brrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It was 31 degrees outside when I met Elizabeth at her house for a pre-work walk this morning.
It was brisk. And by brisk, I mean freezing. And by freezing, I mean I may have lost some function in my left hand due to frostbite.

And then I went to work, where my office was a steamy 58 degrees. And since my boss is out of town today, I threw all caution to the wind and turned on the heat! I'm such a little rebel. (Don't worry, the heat only goes up to 68 degrees, what the heck?!?!)

feels like winter!

It has been sooooo rainy and cold the past two days. Its beginning to feel like that's all the weather we've had-----where did those crisp fall days go?? I seem to have by-passed fall altogether and have moved into full-swing winter mode. Let's pull out the down blankets already!

The first thing I started getting excited about was going to see The Messiah in Charlotte. Josh and I weren't able to see it last year because we had to go to a YL staff conference.....and the same thing is scheduled this year! Dang it!

But, The Nutcracker is a very very very close second place holiday tradition for me. I knew Josh wouldn't be thrilled about the whole ballet idea, but I knew Chelsea would be fully on board. I called the ticket agent at the Blumenthal in Charlotte. We were able to find seats on the the third row of the right side of the orchestra section for $15! I can't wait!

deal of the day

I love finding a great deal! And I love bragging about it even more!

Josh loves this pair of Patagonia shorts. They're fairly indestructible, which is awesome since they're pretty expensive. So, by the time these shorts are worn out, he's usually had them for several years.

Unless he wears them to Young Life. Which he did. And they got messed up. Great.

So the search for a reasonably priced replacement pair began. I love a challenge....especially a shopping challenge!

I found the perfect pair on Ebay. They fit perfectly and Josh is in love (with me and the shorts):

Patagonia Stand Up shorts
retail: $55
Ebay: $3.99

Go and find a deal today!!

just hanging out with joe

As Josh and I were going over our schedules for last week (to plan meals, dates, laundry.....oh the fun of married life!) we ultimately got to Thursday's plans.

me: So, what are your plans for Thursday? Ride bikes with the boys and then YL at Gardner-Webb?
Josh: No, not this week. I've got to do some stuff with Joe.
me: (wondering) Joe? Who is Joe?
Josh: (casually) Oh Joe? You know my good friend Joe. Me and Joe Gibbs go way back.

Josh was doing a couple of skits and games for the Young Life fundraising banquet in Lake Norman. His character was Coach Kenny, the football coach from the local middle school (Burns Middle, home of the Fighting O'possums!) He was in the middle of a motivational speech when he got 'interrupted' by Joe Gibbs.


I mean really.....what are the chances of Coach Gibbs showing up at a YL fundraiser?!?! The chances are actually pretty good, considering he loves Jesus, Young Life and the YL staff at Lake Norman (and of course, Josh!)

I wonder how long Josh is going to pretend that he's best friend with Coach Gibbs?
Probably forever.

PS: I totally stole this picture for Sharon Clark. She is an AMAZING photographer. Book her for a session NOW!

Elizabeth for Queen!

My younger sister Elizabeth is going to be in the homecoming parade today!

Ok, she's not technically my sister, but I certainly feel like she's family. (I'm totally freakin out about her 'talking' to this guy that's a junior at SHS, but that's a whole other story.)

When Josh first moved to Shelby seven years ago I used to spend the night at the Lampley's house when I'd come up to visit; which is how I was able to slowly infiltrate the family. Laura's now my friend (not Mrs. Lampley) and Elizabeth is like my younger sister. It helps that Laura will perpetually be 32-ish in my mind, since I'm rapidly approaching the 30 mark. And I have so much fun with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was just a wee-little babe when I moved here

Sarah, Elizabeth, Sidney
spring 2005

and now she's tearing up the halls at the high school

Elizabeth, Sidney, Sarah
summer 2009

oh elizabeth!

you're going to be great at the parade today and the football game tomorrow....and not because this whole homecoming thing is a big deal, but because of who you are.

you are fabulous. i love your spunk and your heart!

if i could bottle your passion and zest for life, i'd be a freaking millionaire (and not to mention a genius, because how would you even attempt to bottle all of that anyways?!)

you have such a sweet spirit and gentle heart
i love how you love your friends, the environment and Jesus; and how you aren't afraid to try something new

you're smart and bold, but also unbelievably compassionate, and i like that about you

you can't be put in a box or stereotyped, because you're just too dynamic for all that (unless its in the box of "people blair loves" or the stereotype "awesome")

i love you girl!!!!!

*ps* i definitely did NOT have Elizabeth's permission to write a blog about her----she would've been way too embarassed to have me going on and on about her. But that's another thing I love about her....she's fabulous AND humble. anyone jealous of her yet?

yum.yum.yum.

leftovers can make the best meal. seriously. well, my leftovers can!

let me introduce you to the fabulous world of leftovers at the jones' household:

That is a piece of Light Italian Flatout Bread, topped with a tinesy bit of goat cheese (i said i was a lazy vegan), balsamic onions, sauteed green and red peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, cilantro and southwestern black beans (made from scratch!).

Roll it all up (long ways, so it looks like more!) and place it in a frying pan for a few minutes on each side to get it all warm and gooey. And voila:

yummy burrito(?) with a side of apples and spicy southwest black beans
a vegetarian meal that makes even the biggest carnivore drool!

i gotta crush on you

I have to confess....I have a crush. Whew, I feel a lot better now that I've admitted it out loud!


I actually have a lot of crushes (I mean, as long as I'm attempting to be honest here I might as well unload). I have a clothes crush on Sharon, name crush on Sidney, workout crush on Karma, free-time crush on every college student......I really could go on and on.


And now I have a hair crush. Leah has the best hair. And I'm totally crushing on it.

lindsay, melissa, leah
i must have been a little hair obsessive because i got one blond, brunette and redhead

this is me trying on her hair.
i love her 'i'm-kinda-freaked-out' face and my 'yay, i am so happy' face
i guess i was slightly bordering on stalker at this point

The cool part about this whole crush is that Leah dyes her hair! I've never been one to shy away from hair product (I had blond highlights two years ago and super-dark brown last year) and I always say that hair and makeup are two of my favorites things.

So you be my style jury............should I dye my hair Leah's color?

Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com

note: If I end up dying it, I'm going to wait until the end of October to dye it because that will be my one-year weight-loss celebration and I thought I might treat myself to something at the spa (which having my hair cut and colored would be perfect!)