ding-dong...

..."Travis! Wake up! The doorbell rang!" As I elbowed Travis in the chest to no avail, he began sleep talking. Well shoot, I thought to myself. There ain't no way I'm getting up to answer it! It's 1:30 in the morning. #perksofbeingmarried

So I lay there quietly, until a few minutes later, ding-dong! Travis finally heard it and got out of bed. He took the longest amount of time to throw some pants on and finally made it to the front door. What do you know, whoever it was had been gone by then. Seriously, how long does it take to throw sweats on?! He noticed it was someone on a motorcycle that took off right when he got to the door. So he waited to see if they came back down the hill. Our neighborhood only has one way in, one way out, and we are at the beginning of it. Well, it never came back down. To add to Trav's confusion, it was his birthday the night before, so he'd had a few birthday drinks. So, after waiting and no one coming back down, he came back to bed.

Of course we just lay there because I couldn't fall back asleep. Who could it be? This is weird. About 5 minutes later, ding-dong. Wow! Travis was still awake. And he had clothes on! So he makes it to the door. I lay there waiting for a gun shot or loud scream. #bestwifeever I hear another man's voice and Travis goes to the mudroom to put shoes on and goes outside. Uhhhh. I hop out of bed, go potty, throw my robe on, and quietly leave the bedroom. I then tiptoe around to the front door and peek out the window. I see lights from a car but can't see what car. So, I walk around to the guest room to creepily peek out of that window.

Two cop cars?! What is going on? In our nice, quiet, new neighborhood? At our house?

Then I hear Travis opening the garage. So I creep back to the mudroom and try to hear through the door. And no, I couldn't just go outside and find out what's going on. Where's the fun in that!? So I hear talking but I have no idea what they are saying. So I go back to the guest room and see one of the police-persons taking a photo of Trav's truck. Hmm. Are we in trouble? No comprende.

After what seems like a long time, Travis finally comes back in. "Someone broke into my truck!" Well, technically they just opened it because someone likes to leave doors unlocked. Apparently the mysterious motorcycle man was our neighbor who was on his way home from work and noticed the truck doors wide open. After we didn't answer the door, he went home and found his vehicle broken into as well and called the cops. All they took from the truck was a $2.00 bill and a new unopened package of speakers worth about $100 but thankfully nothing was broken, they didn't try to enter the house (the side garage door was open! *shudder*) and the speakers are easily replaceable. Turns out this is the second time this has happened to the neighbors.

Things like this make me wonder: Is the person that did this desperate for money, bored, or just likes to hurt/scare other people? Why are there people who take away from others for their own personal gain? I will just never understand.

Basically the point of this story was to remember that our neighbor's sombrero got stolen and to tell you guys *cough:Travis:cough* to lock your stuff up.  People suck. Oh, and Travis sells fancy camera thingies and yes, he is going to be installing one.

thirty-one

 **warning: mushball ahead**

 Nope, this isn't a sale pitch for those cute organizing totes or a confession of how many cookies I ate this weekend. This is a birthday wish to my favorite dork person, the love of my life, my best friend and my forever adventure pal.

Wow. If that doesn't make you weak in the knees, I don't know what will.

Trav is many a few years older than me (only 5, people) and I like to give him a hard time about it too often. Mostly because he complains about getting older, to which I tell him...

 

Age is just a number and I believe everyone should be thankful for each birthday they get to celebrate. That means they had one more year to live, to have adventures, to love. I am so thankful that Travis came into my life. Sure, he isn't perfect (who is), but he sure is perfect for me. He's the best dog dad any fur-ball could ask for, and someday, he will melt my heart even more when we have kids of our own. I could go on and on about the things I love about him (and the things that drive me nuts), but I really just want to say Happy Birthday to the man that completes me and makes my life more than I could have ever hoped for. I love you, sexy pants.

How do you find Will Smith in the snow?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

....follow his 'fresh prints'. Hahaha! Get it? Oh man I love silly jokes.

Just a few things we've been up to:
**Trav was the Outstanding Salesman in the region for the 2nd year in a row. Pretty proud!
**I've been yoga-ing and falling in love with inversions.
**Fact: Beer tastes better in an ice cold boot.
**Another fact: Valentine's Day requires red high heels.
**Dogs are fun. My wish finally came true and we saved a dog. His story will be coming soon!

