XOXO MNT

If I won the lottery....

2018-03-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

Just because the Mega Million is currently at a whooping 400+ million....

If I won the lottery I would...

-Pay off my student loans
-Buy a house no more than $400k
-Buy a cheap car
-Go on a trip with my family
-Pay off my sibling's student loans
-Give some to my church
-Buy my dad a new car
-Trade my mom's van in for a newer updated one
-Give a little each to my sibling
-Give some to my current boyfriend to pay off his debt

And then......... I wouldn't know what else to do with that money. That's really all I need in life.

The rest of the money can probably be sitting in the bank under investment or whatever. I don't even know. I don't think I would buy land or anything like that. Or invest in real estate or whatever. I have no idea about investments and such. It's kind of sad. But again, it's not like I'm going to win........ so?

It is still nice to think about what to do with that money though.

How nice it would be.

XOXOMNT

A renewed beginning.

2018-02-21T20:18:00.001-06:00

Greetings...

I don't know how I am going to structure this blog... but I'll just type away as I have always done.

I often think about what I want to write and how often I want to share my life... does anyone even still read blogs anymore? I don't know either.

Still working two jobs, at the District and at the hospital. Both jobs are fine and keeping me busy. I picked up overnight on-calls...... meaning for a full week Monday-Monday, anytime anything comes up in the middle of the night I will have to get up and work. I need the extra money so I'm working hard.

A few blogs ago.. or errr many months ago... almost exactly a year ago LOL, I wrote about planning to pay off debt. I can almost successfully say I am ALMOST THERE. I said 21 months later I want to have a savings of $10,000. I am currently at 12 months and a few days later... $180 in my savings account as of this second. I just got a deposit of $100.XX from my Youtube Channel that I am no longer active on and completely forgot about. I'm not sure if I should use that to completely pay off my credit card or if I should wait a little bit more. Maybe I'll wait a little bit more. Yes that's what I will do. I calculated all my expenses and how much I can pay off versus how much I can save if I slowly pay it off. I came to a conclusion that if I paid everything off now and have $0 in my account, at the end of the payment period, everything I earn will possibly be mines. I saved and saved and saved, but I was still short 2k on paying off my debt so I asked my sister if I can borrow her 2k cash and pay her back in 2 months. She agreed (she never says no and is never greedy) and that was how I paid off my $XXXX.XX... the only thing that I have left is about $103.XX on one of my credit card because I had to use the card since I didn't have anything on me at the time of wherever I was. After I pay that off with this week's paycheck------- I will say I am free from interest and everything. I will work hard the next two months to pay my sister back as I have promised. Of course, I don't bring in a huge income so I will have to take a full two months to pay her back sadly. I am forever thankful for my sister who is a life savior. After the two months that I work hard to pay her off, I will officially be ALL OTHER DEBT FREE. I am forever still in debt with my student loans though. 44k left! One day! If I pay $733.xx/month I would be done paying it in 5 years too.... although that would be amazing, I don't think that is realistic. I need to put myself in debt to buy a new car so............ yeah goodbye DEBT FREE in 5 years. That's just not realistic. But one day I will get there.

Another update in my life............ I am getting to know someone. Oh man.... this person has so many flaws in his life. I gave up many times. I was being friendly and one thing lead to another. He makes me want to take care of him and fix him 360. That is how bad he is. LOL. He is like a grown person who grew without wings. I swear. Everything we've done together is majority really new to him and he has never experienced it before or it is completely alien culture to him. He, of course is not the best looking, is not the nicest, definitely is not rich---- poorer than me for sure LOL. But he is nice. He listens to me sometimes, but he does show that he cares a lot. Super clingy too. I still do not see myself marrying anyone or being with anyone long term and I made it very clear to him. Again, being nice to one another and hoping for the best does not hurt. No commitment though. At least for now, no commitment.

Other than these two major updates in my life... I gained 15.6lb since my last blog, lost 10, gained another 5, lost 3, and gained 1. Still hoping to lose everything I want by May. Hopefully.

XOXO MNT

December 2017

2017-12-26T19:18:00.002-06:00

Hello Life...

I find myself coming back to this blog time after time. I always come back when I find my life hard.

I'm so drained. My jobs are fine. I left the hospital scene to working for a school district full time. I've been happier since then.

Love.... is always temporary. I still cannot see myself with anyone person forever. I'm not sure what my issue is.

And life... life is tiring.

The only thing that I have accomplished since my last post is weight loss. At my lowest, I am 146.2lbs. I started around the 180's and 188.1lb as my highest ever. Although my lowest is 146.2lbs, my weight this morning was at 150.0lbs solid. I gained a total of 5 lbs in the last week. Which is okay. I ate a lot of good food. So I'll work it off. I hope to be between 110-120 by the end of May.

That's all. There's so much going through my head, but I can't seem to write anything.

XOXOMNT

New Goals

2017-07-30T13:34:00.000-05:00

Hello. Last post was before the July 4th weekend and since then a lot of things have changed. We are getting new management system at work and work is still a headache. Let's leave that there.

I started my new diet plan, weight loss journey the Sunday of July 4th weekend, to be exact July 2nd.

I started with a weight of exactly 180lbs. I wished I had taken a photo of the weight scale the start date. I don't care about my body photos much because I already have too many of those "fat" before photos and I think if anyone sees me, they would know how big I am already. I know people who are a lot heavier than I am, but their bodies are a lot smaller. Everyone's build is different and that is why I feel like it won't make a difference until I am actually really thin or something.

As of today, 28 days later, I currently weigh 164.4lbs which is a total of 15.6lbs lost. I lost the majority of my weight the first two weeks, with a total of 14 lbs in 14 days. The third week in, it was my birthday weekend and there were multiple celebrations - with lots of sweets and food that triggered my weight a little. I went up and down for the next two weeks until today which put me back at the weight I had lost at 2 weeks + 1.6 lbs. My ideal weight and goal is to be exactly 110lbs. I don't have a set date that I need to be that weight, but I do know that I would like to drop down to that weight one day in the near future. My doctor said with my height (5'2) I should be around 104-135lbs. I personally think 104 is way too thin for my liking and I do not think I will ever be able to get that slim, but at the same time, I also think 135 is a little too thick for me. I've been that weight before and I was still "chunky" around my chin and back. My stomach is a core problem too. So I think 110 would be an ideal weight and I think I would look okay then for my height. I was doing some research and technically, to look "decent" I should be 99lbs which is a big NO for me. I think I would look scary if I lost that much weight. That would be a total of 81 lbs that I need to lose from 180 lb start weight.

My heaviest weight in my entire life is 188.1 lbs. I promised myself that I would NEVER ever go higher than that in my life, not because I don't like the way I look, but because of health problems. Just losing this little weight this month, I've already felt my body changing. Easier to sleep at night, easier to move around, easier to move my body parts in ways that I did not think I was able to move. It is still a scary thought to be losing 70lbs to reach my goal weight. I know it is doable as long as I put my mind to it and to keep focus. I know I've tried many times to start this journey and failed and who knows if I will fail this one too. I don't have a motivation that keeps me going, I don't even have motivation to go on day by day. I don't like to exercise, I don't like to do anything that makes me tire. So because of that, I'm just eating the minimal and only eating enough to satisfy my hunger and not my heart's desire. I've swayed away from all the fatty food, all the sugary drinks, and all the things that aren't necessarily going to help me lose weight. I know for a fact that if I was as active as I should be, I would be dropping weight twice as fast. But its okay, I really do not want to be losing that fast anyways. So I'll just keep going as I have now.

