Facing east for the moon rise from my backyardgarden … Just another West Texas Friday night!
As much as ☼summer☼ is my favorite season (after all, that’s when my birthday takes place), I’m making the most out of autumn ~ especially going outside for crisp, fresh air!
double-duty edibles ~ such as coconut oil to substitute fatty oils in recipes plus is my favorite hair conditioner and also moisturizes skin, as well as removes makeup (according to The Sweet Life)
handy healthy snacks (not fast food) ~ such as apples, grapes (I dig mine fresh or frozen), pears ~ the pear or apple crisp can trigger brain juice flow, don’t ya know #DISPObustAFlow
chill your coffee ~ since I don’t drink as much for heartburn prevention, I store the rest in the fridge until the next day
tote reusable containers ~ mine from Starbucks saves me 10-cents per use and conserves resources (great for my next craving, this flavor-of-the-day: the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino to redeem my latest Gold Card Reward*)
My everything store is Target because it offers decent prices on clothing ~ including my designer collablimited editions ~ as well as home goods, some groceries, and is my personal fave place for gift registries
You too can check out these Target en Vogue** photos by scoring a copy and scanning with your Shazam app
Lately, my pleasure reading getaways have been simpler to prevent brain burnout (i.e., pictures for eye candy) ~ so no information overload in this rotation
stay fit as you suds up ~ stretch (with caution) as you reach for body parts to clean, and if you’re seated during a bath, I strongly suggest doing water pilates (think table top position with head and feet raised for resistance as you move)
No believer is ever too busy to †pray† ~ even if we can’t take a ½ hour or full hour to meditate, at least devote a few to several minutes or even †pray† before, during and/or after your activities (my Rosary begins my days, and playing the ♪song♫ jump-starts it!)
* Rewards = another way to $ave (discount$ & FREEbie$)
These guidelines will save you in the long one ~ not only for the aforementioned reasons, but also from embarrassment (i.e., killer breath, B.O.) if you run into someone later… We don’t want to be Finch from the American Pie movies who had to go home from school every time he had to release his macchiato! You’re welcome. ✌
During our ☼Sunday☼ brunch, we reminisced about my own grandparents, my parents’ parents, and since Papa Jun pointed out an article that he came across in the ☼Sunday☼ paper about older figures influencing the youth, I realized some of the attributes that I’ve acquired from each of my grandparents:
Then when we had our merienda, Papa Jun mentioned how his own paternal grandfather told him stories about how he and his eldest son/my dad’s oldest uncle on Papa Ped‘s side served in the Philippine Army together during WWII, when Japan invaded our native Philippines ~ during which my paternal great-grandfather and my oldest paternal great-uncle had survived the brutal Bataan March as they looked out for one another to dodge the Japanese’s weapons. Listening to my father’s account brought me greater admiration for him and the military heroes of our family from generations before and after.
†GOD† bless all ♥Grandparents♥ and our *Military Heroes* ✌ …
& Go, *Dallas Cowboys* who kick off their regular NFL season in ☼Sunday☼ Night Football!
With my smaller home office space during my sabbatical, I make the most of my workstation with eye candy ~ so *ASIA* adorns the side of this desk! 💺😻📷💻📇
💡Scholar⚡️ 📓Mode: revise my working document for as many as 12h/day
Shower: taking a cold one on these hot dog days of summer can energize me between my workout and study session or I’ll relax in the bath between my scholarshift and bed time to snuggle in clean sheets
🌈Pleasure🌟👓Reading: I haven’t read as much non-scholarly material as I used to love to before college & grad school, but I’ve found that a little bit helps to ease my mind & unwind lately ~ my current reads are relevant to my research in an unconventional way (stay tuned this Study Saturday)
💭Choose😴 to 💤Snooze: as a chronic insomniac, I must make a conscientious effort to hit the sack ~ while I tend to stay up late reviewing and proofing my paper, I find that I’m more effective when I work on it earlier in the day with energy!
