s[no]w bueno.

According to the Daily Press, "The Peninsula is in the heaviest phase of a massive winter snow storm this morning and it isn't expected to let off until tonight." [translation: Ay, caramba! We don't know what to do with ourselves in snow down here.]

After I dug out my winter-wear from the garage, Hosh and I set out to take some pictures in the snow. =)

Exhibit A through G:

Today will be filled with crafty things, coffee, District 9 with Pop (creepy!), possibly a manicure and hopefully more blogging.

Lerv, lerv.

ooo! ooo! ooo!!!

Oh my gosh. Amazing mash-ups. (Thanks, Ham!)

nifty thrifty.

I just thought I'd share three gems that I found today in an antique shop in Phoebus, VA.

This cross-stitch made me choke up a little bit. I love inter-family relationships, first of all. I love how mothers take care of their children and their family. I love how mothers have big dreams for their kids. And I love crafts.

Ma found this mini-Singer sewing machine for $45. Aaaahhh. So cool.

Barley! I saw this and thought of you. There were probably 10 records in there.

More thrifty finds to come in the near future--guaranteed =)

a week of wardrobe.

Welcome to the first edition of "A Week of Wardrobe"!

This week, I attempted to document my outfits in hopes of stumbling upon some interesting bloggable bits. I guess we'll see how this goes over, and then we can decide if "A Week of Wardrobe" deserves more editions in the future or if we needn't bother.

.:.:.Sunday.:.:.

(photos courtesy of Hosh)

sweater: Hosh's closet, dress: Plato's Closet, tank: Target clearance , belt/string: Goodwill- Yardley, PA (it came on a dress of the same color), boots: Minnetonka(!), lunch: Starbucks- Venti White Mocha Frappuccino Light + 2 shots of espresso + 2 scoops of protein.
There aren't many fans of my Minnetonka's, but I especially felt the hate at school. Now that I'm back home in the somewhat-South, I feel able to wear the Minnetonka's a little more freely...and I do.

.:.:.Monday.:.:.

(photo courtesy of Hosh)

I was off of work today because of Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Woot woot!!! This meant no work-wear... and better yet, NO HOSE!!!! (Death to hose. I hate them!)

man's button-up: Sunday Morning Breakfast Thrift Store- Langhorne, PA, belt/string: Goodwill- Yardley, PA (I love it, and I wear it with everything.), leggings: Target clearance, Toms shoes: Christmas present from Hosh, North Face Windwall jacket: Hosh's closet

SIDE NOTE: As you can see from the picture above, the rock-wall in the game-room is coming along quite nicely. My skills on the rock-wall, however,are not on the same level. In due time, I'm sure they'll come along, but I'm currently frying the 5k fish (and that's a pretty big one for me).

.:.:.Tuesday.:.:.

(second photo courtesy of Pop)

I attempted to take my own picture on Tuesday because Hosh had band practice, but it was way too dark and grainy. Oy.

Pop to the rescue!!!

(He had me laughing pretty hard, thus the squinty eyes.)

dress: Old Navy clearance, shrug: Dress Barn (gift from Ma), tights: Wal-Mart, scarf: weird store in Bar Harbor, ME (gift from Ma), shoes: Dansko-shoe store in Lenox, MA

I was back to work today, and I felt like wearing all black with just a bit of color. This outfit makes me feel foreign for some reason. =) These shoes fall in the same category as the Minnetonka's... Hated by others, Loved by Me. They are the most comfortable shoe you could ever own. I would swear by them, if I did that sort of thing. ;) (Let the haters hate.)

.:.:.Wednesday.:.:.

(second photo courtesy of Hosh)

This wasn't a very good day for a photo. Work over in Suffolk meant a couple hours in the car today, about 5 minutes at home to grab dinner and then off to church right away. I tried to take my own picture again and, although the lighting was better than Tuesday's attempt, it still wasn't great.

sweater: Gap, white T: Old Navy, skirt: hand-me-down, hose: Wal-Mart (Death to hose!), shoes: Dansko-Lenox, MA, scarf: Old Navy (birthday/graduation gift this year from Regs)
Here's to hoping this outfit looked a little better in real-life than in these photos. I certainly appear to be a little crunked.

Today at work, my head teller asked me if I worked out, as I was walking away from her to go image my checks. I turned around and said, "Yes. Why?". She looked down at my hosiery-encased calves and simply said, "Your legs." I just smiled and continued on my trek to the imager.

.:.:.Thursday.:.:.

(self-timer photos)

I had to be up extra early this morning for a product knowledge certification test downtown. After I passed :], I was sent to my 'home' branch for the day, which made me (and the rest of the branch) extremely happy. When the branch manager saw me, he said, "Welcome back, Dot!" =)

polka-dot jacket: dress barn, white T: Old Navy, black pinstripe pants: thrift store (?), Dansko shoes: Lenox, MA

Arizona State T: Dollar Store in Tuba City, AZ, shorts/spandex: Under Armour- Dick's Sporting Goods, shoes: Asics, socks: Tommy Hilfiger (Mamba left them in

After work, I came home and changed quickly to go running with Regs. Poor thing was stuck in traffic for 25 minutes (a trip that usually takes 5) on her way to my house. These are Regan's and my best 'excited-to-run' poses. And let me just say, it's a good thing we took a picture before we ran. Oy.

