Jaivin cake

Piece of Cake Birthday

Click here to browse Shutterfly birthday card designs.

View the entire collection of cards.

Excitement...

I begin my writing class tomorrow and I am very excited. I don't have much more to write other than that to be honest. I pray my work in the class pays off and I learn more and sharpen my current skills.

Wish me luck!

~Clarissa

Dreams...

"The Daily Writer" topic today is: Dreams within dreams. Since I don't have time to write a story about hidden dreams, I will just chatter about what comes to my mind when I think of dreams.

___________________________

As a Pisces woman, I am a natural dreamer. I have very vivid dreams and some seem so incredibly real I cannot shake them. I frequently daydream and when in a deep daydream, I get lost in thought and have many inner monologue chats with myself reflecting about the dream.

Usually, after waking from a crazy yet incredible dream that I eventually rehash all day long, I tell myself, "I must write down all dreams in a journal!" I envision the cool new journal I'll get and fill with amazing dreams in which I go back to every few months and discover a pattern or some alluring trend which reveals something deep about my soul. However, after making that 2 second commitment to myself, I forget all about it and go back to my mundane habit of checking my texts or Facebook for new notifications. And so with one single beep from my iPhone or tiny red box pop up, my goal to go soul searching within my dreams for self discovery or a life changing idea has gone "Poof."

Well I'll probably never get the shiny baby blue journal and write down each divine detail that I felt and saw in my dreams because besides being a dreamer, I am also a realist. Yea, I know it's hard to be both because I can dream a magical, wonderful, surreal dream then I realize that it was all BS and there is no way on earth that dream will come true (ya know, the dream where you can fly, or for me it's when I can become a vampire) and I need to just wake up from the silliness.

The Reality is I'll have a super mind blowing dream, then get startled by my blaring alarm clock in which I smack down to activate the lovely tease, I mean snooze button. I oversleep; realize that I must rush to work now and pray that I'll have time to induce some java before I arrive. By the time I dash in to work, coffee in hand, my dream is either a blink of the past or a future deja vu, but I doubt that life altering dream will ever lay on several pages of a cherished journal.

I still love to have those amazing dreams and the daydreams. It makes the time fly by and can completely morph you in to another world even if for a few minutes. In the other world you can smack that annoying bitch you hate or get praised for being the best at whatever you want. Like for me, I daydream about what my kids will look like and that one day they will say, "Mami, you're the best!" (Hey, I know I don't have kids yet and my dogs don't talk, but I can dream!)

Oh yea, and I don't always have sappy daydreams. My most common daydream about smacking the spit out of people who annoy me. Who doesn't think about doing that?

Until next time....Have a lovely day! Enjoy your daydreams!

Privacy....please

I have decided to make my blog private until further notice. I would really like to pour my emotions and thoughts into this blog because I plan to take this seriously. Therefore, I'd like to only allow to those closest to me to read my blog. Once I gain more confidence in my writing skills and feel the need to open my blog up, I will do so and make it public.

On another note, I purchased a few helpful writing books this weekend and I am so excited that my class starts this Wednesday. If I take this course and gain more strength in my writing, I hope to move forward with my writing goals.

One of the books I purchased is a 366 writing topics book that will allow me to bulldoze through writers block if I encounter it. I will have lessons for my class, but on this blog I would like to use the topics to further expand daily/weekly topics. I think this will hopefully open the window to a passionate topic.

Thanks for reading and I hope to entertain you. Please feel free to comment, ask questions and give me as much feedback as possible. I appreciate all the help I can get!

Love Clari

New Venture/Goal/Chapter in my Life

Well it has been a while since I've written a blog entry but I am really really going to start writing in here often from now on! I want to sharpen my writing skills and keeping an active blog will really help me.

I am excited to say that I have enrolled in an Online Class for writing and I look forward to my new lessons and advancing my skills. My hubby and close friends tell me that I have great writing potential and while I think they tell me that because they love me and they should say lovely things to me! (It is an unwritten rule right?) On a serious note, I am going to take their advice and really work on my so-called writing talent. (Can you sense my strong confidence?) I really hope I find my knack for writing and go far with it. I love to read and my short term goal is to sharpen my creative writing skills and learn a little more about myself.

For instance, I'd like to be able to answer the following questions about myself once I'm done with this writing course:

• Which topic am I most passionate writing about?
• Can I really see myself writing a form of literature? Which form?
• Which genre best suits me?
• Fiction? Non-Fiction? Memoir? Children's book?
• Which demographic would I like to reach/target with my writing?
• What kind of writing do I truly excel at?

Hopefully, I will be able to answer the majority of the questions above and move forward with my little dream of actually being a good writer/author. And Yes, I said "Good," because let's face it, I am a realist and I don't expect to become one of the best authors of our time and get featured on New York Times Bestsellers list and have my Grandkids' Grandkids read about me in some textbook or syllabus. I would just like to have something published and have a few people like it or critique it so I can then learn from it all. I am not perfect, but if I am passionate about something artistic like writing, then I plan on giving it my all and being proud of my work. It's about me and what makes me happy at the end of the day. That's the sole purpose of this New Venture/Goal/Chapter in my Life.

