winta fo fo one oh.

each school dance i have gone to has surpassed the previous one. winter formal did not disappoint. everything was just lovely! from the date...to the elevator pictures...to gabby stealing matt from me...
to me taking really cute pictures...to the friends!
i even enjoyed the rain that decided to ambush us. it caused problems for our outdoor photo location, but we just switched to a hotel in melinda and all was well. and rain makes for nice pictures.
i call this one: Cheesy.
my outfit worked out quite nicely. as did mah hurrr.
i call this one: Cheesy, Part 2.
ryan: feet in the rain. it's what shannon would do. [she ended up not being able to come take pictures, so ryan stepped in, what a nice man.]







this was before melissa remembered that she still had her glasses on.
after pictures we went to dinner at islands, then got golden spoon, and then the PARTY BUS picked us up. OH MY GOSH it was SO fun. it was basically a pre-dance party, except we were in motion and everyone was falling everywhere while hanging onto these rails on the ceiling. it was the best, thing, ever. someone even stepped on mark's pants and they got a giant rip in them. great times.

next stop, yorba linda community center. there were a bunch of different rooms, and first we went to the room that had a live swing band and a big dance floor. matt and i improvised a partner dance, beginning with a bow and a curtsy from across the floor and ending with a cliche dip. very classy, trabuco. a room that was not full of freak dancing teens was very refreshing.

there was also a room with dance dance revolution, foosball, etc. rachel and i DDR battled. she won. whatever.

and then, there was the main event. the main dancing room was so sweaty that the windows were fogged up. this is where the majority of our time was spent, mainly on the outer edges of the room dancing on the walls. r.pat and i got some really strange looks as we danced our solos. the majority of t.hillz cannot comprehend and type of dancing beyond their favorite style, freaking. so we decided to enlighten them. man, what a workout. LOVE IT.

oh, and when a taylor swift song came on, i had to go stand on the steps by the stage and sing for everyone. i mean, for my group of friends. because they all know t.swift is my fave. but the DJ noticed my performance, and called me up on stage and handed me a microphone. i was so. excited. this was my calling. i proceeded to perform "you belong with me" to the giant crowd, getting mixed reactions. my friends at the front were screaming and holding their hands out for me to touch, a la concert. others were smiling, kind of puzzled, yet enjoying the show. and everyone else was just staring, very very confused. the music video was playing on a screen behind me, and i turned around and sang to lucas till onscreen, stroking his digital face. the crowd loved it. basically it was the best moment of my life. when the song ended, they went wild. and i bowed. and then went back to dancing, making trips to the bathroom every so often to wipe off the sweat literally dripping everywhere. oh, what i life i lead.

well, after that dance ended we went back to our party bus and had a third dance on the way home. ahh, high school dances. i just love them. next up, tesoro's winter formal at angel stadium with chase parker! i can't wait.

AH i'm so excited.

my winter formal look is officially complete!

charlotte russe was the place to find deals galore today. i got earrings and a ring for eight bucks, and then found these GLORIOUS shoes, and they only cost FIFTEEN DOLLARS, people. that is a deal if i've ever seen one. oh and i got 10% off for being a student!i am wearing this little guy in my hair,
and i have my dress also, but it does not photograph well. so you'll have to wait until next week when i post pictures, which will be taken by the wonderful shannon leith once again!

oh. and we're taking a party bus. sooo classy...nawt.

the aforementioned fun friends and christmas flannel.

if you haven't already, go read the post i just wrote.
well, you don't have to i guess, but i mentioned the flannel that i'm wearing. so. whatever.

yesterday after finals, we all went to denny's for lunch, and then while i was waiting for my brother to come get me we had a dance party on/around christi's car.

modeling ensued.

lazy eye?

krazi days in the FHR!
(FHR = Foothill Ranch. a boring suburb)

this is what i am;

life is very fun right now.
this is what is making me happy at the moment--

>> attempting to work out on our new elliptical. it's been two days in a row now...haha, progress.
>> my workout playlist that makes me feel like i'm kind of healthy.
>> avocados. that dang vegetable is just the best.
>> the christmas flannel that was supposed to be danielle's. but i stole it.
>> God's complexities. i love knowing that i have so much to learn about him and his plan.
>> that junior year is halfway over!
>> finals schedule, which means waking up later and getting out earlier.
>> oh, what's that? 102.5% on my history final? eehh, whatevz.
>> i am nearly finished filming! it has been oh so stressful, yet so much fun. now i can't wait to edit!
>> my friends. they're really fun.
>> biola spring preview day in two weeks, which consists of spending the night and going to classes and exciting things like that!
>> this quote that i heard this morning while walking into school: "elementary school was so easy. all you had to do was be a human, and you'd pass."
>> winter formal is next saturday!
>> and this weekend will be filled with playing in HSM with my favorite band, jesse and the rippers.


have you ever seen the Babysitter's Club movie? you know when Claudia is trying to learn everything for her summer school class, and the rest of the club makes up a song for her? and then while taking her test, she whispers in her head, "the brain, the brain, the center of the chain," and then she smiles and passes her test? well, that quote is in my head. please let me know if you can relate at all.

