Happy Birthday to me!

Sunday was my birthday and it was very relaxing. Just what I needed! West bought me flowers and I was woken up at 7:30 in the morning by his whole family singing to me through the phone. It was awesome. I got this really funny card:

Then I got this really fun present from my parents:

I can't wait to make some yummy cupcakes!

Christmas Newsletter

I’m a big kid now….(singing Huggies Pull-ups jingle!)

Wow! I can’t believe that I am old enough to be writing a family newsletter! It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at the kitchen table with glitter and glue and stickers, and moving around the furniture in my Barbie house. Hey wait, that was yesterday! Just craft time has become a little more sophisticated, and the furniture that I move is life size for people who have way more money than Barbie. (A corvette, get real. Life requires a Ferrari, a Bentley, and a Land Rover. GAG!!)

Same goes for West… as a kid his mom couldn’t keep him out of puddles or swimming pools. He played video games and intensely studied facts and mechanical specifications of boats, planes, trains and automobiles. You should see our Library on the Titanic, his personal favorite! As an adult, he wakes up for his hour of soaking in the bathtub (not exaggerating, I have witnesses!) to be followed by a quick spell of online gaming and on to piles of spec books for anything electronic and daydreams of how to control it all by one remote.

I guess we never really grow up!

Really though, this year I think West and I finally felt the transition of growing into the full responsibility of adulthood. (I speak for us because he would never admit it!) But, we still know how to have our fun! As travelling is a passion of both, we managed to get a few vacations in this year. We spent a week on the North Shore of Oahu eating fresh pineapple (and found out I was allergic!) and swimming in the ocean (and confirmed my fear of water!) I much prefer historical land-based vacations. Which is why, I can not figure out how I got talked into a week long rafting journey through desolation canyon. But, I did enjoy that trip. Mostly because when we flipped the raft, I was left aboard with a few friends to save the day. A very proud moment!

In even more adult news, we finished our basement this year, an accomplishment of which we are very proud and excited. I have also have been doing graphics for West’s parent’s restaurant, The Road Island Diner. About this time last winter, I finished my first published book, a photographic journal of its restoration. I also did some freelance writing and had a few articles published over the summer, but it took too long for too little money. Being a writer should be a diet plan for weight loss rather than a career. You would literally starve on its wages. (No offense Stephanie Meyer, you seem to have figured out the money, let me know how when you get a minute.) West and I are also selling personal budgetary software and financial education through WakeUpNow. (This is a sales plug and should be perceived as such.) J

With all these goings on and different jobs to perform sometimes we feel a little…..Jamaican. It’s really the only word for it! (No offense to any Jamaican who might read this, I mean this in the most respectful way, your ability to juggle so many tasks is inspiring!) So with my Rasta hat on, we are on to a new year and wish you your happiest yet!

With love and warm Christmas Wishes!

West and Jessica

Moved to tears....

This afternoon my boss called to express her appreciation for all of a coworker and I's hard work over the last 2 weeks. A thanks from her is as hard to find as the loch ness monster. I appreciated the thanks so much I cried! So, thanks for the thanks! It means a lot!

I need....

These 3 things:

1) More Chill music on my iPod. Why the crap can nothing compare to my "Soothe CD" that is lost and gone forever!

2) An elliptical to create my very own cardio cinema!

3) Sleep or Energy, one of the two!

Let's be honest...

Recently I have not been blogging much because I don't have anything "exciting" to say.
Truth is....
my life is always "exciting" if exciting means not dull. Why is it that I am magnet for drama? Or more accurately, why is it that despite my best tactics, I can not escape it, solve it, or walk head strong into it with every effort to just get through with as little involvement as possible.
And then, by some really ill-humored joke of the universe, when I am a little bit successful in the anti-dramatic arena, I go and mess it all up. I don't think I know what to do with myself when my life is void of chaos, in fact when the chaos meter drops to "Empty" I find myself creating leaps and bounds of it. Which causes me to start all over with the hole simplifying of drama. So as it goes, my trying to to be less stressed about all the goings on around, causes more stress.
It's not funny, seriously.

I am coming clean...
I have a confession.....

I have a problem with stress. I am unable to manage it. I am unable to recognize it until its too late and have put my poor husband through another mental breakdown because I had to get the mail AND do the dishes. I mean come on, can I get a little help around here?

