Wrapping up Fall.

Well I believe it is technically still fall, but it is coming to an end. Season and school semester. I feel like this year has just flown by. I really can't believe how fast it went by. I'm ready for the new year. I'm also ready for a little vacation from school for a long 3 weeks. Although I'm sure it won't seem nearly long enough. 

I just had one final exam today. I feel pretty confident on it. It was for my classics class. I didn't enjoy that class at all. But I had to take it for my theme. On the plus side, my theme is now over so that is nice to have completed something. I have three more finals this week...yuck. But I have an entire day to study tomorrow which will be really nice. I also still have the rest of tonight, Which I think I'm devoting a good portion of it to study for my music 100 class. One I go over all of things on the objectives sheet and take the online quiz, I'll start right onto the biochem. That is by far going to be my hardest exam. I really want to do well on this exam. I'm not doing so hot in the class. I think I'm barley passing it, so really the final is going to determine whether or not I need to retake the class or not. I'm really hoping no. As much as I should anyway with a bad grade, I don't want to. I just want to graduate and feel like I've accomplished Something. 

I just always feel there is an extra load of pressure on my shoulders when I think about school. Both of my parents expect so much out of me. And then when they talk to my aunts and uncles about how I go to such and such school and im majoring in this and la de dah...it just adds in, because I feel like i need to live up to the expectations of others. And I feel like it just isn't fair sometimes. Thats not why I should be doing the things I do, I should be doing them because I want to, not because others want me to. When I started at GV I knew what I wanted then, if I knew what I know now about how hard my classes were going to be, I might have chosen something different. when I think of things that way though, my entire life could be different. I might not be dating Furao, have the awesome friends I have now, play capoeira, or even have gone to GV in the first place. All I know is that things will figure themselves out, the time of stress will eventually pass over.

So on Friday I'm going to my parents house. And I'll be there for a few days. Then I'll be making my way to Texas Sunday morning with my mom and nephew (lorenzo). We'll be there for about a week to visit my brother. It should be fun. I haven't been out of state since the 2010 batizado for Rochester. So just a little over a year. I suppose I cant leave 2011 without leaving the state at least once this year right? The only downside is we will be driving. We were going to fly, but my mom really wanted a car while we were down since my brother only has one, and will be at work half of the time. She didn't want to rent one cause after a week that can be expensive. So we're taking my car....well my dads car really. It takes about 24 to get there. I'm anticipating a little longer since its just the two of us driving and I've never driven there before. My mom has, so she knows the way better than I do.

Well I'll leave it at that for now. I'll update after christmas, texas and new years...share pictures and such. 

So have a merry christmas and happy new year!

QBD 

Giving Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving day. It's a day where most people express what they are thankful for. They take more time into thinking what they are very grateful to have. I'm grateful for a lot of things.

To start, I'm grateful to have my parents who help me with a lot of things. They support me with school, they help put food in my tummy and roof over my head. Without them, who knows what sorts of changes in my life.

I'm thankful for having 3 wonderful siblings (2 brothers and 1 sister). They have been some of the best people I know. They have been friends and also great supporters in my decisions. Sure we have our ups and downs with each other, but that's how being siblings works, at the end of the day we still know we all love each other.

To have 4 nephews and 1 niece is sure a blessing. With Lorenzo, he grew up to my own little brother. Someone that I was able to play with, tease, and protect growing up. My two baby nephews (Angelo and Manny who are just my world. Looking at them makes my day any day. Felix, even though he is having a hard time wanting to spend time with his dads family, I know I miss him, and I'm still so glad to know him. I hope that I can someday be someone he looks up to as a role model. And my niece who I have not met, she is a cutie, and I can't wait to meet her this coming month.

I am so glad to have such a wonder, caring, and loving Boyfriend. He is pretty much my world. He has been my best friend for the past 3 years and I can't thank him enough for always being there for me. I love the things we do together. Whether it's playing capo, going on a date, or just sitting at home relaxing on the couch. Every minute together is a true blessing.

Lastly, I'm thankful for all the friends and family I have. Even those that I am no longer close with. If you have been apart of my life, and I can still remember at least one time with you, I think that means that you have made an impact in my life. And without knowing each person that I have in the last 22 years, I don't think I'd be the person I am today.

So thank you to all of you who have touched my heart and soul.

QBD

The Ugly and the...

So, a typical post from me would be about how it's a new semester or season. Today I'm not going to talk about that but instead of how this week has made me think of so many things.

