Jen Russum

Little Bits of Summer…

May 21, 2012

The first little bits of summer, according to my iPhone... We went to our first Diamondbacks game last week. It was so fun. Great stadium, great fans. I think I found my new favorite National League baseball team. I love that baseball has two separate leagues so I can cheer for the Mariners AND the D-backs and not feel guilty. Oh, and we got free VIP passes to stand on the field for a David Crowder concert after the show. Can I just say that David Crowder is one of my favorite music artists of all time? I remember seeing him at UBC in Waco when I was just a wee little freshman in college. And in case you were worried that there would be no more good music from Crowder after his band broke up this winter, worry no more! His new music is amazing. Baby Claudia is here {that's hot mama on the right}. Surprise gender. Surprise name. Adorable newborn. {P.S. I get giddy when I see Micah hold a baby…} Pedicure. Yes, please. This is how I like to celebrate the start of summer. We hosted a big breakfast for dinner at our place last weekend. Waffles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and coffee… at 7pm… best meal ever. And, yes, Kim and I are romper twins. Two big sisters just taking pics on the iPhone… Red Robin chocolate shake… splurge! So worth it. Just got my first rolls of washi tape from Etsy. So excited to use them! Feeding Sadie K. her first strawberry in a weird little net thing that she chewed on to get the juice out. I have so much to learn as a mom… Hope you are having a lovely start to your week! Also, I am sharing my heart over at Covered in Grace today. I'd love for you to stop by! *Linking up with Finding Beauty in the Ordinary and Bits of Splendor!* ... Read more

Flowers Fade Friday: A Whisper.

May 18, 2012

Not much to say this Friday. I am off to San Diego today to visit two of my best friends for the weekend. I am so excited for quality girl time with two ladies I can share my soul with… Until then, I just want to encourage you. Do you ever get the feeling that God is whispering encouragement to you? Perhaps you have taken on some task, role or job. You are dabbling in a new hobby. Investing in a friendship. Trying a new parenting technique or exercise routine or a new way to approach your quiet times with the Lord. And it doesn’t make sense right away. It might seem like it’s not working fast enough or even at all. You might catch yourself wondering if you should keep going with it. Is it worth it? Will you ever see fruit? Or you’re not really sure why you are doing this thing in the first place, except for a gentle calling that you can’t quite explain. I’m not trying to over-spiritualize anything, because I know our feelings can deceive us. But if you feel that pull in your heart to keep persevering at something {a task, a job, a hobby, a relationship} even though it doesn’t really make sense to you or the road ahead seems unclear, can I just encourage you to listen to that voice? Perhaps it’s the Holy Spirit prompting you forward. Perhaps our all-knowing God is carving a path that your hazy eyes cannot yet perceive. Because God has a plan. And sometimes He reveals it to us in a whisper. He doesn’t have to, but sometimes He does. Are you listening? And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper... I Kings 19:11-12 *Linking up with Casey Leigh* ... Read more

Keyword Analysis #4

May 17, 2012

Okay, friends. It's time for another keyword analysis. Do you ever notice people searching the craziest terms and winding up at your blog? Well, I do. Do I have a weird blog? Maybe a little, but not THIS weird, I don't think... {If you want to see my past keyword analyses, here are #1, #2 and #3.} San Diego Beach Party Pictures... So this one time for Micah's 30th birthday, he wanted to surf the artificial pipeline at this place in San Diego called The Wave House. I said okay, wanting his 30th birthday to be special for him of course, and agreed to watch him surf for a few hours and read for school at the same time. Little did I know that the Wave House is basically an outdoor CLUB for the 21+ crowd at Mission Beach. We just happened to go on opening weekend for the year and as Micah surfed, a raging beach party with over a 1,000 people sprung up around my little beach chair. Miraculously, I was able to block out the yelling, flirting, dancing, alcohol, and, oh, the loud music blasting by some nationally renown DJ and read three chapters of the most boring book I've ever read for class. Two different workers came up and complimented me on my focus. And that is all I know about San Diego "beach parties." THIS + me with a book = crucial study time. "why i am a bad grad student" Let me tell you why. I'd rather write a blog post than a paper. I'd rather clean my house than read. And the list goes on and on. But it seems like I'm not the only one, because ever since I wrote about this {here}, I've had all kinds of people searching "bad graduate student" and coming to my blog. I don't wanna read those big, ugly books! Haha... look closely at my computer! Once again not doing what I should be. Shannon Miller/Kim Zmeskal... All I can say is that if you ever write about either of these two amazing world class gymnasts people will visit your blog for years. {Did anyone else do running cartwheels in their living room during the Olympics while growing up and end with their arms up in the air like a real gymnast? No, just me? And my sister?} These must be two most Googled women on the Internet {new verb?}. And for good reason. Does anyone want to buy me tickets to the 2012 Summer Games so I can achieve my life goal of seeing Olympic gymnastics in real life??? How do women dress in Corpus Christi Texas for spring? Umm... what? I have no idea. I did live in Texas for six years, but I have never once been to Corpus Christi, other than to drive past it to go to the beach. Selena was from Corpus Christi though. Maybe you should just dress like Selena. RIP. Engagement session photography bingo. Wow. I have no words. How amazing would that be? All you photographers out there should probably be jotting this down in your idea book. Phoenix Haboob 2011. Yes, it's almost the one year anniversary. Here's to no disgusting dust storms in 2012! I think my car might still be a little dirty from last year... Sell Clothes for Cash AZ. Yes, yes you should, whether you live in AZ or any other state. Here are my tips for how to make the most money. girl wears earplugs. Confession... I don't wear earplugs, but I bought a package of them last year. My office at school/work was so loud (I share it with 13 other people) that I thought earplugs might help me concentrate. I tried on a pair once... they were weird and uncomfortable and the package sat in the trunk of my car for a year until I finally threw them away recently. Did I ever blog about this? I hope not. Well, now I did, so I can only hope more tentative earplug wearers come to my blog and find out that earplugs are NOT the answer people. Use your i-pod or something. how teacher dress in ethiopia. Um... again, I don't know, but I have a friend who lives there, so I will ask her. Sarah, how do teachers dress in Ethiopia? DIY Ruffle Shower Curtains... Umm... wrong blog. Do you know me? This is not a DIY blog people. I hate to disappoint, but I just don't have the patience for it. If you want cute and inexpensive home décor, I will gladly show you how to shop at TJ Maxx and search the aisle end caps at Target. My most recent attempt at DIY. It took me a MONTH to repaint this file cabinet. A month. I'll tell you the story later. Right now I'm still in a bad mood about it... How did the Lake Stevens Dairy Queen burn down? Yes, how? And why? My hometown DQ burned down a few years ago. It was the best Dairy Queen in the world, and instead of rebuilding it {as they said they would}, they put in a Jack in the Box. Jack in the Box Dairy Queen! Blech! Blizzards complete me. blood that women fall down every month Well, that's an interesting way to describe it. This person's parents did NOT do very well with the birds and bees talk I guess... and do I write about menstruation very often {aka EVER}??? What crazy search words have popped up in your stats lately??? Please share! ... Read more