december

as seems to happen more and more, december just seemed to slip away when i wasn't looking.

it started with the final planning and execution of my last event of the year -- our biannual all employee meeting.  with a few added elements, this was our most 'complicated' employee meeting yet, and, to add insult to injury, i was also tasked with presenting.

those who know me well know that speaking in front of people is my all-time greatest fear. it's a nausea inducing fear that i try to avoid at all costs.  not to mention that there were a thousand moving parts (usually by me) that had to be handled while i was supposed to be on the stage in front of my 500 co-workers.  

the good news is that it all went off without a hitch.  and, i even learned yesterday that in the post-event survey sent to employees, my presentation ranked the highest of the event.  while i'm pleased and grateful for the result, i'm mostly just glad it's over!

fortunately the first couple of weeks weren't all fear and nausea.  my friend vicki invited me to join her at a minor league hockey game, where i had my first 'up against the glass' experience.

and i joined my roommate and another friend in los angeles for las posadas on olvera street.  not only was this my first time using the metro here (i still can't believe there is one), but it was also an interesting educational experience.  the event commemorates the journey of mary and joseph from nazareth to bethlehem, and their search for shelter. there were pinatas, and nativities, and singing. and, there were churros.  i don't know that i would do it again, but it was a new an interesting experience.

only a couple of days after my big work event, i headed to savannah, georgia.  

in november, i received a job offer from a company based there.  the offer was completely unexpected and created a lot a lot of internal conflict.  on one hand, i would really like to be back east, closer to my family.  on the other, i just wasn't sure savannah would be a good fit for me.  

my long weekend there was a bit of a rough one (travel problems, terrible weather), but ultimately it confirmed what i had already begun to feel. the job would have been a good fit, as would most of the people. but the city...is great for being a tourist in, but not to live in. at least not for me.  

the decision was not an easy one, and it occupied the majority of my free-thinking time in november and early december.  but turning it down also made me realize that i'm not ready to leave california just yet.  and there is a certain peace in that.

only a few days after returning from georgia, i was back on the east coast.  only this time, it was to meet my brand new niece and spend the week with my family.  

usually my visits home involve a lot of going and seeing. visiting with old friends, undertaking various activities.  this trip though, we all just kind of hunkered down and spent the week with each other. and it was perfectly lovely.

it nearly kills me to have say goodbye each time, and i still wish i could snuggle in with the new baby, but i was back just before new year's to celebrate in california for the first time.  

despite my reservations, i opted for the big local mid-singles celebration. and, while i have nothing exciting to report, it was an enjoyable evening spent with friends, which is really all i could ask for. 

back at work now i'm trying to get up to full speed preparing for my biggest conference of the year, while managing a nasty sinus infection.  

at this rate i have a feeling that my next post will appear in february and i'll be talking about how quickly january flew by.  seems to just be the way things go these days!

12 days

in the summer of 2012, my mom's side of the family had a big reunion -- our first in more than ten years.  it was an awesome weekend that provided a lot of opportunities to 'get to know' these extended family members -- some of whom were very young the last time i saw them.

one such example was my cousin wyatt, who was 7 or 8 (to my 25 or 26) at our last reunion. it was a neat experience to get to know him a little as a young adult and i was even a bit surprised at just how connected i felt to him and vice versa.  over the course of the long weekend, he felt more like a little brother than a cousin i hadn't seen in a decade.

shortly after our reunion, he departed on an lds mission for our church.  i had every intention of being a great letter writer and staying in touch, keeping up with his adventures in the mission field. but, as sometimes happens, i have fallen miserably short of those intentions.  with the holidays approaching, i have felt like i have some catching up to do (18 months later!), so i decided to send a '12 days of christmas' care package.  full disclosure, it has not actually been sent yet. i just completed it today, so here's hoping i can motivate myself to the finish line.

it was a fun process for me, finding the scriptures and coordinating items, designing and creating the tags... i found myself trying to imagine his response to each of the items (and which ones will elicit the most surprised laughter), and i hope that at the very least, the package serves as a reminder that his much older mostly non-communicative cousin has been keeping him in her prayers.

if you're interested, the full list is (and there is no rhyme or reason to the order):

1st day - swedish fish
jeremiah 16:16 - behold, i will send for many fishers, saith the lord, and they shall fish them; and after will i send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks

2nd day - shout pen/wipes
psalms 35:27 - let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, let the lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

3rd day - flashlight
acts 13:47 - for so hath the lord commanded us, saying, i have set thee to be a light of the gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

4th day - candy canes
1 nephi 8:19 - And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

5th day - calendar
alma 34:32 - for behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet god; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

6th day - gummi worms
d&c 111:11 - therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and i will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them. amen.

