The Williams Family Adventures

Re-wind

2010-12-30T21:57:00.002-07:00

New school term starting in a couple of weeks... last term went really well! I actually did better than I would have thought. Well okay, I kinda figured I'd do well, but was pleasantly surprised by how well my first term back turned out for me. I took 3 classes, 9 hours (while still working full-time) and I managed to get all A's!! I also found a new found love for reading and for writing... so let's see where this leads!! :O)

Back to School Time

2010-09-09T22:23:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's back to school time. And for the first time in a long time, I can say that it's back to school time for me too!! Gotta admit, this time it does seem different. This time I really do feel excited to be back in school.... I'll check in again on this thought come mid-terms :O)

here we go again....

2010-09-01T22:49:00.001-06:00

no better time than the present to start over ... :O)

The American Cancer Society:

2010-04-20T17:05:00.000-06:00

The American Cancer Society:

2009-09-25T10:31:00.002-06:00

Swine Flu Paranoia Getting Out Of Hand:

PASSION

2009-09-13T16:09:00.002-06:00

hmmmm.... passion? what are you passionate about? how is it some can find theirs so easily and others, we struggle most of our lives trying to define our passion or some may even call our purpose. This is something that has been a struggle of mine for quite some time.... trying to define my purpose.... trying to figure out what I'm really supposed to be doing with my life... This is something that I really believe I have to be focused on the next few weeks... I think it's time that I really sit down and have this conversation with my Father.... why did you create me? What am I supposed to be doing with everything that you have given me?

