tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65587381567083497692024-02-21T22:52:03.081-08:00Looking Through the Lens...just a girl with a camera, navigating adulthood with smiles, laughter & some great musicJainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.comBlogger282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-90331518215791602942012-05-02T14:31:00.001-07:002012-05-02T14:36:27.824-07:00For a friendNote: I did not write this. A friend posted this from something she'd read, and I am re-posting this for another friend to read.<br />
<br />
I don't have the original source, but to my knowledge, this was written by a woman who's husband took his own life.<br />
<br />
------------------------------------------------------------------ <br />
<br />
<b>HOW YOU CAN HELP ME..</b><br />
<br />
Please talk
about my loved one, even though he is gone. It is more comforting to cry
than to pretend that he never existed. I need to talk about him, and I
need to do it over and over.<br />
<br />
Be patient with my agitation.
Nothing feels secure in my world. Get comfortable with my crying.
Sadness hits me in waves, and I never know when my tears may flow. Just
sit with me in silence and hold my hand.<br />
<br />
Don't abandon me
with the excuse that you don't want to upset me. You can't catch my
grief. My world is painful, and when you are too afraid to call me or
visit or say anything, you isolate me at a time when I most need to be
cared about. If you don't know what to say, just come over, give me a
hug or touch my arm, and gently say, "I'm sorry." You can even say, "I
just don't know what to say, but I care, and want you to know that."<br />
<br />
Just because I look good does not mean that I feel good. Ask me how I feel only if you really have time to find out.<br />
<br />
I am not strong. I'm just numb. When you tell me I am strong, I feel that you don't see me.<br />
<br />
I
will not recover. This is not a cold or the flu. I'm not sick. I'm
grieving and that's different. My grieving may begin at any time after
my loved one's death. Don't think that I will be over it in a year. For I
am not only grieving his death, but also the person I was when I was
with him, the life that we shared, the plans we had for watching our
children and grandchildren grow, the places we will never get to go
together, and the hopes and dreams that will never come true. My whole
world has crumbled and I will never be the same.<br />
<br />
I will
not always be grieving as intensely, but I will never forget my loved
one and rather than recover, I want to incorporate his life and love
into the rest of my life. He is a part of me and always will be, and
sometimes I will remember him with joy and other times with a tear. Both
are okay.<br />
<br />
I don't have to accept the death. Yes, I have
to understand that it has happened and it is real, but there are some
things in life that are just not acceptable.<br />
<br />
When you tell
me what I should be doing, then I feel even more lost and alone. I feel
badly enough that my loved one is dead, so please don't make it worse
by telling me I'm not doing this right.<br />
<br />
Please don't tell
me I can find someone else or that I need to start dating again. I'm not
ready. And maybe I don't want to. And besides, what makes you think
people are replaceable? They aren't. Whoever comes after will always be
someone different.<br />
<br />
I don't even understand what you mean
when you say, "You've got to get on with your life." My life is going
on. I've been forced to take on many new responsibilities and roles. It
may not look the way you think it should. This will take time and I will
never be my old self again. So please, just love me as I am today, and
know that with your love and support, the joy will slowly return to my
life. But I will never forget and there will always be times that I cry.<br />
<br />
I
need to know that you care about me. I need to feel your touch, your
hugs. I need you just to be with me, and I need to be with you. I need
to know you believe in me and in my ability to get through my grief in
my own way, and in my own time.<br />
<br />
Please don't say, "Call me
if you need anything." I'll never call you because I have no idea what I
need. Trying to figure out what you could do for me takes more energy
than I have. So, in advance, let me give you some ideas:<br />
<br />
(a) Bring food or a movie over to watch together.<br />
(b)
Send me a card on special holidays, his birthday, and the anniversary
of his death, and be sure to mention his name. You can't make me cry.
The tears are here and I will love you for giving me the opportunity to
shed them because someone cared enough about me to reach out on this
difficult day.<br />
(c) Ask me more than once to join you at a movie or
lunch or dinner. I may say no at first or even for a while, but please
don't give up on me because somewhere down the line, I may be ready, and
if you've given up then I really will be alone.<br />
(d) Understand
how difficult it is for me to be surrounded by couples, to walk into
events alone, to go home alone, to feel out of place in the same
situations where I used to feel so comfortable.<br />
<br />
Please
don't judge me now, or think that I'm behaving strangely. Remember, I'm
grieving. I may even be in shock. I am afraid. I may feel deep rage. I
may even feel guilty. But above all, I hurt. I'm experiencing a pain
unlike any I've ever felt before and one that can't be imagined by
anyone who has not walked in my shoes.<br />
<br />
Don't worry if you
think I'm getting better and then suddenly I seem to slip backward.
Grief makes me behave this way at times. And please don't tell me you
know how I feel, or that it's time for me to get on with my life. What I
need now is time to grieve.<br />
<br />
Most of all thank you for
being my friend. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for caring.
