A Decade Already? 2008!

In 2008 I was transitioning to the whole 'adult' thing... well, sort of. I dropped out of the social radar. I didn't have much of an interest in socializing, I really wanted to hide in my room whenever I could. I did make appearances to a few birthday events that friends had, but that was it.

What really impacted this was being reacquainted with someone from high school via facebook. I have no idea how they found me, but they did. They inquired about what I've done since high school. My answers offended them. They said that. "It makes me angry and I'm offended." I re-read those messages various times to see if I said something offensive, if I worded something that could come off as offensive... it just really got to me. Finally, I asked a couple who have opinions that I respect. Each time I heard, "well, that is what you did, you told the truth." Then I said, "it was via 'email' so you can lose a lot of translation that way.. there's no tone!" Finally, I sent an email saying that I didn't mean to offend them and I had answered their question honestly. Finally, they told me that they shouldn't have said that and had apologized. They had explained that they couldn't believe I had done those things and they don't know anyone who has done such things- graduated from high school without kids, finished college, traveled the world, developped a relationship with God, and etc. They finished high school and had another kid shortly after... they didn't get to do the things I got to do because of their decisions. From my understanding, the timing of our correspondence wasn't too great either. (obviously).
That experience made me think about the way I explain what I've done since high school to other who ask (and trust me, there were a lot of others as I started using public transportation again). I haven't had an experience like that since, but it really impacted my way of communicating that.

My great grandmother had started going down hill a bit. This also played into me dropping off the social radar. I started helping my madre take care of her full time: weekends, spending nights, etc. My great grandmother couldn't get around without someone and needed someone there to help with basic things. It was hard for her to start allowing my madre and I to do so, but she eventually came to terms with the reality.

We had some really great moments though:

She loved watching the Travel Channel and then retelling HER version of the history during that time period, or when she visited that historical site, when she took a cruise here or there, and etc. That was always hysterical because there would be some key point that just seemed off, but none the less true.

She started learning how people depended on computers. She thought my blackberry was amazing and always asked about my ipod (and my madre's) as if it were a person, "how's your pod doing?" She learned about business and liked keeping me informed about Apple vs. PC stocks and etc. I'm an Apple girl and she liked my laptop more than my madre's, so she kept me updated.

She liked hearing stories and pictures I had of friends who have kids. She always wanted someone with a dog to visit. I would wheel her around in the wheelchair on nice days and she'd comment on how I shouldn't have to do such manual labor, we should know a man so he could push her around. She had a crush on Anderson Cooper... I always encouraged her to write him a letter, but she never did.

I was always lectured about making sure I teach, because they have great pensions for when you retire. Sadly to say, I currently put that idea on the back burner.

I also started enjoying hanging out at the retirement home and hearing stories from the other residents about their lives. Whenever I did have a free day, I spent it at the Ritz seeing movies and taking very long walks throughout the city. It was a nice change to the normal routine, even if that became a routine for having a free day.

I spent my birthday at a Frida Khalo exposition and ate Greek food. I also had my right foot in a boot, because I had fractured a teeny tiny bone that created a lot of pain. I felt so stupid, but it turns out that anyone can do it walking along the street.


Between all of these lovely moments my brother still continued to create drama, despite not living with me anymore. He had communication issues with everyone he knows and continued his involvement with alcholism and drug use. It's sad, but true.

This wasn't an exciting year for me, it was a year of busy-ness with family, life, and trying to maintain sanity!

LOOK AT MY NEW HEADER!

it was made by the ever so lovely Lyndsay Meager Sann !!!!

A Decade Already? 2007!

In 2007 I wrote the most important thing I ever wrote in my life. I wrote my thesis in record time. It was the longest thesis received in the Modern Language Department in English and French.

Amidst all of this I had attended parties with people I hadn't seen in ages, it was really nice to be reacquainted and reminded of my maturity. I made some new friends that I didn't expect to make... and met people who taught me how to address my frustration in a healthier way.

I started dating a guy between all of this and it was a nice relationship until I graduated. It became aware that our maturity levels were way off and I wasn't in the place in life for a relationship. Plus, I was going through a time where I was discovering my tolerance levels in certain areas of life & how to handle these things. My brother was still doing drugs and really making life at home difficult for a lot of people. I was job searching & trying to come to terms with student loan bills (eek).

2007 proved to be one of the most productive years of my life:

I started working at a university. During this time, I kept thinking, "why aren't I working here... or there... or why didn't I finish that Peace Corps application that I started?" It was really hard for me to come to terms with where I was in my life. I finally just caved in and said, "It's not so much for me decide and be so picky when You really know whats best." This was the first time in my walk as a Christian to truly submit myself and hand things over. This gave me confidence in many more areas of my life. I rededicated my life to being more God centered, because I was becoming my worst emotional enemy. and that was no bueno.

A Decade Already? 2006!

2006 was a blur.

I got to meet the 'man of my dreams' who could make me 'zee appiest girl in zee world'. (the H is missing on purpose). He wasn't the man of my dreams. He provided me with great moments to retell to my friends, which ended in sore guts from laughing SO HARD. He had not only left a lasting impression on my life, but some of my friends as well.

I took my painful geology course and packed my bags for leave for France.

I toured all of Normandy and had the most beautiful vacations in Deauville and Honfleur. Those places hold special places in my heart. I traveled throughout the south of France as well and fell in love! I fell in love with Moroccan food... and other foods I never imagined myself eating.

I had a shady trip to Brussels that lead us to always getting lost in the wrong part of time and being the only women unaccompanied in the evenings. We also learned that Brussels doesn't seem to have much of a night life... we were so spoiled by dancing the nights away and watching the sun rise over the Seine.

I went to Ireland and drank the freshest and most delicious Guinness.

I went to Glasgow and met Last Year's Girl and Jay Stringer. Jay told me all about Irn Bru and I've repeated that same information plenty of times to explain my love for a foreign soda. (I'm not much of a soda drinker.. or anything carbonated for that matter).

I went back to the homeland and just walked around.. no agenda. Just taking in everything Catalan.

My host family bought a pumpkin and wanted me to carve it for them... it was the first time I had ever carved a pumpkin! I tutored kids in English and taught the kids on my street how to play Monkey in the Middle. I also spent a lot of time studying in Starbucks because with six kids who play instruments, kick balls, and make sound effects of all kinds while playing with toys you kind of need to study at Starbucks. There was never a dull moment in the house, but sometimes the escape did me good.


I came back to America and was depressed. The depression didn't last too long, as I needed to dive into finishing my thesis!

