El Fin

Le Jour Trente
A Photo

Le Jour Vingt-Neuf
3 Wishes

1. I wish for incredible health...

2. I wish for adequate wealth...

3. I wish for all your dreams to come true!

Steam Comin' Out My Ears

Le Jour Vingt-Huit
Something that Stresses Me Out

Traffic! There are very few things that make me completely lose my cool, but traffic is far and away has its finger on my hair trigger. I drive with my windows up so my fellow commuters do not hear the incredible obscenities I spew. Yes, I am that crazy woman that waves her hands violently, gesturing (no I don't flip the bird) emphatically to the offenders.

The biggest problem is that I commute for over an hour EACH WAY to/from work. I spend a lot of my waking hours in my dirty, manual transmission, two-door car. Something's gotta give, and it most likely will not be all the wackadoos on the 60 or I-10.

Stress is my biggest problem. It eats me up and I have a very difficult time relaxing (as in I really do not know how).

Here is my shortlist of meltdown triggers:

1. Money (almost any talk about it creates a huge knot in my shoulders followed by complete tailspin)
2. Being late (me and Hubby being late really, really stresses me out, more-so than others being late)
3. Not finishing a project (it will be always top of mind, even in situations where it should be the last thing I am thinking about)
4. Arguing with Others (I am desperately trying to work on my assertiveness; Shawn would disagree ;) )

Listening to: "Sleepy Seven" by Bonobo

****I need to chill after all that stressful thinking***

Mon Petit Chien

Le Jour Vingt-Sept
Pet

Remy

Mon Petit Chien

My Family, My Heart

Le JourVingt-Six
A Picture of My Family

I love my nutty family! Everyone of us is a totally different flavor of fun. This super-family has grown ten-fold since I married, too. Lookout! We're everywhere!

Scoobs, Kid Sister, Bubs, Grandma, Mamasita, Daddy-O, Moi, Mi Amour, Mama K, Daddy C, Grandpa, C, Jay and Cor

Music, Sweet Music

Le Jour Vingt-Cinq
First 10 Songs When Ipod is on Shuffle

1. "Watch You Sleeping" by Blue Foundation
2. "Crawl" by Kings of Leon
3. "Re: Stacks" by Bon Iver
4. "Boy With a Coin" by Iron and Wine
5. "Into the Groove" by Madonna
6. "Dare" by Gorillaz
7. "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him
8. "In the Waiting Line" by Zero 7
9. "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz
10. "Wonderwall" by Oasis


I actually do not have very many songs on my ipod. I usually listen to Youtube.com random playlists, the radio, and pandora.com stations (one of my favorites is Broken Bells station).

I am a Know-It-All

Le Jour Vingt-Quatre
Something I Have Learned


I know that I am a Know-It-All. I know that it is supposed to be a fault, but I can't help but be a smidge smug of my gigantic brain (I am very modest, too, can't you tell). I love-love-love to learn. I live to read and sponge up new info. I actually enjoyed school, well maybe not geology and any of my math classes, but all of my journalism, sociology, film history, literature, language, psych, public relations, etc. classes. I am the embodiment of curious. I think of weird stuff, then look up anything I can about it. Yes, I read the entire Encloypaedia Britannica when I was a kid (I am sure it is pretty outdated by now, and am in pursuit of updating my knowledge bank). What a fun child, huh?

"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." -Abraham Lincoln

During our car ride, Shawn, my gorgeous and happy hubby, and I would enter bizarre conversations (Like "Do sharks menstruate? Most have live births, so does that mean they get their period?" and "Do birds urinate?" and the magical "Can you grow hair on your tongue?"

{Answers: 1. No, but the babies inside the mom eat each other until only one survives and when its born the mother abandons it so it fends for itself. That also explains the anger sharks seem to possess. 2. No, birds produce uric acid (not urea) and it comes out when they poop; its the white part of the poop. 3. No, you cannot grow hair on your tongue, but chewing tobacco can make it look like it. We both agreed that would be "nasty."}

That was about a ten minute conversation and phone googling. You can imagine the other gems that came up during the total 13 hours of driving.

Listening to: "Timshel" by Mumford & Sons

Working for the weekend

Le Jour Vingt- Trois
My Favorite Vacation

My honeymoon in Costa Rica! 7 days in the jungle and on the beach = paradise on earth.

