Jump.

When life takes you on a journey and you find yourself staring out of an airplane door at 14,000 feet, it's really hard to turn around and say nope, not going to jump. It was one of those "well crap, I've made it this far, might as well take the last plunge." A year ago I made myself a promise that as soon as I reached my first weight loss goal, I would go skydiving. I reached it in March, so I finally got around to making my skydiving reservation. Thankfully, my friend Janie stepped up to go with me. It would have been really hard to do by myself. (I would have done it still...maybe.) I'm so happy my amazing friends Rakeda, Daniel, and Brian took off of work to come watch! It was so nice to have the support (and camera crew to document the event! Check out rakeda's pictures at papillon perspectives!)

I won't say that I wasn't terrified...I really was. This was one of the very few times in my life though that I've just put all my faith in the powers above me that everything would turn out okay. And guess what...this time it did!

So now I can say I've been skydiving. I can check that off my bucket list. Or maybe I should do like Sarah Von from Yes and Yes and create a 30 before I'm 30 list. Something to ponder...

After taking a look at Rakeda's pictures, have a look at these pictures from the sky....


you can see the nervousness as we approach 14,000ft:


and a one, and a two, and a here we goooooo!!


This is when it stopped being scary and started getting cool. That and they said to keep a nice big smile so that I wouldn't get a lot of air in my cheeks. hehe


sooo amazing, it really can't be described. you just have to do it!


The cheeks are awesome hahaha


I pulled at 6,000ft and we floated down. I started screaming how absolutely amazing it was during the freefall. Because during the freefall all I could really muster out was "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!" hahaha


aaaannnnd land.


Best weirdest instructor ever, Rory.

Weekend thoughts...

I love coming across quotes that make me go "wow. WOW. " Sometimes they're inspirational, sometimes they're funny, but usually when I run across certain sayings it's exactly what I need to hear at that time. This one I think I read in Glamour earlier this week while trying to step out of the funk. I love it.

"I must learn to love the fool in me--the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool." -- Theodore I. Rubin, MD

so there you go.


Things of interest:
This weekend is a PLT weekend. The oldest nephew is turning 10. Wow. I remember when we would watch Jungle Book til all hours of the night because he loved it so much. And then it was Ice Age and he would say all of Sid the Sloth's lines and I would be Manny the moody mammoth. so cute...now he's just a forehead shy of being as tall as me and we talk about how awesome the Dark Knight and cumulonimbus clouds are. hold on. I need a minute. While I take a minute, take a look at the cuteness that is John Anthony.



Sister's bday is on Sunday and since I'm refusing to make another trip home next weekend, we're going to celebrate Father's day a Sunday early. So Sunday is day o'party. They might throw a little piece of cake in there for me too, even though I've discussed with my father that i'd rather have roasted corn than cake. He's making some calls (this time of the year I could eat roasted corn for every single meal. I don't even mess with the butter or seasonings--just give me an ear of corn and i'm happy as happy can be.)


Hope everyone has a nice, relaxing weekend!

John and Erica: the wedding

To the happy couple: I hope your future is filled with happiness and love. You're beautiful people and I love you both. Congratulations!

I wasn't much for mingling at the wedding. I've been in sort of a funk lately that hopefully I'm working through. As long as the pita chips stay out of my house, I'll be able to get through it. (excluding tonight--I had pita chips and guacamole for dinner. it was wonderful) Anyway, so I didn't mingle at the wedding, which meant that I didn't take too many pictures past the people at my table. Hence the pictures of Letti, the Camachos, my cousin Matt, and my sister. The cool part was we sat at the table by the bar, so when an uncle would walk by to get a beverage, they'd buy a round for the table. fun!

Ceremony pictures (I was trying to be inconspicuous and just use my 50mm but in hindsight i really wish I had used the other. If i hadn't worn heels I would have run to my car to get it--ah well. Also, I think I should consider investing in a flash)


My grandparents just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. How awesome is that? My favorite part is that they still pick on each other like they're 20. It was 90 degrees out and they were bickering over my grandpa refusing to put his jacket on. We see who won that argument! And how awesome is my grandpa's hair? So stylin!! I love them!
My sister and I
Elissa
Letti:
The Camacho family--these kids are hilarious!



