Back in the business.

I have been at it again.

via my flickr.

I'm enjoying myself. The week got better. Let's hope this next one goes well!

Thursday Word: John 1:14.

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14.

via my flickr.

What a day.

One of those days where I found myself thrown back and forth between happiness, despair, fear, reluctance, and resolution. Not ready to discuss it here.

In happier news, I'm playing fetch with my kitten. No joke. I'm going to start referring to him as Sonny the Wonder Cat.

First day.

Hey look guys, I am so cool! In reality, this photo is so embarrassing but I really enjoyed my outfit today, so it must be documented.

Is it fair that my Spanish professor told us that because all but four people in the class took Spanish in high school we'd be moving at a faster pace, and therefore we four would need to secure tutors immediately? Spanish 1 and I'm already behind! I'm recruiting Ethan as my tutor. Hopfully I won't regret the decision to forgo an official tutor. Also peculiar: this class is held in the Engineering building. Interesting.

Then I have Acting with Ethan. Such a joy to see him across the room. :] I have a two hour break followed what seems to be the longest Theatre History class ever. My English class is taught by a little middle-aged Indian woman who posed the question "What would life be like without love? Without the heights of passion and the depths of despair? Without Beyonce and Jay-Z?" Be still my heart! So deep!

I also had an audition this evening, which was nervewracking but fun. I've missed theatre. Can't wait to jump back in! Callbacks tomorrow, so a follow-up will follow... up... Eh.

I am relieved I don't have class tomorrow (or Thursday) because finishing Day One means I have also effectively completed Day 2. :]

Obligatory yet unrelated Sonny photos just to finish off the post.

This is what a hot day looks like. And believe me, it's been hot!

Cat gymnast.

This is a fave. Please enjoy a sleepy [and growing!] Sonny sprawled across a table.

So long, summer.

Summer is ending. I know most people have already gone back to school, but that's the price they pay for getting out a month earlier from college than I do. I didn't anticipate such a slow recovery from my wisdom tooth removal, so I was sad to see the last week of summer slip through my fingers. But I'm pleased to announce that tonight made up for it.

Obviously, this is not me. It is simply a visual representation of what I've been doing lately.

The mouth health has been progressing, but my pain tolerance (thought by me usually to be moderate to high) has proved inadequate. Today was a low point, but my wonderful mom took good care of me; this evening Ethan took over as my caretaker. He actually spoon fed me my dinner. Really. I OnDemanded "He's Just Not That Into You," which E reluctantly agreed to watch. We decided it was pretty good. Ethan mostly liked it because of the pretty ladies in it, I think. It was so fun to cuddle up next to E (sitting on the floor, to be closer to the TV, since somebody forgot to wear his contacts) with the pets and enjoy a chick flick, like a happy fuzzy family of four. Five if you count the ever-present icepack stuck to the side of my face.

An awesome evening - though so simple, perhaps my very best of all of summer. Ah - the season premiere of "The Office" yesterday was splendid, and I even managed to sit through the premiere of "Parks and Recreation." Decided "Jay Leno" at ten at night is a collosal waste of prime time TV. But painful week aside, I've been great.

It's helped to have a little company from Sonny. He definitely knows I'm his mommy - and I'm reminded of the fact every time he runs out to greet me and implores me to pet him by rolling over and enticing me with that cute little belly. :] Melts my heart!

What was the point of this, exactly? Hey blogosphere, sorry this post was so lame.

Excerpts from the Wisdom Tooth Extraction Diaries.

Guess what? I am sitting here with an ice pack ace-bandaged around my head. I'm not joking. Believe me, I look really awesome.

Pre-wisdom tooth extraction I went on a spree - I cleaned almost every rinch of my beyond messy room. I threw out a lot; gathered a lot for charity; and had a lot of help from Ethan, who in all of his Math Major glory, counted a ton of coins for me. The end result? About sixty dollars in change. Not bad! I also decorated the space with newly-framed photos of those dearest to me. :] Cheers me up just to see them!

My beautiful "Get Well Soon!" gift basket, including a soup bowl and spoons, tea bags, and gauze (which I did use!), from Ethan's family. So sweet of them!! Definitely cheered me up to open my door to find it after E dropped it off on my first afternoon sans wisdom teeth. :]

Then Monday morning, I went in for the surgery.. I came home in good spirits and stopped bleeding quite quickly. At first I was positive I was going to make a quick and beastly recovery, but I learned that my face has a tendency to swell up like a balloon. It's been a bit rough. I've spent four days looking like a chipmunk - which is supposedly normal. A little less normal is my pain level - I'm on my second prescription of Vicodin. I usually have a moderate to high tolerance for pain, so this is bad news bears.

I've eaten more soup and ice cream this week than I have in the past year, I think. Watched a lot of television. It's also given me a lot of time to write letters, which I love doing. Love me some snail mail. Do you want a letter? I will send you one. I've sent them to Chicago, Spain, Italy, and Texas so far. I also sat back and designed a trifecta of really cute dresses that will probably never be made. Eventually I'll be posting them here as part of competition I'm entering for Shabby Apple Dresses. Any ideas I can bring to life?

