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Before I launch into my  New Year’s goals and wishes post, I’d like to look back onto 2010 in review and will be linking up with my own 2010 Recap Linky Party (open till January 6th, 2011). Feel free to follow suit and grab the 2010 Recap button:

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 It’s a lot of fun seeing how fabulous your year REALLY was!

The year started fantastic for me and ended…well… blah. What that means for my next year, I have no idea, but here is a RECAP:

1. My first big accomplishment of 2010 was cleaning out and organizing our closets. The amount of clothes that was piled up on the floor was unimaginable-a foot or two of wrinkled,bunched up fabric ( actually here’s the picture so that you didn’t have to imagine it). It took me more than a week to get it in shape, but I can say this now: I have never kept my closet as organized as I have this year.  So here’s to organization and less messines!

2. Spanish: I finally got the determination to pick up Spanish again. I have a strong love for languages, but, like everyone, never have time to do much about it. Back in school and college, I used to love to study. So this time around, I had promised myself that I will  devote 1 hour each day to studying Spanish. It helped that we had planned a trip to Ecuador ( my 3rd trip) and I justreally wanted to communicate withthe wonderful help at the house and people out in the town. My husband isn’t really a language person. However, after about a month or two of helping him study (i can be a really good teacher) he turned into quite a student ( just shows you what determination can do even to people who claim they can’t do something). In addition to books, we would watch episodes of ” Sos Mi Vida” with Natalia   that I had ordered from some site that made pirated copies ( lol… that was the only way to get that show). We’d also speak to each other in Spanish ( DH grew up in Puerto Rico so he had a base as well).
By the end of the year we slacked off a bit, but not for the lack of desire but more for the madness that we call work during the holidays. I’m very proud of having been able to be so disciplined to study a seemingly unnecessary subject daily.

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There are very few things that I love more than lists, recaps and plans.  But New Year’s Resolutions are lame. Plans for the upcoming year do not need to be “resolutions”. No matter how “resolved” we are, life interferes. So I believe there’s no way to progress until you’ve reviewed your past events and achievements, lessons and struggles.
I choose to concentrate on the little “happinesses” that, depsite of how hard it seems,  are right there to be discovered. That being said, when I think back to 2010 I remember nothing but hard work and stress, but when I go to my photos tagged with 2010 I find so many fun memories and events. My point is we only remember either negative emotions or most recent events ( the last few months were pretty stressful and full of work for me).

So I want you all to take the time to look back at your photos throughout the year and share them with us.
 It can be a just a few photos from your favorite events, or a photo for each month of 2010. Take your time- the linky will be open for a week, so you’re free to post  well into 2011 :)

Re-live the joys of 2010!

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I have been waiting for this particular challenge from Crosbie Crew, because there’s nothing I love more than goofy funny pictures. I’m usually the one staring in them. If i had a movie the gag reel would be full of me making silly faces and acting like an idiot :)
 This year has been pretty short on pictures. After all the rejects were removed from Lightroom, I had about 7400 pictures. Picking out funny ones wasn’t that difficult. What was difficult is choosing which funny ones to share with you. I had 146 funny shots. Getting them down to reasonable amount was awful! I still think that I posted too many but if you have a second, it’ll be worth it, I promise! In additon, I am playing Simplicity and Sweet Shot Tuesday
  Can’t wait to read your comments! But here are the winners in no particular order: 

On the way to Universal with friends and Hubby having too much fun withLeeka’s  fish eye lens. 

This was done for a Flickr project in the beginning of the year. Don’t remember the theme but it took 5 jugs of water and a ton of towels to mop up the mess :) 

Those who read my blog might have seen this photo. It was taken after finding out the news about a particular test   that was done on DH 

Just being goofy with Leeka. Fish eye is just too much fun! 

Taken late late night on my cell phone camera. My yawning babies :) 

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Linking up with WORDLESS WEDNESDAY with a lot of words and Little Miss Mama.

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* I HATE doing dishes. I mean, to the point where i will let the dirty dishes sit in the sink for weeks before i ever touch them. I don’t mind dishwashers and relatively clean dishes, but dirty pot and pans…yuck!