Pura Vida!

Bright Lights, Big City

Le Jour Vingt et Deux
Favorite City

I love new places, different places, culture shock places. But, something about Chicago draws me in. I love the food, the architecture, the pace, but especially the people. Midwesterners have my heart.

But Miami has my soul!
The people, the sounds, the culture, the vibrancy of life and my beloved beaches!

Listening to: "Music" by Madonna

How Very Bridal of me

Le Jour Vingt et Un

A Photo of Me

May 1, 2010, approximately 20 minutes before I became a Mrs.

Eenie-Miney-Mo

Le Jour Vingt
Nicknames

I dole out nicknames to my family practically each month. My Happy Hubster has about twenty variations of nicknames, My Little Remy has at least ten, I lost count when it comes to my parents' old dog, Powder (Pow-Pow-Chicka-Pow is a favorite), when I reached about forty.

I, however, have very few nicknames. Most that I do have center around the "Mo" in Monique.

Moni-Moni
Mo-Fo
Super-Mo

Happy Husband just mimics the ones I give him (a tiny sampling)

Toops
Toopy
Baby
Most Beloved Goddess Divine (one can only wish)

My Daddy-o is a fervent believer in nicknames as well.

Mo-Girl
Neaker-Sneaker (apparently, I hid in cabinets and closets as a kid... a lot)


Listening to: "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child

Those were the days

Le Jour Dix-Neuf
Something I Miss

I truly, Truly miss the days before I had a J-O-B. The last time I did not work was my first semester of my freshman year of college (I had jobs in high school, but I was adjusting to college dorm life during those first few months).

Oh the freedom! Woe is me ;)

Listening to: "Not Fair" Lily Allen (be careful, its a little explicit, just a little bit)
Reading: "Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn

Should-a, Would-a, Could-a

Le Jour Dix-Huit
Something I Regret

All of my decisions, I have my fair share of good and bad, make me who I am. I have my *face-palm* moments too often I fear, but I do not tend to have regrets about anything. There is one big thing that I do regret, and I do not think I will do anything about it...

I should have switched my major from Journalism/Public Relations when I wanted to during my junior year at Arizona State University. I should be in early-childhood education.

I have had a life-long dream of teaching children how to read.

Literacy + Children = Lifelong Passion. I wanted to write children's books when I was seven, and loved to read to the little kids (those a year or two younger than me) when I was in middle school. I used to read books with my three younger siblings and help them with their English homework. I worked with the local YMCA After-School Care Program during high school, caring for/playing with/teaching elementary school kids.

I don't know going back to school is in the cards for me (I have a very difficult time grappling with taking on more student loans/debt). I know that I would be very happy teaching, but I would be more miserable adding to any kind of financial strain on Hubby and myself. Damn that practical side of mine!

(I have also seriously thought the idea of going to nursing school - I would love to work in either pediatrics or geriatrics, but my hang-up is huge and I don't know how to get over it).

Listening to: "Meddle" by Little Boots

Taste the Rockies

Le Jour Dix-Sept
Something I Look Forward To


Going to Colorado on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Thanksgiving Day (hence tasting and rockies, clever, no?)! Happy Hubby and I are driving up with one of my besties, her little guy, and her happy hubby to see her in-laws. We have celebrated Thanksgiving at her house in Mesa for several years and have developed a great relation ship with the in-laws. I am super excited about driving up, (her MIL is a fantastic cook) and we get to bring My Little Remy.

Hooray for Turkey Day plans in a place with leaves that actually change color!

Listening to: "Alejandro" by Lady Gaga
Reading: "The Exile" by Diana Gabaldon

Logo is from a T-Shirt for sale on cafepress.com

Catching up on the past few days

Le Jour Treize
Goals

Goal 1: To crate a bucket list and start checking things off immediately
Goal 2: To elevate my career and be fulfilled in doing so
Goal 3: To re-start my running (the race wasn't supposed to be the last time, whoops)
Goal 4: To continue my education in some form or another
Goal 5: Think of more goals, I should probably shoot for more stars


Le Jour Quatorze
A Picture I Love
Le Jour Quinze
A Bible Verse

"A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
Ecclesiastes 3:4

and another favorite:

