roasted stuff

i've been so busy this week! lots and lots to do.

i kinda forgot the internet existed for anything except work!

last week, i made a really yummy dinner that i wanted to share.

i call it roasted stuff!

i went to whole foods and bought a load of vegetables:

(russet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, baby artichokes, green beans, garlic, and assorted fingerling potatoes - the blue & purple were my favorite)

i prepped everything and put it all in two separate baking dishes - one for potatoes and one for everything else. i roasted it all at 450 degrees with olive oil, garlic, salt, & pepper. the potatoes went in first for about 50-60 minutes, and then everything else went in for about 30 minutes. there's no exact cooking time...you just have to check to see how things are cooking.

delicious and amazing. we will definitely be doing this again.

this weekend, we're going to the wedding of some friends. levi's doing their hair so it's going to be an all day event.

and on sunday, we're going to the skirball center for their monsters & miracles exhibit, then having dinner with a really good friend.

what do you have planned for this weekend? please share...i might copy you next weekend. :)

mahgeetah

this song makes me want to go everywhere and do everything, drink red wine and dance in a room filled with all my friends and family, eat all the best food in the world, and swim in the crispest, clearest, bluest ocean under big fluffy white clouds in a perfect sky.

thank you

to all those who left comments on my last post:

thank you so much for your tips & advice.

i'm feeling much calmer today.

this is what i did yesterday to relax:

1. made a payment & set up an installment plan for my fall tuition. HUGE relief. i didn't even know how much it was bothering me until i felt a big weight lifted from me after we made the payment.

2. took 2 really long walks (an hour each) outside in the sunshine with levi.

3. levi gave me a really long shoulder, neck, and head massage. that helped my jaw a lot. i also massaged my cheeks & face throughout the day

4. drank a lot of water.

5. tried some of the breathing and stretching tips you shared.

6. prayed.

7. read my bible.

8. ate good food.

9. magazines and coffee at barnes & noble.

10. in bed at a reasonable hour, tired & ready to sleep.

i'm going to try to repeat as much of this as possible today.

stress

my jaw hurts ALL the time from clenching it while i sleep...and probably throughout the day too.

i've been getting nauseating headaches EVERY single day.

i've been sleeping way too much - 10/11 hours per night.

i can't motivate myself to do all the things that are piling up on top of me.

i'm stressed.

STRESSED OUT.

a lot of my stress is probably from our rapidly approaching wedding that we don't how we're going to pay for.

and my past due tuition for school this fall.

ahahdahboiajbnairbhaoerhaawepgw9buwqp1jgbojvdngu4bhrjnj39w.

sorry. that was me rubbing my face all over the keyboard out of sheer frustration.

i'm trying to keep the faith. i really am.

levi & i both work. we try to make really wise choices with our money. we're doing the best we can do. i know everything always always works out for us in the end. but it's so hard not knowing how.

and, in the meantime, how the heck am i going to CALM DOWN?? i really am trying to relax. i'm trying to not worry about all this stuff, but it's almost like my stress is sub-conscious, like i have a stress layer in my brain & body that is protected from all reason & rationality. it's weird because i don't even feel like i'm stressed most of the time...but i know i am. i'm not unhappy or anything. but i see the effects of stress in my life right now.

so, i'm asking you:

how do you calm down & relax when stress is threatening to take over?

i'd love to hear some things that have worked for others because i'd really like to take a proactive approach to combating my stress. it would be a really great skill for me to learn. my jaw will thank me. and you!

stubborn as mules.

the other day, my sister didn't want her picture taken. so, of course, i tried to sneak one of us.

and this is what i got:

haha! she noticed the camera and went limp in the background. you can't make that girl do anything she doesn't want to do.

that's a trait that might, just maaaaybe, run in the family.

and because of that streak of obstinacy that runs through my Hunter blood, levi & i will be spending the last day of our weekend (we have a sunday/monday weekend) taking care of the things we have been neglecting around the house lately (i.e. dishes, laundry, fun fun, blah, blah, blah).

a very happy monday to you & yours!

xoxox

i never wear shorts.

this might be my most embarrassing post ever.

it's all for the love of a rainbowed butt.

first of all, i am the goofiest clothes model on the planet. i just never know how to pose, so i do really dorky stuff.

and secondly, i know my bra is visible in a lot of these. i was wearing a pajama shirt that is, apparently, see through when the flash hits it.

anyway, remember my beloved rainbow butt jeans?

i decided to try to repurpose them.

this is how bad they were:

(fierce.)

so, i went out to levi's studio to have him cut them into shorts for me.

(super duper fierce.)

here's the thing i never wear shorts.

never.

ever.

NEVER.

