At some point in the near future I will be discontinuing this blog....once i figure out how to delete it. There's no point in keeping up my own when Jeff and I have one now. Plus, I don't have the time or desire to keep up 2 blogs. I already spend enough time reading everyone else's. So.....add our new blog site to your lists and start checking that one when you want updates.
www.jazandjefftownsend.blogspot.com
See ya!
I can't believe I'm getting married in 4 days. Well, I sort of can. But time has really flown by these last few weeks. I've been so busy with work and school, that I guess I haven't noticed the big day approaching so quickly. If I measure how far away the wedding is with how much I have to do before then, it seems like I still have tons of time. But then I realize that I really don't.
I'm not stressed at all with wedding stuff. My maid of honor, Marta, and my moms (Jeff's mom too) were super awesome with helping me plan way back in March/April/May. So much so that this summer has really just been about the small wedding details....which can definitely add up. But we've had this wedding thing under control for quite a while. The thing I'm most stressed about right now is my homework. I took an independent readings class this summer and I hate to say that I was less than productive. So now I'm trying to get as much done as possible before we leave for our honeymoon and then head back to Indiana. Why do I get myself into these situations? Oh yeah...because I'm an overachieving perfectionist.
Well....off to deal with wedding cake stuff. Yay!!!
Hello everyone. Invitations/announcements will be going into the mail soon. Thanks to my mom and jr. bridesmaid Kailie for all their hardwork in stuffing envelopes. Check out the family blog here (ahh....isn't that cute) for information about the wedding. Some of it might be farther down the page, so I'll move it to the top. Hope to see you all in August. Now that it's July I can say that I'm getting married NEXT MONTH. Weird.
Happy 4th of July!
Jeff officially proposed to me last night. I wrote all about it on our blog, so check it out here. I love this guy. And that's about as schmoozy as I'll get in the blog-o-verse.
For those of you who read about the day the stars and planets aligned to make my life difficult back in January....this post is an update.
In January, I submitted an abstract of my thesis research to the National Recreation and Parks Association annual congress. I recently found out that it was accepted! Yay!!! The congress meets every year in a different place. This year it is being held in Salt Lake. Which is mighty convenient. I will be presenting a poster on October 14th (Wednesday) from 5-6:30. I would say that everyone should come...but it's just a poster presentation. And I'm pretty sure you'd have to pay to get in. It's not even free for members of NRPA.
So yeah. Good things. Have a great week!!!
Just a few pics from around the IU campus yesterday. The daffodils grow like crazy here! They were the first to bloom.
I just got some new pictures of Jada from my mom today. She is now just about 3 months old. She's a whole lot cuter now that she's older. Why do newborn babies look like little aliens?
Jeff and I have looked into getting a wedding website. I even did a free trial of one and posted the address on my blog. However, we have decided to just start our own new blog for wedding information. Eventually it will evolve into our family blog. But for now, check it out for any useful wedding information you might need. We'll try to keep it updated as much as possible. As of right now, there's not much on it. But soon. I think one day I might consolidate blogs and just keep one. Who has the time to do multiple blogs? I can barely handle my email, Facebook, and one blog.
Here is the address.....
www.jazandjefftownsend.blogspot.com
Hope everyone is having a great spring day!! It's beautiful in the spring here in Bloomington, despite the monsoons and tornado watches we've been having. I hope to post some pictures soon.
Oh man......I thought this was so funny. I've been chuckling about it all day. Enjoy!!
INSTALLING HUSBAND Version 1.0
Dear Tech Support,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0, and noticed a distinct slow-down in overall system performance - particularly in the Flower and Jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NFL 5.0, MLB 3.0, NBA 4.0, NASCAR 4.2 and Golf Clubs 4.1. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and House cleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do?
Signed, Desperate
Dear Desperate:
First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an Operating System.
Please enter the command: "http://www.I-Thought-You-Loved-Me.com" and try to download Tears 6.2, and don't forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.
If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. But remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1. Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.
Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background, that will eventually seize control of all your system resources). Also, do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. This is an unsupported application and will crash Husband 1.0.
In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory, and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Hot Food 3.0 and Lingerie 7.7.
Ok....here's the dress. This is one of my favorites of the back. It has a perfect length train. Not too long, but still long enough to look like a wedding dress. This dress doesn't really have a red sash. We just wanted to see what it would look like. Better without the sash for sure. Don't know if you can tell in this picture, but this has lace all the way up the back. It makes it very fitted, like a glove.
In February, Jeff and I decided to get married. But we haven't really be very open about it. No posts on Facebook, no mass emails, and this is the first time I've written on my blog about it. Jeff asked me to keep it on the down low for a little bit while he informed his family. Remember....he's in Spain. A phone call to the parents is not as easy (or cost efficient) for him as it is for me. So for a whole 2 weeks, I had to keep it a secret from my parents while he sent "email hints" to his parents. Then finally he just laid it all out, and I called my mom and dad. And slowly our friends and family members have been hearing about it here and there. So now it's out in the blog-o-verse. Does that make it more official now? Who knows.....but I did notice that I've only mentioned Jeff in my blog one or two times. Guess I didn't want to jinx it or something by writing all about our relationship. I'll spare you and not start now.
