Christmas

My family does Christmas the 24th at Midnight. So technically the 25th. In Arizona, it's just my parents, 2 brothers & my brother's wife and kids. Very small. My entire mom's side is in California, while my dad's side is in Peru. We had gone to California for thanksgiving, and i wished we were able to go to Peru for Christmas, but money is sort of crucial right now. But anyways,...i love my small immediate family. My brother, Rolly, and the kids came over at 9 and we had dinner.

Lemme tell ya, PERUVIAN FOOD IS AMAZING!! We go all out and it's pretty mouth watering. After dinner, we hung out as a family, played games and had a good time. Come midnight, we uncover baby Jesus from the Peruvian Nativity we have and we exchange hugs. Then, the kid's favorite part- Presents!

Watching my nephews and niece's facial expressions as they open their gifts is such a blessing! I love the feeling of seeing their face light up in joy and excitement. I love them so much- they are my world!

Santa doesn't like me very much- i did not get the snuggie i wanted!! it's okay though, ill have to just buy me one myself. haha, but besides that, i was fortunate to get sweet gifts from my family.

My favorite gift of all- my 8 year old nephew & niece (they're twins) made me christmas cards and Jude made me a notebook. He was creative and put together paper and a cover and labeled it "darlene's book". I teared up- what a beautiful gesture of him to do that for me. My niece, Skye, gave me her favorite ring holder- this beautiful light tower that she has had. How selfless of her. The twins taught me a lot with their sweet gesture. it was seriously the greatest present of all.


I love my family so much. I dont know where i would be without their love and support. The holidays are my favorite. The family love is of course a year round thing, but the christmas season reminds us of why we are here and our purpose in life. I love it!

Mah burrffday & Christian Dance Company

MY BIRTHDAY.

happy birthday to meeeee (Dec. 17th) I am now 20!!! woot woot!! I remember when i was little always thinking "wow, i wonder where i'll be in life when i'm 20 years old!!"...and thankfully, i am right where i always wanted to be. My birthday was incredible. I am so grateful for the huge outpouring of love i felt by my family and friends. From the time midnight hit on the 17th till 11:59 PM, my day was filled with "happy birthdays!" and hugs. I love hugs!! When i woke up on my birthday, i knew exactly how i'd start my day....Temple!! I did baptisms that morning and wow, i couldn't have asked for a better way to start my birthday. Around 12:30 the girls came over and we went to birthday lunch. it was so fun- i love my girls! Marinda had work but she came over after and played with me at my house. She's phenomenal. I had work that afternoon and dance that night. After dance, the girls and i went to a christmas sweater party & then to see AVATAR at midnight. I didnt care for Avatar at all, but lemme tell ya, the movie is AMAZING!! i plan on seeing it again. It was so good!! My day was just busy and filled with goodness so i loved my 20th birthday! And im grateful for all of my friends that helped make it such a special day.


Christian Dance Company.

We had our performance on the 19th at Mesa High school. What i love the most about CDC is the baring of our testimonies before show time. All of the dancers, in white dresses, gather on stage and we do a devotional. This year, i had a devotional on the Atonement...i could not get through my devotional without crying. The spirit was felt so strong and it's just an experience that is so difficult to explain. After devotionals, we had open time to bare our testimonies and it was beautiful. So spiritual and so many of us were crying. [oh yes, i had mascara running down my face]. I was really grateful for the testimonies from girls who aren't of my same faith. It was amazing for me to see how they expressed their love for our Savior and it was such an example to me. Show time came and the house was full. There were some technical difficulties but, it happens. Earlier that day during dress rehearsal, i FINALLY went full out on my toe falls and welp, i messed my lower back up. I have no idea what i did. But i continued to dance. After the actual show, my back was hurting so so bad. The pain worsened but, ill be okay. Running on stage for "How Great Thou Art" was a strong moment for me...it is a dance of celebration and happiness but when i tried to smile, i started crying. It was such an unexpected emotion. But a beautiful one. Gosh i sound monotonous but really, words cannot express what one feels. After the show, so many people came up to me and thanked me for the [free] show we put on for the community each year. It was so nice hearing from perfect strangers how they were uplifted and felt the spirit. My favorite was when they told me they couldn't help but smile and cry tears of love. IT MADE MY NIGHT. that's exactly what we wanted. We dance through our testimony and love for our Savior and hope that people will feel the spirit. I LOVED IT.

