Currently

I think that I am actually linking up with Currently two weeks in a row! Aren't you proud of me? I think I am getting the hang of this blogging thing. Now to just get people to read it. And to like me. You like me don't you? Sometimes I require reassurance. 

Reading: Going to dive into Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern for the my new book club that I joined. #literaryjunkies.

Click their button on my new Networking page to check it out!

 I am so excited to be apart of this. I love reading, and I love talking about books even more.
I hope to start it tonight, if I am not too tired.

Wishing: For my brother to be safe. He just left on his first deployment not too long ago and I am very worried. It's a scary thing. But I am oh so proud of him. When he left home to go back to his new base, I hugged him for like 5 minutes straight.
 He is a punk, but he's my little brother. My only one. Watching him leave and knowing he was going to be deployed for the next 6-8 months was very hard. Very hard.
I don't know how military wives do it. I know I couldn't. 
Cooking: Not much lately. But the other day, Dakota made enchiladas. He cooked a roast in the slow cooker and everything! And since I played the sick card, I didn't even have to help! Of course, I offered my  expertise opinion, but he didn't listen. Stubborn men.
Thankful: For the man that I was lucky enough to find four years ago. He is stubborn sometimes and onrey, but I love him so much, my heart has never felt so full as it has these past few years. I'm sorry, I just had to gush about him a little. I am very grateful.
Loving: The cat that Loki is becoming. He is so playful. Such an adjustment from antisocial Scooter. He loves getting into the windows. I think he just likes to see outside since he is an indoor cat. He loves playing with ribbons and boxes and really anything he can get his hands on. 
Today he raced into the bathroom with Dakota to hide under the curtain but slipped and fell in the bathtub. Which was still wet from Dakota's shower. It was hilarious! He was so embarrassed. 
But also, he loves curling up next to me. When I lay in bed watching TV when Dakota's at work, I usually have both cats on top of me or next to me. They really are like my children. I am becoming a crazy cat lady.  And to think, I used to think of myself as a dog person. Not quite sure anymore.  

Linking up with "Currently" over at Harvesting Kale for quite possibly the longest post I have ever written.

Currently

Before we get to today's regular scheduled programming, I wanted to show this off: 

It's not my degree, but it shows I'm  almost done! Just a semester to go! Plus now I have something else to hang on my cubicle at work. My work has been very great about me going to school, and I wanted to show them that it wasn't in vain! Sorry, had to toot my own horn a little bit! So excited to be almost done!
Because I have been such a bad blogger lately, I figured I would let you know what I have been up to lately in my little world.  I am currently:

Cooking - Not much yet, but I have been going through my cookbooks to find Dakota approved food. I think Pulled Pork is first on my list. It's Dakota approved, and it is in the crock pot! Plus it is one of my favorites. Dakota told me that he wants to start eating better, so I am ready to help him try! Problem is finding foods he likes!

 Reading - Lots and lots of blogs. Just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean I'm not involved. I love reading what you all are up to. It's like a daily ritual for me. I am trying not to be a lurker either, I am trying to engage with the blogs I read. It's difficult but blogging is a community, and I want to be a bigger part of it. Plus I always need more friends.

Wishing - To be home with my love. It is so hard to get up and leave him every day to come to work. Bed is too comfortable to leave it at 4:30 AM. It is ridiculous. Some days I want to call in sick. But then I would just be at home worrying about all the things not getting done. I am addicted.

Considering - Finding some graphic designers to interview, because I have been thinking, and Graphic Design is a field that we all have the same goal (great design) but we all have different occupations. I for one work for a manufacturer, so I design for the same company every day. Others work for themselves, and I want to know more of what their experiences are. Is that something ya'll would read?

Looking for - Some time in my schedule to go clothes shopping. I hate it, but it is a necessary evil. Shopping and I have renewed our relationship since I came to terms with my clothing size and feel more comfortable in the clothes I buy. But its hard. In my mind I'm still the size 7 girl I was not that many years ago. Just more incentive to eat at home rather than eating out! And I am taking a PE class this semester, so I hope to improve my eating and work out habits. Is  this something you struggle with?

Happy Thursday!

