HELEN HERE

NEW BLOG!

2009-09-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Chase and I made a new blog together to keep everyone updated on our marriage-to-be! We'll be posting on here too:

http://ourmormonmarriage.blogspot.com/

Will you marry me? ...Is that a yes?! YES!!!!

2009-08-09T00:13:00.001-07:00

Chase and I are engaged!!

He proposed in Bellingham, Washington while on vacation at my family's beach house. It was last Sunday, August 2nd, which is also the day I was baptized so he picked a good date ;) I was totally caught off guard; he's very sneaky. He told me the ring wasn't ready yet and wouldn't be ready until the end of August. He flew up to Washington on Sunday morning, where on his flight the flight attendants knew he was going to propose and passed out napkins and pens for all of the passengers to write down some marital advice for us. He then asked my parents for permission after dinner and proposed that night. He acted like the talk with my parents hadn't gone well so he wanted to go on a walk. Once again, sneaky had tricked me and went into a lovey-dovey speech where at this point I was a little confused but when he got down on one knee, pulled out the biggest ring I've ever seen in my life and asked me to marry him...I finally put two and two together. We're getting married in the Washington D.C. temple this winter! It's a dream come true. I've never been happier or more in love.

Molly

2009-08-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Seminary. Even years later, every time I have to get up when it's still dark out, I get that headache of my body telling me 'please go back to sleep' and always think of early morning seminary. You know you can hear a song and it reminds you of someone or you see a Cookies'n'Creme Hershey's bar and it triggers a memory? That's my relationship between waking up and Seminary.

I only mention this because I was reading this blog, Stuff BYU People Like, and #2 is the debate between 'release time' or 'early morning' seminary students. I was an early morning girl. Here's how the blog describes us:

"Early Morning Seminary is something else. The high school student has to set an alarm for 4:30 AM so he can push snooze 6 times before dragging his Mormon behind to a freezing cold church. When he finally arrives he gets to fight the urge to use his scriptures as a pillow as the teacher (probably a parent of one of the kids in the class) struggles to teach Scripture Mastery to zombies. "

This was scary because I fit into the stereotype description perfectly. I was the president of the council, my younger brother yelled at me during the winter when I refused to scrape my windshield and instead made him stick his head out his window, I tried to get away with doing home study and my dad was the teacher.

In my defense I fought HARD for that home study program.

So You Think You Can Dance Tour 2009

2009-07-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Chase told me he had a surprise for me. I have been SO excited and today I got an envelope in the mail from him full of cut-out letters. None in the same font, all cut separately so I couldn't piece them together. BUT with some hints (most ended up being fake..) and some help from my word-puzzle loving family members I figured it out!

I have the BEST boyfriend in the world!!

You cheerleada?

2009-07-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

My friend showed this to me and I had to share. This is EXACTLY like my squad in high school. Well, maybe a little cooler than our wolf-walls and inverted pyramids...

Average at BYU

2009-07-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

A 3.82 GPA and a 28 on the ACT.

So what is BYU life like?

This is our news:

July 14: Sprinklers in the WIDB failed to turn off and flooded the basement of the building.

July 12: A couple took their dog into the JRCB. A custodian told them dogs are not allowed in the building.

June 25: Graffiti was found at the bus stop next to the law library. The phrase “There are angels among us” was written in black permanent marker.

June 4: A moose was loose on campus so police called the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Officials came and tranquilized the moose. However, before going down the moose damaged two vehicles in the parking lot across from the SAS Building.
May 29: A urinal in the men’s restroom in the TMCB was torn from the wall. There are no suspects.
May 22: A suspicious bald male was seen yelling and acting confused at Wymount Terrace. Police located the individual and discovered he was a resident who was yelling because other people were yelling. No charges or citations were made.

What about the students?