Monday the 21st, we performed one last time at the Temple. due to the smaller stage and time, we only did a selection from the show. It was INCREDIBLE dancing for my Savior while facing the Temple. The most beautiful feeling. For a second i couldn't believe i was about to go on a stage and dance through my testimony, while having the most perfect view in the world. It was a wonderful experience. I cannot believe CDC is over! I waited all year for audition time and now it's over. All the hard work, months of daily practice and dedication. I LOVE CHRISTIAN DANCE COMPANY SO MUCH!!

I hope that all MHS dancers partake in the program, as well as alumni!

now about my back...well you see, i shouldn't have danced at the Temple cause i was still in pain with my back. I stretched as much as i could and hoped for the best. dancing with a hurting back is painful...after my toe fall, i got back up to continue on with the dance and my entire left leg went NUMB. ya, i dont know if that's normal?...I continued to dance through it though...i was NOT going to stop then. This all happend about 6 hours ago and my back...well, yes, it is still in pain. ouch ouch ouch!! i'm thinking i gotta call a chiropractor. yuck. But it's okay, hurting my back was WELL WORTH IT. I wouldn't have changed a single thing about this.


my birthday and cdc are the most significant things that went on in my life recently. i am so grateful for this experience and i hope that maybe i wont be too busy next year so i can do it all over again :)

Stuff <3

First of all, i am terrible at blogging. This event deserved a blog entry though. On December 5th, a bunch of the '06 boys threw a Prom style dance at a friends airplane hanger. The theme was "here's to the night" and Trevor Evans asked me to be his date. It was SO fun! Here are just a few pictures from the night...i didn't take many. I borrowed Maddi's dress which is gorgeous! The night was a lot of fun...the group i was in was hilarious. I was nervous thinking i'd get shy with new people i didnt know, but surprisingly i didn't care at all. I saw some girls i had cheered with in high school & it was so fun dancing with them. Everyone was basically from MHS so it was a total high school flashback. That night, i discovered i am a jealous person. HA HA...ill keep the "WHY" to myself...but when i get jealous, i tend to ignore that person. I'm retarded. anyways...so that was that.

The girls and i have been preparing for our upcoming CDC performance and i am so excited! More than anything, i'm excited to perform at the Temple! What a wonderful opportunity to be able to dance through my testimony of my Savior AT the Temple...right in front of the reflection pool...seriously, it's going to be an amazing experience and i am so pumped for it!!

We've also been preparing for our hip hop showcase and uhh....i dont know the second dance at all! I dont like "not knowing" a dance, so i better get to practicing cause the show is in...3 days! haha!!

Church- WOW! what can i say....Sundays are my favorite day. This past Sunday was just perfect. I kept crying throughout the entire 3 hours. Sacrament & RS got to me the most. I felt silly cause i had no "REASON" to cry...it was just the spirit being so strong and me being so grateful for my family and friends. my eyes get really small&swollen when i cry so i tried to hold it as much as i could, but when Michelle&Marinda bared their testimonies in RS...i just bawled. And i'm the kind of person who doesn't like crying in front of others. But shoot, it was church,...i loved it!

Hmm...what else? oh...BOYS...HA!! I am the most backwards person!! I like someone...he is so handsome, a "geek" which i totally love cause brains are so attractive, gorgeous smile, so fun & he makes me laugh. He's awesome. I love spending time with him. Yet when we are with a group of people...do you think i make an effort to talk to him/flirt it up? NOPE!! I am the kind of girl that flirts with strictly guy FRIENDS, but when it comes to the guy i like....i get retarded and i can't talk to them. I feel like if i say hi or go talk to them/try to flirt that everyone is watching me & that everyone is judging me. SUCH AN EGOCENTRIC WAY OF THINKING. i know this. But i can't help but get nervous & i end up acting "offish" with that guy. However, get us on text/IM or something and im perfectly fine. I need to learn that it is okay to flirt with the guy i like and not ignore them cause then they'll think i DONT like them...when actually i really DO like them,...im just nervous to talk/flirt. It's lame cause im an affectionate person...i just dont get why im retarded with the guy i like. IM JUST BACKWARDS!! it's so scary to be "cute" with the guy i like cause...i just dont know. He probably is so confused by my "signs" and thinks i dont like him since im not flirty in person....AH. maybe ill grow out of this phase and eventually wont be scared? ANYWAYS....

