new years 2011

Many Memories Sparkler New Year's Card

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10 Reasons To Never Take Summer Classes

1. Looking out the windows at the sun is painful.

2. The $300 I had to spend on books.

3. Parking is a pain.

4. Listening to the same Professor for 7 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

5. Having to dissect his very strong Chinese accent to understand what he is saying.

6. Group projects. Enough said.

7. Having 4 hour classes. Enough said.

8. Having exams only one week after the first class.

9. Not being able to skip because attendance is taken.

10. Thinking that what you want to maybe do in the future has nothing to do with the degrees that you are earning.

Best Vacation Ever

Okay, Max and I have been on some pretty fun trips...but this one was, well...amazing. The whole week I kept turning to Max and saying, "I think this tops Whistler", he kept responding with something along the lines of that they are both awesome in their own ways, very different but that it is good...you get the idea...(he loves snow).

It all started bright and early at the airport. My mom is a flight attendant, so I fly standby for free and Max gets to use a guest pass when we travel somewhere. The night before I had debated between three different California airports to have our layover in, it was between LA, San Francisco, or San Diego. I ultimately choose LA because there were two flights out that day (only one at the others), and if we were to get stuck, my Aunt Carol lives nearby and so we would have a place to stay. We got to LA no problem, and then nervously sat and waited for the first flight. We didn't get on. I figured leaving before Oregon schools were out for the summer would be a good idea, because families wouldn't be traveling yet. But in all my excitement I spaced that California schools are out much earlier than us...

Luckily, we made it on the second flight into Cabo San Lucas! I was so excited it made me weepy haha...I just love traveling with Max and getting away. We needed a trip and it came at the perfect time. He had never been to Mexico and I could tell that he was extremely excited, and that made me really happy.

I am always a little surprised at how good of a traveler Max is. I don't know why, but I get a little worried before we leave. I have traveled a lot growing up, and my family never went to resorts and didn't leave the grounds until we were headed back to the airport to go home. We take city busses, do our own shopping, meet the locals, and really enjoy ourselves. So Max and I took the city bus from the Los Cabos airport to our hotel in San Jose del Cabo. If you have ever ridden the city busses in Mexico you will know why I was a little worried...but Max loved it! He thought really seeing the culture was awesome.

We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, and we were ready to get those bracelets on and head out into some sun! The grounds were beautiful, the pool not too crowded, and the company was even better!

Our first night there:

The second night we went out and had the best meal of our lives so far!

The view while eating was incredible:

We also got to dance on the beach with an amazing live singer!

The pomegranate margaritas were mighty tasty...

We did some shopping for family and friends...

The marina was a great place to walk around, although, Max had a tough time ignoring all the vendors! He also liked my bartering skills...

We lounged by our pool everyday. It was great because it wasn't too crowded, and the swim-up pool bar was great! When it got too hot, we headed over to sit under umbrellas on the beach.

We had sooo much fun down in Cabo! We laughed, talked, walked, shopped, ate and drank as much as we possibly could! By the way, the food was incredible! The weather was absolutely perfect, there wasn't a cloud in the sky! The people were so nice, and I had so much fun showing Max Mexico!

We headed home to rain...which was awful. And because Max and I both work at an elementary school, we headed home to the last chaotic school days of the year. With both of us tanner than when we had left, they figured out that we went to Mexico together, and it probably clicked that Miss Lawrence and Mr. Bennett are dating... (it only took them months to figure out)...

It was so hard to leave this,

But we will be back soon!

The beginning.

I have tried blogging before, but it didn't really stick. Life just got too busy and I neglected to write about it. But now, I am hoping that it sticks. I am starting this at the start of my summer vacation, which means I should be able to find the time to be able to keep this up to date... hopefully!

I want this to be a place where I can write whatever I want, good or bad. Sometimes (although it may not seem that way) I feel like I hold back so much. This will be a place that I will not hold back, because it is my place. This is my place to say what I want, show any pictures that I want, and share my personal opinions. I don't mean to offend anyone, and hopefully I will not, but if I do...oh well!

I have the greatest life. Really, I do. I have been fortunate to be able to do things and go places that many people have not be able to. I have the best parents, they are so supportive and hilarious. I am at the point in my life where I just love sitting down to dinner and having a good drink, and an even better conversation with them. They have given me so much, and I am trying to give back to them by living my life they way that I was raised, with the values that they instilled in me. My brother, despite his mistakes, is really quite wonderful. He makes me laugh every time I see him, and I am so thankful to have him back in Portland after being in California for college.

This is just the beginning though...more to come...