I listened to a lot of different stuff Lucero, Marah, CSS, Damien Rice, Leigh Nash, Animal Collective, Badly Drawn Boy.. oh the list goes on!

A Decade Already? 2005!

In 2005 I worked my butt off & dated this guy who I had interest in solely for music and film tastes. That was by no means wise.

I was also asked out by a graduate student at my university who was significantly older than I. We got on well, but I needed to explain to him that I didn't want him to like me because of the fact that I still had many things I wanted to do in life & not have strings attached/a commitment that required me to rethink these actions. I also had to explain that I was leaving for France... I didn't want something to leave behind. I wanted to get to France unattached and free to communicate with people whenever I wanted to. He understood. He had no choice but to understand anyways.

I went to France. Mingled with the French. Traveled. Slept in hostels. Stayed out all night until the sun came up.

I ate Berthillon ice cream next to the Seine every Saturday. Took naps lying in front of Tour Eiffel and did my homework in a Starbucks in the 13th.

I listened to a lot of Sarah Harmer, Third Day, City on a Hill, Death Cab for Cutie, Camille, Raphaël, Fiona Apple, Jennifer Knapp, Nouvelle Vague, various French artists I heard on the radio in my host family's home & my host dad had a thing for American country music.

I read too much French and not enough books from Shakespeare & Co.

A Decade Already? 2004!

In 2004 I got a new college roommate. We were in a triple and hoping that it'll stay a double and they'll forget that last one decided to leave us. Well, we got a new roommate who clashed greatly. Next to our pretty pinks and lilacs we had bright orange... like the orange that hunters wear orange. Yeah, not so pretty.

She gave us the flu. My roommate and I had to go home, but the other one stayed the whole time she had the flu and didn't go ANYWHERE. It was awful.

I had one of the funnest Valentine's Day this year too. A good friend of mine was dumped by his girlfriend so he came over, along with a few other friends, and we ate ALL of the chocolates he bought for her. I believe this was the largest amount of chocolate I've had in one sitting.

I learned how to let go of friends. I realized that you can't be so emotionally involved with friends. It was hard, but it's what I had learned.


I went to London for 10 days and had the time of my life. I escaped to France and the Homeland and never wanted to return to college. I was okay with being a college drop out at that point. I figured, if anything, the decision would be justified for my passion of language, culture, and food.

My hallway (plus some others) played a game called Assassin and I nearly won! I was out for the evening celebrating my birthday at a concert & I came back to an anonymous note tucked under my door stating who my attacker will be and that I needed to be ready. I had my squirt gun ready, but I was shot because I was too busy laughing and goofing off in the hallway. darnit.


I worked all summer, knowing that I'd spend a good chunk of time in France. But also to help pay towards items at home. I helped my mom get by, because my dad didn't really help out much or believe that we needed the help. It was hard, but we managed.

I started to retake French courses that fall... I had realized that psychology and I were not getting along and it wasn't meant to be. I also started commuting to school instead of living on campus. It was a long commute, but worth while because I wanted France and other international travels SO BADLY!

This was also the year that my nanny had decided she would move back 'home' (western PA) and be with her family. It had caused some tension because she wasn't receiving the attention she wanted from my mom, brother, and I.

This was the year my brother started to dabble into drugs.

In October of this year I went to go see Mirah with High School Sweetheart and it was hilarious. Hilarious because there were some hardcore feminists in the crowd, other bands playing exuded that, and he was one of a very very very very small handful of males in that crowd. His reaction to realizing that was priceless.

I don't remember many key moments of this year. It wasn't a rough year, but it was challenging in various ways. I started learning more about myself after a year in college. I learned more about friends who I had... friends who I was letting go... and who I wanted to be friends with. (little did I know that I would be going through this again).

I listened to a lot of Mirah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Elliot Smith, Ryan Adams, the Doves, Ok Go, Sleater Kinney, Death Cab for Cutie, more Interpol, Arcade Fire,and the Postal Service.

I read The Lovely Bones, The Sexual Life of Catherine M., and any French literature I could get my hands on. It was a great escape from my horrible psychology reading.

A Decade Already? Year 2003

2003:

In 2003 I was continuing my "senioritis" stint my senior year of high school. Over the past year I had become close with this one girl I had classes with. We became inseparable and taught one another some good lessons about life. I started skipping school and hanging out downtown in various Starbucks, listening to my discman (it was a Sony discman, I still have it), writing, and reading all sorts of literature I got my hands on. My hair was short & messy & I loved it!
Because of missing so much school, the school district wanted to take me to truancy court. I said they couldn't because I have straight A's, except for my math class. They checked out that statement, and sure enough they couldn't take me to truancy court.

I distinctly remember my AP English teacher from my senior year of high school. A lot of her stories, statements, and thoughts on life have stuck with me to this day. She made quite the impression. (She also told me I had the prettiest prom dress she's ever seen!)

I learned how to read tea leaves, my French teacher taught me.

I went to my prom with this kid that I liked at the time, I was deathly afraid he was going to show up at my house wearing a tux top with shorts and have his skateboard with him. Luckily, that didn't happen. My prom was okay.

I went to my high school boyfriend's prom and that was awesome. We looked so cute in my black and white dress & his baby blue vintage tux. haha! My nanny couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the picture, she thought I was lying when I told her what he wore. This night goes on my list of Funnest Nights in Life (so far). High School Boyfriend doesn't dance, he tried and it was lost of fun.

I graduated high school high on codeine because I had a strand of mono that knocked me out for a couple of weeks. While watching Brazilian t.v. a friend noticed these crazy lumps on my neck and I rushed home, freaked out, and we made a dr's appointment that told me I had a "unique strand of mono, but nothing that codeine and other meds can't fix!"

That summer I dyed my hair deep red & worked a lot. Although, I did take part in a 4th of July party that could have been taken right out of a movie. We strategically planned EVERYTHING... the mess, the clean up, everything... but then the parents came home and saw EVERYTHING. They then offered to make us all breakfast (we stayed up all night) since they realized we had complete intentions to clean up after all our hard planning to making it look like the party never happened.

This was also the summer that my nanny said, "we need to fix your face." It wasn't okay that I had some spots here and there. She ordered Proactiv for me and I've been using it off and on since. I'll never forget the moment she said that. It was like time stopped (aside from being at the red light... I still remember the intersection, what I was wearing, and what car we were in).