Just like Vince Carter had discipline with the Dallas Mavericks a couple of seasons ago, I also didn’t take break days! Yes, it’s essential to have some R&R, but at this point, I’m
But I might as well keep it real about my age and aging process!
How’d I begin my silver streak👵🏽 in the first place?
My seasoned teacher colleague whose office was down the hall from mine had a head full of gray hair and suggested ~ actually, more declared ~ to me that this is a sign that we’re smart
👴🏽White👓 = 💡WISE!!!
My BFF and sis observed their own prior to mine. I first noticed it while I was doing my game day braids👧🏻 the post-season after my NBA D-League🏀 team won the 🏆NBA-DL championship…
Now that I’ve found a few more stragglers as I’m growing out my hair to donate without chemicalsafterI graduate, I’m looking at the bright [light –> white] side ~ the silver lining, if you will (hence the pun)
My dear Nanay has been wanting to revamp my 💃🏽wardrobe, and with my 🎈birthday🎁 around the corner (hint hint), I took her up on her offer while mixing in pieces that I already have!
White Bottoms & Color Blocking + Silver & Gold = #BOLD
Since I wear white bottoms between Memorial Day & Labor Day, here’s what I wore to our evening/Vigil Mass at Church last weekend: my new *white HOT* slacks {Liz ClaiborneEmma} paired with black off-the-shoulder blouse {*Express} over navy blue tank top {GAP} + black patent leather wedges {BCBG} + black & white color block handbag {CoachHamptons} ~ I pay attention to every single detail, so the silver hardware on both my purse & sandals coordinate! [Alternate top: zebra striped cowl neck peplum {EXP*} 🇺🇸💒👠👒👜
Peachy Keen: My obsession with peach/coral has taken us by storm through this color block dress with taupe piping & white bottom {Calvin Klein} that looks dayum good with these nude patent leather cork wedges with gold trim {Antonio Melani, Dillard’s exclusive} ~ top it off with my rose gold heart tote {Guess?} + gold ♥heart♥ jewelry & we’re off! #PrettyInPink #GoForTheGold 🍑🌺👗👡💝👜👛🎀
My *new* nude (also available in black) patent leather cork wedges with gold trim by Antonio Melani can go with anything! ♥Love♥ the Tiffany Blue box & surroundings?
As a sugar-coater by tendency, I don’t like to share sad or bad news unless it’s a prayer request for a ♥ed 1, so as a journalist, I’m more marketable as a writer for feature stories than hard, late-breaking stories. However, I must express my disappointment that I’m separated from Rob, my bf who I thought would be THE 1. 3 wks later, I’m still bummed out, but I’m taking it 1 day @ a time. To be honest, I’d ♥ for us to find our way back to each other, yet we seem to be heading in different directions. For example, I found my new home in Harlingen that I look forward to settling into, although I’ll miss living in Sharyland or close to Rob @ the new house that he bought in McAllen. If I get anything meaningful out of our relationship, it’s to be positive & independent again. Right now, I’m taking 1 day @ a time – like so many people have told me throughout the yrs – & as my spiritual mentor, Bishop Mike, has advised me: w/the Lord. Unfortunately, when we lose a ♥ed 1, it’s either through death or by choice. Of course, I recently lost Uncle Ding when he died, & this time, Rob chose to split up w/me. Therefore, I also must choose what I do & where I go from here… Once upon a time, I had my 1st true ♥, & now he’s found THE 1 for him. Now that he just turned 30, he’s marrying her around ♥’s Day. GOD-willing, THE 1 for me is out there, so I can start a family someday, for I believe I can achieve my sense of purpose once I can serve others aside from myself unconditionally… Who, what, where, when, why, & how do I choose?
Welcome/Mabuhay/¡Biénvenidos! I am a USAF brat who was born in Germany and grew up State-side while celebrating my Catholic and Filipino heritage. ☼Sunny☼ DISPOsition Elaine’s Eye Candy/DISPhotos ~ I love GOD & His creations, so I take photos @ any given opportunity. Elaine DISPOrts ~ I am passionate about sports, which is my research focus on my ... Continue reading →
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The Elaine Dispo Journal 