Thank you for helping, for understanding. Thank you for praying for me.<br />
<br />
And
remember in the days or years ahead, after your loss - when you need me
as I have needed you - I will understand. And then I will come and be
with you. ♥Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-41823318435608445982011-02-15T09:32:00.000-08:002011-02-15T09:58:40.395-08:00Like a GloveIt was a beautiful, perfect Saturday morning. The sun was warm, the skies were blue. My mom arrived the afternoon before just in time for a delicious dinner at our favorite Mexican food restaurant. We left in plenty of time, though parking was somewhat challenging.<br /><br />My mom and the seamstress helped me change - it's definitely one thing a bride cannot do alone. I can't even do up the bra top in the back without help. It felt so wonderful to slip into my dress again, the crisp white fabric cool against my skin. I feel just like a princess every time I put it on. It fit like a glove when we bought it last May, all it needed was the bustle. The seamstress pinned the dress for the bustle markings...it's going to be beautiful.<br /><br />The only difference on this day was that the dress didn't fit quite so well as it did before. It kept slipping down, being dragged by the weight of the fabric. I was sick with the flu only a week before and had lost 8 lbs. I later remembered that I had lost about 10 since we bought it. On the upside, at least it was too big rather than too small. They're doing the bustle now, and we'll wait to take it in until closer to the wedding.<br /><br />The fiance joked that we could go out and splurge to gain weight...that won't be happening. I will never deliberately gain weight. It was gratifying to actually have lost. I've been working on toning and definition, I plan to keep it off. It's just rather entertaining since before it fit absolutely perfect. But I'm not worried, it will fit like a glove again soon. :)Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-48506057285766020662011-02-03T10:49:00.000-08:002011-02-03T10:59:33.697-08:00Engaged AdventuresWhoops. There I go again, all MIA. Will you forgive me if I tell you I had a light virus for a couple days, was fine over the weekend and then had the flu? I spent Monday through Wednesday laying in bed feeling miserable last week. I was so stubborn and went to work Monday morning. May I recommend NEVER trying to go to work when you've been sick less than 6 hours before? Having to cut across two lanes of traffic, jump into your passenger seat and roll down the window is NOT an adventure I would recommend. Just saying.<br /><br />The good news is that I was fine over that weekend before I got the flu and the fiance and I had a fabulous time with our photographers capturing our engagement session. I have never really done a photo shoot or anything like that, and let me tell you, it was a blast! We had such a great time and I know the pictures will be amazing! Not only did we get to take pictures in the restaurant where the fiance proposed, but we just happened to be able to take them at the table where he proposed. :) We brought one of the engagement wine bottles he made and used them in some of the shots.<br /><br />If you have never had the opportunity to do an engagement shoot or a photo shoot, I would highly recommend it. We have such an amazing time hanging out and just playing around. It was fabulous getting to know our photographers better, we had such a great day. I cannot wait to see the pictures.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-73045211990195745392011-01-10T20:14:00.000-08:002011-01-10T21:23:55.953-08:00Playing Grown UpsLike many little girls, when I was little, my cousin and I would play Barbies for hours. We'd spend hours setting up our Barbie furniture and accessories just right, everything in its perfect place. We'd imagine all sorts of stories and scenarios. There were of course always the two beautiful young girls, often princesses, usually 16 or just turning 16 (thank you Little Mermaid), they always had the perfect boyfriends. Perhaps a little bit of drama thrown in for excitement, because there has to be conflict before you get the happily ever after, right? We would play at being grown ups. To us of course that happened naturally at 16 because that's when you met prince charming, got married, had a mansion (or a castle or palace, anything huge and grandiose worked), horses, carriages, servants, etc. Thankfully we passed through that age a little bit wiser as to how things really worked and we didn't expect to live in a castle. Meet a prince charming perhaps, but not the other stuff. As the stories have it, things never go exactly as you might have imagined...they turn out better. Mine sure did. I am marrying the most wonderful prince charming I could ever have imagined.<br /><br />I told him the other day that I feel like I'm going to feel like we're playing grown ups for a while and that eventually someone will come in and tell us to put our toys away, it's time to eat dinner or go to bed or something. As of New Year's Eve the fiance and I officially became home owners. It's still surreal, a total "wow". We own a house, we're getting married. It's exciting and crazy and thrilling and just completely mind blowing all at the same time. A wonderful and amazing way to start the new year. Playing grown ups. But for real this time.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-17555162199359396852011-01-06T20:37:00.000-08:002011-01-06T20:43:23.726-08:00Welcome 2011I cannot believe it is 2011. It is shaping up to be a year of amazing changes and new adventures. It's been ages since I sat down to write anything, though there has been plenty to write about. I hope that 2010 treated you each well and holds many fond memories and starting points for an amazing 2011.<br /><br />There are so many new and exciting as well as a few sad events to share. Rather than try to cram them all into one massively long (and possibly boring) catch up post, I'll put them into a few smaller posts over the upcoming days. A fond hello to all my friends and cheers to the new friends sure to come in the upcoming adventures of 2011.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-36430254646964714932010-09-24T11:19:00.000-07:002010-09-24T11:20:21.018-07:00Hi, it's me againHi, remember me? I'm that girl with a camera who never seems to post anymore. Life is crazy that way. Sometimes I want to just step back and watch it all happen instead of being wrapped up and swept away in the ever racing current of life. Of course those moments are rare and far apart.<br /><br />What's new for me? Let's see, I got a promotion and a raise. I'm in the office with my boss now, which is fun because it's a little bit quieter and I have more of my own space. It's weird not being in the main office area anymore, but I'm getting used to it, and I have to say that I like it. And my third monitor. And my Mac. You know, fun toys.