1 Year Blogaversary!

One year ago today I decided to finally take a leap of faith and do something I had always dreamed of doing. I had no idea what I was doing and kept it relatively secret from everyone.I didn't want them to judge me or think I was just trying to be like everyone else. I wasn't sure how to or even where to start. I wanted to put out good content and something I was happy with. I did a couple of posts but even those go deleted before anyone saw them. I knew it would be hard and it would require a lot of dedication which I didn't really have in the beginning. There have been so many times I have been filled with self doubt and thought maybe I should just scrap my blog completely but what would I gain from just giving up.

I know I have been out of the posting game the last month and its because I've been dealing with a lot of different things. But I am grateful for this full year of being a blogger and although I haven't accomplished everything I have plans for this upcoming year.

I want to post more.

I want to be a better blogger.

I want to learn different techniques. 

I want you guys to know me.

There are going to be days where I doubt myself again and think I can't do this but I will remember how much I have grown this past year.

I know this is a random post but I just wanted to thank all of you who have supported me or even read these post the last year.  

THANK YOU!

until next time.

Noshka XXO

The Meaning of TRUE Friendship

As a lot of you may know or may not know I am a military child. One who moved from place to place. One who has been through many deployments and home comings. Yes, moving from place to place is fun, the not so fun part is leaving everything and everyone else behind. You learn to make friends quickly but never allow yourself to become attached because who knows how long you have in that one place. Hence most military children don't grow up with life long friends included, at least it wasn't part of my package... My friends where the people who were always their for me the ones who
I would have to deal with no matter what and that was my Family.
Sure, most people grow up with their best friend or meet them in the first grade, go to the same college together, graduate get different jobs but are in each others weddings. Some make it all the way through and others aren't so lucky.. but what about us military children. Do we ever find that or even have that? The answer is YES.

I've been in Texas longer than any other place I have lived (my dad retired here). Started 5th grade here and even that was tough. Everyone seemed to have their close friends while I unfortunately was the new kid. I didn't know anybody but I made friends quickly again not getting too attached. I went to 2 middle schools because my parents bought a house, so again I was the new kid but in a turn of events, my parents buying a house meant we were staying here for a good while so I opened up. It was at the end of the 7th grade when I met one of my best friends, we didn't know each other and of course we got introduced at a dance. I thought we had just got lumped together because we were both Puerto Rican but to be honest I didn't mind much. From 8th grade out until our second year of college it was like we were joined at the hip. We use to tell everyone we were cousins and to our surprise some people bought it and we didn't tell them otherwise. She was and is my first real/ best friend. All this time I was scared of the thought that maybe I was getting too close and then having to say goodbye would be the most difficult thing I would ever have to do.

In my sophomore year of high school I joined choir only because my sister was in choir and I wanted to do something with her. I was never in choir before so I basically went in knowing nothing. I was in an all woman's choir as they called it and there is were I meet a ton of wonderful ladies but another one of my best friends.  We all sang the same part, Soprano 1, aka the ones who sing the high notes.
Throughout high school we were all inseparable we were a family, yes we had our fights but in the end we had each others backs. By the end of high school we were sisters, they were everything to me and I knew what it felt like to feel like I grew up with them. But my friends boyfriend soon to be husband was joining the marines and she moved to California and there it was... the worst feeling of having to say goodbye to someone I loved so much.

Fast forward 5 years later, both of my best friends have kids and we all finally got back together. I was scared and nervous and excited because although it had been such a long time we remain in contact. Sure it wasn't messaging each other every day but it was the I miss you kind. It showed me that I wasn't meant to grow up with friends I was meant to find them later in life and I am beyond a doubt 100% grateful I found them!

Why do I say this? Why did I even bring this up? I don't know who is reading this if anybody is but I just want you to know that there is a thing as TRUE friends. I know everyone has there ups and downs and sometimes they stab you in the back. But you don't have to grow up with someone to have TRUE or BEST FRIENDS. ( plus you are allowed to have more than one.) Yes there will be cliques of friends who have grown up together and you'll be in the group but its not the group you belong in.  You have your own group! You will have people who will accept you for you, not who you try to be.

Don't pretend to be someone your not so others will like you. I promise there are people out there who looking for a friend just like you. They are trying to find you. Don't be scared to loose someone in your life because it will happen but those who are meant to stay will stay no matter the circumstance. We may not talk everyday but I know if I needed them or they needed me I would drop everything for them in a second.

We can all be friends here!

