the holiday wrap-up.

The Holiday season of 2011 was great. But to be honest. It was more stressful than anything. I think we celebrated Thanksgiving twice and Christmas five times. That's right, five. I feel like we are getting farther away from the purpose. I was exhausted. And I think I ended up feeling pretty run down after the whole ordeal. And I felt sick about the amount we had received and spent.  The older I get the more I want to simplify. Especially around the Holidays. I am going to find a way! Even if it's the last thing I do!

Ok... Totally being dramatic. But there is some seriousness to what I am saying.  

Beside the exhaustion of going to all of these crazy events, there was an overall feeling that Jay and I are blessed beyond belief.

Thanksgiving morning. We took some family photos. Millie wanted to be involved. We involved her.

We picked out our tree. It was fun.

 

We lost the battle of "Millie, get out of the tree right now!" I plan to lose every year.

Tree-decorating-pizza-making-night.

Christmas Eve. Millie is ecstatic.

Robot man. And panda girl.

This is what I wore to my family's Christmas dinner. What a lady. A gem. This is how I keep my reputation for being the 'little one' or the 'baby of the family.' Keeps people's expectations low. Just wear a panda hat. People WILL have lower expectations. I promise.

Favorite present from Christmas 2011: Pizza sent from Jayson's cousin Blaine. Not just any pizza. Chicago deep-dish pizza sent frozen and cooked in our oven. FROM Chicago. Yeah, we felt pretty cool. It was not by our own doing. So, thanks for making us feel cool Blaine.

Another project

For our newly painted living room, Jay made this AMAZING coat rack. All the knobs are from World Market and Jay picked them all out himself.

The craftsman next to his project. He does everything. I love him for that. Real man right here. And the total cost of this project was only $26! Love it. Love him.

Notice, there is still a glob of painter's tape stuck the wall. I really know how to style for a picture. Jay finished this project right before we had our 'book study' group over for dinner. Got to show it off. We both loved it...

the thing with the linx, or the manx, or the big cat.

So, this all started a couple of months ago. 

Jay's grandparents came over for dinner and through the kitchen window Grandpa spotted a VERY large cat on the roof. We all proceeded to run out onto the balcony to see it. Then  I got this footage:

A couple weeks later, this very large cat came into our apartment because we left our back door open. I was sitting on the floor, I look up and there it is, starring at me.

I say, "Jay" and then it runs out.

Hadn't seen it since this week.

Came home from ice cream and there it is in the parking lot.

We both crouch down so that we don't scare it off.

Jay creeps up to it and starts petting it. While petting the large cat, he is saying things like:

"I am so scared right now.

This thing is so big. Look at it's paws.

I don't want to move because of this thing.

We should stay here for this cat.

This is the largest beast I have ever tamed.

This thing is like a dog.

It could rip me up."

The cat doesn't seemed too skittish because is kinda growling. Then, I flash this picture:

and it runs away. We can't find it.

Then Jay starts saying stuff like this:

"I wish we could have befriended it.

I wish that we could have made friends with it and then it became our cat.

I would have put him over my shoulder.

I was so nervous.

So that was like a domestic kitty-cat, right?

It was so huge.

I'm sure it mated with a bobcat."

For the rest of the night, Millie was referred to as: normal-sized cat.

"Hi, normal sized cat.

I like you normal sized cat."

I love these special memories in Second Home. Can't wait for the memories in Third Home.

Camp Trip: the fashion.

Plaid Flannel is a good option.

A large brimmed hat to shade your eye from the sun. Excellent.

For the fisherman, come prepared with a fishing vest. Functional, indeed.

However, if you really want to exhibit the essence of camping, come prepared with a Paul Bunyan costume (although, this is not that far off from how he dresses). All he is missing is his blue ox (Halloween costume? I think so. Jayson as Paul + Me as Babe the Blue Ox = AWESOME)

Framer? Possibly.

The thing with the ice.

I asked Jayson if he wanted to make extra ice this week to put in the ice chest when we pack our groceries.

Jayson never does anything halfway.

The next time I went to the freezer, I saw this.

He had frozen tupperwares full of water.

So, I guess we have some ice.

What a guy.

Camp time.

One of my long-awaited summer fun things is upon us!

This Saturday we leave for Rock Creek to go camping and,boy, am I excited.

The whole family is going and it is going to be great having a whole week to relax, hike, eat, fish, and bake.

Bake you say?

How will you bake in the mountains? 

Good question.

Well, Jay works at a propane shop. And at the shop they have every propane accessory under the sun. And Jay's boss spoils him rotten. Really, he has gone rotten.

Just kidding, but he is spoiled. 

Well this time, she bought him a propane-run-oven!

It even has two burners! Like a real little oven! Isn't it cute?

Obviously, we are excited.

We will let you know how it works.

Have you seen one of these before? Now you have!

Celebratiing one whole year...

