Moment by Moment

I am alive

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 21:00:00 +0000

Sorry that I have been out for a bit. I was in AZ visiting family and didn't have my computer. And then I was in VA visiting family for my sister in laws wedding. I've been back home a week or so now and I am doing the halfway video for our spouses club.

A halfway video is a video of what we, the wives, have been up to while our husbands have been gone. We put together a video and they watch it halfway through the deployment. Next month marks halfway!! But we have to get it done and mailed early to make sure that it gets there in time. It has been fun to work on and I think it has turned out great! I only hope our boys enjoy it as much as we did making it!

I am headed back to AZ for the summer to work and earn a little money. I have not been able to find a job here in Lemoore and figured since Mike would be gone anyway it would be nice to be near family. And it won't hurt to earn a bit of money as well!!

I will try and update with some pictures soon!

An attempt at photography

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:39:00 +0000

Jenny's Wedding Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:14:00 +0000

Sorry that I have been MIA for a bit. I'll try and catch up. I've been visiting family in AZ for the past few weeks. The middle weekend I went to my sister in law's wedding. Here are some pics...

The girls

The guys

My brother and I at the rehearsal

At the wedding

My brother (the best man) walking the mother of the bride (my mother in law) down the aisle

Bridesmaids at the wedding

The happy couple

Having fun, but missing my other half

Adding to the family

The wedding party

Best Man Speech

Maid of Honor Speech

Cake!

Mom and Me

Adding a new region to the repertoire

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:12:00 +0000

A few gal pals and I headed up to Fresno for an evening of shopping, food, and hanging out. One of the ladies had heard mention of this Indian restaurant and she had been wanting to go for awhile, so we were like Hey, why not? And that's just what we did. After a little bit of mall shopping we headed to our destination of choice: North India Bar & Grill

And ordered a spattering of menu items:

We got chicken curry, prawn curry, spinach and potato something, steak tandoori, steak in a tomato sauce, naan and rice. Everything was great! I will definitely come to this place again and try some more stuff. The other neat thing, they were having an Indian wedding reception in one part of the restaurant. It was fun to peek through the curtains and see all the women in the traditional sari.

My taste testers of the evening:

Thanks ladies, where's our next new adventure in food??

Photo A Day: 3/4/11 & 3/5/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:56:00 +0000

3/4/11
Catching up some much needed sun

3/5/11
Enjoying some yummy Indian food with some great friends.

Photo A Day: 3/3/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:44:00 +0000

The wild and rambunctious kids settling down for some food at the Lady Diamonds meeting.

Photo A Day: 2/26/11-2/28/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:43:00 +0000

2/26/11
Pho, at the local eatery of Pho & Rolls. YUM!!

2/27/11
Watching the Oscars with some friends!

2/28/11
After a nice rain, the valley cleared out and you could actually see the Sierra Nevada Mountains

A New Blog, on books and reading

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:32:00 +0000

I've always loved to read. I have given some thought into trying to read books and write reviews. And so I created a blog to do just that. Right now it's just a passion and a way for me to keep a list of books I like and don't like. Feel free to follow along on my journey.

An Escape Through Words

It's still a work in progress.

Stuck in the Middle; a review

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:13:00 +0000

Stuck in the Middle (Sister-to-Sister, Book 1)

Joan is a middle sister, she's 25, and she's living with mother and grandmother. Joan had thought she had life figured out, until her boyfriend of 9 years leaves her and marries another woman. That was almost a year ago and she hasn't dated, or wanted to date since. That is until a handsome young doctor rents the house next door.

I thoroughly enjoyed Joan. She was believable and her struggles were real. The dynamics between her and hew two sisters were witty and charming. The relationship between Joan and Ken, her neighbor doctor, was well written out. I related to Joan and her struggle to find a real relationship with God. Joan has always been a church-goer, a "Sunday Christian." It's not until she hears a missionary speak, and Ken comes into her life that she's realizes what she's missing and longing for. It is a great story on how to overcome past losses of loved ones and focus on the one constant in our life, God. There were a few key scriptures that were worked nicely into the story-line. I would recommend this book to anyone who's having those same struggles.

This was a great free selection on Amazon's free books list for Kindle.

*All opinions are my own. I received no compensation for this review.

Fools Rush In: Weddings by Bella; a review

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:27:00 +0000

Fools Rush In (Weddings by Bella, Book 1)

Bella Rossi is a gal in her late twenties still living and at home and has just taken over the family business, a wedding facility. The book follows her first wedding as the manager, a boot-scootin' cowboy themed wedding. Bella comes from a large family of Italians, and while they own the wedding facility they have never done themed weddings, until now. Bella is hoping to take the wedding facility into a whole new direction. The book follows Bella from one incident to the next as she tries to pull of a cowboy style wedding, when she knows nothing about cowboys or country western.

