Merry Christmas!

We're taking off today for Utah and wanted to wish everyone a merry christmas and happy holidays!

Last night i mentioned to seth before I fell asleep that I was sad we didn't decorate for christmas (life is just too busy!) so this morning when I woke up and came downstairs, this is what I saw!


Thank you Sethy--This made my christmas!

Winter Song

Last night I decided I needed some Christmas Music, and I'd heard a few people mention this song, so I looked it up. I was instantly in love. We've been listening to it on repeat since last night. I think I sang it in my sleep.



Happy Holidays!

Twilight

Well, my eyes in this picture DO look red, but it's not because I'm a vampire (yet). Seth, the bhe (best husband ever) took me to twilight opening weekend. It was so fun! (AND, Seth liked it more than I did....He gave it an 8.5. And he hasn't lost his masculinity yet.)

Talk about fun date night. Seth took me to Cheesecake Factory (doesn't that seem fitting before a chick flick?) and then we stood in line at the Grove for 1.5 hours. Luckily, we were standing right next to the hat stand, so i snuck away while seth was on the phone to buy one. Oh, and I also snuck away for pinkberry! Mmmm so fun! The girls in front of us were decked out in their Team Edward gear. The girls were all coming and going, and since they all looked exactly alike (right down to their eyelashes and bouffant hair) we weren't sure how many there were. When we got to the front of the line when they were letting them in the girls realized that their other friends had the tickets. They were flipping out! I was going to help them by saving seats, but then one lit a cigarette right in front of my face and made me gag, so then I didn't say anything (I know, that's totally judgemental of me....). BUT the girls got in and got fantastic seats. We could hear them buzzing around and being SOOO excited they got to sit by each other. Haha. Fun nights!

ABCs of Janey

A
- Available: By cell phone or IM most days
- Age: almost 26!
- Annoyance: When my sweet husband pushes my emotional buttons…rrrrrrr
- Animal: Giraffe. And puppy. Still claiming that Seth will buy me one for Christmas.
- Actor: Tom Hanks (even though he’s old)

B
- Birthday/Birthplace: Inauguration day!
- Best feeling in the world: Waking up next to the person I love the most. Every morning.
- Best weather: 82 degrees, sunny, slight breeze
- Been in Love:  yep.

C
- Car: Navy Blue Toyota Corolla
- Candy: Those cookies we ate at annie’s last night
- Color: Slate Blue
- Cried in school: Was I in theater? Ha. Ask anyone in high school.
- Chocolate/Vanilla: Depends. Dark chocolate or Very Vanilla
- Chinese/Mexican: PF Changs or Café Rio?

D
- Day or Night: Night. I like sleeping and not working.
- Dream vehicle: Ahhh. A Smart & Green(as in environment, not color) Car. Super Techy. No Gas.

E
- Eggs: Scrambled with cheese please!
- Eyes: Hazel.
- Ever failed a class: No!!!

F
- First crush: Shane Steel
- Full name: Jane Elizabeth Johnson (isn’t it weird there’s no Price there anymore?)
- Food: Yes please!

G
- Greatest Fear: Being alone or having my loved ones die. Let’s just say I couldn’t ever be Sydney Bristow.
- Goals: I need to get some. Right now it’s getting my stuff out of boxes so I can organize.
- Gum: You know what? I think it’s overrated. I prefer freshly brushed teeth. AND I’m ticked that they stopped selling the disposable finger tooth brushes (oral-b)
- Get along with your parents?: Yes!!!

H
- Hair Color: Dark Chocolate Brown
- Height: 5’3” forever, baby.
- Happy: Mostly yes!
- Holiday: Yes! I’m so excited about Christmas. Bring on Manheim Steamroller!
- How do you want to die: Quickly and before everyone else.
- Health freak?: Um nope.

I
- Ice Cream: Peppermint with Chocolate cookies.
- Instrument: You know, I think the Piano or Cello have to be the best.

J
- Jewelry: Wedding ring and band and the other band that I pretend Seth is getting me for Christmas, haha. Earrings sometimes, necklaces when my shirt neckline requires it
- Job: What job? Oh the one I’m at right now while I’m filling this out??? Hmmm…

K
- Kids: Babies? What? I love babies!
- Keep a journal?: Just emails and a blog, man.

L
- Longest Car Ride: The one I shared with 4,000 cockroaches across the continental US (try beating that people!)
- Love at first sight: Yeah, every time I saw a new boy in Colonial I thought I was in love! I have counted 5 specific journal entries that I was just sure I was going to marry ____________. Lol.

M
- Milk flavor: Very Vanilla from the BYU Creamery. Every M & W I’d get a very vanilla milk and a Grandma’s Lemon Cookie at BYU right before my family dynamics class
- Movie: Ever After
- Motion sickness? Seth says once I’m 26 I will get sick on roller coasters. We’ll see!

N
- Number of Siblings: 4 Sisters, 2 Brothers, 8 Brothers-In-Law, 6 Sisters-in-law. 7 Dogs-in-law
- Number of Piercings: One in each ear.

O
- Overused Phrases: Seriously.
- One wish: Insta 20 lb weight loss!
- One phobia: Car Accidents

P
- Place you’d like to live: I’ll get back to you.
- Perfect Pizza: 2 Amys.
- Pepsi/Coke: You know, I like both for different reasons.

