* Kindergarten Teacher & Writer

* Real Estate Study (in progress) 

* Interior/Exterior Design

* Adoption Reform Advocate

Favorite KJV Bible Verses:

* Ephesians 6:12 ‘ For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places ‘

* John 3:16 ‘ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life ‘

My Favorite Writers: Pat Conroy, Elie Wiesel, e.e. cummings, Edgar Allen Poe, Donald Goines, Walt Whitman, Anne Frank, Sun Tzu, E L James, Dante Alighieri, Stephen King, Shel Silverstein, Ransom Riggs

What I close my eyes and pray myself through besides this: (very personal and very candid)

❤ Losing my daughter in my arms, just four days after Christmas. She ached over the loss of my niece from the age of eight. Beyond that, I can’t find the words. I’ll never be the same, and I probably will never find my way without her, my true soulmate.

❤ A dear friend took his life just prior to Christmas last year. He was my go-to as an escape, from everything. 

❤ My first love lost his life in a motorcycle accident. He was so strong, loving, and protective, that I thought he was invincible. I dream about him, and I grieve the loss of him. From the moment I met him when I was eleven-ish, he was a part of me. I’ll miss him for all time, and every time I even hear a motorcycle, my stomach turns. It’s a somber heartache. 

❤ Not knowing whatever became of my friend who attempted to take her own life. She stabbed herself in the stomach and had more than 55 staples from her sternum to below her belly button. I still cannot get that image out of my mind, and I was 14 when it happened. I went to visit her the first two days she was there, and the third day I went to visit, the staff informed me that she had left in the middle of the night, her life was in grave danger and if I found her, to get her back to the hospital immediately. I nor any of my friends ever saw her or heard what happened to her. This has weighed my heart down since high school and will always haunt me ….

❤ Losing my niece in such barbaric fashion. Now, she is finally eighteen, and a whole new pull has come over my heart.

As I write this, it hurts so much to explain it, because as I explain it, I am also understanding it in such black and white terms. Half of my life is merely made up of a handful of distinct and engrossing moments, and those moments have kept me on my knees in despair that I have never been able to get up.  

My favorite books: I absolutely love to read and went to the same library from grade 2, until they tore it down a few years ago. I could spend all day in a bookstore. Some of my favorites are: The Bible, The Diary of Anne Frank, Night by Elie Wiesel, All Rivers Run to the Sea by Elie Wiesel, The Help, Fifty Shades Trilogy, The Art of Seduction, The 48 Laws of Power, The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy, The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, Hind’s Feet on High Places, American Sniper – Chris Kyle Autobiography, Rutka’s Notebook, all Holocaust survivor books, God: Please Help Me ( a collection of prayers), Sybil, When Rabbit Howls by Trudy Chase, Diana: In Her Own Words, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, A Child Called ‘It’ trilogy, Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust.

I hardly ever read anything that is fiction and never anything science fiction.

My Favorite Movies & What I Can Tolerate To Watch: Sybil, Imitation of Life, What Ever Happened To Baby Jane, Not Without My Daughter, Beaches, Funny Farm, all 4 National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, The Water is Wide, Somewhere in Time, The Color Purple, ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING by Stanley Kubrick (especially Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange ) and Quentin Tarantino ( especially Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, Four Rooms, and Pulp Fiction ) Alfred Hitchcock films, She-Devil, My Chauffeur, Valley of the Dolls, Legend, Beautiful, God Bless the Child, Clueless, The Secret Garden, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Dolores Claiborne, Eye For An Eye, Memoirs of a Geisha, My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding, The Blind Side, War of the Roses, Scarface, Goodfellas, The Godfather, Dutch, Uncle Buck, The Great Outdoors, Remember the Titans, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Money Pit, secret Window, American Sniper, Left Behind Trilogy, Tombstone, Years of the Beast, Dark Shadows, Gaslight, Mob Wives. I love black & white movies and documentaries are my guilty pleasure.

Things I Enjoy: Writing, reading, cooking, cleaning & organizing while listening to loud music, traveling, painting, photography, pool, darts, Dominoes, playing Spades, Chess, having weekend BBQ’s, boxing and UFC fights, the beach, the sky at night. I love horses and horseback riding, going to the library or bookstores, taking the kids to the park, teaching my kinders and a kids’ cooking class, tea parties with the kids, hosting a kids’ book club, reading to children and elders, interior/exterior design, event planning, getting tattoos ( I have 21), performing arts, being out on the water, sunsets, room service, road trips, taking care of everyone I love, baking/decorating cakes and cupcakes, going to the gun range, driving fast cars, learning anything I can, candlelit bubble baths, dancing, deep tissue massage and acupressure, rainy days, playing board games with the kids, the finale of fireworks shows. I love the sound of crickets; I love sitting by the fire with a good book surrounded by candles. The ‘rush’ of dance.

