In My Life

2009-08-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

2009-08-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

some things i miss....

2008-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

here are some things i miss that i never thought i would:
in no particular order

greek life (what?) specifically phi tau greek life

going to bed before 11 p.m.

kids crying for a real reason, not because they are whiney

having a roommate

waking up at 630 a.m. to a kid asking you to go to the bathroom

having to repeat myself multiple times to a cubbie

eating at the dinning hall

sleeping in a twin bed

not driving to school in traffic

high school

sleeping in a tent during family vacations

being graded on homework

buying non-designer clothes

not needing coffee to make it through a few hours

this is just a few things i miss. never would have thought i would actually miss them....
what are some things you miss?

summer's end

2008-09-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

the end of summer is always a sad time.
i spend 12 weeks with the most amazing staff every year.
i see hundreds of kids come in and out of our gates.
i laugh. i sing. i smile. i cry. i get sleep deprived.
but it is totally worth it. all of these emotions create the millions of memories
i will have. when the say a picture is worth a 1000 words...its true.
here are some pictures from the end of the summer.
more to come later

THIS JUST IN!!!!!!

2008-07-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

OK EVERYONE!
THIS JUST IN!!!

IM GOING TO GRAD SCHOOL!!!!

STARTING IN SEPTEMBER I WILL BE A COUGAR AT AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY!!!

summer

2008-07-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Boy has it been crazy!!!!!
Fires.Blood.Vomit.Injuries. Being at camp is insane!
i honestly feel like i am working in a hospital! but i love it!!!!!
my kids are great and just full of fun an surprises. here are some pictures of whats happening in life!

My Cubs!

song contest

my camp gf

out of camp trip

4th of july carnival

the dance

jimmy and lauren

georgie and dukers

some city favorties

i miss you all!!!!

my address is
jeffrey simonek
po box 519
portola, ca 96122

send me some love.....letters or packages will do :)

I DID IT!!!!!!

2008-06-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

THE DAY FINALLY CAME!!!!!

GRADUATION DAY!!!!

It has been a crazy 5 years. Thats right 5 years and now i am finally done (for now). It was amazing to have walked with some of my best friends in my major and to sit with them. It has been a long a hard road, but i made it. We made it. The endless hours of papers and studying and group projects are done! The books are closed and the tests are done! Now it is time for some post college fun!!!

Here are some pictures from the day:

I AM APPRECIATED!!!!!

2008-05-01T21:32:00.000-07:00

I LOVE MY KINDERGARTNERS!
they are so stinky great!
today was a staff appreciation day. the teachers put it on. we got breakfast. we got lunch. we got lil plants in a nice basket.
we got some cards. but the kicker was from my kindergartners. they each made a card for me. this is not normal for someone to get this. it was amazing. i sat in the teacher seat. they sat in a circle and read their cards to me. it was PRICELESS.
it really makes what i do worth it. i love what i do, do not get me wrong. but this was like the cherry on the sundae!

here are a few things they said:

"Dear Mr. Jeff:::
1. i like you because you play with me at the blocks....jaxson
2.i like you because you give us compliments about our blocks...kimani
3.i like you because you did a puzzle with me.....kelsy
4. i like you because you always talk to me...matthew
5. thank you for sitting with me at lunch....david
6. i like you bc you talk to us at centers....mike
7. thank you for going to lunch with us....jonathan
8.thank you for singing to me....skylar ( she thinks i sing well...haha)
9. i like you because i can tell you stories and can talk to you and you listen to me. .....jacob
10. i like you bc you sit with me at lunch and we can talk. ......sam
11. i like you bc you make me feel better when i am sad....aurora
12.i like you bc you play legos and lincoln logs with me.....ray

they are so great. they decorated and wrote their own words. i got very teary in class. but then they gave me the best gift of all. the hugs, the cards, the thank yous....and a starbucks gift card! yes!!!!

12:36 am

2008-04-25T00:34:00.000-07:00

This is the earliest i have been home and about to be in bed for over 2 weeks.
Greek Sing is finished. It was a blast to do and i am glad it is done!
hhooorrraaayyy!!!!

4:15 am

2008-04-24T04:16:00.000-07:00

Yikes......i called a friend in boston to say hi... the end

2:20 am

2008-04-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

man. greek sing is killer. it is a huge competition. i am sick. i am miserable. i am sore. but I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
with all this pain. and all this misery. all this frustration comes relief. in the end. this is a huge charity event. so all the yelling. the gagging. the coughing. the sweating. the tears and the blood. it is all worth it in the end. in less than 48 hours itll be all over.
2:20 am is like the new 11:00 pm for me. and i still have stuff to do. man the thing fraternities and sororities do for charities and a little competition.

1:50 am

2008-04-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

this is the time i am normally fast asleep. snoring maybe. drooling maybe. but normally at this hour i am not awake. maybe if it were a saturday or a friday and i was at a bar or out with the friends. but on a MONDAY? or should i say tuesday. greek week is here. this is the best/worst week ever....it is 1:50 am i just got home from practice. and we called it a night early. tomorrow will for sure be a later night. oh well. this is hella crunch time! thanks for all the love and encouragement. ill make it through this week. i hope.

im done!

2008-04-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

its that time of the year. greek week. and on top of greek week there is school. School consists of 15 units. 2 masters classes and working in a preschool. on top of school there is applying to grad school and awaiting to hear from town. on top of that there is work. mix it all together with family. but for me, family does not mean blood members. it also means the people i REALLY care about. there just is not enough time in a day. its so hard to work from 8-1 then to go straight to school till about 930 at night and then to greek week practices till midnight or later!
im at a point where i am just done. i want to curl up into a ball and not do anything until may!
im so over school and work and i am in the worst slump ever. this is something i know i have to do on my own. but it is too hard to do alone. the worst part about all of this crap is i am more frustrated than anything! i dont know how to deal with being frustrated! i would rather be stressed out! i can handle tons and tons of stress, but frustration i cannot do.
yikes.....

ps i went to disneyland on sunday. it was what i needed. kids who appreciate everything i do for and with them. parents who appreciate everything i do for their kids. so fun!