Nursing School is going great!! I'm kind of genius...which is why i love me a guy with brains!! haha, i can't wait for my final next week and then a nice little break. Ill start hospital rounds next sequence and i cant wait to be called "NURSE!" haha!! seriously though, i am sooo grateful for my passion in medicine.

My best friends, Tori Michelle & Marinda. WOW what would i do without them? im so grateful. Tori got accepted into dental hygiene school & starts in February. i am SO proud!! Michelle is well into her degree, packing her day full of dance classes and is growing so much as a dancer. She teaches at two studios and is already inspiring the lives of young girls in dance. I love it!! and Marinda Lawfonda Hunt..what an angel! she is preparing to serve a mission!! what a great example!! She's getting things in order to get her papers done in less than 2 months!! AH!! I am so blessed that my SISTERS are such wonderful, worthy & righteous women!! I have gone to the Temple with all three of them several times and what a blessing to be able to do that with my bests!! I love them and learn from them. I am the luckiest!

Family....my everything. Thanksgiving was amazing with my family in california. It breaks my heart i live in arizona because i dont get to spend as much time with them as i wished. My cousins are so grown up and so tall! im their midget cousin and they just love to tease me! My laugh is of amusement to them. I love them so much though. My aunts, uncles, grandparents.....all so amazing. I love my Peruvian culture...Thanksgiving was delish!! Missionaries ate dinner with us and kept saying "PERUVIAN FOOD!!" haha it made me happy. I'm so so so grateful!! BEST OF ALL...in 6 months i get to be sealed to my parents for time and all eternity!! AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!!!!!

SO YEP...that's my life so far. Everything is wonderful. Sure, my boy crushing is kinda retarded cuz im so backwards, but ill slowly get courage & confidence. Friends and Family, the best. Im grateful.

<3>

sweet happenings

First of all, these pics are completely random. I cannot figure out the picture settings on this thing.

anyways, since Halloween, lots of goodies have happened. Keeping busy with school and getting A's on exams is the BEST feeling. So i celebrate my good grades by partying with my girls. We went to the state fair and had a blast!! We had a little fire at the boys' house and chilled with all our good guy friends. Those boys are amazing, i wouldn't trade my friendship with them for anything! On a monday night, we went to Butcher Jones and had a bon fire and rode quads. it was a blast!! It was my first time on a quad and i absolutely loved it!! On tori's birthday-eve, we went to the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE concert and it ROCKED!!! we met all the dancers and Tori and Chelle got their shirts autographed! it was AWESOME!! that night, we stayed up till 6:30 AM and woke up at 9 for breakfast.

My poor Marinda got really sick. She made a trip to the ER and i was super duper worried, but she's totally fine :) I hate when friends get sick, it hurts my heart!

I'm not even gonna hit the subject of boys cause i am soooo retarded!! errrrrgh!!!! why can't i just be a mind reader? HAHA :)

anyways, life is good. I love my family and my best friends who are amazing beyond belief!

Next week my parents and i are flying out to CA to be with family for Thanksgiving, I cannot wait to go and see my loved ones and my favorite crazy cousins!! I'm so thankful for my blessings....yes, even my boy dilemma is a blessing cause i will learn something [[i hope]] haha!! YAY LIFE!

