Gotta Be

You gotta' be bad, you gotta' be bold.

You gotta' be A LOT of things in this life to be successful. Stronger, braver, wiser and HEALTHIER. No, Des'ree doesn't include healthier in her hit 1994 pop song, but I am.

Since the beginning of the year I have lost 30 pounds and have made the decision to live a healthier lifestyle. I didn't realize what that would do for my life, and what passions that would uncover. I never realized how much I enjoy inspiring, motivating and pushing people along to realize their goals.

I have goals, I have a mission, and I have a way to get there.

I gotta' keep pushing. I know I have a lot of things I already need to accomplish my goals, all I have to do is "Gotta Be"

Stay tuned for some new aspects of this blog! I am excited!!!

 

My Trip to the Other Side

 

I live in California. I recently visited my cousin (pictured below on the right) in Alexandria, VA. We went to Washington D.C., saw the big house! Oh wait, wrong house, the White House! It was pretty cool to be there, you know, where real sh$t goes down, where stuff gets done, and history is made.

Well, that wasn't the only part of the trip. We made our way up to Philadelphia, PA, stayed there for 2 days, then went on to New York, New York for 3 days. In my (very) humble opinion I liked Philly the best, NYC the least, while VA and DC sit somewhere in the middle. I don't like big cities, too crowded. Yes, I live near a big city (LA) now, but I grew up in a place where horses are still a preferred mode of transportation. And that is what I prefer. But I will admit, there is no place like that city. The Big Apple. The City that never sleeps. New Yorker's love New York, well, they can keep it. That's why I live here, and they live there.

Here I am in Central Park, one of the only places in that crazy city where one can actually breathe!:)


All in all, it was a great trip. I love my cousin, and I miss her so very much. I am glad I got to see the way the East Coaster's live. So now I can say with complete conviction, that California is the place I want to be!!!:)

Mama

A year ago tomorrow, I lost the woman that gave me life. A year ago tomorrow, I lost the woman who, whether she knew it or not, shaped who I am today (for better or for worse). A year ago tomorrow I lost my friend. A year ago tomorrow I lost my mom. Here she is when she was 19.

 

 

 

What a pretty lady, huh? Yeah, I thought so too. She was always so cute! Didn't really look her age when she died last year. (She was 50, but really looked younger, not a wrinkle or gray hair to speak of!)

My mom had a small personality, that taught me, to get what I want I need to have a big personality. My mom was always nice, everybody loved her, that taught me, if you want to get farther in life and with people, you need to be polite, you need to be NICE. She had a huge heart, I have the same.

I learned a lot from that woman. I think about her EVERY DAY. And I miss her like crazy. I won't have her around on my wedding day, she won't ever meet her grandbabies. But the things that really bring me to tears is when I think about things like I won't ever get to call her when I need to know if something is still OK to eat. ("How does it smell?"  she would ask me when I called her about expired lunch meat) 



Every time I look in the mirror. I SEE HER.

 

 

See what I mean?

 

 

 

(Here we all are at a wedding of a friend of the family! Her smile is so cute!)

 

 

I miss my mom every day. She was a great woman, a great wife and a great person. Of course she wasn't perfect, but none of us are. She will be with me always, and I will make her proud, because I know, I KNOW she is in heaven watching over me, I want her to know I will be alright and HAPPY.

 

 

(That's us again!)

 

 

RIP Mama

 February 4, 1962 - June 11, 2012

 

 

The Obligatory Introduction

I've started a blog or two before, and then I never could remember the password to log in and continue my blog. So here I am, AGAIN, starting anew. I have recently created a bucket list and starting and keeping a blog is on that list, I am pretty determined to keep this one up.

So, a little bit about me: The name, it's Anne. The occupation: Why, I am a nanny! I care for other people's children for a career (at least that is what I am doing now). And I love it, more accurately, I love the family I work for. They have an AMAZING 14 mo and I adore him. And they are pretty much the coolest (and nicest!) family I have ever worked for. Where I live: I live in Southern California, in the (not so) beachy city of Long Beach. It's not your typical beach town, not everyone is walking around in a wet suit with a surfboard. Head into Huntington Beach if you want that. No, no, Long Beach is a bit dirtier, smellier, and has a lot more homeless people within its city limits. Not to say I don't love Long Beach, because I do, it's just not your average place. Single: Well, that depends on how you look at it, am I married? Nope. Do I have a man in my life? Yes! The same wonderful man I have had for the last 6 years. I live with him, I love him, and I want to marry him. We just aren't ready for that yet. (Financially) The Reason I want a blog: Well, that's a little tougher to answer. I think I just like to type, and I don't have a "typing job".(Refer to "Occupation")

So, that's a little bit about me, more to come! I will most likely talk about little things here and there, nothing too exciting, but I hope you all join me on this ride, in this (Extra) Ordinary Life!


                      Oh, and just so you can have a point of reference, here is a picture of me!