Flashback Friday - 6 Years Ago

Six years ago I became an "adult".

I graduated from USC, got my own apartment, and started my career at Large Consulting Firm.

My graduation day was so fun!

I got to attend the main USC graduation with the Mr.


And I got to walk at the Annenberg School of Communication Graduation with three of my sorority sisters.
You can follow a couple of them on Twitter. Erin works for CSI NY. And Robyn works for TV Guide. They both tweet a lot about TV and life in the entertainment industry.

I said goodbye to beloved sorority house. "We'll be Gamma Phi's together and when we're gone
There'll be Gamma Phi's here to sing our song."


And then I drove down to San Diego for a fun graduation party that my parents threw for me.


The next week I moved into my first "adult" apartment in Manhattan Beach (4 blocks from the beach!). Here's my old room and living room.


The apartment was a 2 bed, 2 bath apartment and I shared it with my best friend from college. You may recognize her from here. Here's a picture of us from the housewarming party that we threw as soon as we were settled.

I loved that apartment.

I turned 22 a month after we moved in. I felt SO old and mature. Now I realize I was such a baby thing. The Mr. and I celebrated my 22nd birthday at Panchos in Manhattan Beach.

(Don't we look different!?)

The Mr., my roomie, and I had SO much fun that summer. We went out all the time to local South Bay bars and restaurants. We were adults with jobs and money and we were determined to spend that money!


It was such an exciting time. Our first taste of adulthood. Seems both like forever ago and yesterday.

What were you doing 6 years ago?

I Love USC

Today's post is an ode to my alma mater, The University of Southern California.

From the first moment I set foot on the campus of the USC, when I was 17, I knew that I wanted to be a Trojan.

I feel in love with the quads, the fountains, the iconic Doheny Library and Bovard Auditorium, and of course, Tommy Trojan. I loved the sports, the students, and the academics.

Images via here

I went on to spend some of the best years of my life at USC. Meeting and living with my best friends in the Pardee Tower Dorms, Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, and City Park Apartments.


Partying at the 901 Club (the 9-0), the 29th Street Cafe (the 2-9), Traditions (Traddy's), and Fraternities (the Row). And of course, meeting the guy who'd later become my husband at the 9-0 and dating him.

(Do you like this old silly photo of us from 2004? Drinking Bud Light on the porch of The Mr.'s fraternity -- oh, those were the days.)

Oh yeah, and I did study too. I actually studyed a lot. In fact, I graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Communication from The Annenberg School. I loved my major, my classes, and being a part of Annenberg. I was an Annenberg Ambassador and on the board of the Annenberg Honor Society for several semesters.

But, one of the best things about USC is the Football games. The entire campus becomes one giant day-long tailgate and the Memorial Colosseum fills with fans. I love Game Day at USC!


I'd be lying if I said I didn't really miss being at student at USC sometimes. It's just such an amazing experience to be a Trojan.

But at least we make it back to campus for all of the Football games so we can relive our "glory days" for a few days a year.

Does anyone love their Alma Mater as much as I do?

Read about other Alma Maters and link up at Kelly's Korner SUYL!

It's Game Day Baby! Trojans!

Today is the University of Southern California's first home game.

The Mr. and I are huge USC fans. We met there. We go to every home game. We pretty much bleed Cardinal and Gold.

2009 was definitely not the best football season in USC history, but we still had a blast at all the games -- tailgating, cheering, and lovin' our alma mater.

{Best-of 2009 USC games montage}

But the 2010 off-season was downright awful, with Pete Carroll leaving and the insanely harsh NCAA sanctions against USC (note: I don't know who I loathe more, the greedy jerk Reggie Bush, or the NCAA for making an example out of USC). I know lots of people are happy to see USC fall from grace and that a lot of fair weather fans have abandoned the Trojans. But you know what....

I'm just happy that I can once again put my USC gear on and loudly declare that IT'S GAME DAY BABY!

Heck, even Judah's ready for the game!

(Maybe we'll leave the game on TV for him at home so he can watch. Just kidding.)

Seriously, for me there is almost no greater feeling in the world than walking through USC's campus as it's teeming with tailgaters, and then stepping into a jam-packed Coliseum to watch USC take the field.

I love the fall. I love USC. Sanctions be damned. IT'S GAME DAY BABY!

Life plans, Pete, mattresses and other random ramblings...

Happy Monday everyone!

This post is a bit all over the place because I didn't think that any one of these topics warranted a full post, but had some things on my mind...

First of all, I am devastated.

