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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Personalize Your Life


I love personalized photo items. They make the best gifts and are the perfect way to show off those photos not everyone gets to see in your home or that you don't have space to display. Plus, every time you look at the item you can't help but smile! Over the years, I have purchased a Miir photo water bottle, Medge Kindle Fire cover, and countless Shutterfly items such as mugs, key chains, magnets, notepads, cards, and photo books. I can tell you, my mom and sister's favorite gifts I have ever given them are photo gifts with my niece and nephews on them. That's why the latest personalized iPhone cases from Shutterfly definitely piqued my interest! They are adorable and affordable. And the fact that you can pretty much make them look however you want is a great option if you're looking for a gift for someone... or for yourself. I just may have to get one! In the meantime, check them out here: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/custom-iphone-cases

Also, here is some pretty interesting stuff on cell phone cases and what people want/expect from their phone cases. Pretty much magic, eh?

Shutterfly iPhone Cases Infographic
This infographic is provided to you by Shutterfly, a leader provider of photo books, custom iPhone cases & more!

X, A!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Embracing My Inner Dork

Braces, glasses, no make-up, frizzy hair? Yep, that's me lately. In the past, I would not consider stepping a foot outside with any of the above going on. Maybe it's getting older or maybe it's because I really have no choice. Either way, I am learning to embrace my "inner dork" and get comfortable with myself no matter what I look.

I have never done a blog post on my braces and have had them on almost 2 years. I got braces in May 2011 to fix my "snaggle tooth" and am beyond thrilled I did. When I was younger, my dentist always said my teeth might straighten out so my parents never took me to the Orthodontist. He was wrong! So here I am fixing them as an adult. Jeremiah jokes that he should send my parents the bill since this is something parents are supposed to deal with. Anyway, the braces are clear and I know in the end I will have straight teeth. So I am cool with the braces.

Now onto the glasses -  my most hated dork accessory. I don't know what it is, but wearing glasses makes me feel like I should be at home in my PJ's - not out in the world. They take me a while to get used to wearing and are not cute, in my eyes. But since finding out a year ago that my eyes are very damaged and dry from abusing my contact lens wearing privileges (so much so that I am not a candidate for refractive surgery), I have been forced to wear them even more. Even to work. Ugh! Once my eyes felt better I went back to abusing the contacts and my eyes started bothering me again. So here goes the spectacle wearing spectacle again! Wisdom over vanity, I suppose.

As far as the frizzy hair and no make-up goes? I am at peace with the hair my Mexican heritage has given me. Yes, I am probably the whitest girl you know, but my grandpa is Mexican. Like, habla espanol Mexican. And my great grandpa is Cherokee Indian. So what happened in the gene pool with me is a mystery. The no make-up thing is the worst, however. You probably would not recognize me if I did not have make-up on. I know people probably think I wear a ton of make-up and I do, but trust me it is necessary. I would rather be made fun of for "make-up face" than "ugly face." Yes, I do realize this is a huge issue I need to deal with, but hey one thing at a time.

I'm not sure what the point of this blog post was, except that I feel very self-conscience at times and wanted to be honest with myself about it. I know girls typically feel this way from time to time, so I thought maybe someone could empathize. Naturally pretty girls: you suck. There I said it. End blog post.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Someone so dear to me shared this poem with me when I was having a rough IC day last year. While the immediate focus of the writing is death, I think it applies to so much more and on so many levels. Reminding us to fight and never give up. So rage against the dying of your light. Whatever that may be for you. X, A!

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


- Dylan Thomas

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Hurrah!

Adult occasions call for big celebrations - or at least ice cream! The start to 2013 has included some big decisions, brave acts, and blessed changes. Here's a very quick rundown - First off, we refinanced our home in preparation of things to come and feel so adult. Next up, J had a job reclassification (other than the typical yearly review and upgrade) and I am so proud of him. The amount of hours, dedication, and hard work he puts in have not gone unnoticed and we are so thankful. He is on call 24 hours a day, as he manages several international servers, and works crazy hours, as the main office he works for is located in Greenville, SC. This guy works his tail off for Fluor and has a work ethic like none I've ever seen. So thankful for him and how God uses him at his job and how He blesses us. Finally, my appointment at Virginia Mason went great. All labs and tests came back normal so now we are on to the next step - the allergist. In the meantime, we went Indoor Skydiving at iFly Seattle and had a blast! It was J's Valentine's Day present, so it worked out perfectly to fit not only my appointment, but some fun into this trip. To celebrate, we will be going out as soon as I find out what the allergist says on Monday and I know if there is anything I need to avoid. If all is good, then we will add one more item to our list of things to celebrate. Cheers!


My official indoor skydiving photo




Update: No allergies. Yay! Milkshakes here I come! And on to the next phase of testing and doctors. Prayers for good news and healing appreciated!

X, A!