Short Weekend

This weekend flew by FAST! I spent most of yesterday at a Special Education Parent Conference. I was just supposed to "check it out." BUT...I ended up staying a few hours. I met up with some friends and we got to see "Just Go With It." I had already seen it two weeks ago, but forgot... it's okay, though, because it was so hilarious that I had my abs working out! win-win.

I woke up feeling yucky...sniffles and a scratchy throat. Sigh... I can't get sick. I can't get sick. I can't get sick. Have to finish writing a progress report for a grant.

I did get to scrap today!

Supplies: Studio Calico "Into the Woods" kit and add-ons and the fabulous Mister's Huey's classic white; Stampin' Up brown ink; Martha Stewart Monarch butterfly border punch; and Marcy Uchida scallop punch.

I got a gift certificate for Christmas for a 50-minute aromatherapy massage from Lucas and Jacob. I finally got to to use it last weekend. BLISS!

Supplies: Studio Calico "Into the Woods" kit and add-ons; baker's twine.

I used the 3/20 Sunday Sketch for inspiration. I picked up my new 2011 Toyota 4Runner on Wednesday! With everything going on in Japan, I was afraid that come summer time, the prices of vehicles made in Japan might skyrocket. It's a few months earlier than I had planned, but it all works out. My boss calls it the red demon. Hee hee

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Seems like all I do is catch up!

It was a good mail week for me! Not only did my March Studio Calico kit come, but so did my Fuji instax pivi printer!! I was so afraid that the earthquake/tsunami aftermath would detour it somewhere else. I've already taken it on a test run. It came with batteries and an A/C power cord. Score! The only bummer is that my blackberry runs bluetooth not infrared technology. I used those test pictures on this layout:

I scored on a sale at Macy's...on coffee for my Keurig and a carousel for the k-cups. I got suckered into getting a Macy's card so I got sale price plus 35% off. Not bad...

This week will be busy. Have to do updates to a progress report for one of the grants I'm under. Fun stuff! Hee! Now to get rid of this stomach ache so I can sleep...karma coming to bite me back for eating vanilla bean ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery and Ruth's red velvet cake. Sigh... that' s what I get for giving up sweets then eating it anyway today. First slip up of the Lenten Season... it won't happen again!

Creating

In all the busy-ness of last weekend and the past week, I forgot to share my layouts! Time to remedy that oversight.


Supplies: Studio Calico Candy Shoppe kit and add-ons;, WRMK sew easy tools, and DMC floss.

I took the picture in this layout using the elevator doors on our floor. That's one of two pictures of me in DC. No time for sightseeing or picture taking. Sigh...the life of a "business" traveler. I *think* my next trip is in May to Hawaii and North Carolina in June. Not too sure yet.


Supplies: Studio Calico Candy Shoppe kit and add-ons, Fiskars L and XL punches, and Martha Stewart border punch.

This layout... I had the picture clipped to my 7Gypsies receipt holder for the better part of a year. The three boys with John...shortly after the shot, he was harassing the boys so it was like being with 4 little boys instead of three. My inspiration for this layout came from Susan Weinroth from the Studio Calico design team. Thanks for the inspo, Susan!

Totally random aside...

I finally pressed buy it now on this printer. It's shipping from Japan. I first heard about it on Amy Tan's blog. It was either the printer or an the instax mini 50s.

Thankful Thought 001

In light of today's devastating earthquake in Japan, my yucky week pales in comparison. I won't go into the details of it since in the grand scheme of things, the one thing that clouded my week was really one of those small things. I allowed one negative thing in a host of positive things to bring me down.

That's something I'm forever working on.

Ali Edwards just posted about Thankful Thoughts. I've already used her freebie overlays for today's post!

So, instead of seeing my glass as half-empty, I'm going to count all the full glasses I've had this week.

• Most of the participants in Tuesday's training (my very first to facilitate with my colleague) were satisfied with the events of the day.
• I had a fabulous time at Fr. Leo's Marriott event on Tuesday night.
• My mom turned another year older.
  
• I was surprised to find out Fr. Leo would be our guest homilist at our Ash Wednesday Mass...and felt so very blessed to have been in the midst of his presence.
• The people I'm accompanying to World Youth Day Madrid are really awesome young men and women...this past week has proven that we can work together.
• We were blessed to have had dinner with Fr. Leo potluck style at Deacon Louis and Cynthia's house.
  
