V-Day Brunch

Brunch with the sweetie at Charlie's Frog Pond

 

Sauteed banana sauce instead of syrup. Heaven.

Lox Benedict. Lox. And Eggs Benedict. Wow.

Peppermint tea. A great IC-flareup soother.

Back from the Abyss

I know what you're thinking. How dare I come back after such a long absence and post another Awkward & Awesome and think that everything will just go back to normal? I understand your hurt. Unlike more successful blogistas such as Sydney over at the renowned Daybook, I did not have the courtesy to let you know that I would be taking a break from blogging for half of forever.

Well, that's because I never meant to. I had no intention of staying away from Nine to Phive for so long, or at all . . . Every night when I came home from work after being in classes all day, looked at the clock and thanked God that Josh and I were used to eating dinner on a European schedule, looked into the fridge and asked for our "loaves and fishes" to be multiplied, and looked at my lonely laptop with the broken keyboard, I said to myself "When was the last time you posted? Don't you have time to whip something up tonight?"

The answer was never "yes."

All that to say, I got kind of tired of being a victim to my crazy schedule, and I made up my mind (just today, actually) to take back my life and my blog.

So here I am! Hope that all is forgiven and that we can look forward to a lot more posts together in the future. Since we last spoke, and I mean before I started babbling about Yom Kippur and TobyMac and Spanish art museums and actually talked about what was going on in my life, I have been up to quite a lot.

• I have begun my final year of college. If (and it's a big 'if') I get into a course offered at a sister campus next semester, I should graduate right on time! Can't believe it's happening already.
• I have started two new jobs as a writing lab tutor and ESL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher. Love both of them! I feel more like a therapist than a tutor at times, but that's what makes it interesting.
• Josh and I have been really focused on keeping our marriage strong. Like saying 'no' to work and school commitments to spend more time together and all that mushy gushy stuff <3
• I have enrolled in a digital video production class. Changing. My. Life. I don't know why I didn't take this course ages ago. I was meant to do this, and I'm loving every minute. I love the professor. I love my camera. I love HD. I love have card-swipe access to the Mac lab. I love everything except the stupid program we have ot edit in . . .
• I have been in the process of directing a student-written theatrical performance set to debut in November. Muse Creative Arts Ministry is a campus organization (of which I am now the president) that groups creatively-inclined students together on projects to impact the campus and community. Our pioneer performance, "The Chains," is an exploration of the many ways that slavery and bondage manifest themselves in the human experience. It is going to be absolutely beautiful, but it is a lot of work.
• I have written a feature-length screenplay that will get produced in the summer of 2014. Did you read that correctly? I am going to be a produced screenwriter and director. I am so utterly excited, I can't even think of anything else to say on this topic . . .
• I'm looking for an internship. As if I don't have enough to do.

So there's a run-down of the stuff you can expect to hear about on Nine to Phive from now on, because every single one of these things is trying to dominate my attention. Stick around for the ride, and you might see something cool!

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: Everybody's Lives A-Changin'

Just two best friends playing together

This was such an exciting week! Parents moving, friends getting engaged and married right and left, Josh being so close to moving back in with his dear wifey--it's too much!

Awkward:

• The sheer amount of Adventure Time stuffed animals present at tonight's get-together. Every size imaginable.
• We have something like three miles of trails through the woods behind campus. How did I miss this for two years?
• Being asked for my name and responding, "Thurston _Jessica." It's my login at work . . .
• Going to the liquor store late at night to buy some of our favorite coconut rum to finally celebrate our 2nd anniversary, and realizing not only that the stores all close at nine, but that I'm under 21 and can't legally drink in this country . . . That was my blonde moment of the year.
• When I typed that sentence, I wrote that the liquor stores all close at "wine" by mistake. LOL.
• Can I just say that you're almost never invited to the weddings you expect. I feel like I'm always thinking, "Oh these friends of mine didn't invite me to their wedding?" "Wait, who are these people inviting me to their wedding?"
• Working on my screenplay for next summer's film. So much stress, but so much fun! I don't know whether to love it or hate it!

