The Art Nerd

Ellis Family Blog

2009-01-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that we (Scott, Leila and I) have a new blog. I figured it would be a nice way to keep people updated on Leila's growth and development. Can you believe she's almost two month already?

1 month ago

2008-12-13T19:20:00.000-08:00

One month ago today Leila Kate was born! It's been a crazy month! I went into labor on Wednesday, she was born on Thursday and we brought her home on Friday. We had to take her back to the hospital on Tuesday to be treated for Jaundice. She spent three days in a incubator under a special light to get rid of the bilirubin causing her Jaundice and was able to come home on Friday.

Since then she's been doing very well! She's eating well, sleeping well (even at night) and is very attentive when she's awake. She even seems to recognize our voices. We're starting to hear a difference in her cries, so the Dunston Baby Language video has started to come in handy. She loves to be cuddled and carried. The Moby Wrap has been a life saver. Since she likes being carried upright, I'm asking Santa for a ring sling for Christmas. She likes bath time, we feel bad taking her out of the tub because she gets so relaxed in there.
So far, it's been exciting, every day is different and we learn something each day. She has the sweetest little smiles (sleep grins) and makes the cutest noises! We absolutely adore her! Happy 1 month birthday Leila Kate! We love you!

Our Birth Story

2008-11-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

This is really detailed...it may be too much information for some...don't say I didn't warn you. :]

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, after working all day, I went in for my 37 week prenatal appointment. The doctor was very busy so I wasn’t seen until quite a while after my scheduled time. The doctor asked if I had been having any contractions, I replied, “Just those Braxton Hicks contractions, but they’re becoming kind of regularly.” Doctor said, “Ok, let’s see if those contractions are doing anything.” He performed a pelvic exam and was deemed me between two and three centimeters dilated. He was concerned about preeclamsia again because of my blood pressure and protein in my urine, so he said, “Well, young lady, I think it’s time to go to the hospital.” I was filled with so many emotions! I was excited that the time had finally arrived, but kind of sad that my pregnancy would soon be over, and a little flustered because this wasn’t how I thought it would all happen. I always thought I’d go through the early labor at home, and then when the contractions were 5 minutes apart for 2-3 hours, Scott would drive me to the hospital. Instead, I had to call Scott and tell him to meet me there.

Scott was at home resting after a long day at work, so I called him and told him the news. We hadn’t even packed our hospital bag yet, so he gathered some things together and met me at the hospital. I also called my mom, who was already at the hospital since she was working that day. By the time Scott and my mom arrived, I had already been setup in my labor and delivery room with an IV giving me magnesium sulfate to prevent a seizure from my high blood pressure, a Pitocin drip to help my labor progress and a Foley catheter since I wasn’t allowed to get out of bed on the IV. I kept laughing as the nurses asked me questions about my medical history and started the IV; I just couldn’t believe I was really in labor. They probably thought I was delirious. Scott and my mom stayed with me the entire night and were very supportive. My nurse was very helpful, especially considering I needed to change positions every two hours. After a few hours on the IV, she examined me and said I was at 4 centimeters. I was so disappointed; it felt like it was going to take years to get to 10 centimeters. The nurse was very encouraging and reminded me that it takes longer to get from 1 to 5 than it does to get from 5 to 10. Eventually, morning came and so did the change of shifts.

My doctor came in around 8:00 AM and said that he wanted to check my cervix, but if I hadn’t progressed enough that we’d have to take go with an alternative method (c-section.) He knew that I really didn’t want a c-section, so he after he examined me, he proudly announced that I was between 5 and 6 centimeters, 100% effaced and he was going to rupture my bag of water to help speed things up a bit. I don’t remember a lot about the amniotomy, but it didn’t hurt. I just remember feeling a lot trickling out.

Around 10 AM, the contractions were suddenly a bit more than I could handle and I asked for some pain medication. I was given a dose of Stadol through the IV to “take the edge off.” That worked for three or four contractions, and then I found myself telling Scott, “I want an epidural.” So I called the nurse, she called the anesthesiologist, and twenty minutes later I was having the epidural put in. I sat on the edge of the bed, getting prepped for the procedure and I felt a relief from my contractions (changing positions tends to do that.) I made me think twice about going ahead with the procedure, but I went for it. It took the anesthesiologist three tries before he got the epidural into a place where it would work properly. (Yes, they stuck me with that big needle three times!) It hurt, of course, but once it was in, I learned why people are so quick to suggest it. (I’m not saying everyone should use an epidural, but I do recommend being open to the idea, especially if you’re on Pitocin.) Once the epidural was in the nurse helped me put my legs back in bed (they get numb pretty quickly) and I dozed off for a nap. I was in and out of sleep for the next three or four hours, which was rather nice considering that was the part of labor they call “transition,” and I was really dreading what I’d be like during that part. Since I was so sleepy, I didn’t yell at my husband or not want to be touched, I just slept. Occasionally I would chime in the conversation that Scott and Joel were having, or I’d talk with my mom a little bit, but for the most part, I slept through it. I developed a little fever towards the end of the transition period and was shivering quite a bit.

Around 3:00 PM, I woke up with “the urge to push.” I lightly mentioned to Scott and my mom that I thought it was almost time to push. Three contractions passed and I was sure it was time to push, so I called the nurse. She came in and checked my cervix and sure enough, I was right! So Joel headed out to the waiting room, the nurse got things ready, Mom and Scott decided which leg they were going to hold onto to and we started pushing. We started out with three pushes per contraction, but as we got closer, we increased to four pushes. (It felt SO GREAT to push! I felt so productive, and it was exciting to know that with each push we were getting just a little closer to meeting our daughter.) A few more nurses came into the room to help the doctor get ready and help with the pushing. (It was a little annoying having so many people “coaching” me to push, it wasn’t that bad, but I wish I would have said something.) The nurse said the baby was OP (occiput posterior) meaning she was presenting face up instead of face down. About an hour into the pushing the doctor arrived. He continued to coach me through the pushing, and told me that he needed to do an episiotomy. He gave me a shot to numb the area and performed a mediolateral incision. After a couple more pushes, the doctor discovered that the baby was still having a hard time getting past my pelvic bone, so he decided to use a vacuum to assist the delivery. At this point I was feeling pretty tired, but the doctor said, “On this next contraction we’re going to have a baby!” I felt a burst of energy, pushed with all my might, and with those last three pushes Leila Kate Ellis was born!

Readers beware…this part’s kind of gross…some readers may want to skip down to the next paragraph...
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end… the placenta still needed to be delivered. The nurse increased the Pitocin to help my uterus contract and the doctor massaged my uterus. With the next set of contractions he coached me to push. I pushed, nothing happened. More contractions came, I pushed, nothing happened. I was in the worst pain at this point. He tried but as my uterus contracted the placenta became caught in the fundus of my uterus. I’m not sure what was really going on, but it felt like the doctor was trying to scrape my placenta out. I was in the worst pain ever! Scott said that the doctor was literally pulling on the umbilical cord to get it out and it still wasn’t come out. Scott thought the doctor was going to have to put a foot on the bed to give him some extra leverage. Eventually the placenta came out and everything was fine. The doctor stitched me up and the childbirth process was over.

I honestly feel like the entire process was such a great experience, even the painful parts. While I was pushing I couldn't help but marvel at how awesome God is in His creations. At one point I actually said to Scott and my mom, "How did God know exactly where to put the muscles you need to push babies out with? How did He know that this process would even work?" I now understand why people say it's the most rewarding experience of their life. It's crazy how as the long journey of pregnancy suddenly ends, the even bigger adventure of parenthood begins and you're just thrown into it! I can't wait to share more stories with everyone as Leila grows up!

I'd like you to meet my daughter, Leila Kate Ellis

2008-11-17T22:19:00.001-08:00

WE'RE A FAMILY OF THREE!
After 20 hours of labor, followed by 2 hours of pushing, Scott and I finally welcomed our first baby into the world on Thursday November 13 at 4:58 PM. Leila Kate Ellis weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long! (She was due until December 1st according to the ultrasound, but if you remember my post announcing our pregnancy, the original due date was November 17, just four days after her actual birthday.)

I've posted a bunch of photos on flickr, so click on over there and check out our little girl!

So far, we're loving being parents and are adjusting pretty well! Thanks for all the love and prayers! We really appreciate it!

(Complete birth story to come soon...)

Another pregnancy update

2008-10-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry to leave you hanging after that last post, but I'm doing ok! Everything that was a problem at Tuesday's appointment wasn't a problem anymore at Thursday's appointment. I weighed in three pounds lower than Tuesday (not sure about that, but doc said it was ok,) my blood pressure almost back in normal range, still a little high, but not too bad and my urine was fine. He said to stay off my feet as much as possible and to watch my sodium intake. I have another checkup on Tuesday afternoon.
We're about 5 weeks away from the due date and my belly feels huge, but I get a nice backrub from the hubby just about whenever I want. I'm have Braxton Hicks contractions once in a while, those are interesting, a little uncomfortable. We have our last childbirth class Monday night, they're fun, but I won't miss it.
Keala & Ashley and Adam & Jess threw us a couple's baby shower last Sunday! It was so much fun! We played fun games, shared funny baby stories, ate great food and received some awesome gifts! Thanks to everyone who was there to share the day with us! We still have two more showers comings up...crazy!
All in all...life's pretty good right now!

Pregnancy Update

2008-10-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Update time! I had my 34 week checkup yesterday. Leila's doing great, heartbeat's strong, she's kicking all the time still, and getting big! The doctor is a little concerned about me though, I'm starting to show signs of preeclamsia. My blood pressure was pretty high (140/92,) there were some traces of protein in my urine, I've gained six pounds in two weeks, and my hands are swollen (I'm bummed I can't wear my gorgeous wedding ring on my finger anymore.) Then he asks the question I didn't want to hear quite yet, "Are you still working?" I say "Yes." And he tells me to try to take it easy the next few days and to come back Thursday for another checkup, but if it hasn't improved I'll have to go on bedrest. Yes, the thought of being able to rest more is nice, but not ALL day! Plus I love my job and I'm not quite ready to leave yet.
So, today, I'm taking it easy...watching what I eat...and praying that those symptoms go away so I can work at least a few more weeks. I'm trying not to worry, but it's hard. Keep Leila and me in your prayers! I'll let you know the verdict tomorrow afternoon.

Awesome night

2008-10-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

I came home from work yesterday excited about the hot date I was going on with my husband, not so much as to what we were doing, but just to spend some good quality alone time with him. But before we left, I had to hit the bathroom (I am 7 1/2 months pregnant after all...) and found some pretty new candles in there (awesome gift #1...) then when I came out and thanked him he said, "There's something on our bed for you too!" What? It's not my birthday or our anniversary...so I go in and open a very sweet card and two DVDs and a CD (Baby Mama, 27 Dresses and the new Sheryl Crow!) I hug him and thank him and he just says "Happy I Love You Day!" I tear up a little and smile. I love you day is something we started many years ago when we were first dating. It was just a random day where we'd give the other person a card or present, just because. It makes me happy that he still remembers that little things. As for our date, it was awesome too! We went to The Counter after a friend spoke so highly about it last weekend, it was pretty great! A little hard to decide because they're so many options...just more reason to go back! Then we hit the theater to see Body of Lies, which was really good, except that Russell Crowe looks strangely like Alec Baldwin...kind of weird. All in all, it was a fantastic evening!

11?!

2008-09-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

Totally not what you want to see on your phone at work...Fun day ahead!

Rusty Photographer

2008-09-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took some photos of Ashley and Keala's son KJ. Almost immediately after I started I realized how rusty I am...not a good feeling. I wish I could've done a better job, but setting up in someone's house is completely different than doing it in a studio like I used to. He's so cute and I did get a couple good ones that I hope they like, but I'm still a little disappointed in myself.

And I guess you can only see 200 of your flickr photos at a time now. Guess it's time to upgrade to a pro account since Leila's due in 90 days and I'll have lots of photos of her to post for family and friends. Don't want to run out of space.

Less than 100

2008-08-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

There are (approximately) less than 100 days left before Leila comes out! Holy cow! That's kind of crazy! She kicks more and more each day, and they get harder too. I had a check up last Monday and the doctor said she's growing well, right where she should be, she even kicked him while he measured my belly. I've even gained a couple of pounds since my last appointment. I've only gained four pounds, and that was after losing five after my first appointment. How many women can say they're approaching their third trimester and are below their pre-pregnancy weight. The doctor said it's not a big deal that I haven't gained very much because she's growing the way she should be and I'm a good baby grower (yes he actually said that.) I feel like I can't really complain about being pregnant, it's been a lot easier than I thought it would be. The only thing that kind of sucks right now is the heartburn, but even that's just once in a while. I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again. But it's worth it, I can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like since Scott and I are so different! Only 14 weeks to go...

QBS @ Dos Lagos

2008-08-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Friday night, the guys of Quick Before Sinking played at Dos Lagos in Corona. It was a really great show, even without Adam's ukelele! I always love watching them, but Friday was really special. I invited a few friends, but they couldn't make it, so instead I got to spend most of the night with Jess and Adrianne. They are two awesome ladies! I'm really grateful for the friendship Scott and I have with the guys and their wives!
I wish I had more photos to share, but my battery died and I didn't have a spare. :[

Lunch Time!

2008-08-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when given soda and straws, grown men turn into 9 year old boys? Today at lunch, Adam shot straw wrappers at the other table and made the wrapper worm. And Mark ran into a tree branch on his way in and had flowers in his hair. We didn't tell him until about 10 minutes later. Poor guy.

Baby Kyler

2008-08-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that my cousin Marissa gave birth (via c-section) to a baby boy this morning! His name is Kyler, he's 6 lbs, 14 oz and 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great! She'll be recovering in the hospital for a few days before she can go home. I'll have pictures later this week after I go visit them.

Dad Update

2008-08-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Dad's procedure went well yesterday. The pacemaker's in, we won't really know if it's working unless Dad's heart rate drops below 50. Hopefully he never really needs it, but it's good that it's there just in case. He said that his shoulder hurts really bad, like an 8 out of 10 (10 being the worst.) That's normal, plus Dad has a low tolerance for pain. Just pray that the pain he's feeling is temporary, and as the swelling around the site goes down, so will his pain. He should be discharged this afternoon. He'll be very happy to be at home!

Prayer request for Dad

2008-08-08T20:22:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, my dad had surgery to clear his carotid artery and quadruple bypass on his heart. He recovered well, but still needed more help. He went in on Tuesday to have 3 stents put into his other carotid and 1 in his left leg to open up blood flow in those arteries. He should have been discharged by Thursday, but wasn't because his heart rate and blood pressure were low. Since Wednesday, he's had a couple episodes where his heart "pauses" for a few beats, then resumes working. His heart rate has dropped as low as the 20s during these episodes. To help his heart, the doctors are going to put a pacemaker in on Monday. Since my dad is so tiny (5'5", 105 pounds) there isn't a whole lot of meat to hold the pacemaker in place, so they basically have to create a skin pocket. They have an external pacer in his room in case he really drops, but hopefully they won't be needing that. Please pray for my dad, his heart and the medical staff working with him. Thanks!

What color is nectarine juice?

2008-08-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

The skin of the fruit is yellow/orange/red, the meat of the fruit is yellow...what color's the juice? PINK! How do I know? Because I just dripped a couple drops on my nice clean white pants. Ugh.

Daddy's Girl

2008-08-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I think we already have a daddy's girl on our hands...not that that's a bad thing, it's just funny. You see, during the week Scott wakes up somewhere between 4:30 - 6:00 AM for work. Little Leila also wakes up whenever Daddy does, and she starts fiddling around and kicking. I know because her kicks have gotten a lot stronger the past week or two, so they wake me up. Today, Scott was off, so he slept in until about 9. I woke up around 8 to go to the bathroom, laid back down and she was still sleeping. But when Scott got up to go to the bathroom and he came back, she woke up too! She's already so in tune with him, it's funny! Scott got to feel her kicking this morning, just a little bit, but she's definitely there.

I had an ultrasound on Tuesday, my mom went with me since Scott had to work. It's neat because my mom never had an ultrasound when she was pregnant, so she was really excited! (Not like she hasn't seen one, she's a nurse, but it's neat when it's your grandbaby.) My mom said that Leila has Scott's nose. In profile her nose is a lot pointier (pointy-er, more pointy?) than mine ever was/will be. She'll be so cute!

The other morning, I laid in bed feeling her little kicks and I'd push back a little bit with my hand. She'd kick another spot, so I'd push there, then she'd go back to the first spot. It's a fun little game! She's so neat!

A little over months to go...WOW!

BIRTHDAY!!

2008-07-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

How do you like to spend your birthday? Day at Disneyland? Dinner out with friends? A fun party at home? Not me.

I like to be woken up by a big kick from inside my belly, a minute after my actualy birth time (2:42 AM,) then stay up emailing people and writing myself reminders of things I need to take care of at work that day. Then maybe I'll fall asleep for a two hours around 6 AM, then get up, get ready and go to work at 9 AM. Then once I get to work on my birthday, I like to spend the entire day walking back and forth from our office, to the tech booth in the worship center, to the green room, back to the tech booth, out to the lobby, over to the classrooms, back to the office, the worship center again, and keep repeating that for about 15 hours. And add a baby kicking all day to that. Sounds like fun, right?

Oh wait, I forgot to mention, it was all for a great cause! I helped put on an awesome concert featuring Riverside's own, The Trade and grammy nominated band, Leeland! Ok, so even though I had to work my butt off all day, it was totally worth it because it made it one of the best birthdays I've ever had! The Trade got the crowd pumped and excited and just totally rocked! Then Leeland came on... They were awesome! Although I was a little sad when the singer, Lee, said, "We've got two songs left..." because according to my set list there were three, and I knew the one they were cutting out was my favorite song, "Sound of Melodies." It was a great night of worship, even if they didn't do my favorite song. They took a bow and headed off the stage. A few minutes later, Lee returns to the stage alone, sits behind the keyboard and sings "Brighter Days," it was absolutely beautiful! When he finished, the rest of the band came out and finished the night with a nice little present, my favorite song! Seriously, could it have gotten any better?! I didn't really think so, but it did. I went to the green room to ask Scott's mom something and I had my camera with me because I was going to go wait in line in the lobby to get a picture with the band. As I was about to walk out to get in line, the bass player, Jake says to the band "Hey guys, let's take a picture with her before we go out there." I did kind of ask them before the show if we could take a picture after, but I figured I'd just get in line like everyone else. That totally made my day that he remembered, plus I didn't have to stand in line! They are some of the nicest, friendliest, laid back guys I've ever met! I wish they were here all the time!

Seriously, two days later, my feet and calves are still killing me. Leila's finally settled down after dancing to the music all day in my belly. And it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had! I love my job!

Birthday!!!

2008-07-25T02:51:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday dear Christina!
Happy birthday to me!
Yay! I'm 23 today! And Leila kicked me at 2:43 this morning to say happy birthday. How'd she know I was born at 2:42!?