Earlier this week at GV, a student passed away in the Rec Center while playing bball.  I think the reports said he went into cardiac arrest. I could help but think about how hard that must have been for his parents to get a phone call like that. Not only because it was their son, and no one should ever have to burry their child, but because they couldn't be there with him. He was away at school, his parents probably thought he would be safe. They probably never imagine anything like this could or would have happened.

This made me think how the only person I've ever lost that I've been close to was my grandpa. I guess some days I don't know if I'm lucky I've never lost more than that or not. I mean I guess, what about when one day when the time comes, that I have to loose someone else. Maybe it will be very hard to handle. Who knows. I've been to a hand full of funerals in my life. The ones that have stayed in my head are my grandma's (I was 4 when she died, so I barley even remember that), my uncle Joe's (I was 15 going on 16 he died at the seen of a car accident), my cousin Adriana (She was in the same accident as my uncle Joe, she died a few weeks later. She was only 14), and lastly my Grandpas (I was 20 years old, I still remember very clearly the last I was able to talk to him.) It feels like there isn't one day I don't think about him even if it's only for 5 minutes, There is always something that puts him in my mind.

So then on top of all this, I was on my way home from school yesterday after Capoeira. Lake Mi. Dr was closed down. There had been a car accident involving three cars. One women was killed, another put in the hospital and the other was lucky enough to only slightly get hit.

And finally today, my mom tells me that my brother (who works on an oil rig) had an explosion at work today. She said the pressure underground was too built up and cause explosions like that all time. That was definitely not something I wanted to hear today.

 Things like this just make living life a little scary sometimes. You really never know what God's plan is for you. You never know when your time is up. Always say good bye and I love you. It may be your last chance.

-QBD

Summer

Summer is pretty much over here soon. My physics 2 class will be over in one week from today. It's very exciting. Then I have two weeks off from school. The first week I will be just working and doing things around the house probably going to get back into training regularly again. Then the week after Furao and i will be taking a mini vacation where we have no work or school for one full week! it will be super awesome! We are planning on doing a few fun things like going to the zoo, playing tennis, and just enjoying the two of us. I'm really excited to spend some time with him. I'm afraid I won't be seeing much of him after that.

We have also planned a trip to Chicago in January for a 3 year anniversary. We haven't figured all the details yet, but we know we want to take the train there and go to a few museums while we are there. If anything I think just being in a big city will be exciting in itself.

So I was saying I want to get back into training regularly again. The past year I took a bunch of time off because I have trying to get my GPA up and I needed to spend more time with my academics. I still need/want to do this. But a goal I want to set for myself this next semester and even from here on out is to better manage my time. I know it has to be possible right? I want to be able to manage all of my classes, keep up with hw and get good grades. And I also want to have time in the week to do a few things that I want to do. I'd like to try to train or at least work out three days a week. With GR classes this would be pretty manageable because classes get out early and I won't have to miss anything. With GVSU classes they get out a bit latter so I will probably plan on staying for only most of the time but not all. But we will see how things turn out and maybe I can be super awesome and attend the entire class. I was recently watching some capoeira videos and it made me realize how much I've missed it and how long it had already been since I've gotten a chance to really train and learn new things. But I know with what my priorities are right now, that that trend may continue for a little bit longer. Soon enough I will be able to get back on my feet and continue to grow. I am no rush to get a head of the game right now.

On that note, I'm really looking forward to my future and everything that it has set for me!

-QBD

Summer Classes Begin!

Well the summer session of classes have started this week! I ended up doing very well my first semester of physics. I got a B in the class. I'm hoping to do just as good or even better this semester. I know it's going to be tough especially since it's excelled, but I know I've got it in me even though I get frustrated a lot.

This weekend is the fourth of July weekend. My sister and nephew are coming up. They get to be the first people to stay with Furaos and I. I think I want to see if my sister wants to go shopping on Friday afternoon, and possibly go to capoeira that night. Saturday if it is nice I think we are going to Michigan Adventure, and sunday we might go to Furaos parents to go swimming. Monday is the day to take it easy and relax!

I love our new place by the way. It's pretty big and it's just the two of us. Having two bedrooms was definitely the way to go though. I thought that it was going to be kinda of weird, but I have way to many things and they wouldn't have all fit. I got rid of a lot of things though, but non the less I still have a bunch.

Well I should call it an update for now. I still need to eat breakfast, get ready for school and get to school to print things all before 12pm!

-QBD

School and things

So, it's a miracle that I have now posted twice in one month. Crazy business right there!

Physics has been keeping me busy that's for sure. But I'm okay with that. I don't know what else I would be doing with my time right now, especially since Furao is busy with all of his school work and things. I do like this class though. I feel like i don't come across many classes that I actually enjoy. Even though it's really hard and time consuming, I feel like I'm actually learning something. Which is a great feeling to have. I think it's a combination of the topic and my professor. He is super awesome and teaching this class.

