Monday, February 13, 2012

The next time a kid steals your phone...

Tell them you have a GPS tracking device that you haven't activated because you want to give them a chance to turn it in. Once you turn it on, the police will start looking for it. Tell them you don't actually know who took it, but if they could help you find it they'll receive the reward for tracking it down.

I'm giving them a week before my GPS "activates." Then, I'll let their own imaginations give them nightmares.

Praying I get it back. I'm having serious iPhone withdrawals.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Do you have a favorite poet?

I do. His name is Langston Hughes. I've admired his work since my sophomore year in high school after my English teacher, standing on her desk, recited A Dream Deferred.

This one is one I came across today! It made me smile.


Harlem Night Song

Come,
Let us roam the night together
Singing.

I love you.

Across
The Harlem roff-tops
Moon is shining.
Night sky is blue.
Stars are great drops
Of golden dew.

Down the street
A band is playing.

I love you.

Come,
Let us roam the night together
Singing.

Monday, January 2, 2012

2012 - The Year I Go Back To Basics

2011 - The Year of Wonder.

It was just that! It was a whirl wind!! I neglected this blog quite a bit! But I have plans to turn that around.

So what was accomplished this year? I ran two half marathons. I got to go to Guatemala for a month this summer. I found my niche in teaching - 4th grade ESL! I paid off my credit card debt! ON TO THE STUDENT LOANS! The traditions we have as a family were totally awesome this year! It's like we all craved it and made sure it happened...right down to the punch with sherbet at Christmas!! :o)

I didn't accomplish weight training or braces...there was NO PLAN! And my 30 before 30 list is pretty much out the window...again no plan. But perhaps I'll do a daring 40 before 40 list. HAHAHA...10 years to accomplish WORLD PEACE!

This was the best year EVER! This coming year I'm turning 30 and I have a feeling it will be even better!! I really can't wait!! 30 is going to be my new 25! I loved 25.

So...moving along to the NEW YEAR!

HAPPY 2012! The Year of Going Back to Basics!

It seems like the older I get the more time flies. And the more I think I should simply. I also think a lot about how important it is to declare that Jesus is my life more publicly. Sure, everyone that knows me knows this about me. What you may not know is that sometimes I really struggle with even going to church...or reading my bible...or praying. It SUCKS! Because as much as it is a struggle, I know that JESUS is my TRUE source of JOY in my life. Maybe I'll share my testimony some time on this Delightful Surprises...

This year, rather than thinking about simplifying and prioritizing, the plan is to actually DO IT! So what does that mean or even look like? I'm not 100 percent sure, but I have some things in mind.

Here's what I have to set the tone for the year...

THEME VERSE for 2012:

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

-Hebrews 12:1-2

THEME PICTURE for 2012:


THEME SONG for 2012:



GOALS for 2012:

  1. Read my Bible daily. Okay, so I've had this app on my phone for a while, but I HAD NO IDEA that it has different plans to read the Bible in various ways (like reading in 90 days or a year). So, as you read following one of these plans, it shows your progress on this little bar...I'm so excited, because not only do I want to read my Bible, but I also like progress. So not only will I have intangible rewards, I'll also have a little bar that will say: "Mims, you're making progress!" :o)
    On a serious note, I think one of the problems I have is that my LOVE for literature often has me overlook the BOOK. I'm missing out on the perspective, direction, guidance it gives.
    Does this mean that I won't be reading other books for fun? Absolutely not. It just means that I want to make sure to read my Bible...INTENTIONALLY!
  2. Less time on Facebook and Pinterest. This is HUGE. Like ENORMOUSLY huge. I've noticed that I am not as creative as I know that I can be. And I've also noticed my absorption to FB and Pinterest...almost to the point of neglecting the people I have around me. Not to mention wasting lots of time. In order to accomplish this, I deactivated my FB account and removed both the FB and Pinterest apps from my phone. COLD TURKEY! So I suppose this is to be more intentional with my time, things and people around me rather than checking status updates and things I could possibly do instead of actually doing them.
  3. This one is something I used to do...that I miss. And you may laugh. It's kind of silly...But here it is...I want to make my bed every morning. (insert bashful face) There's a discipline that I've lost along the way. I'm not sure why? Maybe waking up too late and rushing out the door? Like I said...I'm going back to BASICS!
  4. I would like to run one half-marathon. I haven't been running very much. I don't know if it's possible to go back, but I want to do it. I have a race in mind, but I'll reserve the date for later.
  5. Lay off the lists. I love lists! I do, but sometimes I like them so much that they paralyze me. I want to be a bit more spontaneous.
  6. Significantly decrease the Student Loan Debt. I really wanted to finish by my 30th birthday, but it'll probably happen for my 31st which is just fine. I really can't wait!!
  7. Braces? I'm such a wimp when it comes to pain....and I hear this hurts!!

