Pictures from Christmas 09...lol

I just realized I had this saved as a draft!!! LOL better late than never?

On Dec. 23rd, we went to donate the

Baby Supplies to the Foster Center!

Wonderful Experience :)

Here we are... :)

I've always loved how my mom decorates during Christmas! :)

Here are a few decorations:

And here is my little creation:

[My mom, Sis, And I made a few of these with flower pots and gave them away to friends]

Christmas Eve 09!

My Oreo and I on Christmas Eve!

My Men <3

The Next Few Pics are from Christmas Eve at Ry's: 

And here are Some Pics from Christmas Eve with My Family

: 

And here is Christmas Day: 

My Handsome Man on Christmas Day!

Michelle on Christmas Day!

This Is the Ring Ry Gave me for Our Anniversary!

So That's That! :)

The baby was born!!!

I'm a little behind...but it's ok. lol :D So...Nancy finally had the baby!!! He's sooo cute! On Monday morning, she started having back pain/cramps at about 5AM. So...we waited a while so that they can get closer together, then at around 11 we went to the hospital! He was born at 4:56 PM and he was 7lbs and 20 inches long. They came home yesterday afternoon! I was so excited! Here are a few pictures:

His name is Irving Noah Gomringer

But...im gunna call him Noah.

Steph

"Te Quiero Mucho"

The title of this blog translates to "I adore/love you very much".

In my family, we have the habit of ALWAYS telling each other that we love each other and giving each other kisses on the cheek. I grew up with my mom and little sister, so we were more like friends. We talk about everything, laugh about everything and argue...about almost everything lol. But one thing that we ALWAYS do, is show love for one another. I never realized this wasn't very common in other families, until recently. I'm so grateful that I can call or text my mom randomly saying "te quiero mucho" and I'll get "yo a ti" [i love you too] as a response. She has never questioned why I say it randomly..because we're so used to it!!! I love it! I hope that in the future, I can raise a family with the same amount of freedom to express love. Some friends tell me that if they tell their mom/dad/sibling that they love them, the recipient of the love automatically asks "ok...what do you want?" or "is anything wrong"...etc. That has never happened to me! lol and im soooo happy about that! I love my family a ton! And although some believe that if you say "love" too much, it looses its significance, I beg to differ. The more its used, the more important it becomes :) The less you use it....it gains a new meaning. I don't know if that makes sense...but it makes PERFECT sense to me. lol

anyways,
Los quiero mucho :)

-Steph

Christmas 2009

I was reading through my posts and I noticed I never posted anything about Christmas!!!!

So here's a small summary!

On Christmas Eve, I went over to Ryan's house and had dinner with his family. Almost everyone was there! :) Carla, Meagan, Jared, Eric, Angie and their two little girls :) We had some delicious sandwiches! They were kind of like philly cheese steak style! We also had nachos and other snacks! After dinner we played some games, sang some carols and exchanged gifts. It was really fun! Since I wasn't in the secret santa exchange...I didn't expect to get anything, but i did! lol Carla gave me this really cute picture holder and a ornament in the shape of an "S" I loved it! :) And Lisa gave me a set of lotions [Mango Scent]. After we were done with the gift opening, Some of us decided to play hand and foot. It was overall a great gathering! After Ryan's family left, we went over to my house to open gifts at midnight with my family. We've always opened gifts at midnight...lol its a tradition! So we opened our gifts! Ry gave me a gorgeous [PinK] Guess purse and a much needed printer! I was soo happy! My mom and sister gave me a lot of clothes! I got my mom a purse that she had been wanting for the longest time! And my sister, gift cards and a mini water cooler lol. My Ry got...Vans, a hoodie, and a comforter set lol [he needed it].

The next morning, we went over to Ry's house to open gifts with his family. His grandparents came over and it was really fun :) We had enchiladas for lunch, which are my FAVORITE! After lunch we started opening gifts, there were a lot of gifts! Ryan and his Mom had been putting together a DVD for his grandparents with a slide show of their lives together..it was very touching :) Ry's grandma cried because she was so happy. It was a really neat experience! Ill post some pictures soon! The rest of the day was just relaxing, we played games, watched Elf..and just relaxed :) Overall Great Christmas!

-Steph

2010

I just realized I haven't written anything this year!!!! I've been keeping up with my personal journal, but not on here! Anyways, lets get started!

Family:
They are doing pretty good, well no...I lie. lol They actually aren't doing so well...
My mom and sister are inactive, and my 16 yr old sister is pregnant and due in May. It's been a bit of a roller coaster for us :( I'm not very good at sharing my feelings. I'm not good at ALL! And I know that's bad... but its just really really difficult to just talk about it. When we first found out that she was pregnant was back in January...I came home from school and I had picked up the mail on the way in. When I got to the kitchen, I saw a letter for my sister that came from a clinic,and i got worried and opened it...and that's how we found out. Not a very good way to find out at all..but I guess there wouldn't be a good way to find out. My mom started crying and started blaming herself...etc. I didn't know what to say. I was literally speechless! And I knew that if I were to have said something, it would be something mean, so I kept my mouth shut. I will just support her and try to be there when she needs me :) So anyway, things were a bit crazy, but right now they are going okay... They still don't go to church, but I continue going! It's a little sad to sit by myself, but as long as I am nourishing my spirit, everything will be fine! So, that's that.

School and Work:
Both are going pretty good. My history class is SUPER boring!!! But I've gotten good grades on the quizzes, so I'm not too worried! The writing assignments are a bit intense :( So I am not looking forward to them.. Work is busy...I'm working 5 days a week now...30 hours. I love the paycheck :) I've been saving my money, and im proud of myself!

