Floral Friday: Shower with Love

April Showers☔️ bring:

MORE May Showers! ⚡️

• AND May Flowers! 🌼

My dad grows beautiful blossoms🌸 in his 🌳garden. Now they’re in full 🌺bloom. This is great timing⏰ with my mom’s 🎈celebrations🎁 this month.

After Mother’s Day, Mami Aya asked Papa Jun not to give her anymore 🌹roses. She meant flowers in general, but since she wasn’t clear…

 
He gave her calla lillies for her birthday! 🌻

While my Nanay appreciated his always kind gestures, she passed along the bouquet💐 to someone more deserving …

 

• Happy Month of 🌷Mary! 🙏

#PayItForward ☝️💸🏆

Foodie Friday: Long Life

Happy 🎆Belated🎇 🎊Birthday🎊 to Mami Aya! 

My Nanay has always cooked unbroken noodles for 🎈birthdays🎁 to signify long life. Usually, these celebratory main courses are spaghetti🍝 or Pancit🍜 (Filipino dish).

Some of us loyal children out there tend to be biased to our parents’ cooking if we grew up mostly exposed to their food. I’m definitely no different; as a matter of fact, I was so spoiled to the point that I as a preschooler once sobbed at my parents’ friends’ 🏠house🏡 when they dropped me off there for date night, and I was stuck with foreign spaghetti.

While many kids cooked for their moms on 💐Mother’s Day, my Mami Aya insisted on cooking her own special meal. Papa Jun and I didn’t mind. Not only have her masterpieces been delicious, but also nutritious!

 
I never can pass up what I call Nanay’s Bomb Diggety Spaghetti (she used to put hotdogs to keep up with Pinoy tradition ~ she even made my sis’ separately because she only liked the hotdogs)

Here’s a new side dish that she whipped up: Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

I now prefer these over the fried green tomatoes🍅 or fried pickles ~ or any other fried greens, for that matter

Who needs mozzarella sticks with these bad boys?  The Birthday Girl also cooked her special meal!   Pancit Canton goes well with Lumpia (eggrolls)!    And let’s not forget the 🎂cake🍰 ~ bring on Tres 🍶Leches🍼 con 🍉frutas: fresas🍓 y 🍍piñas!

Friendly reminder: Pray🙏 just to make it today!

Foodie Friday: Getting Fed in Religious Ed

F is for …

Faith * Food * Fellowship

Easygoing Evie and I, as *Excited Elaine* enjoy eating after we team-teach our Religious Education second graders every Wednesday. When we celebrate our students’ birthdays, we also are blessed with goodies to go with our lessons about †GOD†!

Sharing is Caring!

Mezamiz Deux Coffee House

Birthday Cupcakes from Sweet Life

Sour Apple Smoothies from Monks

Caramel and Pumpkin from Olive Garden

Birthday Cupcakes and Fruit Snacks

Beauty Tuesday: B is for …

🎊Birthday🎉 & 🍎Back-to-School🍏!!!

Last week (or shall I say, two weeks before then to include three full weeks), I rang in my BiG 3-3 and prepared to teach in my hometown this fall ~ after over five years of teaching in South Texas. Therefore, I had to get a minor makeover!

First, Evie‘s mom Maggie cut and curled my hair (as seen with A&A).

Then Dee and I celebrated together, and she added to my wardrobe👗!

Don’t Dee & I look hot in our maxi dresses?

On my actual Bday, we curled our hair!

Speaking of Dee, don’t she, Lisa and I all look fabulous as the August Birthday Baby Beauties💁?

Beautiful Bday Babes Lisa & Me

Love ’em like Sisters!

& of course, now that I’m exactly half my mom‘s age (she was my age when she gave birth to me), here’s an indicator of how I may look like when I’m double my age!

Good timing that Back-to-School was yesterday, due to my beauty gifts from Nanay & Sis!

Air Curler from Nanay

Birchbox from Joanne

HBD, GTD (Great Teacher DISPO)!!!