"You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy."
Psalm 30:11

Le Jour Seize
A Dream House

I dream of my perfect house often. A funny thing because I focus more on where it is, with whom I share it, and the sounds coming from it, more than what it looks like. I don't mean to make this deeper than t should be, but it is true. The house of my dreams is filled with laughter and music, the smells of good cooking (particularly fresh bread), with lots of children, my husband, my friends and my dog. I dream of living near a beach. It won't matter how large our home is - we do not spend much time in it, being outdoors building sandcastles and walking in ocean puddles much of the time. When I picture it in my mind, I see myself on a wraparound porch, standing my dark green shutters on white walls, the cieling of the porch is a light blue (keeping in custom with the homes in the keys). That is my dream house. The photo above is Hemingway house on Key West, a favorite place of mine.

If I could find a dilapidated home on the island and fix it up, it would be a true dream house come true. I love a good restoration-dream (not so sure about my real life abilities, but I am super talented in dreamland).

Listening to: "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse

Do you believe in magic?

Le Jour Douze
What do I believe?

I believe in a great many things. I believe laughter is a cure for all ailments. I believe in the power of a positive mind. I believe in love. I believe in free will. I believe in making up your own mind. I believe in standing on your own two feet. I believe in compliments and complements. I believe in liberty. I believe magic. I believe in God. I believe that a pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow. I believe in fairy tales. I believe in forever. I believe in painting your life with broad brushstrokes. I believe that all men are born equal. I believe there is goodness in everyone. I believe in salvation. I believe that secrets and mystery make for good stories, but less than whole relationships. I believe nothing is all black or white (even zebras' tongues are pink). I believe the children are our future. I believe in creating your own destiny. I believe in having many soulmates, but marrying just one. I believe that dreams do come true and it can happen to you.

As seen on tv...

Le Jour Onze
Favorite television shows

I work for a television station in Phoenix, a CW network affiliate actually, so clearly tv is something I take seriously in a not so serious way. My taste runs the gamut, really. Here is a sampling of my can't miss:

• All time favorite channel is PBS (sorry employer, they show more documentaries and nature shows): Masterpiece Classic & Masterpiece Mysteries, Circus, and Ken Burns's special program, Nature, Rick Steve's travel shows and the list goes on
  
• Favorite cooking show: French Food at Home with Laura Calder (I write down almost all of her recipes and vow to cook my way through her cookbooks)
• Favorite procedural: Law and Order: SVU
• Favorite reality: any of the Real Housewives franchise (super guilty pleasure)
• Favorite dramas: House, Bones, and Fringe
• Favorite guilty pleasures: Vampire Diaries (Thursdays on CW!)
• Favorite comedy: 30 Rock and Talk Soup
  
• Favorite talk show: Chelsea Lately

The list really can go on forever.

Listening to: "Playing God" by Paramore

Are you afraid of the dark?

Le Jour Dix
Something I am Afraid of

I know it is completely irrational, but...

I have a fear of falling backward. Trust me I fall all over myself going forwards and to either side, but going backward gives me the creeps. I tighten up the chair-back at my computer because if I lean one inch too far back... total spaz attack. This irrational fear also does not allow me to do those terrible "trust tests" where you fall backward into your very trustworthy friends' arms. I just can't do it, I get anxious and teary eyed and become an emotional wreck. It is definitely NOT because I do not trust my friends; I am a very trusting person (maybe too much at times - I wear my heart on my sleeve). Could this be because I am a control freak? Perhaps...


Listening to: "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver

A Little Help from My Friends

Le Jour Neuf
A picture of my friends

G, Little Sister, Moi, Nat, Linds, Heather

There is always room for a fun one in the wedding album. I truly have the best friends; ones that I will count dearest to my heart for the rest of my life. All very different, all very brilliant, funny and social. As I said, they are the best (though I am admittedly biased in this opinion)!

Listening to: "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit

Oh the Places You'll Go!

Le Jour Huit
A Place I have Visited

Let me first say this... I am a champion armchair traveler. I have read so many articles/journals/books/even maps of regions spanning near and far (in all honesty, these dream locales are usually not very near). The place I want to go are as numerous as my funds are low. I want to see the world with him and dream big dreams of all the places we'll be together.

Happy Husband and I took a magical journey to Costa Rica in May for our week-long honeymoon in May and had a blast ziplining, horseback riding, swimming, snorkeling boating, oh my! Here are a couple snapshots from along the way: