Post Scripts

2012-01-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

(Taken from the blog SAIPUA, because every post should have a pretty picture with it, right?)

In trying to keep true to my goal to blog once a week I am going to share some of what I do to waste my time. Life has been particularly challenging lately, and I am ashamed to say that when this happens I very rarely gird up my loins and get to work, but rather I day dream and escape, and the internet has provided several great ways to do so.

For the record, I had wanted to post pictures of my wonderfully lovely wedding (that most of you who read this blog attended), but since I can't get the photos laid out just so I will postpone, but hopefully not for another 6 months.

So instead may I share with you some of the lovely blogs that I so often stick my nose into;

I enjoy the writing style and sincerity of Nat the Fat Rat, not sure I have the courage or talent to be so honest in what I write in a public space.

I love the beautiful photos one can enjoy on Pencil Box.

Since my wedding I have found myself really paying more attention to an old passion of mine, floral design. I've let it go by the wayside as I have focused more on landscape design, but hope for more opportunities to be creative in this way in the future. There are currently three blogs that I enjoy because of their talents in this department; An Apple a Day, SAIPUA, and Honey of a Thousand Flowers.

For my crafty side I like to keep up with Garment House, The Purl Bee and Quiet Hare. All mostly knitting, which is something I continue to enjoy more and more.

I know these things can be trivial. I have really been contemplating the place and value of blogs - I used to want to have a big fancy blog where I would share how clever, crafty or creative I am. Strangers would read it and people would want to pay me money to keep it up. But now I feel rather content to let others do so and use this little space of mine to just say hi to the world and share a little glimpse of what I am thinking about, doing, or striving for. Regardless, I do believe that if you are going to use the time and energy it takes to blog it should be used to promote good feelings. I think these few blogs I have shared do so, and I hope my little jot on my blog today will do the same!

One Day Like This

2012-01-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging. I plan to do more - but for now I would like to share what is for now my theme song. I loved this video, watching how someone doing what could be a very mundane job turned it into something fun - and even entertaining for those around them. Listening to the words of the song only brings more meaning.

"throw those curtains wide! One day like this a year'd see me right."

Inspired

2011-02-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

Matt and I have been inspired watching documentaries on our public television channel about the civil rights movement. Last night we learned about the struggle after the march on Washington.

I am inspired by the blog 2 or 3 Things I know

I often think about how South Africa inspired me. That struggle is still not completely resolved, even 20 years later.

I am inspired by the people that are protesting and demanding democracy in their countries now. It takes faith doesn't it.

Still Dreaming...

2011-02-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

Utah State Fair 9.10

We didn't ride any rides

We were sure to not pet any animals

Best ice cream I've ever had

PS - I have some really great ice cream in my day, this slow churned stuff was awesome. So awesome it may constitute a trip to the fair next year, and I'm not sharing this year.

2010-11-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Let's go back shall we. To days that were warmer.

Bluff, Ut. Memorial Day Weekend 2010

While in Bluff there are few necessary things to do:

Eat

Hang out in the kitchen

Have a fire in the cauldron

Visit around the dinning room table

Do some porch sitting

Enjoy the beautiful scenery

Say hi to The Hole in the Rock

And just enjoy road trip'n it with your Man whilst listening to some good tunes.

PS - there is a little bit more that goes into visiting Bluff. One big part of going to Bluff would be to say hi to Caroline and Audrey. They are our friends, Matt helped to build them a house.

2010-10-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

[Self portrait on the Tea Cups]

Today I am 30 years old. I was telling my sister yesterday how I have been thinking of her 30th birthday. We were in Paris together - I was a few months shy of 21. 30 seemed so far away and I thought it would look so different then it does for me. Katie, my sister, was a Mom of 3 at the time and living with her recently MBA husband in Stockholm Sweden. That's what I thought 30 would look like, then, but this is now so let's take a look at what 30 looks like for me.

At 30 I Have:

1.Been Enamored, Infatuated, and then finally Devotedly in Love

2.Realized a passion when young, pursued it to a college degree, now business

3.Devoted to a gospel of good news through reflection, pondering & faith

4.Had babies fall asleep in my arms = magic

5.Come to use the name of Hadfield as a bragging right

6.Seen beauty in the world through travel - a badge of honor

7.Been betrayed and heartbroken - and survived

8.Been broke, felt rich, then broke again

9.Sat at a table at a cafe in a strange city alone

10.Said good byes to dearly departed

11.Realized talents I have, and talent I would like to have

12.Decided my favorite color is gray

13.Come to appreciate more the sacrifices of my parents

14.Become a farmer's market groupie - if there were such a thing

15.Accepted that I don't like to make decisions

16.Realized creative thoughts come out of the blue - trick is to catch them

17.Lived alone in complete independence - another badge of honor

18.Been fired, hired and have retired from several vocations

19.Had stitches 3 times

20.Experienced a deep reverence and peace in nature

21.Navigated myself on trains, planes and automobiles

22.Done hard things - and realize I'm all the better for it

23.Come to know that my best friends are my sisters - I'm SO lucky

24.Found inspiration and guidance in the words of prophets

25.Come to see art and creativity is all around us

26.Still not let go of my desire to "have it all together, all the time"

27.Went to a college dance dressed as a super hero 1

28.Made several attempts to "re-invent myself", working on just being myself

29.Come to see cleverness and tenacity as talents rather then traits

30.Grown in gratitude for the oh so MANY blessings bestowed upon me

I am truly loved.

Footnotes

1.The dance was not during Halloween, and no one else was dressed up - my two good friends dressed up with me - but chickened out of going into the dance. I was a lone ranger.

2010-09-16T23:02:00.000-07:00

This is being posted even though I feel it is not yet complete - but it has been waiting in the posts list for WAY too long. Enjoy and look forward to more to come (someday)!

Red-Rover, The Hadfield Clan has some Sunday play at the park.

In July the Hadfield crew ventured to New Port CA for some fun in the sun. Pretty much it is a guarantee that where this crew goes - fun is sure to follow. Ty and KT being the only family not residing in the state of Utah (living in New Port with their most adorable little boys) needed a little crazy in their lives. So we all (that would be all 26 of us) showed up on their doorstep!

After attending church to be part of Andrew's baby blessing we enjoyed a laid back Sunday.

Monday was our day at the beach - and even though temperatures were a little cooler then the Utah heat we were all happy to cool off a little in the cold water and flex our creative muscles with some sand sculptures.

Beach Faces

Daddy

Don't you just want to nibble on this face?!

Food

2010-08-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

I would encourage you to visit these lovely blogs - all about one of my favorite topics; food.

I have found I love to learn about new ways to prepare food, new ingredients to use, new savory combinations to create. And for the first two years of living on my own I LOVED to cook, preparing a meal was such satisfaction. My study of plants created a love/fascination for fruit and vegetables and for a time I considered taking a job working in the produce department at a grocery store. (Think Liberty Heights Fresh)

However in the past months this desire has gone dormant. Since about January I have found my head spinning a bit at the grocery store, I have come to avoid shopping. I have become scared and timid at the thought of creating a balanced meal, because now I feel eluded to what a balance meal is! Please tell me I am not the only person who has become totally overwhelmed by all the different ideas on the proper way to fuel the body; vegan, gluten free, organic, zone, cleansing - AH!

I begun to feel so lost and inadequate in my ability to properly care for my body. What were the "dirty dozen" again? How much dairy is too much dairy? Cold cereal is the nemesis of breakfast! And what qualifies as cold cereal again - is granola cold cereal? Is shredded wheat that bad for you?

I do know a few things;

I know that it is imperative for me to care for this body, as it is my belief (as well as other Mormons) that this body is on loan to me, and I will be accountable for how I care for it.

I know that the way I eat has so much to do with the way I feel. I am slow, idle and have a lack of desire to do anything positive when I eat badly.

And I KNOW that we as a society have gotten ourselves into a food mess, full of over processed fake food.

I am very curious to know your thoughts regarding this topic. Please share what you do to feel confident when making food. Please help put my mind at ease and help me gain confidence again to prepare a shopping list and make dinner tonight!

In the mean time I will continue to drool over the beautiful creations on these food blogs and dream about good, real food.

Cast Iron, Stainless, Copper - Oh My!

2010-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Alright, I am starting the registry. I thought I had a really good idea of what I wanted, I am now learning that neither Matt or Myself really know what the best products are out there. So, I thought I would put the questions I get out there and do little reviews here on my blog starting with pots and pans!

Upon moving out I purchased some pans at Ikea; a sauce pan, 4 quart pan (I think) and a skillet, oh and I got a grill pan - all from the "Favorit Series". I have been pretty happy with these pans, but then again don't have anything to compare them to. They are stainless steal and the grill pan is cast iron. What metal/treatment have you found you prefer to cook with? Copper, Cast Iron, Stainless, Nonstick? I am finding there are a world of options out there and I wonder what the option with the most staying power/diversity would be.

Next question; what are the essential pans to have? I am noticing that a whole set of 7 pans is something like $400! Ouch! This makes me wonder if it wouldn't be better to just focus on the "must haves"; stock pot, sauté, roasting, sauce pan. What have you found is the essential pan(s) to have, and have you found you prefer a certain pan out of a certain material? I.E. you prefer your stock pot be stainless steal, while your roasting pan be cast iron?

Advise is VERY much encouraged and appreciated here - PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT. I want to take full advantage of the knowledge and kindness of all people reading this blog, stranger or friend.

Thanks!

Know Where I Can Find a Yellow Dress with Such Awesomeness?

2010-07-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

The blue cardi wouldn't hurt either.

Good old Sat.

Things they are a changing

2010-06-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

For the better. This "chapter" in my life is coming to a close. While living on my own was a little intimidating at the start I am now sad, to a degree, to see it come to an end. Having free reign of my space; where my stuff went, how clean or dirty I kept it - I am looking down the road at a time of compromise and while I am SO looking forward to the married life, I will allow myself to morn this time of freedom if but for a moment while I post this.

My little space is officially for rent, you can see it here void of all my stuff - it really doesn't look as cute in those pictures as it does with my stuff in it. Sigh.

There will also be a fairly epic garage sale in the near future while I purge. You are welcome to join me if you like. Leave me a comment and let me know if you too would like to purge and see some un-necessaries (not a word, I know) be sold and we can do it all together!

Here's to changing times, and some help cleaning the bathroom!!

PS - If you are interested in renting my apartment please feel free to leave a comment or contact me and I will get you the details. I have loved living here - so close to downtown Salt Lake and close to City Creek where I have spent so much time running and biking. Oh how I am going to miss this place!

Please Indulge Me

2010-06-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

This blog may take on a new "theme" for a little while. I hope you will all indulge me as I may from time to time use it as a forum to ask questions, get advise and share ideas on my coming nuptials.

