August 12

Here's to you friends, life, rude waiters and music festivals..

The tools of self discovery..

Coherence. Balance. Focus. Effectiveness & Communication with People. Flexibility. Portability.

Principally Centered

I might as well center this text. 

Centering one's self is very hard. It is a constant battle to fit every little thing into a (very) short time frame. Principles govern the little time that we have for ourselves. But what are principles?

For me, principles are truths. They are deep fundamental beliefs that construct the fabric of life. They are interwoven into our very beauty and livelihood.

Staying true to my principles is tough. It will be my goal, starting tomorrow (or 7 hours from now), to stay true to the written principles in  my moleskin. How hard can it be? Hard enough to make it worth trying.

I challenge you to do the same. Please share your thoughts and experiences.

Simply Love. 

Food for the Highly Effective

I recently acquired The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a book that I've aspired to read for quite some time.  I was perusing the aisles of Green Apple when I noticed this book sitting on one of the higher shelves. It was in the "Self-Help" section, which was a ironic considering that was the last thing I needed at the moment..  Hmm, self help? I hesitated before walking over to the section. I didn't want the regulars/employees of Green Apple to think I was a crazy person, which would have been a problem considering the fact that I go to Green Apple on a daily basis (thank you unemployment!)

"Whatever," I breathed. Who the hell cares. I'm already a crazy person anyway.

Fast forward to today when, after leaving Green Apple, I decided to take a little coffee break down the street. There, I opened up my 1980 edition of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. And it was there that I read these wise words:

"On the maturity continuum, dependence is the paradigm of you-you take care of me; you come through for me; you didn't come through; I blame you for the results.
Independence is the paradigm of I-I can do it; I am responsible; I am self-reliant; I can choose.
Interdependence is the paradigm of we-we can do it; we can cooperate; we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together.
Dependent people needs others to get what they want. Independent people can get what they want through their own effort. Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.

If I were physically dependent-paralyzed or disabled or limited in some physical way-I would need you to help me. If I were emotionally dependent, my sense of worth and security would come from your opinion of me. If you didn't like me, it could be devastating. If I were intellectually dependent, I would count on you to do my thinking for me, to think through the issues and problems of my life.
If I were independent, physically, I could pretty well make it on my own. Mentally, I could think my own thoughts, I could move from one level of abstraction to another. I could think creatively and analytically and organize and express my thoughts in understandable ways. Emotionally, I would be validated form within. I would be inner directed. My sense of worth would not be a function of being liked or treated well."

My feelings, precisely.

The Greatest Adventure.

THE CRISTIMON CHRONICLES

PART II: The Engagement Photos...at least the first set.

THE CRISTIMON CHRONICLES

PART I: The Engagement

 

...I like you guys. Congratulations!!!!!

Day 3.

Just breath..

WINTER ROADTRIPS.

PART I.

So, tomorrow my best friend Rachel and I will be road tripping down south.  We wanted to go somewhere that had: 1) a decent beach, 2) fruit growing on trees, 3) and the occasional friendly face. 

Hello San Diego!

Staying Present

...allows us the Transcendence of thought.

Joyeux Noël!!

Have a very happy Christmas. I love you all!

ROCK IT.

 

..the power behind my essence

an Explorer of this world

a valuable resource

 my guide

a way to focus on the good

the encouragement to live my best

a wise monkey

the animal lover

a dashing partner in crime

a worthy opponent

the perfect teammate

a mysterious mask of thought

a character to take notice of

a loyalty to strive for

a looker

an artist to appreciate

the yogi to meditate with

the writer who writes beautiful poetry

a dreamer who aims high for those he loves

and those he does not yet know

a spiritual being

a remarkable human

the first person I think of

my best friend.

Nico C.

Birthday Girl

 Rachel Taylor

You're great.

And super pretty.
 

...and because it's your birthday, I felt inspired to write you an acrostic poem.

R adiant
A blaze
C atchy
H ottie
E ntertained/Entertaining..that's right...lots of laughs
L ovable

Your welcome.