I was accepted into a university... and had to part from my dear friend who I became attached to in high school. I wasn't so concerned about missing my madre or anything, because I didn't go to school far from home. My friend was going to school in another state. Unfortunately, this friendship didn't last long because there were numerous lies that she had told me, she betrayed me, and it had really hurt. It was my first time experiencing something like that and it taught me how to approach friendships from there on out. I also learned a lot about myself and how I handle/look/approach friendships with people.

I became reacquainted with a girl I met at one of the high schools I went to. We're still great friends and I wouldn't know what to do with her some times. She's someone who was put in my path and I in hers & we have a special bond. I also met other kids who I'd end up hanging out with for the next four years of university and even after! I just had no idea how many goofballs I'd become friends with. We played too many pranks on our RA- he should have hated our guts, but instead he loved us. I'd love to share some stories, but you'd be here all night reading.

My hall entered a male beauty pageant and we reenacted some boy band dance & was jipped for winning. We then made all sorts of obnoxious and loud comments in the dining hall about how we should have won.

I met the only roommate I can ever have/stand. Even though we are very different in personalities, we just clicked and have remained friends since (but only lived together for the one year). Her boyfriend at the time had become a good friend of mine (and still is) and had contributed to some good pranks.


I had a third roommate that fall semester who provided much entertainment without even realizing it. This is not to poke fun at her, but she really had no idea how entertaining she was. She ended up moving out because she didn't appreciate the window being open all the time and she didn't like living with '2 white chicks'.

November of 2003 was the first time I saw & spoke to my dad since 2001. It was when I was able to tell him that I forgive him for all the horrible things he's said and done to me. I forgave him for all the abuse that I had experienced. I also told him about how much hurt I felt, how unloved I was, and how no human being should ever have to go through that. There was a lot that I had shared with him, but that's all behind now.

There's so many more pivotal/funny moments that happened, I just never expected to still recall them with the same people 7 years later. We still laugh just as hard as when it happened too. They're my favourite immature people ever. hahahaha.

I listened to the Postal Service, the Doves, the Strokes, Mirah, Sondre Lerche, Marah, Guster, Rufus Wainwright, Interpol, Goldfrapp, etc.

A Decade already? Year 2001 & 2002

In 2001 I had my first real Valentine's Day (it's the only Valentine's Day I ever had a date)... it was really cute and lovely. Not much happened until about May-ish, because I went to a youth group conference one weekend, broke up with my boyfriend, and then got home to be told that we're moving again.

It was my fourth high school that I've attended and I remember asking my mom if I could graduate from whatever high school I attend because it would be nice to have people who know me to write college reference letters for me. I started attending an inner city public high school that required you to be prodded and poked, walk through metal detectors, take EVERYTHING out of any pocket you had, and put your bag through a scanning thing. There were rails set up for the lines of students coming in and scanning their IDs (which took attendance). This place was rough, but I survived. It was the best change that ever happened for me, actually. The things I learned from this change molded me and make me who I am today. I was exposed to things I never thought I'd be exposed to, but it's really helped with my people and communication skills.

I was the only white girl in most of my classes. At first I was thought to be deaf (there was a high population of deaf kids), Albanian (apparently being pale, brown hair, brown eyed was THE Albanian physical description... plus, another high population), or foreign of some sort and didn't know English. I was absorbing all the social change around me, because there was A LOT. Eventual it was realised I spoke English, really well, and shocked the class when it happened.

I had more pregnant classmates than non-pregnant classmates.

I only ate in the cafeteria for about a week... I then become BFF with my French teacher who let me eat lunch with him in his office. We formed a bond & he's one of the most interesting people I've ever met in my life. He appreciated me being a smart ass.

My mom forgot to pay the cable bill one month, so we went without tv for about a year. I had to watch Felicity and Gilmore Girls at my nanny's. I had impeccable grades and read more magazines and books that I could have imagined. I also bought lots and lots of c.d.'s. I started going to concerts in the basement of a church downtown where you shared sweat with strangers (there were no ceiling fans!).

I read: lots of books on feminism, more memoires (about American figures), and then started realising what types of books I hate (my AP English teacher had us read some awful books).

I listened to more Coldplay, the Strokes, more Fiona Apple, Mirah, the Moldy Peaches, Arab Strap, Belle & Sebastian, more Ben Folds, and Marah (who you could still run into on the street). I also dabbled into the whole "emo' stuff with Dashboard Confessional and Taking Back Sunday.

My therapy sessions ceased this year. I wrote a lot more too... I wrote so much my hands cramped.

I also had a crush on a boy who was so out of my reach because we belonged to complete different worlds. it was so stupid.

September 11th: I was in class when it took place. It was demanded over the PA system that we turn the tv's on and watch what was happening. I distinctly remember the sinking feeling in my chest and stomach when seeing what was happening. I remember thinking about all the kids who I went to school with in the suburbs who had parents that traveled their for work everyday... which then made me think that my dad goes to that exact area for work everyday. I then thought about how it's been nearly 2 years that I've seen or spoken to my dad. The city shut down for several days until everything was... better (?).

I later saw my dad that month for the first time... it was weird. I told him that the phone works two ways, however I'm the child and shouldn't have been expected to pick up the phone.


2002:

I started working at a Chuck E. Cheese this year. It was, by far, the funnest job I've ever had (I haven't had many jobs). I learned that you don't mess up birthday parties or make slight mistakes because the parents will curse you out! I learned my parenting skills at this job too (I'm currently not a parent). I got sweet tip money that allowed me to buy more c.d.s, books, and concert tickets.

I found out that I was thalesemic minor this year too. I gave blood and should have never given blood or passed their We Are Going To Prick Your Finger Tip Test. I passed out 5 hours after giving blood while holding a (then) close friend's hand while they gave blood. I woke up on the gym floor, was sick for 3 weeks following, and looked like I was in an abusive relationship because of the black and blue marks on the left side of my body from hitting the gym floor.

I attended more concerts with my (used to be) high school boyfriend. Specifically we saw The Strokes... as I had introduced him to them.

I still didn't bother dating anyone, I was too busy having fun hanging out by myself and occasionally hanging out with new friends I made at work.

I took my SAT's at a local Catholic high school and had a nun yell at me about how it wasn't correct to take tests while wearing mittens... I told her that she should turn the heat up then because it was freezing cold in the room.

I remember reading Perks of Being a Wallflower, Madame Bovary, some Colette, Camus, Gabriel García Márquez.

I listened to a lot of the same stuff, but developed a strong love for Shakira and other Spanish pop music. I started a French pop collection too. The Frida Soundtrack was popular... Damien Rice, Madeleine Peyroux, Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams, Jesse Malin, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

I had also joined LiveJournal and met Last Year's Girl. Who has become one of my closest and best friends.