And then there's Matt:

and last but not least, blame it on the applejuice...hahaha

Rakeda

Of all the people I've met in my life, Rakeda ranks as one of the strongest, most passionate persons (people?my grammar is terrible. it's that whole who/whom thing all over again. Sorry for the long parenthesis.) ever. She fights for what she believes and is an incredible mother to her children. When I grow up, I want to be Rakeda. :)

We did this as sort of trash the dress but not really trash the dress as much as elena needs practice directing a shoot and keda needs to be on the other side of the camera session. (Again with the bad grammar!) Our good friend Brian came with us to explore some of the Galleria area. It was such a fun day! P.S. Keda balanced on a thin ledge to get some of these shots. in the wind. I definetely think it was worth it! I love them!




this one is my favorite

my second favorite:


Rock Paper Scissors:

Hi Monday...

Aside from my doggie being sick (allll over my carpet. thanks.), I had a fantastic weekend. Rakeda and I got some gorgeous and hilarious shots of her in chuck taylors and a wedding dress. I'll post them later this week. It was such a good time. And then we had this cookie thing from BJ's in Pearland called a Bazookie? Cazookie? Whatever it was it was AMAZING. I've never had a cookie so good.

Sunday I went to the ballet with my friend Judy. An accupuncturist at her work gave her the tickets. When we got to the theater we asked an usher where our seats were and she looked at us and said "girls, don't you know you have the best seats in the house?" and they seriously were. It was so wonderful and peaceful and thrilling. Ah the ballet, so wonderful.

So Monday questions, changing them up a bit. I got these from my friend Judy who posted this on Facebook. Enjoy!

A - Age: 26 (for 17 more days at least)
B - Bed size: Full
C - Chore you hate: washing dishes or folding laundry. They're equally blah.
D - Dog's name: Rocko Artichoke Perez. I'm not quite sure how I came about that name, but I did.
E - Essential start your day item: toothpaste and toothbrush.
F - Favorite color: depends on the day. my favorites are blue, green, pink, purple and black
G - Gold or Silver: silver
H - Height: 5'3"
I - Instruments you play: piano and guitar, used to play clarinet and saxophone
J - Job title: Safety Specialist
K - Kid(s): just Rocko
L - Living arrangements: apartment by myself
M - Mom's name: Maria De los Santos Perez, or Mary.
N - Nickname: oh magada!, mags, e-dawg
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I think I was a sickly kid (I remember a plastic tent?) but nothing recently
P - Pet Peeve: really loud noises
Q - Quote from a Movie: "you made a woman meow?"
R - Right or left handed: Right handed
S - Siblings: Brother Jay and wife Nora, Sister Elissa
T - Time you wake up: 6ish on weekdays, 8ish on weekends
U- Underwear: umm, yes. :)
V - Vegetable you dislike: eggplant doesn't do anything for me
W - Ways you run late: I like to lollygag
X - X-rays you've had: chest xrays, dental...that's about it I think
Y - Yummy food you make: queso. haha
Z - Zoo favorite: Turtles! hahaha

Here comes the bride...

My cousin Erica is getting married on June 6. Last Saturday we spent the day around the Brazosport College (is that what it's really called? I might have made that up) taking pictures. The day was bright, beautiful, and OH MY GOSH SO FREAKING HOT. With gam gam and little brody in tow, Rakeda and I got some great shots. It was a lot of fun! Erica is a stunning bride. Can't wait for the wedding! Here are some of my favorites:

Memorial Day

Today is the day to honor those who've served our country and lost their life. I'm not from a big military family, but to those who are, thank you. Thank you for your courage and strength.

It's a holiday but it's still Monday. We should have more Monday holidays.

Mood: procrastination-filled. (is that even a mood? or maybe the word is lazy)

Goal for the day: finish my laundry

Last movie I watched: Sister Act. love it!

Lipgloss, lipstick, chapstick, or naked? nothing today

Breakfast beverage: glass of milk

Goals for the week: get erica's bridal pics out

Theme song of the week: Jimmy Eat World, Chase this light

When I grow up, I wanna be ______: happy.

Things I’m really good at: biting my tongue

Things I need to work on: oh, you know.

bridal pics are coming soon...I took the sneak peak down because of a shadow issue. haha!