Subject Line: Just a thought

This is a little e-mail exchange Job and I had the other day. I know, it's a bit saccharine, but I just love Job's reply. Such a typical Job response, it made me smile like a goof for a long time at work.


Rachael: I love you to the moon and back!! You are the bacon to my eggs, the jelly to my peanut butter.


Job: You are the coke to my tostadas con salsa, in fact you are the salsa in my tostada, you are the lime juice on my pepino!

 That my friends, is very high praise :)

This.Is.Jeopardy!

The scene: Job and Rachael driving, listening to the radio. The NPR radio host and Ken Jennings are answering caller's questions.

Rachael: Oh, it's Ken Jennings.
Job: Who is he?
Rachael: You know, the guy who won on jeopardy like 7 times {74 to be exact ;) }, I think he's Mormon, he is really rich now....
Job: Oh yeah, I stayed at his house for a weekend once. He's nice.

Oh yeah. I guess you remember who he is! ;)

{via}

Just a few Job quotes for your weekend

J: What is Becca's last name? Gardner?
R: Yes. Gardner.
J: As in, Kevin Garnett
R: No. Not as in Kevin Garnett.
???
I couldn't stop laughing at this one. P.S. KG is one of our loved Boston Celtics players. ___________________________________________________________________________

The scene: Job and I just got new phones. We have been sharing 1 cell phone for years and finally each got our own. He was obviously excited about it. I was in the living room working on the computer when I heard Job call me from the bedroom. I went in and he told me this little ditty of a story.

J: I called you on your phone just now. I said,

"hey baby, come in the room, I have a surprise for you" (seductive voice and all)

"Me": What? Who is this?

 J: haha, come on, it's me. Come on in here. You will be glad you did.

"Me": Come where? What are you talking about?

J: Stop teasing, I know you are in the living room, just come on!

"Me": How do you know I am in the living room?! Who is this?!

 J: *click*

 It suddenly dawned on him that it wasn't his wife he was seducing on the phone. Oops. Poor, poor girl. I can see her frantically calling the cops saying some guy is watching her in her living room. Ultimate wrong number story.
_____________________________________________________________________________

This guy keeps me laughing. I just love him bunches :) It was his birthday on Wednesday so we have been celebrating little by little in our free time. I am excited to continue on this evening.

 I hope you do something fun tonight too!

Oh yeah and,

Have a great weekend friends!

Job-another one from the archives

 This one made me laugh, and then kiss my husband.

Job has over 1000 friends on facebook. I would say excessive and a bit ridiculous except for the fact that the large majority really ARE his friends. He actually knows them. Imagine that. I love that he is outgoing. He makes friends wherever he goes.

But another thing about Job is that he totally speaks his mind. He doesn't mind saying what he thinks, and he will be completely honest with you. And I have discovered that is a good thing (the majority of the time ;). So even while being somewhat blunt and very honest he still has lots of friends. Which leads me to believe people like honesty. Breaking news, huh.

Job has a fake smile in his repertoire. He uses it a lot when I insist on taking many pictures of him at odd times or weird places. I like his real smile the best, but his fake smile makes me laugh :)

Job is passionate about things he does. Violin, music in general, cooking, church and his callings, missionary work, me (ha couldn't resist ;), and so much more. I love that.

He let's me cut his hair. That is really nice. Especially considering how it sometimes looks after I cut it.

 This man is a cleaning machine. It is he who makes sure our house is always spiffy clean. So if you ever doubted whether you could eat off our kitchen surfaces, worry no more because those things see a Clorox wipe 3+ times a day. I know, I'm spoiled.

I kind of love when he gets into certain chick flicks. This man is the ultimate because I swear he has the best qualities of both genders (ok now, don't take that weirdly.....) I'm just sayin' he is one sexy hunk of a man with all the associated traits and qualities, but can also sit down and brush my hair while watching a ridiculous t.v. teen drama, all the while throwing in things like "she is such a bee-otch" or "She doesn't deserve him, what is he thinking?!". Best of both worlds, I am telling you.

He has this little dance that never fails to get a full-out laugh from me. Let's just leave it at that.... ;)

He holds my hand while he is the one driving (which is 100% of the time when we are together) even if we are in crazy traffic, on the highway, or lost. Sometimes I have to gently place his hand on the wheel to avoid certain death, but oh how I love holding that hand.

As if either of those needed an explanation ;)

Job's recital

I have neglected to document a very important moment in Job's life and academic career. Bad wife. I haven't forgotten I just keep putting it off. Along with about 20 other posts I need to write.

