Wednesday, October 29, 2008

dear worst day ever,

we are so over. please leave and don't come back. i probably shouldn't sever ties without an explanation, so feel free to read the following.

first of all, you're wednesday. AKA hump day. AKA the worst day of the week because nothing good happens on wednesday. no bagel day at work. no good tv shows. no chicken ranch pizza for dinner. nothing.

my camera baby is not functioning correctly. apparently, it's a problem the warranty most likely doesn't cover, and I have to pay to have it fixed. hey family, looks like no one is getting christmas presents. feel free to call nikon and complain; i'm sure they'll listen. also, not only do i have to pay for it, but it will take 4-6 weeks to have it back. sorry to everyone that wanted me to take family christmas pictures... it hurts my heart too.

i can't even make myself feel better by eating something deep fried and smothered in chocolate because i'm doing a cleansing diet with the sister. (it's completely legitimate, i've heard lots of good things about it, and no, i'm not trying to lose 10 lbs. in a week). but today, an un-fed jana is an unhappy jana. however, if I could eat my feelings, i would have one of two things. a. pumpkin spice donuts from krispy kreme. they are TDF (to die for) and literally one of the reasons why i love fall so much. or b. the pumpkin blizzard from dairy queen. no, i haven't had one, but i'm thinking you can't go wrong with pumpkin and ice cream.

my friendship with the mailman is starting to dwindle. really, somedays i used to sit outside and wait for his arrival. i would even jump up and take the mail from him so he didn't have to walk all the way up to the mailbox - he loved it. but for whatever reason, mail from brazil is taking twice as long to get here as it usually does. for example, i was expecting something today and chances are i'll get it next hanukkah. just another reason why i'm not so much a fan of today.

well, the sun will come out tomorrow.

smell ya later wednesday,
jana

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

dear alameda creek trail,

you and i have been quite the running duo recently. i know that sometimes i stand you up, but i'm trying to be more consistent. and you should know that i fully appreciate the fact that i can always count on you to be there waiting for me. as we met up yesterday for our 6:00 date, i found myself thinking of various letters that i could send out into the universe. this was probably a means of distracting me from the searing pain in my feet (see second letter below). anyway, these letters looked something like this:



dear cute boy on the bike,
you totally checked me out, i could tell. you can say hi next time - i'm nice, i promise.

dear tennis shoes,
thanks for the year of service, but you're starting to lose your edge and should probably be replaced. we've had a good run (no pun intended), but i think it's time to transfer you to the "old shoes I can wear and get dirty" department. don't hate me for trading you in for a newer, sleeker model, but if i postponed our parting any longer i might end up with some serious foot/ankle injuries.

dear man that gave me the running thumbs-up,
you're probably about 35 years older than me and could smoke me on the track (hands down), but i appreciate the support.

dear cute lady walking buddies,
you're cute, and i'm jealous. my running buddy moved to San Francisco, boo.

dear old indian man that scratched his butt,
that was gross... and incredibly awkward.

dear chicken quesadilla that is calling my name from home,
i'm coming! 3. more. miles...


well, trail, that's all. i just wanted to give you a little shout out so you would feel the love.
see you tonight. i'll wear something special, just for you.

love always,
jana

Saturday, October 18, 2008

dear madisyn,

you quite possibly may be the cutest 7-month-old that I know. really, if my little girls are half as sweet and beautiful as you i will consider myself extremely lucky. it was so fun spending time with you; you are a natural in front of the camera! thanks for understanding when all my camera batteries were dead and for coming back again the next day - wasn't it worth it?

tell your mom I'll hurry editing the rest of these and i'll mail them to her next week; i just wanted to give you guys a sneak peek to hold you over until they get there.  hope you like them!







in case you were wondering how you got so cute - here's why!



call me when you're back in december! (actually, have your mom call me.)

love,
jana

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

dear person that dropped their candy wrapper in the stairwell,

seriously?

first of all, i consider it quite awesome that my place of employment offers an assortment of hard candies to guests of the office. im so glad that you decided to display your appreciation in the form of littering.

as i was taking the mail down today, i saw your discarded Jolly Rancher wrapper and thought to myself, "i suppose that did originate in my office; i should probably do the right thing and dispose of it properly." i quickly regretted these feelings of environmentalism (or whatever you would like to call it) as i picked up this moist wrapper which was covered in, you guessed it, your saliva. now, i am all for the convenience of opening wrapped candies with my mouth, but then again, i also throw away my own wrappers. so next time you decide to leave your trash for me to pick up, make sure you open it with your hands.