Since I've lost 15.6lbs, to get to the goal of 110lbs, I have another 54.4 lbs to go. I am very excited. I don't really have a deadline, but if possible, to accomplish it before summer of 2018. That will be my ultimate goal just no actual date. Another thing that I have always dreamt of and also think of is having my collar bone show. I just love that feeling of touching it and being able to see it. No idea why I am obsessed with that, but I am. I just hope that it should be soon so I can have even more motivation to keep going and losing weight. Anyways, that's just the biggest thing going on in my life right now that I am focused on.

As of the being debt free, that is still active also. I only have 1 major bill left (not including student loans) then I am done. I've paid off everything else already. I am very excited to being getting that out of the way and possibly being able to afford to buy a house next years. Goals goals goals.

That's all.

XOXOMNT

Staycation

2017-06-25T18:32:00.000-05:00

Hello hello.

We are one week away from the annual MN Hmong Sports Tournament. I am off this upcoming Friday-Wednesday of next week and will be going back to work on Thursday. I originally wanted to travel out of town to anywhere sometime during those days off but it is not going to happen because I have no available friends or anyone who wants to go. So...... stay-home-vacation it is or as everyone else around here calls it... staycation.

I should be thankful that I have a job that pays decent enough to cover my bills and such, but instead I feel so insulted at work. My boss said 100% of what we are giving in is still not enough. I don't think I have ever worked at a place and given so much time and energy into this kind of work. I know for sure I need to leave soon, although I must say, I really like the benefits and how much time I am getting off work per pay period, or PTO earned per paid period. If I get paid 2x a month, that's two full days of PTO per month, and on the months that I get pay 3x, that's three full PTO per month. I don't know anywhere else that would give me that much PTO and such. It is also really easy for me to request off and take off work whenever I want to as long as I request it first and foremost before the other people in the same department does.

My coworker just told me on Friday that she accepted a new job and will be putting in her two weeks notice this upcoming Monday which would be tomorrow. Kind of sad. She's one to really help and to really pay attention to details and get everything solved when I cannot do it. It's going to be hard when she leaves because I go to her for everything, but I do not blame her for wanting to leave. EVERYTHING we do is not recognized and not appreciated. I can't just up and leave because it's hard. I have bills to pay, I need to focus on finding a new job, but at the very same time, my goal was to stay here for a full year before I started looking for something else. It is quite hard to focus on positively going into work because everything is so negative. I work every other week on two different floors and sometimes get thrown into other departments to help do other things too and I don't mind so much, but there is a lot of work... so much work that it is impossible to complete and fulfill the "goals" of whomever comes up with them.

Anyways--------------

On the bright side, attended the 2nd Annual Hmong Town Festival today with my parents and sisters. It was fun, lots of food, lots of vendors, and lots of music. I ate enough and had lots to drink too. There are these two ladies from Fresno that were selling Thai Clothes, the cheaper ones, but they were still beautiful as ever for $90. I really want one. They are going to be at the upcoming tournament this weekend so I am looking forward to going back to their booth and purchasing it this weekend. I didn't bring enough money today because I was not expecting to be buying anything but food. I really want to wear Thai clothes, but I refuse to spend $300+ on one because apparently, I am sooooo big that it costs extra fabrics to make one for me so it will be $300-400 which is total bullshit! The one that I saw today, I tried on and it looks great, the skirt is adjustable and that's all I care about. As long as it fits, that's all that I want. I don't care whether it is those super expensive ones or not because I'm only going to wear it once and that is it.

Maybe.. just maybe I will take my camera with me next weekend and bring back photos to post on here....... motivation less to carry that camera around anywhere.

That's all.

XOXOMNT

Sick of being SICK

2017-06-07T17:55:00.000-05:00

It has been exactly 1 month and 1 day since my last post. I always think about what I want to share on here, photos and lifewise, but I'm so busy --- okay totally an excuse, but I've lost so much motivation (wish I could say lost so much weight) to move and do anything. I swear I think its near my death's time or something because I've been sick 4x in the last 5 months. Completely losing my voice, fever, itching/swollen/sore throat, shivers, and everything. I swear it is the Flu shot that I was required to get.

And for the past two days, I heard my Top Oppa overdosed on medication and has a drug case against him. As much as I hate to say this, people need to leave my oppa alone. I know he made a huge mistake, but quit writing bad things about him online!!!! Leave him alone! He's probably scared and depressed to the point where he overdosed on his medication, probably by choice too. So mean! And my goal of saving $$$ before he comes out of the military just went down the hill because he came out sooner than I thought he would.... and sighs. I guess money, fame, and a successful career does not always mean happiness. People always have their eyes and fingers ready to point at them at any time. I just hope he wakes up and nothing serious will happen. I know my aunt was unconscious for a night with the doctors saying she will be ok just to hear the next morning that she will no longer be us because there is no oxygen going into her brain. Sighs. Be ok my Top oppa.

Work--- is going ok. I'm getting use to ignoring all the mean people at work. Lol. I am a pro at ignoring when I want to. I can't believe I've been working here for half a year officially. I'm thinking about taking up another position here if I can get in. The pay is decent, more than what I get pay now, and the position is completely different which will also require me to go back to school and all for another year and then to sign a contract to agree to work under this place for another year after that before moving onto another place. I don't mind staying here, I just want to move department. I really like the benefits here and really like the fact that I can get so much PTO here! Love it. Anyways, the new position I'm aiming for will be doing research for EEG series and seizures and monitoring those kind of things. I'm mostly excited about getting the chance to work from home being a possibility in the long run because of course, I have to be on site to learn how to do it properly and stuff first, but after learning, I will be able to work from the comfort of my own bed and such. God, I know you have been blessing me all this time, thank you so much and I know you love me so much more than I would ever be able to return back, but please... this position is calling my name.

Anyways, I have to close my department now, I leave in 5 minutes so I guess I will end this now and maybe do something fun this weekend instead of staying home so I can share some photos.

XOXOMNT

4 months away.

2017-05-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

Hello.

It's been two busy and hectic months since I last wrote in here.

I've been throw under the bus at work. My supervisor, as nice as she is.... oh goodness. I'm getting tossed into everything and being assigned to everything. It's a little crazy. As fast of a learner as I am, I still get anxiety... bad anxiety attacks and my stress level is sky rocket high. I know I'm the type to do something really well and then quit. That's me because I get tire of people's crap and also get tired of being mistreated all the time. Then, again, that is life. Under appreciated for EVERYTHING.

