Goodbye 2008

For me, 2008 started out with a feeling of slow, cold, stagnant energy. I was working as the manager at Wolf Creek and I was a little too burnt out. Rodrigo had just started a job at Parker Hanifin in the shipping and receiving department and he was way over worked as well. On top of that, it was one of the worst winters I have ever experienced here in Utah. I hated every minute of it. April came and the snow started to melt. We were happy to escape for a week to Portland, OR. I fell in love with it and since then, I have wanted to move there. It's something that I have really focused on since then. Summer came and went and brought a lot of events and fun. Work got even crazier for me and I felt like I didn't want to do it anymore. We were able to go to Alabama for a friends wedding, Park City for a few nights away during Rodrigo's birthday and this fall, we were able to go to Boston and meet up with Carrie and Tim for a couple days. Right after we got back, I felt a strong push to quit my job as Guest Service Manager. I took a demotion, and now I only work there about 3 days a week, and the rest of the time, I do hair and study about Reiki and Angels. Rodrigo is still at his current job and I feel he would like a change soon as well.

2008 was an awakening for me. I found out a lot about myself and what I want and don't want in my life. Spiritually, I've have grown the most I have ever grown in one year...and I haven't even stepped foot inside a church. Below is a list of a few things I've learned...

1-I definitely enjoy working to live more than living to work.
2-I've learned to release fears about money and not having enough it to my angels...since then, I have had plenty-(even after taking a 60% pay cut and a demotion at Wolf Creek!).
3-I've learned that I can create my own reality of positivity, happiness, peace and joy just by meditating.
4-I've learned to ask for help.
5-I've learned to accept the help that I've asked for.
6-I've learned that alcohol is an awesome way to drown out the voice of God and my higher self. I'm not into it that much anymore.
7-I've learned that over eating is also a great way to drown out the voice of God and delay myself from completing my life purpose.
8-I've learned that I am really tired of the mundane life that a lot of people around me live. I feel like I can't stay in the same place anymore. I want to travel, learn and meet other people like me who are into the same things as I am. If going on a walkabout was possible for me...I would do it.
9-I've learned that accepting what is going on in the world is not good enough and it won't settle with me...it's time to make a change.
10-I've learned that we are what we eat. Eat in the light!

Tonight at midnight, I plan to think about everything I would like to manifest for 2009. Just to kind of set the tone and my expectations for myself for this coming year. I challenge you all to do the same. If you hold the intention of peace, love prosperity, happiness and health in mind at midnight tonight and throughout the year...you also have the ability to manifest what you truly desire. Here's to a great 2008 and an even better 2009.

Christmas 2008 Survey

1.

Wrapp​ing paper​ or gift bags?​
I prefer wrapping paper...bags are the lazy version...there is nothing to unwrap!


2.

Real tree or Artif​icial​?​
A real artificial tree...then I just light my Scentsy to make it smell like Christmas. :)


3.

When do you put up the tree?​
This year, it was Thanksgiving evening.

4.

When do you take the tree down?​
After New Years...it's a bleak time of year for me.


5.

Do you like eggno​g?​
Soy Egg Nog

6.

Favor​ite gift recei​ved as a child​?​
I really liked my pink convertable


7.

Harde​st perso​n to buy for?
My parents...they have everything they need.


8.

Easie​st perso​n to buy for?
Rodrigo...I always hear what he would like. :)


9.

Do you have a nativ​ity scene​?​
No...but that would be cool.


10.

Mail or email​ Chris​tmas cards​?​
I bought Christmas cards this year, spent a whole evening making them out...I even texted people for their address and I NEVER sent them out. Maybe I will wait until next year to send the cards I purchase this year. :)

11.

Worst​ Chris​tmas gift you ever recei​ved?​
I've never received a bad gift...giving should always come from the heart. Why would you say that is bad?


12.

Favor​ite Chris​tmas Movie​?​
I would have to say The Grinch with Jim Carrey...the second one would be It's a Wonderful Life...it has Angels in it.

13.

When do you start​ shopp​ing for Chris​tmas?​
This year, it was about 2 weeks ago.


14.

Have you ever recyc​led a Chris​tmas prese​nt?​
Never.

15.

Favor​ite thing​ to eat at Chris​tmas?​
Frosty Mugs of Beer...along with Pizza


16.

Light​s on the tree?​
White...it's the most traditional and timeless

17.

Favor​ite Chris​tmas song?​
Jingle Bell Rock

18.
Trave​l at Chris​tmas or stay home?​
Home.


19.

Can you name all of Santa​'​s reind​eer'​s?​
yep


20.

Angel​ or Star on top of your tree?​
I have a Star...maybe I will switch to an angel.


22.

Most annoy​ing thing​ about​ this time of the year?​
Greed.


23.

Favor​ite ornam​ent theme​ or color​?​
Whatevskis

24.

Favor​ite for Chris​tmas dinne​r?​
Tofurkey with Mashed Potatoes


25.

What do you want for Chris​tmas this year?​
Already received more then I ever wanted.

26.

Who is most likel​y to respo​nd to this?​
Carrie?

Fearless.

My goal for 2009 is to be FEARLESS. I'm not going to be afraid of anything. Im going to banish all fear and release any blocks of fear I may have that are preventing me from doing the things I want to do.

Fearless-because I'm not afraid anymore.

