March: Best of my Days

This month was all about finding joy in the little things.
There were some exciting events like
Birthdays, Weddings and Business Trips,
but on most other days
it really felt like I had to strain my eyes to see the highlights.

1. Post-work out pains
2. Cute words the hubby muttered as we fell asleep
3. Fondue date for Miah's 27th Birthday
4. Chatting with my sister-in-law and cousin at G&T's rehearsal dinner
5. Gary and Teresa's Wedding
6. A good conversation with my mom over lunch
7. The sites and sounds of San Francisco
8. A romantic mother/daughter dinner on the bay. Nom Nom.
9. Finishing my first CUA class
10. Dinner with V - gosh I miss that girl!
11. Seeing Jeremiah after a week of being gone
12. Dinner and a movie date. [with the Kookers]
13. White Peach balsamic from Coronado
14. Family dinner for my brother-in-law's 20th Birthday
15. Snuggling with Jeremiah before work
16. Lunch outside at the Noodle Company
17. A quiet, romantic and healthy dinner at home after a long day
18. Car ride with Mom and Miah
19. Spending time with our grandparents
20. A fire in the fireplace after church
21. Another quiet dinner at home, no plans
22. Practicing Minute-to-Win-it games with the hubs
23. Girls Game Night. So fun!
24. SDSU Game with Miah
25. Planning Trips
26. Spending time with people we love
27. Cleaning out my closet. Gosh it feels so good.
28. Laying in new sheets, watching ABC family
29. Taco Tuesday at the brig before Miah had to go back to the office
30. Grilling burgers on a sunny day,
with Jeremiah home before 8p and not working the rest of the night.
31. Since I'm posting this before the end of the day, I'd say:
warm enough weather to wear a skirt,drink iced tea in the morning,
and pretend I'm at the opening day games!!
If I posted this later, I'd probably say:
meeting old college friend(s) for dinner on the beach.

Dear April, I know you're going to busy.
We're already booked for half your weekends,
and I have about a gajillion chores to knock out.
Plus, husband is busy at work.
Please be kind to us. Please, please.
Thank God Easter is coming.

Archives:
February
January

Web Finds

A few of my favorite things spotted around the web today

TicTacToe Stamp Set via Playing Grown-UpWorld's Smallest Postal Service via You Are My FaveJoanna's perfect cheese plate from Murray's, of courseand stunning cherry blossoms
Goodness me. What a collection of lovelies.

Wordless Wednesday

Guess what tomorrow is?

GAH!!!!

Digging up the Past

Jeremiah and I each have a box

filled with sappy odds and ends we've given each other over the years.
This weekend I went through those old keepsakes
looking for a couple things I'd like to use in an upcoming craft project

I spent two hours on Saturday night digging through
movie ticket stubs, valentine's cards, poems,
Christmas cards, pictures, encouraging notes,
love letters written in Spanish, email print outs, etc.

The mister actually saved far more than I had known (cute!)
and I found tons of stuff I didn't even remember making.

As I re-read the notes that Jeremiah and I had written to each other,
I cried like a baby.

Partly because I remembered that young, giddy love.
Partly because that love has grown and deepened.
And yet still remains giddy.
Partly because my dreams have become reality.

But mostly because,
they all point to the very Truth that:

God is so faithful.

Amen.

[Spring] Cleaning

Last week I made a list.

A ginormous list.
[as in a 'these toilets are ginormous' list.]
And I stuck it to the fridge.

Of course, Jeremiah noticed it
and pleaded with me to take it down
as work enough is stressful these days.

But regardless of where it's living,
the list is still very much alive and well in our home.

The list contains a series of chores and to do's
that I'm both procrastinating and secretly excited about.

It's Spring Cleaning time!

This month I'll be:
Washing Windows
Cleaning floors
Scrubbing bathrooms
Dusting furniture
Cleaning out closets
Re-organizing pantries and junk drawers
Vacuuming furniture
Washing sheets
Donating Clothes
Taking others to the Dry Cleaners

Of course "The List" intimidates me too.
Which is why I'm taking a new approach this year.

Instead of blocking off an entire weekend
and getting knee deep in bleach until my nose bleeds from the chemicals,
I've planned to do a little work each week during the month of April.

I'm sure it'll probably feel like the cleaning project that never ends,
but by the end of April,
I will have a fully deep-cleaned and organized home.