We have not yet set a date, working on it but things got a little complicated in that department. Looking forward to a short engagement, we are already very much looking forward to just being married and honestly neither of us like the work "fiance" - sounds so pretentious to us. Much rather say; Man that I conned into keeping me forever. :)

So, for the first question. I would love to hear from you, my friends and family that have gone through this sort of thing before, your advise/suggestions on the whole registry thing. There are many needs we do have, and some ikea stuff that needs replacing.

Where is the best place to register? We know we would like to register at REI but know we have some basic household needs to attend to. Dishes, towels, flatware...

Am I a snob in saying that I may not be too excited by the idea of Bed Bath and Beyond? Have not enjoyed my shopping experiences in their floor to ceiling stuffed with stuff stores. Please tell me if I am mistaken, is BBB the way to go?

What about the good old department stores? When my older sisters got married those were the only places to register, seem like sound options to me.

Thoughts on this kind of registry? I am kind of in love with the idea, but I am worried it would be a lot of work.

Are there items that you wish you had registered for but were left off the list? What are the do's and don't of registering, and how does a couple avoid conflict while registering - I have heard some tall tales of engagement that make this process sound "challenging".

PLEASE leave your suggestions/advice/stories in the comments, and thanks!!!

2010-06-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

I feel a little silly posting this - but I have had several requests for the story and pictures, farebeat for me to not appease those requests.

Matt and I got officially engaged this past weekend. While the time, place and ring were all a surprise it has felt surprisingly normal to have a ring on my finger - as many know this has been a long time coming and we have known for a while now that we knew we wanted to have each other forever.

I feel a deep gratitude first and foremost to my Heavenly Father for his help in guidance to Matt and I. We have not had an average courtship and have faced challenges that most don’t have so early in a relationship - such as 4 years of intense schooling to commence months after we met. We have been shown through His love so many wonderful lessons and our testimonies have been strengthened and our love for each other has been allowed to grow and mature.

On a rather average Saturday night - after a 60 mile bike ride for me and a long day of weed whacking for Matt (had to clean up the lot he owns) we stepped out into the evening to get some dinner, both starving and a little cranky. We went to a couple of restaurants, expecting to get a table right away only to be informed that we would have to wait. Not feeling up to the wait we went to a spot that Matt was less excited about, but we could get in right away. After stuffing ourselves we started home, Matt was not feeling well, thought it had something to do with how much food we had just consumed - but I’m not so sure in retrospect.

Since October Matt has tried a few dry run proposals on me, I would respond with a yes and then “is it official then, can I call the fam?” To which he would reply “no, have to get you a ring first.” Boo. On our walk home while waiting for a stop light Matt pulled a dry run, something that I had become a custom to, a proposal, and I love you - and a resounding YES from me, but it wasn’t official, no ring. As we continued on our way I figured he had gotten it out of his system and there would be no official engagement that night.

On the way home to my house there is a small park, technically a cemetery; The Kimball Cemetery to be exact. It is a normal way for us to go, a preferred way actually. Half way through the park Matt stopped, reminded me of how much he loved me - said some other sweet personal things - I reciprocated and then as I thought we were wrapping things up noticed he was fidgeting with something in his hand. As I looked down to see a ring in his hand as he said something like, “guess I can finally give this to you then”, got onto his knee and place the ring on my finger.

Simple, unexpected, sincere, personal - just how I had always hoped it would be.

We are very much looking forward to beginning the next chapter in our history and are grateful, humbled and EXCITED to be with each other. Date is TBD, but we will keep you, our loved ones, posted!

2010-06-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

You have to be kidding me! How do they not have smart enough people to stop this! Or better question - how did they not have a plan in place to stop this MUCH sooner.

Thanks for sharing Tristan, doing my part and passing the word along.

An Example of Evolution

2010-05-06T20:53:00.001-07:00

I first learned about round-up ready crops in my "Weeds" class. Looks like the predicted has come true.

Today is Earth Day

2010-04-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Post Edit - Today is not Earth Day. This is a post I wrote last week, and I was too chicken to publish it. Decided I would go ahead and put it out there today.

[picture of Cape Point in Cape Town SA, one of the most beautiful parts of the world I have seen.]

My first memory of Earth Day was in the 3rd grade, Ms.

McBride was my teacher, I think there were some festivities in celebration. I just know I remember being excited about earth day, and I remember learning about turning the water off while we brush our teeth.

On another day, that was not earth day, I had the good fortune and pleasure of visiting Ms. McBride's "homestead" to help feed and ride horses, chase peacocks, learn about gardens, you know normal "homestead" stuff (really it was because I was a total miss-fit in the third grade). This is when the desire to become "a farmer" developed in me, and these are the first memories I have of feeling a great and deep reverence for nature.

Something that is sad to me is how political this "Earth Day", "Environmental Movement", "Green" topic has become. I do not claim a political party - I have come to a very personal feeling that I will ask for God's help in such matters as I have an opinion that no matter the party, there is corruption, dishonesty, etc (and I know I am not alone on this one). But why is it that when I get passionate about my testimony of "Mother Nature" and God's creations I am coined a liberal? (a coining I don't care much about; call me what you want, conservative, liberal, blond, brunette, whatev.) And by saying testimony - I mean just that, my feelings about the earth and our responsibilities as stewards over this earth are just that, born from the Holy Ghost, and it is something that has been impressed upon me time and time again.

God is Great. He has created a great, beautiful, magical earth for us - his children - to live off of. But he gave us this earth with a charge to care for it. And this is where I become "liberal" - I don't think we are doing such a great job at fulfilling this responsibility.

Before a war was started that some claim is over oil. Before I even started to learn about global warming (which is another controversial topic surrounding all of this, why do people want to be so caught up in proving that there isn't global warming - so they can just continue to consume and be greedy? To me this is null and void, warming or no, consuming as we do is unacceptable). Before there was such a thing as organic grocery stores and "green" detergents - I felt we weren't doing the best we could, or should.

As I write this I am cringing at the idea that I may be the pot calling the kettle black - but I woke up with these thoughts this morning and really feel I need to share them on this very public forum. I have a ways to go - I have many ways to improve. Less driving to do, less buying, less energy expended sitting at the computer, but my heart is in it folks. And I guess what I am trying to say - or what it is that I am hoping others will take from this post is that I hope all our hearts will get in it. Regardless of politics and science, individually we can come to believe that this is a spiritual decision rather than a political one. That by your own actions, through how we each individually use the resources at our finger tips whether it be; using gas, the way we farm and garden, the way we wash our hair - what we use to wash our hair, I hope that in each of us there will be a thought to what we are using, where it came from and what this all means. The energy used, the resources taken from the plant, the waste it is creating. My hope would be that a conversion would take place in each of us that would bring a realization of our place as stewards of this, God's creation. That by doing so we show our gratitude to God, we learn about God, and we become more like him.

Call me a hippie if you will - this is my testimony. Amen.

Thank you Mr. Glass

2010-04-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

This is just what I needed to hear.

PS - you like, knowwhatImean, stuff you just like love, knowwhatImean? Gotta Love Ira Glass.

Whirl Win in San Fran

2010-03-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Lands End Trail

Is it "Whirl-Win" or "Whirl-Wind"? At any rate.

Katie and John gifted their two oldest daughters tickets to see Wicked in San Fransisco for Christmas. Knowing my love for the city, and need for a second driver for the quick trip there I was invited. One of the perks that come with being the single aunt I am afraid. :)

I fell in love with the city of San Francisco my senior year of high school when visiting on a choir trip. I have since been back a number of times on vacation as well as traveling for business. I know Union Square and the BART from the airport there really well. Thanks for the picture Liz!

Some of my favorite people live in SF as well, and were so kind and generous with their time! I was lucky enough to see Liz and Finn twice and Jeremy when he and Liz brought us some delicious pizza for dinner before we hustled off to the play.
Madison
So what do you do in San Fran when you have just over 24 hours? Well, it was important to me that Katie, Brynley and Madison see some of the natural beauty in this great city. Liz suggested we take the Lands End trail to see some unique views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Sounded like a great end to a long drive, so Friday night we went straight there. Well, after taking a detour to the potty of course.
The next day was filled with the farmer's market (I LOVE farmer's markets!), shopping, The Wharf, dolling ourselves up in new cloths for a Broadway production, seeing friends - with food appropriately filled in there as a fixture of the trip. Reason #2 I love SF = FOOD!
Katie with her two "big" girls

It was really a wonderful experience getting to be with my maturing nieces. Hearing their jokes, and marveling at their sisterly love. But the most notable thing I came away with was an impression of Katie's generosity. In her gifting this trip to her daughters it was evident to me soon into it that to her these three days were theirs and not her's. Not once was she looking to shop the stores she would have preferred, eat the restaurants she wanted - this time was for Bryn and Madi and Katie was very generous toward them.
Brynley Anne

I can recognize how difficult it is for Katie and my other sisters to feel they are developing relationships with their kin as they hustle and bustle about their lives; and Katie saw an opportunity to focus just on making this an enjoyable, happy, successful, fun, memorable experience for two in her household. She sought for it to be one memory they could look back on having good memories of a fun time with Mom (and Aunt Jessa:)).

It was my Mom that jumped at the chance to be among the chaperons to that senior trip too long ago. While I'm afraid I may have been too busy flirting with boys (or trying to at least), I do hold some very fond memories of being with her in San Francisco. One being a ferry trip out into the bay where I remember thinking what a great Mom I have, what a pretty smile she has, and how much fun she is! I can remember her giggle as our hair went crazy in the wind. Thanks Mom!
Mom and Me, San Fran '99

PS - Missed bi-rite this time, but not to worry - there is a credit with South West Airline I believe will have to be used to get my Lavender Honey ice cream fix.

Should Be Working but...

2010-03-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

had to share this wonderfully happy and inspiring lady. Visiting this blog reminds me of the good ole days when I would parade around town dressed up like a super hero or a foreign exchange student listening to New Kids On The Block (this would be when I was in high school, fyi).

I love the whymsical, and this girl has it all figured out.

Color Me Katie - can we be friends?

Knitting and Such

2010-03-06T10:08:00.001-08:00

It's been a good year for knitting. I have punched out a bb sweater, bb blanket, something like 5 hats and a complicated scarf for Christmas (the scarf was a little late for Christmas gifting however :), plan to start earlier next year!) and a pair of SOCKS!

I started these socks a year ago upon taking a class from my favorite knit shop in town; Blazing Needles. Yes, sadly it took me a year to finish these up - they really aren't that hard, I just wanted to get my other gifts finished - and I pretty much didn't knit at all during the summer, I was a little busy. :)

Looking forward to some other projects, I have collected plenty of yarn and my mind is swimming in ideas of what to make, as well as the thought of many little bb's on their way. But it may have to wait, spring is on it's way and I am getting ready. A vegi garden to plan, oh - a business to run and the sun and I will need to get re-acquainted, it has been way too long.

