Hippity hippity HOP!

DANCE!!! Hip Hop started 2 weeks ago and I am so in love with it. I have not danced since December and I had missed it so much!! When i stopped dancing in December, I was broken and still have a dislocated sacrum. Im stubborn, I know i gotta go see a chiro/doctor. But anyways, Hip Hop is AMAZING!!!



It is definitely a higher level hip hop and it is pushing me to new levels ((well, for me it's a new level)). I danced for R3 Dance Company for a year and THAT company pushed me to levels i never knew i could reach. I was only introduced to hip hop 3 years ago so to catch up to the level of other dancers (who have danced all their lifes!) is HARD! This is how i feel the entire time i'm dancing




...not even kidding! My cardio is PATHETIC!! i'm pretty sure i sweat like a man. [[i'm so weak!!]]. Towards the end of class, I'm drowning in my own sweat. attractive right? haha!!

Last night's class was my favorite. We did a house dance to "go ape" by far east movement and i am obsessed with it. Towards the end, we did a "drop dead" ending and i did something to my rib: must have been the way i breathed when i landed or how i landed but i got the wind knocked out of me and i literally felt that i pushed my rib back into place with my hand. I got up to keep dancing but FAIL- i had to walk off to the side to try to breathe. scary moment. I took a breather and danced again. [[STUBBORN]]. But it's okay- today i'm in pain and am sore but it is worth it!!



ON A SIDE NOTE:

Today, I sent in my paperwork to get a new.....:




In order to go....:




yipeeee!!! I had to apply for a new passport book because the one I had expired and was issued when i was a wittle girl. So i had to do my new one as an adult. In order to get it back ASAP there were extra fees, so let's just say i'm broke for a while :(

the airfare for Peru is over $1,100 ....that makes me sick!! but,...IM GOING!! Leaving July 26th-August 16th.

I cannnnnnn't waittttt!!! i haven't been back to my Peru in 2 years and I'm dying to be with family and enjoy of the delicious foods and culture! I have every intention to drown myself in the Lord's work, I have several service projects in mind and I'm praying that i will be able to get a lot of work done. Paying it forward. I can't wait to share my knowledge, leave my testimony and share a smile... There is SO much work to be done in Peru and with the help of family members, I know i can get a lot done. vacation plus service, It can't get any better than that :)

I am so lucky to be able to do this. I can't wait :)

iCook

I, Darlene Ines, Love To Cook!!


Yes, it is true- I love cooking and I love feeding people! [[sooo latina]] Now that I'm on summer break, i've had the chance to brush up on my cooking skills. Sometimes, it comes out delicious and sometimes I tell people my Dad made it ;)

Things i've had to get used to while cooking is how to eye my measurements. We cook "al gusto" (to the taste) rather than by recipe. It's been fun learning to cook but i have SOOOO much more to learn. So many more Peruvian dishes that i am dying to learn!! SO many spices though, it's been fun learning them all and i've gotten so good that when I go out to eat i can tell you "this chicken has too much cumin" ;)

These are a few dishes i can make:











[pictures courtesy of google]


My favorite part of cooking is when other's eat it. Ill be the creeper that stares at you while you take your first bite to see your reaction. The one i'm looking for is "YUMMMM!!" ... I think i'd cry if the reaction consisted of someone spitting it out!!! [[not really cry, more like ill punch you in da head-the face part of your head! haha ]]



this following picture makes me happy:



Why? because it's a brand new set of knifes which means SHARP which means i can cut easier!! One thing that takes me forever is carving the chicken. With these pretty things, it's so much easier!

Today, I made stake with potatoes and of course, rice. Cutting the meat thin for the stake was CAKE with the new knifes. Oh yes, I love them :)


I gotta keep on learning to cook though. I dont know a lot at all. Nor am i an expert. I'm simply a young woman learning traditional Peruvian dishes and i'm SO happy to keep on learning more.