Our Urban Dictionary definition:

"The stereotypical BYU girl has a bubble haircut, wears a plain, modest t-shirt or button up collared shirt with either a long skirt or jeans, and wears Doc Martens sandals. She has very straight hair and perfect makeup, and smiles sweetly to everyone. She enters the establishment at the age of 18, is engaged by 19 to a returned missionary (R.M.), and generally leaves school to raise a family.
The stereotypical BYU boy is a freshman at the age of 21, having just returned from a mission, and has a short, parted hairstyle. He wears polos and chino pants with loafers. He dates prolifically until he finds his eternal companion, and weds quickly (typical engagements lasting 2 months).
Provo, Utah is also referred to as the "bubble" because of its traditionally close-minded, conservative atmosphere and general self-righteous attitude."

Ouch.

Sorry Urban Dictionary, I don't see a lot of Doc Martens or chino pants here.

Guess we're just the exception.

I can't wait for a new semester :)

Tag, you're it.

2009-07-17T18:39:00.001-07:00

I don't know how to tag people in blogs but I tried...either way, Chase, Chelsea, Kelsey, Melisa, Cade, Michelle and Logan I tagged you!

Favorite Person (outside of family)? Chase. duh. He's my best friend, lova and bebosaur. And I'm including the entire Walker family in my favorites but they're pretty much family.

Favorite Food? Lately it's been brownies if that counts as a food. I ate about 4 the other night.

Quirks about you? Ohhh one of the many, if I'm using a blanket it needs to be covering my feet. This drives Chase crazy sometimes.

Any regrets in life? Not so much.

Favorite Charity/Cause? I like anything that helps orphaned/foster children, education, cancer research or people trying to fight addictions.

Favorite Blog recently? Chase's but Chelsea's is at a close second.

Something you can't get enough of? the SUN! i loovvee summertime!

Worst Job you've ever had? I'm going to have to go with working as a hostess. Only because the managers were rude and the waiters were highly inappropriate.

What job would you pay not to have? A public toilet scrubber/the poor person who has to clean out the garbage cans in women's bathrooms.

Guilty Pleasure? Charm school, Paris Hilton's BFF, Desperate Housewives, the Food Network and oddly enough....Deal or No Deal. It is my DREAM to go on that show. You can't lose.

Got any confessions? Chase, I sometimes take sips of your Dr. Pepper when you're not looking. I'm sorry... I know this changes everything.

If you had $1000 dollars to spend on yourself how would you spend it? I would fly Chase and I to Hawaii! Or maybe spend some of it on one of the charities I said I love so much... In my defense though we have both ALWAYS wanted to go to Hawaii.

Favorite thing about your house? It has underground parking, a washer/dryer and a pool.

Least favorite thing about your house? My closet is too small.

One thing you are bad at? Directions.

One thing you are good at? Making brownies! We've become pros.

If you could change one thing about your circumstances, what would it be? I would have tons of money so I wouldn't have to work while in school!

Who would you like to meet someday? There's a list of celebrities, I would go into details but it's a little embarrassing.

What makes you feel sexy? When Chase tells me I look good ;)

Who is your real life hero? My dad. He's the best!

What is the hardest part of your job? Not getting too bored! Lots of downtime..

When are you most relaxed? In the late afternoon around dinner time.There's just something about being done with the work/school day that's so relaxing.

What can you not live without? Family and good friends. and a cell phone. and car.

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? Haha I have yet to read this article but I don't think we're narcissists!

Why do you blog? To keep family and friends up to date with whats going on in my life, keep in touch and share thoughts and ideas.

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

As much as it sucks being away from Chase and missing Provo it is wonderful being home. My family moved to Greece 2 years ago and I hadn't stepped foot in our house in Maryland since then. I love being here, there are so many good memories associated with it. Here are a few of my favorite things from home:

1. Family time

I hadn't seen my family in 7 months and now Julia and I spend more time together than anyone else. We make ants on a log, milkshakes with brownies on top and Mac & Cheese almost every day. I like the spirals and she likes the Pokemon kind so we mix the two together.

2. Best friends time

My group of friends from high school is awesome. I've been hanging out with Amy and Anne a lot lately and see Amanda and Grant at the pool. Betsy comes home on Thursday and it's going to be great. I have yet to see some of our other friends but I most definitely will before I leave!