TOMORROW

2008-04-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

TOMORROW IS THE TIME!
I WILL OFFICIALLY KNOW MY FUTURE....
WELL IN THEORY....YIKES-O

That's Just the Way We Roll

2008-04-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

IM TIRED. IM SORE. IM INJURED.
I HAVE ENDLESS HOMEWORK.
I NEED/WANT SLEEP.
I'M ANXIOUS. I'M HIGHSTRUNG.
I STAY UP LATE. I GET UP EARLY.
IT IS GREEK SING TIME. I WORK ALL DAY.
GO TO CLASS ALL NIGHT. PRACTICE TIL MIDNIGHT.
AND

I LOVE IT. I WOULDNT CHANGE ANY....AND I MEAN ANYTHING OF THIS HECTIC AND DEMANDING LIFE.
IN THE END.....EVERYTHING IS THE REWARD

in the words of the jonas brothers:

And I know
We get a little crazy
And I know
We get a little loud
And I know
We're never gonna fake it
We are wild
We are free
We are more than you think
So call us freaks
But that's just the way we roll

spring break

2008-04-01T21:00:00.001-07:00

I have really put some thought about this
WTF is spring break? it most certainly is not a break!!!!
A break means : a respite from work, school, or duty. so why is
it that during our so called "break" there is no respite from school?
What kind of break has students endure studying for an exam? writing 15 page papers?
work on a group project? that is not a break!!! Spring break is just an excused absence from classes for a week,
BUT, we are still required to do the work! B^&*&%*&..... thank goodness i have only 57 days left of this university crap!

ST PATTYS DAY....KINDERGARTEN STYLE

2008-03-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

SO RECENTLY WAS ST PATTYS DAY. THIS IS HOW WE DO AT CENTER STREET SCHOOL

here are some pictures from the day

Another reason i love my life

2008-03-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

this is an email for a friend of mine.....who is 7
i actually dont have real friends over the age of 10 :)

Hi Jeff, this is C. I like the pictures that you sent now I'm gonna take pictures of my family and take pictures of t, s, dad, mom, grandma, grandpa and goldie and red, and me.

I like the pictures that you sent, there really good, I was wondering if you could give me some when we go back to Turtle camp. I was thinking you can give me a lot more of pictures, they are so great, I will give you some of me and my house and grandma and grandpa's house. I'm gonna take a picture of my fish, he is named rock and roll.

I hope all see you soon Jeff, I hope we met again. I had lots of fun, it was really good playing with you Jeff. I had a great time. I hope we go back to wood shop and if its not cold we will bring are fishing nets.

Bye Jeff, see you later alligator. i love being your friend.

luve C

The End is Near

2008-03-18T16:19:00.001-07:00

HELP ME CHOOSE A PICTURE
FORGET THE REDFACE....DAMN SHAVING
ITLL BE TOUCHED UP :)
BUT I NEED SOME HELP...WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

UNIVERSITY TASSEL WITH DIPLOMA

YEARBOOK POSE 1

COLLEGE TASSEL WITH DIPLOMA

YEARBOOK POSE 2

COLLEGE TASSEL WITH DIPLOMA

UNIVERSITY TASSEL WITH DIPLOMA
\
COLLEGE TASSEL

UNIVERSITY TASSEL

UNIVERSITY TASSEL

COLLEGE TASSEL

the countdown

2008-03-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

NOT THAT I AM COUNTING OR ANYTHING :)
but there are 83 days left until GRADUATION!!!!
May 28th seems so far away, yet so close!
Hooray for the calendar in my classroom.
every morning i get to cross off a day and boy
does it feel good! Hooray!!!!!!
and then even better 93 days until summer camp
2008!

Dalmatian Day

2008-02-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten has been in session for 101 days aka Dalmatian Day

Town and The City tour

2008-02-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

So i finally had my interview at Town. I was definitely excited. I was definitely nervous. and i was definitely ready to see some of my old campers! yes that is right. my campers. So we rolled up to Town and had to be buzzed in. As we got in, i noticed the boys in upper school (5-8) were in their pajamas! It was totally pajama day, my favorite spirit day. I was hanging in the main lobby waiting for the Director of the NIT to come down and meet with me and just sitting there i had a good feeling about the school. Anne showed my mom and I around the school. It is a 3 story school separated in wings for the lower and upper school. Since i am mainly interested in working with the boys in k-4, we mainly looked at the lower school, but we did look all over. It was so great to see the school and see all the boys. The ratio is something i found to be amazing. 40 kids per grade. about 4 teachers per grade. thats like a 1:10 ratio. amazing! We saw PE classes, reading classes, science and a bunch of others. What was great we going into a science class and seeing a boy peek his head out from his laptop. Of course it would be one of the boys i know. So great. We walked into the library and i hear "Hi Jeff" in a high pitcched 5th grade voice. ANOTHER one of my kids. I got to sit and talk with Zach for a bit. He knows i hate to dress up and he said i looked funny in a suit, and funny with a clean shaven face. Thanks zach.

We got to see the older kids too and boy did those rooms smell like nasty teenage boys! hooray for little kids only smelling like dirt! But as we walked around i ran into a few other boys. it was pretty awesome! some i hadnt seen in almost like 2 years! those boys have grown so much since i had last seen them. I walked out of the school feeling very comfortable and good about the interview. It is definitely a school i see my self working there and NEVER wanting to come back. Here are some photos of the school:
LOWER SCHOOL

UPPER SCHOOL

ART STUDIO

EXTENDED DAY

GYM

LIBRARY

LOBBY

of course i had to do a tour of the city to see what it would be like. the tour went all over the city. it was amazing. i was in a nice bug bus complete with tvs, ac and a bathroom. AMAZING. it gave me a great "taste" of the city.