Life... life is ok. I'm still loss as ever. I don't have any long term goals as of now. I've set short term goals for myself and those goals have 4 more months pending time. I also set a goal to save $xx,xxx before my TOP oppa comes back from the military, but I highly doubt that will be happening anytime soon. I thought about rewriting new goals, but it's so stressful as it is right now so I will only be focusing hard on my one goal-- to pay off all my debt by September/October time frame. The initial goal was to pay everything off by August 2017 but of course, life happens. I have to make some changes to some things and be tight on money in some areas and some months. It will all work out though. I know it will because I have a written plan.

So much has changed, or I feel like so much changed. People change all the time. Things change all the time. But all this time, I feel like I'm still in the same place and I haven't budged anywhere at all.

XOXOMNT

No more. No more.

2017-03-04T11:50:00.001-06:00

I received news that I will no longer be having a position at my 2nd part time job, not because I did anything wrong, but because the department is completely closing down. I am so... very sad.

All my plans for paying off all my debts and being able to save went down hill.

I will still be able to pay off everything by the end of this year, but I won't be able to save anything at all. Sighs.

Good things only comes by quick.

XOXO

Life Updates

2017-02-11T15:39:00.001-06:00

Hello,

I have officially been at my workplace for a little over 2 months now. It's amazing how fast time flies by when I keep myself busy. I'm really liking everything right now. We have a new EMR going live on Monday so things are hectic at work with transferring all accounts over and pre-regging accounts that will be coming into play on Monday morning. It's a new beginning for ALL of us so this will be a great learning process for all of us. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I have to be up by 6am tomorrow to go into work and do some OT so we can be well prepared for Monday/Tuesday and the upcoming week. It's going to be extremely interesting.

TOP oppa from Big Bang has officially enlisted in the Korean Military on Feb 9th, 2017. It's so sad to see him go and to not have Big Bang as a group anymore until the next 8? years or so. It will be amazing once they all reunite and release another album. With his enlistment, I made a promise to myself that I will work hard for the 21 months that he will be gone for. I made a small promise to myself that I will save up $10,000 minimum to have in my savings account as my emergency fund that I will NEVER use unless it really is an emergency. That will total up to be around $476.xx amount per month. I know some months I will be able to save more and some months less, but within that 21 months, 10g is my goal. Until then, TOP oppa, let's both work hard at our goals.

In addition to the emergency fund/savings goal within that 21 months, I also set a new goal for myself for 2017 too. I don't care about losing weight, don't care about what I look like, or what I don't have or anything at the moment. My 2017 goal is to pay off ALL MY DEBTS that I owe (not including student loans) by December 31st, 2017. That is my ultimate long short term goal. Long term for this year, and short term for life. I am on a mission to pay off all my unnecessary credit cards, well one of them was necessary since it was for medical treatments. Other than that I want to pay off everything COMPLETELY and pay off all the people I owe money to (dad and sister) whom I borrowed money from since they were very kind to lend me money during my deepest and poorest moments in life. Those things are my top priority in life at the moment. I want to be done and over with paying for money I owe to other people. After 2017 when I completely pay off everything, I will work hard on not charging my credit cards and on anything that I cannot pay cash for. I will set new goals for myself in 2018. I am kind of, very obsessed with financial counting and everything at the moment. Everyone... well everyone online is talking about the whole Dave Ramsey thing with the snowball effect. I have not had a chance to actually watch the Dave Ramsey show or whatever but I have watched successful stories on youtube that did amazingly great at paying off their debts through his snowball thing and also his 7 tips of whatever they need to currently keep up in life with. I have not had a chance to actually thoroughly look through the things to see if it will help me in life, which I think I should be soon one of these days when I find time.

I spent 3 hours in total listing off all my credit card debts, all my school loans, all my monthly househould utility bills, all my spendings, and everything together to see how much money I am spending and using. Like a lot of the successful people say, don't try to pay off everything at once. Pay minimum of everything else and max out payments for one thing at a time. I allowed leadway for emergencies and unplanned things to occur so that I will have enough money to still continue on this "wipe off the debt" snowball method. If my calculations are right and I do not go off track, I can pay everything off by the end of this year which is AMAZING because I owe so much. Of course not the students loans. I'm planning on reaching that $10,000 goal of emergency fund first and then I will start to plan out how I'm going to continue to pay off my loans. Along the way, I am expecting to get a car, but not until all my stuff has been paid off. I am excited for this new journey. I can't believe I never had a plan before I got myself into all this trouble. Overall, my entire debt is roughly $55,000 and under. I haven't calculated it to the penny, but it sure is not worth trying to pay a lot for everything at once. If I had done my research ahead of time, I would've been able to successfully pay off my debts and not be in debt to anyone.

With that said, I am working extra hard every single day to make as much extra income as I can to be able to save and pay off everything. If things goes as plan and I continue to work every single day until the end of this year minus the fact that some holidays I will not be working, I should be able to pay off all those extra things and have a lump sum savings goal of $8.000 minimum by December 2017. I won't punish myself too hard if I cannot get to 8g's, but it would be great and my life would be wonderful if I could. And my goal of 10g would be coming along perfectly well and by 2020 I would be able to completely wipe off my student loans. If things continue to work out, I will get decent raises from both work positions and continue to make more money as these months roll by too. I am very very excited. But of course we can't celebrate until I reach those goals.

Until then, let's all work hard.

XOXOMNT

3rd week in!

2016-12-19T17:50:00.000-06:00

Hello!

Christmas is right around the corner and so is New Years. This is my third week going into my work place. There is so much to learn and so much to know. So far, I like it. I like the people I will be working with and I like how everything is going smoothly so far. I know the position isn't the greatest but it pays well enough to cover my living expenses and such, so its hard for me to move onto another job just because this pays a little more than what I have been getting before. I hope to stay here for a long time or a few years or so. It's stressful to keep learning and moving to different places. I hope that it goes well for me.

XOXOMNT

1 Week In

2016-12-10T17:06:00.000-06:00

I officially finished my one week of training/work yesterday (Friday).

It has been overwhelming as it is for any jobs that I have held. Training is always the hardest. I hope to understand things soon so that I can stop looking like a dumb person just watching. I will most likely start my 2nd job on the weekends next weekend also. I figured I need to make as much money as possible so that I can live comfortably. I don't know. It's been stressful.

XOXOMNT

2 months?

2016-11-26T00:59:00.001-06:00

I... think I might have b-cancer. I think. I have to wait a month to go in to check up. Sighs. It's been about 2 months that I've kind of suspected something. Nothing is confirmed though.

XOXOMNT

I got hired!

2016-11-13T10:42:00.002-06:00

Yay! *Pats on back*

I went through 3x interview, HR, hiring managers, and peer interview. I thought I was not going to get it and half way gave up hope already. This process took a full month. I told myself I was only going to wait until next Friday as the last day and I will start applying for other jobs. But thankfully HR called me back and offered me the position at the wage that I had wanted. I told myself if they offer me lower, I would still accept the position anyways, but I had a specific wage that I had wanted. I remember talking to the HR person and she asked why I wanted that wage and I told her it is negotiable based on my experience and what they are looking to offer. She told me in advance that it would be somewhere around what I had wanted. But now that I am offered that wage, I wish I had asked for a higher number. My sister told me not to be greedy though. She said that I should be grateful and appreciate it because I had called and prayed for that wage so now that I received what I had been wishing for, I need to be thankful and not be greedy. She is right. I am thankful.