A decade already? Year 2000.

So, apparently a decade has passed already? I can't believe it! But then again... it does feel like a decade has passed. There certainly has been enough events in my life that documents a decade (and maybe then some!). Two blogs (last year's girl & With eyes wide open...)that I actively read have documented their decade in one form of another and have jogged so much in my brain... I can't help but copy! I'll be following the format of With eyes wide open... : documenting by each year, sans photos (perhaps I'll add some later when I have the chance) and adding in the music I was listening to at the time.

So here we go!

To follow into the decade, I must give a background of 1999-

This was the year that my madre and I had moved away from my childhood home and left my dad. We had moved in with my nanny, who was used to living alone. This was an interesting experience. I entered a new school, made a few new friends, and had also continued my musical outcast status. I brought in the new year with my two closest friends at the time and introduced them to Philadelphia, as I had lived much closer to the city than they did. My madre was given a treadmill for Christmas that year, but you would have never thought it was her gift as it has become my best friend.

2000:

In the year 2000 I had shed all that baby weight that I had carried with me as a young teenager. I was 14 when the year started and understood what emotional eating was, as after we had moved my nanny would make breakfast, lunch, and dinner (she's an amazing cook- both desserts and meals, but hearty meals not so much like my ethnic meals). I never ate that much in a day until I moved in with her! All my after school activities ceased, and in the new school I wasn't so interested in them. I had realised that I had more emotional issues than I had thought- all in reference to my dad. It was horrendous. I started art therapy. I wrote so much in my books (that's plural, I wrote so much each day that I went through books like no other) and listened to the Dave Matthews Band. Because of the Dave Matthews Band I wasn't an angry teenager. Honest to God. Because of his music, I totally avoided that angry teenager phase and just wrote, read lots of books and spent a lot of time downloading music. I had also spent a lot of time on that treadmill my madre got for Christmas. It was located in our finished basement in front of the t.v. So I ceased watching my t.v. shows at night, taped them and watching them the next day when I got home from school while on the treadmill. I stopped drinking soda and learned what anxiety was because it kept me from sleeping, made me scared to eat because I couldn't keep food down, and made me absolutely sick. It then turned out that I wasn't only going to therapy due to my childhood issues that weren't brought to my attention until we left my dad but also to resolve things with my madre and my nanny. I was also consumed with how media proposed being beautiful, skinny, and wearing name brands. I only wore Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle. (at this point and time, their clothing was good quality and worth buying. not so much anymore). I still wear J.Crew.

This was a BIG year of change, adaptation, and self discovery.

We moved again. I changed schools again. I made some more new friends. These are friends I'm still in touch with 10 years later and some of those I hold so closely to my heart.

I started going to church this year and realised that it all the neglect and other negative things with my dad were nothing compared to the love I had discovered was waiting for me and was much better than anything else. I became a Christian and realised my life was much more than I could have imagined (and what I was imagining wasn't pretty).

I met a girl who I became good friends with and our friendship has been on/off throughout the years. This was mainly due to associating with very different people, being involved with a whole different crowd of kids, and having drastically different demeanors. Despite these differences, we were very close. I would go to her house everyday after school and them jump the fence in her backyard and cross the street to my house. Amazingly, I never ripped a pair of pants jumping that fence!

I also met my first boyfriend. We went to youth group together and held hands. I was this preppy chick and he was a skateboarding 'punk'. Oh my goodness, we looked so different! We didn't date very long, however we are still very good friends.

I lost over 50lbs. this year and became a stick.

I listened to Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, Pavement, Sunny Day Real Estate, David Gray, Beck, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Folds, Badly Drawn Boy, and Ryan Adams.

I read a lot of Jane Austen, J.D. Salinger, and memoires of Mexican historical figures. I was homesick of Spanish culture because we were without the figures who kept these constant in my home.

This was also the year that my Great Grandmother (my grandmother's mother) had passed and a woman who lived in my childhood neighborhood.

I turned 16 and had a big party. It was a slumber party which consisted of a bunch of characters, because I had (and still do) dabble in different crowds of people. It was quite the experience as I remember the mountain built out of soda cans and held together by some dip my nanny made. I believe it had stayed on the porch for about a week until my nanny took a to hose to knock it down... that was a hilarious moment to watch! She had no idea teenagers were capable of such creativity. (small fact: she didn't raise my mother, therefore she wasn't aware of teenagers and their bahaviour/capabilities).

I brought in 2001 at a friend's house who had friends over. I remember getting sick from the food and spending midnight face in the toilet.

This was a huge year for me. I went through such a mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual change. truly. Even though there were absolutely miserable parts for me throughout this year, they were experiences that had molded me into who I am today and how I treat people.

Holidays!

This is my favorite time of year, really! Because it starts to get colder and I can wear clothes more comfortably. My Mediterranean blood keeps me warmer than necessary and with all those layers (and I do love to layer!) I just get SO over heated when walking around in the freezing cold. It's hard to find a nice middle.

I also love that it's a time that everyone gets into a cheery mood and people are into sharing and giving. It also reminds me that it's a shame that people don't feel such moods all year round. I think that if they truly followed that spirit it'd make a huge shift in society. Alright, I'm not getting on a soap box here and preaching... I'll save it for another day.

I really love this time of year because of Christmas and Chanukah! I remember celebrating with Jewish friends of mine and being invited to share their festivities. (My family has Jewish heritage wayyyyy back, but I embrace it as it's a part of me and the blood that's been passed down). Then, Christmas growing up was fun until I was about 12 (I think it was that age). So, as I was invited to Temple throughout the year and celebrated most Jewish holidays with said friends, I would celebrate Christmas Eve with my paternal Grandmother's side of the family and Christmas day with my paternal Grandfather's family... and my mom's family was on the other side of the state so we shared phone calls.

This time of year reminds me of the great Christmas Eves that I had as a kid. I grew up with grandparents who were alcoholics and heavy smokers and the rest of the family was pretty much the same. If they didn't smoke, then they drank, and if they were regular smokers then they created memorable drinking experiences. Anyways-
There were tacos, burritos, chiles of all kinds, and lots of other Spanish/Mexican food that was handmade by my beautiful Great Grandmother (I hope that my hair grays like hers did). Some extremely dark haired man would dress as Santa, and you always knew which guy did it because of their body shape and voice; as well as having a huge pile of gifts that we all opened and adults argued over.
That was, traditionally, how it went.