• We're all safe and sound on higher ground while waiting out the tsunami warning and praying for our neighbors in Japan.
  

Feelin' like a little PB&J

PB&J.

Peanut butter and jelly, right? At least that's what comes to mind when I hear PB&J.

Today was the start of 3 days of events with Fr. Leo Patalinghug. Father who? His last name is quite the mouthful. He's been on EWTN. He's even been on the Food Network! Bobby Flay challenged him to a fajita throwdown and Fr. Leo won.



After missing connections and canceling yesterday's events, Fr. Leo hit a few home runs with me today. Here's where the PB&J comes in. I thought talking about PB&J was fitting for a cooking priest. But, PB&J doesn't mean that sugary sweet goodness I still enjoy eating.

PB&J means patience, balance and JOY. Simple enough, huh? While his talks today were geared towards younger adults and youth, I found myself nodding my head and having some A HA moments. All three have been missing in MY life lately in one form or another.

It's hard to have patience when I've been at work ALL DAY LONG and have been pulled in a million different directions. I don't want to have to deal with the bills, the mail and the messages on the answering machine the minute I walk in the door. My mom and auntie need to see a little more patience on my end.

Balance. I still teeter on the edge sometimes. In the course of one day, I could be working on 3 or 4 different things...that's an easy day. The harder days can have me juggling much more than that. I'm not complaining. I love my job. I love the challenges. But, at the end of those kinds of days, I don't have anything left in me to balance out the craziness. Hence, the turning left instead of going straight I talked about in my last post.

JOY. Jesus, Others, You. In that order. Wow! Seriously? I'm last?!?! The lack of JOY is my problem. I've been putting myself ahead of Jesus and others. Heck, that's why I have a lack of patience and balance. *smacks forehead*



All this...and more...I learned today. In hindsight, I can now see why the possibilities I looked forward to at the beginning of 2011 have fallen by the wayside. So, really, my choice of this Lenten season to begin anew with working out, eating better and making my way toward those elusive possibilities was a good choice. It's fitting for the subject of month 3 in Ali Edwards' One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes.

It's all coming together. I needed a short Filipino priest with wicked break dancing skills and amazing tae kwon do moves to fly across the country to get me to OPEN my eyes.

PB&J...do YOU have it?



I can't wait till Tuesday! Fr. Leo's doing a cooking demonstration!

Feeling very unmotivated

It really is tough to get back in the saddle when you haven't done something in a while. For me, a while can be as short as two weeks. I haven't been motivated to go to the gym and work out.

There.

I said it.

At 5:00pm, I would much rather turn left at the traffic light than head straight and go home. One might suggest earlier rising. Not a very good for an insomniac like me. Getting a good night's rest is catch as catch can for me. Melatonin is my friend, but even it lets me down sometimes.

I'm fully recovered from the jet lag of traveling so there's no risk of me toppling over while doing a capoeira maneuver or pulling a muscle lifting 20 lbs. of bar bell. No risk at all. So I'm thinking, I'm not feeling the Body Combat or the Body Pump. When you do something for so long (over a year), even when they change up the moves every few months, it gets to be a tedious task.

At the same time, the motivation to eat better hasn't quite made the cut either. I know I need to take control. I need to own it. I need... I need... I need... Gosh, I sound selfish.

Next week Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Like the cradle Catholic that I am, I plan on sacrificing...putting the kibosh some self-indulgent behaviors during Lent. It's 40 days. I can do 40 days. I just need to set some goals. In those goals will have to be some removal of certain things and adding in other certain things. Guess I better start eating those eleventeen million gazillion jelly belly jelly beans I bought, huh?!?!? Kidding. I'll save that for Easter Sunday!

Maybe I should crack open that Jillian Michaels wii thing I bought while in DC...

back in the groove

It took a week to finally feel human. Next time, I'm stopping in Hawaii for a day! I started putting together a mini album of my trip. Most of the pictures are of food. LOL I'm using the book I got from Amy Tan's first online workshop. I've been saving it for something special. I'll have pics of that next time.

I got to break into my February Studio Calico kits.
supplies: Studio Calico Candy Shoppe kit and add-ons, Jett alpha set, Mister Huey's sunshine; Jenni Bowlin ink in lemon drops, spice tin and soap powder; WRMK sew easy tools; DMC floss; and Martha Stewart butterfly border punch.

