The end of an era

So I'm in my last semester in College and I'm SO ready to be done! Well, part of me is so ready to be done and the other part of me knows I am going to probably get hit with the stresses of real life and want to go back to college. Hello student loan, car payment, and Rent.

I've been in college for 5 years now and couldn't be more proud to have almost made it to the end of the journey. I've had many ups and some downs too. When I look back at my time at Gav I am so proud! Yes I did fail about 7 classes but it was all worth it. I had the opportunity to take care of my grandma Avo (which means grandma in Portuguese.) She has been one of the most influential people in my life. I learned a ton in the year and a half that she lived with us and struggled too, but I never lost faith. If I had the choice to do it all again I would!! Then I moved to Davis to be with Ry and go to Sac State, had the best year of my life and was bummed when he graduated and decide to move to Stanford. But then I got the chance to move to Sac and live with my best friend Crystina, which has been nothing short of amazing. This year has been a big growing year for me!

I was talking to a friend the other night and I told her that I feel like it's almost the end and I'm running out of time and she smiled and replied or is the beginning about to start. She is so right! My life is about to begin! And I couldn't be more excited and thrilled! I'm so happy to be close to Hollister and look for a job that I can love and succeed at.

So this weekend Ryan, Jena and I had the chance to move some furniture into our new condo in SJ! It is BEAUTIFUL!! And I'm so excited to get to start life there very soon and get to call it home. Although I'm so excited to live with Jena for the first time and Ryan again, I'm so sad to not live with my bestie Crystina. Crystina and I have had a great year! I've loved every second of it! We laugh ALL the time and this time together was definitely the best possible gift we could have ever given to each other.

So, as I count down the time until I graduate, it is the end of an educational era but the beginning to a career and life that I cant wait to start.

Resume

A piece of paper that says "hello this is me, please give me a chance."

So I started making my resume and am trying to finish it to send into a summer camp in San Jose. It's called camp Galileo and I could SOOO see myself working there. It is so up my alley. Think I'm going to send in all my stuff tomorrow and pray that I get the job.

Here is the website if you want to check it out.

http://galileo-learning.com/camp-galileo/index.html

Its super cool! All about Art, The Outdoors and Science! :)

Church Camp

This weekend I went to my church Confirmation Retreat. It was the 7th year for Ryan and I. Holy crap 7 years! Already! We make a slideshow composed of pictures from the entire weekend and then present it at the end of the retreat when the parents come to pick up there kids.

This retreat was one of the best retreats I've been too. The kids were great and talkative and willing to open their hearts. I really bonded with a girl in my cabin and I really hope she comes back next year to be a JC (Junior Facilitator) actually I can't wait to see how many of these teens do. And I'm so excited to be close to Hollister to help Sandi plan fun trips and activities for these teens. I think that with group we can do a lot more, like maybe a guy and girl retreat.

At the retreat there are 7 talks that pertain to the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, courage, knowledge, reverence, understanding, right judgement, wisdom and awe. I was asked to give one and I said no. And the whole weekend I regretted my decision. I know I would have done a great job and I think I was lacking the courage to do so. When I think about the 7 gifts I wonder which one I could talk about and Im not sure, but I know I have a gift to share. God gives us the story but we have the choice to share it!

I had an emotional weekend, but tried to keep most of it in. It doesn't help when you leaving to the retreat already in an emotional state. I'm in a place in my life where everything that I know is coming to an end. I'm going to be graduating in May, in just 5 weeks! A lot of unknowns are always on my mind and the anticipation and change is always difficult, yet exciting.

At the retreat there are big sheets of paper all around the room with your picture in the middle and it is called an affirmation sheet. This is where throughout the weekend anyone can write something on it affirming you. Ryan and I always take a picture together. Someone wrote that, "you two give the example of God loving couple good meaning." Someone else wrote, "the dynamic duo! Christ is alive and lives so brightly in your hearts." "You are our Angels." WOW! It is all just nice to hear! And I think we need to take the time to affirm the people in our life more often.

I need to continue to keep God and the holy spirit in my heart and life to help strengthen me and live the best life I can, and keep Living Out Love (LOL)

Dreams

So I woke up this morning mid dream, right after making a joke in my dream. Haha not sure I've ever made a joke in my dream but I did last night. Are you ready for this?