I will officially start on the 29th of this month. I am excited and scared. I have about 2 weeks and 2 days to relax and enjoy life (finally after almost 3 months of worrying about being jobless). This new journey, I will appreciate and enjoy every moment of it. I hope on staying with this place for a long time since it is something I have been wanting to so and a place I have been wanting to work for. I'm ready. I hope to save enough money and be able to buy a house next year. I am finally starting to feel like I can breathe and dream again now that I will be employed and bringing in income again instead of just living off my parents like the last 3 months. I am ready to give back and help those who had helped me during hard times.

All in all, I am excited. Congratulations to myself.

And before I leave, I guess I should also mention that Trump won election. It will be interesting. To me, it didn't matter too much because both parties did not appeal to me. The next 4 years will be interesting regardless if Clinton or Trump had won.

XOXOMNT

9/11 - 11/9

2016-11-09T19:48:00.002-06:00

Donald Trump won election. Half the country is crying and half is celebrating.

People being told to get ready to go back to "their" country.

I just wish for peace, it doesn't matter who is president, I only wish for a united nation which is too much to ask for.

XOXOMNT

Solicitating and Confrontation

2016-11-01T13:19:00.002-05:00

My cousin asked me to go help her do Lit Drop which means walk blocks and leave an informational card at the door of each house. She is part of the Senator Foung Hawj campaign of 2016. Since I couldn't go yesterday, we went today for 3 hours.

I skipped all the doors that had signs for No soliciting and no trespassing and all but towards the end of the final hour some dude followed me for several blocks and handed the flyer back to me. Get this, the flyer basically just tell people the voting date, locations, and who Foung Hawj is and his background since he is representing the Eastside. So the guy confronts me and said his door had a sign that said no solicitating and whatever. So I apologize and said I must have missed it. I reached my hand out to retrieve the card back and he wouldn't let go. He continued to hold it tight and said I shouldn't be stealing flower seeds because in other countries my hands would be cut off. I was confused and asked him to repeat himself again which he then proceed to repeat what he had said that I stoled his flower seeds off his lawn. By this time, I was starting to get furious because, yes maybe I had missed his NO SOLICITING sign, but no way did I grab anything off anyone's yard or touched anything at all. He was clearly just a jerk and an asshole of a jerk. I defended myself and said I did not touch anything off anyone's lawn or even hold onto anything. He repeated himself that my hands would've been cut off.

I don't think he realize I was with my cousin until she turned the corner and he then proceeded to blame her. He went on to say that if it wasn't me then it was her. Smh. I asked my cousin after the jerk left and she said she didn't touch anything either or "steal" seeds off flowers as he claimed.

That triggered it for me. I was done. I didn't want to go door to door anymore.

The entire experience wasn't bad, didn't run into any issues. We weren't breaking the law or damaging property. We didn't even walk on people's grass, we walked on path and didn't harm anything. And plus we didn't ring doorbells and bothered anyone either. The campaign team had already sent out half the cards to the Eastside residents but since it cost money to do that they figured they can have volunteers walk and drop cards at the walkable blocks. But oh well. There's always someone who just has to have their opinions released or else they can't go on living their life or something.

I repeatedly ask my cousin if what we were doing was actually solicitating and she said no because we are not asking or forcing anyone to vote for him, we are just letting people know of his experience. Idk. And according to the definition results from google we were not soliciting. Idk. I am probably just too bothered by the fact that the dude had accused us of "stealing seeds from his flowers" which is extremely pathetic.

Anyways, hope everyone had a great Halloween last night and remember to vote on November 8th. Have a very blessed day.

XOXOMNT

Another photoshoot.

2016-10-27T19:31:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I've been busy the past couple of days running errands and prepping for interviews and such. I had two interviews this week, but one was rescheduled for next Monday. The other one went quite well. I pass both phone and first person interview. I just need to pass the panel interview and I will be set. I'm desperate. I don't remember the last time I was this desperate to be working. Broke girl status. My bills are definitely piling up and up and up.

Also, this upcoming weekend is my sister's 21st birthday bash. She won't actually turn 21 until next Wednesday, but celebrating early because some family members will be in town this upcoming weekend. So much to do in so little time.

Anywho, my cousin asked me if I can do a quick shoot of her and her boyfriend so we went out today to Afton State Park to shoot a few simple shots.

XOXO MNT

Confession and Root Canal Treatment

2016-10-18T18:34:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make.

I... think I am addicted to nitrous oxide or laughing gas. I'm addicted to being put to sleep. My addiction may become a problem.

My left molar had a crack back a year ago and I waited this long to finally get a root canal after experiencing painful sensations. I am very nervous when it comes to dental procedures just because I have been to dentists and dental offices that left me in pain and horror. I got my first painful wisdom tooth removed under IV sedation which knocked me out cold and I paid $1200 cash for it which was worth every penny because I have no memories whatsoever of it. I was in and I was out. That was what it seemed like and I was in no pain whatsoever even during healing session. But the day after my root canal treatment exam my lower left wisdom tooth was giving me so much pain I was not able to sleep and no matter what pain medications I took or how many I took nothing helped so I went into a different dental clinic to get it removed.

What I like about that clinic is the fact that they were willing to pull my tooth on my first visit so I did not have to keep making multiple appointments for every little thing. When I got there, the doctor said he can do multiple things on just that one visit which I got a basic cleaning (tar tar removal), fillings for my cavities, and my wisdom tooth extraction. And must I say, cavity fillings hurt so much!!!! Even after receiving numbing shots, it still hurted so bad in some places. What I hated about this clinic is the fact that the dentist told me to just hold on for a bit when he was doing my cavities. To just hold in the pain. It was extremely painful and that was what I was most scared about--- being ignored when I am in pain. The wisdom tooth removal was quick and painless though because I was so scared I asked for another shot of those numbing medications. It was less than a minute and painless compared to cavity fillings.

Now, back onto my addiction and confession. I got my root canal treatment done this morning at 10am. When I went in for my consultation, I made it clear that I needed help for anxiety. I have a severe fear of any dental procedure just because my teeth are so sensitive. The nurse reassured me that I will get laughing gas to calm my nerves. Fast forward to a month which is today. I walked into the lobby extremely nervous and was afraid I was going to still feel all the pain.

I got hooked up to the gas which had a piece that went inside my right nostril and blew the nitrous oxide in. I started feeling whoozy and got a little scared because I was not sure on how I was suppose to feel. My legs and arms started to feel a bit numb but I remember during my consultation, the nurse said if I felt numb they would turn down the gas and I absolutely did not want that. I wanted more so I could forget everything. I started to drift off into my own world as I was inhaling more of the gas. The nurse then started to put lidocaine gel on my gums to get it number before the doctor came in to give me shots to numb my nerves. When he came in and talked to me all I could do was nod yes or no because I was slurring my words already when I was responding to the nurse. He proceeded to give me shots at the back of my mouth and I felt a slight pinch only as the nurse had previously said so too, like a mosquito bite. And she didn't lie. He gave me about 4? Shots or so because my mouth was numb and I was really high off the medication it was hard for me to concentrate on counting. I felt pressure but no pain. After about a minute or so he started putting these things in my mouth to hold it open and to block everything else but the tooth. I didn't care anymore at this point because I was so relaxed. Some patient had called so he stepped out for a few minutes to take the call and I was still high on the medication that I did not care much either. By the way, my eyes were closed the entire time. If I opened them I would see the instruments that he used so I chose to close my eyes and not see it.