[[TASK: i want to and WILL learn to make American dishes too. By that i mean, your casseroles, pies, and all the other goodies that i have no idea how to make]]


Since all i know to make is peruvian food, i'm crossing my fingers that whoever i fall in love with and marry LOVES and appreciates Spanish food. If not, ...well too bad- He'll learn to love it :))


[[ Down fall to cooking: GETTING BURNED!!! the oil splashes and OUCHHHH !!! accidentally using too much salt- no bueno for tons of reasons and there goes your food! BURNING your food- yeah not a good idea! accidentally using the wrong spice-welp now you have a new dish, good luck tasting it and seeing if it's edible. When you forget that you have something boiling and are reminded by the overflow all over the stove-......gotta love the learning experiences!! ]]


chau

Shout out to some pretty special ladies...

So this year, i met two wonderful girls by the name of Jessica & Kandice. It was love at first sight. They are my boyfriends. haha! I decided to make this shout out to them cause really, they are both absolutely phenomenal, righteous women whom i'm so so blessed to have in my life!! It's funny cause me and my other best friend, Alyssa, are brown and blonde. So are Jessica and Kandice. So we found our relationship to be quite funny. I met jessica and introduced myself at a dance party, then later got to talk when we went on a scavenger hunt. Kandice, i'd seen her several times before with mutual friends but we actually never got to talking. Through jessica and our mutual friends we became friends. Little did we know how much we had in common ;) (giggle) I LOVE THESE GIRLS SO MUCH!!!

They made me so happy when they came to hip hop with me and my bestests (tori & chelle) and it made my night to see them dancing their hearts out and wanting to practice. LOVE THEM!! We have good conversations all the time. We've laid on trampolines with blankets and laughed our heads off when Jessica & I talked about Kandice being amazing and kandice yelled "I KNOW :) " haha!! We've saved a starving kitty, chilled at the lake, stuffed our faces with popeyes, shopped and complained the whole time about how much we hate shopping, had bahama bucks, played at parks, watched tv, swam together...the list goes on and on and there is SO much more to come!!

They are such a great example. The Gospel is so important and it makes me so blessed to have righteous women as great friends. Our Gospel talks makes me so so happy, and it's so easy to talk to these girls about life and our struggles with [[boys]]. SO blessed to have them and their friendship.

I LOVE YOU JESS & KANDY!!

thank you for your love, example, friendship, understanding and encouragement.

blasssst from da passst

BLAST FROM DA PASSST!!! I was bored before work today and found my "class of 2007" album in which i have picture from 7th grade all the way up to senior year. My immediate thought was "thank goodness for growing up and getting cuter!"...or so i'd like to believe i got cuter after high school! haha seriously, awkward years pictures are so fun to look at! I have tons of pictures but only scanned a select few. In the pictures it rangers from 14yrs old to 17. It's fun to see my Jr year pictures cause that is when i met VICTORIA KATE WADSWORTH and since then we have gone on so many trips together. Good memories :) we definitely grew up a lot!!


A few pictures are from junior high...so funny! Pom & cheer pictures kick off my MESA HIGH years...so fun!! the beach pictures are from a few Senior trips. I already forgot what pictures i even uploaded...haha! Im just so happy i came accross my album today cause it reminded me of howwwww blessed i've been and continue to be with amazing friends and great memories! It also reminded me of how old i am!! except, im stinkin' young and exactly where i want to be. Life is good!! I encourage you all to bust out the old pictures and remember the good times...and plan for some more amazing memory building times to come =] Come What May and Love It !!





















Good memories for sure :)
The picture of me with some friends and a PO PO was taken at WestWOOOOOD!! That year i became great friends with Brianna, Luz and one heck of an awesome group of peeps that went to Westwood. This particular night, we had gone to the talent Show at Westwood (was it a talent show?? i forgot) and that's the night i met this BEAUTIFUL boy who i'm now friends with, so he is to remain [nameless] haha but let's just say some of the most beautiful guys i have the privelage of knowing came from WESTWOOD and for that, my memories at westwood will remain close to my heart ;)










THESE PICTURES CRACK ME UP!!!

























Oh man, i just love these pictures! they are all out of order but it makes sense to me :)














GOOD TIMES

Foooootball !!

