January Recap

I can't believe it's almost February!! Happy birthday to all of the January babies: Mariela, Marianne, Frankie, Melissa Traub, my Grama, my baby sistah Julianne & all of the other celebrants!! This month has been a complete whirlwind...It's so hard to think that we're a month into 2009...didn't we just start this blog?? I'm back on my grind; I went back to school this semester & still juggle being a personal assistant at State Farm & waitress at Bake n Broil. I'm so thankful to have a steady income during times like these. I ran into Marc Vidal at Circuit City and we were talking about what he's going to do when Circuit City goes out of business; he's worked there for over a year to pay for school and his personal necessities. It's soooo crazy that all these businesses are closing their doors and filing bankruptcy; keep praying for the people & families that are affected by the declining economy. On a lighter note, the inauguration of our forty-fourth president, Barack Obama has delighted the hearts of many Americans & has provided the much needed change our country has longed for.



Here are a few January highlights...well, more like the events I happened to document this month.



Yovs, RA, Frankie, Jill, Carlos & I watched Menchie's band, Feed the Feeble, at a cutesy little cafe on 4th street. I love love looooved the music.

Vanessa rocked the mic, keyboard, trumpet & percussion...amazing talent!

I went out for the first time using MY VERY OWN ID!!! The Teri House gang took me out to Emperor in Fullerton where I ran into Jen! It was alllll smiles in these pictures til I looked at the bar tab and found out those Patron shots were $10 each! Zaaamn...good thing we got 2 free drinks before that.

Okay and while I'm thinking about this night, here's a silly side note: I neverrr EVERRR understood how people had 'anthems' at clubs. For instance, when a girl drops everything to head to the dance floor and screams "OH MY GOD GIRL! THAT'S MY SONG! THIS IS MY ANTHEM". I finally got that lovin' feeling; I was about to lock my stall door in the restroom when I heard the intro to DJ Class' "I'm the Shit"!!! Hahahaha I ran out of the bathroom (yes, I held it) just in time to hear my song. It's amazing what a little Patron and some Long Island Iced Teas do to you.....

My beautiful grandma turned 85!!! I'm so grateful to have her around and I look forward to many more years with her =) Praise God!!!

We got together at Buca di Beppo for James' "going back to Cal" dinner. It was good to see Kaydee, Michelle and Carli...missed those girls. We even had the Diamond Bar boyeees in attendance. That's about all I have to say about that. hahahaha

My (not so little) little sister turned 11 on the 22nd!!! Hazel, Lex, Frank...does it trip you out that you knew her when she was in diapers?! She's quite the character...she has my father's sense of humor. You can only imagine, right?! She's my little baby girl and I really don't want her to grow up. She's gonna go to Hughes next year. You know what that means?! Boys, boobs, bratty attitude...not that she already doesn't possess the latter of those qualities. I feel mama-status when it comes to her growing up since I'm 10 years older.


On the 23rd, RA & I hit our one year milestone!! Weeee. It's definitely been a crazy year filled with many adventures, high highs & low lows. With all of the turmoil I experienced with my family last year, it was so great to have a constant source of love. He even gets the award for being my first roommate! Haha. We've learned so much about ourselves and each other; God has been good to us.

This was on Wednesday night at Plush in Fullerton. We met Kaye for some drinks and I ran into Hazel's older brother and sister-in-law, Kuya Jade and Ate Christine! He still can't believe we're all turning 21 this year. Hazel is next! HURRY UP YOU GUYSSSS!!! I'm way too excited for yall to turn 21! I should really get back to work now...I've been working on this blog since I got to work. Whoops! Good thing the boss isn't in today ;) I miss your faces, can we please get some quality fave time in?! Have a wonderful day!

xoxo

gi

OMG!

no one is posting :( i just want to say that my computer is shit right now so if you dont hear from me on here call me! and we'll chill lol hope everyones ok... and alive!
everyones back in school now i assume so hang in there cause the weekends almost here :D
love you all
~joyciepoo

AMERICAN IDOL

IM GOING TO HOLLYWOOD!
lol yeaa right im just at home watching american idol on TiVO right now and just wanted to update ya'lls. i hope everyones doing well =D i heard the SD weekend was a success. Sorry i couldnt make it. My brother was in town for new years so ive been spending a lot of time with the family and Matthew lol but what else is new. I hope everyone had a good new years though. So here's an idea... we need to have to have a FAVE dinner! Lets plan it sometime over a weekend. I know some of you are in school already but before Hazel and I start (on the 26th) we should all get togethaaa =D please oh please! Well have a good rest of the week... the weekends almost here so if there are any plans this saturday HIT ME UP!
~joyciepoo

this reminded me of you...

