My Slice of Life

I live a very fast paced life, it’s what I like to keep my mind busy. It was working for a long time and then came this virus, this quarantine, this month really. This month made me slow it down, made me stay home, and made me uncomfortable. I’ve found some ways to keep me occupied but a lot of my time is still empty and it’s starting to drive me crazy. With this quarantine seeming to get longer not shorter I worry I will need more things to do, or rather more self control. I will challenge myself to stay off the tv and get a few hours of productivity in first, I need to change something!  Challenging myself to write everyday this month was hard. It’s was a true challenge to make the time to come up with something and post. But it was worth it, taking the time to reflect on something, on whatever came to mind was nice. It felt good to create and express myself in writing. I hope I continue to find time to write and express myself.

White  Fluffy Thin Perfect for my claws  If I’m quick enough I can swipe one  And stick it with my claws  Success I have got it  Now I can chew all I want  Ew why is this stuff coming off  More fun to play with my paws  Toss it this way Chase it and throw it that way  Back and forth  This is fun  Oh no!  My brother saw me  Better hide it quick  And save the fun for later  A little poem about one of my kitties playing with a qtip. Enjoying watches my cats and their daily endeavors and tricks. 

Today we found out my boyfriend doesn’t have coronavirus, it must just be a really bad cold, yay!! Getting that phone call was a nice start to our day, making us feel thankful for being healthy(ish) and still have a flow of income. I don’t know how long this will last but for now we will enjoy our blessings. I got to snuggle with my favorite dog Gus, my family’s schnauzer who we’ve had since 2008. I wish he lived with me everyday but my parents would never part from him. I get my dog time in when I visit my parents, and I know Gus loves it just as much as I do. He is glued to my side the minute I walk in the door, just like old times. It’s so special to have these connections with animals and being able to feel they remember you and appreciate the time together. I’m thankful for all the furry friend that make up that slice of my life. 

Kitty cuddles Getting sleepy time for a quick snack munch munch munch till my belly is full now I have a happy belly  I can rest  where is the warmest spot where is the most comfy spot this spot has too much stuff this spot had too much movement here is my brother he looks pretty comfy I bet he won't mind if I squeeze in there let me lick him a little first to be less suspicious just giving my brother a groom now I can lay down and act like I need a better angle to clean his face ahhh the perfect spot I'm kind of helping him out if you think about it he got groomed and now all my fur will keep him warm he's lucky I decided to nap here golly I'm tired  time to close my eyes A little piece from the perspective of my cat Leo, what I imagine goes on his head ;). 

Growth is Ever changing  Evolving  Adapting  Accepting  Recognizing your faults  Realizing when enough is enough  Good  This is a time of growth, taking this time to find what I enjoy. Learning to love and be kind to myself. Accepting the changes that are happening and adapting to what life throws my way. Knowing when I’m wrong and taking advice from my loved ones. Realizing when I’ve done all I can and accepting it’s good enough. Growth is good, it’s a reminder that there’s something to work towards. I hope everyone else is taking some time to grow during these times of uncertainty. Taking some time to find the peace. 

My boyfriend, who had a liver transplant and takes immunosuppressants, has been pretty sick the past week or so. His doctor told him it was a cold and he took some antibiotics and started feeling a little better but then his chest started feeling worse. After numerous phone calls to the doctor continually complaining about pain and symptoms he was transferred to the COVID-19 hotline for the dr office but then they said his symptoms weren’t severe enough. Next day and he can’t sleep because his chest hurts so bad, so again we call and they finally decide he can call the main COVID-19 hotline to be further approved for testing. This morning that was an hour and a half long wait to be spoken to. Then more questions to see how severe his symptoms were or how likely was to have gotten it. They decided it’s possible and recommended he get tested. We left shortly after the phone call, picked up his sister who also had a liver transplant and has not been feeling well either, and headed to

A mother’s love So unique and special  For my family we each love each other differently  Unconditional but we all show it in our own ways  For my mom and I, were so similar  So similar we butt heads a lot  But that also means we have a lot in common  Always having someone to share my food with  To split the meal at dinner because we like the same things  The person who makes me arroz con leche when I need cheering up  My sweet tea sharer  Pecan pie partner  My shoulder to cry on because mom gives the best hugs  Her hugs heal  She knows all the answers  And gives the best advice  My love for my mom is infinite 

