Im going to say its been over seven years

In my guestimations I would have to say that it has been seven years since I have been to the Oregon Zoo. (I gather this guess from the last time that I remember the zoo, I must have been about ten or eleven and I was holding my adorable cousin Shane, we were walking past the monkey exibit when I think he caught a bit of jungle fever and decided to take a bite out of me. He bit through my sweatshirt and actually broke skin. Oh sweet memories, only at the zoo!) Lets just say I have totally been missing out on what this place has to offer! It was fantastic! I went with my older sister Tiffany and my nephew Curtis. While Curtis was busy checking out all the girl zoo workers, I was watching the tigers, bears and zebras. It was amazing, I felt like a child again, with wonder and glee in my eyes. These creatures are amazing! I could have just sat and contemplated what God was thinking with each individual stripe of the zebras' hairs. I am so thankful for a wonderful older sister that includes me in such festivities.Tiffany having to force Curt to watch the penguins, he was more interested in the fine lookin ladies It was a bit past Curts nap and he was starting to get a little cranky

On the car ride home however Curtis started to crash, which was bad news. By the time we got home his cat nap in the car turned out to be the only nap he wanted to take, so instead of his regular three hour nap, he decided that wide awake and cranky was the way to go. So Kiki and I watched Curt while Tiffany got to catch up on a little shut eye for herself. By watching Curtis I mean that Kiki and I were laying on the ground doing crunches watching "You are what you eat" on BBC while Curtis was smearing goldfish into the carpet. After Tiffs nap the two of us and Curt decided to head over to the Nike Factory Store and hit up some deals. These are some pics of Curtis totally approving of Dad's new job, (My brother in law Tony now works for Nike, a sweet job that he loves! The family does too, as long as the discounts keep rolling in...kidding, but no seriously.) Today was full and wonderful. I love the bonding time I get with my family and finally growing up and getting to that age where I can finally "hang" with my sisters and be there friend and not just the little sister! Some of my friends have been asking where have I been, what have I been doing and I get to say that I have been hangingout with my best friends, my sisters. I love spending time with them and getting to know them better as family but as people as well. I am very blessed.

Stuck at home with Kleenex up my nose

So thursday night I started to feel like I was coming down with something. I had a runny nose and a scratchy throat. At 2am I woke not being able to swallow and in pain when trying to breathe. I walked upstairs to take some airborne, knowing however that it is a preventitive not a fixer. To my surprise though I was able to breathe smoother. I went back to bed and continued to wake up every hour on the hour. At 7 in the morning though it was time to get up and embrace the day. I was set to babysit the Clauds at 8:30 and did not want to be late. During the morning I was probably the most lackadaisical sitter. We threw around the ball with the dogs for a bit in the back. Then after picking rasberries for about 15 minutes we encountered a cute little black and orange snake. Me being totally brave and secure decided it was time for us to hustle out of the garden and sit in front of the television. The remainder of the morning would usually be spent with me planning some dancing lessons or games of tag and run, however on this particular morning I was very creative and decided that multiple episodes of Spongebob was just the trick. After arriving home I decided it would be best if I didn't sleep because I knew I would be up all night. So I decided that I would indulge in about 12 episodes of the O.C., the high class, totally educational show of drama and scandal in the lives of the rich and beautiful. After getting a headache that seemed to travel outside of my body with a pulsing between my eyes I took some musinex and tylenol. Then I sat down with my father and together we watched Rendition, rating it at an ok, but not a must see. This morning I find that the throat feels a ton better and breathing has become bearable again. I guess a perk to this situation though is that I woke up this morning with that ever sexy Peobe from Friends sick voice. Side note: it is Kiki's Birthday today, Happy 24th! I love her and could not be happier that she is at home with her family again. It is also almost Tony's Birthday, Happy 29th, so we are celebrating his as well, I love you and what an amazing addition to our family you have been.So I look forward to celebrating this day with them, with kleenex up my nose.

Life Happens... anxiously

I am anxious about life. So many big decisions are being made and I am afraid to make the wrong one. I know at a certain point you just need to close your eyes and take the leap and trust that God has whats best in mind. I was really anxious about what school to go to and what city...or lack there of, to live in. I have decided that I will be attending Seattle Pacific University in the fall (go falcons!) and I am extremely excited. At the same time though I face huge financial barriers. I wonder if I am making a risky decision when I should make the smart decision and go to a community college, save the money and transfer my junior year. I have decided I am a risk taker and I would love to experience the whole dorm freshmen year life style. I will be rooming with one of my best friends Heather Canby, she is a rock and super supportive of me. I feel like I have been waiting so long to grow up and be on my own, completely independent, except for finances...cars...insurance, well somewhat independent. At least living out of my parents house. I am excited to see what the city of Seattle has in store for me and equally excited as to what I can give to it. I am going into pre-nursing and will be focussing most of my time and efforts into that field, however I will also be apart of the SPU theater program. My passion is theater and acting and I would love to pursue something, however I know how hard it is to make it in that field, which is why I am going into nursing. I am anxious to see how my 18 credits of pre-nursing classes collide with my everyday theater class from 3-5, plus the two plays that I have to try out for during the school year. So here it goes...not knowing whats to come I am ready to take that leap and head anxiously into the unknown.