Awesome:

• My family is officially moved in to their new Rochester abode! It's so surreal to have them here :-)
• Co-workers Brandon and Stryker dropping everything to come and help move my parents into their new home. Somebody has an automatic invite to dinner any time they like!
• Stryker's townhouse apartment. I mean, I'm really not surprised, but seriously. Couldn't just one thing about him not be totally and completely awesome and chill? Must post pictures of this guys decor at some point.
• Just Dance 3 at midnight.
• Surfing Google to help Josh research for the CLEP essay exam he's going to be taking soon on analyzing and interpreting literature. I wanted to help him bone up on both classic lit and some popular contemporary novels. I don't think referencing 50 Shades of Grey in an academic paper is going to help his grade any . . .
• Two dear friends just got engaged yesterday with my help <3. The guy (that's him with the beard in the pic above) planned an elaborate treasure hunt to the places where all of their most memorable moments occurred on campus, and Josh and I were one of the clues she had to find. So cute!

Happy Anniversary to My Long-Distance Love

I'm not sure if you guys have picked it up from the past few Awkward & Awesomes (I know I missed one!), but Josh and I are actually not living together this summer. Most people who hear this and don't know us very well seem to automatically assume that this means we are separated, probably waiting on a divorce.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

My husband loves me so much that he is working around 60 hours a week (often twelve hours at a time overnight shifts) to provide for me and our future family. A job opportunity opened up in our former hometown back in Pennsylvania that paid more than double what Josh was making here in Rochester. To recuperate the savings we spent while in Europe, we agreed it would be worth the time apart to make that much-needed cash.

Well, after three months of only seeing each other on weekends (sometimes!), we're not so sure it was worth it anymore. But the end is finally in sight! August 19th is Josh's last day, and hopefully some time shortly after that we'll be able to celebrate our anniversary properly--

You know, together.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: Are Women Human?

Awkward:

• The above work of literature Stryker happened upon while vacuuming. I didn't realize we weren't sure . . .
• Me. I'm an emotional wreck without my husband around. I literally feel like I don't know what to do with my life when he's gone for long periods of time. This is so not like me. It's like a hormonal alien she-beast.
• Cable being down the week of the Olympics. US women's gymnastics took home gold for the first time since 1996 and I had to find out via Yahoo! news.
• The sad state of my bed right now. It is not only unmade, but also piled high with seven pillows in and effort for me to feel less lonely in a queen-size on my own.
• I just ate a bowl of cereal at my desk at work. With cereal brought from home. Slightly awesome, I suppose.
• Poor Rachel's going through a tough time. It'll be so much easier when Mom and Dad finally move up and she has her own room!
• My tragically hit-or-miss internet connection at the apartment. I'm so technologically challenged right now! This is why posting has been getting more and more sparse as this week goes on.

Awesome:

• Criminal Minds and Flashpoint. If I'm going to be limited to four channels, I'm infinitely grateful that Ion Television is among them! 
• My Josh. He listened to me complain about my depression for only a couple minutes before ordering me to just get over it and go out for coffee with Rach. The guy knows just what I need.Miss him heaps :-(
• Three high-fashion shoots coming up this month--one with a 1950's beach vibe! Oh, the glamor.
• Perfectly fitting skinny jeans for just $12! Why hello, Plato's Closet.
• Yoga X. I made it through all 1.5 hours of vinyasas and balance postures without fast-forwarding once, and I feel awesome!
• Post-workout protein drink. Stuff's practically a milkshake.
• Late-night walks and heart-to-hearts with the sissy. Never get tired of it <3
• Reading about the Starrs' adventures in Australia.
• Iced green tea. Everybody should have a pitcher of this superfood in the house at all times.
• My God is always there.

"All Creatures of Our God and King" (London, England)

Happy belated Travel Tuesday! I really just need to give in and make it Travel Wednesday . . .

Supposedly it's terrible blogging/photography/modeling/everything etiquette to include photos of multiple "poses" of the same thing when presenting a variety of photos publicly. They tell you to never include photos of the same outfit in a portfolio, no matter how different they may be in terms of angle, lighting, pose, etc.