Y'all, I guess you can call me puzzle lady now. We finished our last puzzle in I think two days (??) which I am pretty impressed by, it was a 1500 piece puzzle! So before our city goes on lockdown we had to make a quick run to the store to get more puzzles of course,Walmart was sold out so we ran out (literally) and then stopped by Barnes and Noble. We ended up buying puzzle sorting trays, a roll up mat, and two puzzles... because go big or go home right? One of the puzzle is a cute cat puzzle that just has little cat breeds and their pictures so of course I chose that one, it's 1000 pieces but a lot of pink so we'll see how long this one takes. The other one we chose is a nice garden shed puzzle, 2000 pieces so it should be a challenge. I'm loving this puzzle thing we have going on right now, much better than sitting mindlessly in front of the tv (which is totally what I was doing before this). I even ordered some puzzle glue on amazon so we can make this puzzle offi

Today we finished our puzzle, in record time if I say so myself. It took about 48 hours. I like to think my boyfriend and I make a great team, although we may butt heads at times we understand each other and are on the same team. I love finding things we enjoy doing together that complements our natural skills/strengths. I almost forgot to post today as I’ve been preparing for school or begin online tomorrow. I’m nervous to see where this online learning takes me but am hoping for the best. Maybe I’ll even do some work ahead this week before I *potentially* go back to work on the 1st. I’m hoping this all calms down but if not I’m hoping my work stays closed. I’ve felt very safe knowing I control who I come into contact with (which has been nobody since I’ve been staying home!!). I’m excited to see familiar faces on group lecture tomorrow and get back into the swings of things. Even work on some academic writing pieces and hope to get my creative juices flowing. I hope to not lose m

Anyone else out there plant owners?? I’m kind of a new plant owner, I’ve managed to keep about 5 plants alive and well for almost a year. This is not an easy task for me, I’m prone to forget all things and usually forget to water etc. somehow I have managed to remember these plants. But sometimes I still forget. Like yesterday when it started raining and I was like wow this is so nice and peaceful I’m going to lay here and enjoy it. And then my boyfriend got home and it was raining harder and I was like wow it’s raining so hard I hope my plants are okay (totally not thinking about it) when he reminded me hello!!! They’re going to drown!!!  I have never put on boots and a rain jacket quicker. I ran outside and began hauling my plants in, water dripping from them already. Once I got them all inside I realized I brought a small lake in and scrambled to find towels. I gave two towels, a hand towel, and a tshirt to the cause. Everything was drenched and there was still some extra wa

Puzzles Making a picture whole  Takes a lot of time  It can be like a leisurely stroll  A time of peace and quiet  While you find the right spaces  Mindlessly making connections  Or looking to the box for the places  Puzzle making with others is fun  Two is always better than one  My favorite puzzle partner  Together we complete the picture  And make each other whole  Today’s quarantine activity was a puzzle, started not finished of course. We chose a 1,000 piece puzzle because we like a challenge and enjoy things that take days to finish. We even bought a table just to put this puzzle on to complete, we get a little obsessed with our activities, haha. I love these activities that we’ve began to do together, I’m thankful it’s bringing us closer and stronger.  Tomorrow is my last day of peace before I begin working school into my schedule again. I’m hoping to have my days go a little something like this  9-10 wake up and have breakfast  10-11workout

I’m a big fan of Nintendo, die hard game boy and ds player, and I now own a switch. I’ve had it for about 2 years now and definitely can say it’s a purchase that has been worth it. This device is so versatile it can be played handheld, propped up, or connected to the tv, which makes it so convenient and great. We have a little bag for our switch where we can put all the connection cords and the switch tv stand and the switch when taking it togo. One of my favorite games is Super Mario Odyssey, of course, you can never go wrong with Mario. In this game he travels chasing after peach on this hot air balloon type ship where you must collect pieces of the sail along the way. They made some really cool worlds on this game that make it a lot of fun with lots of hidden areas. There’s another game I like that more of teamwork strategy called Overcooked. You must work together in different types of environments where pieces of the kitchen move and whatnot with your partner to produce orders

Basketball is one of those sports I never really got into, I played softball, golf, volleyball, even soccer but not basketball. In school when it was time for basketball in PE I was never really interested or any good. We had a hoop at my house, I’m honestly not sure why I think my older sister wanted one, but we only played horse and never shot correctly or anything. My boyfriend loves basketball, he used to live breathe sleep basketball. He played in junior high and high school and practiced almost every day, he loves it. He hasn’t played much recently but today he decided to buy a new ball. When I got done babysitting we went to a local court (thankfully it was empty) and threw the ball around. He coached me a little and taught me how to shoot with proper form and I actually learned a lot. And it was so nice to get to see this side of him again, I’m thankful for that.  I’m thankful for days like today where we get to enjoy the time with each other. I hope we get to the park

Park Walk Run Cook Workout Read Yoga Stretch Teach cats to walk Paint Draw Write  Relax Enjoy life  A short list of things I want to do while staying safe at home. A few I have completed lots still to do. Hope everyone is staying safe. 

