When you say no, I say yes!

It's been a week and I feel like i'm on top of the world. I know a week isn't anything, but I can't wait till I celebrate my 10th year as a vegetarian. I will shed tears of happiness but I'm taking this day by day, step by step, greens by greens.

You have no idea how many people laughed....LAUGHED....at my face when I told them I was changing my diet. Some laughed because they think I can't do it. Some laughed because they think being "vegetarian" is uncool. Well, we will see who will have the last laugh, and I will bet you that I will, because my choices will let me have a longer lifespan.

I wish people could OPEN up their eyes to see the toxic they are putting in their mouths. They don't see that they are going to seriously injure their bodies with hormone and disease-filled "meat" from McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, or any other fast-food joint.

Ok, I know a lot of people are unable to just stop eating meat, so if you decide that you want to start eating healthy, make your own food at home and make it much more healthier. Use lean meat, use olive oil instead of corn oil, and drink water instead of soda. Stop using frozen, boxed, or canned food. (Thanks Lesa!) Get organic food from Whole Foods or any other organic grocery store.

Look at it this way, do you want to spend a little bit more to better your health? Or do you want to spend triple for doctor bills when you are older?

The Fat Man will bring me down no more!

I love you, Sunday..

It's time...for the List full of LOVE. :)

1. I began my vegetarian diet challenge a week ago and I love it. My body feels amazing and I'm extending this challenge for another week. I want to see how far I can go, I know I'm never going back to meat, but if I'm no longer just eating vegetables, I will only eat fish. I love being vegetarian. <3

2. Oreo cookies, I can just eat them any time of the day. I don't care if I ruin my appetite, I'm 23 years old....I'll ruin my appetite whenever I want to. Haha!

3. I love taking care of my honey boo, he currently has a cold and I'm his 24/7 nurse (well, when I'm not working) :)

4.My sister Belen ate a veggie sandwich with me to support me. I love her.

5. I love photography, any one with talent behind a camera's eye is amazing. P.S. One of these days I'm going to visit this place.



Cinque Terre, Italy- pic by allister ann

 6. Work, I meet the funniest people ever and some of the nicest.

7. I love clothes that make me smile.

8. I love it when my dog knows when it's time to go for a walk and when she knows I'm going to work. She is an incredibly smart dog and I love her.

9. I love positive people, I've been exposed to so many negative people this week that I completely and fully appreciate when I'm around positive people. Like you Julia, I miss thee! :)

10. Conan O'Brien. My boyfriend now has DVR (I think he was the last person in the world to get it) and I can't believe I've been missing so many laughs. Oh Brien.....you are hilarious.

I love to love all of these things, every day.

I send love to everyone. Good thing I'm done, just in time for the Oscars! :)

Peace

"No"? Don't know that word....:)

Today was another beautiful day.

It was one of those days were I was surrounded by negativity. Gah! I was practically drowning with negative people. Good thing I didn't let myself go with the current. I fought through it, and now I'm gonna be able to go sleep with a smile in my face and my heart because I was reminded that love and happiness is everywhere with the following things.

First, got my wedding invitation for Lesa and Adam's wedding. A sign of love. <3

Second, I was at Old Navy and I just had to get this thermos. It was made for me...specially for today.

LIVE, LOVE AND GIVE LOVE

I've found....

....another band that I'm falling in love with.....

CASPIAN

It makes you feel like you are about to go fly throughout all of Earth and watch all its wonders in a matter of minutes....:)

Three Day Hump

I've passed the hump. 3 days and not 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish has entered my digestive system.

HAPPY DANCE! HAPPY DANCE! HAPPY DANCE!

Still got till Sunday and I will have officially been a vegetarian for a week. I can feel my body feel better already, it feels fresh, it feels non-toxic, it feels amazing. I love that I have a great deal of discipline. The haters are still out there but they have become muted. Bloop. CAN'T HEAR YOU! So I've decided to try this for a week, but I almost feel like if I stop cold turkey (no pun intended) I will crash and crash hard. So what my plan is this: After this week, I'm going back to poultry and fish, but definitely no meat. It sucks though because I know poultry is just as bad as meat but I'm gonna do this slowly and carefully so that I can be strong enough to not go back to eating poison.

I love being a vegetarian. It makes me feel .....happy. :)

Meat, it's over. You and I don't work out.

The Temptations...

Just the perfect song for this weather...