Q
- Quail: this makes no sense. Stupid lack of Q words.

R
- Reason to cry: I usually don’t have to have a reason.
- Reality TV: Is totally fake, sadly! I’m a sucker for loving it anyway. (XOXO Tessa and Andy!)
- Radio Station: I don’t like the radio. That icky background noise gets to me.
- Roll your tongue in a circle? Yeah!

S
- Song: I don’t ever remember the name of it, but it’s by James Iha
- Shoe size: 7.5 or 8
- Salad Dressing: MMMM Poppyseed (the one with the peach on the front)
- Skipped school: Yes, Cameron Boyle would pick me up from Seminary during 4th hour and we’d go hang out with Brant. I also skipped AP History I think 14 times one trimester. I’m not sure what I did, but I'm sure I had permission from mom. I also was always 1 or 2 hours late to school in 2nd grade. I think I just liked sleeping in.
- Slept outside: Yes and I liked it.
- Seen a dead body? :(
- Smoked?: No, sicko.
- Sing well?: It comes and goes.
- Swear?: I prefer to spell the alternative words. For Example: “What the H-E-C-K is that?”
- Stuffed Animals?: I collect Giraffes. I’m comfortable with that.
- Single/Group dates: Group dates!!!! I love double dates and couple dates, they’re WAAAAAAY more fun.
- Strawberries/Blueberries: Both!

T
- Time for bed: 5 minutes after any movie starts
- Thunderstorms: So cool.
- TV: Will arrive on Monday. Yay!
- Touch your tongue to your nose?: Yes, more than just the tip in fact.

V
- Vegetable you hate: I don’t like canned veggies. Frozen or fresh, that’s all I’ll do.
- Vegetable you love: Asparagus!!!!!!!
- Vacation spot: Kauai

W
- Weakness: Emotional
- When you grow up: What?
- Which one of your friends acts the most like you: Mmmm depends. Probs Cara and I used to, but I don’t know that we could say that anymore. Seth mocks me by imitating me quite a bit, so we’ll say Seth so he will stop it!
- Worst feeling: Hurting someone’s feelings
- Wanted to be a model?: Mmm I am not photogenic (look at my shnoz)
- Where do we go when we die: Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell
- Worst weather: Cold and no shoes and socks and bitter windy chilly with lots of humidity. Ew.

X
-X-Rays: After I tested positive for TB! (I got to have it at the children’s hospital bc that’s where I worked, so I wore a mini-cover that didn’t quite cover everything!)

Y
-Year it is now: Almost 2009!

Z
- Zoo animal: Giraffe!!!
- Zodiac sign: Aquarius

What I DIDN'T eat!

I decided that with heathy's 10 day health punch, I'd keep a list of all the things that I thought about eating, but didn't. I thought it might make me happy to look back after ten days and see all the things that have kept my love handles from getting too lovable.

MONDAY:

--I didn't take the big cookies offered at lunch, even though they were mini-dark chocolate chip and super soft...

--I didn't eat the donut looming in front of my face at 1:30, even though it was offered to me.

--I didn't drink the soda at 3:00 during my typical "oh i really need a soda" break. Instead, I had some V8.

--I didn't eat oreos with dinner even though I REALLY wanted them

--I didn't buy Ice Cream at the store, and then I didn't eat it before I went to bed!

TUESDAY:

--I didn't get a peppermint soy hot cocoa this morning even though I REALLY wanted it a LOT.

--I didn't eat the day-old donuts that were leftover from yesterday when I didn't eat it yesterday.

--I didn't get a cookie at the little shop across the street when I was really craving one.

--No soda again today! Vitamin Water instead!!!!

--I only took a spoonful of ice cream at home instead of a bowl or scoop

--AND I didn't eat oreos with the ice cream

--AND I went running with Seth. AND I ran an extra lap to make up for the spoonful of ice cream

WEDNESDAY:

--I didn't get cookies for breakfast at the hot chocolate store, even when they offered me some when I decided it was worth it to get a peppermint soy hot cocoa (it's soy so it's less fat, right?)

--I didn't eat Donuts, staring me in the face. 8 times. Didn't eat even one piece.

--My boss has a candy jar in her office. For THREE DAYS I didn't take one piece. And they're the Treasures. And they are DARK CHOCOLATE. Do you know how much patience and restraint this takes me???? I'm tell you people, this is rough.
--I didn't drink Soda today! And only 1 vitamin water and 4 bottles of water.
--I didn't get frozen yogurt at lunch--instead I got a 6" veggie delight with fat free dressing, and apple slices.

--My drive home consisted of the following:
--Ooooooo Jack in the box milkshake!!! No!
--Oooooooo Jamba Juice!!! No!
--Oooo Carls Jr. Shake! No no!
--Another Jack in the box shake?? No, stop!!!
Sooooo, Seth and I went for a run and then ate pasta. I'm now plotting how big of a spoonful of icecream I can get and still report it on my blog as "not too much..." :(

I'll let you know how it goes!!

Ooooo Seth just said we could go get Pinkberry--laters!

