Edward

Had to finish a project this week for photography class. I've been in an artistic rut and I was looking around and Edward brought on an inspiration...Hope you like it...

Austin

So this weekend I checked out Austin. Favorite things: People travel a lot by bicycle, there's even a bike lane, they have a cool University campus, and I love the Barton Springs river!

I wouldn't say it's better than our Oak Cliff but it's a close second, but I hear I have to check out Brooklyn...

Norma's

OakCliff staple! It's weird because this place is maybe not the cleanest and maybe the food takes long, and maybe the waitress gets annoyed because you ask for a change in the order but you just find yourself being drawn back for more! I went this past weekend, just me and my monkey's. It's lined with cool black and white pictures of Oak Cliff and they've got this board with all sorts of pictures of recent graduates from the school and it's just our little gem! Yum, feeling like I need a biggo slice of cream pie right now!

Peaceful

not Oak Cliff but equally beautiful...Enjoy

Oak Cliff Zoo

If you have not been to the Dallas Zoo (in Oak Cliff) you are really missing out. This place has totally been revamped! The Giants of the Savanna is AMAZING...check out the pictures below.

My kiddos right at the entrance of the exhibit

The elephants look happy, they have a wide open space to sprawl out.

This giraffe was looking straight at me, he was ready for his portrait!

This picture does this baby no justice, her colors were beautiful.

No photoshop here, it's a real WHITE alligator...does that make them albino?

My sisters graduation!

So this isn't quite two month late, BUT better late than never, right? My two sisters both graduated from Mountain View in May. They're scholars you might say...lol anyway, I'm super proud of them. Monica (pictured to the left) is a mother of 6! yes, no typo there, she owns her own business and still manages time to get an education, Alma (pictured to the right) is a mother of 3, a "miracle" baby in her own right. :-) , and both have daughters with big quincianeras this year! That lovely lady in the middle is none other than our Mother! One might say THE BEST MOM IN THE WHOLE WORLD, but look I'm not here to offend anybody's else who thinks their mom is the best...Manitas I love ya'll and I'm proud of ya'll!

What's this gotta do with Oak Cliff, well easy...we all were raised here!

7th Street Art Murals

So maybe the owner of Sweet 200 was on to something when she painted the outside of her salon...

maybe...but it was part of 7th street murals...The whole street got a cool makeover by artists who did murals on the buildings...cool, huh? You should drive by that street and enjoy the art...

Peacocks!

Sorry it's been so long coming! But I promise to be better... :-) So....I have a story...lol already making me laugh...I took my friend Angie to her house one day this month because she tore her contacts, and well Angie doesn't exactly live in the best part of Oak Cliff but gotta love it all the same, right? So as we're leaving her house check out what I see...

YEAH! a PEACOCK! Just crossing the street, minding it's own business...it was crazy...so what do I do...FOLLOW IT, of course!

Until I get to this sign, then the fun is over, HEY it's still the 'hood....

Never a dull day in Oak Cliff!!!

Spring Break!

I once again apologize for my inconsistency with blogging. BUT it's going be SPRING BREAK! YAY! I'm excited...more so because there has been sunshine and our beautiful Texas Spring weather, I don't think anyone will argue that's it's been a long winter. Anyway we're heading off to........................

We're driving and I'm praying the lines aren't too long...but I'm really going to be more purposeful with this trip. I'm going to take lots of pictures and meet new people and even though I'm Mexican, I'm going to learn something new from that country.

What are you doing for spring break?

Studio...maybe...

I know it's been a while since I've blogged...I just have to get into the habit of doing this regularly...I'm doing some thinking about what I want to do with my life...I mean I have a great job, I make a good living...but it's not my passion...you know...so I've been looking at this place for quite some time. It's in a great location and I can absolutely imagine my photography studio there, I'm just not disciplined to work at it and challenge myself to make this vision of mine a reality. I have to trust that with God's help I can do all things.

Happy Valentine's Day

This is my FAVORITE holiday of the year, I swear, my favorite holiday! Ask anyone... and so my boo and I were really looking forward to being a part of this but the weather was crazy cold...so we went to our usual haunt, Cafe Brazil, and just for Valentine's Day, my latte came like this...