Life in the City

2008-02-10T21:28:00.001-08:00

Today was another great day!
Man i love this place. and i could totally see myself living here.
heres a recap: went on a boat. went to dinner. hung out with robin and katie. awesome!

today. today i went around san fran with my mom and we went to look at some prospective grad schools. So far in this area, my first choice is University of San Francisco. It is the private Jesuit school. So far it has a lot of potential. It is in a beautiful area. the campus is gorgeous. i loved it!

then we drove through the Haight. not my favorite place. but i can see why people like it. From there we ventured to find the Full House home, and we definitely found it. not as exciting knowing that there are no famous people there. hehe but i saw it
mom and i had a great lunch at barneys gourmet burgers. excellent place. and i am so stoked they have a chain in southern california. of course i had to go to lombard and drive down it. and that was awesome!!!!

but how could i go to san fran without seeing my favorite set of boys? mom and i went to dinner with the downes family. this is that family i get to manny for every once and awhile. they live in orinda, and well i live in LA. so we are a bit far away from each other. but we had dinner and it was a blast. i miss those kids. it was so fun to sit with reese and have him show me their beautiful house. here are some pictures from the day!
Here is University of San Francisco

Lombard Street

my boys are pretty great. its like having 4 blonde brothers.

the boys:devin, me, reese, ethan, and greyson!

the boys wanted to make me laugh. i guess i have a funny laugh

were weird

A Warm Welcome from "The City"

2008-02-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Oh man. i already love this place!
my mom and i left our home in southern california at 5:00 AM! holy cow batman!
so that means we were up at about 4:40 to get on our way.
needless to say i was super nervous about the drive. being in the car with my mother for that long! oh man.
of course she didnt let me drive. of course i had to listen to the news. of course i fell asleep!
however, since i couldnt drive, i told her our first stop had to be in santa nella.
we drove all the way there. and in the end i got to drive hooray!

anyways.....we made it here to the city at about 1040 am! holy cow ...less than 6 hours and we even hit traffic.
we are staying at the cow hollow motor inn. its located on lombard street and steiner. its pretty awesome. of course we get here so early NO ROOMS were available. so mom and i went to breakfast. and then we had like 4 hours to check in, so we decided to find town. it was only 8 blocks away. a 2 minute drive according to mapquest. but it was a huge 2 minute drive UP HILL! it was insane.

my brother arrived. we went down to the wharf. we went on this sweet cruise type thing. say the golden gate bride and alcatraz. then we went to The Buena Vista. The 3 of us, my mom, my brother greg and myself all had irish coffees. However greg is 20. there are 2 things wrong here. 1) he was not carded. and 2) my mom let him drink it! what the eff! i was NEVER EVER allowed to do that with her. damn being the oldest. but none the less it was fun.

here are some shots from our hotel room. i am such a tourist right now. i feel like the asian people at disneyland!

Here are some shots of the streets of san fran

San Francisco

2008-02-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

oh man oh man.
in less than 24 hours i am off for a huge adventure. san francisco!
i have never spent more than 5 hours there. so this is going to be interesting.
i have my huge interview at town school. which i am super excited about.
and to make things worse. i have a huge paper to work on. an iep to work on.
and i have this nasty viral sinus infection. aaahhh...
but on a positive note. im finally getting a vacation! hooray!

Volunteer Retreat

2008-02-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a perfect weekend. NO JOKE! i got to see some of my favoritest people. yup favoritest. i got to dance. i got to sing. i got to laugh. i got to live life. this weekend was the 1st annual volunteer retreat at the painted turtle. i have been volunteering for camp since march 2006. it is crazy to think i am going on my 3rd year! this was a weekend to meet new volunteers. a weekend to learn about camp. a weekend to learn as well as a weekend to be appreciated. it was super cold and i have no idea how people do it! We got to live in cabins ( r-3), got to do some great workshops as well as meet the new camp director. but the best part was the bonding between the volunteers. we got to have an awesome sit down dinner where WE did not have to set the table. or hop for the food. it was as if the roles were reversed. we had a great candle lit dinner. after dinner we got to watch this amazing slideshow. it was actually one that was directed towards us. it was all pictures of us doing the things we do best : play. it was such an emotional rollercoaster from that point on. but it was well worth it. for the first time i felt like i was appreciated for ALL the weekends i had given up. dont get me wrong. i dont go to camp to get praised. i love it. its amazing to see families come together. its amazing to see the positive outcomes a weekend can have. but i have come home tired. sore. bruised. strained muscles. maybe minor concussions. and while we get thank yous and hugs and nice comments, this was the time that made all of those hard times worth while. some people ask how we do it from weekend to weekend. and i tell them. its not some thing i just do. its all about getting on the floor. getting dinner. making someone laugh or cry. i tell them its a time for me to let a family be care free. i just dont do. i play! ( it makes sense hehe)

we had little mailboxes over the weekend that people could leave notes. here is what some people had said to me:

-it's nice to meet somebody who cares about others and has a heart as big as yours. the world needs more people like you, but i guess we can deal with just one"

-:your dance skills were my favorite part of the day"

-"your energy brightens up camp."

-"thanks for spreading the love"

-"your joy is contagious"

-"thank you for teaching me about playing with kids and how to love."

-" _______ : there isnt a word that can express how grateful i am, and how grateful families are to have you in their lives."
and my favorite:

-" sshh... remember the dinosaurs!"

