Silver Lining in My Birthday Misadventure

I haven't blogged in a couple of days for three reasons: 1) I haven't had the time with errands, 2) I had a bad birthday misadventure that kept me out of the house longer than expected, and 3) I've had food poisoning symptoms for the past three days. I don't have to explain numbers one and three so I'll share with y'all how seemingly horrible my birthday was... and how one stranger reminded me that God was still there with me despite my situation.

Before I go on, yes, I took this picture with my camera phone early on Wednesday morning. :)

My twenty-something (yes, I'm finally old enough to say it's "not lady-like to reveal my age", lol) birthday on Wednesday was the worst birthday since I turned two and had a horrible fever according to my mother. If you've known me long enough, you know that I have the worst luck on my birthday. Except for my 18th and 20th birthdays (and, okay, two years ago wasn't so bad), something bad has always happened on the day of. Either I plan something out and only one person shows up (despite other people RSVP-ing) or it all goes horribly wrong. This year started with food poisoning in the morning... right as I got to Disneyland.

My mom took the day off from work so it would be just her and I (I'm not planning anything big until my 30th in a couple of years) and she decided to take me to Disneyland. I spent the first 2.5 hours of the trip feeling weak and faint (partly because of the food poisoning) and without anything to eat since all they had at the park were breakfast foods I couldn't have with my food allergies. It wasn't until they opened California Adventure that I was able to find a place to eat. (Side note: I seriously recommend eating in CA instead of Disneyland if you have food allergies; it's a bit pricey but they are meticulous about making sure you're both satisfied and full despite your allergies.) We were in both parks for a total of 4.5 hours before we made are way home for the second part of the birthday plans my mom had.

This is where it gets "fun." Our van (we were picked up by Access) broke down twice on the way home. The first time was at Santa Monica College (my alma mater). We had to drop someone off there before going home and the van's battery decided to die before we left the parking lot. We were in a good spot so it wasn't too bad. We did wait for two hours until the company sent someone to help. After that I thought, "Okay, only two less hours to celebrate. That's fine." Little did I know that that would not be the worst of it.

The second and last time the van broke down was on Sepulveda Blvd., just north of Sunset Blvd.... during rush hour traffic. If you live in L.A. you know how bad the 405 and Sepulveda get during rush hour traffic. We got stuck there around 4-5 p.m. when it's at its worst. It was a nightmare. The battery kicked the bucket and not even the car horn or the hazard flashers worked. I personally got out of the van - in the middle of rush hour traffic no less - and started waving at people to go into the left lane because we were blocking the right lane. This was a horrible experience for me because all eyes were on me as I did this... and I absolutely, positively hate that kind of attention. The next three hours showed me what I hate about L.A.

Forget the traffic... the people I saw were some of the rudest I've ever had the "pleasure" of seeing. I got everything from horns being honked to being flipped off. I would yell "jumper cables?" whenever I saw someone looking in my direction. Most everyone gave me a dirty look, some actions and words I don't feel comfortable repeating, or they looked away as if they couldn't see me. One young man asked if we were okay and I was going to tell him that we needed a jump but the cars behind him were honking angrily so he kept going. I did not see it, but my mom (who was in the van) said one woman crossed herself when she saw me outside, trying to get some help. I tried to flag down a AAA guy but he just shook his head and kept driving. A car full of guys were nice enough to try to catch up with the AAA guy, trying to flag him down for us, but they were unsuccessful and kept driving.

There was only one stranger who actually stopped and tried to help us but couldn't. He saw that I was near tears at that point and, despite not being able to help, actually said a prayer for us - asking God to keep us safe until we were able to get assistance - before he left. Up to that point I'm ashamed to say that I'd temporarily lost faith in humanity (at least those living in L.A.) but I am glad that he was the silver lining in the misadventure. He helped me remember that not all L.A. people are jerks and that God was there with me. I was weak, hungry, blood sugar was dropping, anxiety was making it hard for me to stay standing... but somehow I found the strength to stay out there until nearly 8 p.m. when Access (who, btw, showed what a crummy system they have -- seriously? waiting 4-5 total HOURS to send help?) sent someone to rescue us.

We got home late and I was weepy for the rest of the night because my birthday was kind of ruined (I didn't even get to go to Mass at 5 p.m. like I'd planned) but I was glad that we'd gotten home safe. There were a couple of close calls -- cars almost clipping the van -- but we were safe, which was all that mattered. I had moments when I started to think "I try to help people when they need it, so why won't anyone help us three women when we're in need?" but I stopped myself because I knew it wasn't fair to think it. All of this just really drove home the fact that we don't always help people when we can... and that we should really be more charitable towards others. And by we, I at least mean myself. If you do enough, then good on ya. But, let's face it... most of us don't help when help is needed.