He came back in and asked me to lean towards him more which I did and he proceeded to go in and continue the procedure. I felt slight very very slight coldness/pain like a 0.5 out of a scale of 10. I was considering telling him but I figured I can just hold in the pain because it was so slight. So the pain lasted about... a minute at max and I believe that was when the medication completely numbed my nerve and gums. The rest of the procedure went extremely smooth. I was in my own world thinking ALL sorts of thoughts. The entire thing took about 1.5 hours but to me it felt like 10 minutes. I was extremely sad when it was done because I was brought back to reality when the nurse turned off the gas and just gave mr straight oxygen. I felt so many different emotions I have never felt in my life before during that 1.5 hours. My body was very calm, my heart rate was very slow, and I thought about all sorts of things. The room felt like it was spinning at a comfortable speed going clockwise. At one point I panicked a little and thought about how I was not fully breathing in the nitrous oxide because I was breathing through my mouth. Then realized I was trolling myself. Then at another point, I completely blocked out the conversation between the doctor and nurse and thought about the moment before death. Since my heart was beating very slowly, and I was only faintly hearing their voices I thought about how this must be how people in comas and right before death feels like. To hear people talk but not being able to respond. To feel so light and calm and relax and ready for death. Wow.

Crazy, but I was happy. To feel all those emotions and to think and be so calm in my life for once. It is crazy. So I think my body and mind is craving for that sensation again. I would do it again. I got over my fear of root canals and now I know I can always do any dental procedure as long as I can be that calm. I still find it unbelievable to feel that peaceful and relax in my life. It was amazing and painless.

Of course, all thanks to that dentist and nurse. That's all.

XOXOMNT

Another Senior Photo session.

2016-10-17T15:13:00.000-05:00

I had another senior photo session with my other little cousin. They are all growing up too fast!

Again, I do not claim to be a professional photographer or anything. I just simply have a simple DSLR and a few cheap lenses. And I only enjoy shooting here and there just because it makes me content when I see people I love happy.

They were suppose to go take their senior photos together but things came up so I had to do both of their shoots separately which was perfectly fine because with two different locations, their sessions were completely different and each had their own different vibe. Regardless, I think both sessions turned out decent. I have so much learning to do and so much equipment to upgrade, but since it is just a side hobby there really is no need to get upgraded equipment, I feel. I think this might be my last shoot of 2016. A distant friend asked for a shoot, but I don't know. I usually don't pick and choose who I want to shoot, but the problem is, I don't have an assistant to go out with me and hold my additional equipment so it is hard to shoot. Sometimes, just sometimes, an additional light is needed and I cannot extend my arm out to hold that and hold my camera at the same time. At the same time I am afraid to ask for anyone's assistance because I, for one, do not get pay to shoot so I don't have money to pay that assistant therefore I feel bad and do not ask anyone to help. I sometimes force my sisters into going, sometimes they agree sometimes they do not. So that's also a bummer. Another thing I hate about doing shoots is that if I don't know the person I'm shooting, I don't really want to go alone and nobody wants to go out for 2-3 hours just to stand around and wait for me either. Ugh. I'm telling you, the struggle is real.

Oh and of course, my photoshop skills are thumbs down. I don't know how to manipulate photos and such because my photoshop program is the older CS5 and now they have the photoshop CC or whatever that is a monthly/yearly subscription that I obviously cannot afford. So sad. I also do everything by "mouse" and not an editing pen in which one of these days I wish someone would buy for me as a gift. Only $90. :( But the main thing with taking photos is lighting in my opinion. Lighting is EVERYTHING. Does not matter how beautiful a model is, if photos are dark and grainy............. then the photos will not turn out. And even if a subject is not top notch model material, if there is a good light source, the photos will become beautiful and will require very minimal editing. As you will be able to see below, I am very new at this lighting stuff so my photos are all over the place. I learn as I go, I experiment and remember what works and what does not. Life of a hobby photo taker. Wouldn't consider myself a photographer because it is deathly embarrassing.

Fall really is here and the leaves are changing fast! I wanted to do a big girls photo session, but.... there's like no one to shoot. So I guess it will have to be next year when I find people who are interested. Let's hope by this time of next year, I would have improved significantly in photo taking skills along with photoshop skills.

Enjoy.

XOXOMNT

Senior Photoshoot

2016-10-15T21:14:00.002-05:00

Double post tonight! *pats on back*

The little cousin is all grown up now and needed senior photos so we went out to shoot a few photos. Not a professional photographer nor do I claim to be one, but out of the 500 shots, I'm sure there is at least one she will like enough as her senior photo. *Crossing fingers*

Here are a few shots from our session today.

XOXOMNT

MB2 Raceway

2016-10-15T20:26:00.003-05:00

Hi! Welcome!

Tonight, since it is already 8:10pm right now as I am keying this blog away.. I will be continuing my California trip and this will probably be the last part of it since the rest of the remainder of our family vacation was pretty much with family and really laid back, there aren't many photos.

My uncle and aunt paid for everyone to go racing at a place called MB2 Raceway and we had A GREAT TIME. After racing for 2 rounds, we went to a Korean restaurant and got our fortunes read there. I almost cried. Mines was right on and I was so sad. And of course we enjoyed the delicious food there also. Right after eating, we headed over to play laser tag which was my first time and VERY FUN. It was quite amazing actually. I didn't know such things could be so fun. We have tons of those places where I live, but I've just never actually went or had friends or people who were interested in going..... so it was a great first time for both. Thanks so much Uncle and Aunty! I'm sure they easily spent over $1000 for everything since there was quite a few of us who went.

The entire group. With my aunts, uncles, and cousins from North Carolina.

A goofy one this time.

While we were waiting for our turn on the track, everyone headed to the mini arcade.

Silliest uncles! These two always make me laugh.

Uncle, cousin, and brother really focused on their game.

LOL!!!! Getting ready to give his best shot.

Ugh, I had the biggest head and had to go XL! So embarrassing!

First to be out, and first place during this round.

The guys getting ready to go.

Yup, first place. The key to winning and becoming first is to distance yourself from others so you can go fast as hell.

Round 2, I took third, baby sister first, and aunt (my uncle actually went her turn because she was too scared after round 1, and they cut his speed because obviously he was more experienced than any of us. LOL, so she ended up getting 2nd place. He also won first for the guy's rounds.)

Exhausted and food coma after Korean food and racing. Waiting for our laser tag team turn.

