Be Patient and Pray

Do you ever wake up, and just thank God for the people he sends into your life? Recently, I've been doing this a lot. I mean a lot!! I don't think I've mentioned this before. You know that Ignacio is a professional musician. He's got his teaching degree, for music. But he prefers to perform. He's a professional mariachi. And teaches private lessons during the week.

Years ago, he was in another really good mariachi. From what I hear. I didn't know him at the time. Essentially, the musicians were all so good, that they were asked to join the "touring groups." As in the elite professional mariachis. That meant their local group broke up.

3/4 of the guys went to the professional touring groups. The other 1/4 wanted to stay right here. As I hear it, Ignacio had only played in the group for 6-8 months. He was also in college. And decided to stay home. But he kept in touch with these other musicians.

A handful of those guys, joined 1 local group. It's the best group here. They weren't looking for anymore violin players. That's what Ignacio plays. Just a few months before that, they had hired 4 violin players. Ignacio, and 1 other guy, went to a different group.

A lot happened since then. A big flood, here in town. That split that group, between 2 cities. The jefe of the group (boss) had a family emergency. That took him out of state, for a few years. Things like that. But the group, stayed together. Rallied around each other. And they are so good!! They even have one woman in the group. Who rocks the socks off of people. She is that good!!

This woman, also happens to be a good friend. And when the mariachi was looking for another violin player, she remembered Ignacio. It didn't hurt, that they ran into each other one day. You see, her "day job" is working at a hospital. And during the Fall, Ignacio had to go to the ER one day. We ran into Chiquitita. I'd never met her. But she was incredibly sweet!! Made sure that we got the best care.

About a week later, Ignacio had a follow up appointment, and we decided to have lunch at the hospital after. Mostly for the sake of time. And we were hungry!! We ran into Chiquitita again. And she started to tell us about this opening in the group. Ignacio and her set up a time, that he could go audition.

Next thing I knew, Ignacio had the job!! I know, a lot of it is because of our friend. She put in a good word for Ignacio. It's been a complete blessing!! In more ways, than I can even begin to tell you. The money is a lot better!! Ignacio has so much more work now. And steady work. He's in the best group, in this area. There's a lot of traveling. Oh, and this flipping AMAZING group of friends!!

Sorry about that long run on. But it helps you to better understand the following things. We have a new "family." That embraces us. The reality of our situation is, that weeks after Ignacio got this new job, we moved in together. Never brought it up to anyone. That I was moving. But on "moving day" all these wonderful people were there. To help us. And they brought lots of food!! And some gifts. :)

From the beginning, they invited us into their "circle." To join them twice a week for church and dinner. Every Tuesday and Thursday night, we meet. It's just over an hours drive for us. But it's so worth it!! The friendships that have bloomed, in such a short amount of time, are so strong. Intimate. And much needed!!

Now with Lent, we'll meet more often. Our church has special masses, almost every day. And I'm looking forward to it. The ladies also invite me to a bible study. For women. And it was such a nice retreat. I learned so much about myself. About what I want in life. And I've gotten so much closer with God!!

These ladies, have opened their hearts to me. Especially, this lady. Who inspired me, to start a blog. This man, opens his home to us, all the time. He feeds us all, and never asks for anything in return. This "family" was unexpected. But were so happy for them!!

When my week is not going as planned, I can turn to any one of these people. For an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, some advise, and lots of prayer. It means so much to me. I've never had a lot of friends. I've had a few, close friends. But this new situation, makes me so happy. And thankful. That God would bless Ignacio and I, with such sweet and pure souls.

I've learned so much about life, in just a few short months. I've learned to appreciate more. To pray, and depend on God, much more than I was doing. That there are incredible people out there. I've been inspired to be a better person. To do more for others. To be more, like this lady. Who gives with all her heart. Not ever thinking, of what she will get in return. I'm glad that God sent us, these friends. Who with all honesty, are our new family!!

Beautiful!!

I took to Pinterest for a little inspiration again. :) I've been looking for outdoor ideas. I haven't really "nailed" what I want. But I've been searching.