Ok so I was at my friend Sandi's house and they got a new dog. Go figure it was a wiener dog. So, I was hanging out with their new dog and trying to teach it to sit and I was pushing down its butt too sit, and I looked up at Sandi and said, "Uh wow, I've never touched a wiener before." And we both busted up laughing!

Haha really?! Who makes lame sick jokes in their sleep, oh yeah that'd be me. My mind is officially in the gutter not only in the day but in my dreams too. Hope I can be helped. Maybe therapy? I don't know think it's genetic. Sorry future kids!! :)

I am procrastinating by writing about procrastination

I had a teacher once say, "procrastination is the dagger in the back of academic success." And he is right, it is! But can procrastination and last minute works as motivation for me sometimes.

At the start of today I was about shoulder deep in homework crap and I've been working for about five hours and I'd say I'm about waist deep now. I still have about half way to go.

Really wish I was better at starting things earlier and staying on top of my school work. But the truth is there is something about working under pressure. I thrive off that rush that says hurry the hell up you have to submit this in 2 hours and I haven't started it yet. But the worst/best thing is that I always pull it out of my butt and get a good score.

I had a teacher one semester say to my class you better start your art resource note books early because she could tell who does them last minute and they take a good 2 weeks to put together. On the day of my final I turned in mine at I got a 200/200. Humm, yup... 100% And I started it the night before at like 7pm. Haha teacher couldn't tell!

OMG, So happy to graduate and to never have homework AGAIN!!

Baby Fever...

Not going to lie... getting pregnant these days is one of my worst fears, but its so hard not to want one when all I do in school is learn about child development and volunteer with kids. And on top of that I am around the cutest and sweetest infants, toddles and young kids. I'm so curious to see how me and Ry's kids look like and what they are going to be like. We had the pleasure Saturday to go meet Ry's newest addition to the Andrade Clan. She was a premie and now 2 weeks old and precious! I got to hold her and watch Ry hold her too. Which made my heart melt. There is nothing like seeing the man in your life hold an infant and play with little kids. It really just made the future flash before my eyes. Ryan's cousin and her husband are just like Ry and I. He is really techie and nerdy and she is a teacher and easy going. It was so interesting to watch them parent because it was so me and Ry. We left that day seeing a glimpse of our future and just smiled knowing we are a great team and will be so blessed to get to have children of our own some day.

Baby Kristina

Baby Ryan

Hope my kids have sweet hair just like Ry's!

So excited to see what our future holds and know we will be great parents someday!

Palo Alto air is so expensive :) jk!

Operation Lose Winter Coat for summer has begun!!!

Saturday morning Ryan and I went for a run. We ran about three miles and walked about another mile and a half. I've come to conclusion exercise is soo much better when you are doing it with someone.

That straight white building to the right of Ryan is where he will have his summer internship at Tesla. We climbed up and over a hill to see it.

It was kind of a windy day, but at least it didn't rain!

PS. Love when Ry wears his hair up!

To continue Operation Lose Winter Coat Oz and I are going to go running in the morning... Hope we wake up! haha!

Dog sitting

DOGS...

All they really do is eat, sleep, play and poop

They are so cute and I hope to get to have one someday.

I grew up with outside dogs but have started to really enjoying spending time with dogs inside.

Although the fur everywhere kinda sucks.

I think having a dog is a good motivation to go and run, and God knows I need motivation.

The worst part about walking dogs is when then decide to shit and you have to pick it up...

Growing up in the country we never had to pick up crap... and happy not too!

In the morning they snuggled on the bed with me, I know this would never fly if I had an indoor pet it was fun for a day.

These were the two doggies Marcy and Angel, all doggy smiles!

A little princess

Today I volunteered at SETA Head Start like I do every Wednesday, from 9 - 1pm. I love hanging out with all the kids, they have the best imaginations and the random-est conversations.

This little girl Devi was walking around at recess with her hand on her chin. And this was our conversation:

K- Devi what are you doing? Are you ok?

D- Yes I'm just thinking.

K- What are you thinking about?

D- Luis

K- Ok, not sure who that is but you can tell me about Luis

D- Luis the hamster is very sick and needs medicine

K- (thinking is she really concern about a real hamster or is this make believe)

Do you need my help making some medicine?

D- Why yes I do. ( And then ran across the yard and didn't come back.)

This same little girl played dress up today and put on a princess dress and held a bouquet of fake pink flowers. She looked soo cute like she was a flower girl in a wedding.

