Merry Christmas!

We love you. We miss you. Merry Christmas!

How Lovely Are Thy Branches

Well, it's officially Christmas! We put up our Christmas tree last night. It definitely put us in the Christmas spirit. Just in time, a few gifts from my parents arrived so we had something to put under the tree. (It completes the look.) On Monday, we're baking cookies. So, Christmas is in full swing here in Cali. Hope the season's going well for you all.

We love you much.

Ryan and Jasmine

Holidays Back in the Day

Hey all. My cousin Nicky sent me a couple pics from way back when. Definitely takes me back. xoxo-j

Take a Hike

It's Winter in California!!! (No, really, it is...)

Pics: Hike 12-06-08, Torrey Pines

PS To the Wedding Guests. Where we are hiking is approx. 1 mile from the hotel you'll be staying at.

-j

I did it! 50,000 Words!!!

I DID IT! 50,OOO WORDS IN 30 DAYS!!!!!

Thanksgiving to Remember

Thanksgiving was great. The food was good. The day was lazy, except for cooking. I missed my family even more than expected. All in all, what I expected. I ended the day in my stretchy pants, so you know it was good eats. Here are some pics.

With love,
J

Home for the Holidays – May it be wherever you are

Check out my guest blog on the Writer's Block:

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Click the title above or visit http://www.losetheblock.blogspot.com.


Happy Thanksgiving to all my loved ones. I miss you all.

xoxo - j

Thanksgiving thought for the day...

Praise the bridge that carried you over.

Ryan's Family visiting us last summer...

I am thankful.

Life (Or Something Like It)

Hey guys... Over the next week or two I'm going to post alot of pictures we've taken over the past year basically to get you all caught up. I have tons. So, here's two. One is just a few random pics from places we've gone. The other is Mexico - the resort where we would have been married had TJ not gone all crazy and started hacking people up.

Soon, I'll put up pics of people visiting, our trips to Disney and Anaheim, and some Wedding Site pics... And yes, I promise I'll take some pics of our apartment soon!

xoxo - j

MEXICO

RANDOM (Seaport Village, Old Town, Random)

Bush: 'Can I Stop Being President Now?'

WASHINGTON—In a press conference held this morning on the White House lawn, President Bush formally asked the assembled press corps and members of his own administration if, in light of today's election, he could stop being the president now. "So it's over, right? Can I stop being president now?" Bush said after striding to the podium in a Texas Rangers cap and flannel shirt, carrying a fully packed suitcase. "Let's just say I'm done as of now. Presidency over." When informed by Washington Post reporter David Broder that his presidency would continue through early January, Bush stared at him quizzically, sighed, and shuffled silently back into the White House.

*What's scary is you can almost see him doing it... Admit it...

[Article "Borrowed" from The Onion]

HAPPY 29TH BDAY RYAN!!!

Here are some pics from his birthday today. I made it a day of his favorite things. I got up this morning and made him Banana nut muffins, complete with a birthday candle. For lunch, we ordered pizza and wings from RoundTable, watched football and opened his gift from me. I smuggled in Uplands Beer from Btown (thanks Jess!) and I bought him Madden 09. My parents sent him a Colts sweatshirt, which worked out well with my theme. That, and my dad thought it would be funny to send him a Chicago Bears ornament, so I guess that's officially our first Christmas ornament together (awww). He's had alot of calls today wishing him a good bday. Right now, he's putting our big flat screen to good use. He's playing Madden 09 on one side and watching the Chargers game on the other. Oh, and the Colts won today. So, all in all, I think it was a great birthday. He deserves it. :)

Happy Birthday my old man. xoxo

I love to write day... who knew?

Mandy Clarke, The Writers Block blog, asked me to write a guest blog on "I love to write day," which is today (news to me). My blog is up there. Check it out.

http://losetheblock.blogspot.com/2008/11/in-honor-of-i-love-to-write-day-by.html

My bio isn't up there because I was rushing home yesterday to get ready for Ryan's birthday dinner and forgot. He enjoyed it though. We went to the Gaslamp Stripclub. It's a steak place (what were you thinking?!). Basically, they are a great steak house, but cheap because you grill your own meat. So, they bring out a salad, untoasted garlic bread and your raw meat. You go to their giant grills and cook your own. He got NY strip. Me, chicken breast (I didn't have tons of options, but we weren't there for me!). It was really good. It's located in the foot of the gaslamp, which has more of a funky vibe, cool. Afterwards, we met his work friends at McGreggors or something like that in Mission Valley. As soon as we got there, they were leaving to go over to the Blue Foot, cool bar/club in North Park. So, we went there, danced a little, altho the music sucked, and that's all folks. It was a late night for me. Getting home at 1:30 for me is like an all nighter for other people. Tonight, we have another party and tomorrow is his BDAY!!!!

I'll update later.

xoxo - j

Michael Jordon of Music? Please.

