The Doctors Office

I could not help but notice the seat choice pattern:

First person takes a seat not directly across from me but a little to the left.
Next person sits to the left of me about three seats down.
So on and so forth....

It is as if they were filling the gaps. Choosing places that would still keep one out of their "personal" zone.
When all of those "personal" spots are taken, then comes hesitation and deep thought. "hmmmmmm, do I want to sit over there?....ahh...no...shoot?....okk." HAHA!
Each person had a certain expression when making the choice.
Super quick reaction status with a bit of a jolt.

I am making LEMONADE

I am making lemonade with the lemons that have been thrown at me this last year. It is pretty fun. I will be selling it on the corner of Powell and Market. Look for the girl with the hot dog suit.

Squash Garden

If this was in my backyard, my dreams would come true.

The Bus Ride

I woke up to my dad singing, "Wake up, get out of bed, drag a comb across your head. The weather is nice, so don't think twice about going to sleep instead!" This was odd because my dad did not live with the family. He lived miles away in the city of Newport Beach. I hardly ever got to see him so waking up and getting out of bed was not a problem. "You are about to learn more in one day than you ever have in your whole life!", he said. I got dressed and ran with him out the door. My dad was the most spontaneous goofball you could ever meet. One time, he took my brother and I to see Jumanji at the dollar theatre in Costa Mesa and decided that since we got the back row seats and the whole place was packed that he was going to fill up his jumbo popcorn bucket with water and pour it down the steep decline of the floor. Of course, with the intention of getting everyone wet. Yep, that's my dad! Anyway, so our first destination was to an AA meeting. By the way, I was only 12. We sat around this long rectangular shaped table with about 20 others. People of all different ages, professions and races together at the table. The only difference between them and I was that I did not have to be there and that I did not have to introduce myself as, "My name is (name) and I am an alcoholic." The meeting was 2 hours long which gave plenty of time for storytelling. There was this old man who happened to be sitting across from me and practically had been through every pot hole and cactus field in existence. He was extremely witty and entertaining which left us slapping the table and laughing in tears on our way out the door. "Off to the Bus Stop!", my dad shouted. We had to take the bus because my dad got caught drinking and driving again and got his license suspended. As we stepped on the bus, we bought a pass that would take us to Newport. We cruised on the bus with only a few other passengers all the way up till we hit riverside. Different people of all ages and professions once again, surrounded us. People getting on the bus and off the bus. I almost wish that I could have recorded this whole trip and made a time lapse out of it. Anyway, there were several people that felt the need to share stories with us. Popular topics were of reasons why they were on the bus instead of driving in a car of their own and where they were headed. There was this homeless lady who had these incredible stories that I will never let leave my memory. "Nobody ever seems to attempt to talk to me because of how I look on the outside", she said while placing her hand on her forehead. She had out lived her two sons, three daughters and husband and became homeless 4 years previous to our conversation. She had so much character with her taped up glasses, oily and knotted hair, sea foam green teeth and muddy feet. She spoke to me with more emotion than I could ever think of anyone ever possessing. So the day went on and hours passed as my dad and I got on one bus and off another. I remember sprinting down a few crowded streets to make some of the stops. The bus got even more crowded as we made our way closer to the coast. I have this picture in my mind of me looking up at the people trying to keep their balance by holding onto these dangling handles, similar to the ones seen at a playground. They were trying so hard not to fall onto the passengers that were seated. My dad and I were sitting on the very back of this bus that was split in two and held together by this accordion looking connector. As the bus turned, we lost sight of everyone that was on the front side. This made the bus ride even more of an excitement, causing most of the passengers to laugh and become more comfortable with one another. The bus stopped. My dad and I stepped out while taking in a deep breath of fresh air. 6 hours was the time it took to get from Hemet to Newport Beach and I could say that I have never learned so much in one day. I am glad that I was able to spend it with my dad.