First of all, I'm really proud of us for actually making it down to SD this weekend! Good times at the Libra house. Danikka & Bev, nice meeting you ladies!!! Yovs drove Matt, Frank, RA & me down to visit Lex. Despite the fact that we had work, school & other life happenings going on, WE made the time & MADE IT HAPPEN! =) On the (seemingly shortest) car ride down, we were joking about how we should just keep going til we hit the border. It's been almost a year since the last time I was south of the border; it's pretty sketchy right now, so I don't miss it much. Anywho, we were talking about the infamous trip to Baby Rock in April 2007. Let's take a stroll down memory lane to the most crackin trip to TJ! =)

Open bar crackin!

Matt double fisting...which led to him getting so smashed we had to wait til 4am for his drunk ass to sober up so we could all cross the border. As we were walking from the cab to the border, we stopped to get TJ hotdogs & we hear....(In the Matt voice) "MAAAAN! WHY DO WE HAVE TO STOP TO GET HOT DOGS GUYS?! IT'S COLD!! I DON'T FEEL GOOD!"

Please note that he has a Brazilian bikini wax on his head.

They don't call me G for nothing.

We got there & everyone was sitting at their tables with bottle service..the dance floor was EMPTY! So who got it started? WE DID! hahaha these boys are forever cracking me up with their dance moves.

17 shots of tequila. We were fearless.

HAHAHAHA!

That's all for now...I gotta get to bed. First day of spring semester tomorrow. Boooo! So gang, what's the haps this weekend?

-Gina

ps. You liked the return of the sock bandit at our slumber party, didn't you?!

Thank you.

That last post was pretty funny. Hughes was nothing but good times. It seemed like you got around in middle school hazel. hahaha jk. well we missed you in sd this weekend.

Anyways, just want to say thanks again for visiting me in sd. Next time I promise there will be something a little more crackin to do. That is if Matt could actually stay up past 10 this time and RA doesn't play bike rider. hahaha good times. thanks again.

Lex

ps dont forget to put your name at the bottom of your post or anything so we know who posted, since we are all blogging under the same name and what not.

this reminded me of you...

As I was driving home last night listening to 103.5, All4One's "I Swear" came on. You alreadyyyy know :)

Back then, during our Hughes days, Gina and I would spend our afternoons doing theee most random things. One day we went back to her house and drank liters of coke, then recorded ourselves having a burping contest. Once we were drunk off the cola we decided to do an entire recording of us lip syncing to, "I Swear." I believe she took the first verse, and i took the second. Sillyyy times:) This has led me to reminiscing about some other RANDOM middle school memories.

- i would live at gina's house while she was at wintaka.
- i bought the boys flame boy and wet willy stickers for christmas. hahahaahaa
- the princess necklace and roxy t-shirt r.j. bought me for christmas.
- my slam book got taken away and i begged "Beth" for it back.
- i remember seeing alex before school even started, and he was in a wheel chair, heading to the office. (what happend again???)
- all night conversation with gina & frank about how we would stay friends, no matter what. shannon, chance, and perry foreverrrrrrr<33

couples
-alex&lauren sagun/alex&rheamay
-gina&frank/gina&johnny
-hazel&michael p./hazel&mark lemos/hazel& r.j./hazel&frank/hazel&kevin hahahaaha!
-r.j.&hazel/r.j.& melissa
-frank&gina frank frank frank frank

-polynesian club
-fruitopia
-see's chocholate bars from music class
-dances till 5pm
-mr.pete's
-albertsons


well that's all for now. be back later. love you, bye!

