Halloween 2010

This year happened to be Joaquin and my first Halloween together.So we decided tomake it a little special yet quiet at the same time. It ended being almost a whole weekevent. It started off with last weekend at Islands of Adventure.

Joaquin and I first headed off with a quick run through of the park before hitting what we really came t

here for: Harry Potter. So, we went on all the big time rides.

There was one ride that we went on that got Joaquin totally soaked!

We saw the different themes ranging from marvel comics,old school comics, old cartoons, Jurassic Park, and even Dr. Suess.

We went for the new Harry Potter section of the park. It was absolutely fabulous! We tried Butterbeer,

visited Hogwarts,

took pictures next to the Hogwarts express,

and rode the dualing dragon 6 times. They even had Harry Potter's book of Monsters!

A week later, we started Halloween on Saturday night. Joaquin and I dressed up for once, and I couldn't believe that I was able to convince Joaquin to go along with it. I was Jill Valentine and Joaquin was my accessory: a Resident Evil Zombie.

The next day, actual Halloween, we had to work, so couldn't fully enjoy the festivities. But we did discover....Jasmine can dance!

Connecticut

I took a few days off of work to visit my best friend, Shellybean. It was a much needed vacation especially since the last time I took one was New Mexico, then the time before that our honeymoon.
I am definitely a firm believer in vacations. I feel as though I am quite a stressed out person even if my job is simple now. I guess it might be that nothing has stopped since I even got back home from the philippines. First it was the bankruptcy, then wedding, then working until almost death, and now moving with added stress. And even though I pretty much relaxed and helped shell move her things, I was perfectly content.
The weather was fabulously refreshing and the people acted as though I never left. It was like I was home again. We went to this fancy restaurant called the Terry Lodge, owned by an iron chef and I can honestly say it was the best food in my entire life. And if you have looked at me recently, you know that I have eaten a LOT in my life time. Every bite was a taste of heaven, no matter what I ate or what I ate from someone else's plate. I had quail and they even de-boned the rib cage so it was more like cutting into a piece of steak. Just pure meat. And for desert, a peach cobbler with cinnamon gelato on top. Delightful!
But things also have changed on my hometown. People grew up, buildings have been reconstructed or been replaced. Our local "mom and pop's" became defeated by big corporations. But the people and their personalities have never changed. Or maybe that could be just me. And I loved every minute of it.

WIll we be moving?

Well, there have been a lot of changes going on in our lives. The first major change is that we both now work from home. It was a little weird at first, and I am finding myself to be even more busy then I was before. At least going to work all day in an office meant that you only had to worry about things to do during your time after work and on the weekends. Now I have things to worry about like "today I am going to the gym, then go swimming, shower, start working, first break lunch, work again, lunch break=maybe laundry?, work again, second break dinner, work again, off at 9 and play WoW until 12pm. Before it was go to work then....start driving home and maybe buy groceries to make dinner. Simple and easy. On the up side of the whole thing, we have Tues and Saturdays off. At first, I thought that I wouldn't like it. But then I realize that I have 2 "Fridays" a week :)

The other big change is that we are having trouble with our tenant and it looks like she will have to leave. So we are up in the air as to what to do next. And I am sure that we will have to remodel the whole place because of things that we have seen done over the past year. On the bright side, maybe Joaquin and I will be able to start our lives together.

I also realize that posting in a blog is not exactly the therapeutic outlet of journaling that may be best for me. Too many eyes are watching, and I believe that if I am to post my life story I might have to find another outlet. This plays in a big part as to why you don't see me post in it as much anymore. So, I apologize if I don't post in here as often as a lot of other people would like.

New Mexico!

In the beginning of June, we went to visit my mother-in-law, Pamcakes at her cozy home in New Mexico. It's such a beautiful state, full of all my favorite things to do. I love the decorations in the little shops, and even out in the streets.
We ate this delicious quaint place called Church Street Cafe in Albuquerque. There is nothing like chili with your omlette. The staff and customer service was excellent, and I recommend anyone who is visiting New Mexico to eat there.

On the back

porch is a waterfall and a grape vineyard. It was a relaxing spot to enjoy a New Mexico style breakfast.

Inside the cafe was an authentic Kiva. I was imagining what it would like to have something like that in

our house. It certainly would make great

conversation.

I LOVED the metal pieces of decorations on the wall. I thought they were a very interesting addition to th

e wall and it reminded me of my own backyard at home. I think mostly because we have one on our wall at our poolside. I really wanted this dachshund and after shopping around, found only the magnet version. Which, I promptly bought two. One for my parents house, and one for our future home.

We also visited many other little villages. Everyone of them had it's own unique style and feel to it. One village was dedicated to everything that I love: Yoga, Spa, and everything natural. My kind of place! I can picture myself learning knew things for my own business, Dragon's Magic.

Here in Florida, I am so used to the humidity and the green flora. It was quite an experience to look out your window and see the desert. It was like an old western (or maybe a new one). But I would hate to get stuck out there. Another good thing, was that my hair was looking absolutely awesome! I don't think it even knows what it's like to be exposed to a non-humid climate.

