Haircut!

My hair has gotten so long lately that I decided I better go in and get a trim so it can keep growing, and lo and behold, look what happened!!!

Hee Hee. I actually really DID get my hair cut yesterday, and then afterward Seth and I were Christmas Shopping in the mall and got roped in by the Kiosk Lady in charge of bringing Big Utah Mormon hair to the rest of the world. So This is my real hair coupled with hair extension clips. She gave me long hair first, and then gave me a little ponytail updo (medium length). It's kind of fun to pretend to have long hair again, but also reminds me that I'm better off with short hair!

Ho Ho Ho!

Merry Christmas!

Last night Seth and I went to the S.A.N.T.A.'s party!! Because Brad had shared his christmas spirit and given us Santa hats, we decided to spread the joy and wear them to the party!

Blog #3

I just started my newest blog for work! It's strangely VERY similar to the other one....

http://cualaw.typepad.com/financialaid/

Enjoy!

Ward Turkeys Dinner!

We had so much fun at the ward Turkeys Dinner! Not only was the food amazing, but the company was fantastic! My co-worker Sean AKA #2, Seth's friend Janelle and her family, and Remi all came to the dinner with us. Janelle's nieces stole the show for us, they were hilarious! It felt like a real ward christmas party, having kids around to play with. At one point we had 6 people out in the hallway being instructed by Deonna how to "Shake it like we mean it!" in her self-made Step routine. What a fun night to remember!

Blogging Adventures at Work

I recently have been working on a blogging project for my boss to open a Catholic University of America Law School Admissions Blog. It's been quite the process, but we went live today! http://cualaw.typepad.com/

Next task: Financial Aid Blog.

Ghost Tours in Alexandria

This is something I've been looking forward to doing since I moved out here, but never took the time to actually do! Kayleen and Marc, some of our married friends, finally helped motivate us to come with them for Ghost tour of Old Town Alexandria. Night Tours of Old Town are offered Year-Round, but during Halloween season, they offer Ghost Tours, which provide historical background and insight into the colonial American world, with the added bonus of ghost tales from the colonialites. What fun!

A few interesting facts. The term "put your best foot forward" refers to men in colonial days who wore short pants so they could show off their calves. Apparently when they met a nice lady, they'd put their best calf forward for her to see, as it was a distinguishing characteristic back in the day. Don't worry, I checked out Seth's calves afterward, as this was something I've neglected to scrutinize, and he does indeed have a fine calf muscle. phew! Also, back in the day one had to pay fire insurance if they wanted the firemen to put their house out in case of emergency, Confederate soldiers used tombstones as canon barriers and wind shields for fires (how rude!), and men who were "players" were hung in the public square with all their mistresses standing by (what lewd vindication!)

My favorite part of the tour was actually a break when they told us about the art of "fans" and "flirting". Man, to live in colonial days one had to be keenly aware of non-verbal signals from a mere fan. Apparently fans weren't meant to cool one's face back on those days, but rather provide a myriad of either flirtatious or "stay away from me, you creep!" signals. My personal favorites were the signs for "you're now dismissed," "I'm bored, can you please pick up the conversation a little bit?" "So sad my papa dismissed you, but it's not safe to talk to you here, so please meet me in the Garden at 10" ALL THAT from a fan! Colonial 1st ward members, perhaps it would be in our best interest to invest in a few of these!

Johnsons in DC!

So a few weeks ago (3rd week in October!) the Johnsons came to visit! It was so fun to have them in town, and we got to do lots of fun stuff! I'll give a rundown of the photo's that will give just a "snapshot" of the trip!

1. The Johnsons got into town just as seth was getting out of class, so we met them at the hotel shortly after their arrival! We went to Chili's and had a fun night becoming aclimated to DC.

2. This is David busting out his drum skills for everyone to see at the SW jazz church. He impressed everyone, including the drummer. People clapped and cheered, he was a bit hit!

3. We spent some time at Seth's apartment figuring out picasa and just relaxing! I was really excited because we got to see some of the pictures from Gina and Curt's trip to europe!

4. One of the highlights of the trip was a tour of the Capital! Belle gave us a great tour, and it was fun to see different aspects of the capital!