2010-01-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

I had a delectable, juicy, AND sweet orange today. It was worth the effort in peeling it. I don't like peeling oranges.

Also, I watched this movie last night and really liked it. I almost think it would be harder to pretend you are making a documentary then acting in a drama or comedy as a made up character. Acting like you are not acting, when you are just acting, as yourself, you get what I mean - I think it would be hard. And, yes, I do wish these two cute and funny people were a "thing" in real life, but because they weren't doesn't mean that this movie is any less fun - because remember, they were acting like they weren't acting, but they really were just acting.

PS - I have a pretty cool Brother-in-Law, he puts cool things like this on his blog. Reminds me of my Brother, Aaron, who would really dress up like a dead economist for the purpose of teaching. He dresses up like dead democrats, so why not economists? And did I mention that it was said Brother's birthday last week, he turned 40. This felt like a big milestone for not only him, but for our family - we are all maturing you know, and there are now teenagers posing as my nieces and nephews. Good thing we have Big A to keep us all young.

Photo found here

Got a Kick Out of This

2010-01-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

Copied from The Satorialist:

On the Street....The Horticulturists, Sydney

This young lady plants rooftop gardens for a living.

PS - In case you didn't know, I'm a Horticulturist. And yes, we can be stylish. (Although my style is a little different from hers.)

My Word

2010-01-01T23:21:00.000-08:00

I loved this post from my friend Laura, and thought it was a FANTASTIC idea to have a word as my years motto.

I started to think about what this word might be a few weeks ago - have had many thoughts about it. In the end my word for 2010 comes from some of my favorite scriptures from the Doctrine and Covenants.

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves..." (D&C 58:27-28)

ENGAGED

Ha! I know this is a funny and ironical word for me to choose. And yes, it may be that in the year 2010 I will become engaged, in the engaged to be married sense. But no, this is not why this word will be my motto for the upcoming year.

It seems that I am so easily dis-engaged in my day to day life. Day in and day out I am left with a list of honorable goals undone. I have this nasty habit of allowing myself to be distracted. This year I will focus on engaging myself in my life - being anxiously engaged in good causes.

And so it has been written - this is the year that Jessica becomes engaged.

PS - I giggled a little when I realized the irony of picking this word. I also giggled a little when thinking of those that may just skim over this post and see the word engaged and think that Matt finally popped the question. I even thought of putting a picture of a diamond ring on here, but I guess I thought better of it in the end.

2009 - A Year in Review

2009-12-31T14:06:00.001-08:00

I (along with my siblings) legally gained a little brother 1.27.09

I reunited with the sun and faces I love in Dallas 3.09 A cloudy drive up a favorite canyon 5.29.09I eternally gained a Little Brother 6.15.09 Family fun at Lagoon 6.17.09 A race survived 6.19-20.09

Family in the Tetons 7.25.09 (thanks for the photo Liz)

A Brother's return home 8.24.09

Fun at Moon Lake 9.6.09

Man turned 31 11.22.09
Hiked where the Angels Land on 11.28.09

In the end the year was a smash.

Christmas

2009-12-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

On Christmas;

There was a Nativity

Presents were given

"The Hadfield Family is taking another tirp to Lagoon!"

Mom and Dad are going on a date - courtisy of their kids

And pinata was smashed

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-12-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

I wrote this post last week - tried to post it with a fun video, but couldn't get it to load. Decided I still needed to share these sentiments, even though Christmas is now behind us...

[Nativity - 2008]

Life is busy isn't it! Despite this fact, I couldn't let this special holiday pass without a post on this 'ole blog. Much to love, express gratitude for, and reverence this time of year. Much to ponder as well.

This time of year is really about family - to me at least. Don't get me wrong, I recognize and reverence the basis of which we celebrate, the coming of a Savior - but (and there really is no but about it) that is exactly why it is about family to me, as well as the fact that I do strive to reverence the coming of the Savior of my soul daily - even aside from this holiday.

Number 5 of 6 kids, what a wonderful place to be (however, it is 7 now, I don't forget - but growing up it was 6). Older siblings who fed off my excitement - a younger sister to excite myself! Christmas time was magic to me at my great place as #5. There was the nightly advent with the family around the table reading scripture by candle light of the revelations and coming of Christ as a babe. Christmas treasures unveiled by my mother, with a meaning and an origin explained, and I at her side to give them a place in her decked living room - I loved to decorate at Christmas time with my Mom!

The fun tradition of picking out the tree and the coveted position of being the decider - we rotated and every year, it was a different family member's turn to pick the tree - 8 years is a long time to wait for this chance to wonder around the tree lot to find the tree (it was also a long time to keep track of - so it was accompanied by an argument of who's year it really was). Comings Tree Lot - behind the old theatre on Highland Drive - a stove with a fire and peanuts to eat. Dad threatening each year to buy a tree of the inorganic variety (which has now changed from threat to reality), and a fat or skinny (depending on who picked that year) tide to the roof of the old red and white suburban.

There was also the tradition of my Dad filming the hanging of Christmas stockings as each child was filed into the room one at a time, given their time in the spot light to do whatever silly thing they desire. This was part of the magic of Christmas Eve - followed by the reverent reading of the Christmas Story (well, at least my Mom hoped it would be reverent) from the old family bible, all the candles lit, lights out (except for the tree). I can go there now, peace, emotion - our parents humble testimonies of the truthfulness and Good News of the Lord Jesus' birth.

PS - we are now a busy family of nearly 30, and growing. Since these years there were years of some growing pains as old traditions died and new traditions were born. Those were tough years for me as a kid, seeing the family change, but the richness is oh so much better now, rich and sweet.

2009-11-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

I am going to take a break from all things computer (aside from work) for the next week. I need to prove to myself that I can live without blogs, facebook, twitter, and even email. This is going to be really hard especially since Man gave me this fun little toy. But determined I am, I have a To Do list a mile long, tasks that have nothing to do with social networking and in fact are interrupted by the draw I have to see what is happening in the virtual world, plus Man thinks I am addicted to blogs and I need to prove him wrong. ( I hope!)

See you in a week - I will let you know how it goes!

PS - To clarify, I can't stay away from computers completely, I am going to try and stay away from the stuff that wastes my time....Gulp!

Didn't know I had a reason to go to Baton Rouge

2009-10-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

[image]

Arch Daily didn't say anything about when this library would be built (the image is a really good rendering, not a photo) - but this building may be reason enough for me to visit Baton Rouge - too cool!

PS - what are some buildings you hope to visit, old or new architecture will be acceptable answers.

Question

2009-10-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

[photo via]

So, it snowed yesterday, boo. I have lived here all my life, and I suspect that if (or rather when) I move I will possibly miss Utah winters, but in all honesty winters are really hard for me. coming from a large family with limited funds the popular winter sports in Utah were rather difficult to participate in (despite my sweet Mom's efforts, she would always scout out ways for us to inexpensively participate) and therefore I am not such a strong skier (although I am dating one). I have resolved to work on being a better skier and find ways to make it more affordable, such as scouting out the deals and looking for cheap rentals (I would actually like my own equipment, but it is hard to justify for how little I ski) - I have made this resolution because for my mental health and happiness I need to get outside, and let's face it, most of the time in the winter here in the valley one can not see the sun. We must go above the inversion to have that beautiful yellow orb shine down on us. It is like a whole other world on the mountainside compared to the dreary gray world below in the winter.

However, it is not possible for me to ski every day, or even every week for that matter, I will feel pretty good if I make it out once a month with my 6 day a week work schedule. So to the question: I want to know what you do to stay sane in the winter. How do you exercise, are you a stronger person then I and just suck it up and go outside despite the gloom and cold and run your buns? Do you have a place you like to go? Do you love a winter sport I have yet to consider? Please DO share - I know you are out there, leave me a comment please, I really am begging you here - I need a plan.

PS - thanks for all the kindness shown on my 'ole BDay, it was a great one! My wish came true, it snowed the day after my birthday.

PPS - I really do love the snow, just when it comes around Christmas and not Halloween.

2009-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Missed Tunes Tuesday but Man sent along a video I thought was pretty cool. I thought I had shared Fleet Foxes before, but looking back doesn't look like I have! I really like there sound. Check it out.

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

PS - Got another post up here, let me know what you think!

Movie Monday

2009-10-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

A lot of the time when I am can't think of a film to share here I will refer to my Netflix que to see what I have seen or what my friends have recently seen that I may remember enjoying. One thing I noticed is how many foreign films and documentaries I have in my que and that I have watched. Currently most of what is in my que to watch are documentaries; Food Inc., King Corn, Helvetica, Unusual Buildings and Other Roadside Stuff, Mad Hot Ballroom, An Ice Cream Show, Young at Heart.... I could go on. (I am particularly excited to see Mad Hot Ballroom and Young at Heart - heard they are great.) There is just something about documentaries.

A few that I have seen that I particularly enjoyed; Man on Wir e, Super Size Me (think of this one whenever I am tempted buy fast food, or when I give into said temptation and eat fast food.), New York Doll (fun and touching), Born Into Brothels (powerful), Dogtown and Z-boys, Big River Man ... again, I could go on. There is one I thought I would take highlight here out of my list of seen documentaries and that would be Wordplay.

I had such a fun time watching this documentary about crossword puzzles with my mom about two years ago. Yep, it is one of those movies you can remember just where you were and who you were with when you watched it. While I don't participate in what is for some a daily ritual of working on crossword puzzles I very much enjoyed taking a peak into the lives of the average people that do enjoy this hobby - and make it even more than just that!

PS - I caught the first part of this documentary and I really enjoyed it. Since I don't have a TV it is difficult to keep up with it, looking forward to renting the DVD.

PPS - Are there any documentaries that touched, entertained, or educated you? Do share by leaving a comment below - Please!

Luvit!

2009-10-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

It's funny, today I was thinking to myself how I tend to dress like a kid rather than a 29 year old adult. Then I saw this post by Simplesong (a great blog by a great letterpress designer) about Bonpoint, a most wonderful children's clothing boutique. And wouldn't you know it - I was looking at their cloths wondering if I could fit into them, I am a petite 5'2", maybe I could get away with it right? Check out their lovely looks here.

PS - Another place I like to go for fashion inspiration is here. Of course most of my Internet musings come from other blogs - I think I found out about Darling Dexter via My Happy Little Life.

Tunes Tuesday

2009-10-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

While thinking about a musician to highlight this day I mused about concerts, concerts I have recenetly seen, concerts I have missed, and concerts I hope to take in in the near future.