🙏RIP✌️, 👴Lolo Tico👼 on his 18th 💒Anniversary☝️

Thirsty Thursday: Birthday Blessings

Happy Birthday to Yours Truly!!! 

What better way to ring in my special day☼ than to celebrate at Church†? I began my birthday at the Chapel for my Adoration hour. Then Father Bob blessed♣ me and my gifts from my special friends, Evie, Maggie and Joe.♥ ♪They even sang Happy Birthday♫

GOD is Great!!! 

PTL for Praise The LORD * People that LOVE * Pretty Tough Lady 

Beauty Tuesday: Concert Clothes & Costumes

†GOD Bless the U.S.A. Happy Belated Memorial Day♥

I hope that you all took the time to toast tribute to our service men and women who sacrificed their lives for the sake of our nation’s freedom! My favorite veteran, my dad, was the Airman with whom I commemorated our fallen military members, along with my mom, my sister and her Marine/my brother-in-law. Our late paternal great-grandfather actually was a soldier, and my great-uncle, who is my late maternal grandmother’s only surviving sibling, was a sailor man…

This past weekend, my mom’s birthday celebration continued with the Journey concert in Dallas on Memorial Day Eve. Joanne, my sis, actually bought our family tickets before the holidays last year! Since the show that opened with Tower of Power and also featured the Steve Miller Band was outdoors, I just wanted to be laid-back and down-to-earth. However, I now reminisce about other concerts that I attended and will present to you my get-up for a few of them…

Pat Green ~ Abilene, TX (2005)

Instead of getting dolled up like this Baby Doll beside me, I sported a Pat Green baseball tee!

“It came upon me Wave on Wave” ~ Pat Green

Blaine’s Picnic ~ San Angelo, TX (2006)

All I needed at our Texas Country Music Festival was my cowboy hat & a smile! {Stars & Stripes Bikini by my former employer, Old Navy}

Blaine’s Picnic features Texas Country‘s finest!

Evanescence ~ Hidalgo, TX (2007)

Evanescence visited el Valle on Halloween, so I dressed in USAF BDUs while Asia gave out candy! {Camo Sandals by Steve Madden}

Evanescence’s lead singer, Amy Lee, was the sexy bombshell Scarilyn Monroe {my camera wasn’t allowed on site back then, so this is from the site @ bottom right}

New Kids On The Block ~ Hidalgo, TX (2009)

I repped my fave childhood boy band, New Kids, on my block as I rock out this NKOTB Breast Cancer Awareness tank top! {Shorts by Abercrombie & Fitch}

The moment I’ve been waiting for for 2 decades: NKOTB takes the stage!

My fave part of the NKOTB concert? Jordan Knight singing “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” en español to put the personal touch to us fans en el Valle!

Hangin’ Tough! NKOTB hail from Boston, baby!

My fave NKOTB member, Joey Joe, sings, “Please Don’t Go, Girl“… I felt like J-Mac was macking on me!

George Strait ~ San Antonio, TX (2012)

I had to cowboy up to see the King of Country!

The Cowboy Rides Away tour also included Martina McBride & Miranda Lambert

My buddy got me this Georgie shirt: LOVE is Everything

Journey ~ Dallas, TX (2014)

I shot for casual & comfy to see Journey! {Dream Cotton high-low tank by Express}

My mom the Birthday Girl & my dad were hyped with Gexa Energy for Journey!

Thanks to my sis who got us the tix, complete with binoculars!

During our journey to see Journey, it started to rain! {Black hoodie by Forever 21, c/o my gal pal Amy}

Selfie Sunday: My sis went all out by prepping a picnic for us & providing ponchos during the storm!

Tower of Power: strong start to this concert!

Steve Miller Band about to perform!

Steve Miller Band never disappoints, after several decades on stage!

My fave part of Journey: when Neal Schon performs rendition of the *STAR SPANGLED BANNER* for Memorial Day!

