Graduation Day!

Photo credit: Tonnya Norbury Photography

Today, I graduate from college! A lot has taken place in these short 26 years of my life, and if you are reading this it’s because you have played a significant role somewhere along the way, if not throughout the whole process. Without you, I probably wouldn’t have been able to walk across this stage. I bet most of you don’t even know how much of an impact you made throughout the years. You taught me how to work hard, you taught me how to say focused, and you taught me that nothing is ever handed to you. My mom and dad divorcing provided some struggles throughout my childhood years, but thanks to the amazing support of my friends, family, and the courage of my strong-willed single mother, I was able to make it through.

At the age of 17, I found out that I was expecting my first child, which started my adulthood chapter off with a bang. Many turned their back on me, many judged, and many even said I’d amount to nothing. My high school counselor didn’t even take me seriously when I met with him to figure out my college plans. However, you all still stuck by my side. My 18^th birthday party/ baby shower was definitely awkward for many that attended, including myself, but you still came. You supported me and reminded me that I was never alone. That day I promised that I will continue to reach for the stars and I did. Finally, all of my hard work paid off.

With your help and support, I graduated from high school and now I can proudly say that I am a college graduate as well. There were a lot of twists and turns along the way. I moved to a whole other state, I changed majors, and I even switched to a more expensive private school. It was scary and there were a lot of unknowns but thanks to your encouraging words and the grace of God I stand here in front of you tall and proud. I have officially earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical Management with a specialization in Business Information Systems from DeVry University. To some it’s just a piece of paper, but for me I’ve invested my blood, sweat and tears into my education. Not only did I show myself that I can do it, but I confidently know can provide an even better future for my family. From the bottom of my heart I thank you all. Thank you for being amazing role models. Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on and for letting me talk your ear off. Thank you for your guidance. Thank you for pushing me. Thank you for being my cheerleader. I can’t wait to see what this next chapter in my life holds. I FINALLY DID IT!!

New Year, New Home

So, it's finally complete! We moved into a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo rental and I love it. You know what the best part is? An IN UNIT washer and dryer! Yippie! At our old apartment, the laundry facility was at the back of my building so I would have to lug this 1000 lb. laundry bag all the way down my 2nd floor steps and around to the back just to do laundry. That doesn't even include balancing the laundry key, bottle of laundry detergent, having to go back to switch the loads to the dryer and then back again to pack it all up and lug it all back upstairs. Phew! I definitely hated it and I'll never go back to a having a home without a w/d in unit haha.

We're still unpacking little by little because we literally just finished bringing in the last few items from our old apartment 3 days ago, but if you follow me on Instagram you've been seeing bits and pieces of our new home. Luckily we finished moving all the major items when we did because it started POURING rain every day after that. It's been such a pain in the butt to be living in between houses for two weeks as we were moving stuff in to our new condo. I can't wait to fully unpack so we can finally stop living out of boxes. I seriously can't find anything and I have no clue why since I packed it all and all the boxes are labeled haha. Probably because there's just an overwhelming amount of boxes everywhere. It's like a maze! Aside from that, nothing is really going on over here. This was the first big thing that was in the works for the new year and I can't wait to share more milestones and memories throughout the year as they unfold. 2014 seems like it's going to be a big year for us, and I can't wait to celebrate it all with the world.

So, goodbye Apt. #2060 and hello Unit #2088! Apartment 2060, you have been the longest location our little family has ever lived at. We traveled so much when Mahal worked construction, so it was nice to finally call a place home. Four years to be exact. You were the place where we signed out first lease instead of renting privately or living in hotels and you were the first place we furnished a place with actual furniture. You saw JAM wean off of sippy cups and you were even the place where he fully started using the toilet. You were the location where Mahal got his first local job and where we lived when he got promoted to manager. You're the location where I decided that I wanted to change my college major even after I was almost done with my original major. You were the place that saw our nervousness when JAM was old enough to start elementary school. You were the bus stop where JAM first started riding the school bus and where I silently teared up as I waved goodbye to him as the bus pulled away. If only the walls of apartment 2060 could talk. Apartment 2060 is where my family blossomed during the new adventure of moving to Las Vegas. This apartment was our home for four year and it was so good to us. I hope that Unit 2088 is just as great. I can't wait to see what memories this new condo will experience with us.

