Mi Abuelito

My grandfather is in his 80's and has recently started having some health problems; needless to say it worries me. My grandfather was the first positive male figure in my life. As a child I was fortunate to spend my entire summer vacations in Mexico with my grandparents. During my time there, my grandfather would take me along with him to work on his farm and tend to his animals. I was exposed to nature in a way many children I grew up with never did, it was amazing. I hold those vacations dear to my heart because I was able to spend lots of time with my grandfather, which was very meaningful to me, especially because my father has never been part of my life. Inside his tough and stubborn shell was a sweet, funny, and caring grandpa. He always had stories to tell and old folk songs to sing. I really miss him and my grandmother too of course. I can't wait to go visit them this summer. I pray that my grandfather’s health holds up. Till then, I love you Abuelito & Abuelita!!!

 This is a recent picture of my grandfather. I like this shot, because it captures him in his true essence. He is so stubborn about his work on the farm that he now has a driver take him there so he can see that everything is going the way it should. As you can see he also refuses to ride inside the truck. My grandfather is not supposed to be working anymore, but no one can stop him. Perhaps it's what keeps him going. All I know is that if he is happy doing what he's doing, well then maybe we should just let him be.

Blame it on the rain!!

My "healthy living, being active" routine started off really well, the week before last. HOWEVER last week was a different story. Nature decided to  provide us with what felt like years of rain all condensed into one week!  We even had tornadoes in some areas. I for one HATE the rain. I HATE driving in it, I HATE going out in it, I just HATE it.  My hair hates it too. It gets all mad and frizzy, more than usual.

So I fell off the wagon last week. I did not go to they gym or take any morning walks.  Yeah I know, it did cross my mind to pop in a workout DVD at home, but the rain also has this lazy effect on me.  To make matters worse for my  healthy living plans,  my husband was out of town all last week, and he usually helps out with stuff at home, which  makes it easier for me to take off and go to the gym for a bit.  I do want to say that I did not give up just yet, I took my morning power walk today and will be doing so tomorrow as well. I'm getting myself back on track.

On a related note:

I found this book while clearing up some clutter at my desk at work today:

Office Yoga , Simple Stretches for Busy People by Darrin Zeer

I received it in a gift basket over the holidays and at the time didn't really care for it, but today I thought, wow, what a great idea! This is just what I need.  Incorporating some yoga while at work is a great way to relieve some stress and keep active while cooped up in the office all day. The book has over 50 illustrated stretches and  techniques that are easy to follow. The stretches are designed to be used anytime, anywhere, so anyone can make good use of it.  I'm definitely going to keep this book handy. There are many times throughout my day when I could sure use some stress relief.

Healthy Living

 With the start of the New Year there is always talk about "resolutions" and such. Honestly I stopped making "resolutions" a long time ago and instead have made goals for myself, no matter what month of the year it is. One of many goals I've set for myself in recent months, has been to get back into shape and hopefully lose some of the excess weight I've managed to gain over the years. I'm done with dieting, only because I don't really over eat or eat a lot of "bad" things. I never have, I just think my metabolism has slowed down a lot these past few years. Also when I'm dieting I feel so deprived, and that's doesn’t do my mentality any good. I love food and I think that all of us could eat everything as long as we can portion control. I really just want to feel good, tone up some "problems areas" and hopefully get off blood pressure medication. That's my REAL goal, to get off the medication. I was diagnosed with high-blood pressure almost 2 years ago, and have been taking medicine ever since. It's something that runs in my family. My mother, my grandmother, my grandfather, my uncles...it's in my genes, but that's no excuse for me to sit back and just let it happen. My Dr. has always said that regular exercise can make a big difference. My current dosage is very low, and I really hope to keep it low or better yet, get rid of it all together. So....today, I made my first attempt to be more active. I met up with an old friend who I've known for a while takes morning walks right near my work. I can totally fit in 20 to 30 minutes each morning, so I did. I met up with her today, and will be meeting her tomorrow as well. Another attempt I've made today is that I am joining another newly found friend at the gym tonight. I hope to stay committed to this; it should certainly make a difference to exercise with friends. I've tried going on my own, and I just end up getting lazy. No accountability, that's what happens. So I'm going to try this buddy-system that I set for myself and hopefully get the ball rolling. I'm hoping it will give me a good start on adding regular exercise to my routine. Wish me luck! I will try and post updates. Maybe blogging about it will also serve as some kind of accountability.

Looking forward to 2010

This year began with a fun-filled New Year's Eve party. Lots of laughs, dancing, and great friends & family. I can truly say I had a blast. I hope all who attended did too.
This year has also started off good for my new career. As you may or may not already know, I recently decided to make a career change. I became a Real Estate Agent this past summer, and working part-time in this demanding career has been a challenge for me. I landed a couple of clients at the end of 2009, which means that if all goes well, I will be closing my first escrow within the next few months. I am so excited.
In addition to my new found clients, I was just asked by one of the top agents in my office, to consider working with her. I have to admit that this makes me very nervous but at the same time I feel flattered that she would pick me out of so many other more experienced agents. This is a great opportunity for me to learn and start making some real cash. This agent has a lot of experience and I know that I can learn a lot from her. I'm really looking forward to working my butt off. It's a lot of sacrifice and commitment, but I'm ready! Let the madness begin.

5 GREAT REASONS TO BUY A HOUSE TODAY

When my husband and I first bought our house, one of the main reasons was to finally let our boys play, run, and get loud without the worry of someone complaining about it to the landlord. Todays market is a little different, there are some really great reasons to buy, some that may not be around for long. Here are the top 5 main reasons I think, should motivate you to get off the fence and buy now:

1. Affordability: According to The National Association of Realtors, homes have increasingly become more affordable during the last couple of years. We can go as far as saying it's the most affordale since they started tracking with the housing affordability index in 1970.

2. Lots of homes to choose from: Inventory is very high, more in some areas than others, never -the- less, a good thing. Today you have the luxury to be "picky" when selecting your home.

3. Interest rates are at historic lows: Let's lock in those low rates guys, because the reality is, they will go up.

4. Tax Credit: The first time home buyer tax credit was extended last month, you may qualify for an $8000 tax credit, or if you already have a home and have been there at least five years, you may qualify for $6000.

Tax Credit Update

5. FHA Mortgage Limits: Currently in L.A. County you can get an FHA loan for up to $729,750 on a single family home. Remember FHA allows you to purchase a property with up to 4 units as long as you intend to live in one of them, the loan limits increase with number of units on the property. Not too bad for only 3.5% down.

FHA L.A. County Loan Limits (High Cost Areas)
Single Home $729,500

Duplex $934,200

Triplex $1,129,250

Fourplex $1,403,400

Our Birthdays at Disneyland

My son Benny and I both have the same birthday. This year we decided to celebrate at Disneyland. Thanks to their birthday offer, we both got in for FREE. Our family couldn't pass this deal up. It was great! Usually I'm worrying about guest lists and party favors, instead I got to spend it with my favorite people at my favorite place. Disneyland is so beautiful this time around, it was all dressed up in Christmas decor. The best thing of all is that Benny had a blast. He said this was his best birthday ever, which made me so happy because it too was my best birthday ever!!

My first blog.

Ok, so I'm new to this. I've enjoyed reading other friends' blogs, and became inspired to start my own. I decided that I would give this a try, or as some would say "get on the band wagon" LOL. There is so much stuff going on in my life right now, that I hope to be able to update this on a consistent basis. I think this will be a good place to express myself, maybe vent, perhaps share some moments with you all. Happy blogging, and good luck to me. :)