Day 12: What you believe

I believe in karama...and she can be one hell of a bitch.

I believe everything happens for a reason.

I believe every person you encounter in life has a purpose in your life.

I believe that you really should live everyday like it's your last.

I believe that sometimes life isn't fair and sometimes the things that happen don't make sense.

I believe that friends are the family you get to choose.

I believe in taking risks.

I believe that no moment is insignificant.

I believe the greatest gift is to love and be loved in return.

And just for fun....I believe my boyfriend makes one hell of a Pauly D (for Halloween):

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Day 11: Favorite tv shows

I actually don't watch alot of TV, but the only two shows I ever make a point to watch are.....

Vampire Diaries

and

Jersey Shore

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Day 10: Something you're afraid of

I would say the thing I am most afraid of is looking back at my life and feeling that I didn't take enough risks, or see/do enough of the things I wanted to see/do.

It might be ridiculous, but I even have a "Bucket List"...and I'm only 26! Ha!

Guess, I am just trying to keep focused ;)

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GREAT news!

About a month and a half ago, I landed this awesome job at an HR firm. However, the position was through a temp agency and my contract is supposed to be up end of December. I was hoping that I could prove myself to be valuable enough that they would ask me to become a permenant employee. Well, after a number of shining moments this week, my boss pulled me into her office. I figured that she maybe wanted to go over the marketing strategies I had presenting in a meeting the day before, but.......to my surprise she asked if I would accept a permanent position and a raise. Of course I accepted. As of Monday I will be officially employed by my company and no longer working as a temp employee (and with a much nicer income).

I am super excited about this opportunity and that my value was so early on recognized by my employer.

With that, I'll leave you with this super cute pic of me and my bf from the other night :)

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Day 9: A picture of your friends

I am one lucky girl to have so many good friends all over the place.

A few of my amazing bay area bffs:

Some of my new SD friends:

And two of my soul sisters:

And to my friends who might not be in any of these pics...doesn't mean I don't have mad love for you, just means I don't have the patience to sit through anymore photo uploads.

xoxo

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Day 8: A place you've traveled to

In March of 2007 I went to Ireland with one of my bffs, Topher. We had an absolute blast, met some great people and enjoyed more tea and scones that I ever thought I could in 9 days. Ireland was just as beautiful as I expected it to be...

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Day 7: Favorite movies

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Get Him to the Greek

District 9

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

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Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

Poms! I Love Poms!

I am getting one someday.

And I am naming him Peanut.

Peanut and I are going to be BFFs...

And I am gonna carry him around in my purse everywhere.

And enter him in cutest dog contests.

And at some point, he is definitely getting this haircut:

It's going to be epic.

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Day 5: Your siblings

Some call him Ryan, I call him Toots. Or Honey Bunny. Or Honey Bunches of Oats. At one point I called him Chi-Chi. I have no excuse for why I call him any of these ridiculous names. But at 22, he still lets me get away with calling him Toots.

At his highschool graduation I screamed out "Yeah Toots!" as he walked across the stage; his friends later asked him why his sister was screaming "Tits" during the ceremony.

Toots is my favorite (and only) sibling. He's always had it easy; being the youngest he got to blame everything on his older sister who should have known better. But that's ok, I love him all the same.

Just as I was moving away from the Bay, he was moving back. I even hooked him up with my job in which he started the day after I left. The legacy lives on. It's weird to hear that he's hanging out with all of my friends now, but at least I know he's in good hands.

Love you Toots!

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Day 4: Your parents

I absolutely LOVE my parents. I am very fortunate to have such a good, close relationship with them. As cheesy as it sounds, I definitely consider them two of my best friends.

They are two of the kindest, most level-headed, most HILARIOUS people I know.

I call my Dad "Little Dad" and my Mom "Marm." I know it's weird and I have no idea why or where those names came from, but that's what they are. And at 26 I still call them that ;)

I miss them now that I am so far away...

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Day 3: Your first love

Awww, yes. Love. Puppy Love. True Love.