<br /><br />We are slowly but surely getting everything done for the wedding. We found and booked our amazing photographer team and videographer team, I am SO excited. I know they are going to capture lasting, incredible memories for us. I am really looking forward to doing our engagement photo shoot with our photographers too :) We know where we are getting the cake, just have to go put in the order. It's DELICIOUS. As a cake baker, I can truly appreciate the deliciousness of the cake we're going to be getting. (one of the first things that happened in the planning is that my mother and my fiance forbid me to make the wedding cake....a demand I was more than happy to comply with) We will be putting the invitations together soon and choosing the bridesmaid dresses.<br /><br />With the weather cooling off as we go into October, I find myself wanting to spend time in the kitchen baking up deliciousness with fall flavors and spices. Perhaps I will indulge this weekend.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-5758033048209745092010-09-07T20:03:00.000-07:002010-09-07T20:11:20.882-07:00Moving UpIt finally happened. I got a permanent position! I now no longer have to worry about being renewed every summer, and as an added bonus, I got a raise! I was SO worried about this, I honestly didn't think they were going to choose me for the position. Not for lack of qualifications or anything, I already rocked this position (it's essentially the full time/permanent version of my original position)...but you know how company politics can go. I am absolutely thrilled to have been able to accept this new position.<br /><br />I moved into the desk in my boss' office, it's nice having my own space that's a little bit quieter. I get along great with Lily, so it's fun to share an office. I'm just getting used to the new digs and getting myself organized. I'm still floating on a high from all of this last week. I seriously have had a goofy grin on my face most of the time. I cannot express how edifying it was to receive all the congratulatory emails and phone calls from my colleagues and coworkers...apparently a lot more people were rooting for me than I even realized!<br /><br />HR kind of stole my boss' thunder though, they sent me an email right before she and her boss pulled me in to tell me about the unanimous decision to give me the position! It was still awesome though, I am so excited. I feel so renewed and re-energized. I had been waiting and going through interviews for quite some time, and was rather stressed about everything. It was like an instant weight was lifted from my shoulders. :)<br /><br />I know I have been rather neglectful in posting, but I wanted to share this so much. As always, I will endeavor to post a bit more frequently, but no promises. Things are kind of in a whirlwind of work and wedding plans that are keeping me quite occupied. I hope the beginning of the school year is going well for everyone. I'm looking forward to the cooler fall weather and all the wonderful things that come with it.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-25036547115652871822010-08-28T16:36:00.001-07:002010-08-28T16:40:10.577-07:00NostalgiaThis time of year always brings with it a bout of nostalgia. I love working during freshmen move-in, the lead up and excitement are things I love. It wasn't all that long ago that I was moving in for the first time at college, now I'm getting married. Crazy world.<br /><br />It's that time of year where I have to talk myself out of buying super fun and shiny school supplies that I don't need, but are ever so enticing. It's like a siren song. I don't know what it is about back to school shopping, but I love it. My kids are going to have awesome back to school gear. (you know, those theoretical kids far off in the future)<br /><br />I hope every has a fabulous end of summer and a wonderful beginning to fall.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-6874331071590682822010-07-28T08:19:00.000-07:002010-07-28T08:19:00.106-07:00Magical MemoriesA few months ago my mom and fmil and I went to look for my wedding dress. First store, four dresses later and we found <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> dress. I absolutely love it and feel like a princess when I wear it. I did not want to take it off. I nearly went back to the store the next week just to try it on again.<br /><br />It wasn't supposed to come in so early, but I got an email about two weeks ago letting me know my special order had arrived. The downside is that they won't store it for me. I love my apartment, but it's a fairly small studio and I simply do not have anywhere to hang a wedding dress for 8 months. Timing is everything. My neck finally slipped out after first trying to make my head explode (I was very near asking the fiance for his drill to relieve the pressure). The symptoms had been bothering me long enough that I decided I needed to make a quick overnight run home to see my chiropractor. (he's one of my favorite people right now) It was instant relief when he made the necessary adjustment (same one as always, go figure, at least I'm consistent) Since I was going home anyways, I picked up my dress and took it to hang safely in the back bedroom at my grandparent's house.<br /><br />I was on a tight schedule and didn't have time to try it on at the store. I am so grateful that I was in a hurry that afternoon. My Mom and Grama helped me try it on before my chiro appointment. It felt so good to get into the dress, even though I didn't have the undergarments that go with it. (added bonus: it fit perfectly) I cannot even begin to relate how special that moment was when my Grama and Papa first saw me in my wedding dress. It was such a wonderful, special moment that I will remember forever, trying on my wedding gown in the front bedroom at my grandparent's house. Magical. Precious. Unforgettable.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-67115142701009933952010-07-26T09:18:00.000-07:002010-07-26T09:18:00.286-07:00Summer Tales, Volume TwoThere are so many summer stories that make me smile. This one makes my cousin Ariel and I blush and laugh.