Fiesta and a church visit

Fiesta has come and gone! I can't say I took part in any of the festivities, but I did manage to get some pretty colorful pictures during my lunch break last week.

And on another completely different note, I want to write about my church experience this past Sunday. I visited Grace Avenue Church for the first time and really enjoyed it. From the moment I walked in I felt welcomed and loved by everyone. I was so impressed with the kindness that not only the church staff showed me, but also the members.

The sermon was on Faith, Hope and Love (1 Corinthians 13). I have read this chapter before, I've heard people preach on it, but for the first time I was taught a new take on this chapter and it's still resonating with me today. My takeaway from the sermon is that love makes a difference in every aspect of my life! Love is fundamentally tied to my attitude, my relationships, my faith and ultimately my love for Jesus.

"Why demand when you can defer? Why insist when you can inquire? Why cut what you can untie?"

I can't say enough how wonderful my experience was at Grace Avenue. They definitely are doing it right! This church treated me the way I believe Christ will treat me when I get to heaven. They showed me abounding love, genuine interest and most importantly my time there brought me closer to the Lord.

Just being silly

Here's a silly moment from a few weeks ago, not to be forgotten. 

A first for everything

There is a first for everything... first haircut, first dental cleaning, first time to get your makeup done, etc. I've always wanted to do something to change up my hair do, but I've never had the guts to do it.

Well except for that one time two years ago when I pulled all m hair over my left shoulder and chopped it off myself. It was not one of my brightest moments. I was left with a uneven extremely short haircut that looked awful. Unfortunately all the hair salons were already closed, so my lovely boyfriend sat me down in front of his kitchen sink and evened it out for me. He is so amazing when it comes to attention to details; he not only fixed my hair, but also made it look good. So much so that I didn't end up going to the salon at all.

Anyways, since that semi-traumatic expreince I have been even more terrified of doing anything to my hair. Well I finally succumbed to my fears and bit the bulllet. I went for it! I highlighted my hair!

It took longer than I expected, cost more than I would have liked, but it turned out great. It looks subtle, but still noticeable. I love it!

However, I don't know if I will do it again. Believe it or not I am a pretty low maintenance chick. I think au naturale may be better for me from now on, but at least I can say I tried it.

So here are a few pictures from before and after. This post has WAY too many photos of me! Sorry about that!

Before.

Freaking out a little bit. 

Subtle, but different.  

You could hardly tell that I did anything on the picture above, so I had to add this picture.
I love this one golden blonde piece. 

This picture is awful! haha

Selfies never turn out that well!

Mom's 55th Birthday

In honor of my mother's birthday I would like to share her parts of her obituary. I want to share this because what's written in it describes my mom most perfectly, and beautifully illustrates the amazing person that she was. 

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss

I tried to be strong yesterday, and I was, but then I realized how much I wish I could be celebrating my mom on her birthday. I wish I could have told her on her special day that I think she is beautiful, and that I admire her selflessness, and that I'm sorry for ever being disrespectful and that I love her so much. I wish I could be showering her with gifts, and giving her anything and everything she wanted, because that's exactly what she always did for me. 

Shortly after I posted this ^ picture of me on Facebook/Instagram I was inundated with so many kind messages from friends and family. Hearing what others remember about my mom is so touching to me. I love knowing that they haven't forgotten about her and that they miss her too! 

I'm so very thankful for the wonderful and encouraging friends that I have. (And not to be forgotten: Allie and Gabriella for calling me!) Thank you for the kindness you showed me yesterday, and always. 

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships."

"Elizabeth Arlene Alanis Garcia:"All beautiful you are my darling: there is no flaw in you." - Songs of Songs 4:7 Mom, you meant the world to us, we love you so much! Los dias, meses y anos que incondicionalmente nos diste son el mejor recuerdo que tenemos. Ahora te extranaremos para siempre. Elizabeth, known by many as 'Lisa', joined her loving father, mother, and grandmother in heaven on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 at the age of 47. Lisa will always be remembered as the complete woman that she was: An extremely loving and supportive wife to her husband Martin, a fiercely passionate and devoted mother to her three children Gabriella 17, Ilianna 15 and Martin Lorenzo 12. Lisa spent every waking moment thinking about what her children needed and she unselfishly gave them everything they desired and wanted to make sure their wishes came true."