Oh, we've decided her name's going to be Leila, no matter what. I just feels right. :}

You have new Picture Mail!

2008-07-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

You have a Picture Mail from scottellis11@pm.sprint.com

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This is what happens when you let your boss play with your new phone. Fun stuff.

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Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture Mail^SM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

24 years ago...

2008-07-23T11:16:00.001-07:00

24 years ago today, my wonderful husband Scott was born! I can't tell you how thankful I am for him. He's so loving, caring, funny, talented, and well, nice to look at! ;] He's amazing! Happy birthday, my love!

WE'RE HAVING A.......

2008-07-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!!
Since Scott wouldn't be able to be at the ultrasound on the 29th, we decided to just go to Fetal Focus (an ultrasound place in the mall) and find out what we're having. We're very excited! Our moms were both hoping for a girl, especially Scott's mom since she raised four boys.
We have names picked out, but it depends on what she looks like/when she's born. Our first choice is Leila Kate, Leila comes from the Hebrew for night (as Tyler told us last night) so it means either born at night or dark (haired) beauty. So if our baby is born during the day and has blonde hair like her daddy, that name doesn't fit very well. In that case, her name will be Lucy Elizabeth. Lucy because it means light, and we hope our little girl would go out and let her light shine before the world. But for right now, we're just calling her "L" (like Elle) since both names start with the letter L. Scott's so cleaver!
So that's it, we're having a little girl!

The head?!

2008-07-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

I had my 20 week check up (Yes, 20 weeks! Halfway there!) The doctor was feeling my belly to see how the uterus is baby have grown.
Doc: There's your baby's head, it's nice and firm.
Me: The head?!
Doc: Yup, right here. (And he pushes down a little bit.)
Me: Wow, I didn't know I was at the point where you could identify body parts. Cool, baby has a head!
Doc laughs.

Wow...it's a little crazy to have someone push on your belly and tell you what part of the baby it is! I didn't realize he'd be able to tell, the baby's only about 6 inches long. We listened to the heart beat, it's still nice and strong. My results from the glucose tolerence test came back normal. He ordered an ultrasound so we'll get to see the baby again and (hopefully) find out what we're having. My last ultrasound was at 10 weeks, so it probably looks quite a bit different. The only bad thing is that Scott has to work the day of my ultrasound (July 29,) hopefully he can move things around or not be too busy and get part of the morning off. It'd be fun to be able to go together!

A little confession

2008-07-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

Let me start of by saying that I am very excited to be having a baby and I can't wait to meet him/her and to be a mommy. I can't wait to see Scott hold our baby for the first time. But some mornings I wake up and just want to not be pregnant yet. It's not the morning sickness, I haven't had any in months. It's not my aching muscles, I can tough it out. It's the stupid thoughts... Today was one of those mornings where the thoughts of "there's so much I wanted to do before I had kids" and "I don't know anything about kids! What have we gotten ourselves into?" flood my mind and it's a little overwhelming. Eventually, I cry and move on, but it just stinks. I'm not on my own "afraid of motherhood" island am I? This happens to other people right?

We made a what?

2008-06-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

Totally how I feel about being pregnant sometimes... The baby isn't even here yet, and won't be for almost 6 months, but it's still a little strange to think that God thinks we're ready for a kid. Well, I guess God knows we're ready...maybe ready isn't the right word...

Baby Update...

2008-06-19T09:52:00.001-07:00

I'm 16 weeks along, had a check up on Monday. I turned down the AFP testing. I've lost 3 pounds since my appointment 4 weeks ago, 5 pounds since I found out I was pregnant. But the doctor's not worried about it since he thinks the baby's growing just fine (he can tell just by pushing on my tummy I guess.) I have to go to the lab in 2 weeks and have a sugar test and something else...normal prenatal stuff. When I go back for my next check up he'll review those test results and order an ultrasound and hopefully we'll get to see if we're having a boy or girl! Any predictions?

Plans for tonight?

2008-06-08T09:14:00.001-07:00

Come down, check 'em out! Hope to see you there!

Dad Update

2008-05-22T21:45:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, I asked for prayers for my dad and just wanted to update folks on the situation.

This past Tuesday he was supposed to have a carotid angio done to look at the blockage in his neck before they do the surgery to remove it. That procedure was postponed until next Thursday because he missed the radiology consult last Friday. There was a miscommunication because neither of my parents knew he had a consult, which is not like them to forget something like that.

Today, he had a cardiac cath done to look for any blockages he may have in his heart that may cause problems after the carotid is fixed. They found that he has four vessels that are VERY blocked, so he needs a quadruple bypass surgery The doctor is keeping him at the hospital overnight and bumped up the carotid angio to tomorrow instead of next Thursday.

My mom (an ICU nurse at the hospital where my dad is) wasn't comfortable with the cardiothoracic surgeon the cardiologist had consulted with, so she asked if a different surgeon. We're so blessed because the doctor she wanted was there today, saw my dad and will be doing the surgery next week. So the plan, for now at least, is carotid angio tomorrow, he'll go home for a few days, then they'll do a carotid endarterectomy surgery to clear the blockage from the most occluded side, perform the CABG surgery immediately following. The surgery will probably be done Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, hasn't been scheduled yet.

My dad says he feels fine, which makes it even more difficult for him to just sit still. I know he's nervous, but doesn't want to show it. He's still his normal goofy, happy self, which is nice to see. I know my mom is worried, but she won't show it. I just hope she's ok and doesn't bottle it up. I'm trying to be strong, but it's hard to not worry, I'm not quite as good about not showing it. I know that God's in control of the situation, but it's still scary.

Any prayers for my mom and dad and his doctors would be greatly appreciated! I'll be sure to update later next week. Thank you!

Pre-natal appointment #2

2008-05-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

I went in for another check-up with my doctor this morning. He said that I'm actually not as far along as we had originally calculated. According to the ultrasound I'm only 11 weeks pregnant as of today (we thought I'd be 13 weeks tomorrow.) So instead of being due November 17, I'm due December 1! How fun! Other than that, everything looks good and healthy, which is what's really important! I heard the heartbeat today, it sounded like a train! :]

Weird Emotions

2008-05-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

I just read Alyssa's post about how since she's been pregnant she's had weird emotional reactions to things. I have a story, I wasn't planning on sharing, but since she's sharing, I can too. The night before we left for Redding for Tyler's graduation I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep. Scott and I were trying to get some last minute laundry and dishes done, so both machines were going. I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep and I started crying and getting all sniffley. Scott looks over from the computer and says, "Are you crying?" (Half concerned, half wanting to laugh at me.) I cry out, "Yes! The dishwasher's just SO loud! I keeps draining like it's done and it gets my hopes up, but then it just keeps going making all that noise!" Then I start laughing because I know how ridiculous I sound, Scott laughs and just gives me a hug. Then he says, "What if I close the door? Would that help, baby?" I shyly reply, "Ya, maybe." And I fall asleep 5 minutes later. So ridiculous!

Prayers for my daddy

2008-05-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

I just want to ask you all to pray for my dad. He's kind of going through a rough patch with his health right now. He’s been going to the doctor a lot lately to figure out what to do about the buildup in his carotid artery (the main artery that supplies blood to your brain.) He went to a specialist earlier this week; they have plans to do an carotid angiogram, as soon as it’s approved by his insurance. The angiogram will give the doctor a better idea of where the blockage is and how to clear it. After the angiogram, my dad will have to undergo a carotid endarterectomy to clear the blockage in his neck. He’s really nervous, but has faith it’ll be ok. In addition to this, he needs to quit smoking (he’s been a smoker for over 30 years) and cut back on his coffee drinking (he currently drinks about 8-12 cups a day.) Both of my parents work in the medical field (mom’s an intensive care nurse and dad’s a respiratory therapist), so they understand what’s going on and how serious this can be. I know they’re both very nervous, as am I. My dad’s an amazing friend, advisor, and parent. I just want him to be around as long as possible. Your prayers are greatly, greatly appreciated!

12 weeks

2008-05-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm at the last week of my first trimester! We're one-third of the way to D-Day! I had my first ultrasound on Monday. I'd post the photos but they're kind of hard to make out since the baby's still so small. It has two arms, two legs, a large head (according to the technician,) and most importantly a heartbeat! IT'S AMAZING! The head is about the same size as ther est of the baby's body, but it will balance out later on. The baby was also moving around a lot, so much that the technician had a little trouble getting the measurements she needed, but she got them. It was so neat to actually see that there's someone in there! We still have about two month before we can find out if it's a boy or a girl, but I wanted to get everyone's guess on what we're having. I'll give you a few bits of info and you can leave a comment with your guess.
-Scott, my husband, is one of four boys in his family. His dad's family had two boys and one girl. (I'll only mention his side since the XY/XX chromosome is carried by the father.)
-According to the "Ancient Chinese Birth Chart" we're having a boy.
-Old wives tale #1: The way you carry your baby: If you carry low, you are having a boy. If you carry high, you are having a girl. I guess I'm carrying low, but that's becaause it's still really small and hasn't moved farther up yet.
-Old wives tale #2: If you're craving salt, you're having a boy. If you're craving sweets, it's a girl. I've been craving Ruffles potato chips, those are pretty salty.
-Old wives tale #3: If you're suffering from acne breakouts, that girl in your belly is stealing your beauty. I've had a few more pimples to deal with than normal.
-Old wives tale #4: If your baby is particularly energetic, it's most likely to be a boy whereas a more chilled fetus indicates a girl. According to the sonographer the baby was moving a lot during the ultrasound.

So what do you think?? Is baby Ellis a boy or a girl?

Road Trip!

