HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Emily, Heather, Mike, Meredith, Jess in our ridiculous July 4th hats that Emily so proudly purchased for us to wear to celebrate the most glorious American holiday. My buddy Robscott even made me a nice rare steak (which in a nutshell is the way to my good side for life (hint, hint)!!!BBQ and Explosions: could a holiday get any better? I think I can answer that with one word: NOPE!

Heather and Mike

We looked so thrilled, don't we?

A Berry between two Pages: that is one tasty book!

Heather, Chris, Emily, Mike, Jess

I allowed Mike to put me in a headlock. Yes allowed!

Uncle Sam hats over took us! The excitement was just too much!

Where in the American country is Mikey?

The Lucky Number Seven!

Background and justification to my Craziness! ;)

"In the Hebrew, seven ([b'v, - Sheh'-bah) is from a root word meaning to be complete or full. This can be clearly seen from the first time a variant of this word is used in the Bible.

^"1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. ³And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

Genesis 2:1-3

God rested on the seventh day because his work of creation was complete, entire, perfect. Thus seven represents this perfect completeness and also it represents rest, as in the rest that is taken from work. It is from this same word that the Sabbath, the day of rest comes. But as well as this spiritual perfection, seven seems also to be used in another way in scripture. Patterns of sevens run through the scripture more abundantly than any other number. "



The number 7 in general is my lucky number. I almost have an insane attachment to the number. I wake up on a 7 no matter what every morning. (i.e. 4:47, 6:37, 7:07) It is so odd that even if I want to push the snooze button, I wait one minute until 6:38 to push the snooze because it only snoozes for 9 minutes and that way I wake up again at 6:47. In all the repetition one does at the gym I go to 17, not 15. When I do curls I go to 17 and then count 17 seven more times before I finish. While running on cardio machines I always cool down until a 7 hits on the timer. If I miss the 7, I go another 10 seconds to hit the next one. (Slight case of OCD). My favorite/best birthday was my 17th birthday (my parents took me to Vegas and I spent the week laying by the pool and reading, shopping, attended my first rock concert). It was the first and last time I ever was on vacation with the family (in particular my Dad) that the entire vacation wasn't planned out to the last minute. The year 2007 was my lucky year in theory. During the year I was thinking that my number 7 was failing me in some aspects but as I've considered the events in my life over 2007, my lucky number really did hold true. I had an amazing year in both the ups and downs. The only exception to the number 7 has been in regards to sports numbers. It stems to wanting to be as great as my brother at baseball at a young age (like 4 years old I am sure). His baseball number was 5, so mine was always 5 too. I still remember taking my first photo in my #5 softball jersey when I made the team for the first time in high school (which is another story that I'll share at some point). I always felt amazing in that jersey! Having the #5 jersey is acceptable because it is an odd number and given this post it is safe to say that I am ODD.

Yankees Come To The Bay!

I'll be honest I was more excited for the Yankees to come to the Bay this season than when I graduated from college! The Yanks took the series 2-1. I have spent so many years watching the Yankees that it was awesome to anticipate which direction they would move, being that close to the action was unreal! A-Rod's swing is beautiful, Jeter is so graceful when he rolls up a DP (beats ballet any day!), Posada has such a canon, watching Rivera close the game was tight, and watching Cabrera hit a HR was icing on the cake. I am still glazed over with a smile! The Yankees' afterglow could easily last another couple of months! My friend, Matt Wiley, came with me. Thanks Matt! Matt was awesome.....got our food for us so I didn't have to leave the game, brought sunflower seeds (a Matt Wiley baseball staple), and he truly understands why baseball is so amazing (when a person knows and understands the game the anticipation makes it worth the wait)! I heart The Yankees! I heart Baseball! I heart the Double Play! I heart the bat cracking! I heart the dream come true!

Baseball Betting Taken to a Whole New Level!

After years of the casual "I owe you dinner" bets Jonathan and I finally decided to get fancy in our terms for our baseball bets. Jonathan flew to the Bay to visit and we had one fancy dinner! Maybe one day Jonny will start betting for the Yankees and win one of our bets....until then I'll continue to thoroughly enjoy my winnings. It is always great to be with Jonny.

Jonny and his Counter Burger!

The first afternoon Jonny was here we went to this park by the Bay, threw the football, took a nap in the sun and just chatted. It was an ideal afternoon in my humble opinion. :)

Jonny and I prior to dinner. The terms required 1) A fancy restaurant 2) Being Dressed to the T. We kind of looked like we were going to Prom....so we thought Jonny better have a flower to make it official. Hehe! We went to Alexander's Steakhouse and had such a great time.

Jonny had T-Bone.

I had Fillet Mignon and it was delicious! Granted it wasn't the Kobe beef Fillet Mignon ($250) that was on the menu but we'll have to wait until Jonathan has made at least a million before I indulge that much. Hurry up Jonny, get rich quick!

A few years ago when Jonathan flew from Seattle to Idaho to visit we went to dinner and while we were sitting there a woman came up and congratulated us on getting engaged. Obviously the woman needed her hearing checked but I remember laughing so hard from the shocked look on Jonny's face. So in honor of that I mentioned to the waiter that it was our Anniversary (partly to see if I could get a similar reaction). Instead Jonny played the part beautifully. We had sparkling Cherry Lemonade to toast our [Insert year here] Anniversary and this great dessert!

This place was awesome! Cotton Candy for dessert....not your average ballpark cotton candy either!
We spent the next day in San Francisco. I always find it amusing that each time someone visits and we play tourist I always see or do something I never had discovered before. There are these old boats that they have on display on the Bay next to the Wharf.
Jonathan and I took a very "cool" and "breezy" boat ride in the Bay! It was pretty cool!

