Love, Life and Appreciation

I'm back with another installment of the 30 Things series. It's getting more. Hehe. Here we go!

8. What are 5 passions you have?



1. Family

I have been family oriented ever since I was younger. I have been so blessed to have positive role models in my family. My parents, my grandparents, my uncles, and aunts and cousins, and so much more. My husband is so caring and my children are so curious and cheerful. Many of my friends are family.  I am truly blessed even though I live in another state from my relatives and friends, we all still have strong bonds that can never be broken and I am so thankful for that.



2. My husband and children

I can't thank God enough for the life I have been given and meeting Rex so randomly and having everything fit so well into place. We have two gorgeous children share a some of our personality traits and are so themselves. Seeing them grow into beautiful women, later though, it all makes me want to cry. I am passionate to work hard for them and Rex and to be the best mother and wife I can be. I want my children to learn and to continue to learn and I am very passionate about education.



3. Learning

Life is full of lessons and mistakes are sure to be made, but learning from those mistakes is really what is key to a successful future. There is only so much that can be learned in a day but in a lifetime we must keep our eyes and ears open. I love to learn and stay current with the latest trends in tech and the world. I remember being in my social sciences class in middle school and my teacher was shocked when we said that no one reads the newspaper. "Don't you want to know what goes on in the world?" she proclaimed. From there I said, "Yes" and I follow the topics and try not to get lost in some topics but one topic I will never stray from is science. My father got me into science and that has lead me to, my Masters in Science and far beyond in articles and presentations. I also am passionate about history and knowing that learning help to sustain us in the future.


4.  Earth Science and the World itself

I squeal every time I see a rainbow and I think about all the mechanisms of how the rainbow occurs just at the right moment with just the right conditions. It's truly amazing the World we live in and to think we are the 3rd rock from the Sun, spinning in the galaxy with billions upon billions of stars. The weather, water, mountains, trees, plants and so many more, are so beautiful and though at times the weather can be quite destructive, the beauty that is nature is outstanding and I am passionate about preserving it and educating others. We have to protect the World we live in, so that future generations can actually breathe on this planet and actually see the beauty in which God has given us.


5. Helping Others

The above picture is last year when I competed in a dragon boat race with my team at AOL. I'm 2 spots in front of the person in blue. We were raising money for the Catholic Charities. I will have to write a blog post about that event. It was so much fun and training for it was intense but it was for such a great cause and giving back is a big passion of mine. I try to help others in many different ways from just being an ear, to providing advice, to mentoring, to teaching how to read and work the computers, to monetary donations and food donations. I know that many people are struggling and even a smile can lighten the mood for at least a second. I try to pay it forward and I hope to engage in more events and give back until the day I am no longer on this Earth. 

• Stable, not a temp job and one that I can work in for many years
• Friendly co-workers
• Volunteer opportunities
• Training and career advancement opportunities, flexibility 
• Able to utilize skills and voice
• Great benefits for myself and the family
• Non-micro management, freedom
• Work from home option, or nice looking office with windows and temperature control
• Up to do with current technologies or at least moving toward them
• Not too stressful, I can outstretch my arms and breathe 😀

Here's another installment of the 30 Things series.

This topic is number 6: If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?*

1. No pain or suffering.

This might be along the lines of world peace but I really do believe the world would be a better place if there was no pain and suffering. So many people are hurt and there are doctors and first responders that help people but there are many people too that have hidden pains that if not dealt with ultimately lead to self-hurt and sometimes death. There's also so many born into conditions that are horrendous and the suffering they have is so upsetting and heartbreaking. Children are suffering, elderly are suffering, animals are suffering, the Earth is suffering. I do wish that there was no pain. Definitely, heal the world.

