I have a BA!

The best perk of graduating in the fall at my university: the lights!

{From the night before graduation, Baccalaureate Mass on campus!} 

Mickey and I still can't believe we graduated from college! I mean…COLLEGE! It's a pretty big deal! We graduated in the same place as I graduated from high school! I was very emotional that morning because I was angry at the fact that my mom wasn't there.  Then I stopped and tried to calm down once I saw Mickey and asked for God's guidance.  I knew that my mom wouldn't be there rooting for me in the stands physically but even better, she was there with a great seat rooting for me spiritually.  I felt her presence as I walked in the coliseum and I could hear her voice and I couldn't help but smile and look in awe at the amount of people there.  It was so surreal, the bagpipes were being played, I got goosebumps and got teary-eyed and got chills (and not just because it was one of the colder days here in the south).  We passed by teachers and I saw one of my favorites (whom we had just seen prior to lining up!) I kept thinking "Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening."

I'll rewind a bit.  I woke up feeling weird because I couldn't believe it was my college graduation day.     I felt a bit frustrated with the fact that I was so sad and angry that my mom wouldn't be there but it all slowly started improving when I saw Mickey.  I met him at his house and we finished getting ready and then left for the coliseum! 

We got there and started getting in line and finding our fellow Comm Arts friends and we started taking pictures, laughing, and talking.  Mickey and I went outside for a bit because he was going to leave something in my car when I saw one of our favorite teachers! We screamed, he heard us, we got excited, we took a picture and we all had to leave.  It was so amazing that we got to see him because things had gotten so crazy that it was hard to visit him that last semester! We were literally running and screaming his name then we caught up with him and he turned around, 

it was like something out of the movies.  

Best theater teacher ever! He's told us he has officially adopted us.  We couldn't be happier! ;)

Then Mickey and I went back inside and came to the realization we were going to graduate together.  It was amazing.  We couldn't believe this was all happening.  We then proceeded to take this picture.  

#collegesweethearts

We started lining up and after a while it was our turn to walk into the coliseum! 

(Read top paragraph for details).  

Next thing we know, bam. We're walking the freaking stage.  But, prior to that, after three hours of waiting for our turn, I realized even the few sips of water was too much for my little body to handle and I ran to the restroom a couple minutes before I walked the stage! (Too much info?)

I heard Mickey's name being called first and I screamed for my darling! Then it was my turn and I found some people I had invited there rooting for me and then I stood there waiting for my name to be called.  I looked out onto everybody there and took a deep breath.  This was it.  I was about to graduate from college.  I knew my mom was bawling her eyes out and cheering like nobody's business.  I was stoked.  

"Amy C. …" 

that was all I heard and everything got quiet in my head.

It was like I was dreaming.  I started walking the stage and smiled when I got the president of our university and shook his hand, got my pretend diploma, bam, picture, walked more, shook a strangers hand, bam, picture, walked down a ramp, bam, pose, picture, grabbed an alumni pin from some nice ladies, found somebody I had invited, bam, pose, picture, walked back to my seat and saw Mickey, gave each other a semi-high five and sat down. 

OMG. I just graduated from college with my college sweetheart. 

OMG. I have a B.A. in Communication Arts with a 

Concentration in Production with a Minor in Theatre!

First generation. College Grad. Magna Cum Laude. Ahh!

Everything after that was awesome.  We took pictures and went to Chili's that night.  It was fantastic!

December 8, 2013
:)

I will give you guys more information on other things soon, including my internship, job prospects, goals and of course Christmas and New Years stuff! Get ready! I'm back in the blogging world!

Casino!

For the Fourth of July this year, I went to Louisiana with Mickey and his parents! 

It was amazing! 

We went to 

COUSHATTA!!!

So we left on the Fourth of July, like at around 3pm and got there late.  

The trip over there was fun.

Mickey and I played with his iPad and talked on the way. 

It was fun!

(I even packed snacks along the way)

[Life Cinnamon Cereal in serving sizes consisting of 120 calories!

Welch's Fruit Snacks & other stuff!]

Once we got there, we rested a bit and went gambling! 

A first for Mickey and me. 

We got carded [YEPEE] and I got a bracelet put on 

because I look like I'm 12 basically. It read "LEGAL age"

We walked in and my mind was blown. 

Seriously guys. Have y'all ever been to a casino? It's like a candy shop for adults or somethin'.  

Let me preface this by saying that Mickey's parents are really lucky and freakishly good at gambling.  They know their stuff. :)

They won lots of money on the trip and won some pretty much as soon as we got there!

WHAT? 

I warned ya.  

They're professionals.  :)

Mickey won a lot as well.

Hmm... I could get used to that. :)

I didn't win money till almost the last day we were there and it was awesome! 

I won $78 and screamed as if I had won a bagillion dollars.

I was one happy camper.  

I was carded one other time even though I was wearing the bracelet.

The officer grabbed my arm and asked me for my ID and she then said "You just look so young."

[It's a gift, ladies and gentlemen.]

Mickey played Black Jack and we played Roulette 

we both won money there too! 

