jbeany

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

2011-05-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

The past 2+ weeks have been a little stressful...an emotional roller coaster to say the least. If you'd like to learn more, I've created a blog here, for my mom.

Any prayers at this time would be most appreciated!

Thanks!

Kami's Kitchen -- Gluten & Allergen-Free Food

2010-11-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Finally, easy, fabulous allergen-free food in one place! Woohoo!

Yum. I'm just sayin'... this Vanilla Apple Cake was amazing. I tried it on Sunday and Kami was right, it's pretty dang good.

Kami just started this new gluten-free and allergen-free food blog... it's fantastic. Although I don't have Celiac Disease, I've been seeing a nutritionist and have been advised to avoid gluten and dairy as much as possible. But I know all too well about the frustration of finding good recipes, food, and eating out when you have Celiac Disease. My mom, sister, 6 cousins, and best friend all have Celiac Disease and/or gluten intolerance. Some people think all this new Gluten-Free food is just a fad diet thing right now, but I don't believe that. I've seen the incredible positive effects of a GF diet not only in my family, but myself, almost immediately. I already feel so much better and have more energy this past month than I have in years.

Jumping off my soap-box, this blog is nice in that it shows how anyone can make normal, fantastic-tasting, allergen-free food. You can also download a pdf of each recipe to print, which is nice for those of us who don't want to deal with Keyboard Al Pomodoro.

I also like that she's starting to review food from restaurants and she shows specific brands of products to use. It makes it easy and you know it'll taste good. Anyone who's had a store-bought GF chocolate chip cookie knows how awful they can be, but Kami's homemade GF cookies are to die for. Let's just say was lucky enough to be her roommate for a couple years. Enough said.

Add this to your Google Reader, you won't be disappointed.
www.kamiskitchen.com

June 2010

2010-08-09T22:19:00.000-07:00


LA STAKE GIRLS CAMP 2010 — "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" It was a lot of work and very rewarding being a leader at girls camp. I love these girls! Big Bear, California

Everyone made their own pair of Ruby Slippers

Canoeing included the capsizing of some boats.

Some of my social butterflies and late-night jokesters.

May 2010

2010-08-09T22:05:00.000-07:00


Yes, you are allowed to be jealous. And yes, that is Kobe shooting mid-air. Kami and I went to the Lakers vs Jazz Playoffs!!! The Lakers won, of course. Staples Center in Downtown LA

April 2010

2010-08-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

Let the Twister making begin!!!

5 hours and 4 gallons of paint later... wallah.

Los Angeles & North Torrance Stake Youth Conference 2010
This was about 20 min into the game... it lasted forever!
Pacific Palisades, California

I even made a gigantic spinner thing! It was awesome!

March 2010

2010-08-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

Whale Watching with Shaun and Emily!
Newport Beach, California

February 2010

2010-08-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

My brother got married over New Years... but didn't tell us until mid-February.
Thankfully we all love my new sister-in-law!

January 2010

2010-08-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sara's going away dinner... so sad.
Come back Sara!!!!!

Rundown of 2009...

2010-07-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while... quite a while... so I've decided to do a quick photo recap of last year.

April 2009


Ward Pinewood Derby "The Mean Bean Machine"


Taking a Sunday stroll with my friends Malibu, California

May 2009


Comcast Entertainment Group Lobby I designed the frames and layout of the photo wall with E! Entertainment, Style Network, and G4 talent and programming.

Breakfast @ The Griddle in Hollywood, California.
"'Tis the Season Pancakes" ...'nough said.

My sister and I at our cousin's wedding.
Salt Lake City, Utah

June 2009

At the first McDonald's with friends.
Downey, California


Joel McHale Stand-Up Comedy... his manager gave me his tickets on the 3rd row. Oh yeah. Salt Lake City, Utah

My roommate, Julia's birthday dinner at Rock Sugar.
Century City, California

July 2009


4th of July Dana Point, California

Backstage after The Fray and Jack's Mannequin concert!!!
Irvine, California

At the Coldplay concert with friends
Carson, California

August 2009

Lydia and Sheena visiting from New Jersey!!!
Night we went to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

Rick & Sylvia's Wedding
San Diego, California

A thoughtful parting gift for a few close friends...
from Rick & Sylvia, before moving to Boston for grad school.
Creepy Rabbit Business Card Holders

Fiddler on the Roof @ The Pantages Theatre
Hollywood, California

September 2009

Rocket Day 4
Lancaster, California

October 2009

My brother came home from his 2-year LDS mission in Santa Rosa, California!!! Yay!!!
SLC Airport

Frijole Familia
American Fork Canyon, Utah

November 2009

Heather and I meeting one of my favorite band's, Carolina Liar, after a Rob Thomas concert.
Universal City Walk

29 and holding...

Go Kart Racing for Scott's birthday!
Carson, California

Roommate Danielle's Bridal Shower!
Woohoo!

December 2009

Tri-Stake YM & YW Service Day
Made lunches for the homeless in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Inglewood.
I got called to the Stake YW Presidency in Aug 2009... it's been so fun!!!

Grandma and I pretending to be naked at the Family Christmas Party...
it was her idea, I swear!!!
South Jordan, Utah

Slacker should be my first name.

2009-06-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know... I'm a slacker. I haven't posted anything in a long time. But rest assured, I have lots to update ya'll on as soon as I get a chance to actually download my photos and write a little somethin' somethin'.

In the mean time, here's a magazine ad from the Ruby Season 2 advertising campaign for the Style Network that I worked on. It's fun to see the huge 48" x 70" posters at all the malls around town all lit up. They turned out to be surprisingly beautiful!

Yay! They're Back!

2009-05-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

My Daily Candy update was super sweet, just in time for Mother's Day. Thank heaven's for this Mother and my Mother.

April 22nd is my favorite day of the year...

2009-04-22T03:07:00.001-07:00

I don't know why, it just is and has been for as long as I can remember. And yes, I know it's past 3:00am.

While catching up with some long-lost friends (via Facebook) tonight, I began blog-hopping and found my way to this entertaining gem.

I Double-Dog Dare You.

2009-03-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Think you know your Helvetica from Times New Roman? What about Arial from Myriad? Ok, ok... some of you actually do, but what about the difference between Adobe Caslon Pro and Adobe Garamond Pro?

I'm one of those really dorky people that loves typography almost as much as life itself, and I do know the difference between those two. Sometimes I can't control myself and I'll blurt out, "That was [insert font name here]" during a commercial or movie preview. It's embarrassing. Even last week while watching Jack Bauer get the crap kicked out of him on 24, I knew the "terrorist" font they were using.

I just wanted you all to know that someone slightly nerdier than me has created a game that I am now addicted to. I've only played twice so far, but yes, I am addicted. My high score is just over 100,000. I dare any of you out there to beat me. ;) Good luck.

Check out this poster I found the other day too... it's pretty amazing.

The 6 Challenge

2009-03-05T01:43:00.000-08:00

I'm taking Renee's "Sixes Challenge." Here's how it works: go to the pictures folder on your computer, go to the sixth file, go to the sixth picture, post it, then tag 6 people.

I've been absent from the blogging world lately, so I don't know if 6 people actually read this blog anymore. But if you're out there... post your photo... I want to see it.

This is a photo taken on the 4th of July last summer from a friend's beach house overlooking Monarch Bay. It was one of the most gorgeous sunsets ever. And it just so happens that this is my favorite holiday. I LOVE BBQs, watermelon, water-skiing, beach volleyball, and watching fireworks... and this photo.

My bad habit... not so bad.

2009-03-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

If you've ever had the pleasure of sitting next to me during church, a long movie, a plane flight, and/or any class I took in college you know that I have a "bad habit" of doodling. I'll doddle on anything from receipts to napkins to paper cups. I always carry at least 2 nice pens with me just for such occasions. I also keep a small dark green leather-bound notebook in my purse, exclusively for doodling in. I've had it for two years now and every time I start drawing, I get a question from at least one person. Mostly they want to know my motivation behind my designs—I always tell them it's to keep me from daydreaming. This is usually followed by a strange look.

I guess from the outside world it looks as if I'm being rude and not paying attention, but it's really just the opposite. The doodling helps me pay attention. Growing up, my mom would draw on the church program during Sacrament Meeting. I didn't think much of it until I started doing the same thing (I wanted to be a good little artist just like my mom). Eventually I noticed that when I got home from church, I retained a lot more than I normally did. Coincidence? Maybe. Either way, I've continued to doodle my way around town.

This morning I feel vindicated. I happened upon an article in Time magazine entitled, "Study: Doodling Helps You Pay Attention," by John Cloud. Not that I needed a published article to tell me what I already know, but now I have "proof" for the non-believers that have told me Freud would have a field-day with me and my little green notebook.

Here are a couple examples of my "bad habit" in action...

Tropiscandal '09

2009-03-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

Being a graphic designer, I'm always aware of good and bad design wherever it may be (sometimes at a fault). Kerning and leading issues are the worst. They drive me nuts! This past week at the grocery store, I noticed that Tropicana has had a major brand overhaul... and not in a good way. They were obviously trying to appeal to us Whole Foods shoppers, but it backfired. To the normal consumer it looks more like a budget brand of orange juice. And who wants to stand in that freezing cold isle trying to figure out which one has added calcium and high pulp? Not me! Where's my orange with a dumb straw in it? Before this disaster, I knew exactly which color of Tropicana juice box I wanted. Now I'm at a loss.

Be not afraid... I'm not the only one in a tissy over this. It has caused an uproar of protest amongst designers and consumers... to the point that the brand execs are pulling the newly designed packaging off the shelves and reverting back to their original well-designed packaging they had in the first place. Thank you!

Not to dis the agency who designed these; I'd be chomping at the bit to redesign the packaging of such a huge label. But I do have my limits. You can only change a brand so much before it's completely unrecognizable. Did they not take beginning design in college? To their credit, the new orange cap is pretty cool. I hope they keep that one element.

Just don't get me started on Pepsi and Jack in the Box What's going on?!

"Welcome to my home and thanks for the OJ."

2009-03-03T01:24:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve this year, Sara and I decided to be über-adventurous and go to a church-sponsored Young Single Adult activity in San Diego. It was hailed as "THE" party to go to in Southern California... and it didn't disappoint... surprisingly. Other than the fact that we were utterly confused by the preemptive countdown to 2009, it was a pretty fun party.

Later that evening we stayed the night at our friend Dan-O's home in San Diego. He was home with his family for the winter break from law school in DC. It was super fun to see him and meet his parents. They were so kind. When we arrived around 2am, our beds were all laid out nicely and we awoke the next morning to the smells of a home-cooked breakfast. It was amazing: freshly squeezed orange juice, hash browns, ham, and pancakes... smothered in yummy mapleness. Yum.

Dan, both his parents, his sister, brother, friend Jon, Sara and I squeezed around their little breakfast table that morning. The first morning of 2009. And what a way to begin! It couldn't get any better, right? Right. Just as I took one last HUGE swallow of orange juice (a "two-gulper", if you know what I mean), my lovely roommate Sara said something funny... and a bit delayed... which made it even funnier (to me) and my "gut" reaction was unstoppable. My lungs catapulted the massive volume of freshly squeezed orange juice all over the place. I was MORTIFIED! With my head still in my lap trying to recover from the shock of what I had just done, I tried to replay it in my head. I know I turned my head away from the tiny table just in time to spray the kitchen floor and not... and not... OH NO.

During all of this I should mention that the entire room was erupting in uncontrollable laughter... and I was one of them... the only nervous laughter at the table. I finally had the nerve to lift my head and open my eyes to find that my worst nightmare had just appeared right before my eyes. My aim was a perfect 10 - ALL OVER DAN'S FATHER... ALL DOWN HIS FACE, NECK, AND MOST OF HIS WHITE BUTTON-UP SHIRT AND SLEEVE.

I wanted to crawl in a hole and DIE. HOW COULD IT GET ANY WORSE?! The whole table was actually shaking with everyone's laughter. In fact, Dan's mom was laughing and shaking so hard that she almost fell off of her chair! I think we laughed for a solid 5 minutes. I was horrified, but I couldn't help but laugh too... I can't believe that I actually did that. I SPAT a mouthful of OJ all over this man I just met. This man who let me sleep at his home and made me breakfast... and how do I repay him? With a two-gulp mouthful of freshly squeezed high-pulp orange juice all down the front of him.

Thankfully he wasn't upset, in fact, I think he was utterly amused. I don't know why. Now I'm going to be one of those infamous stories in the Oakes family... "Hey Dan, remember when your friend came over for New Year's and dad made breakfast for her and she spit all over him? Yeah, that was funny. She was crazy... Yeah, who does that?!"

I still cringe.

Just a reminder...

2009-03-03T00:54:00.000-08:00

BACK UP YOUR COMPUTERS!!!

