Christmas travels

Alright everyone, I'm signing off of here for awhile...we're leaving to go to Washington DC tomorrow to hang out for a couple of days. Then we're off to North Carolina (come on and raise up)!!!! I cannot wait to see family and friends wahooooooo!! I'll try to post a couple of times but if I don't, I'm sorry. Alright, see ya soon!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Oh Christmas tree

Last night after we witnessed the Christmas miracle we wanted to go see this huge tree downtown. I didn't think about it until we were there that it was past midnight, a dark spooky park in the middle of downtown and we're walking by ourselves (in 33 degree weather and its raining)...not such a great idea. Rest assured, we were not assaulted and nothing happened to us...there was no one around (smart people, because it was so freaking cold!). Some of you may not know this but I worry...a lot and I am a very anxious person so it was probably my 9200 prayers that I sent up in the short while that we were out there that kept us safe. Mom, you'll appreciate this...between prayers I kept thinking "my mom would kill me if she knew this...she would just kill me". Kathy, not so much...she's used to JK putting himself in dangerous situations, so I'm sure she doesn't even worry anymore. Anyway like I said, we were fine, and JK took some great pictures! Here they are:

Us and the Christmas tree:


Me...aww look how tiny I look:


Us,a little more close up:


I thought this one was cool with the city in the background:

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus...

I have witnessed a Christmas miracle!

Until last night I thought that 90% of Pittsburgh was filled with Scrooges...no one here seems to like Christmas, in fact a lot of them have hard feelings towards the holiday and hate it. Of course being a Christmas Crazy and coming from a family full of CCs and then living with developing CCs, I was not used to these types of feelings. Well, all of that aside...JK and I went to this incredible home last night. He read about it on cnn.com and my cuzzie Emily even told me about it. To say the least...it is absolutely amazing! Its just your average middle class suburbia type of house...decorated with 210,000 Christmas lights that are synced with a computer so that they go on and off with the music that is being played!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We parked infront of their house and turned the radio on the designated station and just watched in awe for about 30-45 minutes. It was wonderful, during the first song I teared up (as I seem to be doing with anything Christmas-like this year). And then I told John that I wanted to go up and ring the door bell and hug the owners and tell them thank you, he wouldn't let me though. Anyway, they have a website: http://steelcitychristmas.com/index.htm

Make sure that you click "videos" and then "2008 videos" and you'll see the display we saw last night with some of the songs we listened to. Please go see this, I was amazed! There were so many people that I wish I could have just blinked and they would be there because I know how much they would've loved it! Ok, its incredible...and now I'll stop endorsing them...just watch it! :) Merry merry!

I have no life, as you can see

Ok, I need to update you all on some of my latest 'reads'...

1. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd--like I said in an earlier post, it may be because it took me forever to get through the book but I give it a 2.5. It was entertaining, I think if I hadn't taken forever to get through it, it would have gotten more stars. I'm gonna say that The Secret Life of Bees was Ms. Kidd's masterpiece.

2. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin--very informative. The authors are vegans and they basically trash the food industry and its crummy regulations. It was very interesting to read and slightly disturbing knowing what the food that you eat goes through before you actually eat it. I have not completely finished the book, partially because I almost threw up when I read the beef section and partially because I don't have the money to eat completely organic and vegan and I also don't have the willpower. I give it a 4 for the quality of the information and a 1.5 for how I'll actually follow through with any of their ways to change my diet. It has helped give me that extra boost for wanting to cut out diet sodas and fake sugar. Although, there are some harsh words, so if you get offended easily don't read the book.

3. The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren--this was a Christmas present from JK's parents. I am enjoying it thus far...I have not completed the book but its on my list of things to do today, so I'll update you later.

These are a few of my favorite things

First of all, I hope you picked up on the Juile Andrews reference. Second of all, here is a list of my fave things right now:

1. My Uggs-I believe I'm obsessed. I wear them everywhere, they're just so warm and wonderful!

2. A clean house decorated for Christmas. I love when our house is clean, it just gives me a peaceful feeling and seeing it decorated for Christmas just makes me so happy every time I walk downstairs.

3. Listening to Christmas music ALL the time (except when Delilah takes over...I have to switch the station while she talks...sorry Delilah).

4. Receiving Christmas cards! They are a sweet surprise amongst bills and junk mail.

5. Going Christmas shopping when its actually cold and snowy (as long as the roads are clear) outside! It feels sooo Christmasy!

6. Going on a date with my husband...yes, we went on our first date since we've moved here, on Wednesday (he's a busy bee).

7. Cheesy Lifetime Christmas movies...yes, they have bad actors and actresses but can a movie really be that bad when its set during Christmas time? I didn't think so.

8. Marie Claire magazine...love it! I've never received a magazine subscription until last year my mil (mother in law, come on people...keep up!), Kathy got a free subscription to MC and offered it to me. Well that's where the addiction began, because not only is it filled with fashion but it actually has articles that are very interesting to me--they're about things going on in the world, new trends in our society, etc. Well, for Christmas I asked for a renewal of the subscription and the wish was granted! My first issue came on Friday and I peeked at it when I first came home and I'm about to go through the whole issue now, yay!

Christmas surprise

JK just went to return a movie and found a package on our front door! Yay! It was from his Grandma Moon and inside were our Christmas gifts. Mine was a pair of beautiful handmade earrings and his was a gift card to Amazon.com, and our together gift was a contribution to the "the JKs go out for a night on the town" fund. What great gifts! Man, you people sure do know how to treat a young married couple around the holiday season and we definitely appreciate it! Thanks so much Grandma Moon :) By the way, I...I mean we looove Christmas surprises!

Newsflash people: Its Christmastime!!!

Alright, alright...I know its been quite awhile since I've posted last. Sorry for the delay blog lovers...its been a busy week, it just seems like every night gets away from me before I can blog...sad, I know. Anywho...it is sooo Christmastime! I've been doing Christmas baking, shopping, drinking Christmas tea, wearing Christmas colors every day this week to work and decorating our lovely new Christmas tree! That's right, I said OUR Christmas tree!! Thanks to my sweet aunt Cissy we have a beautiful Christmas tree in our living room. I thought that I would be ok and just be able to make it until we got to my parents' house and see their Christmas trees. But once Cis made a donation to the Kelly Christmas fund we were able to go and get a tree! Oh by the way, Lowe's and Michael's have all of their Christmas stuff 50% off! So go get some stuff now! Once we set up the tree I was just entranced with its beauty. A Christmas tree is just so magical and I'm so thankful and happy that we have one! It was really fun decorating it and making it our own tree, its so pretty!

I've posted some pics of the tree and of some delicious gingerbread cookies that I made on Saturday. Hope you like them!

