Thursday, December 14, 2006

With a Baby

I just read this touching (and true!) quote sent to me by my brother-in-law John. Thanks John!

"At the focal point of all human history, a point illuminated by a new star in the heavens revealed for just such a purpose, probably no other mortal watched--none but a poor young carpenter, a beautiful virgin mother, and silent stabled animals who had not the power to utter the sacredness they had seen. Shepherds would soon arrive and later, wise men from the East. Later yet the memory of that night would bring Santa Claus and Frosty and Rudolph--and all would be welcome. But first and forever there was just a little family, without toys or trees or tinsel. With a baby--that's how Christmas began.

"It is for this baby that we shout in chorus: 'Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King! . . . Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth' (Hymns, no. 209)."

(Jeffrey R. Holland, "Without Ribbons and Bows," New Era, Dec. 1994, 6)

I am so grateful for the knowledge that Jesus Christ lives and that He is our Savior. What a wonderful thing to reflect upon, especially this Christmas season as we celebrate His birth! (-Jocelyn)

Monday, December 11, 2006

The Question


Yesterday was Robert and my two year engagement anniversary. That's right . . . two years ago yesterday (on December 10, 2004), Robert took me on a special date to Park City and eventually popped the question. And I of course said yes.

We've started a fun tradition (started it last year, continued it this year, plan to keep doing it in the future) on our engagement anniversary. Sometime during the day, I hand him back my ring (ensuring that he has a safe place to put it--usually the box he actually gave it to me in). It is then his job to sometime that day ask me, once again, if I will marry him. Yeah, yeah, it's cheesy. But I think it's a fun tradition to celebrate the fact that knowing what he knows now . . . he would still ask me all over again. And knowing what I know now . . . I would still definitely say YES! (BTW, in Robert's defense, this cheesy tradition is in fact my idea . . . and it was in fact my idea to share this bit with y'all. He was a bit embarrassed that I told people about it, so tag ME as the dopey, cheesy one. Robert's definitely the cool one.)

I love my Robert. He is such an amazing husband and inspiring person. I really do know that I am better today--more thoughtful, less likely to take offense, more faithful, more optimistic--because of his good influence on me. I am grateful for such a wonderful best friend and eternal companion. Hooray! (-Jocelyn)

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

One Word Meme

Rachel tagged me . . . so here we go!

Is anyone reading this thing anymore? Oh well, I like to hear myself talk. And I always make Robert read it at least! (-Jocelyn)

one word meme
You can only type one word. No explanations.
Yourself: pregnant
Your Partner: sexy
Your Hair:
brown
Your Mother:
poet
Your Father: optimist
Your Favorite Item:
pillow
Your Dream Last Night:
sad
Your Favorite Drink:
milk
Your Dream Car:
RRover
Your Dream Home: big
The Room You Are In: cramped
Your Ex:
past
Your Fear:
failure
Where You Want to be in Ten Years:
settled
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: Robert
What You’re Not: anarchist
Muffins:
blueberry
One of Your Wish List Items:
massage
Time: noon
The Last Thing You Did:
TV
What You Are Wearing:
nightgown
Your Favorite Weather:
snow
Your Favorite Book:
BofM
Last Thing You Ate:
Eggo
Your Life:
happy
Your Mood:
ditto
Your Best Friends: cool
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: this
Your Car: surviving
What Are You Doing At The Moment: typing
Your Summer: hot
Relationship Status:
wonderful
What Is On Your TV: plant
What Is The Weather Like:
cold
When Is The Last Time You Laughed: morning

Monday, December 4, 2006

Nine Weeks and Counting

Yay for my newest little niece, Hannah Kay, born November 30. Isn't she adorable?

Yep, only
nine weeks until the official due date arrives (February 9, 2007). It's pretty crazy that there are only nine weeks left . . . just a little more than two months. I am way excited to see and hold and love my little baby boy, but I am definitely also scared for him to finally be out of the womb. (That means I'll actually be a real parent, not just an almost one, and I'll be in charge of an entire person! Daah!) I think Robert and I are ready, though, so I know things will go okay, despite the growing pains that we are sure to experience.

