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.