La Vida de Los Vasquez

My Graduation Annoucement

2011-04-03T17:39:00.001-07:00

Classic Purple Graduation

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Vacations To Take

2011-03-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

List #28: Vacations To Take

I have a few vacations "on-deck." They include:

Las Vegas for the weekend of August 19-21, 2011. This is a bachelorette getaway, but is different because we are renting a vacation home (as opposed to splitting the partiers up into random hotel rooms).
Hollister, CA for the weekend of September 16-18, 2011. This trip is to attend the wedding of one of my sorority sisters. I'm also a bridesmaid in the wedding
Seattle, WA/Portland, OR/Tillamook, OR/Medford, OR/San Francisco, CA from October 12-19, 2011. This is our "five year anniversary trip." We plan to fly up to Seattle, spend a couple days there, then rent a car and road-trip back home with stops in Portland, a day-trip to Tillamook, a night in Medford, and a couple days in San Francisco.

Other vacations I would like to take sometime in my life:

Washington, D.C.
Austin, TX (to see the bats come out from under the bridge)
Boston
Chicago
Alaska
Atlanta
Prague
Oktoberfest in Germany
London
Paris
Gastronomic tour of Italy
Croatia
Romania
Thailand
Tokyo
Peru
Brazil
Argentina

And a couple of "encore" vacations I'd love to re-do with my husband/children/friends:

The Grand Canyon
Yellowstone
Yosemite
New York City
Hawaii
Cancun
Orlando/Disneyworld
Miami
New Orleans

~LOVE~

Lessons Learned

2011-03-28T23:28:00.001-07:00

List #27: Lessons Learned

I'll try to keep this one brief, because it's late (once again).

Everything is okay to eat/drink, as long as you do it in moderation
Honesty is the best policy
Family is #1
If you and your partner aren't "on the same team," you're in trouble
Wash your hands often
It's okay to be selfish every once in awhile
Stretch before exercising
Nothing worth achieving comes easily
Friends who don't positively contribute to your life are not worth keeping around
Be polite--people are not used to it and it makes a big difference
Sadly, it's often not what you know, but who you know

~LOVE~

Books I'd Like To Read This Year

2011-03-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

List #26: Books I'd Like To Read This Year

Oh man, I have big plans for all the books I want to read once I'm done with grad school (on May 13)!! Here is a short list, based on what I can think of right now (quarter to midnight).

Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card (Currently reading this one)
Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card
Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro
Night by Elie Wiesel
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain
Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler (Due out May 10)
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (Due out May 3)

Special Note: I own all of these books except the two that aren't out yet. They are both on my Amazon Wishlist, but if I don't get them by graduation, I'll probably just buy them myself.

~LOVE~

Things I'd Rather Be Doing Right Now

2011-03-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

List 25: Things I'd Rather Be Doing Right Now

To be honest, right now I am sipping coffee in my kitchen and spending quality time with my computer/the internet. These are two things I love, and often would rather be doing than whatever else I may be doing. That said, while I do have this moment of peace at home, this is all going down in between loads of laundry, taking out the trash, sweeping, vacuuming, and getting dressed so I can go tutor at 2:30 . . . I also have a couple lingering school assignments that I need to tackle this weekend . . .

My list will be short, since right NOW, I'm doing something I like:

Getting a manicure
On vacation . . . somewhere tropical with a delicious, fruity, boozy drink in my hand
Getting a massage (in previously mentioned tropical locale)
Winning the Mega Millions Lotto--hey, a girl can dream, right? I should probably start with buying a ticket . . .

This is the life

~LOVE~

I Make Lists For

2011-03-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

List #24: I Make Lists For . . .

Shopping lists, especially around the holidays (not groceries, usually my husband does the grocery shopping)
Paying bills; balancing my checkbook
To-do lists (for chores mostly)
Rosters/contact lists for sorority stuff

I'm not a big list maker, but I thought this 30 Days of Lists Blogging Challenge seemed like a cool, not to hard idea.

~LOVE~

Guilty Pleasures

2011-03-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

List #23: Guilty Pleasures

Eating chips and salsa (only) for dinner
Reading US Weekly
Keeping Google Chat open when I'm in the office
Watching The Real Housewives of Orange County/New Jersey/Beverly Hills
Taking "mental health days"
Flaming Hot Cheetos
Spending hours shopping at Ross
Long, hot showers
Starbucks coffee (as opposed to making it by myself at home)
Playing Words With Friends when I should be working
Staying up past my bedtime
Twilight Series books and movies
Sookie Stackhouse novels and True Blood

~LOVE~

Today I Saw . . .

2011-03-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

List 22: Today I Saw . . .

My dog curled up on my bedroom floor
Myself in the mirror
My husband ironing his work clothes
The kid and her BFF playing
Aladdin
The Little Mermaid
Lots of rain
A 9th grade student studying for a Romeo and Juliet test
The interior of my car
My iPhone blowing up with calls and texts for some reason
My mom and dad
My Sigma Omega Nu graduation stole
My mom's cat,Tabetha, being a brat
My dog running out into the front yard to greet me when I got home
Top Chef All-Stars
My computer screen

~LOVE~

Things To Do This Spring

2011-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

List 21: Things To Do This Spring

~LOVE~

Celebrity Crushes

2011-03-23T23:53:00.000-07:00

List 20: Celebrity Crushes

If you don't know who any of these fine specimens are, I definitely recommend you Google them. You won't be disappointed!

~LOVE~

Recipes I Want to Try

2011-03-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

List 19: Recipes I Want to Try

So, I'm not a cook at all. BUT, I do consider myself a budding mixologist. While I like experimenting, I also LOVE making "classic drinks." Here is a short list of classic cocktails I'd love to learn how to make at home. Stop by sometime? I need an excuse to buy some of these specialty liquors.

~LOVE~

Road-trip Must-Haves

2011-03-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

List 18: Road-trip Must-Haves

~LOVE~

Words That Are Hard to Spell

2011-03-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

List #17: Words That Are Hard to Spell

I do not consider myself a good speller. I rely on spell-check when sending out e-mails and when writing papers. I also don't type using the home-row method. I essentially just hunt and peck really fast by muscle-memory.

Here is my short list of words that give me problems--either because I literally don't know how to spell them or because I am a terrible, too-fast typer:

Committment (Commitment)
Hurrican (Hurricane)
Thourough (Thorough)
Fourty (Forty)
Teh (The)
Pychological (Psychological)
Amoung (Among)
Wierd (Weird)
Professinal (Professional)

~LOVE~

Places to See and Things to Do in Santa Clarita, CA

2011-03-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

List #16: Things to See and Do in My Hometown

Because I've grown up in Santa Clarita/Valencia my whole life, I've often been that person that moans and groans that there is "nothing" to do here. Santa Clarita is somewhat of a bedroom community, where most residents tend to commute to the San Fernando Valley or Los Angeles to work, but it's an affluent place, so there are tons of stay-at-home moms and their children gadding about. We are home to pretty much every chain-restaurant and chain-store you can think of. SCV is also a "master-planned" community, so all the houses look the same. But upon reflection, I do realize that we do have some super cool "claims to fame," that non-residents tend to get a kick out of.

The history of Santa Clarita is closely tied to the Western film industry. The desert landscape, scrubby bushes, and unique rock formations that surround our valley were perfect backdrops for classic Western films. William S. Hart made his home here in Santa Clarita, and upon his death, his home became a museum and park. Santa Clarita makes a big deal out of this connection. In Santa Clarita, you can:

Visit Hart Park--they have animals, you can walk through his home, you can see where his trusty horse was buried, etc.

Check out the names on the "Western Walk of Stars"

Attend our annual "Cowboy Poetry Festival"

Make the short drive over to Vasquez Rocks. Many films have been shot here--it's also a great location for hiking and rock climbing

Visit the "Oak of the Golden Dream" where gold was first discovered in Santa Clarita

Check out/hike through Beale's Cut

Like I said, Santa Claritians love themselves some tract-homes. We also love our paseos. What's a paseo you ask? It's like a pedestrian/bike path that runs through and between neighborhoods. Santa Clarita basically invented them, from what I understand. All the newer neighborhoods have them. One in particular, called "Bridgeport" has a really lovely one. Bridgeport is a neighborhood made entirely out of Cape Cod style houses. You may ask yourself, "Why are people in a desert town living in Cape Cod houses?" Well, some people got it in their head that they wanted lake front property in Santa Clarita, so they BUILT A LAKE so they could then build houses around it. We're talking million dollar homes. Therefore, the paseo in their 'hood is one of the best. So, in Santa Clarita you can:

Take a walk or ride your bike just about anywhere

Feed the ducks at Bridgeport Marketplace (across the street from Bridgeport)

Check out the annual migration of Canadian geese that have made Bridgeport their Springtime nesting grounds

Amgen typically arranges for Santa Clarita to be a finish line spot for their annual "Tour of California." It's a major spectator event for those of the SCV

Valencia is the most affluent area of the Santa Clarita Valley. They are a bit uppity about their status. That's where the mall is located. It also has named itself "Awesometown." No. Joke. So, in Valencia you can:

Shop at the Westfield Valencia Town Center (it's pretty nice with indoor and outdoor parts)

Join a walking group that does laps around the interior of the mall

Eat at any of our wonderful chain restaurants

Visit the Valencia Library (the biggest library in town)

Go see a show at the College of the Canyon's Performing Arts Center

Go to the Farmer's Market that is held in the COC parking lot

See a football game at the COC stadium

Santa Clarita loves it's Parks and Recreation. We have a ton of parks that offer classes, athletics, and other fun events. Our "Concerts in the Parks" series during the summer draws crowds of 1000s. In Santa Clarita, you can:

Join a softball team

Go jogging in any of the parks

Go skateboarding in our skate park

Take swimming lessons at many of our parks

Check out a free concert in the park

Splash and play at the new Aquatics Center, which has several pools for many different ages and sports

Finally, and probably most importantly, Santa Clarita is home to Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor. In Santa Clarita, you can:

Ride more thrill rides than any other amusement park in the world (Two two rides are opening this year, FYI)

Hang out with your kids at Bugs Bunny World

Order funnel cake from Suzette's Bakery

In the summer, you can go next door to Hurricane Harbor and ride their fun water attractions

During the month of October, you can get scared silly at Fright Fest inside Magic Mountain

~LOVE~

Shopping List

2011-03-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

List #15: Current Shopping List

~LOVE~

Things I Love About Sigma Omega Nu

2011-03-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

List# 14: Things I Love About ___________________

Because I've been doing a lot of thinking about my sorority lately (I recently got elected to be one of two Colony Directors for a group of 10 girls at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who will potentially be founding sisters of a new chapter), I thought I'd "count the ways" I love Sigma Omega Nu, Latina Interest Sorority, Inc.

I love why we were founded. SON was the first Latina Interest Sorority founded at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The Founding Mothers felt there was an unmet need on campus--a familial group that would support college women in their pursuits of higher education. Although started as a Latina Interest Sorority because the Latina women who founded the sorority found their "familia" among each other when they were faced with the majority Caucasian student population at Cal Poly, SLO, our membership now encompasses women from every race and countless ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, religions, sexual preference, socio-economic status, etc.
I love that we are a "young" sorority. For many women in sororities, they know their Founders through black and white photos. All of their traditions have been in place for decades. They are large and widespread. While SON plans to be a large, National sorority in the future, I was initially attracted to the organization because it was so young. When I crossed, there were only four chapters and I could honestly say that I knew EVERY ONE OF MY SISTERS from every chapter. I saw and still see my Founding Mothers on a regular basis. Our National Board is new and going through growing pains, but those of us on the board play a heavy hand in creating and fine-tuning sorority traditions and policies. We are all still young and establishing our personal and occupational lives so we don't have the benefit of large alumni network, but as time goes by--all of these things will come.
I love that we DON'T have a National Philanthropy. Our Founding Mothers purposefully did not choose a National Philanthropy because they wanted each chapter to have the freedom to choose a philanthropy in their respective communities that would be most beneficial to each chapter's community. While each chapter picks a different organization to work with--local or National, all of our philanthropies serve Latinas/os, women, children, or the elderly
I love that my active sisters are among the most active and involved students on campus. One of the major reasons I chose to join SON over another sorority is because they were the most "visible" on campus. They were constantly hosting fundraisers, doing community service, holding social events, gathering together in communal areas of campus like the MCC or UU, winning Greek awards, and doing good work on campus. I saw them studying together in the library, hosting the annual Multicultural Greek BBQ, volunteering at Chicano Commencement, co-sponsoring bringing musicians and guest speakers to campus, taking on leadership positions within other organizations on campus like the United Sorority and Fraternity Council, Week of Welcome Planning Committee, or the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, selling tortas or tacos, picking up trash off the side of the 101 freeway, or handing out flyers for their latest party at Tortilla Flats. My sisters are movers and shakers!
I love our objectives: Academics, Cultura, and Sisterhood. Academics comes first because achieving a degree is the main purpose of going into higher education. We support this objective be requiring weekly study hours for all sisters, adhering to a minimum GPA requirement for active membership, providing opportunities for professional development and supplemental education, honoring sisters who go above and beyond in their academic pursuits, and providing scholarships both to our sisters and to other college aged women who can benefit from financial assistance. Cultura comes second because we were established as a Latina Sorority in the atmosphere of the majority Caucasian Cal Poly campus. And while the word "cultura" is Spanish for culture, we have redefined the word to describe the "SON cultura" that we have created through our mixing of sisters from all walks of life. Sisterhood is the last because we truly think of each other as sisters. We are different from a club because we call each other family to reinforce our commitment to each other. And because we are all women, it is truly a sisterhood. As our Founding Mothers stated: "Together we will live, learn, and celebrate that which unites us as hermanas!"
I love my sisters. I have found best friend for life in this organization--and most are women I never would have met if I didn't join a sorority. Each of my sisters is unique and special and I value them as family--even those I haven't met yet! And now that we are growing, I can pretty much go anywhere in California or parts of Nevada and have a sister who will "take me in" just like her own family. It's a wonderful feeling.

