The Guy I Should Be Dating.....

What is it with stupid guys? Now don't get me wrong, there are a ton of great guys out there but I seem to pick the wrong ones ALL the time.

I was talking to a friend the other day relaying to him about my last relationship and how that one ended. I told him how he was a great guy and all, just stupid. As usual. No offense to him or anything but his reasons were and still are dumb. If you simply can't be honest with a girl from the start, where is that going to lead you? Nowhere! Also, if you are "AFRAID of Commitment".... DON'T DATE! It's as simple as that. Of course I'm very aware that this excuse is mixed in with other reasons and all but that one hits the jackpot of lameville!

Anyways, back to my story, this friend of mine simply said, "you sure know how to pickem". Hold up, I'm not going to make excuses for myself because I'm very aware that I agreed to date these guys, but give me a little bit of credit here. I don't intentionally date stupid guys or the wrong guys. It just happens. 

Recently I was given a book that has a list of the Top Ten Guys to Avoid Dating/marrying. Funny thing is, as I read the list, I could match every past boyfriend or relationship to the list. So listen up and keep an eye out for the these guys ladies, hopefully as you read these they will help you avoid "picking the wrong guy" again. 

Top Ten Guys to Avoid Dating

1. The Flip-Flopper- this is the guy who will lead you on because you allow him to. He'll come back to you over and over again and leave you hanging dry every time because you my friend, are to afraid to tell him No. This guy may have multiple girls he is doing this too. This is the guy who when asked if you're dating, you may respond to as "kind of". As most girls have a fear of rejection, this guy has the fear of commitment. 
2. The Problem Child (aka the "project")- this is the guy who says they can't live without you and they need your help to overcome their problems because the can't do it alone.
3. The Walking Hormone- name says it all
4. The Smooth Criminal- similar to the walking hormone but he has enough intelligence to make him more dangerous. He's the smooth talker, will tell you what you "want" to hear for his advantage. 
5. The Control Freak- need to know everything about you, what you're doing, what you are thinking ALL the time. 
6. The Older Guy- consider how old you are and how old he is. Remember that it takes longer for guys to mature. Consider where each of you are in your lives before you would even consider dating this guy. 
7. The Potty Mouth- this doesn't just mean swearing. This could mean talking with his buddies or telling you about how "hot or gorgeous" some other woman is. It's not respecting you. This guy will tear down your self-esteem with his words. 
8. The Tearful Cheater- enough said. He cheats, he's a loser. 
9. Mr. I-Don't-Have-Enough-Social-Skills-to-Meet-Girls-without-the-Internet- you may meet a person online, but any REAL relationship needs to take place away from the computer, face-to-face. 
10. The Spiritual Midget-  is a guy who may have plenty of other positive qualities but is unable to lead you closer to God. I love the example, it says, 

"Imagine being married someday and walking down the hallway toward your bedroom at night. You silently peek into your little daughter's room and see your husband kneeling by her bedside as he teaches her how to pray..... OR leaving the house on a Sunday morning as you head of to church with your daughter. You look back to see your husband in his usual Sunday morning spot watching TV." ............Just think about which one you want

So you may ask Who is Left? Take all the above negative qualities found in this list and take the opposite. That is the guy I'm looking to date and eventually marry. He is a faithful, mature, pure, honest, respectful, independent, and sincere spiritual leader. 

And remember, "A guy cannot be considered a man unless he treats a woman with dignity".

25 days of LIFE!

The past month has been filled filled with more heartache, more loss, more gratefulness, more high energy, more exhaustion, more airline miles combined on numerous airlines, just MORE. Let me fill you in on what's happened.

So if you didn't know, I ended up on a last minute trip to El Paso for my Grandma's funeral. It was so hard because although I had family and friends supporting me at times I felt so alone during the whole thing. There were times that I wished I had someone there, holding my hand like I held hers for her last two days here on earth. The constant peace I received from Heavenly Father got me through however, and I am so very thankful for that.

When I returned back to Alaska after my week in El Paso to go see Grandma and be with my family. I had to face reality pretty quickly when I got back. I had three days of school left, plus two days of end of year duties all not knowing whether or not I had a job for next year. One of the next few days my principal tells me he should know soon whether or not I have a job. Seriously, he had to be kidding. It's the end of the year and we knew nothing. On Thursday as I have to pack up my room because I have not heard either way if I have a job or not I'm moaning and groaning under my breath. Finally about 2:30pm, I get a call from the secretary. She says she has Carl on the phone (the principal) and he tells me that I have a job still, at the same school. Although from the sounds of it, I will be in 1st grade instead of Kindergarten. I was just so happy to have a job, although at this point my room is all packed up, everything is off the walls, which is ok actually because I will be moving things around anyways for 1st grade!

