My Considerate Sister

My sister is by her very nature
thoughtful. considerate. kind.

This weekend I picked her up
to go to the Pumpkin Patch
and what do I find?

A surprise Halloween gift!!
This marshmallow scented anti-bac is
addictively A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!

Thanks, Sissy!

Fall Feast

On Monday night,

Aubrey and I held a Fall feast for two.

[Semi] Romantic Music,
Wedge Salads, Garlic Pesto Garlic Bread
Warm Homemade Applesauce, Pumpkin Muffins
and Sparkling Apple-Grape Cider.

Two friends
sharing not only a delicious meal,
but also the thoughts on our hearts.

Delicious!

For Adults and For Me

Last night,
my sweet friend E and I
browsed the aisles of Home Goods
after a tasty meal at The Brig
[ Perfect Date, I might add :) ]

As we strolled down the aisles
gazing at B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L things,
I mentally categorized everything:
"For Adults" or "For Me"

"One day, I'll decorate like an adult" I promised.
But each year, I get older and older
and my eye is still drawn to the more "childish" decorations.

I'd be the first one to tell you
that Shopping and Christianity are
Two. Very. Different. Things.

But when I read this passage during my morning devotional,
I was reminded that
we're not always called to be adults.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?'
He called a little child and had him stand among them.
And he said: 'I tell you the truth,
unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck
and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.'"
Matthew 18:1-6

A Simple Call

My husband called at noon
just to say hello
and my heart fluttered
like a giddy school girl.

Come home soon, my darling.
Come home soon.

Will Trade Hair Ties for Stirrups

It rained last week.
All.Week.Long.
And to put it plainly,
rain and I don't get along so well.

I'm not a fan of closed-toe shoes.
And I have curly-ish hair.
I know, right?

Bottom Line:
I had to get creative
with my SoCal-meets-actual-weather wardrobe.

Tights and boots, I can do.
Jeans and boots,
Ugh.

It looks cute on everyone else,
but I could just never quite understand
how folks get their jeans to stay tucked in
and to be tucked so nicely.

I got frustrated after 5+ days of solid rain
so I wrapped one hair tie
around each of my ankles
to hold my jeans in place
inside my boots.

Lame? Probably.
Resourceful? Duh!

Do they still make stirrups?
I'm all about that now.

And seriously?
It's raining again today?
Psh. Sandals it is!

Extreme Home Makeover: Week 4

My Friends, it's Week 4 of Extreme Home Makeover
[the Townhouse Edition]

How many hours did we spend on the townhouse this week?
Less than ten

What'd we get done this week?
With Jeremiah out of town [again]...
I decided to take a week off from house projects.
But Thursday night, the boys started to lay our flooring.
And this weekend, we took another load of stuff over
and decided to paint an accent wall.

How many trips have we taken to Home Depot?
Just two.

What'd we buy?
I'm not sure of specifics.
I just know it involved flooring supplies.

What's been our favorite part?
His vote goes to: getting started on the flooring
Her vote goes to: making Christmas cards
instead of working on house projects :)

Who's helped us?
Justin, Landon, Joe and my Sister all helped this weekend.
Thanks, guys!

And what's on the agenda for next week?
Well, Jeremiah will be out of town until Thursday,
but once he's back we're kicking it into high gear.
We've got to finish up the hardwood,
buy the baseboards,
pick up our new couches,
purchase a washer and dryer
and continue to move in.

We only have two more weeks
until we need to be out of our apartment.

Nate's Butt Farm 2010

Every Fall,

Jeremiah, my sister and I

take a trip up to Bates Nut Farm.

This year she brought the boy along
to enjoy the yummy food, the pretty pumpkins
and all the silly pictures we take.

The Scarecrow Concert is always
the source of some good laughs

The Corn StalksThe "pretty" pumpkinsAnd the bright orange onesSilly Kids

Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Smith

Admiral Kidd's Club has got to be

one of my favorite wedding venues in San Diego.
It has such a gorgeous view of the marina and the skyline.
I about lose it every time we go to a wedding there.

