A Life To Be Celebrated

Hey Everyone! So I was crossing the street today after having coffee with an old friend, and while walking across the crosswalk, a huge red truck turned left across the intersection and right into my crosswalk. For some reason, I was looking up and was alert enough to realize at the last minute that she was not going to stop before turning left. And I was lucky enough to jump out of the way of her truck in time. It was a very scary yet eye-opening experience. And it made me realize how lucky I am in my life because it can happen THAT fast. If one thing that been different in the situation, who knows? So I wanted to make this photo blog entry to show all of the important people in my life how much they mean to me. I have been so lucky and blessed in my life...especially in these past four months after returning from my study abroad experience. I have never felt so loved and surrounded by friends and family than in these past four months! I hope that this blog post helps to convey that to all of my loyal readers! Much love, Rosey


I got back from Chile in January and got to spend just a week with my family before having to move up to Santa Barbara and start classes for winter term! Talk about a short recovery time!!

Then it was back to life in Santa Barbara which...let's be honest...isn't TOO hard to re-adapt to since 1) it is paradise on earth and 2) I had been living here for the past three years before my experience in Chile. As you can see in this picture, it is a quite bucolic little piece of earth.
My first visit up in SB was my mama who came up for a night with the author of a great book called Enrique's Journey. We both read it and then got to see the author give a talk about it. Such a fun night...and I'll never forget sipping our yummy Chai Tea Lattes with you and walking around my campus before the big show, Mama! :)

Then I was graced by the presence of my best friend Ashley! We got to celebrate her golden birthday today which coincidentally was her 21st birthday! It was a big night that needed to be celebrated in style so as you can see, we really had a good time....



Illegal fountain swimming. Only recommended if it is 3 in the morning and your best friend's 21st birthday. Plus we felt like reliving the scene in Under the Tuscan Sun...haha


I also got a visit from my Lee Lee who stayed with me for the Valentines Day weekend! We made yummy meals, took hikes, went to my favorite cycling class together, chit-chatted, and just had such a great time. But what's new, Lee Lee? We always have a good time, my little gata'. (Meg, don't get jealous...you are my gata' too. You know how I have those words that I associate with love so I use it on all the people that I love. Ex. hijita haha)


THEN Will and Caitlin paid me a visit! It was great to see them up in Santa Barbara...especially because they will be moving to Portland at the beginning of summer. So every minute I get to spend time with them is time to be cherished. Thanks for the fun visit guys!! :)


After successfully finishing classes for winter term, I headed home to San Diego for Spring Break. During that 10 day vacation, I was able to do some soul searching, take some long runs to keep on track for my half-marathon training program, and also see two friends that I made while I was over in Chile whom I found so much support in. I hung out with Gary who goes to UCSD and who was my neighbor and dear friend while I was living with Maggie in La Reina all those months. I also got to see Karen who met me for the first time limping home from my first day of classes at the Universidad de Chile with my booted cast and an unhappy look on my face. We become immediate friends and she has been a huge support for me since the day we met.

Fun times with Mama in Walmart! hehe My mama was able to finally print out her best photography shots. She was many breathtaking shots that are worthy of contests if you ask me. Keep shooting, Mama! PS: I finally bought some of these inserts and I love them!

Karen and I in Carlsbad after getting lunch at the harbor and talking for hours. Karen is easily one of the smartest and eloquently stated people I have ever met in my life. That girl knows everything about everything and can say it in such a pretty way...she is just really cool. haha I am lucky to know her and be able to sit at the harbor with her and drink Margaritas and talk about life. :)

Then Leigh Anne and I hit the road for Moreno Valley to spend time with our Dad at his work. We got to see him give a presentation on a very complicated unmanned aircraft used in the war called the MQ-1 Predator. Our dad is an expert on this aircraft and he spoke in front of a full room of people and then gave a tour. He invited Leigh Anne and I to the meeting to act as translators and basically Public Relations Peoples because the presentation was for...get this...the Mexican Air Force! haha So I got to translate questions they asked me during the tour to my dad and then we would give the answer and I would relay it back to the Mexican officer. After the tour, we got to see our dad teach his students at March Air Reserve Base about a simulation test they would be doing that day. All of the acronyms and jargon was foreign to me, but it made it that much cooler to be able to see my dad in action. You are so cool, Dad! Thanks for such a fun experience! Not many girls can say they were translators for a USAF MQ-1 Predator presentation for the Mexican Air Force at March ARB. :)

Oh and when we got to Dad's house late the night before the big presentation, of course Dad had the whole house set up for us with a warm dinner, dessert, and even the DVD player opened up for us! I know, I know...we are some lucky daughters!!

THANKS AGAIN, DAD!!!

Continuing, I got back to Santa Barbara after my relaxing Spring Break and started classes for my final term at UCSB. My classes aren't too challenging, so I was able to leave my first weekend back to join Leigh Anne for a wedding in Phelan. We drove back to our hometown and got to see old friends and make new memories. The coolest thing is that we have pictures because we had both forgotten our digital cameras...dun dun dun...so we bought disposable wind-up cameras and it ended up being so much fun to use those little things! Here's the pictures to prove it:

Ever so studious Rose....