Ashley's First Birthday CELEBRATION!

One of the biggest motivating factors for Seth and I to move to Los Angeles (and let's face it, the only thing that's keeping us here!) was being closer to family! I was SOOOOO excited when I heard that Jen was planning a birthday party for Ashley--and that WE were CLOSE ENOUGH to go!!!

This was the first time I have had the chance to meet Ashley, and only the Second time I've got to meet Samuel. They're ADORABLE. Samuel is SOOOO smart, and totally funny, and Ashley is seriously just darling and SOOO lovable. She totally looks like my Mom when Mom was little!

Here's our first meeting:


And with Uncle Seth:


And Here comes Samuel to Join the party!!!



The Party was amazing. Jen seriously is a professional party planner, complete with a custom birthday banner, a full out bbq, japanese lanterns, pinwheels for the kids, and THIS AMAZING CAKE!


Jen made this cake with a butterfly shaped pan and then they put the frosting on with a tip. Isn't that so cute?

Jen's friend took some pictures of the cake eating, which was SO cute. Ashley started with a few licks of frosting off her pointer finger, then slowly moved to picking at the cake, and then she discovered she could pick her nose with frosting still on it, and went to town!

I'm so glad that we got to go join the party. Hopefully we'll have the chance more and more to get to be a part of family celebrations!!

Kindness Spam

I love Heather and her blog "tags". When she asked me what she could call it that wasn't a "tag" I told her to call it SPAM. I thought it was so funny (even though it's not really...) but I also was really excited to do this SPAM!


--The people at Trader Joes are SOOO KIND! We were buying some artichokes for an artichoke dip (that was really yummy and I'm posting the recipe on the recipe blog) and they couldn't find the price, so they gave them to us for .99! And then when we were walking out i told the managers that they had the best customer service, and they all started cheering. The first time i ever went to Trader Joes in DC, the Manager came out and welcomed me to the store and told me she was thrilled that I came. TJ's has some nice people, people.

--The guy who fixed my car window on Tuesday was REALLY KIND. I was worried he was going to steal my car just a little bit because i had to pull it outside the secured parking lot, and then I had to give him my key. He kept assuring me "Do not be worried, I will take care of you and your car, i won't steal it or hurt it, i'm here to fix it!" And that he did. I felt bad that I was distrusting of him, I was just a little jumpy, but he was SOOOO nice in return and kept telling me that everything would be okay (even though i wasn't acting outwardly crazy or anything... :) ).

--Annie cut and colored my hair, and it looks fantastic! I know that Annie has busy days and has a baby to take care of, and that probably the last thing she wants to do is stand for three hours running her fingers through my hair. But she did anyway, because she's KIND. Twice! I love Annie, thanks!!!

--I'm so grateful for all the KIND comments on my blog. I am the worst at leaving comments because I just want to read read read, but it reminds me that little notes and comments mean the world to the blog writer. I mean, it's like validation of one's blogging skills, right? I'm glad for family & friends who provide that validation and support and KINDNESS, it really means a lot to me, thank you!!!!

--Along the same lines, I love the kindness of my friends and family who listen to me ramble in emails, text messages, phone calls, and in-person conversations. I know sometimes I'm a talker and say too much and babble about silliness, but i REALLY think it's a KIND thing when my Framily (that's friends and family) are there to listen and care

--Jamie Benefield, Move in Coordinator. She is really KIND to us. She's done everything she can to help us out in our new place, including a $50 gift card to apologize for all the inconveniences we've faced, and a $50 credit to our parking since we had to double pay this month. She has bent over backwards for us, and I think she's been really KIND.

I'm sure there are a million others, and I might just start making a list and post it later. I love remembering and thinking about all the KINDNESS in the world!!!

The one where they smashed our car window, or, Welcome to California

This morning, 7:09 AM (one minute before my alarm goes off...)

Repeated ringings of our doorbell. Sounds of security walkie-talkies.

Seth went and got the door, and all i heard was "car broken into"

Ironically, I wasn't mad, or panicked, or sad, or upset (i actually think i'm more upset about the fact that i lost and/or threw away our IKEA reciept, and we need to exchange something we got the wrong size of...boo!). I found a sweatshirt and shorts and red shoes and started to walk downstairs (notice: our bedroom is just that disorganized that it took me 14 minutes to find these mismatched items) right as seth was walking back in the door. Mr. Security Guard was right. Someone indeed smashed out our passenger window, stole my iPod and our radio iPod converter (do they call those iCars?) and shuffled through everything else. We don't think we left anything else in the car...so hopefully that's all mr/ms. ipod stealer took. I guess they broke into another car right in front of our house, so it wasn't just us. Ironically, they left the beemer next to us perfectly in tact...I guess they recognize unsecured cars. :(

It's kind of funny to me how ever since we left Virginia (literally) so many things have not gone our way. I guess I thought if anything like this kept on happening that somehow I'd be upset or down about it, but I'm in a better mood than i've been in a long time! Hey, new iPod, right? That's something to look forward to! Also, i got an iPod iCar thing from mom and dad last year for christmas, and have been saving it for a rainy day, and that day has come!!! Also, since we live in a gated community, the management may pay for some of the things we lost, you know, since they aparently weren't patrolling in our corner very well last night. So all in all, not bad!!