In retrospect, typing this out, I really didn't have such a disastrous birthday. Sure, we were stranded in horrific L.A. rush hour traffic without help for 4-5 hours, I couldn't get a hold of any of my friends, my birthday didn't turn out the way I hoped, and the misadventure reminded me of why I've wanted to get out of this city for as long as I can remember... but it also strengthened a desire to help others and also reminded me that God is why me at all times so it wasn't entirely bad. I didn't get what I wanted -- which was a nice, stress free day -- but maybe I got what I needed, which was to be reminded of what is really important in my life.

So, there you go, that was my birthday misadventure. I'm slowly feeling (physically) better and I've been able to keep down food today (though I just ate for the first time today a couple of minutes ago) so I'm on the mend. :) I hope to keep blogging regularly again as soon as I don't have the urge to sleep all day. And, hey, even though my twenty-something year has started off poorly, it doesn't mean it'll continue to stick. I firmly believe that we go through horrible things because something wonderful will come soon. :D

Anyway, I'm going to rest and listen to some Ella Fitzgerald while I lay in bed. :)

I hope y'all had a better week than I did and that you have a great weekend. :D Oh, and let me know if I can offer up this food poisoning/fatigue thing for you. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D

M.I.A. for the Weekend

I've decided to spend the long weekend with my special Guy (that's Jesus in Emmy language) so I won't be blogging until Tuesday. Tonight I came to the realization that I desperately need this time away from the computer to refocus my priorities and my spiritual life... I want to do this before my birthday next week. I will keep y'all in prayer.

Have a great Pentecost and Memorial Day weekend, my dears. :D

God Bless,

I'm a Proud Daughter, Part Two.

If you would have told me, four years ago (it's in one of the earlier blog posts that I couldn't find quickly), that my dream of having both of my parents return to the Church within a couple of years would come true, I would've said "yeah, right!" If you've been a reader of this since the beginning then you know how hard it was for me to even get my parents to attend Mass with me. My dad used to get very angry about having to drive me to confession and/or Mass. My mother would look for any excuse to not go. Though my mom was the one who prayed the most often, she was (surprisingly) the hardest to get to come back. Thankfully, she's back and I couldn't be any prouder of her.

My mom didn't fully come back to the Church until shortly before my father passed away. My dad returned to the Church the day before my 24th birthday (which remains the BEST birthday present I've ever gotten) and she followed a few weeks later. In fact, I think it was the fact that my father was dying that made her want to return. Though she had been fighting it for a long time, it's now gotten to the point where I don't have to try to persuade her to go to confession or Mass. It took two and a half years but she's finally comfortable (well, as comfortable as one can be) going to confession. We have to go weekly because there are bad habits that are hard to get rid of but I don't mind. It's a slow process but we're getting there. Yesterday she asked me to translate (from English to Spanish) the questions on the iConfession app I use to examine my conscience so that she could use it this week... and I nearly burst with joy.

Lately mom's been on a Bible reading kick.. and I'm fully supportive of it. Let's face it, we Catholics don't always read the Bible and that's where our Protestant brothers and sisters think they "pwned" us. I didn't grow up reading the Bible and I didn't really do it until I took my Intro to Monotheistic Religions course a couple of years ago. It's sad but it's not uncommon amongst us young Catholics. I truly don't think we can fully understand our Faith until we not only read what is in the Bible but also really study it. How can we back up what we believe if we're just going on what we've heard? A lot of things get skewed to fit a person's lifestyle so what we hear may not be what's really in the Bible. If you already haven't, I strongly encourage you all to read it. I'm going to make an effort to study the Bible with mom at least twice a week because I think we'll both benefit from it. I'm going to be using 150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know by Patrick Madrid (which I was given as a gift a couple of years ago) to start her off. Since I couldn't find a good Spanish equivalent to it, I'll be translating it for her as well. It'll be good for both of us.

I'm just... really overjoyed at how things have turned out. Between attending Mass, going to confession, reading the Bible, AND asking me to show her how to pray the Rosary, I feel like I burst with happiness. I am grateful that the Holy Spirit has used me to bring one more person closer to Him. Though I may be physically speaking to mom, I know the Holy Spirit has been behind all of it. Of course, this is not the end of my self-given mission to bring both of my parents back to the Church. Lord knows whether my dad is still in purgatory or already in Heaven but I know He's taken care of him. As for my mom, it's only just the beginning. I don't think it'll ever be finished because we all grow every single day. I'm just looking forward to seeing how things pan out... and I hope that I can pass all of this along to my future children whenever God blesses me with them. :)

Anyway, just wanted to share a bit of what's been going on with this "mission." Now I need to try to do something productive for the day so I don't have to add another day of being lazy to my own confessions list. Yes, sloth (laziness and being unproductive) is a sin and it's easy to fall into it as a new graduate.

I hope y'all are still have a great week. If not, hit me up and I'll say a prayer for you. :)

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless!

