A Little Home Sick Part 2

I got a pedicure today. The color that randomly caught my eye this week....."Paint My Moji-Toes Red". I don't think it was a coincidence! :) It's a HOT Miami color.

A Little Home Sick Part 1

Yeah. I am severely homesick. This hasn't happened to me just yet. Yes, I miss my family all the time. But this is the longest I've gone without seeing them. *I think*. Either way, I am homesick. Badly. (It might just be a hormonal thing.) Here is reason #1.
I AM OVER THE COLD WEATHER THIS TIME AROUND. If it would just snow a little more. Maybe I'd find it cute again. LOL!


I guess it's not as cold as it was earlier in the month. But still. I wish I can just have the Miami weather back sooner than later.

Golden Girl For Life...

There was a time in my life when DANCE revolved around my life. It seems like so long ago. But, I will never forget the friendships I created being a Miami Sunset Golden Girl.

I remember how much I wanted to be part of the dance team when I attended my high school freshmen orientation. They were so awesome, and I was determined to make it my sophomore year. (You had to be a Sophomore to be able to audition.) I worked so hard that following year during the week long audition. And it paid off. Little did I know that working hard was what I would be doing for next 3 years of high school. I learned so many life lessons being part of this team. I learned how to believe in myself, prove myself, responsibility, determination, but most of all, how to be a friend.

My very best friends continue to be my best friends after all these years because of the bonds we formed during our days as Golden Girls. I treasure them, but I also treasure every friendship I made as a Golden Girl. This time of my life holds a BIG space in my heart. One of my best friends Christi shared some wonderful pictures from our GGs days. I wanted to share them with you all!

Weekend Wrap Up.

This was definitely a relaxing weekend. We saw movies, slept a lot, but still managed to be pretty productive with house chores. I mopped the kitchen floors, vacuumed, did about 4 loads of laundry (which I am still not finished with), and Ronnie put up our new curtains in our Bonus Room!
The room has come a long way since our furniture delivery last Spring. Who could forget our very own FRIENDS episode?! If you don't remember, let me remind you....PIVOT! PIVOT! For my birthday, my mom gave me the "go ahead" to purchase the rug I was dying to have to put in there that I found at Target. It's a beautiful chocolate brown with a blue mum design. I never got to blog about it. But I fell hard for it and I begged my mom for it for my birthday! So, that is another addition to the room. And last weekend, while shopping at Pier 1, I found the perfect curtains to go in the room...plus, they were half off! YES! Now all the room needs is a TV and then it will be mine...all mine to watch TV!! (But I know that TV will take a while for us to get!) Tell me what you think of the room thus far.


Then on Saturday night, Ronnie and I were by the Red Robin. I have never been to this American staple and I decided that it was time! (Plus, I am totally menstrual and I know that totally guided my craving.) I heard about the bottomless drinks and fries and the signature burgers. So, off we went inside and I thought it was extremely cute! It's a great family restaurant, but I totally felt extremely GUILTY after we ate! grrr! I hate that. But it was the weekend and it was a new experience, so I got over it quickly. I took a few pics to share with you all.



Now, I am off to watch the Oscars! Ahhh, I am already late! Thank goodness for DVR!

WeddingWire.com

I received an e-mail yesterday from our wedding photographers PS Photography. Patty and Susie were asking that I check out their Vendor page at WeddingWire.com and rate and write a review for their services. I will do ANYTHING for these girls because I can not express how absolutely awesome they are and I am just a HUGE fan!

It was then when I realized what a cool website it was! It is a website where you can find local wedding venues, cakes, dresses, invitation vendors & more all rated by brides like you! How perfect is that!? All different kinds of vendors at the tips of your fingers!

After I signed up, the website offers a free gift when you review 5 of your wedding vendors. I was able to score a year subscription to Martha Stewart's Everyday Foods! YES! (BTW, there are several gifts to choose from like gift cards and other subscriptions.) And my very awesome photographers are going to throw in an 8x10 picture from our wedding of our choice! DOUBLE YES!

I wanted to share this website with you because I know this will be helpful to several of my readers who are past Brides and Brides to be. ENJOY! Tell me what you think after you visit the website!

Spring <3

I am so ready for spring. Wearing turtlenecks and sweaters gets old quick! Especially being a Miami girl where I've been wearing tanks and sandals all year long, all my life! I've been feeling a little home sick lately, so I decided to do the next best thing and that is to dream of the sun and my next visit to my family by online shopping for pretty spring dresses!
I am in love with the following dresses from Forever 21.....Can you picture me in these?



And these adorable gladiator flats!

So in Loooove....

Our 2009 Valentine's Day was INCREDIBLE!!! Seriously, it was the most fun we have had in a long time. It felt like we were back on our honeymoon. Yes, THAT GREAT! (As it should be, right?) We forgot all about our stress and just really enjoyed the day to the fullest. And it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

He woke me up this morning just like every Saturday. After he made coffee, he came up stairs and said "Honey, I am going to get your tag today!" (Mind you, he has been putting off to get my new NC car tag since December an he knows how much I've been frustrated about it.) And that TOTALLY made my day already! Then I felt him place something by me and he curled up next to me and said "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY DORKY!". He had placed a huge box of chocolates and a goofy card that read "Honey, I want to let you know that all of your HARD work has not gone unnoticed. - I've been watching you during commercials on the couch!" I LOVED IT! It was cute and funny....and so US!

