Why I've been here before.

You remember that feeling when you were little and it seemed like a good idea to ride the merry-go-round over and over as much as possible? Or to run around in circles with your friends so that when you stop, not only are you dizzy but you feel like you are seeing stars? That's what the last six months have been like. We started 2014 out like many of the years before with sparkling cider, on cloud nine and with a big smooch. We listened as our neighbors partied a little too hard with their fireworks and good times. We made goals to make this year big, get some projects done and enjoy ourselves.

I was feeling pretty good for a few weeks when I got sick one day with symptoms I'd never had before. One of my best friends who has medical history told me it was probably gallstones -- which immediately scared me. I remember driving home that night shaking because I was in so much pain. I got sick that evening and thought I could brave the next day at work. Ironically, I had that Friday off to enjoy a long weekend off, not realizing my day would be spent going from my doctor's office to a specialist, back to my parents when I got that dreaded phone call that I had gallstones and would require surgery. I met with a surgeon on my lunch break who ordered me to report to the hospital that evening. My thoughts were swirling around in my head about how serious this was. I remember my mom driving me to the hospital that evening and I was trying to put on a brave face but internally I was scared. I didn't look sick but inside I felt absolutely horrible. I got stuck with 3 horrendous roommates and I grew really sick of being poked and prodded by needles/blood pressure throughout the nights. My surgery was delayed twice and I really had to cling to God in that hospital room. I was in pain I didn't think was possible, apparently I had passed a few gallstones (I apologize if that's a TMI) but by the time I got to have my surgery - I just wanted to feel better. Even after my surgery, I had no idea what ride I was in after having my gallbladder removed.

I felt after this that my entire year had just taken about six steps backwards. I felt wobbly and shaky afterwards for awhile. I really wanted to get back on the weight loss train but since I had abdominal surgery, I had to make sure my incisions healed properly. The week of our Disney cruise in March, I finally got the go-ahead from my surgeon to get back into working out, especially Zumba which I LOVE. But as anyone knows, when you go on a cruise even with your best intentions - you don't really lose weight. I think I gained 2 lbs from my cruise which isn't a show stopper by any means but when you have a LOT to lose, you don't want even a feather more than what you have.

**For those that didn't see any of our cruise pics, I'd like to share a few with you now!**

Anywho - after our cruise, I made every attempt to get back into losing weight but after coming back from our cruises and having some stress that undid the relaxation, we got back into the swing of things and focused ourselves on working on our home. We finally made some headway - we got our living room painted and our kitchen painted. We got other rooms in our house painted last weekend and now our house is looking more our personality. So while it feels like these past six months have felt like I keep circling back to the same place, I felt like it was time to mentally and physically process our year so far. I only feel like the year will get better. We have our staycation coming up relatively soon. We live in Florida where theme parks and days with Disney happen. We're where we're supposed to be even if it's been where we've been time and time again and will be back here again in the future.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll see you back here tomorrow to remember the good ol' days: #throwbackthursday :)

TGBTL: Lessons Learned.

Happy Wednesday, friends :)

Every Wednesday I link up with Lauren & Hayley for Girl Between the Lines. Although I am sad its the last week. I've greatly enjoyed this link up. I'll be sad to take the reminder off my calendar.

Today's prompt is: Tell us a lesson you wish you had learned sooner in life. Looking back, what do you see now you wished someone had told you before?

When I was growing up, I watched girls get either totes crazy or overly emotional for a guy. It felt like if they didn't fall in love with guys like Zach Morris from Saved by the Bell or Sabrina's boyfriend from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch that they had to change themselves entirely [to meet the right guy].

When I say entirely - I feel like they had to go overboard like starving themselves, finding new friends altogether or wearing too much makeup.

Sorry, ladies. This is NOT an attractive look for anyone.

 

I told myself that I wouldn't fall for this Venus fly trap of lies when I started dating guys. I could protect myself. But lo & behold - not the hand I was dealt.

I will say that God definitely protected myself and my heart from going too extreme. Sure, I experimented with hair color, what clothes I wore and makeup I liked - but I didn't just settle with just anyone. Or make choices to jeopardize my future.

