30 is the new 20…

Oh goodness, I hope not. I turned 30 a couple of weeks ago, and the weeks leading up to that were a little bit of a rollercoaster.  I was happy to be done with my 20’s one minute, the next minute I would feel upset that I wasn’t “young” anymore.  See, I was looking at 30 through a 21 year old’s eyes.  30 was ancient to me. If I was to have a conversation with someone past 30 (and not a good friend) I subconsciously thought of it as unsolicited advice.  And I’m sure many will now see me as giving unsolicited advice.  And guess what….I’m okay with that.

Looking back at the last year, with the help of this little blog, I have realized a couple of things about myself and my life. For example…

#1. I have a crazy busy life! And I loved it that way! Absolutely loved it. In the last couple months I have figured out, that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.  I felt that I needed to prove to myself and maybe one other (if I’m going to be completely honest)person that I could handle the world on my shoulders, and I’ve finally figured out that it’s not worth it.  I have cancelled my plans to continue on to my masters degree and instead am planning on taking the test for my professions certification.

#2. I am constantly searching for something to fulfill me.  Now, I don’t mean like a child, or a family, or a career. I mean something that is purely selfish and self-fulfilling.  I wanted to do something only for myself, that would make me happy. I didn’t care if it made anyone else happy.  I went through a running spree….the next great marathoner I was not! I started a blog…which is hit and miss for me sometimes. I’m walking this line of how much do I share, how much do I keep to myself? Do I keep my real personnality in check or do I just let it all hang out?  I wanted to buy a coffee shop, or open a day care! My most recent adventure in photography finally fit the bill though.  I know because I’ve been obsessed for over a year…that’s a decade in my time. Im not worried about if people will like my personal work, I mean I hope they do, but it’s not my #1 concern. I think I’ve finally found that one thing! Yay!

#3. I have a pretty awesome life. Like everyone I have had some very hard times, that I wouldn’t wish on even my worst enemy, but in between those hard times are great times!  I have been very blessed at work. I had an amazing boss who gave me plenty of good advice and reality checks. I have an awesome little boy who cracks me up at least hourly. He teaches me patience daily, and has pulled me through some of my hardest times in my life. He really is my heart. I have an amazing husband. We have gone through our hard times as any married couple will tell you they have if they are being honest, but were still here! He’s an amazing father. I never have to worry about going on travel for work, because he’s competent. That was very important to me when making my “list”.  I live comfortably. I don’t have to worry about how Im going to find food to put on the table, or how I’m going to clothe my family.

I’m looking forward to my 30’s.  I pictured myself knowing how to handle situations better, how to talk less and listen more, how to not take things so seriously, to rise above things. Basically I think that I’m going to be able to rise above myself and put more effort into the bigger picture.  I want to bring more babies into this world, and become more involved with the March for Dimes. I want to learn how to take better photographs and use off camera flash so that I can become involved with NILMDTS.  I want to build another house where we will stay forever. And I want to be comfortable with the decisions I make, and not look outwards for validation.  The 30’s will be great! Thank you everyone for joining me on this rollercoaster ride!

My First Wedding

A little over a month ago I photographed my first wedding for a friends mom. I was scared, nervous, excited, nervous, scared. Wait did I already say that?? I stayed up late studying after studying. Lots of studying in the Ramirez house. I knew I only had one chance to get it right. They knew I’m new to this. Still…wasnt totally comfortable.

I am so thankful that it was a friend, and a laid back momma. You hear that you should never photograph a friend’s wedding, but luckily it was a friends mom. Well, maybe it turned out awesome because the bride and groom were great.

This is the lovely bride. Lupe!!! I ❤ her tons! Everything went great. Some things, well everything, was a learning experience. I learned that a flash can only handle so much before going bizzerk on you. It started running through all the programing modes and making this weird whirling sound at the reception. Yeah, maybe I should look into a new one… 🙂

I figured out I need to find a good slide show maker. Any suggestions? I learned that I don’t have to stay on manual the WHOLE wedding, shutter priority will work too :).  I learned to wear something comfortable!!! Lots of studying….lots of learning.

I want to thank the Lopez family for letting me be a part of their beautiful day! They were truly wonderful, and trusting. I seem to catch breaks every now and then, and this was one of those times.

On another note, I have a ton on the way for all y’all. I have two families, a boy who decided to paint his face with mommy’s makeup when he was supposed to be napping, and another wedding :).

First Day of School

Roman’s first day of school was last Monday. I know I’m a little late posting but I’ll get to the reason in a bit. For now lets chat about school….

Before the first day of school, we had talked to Roman about it. We told him about all the friends he would make, and all the playing he would do. He was excited! He was out the door before we were with his lunch box in hand.

He was in the Navigator ready to go!

Ahhh….and here he is with his Dad.  But wait….what is that you see???? Is that a half-smile half frown???

Awww…..there it is. The fear, the trepidation, the uncertainty!!! Yep. You can follow the emotions through the pictures. See, I’m not sure we explained that we would be back. Yeah, I left that part out as I was pumping up school.