2008-04-25T07:46:00.001-07:00

We're leaving for Redding this morning. Scott's brother, Tyler, is graduating from Simpson this weekend! YAY! Go Tyler! IF you're in Riverside, go see my youngest brother-in-law, Mackenzie's monologue in the services at the Grove! He's going to do a great job! I'm bummed that I can't be there. We'll be back Sunday. Have a great weekend all!

B-RY

2008-04-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Bryan, or at least I think he's my friend. He may think I'm just some weird girl at church...who knows. He's really funny and has good taste in literature, plus he can sing which automatically makes you cool in my eyes. He's a good friend to the guys in QBS and sat through their whole show Saturday night, even when they started repeating songs for the third and even fourth time (only "I've Just Seen A Face.") I don't really have any good photos of the band to share, but I liked this one of Bryan watching the guys on stage like a 6th grade girl drooling over BSB. Thanks for hanging with us Saturday night!

Angels vs. Indians

2008-04-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is just after Torii Hunter hit a homerun.

Us sitting in our seats, waiting for the game to start.

The enemy...

Scott and I went to our first baseball game of the 2008 season last night. The Angels played the Cleveland Indians and were awesome! Even though I'm not the huge baseball fan that my husband is, I still love going to the games with him. Especially now that they have Ruby's inside Angels Stadium! I can't wait to go to more games this season!

Del Mar Car Show

2008-04-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

On Friday I spent the day with my Dad, Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Chet at the Del Mar Car Show. I've never been to big car show like this before, it was really neat! I dont' know very much about cars, but there were a lot of classic Chevys, Fords and others too. (I could only upload about 1/3 of my pictures from the day to my flickr because you can only upload a certain amount a month to a free account. So you'll have to wait til May 1st to see more...sorry.) Go HERE to see more photos from the day.
As cool as the cars were, it was great just to spend a day with my family, especially my dad. Him and I used to go do stuff like this together all the time, my favorite would be the time he took me to the museums at Balboa Park in San Diego. I can attribute my love for museums to that weekend! Thanks Dad!

Fun...

2008-04-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

I got this from Micah.

1. Click here
The first article title is the name of your band.

2. Click here
The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

3. Click here
The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

My band name is Skellefteå.
The title of the album is "A Perfectly Defensible Position."

Here is the album cover...

You should be there!

2008-04-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Quick Before Sinking's changed a little since you alst hear 'em...if you've heard 'em before. Adam, Mark & Scott are amazing musicians and if you haven't heard them yet, you should come to one of these shows, or both of these shows and enjoy some great music with me. Or if you have heard them, you should come hear them again! Come and enjoy the awesomeness that is Quick Before Sinking!

7 Weeks Baby!

2008-04-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our baby reached seven weeks gestation. That's cool! I've become a less scared of the fact that I'm going to be a mother and more excited that our family's growing. I think I'll always be a little nervous, but that's normal, right? It's a really strange to think that there's a baby growing in my belly and it's already depending on me. It's neat, but strange at the same time. We've narrowed down the names we like, but I'll wait a while to share those. Now I'm trying to figure out my birth plan...there's too many options! Any suggestions from mom's that have been there are more than welcome! I haven't been feeling really sick at all. Sometimes my back aches a little, sometimes my stomach's a little queasy (I just have to eat something and I'm ok) and I've been a little more tired during the day. I'd be nice if it stayed this way, but I'm sure it won't. :]
Last week was really nice! We felt so much love from all our friends and family! I had friends take me to lunch or dinner, bring me flowers and send us encouraging words! Last Friday my mother-in-law spent a day making strawberry jam with me! (If anyone wants to learn how to make jam, we'll probably do it again in a few weeks when strawberries go on sale again.) Thanks for all the love and support guys! It's really greatly appreciated!

BIG NEWS!!!

2008-03-27T07:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I passed two tests with flying colors! Scott and I are going to have a baby! Yes, I know we were saying that we wanted to wait a few years, but God has a differnt plan for us and we're happy to follow His desires for us.

I was so nervous to tell Scott (he was already at work when I took the test.) When he got home from work yesterday I surprised him with a little gift. It was a burp cloth with yellow submarines on it that said "I LOVE DADDY." He unfolded it with the embroidered side facing down, I had to tell him to flip it over, he looked at me and said "Face, are you pregant?" (Yes, we call each other Face...I don't remember how it started.) I just said, "Open your card!" The card said "Let the cravings begin..." and had pictures of ice cream and pickles on the front, the inside then said "We're Expecting!" He said, "Really? Are you kidding?" I started to cry a little and said, "Nope. We're pregnant!" We hugged and got excited.

I'm actually really surprised at his reaction, I thought he would have been a little more scared/nervous than he was. He's so awesome, he's going to be such a great dad! We went to Carter's and bought bibs for the grandmas and brought them over to them. Needless to say, both sides of our family are very excited for us! It's the first grandbaby for both of our parents! (Scott's brother Riley even put "Riley's gonna uncle it up!" as his status on myspace.)
From what I've read and figured out, I'm six weeks pregnant and the baby should be due around mid-November! Crazy, huh?

Vincent's Adventures

2008-03-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

As you know, we have a cat named Vincent. He's our main source of amusement at home. He's playful, curious, a little dumb sometimes. Yesterday as I talked on the phone with my friend Ann I hear him meowing. I turn around and see this.

He plays with plastic bags all the time, don't worry we watch him so he won't strangle himself. Once in a while though he'll put his head through the handle and think he's stuck. Silly kitty.
Sometimes he pretends to be Godzilla.

Catchin' Up

2008-03-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

I had quite a bit going on last week, here it is in short form. I'm putting the photos on my pixyblog. Check 'em out!

Monday morning I helped out empty the bins for the church's annual rummage sale. We had some fun BOWLING WITH BOB.

Scott and I went to Disneyland that night and I took THESE PHOTOS.

Tuesday night we went over to the Ellis' for dinner and cake in celebration of RILEY'S BIRTHDAY, which was actually Monday.

Friday afternoon I went to lunch at the Thai Bay Cafe with Ashley. The food was great, I can't wait to go back! I don't have any pictures of us or lunch, but I got a shot of a NEAT OLD BUILDING behind the restuarant. Thanks for thinking of me Ashley!

FRIDAY NIGHT Scott and I went to Disneyland with Jon & Kathy. They're pretty awesome! We had so much fun! Thanks guys!

Saturday I worked a few hours then went to JARED & STACIE'S WEDDING! It was absolutely beautiful! Stacie's such a pretty girl, but especially on her wedding day! She's got a great smile! Jared's such a great guy, we're so happy for the two of them! Congratulations Jared & Stacie!

At the reception, a song comes on and Scott and I look at each other like, "This sounds familiar..."
Scott: Who do you think this is?
Christina: It sounds like Magdalene. (a band Scott palyed in a few years ago with Chris & Alex Lopez and Ray & Ryan Right) But it couldn't be, could it?
Scott: (to the dj) "Who is this?"
DJ: Alex Lopez
Christina: Oh my gosh! That's you on drums!
Scott: Haha, I knew I knew this song!
Such a great moment!

Alrighty, I think that's everything for now. I ahve lots of stuff at the rummage sale too. They're all on my pixyblog.

Pandora

2008-03-05T13:12:00.001-08:00

Last night through StumbleUpon I found PANDORA. This is one of the neatest things I've seen in a while. You type in a song or artist, it plays that song/artist. Then it comes up with music you would like based on qualities from that song/artist. Try it out! Register and add me as a friend so I can see what you're listening to!

On today's agenda

2008-03-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

7am-Wake up, shower
7:20-Make biscuits and gravy breakfast for hubby and me
7:50-Get ready for the day
8:30-Head to church to help unload the treasures for the rummage sale
12 noon-Head home, change, get ready for Disneyland
1pm-Head out to Disneyland for a fun day with hubby, not-so-little BIL, Riley and his girlfriend, Sarah...hope they can go!

If you have a pass and feel like joining us, just give us a call!

Bathroom conversations

2008-03-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

Scott and I were getting ready for church this morning. Here's how the conversation went...sort of...
Scott: You look like you're a black guy.
Christina: (confused look) Uh, what?
Scott: You look like you're a black guy.
Christina: (confused look still, turns to mirror, realization) I look like I have a black eye!

So my husband doesn't think I look like a black guy. Darn, there goes my career as Barack's double.

The black eye was smudged makeup from yesterday...by the way I couldn't figure out how to spell smudged just now. Smugged...schmugged? Geez...

Disneyland!

2008-03-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

Disneyland is seriously one of the greatest places on earth! Last night we took part of our tax return and got annual passes! Now we can go almost any time we want! Hooray! All we did last night was ride the train, Space Mountain, see Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (I'd never seen it, but I did see Captain Eo!) get some churros and watch fireworks from the top of the Mickey and Friends parking garage. There were a couple funny moments I just want to share. As we hopped on the train to head to Tomorrowland a lady in a little scooter pulled in next to us. She kept trying to turn her scooter around so it was facing the front instead of the side, but the space was too small. She just kept banging it against the inside of the boxcar. Her daughter finally says, "Mom, stop, it's like the part in Austin Powers when he's trying to turn the golfcart in the hallway!" Awesome! At the end of the night we heard this awesome guitarist and with a percussionist playing at Downtown Disney. They played Beethoven's 5th, Hotel California, Smooth and some other songs. The percussionist had a cajon, bongos, djembe, cymbals, and some fun little toys. They were a lot of fun to watch, next time you're there you should check 'em out. They have 5 CDs on sale, on of which is all Beatles songs, so of course we bought it along with 2 others. The fireworks set off a ton of car alarms...that was pretty funny too!