~LOVE~

DIYs I Want to Try

2011-03-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

List #13: DIYs I Want to Try

I consider myself creative, but I don't consider myself a crafter or baker or scrapbooker or anything like that. Most of my crafting experience comes from the fact that I'm in a sorority, and crafting stuff with our letters and nicknames and scroll numbers is par for the course. I've been known to throw down and paint one hell of a $1 picture frame from Michael's, and I do enjoy making collages. In the past, I've customized T-shirts with iron-on letters, made corsages, done some elementary beading, made my own purses out of old jeans, and I've customized wine glasses for a bachelorette party.

As far as projects I'd like to start in the future, here is my short list:

Make some customized buttons for my friend's bachelorette party . . . we have a button maker at my office where I intern. If I can convince my supervisor to let me borrow the machine, I think buttons would be fun souvenirs for the guests
I'd like to purchase a big canvas and paint a big abstract something to hang over our bed. I figure a lightweight canvas is probably the safest thing to hang over our bed in case of an earthquake
The bed in our extra bedroom is a very light colored wood--I'd like to spray paint in black
I'd like to DIY a tiled back splash in our kitchen
Perhaps DIY the task of adding crown molding in our bedroom and living room

~LOVE~

Weekly Rituals

2011-03-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

List #12: Weekly Rituals

I have very few weekly rituals that don't revolve around TV shows I'm trying to watch . . . I'm pretty lame.

Monday: Nothing but internship and class and tutoring. And No Reservations

Tuesday: Internship and Glee. And I usually try to run on Tuesdays.

Wednesday: Watch the kid. I DO drink coffee or green tea every morning before she wakes up. Tutor. Drinking Made Easy and Top Chef All-Stars

Thursday: Watch the kid, take her to school, nap while the kid is at school, pick up the kid from school. I usually try to run on Thursdays. Community and The Office

Friday: Watch the kid. I recently paid for a three-month membership for eyebrow threading at a local salon, so I usually stop in on Friday. Depending on whether Fernando and I are in the mood to stay in or go out, we either rent a movie and watch The Soup, or go out with friends.

Saturday: If I'm home, I sleep in, do laundry, and complete other chores.

Sunday: I watch Saturday Night Live via my DVR and have coffee. I usually try to go for a run on Sundays. In the evenings, we watch whatever is on Showtime or HBO. Currently, Shameless and Big Love are in season . . .

~LOVE~

Date Night Ideas

2011-03-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

List #11: Date Night Ideas

Go out to an early movie, have a beer at BJ's after
Cook dinner at home and catch up on the DVR
Dinner for two at pretty much any restaurant. I really want to trySon of a Gun
Take the dog for a long walk/hike
Double date with Alma and Gus, Jenn and Barry, or Amy and Andrew (our only true "couple" friends)
Go to a fun concert (we just saw Weezer a couple months ago)
Paint pottery
Go swimming at my parents' pool
Thai take-out and watching TV or something from the REDBOX
Bowling!

Wishlist

2011-03-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

List #10: Wishlist

I don't wish for too many tangible things, but every time I blow on a dandelion or blow out candles on my cake, I make this same, long, complicated wish:

"I wish that Fernando and I will be happily married forever and that we will have happy, healthy, beautiful babies."

Other wishes:

To get a nice job (full-time or part-time) working as a counselor at a college or university after my graduation
An iPad!
To be fully over my cold already
A new tattoo
To be in good shape to run the San Diego Rock 'N' Roll 1/2 Marathon

That's it!

~LOVE~

Favorite Sites/Blogs

2011-03-09T22:06:00.000-08:00

List #9: Favorite Sites/Blogs

Google (for Gmail and Google Images)
Facebook
www.callutheran.edu
www.wellsfargo.com
Twitter (I use Echofon on my iPhone for updates on the go)
www.oldnavy.com
www.modcloth.com
Cute Overload
Hostess with the Mostess
Post Secret
I Can Has Cheezburger?
When Parents Text
Wedding Bee
Style Me Pretty
Foursquare (for checking in via my iPhone)
Yelp (for restaurant reviews)

~LOVE~

What's in your Bag?

2011-03-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

List #8: What's in your bag?

Starting from the top left and working my way down and right . . .

Chapsticks, lip gloss pot, and lip stain (I need options!)
Flash-drive for all my grad school assignments
Pens, highlighter, and a Blue marker for writing checks and doing school stuff
My digital camera's battery charger. I also typically carry both the charger and my digital camera together, but I was using the camera to take the picture. I know it's kinda crazy to carry such a valuable object in your purse, but this is the best way I've found to NOT lose these items and have them available when photo opportunities happen.
A fork and a spoon for eating my breakfasts (Yoplait yogurts) and lunches (Lean Cuisines) when at my internship--our office is far from the cafeteria and plastic cutlery is wasteful anyway.
Little hair brush because my hair is SUPER long right now because I'm growing it out to donate to Locks of Love. It gets tangled a lot.
My wallet/checkbook
Keys--my car, hubby's car, my house, my parents' house, two keys I have no idea what they belong to, and several grocery store/drug store club cards
My new iPhone. His name is Ignacio aka Nacho.
Tiny toothpaste and floss. You never know when you'll need these or save someone's life because you can share these.
Mascara and two eye-liners. I sometimes run out of time to put these on in the morning, so I have back-ups in my purse.
Two different tiny hand sanitizers. One is almost running out, so I threw another one in in case I run out of the other.
My sunglasses

Writing/Blogging Goals

2011-03-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

List #7: Writing/Blogging Goals

Do all "30 Days of Lists" entries
Blog photos once a month at least
Submit a few poems to "The Word"--the California Lutheran University Multicultural Literary Magazine
Submit poetry to a national literary magazine at some point in my life
When I'm working in higher education, get involved in research and submitting to scholarly journals
Take a class/course/get some sort of certificate in grant writing
Write letters to my unborn children when I'm pregnant so they can read them one day when they are a lot older
Start a new family blog when I have kids to keep my parents/brother/in-laws "in the loop" as to what we're up to

Least Favorite Words

2011-03-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

List #6: My Least Favorite Words

MOIST

RETARD(ED)

GAY (when used to mean "stupid")

BALLS

LUMP(Y)

DUMP

CHULA (Mean's "pretty" in Spanish, but the word itself sounds ugly to me)

CHONIES (slang for underwear in Spanish)

BIGOTE (Spanish word for moustache)

REGURGITATE

APPENDICES

~LOVE~

Weekend Goals

2011-03-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

So, I've been lagging on my lists, but I intend to catch up today. List #5 was about Weekend Goals, and it was INTENDED for this past weekend's plans, but I will hijack it for this weekend's plans. Obviously, I did have a lot of plans last weekend (that's why I had no time to update about them!)

List #5: Weekend Goals

Do laundry
Convince husband to cut the grass

Work on preparations for the Lambda Colony Pinning and first pledge meeting (which is on March 19 in Fresno)

Catch up on sleep

Go see a movie if both myself and my husband are not sick--I really want to see Battle: LA. I'm a sucker for alien movies.

Set my clocks ahead by one hour

According to my husband, we're having a BBQ this weekend where he is inviting all his co-workers, so . . .

Clean, clean, clean--I'm behind on dusting!!

~LOVE~

Today's Playlist

2011-03-04T22:53:00.000-08:00

List #4: Today's Playlist

To be perfectly honest, I own very little music. All of my CDs were purchased between the years of 1996 and 2004, and since then, I've only owned an iPod Nano, so I own less than 2GB of iTunes. That being said, I am totally at the mercy of what is playing on the radio. I'm a big fan of radio--I have all my favorite stations set in my car (AM and FM). So, here is a list of radio stations I listen to on a regular basis.

Star 98.7--the hits if the 80s, 90s, and today

K-Earth 101--oldies (which now includes 80s?)

103.3 The Vibe--hip hop, pop, and rap (it's a station I mostly get in the 805 area code--when I'm in Thousand Oaks or driving up to San Luis Obispo)

104.3--this is a new station . . . I believe it's called "The Mix." My sorority sister told me to listen to this station because it really does have a good mix of alternative rock, pop, hip hop, indie, and rap.

Power 106--my standby--all of the latest rap and hip hop

97.1 AMP Radio--the newest pop station in the LA area. It USED to be a 100% Talk Radio Station and I listened to it religiously in the AM to listen to Adam Carolla's morning show and Jamie, Frosty, and Frank in the afternoons. I definitely miss the talk radio station, but the pop music is okay every once in a while.

KNX 1070 (AM)--News, politics, traffic, etc. All talk radio.

One artist I am willing to say I am super obsessed with right now? Bruno Mars. I love his retro vibe and he is SUPER TALENTED. He has an amazing voice and he plays many instruments! I can't not sing along when "Grenade" comes on the radio.

Love this guy!

~LOVE~

I'm Looking Forward To . . .

2011-03-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

List #3: I'm Looking Forward To . . .

Could be going back here in October . . .

My lunch today . . . making tomato soup and a turkey sandwich on wheat

This weekend . . . exciting sorority stuff happening!

My graduation from grad school in May

My brother coming to visit for said graduation

My grandma's "I Love Lucy" themed 90th birthday I am planning with my mom

Getting a job at a college or university

Possibly moving further South to be closer to Fernando's work and my possible future job

Daylight Savings Time--I need longer days!

For the weather to get warmer

Kenia's Bachelorette Party in Vegas in August

Kenia and Javier's Wedding in September (My FIRST TIME EVER being a bridesmaid!)

My five-year wedding anniversary. I think Fernando and I are going to take a 10-day long road-trip up to Seattle and back, stopping in fun places like Portland, Eugene, Tillamook?, and San Francisco!

~LOVE~

Things I'm Good At

2011-03-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

List #2: Things I'm Good At

Oh yeah, I'm good at this!

Spending inordinate amounts of time in the shower

School--mostly because I'm good at . . .

Writing. I'm not boasting--all my teachers and professors say my prose is great!

Reading between the lines

Useless Trivia. I rule Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit!

Talking about myself (obviously)

Remembering people's birthdays

Vacuuming

Making guacamole and Mexican shrimp cocktail

Making (and drinking) dirty martinis and lemon drops--from scratch!

Staying up past my bedtime

Having the patience to shop in stores like Ross and Marshall's

Being sensitive to the needs of multicultural students

Spending more money at Target than I planned to spend

~LOVE~

A Few Things About Yourself

2011-03-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to follow the 30 Days of Lists my friend Amy is co-sponsoring with some other bloggers. This is my attempt at actually blogging on a regular basis (at least for the next 30 days).

That's me!

A Few Things About Yourself:

Wife

Daughter

Sister

Lover of family

Friend

Nanny

Tutor

Sigma Omega Nu, Latina Interest Sorority, Inc. sister

Grad school student

Future college counselor

Crazy about animals

Cat lover,

But, owner of a dog and a chinchilla because my husband is allergic to cats

TV-addict

Proficient Facebook stalker

Mexican-American

Aspiring mixologist

Party planner

Shy at first,

But, won't shut up once you get to know me

~LOVE~

November 2010 Photo Roundup

2010-12-22T14:07:00.000-08:00

Here is my collection of photos from November 2010:

The first weekend of November was Mona's Birthday (11/5) and Sigma Omega Nu's 14th Anniversary (11/6). I drove up to SLO for the weekend with Alma, Yvonne, and Evelyn to participate in the festivities.

Me and my big sis before heading out to Native Lounge for Mona's Birthday Party

The "old, married ladies"

Me and the birthday girl

Sonya, Evy, and I went in on a bottle of champagne for Mona's 27th

I think she liked her present

Cheers to the birthday girl

Founder's Day Activities with the pledges from Founding Chapter and Kappa Colony

This is my team during the relay races

The last part of the relay race was "Suck and Blow"

Team 4 WON!! (Me, Clary, Adriana, Brenda, Krista, Natali, Brenda R., and Brenda A.)

The next activity was Tug 'o' War: Sisters versus Pledges

In the first round, the sisters totally owned the pledges. Poor Krista slipped and fell on the pledges' side!

Go, sisters, go! Of course, the sisters won!

Night 2: We all went out to Downtown Brew

Me and my dirty martini

Alma and me

The end of the night--all the sisters celebrating 14 years of SON sisterhood at Cal Poly, SLO

Yvonne and I in front of Bubble Gum Alley

Tanya visited from New York the next weekend. Here we are at Loaded Rock Bar in Hollywood

Emily, Tanya, and me out in Hollywood

The night before Thanksgiving, we went out to celebrate Matt Bench's birthday . . . the bars were insanely crowded, so we ended up going back to Jenn and Barry's house

Tiffanee, Matt, Barry, and Fernando

Me and my extended Pacific Sales family

Fernando cooked the turkey on Thanksgiving at my parents' house

My plate on Turkey Day--yummy!

On November 27, Fernando and I went to see Weezer at the Gibson Amphiteatre. We had dinner at Karl Strauss Brewing Co. first.

Of course, we both had to get the beer sampler

Weezer performed Pinkerton in its entirety! So boss.

~LOVE~

October 2010 Photo Roundup

2010-12-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

And now, a bunch of pictures from October 2010:

Christine's Birthday Party at The Rockwell VT

Our 4th Anniversary - 10/21/10

Fernando and his brothers: Ryan (left) and Meno (right)

Bryan and his adorable girlfriend, Ro

Meno helped to open a Mexican restaurant in Germany--he cooked this for us: Pineapple chicken, Mexican rice, and refried kidney beans

Fusion 2010: All the pledges on line from all the chapters

Fusion Afterparty--my family tree: Grand Big Sis Roani, Big Sis Evy, me, and my little sis, Irais

I love this pic of my CSUN baby, Xenia

Love my CSUN Little Sis, Susan

With another of my CSUN pledge-babies, Scarlett

These pictures are from the Dia de Los Muertos Celebration at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on 10/30/10

I took a ton of pictures, these are just my favorite displays

Mom and Dad in front of an "eternal wedding" display

This display was amazing, all those skulls are hand-painted!

This one got second place--$2000. We hope to enter the contest next year

Pumpkin carving on Halloween with Jenn and Barry

I was a "devil in a blue dress"

All of our pumpkins!