Anyways, we walked him in. He sat down at a table and started playing a game with locks and keys. We talked to the teacher, said our goodbye’s and we were off. But there was still this uneasy feeling in my stomach. I kept telling everyone that I was probably more worried about it than him.  Ahhhhh…..but Momma knows best.  When I went to pick him up Roman and his teacher were sitting in the lobby waiting for me. I must have stopped dead in my tracks and looked like I got hit by a semi, because the teacher calmly told me that “Roman had a rough day”. Uh huh. So I said “what happened?”  The teacher then informed me that he started crying at 10:30 and it lasted for about 45 min. My heart sank. I asked Roman what was wrong when he told me “I’m mad at you Mamma”. I asked why and the reply was “because you went to work”.  SHATTER- My heart broke. I held back my tears as I told him it was okay and that I would always come and get him.

The rest of the week went the same way. Except there was hiding in the morning, yelling, and crying.  I couldn’t keep it together at work. My concentration was blown. I couldn’t eat (which shows on the scale now), I was crying off and on. Basically a hot mess. Not a good look.

This week however, has been much better. He still hesitates in the morning but hasn’t cried once. My mind and heart are right again. Which I’m sure my boss appreciates. 

So on to the other reasons I havent posted for a while (like that’s not enough or something!). Well here goes…my cousin is staying the summer with us. It’s a little hard adjusting to a 17-year-old living in the house and on the computer. Our new puppy is really sick. He’s eating dirt apparently and is currently sleeping at the vets. Sal went to Mexico (check the next blog). I had finals (two A’s). And hell…life was happening.

Well I know that this has been a long blog, and if you’re still reading….THANK YOU!!!

 

 

Romans First Trip to Disneyland

We took Roman to Disneyland for the first time last Friday. The picture above is at the very end of the day. Roman was wiped out :). Do it right or go home!!!!

I had reservations about taking Roman at such a young age for a couple of reasons. 1) He’s a little scared of giant costumes i.e. Mickey Mouse, Goofy, the Red Robin guy (there’s a story behind that). 2) He’s so young, and I wonder if he’ll even remember it. 3) Goes along with 2. If he may not remember it, is it worth shelling out the money to go? Disneyland tickets are NOT cheap.

After months of talking it over with Sal (who was all for it from the day Roman was born) and arguing with myself about it, we decided to do it. It didn’t hurt that ticket prices dropped by $30.

The best part of the day (for me anyways) was the Finding Nemo ride. If you havent been to Disneyland, Finding Nemo is a little submarine that goes half way under water. You look out the little port holes and see the whole cast of Finding Nemo hologram style. It’s really cool. You hear what they are saying, see them swim around, and are part of the adventure.

A little while before this picture was taken, this was the end, Roman was off my lap and had his whole head in the port-hole. He was talking to Dori and Nemo and the shark, waving his little hand as fast as he could. He kept yelling out Hi Nemo! Hi Dori! Hi Shark! He would turn back around and say “look momma!!!”. The joy on his face, the speed of the wave, the excitement in his voice…made it all worth it. The lights were turned out and the volume was up when tears were rolling down my cheeks. This little boy who I love more than life itself was having the best time of his life and “meeting” fish he had watched since birth.

We hit Toon Town after Finding Nemo and explored and played. Well….kinda. It was time for Romans nap and he was hungry. So we ate lunch and realized he had started to go down the dark path to evil. We had anticipated this though, so no biggie. So we started to head for the gate and finish the circle of Disneyland.

On our way out we found some ducks.

This was the end of the day. Poor little guy and family were worn out. I’ll leave you with the best picture of the day wich was also the first….

He was soooo excited to meet Mickey Mouse….until he met him. Lol! He was a little bigger in real life than I think Roman expected him to be.  All in all Disneyland was awesome! Cant wait to go again!

Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun!!!!

The lovely Jolene and I ^^^^^^^^^^ got dressed up, did our hair and makeup, and hit up the sleaziest laundromat in town.  Woooo Hooo!!! This is my first experience with Photoshop, and the amazing Jake helped me out with the processing. I think it looks pretty cool!!!  This is the first time I have played with Photoshop, I had no idea how to even open an image before Jake showed me. LIFE SAVER!!!!

Family Time

Cant you just hear the laughter coming from these two? The weather was perfect today so of course we went outside.  We threw rocks, fixed the garden, and played with tractors. I love spending time outside with my boys! I need to start using the crock pot more though. I hate having to go inside and make dinner in the middle of all the fun. By the way….I am way outnumbered in the house now. We got another dog. Yep another pound puppy.

His name is Cheech. Unfortunately he is very sick right now. He had kennel cough, a double ear infection, and an intestinal virus. He’s been on medication for a week now and still isn’t feeling better. He’s going back on Monday.

I have a couple of things growing in the garden. So far we’ve only harvested radishes, but we have cucumbers, pea’s, 3 different types of beans, tomatoes-big and small, jalapeno, and orange bell pepper. To be honest with you, there are other things that I’m not sure of what they are because nothing was growing so I just threw a whole bunch of seeds down in no particular order. I’ll let you know when they are growing something.