I should also mention that last night when we got home, we had a gift card from our apartment management to the grove, with an apology note for so many things being wrong with our apartment. I thought it was so nice of them. One of the girls, Jamie, has especially been helpful and we're really grateful for her. Sometimes there are just little angels among us who really take care of us and make us feel better. :)

Sooooo, all day i've been trying to imagine some kind of california thug, driving around in his car listening to my choice of music: The Sound of Music, Brigadoon, Harry Potter book on iPod, or HSM I & II. Which do you think he'll choose?

Mom's First Manicure!

When we were in Arizona for the reception, Mom and I went to get manicures! Seth took this picture on his phone, and just sent it to me. I love it!!! Wanted to share....

Theraflu

Seth and I have been sick for a whole week!!! Seth started getting sick before the Buddy Walk on Saturday, and it got worse and worse until Wednesday we called Nurse Amy & Dr. Wade, and then went straight to Urgent Care. At Urgent Care I started feeling worse and worse (I was on the edge as it was) and Thursday I was sick sick sick. Work doesn't give sick days for the first 90 days of working, so I toughed it out, even though my bosses were willing to let me go if I needed to. I was sick as could be on thursday night, but work up friday well enough to go to work. I made it through friday, and then yesterday lost it again (literally...haha). Seth is better now, (YAY!) and I think if i lay low the rest of today I'll be on the mend, too.

Soooo, in honor of being sick, I thought I'd dedicate a post to my favorite and preferred medicine. I didn't take any theraflu until this morning, but boy am I sure glad I did!! Something about warm lemony goodness makes my heart happy, and the medicine just hits the spot. Thanks, Theraflu!



It seems like tis' the season for sickness--no fun! Stock up on Theraflu, friends. You won't be disappointed!

Hollywood

When we first moved here, seth and I hiked up to the hollywood sign. We hiked up the wrong mountain, so this is as close as we got!!!


Seth laughs at me whenever I have this "smile". I don't know where it comes from, really. I kind of am starting to like it simply because its so ridiculous.

Buddy Walk!

This last weekend Seth and I drove to Arizona for the Buddy Walk!! For those of you that don't know, Seth's mom Gina runs a non profit for families who have children with Down Syndrome (Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona). Every year they host the Buddy Walk, which is their primary fundraiser and CELEBRATION for families and friends.

The day started out early--we showed up at about 7:30 AM to a park that was already full of volunteers, tents, workers, and families preparing for the 1/2 mile walk and festival! DJ Ron helped everyone get their groove on with some line dances before the walk, and then we lined up, got our pictures with the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, and went on our way!

It is so fun to see all the families who made tshirts for everyone honoring their child(ren). And of course, it's fun to see Gina running around greeting all of her friends. She really has made such a difference in the lives of so many people! CJ was the volunteer coordinator extraordinaire and did so much to make the volunteer campaign run smoothly! I love watching the Johnsons all work together to make things happen :)

After the walk, we got to explore the rest of the Buddy Walk. Annie's sister Katie was helping with the face painting, and drew some beautiful ladybugs all up Emmy's arm. She offered to draw a cockroach on me, but somehow we ran out of time! There were booths for everything! They had free cotton candy, snow cones, ice cream, jamba juice, hamburgers and hotdogs from Charlestons, face painting, coloring, bean bag tosses, cake walks....and even the big blow up trampoline things!! It was pretty much a huge carnival and big day of family fun!!!

David, Seth's brother, is pretty much hilarious. He had a little "camp" set up by the stage with his guitar, about five changes of clothes, food, snacks, and a blanket. He changed his shirt for the different activities (i.e. he put on his boy scout shirt during the pledge of allegiance). His latest nickname for me is "Aye-aye, Skipper" (as he salutes me).

Every year Sharing celebrates an outstanding citizen. This year Sandra won the award! Sandra is an amazing 53 year old woman. A few years ago she was on vacation with her parents in Oklahoma, and a robber held them up at gunpoint. Later that night, he robbed and murdered two other people. When the police were working on the report, they connected these two incidents, and discovered that Sandra would be able to identify the robber, since she got a good look at him and they were able to leave unharmed from the robbery. The police flew her back to Oklahoma to testify, and because of her accurate identification, the man recieved his proper sentence. Sandra was so cute and happy! Her mom was also one of the ladies who lobbied for the first act that has led to people with disabilities full inclusion in schools, so she was honored, too.

I'm so glad we got to go and see what the Buddy Walk is all about--it was a fantastic day!!!

Move, check!

Well, today and tonight we successfully moved a majority of our stuff into the new apt. It feels nice to have things moved. Of course, everything is in the middle of the floor until the apartment management cleans (of course they forgot to clean!) We're working out a few more "issues" (like our queen box spring doesn't fit up the stairs and they didn't inform us of that fact until AFTER we'd signed the lease. sigh.) but I think overall we're gunna make it (gunna make it....gunnnnnnna make it, gunnnnna make it... gunna make it gunna make it gunnamakeit--name that show, anyone?)

Thank you SOOOOOO much to Luke and to Heather (of Tom & Heather our ward friends) for coming to help us move and lift our spirits!!! We appreciate you so much!!!!