"I didn't think it would happen to me," but it did, and I lost almost everything on my computer. These famous last words still haunt me. Just when you think you're safe, you're not... even if you own a Mac, trust me.

After my 5-and-a-half hour lunch break last Tuesday at the Beverly Center Apple Store, I wanted to cry. I had taken my computer in to have any remaining files rescued off of my dead hard-drive. Luckily the guy helping me was super nice, patient, and was able to get a couple folders worth of pictures and my most recent portfolio. That's it. 28 Gigs of info gone. Gone forever.

It kinda makes me sick.

This will teach me to wait 6 months to back up my computer again. Thankfully the hard-drive was covered under the extended warranty, but the 500 GB external hard-drive I bought wasn't. Yikes.

December & January...

2009-03-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

Since I have so much blogging to catch-up* on and I'm super-duper busy at work this week, I'm going to be brief. Enjoy!

Bethany's Birthday Brunch @ Café 50's

Holiday Work Party @ L.A. Live... it was awesome.

2008 Greenfield Christmas Party: CUPCAKES GALORE!

Dinner & Annual Cookie Decorating Party

36-Hour Christmas in Utah w/the Fam

New Year's Day** on Coronado Island

*Kami, I hope you're temporarily satisfied with this little update! :)
**More to come regarding New Year's weekend

So Excited to Get Arrested!

2009-02-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

This and maybe this was the motivation I needed to start blogging again. That, and maybe the new hard-drive I'm having installed on my laptop as I write.

Life is good.

I Fell For It...

2008-11-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I wrote about needing to find some good books. I didn't want to fall into the Twilight Series trap that everyone else and their dog, yes... their dog, seemed to be ensnared. I persevered until Maxine tricked me into reading them.

I bought the first book, Twilight, went home and read half the book. Then I suffered through an agonizing work day to come home to the second half of the book. Done. I was hooked. Absolutely, positively, irrefutably HOOKED. How did this happen? The next day at work, I found myself chattin' it up at the printer with some co-workers about how incredible these vampire books were... How did I become THAT girl?! I even brought my copy in for a friend to read.

Then came Hawaii (which I have yet to blog about). Ten incredible days in Hawaii... with Bella and Edward. Oh yes people. The first day on Maui, Kami and I went to Borders and I bought the rest of the series—New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. This was the extent of the next 4 days of my vacation... with a brief 2 hour oil painting class interruption. While Kami was "working", I read, basking in the sun at the poolside while the pool boys brought me pineapple slices and lava flows. It was glorious until I realized I was laughing hysterically (out loud) and one of these boys asked what I was reading. "Umm... it's about vampires... and uh, werewolves... maybe." That did it. He didn't leave me alone about it for the rest of the week. I don't really blame him. It sounds pretty ridiculous, but oh my gosh... these books are like crack!

Kami was one book behind me in the series, so I had to hurry up and read the last novel because it was super long compared to the others. The saga ended on Thursday, about 2:30am, on the bathroom floor of the Ritz-Carlton resort. It was so addicting, I just had to finish the stupid thing, but I felt bad about leaving the light on while Kami was trying to sleep. Later she yelled at me for resorting to the bathroom, but I just couldn't help it. Like I said... crack. Or should I say.. bliss.

Needless to say, Kami was just as hooked. We both had "issues" with something WEIRD that happens in the second half of Breaking Dawn, but I won't ruin it for those who still want to read it. I know you're out there, just dying to borrow my books! In fact, while at dinner one night with Kami's coworkers, we talked her boss's daughter into reading them. The next day, she joined Kami and I poolside as we all fell in love with Edward. But don't worry... her pool boy didn't tease her about the vampire books. He was too enraptured with his own love for dolphins to see past the end of his nose. Yikes. Weirdos live in Maui too, I suppose.

Anyway, it's true. I fell for the curse of the Twilight Saga. When I read the words, "The End", I painfully longed for more. The next day was slightly depressing, honestly. I went back to Borders and bought Stephanie Meyer's new book, The Host, just to alleviate some of the pain. I do hate to admit it, but I'm also "one of those" who pre-bought tickets to the Twilight movie for opening night. I'm even leaving work 2 hours early on Friday to see it with Kami and some friends/family down in Orange County. A bit obsessive? Maybe. But don't judge me until you read these books.

I'll say it again... crack. Pure crack.

PS- more on Hawaii to come!

Cheryl & Jim

2008-11-11T00:48:00.000-08:00

It's not every day that you throw a bridal shower where everyone invited knows both the bride and the groom... and know them well. I think we laughed all night long--telling stories, playing games, opening presents, and eating cake.

A couple weeks later, I was lucky enough to attend their wedding at the Los Angeles Temple. It was the first sealing I've attended there. The spirit inside the room was undeniably loving and full of excitement. I couldn't help but smile the entire time. Cheryl, of course, looked absolutely amazing, and Jim couldn't help but be himself.

I'm so happy for you two!!!

Oh dear.

2008-11-10T23:29:00.000-08:00

I had brunch at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach with some of my closest friends this past weekend. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought out a chocolate cake all lit with a million candles. At first, I looked at the cake coming toward us and I honestly thought, "Oh, I wonder who's birthday it is," and then he placed the fire ball right in front of me... as a choir of my crazy friends sang Happy Birthday... to ME!

Oh dear. The memory loss has begun.

The night ended with a little get-together hosted by my roommates. Sara made a huge homemade 4 layer yellow butter cake with chocolate ganache filling and frosting. It was pretty amazing to say the least. Thank you everyone! I had the best day!!!

Shannon, Liz, Kami, Jessica

Brettly, Jake, Shannon, McKay, Liz, Kami, Eddie

Shaun, Sara, Jeff

Steve, Julia, Bethany

Shannon & Jessica

It's a Boy!

2008-11-04T22:48:00.001-08:00

Kami and I threw a baby shower for Kim last month. It turned out to be a super fun-filled night of laughs with great friends. We played two games-- 1) guess the baby food by smelling and tasting it (if you dare) and 2) guess the melted candy bar in the bottom of the diaper. The reactions on the girls' faces was priceless.

Byron was nice enough to show up just in time for the gift opening and dessert. I made a cute little pregnant cake. It was my first time using fondant and I loved it! Granted, it tastes horrible, but I frosted it enough underneath that it was easy to remove. I may have found my new calling in life... I just wish Ace of Cakes was hiring here in Los Angeles. Kami crocheted an incredible sailboat afghan and ordered a Superhero cape from our friend. You should check out her website, the cape's are absolutely adorable and completely made to order. But be sure to check out the photo below of Kim wearing the cape... and punching Kami. SO funny!!! I love my friends. :)

About three weeks after the baby shower, Kim and Byron sent a text message announcing the birth of their new baby boy, Harrison, on November 1st, the day before her own birthday. He's a healthy little guy with seriously bright blond, almost white hair. Some newborns aren't so cute... you know what I'm talking about... but Harrison is SUPER cute and absolutely adorable! Good job parents. I'm finally a pseudo aunt.

MS Charity Tennis Event

2008-11-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

Kami and I attended a celebrity and professional tennis charity event for Multiple Sclerosis this past month. Kami helped organize the event--good job Kami! Take a gander into my purse (lunch) that afternoon... cranberry juice, tootsie rolls and starbursts. My 3 basic food groups and the hot guy from Heroes... what a great afternoon!

Style projects

2008-11-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Here are two projects that I've recently worked on for the Style Network. One is a cupcake tag celebrating Style's 10 year anniversary. Everyone at work got one of these yummy things... and a 10 minute massage. Heaven.

And here's a billboard I helped with for a new show coming to Style called Ruby. It debuts on Sunday, November 9th, but I've seen the first episode already and I'm hooked. She's lovable and inspiring, I can't wait to see what happens.

Jack-o'-lanterns

2008-11-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

For my young single adult FHE group, we recently had a traditional jack-o'-lantern carving night. Although I participated from the sidelines, I did document some of my favorites. Here's a photo of Mike with his pretty cool, non-traditional lime jack-o'-lanterns. I love the cyclopes.

Mike Wazowski... coincidence? Or maybe my friend Mike is channeling his inner Disney character... hmmm.

Very Clever

2008-11-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

Usually, I think vanity plates are ridiculous, but this one is pretty clever. I took this photo on my way to work a couple weeks ago. I love the Kings too.

San Francisco - Fall '08

2008-10-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

I drove up to San Francisco with Bethany the last weekend of September for Ryan and Laurel's wedding and reception. Except for the fact that I mistakingly took the 99 instead of the 5 into Northern California, the trip was pretty successful. Put two talkative girls in a car for a few hours, add a Frosty stop and some good laughs... and it makes for a fabulous road trip!

The sealing was held in the Oakland Temple overlooking the bay area. And the reception was held in Walnut Creek. I fell in love with two things on this trip. First was Walnut Creek. It's like the best of LA and Orange counties mixed into beautiful Northern California. Randomly, my second cousin is actually close friends of Laurel's family and in her home ward. It was a great opportunity to catch up with her after a good 11 years! It's crazy how time flies.

Laurel's neighbor was gracious enough to open his empty house up to us for gigantic slumber party of LA friends. After the second night of 3am giggling girls, I think the boys wanted to kill us all, but we survived.

The reception was exactly Laurel. Very classy, elegant, and exciting. It was perfect! Here are a couple photos from the weekend. Oh yeah... and the second thing I fell in love with in SF was Rob Moffat. As cliché as this sounds, as soon as he started singing for the couple's first dance, my heart melted. (It's true Rob! It was beautiful!)

Bacteria Beach Birthday

2008-10-11T03:10:00.000-07:00

There once was a boy named Gero Student,
who really wasn't a student, but still quite prudent.
He and his coworkers went on an island retreat,
filled with flowers, food, and fun replete.
A quick dip in the ocean caused quite the commotion.
When Gero Student later read the posted sign,
it created a great work-place laugh-line:
High levels of bacteria...
Let's hope he doesn't get diphtheria.

All joking aside... we celebrated Gero Student's birthday in style... dinner, dessert and good friends. The one and only gift he was given was promptly stolen by his nephew... this cool skull kit. I woke up the next morning to find the mandible on my kitchen floor. All I could think of was the horror this child (and mother) was going to face when he realized it was missing. Good news... the mandible has been restored to it's (un)lawful owner. Sorry Gero Student. Maybe next year you'll get a present you can keep.

[bon-ding]

2008-10-11T02:28:00.000-07:00

Did I mention I moved? I think I did, but if not... I moved in May. These are my newish roommates and I bonding one lovely Sunday evening. There's no substitute for quality time spent together in this room... with a laptop and Gchat.

bond·ing /ˈbɒndɪŋ/ bon-ding

1. Psychology, Animal Behavior.
a. a relationship that usually begins at the time of birth between a parent and offspring and that establishes the basis for an ongoing mutual attachment.
b. the establishment of a pair bond.
2. a close friendship that develops between adults, often as a result of intense experiences, as those shared in military combat.
3. Dentistry. a technique or procedure for restoring the discolored or damaged surface of a tooth by coating it with a highly durable resinous material that adheres to the existing enamel.

[Origin: 1670–80, for earlier sense; bond1 + -ing1]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Did I mention I despise the word 'bonding'? That and 'cuddling'. I hate that word too. Not that I don't like the actual meanings and actions of these words, I just hate these words. Yes, hate.

Labor Day Shopping

2008-10-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

before
after

I went window shopping for a new mattress on Labor Day and came home a few hundred dollars poorer. But my body thanks me every morning now.

As you can see from the photo, I'm going to have to do something about the height of my bed. I literally have to hop onto my bed every night, and it's also the first time in over 21 years that I've worried about falling off of my bed while sleeping. [Back story: My mom likes to tell people about the many mornings she'd walk into my bedroom (when I was 5-7 years old) and find me asleep on the floor next to my bunk-bed. Supposedly I'd slip right off the top bunk underneath the safety bar and land on the floor... completely unaware. She was super worried about me getting hurt, but realized after a couple times that I wasn't waking up and/or crying about it, so it obviously didn't hurt me much. Basically... I wasn't broken... so she didn't fix anything.]

No wonder I have crazy back problems now. Thanks mom. :)
I guess one good thing came of all of this... I can sleep through anything. Just ask any of my former roommates and/or current employer. They'll vouch for me.

I'm melting!

2008-10-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

I know I'm way behind on updates, but I can't blog anything until I complain about the heat here in Los Angeles. Holy Crap. It's HOT and it's OCTOBER!!! What happened to fall weather? Here's a screenshot of weather.com in my zip code... uhh.

Surprise Phone Calls

2008-09-05T01:20:00.000-07:00

Emely, Sara and I at the Glendale YSA Conference a couple weeks ago.