Day one of self quarantine and I chose to rest up. Rest and recharge is always much needed and welcomed. It was a lovely day outside and I moved my plants outside to get some sunshine and fresh air. I wasn’t always a plant person but my boyfriends mom gave us a couple plants and I didn’t want them to die so I guess I’m a plant person now. It’s so cool to see these plants grow and live their own little plant lives. They get happy when they get some sunlight, pointing their leaves to the sun praising it. Their leaves turn so green when they’re getting enough sun and water, a green that’s so pleasing to look at. And they grow, grow, grow, so much until they need a new pot. I’ve already had to repot 2 of my plants, well my boyfriends mom did it for me because I’m not that experienced yet. But I’m learning to love taking care of plants, something I’ve always wanted to do (I used to kill anything I had).  I hope to continue to grow my little plant family, possibly even add some veggi

Well my work is now closed for the next 14 days, with pay thankfully. However they have yet to specify what pay that will be since everyone works different hours, I’m anxious and scared for my financial well being. But I’m finding some babysitting days with the family I usually sit for so I’m looking forward to that. I am thankful to be able to social distance and get away from all the people who were still shopping.  I feel safer being able to control who I interact with and knowing whether they’re healthy or not. I’m hoping to find some good habits in these next two weeks as classes begin online.  I’m also hoping to pick up a new skill or hobby. Hopefully I’ll even get around to cleaning the whole house! I’ll be able to spend lots of time with my cat’s and give them all the snuggles. So there are some good things coming from this.  Above all else I’m trying to maintain my mental health. I’m trying to not stress and trust in his plan. I’m a big worrier and now is not a time fo

Today I woke up earlier than usual to work a markdown shift at my job. This meant I got off at 11 am and got to enjoy my Sunday. This is something I rarely get to do, I usually get the closing shift on Sunday’s and spend my whole day at work. I chose to spend it with my parents and little sister, we went for a drive and went out to lunch. When we all lived at home we used to go for drives all the time, no location in mind just driving through the country admiring land and houses. I never understood it when I was younger, I was always annoyed I had to go in the car with my sisters just to drive around. But now I understand. I understand the peace it brings, as well as the exposure to new places. The dreams it brings, imagining the house you would build on the land, all the things that would make it home. Imagining the things you would change about a house or neighborhood to make it perfect. Just dreaming.  I’m thankful for this slice of life, where my parents taught me how to dre

Today I'm dreaming of Hawaii The beautiful sandy beaches to the rocky ones that require a little more maneuvering  The clear, blue water that allows you to see underneath you The water where I saw sea turtles, dolphins, and lots of fish Hanauma Bay where you can snorkel and enjoy the underwater wildlife Zip lining through the trees and beautiful greenery Paddle boarding through the ocean And my favorite thing of all - coconuts Sweet fresh coconuts, cut and prepared right in front of you  The sun beating down warming your skin  The breeze ever so gentle  The ocean air bringing peace Peace is what I feel when I think of Hawaii This summer will be my third trip to Hawaii - praying it still happens with this virus going on. My first trip I was probably 5 but I still remember the joy I felt, and the peace that came with being on the island. My second trip I was about 16, and again nothing but pure joy and peace. It truly is a sweet escape, my family rents

This month continues to throw curve balls!!! Now my university has moved all classes online, which I think is best to help prevent further spread of this virus by reducing large meetings of people. But I’m sad about it! This semester I only had one class in person, my literacy block where I also got to get field experience in a kindergarten class. And I love this class, I even met some pretty cool people, it was a great time I got to be kind of social and learn. This was really special to me because I have a kindergarten sized hole in my heart and I’ve been dreaming of teaching kinder for a long time!! When I got that placement I was so excited, and I loved every minute of it. Which is the mindset I need to have during this time, I’m so grateful I got placed in a kinder class and was able to get the weeks of field experience I was able to before this occurred. Those kids brought so much joy to my life and taught me so much!!! I’m also sad about not being able to see my awesome teac

March Bliss The sun is shining  Heat waves radiating down  Cotton balls that have been stretched out scatter the light blue sky  Branches sway with the wind  Dancing along with the tune  The birds and bugs sing their songs  Pure March bliss A beautiful day to enjoy and find peace  Today is one of those days that is just so nice you can’t help be be in love with how nice it is. With everything going on it’s nice to finally see some sun in what has seemed like a cloudy past week. I reminded myself to find the good and focus on what I can change or do today. I can’t predict the future I can just do what I can do for now. I’m hoping for the best in the weeks to come and hope all stay healthy and take care of themselves. 