On another note, Furao and I will be moving in about 4 weekends! crazy right? I packed somethings last weekend at my house and took down my bed (As we all know, I haven't stayed at my own place much). I'm really looking forward to being able to live in a place where I feel like home again, where I can have all of my things, feel safe, and not be scared to go home by myself with out being afraid of creepy neighbors...which I guess I could still end up with creepy neighbors, but it seems less likely then where I currently live. So exciting things a head for me in the near future. :)

What other things go on in my life on a regular basis...? Well I suppose I could talk about capoeira. (I bring it up just about every post hehe). I was really nice a few weeks ago I tried like 4 days a week for two weeks. then I got sick, and a bit busy with homework. And now I'm on to this week, which was filled with homeworking. I will probably go tonight though, well if Furao goes. I sort of don't see a point in driving all the way back to GV alone to train. I mean don't get my wrong I really enjoy class, but it's partially personal issues I have with training with people.Within the last year there has been so much stuff that has caused conflicts between myself and others. That really the best way to handle those situations has been to not to talk certain people and interacting with them. On certain topics conversations have been brought up to solve said conflicts, but for me, I look at this way. If they don't like me, don't like the things I do, then that's okay. I'm not going to have hard feelings towards those people. I'm just going to let it be and move on. So as of right now, I've been staying clear of people I don't feel comfortable training with. And when we do cross paths I simply say hi, and speak to them as needed. Trying to make sure that I don't offend anyone. (I'm sharing these things on the Internet, so yes I'm aware of questions or concerns that may arise. If you read this and are wondering who people are I probably will not tell you. this things are not a big issue that is why I feel comfortable posting this.)

But on other aspects of capoeira, like I said I've really enjoyed being able to train a little bit more than I did the last few semester. I've gotten to play in a few rodas the last couple of months and for the most part I've had a lot of playing. I love being expressive  with the way I move so I really to incorporate that a lot. The feeling of being in the roda, with an entire bateria (sp) and the energy the roda brings just lets out some inner spirits. Then I really feel the dance aspect to capoeira and it's not all about just kicks and take-downs. It is so much more. I love it! <3

On another note, I really miss some of my old friends. There are so many things, stories that I've had in the last few years but haven't shared with them. The times I have seen them, I usually forget about all the good stories. :p I hope I get a chance to see them all sometime soonish. That would just be wonderful.

Well, have a nice day friends.
-QBD

It's that time again

Well, I bet you could guess that another school semester has gone by. I usually only update at the beginning or end of a semester. Im currently in the middle of my summer semester. I've been taking a physics class, it's only six weeks but is 5 credits. So things are moving VERY fast. There is a lot of information that I need to know. But things are not to bad I suppose. We have weekly exams, so far we have only had two. I didn't do so hot on the first one. I got a C+ on it, but on my second one I got an A..100%. It was such an awesome thing to have! I will probably save that exam FOREVER. hehe.

Lets see, other than the usually school, I've once again been trying to get back to going to Capoeira on a regular basis. It's a challenge sometimes because I have a lot of homework and it's really important that  I do well in my classes at this point if I want to graduate in 2 years and even have a slight change getting into a graduate school for PT. Any who, Capoeira has been as usual. I've been enjoying classes, mostly for the workouts that I get. Sometimes classes can get a bit dry, but that is to be expected from time to time. Plus, I couldn't imagine being in one of the teachers/instructors.monitors shoes. Some of them trying to manage school, work, combination of both and then still make fun Capoeira classes. It's a lot of time and I'm grateful to know such wonderful teachers. (Those in GR and everywhere else)

So, Furao and I have decided to try this sort of diet thing. Basically we use the Livestrong website to track our calorie intake. When signing up (it's FREE btw), you put in how much you weigh, your height, and how much weight a week you would like to lose, if any. I put down I would like to lose 1 lb a week. But because I don't get to exercise as much as I'd like, I've probably only lost 2 lbs since we have started. We started tracking our Calories a 3 Mondays ago...so May 2, 2011. Sometimes it can be challenging because I am only allowed to eat roughly 1300 calories a day. But most days I usually just barley make the maximum intake.

Hmm...Well my brain is pretty beat, and don't really know what else I should update on so tottles for now.

-QBD

Memories

These past few weeks have been some sad and scary weeks. To start off, about two weeks ago my dad had a stroke. We just found out today from the MRI results. According the Dr my dad was really lucky that he was in overall good health because where the stroke occurred, it could have been a lot worse than what it was. Basically what happend was my dad was talking with my mom one minute, they stopped talking and the next he couldn't remember some things have had happened in the past year and couldn't remember anything that had happened in the last hour. My mom took him to the ER immediately and they had a cat-scan but that didn't show anything. That's why they had an MRI done too.