Then, I asked him if he'd take me to go see "He's Just Not That Into You". The ultimate chick flick. And he said "SURE!" and did not FUSS about it! YES!!! (BTW, I loved the movie....and Ronnie seemed to enjoy it, too!)

After, he planned our dinner date and took me to a new Thai restaurant. He's been wanting to take me for a while, but I have been hesitant because I've never had it before. But let me tell you....It was quaint and that was great, but my dinner was FANTASTIC! He surprised me, yet again! He was so happy I liked it. So, I think that will be our new date night restaurant.


After dinner we came back home. Ronnie opened a bottle of champagne. I had planned to make us dessert....Chocolate fondue. We put it together and had our dessert with our champagne. YUMMMMMM!!!! He freaked out about the amount of food, but then he went for it and loved it too! When we were through......we went upstairs, of course! And this is where my personal blog shall end!

HOPE YOU'RE VALENTINE'S DAY WAS FILLED WITH LOTS OF LOVE!!!!

Photography in the Mountains...

This past weekend we made our way to Boone and visited Grandfather Mountain for the gazzilionth time. (This is where Jay proposed to Janelle!) While I was there I started playing with my camera. The new Cannon Powershot has a great feature called "color accent". Basically, you can magnify or stand out one particular color in the object you are taking an snapshot of. I accentuated the blue color of the "Blue Ridge Mountains" and basically what I came out with were some incredible shots! Make sure to double click on the images below to view them in their full size. I tried to capture a 360 view. Enjoy!






And here is a different snapshot of me standing in front an old coca-cola sign at the mast general store. I accentuated the "Red" in the sign.

Alex wins a GRAMMY for HEIGHTS!

My cousin Alex won a Grammy for the cast album of IN THE HEIGHTS this past Sunday! We are so proud!!!! He totally deserves this and much more....Check out the videos my cousin Meli was able to take even though she's been terribly sick for the past couple of days. Nothing stops us from celebrating! CONGRATS ALEX!!!!

The Grammys:


Alex on Primer Impacto:


And I love this one. My family in Miami got together to watch the Tony awards in 2008 and HEIGHTS won for BEST MUSICAL. Watch their reaction....which was my reaction watching in NC!!


Yeah, can you tell we are REALLY proud!?! I need to brag! Thanks prima for documenting Primer Impacto. I need to talk to Alina about getting Univision in Greensboro. LOL You're the best!

Newly Framed Wedding Portrait...

It has taken us over a year to get our wedding portrait framed. But there are several reasons for it....mostly the $! Also, I had a hard time finding a trust worthy frame shop around here. I am glad we decided to wait because the end result is perfect! It was a little pricey, but it is exactly what we wanted. Ronnie hung it up on the wall on Friday night. I think we found a great spot for it in our family room. Tell me what you think....I am in love!

Remedy to a missing heart....

Last Sunday, my family in Miami celebrated my Tio Andres' birthday and the Super Bowl. Sadly, I wasn't there, of course. But I know I was there in their hearts. And this goes to prove it.

My beautiful and awesome cousin Melissa recorded some video and video messages for me! This totally made my day! And I didn't cry, believe it or not. (And for those that know me know I CRY for EVERYTHING!) I was just beyond happy to view them. I am truly, truly, truly, BLESSED with the most AMAZING family. I will never, ever, take that for granted. I am the person I am today because they have truly shaped me. And now, since I am so far away, I've realized that MORE than ever.

I love, miss and think of each and everyone of you....EVERY DAY!

My Dad
My Brother Nicholas
Nick talking to my cousin Juan
Juani talking to me!


PS Meli, how do I embed these videos? I had a hard time figuring it out!!!

YAY For Snow Days!

It was a happy Snow Day today! It began to rain and snow last night. And I guess the roads were iced up and that is why they canceled school day today. It rarely snows here and when it does, it seems like everything just stops and people go into a panic! Kind of like the tropical storms back in Miami. But I am not complaining. I do appreciate the fact that we're not under tons of inches of snow like in most of the country. Too bad it usually doesn't last. It mostly melts by mid-day. So, I appreciate the snow when it falls here! It's just so pretty! And its so peaceful to me. It began to snow at around 5pm today and it supposed to snow through the night. I was able to capture some pictures with some light out. The snow just began to fall when I took the shots. We're supposed to get between 2-3 inches. Now... TIME FOR HOT CHOCOLATE!

Super Bowl Sunday

It was very last minute, but we invited some of Ronnie's co-workers and their other halves (Marty and Margie and Dan and Julie) over to watch the Super Bowl. We always have a great time together. Since it was such short notice, we didn't have much time to plan. Ronnie decided to make chili, since its hearty, filling and can serve a lot without spending too much or much effort is needed. As a side item we made grilled cheese sandwiches. Perfect for a super bowl and winter evening! We also had beer, chips and dip and were surrounded with good company. What more could we want? We didn't prefer either team. We were just watching for the fun of it. It was a great game, though! The very best part for me was when Jennifer Hudson sang the National Anthem. It blew me away! I got chills. It was, by far, my favorite performance of that song ever!
Here are some pictures from the evening!

Good Ole' NC Cheerwine! Another addiction since I've lived here....

Ronnie working hard in the kitchen!

Our yummy dinner! Ronnie did such an awesome job! What a good hubby!