What ever happened to that one girl....Allie was it??

Some of you may have been wondering through sleepless nights about where I've been and what I've been up to. . . Well, I was on hiatus. I had a very busy summer. I had a full-freakin-schedule, which included a class at 7am!! Am I a morning person in the least bit? HELLS NO! Anyhow, that was my boring summer. Things started to pick up at the end of the summer, though, starting with a trip to Utah. I went to my cousin Tina's wedding, and I also went to pick up my new roomie, my cousin Candice! We moved into Liz and Nav's old place (our garage apartment). We are doing fabulous together, especially considering we are sharing a king size bed in a studio apartment-- and we still can't get enough of each other. I call her my heterosexual-life-partner. I know it's weird, since we're related and all, but what can I say, I love that gal. Oh yeah! A week after we moved in, we decided to stop by the pound and we fell in love with a cute puppy, so we rescued him and called him John Bender (Breakfast Club-- he needed a strong name since he's just a little guy). We've also decorated our apartment super cute, and I'll have to post pictures of that in my next post, which won't take 10 months again. So, let's move on the pictures already.

Here are some pictures from Tina's wedding. Don't mind my ugliness (is that a word?), it was windy and I was on a plane just before.

They got cake all over each other! So funny!

This was a before-the-cake-smashing picture. =)

This is Candice's beautiful sister, Mandy with her adorable new baby, Tia! Love them both to bits and pieces!

Tia was so funny, she would smile until the red light on my camera would go off, and then she'd make her "oh" face! So cute! Doesn't Candice look so cute right here too? =)

Bender imidiately ran right under our bed and fell asleep when we brought him home. Aw... He loves just chilling in the mound of pillows.But don't mess with him when he's playing with his zebra! Isn't he a pretty dog? Oh yeah, this is my new friend, Nick. I met this guy over the summer as well. Here we are at his suprise-going-away-dinner, just before he left for med school at USC. He just started med school and he's only 23. Basically, he is the sweetest, smartest, most amazing guy ever!

Preschool kids say the darndest things...

Remember this show?

So, when working with young children you sure hear a lot of funny and awkward things come out of their mouths. They are so open and honest. They haven't learned tact yet. I remember being that way when I was younger too. Lately, the children have said awkward things about boobs. haha. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the funny conversations I've had while working at the preschool.

Conversation with 5-year-old Josh:

Josh: "I have a Spiderman nightlight in my room."

Me: "Oh really? I need to get a nightlight for my new apartment."

Josh: (Astonished) "You need a nightlight? I didn't know grown-ups got scared."

Me: (Wait! I'm a grown-up? I forgot I was that old. Weird.) ......"uh....yeah, grown-ups get scared sometimes too." (sheesh we're not invincible)

Conversation with 2-year-old Lexi: (While on the couch reading books)

Lexi: "Hey, you have boobs." (said while cupping my boob.)

Allie: ...... "Uh... Thanks?" (Hey, if kids are always honest it must be true. I have boobs.)

Lexi: "They feel crunchy."

Allie: "Okay Lexi, let's just finish our story. What do you say?" (Crunchy?)

Conversation with 3-year-old Maddy:

Okay, first let me tell you that we had a pregnant girl working in the room for awhile.

Maddy: "Allie, do you have a baby in your tummy?"

Allie: (sad tone) "Noo...Maddy, just so you know for future reference, you shouldn't ask girls if they have a baby in their tummy. It hurts their feelings."

Maddy: "Why?"

Allie: "Because it makes them think they are fat."

Maddy: "OOh."

Conversation with 3-year-old Tyler and 4-year-old Jake:

Tyler: "Hey Jake, let's play transformers!"

Jake: "Let's get Allie. I'm going to chop off her leg." (pretends to cut my leg with a stick)

Tyler: "Let's chop off her other leg. Let's chop off her boobs! Let's get her boobs." (don't worry, I was standing up so he couldn't reach).

Allie: (Dumbfounded. Chopping? Boobs?) "Whao, whao, whao. We're not going to pretend like we're chopping anything off. And stop saying boobs, it's not appropriate." (that was awkward).

Those are just some of the daily conversations I have with the kids. I wish I could remeber some of the other crazy things I've overheard. They are hilarious. They sure know how to keep me on my toes. They can be so manipulative sometimes too. But that's what I love about my job-- there's a new surprise each day. Kids are fun and teach me a lot.

Project Time!

School's finally out! Well, it's been out for about three weeks now. It's so weird, I could not wait to finally have time to relax and be free of stinkin' school projects. But after Liz and I got back from Cali a week ago, I didn't know what to do with all my free-time-- when I got off work that is. I felt guilty just sitting around and actually relaxing. I thought, "What the? Why do I feel guilty? It's okay to just be lazy for a bit after such a rough semester." Nonetheless, I continued to feel this void. Maybe a part of it was also the fact that I hadn't had time to think about much but homework during the semester, and then when it was all over, everything hit me-- sad things like, "wow, I haven't been on a date since February?" and "Gee I could really use my wonderful, sweet mom right now-- one of our fun shopping/lunch dates maybe." So basically I began to feel pretty depressed and lonely with all this free time. However, since my sister Liz, and Brother-in-law, Navin, are moving in about a week, I decided to do some projects . First, I made them a house-warming gift.

