sucker for those sentimental moments.

i am generally a pretty sentimental person.
when people say things that make me think "awwww"
i really appreciate that.
it makes me feel so much happier and definitely makes those days.

sooo tonight i had a long talk with my favorite girl adriana.
when i say long, i mean long. two and a half hours long.
it felt so good to be able to catch up and just talk things out.
we talked about all the difficulties we have been dealing with.
she allowed me to vent about everything and anything,
no matter how important she felt it was.
she took the time to listen to every little thing
and even give her input on the situation.
i love her advice and the insight she has on so many things.
i just really appreciated her tonight.
made me realize how much i miss her and being home.
but at the same time she helped me understand
just how much i should appreciate where i am too.

lately, my friend wesley has been texting me rather consistently.
generally every night or so.
this has been really comforting because we had somewhat lost contact
due to our busy schedules and just life in general.
especially with what he's been dealing with,
it makes me feel so good that he puts his worries aside to listen to mine.

then there's this boy. daniel chavez.
whenever i'm sad, bored, tired, angry, or just in a really awkward situation,
he is always there to talk to.
i'm so glad about that.
one thing in particular lately that he's done to make me happy..
even though it's just a small thing..
is answer those little questionaires on facebook.
and he always puts me for these random things,
such as loyal friend, bestest friend, etc.. and it makes me happy!
i'm glad that no matter how much we talk,
we know we can always be there for each other.. no matter what.

then another one is jordan.
he will randomly send "i love you" texts.
or just ask how i am doing and it really means a lot to me.
he will also post things about his faith on facebook, twitter, etc.
it's amazing how much small things can have an impact on other people's lives.
i know his little words of encouragement definitely made a difference for ME.

anyways, these are just a few of the things i've noticed that have really made me feel good,
despite the things i've been dealing with.

i guess the start of my new year.

oookay.
so in my previous post,
i wrote that i'd be adding to this blog more often.
obviously that has not been happening.
but michael inspired me to write in this much more.
not that there hasn't been a lot going on in my life!
it's actually quite the opposite.

as much as i love my life,
things haven't been going my way lately.

first of all,
i tend to not get along with girls.
especially after living in the same building with them for a few months.
it's not that i don't like them.. particularly.
more the fact that there is just wayyy too much unncessary drama.
i won't go into too much detail but for example:
three of us traded roommates because my current [[new]] roommate
wasn't getting along with a girl her OLD roommate hung out with.
tragic i know. soooo long story short, girls being girls and i have a new roommate.

then we have my quite depressed friend.
this friend is a good person. a very good person, in fact.
they unfortunately did not like puc so left after a quarter.
i had not been as good a friend as i probably should have while they were here,
but then decided i would just show them that it's not all that bad here.
i later found myself talking to them almost on a daily basis,
trying to encourage them not to do anything TOO drastic.
yes, meaning anything threatening to their life.
it's been a long, strenuous road, but i finally got through to them.
although they had mentioned giving up on belief in God,
they admitted to me, that after i told them i was praying for them,
God has been so much more apparent in their life.
this in itself was a blessing to ME.
but then again, tonight has been that whole rollercoaster effect,
and unfortunately, it's the "up" stage. "the climb"
i just pray that this person has not done anything crazy.
i'd be devestated and crushed.
not to mention the disappointment after thinking
"i may have just saved a life. physically, mentally, AND spiritually"

again i mention,
girls have generally not been my first priority in friends.
i don't know why, but it's so hard for me to be that tolerant.
i could name the amount of girl friends i have on one hand.
well i mean, girl friends that i fully trust.
so with that said, there's this one.
she is a new friend and goes to puc.
and she as well, has the same feeling about girls.
so much so, that she has had enough with her roommate,
that she's leaving next quarter to la sierra.
so basically one of the only new girls i've met and gotten along with,
is now leaving to a place where i have been considering myself.
what a way to put myself in an interesting situation.

which brings me to something else,
do i want to stay at puc or go to la sierra?
i like it here, i really do.
the people are great [[for the most part]]
and i love the environment, i'm not gonna lie.
the feeling of being in more of a nature setting is soothing.
but i miss being home so much.
the fact that la sierra is only about a 45 minute drive,
my family is right there, and majority of my friends go to LSU
really makes me think.
do i want to be here.
then again, with my major and everything,
i have much more opportunity when it comes to nursing program choices.
if i stay here, i will be much more likely to get into the puc program,
and also have a chance at loma linda.
whereas if i go to la sierra my best bet is loma linda, which is hard to get into.
ohhh the choices that determine life. :/

anyways, this is some of the things bothering me.
i wanted to write them down for future reference.
pray for me and i am doing the same... a lot.

