Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Graduation Station

     On December 15th, I had a wonderful graduation party thrown for me by my mother.  She catered the whole party, so you know the food was fabulous!  A Thai feast for a small army was made.  Huge thank you to my mother and uncle for all that they did in throwing me this party.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!  It was so nice to see so many family and friends come by in order to celebrate my success.  I really love and appreciate you all!  

Below are just a few of the many pictures taken at the party...  (Please do not be insulted if I did not post our picture together, it just means I probably didn't think I looked very good in it, you were beautiful ;-] haha)


 Chose not to walk for graduation, but cap and gown was loaned to me by my best friend Delali.

The longest friendship I have ever had is with this guy, Taylor.

 Katie, provider of the best laughs of my life and one of the best friends you could ever ask for.  The memories are endless with this one.

 Delali, the best best friend anyone could ever have!  She keeps me young and provides me with a lot of support in all aspects of my life.

Master Chef on the right, my mother.

All the great cards I received on graduation day!

 The beautiful journal Katie got for me to take along my travels.

     Now that Christmas is over and I have 18 days until my flight to Thailand, it is crunch time!  I am starting to panic, but continue to get reassured by my friends that everything will get done.  Most people leave on a trip and all they have to worry about is packing for that trip.  I have to worry about moving out of a house on top of all that...  

      Man, I am going to miss this house!  Living here alone has been such a learning experience.  I don't know if I could ever have a roommate again, it is just too fantastic to live entirely alone.  So many amazing memories were made here.  Living in Old Folsom when you are 21, 22, 23 really provides you with some of the best times.  It is basically the ideal situation.  It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, but all memories non the same.  I have to thank my uncle for allowing me to live here, which in turn has led me to a very entertaining youth and to gaining a lot of independence and knowledge about myself.

A BILLION THANK YOUS TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE!  I LOVE YOU WITH ALL OF MY HEART AND I WILL MISS YOU DEARLY!  YOU'LL BE IN MY THOUGHTS AS I TRAVEL THE GLOBE!  

"Make new friends, but keep the old; Those are silver, these are gold".  -Joseph Parry

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

California State University, Sacramento Graduate!

     Today was my last final and I am now a California State University, Sacramento Graduate!  It is so thrilling to not have to go to school anymore, but I can't believe how fast time has flown!  This semester came and went and now I have a Bachelor's Degree in Social Science, and a Minor in History.  I also finished my course to become Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certified.  It was a little bit overwhelming handling 6 classes at once, but I did it! 


   
     After my final, I went through my closet.  I already have five garbage bags full of clothes to donate and still have several loads of laundry to do.  I bought way too many clothes over the years.  I also don't know how to get rid of clothing, so it has stock piled.  It is weird to get rid of everything, but it will be nice to get a brand new wardrobe whenever I settle down again.



     
Tomorrow marks my one month countdown to leaving the United States!  I can't believe it!  In one month I will be starting the craziest adventure of my life.  So excited to start my travels at the place of my birth, Bangkok, Thailand!  Where it all began...  One thing I really feel like I missed out on in life was relationships with extended family.  My family moved to the United States and I have never really had cousins living close by to have that kind of family dynamic.  I am so excited to see all of my cousins, aunts and uncles in Thailand and to feel connected to them in that way.  

     I am very excited for my graduation party this Saturday!  It seems as though several family and friends will be coming and I can't wait to see them all!  Today after I knew I was done with college, I turned on Bob Marley, looked up to my father, and said "I did it, thank you."  To everyone above and here below, I thank you for all the love and support today and all the days of my life. ♥




Good luck with all the Christmas shopping everyone...  I am WAY behind, let me tell you!

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas".  -Calvin Coolidge 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Finally booked my flight!

     Well... it took a lot of contemplation, a lot of research, a little bit of tears (who doesn't cry when they are overwhelmed a little), many phone calls... but it all led to me booking my flight to my first country!  I will be leaving for Thailand on January 13th and I can't wait!!!  I have not been there for ten years and am really looking forward to seeing all of my family.  On the other hand, I am not looking forward to this 20 hour flight!!!  Luckily I have a one hour layover in South Korea to get up and stretch my legs and get off the plane for a short while.

