photobooth.

never gets old.....

update.

[May 23rd-27th, 2011]

THIS WEEK......

-scotty McCreepy won american idol.
-i got my last choice for housing next year.
-i broke the zipper to my favorite pair of jeans.
-i wore sweats for the second time this week (the same ones too...)
wahhh. boo on my life.


i could sit here and complain about all the things that went wrong this week, but i would be much better off listing the best things about my week. 
which included.....


-camp shapadooah (end-of-year-festivity) / dance in weter which was AWESOME
-i half-way understood my science homework (!)
-the glee finale.....which was everything i wanted.
-i'm going home this weekend.....so excited.
-it is currently sunny.
-i got complimented on my makeup (that was a first)


as the saying goes.....
"every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day."
amen.


"I can do everything through him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:13


have a wonderful day :)

it's tuesday and i'm up before 11am...

sometimes, it's the little things....

i'm such a stereotypical college student.

but hey, it's my day off, so i should able to sleep in, right?? even if my "sleeping-in" goes until noon sometimes....

the only reason i'm up before 11 is because i had an advising appointment at 10. it was my own fault i scheduled it for then. i'm still trying to figure out why.

it's funny how even when i woke up at 9:20, i felt like i had way more time in the day....which is true. i don't feel as rushed. maybe because i don't have as much to do as last week. (update: i survived last week. that's more than i could have asked for....as for that science test....don't ask.)

as for the rest of my day, i have to read Matthew for my UFDN class, work on my resume for Major/Career Exploration, and housing sign ups are later.

here are a few thoughts about said tasks:

-it's weird reading a book of the Bible for a class. ok, weird isn't the right word.....different. that's better. since i've gone to public school my whole life, i've never had to bring my Bible to class. much less do a worksheet for it. but strangely i like it - dare i say, better than Bible study - because i feel like i get more out of it. sometimes (alright, most times) i zone out during Bible study....but i can't zone out with this, because i have to look for and answer questions. it really makes me think hard. wow. i'm sorry that sounded really un-intelligent. maybe i shouldn't blog before noon.....

-it's kind of hard to write a resume when you haven't had any job experience. but that's ok....i have lots of volunteer experience to put on there. that's kind of the same, right?? hahaha. if you have any tips/tricks for resumes, please shoot them my way :)

-housing sign ups are finally here! yikes. we're shooting for 3rd Hill. a girl on my floor currently, emily, is living on 3rd with a girl who already lives on 3rd, so at least i'll know somebody familiar :) i am kind of nervous....i don't really know what to expect. it goes by your "seniority points" which are how many credits you have + number of quarters you've lived on campus. i have 9. your seniority points are combined with your roommate's and you're called up according to your combined total to choose your room. once it's gone, it's gone. so basically, the more points you have, the better chance you have of getting the floor/room you want.

also of note -- the glee season 2 finale is on tonight. unfortunately, i have housing sign-ups at 8:45 so i will miss the end :( but that's what hulu is for, right?? i don't want to wait until september for it to come back on. i am obsessed. i guess i'll just have to catch up on Mad Men before it comes back on!! what else.....american idol. although i've probably only watched a total of 3 episodes the whole season, i want lauren alaina to win. mostly because i hate scotty McCreery (McCreepy). it's so weird to think i'm older than both of the finalists. i think they're what, 16 and 17? wow. i'll be 19 in less than 2 months. insanity.

i'm signing off.

i'm going to be productive.....

hopefully.

adventures in babysitting.

yesterday, i babysat my nieces and their two cousins, while my sister and her husband went to a birthday party [happy birthday andrea :)] while it was at times chaotic (well....considering my lack of experience in this area...) despite a tumble in the playroom resulting in a scratch, a meltdown with P not getting to sleep with her cousins, and the girls all being frightened by a stuart little story in which the owl threatened to eat stuart little, it turned out well. and while i don't have pictures of the three of them, i managed to get a few earlier in the day :)

harper.....right as she saw chelsea

pearson, posing with her completed princess puzzle

she looks so old in this picture....