This was last photo taken before getting SUPER SICK. I was sooooo sick! After A LOT of praying Saturday night, I was able to finally get a couple hours of sleep, get ready for church in the morning, and take 10-15 minutes to prepare my RS lesson before I had to give it. The lesson wasn't that easy either... it was on "Words of Hope and Consolation at the Time of Death". Thankfully I had prepared a little by emailing 3 close friends about their recent experiences and had those printed out. I wanted die while giving the lesson, but I made it through fairly well and went home to crash on the couch for the next 3 days. No joke. I went to the doctor after having a 101+ degree temperature for 4 days in a row. When I got there, I just cried. At this point I hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in over 72 hours. He told me to go straight to the ER to get some fluids in me. I honestly didn't have the strength. I barely made it home. Kami came over and brought Gatorade. It was my saving grace. Slowly I went back to work and got over this craziness.

Then I got a phone call. And a voice message.

The CDC wanted to talk to me. Huh? And the LA County Health Department? It seems that my lab results came back positive for Salmonella poisoning. No wonder I felt like crap. Literally. :) I spent over 45 min on the phone with the CDC answering questions about anything and everything you could think of. There's a 72-hour incubation period before symptoms show. So now I get to go back and figure out exactly what I ate that week and where. Then the County Health Department came to my house. Wow, who knew I was so important? Surprisingly, my doctor was the last one to call and tell me what was going on.

It's sad when the state and federal gov't has faster response times than my own personal doctor. And I pay extra to have a PPO. Hmm.

Summer Office Party

2008-09-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

My summer office party was last night. I've worked at many places and been to many summer parties, but this one doesn't even compare. E! definitely knows how to throw a party! It began with an order of 200,000 Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast, Pink's Hot Dogs for lunch, an incredibly tasty catered Mediterranean influenced dinner, about 10 open bars (stocked with diet coke, thankfully, and 'round-trip taxi vouchers for all employees), and ended with live music performances from 7:30pm-2:00am! This was an employee-only event--no guests allowed. My friend Shana works in the twin building across the courtyard from me and she sent me a text message yesterday afternoon wondering what was going on. Sorry Shana! (Hope you had fun watching the concerts from your balcony!) Her office building wasn't even allowed out of their front doors! Security stopped "outsiders" at every point... checking for the coveted little green wrist bands we were all given to attend. One of the funniest parts of the night was watching the security "standing guard"--while dancing the night away!

Clinton Sparks DJ'd all night and N.E.R.D. (Pharrell Williams' band) was the headliner. Sean Kingston--famous for "Beautiful Girls", Colby O'Donis--“What You Got" featuring Akon, and Ray J--"Sexy Can I" all performed too. It was pretty fun and wild. Our CEO told us not to show up to work today before 11am... needless to say... it was a quiet day at work. I'm assuming Advil sales were at an all-time high at the grocery store across the street.

I can't wait for the Holiday Party!

My office front courtyard turned concert venue

Amanda and I--we sit right next to each other and have the same last name!

My coworkers and I

I loved the decor

Sean Kingston

Colby O'Donis

Ray J

N.E.R.D.

*I saved these videos at a very low-res... maybe I'll reexport better versions later.

Wedding Weekend!

2008-09-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Amy and Justin got married last month! Their reception was beautiful and the company even better. Chris came to visit from TX for the wedding, so we had to celebrate all weekend long. It was slightly fabulous. We have another friends' wedding coming up in October... will we see Chris again? We'd better!!!

Danny Doom

2008-09-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

Danny is our beloved friend and we recently celebrated his birthday... Danny Style. Traditionally, Danny sings the Gloomy Birthday song to each of us for our birthday's, so we decided to do the same for him. The JCrew added a special verse for Danny and it turned out to be a great success. Notice the lovely design Josh made with the candles.
Happy (Gloomy) Birthday, Danny! And congrats on finishing the Bar Exam!

Hallelujah!

2008-09-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

I've officially finished the domestic and international campaign I've been working on. YAY! I can't tell you how happy I am about it! We even celebrated at work! Well, I lied... I celebrated the end of Pamelaland... at a co-workers birthday. Here are a two photos I took through my car window.

Don't Smoke.

2008-09-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Body Worlds exhibit at the California Science Center continues to enthrall me. This is the second one I've attended and I can't wait for the next. It's a science exhibit of the human body and all its many parts, but they're plasticized... it's pretty much amazing. The show is moving to SLC from LA this month, so if you have the chance to go--definitely go, you won't regret it. The smoker's lung has got to be the most persuasive reason not to smoke. NASTY!

Little Miss and Mr Men

2008-08-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I had a split-second flashback to my childhood. Besides my all-time favorite "Go Dog. Go!", my favorite series was the "Little Miss and Mr Men" book series by Roger Hargreaves. I couldn't remember what they were called at first, but I remembered the characters vividly. It took about 5 minutes of google-exploring, but I found them. Not only did I find the books, but I found a website for the "Mr Men Show" on the Cartoon Network. I obviously don't frequent the CN very often. I had no idea it existed, but I'm so glad it does because their website it so cute. Each character has its own game, downloadable coloring page and wallpaper. My boss walked past as I was playing one of these dumb little flash games. I was caught. I couldn't help it, I was reverting back to my 2-year-old self! Oh, look, I found another one.

I think Little Miss Chatterbox is my favorite today. She keeps repeating, "I love chocolate cake and competitive shopping."

"soooo meaty... "

2008-08-15T00:22:00.000-07:00

My friends and I have been frequenting tapings of The Soup lately. I really don't have much more to say, other than the fact that Joel McHale is not only hilarious, but so nice and so dang hot. That's all.

Pamelaland.

2008-08-07T00:53:00.000-07:00

Work life has officially interrupted my home life. I'm dreaming in orange and yellow. Someone please help me.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably don't live in Los Angeles or New York City. Otherwise you'd be bombarded by posters and billboards promoting this new show. Want your very own calendar? Want a poster? Let me know... I think I have an "in" with the person who made them.

Thoughts of even watching this show are beginning to put me over the edge. I'm doing good just attempting to stay afloat in the yellow-orange-lands of Australia, Canada, UK, Italy, France, Germany, Serbia... you name it... I'm swimming in a dangerous game of RISK.

glow

2008-08-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

The city of Santa Monica let go of all their many beach and pier rules for 12 beloved hours with an incredible GLOW festival - the first time in history that the Santa Monica pier has been open all night long. How could I not be a part of this? When we finally found parking and walked down to the pier, it was about 2:00am. Overall the art installations were pretty cool, but the amount of people at this festival was astonishing!

"At any given time, up to 75,000 people could be found on the Santa Monica Pier and the surrounding beach and park, all entranced by the exciting range of artworks and performances. When a new wave of Glow seekers arrived after 2:00 am, the Santa Monica Pier finally reached capacity... Public safety officials then limited access to the Pier for a period of time, the music stage was closed, and the popular work by Usman Haque north of the Pier was briefly shut down." —from the glow website

With as many people that were there, I was pleasantly shocked to run in to at least 10 people I knew there--some I haven't seen in 3+ years, some from Orange County, from work... it was insane and so much fun. I think everyone and their dog was at this thing. (Yes, I did use that cliché, get over it.) :)

Kami and Rustin and I entertained ourselves with the 'cosmic' array of crazy people. I shouldn't have been so surprised with just how many weirdo's there were... we were at the Santa Monica Pier for heaven's sake. Nonetheless, it was still amusing to see a glowing mermaid, a mid-70s hairy-sweaty-shirtless-overweight man-on-crack (I think) dancing to his iPod while smoking in the middle of a very very crowded sea of people walking down the pier. This guy even had a crowd forming around him--including an officer who couldn't do much but stare--just like the rest of us. Hey, almost everything is humorous after midnight... and it just got better past 3:00am!

I hope you enjoy the pics... we were inspired to create our own "glowing selves". Kami and I even got a picture with my new boyfriend. He's hot, eh? Thanks Santa Monica!!! (Next time--make sure more restaurants and shops stay open near 3rd street--boy did they miss out on some major dough!)

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

2008-07-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

Set in 1832, this sea story begins with a warning to the reader: "Not every 13-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found guilty." Charlotte Doyle is a spunky, intelligent American girl whose English education has shaped her to be a lady. No wonder that, from the moment she boards a merchant ship headed for home, she feels out of place. She's the only passenger, her cabin's a dark hole, and the captain's name terrifies burly dock workers.

This was my favorite book when I was 11 years old. I came across my battered copy of it just a couple weeks ago while reorganizing my book shelves. It brought back memories of reading and rereading it until 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning. I can still remember my dad coming in and turning off my light without warning and saying, "Let the hero suffer." It would make me furious! But now, it's a little funny.

As a child, I was an avid reader. I read for hours each night. On top of that, I wrote in my journal every single day for years upon end. What happened to me? Now I play Sudoku until my eyes cross and I force myself to turn the lights out, but then I just end up dreaming about where that stupid #5 belongs. And when was the last time I wrote in my journal? Good question. I don't actually remember.

Maybe it's time for a hobby reevaluation. I've heard the Twilight series of books are great, but I don't want to be cliché in my reading. Is that lame? Probably.

4th of July

2008-07-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

I spent the 4th of July down in Orange County again this year. But this time we were lucky enough to see the fireworks and not just colored fog! What's better than a little BBQ, volleyball, and poolside fun? The sunset was breathtaking and it was super fun to meet new people... uh... I mean... boys. ;)

Check out these views. Can life get any better?! I don't think so.

Not so complicated...

2008-07-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

The new Denise Richards reality show on E! launched a few weeks ago. The tag line is "It's Complicated". I've watched a couple episodes and I just don't understand what's so complicated. Joel McHale on The Soup agrees, he makes fun of the tag line every chance he can get. It's comical, that's for sure.

Anyway, I helped work on the image campaign for this show and Living Lohan. I'll be honest, it's pretty fun to drive around Los Angeles and see something you've worked on plastered on a billboard or a building--over 70 feet tall!

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-07-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

June was full of birthday celebrations. Oh how I love birthdays.
I'll let the photos do the talking this month. :)

Kami's Birthday @ Pinkberry... swirly goodness.

Julia-Goolia's Brownie & Ice Cream Spectacular

Heidi's Italian Masterpiece of a Birthday

Jeff's celebration before the celebration

Opening Night @ the Hollywood Bowl

2008-07-05T16:35:00.001-07:00

At the last minute, I found out that Sir James Galloway was playing at the Hollywood Bowl. He's basically considered a the best flutist in the world, so seeing him perform again was something I didn't want to miss. The LA Phil is always fantastic, but coupled with BB King, Liza Minelli, and Sir James Galloway... it was fabulous. If you know me well, you also know I LOVE fireworks... it was the perfect night.

Confessions of a Former Band Geek & Nintendo Nerd

2008-06-28T02:41:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow band geeks-in-hiding. The following video will make you proud. Oh, wait... you're not willing to admit you played the clarinet in band? (Don't worry, I wouldn't admit that either.) For the rest of you, you'll appreciate this if you've ever played video games, esp. Mario Bros & Tetris.

PS- Flutes Rule and Trumpets Drool

A Weekend in Sin City

2008-06-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

My initial intention in going to Las Vegas with some friends was for our mutual friends' wedding reception. Instead, it ended up being a weekend of buffets, laying out in the blazing sun, and going to a Cirque du Soleil show... oh, and we did make it to the wedding reception... a bit late. Jim and Sara have done a great job in blogging the entire experience, so I won't do it here. But I will add my two (x10) cents about my sinful ways (aka: big jackpot winnings)!

After a glutenous brunch at the Bellagio, we made our way to the nearest chairs we could find. They happened to be at the $1 slots. Oh yeah baby. The money started flowing... ok, not really. I put two crisp dollar bills in and ended up with one voucher for 20 cents. A 'normal' person wouldn't go through the hassle of redeeming a 20 cent voucher. But that was my 20 cents! Yes, I waited in line at the cashier for all of 5 minutes. The guy in front of me had just been handed a $40,000 cashier's check. Holy crap. It was my turn.

I walked up smiling and confidently slapped down my voucher in front of the cashier. She looked at me inquisitively and said, "I just have one question for you. Would you like this in cash or check?" We both were giggling uncontrollably. Who turns in a voucher for 20 cents? I responded, "Cash please! It would probably be more expensive for you to write me a check." She held up my two shiny dimes and said, "Would you like an escort with this?" I couldn't help it, I quickly replied, "As long as he comes with a briefcase and handcuffs!"

I think I made her day. She definitely made mine.

Here are few photos from our adventures... bon appetite!

Oh yes we did... We rented a minivan!

Vegas here we come!

A road trip wouldn't be complete without a #2, animal style

YAY! We finally made it!!!