I found this book to be an entertaining read, quick and simple. The Rossi family dynamics were hilarious to watch. The romance between Bella and her cowboy is endearing. One thing to note is this is a Christian themed book. When Bella begins to fall on hard times she leans on her family and her faith to get her through it. I thought this was great start to the series. It will be interesting and fun to revisit the Rossi and Neeley families and watch them come together.

*At the time of this review, Fools Rush In is still on Amazon's Kindle free books list. If you own a Kindle be sure to check this list often as they are always adding new books to it.

All opinions are my own. I am not receiving any compensation for this review.

Photo A Day: 2/24/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:43:00 +0000

Celebrating a birthday at bible study (sorry for the blurriness)

Photo A Day: 2/23/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:41:00 +0000

Enjoying a lovely evening:

Women Of Faith: Rebekah

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:03:00 +0000

Abraham has sent one of his servants back to his native land in search of a wife for Isaac. The servant prays to God, and God answers his prayer with Rebekah. As Sarah had done before, Rebekah leaves all that she knows behind and moves to a foreign land to start a new life. Rebekah never set eyes on her husband before agreeing to marry him, a foreign concept to much of today's modern world.

Rebekah is barren for the first 20 years of her marriage, but then God blesses her with twins. Even in the womb Jacob and Esau were feuding for place:

   The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to
   inquire of the Lord.
   The Lord said to her,
   Two nations are in your womb,
   and two peoples from within you will be separated
   one people will be stronger than the other
   and the older will serve the younger
   (Genesis 25:22-23)

Esau is born first, with Jacob grabbing onto his heel. Jacob tricks Esau into selling his birthright. But this is not about Esau and Jacob, though their feuding is a part of it. Rebekah loved Jacob more, she favored him over Esau. When it came time for Isaac to bless his older son, Rebekah helped Jacob to deceive his father and receive the blessing of the firstborn.

Why does Rebekah deceive Isaac? Did God not tell her that the older brother would serve the younger brother? Isaac's blessing made sure of it. I don't know why Rebekah did it, I'm not sure if she forgot the promise God had made to her while she was still pregnant. One thing that does come to mind is that God foresaw Rebekah's deception and gave his statement knowing what would come later on down the road.

Rebekah's intentions were to have her favored son receive the better blessing. In those days the firstborn male of the family received the inheritance and all others would be under him. However, when Esau learned of the deception he vowed revenge. He consoled himself by saying he would kill Jacob after their father had passed. When Rebekah heard this she urged Jacob to flee, to save his life. Jacob would not return before Rebekah passed. Her actions caused her to send her beloved son away, never to see him again.

If Rebekah had trusted in God she might have seen her son before her death, she might never have had to send him away in the first place. But as we humans so often do, Rebekah took charge and did not trust in the promise of the Lord. I am often like Rebekah, relying to much on myself and my own way of doing things rather than following and trusting God. While I have not received a direct promise from God, His promises are given to me throughout the Scriptures. If we trust in Him, give our lives to Him, we will have eternal and life and peace. Yet so often in this life I am torn up on the inside, wrestling with my decisions and not seeking his counsel. This is one thing that rereading Rebekah's story has shown me, even though we falter and may not always seek Him, He will always be with us should we ask for Him.

I'm a fan of my Kindle...for so many reasons!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:31:00 +0000

I love books. I love the feel of having a book in my hand and flipping through the pages. The idea of being the first one to open my book, when the pages are all crisp and clean, is invigorating. I have always loved to read. My bookshelves are overflowing and I keep adding more to them.

At first the idea of the e-reader was great. Then as I thought about it a little more I was unsure of how I would like it. Would I enjoy it as much as having a book in my hand? The answer is No, I still love having a book to flip through. However, I decided that the e-reader had it's place. I travel, I love traveling, I do so every chance I get. This is where an e-reader is very handy. Whereas I use to have to carry 3 or 4 books for a week long trip, now I just have my nice sleek Kindle with as many books as I want! And I enjoy reading on it much more than I thought that I would.

I received my Kindle as a gift for Christmas. I did some research and had narrowed it down between the Nook (by Barnes & Noble) and Amazon's Kindle. I'm a big hands on person, I like to see and touch most things before I buy them. I think that was part of why I had been leaning toward the Nook, I would mess around with it every time I walked into Barnes & Noble, I would peruse the covers and cases for them and had the one I wanted picked out. However, so many reviewers chose the Kindle and liked it better so I was still holding back on purchasing a Nook. Then the new Kindle 3 was released, and Best Buy had them available in store to look at. I was sold.