I've also been talking to 2 of my friends. Louisa and Manders. About wedding ideas. Louisa is getting married in June. And Manders is doing all the hair, makeup, and nails.....for both our weddings. :)

I think with my dress, the outdoor ceremony, and a simple, floor length veil.....that it would be best to wear my hair up. I started searching out "up dos." Most looked like "prom hairstyles." Nothing that I was envisioning. Then I talked to Manders again.

She showed me the picture that Louisa found. It's amazing!! Too bad, I can't find it now. :( It's what I was thinking of. Loose, elegant, soft. Again, I searched. With no luck! A lot of the hairstyles that I liked, were modeled on blonds. Which I'm not!! And I think, what made them look so good, was the highlights and lowlights. My hair is dark. Super dark.

I immediately knew, I needed something different. More simple. Something that highlighted my natural hair. More than anything, I didn't want to look so different, that I didn't recognize myself. Do you know what I'm talking about? Have you seen those brides. The ones that you have to do a double take with. To make sure, that it's the same person. Ya, I don't want that!!

Manders emailed me this picture early last week. And I LOVE it!! I actually had seen it a while back, on Pinterest. When I went back to look, I just knew, this was going to be it. We're trying it out later this week. To be honest, we don't have to. I'm already sold!

I think this will be a nice hairstyle. Something that my veil can work well with. But after the ceremony, and I take my veil off, will still look nice. And polished. I'm glad that these pieces are falling into the puzzle nicely. And so early!! This wedding planning business, isn't so bad after all. :)

A Gift for My Love.....

Ignacio and I were trying to decide on what to do for Valentine's Day. Being that we're saving money for our wedding. And we really didn't want to spend money, that well, we could spend on our wedding.

We decided on a low-key Valentine's Day this year. Which is pretty ironic. The last few years, we've made big plans. Gone out. Not on the actual day, but close to Valentine's day. Mostly because Ignacio usually has a day full of gigs. That's part of being in love with a musician. :)

But this year, we're going to order in some good food. Rent a few of our favorite movies. And spend a quiet night at home. Just me and him. Celebrating our love!! ;) Gift wise, well we were thinking something small. Not too much money. Just a small gift.

Immediately, I had no clue what to buy. Ignacio is not a complicated man. Heck, he'd be thrilled with an ice cream cake. Or a new CD. But I wanted a more meaningful gift. I took to the internet. And searched.....

Pinterest had all sorts of fun ideas. Jars with sticks, with ideas of things to do for one another. Decks of cards, with reasons why I love Ignacio. Little gift basket ideas. Things that he'd enjoy. But nothing seemed intimate enough. You know, special and meaningful.

I kept searching. My searching also turned to engagement picture ideas. Things we want to try out. we're taking our engagement pictures, at the end of the month. Ignacio also joined me for a little while. We were looking at things that we enjoyed together. While searching, I suggested to Ignacio, that we should make something for each other. For Valentine's Day. He liked the idea.

Well, to my surprise, we found a picture that we really enjoyed. An idea that seemed intimate, timeless, and perfect!! Something to capture this exact moment in our lives. Then it hit me, we could do this for each other. For Valentine's Day. :)

What do you think? Ignacio liked the idea too! Immediately, we called our photographer. We hadn't even noticed that it was nearly 10pm!! But she loved the idea! And we made the appointment. You see, the picture above, is actually 2 pictures. Framed separately. But hung like this. :)

Ignacio went yesterday. While I was in class. And this evening, when Ignacio  went to work, I went to the photographers. I really can't wait to see our pictures!! We've been guaranteed, that they'd be ready on Valentine's Day. And now, I'm so excited!! This is going to be something that we'll have, and cherish for years and years. :)

Dress of My Dreams!!

My sisters convinced me, that I needed to search out a wedding dress. Since now. OK, it wasn't that hard to convince me. They told me that there were 2 sales going on. And well, we went. Spent an entire day, playing dress up!! Figuring out what worked, and what didn't.