This last weekend, on a spontaneous whim my gentleman caller, Man and I attend a concert. We went to see Jolie Holland, which as Jess poignantly stated was disappointing. As we waited and ran into more and more friends who were all there to see Dr. Dog, the healiner, we knew we had to stick around to see what all the fuss was about, and even though I was in a haze on benadryl it did not disappoint, such fun music! But they are not the highlight of this post. No, I don't feel I can claim myself as a bonafide Dr. Dog fan until I spend some time listening more closely to their tunes. No, today's post is about a concert I was sad to miss last night - Aimee Mann.

Ah yes, Aimee Mann, you know her - she played to a sold out audience last night at the State Room, and I wasn't there. Due to some poor planning on my part it was a show I was too late for. This singer, songwriter has had her music highlighted on movies and TV shows - so it is likely that you have heard her. I love the simplistic sound of her voice and the lyrics that can be, well, let's just quote her bio shall we; "...clever, literate, and dryly witty takes on emotional sabotage and self-destruction... Mann frequently pairs the bleakest of poetry with soaring, infectious melodies." I couldn't have said it better myself. The song I have chosen highlights this quote's notion dead on and has at many times hit me dead on. We have all felt this way.

PS - for a list of some fun shows coming to SLC check out this blog and this blog. I'm looking forward to Regina in November (if I can get off work in time, sigh).

Movie Monday

2009-10-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to sharing this film with you, my many blog fans (small exaggeration), for a while now.

Les Choristes is a very sweet film from France about a past composer who takes work as a teacher in a boy's boarding school. The Principal at the school is a man that believes in discipline through reaction, or an eye for an eye. With introducing the power and beauty of music life at the school is changed. The music is beautiful, sure to move you.

P.S. - I can't wait until This movie comes out this weekend! I've watched the trailer many times now, doesn't hurt that music from one of my most favorite bands is used. I've also been hearing great things about the soundtrack as well, with Karen O. putting it together it is no wonder. Have a listen to the tracks here, and have a looksie here.

Here It Goes

2009-09-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Last week I went for a run, one of only two runs since I ran the Ragnar race with my family. Pathetic, yes. But here's the deal - the night before running Ragnar I got sick - I threw up ALL night long, just ask Amanda - she was there. I was on a stranger's couch throwing up in a garbage can until 4 AM. The question at 9 AM was if Jessica (me) should find a ride home and leave the race up to my family with one man down. I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't decide if I was supposed to run this race or not. What I knew at 9 AM with no sleep and no food in my body was that I did not want to give up - not because of some amazing personal ambition, but because I didn't want to be the weak link, pridefully pathetic, but that's what got me to 11 AM when I was up for my first leg and off to run 7 miles with no more than a banana and bread in my system. 5 miles in things went south and up came the "gu" and much needed liquid my body was needing. 2 miles to go and again it was do I quit now and leave the rest of my team to run all those miles ahead or do I keep on going - I kept going. First leg down and many more to go, and go they did. My sisters, niece and cousin that were in my car continued to blow my mind as we moved through our miles up to around 10/11 when I was up for leg 2, an 8 mile incline run to East Canyon reservoir. My car full of inspiring women were there for me, and ready to step in at any moment that I needed to quit because to this point it was still rather difficult to eat anything and I had gained a total distain for gatorade of any flavor. Head lamp on, tunes plugged in the ear and off I went with the stars, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and a few others to keep me company. I had not ran 8 miles before this point - ever - and while I think I was probably moving like a snail it felt amazing. My body moved without thought, and my mind was free to think of the great way that moment felt, the cool air, the amazing mountain stars - I cried - I felt loved, and at the moment I knew that running that race was absolutely the right thing for my body and my mind to have done.

It has been 4 months and while the idea of running makes me feel nauseous (I'm not joking people) I needed to remember that I can do hard things, and that a lot of the time it isn't until we start doing those hard things that the blessings come. I read these two posts (here, and here) and felt that I needed to share these thoughts that have been with me for a while. Naturally these posts inspired; women that inspire me that have their challenges and face them with faith and resolve. I can be like that, I know I can. And while the rain has seriously depressed me today (I had so many hopes for fall, please come back to us!) I will resolve today to not only be happy, but to be productive and little by little make myself that person I want to be, because we get to choose. Yep, still working on learning this lesson, seem to have to make a resolve to do so continually but at any rate -Good bye summer and all the "To Do's" that I will shrug off my shoulders - hello fall/winter you bipolar seasons, I am going to rock your world.

PS - This is the song that gave me chills at the begining of my 8 mile run.

Tunes Tuesday

2009-09-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

This time of year always reminds me of Elliot Smith. I think it is because it is the time of year I got my one chance of seeing him perform before his death just about a month later. His music is deep people, and maybe not in a way most of those that read my blog may appreciate, but Elliot's words have cut to my core a time or two, which I am sure is something that many of his fans say. The life struggle that was evident in his lyrics and his surprising honesty with it is something that I think maybe most of us are too afraid to acknowledge in our own lives. Admittedly, my struggles are not and will never be like Elliot's, his were of depression with drugs and alcohol in the mix, but his words are words I feel I can empathize with.

PS - One of my favorite Elliot Smith songs is "Angel in the Snow", it is on the play list on his myspace page, check it out.

Movie Monday

2009-09-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

[Photo Via]

I got to see a few good films over the summer, at least I thought they were. One that has stuck with me is call Children of Heaven, an Iranian film. The Quick synopsis is that an older brother, the eldest in the family, loses his sister's shoes. Being a poor family this is cause for great heartache, and he just can't bare to tell his parents who have bigger problems to worry about it seems. Through-out this quiet film that is more about reading the emotion of the actors rather than the dialog itself you watch as this sweet brother tries to care for his sister while baring the brunt of this burden of a lost pair of shoes. It was touching, and interesting to see into the life of an Iranian family - a country that I seem and know so little about. If you have a quiet evening to enjoy this film I highly recommend it, it is a slower film with captions. What movies did you see this summer that have stayed with you?

Mmkay

2009-07-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

[Picture of Moon lake in the Unitas]

So I decided I wanted to blog again - I let it go months past when it was the last thing I had time for, and then upon further reflection I decided that there are enough "online journals" out there to go around and the world doesn't need mine, but something has drawn me back, not sure what. What do I have to share in this forum? Guess it isn't anything for me to share, but I guess it is more about personal reflection and expression that I miss, selfish? Yes. But hopefully you will get something out of it as well.

Any way - it was a fun summer with more than work, in fact it was maybe not enough work! I took a couple of trips, St. George in July, Jackson Lake in the Tetons at the end of July, and a trip to Moon Lake in the Unitas over Labor Day. That is leaving out the fun around town; Twilight concerts, water skiing, BBQing and watching the bats (yep, bats fly outside my apartment right in downtown SLC!), and Lagoon back in June! It was a good summer, and now onto fall my most favorite time of year (spring is a very close second).

2009-06-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

Matt & I had a good time heading up Big Cottonwood Canyon on a Sunday Drive.

Hello!

2009-06-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Long time no chat blog world! Just wanted to take a moment out of this crazy life to share something fun! It's a button! No, not that kind of button, it's a link button for dig - your local awesome landscape designer ;). AND guess where that there button links you to? .....that would be a new blog all about dig and all things gardening/design/environmental thoughts that I care to share with you all. Really the main point to the blog is to share some of the work I have done or am doing to help promote the biz, have to admit a little scary for me to put my work out there in such a public way, but guess I better just get over those insecurities.

At any rate - my sweet Man made me this button, and designed the logo, not sure what I would do without that guy right about now.

If you would like to have this button on your site you are welcome to do so! Just save the image to your hard drive, then upload it to the net, either by posting it or uploading it to flickr or picasa - then link to the image and to my new blog a vuala! I actually did some google searching and found a helpful link from another blog that may be helpful; http://jenieshell.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-make-blog-button.html - holler if you have any questions!

PS - awesome storm last night huh! Oh how I just LOVE a great summer storm!

Post Edit - I think you can just copy the url from this blog post; http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vDq6q8oj-aU/SiaXUfdM59I/AAAAAAAADVA/nyZxeC9Ohkk/s1600/dig_button.jpg

And here is the url for dig; http://diglandscape.blogspot.com/

More from Texas

2009-05-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

It has been well over a month since I visited the great Lone star State, but I still have pictures to share - so here you go! After our successful trip to Sea World San Antonio, we were NOT about to forget the Alamo, so we headed into the city of San Antonio, walked along the river, scouted out a place for breakfast, stopped by the Alamo, and then scooted on our way back to Big D so KT & John could get on a flight to SLC that night. We walked past the Alamo on our way to find breakfast - no sign of congestion, no long lines (which by my previous post you should know we hate). Well, upon our arrival back to the Alamo there was a HUGE line! We knew there was no time for the wait if KT & John were to catch a plane that night, so rather than go check out the basement inside, we walked around the grounds and enjoyed this historic building from the outside.

This is a sweet picture to me. Madison, recognizing that I had been taking pictures of everyone else, and none had been taken of me - took me to a beautiful place, sat me down, took my camera from me and took some pictures of me. After that, I made her come snuggle up to me and we got a shot of the two of us. No offense to Madi, but I prefer this picture, love to be photoed with the ones I love.

On our leave from San Antonio, KT read us a hilarious email from our Mom about when she and my Dad lived in Texas and took off on a spontaneous weekend with my grandparents - forgetting her obligation to care for the neighbor's pet bird. Upon their arrival home, there was an unpleasant present on their doorstep - a dead bird. Thanks for sharing Mom, I felt your terror, and it also made me laugh!!

2009-05-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

Even though I may not have time to buy shampoo to take a shower with (used face soap this morning folks, when I am going to get my act together!) I am still finding time to par-ooze your blogs, and the other blogs I enjoy (usually when I should be working on something like documenting the EOD (that would stand for, End Of Day) procedure). There have been a few things I have come across that I wanted to share;

This new band, found via Black Eiffel

I listened to this song on repeat about half a dozen times.

Like this Etsy shop, found via say YES to hoboken

How I would love to purchase some of these fun finds, like this, this or perhaps this.

Oh there are just so many fun things I would love to dress up in!

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And I have very much come to luv (remember, I save the true word of l o v e for things truly worthy of it, luv is a word I choose to for matters that may not be of that higher appreciation - but for which I have a great appreciation and affection for.) this blog and the attitudes of this lovely lady.

2009-04-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Thought that while I was here I would share some photos from my adventures in the big D. (well, technically I wasn't really right in Dallas, but you get it.)

I went during the Graham's Spring Break and soon after my arrival we took off to San Antonio to check out Sea World!

