva shares. That same weekend (the 4th) we had a quinceanera for my aunt's twin girls and I got to dance banda again! I'm telling you, I have danced more this summer than the last couple of years together! (I may be exaggerating, but you know me).

As you heard, Diana's party was a blast! Although I have yet to understand why they had the little kiddie pool full of sand and hidden in a corner, when it was meant to be decoration (I would've used it as a cooler, but that's just me) LOL sorry girls, I just had to bring it up again. Great job on decorations though! Also, someone stole the inflatable monkey that Diana had. I reaffirmed that I still can't do hula. We hired fireworks for Diana (ok, old joke, we didn't, but you know how it was the 4th, everyone told her we did. She didn't believe us). Great times!

The following weekend I attended the "Old School House Picnic" in the south side with my buddies from work. It was so much fun. Liz joined me (and Idalia in spirit, she went last year but couldn't make it this time). I also saw Chava, he was working the event with his CPD uniform on. I put him on a project: to find me a cop friend of his I would want to date. He said it would be hard but he would try lol But I digress, so this event is all house music. I like it a lot even though am not a "house head" becaue I still have lots of fun, so you gotta know it's a good event. I think you would have a great time there Jackie! It's mostly black people, and to be honest, it is one huge event where I have seen a majority of black folks get along, no incidents, just out there to have a good time. Eva said that this is also Fabian's fav music, maybe next year we can put up our own tent and diversify the group I went with :-)

I also went to Cine en el Parque to watch "Cinco Dias sin Nora". It was a Mexican movie with some odd humor that I actually did find funny. But this is another item off my list of Chicago Summer To Dos. Then I went out on a Thursday night, crazy! We went out for Alice since she was celebrating her Santeria process being finished after a year. We went to Excalibur and they were playing salsa, merengue, cumbias, bachata. I like to dance, dance, dance! I was very tired the next day, but I survived and was glad I went out.

You also already heard about Nancy's taquiza, girl, they ain't playin'! Those enchiladas were awesome. They took me back to when I was growing up in Mexico and we had the quermes at church and I loved eating those enchiladas. I think I even dreamed about them! But we didn't get no cake, you know those stingy Andrade sisters :-p

I also attended an event put together by Tzviatko to create more awareness about Malaria. That man, always volunteering and doing good deeds. If only we could fall in love! jajajaja! I'm so funny. I met his mother, and she is very nice (mi futura suegra! lol). I think that is where the boys get it from.

I ran 12 miles this past Saturday! It was super hot and I started at 6 a.m. but by the time I finished, I was just about to pass out from the heat. I was proud of myself for getting up though, because I didn't get a good night sleep and still pushed myself to go. I am trying to find buddies to go with me on the bike or just jogging part of the way, but no one wants to go that early. And then when they do go (I won't mention any names, but you can ask Liz) they go at the same time but don't tell me and go the opposite direction to not run into me. Bogus jk jiji

On Sunday I went to Michigan with my parents to do blueberry picking. We got almost 200 pounds. 150 we cut ourselves with the help of my uncles. We want to take some to my bros in TX since we will be visiting them this weekend for my little nieces' 1st communions. That is a LOT of blueberries, but they are sooo good and fresh. I ate soo many while cutting them. We freeze some to get us through the winter too!

Today I went to check out a place where I may do my field work for my Masters during this next academic year. I like it, but I'm kind of scared. They are teens that face different experiences and a harsher reality than those I've worked with. We'll see. This is what I thought I wanted, let's see if it holds true.

I'll be moving to the girl's place next week. Actually I already stared moving some things, but the bigger stuff until I come back from TX. I'm also very excited about this. Looking forward to new adventures. I'm ready to move! And Liz is moving like two blocks from there! So close, yey!

Ok, gotta go to bed. It's past my bedtime!

Te extrano!

Yolis

P.D. I see you Jackie! jaja!

4th of July Weekend (3 for 4)

2010-07-21T01:17:00.000-05:00

So a little late, but here is my run down of what went down!

Friday: Improv Fabian's B-day Party.

He wasn't sure what he wanted to do (for like 2 weeks) and the day of decides he wants to chill and drink at his house. I got some balloons, a cake, manteles and called it a party! At 4:30 the cops showed up and gave him a $50 ticket for the noise...w/out warning! I guess there is zero tolerance for noise in Cicero. Luckily he knows someone that pardoned (sp?) his ticket :)

Saturday: George and Annette's Wedding Shower in Aurora.

These are Fabian's friends who are getting married in late August. They had a combined shower catered by Atotonilco's taquero. The food was soo good! Atotonilco's is Fabian's favorite taco spot so needless to say, he was ecstatic!!! The party was fun! They played a few games and Fabian won the guess the beer game, wouldn't u know it! They also played the guess ur fiance's leg! That was so funny! He guessed right, but she cheated!

So at midnight, Fabian played "My Girl" and George and two friends starting singing it to Annette, when the cops showed up and it was party over...or a $250 ticket. So we turned off the music and turned on the grill. George is the grill master so of course he wasnt going to let us end the night on a hungry note!

Sunday: Fabian's ex-roomate was throwing a sudo-super sweet sixteen party for his 30th b-day!

Check out the mansion he rented for the party!! We were all very excited to party in a mansion! He was also super secretive about it and didn't disclose the location until the day of and through text mssg. Being the HGTV addict that I am I was specially excited to see the house, the floors, the ceilings, everything! So the party was going on when at around midnight the owners showed up w/the cops and threw us the eff out! Everyone grabbed their stuff and got out ASAP. I got me a drink and jumped in Fabian's truck! I guess the owners were not aware of the festivities and had not approved the use of the house for a party. In all honesty, we were not harming the house, but I can understand if u do not want your 2.7M home to be the happening spot for the night.

