I have followed Nancy Ray's blog for a while now, and her latest post really got me thinking. I mean, I think about my future all the time, but after reading her post, I closed my eyes and pictured how I REALLY want my life to be like 10 years from now. And like she said in her post, sometimes it's embarrassing or scary to share your dreams with people, because then if those dreams don't come true, everyone knows it. But, what the heck, here it goes lol. When I close my eyes and picture my life 10 years from now, this is what I see:
I'm 28 years old. I'm happily married, and have at least one child, maybe pregnant with another. We live on the east coast, in either North or South Carolina, or maybe Tennessee, in my dream house. It's a house on a big piece of land, that has lots of windows and a huge porch that goes all the way around the house. There's a lot of trees and wild flowers surrounding our home. We have lots of family and friends over for a bar-b-que, and as the sun is setting, all of us adults are sitting on the porch laughing, talking, drinking sweet tea while all the kids are running around trying to catch fireflies. Everyone has a smile on their face. Everyone is content.
And that's it. That's what I see. That's truly what I hope my life will be like 10 years from now. I realized after I opened my eyes, that I didn't picture anything about my job, or my husband's job. I didn't picture how much money we made, or what kind of "stuff" we owned, because, really, none of that matters. All I want out of life is to be surrounded by people I love, who love me back, and be truly happy with my life.
One Week
So I only made it a week without eating meat lol. I had meat on Sunday for dinner. Mostly because my mom went and did the grocery shopping without me this week, so I didn't get to plan no-meat meals for myself. Also, because I was always still hungry lol. I need meat to fill me up. I'm still going to try to eat healthier though, so I'm going to try to eat smaller amounts of meat and healthy meals with lots of veggies :)
Small Steps
So, as I've blogged about before, I am extremely ready for summer and to graduate! And even though graduation is only 3 months away, when you're as anxious as I am, 3 months still seems like a long time! haha. So to help myself get through these last 3 months, I've decided to focus only on getting myself to smaller goals. When I break down the 3 months, it makes it seem much smaller! So this is what I have to get through until I make it to graduation:
5 days of school until Spring Break!
then after spring break...
4 days of school until 4th Quarter; my LAST quarter! :)
then once 4th quarter starts...
3 weeks until a Teacher In Service day, and also the beginning of May
then...
5 days of school until Yearbook Banquet
then...
8 days of school unil Grad Night at Disneyland!
then...
5 days of school until Memorial Day weekend; 3 day weekend! And then it's JUNE!
then...
4 days of school until Senior Celebration!
then...
4 days of school until finals, which hopefully I won't have any!
then...
finally, JUNE 17, graduation!!! :)
5 days of school until Spring Break!
then after spring break...
4 days of school until 4th Quarter; my LAST quarter! :)
then once 4th quarter starts...
3 weeks until a Teacher In Service day, and also the beginning of May
then...
5 days of school until Yearbook Banquet
then...
8 days of school unil Grad Night at Disneyland!
then...
5 days of school until Memorial Day weekend; 3 day weekend! And then it's JUNE!
then...
4 days of school until Senior Celebration!
then...
4 days of school until finals, which hopefully I won't have any!
then...
finally, JUNE 17, graduation!!! :)
Dinner 3/18/10
Shrimp with Spaghetti
I decided sea food isn't really meat. I don't know if that's right or not, but whatever lol.
1 pound of jumbo shrimp (about 16 to 20), cleaned and deveined
1/2 pound of spaghetti
One pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 to 6 cloves of garlic chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Parmesan cheese
Directions
Put a large pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti. Once water boils, add pasta cook according to package directions. Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add shrimp and garlic and stir-fry for about 4 minutes until the shrimp is barely pink.
Add tomatoes to the skillet and cook until they break down, about 7-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add butter to the spaghetti, then toss shrimp mixture together with cooked pasta in a medium bowl. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese.
Today is also my brother's 16th birthday! He went and got his driving permit today :)
I decided sea food isn't really meat. I don't know if that's right or not, but whatever lol.
1 pound of jumbo shrimp (about 16 to 20), cleaned and deveined
1/2 pound of spaghetti
One pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 to 6 cloves of garlic chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Parmesan cheese
Directions
Put a large pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti. Once water boils, add pasta cook according to package directions. Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add shrimp and garlic and stir-fry for about 4 minutes until the shrimp is barely pink.
Add tomatoes to the skillet and cook until they break down, about 7-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add butter to the spaghetti, then toss shrimp mixture together with cooked pasta in a medium bowl. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese.
Today is also my brother's 16th birthday! He went and got his driving permit today :)
American Idol
Yesterday I went to the live taping of American Idol with Ashley and my cousins Becca and Megan! We got to Hollywood around noon and waited in line for about 3 hours (in 90 degree weather!). Then they took us to another waiting place right outside the studio where we waited again for a couple hours, and then finally we got to go inside! We didn't get seats inside though, we were in the standing section right next to the judges. So it was fun to be so close, and the judges walked RIGHT past us during every commercial break, but man by the time it was over, I was so tired of standing! haha It was a lot of fun though. We got to see Ke$ha, David Cook, Orianthi, and then they asked us to stay after to tape a performance by a band called Sons of Syliva. Afterwards we went to an Italian restaurant at the Grove that was really good, and then got home at like 10:30. Long day, but had a really good time :) (Didn't take any pictures because we weren't allowed to have cameras with us :( lol)
Dinner- 3/16/10
Bow Tie Pasta With Veggies
1 (8 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 Green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, saute zucchini, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, and diced tomatoes in olive oil until tender. Toss pasta with vegetables and season with salt and pepper and top with Parmesan cheese; serve.
