Feeling Angsty & Sentimental

“Friendship is like a glass ornament, once it is broken it can rarely be put back together exactly the same way”.

Trust can take years to build, but only a second to break. Unknown

Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."

If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you. -Winnie the Pooh

Wow, Week 8 has almost come to an end. Where has time gone, freshman year was not supposed to pass this quickly! We have to submit our housing forms starting March 1st; how crazy is it to think I already am planning on living arrangements and beginning to move on from the newness of being a freshman...guess I'm a Veteran Bronco now :) This week was filled with papers, papers, papers which meant a lot of time spent in my room by myself and the library. I had a 10 page Ethnic Studies paper due on Wednesday along with a 1 page poster prospectus for the same class. While one usually gets feel relieved and celebrate after turning in such a daunting assignment I instead got to write a 5 page paper for my Comm class to turn in today. When I was talking to Lauren I said, "JRP, no big deal. Too bad I didn't hit a cop car this time!" :) On top of it all I have been battling a horrible cold consisting of congestion, slight sore throat, lack of tasting, and a horrible chest cough that makes me sound like a man. This week has been a treat to say the least.

Tonight I had my French discussion group and we began watching Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulin, I have not watched this movie since I was probably 14 or so and I am definitely loving it that much more this time around. The cinematography is so beautiful and I am loving being able to understand that much more of what is being said without looking at the subtitles. Also, Casey and I were asked to participate in the Chicken Toss at the Women's Basketball game versus Gonzaga! We dragged a cheering group along with us and I stood out on center court with a baseball helmet with a bucket attached on top while Case threw rubber chickens at me. It was humorous to say the least (and don't worry, we videoed the whole thing). Unfortunately, we were not victorious however it is one thing we can cross off our "Santa Clara Bucket List." Ironically enough we had been talking about how badly we wanted to participate in the event just this past weekend. Our next goal is to make it to the big times, the men's basketball game, and come out with the W! Terra and I are planning on watching The Holiday tonight to treat ourselves. Nothing sounds better than snuggling up with a cuddle blanket, some nice, hot tea, and Jude Law :)

Wishing Andrew an amazing time up at the Olympics and Lauren K. a safe trip home for spring break...wish I could be there with you :)

Finally, Back to the Blog

So it has almost been two weeks since my last post, my apologies! I finished midterms, was very pleased with my grades and am now in the final stretch of Winter Quarter and am already finding myself counting down the days until Spring Break!!!

The last week and a half have been a blur. After coming back from visiting Lauren and Linds I hit the ground running...and fast. But lets not skip over the good stuff :) Valentine's Day weekend was perfect with only a minor bump in the road. I got down to Thousand Oaks on Thursday night and after a joyous reunion with the girls at the airport we were go, go, go for the next four days. That night we attended an improv group's performance on campus which was absolutely hysterical! I have yet to go to anything like that back up here so it was a nice treat to experience their campus' weekly activities. The next morning I slept in while the girls had class and then we headed out to visit Linds' mom and Anth at their house in Hidden Hills. I felt like I was taking a private tour of the Hollywood lifestlye; to our right was JLo's house, further up the road was the Kardashian's, and directly across the street was the house where John Mayer had been living for the past year...no big deal. I was so excited to see Lori and Anth (and Bo and Brady of course!) and we had a pleasant couple of hours out there. That night we spent some time with their friends and enjoyed our Friday night together. The next day was a simple day of sun, lounging, and reading trashy magazine. It was 80 all weekend which was a pleasant alternative to our temperatures that have barely been pushing 50. Lori and Anth cooked up a delicious dinner of personal mini chickens, green beans, and rice and we all indulged in Dibs for dessert. I got to spend my Valentine's Day soaring through loops and corkskrews and screaming my head off at Six Flags Magic Mountain. I had never been and it was seriously one of the most amazing amusement parks I have ever been to! X2 was by far my favorite ride but Superman, Goliath, and the Viper definitely gave us some thrills too :) I had a romantic evening stuffing my face alongside my two best friends at a movie theatre where we watched the romantic comedy Valentine's Day. A good, corny, and somewhat predictable movie that had us all crying in the end. I couldn't have asked for a better last day with the girls. The next day was an early morning and quick and sad goodbye to Linds. I got to spend some extra time with Lauren in the car on our way to the airport. We stopped at Jamba Juice and Noah's Bagels on our way which was a nice treat to end the trip. After a tearful goodbye I was on my way back up to the Clara--home, sweet, home.