My hero (and major DILF), Pete Carroll, is leaving his head coaching job at USC. It's the end of an era. My era. As a Freshman I watched coach his first game at USC. And now the dynasty is over. You all know I love USC Football, so of course I will still be a fan. I just fear many years of "rebuilding" and will miss Pete terribly.



Second, I am officially old.

Why? Because I am SO excited about a big purchase we made this weekend. We bought a brand new Stearns and Foster mattress! It will be delivered on Wednesday and I can't wait. Shouldn't a 20-something gal be more excited about shoes or purses? Nope, I'm excited about a mattress.



Third, the Mr. and I mapped out a five year life plan last night on the white board in our conference room.

Conclusions we drew... Our condo is a giant albatross. Can't sell it, can't rent it. I'm mad that we thought buying was a good idea. Thinking about the economy makes me bitter in general. At any other time in the past 60 years this condo would have been a great investment. Post-graduate education is costly and time consuming. Is it even worth it? We'll never be able to afford kids. Seriously. And it all relates back to the stupid condo. Dang American dream. (sorry for the pitty party, but it's my blog and and I'll whine if I want to)



Fourth, here is random fact for you.

I am 5 ft. 8 inches tall. I had a reader tell me that she thought I was short because I always look so short in pictures with the Mr. Well, the Mr. is 6 ft. 5 inches tall. So he does make me look like a shrimp. Isn't that funny?



Fifth, I was thinking of getting a netbook for personal travel.

Do you think they are useful? Does anyone have one that they like?

The “Zeros” Decade in Review

As the first decade of the 2000s comes to close, it marks an interesting point in my life to ruminate on the first decade of my adulthood.

I entered 2000 as a 16-year-old child and will enter 2010 as a 26-year-old woman. So I thought I take an opportunity to reflect upon the "zeros" decade...

2000:
I ring in millennium at a friend’s party. All Y2K fears are unfounded. I get varsity letters in two sports. I start to date my first love (spoiler alert, he is not the Mr). I complete my Junior Year of High School. I travel to Australia. The USS Cole is attacked. "First Love" and I are so in love and swear we’ll be together forever. George W. Bush narrowly wins the Presidency. We all learn about hanging chad. I submit my college applications.

(2000 - High School tennis)

2001:
George W. Bush takes office. I’m accepted into several colleges and chose the University of Southern California. I graduate from High School. I turn 18. I register to vote. I spend a summer traveling across Europe. I move into the dorms at USC and begin freshman year. I stay with First Love, long-distance. I rush and join a Sorority. The September 11th attacks happen. I watch the tragedy unfold but somehow still attend classes and parties. I meet many of my current closest friends. The US goes to war with Afghanistan. I finish my first semester with a 3.7 GPA. First Love and I decide to “take a break.”

(2001 - Senior Portrait)

2002:
I return to USC. I get my first fake ID. I frequent the campus bars. The European Union launches the Euro. I date several guys on and off – including First Love. The dot-com bubble bear market reaches bottom. I get my first internship in Public Relations. I move into my Sorority house and become House Manager. I maintain an honors-level GPA. I struggle with emotional “Sophomore slump” and consider leaving USC to be a ski instructor. I decide to stay at USC.

(2002 - Hawaii)

2003:
I begin to date a guy that I never liked. We date for months. I complain to my Mom that I’ll never find “the one”. The US starts the Iraq war while I’m on Spring Break in Mexico. Bush declares “Mission Accomplished.” It’s not. I break up with “guy I never liked” and beg “First Love” to get back together. We do. Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes Governor of CA. I meet the man who will become my husband (the Mr.) at the campus bar. I am invited to join several academic honors societies. Wildfires blaze across Southern California. My family and friends evacuate their homes. I break up with First Love for the last time. I am elected Vice President of Membership for the USC Sorority Panhellenic Council. I start dating the Mr. I celebrate Christmas and New Years on a two week Caribbean Cruise.

(2003 - San Francisco)

2004:
Trains in Madrid are the targets of a terrorist attack. I intern in Investor Relations. I turn 21. I join Facebook. I orchestrate a large part of a successful USC Sorority Rush as VP of Membership. The Mr. and I tell each other that we love each other. I vote in my first Presidential Election. George W. Bush is re-elected. I interview with a large consulting firm and receive a job offer. I accept it. The Mr. takes me to a Christian church for the first time in my life. I complete my last class at USC. I get my first iPod. My family takes a cruise to Mexico. The Tsunami swamps Indonesia.