The excitement as we drove to the park - crazy traffic to even get into the parking lot - and then over an hour wait to get tickets! KT singing with her boys - I think KT secretly dreams of her family becoming the modern day Von traps... It was this gal's BIRTHDAY!
We didn't last long at the park, until about lunch, after only getting on one ride and seeing an insane line for food we decided to bag Sea World for the day and try again the next. No one was having fun, and it was obvious.

Yes John - Large and in Charge (but I kinda was not in charge at the moment - Mason was)

Some lost soles in the parking lot - yes we were indeed VERY lost.
All the kids needed was some fun in the water - well those that were brave enough to get in.

I welcomed some sun myself - it was snowing this day in Utah, it was great to be re-introduced to the sun.

All this girl needed was some licorice, sunglasses and birthday cake! The next day was done right - we were there before the park even opened, no traffic to wait in, no tickets to purchase - and we even bought the "but-in-line" pass thanks to John! It was really, really a fun day. We fed some dolphins - which was awesome! We saw two shows (in which my sister and I were both taken over by emotion, what is our problem?!) and we hoped on and off all the rides we pleased.After the splash - one of the dolphins got me really good.
So cheeky

There is Sea World - I will have to get on here and share the rest of my trip later - too much time spent for now!

Priorities

2009-04-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

{photo via here, cover of 'wake up and smell the coffee' by The Cranberries}

Hi out there, yes it has been a while - you miss me? I've missed you, but I am not sure I can promise I am back for good, because I have had to learn a little bit about priorities lately.

I am sure many of you are familiar with the visual aid where a bunch of differing sized balls are placed in front of you with a container for them to all fit in. At first it looks impossible to fit the amount of balls there are into the container provided - you give it a shot and as you suspected - no go. Then the lesson begins and you are shown how when placing the larger balls into the container, then the medium sized balls and then the small balls, the impossible is then made possible. Well, I have been thinking a lot about those big balls, which in my life would be the fundamentals I need to place in my life everyday to be helped to accomplish and see to all the other sized balls in my life. Such things as prayer, studying the scriptures and service. Then would come all the crazy running around I have been doing lately as I have embarked on what has been a big time roller-coaster ride.

It's funny, but such a large reason I decided to leave the cushy sure thing job to venture into the world of a starer up company was because I felt my personal growth go stagnate. I felt the need to develop and to be challenged. It seems however that the Lord saw need for even more growth than I thought was necessary, and some challenges have been place in my path. It has all been a bit overwhelming honestly - and DAILY I find myself thinking about the big balls, the main priorities. My biggest challenge has always been putting off what I would rather do for what I have to do - exercising before I eat the ice cream (rather than eating the ice cream and using the excuse of exercise to justify it) or doing something fun before I do my work. The crazy thing with all of this is that it feels good to have those growing pains in my life again. I have thought a lot back to my college years recently - the daily lessons that seemed to be in store for me - and it is with fondness that I recall who I was then and what I was capable of. I hope that I can look back at this time with the same fondness, despite the craziness that is my life right now, and feel appreciation for all the ways I was helped to grow by a Loving Father in Heaven who wants to see me stretch all the way up to my limits. (hopefully someday I can see to the limit he has for me - I think it may be a little too high at the moment, but moderation in all things.)

2009-03-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I walked on the warm grass, and it was medicine to my body. The touch on my toes sent a sensation through my body - and it was grateful for it.

Today at church we talked about finding joy in the journey. I felt happy that I have now decided to be on the path I want to be on now, and not just with my new career ambitions - but with life in general. Somethings we can't choose, but the things we can choose to change into happy change we should. My daddy has always said; "For every problem under the sun there is an answer or there is none. If there is an answer, better find it, if there is not - then never mind it."

I am excited for more days with sun, I just hope that when the sun is too hot I will still choose to enjoy the journey.

PS - I have been away, in Texas, Flower Mound to be exact, that is just outside of Dallas. I have been here taking care of some crazy kids, seeing some fish, and feeling grateful that babies usually come one at a time.

Tunes Tuesday

2009-03-09T17:11:00.001-07:00

Here's some new music to me to share; found via KRCL. Basically if you live in UT and you don't know about KRCL you need to jump on the bandwagon - well at least for the music, I tend to not agree with their political outlook on a few things, but I have been introduced to many a great band through that radio station.

Any who - Blind Pilot is an Indie group out a Portland, and other than that I just know I like their sound - so check them out!

Post Edit - I can't seem to get the player to show up, but if you click on Pop-Out Player you can listen to the tunes...

2009-03-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post, sorry! Lot's happening at the moment, but I wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you to all the well wishing, really appreciate it!

I also wanted to share a couple of things witch ya'll. I wanted to be sure that you were all aware of the content that will be on an upcoming episode of Big Love regarding the LDS temple. I see this as a great sign of disrespect to not only the LDS church (of which I am a member) but also of all religions and our right to worship. If you feel the same way I hope you will take a moment to let HBO know, go here.

Also - I just wanted to note how very impressed I am by this young lady. If anyone reading my blog has questions regarding my religion I highly suggest you watch this video. I am also very excited to watch the other videos once I am not at work. :) Happy Monday to you all!

2009-03-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Since last Monday I have been on quit a roller coaster ride! For about a year now I have thought a lot about a long time ambition of mine to build my landscape design business. Recently I got a bit more antsy and after consulting with my business consultant decided to take a chance (a really BIG chance). I started looking for a part-time job that would help bring in some cash flow as I hit the pavement looking for design jobs.

This past Monday I was offered a job, and after a lot of thought and prayer decided to take the chance. I gave my two weeks to EA last Thursday, felt like I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day, and then come Thursday night the shadows of doubt started to roll in. I felt like it was a real trial of my faith that I had acted in accordance with what I felt was right. I pretty much freaked out all weekend, but after some prayer and reflection at church yesterday, am feeling at piece again with the path I have put myself on.

While this is the scariest thing I have done - quit a great job with great benefits to be uninsured and make a quarter of what I make now until I get work - I am still extremely excited to set out to accomplish a goal I made for myself at the young age of 14.

I feel very blessed with a wonderful family that has been nothing but supportive - and a great boyfriend who is ready to work with me to make Dig a success.

Look forward to more exciting news regarding Dig - to come soon I hope!

Movie Monday

2009-02-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

I didn't really watch the Oscars last night, how bout you? I turned it on at the end to hear who took home the "big awards", but not having seen any of the flicks that we up for the those awards it didn't really do anything for me. But, this morning, the news filled me in on what I missed, and I was happy to hear that for best documentary Man on Wire won. Have I mentioned this one yet? Pretty sure I did, but if not I apologize because this is one not to miss. Check it out!

PS - I totally got the date of the Chelsea James and Wendy Chidester artshow! It is indeed this Friday - so glad I didn't miss it!

About Town

2009-02-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

{photo via the Internet - lost my source!}

Very much looking forward to the weekend, not for the rest though, much work to be done and the weekend when I am away from my 9-5 is the time to do it! Life will slow down again right? Oh, well - at least I am having fun while going crazy this time around.

Incidentally did anyone see this on the news last night? I am so happy that people are getting excited to grow their own vegetables again! Happily, vegetable garden design is part of what I will be offering with Dig, so if you know anyone that is hoping to have a more thoughtfully designed vegi garden that will provide as much in design for your yard as it will in produce have them send me a line!

This weekend won't be all work though. Tonight will be a lovely night of dinner and the symphony. Sadly I will be missing a great art show in Park City tonight, as well as February's Gallery Stroll.

As for tomorrow, check out this great class offered through the Wasatch Community Garden and look for my posts on their website, coming soon!

Coming up - looking forward to seeing this guy in concert again, as well as this group - so glad to have some good music coming to town again! Have a good weekend everyone - enjoy the sun while it it here!

Luvit!

2009-02-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

I have been anxious to share what I am luv'n this week. I, along with many others (see here, here & here) have been totally inspired by the images and styles Toast has shared in their Spring/Summer Catalogue. I often visit this site (along w/others) when I am feeling UN-inspired by what my closet holds - I love a fresh look at what I have, or a new look at what I may be missing to help me create lots of lovely ensembles as they do. What website inspire you in your closet?

{All photos via Toast}

Jennifer Lynn

2009-02-18T14:05:00.001-08:00

{photo taken by the lovely Jenny Earl}

It is the week of birthdays my friends - and today it is the big TWO FIVE for Mrs. Stout, AKA my little sis Jenny. Oh, couldn't tell the picture above is actually a picture of my sister? That's strange, because it seems everywhere we go together we are asked if we are indeed sisters. When we were teenagers people would assume she was the older sister, as a teenager this was not fun to hear. In many other ways Jenny is older and wiser than me - not in her appearance - but her accomplishments. My lil sis graduated from The College of Family and Consumer Studies as the president of the college honor society AND with a double major. She now works as the knowledgeable and devoted college advisor for the department, and it would be no exaggeration to say that her co-workers love her.

Jenny also married her high school sweetheart a few years back and is such a devoted wife (and before that girlfriend). It was impressive to me to see such love in my younger sister before I had felt it for myself, it set a bar so to say.

Mrs. Stout also has an amazing understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of which our family aspires to live by. Her knowledge and testimony is inspiring to me - and again beyond my years.

I love you Jennifer Lynn! Thank you for the kindness you show me, and the laughs you share with me!

Blog Report

2009-02-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

Aren't trends funny, and isn't it weird when you find yourself starting to be attracted to a certain color - it's a little out of the blue (pardon the pun), but next thing you knew the color is popping up everywhere? Purple is the color of the moment my friends, in fashion and apparently the trend has extended to the interiors. Remodelista is highlighting the use of this color in interior fashions on their blog now. I just love how the deep moody purple looks in these other wise colorless spaces! Check it out!

Tunes Tuesday

2009-02-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Wanted to share some music, even though it isn't Tuesday - in fact it is indeed Wednesday. No movies this week, very uninspired - the Oscars are this Sunday though, haven't seen any of the movies nominated for best film though - again not too inspired.

At any rate, the fam and I (well most of the family) will be running a crazy race this summer called the Wasatch Back, I don't know, maybe you've heard about it? Yeah, crazy. Any way, training started at the beginning of the month so I thought I would share some music I have on my Burn It play list to help me through - heaven knows I need the pick-me-up while I run!

Brynley Boo

2009-02-17T11:46:00.001-08:00

This is Brynley, she is my niece and she has turned 11 today, CRAZY! I am a VERY lucky aunt of 14 nieces and nephews, Brynley is #3 in the count, and she is my friend (I like to think all my nieces and nephews are my friend, hopefully the feeling is mutual). Like all my nieces - Brynley is beautiful, inside and out. She has a wonderful personality, and amazes me with her nurturing nature. She is extremely talented - impressive gymnast from what I hear, an outstanding crafter and I recall some dance teachers being pretty blown away with her creativity and form. Knowing Bryn for 11 years has been a pleasure, didn't know at the young age of 14 (when I became and aunt) that I would learn so much from my nieces and nephews, and that they would challenge me to be a better person, and example. Now that I have a 14 & 11 year old niece, I feel the desire to be an example of the good and pure - and of course the fun and unique, but who knew they would be such amazing examples of this for me?

