birthday!

That's right.
Today, we celebrate my birth.
And by "we celebrate", I mean a bunch of people text/Facebook birthday wishes to me from various glorious vacation spots.

That's a slight downside to summer birthdays, but I've had 19 of them so I'm pretty used to it by now.

Today was actually a fairly good one :)

My new roommate happens to also be my cousin, and she happens to have an adorable 4 1/2 month old son. I played with the baby while she got ready for work, and he's pretty much the coolest thing since sliced bread. I mean, he doesn't cry unless his tooth hurts or he's hungry. Pretty kickass little kid.

Then it was a glorious three hour time frame to myself. Hello, cozy couch and the excellent chick flick Serendipity. Perfection :)

Off to Latin American film class, a pretty legit class that is slowly climbing my favorites list. We watched a horribly depressing film (very eye opening, however!) about the repression in El Salvador. Finally talked to someone in the class (yay me!), AND helped the professor remember the right word.

Then, off to study for online class, Human Migration. Ran into a girl who was in my English class spring term in the Honors lounge, and we both awkwardly could overhear what was supposed to be a confidential meeting - maybe they shouldn't hold them in rooms where the wall bordering a lounge isn't a full wall...

Then, it was off to enjoy the day! Called up Ash, ex-roommate/best friend, and within ten minutes I was at her house for an impromptu birthday celebration. She treated me to Shari's (crepes, stuffed hashbrowns, and coconut cream pie?? hello, heaven) and we went and got me a new debit card (yay! no more scratched stripe!).

On my way home, my current roommate Stacy calls me up and asks what I want for dinner for my birthday. Due to the shortage of time before I had to dash to work, we settled on pizza - our friend Tristan picked it up and brought it over. However, it was "you-bake", and it wasn't quite finished when I left, so I have pizza waiting for me when I get home :) Also, Tristan bought me a "dessert pizza", which I have no idea what it is and I'm excited to try it :)

Only downer is that no one at work has remembered my birthday, but oh well. It's mostly men when I get here anyways and we ALL know how their memory is ;) One front desk girl DID facebook me a happy birthday, so I guess that counts :)

All in all, a good, simple birthday :) I've been celebrating all week, with dinner with Ash on Monday, lunch with Marianne on Tuesday, lunch with Carolee and Mike yesterday, and dinner with my families this coming Saturday and next Tuesday.

Well, 19, let's get this party started. I liked 18, so don't be too hard on me, ok?

A day for the dads...

I love Father's Day. A day dedicated to celebrating the most important men in my life? Heck yes!

Of course, my number one will always be my daddy. He raised three girls, mostly on his own, and we all turned out pretty darn good (if I may say so myself). We learned together that 1) Daddy should never attempt to curl hair (My sister's poor head), 2) Daddy can make a mean tuna cassarole, and pancakes, 3) Daddy is a big ol' tough man who's really a teddy bear, and the list goes on. Daddy always wanted a little boy, someone to play catch with and go hunting and do "man things" together with. Instead, he got three tomboys, rough and tumble little girls who lived and breathed sports and had little interest in the opposite sex (until high school, that is...). Sure, none of us turned out to be fantastic basketball superstars, or sports stars in general, but I think we made Daddy proud. He'll always be our Superman, and I cannot express just how much I love him.

Today is a special day because I get to celebrate more than one father in my life. My stepdad, Rick (aka Boonie) is a brave man. He married my mother ten years ago, knowing that he was moving into a house full of pre-teen girls. He had two sons, so he wasn't really sure how to handle girls, but I think he's weathered the storm quite well. Boonie has always supported us girls in pursuing the dreams, no matter how crazy the dreams might have been. He introduces us as his daughters, and he has been more than caring, loving, and generous to us.

Both of these men have taught me many lessons in life, whether it's teaching me how to drive (Sorry I flipped your truck, Daddy, and sorry about the traumatic emotional breakdown Boonie!), teaching me how to fix things (both are big believers in the magic of duct tape), or teaching me what love truly is (the way they love their wives is utterly amazing).

