brain fuzzies
Sometimes
I feel this bogus little thing in my brain called writers block {at least that’s what I’m calling it}, causing every little thing in my head to seem insignificant and not flow-y. and when I’m supposed to present to you a top-secret fun fact, all of the millions of things about me seem irrelevant and not factual. So when I get home from an action-packed day of non-stop awesomeness and I position myself in front of my computer screen, my overworked brain does this, in a feeble attempt at begging to relax:
__________.
nothing.
So please, dearest bloggy friends, forgive me for gypping you of a fun fact yesterday. I hope to make it up to you by sharing some of the items consuming my brain lately {bonus, you’re cheering}, like:
- The first day of summer could never be too cold to set up the inflatable backyard pool. and it can actually be lots of fun! {Or so it looked from the deck. :) }
- Do you think that every movie ever made has someone that considers it to be their favorite? There are a lot of movies out there, but even more people. Does every movie get the glory of having even just one person claim it as their number one?
- Babies fight sleep. Hard. If I could, I’d go back in time and take advantage of all those naps I refused to take.
- It’s going to be NINETY-EIGHT DEGREES out tomorrow! This calls for a visit from Nick Lachey. and probably lots of ice cream and popsicles and air conditioning.
- Babysitting is apparently a good form of exercise, for my muscles are sore today. Embarrassingly enough.
- My birthday is three days away! {That’s May 29th for those of you that don’t want to do the math.} Get excited. I’m excited.
- It’s also Memorial Day Weekend {what an exciting week we have on our hands!} so I hope you have a relaxing, fun time!
Adios!
graduation celebration
Where does the time go?
My sister graduated from the eighth grade last night. Eighth grade going on ninth. She has graduated to high school. To a four year journey of experiences she will remember, and hopefully cherish, forever.
She’s graduated to a time where old friendships will fade, but only to make room for new friendships to form. Cute boys will be discovered and budding relationships will bloom, and for my sister, I would do anything to keep those relationships from ending in heartache.
:: But I’ve learned it’s experiences like those that only briefly disguise blessing in disaster.
High school is a place to grow. A place to build teams that turn to family. A place to gain a sense of self. It’s a student’s chance to make a clear divison between the subjects they despise and the ones they could see themselves doing for the rest of their life. It’s exciting.
Teenage years are times to be crazy {in moderation, of course, while remaining legal:)}. High schoolers are introduced to a new taste of freedom, and with freedom comes greater responsibility. It’s intimidating but rewarding in the end.
So, little one, take advantage of the wonderful opportunities high school presents, and remember that it is just a small stepping stone to the bigger and badder things life has to offer you.
I have no doubt that my sister will have an amazing high school career. I know she will shine as a student and an athlete, but more importantly as a friend, sister, daughter, and person.
Midgy dearest, {even though you don’t read my blog, tsk tsk} I am so proud to call you my little sister. It has been an honor to watch you grow and change over the past fourteen years. I look forward to seeing you continue to morph into the beautiful young woman you are becoming! I hope to be there to guide you along the way with all of my oh-so-wise knowledge.
I love you, squirt. Congratulations.
Okay, I’m done being all inspirational-y. Enjoy your day. :)
ONIONS AND ORCHIDS WEDNESDAY!
Here we are again to honor the stinky and stinkin’ awesome things that happened this week!
Onions to:
- Bruiser imitating the Dolce & Gabbana model. Don’t you see a resemblance? All the while lying on a Napoleon Dynamite blanket.. haha, so impressive. and then he shifts to his position incubating under the lamp. [Both unusually outstanding doggy actions demonstrated above.] Daytime Bruiser is bor-ing I tell ya.
- When my mom predicts the ends of shows/movies/books. and she’s ALWAYS right.
- Cause of death: BOREDOM. It’s real and happening, people.
- The fact that I’ve seen just about every episode of every season of America’s Next Top Model. Multiple times. Okay, let’s be honest, that’s actually kind of impressive.