26 black

 (I decided on part of that number because my sweet momma was born on April 26)

:)

Mickey and I went swimming and ate at some of the restaurants and had a fabulous time. We even went to this club they had there and listened to basically my "Get Low" station on Pandora live.

I felt so gangster.   

Did I mention that most of the people there were at least twice our age?

Yeah. We were like babies there. 

OOooooh! Also, there was this area where they had  drinks like coffee, tea, water, even Icee's or something like that:

FO FREE!

I guess shelling out all that money gambling gives gamblers the right to free drinks! 

That was definitely one of the greatest things ever. 

Powdered! This was also pretty cool!

Sorry for the blurriness of this picture below but it's such a cute stereotypical picture taken by a complete stranger. :)

This was our last picture there before going to Isle of Capri in Lake Charles, LA. 

This was cool.  

We played Black Jack (I won $80!) here and of course, the slot machines!

We were pros by this time though! We knew the rules of gambling and everything!

We came back that Saturday after the Fourth of July and were zombies but I have to say, that is one of the funnest roadtrips I've ever had. 

Mickey, thank you for being my good luck charm. 

Thank you to the Martinez family for inviting me.  

Y'all are amazing!

Count me in next time! 

:)

New Kind of Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

No chocolates or roses for this gal, I'm
a sour patch & carnations kind of girl. Mickey knows
his way into this girl's heart. ♥

So, I realized I left out vital information in my last post, so here's to catch y'all up.

I mentioned about a year ago that I was going to become part of Catholic Daughters of America (CDA) and I'm proud to say I was initiated on the 18th! Let's rewind a bit though.

The following weekend after I posted, Mickey and I went to a quince where we were the photographers and videographers.  They are family members of his and we've been working with them for a bit.  It was really cool because working at the chapel, I've always been on the other side so it was nice working as a photographer! It was also amazing to be able to use Mickey's Canon t2i! It's absolutely gorgeous!!! I want one SO bad! We were alternating using it, it was fun!

On the 17th of November, my darling Mickey turned 21! I surprised him the night before with a surprise birthday party at Magic Time Machine.  The details of how I planned this are too extend and so I won't bore you with them, just know there was lying and sneaking around being done.  Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right? Anyway, we rang in his 21st at midnight right after singing karaoke! We sang Twist and Shout (the day we got together-03.18.12-we watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off and so this song has special meaning to us).  That was the end of that night.  Each day starting from Thursday I had a surprise lined up for him.

Thursday 11.15  BIRTHDAY CUPCAKES!
Friday 11.16 SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!
Saturday 11.17 JACKET HE WANTED FROM TARGET!
Sunday 11.18 GIFTCARD FROM SALTGRASS WAS USED!

It was an amazing weekend.  We also went to a friend's wedding dinner/reception and our school's holiday event oh and of course, my CDA initiation! I know I had an amazing time planning everything for him and I LOVED seeing his face react to all the surprises.  I shocked myself by how well I kept this surprise!

Fast forward a bit to this week/weekend.  We celebrated our first Thanksgiving together!! I, unfortunately, had to work at Cracker Barrel but was out at 2pm.  I then headed over to my aunt's house and munched a bit and then went over to Mickey's parent's house.  It was so nice to see their traditions and how they do certain things. It was pretty awesome.  It was hard celebrating yet another Thanksgiving without my momma but I'm sure she loves seeing me happy and taken care of, not just by my aunt and uncle and friends (and her friends) but also by Mickey and his amazing family.  It was nice trying something new on Thanksgiving.  I've always celebrated it with my mom, my aunt and uncle, or neighbors, never with my boyfriend's family, so this was a HUGE deal & I absolutely loved spending time with him.  ♥

CDA flowers given to new inductees. :)

We wrapped up that night by going to Target and seeing some of the Black Friday deals.  My mom and I always wanted to do the whole Black Friday thing so it was nice to venture out and so.  We got a few movies and called it a night.  Today we got a bit more shopping in! Guys, Black Friday is the real deal! If you've never done it, I strongly recommend it.  Mickey and I already have a new game plan set up for next year! Why? Because that's how we roll!

BTW.  I MISSED FOREVER 21. ;)

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was wonderful and good luck on Cyber Monday my fellow shoppers!

Birthday & Family

HAHA.

So, fellow readers, yours truly is officially no longer a teenager! Whoohoo! That's right ladies and gentlemen, I'm 20! As of May 25, 2012 7:28pm I officially turned 20.  I am still in shock I think.  This week and especially my birthday were overwhelming and hectic.  I will recap it of course.

My aunt had her balloon procedure (heart) on the 24th.  She got out at around 3pm on the 25th.  She's doing very well!!! :)

So I've previously mentioned "my special someone", well, his name is Mickey, yes, like the mouse.  Well, this past week was especially tough for him and his family.  His grandmother went to heaven and this thursday and friday were the services.  I was honestly so blessed to have met her and talked with her a few times, she made me feel so comfortable.  I, unfortunately, can relate to his mom and his aunts and uncles as y'all know about my mom's passing.  The viewing was held on thursday (24th) and the burial on the 25th.  It was difficult but I feel my mom would be very proud of how I did with everything-even with all the tears.  I won't go into much detail but I learned a lot about family this week.