I started with my bedroom closet last night
and it felt awe - to - the - SOME.

Do you participate in the Spring cleaning epidemic, too?
Any secret tips and tricks??

Showered with Weekend Pennies

No more rain
Getting off work early
A sweet thank you card from Karla
The new PB catalog
Friday night pizza & march madness date with the hubs
Chatting with our neighbor at BR31
Catching up on Teen Mom 2 #guiltypleasure
Booking a romantic little anniversary getaway
Planning and budgeting for our summer trip to Seattle
4 or 5 old episodes of a favorite after-school show
Sleeping in** + Cuddling
The smell of scones baking in the oven
A clean kitchen
Saturday morning bible study
Lunch with one of our favorite couples
My new Pampered Chef pizza stone
Clean laundry
A birthday party for the sister's boy toy
Stellar worship session and sermon
Week 2 of our membership class at church
Yummy lunch with miss Aubrey
Finishing the in-laws taxes and chatting a bit
A successful shopping excursion
A beautiful, clear-skied Sunday afternoon with no commitments
And the anticipation of my tween girl shows coming back next week!

**[Sidenote: You may recall we signed up for the Race for Autism?
Well, that was Saturday morning.
And since we had already turned in the money,
the hubs had absolutely no problem
choosing much needed sleep over a 5k run.]

Ca-Ching: Spending Money

Speaking of how we spend our time,

I thought it'd be interesting to look at
how we spend our money, too.

Here's the breakdown.

39% Housing (Mortgage, Insurance, Property Taxes, HOA)
13% Loans (Student & Car)
10% Tithe to the church
9% Personal/Misc. (Travel, Entertainment, Gifts, Shopping, etc.)
8% Straight to the Savings
7% Other Bills (Cell Phones, Car Insurance, Cable, Gas&Electric, etc.)
9% Food (both Groceries and eating out)
5% Gas for the automobiles

I'd say that's a pretty good reflection of what's important to us.

I just can't wait til the end of the year,
when that Loans category drops from 13% to 5%.
The extra money will go straight to the Savings. =)

[source]

Girls Night In: Game Night

This month's girls' night was a fun one.

Game Night: Minute to Win it style

For those of you who haven't seen the show,
contestants have one minute
to accomplish tasks using household items.

It's fast. It's random. And it's totally fun!

[pictures courtesy of the one who won it all]

A Bit DiceyJohnny ApplestackSeparation AnxietyFace the CookieBouncerKeep the ChangeWheel of a DealCaddy StackScoreboard
Thanks for coming over, girls.
Can't wait til next month...

Archive:
[February]

Tick Tock: Spending Time

A wise beauty once said,
that how we spend our time
is a bold declaration of what's important to us.

This couldn't be more true.
And it of course got me thinking.
How do I spend my time?

Being the slightly geeky type I hate to admit I am,
I threw some numbers in Excel and popped out a quick pie chart.

So how do I spend my time?
37% Sleeping
27% Working
20% Personal
7% Shopping for/preparing/eating food
5% Driving/Commuting
4% Showering/Getting Ready

Of that Personal time, there's chores and cleaning,
errands and bill paying, reading and writing,
blogging and crafting, and spending time with loved ones.

I was shocked to realize
that nearly a quarter of my time each week
isn't necessary scheduled.
It can be spent however we choose.

And this really challenged me to use it wisely,
to spend it doing things that reflect what's important to me.

Like doing things for other people,
exercising to keep healthy,
and spending more of that time with the Lord.

It's also important that I use some of that personal time
to feed my soul the things it craves.
Namely: Creating, Contemplating, and Communing.

How do you spend YOUR time...?

Mr. and Mrs. Gary Peterson

Jeremiah's beautiful cousin Teresa
married Mr. Peterson a couple weeks ago.
and it was a beautiful Springtime celebration!

The ceremony took place in Balboa Park
in a little chapel across from the Museum of ManHer girlfriends looked gorgeousBut of course, she was the star of the showExchanging vowsGary kissing his brideThe reception was absolutely lovely, too.
It was held at Scripps Seaside Forum in La JollaThe view at sunset was just stunningAnd what's a party without my goofy in-laws
G&T - Thank you for allowing us to celebrate with you.
Such a fun-loving couple, and a wedding just the same.
From the looks of Facebook,
it seems your really enjoying your honeymoon in Thailand.
Can't wait to see more pictures!!