Its Christmas time in the city

I've had a few requests for pics of our Christmas decorations. So now our house is clean (mostly) and decorated! Wahoo!!! So here are a lot of pics...sorry for the abundance but I wanted you all to get the gist of the deco. I tried to go with the traditional look and use mostly the basic red and green (it doesn't get much better than that). We don't have a Christmas tree this year since we'll be spending the holidays at my parents, but we do have a mini tree (thanks to the other JK's parents). However, the up-side of not having a big tree is that I was able to use my ornaments for centerpieces...well you'll see:

Here's the tree, are you happy Katie? :)


Garland:


Garland again:


Living room:


Living room coffee table:


My Christopher Radko vinatage ornaments up close:


Dining room:


Side table in dining room:


Side table up close:--check out the cool vase filled with white lights and mini ornaments


Nativity set up in our "china" cabinet:


Dining room centerpiece up close:



I'm not the best photographer, please forgive me. I hope you all enjoyed them! Oh by the way, I saw today that the Halloween hooch took down her decorations!!! Maybe she reads my blog or maybe she could just feel the judgment coming from my evil eyes (only kidding).

ratings

Ok I'm going to do you all a favor and rate some of the things that have just come into my life so that you don't have to waste your time on the bad ones and you can spend all your precious time with the good ones.

First up:



John Legend--Live from Philadelphia CD--3.5 out of 5 stars
Let's face it, the man is talented and has a smoooooth voice. He almost makes me want to fall in love with R&B all over again. And hello ladies he's handsome. However the downfall was that I do not like live music on cds. Its always been a pet peeve of mine, so I'm sure you're asking "Jessi, why did you buy a live cd if you don't like them?" and my answer is simply "it was half off after Thanksgiving, I've been jonesin for a John Legend cd so I was sucked in". I couldn't concentrate as much on his music as if it were a studio recorded cd. But I did like what I heard (besides the live part). I'm looking forward to listening to his new cd Evolver (hint hint Ginny).

Next:



Smitten by Janet Evanovich--2 out of 5 stars
I decided to buy a book on cd for the long ride home yesterday. I chose this book (used) because I've read Evanovich's stuff before and liked it and it was cheaper than other options (yes, they are still expensive used)...so why not? Well usually she writes about a lot of mystery and a little love this one was just the opposite (just my luck since I was with my cynical husband for 9.5 hours) and was a lot of love and little mystery. It was a cute story line but I wouldn't read it again. However, it passed the time and made the ride a lot easier. And the other JK had very little comments on the book suprisingly (especially since I gave him a death warning at the beginning of the ride "don't make fun of anything on this cd book").

Next:



Jack Johnson--Sleep Through The Static cd--6 out of 5 stars (yes, you read correctly)
Ok so what, I love Jack Johnson. I don't dislike any of his songs, they are all wonderful and for all of you rolling your eyes because you don't care for him...stop it...he's awesome. This is his latest cd released on my birthday...so what if that was in Feb. and I just got it now (I'm a procrastinator...duh). Well I asked for it for Christmas and my lovely in-laws gave it to me, yes! We listened to it and its just as soothing and wonderful as the ones before...love him! This man is really incredible he's probably one of my fave artists of all time, just because I can always go back and listen to him no matter what day, time of year, or what mood I'm in. Others may come and go but Jack stays forever. Seriously, its great...download some songs or just go old school (as my techie hubby likes to say) and buy the whole cd.

And last:



Sue Monk Kidd--The Mermaid Chair--2.5 out of 5 stars
I'm not finished with the book yet but its taking forever...I think its because I keep putting it down, starting a new project or a new trip and forgetting about it then picking it back up. It's got a good story line and it has potential, plus I'm reading it because my cuzzie Em sent it to me (us bookworms have got to stick together). For what its worth, my interest is still peaked. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done.

new year's resolution

Yes, people I know I'm getting a little ahead of myself (and my parents thought I couldn't plan ahead) but I just chose my New Year's resolution and decided to post it before I made up my mind that it was too hard. So here it is (drum roll please): I'm not going to drink soda. Ahh! I know, I know, it is crazy and how in the world can I do this since I drink a Diet Mt. Dew almost everyday?! I'm not sure and I definitely don't have all of the answers. I was thrown into this decision by reading yet another article on how great it is to drink water (mind you it was on the side of a generic Frosted Mini Wheats box...but still an article all the same). And I do love water. I can tell when my body has not had any because when I take the first sip after a drought I can't stop drinking it! And let's face it Pittsburgh weather hadn't been too good to my skin, I'm dry all over and it ain't pretty. I'm going to try to get in my regimented 64 oz. a day from here until New Years but I will sneak in a soda every now and then until D-Day. And I'm not promising big things here people, I have little self control especially when it comes to something that I love as much as DMD. The resolution may only last a month (hey, whose doesn't?)...but I'm going to try and stay on the water train for as long as possible.

Side note: Some hooch down the street has still not taken down her elaborate Halloween decorations. They did look extra spooky and great during Halloween, then Thanksgiving rolled around and John asked if they were Halloween or "fall" decorations and I gave the woman a little credit and said fall but now its getting ridiculous! Maybe she doesn't know that she lives less than a block away from a Christmas Crazy...well she's about to find out because I am THIS CLOSE to taking them down myself. Who am I kidding, I'm just going to give the evil eye and scowl at her everytime I drive past her house. Oh and Emily, the Jews around here aren't up to par with their blue lights...a dissapointment to say the least.

Happy Birthday Cis!

Today is my sweet aunt Cissy's birthday! She is such a wonderful woman and I'm so proud to call her my aunt. I hope you had a fabulous birthday Cis, you deserve it! And to celebrate...just for you...I'm going to post a pic of one of our fave ladies, just to make your day!





The one...the only...Jeanne Bice!! Enjoy it Cis (I know you will)! Love you so much!!!

ahh Thanksgiving :)

Hello blog lovers...we've just returned from good ol' Tennessee. We were able to spend time with John's family for Thanksgiving and it was sooo much fun. We arrived on Wednesday night after a looooong day of driving (yes, we went through Cincinnati twice...if you want to know how, don't ask because I'm still a little bitter about the whole thing). And we were greeted with smiley/sleepy faces and homemade pasta shells (yum!) and a birthday ice cream pie for the birthday guy (John...duh).

Well the next day was Thanksgiving and Heather (sis in law) and I did our best sous chef attempts while Kathy (mom in law) did her thing in the kitchen. Once everything was cooked and baked and people were clean and presentable we were off to JK's aunt and uncle's house! It was filled with relatives and yummy food...a great time to be had by all :) We then returned and this lazy thing (me) went to sleep for 2 hours (sorry again guys) while everyone else did other stuff. We had to rest up because I convinced/held at semi-gunpoint Kathy and Heather to go shopping with me (I mean I HAD to keep the tradition going) the next day.

