elainedispo

Posts Tagged ‘Fun’

Sports Sunday Fun Day: Maligayang Bati, Papa Jun!

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Home Sweet Home, Relationships, Sports Sunday, Sunday Fun Day, Travel, Weekly Wonders, Yours Truly on 10/25/2015 at 15:00

♪Happy ☼Birthday☼♫ to my Dad today!

Go, *Dallas Cowboys* this NFL ☼Sunday!

Cowboys Fans

Throwback: Papa Jun & I en route to our *Dallas Cowboys* game against the Philly Eagles during the ‘BOYS‘ first season at its new home field (then-Cowboys Stadium/now-AT&T Stadium)

Just like any fortunate child who has grown up with a father or paternal figure, I feel extremely †blessed† and grateful to still have mine as a constant part of my life.

Dad the DCC Fan

Throwback: Papa Jun & I have a good view of *America’s Team* and *America’s Sweethearts from 6 rows behind the end zone!

Papa Jun is one of the most well-rounded people who I know and admire:

Even as an adult, I still keep learning from my Dad, who always enlightens me everyday, through his example and his wisdom as a prayerful soon-to-be first-time grandfather with whom I attended Church today. Cheers, Pops!

Maligayang Bati, Papa Jun, at ♥Mahal♥ Kita!

✌ R.I.P., Flip Saunders of the NBA ✌

Fitness Friday: Buddy System

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Fitness Friday, Health, Home Sweet Home, Public Interest, Relationships, Travel, Weekly Wonders, Yours Truly on 10/09/2015 at 15:15

I picked up this month’s Seventeen magazine to see Belinda Selene, but was in for a double-extra treat:

TIU!

Courtesy Seventeen magazine

Another TIU! routine on-the-scene!

TIU!

Courtesy Seventeen magazine

 Having exercise partners gives us added boosts of motivation and energy!

TIU!

Courtesy Seventeen magazine

K&K have come a long way since I featured them back in the day!

1st Friday of Fall Y’all: TGIF

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Feline Friday, Fitness Friday, Floral Friday, Foodie Friday, Foto Friday, Home Sweet Home, Public Interest, Relationships, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Yours Truly on 09/25/2015 at 20:45

Thank GOD It’s Fall!

Moon Rise

Facing east for the moon rise from my backyard garden … 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!

I’m also all about Starbucks seasonal flavors* ~ from ☼summer’s fruitiness to these comfy delights:

Salted Caramel Mocha Frap

My latest Starbucks Gold Card reward redeemed: Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino!

Starbucks Cold Cup

My venti cold cup always comes in handy … for a discount & a drink to last me all ☼day!

Toasted Graham Frap

Apparently, I was my local barista’s 1st customer to order a Toasted Graham Frappuccino! #StarbucksLovers ♥ #trendsetter

Furthermore, football has kicked off into full swing!

Refreshments Reinforcements

I refreshed my ♥heart♥ & ☼soul☼ with ♥Adoration♥ †Chapel† holy hour at †Church† & with this ☼spirit☼ book + my bod with this Graham Goodness! (Even though I’ll cover up more, I’ll definitely still tone up with whatever energy I still can muster in the midst of working on my dissertation!

Here are a few of my favorite things for fall …

Howl-o-ween Hype

Trunk or Treat: ☼Sunshine☼ (my truck) tailgate was decked out with festive decor that featured ♥A&A♥ when we gave candy to my †Church† students last Howl-o-ween!

Nine Fine Fall Flaves

1. Favorite Candle: my Bath & Body WorksSalty Caramel that I used to light up my *Dallas Cowboys* jack-o-lantern and Advent †cross† (I’m also all about BBW‘s Pumpkin Pecan Waffles/White Barn‘s Thanksgiving Morning)
2. Favorite Lip Color: toss-up between my red Ardency Inn ♥Love♥ Cat lipstick from Sephora or purple Vera Wang *Rockstar* lip gloss from ULTA (c/o my Bestie Evie)
3. Favorite Drink: please view above {Exhibits B-E}
4. Favorite Blush: the ones from my KleanKolor Double Rainbow palette, plus I think that I’ll try Dulce Candy‘s tip on lip colors in a pill box for cheek colors!
5. Favorite Clothing Item: my birthday gifts ~ specifically the scarf/shawl ~ and my recent online finds plus my Target scores ~ particularly the jeans and booties!
6. Favorite Fall Movie: no new releases, so I’ll go with classic football flicks: Varsity Blues (came out my sr. yr.), Friday Night Lights (with a cameo of my h.s.), Remember the TitansAny Given SundayThe Longest Yard (including the original)
7. Favorite Fall Show: Grey’s ♥Anatomy!!! I’ve been counting down for the Season 12 premiere since the Season 11 finale ~ as a loyal fan for over a decade since the very beginning with the previous seasons on DVD
8. Favorite Thanksgiving Food: I’m not going to lie –> my Cranberry Pie #DISPObustAFlow
9. Favorite Halloween Costume: now how about I have y’all pick? My personal faves include when I rocked out my abs live, No. 5 … I won our contest in 2013 as Lone Ranger‘s Tonto and in 2014 as my Nurse Mom who was fine in 1969! Will I make a 3-peat??