Our baby room is almost finished. I've been saying that for the past month or so, but really, we just have a day or two more of working on it, and it will be all organized and ready. We live in a small two bedroom apartment, so it's actually our office-slash-baby's room, but both parts are coming together. I can't wait until it's done!!! Then the major baby prep stress will be over and I can just wait for labor to come . . . wahoo?

This is a very "rambly" blog, and I don't really have a point. So I'll wrap it up. As a side note, we are loving A Christmas Carol (we opened on Thanksgiving weekend). Just being in a show again is so great, and I LOVE this show! I have it memorized (thanks to being in it last year and this year), and it still makes me cry. Seriously! And it's not just the hormones, I promise. I'll do a post sometime about my favorite lines and such, but for now, I'll just say that I love the show and I'm so grateful to be performing in it again with Robert. Yay for grand opportunities and our last theater "hurrah" before the baby comes! Love to all! (-Jocelyn)

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Earliest Memory

I'm not slow on the uptake, I promise (well, most of the time). I just didn't see Rachel's "tag" until now... so here we go. My earliest memory...

I think my earliest memory has to be when I was around two or three years old. We lived in the Spyglass house and I was at the across-the-street neighbor's house with my sisters. I remember I was playing in the jacuzzi while they were off chatting or doing something else. I was jumping from seat to seat and decided to try to go under the water and hold my breath. I was very little, and I think someone came and pulled me up out of the water, afraid I would drown. I think I could swim already (or at least float), because I took swimming lessons when I was about two I think. But I do remember going under the water and having someone pull me out because they were afraid for me.

Who knows how much of that is "real" and how much of it is dramatized from reflecting on that "earliest memory," but I'm sure there's some truth in it!

I have a lot of memories from age four and up... from Christmas memories (when I was four, I was so curious about the present from my Grandma Stayner that I would tear a little tiny piece off every few days... finally I got so excited and half opened it and it was a Rainbow Bright doll. I think I got in trouble for opening it, and I remember feeling bad because I knew I wasn't supposed to open it, but I loved the doll!); to preschool memories (my first crush, Will Esposito I think his name was); etc. etc!

Yay for random memories. (-Jocelyn)

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!


This will be on the brief side, because I need to get back to making a green bean casserole (yes, with the crunchy onion straws on top, yummy) for our Thanksgiving feast today . . . but I had to pause on this special holiday and give thanks for all of my blessings.

I read, for the first time today, George Washington's speech given as he instituted Thanksgiving as an official U.S. holiday. I highly recommend it as an uplifting and thought-provoking read (that will only take you one, maybe two minutes). Check it out here:
http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/milestones/thanksgiving_read.html

I am so grateful that George Washington had the vision to see that all of the blessings he had received as a man, as a leader--were because of the providence of God. I firmly believe that. I firmly believe and know that God is our Father, that He loves us, and that He desires to bless us and does so in innumerable ways.

My life is blessed to the brim! I have my faith; I have a wonderful family (and a baby, healthy by all reports, on the way); I have my freedom; I have opportunity. I have so many blessings, many of which I know I fail to recognize. But I do want to write that I know that all of my blessings (whether I acknowledge them at this point in my life or not) come because there is a God and He loves me.

In closing, I want to include a passage of scripture from the Book of Mormon that is very meaningful to me, particularly on this day. It is taken from a speech given by a king to his people as he is about to pass away. This king is very righteous and as such, spent his days in the service of his people and thus in the service of his God. This is what he had to say about giving thanks:

Mosiah 2:20–22
20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—
21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.


I know that those words are true. That though we can never deserve the blessings we receive, as we do our best and trust God, He will nonetheless bless us for our good.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! (-Jocelyn)

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Schpeal Time




Hello Blogger Fans!

Okay, okay. I probably don't have any Blogger fans. But I can dream, right?

Above are two pictures from one of the Halloween parties we attended this year. This one is a "How to Host a Murder" party with friends of mine from high school. It was based in a dig site in Mesopotamia. I am an archeologist; Robert is a "flamboyant" actor. Very fun! (And yes, you can see little suck in my stomach. HE is getting huge. Not me. HIM!)