The Fallbrook gang waiting for the ceremony to start
Note: Mama Sarette looks S-M-O-K-I-N!Waiting for his brideAnd here she comes...I just loved their vows.They were handwritten and honest.
She promised to nag, make him pick up his dirty clothes,
like him most of the time, but to love him always.The PrayersAnd that kiss!For the first time,
Mr. and Mrs. SmithDuring the cocktail hour,
the sky was fiercely beautiful.
PS: Anyone who serves cheese at their wedding
earns like fifty points in my book!McLeods + GroomCake smashing after dinnerPhoto BoothDancing the night awayDuring the reception,I just had to sneak out
and grab another picture of the bay.
Breath-taking.And of course it just wouldn't be Jake's wedding,
if he didn't have his shirt off!Congratulations, you two love birds!
We're so excited you're finally hitched!!

When a parking lot feels like Home

They say "home is where the heart is"
And last night...

Home was in the Costco parking lot.

We ate dollar-fifty hot dogs, ran commonplace errands
and sat in a relatively empty parking lot
sharing our souls for a few hours.

My heart felt at Home.
Understood, Appreciated.
It felt in communion with the saints.
Abundantly thankful.

Thank you, Jay,
for being that friend.
That friend that can sneak away
to a random parking lot
and share a comfortable friendship.

I love you.

An UNtypical Day

Last September I wrote this post. And in February I wrote this one.
Today, i take a look at what my typical days have been like this month.

A typical day
6:30a: Alarm goes off. Snooze button.
6:35a: Alarm goes off again. No arm around me. Get up, Make bed and Get ready.
7:00a: Turn on the Today Show.
7:20a: Pack my lunch.
7:30a: Leave for Starbucks. Must. Have. Starbucks.
7:50a: Arrive at work. Sip tea/check email/read blogs/morning devotion.
8:15a-5:30p: Conquer my gnarly To Do list at work.
5:30p: Leave work.
6:00p: Meet a friend for dinner. Eating out yet again. But with good company.
8:00p: Stop by the new house to bring the trash cans out,clean up from the boys' last midnight work party and stalk the fridge with Monsters for their next midnight work party.
9:00p: Arrive back at the apartment.
9:15p: Wash face. Put on Jammers.
9:20p: Veg on the couch, watching a DVRd show from earlier that week.
10:00p: Crawl in bed. And count how many more nights I have to go to sleep alone.

This month has consisted of two main activities: Working on the House and Business Trips.
Jeremiah has either been out of town for a business trip,
or staying up til the wee hours of the morning, working on the housing projects.

I'm excited for him to come home.
I'm excited to move into our new place.
I'm excited for his CPA exam to finally be over.
And I'm excited for life to get back to normal again.

Is it November yet?

Little Letters

Dear Weekend Boyfriend, Is it the weekend yet? I'm ready for you to come home so we can snuggle up in this cozy weather.

Dear San Diego, you and your weather are out.of.your.mind. During the summer, you never let the sun come out. And now that it's fall, you've skipped the crisp air and have gone straight to winter rain. What the?

Dear Travel Bug, you bite me every other week. Don't you understand that we just got back from like three trips? I don't have time (or money!) to satisfy your every whim.

Dear Subway, I'm pretty sure I have an unhealthy addiction.

Dear Laptop, I'm still mad at you for sticking around at home while I went to work on Monday. Coming back for you SUCKED.

Dear Aubrey, I'm excited to make homemade applesauce and bake pumpkin muffins with you on Monday. I need a little taste of fall. And a bigger taste of your friendship.

Dear Sky Diving, I wish you didn't scare the pee out of me. I think you'd be fun. Or at least make for some silly pictures.

Dear Guest Room, my how you're looking bare. Would you mind packing the rest of your stuff up on your own? I really don't want to deal with it.

Dear Thunder Storms and Torrential Downpours, thanks for happening in the middle night so I don't have to get even more soaked than I already do.

Dear Daylight Savings, don't end. Or start. Or whichever one it is that happens in a couple weeks. Need. More. Sunlight.

Dear Curly Hair, you looked mighty fine today. Thanks for having a good hair day every once and a while.

Dear Cinnabon Popcorn, which stores do they sell you at these days? Been cravin' you lately. It has been F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

Dear Little Town House, you're costing us all. our. money. It's a good thing you're worth it.

