{christmas with jeff}

Since Jeff was planning on heading down to St. George to spend Christmas with his family, we decided to celebrate OUR Christmas early. And "meine Guete," did we EVER celebrate!! For weeks, Jeff told me that he had a surprise for me. After a while, he told me that the surprise was that he was going to be taking me to a petting zoo. :-) As the date approached, I figured I probably should find out more about the dress for the petting zoo. When I asked Jeff, he recommended that I come in a dress. I commented that I thought that was slightly overdressed for a petting zoo, but that I would comply. He quickly responded with "As far as petting zoos go, this one is pretty upscale. I only pet the best." LOL!

As I got ready that night, I smiled to myself the entire evening....thinking about showing up at a petting zoo in our best dress...and then dressed appropriately in my animal print-esque dress...just in case. :-) The funny thing is, had he actually driven up to a petting zoo that night, it wouldn't have even phased me. I would have been thrilled to death to hop out of the car in my dress and snuggle into Jeff....certain that our night at the petting zoo would be one of the best nights ever. And it would have been. I know this, because the odds are extremely in our favor. :-) No matter WHAT we do....it's perfect, if we're together.

Buuuuuut, we didn't end up going to the petting zoo afterall. As soon as we got in the car, Jeff told me there was a surprise in the glove compartment. I opened it and found a VISA gift card, tickets to Pioneer Theatre Company to see "ANNIE"....and the kindest, most heartfelt letter I have ever received in my life. SUCH a fun surprise!!! ALMOST as awesome as the petting zoo would have been. ;-) Jeff drove us into Salt Lake and we went to an awesome restaurant that neither of us had ever been to -- The Dodo. It was pretty tasty. Jeff ordered some amazingly tender and tasty baby back ribs and I ordered some Angel Hair Pasta with avocados, shrimp and other heavenly tasting stuff.


After dinner, we headed over to Pioneer Theatre Company for the incredible production of "Annie." We arrived a little early, so we snuggled up in our seats and read his mom's newest e-mail. (I will explain more about his mom's e-mails in a blog post that I am planning on writing and posting this weekend.)

"Annie," was AWESOME!! Neither of us had ever been to Pioneer Theatre and we were both so impressed. SUCH talented actors and actresses....an overall wonderful production. So thoughtful of Jeff to give me the gift of theater....something I love SO much!!!!

After "Annie," we headed home to open the rest of our presents...and just be together. :-) I have to admit, I have been SO ANTSY for Jeff to open my gifts. A few months ago, we were snuggled up and Jeff was showing me his last name in Chinese on a website. I immediately filed the website in my brain, along with his name in Chinese..AND the meaning (since that one word has about 87 meanings....and the characters are COMPLETELY different...depending on HOW you say it. Crazy.), so that I wouldn't forget it. That night, I went right home and designed a print for Jeff, that I planned on giving him for Christmas. And that was almost 2 months ago. It's been killing me to wait that long. LOL! I used the flag of Hong Kong as the background, but shifted the flower from the center and then changed the solid red background using a textured background as an overlay to add more variation to the background. In Chinese, there are two forms of characters....traditional and simplified. The simplified characters look much more "artsy"...which is why I chose to use that form for his print. The two months following, I searched for the perfect frame. I didn't want your average rectangle frame. I wanted something unique with an Asian feel to it. It took me LITERALLY (that's for you Babe. :-) almost the entire two months until I stumbled upon the PERFECT frame. A girlfriend of mine mentioned that she had seen Shaped Expressions at a boutique recently....and she raved about them. I immediately headed over to their website...and was practically drooling over her unique and beautiful frames. I have never seen such fun frames....and at such affordable prices. I had completely missed the "before Christmas deadline," but Desirae (the cute owner of Shaped Expressions) told me she would cut one for me at the last minute. I couldn't seem to find one that was fitting for Jeff's image that I had designed. I told Desirae kind of what I was looking for and she ended up sending me an e-mailed image of a frame that wasn't on her site....it was PERFECT!!!!! And so, I ordered this huge, chunky and unique 16x20 frame and it was cut just for Jeff..just DAYS before giving it to him. I dug in and got it painted and sprayed, the print made and then took it to Hobby Lobby to have a hanging wire installed on it. The end result was breathtaking. It was exactly what I had pictured in my head the moment Jeff showed me the character online. Happy day!

Jeff just moved into a new place a month or so ago and we have been working on ideas of how to decorate. We came up with the Asian theme for his bedrooom...which was PERFECT, considering I had already made this print for him. In addition to the 16x20 print, I decided to make a few others gifts to go along with it....as decor for his new bedroom. A few weeks ago, I asked if Jeff could send me a few pictures that he had taken personally while he was living in China. His pictures are BREATHTAKING. It's one thing to make very personal gifts with pictures someone has taken (instead of just BUYING prints that some random person took).....but when you have AMAZING images to work with...it becomes ART! Love that. I framed a few, and then made photo blocks with the rest. Jeff has a Chinese instrument called an "erhu" that he wanted to display in his room. He also happened to have a picture of him in China, taken next to a man PLAYING an erhu. PERFECT. I decided to blow that one up to an 11x14 and frame it. It turned out BEAUTIFUL. I also found an awesome frame at Ross that was SO perfect in design and color scheme...for another one of his images.

Instead of just doing the blocks with plain pictures, I decided to personalize them even a little bit more, by putting some of Jeff's favorite quotes on them. I arranged the quotes on the images in PhotoShop...and they turned out so awesome. I couldn't stop looking at them....and was excited, knowing how much he loved these quotes.


This next one, I did on an 11x14 photo block...because it was my favorite picture, and one of OUR favorite quotes from Brigham Young.

