Ugly Sweater Party!!!

What a fun night we had. Complete with fake play-doh cookies (nice try Sam & Mo). Thank you Ashley for the heads up on those. I also found a sock in my purse at the end of the night. Our ornament exchange was great and of course the food was awesome, I love you girls!!!

The ugly sweater bunch ;)





Kitchen fun


We played a hilarious game of 'psychiatrist'. Melissa's Santa sweater won the most votes. Mostly due to the fact it had a massive hole in it. Right on Santa's mouth. ;)





Robin and her 'bow'





Helen Keller...aka Winston the poor deaf blind dog


Shown' off the sweaters

What's missing? Willy Wonka

Oh my. Another box full of temptation just plopped itself next to my desk. Here at work we have officially overdone the 'goodies'. There's chocolate chip cookies, pretzels dipped in chocolate with sprinkles on them, brownies, dark chocolate covered espresso beans, gift baskets full of....yup...."chocolate-everything-you-can-imagine". I think I have managed to try each and every treat today. Well, I'll take that back and be honest. I've managed to oink out on all the treats today. Not to mention the Tricks company party was last night where again there was a whole table full of sugary goodness. If you haven't guessed it by now I am a dessert addict. Jeremy would totally not be surprised at my actions today. ;) I love all things chocolate. Heck I love all things dessert! Tonight is the ugly sweater party and I'm pretty sure there will be cookies there, and I will be taste testing them all in my ugly Christmas vest. ;) 

How Snowzilla was defeated

Frosty has met his match....a 22' tall snowzilla in Alaska! The creator brought in his neighbors and his own kids to help build the gigantic iceman. The only bummer is he'll never be put together again. ;( Read the story  HERE

That baby is a king?

Better believe it! My king. Listen HERE. 

Merry Christmas Everybody!!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2009!!!



Every year I try to take a picture of the tree. Since we got Mimzy, she's been in the 'way' of those pictures. What a ham.

She also gets a Charlie Brown tree for herself. It keeps her out of our ornaments!!

The Sacramento Ballet

Clara signing autographs










You think I possibly scared this poor soldier? ;)

Snuggie, dance, & tea

I saw a commercial today for a 'snuggie. The blanket with sleeves'. you just stick your arms in this blanket and pull it up over your chest. Wouldn't that be considered a backwards robe? I thought it was the goofiest thing. What about the back side? It's like a heavy duty hospital gown.

Sorry, off my opinionated topic of nonsense. I'm pretty excited as today was my second day of training. I have never been so sore! Jumping, dancing, and stretching for almost 4 hours straight with a bunch of giggly 3-5 year olds will make you tough. We did a lot of technique but mostly it was all girly FUN! We got to do freeze dance (complete with cottonball snow), dress up, travel to the north pole, AND we created our very own frosty the snowman. Tomorrow.....I'm on my own. ;P eeks!

Tonight calls for a bath. If I had a snuggie it would just top off the evening. ;) Hey thanks to all of you who have been so super supportive of my recent post about the tea. I need to take more pictures and start doing tablescape tuesday! Thank you ladies...and to Myrna who boosted my self esteem. ;)

We made it out alive!

We braved the mall yesterday. It's recently been completely re-done with new high end fancy pants stores. Tiffany & Co, Louie Vuitton etc. Basically stuff I could care less about, but hey it puts Roseville on the map. We didn't buy anything but it's always nice to check things out. So Jer and I had lunch after church, and went inside in the ginormous money trap. We decided to go into lenscrafters to get my eyes checked. I hate glasses and want to go back to contacts. So we made the trip worthwhile. As I was talking to the lady behind the counter, Jer was messing with some glasses on the wall. He looked shocked and said, "these ones are awesome there's no glare at all! It's almost like......" I stopped him mid-sentence and said, "It's almost like there are no lenses in them?" ;) I raised my eyebrows and smiled. He looked confused, and put his finger through the 'lens-less frame' and said, "Oh. I guess that's why there's no glare". I got a laugh out of it, Jer smirked and put them back on the wall. It was totally something I would do, but it's good to know my husband says goofy things too sometimes.

It's raining...again.

It's almost 9am, and it's pitch black outside. Super windy and absolutely pouring!!! I almost paid Mary Poppins a visit with my fly away umbrella this morning. I love this kind of weather and enjoy a good storm. (only when I can enjoy it from the comfort of my couch in front of the fireplace).

Tea for two...hundred!!

