La Cita

Ok so the last blog wasnt the last one. I just had to blog about our night out to La Cita in downtown LA last night since Phuong did.
Saturday afternoon I was on my way driving back from San Clemente after celebrating Thanksgiving with the in-laws. I had planned to stop by the bean before going home to see if I could pick up a shift that night, but before I could I get a text message from Jorge inviting me out to a mexican bar. So I thought to myself "screw work, Im going out!" I hardly ever get a chance to go out so I wanted to take advantage of having a Saturday night off and actually go out.
We go in the bar and immediately we feel out of place. Our group consisted of four asians, one black, and one mexican and we were walking into a mexican bar. As you walk in you see a dance floor to the left which is packed with people just dancing, and it wasnt like dancing at a club, it was real latin dancing. I was so intimidated to go out there since my dance of choice was the cabbage patch and the running man. So after we get a round of drinks a few of us go out to the dance floor and I have no clue what Im doing. I finally worked up the courage to ask some ladies dancing on their own so I shimmied towards them and immediately she puts her hands on my hips to moves them side to side. Boy was it hard. And whenever a new song came on, it was a totally different dance and everyone knew exactly what kind of dance goes with what song as if they took a course on it. I think towards the end of the night I got a little more comfortable and danced the night away haha... with a little help from three more coronas.
It was a lot of fun and I hope we visit La Cita more often in the future

Last one for November

Its the end of November and Im really looking forward to December. Lots of good things are happening that Ive been waiting a while to come.

-I start cosmetology school at the Aveda Institute
-Pax will start preschool!
-Jennifer will/might be visiting for two weeks. ;)
-and of course, Christmas!

I start school on Tuesday! Im so excited. This is what I'll be doing for 10 months straight 8 hours a day. Im ready.

Pax is also so ready for preschool. Im not very hands on when it comes to my kids mind stimulation(yeah, bad mommy). Its just so hard for me since 1. Im really bad at teaching 2. Im very impatient. Sometimes I'll give it a go for a little while before I want to rip my hair out then that's about all I can do. Yeah, its that bad for me. But I like to play with my kids.

Christmas will be tight this year. Since Im starting school I needed to save up money for my $1500 supply kit. I don't even have all of it yet since I spent $600 on getting my car fixed. So whatever money I do scrounge up it has to go towards my kit so I don't even know if Im able to get all the gifts I want to get the kids. At least we have a Christmas tree this year. We didn't have one the past two years Ive been in LA.

Christmas Cards

I was really planning on making Christmas cards this year. With money being so tight this year(...again..) I think its better that I dont. Well, not the fancy photo ones that I originally planned to make. I was browsing through websites just to shop for fun and I came across the perfect one!

After Pax was born and our first Christmas with the four of us(Ben being the forth at the time) came along, I realized with all the Peace and Joy I saw at every corner, I had named my kids with a Christmas/holiday theme. Joyce and Pax. Joyce, obviously meaning joy and Pax which is latin for peace. I laughed and thought it was a funny little coincidence. And yeah, it'll be a little cheesy putting a photo of Pax over the word peace and Joyce over Joy but I couldnt help but think this is the most perfect card for me and the kids to send out. I would have put a photo of the three of us over love........ omg this is too much.

:)

I cant believe I went almost three months without working. I had to get back into being a stay-at-home mom. Dont get me wrong, I love my time with the kids.... but sometimes mommy needs time with grown-ups too. And while I wasn't working, those times with grown-ups were scarce. I dont have many friends here in LA. My three closest, bestest friends that I do have all live in different states. Since Jennifer left, I didnt feel like "our" friends were "my" friends quite yet. I was always "Jennifer's sister." Its kinda tough being a young mom. Its hard to make friends and keep them since I never have to time to hang out. That's why I always look foward going to work. And last night after work, the old crew and me went out to eat at Johnnies. It was nice.

I have three more days until I dont have to pick up Joyce from school anymore. That was one of my stay-at-home tasks that I didnt like. I hated looking for parking and to find a close one to the school I had to get there 30 minutes before school ended. Around that time, it was Pax's nap time so he almost always fell asleep in the car. I wait 20 minutes in the car and then start walking to the school gate and wait ten more minutes usually carrying Pax. I have to be at the very front of the gate because Joyce gets really freaked out if she cant see me and thinks Im not there on time...hence why I have to be at the gate ten minutes before hand because thats when it starts to crowd up. The bell rings and I swear that her class is the last class to get out because Im still waiting another 10 minutes. will be no So, after Thanksgiving break, this more and I am GLAD.

Her and Pax will be at the afterschool program/pre-school til 6:30 and since I'll be at cosmetology school, David will be picking them up from there. And after Im done with school, its off to work I go. I know I wont see the kids that much but its a sacrifice I have to make to ensure a better career for myself.

And Im so pumped up for school not only because its something I've been wanting to do since I was 13, but whenever I mention to someone that that's what I'll be doing, they get so excited too that I can possibly do their hair in the future and that they will come to the student salon to support me. That's when it made me feel like "our" friends started to be "my" friends as well.

Time flies

Wow, its already the end of November and I haven't gotten things ready for school. Im going to start cosmetology school at the Aveda Institute Los Angeles on December 2nd! I still need to enroll my kids in daycare/afterschool program, buy black tennis shoes.... ok that doesn't seem like much. But the most important thing is enrolling the kids. I can't hardly wait that it keeps me up at night sometimes. Im just glad Im finally getting to do what I want for a career.

This all wouldn't have been possible if David hadn't moved to LA and also move in with me and the kids. I started working back at the coffee bean since he's able to watch the kids at night right after he comes home from work. The timing couldn't have been better. Ever since Jennifer left for the Air Force I was stuck all alone in this tiny, expensive apartment with no job, living off of Ben's child support. If David wasnt here, I'd still be doing that. Im a big believer of "everything happens for a reason." David is my daughters father and for almost six years he had not been around, not paid child support, and I even started to think he was never going to be apart of her life. Then one day out of the blue he's in LA with a good job. At first, I was kind of stand-offish and didnt want to be friendly, I was short with him whenever we talked, and when we did talk it would only be about Joyce. But now, he's my roommate. We stay up nights playing Wii, watch movies and drink beer. Given our past history, you would think I wouldnt even want him to be in my life but I believe he's changed. He really wants to help me and the kids. I figure, he does kinda owe me.... big time. The important thing is that he's here and Im able to go to school.

As for working again at the bean, its just nice to get out of the apartment and away from the kids and talk to grown-ups.... and making money doesnt hurt too.

New Blog

So, its been awhile since I've blogged. Just didnt have the motivation. I originally have been using xanga.com for my blogs but I think I need a new outlet. Im somewhat of a private person(ha right, and Im blogging) and I didnt feel like blogging because I've had the xanga one for so long that there were a few people that I could care less if they knew what was going on in my life.



So this is me. Not sure if I want to keep this blog for private use or not. I usually blog about daily events, my kids, and all that jazz. Nothing too fancy. I dont think of myself as a good writer... and not so well at expressing my thoughts either. So, Blogspot, here's to many blogs.