(They loved it-- they said it went really well with their style. YAY!)

Then I decided to make some fun things for the apartment since it will soon be vacant. Last weekend I went to some antique stores on Main St. and found two way cute frames for a good price. I spray-painted them black and then decided to make my own paintings to put inside of them. I painted a chandelier and I'm almost finished with the Eiffel Tower-- all the straight lines are kinda difficult. But they were fun to make and I can't wait to hang them in the apartment.

Before:

(Both frames had ballerinas. I think I'll save the cute prints and use them in my future daughter's room-- if I have one.)

After:

Almost finished:

Okay, I finished it a couple hours after I posted. Here's the finished product:

Then, I made this headband for my sister. I have a vintage green one just like this one, that I made for myself awhile ago. And Elizabeth was always saying she wanted one, so I decided to make this one for her while I was in my fun project mode. I think it will look way cute in her new dark hair.

The projects really cheered me up.

Also, here are some pictures from our Cali trip. We had so much fun. It was great to relax and be away for a little bit, without any worries. We watched lots of movies, chilled at the beach and pool, and had fun lunches at Jonny Rockets in Laguna Beach. Their moca fudge shakes are to die for! Seriously, so refreshing!

What have I been up to?

SCHOOL! That's what I've been up to. Oh my goodness, this semester was nuts. I had SEVEN CLASSES! They seriously took up ALL my time. Early childhood education requires many, many big, time-consuming projects.

First of all, I finished my internship at Longfellow Elementary Pre-K classroom. Fun class. (don't worry, the girl to my left-- your right-- really does love me, she just looks mad in the picture, for some reason.)

Then,

I had a million final projects to do, including this one. It was actually a fun one to make. It's a puzzle I made of one of my students at my internship. She just loved to do puzzles, so I made one of her for a presentation I had in one of my classes. I plan to give it to her. How fun will that be for her when she gets older?

I just used a wooden Tigger puzzle and gluded her pictures on blue paper and then on the pieces. I think this would be fun to make for my future kids. My teacher said she thought it was so cute and that she wanted to make one for her two-year-old daughter because she loves puzzles and pictures of herself.

Here's the cute shirt I got at Tillys with the giftcard my mentor teacher gave me! Last Thursday I took my one final and now I'm FINISHED with this semester! So, I decided to do manicures and pedicures for my sister and I this weekend. We got a fun turquoise blue for our toes for Cali on TUESDAY! Then Liz said, "Let's do french tips!" I think they turned out fun! They match my bedroom wall.

Today I was feeling a little down because it's Mother's Day, so I decided to make myself a necklace. I just used the random charms and beads I had. I started making jewelry awhile ago, but haven't had time to make anything for awhile because of school. Here it is. I like how it turned out. Here's a close-up of all the doo-dads I put on the necklace.

Elizabeth and I decided that we needed a nice little getaway after our crazy semesters so we are going to Cali this Tuesday, and I can't wait! We are leaving right after work and staying till Sunday. We're going to stay at our Grandparent's condo in Dana Point. I can't wait to get out of this crazy heat and just relax on the beach. Then, we'll have two weeks before SUMMER SCHOOL starts. FOUR classes for me and three for Liz. Ugh! But anyway, this vacation is going to be AWESOME!

That's Liz and me on the beach in '07

I'll Share My Secret

I bet I got you all excited that I was going to share a really juicy secret...maybe not, because you know I'm a dork-face and don't have any fun secrets because I spend my weekends doing homework...I wish...I actually keep saying that's my excuse, but what I really do is sit around, eat, and watch movies and T.V. Yes, I am addicted to T.V. I love to get really into T.V. dramas like One Tree Hill, Desperate House Wives, Gilmore Girls, and others I can't think of. Anyway, I guess I did end up sharing a (totally lame) secret with you (that I'm a couch potato).

But that wasn't the real secret, the real one is where those delicious cookies came from, since some of you commented and wanted to know where my dad got them, I decided to reveal the secret (I asked my dad). It's called Jaquee's Espresso . Hope you enjoy! They have more than just great cookies too, they have yummy sandwiches and other deli foods (so I've heard. I've only had their cookies.)

