Juana's Year in Pictures :)

Here's my 2009 in photos...all the way from January to December :)

And I recognize that some pics are out of order, but that's makes for a more interesting photo album ;)

One of the first pictures taken of me in 2009

At the movies with Alex :)

Ashleigh, Ayj, and Alex and Bennett's party

Our Group at the Movies

Alex and Amor at the Bowling Alley

Me playin' around in the car

Me and Alex before our beach day

Me at the beach

The girls before Ashleigh's wedding

Playing tennis

At Louis's Graduation

Mommy and Daughters :)

Okay...I did not get married...I was the tissue bride at the bridal shower :)

Our trip with Anna at the Zoo!

On my 20th Birthday

Me and Noah on our way to the Lake

On Alex's 17th Birthday at MM

Mommy and Me at the beach

Our Legally Blonde Trip

Our AZ trip

Sister and Mommy

Test driving my new hair cut :)

At Thanksgiving

Dressing up :)

Why, of course we have wild girl's nights!

Christmas 2009 :)

:) Many blessings for all of you during the New Year! :)

A Year of Diamonds

2009 is almost over...the time has come too quickly. However, I am super excited about the New Year. Though I try to renew myself many times through the year, the New Year always feels like a good time to start fresh. So the point of this post is to recap the year and remember the great times I had and to outline goals, dreams, and wishes for 2010.

THE RECAP

Where do I start?! This year has been a whirlwind of happiness and joy, surprises and downfalls...but everything made the year what it was meant to be. Some major things that I did this year was hang out with my friends more. Though school/work kept me busy, I was able to make new friends. I went to 2 weddings and visited the beach more than once (wooohooo!). And I was treated to Legally Blonde: The Musical by my mom and sister as a birthday present. I also asked guys I didn't know at the weddings to dance with me...hey, I'm not the kind of girl that waits to get asked to dance! ;) I left my teen years! Got my driver's license :) Began volunteer work at my church. So many amazing things happened! So let's transition into the New Year.

2009 WAS LOOKIN FINE...2010, LET'S DO IT AGAIN!!!! :)

I hardly ever make resolutions...because I know that I will not keep up with them. So, I try to make "guidelines" of what I'd like to do in the New Year and let the chips fall where they may. So for 2010, here are my guidelines :) Run more (whether that be running on a track or running around my house), Understand where God wants me to be and trust Him that He'll get me there, make new friends, and have great adventures! I think that's a pretty good list :)

So, I'm not sure why I titled my post "A Year of Diamonds", but maybe it’s because the year was a little rough, but like a diamond, it sparkled and shined as well :) May you all have a blessed New Year!

I Can Feel God Poking and Prodding Me...

...with a giant stick and He's stirring me all about. I could first felt it this Sunday when I was sitting in the church coffee shop eating my croissant and drinking my coffee. I noticed a lady sitting a chair or two away from me eating her donut quietly. I was busy with my phone, texting away when I suddenly felt the urge to talk to her. I sat quiet for a minute, not sure how to approach her or if I should even say hi. Then, suddenly, words started coming out of my mouth...like I was on auto pilot. I said, "Hi! How are you today?" And that was the start of our conversation. During our talk, she said that she had been invited to church while she attended the "toy run" at a local park the day before. The toy run was a holiday event where my church's motorcycle ministry served Christmas dinner to the underprivileged people in town and gave toys to children. Then, she asked me if there was someone she could talk to about getting new clothes and food for Christmas. I knew just who to introduce her to. After I brought her to one of the pastors, we said goodbye and I walked away...smiling. Later, my mom got her address and phone number so that we could keep in touch and check on her during the week. I was so glad that I talked with her because she might not have gotten introduced to the pastor and, in turn, not get any clothes/food for the holidays. And, as an even bigger bonus, no one else may have talked to her or shown her kindness. I think it would have been horrible if she came to our church and no one made the effort to introduce themselves because, as Christians, we sometimes become complacent and don't want to step out of our comfy world. But as I said, I can feel God poking at me saying, "Juana, I need you to do something". And I am sure glad He did! :) May you have a blessed day :)

Don't You Understand?....