We got on the road at a reasonable time (9:30 am, mind you that is darn good for me on a vacation). For those of you who don't know...I was raised to be an "after Thanksgiving day shopper" and NO I don't call it Black Friday, because first of all I think it sounds negative (even though my mom explained that its like an economical/financial term) and its stupid. My mother has always gotten up and at 'em at around 5 am every year (the last few years against her will) and ever since I came to my senses and figured out that I was created to be a shopper (around middle school age) I have joined her...at around 10 am. I can't get up early, its not worth it because now those same sales last until about 10-12 and let's put it kindly...I'm a grouch in the morning. So I usually meet her in the morn and we shop sometimes until 10-12 at night. I just love it...I love the good deals you get, I love that you can be snappy to fellow shoppers who are snappy with you first, I love fighting over parking spots and final sales prices...I just relish in it! Anywho...K and H did a good job at keeping up this year. I didn't have nearly as much to shop for since JK's whole side of the family was already done...so the day didn't last too long. It was a lot of fun...here's an example of the difference between trained shopping crazies (me) and normal shoppers (K & H): we drove into the Kohl's parking lot and K was like "oh my gosh, I've never seen it this packed, there are so many people here" and I look to see slight looks of fright on both of their faces while inside my heart is leaping with joy and I can't wipe the slap happy grin off of my face! I can't explain it people...its just who I am, so accept it :) We got some great things and I was able to knock a few more people off of my 'to buy for' list.

But the rest of the weekend was filled with grazing over food, playing with our niece Anna and watching movies. Oh! We also exchanged Christmas gifts!! We all brought the gifts with us so we didn't have to ship them and then we decided to just open them infront of each other instead of at each of our homes. We all got great gifts! Thank you again everyone! And here we are today back in Pittsburgh safe and sound. All in all it was a wonderful Thanksgiving, and wouldn't you know the 2 JKs didn't take any pics...sorry. (By the way, Kathy and Heather if you want to send us any pics we would greatly appreciate it!! Just by email...not actual pics)

just like dad

Since I've moved away from home (ie. going to college, moving to PA) I've realized the things that I once thought were weird or annoying about my dad just so happen to embody me as well. So even though I know he doesn't read my blog I'm going to list a few things that my nature has adapted from my oh so loving father:

1. Recycling--I recycle every little thing that I can. Whenever we threw an aluminum can away in the trash (God forbid!) Dad would say "Do you want a world for your children to live in?!" and he would then snatch the can out of the garbage and take it to the recycle bin. I simply rolled my eyes since I was at the ripe young age of 12 and didn't think about my own children or saving the world. It wasn't until I was a freshman in college and my sweet roommate Callie didn't recycle stuff, I literally took bottles out of the top of our trashcan (no I did not dig deep) and put them in the recycle and I'm sure she got the "world for your kids" speech a few times (sorry Callie and all of my other roommates who didn't recycle).

2. Eat a bowl of popcorn for dinner. Whenever it was "make your own night" or Dad was somehow at home by himself he always opted for a bowl of popcorn for dinner. Some of us had soup or PB&Js but not Dad. Now, as I type, I'm eating a bowl of popcorn for my dinner (hub is away at school doing work). But I will not agree that it keeps you full, I always need something a few hours later because after all, its only popcorn.

3. Sweet tooth. My dad has a huge sweet tooth and that has been passed down to me. I always want something sweet, if I could I would live off of sugar. If we ever went by a Cinnabon we HAD to stop in and get Dad one or if we were on some late night cross-country (cross NC) road trip we HAD to stop in and get a honeybun with coffee for Dad. And don't even think about not stopping at Krispy Kreme if he has a sweet tooth. Dad, I say it all with love because I'm just like you, my tastes are just a little different.

4, Dishwasher Nazi. My dad has been named the Dishwasher Nazi at our house. He always does the dishes after dinner. Since we've grown older Katie and I have tried to help by placing them in there and he will simply smile at us, but if you walk out of the room and happen to peek your head in there you'll see the DW Nazi taking your dishes out and rearranging them to his liking. I always thought this was ridiculous. Then I moved into a house with 5 other girls. Over those 3 years (and to this day) I will take our the dishes someone else has put in there and rearrange them to the "right" order.


As stated earlier, all in love Dad. I love who I am today and part of that is because of your crazy nature :)

de-lovely

I'm watching De-Lovely right now. I've seen it before and wasn't extremely impressed but whatever, I can always get sucked into a movie that was set decades ago and one that stars the beautiful Ashley Judd. I just think she's adorable so this post is dedicated to her. I love any movie she's in, mostly because of her, she just has a strong presence about her. She seems so confident and she's just so darn pretty. Not unrealistic pretty, she seems very natural. I think she's one of my favorite actresses. And I love the time which the movie is set, mostly the 20s, 30s, and 40s. The clothes, the hair, the jewelry, the romance...oh I love it! I wish I could do my hair like Ashley Judd's in the movie, its gorgeous! But I'm not much of a hair person, I love it but I can never do my hair in beautiful, exotic ways. Well I'm going to leave you with a few pics of my fave actress, Ms. Ashley Judd!

i'm checking out

Today I came home from work and remembered that I needed to run a few errands. Well I decided that I would go ahead and get it over with instead of wait awhile and have the roads freeze up more (mind you, it was 25 degrees by the time I got home). Well everyone was driving soooo slow and my patience (lovingly passed down from my mother) was wearing thin but I followed suite because I had no other options. As I was nearing my destination our trusty GPS had me go down more residential roads which apparently hadn't been driven on as much as the main roads and yes my max was at the most 20 miles per hour (so no, I was not going fast)...anyway I started going down a hill (a slight hill, not a steep one) and I began to break because I was coming up on a stop sign and my brakes locked up! I couldn't stop and I went right through the intersection! Not only was I frightened because I couldn't control it (mind you, the car wasn't all over the place, it simply wouldn't stop) but I'm also a huge rule abider, especially when it comes to road rules. So I was scared because of my present situation and I was upset because I had outrightly ran a stop sign! Anyway, I lived and I turned around and went back home...no more venturing for that particular errand.

Needless to say, I'm checking out of PA...NC here I come! Sure the snow is beautiful (for now) but it is cold, it is windy which makes it colder and its dangerous people! I don't know how I'm going to survive. I would much rather take the cool weather and flat roads that I grew up with as opposed to 25 degree weather and crazy hills. I mean JK won't miss me, will he? He's got schoolwork and all of that stuff. Just kidding. I was walking to Rite Aid with my knee length wool coat, jeans, a sweater, Uggs, and a thick scarf and it felt like I was wearing a t-shirt...dang weather! Not to sound like a broken record, but this weather is wearing on me already :( I'm just glad that I'm bundled up in my warm home tonight.

birthday boy...i mean man

Well, Wednesday was the other JK's birthday, he turned 24! We celebrated with pizza from Mineo's (our fave pizza place here), presents, homemade cheesecake and the new James Bond movie. It was all so much fun, the food was great and so was the movie. If you like Bond movies I suggest this one, its a good one...I'm sure you'll like it too. But for right now the birthday boy is out at a Bengals/Steelers game (in the snow). I know its always been a dream of his to see the Bengals play...but in the snow?! I'm perfectly happy here in our warm house bundled up, but I'm sure he's having the time of his life and not even thinking about the snow falling on his head. And please consider this his "thank you" for all of you who called, texted, facebook messaged, sent cards, sent gifts or posted a shout out on your blog. He really appreciated all of it, sanks! Love ya'll!