Dedicated to my Angels

My best friends, my companions, my coaches, my cheerleaders, my allies, my greatest admirers...My Angels. They are with me 100% of everyday teaching me, loving me, supporting me and protecting me. They see me only for the good that I am and they never judge. Now that's a best friend! When I need help, all I have to do is ask. When I'm sad, mad, or frustrated, I just ask them to give me peace.

I just bought a new book yesterday called "Messages From Your Angels" by Doreen Virtue. Everyone who reads my blog should go buy this book and read it. Here is an excerpt from the book...by the actual Angelic Realm. "You are God's greatest triumph, as as you revel in your recovered awareness of this plain fact, allow us angels to slip off all layers of painful soot collected through your travels. Allow us to dust away sad memories and unpleasant journeys. Your new aspects await you, as graceful as a ballerina, as gentle as a lily pad, and as secure as any fortress. You are home, you are safe, and you are loved. Now and always."

Weirdest Dream Ever

I just woke up from the strangest dream ever...

It started out in our old house out in West Haven. I had a couple of friends over and we were watching scary movies in the basement-I believe the movie was "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." I remember being really scared when the movie was over. My mom then came downstairs yelling at me saying that because we were watching such an evil movie, I have invoked Satan into human form and she had to cut off his head and bury him. And because it was such a messy process, I needed to go clean up the Satan goo that was left everywhere in the yard. She then handed me and my friends some buckets with bleach to clean. I was really confused at what she was telling me so I asked her to explain 1 more time. She then told me that basically, Satan had come to the house in the form of a Vampire and that she had to dismember him so he couldn't hurt anyone.

The dream then flashed to me and Edward (in Robert Pattinson form) sitting at a bar in a little diner talking about the Vampire situation at my house. I told him what my mom did to the vampire and he told me that it wouldn't be good enough because other vampires could come along and use the same pieces of the vampire to do evil. I then asked if he would come to my house and explain to my parents that he was a vampire and that he new what he was talking about when he said that we should dig up the dead vampire and dismember it for good. He then told me "no" and disappeared.

I ran home to tell my parents what we should do with the body and they agreed. We then went to the backyard to dig up the body. As my parents were digging and broke through the dirt to the body, I noticed it didn't look like a body at all...but just a toy plastic Vampire suit. They took it out of the ground and unfolded it to lay out flat. I then asked my parents if they had a stake that we could drive through the heart and they said they didn't. Just then, the vampire suit started inflating as if it were coming to life. Since it was made of plastic, I told them they needed to punch a hole in the head before it became all the way inflated and back to life.

And that was the end of the dream. Weird huh?

Meet Gilgie

Meet Gilgie. He is a new buddy of ours. He's the best.

Scared of failing

All through my whole life, and even as a child, I've always felt like I've been a bit thicker or bigger than everyone else. I really didn't start learning about nutrition until about a year and a half ago, when I went Vegetarian. Growing up, my family ate a lot of fast food and processed meals. I also started using food as a crutch. When I was sad, I ate. When I was mad, I ate. When I was happy, I ate. Food has always been a reward to me. If I have a stressful day, I convinced myself that I deserved to have something "special" for dinner. If I had a wonderful day, I convinced myself of the same thing. Into my late teens/early adult hood, I realized the effects that all of this has had-weight gain. From the time I graduated high school and until now, I've put on about 30 pounds. I've started a couple of diet programs since then and I've joined the gym. The crummy thing is, you can do an hour of cardio and burn 600 calories but it won't help if you just go right home and eat a 1000 calorie meal. I guess I've just taken a half-assed approach when it has come to weight loss. I'm tired of this vicious cycle and I refuse to continue doing what I've been doing. I'm tired of living to eat when I should be eating to live. This is definitely an emotional battle for me...it's important enough to blog about! Food...and then the guilt of eating too much food has always been something that tortures me every single day. It's become obsessive.

I've tried Sparkpeople.com before-this is actually my second time doing it. I am bound and determined to stick with it and to finally teach myself that food is not what life is all about. I've put in all of my information and it's calculated a healthy weight goal for me. It's even given me a realistic time frame to lose the weight. I limit myself to 1240-1590 calories per day. I drink 8 glasses of water per day and according to Sparkpeople, I only have to work out 3 times a week. This last week has been a success. I've cooked all of my own meals-measuring out proportions, calories, fat, carbs and protein. I went to the gym 3 times and even did some strength training at home on my "off" days. I went to the grocery store yesterday and stocked my kitchen with healthy foods and I've vowed not to eat out. I've been packing my own lunches for work.

I hope I can stick to this routine and I challenge all of you who read my blog to call me out if I end up eating anything I shouldn't be!

Tis' the season plus more...

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! And I'll admit...I'd never thought I would say this...but where the heck is all the snow?!?!? I'm so sick and tired of looking outside and seeing only BROWN BROWN BROWN. Rody and I set up our tree on Thanksgiving night as we listened to Christmas music.