<br /><br />My cousins and I always slept in the green room when we visited our grandparent's. It was formerly our aunts' room (including my mom). It has three beds in it, I always slept in the "big" bed. We called it the big bed because it was taller than the others, at the time I usually had to climb up from the other trundle-ish bed or take a running leap to get into it (much like my bed junior year of college that was lofted so high that it was occasionally comical to watch me try to get into it, especially if I was tired)<br /><br />My cousin Ariel and I both woke up around the same time one night even thought we'd all been in bed, sound asleep, for some time. We weren't sure why we had woken up, but started whispering for a few minutes. We were talking when we heard a thud, followed by some other strange sounds. We thought there was a burglar in the house. We had a brief, whispered conversation about what we should do before hiding under the covers and pretending that we were asleep. That lasted all of maybe two minutes, during which I think we heard another strange noise. We decided we couldn't just lay there. We crept out of bed and cautiously opened the bedroom door. We peeked out into the long hallway towards the living room. Once we were sure we didn't see anyone, we flew down the hall to our grandparent's room. We woke up my grandpa and told him what we'd heard, then climbed into bed with our Grama while he went to check it out. He came back a few minutes later to confirm that everything was fine. We weren't convinced until he pointed out that their dog, Doogie Bowser, hadn't made a peep, and surely he would have barked if there were anything wrong. He then suggested that what we'd heard was merely the air conditioner. We accepted this explanation (though we probably secretly thought we'd heard something...this may have be the summer of "there's something fishy going on") and went back to bed. Naturally, it took us a while to fall back to sleep. Before we fell asleep we heard a similar noise...this time we realized that it was clearly the air conditioner, trying to rob the house of the summer heat.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-39078712050471818252010-07-24T21:13:00.000-07:002010-07-24T21:17:13.560-07:00Checking InI can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. Well, I guess I can, but it really just seems like yesterday that the fiance was out of town and I found that splendid Jane Austen inspired movie.<br /><br />I just really haven't had words lately. So many things to share, but a completely blank canvas which I have not been equal to filling as of late. No real rhyme or reason, who knows. I hope everyone has been having a fabulous summer. Mine is going in fits and starts. The weather can't seem to make up its mind whether it wants to be summer or fall, makes it slightly challenging when it comes to morning wardrobe selection. I hope you are taking it all in and enjoying every second of summer. I'll eventually be around to visit everyone. Time seems to be handing me the short end of the stick lately.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-91741112027443808572010-06-30T20:28:00.000-07:002010-06-30T22:21:12.078-07:00Lost in AustenThe fiance has been away for a conference, which has left me staying at his house to take care of our puppy dog Kara while he is away. Last night I stumbled across this movie/mini series called <span style="font-style: italic;">Lost in Austen. </span>It was quite accidental, but it had an interesting premise and the user review decided it for me. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, and I'm always up for Jane Austen.<br /><br />Incredible. It's not often that I'm lost for words when it comes to Jane Austen and my favorite work, <span style="font-style: italic;">Pride and Prejudice, </span>but...wow. It takes liberties, but then, this kind of movie is intended to be that way. I'll be honest, I'm watching it again right now. The basic premise is that a modern English girl, a Jane Austen enthusiast, accidentally switches places with Elizabeth Bennett, right at the beginning of the story. It's an incredibly interesting twist on my favorite novel. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Seriously, go watch it. Also, fair warning (since I didn't notice this when I started the movie) it's about 3 hours long. Completely worth it though. I almost even think this Mr. Darcy can rival that of Colin Firth...which is near sacrilegious for me to say. He definitely wins for the lake scene. Seriously. Go. Watch. I'll be here finishing it myself when I should be sleeping.<br /><br />The fiance has promised to watch Pride and Prejudice with me soon...the A&E Colin Firth version, of course. :)Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-10552829645525689222010-06-21T16:22:00.000-07:002010-07-24T21:17:56.593-07:00Summer Tales, Volume OneMy brothers are coming to visit me this weekend while my parents go to a conference, I'm so excited to spend some sibling time with them. On our way to meet up with my parents again on Sunday, we'll be stopping to pick up one of my younger cousins to go and spend a week with the boys. Reminds me of when her older sister and brother and I would spend a week each summer at my grandparent's house. Initially it was just me and Ariel, but when her brother was old enough he joined us for our week-long visits. We have all kinds of fun and crazy memories from those summers, stories that elicit insane giggles even now. There was one visit in particular that was one of my favorites, it was quite an eventful week.<br /><br />It was the summer that Ariel and I started wearing training/sports bras. We were beyond cool. (trust me, this is important) As always, it was blazing hot - typical desert weather. Not bad if you have air conditioner and a house that likes to stay cool like our grandparent's do. I think there may have been some thunderstorm type weather, I don't remember exactly. But for some reason, the power went out one afternoon. It wasn't bad at first, but as the day went on, it got fairly hot. We of course made a game of it, as we did with most things that came our way. Well, Ariel's brother got to run around wearing just his shorts, boys stink like that, Ariel and I weren't happy, it was TOTALLY unfair. We tried to convince our Grama that it was so hot that we needed to walk around in our sports bras. I guess it must have really been hot (or she just knew, cause our Grama is amazing) because she let us do it. We strutted around thinking we were just too cool for words. To be honest, it did help cool us down.<br /><br />Despite the heat, we were actually (initially) disappointed when the power came back on because it interfered with our no power game we had devised. We compromised with being able to watch Homeward Bound 2 but still pretending that the power was still out (ya know, minus the television...and the microwave popcorn)Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-28219471091552383852010-06-10T13:52:00.001-07:002010-06-21T08:04:49.949-07:00Pardon me while I have an excited wedding moment...I always anticipated having a lot of fun planning our wedding together, but I think I seriously underestimated just how fun it would actually be. Even the littlest things have brought huge smiles and giggles. Of course the fiance teases me all the time about it, but he actually loves how excited I've been lately. It seems like everything is just falling into place since we booked our reception venue. We have our wedding party asked and confirmed. I found my dress!!! My mom and the fiance's mom came with me and we found THE dress at the first store we went to, 4th dress I tried on. I absolutely adore it, I didn't want to take it off. Now all I need are shoes and whatever jewelry I'm going to wear. We found the most amazing and delicious caterer, they are SO nice. We'll be booking them by the end of next week. I seriously cannot wait to eat at our reception. (we did a tasting a couple weeks ago) I have already asked my mom and the fiance's mom to make sure I get something to eat at the reception.