I'm finally in my third trimester and I am ready for the home stretch. Pregnancy has been fun in ways . . . but I have been sick and/or uncomfortable for most of my pregnancy, so after 28 weeks, I'm ready for the next 12 to be over. Sad thing is that every day brings a "fun" new symptom, like increasing heartburn, leg cramps (holy cow they hurt at 3 in the morning!), more back aches, hip aches . . . everything aches. It's definitely "worthwhile" pain, but it's still pain!

Robert's finishing up his law schtuff and is poised and ready to send in his applications. Should be this week, at latest, the next week. Then it will be the waiting game. Robert's current list of schools is as follows:

1. University of Chicago
2. Stanford
3. UCLA
4. USC
5. George Washington
6. Iowa University
7. Boston University
8. Brigham Young University
9. Creighton

A friend of Robert's is currently attending Creighton law school, so we get that application for free (wahoo). For sure U of Chicago is our favorite, but the rest are all pretty closely tied for second. Hopefully he'll get a scholarship somewhere. That's our ideal situation at least.

Well, this blog is getting long and boring. If you made it this far, good for you! And if you're in the Orem, Utah area this Christmas season, do come by the Hale Center Theatre (Orem) and see us in A Christmas Carol. (-Jocelyn)

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

167

Here we are after the Homecoming Dance.

Yes, I am pregnant! There's a side shot for y'all in my pretty dress.

Whew, it was a fun weekend. On Friday night, Robert took me to the BYU Homecoming Dance (a swing dance). Well, first we had a yummy dinner with our friends the Roundys, then we head to the dance with them. Sooo fun! Robert was amazed at my stamina, given my big belly and my usually aching feet. But I love dancing (especially swing and slow dancing!) and having a fun, formal date with Robert way too much to let a little pregnancy get me down. :)

On Saturday, we went to a halloween party hosted by Dave and Courtney Loveless. It was a kidnap mystery party for which Dave wrote the script. I was a tavern wench and Robert was a has-been child actor. I ended up being one of the kidnappers (it seems one of us is always the guilty party at these things. I wonder what that suggests . . . hmm . . .).

This Friday, Robert and I are taking a mini-vacation to an inn in Manti. It's sort of a getaway before I'm too big to get away (and before we have a baby). We're just staying at the inn for a night, but we're pretty excited, because it's always nice to be able to be somewhere new and just RELAX. Woohoo!

Other than ALL that, life is pretty much the same. OH. . . great news . . . Robert got his LSAT score and he got a 167, which is the 95th percentile (so we are very happy). He's getting all his applications ready as we speak, so who knows where we'll be this time next year. I'll keep you posted! (-Jocelyn)

Friday, October 20, 2006

I'm Pregnant, NOT Fat!!!

From left to right: Annette (due beginning of April, I believe); Me (due February 9); Liz (due mid-January); and Katie (due mid-March). Woohoo for the pregnant ladies!

Here, finally, is a pic of myself as a pregger. It's not the most flattering of shots (hence the headline), but it will do to show the belly.

My baby boy is decidedly a spazz. Not too much of a surprise given his parentage, but I swear his favorite activity is to do backflips, kicks, somersaults . . . whatever he can manage in that now-not-so-little space inside my belly. One happy thought is that music always tends to calm him down. He'll be kicking/jumping/whatever-ing up a storm, and I'll sing a few songs out-loud. Almost always, he'll sit still by at least the second song I sing. He usually moves excitedly when I start to sing, then he'll just settle in and relax. Hooray! A musical child! (As if he had a choice; he had to at least deal with music, because I sing all the time no matter what!)

Anyway, today's exciting event is that I am going to HOMECOMING with my wonderful husband, Robert. I have a dress (which I bought a few weeks ago as a new church dress, but decided to "save" to be my Homecoming dress) and we're going with the Roundys, some friends of ours. Should be a blast. I'll post pics... if I ever take any. Ha!