life's treasures

keeping a journal
tea cups
my super holy keds
being barefoot
music in every rhythm
being the reason for someone to smile
being in a room full of free spirits
being thoughtless
living in the moment
the ever changing sky and its wonder
white tees
sandwiches
the sound of the trees as the breeze flows through their leaves
dancing with my eyes closed
kite flying
setting my alarm clock and pressing the snooze button for hours (i remember my dreams better this way)
interpreting a song on canvas
eating artichokes
standing at the San Jacinto peak
laughing till i have no more tears left
hugs
high fives
rain
passion
old couples holding hands
jam sessions with homemade instruments
sunrises
tie dye
museums
cooking as if i were in chemistry class
throwing pottery
secret handshakes
stained glass windows
the old man at the doughnut shop
hogan trading post
running with no destination
holding up a sign that says, "will you marry me?" to a couple in a hot air balloon
culture
Jess style quilts
gardening
doing laundry
obstacle courses
tree houses
pistachio nuts
storytellers
record players
sailing
chanting
observing people in airports
old photos
reading in a library surrounded by people taking naps
animals
inspiration

the list goes on...

Worlds Largest Beach Ball

Living in the moment

I was driving back from Palm Springs this morning and all of a sudden, I thought only of what was happening at that moment.

It was on Lambs canyon, the part where it starts to slope down and the turns get a little sharp. I was in such deep concentration with the lines in the road that I started becoming them. haha.

I started bursting with laughter.
The music was blasting and all four of my windows were rolled all the way down.

I was thoughtless, really.
There was nothing on my mind but to keep from running myself off the road.

Life is so simple.

Mt. Everest

I am asked the question:
"If you could choose to be anywhere in the world, where would you be?"

Here:

I <3 kite flying!

The state of pure consciousness:

You feel your own presence with such intensity and such joy that all thinking, all emotions, your physical body, as well as the whole external world become relatively insignificant in comparison to it. This is not a selfish but a selfless state. It takes you beyond what you previously thought of as "your self." That presence is essentially you and at the same time inconcievably greater than you.

My trip to Ohio

I made a trip to Ohio last year and never realized how amazing that whole state is. Even though the duration of my stay consisted of two weeks, I found myself completely occupied the entire time. I have family that lives about 45 minutes from Cleveland in the town of Ravenna. This town held a population of about 30, every yard was without a fence and everyone knew their neighbor. Creeks and lakes and tall green trees surrounded every area. B E A U T I F U L .

The first few days were spent boating, fishing, hiking and eating. I do not think I have ever been on any hiking trail that was as incredible as the ones here. I got a mild case of poison oak but it was worth it! I wish I had a camera because this trail went through the ground as if it was a mini Grand Canyon. I would look up about 40 feet and see a long crack of light that barely lit the pebble coated walls. So many layers of sediment! And the bugs, oh, the bugs! I finally decided to make my way out of the maze by climbing on this dead tree, BIG MISTAKE! As I started to make my way up it, gigantic beetles started flying out! They were so big, they could fly for only about 10 seconds and of course, had to land on me! I could feel their claws poking through my shirt and they were very loud! Amazing hiking adventure none the less.

The next few days were spent in Amish town where we bought cheeses, blankets, tools and a whole lot of other hand made goods. These people were incredible, so polite and so so so simple. Every doll was without a face, every dress of an unmarried girl was pinned, not buttoned. Every woman wore a bonnet and every married man was to grow a beard and told never to trim it. They traveled by horse drawn carriages, plowed their own fields and always had a homemade meal on the table. The next day I went on a museum tour and witnessed an amazing work of art. It was a 360 degree painting that told a story in timeline form. This way of life holds such great morality. I was in awe the whole time.

Then came the nights filled with lighting fireworks, taking baths in well water, catching fireflies in jars, hitting balls and placing bets on who could accomplish the longest drive. I went to this amusement park called, Geauga Lake. This place had tons of rides, lakes full of massive coy fish and the biggest water park I have ever seen. I remember this one ride though, the most intense of any I have ever been on. I am a roller coaster fanatic so this was intense times one thousand. THE VILLAIN was it's name. My brother and I were told by my aunt that this ride HURT but we did not take her word for it. When on this ride, all you could hear was crying and people yelling, "OW OW OW OW OW!!!". haha. If that ride is still going today, I would be astonished. Though, it had me laughing the whole entire time. :]

The next few days were spent in Cleveland where we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. SO SO SO radical. I saw John Lennon's doodle book and the one where he wrote most of his songs. Also, the Sergeant Pepper uniforms and tons of other memorabilia including some by Tom Petty, The Clash, Jim Morrison, The Rolling Stones and a whole room of Jimi Hendrix material. We also went on a boat tour through the city also known as, "The City of Bridges" which contained an incredible amount of mind blowing architecture that I wish I could have taken more pictures of.
It is a sight to see for sure.

