Change of Scenery

Kids of the Bahamas.

Alexa, Ryan, me, and Jack.

Alexa floating along.

This Christmas, my family and I ventured down to the Bahamas. We started out in Nassau and then traveled by boat to the Exumas, which are a chain of fairly uninhabited islands. Needless to say it was absolutely beautiful and a refreshing escape from normalcy.

"And it's like being hit by a truck-- over and over again. But you stay in the road. Because when you aren't being hit by a truck, the road is the best place in the world to be."

The Invitation by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.
It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.

I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

By Oriah © Mountain Dreaming,
from the book The Invitation
published by HarperONE, San Francisco,
1999 All rights reserved

Rebecca Medrano sent me this poem and I thought it was beautiful.

"You know what my fear is? One day, we'll pass each other on the street somewhere and have that...artificial conversation." -Down to You

Favorite Things.

People: Family.
Food: Pasta Fajoli.
Song: Fix You by Coldplay.
Season: Christmas.
Color: Red.
Shoe: Vans.
Drink: Hot chocolate.
Animal: Dogs.
Place: Italy.
Happy Place: The ocean.
Hobby: Photography and pranks.
Happiness: The little stuff.

"All this Time" by One Republic.

Six on the second hand til new year's resolutions

There's just no question what this man should do

Take all the time lost, all the days that I cost

Take what I took and give it back to you

All this time we were waiting for each other

All this time I was waiting for you

We got all these words, can't waste them on another

So I'm straight in a straight line running back to you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf52FTMQdt0

While at CVS...

Marlie was on the hunt for mini perfume...and I was keeping myself entertained by singing along to the song they were playing, which was "Your so vain"...and some random guy who was in line behind me says "You go girl! No shame in your game. You sound better than my girlfriend!".....I turn around to see this fella wearing a jean jacket...and missing some teeth.

Just the highlight of my night.

Oh, Luis.

My friend Luis gets his own blog entry. His claim to fame, and entrance into my life began during the Spring of 2009 when he mistaked Vince Riedel for "Flynn". It was an honest mistake, and a hilarious one at that. Ever since then, my interest in this character of a human being grew. He is from Mexico and is currently an undergrad at Chapman University studying film. We couldn't even get through an episode of True Blood without him critiquing different things. My favorite thing about Luis is that he isnt like everyone else. He's different, and sometimes its refreshing to hang out with someone who doesnt fit the social norm, especially in Orange County. I asked him about his views on school and come to find his answer wasnt what you'd expect. He thinks its pathetic that kids complain about having homework, when they are paying for an education, and supposedly doing what they love (or should be anyway). His favorite songs are a toss up between Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and "Paparazzi". (ewe). If he could do one thing to change the world, it would be to establish film theaters in third world countries, free of charge, so that the impoverished millions could escape their lives for an hour or two to be entertained. He also says he would give them all pony's....

Anyway. This meager blog entry doesnt do enough to shine the spotlight on this person...but you should get to know him, if you don't already. He's pretty funny, and a good friend too.

Object of my heart's desire.

Pentax 35mm. Belongs to my dad. I'm going to try and fix it, and hope it works. I don't think it's been used since the 70's! yeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaw.

"I'm a war of head versus heart. And it's always this way, my head is always weak, my heart always speaks before I know what it will say" - Death Cab for Cutie

The Gettttaaaaay Hey.

Hippos.

This picture seemed fitting after writing my previous entry.

copyright National Geographic.

Are your pants too tight?

Well mine are. I put my grey jeans in the dryer and they shrunk to the point where I cant button them at the top...but I'm wearing a black sweater so nobody will notice except me. This triggered my memory back to a time when none of my pants fit, and it was nobodys fault but the food I was consuming. Take a look...

February 13, 2008, Florence, Italy.

Breakfast: Honey Bunches of Oats
Lunch: PB & J, Oreos, Wheat Thins
Dinner 1: Happy meal from McDonalds (disclaimer: its 10x better in Europe, than here)
Dinner 2: Salad and bread
Dinner 3: Brocoli, Chicken, Pasta
Night Snack 1: Cinnamon Sugar Toast and hot chocolate
Night Snack 2: Egg Salad Sandwich
Night Snack 3: Bread with Nutella

And to think of what I'd look like if I hadn't been walking 30 minutes to and from school everyday AND going to the gym....BAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA

Good times.

Nostalgia Wins.

These are some pictures from my study abroad adventure to Florence, Italy in Winter/Spring of 2008. I found my journal that I kept while there, and as I flipped through the pages, the sunken chest feeling returned and suddenly I was overcome with nostalgia. I am so thankful that I kept a journal while I was there, because I documented everything from random happenings to conversations between people I was there with. It was such a special experience that I wouldnt trade for anything. Go study abroad if you get the chance. I promise you wont regret it.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

Hey, Soul Sister - Train

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfBHv5IwBd0&feature=channel

Miss you people.