Halloween 2010: The Official Couple Picture

Barry and Jenn with their expertly carved pumpkin

I changed into something a little warmer to hand out candy at home

Our candy bowl--lots of choices for the kids!

Our pumpkins, lit up in front of our house

~LOVE~

Our Holiday Card for 2010

2010-12-10T19:55:00.001-08:00

Retro Snowflakes Christmas

Personalize your Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Changes

2010-11-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

I realize that I haven't updated for over three months. That usually just means I'm very busy, which is the truth.

I'm working both as a nanny and a tutor. I watch the kid three days a week and tutor my 9th grader a few nights a week.

I'm taking three classes. One meets every other Monday. The second meets every Tuesday, and the third meets every Thursday. I'm keeping up with assignments and papers and expect to get all 'As' again this Fall semester.

I'm also interning at Los Angeles Pierce Community College in the Honors Program office two days a week as part of my graduate school program. I need to complete 150 hours by the end of the semester.

Even though I'm not getting paid a dime for my work at Pierce, I am absolutely in love with the work I'm doing there. I get to meet individually with students and help them develop transfer plans. Most of them want to go to UCLA or CSUN, so I help them navigate the complicated process of picking a major, completing their major prep, keeping their grades up, fulfilling their IGETC requirements, and filling out the application. My background in English has been invaluable in helping them edit their personal statements for the UCs. I've led workshops and I'm co-leading a "Pierce to UCLA Transfer Support Group." I never really thought that I would like academic counseling because it seemed so straight-forward, but at the community college level it is anything but straight-forward. The variety of students is great--they are all in different stages of life; some work full time, some have children, some are married, some are still in high school, etc. The racial and ethnic diversity at the Pierce campus is also refreshing and valuable experience for me. I can honestly say that working at a community college as an academic counselor would be a dream job for me.

The other big news around the Vasquez household is that Fernando got a new job. He left his job as a plumbing salesperson at the Valencia Pacific Sales to take a position as an Assistant Buyer of Plumbing at the Pacific Sales corporate office in Torrance. While this means a significant raise for him, he is also committing to a significant commute to Torrance 5 days a week. It's close to 2 hours of driving each way! He carpools almost every single day, which eases the strain of driving so much and the cost of gas, but he is working under the assumption that after I graduate with my Master's degree in May, we'll be moving closer to Torrance.

The notion of moving to Orange County carries with it many possibilities, but it also comes with problems. The benefits are that Fernando will be closer to his job, and if he lives closer, he'll more likely be able to "climb the corporate ladder" at Pacific Sales. If we live in Orange County, we'll also be closer to Fernando's sister, Melissa. The cons are that we'll be moving away from our parents and most of our family here in Santa Clarita. We'll also have to figure out how to sell our house and find a new home in Orange County. I'll lose all my tutoring and nannying jobs/contacts. While I do hope to find a job that will utilize my new degree, I was hoping to lean on my part-time tutoring and nannying jobs to carry me while I go through the job search process. The market for counseling jobs is really tough.

It seems like there are more cons than pros in this situation, but the truth is that Fernando makes the significant percentage of our income, so moving closer to his work makes more sense. There are many, many schools I can work at in Orange County, and finding a home somewhere in between my job and Fernando's job would be ideal. I'm already poking around job listing websites and getting my resume up to snuff for the job search process. I want to seriously start looking for a job in March--after I take the comprehensive exam required for completion of my Master's, but a few months before graduation.

Thinking about all these upcoming changes kinda gets my head spinning, though, so I'm mostly focusing on completing my internship hours and finishing out my semester strong. My last day of class is on December 16, and then I have more than a month of winter break before Spring semester starts on January 24th. My last semester should be pretty easy, since I'm only taking two classes and doing my second internship at the Multicultural Office at California Lutheran University. I plan to double up my class days with my internship days to ease the commute out to Thousand Oaks. I'm going to continue to nanny for the kid and tutor my ninth grader next semester as well.

I am very much looking forward to the holiday season, although this year will be different without Vincent. We'll all have to work a little harder this year to be merry and bright, but being together will make it bearable.

~LOVE~

Our Little Bit of Summer

2010-08-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

I'm in a totally different place right now than I was when I last wrote. Well, technically I'm in the same exact place, but I meant metaphorically. Summer school is over and I just confirmed that I had another 4.0 semester! I can't believe that I'm more than halfway done with my graduate school career. It's so strange to think that almost exactly a year ago I was just about to start grad school. I had just quit my full-time job, I was scrambling to get my financial aid in order, and I was anxiously awaiting the start of my new life. Now I'm working part-time and going to school full-time, and I'll be starting my first internship at Pierce College in less than a month. I'm really excited to see how this next school year goes. Even though thinking about scheduling 150 hours at my internship, 30-35 hours of "work" per weeks (tutoring and nannying), and three classes into my Fall semester is daunting, I'm super excited about staying busy. It will make the time go by quickly.

I'm enjoying my "summer vacation" right now. I have a month off from school before Fall semester starts again on September 2nd. Even though I'm still working, it makes a huge difference to have my evenings free. I've been watching movies, reading books, gardening, and playing with out new pet . . .That's right--we adopted a dog. She's a 5-year-old Border Collie/Australian Shepard mix that we adopted from the shelter. Because she is a working dog, we wanted to give her a "country" name. After a couple days of debating, we decided to name her "August." Her name at the shelter was "Duchess," so "August" sounds very similar. She's really smart--she already knows "sit," "lie down," "high five," and "stay." She also loves chasing tennis balls. She's been good on her leash so far, but she is very protective around other dogs.

She's a little spooky around men--it takes her a couple minutes to warm up to them, but she is very friendly around women and children. It might be awhile before we can take her to a dog park since she growls at other dogs. She might just be adjusting to her new environment and having a home and owners to protect. We know very little about her past, but when we got her she was COVERED in mats. It took three days of brushing, combing, and bathing, but she finally looks (and smells) good. She has chosen me as her favorite and she follows me around the house like a big cat. The other plus is she has shown very little interest in our chinchilla. We're able to keep Chipotle in her place of honor in the computer room and the dog doesn't bother her at all. We took August to the vet the day after we got her home and she has kennel cough. She's on antibiotics, but she's a little sneezy/wheezy still. Hopefully, she'll be feeling better soon.

I love having a dog around the house. She brings so much more purpose to our lives. Feeding her, grooming her, playing with her, and walking her keep both of us more active and conscious. And having a softly snoring dog in the room just brings a sense of peace when I'm alone--watching TV or reading or sipping coffee on the patio. Even though she is a bit "older," I think we still have many happy years with her ahead of us. Miss August Vasquez--our little bit of Summer.

On her ride home from the shelter

Her first night--kinda nervous

Day 3: Happy Dog

Her favorite toy so far

I love my new doggie!!

~LOVE~

Summer School Stress

2010-07-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

I generally don't get stressed when it comes to school, but summer school is currently kicking my butt. I knew that my life was going to be crazy for the seven weeks of summer school. Cramming a full semester's worth of class, papers, projects, reading, and presentations into seven weeks was a hefty decision to make, but I made it. My summer session is literally more than half over, but I've only completed about 30-40% of the work left to do. Coupled with stress over finances due to my lack of work, I'm feeling a little bit like I'm barely holding my head out of rushing river water.

That being said, I've found that writing about my stress and making to-do lists helps me to conquer my stress. So this entry mostly serves a purpose for me, but you're welcome to read it and maybe leave a note of encouragement.

Schoolwork I still need to accomplish . . .

EDCG 523: Group Process and Leadership
7/13/10--Read Chapter 9
7/15/10--Read Chapters 10 + 11
7/20/10--Co-lead group
7/22/10--Turn in Structured Group Plan Paper (~13 pages); Present to class my Group Plan
7/29/10--Turn in Journal Summary Paper (~4-5 pages) + Turn in Take-Home Final

EDCG 527: Educational and Career Planning
7/13/10--Read Chapter 16 + 17
7/15/10--Read Chapter 18
7/20/10--Visit College of the Canyons Career Center to observe and interview a career counselor at work; Read Chapters 10 + 11
7/22/10--Read Chapters 13 + 14; Presentation in class about Chapter 14 (~10 minutes); Turn in Career Office Visit Report Paper (~3-5 pages); Turn in Career Notebook Final Project
7/27/10--In-class Final Exam

EDCG 583: Professional Development in Practice
7/14/10--In-class Presentation on Association of College Unions International Communities of Practice (~15 minute presentation)
7/28/10--Turn in paper regarding my thoughts and impressions about Association of College Unions International's Professional Development National Conferences (page requirement not specified)

It is definitely a little overwhelming to look at all this work I still need to do and I'm doing my best to utilize my weekends and other free time to get head-starts on as much as possible. I've finished my preparations for my presentation this Wednesday--I just have to do the actual presentation. Today I'm trying to begin my paper on the Structured Group Plan. I think I'm going to create a plan for a Multi-Cultural Student Support Group using Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as my theoretical student population. I get a lot of reading done while working--either in the mornings when Chelsea is still asleep, or in the afternoons when she is napping. I hope to continue that trend for the next couple of weeks. Next weekend, I will have to finish my Group Plan paper, put together my Career Notebook, Create my Chapter 14 presentation, and at least begin working on my paper about ACUI's National Conferences. I think I'm going to be a shut-in for that entire weekend, plus most of the weekend after that. Please send good vibes my way . . .

~LOVE~

School's Out (and In) For Summer

2010-06-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

There were four very special graduates in my life this Spring. A quick photo round-up:

Alma graduated from USC with her Master's in Social Work

My husband, Fernando, graduated with his Bachelor's in Management from CSUN

My "little" brother-in-law, Bryan, graduated from Bowman High School

Elena, my dad's god-daughter, graduated from 8th grade at Our Lady of the Valley Parish School

There were additional celebrations for each graduate--a BBQ for Alma, a fiesta for Fernando, a dinner with family at Marie Callander's for Bryan, and a huge dinner for Elena at Maggiano's. After all those parties, I'm ready to get my life somewhat back to normal. My summer classes start next week on June 15th. I'm preparing myself for chaos as I'm stuffing 7 units into 7 weeks. That's more than a "full-time" semester's worth of classes into half a semester's time.

Starting next week, this will be my schedule for the next seven weeks:

Monday: Nanny Chelsea 6:10am-4:10pm
Tuesday: Educational & Career Planning 4:00pm-6:50pm; Group Process & Leadership 7:00pm-9:50pm
Wednesday: Nanny Chelsea 6:10am-4:10pm
Thursday: Educational & Career Planning 4:00pm-6:50pm; Group Process & Leadership 7:00pm-9:50pm
Friday: Nanny Chelsea 6:15am-1:15pm

I'm also taking another 1-unit class, but the schedule is still TBA. Summer classes will be over on August 5th. Then I'll have another month off from classes before Fall semester starts on September 2nd. I'm kinda amazed at how quickly my Master's program is going. By May 2011, I'll be a graduate myself!

~LOVE~

My Cousin

2010-05-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Vincent Paul Rodriguez -- July 13, 1985 -- April 8, 2010

As some of you may already know, my family suffered a huge loss recently. My cousin, Vincent, lost his battle with leukemia exactly a month ago on April 8, 2010. He had been diagnosed last summer, received a cord-blood transplant that seemed to have defeated the cancer, but he remained in the hospital for over four months after receiving the transplant because he was so immunol-compromised that he kept catching infections. He was having trouble eating because he was constantly getting nauseous, and this further weakened him. We went to visit him on Easter Sunday, and he wasn't doing too well, but we just thought he was having a bad day.

A few days later, as I was preparing to head to school for a huge presentation, I received a tearful phone call from my aunt, telling me to please come to the hospital to come say goodbye to my cousin. Over the course of those last few days, his condition has worsened and his bodily systems were shutting down. I dropped everything, in tears, and made the necessary phone calls to Fernando to come home and to my teacher to apologize for not coming in that day to give my presentation. She was very understanding and let me go. Within just a few hours of coming to the hospital, seeing my cousin, and saying goodbye to him, he was gone. He was surrounded by his family when he passed--my aunt, my mom, his two brothers--Angel and Oscar, his sister-in-law Erika, me, and Fernando. It was incredibly painful to face the loss, and my heart broke for my aunt and his brothers. He was the cousin I was the closest to, and I hate the fact that his being gone means the "baby" of the family is gone.

Vincent was an amazing person--he faced much adversity in his life, including the premature death of his father. But he was always diligent about his education and he was less than a year away from graduating from UC Santa Cruz with his bachelor's degree in Astrophysics. As a person, he was friendly, even-tempered, and well-liked. He loved video games, computers, and animals. He was very close to his family. He had such a peaceful, calming presence and he really was a bright spot in my life. I loved him and I really miss him.

I'm doing okay in recovering from this loss, but I do think of him everyday, Sometimes it's good memories that make me smile, or something might trigger some sadness. I don't think I'll ever go a day without thinking about him anymore. I'm lucky, though, because my family is incredibly tight-knit, so we can rely on each other for support. I'm also lucky that my schoolwork has given me something else to focus on to keep my mind preoccupied. As part of my own healing, I wrote him a poem that I also read out loud at his funeral mass on April 20th. I'm posting it here so everyone will know how important he was to me and how highly I regarded him.

Fire and Fight
By Jessica Vasquez

-- For Vincent

Yours was the nature of light

Gentle, glowing
Constant
Your shy smile

Illuminated, radiating
A beacon
Your focused knowledge

Warm, enveloping
Peaceful
Your easygoing way

Yours was the nature of a warrior

You battled the bad guys
For us—
Your brothers

You did it without question
Knew the ins and outs
Of good and evil

Continuous, unyielding
Beginning and ending
As a soldier

The constellation Orion
Is both light and warrior—
Fire and fight

Every night those stars rise bright
That is their nature
That is your nature

Orion is ever poised to let fly his arrow
That is his nature
That is your nature

After writing this poem, I hope to get a tattoo in memory of him. I want the tattoo to depict a telescope pointing up to the sky with the constellation Orion in the distance. Underneath that, I want a banner with his name or maybe a line from the poem. As soon as I have some money saved up, I'm going to make the tattoo happen.