Last weekend was a blast. Really, it was. I don't often say things were 'a blast.' But last weekend really was. Downtown San Diego is so nice and we had such a great time celebrating our first whole year of marriage. It was awesome. 

We were able to do some pretty great things. 

Padres Game. Nice Dinner. Beach. 

Check, check & check.

We also saw some weird things.

You know, big city=weird people.

Invitation to meditation & Yoga. Funeral on the beach. Tai chi chanting drowing out the funeral.

Check, check & check.

The best part was getting good quality time with the one I love the most. The second best part was the food. Seriously.

Things I have learned.

As our wedding anniversary quickly approach, I was reflecting on all the things I have learned in the last year. Not only about Jayson, but just about general things. Since last June 5th, I have learned:

I am very selfish.

I really enjoy planning out my meals. I like to find recipes and try them. Don't take that from me.

Not to be offended when Jayson needs a 2nd dinner at around 9 o'clock after having eaten the one I have already cooked him. The guy is big. He eats alot. 

Vaccuming is my favorite chore.

Jayson sleeps dead-center in the middle of the bed. 

We make a better team married than we did dating.

Previous to marriage, I handled my money very poorly. I spent it willy-nilly. Not any more, that's for sure. 

After rent, we spend the majority of our money at the grocery store. I'm okay with that.

Jayson gets jealous of books. I can't read when he is home because he will say things like, "Why do you love your book more than me?"

I want a dog. Jayson want to name it Roosevelt. I'm okay with that.

I don't like it when Jay calls me on his way home from work to tell me things. I prefer to hear them in person.

Don't leave the front door open; birds fly in.

I'm sure there is more than that. Jayson teaches me things all the time. Mostly about propane.

the thing with the lemonade.

As part of Jayson's entry into summertime, he has developed a new love for fresh lemonade. No store bought stuff will do. 

He must have FRESH SQUEEZED lemonade. He calls it, 'J-Squeeze' or something like that. I don't know where this love came from.

The proportions he uses are:

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup water + 1 cup sugar to make syrup

4 cups cold water to dilute

Ok, so here is the deal. 

The other night, Jayson was making his 3rd batch of lemonade in ONE WEEK and he asked if drinking one cup of sugar was a lot.

I jokingly said, "Yay, you are probably gonna get diabetes."

(like I even know)

Little did I know that Jayson would latch onto that one comment and go on and on about it. As he was finishing his lemonade he was saying things like:

"Remember the time where you told me I was going to be fat because I drank too much lemonade."

"Are you going to love me when I am a fat-man with diabetes."

"I should dilute this lemonade."

"Is there anyway to remove half of the sugar?"

"I'm gonna get diabetes."

"Maybe I should give this pitcher away so I can't drink it."

"Remember how you told me I had diabetes."

Ok.

You get the idea.

He went on like this for about 15 minutes.

I ignored him.

You may be thinking, 'He is ridiculous and silly.'

Uh-huh. absolutely.

We then had a discussion on how he thinks he could just make lemonade once a month as a treat, you know, in moderation.

But then he took a drink as he had finished his lemonade and stated,

"I wish this whole fridge was full of lemonade so I could drink it all the time."

And after that first sip, all of his concerns about diabetes were gone.

I remember one time, a friend asked me what Jay and I talk about all day as husband and wife. Don't we run out of stuff to talk about?

A: No. We talk about ridiculous things for FAR too long. Daily.

I love it.

Here he is. Staring at the lemonade. Concerned with diabetes.

Yesterday. {Mother's Day}

Yesterday was Mother's Day. We had a WHOLE day event, the first half was spent with Jay's family and the second half was spent with my family. Overall, it was a very relaxed day with WAY too much good food. I am still full.  Just wanted to share some of the (somewhat silly) pics from yesterday. Enjoy.

 The first half of the day looked alot like this. Words like calm/relaxed come to mind.

The second half of the day looked like this. Words like silly and somewhat weird come to mind. Surprisingly, my dad was the one to instigate all of the picture taking, even though he hates pictures. Also, this was the first time I have seen recent family photos since my wedding. I feel like my family is looking kinda weird theses days, myself included. This isn't meant to be rude. I just feel like we look different than what my memory tells me we should look like. That statement means nothing, just so you know. You can ignore my previous comments.

See that one in the bottom middle? Doesn't that picture just scream, "I want to be a grandma." haha. You wish, Mom.

Que Ricoh {mini photo expedition}

When I say it was a mini photo expedition, I truly mean it. Jay and I drove down the bluffs one night after work so I could play with my camera. Here is what I caught:

I love this picture of Jay. What a guy.

 When I saw this picture, I said, "Honey, you are so cute."

He said, "Cute, I'm not cute. I'm an ugly beast."

HAHAHA. He makes me laugh. Hard.

Bakersfield Spring at it's finest. Soak it up while it lasts. Que Ricoh is helping me to enjoy it.

