Vanessa

Happy Birthday to Us!

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 | Family | 3 Comments


Flowers, Balloons, Puppies, Twins
Originally uploaded by pandoralyrael

Flowers, Balloons, Puppies, Twins… Val! and Ness (well… I) turned 28 at midnight!

I guess, technically we don’t turn 28 til midnight CT. Hehe

Happy Birthday to Us!!!!

And Happy Birthday to my twin sister Vallie!
Happy Birthday Valerie

Making Out Like a Bandit
Justin gave me a new cell phone, a black zebra shirt I’d been ogling, and a sexy, red 350 gig wallet drive. Sweet! Data in one, easy access spot!
Val! gave me a book with travel tips and inspirations for solo female travelers (Fly Solo) and a book about traveling for hobbies, education, or just about any other interest you might have (The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life). They’re both rad. She also gave me a pair of pink star earrings a la Jem (which I’ll be wearing soon) and a gift card for an *hour long* massage. WOOHOO!
Mom sent a lovely bouquet of flowers (pictured above).
ALA sent me flowers too. =) That was super sweet of them.
Lyndia (Justin’s mom) gave me a necklace and earring set and cash (always good).
I’ve gotten phone calls; e-mails; IMs; Adventured.net, MySpace and Facebook comments as well as Twitter tweets. I feel loved. Thanks guys! =)

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The Awesomeness of Puerto Rico

Monday, July 21st, 2008 | Adventure, Popular | 7 Comments

This is from a letter I quickly wrote to Dao and Rob (as they too have experienced the kick-ass nature of Puerto Rico):

Justin and I got back from a weekend in Puerto Rico late last night. We had a blast!!!! We took one of his coworkers (Alex) and his friend (Marisa). They said it was one of the best trips of their lives (and they’ve been all over the place). This is how our trip went:

Day 1: Breakfast at Casa Cubuy in El Yunque, hike through the rain forest and swim in a variety of pools. Get back to the hotel and discover there are masseuses-in-training just down the street. We each get a 1 hour massage for $20! Drive to Naguabo and go out with Capt. Paco to see Monkey Island and snorkel. Capt. Paco was super busy so he dropped us off on our own with a kayak and supplies! We snorkeled out there - just us, monkeys, fish and seagulls for almost 2 hours. It was great!!! We even got to take turns kayaking. We also saw lots of starfish.

It was amazing. Return to Naguabo and have dinner. Head back to the hotel with a stop to grab rum and mixers. Sit outside for hours talking and drinking before hitting the hay.

Day 2: Breakfast at Casa Cubuy then head to the end of the road, where no cars are allowed. We were informed of a neat hike that takes you across a metal bridge (actually, not so much a bridge as a big pipe over a river). We were the only ones on the trail (actually - on both days!). Hiked for a while and came to a beautiful scenic overlook. On our way back, Justin suggested we head down to the river. We found and amazing lagoon at the bottom of a treacherous looking waterfall! Marisa kept climbing up rocks and finding neat places to jump in from.

There were lots of tiny little fish and even some prawns! Leaving El Yunque, we stopped at a beach on the way back to San Juan, walked along it, and spotted some hermit crabs. Back in San Juan, we bought some food to take back to the airport with us (I got amaaaazing camarones enchilados - shrimp in hot sauce, and beans) and stopped for pina coladas at Barrachina - of course!!! We made it back to the airport just in time to get on the flight!!! All in all, an action packed, exciting weekend. :)

There were only 2 minor hitches and they both worked out. 1) Our camera tumbled into raging water and somehow we managed to find it. The memory card compartment came open during the fall and somehow we managed to find the Flash card, too! 2) Alex forgot his wallet at a gas station on the way back to San Juan when he was changing in the bathroom. This morning he spoke with a woman there that found it and is FedExing back to him free of charge! So nice!!!

Re-reading my entry above, I feel kind of like I am reading a diary entry from when I was a little kid. I was pretty much never patient enough to go into things in depth. I guess that isn’t really a bad thing. :) Photos to follow. <3 :D

Photo Update
Ness’s Flickr Photo Gallery
Justin’s Facebook Photo Gallery

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‘Home’ - New

Monday, July 14th, 2008 | Adventure | 2 Comments

I returned this morning from a long weekend in Texas. I was sooo glad to be back in Justin’s cozy, safe, sensual embrace. New York with Justin, I realize, is my true, comfortable home right now. However, over the past few days I’ve had a chance to explore different concepts of what home means and where it lies.

This weekend had it’s ups and downs, but the theme of the weekend certainly was nostalgia. Memories, photos, video tapes were all unearthed and discussed. Despite my exhaustion (hours slept over the last few nights: 3, 6, 6, and 3) from the last few days, I managed to write 14 pages in my little blue book I always carry with me when I boarded the plane this morning. I then proceeded to sleep the entire rest of the way. It’s really nice to reflect, to dissect, and to return to a comfortable, loving life. I might type up some of what I wrote, but I am not sure yet.

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Breakfast with My Grandma

Friday, July 11th, 2008 | Family, Photography | 5 Comments


Nanny looking hot in one of Val’s wigs. ooh lala

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Happy Birthday Justin!

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 | Family | 3 Comments


Click to enlarge the image above.

Justin is 28 today!

Happy birthday, sweetie. I am very glad to have you as my fiance and am looking forward to all the cool things we’ll be able to see and do together. I hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Lots and lots of love, hugs, and kisses!
Nessy

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Ponderings in the Shower

Friday, July 4th, 2008 | Thoughts | 1 Comment

Written July 2, 2008: I moved to New York City so I could become complacent with my life. My life here is no bigger or smaller than it’s ever been - neither more nor less important.

In a way, it *feels* a little bigger because of this enormously populated, exaggeratedly important city. Everyone knows of it, speaks of it, longs to be here for one reason or another even if they’re at the furthest corners of the world. Movies are filmed here, books are written here, tv shows are shot here… It’s definitely recognizable, and being even slightly affiliated with a place so well-known and lusted after makes my life feel just a millimeter more significant.

But in other ways, I am much more isolated in this cut-throat, self-serving, me-first sort of city. I lost it the other night, crying to Justin and wondering if I’d ever have any real friends again.

July 4, 2008: Happy birthday, Michieru. Hope you’re making the most of it!

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