Thursday, December 22, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Let The Grate Experiment Begin
Well, in church last Sunday we had a lesson on happiness. We talked about how people who recognize things they are grateful for each day are much happier than people who don't. So, in an attempt to actually do something with this blog, I have decided to post the lists I create. Here are my grateful lists for August 1 & 2. Keep in mind...I'm no artist.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
It Is Always Sunrise Somewhere
Meet Mary Alice Goodwin. Born in Walnut Creek, California on October 24, 1990, in the John Muir Medical Center. Six months after her birth, my mom was admitted to the same hospital and I was born. So, when I tell you I have known this girl since the womb, you better believe it's true.
Funny thing is, this isn't the beginning of our story. It would take a good chat to give you all the details, but all you need to know is that our father's have been best friends for as long as Mary and I have. They grew up together in the Bay Area, went to school together, and started families around the same time. Both men ended up back in Northern California at the time of Mary and I's births. A year after I was born, my family moved down to Southern California while her family moved to Washington.
Despite the distance between our families, the friendship remained strong. See? This is us a few years later at Disneyland. That's Mary, sitting in the front row - right next to your's truly. Aren't I darling? (I am the one on the right)
On June 19, 2010, a vessel in Mary's brain burst and blood flowed into her skull putting great pressure on her brain. It was later learned that Mary was born with an AVM (Arterio-Venous Malformation), a huge cluster of vessels, in her brain that only 1/1000th of 1% of the people around the world are born with - 1-3% of those people ever have a bleed from the AVM.
In the hospital, she became known as Miracle Mary. Her survival is truly a miracle. I am forever grateful to my Father in Heaven, who has kept her alive and watched over her since June 19. I am also grateful for the power I have felt in my own life during these scary times. I have felt the hand of the Lord guide me to be strong when I reached my breaking point. I felt His arms around me, lifting me up, when I needed to be Mary's rock.
Over the summer, I drove up to Washington to spend a long weekend with Mary after her AVM had bled. She had already spend much time in the hospital recovering and regaining her linguistic skills. I didn't tell her I was coming and our reunion was quite emotional and something I will never forget.
In a matter of hours, Mary will be undergoing a craniotomy. In layman's terms, this just means brain surgery. The doctors will be going in and removing the tangle of vessels.
It is now 2:07 and I sit here - filled with anxiety. I couldn't sleep right now even if I tried. Yes, I am scared and I can't shut my mind off, but I also feel at peace. Deep in my heart I know that everything is going to be okay.
Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Please remember Mary in your prayers.
Dearest Mary, you are my best friend. I love you. You are the strongest person I know and I am forever grateful for your friendship. Your example and testimony strengthen me every day. Your spirit is bright and I constantly look to you for guidance and direction. My prayers and thoughts are with you at this time. You are tough and this surgery is going to be a breeze. I can't wait to see what you look like with a shaved head :)
“The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”
-John Muir
Funny thing is, this isn't the beginning of our story. It would take a good chat to give you all the details, but all you need to know is that our father's have been best friends for as long as Mary and I have. They grew up together in the Bay Area, went to school together, and started families around the same time. Both men ended up back in Northern California at the time of Mary and I's births. A year after I was born, my family moved down to Southern California while her family moved to Washington.
Despite the distance between our families, the friendship remained strong. See? This is us a few years later at Disneyland. That's Mary, sitting in the front row - right next to your's truly. Aren't I darling? (I am the one on the right)
On June 19, 2010, a vessel in Mary's brain burst and blood flowed into her skull putting great pressure on her brain. It was later learned that Mary was born with an AVM (Arterio-Venous Malformation), a huge cluster of vessels, in her brain that only 1/1000th of 1% of the people around the world are born with - 1-3% of those people ever have a bleed from the AVM.
In the hospital, she became known as Miracle Mary. Her survival is truly a miracle. I am forever grateful to my Father in Heaven, who has kept her alive and watched over her since June 19. I am also grateful for the power I have felt in my own life during these scary times. I have felt the hand of the Lord guide me to be strong when I reached my breaking point. I felt His arms around me, lifting me up, when I needed to be Mary's rock.
