What A Week!

This week was absolutely insane, and when I use the word insane I mean it in the most positive way possible! Monday I could barely sit still in my only class of the day (dance got cancelled so I was done at 10:20!) because I knew Lauren was en route to SCU!!! I ran from class to meet her outside of Benson and from there on out the week only got better :) I showed off my best friend to anyone and everyone who would meet her and I literally couldn't believe she was finally here in Santa Clara for more than 10 hours. Later that day Connor arrived and the three of us went out to dinner at Pasta Primadora in Santana Row and celebrated the three of us being together again. We came back and had less than an hour to get ready for the Spring Concert...SHWAYZE&IRATION!!! We had an absolute blast; this concert was a lot smaller and more intimate than the fall concert but nonetheless so so fun! We came back in time for the 12:01 countdown and literally it was an experience filled with so much love I can't even describe it. Casey started the countdown at 30 seconds and I was surrounded by so many of the people who I love to death and have made an impact on me these past 8 months at school. While it was weird not being at home and with everyone I grew up with being around all my best friends from school made me not think about missing everyone else. We stayed up and had a dance party before going to bed...we were all passed out by 1:30. The next day I had class for far too long (seeing as it was my birthday haha) and I was absolutely exhausted. When I came back from my first class Lauren and Connor had ventured out and gotten me flowers and balloons which was really sweet. After my second class I came back to a decorated door and Casey, Mariah, Lauren, Connor, and David in my room which, was also decorated!, and even more balloons :) Lauren, Connor, and I went to this place called SkyHigh which is essentially a warehouse filled with trampolines on the floors and the walls. We jumped for an hour, captured many photos and videos, and were back for a late dinner. Everyone was swamped with work so we had a Benson dinner well equipped with homemade cake...Case did me proud hehe. The next day I got out of class at 11:35 and by 2 o'clock Lauren, Connor, and I were on our way to the city. We made our way down to Fisherman's Wharf, wandered the Pier, watched the adorable sealions, ate at Boudin, and finished our day with some sundaes at Ghiradelli Square. It was a great last day seeing as Lauren left Thursday morning. We met some of the gang (Case, Mariah, Emily, David, Noah, Jack) at Jasmine Thai--one of my favorite restaurants and had a celebratory dinner. Not everyone could make it so uh oh, birthday celebrations might have to be extended haha just kidding. I had the greatest birthday ever all thanks to my amazing friends :) While everyone worked on homework etc. Lauren, Connor, and I soaked up all the time we had left together. The three of us went to the premiere of Sex and the City 2 which was amazing. I must admit I prefer the first one but it was so fun to see it at midnight and we had such an animated audience in our theatre which made it all the more amusing. Lauren had an earlyish flight yesterday, and without fail we managed to have another tearful goodbye. I seriously couldn't believe she was here for four days and the time completely flew bye and she was gone. I miss her so much already but on the bright side I get to see her, and everyone else, in 12 days!!! I cannot believe the year is wrapping up so quickly; all the lasts of Freshman year are beginning to ensue and before I know it, I will be a big old sophomore...scary thought!


HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST FRIEND, LITTLE SISTER, CARPOOL BUDDY, LOVE OF MY LIFE--MEKENZIE DOLLY ♥ Welcome to Adulthood little one...not so little anymore! Wish I could be there to celebrate but tear up the town tonight :) LOVE YOU!