This is my friend John. I've known him since 1990...that's a LONG time! The last time we saw each other, I was in grad school and he was living in Hawaii. Luckily, I spent Christmas 2001 in Hawaii with my mom and Auntie Margaret. I got to see him often since we stayed at Ala Moana Hotel and he worked at Ala Moana Shopping Center. He told his co-workers I was his ex-girlfriend. I could never understand that since he plays for the other team, but whatever made him happy. That was the last time I saw him.

John was the first person I wanted to tell that I was going to be in Washington, D.C. He lives in Virginia and works in the D.C. area. Lucky me! I saw him the day I got into D.C. and one more time before I left. It was great fun and so heartwarming to know that we could just pick up right where we left off as if all this time hadn't passed by.

back on the rock

It was a whirlwind trip. I swear the jet lag left me right when I was about ready to leave. I ended up not taking the DSLR with me...and good thing because it would not have seen the light of day. I saw the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial from the cab on the way into and out of the city and the White House on our way to dinner one night. There was no time to play tourist!

I did get to see my friend John. We had dinner twice while I was there. It was so good seeing him! It's been nine years since we last saw each other. I have a feeling I'll be back in the nation's capitol again before the year is out so I'll definitely get to see him again!

I brought my heavy lined trench coat and wore it TWICE! What a waste of suitcase space! It was not that cold for me. Besides, I was decked out in long sleeved layers and thick sweaters. It got progressively warmer as the week went on. On Thursday, it was 72 degrees. It was amazing!

It was definitely an experience sharing a room with my boss. We had adjoining rooms with the ladies from public health so it was like a slumber party every night. I think I lucked out in the work department this trip. I was forewarned that my boss works ALL the time, even on trips. She was sick the first few days so I got off easy. Whew! She made sure I ate and got coffee, shopped for the million nieces and nephews, called my mom a few times and slept enough.

It was even more of an experience sharing the room on the last night with the big boss as well. She insisted we go wherever I wanted for dinner my last night there. That was awesome! She even pretended to be my aunt when calling the airlines to see if my waitlisted seats for first class were confirmed. Ulterior motive there...the two bosses had some baggage they wanted me to bring back. It was all good, though.

My body seems to think it's still on eastern time. I was dragging all day. I'll be like this all week, I suspect. Good thing the bosses are still in Atlanta. The frenzied pace we call work won't re-commence till next week.

T minus 7 hours

In about 7 hours or so, I will be on a plane eastbound. It is my first work trip. I have packed and re-packed countless times--taken out things, put other things in, taken out something else and replaced what I originally took out. Right now, I'm waffling on bringing my DSLR vs. the little point and shoot. The thing is, I hate my point and shoot cam. Plus, I am bringing my work computer and what amounts to almost a ream of paper (documents I my boss asked me to bring). Sigh... I have five hours to decide about the camera and just about all that time to pray that my checked baggage comes in under 50 pounds.

It was never this hard packing for a vacation. It doesn't help matters that my clothing consists of bulky sweaters, pants, socks, two pairs of winter-ish shoes, my running shoes plus my heavy lined coat. I would just bring one pair of shoes, but I really truly hate walking around with wet feet...and I'll probably become catatonic with wet feet, soggy socks and squishy shoes.

I'll be sharing a room with my boss who really seems to operate on little sleep. That will be an experience in itself.

Definitely a new experience for me... I hope I don't turn into an ice cube! It's been a while since I've been through winter.........

catching up, right now and moving on

The catching up part...

I made these layouts two weeks ago. Two weeks ago. SIGH Life got busy and I forgot to upload.

This layout...I borrowed these pictures from a friend's Facebook page. Since she tagged me, it was fair game. The pictures were from CES' Christmas party...the family I left to move on to greener pastures.
Supplies: Studio Calico Metropolitan kit & add-ons, smile stamp, Mister Huey's in schoolhouse, applejack and calico white; Martha Stewart double loops border punch; EK Success real estate sign punch; Crafter's Workshop cosmic bubble template; and versamark ink . There's that coveted SC notes stamp!

This next layout I did with the picture I took on Christmas Eve. Gotta love that camera remote. The tips and techniques that I learned Karen Russell's Photographer's Workshop last year really paid off here.
Supplies: Studio Calico Metropolitan kit & add-ons and Mister Huey's in applejack; Martha Stewart starburst punch; and EK Success large circle border punch.

