activities

i just pulled out my violin from deep within my closet...the first time since George's wedding in Jan '04! why? b/c i'm supposed to be playing in another wedding this Oct. oh - poor adrian and jenny. i sound awful! fortunately, it's only May and i have 4.5 months to prepare, but unfortunately (for anyone at the wedding), i'll be gone for almost this entire summer! no time to practice. it's not too late to get another violinist! save yourselves! you think i'm joking...but i'm not.

something else i'm bad at: sports. yes, all of them. sometimes i think that if i had had formal training (other than bowling by correspondence), perhaps i wouldn't be so bad but then, i have to remember that i did have a handful of tennis lessons in the 7th grade. and watching me play last week, you'd think i was trying it for the very first time. of course, it is the SAME tennis racket that has never even been restrung since the 7th grade - maybe i can blame it on that? maybe not...

at least with hiking, i've gone enough times now that i don't feel like a "faker." =) considering how much energy/stamina i'm gonna need this summer to follow little kids around all day, i guess it's a good thing i started doing this. it's actually become somewhat of a small grp event:

@ Sullivan Canyon - this pic would totally fool you but it was actually the ugliest hike ever. mostly just brown and boring (and there were mtn lions!)

@ Will Rogers' State Park... he was a famous cowboy and this was his backyard. we're at Inspiration Point on a normal smoggy LA day

a few weeks earlier from the same view - less smoggy. (it looked pretty in real life)

near the end of our hike, we found a cool climbing tree...

and then we saw ANTS. millions of them! eeek! i *flung* myself off the tree and had phantom itching all the way back home.

@ PV...pretty view

just had to include this pic of scott...he literally stood in this position for 10 minutes waiting to get the right wave in the background!

doesn't it look real?

we went w/ this super artistic guy who wasn't scared of getting close to lizards...looks neat, huh?

@ Kenter Canyon (near a summer camp area) - yes, we're trying to fake falling off a ledge but we just look like dorks instead. haha, oh well...

the end =)

i finished writing my support letter last night and i guess it put me in the writing mood. too bad i have nothing of substance to write about! haha...too bad for YOU, i mean. =)

so here are some random lists for no reason at all -

things i really wish i could put in my pocket & carry w/ me to pull out at any time:
*a good book
*a funny thought that can make me laugh out loud
*a parking spot!!
*unlimited gallons of gas from when it used to be $1.05/gal
*a blue, cloudless day


things i've been for the last several halloweens (i dress up for school):
*a princess
*a French witch (i was too cheap to go buy a witch's hat so i wore my beret)...that's me w/ my coworker this year
*a chicken head
*an M&M


things i love to do but don't get to do often enough:
*play games (strategy games and cards)
*swing dance/salsa
*swim (or rather, splash around in aquatic bodies since i can't really swim)
*play w/ babies
*snowboard

things i love to do & luckily get to do fairly often:
*eat sweets (too much!)
*watch anime
*read
*talk (to anyone who will listen...haha!)
*laugh
*be outdoors
*bake

things my mom is pressuring me to do:
*learn how to cook
*laugh less loudly
*act more feminine

on a related note, i got into a heated talk w/ my mom last night when she called to share her concerns about my travels this summer. her biggest apprehension is not for my safety or the logistics...but "when are you going to have time to find a husband if you keep going all over the place??" she told me i need to concentrate more effort on this area of my life. =)

hmm...i'm not exactly sure what all she means by that but one of her suggestions was to do something about my unruly hair. so today i got it cut. at the salon, the stylist used a flat-ironed... how does it look? (oh, and please ignore the messy room in the background!) A few weeks ago when Nina straightened my hair before church, no one recognized me! Do i look more "sophisticated?" It took the lady about 30 minutes to flat-iron it. I could buy one myself and use it but...

things i'd rather do for 30 minutes other than styling my hair:
*e-mail
*talk on the phone
*any of the items in the 3rd & 4th lists above
*write random, meaningless blogs

Actually, my relatives gave me $100 for my birthday towards getting a straight perm (which only covers 1/2 the cost!), but...

things I'd rather buy w/ $100:
*a day and a half of snowboarding
*dinner for friends
*3/4ths of a plane ticket to the bay area
*29.4 gallons of gas (to go on a short road trip)
*2 visas to China
*and what i actually bought - hiking shoes and an anime dvd

i think my mom would give me a "D-" for effort towards the husband search...but you can't blame me, being single has been a lot of fun! =)

*Sorry, this is so late* Spring break...(was a few weeks ago)

I had a lovely vacation this year visiting NYC and going home to Houston. In fact, it was so nice that almost forgot what work feels like, and I've had such a hard time getting back into gear. argg...

What did i do in the big apple? i ate & ate & ate! There are so many dessert places in that city, and w/ my ridiculous, unsatiable sweet-tooth, it was a bad combination. On many days, i ate at multiple cafes between *each* of my meal! This time when my mom commented on my weight as soon as I got home, I didn't argue her point.

When i wasn't stuffing food into my face, I caught up w/ friends...

the fabulously happily engaged couple and me eating brunch (I felt so "Sex & the City")

after an AMAZING Redeemer service, mel & I walked the Brooklyn Bridge. i couldn't believe how clear it was!

my roommie from college!

i hadn't seen this crazy girl in *ages* but it was as if no time had passed at all. neither of us had grown up very much. =) thank you for skipping class and hanging out w/ me!

I also took a quick trip to philly to visit the Sy's and Darlene! but i forgot to take pictures so i have no proof except my wonderful memories.

One of the coolest parts of my trip was getting to know the significant others of my good girlfriends. A lot of my guy friends are dating/married and with some other friends, I met the couples as a unit... but I haven't been able to witness too many girlfriends go thru the whole relationship process. It was a joy to spend time w/ these girls in their couple-hood, witness how they've changed as a result, and clearly see why these men have captured their hearts.

Speaking of travels, though, I think my plans to serve in Asia this summer are *finally* coming together. It's been a lenghty, sluggish process but I'll update on that soon! how in the world is it May already...?