February 6, 1976

I am born. My parents, older sister and I are living in California. My younger brother will arrive in three years. The rest of our extended family is in Rosario, Argentina.

On this day in history: 

American jazz musician Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi dies of a heart attack. Part of his great legacy is composing music for the animated version of Peanuts, including the famous "Linus and Lucy" song.(http://www.answers.com/topic/vince-guaraldi)

 

 

August 8, 1984

I declare my desire to be a gold medal gymnast and begin gymnastic lessons that continue for the next five years. As a gymnast I am fearless and fully committed to the point that I put too much power into my first recital and unintentionally flip my way off stage. No one was hurt.

On this day in history:

Los Angeles was home to the 1984 summer Olympic Games. Mary Lou Retton scores a perfect ten in her vault and floor exercises. She is the first gymnast outside of Eastern Europe to win the gymnastics all-around competition and takes home a total of five Oylmpic medals.(http://www.1984olympics.net/)

 

 

June 17 1985

My mother hands me several old copies of Architectural Digest and I am taken aback by the beautiful, modern homes depicted. Inspired by the contents of the magazines, I begin to design elaborate dollhouses out of shoeboxes and Legos. Around this time I also learn how to sew, which allows me to customize my dollhouses even further. At the time, I have no idea how important this moment will be in the furture.

On this day in history:

Three days earlier, Lebanese Shia Islamists hijacked TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome. The 153 passengers and crew members were held hostage for seventeen days. One hostage, Robert Dean Stethem, a U.S. Navy diver, was killed. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/target/etc/cron.html)

 

December 15, 1987

I decide to go against the grain and design a minimal christmas tree for the Sacred Heart School Christmas Pageant. My design is criticized by adults and mocked by my peers for being ugly and non-traditional.  I defend my design and realize for the first time some people will just never “get it.”

On this day in history:

Kim Hyun-hui, a North Korean spy arrives into custody at Gimpo airport in Seoul. She is responsible for the bombing of a South Korean flight that resulted in the death of 115 people. She will later receive a presidential pardon.(http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/05/116_40030.html)

 

 

April 12, 1988

I join PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), become an animal rights activist and vegetarian.  My parents decide I can no longer attend PETA meetings once they learn about the organization’s plan to break into UCLA laboratories and free the caged animals. I will continue to be an on again/off again vegetarian. 

On this day in history:

Republican Sonny Bono, of Sonny and Cher fame, is elected mayor of Palm Springs, CA. He continued to serve as mayor until 1992.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono)

 

March 3, 1991

I meet fellow high school classmate Jon Doyle on his 16th birthday. We have great adventures through high school and will continue to remain good friends.

On this day in history:

During the night, amateur video was recorded of three white Los Angeles police officers brutally beating African-American Rodney King with their batons. The video was released to news organizations worldwide which sparked public anger. This event was the precedence that leads to the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2119943.stm)

 

 

 

June 15 1992

I obtain a drivers license and car. This gives me the freedom to see a countless amount of live band performances and scour thrift stores for vintage knick-knacks and furniture. These two acts begin to shape my view of the world.

On this day in history:

Sixth grader William Figueroa corrects the United States Vice president Dan Quayle during en elementary school spelling bee. Quayle spells the word potato with the letter e at the end. Figueroa is a guest in The Davis Letterman Show shortly after.( http://www.capitalcentury.com/1992.html)

 

 

 

 

July 8 1995

After high school I immediately begin to intern as an art director’s assistant on B-Action movies with titles such as Asian Task Force and A Hard Death. I am able to acknowledge the cheesiness of these projects, but I begin to think I have found my calling in Hollywood.

On this day in history:

Nine days later, the Nasdaq stock exchange index closed over the 1,000 mark for the first time. It will continue to rise as a result of the dot com boom and reach an all time high on March 10, 2000 and close at 5132.52.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASDAQ_Composite)

 

 

 

 

August 20, 1997

By now I have already taken classes to  learn different software programs to create  visual effects for film. On this day, I get my first  job at View Studio, a post-production facility.

