Life with Lovey: 1st Argument of 2013

Lovey and I rarely argue. We cherish our time together (which is sparse with our work schedules) and basically there's no time to argue. Oh but a few nights ago... We had time and plenty! Here's how the tiff started.

Before I begin, let me lay out the scenario. Lovey is an A+++ graduate student. This means he studies any time he's not working, sleeping, or eating. Since he studies so much, we spend time together by sitting next to each other on the couch... He-- with his books. Me --with my laptop, iPad, camera, and or phone.  It's a good arrangement. And when he takes a break, we talk, cuddle, or start a movie, etc. (At least we're together, right?)

OK. Now to the beef. So... when he was ready for a break, I wasn't and continued clicking away on my laptop (blogging of course). He then said, "I don't know why you spend so much time on your electronics. Why don't you start a hobby that doesn't involve your gadgets? Like drawing or reading." Of course I pointed out our study-time arrangement and also the fact that I draw and read on my iPad regularly (nonblog related). This went back and forth for a while ("Every time I see you, you're on your iPad...") and climaxed with raised voices ("You don't have to raise your voice..." "Yes. I do cause you're not hearing me!!") and ended with me going to bed (so passive agressive ova' hurr). So my question to you is this... Actually.. I have a few...

1. Do hobbies involving an iPad not count as real hobbies (reading, drawing, etc.)? (I think they do. It's so much easier than lugging out my drawing/painting supplies.)

2. Should you have regular hobbies that do not involve any electronic gadgets like crocheting, actual painting, etc.?

3. Have you ever had this argument with your significant other?


We have since talked and patched things up... We're in love and we never stay angry for long :-)

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Twinkle. Twinkle.

Lovey and I had been meaning to take a nighttime walk near our neighborhood... since Thanksgiving... Holding hands in the glow of some twinklies?!! Pure magic! However I was kind of bummed because everyone in our city decided to take the same walk that night. Or so it seemed... Couldn't even sneak in a good kiss cause there were kiddos every where! Haha! Oh well. Maybe we should go on a weeknight next time... Nothing like a good winter kiss to keep your insides warm!

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12 Highlights of 2012 on 12/12/12 @12:12PM

Last year on 11/11/11 at 11:11AM, I was in the 11th aisle at my local grocery store...I'm lame. I know. But what can I say? I wanted to do something weird to remember it. Same thing with today...I want to make 12/12/12 special in some way and I finally figured out how! But let me explain a few things first... Right now Lovey and I are going through a rough patch... Mostly we need to make some important, tough, life-changing decisions about school, living arrangements, finances...etc. UGH! We are clueless and feel pretty lost and overwhelmed at times (prayer is much appreciated!). Which is why I need to post some HIGHLIGHTS! Oftentimes, during rough patches, we need a reminder of good days..however menial...Just a little positivity and a reminder of the MANY blessings the Lord bestows upon us (great or small)... It helps put things in perspective because I know we've been here before (LOSTVILLE) and I know God will guide us through! So without further ado.....

Here are 12 Highlights from 2012.



1. The time I got bangs. Yeah. They looked good!

2. When I bought a Kodak Easy Point & Shoot and took some pretty decent shots. $50? Amazing!

3. The beehive I sported at the Blogscars! (Remember that?!)

4. Leap Year Love Letter I wrote to Lovey in 2008...Opened in February 2012.

5. The time Lovey and I had a day off.

6. The time Lovey and I went on a Beach Date.

7. When I asked my boss if I could have the day off to go shopping with my sissy and he said YES!

8. The time I got a TRIPOD & REMOTE!

9. Lovey and I's trip to San Diego for our Anniversary!

10.  The time we stayed at a Beach-Side Cottage! Woo! That was amazing!

11. Lovey and I's ULTIMATE FALL DAY!

12. And the things that were not blogged about but I don't want to forget:
     a. Booked a personal record number of photoshoots this year. Sooo thankful!
     b. Lovey bought me a new laptop and new car. What. A. Guy!
     c. Two people that are VERY close to us came to know the Lord after much prayer and sharing. I still can't get over it. The LAST people I thought would ever proclaim the name of Yeshua... God is good! (And THIS is the ultimate highlight of 2012!)


Ok. I feel better now. God can do miracles!  And we need a few right now... Happy 12/12/12 guys! Next time we see a date like this will be 2/2/2022 (I think?) Until next time (Lordwilling!)

