Love – Page 3

10 DAY COUNTDOWN AND SOME WISHES

As of today, the 10 day countdown begins till my 25th Birthday! August 29 to be exact. I am quite excited for this day! While I do realize that I am getting older and turning a quarter of a century old.. I still find it exciting and feel amazingly blessed! Blessed to make it to 25; alive, healthy, happy, with a job, with a place to call home, in love with a man beyond my dreams, and a family that loves me unconditionally.

A couple of months ago I shared my feelings with you all when I realized that my birthday was coming up in my post half way to 50. In that post, I remember telling you all how in shock I was when I realized I would soon be half way to fifty. I also stated that I would try to enjoy my last couple months at 24, and in deed I have tried. Like I mentioned before, there are always going to be ups and downs. In these past couple months I definitely have to say that there were a lot more ups than downs, and for that I am grateful. Within these past two months I have tried to adventure out and do things with my parents, like kayaking which I also shared with you all in a post. I have made new goals, like our healthy/fit challenge, purchased my first new car and much more. While at times I complain how tired I am after a long day of work, I am also grateful that at 24 going on to 25 I have a career and a job. I believe that 24 was a good year for me and one that I am truly proud of and will always remember. Twenty-four was very memorable for me and one that I will always cherish. I personally feel like I accomplished a lot and I didn’t realize it until I sat down to share these feelings with you all. At 24 I graduated with my Bachelors in Nursing, entered the field of nursing with a new job, moved out and in with the love of my life who I met in nursing school (killed two birds with one stone ;P) and purchased my first new car! Not too shabby huh? It wasn’t easy, but it was all worth it.

So on these last 10 days until that BIG 25, I will wait patiently and keep enjoying these last few days as 24 years young! And before I blow out my candles on that day and make some wishes.. I have some wishes before the day comes.

On that day I wish..

to be with my family and xavier’s…

to be with my honey xavier..

to be surrounded with peace..

to be somewhere I haven’t been to before..

to laugh as much as my belly allows..

to enjoy my day no matter what may happen..

and to eat some yummy cupcakes! why not right??

But most importantly, to keep in mind not just on that day.. but everyday, how truly blessed I am. To keep humble and do everything wholehearted. To always remember that God is good and to keep praying for his guidance, no matter what comes my way! I wish that this year more things get accomplished and that I stay true to who I am and who I hope to be. To be a better person. To stay committed to whatever goals I put out for myself. To spend more time with my family. To be a better me for Xavier, my family and myself. I wish for better and greater things for Xavier and I’s relationship. And lastly, I wish that if I fail in any, I learn from them and keep humble at heart. Because who I am and what I have are all by his grace and love. I welcome you with open arms and an open heart 25!! T-minus 10 days! See you soon 25!

Love,

Jen ❤

TO OUR MOM: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

This week we celebrated our moms birthday. Let me just tell you all before I go into details, that I haven’t seen that smile on her face in a long time. It was great to see her so happy. To start off, this year my dad had a great idea to surprise her. And boy was she surprised! The plan was to take her out to dinner to a place that she had never been to, but by the beach. Well, the question was, what restaurant?? There are so many down here in South Florida. We wanted to take her to one where we knew she would enjoy the food! ( she’s a picky eater, haha) The second part of the plan was that she would be under the impression that it was only going to be her and my dad. So the search for a restaurant and to make it seem they were going out to a birthday dinner date began. Part of the plan was for my boyfriend and I to pick up my little sister an hour or two before they left for their date. The next part of the plan was to get all my brothers and us of course, together that day to surprise her.

Well on a more personal level, no family is perfect… mine including. So to make a long story short, getting all of us siblings together with my parents was a big step. But by grace and with forgiving hearts, the arrangements were made and we were all on the same page and ready to surprise our mom!

So this past Wednesday, a couple of days before her actual birthday (we have a wedding to attend on her birthday) we all had the night off from our busy everyday duties..so we used that opportunity to surprise her! I got up that day and picked up some delicious Misha’s cupcakes instead of a traditional birthday cake. ( I highly recommend to try these cupcakes, they are soo yummy!) After that, my boyfriend and I headed over to my parents and picked up Sofia two hours before dinner. We tricked her into thinking Sofia was going to join us for dinner with x and I and his parents, and she fell for it! Shortly after, we got ourselves dolled up and we were of to a restaurant by the beach here in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Sea Watch on the Ocean. All us siblings headed to the restaurant first, to wait for her big arrival! We held up our menus so that she wouldn’t see us as she walked in. But when she walked in, she followed my dads instructions to close her eyes.. and long behold, a big “SURPRISE” was definitely heard in the restaurant!

