celebrate life

I wore green today because I got new shirt that happened to be green. Everyone that I was wearing it because it was earth day.
So here I am to share a few sites to celebrate the earth!
Household Items

Getting rid of junk mail



I also would like to give a big congratulation to my sister and her husband. They are new proud parents to a beautiful baby girl, Addison Cambria.


I spent the weekend over there visiting my little niece. She has the family chin that is for sure. Butt chin! Good thing my dad is so excited about being a grandpa or pappy as we are calling him, he is the reason for the chin.
Congrats John and Kim!

Please consider...

One of my colleagues told me that I should put, Please consider the environment before printing this email. as part of my signature. I agreed but because I am a designer she said that I need to have a photo of a tree. I have to make sure I do not use copy-righted images so I drew one in Photoshop.
Here is my tree.

Not to shabby for my first time with Ink. Although there is no ground and the trunk is a bit fat and awkward.
It does make you think though. I usually have to print sample, as I do mostly print pieces. The recycling bin always has more in it than the trash. To me that is a good thing.
Now if I could only recycle my snotty tissues that I have been filling the trash with the past week. Although, I would not want the job of sorting through snotty tissues in the recycling center. As long as you do not use Kimberly-Clark products (Kleenex, Scott, most large places TP and paper towels). Check out Greenpeace about how she refuses to use recycled paper in her products.
In other news. I went to my first ASU sporting event tonight. It was a men's basketball game. I did not wear gold. I did a small amount of clapping. My first event was after I had graduated. I suppose I held off enough of the time. Did I mention that it welcomed me on the jumbotron? Well faculty and staff.

Earth Hour

Check out this site.
http://www.earthhour.org/

I think that it is a great idea to turn everything off for an hour. It seems so hard to do at times. Something I know I do way to often is leave my computer on sleep, or leave a light on when no one is home. There are so many ways that each person can save.
Reduce, reuse, recycle.

I am always attempting to reduce. I have started to take shorter showers, which isn't easy every morning. I also am going to start turning things off each and every night. I used to leave a light on each night, because I get up at least once a night. Now I have an LED light night to show the way.

I will be turning off my lights at 8 pm on March 29 and I encourage everyone else.
Just thing *Its a small world after all*

new Love

 I haven't written in a while because I have been having a lot of changes and finding time to do simple things is becoming more difficult.  I am an university grad. Full time employee. bride to be. 

My new love enter my world tonight. I am typing from the keys of a new MacBook. 

It was excitement and glee from my face when opening the box. 

Then i must ponder a name for this new joy in my life. 

Thus I need your help.... Suggestions/ideas for a name for this new love.... 

   (good ring shot!) 

oo yes... our wedding site is www.jesseandjanelle.com    check it out! Many thanks to my bro for all his help with it!! 

Final Coutdown

I hope everyone had a yummy Thanksgiving. I was able to go up to Wyoming and spend time with my parents. It was very VERY cold up there compare to what I am used to. I must admit that I went shopping on Black Friday. The good news is that I only purchased gifts and nothing for myself. I missed out on Cyber Monday but I suppose that is alright because I almost have all my gifts.

I am on my way to becoming an Arizona State University graduate.
I have 4 things due, 2 of which would not hurt my grade if I did not do. Seems crazy that I count down by how many things I have left, but that is because I have 2 online classes. If I was to count classes, I have 2 classes left. One which is a reflection class with a paper due, and one which is a 25 point quiz.

After I graduate, I have a job set up on campus as a graphic artist. I must admit that I am nervous and excited. I will not be walking for graduation, because of my college. I am okay with that because when you go to a large university it would be an entirely way to long of time. I will however be entering into a cubical that does however have a door!

Just a quick update! I have photos of my wedding location that I will post soon, the disappointment is that they were taken in the fall. I will be there in the heat of the summer. But the area is beautiful just the same!

Records

November 6
Actual:	94 | 64
Precip:	0.00
Average:	79 | 53
Precip:	0.02

There has been many records set here in the Arizona in the time that I have been here. My first year here it broke the record for the most rainy days a year. My 3rd year it had the most days straight without rain. And this year it has broken all the heat records. Above is the temp from like 2 days ago.
So much for fall here.

