Smattery of pictures

So while contemplating what to post next on this blog, my dear friend Mary suggested a do a "smattery of pictures" from this past year that I've lived in Vegas.

Mary... You are a GENIUS.

Now by definition, a smattery is a handful or a small amount.

Is 8 pictures still considered a smattery?

I think I found my new favorite word. Smattery.




So this first picture is of the most important thing that has happened to me while living down here in Vegas. And that would be meeting Jeff :)

This is his dog Casey. She is one of the sweetest dogs you'll ever meet. She's about 3 years old, a lab boxer mix, and the biggest attention whore.




Next, we have a huge change that has improved my every day life. I've been wearing glasses since the 3rd. It wasn't until this past summer that I FINALLY decided to get contacts. I wish I had done it sooner!





Now, I know my mother REALLY doesn't like what this next photo has to show but it has been something I've wanted to get for a few years. A TONGUE PIERCING!




Time for the CUTEST picture ever. These are our two babies, Hailey (0n the left) and Kayla (on the right). They are miniature doberman pinschers that we got from a friend. Jeff first surprised me with Hailey and then we decided to get Kayla as well so that Hailey would be happier :)




This was a really bizzare day. We woke up one morning a few days after Christmas to snow. Yes, snow. In Las Vegas. Jeff, who has been a Las Vegas resident for 16 years, said that he has never seen it snow like it did on this day.




Around the second of January, Jeff wanted to get a vacation apartment in San Diego. We were there at least one weekend a month last year. We absolutely love it down there. So we found ourselves a great apartment in the downtown area and within a few blocks of the water. This summer is going to be epic :) (The beach picture is of Pacific Beach)




Last but not least, I decided to go blonde. And I mean BLONDE. I am really happy with it and so far most people I know also say it looks good :)






Well, that's all I have for the time being :) I'll keep snapping pictures and uploading them as I see fit. Hope you enjoyed these!

Smattery.

Trying to get back into the groove of this

So... It's been almost a year and a half since I last updated this blog. I noticed my last post was about 2 weeks before I made a decision that completely altered my life.

On November 29th, 2010. I moved into an apartment in Las Vegas, NV. Yeah, big change for the Washington State resident of 12 years. I made the move with my roommate at the time Jen. She was moving down for work and asked me to come down there with her.

Let's do a quick recap of the story... Here I was, age 20, had a good job, great friends, family close by and pretty comfortable while living in Tacoma. Then, come on day, this opportunity to completely leave my comofort zone and basically start life with a fresh slate, came up. Now, this seemed like to amazing to be true because prior to this, I was mentioning wanting to move away and start over, multiple times to my good friends Adam and Mary. So I basically couldn't say no.

Yes, it was scary to leave my stable job (especially considering the economy and that Vegas had the highest unemployment rate in the country). Yes, it was terrifying to move to a completely different state where I only knew one other soul. Yes, it was difficult to adjust to a new climate and a new culture. But most importantly; YES, I have no regrets in moving what so ever.

I won't go too far into detail regarding the past year I've been living in Sin City. But I will gladly cover some big points.

• I did manage to find a job! It took me 4 months to get one but I am very grateful for having it.
• For personal disagreements, I am no longer friends with Jen. Still, I am grateful for knowing her because without her, I wouldn't be where or WHO I am today.
• I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend Jeff for a year now and I couldn't be happier.
• I am starting school in April for Nursing. I have a feeling it is a career choice that won't only be financially stablizing for the future but I feel it will make me greatly content with my life and my work.

I have grown and learned so much by moving down here. Not only have I learned so much about myself but also about people in general. I would like to say that I'm still pretty much the same guy that I was in WA, only better. This change in my life has been one of the best things to happen to me and I wouldn't take it back for anything.

I will definitely be posting more on this so stay tuned! (If anyone is still keeping an eye on my blog :P)

Titlow Park

Today after work, I went for a run at a local park/beach called Titlow Park. It was maybe a mile and a half long but it was very peaceful and I rather enjoyed myself.

This is a picture of the small pond that part of the trail is around. There is a bridge that goes right through the middle and splits the pond in two. As you can see by the slight sun breaks, it wasn't raining which made ideal jogging weather :)



Prior to getting on the trail, there were multiple of these little stone towers that jutted from ground. There were rather peculiar but caught my interest.




