5. We got to take the family to Old Town Alexandria for dinner and a walk around the dock. This is one of Seth and my favorite places (we've had some dates there...), and it was fun to show the fam around!

6. Outside the capital, there's this random lovely little atrium and fountain that we had fun taking pictures by! Aren't the Johnsons just a handsome (and beautiful) bunch!

7. Here's me and Sethy by the Capital. Gina is such a great photographer!

8. Speaking of photographers, here's one hot chic who's got talent, just like her mom! Emmy is one of the most photogenic people I know, and she has a great eye when taking pictures. Since seeing all her pictures of DC, i've made it my sole purpose in life to encourage her to go into photography. :) Aside from her great photography skills, Emmy is just an all round fashionable and fun girl. She got to stay at my house on Friday and Saturday, and we got lots of girl talk time in. Love this girl!

9. Here's a picture of Gina and David in front of one of the many great quotes/statues in DC. Gina is so fun and so easy to be with, and truly marks a passionate, dedicated, and lovable woman! That cute kid beside her is a riot too, he can make anyone smile!

So this is only a glimpse of the many fun things we did! The Johnsons know how to make everything fun and adventurous, thanks so much for coming out!!!

Dear Blog Readers,

I'm so sorry I've been behind on the blog lately. I didn't think it mattered that much but aparently some faithful readers have noticed! There are lots of fun and good things to catch up on though, so they're on their way right now!

Growing Up.

Today it is hard to grow up. :)

New Video for the Jane and Seth Show!

We couldn't quite get the serious video put together, so here are the outtakes. They're more entertaining, I promise.

Fun Little Games gone wrong.

My last post reminded me of today's "little game" that Seth and I played. (WHY I put myself into these situations I'll never understand!)

Setting: Subway
Meal: Roast Beef Sandwiches and Soda.
Game: Fill the straw with soda, each one of us take an end in our mouth, and then on the count of three blow as hard as we can to see who has stronger lung power.

Well, as one can imagine, Seth blowing on one end and me laughing on the other didn't bode well for me. The Dr. Pepper shot straight to the back of my throat, half of it going up and out my nose.

Ummmm, maybe I shouldn't play so many games....

People are gunna think we're weird, Sethy.

Something is missing...

The other night Seth and I made cupcakes! I was trying to feed him one, and then he decided to feed me one too! Well, needless to say we decided to play a little game similar to "Chubby Bunny" but instead of talking we sang the "Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello" primary song... and... it was really funny? (maybe you had to be there...but this story is the means to an end...)

So I really wanted to capture the moment on camera, so I tried to communicate this to seth with my mouth full of cupcake while running back to my room to get the camera. Seth was eating his cupcake in the mean time, and didn't really get what i was saying until his cupcake was nearly gone, so by the time i went to take the picture he'd eaten all of his (unbeknownst to me). So I took what i thought was a funny picture of us playing our new game.....and here it is. Not quite as I'd imagined....hmmm... ;)

The Thunderbirds

God played a little joke on me.

Rewind to Conference Weekend, Saturday Morning Session. Seth and I are sitting in my house, I'm taking notes on my computer. Robert C. Oaks stands up to begin his talk. It's on patience. I proudly announce "Oh, I've mastered patience!" Seth laughs.

Fast Forward to present. Last night I was reviewing my conference notes as part of my scripture study and came to that same talk. As I began reading the scriptures, I kept thinking "this is EXACTLY what I need to hear! Oh dear, I've really been snappy and impatient with myself and my mistakes, and I've struggled so much lately because i've just wanted to master a skill without the time and practice!" And then it hit me. Maybe I have learned patience in some aspects of my life, but OBVIOUSLY not in every part.

So I decided that God was just playin' a little joke on me due to my proud announcement. I've learned a new lesson: don't pray for patience, and don't announce that you've become!

Philly!

Seth and I went on a last minute trip to philly this weekend with Seth's roommate Brad. Besides both of us feeling a little under the weather, we had SUCH a fun time! Here is a collage of just a few of our faves. Who knew there were so many fun things in the city of brotherly love. Oh, and it is Breast Cancer awareness month, so we got to see the Love fountain in PINK. Lucky us!

