Why we plan our A D V E N T U R E S.

To answer this simply, hubs & I are planners.

 From as early as I can remember, I've been the girl who got really excited for 'Back to School' shopping. & not for the reason of school supplies. I did love getting new stuff but my fave part was picking out a cutesy planner for the year. By the end of my semesters in college, I'd legit have like 3-4 planners. Yeah. #awkward - No one needs that many planners! I'd plan to buy more planners. When I met my husband, I am pretty sure he thought intially this weird obsessive planning streak was NOT attractive. ;)

I've been really happily blessed to do life with the man of mine. Our 1st big adventure - I moved from my hometown after graduating college halfway around the world to Kansas, small town life - for him. No regrets - I'd do it again in a heartbeat!! When we first started dating & had a lot more time on our hands - we could afford to do things on a whim. We could take a night at the carnival after our graduate classes ended. We could walk from our apartment to the snow cone shop at the end of the road at 10pm. We bought a car together. We adopted our two dogs together. We made promises to live our lives together, one adventure at a time. Sometimes it feels like our life gets clogged up, midst the dreams to travel, live at Disney ;), and take all of the cruises we find. It really genuinely feels like that at times.

Because our adventures have kind of transformed into other areas of our life - we have mini adventures of sorts: We're both getting fit/healthy so we can start a family. We make our fast passes so we can enjoy our frequent Disney trips without standing in line for 75 minutes. I coupon/use apps and save money while babysitting here & there so to pay down student loan debt. We live pretty frugally for the purpose of paying down loans faster. We take care of our house, inside and out for the idea of having a sanctuary after work - something to be proud of. To really live on the wild side, I keep Groupon and Target on my fingertips to find more date nights/home decor that we love.

We make our vacation plans well in advance for our own reasons. Sometimes we stay up late talking. Regardless of the adventures we want to have, we'll always be planning first. One day the student loans and the mortgage will be paid off, we'll have a family and we'll be parents making decisions to make sure our kids have adventures of their own. But for right now, I am a planner who loves her adventures.

Thanks for stopping by! ~ The Robinsons, xo.

Oh, Hey Friday! {Weekend Edition!}

Happy Friday, y'all!

Today I am joining up with September Farm + The Farmer's Wife for another 'Oh Hey, Friday!' {Weekend Edition!}

It's Friday and honestly what's been going through my mind is this lyric from N*Sync! "Just got paid & it's Friday night." You know the teen in you is singing these lyrics loud & proud, ladies :) 

Okay. First I want to celebrate + share the top 5 moments of my (long) week:

1.  I just finished my Christmas shopping for my family tonight with the exception of a Starbucks gift card that is yet to be ordered. Not going to lie - I did sneak in a few items for myself including this gem because I heart Disney!

2. All of my Christmas shopping + online shopping lately has gone through Ebates first. They give you cash back on your purchases and after x amt - you get a nice, fat check! That kind of helps soften the blow! 

3. As I am sure you read yesterday + today, I am too blessed to be stressed from the result of my car accident on Wednesday - car is already in the shop + I have fallen in love with my rental. My car will get fixed and hopefully less idiots will be out driving while I am trying to get to work. Ahh, probably not but I can hope, right? 

4. I didn't have the chance to get Starbucks on my birthday like usual but thanks to my mom + Target coupons + having the day off to take care of my car situation - I treated myself to a Salted Caramel Mocha and it made me pretty happy. I think the whole time Chris was watching the clock but I was happy to get a Starbucks/Target trip today. 

5. Tomorrow night after work I get to celebrate some of the birthday swag I got & cash in on my free Coldstone ice cream with my best friend! Hooray for girl time + Birthday cake ice cream :) #bestiedates 

All in all - it's Friday//Payday. The weekend is here - date night tomorrow with Chris + relaxing at home//wife duties. 

Thanks for stopping by. I'll see you Monday for my next #dearladies post to encourage & inspire :)  Xo ~ Jessica

//August Weekend Update//

I didn't expect to take a month hiatus from blogging because its my creative outlet but after I returned from vacation - it just kind of happened. I was wrestling internally if it was something I wanted to keep doing or if I wanted to pull the plug - and here I am. I think if I stopped - it wouldn't be permanent because I enjoy it. I may never have a huge audience but if I impact the life of one person for the better - I am happy. 

So. lately on my mind - I've been bitten or re-bitten by my true passion. When my mom graduated with her Master's last month - I baked her a graduation cake to celebrate with family. I realized that is my biggest passion in life besides scrapbooking, if I could open my own bakery - and get my book published through Amazon - than I will feel accomplished. For now - my kitchen is my "bakery" but I will never stop finding more kitchen tools to get my hands on for practice. 

