Friday, December 31, 2004

New Year's Resolutions

I was just wondering what some of you were thinking about for your New Year's Resolution. I haven't really come up with anything, and I don't know that I will. But I am really thinking about getting a gym membership and starting to work out regularly. What better way than this: Bally's Total Fitness.


Have a happy New Year and give me a call on my cell at 12 if you want. Peace.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Favors

Do you ever feel sometimes that people only call you when they need something? Well that is how I have been feeling lately. Certain friends only call when they want something, to hang out or whatever, and then employers only call when they need you to work.

I have been an employee at this restaurant for three years now, and I am thankful that I always have a job when I get home on vacation. However, I do not like the fact that they always wait till the last minute to call me into work. This is what must go through their heads, "let's not schedule Val as much, that way we know she will not be busy and then we can always call her when something goes wrong and we need someone asap." I swear this is their logic. And it sucks, I hate it. I just keep thinking to myself, it could be worse, I could have no job at all and then I would be in trouble. So I am thankful for my managers and all, but it still sucks being called in an hour before they need you, or right when they need you.

Enough of my grumbling, I need to go get ready for work, because they just called me in to work. Peace.

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

I thought that was only for school?

When I came home for winter break, I was left without a job for some time. During this time I sat around and wondered what I should do, so Andrew told me to read and listen to what God was trying to tell me. So that is what I did. I went down to Barnes and Noble, and picked up a few books that he recommended. Also, for Christmas my parents bought me some Bible Studies. So I started reading the book, In the Name of Jesus, but put it down after Christmas and picked up the study of Ruth. I have always loved the story of Ruth, she is an amazing woman. So now, I am studying the book of Ruth as a whole, and not just the person. It is amazing to me how God can put certain things in your life just at the right time. The study is talking about love, not just romantic love, but love in all relationships, which is something that I have been struggling with lately.

So that is what I am reading/studying right now. But I also plan on studying King David and Elijah (the other two studies my parents got me).

Today I am thankful for long time, life-long friends. They are always around no matter what and are always going to be there no matter what. I love them.

Monday, December 27, 2004

Beliefs

Today I am thankful for differences of opinion. If everyone believed the same things, felt the same way about all issues, and had the opinion on every issue, this world would be very boring. I love being able to sit down with different people in my life, and talk about different issues. I also find interesting that I can have serious debates now that I am older and more mature. I used to get so defensive and upset when someone couldn't understand what I was trying to say, or when they told me I was wrong and didn't agree with me. But now I know better and can accept that they don't agree with me, and that is cool, that is a great thing.

I am not thankful for ignorance. I was listening to a conversation that was taking place in my living room today and I got very offended. A comment was made that a young man was "a loser." As the conversation progressed, I heard that this man was a firefighter who had moved to California and started his own life. Now I ask, how does any of that make him a "loser?" I just don't understand some people. I think that being on your own and providing for yourself as well as your community is something so amazing, and should be praised. Firefighters, paramedics, and police risk their lives everyday to save those around them including you and me when called upon. No matter what circumstances they are in, they should never be called "losers." I hate when some well-to-do person looks down on someone else because they can't provide the best for themselves, but they get by and they live happily, they are not losers. I just want to tell some people to get off their high horse and look at life from a different perspective. It is not about having the nicest, cleanest house, or the best/ newest car, or the biggest ring on your finger. What matters is how you deal with what God gives you. God will only give you what He can handle for you, and what you can handle.

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Back to life once again

Today I had to return to work after a very fun and exciting holiday. This weekend was awesome getting to hang out with family (especially my niece and nephew). I love being able to hang out and chat and play games (such as pinochle). I am so lucky and thankful to have a wonderful like mine. It makes me sad when I hear of people whose families are broken, or not as tight knit as mine. I want everyone to be as happy as I was, and it breaks my heart to hear that some families to have the love and devotion like we do.

I am also thankful for Jesus Christ who came and died for my sins. If it were not for him, my life would not be the same. I am thankful that I found Christ at an early age and was not tempted by society. I am thankful that I can have relationships with Christians and non-Christians alike. It makes me happy when people see Christ through me, and my actions. Thanks be to God.

Saturday, December 25, 2004

Happy Holidays

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, and to all a good night. I hope your holiday was all that you wanted and that you understand the real meaning behind the word CHRISTmas. May God bless you and keep you.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

Well I finally got my butt in gear and got myself a job. I am going back to the restaurant I always go back to, Coho Cafe. YAY! I have to say that I am very thankful to them for always having a place for me, or making a place for me. It is nice to feel that they value my work so much that they would do that for me. And of course, I love the people that I work with. Coho is like my second family. I have a family friend that works there named David. He is like my second father. A lot of my friend's moms are my 2nd, 3rd, or 4th mom, but I don't have many other fathers besides my own. So David takes care of me, and makes sure that nobody hurts me. If you need more explanation just ask Bill about David.

So today I am thankful for work, and the people I work with.