The other toop men in my life?
My grandpas.
There's four of them (how lucky am I?)

Grandpa Monte - the man, the myth, the legend. Gramps has overcome huge, HUGE obsticles in his life, yet is still able to love with his whole heart and trusting and caring towards others. His relationship with God is one to be admired, along with Grandpa's strength and spirit. The man fiercely loves, protecting those who need it. He is a miracle in itself. He taught me how to love, how to live, and how to laugh. He is mid-seventies, but he's still kicking strong. He is still logging and packing his mule train into the mountains. He goes and goes and goes and never lets life hold him back.

Grandpa Doane - Grampa Whiskers is an amazing man. He stepped into our crazy, crazy family willingly, adopting my mother and her siblings during their pre-teen years and saving my grandma for certain insanity (well, as much as he could). He is a man of quiet strength, the support system to the entire family. He loves all of us as though we were his own, and I wouldn't change a single thing about him. He is one of my favorite people to joke around with, and we like to "further the musical education" of each other by swapping mixed CDs. He's a big teddy bear, the best kind there ever was.

Grandpa Boone - Sadly, Grandpa was taken away from us before I truly got to know him. I will always call him my grandpa though, and I love hearing stories about his life. He was a mischevious boy, which led to many different career paths. I think Grandpa tried a little bit of everything, from owning coffee dispensing machines to running a nutria farm. He loved Grandma June with all of his heart, as they weathered 66 years of marriage and 3 kids together. He was a quiet fellow, a deep thinker, who loved to play cards. He was a good man, and I wish I had gotten the chance to know him better. I may have been a stepgranddaughter, but he treated me the same as all of his biological grandchildren.

Grandpa Bob - Ah Bob. He is my stepmother's stepfather (confusing, right?), and he is a character. He loves to talk, and he will tell stories all day long about his days working for PG&E, or how he truly was born in a barn. His favorite topic is hunting and fishing, so him and Grandpa Monte get along great. He's a good guy, and I'm glad he's a part of the family now.

Boyfriends may come and go, but no man is as important to a girl as her daddy. Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful, stand-up guys who are trying their best to be the greatest dad ever. Sadly, I have to say that title is already taken, held by my daddy and always will be.

I love you, Daddy!

eeeek!

My best friend graduated high school last night!!!

I'm incredibly proud of her. She survived transferring schools halfway through senior year and managed to come out the happiest I have ever seen her. She could not stop grinning and hugging every person she knew. I love her to death and am beyond happy and excited for her!

Last night was pretty much all around excellent. My good friend Cady went to Sarah's graduation with me, and we had A LOT of catching up to do. Gosh, I love that girl. We are so incredibly different that we mesh quite well. We give each other new perspectives on everything, and she pushed me to make a decision that I've been waffling over for the past few weeks. Here's to no regrets!

Sitting outside the Flo-Town DQ, eating ice cream and sitting on the hood of my car, was possibly one of my favorite moments ever. It was slightly warm (shocking!) and so chatting wasn't causing us to freeze.

Talking and seeing Sarah graduate made me realize what great friends I've got. Moving away, I lost touch with almost everyone I grew up with, and some of them will probably stay out of touch.

However, I managed to gather three amazing, crazy, wonderful best friends. Funny thing is, they have never met. Sydnie has been there the longest, my better side since seventh grade. She moved to a bigger school after freshman year, and Sarah moved to Crow my sophomore year. Surprisingly they have never met each other. Odd. And neither one has met Ashely, the freaking awesome roommate I got randomly paired up with (thank you, office of university residences!). I feel like I'm torn between the three, as to who is really my number one. But I can't choose. They are all so different, so amazing, and so close to me. Sydnie is my cookie friend who can talk friends and "friends" (best tv show EVER) for hours with me. Sarah and I have weathered more than our fair share of troubles together (side by side, never against each other) and we can talk about anything, any time. Ash...well, I can't even put our relationship into words. I'm the crazy, disorganized, all-over-the-place one, and she keeps me rooted and sane.

