loved in San Diego...

Thursday was BRIDESMAIDS DAY...Anna and I met Jenny @ Prevue in Grossmont Center to officially place our dress orders. The dresses themselves are pretty cute - and with some altering - should fit alright as well - ESPECIALLY if I can get an extra strap! I'm ALL about the straps - no sleeveless for THIS girl! With dresses ordered and deposits paid, we went to Panera for lunch (along with Josh - Jenny's fiance and Daniel - Anna's husband...hello...shouldn't there be a ____ for Shell?? I'm just saying!!!) Lunch was delish (par usual) and we laughed a bit as we conversed about all the random this and thats that are (that was a VERY informative sentence!). After lunch Jenny and Josh took off to get lamps from Crate & Barrell while Anna and I headed towards the BAGILLION errands we had to run. We had a BLAST and accomplished a LOT!Then we ended the afternoon @ her house making snickerdoodles...something we did ALL the time while growing up! She makes the best snickerdoodles in the world. TRULY!'twas a wonderful day...and reminded me yet once more that I am loved in SD...and maybe should end up there...someday...

Palm Springs...

Since Ev. Free was SO generous and gave us the entire week between Christmas & New Years off, Mom, Julie and I headed to Palm Springs to spend some time with my Aunt Pat & Uncle Greg. Aunt Pat was UNDOUBTEDLY my favorite growing up - she was the "spoiling" aunt - she bought us special gifts, had goodies for us at her house, and always let us stay up too late (usually watching Star Wars). She made us feel WANTED and WELCOME in her life...I just thought she was the best. She is still a remarkable woman - she has been through a lot and has gained wisdom through her experiences. We were only there for about 24 hours but it was a WONDERFUL visit - and the drive really wasn't too bad - I should go WAY more often! (Don't we always say things like that - what happens? LIFE?) Thanks for having us (and for the DELICIOUS mexican food & awesome breakfast!) loveyouguys!

"us" 2010...

For as long as I can remember, it's always been me, Anna, & Jenny. We have been best friends since we were small children. Our parents started the tradition YEARS ago of having us exchange ornaments rather than real gifts, and the tradition is ALIVE and WELL today. We exchange at church the Sunday closest to Christmas and it is SO FUN. I love knowing that someday when I have a home and my own tree, I'll have SCADS of special ornaments from two girls I love VERY VERY MUCH. These two are amongst the best - and they're mine...WHAT a blessed girl I am!

Christmas 2010...

Christmas this year was lovely. I spent the day {week} at my parent's house in San Diego, CA and we celebrated it up! On Christmas Eve we went to Gateway for the annual Christmas Eve Service {where Steven and I agreed unanimously on the UGLIEST Christmas sweater in attendance} where we enjoyed the famous parking lot rendition of Silent Night illuminated by candles that must be RIDICULOUSLY cheap because I'm fairly certain that their burning capacity is a mere 10 minutes. After church, we headed to Mom & Dad's for dinner - ham, CHEESY POTATO GOODNESS, buttermilk bisquits, spinach salad - you know, just a tiny smidgen of food - nothing too heavy or satisfying! ha! On Christmas morning I woke up and got ready for the day - no more of these AWFUL pajama pictures without makeup please! Then we got breakfast ready and greeted the rest of the family. I love that Kevin, Jamie, & Madeline still spend Christmas morning at our house along with Grandma and Aunt Sandy. This year we were also joined by my DEAR WORLD CHANGERS FRIEND Wes Tate.We had brunch first - again, just a light meal - sasuage balls, hash browns, eggs, peaches, 6 different kinds of muffins - average, right?!? then headed into the living room to open gifts. My family was exceedingly generous this year and watching Madeline open gifts was especially fun. She was DEFINITELY into the "Christmas Spirit"! ha! sweet girl!My brother officially announced his upcoming career change in his Christmas letter - so I suppose it's safe to blog about now...my big brother Kevin has decided to join the Army as an RN and is officially a Private, First Class but will be an Officer when he leaves for training, etc. sometime in 2012...realizing that we may only have one more Christmas together in San Diego made this year especially tender...I can't imagine it without them - but I'm excited for all their future holds! PRAISE THE LORD FOR SKYPE!! So blessed to have a wonderful family and a Savior who came to this earth to bring me hope. God is good!

