Dance Team

     This is the first time I can say I've joined a school sport's team. I've always done outside clubs with various sports, but I never seemed to play for the school for many reasons including: having to take care of my brothers, coach's favoritism for their child and their friends, and going through remission of cancer. Also when I was younger, I grew up in a strict environment where I was judged so I became shy, especially since I moved a lot too. I've always been told by many people that I was a good dancer. However there is always that one person who can have an effect on you. I won't name names but that is why I was too scared to join in high school where there was so much judgment. College is all about a new start and a new you! Do want you want to be what you want! Well now I'm happy and proud to say that I am apart of the SBCC Dance Team. It is run by student's themselves and our performance below was to raise awareness for the club we also have. Comment below if you're interested :) Also if you can't see which one is me, I'm in the red tank top with boots on the right side. You can see better if you make it full screen.

     I love my team. There are some days when I feel lonely and I just want to get away from my room. I come to practice almost every time and every single time I feel better afterwards. Dancing makes me happy and so do these people. We laugh, joke around, have silly group messages...Don't get me wrong, their are times where it gets more serious to make sure we get it down, but it's all apart of it and I am glad I am apart of it. I'M A PART OF THE SBCC DANCE TEAM! I'm doing what I what, becoming who I am meant to be, and I am free! That is the college experience. I'm trying new things and having new experiences. This is my first time ever dancing on a team or performing. Feel free to let me know how I did!

Mi Padre

Today I had to work on an iMovie for my wonderful, interesting English class. It was about interviewing an older person in your family who had a time when they experienced being "voiceless". My 2 hour and 20 minute class flew by when I worked on it. I love doing this kind of stuff because it's what I want to do in the future! I especially love working on iMovies for YouTube when they are more personal. It's like a part of my book turning into a movie!

Thought my outfit for school was
cute so I had to take a selfie.

As you will be able to tell when you watch the video, my dad and I have been through
a lot together.
The video definitely
doesn't do our hurdles justice, but I'm saving all that for my book. I know he was sad when I left for college, especially me being his only daughter and the first to go....but he knew it's something I had to do to find my happiness. You could say I'm pretty content :) I'll be going back to Virginia where he is for Winter Break for a whole month.

Puppy Love

PUPPIES!!! LOVE!!! LITTLE THINGS!!! AHH!

When I went back to my hometown in Ventura this weekend to visit family I decided to visit  the other things I love.... Before I went to my Aunt's house I made sure to stop by a little store in the Oaks Mall where I had once gotten Guinni thirteen years ago. Actually I went there twice. First I went there, shopped for 20 minutes, then came back before I left. You could say I was in the puppy store for aaaarrrooounndd 45 minutes. No one was there to tell me "let's go" *cough cough* Andrew. I hope I can find a store like this one around Isla Vista or Santa Barbara, but if I do....I'll never have time for blogging ;)

If you know me....or don't know me you should know that I'm obsessed with pugs because I grew up with one (and because they are the cutest, most wrinkly things ever with bulging eyes). When I went to the puppy store I realized that yes I still want a pug most compared to any other dog. However, if I received any other puppy and got the chance to keep it; I would. I'd still want a pug though! Recently one of my friends in my English class got a puppy. There are plenty of students who claim their dogs as "service dogs". People find their way around, it's not impossible to have a dog in college! It's just more responsibility.

At my Aunt's house I was not surprised to find out she got another tortoise. It was just born last month. She has multiple old and young. This one is supposed to be a girl. She already has had four boys and one girl, so it is exciting she has a girl now. We're used to thinking of boy names, so leave a comment if you got a cute one! I was thinking Shelly.

I hope you enjoyed this YouTube video. Click here if you couldn't see it on your mobile. I worked hard on it just to make sure it brings smiles to your faces. I know I watch videos of cute puppies and it brightens my day :)

OCEAN SWIMMING UPDATE: Class ends early in less than a month because it'd be hard for everyone to go back after eating so much on Thanksgiving. Today was the second time I swam where the water was clear! So you could say Ocean Swimming went SWELL. Get it, swell? (I made a funny)  I was so tired, especially from dancing a lot but seeing the ocean floor is too cool to pass up.

Weak from the Week

I'm not going to lie, I've had a tough week. Recently I've decided to go further with dance instead of just doing it for fun by joining the club. This past week our SBCC Dance Team has been practicing every day because we are soon going to be performing. On top of that I beat my timed 1,000 meter swim in Ocean Swimming from 1 hour and 5 minutes to 25 minutes. It felt good, my whole class clapped and cheered me on. I haven't felt that supported in my life since my Make A Wish run I started. After that day I haven't been feeling well. Stress with my personal and school life , health, and all this physical activity has gotten to me. My teacher even made a comment to me that I look like I've lost weight. I hope it's in a good healthy way, because it bothers me if it's because of stress. I lost 30 pounds during my chemo treatment, it was scary. 

