Family

I think the best quality that both of my parents have endowed me with has been that of love.

The love they have for each other, other family members, friends and strangers who need a helping hand is so admirable that I just can’t grasp how two people can always be so giving and never expect anything in return.

I have always looked up to both of my parents despite the fact that sometimes I may have been dramatically and exaggeratedly vocal about my dislike for them. When you are a kid, hate is a word that is so very loosely thrown around. I would say that to my mother in particular a lot.

As you grow older and see those around you suffer because they have lost a parent, you really begin to reevalutate the love you have for your parents. Especially knowing that some day you may not be able to pick up the phone one day and call your parent to say “Hey! What are you doing?” Regardless of the fact that most of the time my mom says “Ooooooh…. WHY YOU CALLING ME?” (Picture that in a cute little Spanish accent.)

Every holiday, our family gathers at my Aunt Yuly’s house and us young adults like to rummage through my Aunt and Uncle’s closet in search of awesome pictures of our parents back in their heyday.

I leave you with these two gems:

My mom looking like such a babe next to my Uncle.

In honor of Father’s Day. My pops in some rad stripes in my mom’s old Beetle.

Until next time.

xo

Frugal

Today’s post might discourage those of the male persuasion. We’re going to talk CHEAP shopping.One thing about being 3 months away from getting married is that you learn to become frugal about EVERYTHING.

And I do mean EVERYTHING.

I have recently been ogling Lime Crime‘s Velvetine collection. Specifically, the Red Velvet Velvetine. It’s a matte lipgloss that makes lips look absolutely luscious.

Naturally, as soon as I saw this product, I wanted to purchase it. That is until i saw that it was $17. Not only was the price tag a bit out of my pocketbook expense at the moment…but, I took another blow when I found out it had sold out.
Being a savvy shopper means that you have to get creative and think of dupes for certain products.

I started doing my research and found out that NYX has a Soft Matte Lip Cream that is ALMOST identical to Lime Crime’s Velvetine line. While, I am slightly disappointed that the Velvetine line sold out so quickly, I was happy to purchase an affordable version.

For a night out with your significant other, loose waves go perfectly with that pop of red.

Until next time!

xx

Mindful Healthy Eating

A lot of my friends have become obsessive about the whole idea of “clean” or “Paleo” eating. Being that I am a DIABETIC VEGETARIAN, this notion is quite complex to me. I already have to limit my carb intake and although I wish I could say that EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth is “clean,” it most definitely is not.

That doesn’t mean I don’t make a conscious effort to stick to my health plan (let’s face it…diets don’t last! Health plans do!) and make sure that I am doing what is best for MY body and disease.

Usually, I make REALLY awesome baked treats and meals that are Carb Conscious and I often refer to other great Diabetic blogs like Lindsay’s to get inspired about my cooking and baking.

I like to get really creative in my kitchen as it is a good money saver.

A typical breakfast for me includes a superfood green smoothie.

A lot of my friends are into juicing right now, but I am wholeheartedly an advocate of smoothies as I find that most of the nutrients are lost when you juice. Why would you want to take away all those awesome benefits and double your calories AND still end up hungry?

Not this girl! Gimme all that fiber!

Playing off of the idea of Tropical Smoothie’s Island Green smoothie, I decided to make up my own concoction with my incredible Ninja. I call this delicious green powerhouse the “Spi-kaley!” (If you get this reference then you love 80′s Cult Movies as much as I do!)

The Spi-Kaley

1/2 cup of frozen mango

1/2 cup of frozen pineapple

6-10 baby spinach leaves

3 kale leaves

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of ice

You’ll find that the pineapple and mango are natural sweeteners. Make sure not to add sugar to this recipe as it takes away from the incredible and natural flavors of the smoothie. I used to drink coffee EVERY morning before I could even open an email. I have found myself more energetic because of this smoothie and I feel great knowing that I know EXACTLY what I am putting into my body.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Until next time!

xo

Pit Crazed Fan

I have been getting a lot of flack for admitting that I am a Taylor Swift fan.

We all have our guilty pleasure. Mine is just one of a 13 year old’s. I am TOTALLY fine with that.

To say that I am SO appreciative of the opportunity Diet Coke presented me with is the understatement of the year. I am SO INCREDIBLY thankful.