rain...sprunch spray...and elephants!

it has been raining in "sunny" southern california for DAYS now...and i'm in LOVE! there is nothing better than listening to the rain pouring outside my window while lying in bed...it has been the PERFECT introduction to winter!! of course, my hair is a little frizzy...but the sprunch spray does wonders on that...and i'm a bit cold...but i've got my Lily Pulitzer mug with elephants and camels on it...a girl CANNOT complain! happiness!

Christmas @ RHF...

this is the FIRST CHRISTMAS of Rock Harbor Fullerton and it is INSPIRING to be a part of something so great. I LOVE MY CHURCH! last night was the last service before Christmas, so we celebrated the season...with candles...it felt like home - and i was literally OVERWHELMED with joy as i looked down the aisle and realized i was surrounded by some of the most amazing people I've ever had the privledge of living life with...Rach & Andrew, Steven, Rebecca, Carrie, Kacie, Noelle...in the midst of such a strange chapter of life - i have SO much to be grateful for. life truly is beautiful.

christmas with ST...

saturday i celebrated christmas with my dear shalina - well - i should say we ATTEMPTED to celebrate christmas. i live in southern california - a place where people absolutely FREAK if it starts to rain - because they liken themselves to Noah {who had never seen rain} or the Wicked Witch of the West {who melted when she got wet}. shalina and craig live in Tustin {which is a WHOLE 18 miles away, MAYBE} and it took me almost an hour to get there...so...we didn't get to open gifts BEFORE our adventure. BUST. almost as soon as i got there we headed OUT THE DOOR to make it to the 12:40 showing of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. we accidentally went to the Tustin Marketplace instead of the Irvine Marketplace {they are LITERALLY across the street from each other - i do NOT understand!} but still managed to get our tickets and make it in well before the movie began. we had UBER YUM snacks {s'mores - i'll include the recipe for that somday - it might be my personal FAVORITE} and the movie was INCREDIBLE. i LOVED it!i think i appreciate the Narnia series and really anything by C.S.Lewis SO MUCH MORE now that I've been to his house and experienced a taste of his world. God gave him an INCREDIBLE gift - this movie was PACKED with symbolism and nuggets of truth. i think it's sad that likely most of the population doesn't realize the true significance represented throughout the films...there is SO MUCH HOPE. anyway, the movie ended a bit later than we anticipated so we RUSHED out of the theatre to get shalina home and OUT THE DOOR again for her volleyball game {which ended up being cancelled. BUST!}. i ripped into my package before leaving her house and was THRILLED to find an AMAZING necklace and a BEAUTIFUL cowel-neck scarf...SO CUTE...i might have already worn it! ha! SURPRISE SURPRISE! she had to save her gifts for later - so we hugged - and said goodbye. shalina and i lived the entirety of 2010 together...i really can't believe it has ONLY been a year. she is definitely one of my nearest and dearest and i am beyong thankful and blessed to count her my friend. she added some merry to my Christmas for sure...and i sincerely hope i will be able to say that for YEARS to come!!

meet Clarence...

i would like to formally introduce you to Clarence...our NEW DRYER...he is a VISIBLE reminder of God's amazing provision in my life. our previous dryer {who will remain unnamed} worked like a champ for about a year...and then...he started to putter out...he needed some serious coercing to get anything done - and then finally - his motor died and there was no getting another load out of him. so we somberly said goodbye to hope {and the concept of clean clothes} and started scouring Craigslist for an affordable option to replace him. we had been looking for about 6 weeks when Carrie's dad {who is an AMAZING man with the heart of a servant and a true desire to care for others} came by to make sure our old man was truly kaput and not just on an extended vacation. he was indeed. so he was unplugged and detached from the gas line. THEN out of the graciousness of his heart, Carrie's Dad decided to ask his Sunday School class if any of them had an extra dryer just lying around. HIGHLY unlikely right - but he was willing to ask. AND...in God's perfect way - THERE WAS ONE. Jim gave us the BIG NEWS on Monday afternoon and by Thursday evening Clarence was hooked up in our garage and ready to ROLL...he has been graciously drying load after load after load of laundry since his arrival and has become fairly familiar with his new mate - Maybelle...who is also working MUCH harder than usual and providing HIGHLY improved service (Jim used some crazy cleaning stuff on the water spicket and she fills up SO MUCH FASTER NOW!). God is SO good...and we are SO THANKFUL for Clarence and the plethora of clean {dry} clothes he is allowing us to enjoy! Welcome to the family bud - I hope you become an institution amongst us!