Every year in December Bridgeway has a 'womens' tea'. Mom and I went last year and it was such a blast having a girly dinner party. Each table in the room is decorated by women in the church. This year mom and I signed up to add some 'Silver Bell' flair for our guests. Little did we know what would go into decorating a stinkn' table!! We had a lot of fun though, and glad that we got to do it together. Dad was a server for the night, and he did a great job. I knew where he was in the building because of his bell strung santa hat. (picture below) I have to say I got a giggle at him walking around with fancy tea pots in his hands. ;) So next year I'm planning on doing a Dr. Suess tea. Everything was so proper this year....it needs some corky kid fun mixed in. ;) If you have any ideas for a 'who's who' (hey that's a good one!) name for my table leave me a comment!!

Deck the hall with...a really big ball.



Yolanda, mom, and me



Dad & Rich the elf



Half of the building




Lights on



Lights off

Message from Steven Trint Kkubolyabalamu

I recently received an email from pastor Steve. He is such a wonderful man. His family (which is HUGE) opened their home to us when we stayed in Uganda. They have a LOT of children it's hard to keep track, but I believe this is their oldest who got married. He sent us pictures of the wedding. I have to tell you that emailing in Kampala is pretty difficult. I remember when we drove into the city to send emails to our family it cost us money, we only had 3 minutes on the computer, and it was in the back of a store where roaches and other ooglies ran free. Anyway this email was much appreciated and I was so excited to see pictures attached! I've added Steve's comments (in his english) before each one in italics. ;)


This is the younger man who married my Daughter.
I meet this son in law in 1995 before he was a born again christian and brought him to church
where he got saved and now he is my son in law.
They wedded on 18th September 2008

God is good in all ways
Thank you so much for all your prayers.
Yours in Him
Steve.

This is our traditional dressing and we as parents we have to dress like that on any official occasion



Dad walks down her daughter the isles.



In Him,
Pastor Steven Trint Kkubolyabalamu

Nutcracker.....totally nuts!!!!

Wow. I'm really tired this morning. ;) My first Nutcracker performance was last night. There were 100's of little gumdrops, candy canes, gingerbread men (well one gingerbread boy), and lots of sugarplum fairies. They did such an amazing job! Passing out costumes before show-time had to be the most craziest part of the night, but so worth the stress. We had to run racks of clothes back and forth and unpack bins of tutus, hats, wings, and wands (which were all loaded with sequins and glitter). I looked like a sparkle fairy by the end of the night. 

Once backstage all the the little ones waiting in the wing were excited to bolt out into the spotlight. One actually did. ;) I had to run and catch her. Everything went smoothly for the most part. I got to be a toy soldier for 2 seconds and attempt to pull the canon string. Confetti was 'supposed' to fly out but it didn't work, so I smiled, took a bow, and marched back off stage. There were little mishaps here and there like Alyssa's man wig falling off (which looked super scary and freaked out a couple kids). She still rocked the mustache! I had such a good time, and to think this is my job!! I start training next week since shows are over, and will begin teaching my own classes by January. 

OH! Jeremy is taking me to see the Sacramento ballet's Nutcracker next weekend. It'll be my first one. ;) What a Christmas present!!! Pictures to follow!

I'm just easily amused ;)

Looking at the news online gets me every single time. Some of the stuff is good to know. Then there's the filler stories and mainly entertainment that cracks me up.

I found out today that Oprah is "flubbergasted" (emphasis & funny word mine) at her weight of 200 pounds. So much so that her horror is news headlines. I'll be the first to say who cares, and holy cow (yes that was a pun).  

This one was the most special. "Is re-gifting more acceptable now in this economy?"  Was it ever? 

"Mega millions jackpot hits $170 million" Wonder where that money could go? Maybe we wouldn't need to re-gift this year.

"Lil-Smokey starts hibernation" I didn't know hot dogs went away for the winter.

"The Littlest Nutcracker"

Tricks is performing their Christmas dance production!!! This time I'm part of it, and am SO excited. My job is to hand out costumes as kids arrive, and take stage left to try to keep kiddos quiet as they wait to perform. So if you hear giggles and screams it's probably coming from Miss Jessica's side of the stage. ;) I'm so happy that this is my new career. I can't wait to see what this new year brings!! The show is at Folsom High School 12/10 & 12/11. First show is at 5:00pm, and the next at 7:00pm. They also have shows in Granite Bay. For more info visit the website HERE.

Bring the family!

