Our First Christmas

Here's the recap:

We read the Christmas story out of Luke 1 & 2.

We built and decorated gingerbread houses. I must admin, Jeremiah took the reigns on this one and led the way as the official Frosting King. He's pretty proud of his work.


We exchanged gifts and stockings by the fireplace. I gave Jeremiah a BBQ with a set of grill tools, a CSUN ASL sweatshirt he wanted, a camera tripod, new earphones and a few colognes. He gave me a "relaxation basket" complete with a gift card for a 60 minute full body massage, a yummy candle, my favorite home decor magazine, a movie, and a handful of crafting supplies to tickle my fancy. I'd say we made out pretty well.


We enjoyed a candlelit dinner for two accompanied by lovely Christmas music. On the menu: cheesy baked chicken, candied yams, asparagus, biscuits and cider.

We filled those beautiful red cups with holiday cheer and went looking at Christmas lights. There's a beautiful display just around the corner from us. The whole neighborhood gets involved and adds life-size Christmas cards on their front lawn. Each house has a different theme: Spiderman, Aladdin, Ren and Stimpy, etc. Everyone sits out on their driveways with fires going. There are hot chocolate stands, popcorn stands, movies playing, people singing and this little Elf-yourself station. We even saw a cute old couple dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus.

And we ended the night, snuggled up with the last few episodes of LOST Season 5. I'm all caught up for the final season in February now.

What a very Merry Christmas indeed. I can't wait for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.... mmmm I love it!

Blades of Glory: Photos

Here are a few pictures my aunt just sent me
from our ice skating trip last weekend.

Here's Jeremiah and Kyle... skates on and ready to goAnd Scott and I

All four of us together, skating along
And Jeremiah and I, once the boys had had enough

Can't wait to do it again next year!

One of my favorites

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

To Grandmother's House We Go...

When I went away to college (well as "away" as San Diego can be..) I sometimes caught glimpses of Mikovits magic happening at home, just out of my reach. Jeremiah used to have dinner with my family or spend the night there instead of driving all the way back to Fallbrook. They'd call me while they sat around the dinner table enjoying each others company. The laughter. The joy. I felt homesick.

Since we got married, I haven't felt that feeling too often... except for this Christmas. This year, Christmas is happening without me. Without us.

Since we'll be spending Christmas Eve with the Mikovits clan and Christmas Day with the McLeods, we'll be missing my family's traditional trip up to Thousand Oaks for Christmas with the grandparents. I couldn't bear to miss out so Jeremiah and I made a separate trip up to T.O. this weekend, a trip to visit my grandparents and my cousins. A trip to exhange Christmas gifts and to create more beautiful memories.

Saturday evening, we arrived at Gram and Papa's just in time for dinner. They know how much I love goulash, so my sweet Papa had it ready and waiting for me. Delish! Jeremiah regained his dignity when he beat my 6 year-old cousins at pool (they beat him a couple weeks back). We also exchanged gifts with my aunt, uncle and the boys. My aunt had given my mom this beautiful decorative plate for her birthday and I covetted it with all my heart. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a matching one inside my Christmas gift. Mmm. Gram went to bed early since she had a long day and Jeremiah and I stayed up with Papa to watch the Cowboys beat the Saints. We also watched some good ol' high school football. I swear, my Papa knows everything there is to know about any sporting event that has ever taken place. He has the commentators beat, hands down.

Sunday morning, Jeremiah and I went out to grab God's-gift-to-the-bagel-community for breakfast. I've been completely obsessed with Western Bagel's pizza bagels for as long as I can remember. It's rare we make a trip up to T.O. and don't pick up a bagel. (Ok, two... I just had to have one for breakfast Monday morning). We enjoyed breakfast with Gram and Papa and then had our Christmas morning. I've spent Christmas mornings at my Gram and Papa's for as long as I can remember so even though this one took place a little early, it was still very special to me. Gram always goes overboard on the gifts and stocking stuffing. I was most excited about one particular gift she gave me: her electric fabric scissors and a tote full of her favorite threads. I can't wait to start a sewing class in the spring so I can show her my first little treasure.