Worried I am seriously worried about this corona virus! With an increasing number of cases in the Houston area my level of worry is only increasing. Seeing posts from other countries and how it is being handled is concerning me with the lack of panic happening in the US. Scared I am scared for the families of those who have fallen ill and scared for those who have been exposed. I'm scared of my risk to being exposed by working retail off a major highway where many tourists come. Scared for what this epidemic will mean in the near future. Scared that I'm not prepared enough! Thankful I feel thankful that I am healthy and not *as* susceptible to becoming ill. Thankful that all my loved ones are safe so far. Thankful that my city of Houston made the decision to take the extra precaution and avoid further spread by canceling the Rodeo. This is serious, wether people want to believe it or not. Just take a look and do your own research, and above all else WASH YOUR HANDS AND D

Crinkle is all you hear as the bag gets folded down Exposing the deliciousness that hides inside  You can feel the seasoning as your fingers drown  Searching for the perfect chip, crisp and fried  Dark with spice, the chip I’ve been searching for  Into my mouth you go Crunch... crunch... crunch  The perfect combination of lime and chile fill my mouth Mixed together making the perfect bunch  Oh Sabritones you are the best.  As I’m snacking on one of my favorite spicy snacks, Sabritones, I decided to write a little poem. Of course my favorite part is when I’m all done snacking and lick the seasoning off my fingers (yes I’m a child! Lol don’t judge) and get a mouthful of that lime and chile seasoning. It’s so good it’s almost addicting, if you like spicy stuff, like Cheetos etc., you should try them!  Tip for any chip bag: fold the bag in - making it easy for snacking without getting all the spice on your hand! 

“You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone” There’s this app  called costar, it’s some popular horoscope app I’m not sure what over half of it does but my friend told me to download it. I’m not a big horoscope believer but this app sends you daily notification with some kind of quote, piece of advice, etc. sometimes they’re totally off and sometimes they seem to be perfect for what I’m going through. Anyway, that quote at the beginning was my notification today so I clicked on the app to read more, and it said “look for situations that help you be the best version of yourself.” I really liked that. It works with the mindset I’ve been trying to have lately, so thank you horoscope app for being kinda right! These are the times I’m like “oh yeah that app is cool I like it.” Sometimes it’s nice to get a little ‘sign’ from the universe to keep doing what you’re doing. It was also a bit of encouragement to be myself and feel comfortable doing it.  I hope to look back on these posts

Today I pulled out the bag of shoes from under my bed and decided to stop hiding from them. I haven’t worn most of the shoes in a year, they remind me of a different version of myself, I know it sounds a little weird but they do. They’re shoes that have memories that were made with some people who aren’t in my life anymore and I think that’s why I just pushed them away- like I do with a lot of things. I get scared and just put it in a corner, or a box under the bed in this case, and try to forget. It's a bad habit and one I'm trying to be better about, in this season of life I'm hoping to find pieces of me I let go. For some reason, today I decided to pull out the bag and put on a pair of shoes. They were my favorite pair of shoes a year ago after all, why can’t they still be my favorite? There’s plenty of life left to live, plenty of places these shoes can still go. I guess these shoes are a metaphor for parts of me I shut down when those people left my life, I miss those

Today I am tired and can't think of much to write about so this will likely be a short post. Being tired led me to a lot of quick reactions and some attitude. Being tired is no fun, tonight I will try to get more sleep. I took a trip to the store and found some lemon crisp kit-kats, my boyfriend insisted I try them since I 'love all things lemon', I'm not sure when me liking lemon things started to stand out I never really realized it. The only thing I can think of that I constantly want that has to do with lemon is Lays brand Limon chips (they're the best if you haven't tried them do it), it's just funny how everyone notices different things, I'm glad he shared this little thing he's realized, it made me happy knowing he knows the little things I like. I'm excited to try this new candy though it does look yummy. I also found some wearable weights (like can be worn on ankles or wrists) for $12 at work! So I decided to buy them hoping to inspire