The Kindle 3 came in the dark graphite color, whereas the Nook only came in white. White always gets dirty, and once dirty it will never look sleek and clean again. I steer away from white electronics and cars because no matter how careful I am they always get dirty, and fast. The graphite color helps hide the dirt nicely. The Kindle was also slightly lighter and thinner than the Nook, at least to my feel. I liked the way it felt in my hand better than a Nook.

The one draw back I saw at the time was that the Nook used page numbers, whereas the Kindle did not. This meant that if I wanted to compare notes with someone or they told me to look at a specific passage, I had no reference to go off if they had the printed copy of the book. Amazon has just recently released an update for page numbers in books, I haven't noticed it on the last books that I've read but I'm hoping it will help things go smoother between the electronic editions and print editions of books.

I am very happy with my Kindle. One thing I enjoy most about Amazon is the number of free books that they offer for the Kindle. I have over 100 books and have only purchased about a dozen, and even with that I have only spent about $30. There are numerous free titles, from classics to more current reads. The website and free list are updated hourly. I check it every few days and almost always add a title or two that sounds interesting. And when they are free, why not?? If I don't love it I don't have to worry about having spent any amount on it. Amazon also offers a number of books for under $5, in all genres. It's great. Having inexpensive and free novels to read is a great way to discover new authors or new genres in which you are interested.

I highly recommend the Kindle :-)

Photo A Day: 2/21/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:16:00 +0000

*my photo from 2/20/11 were way too dark :-(

Hanging out at Leslie's for her 31 Gifts party her kitty decided to check out all the bags. I snapped a quick shot of Marley in the toy bucket.

Photo A Day: 2/18/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:05:00 +0000

I had a wonderful week with my mom. As I ran errands today after she left I stopped for lunch at Panda Express, this was my fortune:

It made me laugh!

An Overnight getaway to the coast

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:49:00 +0000

Mom came in town this week. It's been nice to have someone else around the house for a bit. Two weeks ago today is when I dropped Mike off :-( I'm making it through okay. This was good timing for her to come and visit though. I'm going to be in AZ in another 2-3 weeks for a bit.

Anywho, when Mom comes to visit we usually try to head down to Santa Barbara to visit her brother and his family. So that's just what we did. Yesterday morning we got up and headed south. But we didn't just drive straight there, we stopped a some wineries :-)

Stop #1: Niner Vineyards
Tasting Fee: $10, waived with 3 bottle purchase

I had been here once before and remember it being good. Mom had run into a wine distributor that told her if she was in the area she should stop here and try the Sangiovese. So that's what we did. We stopped and tasted one white and four reds. I remembered the wines being good, but it did not remember them being this good. Everything we tasted was nice and easy drinking, but could easily be paired with food for a slightly different flavor.

We were the only ones in the tasting room at 10:45 am :-) and the gentleman that served us was really nice. We had a good time chatting, and he actually sent us in a different direction for the rest of our adventure. We had planned on hitting a few other wineries in Paso Robles, but he suggested we try Edna Valley which was another way to head south to Santa Barbara. So, after buying one of every bottle we tasted plus an additional Sangiovese, we headed to the Edna Valley.

Stop #2: Tolosa Winery

Tasting Fee: $8, waived with purchase

I liked this door.

Our first stop in the Edna Valley was to Tolosa. We had been informed that the Edna Valley dealt more in the white wines and Pinot Noir varietals of wine. Tolosa shown in those varietals. While I am not usually a fan of white wines I did enjoy one of the Chardonnays here. I purchased a bottle of their Syrah however because I enjoy drinking red wine. One of their Pinot Noir's was very good but it was about $50 a bottle, much more than I like to spend. I would recommend stopping in here if you are in the Edna Valley for wines. I would not put high praise in their customer service. Other than pouring our wine for us and telling the name, the woman behind the counter was not very friendly or talkative.

Stop #3: Sextant Wine

Tasting Fee: $8, or $12 for reserves; tasting fee is not waived unless you purchase 12 bottles =0

We were starting get hungry and were unsure if we were going to stop at another winery or just get some lunch and move on to Santa Barbara. However, when we saw this cute little old barn we just had to stop. Mom and I enjoy wineries that have a smaller atmosphere, where you are more likely to talk to the person pouring your wine and learn a little about the winery, the wines, and the owners. We found that at Sextant. As with the other two stops we were the only ones in the tasting room. The gentleman that was pouring for us was a retiree who was doing this to pass the time during the day, and he just enjoyed wine and chatting with people. Sextant has a nautical motif (Mom and I didn't know what a sextant was; in case you don't know either it is the way in which they navigated and charted on the seas in the old days).