This family is still rather dysfunctional, so there were some key moments in my childhood like:

• not being able to leave to attend the festivities until my Grandmom had fed the dog it's dinner at their regular dinner time.
• said Grandmother getting wasted and hoping my dad didn't leave without her (because she drove with us & my Grandfather drove by himself in his truck).
• crawling under tables to get to what you want (food, drink, gift).
• getting smushed between grown adults arguing and saying things they should say infront of children and hearing your madre scream, "DON'T TALK LIKE THAT INFRONT OF MY KIDS!"
• getting all dressed up.
• eating.
• eating a lot.
• watching everyone get along before all the alcohol set in.. then the arguments happened.
• being the only girl.

Actually, being the only girl did a lot for me. After this gathering we would go to my Grandmom's house and open up presents there. We would play WFMZ 100.7 because they played Christmas music and eat more food, make a mess, and clean up all over again. We would be there till 3-4 am. It was always such good times. I LOVED Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day we would sleep in, open up our gifts, get some time to play with them, and then we had to get ready to go to my other Great Grandparent's house. I hated Christmas Day. Seriously. We had to sit at their house for hours after we ate Christmas Dinner. I don't like ham, there was Christmas ham and some other stuff I didn't eat. I'd sit and alternate between listening to my walkman and reading a book for hours. My Great Grandmother had this shrill voice and she talked about all sorts of people, even people my parents didn't know and she just went on and on and on. The best part about leaving was that we left with a lot of tins of her homemade butter cookies.

(When I was in Munich for the Christmas Markets I stayed at a place that had an indoor market for a church. I was browsing and found a couple bags of these butter cookies that looks exactly like my Great Grandmothers!! I snatched all those up and, sure enough, they tasted exactly like them too! I smiled and shivered at the same time, but it was a familiar taste in a far away place).

On Thanksgiving Day my tía and I were reminiscing and she remembered two good stories:

After all the gifts were open we would just clean up by picking up handfuls of wrapping paper and putting everything in big garbage bags. Apparently, Aunt Connie's purse was under a good bit of wrapping paper and was thrown out! Of course, this was probably hours after the gifts were open and more booze were consumed. Everyone had to go through the garbage bags and look for her purse.

As recounted by my tía: "I remember this clearly because I was wearing this dress that I absolutely hated... your dad and I were in the backseat of the car and mom was really drunk and needed help getting to and into the car. Well, she didn't close her door the whole way because one turn we took she nearly fell out of the car and my dad reached over to pull her back into the car [insert lots of giggles]. He must have really had to pull her because I remember he was complaining about his arm and shoulder hurting the next day."

As unfortunate as some of these memories are, they are vivd in my mind and I sometimes miss the concept of family gathering. I could do without the heavy smoke and alcohol and bickering, but I miss family gatherings. Often I catch myself laughing hard about some of these gatherings, because the arguments were so ridiculous and unnecessary... why would adults waste their time? Most of these people, except for my tía, are long gone from my present day life. Most don't keep in touch or are speaking terms for silly reasons. It's a shame.

Now, it's just my madre and I. We will watch some movies, with a connecting theme, make the most un-Christmas dish you can make, and sit in our pijames all day. It's just what we do. A couple times it's been interrupted, but that was because we were taking care of my other Great Grandmother. We still all stayed in our pijames, watched a movie, and ate dinner... but a more Thanksgiving-esque dinner. My other family is in New Mexico, my tía is always in mind and loved.

I wanted to share my Christmas memories that have been whirling through my mind as of late.

What sort of traditions do you have? Any memories to share? Any non-traditional traditions?

I have a crush on...

My heart pitter patters for these things, it's serious!

I wanted to share my crushes with you all, because my madre taught me to share & they're too fun/pretty/awesome not to share!

Jane Tran makes adorable and beautiful hair pieces. I love her hair pins, they make my I Didn't See Everything Clearly When I Get Dressed This Morning outfits look better. I first saw her stuff in Anthropologie & since browsing her site I'm hooked.

Speaking of Anthropologie, I love browsing their site in general.

ETSY is another site that I've been into. Most likely because I found my new dinner ware on there, but there are millions of other things to browse as well. I've bought handmade belt buckles, handmade dresses, hair accessories, etc. (The only thing you won't catch me buying from there are scarves and other winter accessories. I make those myself... I might be opening up a shop soon!).

Endless is a great place to find shoes, bags, and other accessories. I really like Zappos, but Endless has proven to have a lot more variety and extremely good service. (Partnered with Amazon, so it's all the same log-in information if you plan to order from this site).

I love to cook (and love eating) so here are some great web sites I've been using recipes from as of late:

food52

Lemon Lavender Cake

Cupcakes Take The Cake

I love cupcakes, therefore I LOVE this blog. Plus, it gives me good baking ideas.

Since we're on the subject of cup cakes, this is genius:

Buttercream

I read about her in the City Paper over the summer, but she also had a recent review in Philadelphia Magazine. My madre is still waiting for me to come home with a half dozen cupcakes.

If you love coffee AND German Chocolate cake then you'll love Gevalia's German Chocolate Cake Coffee. It's sooo good! It's literally like drinking a slice of cake, you can taste each ingredient... right down to the coconut!

Unfortunately, this is a seasonal product. I covet mine and only pull it out on occasion.

I've also received the Blueberry Creme, but it has been highly misunderstood. In the coffee maker it develops an ungodly taste of blueberry perfume; however, the French Press proves differently. To each his own, but I gave this stuff away to anyone who'd want it.

oh, how time flies when you've been sick!

OH! how time passes!

my last post was right before I went to the homeland of the Lucero family- New Mexico! When my family came over from Spain, they landed there and it's one of the most beautiful places one could ever be. I'm really glad that my tía lives there and welcomed me with beyond open arms! Along with Frankenstein (pug) and Henry-etta (cat).

Within hours of getting back from New Mexico a respiratory infection had taken over and basically took four weeks of life out of me. I had only missed one day of work, near the tail end of the infection because I was SO wiped out. That was my October, in a nut shell.

November has been very busy so far. I'm on various committees at work, a Veterans committee being one of them and the meetings, events, and classes kept me busy with nearly 14 hour days every day. Between all these things, my respiratory infection still plagues me because my muscles beneath my rib cage were strained and pulled... oh my goodness that had hurt. THEN, the aching on the right side has persisted and had found out yesterday that I'll need to get more x-rays to find out how bad the cracks in my ribs can be, or if they're just fractured.

