wait, am i old now?

There has been a long running joke among friends that I'm an old lady. I guess there are some valid arguements to that point, like the fact that I never forget my coupons, if it's after 9pm you'll probably see me asleep in a corner, I read the Smithsonian next to a real old lady on the trolley, I'm all about black and white movies and many more examples my old lady mind can't recall right now. Aaron is convinced I'm a 70 year old stuck in my late 20's body. I work with the Mia Maids (14 and 15 year olds) in my ward and here are two gems they have provided me with lately that have me wondering if I really am old.


Exhibit A: While I was teaching in class one Sunday, I said something about when I was younger and one of the girls piped up and said, "younger? what are you, like 20?" I kindly informed them I'm actually on my way out of my 20's not on my way in. The look on their faces after I stated my age had me making a mental note to grab some Centrum Silver on Monday after work.


Exhibit B: Tuesday's activitiy consisted of the girls learning how to crochet a headband. This was part 2 of the activity and one girl had missed part 1, so I was showing her how to chain and start some rows. After a few moments of frustration, she said, "who would ever do this for fun?" I foolishly said, "I do. In fact I just crochet a camera case for Aaron while I was watching the NBA finals game the other day." Every hook in the room stopped moving and all eyes were on me with silence being my only companion. "Girls, it's not that weird! I didn't want to watch the game and thought we could save money if I made one. It was so easy!", I convincingly said, but knew my answer was satisfying no one.

I'm hoping one day I can quote Mean Girls after an experience with them and say, "Ahhh, you girls make me feel so young."

Cow Parade

While Angela was visiting, Sandy, Angela, and I went to La Jolla to check out the cow parade that was on display. Artists painted/decorated fiberglass cows which were put on display around La Jolla. Once the presentation period was over the cows were up for auction with the proceeds going to a charity chosen by the artist. Some of the artists were very creative with their themes and it was interesting to see the cows planted around La Jolla, which usually does not have art like this on display. I love art, especially when it's free!

It might not be clear in the picture, but the cow is wearing a matador hat to complete his bull fighting ensemble. At first I thought the cow/bull was the matador...

but when you look at the picture below you can see the matador in the bull's eyes. Apparently dressing like your opponent is a good way of mocking them. I was surprised with the detail this artist used!

I think by the time I leave San Diego I will have voluminous collection of pictures of me by the ocean. I guess it's a good thing I live in an area where the main attraction is the ocean because you never really get tired of going there. If I ever do, I'll know it's time to move.

Mud Run Pics!

Here are some snaps from our recent Mud Run. The Mud Run is at Camp Pendleton and is listed as a 10K, but that does not begin to properly describe it. A 10k is a walk in the park compared to this. You can get more info on the race here: http://www.camppendletonraces.com

Left to right: Aaron, me, Sandy, and Jen. We're so fresh and so clean before we run.I'm not sure what we're all looking at here, but I know we were putting on sunscreen. Or totally amazed by Sandy's guns.

I'm they teeny person on the left behind the guy in red. You can't see me very well, but I included this shot to give you an idea of the landscape we were running in. i.e. in the mountains in the middle of nowhere.
Post mud run. Due to the fact that I wore spandex, I was able to keep my shirt on this year! Yea! This isn't a close up, so you dont' get an accurate nasty reading, but I'm pretty sure we all have mud mustaches.

Thanks, Ang, for taking the pics!

Further Proof

that Aaron is a baby charmer. Exhibit A: Angela's baby Esther. Couldn't get enough of him. She loved him so much that later that night, she barfed all over his face while he was holding her in the air. Priceless.

was i supposed to bring my brain?

That's how I felt all last week while gearing up for the weekend and the feeling continued through Saturday and Sunday. I constantly felt one step behind because I was running late, forgetting something, dropping food on the floor, knocking things over, etc... Last Wednesday a Folsom friend, Angela, came to San Diego to visit Sandy and I. The three of us haven't been together for years, so it was a great visit. Great visits usually bring lots of activity and stuff to do every night.
Wednesday was a bbq at Sandy's, Thursday was an afternoon in La Jolla and a night of the NBA finals with a crazy trip to Costco thrown in the mix, Friday night was my ward kickball tournament/potluck (where Aaron pegged one of my YW with the ball) and Saturday morning was the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Aaron, Sandy, Jen, and I ran our little hearts out while Angela and Esther (Ang's newest addition) cheered us on. Pictures to follow. We got together for one last hurrah on Saturday night and said our goodbyes.
My brother flew in late Saturday night and competed in the Mud Run on Sunday morning with some friends from work. Aaron and I made a trip to Seaport Village on Sunday afternoon for a seashore chat then said goodbye before he left to go back home. During dinner on Sunday night we received a surprise phone call from Aaron's aunt and uncle who were in town from Canada for one night. We made a mad dash to clean while they were on their way over and we had a quick visit until bedtime.
Jamming three visits in one weekend is great, but exhausting. And, of course, once life calmed down, I got sick! At least being sick is an excuse to not have a brain.