3. The restaurants they don't have in Utah

JIMMY CONE--the BEST soft serve ever, covered in sprinkles (jimmies). It's this little shack up in Damascus that only opens in the summer but i LOVE it. Last night I was adventurous and steered away from my normal swirl with rainbow jimmies and went for strawberry with strawberries on top. I did end up going back up to get some jimmies on it though. So good.

RITA's-- gelato mixed with custard. My favorite is the mango or raspberry gelato with vanilla custard. They used to only have them in Ocean City but have now expanded. There is one down the street. I've already warned Chase that I might gain a few pounds. His reply? "I wouldn't care if you gained 20 pounds. Just more to love." Just one of the many reasons I love him.

LEDO's PIZZA--my first day home I got back from the airport and there was a Ledo's pizza waiting on the counter. They once featured Ledo's on Oprah. It's a big square pizza and I don't know what they put in that homemade sauce or flaky crust but it is de-lish.

4. Public pools

In Montgomery Village every neighborhood has a pool. It's the perfect solution when I'm watching Julia because she loves going to the pool and so do I. She swims, I usually get in for a little bit and play with her, then I can lay out or read a book (my current book is 19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult which I highly recommend). Chase got it for me! Thanks bebe ;)

5. Bed, Bath and Beyond

I know these are everywhere but I was in there yesterday and they now sell Bump-its and cheetah print Snuggies. Weezer is now promoting Snuggie.

P.S. Chase and Walker family--I REALLY miss you!

In tribute

2009-07-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

In tribute to the first ever Wackness Wednesday I wanted to post some clips from my favorite movies:

This one is for Chase. It's his favorite scene/character from House Bunny. Everytime he immitates Carrie Mae I can't stop laughing.

This one's in tribute to MJ. We watched a little bit of his funeral yesterday but had to turn it off after his daughter, Paris, spoke because WE (not JUST me) got too sad. The man was genius; he broke racial barriers, had wonderful ideas about how to change the world for the better, gave up his childhood for our own entertainment and music freedom and clearly knew who to duet with.

Welcome to the blogging world Wackness Wednesday. You have no idea what kind of wacko parents bred you.

These are a few of my favorite things

2009-07-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people who hears a song they like and puts it on repeat for hours. If I really like a movie I watch it until I've memorized the entire script. I've heard I have an obsessive personality since I was about 3 because for years I made my parents go through a routine when getting me ready for bed. Here are some of my latest obsessions:

1. LIFE

Chase's mom gave this to me as a joke (it was Chase's favorite game growing up) and we LOVE it. Saturday morning we played three rounds of it...and two that night. The best part is everything's electronic so you don't have to keep count of your money. You just insert your credit card into the Lifepod and it updates everything for you. I'm afraid it's distorting my image of budgeting because whenever I go into debt I pick a LIFE card that gives me $900,000 for inventing my own video game or I get 2 promotions and am suddenly making $2 million a year as a television minister. Hopefully it won't become too harmful to my spending habits because I don't know if I can give it up..

2. My Sister's Keeper

Chase bought me a copy of the book a few days ago and I may or may not have stayed up for a few hours last night reading it. I don't want to finish it yet because I want to have something to read on the plane to DC but I don't know if I can wait. I love this because it's about family and the sacrifices you make for them.

Do I look pretty Daddy?

Outside the hospital

A day at the beach

3. Honey Nut Cheerios

Weird, I know, but I've always been a fan. I go through food phases where pretty much all I eat is that specific food until I'm sick of it. Other phases have included coco puffs, eggo waffles with vanilla frosting, cinnamon life cereal, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, chicken nuggets and vanilla coke.

4. The Food Processor

We love cooking together. For the fourth of July Chase and I wanted to bring something extra to his family's cookout. We made our specialty, brownies, but we also made deviled eggs. Our recipe said to add relish which was the only ingredient we didn't have so we used the food processor to make our own homemade relish. Then, yesterday we came home from church and wanted to make dinner. We had leftover hamburgers from the cookout, pasta and tomato sauce. We used the food processor to mix the hamburger meat, made a meat sauce and put it over the pasta. We decided we're going to start our own show about what to cook with what you have around your house. "Cooking Crap Out of Nothing"...watch for us on the Food Network.

