Leap Day.

February is typically not a very monumental month for me. It's actually pretty slow and precisely the reason I really don't like "spring" (however, spring in Vegas is MUCH different than spring in Colorado - there's actually REAL spring-like weather here which makes me not hate it as much). It pretty much just drags on, and hey once every 4 years it has to drag on one extra day just to further chap my ass. So in honor of this extra day, a few things must be mentioned and shout-outs must be given.

1. Happy 7th Birthday to my God-sister, Courtney!
Ok, so she's really 28. But since her birthday falls on leap day it's more awesome (and slightly more accurate) to say she's only 7. So, happy birthday to my wonderful extended-sister who's also getting married soon and having bachelorette party madness in just a few short weeks! Can't wait to spend the next couple months celebrating her :)

2. Lindsey got into MED SCHOOL!
My other God-sister, Lindsey is one freaking smart cookie. If I had half the brains of this one I'd be good to go. But since all I can do is write while she's off learning how to cure cancer and saving people's lives, you can be sure I'll be here documenting all along the way. Could not be more proud of her and can't wait to watch her go through the next incredible chapter of her life!

3. March is here.
And thank goodness because I am just so tired of February. I'm officially deeming it my least favorite month of the year. And with the arrival of March brings a lot of things to look forward to, changes, and movement. The March line-up includes a second trip to California beginning in LA and ending in San Jose, a trip to Paso Robles (back to California we go!) for a wine tasting Bachelorette party with the aforementioned god-sisters, and my sister Ashley moving to the Bay area. I'm going to miss her so much, but the move itself requires it's own blog post so more on that later.

It's hard to believe we're already heading into the third month of 2012, but I can't say I'm sad to see the beginning of the year go. I'm ready to keep moving forward and really figure out what this year has in store for me. I feel good about it. I'm in a good place and despite being in an awkward-limbo situation, I'm pretty darn happy at the moment. So here's to moving forward and kissing February goodbye. 

I hope Leap Day has treated you well - see ya in 4 years!

It's officially official.

Look what came in the mail today! 

The worlds most expensive piece of paper. After 4&1/2 years of college and 2 months of being graduated, I finally received my diploma. And, as it turns out, it's a bit anti-climactic. But still exciting nonetheless. I may not have much to show for it yet, but I officially have my diploma!

As if this wasn't the official moment of officialness.

NOW it really is official.

Vegas Weekending (pt. 2)

Or "jet setting" as we referred to it all weekend while we strutted around town from Venice to Egypt to Paris to Rome. Cory was in town with all of her closest friends to celebrate the fabulousness of turning 23. We stayed at the Venetian for the weekend where we got to bond, relax, lay by the pool, eat, club, and sleep (for minimal hours each night). All together it was a pretty fantastic weekend and I was incredibly sad when it ended and I had to go back to my life on the other side of Las Vegas. Although I must say, living here gives me the unique opportunity to have these little "staycations" when friends come to town - and I kinda love it! But I miss Cory already. LA trip soon?

Dinner at Hussong's

Flowers for the bday girl

The whole group - minus Bayan!

Top 10 Tues: Valentine's Day.

Well, if you've been reading this for the past few years then it should come as no shock to you that I kind of dread this day every year. I'm THAT person that hates Valentine's day and has never really had an absolutely stellar one and just kind of wishes it would just disappear and get out of my face. And then I quietly breathe a sigh of relief when it's over and can go the next 364 days of my life without thinking about it. However, I usually end up acknowledging it's presence every year anyways, so today I give you my top 10 thoughts on Valentine's day.

Me, Jenni, Megan - Missing Ally!

10. Val-O-Grams were my favorite part of Valentine's day in high school.
I still get excited thinking about this. Me, Megan Boucher, Jenni Clark, and Ally Ducey were a quartet in choir and we sang these freakin' AWESOME renditions of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" from Showboat and "Happy Together" by The Turtles. And people paid money to have us go around and sing to their friends and lovers on Valentine's day. We weren't the only group who did this, but we were by far the best - no joke.


9. It used to be fun.
When we were little kids Valentine's day was one big fat art project. At school we used to make little mail boxes with bright pink and red paper and glitter and shit, and then we would usually hand make Valentine's day cards to put in every single person's mail box. No one ever felt left out. And there was usually candy involved.  It used to be a great day.

8. My dad is my forever Valentine.
Everyday when I was a kid my dad used to pack my lunch for school. And every year on Valentine's day he would sneak a little box of candy hearts into my lunch box. And I would save the one that said "marry me" on it for him. Ok, that sounds extremely creepy and gross now that I think about it. I swear it wasn't. Eeeeugh. But it was this funny little tradition we had and I always felt the love from my pops. We don't do this any more. And I don't even like candy hearts. But still.

7. My favorite Valentine's day theme song.




6. The worst Valentine's day I ever had was last year. 
This short little story may give you some insight to my life-long experience with V-Day. I woke up with pink eye on Valentine's day, 2011. I spent the day trying to ignore it until I started to go blind out of my right eye. So I frantically started calling people to take me to the ER and turns out none of my "friends" would help me out. Finally my amazing friend Emily (or as I like to call her, my savior) came to my rescue and drove me to Urgent Care where I spent hours getting painfully poked and prodded by the most socially awkward doctor I've ever experienced while my eye looked like it was going to explode any second all over someone's face. {insert hyperbolic Chelsea} Pretty sure I cried myself to sleep that night. It was miserable and I've never felt worse about myself. {end hyperbolic Chelsea}

5. Hannah McMacken.
Hannah is the best Valentine I've ever had. Hands down. She kicks everyone else's ass at V-Day.


4. Valentine's day is like New Years Eve.
No matter how high your hopes are or how low your expectations are, you are always, always let down. Without fail. It's exactly like new years eve - you have an idea of what it should look like in your head but no matter what it never turns out that way.