That drinking coffee or tea makes me want to write on my blog?! I've been in a blogging state of mind for the past couple of weeks now and it only gets worse when I drink those afore mentioned beverages :) It's about 1:30 in the afternoon and the weather has cleared up since the weekend. Yes, that means warmth and sunshine in December. At least we had a weekend of rain...it was nice. Today marks the last Monday of the Fall semester. So, I got up and did some of my schoolwork early so that I could have time to do other stuff during the day. I'm eating breakfast (bread/butter and coffee) and enjoying the quietness of the house. Over the weekend, I had a Mary Kay party and found that I really like purple eyeliner :) We saw New Moon, which was awesome because Tay Tay is in that...gotta love Tay! I'm so excited to finish up school for the semester and relax for Christmas break. I'll definitely blog more and more! And by the way, my mom started a blog, so I'll also post the link here sometime so you can read her blog. I hope that everyone has a great holiday!

Updates of the Day

Helllooo World!

Well, at least that's how I felt for the day...I haven't been out of the house for 2 days since I got sick. It was nice to get away from my computer for a while and enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas. I woke this morning and did my hair. It's getting super long! :) Our church was having a Christmas pageant tonight and I was really excited! I discovered that I like a new song by Amy Whinehouse called "Stronger than Me"...it's quite comical at times while letting guys know that they should the head of the relationship. Take a listen! Anywhoooo, we went to Panda Express for a quick dinner before the pageant. The pageant was wonderful! They had several acrobat artists and great singers. It's really starting to feel like Christmas!

After the pageant, we went to Walgreens...which was fun because Alex and I went ga-ga over pictures of Tay Lau Lau (you know who!) in the magazines. After that, we got pretty hyper...so we did the right thing and got ice cream. Haha, well I got yogurt, but still ;) We danced in the car for a bit...jamin' to those tunes, you know how I go! It was a really fun night! .....you had to be there :)

Have a blessed day!

Mommy and Alex at the Pageant

Me and Mommy

A Cup of Tea

Okay, so my previous post was called "A Cup of Coffee"...mhmmm, I love my coffee. But as I type this, I'm drinking chamomile tea. Its 1:30 in the morning and my Facebook status has just been updated and I’m listening to the rain. I'm almost done with my classes before Christmas break. And, needless to say, this week has been pretty hectic. On Sundays, I usually work in the nursery with infants, but due to some staff members who were out sick, I had to work with the 2-year olds. Thus, I was wiping donut crust off the faces of little children, wiping their running noses, and passing out cookies. I thoroughly enjoy every minute of it...even though I knew I was going to catch a cold from coming into contact with their tiny germs. Monday started the week before finals and I had several finals to complete in this week alone. On Tuesday, I picked my D.L.F from school and we ate lunch together where we had an in depth discussion about Spock and Star Trek :) On Wednesday morning, I woke up with the cold I knew was coming...but I had been prepared! I took several Vitamin C tablets and some Nyquil the night before. But still, I typed up a super long paper and chilled out at home. Thursday marked clean-up day...I was able to finish most of my schoolwork, which was lovely. Yes! The weekend's almost here!

I'm thoroughly looking forward to Christmas. We'll be getting our tree soon and putting up lights. I've had at least 10 cups of peppermint tea/coffee/hot chocolate. And my Christmas music has been playing nonstop :) Everyone, let me know how the holidays are going for you! May you all have a blessed day! And don’t forget to drink some tea and listen to rain…I highly recommend it :)

Enjoying my cup of candycane cocoa

A Cup of Coffee

It's November 21...just 5 days away from Thanksgiving. It was mid-term week for me this past week (I'm on an 8-week course schedule). So I had a crazy week with almost double the assignments. I'm enjoying Fall; it's cool weather and warm colors. As I write this, I'm drinking a cup of coffee and I just finished some string cheese. The day seems to be rolling by really slowly, but I don't mind. I'll probably play hide-and-seek with my dog :) Watch Up and Star Trek again (which are two of the best movies ever!), finish schoolwork (because I'm just good like that), and drink more coffee :) Let me give you a play-by-play of my morning, only because I know you all love hearing about it, right? ;)

1. Jumped out of bed when I heard my phone recieve a text message because I thought it was my alarm clock. But its Saturday so I don't need an alarm clock...
2.Go back to sleep
3. Wake up to take care of my neighbor's dog.
4. Come home and watched a bit of the Mummy Returns
5. Eat breakfast
6. Walk around the house
7. Type this blog post

So as you can see, I've had an eventful morning. So I must go relax. I'll write more of my adventures later :)

Blessings!

