love at half moon bay

he had been vague when speaking of an evening at beach, with dinner and a walk on the beach. it wasn't going to be a formal place, but we should dress formally.

that would mean a suit for him; something handsome. he would don a black suit with a deep blue shirt, but with no tie. very handsome, indeed.

i would wear a black cocktail dress which extended down not quite to mid-thigh. it featured thin straps extending across my shoulders. the ensemble would not have been complete without black leather boots, extending up over the calf.

the one thing he told me about this date was that there was a town on the coast named half moon bay. it actually sounded romantic, i thought. it would take us about an hour and a half to get there (and another hour and a half to get back).

we met up at about 3:45 outside our dorm hall. he was very dashing and his eyes seemed to explore my outfit. “truly incredible,” he said followed by a wide smile.

the drive to half moon bay winds through some mountains. i had not been aware of so many hills between the san francisco bay and the coast. it was a very beautiful drive, though there were spots where cell phone reception cut out. fortunately, he has sirius satellite installed in his car, so we were able to be entertained by the radio broadcast of the blazers-heat basketball game.

we arrived at half moon bay a little before 5:30 and decided to take a look at the beach before heading to the restaurant. our reservations were at seven o'clock. though it was cold and a little windy, the view shortly before sunset was breathtaking; certainly worth enjoying.

dinner was very nice; it was a seafood and steak house not too far from the beach. the restaurant seemed to fit its town. he had a steak and potatoes and i had white fish with steamed vegetables. it was all very good, and the service was very friendly.

we talked at the restaurant for quite a while; some of the things we haven't discussed before. we'd been dating for just about a month and seemed to have talked about everything. though it was just the second week in march, we're both concerned with what might happen to “us” after spring term and we each head back to our respective oregon and colorado homes for summer break.

he is lining up an internship with a newspaper or television station, while i will work at my family's business. he's dreamed of becoming a journalist for many years, and as a minority owner in the business, i feel i have a vested interest in helping build the company.

we left the restaurant at around 8:30, still unaware of whether we would drive back that evening and or early in the morning.

after grabbing my sweater from his car, we went on to the beach, deciding to take a walk under the dark sky. we must have gone about a mile when he took my hand and we slowly walked to the water. he stood behind me with his arms around my waist. he kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear.

“i love you, Kassandra,” he said to me; for the first time.

i had thought he was feeling the same things as i have been, but i was surprised to hear the words. i smiled and looked up at him. “i love you,” i told him, also for the first time.

we ended up staying up most of the night and staying in his car for a couple hours before taking off back to our dorm, as each of us had class at 9 a.m.

this was the most romantic dates i've ever had. emotionally and physically, i feel even closer to him than when we met for that drive to half moon bay.

~ Kassandra

thriving

the past month has been that of getting adjusted, thriving and downright enjoying life. a lot of things have happened, so i'm going to touch on the highlights.

first of though, i should probably start off by saying; please disregard the comments in the final section of the previous blog. Adam turned out to be nothing i would want to be around. why 'o why do i seem to attract those types of guys ... well not always, i guess.

family

i've had many, many opportunities to keep in touch with my family back in oregon (not to mention my brother in the bay area).

i try to talk to my parents at least twice a week (usually about three times to each of them), and my siblings one- to two-times a week. we chat via webcam, instant message, e-mail and numerous times on the telephone. this has been wonderful. i believe my family knows how hard it is for me to be separated from them.

i've been able to keep up with all the latest with each of them and have been able to tell them of each and every little thing going on with me.

two trips have been made to my brother and his fiance's apartment in san francisco. if you remember, i have my own room in their three-bedroom apartment. those trips have been a great diversion from campus life; a very nice break as i've used the time primarily to study and complete some papers.

school

i go into every semester with a semester-long plan to study and review on a daily basis. i also make sure that once i am assigned a paper or project that i complete it as soon as possible. this is what i call my study plan. not to sound conceited, but i think it's working very well. i have four mid-term papers completed, and i'm prepared for the other three mid-term exams. mid-terms begin tomorrow and i really feel as if i'm taking advantage of this opportunity.

Julie and i continue to get to know each other and we're getting along very well. we seem to have the same priorities and styles as we approach life here at school. we also share ethical and moral standards which make things so much easier and, therefore, more fun.

i've gotten to know the resident assistants (RAs) pretty well. one in particular, Gary, has been very helpful and supportive. if i must say, i think i'm his favorite resident on the floor. being aware that the males in my family are very athletic and active, he's dubbed himself as my "gay older brother and protector."

football and basketball

i absolutely love the atmosphere here surrounding the cardinal football team. i don't know if this is because it's new to me, because we're doing so well or because of both. i'm guessing both. i've been to two games at the stadium (didn't go to the southern cal game because i had the flu). for the away games, a group of us get together in the dorm's rec room to watch the game. we've had about 30-35 residents in there for both games and it's been a really nice way to get to know people. i've met some very fun friends there. we've got five games left -- two at home and three away. i'll be at the stadium for the home games, and in the rec room for at least two of them. there is talk that we should be able to get tickets to the "big game" against cal at berkeley. i really want to be there!