2009: The Photo Review.

2009 was very good to me.
i'm glad we were friends.
let's start off with the best picture ever!
(sarcasm)

i couldn't find anything for January. so i went through my phone pictures and found this from New Year's last year. i spent it like any classy lady with friends would-- i babysat and taught an innocent child how to take a myspace picture.

winter formal was in February. my second school dance. i went with my good friend phillip and had a lovely time. this year's date: matt. i don't want to put his last name in case he googles his name sometime and finds my blog. anyway, i have to think of a way to ask him since he demanded that i do so....inspiration?

March! comedysportz took our yearbook photo. around this time i was madly scrambling trying to finish the film/comedysportz page for the YB. ahh, the good old days. this year i was supposed to be senior ads editor, but they just decided to go on without me while i spent my 6th period in film. whatevz.
i went on a mission's trip to New Mexico in April. goodness gracious, it was amazing. i learned so much about God and changed my outlook on life just by painting a lady's house for a week. i also gained a great missions trip story. see here for what some consider "the funniest blog of [my] life."
May! what a glorious, glorious month. this one gets three pictures.

i started the month off by getting a surprise party thrown for my and rachel's 16th birthday in a penthouse suite. best, surprise tactics, ever. they got us SO SO good. read about the excitement here.
then came prom! my date was the prom king. how totally and typically high school.
and then! my other dream came true (the first was the surprise party). matt (the aforementioned winter formal date), rachel (the aforementioned surprise party co-honoree), shelley (mother) and i went to a TAYLOR SWIFT concert. amazing. i love that girl with all my heart. she made it rain onstage. i want to be that woman. here's me ranting and raving about how phenom it was.
oh, June. the end of sophomore year. goodbye beidxcore and AP euro, forever. hello summer.
(still June) Jesse's surprise birthday bonfire! some great pictures came out of this day. this one is still my favorite. so summery and carefree. and so teen-health-book.
(aaand still June.) the small group mother-daughter tea party! what a whimsical day. i love these ladiez with all of my heart.
July was spent in Sri Lanka being transformed by God and playing with the cutest little uniform-clad babies.
ah, the bestie. mel mel. and some of our favorite afternoon children.
oh, and July also brought elephant riding through the jungle. no big.
the Blondies + a Brownie went to Lake Las Vegas for a little mini-vacation in August. we saw a weird and creepy Criss Angel show and tried on hats at the Biggest Giftshop Ever or whatever that obnoxious place is called.
August also included going to Camp Ojai, which entailed more life change and learning to surf!
aand then September rolled around. junior year began, and the film class went on a field trip to warner brothers studios! we got to sit on the Friends couch, SO COOL. (this is approximately one third of my class)
we also got to see the ACTUAL flying car from HP! best moment of my life. we weren't supposed to touch it but guess what...we did.
rachael and i met selena gomez in october at her CD signing in south coast plaza. this involved waiting for 7 hours and then meeting that tiny little sel. we both had hand-made t-shirts that she loved and showed her mom. a very nice girl.
November was the month of homecoming. i planned the evening and went with cory! it was so much fun and we got the best pictures, ever, from shannon.
comedysportz also put on the homecoming halftime show skit. it was wizard of oz themed, hence our costumes. i was glenda the good witch! notice my handmade saran-wrap-hula-hoop bubble.
December! also a great month. photoshoots with the friendzies most def happened.
danielle, rachael and i (along with 8 others) chose to direct for film. here's our cliche director shot.
and, Christmas brought my grandparents here for a few weeks (love them.) and the traditional sibling secret santa. ryan had me and gave me a beeeautiful red peacoat. i had shannon and gave her some pretty clothes from nordstrom rack. what a success.
i rang in the new year with some friends at a party where we played pokemon video games and scattergories and played with jessica's rabbit, noah. it was simply lovely.

and now here we are in 2010! thanks, oh nine. we had so much fun.
i can't think of a way to end this without saying something cliche,
so,
bye.

hi,

i can explain.