~LOVE~

Goings on . . .

2010-03-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

It's been almost two months since I last updated. Sorry! My life has been super busy. As you saw in my previous post--I'm working and going to school 5 days a week, and my weekends are taken up with homework (reading), chores, and the occasional night out. The good news is, I'm halfway through my semester and only two weeks away from my week-long Spring Break. I've also been sick 4 times since Christmas, which is ridiculous. I was knocked out for two days strait this week with a nasty cold, but I'm finally feeling better.

Here are some pictures/recaps from our recent goings on:

Since I last updated, a few fun evenings have elapsed. In late January, Fernando and I drove down to the OC to attend Juan and Irais' housewarming party, and then spent the night at Fernando's sister's house. The next morning, we all went to brunch at the Cheesecake Factory with the gift card Fernando's other sister, Naomi, gave to us for Christmas. That was a fun trip.

This is the only picture I have from the housewarming. Fernando and I with our 'compadres', Gus and Alma. We call ourselves, Los Vasquez.

We attended an 80's themed birthday party for our new friend, Jen's, 25th birthday. Her boyfriend, Barry, is Fernando's boss/mentor at Pacific Sales. It was a fun night and everybody really went all out on their 80s costumes (including us).

Jen and Barry, our hosts for the night

Fernando and I dressed in our 80's costumes

My 26th birthday came and went. I had class on my actual birthday, but spent the rest of the weekend celebrating with family and friends. My parents took me out to dinner that Friday at the Lazy Dog Cafe, then I had a ton of friends meet me for drinks at The Lazy Dog Cafe afterwards. Tanya was in town from NYC that weekend, so my birthday was extra special. I was so happy to have so many friends come celebrate with me. I was running around like a madwoman all night socializing with everyone. Even though I had several drinks, I don't think I ever even got a buzz because I was running around so much! The next night, just Fernando and I went out for a fancy dinner at Craft (Tom Collichio's restaurant). The food was amazing and the service was even better. We ate veal sweetbreads for the first time and I think I can say that I'm a fan. I also managed to talk Fernando into trying a bite of diver sea scallop--and if you know Fernando, you know that is a feat since he HATES seafood. He actually liked the bite he ate and said it tasted "like bacon."

My family dinner

Fernando and I at the bar

Tanya and Emily joined me

My big sis made a surprise visit!

My girlfriends from "The Group"

Alma and Yvonne bought me this monster of a drink. I made them share with me.

After The Lazy Dog closed, we headed over to TGI Fridays to meet with the SFPS Crew. Here's me and Danny (he was my coworker and Winter Formal date in 11th grade)

Mark and me (he was my Senior Prom date). We go way back.

Fernando and I after we got home from Craft. I love my hubby!

Two weekends ago, Fernando, Gabe, and I took a random trip to San Luis Obispo just for fun. We stayed in a cheap hotel room not far from downtown (only $78 a night). We got into town around dinnertime on Saturday night, so we ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant in SLO, Poncho's. Afterwards, we went back to our hotel room to get dressed for a night out. Our first stop was at The Frog & Peach for some beers and live music. A really cute rock-a-billy band called Motel Drive was playing and we really liked their music. Then we moved across the street to Downtown Brew to meet Mona and Sonya and a couple other friends who were in town. Gabe had never been to downtown SLO before, and he really enjoyed the bars we took him to. The next morning, we stopped in Pismo Beach to visit mine and Fernando's "happy place"--Mo's BBQ. We walked on the pier a little bit. That was the weekend of the earthquake in Chile and the "tsunami" had done some interesting things to the shoreline at Pismo. Finally, we stopped off in Guadalupe to visit with Mona for a couple hours before heading home. Overall, a very fun 24 hour jaunt.

Fernando and Gabe--happy at the Frog & Peach

Me, Mona, and Sonya at Downtown Brew

Hubby and me at DTB

G-Money and me at DTB

Mo's AMAZING garlic fries. Drool-worthy.

Mo's BBQ sampler. Most of this came home with us.

Pismo Pier--look how far the water had receded

Fernando and I, of course

Okay, so I think that just about catches you up. Life is busy, but humming along. Fernando ordered his cap and gown for graduation this week. Getting pumped for that. I even went out and bought dresses already for Alma and Fernando's respective graduations. We filed our taxes early this year and already got our refund. We went ahead and bought two leather armchairs for our living room and they should be delivered on April 7th. I'm excited for those to arrive. We've also settled on some bookshelves for our living room's back wall. Once we install the shelves and get the chairs, our living room won't be so bare. We'll finally have someplace to put all our books and picture frames (still in boxes since we moved in LAST December). I'll definitely post pictures once everything is moved in.

~LOVE~

2009 Holiday Season

2010-01-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

Holiday decorations in our house

We don't have a mantle, so we hung our stockings here

We went to see George Lopez on December 18th

Us inside the Nokia Theater

Ian and Shelley arrived on December 20th, here is Shelley and her brother, Tim, who lives in Burbank

My cousin, Michael, hosted the Barbas for dinner. Here is my aunt Esther, my uncle, Jesse, and my little cousin Brianna

My little cousin, Jacob and my brother, Ian

My dad and my cousin, Michael

Setting up Bara Family Rockband

Beatles Rockband

The Christmas tree on Christmas Eve

My dad and my kitty by the tree

My extended family on Christmas night (missing Vincent--he'll be with us next year!)

My family

Martini Monday on December 28th with Christine and Amanda

Fernando at LAX before we departed to Vegas for NYE 2009

An hour later, we landed in Vegas

Us in front of Aria, our home for the night

Fireworks at midnight

Fernando taking in the show

My champagne

Me right after the fireworks

Fernando in the Sportsbook the next day. We lost our bet on Oregon, but had fun!

~LOVE~

Spring Semester at CLU (and Beyond!)

2010-01-19T11:49:00.000-08:00

Starting on Thursday, this will be my schedule until May 14th.

MONDAY: Tutor Elizabeth 4-5pm in Newhall; Organization & Administration in College Student Personnel 7-9:50pm at main CLU campus in Thousand Oaks.

TUESDAY: Nanny Chelsea 6:10am-3:45pm in Castaic; Tutor Elizabeth 4-5pm in Newhall.

WEDNESDAY: Nanny Chelsea 6:10am-3:45pm in Castaic; Tutor Elizabeth 7-9pm in Stevenson Ranch.

THURSDAY: Microskills in Counseling 4-6:50pm at CLU Graduate Center in Woodland Hills; Lifespan Human Development 7-9:50pm at CLU Graduate Center in Woodland Hills

FRIDAY: Nanny Chelsea 6:15am-1:30pm in Castaic.

I'll have quite a busy schedule for the next four months. Three classes is "a lot" in my program, but I am determined to get these classes done this semester to keep me on track to start my Practicum in Fall 2010. The good news is that my Microskills class is Pass/Fail, and the following Lifespan Human Development class is a survey class. They are both taught by the same instructor, Valerie Wallace, who was my teacher last semester for Counseling Theory and Practice. I'm familiar with her teaching style and I know how to do well in her class. All of her assignments require writing, and that is my strength. (Did I mention that I got all 'A's last semester?) My Monday class should be interesting because it is specific to my program (as opposed to offered to both Pupil Personnel Services [k-12] students and College Student Personnel students). I'm excited to take this class with Dr. Juanita Hall because she is the Senior Director of CLU's Multicultural and International Programs, and she was also recently named the Assistant to the President for Diversity at CLU. She is coming from a background of doing what I really want to do, and I'm sure she'll have plenty of good information and advice for me.

I'll have to be diligent to get my reading, studying, and homework assignments done during my "free time" on Monday mornings, Tuesday evenings, Wednesday afternoons, Thursday mornings, Friday afternoons, and weekends. I'll also have to commit to getting to bed early on nights before watching Chelsea. I've been pretty bad at it since I started, and I have a terrible time getting ready in the mornings and I'm usually so tired by the end of the day that I require a nap. Of course, the naps cut into my "study" time and end up making it hard for me to fall asleep that night, which just perpetuates the cycle for the next day. Not cool.

My spring semester ends on May 14th, which also happens to be the day of Alma's graduation from USC with her Master's in Social Work. I've been editing Alma's papers since she started her MSW (actually, since she was doing her Bachelor's in Social Science at Cal Poly . . .), so she has asked me to be there at her graduation. I feel very honored that she asked me to attend. She was definitely one of my biggest cheerleaders when I was applying to grad school, so I am happy to see her complete her studies.

Just a week after Alma's graduation, on May 20th, Fernando will be walking in CSUN's graduation ceremony. My parents have graciously offered to throw Fernando a graduation party that weekend. I think we'll have it at my parents' house--in their backyard--so we can enjoy the good weather at that time of year. My parents suggested getting it catered by one of those "taco guys," and Fernando has mentioned wanting to have a bounce house. I guess I'll have to look into how much that might cost and that can be my gift to him (if he really is serious about a bounce house!).

I have a month long break between the end of CLU's spring semester and start of CLU's summer session. The summer session is only 6 weeks long, and I want to take two classes. Most classes meet twice a week, so there is a possibility I might have class 4 nights a week. I'm HOPING that both classes I want to take will be offered back-to-back on the same two nights (M/W or T/Th) so I can save money on the commute and still have time to tutor and watch Chelsea. My old boss at ATM contacted me asking me if I could work one day a week during my break. She is due to have her baby in early/mid May, so I could help her out around the office since she'll be working from home for the first few weeks after having her baby. I told her yes, because the money will be helpful, and I'll have nothing else to do during that break other than watch Chelsea three days a week and tutor Elizabeth 4 hours a week. We'll see how everything pans out.

Well, that's about all I can think of for now. I suppose I should at least create a photo update regarding my Christmas and New Years holiday adventures. That'll be my next post.

~LOVE~

Quite a Blast From The Past

2010-01-09T16:12:00.001-08:00

I wrote this list when I was in high school (July, 2001). I just found it, and I felt like posting it because I think it's quite funny. I called it "My Happy List"--things that currently made me smile.

The HAPPY list:

Jesus

Nestea iced tea

Edward Norton

sleepovers

Handi-Snax

Babies' shoes

Hot house tomatoes

Discounts

Long awaited phone calls

Polo shirts

Flavored lip gloss

Chris Kattan

Avocados

The Iron Chef

Sandals

Iced coffee

Free stuff

Glittery make-up

Blu Cantrell

Online diaries

Goldfish crackers

Receiving mail

The 40s

Destiny's Child

Mail-order catalogs

Ice cream

Homer Simpson

Growing up is fun.

~LOVE~

Pictures: October, November, Decemeber 2009

2009-12-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

So, this is going to be a VERY photo-heavy post. You have been warned!

My new tattoo

Seattle trip (October 23-25)--right after we landed at SEA-TAC

The Crew: Mona, Kenia, Adriana, Danny, and me (at Pike Place)

Before heading out to the club--we had a private table and bottle service

The next morning we had brunch in the Space Needle's revolving restuarant

Us in front of the Space Needle

Beer Sampler at The Pike Brewery

I made Fernando's Halloween costume this year

Fernando and our roomie Gabe carving pumpkins

We're an odd couple

We went to a Halloween party at Brett's house

Brett and Stevie--our hosts for the evening

Mona's 26th Birthday Party in SLO--me and Laurie before heading out

Bottle Service at Native Lounge in downtown SLO

I love my sisters!

Alma and I. How I love my comadre.

Super cute pic of me and the birthday girl

The next day was Founder's Day for my sorority. Here's a group picture.

I got a haircut a couple days before Thanksgiving

Our turkey from Thanksgiving. My hubby made it :)

This is Chelsea, the little girl I nanny for

Fernando and I went to see Zane Lamprey perform stand-up on December 10th

I told you this was going to be photo-heavy! If you made it this far--congratulations, you're all caught up~

~LOVE~

Now's As Good a Time As Any . . .

2009-12-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

I'm a terrible blogger. Sorry. Grad school will do that to you.

At least that means I've been attentive to my school work. I should get all 'A's this semester--if I can find it in myself to finally bear down and finish my last two assignments for the semester. I have a take-home final and a 10-page paper about the application of counseling theories due in my Counseling Theory class on Thursday. I've begun working on the take-home final (about 1/3 done), but I've been having a hard time focusing lately. It's the holiday hustle and bustle, and my new job.

That's right, I got a job as a part-time nanny. 3 days a week, I watch a 2-year-old little girl named Chelsea. It's a lot of work, but I'm enjoying it. I'm also still tutoring privately. Oh, and I signed up for three classes next semester. I'm crazy.

After this coming Thursday, I will have over a month off from school. My first class of Spring semester isn't until January 21st. My brother and his wife will be driving out from Lubbock this year to visit. Ian and Shelley have asked to stay at our house, and we're really looking forward to hosting them. The other big news is that next week after his finals, Fernando will officially be done with school. Again, he won't be walking until May because CSUN doesn't have a Winter graduation ceremony, but he will officially be "graduated." We are celebrating by going to the George Lopez show this Friday. I'm thrilled!

Okay, so for my next post--it will be a bunch of pictures of the events that have elapsed since I last posted. Stay tuned!

~LOVE~

See How Much I Love You

2009-10-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling that once my family members read this I'm going to get a mouthful, but I don't care. Mine and Fernando's 3-year anniversary is coming up soon, and we've decided what we're going to do to celebrate: We're getting matching tattoos. To commemorate how we met (he was looking for someone to accompany him to an Aquabats concert), we're getting the "Aquabomber" tattood on us.

Fernando is planning on getting this little guy tattoo'd exactly as he appears here on the inside of his left bicep. I'm getting mine on my left shoulderblade area (so yes, I can cover it easily so as to remain professional looking). I might make a small alteration to the design--I'm thinking of adding a little heart-on-fire at the top of the Aquabomber's stick. I was originally going to add a lyric from an Aquabat's song ("I knew that day, our love would never end"), but that will probably make the tattoo cost a lot more. The design is completely in black and whtie, which is in keeping with mine and Fernando's current trend (this will be my 3rd tattoo, his 4th).

