We Love J, B, & R

And we miss them. A lot. It's been really quiet here without friends always there to talk to, laugh with, and torture with all-day walking tours (bwa ha ha ha). Brecken is a MUCH better blogger than me, so you should check out her day-by-day report on their visit. I need to upload photos and all that jazz... and I will, when I am not being prodded by my husband to get ready fast so we can look at apartments in DC (we may be moving).

So... without much further ado... I'll just say, J, B, & R -- You're the Chocolate on Top (since not everyone likes cherries).

(BTW... how cute are Peter and Reuben in front of the White House???)

CLEAN (& happy!)

After reading an AWESOME article in June's "Real Simple" ("99 Low Cost Organizing Ideas")... I got super motivated to de-clutter and I DID it!!! In less than an hour!!! My house seriously looks amazing now... and I feel sooo happy. (And I spent all of NO MONEY organizing and de-cluttering... thanks to a lot of the great tips in the article!)

This, my friends, is my Happy Box. I created it during my de-cluttering/organizing rush in an effort to apply the very good advice I found in the May "Real Simple" (obviously, I LOVE that magazine). The article was about finding your own space; a place where you can go to unwind and essentially treat yourself to a few moments of relaxation (definitely needed here). I filled a basket (my "box") with things that make me happy and help me relax when I am alone. When Peter's napping and I need some relaxation time, I get my box, sit in "my place" (which I guess is our couch, since we don't have many furniture options!), and do whatever I want... without worrying about the dishes, or the laundry... or anything else. It seriously makes me SO HAPPY and it works at helping me feel rejuvenated and better handle everything I need to do every day.

Here's what's in my Happy Box (forgive the sideways pictures; I don't have time to fix it!):

• magazines, catalogs, and projects I may want to look at or work on:

• a mini box with cards/notes from loved ones, my book be happy (a Valentine's Day present from Robert), stationary, and paper for writing notes (or for writing creatively), and of course, a small amount of chocolate:

• all my poetry books (I LOVE poetry and hardly ever find the time to read it) and books I'm reading (currently working on "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage):

Seriously, I am a Happy Box believer. Everyone should have a Happy Box!!! (-Jocelyn)

Blah Day

Hello All,

I am watching "Hairspray" for the 50th time and finally putting together a blog. Yes, it really is happening. Sorry it took a while.

Today was what I like to call a "Blah Day." Ever have those? I certainly do! Peter (aka Spazz) wanted to run around everywhere and play with everything!!! He is a good boy... and so sweet... but he is definitely a toddler now, too. And when I am having a "Blah Day" already, it gets tiring playing with him all day (and basically keeping him from hurting himself from all his curiosity!). Luckily, our house is pretty toddler-proof, so he can safely explore most of the time, but he is learning so fast... some skills I'm not so excited about (climbing on the coffee table and couch, for example). Daarrgh!

My house is a DISASTER area right now. Sadly, it's been worse. But I just can't find the motivation to gear up and attack the chaos. I know the "Blah" will pass... and hopefully when it does, my kitchen has not eaten itself alive (in all the junk). Haha...ha. Oh how I wish I were joking.

In happy news, I have lost 14.5 pounds so far this year (aka since January 2008). Yep. I'm doing Weight Watchers for real this time... and it feels great to be taking care of myself.

Here's hoping things are going well for you! Until next time... (-Jocelyn)

Massive Update

#1 The End of Finals

I'm done with school for four entire months! I took four finals over the past two weeks and each one felt like a year's worth of pain. For our Contracts exam, our professor named one of the characters Cyrus Miley, which ended up being a hint that we were supposed to talk about contracts with minors. Because I knew so much about Hannah Montana, I figured it out. Other less-cultured individuals that I talked to missed it. Thanks, Jocelyn, for educating me with the Disney Channel.

Once I had finished my last final, I came home and watched "A Civil Action." You would think I'd pick a movie that wasn't law-related, since my brain has been oversaturated with legal information for the past eight months, but as chance would have it, "A Civil Action" ended up at the top of our blockbuster queue at just the right time. It's an okay movie for presenting an honest look at the legal world (it's based on a true story).


#2 Panda-monium

The DC zoo's most famous attraction is the family of giant pandas. Here's a video of what I believe is the baby panda (three years old) eating bamboo:



The pictures that follow are of various animals and Peterisms; these were all taken somewhere in the zoo.

Okay, this picture's not actually from the zoo. But Jocelyn looks so pretty and Peter so cute (and messy) that I had to put it in.

By the way, the zoo is free. As are almost all DC museums. So that should be an added incentive for any and all of you who are considering visiting us this summer. We guarantee that we can house at least three extra people at a time in our house, and Jocelyn promises to bake cookies for anyone who decides to stay with us. In truth, we just want family/friends to stay overnight so that we can force them to play games with us.


#3 El Trabajo

I start my summer job tomorrow. I'll be clerking for a small firm just a couple of blocks away from the school. I'll be mainly in charge of communicating with the Spanish-speaking clients. I'll have a lot of responsibility, which is rare for a first-year law student, so I'm of course very excited about that. It'll also be nice not having to worry about homework each night.

#4 The End

I think now that school is over and I don't need to take my laptop to school anymore, Jocelyn (and I) will be able to start blogging near-full-time again. So look for more frequent updates from here on out.

(-Robert)