- Moles.
Orchids galore for:
- When Bruiser hops up onto my chest and puts his stinky, fuzzy dog beard in my face.
- The smell of freshly cut grass [it looks pretty sharp, too. hehe sharp.] Nature smells in general are actually pretty yummy and.. natural.
- Living in relaxing, comfy, non-binding clothing. [until I have to change into something semi presentable and then throw myself a pity party.]
- Mrs. McCluskey. Desperate Housewives, anyone? The producers get snaps for wrapping the series up [I will always love it but seriously it’s time], but deserve a booming round of applause for the finale [well, the 1st half, I haven’t finished it yet…] and Mrs. McCluskey. because she’s a hero. and because I love her and want to adopt her and make her my neighbor.
- Our household reminder that sometimes, one just needs a good cry. for a perfectly good reason. or for no reason at all. but no matter the cause, one will always feel better afterwards. Guaranteed, and you can trust me, because in a house full of women [3/4 being teenagers, might I add] we test this hypothesis frequently, and it has yet to let us down.
Can you relate to any of these things? What parts of your week deserve recognition? Have a wonderful Wednesday!
week 1 of summer back home: the things I do kinda miss
Last week I listed the things I am not missing about college life, but we know in all of summer’s awesomeness there are still some things I had to leave behind that I do miss quite a bit just a little… so here they are!
- schedule — I don’t like change or the unknown, so the routine I developed while at school was quite comforting. I did about the same thing at the same time every day and knew days in advance what I’d be having for lunch/supper/whatever. Unfortunately [for me], my family is so not that way and way more go-with-the-flow. I forgot this, therefore, I’m adjusting [and annoying everyone in the process. Sorry folks.]
- my friends — it was really easy while living on campus to take for granted being right next door to all of my buds. Now that we’re all miles apart, it isn’t as easy to stay in touch, and I can’t wait to be reunited. [technology does ease up the separation anxiety, however. :)]
- coffee — part of that routine included a white chocolate mocha and a bagel for breakfast at promptly 9:07 a.m. every. morning. So my poor little body is having quite a time adjusting to the lack of caffeine. and I just miss the yummy taste. How can I get a hold of that recipe??
- [undercover] exercise — having to walk everywhere is a good form of super ninja sneak-attack exercise. It doesn’t feel like working out, but boy did it keep me in shape! I really miss Zumba, too.
- homework — haha just kidding.
As superb as those things are, as of right now, I wouldn’t trade them for my current state of summer relaxation with my loved ones for anything. Summer will be over before I know it, so I shant take it for granted! aaaand corny-ness over.
Have a delightful Tuesday, my friends!
an arteest and an award winner
I have to show you guys something. I’m honestly a little embarrassed to be bragging about this, but here goes: I painted my nails. Ooh, ahh. Okay no I am aware that isn’t exciting at all but you know what is? I peeked at the bottom of the bottle to see the name of this fancy shmancy color and guess what it’s called?? DUTCH TULIPS! Yes Dutch as in my school mascot and YES tulips as in the Tulip Festival I attended earlier this month! So moral of the story, this nail polish and I were meant to be, and this newly discovered fate needed to be shared.
So I modeled them for you.
Then we had a photo shoot before attending Little Jinja’s awards night. She looked too beautious to pass up. Look at those eyes!
My turn.
{Psst}: it’s been THREE whole days, and Dutch Tulips has wowed me with only one teeny little chip. For those of you who are unaware, this is light-years in nail polish life. Impressive.
The tween and I hope you have a super sunny start to the week.
What are your favorite nail polish colors/brands?
Friday. El viernes. 星期五.
No matter what language it’s said in {English, Spanish, Chinese.. well that’s according to Google translate, I hope it’s right..}, there’s a universal mini-celebration for the meaning of this glorious day: the weekend has made an appearance! Although we could probably agree it continues to arrive what feels like fashionably late, it’s better late than never, right?