Special Cookies

My daddy and I have always been really close. I think it is beacuse we are so much alike. We have similar personalities and even look a lot alike. (What? I look like a guy? No!) My mom would always say, "She looks just like James, but without the mustache." Silly mom. My Aunt Melanie, my dad's younger sister, always tells me the same thing when I see her. She says, "You even have the same voice as he did when he was younger, just more feminine." Thanks Aunt Melanie! Anyway, my dad and I are very close. I have always been able to tell him almost everything. (He still is a guy-- somethings he just wouldn't understand). If it were boy troubles I was having, in my later years, he would say, "Uh...maybe you should talk to your mom." Since she's been gone though, he has become very good at listening to my problems and giving advice, even with my boyfriend troubles. He has graciously taken on those responsibilities of my mom, for which I am very greatful. I love my dad, we have great late-night talks together. He doesn't open up to many people, but I'm glad he feels comfotable sharing things with me. Our relationship has grown even stronger since my mom has been gone. We've really tried to support each other. Anyway, what does the title "Special Cookies" have to do with my lovely dad? Well, for about a year now, my dad has been surprising me with these SCRUMPTIOUS sugar cookies every once in awhile. He gets them at this little sandwich shop in Phoenix when he goes there on his lunch break, and he always picks out a cute cookie for me and leaves it on my desk for when I get home. How cute is that? They are so-o delicious. I always try to savour them, but they are so yummy I devour them in a matter of minutes. They just melt in your mouth. I just thought it was so cute of my dad and I wanted to share with you (all 5 of you probably). Getting these cookies means a lot to me. I'm the type that really loves the simple sweet gestures of love. Thanks daddy! I love you!

This cookie was from St. Patty's day

And this one was from today

Here's my sister, Liz and me with my dad at Disneyland when I was two. My dad was such a trooper on that trip. Apparently I cried the entire time we were there. I was sad that my mom had to stay home and work.

My dad loves the outdoors, so we've been on many hikes throughout the years (Elizabeth came on this hike too, but in the pciture with her, she looked like she bumped her head on the sign because she was bending down pretending to hold it up. haha and her undies were hangin out...sorry Liz =)

And lastly, here we are in Rock Point, Mexico

In Memory of My Wonderful, Amazing Mom

Two years ago we lost my mom to breast cancer. I can honestly say it was, and still is, the hardest thing I have ever had to go through in my life. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her like crazy. I yearn to go on one of our lunch dates- where we would sit and talk for hours and hours about EVERYTHING. We often went to Wildflower Bread Company at Chandler mall, then we would do some shopping together. She would ask me to be her shopping consultant to make sure she didn’t pick out clothes that made her look like a grandma. I would also sometimes meet her at her office in Phoenix to have lunch. Those are some of my favorite memories with my mom. She was my best friend. I went to her for everything and she was always so caring and thoughtful about my problems– she never belittled them in any way. I get so jealous when Mother’s Day rolls around or when I hear friends talking about things they’re doing with their moms. Or when someone says they called their mom crying and she made her feel all better. I miss that. I need that. You’re never too old to need your mom.

Exactly a month ago today, February 22nd, was the two-year anniversary of my mom’s death. =( One of her favorite things to do on the weekends was to garden. I love gardening because it reminds of the times my sister and I would plant flowers with our mom on Saturday mornings when we were little. So this year I decided I would remember her by planting flowers in our front flowerbed. That Saturday– the day before the anniversary– I went to a nursery on McKellips and Home Depot and picked out a variety of really colorful flowers that I new she would love, to fill the front bed. I was really happy with how it turned out. I think my mom would have been proud.

Here's how it turned out! (I'm not the best photographer)

My mom was my number one role model who helped form the identity I have today. She continues to shape who I am even without her presence. Her strength, independence, and drive left an indelible impression on my life. Her influence meant everything to me– not just because she was my mom, but because she was the most ambitious and compassionate person I knew. I feel that her ambition has formed my identity and I hope to take after her commendable qualities. I always strive to do my very best in everything. That was one of her most admirable attributes and she was always encouraging me to live my life that way.
One way she showed her strength and integrity was when she was diagnosed with cancer. She kept a very positive attitude which has changed me as a person. I feel that I wouldn’t be able to deal with her loss if she hadn’t been the strong, independent, driven woman that she truly was. An example of her confident attitude was when she lost all her hair because of the intense Chemotherapy she was undergoing, and she decided not to wear a wig. She said, "Eh, who cares. At least it takes much less time to do my hair in the morning." It was sayings such as those, that showed her assertiveness and sheer confidence. She didn’t care what people thought about her bald head. In fact, one day while she was shopping –that was her self-therapy – a woman came up to her and acknowledged my mom’s self-confidence. The lady said something like, "I really admire you for not wearing a wig or trying to cover up your bald head. You carry yourself with such confidence and spunk." My mom was very appreciative of the compliment but humble about it as well.

Mom, you are always in my thoughts and prayers! I miss you dearly and I will be happy if I turn out to be just half the person you were. You taught me many great lessons that I live by daily! I will love you for always and forever!

-Your Bunny Rabbit

How to begin...

I'm always looking at other people's blogs, so I decided to create one for myself. It seems like fun to journal online and share silly, interesting, and random experiences with the cyber-world. I thought of all these interesting things I wanted to share, but then it took so long to figure out this darn thing, I forgot all the cool things I thought about posting. I also realized I'm probably not very interesting to other people. But we'll see if I can post anything cool and witty in the future. On the other hand, I always think the "couple blogs" are the most interesting to look at and read. I'm a hopeless romantic and like to live vicariously through others' romantic relationships. I guess I better get in a relationship soon-- no one will want to read my complaints of being lonely. Those entries are the worst. So annoying. I'll try my best not to be "one of those people." That's all for now....

Oh. P.s. Below are pictures from my latest vacation in Utah for New Years. I sure love my family!