Just a Little Nervous

So I am going to Dallas early tomorrow morning for training. I have to admit, I am a little nervous. If Texas has any idea how much smack I talk about it, it might not be very nice to me! Cross your fingers that I survive the next two weeks!

103 Candles

I'm no fool, no siree

I'm gonna live to a hundred and three....
-Jiminy Cricket

Last weekend was my great grandma Minnie's 103rd birthday. I honestly cannot imagine living that long. I have often said that I would rather die young, beautiful and tragic, just like James Dean (although I have already lived longer than he did), but I have so much respect for my grandma who still lives alone in her home and is still very sharp. I was very happy to finally be able to go see her on her birthday. Every year I hear it is pretty much the same. Some of my aunts spend the night on the eve of her birthday. On her birthday morning people start arriving. Friends and family come and go throughout the day. The phone is ringing all day as well, more family from out of town calling to send their birthday wishes. Here are some of the pics of some of my family that was there.

Uncle Jim and Aunt Merry's family. Nikki, Calvin, Uncle Jim, April, Jessica, Grandpa, and Aunt Merry

My cousin Nathan and his fiance Nicole with my Aunt Nancy

Grandpa and Uncle Toby. I am trying to imagine how strange it would be to be 83 years old and still having a living mother-in-law.

My cousin Anna, her brother Nathan, her husband Gerrad and their daughter Desiree

Anna and Me...yes, we should have had more consideration for the birthday girl and worn pink, but apparently we were both feeling yellow...

Uncle Jim graciously offering me a 103 sticker. The rule according to him is that you must be "offered" a sticker...

Aunt Merry and April

My cousin Malea and her husband Thomas with Minnie. I love how happy Minnie looks. Minnie has often said that one of the most important rules in life is to make friends of all ages, how lucky she started that trend even before she realized she was going to outlive so many.

Me and my cousin Xela. I was just thinking the other day about how much I like some of my cousins that I really have only seen a handful of times in my life and really do not know very well. Xela is one of them...I cannot stop smiling when she is around.

Aunt Merry, Aunt Heidi, Uncle Toby, Minnie, Mom, Uncle Joe, Aunt Nancy, Xela's husband Dusty, Xela, Me and Malea

Minnie and Uncle Bill

And finally the birthday girl with her cake made for her by the Carmelite Nuns.

One last picture that was not from the Birthday event...my cousin Rangel, Nana, and cousin Joel.

This and That

Last weekend I went to San Jose and brought home with me the desk that used to be in my room at home. I thought I had cleaned it out when I cleaned out my room when my parents sold their house, but when I opened the drawers....there was lots of unimportant stuff. I just finished looking through all the stuff and throwing most of it away. I really do not need things like SAT scores when I have my Bachelor's Diploma framed and hanging on my wall... Anyway, I found some really funny things. One thing in particular that made me laugh was a note I found that my best friend in high school wrote to me during class one day. It reads "Brook you are talking to the 47 year old English teacher. How can you tell her to have fun and die young she's too OLD" There were lots of other things I stumbled across cleaning out my desk but that was by far my favorite. It also makes me laugh that I actually still have a note someone wrote me that long ago about something that insignificant.


I have been looking through pictures on my computer lately and I noticed that these pictures could almost be merged together if I was better at photoshop...just another random thing that made me smile.

Couch

I finally broke down and bought myself a couch today. The first couch I ever bought. I refused to buy one in the last studio because I knew I wouldn't be there very long and I did not have to want to move a couch. What? Are you calling me lazy? Ok, I will accept that. But this new apartment has such a big living room area, that it looked ridiculous empty.

So I bought a couch. And it is big. Maybe a little big for the apartment, but I am in love. I love it so much that I am considering developing a second personality so that we can fight and I can banish myself to sleeping on the couch! Ok, that just sound like too much effort, and I am too lazy for that. So I will just sit here and read my book until it is time for bed. And I will enjoy the couch some more another day!

Still Smiling

Yes, Shark, you would think I would blog more since I am unemployed, but I do not like blogging from my Blackberry and without the job, I no longer have my laptop card. I have been having a fabulous life this week as an unemployed American! I cannot really remember what I did on Monday. I think it included dropping off clothes at the dry cleaner and going to the library. Tuesday I had breakfast with Malea and lunch with Lee. Today I had lunch with Greg and then spent the second half of my day at Uncle Toby's house. I am getting used to this life of ease and looking forward to seeing my family this weekend in San Jose and my friends in San Francisco. Life is good. And here are a few pictures from the Birthday/Farewell party on Friday.

Paula-Jean, Me, and Uncle Toby

Me, Guido, and Tara

Dorian, Me, Larry, and Dan

Sunday Night

It is a sunday night and I am not dreading going to bed, because I do not have to go to work tomorrow. Still cannot stop smiling....this will not get old for a long long time.

Change is in the Air

2009 is my year! New job, new apartment. I can't stop smiling!