PS : 'Littlest'. Not sure that's a word but who cares it's super cute! ;)

Funny stuff

Mickey is that you?

ok the shake looks way gross, but look closer. There's a little Disney magic on the counter by the cup. You see it? Totally not done on purpose it was too cool I didn't want to clean it up!!

You're joking right?

So this morning I woke up and with my Ronald McDonald feet (as Jeremy calls them) I slammed my toe into the nightstand. I hobbled into the bathroom and while trying my best to be quiet I dropped nearly every bottle of soap and shampoo in the shower. Which was really irritating cause I don't have much left. Then at work (the home improvement one) I found that my hours were being cut due to the 'tough times'. I understand, and know that God will provide as He always does. It was a rough hit, and I didn't realize that so many hours were being taken away. Hey it's humbling, and I'm grateful that we both have jobs right now. So anyway, I forgot to bring a lunch on top of everything. I can handle a lot of stuff but without food I'm a monster. ;) There were 2 bananas in the kitchen and I yelled out, "Hey guys I'm super hungry do these belong to anyone or can I have it?" No one claimed them. Probably because they were starting to bruise. Like a baby monkey I hobbled my Ronald feet back into my office and savored every last bite. Then I remembered we had a box of croutons in the cupboard! I couldn't help but grab some to snack on. I put a few in a cup and wouldn't you know it I got caught. My co-workers kept saying that it's gotta be pretty tough times when you're eating croutons and bananas for lunch.

So after all that Jeremy called me around 3:00. I was so excited to hear from him after how 'notsogood' my day was turning out to be. He said, "You got a package it's your dance stuff I think". Awesome! I've been waiting for it, and with my new job I had to start from scratch. I came home, unwrapped the box, and opened up the first bag I got to. It was the leotard. Bright blue (brighter than I thought) and um...a little...small? It looked like a wetsuit for a 4 year old. I thought 'eh whatever' and moving on I pulled out the leggings. They too were well, tiny enough to fit my arms in. Good thing tights stretch. So then I decide to try on this little bright blue leo. From that image on I've decided to book it on the treadmill starting tomorrow. I've gotten way lazy in my exercising and need to get back into shape. I have no excuse anymore. All those lost hours at work will be my new gained hours to work it! ;) Bring on the bananas and croutons and let's see how long this lasts huh?

This just in!

Another headline that made me giggle. Read the story at:

"Christmas Tree Used as Weapon"

Guess the grinch is in town. Watch out for flying candy canes and angry gingerbread men this year!!! (or a 37 year old who lives with his parents)

Gotta hear it

This last week's sermon from Lance was a hard hitter. Listen to it here!  He really paints the picture straight out of the bible. 

Luke 19:40

I've had this scripture stuck in my head all morning. I see these well dressed grouchy faced pharisees waddling up to Jesus. All of them throwing their hands in the air trying to get his attention. Then the small pudgy guy of the bunch says, "Teacher rebuke your disciples!". I can picture Jesus leaning down, looking them square in the eye, and saying "I tell you if my disciples keep quiet the stones will cry out." Then without a blink and a big smirk on his flawless face he continues to ride on his donkey into the city.

It's a powerful verse I'm glad it's hanging on in my mind today. It's reminded me to continuously praise Him in all things. I'd rather join the rocks and cry out than be silent about my joy.

Take the time to watch this..

Event raised over $750,000!!!

The 2008 run to feed the hungry was the most amazing event to be a part of. Proud to say us gals jogged the whole 3.1 miles for a time of 35 minutes. For a person who can barely run a mile on the treadmill I was shocked, and extremely sore today. ;) Even though there were over 30,000 people that attended, every group of runners encouraged each other to keep truckn' as they ran past. The emotions were high because of the event's cause. We ran through neighborhoods where families were outside watching us go by. They were cooking their turkey, playing music, and cheering the crowd. A prayer was said before the race, and a 'God bless America' was sung also. God is good all the time...and all the time God is good! We kept saying to each other "we are blessed to have two legs that move, so why not do this simple everyday movement to help the community" ;) Check out the slide show. 

 SEE THE SLIDE SHOW HERE!

Today's headlines

Man arrested - for not leaving jail

That may make sense to you but...I got a chuckle out of it. You can read the story here.

I GOT THE JOB!