Brave Brave enough to bring a family to a new country A new country in hopes of a better future A future that consisted of hard work to provide To provide for his seven children who blessed him Blessed him with countless grandchildren Grandchildren who love and miss him Oh how I miss you How I miss when we lived close When we lived close enough that I got to see you once a week Once a week I got my sweet snuggles and cheek grabs Cheek grabs, 'Chiquita bonita', and besos Memories that will never fade, no matter how long you're gone You're gone, and I miss you I miss you but not a day goes by that I don't think of you I think of you and how you're my guardian angel My guardian angel that's always protecting me Always protecting me As I wrote this poem with tears streaming down my face, I remember my grandfather who passed away three years ago in January. Yesterday was an extra hard day, we would've celebrated his 81st birthday. The time

The Beast Eyes open I slowly pull my feet out of the covers and onto the floor My first mistake I sit up, feet at the edge of the bed My second mistake CLAWS claws stuck to my socks claws stuck to my skin "AHHH" I scream as I pull my feet up quickly My third mistake She thinks it's a game A brown beast emerges from under the bed Up she soars chasing after my feet I quickly hide them under the covers Thinking I'm safe My fourth mistake The beast dive bombs my feet as I move them under the covers I've got her now, I think While the beast is distracted I grab a hold of her Pull her up to my pillow and force cuddles The beast has been conquered .... for now The beast, a.k.a. Kaya, resting in her cave

"mew mew mew meoooooow' "moooooowwwww meow" "meow meow meow" - Milky Translation: "mom did u see da toy dad got?!!?!?" "don't u wanna swing it so I can jump??" "I know u want to, com on itz fun!!" -Milky Today I decided to write about one of my other cats, Milky. He is Leo's litter mate, but we didn't rescue him until a few months after Leo. My boyfriend really loved Milky and we hated seeing how tiny he was compared to how Leo was growing (I assume he wasn't receiving proper nutrition but I'm not here to talk about that), so we took him too. Milky grew up with 9 other cats around him for the first part of his life, so when he was taken away he was really sad. He got depressed and anxious and developed a UTI with urinary crystals and we had to put on special food. I felt like a bad mom but I knew he would live a better life, I just had to figure out what that looked like for him. He is so full of

My whole life all my family has owned is dogs, my dad sometimes talks about a cat he owned before we were born but my mom made him give it away once the kids came. So when I decided I wanted a cat it was a shock to my parents, and they were so reluctant. At the time I was living at home, just transferred to a new college, and was, to be very honest, going through a depressive state. Since high school, my mental health is something I have struggled with immensely. My only friends were in schools that were hours away, I had my boyfriend but he was also busy working and had his own stuff to take care of, but I was lonely and feeling kind of lost. That was when I met someone in a class who had a litter of kittens who needed homes. I went to see the kittens and honestly they were very tiny, mange ridden, and sad looking. I feel in love with the sweetest splotchy little kitten and begged my parents for two weeks to let me bring him home. I always thought of it as me saving him, but he contin

After years of working with kids, working retail has taught me patience on a new level. I'm a  pretty patient person in general and I already know how to be patient with kids. Kids are the ones who truly don’t know better because they’re so new to this world! I can’t expect a child to know how to act, especially because you can’t control what goes on in their home, but I can try and show them how to act. But in retail, I’m having to learn to be patient with the adults who do know better, who think their time is more valuable than mine, who think that I’m not a real person because I’m behind a register, that I’m out to get them when really I’m just following rules from corporate.  Retail is such a different world and I never thought of any of this before I started this job, I never realized how much people belittle the person behind the counter. This is not my forever job, just one to get me through college, but for some people it is their forever job, and there is absolutely not

It’s really easy to get caught up in thoughts and sadness and all the bad things but it’s just as easy to get caught up in dreams and happiness and all the things that bring you joy. So why is it so hard to choose those good things? I’m sure not everyone can relate, but I struggle with letting myself get caught up in the good things and often find myself fighting the bad instead.  I found myself doing that when my professor emailed my class encouraging participation in the slice of life challenge yesterday. After I read the email I thought of how much I wanted to try it but my mind filled with negative thoughts immediately. I didn’t stop thinking about it though, I thought about how fun it could be and how it might even help me to stop and see the good.  My sister recently moved halfway across the country and that has been such a hard life change for me. We may be three years apart but we're so close it could've been three minutes, I miss her more everyday. Today as I was le