On this day in history:

Eleven days later, Princess Diana was involved in a automobile crash in Paris. The car was speeding in an attempt to outrun the paparazzi. Her funeral was televised and watched by over 2 million viewers.(http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/07/diana.verdict/)

 

 

September 18, 2000

Disillusioned with Hollywood’s negative methods used to get ahead, I decide to quit the film industry and return to my original goal of becoming a gymnast. Knowing the gold medal was beyond my reach, I do the next best thing: open a Pilates studio.

On this day in history:

Singer Maddona strikes a comeback with her new album titled Music. It becomes her first number one album since her 1998 release of Like a Prayer. English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is introduced to American audiences and featured in one of her videos. Madonna credits Pilates for her lean physique.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_(Madonna_song)

 

 

January 23, 2002

The Pilates studio is establish and doing well, but I feel creatively unfulfilled. I decide to hit the pavement and walk into my favorite Los Angeles furniture showrooms and ask if they need an intern. I obtain an internship with Décor International.

On this day in history:

Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl is kidknapped in Karachi, Pakistan.  The militant group, The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, abducted Pearl because they believed he was a CIA agent. He was murdered by his captures on February 1, 2002.(http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/02/21/pearl.obit/)

 

 

February 13, 2002

Two weeks after my internship begins, the owner is involved in a near-death bicycle accident on PCH. I am put in charge to run the company while he recovers for the next 2 ½ months. I somehow manage to fulfill existing contracts with The Standard Hotel and The Château Marmot on time and under budget. The education in furniture manufacturing, business operations and working under intense stress during this period is priceless.

On this day in history:

Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York receives recognition for his response to the September 11th attacks; the Queen of England gives him honorary knighthood.(http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/02/13/knighthoods/)

 

 

May 5, 2003

I begin to take design classes at Art Center at Night. I discover I enjoy environmental, furniture and lighting design. I have found a new calling: architect.

On this day in history:

Two days earlier, The Old Man of the Mountain rock formation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire collapses. Glaciers created the formation and centuries of climate change including freezing and thawing cycles are to blame for the collapse. The Old Man of the Mountain image is stamped into the New Hampshire state quarter with the state motto – “Live Free or Die.”(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man_of_the_Mountain)

 

 

 

October 4, 2004

I meet Thomas Kelley, my fiancé, and future husband in Malibu. My sister already knew him and had invited me to his birthday party at Moonshadows. He ignors his other guests and we talk all night until it’s time to go home. We both believe John Kerry will win the November election.

On this day in history:

In four days, Martha Stewart will begin her five-month prison sentence in West Virginia. She is found guilty of insider trading for avoiding a loss of over $45,000 by selling shares of her stock in ImClone.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_stewart)

 

 

April 16, 2007

After a three of years of laboring, redesigning and a handful of prototypes later, I finally finish the design my own version of Pilates equipment. I test it out in the studio and receive positive feedback from clients. I begin to research licensing options.

On this day in history:

Seung-Hui Cho opened fire and killed thirty-two people on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University campus. Cho was accused of stalking two female students in 2005 and the Virginia special justice declared him as mentally ill. The massacre sparked changes in gun control laws, the first in more than thirteen years, which allowed Cho to purchase his weapon without a background check.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre)

 January 4,2008

I decide if I am going to ever pursure architecture I need to make a clean break from Pilates. I close the studio and relocated to Prescott, Arizona for a semester long intensive program on green/sustainable architecture. Once I return from Arizona I continue my studies at Santa Monica College and prepare to transfer to Otis.

On this day in history

Two days earlier, the price of oil goes up to $100 a barrel for the first time. Oil prices will continue to rise until July of 2008. Many environmentalists believe the high cost of oil is necessary for American citizens to facilitate action in reducing their dependence on crude oil.(http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1699595,00.html)

 

 

 

 

 

January 10, 2009

I am accepted and will begin Otis’ Architecture / Landscape / Interiors program in two days. I am excited about starting school but will not feel settled in my new path until Barack Obama is sworn in as President of the United States. I had been anticipating inauguration day with anxiety and hope.

On this day in history:

Ten days later, Barack Obama is inaugurated as the forty-fourth President of the United States of America. The inauguration ceremony is said to have had the largest amount of spectators than any other event held in Washington D.C..(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama_inauguration)