Actually, please allow me to add a 10th item:

My #1 Favorite for Fall: my ✌two✌ ♥cute, cuddly companions♥ with whom to softly snuggle for cozy comfort plus who keep me company while hard at work and welcome me home after hard at play!

CHEERS to this time of year!

Sunday Fun Day: Grandparents Day

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Home Sweet Home, Public Interest, Relationships, Sunday Fun Day, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Yours Truly on 09/13/2015 at 19:20

Happy National Grandparents Day!

I dedicate this video to my parents ~ who expect to become first-time grandparents this HOLYday season (I’ve always considered them as grandparents to my A&A and my sis‘ Coco, yet this time it’ll be for real) ~ as they’ve traveled around the world together while making many meaningful mini and milestone memories during their almost four decades of marriage.

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:

Midcentury Reyes Family

My maternal grandparents, mother (directly to my seated grandmother‘s left ~ at bottom right) and her siblings cerca 1950s

  • sanitation to an OCD level from my Lolo Tico (my paternal grandfather) ~ who also didn’t like to get his hands dirty
  • teaching from my Lola Rosa (my maternal grandmother) ~ whose letters she wrote I’ve saved through the decades
  • compassion from my Mama Eufemia  (my paternal grandmother) ~ who cared about everybody despite their faults
  • determination from my Papa Pedro (my paternal grandfather) ~ who exhibited strong will and mental toughness
'70s Dispos

My paternal grandparents, father (the only Dispo Bro without a ‘fro ~ at top right) and his siblings cerca 1970s

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!

Mellow Non-Manic Monday: Happy Trip

In ♥ & Soul, Beauty Tuesday, Community, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Manic Monday, Movie Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Study Saturday, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Workout Wednesday, Yours Truly on 08/24/2015 at 15:33

🌈Happy 1st Day of School!🌅

Before this Fall term and my Birthday, I was able to travel for my recent family reunion!

Golf Backyard

☼#SundayFunDay just what I need: brief breather from my doctoral dissertation #FreshAir #AllTheGolfBallsICanHit #UnclesBackyard = #BombDotComb #BirthdayTrip2015 #RnR #ReyesReunion + #SelfieSunday “Ate” Elaine at “Auntie” Mary Jean a.k.a. “Tita” Inday! Yes, I’m older than my gorgeous aunt & about to be more w/my bday next wkend! #Countdown2theBiG #MagandaKaTalaga #SundaySelfie #WorkingOnMySwing #GoingGreen #GoingWithTheFlow #ChillaxinMellow #DISPObustAFlow🌞🌼🌻🌅⛳️ 🎓💣👑💁🏻

If you’re a passenger on the road🚙 or in the 🌌air, my tip would be to tote👜 yourself with

  • 🎥Films (saved on your digital device or DVDs💽 if you have a portable 📻player)
  • 👓Literature (electronic📳 or in 📇print)
  • 🚘Travel🚗 💞workouts💓 (do with what you got or follow along videos)
Birthday Books

Regardless of my so-called 🌴R&R, as a mad 🔭scientist🔬 I couldn’t resist bringing 💼study📖 materials!

While many may be 🚢traveling🚤 around Labor Day since the 🌼summer-to-school🍎 transition, I’m taking every single off day to work on my 💻dissertation📇 ~ which was the story of my life throughout the second 1/2 of this past 🌿summer. Now that the we’re back into the swing, I’ve resumed teaching🎓 and really need to set aside extra time exclusively for my 📜paper

Before returning to the college🏤 for 🍁fall🍂 term, my parents flew✈️ me to visit family as my 🎈🎁💝🎂birthday🎆🎇🎊🎉 trip! Despite needing a  brief 🌴vacay getaway, I still reviewed👓 and revised✒️ my draft📝 every single day, whether in flight🚁 or during down time.

