Saturday, January 29, 2011

Mostly Foggy with a Splash of Orange

The thing that has started to absolutely drive me nuts about Fresno is that we have the grayest days. 
 The days when the sun shines and the skies are real blue (like in CO and ID) are few and far between. I always seem to forget this until the moment I'm on my way back
 It's so gloomy. It makes you want to stay under the covers. It makes you want to hide all day long and do nothing. We've had some recent luck and some of the fog has burned off by the afternoon. If that happens my two favorite activities are sitting outside and reading textbooks between class OR sitting in the window quilting on the quilt on the quilt frame in our living room.
 On a brighter note. Those oranges I was telling you about. The ones that grow on trees at Aunt Maggies house. The ones that are soooooo good I've had about 4 a day....they're ready! Valerie went over to Aunt Maggie's and she and Tanya picked oranges for people to buy. $4 for 4lbs of amazingness. Apparently the people who owned their house before them sold the oranges and after Aunt Maggie and Uncle Mike got the house people still came by wanting to buy oranges. Now they have a whole list of people who wish to be notified when the oranges are ready! My brother-in-law Jay took some oranges back to Colorado last year. He used them to bribe secretaries and campus monitors at his school. Thats how good they are!
They can be found at this address during the work week:
2738 West Bullard Avenue
Fresno, CA 93711-2212 

and next door during the weekend. The key is to look for the wooden sign. 
If you drive by and the sign is covered up that means they're out of picked oranges and they haven't had a chance to pick more. If you're really desperate or made a special trip for oranges, stop by and see if you can still get some. 

Thursday, January 27, 2011

One In Every Color- Legos

It's so fun to know that I will forever have a place in each one of your hearts as the "One in Every Color Girl!"
The Isaac family went on a winter break adventure to Lego Land and brought me back this souvenir! Lego's in Every Color! I cant wait to expand my husbands childhood collection to include Pink and Lime Green!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

A Machine

Today I attended a class at Quilter's Paradise, in Clovis, to teach me all about my recently acquired (from my mom) featherweight sewing machines! My cousin Tanya suggested that I go, and having recently had a scare thinking I would have to pay someone to repair my machine, I decided this $28 class would be WELL worth it. It was. My machine runs like a dream now! I can't wait to get to work on the other one I have in Colorado!  (Should you wish to explore Quilter's Paradise's website and class schedule click here)
My cousin Tanya, using her headlamp to get ALL the gunk out of her machine and oil it!
 While at Quilter's Paradise I came across the most amazing fabric! (Seriously, you cant go in and not look!) Anyway, it's argyle!!!! AND one in every color! Look how well it goes with scraps from our wedding quilt!
See so it's the best of both worlds. It's a fun new fabric, but I'm also stash busting in a major way!
Another highlight of my day! I got to meet my good friend Chris's !FIANCE! Brittany! (Finally! A. I'd been wondering when he was going to pop the question and B. She's from a different city and we kept missing each other!) She's definately a kindred spirit! The coolest part: She's getting into quilting! She met me at the Quilter's Paradise after my class and that afternoon she came over to our apt and I was able to share some of my mom's beginning stuff with her! I also passed on one of Mom's project kits. I did have ulterior motives though. I'm trying to make sure she get's all the way adicted to this colorful hobby!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

First Day

of school tomorrow. First time ever being excited since Kindergarten. (Since I was a kindergarten student...just to clarify.) I suspect the feeling will last 5 minutes into my first class. We'll see.

I tutored today. I enjoy it a lot.

Also. If you're a family member who knew my Grandma Peggy way back when before she was married with children, I found some photos in a "special purple box."  I may call on you in the near future to help me identify who's in them, why there there, and what the picture means. I'm in the process of scanning them and uploading them onto Flickr where comments can be added and I can gather ALL your input. Be warned!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

If Only Life WERE Like a Box of Chocolates

Val and I came upon a box of See's Chocolates for Christmas. While some people embrace taking life/chocolate as it comes. I personally prefer to use the tools available to know what's coming...and avoid nasty surprises.
I still "play the game" more or less, choosing the ones I would choose first if I didn't know I could cut them open. I confess, it's rather satisfying knowing that I wasn't the sucker eating the one I didn't want.