it's called, i am directing a movie for my film class. i have not told you all much about this, so unless you actually know me well you don't know what i'm really talking about. anyway. i'm directing this short film, and i learned on monday that my lead actress has to drop out of the class next semester. her mother is making her. and so, i have to shoot my entire movie in three weeks.

three. weeks.
everyone else is shooting in three months.
and until wednesday, i had never operated a big camera with a tripod, a boom mic, and white balance to worry about. 60 fps meant nothing to me, and if you asked me what the iris was i'd tell you it was a part of your eye. but there i was on wednesday, thrust into this foreign environment.
...somehow, i survived. of course, sautty was there to help me out. he was there to operate the steadycam for me and control and entire classful of extras. i am still alive.

basically what i am saying is that monday and tuesday were spent getting hyper-organized (endless to-do lists, a color coded shooting schedule, a list of props and costumes....), and wednesday through today were spent shooting like mad and carting 7 fur coats and a russian-english translator around in my car. it has been fun, stressful, confusing, wonderful, exciting, and new. i am enjoying it, and i'm excited to see where this new little interest in my life will take me.

well that was just to calm your troubled minds and make yet another excuse to you poor people who are yearning for my musings. don't worry. after i click "publish post," an 09 photo review is comin' atcha.

don't fret,

for tomorrow, or soon, there will be a glorious post containing the year in review, picture style. the photos are all ready in a little folder. prepare yourselves!

yes, yes, and yes.

Today was filled with lovely things,

such as coffee in the morning with father leith,
and then Avatar in the evening with the very same man.

okay, Avatar. THE coolest movie i have ever seen, ever. it was so so good. i am not the biggest fan of the word epic....but epic it was.

i loved the effects that did not seem like effects at all; rather, the real world;
i loved the cool creatures;
i loved how i felt strongly for the characters;
i loved how the world glowed at night;
i loved how it made me hate the humans and love the aliens;
i loved the how much i hated that soldier that kept saying "get some!";
and i loved that my dad loved it too and quoted it to my brothers when they got home.

if you haven't seen it, go. right now. i was skeptical at first, my thoughts were, "avatar? like that cartoon network show? ew." but i don't think they are related at all. so don't fret. go go go! and watch it become your favorite movie of all time.

alright. i'm sorry.

i just went back and re-read all of my old posts from december of last year, just to remind myself what my december of oh eight was like.

and i realized that i miss blogging. i miss being scattered and weird on this little heathdoggy.blogspot.com and posting pictures and telling you all things that i fancy and analyzing my day. i miss it terribly. it was a part of me.

so, i am here to tell you that i am resuming. it has been what, two months? three? so we have a lot to catch up on. but i believe in myself. here's to new beginnings. or something cliche like that.

this feels good. i like this. blogging, i like you. and i'm sorry that i abandoned you for so long.

so it begins.

homeoming 2009!

this year i planned evening, so it was fun to see it all play out nicely.
this was by far the most fun dance thus far in my 5-dance repertoire.

the people, the food, the pictures (taken by shannon!), the dance itself...it was such a blast.

notice the corsage he made for me,
and the boutonniere i made for him with a picture of myself circa 1997 and part of my dress as the border.

my dress itself was a steal- it was a floor-length dress from target, but my mother, seamstress extraordinaire, cut and re-sewed it for me. what a gem.

there more pictures to come, believe me.

after pictures we went to my house and ate dinner catered from rubio's, then played catch phrase and watched my third grade end of the year video which featured 4 of us. we laughed at how weird we all were--

melissa with her orphan haircut,
danya with her britney spears shirt,
joanna with her big forehead,
and me with my overalls and bandanna.

then we all headed to the dance, and i had the privilege of riding in a VW bus to trabuco. so cool.
and then, at the dance, i discovered these little red velvet cake cubes and ate about 11. they were so good.
aaand then i danced my little heart out and got more exercise than i have in the past 6 months. which is pathetic. i'll put up more pictures soon!

remember that one time i blogged?

yeah, me neither.
i guess after three years i am a little tired
but, i have decided to make a considerable effort to keep this little blog going.
so, let's begin with my favorite music video i have made thus far.
party in the usa.
it took eight hours.
well, not really, because we took a few breaks to eat and plan homecoming (which is next week!)
but nonetheless, it was a big production. complete with editing till 1 AM.
and we are all very proud.
random people have been coming up to me and saying, "your video? THE BEST THING EVER."

so, enjoy! and sorry i left you waiting for so long. i am speaking to the three people that have been bugging me to blog (mother, grandmother, and megan.) so here you go!
(i recommend clicking on the video and watching it on youtube, so that the edge isn't cut off. or just make it big-screen by clicking the little box thing at the bottom.)

