Best friends for life :)

Good afternoon all,

Another thing that I am very passionate about are my friends, I know I have been anonymous about my subjects in my stories but this is in honor of my best friend Joyce. I created this collage of the years we met and have been through so much as you can tell from 2006-2017. I love the fact that we have been through bad times and good times. We were so young back then, however, now we are mature adults that have busy lives whether it is career or relationships, we always seem to catch up whenever we can. After all the saying they told me when I was in college, I never understood it which was “friends you make in college will be your friends for life,” until I met you my first year.

We explored college for the first time and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest and now we are independent women who are striving far in life. We have set sail not knowing what we wanted to major in and then decisions have to be made when Cal Poly would send those awesome emails saying major needs to be declared etc. We both seemed so ready to get the years started in the University so eager to know what was in store for us. We had fun in all the parties and dances that we attended and shaked our booty together.  I was there for all the girls’ nights, birthdays, bachelorette’s, and epic moments in your life.

You have been a great friend, an inspiration to be a future wife for my future husband in the future, admire the tenacity in being cupid for me in order to have me jump back into the dating scene, appreciate the support in anything I do, appreciate the fact that you can be a long-lost sister from another mother, the trustworthiness, a kickass teacher that is teaching her kids to be the best they could be because it is super rewarding, even through tough times such as any family ordeals we are there for one another, no matter if we don’t agree on things we are very respectful, and exciting and positive nature makes us n’sync to be driven towards our goals. We had some good old days too like when one of our hangouts was downtown Fullerton and had no care in the world and just loved having fun. Nowadays, like these last little outings it definitely makes us feel young at heart and having interesting conversations is really good because when we were younger there are some people men in general that did not look pass looks and now intelligence is the forefront that lights up a room and if other people that we meet cannot handle an intellectual conversation than so be it move on to the next.

The intent is not to get crazy but to have fun conversations with men even as a married individual you know how to hold your own and keep our friendship growing strong and you do not forget about that. I am very fortunate to have a friend like you and I cannot wait for many more milestones and memories in our lives. Like you said, it is like the real Sex and the City but this time when guilty by association plays a part I love being part of being beauty and brains because the going with the flow can end up into something great and for that I thank you. I also thank you for being an active listener and helping me through relationship tough times etc. and getting me back in the saddle shortly but surely. I also thank you for being such a genuine person with me because only then would I have felt comfortable enough to share the real me too. It was one of my favorite moments of my life when I was honored to be your maid of honor in one of the most epic times of my life and for that I love you my dear close friend Joyce.

 

Jojo

Please go ahead and comment if you have any friend of yours that has shaped you 🙂

A soul that will never leave us :)

Good afternoon all,

This has been one of the hardest pieces I have ever had to write, some people deal with grief in a different way and I write my thoughts down in paper and this helps me deal with it. May has been an interesting month and also a reminder that the patriarch of the family has left us and has gone to heaven. What can I say about Papi Lautarito, he had a nickname for all of us including myself “Huesitos” most translated in English as “Bones.” Looking back at all these memories makes me feel sad and all emotions of what I felt that day that we were losing Papi. He lived a fruitful life, always making jokes, dancing, and always looking like a young buck.

Everybody had their own personal memories but one of my cherished memories was when he taught me how to play 40 the most famous card game in Ecuador and since he knew all the rules he would always have the huge advantage to beating me. There were times when I would win and he would tell me how I cheated. I used to say I just got the lucky cards what can I say. I loved hearing all the childhood stories of when he was a young boxer because it must be true since whenever I would see him dreaming I would see him punch out mean old right hooks and jabs. He extended his love to everyone his grandkids, great grandkids, even his sons and daughters.

He was so independent even when I was taking care of him for a long period of time all he wanted was someone to keep tabs of the time schedule for medication but he would want to do it on his own always. He used to make fun of people on walkers because he said he would never be that person that should be cared for. He was always resilient and loved telling those stories of when him and his wife first started to make it out in the world from beginning to end. Sometimes he would be sad telling the story and I would feel his pain whenever he would talk about how bad the cops were with deportation when immigrants did not have any papers. He always told me how much sacrifices he had to do in order to provide for the entire family and always admired him for that.

