Fifteen Going On Fifteen!

My eldest daughter just turned 15 years old this past weekend!

I know this sounds so cliche, but she is turning out to be a wonderful young lady!

Not only is she gorgeous, but she is smart, witty, fun, independent, super outgoing, athletic, confident, talkative, and yet very humble.

I love that even though she has a boyfriend, she still is the same. She doesn't have to change, or even feel like she has to change for him. Or for anyone, for that matter.

She won't hesitate to speak the truth, or even tell it how it is. Definitely not a wallflower, or pushover.

I love that about her!

More importantly, she takes her walk with the Lord seriously (as well as her purity).

I wish I knew the Lord at a young age.

For her birthday, my sis in-law decided to give her a purity ring.

I love how it represents what she believes in. It says "LOVE WAITS" on the band, and she is definitely waiting until marriage for that "moment." It's not just a promise to herself, but to the Lord. We're so blessed that her and her boyfriend have the same faith and ideals for their courtship/relationship.

She is such a treasure to us!

Swag Or No Swag?

While I was shopping with my daughter the other day, I couldn't help but notice this dude.

I mean, saggy pants are not a new thing, but I still can't understand why guys think this actually looks good.

It doesn't even look comfortable.

And how do the pants stay in place when he sits down?

All I could think of was that if it was "my son," there's no way I would let him leave the house lookin' ridiculous!

Tastebud Tuesday!

Okay..I know..what a cheesy title, right?

I was going to use "Tasty Tuesday," but it seems that it has been used many times before!

I don't know if I'll start another meme, but for now, I think I'll stick with it!

I do so many food posts, I might as well put them in one category!!

So, here goes another one!

Mine and my husbands second choice of Pho restaurants is one right by our house. Literally..two minutes away! I'm not too fond of the noodles at this place, so I usually opt for their rice dishes. My new fave is their bbq pork, served with white rice, and a fried egg. Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Eww..fried egg?" But, I kid you not..it is sooo good, and it adds so much to the dish! Honestly, I'm Filipino, and this is like totally normal!!! Trust me! Very tasty!

Ha..there's my husband in the background!

Anyway..I can't remember the name of his drink on the left, but, I want to brag on my NEW FAVORITE drink on the right! It's their mango shake, and IT IS THE BEST!! It's so fresh, perfectly sweet, and it is my go to drink for those hot days! And did I mention that this place is only two minutes away? Score!! Oh..and yes, I had to order a side of their egg rolls. So yummy, and better yet, this place will hardly make a dent in your pocketbook!!!

Friday Photo Flashback

I started "Friday Photo Flashback" because I have so many pictures from my PRE-digital camera days. I thought it would be fun to scan them and share them here with you. I'm having so much fun doing this, that I would love for you to join me, too! So dig out the photo albums and put your scanner to good use! Don't forget to link up so we can all visit and comment on each others blogs!

1976

I'm totally guessing on the year here. I know that by the couch and the curtains, we were already living in our new house in San Jose. I look like I'm about 7 years old! That's my mom on the left, and she was still sporting the "Sonny & Cher" look. I seriously look like a boy!! Who in the world cut my hair???? I was so not cute! Ha!

Froyo

When it's hot outside, and you're just not in the mood to cook, OR even eat something hot..

You can never go wrong with frozen yogurt!!

It always satisfies!

And yes, there IS froyo underneath all those toppings!

 

Happy List!

It's that time again, for "My Happy List," hosted by Dandelion Wishes!

I love this meme, because it helps put things in perspective for me.

Those little, annoying moments that may happen throughout the day seem so petty when I look at the big picture (so to speak).

So, here are a few things from the last couple of weeks that made/make me HAPPY!!

On Thursday evenings, the women's bible study at my church is going through the book of James. One word...CONVICTING! I love it, and I look forward to growing more in the Lord. No matter how many years you have been a Christian, you can never get enough of the bible. I love how the Lord is able to minister to us through His word!

Here's a picture of my hubby while we we were at Yogurtland. Just him and I! I love that our older kids can babysit their siblings!!!

My youngest son took this picture of my in-laws with my youngest daughter. My mil looks a little crazy in this picture, but I promise you she does not really look like this!! LOL

I gave my camera to my son (that's him on the far right), and my hubby took a picture of the kids (minus Veronica) while they went hiking last Saturday!

And look at that view!!