Here is what I've been up to this month in no particular order. :) 

I bought this set of 3 mini springform pans from Target and I love it. I am planning on using them in a few weeks when I get my ladies together for some cheesecake. Then to celebrate my Dad/SIL's birthdays I am making us all individual cakes with these. I like to partake in the calories and my dad doesn't. 

I also have my eyes on a few more baking tools - new pans, cookie cutters - this excites me. :) 

This summer I really wanted to work on my house on the inside - which we have. I always seem to catch the sales at Target when I want something and I came across these collage frames that just look fantastic. I basically fell in love with them - I bought a second last weekend and am planning how to use it. The first captured our adventures so well - make them look really snazzy. 

I am a Taylor Swift fan. If you see me on the way to work - I am usually belting out one of her songs in the car with a big smile on my face. I was pretty psyched last week when she announced her new album and I absolutely love her new single 'Shake It Off' .. Probably because I relate to the underlining message - forget the haters & enjoy who you are! That's me everyday. :) I am in the process of pre-ordering the deluxe version at Target! 

Yesterday I spent the day at my parents house. It was nice to relax while simultaneously being welcomed. I helped my mom organize and clean out the office. I helped my nephew read his book about trucks. I watched HGTV with my favorite pup. My mom and i made plans for my birthday. My sister welcomed me with a big hug when I arrived. I haven't seen them in a while so it was nice to have a fun day with them while helping them. 

Last weekend my fam and I celebrated my mom's new Master's degree. I made a cake and we celebrated the graduate. Before my sistas and I were cheesin together. We love to have our own Photoshoots. 

My birthday is in a little over a month away and I am excited. It's my last birthday in my twenties. It's going to be a great year for many reasons:

1) Sometime in the year I am going to hit my weight loss goal.

2. I will hit 4 years at my job.

3. I will celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary.

4. I will celebrate being an aunt for the second time!

5. I will be going on another Disney cruise. 

Thanks for stopping by. Glad to be back on my blog. 

~ jessica 

Five on Friday!

HOORAY!! We made it to Friday!

Time to share my positives of the week.. 

1. I cashed out on some giftcards and bought new towels for our household. 

2. I am addicted to working out! I love the joy and the hardwork. I've lost 4 lbs this month and this quote makes me feel invincible. I am excited to see more weight melt off and smaller sizes and the pink bikini that I've waited my whole life to wear to the beach. 

3. I get to have a mini golf date with my parents & best half tomorrow night!! 

4. Saturday I get the whole day with my best half on an adventure. Fazoli's for dinner :) :)

I used to work there & was THE breadstick lady. 

5. This dog is my favorite. My bro's dog is incredible. She is super cute and gives the best hugs. :)

Hope you have a fantastic weekend no matter what you're doing. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you back here! If you want to keep up with my adventures feel free to follow me on Instagram HERE! :) 

Thursday Thoughts.

I am so glad this day is over! I walked into work today, knowing it would be crazy and when I got there, someone had called out and I inherited their work on top of my own.

What do you do when you find yourself in this situation?
You immerse yourself in a mini Scandal marathon courtesy of Netflix.
You pet your two beautiful dogs, who sometimes make your life chaotic but like to give you love.
You enjoy some of your favorite snack - i.e. Kettle Sea Salt & Vinegar chips.
You enjoy giftcards from your wedding and peruse what things could be used at home.
You talk to your husband whose smile and hugs take away all stress from that day.
You take the reins of your blog and pop out both posts, while brainstorming your next ones.

Today was not my best day. But when I take a moment to encourage others and thank the Lord that I am actually too blessed to consider myself in a bad rut. I'd like to share my biggest reasons for why I am blessed and overall thankful for everything in my life. Some of these may seem silly but they make me SMILE!

1)

                             
                             

                        

Why am I so blessed you may ask? I met and married my best friend in 2011.

I've been blessed to go on 3 cruises, two of them being Disney Cruises & being introduced to Disney's private island - Castaway Cay in the Caribbean. 

When I have a bad day, and imagine being on a beach - that's where my mind goes, everytime!

Starbucks is a close friend. & that last one? My mantra in life.

I am slightly, well pretty open about my Target addiction.

I have two dogs who always keep me on the go!

I spend many weeknights, weekends at Disney World & wouldn't have it ANY other way.

I have some pretty freaking amazing friends in my life.

& it helps that my guy always keeps me smiling! :)

This is only a sneak peek or a glimpse of why I am blessed. Thanks for stopping by.

& I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow for Five on Friday :) :) 

five (on) FRIDAY faves

                        Happy Friday, friends!