Just another little update...Rody and I are looking into going to work in Tuscany, Italy. A friend of Rody's gave us a heads up about the job. I'm not sure if it's going to pay us what we'd like-but we'll keep our ears open and see if it's meant to be. Here is the website to the hostel we'd be working at. It sure looks like heaven to me!!!! www.leonardosland.it

Go figure...I'm the only person I think to start a diet right before the Holidays. I even lost a half a pound over Thanksgiving. I've been going to the gym consistently and I'm counting calories on sparkpeople.com. Yesterday was so freakin hard. It was everything I could do to restrain myself from coming home from the gym and scarfing down whatever I could find. It was definitely a test of my will power. Today was much easier. Surprisingly easy for eating only 1200 calories today. If I keep it up at the pace that I'm keeping, I'll be down my goal of about 30 pounds by July. Wish me luck!! One of my goals on Sparkpeople is to talk to someone positive daily and voice my goals. Since Rody is asleep-you get to find out my goals today. :)

Angel Affirmations

This is Archangel Michael. He was the first Angel created by God. Michael is the leader of all the Archangels and is in charge of protection, courage, strength, truth and integrity. He is one of my favorite Angels, and I ask him every day to help me release any negative energy I may hold on to through out the day.

Over the last year and a half, I've set out on a spiritual path to bring myself closer with the universe and with God. I've done/started a lot of things, like go Vegetarian, started practicing Reiki daily on myself and my goals, meditating and developing my ability to communicate with my angels and my higher self. I believe that Angels are messengers of God. Everyday on my way to work, I speak to God through communication with my Angels. I've found it to be quite effective...and I'm starting to see results in my life. I'm also starting to see messages and signs from my Angels. It's amazing what they do...and everyday, there is something that always happens to reaffirm to me that they are listening...and so is God. So in keeping close communication with my angels...especially over leaving my job, moving to Portland, etc., I stumbled across a really cool website where you can select three cards, and they give you messages from your angels. All you have to do is quiet your mind, and choose the cards. Whatever their message for you is, will pull up on the cards. Here is the link...you guys should check it out!! http://www.consciousone.com/c1cards/cardsView.cfm?cardGroupID=1

I love it because it is always positive and it gives me that positive boost I always need in the morning when I'm turning on my computer at work and waiting for all 50-60 emails to download each morning (seems to always be the most stressful part of my day). Over the last couple of days, my angels keep telling me that change is coming for me...and that I need to pay attention to my dreams. A lot of times, the cards are very specific to things going on in my mind...it's pretty cool.

Angels are everywhere and they are willing to step in and help anytime you ask. They truly are a blessing from God.

Boyfriend Tag!

What is your husband's name: My BOYFRIEND's name is Rodrigo Manuel Ahumada

How long have you been married? not married yet, but we've been together about a year and a half

How long did you date? still dating :)

How old is he? 30

Who eats more sweets? Rody for sure. He loves chocolate. I'm more of a crunchy, salty person.

Who said I love you first? Me.

Who is taller? Rody. By about 5 inches.

Who can sing best? Probably me.

Who is smarter? I think we are both pretty equal in this department. He's a deeper thinker...I'm more on the practical side.

Who does laundry? He does. He had to teach me how to iron my work shirts properly.

Who pays bills? We equally share the responsibility of the bills, but I actually pay them.

Who sleeps on the right side? Mr. R does

Who mows the lawn? Our landlord is supposed to mow the lawn.

Who cooks dinner? Both of us. We love to cook!!! Myself being vegetarian, it's fun to come up with new things.

Who drives? Rody. He thinks I'm a scary driver.

Who is first to admit they are wrong? I do. :)

Who kissed who first? Hmmm...I think it was both of us. Our brains have always had a weird connection...

Who asked who out first? I don't really think people get "asked out" in this day and age...it's more like..."Hey...you wanna hangout?" I think he was the one to ask me to "hang out."

Who wears the pants? Both of us.

Stay Positive

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt

So just an update...I'm sure a lot of you know that I've put my notice in for my position at Wolf Creek. As of December 1st, I will no longer be the Guest Service Manager. My plan was to quit there, find a part time job somewhere in Ogden and then just pick more days up at the salon. Well, the person who I am training for my position has offered me a part time job-still at Wolf Creek-but just as a reservation agent. I'm going to be working about 3 days there. It worked out for both of us-I'll still be her training wheels, and I have a position that still pays a lot more than any other little part time job I could have worked at. The REALLY good part about it, is they are still considering letting me keep my benefits. Win-Win for EVERYONE! YAY!

Part of picking up more days at the salon is having to rebuild my clientele. This part is definitely what I love to do! It involves A LOT of networking and hard work. I'm pretty much taking a blind leap of faith-knowing deep inside that this is the right thing to do. I'm sure a lot of people think I am crazy for walking away from a position like the one I have at Wolf Creek. But the truth is, just because you make good money and have great benefits doesn't mean that life is perfect. I wasn't staying true to myself and I proven to myself just what Greed can create in ones life...complete misery. My life was getting pretty depressing. I feel a sense of relief from it even knowing that I'm taking about a 60% pay cut. I have faith that the universe will provide me the clientele I need to survive in today's day and age.

Whatever your intention is, will manifest itself into your life. My intention is prosperity...in all aspects of my life.

Kindergarten Cop

Yep...we just watched it. It was pretty awesome.

I'm a Bella!

I took this quiz to see which Cullen I am.


Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

I've been booed

What was your favorite costume you wore as a kid? You know, I honestly don't remember what I ever was for Halloween. I really don't. But if I had to choose, I think my favorite was the classic ghost. (shown above). This is what Rody and I were last year. I originally planned to be an Otter Pop (Alexander the Grape to be exact) but I ran out of time and all I had time for was to cut some eyes out of a sheet.

