last christmas eve.

i was running around the streets of san francisco with some of my favorite cousins.

this christmas eve i've spent most of the day sleeping, trying to feel a little better than i have the last 2 days. welcome home to me!

luckily, i feel a little better today than i did yesterday. here's hoping to feeling even better tomorrow in time for christmas.

hope everyone's holidays are lovely and sickness-free :)

xoxo.

jana

christmas pajamas.

check.

[i can't believe i forgot to put christmas pjs on the list]

it's 12:46am.

i can't go to sleep because there are things i need to do. like write a 7-page paper. wait. my roommate's paper is 7 pages. mine is 10. dang, it's worse than i thought.

thank you, target, for your one-piece pajamas. you've made my all-nighter bearable.

xoxo.

jana

thinking december.

i spent 7 straight hours on campus today. and i forgot to eat breakfast, so i definitely didn't eat anything until i got home 30 minutes ago. no bueno.

after a quesadilla and a couple deep breaths, i realized that december starts tomorrow. the other night, my roommate and i decided that we want to do something festive every day of december, leading up to christmas. so we started making a list. [i love lists]. here's what we have so far:

see the lights at temple square

make and hang-up christmas stockings

drink hot chocolate with homemade marshmellows

decorate a christmas tree

wrap our gifts for a little girl in need

watch 'a muppet christmas carol'

make apartment christmas cards

build gingerbread houses

take a drive to check out the neighborhood lights

have a roommate 'christmas' dinner

write goals for 2010

make christmas sugar cookies

go to a christmas concert

make a wreath for the door

take 'family' pictures [our apartment family]

hang mistletoe

christmas caroling

serve food at the homeless shelter

so what am i missing?

what are your favorite traditions for the month of december?

suggestions are welcome :)

xoxo.

jana

on the twelfth day of christmas...

may we all remember the true meaning of christmas...

on the third day of christmas...

we marveled at our creations.

kristin, the genius behind our delicious project.

and jack, the architect, delegating his design to doug, the construction worker.

we made some gingerbread men too.

on the second day of christmas...

i was very blog happy.

{and the grinch, with his grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? it came without ribbons. it came without tags. it came without packages, boxes or bags. and he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. then the grinch thought of something he hadn't before. what if christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. what if christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.}
 - dr. seuss, the grinch

photos of this family

on the first day of christmas..

we experienced the aftermath of staying up past 2 in the morning.

first, because we got this lovely lady ready for the ball.

then,  because we went to see this movie.

if you have a few hours and dollars to spare, i highly recommend it. i laughed, cried, and decided that if i ever pull an angelina jolie i will adopt a half aboriginal child first.

dear aunt cindy,

thank you for letting me practically move into your house. really, i think i spend more time on young drive than i do at my own house these days. i even say family prayer, help make lists for our "family" goals this christmas season, and i think it's my turn to read the christmas story for tonight. oldest to youngest right?

thank you for always making extra dinner, anticipating my company, and for putting socks on my cold feet like you do for ashley and britney.

thanks for your help with the sewing machine and letting me make a mess in the family room for a couple of days. (sorry about the broken needle). thanks for the envelopes and the stamps - even if they have slightly creepy nutcracker men on them.

i'm so glad you like the christmas card i designed for you this year - i'm so happy i could help!

{photo not taken by me}

i hope you don't mind that i posted it here before you sent it out - i promise not very many people read my blog.

i'll be over tonight to help decorate the christmas tree!

love you lots,
jana

dear santa,

in case you are having a hard time deciding what to bring me, i thought i would give you a few suggestions. plus, i'm pretty sure my mom reads my blog, so maybe she'll get some ideas too.

1. a trip to disneyland. i've always wanted to see it snow on main street. who knows if i could get time off from work, though. maybe wait until next year.
2. a blackberry. seriously, i need a new phone and i think this one needs me too.
3. i still need some running shoes. i bought some a few weeks ago, but they're not that great for running long distances - i'm thinking i'll just wear them to the gym. plus, i'm digging this orange.
4. speaking of things i need for running, i'm hurting for some headphones. my current pair have horrible static. i'm hoping for something cute that will also stay in my ear, both important.

5. i could probably use a new straightener. the chi is good. plus, it's pink and proceeds go to a good cause.

6. did you know i wanted a guitar for my birthday? probably not, you're santa. anyway, i'm still thinking it would be fun to learn how to play one.

7. if not, i already have access to a piano, so maybe you could just bring me some piano lessons. my family would sure appreciate it. horribly slow church hymns = sounds of a mortuary.

8. i saw these monthly journals from pottery barn and i thought it was a super cute idea. maybe they would help with my resolution for writing in my journal every year that i never seem to keep up.

9. if all else fails santa, you can always just take me shopping. you can still wrap my presents and i promise i'll act surprised. let's go to palo alto so we can pick up some cupcakes from sprinkles. i hear they're heavenly.

well santa, hopefully this helps. thanks for listening.

happy happy holidays!

jana