bling!

So it's happened! Mark and I are engaged. We've been talking about getting engaged for a few weeks, talking about practical things like expectations, etc. (Mark had asked me one night, and I thought I ruined it with my talking.) So we let the talk simmer, and then last night he gave me a ring made out of yarn to put on my finger. Then he asked me if I wanted to pick out a ring soon. And OF COURSE I said I did, and I started "geeking out", if you will.

Mark was looking at rings online and didn't know my ring size, so we just decided to look at rings together today. After my finger was sized we looked around the shop, and I started piecing together a ring. We walked home to "think about it", and once I got in the apartment I knew what I wanted. So we walked back to the shop to order it.

So the ring in the left photo is the correct setting of the ring we ordered. The middle stone is also the same shape/size as the one I will have. The ring on the right has a violet amethyst in the center. My ring will have the same color/type stone in as the one in the picture on the right and the same setting/size as the one on the left. PHEW. (Sorry if that's confusing!)

Thank you everyone for your well-wishes. Not many (any?) plans have been made so far, we are just enjoying each other! We are very excited (and tired)! More details as they come; love to all! :)

J

new friends

So I've finally been bored enough to want to get out there and meet new friends! Yay!

My friend Michelle (who lives in Miami) has a sister named Kat. Kat is an actress living and working in LA. Kat recently invited me to her book club meeting. We met on Sunday at another girl's apartment, which happens to be within walking distance of my place. (You guys know how much I love places within walking distance!) Chelsea then invited me to go art gallery-hopping with her tomorrow. She's an artist and is looking for places to show her work.

I also joined a Ladies Meetup group (from Meetup.com), and I went to a happy hour with them at a nearby bar on Tuesday. I could walk, the place was cute and the ladies are really nice and fun. I will definitely go back to the next meetup!

Another exciting tidbit of info: Mark bought a brand-spanking-new computer, which means that I've inherited his MacBook Pro. It has a 17 inch screen, it has PhotoShop (YEAH!), and it is so sleek and pretty. :)

More to come! Miss you all lots.

j

Michael and Melanie in Santa Monica

Mark's parents came to visit us this past weekend. On Saturday we went to the Getty Museum, which has incredible views and a vast collection of art. Unfortunately I left my camera in the car, but next time I go I will take pictures. The architecture is equally as impressive as the art, and we all had a great time! Here's the Freemans at lunch at The Shack near our apartment.

On Sunday we went to Will Rogers Park, where we had taken Maggie and Emily on their visit. The experience was completely different. As you can see, Sunday was a clear, sunny day and we could see for miles and miles! When we took Maggie, it was foggy and misty, but still quite magical in its own way.

Thanks for visiting Michael and Melanie! We had lots of fun. Can't wait to dance on the pool this New Years Eve. Maybe Mark and I will start practicing our dance moves...

Mag & Em, part 2

Here's Emily and Maggie in front of the Santa Monica Pier. They wanted to ride the roller coaster (called the West Coaster), but it was closed. :(

Down on the sand there was some sort of photo shoot happening. It looked like a bridal shoot at first, but there were actually two brides and many people with cameras, so maybe it was a photography class? Not sure, but it was cool to see ladies in wedding gowns laying in the sand!

Now, for your viewing pleasure: 

Mag whacks the ducks from hey jessica on Vimeo.


Maggie and Emily DDR from hey jessica on Vimeo.

Maggie and Emily in CA, part 1

Maggie and Emily arrived on Friday, and that day we didn't do very much. We picked them up from the airport, went to The Shack to eat burgers, came back to the apartment and hung out. We played cards and ordered Indian food for delivery, and the girls liked it!!

Yesterday, we went to Will Rogers State Park and hiked up into the hills. It was a little cloudy and misty, but it felt wonderful outside and we had a lot of fun.

After the park, we came back to the apartment and ate some lunch. For dinner, we headed to our favorite sushi restaurant, Kaido. Maggie and Emily loved the sushi there!!

After dinner at Kaido, we went to the theatre! We saw a play called The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler. It was pretty good. A great day in California!

Countdown to Maggie/Emily

MAGGIE AND EMILY

are coming to visit next Friday. I couldn't be more excited! I hope to have tons of pictures of their visit. This is the two crazy kids being silly on my computer, literally years ago. :)

Also, it's raining here. We haven't experienced real rain in LA until now, so it's nice to see all the plants getting water and the sky a beautiful gray.