Journeys of Jessi Joy

2008-11-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry Andrew! :)

Do you know the Gingerbread Man?

2008-11-04T19:40:00.001-08:00

Scott, Andrea, and Jessi live it up at Halloween part I.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

2008-11-04T19:26:00.001-08:00

Yes, that is ADAM in the background! My small group's Halloween party bosted Rudolph, a flamingo lawn decoration, and Operation Man! It's never too early to begin getting excited for Christmas, right?

Official Birthday T

2008-11-04T19:23:00.001-08:00

Birthdays are definitely God's way of telling us to EAT MORE CAKE!!

SURPRISE!!

2008-11-04T19:20:00.001-08:00

Princess treatment from my students' moms with a totally unexpected surprise birthday party! I was showered with tons of great books to add to my classroom library, the world's largest piece of chocolate cake, and a real-live princess crown! I am so blessed to work at SCA!!

Clint Eastwood

2008-11-04T19:15:00.001-08:00

Shelley's sister, Kristen, Shelley, Lynn, and Clint Eastwood went for a fabulous horseback ride through the mountains on a beautiful autumn morning! Clint, of course, was my horse hottie!

Home sweet Home

2008-11-04T19:12:00.001-08:00

Shelley's, a fourth grade teacher a SCA, amazing mountain cabin! Just enough of a taste of the midwest autumn weather for this Scottsdale Chica!

Break me off a piece of that . . .

2008-11-04T19:00:00.001-08:00

Shelley comes through with an amazing homemade Kit-Kat birthday cake with a peanutbutter dipped candle! YUMMY!

Fisher-woman??

2008-11-04T18:58:00.001-08:00

Nothing better than a birthday fish or rather a rack of fish!

2008-11-04T18:51:00.001-08:00

Big B-DAY

2008-11-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Robin, Shelley, Jessi, and Lynn live it up in the mountains of Payson on the big birthday weekend! :)

2008-11-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

My students and their parents pampered me with the most amazing surprise party today, tiara and all! They brought me the world's largest piece of chocolate cake, which was my official birthday cake! They also gave me oodles of fabulous second grade books for my class library. It was an absolutely unexpected royal treat!

Mom ~ I went to Nookies

2008-10-17T17:27:00.001-07:00

A REAL LIVE OLYMPIAN :)

2008-10-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

I touched an real live OLYMPIAN

2008-10-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Conquering the WINDY CITY

2008-10-17T17:04:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I embarked upon my first adventure away from my new vacation . . . I mean home! :) I traveled back to the midwest, but managed to bring the desert weather along. Bethany and I spent the first day at an Expo event where we enjoyed scrumptious free food, competed in the finger races, purchased the fabulous self-massaging stick, starred in a VW commercial, and were photographed with the Olympic marathon runner, Brian Sell. The following day I completed my first marathon along with 45,000 others of the most insane runners. Race day temps began in the mid sixties and finish line temps exceeded 84 degrees placing the race risk level at a red, signaling runners to run at their own risk due to the high probability of adverse effects suffered. HA! I was able to run for the Team World Vision, which was wonderful and I finished strong, thanks to the best cheerleader ever (BETHANY) who ran along side me for the last six miles. My finish time was three hours and thirty-two minutes, which allowed me to qualify for the Boston Marathon in April! AHHH! I knew I was supposed to complete this race after registering under a team with the committment to raise $900 by race day and received the money two short weeks after registering without asking anyone for money! God is so good. In addition, the week before the race, I received a letter from World Vision informing me the precious Veronica, my jewel I have sponsored for the last eight years through World Vision (who by the way wants to be a teacher when she grows up :) no longer needs my sponsorship because the organization was able to find her parents, meaning she is not an orphan. THAT IS WHO I RAN FOR!! I pinned her picture to my World Vision jersey and she inspired my every step. The night of the race Bethany and I enjoyed much deserved Chicago style pizza followed by a gorgeous outdoor evening concert with Taylor Swift. The weekend was a complete and total success. I was definitely glad to return home despite the fact that I returned to parent teacher conferences, which went wonderfully.

The Tornado Continues

2008-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

2008-09-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

She inherits a PET

2008-09-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

The owners of my precious little condo had an outdoor cat whom they were not able to capture prio to departure! Sparky now resides outside my condo! AHHH!

Freak Tornado Strikes the Arizona Desert Twice in One Summer!