It's official. Kanye West is the most irritating celebrity of our generation.

Kanye West:
"I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice," he said in an interview on Wednesday. "It's me settling into that position of just really accepting that it's one thing to say you want to do it and it's another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan."

I've always been cool with his music, but COME ON. That autotune voice crap? ANYone could do that. Ugh.

You know this... Bowling....

Ok. So, if you've ever heard the Jim Jones song We Fly High, you probably know they're saying BALLIN. Well, my beloved friend who shall remain nameless for the purpose of this blog, could not understand why they were saying BOWLING. That's right. "We fly high, no lie, you know this... BOWLINGGGGGG". He he. So, now, everytime I go bowling, I think of that song. And that was last night. Here's some pics.

Oh, and by the way. It cost $60 for four people to bowl two games. SIXTY DOLLARS!!! I almost died. lol.

xoxo - j

OBAMA 2008 -- YES WE DID

I am so proud right now. To quote Michelle Obama, I’ve never been so proud of my country. I feel like I had a unique perspective in this election. I’m a white Hillary-liberal from an all-white republican community, but also I’m a soon-to-be-wife of a black man and future mother of black children. This was my chance to make a difference, so that I can tell the truth when I tell my future children of color the same thing my white parents told me: you really can be anything you want to be.

In a larger sense, I think what this election represented for me and for so many other white liberal voters from small town Midwest, was an opportunity to have our voices heard on an issue communities like mine never allowed us to talk about. I grew up learning about race through text books. Racial prejudice was taught as a thing of history. Like many others, I developed a subconscious guilt to know I could have ancestors who participated in the mass oppression of a people. And, to grow up having heard countless racial slurs presented as if they were a matter of fact and not what they really were, a product of fear or hate. It is a special thing to see the Midwest turn blue and realize all those voices that have been there just waiting to be heard will be silent no more.

So, beyond party loyalty, beyond my love for my future husband and new family, this was a very special opportunity to say loud and clear, YES WE CAN. All of us. Together.

P.S. I do want to note that while this election was a time of forward movement, California and Arizona both did support the ban on gay marriage, Proposition 8. This is not just a set back for the gay and lesbian community, but for civil liberties. No matter your religious stance on the subject, this is a matter of civil rights. And, it is wrong. The same arguments once used to “protect white women” by banning interracial marriage is the same arguments used now. Until we are all equal, we are not equal at all.

“An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Onward and upward,

-Jasmine

Rock the Vote and Make History

What an AMAZING day this is.
Don't forget to vote! WE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOBAMA!!!!!

More pics and Stuff

Hi! So, this is really just to update with a couple new pics from Amanda's camera. As soon as I figure out how to do a slideshow here, I'll post pics of something besides us. But for now, this is what I have for ya! :)

On the us front... Nothing new really. I started this NanoWriMo thing most of you have heard about from me by now, so I'm writing 50,000 words between Nov 1 - Nov 30. To say the least I'm busy. Oh, and we're getting married in 4 MONTHS and 4 DAYS. But whose counting? :)

More pics... Enjoy.

Better b4 Baby

My mother told me that when my alarm went off, I'd know...

(She was right.)

Better b4 Baby is about my committment toward living a more healthful lifestyle in the interest of my future children. My husband and I are currently trying for baby. Since I lost 200 pounds, I've maintained my current weight for about three years now, give or take 5-7 pounds. That's spectacular, actually. Except that my current weight is about 15 pounds above what I actually should be, from a health standpoint.

I want to be the healthiest mom I can possibly be, and I'm going to start NOW "b4" baby!

That's where this Better b4 Baby thing comes in... I want to not only have a healthy pregnancy, but I want to become the mom I know that I should be, before I'm forced to BE that mom. In other words, I want to practice what I preach.

Better b4 Baby Commandments

1. I will cut back on grazing, and work toward eliminating it completely.

2. I will post ALL that I eat, even the bad stuff and the little extras here and there (which can add up).

3. I will focus on more vigorous gym workouts, and less "off" days.

4. I will read my goal board once per day and count my blessings daily.

5. I will take up running (yet again).

6. I will take my pre-vitamins and DHA every day!

I realize many of you are fairly young and/or aren't in "baby mode." That's okay. There's lots of reasons to find to be "better" at what you're already doing. The biggest one is YOU.

Here's to wishing you better days, all the days of your life.



Just to be clear. I'm not pregnant...

Yet. :)

Halloween 2008

Last night, we went to Amanda and Jeremy's for a Halloween/Celebrate her brother being in town party. Yummy snacks. Good conversation. Cool costumes. We played Flux (cards) and darts. All in all, great fun. Today, of course, I feel like I was run over by a Mac truck. :)

Happy Halloween everyone. And Yay for our first post!

Me and Amanda


Amanda and Jeremy
School Girl / Dirty Professor


Darts