     I just want to say how grateful I am for this experience!  I am going to follow my heart and travel until I am ready to come home.  The sky's the limit on where I am traveling to and I don't have any set dates of when I leave one place to go to the next.  I always wanted to do this...  Growing up, you hear of people saying they are going to backpack through Europe or through Southeast Asia and you always hope to one day do it as well.  Being a girl though, I was never fully comfortable with this situation, especially if you are going alone.  Through my research and conversations with friends, I feel thoroughly comfortable traveling alone.  I am also blessed because I already know a lot of family and friends all over the world, so I am not starting from ground zero by any means. 

     One of my priorities on this trip is to find ways to give back.  As I travel I hope to spend some time volunteering.  Orphanages are my first thought, but I am sure I will be able to find some other opportunities as well.  Let me know if you guys think of anything!  Doing volunteer work is when I feel the most full because it is such a rewarding experience.  This past year I was on the Events Committee at the Volunteer Center of Sacramento and the Charity Chair for Future by Design, Student Fashion Association.


"They say if you become a better person, you'll have a better life..." -Charlie Brown

STAY TUNED, more to come ;-)
xoxo

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Connections and/or Advice?

Veterans Day!

      For those of you that do not have Facebook, I posted this wonderful image of my father in honor
of him being a Vietnam Veteran.
This is my dad enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner in 1966.  Love and cherish this picture so much!

     This post is to open the door for all of you to give me any connections and/or advice on the locations I am going.  If you have been to Australia, New Zealand or Thailand, is there any MUST DO things while I am in these locations?  Luckily I have family and friends in all these countries to stay with and to show me around a bit, but you can never make enough friends.  If there are any connections you want to send my way, that would be great as well.  


     Can't believe that it has been a decade since I was in Thailand!  Can't wait to see my HUGE family!  They have continued to show me love and support my whole life even though we are worlds apart.  Technology is a beautiful thing!  I am so proud of all my cousins and their many amazing accomplishments.  Several of my cousins, aunts and uncles are world travelers as well!


     While some may think it is odd...  I am going on this trip entirely alone, not counting the family and friends I already have in these nations of course.  I feel like it is a journey I need to take by myself.  Leave this part of the world behind for something entirely new.  One of the things I am most excited to do on this trip is to meet tons and tons of new people.  I can't wait!  I think I inherited this trait from my father.  He used to travel all around the world and make so many friends in simple ways.  For example, just sparking up a conversation on the airplane.  7 billion people in this world, you can definitely never meet enough people!


Alright... back to homework!!!  Got to graduate or none of this happens!!!  HAHAHA


ALL MY LOVE  
                                                                                                                           XOXO
"A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints." -Wilfred Peterson

Saturday, November 10, 2012

WELCOME

HELLO!!!


     I am sure that many of you are starting to receive my graduation invitations! I wanted to have a post up to welcome you all to my Blog!!! This is going to be very exciting once I am traveling and am able to share some of my adventures with you! I will try to post as often as I can, but my first priority is just to enjoy the experiences for myself and try to keep up with my own daily journal. Blog comes third and I am sure you all understand!

     I can't believe that it is already November 10th and I turned 23 years old a few days ago! Time is flying and there is still so much more that needs to be done. If I could go back in time and listen to my mother for at least one thing, it would have been to not buy so much stuff in college!!! You never know where you are going to go. Now I have a house full of things and am trying to leave the country for a very long time... Luckily I have sold some big ticket things like my elliptical and I am not feeling as stressed. Mom is going to help me have a garage sale in a couple weeks to get rid of all my things as well. 


     I have exactly one month until I am finished with school!!! It is hard keeping up with 6 classes, having a job and trying to get all my travel affairs in order, but I am trying to take it all one day at a time. I am so anxious to get on that plane and go, but I want to enjoy the time I have left and the people I am leaving for so long. As far as the graduation party goes, please RSVP in a timely manor as my mother is going to be cooking some very amazing food for everyone! Look forward to seeing you all there!


Lastly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love and support that I have been receiving!
“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” -Seneca