            Goodness – each time I sit down to write a blog post, life gets in the way. Most of the time for good reasons. This week I finally did something good and positive – I started jogging while on my daily pup walks after work. But its FRIDAY & I knew that I needed to write out some faves of my week to share with y’all J

         

  This week at the University I work with was SPRING BREAK!

SUPER nice to not have to wrestle students for parking spots. They’re not technically supposed to be parking in the staff lots but they do & when you’re running late – it just makes those 50 circles around the lot even more frustrating. This week they treated us staff to some of my absolute favorite things: Tijuana Flats, bowling, 4Rivers and yesterday – Jeremiah’s Italian Ice. Made my day.

  This weekend & well tonight – I am going to Epcot for a few rides & fireworks. I’m excited to be back – I get to go so much I feel I’ve taken up residence!

From the Flower & Garden festival - Epcot//April 2014

This weekend while I’m at my second home – I am finally getting a new accessory – Minnie Mouse ears @ 20% off. Thank you purchase from Starbucks at Disney for giving me this opportunity!

Been eyeing this for months!

Last Friday night - I went grocery shopping before Easter & did all my grocery shopping at Target after work. Combined with Cartwheel deals, big ol' stack of coupons and my red card - I saved so much - I was proud. 

Lastly, while shopping – I finally tried out these new delish treats – Birthday Cake M&M’s. Oh my goodness, they have replaced my old fave peanut butter M&M’s. If you ever want chocolate cake and want lower calories, ladies – grab a bag, you won’t be sorry!

Hope you have a truly FANTASTIC weekend. Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I will get rested up this weekend so I can get back to posting more than once a week! ~ J

       

Highlights of my Thanksgiving/Black Friday.

Welp, Thanksgiving is over & I did get to enjoy seconds of my mom's mashed potatoes. Each bite was heavenly & you know its a hit with me when I pass over any other dish on the table for those. Another highlight of my Thanksgiving was this game: Mall Madness. I tend to bring it to my parents when its something fun to do instead of the usual. For the first time ever playing this game - when I went to the bank (to be fair - I was running out of money) it was closed. SEVEN times in a row. Insanity. But it did crack my mom & I up. It also cost me the game because I couldn't afford anything I didn't already have.

 

This year I hit the dessert bug. I made from scratch - pumpkin pie. I don't like pumpkin pie, well I've never had it but the smell of it just makes me feel sick. But I made it for my family because every one else does. For the first time ever - I made a holiday classic pie for my family & it turned out beautifully. I also made Mounds bars as well. We ended up with tons of desserts - 2 extra pies at my parents -- it was overload.

We also braved the stores for Thanksgiving sales & Black Friday today. 

Last night - we braved the cold - it was a windy 50 here but for Florida - that was the killer. (The previous night was 38 with insane winds). We waited outside Kohl's and got my husband's Christmas gifts. 

Today - we planned on Target. I've wanted to go all week. I did score some good deals.

1) 8 opening 'Family' collage

2) Legally Blonde 

3) Talladega Nights

4) A 12 pk of tumblr's for the house. Which we've been needing. 

All for a whopping $28 TOTAL. 

I've also been scouring Amazon all week but yesterday the deals started becoming ones I was interested in.

I just found out I bought the wrong Zumba - which greatly irks me. But I got the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, a beautiful pink infinity scarf, THE playard from our baby registry (we were going to have to buy it regardless - why not save now?) 

But all in all - its been a great start to the holiday season for us. I am already planning out my cooking for Christmas.

& today my husband ordered my Christmas present - a brand new ELLIPTICAL! I can't wait to see how much weight I can lose because sometimes let's be honest - I am motivated to work out on the weekends at 1am. :)

We've been able to be quite productive since getting off work early on Wednesday. Our Christmas tree, lights, some presents are wrapped. Our house is cleaner inside, laundry & dishes are mostly done. Win win all the way around. Cleaning relaxes me.

Weekend Tidbits.

Welp, we made it through another week, congrats. I don't know about you but I couldn't be happier. There were points this week I didn't know if I'd make it in one piece. Part of my transition to a new team has left me turning into a 99 year old woman -- falling asleep at 8:30. Yiiikes. That was different yet serendipidity? Yeah.

I felt the need to update but I don't really have anything big to update. Just a few random things.

One of the ladies I work with do Transformations - a type of physician supervised weight loss. I am debating about if I can with my condition and if its worth it. I've heard great things about women who've kept it off but I am eager to get other perspectives. I've tried my share of diets -- Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins, but the bottom line is -- none of these are magic - they won't let you lose the weight overnight just like you didn't gain the weight in 5 seconds. That is what I need to decide to do.