1 (8 ounce) package bow tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 Green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, saute zucchini, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, and diced tomatoes in olive oil until tender. Toss pasta with vegetables and season with salt and pepper and top with Parmesan cheese; serve.
Dinner 3/15/10
Bean Quesadillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
12 (12 inch) flour tortillas
Shredded Cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese
Directions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Mix in beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and corn; cook until heated through.
2. Spread tortillas with equal amounts of the bean and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with equal amounts of the cheese, and top with the remaining tortillas to form quesadillas.
3. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray before each quesadilla. Place quesadillas in the skillet and cook, turning once, until cheese is melted and both sides are lightly browned.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
12 (12 inch) flour tortillas
Shredded Cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese
Directions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Mix in beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, and corn; cook until heated through.
2. Spread tortillas with equal amounts of the bean and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with equal amounts of the cheese, and top with the remaining tortillas to form quesadillas.
3. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray before each quesadilla. Place quesadillas in the skillet and cook, turning once, until cheese is melted and both sides are lightly browned.
No Meat
So today I started a goal that I set for myself- I'm not going to eat meat for one month. That's just to start out, then after a month we'll see how I feel. I neeeeeever thought I would become a "vegetarian", and I'm not like the typical vegetarian type person that is so against eating meat, I'm really just trying it out for health reasons. Lately, I've heard so many stories of people that stopped eating meat, and everything about them became healthier. They don't get sick as much, they sleep better, they're happier, they're skin and hair is better...just overall, they feel so much better and healthier. So I'm committing to a month of no meat, and healthier meals, to test this out for myself. Now, I don't know if I can NEVER eat meat again, but I really just want to be healthier and have a healthier lifestyle, because let's face it, I'm not going to have this teenage body forever LOL ;) It's not about losing weight, I know I don't need to lose weight, I don't want to lose weight, I just want to start this healthy lifestyle now so that as I get older, it will be easier to keep weight off and not have to torture myself with crazy diets haha. So anyways, now that I want to start eating healthier, I told my mom that I will now do all the grocery shopping and cook dinner (although my mom made sure to tell me that NO ONE else in my family is cutting out meat, so I still have to make meat for them lol) so this also gives me a chance to plan meals and learn how to cook :) So I've got this weeks meals planned out, and every night I'll post what I made :)
Tonight I didn't make dinner, my mom made a steak she had already planned to make, and some potatoes, so instead of the steak I had some pasta with some olive oil and parmesan cheese, a salad, and the potatoes too.
Tonight I didn't make dinner, my mom made a steak she had already planned to make, and some potatoes, so instead of the steak I had some pasta with some olive oil and parmesan cheese, a salad, and the potatoes too.
Remember Me
Just saw this with my movie buddies, Ash and Heather lol. SUCH a good movie! But totally did not expect it to be so sad. I cried. And now I'm all depressed. But still a very, very good movie. Seriously good. Definitely recommend everyone to go see it! (Plus Robert Pattinson is a total hottie in it! lol)
57
That's how many days of school I have left- 57! And let me tell you, I could not be more anxious! I know some people get all sad when they realize their high school days are about to come to an end, but I'm just going to be honest- I am NOT sad at-all! I can't wait to graduate, I can't wait for summer, I can't wait to move to South Carolina, I can't wait to live on my own, I can't wait to start my career! I mean, of course I'm going to miss people from school, teachers and friends, but other than that, I just can't wait to GRADUATE!
San Fran
I REALLY want to take a mini-vacation to San Francisco! I've never been (well, except when I was 1, so that doesn't count lol) and I just suddenly have the urge to go! haha. So, who's up for a road trip/ mini-vacation with me?! :)
Prom Dress
I got my prom dress yesterday! It's actually not the one I had originally picked out on Friday though haha :)
Northridge
Today was the orientation at AVC, so since Ashley and I aren't going to AVC we decided to ditch school today since hardly anyone was going to be there anyways lol. So we went down to the Northridge mall to start prom dress shopping :) We both found dresses we love, but we didn't get them yet because we're going to go to Ontario tomorrow to the Mills and the Gardens because Ashley's mom wanted to come with us haha. So I'll post pictures of our dresses tomorrow.
My Weekend
So I didn't exactly have the best weekend, which was why I haven't blogged. Friday I found out that my car needed major work done and it wasn't worth fixing because I could get a new car for less than it would cost to fix it. So my grandparents told me they would give me my graduation money early so I could buy a new car, which was money I was going to use to help me move to South Carolina. So Friday night was just bad bad bad. Then Saturday I was still pretty bitter, but we had our March birthday lunch with my whole family for Becca's, mine, and Kyle's birthdays. We went to Macaroni Grill and then hung out at grandma and grandpa's house for a while for cake and presents. Didn't take any pictures. Sunday I didn't really do anything. Ashley came over and we talked about other options for after high school, but right now I think we both pretty much have no clue what we're going to do. So life is kind of stressful right now. I'm trying to find a new car, but I'm scared of getting another car that will just break down on me again in 6 months, but at the same time I need a car ASAP because I cannot stand having to be driven around by my mom again lol. So I don't know what to do. I can pretty much break down and cry at any moment these past few days lol. And all of this happening during my birthday week...what a great birthday present lol.