I'm excited--it's been over 5 years since I last got a tattoo and I can't recall what it feels like anymore.

~LOVE~

School Nights

2009-09-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

School has finally begun full swing. Fernando started classes almost a month ago, so he is out of the house Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights attending classes. This is his last semester. He is technically also doing an internship this semester, but his "intership" is "gaining management experience" at his current day job at Pacific Sales. This isn't requiring that much more work than Fernando was already doing--he was already on tract for management training. After his finals in Decemeber, Fernando will be an official college graduate--long time coming but worth the wait! CSUN doesn't have a ceremony for winter graduates, so Fernando won't be walking in his cap and gown until May 2010, but he will be walking. Hopefully we can throw a little party for him then. When I met Fernando over seven years ago, he wasn't serious about school. He'd been out of high school for three years and he only have a few COC credits to his name. I'm proud of all his hard work. I don't know if he went back to school just for me, but I know he now knows the importance of his education and appreciates all his hard work over the past five years to get his bachelor's degree.

I have finally attended at least one session of each of my three classes. My classes were slow to start because the first day of classes was the Thursday before Labor Day, and my Tuesday class only meets every other Tuesday. My current schedule seems very manageable-the only downer is the long commute to and from classes three nights a week.

Above: A picture of me being a dork and showing off my "back to school" look.

My Monday night class meets from 4:00-6:50pm on the main campus in Thousand Oaks. The name of the class is Programs and Functions in College Student Personnel. This class seems like it will be my most "fun" as it is most directly related to my specialization. Some of the assignments include attending a few student life events at a few different college campuses and reporting on them, interviewing student affairs professionals at a few campuses and reporting on them, and developing a new student affairs program in groups and doing a final paper/presentation to the class.

My Tuesday night class, which meets only 2 Tuesdays a month, meets from 7:00-9:50pm on the main campus. This class is called Tools for Research, Practice, and Professional Development. As far as I can tell, this class is going to mostly be a joke. The instructor is a recent graduate from the same program as me (although he is PPS, not CSP--which means he specializes in jr. high/high school students). The job of the class is to teach us APA style, how to search databases, how to use Excel, and how to use PowerPoint. Our projects are a short paper that synthesizes the findings of 2 or 3 peer reviewed articles, written in APA style, and then a PowerPoint presentation done in groups. The only new thing I'm learning is APA style, but the teacher is teaching us APA style by making us watch a 20 minute internet video about it. Also, this teacher told the class that magazine articles from "respected and trusted magazines like Time" count as peer-reviewed journal articles. Again. What . . . a joke. Well, at least it's an easy 'A'.

Finally, my Thursday class is called Counseling Theory and Practice and meets 7:00-9:50pm on the Woodland Hills Graduate Center. The building is really cute--a grouping of classrooms centered around a "lounge," which is a room with two tables, a microwave, a coffee maker, and a soda machine. I can bring my dinner with me and heat and eat there! Anyway--this will probably be my hardest class. It's mostly theory with a little practice thrown in. My instructor is a little cooky, but I've found that most psych instructors are. Our main assignments include a review of a journal article about a multi-cultural counseling issue, a short paper where we apply 14 different counseling theories to the same population of students, and finally, a large 8 page research paper about one of the theories from class, which also requires us to do a 15 minuite long PowerPoint presentation to the class about the theory and a demonstration of one the counseling techniques from that theory. I've been assigned "Feminist Theory." There is also going to be a take-home final which we'll have to write short written responses to a few prompts.

So that about wraps up what school is all about for the Vasquez clan. Other than school, life is going well for us. I'm tutoring like a mad woman and am actually in the middle of attempting to get a part-time nanny position. I've already had a successful phone-interview with the mother, and she wants to set up a time for me to meet her, her husband, and their daughter in person. The daughter is almost 2 years old, so if hired, I will probably be going through potty-training with her (fun!). I'd have to wake up super early and be in Castaic by 6:30AM three days a week. But, the benefits of a nanny position are it'll be fun, educational (at least for me), and I can use naptimes as study time. Also, more income that is tax free. Fernando is excited for fall because his beloved football has returned to TV, and Fernando spends several hours a week monitering his fantasy football league teams. That's right, I said teams, with an "s."

I took some pictures of the main Cal Lutheran campus the last tmie I was there, so maybe I'll share those with you soon. Until then . . .

~LOVE~

Changes

2009-08-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've made some changes to the blog so that it is more of a "family blog," rather than just my blog. With all the big changes coming in mine and Fernando's life together, I want our blog to reflect them. Stay tuned for more stories and pictures from "La Vida de Los Vasquez."

~LOVE~

What I've Done (So Far) On My Summer Vacation

2009-08-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

My life has been pretty eventful for the last month. Since I last posted, I've:

Put my two week notice in at work

Attended two No Doubt concerts--one with Mona, the other with Elena

Registered for classes at Cal Lutheran

Trained my ex-boss' husband how to do my job

Hosted my friend Danny (from SF) and his friend, Ester (from Spain) at my house while they visited LA

Had my last day at work, where I left in a blaze of glory (Company lunch of El Pollo Loco and lots of well wishes)

Traveled to San Diego with my husband to celebrate his 28th birthday--hit up Phil's BBQ, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and Stone Brewery

House-sat for my parents while they camped in Sequoia

Drove all the way to Glendale to get a haircut with Tanya

Spent a day with Alma and Gus at the pool--then Fernando joined us for a BBQ and a couple rounds of Loteria and Dominoes

Went out for a drink with Neda for her birthday

And here is some proof of my adventures:

We took Danny and Ester to a wine bar because Ester really wanted to try California wine

I had wine (of course), but Fernando had beer (of course)

Fernando and I at Phil's BBQ in San Diego for his birthday dinner

After dinner, we went for drinks with our host for the evening, Evy

My new haircut

Well, that's about all I can update you on for now. I promise to write again soon, hopefully after my first week of classes at Cal Lutheran. My first day is September 3rd!

~LOVE~

"Congratulations! . . ."

2009-07-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

I got my official letter of acceptance from Cal Lutheran today! My new life as a grad school student will begin soon. I already broke the news to my boss that my last day of work will be August 14th. She was shocked and disappointed that I'm leaving, but happy for me. I'm going to be leaving this job on good terms with the company, which is good for future job searches.

I'm already getting anxious about the cost of private school. Oh, man! I'm gonna be in so much debt two years from now!

~LOVE~

Waiting

2009-07-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

Just so you all know--my interview at CLU went well last Monday. Thank you for the prayers and positive vibes. I was super nervous for the first couple of minutes of the interview and I could tell I was talking a little too fast, but I eased into the interview and was a lot more "sure" of myself and spoke coherently for the remainder. I answered the questions honestly, and my advisor seemed interested in my background with multi-cultural issues, Ethnic Studies, Upward Bound, and English. She said my GPA was great and that all my letters of recommendation were good, so she said it would be hard for her to imagine me not getting into the program. The final decision is made by a committee and I have been told I would be notified within two weeks. I don't know if the notification comes via e-mail or snail-mail, so I've been jumping each time my Blackberry buzzes and anticipating an envelope from Cal Lutheran in my mailbox each afternoon. So far, nothing. But no news is good news at this point.

At the end of the interview, my advisor essentially told me what classes I'll be registering for in the Fall (with days and times of class meetings), which I take as a sign that I'm already in. Now I'm just waiting for notification to make it official. Once I am officially notified, I'll be putting in my notice at work. I want my last day to be August 14th (the day before Fernando and I leave for San Diego for his 28th birthday trip). Classes start September 2nd!

I'm getting pretty antsy as it has almost been two weeks already. I filled out my FAFSA already to keep myself busy in the meantime. Now, I'm just waiting . . .

~LOVE~

CLU Admissions Interview

2009-07-09T13:04:00.001-07:00

Please send all your spare positive energy to me on Monday, July 13th at 4:30pm PST. A solid half-hour of good vibes should be sufficient. Thanks in advance!

~LOVE~

Cal Lutheran

2009-07-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

I just got a call today from Cal Lutheran. I didn't hear it ring, but they left me a voicemail message. They want me to call back to arrange my admissions interview. One step closer to grad school. As soon as I know when the interview will be, I'll let you know. I'll need tons of prayers, wishes, and other forms of positive energy behind me that day.

~LOVE~

Scratch

2009-06-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

Things that I am sick of:

The economy.

Bug bites.

Back pain.

Everyday at my work is an emergency. We're "running lean." This basically means there are too few people doing the work here, not enough product on our shelves to satisfy orders, not enough money in the bank to pay our vendors, not enough customers paying us money for the product we busted our asses to send out to them . . . and the cycle continues. Oh, and our bookkeeper (the smelly one I didn't care for too much) quit, leaving behind quite a mess (literally and figuratively). Also, my cousin just got laid off from his job and that sucks.

Everytime I go out in my backyard, I get bit by bugs. EVERYTIME. It's getting old.

I pulled a muslce in my back a couple weeks ago. The doctors gave me pain killers, but they don't do anything for me. I'm trying to wait it out, but if the pain doesn't go away soon, I have to go to physical therapy.

My brother-in-law, Gilbert, passed away on Memorial Day from a sudden stroke. Fernando and I went up to the funeral on Friday to pay our respects. My sister is now a widow. It breaks my heart. We will miss Gilbert a lot. Not much else to say about that.

The only good news I have to report is that Fernando go a promotion and a raise last week. He also is not taking any classes this summer, so hopefully I'll get to see him in the evenings more often. I'll still be tutoring during the summer, but the hours will be descreasing somewhat.

I hope you are doing well.

~LOVE~

Run

2009-04-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling very emotional today. Not sure why. I'll chalk it up to the gloomy weather.

I still haven't updated about New York, but now that I've uploaded the photos, I might be able to do a proper update THIS weekend.

Last weekend turned out alright. On Saturday I had big plans to wake up early, clean the house, cook dinner, and have my friends over. Well, I woke up late, and spent most of the day cathing up on shows on my DVR, but I did actually get a lot of chores done. I watered plants, washed dishes, swept, mopped, cleaned the chinchilla's cage, and made it to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for tacos. I had my friend, Jenn, and her boyfriend, Eric, over for tacos and maragaritas. This marked the first time Fernando and I had guests really sit down to eat at our new kitchen table.

Later that night, Fernando and I made the trek out to Studio City to go to Xenia's 21st Birthday party at Saddle Ranch at City Walk. The place was just too crowded, so we didn't really have a lot of fun. I'm starting to think I'm getting too old to be going to 21st birthday parties anymore . . .

On Sunday, we slept in. I was so tired from staying up late the night before. I tutored for just an hour on Sunday, and since I got done with tutoring early, I stopped at the book store. I had a gift card from Christmas that I was itching to use. I also had a craving for Starbucks. So I ended up picking up the complete Persepolis and the third Twilight book, Eclipse. I went home and started reading, and about an hour later, our friends, Andrew and Amy, stopped by. We drove all the way to Simi Valley to eat pastrami sandwiches at The Hat (I actually had a grilled cheese) and then drove all the way to Canyon Country to have Menchie's (yummy frozen yogurt place). It was a nice end to a pleasant Sunday.

This week has been moving pretty slow. I think I'm going to go for an extra long run/walk today. Maybe I'll run to my parents' house and back? That would be kinda cool. Yeah, that's an idea.

~LOVE~

New York City, Baby!

2009-04-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a terrible blogger. I've been dependent on Twitter for the past couple months, which would explain my lack of real blog posts.

I promise a more fleshed out post later (this weekend), but here's my NYC experience as seen through my Twitter posts (tweets). Of note--these times are all PST, even though I was in EST most of the time.

On my way to LAX. Thanks, hubster, for braving the airport traffic! 8:07 AM Apr 4th from TwitterBerry

Boarding my flight . . . NYC, here I come! 9:40 AM Apr 4th from TwitterBerry

Just touched down at JFK . . . A bit earlier than expected, but that's OK. Time to catch a cab to Brooklyn 2:40 PM Apr 4th from TwitterBerry

Everyone always complains about LA traffic, but NY traffic is worse, in my opinion 3:57 PM Apr 4th from TwitterBerry

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island weren't on my bucket list, but they've been checked off either way 11:25 AM Apr 5th from TwitterBerry

Gorgeous Spring night in NYC. Gotta soak it in now before the rain arrives. 5:58 PM Apr 5th from TwitterBerry

Bedtime 9:28 PM Apr 5th from TwitterBerry

It's a Museum of Natural History kind of day 9:51 AM Apr 6th from TwitterBerry

I've never eaten a canoli. New York seems like a good place for my first time. 7:07 PM Apr 6th from TwitterBerry

In Harlem, looking for some good soul food or Carribean food 10:47 AM Apr 7th from TwitterBerry

Yummy Caribbean food found--in Washington Heights! El Malecon for mofongo con camarones. 12:04 PM Apr 7th from TwitterBerry

Listening to live jazz music . . . makes me miss my hubby back home :( 9:54 PM Apr 7th from TwitterBerry

Mmmm, I love falafal 6:28 PM Apr 8th from TwitterBerry

'Cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields . . . tomorrow 9:55 PM Apr 8th from TwitterBerry

Looking for a restuarant with good salads in Brooklyn. Any recommendations? 1:40 PM Apr 10th from TwitterBerry

Last day in NY and it's a rainy one 9:12 AM Apr 11th from TwitterBerry

Um, I hope I don't miss my flight . . . 12:47 PM Apr 11th from TwitterBerry

By the way, my feet are soaking wet from this NYC rain 12:56 PM Apr 11th from TwitterBerry

Back in good ol' So Cal. So happy it's gonna be sunny and warm tomorrow :) 8:01 PM Apr 11th from TwitterBerry

~LOVE~

Squeeee!

2009-04-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

This time tomorrow, I'll be on a plane (Virgin America, thankyouverymuch) heading to NYC. I can't wait to reunite with my BFF, Tanya, plus the Cal Poly Crew (Kenia, Danny, and Daisy).

~LOVE~

I Feel Better

2009-04-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, I am feeling better about the whole "being rejected from grad school again" situation. I know I'm smart, I know I have a bright future ahead of me, and I know I have options. I just needed a little time to wallow in self-pity. Don't we all need that sometimes?