What is your favorite Halloween candy? Four words. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Do you have a Halloween tradition? Not really-other than dressing up and going to a Halloween Party.

I Boo (at least three people): Carrie, Amanda, Lindsay and whoever else!

I'm ready for a change

I'm ready for a change. A change of scenery, a change of responsibility, any change will do. I wish something would give already!

Even McCain agrees!

Frustration

I don't like my job today. It's been an ongoing mess of problems and drama today. It's now almost 10 PM and it's still going on! When can i have a job that I can just go home and not get any phone calls. Leave work and work when I leave. I hate being the go to person for everything and I hate that everything falls into my lap. And last but not least...I hate that it's my head that rolls when someone else screws up!

Return

Rodrigo and I are back from vacation. We got in just last night. I honestly was sad to leave. I love New England-especially so now that I've seen it in the fall. I think fall is definitely my favorite time of year. The colors were beautiful! I also finally got to go to Salem, MA where the witch trial hysteria occurred. I'm such a history nerd-I think that's why I loved it. This part of the trip was definitely of my planning-Rodrigo made a comment during the day saying that all the museums and tours we went on in Salem were either geared for 10 year olds or 80 year olds. (I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that he wasn't very interested in all this witch business.) :)

Boston was very cool-Carrie and Tim came down to visit and we all went to the Blue Man Group. Rodrigo and I also took a day and drove up to see them in Brunswick, ME. We went on Sunday, which was Eva's 4th birthday. We ate lunch with them, went to Friendly's for the famous peanut butter sunday, and then went to Chucky Cheese's. The same choice of place for my 4th birthday.

I'm really sad to go back to work-I took today off to recoup from the time change and to mentally prepare myself for work. Being on vacation made me realize that I really don't like the stress of my job. I think it's all the responsibility. I felt bad for going on vacation and I don't think that's right. There is a lot of change going on there-since the whole business with the stock market happened-one of our top investors pulled their money out of Wolf Creek-before I left for vacation, they had laid off about 20 people from the company. I know, I should be thankful that I do have a job. Shame on me.

Well enough of the bloggy time-I'll put pictures of our trip up later. I'm going to enjoy my day off of work.

Cheers! (Like all those European tourists say)

Meet Your Meat

If you eat meat I think you owe it to yourself to become educated about the products that you are consuming and today's factory farming industry. This video might be disturbing to you and it might make you feel sad...I can only hope that you will consider how the animals feel when they go through this process-I'm sure it's a lot worse. I read online somewhere that by going vegetarian, you can save more than 90 animals a year by going vegetarian!

Make a difference in the world...go vegetarian!

Back to the grind...a few small thoughts

So as you all know, we moved about 2 weeks ago to downtown Ogden. We are now only 2 blocks away from the Solomon Center where the downtown Gold's Gym is located. I've had a membership there for about 4 years. I'll admit, I haven't been that dedicated and committed to going to the gym, but now since I live only 2 blocks away from it, I think I'll try to start going regularly. Rodrigo and I went in last night and we added him to my account. It was only $12 more per month to add him! We just got back from our first night of going to the gym together and I feel great! We both ran 3 miles and then we sat in the sauna. I feel so refreshed and so good about myself. Our goal is to go 4 times a week. Wish us luck! By the time we get where we want to be, we are going to be quite the little hunks!!

This time next week, we will be in Boston, MA probably fast asleep from a busy day and a night of traveling across the country. I'm so excited to get away for a week. And I'm so excited to see Tegan and Sara!! This will be our third time this year seeing them live. This is their last tour with their album "The Con" and then it's back into the recording studio for them!

I'm still having a hard time adjusting to the mentality of certain people at work. The demographic of people that we market to are quite the opposite of me! It makes it a little hard to relate too. Even the people that I work for, they all own secondary vacation homes, own like 2 or 3 different cars, and live lavish lifestyles. Me on the other hand, live in Ogden and pay less then $600 for my rent, drive a Honda Civic with a $200 car payment, ride my bicycle around Ogden, hang out at dive bars on the weekends, and buy clothes from places like Ross and Target. I don't think anyone at work really know about the sleeve of tattoos I'm hiding underneath my pressed button up collared Wolf Creek Utah shirt. Somehow, I'm suppose to relate to these people on some certain level. It's very strange for me.

Well, enough for tonight...I must finish Eclipse!!!

Tegan and Sara-Call It Off

This is the latest video by my favorite band Tegan and Sara. Rodrigo and I are about to head to MA to see them live in Worcester on October 4th. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! Plus, I think they both have really cool haircuts.

YAY!! I have my internet hooked up now

Update time...we are all moved in to our new apartment and we just barely got our internet hooked up this morning.  Did you know Comcast now does installations on Sundays now?  Worked out perfectly being that this is my only day off this week.  We have a little less than 2 weeks now to our vacation to Boston.  I'm quite excited as this will be my last hoorah before the ski season picks up at work and I become chained to my desk there.  Our new apartment is cozy and I finally feel like my life is getting back to normal.  I'm not sure if the full moon last weekend had anything to do with it, but I feel like my life was turned upside down into shambles.  No matter what I did, I feel like it all went wrong.  I don't feel that way anymore.  It's always hard adjusting to a new house.  I was told by a co worker that the stress that moving creates is equal to dealing with a death or divorce.  I totally believe it.  I didn't feel like myself and I still feel a little bit homeless.  Moving totally messes with your balance and energy fields.  Our new neighbors are nice.  They are quite the football fanatics, we have been listening to them screaming and cheering all day.  The first time it happened, I thought something was wrong.  Sorry about the short post, I'll try to write more later.  Still unpacking boxes and moving stuff around here...