Got to get ready to head to work. Peace.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Congrats

I was talking to Bill and I heard that Jono and Erin had their baby. Congratulations to them!!! That is so exciting. It sounds like everything went well and Erin and the baby are doing great.

If anything like that happens in Cali while I am gone and you hear about it, please call me and tell me or comment here or email, do something so that I feel informed and loved. Thanks. Peace.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Best Wishes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TED!!!! Today my big bro turns 31. Oh my gosh....that means I turn 21 soon!!! Watch out!!

Rain Rain go away

I don't understand why little children always want the rain to go away. Why can't you go outside and play in it? It is more fun to play in the rain than it is to play in the sun when it is really hot, or at least I think so. Today as you can probably tell, I am thankful for the rain. I love WA rain, it is not like CA rain, where it either drizzles or down pours. Here it rains and it rains hard for days. The only down side is that it is very dark. It is only 12 in the afternoon but it feels like 7. Anyhow, rain does not need to go away. Although I do hope for snow soon. I really want a white christmas.

Yesterday was an adventure and a half. My mom and dad went shopping at Costco early in the morning, and then I met them around noon. From there, my mom and I went to a few local stores to check for gifts and then headed to the dreaded Toys R Us. Oh my gosh, it was insane. That store was packed with people, but the check out lines weren't too bad. Then we headed to another Toys R Us which wasn't as crowded but the lines were long. Then my mom had the wonderful idea of going to the mall. YAY, did you catch that sarcasm? I was not thrilled about going to the mall, but I did anyways to have some quality time with mom. It was fun, not too crowded and I even got some clothes that were not for christmas which was cool. So yesterday was a long day, my mom and I were shopping yesterday for almost 11 hours. That is crazy to think about. You can imagine all the money we spent. OUCH!!!

Peace.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Whistle while you work

Today I am thankful that my parents have an extra car so that I can use it when I come home.

Today I spent most of the afternoon driving around downtown Bellevue looking for jobs. So far I have applied at the Pine Lake Club (an athletic club near my house), Toys R Us, and a small little store called Lakeshore Learning Center. All three have taken my application and said that somebody would call me.

I really hate it when managers think they are too busy to step outside their office for two minutes and talk to applicants. I think that they need to get a first impression of all applicants. Maybe that is just me, but it really helps. Oh yeah, and Tim is also talking to his boss at Sears to try and find me a job. So now I just have to sit and wait to hear back from people. My next few days are probably going to be spent sitting around and waiting, or calling managers back that I gave apps to.

And all my friends come home this weekend. YAY!!! Peace.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Its a brand new day

Today marks something new on my blog. I want to use my blog, not only as a journal of thoughts, but as a journal of thanksgiving and gratitude. Each day I am going to give one thing that I am thankful for that made this day a little bit better. It might be a person, a group of people, an object, or something random. I think that this is going to help to stay accountable and humble and most importantly grateful for the things I have in life.

Today I am thankful for my time of solitude. Today I have been able to embrace it, and can handle it.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Reflections

Thanks to my good friend Andrew, I have been using my time of solitude to reflect on my life, and to really listen to what God is trying to tell me. Or maybe I am waiting for Him to tell me something. Whatever the case, I am all ears, I am going to spend my winter break working on my relationship with Christ and exercising. The two things I need most in my life right now. This is the perfect time, while I am stress free from work and school, and not distracted by people/friends. Hopefully, through all of this, God will provide because I still need a job in order to pay the bills. Please be praying for me during break. Thanks. Peace.

Monday, December 13, 2004

Where am I?

Today was my second full day back to Washington, and I have to say it feels very awkward. I feel like I am in a foreign land or something. I woke up this morning around 11 to head to downtown Seattle to the Paramount. "The Lion King" is playing and my mom wanted to get some of us tickets to see it but she couldn't get them at Ticketmaster, so I had to go down to the box office. YAY!! Driving in Seattle with the truck (a manual transmission I might add). Not too fun on the hills of downtown. All the Paramount had for tickets were individual seats so my mom said no thanks, and I was left with nothing to do and didn't want to just turn around and come home, so I drove around Seattle for a little bit and watched people from my car window and just took in the atmosphere of the holiday season. It is so pretty down there, with all the trees lit and people walking with big jackets and seeing all the store decorations. But I was lonely, I miss my friends from the valley and none of my friends from here are back from school yet. So I drove back to Issaquah and had lunch with Mommy, and then headed to Grandma's house to visit with her. She is lonely too. I sat with her and helped her cut out pictures to put in her Christmas cards and talked and caught up on life with her. Then I headed home. When I got home, I didn't just want to sit in front of the tv, so I tried to keep busy. I checked my email and my grades online, nothing. Ok, now what? So I went into the living room to turn on the radio but then that didn't help, I still had nothing to do. So I ended up just sitting in front of the tv trying to think of something to do. My mom came home and needed my help putting desserts on a tray and then she left again. So I was alone once again. Today has been a day of loneliness for me.

