precious.

This is a photo from one of the first times rob and i ever went to disneyland as a real "couple" about 1 week into dating....

and here's one from the last time we went, about a year and a half of silliness later...

it's good to know some things haven't changed much.

running and graduating.

last week was a pretty crazy week. it started the friday before with carbo-loading to the extreme, well on whole wheat pasta and toast and raisins. boringggg.

then monday was race day, i couldn't sleep! i woke up at 4:45am! when we got down to the race it was raining! i was so scared!

of course i had to use the restroom...

then i got all stretched out

momma came too, here's me and her as i drink up my electrolytes

and here's proof that i finished...as if you were doubting me

then just a few days later it was fake-graduation time! yep, i "graduated" because i still have about 18 units left that will all be done as of this summer and fall, but they only have one ceremony a year, so the fam made it down for one eventful and super fun morning...

and now for the cutest baby palazuelos ever....

after nap-time, and i mean for me, rob, trev, and daniaelle not for nadia, it was down to laguna! the tide was high but it was beautiful as always...

i love that handsome beast.

ouch!

my half marathon is only 11 days away...i'm excited to accomplish it but i'm also excited to be able to walk down a flight of stairs and not have to grasp the hand rail for dear life in fear that my sore muscles will give way and i'll fall down and break a hip or something.

just finished my last week of classes and now finals this next week. i'm excited about my creative project for my 20th cetury art class that will depict all thats influenced me as i studied art from 1950-1990. just envision alot of mark rothko influence combined with a jenny holzer-like quote that says "the natural man is in a state contrary to natural happiness" i got the quote from the scriptures, somewhere in alma to be exact. and i think it describes how i feel about being almost subjected to so much banality and de-sensitizing truths through studying post-modern art. my question is, if THAT was post-modern...what are people producing now?

why didn't anyone warn me of all this when i signed up to have my emphasis in 20th c. art? that's def being switched to 19th c. with pretty monet's and renoir's! because at the end of the day when people out there are stuck in their world of over analyzation (which i end up being subjected to to get a good grade) i come home to my wonderful house, and wonderful trinckettes that bring smiles to my face. and maybe i'll sit and talk on the phone for an hour or so with my mom. make some dinner. or go excercise and spend the evening relaxing with my boyfriend who is my bestest friend in the whole world. you tell me then, when does all the questioning of banality or the surface deep structures of the media, when does that all matter in the grand scheme of things? when does that all matter when all i really want in life is to raise a family strong in the church and consume myself with that. my knowledge that i obtain through school will not be about over-analyzing the world around me, but analyzing a way to better live the life i have and therefore grow into a stronger person, who will help others grow someday as well.

that's why i think the natural man really is in a state contrary to natural happiness.

i will not be a part of the art world in that way. i'm so sorry karen.

a portfolio of sorts.

sometimes i chew so much gum that my jaw aches for days. that's been happening alot lately with my latest obsession with strawberry-banana gum.

on that note, here's some photos from over the years...i hope what they say is the truth, dreams do come true.

long distance memories.

so i've decided to delete my myspace. kinda strange. i've had the thing since i was 18 i believe it was...but now it's like i'm keeping it just to keep it, so it's leaving the realm of existence as of friday.

but in its honor i thought i'd pay tribute to some of my best memories by having one:

-many back and forth emails with melanie, the only way i stayed up to date with her provo life.

-getting to know my real life friends all that much better

-hours of stalking people we know with mel

-meeting the fenn's

-the day natalie asked me for my address, her way of telling me she was engaged

-meeting alex martinez, one of my favorite photographers of all time

-finally becoming un-addicted so i could love myself for who i was, not for my myspace

so there it is. adios myspace.

i ate chips and salsa and about 6 scoops of peanut butter for dinner tonight, let's just say i'm under alot of stress.

with the trip down memory lane i thought i'd pull out some old pictures for your enjoyment:

why did ANYONE ever let me dye my hair black?

who can forget grace's photoshoot...the night her myspace was born.
this shot was created during my about 4 week 80s streak.

ventura, black hair, pink sweatshirt and mega, the epitomy of 2004

oh momo nights, one of the many highlights of summer 2005.

happy tax day.

there's a lady in my office, she has a good office, one wall is pure windows overlooking most of HB and its my only way to see if the sun has come out yet today, and she constantly has her blinds closed. so strange, doesn't she know?

i love the smell of air conditioning, it might have something to do with the fact that i replaced my vent stuff a couple months ago and really haven't used my A/C since, but i love the smell. sometimes i breathe it too much and get a little dizzy, its true.

a presentation on tolstoy this thursday, on a story about a horse, i dont like horses. i always thought those girls in middle school who were like obsessed with horses were weirdos. but now because i've procrastinated all semester, i have to talk about horses, not puppies. :(

i got really sick of the radio yesterday, mostly because i found myself in-tune with pop culture, and that hasn't happened in years it seems, i like shrugging my shoulders when people ask me if i heard that so in so is being sued for this or that. i also really love not knowing any new celebrities. that being said, i turned to what i do know...yes yes yes here we go, nsync has got the flow.