FIFA 2010....need i say more? every 4 years, im glued to the television watching countries face each other in a friendly game of Football. Since Peru never gets close to the world cup [[haha!!]] My family and I always go for Brazil ...with the exception of a few who are all for Argentina or Spain. [[I had a cousin that played for the Spain team...idk why i haven't gone to Spain with all my cool relatives there]].


So this morning, my brother wakes me up banging on the door "BRAZIL!!!!" ....happiness!! I run into the family room and join my Papa and brother as we began to watch the first half of BRAZIL VS. KOREA. I tend to scream a lot. It was so much fun watching the game with my brother and Dad. My chihuahua joined the party but would freak out every time we all screamed at the tv haha!! The first GOL of the game came in- BRASIL!!!! dont worry, i screamed my head off!! I hope others out there watched it...it was a SICK Gol. Later on, BAM another GOL! yeeeahhh!!! within the last 5 minutes, Korea made a GOL too. But it's okay, Brazil won this one :))






Funny, i know, how we are all peruvian going for Brazil...but eh?


USA tied their game this week against England. So that wasn't bad at all :)


My entire family is so into soccer, which is funny cause i never cared for it. When i was little, my brothers and dad taught me how to play...shoot, i could dribble the ball with my knee!! too bad i met "dance" and dropped soccer in the blink of an eye. I wished i kept playiing cause i enjoy it. But eh, ill stick to dancing :)


Funny flashback of watching soccer with my brother and dad is that...I remember SO vividly going to my grandparents home in Peru when i was a tiny little girl and hearing the noise from soccer games on TV. It has its own sound....idk how to explain it but you can just tell it's SOCCER without even looking at the screen. I remember being so mad that i couldn't watch my cartoons cause everrrrryone and the dog watched soccer. ohhh latinos :) love it!! Can't wait for the rest of the FIFA....

...perhaps i need a life? hahaha nah ;)

ohh the late night thinking...

....I really really hope this doesn't come off as me complaining about my life. no no. This isn't the case. Right now it's just "one of those moments" where the thinking wont stop. [[am i feeling down?]] WEIRD. really really weird. Im never sad. genuinely! I can be bummed out about something but it never alters my mood....but lately, man a lot of little things got to me. I feel like this...



Just blank and pensive. [[whyyyy self?!!]]

I do NOT understand where my BLAH-ness is coming from. I've just been simply hard on myself.

[[school]]. Nursing School...medicine,...k yah i know it's not easy but i always had that "eh" im gonna be fine attitude about it. People always say "medicine isn't for everyone"...i said "it can't be that hard"....(reality check)...Medical Pathophysiology devoured me!! 80% - that's nearly failing...i was holding on to dear life and the FINAL came...yep, i died. below a 77 is a -FAIL- ...welp, i joined that group. At first, i brushed it off, no biggie, i can retake it in August and continue with nursing school...im not gonna give up-no way!! and that's [[still]] the plan. To retake the course in August, start hospital rotations and go on from there. Normal yeah?...well, im hard on myself. I feel like a total failure and waste of time. I shouldn't. I know i shouldn't- Nursing School is tough...people drop out all the time and many give up. IM NOT GIVING UP. this is just a set back. But still...being reminded that im not in school right now (even though it's summer) makes me feel-NOT GOOD AT ALL. I feel like a waste of time and space....the pressure from my parent's doesn't help. THey want the best for me- love them. But "you're not doing anything with your life right now, you're not even in school"...yah, those hurt. BAD. Im gonna be a dang Nurse and the best one i can be- sorry for not being a genius and getting destroyed by pathophysiology...but seriously just thinking of how i should be in classes right now through summer make me so mad at myself. I could have read more, studied more-etc. I belive 100% that everything happens for a reason- i truly do. But im being stubborn with this one and blame me 100%. [sure, the class was taught by a coo coo Doctor but whatevs] . It STINKS so bad to feel like a failure. that's what i feel like. Im not even working with my license i have in the state board of Nursing- maybe i should and feel better about myself cause being with patients completes me! Being there to make someone feel better-a perfect stranger- makes me so so happy!! I just uhhhh....bump on the road. It happens- im not the first nor the last person to have a set back in their medical program. Im just upset with myself and feel like im failing at everything. Not a fun feeling. I had a totally positive attitude about it all but really....after the pressure from family comes in- it hurts.


