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9.30.2011

A Little Olive Diary

Hi everyone. It’s Olive. My mom is sick in bed today, so she is letting me take over her blog.

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I was so excited when my mom stayed home yesterday! I thought she was going to play with me all day and let me cuddle with her in bed. But instead, she just slept and got mad at me when I tried to climb on her chest and give her kisses. I don’t know what the big deal is. It’s just a cold.

So to get back at her, I shredded the roll of toilet paper she was using as tissues all over the bed while she napped. It was so much fun!

Today, though, she’s being extra nice to me. I kind of love it. I heard her telling my dad that it’s because she read a sad story. And then because my mom likes to be dramatic sometimes, she gave me extra kisses and told me she was sorry that I had to sleep in a shelter once. I think she’s hormonal today.

She’s sleeping now, and the bed looks so comfy, so I’m going to go take a nap too.

But I had fun, taking over for my mom today. Maybe she’ll let me do it again soon!

9.28.2011

Love for your Wednesday

 

I found a new podcast recently that I really love, and this morning I just happened to turn on one about Girlfriendology. I already knew a lot of the pros {obviously} of having great girlfriends, but I didn’t realize just how important they are in my life. Throughout the day, I just couldn’t help but think of the three amazing women in my life that I consider my closest friends. So today’s post is dedicated to them.

I’m sure you’ve heard me throw their names around this little blog here, but I’ve never really said anything about how we’ve met and how much they really mean to me. So here it goes.

Carrie and I met five {five!} years ago, when we were sophomores in college. We both worked in the admissions office, but I was too intimated by her {and all her friends} to really approach her. It turned out, however, that she was good friends with my roommate that year, and started coming over to our room. That’s how we really got to know each other.

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Isn’t that picture attractive?

We actually became roommates the next year, and the rest is history. Carrie is the only one of my three friends that still lives near me, so she’s the one that I call when I need…pretty much anything. I could have an entire series on this blog about the stories I have with Carrie, like about the time we got drunk at an Asian karaoke bar in Boston. Or the time we got drunk in Vegas. Or the time we got drunk on New Years…

But that’s not all we do. Really. We watch Glee together. We drink wine together. We talk about anything {and everything}.

I love this girl.

*     *     *     *     *

I met Beth my sophomore year too {actually, I think I met all three of them my sophomore year…}. I don’t remember this, but Beth always tells me the story of when we first met. She was a year younger than me in school, and lived next to Robert her freshman year. Apparently I didn’t feel like walking all the way back to my room, so I knocked on her door and asked her for a tampon. And again, the rest is history.

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I have two biological sisters.

But Beth is my third.

I love this girl more than I think she knows. She married her husband the summer between her junior and senior years of college, and he left for Afghanistan that November. Though she lived with his family, and her real family lives in Texas, Robert and I were/are her surrogate family. While Tyler was deployed, she was over at our apartment five of the seven days of the week. She ate with us, had a key to our home {and let us in when we locked ourselves out}, and went with us pretty much everywhere.

She lives in Germany now, with her husband, but she’ll be back in January. And I can’t wait.

*     *     *     *

My freshman year of college, I was painfully shy. Robert was still in his Senior year of high school, and I was all by myself, two hours away. I was too scared to join any clubs, or make any friends really.

My sophomore year, I took an American Political Thought class. And that’s where I met Stefanie.

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I don’t know if she knows this, but she kind of changed my life in college. And I love her for that.

I wasn’t really close to her my sophomore year, but one day I got a phone call from her. She had just been elected Student Body President, and thought that I should apply for the position of secretary on her Executive Cabinet. Filling out that application was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I got the position, and got to work with one of the most amazing teams I’ve ever worked with. Stefanie and I have stayed close ever since, and is still inspiring me by the amazing things she does. She’s now getting her Master’s degree and is {too} far away, but she’ll be back soon. In fact, I get to see her in three weeks! But only for a day or two {so we can celebrate the marriage of one of our other Exec Cab members}.

Until she is back in California {and she will be back someday}, I’ll just have to work with emails and a phone call every once in a while.

*     *     *     *     *

Since graduating college, I’ve learned something; something that everyone I’ve talked to has learned as well.

Graduating and leaving school makes you realize who your true, honest friends are.

These three girls are the truest, most honest friends I could ask for. They were all in my wedding, and if I were getting married again tomorrow, they’d be in it again.

I love my husband, more than anything. But there is just no replacement for friends.

And they don’t even have to be girlfriends…

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I love all of my friends.

Carrie. Beth. Stefanie.

Kevin.

Andrew. Parker and Margaret. J.R. {even if I haven’t seen you in a while}…

The other three members of my exec cab: Garrett {and Nicole}, Chase, and Kelli.