I am loving that the holidays are right around the corner. I got my Starbucks holiday drink on last weekend even the day of my best friend's wedding. Which, she looked gorgeous & I am so happy for her. Here are a few shots of me & her --

I was lucky enough to celebrate the wedding with two of our friends. The three of us kept the others sane. It was an interesting wedding especially when my friend Katty G caught the bouquet that night again. She caught it at my wedding so I loved it so its a new tradition in a way. But it was great fun to celebrate my bestie and her mister. :) Plus it allowed my mister & I to get a picture together. YAY. We looked schnazzy. :)

Today was probably the best day ever. I am going to get back on track with my squat challenge. Kind of fell off the wagon and rolled around in the mud -- basically just forgot to stay on it. But today I belted out N*Sync on the way into work -- we're talking classic hits like 'Bye, Bye, Bye' & 'It's gonna be meeee!' lol. That will get a smile on my face pulling into work on a Friday. I also made a student loan payment. Been working hard to have a bit extra. It may sound off to others but I honestly am ready to just make more payments. I am actually looking forward to being in repayment.  & then I got this awesome email from Laura over @ The Every Day Joys (if you're not following her blog, well I'm scratching my head as she is fantastic!) -- I won the Hunger Games giveaway on my blog. When I told my husband he was surprised as I just got into this movie series recently. But hey, it always feels nice to win a giveaway. :)

I had to make a sad decision today. I have been obsessed with deals on Moolala lately (kind of like a Groupon that pays you for every deal you buy) - I ordered 5 canvasses and I just kept running into sizing snags. They were going to revolutionize our living room - make it more homey feeling -- but alas, I had to get a refund. So I am bummed but still on the look out for great canvas deals. 

It's been one full week since joining my new team at work & I love it. It will take time to make friends with all the new people but I am loving the non stress and the energy I have. I got home tonight - got laundry going, got the dishes going, made dinner. I think at one point I looked at my husband like 'we can throw a newborn in this -- I got my A game on' Something of that nature. Plus tonight - in other randomness - I was able to buy my dogs' Christmas gifts - basically cutesy treats. They wont really care as they have a ton laying around our house but I am excited to give them the treats.  Essentially I am all done with Christmas shopping in terms of gifts minus my husband. This will happen next week with the incredible Amazon sale. Cannot wait to get some good deals - I am taking part in Target's black friday sale but I have some items I have been saving for. 

Hope you enjoyed my weekend tidbits. I will most likely think of many many more. 

2013 Ultimate Blog Party

Last year when I started blogging for real, I had just missed this awesome event and wrote it down so that I did it this year. Only a tad bit late for my first Ultimate Blog Party :)

Hi, party people! I'm Jessica, and these are a snapshots of me. Up there, I am celebrating with my family for my sister's championship basketball game in Feb '13 and then below with my husband -- we met and have a common LOVE of Disney :) 

My husband and I met online when he worked at Disney four years ago, and got married June 18th, 2011 :) Right now we are getting in shape until God blesses us with our first baby- very excited for that moment! (*This is my favorite engagement picture, technically- there are a few others..*)

I'm work full-time and am in the last 16 days of finishing my Master's degree. I also am an Independent Consultant with Pampered Chef which I greatly enjoy. I also enjoy concerts. coffee, music, Jesus (he's my favorite), DIY projects (thanks to Pinterest), cooking/baking and being an OCD planner. 

On my blog, if you stop by, you'll find a lot of pictures, some daily life grind, and every Friday, I link up to Laura @ Everyday Joy's Fab Friday which is celebrating the good in your life and not the bad. It's my favorite post of the week besides when I give my updates regarding my weight loss journey. I've lost 42 lbs since last year and I have about many more left. I also enjoy sharing Pampered Chef specials and occasional reviews of products since I am a BzzAgent. 

Hope you'll stick around & I'm excited to meet new friends :) 

-Jessica

You can also find me at:

Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Bloglovin

Friday's Letters :)

Saw this last week and I decided to double dip on 2 link ups. That's how I roll.

Dear Weekend, Thank you for making an appearance again in my life & bringing a payday with you. Now I can feel better about taking a nap tomorrow for no reason other than I'm not working.

Dear One Tree Hill, Thank you for having seasons 1-9 available on Netflix :) Makes a great way to spend my evenings, afternoons or time when I need to unwind.

Dear Weather, I love you & thank you for showing your cold self in the bipolar Central Florida scene of killer heat/humidity. I needed a break.

Dear Target- Thank you for your 5% off, and the feeling I get when I come in your stores or on my frequent visits to target.com .. & for your great, great deals.