Anyway I'm beyond exhausted and also Ethan-deprived. I'm going to see him for the first time in four days tonight! We're tuning into "The Office" premiere together. :] School starts Monday; I also have an audition that night. Let's hope I walk on campus looking like Grace and not like a large cheeked rodent.

Thursday Word: 1 John 4:7.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7.via my flickr.

Super Saturday and photos of the children.

Saturday morning meant a farewell pancake breakfast for me and Karina, one of my good friends from middle school. She's probably currently on a plane back to her university near Chicago by now. She's one of the sweetest and funniest girls ever, so it was great to catch up. :]

Karina's buttermilk pancakes.

My buckwheat and banana pancakes - all of which I had eaten by the end of the day. A mistake? Probably. But they were so good! So good.

Is it silly to celebrate sixteen months of a relationship? Perhaps. Did it stop me from making E a "Happy Sweet Sixteen" card? No. Did it stop us from eating a delicious dinner together last night? No. It's probably because we're going back to school (and I'm getting my wisdom teeth pulled out tomorrow morning), so our remaining summertime is limited.

On zee way out, I pleaded for a photo. This is the best we got. We have our attractive days, and our less attractive days, I guess. :P But I think E looks handsome!

We went to the site of our first date "because we have a lot of memories there," says Ethan. :] This is his Fiesta Tamale Pie (ay ay ay!).

This is my spinach and mushroom lasagna.

This is our delicious frozen yogurt from next door. It looks less than appetizing, I know.

On Friday, my headshot client canceled - day of! Three hours beforehand. Can you believe it? I was just mostly disappointed I don't get to take and edit the photos until after school starts. Boo. So, other than these fantastic outings, I've spent a lot of time at home with Sonny - who is doing fabulously, I must say.

Just can't get enough of those paws.

Or that face!

He's so sweet.

But he's also got personality. And part of his personality is that he is extremely adventurous. He's discovered that there's a world beyond these windows and that worries me! Not ready for my child to venture into the big world yet.

Oh. Remember when I said I wasn't quite sure how the pets would get along?

Well, that matter has been settled.

Thursday Word: Matthew 25:40.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" Matthew 25:40.
via my flickr.

Hector, Armando, a neighbor, and Meli. Taken in Tecate, Mexico, on one of a couple of mission trips I took there with my high school. I'm hoping and praying I can manipulate my schedule to go back this spring. I'd end up missing a couple days of class... So. We'll see.

A night [and day] at the movies.

HI GUYS.

While my dedication has somewhat waned, I've mostly continued cooking for my family. Last night I made classic hamburgers with a mayo-horseradish spread. Pretty good, if I do say so myself. And I do.

This is what Ethan does while I cook. ;P

My stomach issues have still yet to be resolved. It's kinda disconcerting. For some reason, I still agreed to go to the midnight premiere of the film "9" with Ethan. We met up with Chris and another high school classmate, Gwen - who brought along three pals of her own. Well, ironically, one of Gwen's friends goes to our University and had a class with Ethan last quarter, so they had fun catching up and being manly men. :] Pleasant surprise. Not so pleasant were the stomach cramps that plagued me throughout the movie. But I digress!

I left the movie theatre around 1:30am and not even ten hours later, I was back there - this time, with my mom. We saw "Julie & Julia," which was cute! I love mother-daughter bonding time because, honestly, my mom is the BEST. :D We also went through TJ Maxx / Home Goods and I can't put into words how... overwhelmingly exhiliarating it was walking down their kitchenware aisles! I thought I was in Heaven. I walked away with an adorable set of kitchen canisters in robin's egg blue. For my house. Not that I have one. Or an apartment. Or even a dorm. But, "always be prepared." ;]

Me me me. Blogs are awkward. I talk all about myself. Why stop now? I made insanely delicious paninis tonight, by the by. And I'm excited to being shooting some headshots on Friday. But did I mention I get my wisdom teeth pulled on Monday? I am very frightened. Seriously. And so I leave you with this...

Sleep-deprived and under the weather.

The pets of the household. Not entirely sure how they'll get along quite yet.

Lately I've been feeling ill. My stomach is angry about something, but I don't know what. What's up with my body? Not being able to sleep through the night (thanks to Sonny, who - no matter how much we play during the day - seems to find it appropriate to stay up and active until the morning light) probably isn't helping.

I just feel blah.

He might be beautiful, but he's also a huge pain. :P

All done with little to show for it.

So I realized that despite the fact that I've had an awesome last few days, I have little visuals to offer you. I'll admit that I myself am naturally predisposed to dislike blocks of text with no illustration, but bear with me all the same.

Well obviously there's been a new addition to my family. I'm so, so excited to have a kitten of my own. So far I am deliriously in love with him! Here is the story of Sonny. My dog Maggie has been ill recently. She was constantly scratching and biting; she was panting all the time and she had gained ten unwarranted pounds in the last six or so months (a lot for a dog who was already a bit overweight). Needless to say, a veterinarian trip was in order - make that a handful of veterinarian trips. After three visits, Maggie's problems were solved (fleas - again - and an underactive thyroid...) - and somewhere along the way, my mom met Sonny.