I knew I wasn't going to buy anything. Not yet. Being that our wedding date, is more than a year away!! But I wanted to start looking at my options. Deciding what I liked. And what I didn't. Because really, I've never thought of a specific wedding dress.

There are a few things that I knew ahead of time. I wanted a somewhat traditional dress. With lace. But not a ballgown. I want to get married outside. So my dress needs to reflect that. Nothing too crazy. But something timeless, and elegant.

We looked around. I found a few things that I liked. But nothing that just screamed "that's my dress." I spent some serious time, going through bridal magazines. Tons of them actually!! But nothing was really standing out. There were things I liked from this dress, and things I liked from that dress. But not a single dress, that had them all.

My sister suggested that I search online. I took to some bridal websites. Saw things that I really enjoyed. I actually printed out a few dresses, and emailed links to a local shop. Then, while searching for outdoor wedding ideas on Pinterest, I found her!!

Isn't she gorgeous?? I like that this dress isn't completely strapless. Being that we're getting married by a priest. I feel strongly, that I need to be covered up, in a religious ceremony. The lace is just amazing!! And the silhouette is just perfect!!

I would like a deep red flower instead. I've searched around, looking for the source. With no luck!! But the lady at our local bridal shop, told me she'd do some searching. And if she couldn't find it, we could actually have it made. And ahead of time. So I can see it, and really fall in love. You know, with plenty of time before our wedding. :)

It's crazy how life works out. But it's nice. I'm also thinking about wearing red shoes. I think that would be nice. I'm so glad that my sisters took me shopping. :) And I've been assured, that this dress, should be in my budget. Who knows, I might even start ordering our wedding favors too!!

Paint My Nails Please :)

Valentine's Day is just 2 weeks away!! I've been trolling the Dollar Spot at Target. Don't you just love that place? I've picked up a few decorations, and some kitchen goodies. I know!! But it's so fun.

My mom always made a big deal, of Valentine's Day. Telling me and my sisters, just how much she loved us. And that this day, was just for us. Can you imagine my surprise, when I went to middle school, and realized this day was for lovers??

Now that I've got this amazing man, that I love with all my heart. Well, I want to sing from the rooftops!! I don't have a good singing voice, so I'll spare everyone. Instead, I'm decorating our home. And looking for special ways, to celebrate this day of love. :)

Let me tell you, there are a ton of ideas out there!! I've been searching them out. Wondering what I can actually tackle. And what might be, well a bit too much. Or too complicated. But as usual, Pinterest has not let me down. Just look at what I found.....

Cute nails!! Right?? Classic Valentine's Day colors.....red and white. Cute with all those polka dots. And I think, simple enough for me to tackle. I say this, only after consulting with a fairly new friend of mine. Mrs. Manders. Who also happens to be a makeup artist, and hair dresser.

She told me to buy a decent nail polish. Something that's not too runny. Paint my nails with 2 coats, letting them dry completely between coats. Then use a ballpoint pen. Shut your mouth!! I know. :) I've got a million dried up pens. I'll use one. Then dot away. Finish off, with a good topcoat.

Heck, this seems so easy, I might just tackle my toesies too! How fun is this going to be?? Just 2 weeks to go. Wow!! I have a million ideas. Just for my man. Do you have any to share??

Please Teach Me!!

I've been wearing makeup for years now. Nothing too complicated. Nothing too extravagant. Nothing too fabulous. I've always wanted to learn how to do "more complicated" makeup. But where do you learn?

There are just some women, that know how to do such things. They make magic, out of their makeup. Me? Not so much. I throw on some lipstick, sweep on some eyeshadow. Once in a while, I'll pull out blush. My one "go-to" makeup item is mascara. It's the one thing, that I'm really good at. Heck, I've got to ask someone to help me pick the right foundation color.

Don't ask me to do my own eyebrows. Or put on eyeliner. Dear me, oh my!! Eyeliner and I, are enemies. Not even frenemies. We are enemies!! I don't know how to apply it. And honestly, it's just a disaster. All. The. TIME!! Let's not even talk about putting a pointy item, near your eye!!