Danny and Sara @ the Planet Hollywood Wedding Chapel...
ou la la!

The thug in me

Sara getting a little comfy with Sin City

In front of the Bellagio Fountains

Danny, Jeff and Jim

Sara after brunch - Proof that the Bellagio has lots of yummy food

Jeff and I after the Bellagio Buffet... I seriously wanted to die.

Just about to redeem my big winnings!

I loved these balloons @ the Bellagio

Home Sweet Home!

Baking in the Vegas sun @ the Monte Carlo pool

Matt & Gleidy - The newest LA 1st newlyweds!

Sara & Gleidy (and her incredible dress)

Danny, Matt, Jeff and Jim

Gleidy & I

KA @ the MGM Grand
(Obviously Jeff & I didn't get the gray/green memo)

Jeff, Sara & I @ The Wynn (my new favorite casino)

The closest Sara and I will come to Venice any time soon!

Sunday Brunch @ the Paris Buffet

Jeff was thirsty!

I think I was pretty sick at this point!

Jim & Cheryl dancing in Paris

A San Francisco Treat... or two.

2008-06-17T00:43:00.000-07:00

I flew to San Francisco two weekends ago for Courtney's Open House. My parents met me there and I played the part of The Tour Guide for a day before wedding stuff began again. The open house was beautiful. Christian's family really put a lot of effort into making it just perfect for them. Not only did they have this open house to put together, but 6 days later they had to do it all over again for his sister. She got married last Friday! What a crazy couple of weeks this has been for all of us! As you might be able to tell, I finally have a camera of my very own!

Lombard Street- I think my mom was going to have a heart attack while my dad maneuvered his way down the "Crookedest Street in America"... in our Tahoe.

Fisherman's Wharf-My grandmother and I took a little ride around the wharf, compliments of a biker with a two-seater bench. I think she was in heaven! A visit to Pier 39 is not complete without having lunch at the infamous Boudin Sourdough Factory. Clam Chowder in a bread bowl. Yum. Does life get any better?

Alcatraz- If you haven't been, go. It's incredibly beautiful and strangely humbling.

Ghiradelli Square- Chocolate. Need I say more?

Golden Gate Bridge- Please take note that my brother, 13+ years younger than me, is literally squeezing me to death. Very funny Cameron!

Christian & Courtney's Open House- It couldn't have been a more beautiful evening in the Bay Area. I don't know how long Courtney will let me have these funny photos of her up, so enjoy them while they last!

Courtney's Wedding, Part Two

2008-06-17T00:04:00.001-07:00

Christian & Courtney @ Mt Timpanogas Temple

Just after walking out of the SLC Temple

My Family

Both families

Setting up for the reception

Husbandly band-aid duties

Grandparents

My brother Clayton

Cutting the cake

Yummy

Julia and I attempting to cut the cake

The look on my grandmother's face is priceless

Jenny, Julia & Kami

Presents!

You may call me Iron Chef.

2008-06-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

Sara, Trisha, Julia, Kristen, Jessica, Paul

A couple weeks ago I was asked to be one of 5 lead chef's in the upcoming Iron Chef activity at church. I was out to win and nothing could stop me.

The instructions were as follows:

-Bring at least 1 ingredient you think will help you win the competition.
-Once teams are formed 2 people from each team will have about 30 seconds to grab ingredients from the supplied ingredients. Then we'll reveal the secret ingredient and the competition will begin.
-You'll have 15 minutes to make your dish for 3 judges.
-Judges will base the winner on creativity, taste and use of the secret ingredient. There are prizes for 1st & 2nd place.

All of us would be in the gym and we only had 15 minutes, thus we weren't actually "cooking" anything. What could it be? My best bet: dessert.

Like the other contestants, I didn't know what the "secret ingredient" would be, so I came prepared. I brought with me:

-mixing bowls
-a can opener
-display trays
-my good knives
-a cutting board
-food grater
-4 cute margarita glasses
-Hawaiian napkins
-cookie sheets
-assorted food coloring
-white frosting
-chocolate frosting
-a set of 6 cake decorating tips and bags
-assorted sprinkles
-Life cereal
-Hershey's chocolate bar
-Twix bar
-Snickers bar
-marshmallows
-angel food cake
-strawberry glaze
-strawberries
-blueberries
-raspberries
-bananas
-can of mandarin oranges
-can of peaches
-cream cheese
-Eagle Brand condensed milk
-plain yogurt

Not only did I bring all of these ingredients, I laid them all out on a beautiful purple table-cloth. I brought in a little team spirit with Hawaiian decorations and lei's for everyone on my team. I might have given the 3 judges lei's too. I had to make them feel included!

I came prepared and determined to win. As soon as the other 4 lead chef's witnessed 'the oil in my lamp', they quickly accused me of cheating. Not so... I reminded them of the rules: "Bring at least 1 ingredient you think may help you win the competition." Needless to say, they didn't like that comment. I can't blame them, they knew they were going to lose.

The bell rang and we ran to the provided ingredients table. I picked up some whipped topping and Teddy Grahams. The secret ingredient was announced: JELL-O. I died laughing. What a typical Mormon food... and perfect for my dessert-inspired creation! I ran to the stage and grabbed a pre-made bowl of red Jello.

My team and I set to work. 15 minutes later we had 3 incredible Fruit & Jello Parfaits in my margarita glasses! We called them "Love on the Beach".

Layer 1- blueberries and strawberries
Layer 2- bananas with strawberry glaze
Layer 3- red Jello (I still don't know if it was strawberry or cherry flavored)
Layer 4- raspberries
Layer 5- whipped topping encircled with blueberries
Layer 6- Two Teddy Grahams sitting underneath a little paper umbrella with chocolate Hershey's bar shavings (the sand) surrounding them

It was perfect. No cheating necessary.

The 5 teams presented their creations to the judges one by one. Team Jessica with their cute presentation in glasses with a Hawaiian inspired table setting, the other 4 teams with their disasters on paper plates. I told the panel of judges that we had angel food cake as one of the layers... whoops. In my haste, I forgot we had nixed that plan--it didn't taste quite right. Oh well. They still loved Team Jessica's creation the best. WE WON!!!

The prize was a really cool wooden spatula for each member of the team, engraved with "Los Angeles 1st Ward – IRON CHEF 1st Place".

Someone once asked me if I was competitive. My answer- Only when I want to be.

[Kudos to the activities committee and Carrie for putting on such a great activity. They even had a Movie on the Green showing of "Back to the Future" afterwards.]

I've been caught

2008-06-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Compliments of my brother, click here.

I'm a real adult now!

2008-06-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

I bought my first major appliance on Saturday... a brand new washer and dryer! I walked in to buy a digital camera, and walked out with a washer and dryer (and camera). It reminded me of a post from Gero Student not long ago, it made me laugh. I might win the prize for the most expensive "not on the list" purchased items from one store.

The best thing about this high-efficiency washer is the $250 rebate from LADWP. Oh, and the fact that I got them for 50% off because they were floor models isn't a bad perk either.

They're being delivered tomorrow morning. By tomorrow evening, I will have clean clothes again! My new roommates are slightly excited about my new purchases as well. Not only will I smell better, but they will too. ;)

"I don't want to play golf....

2008-06-02T23:04:00.000-07:00

...When I hit a ball, I want somebody else to go chase it." -Rogers Hornsby

We went to a Dodgers game last weekend. And thanks to Sara's camera and blog, I have awesome photos to show you! Julia also posted some on facebook, which were pretty cute, so I borrowed those as well. (Thanks girls!) Unfortunately the baseball game was uneventful, but the movie we saw afterwards definitely made up for it! If you haven't seen Ironman yet, do it. Drop what you're doing and go buy a ticket. It's worth every penny.

Kami, Jessica, Sara, Vic

Vic, Sara, Jessica, Kelsey, Ruth Ann, Shaun, Heidi, Julia

Jessica & Heidi

Dodger's Stadium

View of Downtown LA from the parking lot

Lucy's Funeral

2008-05-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

I'll spare you the tears by not going into detail about the services and viewing, but it couldn't have been more perfect. The stake center in Park City was filled to capacity with heavy hearts and plenty of tissues. The speakers were uplifting, spiritually-minded, and had wonderfully sweet stories to share with us about little Lucy's short life here on earth.

The Bishop asked all the firemen, policemen, paramedics, nurse's, flight crew, doctor's, and Relief Society sisters who had assisted that tragic Sunday afternoon to stand. It was pretty amazing. Next to stand were: family members, ward members, and those who had fasted and prayed for them. At this point, everyone was standing.

I really hope that in that moment, Molly and Vic took note of the hundreds (literally) of people who were standing there--each filled with love and support for their little family. I'm sure that in the days, months, and years to come, life is going to be terribly difficult. Even with the knowledge that they will be reunited with Lucy again–doesn't necessarily take away how painful the process of living daily life will be, I can't imagine. Countless have prayed, fasted, and served on their behalf. I still have a hard time not crying while reading through the comments that friends, family, and complete strangers have left Molly and Vic on their blog. I honestly believe that a part of me will never be the same. The outpouring of love and support is unprecedented.

After the funeral services ended, the congregation was asked to meet the family members outside of the chapel. We were greeted with about 200 or so pink balloons. Molly and Vic released their two balloons first, and the rest of us followed. The sight was spectacular. Of course this was all beautifully symbolic, but I couldn't help but think how excited Lucy must have been to see all those pretty pink balloons floating up to the heavens. She must have been dancing and jumping!

One of Molly's friends took this photo. This was just the beginning.

Courtney's Wedding, Part One

2008-05-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

Salt Lake City Temple

Dad & Courtney

BBQ Luncheon

Courtney, Sara, Kami, Jessica @ BBQ luncheon after the sealing

Reception Photos
Hot Grandma & Sister @ the wedding reception
Even though I caught the bouquet, take note that my grandmother was the most excited about the bouquet toss!

Update on Lucy

2008-05-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately little Lucy passed away yesterday. I couldn't help but cry when I found out. She was such a doll. I can't even imagine how her parents feel right now. I'm so thankful for the knowledge of eternal families. Through the blessings of the Atonement, Vic and Molly will see her again.

In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a fund at Chase Bank in Salt Lake City to help offset costs. A small group of old friends here in Los Angeles will be gathering money to make one large donation. Please let me know if you'd like to help.

The obituary can be found on Molly and Vic's blog.

"Got an Ex? Get an Ex!"

2008-05-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

During one of my recent Internet browsings, I happened upon this great little item and had to share. This was taken directly from the Overstock.com website:

Though frowned upon by many, stabbing your ex can really give you some closure, although it's often the kind of closure that leaves you closed for thirty to life.

'The Ex' knife set is the perfect solution to all your morbid fantasies. The razor sharp precision cutting blades slice easily through all types of foods. This set makes a great gift for any occasion and it's also considerably cheaper than therapy.

* 'The Ex' stands 15.5 inches tall
* Anonymous effigy design can represent anyone you please
* Plastic casings house every knife to prevent blade exposure
* Unique artistic holder made of ABS plastic
* Innovative knife suspension system
* Individual protective knife sleeves
* Heavy gauge durable stainless steel blades and hollow handles
* Razor sharp precision cutting blades

Although I don't actually need one of these, maybe I'll buy a couple for my friends. Heaven knows they could use one of these! But then again... would I be considered accessory to murder? Maybe I should wait.

A whirlwind week...

2008-05-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

All within the past week: I moved to another apartment in Los Angeles, my sister got married, and I graduated from California State University Northridge. I didn't think this week could get any crazier until I got a phone call around 11:45pm last night.

An old roommate and good friend of mine has a little girl in a coma as I write this. She chocked on an apple Sunday afternoon and was air-lifted to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. The prognosis to this point is pretty grim. Please keep little Lucy and her parents, Molly and Vic, in your prayers.

More details about happier life events to come as soon as my life slows down a bit!

Steamy Friday Nights

2008-04-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

This is what a little rootbeer, vanilla ice cream and hot, sexy aprons will do to two single girls on a Friday night in Los Angeles. Oh yeah... it's a wonder we're still single! And you didn't think I was going to blog again today? You were wrong.

Just a few more things...

2008-04-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

I promise, this is my last post for the day. Here are some more photos (thanks SC) from the goings-on around town. :)

SUPERBOWL 2008

Chris's Hockey Game: Jimbotron, Cheryl, Jeffrey, me, Chris, Sara, and Justin (aka-Scott)

Chris's going away dinner @ El Torito. I can testify that Sara definitely earned her reward, don't let her fool you.

Sara looking gorgeous in India. Come home!!!

Ha Ha

2008-04-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

An email from my dad last month:

Subject: "An Unexpected Peep Show"
Body: "HAPPY EASTER! Love, Dad"

"My name is... and I'm a Blogaholic"

2008-04-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

I am suffering from Blogitis. This could be due to an excessive lack of blogging lately, the extraordinary amount of down-time I'm having at work the past two days, or the Adderall finally kicking in. ;) Either way, here's another little update on recent adventures and events in my life.