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Oh the weather outside is frightful...yup, you guessed it, it snowed here today! Yay! It was so beautiful! Although it snowed all day long it didn't stick until the sun went down so there's just a small, thin layer on the ground right now. However it's supposed to snow throughout this entire week, yay! I know I'm so excited right now and in January I'll be sick of it so don't feel like you have to rub it in my face then. But anyway its wonderful right now!!

So today I've been cooking away (surprise, surprise). I've been making an Italian pot roast (delish!), egg salad, and cookies. It was snowing so of course you have to make homemade chocolate chip cookies, right? Well, I had my fill of about 3 cookies so I plan on taking most of them to work tomorrow so that they're out of the house.

The other JK's birthday is coming up this Wednesday so I went and bought his gift yesterday along with all of my Christmas shopping for his side of the family (which I finished with one online purchase and only 2 stores!). Well its hard to hide a gift from someone when you live with them, especially if its large and especially if you can't keep a secret from them. Well after I kept asking him if he wanted one of his gifts (I bought him one big gift and a couple of little ones) and he kept responding "no, it doesn't matter"...I pushed a little harder and he finally said he would love to have one now. So I let him open his big gift and it was a toolbox! Yay, just want he wanted...except that I had bought the wrong one. When I bought it, I knew that it would probably be the wrong one so we took it back today and got the one he wanted. Well I might also add that he's been organizing our basement and he said he could organize a little more if he had his toolbox, that's when I offered the gift one last time. He loved it and now its time for me to go to bed, but I'll leave you with a couple of pictures we took in the snow.





And no, even though it looks like I gained 20 lbs., its just layered fleece. :)

here it is

Here is the link to just a taste of Emily and Tommy's wedding pictures. I've been granted permission to post them, so enjoy :)

http://www.sdpphotography.blogspot.com/

cooking extravaganza

There has been a lot of cooking going on at our house lately, and quite delicious might I add. I made pizza the other night (so delish) and went ahead and prepared some things for chili for the next night. I figured while I was in the kitch I would go ahead and make this Paula Deen recipe for maraschino cherry cookies and they were yummmmy! They didn't turn out looking as picture perfect as Paula's, but I think its all in the taste, as long as it looks edible and tastes good, well that's good enough for me. Anywho...my fave food item I've made this week thus far are cheddar garlic biscuits! Just like at Red Lobster, wahoo! I had a craving for them while I was at work today and then remembered that JK's grandma had given me a cookbook with a recipe for them in it. Here it is, so that you too can make incredible biscuits:

1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 c. milk
3/4 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 c. Bisquick

1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. butter

Stir all ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Drop by the tablespoonfuls onto an un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Melt the butter with 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Brush over the warm biscuits. Enjoy!

dedicated to the Seabolts!

Hello all! Yes, we're back...JK and I returned last night from NC. We were there for my cousin Emily's wedding! We were so lucky to be a part of it, sanks Em! I would go into great detail about everything that we did but I have had complaints that my posts are too long and I also have had complaints that I take too long to post. Geez people, I'm a workin woman, TV addict, bookworm, and food fanatic...I'll get to my blog when I can (just kidding). But Emily and Tommy's wedding (we'll call them ET from here on out) was gorgeous! Duh, would you expect anything less from a "Sistas' production" (that's what I'm naming us ladies...that means Cis, Mom, Abby, Katie, Emily and myself). We always seem to be the crazy fools that wake up early, stay up late, drink wine and beer throughout and make tons of flower arrangments. Everything...I'm talking boutineers, centerpieces, buckets, wreaths, and topiaries to boot. Ok, so I play a very minor role...its called cut the flowers and let the rest assemble the beauty. Em was gorgeous, T was handsome and that was just carried throughout the entire ceremony and reception. Oh and did I mention we had Thanksgiving dinner for the food at the reception!? Mmm mmm delicious! I will put a link up of their wedding pics once they get back from their honeymoon...you know I have to get permission for that kind of stuff. I will take credit for the decoration on the wedding cake (and yes, I'll give half of it to Abby as well...who happened to save me from an anxiety attack when I was given the task of decorating it). It looked great, of course! I just can't sing enough praises about this wedding! Oh and E was so calm, I was very impressed! But it really was great to see my family, they are so wonderful and seeing them just makes me miss all of them even more. Thank you to all of my family that I got to see, I'm not sure what I'm thanking you for but just thanks for being there so that I could talk to you, hug you and hang out with you...it meant a lot! I love you all! (I decided that as dramatic as it sounds, I really do have a Southern heart...that's where its meant to be...I literally teared up as we drove across the state line into NC) Again, love ya'll and can't wait to see you oh so soon!!!

voting day

Hi, I hope you all had a happy, hassle-free voting day. PA doesn't have early voting so I knew that I was going to get the brunt of that since I had to vote after work with the rest of working class Pittsburgh. I was driving home preparing myself for a long, long line. The traffic getting home was much worse than usual, you can imagine I was getting more anxious and not excited by the minute (I was semi-cursing my civic duty...no I'm not unpatriotic but I'm also not happy about 4 hour long lines). Anyway, I get home, change into comfy clothes (because you know I'm not standing in my work clothes for 4 more hours) and grabbed my purse and a book (duh, I mean I am a bookworm) just in case, and head out the door. Oh by the way, the place we were supposed to vote at is less than a block from our house. So I walk down the street, up to the church, and into the appropriate door (thank you to hubby's voicemail earlier in the day telling me that there are in fact 3 districts voting at the same church...he told me the correct door to walk to)...I see no line, wait...that's weird and walk in...no people waiting, just volunteers sitting at tables looking slightly disgruntled. Interesting. I'm a little bewildered. So I walk up to the first table and they look at me as if I've walked in with two heads attached to my body, once I make it clear that I'm there to vote (duh, this is the voting room) and I don't know what to do they finally muster enough energy to ask my name and then direct me to the next table because I am supposed to be at the other table...duh. Anywho...they directed me to the voting "booth"/touch screen where I voted and I was out. Five minutes tops. All of that anxiety and grumbling for nothing. Huh. Oddly enough I felt a huge sense of American pride after I voted (I can just hear one of my college professors saying "that's what they want you to feel" right now in the back of my head). Well, that's my voting story and I'm stickin to it.

By the way, blog fans, these JKs will be making our way on down to NC for my cousin Emily's wedding! Wahoo!! So there will be a lack of posts, but don't worry I'm sure I'll be able to make up for it when I get back with plenty of wonderful wedding tales and pics!! :) See ya soon!


PS-Oh, and I didn't get an "I Voted!" sticker today...maybe I'm a little bitter. I guess directing people to which touch screen to go to is just so exhausting that you can't hand out patriotic stickers to the loyal citizens who drug their butts to the polls. (Can anyone tell that I'm tired right now and its been a long day?...yeah didn't think so)

sanks sissypants!

