Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Happy Birthday to My Awesome Sister, Heather



Thanks for not letting me take myself too seriously. You are amazing. I hope you have a good birthday!


The HJ's, back in the day

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

It is Not Requisite That a Man Should Run Faster Than He Has Strength, or How Jessica Became Lame, Literally

I may have mentioned this before, but I am officially huge. Like I can't even stand to look at myself, don't want to leave the house, don't want to see old friends and refuse to let people take pictures of me huge. And I am a little sick of it. And I am trying really hard to undo all my bad habits so I am no longer huge.

So I decided that I needed to start taking exercise breaks during the work day. I used to walk around Capitol Park, but the weather turned bad and that habit just went out the window. But good weather has returned, so I decided to add that to my daily list. It didn't seem like enough, though. So walking the stairs during my morning break seemed like a brilliant idea.

A few weeks ago, I decided to start taking the stairs at my parking garage. I usually park on floor 5, 6, or 7, and so go down four or more flights of stairs in the morning and go back up four or more flights of stairs in the afternoon. Adding another stair walk to my morning routine didn't seem like such a big deal, and I thought I'de been doing enough that I could push myself a bit.

I walked from the 14th floor to the 19th floor. Then I walked all the way down to the 1st floor. Then I walked back up to the 6th floor. Then I walked around the 6th floor, which is a parking level, so I could get some fresh air. Then I took the elevator back to 14.

My legs were a little sore and I was winded, but I felt okay. That afternoon, my friends and I decided to do a half-cap (halfway around Capitol Park). And oh, oh, oh. Within three minutes, I knew I'd made a huge mistake. There was no way I could go on this walk. But my pride prevented me from confessing to my friends that I needed to turn back. So I pushed myself to keep going. About halfway through the walk (right at the point where there was no turning back, just going the rest of the way around), I told my friends I was in a lot of pain. I thought maybe taking off my shoes would help. So I took off my shoes and walked on the sidewalk of downtown Sacramento in my socks. But that didn't help. So I told my friends I had to slow down, told them to go on without me (they didn't, bless them), and sat down on a bench to put my shoes back on.

Miraculously, I was able to make it back to work. I was in pain driving home. I was in pain walking around my house. And I knew it would be worse today, because it's always worse the second day, right? But "worse" doesn't quite cover it.

I've been shuffling around like a cripple all day. The walk to work and then back to my parking garage were torture. Having to use the gas and break pedals in my car was agony. I wore heels to work, like a genius. It took me twice as long to get around as it normally does. My calves feel like rocks, and not in a good way. Tomorrow, we have to take Charlie to be reevaluated and my friend is babysitting for us. I wanted to clean my house so I would not be totally embarrassed when she came over (Josh has so much work to do and is completely off the hook for cleaning). Let me tell you, it did not happen. I've been sitting or laying down most of the evening.

When I do walk, I look like, according to Josh, the Bride of Frankenstein. Earlier, when I walked into the kitchen to get dinner, Josh burst into laughter. I told him he was being a jerk; I am in immense pain and I am terribly embarrassed by how foolish I look. He couldn't help himself. He started laughing harder. He was in tears. He gave me a big hug and said, "I love you so much. You are so funny, even when you don't mean to be." Nice. Of course, he's so cute when he laughs that I couldn't stay mad at him.

I hope that my legs will return to normal form soon. I have a training meeting in Carlsbad on Friday that I am in charge of. I would like for my volunteer dentists to see Jessica, CDA superstar, not the Bride of Frankenstein. And I need to get my house ready for my mom's visit.

It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. Nor is it wise. Lesson learned.

A Really Good Article

By Mark Steyn

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Big Haircut -- Again

Katie watched Alek get his haircut last week and decided she needed a haircut, too. She cut a big chunk out of her bangs and the side of her hair a few months ago and it was getting harder and harder to hide the damage, so we took her to grandma's for the big cut. It ended up being an even bigger cut than we originally planned on because Katie couldn't sit still. Oops. But she looks adorable, don't you think?


For more pictures of my kids' hair, see my Facebook page.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Kaci Hansen Presents #1 Now On Sale

They're taking pre-orders of the book online. You can see the cover and first 8 pages here: http://comicbookdivas.com/kacihansen/?p=139.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Feminism Debate

For Heather, from a National Review article:

"Feminist" is a loaded word in the United States because it carries so many controversial connotations. Professional feminists often insist that they have a monopoly on the word and its meaning, which forces lots of people to reject the label. Conservatives are the most obvious example of that, but many young people, including very “liberated” young women, avoid the term because they think it means rejecting any traditional understanding of motherhood, courtship, etc.

But if you can lay aside all of those worthwhile arguments about Western society for a minute, the simple fact is that “the feminists” are absolutely right when it comes to the treatment of women in much of the developing world. If women were seen as a religious or racial minority, this would be glaringly obvious. Imagine if a white country refused to let blacks learn to read, never mind go to school or even go outside. I don’t know a social conservative — and I know many — who doesn’t agree with radical feminists when it comes to recognizing the barbarity of female circumcision, wife-burning, breast-ironing, and the rest.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

I'm A Wanderer

Actually, I'm usually a homebody. I like the idea of traveling, exploring new worlds, etc., but I don't really get the opportunity to do that very often. But strangely enough, I'm doing a lot of traveling this year. Mostly for work.