The right now part...
In the last two days, I have scrapped two layouts. One of them took a LONG time, but I had fun doing it. I did them for the Studio Calico CHA challenges.

This first one, I channeled my inner KP for Steph's style swap challenge as well as Sasha's February DT gallery lift.
Supplies: Studio Calico Who's Who kit & add-ons and photo label stamps; EK Success photo label punch; Marvy Uchida scallop circle punch; Cricut Expression, Gypsy and Mini Monograms cartridge; DMC floss; and JBS ink in lemon drops and spice tin.

This next one...took a LONG time. All that stitching, but once I started I couldn't stop! This one was for Kimberly's stitch on a photograph challenge.
Supplies: Studio Calico Who's Who kit & add ons, woodgrain, pinked circle and tweets stamps; Martha Stewart double loops and large monarch butterfly punches; Fiskars L and XL cloud punches; DMC floss; JBS ink in lemon drops; Stampin' Up ink in brown.

As for Move More, Eat Less... I'm starting to get it, in the "why nothing's happening" department. I ate better most days, but only made it to the gym 2 days. I was attempting another day on Wednesday, but a co-worker was having a medical emergency and I couldn't leave her behind. Today marks the beginning of another week. I'll try to do much better.

The moving on part...

Last June, Auntie Margaret bought a new car...2010 Toyota RAV 4. I joke that I own the engine of the car so that if anyone thinks they want to borrow it, they can only if they can figure out how to drive the car WITHOUT the engine. Total deterrent to borrowing. Yes, I'm really the boss in this house, NOT Auntie Margaret. Since August, I've been switching cars every other day. Sometimes it's hard to remember which car I drove last. The Cooper-Nerds (not their real last name, but that's what we call them) haven't had a reliable car since...well, since they bought their brand new Land Rover Freelander in 2002. Total lemon since they bought it. Two kids later, everyone worries when they're on the road.

Now, I've always been one to start window shopping for my next car right after I buy the current one. I always need to know the new makes and models...it may come in handy one day if I'm ever an eyewitness. That's my excuse.

When the 2010 Toyota 4Runners rolled out last year, I fell in love. Not many people like it, but I do. But, that's not why I'm saying good bye to my 2007 baby. Suffice it to say, I'm really a softie on the inside. I feel sorry for my "sister" having to coax her Freelander to life day in, day out and having to borrow someone else's car when said Freelander decides it needs a terribly long nap at the most inopportune times. I'd feel so much better knowing that my baby will keep them safe, get them to work and school on time and maybe let other people take a ride with them every once in a while. The boys are so excited. They love sitting in the third row and have already made deals with their parents to only ride back there on weekends. And, hey, now my mom and I can take a ride with them and not the other way around.
For now, I'll drive the RAV4. We'll see how long I last in that itty bitty car. Auntie Margaret won't be home for good till July. By then, I will have already placed my order on a 2011 4Runner in salsa red pearl or black.

Someone's holding my money hostage

I really really really shouldn't be surprised.

Seriously. Shouldn't. Be. Surprised.

It's a classic left-hand-doesn't-know-what-right-hand-is-doing kind of thing. When I resigned from my job with the Department of Education in November, I knew I had money coming to me. I did, after all, work till the end of one pay period. BUT, I also knew I had summer pay coming to me. I opted for the 12-month pay period thing. I've been calling payroll since before December 10 because I knew checks would be coming out that day. I called the week after. The week after that. Gave them some leeway to party during Christmas. More leeway to party before New Year. Called after New Year's.

Sigh. {Bet that was heard in Alaska}

Today I call about my W-2 and ask about my last check yet again. I think I finally spoke to someone with a BRAIN. Yup, my check has been sitting there...dated.... guess?

December 10, 2010.

I'll pick it up tomorrow. I'm so ready to rip someone a new one three ways to Sunday. That is MY money. I worked for it. Someone shouldn't have been giving me the run around. So much for getting names. Empty promises. I tell ya... I am pissed.

Sigh. {Seriously, that was heard in Africa}

Probably a good thing I no longer work for them??

MMEL Week 3

My goal was to update once a week on Sunday on my quest to Move More and Eat Less. Short weekend for me having worked on Saturday. At any rate, I was embarrassed to write how my week went. In short, it was a terrible week for MMEL.