Serious model behavior at the Travelodge.

Nothing comes between sisters...well sometimes a random
hotel post might....but that's beside the point.

I also got to see Shauna and her Grandma Nancy who is as healthy as ever! Both of those ladies are fighters and such great people to be around! :)

Shauna just found out that she not only got hired at the job she applied for but also got officially accepted into the DUAL Masters Program at her Cal Baptist University. I am SO proud of all that she has been able to accomplish in her life!! You go girl!

So the epic Phelan odyssey was a total success and now I am back in Santa Barbara enjoying my last term. I am spending lots of time with friends and trying to plan things out for graduation, the coming summer and, equally important, the coming year! I plan on staying in SB and take all of the prerequisite classes so that I can apply for the Physical Therapy Doctorate Program in like a year or two. That's the plan for now. And the fact that I can even have that as a goal is due in large part to two people: 1) My father for his amazing contribution of his Veterans Association benefits. Dad, that money has influenced my future plans drastically and made it possible to reach for the stars. Thank you so much. and...2) My mother for her constant positive reenforcement of all of my dreams and hopes. She is one of the most positive and true people I have ever known and I find myself constantly checking in with myself to make sure that I am living by her example. As I become more of an adult every day, I see what great role models both of my parents were, are, and will be for the rest of my life. And that is no secret because every single one of my siblings as well as myself are some of the most trust-worthy, polite, dependable, respectful, intelligent, funny, and down-to-earth people you will ever meet.

Thank you for raising us all so well, Mom and Dad. Thank you for our sound morals, innate politeness, acute consciousness, and of course...our amazingly good looks! hehe We are lucky kids and as I said at the beginning of this blog entry, I am an especially lucky girl...something that I have always known but, after my experience with the truck, I have never been more than today. Thanks for reading this entry and I love you all! CHAO!! --Rosey

Back in a familiar neck of the woods

I started my day by going to my CPR class, but then I drove out to Goleta to meet someone for coffee. The trip, while seemingly simple, was quite eye opening. By being in Goleta, I am always overcome by all the memories from last year...before I had gone to Chile, after my crazy sophomore year, and while I was loving life living with my sister. I will never be able to walk into Costco, Albertsons, or even the laundry place without thinking of last year and how memorable it was. Gosh, I am just so thankful for all of those amazing memories.

But now time has passed. I have been to Chile and back again. I know more about the world. I know more about myself. I have new memories that are layered on top of the old ones and even though I am back in Santa Barbara, I am living a totally different live. I am downtown...without my sister...in new classes...close to graduation...etc etc etc. Life is funny like that. Even though I feel so different inside, I am, at the same time, the same person that I have always been. I think that I have been a little too hard on myself these past three months that I have been back. This is for many different reasons, which I will not go into detail about. But I have to keep reminding myself that after all the changes that I have been through...all the times that I have had to adapt to my surroundings no matter how difficult it was...I am always there to support my inner self. I have to always be strong to support myself because in the end, it is us against this world.

The last thing that I want to add is that I have come to the realization that thinking too much can easily breed sadness. Sometimes it helps to just not think too much...to not beat ourselves up about every little thing...to just veg out from time to time. I have to remember that. OK well the nostalgic smell of coffee beans mixed with smooth jazz has successfully overwhelmed me. Thus I shall retire with a nice cup of tea while I await my friend. My new friend. One amongst the many that I have already made within these three months of being back. Oh this life is unpredictable. With a positive attitude and a smile, I will continue to push forward and let myself be surprised by all the things I can discover. Chao!

I am a thinker. I want to learn about everything and be an educated member of society so that I have something to contribute to the common good. I am on the brink of becoming an actual 'adult' because I will be graduating for UCSB soon with a major & two minors. Life without school will be different because it is what I have known for the past 16 years of my life without pause! However, I can't wait to live for ME for a while and learn all that I have not had the opportunity to learn thus far.

I am currently trying to readjust to life in the states after my 6 month study abroad experience in Chile. While I was living in Santiago, I saw, felt, lived a plethora of experiences--many of which were the most challenging experiences of my life. I am convinced that over the last 6 months, I did things that not many people would be able to do. I thank God for the abilities he has bestowed in me. I also have my family and friends to thank for their unwavering support.

I am worried for and ever-vigilant of the generation that we are growing up in. There have been so many changes in our society due to the overwhelming and rapid advances of technology. I have seen enough futuristic movies to know that we are following in the footsteps that directors have laid out for us time & time again. I know that I can be dramatic with my thinking...but what I see is that we don't listen to each other as much anymore. We don't touch as much or look at each other as much. And often we don't appreciate the present moment enough. I feel like we are becoming a disconnected world. As Linda Stone says: "One's full attention will be the aphrodisiac of the future."

Awareness is the first step to being the positive change. I recommend the movie 'Idiocracy' if you want an eye-opener to what our society COULD become one day. So...get off the cell phone, take off the huge headphones, give people the respect they deserve, hold the door open for ladies, offer your seat to someone on the bus that is less able than yourself, don't tell lies, LISTEN instead of talking, and just be content to walk down the street with nothing but the sound of life to keep you entertained.