Well, love to all. Live long and be happy! (-JoJo)


For your viewing pleasure, here's another pic of the pregnant ladies, with my sister Megan (far right) who just had baby Jackson in June (so obviously she is NOT pregnant). For some reason there's a line in the pic, but oh well! Here you go:

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Ding Dong Merrily On High

This is the choir from last year (2005). It was about 5 a.m. when we took this picture; we met a news team in the mall to shoot a promotional segment for the Hale and for our choir.

As the Christmas Carol-y title suggests, Robert and I are once again going to be part of the Orem Hale Center Theatre's "A Christmas Carol." Call back auditions last night were intense and five and half hours long (we finally left the auditions at 11:30 p.m.). Pretty crazy. But we made it into the choir again! We're way excited, especially since we get to "share" the show with our baby in embryo. If you come see it, just look for the big, pregnant caroler and you'll find me. (You may have to look hard, because I will wear a hoop skirt that masks the belly.)

Our other big news is that we found out we are having a baby BOY! The whole name thing is still in the air, but I'm sure we'll figure it out before the kid comes. Or at least really soon after he comes. Hopefully. :)


Before I go... a plug for my choir. We are a select group of singers who dress in full Dickens costumes and perform both in the show and for paid gigs. I believe our going rate is $300 for a 45-minute quartet performance and $400 for a 45-minute octet performance. Rates fluctuate depending on the length of the show, etc., but that's the base price. If you or your company are looking for Christmas entertainment in the Utah County area, please contact the Hale Center Theatre and ask about the Christmas Carol Choir: 801-226-8600. I guarantee you will not be disappointed; we put on a very fun and festive show.

That's about it for now. Hope all is going well in your part of the world! (-JoJo)

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Hello All You Viewers Out There in (Blogger) Land!

As always (so far in this pregnancy), the past week has been a drastic rollercoaster. Luckily, it seems that by now (my 18th week) the ups tend to last longer than the downs. (Right now I seem to be averaging 2 bad days, 5 good days a week). I'm just hoping the downs go away and I'm not one of those *lucky* women who have morning sickness for her entire pregnancy. Ahhh!

Getting to the fun stuff... it was my birthday on August 26 and Robert's on August 29. We're now both 23. I can't believe I'm only 23. Most days I feel like I'm mid or late 30s or even 40s. I think it's some kind of complex I have from always being around grown-ups as a kid. I don't know. (Robert thinks I act more like a 5-year-old on occassion. Maybe I just have age issues in general!) For our birthdays, we tried to act 23 and have a lot of fun.

Robert was sweet and for my birthday he took me to Beauty and the Beast at the Hale Center Theater in SLC. It was AWESOME... and he bought the tickets something like three months in advance, because they sold out literally that long ago. I even saw an old friend of mine in the show, Nic Siler.

After the show, Robert gave me money (yay for money) and told me I could go shopping wherever I wanted. This is quite a gift, as I hardly ever go shopping anymore and as Robert HATES shopping. He put aside his prejudice, though, and we had a good time at the Gateway. I ended up just buying one pair of cute maternity pants that should last me throughout the whole 9 months. Woohoo. (Oh and we went to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Robert asked at each of the restaurants if they did anything for birthdays... none of them did! Well, at the last restaurant, the server brought us out a brownie and some ice cream and lit a candle for me. So at least it was something! No singing, though.)

Robert's birthday I hope was fun for him! We saw a movie ("Monster House" in 3-D), perused BYU's Museum of Art, minigolfed, and went to dinner. It was definitely a good day.

Yay for birthdays! (-JoJo)

PS- Some of you have requested photos of us. I would love to comply, but sadly, we don't have a digital camera yet. We're planning on that being our big Christmas present to each other (along with baby stuff I'm sure). So... I'll post when I have pics. I definitely look pregnant now, though. :)

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Heartbeat :)

Well, I am finally back from a big blog break! Sorry for the delay. Hopefully those of you who check this thing now and then haven't given up on me yet. I'll try to go back to doing weekly as before.

As most of you know, we are expecting our first baby in February 2007 (the current due date is February 9, 2007). Yesterday we had our second appointment with the OBGYN and of all exciting things, we got to hear the heartbeat! At first, it was pretty faint, but the doctor prodded me (it was a little uncomfortable, but worth it) until he finally rested on a spot that picked up the heartbeat LOUD and CLEAR. We have a healthy baby from all reports. Woohoo!