1 month from today

2008-01-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

one month from today marks one of the next steps or chapters in my life. i have said over and over again that i am just a boy growing into a man. finally the light at the end of the tunnel is showing. graduation is near. well not really. its not actually until may 28th. but. i have plans. i have a goals. i have dreams. yes i want to go to grad school. yes i want to take some time off. and yes i want to work! ideally my goal is to graduate from school. stay in southern california for 2 weeks and off i go to camp. work up there for the summer and head to San Fran for an internship. do my thing and go on to grad school.
so in one month. the next step. my interview at Town School for Boy

who knows. maybe in september i will start out in a kindergarten class at town. that would be great! fantastic. a new chapter of this amazing life.

sad day

2008-01-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

im sad. i dont even know why. so i slept. woke up sad. i watched my favorite home dance show dvd. still sad. i even went to retail therapy! i dont get it. why am i sad? today was a good day at work. oy vay! i need some uplifting news maybe.

or ice cream? i hate sad days. especially when i cannot find the reason i am sad. ugh :(

what the heck is it?

2008-01-10T19:58:00.000-08:00

is it a dog? well it sure doesnt act like one. it acts like a cat. it sleeps on top of the couch. i dont think it barks. but its actually a dog. its one of our shih tzu dogs furby. sadly it got its name after those ugly creepy alien toys. you know the ones that woke up in the middle of the night. thats my dog. an alien furry thing that thinks its a cat. talk about an identity crisis.

even worse. this thing! wtf is it? i personally think it is a real life ewok! except this thing doesnt walk on two feet. or know an jedi masters. but this is another one of our nasty creatures that inhabit our home. toby. he is part ewok. part cat. part idk wtf is wrong with this one. he eats his own poop! of course i would end up with 2 dogs like this! yikes. too bad he doesnt eat cats. they are kinda nasty!

anyone wanna give me $39, 480?

2008-01-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

so i have been doing some research this past week. in about 141 days ( not that i am counting) i graduate. and well i need to figure out my life. you know the next chapter. ive said this before, but i am still a boy. growing into a man. and well and the end of this journey, when and if i make it. i hope to become something great. like a great teacher. so with that i have this dream
my dream is to go to school for my masters and just go for it. so doing some looking i finally found a school that fits what i want to do. 11 month program. walk out with a masters degree and a teaching credential. hello pepperdine!

its a beautiful campus. and ideally a great place to go to school. i have friends who have gone through the program and absolutely love it. but the downfall. its $39, 480 for one year! yikes!!!!
any takers on a nice lovely donation?
this is the west los angeles campus. most likely this would be the campus i would want to go to for class. not too shabby.

man why is grad school so much money?

one of those days

2008-01-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to be going right?

this is my winter vacation. vacation from both work and school. but it is almost over. i go back on the 7th so work. so i basically do not have a lot of time. i got out of school december 21. busy 12/24-12/26. tamale party on the 28th, dinner on the 30th for moms birthday. new years on the 31 to the 1st. it is a busy busy time and i do not have a lot of it

ever find yourself wanting and trying to make plans? you finally get a hold of someone and they never get back to you?
so you sit there and wait. call someone again. no answer. wait a few hours. send the occasional text or 2. still nothing.
its a rough cycle. finally as the night is over you find out 3rd party there are no plans anymore. man those suck!
but in the end. i FINALLY cleaned my room! it has a floor. it was vacuumed. dusted. lysoled. man it is clean. and it is scary.

hopefully plans will work in the near short future.!

a time for....

2008-01-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

it is the officially the new year. january 2nd. here are a few things i have heard and read and thought was something worth talking about. in the new year remember.....

its a time for reflection and renewal

a time for little celebrations

a time for wonder

a time for discovery

a time for dreams

and

a time for the appreciation of everything, everyone and everyday!

New Years Resolutions

2007-12-30T22:54:00.000-08:00

we all have them. some people start them and never make it past january 15th. some people make it all the way to the new year. but what is a quality new years resolution? in theory, or at least how i see it. you look back in the past year and the upcoming year. make some reflections on what changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. i have met many people that will make a super long list of multiple so called resolutions in hopes of keeping one. to me that is insane. why even attempt to make one? im so not the person who is trying to bring them down or anything. i just sort of dont get it.
so this year i felt it was important to think about this past year. think about the upcoming year. reflect and kind of come up with a list of ideas of possible resolutions. and then narrow it down to what is most important to me, or what i think will be a good change.

some resolutions i have thought about:
1) go to the gym and "lose weight" but "gain muscle"
2) drink less soda and coffee and other types of beverages
3) not eat after 11pm
4) get organized

but lets face realty. i am in college. i work everyday. i volunteer a lot on the weekends. i have a huge family that has family functions all the time. i am getting ready to graduate and embark on another journey. looking for jobs. so far those resolutions are not even realistic. i have class til 9 45, itll be like 1030 when i get home. itll be 11 when i eat. i dont have time to go to the gym. i need something to keep me awake. not realistic this time around. and well i am not afraid to admit it.

so what changes do i want to make?

i honestly do not know! this year has proved to be one of the better years. i turned 21. i see my family enough to where i am not overwhelmed. i work in a school that i love. i have met some of the most amazing people and families. i have been super lucky to know some of the greatest kids who have made my life more complete. its hard to really think of what i want to change or resolve to change.

so i have narrowed it down to what i think will be good and what i think will work for me.

I want to be able to smile and laugh more through out the day. While keeping myself happy, ultimately that happiness will reflect on someone else. and in my mind, will sort of "pay it forward" with happiness. with happiness comes love. and love can almost get you through anything. and with love comes faith. faith in people. faith in life. faith in almost everything.
so in the end. i think i have the perfect recipe for my new years resolution.

1 dash of love
1 shot of faith and
1 pinch of happiness

ultimately this is my new years resolution.