Exercise: 150 minutes total

I ate more and moved less this past week. Lots going on. I had the best of intentions to workout Tuesday through Thursday. I ended up having to work extra hours on Thursday so that foiled my plans to hit the gym.

Sunday...it was a day for EATING. Oh my!

So, today. I start again. The beauty of new days is a fresh start. I've already said no to a piece of birthday cake. It didn't look that great and was certainly NOT red velvet so I don't feel like I've deprived myself. See, I really CAN do this. I packed two snacks and my lunch for today. The tough part about bringing lunch from home is never knowing if someone else will be in the office with me at lunch time. I've never been alone in the office before...afraid of meeting ghosts. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet, grow a backbone and pack holy water as my weapon.

thoughtful thursday

today's weather really made me long for my bed, comforter AND hand-tied fleece throw. it rained buckets intermittently all day. oddly, it would stop when i'd have to get out of my car to walk into the office. hmmm.... but, the rain must have been the reason why several people missed this afternoon's meeting. sigh... one day i'll get the hang of this meeting thing (let's hope it's sooner rather than later).

i got to pick up the boy named johnny (only *I* get to call him that). the best part? seeing an old friend as she picked up her son from the same class! maybe that wasn't the best part. maybe hearing that johnny told my friend her son liked to talk in class. no, that wasn't the best part. Seeing the big smile on johnny's face as he saw me was the best part. non-stop talk all the way home. he's one of those kids who asks questions and expects answers. maybe they're all like that...hmmmm....

just as we were rounding the bend up the road to my house, we have this conversation:

j: nini, did you give lucas back his car?

me: what car?

j: his race car.

me: the one i took away?

j:yeah. the racing car.

me: i gave that to him the last time you were here, remember?

j: oh yeah. he was naughty. that's why you took it away.

oh my.

the race car disaster happened weeks ago...december 30th, to be exact. and this little three-year-old has the memory of a computer. i call it a disaster since it resulted in a massively long tantrum that took quite a lot of people to diffuse. if the boys learned a lesson from that fiasco, it was to NEVER EVER play with your toys while one of the old ladies starts praying. even *I* know better than to try to escape when said praying occurs.

i had a point here... oh yeah... more like a note to self: tell johnny only the things i want him to remember and forget promising him something... he'll always remember.

on another note, i finally got the results of my latest blood draw...hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are back to normal. no more blasted iron pills. {let's party!}

MLK Day

I took advantage of the fact that today was a holiday and slept in. It felt wonderful! I put a lot of clothes away, cleared off the top of my desk, folded my freshly washed winter clothes in preparation for next month's trip for work, talked to my cousin Maria on the phone and shredded a whole stack of paper.

I said I wouldn't beat myself up about the trash eating, so I won't. I ate everything I shouldn't have eaten. I will say that I did take smaller portions of the "bad" food. A plus, right? I was careful with what I ate for breakfast and lunch because I knew the will power would be close to non-existent at that party. Always happens.

The reason for this slight detour? I went to a baby shower for three of my friends...former co-workers who are all due next month. The count is at two girls and one surprise! Lots of hugs. Lots of "I miss yous." Hearing I looked refreshed. Lots of joking and laughing. Hearing that being in the lounge wasn't the same without me. Knowing that I am missed.

I miss them.

I miss the camaraderie. I miss the laughter. I miss the jokes, the stories, the anecdotes of the kids' antics. But, this new job is so what I need right now. I'm less stressed. Less moody. I love knowing that I am still a part of their "family." Knowing that, even though I more or less defected, they still love me and care about what's happening in my life.

For that, I'll always love them.

MMEL Week 2

Still haven't found the lock I need for my mouth. But, I think the word I've been searching for is self-control. I did semi-well with the eating...till Thursday hit. I ended up at Wendy's for lunch. That in itself would have been okay if I had chosen a salad or one of the go-wraps. Nope. I went for the chicken sandwich kid's meal. Then, we hit Yogurtland. I did, however, skip my afternoon snack and ate a sandwich and salad for dinner.