I Love Music: Sade, Mary J. Blige, Aaliyah, Andre Nickatina, E-40, Amy Winehouse, Mac Dre, The Jacka, Tupac Shakur, Tears for Fears. RBL, Bone Thugs & Harmony, E-40, Messy Marv, Phil Collins, Al Greene, Janis Joplin, Marvin Gaye, M.I.A

My Fighters: Miesha Tate, Tecia Torres, Nate and Nick Diaz, Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino, Holly Holm, and the Master, Bruce Lee.

Favorite Songs: Big Tone – Last Of A Dying Breed .. Thug For Life – Tupac .. Choices – E-40 .. Back in the Day – Erykah Badu .. Steppin Out – Joe Jackson .. Paper Planes – M.I.A .. All Over Me – The Jacka .. Apparently – J Cole .. Hood – J-Diggs .. Fade Away – Mary J. Blige .. I Get It – Davina .. Take Me As I Am – Mary J. Blige .. No Ordinary Love – Sade .. By Your Side – Sade .. I’d Die Without You – P.M. Dawn .. Give Me the Night – George Benson .. Cruel Summer – Bananarama – Been On – Tweety Brd .. Erotica – Madonna .. Mobster’s Anthem – Twista .. Lisa Marie – Lil Wayne .. November Rain – Guns N’ Roses .. Back To The Hotel – N2Deep – Can You Feel Me – Dru Down .. Like Whaaat – Problem .. San Francisco – Goldtoes .. Respect My Conglomerate – Busta Rhymes .. From The Hood – Traxamillion .. Conversation With A Devil – Andre Nickatina .. Eternal – Bone Thugs & Harmony .. You Know I’m No Good – Amy Winehouse .. There’s No Reason To Be Shy – Nventa .. No Surrender – Bone Thugs & Harmony .. Try Again – Aaliyah .. From The Streetz of California – Big Tone .. OK – Messy Marv .. Into The Mystic – Van Morrison .. Back Up – Dej Loaf .. Destiny – Zero 7 – Touch Me, Tease Me – Case .. – Shout – Tears for Fears

Places I’ve Been:

* Miami, Fort. Lauderdale, Florida

* Texas

* Arizona

* Lake Tahoe, Reno, Genoa, Virginia City & Las Vegas, NV

* The Secret Garden – Oakland, CA

* Bodie, Ca – Ghost Town

* Seattle & Oak Harbor, Washington

* Quito, Ecuador – The Equator

* Puerto Rico

* Nassau, Bahamas (Atlantis)

* St. Thomas, Virgin Islands (Butterfly Garden)

* Turks & Caicos

* Acapulco & Mazatlan, Mexico (House of Masks, Botanicals, La Quebrada)

* Inca Ruins

* Galapagos Islands

* The Amazon Rainforest

* Monterey Bay, CA

* Napa, CA

* Bodega Bay, CA

* San Francisco and the entire Bay Area, CA

* Santa Cruz & Carmel, CA (Boardwalk, Mystery Spot, Winchester Mystery House)

* Yosemite, CA

* Bourbon Street, New Orleans

My ‘Wish List’ of Places to Visit:

* Maui, Hawaii

* Paris, France – Normandy, France

* Anne Frank Museum

* Niagara Falls, NY ( & Pizza in Central Park )

* Dubai

* Monaco

* Queen Anne Hotel, San Francisco

* Alaska

* Japan

* Vermont

* Grand Hotel, Michigan (Where the movie ‘Somewhere in Time’ was filmed)

Some Odds & Ends: Sneezing always makes me laugh, I can do the cherry drop from the monkey bars, I believe in Angels, I stood on both sides of the equator in Ecuador, I was first published when I was ten years old for writing a story about a math book that the school bully destroys. I changed an entire company with an anonymous letter I wrote about discrimination, I’m a night owl, I’m always in sunglasses, I’m a writer, I love balloons, I love Chinese, Japanese, and Greek culture, I cook from scratch, I’ve never been stung by a bee, I’m so proud of my Puerto Rican heritage, I was a cheerleader, I love music, I love Bonsai & bamboo plants, I’m a great speller, I make brunch every Sunday, I love learning sign language, love thigh-highs and platform heels, I love thrift stores & vintage, I’m a poetess and love poetry, I love ‘midnight milkshakes’, I love the San Jose flea market and their famous flavored pistachios. I love Santa Cruz, miniature golf, ‘glamping’ ( glamorous camping on the beach ). I love Marilyn Monroe, drive-in movies, I’m a Pisces, I’ve always been a 4.0 student. I never drink alcohol or smoke, and I don’t eat fast food. I love puffy paint and expressive art. I never take a bite of food without praying first. I’m always the designated driver, I love eucalyptus, love Synchronized Swimmers, I’m the neighborhood mom, things that I cherish have no monetary value, I’ve been baptized twice. Becoming a teacher was my wish since I was in second grade, so I love and appreciate my dream job. I sleep with a sound machine that simulates the sound of the rain because I can’t sleep without it, the quiet makes my mind too loud. I hold onto Jesus day and night; He is the only way I’m able to get up and get out of bed.

I love hard and deep, and I put passion into everything I do. I believe the energy of one’s love stays with you for a lifetime and beyond; and I’m absolutely counting on that ….

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