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I'm not leaving today but I am going to

via ♥

I am so over the moon excited to be going (The farthest east I've traveled so far is New Mexico! Yep Arizona born and raised) and I wish it was happening already.

via ♥

While New York Is super exciting in and of itself I would probably never get around to going if it wasn't for a great opportunity and a great opportunity came my way and somehow I got accepted. In February I will be a going to the delegate meetings at the UN Commission on the Status of Women!!! I got accepted to this fantastic program and I'm so excited to be in New York in the UN!!!

One day I would love to be looking at the corporatization of development through a communication lens and next to getting into a graduate program that has a strategic communication center going to the UN is the biggest opportunity that has come my way. I believe very strongly in feminist activism and through my classes on political communication and women and social change I hope to one day use communication theory to discuss how the procedures and policies used by NGO's like the World Bank and the IMF impact development in third world countries and what that means for the labor force, migrant workers, access to resources and how those developments impact women. I'm feel like I'm just getting started on my education career (even though this year I'm a graduating Senior) and can't wait for the opportunities available at this practicum.

via ♥

Anyways I'm over the moon about going to New York. I am not so happy about flying alone or navigating subways and cabs and city streets all by myself. And while I got some funding from ASU and from the organization hosting the practicum I still have to figure out how to pay for tuition and housing for the week =/

via ♥

T-shirt, I totally feel you.

Somehow I'll figure it out so I can be singing Neeeew Yooorrrk on the plane ride there in February.

It's Finals Season

Goodness I really wanted to be able to post everyday but I had my first final today and thankfully have all my finals and classes will be done by Tuesday.

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

The social gathering that WILL rock my socks will be my 21st birthday. In exactly 9 days I will be 21 and you better be sure that I am going big. My birthday is one week before Christmas and it has always sucked so the past 6 years I didn't have a party or do anything really special because I knew it was really just an imposition on people's busy holiday calendars and forgetful. I was sort of saving all those missed birthdays so I could have one night that is really mine. One night where I counted on peopel to coem and celebrate my birthday with me. A 21st birthday, to me, is the last real community wide rite of passage you go through other than marriage or buying a house but this one is the most participative. I can't marry everyone on my wedding day but I can get fabulously dressed up and get pissed drunk with everyone on my 21st birthday. I plan to serve chips and dip, finger foods, cupcakes, cake, and hot chocolate before we go out to the bars. I plan to really look and listen for an amazing soundtrack for the night and I am using some Lady Gaga and Katy Perry (Firework would be perfect). I am trying to have a Hello Kitty theme too complete with hats and cake =) If you have any vegetarian appetizers and fantastic party songs send them my way!

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)

I had a real hard time growing up and thinking I was beautiful. Everyone I saw around me that were "beautiful" looked nothing like me and so I just never could describe myself as beautiful and instead I started to think of myself as smart and funny and creative and my identity was formed around that. I think what makes me beautiful is that I don't ever fell is (if that's not backwards thinking I don't know what is but it's true). I developed other aspects of myself other than pretty hair and a beautiful body because I never though I had those things. Now I know that I am beautiful but it's my intelligence and whit and whimsy and creative side that the most personal aspects to me and are my most treasured and beautiful parts of me.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

My first sense of Community in 2010 was definitely found in collegetown. Those folks I met there gave me so much that I could ever ask for and once again it was a life changing experience. You can read about it here, here, here, here, here, here and I really do miss everyone. Anotehr place I got a sense of community would be from the girls I work with at The Shoe Mill. They told me when I got hired that their coworkers are more like a family and everyday has just shown me that more and more. I feel blessed that I get to know everyone and have been given the opportunity to work there.

When I catch up

This weekend in Tempe was the Festival of Arts or a huge art fair that had our little shoe store so busy and me still aching from helping all the costumers. Anyways here is me catching up on reverb promps.

December 6th- Make

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

The last thing I made (and finished) was a hat for my friend Ashlee. I used yarn and a crochet hook from my ever growing collection to make her this hat in navy. I hope she loves it and it keeps her hairs warm. I would love to be able to sit and crochet some more and that is what I will be doing once school is over and I can do it free of guilt. I cannot wait to wrap up presents and make Christmastime beautiful and I would love to sew up some projects and craft some decorations. Also Ross' mom is the most expert decorator and crafter I know and I would be sooo happy if I could spend some craft time with her too. She knows how to KNIT!