Monday: Movie Night at the Brew-n-View!

We had had enough w/the cops and the parties! We decided to make it a movie night at the Hollywood Blvd Theater in Woodridge. We saw Grown Ups. Fabian loved it...I thought it was ok. I am glad to say we ended the weekend without any other cop apperances!

Banged!

2010-07-21T00:02:00.000-05:00

I was aching for a change...so I got banged!

Sometime last month (June 19th to be exact), Liz, Idalia and I went to lunch/linner at Habana Libre. The food was delicious!!!! I had the sandwich cubano and it was one of the best I've had (I've had three)!

Back to the bangs...so I wear them down about 2 times a week. Honestly they get annoying, so I think I am going to grow them.

I got them bc I really like how Zooey Deschanel looks...u know a little vintage.

So now that I did it, I can move on. Next!

Talking about...

2010-07-20T23:47:00.000-05:00

Talking about Molly's Cupcakes... after my Thai birthday dinner Fabian took me to Molly's Cupcakes! I had the Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake and Fabian had the Strawberry Shortcake one.

My Cupcake!

Fabian ready to attack!

They were delish!

Now talking about cupcakes...there is a new show on TLC called DC Cupcakes and it's about a cupcake bakery in DC. I saw 3 episodes last Friday and it's ok. Not much different from all the other cake/bakery shows...but I don't know why I stayed up and watch all of the shows...u know me...I love reality tv.

Talking about reality tv... Jersey Shore's 2nd season starts on July 29th...next Thursday! I feel horrible following that show...but u know me. They are also asking for $30,000 per episode for season 3...lucky bastards!

El pastel (Pt 1)

2010-07-20T12:36:00.000-05:00

Dear Jackie,
Como estas? Este fin de semana pasado was super and it even carried on to el Lunes. Let me big from the beginning…my sister decided that she was having a Taquiza(enchiladas and tacos) for her bday at my parents house (Cicero). In the picture is my cousin...Jesse aka El Taquero! Nancy was going to turn 24! I can’t believe it-I remember when she was a baby.

On Friday (7/23), I went to my mom’s house to help with cleaning and last minute details for the party. I went to the apt that night because I was going to have a busy morning with two important pickups and needed to get back by noon to Cicero. So the morning started a little late but I was determined to make it work. I needed to pick up the cake, flan, get my eyebrows did, mani, pedi, get ready and be at my mom’s house by noon. Too much, huh? You know me the overachiever and then stressed about everything and nothing at the same time.

But I digress, I decided to go get my eyebrows done down the street from my apt first. I was at the location but they opened at 9:30am and it was only 9:10 so what to do? And then I realized my debit card was at the house in my pant pocket-grrr! So I headed back to the apartment and then decided to try again and go back to the nail shop-it was 9:35 and still not open! I needed to move on otherwise I was going to fall behind. I decide to go pick up the cake (Ashland/Milwaukee), then head over to pick up the flan (Western and Cermak), and go back to the apt to start getting ready. This was my plan and noting could stop me now. I get to Jewel to pick up the cake my sister wanted (I had my hopes on impressing her with stylish cupcakes from Molly’s Cupcakes but it was not to be).

Anywhoo, I get to Jewel bakeshop and ask for my cake and they start looking for it but to no avail. The cake is not done and they cannot find the order for it. Luckily, the lady that took my order the day before was there and tried to recall for everyone what type of cake it was. Unfortunately, no cake and they asked me when I needed it by and they would have to make it from scratch. When do you need it by? the lady kept asking me-NOW! kept running through my head. I was so upset and could not understand how this could happen but I didn’t think arguing was going to help me. So I described what I wanted again and they said to give them an hour and they would have it ready. I left feeling bewildered and upset. I need to calm down and not worry so much because what was done was done and they were already working on a new cake. So I headed to my favorite place to get my much needed mani/pedi on Fullerton and Ashland. When I got to the nail place, I signed in and just at that moment got a phone call stating that my cake was ready. I decided to go get the cake instead of the Mani/Pedi- it seemed like the most practical thing to do. When I arrived back to the bake shop I saw the touches of pink that had to be my cake. I got my ticket and a $5.00 off coupon for the inconvenience- that was nice! I headed to the register and it rang up at 52.99-what?? The lady had told me that the cake would be about $35 and then I read the tag. ½ sheet of cake-oh no! They had made a bigger cake than I had wanted. I went back to the bake shop and asked them what happened and they claimed that I told them I wanted a ½ sheet cake which I did not because at no time did they ask me the size but instead went straight to the flavor, décor, etc. So they told me that they had found my ¼ sheet cake and that I had two cakes at this point and needed to make a decision on what I wanted. I took the tag for the ¼ cake and headed to the register AND then I went back all confused because the ¼ cake looked small but the ½ looked too heavy to carry on the bus but it seemed like the one I needed. I asked them for the bigger one and just went up to pay for it. But guess what? I forgot my sister gets a discount on the cakes and my $5.00 discount came out to 40 buck which is what my original budget for the cake was and I got twice as much. I carried the cake out and then decided to just go straight home because it was very heavy and did not want anything to happen to it. Here it is:

It was really good but the night was so crazy I barely tasted it but my sister loved it which was the important thing.
Stay tuned for PT 2 the actual party…

Long weekend with Friends and Family!

2010-07-07T17:53:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a weekend!!
Where do I begin? Well why don’t we start with yesterday and work our way backwards. Yesterday, was the same old, same old with the small exception of my friend Matt.