.:.:.Friday.:.:.

(self-timer photo)

shirt: BayPort Credit Union, grey tank: American Eagle, khaki pants: Target clearance, Dansko shoes

This outfit was 'bruise-tastic'. I accidentally turned off my alarm when it went of at 7:15 on this morning and miraculously shot out of bed at 8:20. Eek!!! Since I didn't have much time to shower/eat/pack a lunch/choose an outfit, etc., I ended up wearing all the colors of a wonderful bruise. Yum! Not my best work, bloggy buds. My apologies.

(I also got a haircut tonight. Woot woot!)

.:.:.Saturday.:.:.

(photos courtesy of Ma)

grey hoodie: Wal-Mart, skinny jeans: Wal-Mart, black Panthers T: Goodwill- Phoenix, AZ, Vans tennies: Plato's Closet,

Ma and I went to Phoebus today to look for some furniture for my new room. We were unsuccessful in the furniture department, but I found some super-cool decorations at Return Engagements. I might blog about some thrifty finds soon.

Soooo...there you have it--a week of Jecca's wardrobe! I hope you enjoyed it, because I know I did. I had several good laughs at myself during this little experiment, and I hope all you bloggy buddies got a couple from this post as well.

Lerv to the max.

this is wrong.

I see this every Tuesday and Wednesday on my way to work in Suffolk, and I don't like it.

I understand that business owners decide to spell the names of their businesses incorrectly on purpose, because it gets potential customers to do a double-take. It's an interesting marketing strategy, but it works (i.e.- Toys 'R' Us also with a backwards R, Krispy Kreme, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out Burger, Kraft, etc.).

Why couldn't the owners of this little establishment just spell 'country' with a K? Did they have to drop the O too? Since they did drop the O, I am a little glad they changed the C to a K...but I'm still not a fan.

That is all.

today i...

:went on a run with Regan at Planet Fitness.

If you haven't already heard, Regan and I are currently training for a 5k to be held on March 27th in City Center. We're both super-excited and are preparing by following the Couch-to-5k plan. Hopefully we'll be ready by then.

:realized that I may be pigeon-toed.
I believe it is quite evident when I run...and whenever I'm standing still. I could be wrong, but I tend to stand with my toes slightly pointed in towards each other. My hips kill after I run for any substantial amount of time...whatever. I hate pigeons.

:made dinner for Hosh and Jonathan.
The deal is this: Hosh and Jonathan build a rock-wall in our game room, and I make dinner for them. Last week I made "Organic Burritos", because Hosh is into eating healthy these days. This week I made Steak-Ums (cheesesteaks to all you northerners), because Hosh loves them. I tried to keep it relatively healthy with some roasted brussel sprouts, but they were NOT as good as my sister's.

This was also part of dinner...we probably could've gotten by with about 1/3 of it. Oh well...I never know how much or how little the boys will eat.

:took a trip to Lowe's with Hosh for some plywood.
I never knew there were so many kinds of stinkin' plywood. For Pete's sake! We bought the heaviest...whatever that kind was...

:found a hotdog laying in my bed.
Ok, this wasn't actually today, but it wasn't too many days ago. :)

:created a crafty corner in my room.
This was also not today, but I needed to post a picture of the progress on my room somewhere!

:climbed on the rock-wall frame with Hosh.
The framework was just screaming for some funny photos. Screaming! (We were more than happy to oblige.)

:painted a trash can for my room.

It was just close enough to the color of the walls in my room that it clashed horribly. Black is always better.

:missed this girl.
I cannot wait to see Stephers again. We talk everyday but it's not enough. (Love you!!) <3

:missed my sister.
Stinkin' Mamba!!! Why must you live in ding-dang Georgia?!

This might be the most random blog post ever. My apologies. It's been a long day, but it was a good one. I guess I'll be signing off now. This night will slowly come to a close as Hosh and I hang out in my newly renovated room...he on his mac and I on mine.

Listening to Westbound (let me know if you want a copy of their new CD- only $10) and Girls.

Lots of lerv to you, my blogger buddy. I hope your Saturday was as fun and filled as mine was.

kiki's delivery service.

In 1989, my life was made into an anime movie by Hayao Miyazaki entitled "Kiki's Delivery Service".

Seeing as I was born in 1986, it was mostly prophetic.

The main character, Kiki, is a witch who has just turned 13 and sets out for a new town as part of the coming-of-age process. She must survive for a year on her own and prove that she's ready to handle life, with only the help of her faithful kitty, Jiji.