So now, I present to you, Job's Graduate Violin Recital

First off, I can't find a digital copy of one, but Job and a friend of his made these awesome invitations which he passed out to friends and community members. He took this whole recital very seriously and worked so hard. He gave about 5 pre-concerts at senior centers, churches, community centers etc... and passed out invites there too. As a result the recital hall was packed to the brim with so many people who appreciate his talent. It was a great feeling.

                        Getting ready at home-                                           Warming up in the green room
                    clipping fingernails is a must for
                                 a musician :)

 After with his amazing pianist Nomin.

A few more of the professional photos he had taken

 What an incredibly handsome man I married. I love him a whole bunch.

(He had some other great pictures too, but I can't seem to find them on our computer at the moment...and I just really want to get this post up now seeing as it is months overdue ;)

Bravo Jobito, it was an beautiful concert!
This recital was in December, and now he has just graduated with his Masters!! Woohoo, special post about that coming right up.

This guy does NOT have just "ONE LOOK"

I have recently convinced Job not to cut his hair and to let it grow out for a while. Perhaps this is for my own amusement? ;)
Just kidding. I actually think it's smokin' hot when it is all fixed and tamed. Smokin' I say. He's got this gorgeous black hair with little streaks of gray (Smokin'!!), it is super thick and lush, and has awesome curl to it. It's just great hair.

But I will not lie, the long hair also provides me amusement.

1. This is just him looking smokin' for comparison. This particular picture does not do his awesome hair quite enough justice, but you get the idea.
2. The Biebs
3. Adventures in straightening
4. "Why do I let you do this stuff to me?"
5. Oodles of curls
6. I don't even know. I just keep thinking Willie Wonka for some reason.
7. It's like petting a bear when it is straightened (I've lived in AK, I have pet a bear ok!)
8. Mexican Beethoven

Job is actually a great sport through my silliness :) It's great to have a best friend you can be goofy with.
And we definitely have a fair share of goofiness going on in the Salazar home.


Stay tuned for an embarrassing little "Rachael moment" in video form. I feel it's only right to share after this post of Job.

Man, I feel like a Woman

Flash Back Friday be darned (just for this week though. Don't darn it for longer than that). I had the greatest Women's Day yesterday and just have to share. Did you know it was women's day yesterday? Cool right?!  Last night before bed I prayed for all the wonderful women in my life and am so grateful for the influence they have had.

So now,

10 reasons why I felt like an awesome woman yesterday: 

1. Had a Doctors appointment in the morning. Taking charge of my womanly health! Go schedule a pap smear ladies.
2. Started a new cleaning schedule and whipped our little home into shape. I love taking care of our little heaven on earth with Job. It feels so good to have a clean home.
3. Ate a killer salad and fruit for lunch. I feel like I got enough vitamins and minerals to last me a week in that thing. I love green food. (it had spinach, feta, tuna, wheat germ, capers, cucumbers, avocado, balsamic and olive oil dressing, etc...) It made me feel recharged and ready for the day.
4. The weather was in the 60's and sunny. Enough said.
5. Took a energizing nap before work.
6. Headed off to work with the sun roof open, windows down, and music blasting.
7. Shortly after arriving at work was given a substantial RAISE out of the blue. Woohoo!
8. Discovered I love blueberry tea.
9. Once I arrived home I was greeted with a kiss and a "Happy Women's Day!" by my sweet Jobito. I didn't even register it was women's day until this point actually.
10. Proceeded to get spoiled like a queen for the next few hours. 

Here's how that went down:

All new natural lavender bath products for me as a gift and part of the night.

Camping out, living room style

P.S. (pre-script) My little sister scoffed when I told her we did this. "pshbm, that's cool". WHAT DO YOU KNOW!? ;) It's cool, ok.
Love you Ren.

We had Grease, a puzzle with alligators, popcorn, colorful little lights and candles, cookies...what else is there to want? (except Grease is a scandalous movie! I had forgotten ;)

Yup, we slept here. And then we woke up and ate panettone bread pudding for breakfast here. And then we canceled our plans for a hike due to rain. And then went back to sleep right here. Good story huh?

We think so too.

P.S. (post-script this time. Sheesh, confusing)

Our little Owl friend missed us in bed that night. Always watching out for us, what a guy.

Unsolicited Relationship Advice: Take it or take it.

Let's get real for a second. Anyone who knows me on a personal level, (or who has ever talked to me for 3 minutes or longer) knows I am a frugal saver cheap-a person. It comes in handy a lot of times, trust me. I am pretty good with making sure money doesn't fly out the window unexpectedly because I keep it on a teeny tiny short leash. A money leash. You can buy one on amazon.