I've mentioned before how I'm not that close to my family.  My maternal grandmother passed away before I was born and the rest of the family (for the most part) didn't treat my mom with respect.  AT ALL.  We lived in Mexico for four years and that's where pretty much all of our family was located.  Now, they are a bit more diffused but still, we aren't close. My mom and I moved back to my hometown when I was 8 because of major family issues and we stayed here ever since.  I've been contacted by some family members (distant family members) through Facebook so it's pretty cool.  I find it interesting how things work, you know? My mom had wanted to get in touch with the family because she didn't want me to be alone and now it's like tadaa!! I don't know if this makes much sense but I'll say this.  I came to find that family is whoever treats you with respect, protects you, loves you, makes you happy and all those warm, fuzzy things.  Just because you're blood-related to someone may not necessarily make you family.  Family is much more than that.  Which brings me to my next point.

Spending this time with Mickey's family really made me happy.  Like cheesy happy.  Despite all they've gone through, they are so strong and they stick together.  They are there for each other through everything.  Even on the 25th, after Mickey's grandmother's burial, we all went to her house and they had this big family get together.  One of the many things I learned about Mickey's grandmother (during the viewing/services) was that she loved to make a bunch of food and invite everybody over to her house and just enjoy each other's company.  That's exactly what happened after the burial-which just so happened to be my birthday too.  They, get this guys, they made me a cake AND sang me happy birthday!!! It was seriously the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.  I feel like it's something my mom would totally have done! IT WAS SO NICE.  I almost cried tears of joy.  No joke.  I felt so welcome and part of the family, as cheesy as that sounds.  I absolutely love spending time with all of them and feel like my mom is so beyond happy.

This is kind of what the cake looked
like except it was much better!

The rest of my birthday celebrations were nice too.  It's kind of been like a birthday weekend.  So it's been nice.  Here was my birthday weekend in a nutshell:

Fri. May 25th-BIRTHDAY!
-Had like two hours of sleep the night before.  I have no clue why I couldn't go to sleep.
-Went to periodontist appt at 7:30am.  I have perfect teeth!
-Got a taco from local mexican restaurant my mom and I used to go to! LOVE THAT PLACE!!
-Went to burial.
-Went to family get together.
-Went to work. Got paid!
-Mickey and I went to Red Lobster.  Happy Birthday was sung to me!
-Aunt and Uncle gave me wonderful presents!

Sat. May 26th-Day after!
-Woke up 30 min. after I was supposed to be at work.  Everything was okay.  I just felt super guilty even though everything was already taken care of, they just wanted extra help.
-Ate first meal of the day at almost 5pm-with Saundra! (My boss)
-Had small get together with Brianna and Mickey. The rest of my friends couldn't make it :(

Sun.  May 27th-Two days after!
-Went to Target. Got gorgeous dress! (Mickey's present for me!)
-Went to movie theatre and had dinner theatre.  (We saw MIB 3-really good)

And it's not over!!!!

Sorry for this post being so overly long, I just had a lot I wanted to share! :)

Please pray for my aunt, Mickey and his entire family. Thank you!

10.

[10 secrets]

1. I find it pretty easy to remember people's last names.  It's kinda useless information though (for the most part).

2. I wear socks, like all the time, unless I'm wearing shoes that don't require socks.  But like, for example, I NEVER walk barefoot.

3.  Which brings me to this secret.  I don't like sand, or beaches for that matter.  When I was younger, my mom took me to the beach a few times and she had to carry a bucket of water to rinse the sand off of my feet.  I would stop walking because I didn't like the feeling of sand in between my toes (still don't.) 

4.  I'm an only child but I'm not a brat. :)

5. I don't like sweets. Chocolate, Cake, Cookies.  Not a big fan.  I'll have 'em maybe once every few months but I don't really care for them.

6. I secretly wish I was Italian, Greek, British, Asian, or Black.  Weird, I know.  That would be cool if I had any ancestors with this kind of heritage. :) (I'm Hispanic by the way)

7. I don't HATE anyone.  I strongly dislike people but I don't hate anyone.  I feel it takes too much negative energy to hate anyone.

8. I've always wanted an older brother.  My mom had  3 miscarriages (4 babies) before she had me.  She calls me her "miracle child"because I am the only one that made it.  She lost (I believe) four babies.  The first was a baby boy, then twins, then another baby.

9.  I get really overwhelmed and stressed when making big purchases.  (For example: We got a washer and dryer that my aunt and uncle are taking care of but during the process of buying it, I started getting really REALLY hot and nervous.  I don't do well with it. Of course, after the purchase is done, I'm okay and then I start getting excited.)

10.  I want to marry into a BIG family.

This was fun. :)

Oh! Quick update: We have until October 3rd at this skilled nursing facility!

Please keep prayin' for my momma.
Thanks.