"chandler, why you make that face??"

i love being an aunt :)

ashton ball.

friday night was ashton ball. i've been looking forward to it pretty much all year....and it did not disappoint.

getting ready: we started getting ready around 3:30, because there were so many girls getting their hair and make-up done by the same few people (kimberly and suz: thank you sooo much! i owe you one.)

dinner: we went out to dinner at pasta bella around 6 which was delicious....although our waiter was a little crazy.

pictures: we went to kerry park, along with pretty much the rest of ashton hall. the weather was SO nice though, we couldn't resist it. plus the background is pretty amazing. and we needed to kill some time ;)

dance: the dance was from 8-11pm at the space needle, which was awesome. it wasn't at the top, instead it was on the lower level (but not the bottom). it was SO hot because the dance floor was tiny and there were tons of people packed in there. i have never sweat so much at a dance before (possibly in my life) but it was so worth it. that is always my favorite part of a dance - just letting loose and forgetting about all the stress of the week. and dancing with friends is always a blast.

enjoy a montage of the night below:

my hair....props to kimberly for this beautiful hairstyle.....you are AMAZING.

the beautiful hope & i.

messin around

backside :)

abby, kimberly, & I :)

kimberly, me, and hope

half of 1W [l to r]: susannah, hope, stephanie, victoria, emily, lindsey, abby, katie, beth, sefanit, kaity, kimberly, and me

and again :)

katie & I :)

linds and i :)

roommate picture!! love this one.

kimberly and I :)

classic prom pose.

katie, me, beth, emily, and lindsey :)

looking out at kerry park.

gettin our groove on....[most likely doing the robot...]

afterwards....the SPACE NEEDLE!

so. much. fun.

random tuesday night thoughts....[11:47 pm edition]

i am taking a much-needed break from my mountains of homework, other things i have to do, and generally anything productive (this includes showering, laundry, keeping my papers straight, etc.) to blog about the various topics floating around in my brain. i apologize in advance for my sloppiness/disorganization, it usually isn't like me.
it's just been one of those weeks....


-arnold schwarzenegger and his love child. WHAT?!! does anyone else think that is INSANE?!! he kept this mystery child a secret for OVER A DECADE. how do you keep a secret that huge for that long?!! i am truly in awe, mr. (ex) govenator.....


-the giant spider that was crawling in our bathroom light tonight. two words: VILE and VOMIT-INDUCING. or is that three? whatever....this was the grossest thing i've ever seen. abby thinks it was a brown recluse. which apparently are poisonous....or just plain disgusting. thankfully it was let back out "into the wild" and out of our bathroom.


-my addiction to menchies. i admit it. i'm obsessed. i set a new record tonight: 11 FREE SAMPLES. free is my favorite price. i even waited in the line that went out the door for 15 minutes. that's when you know you're an addict.....wanna know the sample selection?? red velvet cake (life-changing.), cupcake, irish mint, chai tea latte (i know it sounds weird, but it was so tasty) and peanut butter & caramel (also life-changing.) i tried two of each plus some others....i'm almost ashamed.


-the beautiful weather today (and hopefully the rest of the week). i love the sun. love it. my skin doesn't, but i do. it was light until almost 9:30. it's my favorite time of the year :)


-my complete and utter failure to do my laundry. i told myself i was gonna do it over the weekend (didn't happen). then i said i was gonna do it yesterday (still didn't happen). then i planned on doing it tonight about an hour ago, but then i realized i'd be up until like 1am doing it. not that i wouldn't be anyway....confession: i am currently wearing swim-suit bottoms. my justification is that they're black and look like underwear if you didn't touch them. i've truly hit a new low..... tomorrow i will do it. i promise. i really can't afford not to.....(my other swim-suit bottoms are at home...)


-my dreams. i usually have some pretty strange ones (ask my friends) but this week has been extremely unusual. the other night, lady gaga was in my dream. here's the thing: i think lady gaga is extremely annoying. sure, her songs are catchy, but i can't help being annoyed everytime i hear them. i hate how she also has to out-do everyone. we get it lady gaga, YOU'RE DIFFERENT. get over it. anyways. she was trying on all these wigs and telling me her rules for wearing them: they have to cover all of her actual hair except for certain ones which are allowed to show some of her hair. so strange right? 


-my broken hair straightener, RIP. we had a good 5 years together, but it's over. i got it to work for a few weeks after it started acting up, but today it was done for good. it's a good thing i live with 20 other girls to borrow them from (thank you kaity!!! you are a life-saver.) i should put that on my birthday list.....


that's all.
have a wonderful rest of your night. 
or day. technically it's now wednesday. should i have named this post "random wednesday thoughts"?
whatever.


ADIOS.

happy day of birth!