These three girls are family to me. They are among the most important people in my life. I would give my life for any of them, and I can't even say how incredibly glad I am that they have all been brought into my life.

Well, this was a random post.....I seem to always start out with one blog topic in mind and then go off on random tangents...whoops! Have a great day everyone, and take time to appreciate those people you just can't live without.

The end of a beginning

MEH.
Why must all good things end?

It's the final week of freshman year (ah tonight's my final night in the dorms!!).
Most people are already packed and outta here. Visits promised, hugs exchanged, dorms cleaned out.

I'm thinking it's the end of the beginning. But it's beginning to be new again.

I'm moving to a house (yes! a legit HOUSE!) with my cousin (and her adorable baby boy).
My roommate/best friend is moving into an apartment THREE BLOCKS AWAY (score!).
There's a redbox (dvd rentals for those of you who are scratching your heads in wonder) perfectly inbetween. Saturdays or Mondays are going to become our date nights. Popcorn, movie, best friend - life is sweet :)

However, some friends are moving home for the summer, and others will be moving away for good. One friend is moving to a college on the East Coast, in South Carolina. We never got extremely close, but classes just won't be the same with out her. Another friend is off to New Zealand for a study-abroad for 5 months. We won't see her darling face state-side until next January. More friends are moving on to bigger schools, ranging from 20 minutes to 3 hours away. I can't help but wonder - what is the future bringing?

No matter where people end up, I'm amazingly glad I got the chance to gain, lose, and gain again some good friends. It will be weird, not seeing the same familiar faces on campus, but maybe this is my chance. Time to break free of the Honors classes (just for fall term- nothing is offered for me!) and meet new people. Venturing out of my shell broadened my circle of friends immensely this last term, so who knows what all non-Honors classes will bring?

Well, since I should be packing and finishing my English take-home final, I guess it's time to end this odd, depressing post. Anybody else going through big changes right now? Share away!

Right here, right now.

Man, my brain has been going into overtime lately.
Over-thinking, overanalyzing, playing the "What-if?" game non-stop.
("what if we had another chance? what if i hadn't done this? what if i hadn't let him get away?")

It's scary in my mind sometimes. Constantly turning, running through multiple scenarios. All the time. Sometimes I wish I was one of those people who could stop thinking and just do. I want to be able to dive before I look, even if it is just once. But, I'm too scared of making a mistake. I don't want to look back and go, "well, that was stupid and look at all the damage done."

I'm not the typical college girl. I have no desire to drink or have sex. I want to stay a virgin until I'm married, which automatically rules me a "prude". My parents just instilled the fear of anything inappropriate by saying, "Don't do anything you wouldn't want to tell Grandpa about." The extent of my "foolishness" is my tattoo, which I actually contemplated for a good seven months before I got it done. I don't regret it at all, but my grandparents have no idea that I have it. Sometimes I wish I was the kind of girl who could have a fling with no strings attached, who could kiss a guy and not get emotionally attached. My problem is I'm an emotional wreck. I get emotionally attached to everything (except animals, oddly enough). Heck, I have stuffed animals and old kids' meals toys that I can't bring myself to throw away.

I have so much I want to accomplish in life, I don't know if I'll get it all done. However, I know I could get so much more done if I could just shut my brain down for a bit. If I was always worrying, I could actually be productive.

Well, I'm hoping I'll have yet another revelation as to shut myself up. Until then, here I go, bumbling and stumbling through this crazy twisty path called life.

Ahh, sweet turnaround.

You ever have a pivitol, "ahhhh" moment?
Like, relaxing after a stressful test, or discovering money in an old pair of pants?

It always happens just when I need it too.

For example, today.

Holy bejeebers, what an awful start!
Slept through my alarm,
nearly fell out of bed (yikes!),
couldn't find my keys (they hid under my bed!),
forgot my wallet & had to turn around,
was five minutes late to work (and had a patient waiting - no bueno!)
realized after checking in an xray patient that my xray tech wasn't there
got in a texting fight with both sisters,
flipped out on a guy for asking a simple question (again on texting- my bad!)
and spent 99.9% of my morning fighting back tears of frustration.
Then,
I stumbled.
No, not down the stairs again (read about that adventure here),
But across a delightful blog.

