i can hardly wait.

i really want to try a bunch of things on this list.

i know it says things to do with your kids... but i think lots of them will be fun to do with friends as well. :]

i can hardly wait to move. to be so much closer to the city. and to be way closer to the ocean.

until i start thinking about everything that it entails. then i panic. ha.

my orientation starts august 2nd. time is going to fly until then. i just know it.

random thoughts.

lately, i'm not sure if i want to scrapbook anymore. i'm just not as excited about it. i think it's because i've become more interested in sewing. but aside from that, i haven't seen anything lately that makes me want to scrapbook. hopefully that will change since i have way too much scrappy stuff. but i don't anticipate having lots of extra time in the next four years to scrapbook.

yesterday, i bought some fabric to make my first quilt. now i just have to work up the nerve to cut into it. i also think i need to get on better terms with my sewing machine, so i might do a couple other smaller projects first. i have a few lined up already.

i tried cooking the other night, and it was a big fat failure. haha. i followed a recipe too. i really want to work on my cooking skills and be more confident in the kitchen. maybe one day it will happen. at least james is a good cook. :]

i've been battling it out with my skin lately. i feel like within the past year, my skin has become worse than it's ever been. i don't understand... i'm getting older! i shouldn't be having breakout problems.

we might go camping for the fourth of july. at first, i was hesitant, but now i'm actually getting excited. it's not 100%, but i do think it could very well happen. i think lots of our friends will be going, so it should be pretty fun.

i need to start using my dslr camera. it was a goal for this summer, and so far... it's still tucked away in its box. i don't know what my problem is, but for some reason i'm afraid of it. haha.

tonight i made brownies with olive oil because the regular oil disappeared. or maybe it got used up, but either way, olive oil was all that was in the pantry. they turned out pretty well. i'm not one to fuss over my brownies too much. :]

i'm pretty sure that wasn't the first time i've used olive oil to bake something.

i have had a few minor cooking successes lately. first, i can make really good potatoes. i know. potatoes are simple. but they are also good. my favorite preparation is slicing red potatoes [or any potatoes, really] pretty thin, then just cooking them on the stove with some olive oil and herbs. i love topping them off with freshly grated parmesan cheese while they are still in the pan so it's gets all melty and yummy. james likes my potatoes too, which says quite a bit. sometimes as an alternative to olive oil, i will first cook up some diced bacon, then add the potatoes in with the bacon + bacon grease. mmm. bacon grease. i was introduced to the wonder of cooking with bacon grease last time i went camping. the boys cooked up the eggs after the bacon using the grease in place of butter. one of the best breakfasts ever. the only [minor] problem is that you feel sooo unhealthy afterwards. haha. anyway. the second bit of success was making crepes! they were delicious. i was going to get fancy with them, but i decided to just add some cinnamon and sugar. i can't wait to make them again soon.

that last thought was pretty long. oops.

financial aid gives me a headache. so many forms. ugh. i'm anxious to be done with that part of the pharmacy school process.

i guess i never officially said on here that i'm going? i mean. i don't think i had much of a choice, right? for now, i'm just trying to be excited about the new adventure and not think about any of the doubts i was having before. i know it's a good program. and i've wanted to live in the bay area for a long time.

ok. i think it's time for a nice soak in a warm bath + a book. i better make use of the opportunity to relax a bit while i still can.

more cookies.

right before i left for las vegas, i decided to try out this recipe. peanut butter + chocolate is one of my most favorite combinations, so i knew i had to give these a try. plus the recipe is so ridiculously simple, it seemed like something i'd have a hard time messing up.they turned out really well. i was concerned that i might burn my chocolate, so instead i had it just barely melted, which meant that i had to work fast to dip the cookies. the kitchen got a little messy, but it worked out just fine.

i was surprised to learn that james loved them too. i had to leave before he'd tried them, but i left a bunch behind for him. i think he actually liked them more than me. i guess it sort of makes sense... these cookies aren't super sweet, and since he seems to lack a sweet tooth [while i have a hyperactive sweet tooth], i guess they were just perfect for him.

i'll definitely make them again sometime. :]

erin's wedding weekend.

this past weekend, james and i went out to genoa for erin's wedding. it was my first visit to genoa, and it's really pretty out there. it's very green right now and the mountains as you drive into the valley are amazing. it almost doesn't feel like nevada. :]

the wedding was really small and intimate, but it suited erin and will really well. the ceremony was pretty short, but very personal. there was a reading by will's sister, which included letters from the bride's and groom's moms. such a sweet detail. i remember that erin's mom promised to only give will advice when he asked. then will's mom promised erin to only stop giving her advice when she asked. :]
after the ceremony, we took a big group photo, which i thought was such a neat idea. then erin and i talked for a short minute before she was called away for other photos.
the dinner portion of the reception was set up in this adorable little barn. they really did a wonderful job of making the space look perfect.
all of the little details suited erin really well. there was a different teacup setting at each place... and together, it was just super cute. likewise, the dinner was served on an eclectic mix of china.
all in all, james and i had a fabulous time at the wedding. and [somewhat exciting for me] he kept mentioning certain things about how he wanted his wedding to be. :]

but before i could get too excited he said, "now i really want to have a wedding... the only thing is that i don't want to be married right now." hmph.

