five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

So this weekend was super busy! Althought I should be finishing up my paper due this week,I just had to take a break :) At least first semester is done after this Wednesday! Yippee!

The weekend started off early - on friday! I went to Palm Springs with the family for a night. We got some good pool time in...how can you not? Then at night we went to dinner at the Mexican restaurant. It was pretty entertaining seeing all the older men and women acting like they're still in college. Just an example...we were sitting at this outdoor table, and all of a sudden some older man and his younger girlfriend start talking to their friend that was at the table behind us. The older man and his younger girlfriend were walking on the sidewalk by the restaurant. They ended up passing some red cups to the table, and came into the restaurant and sat down. Then the manager came over and said they couldn't have outside drinks in the restaurant and took their drink. I can maybe see some people my age doing things like that...but coming from older people, I was pretty annoyed to say the least. They acted all upset and annoyed when their cups were taken away...the girlfriend had to calm her old man friend down because he was getting upset. Oh silly people in Palm Springs...take a look at old you are please.

Anyways, we came home on Saturday and then it was celebration time with Cody! We had our one year :)

We went to dinner at a little restaurant called Sol Grill in Newport. It was right next to Sharkeez...never would have seen it unless it was for a groupon be had! We had some pretty sangia, and there was a live band performing some good acoustic music. Then we walked along the pier and were amazed at all the people fishing. The tiny fish were flapping all over the place! Perhaps one day Cody and I will be super cool like those fishermen and we'll catch a bucket full of flapping mackeral...with a few crabs thrown in.


Lastly...today we went to Disneyland with Brielle, Cody's sweet little sister! I took pictures... so I might post them later :) We went on Toy Story Mania.. Brielle beat me ;) and Cody beat both of our scores combined with 182,000 points. Figures. Haha Love you cody!

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!

What's the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word spring? Sundresses! Too bad the clouds decided to play games and rain on So Cal today. And to top it off, my boyfriend just texted me about crazy thunder. Come on...

One thing I love about working in a school is that I can wear cute, tasteful sundresses. I always like to browse new dresses online for ideas. Usually my first stop is anthropologie, even though I have no plans of actually purchasing clothing from there.

Here's one that I love!


Of course with every dress, a girl needs the perfect pair of shoes. These would be my pick, minus the $178 price tag.


After browsing at anthropologie, I normally find myself back at forever 21, Old Navy, and Macy's. So many people I know have had such horrible luck with Forever 21.....clothes fall apart and all this other crazy stuff. Somehow I've been lucky enough for that to never happen to me. My faith in Forever 21 hasn't faltered yet. Unfortunately, I don't find much clothing there I'd wear anymore. However, when I do find something cute, I'm super duper happy.

For example, I absolutely love my forever 21 sundresses. Why pay $150+ for a dress....when I can buy one under $30? It's called being smart. Also, most of the dresses I buy tend to be classic, so I wouldn't get rid of them after a season, unless my closet was bursting...which pretty much always seems to be the case.

Here's one I found that I'd definitely wear!

And even though it seems short for work, since I'm short, the length is always perfect! At $19.80...this dress wins. That's an 87% savings compared to the dress from anthropologie.

Now you have a taste of what goes through my head when I go dress shopping :)

The past few weeks have been so exhausting with work and school. Even though I'm a part time aide at school, sometimes I feel like I work the entire day. I even bring work home! And I'm only going to class twice a week. I have a paper due in one of my classes this Wednesday. Luckily, I'm basically done with it already. Having to work on a paper on a day I have work and class would be so difficult. By the time I get home from class, I'm ready to go to bed and start all over again the next day! Some days I wish school would just be over....but then I think about the choice I made to go back to school to help children who need it the most! My motivation in the morning is knowing I'll make some children smile and they'll definitely make me smile.

Every day during lunch I walk around the table and ask how the kids day's are. Now, there's a certain student who asks me, "Are you having a good day, Ms. Toyos?" He'll even ask me how my weekend was, and if I did anything fun. On Friday, he asked me if I was doing anything fun this weekend! Those moments make me so happy and motivated to continue working so hard. Children have such big hearts and deserve the best!

Cody and I went to Disneyland on Friday! We also picked up our Angel tickets for a game in August. They were part of his Christmas present from me this year. I used to watch him play softball over the summer. Baseball was such a large part of his life, since he was young. Seeing him in his element made me so happy! I'm super excited to be with him at an Angels game.

Here are some recent pictures from random events :)

My little sis, Erica, picked up TWO little sisters! I have 2 new grand-littles!

Despite my granny-ness(which I'm not really ashamed of!), I went to DT fullerton with my girl friends!

