'tis the year to be jolly

i am feeling rather 'jolly' since hallow's eve ended, and seeing how i've been thinking a lot 'bout this festive holiday season, w/ the added notion that although i won't have the luxury of fulfilling my holiday wishlist, at least i'll be with my immediate family and the people that i adore in this world. let's c, i'll have the opportunity to see moms since seeing her last summer, as well as meet my bro's daughter, isabella, for the first time and not to mention the rest of his family since attending his wedding in '06. so all in all, im forever greatful for family and the joy of what the holiday festivities bring. it's all so magnificent when you put it all in perspective.

i remember christmas in amerika samoa in which we would always have our family get-togethers' on the eve of christmas. daddio will bring a slue of junk foods: chips, cookies, and a variety of snacks along w/ sodas which for us was treat seeing how we weren't allowed to drink sodas. in anycase, myself, w/ moms, and sis would have to do all of the prep work and typically the family will all stay up till 10PM have a family spiritual thought & prayer and be intuned w/ eachother's company & conversation not to mention taking fotos until the midnight hour. at which time, each of us would have the honor of opening a gift and it would round robin around the room, until all the presents have been opened.
christmas morns were unlike anything else seeing how moms would have a wonderful spread for morning brunch. goodness, i miss those days. . .

lately, i've been thinking a whole lot 'bout traditions, and how i would love to instill that notion to my boys because it's important to treasure and reflect on it as they mature in age, especially during these festive times. now that i'm no longer married, i do believe that it is significant and that i should do all i can to priortize it in my own family traditions. so w/ that in mind, this year will be the first to embark in a holiday family tradition in which i will do my very best to include family and friends that are of worth to my personal life and we shall see how everything this year pans out. look out for the foto montage. . .

new hair do comes new set of realistic goals

i decided a long time ago that i would make conscious choices that will only give me sheer bliss to my personal and professional life, and the fact that i transformed my signature curly long locks, to this more chic new look speaks volumes for that perspective. also, i decided that i will now focus my efforts on prioritizing my health so w/ me riding my bike to work at least 4 times a day, i realized that i need to monitor my food & alcohol consumption. so after much research online, i decided to begin a 3-day fad diet to help kickstart my wellness program to greater lengths than ever before. this will be my outlet to verbalize my feelings and thoughts as i go thru this process, and my goal is to be less lazy and grow out of my comfort zone. i'm trying to retrain my mindset into becoming a motivator for my own self-awareness. and perhaps losing an add'l 15 lbs may be another reason to pursue this yet again.

day 1: starting weigh in 145 lbs at 5'2 1/2 in height

• 9:05A morning meal - included a slice of wheat toast w/ a tsp of PB, and a 1/2 grapefruit w/ my herbal tea.

• 10:15A snack - 2 glasses of water and Wrigley's Doublemint chewing gum (1 stick)

• 11:45A lunch meal - 1/4 cup of canned tuna (drained) and seasoned w/ just black pepper, a slice of whole wheat toast w/ tsp of PB

• 1:30P snack - 1/4 cup of mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pine, pistachio, and assortment of others, 1 small gala apple

• 1 palm-sized boneless chicken (grilled), seaons w/ pepper, 1 cup of beets, and 1 cup of string beans w/ large glass of H20

my financial woes!

if only i could figure out how to change my financial woes of "bills" to a fortune of opportunity and luck. do u think my life would be that more simpler and easy-going? doubtful, but i can only wish, right?!

so i had no choice but to tap into my savings to pay off my credit card bills. that's the reality we live in so it doesn't matter if u pay your bills on time anymore, because w/ this whole economic mess, i'm guessing it'll take another 3 to 5 years to recoop much of our losses from this year alone.

i'm wishin' for some1 to whisk me & my boys to somewhere far far away. . .bueno aires sounds good around this time of the year.

love is a losing game, indefinitely!

for lil' over a year, i've allowed this man, named paul anthony hayes, to enter in my life and be a part of my inner circle. i'll admit, that it's been a helluva emotional rollercoaster ride 2 say the least, and i'm beginning 2 realize that being in a exclusive & commited relationship shouldn't b 'bout dramatics, however, it's been our story after the 3-month timetracker had counted down.

i am fully aware that i may have been blindsided 2 allowing myself knee-deep w/ the notion of love and that getting involved so quick and soon may have resulted 2 why i am feeling so inadequate and lost w/ my emotions thus far.

paul and i have shared many intimate moments, and that we have a deep connection 4 one another. however, it seems that we can no longer be on a page that calls for mutual trust and respect. and what saddens me that despite our commitment and the undenying love we have 4 eachother, it seems that it may not b enuff 2 salvage our relationship. my hope is that someday we can look past our flaws, and find some common ground that would be incredible than the two of us combined, & become potentially, friends w/o the attached "benefits" factor.

i wish you well, my dearest paul, and that if we happen 2 cross paths in some form or fashion either here in san diego, ca or may be out in samoa (god willing), than may be it's a sign that our souls were destined 4 an absolute greater power, that may direct us 2 what we ultimately need 2 do allow ourselves 4 closure. take care of thy self and know that you will have a special place in my heart, indefinitely.

