Monday, December 15, 2008

Weekend thanks

Things I was thankful for this weekend:

1) Beautiful Snow - I can't tell you how much I love snow! But, I also get soooo hopeful that work will be canceled...and it rarely ever is! It was nice to have the snow on the weekend this year so I could enjoy it without having to be stuck at work

2) I'm sooo thankful that I was able to completely relax on Sunday! Joel and I literally sat on the couch the ENTIRE day except for a short break to go to the gym/play basketball. We also attempted to go for a walk, but it was super cold, so we only were outside for a few minutes!

3) Aimee and her mom - I got to see Aimee and Lavonne this weekend. They came down to get some of Kevin's stuff. I love that family!

4) Joel's brownies. Brownies are my favorite food (along with pizza...and dad's hamburgers...). I tried to tell him he shouldn't make them cuz I knew I would be tempted to eat the entire pan and I'm trying NOT to gain 10 pounds in the next two weeks before the wedding. (So, I guess that means Joel was off the couch for another ten minutes to make the brownies!)

5) My family. I talked to almost all of my family this weekend. I'm glad Chaunc was able to navigate the snowy streets safely (well, almost....). I'm glad the twinners made it home safely and I'm glad that I had a nice little chat with dad on the phone. And finally, I'm SUPER excited to have mom come visit in a few days!! I didn't talk to Bren this weekend :( But i'm still thankful for her!!

6) I'm soooo happy I didn't have any homework this weekend!! I have two or three weeks before school starts again. It's so nice!

7) This is the last weekend joel and I had together before we get married! Next weekend will be spent with our girl/guy friends, so we won't be seeing each other...and the next weekend is the BIG DAY!!!

That's all for now! It was a lovely weekend :) I got to relax with Joel AND it snowed...can't get much better than that!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Ode to my sisters

So, I was driving home from class last night and my thoughts were roaming all over the place. All of a sudden, my thoughts focused in on my sisters. To be more specific, my brain suddenly started thinking about how much all four of my sisters are awesome at living life! They are all totally different, but they each have their way of making this world totally their own.

First, we have Bren. I mention her because she's the oldest. The thing I'm most in awe of Bren about is her ability to be patient and loving with people. We've had lots of experience with many of the same people. Some of these people just drive me crazy...so much so that I can barely even crack a smile at them. Bren on the other hand manages to stay cheerful and patient with them! I really don't know how she does it. Finally, Bren is super active in her church. I admire her dedication and commitment not only to her faith but also to the people in her church. On top of her busy-ness with church, she also stays busy with crew, married life, cooking fabulous meals and kicking butt at her job :)

Next is Ci. Just like Bren, if Ci knows what she wants, there's noooo swaying her! When I think of Ci, I think of a little power house. She has waaaay more motivation than me and she just keeps going and going! There's no stopping her. I also depend on Ci to get things taken care of. I know I can trust her 100% with anything I ask. She's like a spring loaded for action! For example, my wedding is coming up and I rest easier at night knowing that I have Ci by my side to help me get things done. She's already prepared to keep the day running smoothly for me. Ci also stays busy with crew and her super awesome job. I admire their dedication to crew...I can't remember the last time I was so dedicated to an activity!

Now for the twinners (I apologize for lumping you two together! I just have a few minutes left before I have to work!). Anyways, I could talk for days about these two. The first word that comes to mind is FEARLESS. These two are always up for an adventure. They are in stark contrast to their three older sisters who are fearful of much in this world! The twins on the other hand are always willing to face fear and laugh in it's face! Literally. But, underneath their fearlessness are two of the softest hearts you'll ever find! They are pretty much two perfect packages. Not only are they adventurous and loving, but they also have awesome senses of humor, are very talented and very smart. Sheesh. I'm only scratching the surface of these two.

Anyways, I don't mean to brag...but I just felt compelled to write about my lovely sisters. The four of them mean the world to me. The things I mentioned here are just a teensy fraction of why I think they rock at life. I can't fully articulate all the ways they rock! I could continue this blog and rave about my parents and my future in-laws, but I'll stop here :)

and p.s...chauncy always lets me borrow her super cute clothes...I'm not exaggerating when I say that if I'm wearing something cute, it probably belongs to her...sigh.