(instagram: jessontheloop...come follow along!)

I am still here! I am in the works of revamping my blog to follow more of my passions which means I will writing more about DIY, fitness, recipes and adventures! Thanks for sticking around and you bet your bottom I am still reading all of your blogs. My mornings just wouldn't be the same without them! Happy adventuring this weekend!

The Facts of Jess...

...that most probably don't care about. However, I looove learning random things about complete strangers, so why not share some silly awesome things about me! Especially since Whitney gave us all the best excuse ever to be a little random today. I'd be crazy to not join in on the fun.

I asked Travis to tell me some silly facts about me so some of those are thrown in. I can't tell you which ones though. I've gotta keep some things private, ya know. Says the girl that has a blog. * I'm always late. Take for example this blog post. Or work. Or the dentist. No matter how early I leave, the on time peeps are against me. * I curse like a sailor, but at the weirdest times. That view? It's f*&@in' pretty.   

Oregon coast, 2009

 * I'm a drooler. When Trav and I were first dating, I fell asleep on his shoulder while watching a movie. Let's just say I woke up wet. And it was my cheek. Trav's shirt didn't make it out dry either. * I'm messy with food. When I cook or eat, no matter how careful I am (which isn't often), I always end up with food in my hair or weird crumbs on my face. I eat like a child and play with my food when I'm full, and then I forget my hands were all up in my mashed potatoes and scratch my nose.  * I can be a perv and have a dirty mind. You'd never know this about me unless we've been tight for awhile. I keep my sarcastic sense of humor to myself until I know you're a lifer.  

I'll take those arms back, please.

* Peanut butter makes my world go round. I could eat it on everything if it didn't gross my husband out. * I'm the worst decision maker ever. Then I make a decision and second guess it and go back to my first idea and then hate it and then yell at my husband for not just making the decision for me. Wendy's or Taco Bell?! Such hard life choices. * Fuzzy critters get me every time. When I see an animal, I make weird goochie goo noises that show how much I love them. My husband doesn't get it. Oh, and I make up voices for my dog. He sounds pretty wise, I must say.  

If a dog sitting at a bar isn't wise, I don't know what is.

* I have a Bachelor's in Business Management, but I started out in Elementary Education, then Accounting, and now I'm seriously considering going back for something healthcare related. See: I'm the worst decision maker ever. * I will jump out of airplanes, go zip-lining, drive like a NASCAR racer and consider bungee jumping, but I'm terrified of going too fast on a snowboard.   

  * I hate 'selfies' and you will rarely see me taking them of myself. This is me driving to the gym. This is me getting ready to eat something awesome. This is me before going to bed. Umm, no thanks. But all of you that do, you so pretty.
* I have an accent. Apparently being from Montana means you change long a's to e's. For example, when I pack, I put everything in a beg while flying my freak fleg and avoiding the plegue. It's one of the many reasons my husband loves me. There's so many reasons, though, I almost want to geg. * I'm a light nazi. Seriously, why do boys always leave every single light on? Drives me bonkers. * I'm an awesome secret keeper. I've been keeping something from everyone and I can't wait to announce it!

Double the Weekends, Double the Fun

Wow. Another weekend come and go. Actually, two of them. I had so much fun these past two weekends that I have to share both of them. They both, of course, involved numerous drinks and fun shenanigans.

The first weekend consisted of seeing Travis play with The Brown Eyed Cats. Pat, the lead singer/band manager, is one of our good friends and they like to play for fun. They play a lot of 60's inspired music, so the requirement was that any girl that wanted to come had to dress up as a go-go girl. Any excuse to get dressed up works for me! Their first gig of the year was at Pocatello's only local brewpub, Portneuf Valley Brewery. They have great food, wonderful beer & wine and always have fun live music. They also display local artists' work for display and sale.

I had fun making my hair big, wearing fake eyelashes and rocking a mini skirt. The best part?! I had my entire outfit on hand! I thought it was pretty cute that the grown men wanted their band outfit to match. I'm diggin' the v-necks, not gonna lie.

The band pre-gamin' it

Cutest musician I ever did see!

I'm not sure what that pose is called. Just look at Riley!

My pretty dates...and Adam aka professional photo-bomber

All the ladies holding the leading man...he's single, ladies! And awesome!