Tamale Party and Beer Pong

2007-12-30T00:04:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend, my cousins and i all got together and had a tamale making party. i have made a tamale or 2 in my life, but thats about it. a tamale or 2. and most of the time, i kinda just sat there. listened. and ate the chicken filling. i was a kid. what else would i do? actually work. psheesh! yea right! this time around take one aunt. add about 10 cousins. add 0 experience and you get the funniest tamale experience ever!
so when this first came up we thought, how cool right? well it sounded great. but then again when i was told about this, im sure i had a bottle or 2 of wine and maybe a few shots and lemon cello martinis in my system. but i love tamales so it sounded great. so we all drove out to moorpark and began our adventure.
when we got there, most of my cousins had started some of the basics. softening the corn husks and shredding the chicken. but we got there just in time. we made some awesome chili. some awesome rice. some not so awesome beans (i loathe beans). some awesome 7 layer dip. and yes some awesome bree cheese.

so here is the deal. making tamales is not easy! the maze or whatever that was felt so nasty! it was sticky and smelled of corn! go figure right. we finally decided we should make these things before it got too late and we began the slave train!
so you take the corn husks and sort of pat them dry. then you take the "maze" stuff and spread it along the husk. but get this you supposedly have to put it on a certain side (oops!!). once you get the nasty stuff onto the husk you take the meat filling, which was either chicken or pork and then wrap it. my brother told everyone how to wrap. supposedly he knows everything but i see through him! i mean this kid thinks he is Asian most of the time, so of course i think he is full of. well..shit. and we call him out and then decided how we wanted to wrap the tamale. easy right? well it took like 10 of us, but it was awesome! we made both pork and chicken tamales. randomly. like out of nowhere my aunt says. you know what we need. some tequila. and she set a timer and ever 20-30 minutes we took shots of tequila. but for me it was more like te-kill-ya! yuck! but i was not going to goon out and i sucked it up.

after a few shots we pumped out a lot of tamales and our hands wreaked of corn and chicken and tequila. but it never ends there with my family. the party was just getting started. it was maybe 10. maybe way early 11. we busted out our first 24 pack of corona with beer pong. ok so beer pong is something a lot of people may have heard of. and something a lot may have not heard of. you take a table. set of 2 pyramids of cups. one on each side of the table. usually with 2 people teams you use 10 cups and 3 beers, so a total of 6 beers and 20 cups. you arrange them in a pyramid with the apex in the front, which is the one cup. you then take turns throwing ping pong balls into the opposite sides cups. if you make it. they drink that cup. if your partner also makes it, you get the balls back. however if you and your partner make it into the same cup, they drink 3 cups and you get the balls backs. then you go again, unless you both miss. then it basically goes back and forth. however there are rules for blowing balls out of the cups. fingering the balls out of the cups( assuming the balls arent in the beer) and bouncing and swatting. so of course everyone thinks i play like crap. but i kicked some serious ass. at the end, the losing team drinks all their cups, plus whatever remains on the table. so you for sure do not want to get skunked. in some rounds you can play surprise cups, where the opposite teams place "surprise" drinks into a cup instead of beer. this would be like gnarly shots. wine. whatever you can think of.

so we started out with mike and adam as partners playing me and my cousin kat. we of course beat them and went to play my nerdy brother and uncoordinated cousin allison. yet we lost!. but their glory didnt last too long, which was good. eventually kat got a call from her boyfriend who was in some random state so we switched partners and mike and i became teammates. also known as team thomas. since we both have the same middle name. and well we dominated. like anyone we played. bam. they finished the beers.

78 beers later. mixed between heineken, natural light, corona and fat and when it is like 430 and you want to go to bed. it sucks. and even worse. the sun comes up and you wake up. talk about a bad wake up call. but when you wake up play a few more rounds and well win those. its all good!
sadly i feel asleep early.like 7 30. and now i am awake again at 12 30. damn!

One Love Challenge

2007-12-27T23:00:00.001-08:00

"One means you. One Love is challenging you to do One thing in 2008 to better a life of someone else. This will be an act of love and only you can bring it to the world."

so this is a challenge a friend of mine started. i work with jeff at the painted turtle and think that this is an awesome challenge. so for those who read this...think about it. its like a pay it forward type of deal. this will be a great addition to the things i want to accomplish in 2008

the goal once again is to do something good for someone. There are some rules in place to help direct what One Love is challenging you to do like:

1. There can’t be any monetary gain for personal use. No tips can be accepted.

2. It has to be something new. This is meant to be something in addition to what you already do. It can be something added on to your current responsibilities (in addition to volunteering with children/adults…getting a big donation to benefit the people you work with). But hopefully you’ll be able to reach out to people you don’t know now.

3. Most importantly do something that is fun for you! If you’re a photographer, do a project that would benefit something that’s important to you. If you’re a single bachelor with a lot of energy, volunteer to play games with kids…donate your old xbox. If you’re a mother of three and don’t have much time, take ten minutes and donate blood to help out other children, or get your children to shovel the block when it snows!

This is not a challenge to see who can out-do the other. This is not a contest to see who is the most compassionate. It’s a challenge to get everyone to realize that no matter how small the gesture, it will affect someone else in a big way.

It can be something small or something out of this world. It can be as simple as donating blood for the first time or as complex as convincing someone they are an alcoholic and they need to seek help.

Disneyland Pt 2

2007-12-27T20:57:00.001-08:00

There is one thing that i absolutely love about what i do with my life. some people may think, "what do you mean 'what i do with my life'". well its very simple. i play! i play at camps all over. i play at he painted turtle, i play at boggy, i played at carrie-on, i played at waltons. I play in schools. i play in hospitals. i call it playing, some call it teaching. but the one thing i do most is play at camps. every once in a blue moon i get a set of campers that are so hysterical and i love everything they do and say. sometimes i think they are just an average group. then there are the select few that i totally can become part of the family. not too often, but it does happen. and when this happens it is sad to see them pack up, drive off and out the gates.