Last week sometime we discovered that we are both die hard NKOTB fans. Yes, he is a boy. I know what you may be thinking, is this for real? The answer: YES! Although, I think his infatuation is bigger but when they first came around-circa 1986 as opposed to me that just can’t get enough the second time around-circa 2008. So he promised me that he was going to look for some old trading cards from back in the day that he swears he has and give them to me. Between me and you—I don’t think he wants to part ways with them-jk!

Yesterday, was the 5th of July and didn’t do much but lounge around the old apartment, watch TV with my sister, Yesenia and talk with you on SKYPE(it was real nice chatting with you!). Sunday, the 4th was a bit of a haze because I didn’t go to bed until 5:30AM or so due to Diana’s Luau party aka tiki party. So Saturday was a GREAT day but let me begin with Friday and get to Saturday.

Friday after work I went to my Aunt Maribel’s house who was entertaining some out of town guest and she was making Pambazos and enchiladas. All I can say is YUMS!! A Pambazo is similar to a torta but it is dipped in the enchilada sauce to give it its color and unique taste. This was only the second time I had had this dish and it was a great tasty surprise. The last time I had these was in Mexico and they were spicy as hell(excuse me!). Had you had these before Jackie? But I digress, after we ate it was time to peace out because I had to get a couple of things for the party the following Saturday.

My sister and I headed to Menards to pick up some sand, a pool, and any other item we could find that was within our budget to transform our home into the Hawaii getaway we wanted to provide our guests. It was during this trip that I almost invited a Menards employee to the festivities. Too funny! Truth be told-my sister was all about the task at hand and would not allow me to “desviar me del curso.”

After Menards we went to the Metra stop to pick up my two cousins Melissa and Crystal (I hope you spell her name with a “C”). Crystal is the one with my sister Yesenia and Melissa is pictured with me.

We picked them up and then headed back to my parents house to “ransack” the place for anything that we may be able to use the following day. We managed to take some chairs, coolers, tables and serving trays. The next day we were having an early start because we were going to the beach!!
I was so excited but torn because there was still much to do for the party but if I was going to enjoy the festivities I really needed to do something for myself to be able to give to others. Our morning was supposed to start at 7am but due to some unexpected chat sessions we all went to sleep late and our leave time was more like 11:30am.

When we arrived to Oak street beach it was great and reality set it. First, that we got there a bit on the late side and our time would be rushed but still we enjoyed three hours of fun in the sun. The sand was HOT. My sister complained that maybe we could have used an umbrella and will from now on call the beach by its actual name “Cancer trap.”

She felt like she could not hide from the sun and no matter how much sun block she put on that day it was not enough. Now she thinks she burned her feet on the hot sand because they still hurt three days after the fact. I had a nice time and learned so much about beach does and don’ts. This will be my next entry and hope to compile a nice list by the end of the summer because I plan on hitting the beach once a week minimum.
We finally came back to the apartment and started to get ready, decorate and eat lunch-at the same time. There were many hands on deck but unfortunately due to the beaming sun it made it nearly impossible to do anything because it was bright, hot and too early.

The party was supposed to start at 9pm. Bless you Diana for this start time! It was at exactly 7:45pm that things really started picking up and the sun had gone down somewhat. We cranked it all we had and by 9:45 no joke everything was all set and ready to go. I had such a GREAT time but more importantly Diana looked like she enjoyed herself. The party in a nutshell: great decorations/great food (biased because my aunt catered it)/great DJ-la musica ni se diga! /limbo contest/great drinks/great chips/cute hamburger cake-great Oreo cake and most of all GREAT friends that came. I think they were planning the next party already. Our last guest left at 5:00am and Diana and I cleaned while we had some energy. If there is one thing about summer parties that I have learned from all the fiestas we have had at Fillmore and on Chicago is that it is in your best interest to pick up at night/madrugada and take everything in because that SUN will be killer in the morning even without a hangover.

I’m going to compile a list of dos and don’ts for throwing a party. Well, that was my weekend and let me just apologize right now for not having pictures of the actual party but you can look on facebook for pics. If I can get my hands on any exclusive pics, I will post them and will make a better effort to make sure I take more pics of everything.
Bye!

The sights and sounds of UIC

2010-06-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

Jackie,
Did you know that there is a student video contest going on at UIC? Me neither, until yesterday!!! Check out the entry below:

What other scenes would your video include? Go Flames!

Six days and counting!

2010-06-28T07:55:00.006-05:00

Dear Jackie,

Hope you had a great weekend. I had a very nice one. It had a great mix of family, friends, to-do list, and me time. This upcoming week is going to be jam packed one with party details and errands. It's Diana's birthday luau celebration on Saturday! Her bday was earlier in the month but we are finally celebrating it in complete Diana style. For her actual birthday day we went out to eat at this great restaurant named Irazu. It was yummy! Plus, we "celebrated" the Chicago Blackhawks wining the Stanley Cup in honor of our bday girl.

Us(Wendy, Rosie, Liz, Yesenia, me and Diana) at Irazu on Diana's BDay!

I can't wait and don't worry I will take tons of pics and it would be great if we could skype you in. Happy Monday and talk to you soon.

Idalia

The travels, the city, the summer...

2010-06-27T09:28:00.005-05:00

Dear Jackie!

Muraho (hello)! I came back thinking I can speak Kinyarwanda, not true! lol I just wanted to quickly tell you that I really enjoyed my trip to Rwanda! It was great! The only thing was that I got eaten up by mosquitoes, and I will tell you very dramatically like I've told everyone else: My gorgeous legs are ruined for the summer!!!!!!!!!!!! (imagine me saying that with a bit of drama involved! lol). I was not going to post a picture of them, but since I have shown everyone else, I thought you should see it as well! Not flattering at all, but hey, what you gonna do? At least they'll be a conversation starter when someone comments on how tared up my legs are! lol I'll be trying to post more about it on my blog. I've been working on it but it seems soo long, I think I will overwhelm people with the details, although they may mean much to me. But keep an eye out for that!