"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day....when it's cold outside, I've got the month of May"

So its day 2 of my vegetarian diet. I can do this. Yesterday I had nothing but cheese pizza. Uh huh. :) Today is a little harder since my parents made tacos. GAH! It's gonna be hard with Mexican food in this house. These people eat nothing but meat. Meat with chile, meat with beans, meat with rice, meat with meat. BLAH!

I can do this. My body needs this. When I told my mother about this decision...she actually told me that the reason why she had to get a full hysterectomy (the removal of ovaries and uterus) was because of fibrosis (benign tumors), which were caused by her diet, among other things of course. Her diet being nothing but meat meat and more red meat.

If that's not a wake-up call, then I don't know what is.

I want to have kids, I'm going to have kids. I want to have a long and happy life with my soul mate. I'm going to have a long and happy life with my soul mate. I want to be healthy. I'm going to be healthy.

H.E.A.L.T.H.Y.

One Sundae please, hold the sprinkles...

So it's Sunday once more! and I'm blessed to have lived another week to be able to spend time with family and friends and my love. Before I begin, I want to say that I failed...ON MY FIRST DAY! DANG IT! It's hard to be a vegetarian when people around you are not. So my boyfriend ate a chicken sandwich....and pretty much guilted me into eating one.

Sigh.

He is going to learn to support my decisions. I'm going to be a vegetarian no matter what. I said it's been decided and when I say so...I say so. So today, we ate cheese pizza. CHEESE PIZZA, not pepperoni, which is my fave.

I can do this.

Here goes my top then things I loved this week and still do. <3

1. Got my Florence and The Machine ticket for June 18 and I'm going with my cousin! It's like awesome band+awesome person=awesome day.

2. Cheese pizza, it's delicious. Especially with ranch. Yumm.

3. Vegetarianism. I'm a little upset at the fact that I didn't discover this sooner. I love that you can better your health just by eating differently and it can still be delicious. Bring on spinach, potatoes, broccoli, and love!

4. I love my little sister Belen. She is amazing and I love that she is an amazing little person who is learning to be such a loving person.

5. So my boyfriend is a big Nascar fan, I like it too...but not as much as him but today while we were watching the race, while the drivers were driving on Lap 3, all the fans raised their hands and put three fingers up in the air to commemorate a driver that died while driving in a race. It was amazing to see so many people pay respect to a person. To be united for that one minute, to have so much respect and love....it was heart stopping.

6. Sunglasses. Because that means the sun is out. :)

7. I loved the weather this week. Made me appreciate spring and summer. Can't wait!

8. I love my puppy Duchess. She knows how to wake me up and it is freaking ADORABLE!

9. Guilty pleasures. So I'm embarrassed to say this but I like watching Jersey Shore. UGH! I wish I wouldn't like it but it is hilarious to watch other people make a fool of themselves but THEY ASK FOR IT!

10. The little things my boyfriend does. Like yesterday, while we were grocery shopping, he put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my head........my heart melted like butter on the hottest day of summer.

I loved every part of this week. I woke up and lived...fell asleep and woke up to do it all over again.

New Challenge...Day 1.

So it has been decided. I'm gonna be a vegetarian for a week. I want to try it. I think that it's important that you take care of your body physically if you want to do it mentally also. I'm not trying to pretend to be someone I'm not, I like meat but I know the danger of consuming too much of it. I will try it for a week and then after that I'm going to take it day by day. I have been reading up on vegetarianism and amazed by all the facts that I never knew. I have a couple of friends that are vegetarians and I think that is awesome. Never have I been that person that judged them for their preferences, I mean it is AWESOME that they have discipline to not eat meat when its all around us.

I've been reading about the dangers of eating meat and it's insane! Did you know that scientist have found a virus (BIV) similar to AIDS in cows that can also affect humans? Did you know that by 1985, 100%!!! ONE ZERO ZERO, of hens tested for Leukemia virus? Did you know that meat can cause human cancer, birth defects, mutations and other human diseases? The Case for Vegetarianism-By John Lawrence Hill.

How can anyone eat meat after knowing this? Fact: I am not trying to put fear into people about the dangers of meat, I'm just passing down information so that everyone can see the damage we do to our bodies.

I'm reading more into this, I am not just going into this blind. I know that vegetables also carry insects that carry more diseases. I know that if I don't consume meat, I am not getting Vitamin B12.