I am doing a lot, but its not like I am doing more than is physically possible. I work a little more than full time, I take care of a house, I do graphics for the Diner, and I am the Visiting Teaching Coordinator, a calling that doesn't take much time. Nothing too out of the ordinary. I don't even have kids. I don't know how you all do it.

So, if any of you have ideas on managing stress, I'm all ears.

It may just work....

Well, they approved my article and I have now written 2 very short articles and am waiting to see what they think! It is very fun so far!!

This has also made me discover something else about myself...

I am very happy being very busy. All this time I kept thinking if I could simplify it would be better. Who would have thought.....

New endeavor....

So, I have always loved writing (even though you would never know by the neglect evident in blog) and have decided to throw some things at the wall. I have just submitted my first trial piece to an article broker for their review to see if I am worthy of them sending me free lance work. I have done some research and learned that this is the easiest way to try out free lance writing. They send you articles based on your interests and pay off per word. If it works out, I might pursue something more serious, but for now we will see how it goes! I am pretty excited and hope it works out! This could be an exciting new adventure!

Best Day....

I have always been a lover of music in theory and creation and one of its biggest fans of most all its forms. If I ever loose my hearing it will be like part of my soul has died to some extent. But, there are a few songs that hit me right in the heart, that my heart will carry always, most of which the mainstream listener would have a hard time tolerating with out skipping the track. These songs I can always rely on to make my day better now and have gotten me through some pretty crazy times in my life. But, recently I have added a new song to that list. "Best Day" by Taylor Swift. While this song was written about her mom being her best friend, I have many songs that fill purpose for me. I've been collecting them over that last several years. And, while it was written for her mom, this song reminds me of my dad and the relationship that we share even though its rocky. Yesterday my dad paid me an unexpected visit and while it wasn't particularly eventful, he reminded me why this song reminds me so much of him. Thanks dad for giving me another "Best Day". Its been awhile, I really needed it!

Lyrics to The Best Day...

I'm five years old
It's getting cold
I've got my big coat on

I hear your laugh
And look up smiling at you
I run and run

Past the pumpkin patch
And the tractor rides
Look now -- the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep
On the way home

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day
With you today

I'm thirteen now
And don't know how my friends
Could be so mean

I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys

And we drive and drive
Until we've found a town
Far enough away

And we talk and window-shop
Until I've forgotten all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to
Now at school
I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day
With you today

I have an excellent father
His strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother
Inside and out
He's better than I am

I grew up in a pretty house
And I had space to run
And I had the best days with you

There is a video
I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen
And you're talking to me

It's the age of princesses and pirate ships
And the seven dwarfs
Daddy's smart
And you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

Now I know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side
Even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
Staying back and watching me shine

And I didn't know if you knew
So I'm taking this chance to say
That I had the best day
With you today

River Rats Return!

We are back from our adventurous river rafting trip. Our journey took 88 miles down the Green River through the Desolation and Gray Canyons. It was filled with history, geology, scenic canyons and amazing fun!

The first night we camped at the put in at Sand Wash, an old ferry site for the river. It is a quick, dusty drive through the oil fields outside of Duchesne to the river. The mosquitoes were beyond ridiculous! Luckily we reserved a screened cabin to cook and sleep in. We got up, rigged the rafts, and headed out on our journey. The first day was mostly flat water, but my husband (gotta love him!) convinced his dad that we needed a motor to speed things up. We camped at Stampede Flat and boy were we surprised to find that there were more mosquitoes than Sand Wash. It was unbelievable. No amount of any kind of bug spray worked. I was wearing 2 layers of clothes covering my whole body and somehow they still got through! We should have motored on through a little further because the farther we got down the river the better the mosquitoes got. During a brief stop, we saw an old iron skiff that had been left on the shore. We also saw wild horses and sure-footed mountain goats.

On day two, we went from Stampede Flat to Three Canyon rapid. Turns out the motor wasn't as good of an idea as we thought.... Going through one rapid, we didn't have enough steering capability and power to have complete control of both the rafts when they were tied together. The combination of the current and the wind pulled us nose first into a huge boulder in the river. Luckily no one was hurt and nothing was damaged. Our camp was great. We had a great amount of flat area for tents right off the river and we could hear the rapids all night. There was a huge aspen, one of the largest I've ever seen. Its twisted roots were exposed in an almost symmetrical ring, creating a great seating area where we placed the firepan in the middle. Above the camp area on the hill was an open meadow with a majestic vista. The three canyons converging on the river creating one of the best views of the trip.

