VAIL!

me and kel in beaver creek
dinner at bob's with kel and dylan - my first time to have wings!
the view outside of kel's room
about to go down a double black diamond....ok maybe not...
they named a restaurant after me!
skiing at beaver creek snowshoeing with lily

hanging out in vail village
vail mountain
more snowshoeing

vacation!

in less than 24 hours i will be in vail, CO!!!!!!!!!!!

i know you're jealous. it's ok.

you should be.

sing to me, ace...

this is ace young. and i might have a crush on him. let me tell you about him. he resides in los angeles, grew up in denver, is 25, and his heroes are his parents. and he has a voice that made me develop an insta-crush on him.

i dont normally watch american idol. in fact, ive probably only seen 5 episodes total over the past however many years its been on. and really, kelly clarkson is the only one who's actually made something of herself (and shes amazing - im a fan). but lets see...ruben? yeah what happened there? clay aiken got further than him despite having a creepy song on the radio about being invisible and being a fly on the wall. and then fantasia...yeah, who? oh and carrie underwhatever..

so tonite i flipped over to american idol to hear a "variety" of guys to put it nicely. some of them look like theyre 8, one dude looks 80. i felt like most of them werent good at all...it was almost painful to listen to a couple of them.

but then there was ace. a great voice...great eyes...great smile...i think im in love. ok ill admit some of his facial expressions were a BIT dramatic, but overall he is GOOD.

so...im still not sure whether im going to be an idol fan - it takes a lot of dedication...i feel like the show is on like 4 times a week...but heres my vote for the next american idol. ace young.

dream big

my parents are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this year. so that says two things - the first being that yeah, my parents are old. two, how amazing that my parents have been married for 40 years!!! for me, someone who has a fear of commitment, this is an amazing feat.

so my mom emails the fam saying that this year they want to celebrate with a family vacation. ever since all of us kids grew up, family vacations havent been something of high frequency - i honestly cant remember the last one we went on. so my mom wanted suggestions of any ideas, no matter how big or how small, of where we might want to go. she somehow ran across a paper from 1991 (yes, thats right) when we were evidently brainstorming for a family trip to celebrate my brothers graduation and my parents 25th anniversary.

i about died laughing when i read the list because i knew exactly which brilliant ideas must have been mine that were on the list. remember i was 10 yrs old. here's the list - i have highlighted the ones that im guessing were my contributions:

Around world in hot air balloon
Schlitterbaun
Sea World
Cape Cod
Disneyland and L.A.
Walt Disney World, FL
Hawaii
Cruise
Backpacking in Europe
Washington D.C.
Virginia (where Kuleen, my sister, was living)
Appalachian Mts.
Six Flags
Rocky Mts.
Canada - any urban area
Animal shelter
Alaska
Iowa (no we don't have family here)

so who wants to go on vacation to the local animal shelter?! i can imagine my family was very supportive of the idea and then laughed behind my back later. what can i say? ive always had a love of pets..

bachelor recap

well last nite was the 'women tell all' show where all the rejects come back and fight with each other more and then they bring out the bachelor and they all suddenly go back to being sweet and innocent. it was pretty ridiculous as expected and they ripped susan to pieces when she was in the hot seat. girls are so mean and although she did start crying a little, i think she held herself together quite nicely. honestly i think they're just all still a little bitter that they were rejected.

then travis made a little 'surprise' visit to the show...although is it really a surprise bc doesnt the bachelor/bachelorette always just 'happen' to make that surprise visit? anyways...he looked as hot as ever and continued to be very respectful of all the women. he even defended susan a bit and wouldnt say a mean thing about crazy baby woman who chose not to come back - shocker.

so next week is the two hour finale although its already been leaked as to who he chooses - boring teacher sarah. i still say that hes not going to propose (at least i hope not).

one day he'll find me....

weekend in review

this weekend was quite eventful in so many ways. first off, jax came in town to visit me so i knew it was going to be a fun weekend. heather had a bunch of people in town as well so we joined up with them all weekend. friday nite fun took place at common interest - a karaoke bar. yeah, thats right. i dont know what was more entertaining...hearing and watching everyone else or performing our excellent rendition of sir mix a lot's baby got back (see pic to the left - yes, i was up there too). the highlight might have been the guy in the blue suit (see pic below). he gets an A+ for his effort and incredible "dancing." needless to say it was an all around great time. saturday jax and i started off the day with hula hut and ritas - dont worry, it was already noon. then she kept up with the jones' and got herself a pretty new ipod. she questioned whether or not getting the black one would make her seem too manly. we asked the cashier his opinion to which he replied, 'well i have a black one.' right...and youre a boy. i thought the black looked sleek and assured her i wouldnt think she was butch if she got it. in case youre wondering - she got the black one. we came back home and i got her addicted to project runway. if you arent familiar then get yourself to a tv and start watching - its great.