Dear Computer Screen, I think you're making me blind. Am I too young to retire?

Dear Double-Sided Tape, I need more of you so I can finish putting together Christmas cards.

Dear my Beloved, I love that you flex your biceps for me and let me touch them. You're a hunk! Now seriously, come home!

Mad Discounts, Yo!

Because of my impeccable coupon-ing skills,
what should have cost me over $300 for a customized craft station,
only cost me about $118.

Yes, you read that correctly.
Way. Over. Half. Off.

Thank you to my sweet husband
for helping me put it together...

A Glimpse of Beauty

The sky had been gray and soggy All. Day.
And as I drove home from work,
about an hour later than I wanted to be driving,
heading to a home that was dark, empty and without husband,
I took a peek in my rear view mirror.

The beauty consumed me.
And tears trickled down my cheek.

And I think my favorite part had to be
the girl driving next to me
who rolled down her window
and told me she thought it was beautiful, too.

What a big and glorious Creator we have.

Much Needed Rest

This weekend felt so cozy and relaxing.
I was relatively productive, but still enjoyed
Much Needed R E S T

Dinner out with my weekend boyfriend
Packing & Moving (Unpacking is yet to come)
Snuggling up and Sleeping in
A hair cut complete with head massage
Staying in the same sweats all weekend
No Make up/No Shower
Keeping up with the Kardashians marathon All.Day.Saturday
Working on Christmas cards
A few errands
Putting together a little Halloween gift for the hubs
Cozy fireside church service
Laundry: Clean clothes and clean sheets
Hearty chili and warm cornbread muffins
Friendly texts
Coupons galore
Putting together my new desk (see above)
Subway Sandwiches
Movie night with the Mister

Delightful I must say.

All Hallow's Eve

As much as I love the candy overload that is Halloween,
Jeremiah and I are not big on the whole
get-dressed-up-and-go-to-a-party gig.

We typically just hang out at home
and admire all the cute little munchkins
as they ring our doorbell.

This year we happen to be going to a party,
-- though I doubt I will be able
to get Jeremiah (read: Party Pooper) to dress up.

The extent of his Halloween celebration
will probably be eating this little tower of treats
that I wrapped up for him.

How do you celebrate Halloween?

A Different Kind of Church

Church looked a little differently for us this morning.
Chris' online sermon + the book of Luke + snuggled by the fire + fresh donuts

I'm Drooling

This picture of the Tivoli theme park at Halloween time
makes me want to go to Copenhagen So.Bad.

Extreme Home Makeover: Week 3

Onto Week 3 of Extreme Home Makeover
[the Townhouse Edition]

How many hours did we spend on the townhouse this week?
Not many... maybe about 10 or 12?

What'd we get done this week?
With Jeremiah out of town, things slowed things down a bit.
Mom and Lys painted the downstairs bathroom and touched up baseboards,
and the boys finished touching up the paint all over the house
With that said, it looks like the painting is officially 100% done!

We've also installed new light fixtures to replace the glorious gold ones,
and we've started packing/moving stuff in upstairs.

How many trips have we taken to Home Depot?
Just three. Look at us go.

What'd we buy?
Absolutely nothing on the first trip, just looking.
But lighting fixtures and moisture barrier for the floor
on the second and third trips.

Oh, and can't forget,
a beautiful chandelier. :)

What's been our favorite part?
His vote goes to:
1. Getting a phone call that the wood is ready early
2. Seeing those awful light fixtures get trashed

Her vote goes to:
1. Having the upstairs completely done and ready for move-in
2. The new chandelier. Gosh it's pretty

Who's helped us?
Justin, my Mom and my Sister
have all helped this week. Thanks, guys!

And what's on the agenda for next week?
Well, Jeremiah's still out of town...
so my guess is packing and unpacking,
starting to plan out the flooring,
and looking for good deals on a washer and dryer.

The Box

While starting to pack last night,
I found "The Box"

You know, that box you keep all those memories in
when you start dating someone?

My box is almost six years old.
And it's full of paperie from the very beginning.

Jeremiah and I stopped packing for a minute
and read an old email he sent me
in March of 2005.

