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!