Monday Morning Currents

CURRENTLY:

excited about getting involved at our new church,
the thought of a summer trip/vacation,
and the upcoming baseball season.

worried about the folks over in Japan

reading Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

creating a list of things I'd love to create when I make time

loving my parents, fires in the fireplace and everything pesto

hating that time seems to be going by way.too.fast

craving time alone with Jeremiah
with no work, no stress, and no plans
feeling reflective, nostalgic and joyful

listening to Kate Voegele

watching rain fall uncontrollably from the sky

wondering when the warmth of Spring is going to come

[Last year's currents.]

Goosebumps

Have you been cheering these guys on?

Way to go SDSU!!

Grandparents Weekend

One of our goals for 2011

is to show our family and friends just how much we love them.

So...

We're headed up to spend some time
with our grandparents this weekend.

It will be a whirlwind trip since we have to be back for church Sunday morning,
but we're so excited to:

have breakfast with my Papa lunch with Jeremiah's Grandma
and dinner with my Grandma and Grandpa!
I'm so thankful to have these guys in my life.
So thankful that they live close,
and so thankful that family is a value close to my husband's heart.

What are YOU doing this weekend?

Like Grass, Envy or Cash Money

Happy St. Patrick's Day, my [cyber] friends!

You'd think that marrying into an Irish last name
would automatically make me fall in love
with St. Patrick's Day or something.

You'd think I'd wear a green dress
and paint my nails green.
You'd think I'd make green eggs & ham
or at least a pretty green dessert.But no.
Not this year.
This year, I'm kind of a party-pooper.

Maybe we'll go over to the pub and grab a green beer.

But probably not. :)

[Source]

Welcome Home

While mom and I waited for our flight last week,
we watched as a young woman
waited eagerly for her lover to return home.

She wore a darling dress,
with high heals and curled hair.
She held a sign for him.

And as he walked through that jetway,
the United agent welcomed him home
over the loud speaker, as everyone clapped.

Tears filled my eyes.

Thank you, soldiers.
For the time you spend away from your loved ones,
putting yourselves in harms way for us.
Eternal gratitude.

Little Letters: To my Beloved

On this mid-week morning,
a few short letters to my beloved...

Dear Jeremiah,
I love the way you stretch like Air Jordan in the morning.
You're a superstar.

Dear Best Friend,
Thank you for watching pathetic shows like the Bachelor with me.
I especially like when you make fun of the windy windy cape,
the black crow on Chantal's shoulder
and lines like "I think you're a great person, too."

Dear Sweet Husband,
You got out of bed to fart the other night.
That's romance, baby.

All my love,
Wifey

Measuring Productivity

For this very reason,
[because God has called us and equipped us to participate in the divine nature]
make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, mutual affection;
and to mutual affection, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-- 2 Peter 1:5-8 --

As Jeremiah and I laid in bed Sunday evening,
I mentioned to him that our day felt terribly unproductive.
I had spent the day trying to alleviate my headache
by throwin' back the Advil, drinking buckets of water,
making sure to eat protein, and napping for 3+ hours.
The plans I had to pay the bills and finish cleaning the house
were replaced with a handful of TV movies
and a snuggle sesh on the couch.

Not surprisingly, Jeremiah gently reminded me
that productivity is not necessarily the measure of a good day.
Particularly of a good Sabbath.

And with my annoying perfectionist tendencies
and the oh-so-delightful (not!) fact
that my #1 StrengthsFinder trait is glaringly "Achiever,"
this is something I frequently need to be reminded of.

Fast forward to Monday morning
when I read from 2 Peter during my morning devotional.
I've prayed this passage before, a beautiful cry of the soul,
but verse eight, in particular, has been etched on my heart this week.

All the productivity in the world,
really doesn't matter much,
if I'm not productive and effective in my knowledge of the Lord.
If knowing and following the Lord does not grow
goodness, perseverance and the like,
how productive is that?

Instead of being overly concerned with
how many tasks I can check off the To Do list,
I'm reminded this week that my worth is in Jesus Christ.
And my "productivity," sotospeak, should instead be measured against
how well that Truth is evident in my life.

What an encouraging
and yet challenging reminder.