Remember when..

2009-07-02T13:09:00.001-07:00

I realized lately that I make way too many lists. Almost all of my posts have been lists. So I'm just going to ramble, I'm good at that too ;)

On Tuesday night Chase and I hung out with one of his mission buddies, Jason, and we met his new girlfriend for the first time. In between us eating brownies and watching clips from 'Baby Mama' someone mentioned journaling.

I've kept a journal since before I could even really write. Like seriously, some entries are just drawings. I remember being about 4 and my mom gave me this kitten diary with a lock just because she knew I really wanted one. It went through some beatings because I had to force it open when I lost the key but to this day I still have it and love looking through it. I realize it's kind of lame to laugh at myself because I wrote in all caps and didn't use spaces or that I spelled church 'tris' but old pictures, home videos, journals and scrapbooks trigger a lot of really good memories for me. I just love looking through them. Most of my scrapbooks are at home but I brought a photo album, a scrapbook that my friend Molly made for me in high school--she also made me an awesome photo collage one year, and one my parents made me as a graduation gift.

I love reading. When I was little I was convinced I was going to be an author. It probably has a lot to do with my mom reading to us every night before we went to bed which is something I definitely plan on doing with my children as well. One of my favorite gifts when I was little was when my Uncle Jack sent me a huge box just full of books, including the Wizard of Oz series. For my seventh birthday my grandparents got me a book they had bound together, put a sketch of their house on the front of (my only constant home growing up) and titled it 'The Writings of Helen Ann Hovenier'. I started writing in it that day (still no spaces between my words..) and as I got older I wrote more stories and poems, with spaces. That book is another one of those special gifts I'll always cherish.

For my birthday last Monday my other grandparents sent me a bunch of baby pictures. One of them is of my dad showing my Aunt Kathie how to hold me. I laughed a little at my aunt's huge fluffy bangs and my dad's polyester clothing but the picture itself is really sweet. The next one is of my mom holding me. Once again, the parachute pants, huge glasses and classic bob/bangs combination are hilarious and I absolutely love the picture. I might have teared up a little bit.

Maybe I'm just a pack rat. Not only have I kept all of my journals, scrapbooks and photo albums but I still have the senior edition of my high school newspaper, copies of all of my Daily Universe articles, all of the cards Chase has ever given to me, holiday cards through the years, airplane ticket stubs and a letter my Dad wrote me when I had just turned 16.

In the letter, after telling me about his anxieties of being a father for the first time, my dad says, "All of my feelings changed the instant you were born. I'll never forget as long as I live how it felt to see and hold my child for the first time; I was totally captivated. I have loved you from the first moment you came into my life, I still do, and always will." It's no wonder I love him so much.

Spencer W. Kimball is who I think of when I think of a church leader associated with journaling. But the quote I like most is from Elder Richard G. Scott who said, "“Knowledge carefully recorded is knowledge available in time of need." As well as 2 Nephi 25:23. I had never kept an online journal until this past Christmas when I discovered LDSJournals.com and I love it. I would rather have my entries in a book than online but LDSJournals prints everything out for you and binds them together into a journal.

I love all of these things because they remind me of how I felt in that moment. They make my memories real. They remind me of the love I have for the special people and times in my life. I love looking at other people's videos (Nate's big glasses), pictures and scrapbooks too. There's something about it that just makes me happy :)

Julia Gulia

2009-06-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's my youngest sister Julia's birthday today! When asked what the happiest day of my life was I always say the day she was born because I can remember it so vividly and I remember just being ecstatic. Since she's turning 9 here are my top 9 favorite things about her:

1. She's adorable. She one of the cutest, prettiest girls I know.

2. She dances like a pro. Her and I have some very similar dance moves...

3. She's a wild child

4. She knows Santa doesn't smoke.

We saw this Albanian dressed as Santa last Christmas and he was smoking. We were afraid that Julia was going to be traumatized. She gasped and then said it couldn't be the real Santa because he wouldn't ever smoke.

