21 years ago...

I have realized that it has been far to long since I have written a new post. Due to the busyness of the last month of school before we moved out I literally have had no time to myself (although I know that is a terrible excuse) so I think now it's time to PARTY!

On June 10, 1989 at 5:15 am I was born into the world... So naturally on June 10, 2010 I turned 21!!! That's right, it was my 21st birthday! My friends and I kept up the tradition of going to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner at the end of the term. Great idea, since I was given the most horrible birthday presents by my teachers, called FINALS! Gross. It was an excellent way to end the year and celebrate my birthday! SO once I was done with exams, we got dressed up and went out.

The very first time we went to the Spaghetti Factory we had this awesome waiter named Tyler, who was hilarious because he literally came to our table every two minutes asking if we needed anything and gave us tons of extra ice cream and bread to take home. Throughout the night we eventually became friends and he pretty much just hung out at our table the whole time. We then decided that it was officially tradition to come to this restaurant at the end of every term and have Tyler as our waiter (even though he only was one time we went there). This time however we had our new favorite waiter named Erik F. (who also happened to be a friend of Tyler's, crazy right?) Here he is taking our orders and checking my ID for the first time!

This is me after I ordered an Agave Fruit Punch margarita on the rocks. Which was delicious by the way!

After dinner we went back to school where my fantasticly wonderful friends had a delicious cake waiting for me. It was an ice cream cake with red velvet cake and "birthday cake" ice cream from Cold Stone! Which we then ate off of Spiderman plates and napkins that my mom sent up to Lisa along with decorations and, you guessed it Spiderman loot bags! I am only turning 21 after all...

So to everyone who made my birthday so fantasic, I would like to thank you! It was a great night and I appreciate everything you guys do for me! I love you all and can't wait for the next person's birthday to celebrate!!

RELAY FOR LIFE!!

This weekend I participated in Relay For Life 2010 with my team from SU "Colleges Against Cancer." It was quite and experience, but done for a great cause. All together the event raised over $26,000 to donate to the American Cancer Society to research for a cure! My team individually raised almost $5, 000 making us the highest donating team at the event! I am so proud to be a part of that group!

For those of you who don't know Relay For Life is an event put on by the American Cancer Society organization in which groups of people get together and raise money to donate to cancer research. Many individual teams participate and on "relay day" we all get together and walk around a track for 20 hours celebrating the lives of people who are living with cancer and remembering those who have lost the fight. There must be at least one person walking the track at all times symbolizing that people with cancer never get to take a break. It is a very powerful message that we try and get across, and hope that someday there will be a cure so these people can live their lives in peace.

Although it is a serious event, we like to make it fun as well. This time we had a talent show to win $250 to donate to your team. My friend Alyssa and I thought, hmmm "shoot we have talent, let's enter" so what did we do? We got up in front of hundreds of people wearing big red and black tutu's we made and did the "Line Dance"that I learned at Dance Marathon this last February. Alyssa didn't know it before hand, so I taught it to her in about an hour the day before, and lo and behold we win the darn thing! Are you surprised? Well we were for sure, because there were some really good people there! It was pretty but we were super excited because on top of the $250 we also won 12 liters of iced tea! Probably one of the best prizes I have ever one on a hot summer day!

As it got later and later into the night (keep in mind the event went from noon on saturday to 8am sunday morning) it started to get cold, but we kept on walking. Eventually a few of us decided to take a quick nap to recharge and it was so freezing in the tent that we were imitating lines from the titanic instead of being able to sleep! Luckily our team captain's name was Jack to it made the "Jack, I'm so cold" lines sound more legit.. haha. Not to mention that I forgot to bring socks and only had flip flops which broke on me around 11 o'clock that night, so I had to makeshift a pair of gloves into socks to keep my feet warm while walking around the track... you really just had to see it to find the humor.

However, one of the most powerful moments that keep everyone going is the Luminaria Ceremony that happens at night during the event, where you decorate and write the name of someone you know that was affected by cancer on a bag a they are all set out around the track and lit up with candles that glow throughout the night, representing our loved ones. You look around and see hundreds of glowing bags and remember that you are doing this for them, and that is motivation enough.

It was a very eventful event, but we all had a ton of fun while doing something very rewarding at the same time. If you know someone fighting cancer, or have ever lost a loved one to it you know how devastating it can be so encourage any of you to find a Relay For Life event close to you and participate in it, it's something you won't ever forget.

"En la memoria de mi abuela, Amalia Moreno"

May 26, 1931 - December 20, 2009

Do Work!

So probably one of my (and my roommate's) favorite shows is "Rob and Big" featuring pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek and his bodyguard/roommate/best friend Christopher "Big Black" Boykin. It is basically one of the most hilarious shows ever on MTV consisting of a camera man following them around as they go about their extremely entertaining daily lives.

