Confused? No. Patient? Maybe. For the better? I think so.

There's always something 
In the way 
There's always something 
Getting through 
But it's not me 
It's You 

Sometime's ignorance 
Rings true 
But hope is not in 
What I know 
Not in me 
It's in You 

It's all I know 

And I find peace 
When I'm confused 
I find hope when 
I'm let down 
Not in me 
But in You 

I hope to lose myself 
For good 
I hope to find it in the end 
Not in me 
It's You 
It's all I know

Not many people will understand this post. What used to be is different than what is now. Now that "you" has been replaced with a whole new meaning and relies on faith. That chapter of life is over, the doors have closed and new ones have opened, and new people have ventured in. For the better? I think so. 

I went to an awesome service last night at church. I felt like it targeted everything going on in my life at the moment. I'm excited to see where this path in life takes me. Who knows where I'll end up after I get back from Colorado next week, but one (or several) things are for sure. I've met some really cool people, got closer with family, have a more positive outlook on life, and thank everyone who has been a part of it so far. I would love to stay in SD but who knows. Maybe Ventura is my next place to explore. Only time will tell...

For the Boys Viewing Only.

Now for the remake...

You know you love it. We're done making fun of you now. Happy Graduation!

Meet My Mexi Boys.

Omar in his one piece.

Victor catching the Swine Flu.

Oscar stoked about the soccer game.

And Daniel and Stephen as homies.

These are the infamous boys down the hill that you often hear about in my SD adventures. You can usually find us hanging out together at FroYo or chillin in the hot tub at our complex. They have no idea I've created these images, but when they come back to their apartment tomorrow they'll be sure to have a good laugh when they see them taped all over their doors. We had an awesome time celebrating Victor's birthday this weekend in TJ. Yeah, I made it there and back and I didn't even catch the Swine Flu. Imagine that. I'm almost positive I was the only blonde girl there and probably looked like a tourist crashing their party. Whatev, it makes a good story that someone else is probably telling right about now. Anyways, they take good care of us when we cross the border. The party even included a hotdog stand, a port a potty, and a keg, along with a million other bottles of liquid to impair your judgement. We mingled with the crowd, listened to good music, and danced the night away. It was a good time. Happy Birthday Victor!

Just To Catch Up.

A little taste of life from this past week.

I went to Pacific Beach (PB) for Cinco de Mayo with my roommate and some boys from down the hill. We waited in about 4 lines and finally ended up at the Cantina after a "short" 15 minute wait in line. The fact that we're girls really helped us out. 

We started our night off with a shot of tequila and a Tecate beer. (I wasn't planning on going out so I didn't bring a camera or else this story would have been so much better with visuals.) After sitting at our table for a little bit, I noticed a guy who kept staring at me and would always turn to my roommate when our eyes met. He finally came to our table and we got to talking. I'm not one to go out and approach strangers, I'd rather just go to the bar and hang out with friends and mingle with others. After explaining to him 3 times where Santa Barbara was, and telling him that I am a photographer, he asked me if I had ever done nudes. I never got into that but apparently he was, and had modeled for a few drawing classes. He then attempted to draw his member in the air for me and I quickly turned to my roommate and cut off his awkwardness. He finally left after standing alone for a few minutes. 

Later that night, I spotted a cute boy walking around and my roommate's boyfriend quickly went over and brought him to our table. I've got some pretty good wingmen, and women LOL. I learned that he's a marine, grew up in Conneticut, and is very cute. We'll see if he comes around again. 

Til then, I've got lots to do. Yesterday I spent the day running errands, getting fingerprinted and now I have to go get a TB test for a new job. I got hired as an Activity Leader for an after school program where I will be planning projects and supervising children and other staff at a school down near SDSU. I've done it before so it's really nothing new but it will be nice to meet some new people. 