I appreciate all of you. I really do.

xoxo,

Joelle

9.27.2011

Virtual Coffee


Thank. Goodness. It's. Tuesday. 

Or, I guess I should say, thank goodness it isn't Monday. Yesterday was rough. Really rough. And if we were really having coffee, I would tell you why. 

{maybe a pretty cup like that will make me feel better}

But we aren't really having coffee, so you get a condensed version {one that I'm okay with telling the whole world...}.

When I can't do things {i.e., when I'm at work}, I can think of a thousand things I want to get done when I get home. But as soon as I get home, all I want to do is fall onto the couch and take a nap. 

Story of my life.

And yesterday I got overwhelmed. And anxious. And frustrated. And sad. It was not a good day. 
Today will be better.

If we were having coffee together today, I would invite you over for Glee/family night. I'm making chicken pot pie and baked apples

If we were really having coffee together today, I would tell you how much I wish it were Friday already. Olive graduates from puppy school on Friday, and Sunday I'm going here. Could be awesome. Could be terrible. I'm hoping for awesome. Saturday I'm proctoring the SATS. It's an early morning, but it's an extra $100. Score. 

If we were having coffee today, I would tell you that you should probably link up your Fall Favorites post, if you haven't yet. You'll be happy you did. Promise. 

xoxo,
Joelle


9.26.2011

What I’m Watching


I’m sure you’ve all found a few good shows this season so far. Robert and I aren’t really known to follow shows too often, but I've watched the pilots of three new shows so far this season and I’m impressed!


 
I know, I know. It’s a terrible, terrible show. And it actually didn’t get the best ratings, which I think is surprising. But I love the concept {and I really hope they present it in a tasteful way…}. There’s just something about that era that I adore, which is why I’m also obsessed with…


 
I. Loved. This.

Oh my goodness, their outfits and makeup and hair and everything…I was seriously impressed. I really enjoyed the storyline too; it wasn’t too confusing at first, and that whole “spy” thing kind of got me hooked. 
 
Excited to see where this will go!


 
I thought this show was cute, but with Zooey Deschanel, it’s kind of impossible not to be. She’s freaking adorable, and absolutely hilarious. I like the premise of the show too!

What have you watched so far? Anything good?

9.25.2011

It’s a New Week

And a new goal.

This week, my focus is food.

I am so excited to get started on all the amazing food that Fall has to offer, everything from the heavy comfort food to the delicious desserts to the wonderful produce. I’m ready to get started.

So for this week, my plan is simple.

Get to the farm {seriously, I shop at a farm…} and buy all of my produce for the week.  Menu plan through Friday, with at least four new recipes {including chicken pot pie for Tuesday}. Post all of the recipes on my blog.

Here are a few things I’m already considering for my menu:

Skillet Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

Crock Pot Baked Apples

Apple Chips

Chicken Noodle Soup

And here is a little inspiration for your Monday:

 

 

For those of you curious about my motivation for the little goals such as above, this quote says it all. It’s something we all need to remember. Myself more than anyone.

Hope you all had a beautiful weekend, and be sure to link up your Fall Favorites if you haven’t done so yet {you have until Friday}!

9.22.2011

{fall favorites}

Can you believe it’s finally here! I’ve been waiting for this day since winter so rudely interrupted my favorite season in December of last year.

My favorite things about Fall…

Anything Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Costumes

Halloween Candy

Warm Days

and Cold Nights

Decorating

Decorating

Family

Friends

and Giving Thanks

Comfort Food

Food

{all images via Pinterest}

Hot Drinks

Caramel Apple Martinis {recipe to come!}

Friday's Fancies


What are your favorite things about Fall?

Link up below!

{feel free to use a button if you'd like}

 

And now…the Giveaway!

One lucky reader will win some of my very favorite things about FALL…including:
a LEAVES candle from Bath and Body Works…

Leaves

{best. candle. ever.}

$15 to STARBUCKS

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and this adorable SCARF

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Plus a few extra things that I won’t put up here…

Like maybe some of those pumpkin oatmeal cookies up there?

And I’m visiting my mom’s store that sells some beautiful Fall decorations…I might need to pick up a few things for you…

You have a few ways to enter:

1. Be a follower of Where We Love is Home

2. Follow me on Twitter

3. Tweet {@missjoelleee} about this giveaway

3. Follow Where We Love is Home on Facebook

4. Blog about this giveaway

5. Enter your Fall Favorites link above!

Be sure to leave a separate comment below for each entry. The giveaway {and link up} will be open until September 30th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.

*     *     *     *     *

Oh, and I thought I would give you all a little freebie too, for being such amazing followers. Here is a pretty little printable for you to frame and put up for Fall!


Fall

{just click on the image to download the full size print}

HAPPY FALL!