Good Night! Hope you have a lovely week. :D

Slackerifically LATE

Hi Everyone!

So It's been months since my last post and I have no excuse other than I was being a slacker. I didn't get really busy right before the wedding but after the wedding things have been great and I have no excuse as to why I didn't sit down and blog a bit.

A few updates for all my loyal readers (all 2 or 3 of you!)...

My dad has lost 90lbs since his gastric bypass surgery in March. He is sticking to his diet and has more energy. My parents and brother went on a cruise last month and my dad was able to enjoy more events and I am thrilled the surgery has helped him.

My wedding was a success. Everyone keeps telling me they had a blast and that it was put together well. Boy was I relieved that everything feel into place. Every bride hopes for the best but I am so thankful it all went well. It did rain on my wedding day, but honestly that didn't even bother me because I really enjoyed my day and I cried lots of joyful tears.

My Honeymoon wasn't as successful. Was it romantic? Yes. Was it beautiful? Yes. Was the hotel/resort great? Heck NO! It's a new hotel and I have learned my lesson with going to a new hotel....Never GO to a NEW Hotel. This place was months old and the management and service of the place was a mess. I won't bore you with every single detail but I'll point out some low-lights b/c highlights were rare.

1. The AC in our 1st room blew warm air. We complained and were told that's just the way Dominican AC is.
2. After several maintenance men examined our heater-AC, our butler switched us to a cooler room that blew 70/75 degree semi-cool air. I guess this was an improvement seeing as the swamp ass room we were in before was a slimy & humid 80 degrees (with AC).
3. Certain parts of the hotel smelled like rotten mold.
4. I ask for room service and it never came. When I called them, they said they brought our food to a different room and we didn't answer. (Well no sh*t!)
5. The served the same food everyday. Never anything new and every restaurant is outside so you have the privilege of dining with hungry flies while you sweat your butt off.
6. Most of the people at the hotel were newlyweds but that didn't stop the waiters/servers/janitors/bartenders...etc from snapping his neck to check out every female in front of their new husband. Needless to say Nathaniel looked like he was gonna blow a gasket a few times.

The highlight from the hotels occurred when we were off the resort. We went zip lining and had a blast as we zipped from high poles through a jungle in the middle of mountains. This guy on the tour with us said to us: "Oh you're from New Jersey...Everyone there says JOIZEE." We said, no not really, that's just a myth. He then told us we must not really be from the part he's talking about. Hmmm ok?

We also went on speed boats, cave diving and on dune buggies. It was a blast and we had so much fun being adventurous. The hotel had it's glitches but being at my hubbies side made everything great.

My job as a Nanny is Great! I really love the twins I care for and the family I work for is just amazing. They are down to earth, good hearted people that really appreciate my work. I try my best everyday to make sure the children are having the most peaceful and loving environment and the parents take notice. The children have been developing so nicely and I am proud to be a part of their advancement. I am blessed to have such a wonderful job.

-------

I vowed to write more in this blog and I will def keep it b/c I really enjoy it and it helps to reflect.

Until my next post...take it easy!

Juggling Life

It has been a while since I wrote in my blog and there are many reasons why. I shall entertain or bore you with the numerous reasons. I've been juggling life and at times when you're juggling things one of them will fall and smack you right in the face! That thing for me was the wedding stress! Oh Lord, at one point I wanted to just cancel the wedding and elope because the pressure was too much for me. Worrying was my state of mind. I worried about everything and felt like it wouldn't go away.

Finally, Nat and I sat down and made a list of everything we needed to do and slowly but surely things are finally getting all checked off and I am so relieved! I still have a medium sized to-do list but it's better than having a mile long list. After some much needed stress relievers like not doing anything wedding related for a few days and visiting my best friend/maid of honor in PA...I feel so much better. I am now once again looking forward to the big day because I am peaceful about it.


Yesssss...I'm back to being at peace about the wedding. I just want to marry the man I love and forget about all the lil bits of BS that really don't matter! Oh yea and I've lost about 15 lbs so far and I am so happy. I cannot wait to lose some more.


In other news...This was me about 2 weeks ago:

Yup that was me jumping for joy. (Well, it's a dramatization shot of me.)

And yea, this was Nat and I also jumping for joy. (Again, a dramatization of us)

And that's me again the next morning. (Those doubles look nothing like me!)

And a Cartoon drawing of me. (Drawn to scale.)

I posted all the above pictures to simply illustrate that

I LANDED A JOB!

You are looking at newly hired woman! When I quit my job, I stated that my next job would be working with children and I am elated to report that I will be working with children as a Nanny.

Lol...I just had to throw that up there! I used to watch the show and think it was funny. Who would've known I'd become a nanny!

I'll be caring for the cutest set of twins, 1 girl, 1 boy! They are so cute and the family is really nice and down to earth. I am very excited about my new job.

Well until next time...take care!