I took the day off because I did not want to deal with my stressful job when I knew the day was supposed to be filled with excitement and fun. My friend Sarah and I had originally purchased tickets but we ended up selling the tickets to this really sweet mother who was going to surprise her daughter before the show by saying “I have a really huge problem…I have nobody to go to Taylor Swift with tomorrow.”

I was so happy I had the opportunity to make a young girls night one of the best ever.

So, my friend Sarah and I arrived at Amway Center, in Orlando, FL, around 4:00 in the afternoon. I had called earlier to inquire about when my tickets would be released. They said 4:15pm. I was the second person in line. Let me tell you. IT WAS A DISASTER. According to the people at Amway Center, they had NO idea where the pit passes were. Three RUDE customer service employees later and the pit passes were “mysteriously” found. There was a line of about 50 people formed already.

Usually with Pit Passes, there is a separate line to get into the building as you have to make your way to the floor. A REALLY kind security guard led us to where the pit entrance normally is. After about an hour, we were traveling back and forth between two entrances and another extremely nice gentleman let us enter through the Administrative Offices.

(Side note: *Dear Amway, please fix this process for fans next time so they don’t go through the debacle all Taylor fans went through that day.)

We finally made our way in and we found one of the greatest spots ever. Instead of writing a whole long story and give you all of the set lists (which I am sure you could Google and you would find the same songs are done every night… with the exception of the “Fan Request” which was You’re Not Sorry)…I will leave you with some amazing pictures I captured.

Please, if you are going to use any of these, credit me.

 

The great adventures never cease to amaze me.
Until next time. xo.

A Pretty Big Fan

I don’t think anyone knows my excitement.

I am about to divulge one of my deepest, darkest secrets. (Okay, that’s a lie…any one who knows me knows this secret.)

i. LOVE. Taylor. Swift.
Sorry. It’s true. I do. Her mom and I share a name, Taylor and I share the same birthday. I have 3 thirteens tattooed on me.

Diet Coke decided to be awesome and have some scavenger hunts in Orlando and Miami to let fans win pit passes to Taylor’s show. As soon as I found out, I decided I WOULD attempt to win. You had to follow their twitter account and they were going to send out clues starting at 8am.

I got up early, showered, got ready for work and got in my car and started driving. At 8am, the twitter feed updated and they posted this picture:

I immediately knew where it was and drove to the site in hopes that I would not be too late. It was already five minutes past 8 and I was freaking out.

I parked my car and ran across the street from The Metropolitan. I knew the picture was across because it was taken facing the site. I saw two women and two security guards talking but I tried to figure it out on my own.

After a couple of minutes I asked them if they were there for Taylor Swift tickets and they told me they were. I asked if I had to stay there and they stated I must find the tickets. I asked how close I was and they said I was in arms reach. I was SO confused but began retracing my steps. I looked back at them and then looked down AND THERE THEY WERE. ALL FIVE. NOT ONE OF THEM HAD BEEN CLAIMED YET.

I quickly picked it up and they congratulated me. BUT…I had forgotten my ID. They told me they couldn’t release it to me until I could provide my ID. I RAN to my car and ran back to make sure I would lose my spot. When I got back they told me I was still the first person.

Words can’t describe how awesome it was. I passed up the opportunity to purchase pit tickets last week and thank goodness I did because my fiance’s car battery died and I had to spend that money purchasing a new battery for him.

This has pretty much been the best day ever.

I am so absolutely excited to be in the pit for Taylor!

Fraud

I feel like a fraud.

That word is a huge negative connotation in the eyes of many people.

You see, the type of fraud I am talking about is personal. I have not been completely honest to my readers.

For the past 23 years, I have been dealing with a huge struggle. Struggles are the main theme of my life right now…

Should i have a huge wedding if we don’t have the money? Why won’t the one person I truly want back in my life forgive me if I never did anything wrong in the first place? Why am I not trying harder to pay off my credit cards? Should I put myself into more debt by going to Grad School? Those are just some of the many struggles I current face every day in my life…

But the biggest struggle I deal with on daily basis is that I have had type 1 Diabetes since I was just a toddler. Back then this was more commonly referred to as Juvenile Diabetes but has since been corrected to Type 1 Diabetes because the disease can affect more than just juveniles. In fact, while Type 2 is the most common of Diabetes’ now a days (because of lack of proper nutrition and exercise regime) the fact is that us Type 1ers have been around for quite some time and deal with every day struggles.