And... I'm Back! :D

I am back, baby... and in more ways than one. :D

First, my apologies for lack of writing. The cold bug hit me harder than the last one and I spent a lot of time resting (sleeping) or getting back into my homebody groove which consists of getting my cleaning, cooking, and errands schedules back in order. Since things had gotten into disarray while I was in school, it took me a few days to get everything in order and running like clockwork again. Now that that's in order, I have time to write.

I've been working on my novel (editing and re-writing stages). It had been on hold for nearly a year because of school so I'm trying to finish it now. I'm happy to report that it's been going well. :) I also have a new assignment which will appear on a well known site in the near future. That is all I will say for now. ;)

So... did I mention that I am back?! Today I woke up with a strong desire to pray for others as well as to get back to finishing all the books I had on hold because of school (i.e. Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila and finishing the book of letters Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati wrote to his family and friends). In fact, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati has been on my mind and in my heart lately so I'm going to tackle the rest of my studies on him first. I still owe him a lot (seriously, I couldn't have graduated with a tiny 2k loan without his intercession; I initially needed to take out a 20k loan... per year) and it seems appropriate that I start by finishing what I had begun before "school" got in the way. I don't know why but I feel like I'm preparing myself for the career path that God wants me to take and that makes me very happy. :) I feel like I did during the first years of my reversion (specifically late 2006 through early 2008). I'm happy... really, really happy. :D

Also, happy (yes, I know I am overusing this word... and I don't care) to report that my writer's block (and the reason for not wanting to break the chain) is gone. :D Maybe this bug (and the rest I was forced to get) was what I needed to get back to my usual self. Thank God!

Anyway, this is a short entry because I have dishes and dusting to do -- as well as start on lunch -- before mom gets home from work. This is good. It feels like old times.

I hope you are all having a great week thus far. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless! :D

I'm Sick; Hi! Nice to Meet You!

I am currently sitting in bed, eating homemade chicken soup, trying to rest because I caught my mom's bug. Fun! I'm pretty sure it's a cold which I prefer over the flu. That, by the by, is why I did not post anything yesterday. I was able to finish cleaning the house and doing everything that needed to be done so I could rest this weekend. I have armed myself with books, movies, Spotify playlists, and Hulu so that I won't get bored. 

One of my best friends is currently reading the first half of my novel (we're in full-on beta reader mode) so I am waiting to get feedback before I continue editing that. To be quite honest, I just want to rest and do nothing after months of reading and writing. I'm sure it'll last a day or two before I do something productive again as I hate to waste time. :)

While doing my daily 'net rounds (checking everything I need to check; i.e. emails, Facebook, twitter, etc.) I noticed that one of my favorite YouTubers, Mr. Charlieissocoollike himself, uploaded a video in which he has, once again, said something that made me think: "Why haven't I posted a blog about this?!" Having already met a number of you lovely readers offline, whether it was planned or not, I decided to give everyone else a heads up in case we ever meet.

I've mentioned on more than one occasion that I'm quite shy in person but I don't think some of you realize just how much. I clam up. I'm friendly but I'm not much of a talker... at first. I'm definitely an introvert though you may not think it because I'm so active online. That's because most of us who are introverts and shy in person are the biggest "talkers" online.

This blog has actually helped me meet a lot of great people. There have been a couple of times that people have stumbled onto this blog, figured out who I am, and have come up and said "hello." I've had it happen before, right before Mass, which is pretty cool. It's always interesting and a bit shocking because I still feel like it's just me writing and my friends reading to keep tabs on me, especially those who've moved away. I'm a massive goofball as soon as I've known you long enough to feel comfortable but I'm a wreck at first. lol. 

If I am not too talkative at first, don't think it's me being rude or conceited. It's basically me thinking "please, don't say something embarrassing" to myself. lol. If I'm not comfortable with a topic or I don't feel prepared enough to speak on it, I will say little to nothing while the conversation is on said topic. I will smile and agree if I do but that's it. Again, I may stutter or mumble but I'm getting better at not doing that. Let's see... what else? I'm very smiley so if you don't like that, I'm sorry. lol. Like I've said, after I get very comfortable with someone, the nerd/goofball flag flies proudly... just ask the talented Miss Danica whom I first met online years ago and is now one of my best friends / partners in crime.  

I look forward to meeting more of you in person, hopefully at events like the Catholic New Media Conference. I won't be attending this year because money is tight and, since I'm currently unemployed, I have to save the little money I do have because I don't know how for how long I will be unemployed and I do help with bills and groceries. Next year, though, I hope to be there and meeting y'all. :D

Anyway, I'm going to rest and try to eat while I wait for the UEFA Champions League final to start. Yes, I'm still a massive football (soccer) fan... and you will see some of that soon. ;) And, yes, that is a hint.

I hope you all have a great weekend! As always, thanks for reading and God Bless!