Too easy

2008-02-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

I sunburn really easily. I know what you're gonna say, "But you just tan!" Yes, I do, but first I burn, really easily, within ten minutes of being under the sun. This lovely tan line is from a little of an hour outside for a meeting. Fortunately, it's only on one arm. Unfortunately I have a wedding to go to and I was planning on wearing a sleeveless dress. Yikes!

And today I drove 2 minutes to get lunch, then 2 minutes back to work. My window arm's a little pink even from that. Ridiculous! But at least I have sunshine to enjoy!

Partners

2008-02-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, I realize Valentine's Day was two weeks ago, but I wanted to post this. I thought it was funny coincidence that Scott and I picked the same bag for each other's gift...we're just that in sync. Little things like that make me so happy we're together! He's such a great partner!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you all know that I cherish our friendship and you are loved! Have an awesome day!

10 Facts about CHRISTINA!

2008-02-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

The Rules Are: Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird random things, facts, or habits about yourself. At the end, you choose 10 people to be tagged to write about 10 random things about themselves.

Ha ha ha, this can be amusing...

1. I’m a huge art nerd! If I had my choice between my cat and owning an original Kandinsky, I’d probably give up my cat (assuming he was going to a good home.) A few artists I love are Picasso, van Gogh, Magritte, Kandinsky, and Hockney. Wanna make me really happy? Take me to an art museum!

2. I’m a preschool dropout. I remember coming home one day and telling my mom I didn’t want to go back anymore because all they did was take sleep and paint. At my preschool you weren’t allowed to paint unless you took a nap…I never got to paint. Maybe this attributed to my love of paintings…

3. I check my Google Reader at least 3 times a day. I wish people would update their blogs more often so I’m not bummed when I check it and have nothing new to read.

4. I love to sing! I sing in the shower, in the car, at my desk at work, when I’m cooking dinner, while I’m reading blogs…all the time. I'll actually keep singing even if someone's talking to me sometimes. My voice isn't too bad, but it's not great unfortunately.

5. I eat popcorn at least once a week. It’s been my go to snack since I got married. I’ve always liked popcorn, but since I got married I’ve been eating it like crazy. And I don’t just leave it plain; I dip it in parmesan cheese, a lot of parmesan cheese. I’m actually eating popcorn right now, but no parmesan cheese. :[

6. I was a ballerina when I was younger. I was the sugar plum fairy in my ballet school’s production of the Nutcracker one year.

7. I used to bite my nails all the time, even if I had acrylic (fake) nails. It seems like since I started working at church I’ve stopped. Must be the lack of stressing about going to a job I don’t like. :]

8. My family asks me all the time “When are you going to have a baby?” It’s super annoying! What even worse is sometimes they’ll rub my tummy and ask if there’s a baby in there yet. Really annoying, especially because I’ve told them all several times that we’re waiting to have kids, we’re just not ready for that yet, plus we’d like to enjoy just being married for a while. Don’t worry, we’ll be fruitful and multiply, just not right now.

9. I tend to listen to the same albums over and over again. When I get a new album I’ll usually listen to only that ‘til I know all the words. I’m not a big fan of instrumental music because I can’t sing along. The only exceptions are classical pieces that I played in high school because they bring back so many memories. Lately, I’ve been listening to Sara Barielles, Ingrid Michaelson, the Across the Universe soundtrack, the Beatles Love soundtrack and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Mussorgsky - Pictures from an Exhibition.

10. I love to photograph! Most people know this. I have a blog dedicated to just that. Lately though I’ve used photoshop to edit and enhance my photos. It makes me a little bit sad that I can’t produce the really neat photos without using photoshop because I used to be such a photography purist. But with the change I’ve found myself wanting to learn how to use the Adobe suite more. (How do people make their pictures look super old and distressed?) Anyone wanna teach me?

Bonus: I love to cook too! I make really good Italian chicken and I make better mashed potatoes than your granny!

I’m gonna tag...in alphabetical order...
Adam
Agatha
Bryan
Dave
Elissa
Jess
Kathy
Mama Sue
Micah
Yvonne

MY 100th POST!

2008-02-05T17:34:00.001-08:00

Hooray for democracy! Hooray for candidates with last names that rhyme with yo mama! I was a little disappointed I didn't get to vote for the chickens like Adam.

Keeping Warm

2008-02-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

Who needs to turn on the heater when you can dress like this?

Check out how fierce my cheekbones look in that shot! I could totally be ANTM!

I'm currently wearing a beanie, Scott's thermal shirt, a coral 3/4 sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and hood, a pair of yoga pants, some Scottie dog pajama pants and my cocktail pajama shorts. Granted the shorts aren't really doing anything to add to the warmth, they were just add for comic effect.

What's Scott wearing? A polo shirt and jeans. Does anyone else have this problem?

PS: The cup I'm drinking out of smells like barbeque sauce. Just thought I'd share. Sorry I have nothing of substance.

Daddy Doolittle

2008-02-04T22:51:00.001-08:00

My dad loves animals, especially cats. About a year and a half ago my dad got my mom a fish tank for her birthday. There's only one fish left from the original batch, Oscar. He's a huge monsterous astronotus ocellatus, more commonly known as the oscar/tiger cichlid. The picture I took was nasty and murky looking, so I changed it up a bit.

This is Taco one of my dad's cats. She's actually Vincent's sister! You can really see the family resemblence in the stripes on their faces. She's a pretty girl! (Yes, I named her Taco. I didn't have areason, I just thought it'd be funny to have a cat named Taco."

I love when...

2008-02-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

the sky looks like this!

Warning to Musicians...

2008-02-02T11:41:00.001-08:00

If you ever put out an album, please don't put stuff like this on your album cover!

If anything, just make the whole thing black...

HAMLET ON THE STREET

2008-01-30T12:58:00.001-08:00

After reading Bryan's blog this morning, I've had lines from Hamlet dancing around in my pretty head. On my lunch break I look around for something fun to settle the Shakespearean in me and find this...ENJOY!

New Blog Artist

2008-01-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

One of my best friends, Zackary just started a blog! He's an amazing illustrator, animator, graphic designer and unconventional thinker. He's actually one of the first people that encouraged my photography, and for that I am very grateful. I still have a hard time when people call me an artist because all I do is point and click (ok, there's a little more to it than that, but not much)...Zack is a true artist. Check him out!

Movie Recommendations

2008-01-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

Scott and I just got a Netflix subscription.

What should we watch?

Something I think is good...

2008-01-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

I just read Alyssa's blog about the things she thinks are good and I just wanted to share a thought.
I've been listening to music from Rob's iTunes library all day yesterday and today. Lots of fun people I've never heard of, which is great because lately I've been listening to the same things over and over again (mostly Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, and Jimmy Eat World.)
[Warning: band geek coming out] This morning I've been listening to the Philadelphia Orchestra's rendition of Mussorgsky's masterpiece, Pictures from an Exhibition. It's such a beautiful composition. There's parts that are light and pretty, then the next piece is dark, driving and powerful. I LOVE IT! Plus, we played The Hut on Fowl's Legs (which our director always called In the Hut of Baba Yaga, which I guess is not the realy title)and Infernal Dance of King Kastchei (which he always called the Firebird) as a movement in a field show my junior year. And we played the Great Gate of Kiev in wind ensemble. It just brings back some nice memories.

Joel's Birthday

2008-01-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my friend Joel's 21st birthday!
(Joel's been a close friend of mine since my senior year of high school/his freshman year. I really admire the way he knows something about everything, he's like a walking, talking wikipedia! He also has lots of answers when it comes to me wondering about Jewish practices. He was an usher at our wedding and escorted Scott's grandma to her seat. I am so blessed to have him in my life! Happy Birthday Joel!)
A few friends got together for dinner to celebrate at the Yard House (Good food & drinks!) It was a lot of fun except for the awkward 25 minutes where this guy we went to high school with stopped by to say a bit more than hi. This guy, whom shall remain nameless, seems to be doing really well in his film career (which is great) but the guy has turned into a big fat name dropper! So and so's producing, so and so's directing, so and so's doing a cameo, I'm meeting so and so next week to listen to my score. And the thing that made it really awkward was that Joel's friend Jordan was sitting at the end of the booth, and Joel was in the middle. The name dropper stood at the end of the table, talking over Jordan to Joel for a good 25-30 minutes. Name dropper's girlfriend came over at first to say hi with him, but she left just a few minutes in, maybe she knew what he was up to. At one point, Joel picked up his phone and had a pretend conversation just in hopes Name Dropper would leave, then a few minutes later Joel whispered "Why is he still here?" Haha! There were so many moments where Name Dropper should have left, but he just kept standing there going on and on about himself! Our food came, we ate, he talked... Scott finished his entire meal before Name Dropper finally left! It was nice to see him, we just wish it weren't so awkward and long.

(I just thought I looked kind of cute in this picture.)

This is my friend Iliana. She's funny and very sweet! She's also dating "my brother Danny."

CUTE BABY!!!

2008-01-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

I want in on the whole "mine's cuter than yours" deal. We know Adam's got some cute girls at his house!

And we know Dan's has a cute kids too!

And Patti has a beautiful bunch of kids!

But I've got a case too! No, I don't have a secret child you never knew about, but I do have a cousin with an extremely cute 1 year old.

Alyssa Renee is my candidate for cutest kids that's not your own! She has a four year old brother that's a Rock Band pro too! She's an awesome backup dancer for him! They're pretty awesome!

Concert anyone?

2008-01-16T07:42:00.001-08:00

I found this show I want to go to!