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* I am extremely open and comfortable with nudity and my body ( years of modeling helped)

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* I have about 45000 pictures from the last 5 years

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* All my friends and family are spread throughout the world

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* When i was four, i was dropped off at my kindergarten by my sister who told me that she’d come and get me much earlier that day than normal. After she left I had waited for her in the wardrobe room for about 15 minutes and then decided that the time for her to come and get me had come and since she was still not here i was going to grab my favorite little blue and white sweater and walk my 4 year old ass ALL THE WAY to her high school. I walked out without my teacher knowing, finally reached her school, i was too small to open this HUGE wooden door, so i just stood there until a random teacher came out:”What are you doing here sweetie?”-”I’m here to get my sister, Natasha”. Well, she happened to be my sister’s home room teacher (what luck!), so I was taken straight to my sister where i spent the rest of the day sitting in her classrooms wondering why everyone was making a big deal out of me skipping out on my kindergarten and coming to get my sis’. This is an example of how determined I am when it’s something i want, even at 4 years old.

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* I am the definition of an overachiever

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* I’m obsessed with healthy eating

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* I’m extremely demanding of myself and people I love

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* In high school I was on a volleyball team, a soccer team, track team, math club, intellectual club, language club, a school band, won a few competitions for my compositions, wrote shorts stories and poetry, was a straight A student and dated a butt load of boys most of which were at least 5 years older than me .

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* I do not like people who don’t like me. Which made it very easy to get over break ups

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Yes, it’s Sunday again and I cannot believe it! Seriously weeks fly and I seem to get nothing done.
As usual, I promise myself to be more productive and not waste time this week. I’ve been feeling like crap honestly. Not sure why- probably the cold- but I’ve been slacking on my pilates, or cleaning or even working half-heartedly.

So here’s my Scavenger Hunt items for today and let’s hope for a better week ahead.

1. WINTER

It’s sort of hard to portray winter when you live in South Florida. Here are a few pointers to distinguish Florida’s winter from Florida’s summer.
Summer: always clouds in the sky, afternoon thunderstorms, green lush grass, temperatures in the high 80s
Winter: cloudless sky ALL THE TIME, No rain WHATSOEVER, grass has this greenish-yellowish tint and grows really slow, temperatures in high 70s ( except for the last two stinking cold years)

2. SELECTIVE COLORING

I’m not a fan of selective coloring. To me it speaks of amateur photographer ( no offense to anyone), but sometimes selective coloring can be done tastefully. As long as it doesn’t stand out, and feels like it’s natural (-ish) coloring, I’m fine with it ( like Ashley’s shot here). This shot is of the flag on the golf course that we live on: Valencia.

One of my favorite things about photography ( besides DOF) is framing. I love finding cool ways to photograph things. Sometimes it takes thinking out of the box which doesn’t always happen especially if you’re shooting on the go.
SOOC.

4. WIND

That was easy. The day the scavenger hunt was announced, it was super windy. I mean like, hammocks flying everywhere, tree branches falling. Score!

And finally

This was my favorite theme this week. I love flashbacks. I have over 45000 photographs from the last 8-10 years ( literally) and I love sharing.
This was taken in the summer of 2002 when I first met my future husband. Look how young and cute we both are. We were so happy and in love ( and we still are, but a different kind of love, the kind that lasts). My best friend Elena (on the right) is now in Italy, happily married to a great Italian guy Max and we are here in US, ready to have our first baby :) It’s funny how life moves and changes.

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Please don’t foger to VOTE daily!

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I had asked this question on my other blog hosted on a Russian website of my Russian friends and co-bloggers.
And I got really amazing inspirational and insightful answers from both single people and married women with kids, married women without kids, those that decided they didn’t want to have kids and those who don’t want to have kids just yet.
I understood each person’s point. I’ve been there: single not being able to imagine having a kid, where pregnancy would be about one of the worst things that could happen to me. Married but so happy with our married life that I felt absolutely no need to have kids just yet. Also wanting kids but not sure if we should have kids, that we should change our life drastically.

So now I thought I’d ask the same question of my blog readers: moms and future moms alike.
What made you want to have a baby? Was it planned because  the time was right? Was it unplanned and how did it change your life? What would you tell yourself a few years ago when you were childless and having fun now that you know what it’s like to be on both sides?