Over the summer, I drove up to Washington to spend a long weekend with Mary after her AVM had bled. She had already spend much time in the hospital recovering and regaining her linguistic skills. I didn't tell her I was coming and our reunion was quite emotional and something I will never forget.
In a matter of hours, Mary will be undergoing a craniotomy. In layman's terms, this just means brain surgery. The doctors will be going in and removing the tangle of vessels.
It is now 2:07 and I sit here - filled with anxiety. I couldn't sleep right now even if I tried. Yes, I am scared and I can't shut my mind off, but I also feel at peace. Deep in my heart I know that everything is going to be okay.
Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Please remember Mary in your prayers.
Dearest Mary, you are my best friend. I love you. You are the strongest person I know and I am forever grateful for your friendship. Your example and testimony strengthen me every day. Your spirit is bright and I constantly look to you for guidance and direction. My prayers and thoughts are with you at this time. You are tough and this surgery is going to be a breeze. I can't wait to see what you look like with a shaved head :)
“The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”
-John Muir
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay
-Robert Frost
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay
-Robert Frost
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Germans make the best playgrounds
Ever since I have been home for the break, I haven't done too much with my time. I sit around at home with my mom a lot while she works, but today I was going totally stir crazy. I got out of the house and went on my first great adventure!!!! It was so grand that I decided it was blog worthy...also, I am just bored.
My adventure started with a text message from my friend Randy Pinto, asking if I still wanted to hang out tonight. We had talked on the phone earlier in the day and I had mentioned I wanted to do something, so, he made that happen. I told him HECK to the YES and he came to and picked me up.
First we went to CVS and met up with Mikel and Lilly. Mikel had a 2 dollar coupon for CVS, so, naturally, she had to buy something right then and there. She ended up with candy. We then made our way to donut star - it's a must in any late night adventure in Irvine. You will always run into that one person you have been trying to avoid your entire trip. You know who I mean...that one person from high school you hoped to never see again...yeah, that's right. I enjoyed a chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting and a carton of fat free milk. It was super delicious. After sitting in d-star for some time, we moved our party to Ralph's. I know, quite the party hop. For those who are unaware, Ralph's is a grocery store.
Moving on, after Ralph's we decided to go to H Mart (or something). It's a Korean grocery store...I think. I was just super excited because I was able to buy some of my most favorite desserts ever!
Hey look! It's me! I am standing in the asian store with my bag of goodies. How cute.
Hey look! It's Randy! He is doing...something...
Hey look! It's Randy and me! We are smiling and stuff.
After our great adventure to this store, we took Mikel and Lilly back to their car. We said goodbye and off we went. We came back to my house so I could get my phone charger and so I could put my treats into the freezer. I didn't want them to melt. Duh! We left my house soon after so Randall could show me where his family moved. After seeing the new house we had to think of something to do. Here is where the evening gets a little crazy...and by crazy I actually mean totallyrockawesomesicktight.
I love living in Irvine - it's almost picture perfect. There is just one problem I have: At the hour of 9 everything goes dead. There is nothing to do besides sit around at donut star for hours - which we had already done. After assessing our situation we decided to go park hopping.
Park #1 was by far the best and therefore the most documented. Randy informed me that the park toys were made and designed in Germany. He kept raving about how they were from Germany. I didn't know Germany was so obsessed with children's parks, but now I have been informed.
Here I am on the teeter-totter. It is super lonely when no one will play with you.
Hey, Randy came to play with me! Look how much fun he is having.
Yeah, we did set up a self-timer and run back over to the teeter-totter.
Self-timer perfection.
Oh, but don't worry, park #1 is not over yet! we ran across the way to find some more toys! We found some sort of horsey thing? I am not sure, you can decide for yourself what it is. Also, there was this spinny thing. Out of all the spinny things I have ever been on this one was the fastest. It was INSANE! It was so fast and so smooth. I can't even describe how great and dangerous it was.
I am on spinny thing. Randy is on horsey thing.
I was going ridiculously fast. Randy was, well, still doing that horsey thing.
My turn? I didn't understand how to even begin to use this toy...
How about like this? I was going for the whole "I am a bull-fightin' rough and tough cowboy" look.
After this second section of toys, we ran over to the next contraption. This one had me most confused. Honsetly, what are these poor children supposed to do on a thing like this?
After spending a few seconds on these metal bars I think I really began to understand how to use it...