Along with them in their Hollywood home, is their skateboarding bulldog named Meaty and their mini horse named Mini Horse, which yes sometimes comes in and lives in their house when he's not hanging out in his luxury stable out by the pool.

What makes this show so funny is all the crazy things that they get themselves into on a regular basis. For instance they have tried time travel, brought ghost hunters into their homes, entered Mini in a mini horse competition, bought a net gun like spiderman and were shooting everyone in the city, discovered the art of turtle racing... the list really goes on and on. Just some of the things they say and do are so funny, that I am pretty much laughing for hours after! They remind me of my friends and I sometimes which just makes it even better, and some of the things they say are just hilarious. Maybe one of my next blogs will be "favorite quotes by Rob and Big!" Haha. So if you have not ever seen this show before... PLEASE watch it! It will change your life... well probably not but it will make your day better for sure!

Now get out there and "Do Work Son!"

Just click this link and it should take you to the website to watch full episodes of all 3 seasons!
http://www.mtv.com/shows/rob_and_big/season_1/series.jhtml

• P.S. My birthday is in t-minus 51 days (June 10th) and I would love to own all 3 seasons on dvd! Just a side note :) .... haha kidding, but seriously.

There's nothing like a baby basset hound...

So recently I have seriously been missing my dogs while being away at school. As I have said before my dogs are my life and I truly do love them. Here's a little something else about my basset hound Libby...she loves to chew things. Fun for her... bad for us. I figured I would give you a list of things she has chewed and/or eaten thus far since we have owned her (about a year and a half). Well here goes nothing...

• Her kennel
• Her toys
• Her toy box
• Her collars and my other dog Nikeah's collars
• Her leashes
• My cat Tipper's favorite catnip toy
• The carpet
• My iPod
• My phone
• My mom's phone
• My mom's other phone (after she had to get a new one)
• The remote control
• The charger to my computer ($80 to replace)
• A baseball (literally ate it and we had to take her into emergency)
• Lightbulbs
• Batteries
• My school books
• My sheet music for choir
• The broom
• Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, Quarters
• Garbage
• Got into my 40lb bucket of frosting for cake decorating
• My cake decorating supplies (colored frosting everywhere!)
• Pens and pencils (her very favorite)
• My shoes
• The catfood
• Her bed
• My sunglasses
• Plastic water bottles (full and empty)
• A huge box of dog biscuts
• A box of plastic silverware

As you can see she definitely is a problem grade C kind of a dog. Along with all of these things (and I'm sure there is more but I have tried to block some of the things out of my memory) she eats basically any food she can possibly get to. We can't leave anything on the counter, or out in the living room if we let her stay out there instead of being in the kitchen while we are gone. However, nonetheless there really is no choice but to love her, becaue who could stay mad at a face like this...?

Dance is Music Made Visible

I'm not one of those people that have been dancing since I was 3 years old but it has been a part of my life for about the past 8 years now. It is something I am extremely passionate about and work at on a regular basis whether I am in a studio class or alone in my room. Dance will be a part of me for the rest of my life.

My interest in dance started when I began getting involved in theater. I have been in a few musicals in my time so musical theater was kind of my first experience (other than some sweet swing dance classes I took with some friends) with dance and movement. I loved it instantly and started taking classes in jazz and ballet as well right away. After about 2 years into my high school career I started taking parter style dancing in ballroom, latin, and salsa. Those were so much fun and we took those classes for 2 years. I still love that style, but it's been a while since I've gotten to do it.

I have been taking lyrical, modern, and contemporary classes for about 3 years and have found that this particular style is what I like doing best. It is a way for me to be able to express myself without having to talk about it, or write it down. I can just get out whatever I am feeling right there and put as much power and expression into it as I want. I am a very creative person, I love to designing, and singing as a way of getting my feelings out, but there is something about movement that just takes everything to a whole new level, and that's what I love about dance.

I have recently, as in the last year or two, started choreographing routines. It hasn't been anything big, mainly solos for myself, but I have ideas that I would someday hope to have groups perfom. I've been getting inspiration from my classes and songs I have listened to, but the routines are mainly staying inside my head because it is kind of hard to try them full out in the closet that I live in. We'll see though, maybe someday it will happen. I keep hoping for the opportunity.

Until then I will continue to keep dancing, performing, and loving what I do!

Playlists Say A Lot About A Person...

Playlists on one's iPod can be as vague or straight to the point as you want them to be, and that's the beauty of iTunes. Being able to customize everything to your liking. I have quite a few playlists on my iPod Touch, some listened to more often than others but none the less important in its own way. The names on my playlists, as well as some of the playlists themselves are unique but fit me quite well... And with that here they are.

• "Stuck in the 90's" - Consisting of all those great bands we used to love (and still do!)Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, N'Sync, Aqua, Brian McKnight... need I say more?
  