He must have been ridiculously in love
because he used words like "dazzle."

Cheers to giddy memories.
And happy tears that come from finding
the box.

It's Funny How Prayer Works

I prayed for Jeremiah on my commute to work this morning.

Specifically, about being overwhelmed.

I prayed that the Lord might give him a clear perspective,
that He might provide energy for the day, peace and rest for the night,
and that He might remind Jeremiah where priorities lay,
I prayed that he would be overwhelmed by the majesty of the Mighty One
instead of by the tasks of the day.

Then I got to work.

And well, it's been one of those days.
er, weeks. er, maybe even months, I think.
At least that's what it feels like.

And as the day went on,
I realized that praying all of those things for Jeremiah
reminded me of the same thing.

The Spirit of the Lord also reminded me where priorities lay.
That the greatest commandments are to love God and love others.
The Lord provides energy, peace and rest.
Of this I am sure.

I needed to be reminded today.
I needed to be reminded that there's a much larger orbit
than the tiny little one circling above my head.

What a mighty God we serve.

Hot Cocoa Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these bad boys for a department meeting at work today.
They got soaring reviews.

Thanks, Alana.

Wordless Wednesday

A High Calling

These words out of James, were daggers to my heart this morning:

"If anyone considers himself religious
and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue,
he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

We have a high calling
To control our tongue,
To care for those who aren't cared for,
And to be distinctly different.

I pray that by the grace of God, I might live this way.

Me loves the weekends

Remember that relaxing catch-up weekend I talked about?
I'd say that was a pretty fair prediction.

Aside from working until 7p on Friday,
the weekend consisted of things like:
Purchasing a new couch
A couple Starbucks stops
Catching up on DVR'd shows
Watching a few movies
Starting on Christmas cards
Stops at Home Depot, Lowe's and Ikea
Columbus Day gifts from Mom and Lys
A little bit of leisure reading in the sunshine
Dinner at my Parents' house
Football Games and MLB Playoffs
Christmas shopping
and a Sunset Double-Date Night on the Harbor

The sunset was beautiful.

10.10.10

Well, I didn't even plan it,
but my 500th post
just happened to land on 10.10.10.
Freaking. Cool.

Extreme Home Makeover: Week 2

Well, we're finishing up Week 2 of Extreme Home Makeover
[he Townhouse Edition]

How many hours did we spend on the townhouse this week?
Mmm..roughly 22 or so. Holy cow, that's a like a whole DAY!

What'd we get done this week?
Our ceilings have been primed and painted.
Good-bye Popcorn. Hello pretty, textured ceilings.
We've also picked out, purchased and painted with gallons upon gallons of paint.
All the rooms, except the two bathrooms, are done.
Oh, and we have new locks and a working garage door opener! :)

How many trips have we taken to Home Depot?
Just five. I'd say that's an improvement.

What'd we buy?
Paint rollers, paint trays, painting tape, tons and tons of paint.
and drumroll please...new couches.

What's been our favorite part?
His vote goes to:"seeing the walls mostly done"
Her vote goes to: seeing all the pretty color on the wall.
We have a match, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Who's helped us?
Justin, Landon, Daniel, and my entire family
have all helped us paint this week. Thanks, guys!

And what's on the agenda for next week?
Well, Jeremiah's leaving to go out of town for the next three weeks.
I think this is about the time that the projects slow down and the packing starts.
Especially because we just found out our hardwood is on back-order til month end.

Christmas Wish List

Well, it's that time of year
where little girls pine for big barbie dream houses
and little boys wish for planes, trains and automobiles.

What's on my Christmas Wish List?

A Yellow Bicycle
A Polaroid Camera
This Book
and
Magazine Subscriptions

Let the church bells ring...

I love, love, love this double exposure of the Duke chapel.

So pretty.

Diana: Where Dreams are Made of

A few beautiful scenes Diana snagged in New York last month

Model Boat Pond in Central ParkRockefeller CenterA double-exposure view across the great lakeBryant Park5th Avenue and Central Park South, outside FAOBryant Park (because it deserves two)Father Demo SquareThe Original Joe'sFlat IronBattery Park, double-exposure