Personally, Autumn is my favorite season for photography. The leafs are colorful, the smiles are bright, and the pumpkin aroma fills the air (okay--maybe you can't smell pumpkin, but you can dream). This is to remind/inspire you all to grab a camera and get out there this coming fall!

(Photo by The Maxwell Hotel)

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of staying at the Maxwell hotel in Seattle, Washington. The hotel is known for its non-smoking, dog-friendly amenities. It is claimed to be in the top 10 "trendiest" U.S. hotels. The staff at the front desk are incredibly friendly, and hold a high respect and helpful attitude towards their guests.

A great place for conventions to be held, families to enjoy the kid-friendly pool with glass tile artwork, or lovers to get away and enjoy a lavish suite, the Maxwell is a warming, inviting hotel. I was very impressed by the chic, modern decor (not to mention the huge pineapple on lobby's floor). When you leave for the day/night to explore the city, they often set out small vanilla cupcakes topped off with small pieces of dried pineapple. While I didn't quite understand the pineapple theme, the "Maxwell officials" listed that pineapples back-in-the-day were a sign of extreme graciousness, and a very rare fruit!

The hotel rooms are bold, stylish, and comfy. Complete with a high speed wireless access and a big screen TV in any average room, your party is bound to be in tech Heaven. The only negative I found--the hotel is not easy-on-the-eyes. It is full of lime green, bright yellow, and deep red colors with modern artwork of jazz bands and random splashes of color.

The pros beat out the cons--I will definitely consider staying here again, whether it is overnight or a week-long vacation. To learn more about what the Maxwell has to offer you and your family, click here.

Take the virtual tour:

While Stars On Ice is celebrating its 25th anniversary this 2011 tour, I am celebrating my 9 or 10th time with the tour. Stars on Ice has been a constant home for me, throughout my childhood and teenage years. I knew no matter what happened within that year, I would always have a place to escape within a unique experience, that I would remember forever.

I remember...  My first show with my mother. My grandmother introduced me to the show by age 6. I enjoyed watching the recorded VHS tapes she would give me each time I visited. My mother later bought us tickets, and we watched the greatest--Katia Gordeeva, Ilia Kulik, Kurt Browning, and Scott Hamilton. From that day forward, I fell in love with the sport.

Stars on Ice's 25th anniversary tour showcased the greatest skaters and some of the greatest music artists. The disappointing part of the show was the lack of personal relation and involvement, encouraging the crowd to sit there in silence. As they have always lacked this feature since the late 90s, I think it was more apparent this year.

The high points of this tour include the appeal to all ages, family fun, and an emotional, thought-provoking experience that will change your life.

Thank you, Scott Hamilton, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Kurt Browning, Evan Lysacek, Tanith Belbin, Ben Agosto, Sasha Cohen, Michael Weiss, Joannie Rochette, Todd Eldredge, Jamie Sale, and David Pelletier for producing a wonderful celebration of this timeless, world-class figure skating tour.

Oh, the popular phrase: "You can't have your cake and eat it too." It never made sense to me. I would hear characters recite this line in movies and T.V. shows growing up, but never understood how it applied to real life. If you had your cake, you ate it, right?

Wrong. The proverb has nothing to do with literally consuming a slice of cake, a whole cake, or even a thousand mini cakes! I have discovered this within numerous figures that took part in my life. Who, you might ask? Condescending adults, religious individuals and romantic partners, just to name a few.

When you were a child, did you ever find it laughable that adults would expect you to get good grades, know a lot about the rights and wrongs of sexuality, drugs, alcohol, etc, but also degrade and insult you as if you didn't know anything because of how "young" you were? Now that's an example of the infamous proverb! You cannot hold intelligent discussion with a teen or try to defend your opinion on a topic, expecting them to know about everything you're talking about, yet at the same time, hold the standard that teenagers know absolutely nothing or are all the same, naive individuals.

Have you ever held a humorously ignorant conversation with someone of religious faith? Perhaps specifically Christians, such as in my case(s) of this incident. I have spoken to many anti-LGBTQ Christians, and I find that I hear the same famous phrase each time: "We totally accept gays, we just don't approve of them." How can you accept homosexuality and call the individuals "normal", while you don't approve of their sexuality, because it is "abnormal"? Sketchy.

