As I've done for the past two years, I'm continuing my tradition of doing a yearly recap. Looking back on 2007, I think it was the fastest year of my life. The time just flew by! And, while I'm sad to see it go, so many amazing things happened that I can't help but wonder what the heck 2008 has in store for me. Starting from the beginning, here's what happened:
1. I rang in the New Year at a club in New York City with my old roommates. While being in New York was exciting, the night wasn't. I didn't even get to see the ball drop! I was convinced (once again) that NYE was the worst holiday in existance.
2. After recovering from the fateful first night of 2007, Michelle, Brooke and I headed up to Boston to learn some lessons in colonial history (okay, that may have been just me). We walked the Freedom Trail, ice skated in Boston Common, learned how to crack open a lobster, found out that Boston ROCKS and got to love our home away from home in Revere.
3. Once back in California, I began the post-college graduate job search. After plently of career fairs, interviews and a month of pure stress and confusion, I landed my first "real" job.
4. After about a week at the aforementioned job, I realized that maybe it wasn't as great as I had imagined. I spent my days missing college and wondering if PR wasn't really what I wanted to do. In between the endless pitching I made sure to constantly look for new opportunities. And take some vacations.
5. Thanks to Todd's amazing job, I found myself being whisked away to Miami to spend one glorious week relaxing on the beach and dancing the night away on South Beach. The weather, food and trip in general was a great way to escape for a while. I never did get a coconut though.
6. Todd and I brought a little bit of the Latin heat home with us and started taking Salsa lessons. We were pros in no time, and found ourselves spending many Thursday and Friday nights dancing among the best of them at places like Cafe Sevilla and Club Miami.
7. On a whim I decided to apply to USC, and much to my surprise, I got in! While Todd partied it up in Vegas with his bosses (haha), I wondered what to do. Grad school meant moving to LA and leaving everything I loved behind. After much avail and many tears, I decided that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to study public relations in the city of angels.
8. April was a month of birthdays and celebrations. Todd spent Easter at my house, where we were plesently surprised by way too much chocolate. I also got to meet Todd's parents for the first time on their trip to sunny San Diego!
9. As always, I took a three-day weekend to go meet my dad and the rest of the fam in Las Vegas. I was once again forced to stay at Circus Circus, but got to see the Tournament of Kings and visit one too many buffets. At least I didn't lose any money!
10. Once May rolled around, I was nervously counting down the days to grad school and getting ready to officially graduate. My dad and grandparents came to town to help celebrate my accomplishements at SDSU. And, on May 19, I finally had my official college diploma in hand. My friends and I celebrated the end of an era at an amazing beach-side party in Mission Beach.
11. In between the boredom at work, the fear of grad school and the excitement of graduation, I stumbled upon an amazing PR job posting online. I decided to take a chance and see what happened.
12. After two interviews and a writing test, I got a phone call that would change everything. I found out that I had landed the job - a once in a lifetime opportunity to work at one of San Diego's top PR firms. More thinking led me to decide that getting some experience here in San Diego was what I needed to do. Thus, I began my career in public relations.
13. June was a month of weekend getaways and new beginnings. I found out that I really did like PR and that you can still have a fun summer when you're working 40+ hours a week.
14. With tons of baseball games under our belts thanks to our Padre's 12-pack (including a Red Sox and Mets game), Todd and I hopped on a plane yet again to go back east. This time, we landed in Boston, rented a car and drove 6 hours to Ithaca. After meeting the college friends, discovering some gorges and dancing the night away in the Commons, I realized that maybe the hippie lifestlye was for me, afterall.
15. Once our time in Ithaca was up, Todd and I drove back to Boston where we met up with Lin and Todd's parents for dinner in Little Italy. Then, it was off to Hampton and the Camp, and my first look at where Todd grew up! I had tons of fun kyaking on the lake, meeting Todd's family and relaxing in the East coast sun. It was hard to leave and get back into the working mode.
16. The end of July marked my birthday and a great day of celebrating with family and friends. Not only did my dream come true of making a real pizza at a pizza palor (thanks, mom), but I also got to hang out with some of my best friends at Dave and Busters - one of the few places you can truly be a kid and an adult at the same time.
17. After moving out of Fermi, my old roommates and I went our seperate ways. It was weird to be moving out, but also oh, so wonderful to be moving into a new place with my own space. I even got a new roommate and friend, Steph!