Thursday's Thoughts

Is that too cheesy? I mean, it works…

As  much as I try planning out my blog posts, sometimes a thought just hits me, and I need to run with it right then, or else I lose it. And that's what's happening now.

You all know of my distaste for the Knot community forums. The women there are mean and bitter and just not nice. I follow the Knot on Facebook, and they posted a question from the forums about having a food truck at your wedding. We had the In-N-Out truck at our wedding, and it was amazing! We didn't hear any complaints about our food choice, and it fit really well with the feeling of the reception. It started at about eight in the evening, and lasted only about three hours, so we didn't really have enough time for a full, sit-down meal.

Anyway, a lot of the women on the Knot forums, and those commenting on the Knot's status on Facebook are just being plain mean about this question. They say that it isn't classy enough for a wedding, even going so far to say that it's tacky. But as I started getting irritated at their answers, and thinking that they really need to be more open minded about things like this, I realized something: maybe I'm the one that needs to be more open minded.

The internet, when you truly think about it, is really amazing when it comes to socializing. You make so many connections with different types of people, relationships that wouldn't be there without blogging or Facebook or community forums such as the one on the Knot. But I can't lie; I get irritated. A lot.

There are a lot of negative people in the world, people who just love to hear themselves talk. We all have a right to be annoyed with them, but that doesn't give them the right to affect our lives negatively. Not everybody is going to agree with me, and that's alright. And those who don't agree with me may not be very nice when giving their opinion, and that's alright too. It doesn't mean that I need to value what they have to say. And I won't lie: if you throw around words carelessly, I won't respect them. But if you present your opinion in a thoughtful manner, then I will take it into consideration {though I can't guarantee that I will agree with you}.

I have too much going on in my life to waste my time caring about the mean things that strangers say on the internet. If a blog I follow says something not nice, I don't have to follow them. It's my choice. And if I'm miserable and irritated and annoyed, it's my own damn fault.

I've realized a lot about things like this, since graduating college and getting married. I have a life that I love, and someone who cares about me more than anything else. And that means a lot more to me than petty drama {which I refuse to deal with anymore} and the opinion of someone that I don't even know. And this blog has been something more amazing than I ever thought possible. It doesn't need to be polluted with negativity.

Oh, and a little advice to all of you nasty trolls saying that my In-N-Out truck was "tacky:" Creativity isn't overrated at weddings; it's appreciated. Because I guarantee that people will remember my hamburgers more than your tasteless chicken and rice.

9.21.2011

Back to School

Most kids have already gone back to school, but Robert just started school this week. Seeing him buy books and go through orientation, and reading all sorts of blog posts about starting school, makes me miss those first few days/weeks of the new school year, before you get stressed from midterms and essays. And it made me miss my favorite part of September.

Back to school shopping!

I haven’t had a first day of school in over three years {crazy!}, but I can still dream of school supplies. And who knows, maybe I’ll find a reason to buy a few new “office” supplies…

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Glasses pen, $7.50

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Paper wrapped pencils, $9.00

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Monogrammed lunchbox, $26.50

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Mismo backpack, $540

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Notebook set, $12.50

Do you like school supplies as much as I do? Or am I just strange…

What. Don’t answer that question.

xoxo,

Joelle

{and don’t forget to post your Fall Favorites on Friday!}

9.20.2011

Wedding Wednesday

Today’s Wedding Wednesday is dedicated to, what else…

Fall!

{to view the source, click the images above}

I had a summer Wedding, but I would have loved to have a Fall wedding too! It is my favorite season, after all…

And don’t forget to get your Fall Favorites ready for Friday!

xoxo,

Joelle

Virtual Coffee

Happy Tuesday friends!

I'm linking up today with Amy over at Lucky Number 13 for some Virtual Coffee.

I wish I were having some of this deliciousness this breakfast.


But I'm just having my bad office coffee. I might need to change that tomorrow...

If we were actually having coffee today, which I so wish we were, I would tell you how excited I am for tonight! 



Are you a Gleek too?

And I'm excited for this one too, right after Glee.



I'm making my first pumpkin pie of the season tonight too. All of our friends are coming over to watch Glee, so I thought it would be appropriate.

If we were actually having coffee today, I would tell you that our photographer sent me a little teaser picture from our photoshoot in Los Olivos on Sunday, and I love it! I can't wait to see the rest!


 If we were actually having coffee this morning, I would tell you how busy these next six weeks are. Seriously, every weekend until Halloween weekend is packed full.

This week is Robert's little brother's birthday, so we are going down to OC for his birthday party and then going to Disneyland on Sunday.

In two weeks I'm proctoring the SATs and we are going to Six Flags on Sunday.

In three weeks we are seeing Blink 182 at the Hollywood Bowl, and hopefully going to LACMA on Sunday to see the Tim Burton exhibit before it's gone.

And then we have weddings for the two weekends after that...