Fact #12: I am double majoring in biology and Spanish with hopes and dreams of becoming an Optometrist {eye doctor}.
So, I know we touched on my goals for the future all up in here {my first written post ever! oh the memories}, but since I have a mighty obsession for these small subjects and they tell a lot about who I am, I think it’s important to talk more in depth about my plans and ideas. We’ll just lay it all out here!
I’ve been interested in optometry since I was in the seventh grade. I’m still not too sure where this specific and random love for eyes came from, but there was a time during one of our family eye check-ups that our doctor let me look at my sisters eyes thought all his little machines and lenses. I could see the fibers in their eyes moving and working and I was just fascinated. {Besides being nice, my eye doctor happened to be pretty easy on the eyes, too, which probably didn’t hurt. ;) } Ever since then, optometry has been my dream job.
I didn’t start learning Spanish until high school, but once I began I was immediately intrigued. After taking four years in high school I knew it was something I would like to continue studying, and decided while doing college planning that I would take enough classes to receive a Spanish minor. However, after an exciting conversation with my advisor last month, I discovered that if I study abroad in Mexico {which I had already planned on doing} I will only need one more class after I return to the states to fulfill requirements for a Spanish major!! This caused me to squeal with excitement, maybe get a little teary-eyed, and cheer {in my head} double major here I come! and there may or may not have been a fist pump involved.
And here I am, a sophomore in college, survivor of the evil demon weed-out science classes, planning a trip to vacation study for a semester in Mexico, and watching my dreams become a reality right before my own two eyeballs. In between college and starting a family, I would like to provide eye care services third world Spanish-speaking countries and learn another language or two {next stop: sign language}. Eventually I’ll settle down and hopefully own my own practice. Some day.
So that’s the plan. and how the plan was conceived. I guess the fun of plans is that they never go as planned. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
For those of you that survived that obnoxious amount of unnecessary information about my life {congrats for making it this far}, I am rewarding you with itty bitty pieces of information essential for your well-being!
Did you know?
- Only 1/6th of your eyeball is exposed to the outside world. Um, hello giant eyeball!
- The average person blinks about 10,000 times in a given day. I feel bad for whoever conducted that study.
- Your eyes are the same size from birth to death. …that’s weird.
- Spanish is a romance language. Wink.
- There are 320 million native Spanish speakers, ranking it the 2nd most commonly spoken language. That’s like a gazillion more eyeballs I could help to see!
Thanks converyoptometrists.com and languagehelpers.com for your impressive facts!
and thank YOU for supporting me as I bring my dreams to life! Happy weekend!
TODAY IN THE CLASSROOM I…
…was reminded why I think I’d like being a teacher.
…played sight word bingo.
…talked about life and animals through the eyes of six year olds.
…ate sour Skittles and chomped fruity bubble gum.
…read books in the cozy corner.
…played some more.
…was reminded why I am majoring in sciences and Spanish and not elementary education.
…got lots and lots of loving {and a little sticky} bear hugs.
and I loved every minute of it.
Kids are so innocent and refreshing, and their different outlooks on life inspire me. They have a natural way of bringing me to live in the moment and feel relaxed and worry-free {well, at times :) }. I am fortunate to have a mom who is so passionate about her job {Reading Specialist at our local elementary schools} and she’s wonderful at it. Observing my mom in her element doing what she’s best at is so special and exciting {and sometimes makes me giggle, because to me her job is mom, not Mrs. Teacher lady}. Lucky for me, she and her students love having visitors!
Ah, the little things that make my heart smile.
See you tomorrow!
It’s Wednesday! Two days down, two more to go before we are set free to enjoy weekend activities, whatever those may be. For now, we’ll give out some onions and orchids for the crazy and cool events that have occurred this past week. =)
Onions for:
- My lack of exercise - or movement in general - this week. I’ve been hanging out at home while the fam is at school which was nice for the first few days but now it’s just bor. ing. I can’t wait for them to start summer, too! [I have discovered some new addicting t.v. shows, however. :)]
- Going to the dentist. I’m not afraid of the dentist like some people, but there are plenty of other places I’d rather spend my time. Yay for clean teeth, though!