5. She's a little world traveler.

6. She loves to draw and paint and is really good at it! She just entered the Embassy art contest

7. She's flinches easily like I do

8. She's kind of an ex-heffer.

9. She likes to lay out with me. When I take her to the pool she comes over and lays next to me during adult swim. She's the only girl I know that tans in one piece and googles.

Happy Birthday Jules! I love you!!

My Life Be Like Ooo Aahhh

2009-06-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Oh, summer.

I'm now officially done with school until September. I just did four semesters in a row so this break is much needed.

School ended on the 18th and I had/still have a lot to look forward to. That weekend was Chase's Uncle David's wedding which turned out BEAUTIFULLY. I am so incredibly grateful I got to be a part of it; they even let me give a toast! Okay, so everyone got to give a toast but at least I didn't make a complete idiot out of myself, that has to count for something ;) The weekend was awesome though, I got to wear an early birthday present (patience isn't one of my strong suits), witness the wedding, go to the roof for the first time and eat awesome food with great company throughout the whole weekend. They even had two barbecues, I love barbecues, almost all of my parties in the past have involved some type of cookout.

Then we had Father's Day. I talked to my dad a little bit, he had just flown in from Greece that day. He went out there for my brother's graduation. I was really sad I couldn't be there but I thought it was dumb for my parents to pay $1500 for me to fly out there for 3 days. Sorry Peter, I still love you anyway and I'm stoked you graduated! In church that Sunday we were each asked to write down 3 things our fathers have taught us. I noticed some of the people around me were writing things like "how to ride a bike" but I decided to write less milk and more meat. Plus my dad never taught me how to ride a bike, our French neighbor did ;) I won't get too mushy but I will say that I love my dad and he is one of my greatest role models.

Then my birthday :) I really have been so fortunate to have such wonderful birthdays. I've had some pretty awesome ones since becoming an adult.

My eighteenth--I went to my Dad's concert at the National Cathedral and when I came back my friends had a little party waiting for me

My Nineteenth: I spent the day in Maryland so at midnight my friends threw me a party and then that day I flew to Utah to start summer term and my roomies had some cake and presents waiting. My two best guy friends from freshman year were able to come too. It was right before they left on their missions to Mexico and even though they were both set apart as missionaries they were allowed to come because they were companions and they hadn't entered the MTC yet.

This year:

The best yet.

Chase threw me a surprise party. Everyone was so sneaky, he started planning it about a month ago and sent out invitations to everyone, including my friends from home. Keeper, right?! Amy flew out to Utah on my birthday and helped Chase get ready for the party along with Chase's family (like I said, they are soo good to me), Kelsey, Peter, Aaron and Kaylee. I had talked to Chase all day and I have no idea how Amy didn't scream or say something.

Chase told me we were going to go to The Melting Pot for my birthday dinner. He picked me up at 7 and as we got to the car Aaron called saying he wanted to give me my birthday present before we left. I was still totally oblivious. We went up to his apartment, I opened the door and everyone screamed SURPRISE and sang happy birthday. Then Amy emerged and I totally lost it.

Chase had not only decorated, planned and got everyone there but he also made games such as name that tune (one of my faves), 'Helen Trivia' and 'How Well Do You Know Helen? True/False edition.' Each of the papers even had little quotes on them or 'Helen's 20th Birthday Party' print. It was so incredibly thoughtful and I could really tell that his surprise was because he cared. Oh yeah, and because we're each others lobsters. And bebelah/bebsicle. And googly bears.

Now for my presents. I'm spoiled rotten. But I figure that being spoiled rotten twice a year (birthday and Christmas) is ok, 2/365 is pretty good ;) Chase got me this beautiful pearl necklace with a white gold chain and a diamond clasp. Not only are pearls my birthstone but they're my favorite stone. I'm never taking it off. I also got a new laptop, plane tickets to Maryland and Seattle, a new dress, bracelets, earrings, baby pictures--i love love love them, an edible arrangement, vanilla scented lotions and soaps, gift cards and money--alwaayys a good gift ;)

Thanks to Amy's visit I got the week off of work. I was so excited, it was the first time I ever had an entire birthday week. We did the normal stuff like temple square, shopping, laying out and getting our nails done but we are Amy and Helen so we had to do something stupid like..the Food Olympics.
Here are just a few reasons why I love her so much:

1. In high school after every school dance, competition, all nighter or any type of sleepover I went to church the next morning and I would make everyone else get up since I had to be up. She loved it.