Don’t Stop Believin’: Arnel Pineda = Success Story = Pinoy Pride

Jonathan Cain rocks the stage on keyboard!

Here’s a throwback Tuesday Top 5 for y’all: Summer Vacation Ideas that include music events!

♪☼Summer Breeze … Makes Me Feel Fine♫

Attitude of Gratitude

Here, I state:

It’s never too late to appreciate all the great of your fate.

I know, I know, this Dispo always busts a flow. You can always rely on yours truly to find a time to rhyme!

Now you also can count on me to give thanks everyday! Whenever I wake up, I’ll warm up with these stretches as I pray and praise GOD for the many Blessings with which he has blessed my loved ones and me. Before I go to bed, I’ll extend the magnitude of my gratitude to Him again…

Today’s blessings follow, as well as more from this past week and upcoming below. Wishing you all a winning Happy St. Valentine’s Day/Singles Awareness Day, as well as Heart Disease Awareness/Heart Health Month! Love you all, Team: Dr. D Players!

Monday Miracles

• good eye doctor appointment this morning, during which the optometrist asked me about my dissertation
• safe travels from the sleet on the streets
• finishing the Starbucks Winter Star Dash to earn bonus stars, my next free treat and maintain my Gold Level status

Winter Star Dash … All I needed was 6 to add to the mix!

• receiving an email from my classmate who graduated with his dissertation to help guide me through mine
• hearing back from the editor and my main source of the story that I’m covering for the paper
• receiving an email from one of my good girl friends, Amy, with encouragement and this cute cat pic

Amy brightened my day!

• Last Week’s Bonuses
• interviewing for a teaching job
• being assigned to cover a piece for my local newspaper (aforementioned article) that involves the family of my high school and college friend 
  
• more prospective schools to recruit participants for my study
• family time with my

Annie & Me

Double A-Team 

Asia & Yours Truly

plus my parents and the Cooleys – my sis Jo, my bro Ryan and their K9 Coco – including at the

Happy Valentine’s from the Dispos & the Cooleys!

USPFO Sweetheart Ball Valentine’s Day Dinner/Dance 

Piano Dispo

and lunch after church at China Star — where the owners called us our #1 customers and reminisced about how we were loyal patrons dating back since their opening 25 years ago, and where I got this fortune:

You will bring sunshine to someone’s life.

This is absolutely true since Sunshine is the name of my truck, and my name actually means light!

This Week’s Thanks

• schedule for next month’s ministry at church
• release of The Best Man Holiday DVD, my fave movie of 2013
• Claudie C. Royals Banquet that I’m covering for the Abilene Reporter-News

Claudie C. Royals Banquet

11:11 ~ make a wish!!!

~*~ Happy 105th Birthday, Lolo Tico ~*~ 

Happy 2014: The Year of Courting

Cheers to the New Year! Here’s to 2014: the year of Courting…

For yours truly, I’m courting my Ph.D. That means I must marry my dissertation topic: Relationships between Student-Athletes’ Perceptions of Their Intercollegiate Coaches’ Leadership Practices and Student-Athletes’ Satisfaction, Athletic and Academic Peformance.

Most of my waking hours have been devoted to my study and pursuing schools who will approve my request to approve my recruitment of participants for my research. If any of you readers have suggestions of NCAA-affiliated colleges in the state of Texas for me to seek consent to survey their student-athletes and/or have connections with their administration, then please feel free to refer me, thank you!

In efforts to reach out to my Pretty Fitsters on leading a Pretty Fit life all year-round and all life long, I’ve provided my compilation of unconventional workout videos that can be done anywhere, as well as other health-related tips from my favorite fitness gurus:

• Friday Spotlight: Get into Gear for the New Year!
• Back into Groove: Cold Remedy & Warm Up at Work!