The experience overall, was A+++++++ I would love to do it again one day except this time around be the one to treat my uncle and aunt. It was waaaaay too much money. I think I was born to be a racer because the adrenaline was AMAZING, I felt like I was flying through the courses and it was so awesome! My two sisters crashed and went under the course and when someone crashes, ALL carts are immediately stopped and nobody can move. I missed them crashing, but I turned around in time to see the workers run fast as hell towards both my sisters to make sure they were not injured or anything. It was scary at the same time and amazed. I should've been worried, but I was not the oldest within the group so my worries lessened. Usually back at home, I'm the oldest wherever I go so I always have to make sure everyone was safe, but this time even though I was still worried, I had my uncles and aunts who were way older to depend on so they were the ones worrying. I know there is one a little far from where I live but still under an hour, one of these days, I will go out there and drive to my heart's content. It was amazing. I don't know how many times I will say and use the word amazing, but it cleared up my mind while going at such a fast speed... I think I will be and have an addiction if I ever get into racing forreal or ever be in a racecar with me controlling of course.

I am so thankful for the experience and feel so bad for letting my uncle and aunt pay for the entire thing for us. I owe them so much for everything they have done for me. And by that, I mean they have done more than what I deserve and more than I should be receiving. I am very thankful. One day, I hope to repay their kindness and to allow them to have fun with expenses on me also. One day.

XOXOMNT

Apple Picking

2016-10-11T17:13:00.002-05:00

It's been years since I've stepped foot at an Apple Orchard. I was dragged out yesterday by the baby brother because he said I was home too much and needed to get out and get some fresh air. I agreed at first and then changed my mind 15 minutes later and didn't want to go anymore because then I would have to get ready, change clothes and ugh it was too much work. But he didn't take no for an answer so off we went to the apple orchard with his girlfriend, her baby sister, and my cousin. We initially went to one close to us but that one was a "walk through and learn" apple orchard only not a "pick your own fruits" orchard. So...... we googled up another location which was about a 45 minute drive but since we were on a mission the brother and his girlfriend decided to go ahead and do the drive.

It was a nice breather to get out of the house and smell the apples and be around nature. It wasn't too cold and it was not too warm so it was perfect to be out and away from everything else. Oh by the way, this place is called Afton Apple Orchard in Hastings, MN. They also have pumpkin picking, raspberry plantation/picking, and even strawberry picking which was obviously out of season.

The Hay Ride was probably my most favorite part with the wind blowing through my hair and just cruising down the road to the apple orchard.

These two are always ready for the camera no matter where or when, they will be ready. Haha. Brother and Cousin.

Both are hard workers... one working hard to pick and the other working hard to taste. Haha!

The tops are the best...!

Silly Joey!

Lost his shoe because he threw an apple in the air to kick and off flew his shoe. Lol!

Asking for help.... lol

My favorite! Macintosh? Or something like that... sweet and tarte.

Love love love this little one. My brother's gf's baby sister. She was super shy at first when I got in the car to sit next to her, but she opened up after I told her she can lean on me to nap while we drove that long 45 minutes.

Cute 3 year old!

She would not let go of her "daddy apple and baby apple"

I love how she always steal glances at my brother. Lol!

And was caught... lol

This place is amazing. So relaxing.

So much wasted apples that fell....

Pumpkins are starting to go bad...

They found her another "baby apple"

By this time, she didn't care to follow her sister and my brother anymore, she was more than comfortable with me.

And away we start snapping.

Joe ran away after photobombing her and she ran after him because she wanted him in the photo with her. She is seriously so cute!

Content with baby apples.

Putting her "baby apples" to sleep.

He really does not want to get rid of that "Asian-ness" in him at ALL.

Very happy and content!

She's even more happy at the end of our venture because her sister found her a small enough pumpkin so she can personally carry it.

They enjoyed it more than the 3 year old did. Lol!

It was a great and well day spent. I enjoyed every moment of it. Didn't think I was going to take much photos, but I brought my camera anyways since my brother said I should. It was either I bring mine or he was going to bring his. I like my lens better than his so I decided to just bring mines. Glad I did since we got quite a few good shots.

XOXOMNT

Hiking Yosemite National Park and Swimming in Lake Tahoe

2016-10-07T11:04:00.004-05:00

Hello! Welcome back!

It was a rough night, I could not sleep at all and twist/turned all night until 4am, slept til 8am and couldn't do it anymore. So I've been up walking around like a zombie and decided I might as well post another photo blog.

One my my request during earlier months of planning with my aunts and uncles was to go hiking in Yosemite National Park again. Again, meaning I already went there once when my friends and I took our two weeks vacation back in 2011. It was an amazing hike and I was not too out of shape back then and made it to the top top top of the waterfall. This year (2015) I didn't even make it to the top. I was struggling to make it half way up because of how much weight I have gained since. It's amazing how a few years and a few pounds could do so much to a body. My uncle literally pushed me and my aunt (his wife) all the way up there like a train. He was too sweet lol. I seriously wanted to give up and just say "goooooooo leave me to die here." Haha. One of my younger cousin found me a walking stick and half way through the hike when I sat down for a brief moment to rest my shaky legs, my grandma came out of no where and literally snatched it out of my hands saying she need it more than me. I was taken back and had to literally LOL. Everyone who was slow paced like me laughed hard too because grandma was gangster as heck and just kept her calm even when she took my hiking stick. Of course, I didn't mind but I still teased her about it just because it was hilarious! She said she was fine when I offered it to her earlier before the big hike and she probably was eyeing it the entire time while hiking up to the top of the waterfall. Haha.

At first, one of my elder uncle did not want to hike up to the waterfall, but EVERYONE, literally everyone was asking and complaining saying that the whole reason why they were there was to hike and see the waterfall. So we ended up going after some discussion and agreements. My dad stayed back in the car for a good total about 7 hours? Back in 2011 when my friends and I went, one of my friend did the same thing. She stayed and waited in the car for us for 7 hours too. Those two are crazy. It takes about 2 hours or a little over that to hike up the trial and same back down. And it was longer because my family spent time up at the top swimming and relaxing. By the time everyone made it down to the parking area again it was starting to get dark but since we drove out this far to Yosemite, we continued driving to Half Dome. Even though our stop at Half Dome was quick, it was still as beautiful as the first time I laid eyes on it. Oh, and the drive there was so scary. Since we had a big 15 passenger rental, all the curving and stuff almost made me throw up. The first time I went, I fell asleep the entire drive due to exhaustion from hiking so I missed out on the drive, but this time around, everyone was very chattery so nobody got any sleep on the drive there. After enjoying our time and taking a few photos before the sun officially set, we drove back to Merced to pick up our luggages since we were going to sleep over at my other aunt's (mom's 3rd sister) house in Sacramento. Drove another 2 hours to her place and called it a night there since we a change of plans and the family wanted to travel to Lake Tahoe.