Can I eat that? How much insulin should I give myself? Should I test before or after I eat that? Do I really need that extra carb? I really want ice cream…I should eat that…no, I shouldn’t.

I am definitely not ashamed of my Diabetes…in fact, it defines my childhood, teenage years and now adult life. I am proud to be Diabetic. It has taken me a long time to control my blood sugars, A1C’s and provide myself with a healthy lifestyle.

Today, I find my struggle being what glucose monitor I want to purchase.
Price is a huge factor (i’m not a sponsored blog like many of you bloggy bloggers out there…) so I want to make sure I am getting my money’s worth.

I am currently between the iBGStar which you can use with Apple products…

Or the Bayer Contour USB which is compatible with all computers.

So, fellow Diabetics.

Have you purchased any technologically compatible BG monitors?

If so, which one?

Fit bound lady

I made a commitment to myself a while ago.

In fact, that while ago was back when I left high school.

You see, all throughout high school I struggled with my weight. It’s not unusual as having Diabetes has made the struggle even that much more difficult. I found myself losing over 50 pounds and being so fit and excited that I could wear everything I wanted. I was 22 when my first love crushed my heart and I turned to the comfort of food. All of the work I had done slipped from my finger tips and I found myself heavy again.

Since then, I found new love, got a dog, graduated from college, found a full time position at a very well known company, got a new dog, got engaged and put more weight on. The heaviest I had been since high school. The struggle that once literally ate me alive was back. My goal in 2010 for graduation was that I would bust my ass off and get into great shape…which I did. But, I fell back into the trap of not taking care of myself shortly after and found myself drenched in clothes to hide myself from my imperfections.

(April 2012.)

Things happen, life throws curve balls at you and you find yourself in positions you wish you had never put yourself in. C’est La Vie, right? At least, I thought that’s just life. Until one day I realized how truly unhappy I was and I began my journey again. While the progress has been EXCRUCIATINGLY prolonged…even milestone I reach makes me realize that the journey is worth it. To date, I don’t quite know the amount weight I have lost but I can tell you that slipping on that size “M” shirt, sweater, petticoat, dress…. makes it better.

So, while you may think that you don’t have the strength to get up and start over again…  and while people may throw that old adage  “if you’re tired of starting over…stop giving up” in your face…remember that you should never be ashamed of starting over because at least you are starting and that says more than the person who isn’t putting in the effort like you are.

Progress takes time. That’s something that people tell me all the time and I have started believing.

(November 2012)

Bad Ending to a Great Weekend

I’m going to derail a bit and talk about something that doesn’t involve DIY, Pets, Weddings or the assorted girl-related topics.

Of all the things I love, basketball is a HUGE part of my life. It is the one sport that my dad and I could sit together and watch without getting in a screaming match about what team was better.

(I’m a Mets fan, he’s a Yankees bandwagoner. Side note: we are from Queens so this is THE ultimate betrayal.)

Yesterday was a pretty upsetting day in the the mutual bond of the Urrea clan. You see, even though I hail from New York, we relocated to Orlando when I was a wee baby. New York will forever be engrained in my heart, but I have pretty severe soft spot for Orlando.

Here I am, sitting at my desk trucking along my mundane job when my phone lights up informing me of a text. I ignore it and go back to my job until I start seeing small signs of one HUGE, UGLY, BAD sports day in my life. I have just been informed that the franchise I have legitimately been following since childhood has decided to fire my favorite sports coach. One Stan Van Gundy has been let go. Along with another said Otis Smith who has been the downfall of our organization since those precious 2009 Finals.

I know what you’re thinking. “BUT YOU HAVE DISNEY!” But, Disney is no NBA. Every once in a while, you just have to leave the tourist mentality and behold the beauty of the Sports Nation.

To put it bluntly, this was a clandestine and unappreciated move in the eyes of Magic fans. Our city has become a joke in terms of NBA standards (that’s saying a lot considering the NBA is a joke in itself.) We have let one player dictate every move and our pride has been thrown out the window.

I’ll miss you, Stan. Until the franchise figures out how to run a basketball team. My loyalty might stand with you.

But, you have DISNEY.