It's Saturday, March 8 at 8pm at the House of Blues in Anaheim. This particular show will be Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, Greg Laswell, Kate Havnevik and Jim Bianco. Even if you don't know the people, trust me, it'll be good! Look 'em up on iTunes. Tickets are about $26 a piece (that's including the service charges and whatnot.)

So, who wants to go?

Lacking...

2008-01-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't written very much lately. I don't have much going on, nothing too interesting (wow, I sound like Scott.) I have a lot of photos though! I think I posted something like 6 entires on my pixyblog tonight. That's what's been occupying my time lately. Check 'em out!

FOOTBALL!!!

2008-01-13T13:20:00.000-08:00

Did you see the Chargers beat the Colts today? How great and unexpected was that! We're only one game away from the SUPERBOWL!! Too bad we have to go through the undefeated Patriots to get there...

Digitally Impaired...

2008-01-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling completely ridiculous for even having to ask this, but I'm stuck.

I'm very new to the world of digital cameras and adobe software. I have very little idea what I'm doing, I pretty much just keep clicking stuff til something cool happens.

I've been told by quite a few people that saving your pictures in RAW format is like, the thing to do. Ok, sounds good! (These people take some great pictures, so I trust them.)

Well, I switched the settings on my camera to save the images RAW, I downloaded the images using Adobe Bridge. Then when I got to open them in Photoshop, they don't opne. It says "Could not complete your request because it is not a valid photoshop document."

To quote the greatest band ever, "HELP!"

Clean vs Unclean

2008-01-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

Genesis 7:1-4
1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."

What does it mean by clean and unclean animals? Anyone?

PIXY BLOG FOR ME!

2008-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

So last night Adam asked me when I was going to start postng some pictures I've taken with my new camera. Well, I've been getting organized and this morning I posted EIGHT posts on my new PIXYBLOG. Surprise! Check 'em out, add it to your blogroll, add it to your subscrpitions, leave me some comments, let me know what you think, or just that you're alive out there and I'm not just posting for my own amusement. :]

I especially like the Laker's post. I shot the entire game to get the photo with the ball in just the right spot.

Burnt Face

2008-01-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

I really don't recommend burning your face with a straightening iron. It's hurts pretty badly...even a day later.

Immature...

2008-01-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

Seriously, his name's Peter Griffin?

These two should NOT be allowed to sit next to each other. At least they're not the other way around!

Sorry, I'll go back to being classy now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

If you've read Jon and Kathy's blogs, you've seen how their recollection of new years differed a little bit. Well, I was there too, here's how it really went down!

On new year's eve...

Scott and Christina headed over to...

Jon & Kathy's house for a little party.

Marissa, Ian and their puppy Leopold we there!

So were Summer and her puppy Tink!

Mike & Lauren were there, but they didn't bring a doggie.

Heather tried to teleport herself home through Jon's computer.

Then Jon and Kathy broke out the party supplies!

As Ian searched frantically for Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve...

His dog was possessed by a demon!

Jon got scared and turned to Scott for comfort...

Kathy and Christina scared it away with their cuteness!

The End!

Friday & Saturday

2007-12-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

Another random blog...

Ian got the Nikon D40X for Christmas too!

Had to stop and take a picture of the beuaitful sunset as I drove home from work.

Scott bought an airsoft rifle and was excited about it. Even wanted me to shoot it. Not such a great idea. My shot ricocheted and busted a hole through two of our blinds. Oooops...

(Sorry, Scott's a musician, not a photographer. I'm still trying to teach him that usually photos are better in focus.)

Here's the hole I made with the rifle. This is exactly why I probably shouldn't use any kind of gun, airsoft gun, paintball gun, staple gun, you get the point.

Scott and I went to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets Saturday night. He's been really excited to see it, so I took him out on a date night. It was just nice to spend some fun time with my husband doing something he wanted to do.

Random Thursday

2007-12-31T09:49:00.000-08:00

Thursday I went into work to take down the lovely shepherds tent I made our Christmas Eve service. And took some other random pictures while there.

The amazing pyramid of batteries in the tech booth.

The fun and festive lights Rob put up in the tech booth.

My little Christmas cheer on my desk. I'll be kind of sad to put this little guy away.

The neat view I had driving home from work.

We went to see Sweeney Tood (it was amazing!) with our double date friends Daniel & Alesia. They're so much fun to be around! We love them dearly!

And here's some cars and lights...

Lazy home photography day

2007-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas I sat around the house in my pajamas ALL DAY while Scott was at work. It was kind of nice to have a big, fat, lazy day to myself. I sat around and took entirely too many pictures of Vincent.

Wasn't teh sky beautiful that day? I want to make this one into a jigsaw puzzle for my grandma. She'd love it!

Christmas Day!

2007-12-31T09:07:00.000-08:00

So I'm five six days late, but I finally have time to catch up on the blogging!
Christmas Eve, Scott and I exchanged presents with each other, went to Christmas Eve service (Scott wore a shepherd costume and played in a drum circle! Sorry no picture.) Then we went to my parents' house for dinner and presents. My mom's dinner was awesome! Calamari, steak, potatoes, chow mein and wonton soup! A little eclectic, but fantastic none the less! I was 98% sure my parents were getting us a Nintendo Wii, (after asking us what we wanted, then said, what about a Wii? Then calling Scott to ask him where to find one...98% sure) but I was completely wrong. My dad comes into the living room with a box, the size of a Wii. Scott and I unwrap it to reveal a lamp box. "Cool, we have this same one at home?" I'm so confused. So my dad or Scott (don't remember who) says, "Open it!" So I open it, see an old Sprite box, then a lemonade box (It hits me, this is the trash that Scott took out the other day!) Under the lemonade box, a beautiful yellow and black box that reads "Nikon D40X" I scream and bounce giddily on the couch! I've been wanted a digital SLR for so long, just haven't been able to save up for it. When Scott heard my dad wanted to get us a Wii, he called him up and asked if instead they could split the cost of the camera for me! My husband's the greatest! (And I'd say that even if I didn't get the camera, but it doesn't hurt!)

Christmas day we drove up to Running Springs for a day with Scott's family at the McIntyre's cabin. Sin-a-buns for breakfast, presents, Ellis brothers annual Christmas football game (not quite, it was too cold,) the Bourne Ultimatum and Hairspray (how great was John Travolta?) and a tasty steak dinner. A great day!

THE MOUNTAINS!

How could I not love this face?

Cuddly Brothers, Scott and Tyler

Mackenzie got his first cell phone for Christmas!

Riley brought sexy back while playing football.

Scott and his daddy

The football (the boys used the nerf ball. This one probably would have shattered if it hit the ground because of how cold it was outside.)

I love the painting on this lamp, it's so pretty!

Aren't these cute? Notice the moose has a shotgun.

Here's the terrible view we had as we headed down the mountain.

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and had a great time with your families

New tenant

2007-12-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

We got a kitty! My dad gave him to Riley as a birthday present and he kind of became more Scott's cat than Riley's. The original plan was to move him in with us when we got married, but we wanted to wait til we were a little bit more settled in. He's such a good cat and a lot of fun!

My family moved about two and a half years ago and we had to move four cats with us. Scott and I figured we could just wrap them up in blanket and toss 'em in the car. As we began to drive up the road to the new house my old lady cat, Tiff, starts making this terrible howling meowing noise. Then the other three join in so there's an awful chorus of disturbed kitties. At one point the youngest kitty, Taco, ran from the backseat along the side windows and curled up on the dashboard. Rather sad to see the kitties so distraught, but rather funny to look back on.

So last night as Scott and I were driving our kitty home, he starts the howl/meow noise and Scott joins in with him. He handled the drive pretty well, he even popped his head up quite often to look out the windows. When we got home, he went behind the couch and could pop his head out every ten minutes or so the crawl back behind it. After two hours he came out and crawled under his blanket that we put on the couch for him. He stayed there most of the night the came and jumped on our bed early this morning. He hung out on the window ledge for a while then crawled under the covers and sleep between my feet. He likes to sleep under the covers and if you open the covers to look at him he burrows further back into them.

Oh, and he doesn't really have a name. There's names they've called him, but nothing really permanent. There's Buddy, Friend, Mr. Pancakes, Senor Waffles and Kitty! (Like Boo from Monster's Inc.) It'd be kind of weird to name him now wouldn't it? I'd like to name him Vincent, if I did name him. Yes, I'm an artnerd. Anyway, we're just so excited to have him!

Ear Swabbing...

2007-12-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

Let me just start with. I know you're not really supposed to use Q-tips to swab your ears, but I can't help it! I just feel the need too everyday when I get out of the shower. Anyways...Have you ever swabbed your ear too far in and it made you gag? Is there some weird connection between your ear canal and your gag reflex? Has this ever happened to anyone else or an I just a over-swabber?

What are you?

2007-12-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Last night, Scott and I did a little grocery shopping at our local WinCo (ever been there? It's awesome!) As we're cruising down the aisles, I stop to look around, try to figure out where to go next when a little girl (probably 6 years old) walks up to me and I have yet to recovered from what she said.

Little Girl: What are you?
Christina: Excuse me?
Little Girl: What are you?
Christina: What do you mean?
Little Girl: Well, why are you wearing those clothes? (I was wearing jeans, my gray peacoat and a black and white plaid hat, I thought I looked pretty cute!)
Christina: Because it's cold outside.
Little Girl: But what are you?
Christina: Do you mean like a boy or a girl? (In case I was looking androgynous.)
Little Girl: No, what are you?
Christina: A person trying to shop for groceries... (Then I slowly turned and walked away.)