Phil was one of the first guys I met when I moved to LA in 2002. In fact, I remember meeting him after his Sunday School lesson one Sunday in 2001 while I was visiting the UCLA ward. Jill moved in a little later and the two eventually became inseparable. There was rarely a day that went by where I didn't see her car parked outside of his apartment, just across the street from mine; it secretly made me happy.

After a surprise engagement at Griffith Observatory, an upheaval to SLC during Christmas, and taking the BAR exam soon thereafter, they finally got married last month at the LDS Los Angeles Temple! Their reception was held at the Rancho Palos Verdes Golf Course. It sat on a cliff overlooking the ocean... it couldn't have been more beautiful. Minus the gail-force winds that day, it was perfect.

I was lucky enough to see them for dinner the next night before leaving for their minimoon. They introduced me to the world's best hamburger joint in Santa Monica called "The Stand". I'll forever be grateful! Love you guys and congratulations again!

Here are some photos I stole from Erin and Adam... thanks guys! :)

Phil & Jill at the LA Temple

Adam & Erin and Mark & Kirsten (3 days before Britton was born... poor girl)

Sparklers: the modern version of rice-throwing

Feeling Down?

2008-04-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

Get over yourself and join me in a little service adventure at a Special Ed School!

Comcast Cares Day 2008
Saturday, May 3rd
8:00am - 1:00pm

Comcast Entertainment Group (my office) has chosen to volunteer at the C. Morley Sellery Special Education Center. This is a public elementary school for developmentally and physically challenged children in need of special education.

This school really needs help. We can make a huge difference for their students by brightening the halls of the school by painting fun and instructional murals, as well as landscaping and planting gardens.

Comcast Cares Day is a single day of service when Comcast employees, their families and friends volunteer for projects in their community. On this one day, it is anticipated that more than 300,000 volunteer hours will be contributed nationwide. This project will be fun and fulfilling... and you may even get a free t-shirt out of it. I know you can't resist!

So who's in?! Any takers? Let's be honest... when was the last time you actually planned a morning to do a little community service?

Warning: Rated R

2008-04-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I came across a video on YouTube that cracked me up. I seriously can't control my laughter. Too bad this wouldn't ever make it on the show "Kids Say the Darnedest Things".

Warning: this may be offensive to some, but it's totally innocent, I promise!
Click here to watch.

An Ode.

2008-04-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

EvRo once wrote an ode about me and now I'm passing the torch to a recent birthday girl. I love birthdays (aka-going out to dinner with friends). This particular night started off at Woodranch BBQ and ended with yumminess at my house. Thank goodness Cheryl was born so we could have a reason to celebrate!

Other reasons I like Cheryl:
-she gave me a sewing machine
-she taught me how to knit
-she recruited me for my current job
-she gave my sister a bed
-she makes yummy cookies
-she refinishes her own furniture
-we laugh about past ward council meetings together
-she was in a rock band in high school
-she grew up in the town that my brother is serving his mission in right now
-she's my neighbor (and doesn't try to light my house on fire)
-she's done the seemingly impossible... she's beginning to tame the Jimbotron
-she's freakin' hot... what else can I say?!

Tortilla chip posing as Chris & Jessica

Lanara & Christian

Cheryl & Jimbotron

Courtney & Jeff

Dane & Jessica

Maggie, Kristen & Kim

Emily & Julia

Update Time!

2008-04-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Q: "Did you fall of the face of the Earth?"
A: Yes, but hopefully I'm back for a while.

Where to begin... goodness.

Wedding stuff Courtney and I finally finished designing, proofing, printing, cutting, assembling, labeling, and sending over 600 invitations to her upcoming wedding. They turned out perfect for her. I estimated that I made over 6400 slices with the paper cutter just for her registry cards. Add to that the vellum overlay, announcement, temple ceremony invite, luncheon invite, direction cards, and tiny thank you tags for reception favors and you can imagine how long it took us to just cut them out! Next time remind me to hire someone. Well, let's hope there's not a next time!

Kami and Jenny and I threw Courtney's bridal shower this past weekend. A couple days before the anticipated event I received an email from my mom. She was kindly reminding me to keep things on the clean side. She continued, "Don't you dare and say 'Oh my gosh mom!' Did I catch you with those words in your mouth? Have fun and I wish I could be there. Love, Mom." Mothers definitely know their daughters! She caught me. I'm proud to report we kept things as clean as possible... as clean as Kami and I could be after spending well over $100 at a certain fun store. ;) 29 days and counting until the big day! Congrats!

Apartment stuff
Speaking of roommates, last night the 4 of us had a "Going Away Dinner" at PF Chang's in Santa Monica. Courtney will be moving out next week, Kami is officially closing on a condo, Jenny is on the hunt for a new roommates, and I'm moving a couple blocks away to live with Sara and TBD roommates. I never thought this day would come so soon, it's very sad but exciting at the same time. They say change is good, right?

If anyone out there has a heart and a little time, we'd LOVE your help moving furniture on Saturday, May 24th. (Jim, I promise that my Red Couch of Love will be easier to move this time—and that it won't eat your foot!)

Let's pray I have better luck with homeless men and arson at my new residence.

Creative Stuff
Courtney and I celebrated Easter with a class at CAFAM. We learned how to make Pysanky--Ukrainian Easter Eggs. My mother used to make these when I was young and the class caught my attention after walking past the museum on my way to work. It was super fun and a lot easier than I remember it being. If anyone is interested in learning, I'd love to show you how to do it. I bought a book with hundreds of designs and all the supplies to make dozens of eggs.
They're made with a batik method. You place beeswax on the egg with a little tool, called a Derlin, where you'd like to preserve that color, then dye the egg in the next color and repeat the waxing process. After doing this multiple times, you carefully melt all the wax off the egg and it leaves beautiful, brightly colored designs.

Here's an example of a traditional 8-pointed red star.

Work Stuff
Even though I'm averaging 60 hrs/week at work, I'm still loving my new job. A couple weeks ago I finished up a huge campaign for the Style Network-- Season 2 of Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane. I made mall posters, billboards, bus kiosk posters, ads, online banners and wallpapers, and a double-decker bus-wrap. The Photoshop file that was used for all of this artwork was gigantic, to say the least. Let's just say there were over 250 layers in this one document (and I still know every single one by name). ALL HAIL THE PRINCESS!Did anyone see this is People magazine this week?!

We just finished up the entire campaign for The Soup too. If you've ever seen this show, you know how hilariously sarcastic Joel McHale is when it comes to "The Industry" (entertainment industry for those not living in Los Angeles). These ads are ridiculously funny. I couldn't help but laugh when I was preparing them for print. I think the Bimbos billboard is my favorite of the series. There are a bunch of them, but here's a couple so you can see what I'm talking about.

I'm sure I can come up with a couple more things to blog about today... check back soon for another update on my crazy life!

Encounters of the Urinal Kind

2008-03-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

I was at Target and needed to use the bathroom. A huge red sign entitled RESTROOM was hung just above a little corridor opening. I made a bee-line inside, narrowly missing a guy on his way out. It was too late. I walked in to find a man standing at a urinal, just as the guy I passed came back and said, "Uhh, this is the men's room." Woops!

But don't worry, not 5 hours later my sister and I were at dinner with our family as we walked to the back of the restaurant in search of restrooms. (Gigantic doses of diet Pepsi makes your bladder work over-time, just FYI.) I was determined not to make the same mistake twice... I checked the sign on the door this time, but Courtney didn't! I grabbed her just as she started walking in to the men's restroom in front of me. I'm such a nice sister! Maybe I should have let her learn on her own.

What is it with me and restrooms? I don't get it.

BTW- The women's restroom sign was not working at Target... it's totally not my fault! Although I'm sure the look on my face was priceless as I entered the wrong room, the look on Urinal-Man's face was even better--shock and horror. It was like a deer in headlights! It made me giggle. :)

Booby-Traps in St. George

2008-02-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

I went to St. George this past weekend with Courtney and Christian (her fiancé). We met my parents and grandma there. My mom was speaking at an art convention thing, so I went along for the ride; Courtney went to her friend's wedding reception; and my parents FINALLY got to meet Christian! But what I really want to express here is the silliness my parents posses.

I got a phone call from my dad on our drive up there. This is basically how it went...

Dad: You're not on speaker phone, right?
Me: No.
Dad: Good. Does Christian have a sense of humor?

At this point I thought, "Oh dear, what are they going to do to this poor guy?!" All I could imagine was my dad waiting in our hotel room for us to arrive while cleaning his shotgun. Stupid and cliché, I know, but that's really what raced through my mind! What could they be up to?

Me: Yes... why?
Dad: Just making sure. We didn't want to scare him off completely before he meets us!

But it wasn't as bad as I thought. We opened the door to our hotel room in St. George about an hour later and the three of us halted. Did the front desk give us the wrong key? The tv was blaring and three bodies were in the two beds. Then I looked closer.

It had been booby-trapped. I realized this once I saw three strategically placed name-tags hanging on the headboards above the three "bodies" that read "Christian", "Courtney", and "Jessica." My parents and grandma are ridiculous!

They blew up a bunch of balloons and put them under the covers of the bed to make it look like people where sleeping when we opened the door to our room at 2:00am! They also made a crazy scavenger hunt for Christian around the room that led to the mini-fridge where they left 3 bottles of Martinelli's and a bunch of Reese's Buttercups (his favorite). Not only that... but there were so many streamers hanging up around the room that we couldn't even walk to the bed from the door! Oh... and the best part... [my mom thinks she's so funny] they bought plastic bugs and put them all over the hotel room. They purposely left a message on our phone so we'd pick up the receiver and find a big black spider. Very Funny. I didn't want to wake the Big Bad Wolf, so I sent my dad a text message that read, "Ha Ha."

Thankfully Christian does have a sense of humor and appreciated the ugly heart-shaped zebra-print and pink fringed pillow my mom left for him as a "welcome to the family". It was the tackiest thing she could find at the Dollar Store across the street (so she says). Pink is the devil to Christian, so it made it even better. :) Don't worry, my parents weren't exactly playing favorites. For me, I was left this ugly yellow Easter Egg looking toy that you press and a different face appears each time. On the note attached, this is what my loving family wrote...

"Dear Jessica,

It's your lucky day! Pick your favorite Prince [ugly faced Eater Egg thing] and get married before your grandmother dies.

Love,

Grandma"

I should have been offended, but I burst out laughing. My parents thought they were so funny. Yeah, very funny.

The only embarrassing encounter between my parents and Christian came about because of me. I didn't mean to make him stutter and blush, but it was just so funny, I couldn't help it. Courtney was in the middle of a story to my parents about how nice and cute Christian was to her... and I injected, "Yeah, tell mom and dad what Christian got you for Valentine's Day!" To which Christian swallowed all the air in the room as Courtney exclaimed, "He got me a Victoria's Secret gift card!" My mom thought it was adorable (as did Courtney and I), but my dad just sat there and rolled his eyes. Poor Christian. He didn't really know what to do. It was classic.

Welcome to the family.

Christian & Courtney

Classic ring shot

Koo Koo

2008-02-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

Across the street from my office lies a small Mecca of food establishments. Today I ventured for a little chicken at Koo Koo Roo to satisfy my lack of breakfast and fast approaching dinner. Just before leaving, I made my way to the restroom. Before I go on, no... I didn't break any toilets... and it's not a sickening story (or sorts) either.

I walked in to find a pretty average two-stall fast-food chain restroom. One door was closed, the other open. I walked into the open stall, turned to close the door and before I could lock it I heard a very direct voice state, "UNAVAILABLE!" I stopped and thought, "Hmm, ok..." I continued to lock the door to the stall that I was in. Again I heard, "UNAVAILABLE! This bathroom is TAKEN!" Ok... so I responded hesitantly, "There are two stalls in here and I have to use the bathroom." To which this obviously upset woman said, "Why would you say that to me? Of course I know there are two stalls in here!" I was utterly confused. So I went about my business as she continued to have a one-way conversation with me that went something like this... "I'm the Koo Koo Roo grandmother. Yesterday and walked in on a woman by accident in this stall and I saw her, but I quickly closed the door. It's not like we all don't have the same parts. The mechanics are all the same. Some are just made in different shapes and sizes. Why would you say there's another stall in here? It's such a nice day out today. I brought my quilted jacket to work today, but I should have left it at home. But I'm glad I brought it because I have a meeting tonight until 9:00pm and you know it gets chilly by 9:00pm in Los Angeles. So I'm glad I brought my quilted jacket."

To all of this, I responded, "Uh huh."