Where's Waldo?

It started out as Where's Waldo, but I don't think that was the end result. For a combined YM/YW activity, we had men in the ward dress in costume and the youth were split into teams with the goal of finding them in the mall. Every one said they spotted Aaron quickly due to his height. Note: the mustache is something we won from arcade games while at the batting cages. Of all the treats you could win with tickets, when we saw the selection of fake mustaches, we knew what our choice would be. This was the perfect opporunity for him to wear it.Left to right: Bishop, Aaron, councilor in the Bishopric, man in the ward, and other councilor. The one on the far right normally does not wear a wig, makeup or nailpolish. Almost none of the kids found him.

Birthday Surprise!

Aaron loves surprises so I threw him a surprise party this weekend. Call me paranoid, but I had a feeling he had caught on to me. Judging from the picture below, he had no idea.Our Sunday family generously provided the house and distraction while friends came to help us celebrate. I think it was a success. I'm not sure I'll be doing another one of those anytime soon though. It was such a stressor to me. When you live in a studio, you can't hide much from someone else. I had things stashed in every nook and when I tried to hide some things in the car on Sunday morning at 7am, I locked my one and only set of keys in the trunk. Yea! Birthday fun!
I tried to get a picture of him blowing out his candles, but I was too slow on the draw.

Happy Birthday, Top Gun!

This year is the 40th anniversary of Top Gun (not the movie, the actual institution) and in celebration, the USS Midway was holding a special screening of the movie this weekend. The USS Midway is an aircraft carrier that is now a museum parked in the San Diego harbor. They were giving tours of the ship before the movie started and there are lots of planes and helicopters parked on the top deck of the plane. It was amazing to hear how organized and alert they had to be in order to launch and land that many planes so quickly. What a dangerous job!
Also, it was hilarious to watch Top Gun with company that surrounded us. There were a bunch of cheers and whoops during the movie and some sing alongs. Priceless.
Aaron looks ready to serve the country to which he doesn't yet belong.
Below is a huge statue on the grounds near the USS Midway. I'm taking the picture from the top of the ship, so I'm sure it's a lot bigger on the ground. I can only imagine how much of that has gone on in San Diego when people are coming or going to serve their country.

Weekend of Meat

This weekend was Aaron's birthday and it seemed to me his only wish was meat and more meat. Since his birthday fell on a Sunday, we went to dinner on Saturday night and he chose a BBQ place. It was delicious, but a lot of meat. I also told him I would fix him whatever he wanted (except bacon) for dinner on Sunday and he requested steak and fries. Awesome. I threw in broccoli for good measure.
We went shopping at Urban Outfitters so Aaron could spend some birthday money. I found the little gem shown below that I just could not pass up. Aaron doesn't love flossing, but does enjoy the flavor of coffee, waffles, and bacon so when I saw the combination, I knew it was meant to be. I haven't tasted any of it, but each flavor smells just like the real thing. Yuck.
See the odd stare in my eyes? I think that's a meat overload glaze.

Julian, CA

Aaron and I went to Julian for the afternoon on Memorial Day. It's an hour east of San Diego, in the mountains. Julian is an old gold mining town which has decided to stay firmly put in the late 1800's and the apple orchards take over the area in the fall. The town is known for it's pie and surrounding wilderness which lends to hiking and camping. 30 seconds before we left the house, we realized the battery on Aaron's camera is dead, of course, so I'm using random internet photos to memorialize our day.

Here we have a winding road entering Julian.

Random photo of Main street with it's Old West/biker feel. This picture does not do downtown justice. There are old historic buildings and really cute B&Bs all over.

We also went for a hike and this is the weird art sculpture we passed at the trail head. Totally reminded me of the hippy art found all over Santa Barbara. We have no idea what those symbols mean. Hopefully I'm not flashing some Indian gang signs on my blog.

Last, but very much not least, we stopped for some famous pie at Mom's Bakery. The line was out the door, so we were hoping the pie was as good as the hype. It was. We tried Apple-Boysenberry Crumb (looks just like the middle pie below) and it was delicious.

All in all, a good day of exploring. I'll be heading back in the Fall for the apple frenzy. Maybe it will feel just a BIT like Apple Hill?

It's Baseball Season

so Aaron and I decided to go to a Padre's game and show our home team some love. I think Petco Park (where the Padres play) is brilliant because it has something for everyone. For families and people like us who don't like sitting in uncomfortable plastic nosebleed seats there is the "Park at the Park" which is an actual park inside the stadium. It has a huge grassy knoll for people to sprawl out with blankets and a mini baseball diamond for kids to play ball in. Since you can bring food in the stadium it is perfect for a picnic, which is what we did. Best of all, the seats are only $5 a ticket and you have a great view. The picture below is from our seats.

