boots or heels? that is the question...

PRACTICALITY VS STYLE
Here's the scoop: I REALLY need rain boots, really badly...really, really badly. So, I remember going into UO one day and happening to stumble upon some rain boots that actually fit me! Like seriously legit FIT my skinny long legs!! Alas, at the time I didn't have the money. So, I just went to back recently only to discover that they don't have them in the store anymore...but they do have them online! So I said, "Great! Thank you!" and was on my merry way, until something caught my eye. Right as I was walking out of the store I saw the most adorable t-strap wingtip heals I'd ever seen. It was love at first sight. I walked over, picked them up, and felt the soft suede brush against my fingertips as if it were the first time my fingers had ever touched shoes this soft; this kind of quality. I literally got goose bumps (no joke, I love shoes this much). Then I saw the price tag: $48. Now, for any normal citizen of San Luis Obispo, CA $48 is child's play. But for me, the fashionista of bargains, $48 is a lot of dough. I could buy 50 burritos at Taco Bell for that! In other words, that's lunch for more than a month. I couldn't bring myself to spend that much, even for them, the dreamy t-straps. I set them down and started to walk out of the store. Then, it hit me: my cousins gave me a UO gift card for about $20 (I think)! I could get the shoes for almost 1/2 off! Then, another thought hit me: I could use the gift card for the rain boots online and get these later, then we're all good, right?...Right? My heart was torn. Should I spend the card towards practical boots that I have been needing for forever now, or should I use the card toward my love heels? I just can't decide. In the end, I'll probably be getting both, so it doesn't really matter what I use the card on...but WHEN will I get both of the pairs is the real question. Do I buy the boots now and hope for rain? Do I buy the heels and hope for no rain? We shall see...

By the way, this is what happens when I stay up till 1:30AM and have shoes on my brain. :)

a few of my favorite things...

I listened to the song My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music today, and started to think of a few of my favorite things...like:

• A bright yellow flower on a sunny (or cloudy!) day
• Some peppermint hot cocoa on a crisp winter morning
• Sitting in front of a warm fireplace listening to Christmas music (yes, my mind is already to December).
• A big hug
• Getting a good laugh after watching a great video of sound effects.
• Sitting on the beach, taking deep breath after deep breath of the salty sea spray.
• Finding an amazing pair of shoes that I can actually afford!
• Capturing the perfect picture.
  
• The smell of freshly baked bread, or cinnamon rolls, or any form of doughy food, really.
• Belting my little heart out while singing a hymn in church.
  
• Making a friend laugh after they've had a bad day.

So, when the dog bites, when the bees sting, when I'm feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad.

welcome to the legal club...

So, last Sunday my friend's threw me a superhero surprise party!...although, it wasn't really a "surprise" (I kinda predicted it early on [see my "shocked" expression in upper right pic]...I'm such a party pooper!) it was still an awesome party, complete with birthday doughnuts, cake on a stick, and an epic dance party. Super fun!! I love those girls SO much!! Thank you for the best "surprise" party ever!! Love you girls!! :)

cwb...

Last night was my...5th? 6th? Civil War Ball...I've been to so many, I've lost count now, haha. I'm happy to say that every time my pictures get just a little bit better (I think my camera has finally gotten the idea of capturing "moving targets"). I used my new iPod (that I got for my birthday!) to get a couple videos (I might post those later). I used Picnik to edit these pics. Did you know that you can whiten the subject's teeth via Picnik?...I thought that was pretty cool, myself.

Tomorrow, I'm going over to my friend Evelyn's to watch Batman Begins (my fave movie) as kind of a belated birthday hangout thing...sounds good to me! :)

18 on the 17th...

So, for my 18th birthday, I requested only one thing: go down to LA and see a taping of The Price Is Right...and that's what we did!! I had an awesome time!! Sadly, I didn't get called up, but it was still a wonderful experience that I will cherish forever. :) I was very surprised at how tiny the stage was! It looks HUGE on TV, but the place only seats about 400 people (smaller than my church), and the stage was definitely smaller than the PAC...seriously, it was tiny. Sadly, NO electronics were allowed, so I couldn't get any pics. But I did get some of my birthday dinner at Benihana!! :D It was my first time going there, and I LOVED it!! Such a cool idea: your chef cooking your food right in front of you. So cool. We got to the restaurant early, so to kill time, we went into Bloomingdales...let me just say, I saw A LOT of the same stuff at Ross; but Ross doesn't have cute sales associates in suits. ;)

An amazing birthday that I will never forget. Now...what shall I do for my 21st??

my last day...

