Happy Halloween

I hope your day is full of fall delights and pumpkin pretties.

55 Days 'til Christmas

Ok, so I know it's not even Halloween yet, but I have been looking forward to Christmas since, well, uh July. This summer, Jeremiah would come home from a day at the beach to find me making Christmas cards and creating diagrams about where we're going to put our tree this year.

It's a ridiculous obsession, I know. But what's not to absolutely adore about Christmas-time?

One of the things I love about Christmas time is the anticipation, which has led me to be obsessed with advent calendars.

One day I hope to make one as beautiful as these. With a wreath to match.

Musical Bliss

I can't wait to get my little Holga in the new few weeks so I can take pretty pictures like this:

I've been drooling over these little snapshots for the past week!

Hump Day. Good Day.

Our Wednesday evening has been filled with a handful of lovely little treats.

We had loaded baked potatoes for the first time in a long time.
I decorated this frame to hang up in a few weeks for Christmas. (Thanks for the frame, Dawn!)
We drank warm apple cider out of fresh apples.

And we watched the Phillies beat the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series. Okay, so the game's not over yet, but... Chase Utley's two homers will be enough. *crosses fingers*

A Reason To Survive - Part 2

A couple weeks ago I registered for this service project as part of Global Volunteer Week.

Today, Qualcomm loaded up a bus with about 30 eager employees and headed down to the ARTS facility, which happens to be in one of my favorite little cities ever.

What is ARTS?
A Reason To Survive (ARTS) is built on the foundation that the arts heal, inspire and empower. It is through the arts that we help children facing life challenges.

ARTS believes that the creative process of the arts is therapeutic, but we're not art therapists. We provide a safe, nurturing and fun environment where kids work with positive adult mentors in visual, performing and literary art mediums.

Artists, musicians, poets and more, teach kids techniques and concepts so they can explore their creativity, express themselves and create something of themselves.

As part of our work at ARTS, we helped paint shirts for the volunteers that work with the kids every week. In the past, they've just printed t-shirts for them, but this year they wanted to do something a little more unique/creative, something a little more in line with the ARTS mentality. We also organized art supply kits so that volunteers can bring ARTS to children who are in the hospital and unable to make it down to Point Loma.

After browsing the ARTS website and working with the ARTS staff today, my heart is so excited about what they're doing. I'm eager to partner with them and continue to help out. Since the classes are all on weekdays, I won't be able to be a part of the daily workings right now, but I plan to help with some occasional weekend classes.

Art is such a powerful way for the heart to heal. And I'm so glad I was able to be a part of something so beautiful.

My 100th Post

In honor of my 100th post, 100 things I absolutely adore:

1. my husband
2. when the sky turns orange and midnight blue at the same time
3. anything pumpkin flavored (bread, cupcakes, muffins, lattes...)
4. making cards
5. polaroids
6. finding the perfect gift for someone
7. good memories at Flood
8. Taco Bell crunchwrap
9. Jack Bauer twenty-four and Lost
   
10. trashy tv shows with horrible acting and bad plots
11. the way my lower eye lashes look after I've been crying
12. the softball field
13. when the QB gets sacked
14. the entire month of december up until the day after Christmas
15. ice skating & roller blading
16. mimosas
17. marriage
    
18. waking up to sun peeking through the window
19. cooking & baking
20. cracking peoples' toes
21. chipotle mayonnaise
22. reading by the pool
23. decorating the house
24. lazy afternoons
25. shopping
    
26. spending time with my family
27. lunch dates by the beach
28. The Little Drummer Boy song
29. fresh flowers
30. the smell of candles
31. candy from Sweet Factory
32. laughing until you pee your pants
33. quoting the five movies I've seen
34. weekends
35. getting things in the mail
36. pay day
37. dreaming about having our own family and house someday
38. feeling appreciated
39. traveling
40. competition
41. journaling
42. reminiscing
43. pretty accessories (headbands, belts, jewelry, scarves...)
44. learning & growing
45. blog-stalking
46. afternoon naps
47. 10am and 3pm
48. thoughtfulness
49. my sister's sense of humor
50. driving with the music blasting and the windows down
51. sharpees and post-its
52. my morning tea
53. gram's cards
54. the way mom decorates the house for every holiday
55. volunteer work
56. ppa's
57. the smell of a baby's head
58. a freshly chalked field
59. dance
60. how well Jeremiah knows me
61. my morning devos
62. lecture notes
63. massages, pedicures, facials, etc.
    