Home is Where the Heart Is

Last night I woke up on the plane just as we were about to take off (obviously a quick little power nap as we taxied but still I woke up ha) just in time to see the infamous guiding, red light that belongs to Swig--my home for the past 8 months. I could see campus drift away as I was homeward bound, or should I say original homeward bound. After having taken many flights in and out of Seattle and now San Jose I truly have rooted myself in two separate geographical locations. Obviously there is that sensation I get everytime as I see the Space Needle on the approach to SeaTac but I am beginning to get that same sensation upon seeing that glorious little, flashing, red light. 8 weeks after Spring Break, I find myself returning back home...like home home, for a long weekend. My family and our close family friends have had a tradition for as long as I can remember called May Birthdays. There are 5 of us with birthdays that fall in May and out of both families that is a large percentage. However, with passing time there are four of the five people still celebrating. Popeye (my grandparents' best friend and a 3rd grandfather to me) passed away two summers ago and his birthday is today, the 21st. Today I have found myself thinking about him and the amount of life he brought to these celebratory events and just how much I really miss him. I am sure everyone is thinking these same thoughts today of all days and so I just wanted to remember him and honor him in this time of celebration. As I started this post I had no intention of leading the discussion this way however, I suppose it is appropriate because not only is home where the heart is but also home is wherever you find yourself loving those around you. I have definitely developed a new home in Swig and Santa Clara in general but there will never be a feeling that replaces that of Lakewood. Lauren picked me up and I felt as if time had stopped and as soon as we were reunited in our home state everything picked right back up where it left off. We had a sleepover, talked until 1:30 in the morning, and found ourselves driving anywhere and everywhere in our old stomping grounds. Life fell back in to place and I cannot believe I have to leave so soon. I know I come back in a mere 2 1/2 weeks and I cannot imagine the goodbyes that are going to take place but I am reconciled everytime I remember the place and the people I get to come back to. I feel almost like a secret agent, living two separate lives that rarely clash but I love every second of both of them separately and together. As the year comes to a close I have found time to reflect on the changes that have occurred over the past year. I cannot believe the amount of activities and memories that have been created, good and bad, for better or worse, in the past 8 months! And I have an een harder time imagining I potentially only have 3 years left in this newly establish home. I am learning to savor every moment and take in every second of every day while enjoying the ride 100%. Even though a mere 24 hours ago I landed in raining SeaTac, I am currently in Portland, OR but surrounded by those I love and care for deeply celebrating the miracle of life. Happy Birthday Popeye, I know you are watching over us and celebrating extra hard up above ♥

WOWOWOWOWOW...I have been horrible about consistently posting so when I do they are like mini novels. Lets see...this past week has flown by and now I have started the 3 week countdown until I am home for summer! Definitely a bittersweet subject and we all got a little choked up and changed the subject at dinner tonight. But anyways, updates are in order!!!

Lauren finally made it to my home in Santa Clara on Wednesday day after a long and delayed day of driving. While this time I didn't cry saying goodbye I definitely shed some tears of joy when she got here. Everyone else has had the opportunity to show off our amazing school to their best friends from home except for me so I was utterly overjoyed when she arrived. Lets just say it was a scene that only best friends know how to make :) After the shortest and most surreal 10 hours of my life her and Jordan packed up and were on the road again. It literally did not feel real that she had stayed the night, cuddled, and spent time in this new place that has developed into home for me. However, even though that visit was short and sweet Lauren will be flying back down here this Monday and she is all mine until Thursday!!! Greatest birthday treat ever :)

This weekend was yet another absolutely insane but memorable weekend. Mariah and Emily's best friend from home, Chelsea was here, as was their other best friend from home Cassie. Cassie has visited before but seeing the four of them together and seeing that dynamic of old friends was incredible. I was jealous, excited, nostalgic etc. that they got to clash two worlds into one. We had some fun nights with the girls and Saturday night we prepared for Sunday aka one of the longest/craziest/memorable days in history. Friday night we went to Safeway to get snacks and breakfast for Bay to Breakers the next morning. I have seriously never seen a Safeway that crowded in my entire life except for on Thanksgiving/Christmas Eve. We made sandwiches and got bagels for an early morning. We all tried getting to bed early but to no avail and were up in 3 short hours starting to get ready for the big day. Bay to Breakers is an annual race in San Fran where everyone dresses in absolutely insane outfits (some really hard core people go in the nude...but not us) and make their way through a 7.83 mile course. My dad has run this before and asked several times if that was what we planned on doing. Lets just say we maybe made it 2 miles haha. We made our way over to the CalTrain stop around 5:20 am and lets just say if we had been there 10 minutes later we would have either a) Been trampled to death trying to get on the train or b) not made the train. Luckily we were up near the front but literally I have never seen such a mad scramble to get on any form of transportation. At one point or another all of us were pressed up against the train and literally had no control over our movement. I was the last to get on the train out of my friends and thank God I did. Complete and Utter Chaos were the words of the day. There were 1500 people on our train and whenever I've taken the train into the city there are maybe a 100 so quite a different experience. The train ride included chants, people doing illicit things, and at one point I climbed over the railing to say hi to Curtis who was in town for the weekend as well! Once we got off the train the chanting continued and there was a huge party outside the station. We finally made our way to the starting line (after I adamently made someone get doughnut holes with me :) ) and we were off! Long story short we didn't make it to the "Breakers" or the beach but made it to Swig Sweet Swig around 1:30. We were all passed out until about 4 and it was amazing. I am still definitely recovering as is the rest of the school because literally it seemed like everyone was there.

On a side note...yesterday was my high school's last day of school for the seniors. I was talking to Megan and we were reminissing about how strange a feeling it is to be done with such a huge part of your life. Especially for us due to the fact we were at the same school for 13/14 years, you go through such a rush of emotions--many of which still feel so fresh to me. CONGRATULATIONS TO MEGS AND THE REST OF THE CLASS OF 2010...one step closer to graduation and starting the next chapter of your lives :)

After such an amazing weekend I have home to look forward to. I need to make it through the next day and a half and before I know it I will be home for a long weekend!!!