I also am now feeling the kid squirming inside of me. I'm 16 weeks along, so the baby's still pretty small... but I do definitely feel "flutters" (and probably baby somersaults) every now and again. Yay!

In four weeks (on September 19), we go in for our ultrasound and we'll find out if it's a girl or a boy. We'll keep you all posted.

A lot has happened since our last blog. Obviously, we're having a baby. Also, we moved and I quit my job. Crazy, I know, but they were all right decisions and we feel really good about life right now. Who knows what's coming next!

Keep in touch! (-JoJo)

Friday, June 23, 2006

Jackson Eyes Mia


This is a picture of our nephew Jackson (now 2 weeks old!) and our niece Mia (2 years old). Mia looks unimpressed (and potentially dangerous). I think Jackson agrees with the dangerous bit. :)

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Movie News

Jocelyn and I have seen quite a few movies in the past month or so. I have decided, therefore, to give all of you a quick synopsis and review of these movies, not because you care, but because I like to hear myself talk (or read myself write... or something like that):

Theater Movies
Mission Impossible 3: Ethan Hunt is on the trail of a wanted man, who earns a living by making deals with terrorists. When Ethan's wife is placed in jeopardy as a result, Ethan takes drastic measures to ensure her safety. She too must decide whether she loves and trusts Ethan enough to do something unthinkable at a crucial moment. (A-)

X-Men 3: The best of the series, this movie explores the motives that drive both humans and X-men to fight against each other. Some very dramatic rifts appear between humans and X-men, even some so deep as to tear apart the bonds that once held Xavier's School for the Gifted together. A surprise twist at the end of the movie (and then another one after the credits) will make you want to pay careful attention until the lights go up in the theater. (A)

The Da Vinci Code: I agreed with critics about this movie (which is a hint that I was probably influenced by them). I don't think the movie was really all that great. I think the director and script writer should have been more creative. I would have liked to see less talking/plot exposition and more cinematography focusing on the art and architecture. (C+)

She's the Man: Actually, this was quite funny. It's based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, about a girl who has to pretend to be a man. I thought it would be crude, but it wasn't. Just funny. (B+)

Over the Hedge: A cute movie about animals, this feature presents the expected themes about love, family, and friendship, while including a few hilarious characters like the kind we have come to expect from animated features. Kudos to Bruce Willis as the selfish raccoon. He pulls off his character quite well. (B)

The Shaggy Dog: Tim Allen pulls some funny surprises in this movie. I actually enjoyed seeing Danny Glover and Robert Downey, Jr. more, though. Those guys are cool. I don't know, though. Robert Downey, Jr. seemed to be sort of making fun of the movie as he did it, like he wasn't taking it too seriously, which I actually kind of liked. When you see it, look for that and tell me if I'm right. A good movie for the fam. (B)

VHS/DVD
Cinderella Man: During the depression, times are hard for the main character (I forget his name). He's hurt his hand too many times to box well, and soon finds himself relying on charity just to feed his family and keep them warm. He won't abandon his values no matter what, though. He's a "rock," as my brother Stephen referred to him, a man with real integrity. After years of suffering, a lucky break finds him back in the ring as he battles perhaps even to the death. (A)

Little Shop of Horrors: Good musical, though the first half is better than the last half. In the play, the ending is actually a lot more depressing (the plant kills everyone and takes over the world), but the movie is still very dark and morbid. I'd see it again just for the song "Skid Row." Jocelyn said that song gives her goosebumps every time. (B+)

I guess that's all for now. In other news, our ward took 1st place in the Intramurals tournament for BYU Kickball. Jocelyn and I got t-shirts.

--Robert

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

It's Raining Babies

As mentioned in my last post, I have a new nephew as of Friday—Jackson John Bunch. I was of course excited so I bragged to various friends and coworkers and I was always asked the same question: How many nieces and nephews do you have? Sadly, I didn't have an answer.