saturday nite was filled with beautiful, talented black men. no we werent at a strip club - we were watching all of the nba all star stuff! we all went to a sports bar and sat ourselves in front of a huge big screen and caught all the action. my favorite was the slam dunk contest and i was rooting for my 2nd favorite AI - andre igoudala. his dunks were AMAZING - mostly the behind the backboard trick he did. however i will give it to the winner, nate robinson, who was a mere 5'9 and somehow jumped over a standing spud webb to make the dunk. it was pretty unbelievable. after we got our nba fix we headed downtown for some dancing upon jax' request. ok, well...i definitely wanted to go too. that was sooo much fun. and again im not sure which is more fun - participating or watching everyone else!!

so another late nite resulted in some great sleeping in. unfortunately jax had to leave soon after that but im soo glad she came!!! thanks jax :) sunday was my normal routine of waking up late, working out, doing some eating and showering, church, and then greys anatomy. yuna and i did however catch some of the nba all star game at the tavern before we went home to watch grey's which was great. did everyone see the all star intros where the players danced?! so funny - i wish i could have been in htown to see it in person. and by the way, the tavern has some really really good burgers in case you need a new place to try.

so there's my recap of the ever so busy but worth every crazy second weekend. its presidents day and do i have the day off?? no. why not?? im totally for honoring the presidents of our time...oh well. if you have the day off - enjoy it for me!

typer's block

sometimes i just dont have anything good to share. i admit my last post was weak and i apologize. i tried to add a pic of AI for a little incentive but my computer at work and i were fighting and it won. i also try to not just ramble about nonsense bc who really wants to read that? and i have a little ticker on the bottom of my page that keeps track of how many hits i get and the per day rate seems to be increasing which only increases the pressure to produce something of significance for my audience. so with that, im going to leave you with a post with a whole mess of random info. its the best i can do right now..

i go to vail in exactly a week!

i have despised my job this week. i glare at my phone when it rings sometimes. ive had a lady semi-cuss at me, another drag her order out for literally 18 minutes, and a dude tell me about chlamydia...his chlamydia. yeah, thats why i dont wanna answer my phone anymore.

my friend jax is coming to austin this weekend just to see me!! i cannot wait - im prepared to laugh a lot and eat good food.

my friend heather is moving next week to houston :( but my friend scott is moving here this weekend :)

my family probably isnt abandoning me! the people in va are being very wishy washy about the job and my brother in law is probably not going to take it anymore. yes, they are just as surprised about it as i am.

in a few weeks i plan on dropping about 2 grand on a new camera...if anyone has any suggestions about that please share bc my head is running around in circles trying to figure out the 'best' one.

it was like 80 degrees yesterday and today its like 40. texas is evidently trying to kill us all with this weather.

thats about...have a good weekend...try to stay dry and warm.

nba heaven

so this weekend is nba all star weekend. and for me, someone who is slightly obsessed with the nba, its a really great thing. to have all your favorite nba athletes in one central location at one time - and for that location to be a mere two hours away from you?! yeah, all star weekend is in houston and how i so wish that i had tickets. too bad they cost like a bazillion bucks and were sold out a million years ago...oh well.

so yeah...all of the events are being aired on tnt...which is a cable channel. i dont have cable. so i guess ill be hitting up my local area sports bars to get my fix. if you plan on watching this weekend i would suggest not missing the slam dunk contest on saturday featuring my man little AI (andre iguodala) and of course the nba all star game on sunday nite. i cant wait...i just wish i could see them all in person...

bachelor recap

well it was down to three and now its down to two. and i was a bit suprised that he kicked susan to the curb but maybe just bc i think they would make such a pretty couple. hes hot, shes beautiful - they would make a really attractive family right? oh well...one setback however is the fact that her kids might grow up to be sailors with the mouth shes got on her. sweet susan gets cut and suddenly shes throwing out all the cuss words she knows...