<br /><br />The fiance's parents are throwing us an engagement party/kitchen themed shower this summer, so we started off our registry with kitchen items. Talking about our entertaining wants and selecting things we would love to use was really exciting. What's even more exciting is that some of the items are being purchased. The fiance's counterpart at work was the first, her gift is the only one that I know what it is. (unintentionally) Let's just say that I absolutely love her to pieces and she is beyond generous. I came home last night to find a fairly large box on my doorstep from one of our registry stores. I was so excited, even though I have no idea what it is. I could probably figure it out if I wanted to though, I'm sure. The fiance says he knows what it is. He's so cute about the gifts.<br /><br />We are just about 10 months away now and things are just perfect. I am so happy and having so much fun. Everything just makes me smile. I'll be even happier when we find and book our photographer, videographer and florist. Those are the only other major vendors we have left to figure out. Hopefully we will have everything sorted out and booked by the end of the month, including our honeymoon. It's really exciting, if slightly overwhelming to look at honeymoon options. There are just so many great choices and packages. The fiance is taking point on that topic though, which is both incredibly romantic exceedingly helpful. I love how involved he is with everything. He's not overbearing, but I get input and help making decisions. Did I mention that he's absolutely perfect? I'm so very, very blessed to have such a wonderful fiance.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-69130932018854781642010-06-07T20:58:00.000-07:002010-06-07T21:32:14.286-07:00Crossroads to the Front RowChoices. We all make them, every single day. Some are as mundane as what shirt will I wear today or what should I make for breakfast. Others choices have greater impact on our lives and the direction in which we are headed. We come across many crossroads and paths throughout our lives and we must choose which direction to follow. Some decisions are easy, others take a while to think about and weigh the options. Regardless, once the choice is made, we set off in our chosen direction and the alternate route is closed off, at least from that particular point of entrance.<br /><br />Sometimes I wonder about the choices that we make to bring us to where we are today. My musings generally have to do with choices that were outside of my control. Typically, this is in the form of nostalgia. Imagine your closest friend. The one with whom you can share everything in complete honesty without worry of judgment. Someone who shares your joy and your pain, your ups and your downs. Someone who shares your faith and in who you see God. Now multiply that by 6. That was my family the last year or so of college. We were the closest of friends. It's difficult to describe such a deep friendship, such an amazing dynamic, unless you've experienced it. There is truly nothing like it. I cherished it and reveled in it until the end. I'll never understand why we were ripped apart through petty jealousy and stupid hormones. But we were. Fractured and splintered, small pieces of what once was. I can't say that I am sad, because I am blessed to have known such friendship and love for the time in which it was mine. It has changed me for the better.<br /><br />There was another group of friends very similar to ours. We were all friends, sort of an extended family. But there were two cores. Mine split apart. The other, the one that I started out being a part of freshman year, has stayed strong. I am so thankful for that, that they have managed to overcome everything and remain strong. It is a true blessing. I don't go on Facebook much these days, I got over it after we spent countless hours on it when it first came out as a college network. (and that was before apps and the other gadgets and games it now boasts) I have pictures from my core, from the good times, the memories. And I love them. Sometimes it hurts, but I can still think of the good times fondly. The beautiful pictures of new encounters and adventures amongst the other core of friends, the ones still intact and strong, makes me smile while simultaneously pulling at my heart strings. Bittersweet. Nostalgia. Communication amongst old friends is an interesting thing. Interesting to see which communications people work to renew, choose to keep, allow to dwindle, or which they seemingly refuse to acknowledge.<br /><br />I have been blessed to have many friends over the years. I have many acquaintance with whom I love to meet. While on occasion there have been larger groups, I have always had a small circle of truly intimate friends. I get along with many people, quite happily so, but have always seemed to keep a smaller circle of those closest to me. It's not intentional or by design, it just how it seems to work out. And, truth be told, I am happy. I deeply cherish those I hold closest. Quality, not quantity, is what fills my life and warms my heart. I would rather have one very dear friend than 100 mild acquaintances. But sometimes I see friends who have many, many close friends (or what appear to be close friends) and I wonder if I've done something wrong. It leads me to the what ifs, a game which I but rarely indulge, for it is typically without purpose. In discussing certain wedding plans, there are quite a number of close friends of both myself and fiance who will be invited. But I have noticed that I have only a few friends from high school and college with whom I am truly close and have invited. I see others who have dozens of friends from these chapters of their lives and I wonder if maybe I'm wrong somehow...or maybe they just function differently than I do.<br /><br />I believe that God brings people into our lives when we need them or when they need us. Everyone has something to share, something to teach us. If we are smart we will embrace these opportunities as often as we can. People pass in and out of each others lives, leaving their footprints behind as a mark. And from these people, the few, true souls we are meant to share our lives with, remain with us. That is not to say that some people are bad or unimportant, just that everyone has those people with whom they are meant to develop deep and meaningful relationships. By definition such friendships cannot exist with everyone. It would diminish their importance and purpose. Someone once described our lives as a theatrical production in which we get to fill the audience. We get to choose who is in the front row of our lives, who is in the back, and who isn't even inside the theatre. It's quite an interesting concept, one which I have thought about on many an occasion. The front row cannot hold an infinite number of people, nor should it. Some seats rotate, others remain constant, yet others may still be open waiting to be filled. No ones front row has the same number of seats. After all, each life is as unique as a snowflake, thus the architecture of our personal theatre is unique in its style and design. Relationships are not perfect, life would be boring if they were. These front row relationships are the most important in my life. I know who is in my front row. Who is in yours?Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-52294835699890935802010-06-02T10:01:00.001-07:002010-06-02T10:02:01.493-07:00All StarsGod is recruiting an all star team. That's what my friend said when I called to tell him that one of our student technicians passed away yesterday morning. He couldn't be more right, he couldn't have said it better. Our office is mostly shocked, I think. One of my friends is mad, very mad. I think she expected it more than the rest of us. I thought he was doing better. The good part is that he's no longer in pain, his brain is no longer bleeding, he is at peace. I for one, am still a little shocked. I didn't know him as well as I would have liked, but I always had fun when he was in the office, we had some great conversations.<br /><br />Please keep Matt's family and friends in your prayers. This was a short, fast battle. He got sick around Christmas. His brain was bleeding, and they discovered he had cancer. Over the weekend he went back to the hospital and there was more bleeding. The doctors said the damage from the bleeding had been done and there really wasn't much they could do to stop it or prevent it from happening again. Like I said, fast. Shocking. Prayers are good.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-41549468988812220912010-05-19T08:50:00.000-07:002010-05-19T08:51:02.629-07:00Summer is ComingMay. Graduation time. A time of changes, of new beginnings. Greetings and partings.<br />The overcast June gloom is setting in early, bringing with it an unusual bout of chilliness.<br />It's beautiful though, the beautifully annoying parrots are returning.<br />Our garden is blossoming, a bright splash of green across the back bank. <br />Summer is in the air.<br />I'm looking forward to long, sunshiny days and cool, refreshing nights.<br />Swimsuits and sunscreen, watermelon and lemonade.<br />Catch up on reading, writing and pictures.<br />Try out new baking recipes, finish my cake classes.<br />Wedding plans, projects and fun.<br />Here's to summer. Your timing is impeccable.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-23068632352654676512010-05-12T09:13:00.000-07:002010-05-12T09:14:26.808-07:00How Time FliesTime certainly flies when you're <strike>busy</strike> having fun. We had the memorial desert trip for Moe. It was intense, fun, sad, wonderful, memorable, emotional, closure. We had a carpet of purple flowers welcoming us on either side of the road as we drove into the flats, it definitely set the tone for the weekend. We knew Moe was there waiting for us. The valleys were covered in purple flowers. Now, I haven't been going to the desert for very long, but some of our friends have been going for close to 20 years. They have never seen purple flowers out there, not like this. Yeah. Intensity. The crack of dawn ride was incredible, watching the sunrise from the top of a dune after being cleansed with white sage by her brother was an amazing experience. Camp was huge, so many people. The ride out to the memorial valley was epic, so many people whose lives she touched. I know she was right there with us, loving every minute of it. I broke my quad. Well, my quad broke, but it wasn't my fault. I think it was Moe's way of telling me I am ready for a bigger bike. That's what I get for showing off for her playing in the dunes above the memorial valley. It makes me smile.<br /><br />We booked our reception venue last Friday. It's such a relief to have that figured out. We met with a caterer last night and will hopefully have the food booked by the end of next week. Everything will flow together after that, the venue was the biggest obstacle/stresser. I'm getting so excited. We registered for kitchen stuff over the weekend, it was a really fun experience. And, let's be honest, those little scan gun thingies are incredibly fun to play with. The fiance's mom is throwing us a summer kitchen Jack & Jill wedding shower so she needed us to at least register for kitchen related items. I'm looking forward to completing our registration, it really is a fun experience discussing and deciding on the items we would like to have for our life together. It seems so simple, but it's really meaningful and a lot of fun.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-21702839334687548662010-04-16T07:49:00.000-07:002010-04-16T07:49:00.604-07:00Photostory Friday: Crazy Daisies<center><a href="http://mychaosmybliss.blogspot.com/2007/06/photo-story-friday-and-rules.html" target="_blank"><center><a href="http://mychaosmybliss.blogspot.com/2007/06/photo-story-friday-and-rules.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/4235120634_71d9399b5f_o.jpg" border="0" alt="PhotoStory Friday" /></a><br/>Hosted by <a href="http://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/" target="_blank">Mamarazzi</a><p/></center></a><a href="http://picturesofchaos.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"></a><p></p></center><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnZU_SAiyCaJrM-XxNS3djQeb4SpcppqdFF-decNp3X2K1PcAKJR6I-V-EVb1iURlLyzMxbJQEPLi-f7eoHhuh46d2xm3IY1xr6mLgeXyye0bNlb-PyZBwwVG5EQfT3a648ACHNOp2tDk/s1600/daisy2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnZU_SAiyCaJrM-XxNS3djQeb4SpcppqdFF-decNp3X2K1PcAKJR6I-V-EVb1iURlLyzMxbJQEPLi-f7eoHhuh46d2xm3IY1xr6mLgeXyye0bNlb-PyZBwwVG5EQfT3a648ACHNOp2tDk/s320/daisy2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460377153361610322" border="0" /></a>A bit overdue, but here are the pictures of the grand finale cake we did in my fondant and gumpaste class. Let me just tell you that this cake was a comedy of errors in the making. I iced and covered the cake before we left for the desert that Thursday night to keep it fresh (and minimize the work I had to do when we got back Sunday night for my class on Monday). I made the mistake <span class="il">of</span> covering it with saran wrap.<br />I came home to a hug fondant bubble and wilted, wrinkly sides. I had ripped the fondant a bit in the first covering and had planned to recover it anyways, but this definitely made sure that I had to recover it. I stayed up till about midnight on Sunday making all <span class="il">of</span> the daisies, only to walk into class Monday night and realize that I'd left them at home. Funniest part is that they were sitting on the table, right next to the cake! I did the garlands and borders and trinket box in class and added the daisies when I got home. The pictures don't show it very well, but I did a very light sparkly dusting on the cake itself to make it shimmer a little bit. (and to hide some of the imperfections in my fondant covering)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCc2Hgw2dOVKzp2k5EIR6WFRbZKgzoTSMk5IxX2af2gA9CSX1a7CbZO8oPh1-wXa973O5HN6XKT0VHsdRCJYUAkDeVaPNZ62dtJkHQ8kqvWEqmHNldoQ83Iaq3RfEAf2bs47OjwUcZcLV/s1600/daisy1.