I love Jeff so much. Our minds work the exact same way...and we see things the same way. He sees and appreciates things that I do.....and I haven't been able to find that in ANYONE. Most people would only see this beautiful print. And that's okay...because it IS beautiful. Jeff noticed the contrast (that I increased in my editing), the beauty of the reflection, the detail, etc. But I almost didn't believe what he noticed next (that I had done intentially....but would go unnoticed by most). The quote is about studying and seeking TRUTH...wherever it may be (a quote by Brigham Young...and one of our favorites). If you look very closely at the picture, you will notice that there are Chinese students sitting on the ground along the wall....studying...learning....seeking truth. And Jeff noticed that. *sigh* Amazing. That is NOT a small thing to me. I love that our "vision" is the same (yes...I used that word on purpose....for many reasons).

Instead of just gluing the pictures on the blocks and calling it good, I decided to paint a canvas finish over the top of them. They turned out SO ridiculously awesome. It's hard to capture it in a photograph, but they look almost aged and wrinkled as a result. Here is a BEFORE shot (right after the canvas medium was rolled on) and a really close up shot....to give you an idea of how they turned out.


Watching Jeff open each one was so fun. I have been so excited...and he loved every single one. He was particularly moved by the blocks with his favorite quotes on them. After every one was opened, he was so thrilled to see that with these, his entire room would now be decorated...and feel like home.


The very last of the blocks, was one of the two of us - Jeff's favorite picture of us. I made this into a 5x7 block just like the others, but used a different canvas technique than I did for the others....a little more subtle. I love how it turned out...and so did he. In addition to these things for his room, I edited another one of his pictures for his bathroom. Jeff had a classic picture of a Chinese bathroom. I edited it into black & white with REALLY strong contrasts...and the funny thing is....this picture of a bathroom is GORGEOUS! LOL! He and I had tossed around the idea of doing that, but he was so surprised when he opened it, to see the end result. It really IS awesome...and looks perfect hanging above his very AMERICAN (Hallelujah) toilet. :-)

With moving into a new house, there are many things that Jeff needs...and he was so much fun to shop for as a result. I feel so richly blessed. With store credit that I had at a number of stores and trade that I was able to do for other items....you would be shocked to hear how affordable all of these gifts were. It's been a really tight year...and I didn't have much to work with financially. When I decided on making these gifts and realized the store credit, etc. that I had, I was amazed at how far very little money went. I was even able to "purchase" a few extra things for him as a result....including this beautiful vase and masculine floral arrangement for his entry way, new pillows and his very first Scentsy burner and wax.


Little by little, Jeff's new place is starting to really feel like home. I am so grateful to be able to help with that with the gifts I was able to make for him this year....and on my less than minimal budget. What a blessing.

Despite expressing to Jeff sincerely, and with all my heart, that he did not need to give me a single gift - that HE was the greatest gift and the ONLY thing that I wanted or needed - he seriously pampered me. In addition to the tickets to see "Annie," and the VISA gift card, he gave me some of the BEST and most THOUGHTFUL gifts EVER.....mixing bowls, a basting brush and a set of tools - ALL things that I had expressed a great need for. He's probably never seen anyone so completely thrilled about any ONE of the three things....but I seriously was. So grateful for things that I truly do need...and yet wasn't able to make a priority.

What a perfect evening. Of all the gifts Jeff gave me, however, his letter...his beautiful letter....is one of the most thoughtful, heartfelt, kind and sincere gifts I have ever received in my life. I asked Jeff's permission to share it here on my blog....for my own record.

Heather,

I've never known anyone quite like you. The personality, character, and light that you possess are truly rarities in this world. I love your love for life, and you carry that passion with you wherever you are. While you have been through many trials, they have indeed served as a refiner's fire for you, and you have come through on the other side as an even more enriched and polished disciple of Christ.  You are such a great example to everyone around you, including me. Thank you for that. You forgive more easily than anyone else that I personally have met in this life. You love your Father in Heaven--not just in your words, but in your actions. You serve like your life depends on it, and you have a way of inspiring others to find joy in service as well. You give much, while expecting nothing back. You look for the best in others, and you give the benefit of the doubt, even if you have been wronged by them. This is an amazing quality! There are MANY other great and valuable traits that make you such a remarkable person. Your sense of humor is something that I find particularly endearing and magnetic. I love your wit. I love your smile. I also love and am impressed by your selflessness. You are very aware of the needs of others. When I was having a bad day, you spent the evening looking for ways to calm my anxiety and lift me back up. Again, thank you.

In the movie that you and I watched together called "The Way," the travelers each had their own story, their own difficulties, trials, successes, and their own path to walk, although the destination was the same. My journey has been different than yours, but I love that we have found each other on life's path. The thing about the journey of life is that no one really knows how long it is, how rough or smooth the way will be, or who we will meet along the way as we walk. For however long we remain trekking on "the way" together, I will be grateful for your companionship. What a wonderful journey this is!

Merry Christmas, Heather!

Much Love,

Jeff

I can hardly see my computer screen to finish typing this entry, as I sit here with tears running down my face after again reading those kind words from the very depths of Jeff's heart. Those who know me the best will understand after merely reading that letter (every aspect....WHAT he wrote, HOW he writes, the SPIRIT of the letter....amazing) and knowing nothing more about Jeff, will see very clearly why we are such a match and why it isn't surprising that I am falling very deeply in love with this man.

Comments

[creole wisdom]

Merry Christmas Heather (and Jeff!)

I could not be more thrilled for you. I'm so excited to read more of your "story" :) Like I said in a previous comment this is better than any TV love story because it's real.

[Kristin]

All I can say is... :-)