Woke up the next morning tired and sore (everyone was) and had breakfast and starting prepping meat to bbq for our trip. Waited for all the family members who didn't travel to Sacramento the previous night with us to arrive and if I remember right, we left around 11am because some of the family members woke up late. I don't even remember how long the drive was from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe because we all were busy chatting away that it didn't seem that long or at least not as bad as when we drove back since we drove straight from Lake Tahoe to Atwater and it was pitch black darkness when we drove back too. Anyhow, two great and fun, but tiring days of fun with the family. I don't know when will be the next time that we all would have so much fun together again. And through this one day trip to Lake Tahoe, I learned so much from my uncles and aunts. Half way through our trip everyone kind of gave up being in the water and just rested so being me and being my uncle, we went and laid by the water and just talked and talked and talked and was catching up on what we missed in each other's life. After a while my two aunts (both wives of my uncles) and my other uncle came and joined us. We chatted for a good 2 or 3 hours. I lost count of time because I was laughing so much at how open they were and realize that I was no longer a little kid that didn't understand what life was anymore and that was why they were so open. My other uncle and aunt wanted to take us to go eat crawfish at a chain restaurant since none of us had ever have authentic crawfish before, but my brother and two sisters wanted to go so the car did not fit everyone and it would be rude for me to just disappear all of a sudden especially when my siblings were still shy around my mom's side of the family (the last time they saw any of my mom's family members minus one uncle was 15 years ago so everyone was basically strangers to one another). I, on the other hand, kept in touch with everyone and I traveled a few times to California by myself and visited them so I was more comfortable with my mom's side of the family out of all the kids.

Anyways, thinking about what happened and how everything happened seems like a dream, but of course I have photos to prove that those things all did happened and it was not just my imagination. It's amazing how a full year a many months has passed by already. I'm not sure when we will ever get to all be together again, but I think we all made a wise choice to see one another and it was and still is amazing to me how much everyone put effort into getting work off to spend time with one another. Even if nobody says it with words, their actions are definitely those of love.

Enough of my blabbing, should we start the photo gallery?

Making their way to the first waterfall. Since California was in drought crisis, the waterfall was 90% smaller than when I went in 2011. So sad to disappoint all my family members who has not seen it. Back a few years ago when I went, standing where my uncle is in this photo, we would be completely soaked wet from the mist.

The brothers and uncles getting ready for a swim.

Nobody wanted to swim at first, but after my uncles and brothers jumped in, a bunch of other tourists also joined them.

Silly guys.

The two most silliest!

A great comparison of how big the rocks were compared to us. I didn't even make it this far. I was too afraid of my troubles of coming back. It is always easier to make it to the destination, but to come back is another story.

Prepping our lunch. We had over 30 people in our group that went to Yosemite that day.

We didn't take much photos during our hike because I was way too tired and out of shape to catch up with all the younger people ahead. I stayed with the elders who weren't as photogenic so being fat and breathless I did not even bother for photos since I've been there already and took a million photos the first time I was there. Haha, so it didn't matter to me if I got photos or not. And since I didn't make it to the top, I don't have any photos of everyone relaxing and enjoying their time up there. And even though I gave the camcorder to someone who did go all the way up, I think they were just too excited to be there and didn't record any footage either. I swear, I must be the only one who actually want photos and videos for memories. Everyone else will just remember in their heads.

Made it to Half Dome.

Sister with cousins and uncle.

Mom and aunt.

Is the background just not breathtaking?

Can you tell we are all so tired from our hike? Haha.

Having fun before we go home.

The uncles and the brothers are the funnest lol. They are always creative in posing.

Another shot of baby brother.

We didn't take any photos prior to arriving to Lake Tahoe, so the rest of these were taken when we arrived safe and sound. I wish to go back one day. To actually rent a cabin there or camp out. It would be so much fun.

My aunt bought a ton of these bread with meat fillings inside. Oh my gosh it was delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Merman???

Hurted like h*ll was what they told us after landing. Lol!

Out of 200 shots, only this one was good. Lol, my uncle on the right could not stay still and kept toppling over. They attempted so many times it was hilarious!

We all could not stop laughing after they all fell apart!

LOL, we were such fails compared to the guys.

And yes we stayed til sunset.

And of course, we have to end the night being silly!!! My cousin is the goofiest of all. I miss them all so much!

Until next time, take care!

XOXOMNT

A Morning at the Chicken Coop + Family Photos

2016-10-06T11:54:00.002-05:00

Greetings!

Welcome back to another entry of my blog. I was debating if I should continue the vacation postings or if I should post something more recent???? But I figured, I might as well continue posting from our family vacation and before photos, I can update a little one the recent happenings.

We arrived to location after an 8 hour long drive from Las Vegas to Atwater, California and stayed up all night with the rest of the family after having dinner. The next morning my sisters and I woke up around 7am to go to my grandpa's chicken coop. It was my first time actually seeing a personal kept chicken coop... as where I am from there are no such "personal" chicken coops. Most people here get their livestock from the slaughter house or dead stock from the stores. So even though it was very simple, I was very much excited about the whole thing. My grandpa kept laughing because I was taking so many photos of everything, even the things that probably won't mean anything in the future.

After we came back from the chicken coop, my aunts, sisters, and I went shopping for food and whatever was needed later for my grandparent's birthday celebration. Since the whole family will be together later when everyone arrived, we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon shopping and prepping. After the birthday celebration, my mom gave our all the gifts she prepped for the aunts and we headed to the park to take family photos. It was pretty much a social day and busy running around shopping day for us.

Since we didn't sleep much the night we arrived in town, I was extremely exhausted and nap in my little cousin's room for a good 3 hours before waking up which basically meant I missed the cooking portion and the first half of the speeches made by everyone. Thank goodness all the speeches were recorded so I was able to listen to those after.

Grandparents refilling the food containers for their chickens.

Grandpa hate this little whisker babies so much he always set these traps to catch them and kill them for eating his chicken's food. Haha.

So much dust everywhere that we all had to go into the chicken coop like this. My eyes could not handle.

Gma picking out her eggs.

Lucky 3.

Gma's baby chick that mom is holding.

California is basically........... dry. Lol. Compared to Minnesota where everything is so green.

The owners of the land has these two huge persimmons tree right next to the chicken coops. First time ever seeing these fruits on the tree.

Almost the entire side of my mom's family. Missing my two little cousins who had summer school and couldn't join us.

Everyone spent the night at my uncle's place and we stayed til 3am even though we were suppose to be up at 6am already to head out to Yosemite National Park.

And that concludes day 4 of our vacation since day 3 was basically spent driving to California. Until my next blog, take care. Footage from this blog post can be viewed here.

XOXOMNT

Welcome back... in 2016 + Family Reunion 2015.

2016-10-04T17:03:00.000-05:00

Hello.

Wow, it has been... my last blog post was August 27th, 2014 and today's date is October 4th, 2016. It is safe to say that an interesting two years passed by within a blink of an eye. Last time I said I had a little over a year left before graduation--- and as of today, I hold a Biology degree with no job.

