Guess who's back.. back again..

YUP, Eminem again. Sorry not sorry. It's been a minute and wanted to give a quick life lately. Two majors happened on June 18th. That Tuesday I was filled with many mixed emotions. 

First // I had orientation for my masters program that I will be starting in the fall! I was able to meet the teachers, fellow students, get my ID, and all that jazz. It all still feels surreal. I don't think it will feel real until I actually start my classes. I am very excited to start my classes and be closer to my career. I feel like I've been in work limbo, I love, loved working at the school but it wasn't a career.  I'm also nervous (hello anxiety) because I'm used to classes that just talk about social issues and feelings and now I will be learning about helping people in a new way. August will come sooner than I think and then we are off to the races!

Second // June 18th is a very, very special day that I hold close to my heart. June 18th is my big brothers birthday. Jesse would have turned 35, and boy do I wish he was here to celebrate. He passed away almost 6 years ago and I've been missing him ever since. On his birthday I try my hardest to make the day more about celebrating my favorite person and the life he lived. He was unapologetically himself and had the kindest soul. I looked up to my brother ever since I can remember. He LOVED to tell me stories and give life lessons which I keep filed away for when I need them and I DO end up needing them. He is my kindred spirit who now watches me from above, he had a way of knowing what I was thinking without me even saying a word. Birthday's are hard, I feel guilty because I usually post something for his birthday but this year I didn't. I know it sounds silly but it helps me cope and feel like he's still here. On Jesse's birthday I usually like to listen to his favorite band and maybe look at old pictures/conversations. I try to stay positive but its frickin hard. I'd like to take this moment to say, happy birthday big brother. Your spirit lives on through me and I'm trying my best to keep your light shining. There is so much I could say about Jesse but I will keep it short and sweet. Thank you for being the best brother anyone could ask for and teaching me that life is better when you stay true to who you are and that Chicago pizza is the best 'za. Unity. 

Thanks for reading through all that even though I got a little sappy. When I started this blog my goal was to keep it positive. But, I also wanted to be genuine because if someone else can relate to this and find it helpful or just know they are not alone then I'm happy. If you have a loved one who has passed away, do you do anything special on their birthday? Asking for a friend and myself. 

xoxo

A

#tacoloveslox---The proposal

Prop 11

Happy June Ya'll! This just so happens to be one of my favorite months! Why do you ask? Because on June 11th 2016 Cory proposed and June 30th 2018 I married my favorite person. So yeah I would say June has my heart. Since I started this blog after I got married I thought it would be fun to do a #tacoloveslox(our not very used#)series and go through the wedding process. PLUS it gives me a chance to relive my favorite moments. Lets kick this off with the proposal!

I HAD NO IDEA! When I say I was surprised I was like truly surprised. Of course I dropped hints of what kind of ring I would want and we talked about our future but we never discussed when we would get engaged. Any who, my sweet, sweet husband planned this whole proposal with one of his good friends and they named it Prop 11. 

One of my best friends and her boyfriend (now fiance) were in town and wanted to go to the blues fest in the city. Nothing strange about that. So we went to the fest but it was kinda boring so we walked up and down the street and stopped at the architectural museum and spent like 20 minutes in the drake hotel. Still I was not phased by any of this because I was just down to be walking around the city...Little did I know that they were stalling because the bridge that Cory had planned to have my siblings and their s/o's , his sister, and all my closest friends along with their s/o's  Holding a will you marry me sign(so sweet right). After all the sight seeing stalling we ended up in the Nichols garden. Cory stopped and I didn't know why and he said something about his foot so I thought he had a blister and I gave him a bandaid haha He then pointed me to the direction of where all the people I love were standing and holding a sign. To me it read "will you marry me" Well there was no way in my mind that it was for me so I told Cory that we should move because someone was getting proposed to and I didn't want to ruin their pictures. In my defense I wasn't expecting to see all my people and they were kinda far.. all I knew is that I didn't want to ruin someones proposal!

Before I knew it Cory was down on one knee. The proposal was for me! I was in shock.. there were so many emotions, all the good kind :) He did have a whole speech..that he later told me that he had practiced but all I remember is him telling me I love you, I want to make a life together, and will you marry me. I said YES! 

Yeah thats my happy cry face.. I love the people clapping in the back ha!