with sincere disgust,
jana

p.s. on my way back up the stairs i found another wrapper you, or one of your wrapper-dropping friends, so inconsiderately left for me. i seriously hesitated picking it up, but thought what the heck - my fingers are already infested with your germs. thank goodness for hand sanitizer.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

dear san francisco,

i heart you.  i really do.  sometimes i forget how much i do until it has been a while since we have seen each other, but usually it only takes a few minutes with you to refresh my memory. this weekend my mom and I decided to visit you - ride our bikes around the city and watch the blue angels fly. unfortunately, it wasn't the greatest reunion for the two of us.  mom's bike got a flat tire, followed quickly by me taking a graceful spill off of mine.  don't worry - you're not to blame, and no serious injuries were sustained.

luckily, we met up with ryan, melissa, and the boys and it was smooth sailing from there. 

jack was plugging his ears in 99% of the pictures i took.  jets are loud.
and every time i would take a picture close-up he would say something cute instead of cheese like "i love my jana."  hence, his mouth being open.
probably my two favorite pictures of the day.  love nate's bum shot.



yes, my sister-in-law is a total babe.  love you melissa!


i was so surprised nate didn't just dive into that thing.  we love you mr. ghiradelli.

pizza and crab-filled ravioli. yum.
the bump on the left is a lot bigger in real life.  and the ouchie on the right hurts a lot more in real life.
hope to see you soon san francisco..  maybe next time we'll drive.
with love,
jana

p.s.  i'm loving my nikon baby.  only one of these pictures was at all photoshopped.  bet you can't guess which one.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

introducing...

the newest beck:
nikon baby
arrived on: october 9, 2008 at 2:16 p.m.
weight: 35 oz.
length: 5.8 in.

both mama and baby are doing well!  

dear everyone that is bored,

i tag you too.

apple juice or orange juice?
definitely orange juice. preferably freshly-squeezed, but not necessary. apple juice is too sugary these days.

morning or night person?
night, unfortunately. my goal in life is to be a morning person one of these days. every once in a while i'll get up at 6:00 and run before work - pretty impressive for me.

sweet or salty foods?
both. sometimes together. like that honey nut chex mix. it's seriously TDF (to die for). i can eat a whole bag myself while driving to utah.

favorite tv show as a kid?
the price is right during the summertime - i was convinced i was going to win a car on that show when i turned 18. i also loved saved by the bell. and power rangers when I was like 7. and TGIF when it was awesome.

do you collect anything?
not so much. i collected foreign coins for a week once.

if you could be any animal, what would you be?
probably a dolphin, but i like being a human mostly.

if you could have any superpower, what would it be?
on the tv show, heroes, there was this girl that could do anything she saw - gymnastics, cooking, crazy good piano playing, you name it. i think they called her power "muscle mimicking." that would be pretty awesome.

what is usually your first thought when you wake up?
how much longer can i enjoy being in bed before i absolutely HAVE to get up?

what do you usually think about right before falling asleep?
man, i wish i went to bed earlier. there is no way i'm going to wake up early enough to run before work.

what's your favorite color?
teal. i like burnt orange too. not together, though.

what's your favorite animal/insect?
i'm not big into animals these days. but i would like to swim with dolphins. who likes insects?

do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?
sure.

do you believe in ghosts?
i believe in spirits; it sounds better than ghosts. i definitely believe those that have passed on and those that have not yet been born are watching over us and influencing us. sometimes they're even seen, if need be.

ever been addicted to a video/computer game?
guitar hero - this summer.

you're given 1 million dollars; what do you spend it on?
buy a house. revamp the closet. finish school. buy a ridiculous camera and not feel bad about it. travel. save.

have any bad habits?
i crack my knuckles, which doesn't bother me, it only bothers others. i'm also a selective listener, my bad.

list 3 of your best personality traits:
1. creative
2. enthusiastic
3. active

list 1 thing you wish you could change about yourself:
i want to be more efficient with my time.

what personality trait do you dislike in other people?
inconsiderateness.

are you mostly a clean or messy person?
i was super messy growing up, but luckily I'm getting better. usually the only messy thing for me these days are clothes in my room. when i was in utah, i was super OCD about the kitchen being clean. i hate dishes in the sink.

if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
italy or greece - in a low-traffic area. but not forever. i'm a fan of america, especially of california.

if you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
just about everywhere. there a relatively few places i don't have a very strong desire to visit, but i have a feeling i would appreciate them once i got there. i guess i would start with a tour of europe.

list 5 goals on your life's to-do list:
1. marry a stud and make some babies.
2. make a difference.
3. missionary work.
4. publish a book.
5. travel.
(pretty simple)

name 1 regret you have:
wasting time. caring about the unimportant.

name something you miss about being a kid:
not having so much responsibilty and your whole life completely ahead of you.

name 1 thing you love about being an adult:
the ability to recognize and appreciate blessings.

if you could have 3 wishes granted, what would they be?
1. that school would just magically pay for itself.
2. no cellulite... not just for me, for everyone. it's no fun.
3. people would learn to be kind.