December 5th- Let Go

Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

I feel so bad about this one But I feel like I let go of friends and in particular a friend f mine named Liz. Once I switched jobs and moved to Tempe I didn't see her. It may have been because I couldn't drive or because I didn't try enough but I haven't seen her since March and she was the girl I told everything to. I hope she can come to my birthday party and we can figure out a way to work our lives back together so we can still live our lives but see each other.

December 4th- Wonder

How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

This may sound silly but I guess I wondered with the kitties. I have school and I have work and I spend a lot of my time on that and in those aspects I am very cynical or responsible and I can't wonder but I pick up the kittie here and they are my kitty babies and I play wit them and ponder what they think. I pretend when school gets really stressful how they would handle it if we switched places. I make up lives for them in my head when they sit and rest with me. I know that they can't really understand who I am but I know they love me now too and I'm mommy for them now.

Friday I'm In Love

check this girl to see the series

This Friday I am love with work!

There is this big arts festival down Mill Ave. in Tempe and the shore store is going to be super, super packed and I'm nervous but excited since this is my first art fair and I'm still the newbie.

I'm so excited to be almost done with school and I'm in love with already having done all my presentations and I can totally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I turn 21 in 15 days WHAAAHOOOO! I'm having a Hello Kitty party and It will be the best celebration to bring in my birthday and end the semester GAHH so excited!

It would this date

December 3 – Moment.

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).(Author: Ali Edwards)

I can't remember the date now or if I actually blogged about it or no but it was an early date I had with Ross back in the spring. It was a Friday night and I had come over with some chocolate hostess cupcakes I made for him. We lightrailed over to Mill Ave and started the night at an Irish bar called Rula Bula. I had the best pint of guiness I have ever had there and dark mahoganies and rosewood countertops made it feel warm and cozy. We walked out to an outside patio that was covered with twinkle lights and we found a little table and sat by the bar and looked into the restaurant where the Irish band was playing. After we finished our pints and the corners of the picture I was seeing got a tiny bit fuzzy (like one of those lomography pictures) We walked down Mill Ave. to RA sushi and got in and was blasted with the bumping of the DJ. We sat down and I had the best dinner of my life. I felt so happy to be there with Ross and with some Saki bombers and a spicy plate of sushi the entire bar washed away. I have no idea how many people where in that bar because all I saw was Ross. My leg tingled when he put his hand on it and the sushi looked like it was glowing, heck Ross looked like he was glowing because all I could do was focus on our table and our time together. The way he was looking at me and the way I couldn't stop looking at him let me know for the first time that this was for real. THis was the night that I started to really fall in love with Ross...I felt the seed get planted and it started to grow over the next couple months. When I'm 50 I'll always be able to remember that night

Hey hey

A year in reflection. I hope once the semester is over I can really start blogging and crocheting again =)

December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

The surfing OH THE SURFING! I surf the internet like crazy and I fell like I have to take a bloggy break when even writing assignments for school. Every couple of sentences I scroll over to safari and start looking at my favorite blogs and the start internet surfing and half an hour later I've just still written those couple of sentences. I have a couple more papers to write for school and I am going to try and eliminate the bloggy breaks from the writing process.

I'm a growing girl

I have soo much homework to do and I cannot believe it's December already but give me a couple more days and I will no longer have to worry about school! I won a giveaway from my lovely gall Brittany and I am so excited and not only did she she excited me with the good news today but she started doing this Reverb10 thing and I am hooked. I am so bad at journaling and really being genuine and I'm being told all the time that time flies after you turn 21 so I would really like to remember it all.

Today's Prompt:

December 1 One Word.

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

Growth

I feel like I have grown up more this past year than any before. I fell in love with the most amazing person I've ever met. I made a dumb college mistake but learned so much from it. I'm almost done with my undergraduate career and now I know where I would like to go from here. I moved into this little apartment here in Tempe and have never looked back. I have loved 2010 for the good and bad it gave me because through all of it I really grew up.

