Be Happy, Smile Often

I’m a happy person. I’m happy for many reasons. For as long as I can remember people have always commented on my sheer happiness, or ask me why I’m always so happy and smiling. The answer is clear and NO, it’s not because of the material things I have, but because I choose to be happy! I’m thankful for the “material things” we have, but those things don’t empower me or make me feel I’ve accomplished anything more than anyone else. Instead, I choose to make clear conscious decisions based on my family’s needs because I value myself and my family to provide them the best that I can. I do so in all aspects of our life not just with the “material things”.

Although I’ve had my fair share of let downs (everyone has disappointments) and believe me I’ve had my share of disagreements with others, and have also been in bad situations, but I decided long ago how I would react to negativity and I’ve always made the choice to focus on the good. I always make it a point to find something good about everyone and everything (even if it’s someone or something that is not my favorite). I feel that when a person is happy and grateful with what life offers them, and not how it compares to others, it becomes abundant in all aspects!! My life is rich with love and peace, prosperity and wealth, my family, friends, and all of us being healthy.

These are a few reasons why I smile often, not to mention, a few Prada handbags or maybe it was the relaxation full body massage I had at the spa yesterday??!! LOL.

Keep smiling, and choose how you react to the not so good moments… I’m off to the gym…

Natural Beauty

This is Lana just after her bath… Check out those beautiful long eyelashes (thanks to her daddy)!!! What a lucky girl!! Some women are envious of those with long eyelashes so don’t hate, just appreciate! :)

Unauthorized Access

I just wanted to apologize in advance if anyone experienced any odd activity pertaining to my account (deleted or weird comments). My account was jeopardized and I have taken the appropriate measures to fix it such as changing my password, etc... I’ve been tweaking my blog, then I noticed that some of my comments have been deleted and other odd things. So, again I’m sorry. Hopefully this will not happen again.

Past Basketball Victory

Jayce's basketball victory while attending Saint Patrick Catholic School in Virgina (2006).

Shootin' Some Hoops

Yesterday Jayce had his first basketball game of the season. He did well considering he was feeling under the weather. Still, I Love to watch him play ball... He gets better and better every day! I’m looking forward to the next game and posting some pictures of his past B-Ballin' days!!

My Little Corner Of The Blogsphere

This is my new little corner of the blogsphere!!! BJ and I created the background and the banner ourselves. It’s not perfect by any means, but it was our first time so I think it turned out pretty good. Gotta love photoshop!! We've had the software for a few years now- I guess it was about time to put it to good use. I should get better at designing my own as time goes by with more practice. Anyway, I just wanted to drop a quick hello. I should be blogging more soon.

Tweaking Blog

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am tweaking my blog so things may seem out of sorts. We’ll be back soon…

My Birthday!!

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day!! Today is my day. All my birthday wishes and dreams have come true!

Random Thoughts & Photo's

Today it has been raining most of the morning, so I’ve been cleaning and organizing as much as possible. BJ and I have been exercising together when he gets off work so I’m trying to get things better prepared for the long days ahead. I spend most of my time on base now than ever before. Still, I don’t think I can ever be completely caught up on things here at home or all the studying I need to take care of. Speaking of studying, I’m actually doing very well in my classes.

Jayce will begin basketball practice a few days a week therefore we are going to be extremely busy. We have a road trip planned for the next weekend BJ is not on-call. Maybe, just maybe, it will be a nice break from our hectic schedules and I’ll have some great pictures to post as well. We’ve been bouncing around some ideas for our next vacation this spring, but have not confirmed our final destination.

Lana is doing extremely well. She is developing a wonderful palate of foods. I’ve been very fortunate that both my children enjoy experiencing and tasting a variety of foods. Of course, Lana still has a long way to go, but Jayce is always complemented for his desire to explore new foods. He’s been quite lucky to be able to eat the French cuisine in Paris, Sicilian pastas, cheeses, and loads of breads. Not to mention all the other types of Italian cuisine and the yummy foods we have tasted elsewhere. Yet, he still loves a fine steak and all sorts of seafood. That boy can put away some crab legs! I do have to admit, the seafood here in Sicily is wonderful! Everyone who knows me well, can tell you that I do not like to eat seafood, but the seafood here is delicious, especially the swordfish! I must be hungry because I want to write about food. Moving on…

Jayce ended this past school term with a 3.8 GPA. I’m very proud of him, as a result we allowed him to buy himself his own paintball gun (thanks to family who rewarded him with additional funds). He ordered it this morning, and he is totally psyched! He’s plays quite a bit with his friends, but has been renting the equipment. Now, he will have his own!

This photo is not very good. I tried to upload a video, but the connection is too slow for it. Sorry. This was the only picture available.

I noticed that I have not mentioned much about BJ- it’s not due to lack of love, I love the guy dearly! But, he has a crazy duty schedule. Sadly, it keeps him away from home but we do the best we can to get through this time here. When I was reading about Gregg and his family picking orders, I kept thinking.. Gee, I can’t wait till we pick orders. I’m excited to get back to the states and settle down. Though, I am very thankful that I have been blessed the opportunity of being a stay at home mom. And, have been able to fulfill my desires of traveling and exploring other countries. With that being said, I don’t think I can explore everywhere in Europe I want to go during the short time we have been here, but it’s been a great start. La Dolce Vita!

I thought it would be cool to end the post with this sweet dessert!! This was taken when my mom came to visit and we went on a day trip to Ragusa, Italy which is known for it's ricotta cheese and wonderful desserts!!

Lana's Joyfulness

For Christmas, Lana’s grandparents (Bill & Teresa) gave her a puppy toy, and I finally got her on video dancing and playing with it. I thought I would share her joyfulness with everyone. I hope you are delighted with the many smiles this video brings…