Yesterday, I had my first vegetarian dinner. Mushroom Stroganoff from Noodles & Company.....I said I was going to take this day by day. I'm not ready to give up on eggs and cheese completely. COME ON! CHEESE IS MY FAVORITE FOOD EVER! Mac&Cheese? Grilled Cheese Sandwiches! Beefsteak salad! Spinach Stuffed PIZZA! CHEESESTICKS! Fudge...this is gonna be quite hard. Haha!


It's ok. I can do it! My body is giving me a round of applause! :)

 Plus....look how many of these we are saving....<3

Please don't eat us.

 Love Love Love Love Love Love Love Love Love

I realized that...

I like that I don't have a car. I think it saves me from road rage, bills, and more road rage. I'm even saving the planet this way and if you want to poke fun at me, I'm saving people in Illinois. No one wants me behind a wheel. Haha!.....I'm serious.

I like the CTA and Pace when they are on time and not full of creepos.

I like saying "Thank you" to the bus drivers and train conductors. They get me safely to my destination and I appreciate that. They deserve our appreciation. I mean, they do save us from road rage.

I like walking if I have to. It keeps me healthy.

It's not that bad not having a car.

Walking the dog...

It's incredible how much one can think of when we take a walk. If you don't, I certainly do. I think of my homework and how much of it I need to be doing and how I need to stop procrastinating. I think of my family and how we all have a different problem in our lives. I think of work and how I can improve the attitude of certain people so they can stop being so dang grumpy. I think of my dog and how I wish she could get better from her allergies. I think of money and how I wish I had enough of it so that I can help out my parents, so that I can be finished with school, so that I can pay for all of my puppy's bills, and so that I can start my future with my love. I think of my love a lot. He is in my world ....he is my world. With all this thinking, my main concern is just finding a solution for every problem. And sometimes I forget that I need to breathe. Sometimes I forget that I can't control everything and that I need to let the world do its wonders. Sometimes I forget to follow my own words and remember that everything in the end will be alright.

When I do remember that ....I turn up the volume from my iPod because for an hour, it's just me, Duchess, and sweet music in my ears.

"Life isn't about waiting for the rain to pass.....it's about learning to dance in the rain"-Unknown

Say no to hate..

"Cuz haters gonna hate..." ........Lol.

I'm inspired, OH MY GOSH I'M INSPIRED! I'm inspired to be a new person, no wait, I'm inspired to be a better person. I love myself, I think I'm pretty awesome and sometimes witty. Some people just don't like that you seem to have your priorities in line and that you have life figured out. They are so gung ho about bringing you down where they are. People can be reading my blog and say, "Sheesh, this hippy is all about being all smiles and loving everything. She is so lame and naive." Well, you know what, while you are over there thinking that life is not perfect and everything seems to be such a bother for you, I'm over here LIVING and LOVING LIFE. And....I'm happy. I'm not saying that I have my life figured out, but I'd like to say that I'm going in the right direction and I have the right idea of what life is all about.

Life is about living it. Duh. I mean how simple is that?

Life is about being able to appreciate, laugh, smile and love at everything that comes across your way. Its about learning from mistakes and making more til you make the right one ALL the time. Its about overcoming obstacles and its not over till you are no longer breathing and your heart is no longer beating. And even then, your soul will still be alive. I know it.

Stop hating....and start loving, people. That's the secret to life. Even Louis Armstrong said so.

P.S. Julia is leaving for Florida tomorrow and she is probably packing as I type. I'm gonna miss that girl. Come back sooon!

I Dare You To Start Living Your Life

It sure is....

....a wonderful world...

Love is the secret....

My Funny Valentine

February 14th, day of red roses with little notes, heart-shaped chocolates, candy with words of love, and kisses in every corner...

Oh amore...

Like I've said before, Valentine's day is not a big deal for me. It feels so corporate and mandatory to give someone a present just because the date on your calendar says so. I think 325 days of the year should be Valentine's day. We all need to tell everyone that we love them, and show them that we do. Give them a present and it doesn't necessarily need to be an object. Tell them how much you mean to them and that you love them. That's a present I wouldn't mind receiving every day.

And if you don't have a "valentine" today, don't fret. It's not the end of the world, because in reality you do have a valentine.....it's you. You are your greatest lover. .....

“Don’t love only your fellow humans. Love everyone and everything equally. All things are your fellow beings, not only humans.


