I've got to keep on movin'

I am beginning to understand the concept of "timing is everything."

Have you ever had a minor or even major twinge of jealousy for moving on too soon? Or maybe worse, not moving on when you had the chance?

While I see posts on FB of friends my and former colleagues receiving their once-in-a-lifetime award of MLB World Series Rings for being a part of the SF Giants family, I drool, I sob a bit, and I vow to keep on movin'. When I decided to leave the world of baseball and ballparks to begin flying the friendly skies, I tried not to look back. One unbelievable National League Division and World Series win later, it's a little hard not to want to be a part of that all over again.

Flying has brought so many joys to my life, don't get me wrong. However, I'm feeling another need for change. A need to keep on movin'. In that spirit I completed a super hardcore workout from BodyRock.tv to literally get up and start moving. Visit the website and try the workouts, the motivation there is incredible and kicks my butt every time.

Next up... Getting my mind and energy moving. I'm really stoked about the Morning Whip seminar hosted by TheDailyWhip.com. And though it'll be quite the investment, I feel like the timing is dead on. I'm ready to move forward and I'm excited at where I'll be personally, physically, and professionally by the end of 2011. In these 3 1/2 months only time will tell.

Bring it on! Let's get crackin'!

Getting in Gear!

Greetings from DC!

On a layover here in DC and am really feeding off this great energy of adrenaline that I have in anticipation of the next few days. I always am amazed to thing I've nearly been to the moon and back all while being blessed with the greatest of company in my fellow crew-members, as well as meeting up with loved ones along the way.

To think... I woke up in SF, will go to sleep in DC tonight. *pause for a now short rest in DC and a lovely breakfast with the crew* (maybe a quick warm up workout before breakfast... eh, perhaps.)

Then off to SF. Then scramble over a gate or two to hitch a ride to LA to see a friend and spend the night.

Then beeline it back to SF the next day in time to have a rehearsal among an amazing set of dancers, AND greet and host my parents at my house that night.

Then SHAZAM! Over to Seattle first thing in the morning to then drive up to Vancouver, British Columbia to celebrate my lola's 85th birthday.

The family hugs and kisses and drinks and dances, then my parents and boyfriend and I WOOSH! Back to SF come Monday afternoon so that Dad and boyfriend can get back to work Tuesday morning. And well, I'll be sleeping in hopefully since I just have a red eye flight on Tuesday night.

I'll be back to SF to come home to just my boyfriend next Wednesday night. No parents, no aunties, or uncles, or cousins. Just us.

This is my life. It's crazy, but  I don't know that I'd trade it for anything else at the moment.

Chaos kind of excites me :)

My Permission Slip to Dominate the Galaxy

To all my inner demons and ugly voices that have ever doubted my strengths and my cojones...

Here it is, my official permission slip to dominate the galaxy.

Read it and weep, suckas!

---------- * ----------

I, Marissa Alyce Cruz, officially give myself permission to declare what I don't want and what I do want.  

X      Marissa Cruz       
Print Name:      Marissa Cruz            Date:        9/6/11      

---------- * ----------

While I'm at it, I'll include my Official Conviction Contract:

I, Marissa Alyce Cruz, promise to honor and obey --forever-- my Official Conviction Contract. I determine, dictate and direct my financial value!

X      Marissa Cruz       

Print Name:      Marissa Cruz            Date:        9/6/11      

---------- * ----------

Contracts courtesy of

Erika Lyremark - Whip Master

at The Daily Whip

I'm  doing it. I'm taking the plunge. I'm going to invest my time and energy into being the event planning maven that I'm destined to be.

And I'll be doing it through the Morning Whip starting September 25th. It's going to be a wild ride!

Thank you Eryka for the nudge in getting off my ass and fully on board for my Red Carpet Dream.
Let's get crackin!

Cheers!

Perks of Being a [Blog]flower

Yesterday, I finished reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It was a pretty quick read; entertaining and fun. The ending wound up having a pretty remarkable impact on me. I highly recommend the book, and I really can't tell you what it is "about" but I can tell you that it's taught me a lesson or two about how to be a good friend.

In the book, Sam, a college bound bright-eyed girl, tells Charlie- the star of the story:

"Charlie, don't you get it?... It's great that you can listen and be a shoulder to someone, but what about when someone doesn't need a shoulder. What if they need the arms or something like that? You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things."

Now, I've created a habit of following a handful of blogs that are the call-to-action kind of blogs. Blogs and newsletters about DIY projects, entrepreneurial success stories, and such... I realize now that I've been soaking up all this great info like a sponge. But there comes a time where you've got to drop the sponge act and get out there and participate.

So here I am. Definitely a newbie at blogging, but ready to get out there and contribute to the conversations that until now I've only followed from a distance. I don't know that I'm an expert at any one thing, but maybe through this practice of blogging, I'll find my niche. Even if I don't, I'm ready to get off the wall.

What's Cookin' Canada?

1818 PST - Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - Burnaby, British Columbia - Canada

Hello old friend.. I know I've been a bit of a butt head in not contributing much here but fear no more, I'm back.

I recently had the pleasure of seeing a friend of mine by the name of Nicole Maxali on stage performing an excerpt of her very own "I Heart Lola" solo show. It was entertaining in every sense - funny, touching, a tad tragic, but also so inspiring. It totally had me thinking about my own grandmother, Mama Heck, and how I really ought to be picking her brain as often as I can. Mama Heck - mother of 11, grandmother of something like 24, and great-grandmother of 1 (my little monster but oh-so-adorable of a niece); just think about the volumes of stories that she must have!! It'd be too big of a shame not to uncover what I can when I see her. Mama Heck is well loved by so many folks because she's a super sweet lady, and also an AMAZING cook. So for once, my goal for this visit to Canada (home of just about all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and of course Mama Heck) is not going to be shopping - besides, the exchange rate is almost even and herrro! I live in SF, I can pretty much get anything there that I could get here. My goal is to collect as many of MH's recipes that I can. She makes this suuuuperrrr goooooood spaghetti sauce that is so popular that any time she would visit my family in California, we'd have her make three huge batches and we'd freeze it so we could keep it year round when she wasn't home to make it. Another favorite of mine is these lettuce wraps she made me once, again, suuuuperrrr goooooood! As we speak MH is on a Costco run with Tita Betsy, hopefully MH won't be too tired to share when they return.

I have to apologize for keeping you hanging for so long. All my bad. However, I'm going to make a point of writing more. After all, my cousin Ina is on a blogging kick so I figure, it's never too late to start? I hear foot steps! MH is back. Time to get cookin'!