Fall (Love) Fall

It's just a few days until we hit November and I'm already craving the things of Fall and Winter! The weather just turned really cold...like teeth chattering cold! The winds are blowing like mad. But the good thing is that the cold makes me want to:
1. Snuggle up in bed for an extra hour after I wake up.
2. Turn on the heater and fall asleep to its hum.
3. Turn on the heater in my car and listen to it make weird cat-like noises.
4. Listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas movies.
5. Go to a Winter Formal.
6. Drink lots of coffee and tea! Preferably peppermint mocha coffee or peppermint tea.
7. Buy a really nice, fuzzy sweater or coat to wear.
8. Wish that the super winds bring super rain and snow.

So, yes, the cold really does bring awesome stuff with it! I drank a cup of tea and two cups of hot chocolate today...its affecting me! But I know that Fall means the beginning of the holidays and in a month I'll be stuffing my mouth with Thanksgiving foods. I love it! Thank you, God, for each season!
Have a blessed day :)

Alex does a really good job :)

Raking up the leaves, Sunny loves to help :)

The Death (and Revival) of Chivalry

You've probably heard the old adage: Chivalry is dead. Ever since I heard the phrase many years ago, I've examined the world around me (and myself as well) to see if that statement is true. And I've found that it is not true. While some people have killed chivalry with a knife and left its bloody pieces for all of us to see, many people still hold firm to a chivalrous state of mind. Now, I'm a firm believer that men should hold the door for women, boyfriends/husbands should help the woman to her seat, and (my personal favorite) order for the girl if she would like them to. I also think that all younger people should help the older folks cross the street, hold the door for them, and give them your seat if they do not have one. Chivalry is a BIG deal to me. It shows that you care enough to help someone and to go out of your way for someone. It bugs me so much when someone doesn't hold the door for me...and it’s not me just being "stuck-up". Once, I was carrying out some smoothies from a store...about three, which is too many for me to open the door. A teenage boy walked in and saw me approaching the door, but just let it close behind him without offering to help me with the drinks or open the door for me. Another lady who was walking held the door for me and I thanked her. I was livid, though...so livid, that I almost walked back in and lectured the boy! But I've also experienced chivalry. Guys often hold the door for me even when I was far behind the door. People have let me go in front of them in line when I only have 1 item. And it feels good to experience chivalry, while also participating in it. So always mind your p's and q's. Hold the door for someone and offer help if they need it. Don't stand around and help hack chivalry to death! Revive it back to life by giving it CPR (Caring Persons Requested)!

Have a blessed day!

Girls Trip to AZ :)

This past weekend, my mom, sister, and I drove down from California to Scottsdale, Arizona. My parents were invited by CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) to a partner retreat. They get invited every year, but AZ is close to us so we decided to jump in the car and go this year. We also went in 1999 to a Virginia Beach retreat. So my dad decided not to go at the last minute and my mom took Alex and me instead. The drive down was amazing! We had so much fun! It took us about 6 hours and we stopped maybe once or twice for food. We stayed at the Fairmont Resort! It was ammmaaaazzzzing! It was huge! Our room was in an area called the "Casitas", which means little house in Spanish. The next day, we slept in, and then got up to go to the seminars that CBN was hosting. We got to see Gordon Robertson and Terry Meeuwsen! God was really moving in that place. You could definitely feel His presence. We met new people and enjoyed the luxuries of the hotel :) (The food was delicious!) I can't wait for another partner retreat! We drove back to CA on Sunday. It took us longer to drive back because we stopped so many times! But we enjoyed out girls time together :) It was an amazing bonding experience with each other and with God!

Have a blessed day!