Hello 2014!

Whoa whoa whoa! How are we halfway through February 2014?!!! I swear I was just watching the fireworks on the Las Vegas Strip last week! *sigh* Like I always tell JAM, time waits for no one. Well HELLO 2014! and hey hey hey to all my readers out there. I promise you, I haven't forgotten about you! If you follow me on social media, you've seen that I've been busy busy busy! So many things are in the works for 2014 and I'm sooooo excited for it to all be executed. Just thinking about it all reminds me that we have so much to catch up on!

So, wrapping up 2013 was easier said than done. I was so excited because I love the holidays and to make it even sweeter, Lil Sis moved in with me! It's been YEARS since we've lived together and I love having her around. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were a little more special this year because we had tons of family come into town to celebrate with us. As many of you know, both sides of my family are HUGE so it's really hard to get us all together. When we do get the chance to even get a few of us together, it's definitely a ball of fun. By the time Christmas hit, family was pouring in big time. The only stinker of the whole thing was that both Mahal and my car broke down the week before Christmas! I got into a minor fender bender with a couple of teens (JAM and I were fine) that caused me to have my car in the shop for two weeks. After that, Mahal's truck needed a new engine so we were scraping up $2000+ days before Christmas, which wasn't an easy feat for us. Luckily with the grace of God, things all worked out and we got cars back in time for Christmas. To put the cherry on top of it all, many of my Christmas gifts that I ordered online were delayed due to a system glitch. Minor materialistic things, but it was still a little annoying during the already hectic holiday season. In the end, family was there to celebrate with us and that's all that matters. As another plus, this was Mahal's first year as a manager at his job so we got to attend his company Christmas party at the Bellagio! I never went to my Prom and we have never gone to an event where we had to dress fancy so it was really exciting to have this moment. I was so proud of him for his accomplishments, and his job paid for a one-night hotel stay so we got to have a whole date night all to ourselves.

The view from our hotel room

The neat thing about living so close to the Strip is that I can see the NYE fireworks from the patio of my home! So, instead of braving the NYE Strip chaos, we decided to party from the comfort of our home. I was one of the "lucky" ones that caught the flu bug right after Christmas and I literally felt like DEATH! I was stuck in bed the whole time and didn't even know if it was morning or night. Honestly, by NYE I just prayed and said, "if there's any other craziness that's going to be thrown at us, get it all out now before we start the new year so we can start fresh". That's exactly what happened. We counted down, rang in the new year, and the great blessings just started pouring in left and right! I can't wait to share my 2014 journey with you as it all unfolds! I'm so happy that you've stuck with me through my first year of blogging and I can't wait to see what 2014 brings! HAPPY (belated) NEW YEAR!!

Fresh Start

I've been keeping things a little hush hush about new things that have been going on with Mahal and I because I was afraid to hear people's criticism and comments about it all. Now that everything is starting to unfold for the better I'm excited to share our "fresh start" moments. Due to certain financial circumstances, we usually buy our cars used through private owners. This is helpful since we never have a car note but of course the unknown about the car is always there. So, we usually end up fixing the cars we buy. I think since my grandparents gave me my first car when JAM was born in 2006 we haven't gone a year without fixing SOMETHING on one of our cars. With JAM's busy schedule and my school schedule, Mahal and I decided to buy a second car in February 2012 because sharing a car amongst the three of us started to become a hassle. We bought it from a local used car dealership this time around, but the car would be bought as is. Go figure not even 2 months later the issues began. We came to find out that there was multiple things that needed to be replaced including a new transmission. Lovely. Because of all the work that needed to be done we decided to baby the car as much as we could until Mahal got his income tax refund to fix the car. We started off the new year by finally fixing my car and we couldn't be happier. We had enough money to  buy a new bed too after sleeping on a 10 year old bed that caused so many back pain these last couple years. Things were slowly falling into place but there were a couple things that were still bothering us: work and school.

