Posts from — March 2011

i’m gushing. really. i am so overwhelmed with all of your sweet comments and congratulations on our big announcement. i can’t even tell you how much it means to me to have so many wonderful people that are so excited for me – some of whom are complete strangers! i especially love those of you that came out of hiding just to say congratulations! you guys are the best!

big internet group hug. ready? ok :)

spencer and i flew into california yesterday to see my family and celebrated with a mini engagement party! boysenberry cobbler, homemade ice cream and sparkling cider. it was just family and a few of my favorite girls that i’ve known since my awkward stages in life. it was perfect.

i also received my first wedding present! my cute friend gave me a cute gift bag filled with the goodies pictured above! isn’t that so sweet and thoughtful? i took them outside this afternoon to dive into, but ended up taking a nap on that quilt instead. oops.

to answer some of your questions, we don’t have a date set qute yet. we are just letting it all sink in! but don’t you worry, i will be sharing ALL the details of the wedding planning process – including the proposal story and photos of the ring! the fiance and i are actually throwing around the idea of starting our very own blog for all things jana + spencer, and keeping this blog just for my photography and art. good idea or bad idea?

as for right now, the fiance and i are off to san francisco to eat at our favorite restaurant and to keep up the celebrating! happy day!

blog friends, there is someone i would like you to finally meet.
his name is spencer.

what you can’t tell from this photo is that he has the most amazingly blue eyes. however, it should give you a pretty good idea of how yummy he is to look at. also, spencer would like the record to show that he was not posing for this picture, and he is, in fact, incredibly manly.

he is my favorite boy of all time [sorry nephews], and i actually think that some members of my family might like him more than they like me.

he loves to camp and fish, yet still manages to have really great taste in flowers.

he likes the zoo, he sends me on a scavenger hunt every time he gives me a gift, and is a really handy guy to have around when you lock yourself out of your car.

he also makes the best chicken ever and never complains when i ask to take pictures in the mirror or set up a tripod and use the camera timer. sometimes over and over and over again. in fact, i think he likes it.

basically, he is the most supportive person i know.

oh, and i love him.

oh, and yesterday he asked me to marry him. and i said yes.

ps. we are getting a goat.

surprise #1:
the boy asked me to be in a relationship on facebook. a little silly since we have been dating for almost 2 years, but still fun. i was a little bit sad when i realized that being in a relationship on facebook meant people could see his face, because i had this big plan to make his much anticipated appearance on the blog. so everyone just do me a favor and act really surprised when that day comes, ok?

surprise #2:
at 8pm on friday evening, i received the following message from the boy:

Jana. This is not a drill.  At the end of this barrage of riddles there is a real prize that I have arranged to be given to you tonight.  If you solve them that is.  Your first riddle will come within 15 minutes of this email.  Once you locate each password you will need to email me back that password. At that time, I will send you the clue for the next password.  If at anytime you fail to locate a password, you forfeit your prize.  Are you agreed to take this challenge?  If you are, send back the magic password.

apparently, he had called my sister earlier that day, and they coordinated clues and passwords around my house! [i have been in california for the past few weeks. the boy is in utah]. at the location that the final clue led me to, instead of a password i found a confirmation number for a flight to utah the following day! my mom and sisters had already been planning a trip out to utah to visit family, so the boy arranged for me to be on their flight. i had just been complaining a few hours earlier that i was going to miss out on all the fun so it was a perfect surprise!

isn’t he a keeper?

[this photo bears absolutely no relevance to the post that is about to follow. because i am tan and happy and allergy-less, and i am none of those things while writing this. i just hate posts that don't have photos. it basically sets everyone up to be bored. you know?]

guess what, guys? i get allergies every time i come to my parents’ house in california. EVERY TIME. like asthma/itchy-eye/sneeze-inducing allergies. it’s awful. so awful that i usually sleep at my cousins’ house. so awful that i actually went to the doctor yesterday.

which means it has to be pretty awful because i never go to the doctor. because i don’t like the doctor. and i discovered yesterday why exactly i don’t like the doctor. THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING. you have to go to school for 10 years and spend a million dollars to be able to tell someone that they probably have allergies and that they should take an allergy pill and maybe use a nasal spray?? DUH! if i was a swearer, i would have thrown in an expletive right there. i actually said a few in my head because i am not perfect.

my boyfriend told me that you have to be pushy at the doctor’s office in order to get results. I’M SORRY. I THOUGHT YOU WERE A DOCTOR. I THOUGHT IT WAS YOUR JOB TO GIVE ME SOME RESULTS!

also, my doctor was shorter than me. so i already didn’t trust her that much right off the bat.

ok. that’s all. i feel better. i mean, my nose isn’t any less congested, but at least i am not so angry.

i’ve picked our next book: the particular sadness of lemon cake.

[can you guess what our book club meeting treat is going to be?]

in all honesty, my lovely friend/ex-roommate picked our next book. i actually haven’t read it yet, but i trust her opinion completely. i can’t wait to go pick up a copy and dive right in!

just to whet your appetite: the story is about a young girl that can literally taste the feelings of those that prepare her food. doesn’t that sound intriguing?

aren’t you guys proud of me for being so on top of things? i realize that many of you are still working on last month’s pick, and that is OK. i just figured i would give everyone plenty of time to reserve copies from the library or run to barnes and noble [unless yours went out of business like ours did].

we will reconvene right here on wednesday march 30, which gives us just over 3 weeks to read the book and for me to whip up a delicious recipe for lemon cake!

happy reading!

ps. has anyone read this book already? i would love to hear your thoughts.

pss. any suggestions for future book club selections?