Little Letters

Source: Pinterest

Dear Friday, Why did you take so long to get here? I've been waiting for you all week! Dear Dakota, thank you  for all the cleaning you did this week. It's pretty much the way to my heart. That and chocolate. Dear Loki, thank you for laying down with me a few times this week. It makes me realize that you aren't always bat shit crazy. Dear Dakota, I will miss you while you are in the mountains next week. It is so hard having you sleep next to me. But I am happy I will get to join you for a night! Dear Calendar, can we fast forward to the 24th please so that I can get away and disconnect and just read books? I need those pine trees! Dear Abby, I miss your face. It has been hard with me working so much and with you in a new relationship, but we will get through it. Dear Readers, would you ever buy some of my artwork as prints? I am considering moving forward in a new venture. Let me know what you think, or what you would buy. Happy Friday, Loves!

Wordfull Wednesday - Instagram

I love mornings at work.  Very calming and beautiful to watch the sun come up over the mountains.

Abigail, Marina, and I played Dakota and Skyler at Trivial Pursuit. I was surprised by how many answers I knew!

Yes, I am a Cat-agramer. But he is so cute! And so wacko-crazy! Right now he is trying to attack me as I type on my laptop. I think he is a blogger at heart!

This is probably my favorite instagram picture ever. My two boys, playing with each other. There were a few cute ones after this, where Dakota was hitting Loki with his hair. It was too cute. It warmed my heart!

Have you been taking Instagram pics this week? We'd love to have you link up at #iPPP!

 

 

 

July So Far

So far, July has been off to a good start.

Because I have been lazy about weekly Instagram posts, here is my life in July so far  through Instagram.



1) Loki after staying up all night crying. He doesn't like his crate. He has since gotten used to it a  bit, because whenever I put him in it (even in the middle of the day if he's particularly rambunctious..yes, I am a bad fur-parent) he just curls up and goes to sleep. I think he just accepts it.

2) Loki. Taken about two seconds after the first picture. I thought he was finally relaxing but it seems that I was wrong. He went absolutely bat shit crazy.

3) The craziness makes his sleep that much sweeter. I love watching him sleep.

4) One of the rare occurances of me wearing full make up. On Saturday, I went to the wedding of two of the sweetest people I have ever met and had the pleasure to work with. I took Abigail. It was very sweet and I am not ashamed to admit that I cried in more than one spot. There were a lot of laughs. Especially when, in the vows, they promised each other to spoil their Great Dane. After five years of engagement, the title of the day was FINALLY!

5) The centerpiece of our table, "Fishie". All of the tables were named after their dog's favorite toys. I was seated with one of my coworkers and his wife. It was nice to spend sometime outside of work. We did talk about work quite a bit, but that's what happens when coworkers get together!

6) I love when Loki curls up next to me. He is adorable.

7)  I can't explain why I took this picture. I think I was bored. I'm trying to get over my disdain of pictures of myself. ESPECIALLY smiling. So I am trying. What do you think?

8) I know. Enough pictures of the cat. But he just cracks me up sometimes with the way he sleeps.

9) My adorable pair of shoes!  $8 at Target! They got a little scuffed at work (I do work in manufacturing -- this should've dawned on me before I wore them to work but I wouldn't be who I am if I did. ) They are still cute though. Suede is just hard.

And, I've been thinking that if I do a Project Life project, that it will be easy to write journaling cards if I just go by these posts :P So maybe I will be successful afterall.

Five Question Friday

I am so thankful that is already Friday! I love Fridays!
Here's my Five Question Friday, to celebrate!

1. Is love at 1st sight possible?

I think so. With Dakota, the moment I sat next to him in class  I just felt (and this is totally cheesy, but dude, I keep it real.) fireworks. I had to get to know him.
I don't think I was old enough to know what love really was (I thought I did then, but I was 17. I was not always the smartest!)

I think it is, at least initailly, infatuation at first sight. You can't really love someone until you really know them. I always think I couldn't love him more, I am always proven wrong. He always ends up doing something even cuter / sexier / smarter (or he just shoots his bow.. seriously. Sexiest thing ever. Don't believe me, look at Hawk Eye. I rest my case.)
2. How did you choose your pet's name?

Well, I didn't get to name Scooter. Then again, neither did Dakota. His mom named her before they figured out she was a girl.
Our poor cat has a boy's name. Some people say it is unisex, but  I think it is TOTALLY a boy name. Poor thing.

But don't tell her that. She has teeth. And knows how to use them.

Loki, on the other hand, we did name. And boy, was it difficult. When we first decided to get a kitten  I thought I would be getting an orange one. I was going to name him Aslan. Like from Narnia. Perfect, right?

Well, guess what. We didn't get the orange kitten. We got this grey, fluffy, little hunk of love.
Dakota wanted to name him  Alduin, Destroyer of Worlds. I'm sorry, dude, but I'm not naming my cat after a DRAGON.