2008-09-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

It is official. The journeys of Jessi Joy can officially begin because she has planted a firm foundation in an amazing condo in Old Town Scottsdale.

Another Week Down

2008-09-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

The weeks sure seem to fly by. Last weekend began with a cooking class on integrating the season's farmers markets' produce into easy meals (YUMMY!!), viewing of an inspiring independent film, Owl and the Sparrow, and a rewarding trip to an overwhelmingly incredible independent bookstore where I purchased my long desired housewarming gift, Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant ~ a Memoir of Cooking for One. This weekend brought with it a much needed nap, a journey to a river preserve an hour outside of Phoenix to hear from the 2001 Arizona Children's Author of the Year, Condrad Storad, and an evening of viewing Arizona's ballet under the stars. The upcoming week will be filled with anticipation for my long anticipated move home. I am finally moving into my very own condo and I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

2008-09-13T18:21:00.001-07:00

2008-09-13T18:15:00.001-07:00

Can you tell school has started?? I am absolutely swamped with the craziness of second grade, although adjusting quite well. I ran my first Arizona race this morning with a fifth grade teacher, Eric Dall (who also works at the Scottsdale Running Company ~ Saturday group runs with the SRC along the canal being another one of my newest endeavors) and Andrea Boyles, the sixth grade Communication Arts teacher. I just love those sixth grade Comm. Arts teachers. SCA totally dominated the race with Eric taking first overall and I placed first overall for females. Andrea got second in her age group! It was also a PR for me with 20:32. As a treat for my success, I ventured on to my first experience with the farmer's market, where I indulged in purchases of several of the seasons yummiest produce items.

TEAM MATES

2008-08-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

On the left, you see my sweet cottage Villa Mate, Lynn Goudis! I LOVE THIS GIRL! We are going out to celebrate the successful survival of the first week.

On the right you see Lachelle (my second grade mentor), Jen (new mommy number one, and Janka (new mommy number two). I most definitely am blessed by my team members! Three wonderful ladies with tons of willingness to babysit this high maintenence super stressed chica!

Fretful First Day

2008-08-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Are we not just the cutest set of second graders you ever did see? I have three sets of twins (one set of identical), two Emmas, and three Madisons. AHHHH! Needless to say, second grade is totally different than fifth grade, but I think I will learn to love it. I can most definitely say I treasure my hugs and the adorable second grade phrases. A student prayed for me on the first day "Jesus, please help Miss Moe to have something planned for us today." This was shortly after an exploding bloodly nose (not mine ~ but rambunctious Andrew (who also got written up for having a mohawk). Pretty sure he will never forget his first day of second grade.

Progress in the Cottage Villa

2008-08-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

The weeks just seem to FLY by here and this past week was most definitely no exception. My week began on a high note with my first official lunch date with my new second grade team mates, Janka, Jen, and Lachelle. Janka and Jen both have new born babies and Lachelle is my second grade mentor. I was also able to attend my second Diamondbacks game with my "it's such a small world" friend, Aaron, whom his dad went to med school with my dad at Mizzou. Thanks to my new favorite guide book I was led to two more amazing dining experiences one of which I was able to enjoy with a friend from my past, Janeen, a beautiful, young, godly, professional, runner. We went to Carolina's, a total hole in the wall Mexican joint and indulged in homemade tortillas filled with scrumptious shredded beef creating just right tacos. The second was the highlight of my dining experiences this week and is located in Gilbert on an organic farm. It was the BEST locally grown vegetarian cusine with to-die-for homemade bakery items. I think I could definitely plump up here with all the amazing tasty treats I have seemed to stumble upon. I also attended my first small group social gathering with my new church at the pastor's house and it was such a wonderful evening of getting to know amazing girls and watching the opening ceremonies while playing a mentally enticing game of Password. My quest for a home also continued throughout the week and I seem to be narrowing down the location I hope to take up residence in. And of course, I started work this week with totally overwhelming first year teacher orientations beginning last Thursday, but as you can see, I am making progress. The room is finally starting to come together and look like a home for my eighteen precious little jewel. The best part of my training was during the monotonously boring technogoly training in the online attendance system, when I discovered the pictures of my students. It was love at first sight. I have the cutest little kiddos in the whole wide world. I have two sets of identical twins, to Madisons, one autistic child, two medicated ADHD kiddos, and pure preciousness embodied in smiling little boys and girls. Second grade is going to be a fabulous fit I can already tell.