She almost didn't tell me she'd seen him - she knew I'd be after her to adopt him - so once she'd let it slip, she and my father made it clear that we were "not in the position" for a new animal in the house. I'll spare the boring details, but basically - Sonny was a no-go. Nonetheless, I jumped at the opportunity to go meet the cat myself, and it was love at first sight. So you can imagine my disappointment when I finally mustered up the courage to ask Ethan to visit him with me days later - "I can't get him, so I might as well say goodbye" - and Sonny was nowhere to be found. I nearly cried.

I happened to be at the post office on Wednesday and walked past the vet on my way out. I realized Sonny was in the window (I would later find out they had only removed him temporarily the week before). My mom and I visited with him, and after playing with him - and hearing his motor-like purr! - I was sold. But my confidence soon fizzled - we have a herding dog; I go to college; I'll be moving soon... After wavering back and forth, I finally made the decision to adopt him. Two days later, he was mine.

The employees at the vet's office remarked how Sonny had been brought in with several of his siblings to be put up for adoption. They said they marveled at the fact that he was the last, not the first, to go - he was the best of the bunch. I knew that my family and I made the right decision, and that this was God's plan. I know it might seem like no big deal to some, but the truth is, I'll probably be taking care of Sonny until I'm thirty-five years old. I'm very happy about this. :]

I'm a wee bit obsessed. Seriously, I bet the people in my life are sick of hearing about this little guy. But you can't help who you love... ;P

Anyway! Enough gushing - although I can't guarantee I won't gush again soon. From the top, people! On Monday, Ethan and I tried Orange Tree frozen yogurt for the first time... Way too good. We've also been obsessing over Giants baseball. Then Tuesday night, I talked to my lovely friend Jenny on Skype. She's currently living in the cutest little apartment in Texas where she's attending school.

On Thursday night, Ethan and I went to Katrina's humble little abode near our University. I cooked us up some carne asada tacos and we talked about life - summer, school, the future in general. Katrina's a talented lady, which is probably why San Jose Rep hired her to work with students in their summer program this year. She's also such a sweetheart that she offered Ethan and I free tickets to the Rep's production of "As You Like It," which - while lengthy - was good. :] So that's what we did Friday.

Anna and Chris, henceforth dubbed "The Couple That Isn't."

And Saturday night was a night to catch up with our dear friends Chris and Anna ("The Couple That Isn't" because they are clearly in love, but beyond the romantic aspect). Plans to see a movie fell through, but brilliant Anna suggested we all visit Rok Bistro for some dessert. Let's just say the waitress was making eyes at Ethan the whole evening! Am I the only one who finds it flattering when other women flirt with her boyfriend? Anyway, we shared some laughs and lots of sarcasm over a pot of chocolate fondue. I can tell you that my stomach wasn't disappointed, but my waistline is! :[ Regardless, Ethan and I are always so happy to see those two because a) they're awesome; and b) they were our biggest supporters in the tumultuous initial "are we or aren't we?" phase of our relationship. :P

An evening spent with Chris and Anna is almost like a foursome date. We are that amorous.

All in all, it's been a fabulous week and I can't wait to see what this next one has in store for me. :]

An addendum.

Re: An Announcement.

Oh, come now. Everyone knows I'm not preggers (there's only room enough for one Mother Mary in the course of history!). I am, however, the proud adoptive mother of a three-month old kitten. And now I introduce to you, in his internet debut... Sonny!

I didn't name him, but I think we'll keep it because... it fits. Pardon the odd photo - I snapped this with my phone sometime during the two minutes baby wasn't hiding under my bed. :] It'll take some adjusting for the both of us, but I'm so excited to care for this little one.

An announcement.

I'm going to be a mother. :]

...

Thursday Word: Psalm 84:11.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless." Psalm 84:11.
via my flickr.

Us, in happier times...

On Sunday we celebrated the Giants' miraculous victory over the Rockies. When all bets were off, Edgar Renteria hit a grand slam, propelling us into a victory that allowed us to close the gap in the Wild Card race - and to sweep our series with the Rockies. Ethan and I celebrated in the car as we listened to the game on the radio in a parking lot outside of a Jamba Juice.

Let's be honest. Ethan and I are experiencing a rocky time in our relationship... Not our relationship with each other. Our relationship with baseball. The Giants lost to the [amazing] Phillies tonight; the Rockies won their game versus the [less-than-amazing] Mets. We're now again a game back in the Wild Card race. Sad day. I maybe had my head in my hands the entire ninth inning. I maybe called Ethan as soon as the game ended. I maybe pouted for fifteen minutes. Maybe.

Thing #349,596 that I love about E: he wasn't a huge baseball fan before we began dating. In fact - though he probably won't admit this - he wasn't a huge baseball fan even after we began dating. But recently he's caught baseball fever! He's bringing up facts, stats, and analyses left and right... I can't tell you what a joy it is to share my love for my favorite sport with my favorite boy. And trust me - we are no fairweather fans, and you can bet we'll be cheering on our favorite team tomorrow. :]

Something I need to remember in the future...

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet." James Oppenheim.via my flickr.