so its down to the big dull dud sarah, and moana. im not happy with the way things have ended, thats for sure. and here's a leak i heard - he ends up with the boring teacher. my sources say that they were seen in nashville working out together. *SIGH* its not too shocking though with it down to her and moana...i would guess that he would pick her at this point just bc moana has always seemed a bit crazy.

and lets talk about the purple monster for a second. and by that i mean, sarah and her purple prom dress that she picked out for the rose ceremony. seriously where did that come from? ok i might be picking on her a bit but you always have favorites in these shows and she was never ever one of mine. and since mine are out, i gotta take cheap shots on the ones that are left. next week is the one where all the rejected girls come back and talk about travis. i CANT WAIT for crazy baby woman to come back! remember her - the one that told travis that she was ready to be in the reproductive stage of her life??? oh gosh...its gonna be great..

and then the finale in two weeks although lets be honest...we know whats gonna happen...

did cupid shoot you in the butt today?

speaking of, has anyone seen that commercial where the guy has on the valentines boxers, comes downstairs with a bow and arrow and shoots his wife in the butt? its so funny to me...

anyways...good ole valentines day. im pretty indifferent about the holiday. i dont have the cold hearted single girl bitterness that some people have and i dont have the gushy mushy love is in the air sentiment either. but then again, ive never had a real valentine on valentines day so maybe one day i will get gushy mushy. ok, lets be honest, i probably wont. so yeah, i dont have much to say on that topic...

i almost quit my job yesterday - i know i say that a lot and its turning into the boy who cried wolf situation where sooner or later ill say that and people will be like, whatever. or maybe we're already to that point. but yeah, the meanest lady in the world decided to be my last customer of the day and proceeded to piss me off to new heights. you know how sometimes you get sooo angry you start crying? yeah, it was kinda like that. i gotta say though, i held my composure well despite her severe meanness. after we hung up and got my stuff and left for the day. my boss was out sick but if she had been there i think i would have walked by her office and said 'i quit' on my way out. so lucky for me, she wasnt there, and i still have my job. the joys of customer service...

a music lovers paradise

this weekend was the folk alliance music conference. i didnt know what it was but
my friend heather told me about it bc she works with someone who is involved in the music industry and a part of this whole thing. well i had no idea what i was in for and had no idea it would be so great. it was held at the hilton downtown and showcased hundreds of artists and groups of all ages, shapes, and sizes. one thing was constant though - good music.

there were some bigger stages set up on the main ballroom floors and such but my favorite was the rest - they were in the hotel rooms themselves! it was awesome...you would just walk down the hall (not easily as it was very crowded) and the doors were open and different people were playing in the rooms. you could just stand in the doorway or jump on a bed and listen for the 30 minute set. and if you didnt like them you just leave and check out the next room. the intimate setting was so cool - the people would finish playing and then just come sit down next to you and talk. and they might not be super famous or anything but it was still cool, ya know? so yeah...i have all these new people i love now! and not just bc theyre personable but bc theyre really talented. it was all folk type...obviously as it was called the folk alliance conference...so a lot of it was people who could play guitars really well and sing beautifully. throw in some keyboards...some harmonicas....some drums and other various instruments and you got yourself a show. oh and did i mention it was all free? yeah, gotta love that. i would have just rotated rooms for days and listened to everyone if i had a chance.

so yeah that was basically my weekend...went with heather on friday and then easily talked jac into making the trip bc i knew it would be well worth it. so if youre wanting some new stuff to try out then here are some suggestions: melissa ferrick, jason spooner, the kennedys, the dreamsicles, rose cousins, rachael sage, rachel loy, rachel davis, michal johnston, edie carey, bora yoon, and michelle citrin.

im a hustler baby...

this week has been BUSY. but im not complaining...busy is better than lame right? however a busy week results in me being completely worthless during the weekend so it all evens out. im already imagining how great it is going to be to lay on my bed on saturday and do nothing....

but anyways...this week...yeah, busy at work and after. shoot, i even had a trip to cs in there. last nite was pretty eventful as well. heather and i are getting in a lot of valuable hangout time before she up and leaves to houston in a couple weeks. last nite we took advantage of 99 cent ritas nite at el arroyo. you really cant beat that..its awesome. i had some bbq chicken enchiladas which were soo good i kinda wanna go back and eat some more...like now. we did a little shopping at the mall before it closed and then the real fun began..