2. She had a flat tire once and called me for help. I don't know a lot about car maintenance so my dad came with me and made us both sit there and learn how to change a flat tire. She then called me about 2 months ago screaming about how excited she was that she had a flat tire and changed it all by herself.

3. We can call each other fat animals. Once in AP English she proof read my essay and drew a huge rhino across the first two pages. I then drew hippos all over her binder.

4. We worked together for a summer. One night Amy opened the refrigerator and four or five boxes of unpeeled bananas fell on her. I was up in the front and all I heard was her yelling "THE BANONS! HELEN, THE BANONS!"

5. Coming to Utah was the second time she's ever flown on an airplane in her life and I know she freaks out a little. It just goes to show she's such a good friend :)

So what could I possibly still have to look forward to after such an awesome week?

--SEEING MY FAMILY! I haven't seen them since Christmas and now they're back in the US and I get to see them in about 2 weeks! Can you tell I'm a little excited..

--Our annual trip to Seattle. We love the beach house (notice the picture above) and this year Chase is coming too!

--Getting tan. We may or may not have spent most mornings of my birthday week at the pool. Good thing sunburn always turns into tan..

So when you're stressed (like my last post) just relax because you always have something to look forward to :)

she's so lucky. she's a star..

2009-06-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

This is me right now.

I've decided that college is definitely one of the most stressful times in anyone's life. To get rid of the stress Chase and I decided to focus on the positives things in our lives right now. Here are my positives:

1. Chase

The one who fully accepts my whack a quirks, who will watch food network with me for hours and love it, who is constantly making an effort-- don't think it goes unnoticed, who will think it's cute that i jump into a freezer at target to get food on sale, who will buy a love plant after running around ikea in our jammies, who will watch efy kids with me and who loves me/i love him unconditionally. oh, and who's totally hot. score.

He sends me little things like this before I go to bed:

2. My family

I got my birthday package today from my mom and she knows me and knows i wouldn't wait until my birthday to open it so I found:

a. jewelry that she knew I loved. We like this blue stone that's popular in greece and over winter break she bought me a ring like it and she had the necklace/earrings. She bought me my own necklace/earrings so we can match :)

b. Pictures from Julia. Speaking of unconditional love, Julia has to be my number one fan. She described me to her friends as "beautiful with long shimmering, chocolate hair; glittering shiny eyes and glowing tan skin." She always makes me welcome home banners, makes me gifts for school projects and sends me cool cards in the mail. She made me a huge watercolor painting of me in my high school cheerleading uniform and her face right next to mine. And then two other paintings of barn animals and a flamingo. Freakin awesome.

c. chocolate. my mom and i pretty much down toffifees when we're together so she sent me some. soo good!

d. a greek birthday card. Xpovia polla!

e. coasters from santorini, our favorite island. plus i used to always get yelled at for not using a coaster...very funny mom.

f. a refrigerator magnet. this may not seem like a big deal but my mom knows about my love for refrigerator magnets from random places and i try to get them from every country i've been to. i even made my roommates start getting fridge magnets from places they've gone.

3. The Church

for whatever reason whenever chase and i are driving seems to be when we have most of our serious talks. maybe because so many of our good and bad times have happened in that car and we've now decided he can't ever sell it. but last week we talked about our patriarchal blessings, which was a huge testimony builder for me, and this week he had to speak in church so we were going over his talk which led to our own discussion and i'm grateful every day that i'm a member of such a hopeful, uplifting, understanding, welcoming, loving church. it's been one of the few constants throughout my life, thank goodness it's international. i'm grateful for it's influence on me because i know i wouldn't be who i am without it.

4. Chase's family

My family away from home.