Let me just paint a picture of this little girl for you.

Shoulder length light brown hair with bangs, it is always down, knotty and in her face

Her clothes are always to big or to small or hand-me-downs from a brother

She goes a mile a minute, nothing stops her even when she falls and eats dirt

She has the best imagination ever and believes in everything even the leprechaun!

She greets me with the biggest hugs every Wednesday.

At nap time she sucks her thumb and snuggles.

Today she sat on my lap for a long time and I was just talking to her and I asked her if she ever wears her hair up. And she said, "No but I do loves pony tails." So I took my hair out and put my rubber band in her hair, and her face lit up. It was so great to see this little girls beautiful face minus all the knotty hair thats usually in it. I loved seeing her smile and be so proud of her new look.

I'm curious to see if next week her hair will be up. Sometimes I just want to take these kids and keep them for a few days and bring them to like Disneyland or something. Devi would love it there and I'm pretty sure it would be the high light in her little life. She is a trooper and a little princess to me.

Family, Friends & Faith

The most important things in life are your friends, family, health and a positive attitude towards life. If you have all those things then you have everything!

What to say about my family other than I love them so much and am so blessed to have been raised in a home filled with so much love and laughter. I am the youngest and love being the youngest. No I'm not spoiled by any means! On the left is my brother Nick (30), my sister Jill (28), Me (22), my boyfriend Ryan (23), my mom Adele, my dad Manny and my brother Matt (24). I've learned numerous things from all my siblings and can say that they all motivate me in different aspects of my life. I hope that someday I will be as great of a mom as my mom and I give my children siblings that they can love like I love mine.

These are all my girlfriends from High School. We continue to keep and touch and all have grown and changed over the past 5 years. WOW!! I can't believe we have been out of high school for 5 years already. I'm so proud of my friends and what they have accomplished thus far in their lives and have all grown into beautiful women... Love you girls!

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can fly only by embracing each other."

C and K all the way! Crystina and Kristina! My childhood best friend and as of today my room mate in Sacramento. We have been nothing but trouble since our days at Sacred Heart. We met and became friends at sleep over party in the 3rd grade. From then on out we continued to play on sport teams together, go to the same school, share secrets and our hearts. Crystina and I have shared so many experiences and have countless memories. We are the Krystina's and when May comes I will be really sad that we will not be living together but I will smile knowing that was a once in a life time opportunity and dream come true!

"When it hurts to look back and your scared to look ahead you can look beside you and your Best Friend will be there."

I met Sandi when I was 15, through my church, when me and a group of my peers wanted to start a youth group after receiving our confirmation. Sandi was the youth leader and I was part of the youth. Being involved in this youth group it lent Sandi and I to share a lot of our hearts and feelings while continuing our faith journey together and as individuals. Sandi is my soul sister and has been there for me throughout the biggest hardships I've faced in my life. When I need anything Sandi is always there with open arms. Sandi is one of those friends that once in your life you cannot imagine how you ever function before. Sandi makes me laugh like no other and has helped me in my later teen life and into my life as a young adult and will continue to FOREVER! We are are like one soul in to bodies 21 years apart. Sandi is my Angel Friend!

"Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they are meant to be there; they serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or help you figure out who you are."

Ryan is my boyfriend going on 7 years in October. We have gone from acquaintances to friends and from friends to lovers. I've always known who I was and what I stood for but like the quote above Ryan has taught me so many life lessons. Ryan and I are a team and partners till the very end. We have not only grown as individuals but together as one. Ryan has shared his heart with me and many other things ;) Our relationship has gone from together in Hollister in High school to long distance with Ryan in Davis and me in Hollister. Then I moved to Davis and we were together for a year and now we are long distance again, me being in Sacramento and Ryan in Stanford. But NOT for long... We just got word of getting a condo in San Jose where we will be living as of the end of May with my cousin Jena. Can't wait! Ryan is my Best friend and Buggle snuggie! Love him! And could not be more proud of him for going to Stanford and doing his best to open all the doors he can for himself and for us as a couple.

I thank GOD everyday for my family and friends, without whom I'd not be me!

I'm so very lucky and blessed!

Fortune Cookie...

How true are fortune cookies?

Tonight I went to Panda Express and this is what my fortune said...

"You create enthusiasm around you"

I like to think that this is true... :)