indian summer

all pictures found here

hiii!

i feel like it's been a while since i just wrote whatever i wanted to.

things are going really well.  life is treating us well.  we are super busy and enjoying it all in the moment instead of looking for these said moments.  there are times i think i can't do full-time school, interning almost full-time at work, full-time mom, church callings, family, traveling to san francisco and friends but somehow i'm learning how to do it.  i feel so incredibly blessed.  i've found a way to be truly happy and accepting of my situation now that it's been years since i was a wife.  i am completely fine with being a single mom.  i have filled my life with things going on that will hopefully help jackson live the life he deserves.  as any mother in any situation, i want the best possible life for him. i want him to grow up strong, healthy, full of knowledge, humble, sweet and compassionate for others. hopefully we are on that path.

so yeah, these are my random thoughts.

i want to write you all back soon.  

i love your comments and emails and promise to get back to you.

a must see

some friends of mine that i met in san francisco when we lived there now live in san diego.  dan was sent to  serve our country when tracy was pregnant.  he missed his daughter penny's birth.
i cried like a friggin' baby when i saw this. 

you must click on this video and watch all six minutes.  you will cry, feel patriotic and probably a whole lot of other things.

so it's almost friday. thank you goodness.

found here

happy weekend!  i have been traveling back and forth to san fran so it's been busy already.  hope you all have a good one.

here ya go:
these chopsticks. love it.

a tower of bikes in santa rosa... i am curious how long this took.

so this lady is pretty passionate about what she does.  i kind of have watched a few of her videos.

favorite holiday is halloween?  you will adore this.

her hair is so fly.

OK GO has a great, great, great video out.

wedding worth mentioning

i try to do one link for weddings a week. this one i really liked because it was so original and none like others i've seen. i really think a wedding should represent who the couple are.  i have never understood weddings that don't reflect the bride and groom's true personalities.  i think it can be uncomfortable for them or their guests.  a wedding should be a day of little worries, lots of love, remembering of your commitments/covenants + hold them sacredly, being with the closest loved ones and just simple yet special happy feelings.

okay, enough of my opinions and soap box preaching.  reasons why i like this wedding.  it includeds a camper, special heirlooms used for decor from their family, streamers, looks like this is a spot ideal for camping, casual attire, mellow atmosphere, jones sodas, twigs for the altar, the bridesmaids bouquets matching their dresses (so unique), the groom's combo, of clothing, roasting s'mores (best idea yet), little details all around and a beautiful bride and groom - equally.  i also love that they look super happy and having a great day.  pictures tell a lot of stories and this story my friend matthew morgan captured, convinced me that it was the real deal.

i think this is one of the most perfect weddings + receptions i've ever seen.  at least for my taste.

jack-man update

{Recycled & hand stitched creations by Tian Chi. ipod:coin purse $10-15 each from etsy.com}

listening to: okkervil river

had a long but good monday

here is the latest and greatest of little jack...

he loves to speak spanish.  thank you dora the explorer and handy mandy.  he knows 1-10 and some other words.  he asks me to say them with him.

on saturday night i was putting him to sleep with my monotone voice as i read him a story and he looks over at me and says, "i want lips like yours.  they are big.  i have little lips. maybe if i was a mom, i'd have lips that match yours."

he has been painting a lot in school.  i'm so curious to see what talents he has been given in the creative side of him.  his dad is an artist coming from a long line of artists and i like art and also come from a long line of artists so i think jack is picking up on his sixth sense.  or maybe i'm just bias since i like anything he creates.

{"hey mom, i traced me and then stayed in the lines..."}

{jack drew this for me.  he said it's me but my body wouldn't fit in the paper}

dodging kisses is what he likes to do as of late.  if i'm lucky to get one, or maybe two at a time, he blows on my face to make that zerbert sound. 

he loves this application.  i found him singing church primary songs in it the other day! it was irreverent but kind of funny too.


we went on a date the other night to see shrek 4.  loved it!  we are big fans of shrek so it felt like closure from the other movies.  love our date nights - especially when they end with shared milk shakes.

in that phase where he wants to dress himself head to toe.  the other day we were going somewhere nice so i insisted on picking out his outfit.  he said he would let me if he could pick out mine.  he wanted me to wear a summer dress at a formal dinner. i'm okay if his fashion sense isn't totally jiving.

