to old memories and new beginnings.

it's been so long since i last posted, it's unbelievable! holy. my sincerest apologies, really. at first, my lack of writing was due to a lack of events, but after i went home this week, there was simply too much to write about!

making tacos with the family.. the result of erika cutting the onions for pico de gallo:






claire's knee surgery!



the city with wiggy and my grandma :)





the initial reason i went home this past weekend was to be with claire just before and after her gnarly knee surgery. i honestly cannot even begin to tell you how nice it was to spend so much time with her. the poor thing is bed-ridden, for the most part, and when she's helpless like that, she can be very sweet. a couple of days before i flew out, we had a thirty minute conversation, speaking only with british accents; because of this, while i was home, we frequently resorted to speaking that same way, and i'm sure jennelle now thinks we are insane. we are seriously the weirdest family! so funny though. the bandages on claire's knee were enormous; there were ACE bandages, followed by a white cushion of sorts, followed by a royal blue pad that circulated ice water around her knee cap, topped off by a brace that went from her upper thigh down to her ankle. The blue ice pad had a tube connected to it that attached to a cooler placed on the floor, and we ended up referring to the shorter part of this tube as her penis.. High on percocet, speaking in a soprano-pitched british accent, asking me to "please plug in her penis" was probably the most entertaining, hilarious thing i have ever heard and seen. as far as sister bonding went, though, i most definitely miss her already.

my only cousin wigg was in town too, with his girlfriend miranda, and it's impossible for me to explain how nice it is to have him back in my life. he was always around, so it's not the physical presence that i've missed, but the emotional and personal. he seems so excited about life, learning, family, love, everything, and i love seeing him with so much passion and drive for his life. i've missed him a lot. when we were really young, he was like the older brother i'd always wished for, yet adolesence, dr. dre, emmett smith, and ICP took him away from us. but now he's returned! woohoo!

i mentioned earlier that jennelle came to california with me, and it was so nice for me to have her get to meet all of my family, more than just in passing. the ciulla's have been truly like my second family here, so hospitable, so caring, making me feel like a complete part of their family. (jennelle just called, actually, and i swear i'm not writing this because i know you're going to read it! haha...) in all honesty, i hope that we showed her as much kindness as her family has shown me the last two years. i know we are so weird - claire giving herself a penis, our british accents, my dad trying to coax the cat into purring with him, erika blow-drying wax onto a canvas, my mom's incredible cooking (maybe not so weird...), and my grandma's goofy nicknames - and, given it was a small family reunion, all of our reminiscent stories must have been so boring, but it was a fun peek into our small, crazy family. i found this quote the other day, and it reminded me of jennelle:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain
that said, seriously, DO IT! you know what i'm talking about. :)

next week, my dad's flying out here, and we're hopping on a bus straight from the airport to manhattan for orientation! i saw cat and brady while i was home, and my talk with them made me realize how quickly time can pass, and how quickly it can sneak up on you. we started the play four years ago. FOUR. what? and now, in one month, i will be relocating to new york, simultaneously turning my life upside down. what? i found out i was moving to boston in february 2007 and i moved that august, so i had six whole months to prepare myself. this time, however, i have one measly month to prepare to leave somewhere i am actually quite fond of. i realized today that the comfort i feel here is the number one thing that should convince me to get out. i'm twenty years old! i shouldn't be comfortable! i should be out adventuring my horizons, seeing new places, meeting new people, expanding my knowledge. i think that boston has done incredible things for me, and i am so thankful/grateful for my experiences here. everyone i've met will not be forgotten, especially the dirty dozen. what a phenomenal place to gain my independence, huh? i must have been feeling a similar sense of fear before i made the trek across the country, but it's been so long, i've forgotten what it feels like. i don't know if i'm ready for this adventure quite yet, but i'm doing it, and it will be incredible. here's to a new chapter!