I sat in my stall thinking, "Is she really talking to me? Maybe she's on the phone and I've just responded like an idiot." But no. Who talks to strangers through stall walls? I wanted to get out ASAP, but I didn't want to be accosted by this woman while washing my hands. How was I going to get out of this? She beat me to "the flush". So I waited... and waited... for a good minute-plus for her to finish washing and drying her hands... strike up a new conversation with another girl waiting for the restroom, and finally LEAVE!

I made it out alive. Koo Koo!

Charlie!!!

2008-02-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

This was just sent to me and I had to share with everyone.

Reasons to Celebrate

2008-01-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

1. The Psych marathon on the USA Network two weeks ago. Our DVR (tivo) was filled to the brim with episodes of my favorite tv show! I was nice to my roommates this past weekend and watched them all, thereby freeing up the very coveted DVR space.

2. The Knitting/Crocheting group re-united on Cheryl's Couch (literally) this past Wednesday. The night was a huge success... chocolate cookies with a Rolo surprise, juicy gossiping (ok, not really), fantastic company, and lots of pretty yarn! I finished a baby pirate hat for Autumn's new niece/nephew. I rock at crocheting skull and cross bones.

3. The new Conair blow-dryer I bought last night at Target. I dropped Courtney off at LAX and headed straight to Target. I had one thing on my mind: find a bathroom ASAP. Once there I didn't think it would hurt to window shop. I grabbed a couple of items I've been putting off and stood in the longest line of Target shoppers I've EVER seen. 25 minutes and a new friend I met in line later, I exited with purchases in-hand. My new friend assured me that the blow-dryer I bought was absolutely fantastic. She was right. This morning I was in love.

4. Sara's birthday email invite. If you weren't invited—count yourself lucky. Everyone on that list about had a heart attack after reading we'd been invited to a Cuddle Party. About 24 hours later she sent another email reading, "Just kidding!" The real celebration is tonight: happy hour sushi and ice cream. Yum.

5. Las Brisas for brunch last Saturday morning. A small group of us got together at my favorite little restaurant in Laguna Beach. We spent the rest of the day walking around Balboa Island, trying to eat our frozen Balboa Bars while laughing, and chatting it up at a sports bar (Plewe and Ham had to see the end of the BYU-Utah game). We ended the day with a movie, but not before we witnessed the greatest advertising hoax ever.

6. Bagel Thursdays at work. Oh, did I mention I got a new job?!!!** It's true. I was 'on-trial' for two weeks at Comcast Entertainment Group (E! Entertainment, Style Network, and G4). Thankfully they liked me enough to keep me! I'm a graphic designer in their domestic and international print design department. Photoshop and InDesign are my best friends. I'm a real working woman again! My first official day of work was Monday (MLK day)--- a paid holiday! Is that a good omen or what?! **I'd like to thank Cheryl for recruiting me. How fun is it that I work with one of my favorite girls EVER?! Life is good. (No, I haven't seen Ryan Seacrest yet, but I did get a really cool tour of the whole building--including the studios.)

7. Del Taco with the fam. Just as I was about to head to FHE, I got a phone call from my brother. He was stranded at LAX for a few hours due to a late connecting flight back to SLC and wanted Courtney and I to come get him. We trekked our way through the pouring rain and ended up at Del Taco. Three frijoles eating frijoles. It doesn't get much better than that.

8. Cupcake Babies from Vanilla Bake Shop. Amberly's bridal shower was Tuesday night. I learned about the fine delicacy of baby cupcakes and incredible chicken tacos from Wahoo's Fish tacos!

I just realized I'm hungry. Of the 8 listed items above, 6 mention food. My subconscious is telling me to eat.

See you after lunch!

The Vegas Bowl

2007-12-22T21:39:00.000-08:00

I drove with Vic to SLC today. We made it just in time to watch the BYU-UCLA game! My dad, mom, and two brothers joined my grandmother and uncle's family in screaming for a good 2 hours or so. I was torn in my loyalties. I've grown up a BYU football fan my entire life. Both of my parents graduated from there, I was born a BYU baby--for heaven's sake. But let's face it, UCLA writes my paycheck. Do I really want to jinx that while I'm waiting for 2 checks to come through from them? Hmm. I realized I was still a Cougar at heart the minute the game began. We were elated most of the game... until the last couple minutes... and with 3 seconds left, BYU tipped a field goal attempt by UCLA and won the game by one point!

The reactions were priceless. My dad jumped off the couch faster than I did when I realized my house was burning, screamed, and jumped up and down; my grandmother had a slightly delayed reaction—but when she figured out what was going on, she threw her popcorn-brimmed bowl up into the air and onto everyone in the room... which then proceeded into an all-out popcorn fight amongst all the ADULTS in the room; and let's just say I lost my voice after screaming so loud! Yes, it was a Kodak and MasterCard Moment in one... unforgettable and priceless. What a combo.

UCLA wide receiver Dominique Johnson gets hit by BYU defensive back Ben Criddle during the first half of the Las Vegas Bowl football game Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, in Las Vegas. Johnson dropped the ball after the hit, and the pass was incomplete. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)

Almost Finished!!!

2007-12-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

In 16 minutes, my last final will begin. I'm sitting in the classroom, waiting. I don't feel excited, relieved, or anxious. The only thing I can think of is how hungry and tired I am. This entire weekend (sans church and the gingerbread house-making party last night) was spent in agony at my kitchen table, feverishly trying to finish a final project, due at 3:00pm today. I didn't quite make it... I ran into class at 4:00pm. I blame it on my cultural upbringings of Mormon Standard Time. Luckily I was able to present my final project to the class, albeit extremely late! Oh well. I don't even care at this point. Six finals down and one to go!!! YAY!!! After 9:00pm you may call me Bachelor.

Short and sweet

2007-12-15T01:37:00.000-08:00

I had been unusually depressed and lonely a couple weeks ago. It was awful. I babysat that night—hoping to distract myself from the all-consuming misery and woe I felt. Nothing particularly special happened as I got the two little boys bathed and ready for bed. The oldest fell asleep quickly, but the two year old needed a little more attention. I laid down near him and he scooted up next to me. I closed my eyes and realized I was still utterly depressed. I wanted to cry. Then a tiny little hand popped out from under his blanket and lovingly rubbed my arm until he fell asleep. It was so sweet and innocent. I immediately thanked my Heavenly Father for such a perfect little tender mercy, while wiping away the tears.

I'm not one to share personal things like that, but for some reason I keep thinking about it. This little experience reminds me of the movie Crash. It's one of only three movies that I can say changed the way I view my life and those around me. I highly recommend watching this film if you haven't done so already. The edited version is regularly shown on FX. Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.

From my balcony...

2007-12-13T02:59:00.000-08:00

When thinking of balconies, I usually picture myself sitting on a lanai, bathing in the perfect Hawaiian sun, reading a good book, and sipping on cold Cranberry Juice. Ok, maybe I lost most of you with the cranberry juice, but even so... balconies always have a nice feeling associated with them for me. Not anymore.

Many interesting things have been happening on my balcony lately. Last night greatly reiterates this point. Let me begin by saying that we, as an apartment, have been overly-aware of the goings-on around our apartment building since the fires. The temperature last night was close to freezing (a rarity here in LA) and I didn't want our homeless man to show up and start another fire to keep warm. Sad, but true... I like my apartment... I'd like to keep it from being reduced to charcoal.

At midnight, Kami came running up the stairs to see what was going on below. She had heard the familiar sound of bottles and cans being sorted (a favorite past-time of our uninvited neighbor). We both walked out onto the balcony, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the burned-out garage... when all of the sudden... CRASH! We look across the street and a Ford Explorer totally smashed into the front of a Mazda RX-8. There were no cars around... no stop signs... nothing... obviously drunk or just NOT paying attention to the PARKED car! The Ford Explorer then proceeds to drive forward, but can't... it REVERSES and gets even more STUCK to the side of that poor little car!!! Now, if this were you... wouldn't you stop and get some help? Get out to see how much damage was done before you do MORE?! No. Not this driver. They DRIVE OFF!!! Kami and I look at each other in my all-too-familiar tone, "Is this REALLY happening?"

I couldn't get the license plate number from where we were, so I grabbed a paper and pen and we literally booked it down to the garage, jumped into the Batmobile and sped off after the felon! Can you believe us?! Someone should be paying us to be the neighborhood watch. Seriously.

We found her, about 2 blocks down, checking out the damage to her SUV. I quickly wrote down the plates as Kami pretended to be looking for a parking spot. We heroically drove back home. Just as we were getting out of the car, the guy who owns the Mazda walked out of the apartment building. He was in shock as we reiterated what we had just witnessed and done! I handed him the paper and we went back upstairs. We're such good Samaritans. Goodness... what a night!

Oh, don't worry, it only gets better.

The reason I was mildly paranoid about another fire being started last night, not just because I really love my bed, but that our Renter's Insurance wouldn't go into effect until the next day. Thus, at 3:20am, after a full day of awful finals and chasing hit-and-run criminals, I finished up my homework and I was heading to bed when I heard the chain link fence being messed with. I peered out the blinds—the same blinds used to discover the two fires and car accident. It wasn't Mr. Homeless Man. No, it was three men this time... dressed in black, their pick-up truck parked next to the abandoned house and burnt garage, sneaking through the chain-link fence that was "conveniently" laying on its side, sprinting into the back of the house, grabbing boxes, tables, chairs, lamps, and more boxes... anything they could carry and chucking it into the back of their truck! (They even had a "look out guy"!)

NO WAY!! NOT ANOTHER "Is this seriously happening to me?" MOMENT!

I was actually watching a burglary in progress. HOLY CRAP! I immediately called the police (who took their sweet time in arriving, btw). The robbers were kind enough to wait around a few minutes for the police to show up as they were forced to jump-start their get-away vehicle! But alas, they got away, free and clean. A minute later, two LAPD helicopters were overhead, spotlights on, searching for the bandits. I was still on the phone with the dispatcher as the the cops arrived. They wanted to chat with me. So I headed downstairs, chatted for a while (he remembered me from our last late-night fire experience a week ago), and went back up to my nice warm apartment. Why do all the hot cops work at night?! Share the wealth! "Come On!" (...in GOB-esque style, for you Arrested Development fans.)

Where do I live?! What is going on with this place? We laughed about it over dinner tonight as we celebrated Jenny's birthday at PF Chang's. It was a fabulous night. I'll post pictures later.

Then it happened. Kami ran upstairs after going to bed, saying she heard the chain-link fence again. Déja vu? I wish. No... I heard it too. We peaked through the blinds, again, and beheld a work-truck, filled to the brim with junk. It had backed into the fence, which knocked it completely over. Pony-tail haired man parked his truck and dashed off down the street, still backed into the fence. WHAT THE HECK?! Can we say suspicious?! After deliberation, Yes. I called the police, again. I gave the dispatcher the history of all the weird things that have been going and told her, as we laughed, that I really don't ever call 911, but in the past two weeks, I've gotten my money's worth. A couple minutes later the guy quickly slipped back into the truck and took off.

I didn't pay much attention to the cops this time. I was busy adding old HS friends on Facebook, and too involved in a debate about being happy vs. being content as singles. But that's another story.

Is it wrong to admit that I'm a little exhausted from all the, "Is this seriously happening to me?" moments in my life lately? I told Gero Student I thought the property next door was cursed. He called me Mrs. Kravitz. He's probably right.

At least we have renter's insurance... charred balconies and all.

City Girl Aprons

2007-12-07T00:36:00.000-08:00

I received an email tonight from an old friend in the LA 1st ward. She just designed her first line of super chic City Girl Aprons and they're now on sale! I LOVE THEM, they're just adorable. What a great, untapped market! These will make fantastic Christmas presents for my mom and grandmother. (Let's hope they're not reading this! If so, Merry Christmas! Which one would you like?!)

Stop, Drop, and Roll!!!

2007-12-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

We had a new neighbor move into the abandoned single-car garage just below our townhouse balcony 2 months ago. The homeless man was no longer homeless... good for him! Not so good for us. It really didn't bother me until he began sorting glass and aluminum bottles from 2:00am-5:30am practically every night! Courtney and Kami and I all have bedroom windows—large windows—that open up to his little oasis of noise. Uhh. It was annoying, but we dealt with it.

Fast forward to Monday, November 26th, at about 1:30pm. I was getting ready to go to school when I heard this strange noise. I looked for Meg (the cat), thinking she was playing with some type of crinkly-plastic stuff or something. I didn't see her. Then I realized it was coming from outside. I parted the blinds to find HUGE FLAMES about an arms-length away from me... and I was on the 4th floor!!! It took a few seconds to process. HOLY CRAP!