i was looking at old photo albums at julie's house on saturday and i realized a few things, 1. how dare anyone let me out of the house with ginormous bangs that formed a triangle poof on my forehead, 2. i have lost weight as i've grown up and moved to the OC, my face is not as round as it once was and for this i am satisfied, and 3. if there's one constant in my life, its my family.

i feel like i've been through a million loops in my life of trying to find who i belong to or what kind of friendship groups suit me best, first there was the colorguard ladies, then there was the 2nd ward girls, then the kohl's krew, then mega and all her buddies, then the mountain people, then the originals from casa verde and old piersiders, and now the one and only roberto and all his funny characters (which are the cream of the crop i might add). and then there's my sisters who always make me laugh, and trevor who will always be more of a friend or father than a brother to me and mike who i don't talk to enough but know we're the most alike in alot of ways. and my momma, who knows everything.

that's where i want to be.


and off i go,
i just hope we don't talk about feminism in 20th century art again today, i felt like i should go see the bishop after last weeks lecture, another check in the "i will not be apart of the art world like this" box.

spring fling.

Spring is here! and living a normal life of not working on saturdays has proven to be truly wonderful. spring break was last week and i spent the whole week sleeping in, getting off early with rob and going to disneyland and/or running. but this week is going to be much different with rob's test coming up and me realizing i really shouldn't have slacked last week.

a couple weeks ago i watched rob surf for the first time! can you believe i've been dating him for over a year and he goes surfing at LEAST once a week, and i've never seen it? well, it was exciting, until my fingers turned purple because it was cold in newport that day...

i love newport <3

this past saturday was good too, a friend came to visit and we met rob with matt and trent in corona del mar and went hiking on the rocks! there were lots of ugly sea slugs, they are quite possibly the grossest things ever, and i touched an annennamomee...who actually knows how to spell that anyway?

i've been training training training for my 1/2 marathon on may 26th! saturday's 6 miles turned out to be a complete breeze thanks to my extreme amount of sourdough bread, cereal, tortillas and raisins, all excellent sources of carbohydrates i mind you...

i almost forgot! nick and cat were married on march 15th, 2008, we were lucky enough to be invited to the event at the Hyatt, and well nick and cat are beautiful, so how do you think the wedding was, really made me want a sit down dinner wedding, like i'll ever be able to afford it...but i miss seeing their faces around pierside already...
this is my roommate dre trying to be vain, but it turned out to be an adorable scene.

then it was easter! did you know that almost every family in huntington beach goes to the park on easter sunday? we didn't either, but the weather was hot inside so rob and i took a stroll...

Sometimes i feel like i can conquer the world somedays, other times i have serious difficulties going to class and putting on a pretty face and so i stumble over every other "le" ou "la" in french class and my teacher officially thinks i know nothing, but to tell y'all the truth, i know alot.
i'm officially obsessed with golden spoon, i can't get enough! this month they have island coconut AND banana...i just hope i get lucky when i go visit tonight. and every night this week.

so my life is somewhat dull, it revolves around my sisters wedding, seeing my family, the office, making dinner, and cuddling with my boyfriend. well this may seeeeem dull is what i should say, but i don't think i've ever been happier. and there's nothing that can change this. sometimes i look to my past and remember things from when i was like 18 and remember how strange that lifestyle was, i was trying SO hard to be someone, i dont even care who. but now i'm older, and though i don't hold grudges and hatred for any harsh feelings that i may have experienced and have since seperated myself from, i think its best that people move on. some things were just not meant to be.
only you can control your feelings and your happiness, only you can decide you're going to grow from trials, we can't rely on everyone around us for this, with few exceptions of our family and a couple close friends.
if you're having fun, you'll know it. if you're forcing a smile, you'll know it. wake up everyone, we all know how we truly feel, we all know how much of certain things we can take.
its like i told a close friend of mine who has rarely thought about himself for a while, "its time to be selfish."
this is really hard to express, basically:

you know what you're good at
you know what you love
you know who you love.
so go do it already, be selfish.

by request.

alot has happened....my birthday was March 8th, and i'm 23, ugh! the day started out good, i went running and afterwards headed over to Rob's after he was back from surfing to open my present! and he gave me the Canon powershot camera that i've wanted since before i can remember! yay!

then it was off to Thousand Oaks to eat at Claim Jumper for lunch with the fam, i got pizza because it was my birthday, yum!

after lunch rob and i went shopping in Ventura and later met up at my sister's house for Liv's 5th birthday party, since her birthday was just the day before.
it was a good day and the first birthday that i honestly kept forgetting it was my birthday, guess i'm old.

sunday after my birthday was good too, rob and i got up early and made crepes for a birthday brunch! and that night my roommates threw me a dessert party and all sorts of funny characters came...i like my ward alot.
then rob and i spent FHE at IHOP on monday to get Who-cakes, i couldn't wait to see that movie!

the week progressed and i got more and more bored at my job. and yesterday i went back to my momma's house for a family dinner to combine mine, mike's and erica's birthdays. it was alot of fun, my mom made lasagna and rainbow chip cake for me! we took pictures and played lots of games. and i got the grill i wanted! it has removable plates and i can make chicken or veggies, or waffles and cookies! it's perfect....

