April 2014

Well I am just too busy to write anything of significance this month. I have a lot going on, which will make for an awesome May blog, hopefully.

'Til then, my friends.

March 2014

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. 

Albert Einstein

The Quote:

Growing up, and even into early adulthood, I had a fear of failure, and in order to avoid failing I never tried anything new. I never had Thai food (or Greek for that matter), I didn't start traditions,  I didn't plan long term, I constantly worked at dead end jobs, I didn't confront people,  I didn't share my opinions and advice... until recently, I tried my best to avoid doing anything  that could lead me to failure. Despite my efforts, I still made mistakes,  I still "failed." Realizing this, and seeing how far I've become, opened my eyes to achievement and success. So Albert Einstein pinned the tail on the donkey with this quote for me, for this blog post.

Moving: 

It's (almost) official. We found a place, actually the same place I mentioned in a prior post. All things considered we really liked this place and the convenience and proximity to everything.  We sign the lease in the next few weeks.

Mark and I are not looking forward to packing,  I must have packed all of 10 boxes so far and I'm already ready to be done.  There's a long tedious packing (and loading and unloading the truck and unpacking again) road ahead of us.

I am, though, truly grateful for my dad who will be providing us with some of his workers and his large truck for this move. We have to pay the workers but it still saves us a lot of time, energy, and money.

Now to find a babysitter for the day so Olivia isn't freaked out and thrown completely off schedule!

Work: 

Work is GREAT! I genuinely like going to work and what I'm doing. I do expect it to evolve into much more and really look forward to learning about my division and moving forward in my career. I've only been here a month but I see how valuable each and every person is to DB, newbies and vets alike.

Family: 

Zada/dad. This month (on 3/21) marks one year without him physically here. I know, though, that God needed another angel. He will forever be missed and loved. I've said this before, and will again hundreds of times I'm sure, but I will always be grateful that God gave him and Olivia the pleasure of meeting.

I'm also just as grateful that little Olivia still has her GREAT grandmother too. 


^^ This is in 1986, and that's me with my grandmother and Zada.

Generations coming together is such an amazing thing.

The Walks. Stephanie, Karen, and Tim, (and the rest of the family) truly changed my life. If it weren't for them I would have never opened my mind and heart to God. Exposing me to the powers of Him has truly impacted me and has given me the strength to achieve so many things. They took me in when I needed/wanted it most and for that I will always be indebted to them.

Steph, my seester, was my best friend and I knew that we'd be good friends for a very long time... even if we don't speak on a regular basis. I still can't wait to get our daughters together... you know, the ones that we vowed to leave on A.M.'s doorstep because we were against having girls LMBO? We lucked out though,  because I wouldn't exchange Olivia for anything,  and I'm sure it's the same between Steph and Mya. I will never forget what Karen said when Mya was being a bit temperamental, "God only gives you what you can handle." Truer words have never been spoken. Olivia is a little menace, rightfully so. :o)

Olivia. Last but absolutely not least. In fact, she's my priority and I leave her section last simply so I don't ramble on and on about how perfect she is in every way, even when she's mischievous. So I will give a brief update on my precious little monster, or as I like to call her monkey or monkey face. She's a 15 month old bouncing ball of energy. Now that she has 16 teeth,  let's hope the two year molars come, well, at two years.

She's still a terrible sleeper unless she's in our bed. We hope that our move will help motivate her into staying in her room, we will see. She's also still bobo dependent. Which is fine for now, we'll kick that habit soon.

She's learning so fast. Growing too. It's finally sunk in that my little, dependent,  baby is no longer my little, dependent,  baby.. she's now my little, less dependent,  toddler! I have a feeling that the park/playground or pool will be her favorite place this summer... absolutely looking forward to seeing her happy face and adorable giggles.

Till next time.

February 2014

"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

Steve Jobs

AHHH! I'm a week behind schedule! How dare I? Well, in all fairness I was bedridden with a 102 fever and a never ending cough last weekend. If I couldn't move to hold or play with Olivia, which I couldn't, I wasn't about to blog. But I'm better now and have tons to catch up on.

The Quote:
I find this quote appropriate as I change jobs this month (see the New Job section below). Steve Jobs was a brilliant man who did brilliant things. This quote is a great motivator and helps you really think about what you want to be doing and how to get there. It implies that you have control over your own successes, I know I do. 