Until Next Time

XX Noshka

Christmas In Paradise

Happy New Year Everyone & Welcome to the first post of the YEAR!! Woot Woot

Do I seem too excited? Its because I am. This post is about somewhere I love, my home, my forever happy place. As you may have noticed I didn't post too much during December and that's because I was away with barely any internet and no laptop, kind of like a detox but not really lol; but I was with family and that's all that matters. Where was I? You might ask, I was in Puerto Rico! If you don't know where Puerto Rico is, its a 2 hour plane ride from Florida and 4 hours nonstop from Texas. Its in the Caribbean and is a common wealth of the United States. I was think of making this blog some type of amazing post in great detail but I found myself stuck. I didn't know what to write or how to write it to make all of you love it just as much as I do. Plus I have so many pictures to post which lead me to this simple solution. I'm not going to write a whole book of my vacation because that is what it was, a vacation. So I will show you MY vacation.
A picture is worth a thousand words so here is all I can say about my island PUERTO RICO <3

P.S. If you have any questions about anything feel free to ask and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.

El Morro, San Juan

        Piraguas

         

      Cathedral San Juan Bautista




Calles Del Viejo San Juan

Porta Coeli, San German

 

Calles en San German

 

Faro de Cabo Rojo (Lighthouse)

 

Yummy Foods

   

        

I hope you guys enjoyed these pictures. Let me know what you guys what you guys want to see next.

Until Next Time :)

Paying it Forward for the Holidays

Hello Everyone,

The holiday season is now upon us and the hustle and bustle of gift giving is in full swing. Stores are filled with shoppers browsing the aisle looking for gifts, Christmas Party items, Decorations the whole shebang. I know I have been racking my brains looking for the best possible gifts for my family or at least the last two people on my list.  But gift giving isn't the only thing that is important this holiday season. Sure it is one of the many parts but being with family and being healthy is something to be grateful for, we should also be thinking in those less fortunate. Those who are struggling but still want to have a happy and joyful holiday just like US.

A couple of years ago we started the family tradition of donating toys to Toys for Tots.  This is an amazing organization. They partner with the Marine Corps and collect new unwrapped toys for children who are less fortunate. For the last couple of years my dad has given us each a $10 dollar budget to buy gifts to donate them. You might be thinking dang $10 dollars isn't enough but in reality it is, last year I was able to get 3 or 4 toys for that amount. The thought of giving these gifts away and knowing that these kids won't care about how much they cost, but that they got presents on Christmas is enough for me.

Toys for Tots, is just one organization that helps during the holiday season down below are a couple of other great organizations that do their best to help during this busy holiday season.

• Operation Christmas Child
• The Salvation Army
• Coats for Kids
• The United Way

Along with your Local Food Bank and Local Organizations

Let's not forget that everyone should have a Happy Holiday! We have all been blessed and this is our time, our opportunity, to pay it forward and help those in need. It doesn't matter what time of year it is. 

"Be the CHANGE you WANT to see in the World" - Gandhi

Until Next Time & Merry Christmas...

Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Now that Thanksgiving is over and our tummies are full...

It's finally here! CHRISTMAS! I can actually pull out the Christmas sock without looking like a compete weirdo wearing them. ( not that it stopped me before.) I love Christmas like you wouldn't even know, I live for this time of year. It's a shame we have to wait the whole year for it to get here but I guess that is what makes it most enjoyable. 

For me Chirstmas officially beings right after we finish eating Thanksgiving lunch, the Spanish music switches over to Christmas music. This has been our tradition for as long as I can remember. We bring down the tree and the ornaments and start to put it all together. Usually the "kids" decorate the tree but my mom decides on what color the tree will be that year. (she doesn't like to repeat colors) 

Usually during the holiday season we pick out an ornament for the year. Along with the colored bits and bobs we have our special or rather personal ornaments that go on our tree. So keeping with tradition we started to put together and decorate our tree, sure its not done yet thanks to all the Black Friday working and shopping but it will be done in the next couple of days.

            

As you can see we are still missing the colored balls we are going to put on the tree to fill the empty spaces (mom hasn't decided what colors to go with yet)  There is something about seeing a Christmas tree, decorated with lights that makes me so happy and filled with JOY.


Here are some of our favorite personal ornaments:

From left to right: 

My favorite is the gingerbread man, not sure why but a couple years back I got this strange obsession for them. The middle one is one of my sisters favorite because of the pearls. The Santa is a new ornament but he is on a ladder climbing to the top of the tree which we are all a fan of.

The next two are also my favorite I just love stars and snowflakes. The last one is also my sisters. We went to Paris when we were younger, she decided to stay and 2 years ago she went on a trip and fell in love with the city  (like most do).

I can't wait to finish decorating for Christmas and watch Christmas Movies! I like to think I am Christmas Spirit. lol

Do you have any favorite Christmas Ornaments or Traditions? Let me know in the comments down below.

Until Next Time! :)