Namesake

 
This is my first namesake (AKA Godchild), Hallie Jane. She's a DOLL, isn't she? I was thrilled when Cousin Angie called me and told me that not only was she expecting a girl, but that she would be named Hallie Jane! This started me thinking about how great it is to name a child after me, so I thought I'd make a list.

*Baby Jane can expect to get all sorts of attention from me.
*I'm officially obligated to throw a baby shower!
*Lucky Baby Jane gets free outfits everytime I go baby clothes shopping.
*As Janey grows up, I will take her on special trips to places like:
-The mall to buy cute clothes and accessories
-The zoo to see the giraffes
-Disneyworld to experience the magic
-The park to look at flowers and swing on the swings!
-The salon to get haircuts
-Modern Nails to get Mani/Pedis and learn all things feminine
*Automatic confidant for Little Janey to tell Auntie Janey about all her boy crushes
*I reserve email account names for all Jane's named after me. Hallie is especially appreciative to have her email account, and her mom just loves getting emails from Hallie.

In short, there just really isn't anything bad that could happen from naming your child after me. Jane is a great name. It's coming back pretty vogue, but also has an old fashioned "named after my grandma" sort of feel. (Which, I actually WAS named after, and I love being named after her!)

So all of you out there who are having girls anytime soon (and all who hope to in the future), think about it!! ;) 

Fall Tasting Party!

 

Wow, this weekend was full of fun (as noted from previous blog postings), and it all culminated in the Fall Tasting Party, hosted by Melanie Williams!

Seth and I brought Mom's Famous Plump Gingerbread with Zesty Lemon Sauce and Grandma's Soft Gingersnap Delights. I did something wrong with the Gingerbread, so it wasn't as flavorful as it should have been, but the Gingersnaps were SO GOOD (if I do say so myself...)!

So the food there was GREAT! I LOVED the two soups, go diedra, brittany, jocie, and andy! Oh, and pumpkin rolls, pumpkin bread, and the cheesy biscuits were to die for! There were a lot of unique dishes, too! Seth LOVED the Bread Pudding, the Meatballs, and the pumpkin Cheesecake! There were so many dishes, it's too hard to mention them all, but let me just note that I loved everything I tried, and had two clean plates at the end of the evening!

Not only was the food amazing, but the company was so wonderful. Mel and Nate are perfect hosts, they just make everyone feel so loved. It was fun to see all the couples together. I have such a respect for couples. We all have such unique stories and situations, yet somehow the drama of couplehood brings us together, and we share an understanding that is priceless.

This brings me to my next point: Couple Parties. They're so great. No one is trying to impress anyone because our sig. others have already seen us at our best and worst, and no one is flirting or competing for attention because we have the security of sole attention from our male/female counterpart! Instead of the singles meet, greet, flirt, and mingle, we get the couple conversation, sharing, understanding, and talking. And the best part is, at the end of any conversation with someone, there's not awkward pause of "who should i talk to next? oh dear, I don't know who to talk to! I look so dumb, what do i say, where do i go??" it's just a matter of finding the sig. oth, and joining their conversation! AND, as Seth and I figured out, if couples are talking to couples, then one person can eat, and the other can answer, and then vice versa. That's why people gain weight once they're married, they have more time to eat! 

Relief Society

I loved the RS broadcast. In fact, I'm listening to it again because I loved it so much. And, I was lucky enough on Sunday to experience the Love of the Lord through His Relief Society sisters.