FALLing in love

Food in the Fall makes me FALL in love...
Here are some of my new and old favorites of fall..
•Pumpkin Cream Cheese (Einstein's Bagels carries it starting Sept. 1st!)
•Pumpkin Pancakes, I had some at IHOP a couple weeks ago! YUM YUM YUM
•Apple Cider
•I made a fun fall trail mix
Banana Chips
Pumpkin Seeds
Pretzels
Fall M and Ms
Candy Corn
Raisins
•Apple Sauce (Sunflower Market has the BEST organic apple sauce)
•Pears
•Crock Pot Meals (Sesame Ginger Chicken = yummy and simple)
•Pumpkin Ale (Although I have not tried it yet, I just know this beer is for me!)
•Pumpkin Pie (the best is made with soft vanilla ice cream)
•Pumpkin Bread
•Basically ANYTHING pumpkin!

Now I am hungry and ready to eat...
Eat and enjoy

Fall Withdraw

I live in a desert. Leaves just die off of trees, they do not change beautiful colors and then fall. I am craving some fall activities, feelings, or just food. Here is what I have found for fall and why I just love it soo soo much.

In the future I am totally planning a trip to this festival!
http://www.pumpkinshow.com/
They also have pumpkin recipes for EVERYTHING possible on this page. and the WORLD'S LARGEST PUMPKIN PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall Changing... is just beautiful. Here is a list of the top 15 places for leaves changing.
http://travel.msn.com/Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?destinationid=&cp-documentid=380088

Household items in earth tones!
All of Crate and Barrel's fall line... and of course their cute festival details. Look at any of their room views on their dining tables! Makes me want to eat pumpkin and turkey! and cuddle in front of the fire place....

SWEATERS! and other fall clothes... I turn my ac on high and wear fall/winter clothes around my place because I want to soo bad!
Anthropologie has a "spice rack" inspiration this fall.. so cozy.. so warm...

I can't forget to mention the fact that new tv seasons start. Although what does it matter now that Gilmore Girls is over. I need a new series to watch. Although I think Beauty and the Geek is promising this year.

So in order to get my fill of fall. I am going to bake, wear sweaters, and take a trip up to Northern Arizona. See some leaves change and get some cooler temps. Plus double check our wedding location!

Drive Safe

This is going to be my brother, Andy in a few years. He is going up to Canada for his PhD. Good Luck BIG BUDDA!
Maybe you could put excuse my driving I'm Wyoming's Hottest Hottie on your car!
Love ya !

What 16,777,216 colors look like

Look Here To see if you believe!

"That Cover is Naked"

Penguin Publishing has started a new "My Penguin" where you are able to create covers for classic books. Above is Ryan Adam's cover for Dracula. They had bands create "cover art" in order to help promote this new promotion for their publishing company. Overall I think that idea is clever because it allows someone to make something more personal to them and I enjoy how creative you could e with a book cover. Check out this link for more information and to order your copy today! :) http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/mypenguin/index.html
I must admit I am sucker for slogans and I really enjoy the one for this promo!

"THAT COVER IS NAKED
PUT SOMETHING ON IT"

New Obsession

Lately I have spend many hours look on http://www.etsy.com. It is something that reaches to my creative side and makes me want to buy a lot of homemade goodies. (Not cookies or baked goods but yet so many other delicious goods)
I enjoy the search by color sections. Any color but I haven't found that many promising goods through it although I do look at the most adnormal colors because I think that it awesome they are on there!
Enjoy! I don't have any favorites yet BUT soon I am sure that I will. It passes the hours when there are not any guests coming or going.

Beauty

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere. -Van Gogh

Of course it is easy to find beauty in Yellowstone (where these photos are from). But much harder in the hot dry desert of Arizona. Yet each and everyday I try to find the beauty in the "weeds" around the building that I work at. I started reading Beauty The Invisible Embrace even though I am just lifting the cover it has helped me to see that there is beauty in everything and everyone. Wabi- Sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. I agree with the Japanese in this aesthetic because beauty needs to be found in the unconventional in everything.
I hope you find beauty in these photographs and I hope that you begin to notice beauty all around you.

YellowCamping

June is over and it is now July... The middle of July.

So far July has felt like a summer month. I went on a little trip up to Wyoming and across the state to Yellowstone National Park. I saw geysers, mountains, trees and a lot of beauty.
Camping in Wyoming proved to be a challenge with winds that could "wrap you like a burrito" with the tent or waking up with Bison 10 feet from the tent. Although the s'mores were yum and the fire burned well into the night. It seems that the sky never did reach complete dark with all the stars in the sky.
My photos remain on my camera but soon I hope to share. Although I am not certain they can show all the moments that happen with you have an Australian terrified of bears.