-hazel


p.s. there are still a couple people who have not posted anything. ahem, yovs & chromodome.

straight west coastin'

Hey tomodachis! We're doing pretty well with the posts =) Anywho, I wanted to let it be known that JetBlue is having a sale right now...$49 each way from Long Beach to Sactown & San Francisco!! $39 each way from Long Beach to Vegas!!! LET'S BOOK IT SOON!!! You all know how much I love to plan and be travel agent so throw some dates out at me & we should DEFINITELY jump on this & make it happen. I think we have to book the flights before January 15th in order to lock these rates in. Any takers?


Yayyyy for a trip down to the whales vagina this weekend!! Short but sweet little getaway to San Diego bc we already miss you, Lex! Please have cold beverages ready for us upon arrival. Okay pumpkin??


FYI!!!!!!!! We can post comments on each other's posts, so if you're running low on time and/or don't want to dedicate a whole new post to a little thought...just comment. k love you bye

so little time!

i'm loving this blog spot we have and i just want to say that i have been reading and checking almost everyday but haven't really had the time to sit down and just write. but i just want you all to know that this is very important to me and i am checking and reading what everyone has wrote and when i get the chance i will write soon. ok off to work to change them diapers and wipe them noses :(
its almost the weekend too so everyone who has started school already stay up! love you all
~joyciepoo

Hello 2009

Hello 2009,

I'm going to admit that this break was probably the best break of my young 20 years. And as a wise man once said, "it was crackin like an earthquake!" It honestly felt wonderful to be in long beach. I basically saw everybody that I wanted to see, and that is probably by the event of Gina's surprise party.

Unfortunately, today I do no have any "this reminds me of you" memories today, even though I know there have been countless events that have been engraved in my memory and heart. All the way from the young days of middle school to the silly adventures of high school. I wanted to post our picture from hughes graduation but I still have to scan it. However, just know that it stands tall on my desk in SD.

Instead or this reminds me of you, I will proceed to explaining my best memory in high school. If you did not partake in this event I apologize, however you know that we have shared plenty of everlasting memories. It took me while to come up with this but to me, it's still a toss up between the crackin nights at the mission viejo hotel or our trip to Poly's SD game. I know that SD game may have been the demise of our friendship, but iI definitely cannot say I did not have fun. I drive by that hotel almost everyday and it brings smiles to my face. I basically live 30 seconds from the school too. As for the hotel...It basically spoke for itself, so enough said.

Last note: I've enjoyed spending the majority of my life with this group and I look forward to increasing the time and the years that this group stays close. I know I've been the youngin' of the group, so I express my gratitude toward you guys/girls for always taking care of me. As you guys/girls age before me, and partake in events that may be restricted to me because of age, I only ask that you stay safe and perhaps pretend that I have attended. However, 18+ I will be there instantaneously. In conclusion, this blog was a viscous idea and I look forward to reading the stories that you all submit. I've already done my part so far, and please do the same. I suggest you bookmark this blog or even set it as your homepage. I love you all, and as time progresses and distance continues to separate us, I hope we all get nothing but closer because I would do anything for each and everyone of you.

-Lex

this reminded me of you...

Wait, did I use that in the correct context? I was looking through some old pictures while trying to consolidate albums on my laptop when I came across this.....

Thad's holiday party..December 2007. "HOMECOMING KIIIINNNNGGGG!" I know it wasn't at THIS particular party, but I saw Matt sitting in that exact spot & I couldn't help myself. It was either our senior year or the year after when Thad had a party & there were helium balloons. I can't remember the exact details, but what I do remember is Matt sitting at the bar with a drink in one hand and a balloon in the other screaming, "HOMECOMING KIIING! YAAAAY! GO POLY!!" hahaha He had everyone laughing until he passed out with his head on the counter! Okay, I'm not gonna lie...this story was waaaay funnier when I thought about it & when we re-enact it out loud. Regardless, this is one of the funniest memories I have of Matt at Thad's house. The end. =)

09' is loooookin fine

One word: Blessed

Blessed to have been able to share some of my most memorable childhood memories with you all and blessed to be able to continue our strong friendship through the ups & downs, smiles & frowns. I'm just glad to see us, back to being us, again. Enough of that corny stuff, and moving on...Yard house, good times. Patricia's, good times. Rockband, fun times (I still need to perfect the drums.) Gina Marie's party, theee best time. I'm still not over it. I am very excited for what this year has to offer. As of right now I don't have any "This reminded me of you" moments but pleeeaaase believe that I will be here, blogging away as soon as one comes to mind. And since I'm here, I would like to set a date for a dinner before I go back to Sac. I start school January 26th, so please make yourselves available for Friday January 23rd 6:30-7pm. BE THERE. love you all and be back sooon. byee.

