Weekend Excitement and My First Award!

Happy Monday! Usually that sentence would be sarcastic because everyone knows that Mondays are the worst day of the week that ever existed, unless of course you didn't have a job that required your attendance. However, today is actually a very happy Monday!

This weekend, I signed my life away bought my very own fancy car! I've had a car since I was 15, but I've always paid cash for them. Notsomuch on this one. I had a good down payment from the sale of my red beauty and some savings, so it won't kill me every month. Plus, this was husband's dream car. A happy husband equals a happy wife. Little did I know it would be my dream car, too! I was so ready for something with 4 doors, a spot for the darg, and something with AWD. Keep in mind that I've been looking for over a year. I've been very picky and we've put a lot of thought into this decision. So what'd I finally decide on....

 

...an Acura MDX! She's perfect and barely used. She is yet to be named...any ideas? She has the shiniest gray body I ever did see. Almost looks bluish. Prih-freaking-tee.

Anyways, after the excitement that was 2.5 hours at the dealership, we spent the evening with Trav's family. The next morning, I had to take Trav to the airport because he is out of town for work this week. Sad face. So what's a girl to do?? Shop of course. 

I forgot to mention this whole weekend was spent in Salt Lake City since my small town 2 hours North does not know what an Acura dealership is. My small town does not know what good shopping is either. I pretty much picked the worst place to live...what kind of college town doesn't have a Target?! The shame.

Anyways, before making the drive home, I stopped at the Gateway Mall. It is a really cool outdoor mall full of fun stores. I got to go into two stores that I've never been in...Anthropologie and Z Gallerie. Amazing. I obviously couldn't afford anything at either place but it was so fun to just pet all the pretty things.

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and found mint and coral skinnies! They were at the most adorable store called Bohme Boutique. The best part? Buy one get one half off. Meant. To. Be. (that's what I'm trying to convince Trav, anyways). I can't wait to rock them. Perhaps my first fashion post? Haha, me, fashion post? Yeah right.

Needless to say, it was a great weekend. My bank account begs to differ. Now on to some more exciting stuff!

I received my first blog award! I was shocked, to say the least, but I'm so excited. The lovely Marianna over at Delightfully Dunn nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award!
**Make sure you check out the post to see the other lovelies she nominated!

 

 So, I need to:

**Follow the person who nominated me.** Done! I'd follow her even if she didn't give me this award, so you should too!

**Link back to the person who gave me this award.** Check out the link above or click here. Ready, go!

**Pass along to 15 new bloggers and let them know they received the award.** I'm following in Marianna's footsteps and passing along to 5 new bloggers!

I've found and follow 5 super awesome blogs that I hope haven't received this already! If you have, you're double awesome. In no particular order because they all rock...

1. Sarah at From Elizabeth, With Love

2. Lauren at Life.Love.Lauren.

3. Sarah, the Plucky Picaroon at [ad-ven-cher]

4. Amanda at Faith*Love*Strength

5. Niken at Read My Mind

These girls are all lovely, so if you haven't already, go say hi!

p.s. Now that Monday is almost over, happy Tuesday! Sheesh, where'd the day go?!?

26 in 26

I had every intention of posting pics of the new pad but then this beauty decided to post a dandy little link-up that I couldn't resist. I have an adventure list in my head and I loved the idea of writing down things that I would like to do just this year. Maybe that will help to actually accomplish some of these things! Since my birthday month is fast approaching, (yes, I celebrate all month long since it's on the 28th and everyone should celebrate the whole month of your birthday, especially if you can convince your significant other that you need a present every day until your birthday, even if he only does it for one week), this is the perfect time to get those adventures in my head so they can be crossed off! So, in no particular order...

1. Build something from scratch for our new house! I've never done that with the exception of a CD holder in Junior High. Doesn't count. I want this beauty in our entry:

Pinned here via here via here

2. Bake and decorate a homemade cake. Preferably something like this which would be perfect for hub's birthday:

 

3. Go on an amazing trip to a new city with the love of my life for our first Anniversary. Done! We went to Park City, UT and you can find my little recap of our adventure here!

4. Adopt a dog from the local shelter or humane society. I need one badly. Riley may not approve at first, though. Spoiled only child syndrome going on there. He'd get used to it, though, and they'd be best of friends!

5. Make a decision if this is the year or not we start trying to have a wee one. I'm almost there, I think. It terrifies me, though, in a good way, if that's possible.

6. Really decide what I want to do for the rest of my life. Go back to school for my Master's? Change my direction completely? Win the lottery? I'm just not quite fulfilled with what I'm doing right now, but I feel very lucky to have the job I do. We'll see what is in store for me.

7. Complete my first race! Note: I will be accomplishing this twice with both The Dirty Dash and The Tough Mudder! I had to throw in something that I knew would be crossed off. ;)

8. Grow this little bloggie of mine. Maybe I'll have 100 readers by this time next year? I need to get myself out there more and be more social. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.

9. Have a dinner party at the new house which will include but not be limited to: wine and cheese tasting, homemade sushi, personal pizzas, cupcakes, jamming in the band room, jello shots and games. Sounds fun, right?!