2. Access To Quality Education for Everyone and Affordable.

I think this is becoming closer each and every day. Like people helping the sick and suffering, quality education is being brought to more parts of the world daily. Education is key for development and having sources that are open for people around the world like MOOCs which stands for Massive Open Online Classes are only going to get better for the growing world population. Our children are being introduced to teach products at early ages and even coding is taught in some schools as a foreign language. Though that is more of a tech aspect to education, just having more topics of reading and writing and finance and science, accessible to even the remote parts of the world, might help the global population make smarter decisions, perhaps even safer. These decisions would pertain to certain aspects of the person's environment but I know that having an overall sense of education, that they might not normally get in their place of living, could actually be affordable and certainly accessible to them. I myself never want to stop learning and I am so thankful for the libraries and online sources available and those sources are constantly growing.

3.  A Stable Career and Job I Love.

Having a job in today's times is a challenge in itself for some people. I spent 8+ months unemployed after being laid off and even some of the people that have jobs aren't happy where they are. I would love to have a career and a career that I can wake up each and every day, happy and rejuvenated. I know this can be found in doing something I love and I am learning each day more of what I like. I can't get everything I want, I know that, but certainly, a career that is stable. I have had many temp jobs in the past and having a career that is more stable can help to build a more solid foundation for family life and life pretty much in general. I know many of the roles out there are not even at a level that could support one person, let alone two and having this position, I would likely be stressed. I've done positions like this in the past and I wish that moving forward on this journey, I can hold a career, that can help support the family and be of which I truly enjoy.


*The graphic was made using the Photofy app. 

It's been some time since I last blogged and I am getting back into it. Here is number 5: What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now? of the 30 Things series. 


1. God's love. 

I have stated it before but I am so happy about God's love and the blessing of waking up each and every day. Just viewing the world that has been created and nature and breathing in the air, it's all God and praise is to Him. I smile just knowing that I have been put on this Earth for a purpose and that God knows my path and He leads me, getting me through hard times.

2. My caring husband and growing children.

My husband has been there through all the ups and downs that we have experienced and we know that there's going to be more obstacles to follow, but we also know we will be there together. If we get into an argument we work together to find a solution. He makes me laugh and even though it's been a bit difficult losing the weight from the second pregnancy, he has truly loved me through every which way I have looked and he will continue to love me. We have such a strong trust too. Our children are growing so fast and they are healthy and talents are already showing. Yes, at times motherhood can be a struggle but thinking about how small they were as babies and how tall they are getting now, just brings a tear to my eye. I am so thankful and happy to have such a committed husband and how he works so hard to provide for the family and children growing talents shine every day.

3. My supportive family, friends, and acquaintances. 

The past couple of months haven't been the easiest but my family, friends and even acquaintances have been so supportive and comforting and insightful. I realized over time to surround myself with positive people and my family and friends and acquaintances offer more than they even can imagine. The long talks are so helpful and to still have their friendship even though we might not live in the same state, gives me so much joy. My best friend and many of my family members live in New Jersey, and we still keep in contact and are on good terms. The understanding of our situation with friends and acquaintances makes me happy too. Understanding is so beneficial and for the advice and guidance, I will be forever grateful.

4. My clear mind and ability to learn new things.

I've been in about 8 months of unemployment at the time of this writing after being laid off from my role at AOL, last year. If I didn't have the support of family and friends and acquaintances and the love of God, I probably would have lost my mind by now. I am currently on unemployment and I have interviewed at about 7 different companies and had about 10 interviews but no offers. I might be getting closer though at the time of this writing. I am happy because, during these many months, I have been learning new skills and improving on my current skills. I have been viewing more online material and books on coding, like with Python and SQL and I realized that this is more of what I wish to pursue. With my Masters in Atmospheric Science, I have gotten interviews for Data Analyst positions but I have not secured a role...yet. I am so thankful for the resources to learn new things and improve upon skills. There is a plethora of material out there which is so exciting as well but at times it can be overwhelming. 