Oh the rollercoaster of life...

Today was an overwhelming day of work.  I went all day without eating and it seemed like I talked all day, non stop.  It's nice to sit at home and say and do nothing at all.  I plan on not speaking another word for the rest of the night!!!

I just wrote a whole paragraph venting about work and the hardships that I am going through there, and I just deleted it because I know I wouldn't be a good leader if I posted everything that was going wrong in my life on the internet.  I can't show the enemy my weaknesses!!  (Work is not my enemy, but we all know what happened with Carrie and the blue shirt company-big brother might be watching!!) At least not on my blog where nosy people could possibly stumble across them and find all of this incriminating evidence of me being an actual human living in a free country where I can actually voice my opinion about my co workers.  :)

Blah blah blah.  It's been a long day.  Time to snuggle up in my jammies with the 3rd book out of the Twilight Saga.  Rodrigo is out on a bikeride and it actually feels nice to have the house all by myself.  We are moving out of this house in a week and I'm honestly sad to leave.  Rody and I have so many memories in this apartment-this is our first together and I lived here before I even met him.  This house represents a period of healing in my life and it's sort of been my safe haven and my little cozy bat cave where I retire each night.  I know home is where the heart is, but it's always weird moving to new places.  Especially to older places where I know a lot of people have lived.  My new house was built in 1910 and I know I'm going to have to go through a whole bag of Kosher sea salt, a few sage bundles and about 4 billion hours of Reiki sessions to cleanse and create the energy that I need to live there.      

My life as a Guest Service Manager

Guest Service Manager.  That is my title at my job.  Sounds simple, but it's really not.  I started at an entry level position making reservations as a Reservations Agent two years ago this December.  I played my cards right, put my time in and got promoted fairly quick.  This December will be 1 year as a manager.  I am in charge of all the guest service agents, reservations, and setting the standard for our service level.  Basically, I run the daily operations of our reservation/guest service team.  I respond to complaints, set goals for my team, coach employees and today I even sent home an employee for wearing something inappropriate to work for the first time.  I'm also in the process of trying to promote one of my employees to be my assistant.  I will actually have an assistant. (Ok, well we really will call the title a "Lead Reservation Agent", but still, she will be just like an extension of me). We have a job fair on Saturday and I will also interviewing dozens (hopefully!) of applicants.  It's weird for me to have a grown up job as a leader in a company that puts so much faith and trust in me.  The little company for which I work for is well on it's way to being a giant company.  The opportunity in this company is endless!!  The people who I work for are wonderful.  They are compassionate, understanding and have been my advocate when things have not gone so good for me at work. If I don't like the way something is going, I tell them and they change it.  Don't get me wrong, there are days that I feel like running away and jumping the next plane to anywhere but Wolf Creek Utah, but they definitely sure know how to butter me up to staying, and actually feel good about staying.   

Go Wolf Creek Utah!  A great place to work!  :)

Funny videos!

Here is a video of Rodrigo dancing in our living room.  Ring that bell!

I'm moving!!!

Saturday I took the Reiki II class and spent the day with my Reiki teacher and 2 other class mates.  We started with a really cool meditation and then we dove right into the materials.  After a lunch break, we did our Reiki II attunement-where the Reiki teacher opens up the chakras of the student to be able to channel more energy.  This is what qualifies me as the Level II.  After the attunement, we went on to practicing.  We did an exercise where we wrote down two goals/wishes.  One was to be personal and the other to be for the good of the world or community.  My personal goal was my wish to move to Portland, OR by next summer and everything that that encompassed-finding jobs, a place to live, etc.  The second wish I had was to give the American public the ability to elect the right candidate for president.  We were taught that if we did Reiki on these things that we wrote down using our new Reiki II attunement, they would start to manifest themselves. 

I have been doing Reiki on them everyday since.  

Today I came home from work and jumped onto Craigslist.com to look for rental properties.  This has been my thing to do the last couple weeks as we have been looking for a cheaper rental to move to.  One property jumped out at me-It was a 3 bedroom, 1 bath apartment in the Historic part of Ogden just a couple blocks away from The Junction and Historical 25th street with new carpet, tile, paint and appliances.  The price was only $595/month.  I called the number and spoke with the landlord and he said that he was available to show it right then. I asked him how long of a lease we would have to sign and he said he would need us out my next late spring or early summer.  (This really caught my attention because our goal is to move to Portland by then and we knew that was going to pose a problem because most people want you to sign at least a year lease-this seemed to fit all too perfectly.) I told him we would meet him within 10 minutes.  We pulled up to the property and the first thing I notice was a very large nice porch.  Good so far.  We walked in a I was quite surprised at what I saw.  It was a very cute historical type four-plex with cool arches in the entry way, brand new carpet, new paint and light fixtures/ceiling fan in the living room.  Walking through the property, I really liked what I saw.  (I'm not very good at writing descriptions of things-especially if I am very excited about them) We ended up speaking with the Landlord for a few minutes after viewing the property.  He seemed like a really good guy and the house gave me a good vibe.  It has really good energy.  He gave us an application and we drove away.  After driving around for about 40 minutes deciding what to do, we decided that we really liked the property and that we should apply for it.  We filled out the application and we called the landlord back.  Yada, yada, yada...2 hours after viewing the property, we were handing the landlord our application and a check for the deposit.  We worked out with the new landlord that we can move in about 2 weeks now, of course being contingient of the back ground check and credit check.  We also have to give our current landlord 30 days notice.  It will be nice to have about a 2 week over lapping window where we can move from one place to the next and make sure we clean up our current place well so we can get all of our deposit back.  