Anisa, Javi, and I went on a little road trip last night to UCSD to pick up a book for Anisa's final. We looked like those awkward kids that didn't fit in. I was the art school kid with my music print shirt and hemp bracelet, Anisa was the CSUSM kid with her college sweatshirt, and Javi was the gangsta in his chargers beanie and gold chain. We got to check out the 6 level library, the Dr. Seuss statue, and the awesome architecture of the school. We spotted a campus party where they were playing Eminem, and thought about crashing it, but decided not to. We left singing Eminem songs the whole way back to the car. Such nerds.

Speaking of college, Santa Barbara is on FIRE again. It seems as though they can't go 6 months without a huge fire. Here are the stats so far:

Acres Burned: 1,300

Date Started: May 5, 2009 at 1:50 p.m.

Cause: Unknown

Percent Contained: 0%

Structures Threatened:3,500

Homes Evacuated:5,400 homes, 13,575 people

Structures Destroyed: Dozens of homes have burned, however no official number has been released.

Injuries: 10 firefighters

Maybe it's a good thing I didn't end up moving back there, even though I would have loved it. A lot of my favorite memories were made in that town but now it's time to make new ones in a new city with new people. 

And so the journey begins...

Let's Play Doll House.

I pretty much have the coolest family ever.

I miss my family from up north. Now that I'm growing up and trying to find a job, it's hard to see them as often as I did when I was in college. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on so much like hanging out with my brothers, going to Easter Sunday dinners at Grandma's house with all the cousins, and being there for my mom when my brother's stress her out and have airsoft wars all around the house. At least with todays technology we have cell phones which let me stay in touch with them as much as possible. I hope I will be able to go visit up north soon and visit everyone.

Congratulations Nicole (Bri) and Micah on your engagement ! I can't wait to take your engagement pics and post them up. I'm also hoping to make it home for some birthdays (John, Kell, &  Aaron.) Until then, I'll just be hanging out in San Diego...

Until I leave for Colorado in 9 days! I'm road tripping it out there with my cousins and I'll be there from May 13-18th. I'll be photographing my cousin's wedding, spending time with the whole entire family, going horseback riding, hiking, and catching up with everyone. It is going to be an amazing time and I'm so thankful I get to be a part of it. 

For now, I leave you with this quote...

"The family.  We are a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that binds us all together. " ~Erma Bombeck

The Oceanside Pier.

Today I went with my roommate, Anisa, to La Jolla (one of my new fave spots in which I would like to live) and helped her work on a fast food slideshow for school. Then we went to pick up her twin sisters, picked up a footlong from Subway, and headed to the Oceanside Pier. We attempted to take some quick portraits (which I will retouch later,) and then came home for a quick nap. We are supposed to go out to club Below tonight cuz we're on the guest list, but not sure if we'll make it. 

While getting ready for my quick nap, I got a phone call from a far away friend, Nicole/Brijette (depending on where you met her) and found out that she just got engaged! It's the first time a real friend has gotten engaged so it's kind of a big deal. Then she gave me the update on all of our other pregnant and or married friends from high school. 

After I got to thinking, I kinda felt like the odd one out. I'm one of the very few who graduated from college with a bachelor's degree, is still living away from home, and trying to make it on my own. I have a great group of friends from back home and college, but not too many down here in SD. I'm still looking for a decent job, and very far away from getting engaged or having kids. It just makes me wonder if I'll be that one friend who never moves back home and falls into the normal "life after college" routine with all your old friends, job, and significant other. I'm already different enough from everyone up there for going to an art school but I don't mind. I'm just happy to have followed my dreams and have gotten so much support from my friends and family to do so. 

I'm still young, with a lot of imagination and determination. Everything happens for a reason and things seem to slowly be fitting into place. The impatient part of me just wishes things would move a little bit faster. Other than that, I can't really complain. 

Watch Out For This Guy.

He's the one that pretty much captured our entire journey through college. So, if you saw the college video, he's the number ONE source. 

Word has it on the street that he's AsIaN, loves CHEESEBURGERS, and is from the 916.

Like what you see? He's also SINGLE ladies! Grab him up while you can. 

You'll probably find him on a street corner in LA somewhere taking a time lapse of a bum or something. He gets down with his creative self.

Until you track him down in person, check out his stuff @ www.THEGOODSTAYALONE.com

Love you Kyle.