We decided we probably ought to move on down the river a bit to keep a good pace and we had heard that the Joe Hutch Canyon Rapid was now a fantastic rapid especially with the water level and West was very excited to get to it. After a couple of miles we came up on it and pulled off the river to scout it out since the rapid had changed significantly in the last year due to a debris flow from a large mudslide. I have to admit that I was scared and excited to the point of nausea and I wasn't sure how we would fair. The commercial trips and boats flipping all day and the boats with kids were walking all the kids to the other side of the rapid and sending bare bones oarmen through the rapid. We decided to go right of center and then to the left skirting the HUGE hole on the left. There is also a huge wave train. We hit the smaller of the holes on the right and it almost stopped us dead in our tracks. The wake of this rapid is about 8 ft high. You could feel the power of the water rumbling on the floor of the boat and it definitely reminds you of your place in the world! Right at this point, the motor cuts out and Keith and Justun have to get us through this wall of water with their paddling alone. We made it through fine, it wasn't textbook or even pretty, but good enough to get some cheers from the people on the side. Just after Joe Hutch Canyon, we started looking for a campsite and pulled out the snacks. After the excitement of making through Joe Hutch, we let our guard down. This can be catastrophic on the river. Before we new it we were 10 ft away from a rock and being swept right into it. We got the rafts turned to the side and the raft I was on went over the rock, but the rafts were still strapped together. The others didn't fair so well. Their raft got wrapped around a rock, dumping anything not strapped to the rafts (i.e. people) into the river. Then Ross, jumped in after the cooler leaving West, Justun, Jamie, and I to figure this out. We pulled all the gear we could off of the raft by holding JJ over the water by his feet. We tried to separate the straps and it wasn't happening. We got on the high side of the boat to keep the balance when we separated the rafts. When Jamie was trying to get high side, the raft got bumped and Jamie just about fell in. Luckily she got a good grasp on the rope and I grabbed her life jacket and pulled her up. West cut the straps and off the rock we went! Our other raft broke away from the rock and we intercepted it on the side of the river. West jumped in a oared across the river to the other shore where all the lost members of our group had gathered. The rest of us walked down stream and picked up all of the gear that another rafting group had gathered from the river for us. We spun the raft off the shore and motored across the river to meet up with everyone else. As we assessed the damages we discovered we had been very lucky! We had a couple of scraped knees and I had a small cut on my thumb (which bleed EVERYWHERE, you would have thought I severed a major artery!). The only gear we lost was a shoe, a water bottle, and and oar. Pretty dang good, if I say so myself! We bent the frame on the wrapped raft but other than that, that was the only damage. We camped right there on the beach where we pulled out of the river. It was a little out in the open and pretty rocky, but we made due.

We pushed off again the next morning and decided to finish out the river. We skirted Coal Creek the other large rapid and took the safe way through all the rapids. We camped at the pull out at Swasey's Rapid. This is just below Gunnison Butte outside of Green River. We stayed the night and headed for home the next morning. We stopped for an early lunch in Green River and Ray's Tavern. Their burgers are infamous so we thought we ought to try one! They were delish!

All in all it was an awesome trip in the great outdoors with great company. We are planning on going again soon, maybe running up to Jackson Hole for the weekend to run the Snake. Whoever thought that I, afraid of water as I am, would become a river rat, but I think its happening.

We forgot to pick up some waterproof disposable cameras so we didn't take any pictures. But, I found some great pictures on another blog. Follow this link. http://cedarandsand.blogspot.com/2008/09/desolation-canyon.html

Lately......

Well, quite a bit has happened lately at the Walker residence. Some noteworthy, some not so much so I will try to to ramble forever.

During Memorial Day weekend we were helping my family move some furniture. I was carrying a dresser with West and rolled my ankle on a 2 x 4. As a recent of the rolled ankle, I dropped the dresser and then my head. My head hit the dresser and it started to swell IMMEDIATELY. Before I could stand up, I have a baseball size bump on my head. West saw the huge swell and ran over and applied pressure to my head to try to get the swelling to go down. Jeni ran to get some ice which I had on my head for 5 hours. Over the next few days I developed a huge black eye. I had such a bad headache in my life.