5. Being myself.

I have learned that being yourself is truly the best. Though you can change to adapt and be flexible to some things, you still need to be yourself and not go off the path. I am happy with who I am. I am analytical and logical. I am silly and fun. I am an educated black female who is a mother to two amazing children and wife to a loving man. I am cautious and resourceful, and I do take risks, at times. I LOVE to learn and I never want to stop learning. I enjoy helping others and giving back to the community. I am not perfect and I admit mistakes and imperfections. I strive to be the best mother I can be for my children and bestow knowledge upon them. I also strive to be the best wife I can be and friend and daughter. I am happy to be me because there is only one me. No one else this world has my same fingerprints and I am unique and glowing.

My rock, Rex!

Our beautiful, growing girls!

Finally got around to another blog post for the 30 Things list.

Here's number 4: List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could. Much of these you will still be referring back to as your future self.

Here I am again a tad bit behind on the 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me series. I may be behind but the timing of the entry is significant as Father's Day is tomorrow.

 This entry is based on: 3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.

The relationship with my husband (to my children, your father) is on a very connected and loyal level. Though we met randomly, we have much in common.  We both understand that money isn't everything in life and we enjoy the little things. My husband is a quiet man who is willing to give the shirt off his back to anyone who asks. He is also more of the type who likes to stay in at night and he loves to watch the news. I am a bit more vocal but not by much, as much as I watch the news I can not watch the news for hours and hours on end. I like spending time at home but sometimes I get the feeling to go out for the night, however since I am currently 37 weeks pregnant writing this with our second little girl and looking after our 2 and half year old, I'm more of a homebody. We are both very hardworking individuals who strive to do our best for the family.  We have seen much of the bottom together and we know we will rise to the top together. We don't get into many disagreements but if we do we can work them out and come to a compromise. We have a very caring, romantic and honest relationship as well. We are open about things and consult on another on purchases or plans. We believe strongly in keeping faith and we have the same values in raising our children with much well-roundness. We pick each other up. We make each other laugh and we are both so thankful of all we have been given, we take it as a learning experience and we know we will stay strong together in what we encounter in the future.

It's been a while since I posted an entry on my 30 Things series. I kind of forgot it...Nonetheless, here's another installment as part of that series.

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

Fear 1: Spiders
Ok, I think this is a common fear among many people. I really do not care for spiders. Big one make me jump, scream and tingly and little ones even make me tingly. I definitely avoid the area where the creature is and if I do kill one, I hit it at least 5 times to make sure it's dead. Oh I don't like picking them up either. I reach down slowly and walk quickly to the trash can. My fear of them comes from the way the move. It's so creepy. I also have a fear one with pop out of the trashcan after I killed it. I don't bother spiders outside like on a leaf or something like that. That is there natural habit. They can do what they do, and I'll do what I do. I especially try to avoid a spiderwebs if I'm outside.

Fear 2: House Fires
This fear came became a fear when I was younger. There was a home in the back of my parent's house that caught fire and I'll never forget that night. I remember hearing people taking outside and hearing firetrucks. I looked out one window of my parents home that night, and saw nothing. I looked out the window on the other side and saw a big burning house, cars were parked on our lawn and people were just standing and watching. The home was engulfed and the fire was so strong the firefighters were telling people to get back and you could feel the heat. I remember when the roof collapsed, the embers were floating towards my parents house and I really thought that the house would catch on fire too. There was nothing left of the house after it was extinguished. Fires are so devastating. My fear is of the fire and not being able to get out.

 Fear 3: Guns
I do not like guns. I have many friends that own guns, my father and grandfather have guns, but me I will not hold or own a gun. There's been so many shootings of innocent lives, one of the first I heard of was Columbine. Recently in movie theaters, malls, and elementary schools, it seems when in the gun gets into the wrong hands, there is a tragedy. I have never come in contact with a gun. I hope more control can be put on guns, to make it a safer place for everyone.

Though these are my fears, they do not limit me towards achieving my goals, they allow me to be more cautious. 

{To find out more of why I'm writing this entry, check out my 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me post.}

1. List 20 Random Facts About Yourself