Ev. Free Staff Christmas Party

Yesterday was the Ev. Free Fullerton Staff Christmas Party...we were invited to enjoy the afternoon eating DELICIOUS tacos (Blue Agave catered the event - LOVE Blue Agave!) and drinking Mexican Hot Chocolate. There was a short program but other than that we just chatted (and came ridiculously close to napping) and spent the afternoon fellowshiping as a staff. It was delightful. I AM SO THANKFUL to work with wonderful people who love the Lord and truly desire to serve Him - it really does making WORKING a tolerable practice!

LifeGroup @ the Boat Parade...

Last year I went to the 101st Annual Newport Beach Boat Parade with Gan & Kenz...it was awful...we were FREEZING and got SO TIRED of waiting for the boats to arrive - only to realize that since it was the first night (and not a weekend) there were only about 6 boats participating. BUST. We laughed about it then - and we're still laughing about it now - but we decided corporately that we would NOT be going this year. THEN (of course) IRONY STEPPED IN. My LifeGroup decided to celebrate Christmas together @ the Boat Parade this year! HA! Overall the experience was WAY better...we were hanging out INSIDE a beach house, waiting for the boats to arrive while sipping on DELCIIOUS hot chocolate and eating WAY TOO MANY BAKED GOODS! Fabulous! Not to mention that I just LOVE the people in my lifegroup. They're seriously a gift! anyways...pictures can tell the rest of the story...This is the group of us (minus Alex, Kacie (driving) and me) in the car on our way down to Newport. The way down was rather uneventful...but the ride home included a melodic rendition of "Grown Up Christmas List" and that one song that goes "You don't have to be an angel to sing harmony..." WE ALL GREW UP ON AMY GRANT! Hysterical!Here we ALL are looking good too I might add...they really are WONDERFUL people!! Sweet Megan - one of my newest favorite friends...The boat disguised as a leg lamp! HAHAHAHAHAhahahaha!This boat was a castle - it was SO bright my camera really couldn't even capture the individual lights...it glowed...the whole thing glowed. Insane (and probably SUPER expensive!)and one of the loveliest groups of ladies I have ever had the privledge of growing with...that is (front row) kristy, megan, me, shannon and (back row) ashley & rebecca (aka. kenz).

christmas in the office...

yesterday i played santa in the office and delivered my homemade baked goods to those i spend inordinate amounts of time with each and every week. my first year on staff (christmas 2008) i made these classic ritz peanut butter sandwiches dipped in chocolate - they're a christmas cookie tradition in the Swope home - for years my mom made TOO MANY OF THEM TO COUNT for Jenna's annual cookie exchange. last year I pulled out ALL THE STOPS and made zucchini bread - a definite family favorite. THIS year I stepped up my game yet again and made Soda Cracker Candy. IT IS RIDICULOUSLY GOOD and sometimes referred to as CRACK because it is ADDICTING in the best possible way.basically the recipe is 1 cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar...melt in a saucepan until it comes to a rolling boil. allow to simmer (stirring continuously) for 3 minutes. pour over saltine crackers (which should already be placed in a GREASED pan) and then put in the oven @ 425 degrees for another 5 minutes until the crackers are floating and the "toffee mixture" is bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle approximately 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top allowing time for them to melt and then spreading them over the entire thing. cool until firm and attempt to avoid overconsumption. GOOD LUCK!

