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!

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.

Friday Letters

Dear Friday, thank you for finally getting here. I have been waiting not-so-patiently  for you all week long. Dear Boss, thank you so very much for the raise. It feels so good to be appreciated for all the hard work I do. Not to gloat, or anything. Dear Sunshine, I love you. I really do. But I am tired of 100 degree weather. So thanks for getting back into the 80s this weekend. Dear Backstreet Boys, thank you for being my guilty pleasure. How else could I escape to the 90s without you?  Dear Scooter, Didn’t we talk about this last week? PLEASE stop waking me up right before my alarm. I really need my beauty sleep to become the gorgeous creature I have to become every single day. Dear Dakota, thank you for the surprise of champagne and cookies this week. I think this should become a weekly ritual. Dear Disney Songs, listening to you makes me dance. And be more creative. And happy. And lots of other things. Thanks for being on Spotify so I can listen to you all day long. Dear Uncle Kracker, Thanks for writing “Good to be Me”, it has been my theme song since it came out. Why? Because, damn, it feels good to be me. Dear Dakota, I wish you had the weekend off again. I love doing nothing with you.  Dear Frank Beddor, you write increasingly addictive books. I just can’t put them down. I wish I could write my blog like that. Can you send me some tips? Kthanx.

Family Reunion

I haven’t shared very many pictures of my own lately.

Because I am a bad blogger.

And most of the pictures I have taken lately have been of Waterman gates.

It’s been all work and no play for my poor camera.

Well, the situation has been rectified!
I finally got some pictures worth showing you.
Because I am very self-concious. Even though I am probably the only one reading this blog.
Probably because I say “because” so much.

I’ll work on that.

Ahem.

Anyways.

My Aunt Jonye came back home to California from Texas (I say home, but really she has lived longer in Texas than she did here..) and I have to spent a large amount of time with her whenever she is around.

Because I love her.

And because I love you guys, here are some pictures! This is my first time making a collage type thing, so be nice. 🙂

 

Friday Letters

Dear Dakota, thank you for curling up with me and watching Jack and Jill, no matter if you were feeling too sick to go do other things. Dear Truck, thank you for not doing that not-wanting-

to-start-thing. I guess that talking-to I gave you helped. Keep it up. Dear brother-in-law, please stop eating my cereal. when you pay rent I might share my cocoa pebbles. Until then, you are

eating my primary source of food. Stop it. Dear Abigail, I’m sorry that your birthday wasn’t the best ever, but I am glad your truck is getting fixed! Dear Brother, I miss you more every day.

I can’t wait for the news if you are being stationed here! And I can’t wait until you come to visit in October, too! Dear Weekly Review, I am looking forward to you tomorrow. Nothing I like

more than to scratch 3 things off my to-do list and add 50 more. Dear Scooter, Please stop meowing at me at 4:30 AM. I am aware I don’t wake up that early anymore. I don’t need you as my

alarm clock. Especially since what you want is for me to lay out Dakota’s blanket. He’s not the one who wakes up for you. I am. I will lock you out next time. Dear Friday Night, why are you taking so long to get here?! Dakota’s off and I want to drink! Hurry it up, bro.Dear Microsoft, please program a way for me to put two spreadsheets on my seperate monitors. I really hate having to switch back and forth. It’s annoying.

Lots of love,

Jessica ❤

The Kind of Week We’ve Had

Me: “I feel like a chicken with its head cut off. ”
Abby: “I feel like the chicken’s head.”

(Seriously, though. I was laughing about that for like five minutes. People in my office thought I was crazy. Well, it just made their belief stronger.)

Oh well. At least we have each other. And Starbucks.