It’s Holly

Migs Vuitton did a much better job with the pictures than I did, so why don’t you just go visit him real quick:

Thanks to everyone who came out last night. We had a blast. Mama was nice and tipsy. Birthday festivities continue this weekend… more pictures to come.

29. holly + jonathan: because we’re pretty effin’ epic together. i’m thankful that we have the same sense of humor. and i’m thankful for our epic-ness.

thanksgiving examples:

example 1:

:: holly stands in living room, sets cheese plate + crackers on coffee table for grubby little hands::
jonathan: you know what would be nice…?
holly: jonathan, we’re not starting a fire. there are gonna be 40 people here, it’s gonna be a sauna.
jonathan: ….

example 2:

:: holly helps put food away, clearing off the platter with the ham::
holly: move so i can throw this down the drain.
jonathan: what is that?
holly: the ham juice.
jonathan : you’re throwing it down the drain? but…
holly + jonathan in sync: mmm, ham smoothies.

did i mention he stole pie for me? the week before thanksgiving….
jonathan: what do you want from LA?
holly: sweet lady jane’s. sour cherry pie.
jonathan: mark’s bringing that, anything else?
holly: sour cherry pie.

turns out that mark did bring the sour cherry pie, he just took it to jonathan’s dad’s house instead of leaving it at his mom’s (where i was having thanksgiving with them). i got the following text message thursday evening:

jonathan: Operation “steal sour cherry pie from dad’s party by passing it through the backyard in the dark while distracting stepmo with coffe conversation as to look the other way” is complete. Jonathan: 1.

can you see the ridiculousness that is the pair of us? our fuckery is unstoppable. i’m thankful to have someone understands me down to the core. do you have someone like that? it’s pretty awesome.

[every day, for the month of November, I've decided to write a short blog about something I'm thankful for. these are days 25, 26, 27 and 28.]

25. moms: well, first of all, she birthed me, and i’m definitely thankful for that. where do i begin? seriously… she’s moms. she raised two girls by herself, worked and put herself through night school, drove me to high school an hour away because i didn’t want to switch to a closer local school, when she cooks, she puts her foot in it. to put it simply, she’s the business, and i love her. hard. so much that i got a tattoo for her. lol

26. tina: the bestest biggest sister ever. she probably doesn’t realize how big of an influence she’s had on my life. i can almost guarantee that i wouldn’t have the career i have now if it wasn’t for her. she loans me cash and doesn’t make me feel bad about it. she eats all my foodie suggestions and (usually) isn’t afraid. she listens to me vent at work. she makes me give her hugs. i love her, hard. so much that i got a tattoo for her, too

27. jonathan: where do i begin with this boy? sigh. i’m getting misty. he’s the reason i’ve ever been able to travel internationally. he’s the reason i’m a foodie. he leaves me the most awesomest long voicemails ever. he is my soulmate. we finish each others sentences and i swear we communicate telepathically in awkward situations. he’s my best friend in the whole wide world, and that will never change. he’s all kinds of irreplaceable. i love him like a fat kid loves sour cherry pie.

28. everyone i know: everybody that comes in and out of my life is here to teach me something. hopefully, i’ll be non-hardheaded long enough to learn, and hopefully, i’ll get lucky enough to teach them a couple things as well.

i hope you all had an awesomely awesome thanksgiving. i know i did. stay thankful.

[every day, for the month of November, I've decided to write a short blog about something I'm thankful for. these are days 19,20,21,22,23 and 24.]

i really thought i could get back into the swing of blogging everyday, but that mess is hard. so, once again, i’m playing catchup.

19. laughing: because, lately, if it weren’t for my ability to laugh, i’d sure be crying a lot.

20. heated floors: not really, but if you’ve ever been to my spot, you know it’s real nice this time of year.

21. the ocean: ’cause last week, in the middle of november, i was at the beach in flip flops, and it was awesome.

22. digital cameras: who knew i’d be kinda good at the whole photography thing? shiiiit, not me.

23. my mom’s mint beef: it’s literally the only only only time i don’t pick bell peppers out of food. because my mom is the business, and she always put her foot in it.