Girls Weekend MOEvelous Style

2008-08-04T12:10:00.001-07:00

When given a short amount of time and a small amount of money the Moe sisters can have loads of fun and make unforgettable memories. That is exactly what we did this past weekend as I had my first official visitor, Tabi, my older and wiser sister. After picking Tabi up from the airport (note she was post call and had not slept but a wink) I took her to my favorite tea room in Old Town Scottsdale for a scrumptious salad and tea. We then journeyed, despite the heat, to an independently owned bookstore in Old Town to stumble upon one of the best purchases of the weekend, "Eat Shop Phoenix" a book written by an incredible female who traversed the city in search of the best local eats. This book went on to become our guide for our weekend dining and my inspiration for future eating experiences. After sweating through our "scrubs" (remember she was post-call straight off the plane) we ventured on to frozen yogurt and I introduced her to my friends at "Cupcakes" the most adorable blonde sisters, who gave us our recommended evening activities. After resting up a little, we laid out in preparation for our first big night on the town. We ended up venturing on to Fashion Square, the mother of all shopping experiences in Scottsdale, to indulge in an amazing sister experience, matching fuschia t's boasting "Jesus Loves This Chick." SOOO CUTE!!! Tabi also had to drag me out of the puppy store as I literally fell in love with the most precious little Yorkie you have EVER seen. Note: my first major purchase after finding a place to live with most definitely be a sweet, furry baby. I miss my Mollie Moe tremendously. After shopping 'til we dropped or at least 'til the stores shut down and they kicked us out, we ended up eating AMAZING tacos at The Pink Taco and sipping on Pink Taco Margaritas (see picture) followed by a failed attempt to endure watching the movie "Say Anything" supposedly featuring one of the MOST ROMANTIC scenes EVER. We would most definitely not recommend it.

We awoke bright and early on Saturday to hike up Camelback Mountain where we sported our adorable new Ts and ran in to a girl we used to dance with way back in the day. In honor of our major accomplishment of successfully hiking to the top, we swam and laid out all morning long over a breakfast of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and cherries. By the way, the produce in Arizona is amazing. After devouring our new guide book to MUST EATS, we determined to give My Florist Cafe a whirl. Although slightly unimpressed by the food, our server turned out to be a wealth of knowledge and guided us to what turned out to be an amazingly invigorating apartment search in central Phoenix, just a short jaunt from my school. This journey led Holly (my Honda) to her first roll down Holly Street in which she literally jumped for joy followed by an accidental travel the wrong way down a one way street. Thankfully after numerous honking cars and a man waving her down in the street she managed to make a quick u-ie and travel the legal way down her street. We proceeded to, with the help of my new best friend "Navi" the navigation system, tour the city and ultimately take my last load from storage and a new found reading corner chair to my cottage villa a.k.a. Room 407 at school. I happily put Tabi to work organizing curriculum and constructing adorable curtains for my window. YES, I said window. I have so longed for a window in my classroom the past two years and that dream has finally come true. The events of our evening will truly remain in our memories for many moons to come. We ended up starting the evening with Mexican at Loco Patron (highly recommended by our Cupcake sisters friends ~ they really are friends ~ when I walked in one of the sisters said, "This is the girl I was telling you about from Kansas City." to her sister who I had not yet met. Loco Patron turned out to be a great place for Mexican, people watching, and meeting famous ASU football stars (one of the bouncers was a recent graduate of ASU and played football for ASU last year). After enjoying a delicious frozen margarita and amazing Mexican eats we ventured over to yet another highly recommended location from another of my new friends, Mandy (ICK), who owns an adorable boutique on Scottsdale. She is lamely attempting to replace the un-overcomable (I think I made that word up) negative connotations associated with the name. Tabi took me to my first dance club experience and it was AMAZING. We totally danced the night away to old favorites like "Hansen" and "Ace of Base." We had a ball and definitely got a good work out on the dance floor.