my hometown portland trail blazers open up their season in just two days from this writing. still with some injuries to a couple of our players, i'm confident in the team we're going to put on the court this season. we have steady veterans, an more-than-solid core group and some very exciting rookies. on paper, we should be very strong. i'm not saying we'll win the championship this season, but it is the year we should be able to take the next step.

personal

i'm really just getting into the social life here. watching football in the rec room has been a lot of fun and there have been a few fun parties. i've met a lot of people.

there is a whole different selection of guys than i've seen before. in a way, that makes me feel like a little school girl. i haven't planned on any relationships, but perhaps the occasional fling might be fun. i had a great night during alumni weekend with a sophomore named Chase. he seems sweet. i may just want to hang out with him again.

i'm going to leave that at that.

~ Kassandra

mid-summer blues

new hair

actually, i'm not blue at all. truth be told, i'm blonde! my natural hair color is dark brown, but since this is the summer between high school and college, i decided to have a little fun with it. rather than just dye the whole thing, i put blonde highlights in there.

the truth is, i don't really care for the look. it was nice to try, but i think it'll be back to dark brown very soon. i guess i'm just a brunette at heart!

the grandparents

my visit to the grandparents is nearly here. i leave july 29 for my mother's parents in albequerque, new mexico, where i'll also see some cousins i haven't seen in quite a while. i'm told some surprises planned for the visit.

the southwest has always interested me; i've always felt that mainstream education usually glosses over the mystery and beauty of the area.

after six days, i hop on a plane in albequerque and head to my father's parents just outside of lincoln, nebraska. i bet that'll be a huge culture shock!

these grandparents are not farmers, but they rely heavily on the agriculture industry. this is the heartland of america and i am honored to be hanging out there for another 6 days before returning home to portland.

i look at this as a very special time, as my grandparents are footing the bill for this trip -- my high school graduation present. i'm honored that i am able to spend this time with each of them.

trail blazers

with the exception of a few trade rumors and some fans' player wish lists, this is a very slow time of year for the portland trail blazers. i remain skeptical about many things involving the moves they have made.

however, this is my team and i will not stop supporting them and pulling for them to win. that's called loyalty, and that's what i'm all about.

not working

other than my travel, i feel like i'm not doing much this summer. i'm not working steadily for my dad like i have the past two summers (my 16-year-old sister, Jessica has that honor this year).

my mother is still settling into the new business and it's taking up a lot of her time. therefore, my responsibilities at home, especially with Monika, have increased. i have no problem with this since i am beginning to fear leaving my family behind when i go off to college. of course, that's a whole other blog.

Monika is truly the light of my heart. i love her immensely. i shall miss her more than i can fathom.

more updates to come!

~ Kassandra

cousin laurie, going to hawaii

cousin Laurie visits

i was very fortunate to have so many wonderful friends and family come to help celebrate my graduation from high school. both sets of grandparents visited, from nebraska and new mexico. my uncle Mike cousin Laurie came up from southern california.

Laurie and i have always been close, and have always been able to tell each other our deepest secrets and darkest desires. we do not judge each other. we've remarked several times at how our closeness is reflected in our commitment to not judge each other.

we had one final weekend before she had to return home, so we decided to let our wild sides out. now, i would never let my mom what either of us wore that last night, but we each turned quite a few eyes when we made it to the first party.

we were not looking to drink a lot, and i will never force Laurie to tell me what happened for that 45 minutes she disappeared with that guy (they were a cute couple, even if he was more 'mr right now' rather than 'mr. right!').

for my part, i never realized i was so adept at performing lap dances in front of relatively large groups! granted, both could probably be considered three-quarters of lap dances rather than the whole thing (not that the guys were too bothered at that).

Laurie and i hung out all night and it was quite wonderful seeing her again. much like i had during a visit to her town two years ago, she thanked me for a wonderful evening and terrific visit.

i love my cousin very much, and while i will miss her, i will always be close to her for the things we can share.

off to hawaii

it's somewhat of a tradition, and since i consider myself a traditionalist, i am taking a graduation trip to hawaii with my best friend, Shawna.

we've planned things out very well. being the creative one, Shawna is in charge of planning the sightseeing and activities; and being the analytical one, i overseeing the travel and accommodations.

i'm not sure what we will have in store for this trip, but we are poised to have a lot of fun. i will update this blog with some details later as they happen.

oh, and yes, i have sunscreen and a couple new bikinis ... what more could a girl need for a week in hawaii in the summer?!

~ Kassandra

ps: i will miss the nba draft, but i will get all the updates later that night. good luck blazers!