10. Practice the drums! I have a drum set and I have the basics down, but I want to get really good. Like Travis Barker good. It's a blast jamming with Travis but I give myself too hard of a time. I just need to let loose and bang more! On the drums, silly.

11. Go to Harry Potter World at Disney World. Yes, I want to do this before we have kids. I'm selfish like that.

12. Take a girl's trip to Vegas, New York, or New Orleans. I'm not sure why, but those are the places that call out to me as far as a getaway with the girls.

13. Go skydiving with the hubs. I've done this before with one of my best friends, but I'd really like to experience it with him flying next to me. It's such a wonderful feeling. Too bad he's chicken...

14. Make homemade pasta. I love to cook and try new things, and pasta is one of my favorites.

15. Find or start a book club. I love reading but it would be nice to have some motivation to get through a book. I find myself reading blogs at night instead. Why do you all have to be so entertaining!? Plus, any excuse to hang out with some ladies and drink martinis or wine is alright with me!

16. Use my fancy DSLR more! I may even take a photography class. Scratch that. I will take a photography class. I need to break out of my bubble. Riley is tired of being my model.

17. Master the handstand in yoga, preferably in this location:

 

18. Plant a garden. I want maters, squash, zucchini, herbs, taters, peas...pretty much anything that can grow in Southeastern Idaho.

 

19. Actually do some of the things I pin on Pinterest. Thanks to the Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. link up, check this out!

20. Volunteer somewhere. It feels good to give back.

21. Go one week without eating any meat and get my husband to do it with me. Me: easy. Him: not so much.

22. Hold plank for 5 minutes. Mission: Impossible.

23.

pinned here via here

24. Create a painting.

25. Learn a little about graphic design and make my blog B-E-A-utiful.

26. Break out of my shell and meet new people and continue o live everyday like there's no tomorrow.

So tell me and everyone else linking up what you are going to do this year! Adventure is out there, you just have to make it happen! 

Friday's Letters!

 My Nephew. Two superheroes in one!!

Dear shiny red Monte, it's been real and you were the best little car a girl could ask for, but it's time for an upgrade! Car shopping here I come! Dear stuff taking over our garage, I cannot wait to get rid of you this weekend and maybe make a buck or two. Dear buck or two, I shall spend you on this, or this, or this. Dear Husband, don't read the end of that last sentence.  Or do. It is almost my Birthday month!! Dear Invisibility, if I could have any super power, it would be you! Dear Parade of Homes, you are only a few weeks away and our house is still in moving-in mode. Yikes. Dear money tree, please grow. Preferably in my backyard. I almost have hubs convinced we need an infinity pool ;). Dear house, you're slowly but surely coming together and I can't wait to reveal you! Dear weekend, here we meet again. Stop playing with my heart and moving so fast. Take it slow for me, at least once in awhile. Pretty please?!

Adventure is out there, and I hope you find it!

Have a lovely weekend!

New Kid on the Block

Sorry, no boy bands here today.Yay for Tuesday Wednesday! Okay, not really. They're a smidge better than Mondays, but still a bit too far from Friday for my liking! I tried writing this yesterday but computer issues made it impossible to post. So yay for hump day! This weekend was great: full of productivity and time spent with my two loves [hubs and Riley]. Well three if you count the bottle of wine I consumed. Unfortunately, I have no photos. I apologize if you wanted to see pictures of boxes full of junk and two dorks putting in window screens. This weekend definitely wasn't one to document, but I wouldn't have changed it at all! Minus the fact that we still have boxes to unpack. Not cool. Moving is for the birds no one.

I'm still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing. I feel like the new kid at school that doesn't quite know what's going on yet. I was never the coolest kid in school, or the most social, but I wasn't the shyest either. I feel like I haven't changed much. I just go through every day, doing what I do. I'm never one to approach someone but I also don't put out 'don't approach me' vibes. At least I hope not. That's how I'm feeling in this new blogging thing. There are so many bloggers out there and the only way you can 'meet' someone is to put yourself out there! But it is kind of scary! What if they look at your blog and don't like it? What if they pretend they do just to get a new follower? What if they just ignore you because you aren't 'cool' or 'popular' enough?

On the other side, if I'm nervous to put myself out there, how many awesome friendships could I miss out on? How many new blogs could slip past me? I've decided I need to quit worrying about all that silly stuff and just write about what makes me happy and reach out to the bloggers that make me happy. This isn't about being a cool kid. It's about sharing your own adventures and following along on others. If someone wants to come along, they will! Everyone has a different story, a different adventure, and if they don't like mine, they're crazy, that's okay!

Speaking of adventure, I just signed up for these two races:

Holy awesome, batman!

Now if those aren't adventures, I'm not sure what is. I may not survive the Tough Mudder. At least I'll have Travis by my side while getting shocked in the ice bath. #noturningback!

I need to live by my motto. Live for today because you never know when tomorrow isn't going to come. Oh, and new house reveal coming soon!

New bloggers: Do you suffer from the same silliness? How did you get started and in the swing of things? I need all the help I can get.