For 2011 I would love to be able to call the year an Adventure. I'm taking a year in between undergraduate and graduate school to save up money and I hope it will be the time I can explore everything I've learned and continue growing up and hopefully do this outside of Arizona and the United States.

End of the Year Review

I stole this little questionnaire from Miss Summer and you should fill it out too

The Past Year

1. How have you spent your time?

Mari: Working, learning, loving, getting into trouble, being happy and blessed, living up my youth, being free, falling in love

2. What were you grateful for?

Mari: I am grateful for Ross, for my job and my education. Our apartment and the kitties. My mom and my family and that I have an imagination and a capable body that lets me do what I can dream.

3. What were your sorrows and disappointments, and how did they change you?

Mari: not having a license but I moved to Tempe and fell in love so that I feel blessed to have happen. It stinks sometimes how tight money can be or the fact that I have some debt but it's taught me to pay attention to the love and great friends in your life and just make sure you can pay rent and buy food and that buying things other than that won't make you happy. I much rather be poor and living where I live than have money to buy things and not be a quarter as happy as I am now.

4. What books, films, etc., moved you?

Eating Animals, Inception, Ishmael, I can't remember...

Now you!!

If I ever marry

I was never really one to plan out my wedding. Heck half the time I keep thinking about reasons to never get married but when I do plan out things it's always the music. I always think of what would be the perfect song for walking down the isle or a first dance and I think they are the most perfect song for the me I am at that most perfect moment. Of course things change but right now I would love to start dancing the night away with Queen's The Millionaire Waltz.

You can read about how much I love Queen here.

I think the song is TOTALLy appropriate and after years of playing in orchestra and listening to good old rock and roll what is better than a rock waltz? and puhh-leaze there is nothing dreamier than Freddie on the piano (excpet maybe Ross on the guitar)

Imagine us like this + Queen

Happy Monday Folks!

Friday I'm In Love: The List

My Birthday and Christmas are exactly one week apart. I'm usually not that much into getting presents and would much rather have people come and enjoy themselves sans gift or give that money to a good cause I am making a list of gifts that would be nice. Wait? I thought you JUST said you didn't like gifts?? That's right I'd be fine without them BUT I really want to get Ross something nice for Christmas and this is me posting this list hoping it will inspire him to post a list for me so that I can have some sort of idea where to go for his gift.

(I ask him now what he wants for Christmas and all he says is "You") =)

Any who these are all items I was looking to grab for myself at some point or another so here they are.

#1 Cross-body Bag

I'm hoping this will make riding a bike and life easier not having to balance a bag on my shoulder and instead have it secured with a strap across my body.

From Target

From Target

#2 Anything Hello Kitty

These bags aren't cross body but they are Hello Kitty!

From Sanrio

From Sanrio

From Sanrio

#3 Hello Kitty Sweater

I've been on the lookout for a Hello Kitty sweater for weeks now and I just can't find anything cute like this =/

From Tumbler

#4 Yarn

I just realized that there was a yarn store around the corner and they have the most incredible selection of fancy yarns there. I would love to take a class there or try out some of their neat wool blends. If I also was gifted any yarn I would be a happy camper.

#5 My Charger or New Camera

We can't find the charger to my little black friday deal of a Nikon from last year so right now the only camera I have is my phone. I would love to be able to just get a charger and keep my camera that still looks fantastic but one day (my savings are still nowhere close right now) I would love to have a beautiful Nikon D70 =) (or any fancy camera)

From Nikon

#6 Disneyland

Now I'm not asking for a trip to Disneyland (though that would be amazing) I'm down with someone to go with me! The last time I went was almost four years ago and I've been dying to put on my Mickey ears and go have a blast.

From We♥it

From We♥it

What is on your wishlist for Christmas?

One Day We Went Hiking

I'm behind on like 3 papers and have a project to work on and all I want to do is lie in bed and suck my thumb.

On Veterans day we went hiking

and going down into South Mountain was way fun

and we found rangers who took us off the trail and showed us drawings done on the mountain walls by the Hohokams from about 1400 B.C. which was really fun

and then we had to go up the mountain to go back to our car

and that was not fun at all (read: I whined and had to stop- a lot)

but I conned Ross into getting Chipotle after and thus the world was okay again.