I was given an amazing opportunity yesterday. After 3 interviews, and lots of anticipation I finally got my dream job. Teaching and managing a dance program. I could not stop smiling!!! Still can't. My current employer has been so great, and they've always supported me. After almost 4 years here I'm on my way out. Kids are my passion as is dance, and so putting those two together for a career is almost perfect. Praise God for his constant provision. He's always looking out. Jeremy was excited to hear the news last night, and to have him support my dreams and goals just makes me want to reach higher! What I've worked for for so long has finally come true.

Dr. Seuss moment

Here's my Christmas (early) poem. It's been slow like a turtle here at work so here goes!

Candlelit tables and old wooden stables, a story told around the earth,
Ribbons and strings we find joy in things, forgetting the story of His birth
The stars in the sky they all seem to cry as we scurry like cattle in our shopping malls
Presents and trees paying taxes and fees, opening up boxes and decking the halls
Baking cookies all day it’s the new Christmas way we all get to together and eat way too much, cards flood the mailbox and long distant phone talks with family and friends with whom we lost touch,
Santa Clause faces in all kinds of places he’s everywhere all at the same time it seems, try to see the old man get a picture if you can as the room is filled with kids yelling and screams.
Fancy shoes, ugly ties and grandma’s fruit pies are all excepted with a forced wincing smirk, Rude gestures, exhaustion, and last minute buys are all in a good ‘ol holidays work
Chestnuts are roasting and people are toasting as they gather around they’re warm winter feast, it was worth the fight at the grocery store right? Your guests are full and happy at least.
We ring in the year with kisses and beer, celebrating the month we just had to endure, the tree is now brown all lights are torn down where all the time went you just aren’t sure.
With decorations put away you miss their display and attempt to get back to your daily routine, but family is gone and something is wrong you feel empty inside and your heart has a sting.
Try not to displace the reason for grace, the big picture of why we do what we do, the biggest gift of all is from the manger not the mall, He sent his son to us because he loves you.

Celebrate that….


Jessica Ala

2008 Run to Feed the Hungry

My good friend Crystal and I are participating in this run on Thanksgiving day! If you live in or around Sacramento please register! You can run (or walk) the 5k or 10k. This picture is from last years run. To learn more about the cause, sponsor the event, or to register please visit:

runtofeedthehungry.com

The video says it all!

Mimzy cat

Our cat has been on this 'sneaky' streak lately. I seem to have trouble finding her and then BAM she jumps out from a corner and gives me heart attack. I have to say this little hairy child of mine is more of a dog. She begs. She sits. One day I'll video her saying "mama" so you'll believe me when I say she speaks too. (no joke) Anyhow, this morning I was being productive before coming into work. I piled the whites and the darks in preparation for laundry day when I returned home. Jeremy was sound asleep and I attempted to make no noise at all. I turned and noticed I left the door open so I tip toed out and shut the door quietly. After grabbing my lunch, my purse, and unlocking the door I noticed my little cat-dog had not seen me 'farwell' like she usually does. "Hey mim" I whispered. "Mimzy where are you?" Usually by now I'd hear a faint 'beep-like meow' coming from her. Nothing. I walked into the room where her food was and she wasn't there either. "Mim stop playing where are you?" (Like cats can understand english I know). Still nothing. Then the light bulb went on in my blonde brain. Oh my gosh she's in there with Jeremy! I opened the door and looked around. Have you seen the movie ET? Of course everyone has. Remember when ET was hiding in the closet with all those stuffed animals? He looked like one of them? Well, Mimzy was in the pile of clothes laying down as still as a sculpture. I didn't even see her. Then out of nowhere the clothes fly left and right, and she bolts out from beneath her 'bunker' and nearly got a scream out of me. Crazy cat. Jeremy didn't even budge. Wish I could sleep that well! 

Can silence be hilarious?

It can when Keith Wann is on stage. Jeremy attends an ASL (American Sign Language) class at Sierra College. Last night there was no class, but rather an invitation to see a C.O.D.A perform (Child Of Deaf Adults). He grew up a hearing child in a deaf family. Most of his comedic routine was done by sign with an interpreter. His physical comedy was really entertaining. For myself it was almost like watching one guy do an hour long game of charades. He even did an awesome rendition of 'ice ice baby' by Vanilla Ice. All in sign and some hilarious dance routine. He explained differences between the hearing and the deaf. The way they get each other's attention, the way they drive, and the way they tell secrets (which is a bummer for the deaf community). He said he can never tell a secret because by the time he turns around there's 150 ASL students staring at him in awe trying to figure out what he said. He continued to say, "do spanish students run up to a mexican and try to figure out what they said?". We had a great time...check him out at Keithwann.com.

