Catch Up

Steven's Wedding :) Random, but cute!

Dear Familia,

Zane said my last posts were not his favorites b/c they were all about random things and not about what I've been up to lately. So I'll give you a brief synopsis of my days lately:

-I've been working a ton...I guess a lot of the Snowbirds are also substitutes, because once the temperatures started rising, I got a job pretty much every day.

-I've been doing my best to get some wedding planning done before I leave to DC (ON SUNDAY :) I've gone to a few reception venues, met with All Saints to finalize our date (save the date coming soon!), and started asking my bridal party.

-I went to Tannyn's graduation and Vanessa's dance recital during another "blink and you'll miss it" trip to Miami.

-I've spent a lot of time on craigslist looking for a house for the fall...it's ridiculously expensive to live in major cities on the East coast and really hard to search for things without actually being in the same city (or even on the same side of the country).

-I spent some time with Tara this morning and with Mom M, Auntie Carla, Sorrin, and Tannyn this afternoon. That was fun.

Tomorrow I am going to pack during the day and then we are filming a music video in the evening. Yes, you read right, a MUSIC VIDEO. Stop by later this weekend to check it out.

Love,

Jem

Matchbook Mag

Source: matchbookmag.com via Jeramia on Pinterest

Dear Familia,

Last up (for now), Matchbook Magazine, "an online lifestyle publication celebrating classics - shaken and stirred." They had a checklist of "50 classics for your closet" that caught my fancy.

Love,

Jem

Source: matchbookmag.tumblr.com via Jeramia on Pinterest

Lonny Mag

Source: lonnymag.com via Jeramia on Pinterest

Dear Familia,

Next up, Lonny Magazine, "a bimonthly online magazine that focuses on lifestyle and home decor." Definitely a lot of eye candy!

Love,

Jem

Rue Magazine

Source: ruemag.com via Jeramia on Pinterest

Dear Magazine Readers,

You know I'm always looking for the eco-friendly option out there...so this next few of posts are going to be on three fabulous online magazines there are these days. Why are they so great?

-No printed paper...no waste :)

-You can click on products you see that you like straight from the magazine pages!

-You can "clip" pages and keep them organized on pinterest, Evernote (post coming soon) or in your bookmarks folder.

Really, the possibilities are endless. First up Rue Magazine, "an online interiors and entertaining magazine with a fashion and lifestyle sensibility." It's full of fun inspiration on everything from fashion to party planning. I love it!

Love,

Jem

Skin Deep

Dear Familia,

As a follow up to my last post I just wanted to give a shout out to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. I have used this frequently to check out all of the products I use (sometimes with horrifying results). It's a great resource!

Love,

Jem

Sunscreen

Dear Familia,

It's summer time which means lots of time outdoors in the sun. This is a great guide to finding sunscreens that don't contain ingredients known to cause cancer (this was a news-flash for me as well...most popular sunscreens contain carcinogens)!

Check it out!

Love,

Jem

Dear 16 Year Old Me

Read the story behind the video.

Smallville Wedding

Dear B,

How perfect is it that on the series finale of Smallville, Lois and Clark got married?

1. I remember getting hooked on Smallville when I came to visit you in Hawaii and you were doing your 12 hour shifts.

b. We are both planning weddings! I love it.

I'm so sad it's over :(

Paz,

Jem

PS More pics to come!

Confirmation

horrible camera phone picture, but it works

Dear Familia,

Tonight Cassi, Kiki, and Abbi celebrated their Confirmation. Bishop Olmstead, head of the Phoenix diocese, presided over the lovely Mass in their honor. He gave a fabulous homily talking about 3 reasons what made Pope John Paul II, or any person for that matter, great. I will work my hardest to remember and incorporate these things into my daily life.

1. He was a good friend

2. He was a good family member

2. He was good at forgiving

Did you know that JPII was beatified (the first step to becoming a Saint) on the same day Osama Bin Laden was killed. That is mind blowing! How different could two people really be??

Paz,

Jem

Busy Weekend!

Kiki's "house" the clear winner of the night!

Kiki getting ready to take care of business.

Dear Familia,

What a whirlwind of a weekend! First up, right after work on Friday, I picked up the older three girls and we headed to church for the "In His Name" retreat before Confirmation this coming Tuesday. I gave a talk on John 3:30 (He must increase; I must decrease) which I think went well. Thanks Steven for all your help with that. It was also a retreat to shed some light on homelessness in America so we spent a bit of time constructing cardboard box "houses" that we slept in for the night. We had to leave the retreat early Saturday morning because we had Kiki's basketball tournament at noon. They lost by 3 in a fierce battle in the semi-finals. Alysha and I had to leave that early to meet up with Auntie Lucy to head to Miami for Sorrin's dance recital. Unfortunately Sorrin was in tears because she was so exhausted from a full day of dancing that I didn't get any cute pictures with her after the dance, but we had a lot of fun! Today we went to Church and then had practice for Confirmation. I also finally got to talk with my friend Brian who is currently in Afghanistan doing secret squirrel stuff. Him and I are probably getting married around the same time so we were both excited to chat about our big plans. It was a great weekend :)

Up this week? Full on MOH mode to tie up some loose ends for Alysha's big day!

Paz,

Jem