These are days when I sit and think about my life. I sit and pray and thank God for what he has given me in California. I thank Him for all my friends and family. I thank him for the wonderful world that He has created, and all of the amazing things he has given me to look at in Seattle. It really is a beautiful place and I do love it here, it is just that I am not sure if it is home or not.

What is home? I have been defining my home as: the place where I am not. This means that while I am living in CA, my home is Washington. If I am in WA, then my home is California. Is this true? Or is home, where the heart is? If that statement is true, than I have two homes but right now my heart is in California. Dictionary.com has a few good definitions of what home is. It can either be, The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or apartment, or an environment offering security and happiness or a valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin. The first one makes me thinks WA is my home, but then again I do have an apartment in CA, so I don't know. The latter definition makes me think of CA as my home. The environment that I am in down there offers me protection and security, as well as a lot of happiness, it is my refuge. The people that I am around in CA make me feel secure and safe, and protected, and that is what I love about CA. I don't know how I could live without those people (and hopefully they know who they are). They are amazing, and make me feel amazing when I am with them. Ok, enough blabbing, and enough sobbing.

I am going out to dinner with my dad and my bro. Peace:(

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Nutcracker

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that my parents and I are going to see the Nutcracker today in Seattle. I am so excited, I have never seen it before. Should be cool.

Travel Woes

Yesterday was yet another day spent in the airport. I think I am becoming Tom Hanks in his movie, "The Terminal." I have spent more time in the airport in the last month than I wanted. I wrote about what happened for Thanksgiving, and yesterday was fun also.

I arrived at Burbank this time, at about 1:30 in the afternoon for my flight at 2:40. Not too long to wait, I could handle it. 2:40 comes and goes and the Alaska Lady (don't know her name or what they are called) comes over the PA system and informs us that they are delaying my flight because the brakes over heated during landing, and they need to call the mechanic, should be about an hour. Well, it took the mechanic almost an hour to get to the plane and then he still had to check it out. So now it is almost 4pm and still don't know what is happening. So I keep waiting patiently. Just after 4 the lady came on again and announced that our flight would be leaving at about 5:30 after the mechanic changes the brakes out. Not a big deal, I am not in any big hurry to get home. They were allowing people to change flights to one that left at 5, but I didn't feel like dealing with it, and it was only a half hour difference. It was 5, and the lady came back and announced that unfortunately the plane could not be fixed and we were all forced to get on the plane leaving at 5. It wasn't bad, it was just another day of sitting in the airport by myself for hours on end.

The flight wasn't bad, I sat next a nice man who had recently moved to Washington from Northridge, and his daughter went to UCLA I believe. Very interesting.

I love being home, except for the freezing cold weather. And when I say freezing I mean it, last night it got down into the 20s and today when I left for church it was only about 30 degrees. It sucks, but I love being with family again. HOWEVER, I do miss all my peeps back at home in Cali. Boys, it is just not the same without you guys to hang out with, and Nicole I miss you too, and I want a pedicure. Bill, thanks for the CD, it is awesome. John, thanks for the John Mayer CD.

Peace.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Wow, technology rocks

As you can tell I am still a little new to this whole blog idea. I just found out how to post pictures, which is very exciting. There will definitely be more pics to come.

My new haircut.  Posted by Hello

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

What is up

Ok so I have been really bad about blogging, but it is to be expected. This week is finals week so I have been studying and stressing and haven't even thought about blogging. Actually, this is not totally true. On Saturday night I wanted to post some pics of my new hair do, but it wasn't working, so I have thought about it, and tried, but failed.

I mentioned I got my hair cut, it is so short, and there is a story that goes with it, but I don't want to talk about it here. If you want the story call me and I will tell you, I am just trying to get used to the shortness of my hair.

I can't wait for this week to be over, but at the same time I am not ready to go home on Saturday. I do this all the time, I always get so bummed when it comes to the end of the semester and then I never want to leave. It sucks, I want to go home and see friends and family, but I also want to stay here with friends. Such difficulties.

I just want to say that I love my friends, each and everyone of you. If you are reading this, I love you. You guys and girls make my life so much more fun and I am thankful that God has placed each and every one of you in my life. I love you and thank you.

Back to studying and taking finals. Peace.

Thursday, December 02, 2004

I just can't get enough

Last week in my Deaf Culture class, we had a man come in who teaches at Columbia University in New York. He is a deaf man and teaches in the education dept. He was telling us about a master's program that they offer if you want to be an ASL teacher for grades 7-12. You go through this program and get certified and get your master's.

Basically, I think I am interested, but there are few road blocks. First, it would mean being away from my family for more time (2 or 3 years) and this time it is even further away, across the country. Second of all, is the money. I don't think I can afford to put myself through grad school. My parents informed me that I would have to foot the bill for that. Those are the two main issues, not including having no friends out there and being in an even bigger city than I am now. It is scary, but yet intriguing. So I don't know if I will persue that, but I am definitely considering it.


We have a weiner!!

Oh my gosh, I would never have guessed that this day would come. Miss Nicole has become part of the blog world. She set up a blog tonight. Check her out at her site. I am so excited for her. YAY Nicole!!