Friends

Originally published at Darth-Cena.net. You can comment here or there.

The Friday Five ~
1. What’s something that’s better when the newness has worn off?
I’d say anything that involves a lot of people, like new products or new movies. Once the newness has died down then you can enjoy it, like a good movie.

2. What’s something you already own that could stand to be replaced by the newer version?
Hah, the iPhone. If they made a 500GB iPhone I’d be in heaven!

3. What’s something that was better before someone made it “new and improved?”
I totally can’t think of anything off the top of my head. Blah.

4. Of geographic locations whose names begin with the word “new,” which seems like the most interesting place to visit?
New Zealand! It’s home to Middle Earth, and my friend Holly, hehe!

5. On what date will 2010 no longer feel like the new year?
Oh I don’t know, probably in a couple of days.

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I spent New Year’s Eve with Joshua, Amber, and Dani. We hung our at Joshua’s parents house, dropped by a friend’s house, and then partied until the wee hours of the morning at my house. Then we spent all day today lounging about enjoying a day of nothingness. It’s been a good start to the year so far! I still can’t believe that I have a little over a week left before I go back to school. It feels like I just started my winter break. Ah well!

How was YOUR New Year’s Eve?

Originally published at Darth-Cena.net. You can comment here or there.

1. Where were you when 2009 began?
   Joshua’s brother Bobby along with his girlfriend came down to spend the New Year with us. I made homemade enchiladas along with brownies for dessert; us girls has a Cosmo! We spent the evening watching movies, and it wasn’t until I walked into the kitchen at 12:01am did we realize it was 2009!
2. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
   All kinds of things! I became a fiancée! I also decided to take part in Flickr’s Project 365 in which you take a photo everyday for a year. I managed to crank out 246/365 photos, but there’s always room for improvement next year!
3. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions?
   My 2008 resolutions were to get to my goal weight of 120lbs. and do better in school. Um, I did okay in school, but I did not get to my goal weight. I need to in 2010 in order to look fabulous for my upcoming wedding.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   Yup, my future sister in-law gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Renee Elisabeth!
5. Did anyone close to you die?
   No, but damn a LOT of celebrities sure did!
6. Go to any concerts this year?
   Heck yes! I went to Star Wars in Concert in October, and it was the coolest!
7. Will you be looking for a new job in 2010?
   Nope, freelancing when I have the time is working out great for me. Plus I heard one of the teachers gets so much freelance web work that he gives it out to students so we shall see!
8. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2009?
   Nahh not really. I probably drank like once every two months or so? I’m still on Weight Watchers and booze has a lot of calories.
9. Did you go on any vacations? If so, where?
   Summer vacation was spent at Convict Lake. Then in November for our 5-year anniversary Joshua took me to Disneyland.
10. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
    I think the biggest achievement is always making it through.
11. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2009 and change something, what would it be?
    Writing about certain people publicly on the net. I wish I could take back all my drama and keep it private.
12. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    Nothing other than a couple of colds. No swine flu for me, hah!
13. What was the best thing you bought?
    Three great things! First my New Beetle, second my iMac, and third my Nikon D3000! All 3 were well deserved and worth-it purchases!
14. Whose behavior merited celebration?
    Joshua, my sister, and my mom for always standing by my side and sticking up for me.
15. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
    Rebecca. Dealing with her was so frustrating. Not just dealing with her while she was living with me, but also dealing with her BS for as long as I did in general. I realized that moving away from her wouldn’t solve the problems we had, so kicking her out was the only way to really solve things once and for all.
16. Where did most of your money go?
    My new place. Then once I was settled all my money went to bills, my car, gas, and groceries.
17. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    When my dad sent me the title to my Corolla enabling me to use the car as trade-in/down payment for a new car! Also moving back home and going to my new school which I will be starting in 2010!
18. What song will always remind you of 2009?
    “Hot ‘n Cold” by Kate Perry only because that song was everywhere!
19. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    • Happier or sadder?
      Happier. I am in an overall better situation, and the death of my grandmother isn’t as fresh in my mind as it was a year ago.
    • ii. thinner or fatter?
      I’m about the same. I kind of hit a plateau, plus I gained 4 lbs over the summer. I’m getting back on track though.
    • iii. richer or poorer?
      A little poorer because a year ago I wasn’t in debt with a car.
20. What do you wish you’d done more of?
    Focusing on school and losing weight.
21. What do you wish you’d done less of?
    Caring what other people think of me.
22. How did you spend Christmas?
    Christmas morning we were with Joshua’s family, and then I hosted Christmas dinner for my family.
23. Did you fall in love in 2009?
    Nope, just continued to stay in love and keep a good thing going. We kept it going for so long we became engaged, hah!
24. What was the biggest change for you in 2009?
    I became engaged!
25. What were your favorite TV shows?
    Glee, The Little Couple, 18 Kids and Counting, Sex & the City, House, all the CSI shows, Without a Trace, and American Idol.
26. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
    No hate, but there are a handful of people that I’ve had to cut out of my life.
27. What was the best book you read?
    Ummm… I really didn’t do any reading other than for school. And while I am currently reading Twilight, I am in no way going to say that’s the best book of the year!
28. What did you want and get?
    A new place, a new car, a new camera, another lens for said camera, a new iPod, and a Gorillapod.
29. What did you want and not get?
    Haha a Dachshund puppy.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
    Star Trek was by far my fav of the year! There were a lot of other good movies too (and some bad ones *coughNewMoonandHalfbloodPrincecough*), but yeah I looooved Star Trek!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    This year I turned 22. I spent the day with family in which I got my hair cut, did some shopping, and had dinner at my favorite restaurant: Chili’s! After dinner I had drinks with my friend Abby.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    Less drama, especially on the internet. I’m really trying to work on it. In fact I’m most likely going to be switching things up a bit!
33. What kept you sane?
    My computer. It’s a stress reliever for me.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    Chris Pine as Captain Kirk = sexiness
35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
    