Anyways, sometimes this cheapness of mine causes stress to my dear sweet husband who likes to do things for me. He is not some crazy spender or anything, just not as neurotic as I am about not spending money. He likes to spend money on important things.

And he taught me a little lesson the other day. He was taking me out on a date to the symphony (which is basically free for us, yay) when he told me this date would not just include the symphony. He then proceeded to take me on a beautiful romantic walk through a part of the city I had never been to, kissed me in the middle of a lovely plaza, and then we arrived at our destination which was a nice Asian restaurant. (I am getting to my point here, I promise). He told me how important it was that we go on dates, and not only just dates but fun, interesting dates. And sometimes that requires a little bit of money. Sometimes it doesn't, and we have plenty of those dates too, but he taught me that doing something new, different, and exciting can be stimulating for a relationship. I took a deep breath and didn't think too much about money that night. And he was very respectful and kept things reasonable so I would feel comfortable. We both relaxed and had a wonderful evening (until I feel asleep during the symphony and he was embarrassed by me. Hey, it was a long day! But that's another story ;)

Now I am not saying dates have to be expensive, or even cost money at all. But it is important to go outside the box sometimes in a relationship to keep it strong. Maybe that means getting a babysitter, or going somewhere new to eat rather than the old standby. Maybe it means trying something completely new for both of you. Or maybe that just means doing something the other person really likes (even if you don't).

Job and I love to date each other, and I feel that is one of the things that keeps our relationship strong through the inevitable hard times that come with life and marriage. We are still working on lots of things but I feel very blessed to have a man in my life who makes that a priority. 

Thanks love.

Lucky? I think yes.

What I came home to the other night after work:

• My own bag of special Mexican chips which I have been craving
• a gorgeous dinner on the stove (vegetarian even. Be still my heart, he knows I love that)
• and a sweet note.

Hellllooooooooooo!
Best husband ever.

Simple pleasures

This guy likes mango on his frozen yogurt. 

This girl likes cinnamon almonds on her frozen yogurt.

They both like sharing their cinnamon almond and mango froyo and chatting before a concert. 

Simple pleasures.

 (Hey journal, it was the BSO and tanglewood chorus performing Mendelssohn's Lobgesang-Hymn of Praise. So beautiful, remember it.)

And we are on the home stretch!

Yes, we will most likely have another degree and two more years after this, but let's just take one step at a time. 

Cliché alert: The time has flown by!

Love

I just have such a overwhelming feeling of love for Job today. I love him all the time of course, but today it just felt extra strong. Do you ever get moments like that, whether it be for a friend, a spouse, or a family member? As I am sitting here thinking about what might have brought this special feeling I realize it is because I took the time to think of him today rather than get too focused and distracted on tasks and other things. Whenever I start thinking of him and all he does for our family, that extra special feeling of love, complete with butterflies, is automatic because he is wonderful and thinking of him makes me happy. I think another reason is because I tried to serve him today. Serving each other feels so good! And it really does strengthen our relationship and make our love stronger. The last thing I can think of is because he humbly served others today. And that is just so very attractive to me. I really feel like the most blessed woman in the world to have such a kind, talented, spiritual, and all-around amazing man as my husband. And I want to keep doing my best to be worthy of that blessing.
I just wanted to write this down today, to express gratitude for the love Job and I share, and to help me remember to put Job first every day so that our love can just keep on growing.
This whole marriage thing really does get better and better every day :)

Hair and Humble

I got my hair cut and styled the other day, which was about 1 1/2 years overdue. Boy did it feel good! And I promised my stylist, Russanne (she's awesome you should check out her blog) I would turn over a new leaf and actually do my hair more often ;) But she said my hair was healthy so, you know, points for me and all that.

Sorry for the not-so-great self portrait. Job was not available to take my beauty shots ;)

In other news....
Job rocked a master class with a hot-shot violinist the other day so we went out for a little late night treat to celebrate. I asked if I could blog about his happy news (proud wife here ;) but he looked all shy and said, "oh no, don't tell anyone, I just wanted to celebrate with you". But I insisted so he said, "o.k. well, you can only put 'he did alright' or something like that". haha ok love,

He did alright.

I tease him, but his modesty really is attractive to me. So I'll take on the job of bragging a little bit for him ;) He is doing really well in school and growing so much as a musician. I love this guy.

But you know what?

I LOVE being with just this guy right now! :)

Selfish? Naw, just enjoying this time in our lives when we don't have kids, because we will someday and then we'll enjoy that time. But right now it is so, so good to be able to cuddle with just him, have random and spontaneous dates, take trips when we feel like it, and give each other all our attention. Because this guy is my very best friend and I will never get tired of spending time with him.

I love you Jobito.