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCc2Hgw2dOVKzp2k5EIR6WFRbZKgzoTSMk5IxX2af2gA9CSX1a7CbZO8oPh1-wXa973O5HN6XKT0VHsdRCJYUAkDeVaPNZ62dtJkHQ8kqvWEqmHNldoQ83Iaq3RfEAf2bs47OjwUcZcLV/s320/daisy1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460377109495372146" border="0" /></a>I really like the design itself. I combined two designs from the books to make this one. I loved the daisies spilling out of the trinket box on another cake, so I decided to use that for the center of my finished product. The cake itself was a yellow cake with vanilla flavored buttercream filling and icing under the Wilton pre-made fondant. We used that for class, and honestly, I don't think it's half bad. It has the taste and flavor of an airhead, in my opinion. All but one person at work liked the fondant. I guess it's all just a matter of taste. This is definitely one of my favorite cakes though, so bright and cheery.<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a href="http://mychaosmybliss.blogspot.com/2007/06/photo-story-friday-and-rules.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/4235120634_71d9399b5f_o.jpg" border="0" alt="PhotoStory Friday" /></a><br/>Hosted by <a href="http://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/" target="_blank">Mamarazzi</a><p/></center>Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-56050044836097063402010-04-15T07:50:00.000-07:002010-04-15T07:53:12.651-07:00Much Ado About Cakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCFLYcpg_-F9oIK0B42jI7OJyWC5xbBNZMvrrzH-_MiUUrEGnsTQAkF4O47et_9NsNInP0Sd3L64CZm1Dr5RwSte95CjeQuySLL9IkgSi7McA7ZcDZzYY5QTh6rg2XGUoiaXR7bvhqgxC/s1600/pirate-edit.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCFLYcpg_-F9oIK0B42jI7OJyWC5xbBNZMvrrzH-_MiUUrEGnsTQAkF4O47et_9NsNInP0Sd3L64CZm1Dr5RwSte95CjeQuySLL9IkgSi7McA7ZcDZzYY5QTh6rg2XGUoiaXR7bvhqgxC/s320/pirate-edit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460373258023006050" border="0" /></a>We went to Disneyland for my littlest brother's birthday instead of having a big party. He really wanted to go to Disneyland, and a big party just didn't seem to fit into the crazy baseball schedule they've got going. I seriously do not know how my mom does it. She's got to be superwoman, I'm absolutely convinced. Since we didn't do a big party, my aunt and uncle offered to do a cake for my brother at Easter for the family. Since I didn't get to make him a big, fun cake for his birthday, I got to make him a smaller cake for Easter. This is the first and only pre-formed pan cake that I have ever made. Some of the contours were a but more challenging than I had expected. But I am overall pretty satisfied with how it turned out. The little imperfections actually work for this cake, being a pirate ship and all. My brother was really excited about it, which was enough for me. The cake itself was a white cake with butter flavored buttercream icing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoYRA0g2Q7uwKLH4tmpKnGnBO942Ku4S4LC4CUQoiNlZzlDyE8nxN-ucFrPA_JIvK0xrkneRDyXxZ_ydfe66QxEU8M39-xGLDtRoFDm17fnj_UdnBtRO51rp91BYn1aeP_SwcaIFh3KTN/s1600/paisley2-edit.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoYRA0g2Q7uwKLH4tmpKnGnBO942Ku4S4LC4CUQoiNlZzlDyE8nxN-ucFrPA_JIvK0xrkneRDyXxZ_ydfe66QxEU8M39-xGLDtRoFDm17fnj_UdnBtRO51rp91BYn1aeP_SwcaIFh3KTN/s320/paisley2-edit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459267015847189490" border="0" /></a>This is the birthday cake that I made for my cousin Ariel. We almost always have a cake for her at Easter since her birthday. Since I've been learning to make cakes and can always use the practice, my aunt and uncle took me up on my offer to make the birthday cakes this year. My<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD6547glMKHVTCcpTUvgqMblDSwtCpGDH7N3L0Nm14zJX5uLHYCWxxtGrhyphenhyphenBgCgaYjd7Bpcs_PKyZLZAHbSqCsQrM6XLBzWJ9FNakA7GZCb4Q_QTEMVKLVCBQ5YoiQ3HsQDC-VcCeCtaJ/s1600/paisley1-edit.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqD6547glMKHVTCcpTUvgqMblDSwtCpGDH7N3L0Nm14zJX5uLHYCWxxtGrhyphenhyphenBgCgaYjd7Bpcs_PKyZLZAHbSqCsQrM6XLBzWJ9FNakA7GZCb4Q_QTEMVKLVCBQ5YoiQ3HsQDC-VcCeCtaJ/s320/paisley1-edit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459266967603794946" border="0" /></a>Cousin loves bright colors and gerbera daisies. Her favorite color is green, which is why the accent border is green. I had a lot of fun making the daisies, even though I had to repair a few petals that I broke. Gumpaste gets very fragile once it dries...at least when I make delicate flowers. My cousin knew what the flowers were right away and absolutely loved the cake. It was a gluten free dark chocolate mix with an irritating but delicious cream cheese filling and butter flavored buttercream icing. All the decorations are gumpaste or a gumpaste/fondant mixture.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-61455183426462501172010-04-13T13:25:00.001-07:002010-04-13T13:37:25.031-07:00In Which I VentLet me preface this by saying that I am irrationally venting. I've been in an apathetic kind of mood most of the day. I know everything will fall into place, that I'm likely hormonal and just need to bury myself in dark chocolate and strawberries. Or dark chocolate covered strawberries. Oooh that sounds good. I should get the fiance on that.<br /><br />We are less than one year away from our wedding. The ceremony is in place as far a time and location, but I don't have the reception yet. This is getting increasingly stressful, because the longer we wait to book a place, the harder it's going to be. Half my problem is that everything is so damn expensive. It's incredibly frustrating to try and plan a strictly budgeted wedding and not be able to find a lot of places to choose from because if they aren't charging you thousands of dollars just to have the room, they're charging you $75 a person to be there, or both! I know plenty of people pay this without blinking. Kudos to them. I don't have that kind of money. Yes I know cutting the guest list is a great way to save money, we may end up thinning it out, but I need numbers first!!<br /><br />We are technically on the books for a site, but we have no numbers and no contract, and to me, until I have those things, there is no guarantee. It's a newer place, so I understand that they don't have everything all packaged and whatnot which is fine, I understand that. And they are great and I love them, I just need to get things figured out so that we can get to work on the rest of it.<br /><br />I know that something is going to work itself out, it always does. But at this particular moment I feel like a stubborn child, stomping my foot, throwing my toys and saying I want it NOW! Is that really too much to ask?