NEVER.

so, if i ever get brave enough to wear these, this is how i might do so:

(and, of course, i'll be sure to strike all these poses if the shorts make it out of the house.)

the end.

here's my brain.

i haven't really written about my brain, medication, counseling, or struggles in awhile...mostly because i haven't been struggling as much lately. my life hasn't changed too much, but my way of dealing with it has.

however, i just created a new button for my sidebar (to the right) that links to all the posts where i address these things because i think it is so important to be open about them.

i don't like the stigma that is attached to mental illness. i don't like that people are so ashamed of their struggles. i don't like that people suffer silently, all the while feeling bad about themselves, wondering what's "wrong" with them. i don't like the misconceptions out there about medication and therapy.

i'd like to have the smallest, tiniest part in changing these things that i don't like, so that we can all live in a healthier, more informed world.

so please, feel free to read about my experience with mental illness. don't hesitate to continue emailing me with your questions and your stories. i feel a responsibility to be honest and open with you about this stuff, and i really don't mind sharing. i choose to live in the kind of world where people talk about everything - the good, the bad, the beautiful, the ugly, the joyful, and the painful.

the rules

some of these may seem like statements or opinions, but they're not. they're the rules.

1. my morning jacket always gets a thumbs up on pandora.

2. all clothes are washed in cold water. sheets & towels in hot.

3. no onions on anything.

4. nonfat milk is gross. we don't drink that.

5. no sunburns.

6. i don't like showering most of the time, and i hate washing my hair all of the time.

7. no talking to levi before his morning coffee.

8. no not talking to jasmine for at least 15 minutes before we fall asleep.

(when levi read this one, he bitterly said, "more like 30-60.")

9. and finally, no crocs, snuggies, or twilight in the house. PERIOD.

(i'm really alienating myself with this last one.)

them's the rules. ya heard?

it's friday, so i don't have to come up with a title for this post.

i really really want a custom couple's portrait from tuesday mourning.

see? this could be us:

i love merrilee's style. i'm thinking levi & i might have to buy a portrait as a wedding gift to ourselves. maybe after the wedding when we're the myerses! :)

so yeah, can you believe it's friday already?? huh? what? how did that happen?

the plans for this weekend include:

- cleaning our pig sty of a house. it is seriously divided into a series of piles - dish pile, clothes pile, random crap pile. i can't stand it anymore! i gotta clean this place!

- finishing up the save-the-dates...even though this was supposed to be done last weekend. ooops. :/

- church, donuts, & coffee

- tennis! my game has improved about 100% since getting my new racket. even though i feel horrible for breaking my old one, it turns out i really needed a new one.

- work...i never mentioned it on here, but i got a new job! i'm a ghostwriter for a company that sells articles to websites. i get to work from home and write on my own time! not too shabby.

i hope you all have great weekends! make sure to wear sunscreen & drink lots of water 'cause it's hot out there!

because you're grey, elephantine, & you help me breathe

dear efferson,

i hold you near & dear to me and count you as a close friend.

you sit by my bed each night emitting a cool mist for me to breathe.

you combat my kitty allergies.

you match my bedroom.

i love you, efferson.

your friend forever,

jasmine

hi, i turned 60 over the weekend.

i think this outfit makes me look like a 60 year old who is about to paint her living room...but i kinda love it...and i wore it all last weekend.

i'm a big believer in the weekend uniform.

and because standing and smiling at the camera in the blinding sun can get old:

other things that make me 60:

- my creaky joints in the morning

- my irritation at loud neighbors

- my constant references to how things used to be done so much better in "my day" (like the way subway used to cut their bread and the music of the 90s...more on that here)

actually, maybe these things make me closer to 95.

it all evens out though because plenty of things i like, say, and do liken me to a 12 year old.

maybe when i become jasmine myers, i'll start acting my age...whatever that means.

wedding planning: collecting addresses & save-the-dates

we have almost finished the dreaded address collecting process.

fortunately, we got a really good start at our two engagement parties.

i bought an address book and made a little sign so that guests could give us their information.

for now, the address book only includes the information of the people we're inviting to the wedding, so it will be really helpful for save-the-dates, wedding invitations, and thank you cards. there are a lot of extra lines in each entry, so i'm going to record our gifts in the book and check them off as we write thank you cards (that means you're writing them too, levi).

i also have a pretty crazy notation system on our guest list. it's seriously like reading another language...i should probably create a legend, so that levi can read it too. haha!

our save-the-dates still aren't done yet...we were supposed to send them out last week. oops! we're going to do them postcard style to save on postage and paper costs. we're using this site for printing since they're really affordable.

this is the background image for the front of the postcard:

it isn't done yet. levi will be doing some hand drawn designs right on top of the photo to give it a really whimsical look. i hope they turn out well!

reenactment of a tennis crime

it started out like any other time we've played tennis together.

we stretched.

rallied for a little bit. hit a few serves. then we started our first game.

i was losing...AGAIN.

and i kinda lost my temper.

and i kinda threw my racket.

and i kinda broke it...like a moron.

here is a dramatization:

(grrrr. i'm scary.)

and here is the damage:

i was SO sad. and so angry with myself. i'm kinda fake pouting here, but i did actually start crying right when this picture was taken.

it all ended well though. levi forgave me for being an idiot.

and then he even said we could buy a new racket for me the next day, which i knew i completely did NOT deserve. but he said that i probably needed a new one anyway since mine was a hand-me-down that i got 13 years ago.

really, i don't deserve levi. he truly does love me unconditionally. i hope i can learn a thing or two from him as his wife.

lesson number one: don't throw your tennis racket. EVER.

burgers & bohemian rhapsody

levi & i had so much fun on saturday night without even trying.

i wasn't feeling really well because i'm "enjoying" my woman time right now (the IUD makes this SO much worse), so i just rolled out with no makeup, not wanting to do anything.

we went to red robin for an early bird dinner of burgers.

started with some coloring.