Wish us luck on this next voyage of moving to our next home.  I'm excited to see what else the universe has in store for us...it's looking pretty promising to me.  

Rody and Brody

NOW does he look like Adrien Brody?!?!!?  I think so...let me know what you think?

ChaCha

So I applied yesterday online to be a ChaCha guide.  I got an email today saying that I had been chosen to further my application process.  So I took the online test which included a typing test.  I passed all my ChaCha tests and I am now a ChaCha guide!!!  How exciting!!  I'm pretty excited about this.  I will make $.10 for every text that I answer!

A few random items right now

1-I have a head ache and I'm still feeling light headed from work.  They are finishing the basement of the building I work in and they were varnishing the baseboards today.  I had to come home early because my hands were starting to go numb from the smell.

2-I can't decide what I want to make for dinner.  I'm trying my best to avoid eating out, but I honestly don't feel like cooking right now.

3-I was supposed to go to the gym this morning.  I didn't do it. Way to start the week out-disappointed in myself!

4-I order the second Twilight book off of Amazon last week.  I can't wait for it to come in the mail.

5-I bought tickets to go see New Kids on the Block last night.  The concert is November 15th.  I am going with my mom, my auntie Debbie and one of my cousins.  Rodrigo thinks I'm a dork for going.  He couldn't believe that Donnie Wahlberg was one of the New Kids on the Block.  Me and my mom decided that they don't really look like New Kids on the Block anymore...more like Used Kids that have been around the Block a Few times.  HAHAHAHA.

Taco Bell Fruitista Freezes

Rodrigo and I just went to Blockbuster for our typical Sunday night movie rental run.  After we left, I decided I needed a fruity sort of smoothy drink to take back home and enjoy.  If you know anything about Utah, you would know that 9:30 on a Sunday night, there aren't a lot of choices available, so we went across the street to Taco Bell, where we saw their giant advertisement for the Fruitista Freeze.  You'd think that with a name like that, I'd be able to get exactly what I was craving.  Little did I know that the Fruitista Freeze does not even have one drop of actual fruit in it.  Especially since we decided to purchase one on an evening that they were out of the "real" strawberry fruit topping.  (The employee that helped us made it very clear to us that he was very sick and tired of people asking about it). Yada yada yada, we ended up with a way over priced mango flavored slurpee.  I do not recommend the Fruitista Freeze, I wouldn't even wish it on my own worst enemy.  My teeth are gritty with sugar now and if I don't brush my teeth before bed tonight (if I can even go to bed now!), I'm quite sure I'd end up with a bazillion cavities.  

Next time you feel like a light and refreshing fruity drink, don't get a Fruitista Freeze.  

Stop and Stare-One Republic

This town is colder now, I think it's sick of us

It's time to make our move, I'm shakin off the rust

I've got my heart set on anywhere but here

I'm staring down myself, counting up the years

Steady hands, just take the wheel...

And every glance is killing me

Time to make one last appeal...for the life I lead

Stop and stare

I think I'm moving but I go nowhere

Yeah I know that everyone gets scared 

But I've become what I can't be

Stop and Stare

You start to wonder why you're here not there

And you'd give anything to get what's fair

But fair ain't what you really need

Oh, can you see what I see

They're tryin to come back, all my senses push

Untie the weight bags, I never thought I could

Steady feet, don't fail me now

Gonna run till you can't walk

But something pulls my focus out

And I'm standing down

Stop and stare

I think I'm moving but I go nowhere

Yeah I know that everyone gets scared

But I've become what I can't be

Stop and stare

You start to wonder why you're here not there

And you'd give anything to get what's fair

But fair ain't what you really need

Oh, can you see what I see

Boston in October+Tegan and Sara=Best Trip Ever!!!

I just bought tickets to see Tegan and Sara in Worcester, MA for October 4th.  Woops!  Looks like we have to go to Boston now!!  :)  This is going to be the best trip ever.  Rody's step mom can get us buddy passes on Jet Blue for about $100 round trip to Boston.  Plus, I can get cheap rental cars through Enterprise on my work's corporate account.  We plan to fly into Boston on Thursday October 2nd, and we fly home on Wednesday the 8th.  We will have a day in Salem, a couple days in Bean Town, and a night in Worcester to see the best band ever...Tegan and Sara.  This will be our 3rd time seeing them in the last year and our second time seeing them out of state.  The first time we saw them was in Salem, OR in April when we went up to Portland, OR.  If you don't know who Tegan and Sara are...you should download some of their stuff.  Definitely my favorite band of the last 2 years.  I LOVE TEGAN AND SARA!!!  

