Life is so crazy. Just the other night I typed an entry about WANTING to purchase a car and guess what?!? I bought my car! My parents told me about a family owned dealership near our house that had a bunch of really nice cars. I went to look and found a 2008 Honda Civic coupe that I absolutely fell in love with. It's soooo cute!! It was in my price range and most importantly... no driver's license needed!! Everything is going to be in my name and that makes me very happy! On Monday I will go get insurance for it, also in my name! Woo-hooo!!! 

The only thing is I have to make $200 cash payments every two weeks and I have to go make the payments in person... what a pain in the butt!! No quick online payments :(  I hope the insurance payments are not like that. At least let me mail them in, hah!

I found a car dealership owned by a hispanic family that allows individuals with no credit (or bad credit) to purchase a car with only the following requirements since they do all the financing:

- ITIN number
- Matricula Consular
- Proof of employment
- Reference letters

I am going to purchase a car and I was planning to save about $10,000-12,000 and buy the car cash. Since I don't have a license my dad was going to purchase it for me and I would just give him the money. Now I'm thinking about going to this dealership and giving a good downpayment (about $7,000) and purchase a $12,000-14,000 car, finance the other half for 12 months (???) in order to build up some credit. If the Florida thing doesn't work out I NEED to move out of my house and find a place of my own and I think it will be easier to find an apartment with some credit. 

I like this plan... but I have a feeling that their interest rates are going to be SKY high!!

Another thing that came up today is a job listing I saw on craigslist.  A mexican restaurant that is about five minutes away from my house is hiring. I want to go interview for it. I'm tired of the office job... I only get paid $9/hr and it's a part time job (15/hrs a week max).  Last week, I worked at the Chinese restaurant Friday-Sunday (dinner shift only) and made $260ish... At the office I make $245 every TWO WEEKS!! 

I know that I probably won't make as much as I do in the mexican restaurant I saw as I do in the chinese restaurant but I still think I will make more than at the office and will probably have the opportunity to work more hours. More hours= more $$$! 

Although I am scared to leave the office job because it's easy and I never leave feeling tired. On the other hand, restaurant's are hard work and you do end up exhausted after every shift. Am I being spoiled?!?!? 

I need to think about it long and hard. Either way, I will go interview for the job on Tuesday and see if one, they offer me the job, and two if they actually "check" you know what, lol. 

Saturday night I was at my friend's house and he showed me pictures of an old friend of his who recently started competing in bodybuilding events. I was wowed! The person looked absolutely amazing... totally ripped body!! You might be thinking that I'm about to go all goo-goo-ga-ga over this person in my blog ONLY I'm not talking about a guy here, I'm talking about a girl! O-M-G I was so inspired from the pictures I saw of this girl because I know it must have taken her a lot of work and dedication to get her body to look the way it does now. My friend was saying that she went from a really attractive girl to a "manly" looking girl but I saw a completely different thing. I thought this girl looked absolutely stunning! Her pictures have inspired me so much. I don't aspire to compete in bodybuilding events nor do I want my body to look so muscular but I do want to be in the best possible shape I can be in. 

For the past month I have been doing a lot of interval training using my own body resistance and I have gained so much upper body strength. My workouts have been pretty brutal but I need to step things up a notch or two. Especially with my diet. My diet needs a total renovation!! Although this whole diet thing is proving to be quite a challenge. For example, today I tried to make veggie quesadillas for dinner and it was a total disaster. What I made tasted awful!! I even threw up a little bit in my mouth a few minutes after I forced myself to eat what I made (I felt bad throwing it away)! I have never eaten healthy in my life so introducing new veggies into my diet is hard. Not to mention the fact that I don't really know how to cook. Aaahhh!!! Mainly I have been eating tuna sandwiches and tuna lettuce wraps for dinner... this is easy and tuna is always good for the body! Although, I cannot live off of tuna my entire life so I need to find new healthy recipes to make that will not make me vomit!

I think I should start documenting my workouts on a blog or something, just to keep me extra motivated!

It looks like I will be back in Miami for the Thanksgiving weekend!! That's in about three months :)))  I guess it's not official until the hotel is booked but that will have to wait a bit longer. I really, really hope it happens!! I'm going to try to keep my happiness at bay since it's not 100% confirmed BUT it's good to at least have a date that both my friend and I can agree on. 

