Unexpected...

It all happened very suddenly, as unexpected as the heavy rain on a sunny day.

She didn’t see it coming. She wasn’t even looking for it.

But there he was with that smile of his… teasing her, taunting her, inviting her to his heart… and capturing her own in the process.

What was she to do? What is it about him? 

Coming soon...

The Door

They say a picture speaks louder than words.

This one screams…

Here’s where everything started…

Here’s where everything changed for me…

I saw him standing by that door and that's when I knew… 

I knew I’d never be the same again.

                                                      Amy

Coming soon…

What a Strange Feeling…

I have to confess. The reason I’ve not been writing here on my blog is more than just not having/finding/making the time to… After staying so long without writing, I started thinking that I’ve kind of lost… my edge. I tried writing these last couple of months, but it just didn’t come out right. It didn’t sound at all like me.

But today someone inspired me to come back to it (thank you Yuli). But before I continue telling you about my journey ‘In the Last 5 Months (well, 7 now)’, I want to share an experience I had this year. Sorry in advance if the post is too long, please bear with me :)

You know, I’ve never been the mother type of woman; I’ve always been more of a big sister type of person. Never really dreamed of having kids, of holding my own baby in my arms (although I love holding other people’s babies hehehe) and having a little person calling me ‘mom’.

But something happened this summer…

I had the chance to work really closely with a group of youths from the YPG here in Houston. As I mentioned on my previous post, we were working on a Play I had written and now had to direct. We had to meet every week, once a week, sometimes more and so I had the chance to talk to them a lot, really get to know them. Their hurt, their disappointments, their dreams, their goals in life; and as I did, something deep inside me started to change… I started having a strange feeling, quite unknown to me.

In the beginning I thought it was just excitement to get the project completed, but after all these months I can say it was so much more than that.

Every time we met, I began to realize how much it mattered to me that they smiled, that they were happy. And if they didn’t smile, why didn’t they? Were they going through problems? How were they doing in school? Had they eaten? Did they have friends? A family who loved them? Did they know how talented they were? How beautiful? Did people tell them that? Did they know how important they were?

Why were these things so important to me all of a sudden? Why did it matter so much?

It mattered because while all the meetings and rehearsals were going on; while we struggled to get everything perfect; while we laughed and shared our experiences; while they made new friends and new memories, something inside of me changed, softened…

I started seeing people very differently since then. I guess I care more, much more in a more ‘personal’ way. It’s almost as if I became more aware of the people around me. I want to help them, add to their lives somehow, even if it’s just by complimenting them or recognizing how hard they work or by something as simple as just smiling at them.

Maybe this is something very simple to you, very familiar. Something you’ve done all your life. But maybe you are just like me 7 months ago, not selfish, but not so concerned about the small things, the details in a person’s life that matter so much to them. Maybe just like me, you were blind to all the little things that make the people around you, the people you love, who they are.

What about your little sister? Have you ever told her how good she is in certain things? Or asked your brother if he's eaten all day?

How about your mother? Have you ever told her how beautiful she is? Or your dad how much you appreciate all his hard work?

Have you stopped to think that maybe that person in your work place that always seem to be in a bad mood, is actually lonely and would just love to have someone to talk to, to listen to them?

Have you ever showed your friend how happy you are to have someone like her in your life? That she makes it better?

What I’m trying to say is, you don’t need to be a mother, or old enough, or experienced enough, have time enough or be ‘good’ enough to care about someone.

It’s in the little things that you start a change. It’s in the small things that you start making a difference.

It’s through these little details, the ones people usually don’t pay attention to, that you can really change someone’s life.

And you know what? By doing these ‘insignificant’ things that you start changing your life as well.

That group of people certainly did it for me. They changed something deep within me. They don’t know, but while they talked and worked and laughed and shared their lives and problems with me, I became what I never dreamed of:

I became a mom… well, sort of ;)

You are my life now

Bella meets Edward. Bella falls in love with Edward.

Bella would do anything for him. Be anything for him.

Bella lives and breathes Edward.

Bella is dead scared to lose him.

Edward breaks up with Bella.

Bella falls apart.

Bella stops living.

This is what happens in the second movie. Edward loves her so much and is so concerned about her safety and happiness that he decides that she would have a better chance at that if he wasn’t around… And so he decides to leave her.

After that Bella falls into depression, has constant panic attacks, doesn’t talk to anyone, doesn’t look forward to anything anymore. It was like her life walked out the door the minute he walked out of her life.

I wish this was something that only happened in movies, but unfortunately this is pretty much the reality of many girls nowadays.

They meet a guy, fall head over hills for him and the ‘love’ they feel is so strong that they are absolutely sure they can’t live without him.

And so they do whatever is necessary to keep that person’s love.

They go against their better judgment.

They turn against their parents if they dare disagree with her ‘new found love’.

Others give themselves completely and unconditionally to the guy, just so they won’t lose them.

They turn away from friends, lose focus on their studies, forget about the plans they had for the future. They change the way they dress, hang out in places they would never go before, accept whatever and whenever, do whatever is necessary, risk everything for someone they say they love.

And the worst is, some even turn their backs on God and everything they once believed in. They abandon their faith; they throw their salvation out the window, and for what? For a guy who ‘loves’ them today and may ‘love’ someone else tomorrow.

They completely lose themselves.

But what if their ‘Edward’ turns out to be a jerk?

What if he decides he doesn’t ‘love’ her anymore?

What if her ‘life’ walks out on her and never even looks back?

If he was her life, what happens to her if he leaves?

What will she be left with?

ILS - It's in 3 days!!!!!!!