Two weeks ago, I was in Napa for the day. I didn't get to do any exploring, but I loved the drive. So pretty. And there are some amazing houses in downtown Napa. Also, the hotel where we had our work event had chairs in the lobby that reminded me of the Haunted Mansion. I tried to snap a picture with my phone, but it was too dark. Tears.

Today, I will be leaving for San Luis Obispo -- again for work. It's a 5 hour drive and I won't be coming home until Saturday. Still, there will not be any time to explore. The saddest thing to me is that I will be very, very close to Hearst Castle, but unable to visit. But it will still be fun to see a different part of the state.

In another two weeks, I'll be flying down to SoCal for a meeting in Carlsbad. I'll be staying overnight in a Four Seasons resort right off the beach. Tough gig, huh? Still -- no time to explore. I won't even have a car.

But then my mommy is coming. And because my mommy is awesome, she has agreed to come to this place with me and my crazy brood:


Because she is really, really awesome, she is helping us pay for the trip. (Otherwise, we might not be able to go.) And because I am truly a Disneyland nerd, I can barely contain my excitement. I just hope my kids like it and that no one is going to freak out at the park. (Well, I'll be freaking out, but in a good way.)

Then in May, I get to go to Disneyland again! I'm going to a convention in Anaheim and I get to go to Disneyland and maybe California Adventure in the evening when I am through with work. Hooray, hooray! Best part: my sisters, Amy and Rachel, are also going to be there, so I get to see them. Hooray, hooray, hooray, hooray!!

Then I won't travel for a while, I'm guessing. Although we may take a trip to Salinas/Monterey in the summer if my in-laws get their house done.

But then in the fall, I'll be going to Beverly Hills for work. And in my dreams (and this is a big, nearly impossible dream, people), Josh will come with me and we'll hang out in SoCal for a few days after my work is done and do an anniversary trip.

So I am getting to see a bit more of the world this year, even if it is all within California. Maybe next year, I'll actual cross the state line.

Saturday, March 06, 2010

Disney Give a Day Get a Day Blankets

Here they are.

 
Alek's blanket


 
Josh's blanket

 
 My blanket

Friday, March 05, 2010

The Headshot

This is the headshot Josh decided to use for the Texas Comiccon website.


What got cropped out: Josh is holding a newborn Katie in the hospital.

Monday, March 01, 2010

Well Maybe Next Time I’ll Estimate Me

My internal struggles rage on. Most recently I’ve been having a major case of the what-good-am-I’s.

Last Sunday, I came home from my Young Women's leader meeting crying. Those women, without meaning to, make me feel like a loser. They all are amazing – talented, smart, hardworking, spiritual, together. I don’t know why I am in YW or what I can contribute. I feel like the only thing unique about me is how lame I am compared to the rest of them. I feel useless.

At home . . . well, let’s just say, I fall short in every area of my family life.

At work, I have the same problem I have in YW. All the women in my department are superstars. Some of my colleagues in the past have been remarkable, but I’ve never worked anywhere like this, where it seems like every single employee is the cream of the crop. And there is nothing I can do that at least two or three or more of the people in my department could do just as well, if not a whole lot better, than me. I mean, maybe that is not true, but that is how I feel.

In everyone situation lately, I’ve been feeling like I bring nothing to the table. Except another pair of hands. And maybe that should be enough. I mean, the pair of hands are needed, I guess. But it doesn’t feel like enough. I want to feel like I have unique traits, talents, experiences – something – that make me an essential part of the team.

At work, review season is upon us. I had to write up my self-evaluation, one of my least favorite exercises in the world. And it was especially frustrating this year, because even though I worked really hard, I didn’t feel like my work necessarily fit with the objectives my manager and I had set earlier in 2009. And since my job responsibilities changed mid-year, I figured I should be very conservative with how I rated myself as usually the higher-ups don’t give high marks during what we call a “learning year.” The other thing I had to keep in mind is that my company doesn’t give out high marks in general anyway. We’re rated on a scale of 1 to 5 and a 3 is considered a good score. 4’s are rare. 5’s are pretty much unheard of. Basically, if you get a 5 you should be promoted as quickly as possible because you are too good for your job.

I’ve really been sweating getting my review. I just didn’t have a sense at all of how it would go. And I was supposed to get my review two weeks ago, but we’ve been so busy that there just hasn’t been time.

Today I got my review. I received an overall rating of 4.5. I was blown away.

My manager said, “I know you’ve been anxious about this, but I don’t know why. Did you really not know that this was going to go well?”

And you know, I really didn’t. I mean, I really, really didn’t. And I certainly wasn’t expecting such a high score. I was going to be very happy to roll out of there with a 3. Instead, I see this review with high marks and high praise and end up having a conversation with my manager about how her goal this year is to get me into a higher position because she knows I am ready for it. Um, wow.

As we were talking, my manager said I underestimate myself. Maybe that’s true. But after today, maybe next time I’ll estimate me. At least at work.

P.S. Favorite line from my review: “This exceptionally challenging year provided everyone in the department with an opportunity to shine or sink. Jessica shined.” Talk about a warm fuzzy.