I usually do a "Year in Review" kind of thing on ever blog I've ever had. This year the blogspot is the lucky one that gets it I suppose. I've decided to do something a little different. I'm using a list of primary emotions to help highlight some points of the year:
1. Love
- Christmas with the Kids: We finally got to meet and fall in love with Paulina & Nicolae, my newly adopted nieces and nephews from Romania. I learned some Romanian (... 5 year old Romanian, that is) and had such a great time exploring the things Houston has to offer for little kids! We hit up the zoo (on a very cold day), the Aquarium, the Children's Museum and the Natural Science Museum.
- 08/08/08: A bus traveling from Houston to Carthage, Missouri was carrying Vietnamese Catholics for a yearly pilgrimage. This particular bus got into an accident on the road North of Dallas. I found out about it early that morning via e-mail from my family stating that one of our uncles was on the bus. I checked the news and immediately it was on the front page of every Houston news website (and even international). I went to work but was sent home after I kept bursting into tears as the death toll slowly rose. I called my cousin Jimmy (it was also his birthday) only to find out that he didn't actually know anything about it. I called around to Dallas area hospitals and finally located him in one of them. The next day we (Lisa, Mike & I) drove up to Dallas and we stayed with Thomas's family. We visited my uncle in the hospital and it broke my heart to see him lying in his bed with his neck brace on. I just thanked God that he was okay. I was never particularly close to this uncle (he is my godfather too), but that doesn't mean I didn't love him. Should this have gone under fear/sadness?
2. Joy
- Commencement: It was great to get to sit with my Business school gals (Shanna, Crystal, Crissy, and one guy--Eric) during the commencement ceremony at the main mall. The best was seeing everyone in their graduation garb (especially Johnny who intended to not partake in the festivities) before the ceremony. That picture is, and I think will always be, one that signifies the best thing that happened to me at UT--I met my best friends.
- Wicked: Katie and I went to visit Theresa in LA. When I found out that they were playing it in LA, I told them that I didn't care WHAT else we did, but I HAD to get us tickets to Wicked. When we went to buy the tickets that morning, the only ones available were the most expensive ones--$96 or maybe $98 a ticket. I said, "Fuck it," and bought all three of us our tickets. Orchestra seats, Row N. For the first 30 minutes or so, I was on the edge of my seat... and on the edge of tears. It was beautiful. The stage, the lights, the actors--the ensemble alone sounded so wonderful! It took all the restraint I could muster to stop myself from singing along... loudly. I still sang along a little. This could possibly also go under the category of "Love" cause it's THAT good.
3. Surprise
- My 22nd Birthday: It wasn't much of a surprise, since I kind of figured it out as soon as we started walking there, but Thomas invited some of my closest friends to eat with us at Tony's Vineyard (now Drungo's?) for a surprise birthday dinner. I believe it was me, Thomas, Lisa, Mike, Johnny, Kyle, Buddy, Kayla, Mr., Carl & Rachel. Did I forget anyone? I apologize profusely if I did. Afterwards they met us at my apartment and then we headed downtown.
- Eshe's Pregnancy: I was floored when she told me. We were a Buddy's going away party at The Belmont. She decided to tell me something... and it seemed like quite a juicy secret. I really thought she was going to tell me she was engaged to some guy I've never heard of. Instead she was pregnant [...by a guy I've never heard of]! My reaction was to cry hysterically--with excitement, of course. I was so excited... I'm not sure if that is a normal reaction. I think I was proud to know that Eshe had a great backbone of friends who would be there and support her through everything.
- Dani in Miami: Dani from Tila Tequila (a show that Buddy, Johnny & I enjoyed way too much) was at a club in Miami. Johnny somehow ended up on the other side of the velvet rope and was standing there talking to Dani. He wanted her. Hell, I wanted her. Then Bible College took off her shirt, and that made everyone want to leave... which sparked the infamous Johnny Pham Miami Car Rant.
4. Anger
- Work: That kind of says it all.
- After NOM5...6?: Whichever NOM it was at Oro's in all black. That night was awesome--and terribly frustrating at the same time. Yes, this is somewhat cryptic, but everyone knows don't they? Don't you? It involved Thomas scaling walls to land on a balcony. And breaking into a friend's apartment? You remember now don't you? No? Maybe cause it wasn't really a big deal? Yeah. Like Johnny said, "Can someone PLEASE tell me why this matters?! There are kids dying in Africa! "
5. Sadness
- Last Singers Show: Singing the solos for "No Place But Texas" with Kayla & Mr. Matt was something I was dreading during the last show. I was terrified that I'd start crying. Thankfully I didn't, but it was nice to see LC & Cesar in the front row during it. MeLCeez was one of the best things about my sophomore year.
6. Fear
- Job Hunting: It didn't last too long, as I was lucky enough to get a full time offer from the office I was working part time for. But the thought of not knowing where I'll be or what I'll be doing after graduation was definitely scary.
- Thomas Missing the Train: I don't know if you can really classify it as "fear" but it was something close to it. When we went to visit Schutte in Chicago, we used the train quite a bit. On our last day there, Schutte was going to school, and on the way she was dropping us off a stop where we could walk to the museums. I believe it was called Roosevelt. We had to take a bus to get us to the stop where the train was, though. Thomas didn't hear Schutte when she said that we were going to need to run once we get off the bus to catch the train. The next thing I know, I hop on the train, turn around, and Thomas is barely getting past the bar to get in. The door shut on his face. I was probably more annoyed at him than scared--since we have phones and it's pretty easy to reconnect.
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There are obviously more, but I can't really think of them right now. I'll add them as I remember more.
