Happy Christmas and New Year

I know it's a bit late, but how could I resist!? Happy Christmas to you all, and a Merry New Year! First things first, let's thank God for His ultimate gift, Jesus Christ; for without Him, there would be no celebration of life. My family and I celebrated our Christmas with my mom's side of the family, as we often do--this time in Las Veags. We spent five, whole days, in which we all took turns caring after Grandma and going out. You see, this was nor ordinary Chirstmas; this was not an ordinary year. Anyway, good times were had and remembered.

After having a camera for a year, I still forget that I have one; I often fail in the capturing and immortalizing of moments. However, I still praise the Lord for our impressionable hearts and minds. We will never forget these times. Here are some photos I managed to snap when I remembered to.

Christmas Time in The Bellagio

The Woman of Encouragement to my Soul

These are the Men of my Life

Shortly after Christmas is the dawn of the New Year. YAY! Again, I forgot I owned a camera, so these picutres were an afterthought. For me, as long as a picture was snapped, it's all good! From now on, I resolve to make use of my camera. I wonder how long that resolution will last. Speaking of which, I do not remember my resolutions of 2008; come to think of it, I may not have made any because I knew that I would forget. Ha. Let me be the one to say, 2008 was an eventful year of change. I turned twenty-two, and the craze of alcohol died happily; I have been sober for a year! That's a joke; liquor and spirits have never controlled my life in that way, nor will it ever. I have put an end to the hurt in my heart. More than ever, God has never tasted and been so good! In 2008, God has taught me to be thankful for all things and in everything, how to trust Him more and those that He has placed in my life (and kept there), how to lovingly serve my Family and the Church, and so many other things. When I think of 2008, I think of these verses--

Hebrews 12:1-2 There fore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This is what the New Year is all about. Kidding.

The Familia. This is the New Year of New Lives, hopefully. Niko was sleeping.

We missed you Auntie Juvy, Nathaniel, Adam, Daryl, and Chan!

For the second day in the first month of the New Year, we went to Whole Foods again! I really love this place. Thanks Helen for your gift; I am so grateful for you! These are some goodies we bought last night. We also had some cheesecakes--Pumpkin, Chocolate, and Cappuccino. Those were so good, they were gone in a flash!

Yummy Maple Tangerine Almonds

Coconut Water. Delish.

Tastiful Tarts

So I mentioned that this was an extraordinary year, right? You see, just around the time of Thanksgiving, my Grandma became very ill. Later, we learned that it was due to the contraction of a terminal illness, and with her age, it was unlikely that she would recover as quickly as she did. A year and half has gone since the passing away of my Lola, and God has continued to strenthen my faith in Him. That is why my family and I have the Peace of God that transcends all understanding. To make the long story short, God answers prayers. Real life, true story. These stories that God has authored in our lives are only testaments of His grace and mercy to such undeserving people. It is only by Christ and His power over the grave that allows us to enjoy every aspect of our lives, good or bad. There is always a reason to praise the Lord.