My mom, Alex, and I at dinner

Me in front of a nice tree

Our awesome casita

As Fall Gets Closer, I Reflect on Summer

Oh my goodness! Summer's almost over!!!! This calls for a "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" But I am truly looking forward to Fall and Winter…even though I will miss my summer break. As we approach the coming Autumn season, I look back on what a wonderful summer I had. I visited the beach more than once (and more than twice!). I spent wonderful amounts of time with my family and friends! I blogged up a storm about all my summer activities! New friends were made and I was reacquainted with family members. Birthdays were celebrated (mine, Alex's, and my mom’s). I finished several books that I was reading. I got my driver's license...for those of you who didn't know, I didn't have it before. Overall, it was an amazing summer :) When summer first started, I made a list of things that I wanted to do over the summer. Here's the list and a rundown of whether or not I completed everything on it.

1. My 20th birthday :) Yay, bye bye teenage years...
- Of course I turned 20! :)
2. Look for a new job, one that'll help me build up my journalism and writing experience
- I sent out apps and looked online, but for now I'm still at my old job. There's a job fair coming up soon, so I pray that that will introduce a new job to me.
3. My sister's birthday
- Yepiddy do! My sister turned 17! She's still my little sister, though :)
4. Lots of beach days & a wedding (not my own :D but its gonna be fun!)
- I went to the beach three times and they were each amazing! I wiped out really bad during one trip and I was so dazed, but it was awesome! The wedding was fun, too! It gave me a chance to reflect on true love and got me excited for my own special day!
5. Try new things...let's see what they are... hehe
- Let's see...some new things...driving (oh yeah!), making new dinner recipes, new dance moves, playing RockBand, seeing a play on Broadway (it was my second show, actually, but it was still amazing!)...these are just a few ;)
6. My mom's birthday
- Yep, my mom has a summer birthday, too! We saw a scary movie on her birthday (of all things!), but it was so much fun!
7. Being a great friend to my friends and family, near and far...you know who you are! :)
- And yes, I believe that I was a great friend to all whom I love! I met new friends around the country. I was glad to have spread the love! And I'll continue doing so :)

Now, I'm going to have to make a "to-do" list for Fall! Wow, how time flies! Enjoy the end of summer my friends and look forward to Fall. God has new things in store for us!

Have a blessed day!

Here are some pics taken over the summer...Enjoy! :)

Alex and I at Six Flags on her birthday (you can tell which ride were about to get on!)

Alex and I on my birthday

Mommy and I at the beach

Alex, mommy, and I in front of the Pantages Theater for Legally Blonde: The Musical

Legally Blonde!

A couple years ago, I caught an MTV showing of Legally Blonde: The Musical. "How weird!” I thought. "How can they turn Legally Blonde into a play?" Well, I really enjoyed it! I watched it twice :) I haven't seen it on tv since, but I did watch the reality show in which a group of girls auditioned for the new lead. After watching the show, I was excited to see it on Broadway! So I looked it up online to see if it was going to come to California. This was August 2008. The show wouldn't come to CA until August 2009!!! "How long!" But I kept tabs on the show and my mom bought tickets for my birthday! Finally, the big day came.

I didn't know which actress was going to play Elle, the blonde-pink loving-Harvard attendee, so I was in suspense until the show started. I wanted to see Laura Bell Bundy in the lead because I had seen her on tv. But a new girl had been cast. Her name is Becky Gulsvig. And alas! She was wonderful. My mom said that she even held a resemblance to Reese Witherspoon. The entire play was amaaaaaazzzzzing! I knew several of the songs already so I hummed along :) Now, as many of you know, my favorite color is pink. So it was great to have so much pink in one place! The script was funny and witty. The set was colorful and the lighting couldn't have been better! I was in 7th heaven the entire time. I think that I had a grin on my face from start to finish. I didn't want the play to finish! It eventually did...but my Legally Blonde experience wasn't over yet! (Thank goodness!) As my mom, sister, and I walked back to our car, we passed the stage exit door. And...just as we were walking out (even after the crowd had left), out walk the stars of the show! They began signing autographs and taking pictures with the few that had gathered at the door. I got my picture taken with a beautiful girl who was in the Greek Chorus. I also took a picture with one of the buffed up :) actors in the show. It was amazing! It completed my Legally Blonde experience!