For my V-Day Surprise for Cody, I took him to the OC Zoo!


He surprised me on V-day with a romantic, home-cooked meal! I am so thankful for Cody <3>
Need some inspiration for the day?

Here are 9 Mindfulness Rituals to Make Your Day Better :)

And to end on a feel-good note...and in spirit of St. Patrick's Day

"May you always walk in sunshine. May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door."
Irish Blessing

Goodness...i love zenhabits...

another good one :)

Get the most out of life!

Also...if any of you are curious to learn something new....learn about positive behavioral support(PBS) in the classroom. I had my first class on PBS yesterday, and OMG is it effective. Today at work, I applied some things I learned...and the results were so wonderful! Enforcing good behavior wins! For both the teacher...and the students :)

It's a John Denver Sunday!

I'm sitting on the couch watching a John Denver concert on dvd...if you're not familiar with his name, he was famous for his songs "Country Road, Take Me Home" and "Annie's Song". I love the weekends when everyone is home and Mom plays her dvd concerts on tv. Mom says she likes the dvd concerts better than cds and radio because you get the full music experience. "You feel like they're actually there." I remember playing outside till the street lights came on and running into a house vibrating with Fleetwood Mac music from a concert my mom taped on VHS!

My mom has collected so many concerts dvds......I think my favorites would have to be Fleetwood Mac, John Denver, Michael Jackson, Carole King and James Taylor, Phil Collins... You might be thinking...jeez Diana, none of those people are from your generation. I know :) And I'm totally okay with it!

I've even begun my own collection! I have a Christopher Cross and Lionel Richie concert dvd. I definitely want to keep my mom's weekend activity a tradition in my future home. Whether she considers it a tradition or not....I always feel so at home and peaceful when those DVDs are playing. Music has always been a part of my life at home, and I intend to keep the musical atmosphere around.

I heard a John Denver song that I never heard before...it's so powerful. It's called "Rhymes and Reasons". What I take from it is that whenever you find yourself in a dark place, there are always reasons to have hope and find joy and peace again.

1.17.2011

We went to Disneyland today for a few hours :) Parked for free.....had some fun...then we were ready to leave. The beauty of an annual pass....no pressure to ride every ride, regardless of if the line is long or not. We left before everyone else decided to come....thank goodness!

Also....*big claps* to Cody! He just found out he passed his CCFE test! I'm so proud of him. If you ever need a forensics examiner...let me know!

Hope everyone had a good weekend....and 3-day weekend for some of you!

Here's a good article I found on "How to Focus on What Truly Matters" :) Enjoy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.

- Henri Nouwen

One week till school begins again!

I had to start this entry with a picture of my bestie and I! Hillary Feeney has been braving the cold out in Rhode Island, now that she lives there. She is a multitasker like no other - in an MBA program, practically working 2 jobs, acing her classes. That's my bestie :) She makes anything possible. It was so nice to see her while she was back in Yorba Linda during Christmas! I can't wait to see her again soon....I have a feeling the next time I see her will be around Easter....and then it will be when her older sister gets MARRIED! Ahh! I remember when her sister and I would play Barbies under blanket forts. It's ...i don't know about crazy....but kind of exciting seeing people from high school getting engaged....married..having babies. I guess that time is approaching....am I ready? We'll see whenever that stage in my life arrives. LOL

Another year has begun, and I'd have to stay things seem to be going really well! Work is good....I love my school! Meadow Park was just named #1 Public Elementary School in OC by the OC Register! I couldn't be more blessed to work at a place where all the teachers, staff, and students are so wonderful. Meadow Park truly is like a family, like the parent said in the newspaper article :) here's the link if you'd like to check it out!



This weekend is my last three day weekend before school starts. I'm going to take the pre-req classes for the Special Ed program at CSUF. Even though I applied for the Mild/Moderate Credential, I'm trying to change it to Moderate/Severe. I absolutely love the children in the special day classes at my school and my dream would be to have a class with students like them. They are the sweetest children in the world, and they always make me smile :) I love seeing them have fun and laugh at school - the SDC teachers at my school are awesome! They have such big hearts for their students, as with all the other teachers and staff :)

Besides work and school, I've been going to the gym the past few days! I woke up at 8am today....for a saturday, that seems pretty early...but I can wake up early, I will! I feel so good right now...it's 11 am and I feel like I've accomplished a lot already. I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with zen or relaxation lately too! If you ever feel unmotivated or tired, you should go to this blog called zenhabits. There are so many motivating entries...the writer, Leo, really knows his stuff. I always feel so good and relaxed after reading some of his entries. A lot of the entries have to do with how to live more simply, not worry so much, etc. I leave his site feeling very thankful for everyone and everything in not just my life, but life in general :) Here's a pretty good article on how to slow down and enjoy your relationships with others.