Vegas.. what really happened

I recently went to Las Vegas, Nevada with my parents. I had been once before when I was younger but I didn't remember much of anything except how everything seem "HUGE".
Today Vegas is much of the same as I remembered it. The hotels and casinos were huge. I felt like each were individual cities with places to eat, sleep, and play (meaning loose money). Although we tried to take in more than the casinos, it was hard because everything else costs lot. If you weren't shoving your money in machine with no chance at anything coming back at you, then you could throw your money into something else that was happening.
Although my peers told me, "You don't do Vegas with your parents, because it is all about drinking." I must say they are right if I that was all I wanted to do on a vacation, but I am much more an active tourist. It was hard to want to watch down the street because either porn was being handed to you or you were stepping in someones vomit from the night before.
Much to say I am not a huge fan of the "little place of everything" which Vegas imitates. I want places to form their own identity that I can remember when I go away from a place. Overall I had a good time in Vegas, I spent time with my parents and was able to throw a few of their quarters into the toilet.

The entire time we noticed that about 3 out of 5 people would have a sack (errr I guess they are called bags) from M&M World. My mother did not want to be left out of this trend, so hiked our way down there. Once inside were we disappointed from avoiding the porn handouts for the small store, only then did we discover it was 4 stories and it was no wonder why it seemed everyone on the streets had bags from there. There was so much of anything you had to buy something. My mom settled for selecting for own colors of M&Ms (9 bucks a pound) but she really only got about a dollars worth. But all in all... we came out with our own small yellow bag M&M WORLD -Orlando.

Do we have a Birthday here....

YES WE HAVE A BIRTHDAY HERE!!
Happy Bithday... Happy Happy Bithday... Happy Bithday...Happy Birthday.. YEAH!

Hope your 21 is a good one. It means you can legally drink and in AZ buy lottery tickets, and of course gamble with your Grandma!

Next turning point...25 when your car insurance goes down!

LOVE YOU!





Why do a nice photo when I have this one?!?!

Elllie

I have this habit. I name my house plants. Cloe the Cactus. Bert, Ernie and Grouch the Bamboo. The newest addition is Ellie the Elephant Foot Palm. I recommend getting one, she is beautiful.



I mean just look at her. So fun! I just need to re-pot it.

Time Warp

......7th Grade.... .....8th Grade....

And today after I got my hair cut.....

Okay so I am playing them up with a the curl and everything BUT ya know... I like the bangs when I fix them NOT like I did in 7th and 8th grade!

I am thinking that it was a good change. A needed change, but a change just the same.
Summer is here. The temps have felt like summer for months now, but now that school is out it is summer. I admit I have been enjoying lemonade, Popsicles, and soon peaches. Those are the 3 food items that mean summer for me.
I am still unclear of my summer plans... BUT they will figure themselves out soon, I just know. I am trying to be patient and get other things done to keep my mind off of it until the time comes.
I invite you all to jump into summer. To drink lemonade until your taste buds are sour, to eat a popsicle in the sun and try to finish it before it melts. Bite into a peach and have the juice stain a white shirt. But really.. make a change it is summer... It might be as simple as a hair cut.. or possibly making a weekly trip to a park. Add some bright colors around your place but mainly soak up the sun.

ENGAGED!

My boy proposed! Wednesday May 9. I got a ring! It was really cute and sweet. They are glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling! Spelling Out will you marry me.




That is me celebrating with the entire bottle of champagne. See the shiny ring!


This is a photo of us! Not the same day but us the same.

Study escape

This weekend was mainly spend trying to recall the things I have "learned" or placed into my short term memory and now need to restore again for the last exams of the semester.
I was able to escape a bit from the notebooks of reviews. I had to in order to make it through.
I made some banana bread and muffins. It is my mom's recipe and I must admit the BEST recipe out there. It is soo soo good.. The photo is just after the bananas are put with everything else awaiting their fate of being all mixed up.
I also made it to the park, a different one than last Sunday afternoon. This weekend we went to Papago Park. It is very close to the Phoenix zoo, and Botanical gardens and has mostly desert plants and scenery. The main attraction are the rock formations, the one in the photos is "Hole in the Rock". Although the first time I went to see it, I was unaware that there man-made steps up the back of it, so my brother and I climbed up the rocks, wondering the entire time how the little kids at the top managed.
The Saguaro is the cactus that holds that Arizona state flower. I must admit that when I choose this park for the afternoon I was hoping for more natural color from flowers but really the state flower was about all I could find. There were a lot of palm trees around all the "fishing holes" and massive fish in them. Although the water is soo nasty in the "lakes/ponds" I would not dear to eat the fish for fear of gross polluted things the fish ate.
I will stop putting photos together.. it is just not working out how I want it too.. But yeah at least there is a REALLY blue bowl!!