Being sick is frustrating, especially when you eat extremely well, take vitamins, and work out (well, the working out hasn't been much the past 7 weeks due to coughing, not being able to breathe, and other gross things).

but I've been praying and hoping you all have been well in the in between time!

seems as though my start up disk is running out of space.

must get external harddrive ASAP.

this way I can still browse iTunes and buy & load up my 365's.

pssh.

Homemade Tomato Soup NOM NOM!

This is a recipe that I've been meaning to post for several weeks now...

This recipe is from I Sodi, a restaurant in NYC. The recipe is for 6 people, but you can always adjust it to your liking and however many people you're serving.

3 tbsp olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

⅓ cup chopped fresh basil

2 tsp chopped fresh sage

1 ½ lb., ripe, peeled, seeded tomatoes, chopped (about 5 medium)

3 slices day-old white peasant bread, cut into cubes

3 cups water

olive oil and basil leaves for garnish

Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic, basil and sage, and cook for about 3ish minutes or until the garlic begins to brown.

Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and summer for about 10 minutes or so, stirring consistently. Add your bread and water. Return to boil and reduce the heat. Stir, breaking up the bread a bit more with a wooden spoon (plastic spoons don't do the trick with this).

Let the soup simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Laddle into bowls, garnish, blah blah blah.

First, I used a lot more olive oil than what the recipe called for (as well as basil) and instead of sage I used rosemary from my garden. The olive oil I prefer to use while making this soup was a seasoned dipping oil from Delallo's. The extra seasoning really made the soup worthwhile. I had also used bread that was I had pulled into pieces and kept in a paper bag for about 4 days or so. Next time I come across some good seasoned bread I will give that a go.

This is a great soup for me to make this fall, because I have so many tomatoes that are JUST NOW starting to really grow and ripen.

ENJOY!

My Transatlantic BFF

My Transatlantic BFF came to visit for a few days! It served as a great holiday that really tuckered my out in the end.

Her first American meal was at Cheesecake Factory, where she was served the biggest burger she's ever seen; however, it crossed her Cardinal Rule of Food by having some sort of mayo/sauce thing on the middle bun slice. She sure did eat a lot of it though and ordered a chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake (which I heard was pretty good to eat for breakfast).

Princeton, New Jersey served as our next location for adventure. We took a two hour tour or so on our way there, my Ima wanted to make sure to show her all the historical marks that created the birth place of America. (Side note: It was pretty amusing at times to see her slightly flinch when a large truck or something was coming on the other side of the road). Once we got to Princeton we had lunch at Panera's and then scoured Princeton Record Exchange for some goodies. L-M was so loved there that they didn't even charge her for a t-shirt or tote bag!

As we ventured away from PREX we stopped in Starbucks for her to try a Pumpkin Spice Latte (WIN!) and we passed by Paper Source drooling about what we could get our hands on. J.Crew was another place we went where I drooled because I watch items on the web site like I'm betting on them via Ebay... it's kinda sad. Anyways, we hit up Paper Source after J.Crew because we didn't have our drinks and they would have been in the way anyways, considering we spent a pretty penny in that place.

A highlight of the evening was our desert/dinner at The Bent Spoon!!

There was a proper tour of Philadephia as well: a cheese steak at Pat's, a walk through the Italian Market (not an official tour, just a walk), a walk onto South Street, a walk throughout Society Hill, which then lead to theLiberty Bell & National Constitution Center.

After being productive and doing historical things, we finally hit up Sephora & Anthropology. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to give details of either events!

In between all of this we laughed, we saw people we never expected to see, and caught up with about 3 years of life. I really enjoyed having a genuine friend around because, let's face it, you don't find them all too often. I cried when leaving her at the airport, but I was also excited for her as she continued her American adventures with One Great City!!!

And I can now start counting down the days (22) till my next holiday to my stateside homeland (New Mexico) to visit my tia. Unfortunately, my mind will be all sorts of confused because I will be in French State of Mind, while I normally speak Catalan with those who share my blood, and they don't speak my kind'a Spanish there!

my eyeballs are ready to shut on their own now... hope everyone has a great week :)

-b'ahavah

Proactiv Skin Care vs. Philosophy On A Clear Day

When I was 17 my nanny had picked me up from work one weekend and said that we were going to run some errands, so I had to freshen up at home and put on 'real clothes'. Not long after she said that we were at a red light, she turned my face to hers by the chin and commented, "We need to fix your face." I didn't take it personally, because I knew she wasn't talking about make-up. I didn't have any on and I never was one to have so much on that you have a line underneath your chin... my other grandmother did that in her later years so I knew better. She meant the spots that were on my face and were probably there because I was 17 and stressed about not being able to get to PREX to buy the new Death Cab for Cutie album or something.

Family members have always commented on how clear my skin is and that I'm very fortunate- my mom's side of the family has intensely bad acne and my dad doesn't have really clear skin, but my family members on that side are hit or miss from my understanding. So, I haven't really needed to use intense products to 'fix' my face or anything else, but I have used such products because I wanted to deter from having to fix my face and getting nasty spots.

Needless to say, while living in France I started to experience what it was like to have spots on my face about five years later than usual. I became really frustrated and realized that the Proactiv kits, as purchased by my nanny via QVC, that I've been using since I was 17 was no longer working it's magic (it also wasn't working much magic when I had to leave the house in the winter mornings and my face hurt so bad... it felt like it was on fire from how dry the products made my skin). I had a nice seven year run with Proactiv, honestly. But, it did come down to a science when my skin started to feel a certain way, when the weather was going to change (even when the humidity was going up and down), and when I knew that sleeping with a face mask on was necessary. I started knowing when I needed to wash my face with the products once a day, twice a day, or whether I needed to take a couple day break. (In the mean time I use Johnson & Johnson's Baby Shampoo. I also used this to get the rest of my make-up off my face).

This past year after looking long and hard for a new face regimen, I finally found the most amazing stuff in the world: Philosophy's On A Clear Day. The foaming cleanser is so light and airy and you don't need to use a lot of it to make it work! The Oil Free All Over Acne Treatment is also light and dries quickly. The Oil Free Spot Treatment is great and really does take care of the spots and larger areas if you wanted to use it that way. The Retinal Cream is light and does the trick as the final layer on your face. I know, I know, it's a lot to put on your face in on sitting, but these are light products and they work miracles. SERIOUSLY.

I have a mixed oily/dry complexion and these products didn't make a difference with how my skin reacted. These products had also evened out my skin tone, which is great because it's nicer and clearer.

I know that Proactiv ships to international locations, so if that suits your interests you can certainly order. Philosophy can also be bought at Sephora, so you can order from either one, or just stop in to Sephora (really, who doesn't want to do that?!).