The Padres won their game, but we didn't stay until the end because it went for 16 innings! Last time Aaron and I went to a game it went to 22 innings and ended at 1:30am. Hopefully this isn't something we will encounter each time we go!

GREEN CARD APPROVED!

I know all caps means i'm shouting, but i really am shouting, so it's appropriate.

We had our appointment yesterday and the officer who conducted our interview said she was going to approve Aaron for a green card! YEA! I was pretty nervous going down there again and worried (as usual) about all the details. I calmed a bit then became even more apprehensive when we saw all the other people arrive for their appointments with their ATTORNEYS. oh heavens. We didn't have any hired legal help and I seriously began to question if we should have gotten some. Aaron reminded me that we said a prayer in the car so it would work out and I tried to calm down.

The whole process was odd and I won't detail it here, but it was a solid mix of scary and casual. Aaron should receive his green card in the mail within 30 days. Granted, this is only a conditional green card and in exactly two years from the day it was granted to him, we have to take action to have the conditional status removed or he can be deported (don't even get me started on all the stuff we have to do for that), BUT we are so relieved and excited. I was on the verge of tears when we got out to the car. The whole process seems fake and far away (this is not part of your fantasy of getting married when you are a little girl...), but really this is your life they are deciding and she could have said no and we would have to move and leave all our friends and jobs and life here in San Diego. I can't imagine being separated from Aaron, but I can't imagine him not being able to join me to visit our family and friends in America. I am so thankful we are done with this hurdle and are safe for now. What a blessing!

Melissa, this one's for you

A while back Melissa made a request, via comment, for some wedding pictures. I'm sure she thought I didn't read it or forgot or didn't care. It's none of those. I just am lazy and hadn't gotten around to it. Mostly because I haven't gotten around to doing much with my wedding pictures. Too many things on my plate, but it is a project on my back burner. So, Melissa, these 3 are for you.
Note: I'm a huge fan of candid shots, so I won't say these are the top 3 of what I had to choose from because I have a ton of great pictures, but I like these little snapshots. I stuck this one in for all you Folsom alumni who might be checking out my blog. Sandy and Sis. Stagg probably won't like the fact that they have pretty smiles in all the others and I chose the laughing one, but see the aforementioned note regarding candid shots.

The end.

The Jamison Kids

aka: my nephews and niece. I was going to include this and the Music and the Spoken Word in one post, but I realized I had too many pics and they deserve their own post, anyway.

Ava is such a serious girl. And I think that's why I love her so much. A girl after my own heart. She reminds me I need to lighten up. She's adorable and wonderful and I did see smiles and laughs this weekend, but she usually has her poker face on. Just adds to her charm in my opinion. (And this is my blog, so my opinion goes). Also, she becomes very somber when she sees a camera in her face, but who of us likes a camera shoved in their face?


Next up is Drew. Side note: The longer we are married, the higher Aaron's stock goes up in my book. I say this because I am constantly amazed at how good he is with children. He will be WAY better with our kids than I will be. No jokes. He always knows just what to say and kids are looking at him like he's a hero. Case in point is Drew. Drew has known me longer than Aaron and we are blood relatives, but that doesn't matter to him. He barely spoke to me all weekend, but he was playing and laughing with Aaron 5 minutes after he arrived. I guarantee Drew never would have posed for the camera for me.

As you can see below, Drew didn't even want to pose for a picture with me. But, I love the kid anyway and I know he loves me because on the way home from this walk he asked me to carry him. Aw, he knows how to soften the heart.

Last, but not least, Jayden. I'm so sorry Jayden, but I only got one shot of you at the park and didn't transfer it to my flash drive, so I borrowed your birthday shot from this weekend off your Mom's blog. Btw, Jayden beat me in a push up contest at the park. I know that's not saying much cause I have spaghetti noodles for arms, but the kid is like a snake. All muscle.

Music and the Spoken Word

My company flew me out to Utah this past weekend for a fixed asset software training seminar on Monday morning. I know, totally interesting, but not the subject of my post. Aaron came along for some family bonding with my Grandma coming down from Brigham City and Shelly, Jarrod and their crew came up from Spanish Fork. On Sunday morning some of us attended Music and the Spoken Word. Some of us had never been, some hadn't been in a long time, and one had never even been in the Tabernacle. We were so lucky to have the orchestra there as well. Makes me miss playing a musical instrument!

Aaron came with us, but he's the man behind the camera in this shot.

And one of my favorite places in Utah. My dad, Aaron, and I attended a session on Saturday morning and we were so lucky to get a mini behind the scenes tour from the temple president, President Child! I always spout off the little knowledge I have of rooms in the Salt Lake temple while there and Aaron kept asking if we could get a tour from someone. When we were walking back to the changing rooms we walked past the president and matron and I jokingly said, oh go ask him. Well, Aaron did. They were both so kind and President Child graciously waited for us and then gave us a few peeks behind the scenes. What a wonderful opportunity! I am completely obsessed with this temple, so it was such a delight.