By loving everything, you are really loving yourself. Everything is nothing but the expression of yourself. If you stand in front of a mirror, you love that reflection. You smile at it and it smiles at you. In the same way, the whole world is your projection. You love because you are made of love; not because you have to love. The scriptures say to love your neighbor as your Self. You don’t love your neighbor as an individual; you love that person as your Self.

That means you have to see your Self in the other person. Real love is possible only when you see everything as your own expression. All others are none other than you; they just appear to be different. We always need to go beyond the name and form. When we rise above the worldly limitations, we will find that the essence is the same.

Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi”
- Swami Satchidananda

Sunday Funday

So here I am, survived another week of homework deadlines, insane weather, and random moments...but I loved this week so here goes my top 10 things I loved and still do..

1.Baby showers. Just came from one and I loved that we are celebrating the arrival of a baby and she isn't even out of the womb yet! Such a joyous occasion with close friends that care for you. Love you baby Freytes.

2. Potbelly. Had another scrumptious lunch with my amazingbeautifulawesome friend Julia. Good company and good food is the recipe for a good soul lunch. :)

3. Shopping. I can't help it, I'm a girl. Hahahaha, I promise I'm not materialistic but I love getting clothes that makes me feel good and pretty...like a girl.

4. Lykke Li. I can listen to her voice all day. All....day...(and I love a good remix for a good song, it gives it that extra oomph to get your booty moving)


 5. A good margarita. A girl like me definitely needs to let loose and have fun. So one or two margaritas unravels all those knots.

6. My new hair color. It's starting to grow on me. Fiery red. Meeeeow!

7. Valentine dinners. My boyfriend did good. He took me to Giordano's this Saturday to celebrate Valentine since we can't go out on Monday. Don't necessarily care for corporate Valentine's Day, but when my man does things like these, I'm not oppose to it. Especially if it includes food. Hahaha, yumm.

9. Unexpected presents. Co-worker gave me a book to read since she's seen me reading the Twilight Saga books for the 15 millionth time (sssssh, she doesn't know I've read them that much). And Julia gave me some seashells from Florida....siiiiigggghhh...... Summer, you are not that far away. :)

8.I love a good book. I love fiction but I don't mind reading non-fiction books. I just love getting into someone else head.

10. I'm loving my new control on my temper with my sisters. No need to fight with those little rascals. I love them too much to not spend time talking.

If sisters were free to express how they really feel, parents would hear this:  "Give me all the attention and all the toys and send Rebecca to live with Grandma."  ~Linda Sunshine

I love love love you, me and the world. 

Oh madre (mother)

I love my mom. I would do anything for that woman, and I worry so much for her bc she has gone through so much. But even when her health is failing (she got a full hysterectomy last spring), she never seems to panic. She keeps her worries about herself to herself to protect us from stress.

....that woman always keeping us in mind when she shouldn't.....

Anyways, she is my rock, a friend I will have for life and I'm so grateful to have her but gosh, can that woman drive me crazy. With her never-ending questions about what I'm doing for the day, even though I just told her five minutes ago about my plans, or her wild imagination, which she always assumes that I'm lying to her about something.

Oh and she wants me to make her a grandmother already (keep in mind that I'm not even married yet and 23 years old).

I love her and I know that when I'm 47 years old and I have my kids, I will have inherited her superstitions, crazy thinking, and overwhelming love, and my kids will be blogging about how much I drive them crazy...

Madre needs to stop worrying about me, she raised me. I know I'm gonna turn out just fine.



Favorite picture of madre and me..



Dear Celebrities....

Please stop making marriage look like its a bad thing. You make marriage look like a game and you can hit the game over button any time you feel like its getting too hard or you've lost interest.

Isn't marriage supposed to be wonderful for forever, not just the honeymoon phase? My parents have been married 23 years and I've seen up-close how wonderful it is to be a team. To be a lover and a best friend at the same time. I'm not saying that all their years have been just like a fairy tale, we are humans and we are put into this world to make mistakes but to learn from them, which will make us stronger, better, and smarter. They have been borderline of separating but neither of them gave up. Neither of them just raised their hands and said "I GIVE UP!"

Marriage is supposed to be something sacred, a union between two souls to become one undestructible team against all evil of the world. Marriage is the union between two best friends sharing secrets and supporting each other through the good and the bad.

Man and woman, woman and woman, man and man.....let there be love, happiness and strength in your life ever after...

Wha What?