This move was A BAJILLION times better than our PREVIOUS move. We truly couldn't have made that last move without the support and love from Family--thanks to many tearful phone calls to Mom&Dad, Siblings, In-Laws, & friends, we made it through.

Organize!

This post is proof that I am a nerd.

I used to ask people on first dates (you know, to show that i was deep and had thoughtful questions) "What are you passionate about?" I got mixed responses, and they were often very telling about a person. In turn, most people would ask me the same question. Sometimes I had a response, other times I drew a blank. In general, though, I would say I'm passionate about the Gospel, about Living Life to its fullest, about Having No Regrets, about Telling People I like/love Them, about Being Full of Integrity....the list could go on and on.

This week, however, I think I could unequivocally say that I am passionate about Organizing.

When we first moved to Los Angeles, Seth and I went to the Container Store and went crazy organizing things. We got these awesome DVD binders that save us so much space--like three boxes worth of space.














And we got Slimline hangers (Thanks Jenny & Mel for the suggestion!). My collection of clothes has trimmed down considerably thanks to wonderful friends (cough. Julie. cough.) who can convince me to purge my "oldies" or "uglies" or "I just don't wear these". BUT, I still needed more closet space and these have done wonders. Seriously, more than twice as many clothes fit in my closet now.













I'll spare you the details of all the other space saving things we got--we seriously spent two hours at the store trying to decide the best way to organize shoes, bags, q-tips, socks.... (plug for awesome husband Seth who actually cares about these things with me, or at least fakes it really well).

I LOVE feeling organized. It's so empowering. I feel like I can go out and feel absolutely an unequivocally clean, neat, tidy, and germ-free (isn't it funny how if something is in a neat stack it doesn't seem germy?)

SOOOO, this week was possibly a dream week. I started my new job, and my bosses both LOVE organization. They have electronic file systems, so we scan documents in, file them electronically, and then except for a select few documents, we can just throw the document away. It is FANTASTIC.

Also, one of my bosses likes neat and tidy binders for the information we save, and the last admins weren't so good at tabs and organized binders, so I was tasked with re-doing all of the binders to look professional, neat, and tidy. Ohhh it was bliss!!! Seriously, to get paid to re-tab a binder to be color coordinated is like a working mecca for me! (especially when i don't have to buy the supplies!)

With another move this week, I've been really excited to organize some more of our "stuff" and purge even more. If you get a phone call soliciting advice about purging or organizing, don't be surprised! :) (or if you'd like to just offer advice here, I'm ready to hear it!)

Apartment Hunt

So the past few weeks Seth and I have been on an apartment hunt. We scour neighborhoods, call a million signs, drop by to see places, hear of places from our friends, you name it, we've done it! This weekend, we decided that our hunt was over and we signed a lease on a 2 bedroom apartment just a few blocks away from where we're living now. It's in what we like to think of as a military base (just because it has it's own grocery store, movie theater, gym, conference room, cafe, movie rental place, and it's all gated) but it looks similar to the Truman Show. They may or may not have filmed the Truman Show at our apartment--a million little "garden style" houses that all look exactly alike. [sigh]

So here's what I'm excited about! Hard wood floors, two stories, two bedrooms, garbage disposal (You'd be SHOCKED at how many places do not offer a garbage disposal!), granite counter tops, dish washer, patio, walk in closet, and new carpet on the stairs! We're really glad that we were able to get a 2 bedroom so that we can always have company. I'm even thinking of getting a pack and play so that we're a fully baby friendly household.

Here's our floor plan:


And now, for the first time ever, Seth and I get to decorate! We're going to have to buy furniture (aka, a bed, couch, desk, and dining room table) and paint and buy rugs and lamps--ahhh!! We're going to be on a budget. Any good tips? Where do you like to shop for furniture? What do you recommend we get/skip on? What is "worth it" and what is "not worth it"? Can't wait to hear from you!

Penelope

Sorry about the advertisement......it's worth waiting 30 seconds for the clip though!

So I've been meaning to post this for months. Seth and I think it's so funny. We often will just be talking in the car and all the sudden go into "Penelope" voice for 10 minutes at a time.
I'm sure we've all met "Penelope" in our lives, and probably at times we've individually felt like "Penelope". While I'm sure no one could ever top the actual Penelope, when I was in Denver for the convention, I met someone who came REALLY CLOSE. She was a friend of my coworker's and she seriously popped out of nowhere all week and would come and talk to us, telling us about all the parties she'd been invited to, how her job was just a little bit better, a little more stressful, a little more important, even a little bit more money....oh it was ridiculous. I laughed every time she came by, and the last time we saw her I think I accidentally said "Hi Penelope" instead of her real name (which was like Olive or something...)

Here's to penelope!!!

Puppy

I really really really really want this puppy. She's only 30 OZ and she's 5 inches tall. And she's potty trained! Isn't she adorable?

Hollywood sightings of Seth & Jane, or Jeth, or Sane, whichever you prefer

Last week Seth and I went to a taping of the Craig Fergusen show at CBS Studios (just down the street from us!) As luck would have it, we made it on TV...we're at the bottom right corner when they pan back to the warm-up guy! And no, i don't normally have nasty hair like that....



and...if it's not working go here

Seth and I are Stars! We've Made It!