18. August was full of work, work, work. I tried to make the most of my last couple weeks of summer hours and headed to the beach directly after work on some Fridays. Todd and I also took a quick trip to Texas, where we spent some ridiculously hot days hanging out with the other side of my family.
19. Before I knew it, it was fall. By the time Halloween rolled around, I was wondering how the past year had gone by so fast!
20. Todd and I celebrated Halloween as a bee and a beekeeper with the kiddies. We went trick-or-treating, ate tons of candy and celebrated the day we met. Two days later, we were on our way to San Francisco for a weekend full of sightseeing.
21. San Fran was amazing, and after touring Alcatraz, eating bread bowls at Pier 39 and riding bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge, we were ready to come back to America's Finest City and just do nothing for a bit.
22. The relaxation ended soon as we were thrust into the holiday season. Thanksgiving was here before we could say gobble, gobble, and my mom and I cooked up a storm to celebrate. Lin came out to join the festivites, as did Todd's roommates Eli and Derrick. It was a Thanksgiving to remember - and to be very thankful for.
23. The weeks continued to fly by and the Christmas parties, cookies and gift-giving needs started to stack up. I really got into the holidays and tried to buy everyone the perfect gifts. Then, all of a sudden, it was Dec. 20, and time for my trip home.
24. After flying all night and landing in snowy Boston at 6 am, Todd and I lugged our suitcases through the freezing cold air to Lin's apartment in East Boston. A few hours of sleep later, I had Todd hurrying through the city on a tour of all of the colonial sites we could fit into one day. I finally made it Bunker Hill and ended the night in Cambridge with a bunch of our favorite east coast people.
25. The next few days were amazing, and oh, so Christmasy. We spend an early Christmas Eve at Todd's aunt's house where I tried some Swedish pickled herring, met some more of the family and ate some of Todd's mom's delicious apple pie. When the celebration was over, we headed to Hampton. The next day, I was off to Jersey.
26. As always, being home was great. I saw all of my family and friends and tried to cram as many New Jersey things as possible into 10 days. It made me happy to be able to see everyone, and even happier to have Todd come and experience some more of where I grew up. Plus, we saw Phantom and ate about every type of east coast food possible. I'm surprised I can still fit into any of my clothes!
27. And, this year, for the first of my "adult" years, New Year's Eve was actually FUN! Todd and I met up with a bunch of friends and truly CELEBRATED! We started off at Puglias eating scrumptious Italian food and wondering when the waiters were going to stop bringing more wine. Once Jorge was finished singing "New York, New York," and our bill was paid, we cabbed it over to PRESSURE, for a night of dancing and picture taking. At about 3 am, the party ended, and we headed home, knowing we had ended the year the best way possible.
So, here we are... in 2008. What will the next 12 months bring? I guess we'll just have to wait and see :)
2008 - Here I Come!!
Some time would be nice
Ahhh!! No time to update again. I hate when my blog dies :( I promise to have a real post soon. I really have been working on my year update... it just takes FOREVER! As for me, I'm off to get a CAT scan in 15 minutes. Yikes! Wish me luck. I have a really hard time lying still for long periods of time - especially when it's inside a big, creepy tube thing.
Back in Action
That's right, I'm back. After an amazingly, wonderful Christmas vacation, I'm back in SoCal and back in the office. I'm exhausted today - running on about 7 hours of sleep in the past two days thanks to New Years and my flight back (which got me home at about 2:30 a.m.) But, I'm not complaining... no way! I had the time of my life. I'm pretty sure this was one of my best trips back. I got to do so many things and see so many people. It was great to hang out in Boston and FINALLY visit Bunker Hill :) Plus, Todd and I stayed with Lin and had a ton of fun avoiding stabbings (haha) at the resturant across the street from her cool apt. while eating empanadas, partying it up in Cambridge and just BEING in Boston. I also was lucky enough to be able to attend Todd's family's Christmas Eve celebration, which was great! I got to meet some more of Todd's family and to spend some time with his parents both there and at their house in Connecticut. Hampton was great - a true wintery wonderland. I had a lot of fun hanging out with the locals (aka Eli and Chan) and even saw a deer and some wild turkey crossing the street, haha! My train ride home was interesting to say the least. After having the train stopped for Todd who was stuck inside, tripping a random man and sitting next to a computer nerd who wanted to upload all of my music on to his computer, I was happy to arrive in NEW JERSEY! I had a great time with my Dad, Rose, the kids, Ma and Pat, and of course my very best friends who I miss oh, so much when I'm out here. By the time Christmas was over and Todd had arrived, we had so much planned that the days just flew by. Let's just say we had the best time ever hanging out in the City, seeing my family and getting together with old friends. Now that I'm back, I'm wondering how it all went by so fast. I'm already having east coast withdrawls and wondering when I can get back there again. Thanks to everyone who made my trip so memorable. It really was perfect!
