The House Poet

HAPPY 100TH POST! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! :D I am so excited that this is my 100th post here! Wow! To celebrate, I made a Facebook page lol! XD Enjoy this post, which features one of my favorite things in the world: Andrew's family's parties!! Hey everyone! It's been a CRAZY week, let me tell ya. There was a bomb threat at my college last Sunday, which really threw everyone off. Nothing happened, but it was annoying, inconvenient, and scary. I have been working on projects and essays, and trying to study for my art history final which is taking place tomorrow because my professor couldn't change it. I have been pretty stressed out and anxious lately because I have a lot to do and I have conflicted feelings about summer; I want the semester to end, but I don't want to leave Andrew, Stockton, or my friends. It's tough and upsetting. :( I am working hard and trying to be the best person I can be! There is some good news: I got a story published in the campus litera...

The weather here in Stockton has certainly been interesting. A few weeks ago, the days were hot and vibrant with green grass and blooming flowers. Then, last week the weather took a turn for the worse and rain was falling almost every day, and the days were cold and slate-grey. Not exactly the most cheerful Spring week, let me tell you. However, this post and the pictures hearken back to the week where every day was a bouquet of sunshine and smiles. This particular Friday dawned bright and cheerful; Andrew took me out to our first favorite place, Le Kims! This restaurant is really special to us; we used to go all the time when we first dating and have loved it ever since. :) It was our haunt when the nights were cold and rainy~ We noticed we hadn't gone in a while, so we decided to go and get some good, homey Veitnamese eats! :) I got new glasses! The frames are purple and very cute~ I love this picture; it's so sweet! Of course we had to take pictures together at lunch, it wa...

Gahhhhhh, I can't believe I hadn't posted this yet!!! This past week has been INSANE. I had some hard stuff to deal with, such as the death of a family friend and frustating class scheduling. College is never easy, and in the words of my wonderful father-- "Living on your own is tough!" I couldn't have said it better myself, Dad. :) However, a lot of fun was had by me and Andrew this holiday weekend. :) I am glad that we are settling back into our usual routine this week-- I actually am a "routine" kind of person, and I really don't like change. I can't believe it's April already...I am going to Japan next month! Now, without further ado, here is what I did for my 20th birthday in January! Stay tuned for more catch-up posts to follow! :) ~ ~ ~ Oreo cookie cake with 20 candles, courtesy of my love and his family! :D Hello everyone! Saturday January 3o was my 20th Birthday!!! I am really excited about being 20; it feels right to ...

Oh, am I having a case of the Mondays today! I had the most wonderful Friday and Sunday this past weekend, and now I am back in the motion of classes and studying and annoying people. Ugh. I miss Andrew a lot and the only thing keeping me going right now is the fact that he has a gig here on campus tomorrow night and I am soooo proud of him and excited! I am just going to stay strong and look forward to it! :) It's funny, I have just come to the realization that I really hate studying. The past few weeks have been gloriously study free and I have been relaxed and feeling good. Now, I have some papers and a mid-term and everything seems miserable here. I really don't want this semester to end..... :( There are so many things up in the air concerning next semester and this summer. I hope it will all turn out alright. I applied for a Pacific Fund Grant to get money for my trip to Japan this summer, but I haven't heard a thing and I was supposed to last week! So, we will see wh...

Hey all! I am back in Stockton, having taken the train on Friday. Andrew picked me up and we have been having fun! :) I am starting to feel better, which inspires me! It was raining all day on Friday, which made the day seem rather cozy. I spent the morning getting my stuff together and trying to make my boxes seem less heavy for my dad's move this weekend. Yep, my family moved, but luckily they are still on the trail I love so much! Around 10:30ish, one of my best friends, Andi, came to pick me up with all my stuff and we went out to lunch. She offered to drive me to the Amtrak station, which saved me a lot of stress. Thanks Andi-girl! :) So, where did we go? Pho Saigon of course! ;D It is a tradition between us to always go out to Vietnamese food when I am in town. This new place is so good that we knew we had to go! She ordered the spring rolls with shrimp as a starter and scarfed them down! :)They looked very fresh! I, of course, ordered the egg rolls, which are my favorite, a...