Well, I've never been good at etiquette :-/

These photos of delightful critters at the London Zoo and Saint James Park are all so magnificent I couldn't possibly pick out just one photo of each beautiful beast! Part of why these pictures turned out so well is because they were taken with the childlike eye of my wonderfully creative husband Josh.

It's Josh's birthday today!

Happy birthday, sweetheart, and thank you for stopping time with me to capture the seemingly insignificant details of life's moments. I love sharing a hobby with you! Speaking of which, we're due for another photo shoot, don't you think?

Josh has taught me so much about enjoying life. He seems like such an amazingly balanced person to an over-achiever and over-committer like myself. He loves photography (between the two of us we have almost 5,000 photos from the past six months), but he loves to put the camera down and take in the moment with just our memories as well. He is extremely intelligent, but he still finds wonder in every day discoveries.

For example, the above zebra-giraffe-mule mashup known as an okapi was quite familiar to a veteran player of Zoo Tycoon such as myself. I remembered them not only from their unique appearance, but also because they are an endangered species that required a great deal of research and funds to procure in the computer game, and if you wanted to breed them--whew, that research program would keep you from your homework for days.

All this to say, while it was amazing to see the creatures in real life, my excitement paled in comparison to that of Josh who had never seen such a thing. I still remember the look in his eyes as he turned to me with his mouth ajar and said with disbelief, "Noooo . . ."

As in, "These things really exist????"

He snapped picture after picture of the okapis and their neighbors (the giraffes and zebras, of course). Sadly, I was too busy stewing over the fact that the camera battery was about to run out to appreciate his enthusiasm at the time.

Thank you, sweetheart, for keeping the innocence and excitement in our relationship even when I try to take life too seriously.

P.S. There's a freakin' huge pelican below the jump! So read on!!!!

Title is from the hymn by St. Francis of Assisi.

Mist machines for the indoor rainforest animals

These meerkats had so much personality. It's Timon!

The pics after the jump are for the birds! Teehee, I'm so clever ;-)

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: No One Here Beside Me

Awkward:

• The three-month separation from my hubby has officially started :'-(
• He took the book I was reading with him. He better enjoy that sucker!
• Rochester rush hour . . .
• Having the full intent to nicely ask the toll worker how she was doing today and having the niceness scared right out of me when she literally growled at me.
• The Bachelorette. Good God, why do people watch this poop?
• I never wanted to be a coffee snob, but American coffee makes me really sad. I miss my Spanish brew.
• Training on interlibrary loan and then being left to my own devices to practice. Yipes!
• Donkey from Shrek is singing the "I'm all alone . . ." song in my head.

Awesome:

• Well, the only reason I'm without my Joshy is because he got a great job back in PA making twice the dough he was up here!
• Riding in Rachie's car with the top down on a 98-degree day. Best ever.
• Rachie letting me drive her baby to work! I know this is a huge sacrifice for you, honeybun. 
• A completely different and not chronically depressed toll worker telling me how beautiful I look today.
• Soft ice cream. I think I got addicted in Italy.
• Getting to work a day shift. I love going home to my family while the sun is still up!
• Small but healthy and yummy lunches. Not missing the side-splitting midday meals Spain is known for.
• Getting a lot of errands done this morning--including making a down-payment on our new apartment!
• Talking Marvel comics with Stryker.
• Working out early in the morning.

The Amazing Husband

I don't know how it happened, but we are actually in Milan safe and sound this morning. Well, I do know how it happened--by the grace of God and because Josh is my hero.

You might have gathered by now that this post is not about the season premier of this year's Amazing Race (which I will greatly miss watching each Sunday night in Pastor Wally's basement with the young adults from Journey.) It is more about that fact that Josh and I are kind of living The Amazing Race right now.

We got on the train for Madrid yesterday four hours before our flight was scheduled to leave. There wasn't even the slightest worry that we would be pressed for time, as we would arrive in Madrid almost two hours before the plane would leave for Milan. 

Of course, God apparently had some plans to teach us about patience, perseverance and preparing for the worst. And maybe promptness . . .