Then I go on these little kicks. I watch a ton of beauty videos on YouTube. Look through a bunch of beauty blogs. Eventually, I land on Pinterest. Drooling over pins like this.....

How do they do it? Practice? Because boy, I practice. If I spend 45 minutes, I can get the eyeshadow to halfway look like this. My eyelashes always look full. It's the one thing I know how to do. Slap on 3 coats of mascara. My eyebrows, well I pay to have those babies done. And they look good.

But that eyeliner. I just can't get the hang of it. My lines are wobbly, uneven, and crooked. One eye has a thick line. The other, has a gap between my eyeliner and eyelashes. :( Why can't I do this? Oh, let's not even get started on "tight lining." Or lining my bottom lashes. All these things, make me look like a raccoon. Or like my little nephew did my makeup.....

Does anyone have tips and tricks? Is there a specific YouTuber that I should be watching? A place I can go to learn. Or even a product that I should be using? Yes, I'm asking you. And you!! Please help a girl out. I'd love to recreate something like this. :)

Just Breathe.....

Today I started back at school. The beginning of our Spring Semester. Crazy how from the second the alarm went off this morning, until I was driving home this afternoon, all I could think of.....was home!!

College for me, has been a dream come true. Something that I wanted to do, since I was a little girl. But I wasn't always sure it would be a possibility. Low and behold, I got a scholarship. :) Then my mom and dad, offered to help me out. Just a little. With some of my books. And I got another job.

For the first 2 or 3 years that I was in college, I worked. Hard. Long hours. I had 2 jobs. And went to school. It was also the first time, I'd lived on my own. Even if I had a roommate, I felt like I was doing it for myself. For the first time in my life!! All tough things. But I knew I could handle it.

But it's like something has changed. I no longer want to be in college. I'm done. So over classes, homework, and group projects. Maybe it's being engaged. And looking into the future. Planning the next phase of my life, with Ignacio. That suddenly makes me want out of college.

I graduate in just over a year. May 2013. It seems like a million years away!! I know that it's not. I've taken out the calendar, a million times. Counted the months. Then the weeks. And finally the days. 16 months. I can do it!!

My one salvation, is my job. I work on campus. It's not a big job. It's a work study job. But it's a fun deal. I enjoy the people I work with. And it's a lot of the "fluff" stuff, that goes with teaching. I get to design bulletin boards, make tons and tons of copies, and help with projects. Really, I help my professors get things together, for the "Student Teachers." And you know what? I don't just enjoy my job. I also enjoy the people I work with. :)

During my 90 minute commute this morning, I thought about all these things. Wondering why I left home at 6:30am, and was still stuck in traffic. I used to live on the west side of town. Near my university. Now I live across town. On the east side. I'm still not used to this commute. Months later, it still drives me nuts!! Why am I doing this? And why, at this point are my classes still so early?

Well, I just turned to God. I turned off my radio. And started to pray. I NEEDED that!! I needed to reflect on all of this. To put it into perspective. To remember that I'm lucky. I get to go to college. I have a fiance, who wants to pay for it. He wants me to succeed. Dare I say, almost more than I want to. And I'm 3 semesters away from graduating. I can't give up now. Instead, I breathe. And turn to God. I know he will help me through this.

Who Would Have Thought??

I've been thinking of all the possibilities for our wedding. Honestly, I've been spending so many hours on Pinterest!! Just looking at all the possibilities. The ideas on there, just make me smile.

I probably should join Pinterest. That way I can make a wedding board. But that seems so premature at the moment. Being that we're still over a year, away from getting married. I do like to look around on there. Collecting a few ideas. I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but Ignacio and I set a date. April 27, 2013. :)

We're going to really start planning in the Fall. Until then, we're saving our pennies. Who knew that weddings were so expensive?? Wow!! The one thing we are going to do, is look at venues. There are so many possibilities. And I really want to get married outside.

Since we live in the southwest, it has to be a spring or fall wedding. It's just too hot in the summer!! That's why we picked spring. We've already met with our priest. And started our pre-cana sessions. It's a little early. As in we should start 6 months, before the wedding. But we feel like it's a good thing to start. You know, get us talking about the important issues.

