Style Cat: blessed

creative writing and journaling have been my thing since I could remember and this year I am returning to my roots :)

"Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your TROUBLES."
~ Maltbie D.Babcock (1858-1901)

Life throws us many curveballs and never do we count on these but as easy as it is said we truly cannot allow our troubles to consume us. If so, then we are forgetting one of the most powerful energies we already possess - Gratitude. I'm quite sure all of us already know that we are to be thankful for what we have, what we experience and just the pleasant unexpected things that come our way. But even when knowing this, how often do we really say thank you?

Dissect your life and acknowledge your dreams in these areas --- Health, Career, Money, Relationships, Personal desires, Material things.

Gratitude brings us back to how we first felt when we started dreaming BIG and having a purpose to achieve them. We always say that 'dreams are free' and yes they are but did you know that you can also bring them about in your life? Our current situation and what we have is proof of an abundance or lack of Gratitude - believe it or not and set aside all practices of faith. Knowing this, why not bring in more of what we want in our lives. If you think about it, it is turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the negative things, events or people in our lives and focusing attention on what makes us feel more appreciation for life, our existence and sustain positive and happy feelings in ourselves and towards others.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

~ John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

A helpful tool to keep you on track that I've learn a while back and am revisiting is a list of "10 Blessings". List down 10 blessings that you are grateful for and why, it's as simple as that! But after doing so reread them and say thank you to each and every one of them feeling true appreciation.

It doesn't stop here, continue to count your blessings everyday, repeat what was mentioned above and you will notice and feel a big difference each time and you will realize your blessings magically multiple!

Photo details:

The Magic by Rhonda Byrne

Journal and Planner from Target

This year was definitely full of memories! Many I will forever hold near and dear in my heart, a few maybe not so pleasant were just fleeting moments of sadness and some hurt but have taught me to stand up again and carry on. 2014 is very special to me because of the many "firsts" me and my family have experienced. Here's a recap of the past year ---

JANUARY

~ Birthdays galore. We celebrated several family members birthdays during this month, both present and not, near and far (our youngest son, my husband, my dad, my mother in-law, my brother and my baby niece Micah). This month I also passed the National Exam for Certified Phlebotomy Technician which was an awesome treat for me to start the year feeling extra proud and sharing this with my children.

Spent family day up in the snow at Tahoe

Birthday celebrant

Hubs too is a January baby

our little Birthday Celebrant & mommy w/ our good friend Joann

Hosted my niece's 1st birthday

MARCH

~ Good/Bad Luck. Celebrated my birthday mid month but also encountered a very traumatic incident on March 31st, I got into a car accident and totaled our vehicle. It was the first rain of the season so oil and water set the stage for my car to veer off lane and into the center divide while on northbound 680 in the Pleasanton area. A counter motion caused my car to spin out and around several times before I came to a stop in the center of the freeway causing traffic. I sustained chest contusion, severe whiplash and misalignment in my coccyx.. After 3 weeks of healing and many prescription drugs I tried to get back to work but I was scarred for a while and was very nervous being on the road again and though I knew I had to overcome the fear, I still have a daily reminder of that event - the pain I feel in my tailbone due to the "blunt trauma". It has not completely gone, there are good and bad days. This pain has hindered me being physically active the way I once was but I thank God for when the good days come, I am able to do as much as I can to stay fit!

Happy birthday to ME!

JUNE through JULY

~ Prom, Promotion, Commencement + R&R. Our oldest baby has finally completed her high school education and we are now proud parents of a senior graduate! And our youngest baby has been promoted from middle school to high school, we are so blessed! We also had the pleasure of having my in-laws visit us for the first time in the US coming from the Philippines to spent the summer. We visited a few places with them to share our life and new experiences here in the Bay Area! Our July birthday celebrant is my mom :)

#OOTN with Sergio

Congratulations Chloe and Rylan!

@ SFO,Welcome to California! CHEERS from Castello Di Amorosa

Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga, CA

Atop the Castle of Love

Picturesque view of the vineyards

*Travel CALIFORNIA: Castello Di Amorosa

site seeing from San Francisco's Twin Peaks

*Scenic view of San Francisco atop Twin Peaks

Palace of Fine Arts

*Travel CALIFORNIA: Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco

took a little field trip at Pier 39 The Embarcadero :)

under the Bay Bridge

got up close and personal with Alcatraz a.k.a. The ROCK

under the Golden Gate Bridge

bye Alcatraz it's been real

*Pier 39 San Francisco - Escape from the Rock Cruise via Blue and Gold Fleet

Mom's birthday at Tomi Seafood buffet with her "balaes"

Eastridge Mall San Jose location http://www.tomiseafoodbuffet.com/

In-n-Out #ftw... farewell mama and papa see you soon!

AUGUST

~ Duality and Calamity. A month we celebrate both life and our dad's memory. Our middle child turned another year older this month but we also keep in our hearts the love and presence of our father who died of Lung Cancer in 2007. This month we also experienced a serious earthquake in Napa County, one that got me nearly as frightened as the ones we have back in the Philippines.

Birthday Celebrant

You are forever loved Dad (1947-2007)

SEPTEMBER
~ Reality Bites. Our baby girl turned 18 and started college while working part time!

Our one and only Princess ♥

OCTOBER

~ Fleet Week Newbies + Halloween. Me and hubby's first time to Fleet Week, made it a date since the kids didn't want to join us and before the day was over we got a bit of media action. LOL! Spent Halloween passing out candy while our kids went door to door collecting more.