I've fallen in love with a new musician...and yes, he actually writes his own music. Mat Kearney. You might have heard of him...or maybe one or two of his songs....but this guy is amazing! I love all his music. I've created a Pandora radio station in his name :) One of my favorite songs of his is called Fire and Rain....it always makes me feel so uplifted and inspired! Listen listen!




Last weekend my family and I went to a horse race for the first time at the Santa Anita Park! It was pretty fun...super cold though. I'd definitely like to go again. It's a really fun thing to do, if you want to socialize with friends because each race lasts around a minute, and then you have a half hour to wait until the next race. People make bets ....we just bet a few bucks :)


li
This week I went to Cody's little sister's and niece's dance recital. They were the cutest little dancers on the stage! They both knew what they were doing, and there were times when I could tell they were frustrated with the other little dancers who didn't know exactly what they were doing. Good job girls! I love dance recitals....especially when I know someone in it...or I'm in it myself! I need to find a way to get into a dance recital...i told Cody I may get so inspired at the recital that I'll jump on stage and dance. I was able to control myself. I WILL get back into dance soon tho...it's just so hard because all the dancers are so young, and even though I'm not old, I'm definitely older than most amazing dancers these days. I guess it's good I look younger than I am!



Cody and I are super duper happy! Below if our Christmas photo :) On Monday, he's taking me to Disneyland with his little sister. I can't wait! He's the best <3
Most recent purchase for myself? New perfume! I was reading a magazine one day and I came across this ad and I fell in love with the smell and the picture. Good ad, Estee Lauder. You win.

Thanks to Santa's gift card to Nordstrom, I decided it'd be a smarter decision to buy perfume that will last me for a long time rather than buy clothes that I'll probably wear for a season and then get sick of. Working at school has really reminded me the good that comes from making good decisions. I always have to ask myself....what would be a better choice? Just like I ask some students.

Actually...whenever I go shopping now, I tend to leave empty handed. It's bittersweet because I don't spend money, but I also don't have any clothes! Often times I see super cute clothes...but then I realize I wouldn't wear it to work...and I wouldn't really wear it unless I was going out. My use of money has completely changed over the past 6 months. Welcome to the adult world, I guess. I prefer to live debt-free and pay off my credit card balances every month...thanks dad for raising me well ;) If you're looking for advice on how to improve your finances, check this out. Even though this blog is geared towards 20-somethings, it's really helpful information for anyone!


I've decided to start something new and each entry with a quote..whether it be one that is about happiness, success, joy, simplicity :) I'm going to TRY...REALLY TRY...to make a daily quote post. Even if I don't blog about anything else. It's just be something to think about, and hopefully feel good about!

"I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than attempting to satisfy them."
-John Stuart Mills

Thanksgiving already??

I love how I created a blog after graduation, and I've completely failed to update it regularly. I guess I've just resorted to leaving my blogs for special occasions. I love changing my blog background and music for the holidays....makes me so happy! It's a way for me to be crafty online....so much cleaner and less messy!

I'm sitting on my kitchen table listening to Taylor Swift's "Last Christmas" and catching up with All My Children (the soap opera I've watched since I could walk basically...thanks Mom!) Back to the Chrstimas music... Yup, I began the Christmas music super early as usual and I have no shame whatsoever :) Last week I was lucky to find out the KOST was already playing Christmas music. The glorious moment occurred in the car, driving to the mall with Mom. I turned on the radio....and SUPRISE! Needless to say...I was super duper excited. Earlier that day, I was listening to KOST and they were still play soft-rock. Apparently, I missed the transition...and according to KOST, it was pretty epic. Michael Buble crashed the broadcast room and started the Christmas party. I was beyond excited to drive to work the next morning with my KOST friends.

This is the first year I've had a whole week off for Thanksgiving! My school, along with pretty much all schools in the area, had a week off ...thanks to furlough. OH YEA! I forgot to mention this....I have a job at the elementary school I interned at last year - Meadow Park Elementary! I am an aide to the Education Specialist. I love my job because I get to go around to different classrooms every day, and I get to know so many students! In addition to being an aide in the classroom, I also do lunch duty and 2nd grade P.E. I love walking on campus, and a student passes by, smiles, and says "Hi, Ms. Toyos!" I think they really love me! Starting in January, I will be working, and taking classes at CSUF to obtain my Special Ed Credential. AND and I will be studying like no other for the CSET....it's this crazy 3-part test that will test my knowledge in all areas of L.A, science, social studies, math, p.e, performing arts (pretty much everything a student needs to know up to 6th grade). I should be studying this week....but I am just so overwhelmed with the festiveness of the season (as usual....). This will not be possible next christmas....or possible the christmas after that. I'll be so busy with work and school....I need to take advantage of my time now!