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY

HANNAH DANIELLE SHUHOLM!!!!!

hahaha....ok i'm sorry for these pictures....but they were the only ones i had on my laptop. [you'll thank me later for not putting ones of us in 7th grade up.....on second thought, i might have burned them...]

anyhow, i can't believe 8 years has gone so fast and that we're (almost) done with our first year of college! wow. i love you so much and treasure the two years we had together at the same school. i think you're in california right now (FB creep, at your service) since you're done with school so enjoy your day in the sun!! hopefully we will see each other this summer.  

scratch that, we WILL see each other. 

I   L O V E   Y O U   B E S T   F R I E N D !

calm before the storm.

....or something like that. since last week was relatively "calm", it must have been in preparation for this week, which is going to be bananas....ie. the "storm".


i have a study abroad appt. on monday [yaaay!! seriously though....so excited.] registration for fall classes and i'm giving my life story on wednesday, i have a giant science test on friday (lord help me), a UFDN paper due that same day, and then later on friday night, ASHTON BALL at the SPACE NEEDLE. that's what's keeping me going through the week -- it's going to be so fun!


i am in that neverland feeling that the weekend is going to last forever....or at least that's what i want to think.
newsflash, chandler......IT'S NOT.


speaking of my weekend, it was quite wonderful. on friday afternoon, my roommate victoria, and another girl on my floor, sefanit, went to the Jones soda headquarters downtown for free soda. on fridays, you can just walk in and grab a soda for free. it's pretty great. later that night, i went to a church event at city church [the kirkland campus] and it was.....different. that's another blog post in itself. on saturday, i enjoyed the second to last day of starbucks frappy-hour [half priced frappuccinos from 3-5p....captain obvious at your service :)] i am proud to say that throughout the weekend, i went to menchie's 3 times and sampled. i love free frozen yogurt. favorites included: cupcake, white chocolate, pink lemonade, dulce de leche, blueberry, and white raspberry. and yes, i tried them all. and more. i'm going to miss living so close to frozen yogurt for three months. but it'll probably be good for my wallet.....and waistline. hahaha. we also took a nice stroll throughout queen anne while it was still sunnyish...before the gross rain that has taken over seattle. BOO.

we got....: orange cream soda, fufu berry soda, and vanilla bean soda. YES.

i've also been in an organizing mood more than usual....sorry roommate. i re-did our center shelf, recycled tons of papers from my desk drawers, and thought about doing laundry. throughout all my moving and re-arranging, i have a huge scratch on my left knee from dropping a shelf, and a bruise on that same leg on my shin from....wait for it......hitting my heel against it while trying to balance on a chair. how i accomplished that, i'm not quite sure. must be in my genes or something.

enough about me....how was YOUR week? ;)

fashion police....

......at your service.


we have a major offense on our hands.


imagine this: (if you dare)
Bill Cosby-esque sweater (aka the sewing machine had a nervous breakdown with its colors/patterns...)
Army-green KILT
penny loafer/mocassin-complete-with-tassels with NO socks.


that is the horror i just witnessed outside of pura vida.
my eyes are still burning.
WHY?!!!!!!!!!
WHY IS THAT OKAY?!!!!!!!






OH YEAH, IT'S NOT.
barf.


that is not the first time i've seen a kilt on campus either.....there's a guy that regularly wears a TYE-DYE kilt. stacy & clinton would die. 
this is confirming that i should go into fashion...stopping hideous ensembles one kilt at a time.

[4 weeks].

to distract myself from the POURING RAIN [51 degrees] outside my window, i have made a countdown to summer.
i realize this is the northwest, so "summer" might not come until late june/early july, but you can't blame me for trying, right?


this is much like the one i made for spring break, but better, because i'm counting down to summer, my favorite time of the year. and it's not just because it's my birthday ;) i love the trips, the weather, the flexibility, the laziness, the spontaneity, the meeting with old friends, the being with family, all of it.
and i'm super lucky because i have almost 4 months off. i say that now, with all of my stress and things to do, but i'm sure i will get sick of it at the end of the summer when everyone else is back in school....
here it is:

here's to 4 WEEKS!

macrina bakery.

i've been wanting to try macrina bakery for some time now......everyone always talks about how good it is, so i wanted to try it for myself. 

so today, katie and i walked to the queen anne one. click here for the website :)

it fufilled my expectations :)

i got an orange-currant scone and a chai tea (as a chai tea connoisseur, i was impressed) i wasn't really sure what currants were, but i ate it anyway. not bad!

i got an "organic" vibe from macrina -- many of their pastries are made with bits of fruit and nuts. very northwest.

although there are a few locations in seattle, it's not outside of the seattle area, which makes it so unique. and judging from the line, it is clearly a local favorite !