Sooo life... oh life...

Not much to update on.

Life is exactly the same. I spend my time working, reading, working out, spending time with friends.  Life is also a bit awkward right now. My mom and I have not spoken to each other for a little over two weeks. I actually don't talk to anyone in my family all that much. When I get home, I walk directly to my room and I don't come out unless I have to leave the house. Oh no that's not true. I come out of my room to use the bathroom and to make something to eat but that's about it. I don't know... it's weird.

My yoga instructor told me that my yoga practice is getting better everyday!! I love hearing that because I am working really hard :)  I wish I could install one of those pull-up bars at home so I could practice doing pull-ups. When a girl can do pull ups... well... that just shows true upper body strength. 

I'm reading 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez right now. Every time I read a book, I always say it's my favorite but this one is TRULY my favorite book of all time! I'm learning a lot from that book... Oh and I am reading it in Spanish too!! I was going to read it in English but since the English version is a translation from the original Spanish version I thought it best to read it in Spanish. The author wrote it in Spanish, I was born in Mexico so I speak Spanish, therefore I should read it in Spanish... that was my thought process. I'm glad too. I think I can relate to the theme of "loneliness" that resonates throughout the novel. It's great!!

 I posted a question in the Dream Act forum asking what people who live in South Florida think about my wanting to move to Miami or somewhere near the Miami area.

Well, let's just say that the majority of answers were NOT what I wanted to hear. Most people said don't do it and that I would be foolish to throw away what I have here in TX.

One answer I remember in particular said something about me not being an American white girl in her 20s free to do what she wishes. Umm... no I'm not BUT I am a young girl in her 20s that just wants to LIVE her life, that I am. What is so wrong with truly wanting to live my life? Does our immigration status really define us THAT much?!?!?

I sure complain about being undocumented an awful lot but in my day-to-day life I don't. I have mentioned it before and I will say it again, considering my situation I live a rather normal life. People who do not know about my status may even think, "I wouldn't mind living in her shoes." Part of the reason for that is that I have not let my status DEFINE who I am... and I have not let it completely define my life. Unfortunately, it has affected my life, how could it not but I have not allowed it to be all that I am.

I don't know... the fact that most people said not to do it, makes me want to do it even more. Just to prove that it can be done and that although we may be undocumented, we don't have to live a depressing life filled with fear. I am not waiting around for my status to get "fixed" and just allow the best years of my life to pass me by. 

I still have a lot to think of before I make my decision but everyday I feel like moving to Florida is what I need to do. Enough moping around here... if I don't want to be here then I need to move on. Sure it will be hard, but obtaining the best things in life IS hard... that is why they are so rewarding in the end.

I cannot wait to be back in Miami!

 I got into an argument with the chef at work today. He told me to "shut up and shhhhhh"! So I said:

"DON'T SHUSHHH ME! IF I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY I'M GOING TO SAY IT TO YOU"

There was a bit more that was said but I think the above sums up the whole thing in a quick way. I hate men sometimes. Who do they think they are?!?!? He thinks because I'm a woman he is superior to me... ummmm..... NO! I really, really, dislike that man. No wonder he is not married. The scoop on him is that he was studying to be a doctor in Taiwan but it didn't work out so he came to the US and became a cook. He works as a cook at the restaurant and takes over the main chef position on Sunday's, when the REAL chef is off. I do not see that man as a doctor at all. He is so sexist and has such a foul personality. Ughghgh!!!

I seriously need to get out of this place ASAP!!!

OH, MIAMI!! I miss that place so bad. 

I miss Miami!!!! I really, really, really cannot get that place out of my mind. I think about it day and night. My friend and I talked last night and we are both feeling the exact same way. Our plan is as follows: Save as much money as we can for the next year... a minimum of $6,000. In November, we will go back to see if we truly do want to move there. While we are there we will look at apartments in different parts of Florida. I may even book a job interview or two just to get a feel of things down there. When we come home if we still cannot get Miami out of our minds, we will move to Florida sometime in June/July 2011. We will lease an apartment for 6 months. If it works out, we stay... if it doesn't, we move back to TX. 