Sometimes i am lucky enough to still talk with these families. sometimes EVEN luckier and i can spend time with them outside of camp. Today was just an ordinary day. i woke up, brushed my teeth, grabbed my giant cup of coffee and got ready. normal right? well on top of doing all that, i was getting ready for yet another fun-filled day at Disneyland. Disneyland after the holidays, especially Christmas, is like walking into a nightmare! Soooo many kids, soooo many families. it is insane. So why would a person who lives 25 minutes away from Disneyland dare step foot onto those grounds?

to play with some kids! so back to what i absolutely love....i absolutely LOVE seeing campers outside of camp, or outside of the hospital and seeing there huge smile when they see me walking towards them. or the look of confusion as to what i am doing in the same place at the same time! Its so great because after that moment of shock comes the moment of when reality hits and then the huge smile and excitement. as my friend michelle and i walked up towards the hectic tomorrowland, my camper spotted me in my usc sweatshirt and literally had a smile from ear to ear and kept yelling "mommy look! I see jeff!!!" of course this was planned like a month ago, but the kids didn't know! It was a perfect moment! we did a few rides and had some good times. It was so good to see my lil "peter pan" and catch up on his life. He has been so busy with theatre and i am so proud of him! i cannot wait to see them again!

The Kids and Michelle and I
Disneyland 2007

Happy Holidays

2007-12-24T22:57:00.000-08:00

So it is that time of the year again. a time well...that is very hectic. actually i hate this time of the year due to all the traveling. all the chaos. all the food and tummy aches. but so far as of 1059 when i am writing this, well it hasn't been too bad. we had a sit down nice dinner with my mom and step dad. we had some prime rib, baked potatoes, crunchy veggies and of course wine! oddly enough, my younger brother was granted permission to have a glass with us, even a second. i guess being the younger sibling has its perks. i was NEVER allowed to drink before 21. oh well. its not that huge of a deal.

however before the dinner and my mid afternoon nap i had lunch. i usually have lunch before my nap, but this was a special lunch. i was able to hang out with my friend Tracie and Ashley. The 3 of us at one point in our lives were Captains of the dance team. Ashley and I were from 2002-2003 and Tracie was 2003-2004. It was so great to see them. What was even weirder was sitting down at a table in a public restaurant having drinks. It was the first time the 3 of us were together having drinks. I had the usual martini, and ashley the margarita and tracie had some lava colada. But it hit me. Man i am getting up there in age. Ashley just finished at LBSU 4 days ago, i finish in may and tracie finishes in december of 2008. Its so crazy to think that the time is just flying by! Happy Holidays All!

FINALS

2007-12-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

ok. so for those who don't know. this is the time in every college kids life where we say....
"F-uck
I
N-ever
A-ctually
L-earned
S-hit"
which is also known as finals. its one of my last semester thankfully! but i have 17 units, which is like 6 classes and about 22.25 hours IN CLASS a week, on top of 17 hous of work and who knows how many hours of homework and projects.
as of sunday, i woke up at 10 and had a holiday party getting me home at 8. i studied from 9pm to 2 am and was up monday morning at 6 am. i had to be at the preschool for a final from 7-10 am. from there i went to UCLA for a holiday party with some of my favortiest people. went back to turn in a project at 4 and hit the books again from 5-8 took a break and went back at it from 930-3 am. yikes right. well here is the yikes, i was up at 630 hit the books again and went to work at 9. did a 9-1215 shift and you guessed it....took a nap! was back at the preschool from 2-530 pm and off to study and cram the last bit from 530-7pm for my Premarital intervention class. it was a horrendous final. it was like everything went in one ear, out the other and into the trash. luckily it is over. however, tomorrow back to the preschool at 7-10, study from 11-2 or sleep. final at 245-445 then to study some more for a final in my professional development class at 715.

i study so much because i want and need to do good. i have grades that are decent, but i want the best and if i get an A on all my finals, i can get an A in the class, but it takes a lot of hard work and focus to get there. along with no sleep. but unfortunately for me. focusing is an issue. always has been. i believe they call that ADHD. looks like i need to get on the adderol train! but i guess the amounts of caffiene in my system are enpough to just keep me going. a starbucks a day makes a final go your way. 2 a day gets you an A.

but if i spend so much time studying and working this week. what happens to my room?
you think you know.....oh man...it is a disaster and i dont care. i sleep in a small corner of the room, but this is what it looks like as of right now a few days in the making due to finals.

sadly, i will have to live like this until my last final thursday. which means i will spend friday cleaning it to just get it more crazy packed with stuff for christmas 2 days later....yikes!

help!!!!

the 22

2007-12-18T19:59:00.001-08:00

22 things you may or may have not known

1) my favorite song is:
life is a highway....rascal flatts version

2) i would rather have a gift that has meaning than a gift that was super expensive and nice

3) my favorite holiday is christmas....not because i get nice things, but because of the nice things i can do for others. plus i like some of the music.

4) if i didn't have a starbucks or some form of caffeine everyday, i would probably be neurotic

5) i hate reading because of school, but hope to read for pleasure once down with school

6) i am 22, but sometimes act like i am 5

7) i was captain of my dance team in high school and surprisingly i am still very flexible.

8) i am in a fraternity and was pledge class president, risk management, community service chair and VP of Philanthropy

9) i LOVE camp....but hate camping

10) i hate shaving and i hate facial hair

11) i have a queen size bed, but sleep against the wall

12) i have to play my ipod when im in the shower so i can dance and sing. no joke

13) i have been to disneyland more times in the past year than some of my friends have in their life combined

14) i love to travel, but i hate planes

15) i have an irrational fear of spiders and snakes. even fake plastic toys.