I've only been following Chelsea for a couple of weeks, but I LOVE her. She's hilarious, bold, and pretty much awesome. She listed a few of her favorite posts, and boredom drove me to clicking (bad habit, I know.) I clicked on one, just mosying, and found out she's doing something kinda AWESOME. Who else posts notes to brighten other's days?

I'm thinking this may be fun to adapt to my campus. Especially this week, during finals.

For more fun ideas (hello, banana deliciousness and chocolate heaven-in-a-cup), I always check Chelsea's site. Sometimes, it takes another's kookyness to highlight your day.

Aretha Franklin had it right.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Does anybody remember what that is any more??
Remember the good ol' days when people had respect for themselves, for others, and for life in general?
What happened?

Our society is not slowly sliding into this decline. We're hurtling, head-first, into a nasty lifeless pit.
When did it become ok to disrespect others?
When did it become ok to disrespect yourself?

Looking around, I see younger and younger children losing the good ideals. My sisters and I watched a horrific portion of 20/20 where a 7-year-old boy was being raised to say "God Hates America!" and picket military funerals. The church that the boy's family belongs to raises children to believe that God hates everyone. They yell horrid remarks based on religion, sexual orientation, etc. There is zero respect for anyone outside of the church, and it was horrific to watch. The picketting of the military funerals was horrendous. The men and women who gave their lives to support our freedom should be allowed a dignified burial, mourned as heroes. Attacking the families and saying that God likes dead soldiers is the worst kind of disrespect I have ever seen. It made me sick to my stomach.

Following 20/20, we went to a local a capella show. I may be a freshman in college but I still have no idea why women feel the need to have zero respect for themselves and their bodies. I mean, is cancer and STD's really worth fitting in? I asked my sister several times where all the pants had gone. Seriously, ladies, can we cover our bodies in public? I'm not asking you to where the full body coverings of the Middle East, but can you at least cover the vajayjay? Tops that stop approximately two centimeters from your "downstairs" preferably should have some sort of bottoms underneath. Please maintain some tiny form of decency and dignity, ok? We're supposed to be role models for the young girls who look up to us. I don't want my niece to grow up thinking she has to bare every inch of skin to be gorgeous, or that she has to get knock-out, falling down drunk to fit in. It's disturbing and disgusting. The amount of inebriated women at the show was awful. One girl couldn't even walk. She staggered side to side, finally leaning on the back of a truck to support herself so she could make a phone call. What is the point in getting so entirely drunk that you can't remember what happens and you wake up hating yourself the next day?

Here's my big issue. When did it become acceptible to disrespect the opinions and ideals of others, especially those in authority?? Just because you don't agree with a professor's idea of how to teach a class doesn't mean you have the right to attack their way of teaching and attempting to get us to learn. You also don't have the right to jump down other's throats for simply expressing a different opinion than yours. Listen to what others have to say. Hear their proof and arguments, and consider what they are saying before you completely shoot them down. Nobody should be as cruel and evil as to belittle someone for standing up and saying something. Taking a stand and being unnecessarily rude are two very, very different things. At least respectfully disagree; say you see the other point of view, but you personally believe that x is y, and provide your reasons. You hate being interrupted, so why interrupt others?

The lack of respect around this world is getting to me. So you don't like the President's stand on an issue. Instead of uselessly arguing or picketting, write a letter outlining your concern. Provide strong arguments, but don't just heedlessly hack away at someone else's defense. If someone makes a point, and another person simply says the first person is wrong and does not support the claim while repectfully disagreeing, I will support the first person's claim every day of the week.

It's ok to agree to disagree. It's ok to dress to show off your body in a decent way. It's ok to disagree with a professor's tactics to an extent.

Just follow in Ms. Franklin's footsteps.

RESPECT.
Find out what it means to me.