Halloweeeeen =)

Halloween freaking rocked!! Last week Michelle & I partied it up as 80's prom and then the following night we were hip hop dancers/gangstahs (which we were for Halloween). The night before Halloween, Tori, Janda, Taylor, Ashley and her friend Avery went to AZ Scream Park, haunted house! it was AWESOME!!! we went to 4 haunted houses and it was so so so fun!! I have a bruised arm from running into a wall- i would!

on Halloween, the gang got together and we took a few pictures. i have zero pictures due to my lap top being retarded, but the above picture is all i had on my camera. haha. we went to a ward party, some random party...and then ended our night at the Hanger party which was freaking awesome!! The girls and i danced the night away. We danced up on random guys ( & by that i mean, dance ugly and spaztically around them and they join in on the fun), met new people, saw lots of friends and had a blast!! Every now and then i got the dumb guys who think it's okay to "bump n' grind" dance and that is a NO in my book. I dont care how attractive you are or how good u dance, i will push you away. But besides that i had a freaking blast with the girls & seeing all my friends dressed up in their creative outfits. I LOVE HALLOWEEN!


October-Feb are my favorite months....i love the Holidays & i cannot wait to fly out to Linoln Hills for Thanksgiving! Yay fall/Winter!! <3

Masquerade & recent goodness

Last Friday, the girls and I went to a Masquerade Ball and since we are super cool, we dressed up in old prom dressses, bought 5 dollar masks at walgreens (yes! walgreens, cool huh?) and got dolled up for the Ball. It was SO much fun!! We were missing Marinda & Heather though :( . At the "ball" we saw a lot of friends and had a blast dancing around. And by dancing around, i mean being ugly dancers and not caring how ugly we look because we're just that awesome :)





picture number 1) regular smiling picture
...but okay this one is more us...

We stopped by Ashley's so that she could change into a dress that better matched her mask, so while waiting we took beautiful pictures.

No need to tell us we're purrty,...we know :)

This is my friend Sirel-his aunt owns the house where the masquerade took place. It made my night when the girls and i showed up and Sirel said "My princesses are here!"...he's a sweetheart!

So when we got there we were dancing around and i saw a guy in a mask (refer to picture below) looking over in my direction. I didnt think much of it, until i realized he kept staring & i got "scared" cuz i had no idea who he was. He the proceeded to stand up and approach me, greet me and start dancing...THEN i knew who he was...haha Trevor!! Through the mask it was hard to recognize him but u gotta admit it's a sweet looking mask from Mexico :) Do u like the intensity of his face? haha!!

As we continued to make our way, we found "the boys" and not gonna lie, Taylors mask has to be the best one of the night. HAHAHA painted black...he would!!

Michelle & Tori are my partners in crime especially when it comes to dance parties. We spent the rest of the night dancing and dancing and dancing. towards the very end, i got SUPER tired and sat down with Trevor* & chatted it up with him haha. The girls continued to dance oh so purrty and i was so proud cause they were the best dancers in the entire place!

Afterwards, we continued with a tradition we seem to have started lately...I-HOP!!! gotta love frrrrench toast!! i seriously crave it!! it's yummmay!!!

Michelle: Cough cough...im sick..

me: boo you whore!!

name that movie!!! hahaha!!

Recent Goodness

....all is going well :) School is school and it's...going. haha i love it-dont get me wrong. But last night i only got 3 hours of sleep due to my obsessed studying for an exam today. I feel GREAT about the exam though so it pays off to study tons. CDC is going amazing! i love the dances so so much and i cannot wait for concert time :) especially for when we perform at the

temple!! I love this time of year!!...right now I'm super excited for Thanksgiving-i have my reasons ;) . But i'll be in Cali for it, so im hoping to get to be home for atleast a few days.

okay that is all for now. hasta luego!

Peru Peru Peru !!

Oh mi querido y adorado,Peru!!