Friday's Letters: Heavy Heart

via

Oh Michael Scott, how I miss you! I love this quote of his.

I have a heavy heart for today's letters. Today's post is going to be a little different than most, as it is a little more gloomy than usual. I wasn't going to write about this at first, but I think it will help me get through the day to write out some feelings I'm having.

First, a little back-story before I dive into my letter:
     I lost my Dad on this day, exactly 5 years ago. It was a Friday and it was the 13th. 7/13/2007. The unluckiest day in all the land. I was far from home. It was a car accident. He was the passenger. The driver had been drinking. He was 41. Too young for his adventure to end. Too many things I never got to say.

Typical Daddio. Crazy, full of energy and the life of the party.

 Dear Dad, thanks for showing me that you're never too old to have fun and live like there won't be a tomorrow. Even though you let me down once or twice, your hugs and smile made it easy to forgive you. Thanks for all of the adventures in all the different places you lived. I have so many memories that I'll treasure always. You were the best daddio a girl could ask for and you were taken away too soon. You didn't get to walk me down the aisle. You didn't get to meet your Grandson. I know you're watching over us though, wishing you could join in our shenanigans. You were the handsomest guy I knew, and no, this picture doesn't do you justice! =) I hope you know how much I love you and miss you and think about you every day. Dear Husband, I know I've told you this before, but it hurts my heart that you never got to meet him. He would love you and be so happy and proud that I found you. Dear anyone who reads this, go hug your loved ones that are close to you and call the ones that aren't. Make sure they know you're thinking about them and how you feel. Waiting for tomorrow might be too late. Everyone's adventure is different and you never know how they're going to end. Oh, and don't drink and drive. That's just dumb.

Thanks so much for reading! I promise I'll be back next week with happiness! I hope your weekend is full of love, laughter and adventure!

xo, Jess

Find more Friday's Letters here!

When the husband's away...

So the husband had to hit the road this week for work. He has to travel every so often, and while I miss him bunches, it is still kinda nice to have Jess time and do random things I normally don't do when he's around. I was doing something the other night and thought to myself, "there's no way I'd get away with this if Travy was home!" Now you might be thinking I had a bunch of people over for a party or went out and had too much fun. You'd be wrong. Very wrong. If only I were that cool...

Things I do when the husband is gone:

* Eat cereal for dinner, alongside a half PBJ. I love to cook and feel like a good wife when I do, but it is so hard to cook for one! It's nice to have a break though. I did make it somewhat nutritious by adding blueberries, yogurt, and chia seeds. And wine. Always wine.

* Get out of bed on time. I never do this, especially when hubs is home. Get your mind out of the gutter. It's just so much more cozy with a warm body next to you, which makes it harder to get out of that cozy bed! I only pressed snooze once or twice as compared to the seven or eight times!

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* Pee with the door open. Okay, okay. You caught me. I'm guilty of this whether he's home or not. I guess doing it without him here made me realize I probably should close it when he IS home. I'm such a lady.

* Watch "The Hills" on Netflix while working out. I loved this show. Has anyone watched it recently? Wow, how things have changed. It is crazy to me that that was 6 years ago! Lauren's fashion sense has definitely evolved since Season 1. Hello jean skirts! And the drama. Oh, the drama.

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* Dance around like a fool to the Lil' Wayne channel on Pandora. Okay, I do this when he's home, too, but he despises rap/hip-hop so it's usually short-lived. I made up for lost time for sure. I think the dog is as into it as the husband. Oh well.

* Make an impulse stop at TJMaxx. I came home with shoes, a shirt, workout shorts, goodies for the guest bathroom, random falafel chips and a wallet. There's no way I would have been able to sneak that stuff inside if he was home! I can't go to that store very often.

Wow. I am super exciting. What do you do when you're home alone? Hopefully cooler stuff than me! ;)

Legit.

That’s what things are about to get up in here. Blogging on the regular. I even jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. I haven’t quite figured it out yet. Damn you, social media. This little newbie blog has taken a little backburner while we:

• Stared in awe at our new love on the hill:

• Moved into the new house and battled this disaster of a storage unit [it looks small due to the lighting, but believe me when I say it goes back about 40,000 feet.
• Rested in between moving millions of boxes and enjoyed our amazing backyard view.

• Went to an amazing concert including Kimbra, Mayer Hawthorne, and Foster the People. They were all great live, but I think my fave was Mayer Hawthorne. Kimbra has got some pipes though!

• Basked in the heat wave that Idaho has been experiencing by taking a spin on ‘The Dreamsicle’:

All I know is that we’ve been so busy between moving, unpacking, working. softball, taking care of the darg, eating, drinking, exercising, sleeping, and squeezing in a little bit of fun, that I needed to just put this on pause until we got somewhat settled. Little did I know that it will probably be forever from now until that happens, so I’m making this a part of my routine as well! Life is crazy so let’s add some more!
I also had to wait until we had internet at the house. Almost two weeks without it! We didn’t miss it too much, but now that it’s back, I’m not sure how we lived without it! Netflix withdrawals for sure.

So, with that little update, I’m off. But I’ll be back. Sooner than a month. Maybe. Yay for summer adventures!