There are two train stations in Madrid, and we apparently passed the station that was closest to Barajas airport and got off the train a good twenty-minute Metro ride down the line. When we tried to ride back, the train we were on stopped for the day, and we had to find yet another. We finally got on the last Metro we would need at about 6:00pm (our flight was scheduled for 6:45). On the Metro, I looked down at my boarding pass and saw the most haunting words I have ever seen in me life: "Gate closes at 6:15."

I freaked out! We would land at the airport with a total of five minutes to get our Visas checked, make it through security, and get to the gate before it closed for good!

We arrived at the Visa check at exactly 6:15, and I was beginning the slow and painful process of convincing myself that everything would be okay in light of the missed flight. This is a difficult task for me, as I like to believe that things are the end of the world. Maybe the three of us (our friend Kristen was with us) could buy last-minute tickets on a later flight or a flight the next morning so that we wouldn't lose the money for the return flight and hostel.

When I calmly explained our situation to the woman at the Ryanair help desk, she replied, "What are you talking about? This flight doesn't leave for another 25 minutes." Whatever "gate closes at 6:15" meant, she didn't seem to think it was a problem. I didn't have time to question her before Josh was darting back to the Visa check. I tried to tell him that it was no use--that the gate was closed. He wouldn't have any of it.

"We're going to try," he kept saying, "We're going to try."

To my amazement they stamped our visas for us with nothing more than a stern shake of the head for being so late, but as we sprinted for our gate, we saw that the security line was absolutely packed. As we waited impatiently (and hopelessly, in my case), Kristen* suddenly ran up behind us shaking her head and saying "I can't go." I didn't even think to be shocked or sad at the time because I was sure that we would be joining her in a moment.

Security involved emptying our pockets, removing our coats and shoes, and shoving all of this (including our carry-on bags, camera, and packed dinner) into those little plastic boxes and waiting for them to appear on the other side of the conveyor. At 6:35, Josh finally made it through security right behind me--only to be told that he would have to go through again because he was carrying a laptop.

I looked at him and said as maturely as I could muster, "Don't bother. We'll get another flight. Don't worry about it."

And that was the moment when he set his jaw in the most frustrated yet determined manner that I have ever seen in the course of our relationship, yanked the laptop out of his bookbag, and ran to the back of the security line to go through the ordeal again. 

I couldn't bear to stand there and do nothing while he scrambled for his life, so I raced in search of our gate (without stopping to put my shoes back on, I might add). I was amazed when I finally found it with the door to the jetway still open. The attendant looked at me sympathetically as I skidded to a stop in my stocking feet and desperately held out my boarding pass and passport. He told me to calm down and that I still had a couple minutes. I was stressed beyond belief and in the middle of an asthma attack and gasped, "Yes--yes, I know, but--my husband!" I left both of our passports at the ticket check and sprinted back to security.

Josh wasn't there.

I stood in the middle of the concourse of the Madrid Barajas International Airport and yelled at the top of my lungs, "JOSH! JOSH THURSTON! JOSH! THURSTON!"

I almost cried when I saw him--at 6:42--appear at the other end of the concourse, bolt past me, and run with everything that he had to the gate where his passport was already waiting for him. 

I huffed and puffed behind him. We ignored the gruff female security guard who kept scolding that we were too late, we ripped Josh's ticket out of the attendant's hand, and we blasted down the jetway into the arms of a very startled flight attendant who smiled and asked us to take our seats. I paid no attention to the chuckles of the sophisticated Spaniards and Italians ogling at my feet sans shoes as I made my way to a seat at the very back of the plane. We had done it.

Josh had done it. My amazing husband, who has never looked more like a hero in my eyes, kept calm, kept the faith, and kept running when I had all but given up hope. Thank you, God, for your provision, and thank you for this wonderful, hard-working, faithful man who has led me through times of stress in our life even when he had to drag me.

Thank you that he now gets a mini-honeymoon in Milan as a reward.

*Later, I would find out that Kristen had accidentally bought tickets for 6:00am that morning and hadn't been able to come with us on the flight. She's going to meet us here tomorrow, though :-D

HACKED!!!