i think s'mores are up for next year...SO FUN getting to bring a taste of home to my friends @ work! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Jenny's Wedding: SAVE THE DATE

look what came in the mail for me the other day...AHHHHHhhhhhhh...she is REALLY getting married! CRAZINESS! obviously i already have the date saved (i have the date saved for your graduation too Ann!!!) but still SO fun to be reminded of all that is to come in 2011! SO happy for my darling Jennifer Leigh - and can't WAIT for Josh to move to California so we can all be friends...husband...if you're out there...I'd love to start dating soon so we can double date with my favorite friends & their husbands...just an FYI!

just for amber...

my friend Amber has an eye for all things creative. she is one of the GREATEST encouragers of my creative endeavors and never fails to make me feel like i've actually got "skills" i SO appreciate her pushing me to recognize my potential...anyways...she has been asking to see pictures of my house decorated for the holidays - and since i only have a point and shoot - and some pretty awful lighting - these aren't the BEST photos, but hopefully they provide the GENERAL idea...i didn't spend any money on decor - so it was definitely a "work with what you've got year"...this was the first thing i accomplished...i stuck a few poinsetta's into this brown branch wreath and hung it up...it immediately helped...then i moved on...i borrowed apothecary jars from shalina (we used them in the candy bar @ her wedding) and filled them with ornaments...they didn't photograph well - but they really do look cute! i switched out the prints in my entryway to be a bit more festive...it really is FUN to have the skills to make simple changes like that - it didn't take me long at ALL to do it - and it helps a TON (especially since we don't have a tree...every smidge of decor helps!)i changed the scarf and added some mittens to make it a bit warmer...the dining room table is also adorned by an apothecary filled with ornaments (sequin ornaments to be exact) and a couple sparkly candles... a friend gave me the glass candlestick holder and my mom gave me the candle! i can't find a lighter so we haven't actually enjoyed any candlelight...

ps can we all be in agreement that a bow fixes ALMOST anything (that statement is NOT entirely true and cannot be used as a guarantee for fabulous decor!)there are snowmen all over the house - I have more snowman stuff than anything else...but they're cute...and friendly...and feel like christmas... and finally i hung the 2011 wall calendar that i created MONTHS ago. it doesn't look quite right with the holiday decor - but it will be PERFECT for our everyday stuff...and we'll never have to wonder what day it is again...oh wait...let's be honest...no one will EVER actually USE that calendar...it's for looks ONLY! :)

and THAT is my house in a nutshell...there are a few other decor items - a candleabra including more ornaments, a snowman platter on display, a few more poinsettas, etc. but basically, you get the picture...

holiday party DONE RIGHT...

My holiday party was QUITE a success. It started (as every good party does) with DELICIOUS treats of both the savory and sweet varieties and a vast assortment of beverages just waiting to be consumed. I have realized that parties are SO MUCH EASIER if you ask people to bring food/beverage items to share rather than attempting to provide ALL the ambiance alone. SO we ended up with WAY better stuff than I could have provided...from holiday creme puffs, homemade truffles, and german chocolate cookies to spinach artichoke dip, Steven's famous guacamole and white pizza. SUPER YUM! The beverage options were JUST AS GOOD...we had hot buttered rum, spiked cider, mistletoe margaritas, rudolph spritzers, chocolate toritos, and christmas champagne. LEGIT. We may have used the chalkboard to keep track of our beverage consumption...and YES i followed my self imposed rule "drink, snack, water, and repeat" it DID not fail me!

This party was a bit unusual as far as the guest list was concerned...a LOT of my favorites were there...but I missed a few BIG TIME (Shalina - that's YOU! so sad you had to work....) it was RIDICULOUSLY fun to have Megan in town to celebrate with me...I would have NEVER thought that would work out...And dear Wes Tate just moved to California from Alabama (there's NOTHING like a World Changer!!) and to my JOY and DELIGHT he made it to my house to celebrate the holidays as well! I don't think we've seen each other since 2007 and our last memories TOGETHER involve a golf-cart and a crap load of luggage...oh coordinator's retreat! ha! SO FUN!! OH and look at that...there were boys at my party...THAT is unusual FOR SURE. Steven and Wes are legitimately my friends...and Andrew is my friend - but he was also Rachel's date...so I'm not sure if I can count him - he didn't exactly come for me...I guess my new roommate likes me...and my old roommate still puts up with me!and then there was Melody...who got crazy...surprise surprise! :)We had a wonderful time and the cleanup wasn't too bad! The holidays are UNDOUBTEDLY in full-swing now...let the celebrating continue on...