The rest of the year is going to fly by; I know I've said this before but after coming back from being home Lauren will be here and so will Connor!, Shwayze&Irration, BIRTHDAY!, Memorial Day Weekend, then last week of classes and finals, and home ♥

Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived

Cinco de Mayo and Then Some

So the last week+ has been crazy busy and has flown by with unexpected speed. Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo and the school was buzzing with excitement and festivities. Benson, our cafeteria, was filled with decorations and Mexican food left and right. We celebrated with margaritas, churros, and other assortments of Hispanic food that was absolutely delicious! That night we all hung out in my room, which we usually don't do, but we had a blast! The rest of the week passed with relative ease and I didn't stay in my room from Tuesday night up until last night...Jules was out of town and Jacqueline's roommate Sam was gone so Jack and I bunked up so we didn't get too lonely. Thursday night we had a very relaxing evening of just hanging out in the dorms and ended up staying up and talking very late in to the night which none of us expected. To me it was completely worth it. I am a firm believer that nights like those are ones you take with you for longer than you expect and help to form tighter relationships that are more firmly rooted. On a less sentimental level, Saturday was absolutely wild. There was a big "Ocho de Maples" block party that was so much fun! We were out of the dorms by 11 and didn't come back until 4:30ish. We were ready to leave for Nana and Gaffers at 5:30 and the girls and I had a lovely 24 hours there. We were all so tired from the previous week and crashed by 9pm and didn't get up for breakfast until quarter til 10! Much needed R&R was gained from that day away. We drove into town, wandered around, called all of our Moms for Mother's Day and were back to campus by 4 in order to get all our work done.

The year is evidently winding down...round two of midterms are more or less over and more of my friends than I would care to count are updating statuses etc. saying they are already home or homeward bound. While I am so jealous, I also can't imagine packing up and leaving Santa Clara right this instant. However, I know the rest of the year is going to fly by. WEDNESDAY LAUREN WILL BE HERE...yes this is finally happening!!! I can't contain my excitement even if it is for one night. Her and Jordan are driving up as soon as she finishes her last final and I cannot wait to see them! Then Curtis will be here Thursday night which will be another exciting visitor as well. This weekend is Bay to Breakers, a week from Thursday I will be home, two weeks from tomorrow is my birthday and Lauren will hopefully be back for that as well!, and then after that only two more weeks until summer!!! I'm letting the good times roll, always remembering my camera to capture the memories, and loving life in sunny California :)

Wonderful Weekend

Finally after an exhausting week and lots of work, three days of pure bliss. I was done with class at 11:35 on Friday and from then til now I have been in complete weekend mode and loving every second of it. Friday night we finally celebrated Mariah's birthday the right way and ventured to Valley Fair for a birthday feast. Even though we had to wait over an hour, the girls and I feasted and toasted to Mariah's 19th at California Pizza Kitchen. Mariah had never been before and our waiter gave her the ultimate birthday treatment...free Shirley Temple and birthday sundae :) After that, we all came back and a fun girl's night out on the town. The next morning we all rolled out of bed, had a delicious breakfast and laid out in the Rose Gardens on campus. This was the nicest weekend of the year by far and I would say a solid 8 hours of sunshine were clocked in total. After laying out for a little, Terra and I went over to some of our senior friends house. We met them through dance and they are so nice, welcoming, and friendly. We hung out in the sunshine with them and enjoyed spending some time off campus (I mean it was a two minute walk but still off campus is off campus haha). After that Mariah, Case, and I took the longest but greatest nap of all time--all three of us in one bed! We woke up, were completely energized and who knows what we did next! We played some Mario Kart with the boys, hung out and since it was already so late popped in The Patriot down in Sam and Jacqueline's room. I had so much energy I stayed up until 2am and decided to walk in Relay for Life with Katie and Mariah from 2-3 in the morning! It was so peaceful and serence on campus and there was a group of 5 of us walking together, enjoying each other's company, and clocking in some quality rounds of KFM. After that I crashed until 10:30, put away my laundry which was much needed, and then laid out all day long. Needless to say I bronzed myself quite nicely today but maybe a little to much on my backside haha OOPS! Anyways, this weekend provided me with some much needed R&R and I'm looking forward to the nice weather this week claims to be bringing! Bay to Breakers in t-minus 2 weeks, Home&May Birthday in 3, and home in 6 ♥