I have been so busy since I came back, but good busy for the most part. Enjoying some good quality time with the family and also enjoying the summer in the city! Last weekend we went to the Puerto Rican Fest with Liz and Stephanie. We missed the parade and most of the festivities, but we still tried some delicious pomegranate ice cream and saw a couple of very good looking cops! I also got a song stock in my head, like I usually do, I repeated the whole week after! La de: Que bonita bandera, que bonita bandera, que bonita bandera, la bandera Puerto Riquena!

That same night a friend invited me to a house part, and guess what? They had a live banda! Steph and Liz came with and it was lots of fun. They walked in the alley to surprise the B-Day boy and the whole neighborhood came out. They were loud! Then the cops came but they were nice and one older white cop even stayed to hear and watch the "last" song, he seemed very entertained. But little did he know, la parranda seguiria adentro! It was too funny because the place was very small and the band members were at least 15, plus the instruments, plus all of us! But it was lots of fun.

This weekend I went to the Summer Dance at the park to do some Chicago style steppin'! I had soo much fun. I went to see if I could find the "black" love of my live, but instead found a group of old white ladies that could throw it down on the dance flo! LOL I had so much fun dancing that I forgot for a lil that I was there to find my love jaja! I think dancing IS my love...

Iliana, Liz, and Stephanie joined towards the end and we met up Aksh and Tzviatko for some drinks. I had a jager shot and it is not as tasty as in the good old days I tell you! But we had tons of fun.

I'm off to Mass and then to the Mexico vs. Argentina game! MEXICO, MEXICO, MEXICO!!!!!

Pie O my!

2010-06-22T23:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Jackie,

Well work sucks but once 5pm hits everything else washes away. I met up with Liz and Diana for some pie at Hoosier Mama Pie Company. I knew this pie shop existed but it took almost 11 months for us to actually visit it. When you walk in you get such a nostalgic feeling and it is quite quaint. Well, Liz had the CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE - Rich thick chocolate pastry cream topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and bittersweet chocolate curls.

Diana had the BANANA CREAM PIE-

Fresh bananas in a thick layer of vanilla pastry cream topped with white chocolate curls

and I had the COCONUT CUSTARD PIE-

Lots of coconut flavor in a silky baked custard.

What did I think? The pie was good but I will take cake over pie any day but you be the judge and check it out! BTW -- Every Friday we offer a pie flight of 3 smaller slices. You select 3 flavors from a rotating flight menu of 5 or more pies. I may check this out!

After our pie excursion, Yolanda came over and Liz and I gave her a tour of our little neighborhood by foot. I had a great time but maybe Jewel(Milwaukee and Ashland) is not 4 blocks like I thought...my bad

View Larger Map

Well that was my day! Hope you enjoyed!
Idalia

Italy, Paris, N. Holywood, Chicago!

2010-06-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

Hola Jackie!

I know I have totally been slacking in this whole blog thing and let me begin by apologizing to you and all the followers to this blog for the delay. No excuses in 2010! So, I get your emails and all of them ask or request the same thing: what is up with you? Tell me what is going on with your life. Well here it is:

Trevi Fountain (Rome, Italy)

First, I recently got back from visiting Italy and France. Yums! OMG! It was soooooooooooo nice and I had a fabulous time. My sister was studying abroad in Florence, Italy and wanted to meet her up so that we both could travel within Italy and head up to Paris. We went to Florence, Pisa, Rome, Paris and Venice. I will speak on each place individually and, owe you all pictures, in upcoming entries but my ultimate favorite place would have to be Rome. It was literally the history books coming to life. The pasta in Italy was great (favorite dish: spaghetti with seafood or fruits of the sea) and the crepes and French bread were magnifique in Paris. I was out there close to three weeks and enjoyed all of it even the crazy ATM limits (more to come). Upon my return I went to work for three days and then headed out to North Hollywood, California for my cousins daughter ‘party. She was having a quinceanera and I LOVED it! Just hanging out with family and hitting up the 98 cent store was so much fun.

More recently, I have been so stressed out about…finding a new home. Yes, it is time to renew the lease and unfortunately Diana and I found ourselves needing to find two new roommates but guess what we found one…Yolanda! Well Jackie, I know that there is much I need to inform you about such as men (the flirts at home depot) and career objectives (grad school and beyond) but just wanted to give you a quick glimpse into my life as it is now. I can’t wait to see you again or touch base with you. You are such an inspiration and I hope in my heart of hearts that you are enjoying your adventure as much if not more than what you thought you would. Be safe and Ciao Bella!

Open Your Heart and Design Your Life

2010-06-17T23:49:00.001-05:00

I had meant to post this before, but it got lost with all the noise in my head. Nuns from this order came to our church in Glendale Heights. After mass, I came home and found them on youtube. (At mass they mentioned they had been on Oprah!

I found this so interesting and I hope you do too.

These are a few points of why I found it interesting;

I am too self involved on how to make MY life better than I never stopped to think about other people's lifes. About how different and beautiful they are.

I like how the nuns were just "normal" girls...with jobs, bags, boyfriends, and shoes!

I love how they said that being a nun allowed them to be their better selves! It was freeing? What?! Really? With all those restrictions? Wow. I can kinda understand this bc if I think about my own life I can pin point things/events/responsabilities that have allowed me to be myself. I am talking about my job and my relationship w/Fabian. Even though they are "restricting" they have allowed me to develop into Eva.

So here are the nuns! Enjoy!

Here are some comments I found w/the videos:

If God is calling someone to the priesthood or religious life as a nun or a brother, then it will be the happiest life that person can live. God is our beginning and our end, we were made for God.