Monday, October 6, 2008

The J Team


So, this weekend Joel and I ran our first 10k race. About two months ago, we were on a walk and we decided that we would train for a 10k race. But, here's the catch...we weren't going to tell anyone. Ya see, Joel and I like to get really excited about things and we make big plans, but we don't always follow through with those plans (and we're totally fine with that, by the way!). So, for this, we decided that we were going to prove to ourselves that we could do it! No external motivation...just us--the J team, the soon-to-be-Starr family, Joel and Jaime, whatever you want to call us. Anyways, so, we started training right away. I couldn't have done this without Joel! Every Sunday, we go for a longish run. He helps motivate me to keep going. I'm prettttyyyy lazy, so I'm usually inclined to walk at the slightest discomfort! Anyways, I hate to brag, but I'm super excited that we did this! The weather yesterday was perfect and afterwards, we walked around the little festival they were having and saw a bunch of cool crafts and we even saw a salmon hatchery! Joel liked that. So, next on the agenda is a run with the whole family!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

starting out...

So, I started this blog a few weeks ago, but I've had writers block ever since and haven't been able to think of something interesting to write about. In truth, I'm just scared that my blog won't be as funny, entertaining and creative as Bren's and therefore, I've been delaying making a post. Anyways, today I happened to look at my profile and saw that there had been 13 profile views? Apparently people are anxious for me to make my first post (I'm sure most of the views have been from Bren while she's bored at work...). Anywaaaaays, I wanted to start a blog, but I'm still not sure how I'll structure it. I might use it to update people on my life, or I might use it to highlight just a few of the funny, entertaining or really happy things that happen. I'll just see how it goes! For today, I thought I'd review a view of the major changes that are happening this year, starting with the obvious...getting engaged to Joel. So, here goes:

Feb 19, 2008 - Joel proposed and I said yes. We have decided to get married on December, 28, which also happens to be his parents' anniversary. His dad will be performing the ceremony. My four sisters and Joel's sister will be my bridal party. Joel will have 5 of his friends as his groomsmen. I've always loved, loved, LOVED Christmas and winter, so a winter wedding only makes sense! Granted, we live in the Pacific Northwest, so the chances of a white winter wedding are slim....rather, we're most likely to have a very damp and windy winter wedding. Nonetheless, I'm very excited. I'm already getting mentally prepared for the sure-to-be stressful week before the wedding. Of course, most people are stressed the week before their wedding, but not everyone has their wedding in the same week as Christmas! I'm not complaining, though :) I'm very excited for the double whammy holiday and getting to spend extra time with the family.

March 2008 - I started my MBA. Woo! If everything goes as planned, I plan to finish the program in 3 years. I'll be working full-time and taking classes in the evening. The program is designed for people who work full-time, so it works out pretty well. I love being in school again and I'm meeting lots of great people.

June? or July? 2008 - Joelie and I bought our first home. He'll live their until we get married. In the meantime, I'm still living with Ci. Until today actually, we lived in a one bedroom apartment and shared a room. It was great fun! Seeing as we've had plenty of experience living together, sharing a one bedroom apartment was not a problem (afterall, we did share a womb for 9 months...womb mates and roommates...Joel and I can't decide who came up with that clever saying...I think it was me :) Anywayssss, Chauncy and I enjoyed the one bedroom experience soooo much that we decided that we wanted to get even MORE crowded and move into a teensy, weensy studio! (I'm jumping ahead...it's September and I'm still on June/July events...oh well). So, here we are. It's actually quite charming. It's in an old house from the early 1900's (?). There's tons of natural light and it's in a really nice neighborhood. Seeing as Us 3 aren't great at dealing with change, this whole situation is working out nicely. You see, it's nice that Joel and I got the condo before we got married. That way, I have some time to get used to the place rather than suddenly being plunged into a strange home. Also, now that we're in the teensy apartment, Ci has time to adjust to her new place with me still around rather than moving to a new place all by herself.

So, moving on. Hmmm, the year seemed to have lots of big events that have taken up lots of time. Buuuut, I can't think of anything after buying the condo. I think maybe all my time has been spent doing school work, planning the wedding and decorating/organizing the condo and most recently, moving into the new apartment with Ci.

Anyways, fall quarter classes start this week, so I'll be busy once again. Only 90 days until the wedding! Woo hoo! I can't wait! I'm excited to marry Joel, but I'm slightly nervous about the wedding day. Mostly, my fears revolve around the weather and people finding their way to the venue (it's a little bit out of the way...).

I think that's enough for now. Ciao!