Instead, I named him Loki, after my favorite villain. Kinda funny now that I think about it, but Alduin is the God of Destruction, and in Norse mythology, Loki is the God of Mischief.

Either way, I think we are setting ourselves up here. What do you think? Does he look evil?



3. What are you considering giving up (cable, home phone)?

Soda. I have done it so many times. The stupid thing is, I feel so much better when I don't drink soda. But I keep going back to it. Any ideas why?
Do I just get to addicted to things too easily?
4. How much do you pay your babysitter?

Well, we don't have any kids, but I would pay at least minimum wage. If I couldn't afford it, that's the good part about having my Mama nearby.

And Dakota's parents. And his grandparents.

I think we got it covered.
5. How "young" is old enough to babysit?

Well, when  my brother and I were kids we didn't really get babysitters outside of our family, due to one really bad experience with a babysitter when I was a baby. (I'll tell this story later on maybe, but I had a seizure and the woman DIDN'T CALL MY MOTHER. She thought she was too busy at work. Needless to say, my mom reported her. That's just not good.)

We mostly stayed with my grandma before she passed away.

But on weekdays and what not, and after we got past 11 or so (after Grandma passed away), we were latch-key kids. I honestly think that it helps kids learn to entertain themselves. Don't get me wrong, we went to Boys and Girls club for many years. But at that point we were old enough to stay on our own. And since my brother and I were only 18 months apart, it wasn't like I was really watching him. It was more like making sure the house didn't burn down.

I think with my kids, I will do something similar. I would like to keep them with family for the most part. At least until  I can trust a babysitter. And probably around 12, I will let them stay at home alone for a few hours. But, I know when I become a parent, that could totally change. That's parenthood for you.

Little Letters

Dear Impatient Lady Behind Me, Honking at me to turn left into oncoming traffic is not a smart idea. I hope the hand signal I gave you conveyed the message I was trying to get across: You and your hurriedness to get some where are not more importnat than mine and my truck's well being. Dear Dakota, I am glad you finally gave in to my wishes and let me get a kitten. Dear Kitten, thank you so much for filling a void in my heart that I didn't know I had. I hope you love me half as much as I love you. And I'm sorry I haven't decided on a name yet for you. Dear JR, thank you for being good to my Abigail. If you weren't (or if this ever changes), please be aware that I have ways of hurting you. You don't mess with my best friend. Dear Weekend, Why did you have to pass by so quickly? I don't want to go to work tomorrow. Dear America, thank you for being a great country to live in. We have our problems, that's for sure, but I still love living here and being an American. Happy Fourth! Dear Readers, I hope you are enjoying what I'm writing! I love getting comments! Let's be friends!

6 Best Things About Being An Adult

Dear Kids,

Don't believe what people say. Growing up sucks. Being a kid is great! No responsibilities, you get summers off and 2 weeks for Christmas!

Enjoy it while it lasts.
You can never get it back. Unless, at some point in the future, my prayers get answered and someone creates a time machine.

Knock on wood.

But, you will become an adult. Even if you are kicking and screaming trying to fight it.

If you are an optimist, like me, here are the top 6 things about being an adult.

1) Alcohol. You can never enjoy its perks until you are an adult. I'm serious. I tried it when I was a teenager, and let me tell you, beer pong and Jack Daniels get old fast. Sometimes you just want to drink a glass of wine and relax. And get classy drunk.

I know you probably don't believe me, but seriously, take my word for it.
I have gotten drunk enough since I've been a "real" adult (post-21) to understand this.

(Source)

2) Living on your own. This is one of the best things, but also one of the hardest. When you're a kid, and even a teenager, if you don't have any bills, like I did, it can be hard to learn to budget money.

But you get used to it.And being able to decorate your house how you want, being able to sleep next to the person you love (even if he does tell you to scoot over when you are TOTALLY not on his side) , and not having to vacuum all the time.

Are all AMAZING things.

Except the vacuuming part. I need to do that more often. And dishes. I hate doing the freakin' dishes.

3) Tattoos. I have one that I got when I was 18. I wish I had thought it through a little more, but its become a part of me. And since its on my back, sometimes I forget that it's there. (I have a bad memory) My next one I have wanted for a while, but I'm going to think about it a while longer. Maybe in a few months. Just promise you will say no to tramp stamps. Or, at least thinkabout it first.

4) Having a job. Having a job is SO much better than going to school. For one, you get paid. And two, you get paid. (Sorry, that's my favorite part.) Third, if you're lucky, you will find something you like. And that makes all the difference. Going to work everyday to a job you like is SO much better than going to school and getting detention doing math.