We very much enjoyed that atmosphere at Sextant. We also enjoyed many of their wines. Since we had two people tasting we paid for one "Main Deck" ($8) and one "Upper Deck" ($12) tasting and shared. From the Main Deck flight we purchased a bottle of the 10knots Chardonnay and Wheelhouse Zinfandel. From the Upper Deck flight we purchased an Atlantis (red blend) and Holystone Zinfandel.

It was not time to stop for lunch.

Stop #4: Ventana Grill in Pismo Beach

Price: $10-$18 for entree

The view from our table.

View looking out the other direction.

While at Tolosa Winery we had asked for a lunch recommendation along the coast with a bit of a view. We were not steered wrong. The view during lunch was amazing. The food was decent as well. I had a skirt steak sandwich that alright. Mom had a chicken sandwich that was very good. However, I will be coming back here to try their mexican dishes. We say many of them come out of the kitchen while we were there and they all looked very good. The lunch salads also looked incredible. For the location the price was not half bad. Sandwiches were about $10-$14 and for the fish dishes you were looking at a few dollars more. All in all, a great place to relax and watch the surf.

Stop #5: Doug and Jane's

Priceless time and fun!!

I always love coming to Doug and Jane's house and spending time with them and their kids. It is just so much fun. The town of Santa Barbara is amazing. We always have wonderful food. We just have a genuinely good time. The evening we were their Doug (who always makes amazing food!) made a Moroccan Lamb dish and black peppercorn salmon. Oh so yummy!! We had a lovely evening chatting and drinking tea. The next morning we had coffee at Via Maestro, and Jane's brother dropped off these from his bakery:

After some coffee, Mom and I started to head back up the coast to home.

Stop #6: Hendry's Dog Beach

Mom brought her itty bitty dog with us for out little trip. (Sunset stayed home with some friends of hers) Rosie has seen the snow but hadn't been to the beach yet, so we decided to introduce her. She wasn't too sure of the waves. We had to drop her and run to try and get some pictures so you can see just how tiny she us up against the waves in the background.

Stop #7: Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach

Price: $3 for a fish taco - $7 for sandwich plates and chowder in a bread bowl

Said to have world famous clam chowder this was somewhere we needed to check out. Mom and I usually go to Brophy Brothers in Santa Barbara for clam chowder but didn't make it there this trip. This place had great reviews and came recommended by a few friends. Unfortunately I would disagree with the best clam chowder ever. For me it had way too much butter and that was about all I could taste. The bread bowl, however, was good. They butter and grill it! We ordered salmon tacos as well. They were stuffed to the brim and very, very messy. The salmon was good, but the avocado and cilantro relish on top was amazing. This is not somewhere I would go out of my way to go to.

We made it back home and picked up Sunset from her friends house.

Everybody had a great little overnight!!

Photo A Day: 2/17/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:11:00 +0000

My Aunt Jane is a baker. She bakes bread almost everyday, and she always makes a little extra to give away to anyone she may come across. (Her blog chronicles her journey, she calls it an experiment in giving.) She comes from a family of bakers. Her brothers own a bakery in the Los Angeles area and one of them dropped of these lovely looking slices of heaven this morning at the house:

Photo A Day: 2/16/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:04:00 +0000

Mom and I drove down to Santa Barbara to visit her brother and his family. We stopped at Ventana Grill in Pismo Beach (more on that later) and this was the view from our table:

Photo A Day: 2/15/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:02:00 +0000

My mom came to town this week, and she brought her dog. Sunset isn't quite sure what to think:

Photo A Day: 2/14/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 08:10:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Flowers from my loving husband.

The card he sent. If any of you know Mike, you know he loves penguins.
So a card with penguins...on a boat, it was perfect!!

Photo A Day: 2/13/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 03:33:00 +0000

Lovely Valentine flowers from Leigh, given to all the Lady Diamonds.

Fresh flowers just have a way of brightening the room!

Photo A Day: 2/12/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:05:00 +0000

What better way to spend a 70 and sunny afternoon than on a patio with some coffee and a good magazine!?!?

Photo A Day: 2/11/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:03:00 +0000

What, we're not supposed to be up here? Sorry babe, they jumped up and I had to snap a pick before I kicked them off!!

Photo A Day: 2/10/11

noreply@blogger.com (Jaime Christoph) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:13:00 +0000

I'm not the only girl around our house that miss him!!