After running around all morning on Sunday, recieving a "compliment" that really hurt my feelings, and making a somewhat awkward missionary announcement, followed by rejection after rejection to my offer of passalong cards, I made my way to an empty row in the chapel right as the meeting started. I felt myself zoning out during the announcements, trying to put my head around the morning, when the opening song started. "There is Sunshine in my soul today." After singing about 1.5 lines, I burst into tears! While crying isn't necessarily a rare occurance in my life, it was certainly unexpected during a sunshiney song! Anyway, I didn't think anyone could see me since I was near the front, so I just let the tears flow for a little bit, expecting to get over it by the time we separated for classes, but my little heart just let go and I kept going! The song chorister, Diana Dimond, aparently saw my little moment, and immediately after the song, she came straight down, sat by me, and put her arm around me as the prayer started. I was so touched that I began crying even harder! Diana saw a girl in need of a little love and validation, and immediately came down to help. She didn't ask what was wrong, she didn't try to change anything, she just showed her support and her love for me, a girl she barely knows. I was so honored to be blessed with this love, the same Love that we share in RS as we're encircled in the Savior's love. Speaking of this Love, one of the speakers said "it's constant, even though we don't always recognize it." I felt like this was a moment that God showed me, and let me recognize, His love through one of his daughters.

So while Diana doesn't read my blog, my thanks to her for being close to the spirit, which helped me recognize God's love for me!!

Dave Matthews Band in their Hometown

 
 

So this weekend Seth and I were lucky enough to get to go to a Dave Matthews Band Concert in Charlottesville, VA (Hometown of the band!) One word: Great. It was so fun to go down there (beautiful drive, I love C-Ville, and GREAT company). We snuck my camera in so that we could get a couple good shots from inside the arena for all to see. The first picture was taken in poor lighting, but thanks to Picassa, we got it to lighten up a little bit. The second is just a shot from where we were sitting to the stage.

So Concerts: Not usually my thing. BUT, I really had a TON of fun. It's fun to let the music take you to a different place; a chance for Seth and I to rock out and be carefree and relaxed! And it was fun and fulfilling to see seth's excitement. His eyes get so happy when he's excited. I love it.

And for those of you that were concerned: I did listen to the RSB at work on Monday. This will be the topic of my next blog. 

Call Luke!

Ahhh!

My bedding might come TODAY!

UPDATE:

MY Bedding was Delivered at 4:21 today, I will get it upon arrival home!!!

Swing Dancin'

 

This Weekend Seth and I went Swing Dancin' at the Kennedy Center. Every year, they host an free outdoor swing dance, complete with a live band and instructors from the area. How cool is it to go to a free event right on the potomac river, surrounded by monuments, at a historical location, great music, superb company, and my favorite form of dance??? This is also a fun event because it marks the third year that Seth and I have gone to it together.

Year One was right when Seth moved out here. He'd posted something to the listserve about it, and I think he and i had talked previously about it as well, but I went with him and a few other friends to the dance. The things I remember most? Sneaking outside on the roof of the Kennedy Center, even though it was closed "due to high winds" and being SCARED out of my mind that we'd get caught. Swing dancing and doing the "Shag" (A fast form of dance similar to the jitter bug i think...). Seth trying to send me into a lift and me forgetting to kick my legs out, and instead kicking them back, right into seth (I think i was wearing heels, sorry babe!). Waltzing on the terrace of the Kennedy. Laughing and talking the whole time.

Year two was even better because I got to be with just Seth the entire night. Besides wearing the wrong shoes and being in SUCH GREAT PAIN, I had yet another fantastic night. This time Seth and I were able to go on the roof without getting in trouble, and had some beautiful moments (in fact, sometimes I just wish that someone would follow us around with a camera to take pictures of all of our cute moments, because I'm sure they look nearly as fabulous as I imagine them to be in my mind...). After the dance we found this little area that had benches and round tables, and we sat and talked for a long time.

Year Three, equally great. I was all sorts of nerbous about the outfit this year, mostly because i changed last minute and was a little self conscious of the pirate look (it's classic, just not polka dot dress classic like the julie bradshaw). Anyway, we had fun this year, and had a great Shag dance that was SO FUN! We went up on the roof, we talked by the side, we almost died on our ride home with Dave, whos Beemer goes a little bit too fast for me.... Mostly I liked this year because it was just comfortable. It is ALWAYS fun to dance with my Seth, he's just a great leader, a great dancer, and easy to feel comfortable around. He makes me better than I am, and dancin' is just an outward manifestation of that. 

The Bedding I'm getting on Tuesday...

I'm so excited. Thrilled, in fact. On Saturday I was on a double date with some friends, and we stopped by my friend Bethany's house. I walked into her room, and there it was. My dream. Come true. Ahhhh, paisley, but not too tacky. Green and blue and yellow = classic but metro. It was perfect.