New Job: 
After 5 years and 7 months at Inverness Counsel, I've finally resigned. There was no opportunity for growth for me there, and in connection with the quote above, my answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row. 

I am extremely lucky that I have been given the opportunity to work for one of the largest global banks with an immeasurable reputation - Deutsche Bank. 

The role, in particular, is an Administrator/Analyst position with infinite possibilities for advancement, travel, and growth. I will be working with salesmen in the Global Transaction Banking- Alternative Fund Services division. Basically, to clarify, I will be supporting a team of salespeople whose clients are Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds, and Fund of Funds. 

I've only been there a week and I have learned a great deal already. 

Moving: 

Yesterday, February 8, 2014, we went to look at an apartment in Bayonne, NJ. Although, we

aren't in love with the apartment (it really wasn't bad and will definitely be kept in consideration), we generally like the area. Moving to Bayonne will save us a great deal of money so that we can finally not live paycheck to paycheck which will be a welcome change. We have under 2 months to find a place and move so it's crunch time! All in all, this move will be good for us. 

We will make regular visits back to Astoria to see mom (Mark's mom) and for an occasional greek meal (lol). 

Family: 
Olivia - OH MY GOODNESS she's growing too fast. She will be 15 months in 9 days! She is so smart. I can't wait to be able to bring her outside more, the cold just needs to go away. 

We are looking forward to starting her in daycare (at least part time) to build her social skills and to give Mark a break. I think she's going to LOVE it too.

I really am looking forward to this year.. she's like a sponge at this age so we get to do so many things to stimulate her mind, which will be a lot of fun! 

The Arakas' - Where do I start? Well, first and foremost, I miss them dearly. I miss holidays and birthdays and just visiting for the heck of it. They moved away from us in 2009. But it's okay, 'cause soon enough we will be in Atlanta too, so we can start traditions all over again. 

When we first met in 2005 I immediately was welcomed. They treated me like family and I appreciated it. Now they are family and they will never get rid of me :o). 

Kim is my big sister and I don't know what I'd do without her, from advice to just being a listener when I really needed it, she's been there for me. I love Nick too, he's always been so sweet and loving toward me.. and assured me that Mark is lucky to have me whenever I needed to hear it. 

I am missing Autumn, Rory, and Jesse grow up... but thank goodness for Facebook and emails because I can watch them grow up from afar. 

Jesse.  I had to break off a Jesse section because there are a few notable memories that I just can't leave out. I instantly fell in love with little Jesse and he loved me too. I will never forget the time when I babysat him for a few hours when he was four. He ate french onion dip out of the container, he even made himself a mustache with it. We turned off the fan, put the sock monkey on the fan, turned on the fan, and laughed hysterically when the monkey flew off... we did this like 25 more times LOL. Then, the most memorable part of that evening, Jesse asked, "Do you want to see my butt? We can go in the kitchen." I don't think I've ever laughed that hard in my life... until I got to explain it to Kim and Nick... then I almost couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard. 

I was going to keep writing on a few other topics, but I really need to leave something for the next blog and well, in all honestly, I want to spend the rest of my weekend with my favorite person in the entire world, Olivia. 

'Till next time my friends. 

Happy New Year - 01/03/14

"Only he is successful in his business who makes that pursuit which affords him the highest pleasure sustain him."

Henry David Thoreau

Happy New Year! Writing is one of my goals for this year -- to write at least once a month, but hopefully more. Updates on our life, happenings, goals, whatever.

Behind the name of this blog:
I am part of The Leon Clan (or I will be some time in the near future, probably this year, more about that later). The reason I choose this name for my blog is because it has taken a lot of TLC (Tender, Love, & Care) to get to this point in our relationship. With it we made a beautiful daughter whom I will describe in all her glory (or if you are too curious, scroll down to the section: OLIVIA). My little family is my world, and I can't imagine my life without them.

My Little Family - The Leon Clan:
MARK- my fiance. Mark and I met in June 2005 and have been "together" since September 2, 2005. Holy moly, EIGHT YEARS! Every obstacle has made us stronger and we are at such a great place in our relationship.
<- I asked him to marry me on January 23, 2013. We both agree that we do not want anything big or expensive, if we do anything at all. Personally, I would love to just get married at City Hall, have a nice (but small) reception to celebrate our union (FINALLY) and then rent an RV and travel down the East Coast and back with Olivia in the summer, stopping at beaches and other memorable places. Corny maybe, but our marriage to me is simply us recognizing that we do not want to be with anyone else for the rest of our lives!