Man, I really don't relate well to kids sometimes. I got quite frustrated with the fact that she couldn't articulate what she wanted to ask. I don't know why. Perhaps it was the way she kept moving. Everytime she spoke she'd open her big thick jacket, showing the rather skimpy top she was wearing.

Quite a few of you out there have kids...any idea what she might have been trying to ask? It's still bothering me!

Sandy Claus

2007-12-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

Even though India's population is mostly Hindu and Muslim, Christmas is a national holiday. They even sculpt Santa in the sand!

Show...

2007-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

This weekend we presented our Christmas production, Imagine Christmas, at the Grove and it was great! We're just finishing the 10:45 service, the last show. It went so well!
This is my first time being involved in a production like this and it was so much fun! Everyone involved is so talented at their craft, the musicians, the dancers, the actors, the singers and the crew! The lights just add so much to the scene and the fog swirling around the actors and the dancers looks so neat! I even conquered my fear of heights a little bit. I can now walk all the way across the catwalk without being (too) scared!
This last performance was so beautiful! I got chills during certain parts, especially when the little dancing angel, Christina, does her amazing leg hold during "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." I thought of MamaSue's blog and almost started to cry.
I just hope that the audience loved it and got something from it. I hope that the people hearing this story for the first time get curious about Jesus and open the hearts and minds to Him. And I hope that He feels our love for Him and how much we appreciate everything He does for us.

Acrophobia being conquered

2007-12-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

ac·ro·pho·bi·a ak-ruh-foh-bee-uh
–noun
-a pathological fear of heights.

No one told me when I took this job that I'd have to crawl around on the catwalks several feet above the stage! It's very sturdy and secure, but whenever I'm up there, it's just a little scary. But I'm slowly getting over my fear of heights. Hooray!

Here's my view from up there...see Scott down in the pit playing percussion?

In other news, my best friend Angie is home from her 3 months of studying abroad in Italy! I'm so glad she's home! Here's a picture of us in front of the tree at the plaza, please excuse my no makeup face. Blech.

Cooking with the internet

2007-12-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful to have the internet, especially when it comes to cooking and looking up recipes. I LOVE to cook, but being young, I don't have a lot of experience cooking. Today, I had to look up how to properly thaw shrimp. I've cooked shrimp numerous times, but I've always bought it fresh the day I was using it. Thank you internet for helping me not give myself or my hubby food poisoning!

Today's dinner, pesto parmesan shrimp with rotini pasta! New idea, hope it's good!

Botanical Gardens

2007-12-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

Scott and I went down to the UCR Botanical Gardens yesterday to take a picture for our first Christmas cards. Turned out pretty cute! Here's some other shots I snapped. I like the small depth of field on the red berry thingies. And I just liked the way the vines were curling around the chain. And of course, the lens flare from the sun coming through the trees is one of my favorite things.

Drummers...

2007-12-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

I love how excited Scott got over five pairs of new drumsticks and a pair of dreadlocks. Isn't he cute! (The sticks are Vic Firth AS7A & AS8D if anyone cares.)

Festival of Lights

2007-11-30T23:01:00.000-08:00

So, I said earlier tonight two posts back, that with my new job Scott and I actually get time together at night. Last night we went downtown to hear my lovely mother-in-law sing at the Festival of Lights with the Empire Swing Orchestra. She was great! She always is! If you get a chance you should check out one of her many shows during the holiday season.

Notice the lens flare Scott got on the shot of me. He makes me so proud!

Quick Before Sinking's also playing at the Festival of Lights on December 17th. You should definitely come down for some fun Christmas songs and great music! The hot apple cider and the funnel cakes are good too!

When I'm alone...

2007-11-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

I wish I could go on the show "Don't Forget the Lyrics." I think it's such a fun show, I know most of the songs, but I wouldn't want to embarass myself by being the crazy gal that can't sing.

You see, I LOVE to sing, (shower, car, while cooking using kitchen utinsils as microphones, karaoke, wherever.) Unfortunately, in my head I'm a great singer and performer, but in reality, singing isn't a talent God blessed me with. (You can't be good at everything, right?) I'll just stick with being the annoying person that sings too loud behind you at church. And keep a look out for me belting it out as I cruise down the road. :]

Play with your food, maybe make art

2007-11-30T22:49:00.001-08:00

Have you eve been to CPK (California Pizza Kitchen?) I had lunch there Sunday afternoon with Scott, Tyler- my bro-in-law, and one of my BFFs Danny. I love that they have bread and oil/vinegar. I don't think I ever realized how fun the oil and vinegar can be!

If you look closely you can see Danny's reflection in the dark stuff, and the reflection of my glass to the left. I thought it was pretty neat!

Work Update

2007-11-30T21:24:00.000-08:00

So I started my new job this week at church and I LOVE IT! Starting a new job's always a little scary: you don't know anyone, you don't know what to expect, will you like it, will you boss be nice, will your co-worker's like you, etc... Well, I had those same apprehensions, but I don't think I needed to. I knew what my job responsibilites were, just have to learn how to do somethings. I actually already know the people in my office, a great bunch of guys, plus I know other people in the main office. And my boss is one of the coolest guys around, plus an awesome friend to my husband and I! I've never felt more welcome in a job before. I've been told by so many different people that they're glad I'm there. I've only heard that maybe from two people before at work, so it's really nice and reassuring. And I'm really glad to be there with them! plus I get home the same time as Scott, so we actually get to hang out together at night. An almost foreign concept to us.

My first day was quite eventful. My favorite part of the day though was when I was sitting at my desk working when Rodrigo comes walking in belting out Christmas carols. AWESOME!

My second day was fun too! Favorite part was when Adam & Rob were looking for a Target, but Leslie misheard them and asked what they needed from Target. Haha.

Today I went on a hunt for fake snow, just one of the random tasks Adam gave me. Do you have this much fun at work?

Great Sabbath

2007-11-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was awesome! It was the first day in a long time where neither Scott or I had any plans for the whole day! We got to spend great quality time, just the two of us! It was amazing and reminds me of why I love him so much, not that I forget, but just a little reminder.

Once we finally got out of bed, he made chocolate chip waffles, the eggo kind because we never got a waffle maker, but they were delicious! After breakfast we went to Target to return some gloves I bought him (wrong size) and to Old Navy in search of a new peacoat. I didn't find any I liked, but Scott bought two new shirts. We headed to the mall, Macy's was a peacoat dud, but JCPenney's saved the day!

I found this cute, gray, wool/cashmere blend peacoat for almost 75% off! The tag said $180, but the sale sign said $48! What a steal! It's warm and cute and Scott convinced me to get gray instead of black because it made my hair stand out more. :] I like when he points out stuff like that.

After peacoat shopping we headed to WinCo, picked up some groceries then headed home.

After a lil nap, I decided to get my haircut, but my girl Heather had already gone home for the day. She'll cut it Tuesday morning instead. On my way home I saw this awesome Chevy Bel Air. I played a little snaparazzi as he drove by.

Scott and I got a little cabin fever at home so we went on a little date. We went mini golfing at the Castle. Scott won, but only by a little bit. I scored a hole in one! It was a lot of fun!

I don't know if you know this, but I love repeating patterns, especially decorative tiles. Here's some I found at the park.

When we got home, our dinner was ready (thank you crockpot and rice maker!) We had sweet & sour meatballs and rice, pretty tasty!

Our dinner was accompanied by a few episodes of The Office. What a great day! Hope everybody else has a great weekend! now I'm off to make breakfast before Scott wakes up! Biscuits and gravy with sausage! Yum yum!

Piece of Flair/Flare

2007-11-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

Adam's latest post had some rad pictures with a little bit of flare in them, so I thought I'd share one of my favorites. I took this one last spring at the Citrus Park. There's a lot of lens flare, but I love the way it lined up across the photo.

♥♥
PS: Did anyone get the Office Space reference in my title?

Blessed Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful! I love the holidays because I get to spend time with the people I love! Scott played percussion in the Thanksgiving service, then we headed to San Diego to eat with my mom's side of the family. My cousin Mark did ALL the cooking and his friend Ryan did all the decorating! It was pretty tasty and everything looked great! I really like going to my Uncle Ernie & Aunt Doris' house. I don't get to see them very often, but luckily I've seen them twice this year!

My aunts, uncles and some cousins also came down, even my beautiful cousin Roda. She's still recovering from open heart surgery but she's doing really well, she's amazing! She's so caring and loving with all the kids in our family. She doesn't have any of her own, but she's helped raise all of us. She moved to California from Chicago with her mom to help take care of me when I was just a baby! She even changed the stinkiest of my diapers! That's love! I hope I can be like that with the future generations of kids in my family! Our family's so blessed by her, I hope that we can do enough to show our love for her and take care of her too!

After dinner we headed back up to Riverside to Adam & Jess' home for dessert! The rest of the Ellises were there too! Check out Tyler's hair, it's longer than mine! Leslie made pies and they were great! They always are! One of my favorite parts of the night was when Adam and I snuck into Agatha's room and paparrazi-ed her and Mackenzie. She had him wrapped up like a mummy. It was pretty hilarious! She's got quite the imagination! I love being around their Adam and Jess' girls! They're awesome! Gwyneth with her cute faces and noises and Aggie with her outgoing personality, intelligence and imagination! They're just so fun! Here's a slideshow with more Thanksgiving Day pictures! Thanks for a great day everyone!

Scott and I are going to the Festival of Lights tonight! I'm pretty excited!

Baking day!