[[dating]] . I hate touching up on this subject cause im not in any sort of rush for anything!! Im a firm believer in "when your time is right"...i really [[really]] believe in that with all my heart and know that if i haven't found someone right now, it's cause im simply not ready, it's not my time, and there is more for me to learn and grow. Got it- totally okay with that and im patient. But what bothers me is the mere lack of (dating). Seriously, guys STEP UP AND ASK GIRLS ON DATES!! [[DATES}} ...no more "hanging out"...call it A DATE!! i go back to the talk by Elder Oaks on dating vs. hanging out. WHY OH WHY do i get stuck on that? it's almost like i need to "not be friends" with a guy so maybe he can see me as "the girl" and not "the friend"...does that make sense? [[though-....the BEST relationships, in my opinion, are those where you end up dating your best guy friend- the guy you are closest to- the one you can text the most randommmm thing to cause something reminded you of them. The one you can tell about your upcoming plans, important things going on or something cool you're excited to buy. A great friend whom you get closer to and before you know it-fall for]].... too much disney? i think not. I think it's out there. Sadly, not all of your "close guy friends" will develop feelings- it happens. it sucks. pero que se puede hacer? No es facil olvidar esos sentimientos, pero de algo sirve la experiensa para que cuando encuentres ESA PERSONA, sepas con sertesa lo que te gusta, y lo que no te gusta. Do i make myself clear? yes.


I felt like i gave myself a pitty party the other night- I missed church on Sunday cause i couldn't walk (I have back problems) and had the worlds biggest headache. Missing church was a bad idea. I felt unhappy that day. Monday, same story. I was just not in my best of moods and i really dont like myself when im not positive. it's weird....it's not me. I'm never negative or bummed out/sad/irritated with everything. I felt just low. weird, even remembering how i felt feels weird cause it's not like me at all. All i knew is i needed out of my house STAT. Monday night i took a venting drive blasting my favorite "CREEP" song by Ingrid Michaelson. Boy, it feels good yelling that song at the top of my lungs. I was in such a weird mood- just not happy and almost mad...but mad at what? how i was feeling inpatient with dating? how i felt like a failure with nursing school? how everything was bothering me and i just wanted to book a flight to Peru? yah...not fun. I wanted to pray about it, read my scriptures, get on my knees to humbly pray. But for some dumb reason, i failed to humble myself to pray!! What was wrong with me!!!! The answer is so obvious that when you're having a rough moment, turn to the One who will lift your heavy heart...but why wasn't i doing that? Why was i not humbling myself to just talk to my Heavenly Father about my hearts desires and pray to be uplifted?...I kept driving and before i knew it...i ended up approaching the Temple. The second i made the turn unto "pioneer" and saw the Temple....I became overwhelmed instantaneously and began weeping. I went driving with a broken heart, ended up at the Temple and sobbed....I just started [[talking]] about how i felt unhappy when i have no reason to be, it's just a weird moment.






.... I was humbled quickly and just spoke my hearts desires concerning life, school and my degree im pursuing and of course the lovely subject of "when's my time going to be right?"...the typical. Without getting into to much of my personal testimony, let's just say the Lord is wonderful- before i knew it, i immediately just stopped crying and the most divine power of happiness came over me. A load taken off my chest and a warm hug was felt. AMAZING. Such an indescribable feeling. I didn't feel silly at all for spontaneously weeping the second i saw the Temple. It was so humbling and i felt SO SO SO SOOOOOO loved and reassured that I wont' be denied of any blessings [[Patriarchal Blessing helped greatly]]. It was SO WONDERFUL to have left my house with a grumpy attitude and come back with the most uplifted heart and spirit....[[such a testimony builder]].

Im silly for being stubborn at first but boy does the Spirit humble you fast! I learned so much from myself this week.

Tonight, i got to thinking again. Similar subject as the ones i had been having a hard time with on Monday- But my Patriarchal blessing sits in my scriptures next to my bed- and picking it up to read it, humbled me once again. GAH if i could write all my feelings down, we'd be here hours!!