So I started doing my research, starting at potterybarn.com. Nothing. It's not Jane, it's not Elizabeth (actual names of bedding...they totally know what classy sounds like, hee hee). So i went to ebay, and continued my search. I found the Prescott, but that wasn't it. And Bennett kept showing up, but it didn't look QUITE right, so i continued looking. I called pottery barn outlets to see if they carried discontinued Duvets. "Not for another six to nine months 'mam." Ahhhh! So I called Pottery Barn directly. Cynthia said that I would have to find out what the name of the duvet was, and then she could try to track down a cover just for me, so I IMed Bethany and asked her if she could call pottery barn and have them track her order to find out the name. She obliged, and sent me the SKU# and Name. It was, in fact, the Bennett Paisley Duvet and Sham collection. So I called the Pottery Barn Catalog again, and Lisa helped me find and purchase it. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

So It's coming on Tuesday. I can't wait. My room is all ready for it, it will be the finishing touch on my lil' pad. I'll keep you posted!

Just some things I've been thinking about....

I am a little reflective tonight as I'm sitting waiting for my Crest Whitestrips to work their magic. It's a good reflective because I realized that in the past two months or so, I've learned so much about myself! Sometimes the best of intentions have the cruelest realities when I haven't thought through my actions leading up to them. Anyway, regardless of the mistakes I've made, I think I've learned a lot of things that have helped me become a better person as I make my journey through life. Here are some of the things that I've found to be important.

-Choosing to be happy
-Enthusiasm, even in mundane tasks, makes life a lot easier and happier
-Space can be good
-I need my own Janey time! (I think I'm really fun to hang out with, so I need one on one time with myself in order to fully appreciate what others have...hee hee hee)
-Faith is essential EVERY DAY, EVERY MOMENT
-I am happier when I read my scriptures
-Loving people in an individualized way brings understanding and empathy
-When my room is clean and smells good I sleep better
-Movies aren't really THAT scary
-Things that I can get emotional about aren't really THAT big of a deal
-The more I put my trust in God, the more confident I am with myself
-The more confident I am with myself, the more relaxed and happy (and myself) I am!
-I can be happy no matter what life throws me!

Anyway, some of these may or may not make sense, but they're things I've recently discovered that have helped me find a renewed strength, energy, and dedication to do what God would have of me!

I Scrapbooked my bedroom!

Last night my creative juices started flowing, and out came a scrapbooked wall! It was so fun to put everything together and make sure that everything meshed into a collage of sorts. I have some FUN pictures!! This new decoration inspired me to clean my room and change my bedding back to my fall/winter/spring duvet! I love feeling change, it's almost like a fresh start on life!

Quiz About Janey!

So I Made this little quizzy for myself, and took it and got 100%! I'm so proud of myself, I must have acute self-awareness!

Please, feel free to take my quizzy, I'm anxious to see what you know! (And Please, don't disregard our friendship if you don't do as well as expected...let's face it, we're all still discovering new things about janey!)

Quiz About Janey!

What do you know about Janey? Take my quiz! Take This Quiz | See Scores | Make Own Quiz

Behind on the Blogging...

I'm a little behind on my blogginess. Really work is just fantastic the past few days to the point where I'm not searching for something to fill my time, and the evenings have been busyish...

More promised this weekend....after my massage tomorrow!!!

My Favorite Picture (so far)

I love this picture. No real reason for posting it, I just love it a lot. I love how my hair is blowing out, and I love Seth's smile. I also love that his nose is so defined and that it covers my nose up, which in turn accentuates my teeth. I also just like the way we're looking at each other.

Today I had a fun IM conversation with Seth, and I realized just how important good conversation and happy times are to me. It's really the simple things in live that make it joyful.

Kind words from the Office.

After a harrowing first-hour at work, my co-worker sent me these sweet words. Thanks Gerry!

If I had one gift that I could give you, my friend,
it would be the ability to see yourself
as others see you,
because only then would you know
how extremely special you are.
-B.A. Billingsly

Faith, Intelligence, Knowlege, and the Blog

All day whenever I heard something great at church I kept thinking "I should blog this!" But really, what a great way to articulate the incredible insights that came out of Colonial 1 today!