Now, in terms of romantic partners, I would not claim the incidents to be provoked through ignorance, rather than mere foolishness. In this case, you usually don't know you are living out the mentioned proverb, but subconsciously applying it! I have been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and wore it out. I find this occurrence between romantic couples in situations such as the topic of friends. People want their boyfriends and girlfriends to have close friends of the opposite sex, (or same sex, depending upon sexual preference) but get upset if they are spending time with those friends because they are "cheating" or being "disloyal", etc.

Another popular occurrence involves every day people that claim they "just want honesty!" Perhaps they do, as every average human being, but they push what becomes their contradiction a bit too far. I find that many people are hurt after they plead for the truth, and that is a shame. Truth hurts.

I challenge you to think about the proverb, "You can't have your cake and eat it too.", and finalize your belief/definition, if you haven't already!

If you are of the middle-class fortune, do you always shop at retail stores such as Target, Forever 21, Macy's, and other chain corporations to buy your clothing? I typically do, but have began branching out.

I decided to see if I could visit a thrifty, used item store and discover some good fashion steals. And, I did; I bought designer brands (such as Romy, Worthington for JC Penney, and Le Chateau) for a fraction of the cost! Now, I don't mean to sound like a cheapskate, but you can literally purchase $60 tops with no wear and tear for $3-9 dollars. That is a big-time money saver.

I have been on a massive hunt for barely used, decent fashions throughout the day, and came up with at least nine shirts, fancy high-heels, and four pieces of jewelry.

I cannot explain the feeling knowing you just spent under $60 for several great pieces of clothing, instead of two or three. I suggest checking out your local thrift stores, or even your local R.O.S.S. if you would like a good bargain. Keep your standards with Macy's, Penney's, etc still standing, but let your hair down once in a while and be a money saver!

(Image from Google search)

Media has popularized pornographic content and what their view of "sexy", or "appropriate" women have been for decades, whether they choose the television, Internet, magazines, or even fashion to advertise it within, it is an obvious, false moral code, and unfortunately, used by many.

At first, the media portrayed the foolish, housewife role of Lucielle "Lucy" Ball in the hit sitcom I Love Lucy, which was a turning point for its generation, morphing into teenage shows such as Degrassi, and The Secret Life of the American Teenager within the modern generation, creating the image of young girls unable to say "no" to sex, drugs, and the like. So, when does the portrayal of the "right" woman go too far?

While I am a huge supporter of soap operas such as Private Practice... what a junk show it is for the portrayal of the "appropriate woman"! The character of Charlotte King (the chief of staff at "St. Ambrose Hospital", which collaborates with the private practice: "Oceanside Wellness Center" throughout the show) was appalling to watch within the first to the second season. King is the "appealing icon" and the "sex symbol" for the show, and sadly had to be brutally attacked and raped before any of the fellow characters (besides boyfriend Cooper) felt deep sympathy, due to her seemingly cold and "bitchy" mannerisms, not to mention the use of sex as a feel-good power over men. Talk about Addison Montgomery (main character, a neonatal surgeon), a woman who is admired in the workplace and in her private life, as well portrayed as "the perfect woman", yet she slept around and brought infidelity into her previous marriage. While nobody is perfect, these women's characters are far from it!

I love hospital soap operas for their jaw-dropping suspense, but I draw the line when a T.V. show has to have some sort of degrading, unfair sex appeal as a marketing technique (as most do). Can we not return to the I Love Lucy days? Lucielle and husband Desi Arnaz were able to gain a fortune, never once creating Lucy into a pin-up, promiscuous, distasteful icon. BUT, I have a bone to pick with the creators of that show as well. Did you ever notice nearly all of the humor expressed in I Love Lucy was centered around Lucy's mishaps and stumbles, or were you too busy laughing? Whether she gets herself in a "sticky" situation at a chocolate processing factory, or seemingly cannot understand how to recite a small, simple-sentenced script for a vitamin drink, with husband "Ricky" (Desi Arnaz) persuading her not to show up to his band's gigs in fear of her embarrassing herself or him, her character was always somehow pushed down. The show did not portray women as promiscuous, but more so unintelligent or just. Flat. Out. STUPID!

I was watching the PBS documentary Life's Greatest Miracle, which uses popular scientific belief to back up the fact that heterosexual males find breasts, bottoms, and everything in between extremely "sexy" and "hot"--it all centers around the desire to procreate. While most would assume this as obvious, I think it is fascinating! Boys: are you aware that staring at our boobs is because you want to make babies with us? Whining, crying, puking babies. Isn't so sexy anymore, is it?