(Yay, those are the cute stuffed loves that he gave me, along with a sweet and awesomely ilustrated card! Thanks love!) Last Sunday was my second Valentine's Day with Andrew, and it was fun to celebrate a holiday a second time together~ :D Our day was rather unconventional, which works for us! ;) It started off with us working at a children's birthday party! Andrew is the guitar teacher for a sweet 9 year-old and I get to tag along at the lessons because the family likes me lol. The party was celebrating both the son and daughter's birthdays. Andrew was in charge of the boys and I handled the girls. The girls were ages 3-7 and let me tell you it was tough work. I was exhausted by the end of the day. Some of the girls' parents were there and not all were nice to me. I just shrugged off their rudeness and tried to be the best babysitter I could be. I think I did a great job, as no girls had any problems. :) Some of them even really liked me, which was cute and fun for me...

YAY! On Thursday Febuary 4, 2010, it had been one year since Andrew and I started dating! We have grown so much together and can't imgaine being without each other! I feel like my life has changed for the better and through him I have been introduced to so many wonderful foods, bands, and fun things! Andrew is my true love, my other half, my best friend, and my partner in life. :) Sadly, Thursday was a busy day for both of us. I had classes all day, and he worked all morning and had class all afternoon. He came to my room around 4:30ish and we hung out the rest of the night at his house just relaxing. We gave each other gifts and had a blast opening them! He gave me a lovely eternity ring with gold and cubic zirconias! We pledged our committment to each other. :D On Friday, I woke up feeling more rested and better than I had during the week, and he only had a short morning class, so we were together all day! Yay! We had lunch on campus (which was pretty good!) and then went to Sak...

It's been a grey day and I've just been holed up in my room since it's so cold outside. I actually did go out to take some pictures of my friend for my photography assignment, and it went well. But when I got back to my room, my fingers were stiff and freezing! Luckily, I don't have much homework so I can just relax, which is what I have been doing. I do wish I could bake something though..... Last week went well, except there was a TERRIBLE storm for a few days! The wind and rain were so strong I had trouble sleeping! Not to mention that walking to class and the University Center was a chore. There might be more rain this week, so I am not looking forward to that. Andrew started classes again and his schedule is rather intense! I have been there for him and we have fun being together, even if we are sometimes tired lol. I went to a couple family parties this weekend which were so fun!! I was a little overwhelmed by all the people I hadn't yet met, but everyone was ...

Yep, it's December now! :) It's been quite a while since I last posted, but I was busy with finals, essays, and just life in general. I am at home for winter break but I miss Andrew and Stockton tremendously. Andrew will hopefully be coming over next weekend to see me and I am so excited! I will bake lots of goodies for him~! The above picture was taken a few days after he returned from the trip to the Philippines. I was ecstatic to see him again! It's been so wonderful having him back! The night after he arrived from the Philippines three weeks ago, he took me out to dinner. We couldn't stop talking and there was so much to say! We went to Dave Wong's Restaurant, a lovely Chinese place in Stockton. It is a gorgeous restaurant, oozing comfy yet upscale ambiance. The lighting is dim and golden, which makes for a romantic setting. They also have curtained booths for privacy; Andrew had put our names down for us to get one. After a while, one of the nice men working t...

Last Sunday morning, Andrew and I went to try a Vietnamese place that we couldn't ever find before. However, last Friday night we passed it in the car and realized it wasn't very far from his house or UOP! So, we decided to go on Sunday, since it was open. The place is small, but meticulously clean. It's run by an old couple who don't speak too much English but are nice anyway. The fact that our chopsticks and spoons were given to us in a popcorn bag is just too funny and awesome! :D Ahhhhhhh, finally, a delicious banh mi! This one has tasty grilled pork in it and the bread is warm and fluffy! I truly adore this sandwich!!! None of the ingredients are overpowering, and I always take out the too-spicy jalapeno slice. The Vietnamese mayo adds such a creamy and savory aspect to the sandwich~! So good for $2.50! Since I love cha gio (imperial/egg rolls, 4 for $3.95) we ordered those as well so I could try them. They were okay, very fresh and steaming hot! I was disappointed...