2009-08-17T11:57:00.003-06:00

100 Things about Me... in no particular order

1. I believe in the Bible. God said it, I read it, nuff said
2. I was born in El Paso, Texas
3. We moved to Albuquerque when I was 10 and have been here ever since
4. I am the oldest of two children
5. I have naturally curly hair
6. My mother died in 1987 after a bout with melanoma
7. I have also had melanoma but was able to catch it in time
8. I am bilingual. I speak fluent Spanish
9. When I was in the 4th grade, I won my school’s spelling bees in both English and Spanish
10. My favorite dogs are Yorkshire Terriers
11. I can watch shows about sharks all day long
12. As an 8th grader, I was a page for one of our state’s senators
13. I played softball in highscool
14. I like to crochet
15. I like to cross stitch
16. I love to read
17. Sometimes I like to go fishing with my husband
18. I got married in Vegas in 2003
19. My husband can still give me butterflies when I see him
20. We have 4 children together (1-me, 3-him)
21. Our oldest is a Valentine’s Day baby
22. I have a niece who was born on Christmas
23. I have a godson who was born on Halloween
24. My favorite book so far (besides the Bible) would have to be To Kill A Mockingbird
25. I actually did read the whole bible in a year once
26. My favorite perfume is Rapture by Victoria’s Secret
27. I love those World’s Famous chocolate bars that the kids sell
28. My favorite super heroes are Superman, Batman, and Wolverine (and Cristian of course LOL)
29. I like reading graphic novels
30. I love going to different libraries
31. My favorite color is midnight blue
32. The last book I read was Bergdorf Blondes. It was a nice, silly read.
33. I love the music of John Legend
34. My favorite TV preachers are TD Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, and Ron Carpenter
35. I would not consider myself a staunch right wing Republican, but I do tend to be very conservative in my political beliefs
36. Most people tend to be very surprised when they find out that I’m very different than what they thought I would be
37. When my son was a baby, I’d play classical music to help soothe him before a nap
38. I love drinking Dr. Peppers
39. My favorite job so far was when I was a temp at Merrill Lynch
40. I’m usually pretty good about remembering birthdays
41. I’m great at memorizing numbers
42. I’ve taught Sunday school at church before
43. I currently attend BCA, they have a great praise & worship team
44. I used to be a Mary Kay lady
45. I LOVE the sweet potato pie that my best friend’s brother-in-law, Pastor Archie, makes me every year
46. All four of our kids and two of my nieces play basketball
47. I still miss watching Michael Jordan play
48. I still miss watching new episodes of Sex and The City on HBO. The reruns don’t do it for me
49. Can’t wait for the sequel to the movie. Definitely girls night out!
50. I have read the book that the show was based on.
51. Hey... I’m halfway there already
52. My son and I have date nights on Thursdays and we like to watch Smallville
53. Kimora:Life in the Fab Lane and Keeping Up with the Kardashians are some of the trashy TV that I enjoy watching
54. I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan all my life and always will be
55. I love Vanilla Bean fraps from Starbucks
56. I’ve had an ex-boyfriend stalk me before
57. I’ve had a boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend try stalking me too
58. Wish I could be disciplined enough to be in a book club
59. I hate shopping at Walmart but still seem to find myself in there at least once a week (this has since changed. I like the new Walmart at Wyoming & Menaul)
60. I actually like shopping at Costco. I could spend hours in there.
61. My birthday is in July
62. I didn’t like my name as a kid
63. When I can actually afford him, Vern Yip is redecorating my house
64. I’m a better “email” friend than I am an “inperson” friend
65. I would rather drink a soda than coffee first thing in the morning
66. I won a Shirley Temple look-a-like contest when I was 2
67. I’ve never had my hair permanently dyed
68. I love when my son and I have the giggle fits and can’t stop laughing
69. I was also on the Speech/Debate team in highschool.
70. I won awards for my oratory speeches
71. I am the epitome of the momma bear. Nobody better mess with my cubs.
72. I used to fix my husband a cup of coffee every night before I go to bed. I’ve converted him into drinking chai tea instead :O)
73. I like drinking vitamin waters more than regular water
74. A glass of wine every now and then can be good for you.
75. Soul Calibur is my favorite video game to play with my kids
76. Galaga is my favorite video game of all time
77. I love Chaka Khan
78. I once had a random stranger pay for my fast food order while waiting in a drive thru
79. I was once a Girl Scout
80. My son was once a Boy Scout
81. My brother won’t admit it, but his oldest daughter acts just like me
82. She’s a daddy’s girl too
83. My dad is awesome...we have a great relationship
84. He’s the best grandpa ever
85. It’s funny because my niece acts like me and I act like one of my dad’s sisters too
86. I wonder if anyone will actually take the time to read all these
87. I think my friend, Kimmah will :O)
88. I still love when my husband kisses my back when he comes to bed
89. I wish I was a better writer. I would love to be able to consistently blog.
90. I think we all really do have at least one good book within us
91. I tend to be more logical than artistic
92. Guess that would make me more of a left-brain person
93. Up until 2007, I still had one set of living grandparents
94. Now I only have one grandma, she turned 88 in July
95. I had a great-grandfather live to be over 100
96. One of these days I’m going to have to write down my “bucket list”
97. I think swimming with sharks and dolphins will be on there
98. I hate that there no longer is a Krispy Kremes doughnut shop by my house
100. HA!!! I made it.....

Do as I say....

2009-07-19T18:31:00.001-06:00

A while back I blogged about how my son needed a thump in the head.... well...
Looks like I need to heed some of my own words. Or as they like to say "Physician, heal thyself"

April Fool's!

2009-04-01T13:16:00.000-06:00

The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected. ~Will Rogers

A little nugget to chew on....

2009-03-31T12:49:00.001-06:00

Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.

William Arthur Ward
more famous quotes

MARCH MADNESS!!!

2009-03-29T17:14:00.002-06:00

And not exactly in the same context as some people might think.... yeah I like basketball but my March Madness has more to do with the fact that I'm mad that March is already almost over!! 3 months have pretty much come and gone and here I go again ranting about the same ol' stuff! I am such a procrastinator!! I need to really get my crap together... snails and turtles make more progress than I do!!

So I rant and vent... get mad at myself... and then I think of the different things that can me make me mad....