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A Good Day! (Finally!)

Seth and I were so excited to have a good day today. It was good, in part, because we got out of the house 3 times (THREE TIMES, you say? Well, it's a big deal for us lately...) and we weren't just on our computers and phones all day hunting for jobs.

This morning Seth had an interview in downtown LA that we went to, and then phone interviews in the early afternoon, and then I had an interview in Century City later in the day. Everything looks promising and we should know by the end of the week if we've officially got jobs (yay!). All our interviews were really a boost of confidence, and we were so glad, especially because last night I prayed so hard that we would remember to be confident in our abilities and that our skills would show. I scored 85 WPM on an official typing test, and I wasn't even going as fast as I could because I was trying super hard to be accurate (which I guess paid off too). Seth spoke in some stellar Japanese during his phone interview to native Japanese speakers, and they were impressed with him, and really liked him! (My favorite part was when they asked him if he was "an LDS", and if he would be offended if they drank coffee in front of him at work. They're just such a considerate group of people!)

SOOOOOO, at the end of the "work day" today, Seth and I were feeling great. It's not like it's been awful or anything the other days, but by 5 or 6 we've kind of been bummed and mulling over what we should do. I was so glad that things started looking up for both of us and that Heavenly Father could answer our prayers so that we could feel better about everything!

THEN, to make the day even better, we got to go meet up with Mom's best friend from growing up Kathleen Nielsen. I just love her, she's so funny and fun. We went to Tito's Tacos in Culver City, which is where they used to take the Youth after going to the Temple. It's totally authentic Mexican food, so it was so fun to get together, enjoy a taco, and just chat for a few hours. Kathleen is so nice, we were so glad to get to spend time with her.

Anyway, sorry no pictures, some to come later!

MANY THANKS

Seth and I can't let any more time go by without thanking everyone for their help on our move. We had so many "Angels" who took care of us, from the time we decided to move, to packing up in DC, to staying with old roommates before we left, to driving across the country and staying with Amy & Wade & Kids (complete with a FUN trip to the Dairy!), in two hotels, with Mom and Dad (where we were treated like king and queen, complete with robes and steak dinner!) to the time we arrived in Los Angeles and were saved by the Johnsons, and for all the help unpacking. Thanks everyone!

I also would like to thank everyone for the countless ears of lended support as I called, cried, vented, sobbed, you name it! It is so nice to have validation and love from all our dear friends and family! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

Los Angeles Updates!

Well, we made it to Los Angeles a week ago today! The last week has had its stresses and it's had its triumphs, but looking back at everything, I'm glad that we're here in LA, in this beautiful home! We've met a lot of neighbors already, and they're all fantastic!
Last night Seth and I went out for our two month anniversary to Terroni's, an Italian restaurant that's just a block away. They have margharita pizza that's about the same as Pizzeria Paradisio--Meaning, not QUITE 2 Amys but enough to satisfy my craving. Then we walked another block down to The Grove (outdoor mall). It's so alive and fun at night, even if we were just window shopping. We even ran into our neighbor Alicia so we could feel like we were a real part of the community :)
We then went to PinkBerry, and got the YUMMIEST yogurt ever in the world. It's a plain tart frozen yogurt with whatever fruit you can imagine on top. It SERIOUSLY is just my favorite. They had similar yogurt at Sweet Green in Georgetown in DC, and it was my lunch on many occasions. PinkBerry is famous here, so I shouldn't compare it to DC, but I guess to me it's combining a taste of home with a new LA treat.
Today we're going to the beach as soon as seth finishes studying his Japanese. I think I can handle this lifestyle... :)
More Later!

Sigh....Going Private.

I knew it would come eventually, but everytime anyone else does it, I get really really really sad about it.

Sorry faithful googlereader bloggers. I might at some point make myself public again, but for now we just decided that we'll go private for awhile and see how it works out.

Friends, exes, family, stalkers, you know the drill. If you want to see the rest of our wedding pictures and our new adventures in Los Angeles, just leave a comment with email address (I won't publish if you don't want).

Catch you on the flip side!!!

New York, Baby!

So a few weeks ago Seth and I were thinking of moving to New York (for a few months, and then moving to L.A.) so we decided to take a trip up there to check it out. Mid-week, we decided that we couldn't afford to live in NYC, so we almost cancelled the trip. Then I realized if we were moving, we wouldn't be able to see Ryan and Lauren for a long long long time and we wouldn't have our last little weekend trip to New York (closure to the east coast living). So we took the bus up and spent an awesome weekend with Ryan and Lauren.

Okay, timeout. Seth and I are STILL talking about how amazing Ryan and Lauren's house is. To see pictures, you can go to their blog: http://woodyoureadthis.blogspot.com/2008/06/real-estate-express.html
It's AMAZING. And HUGE for New York. We are still just amazed at it.