The last thing we went to play on was this big huge metal disc thing. It sat at an angle and had "death trap" written all over it. This was another one of those spinny things. I got thrown off of it a few times because it was going so fast. Randy was much better at using it than I was...I just tried to not die.
This was my attempt to look like a clock...just pretend I don't have legs.
Park #2 and #3 aren't even worth talking about...they were just that lame. After this all this crazy-ness we decided it was time for bed. So he dropped me off and I came straight upstairs.
That was the end of my adventure. I can't wait to see what these next 5 days have in store for me. Hopefully I will go on more totallyrockawesomesicktight adventures.
My adventure started with a text message from my friend Randy Pinto, asking if I still wanted to hang out tonight. We had talked on the phone earlier in the day and I had mentioned I wanted to do something, so, he made that happen. I told him HECK to the YES and he came to and picked me up.
First we went to CVS and met up with Mikel and Lilly. Mikel had a 2 dollar coupon for CVS, so, naturally, she had to buy something right then and there. She ended up with candy. We then made our way to donut star - it's a must in any late night adventure in Irvine. You will always run into that one person you have been trying to avoid your entire trip. You know who I mean...that one person from high school you hoped to never see again...yeah, that's right. I enjoyed a chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting and a carton of fat free milk. It was super delicious. After sitting in d-star for some time, we moved our party to Ralph's. I know, quite the party hop. For those who are unaware, Ralph's is a grocery store.
Moving on, after Ralph's we decided to go to H Mart (or something). It's a Korean grocery store...I think. I was just super excited because I was able to buy some of my most favorite desserts ever!
Hey look! It's me! I am standing in the asian store with my bag of goodies. How cute.
Hey look! It's Randy! He is doing...something...
Hey look! It's Randy and me! We are smiling and stuff.
After our great adventure to this store, we took Mikel and Lilly back to their car. We said goodbye and off we went. We came back to my house so I could get my phone charger and so I could put my treats into the freezer. I didn't want them to melt. Duh! We left my house soon after so Randall could show me where his family moved. After seeing the new house we had to think of something to do. Here is where the evening gets a little crazy...and by crazy I actually mean totallyrockawesomesicktight.
I love living in Irvine - it's almost picture perfect. There is just one problem I have: At the hour of 9 everything goes dead. There is nothing to do besides sit around at donut star for hours - which we had already done. After assessing our situation we decided to go park hopping.
Park #1 was by far the best and therefore the most documented. Randy informed me that the park toys were made and designed in Germany. He kept raving about how they were from Germany. I didn't know Germany was so obsessed with children's parks, but now I have been informed.
Here I am on the teeter-totter. It is super lonely when no one will play with you.
Hey, Randy came to play with me! Look how much fun he is having.
Yeah, we did set up a self-timer and run back over to the teeter-totter.
Self-timer perfection.
Oh, but don't worry, park #1 is not over yet! we ran across the way to find some more toys! We found some sort of horsey thing? I am not sure, you can decide for yourself what it is. Also, there was this spinny thing. Out of all the spinny things I have ever been on this one was the fastest. It was INSANE! It was so fast and so smooth. I can't even describe how great and dangerous it was.
I am on spinny thing. Randy is on horsey thing.
I was going ridiculously fast. Randy was, well, still doing that horsey thing.
My turn? I didn't understand how to even begin to use this toy...
How about like this? I was going for the whole "I am a bull-fightin' rough and tough cowboy" look.
After this second section of toys, we ran over to the next contraption. This one had me most confused. Honsetly, what are these poor children supposed to do on a thing like this?
After spending a few seconds on these metal bars I think I really began to understand how to use it...
The last thing we went to play on was this big huge metal disc thing. It sat at an angle and had "death trap" written all over it. This was another one of those spinny things. I got thrown off of it a few times because it was going so fast. Randy was much better at using it than I was...I just tried to not die.
This was my attempt to look like a clock...just pretend I don't have legs.
Park #2 and #3 aren't even worth talking about...they were just that lame. After this all this crazy-ness we decided it was time for bed. So he dropped me off and I came straight upstairs.