 

Hacked! Okay, let me explain myself. For all of you faithful followers and those of you seeing this blog for the first time, this is not Jessica Thurston. This is her husband, Josh:) For some time I've been wanting to write an article on this wonderful blog but for one reason or another I haven't. But today was different. Jessica went to Madrid with some friends and I stayed in good, old Avila. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against Madrid and I certainly don't have anything against my awesome wife; I just needed a day to chill, you know, relax for a day. So here it is:

Yesterday, I decided I would spend some time outside taking pictures of Avila, what could be better, right. Fun. Relaxing. Cold?  

First off, today was probably one of the worst days ever to be outside in Avila: wet, cold, bone-chilling, and downright nasty, everything you don't imagine Spain being! I was reluctant to get out of bed today let alone go outside. When I finally stepped outside with my camera, the fog was only a stone's throw away. I couldn't go back now. As difficult as it was, the pictures were worth the cold fingers and numbed face:) I hope that you can see how cold it was in these pictures. Enjoy!

Looking out over the city...it's quite the view minus the fog

This way to town center.

This was one of the city's structures used for defense during attacks. Now is it defended by, yes, storks. Ciguenas, as they are called here, are basically anywhere there is a high point to nest.

La Catedral de Avila

sweet Medieval gutters!

The only clock with hands I have seen in Avila...and it doesn't work. Figures.

Iglesia de San Tomas

There are so many of these random, jutting rocks all over town. Pretty cool!

Around the back of San Tomas...hope he doesn't mind.

Old Glory. Can you see it?

Perhaps there are some X-Men fans in Spain.

Broken wall with cool color contrast:)

Well, there you have it. That is my show and tell for today. Hopefully I will be joining you in the future with some more pictures/ cultural differences/ other things I find interesting that I think might interest you:) I guess you guys/girls will just have stick around. Thanks for joining me in hacking Jessica's blog. 

Until next time...stay awesome and tell your friends to come and join us; we would love to have even more people share in our wild and crazy life from Nine to Phive.

So I Married This [Blank] Guy . . .

And then proceeded to take dramatic photos of him and post them online. Haha, seriously though, isn't he great?

Have you heard of the I Am [Blank] Because trend in lifestyle blogging? It is just about everywhere. I realize that I am a little behind the ball, but I'm putting a new spin on it by writing about the love of my life instead of myself. I had to tweak it a little to apply to a second party, and it's a smidgen awkward, but I hope you can see my heart in this :-)

I just want to pay a little tribute to this great man who has been with me through the ups and downs of our young lives and who I have loved much through it all.

Josh is weird because . . .
He is always in the mood to watch all 682 minutes of the extended Lord of the Rings film trilogy
He can study four languages at once without confusing them with each other
He discusses art intellectually. A regular Roger Ebert.
He sings along with foreign songs despite not understanding them
He thinks that building a computer from scratch would be fun
His mind is a bunny hopping from thought to thought and giving no hint as to how it got there

He is a bad friend because . . .
He gets hurt easily
He doesn't realize that he's hurt someone until it's too late
He is forgetful
He can be overly critical
Sometimes he makes decisions that are best for himself without thinking about others
He is afraid of being wrong or looking silly

He is a good friend because . . .
He is genuinely interested in others
He is a wonderful listener, but not afraid to talk about himself
He reaches out to underdogs and outsiders
He loves inside jokes
He thinks of his friends more often than they realize
He always answers his phone
He will do anything if it means he can hang out with his friends
He is good at fixing things
He cooks

He is sad because . . .
Learning in a foreign language is hard work
He will be going to school for about 81/2 more years
His wife is always sick, and he can't always make her feel better :-(
Our financial future looks pretty bleak
There was a recent death in his family, and we were unable to go home for the funeral

He is happy because . . .
He is in Europe (duh)
He brought Starcraft II with him
Our new apartment has WiFi
Things like coffee and bread taste so much better in Spain
He has a gawgeous wife ;-)
God is good, and love is strong

He is excited for . . .
Exciting travels starting this weekend
Becoming fluent in Spanish (and hopefully many other languages)
Teaching linguistics
Seeing our family and friends again this summer
Being a father someday
Owning a home gym and a plasma-screen TV when we get rich
Building the aforementioned computer

I love you, Joshua John!

And P.S. Josh "proofread" this and loves it as well <3