16) my room is decorated with collage picture frames, cd covers as a boarder and a collage of camp pictures over my bed

17) i wear sandals every day....even in the rain

18) i watch the disney channel everyday so i can talk with my kindergartners about the things they love to watch

19) i gag every morning i brush my teeth before 7 am

20) i am not a morning person. i am always miserable. i may have my eyes open and may be talking to you, but secretly i am not even paying attention

21) i have seen all the harry potter movies the day they came out. i have however only read one book...the last one

22) if i don't have my blackberry in my pocket or in its holster on my hip....i am naked.

Progressive Dinner

2007-12-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Every year my family hosts a huge progressive dinner. for those who do not know what that it is, well its a dinner that progresses over various houses. this year we had 3 houses, a lot less than we used to do. The first house was the "COLD" house where all the food has to be cold. pretty awesome. it consisted of some cheeses and meats, some cold dips, some fake sushi for the non-fish eaters and of course the famous green punch made with ice cream. as we get older, the punches get better....the mai tai punch with the floater!

the second house was the "HOT" house. this consisted of way bueno food like stuffed mushrooms, crab dip, twice baked potatoes and of course mini corn dogs for the sophisticated palette. this house had my favorite punch....the so co punch! yummy...
however at this house we have a special guest santa. and well...after giving out the many presents to our family here are a few shots of santa kicking back!

of course it isnt a family function without me and my cousins making a big scene. obviously the big boy toy also known as big bertha came out. and well....lots of beer was flowing and eventaully we ran out and hit the champagne. not so good in the morning...trust me! of course, my cousins and i always make a scene. this year we decided to make sure we stood out from the collared shirts and ties, so we went with christmas sweaters...you know those ugly things you see people wear and think its ok.

ps...i love my grandma

she is so cute...look at her! can u believe she is almost 80!

The Holiday List pt 3

2007-12-12T14:50:00.001-08:00

i was kindly reminded of something else....
very important

1) a 3 year old boy.

2) bunk beds. with a queen on the bottom, twin on top and with rails

if this doesnt make sense to you. then it obviously does not apply to you.

this is like top 3 gifts....besides the maid and starbucks! :)

THE HOLIDAY LIST PT 2

2007-12-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

apparently my list was a little unusual with a few things that were just not tangible. shoot.
i totally thought i had a great list. i mean totally realistic, but i guess hard to gift wrap.
and some things are just not feasible. supposedly. i mean i know people can buy some of that stuff!
i know people can clean my room and fill out applications. they are just lazy like me. so......here are a few additional things
that are "people friendly"

1) im going to disneyland december 27th.....so a ticket would be great..like fantastic

2) plane ticket to orlando florida for a weekend in march. i really want to go to a cancer camp to volunteer. i cant go this summer because my family is making me walk at graduation so i am missing out, so i want to fly to orlando for that family weekend.

3) help with a plane ticket to orlando florida...see above

4) one tree hill season 4 ( im a sucker for tv on dvd!!)

5) a cool travel coffee mug

i hope that works party people! cuz my brian is fried! its finals time....aaahhh....

Camp

2007-12-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

ok, i know that it is december. and i know that camp doesn't begin for like literally 6 months. but i mean, we are half way there! i can smell the pine trees. i can smell the horrible polar/golden shower. i can taste the bug juice and the amazing coffee that the kitchen staff makes. if i close my eyes i can picture myself teaching cubby aerobic with my kids to venga boys. i can see them and hear them yelling "up down up down"

i can hear evan screaming in the middle of the night because of his night terrors.
i can see myself sitting with colin calming him down since he gets sad at night.

i see 4th session track drafts. the famous night of shit talking and laughing between the counselors and staff. the intensity of the meets. how exciting it is to win and know you were goin to win ( especially with last pick).i see the relays, the shot puts, the jump into the lake and every child running to the swim area as we run to the guard tower. i love camp! and i miss it!

its hard to explain to someone who does not live, sleep and breathe camp! its one of those places where you come to life. the endless campfires. the song contests. the special events. the many clean cabin awards. its just an amazing place.
i can still hear the kid who wakes up at 5 am and is super loud just to get attention. the one who is crying all the time. and as soon as you get him calm and ready, i can hear the bell ring for 730 wake up. the smiles. the joy. the fun. the tears of happiness. camp is home to many of us college folks. and in 6 months. ill be home again!
its a thursday. and i am feeling excited for breakfast. its a syrup one!

and later in the night. its the best night. dance night. where we dress up. as jimmy and i did ( dressed as eachother) or the disney dance, where i was troy bolton. go figure.

i remember how irritated my skin got from being painted for a few hours. it was amazingly great. fantabulous. and yes that is a real word. only these pictures show moments. but its what i look forward to ever year. and im not the only one!!!

but best of all. the night time.
"day is done. gone the sun. from the lakes from the hills from the sky. all is well, safely rest. god id nigh"
hooray for cubby slumber parties!

My Weekend

2007-12-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

So this was yet ANOTHER crazy weekend! It all started with The Delta Delta Delta formal, which for those who do not know....its a sorority formal. yes college students totally still have dances! They are way better than high school since it is ok to come drunk intoxicated, and there is a bar! AMEN!!!
So my date was Allison, and she is super great!
Here we are at her place before the festivities kicked off.

Tri Delt has many people i am super close with such as, Tooter Butt, and Cooter Butt and i am Pooter Butt. They are my fave lil dancers. We know how to drop it!

and then there is my honorary lil sis: Hooter! She is great and crazy and i love her! she is soo crazy!

in the end, after a few rounds of drinks at the house, and at the bar, the night of dancing came to an end, and i had to get ready for adventure number 2! the USC game! of course we are playing cross town rivals. I get home and asleep roughly at 3. I was hungry and well, intoxicated a bit, and needless to say, dizzy! Unfortunately for me. we had to leave and be at the stadium at 5 am! yikes!!!
it sucked! i had the spins, the gas, the shits and the pukes. not fun, but i blamed it on the no sleep! it was a great game. i got to see my friends, my family and better yet, the bruins lost! the baby blue who smell like poo went down and it was great!

here are some pictures from the game and tailgate!

however.....it doesnt end there

sunday was the traditional simonek brunch. 70 something relatives living in california and arizona and in one room. bad idea! they are damn loud! but they are my family. it all ended with the best part! i got to hang with my 2nd family. nothing could have made it a better weekend. well..maybe if it werent so dang cold!
who knows what adventures come this weekend. less than 3 weeks til i am done with the semester holla!!!