Carrie and Tim...hope you still plan on coming to hang out with Mr. R and I in Boston.  The invite is still there.  :)

AAAAARG!!!

I'm so mad at myself today.  I woke up at 7:30 with great intentions of heading to the gym, cleaning the house, finishing the laundry and then off to the salon to do a few haircuts.  This is NOT how my day ended up going.  Here is a rough timeline of how my day went...

7:30 AM-Woke up to say good bye to Rodrigo as he was headed off to work.  I told him I was going to get up in a few and head to the gym.

7:35 AM-Decided I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again, so I grabbed the Twilight book that I started reading a couple nights ago.  

8:00 AM-Started to get out of bed to go to the gym.  Decided I would give myself another half hour with the Twilight book.  

9:00 AM-Still laying in bed reading Twilight book.  

9:30 AM-Decided that this is ridiculous-I need to get up and go to the gym.  Started to get ready, but decided to come downstairs again and check my email.  But instead, decided to look up the trailer for the new Twilight movie that is supposed to come out in December.  I am so disappointed with the person they chose to play Edward!  What the heck!?!?!

10:00 AM-Decided to blog.  (Read earlier post).

10:20 AM-Decided to back upstairs and crawl into bed to read more of Twilight.  

12:00 PM-FINALLY DECIDED TO BAG THE GYM IDEA AND JUST GOT IN THE SHOWER INSTEAD.

1:00 PM-Leave my house and go to the bank.  I needed to go to the beauty supply store for some color for my 3:00 appointment, but then just decided to go to Taco Time instead for a crispy bean burrito.  

I thought today was going to be extremely productive, but it ended up being just the opposite.   I just came home from the salon for the evening and noticed that all the dishes are done and the kitchen is clean. I walk upstairs to find Rodrigo in bed with a migraine.  Maybe because he put 2 and 2 together and realized that I didn't do anything around the house except read Twilight all day?  Poor guy.  I feel bad for him.  

Maybe this all could have been avoided if I had gotten to choose the actor to play Edward in Twilight.  I'm severely let down.  Oh well, it's not stopping me from reading the books OR going to see the movie.  As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to cook dinner right now and on top of that, I forgot my purse at the salon.  I probably should go get it.  Instead, I think I'm going to just order a pizza, and finish Twilight.  After all, my purse can wait at the salon until tomorrow, right?  Reading Twilight all morning has left my brain in a state of mush.  All day I have wondered if Edward is going to give in and feast on Bella, even though I know that won't be the case, because there are 3 more books to go in the series.  The suspense is killing me!!!

Where do I go?!?!

As you all know, Rodrigo and I are trying to save up enough money to be able to move to Portland, OR.  Along with creating a budget and not eating out so much, we have also decided to try to find something a little smaller in the Ogden area to rent and to cut our rent costs significantly.  The last 2 days we have started looking.  One house, in particular, stands out to me.  It is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house in Ogden.  I called the property management company about it and got a little more information about it.  They would even consider less than a 12 month lease on it.  The reason it stands out to me is because on Sunday night, when we went to look at it, there was a car parked right in front of the property.  On the car's license plate was the numbers "888."  My angels communicate to me with numbers, and I know they are trying to give me a message when I see triple numbers.  Especially the number 8.  The number 8 has great significance to me-Rodrigo's birthday is on the 8th of August (08/08) and it is a number of abundance. About 6 months before I met Rodrigo, I dreamt about his birthday-not knowing it was his birthday. Since then, I've learned to pay attention when I see the number 8.  According to my Angel Numbers book, here is the meaning of 888-"The Universe is abundant and generous, and you've learned how to step in to the shower of it's ever-present flow.  Great financial prosperity is your, now and in the future."  

If that's not a sign to tell me to check out this house, I don't know what is.  If you all think I am crazy-I challenge you to ask for guidance from your angels, and I will be willing to bet that you too will start to notice numbers around you.  

Life is precious...

Well, we just got back from a late night at Pioneer Valley Hospital in West Valley, where Rodrigo's little brother Kahlil is spending the evening in the ICU for a prescription drug overdose.  He just barely turned 18 and he has so much to look forward to.  It makes me so sad that this would happen.  Apparently, he wasn't trying to kill himself or anything, he was just partying with some friends when he stopped breathing and started turning blue.  The two friends he was with didn't want to call 911 because they were scared that they would get in trouble with the cops.  Instead, they just tried to spray him with the hose in hope the cold water would wake him up.  What friends!!  Luckily, a close friend came by unannounced and found the 2 kids with Kahlil passed out and turning blue. He called 911 and soon after, an ambulance took him away.  We won't find out exactly what he took until tomorrow, when the blood test comes back.  Whatever it was, Kahlil took 14 pills.  It was so sad to see him lying in the ICU unconscious.  Rodrigo and I layed our hands on him and gave him a Reiki treatment.  In the last couple of months of my practice with Reiki, this is the strongest that I have ever felt it.  Even just sitting next to Rody's family in the waiting room, both of my hands became very hot and tingly.  The strongest I have ever felt it.  When I layed my hands on Kahlil, it was as if a strong flow/current of energy was pouring out of my palms.  After the treatment, we went to grab a bite to eat and then came back to say our goodbyes for the evening.  Since the Reiki treatment, he woke up for a few minutes, drank a glass of OJ and even stood up to use the restroom.  Reiki is truly a miracle.  I ask that everyone now please place Kahlil and all of Rodrigo's family in their prayers.  I know that they definitely will be in mine.  