64. playing at the arcade
65. apple jelly bellies
66. waking up early just because I want to and not because I have to
67. Resees peanut butter cup milkshakes at Hume Lake
68. board games
69. clean cars and fresh laundry
    
70. teen jeopardy (i guess i'm not mature enough to know any of the adult jeopardy answers)
71. good conversations with friends
72. softball
73. organization
74. Law & Order
75. non-touch screen cell phones
76. freckles
77. firefox add-ons
78. the fact that it doesn't snow in San Diego
79. eating little kid lunch foods like taquitos, cut up corn dog and gold fish crackers
80. Lourdes' california burrito with beans
81. my wedding ring
82. this quote: "Technology is lust removed from nature."
83. Holga & Diana
84. color
85. beautiful music
86. traditions
87. a zero-balance on the credit card
88. warm showers and baths
89. chocolate covered strawberries and caramel apples
90. our wedding day
91. getting butterflies in my stomach
92. cheese
93. anthropologie, nordstrom, michaels
94. vintage pyrex
95. downtown
96. being inspired
97. unexpected friends
98. that i adore more than 100 things and had to cut this list down big time
    
99. Jesus
    
100. that I'm a college grad with a steady job, a loving husband, and wonderful friends and family.
     

Immeasurably More

Disclaimer: I know, I'm sick and twisted.

But one thing I enjoy about being married is having those days when you both just really irritate and frustrate each other. I love those days (well, probably because they don't happen all the time) because with anybody else, that frustration tends to lead to huffing and puffing, day[s] without speaking and sometimes bitterness.

But with him, it often leads to laughter and quite ultimately, love.

We're not always nice to each other. We don't always respect each other or love each other the way we should or the way we want to.

But the grace we're learning to show each other is almost ten times as precious.

And by that I mean, the grace he shows me and the grace I want to show him.

Gram: Keeping Hallmark in Business

My Gram.

She's thoughtful.

Even when she's sick, busy, or even in the hospital, she never fails to send one of her famous holiday cards.

President's Day. Valentine's Day. St. Patrick's Day. Memorial Day. Labor Day. Halloween.

For all those random holidays that most people don't think twice about, my gram (for as long as I can remember) has sent a card to my sister and I with a $20 bill inside.

So when Jeremiah brought in the mail yesterday with a card from Gram and Papa on top, I knew exactly what it was. She never fails to deliver, but somehow always seems to surprise.

Thanks, Gram.

I love you.

Monday Eye Candy

Found these gorgeous rooms the other day when I was browsing Apartment Therapy. The first one is a little NYC apartment with the front side of the apartment rolling up like a garage door. It's awesome!! The second one is just a pretty baby's room. I love the yellow and the painted ceiling. So creative and pretty!

Friends & Family

The past few days have been pretty busy and full of friends & family...

Thursday night most of these crazies came over to hang out (We missed you, Landon & Kristin). It's so fun to me that Jeremiah has had the same group of friends since Junior High/High School. This group has so many memories together, so many laughs and is always there for each other. I appreciate how they've welcomed me in with open arms. They're a really special group.
Friday, we enjoyed dinner and drinks with the McLeods and Jeremiah's cousin Teresa (plus her new fiance). So fun!
Saturday, we went out to celebrate Bourque before he leaves for Afghanistan.

Sunday, we headed down to Gary and Teresa's adorable little home (send picture below) in Point Loma for a fresh lobster lunch, Mimosas and the Chargers game. Then we went to church with our friends Chris and Alyse.