A problem that I have is that I don't know when enough is enough. I don't know when to quit. Don't get me wrong, it can be a good thing I don't quit sometimes, but other times it can be unhealthy. I push myself too far. I overestimate my physical strength. Hopefully I feel better soon and stress goes down because I want to keep myself busy. Sometimes when you're in the beginning college and you haven't established your group of friends yet, you can feel lonely. Joining the dance team has definitely helped. I've gotten a lot of laughs and good vibes from this group. I'll post a video of our performance for you when it happens very soon!

Obsession or Love?

Seeing a dog in college is like seeing your favorite famous person, YOU LOSE CONTROL. Every dog will remind you of yours back home. However, not to put all your dogs to shame mine is the cutest, oldest, stupidest, most lovable, baby, snorting dog and he is MINE. Problem is...he is all the way across the country, but smack dab in the middle of my heart ;) I've been told I'm obsessed, and I'm okay with that. Four things I obsess over: California, Pugs, Babies, and Chipotle. Out of those four things though, pugs are my best obsession.

The day I had to leave Guinni  for college :( 

"About a week ago" Andrew and I went to my hometown mall in Thousand Oaks, CA where I had gotten my pug Guinness 13 years ago. I went into that store about three times before Andrew wouldn't go anymore. The dogs tried their hardest to lick through the crack of the glass to lick your finger. The tiniest dog ever also smashed it's face into the glass trying to come to me. It probably had the tiniest brain too but that makes it even more cute :) I mentioned I should work at a shop like this...then I reminded myself I'd probably get fired for too much love and not enough work. Later on we were walking down state street after having seen multiple dogs that day but not one pug. BAM! Out of no where I see a pug full of fat rolls sitting on it's owner's lap outside in a restaurant just staarrrriiinnngg at me. Remember that control I talked to you about? Yeah...I lost it. Half my body fell to the ground and I couldn't speak. Andrew was freaking out thinking something bad was about to happen,but it was just the opposite. We laughed all the way down state street while I had to fight the urge to ask to pet it.

He has also done the deed of giving me something else to obsess over. I never thought there would be such thing as a pug game or app on my iPhone but IT'S TRUE IT'S POSSIBLE IT'S REAL. This is just what I need! I needed an interactive thing to let my obsession out everyday if I can't have my pug for myself. I have to win more points at Pug Rapids then him because I'M the one who loves pugs more!! There's another game where you can pet dogs and take care of them on my tablet called Kinectimals. The most interesting one I found would have to be Farting Pugs. It's just like Flappy Birds but better. I didn't download it however because....I suck at Flappy Birds and.....I'd probably giggle the whole time.

Oct 16- Guinni's  Birfday

FaceTime is probably your best option. You get to see your baby for yourself. My eyes get watery every time and I kept help but say Guinniiiii Guinniiii over and over again. He's deaf and almost completely blind. I've had him since Kindergarten, his thirteenth birthday was 4 days ago. The worst part about it however is they don't know what the f*** they are looking at, secondly your dad might show you them taking a sh** outside. Cough Cough (my dad).

Lastly how I find another way to cope with my obsession is videos. When I'm bored and in need of a laugh I go on YouTube and search P-U-G-S. Just do it.

So my fellow college students,
If you are missing your pet back at home visit a shop or shelter, walk down State Street or the beach, find an interactive game, look at YouTube videos or your old videos with them, or FaceTime their cute face! :D

Gotta Take Care of the Baby

I'm not the typical girl, but when it comes to cars you can call me dazed. I don't have time to memorize every car name and part out there! I do have the time however to go to the shop and get something I need. Instead of spending chunks of cash to have someone do it for you; you can do it yourself. Or have your boyfriend do it :P  

My Baby Beam

Last weekend my "Service Engine Soon" and windshield wiper fluid light was on. Andrew simply checked my oil which was low and filled it with more. When he left I went back to Auto Parts store because they seemed to have a lot of stuff a car would need. I got myself some windshield wiper fluid which was under three bucks and filled it up in my car myself. Check,check, done! As a girl, I felt like I could handle anything after that. Not really, but I was proud of myself. I've noticed a difference in me already not even finishing a semester in college yet; I'm becoming more independent. 

Sooo you know that feeling when you see your name as the name of a shop, restaurant, or business? Yeah I found my dad's name "Larry's Auto Parts" ironic because my dad used to help me with my car when I was back at home. Also I found MY NAME!! Ironic because well...never mind.

     

The Tatt

"Psst, Survivor!!" ... I sit in my Psychology class today not knowing this was my name. "Surrvvvivorrr" the guy behind me sings again in a rock n roll voice. "Surrvivvorr!!!" he sings again. I turn around and he's trying to hand me the attendance sheet. I smile and say thank you like I usually do. The guy next to him who I had met a few weeks ago asks for my name again. We shake hands like we met for the first time, because now he knew I was more than just another "normal" girl in class; I'm a survivor.

So this is the tattoo they saw today when I was wearing a tank top in class. I got in April 5, 2013 when I was seventeen. This is how I described it that day when I posted it to Facebook....