Thank you, Mommy, for attending the show with me! And thanks to Alex, who had just as much fun as I did, even with all of the pink decor!

Have a blessed day!

Alex and I in front of the LB sign

Me, Alex, and Mommy at the Pantages

Sleep

I wanted to write a new blog post, but I had no idea what to write about. So I asked my sister who is lying on the floor as I type this. She is tired, so the first topic that came to her mind was "sleep". Sleep is nice! Especially as a college student, I realized that studying hard makes me sleepy. I can't wait to dream at night! My sister has always been more of a sleeper than me. I just recently started taking naps :) But sleep also reminds of resting in the Lord. It is a time to reflect and renew. No wonder we like it so much! So go on and take a nap! Get some rest! You know you'll love it!

Have a blessed day!

Alex preparing for a nap :)

Being in a Pit...and Getting Out

The other day, I was getting ready to wind down for the night...you know, just shower and watch some tv before I went to bed. As I was getting into my pjs, a scripture popped into my head -courtesy of the Lord :)-. It was Psalm 40. I didn't know it by heart, so I looked it up in my Bible. I know that it was definitely God who had put that scripture into my heart because I had been dealing with some difficult stuff that week. I was just tired and drained. This is the scripture:

Psalm 40:1-3
"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth-Praise to out God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord".

All I could say was, "Wow! Thank you Lord!" Even when I feel lonely, God will place a simple thought into my head and change my whole perspective. He listens when we cry out to Him. He will establish our steps and put a song in our mouths. The pit can be deep, but getting out isn't hard when you have God on your side.

Have a blessed day :)

Bye Bye Teenage Years

So we have reached today...June 29, 2009. My last day as an official teenager. Woweee kazoweee! I remember turning 13 :) My family and I drove to Las Vegas and we stayed at Excalibur. I felt so grown up! Now, I as I remember back these past 7 years and all my teenage memories, I'm kind of happy to be entering a new era so to speak. And as I look back on my 19th year, it was AMAZING. But I know that God will make my 20th even better :) So, so long teenage years! It was nice knowin' ya, but I'm heading for 2 decades! Let's go!!!!

Here's a picture timeline of my years so far :)

Have a blessed day :)

One year old

3 years old

14 years old

17 years old

19 years old

Beach Days

We went to the beach again! Yes! I hope to go many more times before summer is over. We went to the same beach spot that we went to about a month ago and it was so hot! Not too many people were at the beach, so we played in the water and ate lunch. The only thing that we didn't get to do was explore the little cave that they have since the tide was so high today. But the waves were huge! The crashed and crashed. Man, I love the beach!!! I came home with sand in my hair and ears, but I really don't care...I'm such a beach baby!

On other news...my birthday is in 4 days!!! No more teenage moniker for me. I'm pretty excited and I'm still deciding on how I should celebrate it.

I also took a trip to the library yesterday and checked out several books. They included: Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion (both by Jane Austen), A Light to My Path, Candle in the Darkness (both by Lynn Austin), The Amateur Marriage, and The Accidental Tourist (both by Anne Tyler). I didn't even realize until now that I got sets of books by the same authors. Funny... :) So yes, I'll be enjoying my time reading and having fun in the sun! Share your summertime adventures with me, as well as good summer reads.

Have a blessed day!

Beautiful View

Me at the beach

Alex relaxing on the beach

More pieces of my poem

Here is another excerpt from my poem:

As called by name above, Light enters,
And shines as only Truth and Love can.
He brings my heart up through His glory and splendor,
Protects me, guards me close with loving hands.
He calls His angels near to stand their ground,
Their radiant wings will stop and shield the terror.
They shout to Darkness with a thunderous sound,
The Creature cruelly scowls upon seeing his error.

My breath has come back
And the shackles break.
God’s angels stand ready to attack.
The demons quiver; I can see them shake.
The Lord lifts me up onto my feet,
I lean against His shoulder,
With Him I feel fine and complete,
A fiery furnace I could smolder.

I really enjoyed writing my poem and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. It was inspired by a dream that I had and I turned it into a poem for my Brit Lit class. I find it relevant to living in the times that we are.

Have a blessed day! :)