We took my cousins ice skating that morning, just like my sister and I have done for the past few years. There's a beautiful ice skating rink at The Lakes on T.O. Blvd that we just love. The ice is smooth, the skates don't hurt too bad, and the rink is located in a beautiful little pond with cute shoppes and restaurants surrounding. The boys held on to the wall for dear life when they first got on the ice, but after a couple rounds, Scott was hands free and Kyle was racing around the ice with Jeremiah. My favorite quote of the morning:

Jeremiah: Kyle, do you want to skate on your own like Scott's doing?
Kyle: Jeremiah, just because my brother can do that, doesn't mean that I can do that, too. If you just let go of my hand, I will hold tighter. :)

After skating, we went over to my dad's parents' house for a special Christmas lunch. It was so fun to have the place to ourselves, just Grandpa, Grandma, Jeremiah and myself. We enjoyed cider, meatball sandwiches and a tray full of delicious goodies for dessert. We exchanged gifts by the fire and my grandma played a few songs for us on the piano. What I wouldn't give for a cd of her playing those Christmas songs: Mary Did You Know, Little Drummer Boy, White Christmas... I closed my eyes and unsurprisingly got a little weapy as I listened to the music. It was beautiful. And so much fun to get to share in conversation with my grandparents. I've really come to cherish those moments as I've gotten older.

Before we left town, we made a quick pitstop at Starbucks to meet Candace and give her a little something special. It's so fun to think that I met Candace when I was in third grade. We moved to San Diego only three years later, yet we've stayed connected all these years. I'm so glad Candace was able to be a part of our wedding this summer and it was good to see her last weekend.

The drive home consisted of listening to the Chargers squeak by the Chiefs, chatting with our parents, a gas&goodies pit-stop and talking about our dreams and goals for the new year. It was such a wonderful trip, one that will hold a firm grasp on my memory for quite a few years to come.

What a blessing it is to live close to our families. I couldn't imagine Christmas without them.

2 down. 2 to go

Good News: Jeremiah passed his second CPA exam!!!

Now that's two down and two to go.
He's planning to start studying again once the new year rolls around
and should be taking his third exam at the end of February.

I'm so proud of him. And isn't he cute?

Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corns and Syrup

Ah, the four food groups.

Last week, some of our favorite friends came over to dabble in sugary goodness. We decorated the most un-Christmasy sugar cookies I think I've ever seen, but they did turn out rather lovely.

Jordanna made these ones

And I frosted these

John, being the artsy photog he is, captured our frosting bowls

I urged Jordanna not to take any pictures of my face because.. well, I had been sick all week and didn't even bother to shower or make myself up for their arrival. Buuut, who cares. What are memories without pictures of our friends.

And our oh-so-supportive husbands who don't make fun of our excitement in the least bit


Thanks McGoverns, for coming over and filling our Thursday evening with magic. I know we tell you a million times, but we really cherish your friendship. Thank you for the beautiful pictures and for the thoughtful gift that accompanied your smiling faces. We love you!

RIP Henry

Survival of the fittest has been a rather depressing reality in our little home for the past few weeks, culminating today in the death of our littlest frog.

You may remember I snagged these *handsome* fellas a couple months ago when I was wondering around UTC. Walter and Henry, my sister named them. And well, truth be told, Walter is a selfish food-hog. I'm pretty sure he's been eating Henry's helping of food pellets for the past month or so now because he has grown to be 3x bigger than little Henry.

I was planning to separate the feuding frogs so that little Henry could regain his strength, but apparently I didn't make the move quick enough. I woke up this morning to find our sweet little Henry laying belly-up at the bottom of his tank.

Darn you, Walter. It's all your fault.

If we can't keep frogs alive, how on God's green earth will we handle parenthood? =]]

A moment of silence, please.