I came home to a sweet surprise yesterday! When I walked in our back door a package was waiting for me on our kitchen counter. (see picture to the left) I was so happy! It was from my sweet sister and it was packed with Halloween candy, Panthers' cups (that we used to collect when we went to games together), my fave jelly from Cracker Barrel (blackberry!), a hilarious Halloween card, sample postcard of her senior pics, a Christmas t-shirt from Target (that we buy every year), and some sweet Halloween cookies. It was so sweet, I laughed and I almost cried...emphasis on the almost. I love getting sweet surprises like that. Thanks so much Katie, it realy meant a lot to me! I can't wait to see you oh so soon!

happy halloween!

Or as my sister likes to say: "happy all hallow's eve!". Anyway I hope everyone has had a spooky, fun day. Sorry this post is coming in a little late but tonight has been a long night. It began with me leaving work early because I was sick. I was surprised to find that I did not want to leave work even though I felt like crap but then my boss said "you look bad, you need to go home" so I went. I stopped by the grocery store, stocked up on meds and came home. I napped for awhile and then woke up in time for the trick-or-treaters. Well, I was hesitant to prepare for the little trick-or-treaters because to access our house is kind of awkward...you basically have to hike up Mt. Everest to get to our front door and to get to our back door you enter from an alley and walk down our long skinny back yard. Kids are lazy these days and it was proven to me yet again tonight. I was so hyped up about trick-or-treaters, since we don't have a lot of friends yet, which clearly means no halloween parties I figured I could get excited about the tikes coming for some sugar. Now I hated when I went out when I was little and got the generic candy crap, so I decided this year that I was going to "give back" to the sugar crazed tikes and get name brand, stuff that I would actually like. (it also helped that when I was telling my cousin Abby about my hesitancy...if that's a word, to buy candy she said "buy stuff you like so if they don't come you can eat it") So I did just that. We had Snickers, Hershey bars, Reese cups, Butterfingers, and 100 Grand. And guess what! No kids! No trick-or-treaters! Stinkin kids! I made sure the lights were turned on, on both of the doors...had our cute jack-o-lantern lit and sitting out on the porch AND I went out on our front porch (twice!) and watched those kids trick-or-treat across the street where they don't have to hike Mt. Everest to snatch their sugared goods. I'm not going to lie blog fans, I was a little crushed. I was talking to my friend Morgan during this sad time and she suggested that I just stand at the bottom of my Pittsburgh Mt. Everest and hand out the candy...no way! Anyway, needless to say we have a HUGE bowl of good candy here one woman who has to fit in a bridesmaid dress in a week and one man who doesn't ever retain calories or fat...but there will probably be a stash delivered at my work and then another brought down to Greensboro. (My dad has actually requested that we bring it down so he can munch on it) But in the end, I can't really blame the kids...I would've been too lazy to walk up the mountain for the candy. Anywho...happy halloween again!


PS-Please note our cute jack-o-lantern...the pic was taken inside, I couldn't get a good one outside since we have motion sensor lights everywhere (which I love!).

don't do me like that

Ok I know there are a lot of posts tonight, but I have time to post and I have things to say, so I should run with it, right? Right. So tonight I had to make a Target run. Mind you, it is 40 degrees outside and some type of hail/sleet/rain is falling from the sky. But I HAD to go. Considering the cold I decided to bundle up so I was walking out the door wearing leggings, navy sweatpants on top of that (because let's be honest, fitted jeans just don't fit over leggings...unless you want a wedgie all night), a tie-dyed shirt, a blue sweater-type shirt over it, socks, my Uggs (duh), a red scarf, lavender gloves and a black pea coat. Ok, I'll be the first to admit it, I looked like a hot mess. But I've gotten to the point of no shame, it was 8:40, cold, and I live in a city where I know a total of 4 people. So you know I did not care if anyone saw me. Well, I pride myself on fashion and looking my best but this was not my proudest moment and I was well aware of it and even more aware when I walked downstairs. As I walked over to kiss the other JK goodbye he scowled at me (specifically at what I was wearing...which I did not appreciate). I somewhat ignored the scowl and proceeded to walk closer to the door, as I walked I made a comment in passing about "yeah I know I look rough, oh well" (just so he would know that I know what I look like and no I have NOT lost my sense of style) and then he felt the urge to say in a mocking voice "and you're going out in blue and black?!". Hello. Who is this man? And what has he done with my sweet husband who usually leaves his mouth shut? I was a little taken aback but a little happy to observe what looked like my sassiness rubbing off on him. But of course "men do not have sassiness", so substitute whatever masculine word there that fits.

I am happy to say that my fave Target find tonight was FLANNEL CHRISTMAS SHEETS FOR $20! Ok, I love being warm, I love Christmas, and I love good deals! Wahoo!! I could not resist.

dork alert

Ok, not only am I now classified as an official dork just by naming my post "dork alert" but this story will provide the original reason that I officially named myself a dork last night:

So as I said in earlier posts...I'm obsessed with Tom Petty now. Maybe a little too much. Well anyway, I particularly love Mary Jane's Last Dance. I mean it is such a BA song! (Side note: If you do not know what BA means, email me and I'll tell you...I mean come on people this is a family site, and you'll probably figure it out at the end of this post anyway) I am a person who plays songs over and over and over again. Yes, I am aware that this can be annoying which is the reason that I only do that when I'm by myself or with my sister (the only person who understands that part of me). Anyway, so I've been playing Mary Jane's Last Dance over and over and over again. Mostly when I'm on my way to work because it makes me happy, and you know we all need something to make us happy on our way to work...let's be honest. Ok...stay focused...I love the song and I've constantly been listening to it. On this particular instance my dorkness hit me: Last night was fast food night at our house so I made the fast food run by myself and blasted some Petty. Of course it was MJLD and I kept playing this certain part over and over (it was just so BA!!):

Well I don't know what I've been told
You never slow down, you never grow old
I'm tired of screwing up, I'm tired of goin down
I'm tired of myself, I'm tired of this town
Oh my my, oh hell yes
Honey put on that party dress (fave part!)
Buy me a drink, sing me a song,
Take me as I come cause I can't stay long

I specifically played this oh about 10 times while doing the fast food run, and I'm singing and boppin along with it the entire time (singing my heart out like I wrote the song or something)...now you know the lady at Popeye's was thinking I'm some kinda weird when she saw me. But who cares, I loved it, I had a great time and I felt like such a dang BA! And by the way, even though I've listened to that song some umpteen times and that specific part maybe 3,000 times...I still can't get the words right. That's right, I'm a dork...and must I say I AM PROUD!