10 Things that Make me MAD!!!
1. My inability to take my life to the next level (obviously)
2. I really hate when I'm talking with someone and then somebody else just walks up and thinks it's okay to interrupt.
3. When people think they can impose their deadlines on you like it's your responsibility
4. I try not to let it because I understand what's really going on... but it bugs me when some of these left-butt liberals try to talk down to you and treat you like you're some kind of freak just because you have the nerve to admit there is a God
5. It really chaps my hide that people still make such a big deal that we have a BLACK President! C'mon!! We should be embarrassed that it took us this LONG!!
6. I hate when I compare myself to other women
7. I hate when people have double-standards. Can't stand hypocrites!
8. It really ticks me off when someone talks down to me.
9. Like most people, I hate being cutoff in traffic
10.It bugs me when people act like you must have your umbilical cord tied to your cell phone. My cell phone is for my convenience, not yours. I answer when it's convenient for ME!

so in wrapping that up... I know that the word "mad" can sometimes get a bad rap. There can be a positive connotation for this word.... so on that note....

10 Things I'm Absolutely MAD About!!!

1. My God. My faith gets me through a lot of things... and I know that my faith now will get me through whatever rut I'm in
2. My husband! He's awesome! I couldn't have asked for a better dad for my son!
3. My son! Duh! Those who really know me... know that I would be lost without my baby! I can't believe he's already 17!!! Where did the years go?!?!?!
4. My books! I LOVE to read! I love when I find a book that is written so well that I pretty much devour it!
5. Cooking! I never thought I would love to cook as much as I do... but I love finding new delicious recipes to try for my family.
6. Sex and The City!! I was totally into that show!! I hate that it's not on anymore
7. Cartoons! I love watching Superman, Batman, and Xmen cartoons with the kids.
8. Dallas Cowboys! Yesterday, Today, and Forever!
9. Sodas!!!! but I am trying to wean myself off and get into drinking water and green tea more.
10.Water... as in the ocean. I love anything ocean-related, especially sharks, dolphins, whales... could watch that stuff all day.

Eagles oust Monarchs out of tournament

2009-03-12T10:50:00.001-06:00

Tyler McDonald's 15 points led Eldorado's boys basketball team to a 46-40 upset of No. 1 seed Manzano during Wednesday morning's opening round action of the Class 5A State Tournament at the Pit.

The Eagles (20-10) advance to today's semifinals against La Cueva, a 61-57 winner over Clovis.

Eldorado never trailed in the game and led 41-30 with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter when the Monarchs came storming back. Manzano shooting guard Mark Tenorio scored eight consecutive points to make it a three-point deficit. Two free throws by Ryan Gesiakowski with 45 seconds to go made it 41-40.

Several attempts to tie or take the lead in the waning moments were unsuccessful and, just like that, the state's top team was sent packing.

"It's like I told the guys in the locker room just a little while ago: Teams are often judged by what happens in the state tournament," Manzano coach Travis Julian said. "I'm not going to do that this year. This is a special group and that's all I want to focus on right now. Their level of commitment and sacrifice is what I'll remember."

On the flip side was Eldorado's latest impressive win. The Eagles stumbled down the stretch of the regular season, falling from sole possession of second place in District 5-5A to the fourth seed for the district tournament. Relegated to the ninth seed for the playoffs, they went on the road and beat defending champion Hobbs last weekend.

Wednesday's win avenged two earlier losses to Manzano (26-3), a team that had won 16 straight games coming in.

Although Wednesday's game wasn't a roadie, it sure felt like one. The Eagles wore their burnt orange road uniforms and their small but vocal crowd was outnumbered 3-to-1 by Manzano's.

"We have fun on the road," coach Roy Sanchez said. "We did a lot of team bonding on the trip to Hobbs. We did all the right things, watching 'Hoosiers' and 'Miracle'. I like bonding -- just 10-hours-at-a-bus bonding."