That was the end of my adventure. I can't wait to see what these next 5 days have in store for me. Hopefully I will go on more totallyrockawesomesicktight adventures.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Waiting For Santa
If you have 34 minutes to kill one day, I suggest you watch this. It's a family tradition in my house to watch this every Christmas Eve before bed. Sadly, this tradition is despised by my mother - I guess she grew out of Barney 30 years ago.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Et tu, Brute!
I was sitting here watching a YouTube video and I decided it might be funny to read some of the comments that were left. Here are my findings...
MasterCranecoppa: Has anyone considered the fact that the man possibly could just be having a terrible caesar?
@MasterCranecoppa: seizure*
Really, MasterCranecoppa?
MasterCranecoppa: Has anyone considered the fact that the man possibly could just be having a terrible caesar?
@MasterCranecoppa: seizure*
Really, MasterCranecoppa?
Friday, December 24, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
What Every Boy Needs To Know About Being A Man
"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most: that people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; that love, true love, never dies... No matter if they're true or not, a man should believe in those things because those are the things worth believing in."
-Hub (Secondhand Lions)
-Hub (Secondhand Lions)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Dear Diary,
"So many of our sisters are disheartened, even discouraged, and disillusioned. Others are in serious trouble because of the choices they make. Satan has unleashed a seductive campaign to undermine the sanctity of womanhood, to deceive the daughters of God and divert them from their divine destiny. He well knows women are the compassionate, self-sacrificing, loving power that binds together the human family. He would focus their interests solely on their physical attributes and rob them of their exalting roles as wives and mothers."
-Richard G. Scott
I cannot begin to describe the feelings and emotions I had as I read this quote today. These words hit me hard - straight to the heart.
If you are close with me at all, you may have noticed that these past 2-ish weeks I have not been acting myself in the least. I sit quietly in class, keeping to myself. Absorbed in my thoughts, I block out everything around me. I don't laugh at funny things that happen, I barely respond when talked to, and I find my mood to be less than cheerful most of the time. I am so tired of feeling this way, yet I can't seem to shake it.
I am consumed with the thoughts that I am not good enough for anything, let alone anyone.
I feel unbeautiful and unappreciated.
I feel inadequate.
I feel discouraged and hopeless.
I don't feel that I am a part of anything important. I just wander from day to day with no direct purpose or plan.
I am sick of feeling this from when I wake up to when I go to sleep. I talk myself down all the time and I don't even know why. I see the effects of Satan in my life daily and I am beginning to break. I am drifting further from the path I was once on and all I wish is that I might get back on course...preferably sooner than later.
I guess I just want to feel a part of something. I want to feel appreciated - that I am important to someone out there. I want to feel wanted. I want to feel beautiful. I want to feel loved.
The only thing keeping me together at this point is my testimony. I know I will never be abandoned. I was never called to bear this burden on my own. I know that my Savior knows my heart and my pains. I know that this load will be lifted; this trial overcome. I know this more than I know anything else.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
-Matthew 11:28-29
-Richard G. Scott
I cannot begin to describe the feelings and emotions I had as I read this quote today. These words hit me hard - straight to the heart.
If you are close with me at all, you may have noticed that these past 2-ish weeks I have not been acting myself in the least. I sit quietly in class, keeping to myself. Absorbed in my thoughts, I block out everything around me. I don't laugh at funny things that happen, I barely respond when talked to, and I find my mood to be less than cheerful most of the time. I am so tired of feeling this way, yet I can't seem to shake it.
I am consumed with the thoughts that I am not good enough for anything, let alone anyone.
I feel unbeautiful and unappreciated.
I feel inadequate.
I feel discouraged and hopeless.
I don't feel that I am a part of anything important. I just wander from day to day with no direct purpose or plan.
I am sick of feeling this from when I wake up to when I go to sleep. I talk myself down all the time and I don't even know why. I see the effects of Satan in my life daily and I am beginning to break. I am drifting further from the path I was once on and all I wish is that I might get back on course...preferably sooner than later.
I guess I just want to feel a part of something. I want to feel appreciated - that I am important to someone out there. I want to feel wanted. I want to feel beautiful. I want to feel loved.
The only thing keeping me together at this point is my testimony. I know I will never be abandoned. I was never called to bear this burden on my own. I know that my Savior knows my heart and my pains. I know that this load will be lifted; this trial overcome. I know this more than I know anything else.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
-Matthew 11:28-29
Monday, December 6, 2010
Show mommy how the piggies eat
Hannah: "I feel like this is an actual meal...for a pig."