Another side note: while writing this post I played the song for extra inspiration (I'm in the living room on my laptop and the other JK is on his laptop on the other couch). He decided to blast over my music with "I love it when you call me big papa" by Biggie Smalls, that's right picture him singing along to it while doing his homework...haha, man I love him.

this past weekend

John's parents arrived last Wednesday and stayed through the weekend...and they brought their workin shoes with them! It was so good to see them and be able to spend some time with them. While they were here and John and I were away at school and work they finished the last coat of trim in the dining room, painted the spindles (I think that's the correct term) going up our staircase, painted our living room, sanded down doors and many other helpful things...and oh yeah John's dad spruced up our yard by trimming back some much overgrown ivy. Thank you both so much, you were such a help!! We went to dinner one night and then Kathy and I went to see The Secret Life of Bees, we had both read the book and were dying to see the movie. If you were skeptical about going to see it, I'm telling you now...you must! It is sooo good, and very similar to the movie. And as much as it pains me to say this...Dakota Fanning did a grreat job! Her southern accent was perfect! I was so impressed and then hated myself a little afterwards because I enjoyed her performance. Man! Who am I turning into while I'm living up here?! I used to couldn't stand the sight of Fanning...she just irritated me, there's no logical reason other than she irritated me. (Sorry Kate, I know this is a major let down for you) Anyway to sum it up we had a fun, fun time with JK's parents and we're really looking forward to Thanksgiving!! Wahoo!! (Kathy and Heather...be prepared for the "day after" shopping!!)

Oh I also carved an adorable little Jack-o-Lantern while the other JK's parents were here...I'll post a pic tomorrow because I'm too lazy to load one right now. But its cute, so be prepared!!

thanks Mom!

I (and John) received a care package today from my mom! Yay! It included Halloween candy, a pottery pumpkin that I painted when I was ohhhh maybe 6, a cute ornament, 4 pieces of pumpkin raisin cake, 3 potential dresses for Em's rehearsal dinner, and a pair of shoes (yes Katie I know they are only on loan from you). It was so fun to receive it! Thank you Mom, I (we) really appreciate it! The treats were delicious and the dresses were cute. I love you!


PS-John was upset when he read my loves and dis-loves post and saw that he was not listed, so to make up for it, one more thing that I love:
1. John (duh)

an ode to cheez-its

You will never be able to convince me that there is a better salty snack than reduced fat cheez-its and a diet mt. dew. I literally cannot conceive of a snack that beats this one. I LOVE cheez-its, love them. I think it's because I grew up with a stash constantly in our pantry (thanks to my dad's obsession). I've tried to limit it to a treat though and not a staple in our house (haha, we'll see how long that lasts). Because the first time I bought a box when we moved in our new house I nearly devoured it in about 3 days...and no, I'm pretty sure John did not eat any of them. Anyway...the reason behind this post is that I bought some tonight at the grocery store so I would have something to eat with my sandwich tomorrow at work. I threw a couple into my mouth as I was packing my lunch tonight and just closed my eyes and enjoyed every little bit of deliciousness that they are made of. I'm so excited that I get to eat some tomorrow at work, it will make work so much better. Call me dramatic, or food obsessed...well, I admit to both of them and that does not take away from how incredibly delicious my cheez-its are. Mmmmm.

loves and dis-loves

Things that I love:

1. Coming home from work where I'm dressed up in dressy clothes and then being able to change in really comfy sweats...love it!
2. Homemade apple pie brought to me by my loving mother-in-law.
3. Cool weather...note that I said cool not cold, I am not looking forward to the bitter cold that chills me to my bones.
4. A pumpkin candle from Bath & Body that my mother-in-law also brought me because she knows I'm obsessed with festive smells.
5. The fact that my cuzzie is getting married in just a few mere weeks and knowing that she's experiencing the same wedding crazies that I did...so no I am NOT crazy people...she just is too :)
6. Knowing that Em's wedding means that I get to see my fam soon!


Things that I do NOT love:

1. When a senior citizen man makes a joke that's not funny but you have to laugh at it anyway, just because you do. Its just one of those rules that everyone knows and obeys like don't poot in front of people you don't know. Call me ageist, call me mean...I think its just annoying.
2. Sitting in front of a computer screen all day and being sleepy (aka my job).
3. Heels, yes I love my heels but I do not love wearing them 8 hours a day, 5 days a week...its takes all of the fun and fabulous-ness out of them (yes...that's a word).
4. The fact that the closest Krispy Kreme is 19 minutes away from us in a town I'm not yet familiar with (thanks for rubbing it in my face Em).
5. Waking up in the morning knowing that I have to pull myself out of my warm bed only to step on cold floor and walk through a cold house...booo.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes volume 2

So I made a spur of the moment decision while Ginny was here. Its something that I've been wanting to do for a while...you know a little change...as if I haven't had enough in the past 3 months. So now I present to you...I'm a brunette!


Before:


After:


From the back side:


The only thing is I can't help but to think what Truvy from Steel Magnolias would say...to quote her "I can spot a box job from a mile away". Eek, hope I don't run into Dolly Parton.

the adventures of ginny and jessi

Thursday night Ginny arrived in Pittsburgh, yay! I was so happy to see her, and to see the little gift she brought with her...she was kind enough to pick up a 4 piece supreme dinner from Bojangles for me and the other JK to share. It was so wonderful...a little dry (from being 6 hours old) but mostly wonderful!! It was so great to taste our fave fast food restaurant again. Anyway...the rest of the visit with her was so fun.

Thursday night we just laid around and watched the State game and talked. Then it was definitely time to go to bed. Friday I was off to work and Ginny took John to school and she went to a couple of museums. We all gathered back at the house for Mexican rice, margaritas and once John left the room...the Sex and the City movie! Yay, it was such a fun night...it was like Ginny and I hung out just last week, we always pick up right where we left off.

Saturday we woke up and watched Twisted, a movie with Ashley Judd and Samuel L. Jackson...really good by the way. Then we all went to play disc golf...some of us not as willingly as others. See, I thought I was going to be able to get out of it since it was Ginny that asked John if he wanted to go. I don't know why I attract people to me who are active and competitive. So I was going to stay here and watch the Golden Girls episode that I had DVRed...not so likely, they basically dragged me out of the house. I was not a happy camper but then got over it and we had a fun time. It was beautiful outside...but note to self: don't choose the copper colored frisbee when its fall and all the copper colored leaves are on the ground. Most of my time was spent trying to find my stinkin frisbee.

We promptly dropped John off at the house, showered, got ready and yes...we went shopping! After that Ginny and I went to the Duquesne Incline to get a wonderful view of the city at night. Then we were simply going to follow our Mapquest directions to Church Brew Works...which ended up in quite an adventure...we were very VERY lost...for an hour. We drove out of Pittsburgh (without knowing it) got stuck in Penguins (the burgh's NHL team) traffic...so fun and finally...did I say FINALLY got there! I have never been so happy to be on Liberty Avenue or to sit down to a very late night dinner. Needless to say, Ginny loved it there and we had a great meal and even better conversation. We came home, hung out and went to sleep. I miss her so much already and I was just so pleasantly reminded of how great it is to have best friends...the ones you just feel at home with, no matter where you are. Love you Ginny!

