Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, and You Better Graduate

 Ever since I was little, my Dad has had great cameras.  He taught me how to develop film by making a dark room in our bathroom and he taught me what aperture meant.  I steal his camera, a Nikon D80, every chance I am home.  There is nothing wrong with a point and shoot, and thus far, my Canon has captured my life in Italy and successfully recorded Austin saying embarrassing lines from South Park.  But it was time. It was time to invest, or shall I say it was time to conjoin every holiday within the next year to get an incredible gift, my very own Nikon.

I proposed that this camera be my only Christmas present and to forgoe a raging 21^st birthday party, and eventually when lenses got involved, it became a part of my graduation present. In my opinion, totally worth it. 

I chose the Nikon D90. And it is my child right now. It makes me want to learn about the art of photography and it makes me want to capture the small details in life.

 To be honest, my life is crazy right now.  Full time school, working at Con Pane (a bread bakery and café), volunteering at my church, training for a half marathon, and interning/volunteering with Alliance for African Assistance as a family mentor.  But I am happy. The happiest and most fulfilled I have ever been.  I may not be doing crazy new things all the time, but I hope to at least update ya’ll with pictures on this blog, as I am not on Facebook for the time being and it has been the greatest thing I could have done for myself.  These are some of my favorite shots from the last couple weeks…. Enjoy!

Chaos. Confusion. Confidence.

Sometimes I wonder how close I still remain to my friends from high school, or if those friendships built over ASB, volleyball, and prom, are over. It was a trip like this, that brought me back. Back to who I once was, so much laughter it wouldn’t surprise a full set of abs by the end of the week, and helped me remember that those friendships are far from over.

            Colleen is one of my best friends, quite possibly the most selfless person I know, and thus will make an incredible nurse one day. She invited us to stay at her place for New Years, how could any of us refuse an offer to:

a. Finally go see where Colleen lives and goes to school at the University of San Francisco

b. A free place to stay in San Fran

c.  Bread bowls on the wharf

d. And of course, look at the Golden Gate bridge as we count down the minutes and seconds into 2011

I couldn’t have asked for a better three nights and four days in San Francisco.  From the moment I took my seat in the car for the 8-hour car ride to San Fran, it was nothing but continuous laughter.   Kristen, Colleen, Aleesha, and I, for some reason only speak in Ebonics when we are amongst each other and therefore anything and everything we say is hilarious, well we think it is. 

We were tourists. We went to Haight and Ashbury (free people jeans $24!), the Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Pier 39, Lombard Street, The Full House houses, drove by the Tenderloin, drank lots of coffee, laughed at Kristen’s adventures in her green socks, ate at Georgios, met a one-eyed dog, and rode in a party bus on New Years eve….

Aleesha has acquired a gift, aside from being an expert at making animal sounds, she can fake a phone conversation like nobody’s business. She stood outside of Colleen’s apartment where she proceeded to have conversation on the phone about meeting our friend in downtown San Francisco, as well as mentioning that we couldn’t find a cab.  That’s when the cute grad student from next door came outside and offered us a ride in the limo that he had gotten to take all of his friends.  We clearly could not turn down such an offer.  It was a party bus, not a limo, but you didn’t see any of us complaining. While dancing in the party bus, not only did it bring me back to my high school dance days, it also made me look around wondering how the heck did this happen!?  We ended the night at Pier 39 as we watched fireworks light up the city.  A downpour of rain followed the midnight countdown; it was one of those movie moments that are sort of impossible to put into words.  We strutted down four blocks in dresses and heels to find a cab home and finally made it there after failed attempts to speak Spanish to our cab driver.

 These girls are uniquely amazing, and gave me the best New Years I could have asked for.  I think sometimes I let college and becoming an “adult” get the best of me.  These girls know me.  They know me stressed, they know me happy, they know me in love, and they know me now. Whatever now is, they know me, and I know them, and we love each other for our past and for our present and encourage whatever the future brings.  Bring it on 2011, I have been waiting for you.