Twenty Eleven

As I sit and reflect over the past year, I smile. I smile because I have a healthy family and I have healthy friends. I am surrounded by love and support constantly. I am thankful everyday for what God has provided us. I love listening to Elijah say his prayers every night as he thanks God for "Everything YOU have given us". We are truly blessed.

Like most every year, I have learned numerous things that have made me into what I feel, is a better Anissa.

I have learned from my mom to not see the glass half empty, but rather half full. (This is SO IMPORTANT TO ME because it is so true and makes your world so much brighter if you try and live by this)

I have learned from Elijah that I am not chunky, but in his eyes, a young, pretty mom.

I have learned from Cary, that plans are not always needed. Just go with the flow. (Still trying to figure this one out ;))

I have learned from myself that I cannot always be perfect and that is okay. I cannot always please everyone, and that is okay too.

The end of this year has brought sadness to my heart. A couple of my closest friends had loved ones pass away. I felt so much hurt for them and their families. It made me realize the real reaso we are here on this Earth, which is not to take things for granted but live life to the fullest. LIVE AND LOVE.

On a lighter note: At dinner one evening, with Cary's parents, we were speaking of honeymoon plans...

Elijah says, " What kind of parents leave their children behind and go on vacation?"

After Cary and his parents give the "G" rated explanation of a honeymoon, Elijah insisted on having the whole family join us anyway. Cary's dad was thrilled about the possibility of golf courses at the locations we had in mind. He didn't help at all! LOL!

Needless to say, it looks like both sets of grandparents (parents) and Elijah will be joining Cary and I on our honeymoon after the wedding. We are thrilled, really. Speechless as a matter of fact! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This coming year I will marry my best friend, the love of my entire life. I look forward to 2011 like no other year ever before.

Happy New Year to you all! May you be blessed and happy in 2011!


Elijah at Christmas 2010



Cary and I at Christmas 2010

Brain Dump

Time for a brain dump! In the past 7 months I have had the most bloggable (I know that isn’t a word, but I like it) events take place!

On Easter Sunday this year, Cary gave me the most significant, cutest, yellow little plastic egg! Inside was a gorgeous ring and he proposed to me, Elijah right alongside him! It’s almost impossible to describe my feelings in a blog, but was pretty amazing to say the least! Since that day, we have enjoyed all of the pleasures of planning a wedding. I am super blessed to have Cary in my life, along with his amazing family. I am looking very forward to our “small and intimate” wedding on July 9, 2011!

February through August consisted MOSTLY of baseball for Elijah. Elijah made the ALL STAR team in May. They had a fabulous run! They won their district, which was HUGE and made it to the Moreno Valley tournament. We stayed in a hotel, and had a blast! Did I mention it was a million thousand degrees!?

June was a big one! Elijah turned 9 years old and I turned well…….. DIRTY 30 of course!!!! Elijah had a wonderful pool party. I took the day off of work and took a few boys to the pool, had cake, pizza and fun in the sun!

My birthday was AMAZING! It was my very first party since I had Elijah. He and I are 2 days apart, and we always give him a big bash. This year was my turn! My best friends came for the entire weekend. (Jill, Kristin and Katie) We kicked it off at the piano bar with LOTS of friends and family, I gave Cary a special dance on stage, as if it was his birthday?! On Saturday Cary and his parents took Shannon, Jill, Kristin and I to the Dodger/Yankee game at Dodger Stadium. We went to the stadium club and had appetizers and drinks. I had a ginormous, beautiful, yummy birthday cake! It was so big I shared with the staff! We ended the night at the Geisha House on Sunset and danced all night! FAB FAB FAB!!!

In July Cary, Elijah, and I went to Havasu with friends. We rented a house with a pool and a slide. We were able to take them out on the boat for a whole day! To this day, Elijah still talks about how much he enjoyed the trip, and so do we!

This past August, we made the decision to pull Elijah off of his baseball traveling team. Cary and I struggled with the decision for awhile. Looking back at that decision now, I can honestly say that we did make the best decision for HIM. He loves the game, but he had been playing for 3 years straight. It was time for a break and that is just what we did. He will start baseball back up in the spring of 2011.

That being said, we have had time to go to the movies, Elijah has had time to ride his skateboard, play video games, visit grandma, etc. He even took up trumpet playing and his first concert is December 1^st! There is a whole other world out there! We were in a crazy baseball BUBBLE!!!

Elijah is at a hysterical stage. He says and likes the CRAZIEST things. He asked Cary if he was proud to be marrying a Mexican woman, and he was serious. He shakes his head in embarrassment when I sing to songs on the radio because he claims I sing the WRONG words, he even talks about pretty girls at school. (SHOOT ME NOW)

He just started 4^th grade and he is a very independent, vibrant, giving, loving, and an intelligent boy with a HUGE heart. I don’t say these things JUST because he is MINE, but because he really is wonderful. He is his own person, with his own views, opinions, and sense of fashion (WHICH WE DO NOT agree upon, EVER.) But I love that about him. He has made me see a different side of things. He has made me a better person. GOSH I LOVE HIM and I am SO PROUD of him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am loved, blessed and beyond happy. Just recently I came across this quote and I LOVED IT. I pictured myself doing JUST this…

When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. Buddha

The World From His Eyes

Last night, Elijah was in the shower and I was going over his homework. I ran across a Martin Luther King paper that he wrote. It read:

“I have a dream that everyone has freedom and equality. Also that terrorists will stop bombing our planes. That there will be no war around my kids. I want my country to have peace. I hope that Hispanic people will be treated fairly. Help the people who do not believe in Jesus to learn about him. I want Africa to be a rich place and not a poor. Help the social workers to get paid and not laid off. Help the world to be free and able to worship whoever they want. Please help the African American kids get a home and a family. “

I chuckled and read it to Cary. We both got our chuckling out before Elijah was finished with his shower. (Especially the part about Hispanic people getting treated fairly and the part about social workers getting laid off) I don’t know WHERE he gets this stuff! When he got out of the shower I told him what an amazing job he did on his paper. He was proud.