The last few days were spent up at Niagara Falls. We stayed on the Canada side and made sure to check out all of the wax museums. The best part was when we got on the Maid of the Mist boat ride. We got so close to the falls that I got a little scared. A boy once survived falling down the Canada side. That must have been insane. Thank goodness he was rescued before the whirlpool! (yea, there's a whirlpool about a half mile down stream. They even have a speed boat ride that goes super close to it.) Before we left Canada we made sure to go to the butterfly atrium, the whirlpool and of course the liquor store. Haha. My dad had to get the green label Jack Daniel's.

The last part of the trip was in the airplane from Vegas to Palm Springs Airport. My family and I were on a 16 passenger plane with a bunch of basketball players and the turbulence went out of control! It was pretty scary since it was night time and we could not see the ground. The turbulence lasted for about 30 minutes! Freaked us all out pretty bad! Haha.

So that was my trip.
I will be posting pictures of it soon! <3

Benjamin Franklin

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Insane

A drunk driver hit the back of my brothers truck.

The day I saved a life

I was driving along Stanford street until I stopped at the turning lane on Florida Ave.
I waited at least 2 minutes until the light turned green.
As I started creeping forward, I hit a boy on his bicycle.
A little boy who was probably 6 or 7 decided to speed across the road without looking.
I am so thankful that I hit him because if I was not there to do so, he would have probably been dead.
I knocked him off of his bike and onto the hood of my car.
His bicycle got mangled under an SUV that was coming in the opposite direction.
This SUV was driving at least 50 mph!
The boy ran across the street to the Shell station as I pulled in to see if he was ok.
He was more interested in what happened to his bike but was fine.
There were three other witnesses who hugged me and the boy right away.
We picked up the pieces of his bicycle and put them in my car.
I drove the boy home and relayed the news to his mother.
She did not seem to care.
Wow.
What a mom.



It is very odd to say that I saved a boy's life by hitting him with my car.
If I would have looked the other way before creeping up, I would have had the reaction to stop.

I remember!

From toddler times to present day, I have moments in my life that I hope will always remain in my memory. Some are clear, some are hazy and others are just pictorial flashes that my brain stored in it's photo album.

I consider myself to be overly observant. I have been this way since the day I was born. My mom would sit a plant in front of my crib to keep me quiet because she knew I would be staring at it in awe for at least an hour. I remember extremely detailed things such as how the hose was rolled up in the backyard or what the garden looked like. I could list countless things!

One memory that I will never forget was the time I broke my arm. This happened to land on my first day of school in the first grade. It was a cold, rainy morning and was during "free play" that I decided to get my clothes dirty and finally get to be able to play on the "big kids" playground. In kindergarten, I was the champ at hop skotch, swing jumping and the ever so popular, "Monkey Bars". After a few hand-clapping games and a trip down the slide I decided to challenge a girl by the name of Erica Smith to the bars. This was unlike the usual competition because the bars were wet which made it challenging. We started out going across, then moved on to skipping one, then two and when that time to skip three rolled around, things got deadly. I was the first to make the attempt. I was in mid-air on the second swoop when I lost grip and went down. I happened to land my wrist right on the cement step of the planter and that was when it happened; "CRACK!" went my arm. The funny thing was that it did not hurt. I held my wrist, got up off the ground and made my way over to the yard nark. "I think I broke my wrist", I said while staring up at her. Everyone gathered around and started grabbing my arm. "Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!". I could not wait there any longer so I jetted to the nurses office without the pass. My arm ended up being fractured pretty bad. I remember being able to be excused from doing any writing for the next few months. My wrist was so skinny I could slide my hot pink, tagged up cast right off. When the weather changes like this and my arm starts aching, this memory flashes through my mind. :]

Meditative running?

I love running.
I reach a point where I am absolutely thoughtless.
I am in perfect rythym with my mind, body and soul.
I feel no pain.
I hear my breath slowly fade to complete silence.
Complete serenity.
I am meditating.


This usually comes after the 4th or 5th mile.
Try it! Do not give up!

:]

yay!

yay!

I am so jazzed to start my new blogs for all of you to read!

:]
hold tight