Today...

I went back to work today from a week's vacation.  It was quite a sad drive up the canyon to Wolf Creek Utah.  I wasn't ready to go back.  I could have had a whole other week off.  

Rodrigo and I decided last week that our goal is to move to Portland, OR within the next year.  I think we can be ready by then.  We have a lot of money to save and a lot of things to tie up before we leave.  He will be starting to look for a job out there soon.  I hope that the universe provides him with something that is fulfilling, even if it means that we have to be a part with him on a ship for a while.  

I decided I would like to open my own business with Reiki and healing as the focus.  I think Portland would be a great place for that.  

Just a few thoughts...time for bed!!

My spiritual path with Reiki

I've been into something new lately, and I thought I would share it.  It is called Reiki.  It is a form of energy work that comes from two Japanese words.  Rei and Ki.  Rei means spiritual or sacred and Ki means energy.  Anyone can access Reiki and I believe everyone has the gift of Reiki.  Reiki can heal everything on all plains-physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.  A couple years ago, I discovered Reiki online as I was searching out different natural healing methods.  The little bit I read about it that day had me hooked and I decided I needed to know more.  I bought a book on Reiki and did some more online research.  I then went to Shantel Nicole, an Angel Reader that I was referred to by a co worker.  She told me that my Angels wanted me to know that I have the ability to heal people.  This peaked my interest even more about Reiki.  I was now interested in learning Reiki, even though I knew it was going to be quite a process.  Also, living in Ogden-let alone Utah, my resources were limited.  Not everyone around me believes in Reiki.  Matter of fact, a lot of people are quite sketchy about it...like that maybe Reiki is evil.  Reiki is not evil.  It's quite the opposite.  

Earlier this Spring, Rodrigo and I decided to go have dinner at Rainbow Gardens, at the mouth of Ogden Canyon.  If you've been there, you'll know that they have a small metaphysical section with books on different holistic topics along with jewelry and crystals.  Walking through the hall, I noticed a bright yellow flyer in the hallway advertising a Reiki I class...here in Ogden!  It gave the name of a website and a Reiki Master name Lilian.  I got online and looked at her website and sent Lilian an email inquiring about the class.  Lilian and I hit it off just great.  We both thought a great way to meet each other would be for me to come in and receive a Reiki treatment from her.  I went the next day and the experience was wonderful.  I didn't notice much during the treatment, except for some hot and cold sensations associated with different areas of my body that she layed her hands on.  I also noticed I had a feeling of great knowingness that I had found something wonderful.  This was one of those times in my life where I just knew that I was in the right place at the right time.  I felt that God led me to this point in my life and I knew that Reiki is something that I am meant to do for the rest of my life.  The day after my treatment, was very interesting.  Lilian had activated and realigned my throat chakra and I noticed an huge difference with how I was able to communicate with people.  The words I was saying and the messages I were portraying were coming out so smooth.  Something that usually doesn't happen for me.  I also noticed I had an enormous amount of energy.  Physically, I felt the best I had felt in a really long time.  

Rodrigo and I signed up for the Reiki I class and were anxious to know more.  I was very excited that Rodrigo was going to be there.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  We met Lilian on a Saturday morning and luckily, there was only one other person in our class.  We started by reading about the history of Reiki and how it originated in ancient times and then was rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan.  We then did a chakra balancing meditation.  This was the coolest!  At the end of the meditation, my hands and my feet were tingling.  Lilian told us that this was a sign of a natural healer.  After reading and learning a bit more, we went on to the Reiki attunement.  Reiki is passed on from the teacher to the student during a sacred attunement process where the student's crown, third eye, throat, heart and palm chakras are activated to allow the flow of the "Life Force."  After the class, Rodrigo and I went through a 21 day cleansing process.  The new abundance of energy flowing cleanses on all plains-mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Soon after taking the class and beginning to practice Reiki at home, I notice that my hands start to tingle when standing next to someone who needs healing.  Reiki is very useful-it's cures anything all with just laying your hands on the person with the intent to heal. And once you have the attunement, you will always have the gift of Reiki.  It never goes away.  To read more about Reiki, visit my Reiki teacher's website at www.myreikiguide.com.  Hope you've enjoyed my short story about Reiki.  I'll be posting more.

NEW NEW NEW

It's been a while since I have blogged...I forgot the password to my old blogspot and I can't figure out how to log back in.  I was left with the only choice of creating a new blog.  It's about 20 minutes until 2 AM on August 3rd, 2008.  I've been working my butt off, and right now, I'm enjoying a whole week off.  I don't have to be back to work until August 11th.  YAY!  Rody and I are enjoying some time in Park City with his family.  It's our second night here and it's been a blast.  This is my first overnight outing with his family.  I thought I would be nervous, but his family has been so welcoming.  We are scheduled to go back tomorrow, and quite frankly, I'm kind of sad about it.  We enjoyed the Art's Festival today and then we went to the No Name Saloon tonight to enjoy a few beverages.  Rodrigo turns 30 next Friday, August 8th, and I'm not sure what exactly to get him.  We are supposed to be going camping next weekend, we'll see how that turns out.  

Well, I'll write more later.  I hope you enjoy the blog!!!