Babies aren't the only conflict that this evidence proves, low self esteem in the hearts of many young females is also shaken. Every day, young girls around the world experience eating disorders, low self confidence, and coat their natural faces full of unhealthy, drugstore products, just to impress the male population. They need to know that this is not O.K.! They deserve to feel beautiful in their own shape, size, and form, whether they are LGBTQ, straight, overweight, slender, African-American, Hispanic, or Caucasian. Nothing should subtract from their sexiness.

Along with self image conflicts, I want to add a small concept to this blog post which you may want to keep your eyes scanning for within the next few days. During a Sociology course I took part in, fellow classmates and I dissected images within fashion, the media, and pop culture, in order to determine the degraded, and often literally, "looked down upon" icons that females play within photography--whether it be photoshoots for local chain corporations such as Target, Gucci, among other famous fashion brands, or even personal wedding and couple's portraits. The male figure is often dominant within photographs taken by professionals (looking down upon the woman, striking a confident, higher pose than the woman, or the woman doing such poses as the infamous "bashful kneebend", and portrayed as merely defenseless or weak), either trying to market to certain audiences, or attract certain individuals. The gender-identity documentary I took this knowledge from was Erving Goffman's own The Codes of Gender.

I challenge you all to take something from this snippet I could provide, which I had contemplated for many months after a personal debate I experienced within this broad topic. I suggest you write a journal entry or create something to jot down your thoughts in response to this topic. These are important ideas to contemplate and be well informed upon in order to raise beautiful daughters, and nurture the young women who are already in your life: learning from you, admiring you, and looking to you for guidance. And no, it does not mean a young girl was raised "incorrectly" or "too freely" if she knows right from wrong within her sexuality, self image, and confidence!

Typically, I'm not one to give in to "the beauty 411" that the self-centered girls at my school rave about, but a beautiful friend of mine introduced me to a wonderful product that I hope to be using for many weeks to come: Sally Hansen Salon Effects. They are nail strips (real nail polish, might I add) that you apply with a nail filer, and last from 10-12 days!

With the easy 1-2-3 application, it's hard to mess up, and worth the price! They currently sell at drugstores such as Walgreens for approx. $8-10--way cheaper than any professional manicure you could spend hours (and a fortune) on. And get this... NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS! I was stunned and delighted.

I purchased the zebra print, but they come in a variety of colors, shimmers, sparkles, and designs. I love how neat my fingers look on the keyboard typing this blog post!

It was truly love at first sight.

Celebrating Valentine's Day has always been something very cliche in my opinion, and never really struck me as something I would enjoy or relish in.

Until I found Mark. Mark is my partner of nearly a year, and this is my first meaningful Valentine's Day with someone I know truly cares about me.

I decided to celebrate with Mark the day before Valentine's, on Sunday, and opened the door to a box of chocolates and roses. While I am a girl that adores being spoiled, I really dislike chocolate!

I always ask myself: "What's the matter with you? All your friends like chocolate...", and try my hardest to choke some down, but it never seems to be enjoyable. Too chewy, too rich, and makes you gain weight fast. I just don't see the point.

I gotta say: it is truly annoying hearing about all these girlfriends dragging their boys to movies on Valentine's Day, acting like it's a mushy-gushy holiday. You know what my boyfriend and I did? Pigged out on pizza in bed. Now that's a man's holiday!

This year I came up with the idea of buying little childhood Valentines and writing small messages to my closest of friends. Of course, I didn't buy the Barbie or Justin Bieber Valentines. They were girly cartoon animals--just enough to get by and get the "cutesy" point across.

Not only Mark gave me a Valentine this year, I had friends and my parents who gave me cards, candies, and even some flameless candle sets for my "meditation corner". I guess what they say is true: give, and you will receive!

Even though I'm not a very Valentine's-Day-girl, and understand a lot of people struggle with the romantic tension of the occasion, I thank the people who showed their love and gave me little gifts. I hope your Valentine's Day was just as warm, and you found something (or someone) to be loving towards.

So, I received my first college recruitment letter. Sure, over the last few months, I have been getting tons of emails with over 50 colleges and universities sending me advertisements, but nothing special. This time, it came to my mailbox, and it was from UW: University of Washington, the prestigious university of the state of Washington. I suppose this invitation came to be with the help of my PSAT scores.

During the beginning process of applying for scholarships and acceptance, there are several websites that I have found handy and helpful within the state of Washington

I love TheWashBoard.org. The WashBoard is a seemingly nonprofit organization that creates a space for Washington state high school and transferring college students who wish to receive scholarships--they can submit a personal statement, add personal blurbs, financial statements and letters of recommendation, and be quickly and efficiently matched with the scholarships available.