But life is more than just having sex or checking facebook or texting. When you find something greater and something worth living, all the worldly things become just mere fantasies.

Silence is probably the most important part of prayer in a lot of ways. Haha I always tell friends that being quiet is the best step; one of my friends who was going throug ha really dry spiritual time decided to just be still and listen to God and experience His closeness and love. I'd say dothat in your daily prayer, and then discern any steps ahead. :) God bless!

Oh I almost forgot...I picked this title (Open Your Heart and Design Your Life) because I believe we should all open and offer our hearts to God/universe, BUT also take the time to design our own life with the best of our abilities. I can't just go up to God and say...Here. Do something good w/me. I have to put forth the effort and try to be me and live my life. The best real me, bc that's how he made me so who else can I be?

I am having trouble conveying my message...but I hope you get it. Maybe I should have thought more about this post, but it's already been gathering up dust too long!

Taking a Break

2010-06-17T19:09:00.001-05:00

So after the hole issue I decided to take a break on Wednesday. I invited Fabian to a "romantic-before-you-leave-to-vegas-and-be-a-hoe" dinner. Yep, he is going to Vegas on a guys' trip. He is flying over there as I sit here and type this.

Anyways, I wanted to send him off with a nice memory of us. It's a bit dramatic, but it's a new "life rule" I am putting in place. The thought is that if I treat him super nice and show him how good he has it w/me then when he is away he will miss me that much more! Does that make sense...or is it another one of my crazy ideas?

So we went to Tapas Barcelona. A Spanish tapas restaurant. I have tried tapas before and I did not like them because it feels like I am playing kitchen...bc the portions are too small! Anywho, it was Fabian's pick. The food was "aight" but nothing too great. We did get a buzz from the Sangria though :)

So that was my break from "getting back on track." Today, Yolanda is coming to visit me so I am only cleaning until she gets here. We will see tomorrow...maybe I will dye my hair.

BTW, Jackie, you gave me that notebook with the butterfly. My "to do list" notebook.

Here I go...Again!

2010-06-16T01:31:00.000-05:00

So after wasting my day at work I decided that to balance it out I was going to have to step it up in the evening. Enter ambitious goals...

Return these shoes. I absolutely love them! They are sexy! AND they hurt like a biatch!!! I can only wear these laying down (get your mind out the gutter!)! So the best thing was to return them. I got them at TJ Maxx (the absolute best store in the world!) so I knew that money was not going to go to waste!

Return B-day gift. My friend got me a movie I already had so I needed to exchange it for another goody!
Grocery shopping. I usually only do grocery shopping every once in a while and when I do I usually buy too much. I am trying out a new technique...only buy a little at a time! Revolutionary! So the downside to that is that I have to go shopping more than once a month!
Dye hair. Told you I was going to be ambitious! Buy dye at grocery store and dye hair.

What I accomplished:

Returned shoes.

Well, now I had a store credit burning a whole in my pocket...so I got a "couple" things for the bathroom. You know to change it's look for summer.

Returned B-day gift.

Since I was already at Target I thought I would buy the groceries there. I am a smart cookie! I also bought the hair dye. Very smart cookie!

By the time I got home I was hungry. Shopping makes me hungry! So I had a turkey sandwich ...at 10:30. Then I got all this energy from it (I assume) and decided to clean the bathroom and put up the "couple" things I got.

$5 Basket

$12 "3D" Bird

Rug $5.99 & Picture Frame $5.99 (yes the one resting on the toilet)

So what happen was that...I can't nail anything to the walls because they are too ...hard and the nails break. Yea, I know. WTF? So anyways, I got this tape thing and of course I just went to town and put up my frames. For the bird one, it looked a little unbalanced so I pulled it off and pulled off a chunk of paint...oops. No biggie I just put the frame on top of it. BUT for the picture frame...well that was another story. I used a large piece of tape on each side, but since it's a picture frame it has that stand thing on the back so only one side got adhered to the wall. Well that was not going to work. So I pulled it off and a huge chunk of paint came off. Yes, see below. I can't cover it up w/the frame bc A) the stupid stand on the back and B) the hole is on the side!

Ahhhh! Frustration. I remembered why I stopped decorating! Anyways, it's late. I am hot. I need to sleep. Good night.

Not Productive Day

2010-06-15T15:49:00.001-05:00

So much for being productive yesterday...so far the only productive thing I've done today is this...

I did a search for accounting mugs...for no reason other than I am a nerd. I found this awesome graphic, but decided $18 was too much to spend on a mug...so I printed it out and taped it to my water cup. All in a day's work.

Awesome Graphic:

Water Bottle:

I also came up with my own accounting mug design:

Some how...I think this day of slacking will also come back to slap me!

In case you are wondering, I do pride myself in my 10 keypad skills!

Recommitting to Myself

2010-06-14T22:40:00.001-05:00

I was starting to feel lost. I felt careless. I felt not committed to myself. So today...I decided to recommit myself to myself!

Here is what I did today to get back on track (to being happy, careful, and found!):

Flowers: I use to keep flowers around, they make me happy and they make a place look lively. So here! My mom hooked it up w/this little arrangement. We picked these flowers ourselves from her friend's garden.

Mail and Bills: I FINALLY checked my mail and paid all my bills! I also called comcast bc the bill seemed to high and they are crediting me back $12, nice!

Living Space: I was starting to get bored w/my little studio...basically bc I have been lusting a bigger place, but it's time I appreciate my little space! So I started cleaning a little and re-arranging some stuff to make it feel fresh. Here is my little entry.

I brought in the cigar box from the trunk of my car (which is basically my storage) and it just so happened that all these candles matched! I also added the small frame with a couple lines from a Neruda sonnett. The box holds my sunglasses and keys.