From 2013 to 2014, I feel grateful for my loves, especially GOD, my family, and my bestie. While I gave more generously to the Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda relief, I was pleasantly surprised to still receive gifts from my mom, my BFF, and mis suegros (in-laws):

From Nanay: PJs & Socks

It never fails: my mother always gives my sister and me socks and pajamas. At least we’ll always be warm!

From Melo: Chocolate & Chicken Soup for the Soul Gift Boxes

Of course, I put these to good use: eating the chocolates and reading this book. I actually loved the Chicken Soup for the Soul series since high school, and this Think Positive edition puts my own approach to life in perspective!

From La Familia Zapata: Hello Kitty stocking & ornament + blinged gift card

Mi cuñada (sister-in-law), Janet, along with mi suegra (mother-in-law) and mis sobrinitos (nieces and nephews) sent me Hello Kitty goodies and a gift card. They’re so sweet to remember me, and I miss them all dearly! 

Happy Birthdays to these January Babies: my Great-Uncle Terry, my mother’s siblings Uncle Art & Robert + Auntie Aida, my GODdaughter Reyanna, & mi sobrinito (nephew) Justin!!! 

4:44 ~ make a wish!!!

Blog-portunities

Happy National Pumpkin Day! 

[Tonto for Halloween]

This week has been all about preparing for the NBA season and the upcoming holidays. I wrapped up my required writing for the rest of this month (which I hope to devote to my dissertation) before the regular season tips off. Please visit my Rants for my latest, and here are my most recent articles since I last shared my posts:

Elaine J. Dispo | NBA 

• Calderón Countdown
• Vinsanity at Linsanity Nation
• Coach’s DNPs
• Top 5 Mavs Champs *slideshow*

Elaine J. Dispo | Clubhouse

• Top 15 DCC *slideshow* <– by popular demand, I extended from Top 5 to 15 featured slides

Plus, I started submitting workout videos to the Pretty Fit iPhone app. When I Skyped with the app creator the other day, we discussed my collaboration on her blog, so I’m excited about potentially sharing more fitness tips! Here are my original Pretty Fit pic and my new one:

[Take me to the gun show!]

[Current Pretty Fit profile]

Let’s try this Pumpkin Crock Pot recipe from Tone It Up! Below is a snapshot of this Cat Trick-or-Treat recipe that I may give a shot, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis‘ Giada at Home, that I watched earlier while dog-sitting. I’m also stoked about carving my pumpkin with a unique design…

[Black Cat Pop]

Now I’m hyped about Halloween and the festivities that follow. So far, I found my costume for tonight’s party and look forward to dressing up the animals!

[Asia & crow]

[Annie & me + owl]

[Dax & Jade + yours truly] 

Shoutouts:

• Happy Birthday to my Dad yesterday!

• Thank GOD my Lil’ Orphan Annie is in purrfect health, according to her vet, Dr. Price, from Windmill Animal Hospital, which is the Best Pet Care Anyhere… And it smells good too!

1:11 ~ make a wish!!!

Dispo-sition

As I get into the groove with my Rant Sports blog, I branched out my reports beyond my Dallas Mavericks into football – both college and the NFL – from the games I attended this past weekend. First, I’ll share my pre-preseason* pieces followed by last weekend’s adventure** articles then the two freshly pressed posts*** from today that cover the preseason so far!

* Elaine J. Dispo | NBA Pre-Preseason Hoop Hopes

• Media Day *slideshow*
• D for Defense in Dallas
• Tipoff Trio: DMV

Elaine J. Dispo | Clubhouse 

• Mavs’ Tats *slideshow*
• ** McMurry in D2 – LSC

Elaine J. Dispo | NFL

• ** Dallas & Denver QBs

*** Elaine J. Dispo | NBA Preseason Hoop Hype 

• Preseason Home Opener
• Preseason Road Opener

Here are highlights from JRob’s Bday/Game Weekend:

Annie’s Belated Birthday 

JRob’s Birthday 

McMurry Homecoming 

Dallas Cowboys Game 

11:11 ~ make a wish!!!