We enjoyed watching sports together such as basketball even though he was going for whoever wins. I would tell him that is not the point to go for the one that is winning but go for the team one loves but to him it made no difference. Every time we saw the Lakers play on the big screen, he would think Kobe Bryant was his neighbor and we never corrected him because God forbid he was wrong about something. He loved animals so much so when we would visit his house in Ecuador I saw the whole entire zoo  and loved getting to know each and every one of them as we got to give them names. He was an extraordinary dancer so graceful and so on point that may be why I was so curious in learning everybody’s steps on the dance floor.

Papi always loved spending time with dad since dad would listen to all his stories, dad would have a great time watching soccer with Papi. All these pictures with all these beautiful memories remind me of how much we loved our grandpa. My cousin Adam was always known as baby Adam and his best nickname for Papi was chiripoopoo. My cousin Michelle was known as la chinita to Papi and she had a blast when she spent some of the most precious times with him when she was being his nurse and for that we thank her because she knew what to do at the most difficult times. My favorite little Moras have so many precious moments with him too since they loved sharing stories with him every time they came home from school.

When our favorite Papi left us for a better place, my mom and her sisters each have a different experience with him but my mommy was a huge rock for us, however, our family had to definitely return the favor and make sure she got through this hardest of all days we provided her love, understanding, caring, and absolute devotion to her. Every kiss and cuddle, surprising him when I got home from work always made him smile huge. He got me involved and addicted to soap operas in Spanish so with my parents we kept on watching religiously to carry on that tradition. I know this may sound weird but I feel like Papi never left and is always guiding me through the path of life by asking him questions and praying to him to make some decisions where it came to emotional feelings and one thing that he would always tell me that resonated with me was “always follow what your heart desires no matter what.” He always believed in me and my passions so ever since then and always I have never backed down from the goals I set out for myself because I always look back at why I started and what drives me. I will always remember my dear Papi Lautarito I love you and miss you so much and decided to honor you by telling this story and I will never forget you and your soul will remain in our hearts forever.

Jojo

Please friends and family comment below and tell me someone you have honored in the past or present that you love dearly.

A Little Piece of History :)

 

Good evening all,

I had an epic weekend this past weekend because sometimes I don’t know if it is just me but when you are little you tend to remember what places you visited. It turns out I went somewhere new and to embrace a place of history. My uncle was very kind enough to invite me to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library with his nephew that came from out-of-town. It was such a wonderful experience to step into the life of a great president and learn all his accomplishments. It made me understand the difficult decisions that being a president entails.

President Ronald Reagan was an actor and an American politician serving as our 40th president of the United States of America. He was also the Governor of California according to Wikipedia talk about super qualified. By learning more about our President through research found out that he had Democratic views and then later became conservative and switched to the Republican Party. The relationship between Ronald Reagan and Nancy was one to admire because it was so strong from the beginning due to him starting from the bottom being raised in a poor family and through his journey in Hollywood as an actor she was always by his side. I also found out the candy of choice for the President were jelly beans that I had to take a picture of the masterpiece self-portrait made of jelly beans. I was impacted of how calm the President was to make decisions especially when we had many enemies that wanted to tear us apart.

I definitely also resonated with this President because he would have his own personal journal where he put all his thoughts down and for me writing is passion in the way I express myself. It was amazing to find out that one of his accomplishments was the                               devising the INF Treaty with Mikhail Gorbachev in order to shrink the Soviet and United States’ nuclear arsenals. People love to see the fashion that the First Lady makes a trend and I have got to say some beautiful gowns that I took a picture of as well. It was awesome to see the replica piece of the Berlin Wall with its amazing masterpiece even though it is a picture of a butterfly that has always been symbolic for me in that it came out of a cocoon and is now ready to fly solo and reach the gold and go after its dreams no matter what. The President at the time was a huge horse lover and loved anything western so there was a lot of cowboy memorabilia that he would wear at his retreat in Camp David.

I also had a chance with the fam bam of course to go inside Air Force One and Marine One so realized Press always sat in the back but very cool communication gadgets in order to talk to the world globally no matter where the President was at any given time. It was cool to take the famous pose with the family the presidential wave before boarding Air Force One. My favorite picture was me practicing for my presidential speech because believing in yourself takes only one step to make anything happen I want to inspire others to believe in themselves because some fail to have faith but as long as you have God by your side anything is possible. It was interesting to see how the President was so resilient when there was an attempt to murder him, he was still telling jokes in the hospital and came back stronger than ever. It looked like he definitely touched the lives of so many which is why there was past presidents that respected him until the time of his death when he was battling Alzheimer’s. He always embraced the opinion of women and respected his wife who was there throughout everything. I admire that partnership or marriage and have faith that God will put a great man like that in my path of life when the timing is right.