I still have lots to do...bc I let everything just kinda fall, but I think today was a really good start. Like putting these up...they are lovely, but on my floor.

Also, a special shout out to Jackie...bc it is her gift that helped me get it all together.

This little notebook is filled w/a long to do list!

Dear Jackie (and others),

2010-06-05T14:55:00.002-05:00

I hope you are doing well and enjoying your weekend.

This morning/afternoon has been internet and computer time for me. I’ve been looking at pics on facebook, browsing jobs (from Chicago to Sao Paolo), researching any topics on my mind (which included traveling jobs). Since, I’ve been on my mac for a few hours I decided it would be a perfect time to write my first posting ☺

Borrowed this pic from Irene's New Year's Eve album

As far as this past week:
Had a nice Memorial Day weekend---celebrated Eva’s birthday, ate a bunch of steak (and food in general), enjoyed the beach with Eva, hanged out with Tony (my brother), etc

I’ve been reflecting on life and what I would like my life to be. I know it won’t be perfect but knowing I’m working towards it will keep me content.

After what was suppose to be a short break from studying, I got back into making time for it. Although now (after reflecting), I’m thinking of postponing so I can concentrate on finding a new job and enjoying the summer with family/friends.

Other fun facts:
a little obsessed with Acai (and antioxidants lol)
spend some of my time in Lincoln Park Zoo
planning on being at the beach on weekends when warm and sunny (don't worry I use spf 50 on body n 70 on face)
found belgian waffles at whole foods that are close to what they have in Belgium :D
try walking as much as I can

Okay, this is it for my first post!

Thank you Eva for allowing us to contribute to your blog!

Be Kind...To Yourself

2010-06-03T23:58:00.000-05:00

Ever since Eat Pray Love I have been in love with Elizabeth Gilbert...Yea You know How I get OBSESSED!

Anyways please listen to this talk given by her...it hit home. We will all fail at some point in time so we must learn to be kind to ourselves.

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Elizabeth-Gilbert-Talk-from-O-Magazines-10th-Anniversary-Video

Single Ladies...More Like Little Girls!

2010-06-03T23:46:00.000-05:00

My coworker sent me this video of these girls dancing to Beyonce's Single Ladies and my first thought was, "Wow, they are so good! " I really liked it, but then after seeing it again and reading that there were some parent complaints about the girls' moves being too sexy ... to my surprise I agreed. Specially after seeing Billy Elliot on Tuesday.

I absolutely believe in the art of dancing. I think everyone should be exposed to it because it enhances your senses, it makes you feel! So it is for that same reason that I believe these girls should not be dancing like that! They can practice other moves, but I believe that the earlier you introduce sexuality to children the sooner they lose their child like innocence. Billy Elliot's cast had so many very talented children that portrait quality dancing without threatening a child's being.

Also, the reason why I believe that sexy moves will awaken something in them is because I thought of all the pole dancing/lap dancing exercise classes and of what I've heard...women feel sexy afterwards...so i think that it will do the same for anyone.

There, it might be controversial...but that's what I think.

Dear Jackie,

2010-06-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Jackie,
Since I promised I would write to you more in my 27th year...I thought about re-vamping the blog, the much ignored blog, to be our "journal" for you! What do you think? I plan on opening it up so eveyone can add to it! That way we can keep it all in one place and include pics!

So Jackie - first and foremost, I miss you, but I am happy to hear about all your adventures, goofy adventures! AND also I am so proud of you for following through on your dreams!

Take care and let the posting begin!

-Eva

Where the magic happens..

2010-04-15T13:20:00.003-05:00

Welcome to my "office"!

Best Idea Ever!

2010-03-06T08:46:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, just sometimes I get a genius idea...this is one of them!

I got this cart at one of my fav places...TJ Maxx!!! It's been awesome! I can carry all my groceries, laundry, and misc treasures to my 3rd floor studio with out feeling like my arms are going to fall off!

Awesome!!!!

Chandelier

2010-03-05T08:35:00.001-06:00

Remember this post..when I had the crazy idea of hanging a chandelier in my little studio? Well, I found one on craigslist, drove out to a far far away home depot to pick it up then left it at my parents...only to go back the next weekend to find it installed!!!

I didn't really mind because I did offer it up to my mom and because it was being properly used, as opposed to what I was planning on doing with it...mmmph I guess it's better that they kept it.

By the way, it was only $10!

Ghost Chair

2010-03-04T08:16:00.002-06:00

My mom and I went to Ikea this weekend and found this chair!

I was so excited when I saw it! I love ghost chairs, but until now I had only seen them for at least $200. Ikea: $99! I love them because they are great for small spaces (like my studio) since they don't take up any visual space! Now if I could only find a spot for one ... or two.. :)

Perfect Quote for 2009

2010-03-03T00:31:00.001-06:00

*I found this in my drafts?!!! I guess I never published it! Oops!

Hello All! I have not had a chance to blog much. My Christmas break was great! It was however too short, but when is a break ever long enough?

I was back at the office on Sunday...yes Sunday. Since it's year end and I have an awesome job of counting (manufacturing accounting) it's a bit of a heavy load. I will be working until late tomorrow too, but will head over to my mom's right after.

I want to spend New Years Eve (to a new decade) close to my family. Last weekend that I was there I started thinking of New Years Eve 1999 and of how much has gone on during the last 10 years. I was 16 ...wow. Anyways, more on that next week.

So I came home today and turned on the tv (because that's the second thing I do when I walk in, the first thing being to turn on the light) and Evan Almighty was on. I had never completely seen it, but I have caught bits and pieces. I think I have refused to see it because I am a big fan of Bruce Almighty.