It sounds simple but it will be a huge decision. Especially for me. I have two really good jobs here in TX. I make good money considering my situation. If I quit to move to Miami I will lose both jobs. there is no guarantee that I will be able to find another... and even if I do, it/they may not be as good as what I have now. I am risking my financial stability. For someone in my situation, that is not a good thing at all. 

I'm also bothered by the fact that Florida does not give in-state tuition to undocumented students. If I want to go back to school I will not be able to do it in Florida. Here in TX I have that option and it makes me sad to lose that. But then again... I'm not planning to go back to school any time in the near future. Not with my situation being the way it is. What is the point of studying for my Master's if I'm not even sure my Bachelor's degree is in the field in which I want to be in for the rest of my life. Aaaahhhh.... it's all so confusing. 

When I think about it all I seem to find a lot of reasons for me to stay in TX but also a lot of reasons to move. I may need to do one of those pros/cons list. In the meantime I will save, save, save!!! 

At this moment $$$ is VERY important!

I have been "home" for two weeks now. Two weeks ago I was living the best days of my life in Miami. I put home in parenthesis because I feel like this place is not for me anymore. This is NOT for me anymore! My best friend and I went to Austin for the 4th of July weekend and we had a long conversation about our lives. We both feel like Dallas is not where we belong anymore. We are both in our mid-twenties, single, and have no kids. What are we doing in this city when we could be having the time of our lives in Miami! THAT is where we feel we need to be at this point in our lives, not here. Not anymore. I want to get out of this place so bad!!

I have stayed up many nights thinking how much I hate the direction my life is in right now. I hate my routine here. I hate my life here. It is boring and I am not going anywhere. I have my four year degree but I can't work in my field. All I can do is work in a restaurant or in a small office. These type of jobs can be found anywhere. I don't need to be here in Dallas to find those type of jobs. So why not? Why not move? If I have to live a limited life I might as well live in a place where I can have fun. 

My friend said if we move we can put the car insurance and the apartment in her name. Yes, car insurance, because driver's license or not I need to drive. We would split all of the bills down the middle so rent and utilities would be a shared cost. That would take care of those issues. 

I know finding work will be very difficult but... I am willing to try. I know Florida, especially southern Florida has a very large immigrant population which makes me think that employers are very careful about verifying employment eligibility but at the same time, there is a large immigrant population and everyone there is working some way or another. I have close to two years of server experience and there are thousands of restaurants out there. I'm sure someone would be willing to employ me. Plus, I can get a letter of recommendation from the law firm where I work now and try to find an office job too. The attorney I work for said there are a lot of immigration law firms in Florida and I have two years experience there too. If I have letters of recommendation, references, good spanish/english skills, plus the "caucasian" look due to my light complexion it will not be super, crazy difficult to get a job. 

I really, really want to do this! I want to get out of this place and start a new life.

I still have a lot of time to think/plan/decide but as of right now this is what I want to do. We will be going back to Miami in November to decide if that is the place for us.

I really want this to happen but I am the only one that can make it happen. I know I can't just think and talk about this. I have to act on it too. Come November, I will make my decision. 

For now, the plan is to get another car. I have been saving and I have half of the money. From now to November I can save the other half and then I will have the car. I am taking this as the first step in the change I will hopefully make to my life. 

I have had enough of the life I am living right now. I cannot continue to live like this. Especially after seeing the life I could be living in Miami. 

Oh.. :))))))))

This is not the reason why I'm so hung up on leaving this place and moving to Miami but I did meet a cute Argentinian boy when I was there!! I don't remember if I mentioned it in my last post, I probably did but it's worth mentioning again. We have kept in contact and I will probably call him tonight. 

My new like: Guys with accents!!!!!! I love hearing "vos"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I just got back from Miami.

WOW!

I had the best five days of my entire life!  I want to cry just thinking about it. 