7th day - something you suck on
mosiah 4:16 - and also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

8th day - cheerios
d&c 68:6 - wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for i the lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even jesus christ, that i am the son of the living god, that i was, that i am, and that i am to come.

9th day - socks
isaiah 52:7 - how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that publisheth salvation

10th day - chapstick
proverbs 20:15 - there is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

11th day - hand sanitizer
psalms 24:4 - he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

12th day - tums
d&c 9:8 - But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

thankful

thanksgiving can be a difficult holiday for me.  i lost my dog cyra on my first thanksgiving here in california, and, with only a couple of exceptions, have spent most of them (since i moved here) flying solo.  it always seems to be a reminder that my family is far away.

this would be the year to change all that, however!  my cousin and her family recently moved to las vegas from utah.  initially, i thought this would just help make my dreaded work trips there a little sweeter, but i didn't realize there would be a holiday bonus as well!

laurie and her husband shawn were hosting thanksgiving for her siblings and their families, and were kind enough to invite me to join them.  i just couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the holiday with so many people i love.

the long weekend consisted of everything a good thanksgiving SHOULD consist of; great food, great conversation, games, movies, sleeping in, staying up too late, pool and hot tub time (i mean, it's vegas after all), and a 15 passenger van.

growing up, i only saw these cousins about once every other year, but i have always felt a deep connection and abiding love for them.  they are people who i would choose to spend time with even if we weren't related, and based on some of the families i know, that is the highest praise i can give.

facelift

if you've been catching up on the blog using a feed reader, it might be worth taking a look at the actual blog for  a minute.  it's got a new look and i think it's super great and want you to see it :D

home

it seems like i was just bidding adieu to october and already november is coming to a close.

that means i am also celebrating six months in my new home, and it was brought to my attention recently that i haven't said much about this year's move, nor have i provided photos of the 'final' result of all those pinterest pins i posted in my 'moving' album.

the truth is that though there were some groan-worthy transitions that resulted from my moving 15 miles up the road (an hour and a half commute and street parking, mostly), it has been a wonderful change.  i'm happier than i would have thought, to be out of orange county and now in los angeles county, and  i'm happy with the space itself (it FEELS homey).  but mostly i'm happy that my friend, comic-con buddy, and regular partner in crime, makes a perfect roommate for me.

in the six months i have lived in the home she now owns, there has never been an unkind word, an unmet expectation, a moment of awkwardness, or a boundary crossed.  i consider it a near miracle and a great blessing to somehow have naturally achieved that balance between having our own space and solitude and enjoying the interactions we share (although she almost spoiled a walking dead episode for me recently, and that might have done our friendship in!). ;)

so, without further delay, photos of what my neighbor literally referred to as 'the pinterest room'.  little does she know!

let me first give you a rough idea of the layout:

this is the view from the living room.  to the right, behind the coat rack, is the front door.  the open door on the right is one of the two into my bedroom.  to the left of the book case (yes, jami and i both really love to read!) is the dining area, and the open doorway is a small hallway. straight through is my bathroom (also the guest bathroom). there is a door to the left of the hallway that is the guest room/den, and to the right, the other door to my bedroom.

so, moving to my room:

i wanted a 'chill area'.  my bedroom is a good size with a lot of natural light and i tend to hide out a bit when i'm home.  instead of a dresser, i've opted to put my clothes and such in baskets.  there is a lot of mix and match going on, but i love it.  i also love my chair (from overstock.com), and the light gray button details are a perfect match for my target storage ottoman.  the lamps are another fun touch that i'm enjoying.

a couple of things i'll point out... first, you'll notice my scratch-off travel map on the wall, surrounded by vinyl paper airplanes.  it speaks to my current lifestyle, highlighting travel in a whimsical way.  at least - that's the goal.  fortunately (or unfortunately) i usually only get out of the country once a year, so it won't be too much of a pain to pull the map out of the frame!

it took me a loooong time to decide on what i wanted above my bed.  i'm still not entirely sure if i've really committed to that, though i do like these faux window frames.  only problem is deciding what to put in them. if i can find my old-old passport, i might blow up the stamped pages.  i think that might be a fun personal touch, which also happens to compliment the decor colors.

in general, i like details. things other people might not even notice, but that jump out at me and make me smile. these are some of my favorites:

light switches, 'bulletin boards', pillows, and instax photo displays (this one is a magnetic board covered in the same fabric as the throw pillows on my bed), all make for a slightly different take on the 'norm'.

so, there you have it (melissa)!  any questions?