My sister Jeni moved into our house! We are so excited to have her! She is working at the Diner as a waitress. We now call her Laverne and she looks fantastic in that classic diner outfit. She has had a little more time off than she is used to and has taken it upon herself to touch up the paint on our walls. They are looking great!

Our basement is now finished (well mostly!). West has some more tinkering with his electronics and thus is in constant disarray, but we are loving it! Its great to sit back and admire the result of a lot of hard work.

And, finally.....we have been planning a rafting trip on the Green River through Desolation Canyon. We are so excited!!! We start on the river on Monday and we can hardly wait. We are going with our in laws, a neighbor, and our friends Jamie and Justun. We have been setting up rafts and checking parts, and packing so almost a month just to make sure it comes off with out a hitch!

Pictures of all of these events to follow.

Blog books

I've come across something that many of you bloggers may want to know about. I've been working on these photo books for vacations, the diner, etc. The website I use to publish them has released a newer version that allows you to import your blog posts, including pictures, in to a book for printing. I just thought this was great because now a journal/scrapbook like album can be published for permanent keeping. The website is blurb.com, you just need to download their program called BookSmart.

The Diner on YouTube

Small video made by PCTV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rplEcKUF9gg

Feeling guilty...

Its probably very wierd that I even feel like this, I imagine most people wouldn't mind....

Lately work has been REALLY slow and while I am still grateful to be employed, I have almost nothing to do and I feel like I am stealing money from my boss because she is paying me to do nothing. I was at first concerned that I was going to get laid off, but now it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I just keep trying to find things around the office to do until hopefully it picks up. Not much else I can do I guess.....

Happy Birthday West!

It was West's birthday last Friday and I wanted to make him a special treat. West doesn't really like cake, he'd much rather have brownies and those aren't really that special (especially because most of the time he makes them himself!) so I was trying to come up with an idea.

I was at the grocery store and strawberries were on a pretty good deal and then back at the bakery they we trying to sell these bricks of chocolate. The idea came to me, CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES! Now, I haven't ever met anyone who didn't like these so I thought for sure West would think they were great! I bought all the stuff and went home. I was very excited because I got to finally use the double boiler West bought me with my pan set over a year ago AND, I was going to learn to temper chocolate. They turned out great (they were actually pretty easy) and West loved them!

Happy Anniversary!!

West and I celebrate 3 years today! We have done some amazing things together in just 3 years! We built a house, went to Europe (twice), and finished our basement, just to name a few. I am hopeful we will be blessed to continue in our success together and very excited for the years to come!

To celebrate, I am posting some pics of out wedding.

Pay it Forward

I found this on a friends blog and thought it would be fun to make something for someone.
The Rules}
1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!
2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!
4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along.Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! SO, REMEMBER...Pay It Forward!

Valentines M&M's

I just wanted to note that M&M's is now selling bags of only green candies in honor of Valentines. I, at first, thought maybe they set them out early for St. Patty's Day, but no. I did a little research and they are definitely for Valentines. I guess some people are willing to try anything....

I think this is quite funny! All I have to say is that my mom would have thought this was the best thing in the world. After all, she informed me of their additional health benefits and much too young of an age! I will be buying some bags in her honor.

If you don't know why this is slightly humorous, I can't tell you until you're older. But, you can check it out for yourself at:

http://www.snopes.com/risque/aphrodisiacs/mandms.asp

Aunt Brittani-
I am so excited you found my blog! I would be even more excited if you invited me to read yours at jessrwalker@gmail.com!

Thanks!!

Just a couple of things I have been working on....

This house isn't done yet, but we started putting furniture early so they could sleep here for the ski season. Hopefully, I can get some more professional shots later.

Grateful...

I saw this on my friend Jamie's blog, I'm sure most people have seen it, but after going through the list, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for all the experiences I have had already in my life. I am one who as always been motivated by my accomplishments and lately I have felt like I haven't accomplished very much. As time goes on my goals only get bigger and need more time (and funding) to accomplish and it seems I never have enough of either. I really have been blessed for the full life I have.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Why does everyone erase this? Yes I have.
70.Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Been on a service mission/vacation.