 

the logo  

 the pastries.....are you drooling yet?

the one in queen anne -- SO cute!

that's one of my favorite things about seattle -- the adorable bakeries and cafes that are one of a kind. my next stop is essential baking. i've been there when my sister went to SPU, but it's been a really really long time. 

can't wait!

yours in pastry land, C

[happy mother's day].

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

i love you, mom!

i wish i could be with you today. missing you!

i could not ask for a better mother. although sometimes i don't always express or show it, i really am so grateful for you. i am thankful for you everyday, not just on mother's day :)

you are my definition of strength and the best role model i could ever have. you are always there for me, through every vent, frustration, worry, and accomplishment. you encourage me to be the best i can be and to reach for the sky, and that is more than i could ask for. 

your patience is so admirable and something i hope to acquire someday.

your positive attitude and friendliness is contagious; i am lucky to be your daughter.

thank you for supporting me and encouraging me for almost 19 years.

i   l  o  v  e   y  o  u.

GO MARINERS!

i've had the opportunity to go to a mariners game not once, but twice this week!
first we went on tuesday; and then thursday. (i only have pictures from thursday though)....we played the texas rangers both times, and won both times. good job mariners, way to not suck!
yesterday, i finally got my garlic fries. and although they might have been a little over-priced, they were worth it. i'm still paying for the consequences of my actions via garlic breath...sick. although we didn't do the 'wave', it was still a great experience. i think they only do the wave towards the end when the mariners are so far behind the fans need something to take their mind off of the impending doom of the mariners' crumbling record....

katie, hope & I (yikes....i need to get to hawaii....asap.)

down by the field!

loveee this one :)

our view.

my attempt to get all of us....sorry katie haha

katie, hope, stephanie, susannah, & i

& again....notice my snuggie :)

our favorite part of the game -- GENE!

thanks to hope & her dad for the tickets & katie for driving :)
you guys are the best!

abbrevs.

here in the N-dubs, we use abbrevs. it's sups cool. not ridic. what's also dece is to shorten the long words you don't wanna artic.


translation:
here in the NW (northwest), we use abbreviations. it's super cool. not ridiculous. what's also decent is to shorten the long words you don't want to articulate.


so up until this year, i never shortened my words (except for the occasional 'ridic', which my brother says). i don't know if it's a college thing, perhaps plain laziness, or both, since they seem to go hand-in-hand quite often. or maybe it's just the people i hang out with. the funny thing is, i'm never really serious when i say it. i'm sure some people find it super annoying. but oh well. i think it's entertaining to see how many words you can only say the first syllable of before it becomes unrecognizable. 
we'll see how long this lasts.....before i lose friends/become shunned by my family....


:)

first sunburn of the year.

only i, chandler christine birky, could ANNIHILATE my skin on a 67 degree april day in seattle.
i apparently did not realize the exposure i was subjecting myself to....for 2-3 hours.
it felt so good laying out there though!
you know what doesn't feel good now? showers. and sleeping.
yesterday, i decided to go outside and do my homework in the sun. seemingly harmless right? everyone else and their mom was out there too....so i found a nice spot across from the basketball court and apparently lost track of time while i was working.
first, i realized my left leg was feeling quite warm later on and when i looked down, it was bright red. once i lifted up my legging, i realized i had a perfect line that divided my vanilla white skin from my new, strawberry-colored skin. hope says all i need is chocolate (mud?? dirt??) and i will be neapolitan. hahaha. my brother also called me "crab leg"....can't say i didn't have that one coming.
the best part of this whole thing is that it's ONLY my left shin and my right arm/shoulder/back. and my nose. and i may or may not have parted my hair differently to hide my pink scalp....why? i don't really know. i knew i crossed my legs for part of the time, but not the whole time i was outside. i knew i should have changed positions....
i was talking on the phone to my mom and she warned me that i might burn, but i didn't think i would. plus i have a cold, so i wanted to enjoy the sun instead of being stuck inside. well, she was right. sorry mom....
a word of advice: don't let, sun/vitamin D-deprived-college-students out into the sun without sunscreen. 
even if it's only 67 degrees.


here is photographic evidence:

the perfect line i was talking about.....

wow. even i am speechless....

the difference between the two.

and lastly, my right shoulder/back/face.

cheers to peeling!

and an eventual tan. (even if it's only on certain parts of my body....)


at least it's raining today......gotta love bi-polar washington weather.