delighted to be

freelance projects / february 7, 2013

Lately (okay, the last three months?) I’ve worked on a few design projects. I’ve also got a redesign for this blog in the works coming soon.

The first is for my sister’s blog, Joy in Our Posterity. My sister has SIX young kids, homeschools the oldest two, and still manages to make her own personal education a priority in her home. We all basically think she’s superwoman. :) Here’s the header I created for her:

I also traded services with Gail Pomare (I’m going to be classy here and just call her our “family photographer” – she took photos of Amelia’s birth and also for our Christmas cards). I rebranded her company a bit. She wanted a very hand-drawn, organic feel. Gail is a very talented photographer, but also has a passion for doterra essential oils. Combining the two was tricky but we made it work. :)

Here’s her logo/watermark in action, and her logo: (I hope you don’t mind that I stole this photo of Mac from your blog, Gail.)

I also designed my dear friend’s Christmas cards (for safety reasons I obviously changed some information before posting). I had so much fun and wished we could have done something similar, but our “year in review” would have been a little dismal and depressing. Next year?

I do freelance design jobs! Wedding invitations, ABC posters, baby announcements, Christmas cards, business cards, branding, websites, etc. I’ve got a passion for hand-drawn illustration and love to incorporate it into my work. I’d love to work with you. Email me for more info: alie.jonesy (at) gmail (dot) com.

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in my mailbox / february 7, 2013

I was elated to receive this 4lb 14oz pink bunny in the mail yesterday. It’s identical to the one we gave Amelia at the hospital, only larger, with a necklace similar to mine. I couldn’t hold back the tears from streaming down my face as I took it out of the box and cradled it in my arms.

It’s a little bit childish and silly, I know. I had never heard of “weighted bears” until a couple months ago. They are made for parents who have lost babies, and are made to be the same weight as their baby was (in our case, just shy of 5 pounds). It’s meant to be held and snuggled as a reminder of what it felt like to hold your baby in your arms. I didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to have empty arms after Amelia died. I can’t properly explain in words how badly my arms physically ached to hold her body again in those weeks afterwards.

I kind of wanted a bear, but the waiting lists for organizations who make them are years long (!!) so I discarded the thought. I posted something about it on facebook, and a friend from high school offered to make me one that matched Amelia’s bunny (!!). She even included a teeny heart inside (like they do in Build-a-Bear), which is a good reminder that Amelia was able to donate heart valves. I am deeply grateful to you, Lily. I don’t think I would have had the courage to make one myself.

My heart is overflowing with love. It’s almost like holding her tiny body again. Almost. The closest I’ll ever get.

Jack is baby-hungry. (I am too, a bit.) So when he held his arms out to hold “the baby”, my heart just melted all over the floor. Squeeze the bunny tight, Jack, and remember her.

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The Ferry Building / february 4, 2013

We were delighted when Grammy & Grandpa Dale (my parents) came to visit us for a short trip this past weekend. And since we wished we lived in the big city, we settled for (yet another!) day trip to San Francisco.

I picked the ferry building for one reason: my family is obsessed with food. We talk about it constantly. It’s a daily struggle for all of us between balancing a healthy diet and splurging, and frankly none of us have got it right yet. But it’s a goal we all keep pursuing and though each of us have drastically different opinions on what we feed our families, it’s something we all relate to. All of us have a love/hate relationship with it for one reason or another. My dad does competition bbq as a second job and a hobby (which is ironic because most of the family has become vegan/vegetarian at some point in their life) and my mom loves to bake, so I thought the ferry building with its foodie atmosphere would be great for lunch.

We were able to go to the Academy of Sciences again too, and then we headed to Walnut Creek to meet my grandparents and aunt and uncle for dinner. It was a long, long day, but I am always amazed at how well Jack can handle it. He had a couple of moments where I knew we’d pushed him too far, but we took a step back and he recovered really well. I am so thankful I don’t have to worry about “toddler moments” with him when we go out; he is slowly learning to play well with other kids, but when it’s just our family he acts so grown up. I love him for it.

g&g

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Wicked / january 30, 2013

Last night some of my dear friends and I saw Wicked in San Francisco. I felt like the NYC version was better (Tyler and I saw it on our NYC trip back in 2009), but this one had good moments too. Our seats were terrible, but for the price we paid for them I was just happy to go! I love soaking in experiences like the theater, and you know how I love a night out in the city.

We started off the night with dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant that I can’t remember the name of. I had an artichoke/bell pepper/onion/eggplant/pesto personal pizza that was decent. Do I daresay the leftovers the next day were better? :)

We then ventured into the gritty theater district to see the play. All was well until the last twenty minutes, when the fire alarm went off. The lights were flashing and a siren went on and on in the lobby below us. Good thing I had seen the play before, because it was really difficult to pay attention when you’re wondering if you’re supposed to be evacuating or not. But the actors kept performing flawlessly and they didn’t announce anything, so most people (like us) stayed in their seats to finish the show.

We heard fire engine sirens outside towards the end of the play, and when we walked out of the theater afterwards those men were just soaking in all the attention. We were some of the last to exit, and snapped a few photos of the truck (engine?) as they were leaving. The driver saw us, rolled down his window, and says to us, “Can we take a picture with you? Uh…do you want a picture with us?” (I’m pretty sure our jaws dropped at this point.) We blurted out, “…sure…?!” and he parked while the other men got out again.

You guys, I can’t make this stuff up. Just as we were huddling in for a group picture with several of them, two firemen all of a sudden “ducked out” and kind of made their way back to the truck. I laughed and laughed because obviously they finally saw the blingity bling on ALL FOUR of our left fingers! Oh, if only they had known all four of us also had toddlers at home, and that Linsday was pregnant. ;)

They probably got a good laugh about it on the way back to the station. But we got a few photos, and Jessica (wearing the hat) got to sit in and pose with the truck. Never a dull moment!

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