Love you Bryn - I am excited to see you in a month, excited to have you live close again, excited for more sleep-overs at my place with all the girls!

ich!

2009-02-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

I gave blood today - and I am NOT feeling well. Have lots I wanted to share today, guess it will have to wait until tomorrow, enjoy the day/holiday for those of you that have time off (not me, sigh).

About Town

2009-02-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

{picture via here}

This weekend I plan on spending some time with dig landscaping (I couldn't fall asleep last night, I tossed and turned as things to do, and ideas fluttered around my head like humming birds), as well as a valentines dinner for my sweat heart - thinking about this recipe. So it will be a quiet weekend, but for those of you looking to go about town here are some things to check out;

Tonight - learn to cook that romantic Valentines day dinner with your love at Sur la Table, then go see Ben Kweller perform at the Depot.

This looks like a lot of fun, always wanted to go to a real ball! Or, rather than Vienna - you could go hear some "Brits" sing with the Utah Symphony.

Luvit!

2009-02-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

With the hard drive crash went the hundreds of links bookmarked on my computer. And yes, I did mean to say hundreds, that was not an exaggeration. Many a link where something I found to be beautiful, inspiring, or creative lied. It's ok, because I don't mind the clean slate, aside from the small amount of inconvenience I welcome it, but for my "Luvit" segment it makes things a little tricky - so for this week instead of sharing something I found myself I will share something already shared by ritzy bee blog (which will shared on blog report for sure).

Earlier this week ritzy bee shared Periwinkle Bloom, a children's clothing site. The simple images from their website have stayed with me - I just love the reminiscent feel this line of childrens clothing creates. So sweet.

Blog Report

2009-02-11T13:21:00.000-08:00

Getting back on track here. I have been loving the fact that I have found some great blogs by some local gals that have been so informative! One of those blogs has been "Say Yes to Hobobken" (and then move to Salt Lake). I thought I would share this blog with ya'll today as I plan to attend a class that she is helping with tomorrow night, in hopes to learn about some fun and different ways to market Dig Design (my garden design business). This is a great blog filled with great pointers if you are from around these parts.

Also - I wanted to share this with you. Looks like other people out there are as excited about the great project that Matt's firm (SMA) just finished up as we are. Anne & John are the principles of SMA (wife & husband), and are also the new proud owners of this home. They have designed this house to be LEED certified and will be the first LEED certified house in Utah! Matt put a lot of work into this project outside of the office by building the beautiful walnut counter top in the master bathroom, and the birch plywood storage near the kitchen. Check out more pictures here and here.

Tunes Tuesday

2009-02-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here is some music in honor of Valentines - mostly songs that remind me of my sweetie, enjoy.

Movie Monday

2009-02-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

Day late, but hopefully not a dollar short! How about some romantic films in honor of Valentines day?! I have a whole slew of films of the romantic nature to share.

First up - Sixteen Candles. Sure you have all seen it, it's so funny and it reminds me of the excited, innocent, butterflies one used to get when seeing a crush walk the halls of high school.

Pride and Prejudice, I have to admit here that the only version of Pride and Prejudice I have seen is the most recent one with Kiera Knightly - and I love it. The cinematography is wonderful and the music is magical.

How about a "classic", Funny Face. I love Audrey Hepburn (what girl doesn't?). I remember watching this as a little girl and thinking how lucky "Jo" was to be found by a photographer and have her life changed. Now I just think it is silly but something about the different, intelligent, independent woman finding love in Paris just adds up to romance doesn't it?

And then I must mention another film that I love that stars a woman that reminds me of Audrey Hepburn, Audrey Tautou (must be in the name), the movie Amelie. About a sweet girl that finds love in a sweet and unique way - by doing good for others.

Hope everyone enjoys some romance this week!

Prayers Are Answered

2009-02-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

[one of my save photos - it makes me smile.]

They really are folks - all of my information was magically recovered from the very broken hard drive. And yes, I did pray for this, might sound sad, but some of the pictures I have are priceless to me. Don't think I didn't learn a lesson though! I will be purchasing an external hard drive this weekend and no longer will all my "stuff" be in one place.

For me this weekend holds; a dinner date with my love tonight, taking up yoga again, cleaning my house (I mean CLEAN, mopping floors - scrubbing showers, the whole bit), some work on dig design (if you would like your yard or vegetable garden designed, you know who to call!) and hopefully some time for creation. Enjoy your weekend!

CRAP!

2009-02-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

So, I came up with a couple of titles for this post - this one seems to be the best fit. yesterday upon coming into work I found that my computer would not turn on - turned out the hard drive is gone. It took the rest of the day and part of today for IT to get a new hard drive into my laptop - and now they are trying to see if the can rescue any of my documents from my old hard drive. That hard drive pretty much has my life on it - many a personal document and TONS of pictures, the thought often crossed my mind to back up said information, as the computer really isn't mine but belongs to the organization I work for, did I ever act on this thought however, no. Well, that isn't entirely true, about 8 or so months ago I made Matt let me put a bunch of my junk on his external hard drive, but from that time to the present no backing up has been done - and now all documentation from the last 8 months is gone. This is making me sick. I keep saying to myself, it is all temporal, it's just stuff, it's just material stuff - and while I know it's true it isn't making it much easier to deal with.

Moving on from the pity party - In working to get my new hard drive up and working I was installing flash, and to be sure it was working properly tested out a You Tube video that is awesome, enjoy.

Blog Report

2009-02-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to share this blog with you - I just recently came upon Smosch and I love to study and enjoy the photos that are shown there.

Sandra is an illustrator that lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. Which is apparently south and west from Stockholm (looks like about 57 m SW). She also creates these adorable "creatures", check out here shop here, and of course you must visit her blog!

{All photos via Smosch.com}

Congratulations!

2009-02-03T12:59:00.000-08:00

My photo taking skills were not at their peak

this last Saturday - forgive me. Katie & her younger

sister Kelly - AKA Beaver.

Pretty much as far as my memory goes back the Carter family has been part of my life. I do seem to recall the first Sunday they came to our home ward of Edgehill 2nd - and I think that is because twins were in tow, and at the young age of 5 (I think) twins are an anomaly.

Soon the twins and I were in high school, and while we didn't really run in the same crowd at that point (they were a year younger than I in school) we found ourselves while at Highland High again playing like kids again. Soon my place in the Carter home felt very comfortable - and I would try to beg my place as the long lost triplet. (And as I recall I held the spot - Greg Low may think he has it, but it's mine for sure.)

Time went and the twins both married and moved out - no longer was I a common face at Don's and Brad's place. And this last Saturday friends gathered to celebrate the new life that Katie (oh did I mention? Their actual names are Katie and Kourtney, not "The Twins".) and her husband were to welcome into their home. It was a great time - so wonderful to see friends old and new and catch up. So great to see Don's and feel like I was seeing a family member that I hadn't seen in a while.

Well, that night - a surprise came! Katie went into labor four weeks early, and at 1 am on Sunday morning, Audrey Tingey was brought into this world! At a healthy 6 lb 12 oz Audrey has some lung problems she is working on, but it looks like all is well. Welcome Audrey, to a family that is sweet and jovial - and don't worry your grandma has your back.

Tunes Tuesday

2009-02-03T08:29:00.001-08:00

Today I would like to share the music of M. Ward.

Matt Ward is from Portland - and creates music that has a sound that is so unique I am at a loss for words at how to describe it. It is a sweet and simple sound and it makes me happy - so enjoy!

Movie Monday

2009-02-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned last week - documentaries have to be my favorite kind of film to watch. This year Matt & I went to three films at Sundance, and two of the three were documentaries. I wanted to share the other documentary we went to see; Kimjongilia - a movie about North Korea (as I am sure most gathered by the title).

Now, I consider myself a fairly well informed person. NPR is all i listen to in the car, and I enjoy a good political conversation about the world's goings on. So, when upon learning more about what is really going on in North Korea I was ashamed of myself! How could I have not known that there are, at this point in history, concentration camps there!? I did know that things were not good there, pretty much everyone knows this, I knew people were starving and that the government was corrupt and more focused on the development of nuclear weapons then the care of their citizens - but concentration camps! I was clueless.

This movie shares the stories of several North Koreans that survived an escape from their homeland, and in several cases an escape from a camp. The film was beautifully done, and obviously educational - be sure to check this one out. I just checked on Netflix and it looks like it can be saved.

Big A

2009-01-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

Alexander - the cute kid that I blog about 80% of the time - became my little brother this last Tuesday. My sister wrote something really sweet about it here.

For those of you who don't know, Alex's birth mom needed some help out of a tough situation about 4 years ago. With this, her four kids were taken into the homes of family members - Alex came to us (Mom, Dad, Me & Jenny - my younger sister). This sweet faced 18 month old breathed life into an old house. This baby, quiet as a mouse at first, skinny, with brilliant blue eyes clung to my heart. When Alex finally started to cry out at night (when he first came to our home he barely made a peep) it was Jenny or I to his bedside most of the time to rock him and sing him back to sleep. We were thrilled when he started to crawl around the house and make noise rather than lay quietly in our arms. We got to see him quickly learn to walk and then talk, then sing the ABC's and count to 20. Nearly daily Alex would surprise us and make us smile.

Since then, Jenny left the home upon getting married, and about a year ago I went out on my own as well, to leave Alex behind. With that, the family unit of Mother, Father, Son became unquestionable. So an adoption was proposed, and then accepted by Xander's birth Mom. And this last Tuesday it was made official, by the hammering of a mallet. Jenny, Josh (Jen's husband) and I were there to witness as our Mom & Dad promised to do all they could to do right by this sweet kid - and they will, no doubt about that. Alex watch wide eyed and excited as he knew what this day meant. When the mallet hit it was official that Alex was now Alexander James HADFIELD! (Not sure he understands all that this means just yet. :))

So happy to now have a little brother to tease and taunt as I was (hey, it builds character) and for him to know who he belongs to and that we all want him, forever.

Happy Adoption Day/Half Birthday Big A, love your big sis.

Movie Monday

2009-01-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been a while since I have shared a Movie Monday with my loyal readers - have you all been anticipating this moment? Wanted to share a movie that Matt & I saw last week at Sundance; Big River Man.

Now, documentaries are for me some of the most entertaining flicks to see - and this one is right at the top of my fave documentaries. Synopsis - Over weight Slovenian man swims the entire length of the Amazon river, 3,375 miles!