Birthday Bliss

Frank, I love the "this reminded me of you" idea!

It's a week into January and I'm still feeling the nostalgia from my surprise birthday party. I honestly thought everyone had their own thing going on & dismissed my idea of ice skating in Santa Monica for my birthday. Thank you AGAIN for coming together in the (insert Kanye voice here) coldest winter Long Beach has seen in a while to celebrate with me. I couldn't have asked for a more complete set of my absolute favorite people to be in attendance. I'm one of the first to turn 21 in the bunch & as mentioned at Lex's going back to SD breakfast at Patricia's, my birthday seems to bring us all back together. It's right smack in the middle of the Christmas-New Year week & everyone's back in Long Beach with their familia.

Here's the first time we were ALL reunited after we graduated high school. Buca di Beppo in Huntington Beach for my 19th birthday. December 28, 2006. (Minus Hazel bc she was late!)

See? She's here!

& one of my favorite pictures from the night =)

back in your life

2008 was such a crazy year!
I have grown apart from each of you in more ways than one. For awhile I did not care and I'm pretty sure most of you know why. I was on that fuck the world type shit. Everyone was kind of doing their own thing and I was cool with that. But then we kicked it at Alex's pad and there was a general calming that I experienced. There was so much shit that just kept us apart in one way or another-picking sides kinda shit. I was angry that I was not able to be apart of your lives this past year. I also noticed that I do not have people that I can call and have lunch with or stuff like that. In short, besides Matt I had no friends out here. Partly my fault, mostly yours =). But fuck it it's a new year. The stuff that kept us apart is that 08 shit. I am an avid reader of various blogs and I think that I can offer some dope ideas that will keep this blog crackin'. Please take this seriously, it is honestly a great idea. I don't want it to be something that I hear Alex shootin' on two months from now, "Member that blog guys?"

IDEA NUMERO UNO
whenever you see some thing that reminds you of the homie or homies, title it "this reminded of you"
for example
"this reminded me of you"
I was doing my laundry today and I came across the underwear that had a tiny hole that Hazel called out. Gina you were getting food and Hazel was looking at my ass and said that I have a hole and that she wanted to make bigger with a straw. Yvonne looked too only she tried to rape me by pulling down my pants to see the hole. For the record, no one can recover from someone telling him that he has holy underweas. All my swag could not muster a response besides "foreal?!" haha "there is no comeback"

im down for sd this weekend but I would have to leave after 5 sat and be back before 12 sunday...
We should plan a trip up north to visit Hazel so that we can all get off work and things of that nature...

listen to Japanese Cartoon-Hierplanes, it's lupe in a punk band singing in a british accent *dope

first post done son YEEEEAAA! (deep voice)

FRANK OLIVER GUNDRAN is the title of my entry recieving all the love you send me...

The First of Many

To my favorites,
The new year is upon us & it's the year of the legals, baby! A few weeks ago, Joyce, Frank, Hazel, Lex & I were catching up and promised each other to keep in touch this year. Not only by simple greetings and small talk, but by really making the effort to keep our friendship healthy and stronger than ever. We grew up being only a few miles from each other which made it sooo easy to walk, bike or take a quick car ride to be with one another. Now that we're growing up and getting on with our lives, it gets a little bit harder to keep our tight-knit family in-cahoots with each other. Yes, I said it, IN-CAHOOTS. I hope each of you find the inner-discipline to update us & the blog at LEAST once a month...not much to ask, right? Let's use this to cherish & embrace the old memories, document our new and developing stories & plan for future gatherings. With that said, there shouldn't be any excuses like, "I didn't know about it" or "I ran out of contacts"(hahaha it will NEVER get old, Lex). =) I'm so blessed to have such an amazing set of friends who I can trust, laugh with/at, & feel so comfortable being myself. I love you all. Here's to 2009 & USING OUR OWN ID'S!!!!!