(2004 - Sorority sisters)

2005:
I watch the USC Football team win the National Championship in the Orange Bowl, in person. I work at several ski resorts before settling into my real job. I continue to date and attend church with the Mr. I graduate from USC with honors. I start my job at the large consulting firm. I move to Manhattan Beach, CA. London subways are attacked by terrorists. I become a follower of Jesus Christ and begin to know Him as my Lord and Savior. Hurricane Katrina wreaks havoc on the South. I survive my first project at large consulting firm and begin a new one. The Mr. moves to Long Beach, CA to work in mortgage banking.

(2005 - USC Graduation)

2006:
I continue to work for large consulting firm at several clients. I achieve “diamond” status at Hilton from traveling so much. I join a Church life group and attend with the Mr. I am baptized. My Mom and I travel around the Midwest for a summer vacation. While there, the London liquid terrorists are stopped. We are the first to experience the new travel rules. Arnold is re-elected Governator. Saddam Hussien is killed. The Mr. and I celebrate the holidays together for the first time.

(2006 - Dinner in Manhattan Beach)

2007:
The Mr. and I become members of our church and lead a small group. Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman Speaker of the House. The Mr. leaves the suddenly shaky mortgage banking industry for a job in insurance. It was a good call. My uncle has a massive heart attack and stroke. My family spends weeks in the ICU with him. He miraculously survives. The Virginia Tech shooting happens. The Mr. proposes to me on the beach on my 24th Birthday! I start planning our wedding. “Don’t Stop Believing” tops charts thanks to the Sopranos. I receive a huge promotion at work. The Dow Jones industrial average records it’s highest ever close. I’m a Bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding. Wildfires ravage San Diego again. My parents evacuate their home for an intense five days. Unlike many others, their house survives. My grandfather dies after his battle with Alzheimer's.

(2007 - Right after the Mr. proposed!)

2008:
I begin a wedding blog to be wedding planning outlet and get hooked. The Mr. and I purchase our first condo in Long Beach, CA. The China earthquake kills 90,000. I spend most of my spring and summer living and working in San Diego. I have my Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party. The Mr. and I wed on 8/16/08 in San Diego. We honeymoon in Maui. John McCain selects Sarah Palin as his running mate. Wall Street falls apart. Barack Obama is elected President. I start The Newlyweds Next Door. We celebrate our first married Thanksgiving and Christmas together with our families.

(2008 - Wedding Day)

2009:
We watch USC win the Rose Bowl. The miracle on the Hudson River happens. We vacation in Breckenridge, CO and the Mr. falls in love with Snowboarding. Barack Obama is inaugurated. We vacation in Arizona. We worry about losing our jobs, but stay employed. Our new family member, Judah the kitten, moves in. Michael Jackson dies. I’m a Bridesmaid in a friend’s amazing wedding. We celebrate our one year anniversary. The H1N1 outbreak and vaccine scare Americans. We vacation in Boston. USC has one of its worst football seasons of the decade. But we are still fans.

(2009 - First Anniversary)


What will the next decade bring? ...

All I pray is that it brings faith, hope, and love.

(And a big house with a couple of kids wouldn't be bad either).

Considering that I'll be 36 by the time the two-thousand "teens" end, I'm sure there will be more change in my life in the next decade than I can even imagine.


Happy New Year to you all. Thank you for being my blog readers, my cheerleaders, my support group, and most of all, my friends. May your next year and decade be filled with peace, prosperity, and passion.

USC Football: A Love Story

It's a well documented fact that I love USC football, so I got pretty excited when Kelly announced that this week was "Favorite Teams" on "Show Us Your Life."

I may not be as hardcore as all of the SEC girls out there, but I do love me some Trojan Football -- everything from the tailgating to the sold out stadiums to game watching parties for away game. In fact when football Season ends and I suddenly have all of these free Saturdays, I don't know that to do with myself, since Trojan Football is an all day event.

The Mr. and I met at USC so we've both been avid USC fans for over 8 years now and sharing Football games is one of our favorite things.

Note: Unfortunately almost all of my USC pictures from College are not digital, so I'll have to show my love for USC Football through the last 4 years after college.

We usually tailgate for at least 4 hours before the game with the Mr's fraternity alumni association. Here are few of my favorite tailgating pictures from over the years. Lots of beer and BBQ!


{click to enlarge}

USC hate UCLA more than anything (way more than UCLA hates USC) hence the FUCLA shirt above. USC's band even has a whole song that ends with "UCLA Sucks" -- that they play at games where we're not even playing UCLA. Hilarious.