Love to you all,

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Janette the Desert Wanderer

Remember my Summer Must Do List? I mentioned I wanted to go to the desert...But it never happened. However since Fall started, I've been to the desert twice (once a few weeks ago and another this past weekend). Lovey and I went with his dad, brother, and our nieces to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree for a relaxing overnight trip under the sun... It had the makings of a nice time.. But honestly.. it wasn't that great... No wait. It was great... Actually, it was 50-50.... Here's some highlights and lowlights so you can see what I mean...

Lowlight: Our destination is only 1.5 hours away from our home. We left at 9AM and arrived at 3PM. Do the math. 
Highlight: Getting to sit next to Lovey for hours on end.

Lowlight: My father-in-law made plans to run errands (unbeknownst to us) since "we were in the area" including a visit to Uncle Vinny's. (Take that as you will...)
Highlight: He graciously and generously blessed us throughout the trip to make up for it. He paid for everything! What. A. GUY!

Lowlight: The place we were intending to go (Palm Springs Aerial Tramway) was PACKED!! So we left and went to Joshua Tree National Park (ie more driving).
Highlight: Joshua Tree National Park.

Lowlight: Lovey and his dad arguing politics for miles. (Do the words "family vacay" mean nothing?) Haha!
Highlight: Getting to listen to some cool tracks during this time. Praise God for headphones!

Lowlight: Sitting in the middle seat next to my three year old niece who kept whining and complaining that my elbow was touching her carseat armrest.
Highlight: Playing road trip games with my nieces.

Lowlight: Hiked a mile to see a lake... Except it was dried up.... Stinkin' desert.
Highlight: Saw this instead...WOW! (And the picture doesn't even do it justice)

Lowlight: Went to a place where we were standing about 20 feet from the San Andreas Fault.
Highlight: Went to a place where we were  standing about 20 feet from the San Andreas Fault.

Lowlight: Freezing and underdressed while we were on the top of this one mountain.
Highlight: The view and Lovey holding me close to keep me warm. (Pictured below: Salton Sea-Mexican Border-San Andreas Fault-Palm Springs!!!)

See? 50-50! But you know what? I'm just going to focus on the good stuff...Cause aside from Uncle Vinny's, everything else was tolerable or amazing! I'm blessed!

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Janette and the Amazing Week

Ok.. So last week was amaze-ING! And this past weekend too... Like wow! I don't even know where to begin!

iPad

-Yes. I got one! It was a gift and a TOTAL surprise! I thought it was some promotional item... but no. It was a stinking iPad! WHAT?!!! Last thing on my mind! For real!

Disneyland

- I had a shoot at Disneyland! So much fun! But ohhhh soooo tiring! And my feetsies are still sore. Ow! But I'm proud of Lovey and I. We got there at 8:30PM and stayed until 10PM!!!! Not bad, eh? It was magical! I'm even more impressed that we only bought 2 turkey legs, 2 sodas, and 2 waters. The whole day. Where did our appetite go??!!!

 

World of Color

-This show.... Hmm ... I was skeptical! But DUDE! Guys! My retinas were rocked and rolled and     re-rocked 20 fold! That show is a must see! And the best part was that we were standing next to a comedian... He had me and Lovey roaring!! These are three things I remember him saying...

When the Brave soundtrack came on....."What?!! No way! I'm downloading that song RIGHT now! I'm playing this track at my wedding.. and my funeral.."

When the whole lake was lit up with fire....."Wow! I felt that fire in my face and I'm not even in a kitchen.."

At the last song...."Now what's this little number??"

What the? Who was that guy????

Vinegar/Dawn Soap Cleaning Mix

- AKA Elixir of life and glorious splendor! My bathtub is SPARKLING!!!! Here's the directions to make it.

Giveaway

-I get sooo happy when I'm able to give my friends cool stuff on my blog... Have you checked out my most recent and decent giveaway??!! A chance to win a $20 shop credit! Woo!!!

 

Yeah. I'm not sure what to say after all that... How about you say something in the comments below? ;-)

 

 

 

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Janette and the Long Weekend

Here's how my 4 day weekend unfolded:

Woke up at 5:30AM dressed and ready.
Fuel for car, fuel for people (coffee).
Drove. Drove. Drove.
Stopped for Breakfast.
Feeling sick. (Female probs)
Arrived in AZ.
Sat by pool.
Rested.
Visited.
Golden Corral!(Yes. I love their steak. And no, we don't have these in CA)
Visited.
Sleep.
Breakfast.
Showered & ready.
Thrifting.
Thrifting.
Thrifting.
MAJOR SCORES!
Thrifting.
Thrifting.
CULVERS!
FROZEN CUSTARD!!!!?? WHAT?????? 
(Most amazing frozen treat ever! I kissed it. Yes. Yes. I did.)
Visited.
Pool side.
Rested.
Watched Hoarders marathon with Lovey.
Lovey a p p a l l e d.
Feeling sick.
Hating female probs.
Sleep.
Breakfast.
Rest.
Sleep.
Visited.
BBQ.
Concert under the stars.
Oceans of cute old folks dancing.
Feeling sick.
Ugh.
Feeling crummy.
Feeling crappy.
Feeling crappier.
Feeling like big crappola.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Feeling better.
Breakfast.
Packed.
Drove.
Drove.
Drove.
Lunch in Indio at Panda Express.
Home.
Praise God.
Unpack.
Laundry.
Laundry.
Laundry. 
THE END.