- My athletic abilities. As if it hasn’t already been established, I am not the sportiest thing in the world. However, things are about to change as I take on the four boys I’m nannying this summer! Four! Boys! Lucky for me they are sweethearts, and I’m really excited to give my shot at some boy stuff. Who knows, I may actually rock at it.
- Moving and unpacking. I am SO glad to be home, but the moving process was much more stressful than I had anticipated. I also have put off unpacking as long as possible but caved yesterday when I was in desperate need of hidden undergarments.
Orchids and orchids and orchids to:
- Pretty flowers and friendship bracelets - both sweet reminders of the special people in our lives that are there to love and care for us. Such a blessing.
- Lunch dates. My mom has joined me for lunch every day this week. I love that hour of time we spend together, talking about our mornings and catching each other up on the latest gossip over yummy food.
- Good smelling shampoo/conditioner/body soap. Doesn’t it just make you feel like you’re in one of those hair supply or body wash commercials? Or maybe just in paradise?
- Evening walks. Another hour of time I cherish with my family. It’s nice getting out, walking through nature into the sunset, and just talking. Except Bruiser can be kindof a stinker on walks and likes to explore, sniff, and lift his leg more than walk.
Have a great rest of the week!
What things get onions and orchids from you today?
Hey dudes, check it out.
What do you think of my rad new layout? I’m still getting used to it, but I think I like it. {I hope you do too, mom.}
We don’t like change.
It’s a little fancier and more “profesh” {did I just say that? I guess it does make me sound pretty profesh…} than the old. We’ll give pretty purple some time to impress us.
{and heaven forbid I throw away the hour’s worth of time I wasted trying to get that little picture attached in my “info” :-)}
<——-
Until then, I must get to bed. A hot date with some elementary students awaits me in the morning.
Buenas noches, mis amores.
week 1 of summer back home: what I’m NOT missing.
As we all know, I just wrapped up my first year of college last week. It’s hard to describe how wonderful college life really is, but there are a few things about it that are not so glamorous, like:
- the toilet paper — let me tell ya, the few extra cents for higher quality toilet paper are worth it. Unfortunately, my college has not yet grasped this concept.
- okay, the bathrooms in general — yay for private bathrooms! is all that needs to be said.
- my loft bed — I don’t know how my clumsy self survived on that wobbly creaky thing, but I did, thank goodness! However, said loft did make middle-of-the-night treks to the bathroom quite a task.
- walks to green lot — green lot is the freshmen parking lot, located on the edge of campus [a maximum of three blocks from my dorm]… so I suppose I can be a baby about walking all that long way to green lot when I know how fortunate I am to even have a car on campus, but having Tink [my chickmobile!] waiting for me right outside my front door is so much more convenient.
- the food — I actually don’t mind the food at our cafeteria, but we all know I’d be dishing out a big fat lie if I said I enjoyed it more than my momma’s home-cooked specialties.
- cable t.v. — too confusing, no guide, and I’m a little disappointed because I was just celebrating the fact that I finally memorized the numbers of a couple different channels. It’s guaranteed that I won’t remember them come fall. [for personal future reference: Nickelodeon: 21 - TLC: 35 - ABC: 5. MTV in the 40’s. That’s all I got.]
- being a freshman — it’s comforting going back with some experience under my belt and having ideas of what to expect.
- my family! and Bruiser, of course — it’s nice to be back home, surrounded by the peeps I love, and make up for some lost time, starting with catching up on recent episodes of all our favorite shows!
Now for a nostalgic walk down memory lane… » lol. «
:: Me obviously working too hard on move-in day.
:: Rewarding myself with a much needed root beer float before bidding the family farewell and embarking on my new journey!
Oh, to be young and unaware of the [very few and very lame, I can’t complain] downfalls of college life.
:)