Time in. So we took the bus up, and got into Washington Heights at about 1 AM. We sat around and talked for a bit, then rested up for our big day on Saturday!! Instead of hitting the normal stops, we decided to go down to ground zero and battery park and see the Stanton Island Ferry and the Statue of Liberty. It was so fun to see a different part of NYC! We ate lunch at this amazing place that had the most AWESOME onion strings ever. Who ever thought that onion rings would be better than onion STRINGS? I submit we should revolutionize the world and provide these onion strings in every restaurant in the world. Mmmmm. I can't even find a picture to do these justice. Mmmmmmm.

Lauren and I really really really wanted to go to Serendipity, and I think it was "Serendipitous" that we went down there, even when we ended up not eating there. Sigh. See, as we were on our way, we passed "American Kennels", a famous dog and cat store. We looked in the window and saw the cutest little mini Yorkie, which I temporarily declared I wanted. We then walked in the store. Lauren said "ohhh look at her!" and I turned and saw.....the MOST adorable little mini toy white adorable chihuahua in the world. I'm not one to use "Cute" and "Chihuahua" in the same sentence, but if you would have seen this doll, you would have said the same. She looked at me, turned her head to the side, and kind of spit her tongue out a little. I was in love.

Lauren is braver than I am, so she asked if she could hold her. Once I saw her holding (okay, Ryan named her LuLu) LuLu, I couldn't take it. I had to hold her. Lauren handed her over and little 3 lb LuLu cuddled up on my chest and fell fast asleep. I teared up. I REALLY had to have her. I turned to Seth with my puppy dog eyes and asked if we could get her. Seth is so cute, of course he said "Yes Janey, if you really want her we can get her!" (he's so nice!) so I turned to the man at the desk and asked how much......

$2300. It was devastating. I mean, how can you say "oh, i won't buy the only dog i've ever loved who totally loves me and cuddles with me and makes my heart sing with joy, because she's just too darn expensive" HELLO!!!! One CANNOT equate love and money. I was so torn. We held her and debated forever (sorry Ryan and Lauren!) and finally left the store to "think about it". We debated for hours, and finally decided not to.

Suffice it to say that for the next week I was talking non stop about LuLu, crying at night and dreaming about her and how much I wanted her. And I called the store three times to see if she was still there. She was every time, but they wouldn't come down on the price nor be nice on the phone, and poor customer service is the biggest turnoff to me. So....then we decided to move to LA anyway, and seriously, how in the world could we move with a little 3 month old (potty trained, i might add, LuLu was just perfect) puppy across the country when we hardly knew how to move ourselves? Sigh....so I hope LuLu went to an awesome upper-east side billionaire family who loves her and feeds her thousand dollar dog food and holds her all day long. She'll be happy there.

Okay, so back to New York. The four of us FINALLY got a picture together!!!



YAY! This is in central park on a pretty bridge. Right after our husbands bought us THIS:



That's right. Cotton Candy. How could a day get better?

Ohhh, let me TELL YOU how a day can get better!!!! Actually, let me SHOW YOU:



YUMMY CUPCAKES!!! That's an oreo and a raspberry swirl. They were DELICIOUS.

After cupcakes, Lauren had to go work (boo) so we went back to the apartment and the guys played Mario Cart:



And Ryan IMed with Lauren on their iPhones (because they've got 3Gs!) Ryan works for the Apple Store on 5th Ave, so he gots the hookups. They were the first two people in new york to have the new iPhones, cool huh?



Ohhh, also on Saturday we WENT to 5th Avenue to Window shop. We went to Tiffany & Co. and saw the coolest thing...it's a PURE gold SCARF...made out of gold chain link meshy stuff...



It seriously feels like silk, but is totally heavy. It's so cool, and also the most odd thing ever. Lauren tried it on, and it actually looked cool on. We stood and gawked at it for a good 15 minutes. Lauren, just wait for Christmas, you might have a surprise under the tree, haha!

Mmmm So this post is getting long, sorry!

Anyway, so then on Sunday morning we went to Ryan and Lauren's ward. It was so funny, while we were in the foyer, Brian Gee walked past!! We ran around to the other side of the church to talk to him. He's getting married pretty soon to a totally cute girl who is also an actress! Fun times, having three people from Sugar City standing in a chapel on the Upper West Side in New York City. Ahhh the directions life takes us.

After church and yummy turkey Sandwiches, Seth and I took off for DC again. It was SUCH a fun trip. New York is definitely one of my favorite busy cities, and hopefully we'll go back soon!! Thanks for fun couples trip Ryan and Lauren!!!

The Democratic National Convention

I feel like I'm posting backwards because I have so much to catch up on, but I just have to post things as they're coming to be because...well because life is crazy and it's one of the few times in my life where I've felt more disorganized than ever (but still holding it together, thank goodness!). SO bear with me...or just don't read...this one is kind of silly.

Right now I'm at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO. It's INTENSE man. We got here Saturday night, and we're here until Friday. It's been a growing experience for me. I am still surprised at the things I've faced, but it's been good for me personally and professionally.

A few highlights. Sunday Night we got to go to the NDI Opening Reception and hear Howard Dean, Madeline Albright, Nancy Pelosi, Ken Wollack, & Mr. Stanford speak. Also, Sunday was quite possibly the most stressful day of my life. LOST IT at the end of the day and called my sweet husband to wake him up at 2 AM his time to cry to him. I love that guy.

