i peeped this gorgeous image on a little sussy and my heart skipped a beat. somehow...the look and feel...the perfect colors...the cozy and cold...the purity and serenity...the bold and simple...the wild...the calm...the crispness...the solitude and peace...and those colors!...sum up how i want my life designed. translate this image into a home, a wardrobe, a mood...and it is my dream.

"GIRL-YOU'VE GOT SOME

TO DO. . ."

I get into this slump and don't keep this updated for awhile and then think. . . I have to, it is basically our family's journal on the Daily Happenin's at the Garcia's Home.  Then the guilt begins to set in and I just can't let it go. I don't really have any other way of remembering what we have done if I don't keep up with this. I'm so glad that someone out there used their creative juices and put them to good use. Creating a way to stay in touch with family, friends and the likes. Sometimes I have a feelin' that people that I don't know or would care to know, are reading this too. Oh well, I guess it's going to happen somehow, someway. I don't know if you can stop that or not. So I'm going to go back in and update this for the sole purpose of finally getting the last year printed into a book for family heritage reasons. Good way to pass this off as Genealogy for the Family-budget item #27-right?

It's A New Year!

I have never really been one to set New Years Resolutions. I forget, or change my mind, or feel a little overwhelmed at all the goals, and the lack of progress I am making. So when I saw this idea posted somewhere in blogland, I really liked it, and thought I would do it this year. The idea is that you select one word that you can focus on, meditate on and reflect upon for the whole year.

So I thought about it for a couple of days, going from one word to the next and decided on this word:

I love the definition "moving forward toward completeness or perfection" I think over this past year I have come to gain a greater desire to do this. To be better, to become the person who I know I can one day be ~essentially doing good, being good, and becoming better.
"We will not attain a state of perfection in this life, but we can and should press forward with faith in Christ along the strait and narrow path and make steady progress toward our eternal destiny. The Lord’s pattern for spiritual development is “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little” (2 Nephi 28:30). Small, steady, incremental spiritual improvements are the steps the Lord would have us take. Preparing to walk guiltless before God is one of the primary purposes of mortality and the pursuit of a lifetime."(Elder David A. Bednar, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles)

I think at the end of 2009, if I am a better person than I am now, January 2009, I will feel successful in my life. I hope to progress in my life as a daughter of God, mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and in this way become a little more like my Savior.

Have you ever played Suduku? Well, you will love this one. It is so much fun and can become addicting. Of course, my sister brought it to Lake Tahoe and we never wanted to leave the cabin. Brain Freeze! "Don't touch another one-let me work it out!" I couldn't keep up with all of them. They were so fast and furious. Placing the colored wooden balls on the board. It was crazy. Even the kids took to it. Kept them up 'till the wee hours of the morn' trying to figure out why each color went where it did.
Then, upon our return home-each family is racing to the computer to find it, can't get it on Amazon-it's a top 10 item and is SOLD OUT! Can't find it anywhere....gone, gone, gone. Then I, after many hours of searching, find it. In a small shop in Old Town Spring, an old familiar stomping ground of mine-Houston, TX. I bought 2 of them and they gave me free shipping. Of course, the other one will go to the highest bidder....hee hee. jk Kelly wanted one too. We'll have to have a game night. So when you are ready for a fun-filled night of popcorn, cookies and Lime Rickey's just let us know.

Let  the  GAMES  begin.

IT'S TRUE . . . I'M BLUE

I just started working for jetBlue and I am thrilled! I think this is going to be a great opportunity to do more traveling and enjoy life that much more. Just started this past week - life can't be any better than "jetting" all over the country, right? Right! I am thinking to myself and wondering how I will end up traveling more when I am working more? Good thought process, Kathy. Well, I'm going to have to come up with some really good excuses as to why I can't work- kids have the flu, husband is out of town, I'm sick, dog ate the phone, will it work? NO, then I wouldn't be jetting all over the world if all that was true, would I?

So I'm going to have to come up with a lot better reasons than that. I just need that long awaited vacation and I've worked so hard, I deserve it! I'm so ready to jet off to the Swiss Alps. {Nef teases me about that, since I have wanted to go there forever}. What he doesn't know is that I am entirely serious. I'M JEttING. I know you are thinking by now that I am a little crazy with the whole "jetting" thing. But that is their new logo. Everything has to do with "jetting." All of us crew members have a great "jettitude." So-I guess I'll be saying that all the time now. Call me crazy.