So yes....August 22nd, 2009, in the Salt Lake Temple. I was in Utah last week for Spring Break and got a great jump start on wedding stuff. Got THE DRESS, booked the reception site, ordered the cake, the invitations and save-the-dates are in the works, centerpieces. Lots of little details and such. Who knew planning a wedding involved so much? Well....I guess I knew since I've had so many friends get married, but it's different when you are doing it for yourself. We have a wedding website that I think will prove to be very useful in the coming months, as we can put all sorts of information about the reception, ceremonies, registries, etc... on it. Even pictures. It's under construction, and I'll try to keep it updated as much as possible. I don't seem to have too many pictures of Jeff and I just yet. I'll see what I can find and upload them. So check it out....bookmark it into your favorites. Comment on the blog section, ask questions, give advice.....whatever you want. Hope to you see everyone at our reception this summer. Yay!!!
www.jazandjefftownsend.nearlyweds.com
Thanks to Kate and Richie, for returning the contents of my wallet!! Apparently, Kate was out walking her dog and came across my debit card. As she walked further along she found a ton of stuff with my name on it. So she googled me and found by blog and read about my stolen wallet. She tracked down my email address through IU. It was awesome. I went to her apartment today to pick everything up. And it was almost all there. Debit card, credit card, gas card, drivers license. It was great. The only thing missing was my social security card and the actual wallet. So now I only have to deal with the credit reporting bureaus.
There really are angels in the world. And a few of them live in Bloomington, Indiana. Thanks again, Kate.
So last night, my car was broken into and my wallet was stolen. I know!!! I know!!! Why did I leave my wallet in my car? I promise you, I NEVER do that here. Especially since the first day I moved in to my apartment, someone riffled through my car. Good thing there was nothing in it. From that day on, I have never left anything of value in there...except for my ice/snow scraper. Why couldn't they have taken that??? Or the trash on my floor???
I usually ALWAYS have my wallet in my backpack, where it is nice and safe. But I took it out to drive to church on Sunday. And I totally spaced about it afterwards. I mean....it's always in my backpack, so I didn't even remember that I had taken it out. The unfortunate thing about this incident is that my car doors don't unlock with my keys. So I can't lock them. It makes my car a prime target. That's the main reason I never leave anything in there. It figures that the one time I do, it happens. There must have been a huge neon sign on the roof of my car that was flashing WALLET INSIDE!!! DOORS UNLOCKED!!!! with big arrows pointing to it. What kind of a neighboorhood do I live in? I've known it was a ghetto place from the first day, but this just underscores the point. I'm so glad I'm moving out!
I feel incredibly violated. Someone who doesn't deserve to know anything about me at all, now knows a whole lot of personal and important things. I've spent the day cancelling credit cards and trying to figure out how I'm going to get an ID fast enough to make my flight to Utah for Spring Break on Monday. I'm hoping IU with come through and replace my ID card without needing a picture ID. I just realized how difficult life can be without some form of ID. No drivers license, no school ID, no bank cards. My passport is expired, so it's not like an airport would accept that without some other form of ID. My social security card was in there, my insurance cards. Ugghh....the thought of all the bad things someone could do to me really makes me angry and worried. I'm paranoid about identity theft. Now it's worse.
Out of all the things in my wallet, the one thing that I am most angry about having stolen is my temple recommend. It's probably the easiest to replace, but it of course has the most meaning.
Argg.....
Now I have to try to focus on finishing a paper for my midterm tomorrow and studying for a stats test, also tomorrow. Yeah right.
Happy Valentine's Day!!! Jeff sent me flowers all the way from Spain. Well, they actually came from the flower shop in Bloomington, but you know what I mean. I've had a smile on my face since I picked up the box. I never thought I would be the type of girl who would get giddy and stuff about flowers. But I guess it turns out I'm a normal girl and kind of like it. How did this come to be a standard on Valentine's Day? So here's a little history on the whole sending people flowers thing.
The art of floriography (literally flower writing) came to Europe from Persia 300 years ago. There is a similar tradition in Japan called Hanakatoba. For the largely illiterate population, love letters were impractical and in those more modest times it was difficult for lovers 
or would be lovers to meet – flowers full of scent and beauty became a popular and practical way of sending messages back and forth. The tradition reached its height in Victorian England when every young man and lady were well versed in the language and could carry on conversations, even relationships through the exchange of blooms.
Red roses, as we think of them today, are the traditional symbol for love and romance. The modern red rose we are now familiar with was introduced to Europe from China in the 1800's. However, the meanings associated with them can be traced back many centuries, even to some of the earliest societies. The color red itself evolved from an early primal symbol for life into a metaphor for deep emotion. In Greek and Roman mythology the red rose was closely tied to the goddess of love. Many early cultures used red roses to decorate marriage ceremonies and they were often a part of traditional wedding attire. Through this practice, the red rose became known as a symbol for love and fidelity. As the tradition of exchanging roses and other flowers as gifts of affection came into prevalence, the red rose naturally became the flower of choice for sending the strongest message of love. This is a tradition that has endured to the present day.
Red roses continue to be the most popular way to say "I love you" to someone special. The rich heritage of the red rose has culminated in its modern day image as the lover's rose. They are the definitive symbol for romantic sentiments, representing true love, stronger than thorns. Red roses are a meaningful gift, perfect for expressing feelings for a loved one on Valentine's Day, an anniversary or simply "just because." For the budding relationship, a red rose bouquet can also signal the beginning of romantic intentions. They can send a message of commitment and an invitation to take the next step. Even the simplicity of a single red rose can elicit a powerful response. Whatever the occasion, red roses have an allure that is hard to resist!
Red roses symbolize true love and passion; pink shows happiness; yellow friendship and white purity. Red and white together in a bouquet speak of unity, pink and white together symbolize joy and contentment. Tea roses promise memories to come while cabbage roses act as ambassadors of love; musk roses are charming and the Christmas rose calms anxiety.
Interesting.