I MISS IT!! I guess I forget how freaking amazingly wonderful it is that I AM FROM PERU! i was born in a 3rd world country where my family struggled but gained so much! A country that's poor, humble and with a corrupt government...but none the less...a country whose people have strong family values, traditions, standards, where people are humble but always sharing what little they have. Neighbors and friends who one is so close to that your children call them "tia" or "tio". i have several "tia" and "tio" 's in Peru haha :) . I love my culture!! growing up in the states, i do have a more dominating American Culture....but ohhh baby my Peruvian culture is a part of me and will forever be a part of me! I haven't gone back since 2008, but we plan to go in early 2010. I miss it SO much! my family, the people, the food, the environment...everything! Sure, after 2 weeks i start to selfeshly miss my comfort which is a huge bed, cell phone, car, etc....but it's so nice to spend weeks in a country where technology doesn't rule. Where you have to find a taxi to get to places and where you have to hurry on the phone so it doesn't charge you a lot. hehe. Having been born there and seeing the poverty level helps me to always remember who i am and where i want to go. I have the amazing opportunity to go to college!! to drive!! to have a cell phone!! things teens in Peru would never get the chance to have-such as an education, a car or phone privileges. I understand the value of a dollar-though of course i can sometimes be greedy and spend more than i have. Part of why i am SO educationally driven is because my cousins, brothers, parents, aunts and uncles in Peru never had the opportunity i have to go to college & get a degree. I WANT to go to school,...i GET to go to school. i dont HAVE to...i GET TO! what a BLESSING :) im rambling...this post makes no sense right now. haha but i LOVE PERU! i love where i came from, my traditions, my foods and my people. I am so fortunate to be an American Citizen and have the privilege to fly to Peru as much as i want. With each visit, my family and i do so much for the community and family. I couldn't begin to tell you all that we do-it's incredible how much we get done with the help of our Lord who guides and blesses us to be able to do what we do. When my family and i walk down the streets of our neighborhood in Peru, we LITERALLY get stopped every second by someone who knows or kenw my parents way back when! It's SO NICE to go to Peru and know that my community is more like a huge family. Everyone willing to give a lending hand at any given second, everyone willing to share what little they have and always ALWAYS sharing a smile and a hug. I give thanks for my unique life & blessing to be Peruvian-American and be able to do SO MUCH in both Peru & here. I cannot wait to go back and do more good work. Share the Gospel. Visit family. and more than anything....EAT EAT EAT...the food is AMAZING!!! oh con todo mi corazon, amo a mi Peru!

This would be my house in Peru :) homes in Lima are connected wall-to-wall and mines the corner one. it's actually 4 stories-you just can't see the other side. This is the home where little me took mah first steps and would dance around on the marble floors. I love it! I love having a home in Peru where i have my own room, pictures, radio, etc. It's wonderful-such a blessing!! I say it- I'M FROM PERU, I GO BACK OFTEN AND HAVE A HOUSE IN LIMA- but it doesn't hit me. It's a hard concept to grasp-I have a home and a life in South America where my family is, where i have neighbors and friends all 100% my original culture-WOW! it's wonderful to me!! i am tremendously blessed to be culturally competent and live both cultures :)

This is the presidential palace-im with my cousins.

My grandpa, Poli, and i at church. What a beautiful feeling to attend an LDS church in a country that not too long ago was lacking the Gospel. What a blessing to see that church absolutely full -past its capacity!! what JOY!!!





My ice cream buddy-8 years old working selling ice cream. I bought from him every day and prayed for him. I encouraged him to never EVER give up school and to always pray.To have dreams and to always go for his goals in life. He cried the day i left Peru, but i am sure he will remember my advice :) [[or so i hope]]

At a private navy port with my cousins!

Navy port with my papa!! He was in the Peruvian Air Force-he was top knotch. Everywhere we go he is greeted by all the uniformed guys...kinda dang cool!!

If anyone read this-wow you're amazing! it was long and all over the place :)

Camping!!

camping with friends!! It was SO much fun!! The only thing keeping it from being perrrfect was that Michelle couldn't go...busy busy girl!! The ride there was simple & setting up the tent was cake-thanks to Barry, Cole & Daniel using their boy scout skills to help us! haha! It was SO cold-im super duper smart i had only taken a blanket!! I was warm going to sleep but woke up in the middle of the night frozen. Breakfast was delish!! french toast=my love!! We all had a great time and I am so glad i was able to go on this trip with amazing friends :)

We stufffffed the car with all our stuff it was hilarious!

Devouring food!

Celebrating the tent being up :)

Love these kids!