I have to travel 85 miles a day for the next 6 weeks to go down to the center and train. That's a long commute. Nice to know that I have 3 buddies to do my commuting (or should I say jetting?) with. Found a few who live close and created a car pool. Nice! Think my brain will be on overload after the next 8 days. Will be memorizing all the airport codes, airline lingo, and flight speed [software program]. I just might be too old. I just have to say that if all those ladies who are much older than me and are retired can do it, so can I! I must! Haven't been in school for years. Feel like it is happening all over again. This time I'm not quite the spring chick I was before. I can do it! I'm thrilled to be starting something fresh-if you have followed my life at all you know that I love a fresh start, a new game, the thrill of a new ride at Disney, the whole shebang! Bring it on.

 I'm ReaDy!

Oh, the weather outside is. . .

Brrrrrrrrr...cold.

Can't believe that it really gets that's cold here...what was I thinking during this convo with my sis-in-law about dinner tonight. "Hi, do you guys want to come over and eat Posoli with us before Justin leaves for school today?"  "Sure," I said. "We love Posoli and I know that Ash wants to see him before he goes. That sounds good."  "It is beautiful out and the sun is actually shining today," Lisa replies. "Oh wow, I haven't  been out yet but glad we got home and the weather is cooperating now. You should have seen the snowstorm we had to drive in coming home from Tahoe!" states Kathy. "Really, it was that bad?"  "Yes, Nef was white-knuckled most of the time and said he had muscle pain in his back from the stress of the weather. You should have seen those flakes-they were huge and coming at us at what seemed to be a 1,000 per second. You really couldn't see the road, only a few feet in front of us and definitely couldn't see the lines and know where to drive. Nef basically had to follow the car that was a 1/2 mile in front of us to know where to go."  "WOW!, exclaims Lisa. Bet that was scary!"  "Nef said he thinks it was the worst snow storm he has ever driven in! Hope we don't have to do that again." Kathy replies. "Oh, don't worry, the weather here is suppose to be nice for the next few days. In the upper 20's and not much snow." Laughs Lisa.  "Oh, good, Kathy says, "guess we'll be nice and toasty" (with a smirk on her face.)  "Ok, we'll see you soon. Will you bring the tortilla's?  We are just about out." Lisa asks.  "No problem," stated Kathy.

So a few hours later, we are getting ready to go and the temp in the car reads 20 degrees. Yep, just as Lisa stated. In the upper 20's and now it is getting late-- so we better get goin', school back in session tomorrow and kids need to get things in order for the week.

WAIT!!! 2 hours later. . . and it is just a mere--

12 degrees!!!!!

We weren't expecting that! Oh my gosh, this is why I remember that I wanted to stay in Las Vegas the rest of our earthly life. What were we thinking...that's right our brains can't think when it is this cold outside.

Needless to say, the company, food and game time was fun. We enjoyed the time we had with Justin before he had to leave and it isn't like he is really that far away. 

Justin is , of course, the tall one in the back. Of which none of my children got any of those genes.
They all had fun playing a Scene It-Disney game they got for Christmas. Hadn't opened it yet and thought it would be good to see what it was all about before he left for school. They played it for over an hour and didn't want to stop to go home...I know, school, smool. Don't want to do it-don't have a choice!!

Can't believe that 2008 is gone and we are into a new year now. True to say that yes 2008 was a GREAT year. We had so many blessings and so many things to be grateful for this past year. Let's see-maybe I can name a few:

• A home full of love and fun times
• A family that will be with me forever
• Son of mine that makes me laugh all day and night!
• The gospel of JC in our lives-most important of all
• A F in H who really, really knows me and loves me
• Good jobs that let us live a life of wonder
• Opportunities of a life time with friends of a life time
• A life worth living, loving and being present in
• Family: vacations, reunions, dinners and dances
• A 16 yr. old who is really a fun person to be around-{most of the time}
• Sweet 12 year old who melts your heart every time you look at her
• Most of all-a caring, devoted dad, father, friend, confidante and husband
  

Boy do I have a lot to be thankful for. I could really go on and on. I have soooo many friends who help pull me through thick and thin and the list goes on. 

THANKS FOR A GREAT 2008. . .

LOOKING FORWARD TO ANOTHER YEAR OF MINE IN 2009...