February Goals.

Happy Friday, loves :)

I think this is a new tradition - to find some pretty fantastic laughs to start off my weekend. Because these are all attitudes or thoughts that have crossed my mind today.

But in other news - my biggest highlight of the week: Paid off my highest unsub loan.  (Sallie Mae screwed me in the process so its not totes gone - super thrilled for that $1.53 payment next month!)

Tomorrow is February 1st. That is insane! I wanted to go ahead and get my February goals out there so that I can start off the month strong. 

February 2014 Goals:

1) Exercise + Great choices daily = Lower size! (Counting down til cruise)

2) Drink more water daily.

3) Monitor my 'Treat Yo Self' days better.

4) Experiment in kitchen more.

5) Be on the lookout for DIY projects that are realistic & affordable. 

I am excited about these simpler goals. I feel like February will be a great month even when my Girl Scout cookies arrive. I really wanted to weigh less for our Disney cruise in March but I still have 6 weeks to make a dent. YAY. Happy Friday! - Jessica

Be You, Be Beautiful.

Happy Thursday, friends :) These past few days I have been having all these ideas for my book shindig run through my head and all sorts of other ideas that really don't take precedence just yet ;)

Today I am jamming out to 'Roar' by Katy Perry on my iPod and its literally on repeat, much to the likes of my coworkers but this is my jam. I remember when I first heard this song on the radio and it seemed like another Katy Perry song - something cute but it didn't really impact me. Though since all radio stations seem to overplay music, I was hearing it all the time and the more I heard it - the more I needed it on my iPod.

Some of the lines in this song have really made me smile because I relate to them so well.

'I went from zero to my own hero.' 'I am a champion and you're going to hear me roar.'

When I tell people that I am writing a book - they kind of give me this judgy smile like as if to say 'What could you possibly have to say?' Like they judge me before they've even read anything I have to say. It bothers me sometimes because this book is my pride and joy. I started working on it in 2006. It's been kind of pushed around for these last few years because I've been in transition whether it was switching colleges, moving to Kansas, falling in love with my mister and all sorts of other fun things. '

But now that I am settled - I am ready to write and let my inspiration be used to benefit the lives of teen girls/college girls/adult girls around me. The main reason I am writing a book is that I strongly believe from my countless experiences, both positive and negative that my voice is important and worth sharing it for the opportunity to encourage ladies who may find themselves in the same situation(s) that I did while growing up. I dealt with alot of tears in my formative years from boys, being bullied, mean girls, the whole weight thing and I just strongly believe that if I can share my experiences to be able to prevent even 1 girl somewhere from having to deal with unnecessary pain and frustration than I will feel greatly accomplished.

I am excited for this process and all that will possibly happen in terms of future opportunities by doing this. Writing has always been a therapeutic outlet for me and I believe that there could be doors that open for me in publishing this book.

For those who have had their hearts broken, or have had their own experiences I would love to talk more with you about this. I want to talk to you, and when more chapters are in process find individuals who're interested in sharing to potentially end up being included in my book.

Be You, Be Beautiful will be discussed in my book and I am interested in hearing what you think of this saying in your own life - whether its about you, how its helped you overcome past difficulties or how you would encourage other ladies with this in your own way. (Loaded question, I know!)

Thanks for stopping by! :)

TGBTL Week 8: All Grown Up

Happy Wednesday, loves & for those of you stopping by my blog - welcome. Today & every Wednesday, I linkup with two fantastic ladies - Hayley & Lauren for the Girl Between the Lines linkup.

Today's topic is: We're all grown up but how did we turn out based on what we wanted (back in the day)?

When I was a little girl, I used to lay awake at night and wonder what I would be like in my teens and on. I loved playing house with my dolls or by myself - and I knew even then that someday I'd be married, with kids of my own & with my own place. I was all excited to look through my papers from back in zee day but I quickly realized that they're in a bin that is not easily accessible. So I found what I could and it still made me laugh at how cute I was.

Here are some highlights of my childhood - when I was six, I was obsessed with Ariel & the Little Mermaid - in fact that was my birthday as shown below. Complete with my mom's talented sewing to make my dress all Ariel and those were all the gifts - I was convinced greatly that I would become a mermaid. That changed later on when I wanted to be a teacher.

I've kept that love of Little Mermaid alive - though. That was my favorite birthday present last year.

I found this gem above and I personally think it is super cute & made me laugh a few times. A few other of my favorite things were 'Mall Madness' , "Full House & Boy Meets World" and those addictive Mary Kate & Ashley videos - that I still own somewhere.