Now I'm off to try and get this shizz done.

Senioritis why are you bitting me in the behind??

Holiday Well Wishes

My family has never done Christmas cards or holiday family pictures.

We've never gone caroling or made gingerbread houses.

Growing up we hung up stocking but our shoes would be the ones getting filled up on Three Kings day way after Christmas (think January 6th)

So when I stumped upon the famed dollar section at Michael's and found the most adorable Christmas cards I knew I would have to find more people to send them to other than my family.

So I want to send them to you.

If you are sad at the thought of holiday e-cards and not part of a big community of holiday card senders and want a card sent to you then this is the thing for you.

Even if you do send and receive a bunch of holiday cards and want one more this is perfect for you too.

All you have to do is send an email with your address to

Marisela (dot) Cabrera (dot) 2011 (at) gmail (dot) com

and you'll get an email from me back with my address in case you want to spread the love and send a card back.

I think the holidays are a great time to reach out and get to know people better and make some real connections even if it's just through a thoughtful holiday card.

Also if you like the idea and want to do this yourself fell free to take this picture and the button I have on the side (I'm gonna be lazy and make you copy and paste it off my blog) and write your own post.

If you write a post make sure come back and link it up so I can participate too.

Grand Opening!

What I've always wanted to do I've done.

I finally got my courage and strength up to work my nimble fingers and opened up

"Cat and Mouse- crochet by Mari"

I am sooo excited for this new adventure. I want to thank the best blog friends a girl could have, who a year ago told me that my stuff was good enough to sell and gave me confidence to keep crocheting and making new things.

The store has a couple designs and well loved hats but expect to see more and more pop up everyday. I just couldn't wait any longer to open up shop since I was too excited!

The lovely Miss Rasha Marie is being so kind to host a giveaway for me

So stop on over at her blog to ch-ch-check it out.

Peace on love to all on this sunny Friday =)

Growing Pains

Yesterday was just a bad day.

I've always been a really positive person or someone with an extra amount of resilience and I don't see there being any time for moping when you are looking to the future for opportunity.

Yesterday it got to me and it was just a bad day.

My camera died. No big problem, right? Not really until we couldn't find the charger anywhere

Ross might have left it the hotel well he was last on vacation

I was taking pictures of all the items that are going to be the opening line of my shop so that really bummed me out.

Then I slammed my thumb in the car door on my way to work and not only did it make me cry then, it throbbed all day and kept me from sleeping.

I'm sure the nail is gonna fall off and that puts my total nail count down to 18. damn.

Then work was sloooooow and filled with some difficult costumers,

but the cherry on top was an argument with Ross.

Yes I just posted about how happy I am but this was one of those arguments that I like to think of as a growing pain. You know when you have to tear down a wall to build a bigger room or when you were a kid and your legs would ache all summer but that was the year you grew three inches?? Those are growing pains and this argument was one of those that you have to take three steps back to take two forward, then another step back and then at the end three steps forward.

It was draining, and there was crying and pain and hurt going on but that's reality.

You love someone, you grow, you love, you have some growing pains, you love and you grow some more.

I almost wasn't going to post about it but I don't want to make it look like life is 100% amazing all the time- it isn't and I'm almost a little weary of blogs that are super positive all the time every post. My blog friends are like blog family and this is something I want to be genuine and that means telling you about the love, and the cute boots, and fun crafts but it also means posting about stress from school, relationship woes and tifs with friends.

Thank you for letting me be able to post about all this though- I've "met" the most amazing people here

On another note I do believe we may have found a substitute camera to take pictures with so I'm hoping tomorrow may be the day when I finally open up shop!

Something's Coming

have you ever heard the song from West Side Story "Something's Coming"?

"Who knows?

It's only just out of reach,

Down the block, on a beach,

Under a tree.

I got a feeling there's a miracle due,

Gonna come true,

Coming to me!"

"Could it be? Yes, it could.

Something's coming, something good,

If I can wait!

Something's coming, I don't know what it is,

But it is

Gonna be great!"

