Glass Slippers, Pretty Dresses & Prince Charming

I had the privilege of going to see Cinderella with my mom yesterday. Much needed girls time and I enjoyed it!  I loved Cinderella the cartoon by Disney and every one of the movies made after, but this one was AMAZING!! 

It's every little girls dream to wear glass slippers, pretty dresses and to marry Prince Charming (at least it was mine growing up).

Real World Facts about being a SAHM: I don't wear glass slippers, in fact I don't get dresses up very often. I have maybe 2 pretty dresses, that's it. My wardrobe usually consists of lounge clothes and flip flops (if we're leaving) or barefoot (if we're staying home). My hair isn't pretty, but I do fix it, because that would be embarrassing to me to leave with a frizz ball (lol)!! I do however have my Prince Charming. He didn't come riding on a horse, but man oh man, he did sweep me off my feet! He doesn't rule a kingdom, but he does rule my heart. I have 1 little helper who loves to help clean and I am the servant of Jesus Christ.

My reality may be nothing like Cinderella, but it is pretty darn close. ;)

*I also am officially back to Blogger, I guess I'm just used to it, because the other site wasn't my cup of tea.*

God Bless Each of you!! 

A Little Piece of Heaven

How do you respond upon waking up from a dream that you just had knowing that you just had a little piece of heaven in your dream?

Well that happened to me this morning. I woke up from a dream, not too uncommon, but definitely not typical to have the dream I had. Although it didn't feel like a dream, it felt very real!!

My Papa, Mema, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Andy, Uncle Dennis, Grandmother, Grandfather, Uncle James, Jaron, Baby Salinas & my daddy were all in this dream. Oh and my adopted grandpa, Ray was there too! We sat around a table eating a really yummy breakfast. We talked, they all asked about everyone in the family. They said they can see us, but when something bad happens, they turn away.

My Grandma told me that she is really proud of my mom, "punkin & baby punkin". I told my Grandpa that I missed his Tugboat spaghetti & him helping me peel my shrimp! I couldn't talk to everyone, but I gave Jaron & Baby Salinas a kiss and a hug and told them mommy misses them & Aunt Bo too. My daddy gave me a grin, tilted his head back and chuckled. He said that Jayden is so big and he's a handful! He hugged me super tight, just the kind of comfort I needed and that's when I woke up.

It was a Little Piece of Heaven in the most perfect time.  I may not have the most perfect life, but it's the perfect life for me. Even when life gets you down, God picks you and your pieces up and reminds you while you're still here. I don't call those types of dreams a coincidence, but rather that God wanted, needed me to see that!!!

I miss my family terribly, but I know that that's apart of my sinful nature, I also know that I'm going to be surrounded by my family again one day in Heaven and until then, I have to keep spreading the news of Jesus Christ. 

God Bless each of you!

JAMTASTIC JAMBERRY!

Have you checked out my latest blog post from my Jamberry Consultant Blog? Go check it out! Go share it with your friends!!! Show some love!!!

Jamicure of the Day~Blog Post


God Bless Y'all!!

The Few, The Proud--The Aunt!

Last week I was blessed with the opportunity to pack my bags & head to Cali with my mom, sis, BIL & niece to watch my nephew graduate from Marine Boot camp. I never thought I could be more proud of that boy, but that changed when he decided to join the Marine Corps. His selfless act made me more proud than a big bag of Peanut M&M's (which I love so much & I don't like to share!), more proud to be his Aunt. :)

There have been countless hours of time spent in prayer for him & the rest of Hotel Company. I have prayed on my knees, holding a toddler, driving in the car, crying in Walmart--I have PRAYED! 13 long weeks slowly creeped by and on November 20th, 2014 we ran to find Christian and in the midst of the chaos, that boy grabbed all 5 of us & gave us a bear hug...one hug that I will always remember. The one hug that we all longed for!! That day was the 3rd best day of my life (first marrying my best friend, my love! Second being when my sweet little chunkers was born!)!!!! For about 10 of those 13 weeks Christian had asked us to write to his friend, so we did. What was really cool is that we included him into our family on Family Day & Graduation. There was no need for him to spend time alone. He is apart of our family now. He's also a good kid, keep praying for him too! Too much excitement for 1 blog post, so here are some pictures!

Proud mom!

I just love this picture!! Their faces say it all!

Proud sis & grandma!

Best Friends for life: Salinas & Rodriguez

Private Christian Salinas

Private Gustavo Rodriguez

Airport Selfie

Team Spirit! Sported our red on family day!!

The Countdown Begins

Good morning!!

November will be quite a busy month for us & it starts on Saturday! I'm excited to tackle these adventures, especially with the loving support of my Husband!!