PS: Stay tuned for my annual year re-cap. It's sure to be a good one!
My favorite city.
i think i'll go to boston...
i think i'll start a new life,
i think i'll start it over, where no one knows my name.
i'll get out of california, i'm tired of the weather,
i think i'll get a lover and fly em out to spain...
i think i'll go to boston.
i think that i'm just tired
i think i need a new town, to leave this all behind...
i think i need a sunrise, i'm tired of the sunset,
i hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice...
boston...
Really... REALLY?!
Ahhhhh!! Where have the days gone?! It is seriously possible that I have 3 more days of work until Xmas break?? Is Christmas really next week? Is New Years actually two weeks from today ? Oh my gosh - I need warm clothes! I need boots! I need to breathe... How did this year fly by? PLEASE, let me know if you figure it out!
A long one.
Today has been an emotional day for me. I've been thinking about things a lot. It all started with an e-mail I got from my my this morning. Here it is:
Last night Kaleigh's brownie troop met at Mission San Diego in downtown SD to deliver toys to children and mom's who are homeless or who were in abusive relationships and left. Her troop collected 20 toys and wrapped them to give and a local supermarket donated cookies, candy canes and juice to make it a real party. We were supposed to collect 35 toys so each child would get 2 gifts....but, we only collected 20. Sooooo....Kaleigh went around our neighborhood and on her own she collected an additional 50 TOYS, 5 BAGS OF USED CLOTHING AND 3 BOXES OF DIAPERS!!!!! It really made an impact because each child was able to get 5 gifts and each of the moms were able to get some really nice clothing for themselves and their children!! All the donations that Kaleigh collected except one was from a military family!!! Wow! 
There is another little girl named Kaleigh (same spelling!!) in the troop who, also, emptied her piggy bank ($60) and went and bought toys to help too!! Also, when we first walked into the shelter there were some families sitting in a closed in parking lot. We found out that those people were homeless, living on the streets and were not in the program at the mission. They are allowed to stay in this gated area overnight, but have to leave during the day. UGH....there was one little boy that cried when he saw all the toys and us going into the building...we were all heartbroken....soo...we saved some of the toys, books, clothing and cookies and gave them to the people outside....ugh.... What an experience. Kaleigh and I found the little boy that was crying and made sure he had a candy cane, a cookie and gave him a motorcycle.....and he took a picture with her. His name is Malik. 
Please pray for all these people. It was an experience our girls will remember for a long time....they just couldn't believe that these little kids had no homes...we all were counting our blessings as we said goodbye and went back to our warm homes filled with all the luxuries of life and our families...really made us appreciate all that we have!
Things like this are not fair, and as I've gotten older, I've continued to have a hard time understanding why people - children even - don't have safe homes to live and grow up in. I feel like I've always been especially affected by stories like these. I can remember being a kid and going to New York City with my family and just not being able to accept that people slept in cardboard boxes and had to beg on the street. One instance sticks out in my mind... in fact, I don't think I'll ever forget it. There was a blind man and his dog in the middle of a crowded New York Street (I think 5th Ave) and people were just passing him by, not even acknowledging him as they window shopped and took pictures with their families. I know we've all fallen victim to that - to just brushing people aside. It gets annoying and tiring to have people begging for money, and many of us wonder why "people like that" just don't get jobs. While there are plenty of people that might be able to actually go out and work, there are probably thousands who can't, or just don't have the help to get off the street. This is not only sad, but it's unacceptable. Take San Diego alone - according to the United Way, 10,000 people in San Diego County are homeless, with about 15 percent recognized as chronically homeless. I never really noticed it until I worked in downtown, but there are a lot of people who are homeless here. Everyday on my lunch break, I probably pass about 10 to 20 people suffering from this epidemic. Across the street from where I work, there is a homeless shelter, where you can find mass amounts of people lined up every day hoping to have a warm place to stay for the night. Plus, every month at work, we head over to a senior center in downtown to help serve lunch to low-income seniors. And, even though they may have places to go home to, no one should have to save a piece of bread from lunch because they have none at home (something that one of the seniors said to me last week). The icing on the cake today happened during my lunch break. I headed over to the supermarket to pick up some stuff for dinner, and there was a man bundled up, (yes, it's actually cold in San Diego these days) sitting in a wheel chair with no legs. He wasn't actually asking for money, but he had a cup in his hand and was kind of staring down at the ground. During my shopping, I picked up a hot sandwich for him. He seemed really surprised and appreciative that I had brought him something, and I couldn't help but think how nice it would be to be able to help not just one person, but every person. As everyone celebrates the holidays, and stresses over spending money on loved ones, try to think of those with nothing. I know that today has made me count my blessings, and to remember how truly lucky I am to have the life that I do.