"Lisa was born in San Antonio, Texas and was the daughter of the late Dr. Artemio Alanis who along with his wife Sylvia B. Alanis, raised a family of ten children. Lisa was a loyal daughter who always wanted to do the right thing and set the right example for her 9 siblings. One memory that always comes to mind is how her father would call her the 'Capitana' (The Captain) because she loved being the leader and taking charge of any situation...no matter how difficult. She spent her early school years at Mount Sacred Heart School For Girls and graduated from Incarnate Word High School. She later graduated from the Baptist Memorial Hospital School of Nursing and quickly started working as an ICU nurse at Bexar County Hospital. For the past 20 years, Lisa has helped her husband run their dental clinics in the San Antonio area. Her caring nature drove her to become involved in leading ACTS retreats and lend a spiritual hand to persons with AIDS. Lisa was always there giving of herself to others in so many generous ways."

"Lisa touched so many lives and will be truly missed forever! Los recuerdos que nos has dejado los guardaremos como un tesoro...we love you forever!"

 Happy Birthday Mom! I won't cry anymore; I'll be strong; I'll remember our time together.  

Whole Foods & Being Present

Not this weekend, but the previous one I went to Whole Foods Market for lunch with a good friend. We sat on the patio for at least an hour and a half discussing life, jobs, growing up and all that those things can bring. We weren't looking at our phones or checking the time, we were enjoying the moment and each other. It was a lot of fun, and a wonderful reminder to me to be present in all that I am doing. I want to work on being present with everything I do and with everyone that I am with. It's easy to get distracted, but I know I will get so much more out of life if I can relish what I am doing while I am doing it.

"The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power." Mary Pickford

Here are a few pictures from our time together....

Mad for mornings

Mornings are my favorite time of day. It's when I am most alert, alive and optimistic (well most of the time). It's my time to think about what type of person I want to be that day- loving, joyful, peaceful, gentle, selfless and any other good qualities that I can envision for myself. It is my time to reflect on the failures and successes of yesterday, and purpose to not make the same mistakes twice. Mornings are like do-overs. It is a perfect opportunity to be better today than you were yesterday. The Bible says God's mercies are new every morning, and for that I am so thankful. One thing that I seem to forget is to show grace towards myself. What I desire is for each day to be a new day, were I don't hang onto the messups, failures and shortcomings from the day before, but instead move forward with guilt-free spirit.

Here are a few more reasons why I love mornings:

• I get to enjoy my one (or two) cups of coffee.
• I'm not cranky.
• I get more accomplished. 
• Driving during the day is WAY WAY better in the a.m. than the p.m.
• New news stories to read.
• Emails waiting for me in my inbox.
• New Instagram pictures to look at. 
• And the list could go on and on, but I'll stop here. 

And no blog post is ever that good without some photos, so here are a few from my morning walk to work this week. 

Cape Cod Pasta

This recipe is worth saving on your computer, writing down in a cookbook, sharing with your friends and cooking as often as possible. This pasta dish is not as healthy as I'd prefer, but I think that's why it tastes so darn good.

I served the pasta with a side salad and some whole wheat bread and butter. 

Cape Cod Pasta
                                          

1/2 package center cut bacon, chopped
14 ounces of veggie pastaHalf yellow onion, chopped2 cloves of garlic, chopped16 ounces heavy creamBay leaf (if you have it)
1/2 cup low sodium chicken brothChopped basil, at least two tablespoons for cooking and some for garnish

*you could add peas, corn, broccoli...anything you like.
*you can sub pancetta for the bacon

Place a large pot of salted water on the stove.

While you are waiting for the water to boil cook the chopped bacon in a non-stick pan over med-high heat and crisp it up. Be sure to not burn or on't overcook.

Once the bacon is crispy, take a few paper towels and some tongs and sop up some of the bacon grease and throw away. But make sure to leave about two tablespoons of grease in the bottom of the pan. Then add the chopped onions, salt and pepper and cook until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Add your garlic and let cook for another two minutes, or so.


Add noodles to your boiling water. ( I used orecchiette pasta instead of the veggie pasta) 


Add the cream and two tablespoons basil.  Allow for the cream reduce by half. Taste it. Does it need something else? If so, add something else that may flavor your sauce! (salt, crushed red pepper, parmesan cheese, the options are endless) Finally, add chicken broth to lighten it up the sauce. Let it simmer until it thickens a bit. 

At this point the sauce is done. ( unless you plan to add peas, broccili or some type of vegatble) 

In another pot bring water to a boil, then add two large breasts of chicken. Cook until there is no pink in the center. (I don't own a meat thermometer, so I just slice it and half to check). Once the chick is cooked, shred it using two forks.

Then add the chicken, (vegetables) and cooked pasta to the sauce. 

Give it all a good stir and let it simmer for just a few more minutes, and then you are done!

Simple. Easy. Delicious.

** My dad couldn't stop talking about how much he liked it. It was so good, we even ate the leftovers again the very next night!

 -original recipe from Heidi Darwish

Capturing my dad in the moment.

Just a view from our window that evening.