3. You should show people more than once a year.
Sure, it's nice to set aside one day of the year to recognize you love someone, but you really should be doing that all the time, not just once a year, don't you think? And if this were the case, then Valentine's day wouldn't be as big of a deal as people make it out to be. Call me old fashioned, but I'd rather shower my friends, family, and loved ones all year round and show them that I care about them on a regular basis than save it up for once a year.

2. Because it IS Valentine's day....

[...and you know all the single ladies are thinking it anyways....]

1. My actual thoughts on Valentine's day:
Friend's make the best Valentine's. This year, these are mine.

Happy Valentine's day.
Whether you hate it or love it, I hope you have a great,
pink eye-free day.

Birthday Edition: Soulmate

Once upon a time there were two little girls named Chelsea and Cory. They grew up just minutes away from each other in a little town called Newbury Park, California. They both lived in small one-story houses with their siblings and beloved family dogs, Sophie and Beauty. For 6 years they went about their bustling social lives without running into each other at Borchard Park, until one day fate brought them together in Mrs. Sobel's 1st grade class. The year was 1995, and their lives were forever changed.

Although the details of this first meeting are now a little hazy, they often reflect back to this time remembering the finest moments of elementary school playing the "hot lava game" on the playground, laughing at the boy who sat on the blacktop and meditated while chanting "hummmmm" at recess, crushing on two handsome, young, studly gentlemen, Russell & Danny (who played an ever-so-big part of their adolescence), playing Dr. Emma and the Wind Sister's in "The Quest for the Ancient Barometer" and Holly & Mistletoe in "The X-Mas Files," 5th grade square dances, talent shows, YEARS of girl scouts, sleepovers, GATE Club, family trips to Dodger games, being elected the prestigious honors of 5th Grade President and Student Body President, and their first major fight when Chelsea bitch-slapped Cory.

When they made the jump into middle school things started changing - their girl scout troop fell apart, Cory got her first boyfriend, Chelsea joined the school musical, and they each met a lot of new friends - but they never drifted. Even when Cory bunked with someone else at outdoor school and left Chelsea to bunk with a rando, they still remained close.

the last day of 6th grade

And then something awful happened that changed the dynamic of their relationship entirely. Chelsea got the news that her family would be moving to Colorado and despite her parents attempts to convince her and her brother that it would be "so much fun," she immediately ran up to Cory at school the next day and sobbed the unbelievable news. They cried together. A lot. One half of their perfectly formed puzzle piece was leaving the comfortable home they had lived together in for 6 years and it was more than they could bare.

On Chelsea's last day of school, they cried, took pictures, and promised each other that there was not a chance in hell they would ever lose touch. Of course, many people made those kinds of promises because at 12 years old it's hard to imagine not always having the friends you have right that second in your life forever. But their friendship was different because they knew in their hearts they were soulmates and that not even 1,500 miles of distance between them could change that. This move was nothing more than a test from the universe and by the hammer of Thor they would pass that shit with flying colors.

So they spent the next ten years visiting each other for a week every summer and 2 days at Christmas. They would talk on the phone for hours and cry every time they had to hang up. They missed some of the most trivial moments in each others lives that could only be shared over a phone call or an email, but they stayed strong and consistent through middle school, high school, and college. They became each others constant through all the ebbs and flows of life - first loves, first heart break, graduations, failed friendships, family deaths, and everything in between.

They finally reached a point in their lives where it was physically possible to see each other more often when Chelsea's family moved again. This time to Las Vegas, an easy 4 hour drive or a cheap plane ticket away, making it much easier to be there for the important stuff like 21st birthday milestones or crisis situations that only the loving hug of a best friend can fix.

At 23 years old they've realized that true friendship can weather time and distance and that certain people may come and go from our lives, but real soulmates can never be torn apart by these mundane excuses. In their 17 year friendship there has never been a doubt in their minds that this is forever, that no matter what happens in life they can depend on each other for honesty, advice, and comfort, and that they can make it through any test the universe throws their way. They've now spent the better half of their lives apart but have more memories together and love for each other than most people can dream up in a lifetime.

Chelsea loves Cory with all her heart and wants to wish her the best birthday in the entire world. And she knows it will be the best because it's the first one since before she moved to Colorado that she gets to stand beside her best friend and help her celebrate.

 

Here's to 23 years of life,
17 years of friendship,
and one hell of a Vegas weekend coming up.
I love you, Cory Elizabeth Welsh.

Vegas Weekending.

Sometimes I talk about how bored I am,
but other times I have these random awesome weekends
that remind me that I'm in a good place.

Saturday night: UFC 143 at Mandalay Bay

Sunday night: Dinner and a movie with a new friend,

followed by LV strip-walking with new and old friends.

(sorry, no Superbowl for me this year).

With Kendall Thomas and Chelsea Deuces at UFC 143

Walking down the strip

A big happy birthday.

I'm not sure when the last time I spent my sister's birthday with her was, but I was so glad to be able to celebrate it with her this year. Last night, in honor of the big day, we went out for Japanese style karaoke - a personal family favorite! We got ourselves a private room and sang a bunch of classics (and some not-so-classics), danced around, ate some delicious cupcakes, and celebrated another life-changing year for Ashley. She recently took a new job in Palo Alto and I'm going to miss her so much when she makes the big move to Nor Cal. It's been so awesome for us to live near each other and get to really build a close relationship. It's something I wouldn't trade for the world.

 I love you, Ash - happy birthday!