oh...my...gosh

Tonight I was again glued to the TV (I HAVE to get a new hobby...I'm up for any suggestions), and got sucked into 17 Kids and Counting (a TV series about the Duggar family who have, yes you guessed it...17 children). Since I love Jon and Kate plus 8 and my cousin Emily speaks highly of the Duggar family I thought that I would allow myself to watch it. Well, if ya'll have ever seen this family you'll understand why my eyes have been wide in astonishment this whole time. They seem really sweet and they love the Lord but that is too much hair for me (all the girls have hair below their waists) and too many floor length jumpers and dresses with ruffled necklines. They also had a family that were close friends of theirs visiting (on this specific episode) that have 16 children and one of the parents said that the Duggar house was so big that they didn't even realize there were 40 people in the house. Shug, I hate to tell you but no matter how big a house is you will always realize that there are 40 people in there, especially if the majority of them are children under 13. Again, they just seem so sweet and happy so I hate to be ugly about their family...I don't think its ugly I'm just expressing my views...right? Well, being the cynic that I am, I just don't see how you can always seem so sweet and happy and its not just the parents, the kids all seem to be the same way...ahh! It kinda makes me want to scream a little. Now you know one of those kids has to have a temper tantrum sometime or be selfish...I guess I'm just astonished by their excessive amount of naivety and pure sweetness. Alright, well, I'm sure they are wonderful people but it all seems a little weird to me and a little unrealistic. (And I swear I saw a smug face on one of the Duggar girls during the Dixie Stampede!--haha she has an attitude!)

Tom Petty rocks

I just had a thought run across my mind and I thought that I should fill ya'll in. One of the days that Morgan and Emily picked me up from work they were playing a Tom Petty cd in the car and I thought it was one of theirs, well apparently it was John's and I just didn't know that he owned one. Anyway it was pretty much our soundtrack for the rest of their trip. I thought I only knew a few of his songs but as I listened to more of the cd I recognized a lot more of them. And I really like him! And let me tell you, I'm getting more and more picky about my music choices these days. But yeah, I guess Mr. Petty is a pretty great musician...I know my sister is proud of this post, she loves Petty. In fact, she missed a concert to go to my wedding (aww how sweet). Anyway...he's great! Love him and that means I'll be listening to him while I'm boppin around the burgh for the next month or so. That's how all of my music addictions are, when I find something I love I listen to them for about a month and then they just rotate in and out as far as who I listen to...FYI I just got off a Death Cab for Cutie kick.

Well she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldnt help thinkin that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die
Tryin she had one little promise
She was gonna keep
-American Girl (none other than Mr. Petty)

this weekend

This weekend I had the pleasure of entertaining my friends Morgan and Emily. I picked them up Wednesday night from the airport and dropped them back off this morning (so sad). But it was so great to see them! We had a wonderful time together and it reminded me of college...I act like it was so long ago. They were able to go out and explore Pittsburgh while I was at work and then we hung out together at night. We were able to watch TV (probably our favorite pastime), shop, and go out a couple of nights. And I must say that John seemed to adapt to being around 3 women very well...I was quite impressed. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post later on (Em you HAVE to send them to me :) And I'll have to give a shout out to Emily Rowe who dropped them off at RDU so they could come here (her birthplace), thanks Em!

Last night I stayed up and finished Everyone Worth Knowing (the latest book I've been reading) instead of going to sleep but I really enjoyed the book and was so glad I was finally able to finish it! It was a really good book. It was a little slow at first but definitely picked up...I recommend it for a fun read.

Today I have been glued to the TV...who knows why, because of boredom, laziness, or mopey-ness? I have officially watched two, yes TWO Lifetime movies today! They are so dramatic, and teach good life lessons, why would you not watch them?! Well, I just had to pull myself away from the 3rd one so that I might be somewhat productive tonight. I did make dinner though, so that was productive, right? We had pork chops (pronounced 'poke chops') and scalloped potatoes...mmm mmm delicious and of course sweet tea, just in case you all wanted to know what was on the menu. But with that, I'm going to try on potential outfits, maybe have a glass of wine and get stuff together for tomorrow. Hope you all had a great weekend! Sorry its been awhile since I last posted :)

quick update

Ok, I've had a few people show concern for my lack of posts...sorry faithful readers. The first day that I got back from work JK and I had to clean the entire house because it was disgusting from having the ceiling ripped out (dust was everywhere!). Then the next night I was baking a cake completely from scratch for Morgan's birthday cake (once she got here) and then the presidential debate was on and I had to clean for my guests. My guests have safely arrived! Wahoo!!

Ok, next thing...work is great, everyday that I go I feel a little more comfortable with all of the things to do and the people seem to get a little more used to me being there. Everyone is really nice and I think I'm going to like it a whole lot! I love that the company is actually working for good and helping people out. So for all of those who wanted to know what I chose to wear on the first day...it was a cute black dress with a bubble hem, mock neck...short (sort of puffy) sleeves. Gray tights and black stilettos (duh...but stupid rookie mistake). Along with aqua necklace and earrings to match. I forgot how much you have to walk around an office throughout a whole day...so I've cut back on the heels...except today I wore knee high brown suede boots (thanks for passing them down Mom!). Its a great atmosphere, pretty relaxed and again...everyone is really nice. I just hope that I keep catching onto things and I'm able to pick up where the old HR assistant left off.

To answer some lingering questions...I'm still finishing Everyone Worth Knowing, I'm so close to the end but I've had to do stupid cleaning and stuff (boooo!). I'm ready to finish it, I hate having a book almost done and you can't finish it. Anywayyyy...I'm excited that Em and Morg are here...as soon as they got in the car they filled me in on their flights and I can say that I haven't laughed that hard since I've moved to the burgh, ohh to have good friends here!! Yay!

Last thing, my b-maid dress came in for Emily's wedding today and it fit perfectly!!! Wahoo, love it!! Love ya'll and I hope to keep you posted :)

slow weekend

Not much has gone on at the JK household this weekend. We're pretty much a boring married couple, I never thought this day would come. Well, in the words of my dear friend Em Nance, to be fair...John did have homework all weekend long. And on top of that our cable has been disconnected since Saturday(because of repairs on ceiling) :( so sad. We're still having work done on the hole that was in our ceiling. They should be out at 7 am...that's right I said 7 AM tomorrow morning to finish it up! Annnd tomorrow is my first day at my new job (Lord, please let me work with interesting people)! These people clearly already love me because I don't have to go in until 10:30 tomorrow (wahoo!) and promptly 9 am every day after that...but alas I will be woken up a little earlier because of our happy helpers/smokey smelling carpenters.

I have been reading Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger (the lady who wrote The Devil Wears Prada). Its a pretty good book, its no TDWP though...I can actually see some similarities between the 2 books though. But I will admit that I love reading anything about someone in NYC, talking about designer clothes, cool places to eat...and let's just face it, NYC! It's fun to fantasize...

