I tried blogging yesterday, mostly because of the fact that Annie was talking about all these superstitious things, one being that doing something on the 31st or the 1st will help you do whatever you did all through the year. For example, cleaning your house completely promises a clean house all year. If this is true, I’m going to have unwashed dishes, unmopped floors, a grimy bathroom, and a messy bedroom strewn with toys all year long. At least I’ll have clean clothes!
Obviously I didn’t blog yesterday, so sadly I probably won’t be blogging much this next year–if the superstition is true. I’ve become so bad with blogging. I feel like my site’s just taking up space. We’ll see how it goes in the next month or two. If I still can’t manage to update on a regular basis I think I might just scrap the whole site/blog thing. I’ve been doing this since 2001, so it kills me to stop blogging, but with graduation coming up and maybe a potential job, I can just tell I won’t have time for online things anymore. How do people manage to have a life AND blog?? I feel SO bad because I haven’t even had time to visit my friends or even wish them Merry Christmases or a Happy New Year!
Christmas was fantastic. The whole family was here, well, with the exception of Gramma but we did go see her on Christmas Eve. The kids woke up, ready to rip open presents and when everyone arrived at Mary’s, they each had their little piles and opened them up in front of the adults. Eenan and Jaylen couldn’t have been happier with their presents from Santa.
Eenan screamed, “I knew I was getting a DS!”, and Jaylen couldn’t believe his eyes when we opened the front door and he saw his little Powerwheels. They were so happy with their presents and I thank God that we were doing okay in ’05 and could actually afford to get them nice things.
I’d told Mario to promise he wasn’t going to get me anything else since we got our rings but he bought me something anyway. A black shirt from Hot Topic that said, “Cute on the outside, naughty on the inside”, and a mauve-colored, suede Union Bay bag I’d loved from JC Penny. I felt elated but so bad at the same time since I didn’t get him anything :(. Next year though. I’m counting on my job so that I can surprise him just as he’s always surprised me :).
I ended up having to exchange the shirt for a completely different one since it had two little tears in it and they didn’t have my size. I exchanged the Grumpy one too (which was from Mary) since Mom had already gotten it for me. I exchanged the jeans Mary got me since they were L.E.I.’s and the only size 5’s I can squeeze into comfortably are Arizona stretch boot legs. (God I need to lose weight for Noelia and Andy’s wedding!)
Mario had this past Friday off so we went to the mall and did our exchanges (Hot Topic even threw in one of the shirts I was leaving behind but I was too embarrassed to go back once I realized what happened 
, so I got a free shirt!). One of his bosses wanted him to go in to work, but since we had stuff to do all day he didn’t get a chance to. He was supposed to work on Saturday but I woke him up late (I forgot he went in at 9 instead of 10). When he called the “boss” to tell him he was going to be a few minutes late, Mr. Boss said to stay home if he was going to be late. Mario obliged and came home. I was thrilled to spend extra time with him, but my gosh, this dude (the boss) throws hissy fits for everything. He’s the same one that suspended Mario for three days because he playfully told him “fuck you”–which the boss himself tells EVERYONE.
We ended up watching The Nightmare Before Christmas and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with the kids that morning. It was nice to just be home together.
That night Jose, Elda and the boys were here, Noelia and Andy, Jorge and Bonnie, Mary, Mario and I and our boys, Mom, Yazmin, and after midnight Tommy, Yadira and Angela joined us. Since Mary brought some tequila over from her and Yazmin’s quick trip to Reynosa I made Margaritas, Mom made her homemade burritos, and Mario made his famous Bailey’s Milkshakes. All the kids popped fireworks. Eenan quickly changed his mind once he inhaled smoke from a sparkler and as the night wore on, Jaylen became extremely brave and was lighting “big” fireworks with a punk. I was so nervous, but Mario and Jose kept reassuring me that he was fine. Sammy was lighting Black Cats and at one point one shot straight for his eye! Luckily it hit him about an inch under, but I was terrified of the kids using the fireworks after that.