For the second time in less than a month, I was having a "NO WAY... THIS IS NOT HAPPENING MOMENT"!!! The nerd that I am, I have a "fire drawer" (where I keep my passport, journals, birth certificate, etc. all in one place). I literally hurled all of it (and my iPod and computer) into an empty laundry basket, ran down the stairs from my bedroom, forgot I wasn't wearing shoes, grabbed the first pair I saw (Kami's really comfy sandals from Kauai), screamed like bloody murder for Jenny (who I thought was downstairs, but wasn't), and looked under the couch for the cat (still didn't see her) all within about 20 seconds. Not kidding.

By the time I opened the front door to the hallway, my entire apartment was filled with light gray smoke. I opened the door to the fire escape staircase (I was on the third floor at this point) and it was even smokier and thick in there. AHH! I looked down the hallway and it was perfectly clear down by the elevator. So I did exactly what I've always been told NOT to do!

Yes, call me an idiot, but I took the elevator down to the lobby and ran outside! Just then the fire alarms in our building started going off. GREAT. Those are helpful!!! By the time I got outside, three large firetrucks were already putting out the blaze on my new neighbor's "house" (aka- abandoned garage). I leerily put my laundry basket of valuables down and walked over to the firemen. They assured me they'd put the fire out before it penetrated inside my apartment. By that point our two balconies on the 3rd and 4th floors were burned... not ruined, but definitely blackened.

As I walked back, I noticed someone familiar across the street. He was hiding behind some bushes, watching the flames burn down his "home". I was enraged. I ran over to the closest fireman and police officer and told them the situation. As soon as my nice little neighbor saw me talking with them, he bolted... roller-suitcase and all! The police officer turned and sprinted after him. Thank heavens. He was questioned, but eventually released.

My poor roommates. I called each of them, frantically telling them what was going on. Kami drove up about 15 minutes later, just in time to see the firemen climbing onto her bedroom balcony from their cool firetruck ladder and prying open her sliding door to make sure everything was ok inside our place. I told them to find the cat too... poor thing. (Thinking back on this experience, it's oo bad Max and Miles weren't around to see the firemen in real action! They would have LOVED it!)

After an hour of getting to know our actual neighbors VERY well, we were able to go back inside and begin the airing-out process. Yuck. I feel completely indebted to all the firemen who saved our apartment!!! Honestly... if they had been even 1-2 minutes later in arriving, apartment 304 would have been the first to go. Crazy, huh?

Fast forward again 5 days. It's 1:15am after an exhausting ward Christmas Party. The roar of fire engines grabs our attention as they get louder and louder. Oh yes... they've again stopped right out front. I cautiously walk out on the balcony to find the firemen investigating THE SAME GARAGE! Kami and I ran outside (in our hot pajamas) to see what all the commotion was about. A woman walking her dogs witnessed the same homeless man setting a fire underneath the charred (former) vintage car that was parked inside. The side of the garage was again on fire, but easily put-out. The police arrived and we had a nice little talk with them as they interrogated the guy. Oh yes folks... he was still standing there, sorting bottles and cans! UH!

To make this VERY long story shorter:

1. we are getting renter's insurance ASAP
2. chain-link fences have never looked more beautiful (just put-up yesterday!)
3. homeless man still comes by to sort bottles--on the sidewalk--
but now we call the police each time we see him (per the hot cop we chatted with)
4. the certified letter sent to our landlord made them quite nervous.
I have a feeling that things will be a little safer and look a little nicer
around here VERY soon...

Let's hope this is the end of our Fire Saga!

From this view, you can see the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of our townhouse... with the two burned balconies. Oh, and did you notice the blanket laid over the top of the charred car? These photos were taken just after the first big fire. The "resident" was already back and marking his territory. Craziness!!!

I'm back!

2007-11-17T00:03:00.000-08:00

Although some of you think I've joined the picked lines of the Writer's Strike, I have not. Life just seems to be a bit busy lately and my blog fell by the wayside. Here's a little recap of life this past month...

LA 1st & SM 3rd Halloween Party
This party marks the first time I've dressed up for Halloween since I was 13 years old... when I 'dressed up' as Cousin Itt. Just imagine half of my really long hair pulled in front of my face with a pair of sun-glasses on. Oh yeah... the easiest costume EVER! Although it was the last time I went trick-or-treating, I made out (no, I didn't actually 'make-out') with an incredible stash of candy and items... yes, I said items. King size candy bars, tubes of toothpaste, toothbrushes, chapstick, decks of cards, and $1 bills were filling up my pillowcase. It's all true. I swear.

Ok, back to this year. Three hours before the start of the party, a small group of really hot girls got together and decided to be a RAINBOW! Each of us dressed from head to toe in our own color. We hit up American Apparel and the $3.99 store in Westwood (along with a hundred UCLA co-eds). It was perfect! I must say... we were pretty dang cute.

This Halloween party also marks the end of my dynasty as activities chair. It was a bitter-sweet moment leaving Jim to take the reigns. When I was released, there was an audible gasp in the congregation... which makes the 2nd "wow" moment this year in our ward. I won't mention the prior gasp here, but I'm sure ya'll know what I'm referring to. My new calling? Ward Historian. What does that entail? I have no idea. If you have any ideas as to what I can or should be doing... please share!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!
When Shaunathan turned 27 in September, I told him he was officially old. The first thing he said to me on on my birthday was, "Guess what? You're officially old!" Great, thanks. 27 has treated me well so far. It's only been a week, but so far so good!

To celebrate, I went out to dinner with some friends. I chose Frida Restaurant because I've been meaning to go for years and it was a little out of the ordinary. I made reservations for 20, and we ate to our hearts content! I LOVED IT! The atmosphere was perfect, my food was fabulous, and my best friends made pretty great company. Afterwards we had homemade cake and ice cream, thanks to my dental student roommate who slaved all day in the kitchen. Her efforts paid off. This may have been one of the best birthday's ever. [photos to come]

My website
Yes, a real website. An assignment this semester was to build a website to showcase my work. So here it is... for all the world to see... www.jessicabeandesign.com
This is my first real attempt to make a website, so be nice with your comments. Oh, and I need a job. I graduate in 3 weeks and I want to start making money! Anyone know of anything?!!

The toilet incident
Some of you may know that I help an elderly couple in Beverly Hills twice a month. I mainly just vacuum and dust their very large house. As I was going about my business, dusting away, I heard the toilet water running. I went in and jiggled the handle. Nothing happened. I carefully lifted the heavy porcelain lid and reattached the chain. Easy enough, right? Yeah, I thought so... until the lid slipped from my wet rubber-gloved grasp, hit the water tank, bounced onto the bowl of the toilet, and landed on the tile floor. I stood in horror as I watched the toilet shatter and water flood the bathroom! The only thing I could think of was, "Did that really just happen?!" Oh, it did.

I turned the water valve off and ran to the kitchen to find a paper cup and a bucket. The next 5 minutes were spent dipping what water remained in the tank and pouring it into the bathtub. Great. Now what? I cleaned everything up, left the bucket under the dripping tank, and prayed that I was still sleeping.

I was quickly reminded just how awake I was when I went to Home Depot to price that exact toilet. One Kohler special order and $496.35 later (without shipping and installation) would redeem me of my misfortune. I wanted to cry. I went out to the parking lot and sat in my car, postponing the inevitable. I dialed the number and held my breath. How was I suppose to tell this couple that I broke their toilet? And I didn't just break it... I shattered every piece of that thing! Of course I would replace it, but owning up to it took some real courage.

He answered the phone. I explained the situation and my prayers were answered. He laughed and said, "Oh don't worry about the toilet. It could have happened to anyone!" I wanted to yell, "But WHO shatters toilets? Yes it was an accident, but things like this 'just don't happen'!" After insisting that I would pay for it, he calmed me down and said it really wasn't a big deal—that he'd take care of it.

I still keep thinking, "Did I really shatter their toilet? Did I really do that?!" Unfortunately, yes.

THE Gators 2007

2007-10-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

The LA 1st ward decided to be nice and let the SM 3rd ward win again this year. It was the neighborly thing to do or maybe it had to do with that Golden Rule thing, I dunno. Either way, the GATORS were amazing!

Go Gators!

2007-10-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles 1st ward and Santa Monica 3rd ward HOMECOMING flag-football game has been an ongoing tradition for the past 4 years. I was on the activities committee for two of them, and after this weekend, co-chair for 3. My fondest memories include the very first game. It was held in January, in the middle of a down-pour. By the time it was over, everyone (whether playing or not) was soaked to the bone and caked in a muddy mess. It made for a fabulous ward photo.

Friday evening, we again take the field to regain the prized Honey Jar Trophy we lost to the SM Silver Monkey's a year ago. Coaches Rider (yes, Josh and Jason) have been feverishly teaching, throwing, and running their hearts out in preparation for this match. We are ready to rumble!

The GATORS are back and BETTER THAN EVER!

Watch out little Monkey's... the Gators' bite is a lethal one.

Craft Night

2007-10-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

The first of many monthly craft nights kicked-off tonight at my apartment. I taught the art of Scherenschnitte and Calligraphy. I must say, LA 1st ward girls are mighty talented with tiny pairs of scissors and x-acto knives! Of all the designs, I think the dragons were the favorites. Allana's butterfly was a massive, but beautiful undertaking, and Julia's snowflake was pretty dang cool. Maggie created a Halloween card I'll never forget... complete with a skeleton and floating skull.

I must give credit where credit is due. I was completely inspired by Cindy's blog that I found through a common friend. She's incredibly talented at the art of paper cutting, what she creates is amazing. Check it out.

These are a sample of our first attempts. We did not draw these. I found these images on Scherenschnitte websites and photocopied them for the girls to create their own papercuttings from. As you can see... we rock.

Short Quiz

2007-10-10T01:09:00.000-07:00

1. Have you ever heard of Andy Warhol?
2. Have you ever heard of Michelangelo?
3. Have you ever heard of Picasso?

If you answered YES to all three of these questions, then you're doing better than half the kids in one of my art classes at a UNIVERSITY. Be proud people. Be proud that you didn't attend the LA School District. I'm appalled... again.

Facebook (and my dog)

2007-10-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

Like millions of others, I 'subscribe' to a couple networking websites (ie. facebook, ldslinkup, myspace). I rarely log-on to these sites anymore, but this morning (during class, of course) I got an email on my facebook account to add a friend. He was my brother's best friend growing up in NJ and I also use to babysit him (which he probably doesn't like to remember). BTW- I'm trying to use as many parentheses in this posting as possible (just FYI). Anyways, back to my story. It was fun to read up on everything he (and subsequently—his sister) have been up to. Then I found my brother and sister on there, added them as friends, and began photo-stalking (a favorite past-time).

And now my dog.

Cody is our little cocker spaniel. It seems Courtney and Clayton both had photos of our 'little chicken' (or in this cas, Dragon) on facebook. Maybe I didn't get the family memo. I don't want to be left out, so here are some of my photos of Cody (and 2 from my siblings' facebook accounts).

Church Activities

2007-10-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

I've been the activities co-chair in my YSA ward since March 2005. Yes, it does seem like forever, but I love it nonetheless. From time to time I like to click on the church website and just see what's happening. Today I discovered a new link under 'Serving in the Church' — Activities!!! I was thrilled! It's been a long time in the coming, and it still needs a little more depth/resources, but it's a fabulous start. I finally feel slightly validated that my calling is 'offically recognized' on the church website! You may think this sounds ridiculous, but I've occasionally wondered why a calling that is so time- and labor-intensive never had any sort of online resources. Suffice it to say, I am very pleased with the web developers at church headquarters today.

Just as a reminder to us all...

Purpose of Church Activities
The purpose of Church activities is to bring members closer to Christ through worthwhile events that unite them as “fellowcitizens [in] the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Activities can:

• Fortify and support the [ward] family.
• Strengthen testimonies and foster personal growth.
• Provide opportunities to apply gospel principles.
• Create unity and a sense of belonging.

In addition, Church activities can provide opportunities to reach out to less-active members, recent converts, and those of other faiths. Activities can also help participants develop talents, gain new skills, and give service to others.

Responsibility for Activities
Church activities are planned under the direction of stake presidencies and bishoprics. These leaders assign responsibility for each activity to the leaders of the auxiliary or priesthood organization involved. Stake and ward activities committees, called and directed by the stake presidency or bishopric, are generally responsible for activities that involve multiple organizations or are planned for entire families.

42+ hours Sleep Deprivation

2007-09-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

I took a 40 minute nap this morning from 5:55am — 6:35am when my alarm went off for me to get in the shower and get ready for 14 hours of class today. It's now 12:17am. My lips and feet feel a little numb, my body is slow to react, and I'm hungry, but other than that, I'm doing pretty well.

Snortney bought an amazing camera last month and I just looked through the photos that she downloaded to my computer yesterday. Here's a sampling of my summer––in no particular order...