forever yours. . .julia

MY month to SHINE!

so it's the start of another month. . .OCTober! and i jst felt compelled and enthused 2 blog 'bout how opportunities can culminate when u least x-pect it.

jst a bit of a backstory on what had transpired thus far, basically i've been employed at an Aerospace company for 7 years, and for the past 6 1/2 yrs, my position seemed to b at a constant stance simply because i wasn't doin' my part 2 become motivated in following thru on improving my skillset level in my current IT/MIS profession. finally, i began to reassess my priorities at the beginning of this year, and i've made the realization that it is now or never to pursue that goal of what would give me that opportunistic edge overall else, redirecting my career path into SAP consulting.

in mid feburary, it started off w/ me inquiring to my director of how myself can manuever into a different department, and from then on, i've been on this pursuit from several informative meetings w/ managers/consultants, not to mention shadowing/training sessions, and although it's been quite a slow and steady pace, but a pace nonetheless. my hope is that after all of this is said and done, that i can look back and say w/ sheer delight, that it was all worth it.

remember, that if you believe it enough w/in yourself that changing careers especially at a point in your life that compels u 2 think outside of the norm and/or box, than it's definitely a journey worthy of pursuit. . .keep u posted on how it all turns out!

today is a gift!

yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, and today is a gift, that's why they call it the Present!
so i'm baaack to bloggin', with a bit of a congested chest & cough. yet, it hasn't stopped me from doin' my thang and that i still managed to get up out of bed and come into work. a ton of stuff has happened since my last time bloggin' up in here. . .so let's start off w/ the fact that "today is a gift", in which i appropriately titled this post here. basically, i'm jst in sheer glee with ev'rything up to this point in my life. even though i feel that my overall circumstances can do sum improvement, but that hasn't deter'd me in the least bit of plowin' thru my days. i do know in my heart and mind, that the lil' things will eventually blow over and that six months from now that i can look back & jst smile. . . so far that's been my life's mantra, and i'm almost certain that by nxt month or so, that i'll have a new set of worries; usually thats how life shows it's colorful humor and disguise. i constantly have 2 remind myself that it's a matter of controlling our reaction, and by dwelling on jst the negativity, it's very possible that it can be that much harder 2 detect the good in any form or shape if it enters in our realm. . .so stay positive and rely on ur own support system 2 get ya thru each week.

off-topic, i had a b-day recently in which i turned the big '31'. granted, that i still get carded and that most ppl say that i don't look my age, but i take it as a compliment and jst go w/ the flow. i guess i shu'd b thankin' mom & dad 4 their superb genetics. in any case, i had a gr8 time since i was w/ ppl that r of gr8 importance in my life, paul and my two boys, shai-styles & steel. we dined at sum a-typical 50's diner out in coronado, and it was by sheer luck that my part-time sitter was available to sit for the boys while paul and i "ran the streets" downtown -- randomly selected a pub called 'whiskey girl' adjacent to market street. i shu'd forewarn u that havin' the cold/flu especially on ur b-day, and than tryin' suck down sum brew & shots isn't highly recommended, simply b/cuz ur tastebuds seem out of whack'd. but overall, it was best b-day evr. thanks boo!!!

so i'm glad it's at the end of the week, and i'm still feelin' miserable, goin' on 2 wks w/ this damn sickness. i can't seem to shake the cough though. it's been drivin' me nuts, i tell ya. i've tried mostly all the over-the-counter remedies, but it seems it doesn't suppress it long enough for myself to get better. perhaps i'll try a couple of home remedy fluids. until than, happy bloggin', readin. . .peace. . .i'm out!!!

calistoga, ca

my boo paul & i had planned a romatic getaway trip to napa valley, cali and for the past five months we've been counting the days till we had to finally leave for our trip. this past weekend, was indeed the very days that we had left town and since our return, it has been still 'bout relishing in our "home away from home" retreat, a town called 'calistoga, cali'.
calistoga is almost 30 miles outside of napa valley. it is a very small town, in which many of the local residents have either been living there for years or have migrated there due to work or other reasons.
many of the townspeople were very considerate and extremely nice, yet we didn't spend too much roaming the streets of calistoga. instead, we decided to lounge at the resort and enjoy the perks of what vacationing in napa is all 'bout. . .

so our itinerary was planned to leave san-D, cali at 7AM on fri morn 5/30, and i was able to arrange for a ride to the airport from one of my home girl, to drop us off at least a few hours prior to our flight departure.
of course, i had the impression that we were leaving out of us airways and by the time i had tried to check in, i realized that we were in the wrong terminal hence the wrong airlines altogether, when really it was united we were leaving out of it. so the two of us flagged one of the commuter buses to take us to terminal 1, and we were able to get our boarding passes & zipped thru TSA check point without any hassle.