Ok so the school year ends and I head out to Seattle for Memorial Day Weekend with Rayleen and some friends we meet up with there. It was a lot of fun. I even got to spend some time with my friend Shea whom I haven't seen in a few years. We had such a good time. I miss the city since I am a true City Girl!. I loved the sounds, the people, the constant activities, I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING!!

Shea and I at the Space Needle!

Rayleen, Angie and I at the Science Museum!

After Seattle I was home for about four days when I got a call from my friend Pete. He asked me what I was up to and I told him that there wasn't much going on. He explained to me that he was going to Vegas and his friend that he was supposed to go with bailed on him. He offered to pay for my ticket and my room if I'd want to go. So three hours later I was standing in line about to board a plane for Vegas. I'd never been to Vegas before. It was fun. We went and saw Beatle's Love and Blue Man Group. I also got to see a dear friend from high school that I haven't seen since graduation. Lots of laughs, lots of people, lots of lights, lots of walking, a few hours by the pool and  few blisters made it all the worth while.

Pete and I went and saw Beatle's Love at Cirque Du Soleil

If only I could be as cool as the Beatles!

We were 3rd row from the front at Blue Man Group!

Possibility of getting wet...

Jake Moore and I! 

After 11 years we happened to both be in Vegas!

Pete Rose and I!

Baseball I got signed for Jake!

After I got back from Vegas, I had a few days filled with Wedding Receptions and laundry. Then I got to watch Wes participate in the Special Olympics Alaska Summer Games. But I didn't just get to watch, I volunteered. It is one organization that I feel is very important and volunteer at whenever I can. Wes did such a great job. He got a participation ribbon, a couple of bronze medals, and a silver medal! I am so proud of him. He was so excited to be there and did an amazing job!

We are so proud of Wes!

Such a Proud Sister!

Wes took Bronze in his Field Events!

Volunteering for  Special Olympics Alaska Summer Games!

The Link to the Past and the Future

If you remember back in January I took a trip down to El Paso to visit my grandma. While I was there I made a promise to her that I would go back during the summer and spend some time with her, just her and I! Building more on the grandma-granddaughter relationship that really started a few years back. In the mean time, I called her about every three days or so and filled her in on what I was doing and she told me what she had been up to. I was so excited to go down there.

Taken in January 2011 on my trip to ELP to see Grandma!

One Sunday in May, as I was sitting in church contemplating when I should go to ELP, I got a picture text from my cousin Veronica. It was of my grandma. She was unresponsive, not getting any fluids, and bedridden. It was my sign. I immediately left church and decided that I had to go NOW. I rushed home as soon as I could and found the next flight and rental car out of here. As soon as I got to ELP I rushed to her side. I was heartbroken. Seeing my grandma the way she was. I spent the next two days at her side. I read to her from the Book of Mormon and reassured her that all would be well. I promised her that I would take care of the family and reassure everyone she loved them and that they loved her. As hard as it was, I also told her that it was ok to let go, to go be with Heavenly Father.

Tuesday when the nurse came she asked who I was and I told them the granddaughter from Alaska. The nurses face lit up because she said grandma had been waiting for me to come be with her and talked about me often. I was so happy to be able to keep my promise to my grandma, even with as little time as I got. That night I left her about 10:45pm. I woke up at 2am completely sick. I felt horrible. At 3:30 the phone rang and I knew. My uncle told us that he thought she had passed. We rushed over to my uncles house to say our last goodbye, but she had indeed passed. The next 12 hours were a blur as I made the necessary phone calls to family to get them into town.

To this day I am grateful for the opportunity to spend those last two days with her. It is something I will hold dear in my heart. It is something although I know I can't share personally with my family, I know that they appreciate it and I was able to share part of the Gospel with her!

I'm lucky to have had my family on their way also. My dad, who lives in Florida, was on his way and got there Wednesday afternoon with family in tow. My uncle david arrived Thursday with his crew. I was fortunate to meet so much family that I've never met, but wished it were on better circumstances. Although I was unable to stay for the funeral since I had already taken a week off of work to spend time with grandma, I was grateful to be able to help plan for it. Although it doesn't fix the heartache of missing the funeral, I know that I had the time that was important, my time with her.

My grandma was an amazing woman. She was always happy and always smiling. I'm sure as she is in Heaven now, she is smiling down on us! I love you Grandma and I do miss you, very much.

Maria Herminia Ramos

April 24, 1927 - May 18, 2011

"Grandparents are a child's link to the past. Grandchildren are a grandparents link to the future."