The Short Weekend

After a pretty busy week,
it was nice to enjoy a relaxing [and slightly warmer]
weekend at home.

Flying into Sandy Ego, Home.Sweet.Home
Breakfast and a walk&talk sesh with my daddy
A productive day around the homestead - chores, cleaning, bills...
Finally getting Putt Putt fixed for under 300 buckaroos
Dinner with Team Kooker
The Adjustment Bureau
Lots of snuggling
The third service at church (darn you DLS!)
Fruit smoothies in the springtime sunshine
A stroll around Coronado
New olive oil and balsamic. MmM!
Shave Ice Ice, Baby!
2 (count em, two!) afternoon naparoos
The fact that it didn't get dark til 7p last night
Lazy movies on the couch with the hubs.

Loving this song

Dress us up in your righteousness
Bring us in with a ring and a kiss
When you walk into the room you know we can't resist
Every bottle of perfume always ends up on the floor in a mess

You make us sparkle and you make us shine
Like the stars who sing on your chorus line
Through space and time we'll harmonize
Where deep meets deep like the ocean meets the sky

The sun and the moon
They come out of their grave just for you
The dead man and the cynical too
They're coming out of their grave
And it's just for you

Cause the love of God is stronger
The love of God is stronger
The love of God is stronger
Than the power of death

Dress us up in the blood of a son
Who opened up his veins so that we would overcome
Hell and the grave in the power of his love
After three dark days he showed us how it's done
And he still does You make us sparkle and you make us shine

Like the stars who sing on your chorus line
Through space and time we'll harmonize
Where deep meets deep like the ocean meets the sky
Yeah The sun and the moon
They come out of their grave just for you

The dead man and the cynical too
They're coming out of their grave
And it's just for you

Cause the love of God is stronger
The love of God is stronger
The love of God is stronger
Than the power of death
His love is stronger, his love is stronger, his love is stronger, his love is stronger
His love is stronger, his love is stronger, his love is stronger, his love is stronger

Dress Us Up
by John Mark McMillan

Little Letters: to San Frany

Dear View-from-my-window, I will miss you. There's something so absolutely lovely about looking out at beautifully old buildings, the corner Starbucks, cute little shops, and passerbys. Oh and PS: I love the way the light shines through my window like a natural nightlight. It rocks my world.

Dear Smiley Homeless Man on the corner of Kearny and Bush, where were you today? I bought a couple extra pieces of pizza for you, but you were nowhere to be found. I'm sure the lady who replaced you was happy.

Dear Vebbers, I'm glad you don't have strep. And I'm even gladder we got to have dinner together yesterday. Yes, gladder.

Dear Fresh Fruit, I miss you. You're coming to our kitchen oh-so-soon.

Dear Romeo, you were quite the bell boy. Never before have I met anyone of your kind.

Dear Strangers-turned-friends, T'was a pleasure getting to know you this week. Good luck on the test.

Dear Mommy, I loved spending the past couple days with you. Mother-Daughter trips are bomb dot com. Again?

Dear Muni/BART/Shuttle/Taxi/Plane, I love public transit. So. Much. Thank you for a week of fun travels.

Dear Retail Therapy, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. How in the world will you fit in my suitcase?

Dear Darling Husband, I missed your cute little face to pieces. I can't wait to run into your arms at the airport tonight.

Dear San Frany, you're like a west coast version of the good ol' NYC. Not quite there, but a pleasure to play with you. Until next time.....

San Frany: Day 6

It's the sixth and final day in this bustling city
and I must say I'm sad to go.

San Francisco: Day 6

Scrumptious Peanut Butter Toast and Chai
A few prayers for the earthquake/tsunami victims in Japan
The final day of class
A slice of pizza for me. And a couple for [new friends]
A little reading at a little street-side bistro table
Half way to my Usability certification
On a jet plane...

The End.

What's the damage?

3 Little pieces of fabric for a new home decor craft
3 Pairs of Shoes (2 Pumps, 1 Flats)
3 Sweaters (1 Cardigan, 2 Pullovers)
2 Bags of delicious candy
2 Bras
2 T-Shirts
1 Pair of Jeans
1 tin of yummy loose-leaf tea
1 Pair of Jeans
and 1 new Skirt

Successful week of shopping?
I'd say so.

The problem will be getting it home.
Wish me luck.