Even more, one man's refuse is your sister's treasure.

Now if only we could find a way to get a sneak peak at life's surprises.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Hootin' Hollerin' Good Time

I flew into Fresno Jan 5th. I had to wait in Phoenix for too many hours because there was fog in Fresno. Blah. As the captain announced we were beginning our decent I looked out the window and thought, "It's too beautiful for a fog delay." I looked down and saw the ocean of clouds lapping at the mountains. Oooooh. Ick. My mood sank with the plane as we lowered into the gray that has persisted since I landed.
 On the bright side, I sat next to a man in charge of growing pistachios, tomatoes, and asparagus of all things. I LOVE asparagus. He told me about harvesting it. He also said I have about a month and a half/two months to wait before the local, tender shoots will be in season. Sigh. BUT ya know what IS in season? Or REALLY close....Aunt Maggie's Citrus! YUUUUUM! You can't find citrus like this anywhere else folks. Or at least not in Idaho or Colorado. I like it best at the beginning of the season when its still pretty tart.
 Matt came into town the day after I did. He and Val put together one of their Christmas presents. A gingerbread house. It's sort of their tradition. It's the funnest thing to listen to/watch.


 Another day on his visit, I heard them hootin' and hollerin' about SOMETHING. I stuck my head out my room and this is what I saw:
 They were playing memory. Under the quilt. Because where else would be more fun.
 Note: The hootin' and hollerin' was because Val is a vicious cheater at memory. And all other games for that note. Primarily avoid Memory and Monopoly.

There was another form of hootin' going on in the apartment. I finally finished an owl quilt I had purchased the fabric or a while back.
 I also finished it's fraternal twin. I had purchased enough fabric for a twin size quilt, but decided that a twin size quilt would be too much for a toddler watching TV. SO I split it and made two lap quilts. The recipients are to be determined.


Ps. JUST tried the Tomato Basil Soup from Costco....LOVE it. So good. Delicious. My new food weakness. I wonder if it's healthy. It's organic. That's gotta count for something.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Love Hate Thursday

One of my favorite blogs to read posted Love Hate Thursday. She asked us what some of ours were.  I thought, "Sure, I can come up with a couple." and then I had so many I thought "I'm practically writing a blog post as a comment." Then I thought of the friend who tells me I'm slacking when I haven't written a post. So I'm on it. Here's my Love Hate Thursday. Share yours in the comments!


Love:Subbing in an AMAZING 5th grade class today.

Hate:Leaving my husband yesterday.


Love: When I asked a 5th grader what he was doing at the fish tank today, he said "I'm trying to make the fish talk to me." Oooooook class. On to problem 5.
Hate: That it's warmer in Colorado Springs. Pretty much the only reason to live in California is that it's warm.


Love: Driving my zippy little car again.
Hate: When I drive Luke's low riding car (that he likes to lean back and stretch out while he drives in) I have to scoot forward so far just to reach the pedals that my forehead hits the windshield.


Love: That my apartment in Fresno is only on the 2nd floor.
Hate: That I'm not in the third floor apartment in CO Springs with Luke.
 
Love: Doing 5th grad math.
Hate: That I can't figure out the thing that will make it click for some of my students. I know it's there.
 
Love: Working on stuff in Elements. I've got so many projects going on there its crazy. I think my computer needs more memory.
Hate:That my computer needs more memory.
 
Love: That my sister brought me an amazing argyle quilt pattern from her boyfriends mom.
Hate: That its full of 60 degree angles and I've sworn them off with a vengeance.
 
Don't forget to share yours!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Baby It's cold outside!