Courtney & Unsuspecting Car Salesman

She was so excited, she asked the salesman to take pose in a photo with her. Talk about doing anything for a little commission. haha.

Flat Tire

Speaking of cars, here's a photo in commemmoration of my 4th flat tire in one year. We had a fabulous time with our tatooed, pierced, and mohawked AAA [triple A] man from Brentwood. He had us laughing like crazy! I'm going to request him next time I'm stranded with a flat tire (or dead battery—which seems to be the case lately). Two thumbs up for AAA!

Don't Ask

For those of you who know JRide well, know that he has an obsession with holding my hands and cuddling with me whenever possible (I hate the word 'cuddle', but that's for another day's blog). I can't blame him for his advances. If I were him, I'd want to touch me too. But that's not the point. For those who know me well, know that I shun his advances like the plague. This photo is another failed attempt of JRide trying to get close [and maybe flipping him off]. Feel the love.

Tres Frijoles

A Night of Shakespeare

Hollywood Bowl—Pink Martini & Fireworks!

Many thanks to Ms. La Dolce Vespa for her INCREDIBLE box tickets to the closing show at the Hollywood Bowl! Not only did we have the BEST seats in the house, but the tickets came with 'gold' valet parking! The only problem was remembering to turn off our incriminating music as we got out of the car. Let's just say the valet-man received a "Toxic" earful of "Lucky", if you know what I mean! Thankfully KrisGirl was able to come at the last minute, otherwise we wouldn't have noticed we were sitting right behind Rebecca Romijn and her hubby Jerry O'Connell.

The Night My Phone Disappeared

Just after Jeremy Coon's UNFORGETABLE Roast, I met up with some friends at the "Movie on the Green" after-party. Silliness ensued and I lost my phone... only to have it turn up, right where I left it, 3 weeks later. I'm such an idiot.

Shoes

Sparklers & Birthdays

Thankfully Lindsey had a birthday so we had an excuse to act like seven-year-olds in the middle of the street with sparklers! I think we should celebrate Lindsey's birthday every day.

I think it's time for bed.

Fall 2007 @ CSUN

2007-09-22T01:20:00.000-07:00

I've decided to write a couple positive things about this semester at CSUN, just to remind myself that life isn't so bad.

1. This is my LAST* semester
2. Twenty-One credits isn't really all that bad
3. Fourteen hours of class Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is
sometimes enjoyable
4. Great eye-candy from 8-10am, two days a week
5. Parking is only $5/day, as opposed to UCLA's $8/day
6. I'm learning about Chicano Art from an interesting Chicano Artist
7. My Government teacher likes to draw boxes around everything
he writes on the board
8. Modern Art History... who knew Jacques-Louis David was such a
CRAZY guy? (read about The Death of Marat if you have a chance!)
9. I gave a presentation about Celiac Disease in my
Packaging Design class. It's true.
10. I found one of my night classes to be the perfect time to
download Neurology journal articles
11. I'm loving the $2 soft taco and free student drink at Chipotle
12. Only 3 months until I'm finished!!!

The Death of Marat, 1793

*subject to change without notice, depending upon the day, the mood I'm in, and my thoughts regarding grad school.

Waldo?

2007-09-22T01:09:00.000-07:00

"Where's Waldo" was super cool back in the day. It was a guaranteed sardine pack around one of those little books during library time. And now I get to relive searching for Waldo all over again!

Our YSA activity tonight is a real-life "Where's Waldo" game! I invited a couple people from my ward to disguise themselves and walk around Century City mall. The rest of the participants are divided into teams and search for these Waldo's. They must get all their signatures--the first team back to the church building wins. We played it about 3 years ago and it was a huge success.

There are only a couple things I'm worried about:
1. The rain.
2. The USC game
3. Getting kicked out of the mall

Other than that... it should be pretty fun!!!

Dear Diary

2007-09-22T01:07:00.001-07:00

Quick Updates

2007-08-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm connected to the world again! It's not like much changed during my week-long abstinence... I never answered my phone much anyway. But now I'm turning over a new leaf. I vowed to only put my phone on silent when absolutely necessary.

School started yesterday. I was flabbergasted during an entire lecture in my "Chicano Studies + Art" class (humanities credit). The professor was great, but he asked some questions to the 60+ students that produced results that dumb-founded me. I was the ONLY person who raised my hand when he asked the following questions, "Why is Art important? Why is there an entire section in the newspaper devoted to it? What is the definition of Pop Culture and Notoriety?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Where am I? There's always that one utterly annoying person who feels compelled to answer every question posed to the class. I'm never that person, but the awkward silence forced me to answer such ridiculously easy questions! I couldn't help it!

It gets worse. He asked the students to honestly raise their hands if they had NEVER heard of Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. AT LEAST 2/3 of the students raised their hands. Dear friends, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me you have heard of these two extremely famous artists! They're modern cultural icons! For heaven's sake, we live right next to the Getty Center people!

I may go into art education now. This is appalling.

On another note... Kamiroo and I have the apartment to ourselves this weekend. Dental Girl is still in Utah, as is Snortney. They're both coming home on Sunday... one with a brand new car, and the other ready to begin drilling teeth! Lovely.

Shaunathan officially moved back to Los Angeles this week! I have yet to visit Hollywood, but I understand that his accommodations are quite roomy. He didn't even fill up his dresser, which leads me to believe that he needs to go shopping... a favorite past-time of his. Maybe he'll let me come over and watch Jerry Springer with his "roommates" in the new tv room!

Tomorrow morning/afternoon is the 2nd annual Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. It's at the Inglewood Stake Center... which I'm afraid of. Not because it's in the ghetto, but the fences surrounding the field are maybe 6 feet high. This poses potential hazards. Those who saw me practicing last Tuesday night can attest to the fact that my aim isn't so red hot. Thus, this is a warning to all those in the Greater Los Angeles Area traveling on Sepulveda Blvd tomorrow... BEWARE of erratically thrown Frisbees! I don't even want to imagine the tragic outcomes of tomorrow's tournament! Yikes.

Beach time!

OCEAN personality test... I failed.

2007-08-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have so many things to talk about... but I just found out that I have no personality! I just took this (hopefully unreliable) personality test online and this is what the results were:

You typically don't seek out new experiences.
You probably have a messy desk!
You tend to shy away from social situations.
You are good-natured, courteous, and supportive.
You aren't particularly nervous, nor calm.

Is this really me? Maybe. I definitely have a messy desk, but do I really shy away from social situations? Am I always good-natured? Angry Pants probably doesn't think so. Thanks to Dustin's post, I now have a complex about my personality... or lack thereof!

I'm a O47-C8-E31-A94-N43 Big Five!!

I want your number. Literally.

2007-08-15T23:53:00.000-07:00

I am naked and lost without my cell phone.

Date of Departure:
Friday, Aug. 10 between the hours of 11:10pm and 1:15am.

It's gone. I've looked everywhere.

I never know what time it is, which of my minions are calling, or when to wake up. The worst part about the whole thing... all of my friends' contact info is GONE. Sad. I need to look at this situation as a cleansing, a rebirth if you will. All of my HS friends, old roommates, and ex-boyfriend's phone numbers are gone... finally CAPUT! (Not that I have issues with letting go, but if someone from my past happens to call me, I'd like to know who it is before I answer! Let's face it, we all have people on our "DO NOT ANSWER" list.)

Tomorrow morning I will attempt to buy a new SIM card for a phone that was so graciously given to me today. In return, I promised my little 4-year-old boyfriend that I was just borrowing this phone... that when I was done using it, I'd let him have it back to play with. He seemed content with that idea.

The moral of this story:
Back-up your phone numbers. If you don't, you'll be sorry.

Unfortunately this cartoon doesn't mention the $350-$600 price tag for these things!

Who's Who Among Mii's

2007-08-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday a bunch of us were over at the Greenfield Girl's apartment keeping ourselves quite entertained creating Mii characters of each other. Here's a sampling of my friends and I. Can you tell who's who? [scroll down to view answers... no cheating!]

What? You're totally jealous that you don't have a Mii character yet? Create one online with Mii Editor and you can save it as a jpg file to your computer! Playing Nintendo games with characters that look like your friends might just be the coolest thing ever (next to Tetris, that is).

Check out these crazy Mii's I found online... they're hilarious!

This commercial epitomizes the night spent at Greenfield... literally. We actually had a "hot seat" up front so we could get the details just right! I love embracing my nerdiness... especially with my super-cool friends.

Answers: Kristen, Jimbo, Maggie, Josh, Sara, Dan, Jessica (my Mii), Trisha, Danny, Emily, Jeff, and Renee.

J.Crew's Debut

2007-07-24T01:34:00.000-07:00

Jimbotron is amazing. Simply amazing. Not in the Byroni and Kimmy meaning of "amazing", but in the co-chair to co-chair to friend (not-lover) type of "amazing".

While the J.Crew (Jimbo, Jbeany, Jride, and Jefe) and RyGuy were in SLC celebrating the RoMo's wedding, we entertained ourlselves by playing photographer; Jride making Jbeany feel uncomfortable in the Visitor's Center and dismissing his advances during 'Music & Lyrics'; watching Jimbo prance amongst the flowers at the temple, Jefe proposing to Jbeany; and Jbeany feeling utterly mortified by an accidental incident during the reception dinner.

Jimbotron spent countless hours and suffered miserably making a funny montage film with these photos for the Cinema Nouveau: LA REVOLUTION. But sadly, unfortunate events led to his film not making the final cut.

He doesn't know it yet, but his directorial, editing, and acting debut is about to take place... right here on my blog. That's right folks... give Jimbotron a round of applause for this little beauty!

Also, if you watch closely, you'll see one of my engagement photos and some crazy-stalker-guy trying to get fresh with me. Don't worry, I took care him... and the (ex)fiance.

JRIDE

JBEANY

JIMBO

JEFE

RYGUY

PS-I'm not quite sure why this video's play cursor stops randomly... but if it does, just nudge it to the right and it will keep playing. :)

Living with Charity toward All

2007-07-21T03:29:00.001-07:00

I'm nerdy. Everyone knows it, but this proves it: Yes, it's true. I subscribe to daily uplifting emails from the LDS church for Young Single Adults called "LDS Gems". And yes, I actually read them almost every day. This past week I've been incredibly busy, so they've all been deleted immediately without second thought. Tonight I was just about to banish my 'Daily Gem', when I read the subject line and decided it could be worth my time. I figured it wouldn't hurt... let's be honest... it was 3:15am and I just got home from a night out on the town. What's an extra 20 seconds?

It surprised me... to say the least. This short email was an answer to a prayer and problem that I've been pondering (and festering about) all week. I didn't realize I had such a problem until I read this little message from President Hinckley. This was exactly what I needed to hear.

Gems for Young Single Adults
Living with Charity toward All
---------------------------------------------------
"We must live as true followers of the Christ, with charity toward all, returning good for evil, teaching by example the ways of the Lord, and accomplishing the vast service He has outlined for us."

(Gordon B. Hinckley, The Dawning of a Brighter Day," Ensign, May 2004)

I realize this phrase is trite, but the Lord really does work in mysterious ways. Email?! Sure! Why not? (Remind me to tell you the story of how Gloria Estefan was an immediate and shocking answer to my fervent prayer when I was 17. You laugh, but it's the truth. I swear!)

Hallelujah for a little insight, good counsel, and simple reminders to us all.

How do I sign up for a House-Husband?!!

2007-07-19T01:54:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't be grateful if I didn't publically acknowledge how wonderful dinner was last night. I truly have a testimony of EvRo's cooking and Panda's ability to put up with him. ;)

I was officially the 6th person invited over to the newlyweds' pad... Dan-O being the 7th. We felt very honored and were delightfully fed one of the best 'picnic' dinners I have ever eaten in my life. I'm not exaggerating, it was spectacular! I'm sure EvRo will go into what he made and fed us when he gets the time, but let's just say it was amazing. They were the BEST pork chops I've EVER eaten with this glaze and apple topping... wow. The salad was incredible... EvRo sacrificed not only his time and energy into this little bowl of goodness... but 2 fingers (not kidding)! Even the lentil soup was to die for. Oh what a little bacon can do!

I am eternally grateful to the new RoMo Family for inviting me over into their little abode and entertaining Dan-O and I. Even though the food was amazing, the company was even better. I'm so lucky to have been born in a place where I could grow and meet so many amazing people... I don't know where I'd be without them.

I just want to end with saying how much I love my roommates and I really appreciate everyone. You guys are just the best!

Love you all,

jbeany

Ok, ok. Seriously... Paternity Pants and Panda, thanks again. It was such a pleasure to hang out with you and partake of the goodness that is house-husbandry. ;)

Good luck next week with the bar exam! I can't believe it's almost here... congrats!