Really, the perk to going to Sundance is the opportunity to sit through the Q & A with the director and possibly members of the cast. Before the movie the director was introduced along with Martin's son (and narrator of the film), but we were delighted when at the end of the film Martin himself was introduced - a standing ovation was giving, it was so great. Here is a picture of Matt & I with Martin Strel the Big River Man.

Year in Review

2009-01-05T14:10:00.000-08:00

It's back at work for me, sigh, but I am left with wonderful memories of the last two weeks of great holiday celebrations and a fantastic break from work (I really wish I never had to come back to this place!). Despite the fact that it is 5 days into the new year I wanted to take a look back to the past year - '08 was great, but I have a feeling that '09 may hold some special and monumental moments for me, so here is to looking back to some happy memories and to looking forward to 2009!!!

2008 started out with some sledding.

I got to go to one of my favorite places, eat some of the best ice cream, and hang out with my favorite "Sanfraner's" in February.

Gotta love this. 2.4.08

A Sleep-over with some of my beautiful nieces at my new apartment.

Easter.

A Garden was created

Found Beauty in Escalante

Swimming.

Camping, Hiking, River Rafting.

Family.

A Sunset in July.A Garden Grew.A Little Boy Grew.More family in September.Halloween.A BIG Birthday.A Relatively warm Thanksgiving in St. George.

And a Merry Christmas, followed by a Happy New Year!

PS - I have spent about a hour trying to get the captions above some of my photos to show and I give up - BLOGGER!!!!!!

Christmas

2008-12-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

Jenny & Josh and Matt & I took Alex to see the lights on Temple Square a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Having Katie & Tyler over for dinner the Sunday before Christmas was a good excuse for us to try out hand at a roast beef dinner. My Man knows his way around the kitchen - so it was a success. I was so great to have some 1:1 time with Ty and KT and of course Will while they are in town from Cali.

Oh, and that last picture is for you John. :)

Hadfield Family Christmas Party - next year we will have a stable full of animals for our re-enactment of the Christmas Story after sharing this news with the whole family that night!

The traditional Christmas Eve dinner at the Red.

What Is Going On?

2008-12-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

Does it seem like things are going hay wire on Capital Hill to anyone else? First all this financial crap - that I am not even going to begin to pretend I fully understand, but how does something like this happen anyway?

And then there is the whole "let's bid some land in the middle of our God's beauty that is Moab". And now I hear about this, off of C-Jane's Blog - how does this make any sense? Is our government really out to take care of us, or are they more interested in taking care of the big corporations - Big Oil, Big Box? All I know is I have done a bit of letter writing lately, and I would urge all of you that read this here blog (all 5 of you) to do the same. It is super easy, and the links above will direct you to the right place to do so. So go on, send you congressman a Christmas card of your own!

Scheming

2008-12-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

More scheming going on in that head of mine about my time off of work. Plans of projects to start and finish, books to read, friends to visit, and food to eat. :)

For instance - Maybe I will get this hat knitted (or at least one like it) using the yellow yarn I bought on my day out with Katie to the Biscuit Mills market in Cape Town.

Or maybe I could try my hand at sewing again and sew a dress or a skirt like these -

This one reminds me of Maria from "Sound of Music".

I also want to try and play with some of my photos a little bit in photo shop, Picasa and picnic, and then get some printed - oh how I would love an awesome camera with a wide angle lense, sigh.

I would also like to finish these books;

I know - they are so random from each other. I heard Joseph Grenny's presentation at a work conference, made me interested in the Influencer book, and I have heard lots about the Omnivore's Dilemma, I'll tell you how they are.

I would also like to practice my heart out on my guitar, and maybe I will get to play in the snow a bit. Wow, Looks like I have a packed solid vacation - maybe I just don't have time for work?

Tunes Tuesday

2008-12-16T11:01:00.001-08:00

I couldn’t find this album in its entirety to share with you on my mixed tape, here is a sampling of two songs off of the album “Christmas Remixes, Holiday Classics Re-grooved”. This is such a fun album full of classic holiday songs that have been mixed to spice them up a bit. You can listen to all of the album here, enjoy!

Dreaming

2008-12-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

I saw a bit of the movie "Legends of the Fall" on the TV this last weekend and it has me dreaming a bit. No, not of Brad Pit, although that wouldn't be a bad dream to have, but rather of a home in the middle of some beautiful wilderness. Someday I hope to have the opportunity to have a place like that, at least a cabin, to spend summers and be surrounded by God's beauty. Maybe we could have a few horses, or maybe I should just get into ranching and herd cattle all summer long - or a Shepard, like my grandpa!

Movie Monday

2008-12-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

Pretty much for the last week, rather than work (much) I have been dreaming about what I will do when I am off of work in a week. Part of the plan is to see some movies - thought I would share some I hope to see.

Looks like "Nick and Norahs...." is at the dollar, looks like a fun flick to see for a dollar. I love Michael Cera, so for me this is a must see. Another one at the dollar is "Igor" - looked cute, and since its $1, might check it out.

For more recent releases - still haven't seen Australia, and I am really excited for this one, and thought this one looks super cute and love the artwork. I was thinking that Frost/Nixon might be really interesting. Then for some "indie" flicks there's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", and I just heard about this one today - supposed to be pretty great.

I also hope to catch up with this little show while I have some time, I so luvit!

Tunes Tuesday

2008-12-09T09:13:00.001-08:00

OK, only one comment on my last post - come on people! I want to know what fun plans you have to make this Christmas better than the rest, let's hear it!

By the looks of the comments left after my last post about Christmas music – my family is in sore need of some music ed 101 :). That said, I am VERY excited to share this Christmas music with you all! Sufjan Stevens is an artist I have wanted to share with all of you here on Tunes Tuesday for a while, but was holding out so share his wonderful Christmas music with you. I love listening to these albums all the time – even when it isn’t Christmas time! I really enjoy hearing the traditional Christmas carols played in such a different way, and his original Christmas music makes me smile as well. You can check out all of his holiday albums here.

This is just a mere sampling of the five holiday albums by Sufjan. My two favorites are at the end of this mix – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (which I guess is not considered a Christmas song, but is on his “Hark” album.) I loved this some to begin with, but a particularly love to hear it simply sung by Sufjan, and then there is Joy to the World – love this arrangement. Enjoy!

I'm Dreaming Of a Green Christmas

2008-12-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

This year, more than ever, people are thinking about having an "eco-friendly" Christmas, which, while I despise the trendiness of it all, I appreciate the desire to try. I wonder though whether people will just consume the same amount, but to ease their conscious it will be "green" stuff they are consuming?

While I am trying to do my best to be a "Good Steward" as it pertains to the caring of this world, I would in no way claim that I am the poster child of eco-living by any mean. I still waste a lot more than I should (although I think I have been cutting down on that a bit) and I still drive my car all over the place (sigh), but I think about it, and honestly I think that is the key. I think about how much pollution my car releases into the air as I sit in the drive-threw which causes me to turn my car off. I think about how a plastic water bottle or bag won't decompose, so I avoid both, and this Christmas I am thinking about ways I can change the way I do things to be better at showing my appreciation for what I have, and to me the key to being a good steward is by the acknowledgement of what you have been given and the gratitude you show for it by how you treat it, whether that be a testimony, a talent, or this beautiful world.

In thinking about all this I read these articles; here, and here, some good points in there - but still no resolution on the fake tree vs. real tree debate. I still stand by the real tree, they can be recycled after all - so long as you get them in the right hands they can become mulch for your garden. I do think the potted tree is a good idea, but problem for me is that I don't have a yard to plant it in, and after a while you will end up with many a tree in your yard since here in UT any tree that could grow in your yard is not likely to live in your house as a happy tree for too long. This scenario works well for those who live in more temperate climates. San Fran had a great idea though, have people buy trees that they could plant in the city (albeit not your typical Christmas trees of the conifer variety) that way people could buy them and donate them to the city who will in turn plant them in parks and public spaces! I really love this idea and think it could be a good one to implement all over this fine country.

Here are some other ideas for having a "Green Christmas". First I would challenge everyone to think of Reduce, Re-use, Recycle as a list from best to worse - not that I am saying here that to recycle is a bad thing, but to use less will always trump it - and I think that is where people go astray - "I can use just as much if I just buy it in the 'eco-friendly' variety, or if I throw it in the recycle bin when I am done." So, less to start, maybe less present wrapping, less paper products used at your holiday party, maybe less time your tree lights are turned on - or any lights for that matter. MANY ways to use less, and we can all improve in this area.

Next would be to re-use, second best on the list, and this is where I think things can get fun. For instance, I plan to wrap all my gifts in paper that I re-use, no store bought wrapping for me - and by golly, my presents are going to look so cute with newspaper wrapping or re-used brown paper bags with cute stamps on them - oh the possibilities! What other things could be re-uses? Boxes are obvious, how about plastic utensils, those could be washed and used again (although I would probably avoid them in the first place, and washing them probably does defeat the purpose), you could re-use jars as candle holders or luminaries rather than buy new glass containers....

Then comes recycling, and the key here is to use products that can be recycled, for instance, once the presents wrapped in my adorable re-used paper have been opened - that paper can go right in the recycle bin. Be sure when buying products you check to see if they are recyclable, better yet if they are made of recycled products in the first place. Also when buying anything look at how much packaging they come in, if there is a better way to buy the item (large bag of chips vs. bunch of small bags in packaging) go for that option.

Other ideas I am going for this year, that may not be "green" per say, but ways I would like to make this year a more meaningful Christmas, I would like to give handmade presents this year (easy for me since I have a total of 6 people on my list), I would like to focus on service (I have the opportunity to run our office's holiday service project, my family is working on something deer to my heart, and I hope to get my gal pals together to do some good - this all makes me so excited!) and since this is the first year I have a place of my own to decorate for the season I am trying to focus on the symbols behind the meaning of this time of year. Isn't Christmas such a great time to get things in perspective?

What are some the ways you are going to have a "green" Christmas, or put more meaning in the season? Please share your thoughts with me by leaving a comment, please!

It's here!

2008-12-03T09:38:00.001-08:00

It really is, it is Christmas time! If you are feeling the way I am this is hard to believe, no snow here in SLC, no tree in my apartment (to be remedied soon), and where is the Christmas music?! Well, I guess if you listen to those "cool jazz" stations you started to hear Christmas music before Halloween, lame! Since I only listen to NPR on the radio and haven't thought to play some festive music of my own - it has been lacking, and really does Christmas begin until the music is playing, I dare say, no - it doesn't. So, from now until Christmas (which, holy shmolly, is only 4 weeks away) I will be posting my favorite Christmas music here in place of Tunes Tuesday (and yes, I know it isn't Tuesday, I am usually a day late and a dollar short, but I am learning to make up for that with my wit and charm, am I being charming enough?)