My baby, Emerald :)

Mahal is one of the most hardworking and dedicated people I know. Since finding a job locally in 2010, he has given the company 110%. Everyone around him thought that he deserved a raise to become full time, but certain circumstances on corporate's end prevented that from happening. He tried to be understanding since he hasn't been with the company for that long, but it became hard watching other co-workers get promoted when Mahal was putting in more work and effort than they were. Although the financial stability was great to have if he got promoted to full-time, that wasn't the thing we wanted the most. We were more concerned about him getting paid vacation time off. The company he works for is only closed on Sundays so unless his one off day a week is scheduled on a Saturday or unless there was a holiday that fell on a Monday, we would never be able to even take a weekend vacation somewhere because that's one less day Mahal didn't get paid and every paycheck counts nowadays. We haven't gotten the opportunity to visit Chicago since 2009 because of it and it's something we've been wanting to do. There was talk amongst the managers that he might get a promotion this summer, but there's always secret talk about Mahal getting promoted and I know he gets bummed when it never happens. I guess someone finally listened because Mahal just got promoted! I'm so proud of him and so excited because I know that it's something that he's been wanting for awhile. Now let's see if we can finally book this trip to Chicago so we can show JAM his hometown!

As far as my school progress has been going, a lot has changed. For those of you who didn't know, the medical field has always been a field I knew I wanted to work in since I was about 10 years old. I always dreamed about being a cardiothoracic surgeon, but once I graduated from high school I realized how expensive med school was, how long it was going to take, plus I gave birth to JAM. All those factors weren't what I was looking for so I found the next best thing, becoming a nurse practitioner. The first step to achieve that was to become a nurse so since moving to Las Vegas in 2008 that is what I've been pursuing. I was already knocking at the door of the nursing program when I realized that becoming an RN wasn't for me. Along with many other factors, I realized that I liked teaching the material, organizing study groups, creating projects about the material, etc. I honestly wasn't sure what else was out there for me because medicine was always in my face. I did some research and stumbled upon a business degree. It was something I never really explored, but my little sister was always amazed with this field. I looked into the different degrees and there was only ONE school in Las Vegas that offered the degree I was interested in. I set up a college visit and this school is AWESOME. The staff is soooo helpful and you can tell that they'll do whatever it takes to help you succeed in your desired field. They are a private school so the tuition was A LOT more expensive than what I was used to and the school runs a little differently that what I have been accustomed to, but it all looks like a great fit for me. I signed up for classes and just attended the school orientation this past weekend, and I'm so excited to have a fresh start at my new university! I admit, I'm honestly a little scared. I never thought I'd be the college student who'd change their major like a lot of classmates I know, but I'd rather change my major now than continue to do my first pick which I started to dread. My first day of class is a week from today and I can't wait to see where it takes me! You're looking at a student who is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Technical Management with a specialization in Business Information Systems.

Change is always a scary thing, but sometimes it's something that is very necessary. I'm so happy that things are working out for us and that we're staying focused on the path we know we want to take. 2013 is looking so positive so I hope that it continues throughout the rest of the year. I can't wait to see where else this new year is planning on taking us. There's nothing like a fresh start to change the mood of things for the better.

How has your 2013 been going so far?

2012

Wow! I feel like New Year's Eve crept up on us so fast! I swear it was just summer last month! But, like I always tell JAM, time doesn't wait for anyone. I'd have to say that 2012 was a pretty successful year. At the very least, I know it was definitely a time of reflection and soul searching on my half. I wrapped up my first half of the year finishing my prerequisites for my nursing program, and even applied to UNLV. I felt like I finally made it when I got accepted into an actual university, but that was short lived when I decided that the financial path that better suited my family was to complete an associates degree in nursing instead. Now, after much contemplating, I'm actually considering changing my degree all together! *sigh* oh college life. Thankfully, I have such a supportive family who will cheer me on no matter what route I decide to take.