Don't get me wrong. I've been buying bridal magazines. In fact, Ignacio had been planning our engagement for a while. Because my first issues of bridal magazines, showed up days after our engagement. :) He's a sweetheart!! And I've been spending hours and hours on Pinterest. Other than our wedding date, we've picked the wedding colors. :)

Thank you Pinterest!! That's where I found this picture. My favorite color is red. But I NEVER thought of purple. Don't you think they were made for each other? I do!! I'm thinking a deep red and deep purple. Oh, I can't wait!!

If you have anymore ideas for me, please let me know. Tell me about websites, magazines, blogs, etc. I need all the help I can get!! Especially with the money saving ideas. Boy, I could use some of those. :) Off to search Pinterest for some more inspiration!!

Looking for Something to Wear

I should start off with, I'm not a "fashionista." I don't buy expensive clothes. But I do love clothes!! Since I was 15, I've worked at a few clothing stores. All of which, where at the mall. Except my last job. Which was at a "fancy smancy boutique."

But I will say this, I spend tons of time, searching online. For fashion blogs, on Polyvore, and on Pinterest. I just like to see what people are wearing. How they pair clothes. Pretty much, I just like looking at clothes. :)

Right now, it's a little weird here in the SW. Weather wise. It's cold, but not freezing cold. Don't get me wrong, you need a jacket. But we're not like most people, during the winter months.

But for a city that gets well over 300 days of sunshine a year, it's been a little gloomy. I know. It's winter. But I'm not really a fan of all this gloom. And I wanted a little fashion inspiration. Something to brighten up my day. That's when I found this picture on Pinterest.

Hello!! Reminds me of this time of year. When temps are changing. But it's not really Spring yet. Yet the warmer temps, are flirting with us. :) If you're from the SW, you know what I mean. The weather is warmer, but not warm. It's not really winter. It's just between seasons.

Actually, if you ask me, this outfit would be nice for a casual Valentine's day. Maybe it's just the colors, that I'm really loving at the moment. Something fresh. A little crisp. But still cozy.

OK, I want to recreate this. But I need a few pieces. :) Maybe I should call up my sister, and head to the mall. ;) I've got the jeans, a similar sweater, and similar shoes. I really just need a shirt, in this pretty pink. And maybe a few accessories.

With all that said, are you "into" fashion? Is there a specific place you go for inspiration? Or a place that you shop at. Or long to shop at. I'd really like to hear all about it!!

Starting a New Beginning

Happy New Year!! Welcome to my new blog. :) I'm Anita. And I'm happily in love, with Ignacio. The greatest man, that I will ever know!! In fact, we've got some pretty big news. Today, we got engaged!! That's right. Just after midnight, Ignacio asked me to be his bride. And I said YES!!

I figured a blog would be a nice way to document, this new stage of life for us. A place that hopefully, I can keep track of wedding ideas and such. Hopefully, I will get to meet some new friends along the way. :)

A little bit about me and Ignacio. We've been dating for just over 2 years. The last 2 years, have made me a better person. Our love is deep, and strong. We live in the southwest. Where we don't really have "seasons." But the culture is rich!!

I'm a college student. Studying early childhood and elementary education. I'll be graduating in May 2013. And until a few months ago, I worked at a local boutique. I don't know how to cook. I often wish I was a "Domestic Goddess," like Martha Stewart!! And most Friday nights, you'll find me studying. And probably eating something sweet.

Ignacio is a professional musician. A mariachi violin player. And teacher. He teaches private lessons, when he's not performing. And when Ignacio is not working, he likes to go on road trips. Or hiking in the local mountains.

We have a strong belief in God. Have families that mean the absolute world to us. Friends that are more like family. We enjoy our culture. On special occasions, we indulge in our favorite restaurants. And our favorite past time, is lounging in our pjs.

I hope you stay tuned, to our adventure in life. This is only the beginning of our story. We have an entire lifetime to write. One that I hope, you will be a part of. Pull up a chair. I promise to be back. And soon!!