1. School...people go back to school at age 2769129...yeah, I'm 20 and a nurse at 21...what was i thinking being so hard on myself? I can do it, i now know what to expect with Patho and i gotta kick it in the butt this August!

2. blah blah blah Im gonna work on ME and do my thing and enjoy life and not stress about dating...if one comes my way, awesome. If not....in due time. Whyyyy was i stressing? there's no need to nor is there an expiration date so geez silly girl stop listening to "society" and focus on yourself....whatever happens happens, until then...Come what may and love it :)

3. I can never ever allow myself to be stubborn and feel like i couldn't get on my knees...what was i thinking? im so grateful for my huge humbling experience upon seeing the Temple....the person i should have turned to FIRST was there all along and will be there unconditionally. amazing, isn't it?

4. The sad spirit doesn't fit me well at all...so,...carry on with my happiness. I learn something everyday and testimony building experiences are always welcomed :)

first Mesa FroYo... :)

My nephew, Noah, is a little stud who can't make a serious face to save his life!! He brings so much joy into my life [just like the rest of my nephews & niece]. He was at my house while his dad [my brudder] went to work. He tends to bug his older brother [jude-9] and at one point, Jude was a stinker and pushed him off the couch. Ohhh little booger! I felt so bad cause Noah just wanted to hang out with his cool older brother...so i decided to take him on a car ride to my favorite place- [[[Mesa Froyo]]]. I had already taken the twins (Jude&Skye) but never Noah, so it was his turn. i had the best time with him!! My little 5 year old stinker had the best conversation topics....we talked about his transformers toys, video games, his "girlfriend", how im 100 years old, how he knows how to drive but can't get his license till he's a few feet taller, chihuahuas...oh the list goes on. I love this kid so stinkin' much!! Probably my favorite froyo date with a little gentlman ever :)

Ill get my floaties

I say this a lot but i wont ever stop being grateful for my awesome friends!! On a random friday morning, Kandice and i had planned to go swimming with some friends, instead...her brother suggested the lake and off we went! I have a dislocated sacrum (for the past 6 months, woops i should stop being stubborn and go to the chiro) So i can't do anything rough, aka no wake boarding or tubing. i attempted to tube a few weeks ago- bad idea, i was up till 4am with terrorizing pain!! So this time, i just chilled on da boat. I love muh friends! we had so much fun.

Then Saturday, a few of my friends put on a pudding slide, BRILLIANT IDEA!!! what is it you wonder?...huge slip n' slide but full of pudddddding!! There was definitely more boys than girls, i guess some girls are too cute to get down and dirty. I wished i had pictures with the pudding on us, we were DRENCHED IN PUDDING!!! i cannot explain how fun it was!! Some guy i met pushed me down the slide- bad idea, i landed straight on my tush therefore hurting my back even more! my chiro is gonna yell at me when i tell him i haven't been careful. I have 11 bruises. love battle wounds! and i also have scratches alllll down my thigh. ouch, but so worth it!! after the nasty mess, we went to kandices to swim.

CONFESSION: i cannot swim.


well, i can. Like, i wont drown if i fall in the water but i can't stay in the deep end long cause i dont know how to tread water and i have to plug my nose. i cannot hold my breath. Something me and michelle discovered is that we cannot CANNOT CAN NOTTTTT be in the deep end and have a laugh attack- it is impossible for me to keep swimming while laughing. it's like my brain can't do both at the same time so...i drown. Im pretty sure years ago my friend Serena and Anais have had to save me from drowning due to laughing. HAHA!!

My friends tried teaching me to tread water. i can do it for.... 3 seconds. then i get tired and decide to give up. Trevor is a good swimmer and i make him be my dolphin. bad idea. when he went under water, i pointed my feet subconsciously and had the worlds worst foot cramp. owie. This was just this weekends adventures. i loved it mucho mucho bastante!! mmMmMMm Summer fun :)

can you feel the magic?

