I’ve been considering this for a while.. and finally took the plunge!
We’ve moved to Blogger.
Come check us out here.
Disconnecting and Unwinding
So, you may have noticed that I have been a bad blogger lately.
Or maybe you haven’t. Who knows.
Anyway, I have just been overwhelmed. Burned out. Tired.
In need of a huge glass of wine.
I needed a break.
Luckily, Dakota’s annual trip to the mountains was coming up. So I decided to take a day off and join him for a night (he was gone for a WEEK! Four years together and I still miss him like crazy when he’s gone!)
And by golly, I am so glad I went. It was nice to not have cell phone reception and not have to be anywhere, or really have to do anything except laugh, hang out, read, and spend some much needed quality time with my beau.
The mountain air felt amazing. I can’t wait for cold weather.
Dakota and I took a few walks together, just the two of us, and talked. It was, for lack of a better word, awesome. Definitely plan on going again later in the season, and next year.
I think in our world today, we are too focused on productivity, getting things done, and being the best that we can be all. the. time.
I think that is a noble goal, but we are only human. Our bodies can only take so much abuse. And mine was about to give out. My mini-vacation came at a great time.
My advice to you on this Monday, is take the time to relax. Turn off your cell phone. Give your loved ones a nice big hug. It feels great.
Your body will thank you for it.
And, because you have been so good, here are some pictures from my trip (my camera battery was dying – I forgot the spare! :() I didn’t get that many because I finally got a good stiff drink..or two…..
Happy Monday!
Little Letters
Source: Pinterest
Dear Friday, Why did you take so long to get here? I’ve been waiting for you all week! Dear Dakota, thank you for all the cleaning you did this week. It’s pretty much the way to my heart. That and chocolate. Dear Loki, thank you for laying down with me a few times this week. It makes me realize that you aren’t always bat shit crazy. Dear Dakota, I will miss you while you are in the mountains next week. It is so hard having you sleep next to me. But I am happy I will get to join you for a night! Dear Calendar, can we fast forward to the 24th please so that I can get away and disconnect and just read books? I need those pine trees! Dear Abby, I miss your face. It has been hard with me working so much and with you in a new relationship, but we will get through it. Dear Readers, would you ever buy some of my artwork as prints? I am considering moving forward in a new venture. Let me know what you think, or what you would buy. Happy Friday, Loves!
To my future self
Dear future self,
I hope you are doing well.
I hope you still cuddle up to Dakota and try to ignore the alarm.
I hope you still let him cook the bacon.
I hope you still love the way his hair smells.
I hope he still holds you tighter when you cry.
I hope you still put your forehead against his and watch the way his eyes smile.
On the other hand, if you have any of these things, I know you will be just fine.
I’m still here!
I just wanted to let you guys know that I am still around. Just not as much on the blogging world. I am sorry.
I have been working 12 (or more!) hour days on a new venture that I hope to share with you soon.
I am exhausted, but I am having the time of my life!
I hope you are doing the same.
I’ll catch you up this weekend. I hope.
Wordfull Wednesday – Instagram
I love mornings at work. Very calming and beautiful to watch the sun come up over the mountains.
Abigail, Marina, and I played Dakota and Skyler at Trivial Pursuit. I was surprised by how many answers I knew!
Yes, I am a Cat-agramer. But he is so cute! And so wacko-crazy! Right now he is trying to attack me as I type on my laptop. I think he is a blogger at heart!
This is probably my favorite instagram picture ever. My two boys, playing with each other. There were a few cute ones after this, where Dakota was hitting Loki with his hair. It was too cute. It warmed my heart!
Have you been taking Instagram pics this week? We’d love to have you link up at #iPPP!
July So Far
So far, July has been off to a good start.
Because I have been lazy about weekly Instagram posts, here is my life in July so far through Instagram.
1) Loki after staying up all night crying. He doesn’t like his crate. He has since gotten used to it a bit, because whenever I put him in it (even in the middle of the day if he’s particularly rambunctious..yes, I am a bad fur-parent) he just curls up and goes to sleep. I think he just accepts it.