 

“Remember warriors with God anything is possible,” please share any museum visit stories on the comment box below.

Jojo

What does Easter mean to me?

Good afternoon all, I was excited when April came around because it means so much for a lot of people including myself, things that were brought up to light from an adorable friend of mine such as a few birthdays from people I care about and also someone I absolutely love like my mother. Her birth month is the best because this woman I admire was born and she is an extraordinary person, love her business mindedness, how passionate she is, supportive, go-getter, friendly, gives great advice, stubborn, patient, determined, easygoing, has a big heart, cares for everyone, puts family first, independent, adventurous, ambitious, reliable, best mom in the world, and loyal. I would have not existed if she did not bring me into this world and for that I am forever grateful for this beautiful individual that is born on this month as we call April showers where nature is warmed in order to be full bloomed. There are other things that happen in April as well such as Hitler’s bday as well what is so fascinating about him is that he had the ability to lead in such a way that everyone would follow no matter who it was or what race they were.

Another thing that comes to mind is Palm Sunday, which is based on Catholic Online, the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and the triumphant arrival of Christ into Jerusalem. The Palm is a huge symbol of peace and victory which is why it is widely used in this glorious occasion. Now we come up to Good Friday, which is today coincidentally and represents the crucifixion where Jesus dies on the cross to absolve us from our sins. There are also some other days that we Americans face and that is tax season when it comes everybody thinks dang that was fast or I better get on it lol. Last but not least, Easter, according to AllaboutJesusChrist.org, it symbolizes Jesus Christ’s victory over death and his resurrection states that eternal life is granted to all who believe in him. Easter to me signifies a new beginning a clean slate when we see the age of innocence in children using their imagination and creativeness seeping through their veins. I believe that anything is possible if they want to be whatever it is when they grow up then I say support them never put a damper on their dreams because you never know they can surprise you in huge ways. I love it the most because it is a family holiday and no matter how old the kids are they will always appreciate the togetherness, love, understanding, gratefulness, passion for one another, supportiveness, and spending the cherished quality time.

 

Remember would love to hear your Easter stories or what they mean to you, please comment below any thoughts. All you warriors out there no matter how big or small your voice matters never ever turn back and keep moving forward !!!

 

Jojo

First time meal prepping:)

Good evening all,

Today has been a great day, I know we all love food but in order to accomplish health and fitness goals, there has to be what I call a flexible diet. Some of the fitness trainers or advocates have always said, “abs are made in the kitchen.”  With that said, flexible diets include meal prepping for the first time. Even though, I did not get up at a decent time I still had a nutritional breakfast and mid day lunch that I have never prepared before. I was craving an egg white recipe, so I went on Pinterest and saw a recipe for spinach & egg white omelette. The complete recipe so you all can try it is as follows:

Prep Time: 2 mins.      Cook Time: 3 mins.   Total time: 5 mins.

Ingredients 

• 3 egg whites
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 Tsp. olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg whites and water. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and season with salt and pepper. Stir for a minute, until leaves are wilted and tender.
3. Add in egg whites and cook until almost set. Using a spatula, lightly lift up sides around the outside of omelette and let any uncooked egg whites run underneath.
4. Spread cottage cheese on top of the omelette in the middle, and sprinkle with parmesan. Fold each side of the omelette over onto itself , covering the cottage cheese.

Yummy Healthy

I learned by making this new creation that I have never done before that it takes one step to make it and even though you may not have a passion for cooking, you are passionate for your goals so then you do whatever it takes to learn and nourish yourself. The body is your temple and when you work hard in the gym or at home, you need to complement it with nutritional food. Along with eating, you must always drink lots of water as part of your nutrition. Here is why, an image I wanted to share with you all from Google:

As for dinner, I was craving a chicken breast recipe so I thought to myself made this a long time ago, what better way than bring back all the chicken breast recipes for healthy eating from the Food Network. First, I grabbed the chicken breasts and started thawing it with hot water so I can separate all the breasts. When I went to the grocery store, I made sure to buy a little seasoning from Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper. The seasoning that I put on the chicken breast was a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper, sprinkle of Cumin, 2 tbsp. of minced garlic, dash of garlic salt, and mixed all the breasts in a bowl so they all have the seasoning on it. Then, I got a cooking pan and sprayed some Pam olive oil and put the chicken breasts with seasoning and left it there to cook, make sure you pay attention to it so you can flip it and cook the whole breast. Multitasking is key, so I got another pan to put frozen corn and green beans steaming them. I also pulled out a spinach salad with pieces of carrots added a little goat cheese, almonds, raisins, and balsamic vinaigrette to complement the meal. When the dinner was done, I could not wait to eat it since the meal prepping comes with timing, therefore, I started the plan to eat snacks and complete meals every 3 hours ever since I started working out hardcore.