Anyways...back to the purpose of this blog :) Tis the season to be thankful! I've never written a thanksgiving entry - but I figure, why not start a tradition today! Hmm...i just had a super cheesy idea.....years from now when I have thanksgiving at my house, I will give everyone in my a piece of paper and they will write down all the things they are thankful for. And then after they're done, they can hang their paper (hopefully on the mantel above a fireplace! haha i'm a dreamer), so everyone can walk around and read all the papers! Random cute story from work....one of the 2nd graders I work with was writing all the things he was thankful for around a cornucopia...and he asked me how to spell broccoli. How cute! However, a part of me made me wonder if he was just trying to impress me... LOL He doesn't have to do that....in fact, all the children amaze me...even when I have to take away their silly bandz.

Diana's "I Am Thankful For....." 2010 *this will be like word vomit....just what comes to my head first*

• Mommy - you amaze me with your strength...especially after this summer's emergency. I still can't believe all the crazy things that happened from May to August...it's like a dream. I love you!
• Daddy - Thanks for eating Cinnamon Glaze bagels with me :) Oh yea....and letting me call you a Grinch Hahaha! Ur totally not a Grinch...that's why it's so funny to call you one! I love you!
• David - Big brother! Thanks for not getting mad at me when I can't come to your shows anymore...I'm such a granny!! Thanks for bringing the musical skills and knowledge to the family...you definitely win in that department! I love you!
• My grandparents <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFq4Cv9NfUCiNQVEZJd0zvEUsjk-abw7OLmzc5LM_WngKdqu8Q6mYx5IUMhGhcOHYyAQIQQFm5XBmnG9PKdctaGpRw7-D6yTx9-1tseI812D0RoudZcvVO4enOviFxyXqdIYkVihN1E8/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG">
• Hillary - Bestie! Thanks for always being there....even across the country! I'm thankful for our trips to N'Style....whenever you're in town! Love you girly!
• Claire - Thank you for still being silly with me whenever we're together....it always feels like the good ol days when I'm with you. I'm thankful for the silly memories of us from colorguard!
  
• Cody - Thank you for making me the luckiest girl ever! You're like my prince and I'm you're princess....that's how you make me feel every day <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbsvJJ1VE5Nknol5mx8uZFcWOkNoijXzkLzFuslPWMSTdqlzMRzy56ZoAjLa7I5BpKY80J9nOsV6IGH1Ji9hl9ONWGu75JK0d5WceE7BnC9m9TqfbDNTVQe0zg5l9pV_nSbN6BkNH8fQ/s1600/IMG_3025.JPG">
• my G-Phi sisters!
• My Muppet Family - thanks for keeping me young, and not so granny all the time!!
• Dozer and Toby.....thanks for being yourselves...you're both so silly! I only wish I could say hello, without you getting mad at me!
• my cat Emily....You give me smiles just by sleeping in a box day in and day out...now that calls for major thanks!
• My Meadow Park family...all the teachers and staff! Thanks for making me feel so welcome!
  
• my job....even though I get stressed sometimes, in the end, the children are totally worth it <3>
• My students
  
• Dr. Laura and all her wise ways - she keeps me grounded
• Coffee
• laptop
• cupcakes
• crafts
• crochet
• coloring books
• dresses
• coats
• pictures
• the holiday spirit
• my home
• East Lake Village
• the Christmas lights on all the houses
• country music
• the ability to dance
• Celine Dion
• Taylor Swift
• Lionel Richie
• KOST 103.5
• cupcakes
• Red Robin
• coffee
• Peppermint mocha
• McDonald's Iced Coffe - sugar free vanilla
• Dove Dark Chocolate
• Christmas Music
• holiday craft fairs
• having students randomly give me hugs
• hearing Ms. Toyos in class
• when I can help a crying student feel better
• my car
• knowing how to make gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches
• picture frames
• my dreams for the future
• Old Navy
• Kohls
• cuddles
• hugs
  
• Disneyland! Especially during Christmas with Cody <3
• America!
• simple things
  
• hot chocolate with whipped cream
• K-Cup coffee maker
• Michael's (the craft store)
• cookbooks
• costco trips
• pretty parties
• anything handmade
• super cute apron :)
• seeing families together
• watching children take their yearly Christmas picture
• Mom's macaroni and cheese
• pizza
• sleep

Not even done yet...but I'm tired. LOL

What are YOU thankful for?