"oh God, please help me and show me You're there"

college.

well so far, i actually like being here on this mountain, in the middle of nowhere.

i enjoy having to live my own life.

taking into consideration missing my family and friends in soCAL,

i think that this was a good choice.

one thing that i can NOT get over,

is how much my roommate's lifestyle bugs me.

i have my own stress to deal with

and being worried about what she's doing should not add to that.

i try my best to not even worry about it and just let it go,

but she does not give me that option.

other than that though,

things are going alright.

a lot of studying and stuff,

but that's school for ya!

sometimes you are working so hard to make new friends, you forget to REALLY be you. and having "catch up" conversations with people i used to tell EVERYTHING and see everyday, has made me finally realize that. and miss them A LOT. <33

this was my status on facebook

because i got to talk to some friends i haven't been talking to.

these were friends that i told EVERYTHING to.

one being daniel chavez. although i talk to him more than the others,

i don't think we've had a "decent conversation" in a while.

today we were actually able to talk for more than 5 minutes. :]]

another one was chris ostos.

this guy i haven't talked to in a REALLY long time.

we used to talk so much,

but since i've been here, that has become less and less.

and i am sooo happy we could catch up!

the last one is katie lee.

we got to hang out and everything,

but when it came to talking.. we just haven't had the time.

it was good to hear about her "drama" and talk about my situations.

i loved it!

it was such a good feeling to be able to talk to old friends.

i guess the thing i'm most happy about is that as i talked to them,

i realized how much we could go without talking,

but then, no matter what, things never change.

they will always be the people who are there for me.

mmkay, i think i'm going to try and write in this more often! :D

<3 elissa

Brian and Universal Studios. :]]

So far this summer has been pretty light.

[[well, other than graduating, vegas, concerts, and vespers! haha]]

Monday and tuesday were not at all productive or active.

I sat around at home all day basically doing absolutely nothing.

Well yesterday, tuesday, Daniel Chavez, Jordan Amini and I oovoo-ed.  haha

oovoo is like a video chat but with 3 people! 

[[Daniel says unless you pay for the super plus package]] haha It's pretty cool.

Seriously though, that was more entertaining than anything I had done within

that 72 hour span of time. It's pretty sad, but thanks guys! :]]

So because I have been so bored and doing nothing other than being online

and watching Daniel on Blogtv.com [[not that it isn't fun! :)]] today was a little better.

Brian Varela, a guy who was my best friend Freshmen and Sophomore year

but moved to Florida after 8th grade, came to visit us here in Cali! :]]

Today we decided, since pretty much our whole Senior class has passes,

that we would take Brian to Universal Studios!

It was a pretty eventful day.. Even though we kinda just sat around a lot.

I was not exactly energetic like usual because it's not a group I usually hang out with.

What makes it worse is that some of them can be really mean and hurtful.

I mean, not necessarily to me, but seeing them treat anyone that way kind of sucks.

Not to say that I'm the nicest person ever! I am actually extremely sarcastic.

I just think that there is a limit of how much you bag on someone.

Anyways, we ate a lot! When we go, everyone pitches in for an all you can eat pass.

Then, they just get as much food as they can, go back and forth, and everyone eats!

Today I think we got 7 or 8 meals out of that thing. Not bad for $20! haha So bad, I know.

Also, Katie Lee and I got ice cream and Andres got a slush drink or something.

Then AFTER Universal, we went to Yogurtland and got some frozen yogurt! YUMMM.

We hung out for a little while and went home!

I am pretty tired, but it was a pretty good day.

Most of all, it was SOOO good to see Brian again! I really miss him!

We are going to be hanging out with him until he leaves,

so guess we'll see where that leads this adventure for this part of the summer! :]]

Favorites?

[[I got this from Daniel Chavez's blog and thought it would be fun!]]This thought just came into my mind while i was thinking about...stuff. Am I anyone's favorite person? Or one of someone's favorite people? And from that I started thinking about who my favorite people were, so here are 10 of them...in no particular order [just in the order of who I think of...ha!]

Okay so yes, I decided to steal this wonderful idea and just appreciate the people in my life.btw, sorry my blogs are SO long! haha I tend to talk a lot, I guess.

First of all..

Daniel Chavez: Okay, first thing you have to know about this boy is he is an AMAZING musician. Like I said in the previous blog, he's my favorite. He writes his own music, sings, plays guitar, etc. That is something i really admire. He is also no doubt, one of the best friends I've ever had. Although I don't see him often, he's always there for me and I can.. no.. I DO tell him everything! Well, the things I remember to tell him. haha He is a funny guy and knows how to entertain people. I don't think I can imagine not having him as a friend. One other thing is that when I am bored, and there's no one to talk to, he is willing to listen to me talk.. A  LOT. haha and that is something that takes a lot out of a person. We have our inside jokes, "deep dark secrets", and are pretty comfortable talking about anything! Well anyways, he is my best friend and although I may not say it often enough, I really appreciate him.