To make a long story relatively short, Kiki finds a precious woman who takes her in named Osono. With her help, Kiki starts up a delivery service--flying all around town on her broom with Jiji by her side. She meets a sweet boy named Tombo and things seem to be going well, but something happens and she is suddenly unable to fly. This basically means her life is over, because (duh!) what kind of witch would she be without her magic?! She's overwhelmed and really doesn't know what she's going to do. There's an instant when it looks like she's actually going to give up.

In a conversation between Kiki and her new friend Ursula, Kiki admits, "Without even thinking about it, I used to be able to fly. Now I'm trying to look inside myself to find out how I did it...but I just can't figure it out." Ursula responds, "We each need to find our own inspiration, Kiki. Sometimes it's not easy."

Oh, the wisdom you can glean from a cartoon!

I don't want to spoil the whole movie, but...(I'm about to spoil the movie)...Kiki finds her inspiration and gets her magic back! Of course, she does. She's Wonder Woman.

One of my closest friends, sweet T, practically forced me to watch this movie. :] I'm not a huge fan of cartoons, and when he asked me to watch it I tried to say no...but he told me that I was a lot like Kiki and that it might provide some inspiration for me. Poor T. It seemed like every time we talked on the phone for the first three or four weeks that I had been home I ended up crying. Now, we're not talking a little tear here or there. No no no... you'll have to ask T, but I think that what I did could be more accurately described as weeping. I was overwhelmed! (I had lost my magic.)

Something happened though...I don't know exactly what...but I got my magic back. I stopped crying. I realized there were things left to live for even though I was separated from my best friends and everything I had known for the past four years. My friends and family supported me through those four hellish weeks, and I know they will continue to be there for me whenever I need them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I'm getting back into the things I love. I have planned so many craft projects that I don't even know where to start. I am working with the youth group at First Church again. I am working full-time for BayPort (...don't necessarily 'love' this one, but I'm thankful to have a great job). Regs and I are training for a 5k in March. I'm making arrangements for a trip in February to see my friends and family in PA. I'm overwhelmed...but this time in a good way.

Thank you, T, for your love and persistence. You kept pulling me out of that hole that I continued to fall into. You have seen me as very few others have. I. love. you. I can't wait to be in your presence and to hug you. You are my sweet T.

i've got a crush.

Oh sweet, sweet mercy.

I'm slightly in love with Washington Irving, and I don't care who knows it.

He speaks to my heart:

"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love."

If I had not just come out of a three week crying spree, I might not have appreciated this as much. But I did. And I do.

Dearest Washington,

Please consider being my boo. I think we'd make a great pair. You could write me things and I'd oogle over all of them. (I know that you died in 1859. That doesn't really bother me, because I think they've almost got that time travel perfected.)

With all my lerv,

Jecca

Jonah's Maiden Voyage.

I made this video of the first real project (fixing the pockets on my dad's work shirts) with my sewing machine, Jonah the Janome. Enjoy!

(song credit: "Smoke Detector" by Rilo Kiley)

a Girls' revelation.

One of my dearest friends (Hammie) and I share a love for a band called Girls. Their lead singer, Christopher Owens, was once a member of the cult "Children of God". You can read a pretty cool interview with him here...anyways...

The other day I was really having a "Girls kind of day". I told Hammie, and he told me that every day was a "Girls kind of day"... of course, I agreed. So, on the way home from work I had a Girls revelation while I listened to the song "Lauren Marie." You've got to hear it to understand it. Listen before you read anything else.

Lauren Marie - Girls

*I'm sorry if you can only hear a 30 second preview. You can read the lyrics here, or you can just sign up for lala and hear the whole thing.*

Ugh. The first two lines say it all.

I've been dwelling on all the things that make me just want to give up on life lately (i.e.- moving away from my dearest friends/family, Baby Matt moving back to CO, Mamba leaving to go back to GA, stupid work stuff, etc). I'm crying all the time because I'm so overwhelmed, and it's taking a toll on my health and my sanity.

The Girls reminded me that my life is not over, and I've got a job to do.

I may not be able to drive around town with Hammie while listening to the Girls whenever we feel like it, but I can sure as heck call him up and we can listen to the Girls separately yet together. I may be absent from the people I love, but I am reminded of them constantly. Those memories shouldn't make me sad. They should bring me joy, for Pete's sake! Now, this is not to say that I'm never going to be sad about these things again. As a matter of fact, I started writing this blog post over a week ago and had to postpone it because crap hit the fan and I had a melt-down and...eww. It was not pretty. This is, though, a reminder that life goes on. I'm still living as I write this. You're still living as you read this. Why shouldn't we take advantage of that?

Thank you, Christopher Owens, for making such beautiful music and speaking to my heart. Thank you, Hammie, for introducing me to the Girls and going to their show with me. Without you, I wouldn't have had this revelation...and without you in my life, there would just be something missing. I love you.

Christopher Owens

Girls show @ the Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia, PA

November 4, 2009

I don't know where I'm going,

but I'm heading somewhere

and it's not my time to die.

Take a look up, Jecca,

the clouds make way for the sunshine.