Top 2 Tuesday: Money

Hey lovelies!

It has been so long since I have posted a normal post but I just haven't had the time to get around to it. However, I love to link up with Taylor so here I go!

Top 2 Things I have learned about money:

{1}

Save money if you can.

I understand that some people have a lot to pay for and can't afford to save any of it but if you are able to put away some money then DO IT! I worked my junior and senior year of high school and hardly spent any of it. I haven't worked the two years I have been in college because school takes up so much time but I still have money in my bank account. It's nice to be able to splurge and buy something for $100 and not have to worry that my bank account is going to be overdrawn. I know some friends that will blow every bit of the money they earn from working on clothes and then be out of money and what do you really have to show for it. I love to shop myself but I couldn't spend everything I have on clothes.

{2}

Save some cash outside of your bank account

P.S. This is not me holding the cash. haha.

When I travel I like to have some cash to take with me. I feel that it helps me regulate what I spend and where I spend it. If I only bring $20 in cash I'm more than likely only going to spend that and not use my card too. I also like having some cash stored at home so that I can grab it for things that only take cash and not have to worry with going to the bank. I hardly ever have cash in my wallet because i know I will spend it but if I put it in there specifically for a purpose then I will be less tempted to use more than the amount I set aside. 

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It has been super nice here in Dallas so we decided to take Cali to the doggy park and she had a blast. She was so tired when we got done and just laid down and went to sleep. This is very unusual for her because she is so active all the time. 

Running around.

Isn't that fire hydrant so funny??

Running with the big dogs. She looks so small compared to the giants that were there.

When other dogs would try to fight she would lay down and give up. Haha. Do you see her out there??

Looking so happy!!

Come back for tomorrow when I post what i'm loving with Jamie over at This kind of love.

Love, 

Carmen

It's Tuesday!

Hey lovely ladies,

I don't think I have liked up with Taylor in a while so I wanted to join in on the fun. This post is special to me because my parents are my inspiration and I hope to one day be like them in so many ways.

{1}

It's ok that i'm like my mom

Because all of you have not met me or my mom it is hard to explain but we are exactly alike. We may not look that similar but all of my manerisms are just like hers. My oldest sister is also like my mom a lot but not nearly as much as me. It just proves that I was meant to be. :) My other sister and I are only 13 months apart and needless to say I was not a planned addition, which my sisters love to point out. haha. But, I think it's God saying that my parents needed that 3rd girl so I could be just like my mom. I don't really mind being like my mom and I think she is really funny so it is ok that people compare us so frequently. One big difference though is that she will talk to anyone and everyone no matter where she goes and I will NOT do that. I am pretty shy around people I don't know.

At my high school graduation. (These pictures are old!)

Thanksgiving this year.

Being silly a couple of years ago. :)

(Mere, Me, Mom, Lori)

{2}

It's ok to be different

and also ok to quit something you don't LOVE.

Ok so this isn't the normal "be yourself" situation i'm talking about here, I'm referring to the fact that they didn't expect me to be just like my sisters. As much as I looked up to them there were certain things that I liked to do and things that I didn't like to do. For instance, both of my sisters were on drill team (a dance team not with guns! ) and so I decided I would try out too and see if I liked it. Keep in mind that my dancing skills are not like theirs and I had never tried to dance, like this, in my life. I grew up playing soccer not doing dance recitals, which I can't believe I ever even played soccer now. haha. Anyways, I made it and was on the team and didn't really enjoy it. My best friends were on the team too but it just wasn't something I loved doing. So I wanted to quit and they ended up letting me. They weren't the parents that told me I had to stick it out and finish since it was my senior year and all. I am so grateful that they didn't make me stay in there, I would have been miserable because this took up so much time and effort, which is fine if you loved it but I didn't. Even though my sisters loved dancing I preferred singing. I tried out for our elite show choir of 5 girls and 5 guys and made it! My senior year was spent singing and doing something I love and not dancing with drill team. I have never regretted my decision and I don't think I ever will.

Me and my sister when I was a sophomore.

In my uniform.

After our first spring show and Mere's last

(Erica, Me, Alyssa, Mere)

Before my spring show with my show choir group. All miked up and ready to go!

(I loved our head microphones, we had a specific one assigned to us all year)

So that's that. I hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane. I'm sure my parents will teach me more life lessons that I will pass down to my children whenever that time may come!

Love, 

Carmen

Love on Wednesday

Hello Lovelies!

Sorry I have been MIA for a week. I haven't felt very motivated to blog and have been busy with other things, but now I'm Back and ready for WILW with Jamie.

{1}

I'm loving that my sister and her husband were in town last weekend and I got to see her and her little growing baby. I'm sad she won't tell us the name before the baby is born, but I understand why. She did say that she would tell us the initials a little later. Yay! We all went out to dinner for birthdays, my mom's birthday is Feb 1st and Jon's birthday is Feb 10th so we celebrated with family at a local mexican food restaurant. We had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun!

Sisters! (Me, Meredith, Lori)

Lori and Jon

Meredith and Nico

Me and Ryan

My parents refusing to take a picture and being silly. :)

Much better!

My mom and her mini me. We don't look that much alike but we act identical.

{2}

I'm loving that we finally taught Cali how to shake! 

Cali practicing outside!

Trying to get me to play with her. haha.

{3}

I'm loving my nephew Gavin, he is getting so big!