We ended the night in style!!! Watching the Oakland A's beat the Boston Red Soxs! Yes I wore my Yankees' hat proudly! It was freezing but worth the cold! We also saw a cool fight and watched two obnoxious Red Soxs fans get booted out of the Stadium....that was icing on the cake! Overall it was the best weekend to have the baseball bet! The A's swept the Red Soxs 3-0 in the Bay, while the Yankees swept the Mariners 3-0 in New York! I heart the Yankees!

Joshy Squashy Turns Sweet Sixteen!

When I was seven years old, my mom had another baby. His name is Josh. I cried when he was born because I had wanted a little sister. Through my tears, I told the doctor to take him back. As I gained more wisdom through the years I realized that I should be thankful for another boy. Having only brothers made me stronger and more aggressive/assertive than most girls. I also have two boys that would fiercely protect me and have many times throughout my life. I love Matty and Joshy more than words would ever be able to express. In retrospect I see clearly the hand of the Lord placing those two boys in my life and in our family.

My brother Josh and I hadn’t always gotten along as good as we should, but since leaving home for college I realized how much I love that kid. When I was struggling with college my freshmen year, Josh brought me a pack of Almond Joy candy bars with a note attached saying: To: Jessica Be Happy From: Josh. That small gesture meant so much to me.

At the end of May 2007, I began the grueling drive to the Bay Area. We left after a baseball game of Josh’s. When I had to say goodbye to my boys I started to cry like a baby. I never am quite able express fully the love I have for Matt and Josh. They are more than my brothers, they are my friends, my protectors, my heroes, and they are where I feel most like myself. Matty and Joshy know my strengths and my weaknesses, they know I’m odd so there is no need to try to impress. I sometimes wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them. If they read this their answer better be something like “Jess, we miss you more than words and actions can express” (Hint, Hint).

Josh is definitely the character in our family! I am so impressed by Josh and his comic personality! From being one of the three best baseball “players in the state” to being the mightiest hunter west of the Mississippi to giving free tickets to the gun show to being the best uncle, Joshy Squashy is the best little brother in the world! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KID!

Be Free of Hep B!

Last week was Asian Heritage week. We volunteered to hand out Hep B information for Meredith. Little secret (I went to get into the ballpark to watch baseball twice!). It was fun and I got to have a hot dog and watch baseball. This pretty much was an ideal evening!!
Chris and Emily Page standing with a Berry on Berry Street outside the ballpark.

Jess to Mer: Mer, I love lots of relish! Mer's interpretation: Enough relish to feed the whole country of Panama! Can anyone see the hot dog?

Mer devouring her dog at the ballpark.

Page sisters at the ballpark!

Saving Asian Livers One Step at a Time

Mikey, Meredith, Heather, the Page football, Wendy, and Jess before the race. Yes any good race whether ran, jogged, or walked requires a football for distraction from the mundane feeling of running.

Jess and Jaren pre-race. Oh yes and the Page football.

Idaho and Idaho M!

Meredith's Crew before the race.

Meredith's Crew after the 5K to save Asian Livers with our very own Meredith! She is kind of a big deal.
Gorgeous park, fantastic exercise, showing our love for Meredith and all that she stands for, saving Asian livers, running for the Jews (MCB at least), and sacrificing for complete strangers! What more do you need to start your Saturday off right!? The LiveRight 5K was all of the above and completely worst any soreness for a chance to save even one liver that morning.

The facts are these:

What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is a disease caused by infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Chronic (lifelong) infection with HBV can lead to liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. About 60-80% of primary liver cancer worldwide is caused by chronic HBV infection.

1 in 10 Asians have HBV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBV)

1 in 1,000 Caucasians have HBV

For More info: http://liver.stanford.edu/

Riley and Jess----Idaho "Gangsters"

Riley and I. He taught me how to wear the "gangster" hat. Riley is definitely one of the coolest/favorite cousins I have (I can say that since Jordan is on a mission, hehe).

Josh sent me this cool NY hat from his trip to NYC (that is ten sizes too big, but ironically my big head hits quite well). He told me I better wear it to his game for him when I flew in. So I did and he was so surprised/shocked (he was just daring/joking with me), I looked ridiculous but anything for that kid. Yes I wore the hat the entire game too. I am a sister that delivers!

Mini Me

Matty and Avery
What was she thinking?
Oh no, she is stuck.
What now? Believe it or not but Avery actually got out of this stool all by herself.
Avery got a mitt and ball for her birthday! Starting early!
My Uncle Rich made the comment one afternoon on the phone that it really is hard to miss me because having Avery around is like having Jess around all the time still. After being around Avery for a week I have to agree completely. I love her spunk, her wacky faces, and her stubborn personality. While I do have empathy for Matt and Amie because I know what a pill I was, I still chuckle to watch her because I see me so much and eventually I turned out alright. So Matt and Amie....there is light at the end of the tunnel! ;)

Sami Jami

In March I got the sweetest gift in the mail. A book called "Jessica" and a note from Sam Jam. The note read as followed:
Dear Jess,
I miss you SO MUCH! I was thinking of you, then I went to my Grandma Kay's house and she showed me this book called Jessica! I thought it was cool, it was your name! It's a cool book......I think! I love you SO MUCH!
Love,
Samantha

The last paragraph in the book says about Ruthie's friend:
Ruthie Simms didn't have a dog,
She didn't have a cat,
or a brother,
or a sister.
But Jessica was even better.

I remember the day Sam Jam was born and holding her in my arms. Looking into those eyes I thought I could see Heaven and knew that Sam Jam was an answer to my prayers. That little girl captured my heart in that moment and has had me wrapped around her finger ever since. I am so glad that Sam Jam has been able to be part of our family and spend so many hours in our home. I had always wanted a sister, but Sam Jam was even better!