Miami Beach is the most beautiful city I have every seen. It was absolutely breathtaking. I still can't get over how beautiful the city is. As soon as we entered Miami I was in awe. I was snapping pictures like crazy, lol. Then... we got to our hotel. Another WOW! We stayed in a newly remodeled hotel on Collins Ave. The room was another beauty! We had a huge living room with a flat screen tv and a wonderful view of Collins St. Then, we had our mini-bar area, lol, and the bathroom right across from it. The bathroom was HUGE and mirrors covered the entire walls. Our bedroom was awesome. Two huge beds, a flat screen tv, and two huge closets!! My friend and I immediately unpacked all of our things into the closets, lol. Then... our balcony! Oh.... what a view!!! I can't even begin to describe how wonderful the view was. I thought I was going to miss my room but my little room never even crossed my mind when I was there. 

The first day we just wanted to relax. We went to the beach for a little bit and then we went to a Mexican restaurant and had these really strong margaritas. Right after we stopped by the liquor store where I accidentaly bought an Espresso flavored vodka.  Ewwwww..... it was disgusting!!! The good thing is we picked up a bottle of chardonnay as well, so even though the vodka didn't work out I still had my wine, lol. We spent the night at the pool and it was just a very relaxing day. 

The second day we went to the beach. It was beautiful but very, very hot. I think we only stayed for 30 minutes before heading to the pool of our hotel. After the pool we got ready to go to a restaurant but it turned into a huge disaster. We got VERY lost and it took us over an hour to get back to our hotel. We ended up eating at I-hop because we couldn't find parking anywhere and we were just tired and hungry. After dinner we went back to the hotel to get ready to go to a club called Mansion. We took a cab and when we arrived at the place there was a HUGE line. After a lot of chaos we ended up at this place called Morena. OMG! Ending up at that place was the BEST thing that could have happened. We had so much fun there!! We met these very good looking men from Spain and Italy!!!!!!! They were soooooo good looking. I never thought I would meet a men from Italy and another from Spain all in the same night... and that THEY would be talking to ME, lol!!  So much more happened that night but it's too much to write about. 

The third night my friend and I took a helicopter tour of the city! Should I say more! I was on a freakin' HELICOPTER!!!!!!! That alone would have made this an amazing day but what happened later that night is something my friend and I will never forget. We went back to Morena and we had an even better time than the night before. I met a cute guy from Argentina. Wow!! This guy and I just clicked. He was soooo nice and I could not get over how cute his accent was. I looooovvvveeee guys that speak with an accent. He totally swept me off my feet, lol. He quickly asked for my phone number and of course i gave it to him! Of course there is more to this story but it's too long to write about.

While I was dancing away with my Argentinian, lol, my friend befriended a guy from London. We ended up doing a very, very, very, crazy thing... the guy ended up staying in our hotel!!!! He slept on our couch!!!!!!!! This is another LOOOONG story.  In the morning when I woke up. I went to check up on him and he fell off the couch. It was hilarious!!!!

Oh, and the guys we met from Italy and Spain were also there that night. Another long story there too, lol.

The fourth night... OMG! The fourth night...  we went to dinner and spent $133 on 2 entrees and 2 drinks!  Crazy! But sooooo worth it. It was a lot of fun but those drinks... they were something else. My friend and I barely made it back to the hotel, lol. It was a very good thing we took a cab that night. 

Ohhhhhhh!!!! I have left out so much from my story but so many things happened that I would have to write an entire book to describe all the events. 

I just had a really good time and I can't wait to go back.

Going to South Beach was an amazing experience and I will NEVER forget it!

I leave for Miami tomorrow!!! I am soooooo excited :))) My best friend and I are going to South Beach and we have been planning this trip for months. Neither one of us can believe that the day is finally here.  

I started packing but I have packed waaayyyyy too many things. I will have to take out a few things tomorrow. We are only staying four nights but I have like eight bathing suits and 10 outfits... too much. I went waaayyyy overboard on the bathing suits and I don't need so many outfits. Makeup... that is a whole other story. My suitcase is full and I haven't even packed my hair tools and a few other necessities. Ughghghgh. Packing sucks!

I was soooo happy this morning because I thought today was going to be my last day of work until next week. I was counting down the hours on my twitter, lol. I was sooo wrong. My boss asked me to work tomorrow :(  Now I have to wake up at 7am and work all morning. Crap! My plan was to stay up late tonight and wake up late tomorrow. Why do plans always crumble?

I can't blog anymore because I should go to bed now. I have an early morning and lots to do.