we went to water tank. a bar that honestly ive been kinda scared of all my life. its not in a bad part of town or anything but just kinda looks like one of those places where you leave with an std. i dont know why i have thought that but she assured me that normal people go there so we went. cant knock it till you try it right? well, after being there for about 10 minutes i was still somewhat skeptical but was not going to lose hope. we found out that thurs. was tx hold em poker nite and before you know it, we're playing in the tourney too. i became a little addicted to online poker and gambling in college but havent played much, if at all, since. well, long story short - i got 4th place. yeah, i dunno how but it was pretty awesome. when i made it to the final table guys from previous tables kept walking by saying, 'youre still here?!' what, a girl cant play a little poker? so that was fun times. i also did some networking chat with a guy who seemed concerned that i was not happy at my job. im supposed to get in touch with him when i have a list of 10 things/jobs that i want to pursue. hmm...it took me 24 years to come up with one.

anyways...ive played too hard these past few 'school nites.' i just cant handle it like i could in college - im a wreck at work! however, its looking like next week might be about the same...oh well...you only live once right?

day trip to cs!

jeff, kristen, and avery barstad
proud mom
avery kathryn
we made a trip to campus for old times sake
patin got his diploma!!

a great day trip to cs! busy though - maybe next time i wont try to cram everything into one day.

it was great to see the new addition to the barstad family - shes so little and adorable and definitely worth the trip! so glad we all got to be a part of the first diaper changing - what an experience!! :)

patin, rie...it was fun to reminisce our college days and walk thru the msc. rie - thanks for asking random strangers questions about china. patin - im glad you finally got your diploma. i would call you out for taking so long to get it but i just got mine framed a week ago and i graduated a year before you...

joshy, box, rick...great to see yall....sorry you all hate living with each other ;)

alright well...my day of vacation has to come to an end...back to work tomorrow...ugh.

bachelor recap

well i cant give the most thorough recap bc half of the show overlapped with 24 and there was NO way i was going to watch bachelor over 24! however, i was not aware that it was a 2hr event and was really confused when they were going to the rose ceremony after only showing 2 of the 4 family visits! then i realized that i had missed canadians and moanas bc of 24. so...i dont know how those went and thus cant give any opinions.

i did see sarah, the big dull dud, and her family visit. since travis is from nashville too it was a little different bc he invited her family over to his house - which was nice..i could live there :) oh, and he literally lives like a block from sarah and they had never seen each other. im thinking, if she doesnt end up with him then she is totally going to become a stalker since she knows where he lives. so their family time was pretty good and she got a rose at the end. *sigh*

susans fam visit was a little more tense and they were all a bit concerned about travis being a rebound relationship since susan was recently disengaged. she tried to assure him that she was 100% there for him and that he wasnt a rebound. i think hes still keeping that in mind though. she also got a rose.

moana got the third rose and canadian got sent home despite her boobs looking pretty huge in the dress she strategically picked out for the evening. i think the excuse was that she was too young which might be true...theyre what, like 10 or so years apart?

so its down to three...susan, moana, and the bore. and here are my thoughts. i dont think any of them should win. and yeah, this might partially be due to the fact that i think travis should marry me...but moreso the fact that i just dont see any of them as a great fit for him. and its not like i know him real well either but from what ive seen from the girls and him...i dont see any of these working out long term. im calling it now. he might pick one in the end, but i dont think its going to work.

i guess we'll just have to see...

it's a girl!!!

congrats to jeff and kristen barstad who had a baby girl last nite - avery kathryn barstad!!! some of yall reading probably don't know them but they are good friends from college and are now proud parents of a cute little baby.

im going to make a little day trip tomorrow to see them and the baby - one luxury of having a job that doesnt mean a whole lot. i can say, "im not coming in tomorrow" and its no big deal. they probably wont even notice my vacancy...

so...if youre in the cs and wanna make some time to see me, let me know!!

i love lists.

lists are great. great to read, great to make, great to check off. i was recently "tagged" by my friend tsh to do one of these things. ok...twist my arm...