• "Classical classics" - For all your Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Sibelius needs.

• "Disney Music" - Mulan, Little Mermaid, Lion King... in short.. THE BEST!

• "Feelin' The Love" - When you are in the mood for some romance, here's a gigantic list of love songs!

• "Genesis" - Mt. Hood Community College's vocal jazz ensemble! Represent! If you haven't heard our amazing award winning group yet then get down to Portland and check them out or let me know and I'll try and hook you up with something!

• "Jazzin' It Up" - Got a lot of Michael Buble, Louis Armstrong, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and let's face it, the fabulous Mt. Hood Community College Jazz Band... Probably one of my favorite genres!

• "Jesus Music" - Consisting of all the Christian bands that I love. Relient K, Casting Crowns, DC Talk, Switchfoot...

• "John Mayer Road Trips" - A tradition between friends. We always had to listen to John Mayer every road trip so it was just easier to make a playlist!

• "Keepin' It Country" - This has all the country songs you just love to sing in the car with the windows down! Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley...

• "Movie Music Mania" - This has all the soundtracks from some of my favorite movies! Moulin Rouge, Music & Lyrics, Twilight, August Rush...

• "Musicals" - Filled with classic and modern musicals! From one's I have performed in to one's I someday will! Wicked, Rent, Les Miserables, Hairspray, The Music Man... I just really love musicals.

• "Run, Run, Runnin Workouts" - Mainly consisting out hip-hop and upbeat song to keep me pumped and energized while I'm running or working out!

• "Spring Break Troutdale Style" - Consiting of "Do You Know" By Enrique Iglesias 18 times, made specially for me by my roommate... thanks for the sweet mix Lisa!

• "SU Road Trips!" - This has all the songs we (Me, Alyssa, Lisa, Maddy, Ally, and Courtney) like to jam out on while going on our roadtrips and adventures in Seattle. Most often played "Dont' Stop Believin" by Journey!

Tradition, Tradition!

My Cousins!

From left to right. Front row: Matt, Christian. Back row: Andy, Me, Josh, Katie

Traditions in my family are never normal ones, because my family is never what one might say.. normal. We have quite a few of them that we do every year. Here's some so you can get to know my family and our quirks a little better.

Most of them happen at the end of the year towards the holidays but we do have one that resides over the 4th of July weekend. We have property in Long Beach, WA with a few trailers on it so every year we go up there and spend about a week soaking up the sun and enjoying spending time with each other (most of the time). In Long Beach there is always a 4th of July festival that we attend as well as a parade, which my mother usually inserts herself in one way or another... when that happens we pretend we don't know her, but inside we love her dearly! While at the festival we get elephants ears made by the best elephant ear place ever! After we have spent the day there we go and buy fireworks (the really big ones since those are legal in WA, but not in OR!) and take our cars down onto the beach for the remainder of the day, pick a good spot and set up camp. We usually bring a tent thing and play some card games and stuff while waiting for it to get dark, as well as digging a hole for a bonfire! Once it gets dark we start letting the fireworks loose (we always get the panda bear, the chinese pagota, and the bees which flew up my dad's pants one time, even though they are kinda lame... we still have too!) After all ours are gone it is usually time for the "Fireworks Show Spectacular" put on by the city of Long Beach, so we sit on top of the cars and watch the amazingness happen!

The next traditions happen around Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have our Thanksgiving dinner every year at my Aunt Debbie's house in Oregon City (Home of the end of the Oregon Trail!) And it wouldn't be a Thanksgiving dinner for us without "brown 'n serve" rolls, pistachio pudding, and a giant bowl of olives! After we eat we spend hours and hours playing "Apples to Apples," "Taboo", and a dice game called 10,000. After we are done we say our goodbyes... until the next day.

The day after Thanksgiving we always get together to go through the Christmas lights at the P.I.R. (Portland International Raceway). There they decorate the race track with tons and tons of Christmas lights and you get to drive through it at night and look at them all. In short it is a Christmas light winter wonderland! But before we can do that we have to go out to dinner at a resturant which we have no idea what the name of it is, but we just call it "The Cheesy Mexican Place." Inside there is a manequin missing a few fingers and with hair looking a little sparce, but she's our favorite and we look forward to seeing her every year. We named her Rosarita. As well they have some blow up beer bottles hanging from the ceiling along with other random as ever decorations. That's why we call it "cheesy." They do have a really cool giant fish tank which used to have a puffer fish in it and we couldn't wait to see him every year but 2 years ago we were informed that he was taken to the hospital for an illness and didn't make it. That was a sad day in our family. The food there, let me be the first to say is not very good and nobody in the family likes going there because the food makes us sick, but tradition is tradition and we have to go anyways! The employees at "The Cheesy" expect us to come every year!

There's a couple family traditions for ya! I hope my family isn't to strange for you!