However, I still had plenty of entertainment🎬 on my 📱iPhone, laptop and hard copy📚 to keep me occupied while I was in the friendly skies🌐 or on my own:

Birthday Gifts

My birthday pick-me-ups before my trip

I would’ve added more movies🎥 to the mix, but not all of my apps📳 are up to par. Either way, I stayed occupied when I wasn’t 😲😵asleep😴💤 or visiting with my relatives ~ my Mami Aya‘s siblings for their reunion (that was the plan, but I ended up just referring to those at bedtime and did my dissertation during the day)!

Plus, I packed👜 light💡 with only one pair of shoes👡 to match my 👗outfits!

MD Vacay OOTDs

Paired both of these OOTDs with white sandals before Labor Day! Skirts and scarves galore! 👛🎒

And accessoried accordingly, of course!

Ahoy Anchor

My hat & scarf + earrings in anchor & sailboat steering wheel designs fit my trip theme nicely! 👒⚓️🚢🚤⛵️

If only I could take 🎓Grad📖 🐯Cat🐆 & 📊Stats📉📈 🐱Cat🐈 with me,

Pack Cat

They call me the Pack Rat … & I call her the Pack Cat! Along with my white sandals, I also packed my Guess? Beverly Hills white vachetta leather bag with rose gold hardware 😍😻🐯🐆🐅💼👜👒👡💝

They wouldn’t have fit into my carry-on luggage anyway ~ in which I followed my ☼summer☼ speech student‘s suitcase👜 demo speech🎤 tips!

Beauty Basics for on-the-go:

Fun ⌚️Times⏰ were in store ~ now I ☝🏽️aim🏀 to 🏆score!

#DISPObustAFlow 🎤

👣FYI: Happy Trip was a saying from my Lola 💐Rosa🌹 ~ my beloved maternal grandmother👵🏼

DFW-BWI

Btw, in between flights, I treated my layovers like shopping sprees and strolled the terminals like I was on a mall walk! Honest & Benefit kiosks * Dallas Cowboys store * Mini *Starbucks$ Lovers♥

3:33 ~ make a Bday/BTS wish!!! ✌

Study Saturday: Stats Woes

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Manic Monday, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Sports, Study Saturday, Technology, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Yours Truly on 07/18/2015 at 09:00

Welcome to my 📚work💻 station!

OLLU Library Pano

Crunching numbers on these 💻devices📱 with my 📔manual📙 on hand👋🏽

I now can empathize with my speech🎤 students who consider public speaking to be 😅nerve-racking, while I encourage them to step outside of their comfort zones!

For yours truly, my anxiety😱 lies with 📉stats.

Earlier this week following my final excursion, I spent my Manic Monday at this corner dealing with my raw 📊data before meeting with my 🎓dissertation📜 chair the following day.

Here’s the trick to overcome such challenges:

Add something with which you’re comfortable into the 🔬mix so it’s an easier pill💊 to swallow!

{Just like a re-run of Tia & Tamera that I caught today when new mom Tia introduced her son to new solid food ~ he loved butternut squash while she tried to get him to warm up to peas}

Now that I’ve gotten the hang of it more after going through it in my grad classes plus one-on-one tutorials, I’m actually enjoying it on both my

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  • laptop

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and

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  • desktop with the much larger screen!

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Bearing in mind all of the above, my PhD program has been the hardest undertaking that I’ve ever experienced, and not simply because I initially anticipated stats with dread …

During my doc degree, I’ve encountered many emotional highs and lows:

Experiences Emotions
Preparing for my final and comprehensive exams plus my statistics Anxiety, Nervousness
Passing my final and comprehensive exams Accomplishment, Achievement
Failing my first stats course and having to retake (never let this happen before) Disappointment, Failure
Getting kicked out of my first study group (never gave anyone reason to want to before) Rejection
Celebrating my luminary and candidacy convocations Blessed, Bliss, Happiness
Passing my concept proposal and proposal defense plus my IRB request Relief
Working hard on my dissertation paper and data Dedication, Devotion, ♥Love♥ 

Yet at this point, I still wouldn’t ever trade it for the world!

Beauty Tuesday: Doo Wop Pop Sock Hop

In ♥ & Soul, Beauty Tuesday, Community, Home Sweet Home, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Sports, Travel, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 02/24/2015 at 16:25

This past weekend, I took my latest photo gig to my fam friend’s 50th birthday party ~ ’50s style! Before I strapped on my cam and shot snaps, I strapped on my suspenders and shot a smile!