Remember all, cooking is an art form and even though you may not be passionate for it, you need nutrition for your ultimate fitness goals, therefore, you learn it.

Jojo

 

Unleashing the Beast Babe :)

Source: Unleashing the Beast Babe 🙂

Unleashing the Beast Babe :)

Good evening all,

When I came home one day, it was great to have new gym gear that I was hooked up with by Ammo Athletic. I loved the way the fabric felt making me feel very comfortable with its racer-back fit. This made me feel like a lioness and invincible with whatever I am trying to accomplish. Ammo Athletic’s logo of the tiger shines through and when things get rough you always finish what you start. It was awesome to share this with friends and family because the company motto on the shirts “Stay Hungry” is right on for anyone that is barely starting off the gym for the first time or people who have been going consistently.

It is great to share some of my knowledge for years to my other peers or friends. Today, I was talking to a friend and told me some of her goals that she wants to reach to get that summer body she deserves. First and foremost, it has been one of my passions to let someone feel that they can attain anything and so we will record her progress along the way. First thing I always say is “Are you committed to attaining your goals?” because if you are you got to do whatever it takes and unleash the fire inside of you to finish your workouts without any problem at all. It may sound like I am a sergeant and take it super serious because I enjoy having a fitness and healthy lifestyle. It started with taking a before picture then told her to add my fitness pal to log food and exercise routines in order to see what she is putting in her body and how far she can exert herself in accomplishing her goals. Right now, she may not feel as strong but little by little she will get it done because I know she will stop at nothing to make it happen. I also  It does take some time to get used to it if you have never done it before. I promised to my friend with great nutrition and a consistent workout routine that you can see the results that you want to get, progress you will notice in about a month. The only way you get to see it is if you are persistent, some people believe a gym myth that involves more weights hence getting muscular, however, that is not true, it actually depends on the amount of the reps and weight for you to gain more tone.

Please comment below in how you unleash the fire within?

Please come and check out all the newest fitness gear perfect for athletes or to just kick ass in the gym from my referral website: Ammo Athletic  🙂

Jojo

 

Taking My Passion for Fitness to Another Level :)

Good afternoon all,

In the vicinity of doing things outside the comfort zone, I did something that I thought I would never do which is to bring my writing to life. I decided this past Wednesday to not only post about Day 6 of Shredz training but to show a little something to many readers and viewers regarding some of the exercises I am following on this new training routine. From talking to many of my peers, I decided to not put a niche focus on one passion but to explore everything that makes my heart beat. With that said, a good friend of mine thought I can make it more lucrative than just fun so by showing my journey through pictures and videos of how to do proper form in the exercises that I am following on the day to day basis people would be more inspired and think if she can do it and it only takes one step than I can too. I have known through the years of being active it takes perseverance and dedication to attain anything in life. It takes hard work to lead a healthy lifestyle and in the end it always pays off. Since it does not only take to exercise well to have the body you desire it also includes food as well.

I have been learning little by little to cook healthy meals or to even cook in general, it may not be my passion but when you are hungry you become a creator or inventor if you will. Yes, I know what you all are thinking what if you burn yourself, well I am here to tell you that is part of learning. So whenever I find someone that I can learn from I ask a lot of questions that is another thing if you have the form or you are doing something wrong in the kitchen I am here to tell you no question is dumb and that is ultimately the process of learning. Come to think about it whenever you are in a path in life you never stop learning and I am always eager to learn whether it is figuring out the different types of stoves before you start cooking eggs your way etc. Another thing, there are some instances where I decide to lose myself in a vacation and do not decide to follow the routine but again I am human, however, I do try to do that as little as possible because that should not be an excuse to not workout unless you are taking the much-needed rest days. I would also like to mention the fact that rest days are very important to replenish your muscles, relax, and do not forget to hydrate with lots of water.