I could talk about the first boyfriend I fell in love with, but let's go back even further. To a time when love was senseless, irrational...obsessive.

Let's go back to the days of JTT. Yes ladies, Jonathan. Taylor. Thomas.

I was IN LOVE. How could you not be? Those dimples, that smile, those eyes.......

And ya know what, the guy is still pretty hot....

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Day 2: Meaning behind your name

Day 2: Meaning behind your name

Photo by: Tambako the Jaguar

So what's this "Independent of the Path" thing all about? Well, it actually came from something my physics professor was talking about in class last semester.

He was talking about an object moving along a path in a "friction-less world." If there is no friction present, regardless of the path (whether there are dips, hills, sudden drops etc) the object will continue to move at the same speed - it will move independent of the path.

I thought it was a pretty interesting metaphor for life and having the determination to push ahead despite any obstacles that may arise.

However, I find myself getting a bit bored with the name and have thought about changing it to "Without any makeup on." It's a line from Katy Perry's song Teenage Dream. The song reminds me of my amazing boyfriend so the title would be a subtle wink at him. Maybe more importantly, my blog is a place for me to 'let it all out' without worrying about what others think...in other words, without any makeup on .

What do you think? Should I change the blog name? Vote in my poll on the the right side of the home page :)

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30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

Hey everyone! I've decided to participate in the 30 Day Blog Challenge and day one is all about ME! :P

Day One: Introduce, recent picture and fifteen interesting facts.

Me with my fam and boyfriend on my birthday a couple weeks ago.

I just turned 26 a couple weeks ago and I officially feel like I am getting old. Two months ago I decided to move to sunny San Diego and in an even bigger step, move in with my amazing boyfriend. I work for a Human Resources firm and love it! I love photography, animals, the ocean, sports, traveling and my friends and family.

Fifteen facts about me

one. I am five feet tall even

two. I have been a vegetarian for almost two years now due to this traumatizing Hooters experience.

three. I am am OBSESSED with jalapenos. I literally put them on nearly everything.

four. I lived in Australia for a year and it was one of the best years of my life.

five. I love everything Forever 21, if I could buy everything in the store, I would.

six. My favorite shows are Jersey Shore and Vampire Diaries. I know, I know.....

seven. I am the biggest klutz ever.

eight. As soon as I am settled down, I am buying a teddy bear faced pomeranian and naming him Peanut. It's going to be epic.

nine. I like to call my girls "Sister!"

ten. Pearls are my favorite. I wear them all the time.

eleven. I LOVE chocolate sprinkles.

twelve. I am deeply passionate about photography.

thirteen. If I 'could do it all again' I would go back and study marine biology or zoology in college.

fourteen. I am a SF Giants fan, through and through.

fifteen. I wear flip flops almost everyday, even in the winter.

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A decade ago....

Yup. I'm 26. And when I look back at where I was a decade ago, it's pretty incredible. I don't really even recognize that girl anymore.

Matt & I on my surprise birthday San Diego Harbor Dinner Cruise

* * * *

Ten years ago I just gotten my license.

Ten years later and that license has cost me

hundreds in parking and speeding tickets.

Ten years ago I was at my first job.

Ten years later & I have worked in restaurants, retail,

management, offices, event planning & now a HR firm.

Ten years ago I was applying to colleges.

Ten years later and I have attended 4 different colleges.

Graduated from SFSU with my BA, studied abroad for a year

at Griffith Uni (Australia), started working towards my Masters at SJSU,

and tried to 'reinvent' my career path with a stint at CCSF.

Ten years ago I was living in the Sac area and had never left the country nor really cared to.

Ten years later and I have lived in the Bay Area for 8 years,

lived in Australia for a year, am currently living in San Diego

traveled all over Australia, Ireland & have my next trip in the works.

Ten years ago, I had never had a 'real' boyfriend

Ten years later, I find myself madly in love

and living with the most amazing guy I have ever met.

Ten years ago I had two best friends that I still have today.

Ten years later, I have given speeches at both of their weddings

and seen one of them bring two beautiful babies into the world.

Ten years ago I didn't give what I ate a second thought.