24. the knowledge that in time, all wounds will heal: be them physical (like this “omg my boyfriend beat me down chris brown”-like gash above my eye) or emotional (like… everything else in my life that needs work), they get better. you live and you learn and you have people that are smarter than you around to help you stay on track. that’s what i do, anyway.

thankful, thankful!

[every day, for the month of November, I've decided to write a short blog about something I'm thankful for. this is day 18.]

18. faith [more so, people that believe in you more than you believe in yourself]

i have a pretty effin’ awesome support system. between moms and sis, jono + his family, and all my super awesome friends, i’m pretty much taken care of in the love and support department. it’s a funny feeling, when people believe in you more than you believe in yourself. i’ve noticed it most recently with my photography work. i just see it as snappin’ pics and photoshoppin’ them up real pretty. hell, i’m still afraid to charge people most of the time. but, thanks to all of the awesomely awesome people in my life telling me that i have the talent and i shouldn’t be afraid to charge for it, i totally charge now. lol sometimes you just need the extra push and the vote of confidence from someone that’s… not… yourself. if that makes any sense at all. sometimes you just need that outside reassurance, and i gets it plenty. and i’m thankful for it. all kinds of thankful for it.

[every day, for the month of November, I've decided to write a short blog about something I'm thankful for. these are days 14,15,16 and 17.]

14. SD’s poetry scene: there are many of talented poets in san diego, and I’ve only recently scratched the surface. one of my faves? Rudy Francisco.

15. yelp: i can’t even count how many awesome restaurants i’ve found via yelp. goes to show that no matter what, word of mouth will always work.

16. backed up files: our office got broken into over the weekend. thankfully, none of our computers were stolen, but they could have been. back up your files! heads would have ROLLED if i lost my music…erm, i mean, work files. srsly.

17. team work: there was a lot of commotion at work yesterday, but we all pulled together, used what resources we had available, complained a shit ton and got the work done. that’s fucking team work (c) tenacious d via ‘F Her Gently @ 1:27‘

[every day, for the month of November, I've decided to write a short blog about something I'm thankful for. this is day 13]

13. Salad, and the willpower to continue eating it

I have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with salad. I’ve been a foodie almost all my life, and it finally all caught up to me in the form of cholesterol and a little more thickness than I’d like. This morning, however, after eating lots of salads (and just being more healthy in general), I saw my collarbone in the mirror. I almost forgot that shit existed. It’s been warmly hidden under a nice layer of fat for quite some time now. But it’s back, and hopefully it’s here to stay. I love salad. I hate salad. Thanks, lettuce + dressing.

[every day, for the month of November, I've decided to write a short blog about something I'm thankful for. this is day 12]

12. Another day…

…because they’re not guaranteed. Yesterday I was driving home and I saw a dead body on the freeway. Apparently, a transient tried to cross the freeway, and didn’t make it. I drove by just after it happened. A few cars had stopped, but traffic hadn’t built up yet. I wasn’t sure what was in the road. As I was approaching it looked like books or newspapers, so I slowed down, and in the lane next to me I saw the image that will forever be burned into my brain – the mangled legs and twisted torso. I screamed out loud then called my sister immediate, freaking out. I’ve never seen a dead body before. It’s pretty jarring. I was at a pretty good distance and it was still kinda traumatic.

So, yes, I’m thankful for another day. More so than I would have been previous to this accident last night. I was thinking about fate this morning, and how all the activities at the end of my day yesterday lead me to be in that place at that time – if I hadn’t stopped and talked to Emma and Matt outside before I left work, if I hadn’t stopped at Target to buy toilet paper, would I have been there exactly when it happened? Would I have avoided it completely? Who knows. Everything happens for a reason, I suppose. I’ll just be.

[every day, for the month of November, I've decided to write a short blog about something I'm thankful for. this is day 11]

11. My mom’s love of Indian casinos – particularly the buffets and the slot machines.

My mom’s been all about the Indian casinos lately. I think the promise of a perfectly cooked ribeye steak and an endless buffet (with crab legs, ftw) drew her initially, but the slot machines kept her loyal. I can’t really be mad at her, because she ALWAYS COMES UP. I NEVER win at slot machines. Ever. But not only does Moms break even, she comes back with scrilla to spare. And, sometimes, I am the beneficiary of such scrilla. Thanks Mom! Thanks Indians [and how appropriate is that for Thanksgiving]!