30 day blog challenge: day 8 and 9

I’m almost caught back up! Whew! Took long enough maybe I’ll even schedule posts but that’s doubtful  I’ll have to see what the next few days are.  Anyhoo.. let’s see here…

 

Day 8 - A Place You’ve Traveled To

 

I’ve been very fortunate to have traveled to as many places as I have because most of them haven’t even been with my family.   To name a few these are the places I’ve been:

 

Australia/New Zealand - Went with the program called People to People Student Ambassadors when I was a sophomore in high school.  We went for almost a full month, had two home stays with families in Australia and New Zealand went to school with them and followed their family rules.  Went to the Great Barrier Reef, Sand Dunes, Small Islands off the coast of Australia, Sydney Opera House and more.  Watched the New Zealand All Black’s play, even witnessed naked rugby at the ripe age of 14.

 

Cabo San Lucas - Went for Spring break my sophomore year in college.  I was the rep for the sorority/school to get people to sign up etc.  I ended up getting enough people to go that I went for FREE.  That was a trip to remember..  Then immediately following my school spring break I went on a trip to Italy.

 

Italy -  I literally go off the plane in Oakland from Cabo returned to our apartment in the city and then drove home to Sacramento to get ready for my trip to Italy.  I was SOOOO fortunate to go to Italy as a BABYSITTER! I have babysat these two boys for years since they were in cribs and they were about 6 and 11 at the time when we went.  The mom and dad got their own room and then me and the boys had our own room.  I traveled around in luxury.  We had personal drivers, chefs, grand hotels the whole shebang.  We stayed in Rome, Amalfi, and Tuscany for a week at our own house.  It was BEYOND amazing I wish I would have been able to head home to mom’s and upload the photos it was so beautiful.  I had the best spaghetti I’ve ever had in my life there.  Yum I can still taste it now. 

 

  In Amalfi we stayed at the most beautiful hotel, Hotel Santa Caterina it’s actually the same hotel where Brad and Angelia stayed before they came out as a couple since he was still married to Jennifer Aniston.  Here it is up on the hill overlooking Amalfi.

 

Oahu/Maui/Kauai - I’ve been to the Hawaiian islands too many times to count.  We have a timeshare at Marriott so we go yearly but I haven’t been to our family time share in awhile but mom and auntie still go with the kids.  I’m on the next trip I have dibs!  Most recently me and my honey went to Maui in 2007.  YIKES yes that was our LAST VACATION! 2007.. But much has happened in the past 3 years like becoming homeowners!  Since those are the only photos I have online here is my last time I was in the islands!

 

Waiting for the flight to leave and of course starting out with cocktails in the morning.

Right when we landed we hit the beach! I surprised him with my new suit that he LOVED at the store but I told him I didn’t like it. Then I bought it later and brought it with me he liked the surprise!

Funny Tiki Man :) Notice the changing of my tan levels.. lol

At Jermaine’s Luau

My best friend Nataly moved to Maui for a few months after graduation and I got to visit with here while I was there!

   Fun Fact: I LOVE seashells and sand.  I collect seashells and sand from where ever I go.  I have some from all over the the world and you’d be surprised how different each places sand is.  Black sand from the black sand beach in Maui is probably the coolest one I have.  But Australia's sand is really really soft.

We did the drive to Hana and then went swimming in the 7 sacred pools.

AND of course I am a little dare devil so I decided I should jump off the water fall at the 7 sacred pools.  Here I am preparing myself for the jump. 

And there I go, little flying monkey.

On our way home.. Let’s notice the tan mmmkay? Especially since I’m pale right now.. After I was BLACK..

Before I was white.. Yes thank you Chinese genetics! I TAN like crazy! The trip before that to Oahu I was SUPER DUPER dark.

 

Mmmkay now I feel like a vacation.. I REALLY want to go to Disneyland and my honey said he wants to too! Maybe I can score a cheap deal to LA and get us there for Christmas! Then everything is decorated for the holidays!

 

Day 9 - My Friends

 

Here’s the run down..

 

I’ve been best friends with Lindsey since 9th grade she’s been through it all with me.  There’s times we go weeks, months or longer without talking but everything is always in sync with us no matter how far apart we are we’re always the same girls together. I love her she’s coming over for dinner tomorrow!

Then I moved away to San Francisco and met my best friend Wendy while rushing Alpha Gamma Delta, best part of it was that I was trying to “connect” with her and told her that I was Chinese too and told her my Chinese name and she was like “You don’t have to lie to kick it”. 

 

She’s my word of wisdom and has always been my rock and my big sister through it all.  I love her more than she knows.  Even better quote… She once told me after I was heartbroken that (and she quoted 50 Cent) “If he can’t love you like a fat girl loves cake, then you don’t need to be with him”.  Oh yes.. She did.. Hilarious and I even told the guy that and what was his response.. “You’ve been hanging out with Wendy too much” HA love it.

 

Then I met Nataly through the sorority spring semester of freshman year in college.  We liked the same guy and we evil to each other at first but then after a trip to the tanning salon we were best friends forever.  She’s teaching English overseas in Korea right now and I haven’t seen her in over a year now! Miss you Asshole..

 

After Asshole came my best friend Natasha aka Bad Bitch or Ah Satan.. (Did you know Natasha spelled backwards is Ah Satan?)  Natasha is another one of my best friends.  We can hang with the best of them and have a wonderful time together just the two of us.  I have too many random stories about our adventures out in the city together to count but that’s the way it should be.  One of them happened on this very night in this photo.  No comment.  I miss her terribly she’s so close yet still so far away but we chat all the time on gchat.

 

Then I moved into our apartment and met Maureen but even better than I knew her before while in AGD.   She was worried that she was moving in with the queen bee’s of AGD and was worried we were too sorority crazed but little did she know the ruckus we’d have while living together.  We might not be so close these days but I still always consider her one of my best friends.

There’s many more who have come and gone or have stuck around but these are my rocks in my life.  No matter what or whatever happens in life they are there for it all.  No judgments passed, no arguments, just love and trust and fun times all the way through.

 

It’s crazy to think that if I didn’t join the sorority I wouldn’t have these amazing women in my lives.  I miss them so much they are all in San Francisco together (minus Lindsey) but it’s great to see where each of our lives are headed.