Happy Holidays!!

Hello All!

So it's been very cold the past couple weeks in the PNW. It was below freezing for a whole week! And that's also when the furnace decided to die. And it couldn't get fixed until the following week. So I bought heated blankets and slept by the fireplace.

Getting out of this cold soon!
I'm going to Chile! To visit the girl my parents and I hosted for a school year (she was an exchange student). Also, to site see the country! - Easter Island, the southern tip and Santiago and of course, her city! to name a few... It's summer over there...I'm very excited to feel the sun and get a nice tan.

Our flights have longg layovers. So... right now I've just been packing, packing, packing!! Also, cleaning the house and getting ready for work tomorrow morning. One more shift before I leave!

Happy Holidays! :)
Talk to you in January!

November is gone.

That means Thanksgiving is over, stuffing our faces with turkey and mashed potatoes until we can't no more. AND crazy Black Friday shoppers are gone..! I make the pumpkin pie every year for as long as I can remember... which hasn't been that long, But all my relatives look forward to it and really like it. So that's the highlight of my ThanksGIVING. ... get it? ;D

Mine was more of a Thanksgiving Week. As it is every year. My grandparents fly up from Southern California and spend a week up in the PNW. It is fun. I get to be around my cousins and hang with them. We all only see each other once a year. So it's nice. Also, family-friends came up and that was a blast! 

Now that I'm done reminiscing..

I had my phone interview yesterday for my Ecuador (volunteer) trip. It went well! :D Then, she went over an overview of how it will be in Ecuador - weather, flight, first arriving and emergency info. It was all quite exciting and I'm getting more anxious! late January - early May eeek! It's coming up too quickly! I still need to get my vaccinations! 

On another note, I'm leaving for Chile in 2 weeks!!! I can't believe it! I never thought I would get to host an exchange student then actually go visit her! :D This will be a lifelong friendship and experience I'll never forget. 

I'm going to end it here for now. 

P.S. It's 19 degrees!!! Can't wait for Chilean summer @ 80 degrees.

Fall in the PNW

Sorry I have been so absent! I just got my game back up and keeping  myself busy again. I was in a bit of a "slump" for the past couple months. By "slump" I mean, just enjoying not having to wake up at 6am for high school. - Thank god that's OVER! But now, I'm happy and I just recently got a job! :))

I am working with kids and working at off-site special events. Plus, volunteering my time at my Elementary school. You would think all this experience I'm getting working with kids I'd want a career in this field... but really, no. I just like kids! Anybody need a babysitter...?

Enough about that! On another note... I'm going to Chile!! I'm very excited, but all this planning and packing and just preparing for it is overwhelming. It is their summer, so 90 degree weather in December will be a nice change! :D Getting to visit Valentina, the exchange student my parents and I hosted a couple years ago.

Here we are in Hawaii '12!

I'm also in the process of going to Ecuador. I'm going to volunteer and stay with a host family! I knew I wanted to travel abroad and immerse myself in another spanish-speaking country. Put my spanish-speaking skills to the test! I will work at a school where low class children attend. Just play with them and help them with some academic work. They're elementary school ages. I'm very excited and looking forward to building new relationships with these kids!
Here is the name of the organization United Planet. You can volunteer for as short as 3 months up to a year! You can choose your travel dates and they accept volunteers on a rolling basis. So, whenever it's convenient for you! - March, October, February, etc..!

I've also been into indie rock/california chill-beachy music. Check out my Spotify account! @ Julia Odano
Been really loving Walk the Moon, Tegan and Sara and Batille, to name a few..

Really excited for college in SoCal!! Been checking up on the weather for this colder time of the year! 60-70 degree weather not bad, being a PNW native. :) My college is right next to the beach!! I feel so grateful everyday for the life I live.

Concluding this post, sorry my topics were all over the place! Just keeping you updated on all parts. Have a good day or night, depending on when you read this :)

Comments are much appreciated.

Summer's coming to an End

Well, August is ending. The sun is setting earlier and rising later. All my classmates have left for their new college adventure.

It hasn't really sunk in that I'm done with high school. I guess when that first day comes around and I start hearing the school bus make its route around the neighborhood, it will sink in. I don't have to put up with those immature classmates!