Busy, busy, busy...

If we were actually having coffee, I would tell you to make sure that you come back on Friday and link up with your Fall Favorites and enter to win my own Fall Favorites!

xoxo,
Joelle

9.19.2011

I need more space.

Our apartment is 758 square feet. It’s not so bad, especially since we have two bedrooms.

But I dream of the day {hopefully next year} when we get to move into another apartment {or house or condo}.

Hopefully with my own washing machine. And a bigger kitchen. And somewhere that doesn’t back up to the train tracks…

But one of the main reasons why I feel like I need more space, is because I don’t have room to do a lot of the projects that I want to try to do. Robert and I have redone a lot of furniture, including our TV stand, dining room table, and our dining room chairs. We did all of these at my parents’ house, before we moved.

I’m not one to go to a furniture store and say “I want that matching set.” I like hunting for my furniture, and imagining what I can do with it.

If I had the space, I would be trying these projects:

I desperately want striped curtains, and all the striped curtains on Pinterest were made by painting stripes on Ikea curtains! It sounds so easy, but I don’t even have room to do that.

And I definitely have a dresser that looks just like that blue one up there, but isn’t painted. It is hideous, and I need to either {a} get rid of it or {b} paint it. If it would look like that one, I would paint it in a heartbeat! Let’s see if I can handle keeping it until we move in May…

Are you all DIYers? Do you like to paint furniture, or is it just too much hassle for you?

xoxo,

Joelle

Fall Starts Friday...

What are you doing to celebrate?

If you love Fall as much as I do, you have to celebrate somehow. 

And I think you should probably celebrate here. 


What are your favorite things about Fall? 

Come back on Friday to link up your Fall Favorites post, and enter for a chance to win some of my Fall Favorites! Anybody linking up gets an additional entry into the giveaway and a special little gift from myself. 

Be excited. 

Because I am!

And feel free to use a button in your Fall Favorites post.

 
Can't wait to see you on Friday!

9.18.2011

So.

I have a confession. 

I did not reach my goal last week. 

And I'm not happy with myself. I feel like I let myself down. I feel like I let you all down. 

It was the first week, and maybe I was too ambitious. Actually, I know that I was too ambitious. And I got burnt out. This week, I will be a little more realistic. 

Baby steps, Joelle. I just need to remember to take baby steps. And that I can't get it all done at once. 
There was no way I could get an entire website up in one week. I am busy right now. 

Very, very busy. 

It's nobody's fault but my own. I know that. I'm the one who feels the need to entertain friends and cook dinner and bake cupcakes on a regular basis. I'm the one who decided to start {and keep up} a blog. I'm the one who wants to write a book. And I'm the one who dreams of starting her own event planning business. 

{I'm not the one who decided that I needed to work 40 hours a week to make a living...}

I want to try it again. But this week, I can't work on marketing and building a website anymore right now. Like I said, I'm burnt out. 

This week, I am going to work on making myself happy.

This week, I am going to dedicate an hour everyday to myself.

I can't tell you right now what I will be doing in that hour. I might go shopping {though I won't buy anything, don't worry Robert}. I might start a new book. I might spend an hour reading my long, long, list of blogs that I subscribe to {I rarely never get through all of the posts in a day}. I might just waste sixty minutes on Pinterest. 

Whatever I do, I'm doing because it's necessary for my sanity. And I'm really looking forward to it. 

I hope you all take some time for yourself this week. 

{via}
 
Have a beautiful week my loves. 

9.15.2011

Friday's Fancies

It's Fridaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

{cue cheering...}

This weekend Robert and I {and our little Olive} are taking Christmas Card pictures! And in my favorite little wine town too. It will be the third time this year that we visit Los Olivos. It's a good thing that we love wine so much! So for Friday's Fancies this week, I created some cute holiday outfits that we would wear if we had an unlimited budget. 

{headband, jeans, top, coat, shoes}

{jeans, shoes, sweater, scarf}

What do you all think? And we might need to get this...

{sweater}

It might seem a little bit early, but guess what...

It's 100 days until Christmas! 

Do you love Christmas as much as I do? I don't think so...

xoxo,
Joelle

I'm Writing...

I wrote an entire blog post about how I need help with the book I'm writing, but I don't think I'm going to post it. I think I worry too much about what people think and that isn't healthy. Or smart. It's my book, and I should write what I want to write without the comments of so many detached people...that isn't to say that you are detached, just that there are some who would comment that would be detached; those who aren't necessarily concerned with the writing process, or that it's coming from me, just the logistics of the story and how well it's written.

That being said, I would love to have a dialogue with anyone honestly interested in what I'm writing (and what I've been writing for over two years now). Not just for feedback's sake, but something that will inspire me to actually continue. If you are interested in that, please email me.

Writing can just be so lonely sometimes.

{via}