Easter is next week and for work i'm making mini marscapone and strawberry filled cupcakes, as well as an italian pasta salad for our work potluck lunch. i'm really excited to use my mini-cupcake pan...oh and i've already eaten my weight in robin eggs and mini eggs and cadbury eggs, easter candy is the death of me.

i've begun the training for my half marathon in august. i really just want to be able to run 13 miles about 3 times a week prior to the event, so i've started now. so far i'm up to 5 miles 4 times a week, and one aerobics class on saturday mornings. i felt like i was going to puke from working out so much on saturday, it was awesome!

melanie got into LONG BEACH! i knew she would...but it's such a relief! i'm going to have my bestest friend as my neighbor for the first time in like 6 years...thats exciting. i hope the OC lives up to its reputation for her. GO BEACH!

one more hour of work to go...i better start my homework.

hikes.

Rob and i have started a new tradition of taking little walks every Sunday morning since church doesn't start until 2:30...the bolsa chica wet lands are so close and have been so beautiful to us...

On this day the water was like glass, so refreshing:

its really the funnest thing ever being with someone for over a year and finding new ways still to fall in love with them, i had no idea rob loved nature so much. getting out and enjoying the fresh air is the perfect start to my week, things just seem clearer.

wanna hear something disgusting? this morning during my run i felt something hit my eye, but i couldn't find anything with my finger and it didn't hurt so i kept going, later (about 1 hour later) when i was doing my make up this black thing emerged and it was a little baby fly! the worst part?...its not the first time it's happened.

Now, we're going to disneyland, and while we're there i'm going to eat chocolates.

Somethin to look at

Tonight Rob and i went into the hot tub at my new complex, its so nice and cozy warm over there! but i had to get out before i got too sentimental about my swimsuit poofing up making it look like i was pregnant...

These are a few pictures i found on my camera i forgot i had

This is what its like to go to Long Beach state, its like the only place in the l.a. that experiences seasons, my favorite is fall (this was taken in december during finals week) everything is SO yellow and brown...

This is Rob starving waiting for his bagel at Noah's. Where we ate lunch for our anniversary. This is what i get to be with everyday, its ok to be jealous.

This is from last summer, one of our favorite places to be, California Adventure at night.

Also from last summer, this is me, Rob, Mel and Troy riding space mountain. and yes, Troy really was on the phone.

Happy Happy Anniversary day! like two little kids in a candy shop...

Comment t-allez vous?

All I see everywhere i go are Rothko and Morris paintings...maybe even a few Schnabels. School has started again and i just got out of my Seminar class scared you know what-less...about 8 hours of reading a week, plus massive amounts of discussions and papers...time to be a real art historian, it's too soon!





We've moved! Our new home is so beautiful and not moldy! plus we have a pool and spa and were in a gated community, really doesn't get much better. but i suffer from a disorder that i cannot have peace or concentrate on other things unless my house is pretty...been working on it all week and i actually scored big time at goodwill yesterday, nothing like $300 worth of merchandise for around $80. so i cooked rob dinner for the first time in a month on tuesday, i made Giada's mac and cheese with egg noodles and fontina cheese with ham, it was the perfect start to my new life in my house, then we went to get root beer floats from a&w, they are just not the same anymore.





my last day at bloomingdale's is next monday and so i'm stocking up on using my discount while i can, so far i've got a new pair of seven's, 3 dior mascaras, and i'm going to the other store hopefully tomorrow to pick out a handbag, because they carry chanel over there...then i'll be poor for a while, but its worth it, its the little expensive things in life y'know? but i cant wait to start my new job! i'm going to be a marketing assisstant, office assisstant really, for Lieberman Research Worldwide! everyone says it might be boring but can you believe i've NEVER had an office job before! so this is pretty exciting to me...i like faxing stuff.





mann i know so many people who are engaged right now! mega, hannah, darcy, my sister! yep her and josh are tieing the knot in vegas this halloween! and as we start the planning slowly yet surely i'm getting more and more surprised at how classical she is...with skull and crossbones of course, man i love her...so happy for everyone! ok maybe 90% happy, 10% jealous.........make that 80-20.....ok 75-25.......





anyways, this is one of my favorite paintings so far as i plan my notes for the semester:





its by Jackson Pollock and its called "Portrait of a Dream" beautiful colors...if there was anything EVERYONE can appreciate from Pollock, its his colors...

A bientot mes amis.