Gavin, 6 months

Being cute!

{4}

I'm loving when Belle talks to me.

Or just when she is cute like this!

{5}

I'm loving this house that I pass every time I go to my parents. I hope this doesn't seem stalkerish I just really like the design of it.

It's kinda hard to see but it is beautiful!! 

{6}

And I'm always loving my honey!

Thanks for reading!

Love, 

Carmen

Top 2 Tuesday: Blogging Lessons

Hello Lovelies!

I thought I would link up with Taylor today, like I do every week, and share some Blogging lessons I have learned. I am fairly new to blogging so I haven't learned too many things about it.

1. It seems to be easier to get followers if you already have a lot of followers.

I thought this picture was cute, but i think it is for Twitter. haha

It seemed like it took forever to get my first follower because nobody wanted to be the first. As I have said before I didn't join because I had family or friends that I wanted to follow my life. I started my blog as my journal and to follow some blogs that I liked. It still is hard to get followers, but that is why I do so many link ups so that my blog can get known.

2. Leave comments on others blog and they will usually leave one back.

I love to read blogs and love to comment and i have found that if I comment on certain blogs that they will comment back or email back with "thank yous." Leaving a comment will make my day, so I like to think that it is the same for others as well.

Another thing I like about blogs that mine doesn't have yet is the tabs on the top so I can easily learn about the blogger. I love reading about your love stories, wedding stories, and learning about you and your life.

Well I'm at school so I need to go but I hope you come visit again!

Love, 

Carmen

Miscellany Monday: Superbowl Edition.

This week i'm linking up with Carissa for another miscellany monday.

I really dislike Monday because it is the start of the week and I just know it will take forever to get to the end. Plus, traffic is always worse on Mondays. I guess everyone is running late and is in a hurry. Seriously, every other day of the week I can get to school in 25 minutes and on Mondays it always takes longer. For instance this morning I left with 40 minutes before my class starts and I was 10 minutes late. I wasn't going to walk into the class late because I knew there would be no seats on the outside so I would have to "excuse me" all the way to the middle of the row to find a seat. Not to mention that the door is the in front of the classroom so everyone would be staring at me the whole time I found a seat. So, today I decided to sit outside the class and attempt to listen to the teacher. She luckily doesn't take attendance so I didn't receive an absence.

Yesterday was the Superbowl and that means lots of food and family, for me anyways. I went to my parents house where they cooked a feast for the four of us. Seriously we could have fed 8 or more, but they love to fix way more food than needed. We had 3 dips, spinach and artichoke, guacamole, and an onion dip that was SO good. Then we had jalapeno poppers, chicken wings and ribs. It was all really good but I was stuffed.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Onion Dip. (It was the best!)

My Dad's famous Guacamole!

Jalapeno Poppers made with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, bacon, salt and chili powder. Topped with some Panko bread crumbs and baked in the oven.

Chicken wings (sweet and sour and hot) and Ribs at the top. They were Asian flavored with some marinade my dad made.

Well one of my favorite things about the Superbowl are the commercials. My favorite one was the Bridgestone tire commercial. I thought it was so cute and funny.

Also I kinda felt bad for Christina Aguilera when she messed up the National Anthem because I know I would be way nervous too. Singing in front of people is hard especially a song like that which everyone knows. My mom and I were watching it together and we just looked at each other at the same time when she messed up. It was so funny. But I heard her sound check this morning on the radio and she messed up way worse then.

Well sorry this wasn't more interesting but I'm off to do some homework and catch up on my blogs.
Thanks for reading!

Love,

Carmen

Craziness.

Hey Girls!!

Well, not much has happened since I last posted. We are still covered in ice and now a nice 5-6 inch coating of snow is on top of that. I have been off school since Tuesday and it is great. I am wondering though how next week will be since we have missed so much material. I hope it isn't too overwhelming!

The snow falling last night.

We finally ventured out yesterday before the snow started falling and went to CVS, Wal-Mart and I went tanning. It was nice and toasty in there. :) I had Ryan drive since I was afraid of getting into an accident. I thought I would have to go into school on Thursday since at 4 SMU sent out an e-mail stating that they would be open on Thursday and if you could not make it then to let your professors know. I guess enough students and staff complained because at 6:48 AM they decided to cancel school for the day! I wasn't planning on going anyways but it was good to know that I hadn't missed anything. 

My outfit to bear the cold. It wasn't very warm!! Haha, we aren't prepared for cold weather here.

This morning I woke up and went outside to "play" in the snow. Really Cali wanted to go out so we took her ball and she ran around trying to find that thing. It was funny watching her run because they snow was so high. 

The pretty trees outside!

Our roommate's car was covered in snow. You can hardly see the alley.

Cali loving the snow, you can't even see her paws. :)

Ryan with Cali!

Me attempting to hold Cali while wearing Ryan's jacket. Haha. It was way warmer than mine.

She got away!!

Our house! :)

Today will be a lazy day. I have some shows to catch up on so I will be snuggling on the couch with Belle and staying warm under my blanket! My favorite thing to do.

I've been sticking to my diet and exercise plan. I had to take a break from The Biggest Loser Workout video because I am super sore today. I may do my ab workouts though. 

We have a roast in the crock-pot for dinner and i'm so excited to eat it! It smells so yummy! Sorry that this post is so random. Thanks for reading if you got to the end!

Love, 

Carmen

The pretty tree from underneath!