Yes, this is how we looked when we went over there on Saturday. They will let me come over after i've rolled out of bed ..got ready in 10 minutes, and by 'got ready' we mean brushed my teeth... who will think i'm pretty even without make-up and who's comfortable enough to wear special clothes while we clean..or watch 'so you think you can dance.' who teaches me how to cook, teaches me secret dessert recipes and will make me feel right at home :)

5. My Roomies

always there for me no matter what. these girls have helped me through some rough times. even though we each have complicated lives, i love girls night out and i love that we make an effort to have them. goodbye my almost lover, the cali road trip, eating contests, abrevs-janx-bank-bomb, and our own priesthood sessions are just some of the many reasons i love you girls.

6. My friends at home

amy called me today and asked me "what would you do if Britney showed up at your door for your birthday and was like 'your boyfriend chase walker sent me here.'" to which she answered, 'oh wait, i know what you'd do. you'd black out and be unconscious for a solid 15 minutes..at least." so thanks friends for loving me no matter what and knowing me so well. and having my back through high school, i couldn't have made it without you girls+b&g and for all those who said we wouldn't stay friends post-graduation..."i'll still be here" and i'll forever be here.

7. Summertime

being chased by a pelican, the minty mudbath experience and my sister/cousins' dance party--a few favorite summer memories.

Lucky number 7--we're ALMOST. DONE. we're in the home stretch and then it's laying out, family time, trips, sunshine..and work. summer's my favorite season!

I am soo lucky and i know i'll make it through this week and get everything done that i need to. and then parrtaayy :) cuz its my birthday!

so much love

2009-06-08T14:52:00.001-07:00

Childhood heroes have come up a lot lately. After seeing 'Up' a couple of weeks ago a certain someone mentioned that Jesus had been his childhood hero. Like he slept swaddled in a manger and wanted to be a carpenter when he grew up.. My childhood heroes changed a lot but pretty much consisted of Posh Spice, Katie Couric, Ariel, Britney Spears, Tia and Tamara Mowry, Topanga Lawrence and the pink ranger. Of course, the constants have always been my mom, dad and uncle. Lately I've come home everyday by about 4, just in time for some Oprah. Although I don't agree with some of her views, I still love her show. If there was ever a celebrity that gave back--it's her. Plus her go-to girl is Lisa Ling, 'whom I absoluutelllyy adoorree' --name that movie. I know she doesn't need any extra press (since my blog posse is a grand total of 2 right now) but i needed to say how awesome I think she is. Today's topic "What would you do if you overheard a murder confession?" It could happen. So as a tribute I will post my favorite story she has ever covered. Even if you don't love animals, you'll love this story. This was featured along with a skateboarding dog and a man who had a grizzly bear as his best man.

PS Check out my blog lova who helped me create this blog.

Dad Avoids the Paparazzi

2009-06-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

For anyone who watched NBC's "A Day at the White House" special last Thursday, if you saw an awkward man in the background...it was my father. My Uncle Jack put my dad's 17 seconds of fame together adding at the end, "Jeff, please bring me more of the president's M&M's." Needless to say, we are all extremely proud of him and his new job. Love ya dad!

PETER TURNS 18

2009-05-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Today is my little brother's 18th birthday! Since he is one of the lucky few who has known me his entire life, I know him pretty well. Here are some highlights of our childhood together:

He's always wanted to be just like me.

He hates getting his picture taken...

He's always been jealous of my sense of style

He loves it when I come visit

He gets really excited about giving me my Secret Santa present! One year...a can of Sprite in Christmas wrapping paper.

He loves Christmas...and lets me dye his hair

He loves family trips.

We hate making fun of our sisters..

He loves animals.

He brags about being an Eagle Scout all the time.. Yes, I was specifically thanked in his speech.

He loves us living in Europe.

He's committed.

He loves making new friends. Especially when they give him gifts..

He loves his family.

Especially his sisters!

He's been a great baby bro and I love him! Happy 18th Peter!

Sell out

2009-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm such a sell-out. First I hated on facebook, love it. Then twitter...also love it. And now blogs. After months of blog-stalking I decided I should make my own. In my defense it makes sense for me to make a blog. My parents and siblings are in Greece, soon to be east coast and my extended family is scattered across the world from Dubai to L.A. So, here I go.. :)