Ryan:
He is doing fantastic! We celebrated our 1 year anniversary on February 5th! It's amazing how fast time flies! I still remember his black emo hair lol! Goood times! We're doing great, people ask us about marriage ALL the time! It gets annoying at times and it makes it a bit awkward, because as a girl... I never know what to say when they ask "When?". Little do they know...that we're on the SAME boat! lol i have NO idea when Ry is going to "pop the question"! It's a little frustrating at times and I get in a strange mood every time we go to weddings! I start saying things I don't mean...like "I'm tired of YSA activities..." lol and a bunch of other ridiculous nonsense. Ryan can tell RIGHT away...and he calms me down. But I think I have the right to feel a little frustrated, I'm a GIRL! We dream about our wedding day since we're 5! So, I try to understand why I feel the way I do, and just move on. Patience is a virtue. On some days I realize how young I am and I begin to think that it would be crazy if I got married! But then I look back on my life and think of ALL the events that presented themselves at an early part of my life. I grew up a little too fast. I just...I don't know. My brain is in a knot...literally lol. :) We've had our ups and downs, at some point I didn't feel as appreciated as I thought I should be...and I told him about it and we came up with ways that he can be a little more appreciative. So far, he's doing alright. I just wish things were like they were a year ago...when he couldn't go a day without seeing me, and he would show up at random times and throw stuff at my bedroom window just to give me a gatorade..lol Or even when he brought me some Sunflowers, out of the blue! But I guess that was the first stage...the "honeymoon" stage. We're obviously in a different stage of our relationship, and that's fine. I feel more connected with him. We're more in tune. I know when he's having a bad day, I know when he's mad, sad, frustrated, happy, excited...etc. And it goes both ways, He reads me like a book! At times its a little uncomfy for him to show affection in public..because we had different parents. My parents were very loving...but it didn't last too long, they got a divorce by the time I was 8. His parents don't show too much PDA..but they have such a sweet relationship that is going to last for eternity. So, I want to have a hybrid of the both...I LOVE to show him that I love him! I like to randomly hug him, kiss him, hold his hand, rub his cheek, etc.. But for him it's a little different. He isn't that creative with showing his love, but then again, he's a guy. Guys tend to be like that. But enough about that!
We've done some fun stuff this year! We went to a play, Visited Cafe Rio, Went to a HP dance, Ry had a bday party, Went to Victoria Gardens, went to Phoenix Restaurant, and a lot of other fun stuff! I think for now, I'll enjoy every minute with my Sweetheart! He makes me really really happy! I adore his family! Michelle is really kind and funny! We always pick on Ryan when we're together..lol! Lisa is sooo friendly and helpful! She always helps me with my chocolate dipping :) Mike is quiet, but once you get him to talk...he's funny, intelligent and very sweet! And Holly, I only got to meet her a few times, but she's hilarious and very friendly! :)

Me:
I'm doing okay. There are quite a few things on my mind...The other night I had a break down. It was terrible! My dad was killed in Mexico about 2 and a half years ago. He was shot in the back of his left ear and on his back. When my mom told me that he passed away, she just said he was in an "accident"...a couple of days later I googled his name and I found the newspaper article that explained how he was killed. And ever since then, I've had nightmares, and just horrible thoughts about him :( I didn't get to attend his funeral so I don't feel like I ever got closure.
After finding out that he was shot, I began to have this huge fear of guns. I start to freak out when I see one...and I don't know how to get over that fear! I probably need a psychologist. My bed is right next to my window and the other day I started picturing someone shooting at my window, so I got scared and slept on the floor. I don't think that's normal...I started crying and I felt so lonely! I prayed, called Ryan and we did a prayer together. He helped me calm down and I was finally able to sleep. It's really hard for me to talk/write about all this. I never really talked to anyone about my dad. I just locked myself in my room and cried for days! I think I need a blessing, that will help.

Well, its getting late and I'm really tired, Good night!

-Steph

I've made a decision...

:I'll be transfering back to my Spanish Ward! :)

Happy Sunday :)

So this morning I decided to go to my Spanish Ward. I woke up and got ready....and I thought my mom and sister would be joining me, but! when I went downstairs they were gone! So...I called them [no answer] and waited for a while. So I went by myself. Church was really nice :) An friend of mine that isn't very active came to church so I was really really happy to see him! The 2nd counselor came to me and told me that the bishop wanted to speak to me, so I went to talk to the bishop and we talked for a while. It felt so nice to talk to him! I've known him since I was in primary so I feel really comfortable speaking to him :) We talked about everything... He asked about my mom and my sister and why they haven't been attending. And I spilled my heart out. It's so difficult to be the only active member in my family! It is soooo difficult, but I've tried to be strong and so far....I think im doing ok :) What kind of worries me is that...my mom and my sister are my only family members that are LDS. So if I were to get married, they would be the only 2 family members of mine attending. And...if my mom continues to be inactive, she wont be able to attend :( And it makes me so sad to think that I'll be alone in the Temple.. And today the Bishop pointed that out and told me "Stephanie, Remember that salvation is individual...and if your mom is not at your wedding, that won't make a difference in your salvation." and he's completely correct. I may not have the ideal LDS family, but I'm trying my best to break the pattern and have my own LDS family who attends church regularly and lives the norms of the church :) I know that all of these trials aren't easy for me, but the only thing I can do is learn from them and be a better person. I'm thankful for the many blessings in my life. The bishop also asked me about Ryan. I told him "he's amazing and I truly love him" and he said "Well Steph, I hope this is a great example of what blessings can come when you live the gospel... In your case, Ryan is a blessing in your life" and its true :) I love my GIANT blessing!

So.. Thats my Sunday so far. A little emotional...but overall great :)


Love,
Steph