Sunday morning, came a little too early after our late night, but our experience turned out to be well worth getting out of bed for. We went to eat breakfast at Matt's Big Breakfast, owned by a Kansas City native, where we met up with Shannon and indulged in the BEST waffles, omlets, American fries, and toast at a teeny hole-in-the-wall thirty seater of a restaurant. All menu items feature products purchased from local farms and bakeries and it most definitely shows in the flavors. No trip to Phoenix is complete without a meal at Matt's. Tabi then got to experience the church I have been ranting and raving about and she claims to most definitely understand why I would be so excited about this amazing find. We then fully embraced my first trip to the most AMAZING teacher store with many wonderful, possibly random purchases. Before putting this exhausted traveler back on the plane, we made one much needed trip to the family favorite Mexican restaurant, Ajo Als. MISS YOU MOM!!! Overall, the weekend was an undeniable success and much needed fling for both sisters.

A JoyFILLED Day

2008-07-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday began with an unexpected treat-filled mailbox experience with cute magnets, teacher stamps, the Chocolat DVD, and means to fill my drawerss with edible chocolate from mom and Tabi! (Not to mention two singing cards and I LOVE HALLMARK SINGING CARDS). As I dug deeper into my miniscule excuse for a mailbox I discovered a handmade necklace from my dear friend Kerrie featuring a JOY bangle and sparkly tassle. I am so richly blessed by the people in my life.
I then traversed on to school and worked like a mad woman to officially finish putting all items away in room, in fact so completely that the janitor is cleaning my carpets and waxing my floors as I type! YIPPEE! Now for the fun part, the decorating.
Then I met my villa mate-can I just say LOVE HER, Lynn. She is an adorable, blonde thirty-year-old spunky second year teacher. We bonded immediately over our sad stories. :( She is going through a divorce after two short years of marriage and her husband walking out on her in the midst of her mother's battle with breast cancer. We will most definitely be eachother's cheerleaders. I literally went back to my side of the cottage after meeting her and my eyes welled up with tears and I thanked God for the special Jessi-sized detail of Lynn on this journey of mine.
For a motivating reward in honor of my classroom clean-up success, I went to an fabulous quaint Tea Room in Old Town. All the menu items are organic and most of the produce featured on the menu is locally grown. I had Almond Hummus with a delicious variety of vegetables to dip with. Wait . . . that's only the beginning. I ended up sitting at a table near to fashionistas fresh out of design school and the new owers of an adorable bridal shop in Old Town featuring their own line. We, of course, became fast friends and even indulged in a joint piece of chocolate cake from the Tea Room's amazing bakery.
After, what couldn't have been any better of a lunch suprise, I decided to venture back to school for a little more work. On my way, I stumbled upon Sugarbakers, a bakery and cafe. I decided to stop and peek in to see what the menu featured for a future lunch treat. It ended up they had closed only moments before my arrival. Not surprisingly, though, I desperately needed to use the ladies room. :) I asked the security guard if there was a public restroom in the courtyard of the shopping center. He then proceded to direct me to yet, another NEW FAVORITE.
I ended up at two amazing diamonds in the desert. First, I went to Cupcakes, a locally owned bakery by two, young, blonde beautiful sisters from California. I purchased one cupcake to take to my girlfriend, Shannon, as she was meeting in my classroom later in the day to brainstorm the set-up with me. It doesn't stop there, though. I went on the the most unbelievable bit of heaven in your mouth, Ice Tango (frozen yogurt). YUMMY!! I sampled the house tart and tangy with fresh blueberries and blackberries for toppings. It was an absolutely must for multiple visits from this chica.
God is so good and has so richly blessed me even in the very beginnings of this tremendous journey.

Hurricanes in Arizona???

2008-07-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

I will bring life to this sad sad villa!

2008-07-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

So, this is my classroom or cottage or mobile villa after um . . . ten hours of ickiness. I have yet to move in MY STUFF from the storage unit and it is already this crowded. I have officially made friends with the custodian, Juan, after two supersized recycling bins were loaded with past teachers lovely, valueable worksheets from 1970. The teacher who was in my cottage villa last year apparently packed up her purse and left on the last day of school. I am sure she just forgot to take ANYTHING with her or to clean up ANYTHING! AHHHH! So much work, but exciting all the same.

God is Good

2008-07-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

I visited my first church this week in my new hometown, well technically it is in a different town, but wowie is God good. It was amazing. The church is called the Praxis and is a missionally minded, community oriented, small church. There are missional communities (small groups) and weekly Bible Studies, but the rest of the time is spent pouring into the lives of the community. The pastor is young, eloquent and believes strongly in preaching the WORD! He doesn't preach on topics but rather invites the church to communal digestion and analysis of books of the Bible. RICHNESS!!! I am so excited to go back and get plugged in!