It's not that I don't know my nieces and nephews, I do! I can name every one and I love every one. But... alas... there are SO many of them that it is not easy to give an immediate figure without some prior calculation. I decided to do that calculation. Prepare to be awed:

Stayner = 11 total (7 nephews; 4 nieces)
Matt/Kay – Zachary
Megan/John – Bailey, Cameron, Morgan, Jackson
Katie/Josh – Harrison, Weston, Samuel
Annette/Andy – Holden, Owen
Rachel/Ryan – Mia

(The above picture is all of the kids except Jackson, who's pictured below. From left to right: Owen, Samuel, Weston, Zachary, Holden, Morgan, Bailey, Mia, Cameron, and Harrison.)

(Jackson John Bunch is pictured above.)

Gibbons = 21 total (8 nephews; 13 nieces)
Chris/Tara – Trey
Debbie/Earl – Tayla, Carder, Mariah, Micah, Ben, Hyrum, Tacie, Samantha (pictured below)
Mike/Carolina – Joseph, Lola, Gabriella, Bianca, Camilla
Tami/Jerald – Tamara, Cassie, Caleb
Josh/Kim – Nova, Tallen
Adam/Micah – Kyler, Chloe

That's 15 nephews, 17 nieces—for a total of 32 kids!!!

Isn't that crazy? And to think... there are still more babies on the way (in the womb and in the future; four of Robert's siblings aren't married yet).

Well, luckily I always liked kids, because I am truly surrounded. (-JoJo)

Saturday, June 10, 2006

40:04

For those of you who actually read and pay attention to this blog, you may recall that a couple of months ago I wrote an entry titled "The Big 5k" in which I proclaimed my goal to run a 5k on Saturday, June 10, 2006. Well, with a little necessary tweaking, I have accomplished my goal!

Robert and I ran (and walked—though we mostly ran) the
BYU 5k today. We were going to do the Orem Summerfest 5k, but the fees were high for the both of us, and I didn't want to do it alone. So luckily Brittany told me about the BYU 5k—a free race (WAHOO) that promoted anti-pornography and anti-abuse.

It was pretty fun. We walked on the two big hills, but ran the rest of the way. And yeah, our time was 40:04 (4o minutes and 4 seconds). Not stellar, but I'm still way proud that we finished. Robert held back. I am so grateful to him for supporting me so fully in my goal, even in not running to his full potential so I felt confident and able to finish the run. If he ran alone, I'm sure he would have gotten a time more like 20 minutes, but I'm grateful he stayed by me. And of all the cheesy and cute things: we in fact held hands while crossing the finish line. :)


In other news, I have a brand new nephew as of last night! That brings the new baby count for the past year to THREE... I have two new "Gibbons" nieces (Camilla and Samantha) and one new "Stayner" nephew, Jackson. Hooray for babies!

Well, that's it for today folks. Here I am signing out. Oh... and to answer your question ("Is Jocelyn a runner yet?"), I'd say I'm a run/walker. Not quite a runner. Not just a walker. Somewhere gloriously in-between.

Love you all! (-JoJo)

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Cataan CHAMPION!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT: I have finally (officially) won "Settlers of Cataan" (the Cities & Knights version, too!). To say the least, I am extremely proud of myself. FINALLY! (Ask the Roundys... it's been a long while coming.)

In other news, check out this Web site: http://greensquirrelshirts.com/ (see also the "Green Squirrel" link at the sidebar). My brother-in-law Stephen runs a t-shirt business that sells "emo"/vintage style shirts that he and his compadres design (the pic on the right is of Robert and me on Christmas morning, wearing our brand new Green Squirrel shirts). Some are pretty hilarious and they're top goods. ;)

Welp, good night world. The Cataan champion is signing out. (-Jocelyn)

Get Your Grove On


So... after MONTHS of waiting for it to get in stock again, we received our DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) Mario Mix this Thursday. We have played it the past two nights, both times with friends. It is VERY fun and I HIGHLY recommend playing it (with us!). It's really funny to watch Mario getting his grove on on-screen, and it's even funnier to watch the person "being" Mario trying to step on all the right arrows at the right time. And all the songs are revamped Nintendo classics (like the theme songs from the original Mario Brothers, remade in a funk style). Check it. (-Jocelyn)

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Can You Tell I'm a Genius?