I suppose Vegas may have had something to do with it. One night of party-'til-you-black-out-kind of partying will do that for you (Don't worry, family members who might be reading this--I didn't actually black out, but I did wake up with a nasty hangover brought on by too much Hennessy). Actually, any Hennessy is too much Hennessy. Not.My.Drink.

I'm leaving for NYC on Saturday. I think I already miss Fernando, but the trip should be fun enough to make up for the missing him.

Items on the agenda for New York City:

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour
Central Park (and Strawberry Fields)
Central Park Zoo
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Guggenheim
Hip Hop tour of Harlem (entitled "Walk This Way")
Gothan Comedy Club
MoMA
Times Square
walking the entire length of the Brooklyn Bridge
Staten Island Ferry
Ground Zero
lots of good food and drink

Sadly, I don't think I'll have time to see a Broadway show. My 10th grade self would totally punch me for saying that, but it's cool. My traveling companion doesn't have the funds for a Broadway show, so I'll have to save that for my next trip to NY (whenever that may be). And I'll be sure to bring Fernando along with me on the next trip.

~LOVE~

Time Line

2009-03-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

When I was in sixth grade, my teacher gave us this assignment. We were to create a personal time line of our lives' events. The fun part of the assignment--we didn't just include past events--we got to include future events as we suspected them to happen. When I was finished with the project, I had created the time line of the perfect life. Aside from my past achievements (learning to walk, learning to speak), I predicted I would get my driver's license on my 16th birthday, I'd graduate from high school in 2002, I'd graduate from college in 2006, I'd graduate from veterinary school in 2010, and I'd be married the same year (to a man with a mustache). In 2012, I would give birth to twin girls, Jodi and Jasmine. Surely, I would retire sometime in the year 2049. I planned by death date one day short of my 100th birthday (I've always been one for irony).

I hung that time line up in my room for quite some time and I thought warmly of this perfect little future.

But life happens. I didn't get my driver's license until after my 17th birthday because I was always too busy with theater and church events to practice my driving. My high school graduation date was predetermined, but I wore a different color cap and gown from the picture I drew in 6th grade. I graduated from college in 2006 as predicted, but I didn't immediately go into veterinary (or any grad school for that matter) school. It's already 2009, but I'm already married. And he doesn't have a mustache.

I've just been rejected (again) for grad school. I'm old enough to know that life doesn't always follow the path that we'd like it to take, but I honestly feel very lost at the moment. I don't know what my next step should be.

Being rejected from school, when it's the thing you want most in the world at the moment, isn't just hard. It's soul crushing. I am listless. I have very little motivation. I feel out of control. When I found out, I threw on my running clothes and ran until my lungs burned and my heart was threatening to jump out of my chest. I got in my car and cranked the music so loud the windows shook. I drowned out my thoughts.

I'm seeking salvation. I could win the lottery. I could drink myself under the table. I could have a baby. I could write the great American novel. I could start my own business. Anything at this point to define myself and give my life purpose.

I'm blessed, I know. I have a loving husband who would jump through hoops of fire just to see me smile. I have a family who loves me despite everything. I have a roof over my head. But I still can't help feel like a failure. The time line still haunts me.

It's already 2009. How am I supposed to go to grad school, establish a career, and have twin baby girls before my 29th birthday?

~LOVE~

The Stars Align

2009-03-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

So, as far as an update regarding my last post--my plum tree currently has about five tiny white blossoms on it. Nothing to report in regards to the peach tree. My lemon tree is COVERED is just-about-to-bud blossoms. I'll keep you all updated on that situation. My pomegranate tree has a few leaves on it now, too.

Last night, the stars aligned in the most amazing way. Both of my tutoring appointments were cancelled AND Fernando's class got cancelled. So after work, I stopped by Urban Home and ended up buying a kitchen table. It's counter-height, European-rustic looking, and comes with four sizable and comfortable chairs. It should be ready for pick-up next week. I am so excited to finally be getting a kitchen table. Now I get to pick out place mats! After paying for my table, I headed home. Fernando and I pulled into the driveway at the same time. We decided that in honor of our both being home early on a weekday, and the fact that it was still light outside, we were going to do a BBQ. We swung by Albertsons and bought some vittles. For dinner, we made Angus beef hamburgers with Muenster cheese, avocado, and all the fixings. We also threw some zucchini on the grille. It was a delicious dinner! We capped off the night with a new episode of The Office.

My grad school application has been into Cal State Long Beach for two weeks now. I still have at least four more weeks to wait until I discover my fate. If I do get in, my first day of classes will be August 31st. I have been charmed by the idea of going back to school. Mostly because this means I'll finally be able to quit my day job. If I get in, I think my last day will be August 1st. This will free me up to go camping with my family in August, a luxury I was going to miss if I kept working. I'll still going to be tutoring in the summer, so I think taking a whole month off will be financially do-able (not to mention a dream come true).

Two weeks from now, I'll be preparing to board a plane to Las Vegas for Yvonne's bachelorette party bonanza. I am thrilled about this mini-vacation. I'll be taking a half-day from work that Friday, and my dad has agreed to drop me off at the Burbank airport so I can catch my flight. All the girls are staying together at the Luxor. The first night will be the "official" party night with games and drinks and presents, followed by a night at the new LAX club inside the Luxor. The second night will be themed. All of us girls have been asked to wear "little black dresses." We're doing a nice sit-down dinner at the P.F. Chang's inside the Planet Hollywood and following that up with a night at the Pure nightclub inside of Caesar's Palace. This will be somewhat of a pricey weekend for me, but I've pre-paid for a lot of it (including my flight, hotel, outfits, gifts for Yvonne, etc) over the past couple of months, so I think the expenses incurred over the actual weekend won't get out of hand. As you can tell, I am very excited!

More house news--we're finally getting a washer and dryer on Monday! One of Fernando's vendors from work is having a crazy sale on scratch and dent pieces. We're only paying about $300 for a matching, front-loading washer/dryer combo! Also, we've decided to go ahead and re-do the smaller bathroom (the one attached to our bedroom). My dad already ripped out the sink and built-in cabinets. Even though we're loosing storage space, switching to a pedestal sink is going to make it seem a lot more luxurious. I'm thinking a white and soft mint/teal color combination will work well--a smooth transition from the taupe and white in our bedroom.

Did I mention that I'm less than a month away from my week-long trip to NYC? Not only do I get to see my BFF, Tanya, but I get to spend a week with Kenia. Also, my sorority sister, Daisy, will be in NYC the same week as me, so we're definitely going to spend some time together. And finally--Danny is going to fly into NYC for the first weekend that I'm going to be there. It will be a Cal Poly, SLO reunion in the middle of New York City!

~LOVE~

I Can Feel It

2009-02-27T12:21:00.001-08:00

Spring is almost here (March 20th to be exact). The fruit trees in my backyard haven't started blooming yet and I'm beginning to worry. Shouldn't they be blooming now? I want plum tree blossoms--my favorite kind--they are white and smell like fruit.

My dad drove all the way to Long Beach today to drop off my grad school application. What a guy. Seriously though, I owe him dinner and a beer. He has proven once again his G-status. Actually, I owe a lot of people thank yous for helping with my application (Shelley, Jeannie, Dr. Clark, and Karen Herwig specifically). If I get into the program there, I'll have a fun, fun, fun, 110-mile long (round trip) car ride to look forward to a few times a week. Cross your fingers, folks!! If I don't get in, I'll probably cry, or go to bartending school. One or the other. Or both. Good thing I have Las Vegas and NYC to distract me during the next couple of weeks while I wait for word from CSULB.

Is anyone looking forward to Daylight Savings Time as much as me?

~LOVE~

The Economy . . .

2009-02-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

. . . is so depressing. So many of my friends have been laid-off, been given pay-cuts, cuts to hours, etc. This is a shitty time in our nation's (and world's history).

Even my favorite talk radio station is getting reformatted into a non-talk radio station because spinning Jonas Brothers records is worth more than wit.

How much longer can we hang on?

~LOVE~

My Quarter Century Celebration(s)

2009-02-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

Well, my 25th birthday has come and gone already, but the party is just beginning.

This past weekend I was up in SLO for the Upsilon Class crossover (we welcomed four new sisters into the familia), and I did a little pre-partying with Mona and Jennifer. Can I tell you how much I adore Mona and Jenn? They are seriously my “roll-dawgs 4 life.” They are always down to party and get crazy. On Friday night, I met up with Mona and we kept it chill. We went to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop in Arroyo Grande and then spent the rest of the night watching TV at her house in Guadalupe. The next morning, Mona cooked me breakfast and then we ventured into Santa Maria to go shopping at our favorite spot, Fashion Max. It’s a Santa Maria staple where you can find inexpensive clothes for going out. Kinda like Forever 21, except more ghetto. I can always find something there and for not a lot of money. After the mall, we decided we needed to get our nails done, so we went to this nail place across the street. Mona got acrylic nails, but I opted for the simpler manicure. For only $11, you can’t say no. A little, old Asian man gave me my manicure. The arm/hand massage they give as part of the manicure is worth the $11 already, but the rest of the manicure was just as nice. I went with a red color that actually ended up matching my Blackberry almost exactly.

After we got out nails done, we stopped at Rite-Aid to grab some champagne to gift to Jennifer. Jennifer was in the process of moving out of her apartment and moving in with her boyfriend, Eric, on Saturday, and we felt bad that we weren’t helping her move. Champagne makes up for it, I think. So we made the drive up to SLO and met Jenn at her apartment in time to help her with the last stage of moving (packing up her car and putting stuff in her storage unit). Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at Mondeo’s (one of my favorite restaurants in SLO), and then starting getting ready for our night out. I wore the new shirt I picked up at Fashion Max earlier in the day. We met up at Eric’s apartment and cracked open the bottle of champagne. Seeing as Jenn was in the process of moving in to an apartment filled with boys, all we had to drink out of were Slurpee Cups. That’s right, we drank Korbel out of Slurpee cups. So classy. Just like Mona, Jenn, and myself. Then it was off to downtown. Our first stop was Downtown Brew (DTB), where Mona bought me a Tokyo Tea. It wasn’t too good, so I only drank about half of it. I think we were there for about half an hour dancing before we got a text message from Jenn’s friend, Q, to meet him at The Library (a bar). No matter how many times I go to “the bars” in SLO, we always end up at The Library. Jennifer bought me a beer at The Library for my birthday because I was already feeling the drink I had at DTB. I guess the pre-drinking of champagne caught up with me. Either way, by the end of the night, I was ready to go.

My Roll-Dawgs

My growing family

We stopped at Eric’s house to rest a bit before heading to Pismo Beach for the crossover. The ceremony went smoothly and it was cool to meet the newest generation of sisters. My family grew once again. One of Evelyn’s other little sisters gained a new little sister. It was cool to take pictures of the whole family—it’s rare that we all get together (because we’re so big!). The party afterward was pretty mild. The next morning, a bunch of us got together in SLO for breakfast at Margie’s Diner. Tasty food. Evelyn, myself, and Maria finally got on the road around 12:30pm to head back to So Cal. I was pretty tired from the trip back. I was relieved to get home. I took a hot shower, threw on my PJs, and spent the rest of the day on the couch with Fernando watching the Superbowl and the new episode of The Office afterwards. When The Office was over, I said goodnight to Fernando and I’m pretty sure I was asleep before 9pm!

This week has been okay. Things are still really slow at work, which makes doing the work of two people not that challenging. I’m trying not to stress out too much about the future of my company. I know the owner would be really devastated if we had to shut things down. The business is his brain child. Still—if they have to let another person go, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the next to go. Even though I’ve been here longer than our bookkeeper, no one can do what our bookkeeper does. My boss knows how to do all the things I do—and even though I know she’d be beyond busy doing my job, the administrative jobs, and her job, she’d be able to do it. Even though I hate my job—I need it for the health benefits, so please send good thoughts/vibes/prayers my way (or my company’s way).

So my birthday was yesterday and my Blackberry was blowing up with calls, texts, Myspace Comments, and Facebook comments. Thanks to any and all of you who wished me a happy birthday. I didn’t pressure myself into thinking I had to have fun on my birthday, so I wasn’t disappointed by the lack of fun. I worked, Fernando went to school, I tutored, I did a little shopping, and I watched LOST and Top Chef. Fernando came home with a tiny little container of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream with a candle in it, as well as a card, and my gift. All three seasons of Three Sheets on DVD. I’m so psyched about my gift. It was exactly what I wanted.

So now I’m just focusing on closing out the week. Neda is supposed to stop by for a visit on Friday to check out our new house. On Saturday, I will sleep in, then do a little bit of shopping (I have some birthday coupons to use), and then prepare for dinner with the family at Buca di Beppo. Sunday morning, Fernando and I will be waking up super early to pack and leave for San Francisco. Our flight leaves LAX around 9am, so we need to get to Van Nuys flyaway early enough to park, catch the tram, and check-in for our flight.

I’m so stoked for my birthday trip. Kenia has helped me plan a weekend full of fun activities. I can’t wait!!

~LOVE~

25 Random Things About Random Me

2009-02-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

I posted this on Facebook, but here it is again:

1. I have been writing in journals/diaries since I was in 4th grade. I started "online journaling" back in high school. I have journals and blogs sprinkled all over the internet. Try to find them!

2. I graduated from Cal Poly, SLO with a bachelor's degree in English with Honors. I looooooooved being an English major, but my degree is pretty much useless since I don't want to be a teacher.

3. I'm in the process of applying to grad school at Cal State Long Beach. The program I'm trying to get into is master's in counseling. The name of my concentration is "Student Development in Higher Education." My dream job would be to be the Greek Advisor to an entire university.

4. I'm a sister of Sigma Omega Nu--I'm about to celebrate my 6 year anniversary as a sister. I've met my friends for life through the organization. I have an amazing big sister, two wonderful little sisters, four of the most incredible line sisters (You shouldda been a LAMBDA!), two pledge classes full of bad-ass pledge-babies (FXis and HFMS), and tons more amazing sister-friends.