I have also used WOIS often. WOIS is the Washington career information system which provides individuals the opportunity to take selective quizzes and applications in order to give them ideas of where to go and what to do in their post-high school experience.

I have a few colleges in mind, and have my heart set on one, but I may apply to UW for the fun of it just to see if I get accepted (depending upon the cost). The best counselors have had my back, and the most wonderful parents have supported me. Thank you to all who have helped me reach my dreams, and given me the great educational opportunities I have had.

Today we celebrate the passing (and birth) of one of our world's most talented and recognized athletes, figure skater Sergei Grinkov.

Sergei won 2 Olympic Gold medals and 4 world championships. He was partnered with his young wife Ekaterina Gordeeva, and fathered her daughter, Daria Grinkova-Gordeeva (see: article). He was prided on his honesty, kindness, and "prince charming" appeal. He was a stoic, and did not appreciate or put others in pain.

Sergei would have been 44 today. Happy Birthday, Sergei Grinkov!

I was born in Fresno, California on May 24th, 1994. I was adopted by two wonderful parents at the age of 6 weeks old. I currently reside in Washington State with my parents Dave and Peggy and our fuzzy, nine year old black Labrador retriever, Tess.

Ever since I was five years old, I’ve loved figure skating. The grace, the thrill. In March of 2007, I discovered my idols Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Olympic and World champs. The duo opened my eyes and exposed me to a much brighter life than I was in.

I am a junior in high school. I am part of a 4-days-a-week, 3-hours-a-day exclusive high school focusing around the creative arts and social equality. I am most interested in history, psychology, sociology, and creative writing.

I am passionate about food. Pastas, noodles, breads, burritos, sandwiches, sweets, sushi, I love it all. In November of 2008, I was diagnosed as being allergic to the protein in cow’s milk, therefore most of the recipes in the "Cooking" category are vegan, or cow’s milk free. I am a pescetarian – so they’re free of meat as well!

I have experienced my good share of health complications over the course of my life. In 2001, I was diagnosed with a hereditary case of asthma, medium stage. In 2005, I was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder called SAD/GAD. As of 2010, I currently work on coping with a learning disability, whether it be A.D.D., I do not know. I am also working in orthotics due to a poor foot structure. I am in treatment for a minor skin disorder I've had since 2007 with several diagnoses, but no cure. On top of this, I have dealt with breast cysts and been allergic to pretty much everything and anything you can think of! I am no cancer survivor, but I am living proof that your illness does not define you, and that you can be someone aside from your ailment if you put your mind to it and believe fully in yourself and the journey to reach perseverance.

I am a photography junkie--I snap photographs wherever I go. Nature, animals, portraits, rooms, travel. I have a keen eye, and I love lots of colors. In order to be friends with me, you have to love the camera! This keeps me active and busy a lot of the time. I currently use a Nikon D3000 model.

I consider myself a liberal, moderately political, spiritual person with the mind of an aggressive right-winger. Yoga, meditation, and confidence is pretty much my religion. I have no respect for those who focus their blogs around religion and would never bore people with mine.

I am an ESFJ within the Jung-Myer Briggs personality test, and a CS thinker within the Gregorc thinking style delineator. I am a overly-organized, point-by-point thinker, with a sentimental, soft side that is always there to care for the ones around me.

I am not-so-picky about my taste in music; I’ll go for anything as long as it is not heavy metal, opera or from some peculiar foreign country (marimba being the only exception). My favorite genres are pop, rock (especially the classics such as Queen or Bon Jovi), country, R&B, dance/techno, and classical. I adore The Beatles and Michael Jackson. Vienna Teng and Leona Lewis are a couple of soft favorites.

I am learning more and more every day how to say: "I was wrong." I am quick with words, witty and an extremely fast-thinker. I am stubborn, defensive, and very outspoken. In all my craziness: I am also very sentimental, sweet, generous, helpful, selfless, and often said to be quite “old-souled”. I’m not perfect, as there is no such thing. I will never find it snobby, nor arrogant to know who you are, the weight of your accomplishments, and what you want in life at a young age, as long as your heart stays humble!

While I do not have my regular blog posting today, I have something important to share with you all.

Republicans in the legislature would like to alter the national laws so that the word "rape" is only applied to incidents in which there are physically broken bones and tears--never a lack of consent or "date-rape" drugs. This is a very serious alteration that would "set women's rights back decades." Please sign this petition if you are against this possible change!