(Source)

5) Staying out as late as I want. There have been nights that I have stayed up drinking (or being otherwise occupied) until the wee morning hours. It is awesome. It usually takes me a day and a half to recover, but its worth it. Granted, most nights I am dead by 11 PM, but it is still nice to have the option. With no one to stop me. (Sorry, Mom!)

6) Cereal for dinner, ice cream for breakfast. I know this is going to catch up with me. In fact, it probably already has, but I love cereal. I can (and have) eaten it three meals a day for dayys. Although, the flip side of this is missing real food. But for that, just go over to your Mama's. She knows how to make the good stuff.

Friday Letters

Dear Friday, thank you for finally getting here. I have been waiting not-so-patiently  for you all week long. Dear Boss, thank you so very much for the raise. It feels so good to be appreciated for all the hard work I do. Not to gloat, or anything. Dear Sunshine, I love you. I really do. But I am tired of 100 degree weather. So thanks for getting back into the 80s this weekend. Dear Backstreet Boys, thank you for being my guilty pleasure. How else could I escape to the 90s without you?  Dear Scooter, Didn't we talk about this last week? PLEASE stop waking me up right before my alarm. I really need my beauty sleep to become the gorgeous creature I have to become every single day. Dear Dakota, thank you for the surprise of champagne and cookies this week. I think this should become a weekly ritual. Dear Disney Songs, listening to you makes me dance. And be more creative. And happy. And lots of other things. Thanks for being on Spotify so I can listen to you all day long. Dear Uncle Kracker, Thanks for writing "Good to be Me", it has been my theme song since it came out. Why? Because, damn, it feels good to be me. Dear Dakota, I wish you had the weekend off again. I love doing nothing with you.  Dear Frank Beddor, you write increasingly addictive books. I just can't put them down. I wish I could write my blog like that. Can you send me some tips? Kthanx.

Friday Letters

Dear Dakota, thank you for curling up with me and watching Jack and Jill, no matter if you were feeling too sick to go do other things. Dear Truck, thank you for not doing that not-wanting-

to-start-thing. I guess that talking-to I gave you helped. Keep it up. Dear brother-in-law, please stop eating my cereal. when you pay rent I might share my cocoa pebbles. Until then, you are

eating my primary source of food. Stop it. Dear Abigail, I'm sorry that your birthday wasn't the best ever, but I am glad your truck is getting fixed! Dear Brother, I miss you more every day.

I can't wait for the news if you are being stationed here! And I can't wait until you come to visit in October, too! Dear Weekly Review, I am looking forward to you tomorrow. Nothing I like

more than to scratch 3 things off my to-do list and add 50 more. Dear Scooter, Please stop meowing at me at 4:30 AM. I am aware I don't wake up that early anymore. I don't need you as my

alarm clock. Especially since what you want is for me to lay out Dakota's blanket. He's not the one who wakes up for you. I am. I will lock you out next time. Dear Friday Night, why are you taking so long to get here?! Dakota's off and I want to drink! Hurry it up, bro.Dear Microsoft, please program a way for me to put two spreadsheets on my seperate monitors. I really hate having to switch back and forth. It's annoying.

Lots of love,

Jessica <3

Five for Five: Words

Words are one of my favorite things.

Seriously.

As a graphic designer, part of my job is to work with text. I love playing with different fonts and using the tools available to me to adjust the spacing between letters, between words.

Through this you can make words into art.

As an avid reader (read: addicted to my Kindle), words can make or break a story. Give William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway the same view and you will end up with two totally different accounts. Words make a difference.

Have you ever met someone who is just gifted with words?

Not exactly someone who is like an English teacher, but someone who always knows exactly what to say?

Who, me? No, no, no. I am NOT one of those people.

I trip and stumble over words like.. like I do over my feet.

I usually know what I want to say, but it comes out in jumbles. My brain has the words down pat. Organized and orderly. Somewhere between there and my mouth, my thoughts get jumbled. I try and say one thought while thinking of another. Doesn't always work well.

I had to take speech classes when I was a kid. I talked too fast. Still do. I think most people get the point that I am trying to get around to.

This is why in school, I would take an essay over a speech any day.

My brother on the other hand? Complete opposite.

He is very eloquent. He says what he means the first time. His voice does not quiver. He does not stutter.

He just can talk. He gets his point across quickly and painlessly. I think being in the military really helps with that. The military has really helped shape my brother into a man, which is scary to me, but that's a whole other story.

My dad is the same way.

Come to think of it, my mom has the same ability.

What makes me so weird?

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