I can vouch for many other Philosophy products as well. They are delicious! I own most of their parfums too- Pure Grace is my absolute favourite and my casual smell.

I'd love to share more, but I have a guest from Scotland wanting to try out the Cheesecake Factory!

I've just about wrapped up watching the post-conversation on Senator Ted Kennedy's memorial service that took place this evening in Boston, MA USA.

I've always had interest in the Kennedy family and their legacies. I've always felt bad for them as well, due to the tragedies that they've experienced over the years. One of the main reasons, originally, was due to the Special Olympics and everything that Eunice Kennedy had strived for. Upon learning more about her, I learned more about Ted Kennedy and admired the passion he has for the American people and the belief of equality. One of my most favourite moments I read about (and was mentioned at the memorial) is about a union worker who went up to him and said, "I heard everything they said about you last night.... about you never working a day in your life. Well, you aren't missing much!"

Maria Shriver's eulogy for her mother brought so many tears to my eyes... also, my great grandmother had passed away just days before Eunice, so I was in an emotional state overall.

If you haven't read or heard the eulogy, I suggested you take the time to read it.

I've yet to figure out how to fully operate my new camera. I really need to because Lisa-Marie is showing her face in a matter of 4 days!!! I'll need to take some pictures and also need to continue with the 365 project since my hiatus is coming to a near end.

I decided that I'd like to incorporate some odds and ends in here... I happen to buy a lot of make-up/beauty products (it's kinda hereditary) and would like to review them here, as well as review some more subjects on faith and the like. My faith is an enormous part of my existence, each and every day, and would like to put more of that in here too.

well, it's been a long week and I need to sleep. I have a big weekend ahead, but I'll be stopping by tomorrow.

-b'ahavah

"We've Got Him Figured Out"

An article I read recently written by Ben Stein-

"We've Figured Him Out

Why is President Barack Obama in such a hurry to get his socialized medicine bill passed?
Because he and his cunning circle realize some basic truths:

The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008. They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists that they simply took him on faith.They ignored his anti-white writings in his books. They ignored his quiet acceptance of hysterical anti-American diatribes by his minister, Jeremiah Wright.

They ignored his refusal to explain years at a time of his life as a student. They ignored his ultra-left record as a "community organizer," Illinois state legislator, and Senator.
The American people ignored his total zero of an academic record as a student and teacher, his complete lack of scholarship when he was being touted as a scholar.

Now, the American people are starting to wake up to the truth. Barack Obama is a super likeable super leftist, not a fan of this country, way, way too cozy with the terrorist leaders in the Middle East, way beyond naïveté, all the way into active destruction of our interests and our allies and our future.

The American people have already awakened to the truth that the stimulus bill -- a great idea in theory -- was really an immense bribe to Democrat interest groups, and in no way an effort to help all Americans.

Now, Americans are waking up to the truth that ObamaCare basically means that every time you are sick or injured, you will have a clerk from the Department of Motor Vehicles telling your doctor what he can and cannot do.

The American people already know that Mr. Obama's plan to lower health costs while expanding coverage and bureaucracy is a myth, a promise of something that never was and never will be -- a bureaucracy lowering costs in a free society. Either the costs go up or the free society goes away.

These are perilous times. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, has given Iran the go-ahead to have nuclear weapons, an unqualified betrayal of the nation. Now, we face a devastating loss of freedom at home in health care. It will be joined by controls on our lives to "protect us" from global warming, itself largely a fraud if believed to be caused by man.
Mr. Obama knows Americans are getting wise and will stop him if he delays at all in taking away our freedoms.

There is his urgency and our opportunity. Once freedom is lost, America is lost. Wake up, beloved America."

I'd love to hear some opinions...

(http://spectator.org/archives/2009/07/24/weve-figured-him-out)

Death.

I've been helping take care of my Great Grandmother for approximately four years now; however, the past year has been the most intense. This past week has been the most memorable. We had a scare on Sunday and needed to take her to the emergency room. Essentially, the morphine she took for four days had greatly impacted her body... a greater impact than what was intended. She has pain and we've been trying different methods to help ease the pain. Most of the time she says, "oh, I feel fine!" and just gives us this grin. Or, it'll be a bad day and she stays in bed, telling us the prayers she prays to die and wanting to go home. It breaks my heart to hear about how someone wants to die, how someone just wants to go to another place and not be amongst those they love.
That last statement has had me thinking for months now... and really, death is the most beautiful part of life. For those who believe in God, we get to be with our Maker and experience what eternel life is and be where there's no more pain, tears, emotion... just sheer existence with those you do love and the one who has loved you the most. And of course, you could be reincarnated, in Paradise, or just buried. I know that when my Great Grandmother passes, I'll be happy for her- happy she isn't in pain, happy that she's with her mother, and happy that I was able to share the moments I have with her and be able to take what I've learned.

This has also got me remembering about the deaths within my life:

I remember my paternal grandparents had passed away within a year and a half of one another... taking care of both of them and handling the family drama when I was 11-13 years old. I knew something was wrong when my grandfather decided to wear sweatpants all day. I asked him if he was okay and he replied, "why wouldn't I be?" I simply said he wasn't in uniform and then had to explain that he had a uniform. The man always wore trousers and a button up short sleeved shirt, pocket protector w/ two pens, a mechanical pencil, regular pencil, and an eraser. He mowed the lawn in uniform, trimmed the hedges in uniform, went to work in uniform, cooked/grilled in uniform, and just about every picture of him has him in uniform too. There was the occassional cardigan. Unfortunately, he was an alcoholic and his liver retired early. It was Thanksgiving Eve (in fifth grade) and we were there for his last breath.

My paternal grandmother was an Elizabeth Taylor look-a-like (if only she had the money to age like her too) and is the vainest woman I've ever met. She strung my grandfather along and they had an extremely unhappy marriage (they didn't share a bedroom and were rarely in the same room together. The one thing they talked about together was how much beer they needed to buy that week and who was making the run). My grandmother wore bright red lipstick and bright blue eyeshadow every day that I knew her and it didn't matter what color clothing she had on. Infact, when she passed there were 57 shades of lipsticks in her bathroom and countless eyeshadows (some from the 60's, unopened, with price tags still on them). She had thick (dyed) black, curly hair and black eyes. She stayed up until the early hours of the morning watching movies and drinking beer, and then slept in until the afternoon. Sleeping over was great (seriously, who pulls all nighters at the age of 5?) and I watched movies that I probably should never have watched at my age... but I believe that this is how I developed my love of movies. We watched everything.
She also took pictures of every waking moment of our lives (my mom loved this because she never had to buy a camera). Eventually, the smoking and alcohol had caught up with her too. She had lung and liver cancer when I was in the sixth grade. My mom and I took care of her too.