My heart just broke

Read this updated story of what's happening in Congo. It's so hard to read. To think that today I was worried about how much gas was in the car, deadlines I have to meet, and how hungry I am. Unbelievable. I see words like 'Machetes' and 'children' in the same sentence and I cringe. 

Be strong and take heart all you who hope in the Lord. 

Psalm 31:23-24

Yearbookyourself.com

The other day I found these pictures in an album. Blast from the past! Kiddn' they're obviously not real but if you've never "yearbooked yourself" you have to try it out it's hilarious. 

World Vision

Just go to this website! Then come back and read. 

http://connect.worldvision.org/person/jess

I'm hearing a lot about change lately. Don't you want to be a part of it? That change doesn't just need to happen here in America. 

Please consider sponsoring a child through World Vision. It's amazing how God provides so don't worry! This will not "break your bank"! You can give a one time gift if you choose, corporately give through your work, or sponsor a child for $35 a month. It will give a child food, clean water, medical treatment, shoes and clothes, school supplies, and more. You can't even imagine how far that $35 will go. This child (or children) will write you letters, you'll receive a yearly update, and you will be able to see how far love can reach. You can make a difference around the world by sharing your gifts.  

Why I love rock band...

Let me count the ways. Actually I'll sing the ways. ;)

Rock band is so awesome I could play it everyday, drums guitar and singing I can rock it anyway! With friends we dance on couches, and swing mic cords through the air. We take the stage and start to rage with drumsticks in our hair. 'Mississippi Queen' first takes the scene and I belt it with all I've got. For four nice girls in ribbons and curls we sure are lookn' hot! The drummer starts to get off beat, the guitar is missing notes. With just one chance I take my stance and sing those famous quotes. Oh no! We're being booed at, and the fans are throwing stuff! We don't care fists in the air our faces lookn' tough. The song is almost over and each note is hit just right, we lost track of time between rhythm & rhyme we rocked into the night! Our guitar player had a solo waving the strings all over the place, until it hit the microphone right into our singer's face. After that the band broke up but only for a day. Rock band is so awesome and my favorite game to play! So rock on you band members with your talent and high score, if I owned the game I'd probably play it even more. 

(Last night we played and all of us girls had a blast. It's a lot of fun!) 

Is that my furby?

Check out this little guy! They found him in Indonesia! He's called a 'pigmy tarsier' said to have been lost (extinct) for 80 years. The lady that found this little furry ball was ever so excited to say this comment. 

"I'm the only person in the world to be bitten by a pigmy tarsier".  She said this mini beast turned it's head around 180 degrees and chomped down. Bad furby. 

Oh baby!!!! A baby!!

I have something to tell you guys. I've been hiding it....just kiddn' not me, not yet anyway, but I found out that a very close friend of mine is pregnant!! Sign me up for babysitting! I'm super excited for them, and can't wait to be a part of those 9 months! 

Mom....your time will come I promise. ;) 

Never again....

So Halloween this year was fun! I dressed up as a butterfly with wings and all. I have say though, this year will be the LAST year I wear fake eyelashes. Putting them on I was somewhat proud of myself. Taking them off....I was crying. All day at work I felt like I had an eye lift. My eyes were burning and I couldn't wait to go home and rip 'em off. Well, the Harvest Festival at Bridgeway needed help so I figured I'd just stay in costume and drive on over. I had those darn things on for over 12 hours. The glue was stuck to my real lashes, and because the fake ones were so huge it was pulling on my whole eyelid! It took me about 15 minutes to finally peel away these awful green, feathery, fashion accessories. They were super cute though!

Mercy Run update!

I just got home from running the 5k Mercy Ministries run!! (well, technically walked most of it with a couple friends) but it was for an awesome cause. So many people showed up, and even the little kids were running on the sidewalk. On the road at each turn were 'statements' chalked on to the pavement saying, "God is your source!" and "Keep going! Thank you for running for us!". It was awesome. I plan on doing more of these in the future. The next one is the "Run for Hunger" around thanksgiving time. I encourage you to sign up!!

Uganda II

Worship in Togo



Construction for the children's center

Dancing at Lake Victoria

Swinging from the rubber tree!!

London

The Nile River

Uganda I

Our mission trip was in July. I just can't say enough about God's grace and mercy. These pictures tell only part of the story. BIG work was done over in Togo and Kampala. We miss them so much, and they taught us more about love then we could have ever imagined. (not sure why there's so much space underneath this......oops!)