Gosh, I love to ramble...specially when under the influence of cold medicine...yes I have a cold or the beginning of a cold. There are about 5 people that are sick at work and since I basically have been at the office for the last 4 days...I have bound to get it! Enough.

Here is "the quote":

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

-God to Evan's Wife

This year God has definitely provided me the opportunity for a lot... and for that I am thankful.

Happy 2010!

Trust Your Instict

2010-03-03T00:15:00.000-06:00

More on the mild eye infection... I believe I had to live with the eye infection for months because I didn't voice my concerns to the doctor the first time around. The problem with doctor appointments is that sometimes you do not get one until days after when the visible signs have gone away. By the time I went to the doctor, the first time, the redness was completely gone. The second time around I just drove myself there without an appointment! Again, my eye was almost back to normal, but this time I told the doctor that it hurt and that it did not feel ok. She almost said I was fine, until she turned my eyelids inside out and saw red bumps on one side...aha, there it was! The proof I needed! That's how I finally got better!

To this same point...I recommend Cancer Schmancer by Fran Drescher.

I have a thing for actor written books, I think I like them because they are an easy read :) In this book she talks about all the doctors she had to see before her cancer was properly diagnosed and treated. I believe she saw about 11 doctors before she got the right treatment! I liked that she didn't give up and followed her instict and that is what saved her!

Hurray for insticts..now if I could only trust myself enough to trust my own!

Mild Eye Infection

2010-02-16T22:33:00.000-06:00

It turns out...I have a mild eye infection!

I am sure I got his last year while staying at my mom's. My parent's house went through some major remodeling and I think some particles got in my eye and gave it an infection. By the time I got a doctor's appointment my eye looked normal so she said I was fine. I started to only wear my glasses and it was fine.

It wasn't until I started wearing my contacts that it started flaring up again.

I would wear my contacts for a day and then BOOM!

Eye is red AND it hurt...so I would stop for a week,

then again...tried a new pair and BOM again!

Finally, I went to the eye doctor again, she said it looked ok, but then she flipped my eyelids (weird!) and she said that I had a mild eye infection.

I am now putting in drops and it should be gone by Friday.

I hope. I hate eye infections...even if they are mild.

Moral of the story: Fight for your eyeball rights!

I wish I would have and this all would have been left in '09!

(that pic is my poor eyeball)

Happy Love Day!

2010-02-15T23:11:00.000-06:00

Ok, ok, ok... Let's get a couple things out the way:
1) Sorry for the lack of posts, no excuses, I've been lazy.
2) I know Valentine's Day was yesterday, but...u all know me :)

So here is my little shout out to my loves...my GFs!!!

This is for you! If you haven't met him yet...it's ok...just listen on...he is out there and he still hasn't met you yet ;)

This video makes me instantly happy! I hope it does the same for you.

AND also enjoy this... I just watched this movie, it was my special girl time this weekend. I watched half of it yesterday and the other half today...sometimes I just have to squeeze in a little time for myself, here and there!

All together now... awww.

So ladies...from the bottom of my little hot pink heart...I just want you all to know how much I like you, how much I appreciate you, and how lucky I am to call you my friend. You are a true blessing in my life! Thanks for being awesome and making me feel pretty blessed!

One last thing...I really hope you all had a nice day and remember that if God was able to make something this magnificent...

Do you think he would have only make one weirdo... I am 100% sure he at least made two of you!!! Como dicen...Un roto para un descosido!

Smooochessss!!!

Forever No More & Do You Remember?

2009-12-23T02:13:00.003-06:00

Hello All,
I have been absent for a while...no real reason other than I took a couple days off work and decided not to do anything...and by anything, I mean anything productive. I owe a couple posts on those days...full of blissful nothing-ness...but first let me fill you in on what I have been doing tonight :)

Watching youtube videos! Make-up tutorials and music videos to be exact! I feel like a complete teeny bopper! Yey!

So here are tonight's epiphany's (thanks to youtube)....

1) I don't think I could ever forgive C.Brown (I don't even want to write his full name) for what he did to Rihanna. Yes, I was in love with "Forever", really liked the kid...but after what he did, I just can't get over it. I can't be happy when I hear his songs because I don't trust him. I don't know, I just can't. Like once you've been there you can't go back to how it use to be. I can't see him as the happy loving guy I use to see him as.

So being the teeny bopper I am being..here! Take that C.Brown! (I give you boogers...man I just went from teenage girl to 7 year old!)

And now to #2!

2) I have named Jay Sean your replacement!

His song "Do You Remember" reminds me of CB, so there! That will be my new before "the situation" CB. I don't like that his shirt says "rage", but like any dreamy teenage girl...let's ignore that for now. Jay Sean also reminds me of Daddy Yankee...man I am all over the place. Well, yes, he reminds me of a young humble Daddy Yankee (if there was ever one).

Anywhoooo, Enjoy this video. Kisses!

(Enjoy my exquisite taste in jams!)

More Blues

2009-12-15T07:47:00.001-06:00

Check out these blue couches....heavenly.

I just love the back pillows!

How about this silky turquoise! I love the contrast with the white chair!

My version: Ikea of course!

I can't do a price comparison, but I am prety sure it doesn't even compare!

Nice Little Numbers

2009-12-14T07:42:00.001-06:00

I work with numbers.

I heart Excel.

I heart calculators.

Specially retro ones (or retro wannabe, like this Urban Outfitters one)

Let's Go To Work

2009-12-11T07:34:00.001-06:00

Check out these work spaces:

I am really feeling the white right now.

How about this lightbulb...now that's a bright idea!

French Love

2009-12-10T07:27:00.001-06:00

In honor of my favorite OPI color (France Fall 2008 Collection) currently on my nails :)

And now...French Romance

{Jackie this is for you.}

Let the love letters pour...