Monday was relatively stress free. Still worked super duper hard, just knew more what to expect. Went to some panels, listened to some great speakers. My favorite was Katty Kay. She's just so cute. (BBC News Correspondent). I think my other favorite quote had to do with the public not supporting a VP nomination for Hillary for fear of having three presidents in the white house, and America can hardly handle one. Haha, funny News Man.

Also, on Monday, while running an errand, I saw this:


That would be the riot cavalry. Most of the riot police ride on trucks around the city all day, just waiting to surround protesters. These guys were coming in AFTER the riot police to clear out the crowds that stopped, trying to figure out who was protesting what, and why the riot police had their sticks out like there was a war to be fought. Ahhh, the safety precations we take for free speechers. :)

Mmmm which brings us to today. This morning I got to see Bill Clinton speak on a panel with the former presidents of 10 other countries, introduced by Jack Staley and Madeline Albright. It was quite an amazing experience. Here, I was about 20 feet away from former Pres. Clinton. Later, I was 5 feet away.



Then comes the best part. Went to pick up some credentials, which happened to be inside the Pepsi Center. And since I was there to pick up the credentials, I got to run down with one of the passes just to get a glimpse of it all.

Ironic, the words on the stage at the time of picture taking. (Seth pointed that out....he loves it and said he's pasting it to my checkbook). But Seriously, like 20 feet from the podium? Kind of crazy and unreal! (I can honestly say I NEVER once thought in my life that I would set foot inside a convention, but it was still awesome)

Mmmm so then I walked past the CNN booth and Wolf Blitzer looked at me. Seriously, we made eye contact. He wears a lot of makeup for TV. But so does Anderson Cooper, and on TV they both look normal, so I'm not going to complain.

SOOOOOOOO, anyone who made it through this post deserves a prize...a little random, I know. But hey, that's what blogs are for, right?? Can everyone pray that I make it until Friday??

Beverly Hills, that's where we want to be!!

Drumroll.....

So this sign is going to become a permanent fixture in the window of our new apartment!! That's right friends, Seth and I are moving to Los Angeles, CA!!!!

Just a few minutes ago, we confirmed (thank you Luke!) our housing in a little neighborhood right between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Aparently the neighborhood is fantastic, safe, and full California fun.

I just started writing about all the great things that have come from us living in DC, but I need to save it for another post because there's far too much to write AND I just started tearing up, and I've GOT to hold it together, haha. (yeah, right, i'm really good at that!).

Hugh's Retirement Party

So a few months ago, my boss, Hugh Feehan, unexpectedly retired! While it was a shock to all of us, it was a decision that Hugh made and I think all in all it's been good for him--I mean who WOULDN'T enjoy retired life!!! (I'm considering it in the next few months...errr...years) :) I really miss him--he's the nicest man. When I first met him I called dad and told him that he reminded me of a mixture of Santa Clause and Roy Rogers. He's just so friendly and fun and thoughtful. I'm glad I had the chance to work with him and begin to gain an understanding of the Investment world. (mixture of friendships, relationships, politics, and playing your cards right...)

The best part about it all is that SGC threw him a retirement party that was fantastic!!!! I wish I could have taken pictures of all the food--from a Crabcake bar, to a create your own ceasar salad, to seth's favorite ever jumbo cajun shrimp, the empanadas, the beef tenderloin, the grilled veggies...mmmm mmmm mmm.

Here we are with Hugh!
And Hugh's Speech:
Note the globe next to him. His retirement gift that said "May all your circumnavigations end at home"
Heidi, party planner extraordinaire, giving her speech
And Ed Garlich, the founder of WRG and one of my favorite people ever!
And this is seth's impression of my fake smile. He does a good impression! :)

Haircut!!!

My Hairs are all Cut and I think I lost 4 pounds! (um seriously)

Just a little background....

Oh about two years ago my hair stylist Meredith helped me make the decision to grow my hair out. I was nervous but excited with the thought--and in the back of my mind thought it would be so fun to have long hair for the wedding. Well, my hair got SUPER long in two years time, and when Seth and I got engaged I was so excited to be able to have uber long hair for our wedding. About a month later I got so excited that AFTER the wedding I could cut it! AND, bonus, it was long enough that I could donate it!

At this point, I had started getting my hair cut by my long time friend from high school, DJ Miller (Now he goes by Del). He's the head stylist at the Aveda Salon on Pentagon Row. It's so fun every time I go in because we get to catch up on all the Sugar City life, and we can talk about our lives now! It's like a blast from the past every time i go in, i love it.

Okay, so last night I asked Seth to take a picture of my long hair one more time....


And then today I brought him in to tape Del cutting it off. We cut off about 8 inches, and still had plenty for the style! Here's the video!


And the finished product! (Okay so i had just woken up from a little nap, so my bangs are a little slicked back...normally they fall just like the picture...)
Couple Shot!

And Another!


Me with my Julies, who came to dinner tonight. She's on a medical BRAT diet (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, & Toast) so we had a dinner of RICE BALLS with BANANAS in the Middle with some APPLESAUCE drizzle. It was tasty, thanks for coming over Julies!!! :)

Pretending to be seductive, hee hee.

What about Bob

This is how my hair looks today:


And this is how it should look tomorrow:


And this is why:


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