Dear Craigslist- Thank you for helping my husband & I start to get ready to start our family. While that's not starting til next Spring, its great to have a sturdy changing table for $20 that I love.

Dear Husband- Thank you for buying us Universal season passes. We both saw that renewal email with a special lock-in price that we both know we'll be going for.

Dear iPhone- I used to love you, in fact I thought my life would be insanely better with you by my side. However that feeling jumped out the window as now whenever I pass a brick wall, a pond or something relatively hard that could crush you into a million pieces-- I have to hold back all feelings of giving into that desire. Between you, me & the internet-- I'm counting down the days til I can part ways with you. && make a FB status that doesn't have some horribly nonsensical spelling error or jibberish in the middle that makes it sound insane.

So What, Wednesday! :)

1. I should be embarrassed to be seen in public with this massive bun on top of my head from this morning. I felt pretty stylish at work.
2. I've watched One Tree Hill on Netflix for the past 3 days & I'm not ashamed. 
3. I made brownies last night & they've disappeared. In fact, I had a brownie for breakfast. At least they're gone & my weight loss can continue.
4. Despite #3, my hubby is making us turkey bacon for dinner. Fave meal hands down.
5. The number one reason my printer runs out of ink: coupons. That night is tonight!
6. We're not trying for our first baby til this fall but my Amazon baby registry is all updated per ideas I found on Pinterest.
7. With #6 in mind, I'm shopping the big baby sale at Target daily. I think I just like adding items to my cart.
8. While at work today, I made a pre-baby bucket & that kept me occupied for 7 hours. 

Mind overload.

Today wasn't my best day but thankfully I'm feeling better than when I got home from work last night.

I think I am going to start opening up my posts with encouraging scripture (to help keep me positive) & quote of someone whose achieved greatness. I feel like its helpful to share other perspective as no matter how bad my day is or whatever my thought process is--  it's important to be positive.

So, ever since I was in high school, one of my favorite verses in the world has been Proverbs 16:3.

Put God in charge of your work & what you have planned will take place. (The Message)

Sooo.. My mind has been feeling a bit of overload lately. So, I am just gonna unpack my head and talk through it all.

First, my husband feels I am starting to hoard. A few weeks ago, my parents brought some more of my stuff over to our house so that I could go through it and decide if I wanted it. One of those items was one of my favorite items from childhood: my dollhouse that I got as a little girl. When I grew up, I wanted to keep it and give it to my future daughters. This morning, my husband reminded me that most kids want new stuff and won't care about sentimental things. So, now I am torn what to do. Any ideas would be great.

Secondly, I am thankful for my job but its not what I went to college for. I realize that unless your a teacher, doctor, lawyer, etc-- that you could be in this boat too. Everywhere around me people in my life are working at something they are somewhat passionate about. I am passionate about writing but my day job is verifying/packaging financial aid. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful (especially in this economy) to have a job. But I just wish I was in a job that made me feel like I am accomplishing something big. April 2013 is when I graduate with my Master's & I just want to use it to be the best version of myself.

Thirdly, a few years ago, I had an accident at WalMart that involved slipping in a puddle and slamming my head against a door in the frozen food section. I also hurt my knee in the process, and every once in awhile, the pain comes back. This week its back when I am trying to wrap up my January with a big amt of pounds lost.

Fourthly-  Since my husband & I have seriously started talking about trying for our first baby, it just so happens my alternative home, Target is having their baby clearance sale & I'm also keeping Craigslist/garage sales on my mind. This is my first kid & since I've had hypothyroidism my whole life, I am just trying to stay positive and know that my first baby is going to come and change my life. I'm sure this is nervous for a 20 something lady to be nervous but I'm just ready to have a baby but to get pregnant, I have to be the best version of myself & finally lose the weight I've dealt with since I was 11.

On top of these 4 big things on my mind comes the typical thoughts of ... 'boy, my house feels really messy!' 'Boy, I am so ready to be healthy.' I've never been a runner but I am determined to change that. I am tired of telling myself I can't. March 2nd, I am changing that. I am running the Central Florida Children's 5k that my dad so graciously registered me for.

That's not all, I am determined to start training and working up to a 15 minute mile to run with my family at the OUC Half Marathon in Downtown Orlando this December.. :) & then Jan 2014- my first Color Run with my best friends.

So, I felt I wanted to encourage myself knowing that I am not gonna tell myself - I can't run and that I am going to be the best version of myself. I am going to jog/run in 3 runs. & I am going to lose the remaining 85 lbs by my birthday on 10/3.

Hope you all have an incredible week. Any tips or suggestions, feel free to send them my way.