so it was a lil' over an hour time to kill before our flight's departure, and i kept thinkin' 'bout paul and the fact that he felt a lil' on-nerve 'bout flyin'. fyi, paul hasn't flew since he was 'bout 10 y/o so luckily, there happened to be a pub at the gates, so to help take the edge & nerves off, we sat at the pub that actually opened at 6AM, and ordered sum on-point drinks. paul ordered a triple shot of crown royal & a draft of sam adams, while i wasn't in the bit to drink that early in the morn so instead i ordered a glass of club soda. it was endearing that my honey was a bit disturbed at the thought of flying -- but once we were airborne, it seemed that the drinks definitely put him at ease and i was even happier at the fact that it was a very short flight to san francisco. *winks*

after we gotten our car rental from budget, an olive green hyndai sante fe, we followed the directions that i happened to print out to the resort. our drive out to napa was very carthartic, had a calmness to it. i encourage any and all to visit napa valley at least once in their lifetime.

when we finally arrived to our destination, the time was 1PM and we were able to check in early. the name of the resort in which we stayed at in calistoga is called 'solage'. a very contemporary and illustrious resort, unlike anything i have stayed at before. and that goes double for paul as well. on a side note, i wouldn't have gone to a place like this ever, if it had not been for the promotional package by AMEX. since i am a card member for almost 11 years, i was able to get the accomodations at discount, so it was a 3-day, 2-nite stay in a king-size studio, bungalow-style suite. Also with the suite, came complimentary beach cruisers to utilize while our stay at solage.

so after we had unwinded in the suite, we both showered and took a very needed nap b-4 our dinner reservations at the 'solbar'. the package included a complimentary mud massage and/or dinner for two, so i knew already paul wouldn't be down for the mud massage, so opted for dinner. i tell ya, the food was simply divine. both he and i ordered the most expensive item on the menu -- steak w/ risotto and asparagus. . .we weren't much apt on the wine so we opted for some water and iced tea. after dinner, we went straight back to the room to sleep in. . .we had a long day of travelin'. . .

we awoke feelin' very relaxed the next day and it was probaby early morn 5AM or so. after we gotten ready, we took the cruisers for a morn ride and it was a sheer delight. and then we cruised in our rental around the town area. we drove out to where the walmart supercenter is at which a good 45-min drive from the resort. we were able to get some necessities and then stopped by at a local diner to have some delicious breakfast.

we were originally signed on for a wine tour, but cancelled an hour prior to the time designated and stayed in and lounged at the poolside. we ended up drinking parrot bay rum drinks and eating snacks, plus we a cold cut sandwich that we had purchased from walmart earlier and turned in after our time at the pool. later, we got all dolled up to walk around the resort even more and took fotos to finish the evening. the only thing i wished they had was a place for dancing.
on our drive back to the resort, we noticed how plentiful the wineries were all around the 29 hwy of napa. such beautiful landscapes and especially the homes themselves. here's a shot of one of the winery that we thought was spectacular. opus 1 . . .

this foto doesn't do it justice but as you drive into the premises, there are these metal-gates that welcome you with open-arms, and then you continue to drive thru this very straight drive way which seems to be almost a mile long, in which both sides of the road contains acres of grape vines. it was clearly ingenius on how each vineyard was constructed from start to finish.
once you arrive at the very edge of the drive way, you walk out to the sidewalks that seem to curve in a round 'bout way onto the grounds which eventually leads up to the main entrance of the doors to opus1. and as you can see the architecture of this building in itself, it is rather of an awesome site. there are however plenty of other estates in which i found fascinating as well, but because we were pressed for time, and i didn't really have enough storage capacity on my digital's memory stick, only 'bout 60 fotos made the cut.

in essence, our time spent at the solage resort definitely gave us a very relaxed and refreshing feeling. even after days passed, i still feel well rested, and it is trip like these that you want to take hold of and remember it always, especially if you are with someone that you love and care 'bout. so in short, take the necessary steps to travel w/ the ppl that you hold dear to because life is about having adventure and feeling a sense of freedom. not only that, but the memories that you make on these trips are priceless so remember to chronicle as many trips as you can.

new year, new month, new day!

so i have a lot to be thankful for, since i last blogg'd w/ ya. . .let's c. . .i'm married. . .NOT! lol i'm in a relationship which bona-fides for a RANDOM moment if i ever heard of 1. i was resistant at 1st. i really was. . .but this man is damn near AMaa-aziNG! i love him so much that i cannot contain my bubbliness 4 him. . .his name is PAUL!



i still have my health intact. . .all my hair. . .and most of all, my all-important, one of a kind, sensational personality. did i mention that i underwent sum plastics as a X-mas gift to myself this past December '07?! well, it's true. . .and i'm feelin' exTRAordinary & all that comes w/ as i embark on this new chapter of my life.

it's positively a wonderful feeling to accept the flaws and challenges that comes with life and love. i've definitely accepted what my flaws are, and although that my life isn't entirely at a point of relishing in perfection, it's almost in a category of it, and that is pure delight for me, personally & professionally.

so i look forward to what this year has in store for myself, my boys, and w/ my boo. it is afterall a wonderful life, indeed. i'm sure proof of it!!! so bring it. . .