How precious are children and their minds? He is so compassionate and caring. He makes my heart smile. My little 3^rd grader cares about the war and the homeless children… to say the least.

FOODIE

I decided to keep an online food diary. I am SUCH a foodie. I constantly battle urges to devour all the bad things. I.e: cake, ice-cream, bread, tortillas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas. (I’m Mexican what do you expect) I love all of the flavors, textures and aromas. I would spend all day in the kitchen if I could.

It’s amazing how once you see what you have eaten and the calories you have consumed, how you take a step back and think twice before you eat something else. Hence, I have created an account online with a fitday.com. That site is pretty serious business. They break down caloric intake, BMI, all kinds of in-depth stuff. I like it. A lot.

I’m not going to say that it’s a NY Resolution, because those are super over-rated and lame, but I have made a command decision to eat healthier at this point in my life and really find a structure to my diet. Who knows how long it will last? But in the meantime, I like the challenge.

Twenty 10

Every few months or so I remember about my blog. My POOR, POOR neglected blog. I am vowing that this year, the year of the controversial reference to “twenty-ten”, I will keep it up WEEKLY, okay fine, possibly BI-MONTHLY. On that note, Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This past year was bizarre to say the least. I have had so many ups and downs, such highs and lows. I should be institutionalized right now. No joke.

Elijah has continued to make me proud. He fills my life with so much joy. I never thought my life would turn out this way. I AM a baseball mom!! I have spent approximately 160 days PLUS at the baseball fields (NOT COUNTING Dodger Stadium…GO BLUE!!!!) this past baseball season. We traveled to Texas so he could play in the Super Series World Series and that was a time to remember.

This past Dec of 2009 he finished his last tournament and we have had a break since. WE won’t begin again until Feb 2010. It’s a nice break, but we miss it. Now when we get home from our day, it’s just ….well….it’s just…..I can’t explain it?!!! BORING. J I do know that February will be here soon! And busy we will be!

At the end of August we traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was Elijah’s very first trip out of the country. We took a trip on a glass bottom boat, and swam with the dolphins. I just LOVE his face and seeing him have a great time. It makes my time so much more enjoyable.

SEPTEMBER was just a NIGHTMARE. Mom got sick.The doctor’s said she had a brain aneurysm. The day we found out the results of the MRI, I will NEVER forget. The ER doctor said she needed to be transported to Sacramento by ambulance because she had a HUGE mass on her brain and a special team would be waiting there for her. Mom was scared, we were scared. I was in shock, in denial. I will NEVER forget the look on the doctor’s face when he explained to us what they found. The outcome seemed grim. We all prayed, cried, mom told me where her life insurance policy was, she told me to take care of my brother and that she loved us so much. It seemed like a nightmare. I was terrified. No words could describe the TERROR and HURT and PAIN I felt. We prayed and prayed. It was unbelievable the amount of support from family and friends that I received. After many scary tests and angiograms the neurologists in Sacramento AND San Francisco agreed that they strongly believe it’s something that mom was born with in her brain, kind of like a rare extra something in there. I say it’s her “stubborn branch”! (SMILE) She has another angiogram to set up sometime this month, to be SURE that nothing has changed since her last one, and then she is in the clear. Thank you Jesus for saving my mom. What a blessing she is to me and my family and those around her. She is an angel. I LOVE HER WITH ALL MY HEART. Thanks again to everyone who offered their help, support and prayers. God is good.

Elijah and Mom

Cary has been a big stronghold, my rock. He literally held me up when I was weak and falling. Literally. I am so proud of you Cary and the father you are to Elijah. Thank you for being so good to us. I look forward to this year and what it has to offer us. Te queiro mucho, mi campana.

We rang in the year 2010 at home this year. We rented movies and Elijah and I played cards. We stuffed our faces with pizza and we watched Travis P. jump the Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach. THAT was crazy. We also popped poppers. Cary didn’t realize it was a mini firework, pointed it towards me, and almost took one of my eyes out!!!!!!!

Needless to say, I am so thankful for all of my blessings this past year, thankful for EVERY day and EVERY minute.

The Michell-Gracia-Bell family is ready to take on 2010! BRING IT.

Its been awhile!

Wow, it has been a long time since I last updated my blog. I think that I will do my best to keep up with it more. There is so much happening with us, time just flies.


Elijah continues to consume my life with baseball. He finished up regular season baseball and is now JUST playing travel baseball.

His last tournament was our birthday weekend, and they took first place! He was sooooo excited, and I was VERY proud. He pitched, and played 1st and 3rd. He played a total of 3 games that weekend. He got an amazing basehit up the middle, which grandma was able to see!

Here is my little star in between games enjoying a shaved ice























A team meeting after their first win





















My Champ on Sunday after the big win!



















Next stop is Texas! We leave July 17th to have a blast and hopefully win big! Good Luck Eli!!