Blurry phone pic at the after-party. I have no words.

Of course I didn't get pictures of my husband and I. That would just be weird. Obviously the rest of the weekend was spent recovering. Too. Much. Fun. And So. Much. Dancing.

This weekend was a little different. Myself and five girlfriends made the trek to Island Park, Idaho for a weekend full of relaxation and adventure at one of the girl's cabin. It was very much needed. Drinking, eating, relaxing, snowshoeing and sledding all wrapped in one weekend.

How you chill wine in Idaho

Fondue Fixins

Stunning sunset!

Yes, that's my leg.

Holy pictures, batman. It really was such a fun weekend. The cabin was so cozy I could stay there all winter! Idaho sure is beautiful. Oh, and if you ever find your way to Island Park which is very close to West Yellowstone, this cabin can be rented. Contact me if you're interested and I'll let you know how to find it!

Friday's Letters

Dear Jamaica, remember when Trav and I had only been dating a few months and we booked an all-inclusive trip to you? Best spontaneous decision ever. In March it will be 3 years ago. Next dream on the list: Barbados. Dear Brown Eyed Cats, I'm expecting an amazing show tomorrow night. I know you'll make it worth dressing up in go-go girl gear! I can't promise I won't be oogling the bass player all night, though. Dear multiple inches of snow, yay for you! You make winters in Idaho totally worth it. I can't wait to make more snow memories this year. Dear death hill behind our house, I will conquer you. Maybe. After much consumption of wine. Dear falafel, I love you. Dear Tone It Up girls and Blogilates, I love you more. So do my bum cheeks and abs and legs and mind. Thanks for the motivation. Dear husband, I happen to love sharing a workout room with you, especially when I can show you up sometimes ;). Dear blog, I'm working on making you pretty, all by myself. Little changes here and there are where it's at. Mostly because I have no idea what I'm doing. Dear Google, you are my hero. Said everyone that ever lived. Dear peeps, thanks for stopping by and commenting and all that lovey stuff. It's fun for me. I love reading blogs but I'm a terrible commenter. If you read mine, just know I read every single blog post of yours. Must. Read. All. The. Blogs. Have a great weekend! Can't wait to hear about all the adventures you're having!

Linking up with Ashley here.

Saw it. Pinned It. Did It: {Cookies}

Pomegranate white chocolate chip cookies, to be exact. I made these amazing cookies for an ugly sweater party back in December and holy moly they were delicious. I love pomegranates and this year I bought my own and got the seeds all by myself. I highly recommend doing this especially when they are in season (right now). Cheap and fun (story of my life).

Here's the pretty pinspiration from one of my favorite food bloggers that I follow:

Pinned here via Two Peas and Their Pod

If only my pictures of food could be so pretty...

I followed Kristin's tutorial on seeding a pomegranate. Seriously so easy. Oh, and she's another favorite food blogger!

Mmm I want to make these again and not share this time...seriously try these! Different than the normal cookie and you'll love the little 'pop' the pomegranate seeds give them! Here's the recipe! p.s. If you go to the original recipe she makes it super easy to print out! Enjoy!

Pomegranate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup white chocolate chunks (I used chips)
1 cup pomegranate arils

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.

4. Stir in the oats and white chocolate chips. Make dough balls-about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Tuck about 6-8 pomegranate arils in each cookie dough ball. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

*Tip: You can stir in the arils but it will make your cookies a little pink! That could be fun for Valentine's Day!*

Christmas in January...

...because I can. This is my blog and I'm allowed to post snapshots of my Christmas even though people have moved on. So if you are sick of shiny lights and cozy trees then you better just move along. Don't worry, though, I just have pretty pictures to share and not many words! We didn't decorate a whole lot considering we don't have many decorations yet, but we loved everything we did have. Our first Christmas in our home was the best I can remember. I can't wait to add more next year (after I go clearance shopping this year).

I bought this at a thrift store but you could make one yourself so easy!

Find my ruffled tree skirt tutorial here.

Aaaand that's pretty much it. Don't worry, we aren't Grinches, I just took the photos before all of our Christmas gifts were wrapped. Mostly because gifts weren't wrapped until the last possible minute. Oh, but I love how my house looks again without Christmas! Woo!