I’ll leave you with some more laughter for the weekend…

I really like this last one though. Think Ill print it out. 🙂

Absense

I know I’ve havent posted in a while, and the truth is I am busy, and enjoying no pressure. On the flip side I miss all of you! The good thing is I have been taking photo’s in the mean time. Here are a few….

This is SOOC, from a photo walk with Jake!

This isnt. Lol! I like it a lot though. I might put it in my bathroom. Need to print it and see what it looks like.

I also did a “for fun” photo shoot with Roman’s best friend Ty. We went out at sunset and I thought “I’ve got this!” Lol. No I didn’t. I learned a ton of things. Like fill flash is your friend at sunset, get closer, and use the middle focusing dot. 🙂 Doesnt Sal look good though? 😉

Ty….showing some love to the world.

Every Memorial Day weekend Sal plays soccer in a local tournament called the 5-A-Side. Unfortunately this Memorial was horrible. The wind was killer. It took me soooo long to get the dirt out of my ears. Yuck. Sals team did really well, but unfortunately the last team was a fouling bunch and won by one point…off of a hand ball. Isnt that some ish? Oh well….there’s always next year.

The tournament is near and dear to Sal’s heart. Its put on in memory of Sal’s best friend Matt Armstrong who died his sophomore year due to Meningitis. Sal has played every year almost since it’s conception. 60 teams played this year. What a great tribute!

Anyways, I’m going to try to post more often and catch up with everyone’s posts!

Class of 2011

After what feels like forever, I finally finished my Associates. I now am the proud owner of a piece of paper that has my name on it next to something that says Business Administration. Even though it took forever it was and is completely worth all the effort it took me to get it. 

I’ll give you all a little background on why this degree took so long.  Lets start waaayyyy back at the beginning. Yes. 1999 when I graduated high school.  Jeezzz it’s been forever, but I digress. I enrolled in college right after I graduated high school with a full load. Did I proceed to go? Um hell to the nah. I proceeded to party! Uh huh. Did the same thing the next semester. And all of this without ever dropping a class. Oh and count one more semester in there for good standing. So 3 full load semesters later and I have all F’s. OUTSTANDING! Ugh.

So finally figuring out that this wasnt magically getting me a degree I enrolled in the Air Force. Now don’t get me wrong, I am so glad I did, and wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t, but when you see those damn commercials about how you can go to school when you’re in the military….Bahahaha! Um not unless you want to be a plane mechanic. Which I did not. So I spent my time in the Air Force in Idaho and loved it so much I decided to stay and go to BSU after I got out. Well I went for a little over a year before I started to do the same thing as before. See above. Hey! I never said I was the brightest star in the sky! Anyways, I finally moved back home and started working on base here. I also started going back to the school here. Only this time I did MUCH  better. I actually passed all of my classes with flying colors. Minus math. I got a couple C’s there, but C’s earn degree’s! Lol.

Anyways on to the pictures…

The day was absolutely full. I woke up super early…for me anyways and went out with Jake to go on a photo walk. We didn’t take many pictures cuz it was already crazy bright but I learned a lot more. So that was pretty cool. Then I ran to a massage and adjustment, then off to my hair appointment, then home to grab something to eat then up to the college!

I bet you’re wondering about Roman being on stage with me??? He ran up there to give me these roses! The crowd went crazy and I was completely speechless with joy. What a sweet sweet boy I have. :)!

Yep! There I am! About to graduate. A big thank you goes out to everyone who mad it possible for me to do this. You know who you are!

Im a Sucker For….

…jewelry and flowers. But what girl isn’t?

Ahhh, so its been pretty busy around here. It was my and Sal’s 4 year anniversary and Mothers Day.

I have so many flowers in the house. Luckily only a couple have caught the wrath of Roman. Lol! He loves to rip the petals off and throw them.

This ring was a gift from my mom for finally graduating with my associates. Opals are our birthstone. So pretty. She’s had it forever. I’ve wanted it forever. Now its mine! Yay!

I got this necklace from a great friend for Mothers Day. It has Gigi’s name on it. So perfect. Thanks Jake.

I am so blessed to have the family and friends I do! Thank you everyone!

Friends!!!

I posted 6 months ago about a baby girl being brought into this world by my best friend Amanda.  I got the pleasure of finally getting to meet her this past weekend.  Unfortunately her and her family live all the way on the east coast so I don’t get to see them that often. But I must say that she is the best baby ever! We went to the March of Dimes walk and she was great the whole way! We went shopping and she never even peeped. She smiled so much and was so easy to make laugh. We took pictures on Sunday and has so much fun!

The whole weekend wasnt just about baby though, it was about family and friends. And friends being so great they might as well be family.  Amanda is married to Keith, who I refer to as my brother. He is so laid back and chill! Absolutely love him. However…he did buy Roman a Nerf gun, then we had to go buy more, just so we could join in the fun, now I’m finding Nerf darts EVERYWHERE! Ridiculous! Another fabulous friend came Sunday too. He’s not just a friend though he’s Roman’s Godfather. The great thing is that everyone knows each other from our Air Force day’s.

I feel so lucky that they flew all the way from the east coast, then drove an hour and a half the day after they got to my house, to participate in the walk with us. Thanks guys! Love you!