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Since I seldom have time to shop, much less the money to invest on a full-fledged poodle skirt complete with petticoat

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I just created labels from photos of real French poodles who I professionally photographed!

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Presenting: my micro mini poodle skirt on a budget!

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To complete the look: my high school varsity letterman jacket * my grad ring on a chain * my cat bobby socks * my bowling shoes {Stevies by Steve Madden}

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My beloved felines seemed to think that I was looking fine!

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My big champ cat is the #BOMBdotCom ~ as in the beautiful #photobomb dot com!

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Of course, my furr babies also make the purrfect models!

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✌Deuces✌ That makes 2 for Tuesday Beauty!

Workout Wednesday: Just Dance

In Health, Sports, Weekly Wonders, What's Hot, Workout Wednesday on 09/17/2014 at 23:45

I wasn’t called Lady Gaga for nothing when I taught down south. No, I never wore raw meat, but I lived by lyrics of one of her first famed jams: ♪Just Dance♫

So, I dare you … No, make that double-dare you

to get up and dance!!!

My Valley bestie sent me this video of one of our old school tracks that we listened to from my playlist on our way from Padre☼

The choreography is insane! Pick a song with R&Bs, as in rhythm and beats, then sway away!

Survey Saturday: Stroll down Memory Lane

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Study Saturday, Tag You're IT, Technology, Travel, What's Hot, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 07/26/2014 at 19:40

I haven’t done one of these Q&As in awhile, so since I’m caught up with school & work for once, I might as well!

Truth or dare from Sam Jonas jaja ^_^

Age given: 21 🎉
Where I lived: Abilene, TX 🐎
What I drove: 1998 pearl green Honda Civic EX coupe 🚗
What I did: finishing my sr yr of college @ McMurry University 🎓 & working @ Gap in the Mall of Abilene
Who had my heart: James E. Jones Jr. 💪
Age now: almost the BiG 3-3 next mo (hint-hint) 🎊
Where I live now: Harlingen, TX 🌴
What I drive now: opal sage metallic Honda CR-V EX-L (yes, I’m all about the green Honda EX editions) 🚙
What I do: finishing my Ph.D. @ Our Lady of the Lake University 🏤 + teaching college communication courses 🍎 & photographing beautiful people 📷
Who has my heart: GOD 1st & foremost ♡ ♡ ♡ 💖🙏☝️✌️💒

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Foodie Friday: F is for …

In ♥ & Soul, Community, Foodie Friday, Health, Higher Ed, Home Sweet Home, Pro-DiSPO, Public Interest, Relationships, Travel, Weekly Wonders, Workin' Woman, Yours Truly on 07/11/2014 at 17:40

Faith * Family * Friends * Fellowship * Food * Fun * Fourth of July * Fireworks

Happy 4th of July

*Let freedom ring* … So F is for Freedom

The past couple of weeks (or should I say, month), I’ve had more than my share of YOLOs. Here are the highlights*!

{As I type this, I’ll munch on these frozen grapes and cherries, plus have green veggies to look forward to for lunch}

Frozen Berries

Berry Burst of Energy

Independence Day

* My parents’

7-Layer Dip

Nanay‘s 7-layer Dip

Fried Rice & Shish-kabob

Fried Rice & Shish-kabob ~ in my handy dandy cooler for my road trip!

* My work trainer’s

Watermelon Margarita

Sugar-Rimmed Watermelon Margarita for the 4th ~ Sweet!

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Lemonade = ☼Summertime☼ Sappiness

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My *USA* Dog & More!

* My gym buddy’s

F is for Flag

F is for Flag

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F is for Frito Pie

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F is for Flag Cake

In-Laws‘ Homecooking

* Day 1: Cajun

Chili's Cajun Pasta

Cajun Pasta ~ Chili’s Style!

* Day 2: Fajita

Fajita

¡Fajitas en la Casa!

* Day 3: Chicken

Reunions

* Beehive (Downtown Abilene)

* Tokyo Fusion (Abilene)

Potstickers

Gyoza (Potstickers)

Sushi

Sushi Roll

Mochi

Mochi (Ice Cream) ~ Green Tea

* Abi-Haus (Abilene)

* Colleti’s Italian (Harlingen)

Enjoy your eats & greets this weekend!