I won't ruminate about the wedding reception we went to last night...where I paid $3 for valet parking after circling the parking lot and the parking garage and ending up leaving before we ate because not a table or chair was in sight for 4 of us to sit...or about how I wanted to vomit yesterday morning's breakfast at the sheer number of people milling about said reception...or about how we ended up at Tairyo Sushi and left $89 poorer (but oh what awesomely good sushi it was)...or about how I ate a scoop of perfect green tea ice cream at said dinner... we'll just move on.

I exercised 6 out of 7 days. {cheer}
Wii fit 30 minutes
Body Combat 100 minutes
treadmill 100 minutes

On Saturday, I did my 2nd ever 5k. If I wasn't so lazy, I would find the layout I did of my first 5k to check my time. I think it bordered on 1 hour. This 5k I finished in 51 minutes...that was just walking. One of these days I might feel brave enough to run some of it. Okay, I did run across the street when the light was changing at one intersection. The simple fact that I woke at 5-ish in the MORNING...before the sun woke up...should have counted for something in the move more department.

I've already blown the eating department today with lunch. We went out to celebrate Mark and Liz's 10th anniversary. I could have done without the 3 pieces of karaage chicken (they were bite-sized)and the bacon wrapped around the shrimp (3 of them). It wasn't ALL bad; just more than I should have. I will say that I brought home the other half of my lunch...the salmon part...for a meal on another day. So, I'll skip the snacks and pray I have some will power (aka self-control) at Obi's first birthday party this evening.

I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

Tomorrow is another day...

Gosh, darn it!

I think I need a lock on my mouth or something. Here's the run down for the week:

• I worked out 4 out of 7 days.
  
• I wrote down everything I ate (yes, even the candy I ate during the last-minute Friday afternoon meeting).
• I totally pigged out at dinner last night and paid for it this morning.
  

If I compare last week to the week before that one, I actually did better. I WENT to the gym. BUT... there's the but... I wasn't so great with the eating part. Here's to trying a little harder this week.

Moving on...

My first layout of the year! My word for 2011:



A canvas I did for the Studio Calico 1/3/11 challenge:


A close up:
Supplies: (for the layout and the canvas) Studio Calico Metropolitan, Park Bench, Busy Sidewalks and Mass Transit, SC stamps: weekday, months, butterflies, and coffee stain, Ultra Thick Emobssing Enamel (UTEE), JBS inks in cough syrup and spiced tin, punches: EK Success large circle border, real estate sign and star chain edger; Martha Stewart: double loops and classic butterfly and Claudine Helmuth Sable Brown paint.

The embossing ink was tinted PINK and it didn't vanish. OY! I could have done one more layer of UTEE, but I was tired.

Last, but definitely not least, a layout of our girls' plus one boy night out:

It's a New Year!

A few days late posting my new year's greeting.

I'm taking part in Ali Edwards' One Little Word class with Big Picture Classes. I've been choosing a word every year since 2007. My words have been resolve, hope, embrace, and optimism. This year my word is possibilities. I've done a layout for it. It's already hanging on my wall opposite my bed. I'll post here later.

I'm also doing Cathy Zielske's Move More, Eat Less journal project. I know it's going to take a while to get back on track and writing things down will definitely help me stay honest. There's nothing like seeing IN BLACK AND WHITE the things I put in my body. Sigh...

Time to start working!

daily december 31

what pearls of wisdom can i write on this the last day of 2010?? in approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes the new year will be here.

2010, while not all sunshine and roses, was a great year. it brought changes. changes that made life better.

i'm wishing and hoping that more positive changes come in 2011 and more possibilities abound.

may everyone be blessed this new year's eve.

see you in 2011!

Daily December 30

Even though it's technically already the 31st, I don't care. I haven't been to sleep so it's still the 30th. had lots of fun at dinner tonight with Anna, Lois, Kristin and Will. more later...

Daily December 29

busy day off! i...

• slept in :)
• paid some bills
• put together the stand for the tv trays while i stretched my new shoes
• waterproofed my boots
• had lunch at benii for evelyn's farewell
• stopped by kmart and walked out with only ONE bag
  
• baked cookies and a sad looking mocha roll (that brief power outage messed me up)
• went to the deacon's house and kicked back with some friends

jacob and lucas came by for a visit. jacob said, "nini, i haven't seen you in SO LONG!"

Seriously. I guess four days IS a long time to not see someone when you're only four years old. He sang. He danced. He made us laugh. "Ark the Arrow Angels Sin..." totally will never forget that!