ILS - 4 more days!!!!

ILS Countdown... 5...

ILS Countdown - Here we go...

I love you. Seriously.

Falling in love... who can escape it?!!

That's especially true when it comes to girls.

The guy holds her, looks deep into her eyes and says all the things that she's been waiting all her life to hear and BAM!!! She is suddenly head over hills for him.

Don't believe me? Check out this teaser... 

Now, who doesn't want to hear that????

That's one of the things the YPG will be talking about on their upcoming event. Stay tuned!

The Love of my life

It's far easier to look at all the bad things that have happened in our lives. All the words you've heard that hurt you so deeply, the affection you didn't get, the appreciation you never received and all the bad stuff that is engraved in the way you react to people and situations.

It's easier to look at everything you have lost and the opportunities you have missed and the mistakes you have made.

It's just easier to look back and see the good things you had in life and not really be happy about them, but instead, simply focus on the fact that you no longer have them.

But to dwell on the good things... that's not so easy.

So today, just now, I was thinking about how blessed my life has been, despite all the bad stuff. How far I am from what I once was, how much I have learned and how much I have grown and how many opportunities I have had. I have experienced things far greater than I have ever imagined or dreamed of.

I have had great moments in my life and have met some incredible people.

So, by thinking about these blessings, I tried to pinpoint the people responsible for them. I thought 'Surely my husband is one of them, after all he is a dream come true, literally'.

But then I thought about the friends I have and was certain that they are one of the main reasons I am blessed.

And then I thought about the life I've led and the sacrifices I have made and thought I had finally found what had caused me to be blessed.

But then my mind wandered to a place and a time when none of these things existed yet, no husband, no friends, no direction in life. Just loneliness, hopelessness, emptiness...

And so it was clear to me that God was the one who provided all these possibilities, He was the one who caused me to meet the amazing people I have met and gave me the opportunities I have had.

He knew exactly what I needed and gave me much, much more than what I expected.

He became the most important person for me, more important than anything I have... He is the love of my life!

Have you ever experienced unconditional love? The kind of love that doesn't diminish at the sight of your flaws, the one that doesn't end when you make mistakes?

That's the kind of love God has for you, all you need to do is to let Him in...

Want to know how? Just ask me here.

A movie kind of love

'If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.'

Oh my! I gotta say that when I first heard these lines from the movie Pride and Prejudice, I simply melted!! I thought it was so beautiful, so touching, so romantic.

I used to wonder how it would feel like to be loved that much, to be showered with beautiful words and see in his eyes the love he had kept for me only. But isn't that how many girls also think?

You could just picture yourself being approached by that extremely handsome guy, who you've always liked. He comes to you and says he needs to talk to you urgently and before you can make sense of what is happening or what he wants to talk to you about, he starts saying how much he loves you...

Now, wouldn't that be something?

Well, this is what happens when we watch romantic movies, they show that a relationship between two people is perfect, magical, full of romance, beautiful words, being happy, falling in love, loving the person of your dreams and have him love you back. Love that lasts forever, that distance cannot separate and time can never kill... that no matter what happens, you will be together in the end. If you are meant for one another, then you will overcome all obstacles.

And although all that sounds wonderful, I must tell you that it's not how it really works.

The love we see in movies is just a dream-like version of a love that is completed centered on the self, in this case on the person who is watching it. Most girls usually like romantic movies because they would like to have that same kind of love and devotion, they would like to be loved with that same intensity.

Basically you want to receive, you want to experience it, you want somebody to love you, to care for you, to make you happy. You, you, you...

How many girls feel sad, frustrated and just plain desperate to find someone right after watching a romantic movie? And why is that? Because they are thinking about themselves, they are thinking about their needs, their dreams, their expectations. They just want to find someone who will give them all that.

But how can that be true love? How can love be about one person only? How could it be so selfish?

It can't! It isn't! Love is not about taking advantage of the other person, it's not about what he has to offer you, it's about what you can add to that person's life. It's about whether you have what it takes to make the other person happy or not. It's not about you!

If you want to experience what real love is, don't go by what you see in movies or read in books. That is a very unfair expectation on the other person. He will not be perfect, the same way you are not perfect.

So, by all means, watch romantic movies if you like, but don't base your future expectations on them. If you do... all I can say is that I feel sorry for your boyfriend! And I fell sorry for you too...

P.S.: I can already see some girls using this post as an excuse to accept any loser that comes their way, to use it to justify keeping someone in their lives who is harmful to them and then say, 'well, he is not great, but it's not about what I get, but what I give '. Distort my words however you want, but that's not what this post is about and you know it!

Movies, Love and other things

I've had quite a few people ask me when I was going to start a blog. The answer was always the same: There are enough blogs out there. So, I would just recommend some of the blogs I follow, which in my opinion really add to our day-to-day life and are worth our time.

But to create my own? Not really. But the idea would always be there...

If you know me then it's no news to you that I really enjoy watching movies, all kinds of movies really (except horror, I think there is no point in watching them). I like the super hero stuff, the action, the fights, the comedy and of course, the romance.

Then a thought came to my mind: 'Why not have a blog just to share reviews about the movies that are out now in theaters? Perhaps I could even give some tips on old movies I've enjoyed watching. And while I'm at it, I could also talk about love, since it's such an important thing in everybody's lives, and seem to always be present in movies. I could also throw some other things in there...' (can you feel my excitement building?)

So, after much thinking and putting some ideas together, here we are.

Welcome to my blog!

It will be a pleasure writing here every week and sharing my thoughts with you. I hope you enjoy coming here just as much, be it because of Movies, because of Love or Other things...