Adriana Noland: This girl is the definition of weird. I don't think I could ever find anyone quite like her. She keeps me grounded for sure though and I think that she has never been unwilling to tell me the truth. She has been there for me through thick and thin and, although we have had our MAJOR differences, she has been one of my biggest supporters. We have been best friends forEVER and no matter what, I don't think I could ever replace her. She also knows how to keep any person laughing because she does the funniest things. I love her even though we are always making fun of her. She is good at taking jokes and dealing with my sarcasm. I think I am so privileged to know such a wonderful, down-to-earth person who I can call a best friend and a sister! She is the Jekyll to my Hyde. haha [[whaaa?!]]

William Angkadjaja: He is one SMART guy. I don't mean smart as in he is good at math or english. I mean like smart when it comes to life. He really thinks things through and knows what he wants. He is also one of the most encouraging people and SOCIAL people I know. No matter where we are or what we do, he seems to make friends instantly. That is such an admirable trait. We have been through so much together and if you asked how we became good friends, well that's a funny story. He is the one person that I was able get help with for any situation. I think that he knows what he's talking about when he says things. I also loved hanging out with him, Ronald, and Phillip on Friday afternoons. They were SO funny. I love William so much and I am glad that he is always there for me.

Jeremy Lam: I think out of anybody, this boy has got to be the one I pick on the most. He is somewhat quiet and pretty calm. He is HILARIOUS even when he isn't trying to be. It's so funny because he knows how to entertain people without even really doing anything. He just talks normally and when he DOES say something funny, he doesn't even realize it. Trust me, Jeremy and I have definitely had our ups and downs, but that never affected how strong our friendship is. Jeremy is definitely one of my favorite people!

Kelvin Duong: He is a very funny guy. He is also always the one to tell me that there was a certain part of my hair that I didn't straighten. haha He is really cool though and He makes me laugh. He is in love with Selena Gomez and Hayley Williams and swears that he has 5 wives. He is a very laid-back kind of person who has this influence on you where you tend to just let things go, even though it could be something you would normally hold a grudge about. He is friendly to everyone and can play the guitar really well! Kelvin will definitely make it big in life with the commitment he puts in everything. I love you Kelvin!

Brian Varela: I miss him so much! After 8th grade, Brian moved to Florida and that was so sad for me! He visits at least once a year though and I really appreciate that. I could talk to this boy forever and i think it's the fact that we both talk so much. haha He has been there for me for a long time and I really appreciate that. I actually got close to him for the same reason I did William. [[yahhh it doesn't SOUND good. haha]] He is really into musical theatre and will someday be on Broadway, I know it! He is an awesome person and I absolutely love him!

Chris Ostos: I have known OF him for a LONG time, but never really talked to him. In April of this year, I went to vespers for his church and he was the one speaking. His testimony was so inspiring to me, that I decided to tell him how much it had touched me. After that, we started talking and he has become one of my closest friends. He encourages me and we talk things through about life and everything. I am so blessed to have him there and he has become like a big brother to me!

Ashlee Sumilat: She is such an inspiration to me! She definitely keeps me grounded, especially when it comes to spirituality! She is someone who is constantly encouraging and it is something I really admire of her. She has become one of my best friends and people that I look up to. I always appreciate everything she says to me and most of all, her encouraging text messages just to say hi or ask how I am doing. She is such a great person and I love her!

Jason Stewart: He IS my big brother. We have dealt with a lot of things in the last year or so, but I hope he knows how much I love him still. He is hilarious! We used to go to Disneyland and he was willing to do ANYTHING to make us laugh! He used to jump around main street like a gorilla with my sister on his back!  He was always lots of fun and I really miss him!

Katie Lee: We have had some of the most intense conversations ever! We talk about things that are hard to talk about with any typical person. We have gone through it all! Boys, drama, sports, sleepovers, trips, EVERYTHING! I love her and even though sometimes we don't get along or don't agree on some things, we are always able to get through it. Hopefully we go to the same school so we can continue to be there for each other!

well that's only 10 people that are my favorite! I also LOVE my friends from La Sierra Academy and Loma Linda Academy. A lot of them have made me stronger and a better person and I feel so lucky to have them as friends!

Vegas babyyy. [[part 2]]

On Monday, June 15, 2009, it was only the beginning of our adventure.

We got up pretty late, around 11? I think.

Apparently Chris Ostos and a couple of his friends

were going to be in Vegas for a short, little while

because they were driving back to Cali from Walla Walla University for graduation.

So we met up with them and got to hang out with them for awhile.

We walked up the strip and then back to their car.

It was good they were coming because I had a present for my parents,

since their anniversary was on Sunda, June 14.

So Chris took it back with him and I didn't have to hold onto it.

After they left, we went to a REALLY good buffet called Gold Coast.

We were so full afterwards, but it was so worth the wait!

After we got back, we went swimming for a little while and then off to the strip!