" It's what it looks like, a tattoo! Everything went well except I threw up because my anxiety was getting to me and I needed sugar. But hey I threw up way more times during chemo than this! I have been thinking about this tattoo ever since I was diagnosed with cancer...I came up with the whole idea, except the tattoo artist drew it better! One day I was doodling in class and came up with the O and V becoming an awareness ribbon. Creative huh? This is no ordinary tattoo, it explains my survival. I will list off what everything means.

-The tattoo is on my neck because that was where my cancer was.
-It's on my back so it means cancer is in the past/ behind me but its still apart of me and who I am.
-The purple is my awareness ribbon color. Also was my moms favorite color. Ironic!
-The heart on the dot of the i represents the symbol for the best cancer organization in the world, Special Love! I met the best people in the world at those camps. It is the best part about being a cancer survivor. The heart also means that when I was losing all hope, the thought of love coming into my life and growing a family down the road was the only thing that got me through. My grandmother died when my mom was young, my mom died when I was young too. I WILL break that cycle!
- If you know me, I'm a survivor of many things, not just cancer. Survivor is the word that describes me best! 
(PS: don't worry, my dad completely supported it and signed off on it!)"

PS PS: I will be getting another tattoo this year. I'll leave it as a surprise but I will give you a hint...it's for my mom and brother!

Virginia Visitor

This is the guy I told in the beginning of senior year that I didn't want a serious relationship because I knew I'd be coming here. He turned out to be the guy I was so serious with and couldn't give up on. Until, I moved out here to California to follow my dreams. Nothing could stop me; not Andrew, not my pug I'm obsessed with Guinness, nor my father whose been nothing but there for me my whole life. For the first time I decided to let go, Andrew held on.Sometimes it just takes a leap of faith. Andrew just recently visited around our 1 year anniversary. I had the best time showing my high school sweetheart my hometown. I got to show the one I love the place I love. Long distance isn't easy, but it's not impossible. It's only temporary. Currently we are hoping he gets stationed out here for the Coast Guard. 

Our schedule

Thurs Oct 9: He arrived in LAX. We tried going to the cemetery but it was closed :( It hurt so much that my mom and brother were right there and I couldn't see them. We drove back to Santa Barbara where we took a sunset stroll along the beach.

Fri Oct 10: We visited the cemetery. I told my mom I was finally home, and it felt so good. I showed him around State Street and we had lunch on the pier. We went to a restaurant with....you guessed it- seafood!

Sat Oct 11: For the first time I introduced him to some family here. I took him to the Thousand Oaks mall in my hometown where we had lunch at Stacked. Later that night in Isla Vista I took him to DP. We didn't stay that long :P Cops shut down the first party we went to.

Sun Oct 12: I went with him to the Santa Barbara Zoo. I haven't been there since I was little! It's a beautiful zoo and so close by. After that we went to Hollywood to the City Walk and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. 

Mon Oct 13: He was supposed to leave but his flight kept getting delayed because of a storm in Houston. He calls be while I am driving back home saying "Come back!" Just our luck he got to stay another day on our anniversary. We went to the walk of fame later on.

Tues Oct 14: The day he left for real :( The Virginia-raised-boy turned into a California boy and didn't want to go home.

I knew he'd love it here, anyone would. No doubt if you're here, you'll soak up the infectious  California sun.

Off Topic

Most people wouldn't say that their most interesting class is English. If you really think about it though, it's the teacher who makes it either boring or exciting. My English 103 class is....interesting. We always seem to talk about the same topics including: women power, sex, rape, and culture. My teacher, Mrs. B is awesome! I've always hated reading but she makes the class so alive. Most of the time we aren't even reading, it's just a huge group discussion. I have struggled with reading comprehension my whole life until now. Mrs. B creates tasks for us to make it easier to understand. She IS a teacher. She teaches about life and that's the way teachers should teach. I mean who wants to learn straight from the textbook? Although it's about the same topics and she will fry your brain with how deep into discussion she goes; I wouldn't choose to be in any other reading class. I feel bad for all the guys though....I'm sure they don't want to hear women should have more power and that they are horrible people because their gender rapes.
I took a couple videos in class, sneaking the excitement JUST FOR YOU!!! In other words....sorry for the bad quality.

 But it was funny huh?

DP

Del Playa.
No this is not a beach, it's a street. The street actually. Want to party? Go to DP! Want to get lost from you friends? Go to DP! Want to make bad decisions? Go to DP! I think you get the point...

Personally I only go on this street during the nights I don't have school in the morning, and when I do IT'S CRAZY. Cops at every block with their arms crossed stare you down. But honestly the cops all know the kind of stuff the kids are getting into, so they are usually more lenient because they are mostly there for safety. This is an experience like no other. Here people walk on the streets and not the sidewalk and they'll also go walk into strangers house parties with no problem or questions asked.

Tips: Don't Trip. Don't sit on the curb. Don't argue or fight with anyone. Don't carry anything. Just play cool and act like you're not going to a party like the hundreds of other people on this street! :D . Don't drive on DP after 10. Don't wear high heels, you will be walking up and down this street all night. This is a beach town, no one dresses up that fancy. Keep a buddy at all times (especially if you're a girl)! Be...prepared, and BE SAFE!