How are you? It feels like it's been ages since I've been here...

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Janette and the Yummy Weekend

What was supposed to be a quick run to my ma's house to pick up some avocados this past weekend turned into a yummy fiesta. We arrived at just the right time. My sister was home... We hadn't eaten lunch.. She hadn't eaten lunch and so we decided to join rumbly tummies and go out for some good Chinese. However on our way to my sister's fave and ultra secret spot (this girl knows all the good places in Little Saigon), we ended up talking about Korean BBQ and decided to head there instead. All you can eat beef? Lovey's personal heaven!

It was sooo good and nothing like I remembered. My favorite part (aside from the brisket) was the spicy soy soup. It had just the right amount of kick. Mmmm! The whole experience was fantastic. So amazing, in fact, that it deserved an equally amazing dessert. My sister, of course, knew of a cute pastry place, so we headed there for some treats. She spoiled us ROTTEN giving Lovey and I a tray and some tongs to pick out whatever we fancied. Cool, right???!!

We saved our dessert for a later time and instead opted to go to another cute cafe (with suitcase seats) for some refreshing iced mango green tea. Mmmmm....



We had such a lovely time. For real.

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Janette the Delayed Blogger

I appreciate all the kind words about the doodles I posted on Monday. You guys are soo nice. For real  Here's a photo version of my weekend... So late, but better than never... Such a bad blogger.. Urgh!

Weekends are too short....

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Janette the Weekend Doodler

This was my weekend... Yup. I doodled. I think it had something to do with how overcast and cool it was on Saturday. I'm not sure. But I was  i n s p i r e d... So here's how the days unfolded...

And then Sunday....

Sunday was a 50-50 kind of day. It was great seeing Valery and getting to spend time with the fam...But I'm not a fan of Oktoberfest. I don't like beer, sauerkraut, or bratwurst... However, I am a fan of lederhosen and those feathery hats. See what I mean? 50-50.

I'll have real pictures for you soon.

Hope you had a good weekend!

PS. Don't judge. Be kind to my "art".  I wasn't an art major. Although I did take about 3 art history classes. Don't ask why cause I'm not sure.

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Janette and The Good & Bad Weekend.

I had a good weekend. I had a bad weekend. I still can't decide if the good outweighed the bad. Saturday morning I woke up with major congestion, malaise, and general nastiness. A cold. Ugh. The byproduct of coloring, heads together, with my sick niece. Bah! But regardless, Lovey and I tried to make the most of our weekend cause I felt fine from my belly down. Ha! So after a day of complete couch rest (I took 3 naps!),we went to dinner and a short walk 'round town. Pumpkin spice lattes for dessert and window shopping at Cost Plus World Market was a nice way to end the night.

Sunday afternoon we went to an arboretum (dSLR pictures coming soon) and enjoyed the cool, Fall weather. NOT! It was 93 degrees! For reals? Wasn't it in the 60s and raining just 3 days ago??!!! (Don't get me started on the weather...) Oh but sweet foliage-induced felicity!!! Everything there was perfect and beautiful!

Trees, flowers, and a charbroiled burger? I take it back. I had it good.How was your weekend?

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Janette & Lovey's Fall Day

We did Fall this past Sunday. As in, we rocked it. Lovey and I did pretty much every Fall activity you can imagine in one day. Yes, one. First, we Fall-ifized our home. Then we shopped for more Fall goodies, got home and turned on our Fall-scented candles. For lunch we had our pumpkin. Yes, all of it. We made oven roasted pumpkin seeds, baked glazed pumpkin, and  chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I got sick from one of these 3 items (pretty sure it was the bread). Or perhaps all 3? Pumpkin overdose perhaps?

 As the evening was winding down, Lovey and I had some yummy Chinese food over a 1000 piece puzzle (more on that later). *sigh* It was P E R F E C T. Don't you just loooove Fall????? We do! It's our favorite season. Hands down.

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Janette and the Hairy Weekend!