So sweet that waiter! The All Star Basketball game is going on this weekend as well, so there have been celebrity sightings everywhere...I haven't seen anyone but I know there out there...Welcome, Welcome...Dallas is a super-cool place to live, especially of course, OAK CLIFF. BTW...we have an awesome sermon at church by the bestest Pastor ever, Pastor Juan brought it close to home this Sunday...AND we had a great youth class. I love our youth group...We learned that Jesus always accepts our hearts even when it's crumbled and broken...I know that this holiday can be bittersweet but it's comforting to know that no matter what, seriously no matter what, you really do always have SOMEONE that loves YOU, someone out there needed to know that today. :-)

Record Snow Fall In The O.C.

This is still on the first day the snow started to fall..

Kids will be kids...Their little hands were so cold...

This was my street coming home. We did lose some branches!
Who knew snow could be so heavy...

Do bulls like the snow? LOL!

Can't catch a break...

So I had the whole ordeal with the monster n'stuff well now I've been having the most horrid toothache...who knew wisdom could hurt so much...I might as well go without! But I did get through both photo shoots and I must say all three models did lovely. Beauty starts first from within...I'll post pics soon, I doubt I'll be able to sit at the computer long enough to go through and pick my favorite ones right now. I do want to give some major props to my hubby, Valentino...I've really been bedridden and he has just been wonderful. He even called in to work to go with me to the dentist. These are the times that remind me how really blessed I am to have him. Truly God made him just for me. Also props to my makeup and wardrobe artists, Liza and Meggie and my models April, Martha, and lovely Rebecca, even though I wanted to rip my cheek off my face (from the pain), they put up with me and made it a lovely shoot.
Oh and the cool thing about Oak Cliff...yes, even in my pain I have to give it props, living close to my bestest friend Juana and my sissy Meggie who let me wash my clothes at their house so I wouldn't have to deal with washeteria...
Pray I get better...oh and why are dentists sooooo expensive, seriously!

Sleepy Head's Best Friend

I survived! I survived! I was so sleepy at work, I literally took a power nap under my desk...which is near impossible with me being on the tall side and stuff...but I couldn't have made it through with out my Jesus (Christ) and this stuff right here...You who know me know that I have to have coffee...I'm addicted. But this stuff here...I wish Apple would hurry up and create the scratch and sniff screens because if you could just smell this coffee...My brother came over after work and I was just starting my brew. I opened the bag and although he was intrigued by the smell he was still a non-believer...I poured him a cup of this joe and let me tell you hardly anything makes him stop talking but he took a sip of his coffee and he stopped mid sentence to savor the moment, dummy savored it so much he forgot what he was going to say! But now the cool part... available only to Oak Cliffinites...these people deliver to your door stop. I'm not kidding, they delivered it to my porch! It's the best thing ever...now I wasn't around when people would get their milk delivered in glass jars to their house but I bet they felt the same joy I feel when I find my coffee...hmmm...So check them out now!
Okay I'm hitting the sack...I'm tired and I got to do two photo shoots tomorrow. Pray for me...

Monster under the house

I bet your wondering why I'm blogging so late into the night or morning...whatever...and well...it just so happens that the monster under the house has decided to wage a war against the very large dog next door. Now I should probably explain the whole "monster under the house" before you people start thinking I'm crazy...by monster I simply mean I'm pretty sure we have like a very large mutated possum or raccoon. Do possums growl? ours does, which obviously annoys the big dog...so the story is the "monster" growls, very big dog barks (LOUD), I can't sleep because it's like right at our window...oh yeah then I hear some other commotion upstairs...my son has a bad ear ache, I'm putting medicine in his ear, Sophia comes down, she's crying because she thinks we've left her upstairs on "purpose", Mylo the cat is meowing because Sophia is crying, Winston and Chelsea are now activated because of the craziness and oh yeah Valentin is sleeping through it ALL! SO...........I've created this blog...because I thought someone might as well get a laugh at my misery. Ahhh the joys of living in an old house where racsumms like to take refuge...Remind me to ask my smart friends tomorrow about how to evict my freeloader under the house...