Graduation came fast, suffering through those science courses--- it wasn't that it was hard, but I had no motivation, no dreams, nothing at the time. All I wanted was to graduate and start working right away. Of course, with no experience, how should we put it... no one is going to want to hire anybody like that. I graduated last December (2015) and already December is approaching and it will almost be a full year since graduation. I have not done anything that will contribute to my future life. It is kind of sad. I started working temporarily/contracted at this one place, got promoted twice to two different positions and was kept there. I worked for 6 months and put in my two weeks notice. I kind of regret it now, but at the same time, I went into work everyday praying in the car to have a good day and for the job flow to be tolerable. I feel so lost. My managers, supervisor, and all the bosses were very kind to me and looked upon me desirably... but I don't know. It's me. I should've bit my lips and pray some more for strength to keep on working. I've been unemployed for a month now and I'm not sure what the future will be holding for me. I have been applying to jobs almost every single day. I had two interviews thus far and those didn't go well either because obviously, I am still unemployed. I have received many rejections via e-mail too. I thought life before graduation was hard, but life after graduation when loans kick in is worse. I don't know anymore.

Anyways, I also mentioned that we had a big trip coming up in my last blog. We took a family trip to California to visit my mom's side of the family. We had a huge family reunion with all of my mom's siblings and my grandparents. My aunt and her family also flew from North Carolina to meet up with the rest of the family members spread out in California. We flew to Las Vegas to meet with half the family who drove out to Las Vegas also to see us and then my aunt them flew from North Carolina to Las Vegas also the following day. I'll share a couple photos from our trip below from the first and second day of our trip and stay in Las Vegas.

Siblings and I all on one side and my parents on the other side.

Apple juice is the way to go on the plane! And my parents on the other side.

Arrived in Las Vegas Airport and had to take the train (?) to get our luggage.

Isn't this breath-taking? My dad was a truck driver and drove pass this location during one of his trips and said one day he would take my mom to see it if there was an opportunity and I guess Summer 2015 was the opportunity.

Myself with our 15 passenger rental. My family consist of 8 and we wanted something big enough so we can fit my grandparents in and take them places with us too.

These fishes were bigger than my thunder thighs!

Family amazed by how many fishes there were and the sizes.

The back view from the hotel.

My uncle, youngest brother and I in front of the Flamingo, Las Vegas waterfall sign.

Sriracha flavored popcorn.. it was kind of cool but nope we didn't buy it.

My parents and two sisters relaxing in the air conditioned hotel room after a few hours of burning heat in the Las Vegas weather. We really did not do much and was not able to do much because the heat was way too extreme. We managed to go out to see a couple of the nearby hotels but my dad and brother gave in and stayed back in the rooms.

The sunset from our hotel room!

Observing people from our room since we faced the inner strip.

The watershow! My mom loved it!

Eiffel Tower

Exhausted little sister from our night walk.

My grandpa is a beast! While all of us lazy bums and out of shape beings were on the escalator, he charged forward on the stairs. Amazing man. And of course, grandma followed him. Hehe

Sister and brother with the tornado water pillars in... I forgot which hotel it was. Arias? Not sure.

Momma, sister, brother and I with the magical apple tree.

Las Vegas strip at night! Took this from one of the escalators on the street.

Woke up early next morning to go swimming with the family. I am so disappointed in the pool regulations. When I went in 2011 with my friends, the pool was 18+ and in 2015 they changed it to 21+ and was such a disappointment because not everyone could get in and the "family" pool was lame. So lame. So we ended up all going back into the family pool because only 4 of us went into the 21+ pool and sighs... I'm disappointed in you Flamingo!

Came back from swimming with the family to get ready to go out and explore some more. With the brothers.

The heat was horrendous! You see that water mist on the side? We were all fighting to walk next to it to keep us as cool as possible out on the strip. Brother with his peace sign like always.

Going back to our hotel and down the escalator on the street.

Mom, aunts, grandma, sisters and I. This photo was taken inside the shopping area of the hotel Planet Hollywood.

Inside the Casino of the Planet Hollywood Hotel.

Family being entertained by some musicians? I don't remember what they were looking at since my focus was to capture as many photos of my family members as a group. As you can see, half of them didn't even know I took the photo and half of them are like whatttt? Hehehe.

Made our way into the Venetian shopping area known as the Grand Canal Shoppes. This place was amazing. By far, probably my most favorite place of the entire Las Vegas Strip. The "fake" clouds were amazing and the structure of the Eastern style buildings and designs were phenomenal.

My two younger sisters and two younger brothers. We were all amazed by how much flowers were used to decorate this place. And of course had to stand in front of one of the beautiful masked lady for a photo.

Just another shot of us being tourists. Hehe.

Youngest brother outside of the Venetian.

Sister, Mom, and brother on our way back from the Venetian to our hotel. The heat was killer!

Had to take another photo on our way back from the Venetian. Our hotel was not that far anymore at this point. The Paris hotel and Planet Hollywood was only a few down from the Flamingo.

Another shot from our window in our room.

Waiting for my dad to bring up the pizza we ordered for dinner. All we ate was boiled chicken so far so we needed something else for dinner and agreed on pizza.

Checking out of the hotel and will be on our way to see the rest of the family in California.

I don't eat much fast food, but for the first time in my life, I found out that Mcdonald's serve pancakes. Say what!!!!! My parents bought my siblings and I Mcdonald's for breakfast. Mine of course... this since I never knew that they had this until I saw my sister eating it and wanted the same thing. Lol. Newbs!

On our last day in Las Vegas on the drive back to California, we stopped by the Hoover Dam and oh my it was beautiful! The only thing that really ruined it for me was the heat. It was so hot and hard to be out there for more than an hour. I guess that is why it is the desert. And will you just look at where the water level use to be years and years ago. Is that not amazing or what? And the color of the water too!!

Brother peacing it out. Such an amazing place minus the heat.

Siblings and little cousins. The little ones decided they wanted to hitch a ride with us for a couple hours on the way back to California. It was a long 8 hour drive!

I have tons of photos to share, but since this blog is getting long I will end it here for today. We spent about 2 weeks or so with our family and it was amazing. I learned so much and met so many new little cousins since the last time our family visited which was whew... 15 years ago? Or so? We visited my mom's side of the family for the first time back in 2001? I think. I was a 6th grader then or something like that. It's amazing how no one was married besides my uncle, mom, and two aunts, but now this time around, everyone but my youngest uncle is married and have kids. What's even more amazing is that my parents threw my siblings and I a graduation party and we had another semi-family reunion with my mom's side of the family again during the following summer (which was this past summer of 2016) and had a great time. That will be saved for another blog.

I'm bad with promises so I won't promise myself to post regularly, but since I have nothing to do these days until I land a job I might as well continue blogging and updating. I don't even know if anyone still follows or even log onto read blogs anymore. Oh well.

Oh by the way, our family vlog for this trip is shared on YouTube for our family and friends to follow along with. You can check it out here (day 1) and here (day 2) (contain footage from this blog).

XOXOMNT

Greetings...

2014-08-27T13:48:00.002-05:00

Wow. Just wow. How long has it been since I have last blogged? Over a year or so.

I need to get back into the habit of blogging and less other social media including Facebook. I am getting sidetracked due to everything that has happened and will be happening.

As of today, I should have exactly a little over a year until my graduation. Of course I am excited, but again that makes me sad. I don't know exactly what I will be doing after graduation.

I have a big trip planned for California in July of 2015. Excited much!

I will be back. :)

MNTzerr