A cute little creek that ran into the pond; the only one I saw on the path unfortunately.




















Probably the most intriguing aspect of this trail were the many "fitness stops" along the path. I passed about 4 which included a leg stretch, pull ups, vaulting, and some tires that were laid in twos on the ground in a row. With each stop was a little sign that explain the workout and "proper work out procedure". Here is a picture of the pull up bars.



The last picture is of the beautiful tree canopy that shaded a section of the pat, which was towards the end of the trail before hitting the main road.




















As a whole, this was a very enjoyable jog and if the weather permits, I will be doing it more often :)

Thinking Positive

After having moved in for only4 days, I am back in a position where I potentially need to move again /heavysigh

My current roommate is moving down to Las Vegas for work as her company's Tacoma office was shut down on Wednesday and everyone was laid off. I have 4 words for that "I hate this economy".

I am very mixed on this situation but hoping for the best. I am going to see if I can get approved to be on the lease on my own (although my credit is not great). That would be ideal so that I wouldn't have to move and finding another roommate would be a cinch.

If I am not approved, I do have other options available for a new living situation, which is a relief to know. My goal is to stay in Tacoma, that would be ideal.

But regardless of what happens, I will try to make the best of the situation. I believe that everything happens for a reason and when a trial comes along, we have an opportunity to learn and grow from it.

On a side note, I have a 4 day weekend this weekend. Yay me!

I love fall

This is by far my favorite time of the year.

Nature is putting on it's own fireworks display with all the vibrant reds and oranges and yellows in the trees!

I am starting to love my drive home out to Buckley because my last mile is down a road that has many different trees along each side and I love see them all fly past me in a blur of color as I pass them in my car.

The wind is picking up. That fierce wind that bites through clothes. Although it may not be ideally comfortable, it brings along an atmosphere and emotion with it. I crave it.

The next thing I am really looking forward to is a LOT more rain :)

More pictures to come as well!

"Autumn; the year's last, loveliest smile." - William Cullen Bryant

An October Change

"Each choice we make causes a ripple effect in our lives. When things happen to us, it is the reaction we choose that can create the difference between the sorrows of our past and the joy in our future."

My life is heading in a new direction. I am making the move to a new place filled with new people, new ambitions, and new experiences. I have a strong desire to return to school and finish my AA. I plan to meet many new people and build lasting friendships. I hope to have trials and struggles that I have never encountered before that will challenge me and help me grow stronger as an individual. All in all, I am almost ready for a fresh start.

I have a new sense of hope and adventure about me that I have extremely missed. In my current living place, I feel trapped and unmotivated. Granted, a good portion of these feelings are internally changeable. However, I am in an atmosphere where I feel I can't grow or be myself. One of my favorites sayings is "If you don't like something, change it". And that is what I am doing.

There is a certain individual who I cannot express enough gratitude to for helping me and being amazingly supportive and considerate for my well being. He has been a solid rock of comfort and support in my life for over the past year now. His insight and caring attitude has been the backing to my recent ambitions to change my life and improve it. For that, I can't thank you enough, Adam.

I have experienced so much in these past two and a half months after my move back to Buckley and I honestly wouldn't go back and change anything, if I had the opportunity. The good and bad times are all important to me. It has really helped me realize what I do and do not want in my life. The quote I referenced at the beginning of this entry is very gripping to me. You and only you can choose how you react and respond to the good and bad things that life throws at you.

I have my aspirations and dreams set high and I intend to follow through with them in the near future.

Me and my many lives

I've decided that we, as humans, cannot just live once.

There are too many different experiences in life for anyone person to undergo in a single life time.

I, for example, will never know what it feels like to be an adopted child. One of my best friends, Bonnie, was a foster child. Thankfully she was adopted by one family at a really young and was able to grow with them and acknowledge them as her true family.

While sitting on the porch tonight, enjoying the cool night air, she was mentioning contacting her biological parents. It was at that moment that I got a little jealous of her.

My thoughts were "I will never understand what she is feeling or thinking when she talks about her "real" parents...".

This is just one of MANY different scenarios that I will never in my life.

So I have decided that when I die, I will be reborn as an entirely new person and into a whole new atmosphere. But I will some knowledge and experience from my current life and with it, I can become a better person in my next life.

Maybe it's silly. Maybe it's not.