he has been skateboarding more and more as he is getting older.  i'll have to post some pictures soon.


we went to this place similar to build-a-bear but you build-a-car.  that was his heaven.  he was the happiest little boy in there.  he got to pick out the body, the wheels, the rims then use the screw drivers and make it come together.  he loves his car and calls it his monster truck... not sure why but maybe he is hinting he wants one?

we went to disneyland twice this weekend.  we got to see the new water lights show, he met 


lightning mcqueen and asked him to race cars with him, he rode my 


favorite ride (soaring california) now that he is tall enough, we went on buzz lightyear three times, autotopia three times, he rode matahorn and i covered his eyes on the scary parts, we got to see the haunted mansion all dolled up in nightmare before christmas - he might be jack skeleton for halloween.
   

notice picture of the left? i buzzed his hair without the guard, he moved... now a triangle is in his right side. he says he looks cool. i kind of agree... but let's wear a beanie k?

cutting apples

macbook pro's new cover.

i think i would leave this places or confuse it but thought it was fun for those that like this sorta stuff.

friday friday friday

image found here

another lazy link post...
some of you love it some of you probably hate it.

if you want to learn how to cook veggies different ways, click on lous' website.  i go on her website almost every time i am entertaining for at least one dish.  she has the best tips.

christmas is super close. like three months away.  hope that put a smile on your face.
this may be premature but this could take three months if you tackle it.  i wanna try.

my friend brittany had one of the most creative weddings ever.  hopefully she will post more pictures soon.

fashion week just ended in new york.  carmen's fashion show stuck out to me.

if you are feeling like you need a new project to do (oh i miss this feeling), howabout making this.

my friend nicole took pictures of an art party.  lots of colors, fun ideas and great photography.  i feel like this should be in a magazine.

i have been giving people (my friends) raw honey facials.  i love painting that gunk on the face, catching the drip and then seeing how amazing the skin looks after.

i rrrrreally want this ring.  i can't fork over that money for something i can hope forever 21 will carry someday for $3.80 and that the possibility of me loosing it is at an all time high.

did you see the royal tenebaums?  i think i saw it years ago when it was on tv.  well, finger puppets are available for purchasing.

no link for this, but i am craving bbq'ed chicken lately.  weird right? the vegan version of me four years ago would cringe but for reals, like mouth-watering cravings.  anyone know of a good gluten free sauce?


i hope everyone has a great weekend! jackson and i are going to disneyland and possibly somewhere on the fly!

last year of preschool

someone decided to go back to preschool!  he liked last year enough to come back for another shot at some pre-K education.  

i stayed home to take him and loved every second with him.

i fed him oatmeal and made him a lunch i hoped he wouldn't forget. homemade gluten-free bread, organic PB + J, some applesauce, milk and some little "cuties" - (its national obesity month. i only know this because the commercial on the radio yesterday told me)...

he was so excited to go.  

{this much}

he picked out his outfit with the help of me only giving him two shirt options and one pants option. 

he loves the beatles enough he wanted to represent for the day.  this shirt totally brings out his eyes.  i did his hair and talked to him about what to expect.  he didn't understand why his cousin micah isn't in the same class but said he would see him every time, when he gets there in passing.

i had to take those pictures us moms do on the first day of school.  its debatable who was more excited for him to start this class.  he seemed pretty mellow about the whole experience.

he is showing me what rhino's do in the mud.

last night we fell asleep to watching nat geo channel.  he woke up telling me he had a nightmare of an anacondia eating his toys, then the baby mouse and then he ran from the snake.  so, we won't be watching those episodes for a little bit...

here is my obsession with him in a nutshell:

when we got there, we saw his favorite person, micah!

and aunti linds and cousin jade and future baby boy lundquist!

love them!

i love this picture of the two of them.  such sweethearts.

i told jack to find his new friend Will from primary.  he walked up to the six kids there and announced, "who is will? who is will?  i am your new friend jack."  will was like, "i'm will.  i'll be your friend."

as i was walking away, i see him jumping off a ledge into mcdonald's balls and a plastic pool thingy with him yelling "cannonball!"

i think he will do alright making friends.
such a sweet buddy.
man, i love that kid.