Awkwardly Autumn

As it is September, and Fall quickly approaches- I start to get excited for what is to come. Soon my big sister will be getting married in Hawaii. I am so stoked to experience island life for the first time- and as my best friend said last night, maybe I will like it so much I won't come back. While that's not entirely plausible, it got me thinking. Why would I even consider something like that, and where does the desire to fly away from this small town appeal to me so much? The year is 2017 and as a nation, we are finally starting to accept the concept of good (and not so good) mental health. We are now more accepting of people who have struggles and are more vigilant towards the signs and symptoms within our selves. At least I know that I am. For starters I recognize that I am not always the most happy person. I have my struggles, and I have noticed that in my adult life my struggles are harder to overcome at certain times. I know that my mental health isn't always in t

It's July now, and with July comes my birthday! As of last weekend, I am officially twenty- two. I had a fabulous weekend. I got to spend Friday with my closest friends over the Sonora Pass in Bodie State Park. It was a beautiful drive, yet kind of scary too. Rhonda the Honda doesn't have much guts it turns out and making it up and over the pass was a bit of a challenge. We made it though and got to walk around seeing all of the awesome artifacts and old buildings of the ghost town. Afterwards we went to Travertine Hot Springs and got a free show by some nude hippies enjoying the springs. Needless to say, we didn't stay very long. We went to dinner at the Sportsman in Bridgeport before heading back over the pass into the sunset. It was so beautiful. It had been a while since I have seen such beautiful sights and I can't wait to go back up there soon to hike around or camp or something. When we got back from our day trip, my friends Micenley, Marissa and I went night swi

It's now June of 2017... can I just ask... where the heck has the time gone? IT IS JUNE! I swear yesterday we were still in January. The year is pretty much half way over at this point, and just as things do and are expected- things are changing. But what I didn't expect was that SO many things would be changing and so quickly differing from what my plans were. I guess that is the way of the world though. So here's what's changing: 1. I am entering a new age... I am just a month shy of 22, so that means my age is changing and along with it- my new theme song courtesy of T Swift is about to play on repeat. 2. I am staying to reside in the Sonora area. As my original plan to return to Arizona has been postponed  (for a smart and responsible reason) I am now on the hunt for a place of my own. 3. I AM MOVING OUT ON MY OWN. Holy cow... this isn't something that I was totally planning on, at least not yet- but I believe that it is time and I am ready for it. 4. Commu

This past month, I have spent some much needed time at home. I've noticed something, though, and I'm thinking it's a good thing. Since I left Tuolumne County, I have seen so much more of this world and so much more of myself in a new light. I have gotten out of my comfort zone, experienced life the way I love it to be, and found peace within myself I wasn't allowed to find in the confounds of my small town. Living in a big city changes your perspective in some ways. Phoenix is all kinds of things. It's friendly, scary, peaceful, beautiful, dirty, clean and much more all at the same time. There are so many different things happening all at once there. It seems as if life never slows down. I found a new appreciation for the quite, for the clean air, and for the shade trees of Tuolumne County. While I am here I don't have to hear gun shots in the same aspect of city life. I am not thinking that someone was just shot or that some place was robbed. Instead, I think t

As most of you who have been in college at some point or another know, spring semester is like senioritis on crack. Motivation is at an all time low as everyone eagerly waits for school to let out and summer FINALLY begins. March was an o.k. month. I can't recall anything super special about it, other than one trip. Reina and I drove 3 hours south to Tombstone, AZ. Now, if you haven't seen the movie with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, I suggest you stop reading this and get to watching. I grew up watching Tombstone as it was a staple movie in my family. Much like people have a staple food in their family, we had the 1993 classic western, Tombstone. The movie takes you back in time with an -almost- historically accurate tale of the Earp brothers, the infamous Doc Holiday, Big Nose Kate, Josephine and their challenges of living in the silver mining town of Tombstone. Upon our arrival to the restored version of the original booming town of Tombstone near the border of AZ and Mexic

I have a heavy heart today, as sadly I received a call in the early hours of the morning from home. My grandfather, born December 20, 1937 passed today February 28, 2017 after living a long and full life. He married my grandmother Patricia (who passed in 2006) and had 4 children. He was blessed with many grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. To be honest, regrettably, I didn't get to know my grandfather that well. That aside, here are some things I do know. Marvin Lee Johnson loved Nascar and joked that we were related to Jimmy Johnson #48. He always wore a Harley- Davidson leather vest and for as long as I can remember had a long white fluffy beard. He had two birds, Bubba who was a canary I believe, and a parrot named Norman. He bit. Bubba, on the other hand was sweet and would sit on my grandpa's shoulder while he ate hoping to get a snack or two. My grandpa made a mean thanksgiving meal too. He liked to cook, or at least it seemed like it. He made an amazing chili to

Last month, in January, I was able to have a great start to the new year. I went to Disneyland with my family and was able to take my roomie with me which was really special. I love being able involve people I am close to in my family occasions. My nieces and nephew loved Reina and one night kept tackling her and playing dog pile for a good half hour. We were at Disney for two magical days... reference intentional (hehe).The first day my brother and his wife were also able to join with their son for the day which was really great, considering we all live so far apart. It was almost like a family reunion... My mom was also there all the way from Idaho! I always love spending time with my mom, as I've gotten older I have come to find how fun and awesome she really is. She bought us some yummy macaroons and went on all the big kid rides after my nieces and nephew went to sleep.     It was sunny- jacket weather, but that turned into clouds followed by showers the next day when w

As I am entering the spring semester, I have been struggling a little bit with finding my ambition in school. It's not like I have lost my passion for why I am going to school in the first place, but the spring semester is always harder than the fall. I had nearly a month off from school, but upon arriving back to Phoenix, it was like I never left. Getting back into the swing of this has been challenging, mostly because (although I did) it feels like I didn't really have much of a break. I have a whole new set of classes to put my mind towards and my job to fill my evenings, but not a whole lot of downtime. Maybe I just feel burnt out. Right now it is only Wednesday in the second week back to school and it feels like senior year and having senioritis. I don't want to do anything except watch Friends and drink endless espresso. Even though I have yet to find my motivation, I know this semester is going to go better than last... I can just feel it. I just may have to give mys