slowing down.

so as i mentioned in my last post, i went to yosemite with my parents last week. yes, i was just there in july with kara and detoy, but i just cannot get enough of this place. i cannot express the relief that i feel when i am out in nature. i feel like i can breath. i wish i felt like that more often.

this trip to yosemite was much different than my last few trips. first, i went with my parents. this was my first time camping with them in over ten years. crazy, i know. camping with my parents was just such a different pace than when i go camping with other youngsters. my parents take their time. there is never any rush. they enjoy the scenery, the sights and sounds, and make sure that they are simply relaxing. it was actually, quite relaxing. we didn't hike half dome, and it actually was nice to have a little break and enjoy some shorter hikes around the valley.

and also, it was just nice to spend some good quality time with my parents. i know that i am definitely very blessed to have parents that i am close to and that i am welcome to go camping with. spending the weekend with them was filled with a lot of reminiscing, laughing, and simply enjoying being with each other.

we did run into a little bit of rain on the saturday that we were there, but besides that, the weather was absolutely beautiful. yosemite in the fall is definitely going to need to become a tradition, because it was stunning. now i just need to experience yosemite in the winter, it looks and sounds incredible.

my mini vacation recharged me. it reminded me that i am blessed. it reminded me that God is watching over me and has a big plan for my life. it reminded that i have been given so many opportunities, and that i need to embrace all of them, even when they are challenging.

round two.

it has been a long week. but guess what, it's ok, because i'm outta here!
yosemite or bust! that's right, round two at yosemite baby! i randomly had five days off in a row, and my parents were planning a trip this weekend, and so i just went ahead and invited myself [can you blame me? yosemite= my favorite place in the world].

so i am so excited to get away for the weekend, and to spend some time with my parents, it has probably been a good ten years since i have been camping with them. so, peace out los angeles. i'll see ya sunday, i have a much overdue date with the great outdoors.


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hello mid-twenties.

holy guacamole, when did birthday number 24 get here? no, but seriously. it is crazy that i am already [basically] in my mid-twenties. shoot.

when i was approaching my birthday this year, i definitely tried to come from a different angle than normal. i will be completely honest, i usually have a major breakdown around the time of my birthday. why? you might ask. i guess i have seen birthdays as a marking of another year passing and i have not accomplished so many things that i wish i had. or i feel depressed because i am not at a place in my life that i thought i would be at age [insert appropriate number here]. the past few years i have been the epitome of a debbie downer around my birthday, and i definitely did not want that to be the case this year.

i really tried to remind myself that even though i may not be in the exact place i want be right, i have accomplished so much for finishing up my 23rd year, and i wanted to embrace that. i wanted to take this birthday and have it be filled with rest, relaxation, and spending it with the people that i love.

so, tuesday morning, i woke up nice and early to get ready to go to san diego to see the family. but first things first, i downloaded lady antebellum's new cd [which is amazing! and it being released on my bday was so awesome!] so i would have new tunes to listen to on the road! i finished getting ready, then headed over to starbucks to pick up a pumpkin spice latte [one of my personal fall favorites] and hit the road!

when i got to san diego, my mom and i took my nephews to the wild animal park for the morning. it was so much fun to get to spend time with those boys, and it was such a joy to see them so excited about all the animals!

we headed back to my parent's house at around 2 and put the boys down for their naps, had some lunch, and then mom and i headed down to the mall for some shopping and to refuel on some coffee. it was so good to get to spend the afternoon with mom. she is such an incredible woman and i am so blessed by her love and thoughtfulness. spending the afternoon with her made me wish i lived closer to my family.

when mom and i were done at the mall, we headed back to my parent's house for dinner with my whole family. it was so good to spend time with everyone. it doesn't get to happen that often. we had chicken roll ups for dinner, and then cream lilies for dessert [both of which are mom specialties and so good!]. we then opened some presents, where i got the best present ever, my very own tent!! time to go camping!

the next day, i got to spend the evening with some good/old friends at the cheesecake factory in redondo beach! it was so much fun to just spend a relaxing night enjoying great company and catching up with people that i love! after dinner, kara and i went and saw contagion, which was so good! [wash your hands people].

overall, such a good birthday. thank you all for making it special and for showering me with love! and now a few moments from the couple of days of celebrations. enjoy!

hump day.

mixed thoughts and feelings.

it is a weird place to be in. not knowing if what you are feeling is from your heart, or your head. or simply, not knowing what you are feeling at all.

it is a weird place to be in. when you reason with yourself. when you try to convince yourself that what you are feeling is wrong. or that you need to be feeling a different way.

it is a weird place to be in. wondering if you are the only person to struggle with this. with this thing. with this thing of figuring out your own feelings. with this thing of trying to figure out what it truly means to be you. to figure out and learn who you are.

i wish i was a quicker learner.

[side note, lady antebellum's new album was released yesterday. take a couple minutes to listen to my new favorite song, amazing! happy wednesday everyone!]

a post for a friday.

so i have been slacking lately. my apologies. i guess you could say that i am still trying to figure out what my life and my schedule looks like as an old lady with a career [still such a weird concept, i know].

being a nurse is a lot different than what i expected. i'm not going to lie. you are so much more than simply a nurse. you are a therapist, a waitress, a social worker, an advocate, a shoulder to cry on, a legalized drug pusher, etc etc etc. it is exhausting, in every single sense of the word. i am definitely learning and discovering and developing what type of nurse i am going to be. i definitely have so much to learn still. and i only have 3 short weeks before i am on my own. kind of scary.

but on a different note, guess what i did this morning? well, grace and i have been talking about going to the east coast for a spontaneous fall trip. and we bought our tickets this morning! we are going at the end of october. listen to our itinerary thus far...

oct 26th: fly to boston
oct 27th-28th: explore boston
oct 29th: take a train to new york!
oct 29th-31st: explore new york
oct 31st: fly home

i know what you are thinking, epic right? i know! i am so flippin excited. that is definitely a big perk of being out of college, having the freedom to travel and take spontaneous trips! it is definitely going to be a trip of a lifetime, and i couldn't be more excited!

now i am off to work on some self-improvement. i have decided to make september self-improvement month. especially since i am turning 24 in just a couple days.

happy friday everyone!