2) Loki. Taken about two seconds after the first picture. I thought he was finally relaxing but it seems that I was wrong. He went absolutely bat shit crazy.
3) The craziness makes his sleep that much sweeter. I love watching him sleep.
4) One of the rare occurances of me wearing full make up. On Saturday, I went to the wedding of two of the sweetest people I have ever met and had the pleasure to work with. I took Abigail. It was very sweet and I am not ashamed to admit that I cried in more than one spot. There were a lot of laughs. Especially when, in the vows, they promised each other to spoil their Great Dane. After five years of engagement, the title of the day was FINALLY!
5) The centerpiece of our table, “Fishie”. All of the tables were named after their dog’s favorite toys. I was seated with one of my coworkers and his wife. It was nice to spend sometime outside of work. We did talk about work quite a bit, but that’s what happens when coworkers get together!
6) I love when Loki curls up next to me. He is adorable.
7) I can’t explain why I took this picture. I think I was bored. I’m trying to get over my disdain of pictures of myself. ESPECIALLY smiling. So I am trying. What do you think?
8) I know. Enough pictures of the cat. But he just cracks me up sometimes with the way he sleeps.
9) My adorable pair of shoes! $8 at Target! They got a little scuffed at work (I do work in manufacturing — this should’ve dawned on me before I wore them to work but I wouldn’t be who I am if I did. ) They are still cute though. Suede is just hard.
And, I’ve been thinking that if I do a Project Life project, that it will be easy to write journaling cards if I just go by these posts 😛 So maybe I will be successful afterall.
Book Review : Dedicated Doctor or Baby Broker? by Shawn Graves and Don Canaan
I figured I would try something a little different today, here in my little corner of the blogosphere.
I am supposed to be getting dressed for a wedding, but I just couldn’t put down this book.
And now I have to tell all of you about it while it is fresh in my mind.
——
Dedicated Doctor or Baby Broker?
Both of these stories are focused on a detective from Kingsburg, CA , named Liz Roberts.
In the first novel, Dutiful Daughter, Liz investigates a case of a man being left at the Fresno Fair. I might need to reread this book now that I have finished Dedicated Doctor or Baby Broker? If that happens, I will review it for you here.
In Dedicated Doctor or Baby Broker? , Liz Roberts is on the case of a case of a OB / GYN accused of selling babies in the 1940’s – 1970’s. Ellen Goodman, the doctor, is revered around the Fresno Area as a great doctor and one who has delivered many, many babies.
The description from Amazon.com
“Detective Liz Roberts, who we previously met in Dutiful Daughter (2011) will unravel the truth and uncover seventy years worth of secrets to discover a complicated tale of profound love between two people forbidden by law to be together because of the color of their skin. It is a tale of great sacrifice…and of greater evil.
Meanwhile, Liz Roberts will also unearth a long-buried secret in her own family. A secret that will shake the foundations of her world. ”
And, you know what? As cheesy as I typically find book descriptions, this one is absolutely correct. This is not a book you will be able to read and put down. This is a book you pick up and read from start to finish, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Now that I’ve admitted to my book addiction, let’s get down to the hard facts.
The characters: The characters in this book are, not surprisingly, given the first book, very well developed. Ellen Goodman, for example, is such a real character that I wouldn’t be surprised to meet her on the street. At certain parts of the story, you find yourself feeling so horrible for Ellen and wanting to hug her and console her, but there are also times when you want to slap that grin off her face. But that is what makes these books (and the author, Shawn Graves) so great. She realizes that real people are not so black and white. Her characters are real in that they have both bad qualities and good. And that makes them so real.
The story: I already said I couldn’t put this book down. The story is so gripping that I couldn’t even stop reading to eat or sleep. Seriously. And the great thing about this story is that there are no loose ends. By the end of the novel, all the questions that you may have are answered. Author Shawn Graves must have been plotting this novel for a very long time, but I know she didn’t, considering how close the novels were released. In such a short amount of time, the author was able to lay out a story with such historical references and such twists in the plot that end up so nice and finished at the end that I appauld her hard work and dedication. I know I for one couldn’t do that.