Since that weekend I have kept busy with papers (I have a 10 pager due Wednesday...wish me luck) tests (I had a french exam today...oui, oui!) and of course spending time with friends. This past weekend was parent's weekend so I got to see Mom again and finally see Dad! We had an amazing time at a big family/friend dinner on Friday night, smaller lunch at Wrap This (one of my new obsessions) with Mariah&Casey and their families, a weekend getaway to Nana and Gaffer's that was fueled with Gaffer's famous french toast Sunday morning and salmon Sunday evening. I was spoiled by my loving parents and we went to Cirque de Soleil's performance of "Ovo" in San Jose. What a treat that was. I have only been to Cirque de Soleil one time prior to this and that was for my 17th birthday nearly two years ago. Andrew had seen this performance in Montreal with Erin and had loved it! The spectacles were amazing and made me wish I could contort my bodies in the way many of the performers did or do crazy tricks on trampoline walls. We wrapped up the weekend with another amusing intramural soccer game that Mom and Dad were able to watch. I'm pretty sure they got a kick out of watching us all play :)

After having been spoiled with the company of my loving family over last weekend and my two best friends the weekend before that, it is easy to find myself missing home. Only a couple more weeks until Spring Break where I will embark on my journey across the country to Maryland then finally, home. I will try and be more consistent with posts but this week ahead appears to be a busy one so no promises! xoxo

SoCal Bound! :)

After a busy, busy week I am finally about to embark upon my Southern California adventure!  I am currently sitting at the airport about to board my 5:55 flight and I couldn't be more ecstatic! I feel as if this trip has been building up for far too long and finally the day has arrived.  This week consisted of four midterms in three days, MOM'S BIRTHDAY!, and copious amounts of pre-Valentine's day cuddling and celebration with my girls :) 

Mom was down over the weekend and it was so good to see her.  I had been coping with a minor bout of homesickness and seeing her for a couple of days was exactly the remedy I was in need of.  We went out to lunch and did some shopping (just the two of us :)) and then she treated me and some close friends to a delicious dinner at Maggianios.  We all had doggie bags to take back to our rooms which we all indulged again a couple nights ago for a late night snack.  Mom helped me study for my Comm midterm and I felt like it was high school again, having my parents at the ready and using them as an amazing study tool!  Ahhh how I missed someone else motivating me and being able to push me to study those extra fifteen minutes...kinda hehe.  I was sad that this was the first birthday I hadn't spent with her in probably 18 years but I am looking forward to seeing both her and Dad in exactly a week!  Happy Birthday again Momma, LOVE YOU!

Over the last week I have received some lovely care packages from Virginia, Jan,Cathy, & Kezzie, and just today I picked up a little package from the Currans.  There was the cutest card that I plan on keeping for forever in which they recorded a personalized message!  Audrey is too cute, she wrote on the chocolate lips, a Valentine's treat they sent down as well, "To: my big sister Love: Audrey." I couldn't stop smiling and even had a little tear come to my eye and Casey said she got the chills.  Cannot wait to see them hopefully over spring break when I am home and all those thoughtful care packages made me miss home and family that much more.

On a lighter note...I get to spend the next 4 nights and 5 days with

                             MY TWO BEST FRIENDS!!! 

I cannot wait and have been antsy all day long!  I have my camera charged, bags packed, and myself ready for what I know is going to be one of the most amazing long weekends EVER!  My flight appears like it is going to be slightly delayed :( and I want to run down the runway and hop in the cockpit to speed up the process...however, I really want to make it down to Burbank not in handcuffs and behind bars so I'm managing to restrain myself for the time being.  

Wishing everyone at SCU and home a wonderful, fabulous, and amazing weekend full of love and laughter.  Cannot wait to share my stories with you soon :) XOXO

Long Time No Post

So this week flew by in a very unexpected but appreciated way.  I definitely was super busy and had something going on every night.  I was looking forward to the weekend and now that it is here, I know it's going to pass way too quickly!  Before I go any further I have to give a couple birthday shout outs...

