Dear 21-year-old Me,

Don't go home every weekend - soak up every minute of time you can living in Santa Barbara. You will miss it terribly once you're gone.
Drinking isn't all it's cracked up to be. At its best you'll waste money, act silly, and make yourself sick, and at its worst you'll put yourself in dangerous situations, break the law, do things you'll regret later, and make yourself violently ill.
You think life sucks now...just wait a few years.
You have the best parents in the world.
It will always be harder for you than for most people, but you will eventually learn to interact and make friends with people. You won't always be alone.
Please don't starve yourself. I know it makes you feel better, but the consequences really aren't worth it.
Oh yeah, and you can skip the cutting too. It won't provide any real relief.
Even though all you want is to be accepted to medical school, it just may be the most difficult and painful thing to ever happen to you.
Jason is a total loser and he doesn't really love or care about you. Don't give him your time or heart.
You don't need to drive 90mph everywhere. Besides the fact that you WILL get a speeding ticket, it just isn't safe.
Dating really isn't all that great - you won't miss out on anything if you wait a while before trying it.
As much as it may seem to be true, your self-worth really isn't based on the grades you get.
God loves you and cares about you more than you can imagine. Even if it doesn't always feel like it.

I have never...

Or rather, I have done the things in bold below:

Started your own blog (more than one, actually)

Slept under the stars

Played in a band

Visited Hawaii

Watched a meteor shower

Given more than you can afford to charity

Been to Disneyland/world

Climbed a mountain

Held a praying mantis

Sang a solo

Bungee jumped

Visited Paris

Watched a lightning storm at sea

Taught yourself an art from scratch

Adopted a child

Had food poisoning (probably)

Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

Seen the Mona Lisa in France

Slept on an overnight train

Had a pillow fight

Hitchhiked

Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

Built a snow fort

Held a lamb (in Peru)

Gone skinny dipping (does it count if I had my suit on?)

Been to a Broadway show in NY

Ran a Marathon

Been in three states at once

Ridden in a gondola in Venice

Seen a total eclipse

Watched a sunrise or sunset

Hit a home run

Been on a Cruise

Seen Niagra Falls in Person

Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors (I wouldn't know where that is, but I have been to Bristow, Oklahoma)

Seen an Amish community

Taught yourself a new language

Had enough money to be truly satisfied (if only money would truly satisfy...)

Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

Gone rock climbing

Seen Michelangelo’s David

Sung karaoke

Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

Visited Africa

Walked on a beach by moonlight (sort of...we didn't walk far)

Been transported in an ambulance

Had your portrait painted

Gone deep sea fishing

Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (and I was so terrified I almost wouldn't get out of the boat!)

Kissed in the rain

Played in the mud (my favorite childhood pastime!)

Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco

Gone to a drive-in theater

Been in a movie

Visited the Great Wall of China

Started a business

Taken a martial arts class

Swam in the Mediterranean Sea

Visited Russia

Served at a soup kitchen (homeless shelter?)

Sold Girl Scout cookies (I've bought them)

Gone whale watching

Gotten flowers for no reason

Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I do it every 8 weeks)

Gone sky diving

Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

Bounced a check

Saved a favorite childhood toy (I saved nearly all of them, actually)

Visited the Lincoln Memorial

Eaten Caviar

Pieced a quilt

Stood in Times Square

Toured the Everglades

Been fired from a job

Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

Broken a bone (my 2nd toe)

Been on a speeding motorcycle

Seen the Grand Canyon in person

Published a book

Visited the Vatican

Bought a brand new car

Walked in Jerusalem

Had your picture in the newspaper

Read the entire Bible

Visited the White House

Killed and prepared my own meat

Had chickenpox

Saved someone’s life

Sat on a jury

Met someone famous

Joined a book club

Lost a loved one

Had a baby

Seen the Alamo in person

Swam in the Great Salt Lake

Been involved in a law suit

Owned a cell phone

Been stung by a bee

Pet peeves...

1. Protecting yourself from the sun. All it took was one skin cancer lecture my first year of med school, and I haven't laid out in the sun since. I cover myself with sunscreen religiously, and encourage anyone I'm with to do the same. And it drives me crazy to see people at the beach laying out in the sun, almost naked and bright red. One in three people will get skin cancer in their lifetime, and having fair skin increases your chances.

2. Motor vehicle safety, i.e. placing your infant in a rear-facing child seat until at least 12 months of age and 20 pounds, and a forward-facing child seat until at least 6 years of age and 60 pounds. Furthermore, don't place your child under 12 years of age in the front seat (air bags kill kids!), and use a child seat with a 5-point harness (not a booster seat with an adult seat belt) until your child is at least 40 pounds.

3. Proofread what you write. Spelling and grammatical errors drive me crazy. (However, I do know that I am not completely exempt from making them occasionally. I am, after all, not completely perfect... ;)

4. Don't waste food. For whatever reason, I can't seem to throw away food until it is obviously too old to eat.

5. Letting your cell phone ring and interrupt church/lectures/conversations/etc.

6. Lateness. I can't stand being late, but I don't mind it as much in others.

7. Eating in front of people without offering the other person some (I mean, that's just plain rude).

Things I like

In no particular order...