ok. truth be told, i know it not really the right time for us to be getting married either. so i'm still excited that he at least wants to have a wedding someday. :]

first beach day.

on sunday, i decided to head up to zephyr cove at lake tahoe with james and a bunch of friends. it was a little bit too breezy and chilly at times, but mostly it was a lovely day. i don't know why i don't go up to the beach with them more often. it's so ridiculously gorgeous up there and really relaxing.james and his friends all prefer zephyr over any other beach... i think just out of habit since they've been going there together since high school. i don't really mind since there isn't an ugly part of tahoe really, but i have to say, the little snack shack thing up there has some pretty excellent food for just being a small stand. my pretzel was super ymmy. :]

aside from the snacks, i enjoyed some good girl bonding time. the boys were usually off doing some type of activity from catch to full on softball, so we just hung out and chatted together.
and of course, the water was way too cold to venture in too far, but i did get my feet wet. just the brief soak made me feel like i might get hypothermia. haha. i couldn't believe there were a few crazy people who jumped in all the way. insanity.
all in all, it was a great day. it definitely made me excited to go along with everyone again soon. oh and i've always had a thing about going to the beach right when it starts to get warm when there is still snow up on the mountains... so i'm happy that you can kind of see the snow in these photos. :]

i'm so glad that it's finally starting to get warm enough here to enjoy being outdoors. i hope you're all able to enjoy some warm weather too.

las vegas.

i can't believe it's already a week into june! this summer is destined to fly by since i feel like i have so much i want to do in addition to all the things i need to do... like move to california. yikes. i can't even think about it too much, or i start to panic.

anyway. it's time for an update about my trip to las vegas. i think i'll just use some of the photos i took to guide my memory. i arrived a couple days after the rest of my family, so i was only there for one night before my sister and cousins left. i wish i'd had more time with them. i decided to stay here to do something fun with james over the weekend, but he ended up playing in a softball tournament in carson at the last minute because a friend needed another guy. i did go out to carson on sunday to spend some time with him. and i spontaneously let his mom give me a haircut. haha. it actually turned out really well. i'm happy that i let her cut it. you can sort of see it below in basically the only photo i have of myself from the whole trip.we really didn't do very much during the trip except hang out with victoria and a tiny bit of shopping. it still seemed to go by so quickly though.

the day after i got there, we switched from the bellagio to aria in the city center.
i find the hotel impressive to look at from the outside, but inside it's even more impressive. there are so many details to take in and lots of amazing decor. i really should have taken more photos. i kept thinking what a fun place it would be for a photo shoot because there are bright and dramatic colors everywhere along with all sorts of textures. for some reason, we had a lot of room service during this trip, but one night we ate at an italian place for dinner, and while we waited for our table to be set, victoria had fun exploring this area full of mirrors and "poky plants". the food was really great too... some of the best italian i've had.

we stayed in one of the sky suites. i wish i could just take the suite and put it somewhere near my school because i really want to live in it. it was the perfect blend of contemporary design mixed with comfort. sometimes i think that modern design lacks a welcoming feel, but that wasn't the case here.this was my bedroom. serious bliss.and there was a live orchid in my bathroom! it was so pretty and just the perfect detail to make me feel at home instead of in a hotel. you might also be able to see that there is a plant on the little table next to the chair in the photo above. there were live plants everywhere throughout the suite.we ended up switching rooms to have a better view, but this was the half bathroom in the first suite. i loved the look of it. the decor of the two suites was completely different, which i thought was really interesting. i've never stayed in a hotel where the decor varied so much from room to room. and there was a little corner spot in the living room that victoria loved. she had so much fun playing over there and looking out at the fountain below. obviously, the fountain didn't compare to the bellagio fountains, but she was still very excited about it. you can kind of tell from this photo that she's really into swinging on things right now... even if it makes her aunt's heart race from time to time. :]
there's also a little gelato place at aria that is sooo cute. it's decorated in a retro-modern style, and just looks like such a fun place. we had to stop by for a gelato after checking out the pool one day. i really should have taken a photo of the whole place, but i think this one of victoria is pretty cute too.

oh and how could i forget...
we saw these characters one day on our way back to the hotel. definitely got a good laugh from seeing them. as we waited for the light to change, the elvis on the right had to remove his wig and spruce it up a bit. the heat must have been ruining his look or something. [it was so hot there... it gave me another thing to list as a "pro" to moving to the bay area.]

and here's one more of victoria:
she love fruit snacks right now. if you ask her what she wants to eat, the answer is always fruit snacks. but that didn't stop her from eating half of my pretzel one day or nearly all of my brother's prime rib one night. she was really sick a few weeks back, and since then she's been a really good eater.

one other highlight was finding a quilt shop near my brother's house that is insanely incredible. victoria was with my mom and me when we visited, so it was hard to do any fabric shopping, but i'm excited for next time. [recently, i've become totally inspired to start using my sewing machine with fabric instead of just paper. so "make a quilt" is one thing on my list for the summer. we'll see if it happens or not.]

anyway. that's about all i have to report from the trip. i hope that everyone had an enjoyable memorial day weekend, but also took some time to think about the meaning of the day.

i'll be back with more soon. :]