Something to remember always is that all humans have different bodies, therefore, do not go past your normal heart rate when you are working out because it can have significant consequences such as causing a heart attack so extremely important to know yourself and your body just how far you can push it. Lastly, I am going to leave you with this doing things outside your comfort zone helps you grow as a person and we must always want to embrace the process of growing each and everyday even if it is just 1% at a time.

Jojo

Please comment on any experience you have had to go the extra mile outside of the normal means and now I leave you also with this quick clip of the proper way of doing medicine ball slams hope you all like it.

Music soothes your soul :)

Good afternoon all,

I know it has been more than a minute, I wanted to let you all know about my other passion in life and that is music, just recently one night I decided to sing my heart out to some cover songs that you might all know such as one of my favorite influences Kelly Clarkson to her song Because of You, Sarah McLachlan to her song In the Arms of an Angel, Sia to her song Chandelier, or even decided to give my sound a little Rock Edge by covering the song Numb by Linking Park. As a person that has taken vocal lessons in the past, I tend to be super critical on my sound. I joined this renowned Karaoke game called Smule where they score you on harmony, arrangements, pitch, etc. I loved music ever since I was little and the first song that I ever sang was for my Kindergarten Christmas play and it was one of Whitney Houston’s greatest hits The Greatest Love of All. I don’t know if you all had the same feeling or not when you are singing in the shower, there is some great echo and sound bouncing all over the place but it makes you feel invincible since you are doing something that no one is watching.

For anybody that has never sang in their life, this is being outside of their comfort zone and it is exhilarating. There are some people in that game I told you guys about that try their best but kill the harmony, not everyone is perfect and after all it is just a game. Your goal is to find the best one that matches your sound to give any song some justice. The best feeling in the world is also dedicating a song like I did once to my niece when I said, “What is your favorite song?” and she said Seven Nation Army, granted I know Jack White has a lower sound than I do but to be a versatile artist, you must learn to sing all kinds of music so I was so happy I did the song justice for her and she loved it. I know a lot of people can relate to me when yo

u are going through a breakup and when you listen to a song that reminds you of your ex and you sing your heart out, you are singing with all the inner being of your heart. It does make you cry and get a little emotional after all that was your song together as a couple.

If you truly loved someone then you realize why you did and why things happen for a reason. Music can soothe your soul when you are stressing out from problems at home, financial issues, work, relationship issues, etc. Music can also soothe your soul to get pumped up to go back to training mode in the gym and also motivates you to become 1% better each and everyday. Music has many meanings in life whether it is motivational, cheers you up, pumps you up, helps you have a sound sleep, makes you wanna dance, helps you through a heartbreak, etc. Music helps you move on and look forward to what is next in life whether it is a step to a new career, new house, new love, new venture, etc. Whenever you hit rock bottom in anything, you got to remember that the only way to look now is up and keep moving forward and never give up on any goals you may have.

Please enjoy one of my fave songs to sing and comment below and as always never give up:)

Jojo

La Isla Bonita

 

Enlightened Sunday:)

After a night of hanging with friends and meeting up with my cousin, all I can think about is getting to hear the sermont at Church on Sunday morning along with seeing all my friends that I have made in that community. It was nice to see my aunt and uncle and worship God with them. It was enlightening and set the tone of my week. It was great news to hear that my uncle finally retired and now he can dedicate himself to hobbies and the grandkids. It was nice to do some catching up with all of them and have a great lunch at our usual Mandarin Restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles.

We talked about how things are going in the house and the upkeep along with what has been going on in life with me etc. I let them know that I am okay and doing all these little things to embrace my passions as well as continue to applying to different places until I land something I love. Without love of what you do, you are doing something wrong. I am a strong believer in when things happen for a reason and they are not the right fit such as in all jobs out there, then you are meant for something greater. So I tell you this, you will always have your family for the good times and bad supporting your every move because they have faith in you, but you must always have faith in yourself to accomplish anything.                     As relatives would say, in looking for a new career, you must have security and benefits, that is by far the top of the list but in addition I must be passionate about it I cannot stand being in something I hate. There are also some really cute kids at church and I was making the little one applause for the  songs and it was very cute. I love having fun with the kids because it is the best to see them on their age of innocence. It is awesome to hear the many good things that is happening to the rest of my cousins such as furnishing their new place or getting promotions. I know I will accomplish anything I set my mind to and I aim high in everything in life so never sell yourself short.

Jojo

Please share your favorite Sunday fun day moments 🙂 “No dream is too big to accomplish.”