My take: Read this book. Now. Seriously, click the link above to check it out. As far as I know, it is only available on Kindle at the moment, but Dutiful Daughter was released on the Nook and in paperbook shortly after release. I have been finished with this book for about 30 minutes or so now, and my mind is so completely blown that I can’t even stop thinking about it.
TOO LONG / DIDN’T READ: Click the link for the book. Buy it. Read it. Review it. It will blow your mind.
Take my word for it.
And let me know in the comments if this is the kind of feature you would like to see on a regular basis here at Jessie Kay Graphics and Design! Lord knows I read enough books.
Five Question Friday
I am so thankful that is already Friday! I love Fridays!
Here’s my Five Question Friday, to celebrate!
1. Is love at 1st sight possible?
I think so. With Dakota, the moment I sat next to him in class I just felt (and this is totally cheesy, but dude, I keep it real.) fireworks. I had to get to know him.
I don’t think I was old enough to know what love really was (I thought I did then, but I was 17. I was not always the smartest!)
I think it is, at least initailly, infatuation at first sight. You can’t really love someone until you really know them. I always think I couldn’t love him more, I am always proven wrong. He always ends up doing something even cuter / sexier / smarter (or he just shoots his bow.. seriously. Sexiest thing ever. Don’t believe me, look at Hawk Eye. I rest my case.)
2. How did you choose your pet’s name?
Well, I didn’t get to name Scooter. Then again, neither did Dakota. His mom named her before they figured out she was a girl.
Our poor cat has a boy’s name. Some people say it is unisex, but I think it is TOTALLY a boy name. Poor thing.
But don’t tell her that. She has teeth. And knows how to use them.
Loki, on the other hand, we did name. And boy, was it difficult. When we first decided to get a kitten I thought I would be getting an orange one. I was going to name him Aslan. Like from Narnia. Perfect, right?
Well, guess what. We didn’t get the orange kitten. We got this grey, fluffy, little hunk of love.
Dakota wanted to name him Alduin, Destroyer of Worlds. I’m sorry, dude, but I’m not naming my cat after a DRAGON.
Instead, I named him Loki, after my favorite villain. Kinda funny now that I think about it, but Alduin is the God of Destruction, and in Norse mythology, Loki is the God of Mischief.
Either way, I think we are setting ourselves up here. What do you think? Does he look evil?
3. What are you considering giving up (cable, home phone)?
Soda. I have done it so many times. The stupid thing is, I feel so much better when I don’t drink soda. But I keep going back to it. Any ideas why?
Do I just get to addicted to things too easily?
4. How much do you pay your babysitter?
Well, we don’t have any kids, but I would pay at least minimum wage. If I couldn’t afford it, that’s the good part about having my Mama nearby.
And Dakota’s parents. And his grandparents.
I think we got it covered.
5. How “young” is old enough to babysit?
Well, when my brother and I were kids we didn’t really get babysitters outside of our family, due to one really bad experience with a babysitter when I was a baby. (I’ll tell this story later on maybe, but I had a seizure and the woman DIDN’T CALL MY MOTHER. She thought she was too busy at work. Needless to say, my mom reported her. That’s just not good.)
We mostly stayed with my grandma before she passed away.
But on weekdays and what not, and after we got past 11 or so (after Grandma passed away), we were latch-key kids. I honestly think that it helps kids learn to entertain themselves. Don’t get me wrong, we went to Boys and Girls club for many years. But at that point we were old enough to stay on our own. And since my brother and I were only 18 months apart, it wasn’t like I was really watching him. It was more like making sure the house didn’t burn down.
I think with my kids, I will do something similar. I would like to keep them with family for the most part. At least until I can trust a babysitter. And probably around 12, I will let them stay at home alone for a few hours. But, I know when I become a parent, that could totally change. That’s parenthood for you.
Follow Me
Jessie Kay Graphics and Design 