Four jobs i've had:
*HEB - for 6 grueling years so i think that should count for 3...
*The Medical Institute for Sexual Health - i dont pass out condoms and im not a 1-800 helpline so please dont call me and tell me about your "problems"

Four movies i can watch over and over:
*Love Actually
*Bottle Rocket
*Hope Floats
*Last of the Mohicans/The Patriot

Four places i've lived:
*Korea (six months before I came to America)
*College Station - home of aggies
*Georgetown - home of old people and slow driving
*Austin - home

Four TV shows i love (although i could easily list 10):
*Grey's Anatomy - and not just because everyone tells me i remind them of christina yang
*24 - 60 minutes of nonstop action each week - who wouldnt love that?
*Laguna beach - dont judge me. snobby rich kids intrigue me for some reason
*Lost - are they ever going to get off that island??

Four places i've vacationed:
*korea - and i came back with a baby! ok, my sister did i guess
*Cali - lots of times growing up b/c that's where all the relatives were
*Philly - because that's where Allen Iverson lives ;)
*Oregon - 5 summers in a row to go to asian camp. you think im lying?

Four of my favorite dishes:
*Seven layer dip
*Anything with pasta
*Chicken divan
*Strawberry cake

Four sites i visit daily (again i could list about 20):
*NBA
*Craigslist
*Slate
*Myspace

Four places i would rather be right now:
*Australia
*Hawaii
*Home
*Paris

Four bloggers i'm tagging:
*ck
*petie
*jac shell
*malita
dont let me down girls!


its friday and 5 minutes till 5. beautiful.

what am i getting myself into?

so remember my new found epiphany on life and wanting to be a wedding photographer? well, the desire is still there but im feeling more defeated than ever.

i got onto a photography website and posted on a forum for wedding photography advice, camera suggestions. from what i gathered from other posts, the experience level ranged from novice to lifelong experience and figured i could get some good feedback. well, about 10% of the people that replied were kind and gave honest advice, helpful info. etc. the other 90% of the people made me feel about this big. i was mocked and ridiculed for basically just thinking that i could do this. and nowhere in my post did i imply that i knew what i was doing or thought i would be able to just jump right in and be amazing. one guy even told me that i didnt have a chance unless i spent at least $20,000 on equipment. call me crazy, but i dont think i need 2o grand to take pictures at my friends small wedding in nov. not that i dont think its possible to spend that much...yeah, i realize that its not uncommon to drop a few thousand dollars on a camera and once you start buying lenses, accessories, equipment etc. it would easily hit 20k. but i also think that that's a level you work up to and lets remember that im not even sure that this is something that im going to like so no way am i going to invest my life savings into it quite yet.

so...for everyone who is supporting me thru this idea and giving me encouraging words, i thank you. even if you dont think i stand a chance, thanks for not telling me that to my face.

and what do YOU want to be when you grow up?

this question always haunted me. maybe because for the last 24 years of my life ive never had an answer except for, "um...um....i dunno.." its like when youre in your senior year or 5th or 6th year of college and you start getting the age old question of, "so, what are your plans after college?" my response was usually, "um...um...i dunno.." see a trend? yeah, and then the question is followed up by, "well, what do you like?" "what are you good at?" etc etc. and yeah, i had answers to that but how do you make a job out of puppies, cute boys, food, and shopping? just kidding. my point is that yeah i have interests and things that im kinda good at i think but ive never thought of that one job and been like, YES that is what i wanna do. some people know that they are going to be a teacher or a fireman from age two. me, on the other hand, as a kid thought that being a bagger at alberstons would be fun. why? i have no idea - i guess the idea of being surrounded by food all day was appealing. well, 10 years later and then 6 years after that i found myself at heb hating my life. i had found that the bagging groceries life wasnt as fun as i had imagined it to be at age 6.

all to say, ive graduated college and am not in my dream job. in fact some days its closer to a nightmare. however, it allows me to pay my rent each month as i continue to search out my 'dream job.' and i think i have finally come up with a job that yeah, maybe i actually wanna do. *insert gasps, open jaws, and wide-eyed stares here* i think i wanna be a wedding photographer. i had thrown out the idea in earlier posts but now i think im serious. i love photography and weddings and taking pictures of people, so why not? im quickly learning that its not something you drop your career for and pursue though. its an art and it takes years of practice, plenty of time, and lots of trial and error to master. however, im willing to give it a shot and i figure - if i end up not liking it then ill quit. i wont have lost much, but will have gained experience and will be able to still use that in other areas. so thats that. my first official try at this is in november for my friend heather. for some reason she has entrusted me to her wedding and im already praying that i dont screw up.

so theres that. its pretty exciting to be honest. to for once have an idea of what you want to do with your life - thats a good feeling.