Keri: "There's like a name for that."
Hannah: "Uhhhh...pig food?"
Keri: "Ya, ya! That's it. Pig food."
ALSO, watch this.
di-lə-jən(t)s
Stick to your task till it sticks to you.
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place and praise
Will always come to the one who stays.
Stick to your task till it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too—
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life’s victories after awhile
-Author Unknown
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place and praise
Will always come to the one who stays.
Stick to your task till it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too—
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life’s victories after awhile
-Author Unknown
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Meet The Robinsons
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious....and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
-Walt Disney
-Walt Disney
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Ruby Red Lips, Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes
Welcome to a little piece of my childhood:
John Michael Montgomery: Sold
Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag
Now, I know the animation is a little creepy and weird, but this version came the closest to how my dad would play this song.
James Taylor: Fire and Rain
Annie Lennox: Walking On Broken Glass
BeetleJuice: Main Title
John Michael Montgomery: Sold
Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag
Now, I know the animation is a little creepy and weird, but this version came the closest to how my dad would play this song.
James Taylor: Fire and Rain
Annie Lennox: Walking On Broken Glass
BeetleJuice: Main Title
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Terminal Troubles
It's 12:40 AM, I am sitting thousands of miles in the air in B6 (a window seat), my eyes sting with the fatigue of my day, and my butt hurts more than it has in a long time. After 4 hours of sitting on the ground, I think I deserve one long back massage. Anyone want to help me out with that one? Just let me know.
I received something today. It wasn't a gift, or a prize, or anything of material value at all, actually. It was an apology - a simple apology. It was to the point, very direct, and very powerful.
While I was squished in the corner of the terminal, literally, I decided it was time again to check my Facebook...for the 5th time that night. To my surprise, I saw that I had a new message. I was, at first, excited, but my excitement melted to fear when I saw whom the message was from. I opened it up and read the words on the page. Maybe because I was already so frustrated with my delayed flight of 4 hours or the fact that I was short-tempered because of my lack of nutrition, but I felt myself begin to cry.
My eyes welled up with tears, but I stopped them before they fell because, I mean, come on, no one wants to be that crazy chick in the airport terminal crying her face out.
This particular reaction has me shocked. Why would something so short and so simple make me so emotional? This is the conclusion I have landed on.
I suppose I never realized how much I was hurt by the whole situation. I never realized how much I was bothered by what had happened. I just shoved everything into the back of my mind and let it sit there. It wasn't always something I thought about or even paid attention to at all, but it was still there. It was definitely still there.
I thought I had forgiven this person long ago or at least moved on enough to not be affected by it. Boy, was I wrong. I feel at peace now. The actions have been forgiven and I have moved on...for realsies this time.
And yes, that title is the best I could come up with. I am tired. Get over it.
I received something today. It wasn't a gift, or a prize, or anything of material value at all, actually. It was an apology - a simple apology. It was to the point, very direct, and very powerful.
While I was squished in the corner of the terminal, literally, I decided it was time again to check my Facebook...for the 5th time that night. To my surprise, I saw that I had a new message. I was, at first, excited, but my excitement melted to fear when I saw whom the message was from. I opened it up and read the words on the page. Maybe because I was already so frustrated with my delayed flight of 4 hours or the fact that I was short-tempered because of my lack of nutrition, but I felt myself begin to cry.
My eyes welled up with tears, but I stopped them before they fell because, I mean, come on, no one wants to be that crazy chick in the airport terminal crying her face out.
This particular reaction has me shocked. Why would something so short and so simple make me so emotional? This is the conclusion I have landed on.
I suppose I never realized how much I was hurt by the whole situation. I never realized how much I was bothered by what had happened. I just shoved everything into the back of my mind and let it sit there. It wasn't always something I thought about or even paid attention to at all, but it was still there. It was definitely still there.
I thought I had forgiven this person long ago or at least moved on enough to not be affected by it. Boy, was I wrong. I feel at peace now. The actions have been forgiven and I have moved on...for realsies this time.
And yes, that title is the best I could come up with. I am tired. Get over it.
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