Happy Birthday Curtis (Feb. 3rd)!!! I cannot believe this is the first birthday either of us have had where we haven't gotten to celebrate together...we have been through so much it's crazy to think there are so many things we no longer get to share such as birthdays.  I know deep down we will always be the "three stupid otters" and I know I will always cherish those memories. One last year of being a teenager, make it count! Love you bud and keep flying towards those dreams :)

Happy Birthday Chase (Feb. 5)! Awesome time last night and so happy to have met you! Glad you enjoyed your night and lets keep livin' it up here at school!

This week one of the things I realized was just how much I have missed dancing.  I was laying on the floor during class this past week and for some reason was overcome by such a yearning to hear bagpipes and be back in Leanore's studio.  We went through the combinations and I got chills just thinking about how I had missed my last year of dance and just how badly I want to get back into it and keep pursing my love of dance.  This desire was augmented after attended the SCU's Images performance on Friday night.  There were eight pieces performed and each and everyone incorporated such a positive energy and passion that made me envy all of the girls and guys up  on stage.  I was talking to a fellow classmate and we both agreed there is no better feeling than being up on stage.  I felt as if my blood was boiling and there was nothing I wanted more than to be up on that stage performing for an audience.  I have my dance midterm on Tuesday so hopefully I can translate all this energy into class Tuesday!

Thursday night was StarSearch, a philanthropy event hosted by one of the sororities.  24 groups performed and several people I knew got on stage and were "shaking their thangs" in front of hundreds of people.  The room was packed with hundreds of people and it was such a high energy crowd, definitely something fun to be a part of!  Besides the creative, hysterical, and fun dances performed there was such a sense of unity in the St. Clare room that night.  I have felt that positive connection to school on several counts now; certain soccer games, big basketball rival games, and Thursday night at StarSearch...that "proud to be a Bronco" feeling was definitely radiating from everyone and I felt at home :)

Friday, I got out of classes early and after reviewing for my French midterm with my professor I met up with a friend from my Ethnic studies class and we got to bake and make a home cooked meal!  She was having some Rugby boys over to help her with a favor and she knows how much I love to bake so she invited me over.  Not having been able to be in a kitchen and bake whenever I please has been something I have adjusted to however, when I get back in a kitchen there's no stopping me.  It was the perfect way to start my weekend.  After that, I went to Images with three girls from my dance class and four other close friends.  We went out afterwards for our friend's birthday and I was able to release some of that pent up need to dance while we were out.  I had a sleepover with Mariah and we turned on the OC and fell asleep before the opening credits finished.  This morning we had a lazy day and got parfaits, brought them back to her room, and continued watching the OC.  Somehow we were inspired to go for a run before both of us had to start getting ready for our respective events tonight (Kappa formal and soccer banquet)...what a perfect morning!

I had the Soccer Banquet tonight which was a lot of fun.  Seeing all the girls dressed up, watching highlight clips, and seeing pictures of all the departing seniors through the years was such a great way to end the season.  Even though I have only known these girls for a few months they have really brought me under their wings and made me feel like part of the team.  I myself even got choked up when the seniors were making their final remarks in part of knowing it was their final season here at SCU but also because I had forgotten how much I have missed playing soccer.  Being part of a team and playing with a team are two very different things and the banquet made me very nostalgic of my many years of playing soccer, especially in high school.  Hopefully intramural can help with these feelings of longing but sometimes you just have to feel sad to realize how much you truly care about it...

Next week I have 4 midterms in 3 days...ugh.  I have French on Monday, Comm and Dance on Tuesday, and Peace and Violence on Wednesday.  This all makes for an extremely busy week...however come Thursday nothing can bring me down because I GET TO SEE LAUREN AND LINDS!!! It's official 5 days until I get to see my two best friends and believe me, Thousand Oaks isn't going to know what hit it :)

Momma comes tomorrow for a couple of days so I am really looking forward to seeing her and getting to spend some quality time with her.  I will get to see both her and Dad parents weekend in two weeks so a lot of exciting visits coming up this month!  Especially after having been so nostalgic these last couple of days seeing familiar faces is going to be nice. Time to focus and get through the week...

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. -The Wonder Years