Consumerism

Happy October, Hello Fall.

With fall-ish weather in the air(to my delight), I've been thinking of things like: pumpkin patches, oak-glen apple picking, leaves falling...

Oh, and these little beauties:



Amazing, I must have one. But then I thought...if only they came in more fashionable prints.
Then I saw this...



Could they get any better?
Then I saw this...




Oh snuggie, you think of everything!


(I dedicate this blog to Stefanie Lynn*)

Up On the Roof

Warning: although this post is lacking bullet points, it is a list of random things I'm pondering and is meant to be read as if there were in fact, bullet points.
Some use of imagination may be mandatory.

I saw Kings of Leon this weekend, amazing. I co-purchased the tickets for my best gal-pal's 21st(I couldn't legally buy her a drink, so I opted for concert tickets). Thought the seats would be terrible, judging by the venue map. However, they ended up being great, small venue, great acoustics, good show. Apparently the last time they played in San Diego at the same venue, they opened for Bob Dylan. They pointed out that the fact that they were head-lining two years later, was quite surreal.

I think I could eat sushi all day, it's like Subway sandwiches: you eat and then you're starving an hour later.

Is anything better than nutella?(answer: no)

School starts this week, looking forward to that.
The first week, there is always the anticipation of such great possibilities. Then by week two, you realize: the classes are boring, the professor has an accent that rivals our governor in clarity, there is no one cute in any of the five classes you chose, and you have to suffer through a minimum of 16 weeks til your next round of classes start.(And the cycle starts all over again...) I've got the system down.

Nevertheless, looking forward to it.


To exit on a lighter note...



awkwardfamilyphotos.com
(Thank you Crista for the tip)

Daydream Believer

Feeling Nostalgic, like the: "on the verge of tears" thinking about "the good old-days", sort of nostalgic. The kind of nostalgia that creeps up on you, when you're cleaning and come across old photographs. For some reason looking at friends' wedding photos brought it all on. Friends I went to high school with, who were older than myself...but none the less, relatively close to my age, are now husbands and wives. Sure, I've always known that people grow up and move out. Friends go away to school, get jobs in other cities, and end up with lives completely separate from the places and people that they grew up with. Yet, in the last month this fact has really resonated in my heart and mind. In about a month or so, two people that I love dearly will be leaving on their own, separate, life-changing adventures. Both off to college in other cities, not too far from home, but away none the less. The thought of this, kills me. The more I have tried not to think about it, the more time has slipped away and now the change that I've tried to avoid, is right around the corner. I think the hardest thing about these changes, is that I'm not really going to be a part of them. If I was the one going off to school, it would be a different story. I would be expectantly looking forward to wrapping up the Summer, and ushering in a new adventure filled with new experiences and people. However, I am on the other end of the spectrum...at the end of August, the people I spend the most time with(apart from my immediate family), will be gone. Sure there's the weekends and holidays to look forward to, but there is no denying that the distance will change everything. As excited as I am for them, I cannot help but feel a sense of loss and anticipated loneliness.


Which brings me to my next point...
what am I doing with MY life? Currently, I am a student, and I have a job I enjoy. However, in the long run... what am I actually going to do with the major I have chosen. I feel like now that I am about half-way done with my "college" experience, I should have these issues pretty much nailed down.

Needless to say, I'm praying for direction, and clarity in various areas of my life. Relying on God's past faithfulness, knowing that I am His and the plan He has for my life is far greater than any dream or plan I could try to fulfill with my own strength.


Philippians 1:6
"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. "

Baby Love

Blessings list:

-NEW CAR!
-Youth girls
-Weekend getaways, with the ladies
-A job I thoroughly enjoy
-Sleepovers with my niece and nephews
-Having my best friend(s) back in the same county, once again
-The dollar theater(I've found that one's expectations of a two-dollar film are a lot lower, leaving less room for disappointment)

Realization:

Whether you are the "dumper" or regrettably on the receiving end, relationships leave a distinct mark upon your heart. Some feelings never dissipate, some hurts never fully heal. Just because you did not "love" does not mean you will not miss what you had or the idea of what could have been. There are so many cons in finding love or searching for it, that the pros often seem distant and unattainable. Not that I'm rushing off to set up an E.harmony account, nor am I speaking from years of experience. However, through friends and brief experiences of my own, I'm learning that the love that my parents and married siblings have found, is something of a novelty and to be expectantly desired in my own life.

A jumble of thoughts of little consequence, on a topic, I barely understand.