On a very HAPPY note my good friends Morgan and Emily will be in the burgh in a mere few days!! They are arriving Wednesday night and are staying until Sunday, wahoo! The shops of Pittsburgh better watch out, we will be attacking them soon! Emily also has a great love for shopping and all things that are retail...we just drag Morg along with us. On that note I must go try on approximately 43 outfits before I decide what to wear tomorrow...not too young...not too old...not drab...but not too trendy (please keep in mind that I already spent about 45 minutes last night trying on things).

i love brownies

The night began with homemade pizza, which is quickly becoming our Friday night tradition. While I was putting together the pizza I decided that I should throw together some brownies. John returned from TN with 2 brownie mixes (thanks Kathy!)...so of course we had to eat them...better sooner than later, right? I love brownies, they are just so simple and delicious. I am somewhat of a dessert snob so there are times when I write off brownies because I've had them so many times before in my life but whenever I do eat them I am always pleasantly reminded of how incredible they are! When I bit into the brownie I was reminded of my childhood, whenever we made dessert at home it was almost always brownies. Anyway, go make some, its such a wonderful treat!

baby its cold outside

It is cold here in the burgh and I love it! I love wearing fall/winter clothes and being all bundled up! I love having tons of blankets on the bed so I don't freeze to death while sleeping! Last night I sat on our couch bundled up (even wearing the new scarf my cousin Em sent me) reading a book...the other JK was at an event for school. It made me realize that I'm going to have to start getting hooked on some other hot drink other than coffee to keep my insides warm...maybe I should go buy some herbal tea...mmmm. But sad to say, I looked at the 10 day forecast and it looks like its going back up to mid 60s and 70s...hopefully they're wrong.

Morgan B.'s post

So I think that I may start just doing short little posts when I think of something instead of a long, drawn out post (copying your style Em). But this post is dedicated to my best friend from college, Morgan B. Dunlap! Her birthday was yesterday and although I annoyed her with texts, phone calls, and g-chat I did not dedicate a post to her for the day that she was born (sorry, I was consumed with interviews and a book...still no excuse). So happy one day late birthday Morg!! I hope your birthday was absolutely wonderful and I CANNOT wait until your little butt is up here next week so we can celebrate your birth! Wahoo!

Morgan and I served on the Middle Creek YL team for, I think, 3 years together and we became best friends through all of it. Then she had the pleasure of being a lovely bridesmaid in the JK wedding! She is truly a wonderful person and I love her so so so much. The extent of her patience and kindness is incredible, something that I try to aspire to have one day. I loves ya Morgy! I'll leave you all with one of my fave pics of me and Morgan:


Spring Break 07



PS-Praise the Lord for seat warmers, there's nothing I love more than having a warm booty in cold weather!!

it's finally here!

Yes, that's right folks...the day we've all been waiting for has come! Let me have the honor of announcing that:

I HAVE A JOB!!!!

Wahoo! I'm so excited. Thank you for all of your prayers, they worked! I will be an HR assistant at a non-profit company SharpVisions...here's their website: http://www.sharpvisions.org/ Not my dream job, but let's face it people...I just graduated college and you need at least umpteen years of experience to have any job that you love. Plus, this will give me great experience and it will be bringing in a paycheck, whoop whoop! Annnnd if we're lucky I'll work with funny people and funny things will happen to me so that I can report back to you and relay some great stories. Let's not forget one of the most important things...I'll have some kind of human interaction on a daily basis! Yay! I start on Monday at either 8 or 9 (they're getting back to me..let's pray its 9 because we all know the longer I can sleep the more pleasant I am). And that's about all I can answer for you right now.

On another fun note, I fininshed Little Altars Everywhere and I began The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood! I really love it, the books are great, they make me feel so at home when they talk about the South, even though I didn't live in Louisana or have abusive alcholic parents...but its still good. There's lots of drama (which I love) and it just altogether is really, really good! I actually got the call about my job yesterday but I was so busy reading my book that I didn't post about the job until today, oops! When I start reading a good book I can't put it down, its all I can think about and all I want to do. It's an addiction, and I think its A-ok.

HELLO fall!

I would like to say that fall is officially here! Today a cool, comforting breeze filled our house (through the open windows, of course) and it made me smile. I love fall time, I love the weather, I love the colors outside, the clothes you get to wear, just about everything. So when I ran errands today, I opted to wear my Uggs (love them!) and a cute dress my mom bought me :) Wearing Uggs also officiates the beginning of fall. My sweet grandma decided to send some sweet potatoes up my way via Mom and I wanted to make something with them before I forgot that we had them and they went bad. So of course I made none other than sweet potato casserole! Mmmm so delicious, it just tastes like Thanksgiving. I'm going to have to admit that I have not always been a lover of sweet potato casserole, I judged it at first...turned my nose up and would walk away, UNTIL a few years ago I figured I would give it a try (being in college just makes you want to be so open minded). And hello, I fell in love! Good thing that both of these JKs love sweet potatoes, so there will be many more dishes to come in our future. I also made a blue cheese and bacon dip that my cuzzie Emily made us last December. The first time I tried it I thought of the other JK because it was filled with all the things he loves most...bacon and cheese. Em so lovingly posted the recipe on her blog today and since I had no ideas for dinner at the time I decided to fix that too! Both of those are very fall-festive dishes (or at least I think so). And what better way to begin fall than with fall-like food dishes! (come on people, I'm a food addict here)

Other than fall festivities, today was pretty eventful around the JK house...I was awakened by someone banging on walls around our house. I knew that the plumber was coming but I was confused by the banging. I got dressed and walked around until I found JK and he told me that a pipe had busted and they were going to have to tear part of our living room ceiling off to fix it. (insert my heart sinking here) Now if you have been keeping up with posts you know that my house was officially clean, festive, and enjoyable as of yesterday and now my whole (house) world is upside down again! Every time I could hear them drilling or knocking out a chunk of ceiling my heart sank a little farther into a deep pit in my stomach...our house will never be normal. Enough sappiness, I have to go write some letters and send a package to my niece that can crawl now! Yay, go Anna! Have a great night everyone!!

weird monday

Today was a strange day. My Mom and Cis left this morning after I dropped the other JK off at school. It was really sad...but you know how sometimes when you go through a lot and sad just seems to be a normal feeling? That's when you feel numb (I know, wah wah). So I guess I felt numb when they left. However, I had things to do so that was a good distraction. When they drove off I promptly walked upstairs, wrote down directions and went to the doctor for my yearly check up. After trying to find the hidden doctor's office sign (grrr) I finally got there (10 minutes late...because I couldn't find the dang place). Anyway, everything checked out fine and it proved to be pretty uneventful. I came home surprised to see that the other JK had taken the bus from school to home and was hanging out here.

After lunch and reading I decided that I wanted to nap (partly because I didn't want to paint, partly because I was sad/numb and partly because my eyes were burning a little and wanted rest). JK was being sweet and completely understood my nap mood, he told me he was leaving and would be back later (for some school-something...he went to a presentation and then ate there afterwards) which left me to an afternoon alone napping, reading, and watching TV. It was a fun time, I tell ya...it really was as fun as you can get being by yourself.

So when the other JK came back we hung out and watched our Monday night shows, his is Terminator: The Connor Chronicles and mine is Jon and Kate plus 8! That was fun and here we are watching a football game. Now that you all are completely updated on our lives (you're welcome)...its time to leave ya! Good thing for you, I'm leaving you with some pics that we took before the sistas left me today. Don't mind me looking rough...it was a weird angle, I just showered and look like crap, please excuse it.