Quinceanera

Quince.
That's how old my cousin Yvette is now.
15.
this is Yvette
As you know, I was a part of her Quinceanera. I really wasn't sure what to expect.
Actaully, it was surprisingly very much like a wedding. She wore a big poufy white dress, and her partner (ex-boyfriend. lets not get into it) wore a white tux. 4 other girls and I wore these slinky wine-colored dresses, and all the other guys wore these really nice tuxes. The vests on the tuxes were gray and wine-colored paisley that went with our dresses, which I liked very much.
So we got to this one park right on time ( 2:15pm) to take the pictures, just like the directions said. Richard (my partner/cousin) showed up shortly after we did, and Melissa (one of my favorite cousins. we basically grew up together) showed up a little after he did, so we got to hang out for a while.
A long while. Everyone else was very late.
Dad and my aunt and uncles that were there took our pictures while we waited for everyone.

I love this picture of Melissa, me, and Richard.
Finally, eventually, everyone showed up and we took some "professional" pictures under the trees, and then we left for Los Lunas. I drove over with Melissa and Richard, so that was cool since I hardly ever get to talk to them anymore. We went to Melissa's house first to relax, b/c everyone else stayed at the park and talked, and so they got to the hall LATE, and we didn't feel like setting up the hall by ourselves.
After about 20-30 minutes (they were really late again), we went to the hall and practiced the dance a few times. After much arguing, we decided how it should be done.
And that's when people began to arrive.
There really weren't that many people there, to tell the truth. But there were enough people there.
We ate first thing. I had the most amazing enchiladas. Yvette wore a shirt over her beautiful white dress so that she wouldn't drip red chile on it. Everyone standing in the Quince got to eat next to thier partner at a long table, just like at a wedding reception.
Richard drank a LOT of soda. haha
At 7:00 we did our dance, the one we've been practicing for weeks and weeks. I think it turned out ok. Everyone was so nervous, but not Richard and me. We were the first couple to be announced, and we just walked out- the best couple there. Just kidding. :P
We did have the most fun though. I love to dance, and Richard loves to spin me. All the other couples told us we looked like we were having the most fun out of everyone there. And we were.
After our little dance thing, the DJ came and cranked out some tunes. I danced a little with Richard, but he didn't know much. So I took him outside and taught him a little swing dance. He is such a fast learner! It only took like 20-30 minutes.
At about 8:00pm, I took my shoes off. My dress dragged on the ground, but I didn't care.
We played musical chairs, and Richard won and got $20 from the DJ. We did the Electric Slide (my personal favorite), and the Cha-Cha Slide.
It took a while to get Richard to actually swing dance in front of everyone, but after dancing once he kept asking me again and again.
At about 9:00, we had cake and toasted Yvette. We had sparkling grape juice in wine glasses, and Richard and I pretended we were famous wine tasters. haha
Yvette also had a dollar dance and a 'doll toss' (like a bouquet toss). Like I said, it was just like a wedding. Only no one got married. haha.
I was so thankful that Richard was my partner. He always knows how to make light of a situation, and he makes me laugh all the time, though he can be serious at the right moments. He is willing to learn, and he doesn't care about his appearance or how he seems to other people as much as other kids do. He knows just how to cheer me up- last night he came up to me and asked me to dance because "he saw that I was sitting by myself". Yeah, I really love Richard.
I loved the whole night. It was a wonderful distraction- the best way to help me forget everything thats been happening to me lately.

4 more weeks

Seems like just when I'm about to get over this sadness, something happens to make it wash over me again.
Seems like its been forever since this all started, but when I look back, monday was only 3 days ago.

People have been asking whats wrong with me, and I tell them I'm ok. But I don't know... I think I'm almost to ok. I just need a little more time to work on it.
There are lots of little things that have brought me into this state. My mom has been really mad at me for no reason lately, and she threatens me all the time. My little dog Zia is sick. People don't come to my youth group when I invite them. I screw up all the time.
But I dont know. It seems that in the end, the only thing that makes me sad is that in only 4 short weeks, someone I've come to really care about is going to be taken away from me.

what now, God?

There is a big possibility I won't be going to West CNM campus next semester.

I've been depressed.

dad's birthday

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. I think he had a good time.
We took him to eat at Weck's in the morning, and in the evening we went to Texas Roadhouse. I told them it was Dad's birthday, and while we were eating they brought out a saddle and he had to sit on it and yell "ye-haw!". HAHA it was soo funny. And then everybody yelled "ye-haw!" just cause it was his birthday.
It was this other guy's birthday too, and his wife brought him all these presents, so we spied on him to see what he got. It was a whole barrel of fun (as the people at TRH would say). It was strange- he got all this stuff that said Wyoming on it.
Then we went to Target and I read Runny Babbit. That book is sooo amazing its not even funny.
You should read it.

Fall = Subway?

So I was riding home from piano (because I ride my bike there), and suddenly I was like, "Whoa-dang, it's fall!"
And indeed, it is.
Which is pretty cool. I think that fall is my favorite season, which is a first.
Because it never was before.

So anyway, I was riding along on my bike, breathing in the fresh fall air.
My first thought was, "mmmmm! it smells like fall."
and my second thought was,"mmmmm! it smells like Subway."
So that made me stop and think.
Because- does fall really smell like Subway?
Maybe November just smells like Subway.

Perhaps, if you could bag November, it would become a turkey sandwich with american cheese.

Just a thought

Tech

So.

New Mexico Tech Day.
That was yesterday. It was pretty cool too.

I thought there would be a LOT of nerds walking around. Turns out there were, but a lot of them didn't look as nerdy as i thought they would. :P

I arrived at Tech thinking that there was no way on earth I would ever go there. But after attending some lectures and seeing the campus and eating the food, I don't think it would be so bad after all. I actually think that I may want to study to be an engineer.
Not just any engineer though. For as I discovered yesterday, there are many, many different types of engineer.
The class that interested me was Chemical Engineering. These people work with a wide range of products. Everything from toothpaste to ranch dressing is made by chemical engineers.

So the job probably wouldn't be boring.

I dont know.
Its an option.

hot or cold

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in two different worlds.
(and no, my parents are not separated)
One world is white and the other is gray.

It's because I am Hispanic, and most of my family (cousins, aunts, etc) live in the Valley. Some of them claim to be Christians (or "Religious", as they say), and some of them don't even pretend. Today I was in the Valley practicing dancing for my cousin's quinceanera, and everyone was describing a party they had gone to (with no lack of swearing). One girl stopped and said something like, "Oh yeah, I'm religious but I just cuss a lot, and I party a lot". My other cousin flat out said that she didn't fit in with "all the religious people", and that she and all her friends would probably be going to a bad place (meaning hell).

They all laughed.

They laughed.

It reminded me of a video I saw at church recently, where a guy went up to random people in random places and asked them what they thought of the devil.
Several people didn't believe in the devil.
Several people didn't believe it even concerned them.

Yeah, we're only talking about your eternity here, people.

It always hurts me to see my cousins talking this way. I can't really talk about God with most of them, because they just claim to be Christians and shrug it off, and if I show them where they are stumbling, they just ask me if I have a problem with the way they are. Their world is completely gray- they mix the bad with the good and think that it's all good.
But God doesn't take the man who is lukewarm; you must be either hot or cold.

I always come back into my little safe comfort zone of white, but what good does it do? My family is still out there. They still don't love God. They still don't understand what they are doing with their lives. They still don't realize that they have time to change.

Jesus has already saved me- now I need to help Him save my family.

Would you please pray for me?



don't be alarmed
don't be afraid of what you are
just turn around
everybody's someone
everybody is someone