It's really scary because a stroke is what put my Grandpa in the hospital for the last time this time last year. On March 9, 2010 it was the time I would ever see my Grandpa normal. The last time I would talk to him, and the last time I would get to hear his voice. Later that evening I remember get woken up by my mom saying my grandpa went into cardiac arrest and coded a few times. We rushed up to the hospital, but there was nothing we could do. We waited. We had the Dr do a number of test, only to find out by this time on March 10, 2010 that my Grandpa was brain dead and would only be able to live on a machine. We all knew we couldn't let that happen. But we waited just a few more days, so the rest of his kids could see their dad alive one last time, even if he was hooked up to machines. It was until March 12, 2010 around 8pm the monitors were shut down, and we watched him for nearly 20 minutes taking a few last breaths on his own, his heart rate increasing and decreasing. All I could hope for was a miracle, I wasn't ready to let me Grandpa go, I wasn't ready to accept what had been the hardest death I've ever had to deal with. And still, just about 1 year later, I haven't come to terms. When I visit home, I just think he is on a mini vacation and then it always hits me that I will never get to see the only Grandparent I ever really knew, again.

I can't believe how fast this year had gone by. I just don't know where the time went.

It sort of feels nice to have these things written down some place. They make sad thinking about them, and the make me sad talking about them. But I guess for now it's just one of those things I can't let go...not yet anyway.

My Grandpa and I at my HS graduation

My family with my Grandpa at my HS graduation

So Happy

Younger Years

Enjoying some wine at Thanksgiving

My Grandpa and I when I was just a little tyke

And so it begins....

Yep, so classes started back up on Monday. I had such a hard time with my classes since im only trying to have 12 credits. I was lucky to have everything work out just fine. But it is going to be a tough semester. On the first every class just seemed like I've been in it for FOREVER!!!

I'm not really sure what else to update about. Other than I'm very flustered at this very moment and that is probably why I decided to update. But anywho....I hope everyone else is doing great and has a good week.

-QBD

2 years is a Long Time

I must say, I'm impressed with myself that I have another update.

Saturday, January 1, 2011 was mine and Robbies two year anniversary. We started the day just right. We woke up and decided lets go to Panara for breakfast. We took a shower, I put rollers in my hair and we were on our way! It turned out breakfast was over so we got lunch instead. It was super yummy. It was very silly to get strange looks all morning with rollers in my hair. You would think the other women wouldn't be so surprised. It was mostly women that looked at me funny...We came home and also immediately ventured on back up to our room. Put on comfy p.j.'s once again and just laid in bed and watched Pushing Daisys for most of  the afternoon. We eventually made our way to meijer. We got fancy bubbly wine and picked up our pizza from Papa Murphys. It was silly, because again while out and about with my silly hair, I still received strange looks.

Robbie and I went on our two year anniversary carriage ride. It was very cute and romantic. We got all semi-fancied up and warm. We walked to the pick up place from the bridge downtown. It was very cold and windy. But then we went to Bigby while we waited a few more minutes for the carriage to arrive.

So silly story while at Bigby, I needed to use the rest room and bigby was connected to this other building and guy working told me it was down the hall to the right. So I walked all the way down the hall turned right into another hall and walked all the way down to doors that go outside. But where was the bathroom? I could not find it. After walking about for about 3 more minutes I decided to venture downstairs in hopes for a bathroom. Luckily I found one!

While we were waiting we drank our Hot Cocoa, it was super yummy! Then we saw the carriage across the street waiting and we hurried on over. It was super fun. We road around in one of the parks and then back by the museum and the downtown GVSU campus. Just as we were passing the museum two puppies started following us. There was a Husky and a Beagle. The Beagle was my favorite, he/she was trying so hard to keep up with us. Then the lady driving the carriage dropped us off by the bridge on Fulton. It was so scary, the puppies were on the other side of the road (this is a busy busy road) and then tried to cross, the big white van just zoom-a-croomed and almost hit the husky. I was so scared for those puppies. I do hope they got home okay or someone found them.

When we came home we made delicious Papa Murphy's Pizza! We love pizza. We watched some TV and both passed out. We woke up shortly after just in time for the rest of the capo house crew to walk in. We said hung out for a bit and went upstairs to bed.

It definitely the best day we have had together in a long time! I'm so happy that Furao was the one I got to spend it with. He's the best!

<3 <3<3
QBD