The lesson in Relief Society was titled "Living by Faith" in Wilford Woodruff, Teachings, in summation "We walk by faith and not by sight, with the assurance that the Lord will strengthen us in our efforts..."

Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift that is given to us from the power of God, and is cultivated by obedience to His laws and ordinances. If we see faith as a gift, and recognize that that gift comes through obedience, we have a direct connection that yields an increase in faith and obedience that streams us on a direct path leading to eternal life, and greater spiritual intelligence. The more faith we cultivate, the greater our desire for obedience, and thus, an even greater devotion and faithFUL following toward our goal. As we increase our faith, we gain more focus on those things that are the both the "righteous desires" of our hearts and the will of God. In contrast, a slip into disobedient acts will immediately cast doubts upon that focused goal and as a result, cause faith to waver. Even the smallest acts of disobedience, be it omission or commission, can cause that gift of faith to wane. Thankfully, we have the atonement constantly at our side to help guide us back to obedience, turning us back toward our goal and recovering the ground lost.

This gift of faith through obedience is exemplified through the image of a small child walking across the street with his parents. He isn't worried about the cars and obstacles in the road because he innately trusts in his parent's loving protection and guidance. In this same way, we can place our trust in Heavenly Father to keep us out of harm's reach if we are focused in faith and obedience on His principles. He will watch out for the cars while we make the action to move.

So, all in all, our spiritual intelligence is strengthened through faithful obedience to the knowledge we aquire in the ever present gift-giving cycle.

A Message from Janey Lizzy!

Welcome to my Blog! A Message from the Creator :)

Hiccups!

I have the hiccups!

I tried drinking water upside down from a cup, but I'm really good at that and it doesn't require much concentration. My coworkers tried scaring me, but I wasn't very scared because I knew they were trying to. I tried changing my breathing patterns, but I would just hiccup anyway....

Then I had to go be an admissions counselor to a nice prospective student, and I'm sure she thought I was such a frump! Here I am, in jeans, a gray and blue striped shirt, my sassy glasses, and a brown sweater, hair pulled back, hiccuping away while giving advice about how to make a "good impression" to the admissions committee. Hmm....don't think I'm very believable!

You're Starting to Sound Like...

So Yesterday mom and I were talking about the phenomenon when people start to sound like each other i.e. I have started to talk like Seth. It's nothing I've noticed (except for I say "this or that" "for whatever reason" and I write "very much" in cover letters...) but my mom totally picked up on it, and she's on the other side of the country. Haven't seen the hottie for a month (from today, sigh), yet the vocal tone and inflections carry on....what is that all about?

I started thinking about this complex...and how come I'm afflicted. If I were to ask my sisters or any of my friends about this, most could name off the different "trendy" voices or mannerisms I had. Heather and Mary can tell you all about the "Galbraith" smile (or laugh, or speech...what was up with the talking through the side of my mouth thing)? Mom can name them all, but notably the "Britta" voice and the "Tia" voice? And then there was the phase of talking in every accent imaginable, thanks to the Hilary crowd "Wewl, uh, uh huh" (okay, the writing doesn't nearly do it justice!) I even switch from one voice to another when I talk to different people. The other day Laura Lamb's phone called me, so I answered as if I were talking to Laura, and soon realized I was ACTUALLY talking to Belle...and suddenly I shifted from Laura to Belle voice, mid sentence!

So how does it happen? I. don't. know. How come no one has a Janey voice? Am I chameleon, or simply a follower? Throwing the question out to the void...I could really use some help here. Can someone help me create the Janey voice? I need my own identity!!! (hee hee)

My First Blog

So here I am, beginning my blogging journey. Blogging has become all too popular for me to want to "join the bandwagon" but alas (sigh!). Who knows what I'll come up with to say, but it's sure to be interesting to at least me. And let's face it. Who is going to read my blog? Cara? (Yup, i knew you'd laugh at that one.)

Word to Amber for the encouragement to start the blogginess. Just needed the little extra shove.

Ahhh, here we go!