5. I've already met my soul-mate. I got lucky because I met him back when I was just 18. We got married on October 21st, 2006 and life has been so great since then. I laugh everyday because of him.

6. I think some of the greatest inventions of all time are DVRs and Blackberrys.

7. When I get bored, I tend to online shop. It's a bad habit.

8. I'm a self-taught wine expert.

9. I would LOVE to go to bartending school.

10. If I won the lotto, the first thing I would buy is an RV.

11. I love animals, especially cats. The only reason I'm not a crazy cat lady already is because my husband is allergic to cats. That's okay. We have a chinchilla named Chipotle. She's a total bitch, but I love her anyways.

12. I currently have no desire to have children. I mean, yeah, I want children, but not NOW. Get back to me in 3 years.

13. I just bought a house--it's pretty dope. I hope to host all my friends and family there at some point. We have two guest bedrooms and I'm decorating them so our guests feel like they are on vacation when they visit. Like at a B&B or hotel.

14. Most people don't know that I love rap and hip-hop music, but I do. It's all I have on my iPod. I especially love older rap/hip-hop. I love me some Dr. Dre, Warren G, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, etc . . .

15. I have always secretly wanted to be a barista at Starbucks.

16. I worked at Magic Mountain for about five years off and on while in high school and college. I hated my job, but loved my co-workers at Six Flags Photo Service. I have such fond memories of working there and all the friends I made. Saturday night pizza parties, goofing off in second booth, Lava Monster, etc . . . fun times. Photos ARE better than funnel cake.

17. I'm not a very good cook, but I make awesome spaghetti.

18. I grew up in a "low fat/low cal" household. So I prefer non-fat Ranch dressing to the full-fat kind (the full-fat kind basically makes me want to barf). I also prefer margarine to butter. I can feel the fat coating my tongue. Oh, the same goes for whole and skim milk. Whole milk can suck it.

19. I eat a Lean Cusine for lunch pretty much everyday--not because I'm on a diet or anything--just because I have a really short lunch break, and they are easy to cook and tasty to eat and MUCH cheaper than eating out.

20. I tutor privately during the week. I have two really great clients. I love my "night job."

21. I've been an extra in three movies--Boys and Girls, Little Nicky, and Rat Race. When I got Freddie Prinze Jr's autograph, I gave it away to my best friend, Neda. When I got Seth Green's autograph, I gave it away to my friend Ann. But when I got Adam Sandler's autograph, I kept it for myself. Actually, he signed two things for me--his comedy CD, "What The Hell Happened to Me?" and my VHS copy of "SNL: The Best of Adam Sandler."

22. I LOVE stand-up comedy. Most of my celebrity crushes and favorite comedians got their start in stand-up.

23. I know a lot of useless trivia. It's kinda my trademark. So much so that I have to "maintain" my body of knowledge by DVRing Jeopardy everyday, as well as The Cash Cab.

24. I cut coupons regularly and I join internet mailing lists all the time so I get lots of coupons and special offers. I very rarely buy things without a coupon.

25. My guilty pleasure is reading wedding-related blogs. I probably look at more wedding blogs these days than when I was planning my own wedding. I think about starting my own event planning business occassionally (J. Star Productions), but mostly satisfy my desire by planning my own parties or parties for my friends.

~LOVE~

When Does This End?

2009-01-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

My officemate got laid off today. She was our administrative assistant. Essentially, she took on all my old duties after I got promoted. While I did find her annoying on a personal level, I'm really sad for her. She really needed this job. She was still living at home (she graduated high school the same year as me) and was getting back into classes at COC.

Since business has slowed way down, I think that I will be able to manage both my old administrative duties, as well as my newer "Operations" duties, but I still feel down about her loss.

Her getting laid off followed an announcement a couple weeks ago that we all had to take temporary 10% pay-cuts. I have not been given word as to whether I will get that 10% back now that I'm gonna do the work of two people. Hopefully, I do.

We make our first house payment on February 1st!

~LOVE~

Stainless

2009-01-15T11:43:00.001-08:00

I think I already mentioned that Fernando and I went ahead and bought a new, Frigidaire stove for our kitchen in stainless steel. We got it through his job at Pacific Sales and we're getting a nice little discount on it.

Our stove

Well, we also needed a new dishwasher, so we were thinking about getting this one Bosch dishwasher that was on sale at Fernando's work, but I balked at the handle because it didn't match the handle on the stove we just bought. So Fernando worked it out for us to get the matching Frigidaire dishwasher. Still a good price through his work.

Our dishwasher--so sleek

Notice the matching handle

So, I was content. The dishwasher and stove were stainless and they matched. All was right with the world. Well--almost. Our old refrigerator was white, but I was happy with just "making it work" until we had more money saved up. Our "old" fridge is actually only as old as our marriage (just over two years), so it works great and looks fine. Then Fernando sent me a text message yesterday telling me that he could get a great deal on the matching Frigidaire refrigerator if we bought all three pieces together. For about $2000, we're getting the fridge, the stove, and the dishwasher--all matching. The price includes extended warranties and delivery. Also, through Fernando's work, we're financing them interest free for 18 months, which means if we pay just $120 a month for the next 18 months, we'll pay them off with no interest. Also, we're getting a $200 rebate from Frigidaire, and the electric company will also give us a credit since the fridge is an EnergyStar appliance. Not bad at all. I told Fernando, "How can we say no?" and the deal was done.

The coup de grace-our new fridge

Our stove was already delivered last week and we're getting the dishwasher and refrigerator delivered on Saturday! I believe we will be handing the old fridge down to Fernando's mom, who probably couldn't afford a new fridge on her own. At least we know a person who really needs it is getting it.

With those deliveries, our kitchen will pretty much be complete. We finished lining the cabinets and unpacking all our dishes last night. Since we've upgraded to a bigger kitchen, there are actually a lot of cabinets that are empty, but I suppose that's what upgrading and home ownership is all about--finding a bigger place for all the new crap you will accumulate in life. Fun.
~LOVE~

Our Kitchen

2009-01-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

We probably did the most work in our kitchen--we demo'd pretty much every wall and hung new drywall, we bought a new, stainless steel oven/range and a new, stainless steel dishwasher, we sanded, primed, and painted the cabinets Behr's "Olivine," as well as added all new brushed nickel and chrome hardware, we laid tile, we installed a new window, and we have plans for a new light fixture. In the distant future, we'd like to redo the counters with granite, and put up a new backsplash in either mosaic glass tile or subway tile. That's in the DISTANT future though. In true Jessica fashion, I had to create a mood board for the kitchen as well (no room will go unplanned!). Check it out:

The design scheme for this room was inspired by the olive green color I chose for the cabinets and the stainless steel we chose for the hardware on the cabinets and the appliances. I call it "Contemporary European Bistro." The modern elements are the stainless steel appliances, hardware, and accessories and the idea to do pendant lights. The European infleuneces will come in with the artwork and type of activities we will use the kitchen for. I love to entertain--I love wine, dirty martinis, sitting around and sipping coffee with friends, and I love the idea of Spanish tapas or appetizers and drinks. I want to display my wine bottles and assorted glassware. I've been collecting corks from wine bottle since I got married, and I do eventually plan to craft my own wreath out of corks. Finally, I'm pretty sure I'd like to go with a smaller, counter height table in a dark wood color. Fernando and I rarely eat at the table (we generally set out the TV trays and watch Jeopardy together for dinner), so this would be more for looks and occassionally entertaining freinds. The added height from a counter height table will allow guests to see the TV in our living room while they are seated and enjoying food and drinks. Oh, and a lazy susan in the middle of the table will make it easier for sharing all those tasty tapas!

~LOVE~

Two More

2009-01-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Living Room

This is the mood board for our large living room. Since our house doesn't have a fireplace, we have a lot of room to work with. The main inspiration for this room is "Cupidon" by Bougereau. I became transfixed by his painting--isn't it gorgeous? The couch you see in the upper-lefthand corner is the couch we ordered from Overstock.com. It's tan chenille (super soft). The walls are painted a soft, sky blue color. To set off the tan couch and blue walls, I want to go with a soft green for extra chairs in the main sitting area. I'm feeling more of a tug towards a chocolate brown rug (since the tile in the living room is light). I think the darker rug will really outline the sitting area and make it more cozy. If I go with a dark rug, I want a light colored "cocktail ottoman." The couch we ordered doesn't have recliners, so we need a place to put our feet up. To tie all the soft colors together, I want modern silver lamps and lots of candles and glass candle holders. Finally, at some point in the future, I want to replace the sliding glass doors with French doors, and will cover them up with sheer curtains to allow all the natural sunlight to float through. We don't really need privacy curtains since our backyard faces a hill.

Home Office

This is the mood board for our home office, which is the first room you really seen when you enter our house. I have always loved the combination of yellow and gray, so I went with it. Since this is space that Fernando and I will share, it can't be too feminine, so I'm sticking with a fairly heavy-handed contemporary feel. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying that L-shaped desk from IKEA--it's perfect. Modern and spacious. Enough room for our computer, as well as writing desk space. I want two different chairs. A black leather one for Fernando, and a softer one for me in white or yellow. We want to do a reading nook as well--a comfy chair with an ottoman. I want one entire wall to be taken up with bookcases for that "built-in" look. The art on the walls will be sitting on "floating" shelves. I want to have one of my architect friends draw a pencil sketch of our house from the outside, so we can frame it and mount it in there. And as a bonus, it becomes a lovely family heirloom. We can always remember our first home, no matter where we may roam.

~LOVE~

Inspiration

2009-01-02T11:59:00.001-08:00

Ah, heck--I'm bored at work. So I feel like posting my "mood boards" for the three bedrooms in our house. Since we're not ballers, we have to buy little pieces of each room at a time. To keep myself on target with my ultimate goal for each rooms' decor, I created these mood boards. And without further ado . . .

Master Bedroom

For our master bedroom, we painted the walls Behr's "Classic Taupe." Our carpet will be white, and we have bright white baseboards. In the future, I want to finish off the look of the room with classic white crown moulding. Nothing classier in my opinion. For the color scheme, I see a mix of chocolate browns, creams, golds, sage and olive greens, and light browns. Some of the elements in this board that I am "stuck on" are mounting a flat screen TV on the wall, a tall chest of drawers, a photo collage, a sleigh bed, indoor plants/flowers, and ceiling-to-floor curtains.

Guest bedroom #1: The Sunshine Room

In the smaller guest bedroom, I painted the walls Behr's "Sweet Apricot" color. The choice of hue was inspired by the inside of a conch shell. I want the entire room to convey a feeling of a sunny day on the shore of one of the Florida keys. Colors include lime green, lemon yellow, orange, coral, white, and touches of tan. For artwork, I want to frame vintage travel posters, and mount conch shells in white shadow boxes. All fabrics need to be crisp--linen and seersucker. And how awesome would it be to have a surfboard leaning casually in one of the corners?

Guest Bedroom #2: The Ocean Room

In the larger guest bedroom, we painted the walls Behr's "Winter Surf" which is a dark teal color. While the Sunshine Room is supposed to be all about the shore, the Ocean Room is all about what happens beneath the water's surface. I originally wanted to go with just black, white, and teal, but I decided to add graphic pops of red after seeing these awesome pictures of red coral and red starfishes. This room will have a distinctly modern feel to it. I imagine black laquer furniture that is softened by a stark white, goose-down comforter and tons of black, white, teal, and red pillows. For the art on the walls, I see black and white photos of the ocean, and black and white ink and paper sketches of items found underwater like sea horses, coral, sand dollars, and the lion fish. Finally, I want my grandma to make me some custom curtains out of black and white damask with a border of that red and white polka dot print.

~LOVE~

Welcome, 2009!

2009-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

I never update this thing, but you should know, Fernando and I bought a house (with the help of my parents, of course). We haven't moved in yet because we're in the middle of renovations, but we should finally be living there in a few more weeks.

Vasquez Manor

~LOVE~

Feeling Great

2008-06-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

So, I suppose it's time for a proper update. I've been feeling really good lately. It might have something to do with the new routine I've fallen into now that my tutoring has taken a dip in hours. I have more time in the afternoon to focus on myself--eating right, working out, reading, not watching as much television, etc. Fernando is currently taking a summer course and he doesn't get home until after 10pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. He's already in the third week of the course and it's only six weeks long, so it's not as bad as it sounds. Without Fernando at home, I am not tempted as much to just sit on the couch and veg out, drink beer, and mindlessly snack. With the arrival of my Wii Fit two weeks ago, I have a renewed interest in doing exercise and actually losing some of the weight I've put on since graduation from Cal Poly. I have a goal of thirty pounds and I've already lost five. I haven't exactly seen results in the areas I'd like (upper arms, inner thighs), but my waist has definitly shrunken. Also, without Fernando at home, I have no one to cook me dinner, so my dinners are simple, healthy things like turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread or salads with a little tuna in them.

With the drop in tutoring hours, I've also been reading a lot more. I finished The Time Traveler's Wife on Saturday after a marathon four and half hour reading session. Now, I'm already thirteen chapters into Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Once done with that, I have A Thousand Splendid Suns waiting in the wings. And after that . . . I suppose a trip to the bookstore is in order (unless somebody out there wants to let me borrow a good book they've recently read).

I've been watching a lot less television because most of my regular TV shows are on summer hiatus. The Top Chef finale is tonight, and after that, I don't have anything to watch until the next season of Project Runway starts in July.

Another reason I've been feeling good lately is because I have an honest-to-goodness job interview this Friday! The company is here in Santa Clarita and it is a non-public company that provides behavioral therapy to children and adults with Autism and other developmental disabilities along the Autism spectrum. The position I am applying for is Behavioral Therapist Level 1. It's an entry level job and it usually is reserved for people with Bachelor's degree in Psychology or a related field, but the woman I spoke to on the phone said that having experience working with children can compensate for the fact that my degree is in English. If hired, the company provides extensive paid training and I would be working under direct supervision for my first year. After a year of working for the company, they can promote you to Level 2, after two years, you can become a supervisor. The opportunity for growth and possibility of adding "work with persons with deveolpmental disabilities" to my skills set is definitely intriguing. The work would be traveling to different home or school sites and working directly with students. Milage and time between jobs is paid, and the company has health, dental, life, 401(k), and partial TUITION REIMBURSEMENT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION. This is possibly the most important incentive they could offer me since I do plan on pursuing a Master's degree.