Her excitement and reaction was beautiful and heart warming. I think deep down we all secretly shed a tear or two with her. She was so overwhelmed with appreciation that we were all there and TOGETHER. Something that had not happened in a long time. I still remember seeing her face and how happy and moved she was. I think as we get older, we seem to appreciate our parents happiness a lot more.. and becomes something you only wish you can fill their hearts with. I think we all did just that this night. And the best part of it was that we all came together for HER and did that and brought her happiness.

After our delicious meals, we headed over to the beach. It was literally right behind the restaurant so we continued the celebration! She blew out the candles on her cupcakes and made a wish that I bet was already complete! Cheers to our mom, friend, and the reason for many of our cries, laughter and love! We wish you so many more by our side!

So dear, Mami..

Happy Birthday from all of us.

We love you oh so much and enjoy seeing you happy!

Isn't she beautiful? — Isn’t she beautiful?

Happy Day my beautiful mother.. You are loved so dearly. May God Bless with you many more.. May he fill your heart with more love, more forgiveness, more happiness and more dreams in your heart.

Love, Jen and the family.

ON RAINY SUMMER DAYS

Hello all! Why many think that summer in Florida only consist of pure sunshine, tanning and soaking up sun at the beach.. well think again! Lets include, rain, rain, umbrellas and indoor activities to the Florida Summer days List. Don’t get me wrong, we do for sure have those typical sunshine state days. But this summer we’ve experienced many many rainy days full of thunder and lightning! So what do I do on a rainy summer day while my honey is off at work and I’m not? Simple.. Spend some time with my momma and little sister Sofia(which you’ve read about in my previous post.) We decided to get out of the house and headed over to the mall near my apartment. We simply enjoyed time together talking, walking, window shopping, laughing together and filling our bellies with some yummy food! Luckily for us and well mostly Sofia lol, there is a carousel in the mall. My mom and I always enjoy watching her smiles as the carousel goes around and makes its way to where we are sitting waiting for her. We admire her bravery too. To many people, it’s simply a kid friendly ride that goes around and around. Frankly mom and I don’t do “around and around” very well! We consider the carousel a ride for the brave and strong at stomach!! Yikes! I don’t even like to think about it! Nonetheless, it was great to have some girl time and enjoy the little things. Like Sofia’s smile that’s so humble at heart. I guess rainy days can’t get better than that! Don’t you all wish you were a little kid again to have no worries.. and have the simple ride of a carousel brighten up your rainy day? I DO!

Happy Thursday everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your day.. whether rainy or sunny! =)

FEELING THANKFUL..

YES, I AM FEELING THANKFUL. Lately, I can’t help but to stop and think how at times the daily hustle and bustle of life leads us to be such Debby downers. How quick we are to complain about not just big things but also silly things, things with no importance, and most importantly.. things that we should be so grateful to even have or get a chance to be part of. I’m not in the clear on this one either guys..I am also quite guilty of this. I think that we are so focused on the BIG picture sometimes, that we forget to cherish and be grateful for the little things in our lives. Many days, time is of the essence. And we tend to be in such a rush to get things done, to be somewhere “now,” to hurry up and do things to just simply get them done, that we forget to slow down and remember that time is precious. I don’t mean precious, because we have more to do… But precious because in every thing you do, every place you find yourself standing, everyone you’re sharing a moment with.. is precious. Precious because time won’t give us those moments back. And no matter how good or bad the situation you are in at that time, we all have something to learn from those moments. So today, as I sat on my couch by myself at home, I had some time to reflect on life lately. I thought about the last couple of weeks and thought of all the silly things I had been complaining of. While some are legit, some have no excuses, they are simply just ~~complains.~~ So while I like to think of myself as a pretty optimistic person, the past 2 weeks of an overwhelming work schedule, I found myself complaining more than usual. So today some reflection was most definitely needed. It was time to sit back and remember how immensely blessed I am and how many things I should be thankful for in my life. Today brought some perspective back into just plain out being THANKFUL and how powerful GRACE is.. I’m overwhelmed by the thought of it and how many things we should be grateful for.