San Frany: Day 5

Have you ever gone on a trip
and not taken a single picture?
I've got a small handful on my phone,
but I brought three (yes, three) cameras
- holga, diana, and a point-and-shoot -
and haven't taken a single picture.

Weird.

As mom would say,
you don't take pictures while you're shopping. :)

San Francisco: Day 5

Today in the Bay + my daily Starbucks
The start of a new class on Usability Testing
The quickest grab&go lunch of the week
A lunchtime WebEx meeting
More putty art and chocolate chip cookies in class
A delightfully rainy stroll down the street
My first Muni experience
Dinner with Miss Vanessa Weber
Packing to leave tomorrow (boo face!)
Pushing Daisies episodes in the hotel room

PS: This is the longest I've ever spent in this city at one time.
I'm starting to feel like I live here.
and I absolutely L-O-V-E it!!

San Frany: Day 4

San Francisco: Day 4

Well, mom left today.
And I missed her the second she left.

Starbucks with mom before her flight.
The final day of one of my classes
Street hot dogs. Num. Num.
Lunch hour window shopping.
Silly putty. Toy figurines. Pipe-cleaner art.
Shopping Round #?...well, I don't even remember at this point.
A quick solo dinner
Email catch-up and random TV shows in the hotel room.

Mom. Come back.
I may be "old enough" to go on work trips.
But I'm not "old enough" to be without my mommy. :)

San Frany: Day 3

San Francisco: Day 3

Tully's peach tea latte with vanilla soy, yes please
A beautiful stroll along city streets
A very hands-on, interactive day at class
Salads with mom and a family friend
The cutest little local candy shop. ever.
Cable car rides
A gorgeous view of Coit Tower down Lombard Street
Dessert before dinner
A delightful walk along the coast
The view of the city at sunset. Absolutely Stunning!
Watching the few sea lions left fight and play
A deliciously romantic seafood dinner on the bay with my mom

Wow. All we did was eat today.
Boy was it good.

Does she really have to go home tomorrow?

San Frany: Day 2

Here's the deal.
I love the city.
Like love, love, love the city.
Like obsessed with public transit, love.
Like don't mind the smell of urine, love.

So, I'm basically soaking in every site and every sound.
MmM

San Francisco: Day 2
The view out our hotel window, it's got the free Wifis :)
Waking up to wet city streets (i.e. signs of rain, but no rain)
Morning greetings from the concierge and bell boy
French toast breakfast at a lovely Parisian bakery
Not having to start work until 9am
Learning a ton of stuff in the class I'm taking
City living: I love the idea of walking to work, to lunch, and home again..
Delicious lunch at Bistro Burger
Hearing about mom's adventures while I've been in class
Meeting new geeky people and hearing about their jobs
Warm chocolate chip cookies during break
Getting off work at 4:30pm
More new shoes. And some other things I've been looking for.
Yummy gelato.
The Bachelor date with mom.

Oh me, oh my.
It's fabulous.

San Frany: Day 1

San Francisco: Day 1

I've been here quite a few times before.
With college roommates and with Jeremiah,
but never with my mom and never for work.

Morning Starbucks
Flight delayed due to rain
A co-flyer on the verge of puking
Too much luggage for one girl
Two bell boys, one's a dog
Finding that dance club we happened into a couple years ago
Lunch + Dinner all wrapped up into one
The Cheesecake Factory
Mother-Daughter chats
Shoe shopping success
Starbucks Round 2

Yup, it's true. I love the city.

The Birthday Boy

I love him to pieces. I do. I do. I doooo.
Being married to him has been both the greatest joy
and the greatest challenge I have ever experienced.

And I am SO excited to celebrate another year with him.

Happy 27th Birthday, my sweet darling.

You're handsome. You're loving. You're generous.
You're hard-working. You're intelligent.
You're so much fun.

I love you.

Dole Whip

Have you had Dole whip?

You must.

It's whipped pineapple.
Yup, that's it.

And it's delicious.

Thanks Lappert's.
You remind me of Maui
and it makes me a very happy girl.

Umm... well...

I'm just going to come right out and say it.
I killed our frog.

The first death,
not really my fault.

This one?
For sure.

I tried to be a good frog owner
and actually clean Walter's water for once.
Well, let's just say I didn't do it correctly.

He's dead.