OLIVIA- my daughter. Born November 18, 2012. The most amazing day of my life. After more than 24 hours in labor, threatened with a c-section, and overloaded with Pitocin, Olivia Bryanne Leon was born at 11:17 am, sans c-section. I stuck to my guns and wouldn't give in, I wasn't about to have an unnecessary c-section in order to please my doctor by speeding along a process that beautifully progresses on it's own in it's own amazing and perfect way. The way God intended.

ANTHONY- my stepson (or soon to be). Anthony was a very outgoing little 12 year old boy when I first met him. The most memorable moment of 2006 was him asking me to give him a sister, I told him a sibling is up to his dad, but I can't guarantee it would be a girl. He innocently told me all of Mark's secrets - that he knew, he was loving and compassionate, and so very, very imaginative. I helped him with homework and papers and poems and Mark played video games with him and gave him lessons on who knows what. He has made us proud and not so proud at times but we love him nonetheless. He has matured into a responsible young man, who pays bills by working two jobs. Now to get him to college.... :o)

OTHER THE LEON'S- brother and sisters in laws, nieces and nephews in laws, mother in law. I am pleased to soon be able to "really" call these people family, although after 8 years, I already do. In my dreams, I had the perfect family planned out... rotating homes for holidays, meet up every once in a while, have family reunions, all live in the same area... you get it. Well turns out, none of those things are my reality and I am 1000% happier this way. Too standard and too normal is boring and ironically not the norm!

Family get to get togethers are fun and entertaining this way. Whether it's a baptism or wedding or just a visit, we always are able to enjoy each other's company! It doesn't happen often, like clockwork, and that's why it's so great! 
It will be interesting how get togethers and visits will go if, or should I say when, we move to Atlanta (which will be another post altogether). It'll just be another journey of our life together. I'm grateful that everyone in this family has accepted me, even without me officially being a part of the family!    

THE JACOB'S - Bryan. April 2, 2014 will mark the 5th year without my brother. Not a day goes by that I do not think of him and wish that he was here to meet his niece. He always did love kids and I am heartbroken that he never got to meet her. He left us too soon, but God had better, more important, plans for him. God knows best and he made me an angel. Bryan would not let anything happen to his niece, I know he's looking down on her in awe, wishing, too, that he had the opportunity to meet her. They say kids know... she does... every time she sees his picture she squeals and it melts my heart. I will always miss him, but I am happy he has found peace.

Zada. My grandfather, father really, passed away on March 21st, 2013. He, along with my grandmother, raised me and Bryan. He was not the best, but for us he was perfect. He taught us how to fix things and be responsible and do things for ourselves. He made us laugh, cry, scream, and love. He was a brilliant man, who seemed unhappy and grumpy, but he wasn't. He was loving and happy. Nothing made him happier than his children, then his grandchildren, and his great grandchild.

I am so grateful that Olivia was born before he passed. He was a family man, but very old school. He believed he had to work and provide for us, and he did, well too. He was a simple man. He could attract a crowd from 10 miles away, but he wanted nothing to do with them until they rooted him on. He was/is my grandfather and I will forever love and miss him. I thank God for giving me another angel to watch over my little girl. 

Dad, grandma, stepmom, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I used to think I was so unlucky having to have such a dysfunctional family. I was so wrong. Our family has made me into the strong, independent, woman I am today. Without any of you I would have been a completely different person. If I grew up with what I believed was the ideal family I wouldn't recognize myself and I would hate that. I have the best family in the world. A family that has allowed me to learn from my own mistakes and only being there on the sidelines to cheer me on has built my independence and courage. Sometimes, I'd be disappointed by not having anyone on my side but it's built my strength. I can't complain.

I am one lucky girl to have such an amazing family! 

I still have lots to talk about in regards to family. The Walks, the Arakas', and the Van Cleaves are still among those who have truly impacted my life and I will forever be grateful for having the opportunity to call you family. I have not forgotten and will definitely get to your special parts in my life on my next post. 

That's all for now, I will be back in a month, or maybe sooner!