My year continued on, and it was the little things that were the highlight of my year. JAM lost his first tooth! I shared all my fun tricks on how I used to loosen my wiggly teeth when I was his age, which resulted in him pulling out his 2nd lost tooth at school haha. whoops! He also wrapped up his second season of soccer at the beginning of the year, scoring at least 2 goals every game! Once that was over, we made the decision to allow him to pierce his ears. Eek! However, he took it like a champ. He finished off the year starting 1st grade and his catechism classes to earn the sacrament of communion. His 1st grade teacher said he's the top of his class completing all his 1st grade goals already and he's only halfway through the year! We couldn't be prouder. He also wrapped up a third season of soccer this fall in a higher division, which meant tournaments. This was his teams first year in this division unlike the other teams. The Little Rascals finished in 3rd place overall! Not bad considering the other teams have been in this division for 2+ years and this was their first season.

Once summer 2012 was in full swing, my dad's side of the family reunited and I hosted our first ever cousins reunion in South Lake Tahoe, NV/CA. I'd say that was definitely the highlight of the summer for sure. It was a little unconventional just having the cousins attend but that's how it always was growing up. The adults would do their own thing and have "adult time" in the kitchen while the cousins would wreak havoc. So, it only seemed right to have a cousins reunion. Maybe later on we'll have an actual family reunion, but this year's cousins reunion in Lake Tahoe was the best.

We wrapped up the summer celebrating our 3 birthdays with Mahal celebrating a milestone birthday by turning 25. Mahal and I also celebrated our 7 year anniversary of being a couple. Man, 7 years already?! It feels great to know I have such a compatible partner in life. Many people search their whole lives trying to find that perfect fit so I'm grateful every day that God has blessed my life with Mahal.

There were a few other things that I'm thankful for this year. For those of you who don't know, my grandparents are my world. This year my grandpa had major heart surgery to add to the other health issues he's gained over the years. It was scary to watch him go through it all but I'm grateful that he's getting stronger as each day passes. I know they're both is getting older, but every extra day I have with my grandparents I'm grateful for. The one thing that caught me off guard this year was when my mom randomly got sick. She was misdiagnosed with multiple diseases until she was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called myasthenia gravis. She went through a lot of treatment to ease the symptoms of her incurable disease, and that was real hard to watch her go through especially since I couldn't physically be by her side. The thought of possibly losing my mom scared the heck out of me, but thankfully she's getting better and her symptoms are slowly dissipating. I don't know where I'd be without this woman so it was the icing on the cake that she was able to fly out to Las Vegas with my step dad this year to celebrate the holidays with us.

On a lighter note, God didn't stop with the blessings in my life. This second half of the year was full of babies galore! 2 of my friends gave birth to beautiful baby girls, my aunt gave birth to the 15th grandchild on my mom's side, and my family still has 2 more additions arriving in 2013! My 2 cousins on my dad's side who are brother and sister are both expecting! He's expecting a little girl and she's expecting a little boy. I'm so excited to watch my family grow and watch the little ones have the same fun experiences of growing up in a big family like I did.

We wrap up the year by taking our first family photos finally after 6 years of waiting. The photos turned out great thanks to Amanda Ferrari Photography, and I can't wait to take more in the future. Our Christmas was perfect this year with my mom and step dad flying into town. We all headed to California to join my uncle and his family in celebrating their 1st Christmas in their beautiful, new home.

Photographer: Amanda Ferrari Photography

Last but certainly not least, I'm absolutely grateful for my Chitown and All Around readers! I started this blog at the end of May 2012 as a personal outlet and to possibly help someone out there who may ever go through some of the things I've gone through in life. I'm definitely no pro in anything in life, but hopefully sharing my wisdom has done some good in the world. It hasn't even been a year for my blog, but thanks to all of you I hit my goal of getting 50 likes on my Facebook page and I'm entering the new year with 10,000+ views on my blog. You guys are awesome and I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and spread the word about it.

I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for me and for Chitown and All Around! I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, happy, and healthy new year! XOXO

What topics or ideas would you like to see on Chitown and All Around in 2013?