never forget.

I remember that day ten years ago so vividly. I remember what I ate for breakfast, where I sat in class, what shoes I wore.

Hard to believe it's already been 10 years. I guess I'm the right age to be considered part of the "9/11 Generation," which oddly enough instills me with a tremendous sense of pride. Yes, that day was unspeakably tragic, horrifying, and terrible, but it also brought our country together. Out of the sorrows came a feeling of togetherness.

I pray for the victims and their families everyday, and still get goosebumps when I think about what happened. But today, I am joyful. Ten years have come and gone, and we are stronger for it.

God Bless America.

I found this great little map on Pinterest.

California knows how to party.

--

Click here to follow me on Pinterest.

Do you think your state is accurately represented?

She's a good girl, loves her mama, loves Jesus...

and America too.

I'm home! After more than 24 hours of waiting in airports, standing in long lines, and luxuriating in a 4-star Paris hotel, I survived and made it back to the States!

Regularly scheduled programming on the ol' blog from here on out.

Things I'm looking forward to now that I'm stateside:

fruits and vegetables!

my 21st birthday

Las Vegas

cuddling with Riley

exercise

Cannot wait to share all my memories! I'll be starting a new series next week so that I can share things one at a time.

Happy Birthday, America!

I love the Fourth of July.

The colors,

the fireworks,

the red, white, and blue,

and most especially,

the history behind the day.

Those revolutionaries were badasses--

they saw what needed to change,

and did it.

So Happy Birthday America!

Though I am not around to celebrate your special day,

know that I think of you often

and will settle for wearing your colors on second-rate Bastille Day.

Happy Fourth of July!

And thank you to the service men and women who work to keep our country safe everyday.

Five Things Friday

This is a special edition of Five Things Friday

because it is the last one I'll write in America

(at least for a few weeks!).

On Tuesday I'm off to France,

so I couldn't resist this opportunity to share all of my favorite things

about our fair country.

1. I love red, white, and blue. I seriously can't think of a better color combination. Betsy Ross knew what was up. No look is more classic than a pair of red high-waisted shorts and a blue and white striped tank. Please believe I'll be rockin' this outfit on July 4 and of course on Bastille Day, because the founding fathers of France knew what was up too.

2. I geek out over American history. I am a sucker for self-directed action, and Paul Revere and friends saw a problem they wanted to address and acted upon it. My best friend Morgan and I went to Washington DC when we were 14 and the American History Museum was without question my favorite part of the trip.

3. America is a melting pot. In one of my sociology classes, the professor argued that America is less of a melting pot and more of a stew, in which you can visibly see each part and there is not a whole lot of mixing. In any case, the "America as melting pot" image is still popular, so we're going with it. I love that when I come home to Hollister, Hispanic culture is readily apparent wherever I go. And when I'm at school in Berkeley, I am exposed to pretty much any culture you could imagine (especially in sociology). My favorite manifestation of the melting pot its influence on food. Rarely do I eat American food. I joke with my friends that I'm the most Mexican person they know, because I literally eat Mexican food at least three times a week. But I also love boba, Italian, sushi, Thai, and most of all, Indian.

4. Great American cities. My intense love for urbanity must have come out of living in a small town my whole life. I yearn for the fast-paced attitude and ability to walk everywhere. San Francisco is my greatest love, and always will be. But I've spent time in LA (not my fave, but suffices), New York, and Nashville, and I love them all. I have yet to visit an international city, but will be sure to report on how they stack up against my beloved American urban centers.

5. I love the fact that I still get goosebumps when I think about 9/11. I was only 11, of course, but I remember that day so vividly. The image of the firemen hoisting the flag over ground zero still makes me tear up, and whenever I think about the men who forced the plane to crash in Pennsylvania instead of the White House I get goosebumps so intensely that I shiver. It was a tragic day, but also a day that proved so much about how strong this country is. Yes, we were susceptible to terrorism, but we were also united. I think it's the most blatant symbol of Americana and American pride.

Okay, so maybe I teared up a little (or maybe a lot) when I was writing out that last one.

As excited as I am for my time abroad,

I am really going to miss my home.

I'm proud to be an American!

Happy Friday!

Quite the historical weekend

I cried a lot this weekend, let me tell you.

Never have I been prouder to say that I cast my first vote for President of the United States for Barack Hussein Obama. God bless America, and let this serve as a testament to the courage and dedication of our armed forces. May you all return home safely and quickly.

I am also so inspired to have witnessed true love made official at the royal wedding. Perhaps I'm just a naive little twenty-year-old, but it made me so happy to witness the love and grace of William and Kate. They both deserve all the happiness in the world, and I cannot wait to see the beautiful children they produce!

Of course these events have nothing in common, and are of very different historical significance depending on which country you hail from, but the history made this weekend is still inspiring.

I remember the day Princess Diana died. My mom came into my room crying and said that she had been killed. I didn't understand. And I remember 9/11 vividly. I could tell you everything I did for every minute of that day. But again, I didn't really understand.

Now that I'm a grown up, I know that early Friday morning and Sunday evening were filled with moments I will vividly remember forever. I understand the significance of each event, and I am so excited to tell my children about them someday.

God bless America, and God bless true love!