My interview is on Friday at 11am. I have to fake a doctor's appointment to get some time off work to attend. Please send some positive thoughts/prayers/vibes my way on Friday. I'm going to be very nervous for this interview--I haven't gone to a job interview for almost two years! If hired, this will have some interesting reverberations in my current work life. I'll obviously need to put in my two weeks' notice here at ATM, but I will also have to quit tutoring for Xamaze. Both of the clients that I have lined up for summer school tutoring this summer are very clingy to me as their tutor. When they talk to me about tutoring, they talk as if I'm going to be a part of their children's lives until they graduate high school. I've spoken to these families many times about my limitations as a tutor (for example, I don't tutor math past Geometry), but they still seem to have a hard time imagining having another tutor other than me. I know if I cancel with them for the summer that they will indeed survive, but I still can't help but feel a little guilty for "leaving" them. Hopefully they'll want to keep me in their back pocket as their "emergency" tutors on weekends and such. I can make a lot more money per hour getting paid directly by my tutoring clients under the table.

All in all, there is a lot of promise for good things coming in the next couple of months. I'm looking forward to this weekend--my cousin (on my dad's side), Michael, is turning 40 and his wife is throwing him a Las Vegas themed party that we will be attending. I bought a new dress and shoes and earrings for the event. It should be a lot of fun. Oh, I almost forgot to mention--my mom and dad are flying up to Portland today to visit my mom's friend, Connie for a few days. We'll be house sitting from tonight until Friday when my parent's get back.

~LOVE~

Birthday

2008-02-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

***Originally written on 2/4/08****

It's my birthday. Yup, yup. So . . . 24 feels like . . . sitting at work--bored--sipping the coffee. All in all, a lot like 23.

Birthday plans are as follows: Monday, February 4th: My co-workers are throwing me a little lunch today. I got to pick the restaurant, so we're ordering in from Chili's. Mmmm . . . I love the black bean burger. So tasty. And after I'm done with tutoring this evening, Fernando and I are going out to dinner at South Point Grill. Their steaks are awesome. Fernando is also busy doing the laundry for me today. Usually I go to my parents' place on Sundays to do the laundry, but I was driving back from SLO this Sunday and didn't get home until the fourth quarter of the Superbowl. By that time, I wasn't willing to leave the house because the game was so good. Amazing even.

Friday, February 8th: My dinner with friends at Mojito. It should be a smaller crowd, maybe ten friends getting together for dinner. I'm really excited for this. Mojito serves Carribbean food and makes amazing cocktails. And on Friday and Saturday nights after 10pm they have live music for dancing. The food is a bit on the pricy side for dinner, but it's gourmet quality. I'm going to make sure we order plenty of appetizers for my friends. I'm thinking of ordering the paella. I've never eaten mussells before and I feel like trying something new on my birthday.

Saturday, February 9th: I'm going to make an appointment at a local salon to have my hair cut. I've been growing it since October of 2006 so that I can donate 10+ inches to Locks of Love. I picked my birthday as a good milestone time to make this big change. I haven't had really short hair since my senior year of high school. The past couple of months have been hard--I feel like ripping my hair out about once a day because it is so long, but now I finally get to get rid of it and pick a totally new style.

Sunday, February 10th: Dinner with my family--I picked BJ's as the place. We were originally supposed to go out tonight, but my dad is having surgery today to fix a hernia, so we just pushed it to this coming weekend. Since my aunt Yolanda's birthday is also getting close, I'm wondering if it would be better to combine our birthday celebrations together. We'll see. This weekend seems pretty far away at this point. Alrighty then, guess it's time to go back to work.

~LOVE~

The Past Month

2007-11-19T10:13:00.001-08:00

It doesn't really seem like it, but in retrospect, the past month has been very eventful. Let's recap, shall we?

Fernando and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary October 19-21st. We went to Disneyland on the 19th. We both took the day off work and spent the entire day at Disneyland. We got home around 1:30am and we were both sore the next day from walking so much! Then, amidst the "firestorm" that circled the Santa Clarita Valley, we managed to go have a lovely dinner on the 21st (our actual anniversary) at The Vines inside the Hyatt. Fernando had the coffee crusted filet mignon, I had the salmon with a tasty olive relish. Our wedding cake held up in the freezer over the past year. The restaurant served it to us and the server commented that it must have been a beautiful cake--it was, but if only she knew that the bakery actually gave us the wrong flavor of cake on our wedding day. I guess the bakery felt bad about that even a year later, because even though we saved the top tier of our wrong wedding cake, the rebaked us two tiers of the cake in the flavor we originally chose (Banana Walnut) and sent it to us on our anniversary. We were swimming in cake that week--we had to go to my grandma's house and my mother-in-law's house to pawn some of it off on them!
The next big event we experienced was my family's dog, Gracie, had to be put to sleep on November 1st. She had been having breathing problems for the week previous, and I believe it was due to complications from some tumors she had. Either way, the surgery to fix the problem would have been very expensive. My dad asked the vet if he would have any problems with putting Gracie to sleep and he said no. She looked like she was in pain. So my dad had her out to sleep that day and took her up to "Gigi Canyon" to bury her. It has been difficult to get used to my parents' house without her (it's a lot quieter), but we're all doing alright. My parents still have the two cats to look after.
November 3rd was Sigma Omega Nu's FUSION celebration, hosted by the Delta Chapter. It was good to see lots of faces I haven't seen in awhile and also to see the Eta Chapter girls experience their first big, sorority-wide event. I actually went to FUSION despite the fact that I was coming down with a flu and was running a fever, but I'm still glad I went.
The week following FUSION was pretty miserable for me--I missed three days of work because I was hit really hard by a flu. I was so sick I even went to Kaiser to have myself checked out to make sure I didn't have anything more serious. Luckily, it was just a flu, but it took me almost a week to feel better!
This past weekend, Fernando and I went to a hockey game at the Staples Center. Fernando had won some tickets off the radio, so we went. It was the LA Kings versus the Phoenix Coyotes. I've never seen so many hockey fans in my life! Fernando and I were pretty unimpressed with the hockey goings on (we are not fans at all), but it was fun to get out of the house and see the Staples center for the first time. Hopefully, the next time I go to the Staples Center will be for a Lakers or Clippers game!

So, that's what the past month has brought us-- what's coming up?

Thanksgiving this week at Fernando's sister's house
Hopefully, some good shopping on Black Friday
Eta Chapter is hosting their first event on Wednesday, November 28th--The Nu Dynasty
Susan (my lil sis) will be celebrating her 21st birthday on November 30th
I'll be "baby-sitting" for Elena on December 7th while my parents and Skip and Jeannie attend a church dinner. I want to take her to Color Me Mine . . .
December 8th is the holiday party for Xamaze Tutoring
I need to start working on my grad school applications again!

It Was A Labor of Love

2007-10-16T09:59:00.001-07:00

Please welcome to the Sigma Omega Nu familia the Eta Chapter Founding Mothers at California State University, Northridge established on October 13, 2007:

H.F.M. 01 Ana Luna - Ace
H.F.M. 02 Patty Mendoza - Magnetic
H.F.M. 03 Maritza Flores - Show Stopper
H.F.M. 04 Susan Ruiz - Wicked
H.F.M. 05 Scarlett Herrera - Digitz
H.F.M. 06 Xenia Zamarippa - Xtreme

~LOVE~

Bullets

2007-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

They're good things . . .

The kids are back to school. I have two VERY regular clients, leaving me with about 2 1/2 hours of tutoring a night. That's a good 8-10 hours a week of tutoring money. A nice $120 to $150 a week.
Mona signed up for Gmail specificially so we can Gchat during our boring days at work. We keep each other entertained.
I had my one-year review on Friday--it went well. I've been promoted to "Office Manager" and my payrate got a nice little bump--went from $12 to $14 an hour! That's an extra $320 a month! All going towards the savings! I'll have a little more responsibility here at the office, but I'm sure I can manage. If I can manage my current work load, plus have time to write Blogger entries during the day, I'd say I was desperate for more responsibility.
Saw Superbad on Saturday.
Neda's Birthday Party on Sunday was good times. The drinks were flowing, the food was abundant, and I got to hang out with some of my old friends from high school and junior high that I haven't seen in quite some time.
I have a new little sister from the pledge class that I am currently pledging as pledge mother. She doesn't know it yet, so I can't say who it is, but come September 8th, I'll let you know who it is. I'm super psyched to have her as a little sister!
Having a slumber party this weekend with Mona and the pledges as a chance for our pledges and their pledge mothers (Mona and myself) to get to know each other better.

~LOVE~

Saturday Morning Re-Cap

2007-08-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

We recently received a visit from my sister-in-law, Naomi, and her son (our nephew) Ryan. I threw down a mini photo shoot and here are some of the best shots.

Seven months and already crawling like crazy!

Uncle Fernando with Ryan

He's pretty much one of the cutest babies I've seen. Half Mexican, half Armenian is a good combo.

This past weekend, I attended the baptism of Julia Ruby Barba, my cousin Jason's baby girl with wife Grace. This was the third baptism I attended this year! After the actual ceremony, it was back to Jason and Grace's house for food, drinks, and a mini-reunion with my cousins. I regret not taking more pictures. My uncle Jesse and aunt Esther were there, along with all three of their sons--my cousins "Little" Jesse, Michael, and Eric. It was actually Little Jesse's birthday on Saturday. His 40th! Michael came with his lovely wife, Claudia (I love her!) , and their kids Jacob and Briana. Jacob is ten years old and TALLER than me. The last time I saw him was at our wedding shower. He was short and pudgy. He has totally stretched over the last year. Briana is in the "losing teeth like crazy" stage. She's such a cutie, and really takes the job of taking care of her little cousin, Matthew, very seriously. Yes, Eric was there with his wife, Laura, and their son Matthew, who has also done a lot of growing up since I last saw him. It makes me happy to see how happy and successful my cousins have become. I can't wait until my brother and myself move into that tier of our life-- successful marriages, home owners, careers, and kids. The one thing that put a damper on the event was seeing my cousin, Sal. It was awkward as all hell because I didn't know he was out of prison yet. Yeah, Jason's brother, my cousin Sal, has spent the last several years in prison. He looks a lot older than his 27 years. I feel like I don't even know him anymore. I haven't seen him since he was a teenager and we had to stay a week with my Nana. Overall, though, I was happy I went. I spent most of the evening just talking to my aunt Esther and Claudia (and my mom) who I went to the party with. Here are the only two pictures I took that day:

Baby Julia with Mom, Grace

The priest, Jason, Grace, Julia, and Godparents. My aunt Linda was the Godmother (she jockeys for the position of Godmother for all the girls in our family--she's my Godmother, too). The Godfather (I forget his name) is a good friend of Jason's.

On Tuesday night, Fernando and I took his sister, Melissa, out for dinner for her birthday at The Olive Garden. Again, I was lax with my camera and only caught these two sub-par pictures:

Melissa looking embarassed because the staff was singing to her--that's her hubby, Clement, next to her.

Blowing out the candles on her huge chocolate cake! She's 27, which means my wonderful husband is soon to be 26.

And finally, here are two pictures of the hub and I last night at Acapulco's in Northridge. Fernando with his grande margarita and me with my mojito.

~LOVE~

I Love It

2007-08-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a long time. I suppose it is time for an update.

The summer is whizzing by me with no regard. To put it in perspective: My summer class will be over today after I take my last test. Summer school (and summer school tutoring) was officially over on Monday night. I begin tutoring again next Thursday for the school year. Fernando starts school in about two weeks. Also, it's August! Crazy.

The past several weeks have kept me very occupied. Working (we got rid of the first bookkeeper we hired after Charlene left because she--the new bookkeeper, not Charlene--sucked and consequently hired a newer, much better bookkeeper). Tutoring summer school for a girl whose parents think she needs 8-10 hours of tutoring a week. Reading, taking quizzes, completing assignments, studying for and taking tests for my Psych class. Slaving away at making sure pledgeship is both organized and well executed for my wicked awesome pledges. And somewhere in there, finding time for family get-togethers and spending time with my husband.

I keep tripping out on the fact that one year ago, I had just moved back to the SCV from SLO, was living at home, planning a wedding, and looking for a job. My one year here at work is on August 30th. Nuts. Can't wait for my promotion.

This month--Fernando's sister, Melissa's, birthday was on Saturday. We took her and her husband out for dinner at Olive Garden last night. Fernando's birthday is on the 15th. He wants a Wii for his birthday. I'm not even exactly sure how to go about getting one of those. But my mom already told me she was going to give Fernando some money for his birthday because she wants him to put it toward a Wii. Then it's Neda's birthday on the 24th. She's having a little poolside soiree at her brother's house on the 26th. Almost forgot to mention I'm traveling up to Sacramento next weekend for the Sigma Omega Nu National Conference with the pledges in tow. Yeah. I'm pretty hardcore.

By the way, can I just say how much I love my pledges? They want to have a Harry Potter themed Big Sis/Lil Sis dinner. I'm debating what to dress as-- Professor Trelawney or random Gryffindor student. And when I assigned the Famous Latina Biography project, one of the girls asked if she could write about La Malinche. Yeah. Nerds. I love it.

~LOVE~

More Shopping!

2007-07-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot! I got a shipment from Old Navy today. Check out the goods:

I'm sure my husband will be thrilled about these purchases, but really, I got a great deal. All these items were on sale, I got free shipping, and I got 10% off. So there. Plus, I put away more money in our savings account each month than he ever does.

~LOVE~

Ladies?

2007-07-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, these are currently $99 at Piperlime. I have a coupon for 20% off, and a gift certificate for $15 (for being a loyal Old Navy card holder) I can cash in. This would take me down to about $65. Piperlime always has free shipping and returns. I have until September 4th to use my 20% off. Should I buy these?

~LOVE~