See you in 41 hours, 56 seconds.

or perhaps a little thirsty?

key vino ingredient.

hungry?

take a bite..

simple words

"Find ecstasy in life; 

the mere sense of living

is joy enough."

-Emily Dickinson

baby dinos in the backyard..

 

 

an Italian beginning..

Oh my goodness, I have been horrible about keeping up with the blogs.  It seems that there are always things that I should be doing instead of enjoying a little writing time...  Isn't that ironic?  Why shouldn't we always be enjoying ourselves?

Speaking of that, I did find a infinitesimal amount of down time today, which was gladly spent in Italian class.  My mom and I went to our first class at Santa Barbara City College.  We almost didn't go, mostly because we were too lazy to park, buy a parking permit, and walk up the (extremely steep) hill.  But alas, we knew it had to be done. 

Once getting to the Humanities building, we trudged into our classroom.  I was a little surprised to find a our tutor, as he appeared to be about 15 years old.  Not to mention he looked more Americanized than me.

We began immediately.  Oh my god-I didn't know anything.  I immediately regretted coming to class.  This was so silly.  Maybe taking a quick break from class to buy the book was necessary.  After all, I didn't feel exactly 100% comfortable sharing a book with the stranger sitting next to me.

Coffee break?  Yes please.

To make a long story short for sake of time here, my mom and I sounded a little rusty.  That might be an understatement...BUT we did manage to put a few words together to make just a baby bit of Italian sense.  It will be an interesting semester, needless to say.

My studying starts tonight.  Vino might be necessary.

transcending the limits

..Nico & Ben

the pretty bride

...and her Wedding

Jalama Canyon Ranch

My good friend, Rebecca Michealsen, was married to Stephen Searer this past Saturday.

She looked absolutely gorgeous.

It was a Seareriously big occassion..

..and a beautiful day.

Love you Bec

Dirt Face

On. Horse. Back.

 

It had been a long time since I had last been on a horse.  When I was a youngster, I used to go riding at least once a week.  I liked horses, a lot.  I felt very comfortable on a horse, riding at many levels.

Well, that was a long time ago.

Last Saturday, Nico's family and their family friends from Texas decided to go on a little adventure, horseback riding! The entire fam was going, so they very generously invited me to join.  I was stoked, heck yeah!

I got my riding gear ready the day before: leather boots (no spurs this time), dark leggings, a shirt that breathed well, and of course aviators.  I was ready for some horsey action...

 
Getting up on the horse was a little more difficult than I had remembered.  I suppose it's always easier to hoist yourself up when you weigh 35 less pounds.  Once I got seated comfortably, had my stirrups adjusted properly, I could already feel the discomfort coming on.  My butt was going to be so sore tomorrow.  And it was.

However, having an uncomfortable rear was really the least of my worries. Two minutes into our trail ride, the dust began to rise in our faces.  Oh, and did it rise, and cover..everything.  I was breathing dust the entire time, whilst attempting to cover my camera from the little brown specks.  Unfortunately, I didn't do a very good job, as my camera still has a brown film covering it.

Ahhh, nature.

A Mother's Pride & Joy

Dante

In his first few weeks...

Breed: long haired dachshund

Color: black & caramel

Favorite Person: Margaret

Hobbies: chewing on shoes & sleeping

Latest Vacation: Van Buren household

New Trends

Since I've started being a working woman this year, it's definitely been a struggle in more ways than one.

First of all, having about half the time that I used to have is difficult enough.  Therefore, finding any extra time for personal enjoyment is almost impossible.  When free time does come my way, I usually spend it relaxing and/or preparing for my next day at work.  If this is what the rest of my life is going to be like, then damn....I might as well just throw in the towel now.  No one warned us twenty-somethings about this period of our life.  What do we do now that school's over and the work career is in its formulative years?