Eldorado got the start it wanted. The Eagles scored the game's first four points as Chris Strong scored once in the low post, then again on a 10-foot baseline jumper. At the other end the Monarchs turned it over on each of their first two possessions as the Eagles built an early 9-4 lead.

Manzano cut it to 21-19 at the half, but Eldorado steadily pulled away until the final few minutes.

The big factor was Manzano's shooting. The Monarchs were 4-for-23 from 3-point range, including 2-of-11 in the first quarter. They shot just 29 percent from the floor for the gaem and were outrebounded 31-27.

McDonald said he and his mates could get used to this underdog thing.

"We love it when it gets like that, when people doubt us," he said. "Being the underdog helps because it changes the way you think."

Tenorio finished with a game-high 17 points for Manzano. Both he and Julian lauded Eldorado's defensive effort.

"No one was hitting shots," Tenorio said. "We had to find the hot shooter and if it's not me, it's going to be someone else."

Julian said Eldorado's defense was a far cry from the teams' first two encounters. The Eagles ran more halfcourt traps, impeded the Monarchs' trademark motion offense by clogging passing lanes and slowed the pace to a manageable level.

Gesiakowski had 11 points, but other scorers like Kyle Lantz and Jordan Burd struggled from start to finish. Lantz was 0-for-7 from the field with all of those attempts coming from the outside. Burd was 2-of-10 and had eight points.

McDonald was the lone double-figure scorer for the Eagles. Cris Lozano at seven while Strong had six. Javier Lane had five points and a game-high eight rebounds.

GAME SUMMARY
Wednesday -- the Pit
ELDORADO 46, MANZANO 40
ELDORADO (20-10): Gary Maestas 0-2 2-2 2, Ross Williams 1-6 0-2 2, Christian Sacoman 2-7 0-0 5, Javier Lane 1-5 3-4 5, Cris Lozano 2-5 3-3 7, Tyler McDonald 4-5 5-6 15, Daniel Strong 1-2 2-2 4, Chris Strong 2-2 2-2 6. Team Totals: 13-34 FG, 17-21 FT, 46 points
MANZANO (26-3): Jordan Burd 2-10 3-3 8, Kyle Lantz 0-7 0-0 0, Mark Tenorio 7-15 0-0 17, Jordan Llamas 0-2 0-0 0, Darrelyn McCloud 0-3 4-4 4, Ryan MacCubbin 0-1 0-0 0, Austin Roark 0-1 0-0 0. Team Totals: 13-45 FG, 10-11 FT, 40 points
Eldorado 11-10-12-13--46
Manzano 6-13-9-12--40
3-point FG: E 3-10 (Williams 0-2, Sacoman 1-3, Lane 0-3, McDonald 2-2); M 4-23 (Burd 1-5, Lantz 0-7, Tenorio 3-9, Gesiakowski 0-1, MacCubbin 0-1). Rebounds: E 31 (Lane 8, Lozano 6, Williams 6); M 27 (Tenorio 8, Gesiakowski 7). Assists: E 8 (Lane 3); M 4 (MacCubbin 2). Fouls: E 16; M 17. Fouled out: E, none; M, none. Turnovers: E 17; M 15.

Eagles topple #1 Monarchs!

2009-03-12T09:57:00.003-06:00

(Cris is #24, in case you were wondering) ^_^

5A Roundup: No. 1 Manzano Falls
By Will Webber / Journal Preps Reporter
Thursday, 12 March 2009 00:28

Nothing the Eldorado boys basketball team did in the weeks leading into the postseason led anyone to believe it was capable of becoming a giant killer.

After all, the Eagles lost three out of four down the stretch, struggled to beat Los Lunas in the regular-season finale, then were hammered by Highland in the District 5-5A tournament.

All signs pointed to an early exit.

All of a sudden, they're pointing toward the final four. The Eagles stunned top-seeded Manzano in Wednesday's quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament at the Pit, taking a 46-40 decision that sends them into today's semifinals against La Cueva. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. in the Pit.