 We attempted our first self-timed pic with Que Ricoh. Not like a digital camera with the blinking light that tells you when it is gonna go off. It just goes off. No warning. Caught me with my eyes closed.

latte lesson #1

Last week, I announced that I didn't know how to use my espresso machine. So Sunday afternoon seemed like the perfect time to learn.

What I didn't know is that using an espresso machine is that it is kinda complicated. And there is a right way to do it. You can't just go at it willy-nilly with no game plan. You have to read the directions.

Here is the teacher/reader of the manual.

 Here is the machine in question.

 Here is the student. Receiving my latte lesson #1.

Didn't expect to see us in our sweats, eh? Sisterfriend thinks the sweats are ridiculous. Apparently, people my age should not be lounging in grandma sweats, but perhaps some type of comfy athletic clothing. I will admit that the elastic around the ankles is not so attractive. And it doesn't help that both Jay and I wear them regularly. It really drops the coolness factor quite a bit. I mean, if we are already dressing like this, what will happen when we ARE old? Oh dear, I will think about that later.

By the end of it. We did make some lattes. However, we learned that we made it in the wrong order (espresso first, then milk = wrong). And it didn't taste all that great. There is still much to learn. Don't worry, you will hear all about it.

Oh Dear

There are some things you need to know about Jay.
He is one of the most loyal, hardworking, and genuinely good men in the world. He works at a propane shop. With his grandpa. He loves family. He never takes a sick day. He is a peacemaker. He has his teaching credential and will probably never teach. But because of his degree, he knows way more about child development and child rearing than I ever will. He always carries a pocket knife. Even to church. He is handy. He will be the best dad ever. He is understanding. He doesn't judge. He loves God. He will talk to anyone. He loves to camp. He doesn't like the dark. He likes coffee. He loves man food. He is an athlete. He rarely says a bad word about anyone.  But when he does, he's mad. He names his appliances. He hates when people are selfish, because he doesn't understand it. He has a better understanding of love than most. And he is one of the weirdest people I know. 

I do not kid you. The things that come out of his mouth are just plain bizarre at times. He has a great sense of humor but is just weird. And I love him for it. Weird is SO much better than boring.

Anyway, the other night I was in the shower. Jay walks in the bathroom, and asks, "What if I put mascara on my moustache." I replied with, "I don't know." And to be honest, I really didn't care. I was really enjoying my hot shower. A couple of minutes later, he is laughing at himself. And then pictures are being taken.

Yep, he sure did. He painted his moustache. I found these pictures later as the evidence.

As you can tell, the horseshoe moustache is sticking around. He says he is keeping it for March. However, he grew it hoping that is would shock people. Most people has told him that they like it. He is coming up with something more shocking for April. Oh dear.

Normally, the moustache is much lighter. Lots of blonde hairs. He is somethin' else.

Put your work clothes on.

Hey. 

Last Friday, Jay had the day off! I loved it. It is rare that we get to spend an entire weekday together. It was awesome. So, since we had the whole day together, we woke up and didn't know what to do with ourselves. We had the WHOLE day. Go on a hike? Go for a bikeride? Do a project?  Jay said he felt like building something. Sure. I went with it. What shall we build? Hmmm.

After my coffee table post, I had received a message from a friend asking if we could make a bench. Well, we hadn't made a bench... We didn't know. So Jay thought before we committed to making something for someone, we could make one for ourselves to see how it came out. {When I say 'We', I shouldn't because Jay does all of the work.}

Anyway, we have a little bar in our kitchen and I really wanted to buy some bar stools. But we really don't like spending money. So this is how the idea for our long bench-bar stool came about. I wanted a bar stool and Jay wanted to build. So we got busy!

Back to the workshop!

The table saw!

 Here he is! The moustache is growing in nicely, I might add.

At one point during the project, Jay received a call from his work with the news that someone came in to get propane and also offered to buy one of their shop cats (Babushka). The man wanted Babushka in order to make carne asada. Or should I say gato asada. Thought you would want to know. Weird things happen.

The little bench bar stool is taking shape. What a guy!

 While Jay was out there, working hard, I was wandering around doing silly things. Did some laundry. Painted a few frames white from our frame wall, sanded a rack, painted a rack, and took pictures of this silly dog. His name is Hunter. He is really a crotchety old man stuck in a dog body. He doesn't really enjoy being petted or played with. He gets agitated when a human face gets to close to his face. Kisses, forget it. Picking him up and cuddling him, no way. He growls. He exposes his old-man doggie dentures. And even when I went in here to take pictures of him, he just acted annoyed. Leave him alone, it is for your own good. He makes you feel insecure. Why doesn't this dog like me?

 

Ok, back to the point. 

Here is the bench being painted. We white-washed the top and gave the legs a coat of a gray/blue.

 And here it is in our APT! It is perfect. We have eaten there. We use it! Yay! I sit here often while I am on my computer. It is a perfect little work space.

Bench Barstool = Complete

This project took one whole day. We spend a little under $20 to complete it.