Farewell To A Friend

His name is Ludwig (original, I know) and he was like a brother to me. He slept next to me every night for 5 years and then when I came back to visit for the next 5 years he was still there to welcome me home and stay by my side. He let me hit him as much as I wanted for anger management, he was always ready to rock out and party with me whether it was smooth jazz or hard rock, and he never let me down. I won't forget the good old days, Ludwig- our long jam sessions to the Jimmy Eat World and Juliana Theory albums, our Owkin days, or even my Shakira phase, (let's be honest it wasn't just a phase) they hold a special place in my heart. Here's to you Ludwig, may you rest in peace in self storage as mom turns our special jam sesh space into a guest room. Thanks for the memories.

To My Lovely Tippy

On the birthday of my beloved friend Tiffany Austin, I would like to look back at all the great things that exist because of her and the great memories with her that I hold dear in my heart. So here's a brief list for my dearest Tippy on the day she turns 24:

                                              (sophomore year in the HFAC)


- Without Tippy the name "Nugg" would not exist, nor this blog for that matter as she is the one who once asked me, do you want your name to be 'lil hooker boot' or 'lil nugg'? I opted for Lil Nugg, and it changed my life. While there are many variations of the nickname Lil Nugg, (she told me I was tender like a little chicken nugget), Tippy will always be the reason I have that name and so, I thank you.
                                       (Tippy at me and V's graduation dinner)
- Lacrosse just wouldn't have been the same. I was the student trainer for the lacrosse team for a whole year and Tippy went on almost all the trips as her dear husband Joshua was a superstar and captain for the lax team. Those wonderful nights of meeting her in her hotel room, singing gwen stefani in the back of a 12 passenger rapist van, and occasionally even getting to share a bed and then hit up the local nightlife (aka the strip and $5 tables).
                                       (LAX National Championship in Dallas)

-Sophomore and Jr Year.... Tippy was my roommate for 1.5 of those and without her as my roommate there would be several key things missing in my life. And i mean KEY:
1. She instilled in me a great love for funfetti cake
2. She taught me that potato bugs were real
3. She helped me gain an obsession for RVCA clothing
4. She helped me through my first game of blackjack and all the way to $100 in profit
5. She gave me a blackjack problem because of the above result
6. She taught me how to make delicious fresh salsa, furthering my salsa addiction
7. She reminded me how much I love cream soda
8. She tried to teach me how to save money and possibly slowed my downward spending spiral
9. She taught me that there is never an excuse to wear jean on jean. or gladiator sandals for that matter.

                                                               (Tippy & I in Vegas)
               (Tippy was one of the few ppl to ever agree to ride w/me on my scooter)
                                                          (making salsa)
                                              roommates at V's wedding

and last,
The fact that Tippy and Josh were possibly going to live near Huntington Beach was one of the deciding factors in my choice of where to go to Grad school and live for the next 3+ years. Unfortunately, Tippy has not yet escaped the state of Utah, but when she does, I'm here waiting for her. And so is the amazing beach weather and south coast plaza and christmas boat parade.


I love you Tippy, thank you for being born!

                                                         Team Sprinklz bowling

(( Sorry if this was poorly written....it's finals week.....))

Saturday Morning

So it was a Saturday morning and we had all just woken up and were sitting on Lisa's bed discussing our plans for the day when the steepness and awesomeness of my loft stairs was mentioned. I believe Staci said something about a laundry basket and Lisa said, let's do it. Here's what we came up with:



Be sure to turn on the sound for maximum enjoyment- lisa's chicken run noise, slamming bodies, etc.

Yes, injuries were sustained in the filming of this video.

I must say though, I like lisa's description of the events better: http://lisawardlisa.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-mom-did-not-find-this-video-funny-i.html

In other news, life is great. Come visit.

xoxo,
gossip gi...err...melanie.
(yes, I am gossip girl's newest #1 fan)

Cousins

In addition to the last post, I thought I'd put up this little gem. Cristina, me and Veronica when we were like 1,2 and 3 or something like that. Some things never change- like Veronica's picture perfect smile, me looking shy/akward, and Cristina's pure awesomeness.



clearly, i really dont want to study.

