Jen Russum

Fiesta!

Fiesta!

I promise this will be last of my dinner party posts for a while. I hate to be redundant, but there are just so many pictures to share. These are from the "fajitas and piñata" party we had last week with our missional community. The fajita meat was delish, the pinata was a "hit" with the kids (no pun intended, but now that it's there I'm pretty happy about it), and the company was awesome as usual. Probably the highlight of the night though was when the party was winding down, and all the ladies were getting their last 500-1,000 words out (each), and Micah and Adam started playing tag with all the kids. There really is nothing like watching grown men go all out in a game of tag with little children. It just melts my heart every time. Everyone went home sweaty and happy and full of steak, chicken, and shrimp... Señor Piñata and me.  Love these ladies so much! He just hung out waiting for us. Yes, his left foot is a soccer ball.  Us. I was talking on the phone and couldn't figure out why there was a big black blob by my ear. Ha!  Shalyn made dirt cups for the kids!  Piñata time! Piñatas are fun! Then the adults took a turn... And then we told Micah to finish him off... The kids were so ready...  Kate is thinking "what the heck are these?" No bake cookies!  Micah had to collect a little candy too, of course!  And then a game of tag finished off the perfect evening!  ... Read more

That time we had 17 people over for dinner in our 900 square foot apartment…

That time we had 17 people over for dinner in our 900 square foot apartment…

Since yesterday's post was on our recent Italian feast, I should probably share about our other summer dinner parties as well. Again, I just love our community here! We have lived in Arizona for less than a year and already we get to hang out with all these amazing people on a regular basis. I feel like our church is FOR REAL about community and I am so blessed by it! Our missional community group is on a little sabbatical from our regular weekly meetings for the summer, but we are committed to still hanging out on a semi-regular basis during our break. A few weeks ago, we crammed 17 people into our tiny apartment. We grilled burgers on our patio (illegally, I learned the next day, when I noticed a new sign posted around the complex that stated that gas grills on patios are against the rules. Oops...), ate yummy fruit and lots of dessert, and spent the night talking and laughing and trying to make sure the little ones didn't throw objects off the patio. For some reason, our after dinner conversation revolved around stories that involved encounters with cops - either near arrests or running from the police... Let me just say that there were enough stories from the men in our group that this one conversation topic lasted all evening. Should I be concerned? Thankfully the good Lord transforms crazy teenagers and young adult males into loving husbands and fathers and law-abiding citizens... I hope :) Buns for daysss.... This is when I tried to be a good wife and toast an extra bun for Micah who had been slaving away at the grill for 45 minutes. #Wifefail... This was the result... waving a  huge blanket in front of the smoke alarm. Cute Anne Mac and her daughter! Shalyn brought me my very first herb plant, Mr. Basil! Homemade moon pies! Recipe forthcoming... Natalie was so proud of herself for being able to lift my weights. Everyone else made fun of me that a  five year old can lift my weights... Eh... Seventeen people in 900 square feet = success! ... Read more

Monday Ramblings

Monday Ramblings

Is it okay that I just feel like rambling today? We had a crazy busy weekend in Scottsdale and we are about to head into a month of traveling. Micah's mom is visiting us right now, which has been great! I am so thankful to have a lovely mother-in-law with strong faith and a realistic attitude about life. Let's be honest...there are some pretty psycho MILs out there, but mine is NOT one of them. Love her. Micah leaves for LA on a business trip this evening and I will be driving over to meet up with him tomorrow AFTER I take my real estate exam (round one). I say round one because I am fairly sure I will not pass it the first time around. I simply have not had adequate time to study and even if I cram for most of the day today, I don't think I will be prepared. I haven't even made flashcards yet! That's a very bad sign... But pass or not, I am going to Cali for a week tomorrow, and I am so excited! On the list of things to do: 1) sit by the pool 2) finish ALL wedding thank yous (three weeks til the one year deadline!) 3) study for real estate exam 4) surf in San Diego over the weekend 5) meet up with my dear friend Lauren 6) spend quality time with Micah 7) wear my swimsuit every day and a dress every night And that is ALL. I hope nothing else gets added to that agenda unless it involves delicious food and lots of sleep! And speaking of delicious food, we had our first monthly "young marrieds" group dinner on Saturday. We went with an Italian theme and everyone brought a dish to share. I attempted to recreate my favorite meal I had in Italy a few years ago - ravioli with walnut cream sauce. It turned out really well, although there are a few things I will tweak next time (as usual). I will share the recipe soon! Anyway, we had a delicious feast at Jenney and Joey's house, and the night was filled with good fellowship and laughter. I must note that Micah and I won the newlywed game! We were 5 for 6 on the questions, but we would have matched on ALL of them if Micah hadn't gotten all holy on me and pretended that our old pastor, Mark Driscoll, is his favorite celebrity instead Kobe Bryant. Micah and I just lived through our first NBA playoffs season together... I know the truth! Here are some pictures from our evening with a great group of people. I am just so constantly blessed by our church body and feel more and more at home in Arizona because of them! *You will note that the majority of these pictures are not of the event at all, but of Joey and Jenney's second bedroom turned closet extraordinaire! Seriously, it was the most AMAZING thing I have ever seen. I once saw a video where Candace Cameron Bure (yes, D.J. Tanner) shows how she organizes her closet and I'm pretty sure Jenney's closet is identical to hers. Oh, what would I give to be closet twins with Candace! I tried to take a picture of each section. This is directly to the right of the door and then I moved in a clockwise direction around the room. Prepare to be amazed! P.S. I did ask Jenney if I could document her closet with photographs... she said yes, although she probably thinks I'm a freak! I think Joey got to sneak a few clothes in... but only a few :) And this is in the center. Love. Okay, now onto the rest of the house and the par-tay itself (although I could have gone home satisfied after just seeing the closet)... Love this cookbook shelf in the dining room! Comfortably seated twelve! That blood orange soda in the back was pretty delish! Veronica and I were shoe twins! The Target sandal of the summer. Do you own a pair yet? You should! I asked every couple to express the way they were feeling before we started to play the Newlywed Game. Darren and Veronica are about to celebrate their one year. They were feeling happy and confident. Jenney and Joey were taking things very seriously. Julie and Brian have been married the longest in our group - just celebrated five years last week! Love this pic! Shalyn's face reveals how well they did on this game... ha! This is actually after we won. We read each other's minds. Not really... we just keep a chore chart, so we can calculate exactly how much Micah is helping around the house and that happened to be one of the questions! ... Read more