The Holiday List

2007-12-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

OK, soooo many people and by soooo many people, i mean like everyone has asked me the famous question, " What do you want for Christmas?" Unfortunately, im not 10 years old and have a 7 page list with pictures and the stores to buy it and my preference order. And yes, that did happen in my younger years. But now as i am older, i have relaized, its not about getting gifts, although im not goin to deny its great, but ive finally learned its about giving too! but for those family member and other who read this, here is the list...according to a college student. and yes, this is a real list!

in no specific order

1) NO MORE PAPERS OVER 15 PAGES

2) to be able to eat dairy, or red meat and sometimes wheat products without getting sick

3) a massage

4)maid service for my room ( mother went on strike)

5) for people that i care about to go on a vacation

6) Picture frames with pictures in it. But the picture needs to capture a moment, not just a cheese ball smile. And in those frames that have it matted, those are awesome! And obviously i need to be in them!

7) someone to fill out my grad school applications for me!

8) Homemade dinner for a week, since ill be out of school for 6 weeks!!! Hint Hint!

9) gas prices to go down

10) A 24 hour Starbucks!!!! that would be amazing!!!

11) A charity or scholorship named after me!

12) Private 1 on 1 dance lesson with Julianne Hough....preferably, something where she is wearing a minimal amount of clothes

i think that is about it. clothes are cool, so are gift cards and so is anything that has thought behind it!

DiSnEyLaNd with my BiG SiS!!

2007-11-26T23:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some great friends, i had a day full of fun, smile and well screaming. my big sis, michelle, and i spent this past tuesday at the happiest place on earth. disneyland. we rode the rides, saw some shows. and most of all, we got to hang out with each other.

That Moment

2007-11-19T22:38:00.000-08:00

so a friend of mine took a picture of me. and this picture is truly a great picture in relation to me and what i love to do. so i thanked this friend for the picture she took. and in response she said "no, thank you. i witnessed a moment. a moment in time where everything around you just froze. the only thing i could see was you. happiness. love. and comfort." we continued to look through some pictures and came across one that screamed alll of those to me and this is what we saw in it.
it was a moment in time where everything froze around us. and it was just us.

Upcoming Weekend

2007-11-14T23:34:00.001-08:00

OK, so first off, i borrowed this picture from my friend dayna! its amazing..
this place represents hope and love and many different things. The Painted Turtle has been literally a second home to me over the past few years now i believe. ok, well almost. like 20 months. i used to just keep clothes in a drawer and in a closet, with my bath stuff sitting in my room i stayed in. it was amazing. and now. finally my mom may be coming to visit to see what i love so much. this is truly going to be a powerful weekend if she does make it. she will see what keeps me believeing. see the power of play. see how a weekend can change a life. some of the most amazing people i have met have been through camp. my hereos come to camp. and finally my mom will see it! amazing!

My Future Son

2007-11-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1784347

check out this link to an amazing video of my future son.
a friend of mine sent me this video! Its pretty much amazing, and as my friend Cayla and I were talking about it, we decided that the boy that is in the front going full out is for sure what my son would be like. In a ballet class doin some HipHop dance moves rockin out and being front and center! Gotta love this clip!

Lil Man and I

2007-11-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

One thing i love about my family is that we always get together! This weekend we celebrated baby Nicole's 1st birthday, which is huge, as well as my cousin Jennifer's 30th birthday! But what can a family function be without USC Football. It was a beautiful day in the OC where we celebrated. Family came from all over, the cousins drove in from Cal Poly, my grandma flew in from her trip to New York and of course our very close family friends came too! At around 3:30, my lil Gabe came running out of his car and ran into my arms and gave me the biggest hug! I hadnt seen that kid in so long it amazed me how tall he had gotten. We had our usual hello and opening conversation and I said, "Gabe, you are so big. What are you like 12 now?" Of course he replies with, "No! I am only 4 and I have Spiderman underwear!" Only my family would have such cute kids. Sadly, Gabe is like my best friend. When he is around, heis my one and only, and the cousins my age sadly get blown off, unless its game time ( if you know what i mean). We played tag, hide and seek, football, airplane, slide in the ice, just about everything! We even sat and cuddled by the firepit as he threw ice in. He was amazed that the ice melted, which was super funny! I was amazed by the sentences he would put together, and what makes lil man even cuter, he has a mini stutter of um when he speaks! And on top of that, he is a lil dancin machine! Shake that laffy taffy buddy!

The Biggest Rewards Come From What Scare You The Most

2007-11-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

"If having things turn out the way you've wanted them to is the measure of a successful life, then some would say I'm a failure. The important thing is not to be bitter over life's disappointments. Learn to let go of the past and recognize that every day won't be sunny. But when you find yourself lost in the darkness of despair, remember it's only in the black of night you can see the stars. And those stars lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes. Stumble. Fall. Because most of the time, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you'll get everything you wish for. Or maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you. In the end, the journey is the destination."

This was a quote given to me by a camper I had the opportunity to work with. Over the past few months I have really thought about the meaning that comes from it. What S. tried to get all of us to understand. The next few months that lie ahead of me literally scare the living crap out of me. Graduation. Job Hunting. Moving. Leaving my Southern California life behind. As this quote goes, the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe it is time for me to move on. Do the things that scare me and see where it goes. But, in the end, my journey is my destination.