I'm so glad that [most of] our family and friends live close so we can spend so much time together. Now I just need a bit of sleep!

The Creative Learner

I've been thinking about babies a LOT lately.

It's funny how I never wanted to have anything to do with babies until I got married. Yeah, sure the whole process is a little miracle -blah blah blah- but they never really captured my heart. They're boring. They just eat, sleep and cry....
That's changed. Drastically.

Babies make my heart all warm and fuzzy now. So much so that I think about them quite often and relish in that warmth and fuzziness. (Clearly, I'm not a tired parent yet!) It's funny to see, though, how God is preparing my heart to be a mother (a long, long time from now, God willing). I feel like I'm getting more and more maternal every day. Okay fine, at least every month.

I'm excited to create a little being with Jeremiah. I know we're not the ones doing all the creating, but it's just so special to me that God allows us to not only glimpse His creativity, but also to become a part of the creation process.

As a creative being, I love to create. Cards. Crafts. Dinners. Decorations. Stories. I love love love creating. And I feel like becoming a mother is the ultimate in creating. How special.

Being married to someone makes you, well, related to them... but it's a silly kind of related. A lawful kind of related. I often wish Jeremiah and I could prick our fingers, rub our blood together blood-brothers style and become blood-related too. (Don't worry, we won't do that.) Because there's just something even more sacred about being physically related to someone. And to think that a child is the only little thing on the earth that is physically related to both of you knocks my socks off. It's just rad.

And at the same time, I think it's absolutely horrifying to think that the nurses just let you walk off with that precious little soul. Take it home. Then what? Then panic, I suppose. There's no test. No approval process. No required classes. New parents likely have NO clue on earth what they're doing. But you learn. After messing up a hundred times I imagine.

10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

1. I often put my ear plugs in without turning any music on.
2. I'm ridiculously picky about how I like my water (e.g. room temp in a plastic bottle, iced in a glass cup, etc.)
3. I have ADHD on Fridays.
4. I have paper plates hanging in my office like artwork.
5. I'm not familiar with hardly any actors, directors or movies.
6. I love 10am and 3pm.
7. I have sweaty hands and feet. (i know, gross!)
8. I always secretly wished I was a cheerleader in high school.
9. My internal clock is never a minute late.
10. I'd cover the entire world with Post-its if I could. I think I've already started with my office.
    

Pennies Shine Brighter on Fridays

Sometimes it's easier, on a Friday, to look back and spot a bunch of pennies from the week:

Seeing Jeremiah's face when I surprised him with a warm apple crisp (ice cream, caramel and all)

Coming home to an unexpectedly vacuumed house with a clean bathroom and clean dishes.

Getting this email from Jeremiah today: Put together a surprise for ya! :-) What could it be?

Feeling appreciated at work.

Researching the little treasure I'm going to snag up when I get my bonus next month.

When my boss said "Go home early today."

Spending time with friends.

SYTYCD Top 20 -- I'm loving the girls this season.

Quiznos Turkey Cabo sandwich.

Talking to my Papa.

Successful new recipes.

Some fabulous cuddle time with the hubs.

75 degree sunshine during the week.

Text Messages that make me giggle.

Books. Learning. Memories.

I have plenty of books sitting on my shelf in my office. To be honest, I only use them occasionally, but when I do... it makes me smile.

Today I cracked open my Object-Oriented Software Engineering book to look something up. Sure, I probably could have Googled it just as fast, but I knew it was in my book. And opening up my book brought back a flood of memories. The highlighting, the underlining, and notes in the margins. The post-its. The diagrams. I know I'm sick, but ah! Even the smell of the book took me back to a couple places: Rohr Science. The practically isolated little beach I used to read my book on. My bedroom that I shared with Alana. Ah... memories.

I am obsessed with memories. Creating them. Remembering them. Scrapbooking them. Reliving them. I have such a sharp memory. I can't even imagine what it's like for people with Dementia or Amnesia. Or Alzheimer's. My memory is something I cherish and hold so closely to my heart.