Highland will face seventh-seeded Las Cruces in the 8:15 nightcap. The Bulldawgs upset No. 2 Gallup in Wednesday's late game.

For more detailed information of each game, click on the Journal's prep page icon.

ELDORADO 46, MANZANO 40: The Eagles (20-10) never trailed, opening a 9-4 lead in the first quarter before staving off a wild Manzano rally in the game's final four minutes.

Manzano (26-3) came into the tournament riding a 16-game win streak. Thanks to Eldorado's ever-shifting defense and patient approach on offense, the top team didn't look so unbeatable any more.

The Monarchs struggled from beyond the arc, converting four of 23 attempts. They shot just 29 percent from the floor and, until cutting an 11-point deficit to 41-40 in the game's waning moments, never had a sustained run in which everything seemed to work.

"It's like I told the guys in the locker room just a little while ago: Teams are often judged by what happens in the state tournament," said Manzano coach Travis Julian. "I'm not going to do that this year."

Eldorado close the game by scoring the final five points from the free-throw line. Monarchs senior Mark Tenorio missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 19 seconds left, setting up two free throws by Chris Strong that sealed it.

Tenorio had a game-high 17 points.

Inspiration: And her name is Georgia

2009-02-25T12:55:00.002-07:00

I have been very fortunate to call this amazing woman, my friend for about 20 years now.

Georgia and I were pregnant with our first children at the same time. My Cristian is just 5 days older than her Chelsea. Cris was born on Valentine's Day and to this day, Georgia does not let me forget that I cheated her out of having her own lil sweetheart baby. Our original due date was February 4th... well that day came and went. Georgia started bringing up having the babies together on Valentine's Day. "Come on", she said, "We can get induced and have little Valentine babies!" All I could think of is that it must be a painful and gruesome experience. There was no way I was going to do that.... and wouldn't you know? On February 13th I started feeling the beginning of the contractions that would later bring me my beautiful baby boy. And of course, he ended up being the Valentine's baby.

The video posted on here is from a story that tells how Georgia and her family have opened up their hearts and home, and have come to allow all these people to live with them. That's Georgia. She loves being there for people and being able to help. She has always been a great friend and I know just as well how these people could come into their home thinking it's just a temporary deal but ending up falling in love with her and staying for a year or more.

Stories like this always have an effect on me... I wouldn't say a weird effect but they do.... they make me have to re-evaluate my own life and realize how insignificant it is sometimes... Yeah maybe I'm a good wife and mother and I influence the world thru my family and taking care of them... but outside of me and we, who else am I having an influence on? who else am I helping? Sad to say... not enough... so this should be good motivation to start!

To Be Continued.....

2009-02-24T16:53:00.002-07:00

So the other thing that I seem to struggle with besides not writing/blogging the way I'd like to is keeping up with my resolutions.... I know for most people it's hard to stay on track but you always think that that's going to be someone else... not you...

so needless to say... not doing well there either... and if nothing else... I really need to lose weight and go back to school. Everything else can take a backseat... I just really need to get these two started and going...

Revisit

2009-02-23T16:06:00.001-07:00

So this is my re-attempt to get better about blogging.... I always have these great ideas of how I'm going to nurture and "grow" my blog but it just never seems to work out that way. I have great admiration for those that are able to blog on a regular basis and that are able to really have well thought-out posts. I know there's some out there just dedicated to recipes or other copy/paste type of items... but I'm hoping that I can have one that's a good "read"....

TO BE CONTINUED....

A Thump on the Head

2009-01-21T11:15:00.002-07:00

Is there someone that you wish you could just thump them on the head and it would help make everything better? Or if not make things better at least have them snap and see the light bulb above their head actually get turned on?

