opportunity

According to dictionary.com,

op·por·tu·ni·ty

–noun, plural -ties.

1. an appropriate or favorable time or occasion: Their meeting afforded an opportunity to exchange views.

2. a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal.

3. a good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.

I have heard this word thrown around in my college career probably hundreds of times, and for good reason.  Us college students have the opportunity to get a good education, to think, to read, to write, to ponder, to converse, to grow, to self-reflect, etc.  At USD in particular I have had the opportunity to learn in small classrooms, to talk to most of my professors one-on-one, to major in 2 subjects, to study abroad in Madrid and travel to 5 additional countries, to meet many new people from all over, to make life-long friends, to become part of various communities and organizations, to volunteer at an orphanage in Tijuana, to sing for hundreds of students at weekly Sunday mass, psychiatric patients, and female inmates, and to live by the ocean, to name a few.  Seeing as this is my last official "Thanksgiving break" as a college student, I am specifically looking back on all of the opportunities I have had in college and am truly truly thankful.  They really have molded me into the person I am today.        

Someone recently mentioned how recognizing a problem or setback can lead to an opportunity for improvement, and this made me think that the word opportunity can be interchangeable to make a situation more positive.  Lately everyone is stressed with end-of-the-semester group projects, papers, and exams, and I'm hearing a lot of "I can't wait for this semester to just be over."  I personally don't want it to be over, because that will leave only 1 semester left of college for me, but I'm also trying to be more grateful and see more things around me as opportunities.  Group presentations, for example (I have 3 coming up), are kind of difficult to organize and take a lot of effort, but they are really an opportunity to show the class what we have learned and an opportunity to practice public speaking skills, which will be very important in the business world.  So I pray that after the relaxing Thanksgiving break, we come back to school and embrace the opportunities that the last few weeks of the semester present us with, instead of trying to rush it along.  I also pray that I adopt a more hopeful attitude, keeping in mind the possible opportunities (specifically opportunities involving a job) in my future.  I encourage you to reflect on and embrace the opportunities that you encounter daily, and realize that despite whatever challenges may come with them, they are a blessing.                  

the best meal I've had in a while

was dinner tonight at Roy's Hawaiian fusion restaurant downtown.  I got "artichoke and goat cheese crusted salmon" and it was amazing.  It came with potatoes and spinach that was seasoned really well.  (I ate all of the spinach which is unheard of for me!).  I also enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay with dinner and the girls I was with shared this incredible chocolate souffle dessert.  The restaurant is on Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego and we had a cool view of the boats in the harbor.  2 thumbs up from Nicole.  :) 

"to pumpkin seeds, music, and friendship"

From October 26th-30th, my friend Trey who I met this summer through the internship program came alll the way from Atlanta to visit me in San Diego.  We had a blast!  I was telling him about how I blogged in Madrid about different trips/outings and kinda vowed to do the same with my normal life back in San Diego because I want to remember... so here is what we did (it was his first time to SD, so I tried to pack in as much as possible):

• Taco Tuesday at Fred's in Pacific Beach the night he got in with Ali, August, Jen, and Cole.  Also saw other friends like Devin, Olivia, and some Spaniards there!  
• Wednesday, Oct 28th: went for a loooong bike ride along the Mission Beach boardwalk and Mission Bay.  The weather was actually gorgeous while he was here (it had been pretty ugly in the prior few weeks), so he got really lucky!  Then I made dinner for us (Giada's chicken picatta) and we decided to carve pumpkins and drink wine.  Trey carved the Atlanta Braves logo (which turned out to be pretty amazing) and I attempted to carve a hand giving the peace sign.  We also roasted the pumpkin seeds!  Up until then I couldn't even remember the last time I carved pumpkins and I'm pretty sure I had never tried pumpkin seeds.  They were pretty good ;) Then we went to Guava Beach, this bar really close to my house, and got their signature "Bionic Beaver" drink.   
• Thursday, Oct. 29th: We went to see Ocean Beach and stumbled upon this Mexican restaurant called Bravo that just so happened to be having $2 fish tacos, $2 draft, and $2 tequila shots specials that day (I now know that they have those specials every Tuesday/Thursday all day!).  So we got tacos and a couple tequila shots (at 1pm... no worries).  We walked down the pier and it was a beautiful day again.  Then I took him to Mount Soledad in La Jolla, which I think provides one of the best views of San Diego.  Afterward we had amazing coffee and conversation at Birdrock Coffee, and then checked out a random bead shop nearby.  The packed day continued as we went to dinner at Casa Guadalajara in Old Town with Ali, August, and our international friends Anna, Hilla, and Stephanie, and out to the Beachcomber bar in Mission Beach.  
• Friday, Oct. 30th: showed him my school, ate at Filippi's in Little Italy, walked around downtown, did a tiny bit of shopping at Urban Outfitters, went to Coronado and walked around the Hotel Del, and chilled at home watching endless YouTube videos.  I would say the trip was a success.  :)