(look at his tongue sticking out. he's so cute.)

we came prepared.

i got my first cherry coke of the evening.

i was depressed because my burger only had like 3 drops of bbq sauce on it, and the waitress forgot to bring me the side i asked for so i finished it flavor-less.

after dinner, we got an americano and walked around the cerritos mall just talking and looking at stuff (i never go to that mall, so it was a new experience...my mall is south coast plaza, always & forever).

when we got home, we listened to pandora's "hey jude radio" on levi's iPhone in our bedroom. levi fell asleep while i played around on his phone.

he took the perfect little catnap and woke up right before my brother & sister-in-law called to see if we had eaten dinner. we weren't hungry, but we wanted to see them, so i had another cherry coke & levi had a milkshake.

on the way home, bohemian rhapsody came on hey jude radio. have i ever told you how much i LOVE this song??? 'cause i do. i know every single word. my sister & i made the most embarrassing video of us singing it 5 years ago. levi saw it first the time on my birthday this year. since he's engaged to me now, i figured i could trust him not to run after watching the video.

annnnyway, i sang my ASS off to that song in the car. levi even did extra laps around the block so i could finish my performance. it was epic.

so basically, it was an unexpectedly perfect evening.

with the LOVE OF MY LIFE.

my future husband.

my fiancé.

my levi.

he's so cute when he sleeps.

foodfoodfoodfood! FOOD.

oh lawdy.

i really did make the best dinner ever this week. my whole mouth fills up with saliva just thinking about it.

i think what made it so good were the super high-quality ingredients i used. the whole foods cheese department might be one of my favorite places in the universe.

anyway, this is what i made:

(fake smile! and red-eye reduced scary black pupils!)

belgian waffles topped with a layer of shaved parmesan followed by a perfectly basted egg and pesto.

and a salad of mixed greens, granny smith apple, aged white cheddar, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, and balsamic vinaigrette.

all accompanied by a nice, delicious bottle of wine we received as a gift at our engagement party.

YUM.

not counting the cheese, that salad was seriously only $3 to make. pretty nice, right??

so yeah, i'm a master chef it seems. ;)

anyway, we don't have much going on this weekend. we need to redo the pink in my hair...it isn't quite what we hoped it would be. and i think the main event will be starting (and, hopefully, finishing) the dreaded collecting-addresses-for-wedding-invitations process. blah. :/ i'm sure we'll make it all fun though.

hope you all have super weekends!

xo,

jasmine

i miss my rainbowed butt.

today, i really miss my rainbow butt jeans.

while they are not completely dead, they are sitting in the back of my closet, riddled with huge holes, gashes, and paint splotches.

i'll love you forever, rainbow butt jeans. you were the best pair i ever had.

tickled.

tonight levi's putting pink in my hair!!!!!!

it will look something like this:

(photo from a few days after levi chopped off all my hair)

but BETTER. and BRIGHTER.

if you can't put hot pink in your hair during the summer when you work from home, then when can you? i'm sure i don't know.

surprise to us!

levi's cousin threw us an amazing engagement party last saturday...complete with the best surprise ever.

the back story: levi's dad lives in oregon, and levi hasn't seen him in 4 or 5 years. none of us ever have enough money to visit each other. so that also means that i've never even met him! we assumed that i wouldn't meet bill until our wedding.

we were wrong!

one of levi's relatives found out that bill wasn't able to make it to our engagement party, so they gave him the money to drive down and visit us! and he brought levi's step-sister, riley, with him. (his step-mom had to work and stay at home with all their pets.)

this was all a total surprise to us.

when we showed up at robin & david's house (levi's cousins), robin took me upstairs, saying she wanted to show me something. i walked into the master bedroom and saw a 12 year old girl pointing a camera at me. confused, i turned to my right, and there was bill! i immediately started crying and threw myself at him to hug him.

and, of course, i wanted to show him the ring that he bought for levi's mom so many years ago.

the plan was for bill to walk me down the stairs to surprise levi. he was so shocked when he saw us. and guess what? he started crying too. more tears all around.

it was perfect and amazing. we were able to spend the whole night with them and all day monday. they were even able to meet my mom and sister. we were really sad to see them go yesterday morning. little riley started crying, and the rest of us quickly followed suit. hopefully, january comes quickly.

(this is riley. isn't she cute?? we took them on the queen mary to show them where we got engaged.)

i love bill and riley and am so grateful to be able to call them family. i can't wait to meet the rest of levi's family!