Psalms 100, I Corinthians 15:10

Here are a couple of things that I had time to reflect on today and that I am immensely thankful for..Big things and even the smallest of things.

♥BIG THINGS

WORK: Being a Nurse, is not the simplest of careers. And some days our faith, and patience is definitely tested on numerous occasions… and while I love what I do, this happens to be one that I complain of on a regular. Usually its my ethic vs the politics of it being a “business” after all. BUT despite of it all, I would choose to be a nurse again, and I am truly blessed to have a job, and to have a job in something I truly enjoy, while helping those who are open to receiving my help.

HOME: God has really blessed Xavier and I, in being able to find a place to call home.

RAINY DAYS: I complain about my hair getting wet sometimes, but today as I sat and stared out my window, I couldn’t help to think how beautiful a rainy day can be.

DAYS OFF: Time away from work, a time to recharge and enjoy in our home or with those whom we love and don’t get to see on a regular.

FAMILY: Far from perfect, but its OURS. For always being there for me. For teaching me about life through out the years. For raising me to be who I am today and for their love.

XAVIER: My Boyfriend, my best friend, the love of my life and my future. I am so thankful for him. For the patience he has for me and all that comes along with me. For his unconditional love for me. For sharing a love with each other that is one of a kind. For his goofiness, his support and his way of always reminding me to be still and that everything will be ok. Simply for loving me for me and loving me back.

♥Small things

COFFEE: This truly could be a BIG thing for me, but it’s not. It’s a small thing, that I’m oh so thankful of its power. The power to wake me up, taste good, and put a smile on my face. yum.

SMILES: From my sisters little smile to random strangers. Genuine smiles make you feel and instant warmth of welcoming and happiness. How lovely they are.

MY HANDS: These two little body parts, not only provide help for myself on a daily basis. But they help me embrace those around me, touch the face and hold the hands of those I love.

MORNINGS: For they allow our day to start for whats ahead and provide our bellies with breakfast food! yum.

HAIR CLIPS AND MY HAIR: Gosh it can be a mess, and hair clips become a gracious life saver. And my hair whom many wish they had. Hair that makes me, ME and my honey happens to love no matter how MUFASA like it can get.

EYES: Eyes that get to see the mornings, the smiles, the coffee, my hair, the rainy days, my home and work, and enjoy my days off. But most importantly those whom I love and are important to me my friends, my family, the love of my life (Xavier) and Gods wonderful creations.

What are you all thankful for? Because really, there is so much don’t you think?..

For the Love of Coffee…DIY

Since I can remember, my love for coffee has always been there. I guess my Colombian roots have never been lost you could say. I started drinking coffee (and black!) since I was probably 5 years old… When I would come home from school in Colombia my grandmother always had black coffee and Colombian bread waiting for me! Yum! (oh, the memories!) well… my point? This love I hold.. will always be there! And well I guess now being older than 5, going through nursing school and ending up with a cuban boyfriend.. I guess now, it has become an addiction. Ha! and addiction I’m quite okay with.. and Love!

My boyfriend and I recently moved to an apartment. Decorating has been tons of fun!.. and a lot of ideas have been flying through this busy head of mine. I think its safe to say, not only am i addicted to coffee but my fellow friend Pinterest! And it just so happened that while on Pinterest… I came across this coffee station idea! It was love at first sight and “must have” in our new apartment!

So, off i went to start picking up things for my little coffee station! After multiple trips and much looking and little spending ( we’re on a budget here! everything we got was either on sale or pretty inexpensive) I had the things to put this little project together and to make it my own. The coffee station is finally complete and being used daily..I couldn’t be more excited to share my photos with you and the final product! Sit back, grab a cup of coffee and Enjoy!

First Step: Finding a table, a place to hang my coffee cups, and decorations. (the fun part!)

The first purchase

Second Step: Painting My table! ( I wanted a rustic, white feel to it) I used some left over paint with primer,since there was no need to sand down my table. Worked like a charm!