I could picture myself with a Ranch and a few horses, a jeep wrangler for transportation, and a little off roading on the side.

The rock formations are beautiful and we would NEVER have to mow the

lawn.

I guess the update?

I didn't even realize that I haven't written in here since over a year ago. I really thought that I have written in here for the Wedding in January. So...for those of you who only know me by blog, Joaquin and I officially tied the knot on January 30, 2010.

It was a fabulous wedding and all of our friends and family attended. It was quite stressful and I couldnt bring myself to take a moment to write in this blog.

SInce last may....let me see...I worked as an office manager for a doctor's office in Pompano. I learned a lot from my position but it proved to be even more stressful than I could ever have imagined. On top of it, I had the wedding to deal with.

Right now, I no longer work for this place. Joaquin also passed the NCLEX (I have to take mine before July 20) and I am so proud of him. We both obtained positions as health coaches to help people quit smoking. It sound fabulous to me, and it still goes along the same lines as our nursing career.

Well, i will continue this another time, but I have to get my dad at work :)

I've seen way better days

I have to admit, Im starting to hit a depression spill again. Must be my time of month. A combination of hormones, thunder storms and a series of unfortunate events. I am depressed that I am having a hard time finding a job, and it's hard for most people to have sympathy. I might have only been looking for 1.5 months, but they have been looking for a year.

I am wondering if this delay in my life is some sort of sign that I need to wait for better things. Or...there is just no such thing as fate, and everyone is right...the economy has failed.

On the bright side, I am still in awe that I am finally home. Living in the Philippines was so surreal, and now it's over.

At this point in my life, I am not sure what I want. I still have dreams of becoming a vet and curing cancer through the use of saving God's creatures big and small...but it seems so far away now. And I am thinking that I may have to be a nurse afterall...for the rest of my life...

It seems only right that I cant be what I have truly always wanted. Why would I be one of the lucky ones? One of the lucky 10%? At the rate Im going, things that I want will just remain a dream, and I will remain what I have always hated...a follower. Following a plan someone else has written.

Secrets to International Flying

For those of you who do not know, I left for the States today. Right now I am typing this in Taipei. A lot of things were happening in my life, and I had to go home unexpectedly. But since I have a 9 hour (actually 7.5 hour since my first leg left an hour and a half late)I figured I should share a few secrets about international flying.

First airport boredom:
Make use of everything free!
1. Free WiFi
2. Free restrooms (usually very clean or very weird)

Then, make use of things that no one really knows about. Check out the lounges. Usually for as little as $10 you can spend your boring 8 hour layover in a place where they offer sleeping amenities, a shower, more wifi, all you can eat gourmet food, and sometimes a complimentary massage.

Last, fill your time with things you wouldnt normally do at home (well if you weren't me). Check out any airport spas, or the people giving a foot massage. You never know what you may find.

Do NOT buy duty free. I know, it sounds sooooooo glamorous. Oooh, no taxes...blah blah. But have you noticed, that the prices are even more expensive than if you were to pay taxes in the first place? Just a thought.




For the plane itself:
1. Again, take advantage of the FREE stuff. Yes, people already know that you get a free soda...well i say BOO to that. Go for the FREE cocktails! Yay! Gin and tonics, bloody mary's, a saki, red wine, white wine, and pretty much any good beer. Don't you think your $650 one way ticket should pay for something besides the smiles and food? It's not just first class who gets booze.
2. Go vegetarian for just the flight, even if you are not. Before I fly, i get to choose 2 things: my seat and my food preference. The seat is a given, why not get a seat that I like? But the food, a lot of people don't know better, and my fellow vegetarians will suffer with that chicken on their plate. And not only is my meal vegetarian, its INDIAN vegetarian. There are many advantages at following these processes. For one, it's free INDIAN food :) For another, I get my food before anyone else, which they verify the minute I get on the plane and ask me what kind of drink I may want (I got a gin and tonic just because I can).

So far, this was my flight, well the food part. I get on the plane and sit down. 5 minutes later, the flight attendant approaches me and verifies that I am indeed Ms. Murry. She asks what kind of drink do I want, and I'm thinking "what the hell". So I say "what do you have for cocktails?" At this point, I was willing to even pay for it if I have to. She tells me I basically can have whatever I want, and its free.
Later, (about 15 min after take off), you hear the flight attendants moving around preparing the food. Then out she comes with my food, and my food ONLY. She places it at my tray, and the woman sitting next to me stares at it practically drooling. Inside is couscus, chick peas with a touch of cinnamon, tomato curry, a cucumber potato salad, and some desert which I am sure is not vegetarian but oh well. Then the woman next to me finally gets her meal after 10 min. At this point, I already finished my salad. She had ordered the chicken and it looked just as plain and tasteless as all my previous international flying mistakes. She looked somber and quite disappointment. Just the reaction from other people makes this all worth while.
With my meal I had a gin and tonic, a coke (the gin was a bit strong), a water (came already with the meal), and a hot tea. I was actually contemplating if I should ask for another drink because my curried meal was a bit spicy...

***********UPDATE******************

I saved the names of my meals:
Paneer Lebabdar


Saffron Quinoa with Dried fruits and paneer cheese.