This being said, learning how to balance my work life and free time has been mentally taxing.  I find that taking a couple of hours a day for personal time is not just nice, it's necessary.  Personal time in this instance is just being able to sit down with a cup of coffee and stop.  Stop doing what needs to be done, and start doing what one wants to get done.  For me, this might include just browsing the internet, reading a book, or even writing these silly blogs.  Things like this keep me sane, frankly.

On a more positive note, I've begun allocating most of my free time to personal art endeavors.  I just became a new member of the website fineartamerica.com.  Here, members can upload copies of their art, in any medium, for people to view.   If viewers really enjoy your work, they can order prints and/or canvas prints of your work.  In essence, it's a personal online marketplace for sharing and selling your work.  It's fantastic.

Speaking of art endeavors, I'm beginning to consider the necessity of going to a museum once a week.  Museums are definitely some of the coolest places to visit, at home and while you're traveling.  The museums in Santa Barbara are pretty good too, considering how few there are.  This Sunday, I will start at the SB Museum of Art downtown.  It's free admission day!  Who's in??

Enjoying a foreign idea

Reading the travel section of the New York Times yesterday was very enlightening.  After sleeping in, I instinctively grabbed the Sunday paper and walked outside to soak up the sun.  The Travel section's headline ran something about staying in Europe without hotels.. Hmmm, interesting idea, but realistic?  This didn't sound all too unfamiliar as I just had been discussing a similar subject with our Kiwi guests, who are in Santa Barbara for the first time.

The article promoted the novel idea of booking a room with a local resident of the city you're traveling to, instead of staying in a hotel/hostel.  Apparently, there are huge networks of people that rent out rooms in their flats/houses for tourists to enjoy.  Usually, the cost to rent out a room is substantially less than a hotel room.  It is akin to staying in a B&B, with a private room & bathroom, but at a less expensive rate.  Sounds like a brilliant idea to me.

I got the chance to check out one of the companies that organizes these bookings, called AirBnB.com.  It is commonly referred to as "Ebay for space."  Essentially, it is an online marketplace that enables people to rent out private rooms domestically and abroad.  The site also lists vacation rentals, entire apartments, B&Bs, boutique hotels, castles, and treehouses!  Be forewarned however; you may spend hours checking out all the listings.  Its awesome.

I think that this is the start to a new and exciting way to travel, especially for younger people on a budget.  It's traveling with an element of surprise...

Coffee and the blog= eternal happiness.

On this extremely hot and sunny morning, I decided it's time to write again.

Last week, I had a momentary change of heart about continuing to write this blog when a friend of mine mentioned how "narcissistic" blogs are.  After thinking about it for a few days,  I decided that he might have a point- however, I don't completely agree.  I don't find enjoyment in writing about myself.  I find enjoyment in writing, no matter what the subject is.  I might be natural that my blog topics usually involve me, but that's obvious when they are written from my point of view.  I find other people's blogs very interesting.  Everyone deserves to have an audience.

Anyway, during my brief respite in writing, I also decided to give up caffeine.  Yep, I'm a crazy person.  No tea, chocolate....or COFFEE!! aaah.  Thanks to the inspirational people surrounding me, I managed to stay caffeine-free for a week and a half.  I am just at this exact moment enjoying my first cappuccino.  It might just be the best thing I've ever tasted.

At this point, I would usually go into a whole nutritional lesson about how good coffee is for you, etc.  However, I think I'll spare you for now.  If you're interested, check out hethsfoodonearth :)

I hope everyone is having an absolutely AMAZING day~

Until manana..

The Un-Fun I Subject Myself To..

Just the other day, I was caught in an uncomfortable situation, yet again.  Nico was leaving my house to go to work, when he suddenly decides to pull out the hackey sack in my driveway.  Now, as I've mentioned before, playing hackey-sack is not a favorite pastime of mine.  I'm bad at it, and more often than not it's usually just boring.

"Hey, let's play a little hackey-sack," Nico panted, as he already was concentrating on keeping the sack from hitting the ground.  I guffawed.  Yeah right...