    You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.

36. Who did you miss?
    My Nana.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
    The people in my Spanish class at FLC.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
    If it is one lesson I learned this year is to know when to stop arguing, consider the source, and move on! I also learned that perhaps it’s not a good idea to write a personal blog because whether I talk about a person or not, they’re always going to come here looking for something to get mad at me over. If you write about what’s good going on in your life, it’s considered bragging and you’re a “spoiled chick who gets everything handed to her”; if you write about what’s bad you’re a horrible person not worthy of forgiveness and should be “ignored till the day I die”.
39. What are your resolutions for 2010?
    Do better in school, lose 20lbs. in time for my wedding, and get off my coffee addiction. Oh and I want to wear more dresses, haha!
40. What are your plans for 2010?
    Start my new school and get married!

(I did this in 2008 too!)

Originally published at Darth-Cena.net. You can comment here or there.

Up until Christmas Eve, I’ve been busy baking all week. I lost track of how many batches of fudge I cranked out, but let’s just say I could have opened my own fudge shop, hah! Joshua was nice enough to help me bake the last batch so I could take a shower before heading up for Christmas Eve activities.

We went over to Joshua’s parents shop so we could exchange gifts. Joshua’s folks got us super nice bathrobes, and we got camping gear from his grandparents plus some baked goods. Amber met up with us there and shortly after we headed on over to church for Christmas Eve service with Joshua’s adopted family. This year was the very first year I “broke tradition” on Christmas Eve – normally I go to my local Catholic church with my family and we got out for either Mexican or pizza afterwards. This year I was able to go to service at what I consider to be my church with Joshua and my future in-laws.

After service we went over to a family friend’s house for a Christmas Eve fondue party! It was so much fun! I made pesto fondue, while the hosting family made a ton of other cheese fondue, dips, and even dessert fondue. Joshua’s step-mom made a ton of different homemade bread pieces to dip and there were all kinds of different Dijon mustard dips. We had a wide variety of fruit and plenty of chocolate for dessert dipping as well.

By the time Joshua and I got home it was close to 11:30pm. I tried to get a head start on baking and made my cupcakes. By the time all was said and done, it was a little after midnight on Christmas. Joshua and I decided to open up our presents from each other since we would have to get an early start that day anyway. Joshua got me the Nikon 55-200mm VR lens, and for him I got him a Fujifilm J38 digital camera and Jawbone bluetooth headset.

We went to bed at 1am and woke up at 7:30am. We had just enough time to get our morning coffee, get dressed, and pick up Amber so we could be at Joshua’s adopted family’s house at 9am for present-opening! We arrived just in time for homemade cinnamon rolls and hot coffee!