New Address

2008-07-22T11:52:00.001-07:00

Please send all fascinating pieces of mail to:

Jessi Moe
10645 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 200-186
Phoenix, AZ 85028

2008-07-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

My very first memories made at Chase Field! I learned to keep score, attempted to become a Dbacks fan (I am just so committed to the Royals it was really hard not to cheer for the Royals NOT), and of course did not merely glisten but rather SWEATED! This is Shannon (Sherri's sister and my new BFF ~ she is soooo great), ME, Vince, and Andrew.

Sprinkles (Oprah's Choice for Homemade Cupcakes)

2008-07-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Julie, Sherri, Shannon, and I indulge our every sweet tooth at the newest location of Sprinkles cupcakes by buying not one, but one dozen cupcakes. PURE DELICIOUSNESS!!!!!

We made it!!!

2008-07-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

Home sweet, sweaty home! Kari, my faithful friend and travel companion and I attempt to keep the "Pink Ladies" in line as the literally jump for JOY off the boiling terrain in anticipation for the journeys they have yet to take in their new home town!

Ringing the Masterful LIBERTY bell in honor of my huge purchase

2008-07-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here I am bring-a-ling-a-linging the official "I bought a brand stinkin' new car" bell and BELL HONDA!

Hotness on Wheels

2008-07-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

My official ticket to exploring my new home town, not to mention pure, affordable hotness. My first major independent purchase was a 2008 Honda Accord Coupe. After five hours of wheeling and dealing via Roz with Bell Honda, I drove off the lot in my worthy of a huge smile vehicle. She is so cute and so much fun to cruise the streets of Scottsdale in. Mom, you will love this cute car. It's spacious and boasts a light interior! :)

Surrender to the Will of the U-haul and Take It Home

2008-07-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

With Arizona plates, this vehicle, features a spacious cab, comfortable seating for up to three individuals, an ignorable check engine light that remains on at all times, energy effecient manual windows, and plenty of storage for a single box of cheeze-its for the the places your jouney might find you on. After all, what more do you really need then a full box of cheeze-its?

My New Home Town

2008-07-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today began with a summit up Camelback mountain in the sweltering morning heat. It was beautiful and invigorating after visiting my classroom at SCA for the very first time yesterday. As I walked up to the school, tears literally filled my eyes as I was overcome by the reality that my calling and poition at this school is the reason that I packed up my u-haul and moved half way across the country. I am consistently reminded how exceptionally blessed I am. Sheri Moy, my new principal, gave me a grand tour, beginning with my "cottage" classroom (AKA it's a trailor). The good thing is, it has a bathroom in the room; therefore, less distance for potential vomiters to travel to reach their expected destination (did I seriously just type that??). My room is also full of items left behind by the previous teacher, of which I am sure to discover many hidden treasures as I scavage through the rubble. What a peaceful feeling to know that I am where I belong, though.
I have also successfully navigated many parts of the city to retrieve my Arizona driver's license (YIPPEE it's official and I don't need a new one until 2047), my library card, and my gym membership and the local Y! I am settling in quite nicely, despite the devastating temperatures.

A Day of FIRSTS

2008-07-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

Today was a HUGE day of successes for Jessi Joy! I not only survived my third day in the foreign land of Scottsdale, Arizona, after a near call-in-the-search-party experience while running on the desert mountain trails and getting a tad bit turned around and a lot-bit panicked, but I also successfully purchased my VERY first EVER new vehicle! It was exceptionally stressful and super scary, but I had a fabulous friend, Roz, to wheel and deal the scheming dealers at Bell Honda! (Love you Glenn). I woke up this morning, with that pit in my stomach just knowing the potential purchase of such an amazing car was simply too good to be true! As the day progressed, I became more and more convinced that while I would love to have the gorgeous 2008 Honda Accord Coupe, it simply was NOT going to happen. Well, needless to say, four hours and thousdands of dollars later I drove off the lot in my new hot wheels, yes, a beautiful Metallic Grey 2008 Honda Accord Coupe. I also ended up with three years of free oil changes, 100,000 mile bumper to bumper full warranty, a GPS system, and many more mini-miracles. I am so excited to discover the journeys my new wheels will take me upon!