We have Season tickets and apparently I really like to take close up pictures of ourselves in the stands.

{click to enlarge}

Fun unrelated-fact: From 2005 to 2009 the Mr lost over 50 lbs! You can really see it in these pics.

I love seeing the Colosseum covered in Cardinal and Gold.


We're so passionate about USC Football that we usually go to at least one away game a season. Here we are before the Stanford game last year and at the Berkely game this year.


But my favorite games are BOWL GAMES! Since I started at USC in 2001 the Trojans have been to SEVEN BCS Bowls!

Of course the best Bowl Game was in January 2005, when I traveled to Florida to watch the Trojans win the Orange Bowl and be named the 2004 Season National Champions! It was SO amazing!



And for the last two years we've watched the Trojans win in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

FIGHT ON TROJANS!


Update: Check out my bloggy friend, Julie's post on USC. Her little boy in USC jerseys just makes my heart melt! I swear, when I have a baby, the first thing I'm going to buy for him/her is a little jersey or USC tee!

"Yo fui al partido de fútbol Americano" - Football Weekend Recap

When I was in High School, every Monday morning my Spanish Teacher would ask the class "what did you do this weekend?" (in Spanish) and then if you raised your hand and answered (in Spanish) he'd give you like .1 of an extra credit point. So every Monday in the Fall I would raise my hand and say, "Yo fuí al partido de fútbol Americano" (I went to a Football Game). And it was true because I was always at either my High School games, San Diego State games, or Charger games.

Well, I'm starting to feel like my blog has become my Spanish class this Fall, because it seems that the major thing going in my life is Football games. So if you don't like football, just go ahead and skip this post. But for the pigskin lovin' girls like me, here's a recap of my Football weekend.

My cousin and his girlfriend arrived at LAX on Friday afternoon. Friday night we grilled out, drank wine, and went to the Laugh Factory Comedy Club in Long Beach. Good times!

Saturday morning we gave them a mini tour of Long Beach and LA and then headed to USC for to see the Trojans take on the Cougars!

I love seeing campus on Game Day! So full of energy and Cardinal & Gold. Here's the Mr. and I at Tommy Trojan.


The whole crew leaving home.


Tailgating.


I'm happy to report that the Trojans won this weekend!

Sunday morning we drove down to San Diego to watch the Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins!

We sat with a bunch of friends from San Diego in the first/second row of endzone. Great seats!

Here I am with my friend, Sarah.


The Charger Girls!


Right before the Chargers scored a touchdown!


I took a day off work on Monday to relax with my family in San Diego and go to Mission Beach.

Now it's back to the grind until next the Football Weekend, which actually starts this Friday when we fly up the San Francisco Bay area to watch the Trojans play at UC Berkely (Cal) on Saturday! And next Monday I can once again say, "Yo fui al partido de fútbol Americano."

USC vs. Ohio

Today is the big USC vs. Ohio game!

Judah is in his game day gear!

We're ready for a win!

We're having drinks and eatin' football food with friends at our place. Fight on!

Fight On for ol' SC

Our men Fight On to victory!

This weekend we went to the USC Trojans season opener at the LA Memorial Colosseum!

I heart my alma mater so much!


(That's us tailgating at the Mr.'s Fraternity Alumni Tailgate)

Our season tickets this year are the best seats we've ever had!

Really great, huh?!

Despite the 90-degree weather, the fans were still out in full force.

(Yes, yes, I know, Californians are wimps about weather. We're like Goldilocks, we can't have it too hot or too cold. We accept nothing less than 74 and sunny.)



USC won 56-3 and now we are ranked #3! In Pete we Trust!


But what I also loved on Saturday was seeing all of my bloggy girlfriends blogging and blowing up Twitter with College Football game day updates. (And seeing babies in game day gear makes me want a little one so bad! Like, tomorrow. I think that's the first thing I'd buy if I found out that I was pregnant).

From your blogs I learned so much about your College Football traditions and personal stories. Like from Kelly's Korner I learned about how SEC girls dress for games. Or from Kate at Elefantitas Alegres about what it's like to live in a "house divided". Or from Megan at In this Wonderful Life about how she decorates her home for Football season.

It's so fun to be friends with so many college football fans across the country! Although I don't know if Mrs. Everlasting and I can still friends next weekend when our teams play each other! Ha! Fight On Trojans!

Did you go to a College Football Game this weekend? What College Football Traditions do you have or love?