And finally, here's the view of me filling in for the Kindergarten teacher during their nap time! I just adore the little ones in this class!

LIttle Bit O' This & That

I've managed to neglect my blog..once again.

I haven't even kept up with my own meme!

Well, summer break is only days away, which means I will be able to keep up with posts on here!

Anyway...

Mother's Day weekend was great.

Spent time with my in-laws, and a few days later spent time with my mom for her birthday.

I was blessed with homemade gifts from my kids (and one item I picked out on my own from my hubby). I'm sure you can guess which one it is!

For my mom's birthday, we took her to BJ's, and it was our first time there. We loved it, and I'm looking forward to going back sometime soon! 

The sandwiches/burgers were very generous, and the quality was better than I expected! I had the California Burger, and my boys had something similar. They were so huge that they only ate one half! And they never have leftovers! I wish I had taken a picture of everyone's food, but they were all hungry, and they didn't want to wait for me to get that "perfect" shot!!

My two older kids had the Chicken Fried Steak, and they both said they loved it!

Now,  this is what I was looking forward to! My friends told me this was soooo good, and I knew this is something we could all enjoy! This is called a Pazookie (pie/cookie). I ordered the combo, and it had chocolate chip, macadamia nut, triple chocolate, and oreo cookie "pie" pieces, topped with ice cream! And I'm not exaggerating when I say my kids acted like they never had dessert in their life! Everyone dug in with their spoons, and it was gone in five minutes!!

Friday Photo Flashback

I started "Friday Photo Flashback" because I have so many pictures from my PRE-digital camera days. I thought it would be fun to scan them and share them here with you. I'm having so much fun doing this, that I would love for you to join me, too! So dig out the photo albums and put your scanner to good use! Don't forget to link up so we can all visit and comment on each others blogs!

1960'ish??

I honestly don't know when this picture was taken, but I am going to take a wild guess and say it was in the early 60's. The beautiful lady on the left is my Aunt (my mom's youngest sister), and the other lovely lady is my grandma. My aunt had beautiful long black hair, and she was so stylish back then! I think she had more style then, than she has now. Hehe..I hope she doesn't read this! And I'm sure my grandma was just as fiesty as she is now!!

We're expecting a visit from my mom's side of the family in June, and I'm so looking forward to it! My grandparents are getting into their 90's!!!!

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Well, at least at Red Lobster they are!

We have not eaten here in YEARS. In fact, while my husband and I were just still "boyfriend & girlfriend," we'd come here ALOT! This was back in the late 80's, and this was our "go to" place! Just like at practically every restaurant I go to now, I tend to order the same thing..ALL.THE.TIME! This way, I always know what to expect!

Back in the day, I would always order the Crab Alfredo, and it was always a winner! Not only did consistency change, but it was not nearly as tasty as before (and it now cost $$$)! So not worth it!

My husband loves to order lobster, but I think his expectations were a little too high that night! I don't even know how much it cost, but I'm sure it wasn't worth it. I should have taken a picture of our "calamari" appetizer, but it was ridiculous!! It wasn't even all calamari. They also mixed deep fried bell peppers in it! Who does that???

Well, needless to say, I'm sure we will not ever go back there again. For that price, we could have had a dinner that was worth the $$$!

Wordful Wednesday-Nail Biter

Well...not "literally."

I mean, I'm more of a nail picture "copier!"

I've seen sooo many pictures like this, so I thought it would be fun to try!

This IS my new favorite nail polish that I got from Tarjay! It's a dark gray color, and it is fabulous!!! It's called "Armed and Ready."

Join in on WW here!

Instagram Is Da Bomb!

I'm sure about 99% of smart phone users have heard of Instragram. I used to wonder what the hype was all about. My daughter is constantly taking pictures with her iPod, and telling us how many "followers" she had and who "likes" her photos. I could relate somewhat because I know how it feels when someone follows my blog!

But, still..I wasn't really into it until us Android users were able to download the free app!

Now, I'm hooked, and LOVE using it to take the majority of my photos!

What's even better is that you could also upload them automatically to your Facebook profile! And seriously, you don't even have to be a great photographer. The editing options on there can make anyone's pictures look good! I can take a picture of a rock and make it look awesome!

Here..I'll show you!! Look at some of the shots I have taken so far! I love them!

I even uploaded a fun app called Photo Grid that can frame more than one picture! So cool!

See what I mean??