This one song is in near the beginning of the movie and it always fill up my chest, no my heart up with joy and hope. November has always been my favorite month because in arizona things get just a little bit quieter. The gets the sudden chill in it and you can feel an electricity around you. What can it be? For some it's the approaching holidays, others it's the end school coming up on the horizon and for me it's the feeling of hope.

wishes, fairy dust, love, and magic make up that electricity for me.

It always happens in November when that sudden chill hits.

from ♥

I saw a butterfly today and fly right around me while I was riding on my bike.

It was telling me to be hopeful- that one day everyone will go to sleep with food in their bellies, people will celebrate marriages of love and we'll be saluting a Madam President and that for it all to happen we can't stop fighting.

Fighting for hope.

This post is for me folks, so if it doesn't make sense that's why. It's for me and the butterfly.

Mushy Gushy

I grew up thinking love was a fallacy.

Love was something that was made up like Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, or Daylight savings time just to waste my time.

"I wasn't going to do that fake stuff called love because I was going to go to school and be smart one day" I thought

Yet here we are, me and Ross, (living together in sin and so much in love) and I was proven the fool.

The things I've learned about love

by Marisela C.

Same Day

I didn't know that love meant you would take care of me. You take care of the dishes and the shampoo, and my bike.

From here

I didn't know that love would be so funny and that we would stay up until 3 am watching cat videos and you telling me stories about when you were a kid.

From here

I didn't know love would mean you would by me booze!

no- I didn't know love would mean you would make sure I had fun for once.

From here

I didn't know love meant you were it it. Even when being in it means biking home in the rain at two am with a broken flip flop. I didn't know that love would mean you trying to save my flip flop and I probably shouldn't have thrown it away.

Same Day

If you have been following for awhile- then you've been able to see this all happen and thank goodness for that because then I have other people to ask and make sure that this is real- that I'm not dreaming and that it's all really happened.

if not- you can see it happen from

here, here, here, here, here, here, to here

Hey Ross- I love you.

Kitty Connection

If you have read my little 'ol blog for a bit you or know me in real life you may have followed my relationship with the kitties from one one ambivalent anxiousness to love and undying devotion.

If not you can see me mention them here, here, and another very important kitty here.

Even though I started not totally okay with the kittties and their hair covering every square inch of the apartment or the fact that they poop in a box under our stairs, I liked them. Liked turned to appreciated and appreciation turned to care which then turned to love. Now I pick them up while they cry for Ross to come save them while I rock them around calling them "kitty baby". (I do this about one to three times per day, give or take)

They are my fur babies and I am their step/foster people momma. So I snap pictures of them and tell people about the cute (read: annoying) stuff they do. I already had the yarn so I guess Ross was just a blessing in disguise delivering me the kitties.

Because I love them so much and I have like four papers to write, three chapters to read and 30 some pages in a reader, and grad school applications to worry about (read: having to cancel our much anticipated morning hike) I decided to show you all pictures of the kittie babies doing the cutest shit ever-

F**ing Adorable!

I find him like this and want to cuddle him till his bits pop out he is so cute (Ross one time called me Elmira Duff and I just about squeezed him too)

Grey likes my pillow ♥

"Wow! Twin cats!"

-direct quote from Hungry Howies delivery boy one night.

I l♥ve them

Discussion Questions for comments:

What are you most looking forward to this week?

BOOTS! and NYC

I live in AZ so I know it is not practical for me to even think about boots let alone love the, want them, covet them or own the and wear 'em when it's 89 degrees outside.

The reason I have them is because I started a new job when school started at The Shoe Mill here in Tempe that does tons of super comfy really cute shoes. So not only are these boots made with exquisite materials but they are most importantly comfortable.

I have a possible chance coming up to travel to New York in February for an educational opportunity. While I'm super excited about this possibility and fretting about the application and pulling together the money I'm most of al scared of the weather. This AZ girl has only seen snow twice but hopefully I can get into the practicum and wear these luscious boots in NYC!

From Pikilino

I absolutely love them and hopefully I can stomp around NYC in them.

From UGG

I have these cute guys on route to my closet and it will be my first pair of UGGs! I'm excited for the comfiness but not for the stereotypes that come with UGGs.

If I go to NYC I will probably need to get some other boots (maybe fancy black?) does anyone have a pair they just love?