All answers are welcome, whether you’re overwhelmed with responsibility and not sure if life would have been easier without or if it’s the best thing that could have happened to you!
I’m not looking for religious answers or that children are gifts from God. I want to hear true-life feelings and emotions, rationalizations and doubts.
Share your stories!

In the meantime I’d like to post these pictures of a beautiful family I know who has their second child a months ago ( both unplanned). These were shot by me behind the scenes  of a photoshoot by my friend Leeka from MM Works. It was freeeeeezing that day on the beach. I felt so bad about little baby Alex who was only a few weeks old. In between the shooting, i’d take him from his mother and hug him tightly to warm me up and he’s fall asleep in my arms each time.

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I meant to post this last week :) LOL
I really can’t believe it’s Friday again. Weeks seem to be flying by. Maybe it’s because I’m working a lot… Or maybe not enough.
So here I was on a Friday night driving to Kohls to get some household stuff. Oh, the life of a supermodel!!! I’m just kidding. I can’t even categorize my life at this point. It’s on the cusp of something amazing… But just not there yet.

I have so much to write about. Seriously, I’ve never had so much inspiration. I attribute it to the new format of blogging. Here. On my own.

I have over 15 drafts with posts I thought would be cool to write. So expect the unexpected and en masse.

But for now, my week in photos:

Weekly couples masks. My favorite. Cosmetics line is Origins. Because it’s natural and because it makes my skin feel the way no other cream does. So when we got a sample charcoal mask I was sold – clears your pores like no other! I finally dragged my hubby to the Origins store at Dillard and let the sales lady work her charm on him. We walked away with $300 worth of creams but from that moment on, my DH has been diligently putting his creams on and it’s been showing. His skin is smooth and glowy and super-puper young.

Jakey crashed out in my arms. I’m the kind of person that if a cat fell asleep on me, I won’t move until said cats wakes up. So I sat at my kitchen table for like 40 minutes :)

Sunsets in our bedroom. Hanging out by the Christmas tree

Beautiful Florida days. It was cold but gorgeous. The photos were taken with my iPhone camera, so excuse the quality. I had edited them a bit to reduce the noise and the “amateur” quality of a phone cam. This place is amazing. It’s a Garden of Courage and Hope built by a man whose wife died from cancer after a long long battle. This garden is located directly across from the hospital where his wife spent her time fighting cancer and is a wonderful getaway for all people, sick and visiting.

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I finally got my sweet smelling lotions from BBW.
I think I could have died from smell overdose if my hubby didn’t tell me that I look like a crazed woman sniffing all the bottles and spritzing, slathering myself with them.

My favorite is DARK KISS ( both in name and smell). It honestly smells better than most perfumes.

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I love kitties. Dogs…not so much (so i do admit some can be totally adorable), but kitties ( and bunnies and anything warm and fuzzy) are my weakness. I treat them like my children. Sometimes I treat them better than some people treat their kids. I let my babies wake me up each morning with a gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) pat on my nose or cheek with their fuzzy paws. I won’t get up no matter how uncomfortable I am if a kitteh is sitting/sleeping on me. I shower them with kissies and pet them frequently.
I forgot to mention there are 4 of them and I could not imagine life without my cute kitties.

Say hello to Jenny! To be honest, she is a trouble maker. She’s out only female in our feline household and she DON’T like it! Boys bother her!

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It’s that time of the week!

1. HOLIDAY COLORS

2. HOLIDAY ICON

My favorite Holiday icon has always been Cookies for Santa bowl. I’ve gone through of a few of them in the last two years since they tend to break in moves, but this one is by far my favorite. Also, since we don’t really eat cookies in our house we filled it with gum (LOL). So now it’s GUM FOR SANTA :)

3. TREE

4. QUIET

Whenever I want peace and quiet I always go outside in my backyard and read a book in one of the hammocks. There’s nothing more relaxing than that, I’m telling you.

5.YOUR FAVORITE COLOR

This one really took me a long time. I couldn’t decide what my favorite color was. I used to be yellow like the sun when I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with all things pink for quite a while, I really love blue, and recently lavender has been really singing to me, I love red when it comes to clothing. So as lame as it might be My favorite color is COLOR ITSELF. I LOVE bright beautiful colors in photographs, in clothing, and movies. {Photo pulled from the archive}

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