2007-11-21T12:22:00.001-08:00

Today I'm baking four pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving (one to take to my uncle's, one for my daddy, one for my hubby and one for my buddy Zackary since he missed the pie on Sunday night.) I bake pumpkin pie at least three times a year (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Dad's birthday) so this usually isn't a difficult task. Althought lately I haven't done such a great job. Last time I forgot the eggs, the time before that I forgot the sugar. Not good! So today, I made sure to lay out all the ingredients and put them in the order on the recipe so I don't forget anything. As I go to open the cans of pumpkin mix my can opener fails me. So I run down to the store and get a new one. This one doesn't work either! What do I do? Use a bottle opener...you do what you gotta do when baking for the ones you love! I'll be they don't have to deal with this at Marie Callender's!

Friends Thanksgiving went so well!

2007-11-20T23:03:00.001-08:00

Friends Thanksgiving went pretty well! My turkey tasted pretty good! I think I might even brave the turkey kitchen again next year, just with a little less herb rub, or a bigger turkey. Is there an easy way to carve a turkey because we sure didn't have a clue what we were doing. It became a bit easier though when once we realized the turkey was upside down. Ooops...

Thanks for all the great food, and even greater company everyone! I really look forward to next year's! Check out the slideshow for the pictures! I forgot to take a picture of my beautiful turkey though.
(Notice Zackary peeking through my arm as he sits on the floor with a sick tummy. Haha!)

2007-11-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

Can someone please invent a gauge that goes on the side of a can of hair spray so that you know when it's about to run out? I seem to run out all of sudden and then I'm stuck with crazy fly-away hair the rest of the day. :[

Why doesn't ketchup come in those little bucket things like barbeque sauce. That'd make it much easier to dip fries in while driving. plus it reduces the risk of squirting ketchup on yourself.

Just a few thoughts...

This weekend

2007-11-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had to work. It wasn't too bad. Not very busy so I built this lovely MegaBlocks castle. It was perfectly symetrical until some kid came and put the extras on. Oh well, it's still pretty fun! (Ignore the random towers of German colors.)

Today I'm preparing turkey for my Friends Thanksgiving dinner. I've never made turkey before, so I hope it turns out alright. I'm using this herb rub/rosmary stuffing recipe I saw on Food Network. It kind of seemed like a lot for herbs to be covering a turkey. How do you know if it'd too covered in the herb rub? And what about the neck and giblets? Was I supposed to cook those too or just throw them out? Ahhh! I thought I knew what I was doing... I'll let you know how it comes out.

Quick Before Sinking (11.15.07 @ Java Bliss)

2007-11-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

The guys were awesome last night! The entire show was fantastic, even with the few flubs in there. They did "I've Just Seen Her Face" without even rehearsing it first and it was great! My dad really liked Adam's orginals, but how could you not? They're just too talented! I feel so blessed to know these guys and to have the opportunity to just listen to the great music that happens when they get together. Sorry the pictures kind of suck, new camera, poor flash. I'll do better next time! (And yes, it kind of bugs me that they aren't all the same size. But I'll be late for work if I fix 'em.)
Here's a couple shots of Quick Before Sinking performing: from lef to right: Dave on electric, Adam on acoustic and vocals, Scott on drums and Mark on bass. (I can't believe he still doesn't have a blog!)

Dave's awesome pink paisley guitar! It takes a very secure man with amazing guitar skills to pull of that fine instrument!

Three out of four of the band wives and a band daughter (Adrianne-Mark's wife, Jess-Adam's wife, Gwyneth-one of Adam's daughters and Me-the drummer's gal). Has it occured to anyone that the guys of QBS all have daughters? Kind of a neat coincidence!

Elissa's girls (Abby, Ella & Sophie) thought Wayne was a playground. The picture of Elissa and I was too dark to post. :[

Scott's mom, Leslie came by for a while to listen to her awesome son play a few songs.

My mom and dad both came to the show too! I thought that was pretty awesome!

I just liked the lid on Scott's root beer.

Zackary's thoughts on Christina & Scott

2007-11-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

One of my best friends (yes, I have multiple best friends,) Zackary, wrote a blog last night about some of his best friends. It made me cry a little, it's just nice to hear what someone really feels about you and why they're still your friend after so many years. And to see that your friends have accepted your husband as their own friend, not just a friend by association. Thanks Zack for some really nice perspective!

Christina: Haha, Christina was my high school crush. Her and I have that bond that comes from past attraction. Her and I share an enthusiasm for art. She's the nicest, most kind-hearted person I know. She has a smile and way about her, that when you see her, you can't help but have a good day. She has a bubbliness that's intriguing, because it's like a perky librarian, which, let me say, I would be a lot less reluctant to go in a library if there were more people like her. She always forces me to see the glass half full; the only person I know that can stop me from over thinking a situation and reanalyze whats happening. She's the first person I ever danced with, road tripped with and ate barbeque chicken pizza with. We don't get to see one another often, but she is another best friend that's become a balance to my life.

Scott: Christina's husband (literally.) He's slowly became a good friend. we aren't the closest, but the man plays good music, enjoys and listens to good music, and has great taste in women ;] He initially was friend by association but has become a friend to me all on his own. His humor is different...or more of the norm than mine, but he's learning. He's kind and a great protector to Christina.

Please voice a suggestion or opinion!

2007-11-15T22:52:00.000-08:00

Let me just say, Quick Before Sinking was amazing tonight and I promise to give them the love they deserve tomorrow.

I have a bit of a dilemma. My Friends Thanksgiving that I've been planning is making me frustrated. I got a text message today from someone that wasn't invited, she wasn't invite because I'm not that close to her and really, I just wanted it to be the people I am close to. Anyway, she said, "Christina, I don't know if I'm invited to your thing on Sunday, but if you need food, I can send it with [censored name]. Just let me know what you need."

Now, if I was having this party at my parents' house, it wouldn't be a big deal to invite one more person, but we're having it at our one bedroom apartment. For some reason, I thought it'd be nice to have 10 of our friends, plus two of the kids, over to our beautiful new apartment. I don't even know how we're going to fit all these people in our apartment without the fire marshall coming and shutting us down.

The other issue I'm having is...it's my party, I should be able to invite who I want to, without worrying about them telling other people that are not invited. It's not that I don't like the people not invited, I'm just not that close to them. Is that wrong?

Why does this always happen? There's always someone that butthurt that they weren't invited. And they usually find out about the event from someone that I didn't want to invite in the first place. Am I always invited when they plan fun stuff? Who knows... I'm usually the one that plans the big events.

The mean girl in me is saying, "Who cares about her, just don't reply. Or reply and tell her that we'd love to have her, but we just don't have the space because [censored name] is coming and bringing their crazy children with them."

The nice girl in me is saying, "You should welcome everyone into your home, especially at this time where you're giving thanks for the blessings in your life. And by welcoming them, you'd be giving them a better impression of Christians. Maybe it'll even help them let their guard down."

Which voice do I listen to? And also, is there a polite way to tell someone not to bring their kids or do you just accept that that's their family and they're always there? The kids that are coming tend to get into things and just need so much attention, it takes away from the fun people have. I just don't know.

Any comments or suggestions are completely welcome...

Be there or be square!

2007-11-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

All the cool kids are doing it, shouldn't you?

I bought a new little digital camera today, so if anything, come take a picture with me! And Adam will probably give out some blog love too!

I'm really excited! Even my hermit parents are coming down! Hope to see you there!

A great day!

2007-11-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a really great day! I woke up, ran some errands, picked up more decorations for Friends Thanksgiving (a TON of flowers and candles at Michael's for 80% off!)

I came home to a message from Adam, called him back, left him a message and when he called me back he had a great question for me. "Would you like a job?" Of course! This is something that's been in the works for a couple weeks now and I've just been praying about it. I'm so excited that it worked out for both of us! I'll be his new assistant in the Celebrative Arts department at church. This could not have happened at a better time! Thanks Adam! I just hope I can do as good of a job as his previous assistants. :]

Things were really getting tough at with my current job. It's very hard to keep Colassians 3:23 (look it up) in mind sometimes. Although I'll miss some of the people I work with and the photography, I won't miss the job that much. People I can stay in touch with, that's not a problem. And now I'll have time to get out and do the kind of photography I love.

The new job is really what I've been looking for. I'm really excited to be involved in this ministry, to be working with some awesome people, and most importantly, serving God in a more productive fashion (if that makes sense.) I'll also get to spend more time with my husband at night! That's a huge bonus! I might even be able to find time to go to school a bit. :]

Scott came home from work to our apartment smelling of spaghetti and he had a huge bouquet of flowers for me. Just to say congratulations! Isn't he the sweetest? And the dinner I had made was pretty tasty too! All in all, yesterday was a pretty great day!

Curly or Straight

2007-11-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

This post may seem completely silly and irrelevant, but if you really know me, you know I like to alphbetize, organize and really plan ahead for things. I tend to over analyze every detail of things I'm organizing. If you didn't know that, now you do. I like things that have my name attached to them to be as close to perfect as possible.

With that said, I'm hosting Friends Thanksgiving this coming Sunday. This is a tradition that's my friends and I have had since high school. I've hosted the shindig a few times, but never really on my own. RSVPs are all taken care of, the menu has been decided on, everyone knows what they're bringing, my itinerary for the day is set, I even have my outfit and make-up picked out. All I need now is to decide my hair...

Some of you see me at least once a week. You've seen the curly and straight hair in person. Which do you think looks better? I only ask because this is the first big event with these friends since my big haircut (I chopped off almost a foot of hair after I got married in August.) We only get the whole group together a few times a year and I'd like my hair to be at it's maximum cuteness for picture taking. So take a look at the pictures above, my bangs will not be retarded like they are today (the curly hair picture) they'll be parted from the left (like the straight hair picture) I just don't know what to do with the rest of the mop.

Please help my decide: curly or straight?!?