When 12am came around we clinked our plastic cups of champagne together (in my case, a Margarita since I don’t like champagne either), Mario and I had our New Year’s good luck kiss and we hugged everyone that was present. It was such a nice night 
. Our neighbors across the alley always have those really big, fancy fireworks so we turned our chairs to that direction and just watched and talked till about 1:30a.m. I tried calling my friends at exactly 12 but the lines must have all been tied up since nobody here could get through on their cells.
Mario had a day off again yesterday but we hardly spent time together since we were each doing our own thing. He was off helping his uncles clean up Grandpa’s lot and I cleaned the house a little bit and then Mom and I went to Aunt Nora’s. She had a gift for each of us (need to get her something, too!) and she gave me 5 Rubbermaid bins full of Christmas decorations! Mom, of course, fought me on a few things (Aunt Nora yelled, “Woman, these were for Yaya!”) but I got most of what I wanted. I even kept the tiny, brand-new tree she gave us. I thought Mario was going to have a fit, but he was in an incredibly good mood last night. Just in case, I’d made everything I kept fit into just two bins, woo!
We’re planning on having a garage sale sometime this month so I’ve slowly (very slowly) been getting stuff together. I really need to look through the big closet and the kids clothes and toys. Gawd. That room looks like a disaster area 
. I’m GOING to be more organized this year. I have to if I want to keep my sanity.
I have a feeling 2006 and my 24th birthday are going to be the best. I just know it will be. I’m so grateful for everything we had and everything that happened in 2005. It was a fabulous year.
And now, for New Years Resolutions! Out of last year’s I only did #’s 2 and 9, tried doing #8 to no avail, and of course you can never do enough of #5. As for this year:
1. Continue getting good grades at school and graduate on April 26th.
2. Visit Gramma more often.
3. Visit Aunt Nora more often.
4. Get organized!
5. Split bedroom (grr!)
6. Finish with the bathroom walls.
7. Lose weight in time for Noelia and Andy’s wedding!
8. Get a job I love after graduation.
9. Treat each day like it’s the last. Tell my family/friends I love and appreciate them every chance I get.
10. Spend more time loving my husband and kids.
11. Be NICER and more patient.
12. Stop being so hard on myself when I don’t get straight 100’s in school. (I’m stressing out more and more lately, it’s ridiculous.)
13. Make time to blog and visit online friends!
A list of my loot.
1. 13″ True Heart bear from Mary and Big Mario.
2. 13″ Hopeful Heart bear from Mary and Big Mario.
3. Shape hole-punchers and punch-helper from Mary.
4. Victoria’s Secret Garden Pure Seduction lotion and body spray from Mary.
5. 10″ Harmony Bear dressed in “rockstar” clothes 😛 from Mary.
6. Pink anime Tinkerbelle shirt from Mary and Big Mario.
7. Gray Grumpy Bear shirt from Mary and Big Mario (which I exchanged for a green Bambi one since I already had it).
8. Two pairs of jeans from Mary and big Mario (which I exchanged for a different size and a mauve-colored Cheshire cat shirt).
9. A Precious Moments planner/calendar from Mary.
10. A brown velour track jacket with gold trim from Natalie (my gift exchange).
11. Mauve/suede Union Bay bag from Mario.
12. Black “Cute on the Outside, Naughty on the inside” shirt from Mario (which I exchanged for a white Little Mermaid one since the black one had two tears and they didn’t have any in my size :().
Things I got before Christmas:
1. Dining set from Mom.
2. Gray Grumpy Bear shirt from Mom.
3. Black Penny shirt from Mom.
4. Engagement/Wedding rings from Mario :).
Things I got from our friends at school:
1. Hello Kitty toaster, Hello Kitty light switch, and Care Bear stickers from Lucy.
2. Red glass pitcher, glasses and Care Bear card from Ricci.
3. Red sequin hand bag, pink filigree/rhinestone clip, and pink/silver charm bracelet from Mayra.
4. Good Luck bear baby and a card from Romeo and Kimberly.
5. A huge Sweet Pea bath and lotion set from Rosy (my gift-exchange).
(more…)
. We were pretty pissed to find out that we didn’t actually get a grade for the study guide and the ones who didn’t do anything just wrote the answers in when we were “checking” our answers. Grr.
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. I feel over-sensitive, so can you imagine? I feel like crying every 5 minutes!
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. Thanks to all who left helpful and sympathetic comments 
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