<br /><br />I had a dream last night that was kind of amusing but also a little stressful. Nothing was planned for our wedding except that I had my dress and somehow people were coming. For some reason we were up at my parent's house for the wedding. We were trying to get things ready, but nothing was planned, so we didn't have anything. It was in the last hour before the wedding was supposed to start and I hadn't even started getting ready. The fiance and I, my parents, my brothers, my grandparents and some of my cousins were all sitting around our long dining room table, I was in my wedding dress. I was at one end, the fiance was at the other. We were debating postponing the wedding because we weren't prepared, but we were worried because there was only an hour till the wedding started and we knew that some people (specifically my two bosses for some reason were in it) were likely almost there if not there already, and had driven at least 3 hours to get there. We finally made the decision to postpone the wedding. I was inconsolably upset that the fiance had seen my dress and we weren't even going to get married that day. Somehow we all ended back up at the table again. Someone, it might have been me, suddenly sat up and asked, wait a sec, what year is it? Someone (I think my mom or grandpa) answered, 2010. And I was like, omg, we're a year early!!! The wedding isn't until 2011!!! I think we started laughing out of sheer frustration. It was at this point that I woke up.<br /><br />Yeah. I need the reception venue nailed down with numbers and a contract, stat.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-71793853246507982412010-04-09T08:58:00.001-07:002010-04-09T09:00:19.169-07:002 - 3652 - the number of years the fiance and I have been dating (as of yesterday)<br /><br />365 - the number of days left until our wedding<br /><br />Infinite - how indescribably happy I amJainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-77279340618494619672010-04-05T14:10:00.001-07:002010-04-05T14:11:24.959-07:00HelloApparently I'm not entirely past that whole blog writing apathy thing yet. Working on it. Time seems to be short these days. Or rather, I just have too much with which to fill it. But don't worry, I'm still here, I haven't disappeared (contrary to what my lack of posting might indicate)<br /><br />I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Ours was rather eventful what with the ground rolling for 2-3 minutes. Longest earthquake I've ever felt (that I remember) The fiance was sitting down and wasn't feeling well so I went out to the back patio to get him a glass of water. As I was standing there, it felt like the table was moving....or I was moving. I'm usually really fast at this stuff and hyper sensitive to earthquakes, but this one took me a moment. My whole family was together, gathered throughout the house, wondering when it was going to stop. My mom was leaning against the door near where the fiance was sitting, and ended up having to sit down in the fiance's lap because she got so dizzy. I wasn't inside at the time, but it was a rather entertaining story. The water in the pool sloshed a good 5 or 6 inches over the side, it was crazy.<br /><br />I finished my fondant and gumpaste class, I learned a lot and am having a great time with all the new creative possibilities. As for the class itself, I relied on my visual learning and the pictures/instructions in our book. By the end my teacher was speaking primarily in Spanish, but at that point it wouldn't have mattered if she was speaking Swahili, because I had switched to visual learning. I definitely won't take another class there, but I'm glad I got the fondant and gumpaste under my belt. I will have 3 new cake pictures up later this week.<br /><br />We're rapidly closing in on the one year mark to our wedding. Things are starting to get going, still have a lot to do though. I couldn't be more excited about everything, it's so nice when everything falls into place :)Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-23135464870388915862010-03-09T09:19:00.000-08:002010-03-09T18:39:22.936-08:00The Language of FondantIt's a good thing I didn't write this post last night, or it might have come out sounding frustrated and even a little bit mean.<br /><br />I had my first fondant and gumpaste class last night. I guess I should have taken into consideration where I was taking it, but it didn't really cross my mind. I have a new found compassion/sympathy/empathy for ESL students and Spanish speaking students who come into schools where English is the main or only language.<br /><br />My teacher kept switching between English and Spanish, but even when she was in English her accent was so heavy and she spoke so softly and mumbled her words, it was difficult to understand her. Thankfully, the two girls across the table took pity on me and translated when necessary, but even they were confused at times. She is definitely not nearly as good a teacher as my last one. I think I can still learn and make it through the course. I will not take another class at that store though. I'll drive to another store up by where I did my student teaching if I have to.<br /><br />On the upside, fondant is fun and I'm glad I am learning to use it. It's definitely a cool medium to learn.Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558738156708349769.post-36203563693849415032010-03-08T13:33:00.000-08:002010-03-08T13:34:00.690-08:00Rainy WeekendsRainy days make me smile. Don't get me wrong, I'm still clamoring for the warm summer sunshine when I can spend my days in tanks and flip flops. I just love the rain. It makes for excellent indoor relax weather. I did an invitation mock up design Friday night while the fiance was at work. My mom loved it and so did the fiance and his mom when I showed it to them Saturday! I'm really excited about it :)<br /><br />The fiance ended up being able to work from home Saturday and Sunday, so we had some nice hang out and relax time. I got signed up for the Wilton level 4 Fondant and Gum Paste class, I start tonight, I'm SO excited!!! (don't worry, there will be pictures over the next few weeks) We spent a pretty relaxing weekend. The fiance wanted to try his hand at fondant. I didn't want to touch it until I did my class, so he was on his own, but he did a really good job. We watched a bunch of House too this weekend. One disk left of Season 5...the last episode we watched last night was rather depressing though. I'm half convinced that Joss Whedon wrote it. (not that I don't love Joss, but still) The fiance also made an incredibly delicious tortilla soup. Perfect for a stormy day.<br /><br />That said, bring on the sunshine. I'm ready for sunscreen, sandals, sand and fun. I promise not to whine about how hot it is. Well, at least not very loudly. :)Jainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05666481569069955190noreply@blogger.com2