Today was the last day of my childhood...sounds really sad when I put it like that, haha. I get really excited when I think about all of the adventures I'm going to have as an adult, but then when I start to think about all of the awesome adventures I had as a kid, I start to feel all sad and teary-eyed...*sniffle*.
My childhood was, I have to say, amazing. I have so many wonderful memories that I will never forget; like learning how to ride my bike down the crazy hills in Los Osos, or riding my bike through the forests of Connecticut in the summertime, or riding my bike to the "Walmart Neighborhood Market" in Arizona (huh, I guess a lot of my memories involve riding my bike, haha). I have so many more that I will cherish forever.
Yes, my childhood was awesome, but a lot of the really good memories I've made were just from these past few years; like learning how to drive, getting my passport and going to Mexico to build houses, going with my friends to Lake Tahoe my senior year; all of these awesome memories I never could have done if I hadn't have grown up a little. There are definitely things I'm looking forward to, like getting my degree, traveling, getting married, having kids (don't worry Dad, I don't plan on those last two for a while).

Let's face it, we can't be like Peter Pan and live in Neverland our whole lives. At some point we have to leave the pirating and the lost boys behind to start a new adventure of adulthood. :)

yum...

Sometimes, you just need some chocolate cake and a big glass of milk. :)

job shadow at mba!...

This is Kit. She's the youngest otter to ever be on exhibit at MBA...you can read more about her here! Also, this isn't my pic (sadly), but that's OK. Isn't she just too cute??

So, on Saturday, I got to experience what it was like to be an otter aquarist (cool name, huh) at MBA...one of, if not them coolest thing I've ever done. It was such a hands-on experience, without being too over-the-top (like swimming with dolphins, which doesn't expose the dirty hard work that goes into taking care of the animal); it was awesome. It was also a good learning experience as to what my career path would look like if I decided to pursue that career (I'm still not entirely sure, and after this, I'm definitely not all that sure). One good thing that I learned is that I wanted to be an otter aquarist, I would also be certified to help with penguins and the aviary (sweet!). One bad thing I learned is that they make less than a teacher's salary (boo), but it's definitely worth it for your dream job. It just means I'll have to have 2 jobs for the first couple years (your pay goes up once you have more experience). I also learned that I should DEFINITELY look into internships when I'm in a university; a lot of internships offer school credit instead of pay (which means, a second job). Again, that's totally fine, cause you can get an internship anywhere, even...Hawaii!!! I'll definitely be looking into those first. Now all I need to do is become CPR and SCUBA certified. :)

It was such a wonderful experience, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me in the future of the marine biology field. I might be at the aquarium, I might not. It's all up to Him, and I'm totally cool with that.

san fran sunday...

Since the wedding was on a Saturday evening, my Dad and I stayed that night, and then the next day we played "let's be tourists" in San Francisco! We had originally wanted to check out the Academy of Sciences and the Steinhart Aquarium, but alas, there was a huge event going on in Golden Gate Park, and we decided to fore-go the huge crowds in favor of a more relaxed day...then we got lost in the city for about 45min, haha. Once we made our way to Pier 39, we went to the Aquarium By The Bay. Cute little place, definitely worth the $14 (we got an AAA discount). Afterwords, we went to Ghiradelli Square and had some DELICIOUS ice cream!! I had chocolate with warm, REAL peanut butter on top...SO good!! After that, we headed down to Los Altos and met up with my Grandma (I call her Grandmeme). It was a full, but awesome day. What did I learn?...I. LOVE. GHIRADELLI. ICE. CREAM.!!

BTW, I posted the pics from the wedding here. Also, I TOTALLY forgot to mention that they had received a LLD pewter heart as a wedding gift. I put it in the collage and completely forgot to mention it!! You can buy one of your own here. It makes the perfect wedding/Christmas gift!! If you order one, I will most likely be the one polishing it (they're my fave, and I always try to snatch them up when they come around). :)

the nanninga wedding!...

The Nanninga wedding was lovely. It had a vintage theme (which I loved!!), complete with functional typewriters (my Dad had to teach me how to use it, haha)! It was so fun, and I'm so happy for Scott and Jenny. I love weddings!! :)

To save space on the blog, I'm going to post the rest of the pics here or here (haven't decided which one, haha...maybe both).

Today, my Dad and I are going to be tourists in San Francisco (always fun)! We're going to check out the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, then meet my Grandma for late lunch/dinner. Should be another fun day!