Blogger Rating: C-

My blogging skills have been sub-par this week while I laid on the couch like a pathetic bum. But, this morning I'm feeling better aaaand feeling like I'd like to buy these and go here for a little weekend getaway.

While part of the beauty of going up in the mountains is the lack of cell service, these gloves have a little slit in the thumb so you can use your iPhone or whatnot without having to take off the big bulky gloves keeping your digits warm. Fab idea.
And this, well this is just the coziest looking cabin I ever did see. One day, when I've got money spewing out of my ears uncontrollably, I'm going to take some of that dough and go stay here with the hubs. It looks like the romanticist weekend ever.


Until then... it's off to grandmother's house we go this weekend. Since we'll be with Jeremiah's family on Christmas Day and will miss my family's trip up to Thousand Oaks, we're making our own rounds this weekend: Dinner with Mom's parents. Ice Skating with the cousins. And Lunch with Dad's parents. Can't wait.

Merry Weekend-Before-Christmas!

Midnight Viewing

I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday to nausea and an incredibly upset stomach. While I laid in bed, unable to sleep, Jeremiah turned the tv on for me. He found a program on KPBS and I watched it throughout the wee hours of the morning.

While I was thankful for the three hour program about Peter and Paul, I was also sad that I only got to watch it because I couldn't fall asleep in between my trips to the trash can.

Really? We have to air tv shows about Jesus' life during the middle of the night? The Son of Man?
What a way to celebrate Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my sweet mother's birthday and in celebration, here are 10 things I love about you, mommy:

1. You love me even though I was a little terror of a child and sometimes resort back to those tendencies.
2. You let me date a few losers, but let me figure that out myself.
3. You make every holiday, birthday, season, day extra special.
4. You're generous, thoughtful and kind.
5. You forgave me when I ruined your table (ok, maybe we're still working on this one ;-))
6. You're creatively hospitable.
7. You don't make me feel like a loser when I get in my jammies and go to bed at nine o'clock.
8. You're discerning and wise.
9. You've become a good friend of mine.
10. You loved me first.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

... everywhere we go

This weekend was full of friends and family. Gosh, I absolutely love this season.

On Friday night, we had Chris and Alyse over for a movie night. We stuffed our faces with chocolate covered pretzels, licorice, 7-layer bean dip and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies (and we surprisingly didn't get sick!) while we watched one of my favorite non-Christmasy Christmastime movies: Family Man.

On Saturday, we headed down to Loma for Dan and Erin's Tacky Christmas Sweater party. We got to eat, drink and be merry with some of my favorite people from college. I even convinced Jeremiah that we should wear these beautiful handmade sweaters: Mrs. and Mr. Snowman :-]]]

and take plenty of pictures with our friends. Take a look:

The McGoverns, the Schanakers and the McLeods

Girls from Klassen 2nd North

The J's with Ali and Anna

Some nice manly love
Mmm.. the J-Mc clan

Jay and me

My darling husband ruining another picture. Shocker.

The girls: Ali, myself and Jay

Disclaimer: I apologize if this post looks an awfully lot like this one, but I'm a loser and didn't take any pictures like Jordanna did so I've stolen all of hers. Good goin, Jess.

Today, we went up to Fallbrook to go to church and lunch with Jeremiah's family. Then we watched the Chargers sneak by the Cowboys and we celebrated Jack's 3rd birthday with the Lowell's. (Jack was the ringbearer in our wedding this summer!)

Tomorrow night it's off to dinner with my family to celebrate my mom's birthday!! Mmm... Christmas is almost here!!

Pitter Patter

I'm typically not a fan of the rain.
I'm an 85 and sunny kind of girl.

But this morning, Aubrey and I enjoyed a nice little walk in the rain (San Diego rain, that is) before taking shelter at Panera for some toasty bagels. And the rained seemed to be a necessary part of our walk today. I wish I could give it the explanation it deserves.

Aubrey isn't your typical girl, your typical Christian, your typical.. well, anything. She's not typical. And I love her a hundred times for that.

