Dear Amanda,

Hi friend! i feel like i haven't posted on this thing in ages... or maybe just a couple days. I vaguely remember being about ready to post something on here about how fate is so cruel that i was sick on the day that i had completely arranged to be able to see you when you randomly showed up with your family to the church :) haha. That really made me laugh: so absolutely random. So, today, the big story is, omg, so we were all at the point Reyes lighthouse.. you know the one that is the farthest out peninsula on the California coast and all that jazz? We were all down there.. down the 800 bajillion steps it seems it took to get there.. and then danielle was like, "look, on the other side of this gate, there's sea glass, and i really want to get them.. so, i hopped the fence, [which looks out over a cliff over the ocean btw] and got the sea glass just in time for some park ranger to yell "HEY! What do you think you're doing? Don't you know how dangerous that is? And you would do that in front of children?! No one is going to save you if you fall!!!!"
and i laughed, hopped the fence back, and handed danielle her seaglass.

those were the events for the day.
love you.

xoxo
the girl just a street away... [Who turns 19 tomorrow!!!]

Dear Amanda,

today i watched the oscars, and wished that i owned every single dress that people wore.
honestly? i think i have a problem...i LOVE fancy dresses and dressing up.
Good thing i get to do that 2 days in a row this week :)
So.. if all things work out i will see you for a little bit tomorrow, and i am way excited.
ps, i hope your girls start feeling better

well i am exhausted today. i don't know what's wrong with me, i'm not feeling 100% either.... hopefully it gets better in the next couple days!

love you.

xoxo
the girl just a street away

Dear Amanda,

today, I saw a shirt i thought you would appreciate. it said "awesome ends with ME"
I chuckled.
Actually, I woke up this morning feeling like c-r-a-p. My cough is getting worse, and after running in American Canyon i totally felt like throwing up... and when I don't feel good- I don't have the best attitude in the world, so you can imagine how this morning has gone. But then, when we went to tutoring and I was trying not to cough my lungs out, I decided it might not be the best idea in the world to contaminate a bunch of little kids. So I sat in the car and napped.. which was the best idea in the world... because now I feel much better, I'm not coughing as much and my attitude has taken a turn upwards :)

btw... Zac says "what's kickin yo?"

i say..... "strange."

love you.
xoxo

the girl just a street away.

Dear Amanda,

So today, i spent 5 hours driving. First, 2 hours on the way to Oakdale at 6 am this morning. Then, slightly more than 2 coming back from Oakdale, because of course it was the 5 north we were supposed to get onto, not the south. Anyways, after getting extremely lost and even my GPS being confused as to where we were on the map, we finally found our way to the local TJ Maxx [in walnut creek] and i couldn't even enjoy the fact that i was at my favorite store in the world besides Homegoods and TJ Maxx combined, because everyone was like, omg, where are we? anyways. so then we went to Sacramento for a choir concert that Jaclyn used to be in, so tack in another 2 hours [one there, one back] and there's your rough estimate of why i pretty much ended today with my butt glued to the carpet seat of Sam's car.

it was a blast though. we played our music way too loud, and did our best to get Maria all hyphie. which.. we totally succeeded at. YES! haha.

Today was a really hard day in the missing Amanda department.

ilove you.
xoxo

the girl just a street away.

Dear Amanda,

Today, after the adventure of my car almost exploding on the way to drop off the invitations at your house, Jaclyn and I spent all day watching 80's movies and random movies such as Sunshine Cleaning, Mannequin 2, and Girls Just Want To Have Fun. It was absolutely grand. We pretty much holed ourselves up, like shut the blinds, scattered movies everywhere and I began doing laundry as we watched all the movies we could possibly want. The best day off ever? minus being at your house and not seeing you. But there was a certain degree of comfort driving the oh so familiar road from jefferson to kathleen. [ps, omg, totally just felt like that moment in a movie where they use the title in the scene and it's all "how clever!] wow.
Anyways. So now, I am at Jaclyn's house having a sleepover...[i think she secretly wants me to just take my mind off my birthday party... i think she thinks i'm obsessed. haha] And, even though we have to be at the church at 6:45 in the morning to drive to Oakdale, I am up and online. hah. of course.

i love you and miss you a ton.
seriously, as pathetic as it sounds, i think i'm having withdrawals.

xoxo

the girl just a street away

Dear Amanda,

I sent you something in your Facebook inbox because i figured it wasn't smart to post here. Today I dropped off your invitations at your house and my car almost exploded... it was riding the line between totally overheating and me having to push my car all the way home and still normal but just jolting like someone who has turrets. Seriously, it like gives me a headache and stresses me out so much when I drive it..at all. How ridiculous. Anywho. So today I am spending the day trying not to cough out my lungs and sitting around with Jaclyn watching movies. And, I am going to try and dissolve the mountain of laundry that I have sitting in my room.

sound like fun? I think so.

xoxo,

the girl just a street away

...

Dear Amanda,

So today marks the first day that people get to go over to your house and help out. And, as much as I would love to say that I am coming over, [because God knows I have SOOOOOO much to tell you] but I forfeited my right to go today because next Friday other people get to go over.. and how ironic, what should that day be but my birthday?!?! Yay! so the countdown begins...7 more days.
So I have so much to tell you that it is really hard to come up with other things that i want to tell you that i would be willing to just type up over email.
Well.. your invitation should be arriving in your mailbox at some point tonight :) and Anna Dunne's with it. Because, i don't know how else to get it to her.

Today is probably going to be a kinda boring day.. not really a lot to do, but we got to sleep in today! Got into the office at 9. Fun stuff.

how are you? this conversation is so one sided. haha. I guess that's what can be expected with a blog though. Maybe i'll text you right now. yes. that is what i will do.

love you!
xoxo,
the girl just a street away.

later this morning...

Dear Amanda,

No need to worry.. I only missed three words. What is that, like a 97%?
And, I read it for the first time this morning.
[go me.]

Goodness knows one of these days I'm going to put something off til the very last minute, and i won't be able to come through with it. That will stink.

Good thing that wasn't today.

love you!
xoxo,
the girl just a street away

Last Night

Dear Amanda,

Last night I chose sleep over memorization.
And then, I tossed and turned all night.

Now, I pay the price.

xoxo,
the girl just a street away

Surrounded by a Sea of Elegance...

Dear Amanda,
So you would not believe how many dresses I am sitting with right now. Seriously, I just got my box of dresses that my dad sent me, and I am so excited! I'm not 100% sure that i will fit into the one i want to, but it will definitely be an adventure. It's kinda weird because it's like sitting with a bunch of your memories. Who knew i would be so obsessed with fancy dresses? hmm. Any-who, so here I am, sitting here, talking to you instead of memorizing the very, very long 2 scriptures that i must be able to quote tomorrow for core element...and i have no regrets.
Oh yes, i was going to ask you if you received the hug and kiss i sent home with O for you. If not, at least know that i sent them. :)
Omg. so in small group today, it was quite hilarious. First of all, my little children are extremely rambunctious and i absolutely love them for it, but there is one little asian boy who, well, let me tell you the back story. The last time i had him in my group he was talking about how he wanted to "kill all the girls" something i definitely want influencing all the other little boys in the group[who knows what kind of rebellion and homicide they could muster up... they are 10 year olds after all] So today, he decided it would be a great idea to reenact this time when he was scared and fell over.. so he screamed and fell over and then got up and fell over again.. and again.. and again.. and again. it was so ridiculous. but kinda entertaining at the same time.
i should probably get to memorizing those verses so i don't, idk, get kicked out?

I love you!
xoxo,
the girl just a street away