First of all, I have been blessed with the most amazing best-sistah-friends i could have ever asked for! My girls and I were in need of a vacation so we hit the road to California!! We stayed the first two nights in San Clamente with the AMAZING Dawson family who i absolutely adore! [[ thank you for everything you did for us, Andrea! ]] . I love staying there. That family is amazing and the kids are precious and so talented.

Day one: we woke up, enjoyed breakfast and relaxed- the weather was lovely! We had no plans which meant, we could be spontaneous. Andrea suggested Hollywood- okay!! we mapquested and hit the road. Hollywood was AMAZING!! so many stars to see and lots of interesting people [[ill explain]]. We went into the wax museum and took pictures like crazy- it was really really neat. My favorite was the Joker. As we kept walking, i ran into my interesting person of the day-ELMO. He was wearing a lakers jersey in support of the game that night against the [[SUNS!!]]. Im a stinker, so i couldn't walk by ELMO without commenting on his jersey-...bad idea. ELMO trash talked me and even made a dirty comment about my SUNS...not needed...i walked away. [[still wishing i'd gotten my picture with him]]. Interesting elmo. haha we went to eat at some rockets place? haha i dont remember the name, just that my chicken did not make me have a party in my tummy. ((haha!!)). The red carpet premiere of Prince of Persia was there too....famous people. Cool. we breathed the same air. TRAFFIC WAS A POOPOO HEAD!! i give mad props to tori and michelle for driving in it. We had a really good day! We headed home and enjoyed amazing KFC that the home teachers had taken over. We watched some TV and then Alyssa and i went upstairs and listened to music and played M.A.S.H. It was a must...my future didn't make me very happy though, i married Goran Dragic...sigh...if only :)

Day two: Woke up to another lovely day on base. Alyssa started singing a song about the beach, ohhh my special little girl haha!! We got ready for the beach and went down to the beach on the marine base. It felt like a private beach- just us. So what do we do?...oh you know it....SAND CASTLES!!! bahaha we took lots of beach toys and made sand castles. So fun. The water was freezing but we still played around in it. we layed out for a bit and relaxed to the breeze and sound of the ocean. it was perfect!! I had a lot on my mind the week previous to going to California. It was perfect timing going to california, the beach is perrrrfect to help clear my mind and ease muh heart :) loved it so much!! After playing at the beach, we showered and got ready to head to Huntington to visit Tyler, our handsome pilot friend. We checked into our hotel-motel-days inn and jumped on the bed before heading towards Huntington. Tyler took us to the pier where we had dinner at BJ's. His friends met up with us and we walked down the pier and into the closed off street where stands were up and people sold random awesomeness. We had a lot of fun,...anddd i fell in love with Huntington. There's a hospital close to the pier...everywhere needs a nurse right? hehe. It had been a loooong day so when we got to our hotel, we crashed and went to bed cause the best day of all was just a few hours ahead....

Day three: HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!! why yes, you guessed it, DISNEYLAND!! after 14 years, i finally went back to the happiest place on earth where [as the worker lady told me] I am a beautiful princess :) [[chuckle]]. I LOVED IT!! we owe it all to the incredible FRANK for getting us an awesome deal-FREE PARK HOPPER..oh that's right boy! what's up! haha it was incredible!! first thing i did, was buy a disneyland shirt and wore it all day long. we ran to space mountain and buahaha it was so great. It was a wednesday so the lines weren't long at allll!! the longest we waited was 30 minutes at the soar over california ride. every bit of disney was amazing. CHURROS. need i say more? .... it is heavenly!! California adventure was so fun too! tower of terror made me very happy! i saw stitch and ran to him to take a picture. lets just say there are tons of pictures haha it was such a great day at the park. so many things to do, see, eat and smile over. it was perfect. no worries or concerns. Just...magical :) we had a 12 hour day at the park. back at our hotel-motel-days inn...we got into our jammies and ordered pizza and DP. amazing. mMMmmm great day indeed!!

Day four: hit the road back home.

I am so grateful for this trip with my girls. It was great. Perfect timing for all of us to vacation. It was amazing and i am so so so blessed to have had this experience with such wonderful women and examples. love muh life!