It was kind of late at night, so a little bit scary.

But we had a lot of fun, as we always do. [[since we are good at entertaining ourselves]]

The next day, Tuesday, we decided to take it easy and go to the movies.

For some reason, Adriana's family likes going movie hopping.

So in that same day we saw Up, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and Startrek.

Out of all of them, my favorite was Up. I love that movie!

At night we went to see a show called Human Nature.

It's this group of guys from Australia who did a motown experience! It was a lot of fun!

Wednesday, we spent the day at Circus Circus Adventuredome!

It was a lot of fun and we went on the roller coaster a lot and played lazer tag.

We also met up with some of Adriana's friends from Victorville.

They were cool and we did lazer tag with her friend Amber.

I felt bad because towards the end of the day, I had a bad headache,

but Adriana wanted to go hang out with them some more.

BUUUT, we went back to the resort and rested. SORRY ADRIE.

On Thursday I got a text from Ronald Kang asking if we were still in Vegas.

A bunch of school people went spelunking with Mr. Snyder for a week.

I guess 4 of them got so tired of it that they just took Ronald's car and bailed. haha

So Ronald Kang, Erika Venegas, Jeremy Sauza, and David Lisk all detoured toVegas.

We met up with them and we all hung out for a long time.

It was so much fun and really good to see all of them!

After that, we went to go get pizza with Adriana's dad and ate at the resort.

We had to pack up that night because SUPPOSEDLY we were leaving at 5 in the morning.

Well Adriana woke me up at around 6:30 and said we were leaving at 8.

So we finished packing and then, we still didn't end up leaving until 10. haha Oh well!

Once we got back, I took a shower and then Kelvin picked me up to go to Loma Linda.

We were going to the vespers out there called The Fall.

It was really fun, we picked up Adriana and her boyfriend Wesley and met up with Jeremy.

I missed all my friends out there.

Afterwards we went to In-n-Out because Allison Uniat had never been there.

So it was us 5 [[me, Adriana, Wesley, Kelvin, Jeremy]], 

Allison Uniat, Ashlee Sumilat, Danielle Santiago, Jeff Quijano, John Orpilla, and a new friend named Matthew that I had just happened to meet at The Fall right before.

Then Saturday I went to church and afterwards got to go to Daniel's concert in La Sierra.

It was a luau kind of concert and it was so good to see everyone there!

I missed them all SO much! I brought Amy Park with me too!

First was this band that I never had heard of, 

Iguana Stu CK Francisco, Michael Perez, Andrew Scott, and Gibson filling in as the drummer!

After them was Daniel Chavez, my most favorite musician.

They all did such a good job and I had SO much fun!

aaanyways, that was my week! It was a tiring, fun, relaxing, entertaining week and i loved it!

Vegas babyyy.

For my friend Adriana Noland's 18th birthday,

she decided that she wanted to go to Las Vegas!

So her parents, her, and I all headed there on June 12, 2009,

[[which was her actually birthday date]] and drove that long 4 hours.

Her dad had gotten a 2 bedroom suite at a place called Summer Bay Resort.

It basically looked like a small apartment! It was really nice.

We didn't get there until about 9:30 PM,

so we didn't really do anything that night, especially because of Sabbath.

So we rested and unpacked our things.

On Saturday morning, we got up to go to church.

It was this church I'd never heard of call Mountain View SDA.

It was so cool! It wasn't too conservative and there were a LOT of youth!

After church we were so tired that we went back to the resort and just took naps.

When we woke up from our little rest, we were STARVING!

[[which actually is not surprising for me, but whatever. haha]]

So off to our first buffet we went!

We decided to go eat at the Sahara hotel buffet.

It was okayyy, but I wasn't too excited about the food there.

Sunday was our first full day, so we decided we would go to the strip!

We did a LOT of walking until we got to the fashion mall.

It was cool because they actually had a fashion show going on!

Also, in that mall they had an ABC store like the ones in Hawaii.

So at the mall we ate at Johnny Rockets for lunch and got quick fix massages.

We also stopped at this restaurant called Serendipity.

It is SO expensive but we had heard that we HAD to try the desserts there.

We got this strawberry sundae with..

strawberry cheesecake, strawberries, whip cream, and strawberry syrup.

YUMM. it was so good, but SO sweet! haha

Then it was time to head back because the Laker game, Finals Game 5 was gonna be on!

It was exciting because it was against Orlando Magic but Lakers were up 3-1.

So pretty much if they won this one, they'd be the Champions.

Sure enough, they won! With a score of 99-86. WOW! Slaughter, for sure!

We were all excited, but kind of disappointed at how boring it was.

Either way, it was a good game bacause of the Laker victory. :]]

After that, I believe we went BACK to the strip.

It was a long day, but a lot of fun!

[[this will be part 1 of the Vegas trip!]]