All in all - I feel like there were some ups & downs in my life, a few regrets that are out of my control but I am the absolute happiest with my life now that if any thing happened differently when I was little - I may or may not have ended up where I am.

There is probably more I could add but this one is sick & needs to hit the hay before I crash. Thanks for popping by! - J

SO What, Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday, loves. Today I am linking up with Shannon over at 'Life After I Dew' for the oh so popular 'So What Wednesday' & she has kept it fresh by changing the direction. 

This week I am saying SO WHAT if.. 

I have a cold and that just happened to start on top of it? Everyone in America is dealing with the polar vortex shindig of some sorts and while I live in Florida - it is getting frigid here too, y'all. I've had this sinusy thing for too long. I should work out when I come home but as you can tell being sick drains all energy and possible motivation. Last night - I got home, watched Life of Pi (amazing!) & snacked on gummy bears. Yes, its not nutritious and with my weight loss - its not helping. But every once in a great while- gummy bears is perfection. 

That's really all I got this week. I take Shannon's new direction and I just don't feel like being negative about stuff. I don't love the frigid weather and how in  Florida its 80 today and 20 tomorrow. I don't love getting up to go to work when its cold -- but its part of life and I just deal with it & put on my jams so at least if a dance sesh happens in the am -- that's the silver lining :)

Thanks for stopping by, you stay classy! 

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 #7: Tangible Pride & Joy.

**Disclaimer: This post was intended for Wednesday but due to being sick & technical issues - it just didn't happen. But wanted to get it out there because its a great prompt to share.**

Happy Wednesday, loves. It's been a long week thus far & its only going to continue. Definitely doesn't help that its 25 degrees in Florida & the wind is killer. For those of you just stopping by my blog - WELCOME. Every Wednesday I link up w/ other fantastic women for the 'Girl Between the Lines' goodness. This week we are sharing our most tangible items we hold dearest.

Last week I was trying to find my item for last week's linkup. What I found besides it is something I hold even closer to my heart. I've kept most of the letters from my grandparents since I was a little girl. I am very close to my family. My phone is dead & I am not able to take a picture at this time but just know there is a plethora. All my grandparents on my dad's side have all passed on and I am the absolutest closest to them. I think what makes these notes extremely special to me is that because when I was younger - I used to live closer (distance wise) to my extended family. When my dad was transferred down to Florida, I've missed going to our family get together's, Christmases & Thanksgiving dinners annually. By reading these notes, it not only brought a tear to my eye but a warm feeling in my heart because I am blessed to have the most incredible family in the world.

Along with these letters, I also have a few handmade items from my grandma who went to be with the Lord in 1997 from breast cancer. She was a very beautiful woman, talented in many areas. Two of these items deserve a picture - which I will update gladly this weekend. My family gave me one of my grandma's paintings and a mini wooden horse that she hand painted. My house looks brighter knowing that my grandma's beautiful painting has added richness that you can't get elsewhere.

You stay classy & thanks for stopping by! 

TGBTL Week #6: Best Advice

Happy Wednesday, loves. For all of you just stopping by - welcome. I'm super glad you're here. Today & every Wednesday, I link up with Hayley & Lauren for the Girl Between the Lines. Been meeting some fantastic new friends & I enjoy reading their posts every week. If you'd like to join, feel free to click HERE for more info.

Today's prompt: Best Advice I've ever received.

I've been fairly blessed to have some people in my life who are full of wisdom and don't mind sharing. That said, I am going to share two great examples of advice/wisdom shared. The first is from my wedding. For my guestbook, I asked my guests to share wisdom with us - I found that most of them stuck with 'Don't go to bed angry!' Kind of wish I had gotten more variety but I still enjoyed reading them. (Side note: My mom is a talented woman, she took everything from my wedding & made it into a scrapbook - it's one of those things I'll cherish forever.)**

On the same level of greatness - the morning I was walking to graduate college {May 2, 2009} - my dad hand wrote me a letter that he had written specifically for my big day. He reminded me that I am set apart. He reminds me daily of advice that is incredible. Every time I read this letter to this day, my eyes well up with tears because his writing and his encouragement just get me through those hard moments. Here is a snapshot for you but just know that its one of those items you get in life that you will never part with. I plan on re-enacting it with my kids one day when they've graduated college & hopefully they will keep this up in the future.

Thanks for stopping by! You stay classy.