Because Joshua’s family is so big they do a brother/sister gift exchange in which we’re in charge of shopping for one person. Cedar had me and he got me my very own fold-up camping chair; my old one that belonged to my grandma broke two family vacations ago. Joshua’s parents started a new tradition this year since there are three engaged couples. They gave us a “Date Night” box. Inside included a giftcard to Joe’s Crab Shack, a Joe’s Crab Shack t-shirt for each of us, and a giftcard to RPM (where Joshua wants to have his bachelor’s party as well).

The entire family (myself, Amber, and Amanda included) got the official notice for 2010’s summer family vacation: we’re going to the KOA campsite in Bandon/Port Oregon. In addition to this we all got a $60 gift certificate to go towards an ATV ride on the Oregon Dunes. Luckily enough this trip falls during my 3 week break in the summer so it works out perfectly!

After we opened presents we eagerly awaited Christmas brunch. Baby Renee got an outdoor swing so we all hung out on the swingset for awhile. We had a delicious brunch around 11:30am that consisted of honey baked ham, salad, croissant rolls, quiche, fresh fruit, baked potatoes, and fresh orange juice. We all took pictures and sent them to Bobby who spent his first Christmas overseas as he is currently fighting in Afghanistan.

Joshua and I were in a hurry to get home since I had to prepare Christmas dinner for my family. While working on the roast, Amanda, Stephen, Baby Renee, Robert, and Chris dropped by for a visit. My sister came over bringing her Wii* so everyone was playing that throughout the afternoon. After they left my uncle and cousins came over and everyone played with the Wii while I continued cooking in the kitchen.

We had a delicious Christmas dinner which included rib roast (I made it all by myself and it turned out perfectly! Yay!), green beans (sauteed in garlic, EVOO, and shallots), spinach (made by my dad), mashed potatoes, and crescent rolls. For dessert I had a Chrismas Dessert Bar with cupcakes, fudge, and cookies. We played with the Wii some more and then opened presents. Joshua’s dad and step-mom stopped by to wish us a Merry Christmas as well.

Overall I had an awesome Christmas, probably the best one yet since it was filled with good food, good family, and good gifts! I got everything I wanted plus more.

• Nikon 55-200mm lens
• 160GB iPod classic
• Fold-up camping chair
• Old Navy Slipper boots
• $30 giftcard to American Eagle
• $50 giftcard to Joe’s Crab Shack
• $70 in giftcards to Chili’s
• 4 race passes to RPM
• Misc. jewelery from The Icing
• The Nest Home Design Handbook
• Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker Pez
• Clone Wars Padme Amidala figurine
• 1lb. bag of Twizzlers
• Dr. Pepper Jelly Belly jelly beans
• Burt’s Bees Chapstick
• Barbie Generations of Dreams doll
• Superstarr Barbie 50th Anniversary keychain
• Fuzzy socks from Bath & Body Works
• “Welcome Friends” cat sign
• Sapphire Pendant necklace
• Personalized engagement ornament

*Funny story about the Wii my sister got for Christmas. My sis was hoping my dad would get it for her, but was a lil bummed out when she saw a tiny box under the tree as the only thing from my dad to her. Inside was a clue which sent her on a scavenger hunt and ended in the trunk of her car where the Wii was hiding in a Boudin’s bag. Apparently my sis has been driving around the last couple of days with her Christmas present in the back of her own car, hehe!

Originally published at Darth-Cena.net. You can comment here or there.

The Friday Five ~
1. How likely are you to return or exchange a gift you don’t like?
I have no problem returning/exchanging stuff. Stores are really good about being lenient with their policies after Christmas so it works out nice.

2. Who is the most gifted person you know?
Everyone I think is gifted in their own ways. I admire different people for their different abilities.

3. Of gifts you gave this year, which was really the closest to perfect for the recipient?
I think I got Joshua covered between his digital camera and bluetooth headset, hehe!

4. What’s your favorite kind of gift to receive?
I LOVE giftcards! Seriously, people stress so much over gift-giving and giftcards are the easiest thing!

5. What’s your favorite kind of gift to give?
I love to give baked goods, especially my homemade fudge. I enjoy baking, since it’s something I can do a bit better than cooking.

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I had a wonderful but very exhausting Christmas. I’ll blog about it tomorrow as I am SO ready to go to bed! Goodnight all and hope you had a wonderful day!