Memory of Shayda.

When ordering taco bell, shayda would ask for mild sauce, but instead of saying mild with the "I" sound she would say it with an ill sound, so she would be asking for mill-d sauce. She was a cute kid.

Scrapbook Sun/Mon 2002

This is Thanksgiving 2002. We were at my Aunt-in-law (My Aunt Denice's sister Darcel, we call each other in-law, ha ha ha.) house, and my Uncle David was a budding photographer. He snapped our little sister pictures by the pool.

Oh how we love each other!

Scrapbook Sun/Mon 1988

I don't know if you can tell, but the base page is pink.

I did not like this year of my life. I did not like what I looked liked (which is evident in the class picture, where I had stuck a thumbtack in the picture, while it hung on my childhood bulletin board). But I especially did not like the teacher. She actually told me she didn't like me because I was poor. And I always thought she looked eternally pregnant. Not a good year. And I looked pretty goofy. 3rd grade sucked, but 4th was a great make up grade!

Scrapbook Sun/Mon 1986

This was the year right before we moved to the Gainsville/Denton area...Love the glasses! Thanks Mom and Baba! ha ha.

Scrapbook Sun/Mon 1984

This is me at the age of 4. And if you ask my grandma, this is her favorite picture of me ever... She loves it. And I must say, so do I.

Scrapbook Sun/Mon 1981

This was our first family picture. I swear I am the cutest little baby in the world. Someone try to prove me wrong, I dare you!

Polaroid Flashback....

This is a picture of Me, Shayda, Veida and the local grocery store Easter Bunny.....Shayda was just a newborn...... what I would different.... just about everything....too bad there isn't a rewind on life..

My aunt has a sign on her wall at her house that says something to effect of "Experience is the greatest lesson, but the tuition is costly" (Denice correct me if I am wrong with this....) I am a true believer in this saying...because I know I am who I am because of the experiences I have had....but sometimes I feel spent. And with that feeling comes utter exhaustion......but it makes me a better person......that is sort of how I feel right now......spent.

Why I hate banana bread....scrapbook Sunday.

This is a page from my scrapbook...And the reason it took me forever to like banana bread.
Sandra and I thought it would make it a nice personal touch to the first Youth Conference dance if we made the refreshments. Being in charge of the dance, we felt like we had a responsibility to the dance-goers to be creative and fun.....at the beginning of the week, we bought a whole case of bananas. Not knowing what to do with them, and knowing that they had to be just about rotten....we thought we could stash them in Sandra's closet. I got to go home......Sandra had to live with the smell of a CASE of rotting bananas.....IN HER BEDROOM!!!!! Poor girl.
Well, the day came where we had to bake it. By the end, we were delirious.....Had a banana batter food fight.....and pretty much hated the word banana and bread....We were tired....and no one even noticed the food....in retrospect.....kids between the ages 14 and 18 who are grouped together with the prospects of slow dancing together....are too hormonal and goofy to really care what they are ingesting.

MySpace Steal #2

Another blog I wrote on Myspace.....

Saturday, November 03, 2007
Inspired
I have finished A Thousand Splendid Suns....I recommend that book and Kite Runner, I think I grew a bond with the similatities in my life to the language and behaviors of that book, but none the less, good readin.
I just looked at a blog on blogspot of this lady who takes pictures for a living. I am inspired. I want a cool camera and photo editing software. I wanna do it all.....

I want to...
sew cool bankets
sew cool stuff in general
make cool jewelry
do cool scrapbooking
take cool pictures
cook cool food
make cool gourmet stuff
open a cool place to sell all my cool stuff.

So I guess I just wanna be cool.

MySpace Steal #1

I wrote this last year at this time in my myspace blog....I eventually want to put all my blogs on this blogspot and do away with myspace....so I am bringing them over.....please forgive the historical blogs...but I need to journal all my thoughts together...bare with me.


Sunday, June 17, 2007

Fathers Day
Tomorrow is Fathers Day. There are a few people that come to mind when I think of this day...
I think about my father a lot. He came from Iran in his early 20's. How is it a kid can find such strength and courage to pack up and leave everything he knows and love behind. Not that it wasn't a great move, but it was one that took a lot of guts. Then, in 1980 he comes upon the situation of having to decide...change his path and life and be a father, or turn the other way and keep on what he had his heart set out on...the american dream. And instead of seeking education and money, he chooses to stay and raise me. I am what turned into his American Reality. He worked countless hours in kitchens to eventually create his own cullinary empire. To lose it all because of failing health. He never quite recovered to the success of the Restaraunt he owned called "The Terrace" but he did after 20 something years complete his bachelors degree and become the computer geek he wanted to be. He then had to work overnights babysitting printing reports and when that job didn't pay what he needed to support his ever growing family, he had to take a day job delivering pizza's. Sleeping was an luxury he could not afford. Courage and strength is what it took to seperate himself again from his family to branch out and learn how to recreate a life that was loss amid lies and abuse. And now reunited with himself, his goals, and the loves of his life - his daughters - He has come full circle with the American Dream, and the American Reality as he lives contently. I love my Baba.
Uncle David.
He is a man of a few words but of many actions. I have seen him raise a family yet have no children of his own. I have seen him take in countless numbers of people into his home and guide them by his stern words and example. He came from a family of misfits who stuck together only because of the time periods rules rather than love and affection, only to learn from the mistakes. Some lessons learned later than others, but he was self taught none the less. He understands me. He loves me. He is my team. I can do nothing but love him and look up to him and know that no matter how much I stray, he is right there to give me guidance when I am ready.
Jason
To watch him is to know him..there is no hiding who he is. You see is what you get. He has an endless amount of paitence...something we all know I need more of....He has the ability to make anyone laugh, and every child he comes across love him....well all except for Whit's son...but I hear he cries with everyone. Coming from the school of hard knocks, he does his best to emulate the postive parts of his father, while stopping numerous amounts of abusive cycles. He is a self taught father, having to learn on his own, for his own, with no assitance from a companion. He is the modern father. I can do nothing but love him and give him all the support he can ever need or want, I just pray what I do for him benefits his life.
Happy Father's Day.


Jennie
Awhhhhhh, I like this blog!! YEAH!! Happiness!
Posted by Jennie on Sunday, June 17, 2007 at 11:40 AM

Chrissy
Truly one of the best blogs ever written by Miss Layla! I couldn't put it into words as well as you do. Love you cuz!
Posted by Chrissy on Monday, June 18, 2007 at 10:07 PM

Politics from a 3 year old.

With all the political things going on right now, it reminds me of a little boy named Carson.

Carson was 3 when I worked at the Children's Courtyard. He was an overachiever, dramatic, know it all. I blame his parents. His father was a lawyer, and mom a over pampered stay at home mom. Carson was at the time an inspiring actor, he had starred in a few Barney episodes and made sure that every kid knew that he had met Barney, and much like Santa, he spoiled the truth that Barney had a person inside and isn't really a dinosaur. His parents put Carson in day care for most of the day so the mom could spend time with friends and spa treatments......but that isn't the point.

Well one day Carson came up to me and the following conversation happened:

Carson: Miss Layla, I know what Democraps and Repelicans are.

Me: Oh really, what are they?

Carson: Democraps are people who like to take your money. And Repelicans like to eat it.

Me: (laughing) who told you this?

Carson: (angry at me laughing) My dad told my mom, and I was giving attention to his story.


That was the funniest thing ever told to me regarding politics!