Ten years later, I am a vegetarian and

look at the food label of everything I eat.

What a difference a decade makes.

Wonder where I will be in a decade from now....

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Wedding Bells

An old friend from high school got married and Matt, Jenny and Jaron and I all made the trip to SLO to attend.

More photos on my photoblog: mylifeinasnapshot.blogspot.com

check em out :)

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Recent Discoveries

10. Vampire Diaries is back on Sept. 9th. I am PUMPED. And even better... Season One is now available on dvd. SUPER PUMPED.

9. Nearly ALL calico cats are female. Only in very very rare cases are they male. Learn why here.

8. Very interested in saving up to join Volunteers 4 Africa on their Black Rhino Breed and Release Project.

7. For any of you who will admit to watching Bad Girls Club as their vice....did you catch the spin off show Love Games? I saw the winner Nick the other day in PB (San Diego). He was stopped at the intersection as I was crossing and I was staring at him trying to figure out if it was him or not. So I called out "Were you on Bad Girls Club!?" to which he confirmed and him and his friends started whooping and hollering. :)

6. My new favorite joke: A chicken and an egg were lying in bed after just having sex. The chicken lit up a ciggarette, turned to the egg and said "Well, that answers that one."

5. I have started watching True Blood and I am obsessed! Can't believe I didn't discover it sooner.

4. Whitney Port (They City) and Ben Nemtin (The Buried Life) are reality tv's latest couple. Too cute!

3. I've redone my photoblog. Just click on the album cover image to access the complete album :)

2. Love this new song from Christina Aguilera:

You Lost Me

1. Did I mention Vampire Diaries is BACK Sept 9th!?!

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My favorite photo ever

my brother & papa

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My sister from another mister

This is why Jenny is one of my best friends.

Please note that neither of us knew of the 'pose' the other one was making, nor were these photos in anyway staged or directed.

Apparently, great minds think alike ;)

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Officially a SoCal Girl

It's been a little less than a week since Matt and I made the 9+ hour long drive down to San Diego to make me an official resident.

I absolutely love where we live. We have this cute little apartment on Coronado Island from which we can see the bay, the Downtown skyline, and even Seaworld's fireworks and I couldn't be happier. At 8am sharp, we can hear the horns sounding from the Navy base at the north end of the island. And at sunset, we can hear them again as they perform, what I imagine to be, the flag ceremony. Some people might find it annoying, but I really like it.

Matt surprised me with the cutest beach cruiser bike and I am absolutely loving riding it around everywhere. On this island I swear you can get anywhere on bike in 15 min and it's so fun to 'ride down to the store.' Coronado seems to embrace a similar 'no worries' attitude that I was so fond of Australia for. In other words, I am really happy. :)

Next week I have to try and get the classes I need to reapply to my radiation therapy program. (Since my dumb ass got disqualified I have to reapply and now complete the 2 additional pre reqs they have added). Unfortunately, it's gonna be a bit of a struggle since all the classes are full, wait lists are full and everyone and their mother apparently needs to take anatomy and physiology. I'm going to be as persistent as I can and the rest I leave to fate.

On a side note, I should mention that on the drive down, Matt and I stopped off in SB to see my best friend Jess, her hubby Chris and their beautiful babies....one of which (Jude) is just a few weeks old. Jude is absolutely beautiful and I can't believe how big Logan is getting. I love the age that Logan is at now...I think he actually recognizes and remembers me :) I loved seeing Matt interact with Logan. (Translation: boyfriend playing with babies=sexy as all hell!)

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Moving Day is HERE!

So it's actually here. Tomorrow at 6am I will be leaving my home for the past 8 years and starting a new chapter in San Diego.

I'm excited. I'm nervous. I can't wait.

I'm excited to start over somewhere new. Start over and meet new people. Be closer to my two best friends who both live in So Cal. Start a future with my amazing man.

I'm nervous to not understand the freeway system. To not have a job or school completely lined up. To not have my amazing circle of friends around. To not be as close to my family.

I can't wait for this new chapter to begin :)

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