Back from the Weekend
Well, another weekend has come and gone, and I'm back at work and continuing my Christmas countdown. Last weekend was pretty rainy, but also still a lot of fun. We somehow squeezed in all of the holiday activities - even though we did end up leaving Poway pretty drenched! Last night, we decorated the tree at my mom's, which was cute because the kids really loved it. Oh, and Todd found this crazy toy that he ended up buying for the kids. It's called Elf on the Shelf, and it's this cute, little elf doll that you hide around your house for the kids to find. The elf is supposed to report whether or not the kids are being good to Santa, and from what my mom tells me, Brendan has been acting especially good today. It's a cute gift for anyone with kids who still believe in Santa, and I'm thinking it's going to become a new family tradition.
In work news, this day has pretty much flown by - which is good. I have a new client, so I've been doing a lot of reading and research today. This account should be interesting, especially since we're focusing all of our efforts in good 'ol New Jersey. Anyway, I've gotta run... I'm off to the dentist, which is always fun (NOT!). Ugh, I really hate going to the dentist, but at least my teeth will be sparkly, white tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for no cavities!!
The Christmas Countdown Continues...
It's been a pretty gloomy day today. I woke up to some pretty heavy rain, but things died down after a while. Now, it's just cloudy. As much as I love rain, this is really good news because tonight is December Nights (which should still be called Christmas on the Prado, but I won't get into that). December Nights is a tradition for my family and I. It's basically a huge Christmas celebration, with tons of food and music. Plus, all of the museums are FREE!! I have a lot of great memories at December Nights, and I'm really looking forward to going again. The highlight of my night will definitely be eating some real palacsintas, and maybe even getting some glogg (hopefully I won't spill it all over myself this time, haha)! Alright, I'm off to help decorate our work tree! Have a nice weekend, everyone :)
A post.
Hmmm, nothing much to say today. It's been a long, slow day - I think because the holidays are right around the corner and things are winding down here. Anyway, Enchanted was great! I give it two, cheesy thumbs up! The kids really enjoyed it, and I thought the whole storyline and idea was great. If you have an excuse to go, or actually just want to see a cute Disney movie, I would highly recommend it! In holiday news, last night I got some Christmas shopping done, which has made me feel less stressed out. I also went to the mall on my lunch break and grabbed a few more things. Despite this, there are still a bunch of people on my list who are yet to have a gift purchased for them. I guess that's pretty good considering I have nine people down, but seriously, I can see why people get so crazed about about all the gift giving. I'm hoping to get everything done this weekend so I can start wrapping things. I have some good gift wrap ideas this year!
So, that's it. I told you I had nothing to say :) Tonight = Grey's and tomorrow = another rainy Friday. Hallelujah.
Movie Night
Tonight, I'm going to the movies. I've actually been watching a lot of movies lately, mainly because Todd is doing this trial movie program where he gets a bunch of movies for free (kind of like NetFlix, I think). 
Anyway, last night I was semi-forced to watched Death Proof, which was pretty good, but also kind of boring. Let's just say it wasn't really my kind of movie (sorry, Todd). I also recently watched Y Tu Mamá También, which was well, interesting - to say the least. I asked Todd to put Love Actually and RENT on the list, so I'm patiently awaiting their arrival, as they are currently sitting in the movie queue. But, back to tonight. Tonight, I'm seeing Enchanted! I know, I know, it's a PG movie and I'm a twentysomething... but, I have an excuse! Besides the fact that I want to see the movie, I'm taking Kaleigh and Brendan to check it out. Once again, the added bonuses of having little siblings. I think it's going to be good because 1. it's a Disney movie, 2. it's bound to be a love story, and 3. McDreamy is in it - clearly a huge plus. So, I'll let you all know how it is. I know you're all dying to know!