THEN I realized all my favorite people were there to congratulate us and it was amazing. I had always envisioned a private proposal but these were people I love and I truly loved having them there! It was just the best feeling to celebrate with people you love. After we calmed down we headed back to the burbs where my parents and Cory's parents were waiting to celebrate us and hosted a little engagement party. This is easily one of the best days of my life, one of those moments you hope you never forget. 


For your pleasure (and mine) Here is a video of the proposal with my sister in laws commentary. ENJOY!

For each post of this series I want to add one piece of advice that will hopefully be helpful. Or at least what I wish I would've known.

My dose of wisdom: If you were just recently engaged or you are engaged enjoy every minute of it. Don't put/or let others put too much pressure on you to start planning right away. This is such a special time so sit back relax and ride the happiness wave. 

xoxo

A

Summer Favs Round Up

4 of my favorite summer products

We are in the second week of June and I am here for it! We finally have had some nice weather in the Chicagoland area and I know everyone is happy about it! I thought it would be fun to do a round up of  a couple of my favorite things for summertime 🌞

Nena and Co.

Nena and Co. //  I got this as a birthday gift from Cory this year and I cant wait to bust it out! The colors alone scream summer. They are definitely pricey but I love their story and you know where your product is coming from, which makes it worth it to me. These bags and their patterns remind me of my dads little hometown in Mexico and all the hand made goodies he would bring us home from his trips. Definitely a splurge but I love it!

Raising Wild

Raising Wild //  This is one of my favorite swimsuits! I love the style, shape, color, comfort.. and everything! What I really love about this suit is that it makes you feel sexy and cute but still has nice coverage where I need it. This is also on the pricey side but I waited for a sale, which I would recommend! They also had more colors to choose from when I bought mine but I do like the onyx option a lot!

Stanley and Milk Makeup

 Sunshine Oil // This sunshine oil by Milk makeup is a fun add in to my minimal make up routine. When I say minimal I mean like mascara and then maaaaybe something else. Your girl is not the greatest at make up BUT willing to learn, that is if someone is willing to teach. I like this sunshine oil in the summer because your skin is already looking sun kissed and this just adds a little dewiness. I put it on the places where the sun would hit naturally on my face. Pretty simple, if I am doing it right haha 

Stanley travel mug // I LOVE this travel mug! I used this Stanley at work everyday and it keeps your drink cold. It is one of my most favorite products. I take my Stanley pretty much everywhere, especially the pool!

As I'm writing this the weather took a turn and is gloomy, thats Chicago for ya! 

Happy Summer!!

xoxo

A

Thursday thoughts

Read, reflect, and repeat..

HI friends and happy Thursday! Lets take a moment and read that again, "One day you will look back and see that all along you were blooming." I think we can all get caught up on where we are going instead of reflecting and appreciating where we came from. At least I know that I can be so focused on my goal that I forget to "smell the roses". We constantly see people succeeding and I cant help but wonder if other people feel a sense of FOMO like me. Not until I had to look back at my work for the past 4 years did I realize how much I have grown. 

This is me; teary eyed and all holding the book dedicated to me 

This past Tuesday was my last day at the elementary school I've worked at these past four years. Four years may not sound like a lot but I have grown so much. I was challenged more then I could've imagined but came out the other side wiser. I've loved my job and am excited to use my new skill-sets in my next adventure. I will be attending grad school full time for occupational therapy in the fall! This means I am not able to continue working at my school which is very bittersweet. As a tradition the school dedicates a book in honor of a person who worked there. I thought I was handling the goodbyes pretty well until they dedicated I Am Human to me which is a book about empathy. This hit me because my journey throughout the years has been all about accepting others and embracing their differences and workin' with it. I didn't get a chance to read it all but you better believe it is in my amazon cart as we speak. Everyone could learn about empathy so I included the link 👇
https://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Human-Book-Empathy/dp/1419731653/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LHJYRGVCB4T7&keywords=i+am+human+a+book+on+empathy&qid=1559878042&s=gateway&sprefix=i+am+hum%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1

I consider myself very grateful to have worked somewhere that makes it so hard to leave. Goodbye Kildeer and thank you for pushing me to bloom all along. 🌻

Have you given yourself time to reflect and see how far you've come? I bet you didn't realize how much you've grown. 

Keep blooming friends!

xoxo

A