Day Eighteen: What was your guilty pleasure?

My guilty pleasure in 2010 was definitely in music.  Her name is Emily Osment.  For those of you who do not know her, she apparently stars on Hannah Montana and a few Disney movies.  The first time I saw her she performed on the View and sang her newest single Lovesick off her album Fight or Flight.  I immediately wanted to start dancing right then.  Some people may think it's a silly or teen poppy but it is definitely my guilty pleasure for those exact reasons!  I love all the girlie artists Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Eden's Crush, Ashley & Jessice Simpson, and Hilary Duff.  I guess I'm still a teen at heart :)
Lovesick has a beat I love to jam to in the car, while I am at the gym, pretty much anywhere and anytime of the day.  I love guilty pleasures!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7c1qMG4Ads    

Day Seventeen: What happened in your life that you never expected to happen?

Me, Danica and Ashley a million years ago :)

I never thought that I would be reunited with my long lost childhood friend and her family, Ashley and her parents Sharon and TC.

This family has been very close to mine since before I was born.  My mother was best friends with Sharon making Sharon a second mother to me.  Ashley and I grew up together in Santa Fe, NM.  A few years later her family moved to Farmington and we went to Albuquerque.  We all stayed in touch and both of our families made trips to Farmington and Albuquerque to spend time together and even holidays.  I have SO many memories growing up with this family.  Building haunted houses, dying our hair with Kool-Aid, staying up till wee hours of the night eating junk food, sleeping through the night on the trampoline, making up dances and songs, going skiing all around the state, carrying fake baby dolls around town pretending they were our real babies, playing with her cat that always would suck on her blankets, and even going to school with her.

My childhood memory of this family is so special to me.  As we all got older we grew apart.  That's just what happens.  Ash moved to CA for 10 years and I was in AZ for 10 years.  And here we are.  Her family is back in Santa Fe and Ash and I are back in Albuquerque.  Once I found Ashley on myspace, I had always hoped we would reunite and we have on a level that I didn't think was possible.  I am SO happy to have her here and same with her mom and dad.  It's like we are a family again.  Makes my heart smile.      

Day Sixteen: What would you do differently?

Of course I wish I could take certain things back, like the entire Denver experience and seeing Addie the way I did... but I know I can't.  With that being said, I wouldn't redo, relive, or do anything different.  All of the bad did come with some good, and that's what I need to always remember.  I have learned a lot of things from all the bad so I wouldn't necessarily do anything differently.  If I continue to take a day at a time, I won't want any 'redo's'.  I'm just praying, wishing, and hoping for a better, more positive 2011!    

Day Fifteen: What was your biggest challenge?

I wish I didn't have to sound like a broken record but I have said before that most of my 2010 involved Addie's health concern.  So my biggest challenge was dealing without having my family around since they were in Denver for almost 2 months.

One of the main reasons I moved from Arizona to New Mexico was because I wanted to be close to my family again.    When they had to go to Denver for Addie's procedure, we had no idea that they wouldn't be returning for months!  This was a lot to adjust too.  I do a lot for my family so when they weren't around I was lost, bored, scared, and didn't know how to deal with this challenge.  Luckily they did what they needed to do in Denver and they were able to come home after a few short months and we were all a family again.    

Day Fourteen: Something you learned this past year.

I have learned to have more faith.  Faith in myself and faith in God.  My life has been a true test of Faith since I was sixteen.  Every time something bad happens I tend to loose Faith.  Every time I didn't do well in school I'd loose Faith.  But in 2010, I learned that I need to never let go of f\Faith.  It does me no good when I loose optimism...

In the toughest situation this past year, there were times that I lost Faith but then had to dig deep for it.  Once I regained that optimism, I felt so much better.  When I don't have Faith in myself, I tend to stay away from challenges and moving forward.  I regained Faith in myself when I let Michael into my life and look where I am.  Happy as ever.  I always remind myself of that one particular instance and it gives me strength to believe in myself again.

Faith helps us keep going; helps us reach goals and strive for more goals; Faith keeps people sane and positive outlooks for themselves and for others.  Faith not only effects you but those who surround you, especially those who do not have much Faith.  2010 will be my constant reminder to keep and maintain Faith in myself and in God when I hit the bumps in the road that lay ahead of me and my family.    

Day Thirteen: What was your favorite purchase?

Attempt #1

 My favorite purchase... hmmm... now that I think about it, I made quite a lot of purchases in 2010.  I think I have a top few favorites... most of which were for other people such as:
1.  Truck steps for Michaels new truck.
2.  The 'Help Addie Fight' wristbands.
3.  The personalized necklace for my sister.

Attempt #2

But I think my favorite purchase for myself was getting my nose pierced. Twice. lol.
The first time was a bust because I got a bump (which I now know that's how my body was healing the new piercing... I just didn't give it enough time).  I was very hesitant to do it again, but I absolutely had to because how much I loved it and wanted it.  If the bump was due to healing then I would suck it up and let it heal even if it took longer then the recommended healing period.  All is well and I love love love it every time I look at it!

Day Twelve: What was the best gift you gave?

I think this necklace was the best gift I ever gave and I'm pretty sure this was the best gift she received for Christmas.  I got this idea from a good family friend who got me personalized charms for my birthday.  I love my necklace SO much so I knew Danica would love something personalized for herself.

I customized this necklace from www.tokentags.com with my two niece's names, Addison and Kenley and my nephew's name, Austin.  Also attached is a heart charm with a 'J' engraved that represents my brother in law, Justin.  My sister wanted a gift that represents her family and thought this would blow her away.  And it did!  I couldn't be more happy with the final product and would recommend this type of gift to anyone.