The next thing I know, I'm attempting to play hackey-sack on my day off.  Great...why do I always give into these things??  In the total amount of time that we (attempted) to play, about 25 minutes, I probably hit the sack 7 times.  We even got a rally of 4 hits going between us!  He was so happy about this accomplishment, he may have never looked so ecstatic....

Nico owes me big time for all these un-fun games I've had to participate in this week.  I'd say a proper date night & funded trip to Anthro would suffice...

Coincidence?

...I think not!

I walked into my room to see a new netflix sitting on my desk.  I got excited and immediately ripped it open to see which one it was....  Chocolat

I was eating chocolate at the time.

Thundercat Victorious!

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  I awoke to it being sunny and warm; weather perfect for a day spent outside.  I had the idea of sitting in the sun in the backyard to write & read before going to work.  And if it got really warm, I could go swimming.

Nico, however, had a "better" idea, "Let's play frisbee!" His eyes lit up and got way too excited.  Two words came out of my mouth almost immediately, "Um, no."  Frisbee is one of those games that are only fun if you're good at them, like hackey-sack or horse shoes.  I only played frisbee at summer camps when I was young when there was nothing else to do.  It was something to pass the time with...not a hobby.  Nico didn't really understand my "no" answer, so he assigned me to a patch of grass to go stand on.  "Stay there and just catch the frisbee," he instructed.  Oh boy.

The next thing I knew, a yellow frisbee was flying in my direction coming quickly from the opposite side of the yard.  I caught it! Yeahhhhh, maybe I wasn't as bad at this as I thought.  I pitched the frisbee back (gracefully, I might add), and it reached Nico perfectly at chest level.  Nico seemed impressed which only added to my frisbee-throwing confidence.  "Hey, I might actually be kind of good at this now that I've grown up," I  mused.

Nope! Definitely was an overstatement.  The next frisbee that came out of my hands traveled at a 90 degree angle and hit the house, barely missing my dad's office window.  Woops.  I laughed..I was embarrassed.  Nico stared at me like I was a crazy person.  But hey, what's new!?  The next throw was also highly off as I smacked the umbrella pole, sending the entire thing into vibration mode.  Nico then tried to instruct me as to "how to flick you're wrist to get a good aim at your target." I was getting bored.

We switched places on the lawn, so that he was in a more narrow area, bordered by a large flower bed on one side and the pool on the other.  The other side of the yard enabled me to run, jump, and hop after the frisbee if need be.  Why he hadn't originally put me in this spot I have no idea.  Things seemed to be working out better in our new positions.  For all you frisbee throwers out there, I was even able to throw underhand with a quick flick of my right wrist.  Things were going quite well, and I was really enjoying this whole frisbee business.

There were a few instances where I caught myself from diving into insect-infected bushes in vain of catching the frisbee gallantly.  After every catch/failed catch, I would do a 2-second dance move before passing the frisbee quickly back.  And after doing a particularly impressive hip pop, twist, and plie, I threw the frisbee a little to the left of Nico.  Instead of reaching Nico, the frisbee hit the umbrella pole AGAIN, sending it spinning onto the patio table.  Nico, however had not anticipated the abrupt end to the frisbee's flight and was waving his arms to keep his balance as his body neared the pool's edge....Nico in the pool! Nico in the pool!!!! He hopped out as quickly as he had fallen in...fearful that his precious iphone was in his pocket.  Thankfully it wasn't, because that would have been the fourth time he'd fallen in our pool, phone in hand.

MUAHAHAHAHA!  I had gotten Nico to fall into the pool with all of his clothes on!  Thundercat victorious!  I can over there to check out the situation asap..I wasn't going to miss this!

(Side note: Thundercat is my newest nickname that Nico most creatively thought of on our last hike.  I in turn, named him Gay Lighting).

Nico looked a little shaken up at first with his sopping wet clothing and matted hair, but was laughing the entire time.  After he calmed down, he wanted to keep playing freaking frisbee!  Great...what a trooper.  To make a long story short, Nico ended up in the pool again by accident..which slowly but surely ended our frisbee playing.


Frisbee might have been worth it after all...