Right now I want to thump my oldest son on the head. Because things usually come pretty easy for him, he tends to take stuff for granted. He's one of those that you can see all the awesome potential in him but somehow still seems to fall short. For example, Monday was a holiday so he didn't have school but his basketball coach still had practice scheduled for 8am. My son slept in and didn't go. Instead he chose to lie about it and tell us he did go but of course the coach called and he was busted in his lie. So to reprimand him, the coach sat him for the first half of last night's game. Fortunately for him, his team did okay without him. But that's just it, they only did okay. This game could have been one of those games that if he would have played in his usual manner he could have really dominated and blown out his opponent. It would have been a great game for him and a confidence booster coming up into the rest of his season where the games are going to be a little more competitive and there will also be more stiff competition.

Of course, I've also grounded him. But am grasping for how to really reach him. It seems like he can't ever get all the different parts of his life to be in sync together working successfully for him towards a common goal. If he's sucking at basketball, then he's doing good in school (which he is right now) but if he's struggling in school then he seems to be excelling in basketball. He is so much like Simba from the Lion King... you know the part where the ghost of Mufasa has to remind him that he's so much more than what he's become. That's my son too.

The other person that I'd like to thump on the head right now is W. Yep, our former president. And not necessarily for all the other reasons that everyone celebrated that he was out of office. But for not having more of a backbone and giving Christians a bad name. Now non-believers everywhere are equating Christianity with him and it has left a bad taste in their mouths. If he was going to be the radical, evangelical president who wanted to say he was going to make decisions based on his faith-values, then he should have done that and he should have done it all the time not just when it seemed like an easy way out.

hmmm... who else should get thumped on the head?

Eagles get road win at LCHS

2009-01-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

By Felix Chavez/Sun-News reporter

Posted: 01/10/2009 12:00:00 AM MST

LAS CRUCES —The Eldorado Eagles have been one of the state's best teams in Class 5A in recent years. On Friday night, the Eagles showed why they could be pretty tough come state playoff time in 2009. Eldorado played good defense at times, hit some big shots and earned a huge road win with a 65-55 victory at Las Cruces High.

The Eagles trailed 21-14 with 5:42 left in the second quarter after Bulldawgs guard Fabian Vigil hit a 3-pointer, but then the game turned in the Eagles favor.

Eldorado turned up the heat on defense, outscoring LCHS 16-3 the rest of the half to take a 30-24 halftime lead and the Eagles never trailed again.

Javier Lane and Christian Sacoman each hit 3-pointers in the run, while Cristian Lozano had six points, all in the paint.

The Bulldawgs struggled on offense in the second quarter, making just 2 of 8 from the field and committing five turnovers. "We had too many turnovers and we didn't execute well in the second quarter," Bulldawgs wing Lucio Luttrell said.

The Bulldawgs got a huge game from Vigil, who led all scorers with 28 points, making seven 3-pointers on the night. Luttrell added 19 for LCHS, which drops to 10-5 on the season. Eldorado, which is now 9-4, had more balance on the night with nine players reaching the scoring column.

"We had to wait for a few players to come out from football and we are making progress with each passing day," EHS coach Roy Sanchez said. "But we have good depth and this was a big road win for us against a good team."

The Bulldawgs made things interesting in the second half, but every time they made a strong push, Eldorado answered. Sacoman hit two back-to-back triples in the third to give the Eagles a 49-40 lead after three quarters.

Las Cruces High could only get as close as six on two occasions late in the fourth quarter. Eldorado went 13-for-18 from the field in the second half and turned the ball over just six times.

"We executed well on offense at key parts of the game," Sanchez said.

Both teams are back in action today. Eldorado is at Alamogordo, while LCHS takes on Rio Grande. Both games are at 2:30 p.m.

Rio Grande beat Alamogordo 58-57 on Friday night.

"We have to correct our mistakes and come out and do a better job in every part of the game, especially on the boards," Luttrell said. "The Rio Grande is a big game for us."