Saturday beings Christmas shopping. I'm starting later than I usually do...because I'm married now. lol Brady is taking Jayden while I enjoy brunch with one of my favorite friends ever & then while I go around doing a little Christmas shopping!! Hopefully more than a little, and hoping to tackle most or all of it!

In 9 days I turn 30. In 9 days I have a girls day celebrating turning 30. In 9 days Brady will be a groomsmen in a wedding, Mia will be keeping Jayden and Brady & I get to enjoy a date night on my Birthday!!

In 18 days my dad will be celebrating his 2nd birthday in Heaven. Gosh how my heart misses him. Every day I miss him. I've noticed that if I don't put much thought into the day, or if my day has already been planned, I don't cry (except for today, my day has already been planned, BUT I'm writing my blog & I'm up before anyone else). But for the days that I'm not busy or I'm writing on my blog, those are the days that I don't hesitate to cry. My daddy was proud of his girls & I know that if either my sister or I updated our blogs, my dad was sure to know because of my mom....no matter the subject, he was still proud.

In 19 days I have a Jamberry House Parry--my second since August! This should be fun because it's right before I leave to Cali!

In 20 days I leave for Cali. A trip I have been thinking about since this summer. Something I never thought I would get to do because of finances. But I promise you, when you're not looking, God opens a door and blesses you more than you can imagine!! Happy 30th Birthday to me! Why is this so special? Because I get to see this little boy who has miraculously turned into a man in just 3 months. The same little boy who I rocked to sleep on his first Valentine's Day, the same little boy who would come to Grandma & Grandpa's house asking "Are youuuuuu talkin' 'bout me?" The same little boy who gave a confused look on his face on picture day & his Grandpa loved that picture! The same little boy who stole my heart the day he was born and proudly calls me "Aunt". Excuse me while I go cry in a corner! The proudness I have in my heart is so hard to describe! In 3 weeks we will have another Marine on our hands! I have always supported the military, but when it's family, especially ones that you've grown up with, it's a bit of a tear jerker & prideful moment!

Don't expect me to take pictures of that special reunion, I might be a big 'ol mess...I'm not sure who we'll appoint to that position, because I think my mom, niece, sis & bro-in-love will be in the same boat!!



Love & Blessings as we near this Holiday Season!


Oh & Oorah! ;)

Letter writing soothes the soul

This is the second day in a row to write a letter to my nephew and his friend. This big for me. I usually only mail one a week, but Jayden insisted on painting pictures last night, so I had to share the beautiful artwork from a 2 year old's perspective... Life is messy, but we gotta keep living.

I have always found that writing letters soothes my soul, makes me feel better about myself after I've written the things that were on my heart. I just hope my letters bring a sense of calming and a smile to my nephews face.

 

{Please don't judge the mess around the letter. I do my crafting & Jamberry on the same table. LOL}

My nephew's friend will also be getting a letter & a painting. I hope it brings a smile to him as well, and I hope that he understands how he has been adopted into our family! 

Daddy's Celebration of Life Service

I'm currently listening to my daddy's funeral. I remember being there, but all in all, it was a complete blur & in GriefShare we have been talking about listening to the funeral...I finally got enough courage to listen... {I am writing after each thing that I hear}

I want to personally thank Bro. Mickey Moriarty for being such a wonderful pastor to our family & especially to my daddy. You have no idea how much he loved you as a fellow brother in Christ and as a friend.

To Lud, you have such a tender & kind heart. My daddy loved your music. He loved you & Kellee. Thank you for your support during this past year. We love you dearly. Thank you for your willing heart to want to serve in the music ministry at CBC.

John Brooks, your part of the sermon was so sweet. I love having you as my family. Thank you for your sincere words and scriptures.

Kathy--your voice is so beautiful. Thank you for singing my daddy's favorite song. You captured the beauty of the service with that song & with your voice.

Deanna--all I have to say is thank you for your special & kind words. Our family will always love you. Tears are falling as I listen to the things you say. :)

Rickey-- my daddy loved you so & I will always know why. You have such a giving heart. Both you & Phyllis are tremendous blessings in my life, my daddy's life and my family's life. Just listening to you talk about my daddy, makes me miss him so much. The words you used to describe my daddy were spot on!!!

Mama C--First of all, I just miss you..period. Second of all, my daddy LOVED you. Loved you!!! He was so thankful for the friendship y'all had.

To everyone that came and showed your love for my daddy & for my family, thank you. 

To Mickey, Deanna & Rickey...we never knew that he had talked to y'all. NEVER knew it until y'all got up to the podium to speak. God knew what he was doing bringing each of you into our lives.


As tears fill up in my eyes, listening to this has not only made my heart smile, but it has made me really miss him. I enjoyed listening to these stories all over again.

God Bless