So yesterday I got a close-up of anger mashed up with impatience. Blah! Why are we in such a rush all the time? Why do people get angry for the smallest things? Don't you know that the more stress you put on yourself the higher the risk of you getting a heart attack? Common sense don't you think? Why put your body through so much when it has been 90% good to us (10% is when we are sick, but I mean come on! It is kicking diease's butt when while we lay on our bed!). So next time you get sick, massage your ears and say "woooooosah"....oh wait, that's Bad Boys II.

Just take a minute or two people. Everything is gonna be alright.
By the way, I dyed my hair today, didn't like the outcome but why am I going to throw a fit for something that is FIXABLE. I did complain about it a little bit (which I regret) but I gotta say I handled it a bit better than I would have a couple years ago. Years ago, I would have cried and cursed at anyone that came across my way.

Hakuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase....

These boots are made for walking...

So this Saturday, I bought some rain boots. I don't know why I got rain boots in this weather but I guess I was just so excited to know that spring is around the corner. It's PEEKING ITS HEAD OUT! Can't wait. Well, I picked the girliest, brightest boots because i'm just so tired having to wear dark colors, black black black black BLACK! Ugh, that's probably one of the downfalls of being a hostess. I need a little bit of color in my life and a little reminder that good times are to come, like primavera (that my darlings, is spring in Spanish). Had another awesome lunch with my friend Julia, what an amazing person that girl is. She can make something negative into something positive, what a breath of fresh air that is....

Sunday Love...

So here goes my list of the ten things I loved this week....:)

1. Wedding pictures. Oh my goodness, you guys need to understand the magic that some of these pictures exude. It has love written a million times in them. LoveLoveLoveLoveLoveLoveLoveLove

These pictures were taken by Sara Neal, an amazing photographer.

2. Snow. It makes everything look so magestic and pure.

3.Rilo Kiley. It has become my favorite band. I don't care if they are no longer together, they left a beautiful footprint in the music world. (and I have a crush on Jenny Lewis).

4.Snow days. Thank you Blizzard of 2011, you let me lounge around my house for the whole day eating and reading.

5. After such a crazy blizzard, I love technology. I'm so happy that we have so many different ways of communicating with loved ones to check up on each other.

6.I love shopping at Target. You find the cutest things for such low prices.

7. Julia "Gulia". Her friendship means so much to me. She sends so much love and positive energy even in her texts.

8.Chewy chocolate chip cookies with cold milk. (just had some....yummm.)

9. I love how adventurous my little sister Anahi has become. She takes risks and honestly doesn't care what people think about her. One day, I want to be brave like her.

10. On that last note, I love anyone who has so much confidence that it's contagious. They don't care about what size, shape, color they are. They know they are beautiful and that is all that matters. :)

Love you all, have a great night.




New Favorite Quote..

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. -Jimi Hendrix

Love sick...

Completely in love with the idea of love. Completely in love with the idea of happiness. Completely in love with the idea of the present. Completely in love with the idea of my future with love, happiness, and the present.

I want to live with peace and love in my heart. That is all.

I'm only a woman....

I often think about the moon kissing the sun goodnight....

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's THUNDERSNOW!

Oh my, what a night that my family and I experienced. It was completely insane and I'm so grateful that we were together, safe and in the comfort of our home. Although, our lights kept turning off and we screamed every time it did. Even Duchess joined us with her barks. Hahaha. Silly dog.

We woke up to about 20 inches of snow and it was a sight to see. I mean, I felt like we were in an igloo! We started shoveling our selves out. My sister and I spotted our elderly neighbor trying to shovel his way out of the house and my sister and I ran to the rescue. Loved that part of the day. I think times like these is when you need to appreciate and be grateful that you have family, your health and a home. It was a good day to be alive. :)

Snow, Will

So today at work, I was checking reservations for tonight and I almost fell down laughing when I saw this name...Will Snow. That was his name, Will Snow, and indeed it did snow! HA! Living in Chicago has its perks, but sometimes its downfalls....like living in a winter wonderland pumped with steroids. We are in a middle of blizzard and everyone is in state of panic!

SNOWZILLA!!!! Rawr....

I think days like these are perfect for CUDDLING up to a nice book with a snuggly robe and drinking some hot hot hot chocolate...

Be safe everyone and enjoy watching the snow dance to rock because when Summer comes and it's 105 degrees....everyone is gonna wish they were making snow angels naked. ;)

P.S. Check on your loved ones, as often as you can.