holiday party...2010...

tonight is my annual holiday party. EXCITED! it has looked a little different each year - at the Fullerton house, I had a group of girls over for dinner & a cookie exchange. WAY FUN but too much work for little ol' me on a friday night after a full week of work. last year the party was a wee bit small...it was a htc* party (*hot tub club)...including ONLY Gan, Kenz, and Rach. this year it's BIG SAUCE but everyone else is doing all the work (well, i suppose i did take care of the location, the invitations, cleaning the house, making white pizza, puppy chow, and caramel/chocolate dipped marshmellows, picking up some sparkling wine & cranberries as well as cutie plates & napkins for the "event" - it wasn't work free!) and i just get to enjoy a WONDERFUL evening of friends, food, and tasty drinks! can't wait to get home and get to it! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

i laughed...hard!

oh man...THIS is what happens to you when you become an "adult" ALL of the below statements become SO VERY TRUE...

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

There is great need for a sarcasm front.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories.

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

“Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this - ever.

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dang it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Helmets are provided FREE of charge AND are RECOMMENDED...

Tuesday night officially kicked off the holiday season in my little world. I celebrated Christmas with my Gan. We have been celebrating together for YEARS and it is truthfully one of the aspects of Christmas I look forward to most. I can’t really explain how much our friendship has come to mean to me – over the years it has gotten better and better – and now she’s just a treasure that I don’t want to ever live without. iloveyouGan!

Anyway (moving on from the sappy) after work we grabbed Kenz and then the 3 of us headed off to Irvine where we enjoyed dinner @ Chipotle followed by PRESENT TIME.Gan and I have kind of established the tradition of GOOD Christmas gifts – so every year the pressure gets a smidge more intense – but we’ve succeeded thus far…Gan got me a darling sweater, a picture of $50 Henry, a Lily Pulitzer mug, the Kelly Clarkson CD (including the song “My Life would Suck Without You” which I have wanted for like 2 years) the Swell Season Documentary: ONCE, awesome bangles from a dead lady’s house AND a LEGIT statement necklace from Anthro. LOVE. I gave her a navy blue “M” themed gift…an “M” print, “M” cards, a navy blue cardigan, a handmade navy & grey flower, and an elephant teapot (I have given her literally EVERY elephant mug that is sold in Orange County – so I had to move onto other TYPES of elephant paraphernalia!). LOVE. Kenz also did a FABULOUS job with gifts…she gave us each champagne truffles (you will NEVER hear me complain about champagne truffles. NEVER!)and then I got an Ina Cookbook (I almost have the entire collection now!) and a giant “S” for the wall that holds photos/cards. It’s amazing! I’m in love with the letter theme! Gan got the new Penguin Classics for Children Cloth Covered Collection in Peter Pan and an AMAZING elephant mug. My love language is GIFTS – so I just LOVE giving, getting, watching people get, the WHOLE thing!

After dinner and gifts, we went for a quick walk through Anthropologie and then tied our scarves a little bit tighter to be ready for our little ice-skating adventure…it was fun. and funny.Gan made it about 4 laps and stayed REALLY close to the wall the entire time. Kenz got a little more adventurous as we stayed on the ice. The skating Nazi (who wore the provided, and recommended helment) gave us crap about having a camera on the ice – um – hello – don’t people ONLY go ice-skating for the pictures?? He thought he was cool. He was confused. He was working at an ice-rink – at a mall – wearing a helmet. HA! not ideal! About an hour later we wrapped up the evening with tasty macaroons. It was a LOVELY Christmas…and the PERFECT way to get into the spirit of this holiday. So thankful for great friends to celebrate with…life wouldn’t be nearly as fun without them!