She makes my brain stretch three sizes with every minute of conversation. She asks the tough questions. She ponders them thoughtfully. And she communicates honestly. Aubrey wrestles with social norms, but at the same time seems to have an appreciation for them. I cherish her raw thoughts, her quirky ideas, and her passion and zeal for life.

Today, the rain seemed to compliment our time together quite nicely. And it played a lovely tune on the window pane as we sat together, snuggled up inside, watching YouTube videos of some of our favorite SYTYCD moments.

It really was a beautiful Saturday morning. With a beautiful friend of mine.

Aubs, don't kill me for posting this picture. :) It's classic.

A Practical Penny

^{John 1:10}
...and though the world was made through him,
the world did not recognize him.

I read John 1 this morning, and while it reinforced some of the topics we talked about at Bible Study this week, it touched me far beyond that. It reminded me of Stephanie Nielson. I've been following her story for quite some time now and the AZ Central has just started a beautiful series on her that I've started reading, too.

The short story is that she and her husband were in a plane crash just over a year ago. She has third and fourth degree burns covering over 80% of her body. And this video explains why I was reminded of Stephanie as I read John 1:10.

Stephanie's children were made through her, and yet they did not recognize her. While I'm not necessarily saying there's a 1:1 comparison between Stephanie and Jesus, I do think this is an important comparison for me to realize. I believe the Lord gives us glimpses of Him daily. And this, this is a powerful image of what He has experienced.

I've listened to Stephanie speak candidly about what it's like for her children, her flesh and blood, her heart and soul, to not recognize her since her physical appearance has changed. I've read about how difficult it has been for her to look in the mirror and acknowledge that the image glancing back at her is indeed her. Stephanie. Mother of four. Wife of Christian. How much more difficult must this type of interaction be for the God of the universe. We were created in Him and by Him, yet we don't always recognize His face, or the work of His hand. And some, some don't care to have a relationship with Him at all.

This image is powerful.

And a good reminder for me.

To be on the lookout for His pennies.

Because the world is rich with them.

Living Room Fellowship

A good friend of mine invited me to a Women's Bible Study she started attending a few weeks ago. This has been something on my priority list for a while now, but I've kind of struggled with where to go or who to connect with since we're between churches right now and because I don't have too many friends that live terribly close to us (despite Aubrey's suggestion that she move into our complex. :))

This bible study has been such a blessing, even in the two short weeks I've gone.

Bible study, Wednesday night bible study in particular, has so many beautiful memories for me. Memories that I'd love to re-create from this new place in my life. And I'm so thankful that these girls have welcomed me into their small group.

There is something absolutely beautiful about a handful of women, sitting around the candlelit coffee table, drinking tea and reading the Word of god. Sharing with each other. Praying together. And figuring out life together. I love it!

December Nights

Every year, my family goes to Balboa Park for the December Nights celebration. There are food stands up and down the road with dancers, live music, carnival rides and more. We always eat dinner at the Prado, a family favorite. Their Tres Leches is my favorite of all time.

Mom and Dad with Mom's birthday dessert

The whole gang

The kids on the Old Town jolly trolley.

Giving More Thanks

A few more pictures from Thanksgiving:

mom's beautiful table, set and ready for the grub

The place cards and favors

These cards were on our plates

Sissy and I

A little Christmas humor

This picture made me smile this morning, so I thought I'd share.

Happy Birthday, Papa!

My Papa

He's brilliant.
He tells me he's proud of me.
We can chat about work together.
He knows anything and everything about every sporting event that has ever taken place.
His heart is overflowing with love for his family.
And tomorrow, he celebrates his 80th Birthday.

My family drove up to Thousand Oaks to surprise him yesterday. We got there super early and my sister and I sat in his big chair waiting eagerly for him to get out of the shower. And then...
SURPRISE!


He was shocked! And then he saw my parents. And then my aunt and cousins. And then his sister and her family. What a fun surprise for him. He deserved it.


Happy Birthday, Papa! I love you!