Vicky J

I will elaborate on this later since I'm supposed to be studying, but in the meantime I would just like to proclaim that i miss my dear best cousin friend Veronica Jean Walters Roberston III. We were roomies from freshman year to our....well super/super super senior years. I want to go to deltay and get tattoos, eat my feelings at lon's, go to walmart and have her write poop on the window while i get pissed my car won't start, avoid countless awkward parties, show up on a friday night to go to the library and realize the entrance is blocked by a school dance, play tony hawk until the early hours of the morning, and spy out of windows at those who actually had social lives. Vicky J, I miss you.....

]

Permanence

Permanence

Yes, it is a word and it finally describes my life. For the past 5 years I have been moving every 4-8 months and that is anything but permanent. Last year I lived in 4 different places in one year. Granted, 3 of those were in the same city, but you know what I mean. I was so tired of moving in and out that I stopped fully moving in. I had unpacked boxes I just shoved under my bed and I stopped bothering to decorate my room. Although, this was mostly because of the time in my apartment with the view of the snowy Wasatch mountains, I had entirely covered the bedroom wall with a years subscription worth of Surfing magazine pages I had ripped out (to remind me there was still an ocean out there). But tragically that night my 6 hours of labor were all undone when I woke up in a sea of magazine pages which had rained all over me during the night. I said to myself, forget it- I’ll be moving out in a couple months anyways.


But something happened yesterday that changed all of this: it was the purchase of a Scotch tape dispenser. There I was in Target knowing I needed more tape as my cheap Western Family brand disposable one had run out, and I looked at all the disposable invisible tape options until suddenly my eyes caught hold of this beauty…..



It looks so simple, but it was the pivotal moment for me in the realizing that I had finally achieved permanence. I thought to myself, it’s time I buy a real tape dispenser, none of this searching through unpacked boxes for a disposable tape dispenser and then borrowing mom’s when I go home, no I need my own, my real, my official…permanent scotch tape dispenser. And now it sits on my desk as a symbol of stability and achievement.

But why did this matter so much? It’s odd to me that this small tape dispenser was what it took to make me realize my permanent and independent situation. Everything I buy, it’s mine and I will have it for a long time to come and it is finally permanent. I’m no longer buying twin sheets for some college dorm room that I won’t use in 2 years or a temporary dresser to fit the ridiculously small apartment rooms I had to live in. No, this is different.
I thought the realization that I was finally moving on and grown up would come upon graduation, or maybe upon moving into my new house. My parents came and redecorated my loft and then I bought a nice chair and tv to complement their hard work and I started feeling a bit more settled.

But even then, it hadn’t quite clicked that this wasn’t temporary and that I was on my own. You’d think the fact that I signed up for my own cell phone plan and pay for it, that I had to choose and pay for my own health insurance plan, that I pay my own rent and utilities, that I paid for my car or even that I do all my own grocery shopping and meal planning (ok that’s a lie let’s be honest I only eat out) would have made me realize this. No, there was a missing piece to the puzzle. And I finally found it, a single scotch tape dispenser that looked at me and said "This is it, welcome to the real world Melanie”.

Really, it did.

Summer Has Flown By

So in theory, you blog about events and such as they happen but when you're lazy like me, here's how it goes down. I call this the Summer Summary. Or...My Summery:

I worked supervising the Corona Del Mar High School pool for the City of Newport Beach, and this consumed a good majority of my time but when all is said and done it was a pretty good job and there were some fun times:

Fun with our Super Slide

Splash Bash Party:

Surf's Up Movie Night:

Trying to light the BBQ:

Obstacle course:

Me being thrown in pool...

The "Incident"

Next Up- Tiffany and Audrey came to visit me in Huntington Beach! 

Yes, we had pizookies 2 nights in a row and had a great day at Knott's Berry Farm:

oh, and i won this...

We had some fun in Hollywood and Av came along:

              Hollywood Boulevard 
   This was right after Audrey got hit on in a Quickie Mart
  Me awarding Sarah the "Best Student" Award (in hopes it'd inspire her)
            Groman's

And then me and my family took a little vacation to the beach (cuz I just can't get enough beach)

   Trenton probably facebooking
Me & Trenton at the beach
            My sister Jenn & her boys

Showing off Stratton's muscles

pirate game with Sophia

           Matthew!

                  Jenn's Boys!

      Weston's new wetsuit:

Trent is ready to go
Almost perfect picture
           Avril came to visit!
    Beach Cruisers at Night:

Sophia claimed Sarah as her new best friend:

That's all for now, I'm going to bed!!!