Eldorado 14 16 19 16 —65

Las Cruces 16 8 16 15 —55

Eldorado Gary Maestas 2 2-2 6, Ross Williams 1 3-6 5, Ryan McCulloch 0 2-2 2, Christian 4 2-2 14, Javier Lane 2 0-0 5, Cristian Lozano 3 0-3 6, Tyler McDonald 4 1-1 10, Daniel Strong 4 0--0 8, Christopher Strong 4 1-2 9. Totals 24 11-18 65.

LCHS Avery Allen 2 0-0 4, Fabian Vigil 9 3-5 28, Dante Caro 2 0-0 4, Lucio Luttrell 5 9-10 19. Totals 18 12-15 55.

01/07/09 Eldorado v. St Pius

2009-01-08T13:54:00.001-07:00

Eldorado won 60-49

#24's stats:

5 points 2/3 shooting 25% FT
10 rebounds
1 block
1 assist
2 forced turn overs

Family Adventures

2009-01-08T13:51:00.002-07:00

So tonight I'm going to talk to the kids about getting them to submit material for this blog that way it's not just all of my stuff on here ^_^

Also, on occasion, I will post Cristian's game scores, stats, etc.... YAY! it's Basketball season!

Yvette

Starting the New Year with Death in Mind

2009-01-05T13:56:00.001-07:00

My friend, as you go about setting goals and resolutions for the New Year, bear in mind Death’s message and stop putting things off to someday.

Write down your list of things that you have been putting off.
Write down another list of things you want to STOP doing.Write down also the action plan to stop doing these:

Pay someone else to do it.
Delegate to someone else in your team to do it.
Negotiate with a teammate who’s willing and happy to do it.
Just stop doing it.

Take out your calendar and schedule those things you want to do into a specific date (hopefully not too far from now).
Talk to your family and friends about your dream and your resolution. Commit yourself. Put yourself on the line by announcing to the whole world what you plan to do.
Take small and incremental actions starting today to fulfill those resolutions:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Don’t be afraid. Don’t think “what if I fail?” - it cannot be as bad as “if only I had tried…”

With that, I hope that 2009 will be a more fruitful and meaningful year for you. Happy New Year!

Lawrence Cheok writes about living a balanced life and provides tips to improve your career, relationships and money at A Long Long Road. Other than writing, Lawrence does business development and project management in his day job.

in loving memory of my friend, Justin's dad, who passed on 01/02/09.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

1. Definitely have to lose weight this year! This has got to be the year that I get my act together and get fit! Target goal: To lose ~70lbs by end of year. That's approximately 6lbs a month.

2. Go back to school. Too late to get enrolled for Winter Semester but will get registered for Summer term.

3. Be better about keeping up with my day planner and my daily to-do lists. Be better organized.

4. Be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, employee, citizen.... strive to always make everything and everyone around me better for knowing me.

Lots more to add to the list... but these are the top priorities for 2009.

2008-12-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

"BECAUSE" by TD Jakes

Just because no one has been fortunate enough to realize what a gold mine you are,

Doesn't mean you shine any less.

Just because no one has been smart enough to figure out that you can't be topped,

Doesn't stop you from being the best.

Just because no one has come along to share your life,

Doesn't mean that day isn't coming.

Just because no one has made this race worthwhile,

Doesn't give you permission to stop running.

Just because no one has realized how much of an awesome woman you are,

Doesn't mean they can affect your femininity.

Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level,

Doesn't mean you have to sink to theirs.

Just because you deserve the very best there is,

Doesn't mean that life is always fair.

Just because God is still preparing your king,

Doesn't mean that you're not already a Queen.

Just because your situation doesn't seem to be progressing right now,

Doesn't mean you need to change a thing.

Keep shining, keep running, Keep hoping, and keep praying,

Keep being exactly what you are already. COMPLETE!!

Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything!

With a new year approaching us, I thought this was a great reminder as we go into making our New Year's Resolutions. Alot of the same things we resolve to each year are almost insignificant if we do not truly understand who we already are and what we are aspiring to be.

Happy New Year!!