Best thing I ever did was marrying that man. :) (-Jocelyn)

This Time, Looking Back

It's been just over a year now since Jocelyn and I were sealed in the Bountiful temple. We took an anniversary trip to the Anniversary Inn in SLC and stayed in the "Enchanted Forest" room and had dinner at The Roof. I gave Jocelyn a calendar for 2006–07 full of things we both love, a necklace, and some clothing, and she gave me an Ultimate Frisbee set along with some of my favorite fine foods.

I also gave her a Mother's Day present, since our Anniversary and Mother's Day fell on the same day this year.

Here's a poem I wrote for Jocelyn a few months ago. It's really about the increasing amount of love I feel for her and that (I hope) she feels for me. Our love is still growing and going strong.

This Time, Looking Back

This time, looking back, the valley seems green
The trees are the same size, but with more shade
The old castle up there can still be seen
Time's made it richer when I thought it would fade

And the image of you is everywhere,
In the road, in the grass, and in the trees
I can still see the way the wind curled your hair
And the smile you wore as I shielded the breeze

That's where I first noticed your beautiful eyes
And over there is where I first understood you
Those simple days and those first memories
Make the grass green and keep the sky bright blue

I hurried down the hill with you behind me
Our hands were clasped forever with a ring;
Your hair is still whispering toward me
In the faint warm wind of spring
(–Robert)

Sunday, April 9, 2006

About JoJo

I feel like a blog "cheater," but I like these dumb little quizzes so I stole the idea from Annette and Rachel, verbatim.

Robert's playing games at his parent's house (I came home early to get to bed -- will in a moment), but in the meantime . . . have fun getting to know ME (Jocelyn):

Four jobs I have had
1. QC/QA editor at Western Governors University (current job)
2. Assistant editor at Kennedy Center Publications
3. Technical writer at BYU Financial Aid Office
4. Actress/singer at the Hale Center Theatre in Orem (hey, I got paid :)

Four of my favorite movies
1. Sense and Sensibility
2. Little Women
3. Singin' in the Rain
4. Anything Disney or Musical (depending on my mood)

Four of my favorite books (besides The Book of Mormon, the Bible, etc.)
1. The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (if you want to find out how much of a geek I am, ask to see my copy of this book sometime . . . you'll get to see LOTS of pretty colors :)
2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
3. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
4. Harry Potter series in general (by J.K. Rowling -- as if you didn't know)

Four of my favorite poems (I'm an English major -- I couldn't resist)
1. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot
2. "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" by William Wordsworth
3. "Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven" by W.B. Yeats
4. "Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (and five hundred other poems . . . including work by my romantic husband, Robert)

Four of my favorite games
1. Rook (Gibbons rules, of course)
2. Zelda: The Wind Waker (on our Gamecube)
3. Ticket to Ride
4. Settlers of Cataan (though I am yet to win . . . my time IS COMING!!!)

Four places I have lived
1. Newport Beach, CA
2. Farmington, UT
3. Provo, UT
4. London, England, UK

Four places I have been on vacation
1. Ukraine
2. Prague, Czech Republic
3. Paris, France
4. New York City, NY

Four Web sites I visit daily
1. My e-mail (go gmail!)
2. My blog
3. Everyone else's blog (though usually only Rachel and Annette "deliver" anything new)
4. Amazon.com (usually to see if Mario Mix has FINALLY come in yet)

Four of my favorite foods
1. Chocolate
2. Chicken salad from Cafe Rio
3. Italian food
4. Panda Express food

Four places I'd rather be right now
1. Anywhere with Robert :)
2. London, England, UK
3. Broadway (as in, performing)
4. Somewhere new and not in the USA (India, China, Denmark, Bhutan)

Saturday, April 8, 2006

Training Wheels Running

To answer Boo's question (posted on the last blog) . . .