That's all folks. I hope you've had a great start to the year!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

December Excitement

All I have to say is that today, my favorite number is 12! Usually it's the number four....but today it's twelve. Why?




It's the 12 days of CHRISTMAS!! 12 days before I get to celebrate it with NO SCHOOL for 2 weeks! SO EXCITED!! WOO! 12 DRUMMER'S DRUMMING! I've always loved drum lines!



12...it has a nice ring to it!




WAIT!! HOLD UP!!




It's 11. Today's school day is OVER! SO exciting!! ELEVEN! Eleven Piper's Piping!!




Chika, chicka.....OH YEAH!!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Plain and Simple

So - this week is Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for a whole lot. I don't have to post it anywhere to prove it. Although, if I come up with a list I'll post it. (After all - I do LOVE lists!)

I just wanted to say on this hot and humid week of Thanksgiving...some things in life are plain STUPID! That's my bottom line today. Some things are just STUPID!

What can you do about stupid? NOTHING! Absolutely, positively NOTHING! Just smile.

Pretend you LOVE the stupid things in life! Pretend that this STUPID thing makes you're heart skip a beat! Pretend that STUPID is your new mantra! Pretend that STUPID is your slice of pie! Pretend that your flavor of STUPID is the new pumpkin spice!

YEAH! Let me hear it! STUPID! I love STUPID! STUPID makes coffee nervous!

(No, but for real - whatever this is on my to-do list is STUPID...or I'm taking CRAZY pills! I'm okay. I promise. See....:)....I'm smiling!)

Monday, November 14, 2011

Thanksgiving #8-12

So...This is where I can't keep up. This isn't date accurate anymore, but I'm still thankful for this stuff:

8. I'm thankful for my Tia RosaMaria's visit to Houston. Not only have I gotten to see her cheery self, she also made us the most delicious enchiladas!

9. I'm thankful for unexpected surprises. The good kind. (I mean - really - who likes a bad surprise?!?!?) I'm talking like a visit from someone you weren't expecting to come. Yes. It makes me happy!! My brother came to church with me. :o)

10. I'm thankful for the perfect amount of events in a weekend. After having a full October, it's SO stinken' nice to CHILL and have no good excuse to go to bed at 8 pm on a Saturday. Lame...you say? I think NOT! I think an 8 o'clock bed time is a DREAM COME TRUE! It doesn't happen often.

11. I'm thankful for being able to be technologically literate. One of my biggest fears - okay so "FEAR" is too strong of a word - but I'm really afraid of being the one person in a room that doesn't understand how to do a simple activity on a phone, a computer or something techy.

12. I'm thankful for design. It is amazing how something people create take your breath away or makes you think of how you can improve you're own work. Personally - I love creating stuff for school in word.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Thanks for noticing...

Up until I was 23, I had beautiful skin. No spots. No blemishes. Clean. Beautiful. Like really, super nice, skin. It was nice while it lasted...Wish it had lasted a bit longer, but my inner teenager decided to come out and my face broke out not quite to pizza face, but close.

I'll have mountain ranges on my face for months at a time. They'll go away for a short time and then come back like the revenge of the HIMALAYAS!

Today, I woke up with Mount Everest on the bridge of my nose and various other majestic mountaintops on my face. On top of that - I chose not to wear make-up. (Something I don't do anymore. My students haven't seen me without it.)

Well, I have really inquisitive students...One in particular who doesn't seem to have many reservations:

"Ms. Marquez, what happened to your face? Did a ball hit you on your nose?"

My response: "Thanks for noticing what's different on my face this morning. Let's focus on our work."

So there you have it...I have a PIMPLE face.

And thankfully - I don't struggle with insecurity on that front...or else...I would've never told you this incident and how much this made me laugh (on the inside!).