Nightstand(s)

2009-12-09T07:23:00.001-06:00

I got this nightstand about a month ago...

Do you think I could make it look something like this?

I still haven't decided what to do.... but check out this unique nightstand...

Now if I only had some extra LV luggage laying around...

The Blues

2009-12-08T07:14:00.002-06:00

Check out these blues!

How amazing is this dresser?!

Love this color, sorta like a soft Tiffany color? How would that look with the black iron bed?

Saw this mirror at Urban Outfitters and thought of Idalia? So what do you think?

Should we start heading to the thrift stores in search of one?

I really like the blue and yellow combination. They make me happy.

Wall Panel Glamour

2009-12-07T07:07:00.001-06:00

Talk about B.L.I.N.G!

How glamourous!

AND what about the gold on that hot pink chair.

Hotness I tell you!

New Inspiration Picture

2009-12-04T07:19:00.001-06:00

This picture is driving me C.R.A.Z.Y!

I first saw it on Make Under My Life months ago, then on Oh Brooke, then on Urban Sardines, then on Ish and Chi. {Yes, I have a blog addiction}

AND....now I have named it my new design inspiration picture! So what does that mean??? Well, that I will use it to style my new place. So let's see how it goes.

So for the last couple of days I have been on Craigslist, trying to find pieces. So far, I've found a low table that could turn into that table, a chandelier that I could spray paint...actually I am all over the place so let me get my act together and then I'll share my plans.

More on the chandelier, so since I am renting I can't really change the light fixture so I thought of a faux chandelier, but they are just as expensive...so my next idea is to get one from craigslist, do some spray paint magic and just hang it from the ceiling. You know, just with a hook, like a plant. So what if it won't turn on, I already have enough light.

Sound crazy?...yes I am crazy and serious. I also found this paper (not wall paper, but regular paper) for the wall panel.

But now I am thinking that stenciling would be less expensive.

Also, check out this fan chandelier hybrid.

That's a new thought. Ahh I am going crazy with all these thoughts!

The Move + Acceptance

2009-12-03T07:30:00.001-06:00

Hello! I am back. I took a little time off to settle into my new studio. So far so good.

I have a couple posts cooking, but first lets start with the move.

I am now on the 3rd floor!

On Sunday (leave it to me to wait until the last day of a long weekend) I asked my family to help me move. By family I mean my mom, stepdad and uncle. Even though I was only moving to the 3rd floor I was still going to need some man power!
(Special thanks to all my gfs that contacted me to help, really thanks!)

I am kinda set up...for now.

So do you remember my "dining room" posts (one and two)....well I finally accepted that I do not have the space for a dinning table...as small as my cute little table is. I have a counter so I will get some stools instead. So I let go of the idea and sent it back home with my family. I promised myself that one day I would give myself a dream dinning room/eating nook.

Ok ... so where are the pics?....well my studio was clean...WAS, but I started to clean my closet and started throwing clothes on the floor...because how else can you clean the closet? Anyways, pictures to come soon.

In the mean time, I now get to ride this elevator. Since I am only the 3rd floor I usually take the stairs. I take the elevator when I want to fantasize about living a fabulous life a la Carrie in an old vintage building in New York... yea I am weird, so?

Old School Elevator

Also, we got a new intercom...and guess what? I am NOT in it. I need to call someone to fix that!

Love is... Dance.

2009-11-27T07:45:00.001-06:00

Enjoy and have a happy weekend!

Da Gracias, Give Thanks!

2009-11-26T07:15:00.002-06:00

Hope you are having a pretty blessed day.

Today I am learning how to make pumpkin pie :) If all goes well... you might see a posting about it. Might.

I will be spending Friday with my mom and will be moving on Saturday!

In the mean time enjoy these hilarious videos.

Enjoy!

West Elm Again!

2009-11-25T07:33:00.001-06:00

West Elm got me again!

Check out this dining room!

Ok, let me try this again!

Last time I did my version of a West Elm dinning room...let's just say it was not to the T so here I go again. Also, last time I used Picasa and that took forever. I really need to learn how to use it...but not today.

So here I go.

Using my old dining table, not coat of paint needed $0

West Elm $499

These AWESOME chairs from Target at 2 for $55 [insert loud Yes!!!]

West Elm $198

AND another Ikea bookcase, but in white for $69.

West Elm $399

Hanging Lamp from Ikea $39

West Elm $99

West Elm Total $1,195

Eva's Version $163

Wooo hooo!!!! I did well. How do you like it?

Oh I really want those chairs!!!!!

On to prettier things...

2009-11-24T07:02:00.002-06:00

In an effort to pick myself up after Oprah's BIG announcement last Friday...I decided to think ahead. Four days ahead to be exact. So that means four days to move day!

Check out this wonderful inspiration picture:

How Glorious! Love the blue with the oak wood and the pillows! Ohhh how I love this picture!!!

So much that I have been thinking of using it as inspiration for my new place. The problem is that not long ago I got new green bedding, which then of course I had to get throw pillows for the bed, the couch, and seating cushions for the kitchen chairs!!! You have to remember that I do live in a studio so everyhing has to co-exist - so everything is green!

But let's dream for a minute...if I was to forget about the guilt of indulgence...what would I get?

Ok, I can't get over all of my guilt so let's just skip the fancy stores and go straight to the best and the favorite.. Target!

I love the design on this tray. The blue is also perfect.

And how about this pillow!!! It matches my brown couch! I like the swirls, makes it girly!

What about the lovebirds? Awww.

AND this bow?! Glamour!

I like this bookcase from Ikea, but how about flipping it sideways and addind books, magazines, and pictures! Lovely!

I am a girly pink girl, but I think I could live here!