Now back to the book.

I love it. I love books. I love studying. I love learning. Gosh it's ridiculous how much it made my day to simply pull an old book of the shelf. One day, when I have one whole room all to myself, i hope to fill it with a cozy chair, a beautifully jam-packed bookshelf and a side-table covered in fresh flowers, candles and well... the book of the day. Cheers to books. To learning. And to memories.

What a Wednesday

My evening consisted of:
Real Simple - October Issue. A cup of Strawberry Tea.
And a Homemade Pumpkin Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Tonight, Jeremiah and I enjoyed a delicious (and simple!) new recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers. Thought I'd share the recipe.



Ingredients:
2 Bell Peppers
3/4 lb Lean Ground Beef
1/2 Pkg of Chicken Stuffing Mix
1 Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
(I added about 1/3 Cup of Chopped Yellow Onion)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut off top of peppers and clean out centers. Fill a saucepan 1/2 full of water and bring to a boil. Place pepper in boiling water. Return to boiling, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes.

In a skillet brown 3/4 pounds of ground beef and drain.

In a saucepan prepare stuffing mix as directed on package. Combine prepared stuffing with ground beef; add 3/4 cup cheddar cheese and mix.

Remove peppers from water and drain. Place in a deep baking dish so that peppers stand on end.

Fill peppers with ground beef, stuffing and cheese mixture. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.

October 21

As a little girl, I always wanted my birthday to be on October 21. It was either that, or August 21. I'm not sure why the fascination with "21" or why I wanted my birthday to be in late summer/early Fall (perhaps because I just adore this time of year), but that's what I wanted.

Whenever my sister and I would play school, or doctor, or house, I always changed my birthday to one of my preferred birth dates. Weird. I know.

So when I glanced at my calendar this morning and noticed it was October 21, I cracked an embarrassing little smile. In honor of my "birthday," I think I'll make some pumpkin cupcakes tonight.

Goodness, I'm strange.

Junk Food Ramblings, emphasis on Ramblings

So those Scrabble Cheez-its I’m obsessed with… I just pour some into my little Tupperware every morning and cart them off to work.

Well, when10 o’clock rolls around and I pull them out of my purse, the first thing I do is see if I can make any cool words out of the letters (before I devour them of course).

Today I tried spelling M-C-L-E-O-D, but I’m thoroughly convinced there’s no “D” in the whole entire box. I got mad. Like, pretty irritated. Over alphabet crackers? Calm down, Jessi. That’s embarrassing.

And then I started getting all philosophical. (doi!) Each day, we’re given a set of resources and we need to figure out how to use those resources (time, money, etc.) wisely and creatively to either multiply them or to work with what we’ve got. Just because I don’t have enough letters, doesn’t mean I can’t spell anything…I just need to think outside of the box. Get a little perspective.

Yes, I just basically wrote an ode to Cheez-its. And because I compare most everything in life to food:

Gushers taste better when the goo inside is oozing out. When they’re messy. When they no longer have this rigid distinction between inside and outside. Sure, the juice gets on your fingers, (and well, ultimately my keyboard). Sure, it’s messy. But it’s better.

Like nachos (wow, junk-food-a-holic, got any non-food comparisons?) . They’re messy. And better. Better than those straight&narrow foods (carrots, celery). Better than the clean foods that don’t get all over your fingers. They’re messy. And better.

Sometimes messy feels better to me.

Because messy is real.

Sorry, OCD self. You don’t win every time.

$50

What I’d buy with an extra $50 of fun money this week

and no obligation to share or spend wisely:

“Rules for my Unborn Son” by Walker Lamond ($15)

Another free facial from my sister, but with a little tip this time ($5)

Apple tea latte from Coffee Bean and a blueberry bagel from Panera ($7)

Fresh flowers and a new candle ($10)

OPI's Louvre Me- Louvre Me Not Nail Polish ($8)

5 New songs from iTunes ($5)

Inspiration from Real Simple magazine.