Broccoli and Chocolate

I recently spent a good two hours wondering around the Disneyland of grocery stores. Nestled, okay, not exactly nestled; Taking Over a large portion of Irvine's "The District" is the most amazing grocery store I've ever stepped foot into. I suppose calling it a "grocery store" is an understatement, this title alone is not exactly capable of summing up all that is Whole Foods. You want a fresh squeezed carrot+ apple concoction? Juice Bar. Espresso? Coffee Bar. Gelato? Sushi? Tacos? Hamburger? Deli sandwich? The most amazing pastries, cakes, and chocolates? You name it, it most likely has its own isle or restaurant. Whole foods combines the "style" of the food-court in the mall and "feel" of an outdoor market, with the gourmet qualities of Bristol Farms or Gelson's. Sure it has fruits, vegetables, fish& poultry, your standard deli, and all the makings of a run of the mill: Vons, Ralphs, or Albertsons. However, I'm convinced that once you enter Whole Foods, there's no turning back.







A tip...
Try the buffet for lunch, mmmm.
When I think of a buffet, I think Sizzler or Home-town buffet "all you can eat" deals. But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at all the fun choices: vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free, or for those of you who enjoy "normal" food...they've got that too!


I know this is a bit extreme, a whole blog dedicated to a grocery store? Really? But my, oh my, it was quite a noteworthy experience and I'm convinced that others would also benefit from a visit.

Speak When Spoken To.

It has been a while,and I have a lot of things that are of little, or no importance to ramble about.

I start my first day of training as a teller for Wells Fargo Bank, on Monday.
Should be interesting, I love interacting with people, however, all that money counting... I'm a tad intimidated. It's a new adventure though, long gone are the days of dress selling and smoothie making(maybe not too far gone). Time to look on toward a more grown up future, one that includes business apparel, account managing, and check cashing.

No more pencils, no more books...

I Wrapped up my fourth semester last week.
Slightly disappointed by my grade turn out this semester. No matter how hard I tried, somehow receiving an A, was just not in the cards for me. Every test that I studied longer for, every project I put more effort into, received a B. If I don't try, I get a low B, if I do try, I get a high B. Which leads me to feel as if putting in the extra effort is not truly worth it, since most of my classes are not graded on the plus minus system. So I rarely receive B+ or B-(s). I'm not trying to sound ridiculous here, I am grateful to receive the B's, but you know...I'm shootin' for the stars here...and I'm not even coming close. I just do not appreciate it.

I'm over-joyed at the prospect of my dear friends joining me at Cal State Fullerton in the upcoming Fall or Spring semesters. Blythe, Priscilla, possibly Austin James, and some other freshman that are graduating this month. Yay!

Loathe at first sight...
Those little decals that people can put on their cars, the white stick figures with: the mommy, the daddy, the children, and of course the family pet. You know what I'm talking about. I've also seen little skulls with the same theme, a little skull with a bow, a little dog skull. Really? Today while with some friends, I saw a red mini-van with a similar family of characters strewn across the rear window. Except this family was slightly different than most that I have seen, this one had a man and a woman, with what looked like, 10 assorted animal figures in a straight line. It was like the woman was a "cat-lady" with 5 cats crammed into her apartment, and the guy was a "man's best friend" kind of dude. Together, they made this "our pets are our children" kind of couple. Terrible, Terrible.

Tonight, I went to see one of my youth girls (Carrie, I have youth girls!) perform in her school play. It was cute, fun, witty and at times a bit risque. I bought tickets for five dollars each(not bad), only to find out that since I attend KFC it should have been free. I stifled an FML...and attributed it to being for a good cause, since the production was put on by my former high school. Anyway, half way through the show my companions and I started noting interesting cast members. My favorite: an awkwardly tall kid, who was featured in every scene, and yet, had only one line throughout the entire two hour play. He had long curly locks, that were secured in a pony tail throughout the duration of the play. He slightly resembled Michal Jackson, post plastic surgery make-over, and carried a bright red target purse after the play wrapped. Definitely, a note worthy character indeed.



There is a whole list of things that pop into my head from time to time, and I think..."I want to blog about this." But alas, just when I sit down to share my thoughts via a new post...they seem to escape me at that very moment.
For now, you'll just have to settle for a cross-section of the random thoughts that are currently floating around in my brain.

Cotton

It has come to my attention that cotton, recently adopted Zooey Deschanel as their official spokeswoman. I believe their decision deserves a standing ovation.

Mhhhhm.