Just thought I'd give an update. I'm done working with Olympia Parks & Rec. camps and now moving on to Bumbershoot this coming up weekend! Woo!! for 7am shifts xP

I hung out with my friend Lauren the other day at Sand in the City, a local sand sculpture contest downtown. We stopped by this new ice cream place and it turned out to be really good! :D

Dog sitting, Last week of S.K.I.P.P. & Mt. Rainer

Here's a picture of my neighbor's dog! She's a ball of energy and fun to play with for the week after a long days work. 

   

So, as much as it disappoints me to say... This will be the last week working with S.K.I.P.P., Olympia Parks and Recreation summer day camp. I've mentioned in a couple previous posts. It's a summer day camp for kids and we give free lunch from 12-12:30pm and snack at 3pm and provide a free camp to anyone 18 and under! - It's been a blast! I've grown relationships with these kids and created many memories. I can't wait to come back next summer and be a counselor again!! :)

Today, my parents and I and a couple local relatives went to Mt. Rainer. It was cloudy all day. Getting an early start, 8am to be exact. We hiked for most of the afternoon, and even by 3pm the clouds didn't clear away! Here's a couple photos I got:


Let's make this week count! It's the countdown to my birthday!! :D

Ultimate Fighting Champion...!

Now that I got your attention...

This week was super hectic! 

So as my regular schedule job. I worked at SKIPP with the kiddos M-Th. 

Took off Friday morning for Seattle! My third volunteer opportunity of the summer, with Seafair. 

Started my shift at 2 and went to 6pm. I met a great group of girls who were working as interns. They were all going into their senior year of college at WSU and one from UW, all majoring in either, Marketing, Comm or PR. - I want to major in PR! We had a lot of common interests off the bat and they gave me some great advice for getting PR experience. 

Saturday, I had another shift, but working at the Seattle Center. My legs got so tired from standing up the whole time. My job position was "packet pick-up" as the pre-registered runners from the Torchlight run would come pick up their "packet." I would find their name through all of the names, organized alphabetically by last A-Z. It took me a while sometimes and lots of asking to repeat or spell the last name. - Who knew there were so many "Olson" & "Miller" 's in this world!? 

       After I was relieved from my shift. I got to enjoy the fair. I watched the Torchlight parade and met UFC Ronda Rousey!! I waited in line for 30 mins., amongst some mid-20 year old guys who looked at me like "does she even know who she is?!" with their bro tanks on and their arms tatted up. She is really nice and has a really chill vibe to her. It was an honor. 

Overall, fun weekend! And got lots of pictures and shirts to remember it all! Check out my photos on my  Flickr account! :)

I'm Back!!

Hello!
Sorry I've been absent for so long! I am back and ready to commit to weekly blog posts!

First things first...
I AM a HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE! WOOHOO!!

Can't believe I made it. - Now the easy part is done! ;D

What i'm doing now:
I have been doing volunteer work (for job experience) with The Color Run, Color in Motion and coming up, Color Me Rad & The Color Vibe. I have Seafair coming up this weekend. And Bumbershoot is next month!! Oh! And I've also got a position with the Hands on Children's Museum at Sand in the City. I'm just a busy bee this summer!
                                                          "Go Getter!" - parents and grandma
Also, I'm a volunteer with Olympia Park's and Recreation S.K.I.P.P. over at Woodruff. I started 3rd week of June thru August 16! As of now, the positions I've volunteered for don't stop until mid-September!

Enough of my workload. It's making me tired just writing about it!

I'm still taking the year off, like I had planned. And the travel plans, not so much. Sadly, I won't be staying with a host family and improving my spanish speaking skills in a South American country, BUT I am going to get a paying job.

I love to travel and that just disappointed me that it didn't end up working out. I wanted to cross another country off my list. ... mental travel-bucket list. Oh well! That's life. Not everything works out as planned.
    sidenote: I am in the process of planning a trip to CAlifornia this fall to do some shopping and visiting! I have been having a HUGE craving for Brandy Melville and In N Out burger. I need to update my wardrobe with some cute hipster -"LA Lifestyle" look. After all, I am going to become a Californian, I should start blending in. :)

Hmmm.... What else is new. . .

• My 18 Birthday is in less than a month!! 
• I'm already super tan from my job (summer camp counselor)! We're outside M-F morning to afternoon. 
• I'm going to miss my friends as they go off to their first year of college in a month. :/
• Thought I was going to be at the US Surf Open...next year!
• Definitely going to Coachella '14 - another CA trip! :D
• One of the campers at SKIPP is an actress. Like Hollywood famous! NBD. 

Talk to you later! :)