I did meet a few guys who changed my life - in good/bad ways. *Names have been changed.*

1) Aiden - Taught me that I am good, no I am awesome whether or not I am a Wii bowling star or if I talk on my phone too much. His opinion was just that - an opinion.

2) Derrick - Taught me that I am definitely worthy to love. I am important and just how vital trust/honesty values are in relationships. Lastly, just because I am not the same person I was initially, that change is inevitable. In my case - a positive one.

3) Chris - (my husband). He teaches me daily that by taking a chance and giving someone the benefit of a doubt can lead you on the best romantic adventure of your life. It's okay to be yourself even if they're totally different from you but loves you all the same.

I feel like this was something I've been wanting to write. I am definitely going to expand on this topic in my book.
Moral of the story: Ladies, rest assured that boys suck and they will make you pissed off whether you're twelve or forty five. But the right boy will make it all worth it!

Thanks for stopping by! ~ Jessica

a little bit of this and that.//January Goal recap

Good Morning, loves. Hope you're doing well & staying warm wherever you are. Florida is determined to keep me guessing with our weather - today its sunny and nice but this week its supposed to trick me with the freezing temps. Not nearly as cold as other places but real wintery weather in Florida is crazy!

I thought I'd update so I don't turn into the blogger who only posts for link ups. While they are fun - I need to be better about it. Unfortunately I am still fighting my cold and I am not loving it. Basically this is how I am feeling right now.

Love me some Bob's Burgers!

Let's see I decided to do the Monthly Goals as seen by another blogger. These are the ones I was hoping to accomplish:

JANUARY GOALS:

1) Exercise 26 days out of the month. : I am going to say - this is a monthly goal. And I did pretty darn good - until I got sick. I worked out about half of the month. I didn't lose any weight but I had some health issues this month that contributed.

2)  Be a better friend. I feel okay about this goal, I am still thinking I can improve but at the same time - life is busy so I am not going to make myself feel bad when that gets in the way.

3) Use Instagram more. That just didn't happen this month, maybe when we saw our favorite comedian but other than that - eh not so much.

4. Watch the excessive sugar intake. I did pretty good with this goal this month. This is another monthly goal that I am going to have but I feel like while I did great, I will only get better.

5. Entertainment Book = Creative Date Nights. This just didn't really happen this month either due to unforeseen things that happened. Nothing too bad but enough to make a few date nights be postponed for the time being. 

6.  End every post I do with "Hallelujah's" - on a weekly basis. Didn't do this either :(

7. Sew something. Nope. :(

8. Make my passion for writing a priority. This one is a struggle because due to my laptop having issues, m y Word no longer works but I have been using my old computer and have had a lot of creativity in this area lately. 

Overall - January has been a month where a lot happened out of my control. I started off well with working out and watching my sugar. These are goals I am working on monthly. But I think the biggest goal that my husband & I accomplished this month were a lot of little things - we have a better system of keeping our house clean so we don't have to make it a binge clean when people come over. We tried out a new church this weekend that we really love. It's in a period of growth and we're excited about the opportunities for our own growth by getting involved. Today I will be making my February goals & from my experience this month, I've made more of an effort to make realistic goals instead of pushing myself too hard. 

Feel free to check back here tomorrow for my weekly linkups - So What Wednesday & Girl Between the Lines. You stay classy & thanks for stopping by! 

TGBTL Week #4.

Happy New Year, loves! Excited for the linkup to be back, I felt like something was missing from my day & when the calendar reminder came on my phone last night - I smiled with pangs of bittersweet feeling, knowing that it was Christmas and that there would be no link up. Anywho, we're back, its a new year & back to linking up. This year - I've adopted the word 'transparency' in terms of how I view the next 365 days that have a purpose in line. I have a Biggest Loser amt of weight to lose to be ready for Baby #1. I have theme park passes & I am all about enjoying the adventures I seek out or find myself in.

2014 Adventures thus far:
Visited & enjoyed Epcot & MGM with my hubs.

Soaking up the rainy day that Orlando has by cuddling w/ my pups.
Tomorrow after the dentist: Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom w/ a showing of Anchorman 2.
& the list goes on.

Here's to the unforgettable adventures in 2014 for each of us.

You stay classy & thanks for stopping by. - Jessica