May = One Busy Month!

So glad to see that I last wrote only 10 days ago. As I was running this evening, I started thinking about my blog, among other things, and I was certain my last entry was at the end of April. I thought, "How could that be?" In realty, that wouldn't have been so 'off' for me, since I haven't been on top of the blogging this year. That's probably because I always like to have pictures to include with my posts. Oh well! Next one!

May is nearly over, and I'm truly shocked. This month went by much too quickly, and thinking back on it, there was minimal drama in my life. That's always a good thing! ha! Perhaps it seemed to fly by because I was working nonstop on my final papers for the first two weeks of the month. Once my papers and class were finished, the next two weeks were all about graduation, after graduation, after graduation, along with Shannon's birthday, but I missed the party because of -- graduation, lol. Her next celebration was the day before a half-marathon, so I missed that one, too. Sorry, Shan! Three very special people reached this amazing accomplishment, and I could not be happier for them! My sister, Marisel, our aunt, Mildred, and my cousin, Bethany all graduated within last two weeks. Now they will be on their way to bigger and better things! We celebrated everyone's day differently, and each event was special in it's very own way!

Now it's Memorial Day weekend. I sit here shaking my head wondering where every day has gone. Part of me wishes I wrote daily, like in a journal, just to truly reflect. When the weekend is over, it'll be June...and there will be 19 more days of school a.k.a. work. Then camp begins... Time is moving too quickly. I think it's time I stop and smell the roses, cherish the moments, and really take things in. That's my plan for June. : )

Nighttime Rituals

At 11:15 p.m. I'm already 45 minutes 'late' for bed. It's important that I get 8-9 hours of sleep each night, or else I'm not as functional as I'd like to be the next day. Today was a long one, which turned into an even longer night. After work and a run, my family and I celebrated Titi Mildred's birthday. The time together was entertaining, as always. I really didn't mind getting home later than usual. What I mind is that I'm still awake. If I didn't have to do ALL the things I do before getting to sleep, I wouldn't still be up. Really, though, the things I MUST do before bed (besides washing up) are: get a cup of water to have on the night table, make sure the door is locked, the closets are closed and the shower curtain has been pulled open. Those are my nightly rituals. However, they shouldn't have me up til 11:15. Then I stopped to really think about WHY I'm still awake. Perhaps the phone call with my friend, Cathy, added to my 'late' night, or the straightening of my mane (a.k.a. my hair); maybe it was reading up on people's Facebook or my friend's blogs. All I know is that as I was straightening the shower curtain, I thought, "I do this every night...why?" In reality, my 'nighttime rituals' aren't SO important. They are funny to think about, if anything, but they are part of me...and my silliness...and I guess that's what makes them OK.

One More Week!

It's nearing the end of another semester at Hunter. If I read back to this time last year, I will laugh at the craziness I went through when trying to complete the papers I thought I never would. Those feelings of stress, uncertainty, pressure and helplessness are still quite real. I have spent the last three weeks engrossed in papers for the ONLY course I took this semester. The one thing that worked against me was that the professor gave us NO due dates, except for the last day of class. All papers are due then, or before, if we were so motivated. I simply don't work that way. I need dates. I knew, though, that I did not want to wait for the very last minute to get them done. Procrastination has proven that it is not my friend. That being said, with one week left in the semester I've really worked hard within the last month. The 4 hours I put into today's two article responses, and the weekend I worked on my final and two other papers have all been worth it. I just have one more report to write up, and I'll be set. That will be my Saturday, and I'll be okay with it. This is the semester that I decided I was going to put Procrastination to rest--for good. I've done pretty okay, I have to say.
Now, off to sleep...this season's allergies are terrible and adding to my exhaustion! :)

Mother's Day Weekend

It's been a busy weekend, and I know the rest of the month will be just the same. However, it was a special weekend. There were First Holy Communions to celebrate and Mother's Day. Both events were quite special. I am glad I was invited to be part of those celebrations!

Today, I celebrated Mother's Day with my mother, aunts, uncle, cousins, and grandmother. Although it was as WINDY as a late October day, the sun was shining brightly, and we were NICE & WARM inside my aunt's house. There we had a lovely dinner, watched t.v. and just sat around enjoying the company that we don't get the chance to often enough.

I was fortunate to start the day with a Mother's Day 10K race with my mom. An 8 a.m. start at the beach wasn't my idea of great start to a Sunday morning. I was exhausted, and it was very cold and windy. However, we used the wind to our advantage, as it cooled us off when we got too warm. Running into wind is about as difficult as running uphill. Neither is easy, but you do it slowly and steadily, and we did. Of course there was grunting, complaining, and breathing...there was also conversation, laughter, and picture taking. My mom and I do not usually run together, simply because we run at different paces. Since it was a Mother's Day race, I thought it would be nice to stay together. She usually doesn't like for me to 'talk' during the run because I simply can not 'shut up' as she says. ha! That's okay, though. I just keep on going, whether it be running or talking! ha! I'm glad I decided to run with her. She did a wonderful job, and finished with a respectable time of 1:11. Awesome job, Mom!

I am truly thankful that I had the opportunity to spend time with my mother today. She is a wonderful person with a great heart. I pray she is blessed all the days of her life.

Love you, Mom! xoxo