The training is still . . . going. I am approaching the end of my third week now and am doing more interval training-- this time, following the schedule: 90 seconds running, 90 seconds walking, 3 minutes running, 3 minutes walking-- all repeated twice. I run three to four times a week-- this week, four times (assuming I go running after typing this).

A few discoveries from the past few weeks:
  1. Running is kick-your-trash hard. Really, it is. Even though I'm only running intervals-- and 3 minutes is my max longevity so far-- it is still a challenge to just keep pushing through. My body seriously screams "WHAT are you DOING to me?" every time I make it run.
  2. When my body yells at me to stop, my mind yells back stronger . . . keeping me going. This "mind over body" experience is actually quite uplifting and reminds me that I am stronger than I think. At least mentally. :)
  3. When I am done with a run, everything seems clearer, my life seems more at peace, and the many stresses I have seem a lot more manageable. I think this relates back to #2 . Overcoming the difficulty of running teaches me that I can overcome the difficulties of life.
  4. If you can avoid it, do NOT run on an indoor track. It is boring and makes the whole running process a lot harder. This is personal preference of course, but the one day so far that I've run on an indoor track was one of the worst yet. It's a mental thing, of course, but it seems to be a lot easier to run if you can look around and feel the zen of being "one" with nature. However, safety still comes first . . . so I think I can handle running on the indoor track on those few days when I don't have time to run until 9 p.m.
  5. Running is a matter of commitment. I decided to be committed to running the 5k-- so committed that I went to Barnes&Noble and bought myself a running book (The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik). I highly recommend it. I decided early on that if I'm going to do it, I'll do it all the way-- following the expert advice out there so I avoid burnout and injuries.
In the scheme of things, I've still got my running "training wheels" on, but I'm pretty excited to have gotten this far and I hope to keep pushing until I RUN that 5k . . . and then, run a 10k . . . and then, who knows. (I'm not committing to a marathon. Yet.) (-JoJo)

Friday, March 24, 2006

The Big 5K

Saturday, June 10, 2006 at 8 a.m. will be my ultimate rite-of-passage into the foreign identity of "runner." It's the date of my first-ever 5K run. Last night was training day 1. With a reliable-looking training Web site as my guide, I set out for 30 minutes of walk/run intervals. I made it okay and it was even pretty fun. We'll see how it goes from here on out. Overall, I'm just excited to have a concrete goal to be shooting for.

I guess that's it. I've shared my quest, so now it's official. At 9 a.m. on June 10th, be sure to ask me if I'm a runner yet and I'll let you know. (-JoJo)

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

The Master of Disaster

Our home is currently in a state of fantastic disarray. There are boxes, bookshelves, and table parts strewed from one end of the apartment to the other. Our back room is so cluttered that there could be an entire village of people living in there and we wouldn't know about them until one of them came out hunting for food.

The cause of this disaster-like condition is the selling of the Stayner's former home base in Farmington. The close of the sale was announced several weeks ago, and items have been trickling into our apartment ever since, culminating in a wall-to-wall vanload of "stuff" last Saturday.

The missionaries who live in the apartment directly across from us helped me lift the heavier items into the house, and by the end of it all, they were hardpressed to even find a place to stand inside of our apartment. We thanked them for their help and Jocelyn suggested we make them cookies. That's a fine idea, but I'm afraid most of them would be eaten by the time I got them to their door if I am given the assignment of delivering them. I'm still hungry after all that work. (-Robert)

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Two Peas . . .

It's gratifying to know you can help someone else achieve their full potential. My husband, "Bob," is a genius. He has more unique ideas stacked in his head than any sane person really should have-- from story or research concepts to witty remarks to well . . . anything and everything. He is a walking think machine.

But as happens in college life, it comes time to write a paper, and he gets 13/10 for ideas, 7/10 for organization and argument. Connecting the dots isn't his specialty. Don't get me wrong-- he's a remarkable writer, good enough to get an A on any paper. But from this editor's perspective, there are always a few loopholes here and there, a couple lingering sentences, too many unexplained (brilliant) concepts . . . so I help him muddle through. A fierce critique or two later, we read together what is literally a two-to-five page masterpiece. And I think: we made that. (-JoJo)