It was a beautiful morning here in Colorado Springs! Perfect for getting all my errands done. Boy was I deceived. By 1:30 snowflakes started to fall. I thought they might slow down or stop.Wrong again. By now I still needed to drive across town to get home! Thanks to my practice in Idaho I made it home fine. One of Luke's co-workers brought him home. (We're sharing a car since I flew to Colorado for my visit.) We were just getting started on dinner when I remembered I left one of my bags from the store in the car. I looked imploringly at Luke hoping he might offer to run outside and get it for me. No such luck. I opened the door to go fast and at the shock of the cold I slammed the door again. I tromped back to the closet and got my big white jacket. Then I put on snow pants, mittens, and a hat.

Luke watched me from the window and chuckled.

The view from our apartment the next morning was beautiful.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Christmas Day

Happy New Year!

Guess what Luke got me for Christmas! Adobe Photoshop Elements! Wooooh! He had heard me talking about my conversations with the talented Christa (her digital scrapbooking skills are for sale here) about programs for digital scrapbooking, and my exclamations to him as I spouted off all the amazing things the Photoshop program would do. He listened to me lament at how much it cost, and exclaim when I realised the difference between Adobe Suite and Elements, mainly the price! As much as I thought he wasn't listening, guess what was wrapped under the tree for me! (He might have been a little annoyed with me for buying it the night before Christmas Eve because I was sure he hadn't been listening and the sale was going to end...a little sheepish, but man does he get bonus points for that one!)
You may have noticed my new header,
and my new avatar.
 They were inspired by our New Years Letter theme:

Letting the pieces fall into place. Our plan vs. God's plan.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

What a year it has been, and what a year it will be!


We got married May 22, 2010 and were lucky to have the chance to visit with many of you at our receptions! We honeymooned in Yellowstone and continued on to Colorado Springs where Luke had an internship at (Golf Course that cant be named.) Jess worked at a private child care facility/private kindergarten and preschool, and learned how many blessings are to be found teaching upper grade in a public school. As the end of Luke’s seven month internship came closer offered Luke a couple job opportunities following the end of his internship (at said golf course.) We agreed he would turn them down and search for golf jobs in California so that Jess could resume her schooling in California where her full ride scholarship was still active at Fresno State. While Jess was on her way to California for class registration (Golf Course) offered Luke a full time position through the winter which would give him a chance to work through the Women's Open in July. (Translation: Resume building opportunity you can’t refuse.)


What a tough predicament. Ultimately, we both felt a calling to these separate places. We have spent a lot of time talking, discussing, praying, and in conversation with mentors. While it still remains a tough decision, we have been receiving a lot of affirmation in what we have been able to learn and through many other experiences.


While in Fresno, CA, Jess has been able to get an apartment with her sister Valerie, dedicate a lot time to going through her mother’s things, work on wrapping up some of her mother’s unfinished projects with her sister Valerie, and dedicate some time to intentionally grieve and do some family counseling with focus on a new family structure. She has been substitute teaching frequently at Pinedale Elementary and has appreciated the huge compliment teachers and administrators there are showing in her by trusting their classes in her care.


In Colorado Springs Luke has been learning a lot about what goes into forecasting and getting ready for a busy golfing season. (Golf Course) will be hosting the 2010 Women's Open which is going to create an exciting atmosphere. It will also create more work for all the current staff members which will allow Luke to have more responsibility and opportunity to learn. Luke has enjoyed working for (Golf Course) so far and hopes that the next season he can learn as much as this season. Luke has also visited his parents in Grand Junction, and has enjoyed the chance to go hunting with his father.

We had a warm Thanksgiving in Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach, CA where Valerie and Jessica cooked dinner for their side of the family. Luke had Turkey carving duties. Christmas was spent in Grand Junction with Luke’s immediate family. We enjoyed all the family traditions and some good relaxing time together! We got particularly addicted to the Wii version of Tetris which explains the theme of this years letter.

As you can tell, we’re trying hard to be flexible and fit into God’s plan for us. Please pray for us as we wait to see what He has in store for us!

Much Love,
Luke and Jessica Nickodemus


Why the ( )  Please note that certain words were taken out of this letter. Luke has been asked by his work to publish the name of the group/company online (I figure this includes his wife too.) Should you have interest/concern/questions please email me and I can A) email you a copy of the letter or B) Fill you in.