Today I am particularly missing the former residents of 352 S. Center. They have gone out into the world to pursue their dreams, and I miss them! Sarah and I are going to New York in February...well, we hope so. Its going to be our plan. And we are going to see Ashley and Craig...and reunite as one happy family.

Forgive and forget. That’s what they say. It’s good advice, but it’s not very practical. When someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back. When someone wrongs us, we want to be right. Without forgiveness, old scores are never settled… old wounds never heal. And the most we can hope for, is that one day we’ll be lucky enough to forget.

Today in the world...

Kathmandu, Nepal

Kathmandu has become such a chaotic place. The streets are crowded and everyone is doing their own thing. This image depicts the activities on the street, which juxtaposes with the stillness of the mother and child on the street

Acapulco, Mexico

Dancers whirling in sequined dresses inspired by the Orient reflect Spanish trade with the Philippines during earlier centuries.

Iran

With the exception of their veils, these girls of Barfurush, near Meshed-i-Sar, look, dress, and act like American girls in an Italian district—an interesting sidelight on the New Persia.

copyright National Geographic.

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can. ~Danny Kaye

halloween inspiration.

Hotties.

Copyright National Geographic

Fun Fact

Ultraviolet Bath, Russia

Make-believe summer lasts for a minute or two as kindergarten children in sunless Lovozero bathe in ultraviolet light. Brief exposure to UV radiation provides the children with vitamin D, normally supplied by sunlight. The "sunshine vitamin" strengthens young bones.

Copyright National Geographic.

Quotes.

I am a quote freak. I love quotes. The following was on a menu at this restaurant in Newport called Mama D's...really good, I highly recommend it.

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify and vilify them, about the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward and while some may see them as crazy ones, I see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who'll do it.

Which One Would You Choose?

photo courtesy of www.nationalgeographic.com

Tough decision, I know.

Thunder & Lightning

Courtesy of www.nationalgeographic.com

I wish there were crazy storms like this in California.

sometimes i'm artistic.

John Legend is the man...and I like this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQC8b3bvixs

Men...well, Boys rather.

In a recent outing to In N Out...I became a victim of a harmless prank. You see, when the cashier handed me the receipt, I grasped his hand with mine while taking the receipt from him. He was laughing so much that he had to disappear into the back room so he could get it together before returning to greet other customers. I was laughing as well. In the meantime, my dear friend Vince had written down my phone number on the back of this very receipt and set it in the window. We drove to the next window and were waiting for his food, when much to our suprise, this very same boy appeared at the window and handed me a piece of paper with his name and phone number on it. His name was "radames"...naturally. He looked 16 years old...but Vince and Sarah reassured me that working at In N Out was a legit job that offered health AND dental insurance. Wow talk about security. Anyhoo...we get home and I type in his name into Facebook, because I mean how many people name their kid "radames"...and clearly not many when he was the first person to pop up. The boy, and yes he's a boy because he isnt even 18 yet...is not only underage, but HAS A GIRLFRIEND. Seriously?!?!? Why the heck would he give me his number, which is in fact his legit phone number because it is also on his facebook page, when he has a girlfriend. That poor girl has no idea that her boyfriend, innocent RADAMES, has just given his digits to an almost 22 year old WOMAN. bahaha. What is the world coming to these days?!?!?!

national geographic pick of the week

Copyright National Geographic

Denial

It is October 3rd, 2009 and I am still in denial. Of what, you might ask, and I will tell you. Denial of being a college graduate. It still does not feel like I am living my own real life, I still believe that I am in a dream and I'm just waiting to wake up and still be in college, a student of Chapman University. It is kind of like a trick and I am wishing to just laugh it off and go back to the life I knew for the past 4 years. Its one of those things you never think will actually come, and then you grow up and realize you aren't a kid anymore. I also know, however, that those 4 years were well spent and I wouldn't change a single thing. If I had the opportunity to go back, I don't think I would, as nostalgic as I am, just because it would never be the same. All good things must come to an end, and when the end comes, hopefully you will look back and smile. (but I still wish I could rewind time and be back in sophomore year....mainly because I still had a meal plan and could eat at the caf whenever I wanted...AND get to hang out in the library)

:)

Vanilla Twilight - Owl City

I'll find repose in new ways,
Though I haven't slept in two days,
'Cause cold nostalgia chills me to the bone.
But drenched in Vanilla twilight,
I'll sit on the front porch all night,
Waist deep in thought because
When I think of you, I don't feel so alone.
When violet eyes get brighter,
And heavy wings grow lighter,
I'll taste the sky and feel alive again.
And I'll forget the world that I knew,
But I swear I won't forget you,
Oh if my voice could reach back through the past,
I'd whisper in your ear,
Oh darling I wish you were here.

destination: ireland.

If I could go anywhere right now, it would be ireland.