Rain. My kittens. The beach. My car. Chocolate. My house (condo). My family. Babies. Sleeping. My church. Friends. My watermelon bowls. Picture frames. Babysitting. Decorating my house. Shopping. Coffee Bean. Buying new clothes. Playing games. Starbucks. Drawing and painting (sort of. I'm not really very good at either). Phase 10. Driving. Blankets. Old Navy. Santa Barbara. Getting my car washed. Christmas trees. Pictures. Music. Fireworks. Flying. Dancing. Christmas lights. My digital camera. My Bible (which, incidentally, I stole (borrowed?) from my church after mine was stolen when my car was broken into last March!). Having company. Shoes. Journals. My guest book. Weddings. Children's books. Dresses. Candles. Miniature golfing. Grey's Anatomy. Reading (sometimes. Only if it's a really good book). Bowling. Watching movies with my sisters. Buying things for my cats. My air conditioner. Pens (of any kind, really). Organization. My garden. Children. Buying things for people. Jigsaw puzzles (as long as they're not missing any pieces...that drives me crazy for whatever reason!). Roller coasters. Dolphins. Baby showers. Furniture.

(I was having a bad day, not for any particular reason, so I figured maybe thinking of all the things I love would make me feel better. Hmm, that should do for now.)

Ice Cream Flavor

Your Ice Cream Personality:

You are an incredibly modest person. You don't feel comfortable bragging about yourself... or even receiving complements. You have a wild reputation, but you're not as wild as you seem. You take risks, but only measured risks. You are a somewhat open minded person, but deep down you're fairly conservative. You don't like trying new things very much. And if you do find something new you like, you stick with it. You are a natural multitasker. You feel alive when you're doing more than one thing at a time. You are fun loving and sweet. You tend to enjoy joking around and teasing people.

The Ice Cream Personality Test

Five...

What I was doing 10 yrs ago: May 1998...I was 15 years old...finishing my freshman year of highschool. I was an AWANA Cubbies leader, sang in a choir, and played sports as well as serving as a junior coach for the 5-7 year old age group. And I really don't remember a whole lot else...

Five things on my to do list for today: 1. Clean my car 2. Take out the kitchen trash 3. Play with my kittens 4. Vacuum 5. Exercise

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: 1. Pay off my home and school loans 2. Take a trip to Europe 3. Give money to charities I am passionate about...children's cancer research, autism, my church... 4. Buy a new car 5. Invest some of it

Three of my bad habits: 1. Making assumptions 2. Procrastinating 3. Being too self-centered

Five places I have lived: 1. San Jose, California 2. Santa Barbara, California 3. Hemet, California 4. Colton, California 5. And that's it.

Five jobs I have had: 1. Babysitter/Nanny 2. Piano teacher 3. Doctor's office receptionist 4. Teacher for autistic children 5. Biochemistry research assistant

4 Things

4 Things

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Babysitter
2. Receptionist, Care First Pediatrics (doctor's office)
3. Nanny for family with 5 children
4. Teacher for autistic children

4 Movies Watched Over and Over:
1. A Walk to Remember
2. Raising Helen
3. Baby Einstein
4.

4 Places I've Lived:
1. San Jose, California
2. Santa Barbara, California
3. Hemet, California
4. Colton, California

4 TV Shows I Watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. ER
3. Private Practice
4. A Baby Story

4 Favorite Places I've Been:
1. Mexico
2. Peru
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Pennsylvania

4. Cities in Europe (that I would love to visit):
1. Paris
2. Dublin
3. Madrid
4. London

4 People who e-mail Me Regularly:
1. My mom
2. School people
3. Julie
4. Anna

4 Places I'd Rather Be:
1. Coffee Bean
2. The beach
3. With friends
4. At home with my family

4 Things I Look Forward to This Year:
1. Finishing this year of school
2.
3.
4.

If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Personality

Your Personality is Somewhat Common (ISFJ)

Your personality type is stubborn, conservative, trustworthy, and caring. About 13% of all people have your personality, including 18% of all women and 7% of all men You are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Five Factor Personality Test

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have low extroversion. You are quiet and reserved in most social situations. A low key, laid back lifestyle is important to you. You tend to bond slowly, over time, with one or two people. Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have medium agreeableness. You're generally a friendly and trusting person. But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism. You get along well with others, as long as they play fair. Neuroticism: You have high neuroticism. It's easy for you to feel shaken, worried, or depressed. You often worry, and your worries prevent you from living life fully. You tend to be emotionally reactive and moody. You're either flying very high or feeling very low. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is low. You're a pretty conservative person, and you favor what's socially acceptable. You think that change for novelty's sake is a very bad idea. While some may see this as boring, many see you as dependable and wise.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Snow in Loma Linda!

January 12, 2007


This is what I woke up to Friday morning

The Five Love Languages

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Physical Touch
with a secondary love language being
Words of Affirmation.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		10
Words of Affirmation:		7
Quality Time:		6
Acts of Service:		4
Receiving Gifts:		3

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

Scrapbooking

I've never considered myself to be very creative, but after giving one of my best friends from college a bridal shower back in April, I decided I wanted to make a scrapbook for her with the pictures I'd taken from the shower. And I found out that I actually really like scrapbooking, and it's not as hard as I thought it would be! :) I just bought a small scrapbook, purchased a package of various decorated letters, assembled the pictures I'd taken at the shower, gathered some stickers I had plus a couple of plates from the shower, the confetti, napkins, invitations, etc., and two weeks later, voila! I ended up with a finished product! Of course it isn't anything professional, especially compared to what people who are pro scrapbookers produce, but I think it came out pretty nice. And of course I had plenty of help from my darling kittens, who follow me around the house and always want to be right in the middle of whatever I'm doing. :)

Starbucks lovers...

Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino

Smooth and sweet, you fit in to almost any crowd. No one would suspect you of being a coffee tweaker!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?