Unfortunately, both parents of my grandparents had watched their oldest child pass. After their passing, my relationships with my great grandparents changed dramatically. I was never close with my grandfather's parents to begin with, but my great grandmother was a woman who really influenced my life. I think of her on a very regular basis, along with my grandmother.
When my great grandparents had passed, I was much older and handed death differently. I became withdrawn, wrote, locked myself in my room listening to the Dave Matthews Band, and ran on my treadmill obssessively. When my grandparents had passed I just locked myself in my room and listened to The Beatles very loudly.


I remember when I experienced my first friend passing, it was in seventh grade. They had committed suicide and it impacted the whole community. I grew up in a small township and everyone knew everyone. It impacted me even more so because I was over their house just a few days before and we all laughed and had a genuine great time. It was the first time it ever hit me that someone at my age can die by their own hand. Before that time, I only thought adults had committed suicide.

Since then, I've had a good handful of friends pass away- mainly car accidents, one other suicide, and one from cancer. Since then, I've been able to handle death and the celebration of life. However, the passing of my great grandmother will be rough. It's just going to be so different from all the others and I believe it's because my better understanding of eternal life.


The first death that I saw my mom grieve was her grandfather and who I called great granpap. Great granpap was this extremely tall (not just becuase I was little, he was 6'6) man with a cane. He lived on this huge farm, that's still in the family, and I would hang out with chickens, run through wheat fields, and then eventually I'd slip and fall in a cow pie (ahahahhaha, SO GROSS!). He kinda scared me when I was little because he'd sit in this chair and poke me with a cane, I didn't like the poking thing, but it was mainly a poke to get some bananas. We'd sit and eat bananas together. Apparently he could eat a bunch of bananas every day and not OD on potassium... I could do that if I wanted, but I never have. I LOVE bananas and could eat five in a day (probably).


My mom believes that I picked up my love for bananas from my great granpap. I picked up my love for make-up, films, jazz music, and tacky decorations (all in fun, not in seriousness) from my grandmother. I picked up my love for the academic world from my grandfather. I picked up my love for my family history/culture, cooking, and foreign language from my great grandmother (the same person who told me 'a lady never curses or uses such language' when my grandmother would curse out my dad or one of her younger sisters... therefore, it's not really in my nature to curse and you know I must be unnaturally good and angry if I slip something in).


It's also just amazing, in general, on the things you carry with you from those who have passed and how they'll influence the rest of your days. My great grandmother had taught me how to be humble, how to trust in the unknown, and how to manage your finances.

She also taught me that it's okay to laugh about death when you are planning what to do with your ashes with the undertaker. (You would have thought we slipped her some Grey Goose instead of water).


I've been praying that she has clarity in her mind, that she's forgiven and let go of all that needst o be, and that she has peace within while she takes her last breath. And I hope that you, too, will pray that as well.

I can't believe there has been five solid days of sunshine. I've seen rain daily for about 2.5 months and have wondered if I moved to Seattle or the UK. I won't lie, this is the reason I've been lazy with my 365. I've been wanting to get outdoors and take pictures there... haven't had much of a chance with the rain; however, I did put together a rain sequence last week.

I'm officially an assistant. I really enjoy the privy-ness to the job and being able to take the responsibility. I'm sure I'll have my complaints at some point down the line, but it's going rather well right now.

I've been consumed with reading the Shopaholic series, figured to get something frilly out of the way before I dive into intense reading that will take up July and August. I'm on a tight budget; therefore, my entertainment consists of intense classes I'll be taking and their reading material.


Today is a big day:

It's day 1056 for Gilad Shalit.
http://blip.tv/file/2282774
http://www.njop.org/Free_Gilad_Prayer.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZvHyZIg5Eo


Farrah Fawcett had passed away:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/arts/television/26appraisal.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimes

http://www.charitywater.org/pages/armstrong/


AND Michael Jackson had passed away:

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/06/25/a-timeline-of-jacksons-life/
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/jackson/index.html

may our prayers and thoughts be with their families for peace, love, and hope.

On a cheery note: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzdf40rhkFo

I've been so busy the past two (or three?) weeks that I haven't updated, but here I am!

Since my last update:

- I also lacked updating 365
- had a lot of cleaning/chores to attend to with my apartment
- helped a bunch of kids graduate
- spent extra time during the week with my great-grandmother
- got a new job
- met-up with a friend who is now living in the South


I've been taking a photo each day, I just haven't been able to get to a computer and post it. Some days, by the time I make it home, I'll look at a computer and turn the other way. This also explains my overflowing in-box.

I've been re-arranging so much with my room and in my basement. I discovered that I had things I could have sworn I threw away five years ago!

It's Graduation Time! So many university graduates are partying away and some are struggling to tie up loose ends to get their recognition. I'm not sure exactly how I do it, but I manage to work well with the cry-ers and get their affairs in order. This will soon be ending, because as of June 22nd I will be an assistant to a great man! It was very sudden how this fell into place, but I'm very grateful for the opportunity because it's a step up from what I'm doing now and it'll allow me to grow professionally in many ways. It'll be similar to The Devil Wears Prada... except he already loves me and is excited about me being his assistant (I've worked for him before). It's a much healthier job, all-round.

My great-grandmother has been doing well, except for the part that she really is just tired of living and wants to die. I understand how morbid this sounds, but you can't help but feel bad sometimes when you hear, "I'm 96 years old. I can't do much, I'm tired, sometimes life hurts... I just want to go home." But, she's not ready to pass yet. She's started a few projects for herself (with our assistance) that she needs to complete before letting go. I don't believe that she'll actually allow herself to pass until this is completed. I love spending time with her, because she's an absolute riot! Her sense of humor is still, highly, intact and she's very aware of everything around her.

I recently met up with a college friend who has since moved to the South. Our brunch date ended up being five hours of reminiscing, catching up, and future plans. We both were able to celebrate new jobs and babble in French, which made us look like we were crazy. It was great to see her and it's good that we understand what it's like to be good friends, even though we don't get to talk as often as we wish.
With that conversation, we were able to talk about our interesting transitions into Adulthood post-university. It was rather interesting because we have two very different lifestyles that we live and we were able to poke fun at one another with it. It was nice to just wind down for a long morning/afternoon and act like we didn't have those adult responsibilities.