The main reason I blog is to remember... I'm realizing I have a horrible memory the older I get. But blogging and taking pictures helps. A lot! This was one of those weekends I don't want to forget. Lovey and I had two dinner parties to celebrate the last days of Sukkot.  It was nice seeing our friends 2 days in a row. Yup!

The rest of our weekend was spent Fall-ifizing our home (more on that tomorrow), baking pumpkin stuff, and relaxing. That was the highlight of my weekend. I'm such a homebody. Home is where my heart is. Go outside?? WHY?????!

The other highlight was my hair. Gosh. I know. Shallow, right? But seriously, most of the time I wear my hair up.. Especially lately that it's been hot..But this weekend I was like, "Weeee! Be free! Be happy! Bask in the sunlight and fly, hair!" And it helps that I actually took the time to curl it a bit. Which is quite a feat if you knew how much hair I had.

Well okay.. That's enough about my hair....How was your weekend? ;-)

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Janette the Productive, Insect-Luring Weekender

I'm not sure what's up lately, but Lovey and I have been super productive 'round the house on our days off. Even with this stubborn heat, we're gung-ho busy bees!  Laundry, gardening, ironing for days, writing postcards, catching up on emails, spraying for insects outside...We get it done! Argggh!! And speaking of insects, guys,  I'm like the stinkin' bug whisperer ovah hurr..

For some reason creepy critters just flock to me in droves. Or maybe it's because I'm more aware of them??  I've always had this uncanny skill of detecting spiders in the dark... It's really weird.. I can just see them... So the other day when we were hanging out in the dining room I suddenly see about 10 baby spiders parachuting from the ceiling in a unified and coordinated attack. (No one else saw them..) I FUUHHHREAKED out! But I didn't run away. No. I'm manly like that. I grabbed my sandals like a boss and started slapping those spiders silly!

Good riddance!

After that incident I've unfortunately discovered about 10 bug bites on my feet and legs. Spiders? I'm not sure... But all I can say is I'm on edge these days.. We took to spraying EVERYTHING with that Raid Bug Barrier stuff... I hope it works, cause HOT DOG, I can't take it anymore...Wearing socks, pants, and head scarves (I don't want spiders parachuting into my hair) in 90+ weather is most uncomfortable but oh so wise! Get this! Last night, during our Bible study, a pincher bug fell out of the SKY and landed in my shirt. In. My. Shirt.  Did I jump out of my chair like a nimble ninja and scream my head off? ALMOST! But no.  I got up calmly and said, "Uh...I'm sorry, I have to go shower now." And ran to the bathroom. Seriously! I can't take it anymore.. And the worst part of all this is that I'm the only one that's getting bit and attacked in our household. Ugh. Anyway.. enough about bugs... Here some images of my weekend...

Didn't go on that boat ride I mentioned on my Cool. Not Cool. Undecided. post. But that's okay! I got to eat a Bambleberry muffin! YUM!

So what'd you guys do?

PS. Have you read about the time I killed a spider with my bum? You should read that. It's entertaining.

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Janette the Mexican-Food-Eating-Photographer & Babysitter

Lately I've been busy guys! If you asked me what I've been doing, I'd probably answer, "I'm not sure... But I'm swamped!!" Mostly I've been editing pictures, babysitting my little nieces, and eating an inordinate amount of Mexican food. Yay! You'd think I'd eat Mexican food erry day, but I don't. I only eat it when I go to my Ma's. Wow! It's the best!! You know what else is the best?? My desk! I still need a chair (currently using my dinner table chair) and a trash can..perhaps some twinkle lights and a strand of paper hearts too? All I can say is that I'm super inspired by the work spaces I shared yesterday. Woowee! Such beauties! And want to know what else is a beaut?? Some lovely postcards that were sent to me by Beth of Deer Little Fawn (THANKS BETH!). They're beautiful! And I kind of don't want to give them away..but I will! In fact, if you'd like to receive a handwritten postcard, let me know! The first 3 people to ask for it shall be mailed one! Just ask! First 3. Go!

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Janette the Reminiscing Reorganizer

This weekend was spent reorganizing and rearranging things around the house. We got a few new (to us) pieces of furniture and had to get rid of old stuff. We even had a last minute garage sale where I made a whopping $5. WOO!!! (My brother-in-law fared a lot better, so it wasn't a total waste of time. Ha!) And in between all the hustle and bustle I unearthed treasures that caused me to pause, sit, and reminisce...

 Wasn't Lovey the cutest? >.< What I wouldn't give to pinch those little cheekies! Eep! So adorable! And look at me being all sassy and Mexican! CUTE! Here's a picture of us from earlier this year...For comparison ;-)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Happy Monday!

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