To start things out here is a local favorite, Jon Schmidt. Look, here is the thing with Jon - he is actually a family friend (wouldn't know me from Adam, but he does know my older siblings and my parents - and his Mom sure does know me - she knows me well enough!) and while I probably wouldn't be found to listen to his music outside of this season (sorry Jon) his music has been a tradition for this time of year, in particular his "Jon Schmidt Christmas" album, not a big fan of the other one he has.

Enjoy!

2008-12-02T12:45:00.001-08:00

These are pictures of our ride home. Even though we had partaken of burgers and fries the day before and a Thanksgiving spread the day before that, I made everyone stop at In-N-Out on our way out of town, they thanked me after.

Johnny and Shannon thanking me.

PS - no "Movie Monday" this week, I am totally uninspired right now, I really would love to hear some suggestions from each of you - leave me a comment.

2008-12-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

We went down to St. George to enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend, no pictures of the big day, but pretty much the whole weekend consisted of family, food, bike rides, movies, massages, more food, and beautiful scenery. Here are some pictures;

On our hike to see the sunset, the light was just too perfect, I took a lot of photos.

2008-11-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Of course, what would be a birthday without a family birthday dinner!? And since my b-day was missed with the Hintze's they tacked mine on as well, Matt's little brother that is currently serving a mission in Toronto Canada, Spanish Speaking, has his birthday the day after Matt's - he was missed.

It was "Tobler Tacos" for dinner, a favorite of Matt's. Grandma & Grandpa Hintze came, James and Gilbert (Matt's uncle and cousin), and Nike, Becca & Jeff (cousin, cousin's girlfriend, cousin's roommate), along with all the Hintze's as well.

Some highlights would be the yummy tacos and enchiladas (Jeff ate 15!), Gil being so cute and on top of that shooting everyone with Nerf guns, the Nothing Wrong Cake made by sweet Marva that was not feeling well and couldn't make it - missed you Marva, and finally the Fart Book that Johnny and Shannon gave Matt.

A Movie AND Some Music

2008-11-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

How bout a twofor? I didn't get a movie on this here blog yesterday, and this being Tunes Tuesday - thought I could give you two for the price of one. How bout I one up that even, and tell you about a movie that I think has great music as well, AND on top of that - to continue in honoring my love for his B-day - share a movie that is a favorite of his? Sound like a good idea? OK then, Bottle Rocket it is then!

A movie that introduced us to the Owen brothers, Wess Anderson and yellow jumpsuits as a fashion statement.

We are also introduced (or at least I was because I wasn't familiar with Devo the first time I watch Bottle Rocket) to Mark Mothersbaugh. As I just mentioned, Mark Mothersbaugh was one of the co-founders of the group Devo. Since Devo, he has written the musical scores for all of the Wes Anderson films. (and from what I just read I guess he wrote some music for the EA game The Sims, ironic.) I really enjoy his music along with all the great tunes they include on the Bottle Rocket sound track, as well as the other soundtracks.

Matt & I really enjoy Wes Anderson's films - which I have found either you like em or you don't. Most won't like them because of their vagueness or randomness, but I love them because of this very reason. So go check it out - and tell me what you think!

Oh - and PS - I really am looking for suggestions on some classics to check out, and by classics I mean anything you would classify as a must see.

Manny Turns 30!

2008-11-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

That's right, I call Matt Manny sometimes - I have lots of nicknames for my long-term, should be my husband by now, boyfriend. What's that? Your wondering why I can make such a comment about the length of our relationship and how it should have reached the point of marriage by now, but you can't? Well - that would be because it is my relationship, and I know exactly why we are where we are, so there. :)

Back to the topic at hand - Matthew Tobler, Tobe, Mattchew, Mateao, Teao, M-hole, Manny, Matty - has turned the BIG 3 0! Which = OLD! (oh how I hope he doesn't choose to check this blog as he sporadically does at times, he may be just a little sensitive to the fact that he has left his 20's.) Despite Matt's feelings of his big B-Day, I decided a party needed to happen - a SURPRISE party (the only kind of party I could get away with throwing without him complaining about it.) So, invitations were sent (er, emailed);

Food was made - lots of it. A house was cleaned - Thanks Amanda for loaning your house to this cause! A table was set with yummy eats (an excuse to buy serving platters from Pottery Barn) and friends arrived to wish Matt a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A success I would say! (and very exhausting) Thank you to everyone that came and thanks again to the Shirleys for the help and your willingness to let me invade your home!

This was a lot of fun for me, and so worth it to see the smile on Matt's face as friends arrived. I don't think Matt realizes how much people enjoy him, and appreciate him. He's such a nice guy, considerate, empathetic, generous, and I he makes me laugh - what more could you need? I really love him, and am often so amazed by how much I learn from him. I have always heard that love would be hard, I didn't know how hard, but I expected that. I didn't expect how rewarding it would be as well. Giving whole heartedly to Matt and in return receiving his heart is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me, and while I think our relationship has been more complicated and challenging than most - I am at awe when I think about what I have learned and how much I have grown since I was 23. I have learned so much about how important it is to understand people, to not take who they are at face value but to be willing to dig deeper and understand what has made them who they are (good or bad) and accept them. I have learned how wonderful it feels to give and how much better it feels than receiving (although, it is still great to receive too) I feel that I have gained a better understanding of how deeply our Father In Heaven loves each of us - and feel that I have felt to a smaller degree the sadness that he feels when we don't realize this for ourselves. But I digress, this post was about Matt - and I had not intention of pouring my heart out, but with out my Tobe I would not know all this now and the way I know it. So I owe him big, perhaps one big Birthday bash?

Tunes Tuesday

2008-11-18T13:50:00.001-08:00

Thought I would share some music from some artists that I not as familiar with. I found all this music from Pandora (excluding Cat Power, I was listening to the "Cat Power Station" when all the rest of this music popped up).

1. Cat Power - Sea of Love

2. Mirah - The Light

3. The Whitest Boy Alive - Fireworks

4. Emiliana Torrini - Heartstopper

5. Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats

6. Bellafea - Seasons

Movie Monday

2008-11-17T16:35:00.001-08:00

I feel like the movies I have been posting about lately haven't been all that original - I need to get watching - but I wanted to post a little something on this film because I really like it.

PS - Anyone have some classic they want to recommend

LUVIT!

2008-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

I have been a fan of DKim's (i.e.;Functionally Mad) art work that I found on Etsy for a little while now. I really love the symmetry and texture of this artwork, and I think if I were to meet this "Dkim" I would like here based on her profile where she states, "I am an artist because I couldn't make it as a ninja."

Blog Report

2008-11-12T13:14:00.000-08:00

Really making a big effort to keep up with those scheduled posts I had in mind - so far so good this week! In looking back at some of the blogs I have shared here I was surprised to see that I have never mentioned Black Eiffel - which really doesn't seem right (seriously, I swear I have mentioned this blog before, so if your memory is better than mine let me know) I mean, you have to know about Black Eiffel!

Rachel is a SLC local, as well as a Mom & graphic designer - no I don't know her (there I go blog-stalking again), but I do think she left a comment on my blog once! She always has her eyes open to great design, art, and shares some awesome tunes as well, check it out!

Tunes Tuesday

2008-11-11T17:04:00.001-08:00

I am sure many of you are familiar with The Shins...

Movie Monday

2008-11-10T13:29:00.001-08:00

Ah, Benny & Joon - this is my favorite part, enjoy!

Japanese Gardens

2008-11-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

Silly blogger spaced my photos out like this, but I rather like how it looks - sets each photo apart a bit.

More From Portland

2008-11-04T19:44:00.001-08:00

Saturday we went to Hood River after we went to the Farmer's Market to see Max (Stephen's son, Matt's cousin) play some soccer. Such a beautiful drive, and on the way home wee stopped to see this awesome waterfall. Thanks to Liz for the pictures of the waterfall (my camera died) she also took that sweet one of the rail road trax bridge.Brunch at "Mother's" with the whole gang

Matt & I take the WORST pictures together...

Up next, The Japanese Garden - that needs a post all of it's own.

Tuesday Tunes

2008-11-04T19:40:00.001-08:00

Matt and I recently saw these guys live. Thanks Tristan for sharing this great music with us!

Halloween

2008-11-03T17:06:00.000-08:00

I still have some pictures to share from Portland, but before it became more obsolete I wanted to share some Halloween photos. (you know they would be way lame if I were to post them around Christmas, got to get them out now while we all still have sugar hang-overs.)

Will the real McCain/Palin please stand up?

Matt's name tag said; "Hello, my name is MAVERICK"

I feel a little silly sharing these next photos, but I love Halloween, the costumes, the candy, and the decorations. So I couldn't help but decorate even though no one else saw them but me really, so I thought I would share, to create some reason behind it all.

Movie Monday

2008-11-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Let's try this again - I would really like to have regular posts on my blog, so hopefully I can keep up with it!

How bout a good laugh this week? This one is for you Liz!

Waiting for Guffman - classic! Just makes me laugh to look at this picture!

Portland

2008-11-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from my four day trip to Portland over my b-day last week, that's right, I am now a whopping 28! Matt's cousin & cousin-in-law (and my good friends, but I should probably just call them cousins as well) Liz & Jeremy met us there, and we had the good fortune to stay at Matt's uncle Stephen's & second cousin Emily's houses. They were very hospitable, sharing their homes, their food, their cars, their time, their good knowledge of that great city. They really knew how to show us a good time. We did such things as go to the Chinese garden, the beach (Cannon Beach & Oswald West to be specific) to the Farmer's Market, up the Columbia River Gorge to Hood Mountain (it was Gorgeous - nudge, nudge), walked through the Japanese Gardens (impressive) and, of course - eat to our hearts content...

More pictures to come!

PS - Anna, sorry I didn't think to try and meet up, to my chagrin I didn't realize Portland and Seattle were such a short car ride away. No worries though, Matt & I have ambitions to check out your fair city as well, so we will be by to see you soon hopefully!

Soccer

2008-11-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

It was a lot of fun to play some outdoor soccer this summer after TEN YEARS. Our team really started to learn how to work together and some friendships were definitely started. Until next year Eclipse!

Conference Sunday

2008-11-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the comments - they really stroked my ego. :) Here are some photos from our family's bi-annual Conference Sunday gathering.

Craziness!

2008-10-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

Life is crazy right now - but I will be getting some new posts up here soon, for those of you that read this blog (does anyone read this blog?). Just got back from a trip to Portland, so I am excited to share all that, so stay posted...

Movie Monday

2008-10-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Another movie I really enjoyed was The Namesake. I enjoyed learning more about the Indian culture and to empathize with feelings of confusion between religious beliefs and cultural influences.