you know you are in california when...

it's october 1st, and it's blazing hot.
when shorts and a t-shirt are absolutely necessary, and wearing jeans makes you suffer from heat stroke.
when you can't get enough water because the air is so dry.
when it turns 70 degrees for 2 days and the population celebrates, busting out pants and sweatshirts.
when every human on facebook posts statuses on how it rained for three minutes.

it's times like these i am jealous of utah-ians.

if school was a facebook status, i would click "like."

so here's the breakdown-

school is nice. i enjoyed my first day.
it went like this-

melissa and her mother picked me up in the morning.
pictures were taken by our moms. as always.

i think this one could be called,
"the most unflattering angle ever."

when i got my schedule at school, i saw that they did not add in my independent study yearbook class like i asked them to at registration. meaning, i did not have a first period. cool. so i went to guidance and asked them if they could fix it, and they just sassed me and told me to find something to do until second period. because they were too busy to change it. um....
whatever. i sat in the back of drama 1 while sautner talked.
soo after that i went on with my classes,

first chemistry honors with gaines.
that was fun i guess, i like her.

then english honors with stewart,
that was quite enjoyable, she is really nice and it's a good class.

and then snack.
and then history!! oh history. my love.
i went from crazy intense AP euro, where the first day was like doing notes and the homework was memorizing 70 artists and paintings,

to regular US history, where mrs. thompson does hilarious stand up comedy the whole class and we had share time and said our name and an interesting fact about ourselves.

our homework is to decorate the front of our "learning log" with pictures or things we like.
praise,
the,
Lord.
the class is a joke. a reeeeally good joke.


next! math analysis. with suarez. the best math teacher, ever. except that was the period i was supposed to have independent study yearbook (which is basically i sleep and do homework and do senior ads), so i will have to switch out. but i am loving it while it lasts.

oh and in that class this girl comes and kneels by my desk randomly, and says "hi, i don't know anyone in this class." hahahh it was very bold of her! we talked for the remaining 30 minutes of class. taylor. very nice girl. i like her.

so after going off campus! for lunch, i went back to film, so lovely, i'm excited for it. it will be where a lot of my stress will come from but it will be great nonetheless.

so there you have it! junior year looks promising. for now.

AND, my good day became WONDERFUL when i got home and saw a package on the stairs for me. it was from little otsu. it was my planner. my glorious planner. i almost died from happiness when i opened it. i am so excited to go write things in it.

so, life is good. no, life is great.
optimism at its finest.

gosh I love this song.

Tear down the walls see the world
Is there something we have missed
Turn from ourselves
Look beyond
There is so much more than this

And I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this
Fire deep inside my heart

Look to the skies hope arise
See His majesty revealed
More than this life there is love
There is hope and this is real

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You

Oh for all the sons and daughters
Who are walking in the darkness
You are calling us to lead them back to You
We will see Your spirit rising
As the lost come out of hiding
Every heart will see this hope we have in You

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You.


thanks Hillsong.

there's a first time for everything.

last night my sister and i ordered bathing suits online from J.Crew!
this is something very new for us.
we both needed new bathing suits, and decided to wait until summer was over to get some...?

first we went to the mall to go to macy's swim store...but we drove all the way there to find that it closed down.
whatever, we just went to BJ's and enjoyed ourselves.
but then shan suggested that we get some from J.Crew online. it was so fun!
this is what i got-

so exciting!
online shopping, i like you.

thoughts.

this is so true.
we [i] get so caught up in our own friend groups,
and forget that there are people all around us,
at school, church, work, etc,
that have absolutely no one to talk to.
this has been on my mind a lot recently as the new school year starts up.
i don't want to have the same year as last year,
where i stayed comfortable all year in my own friend circle
and didn't really reach out to people who don't have friends
or don't know Christ.
God calls us to tell others about Him,
to have deeper conversations,
to love those who no one else will.
this year, i want to be someone who is friendly, kind, inviting, non-judgmental.
i want to be someone who is bold, who takes risks for God.
someone who decides to love those who i hoped God wouldn't ask me to reach out to.
someone who doesn't just exist, keeping my faith inside.
i want to make a difference.
i want to accept whatever God challenges me with to the best of my human ability,
and just truly live life how He tells me to, in all aspects.
i want to pour out God's love, because He loved me first.
i want to live my life as a sacrifice, a giant "thank you" to God for loving me so much.
it's this part of going back to school that i'm excited for.
i refuse to live the same comfortable school life that i lived last year.
it's just been on my mind lately.