J & J

'P' is for....

2010-01-26T23:39:00.000-08:00

Soon enough... I'll be a P, rather than a W. When I was young, this initial was such an annoyance. Always being last in line, last called upon in class, and always in a different group than friends... that's what you get having one of the most common last names - Williams. Now I look at this name and feel so proud; it's so strong and has a great presence about it... plus, they save the best for last, right? ;)

However, in 247 days (so says my countdown)... I will become a Picken! :) In honor of this bittersweet change, I'd love to incorporate this new letter in my life, in our house. I've always loved the use of initials in home decorating, but these are a piece of art in themselves... I WANT ONE... a P! If I'm lucky, I just may win one from the lovely Laura of Laura Rae Designs, as she's currently having a giveaway on her blog The 6 La La's - enter to win!

Wish me luck! :) Love ~J

Wedding on the Brain

2010-01-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

I have a whole LOT of wedding on my brain lately, for obvious reasons. So many things going on these days... too much to fit in this post, with the amount of time left in my night. I'll just leave you with one of my favorite obsessions... Style Me Pretty. Their tagline 'Obsessions for Brides' is oh so true. I love every aspect of this website! So much so, that it is one of the feeds in my Google Reader that I will actually open up the site separately, so that I can also peak at the beautiful aqua decor of the site while I get lost in the most beautiful wedding pictures, DIY ideas, and vendors.

I see a lot of weddings on this and other blogs, but the wedding featured on today's post has got to be one of the most beautiful ones I've seen... ever. Here's a snippet to leave you with... definitely check out the rest here!

The chandeliers from the vine overhang... the perfect blue linens & chair covers... the beautiful rich neverending farm-style tables & chairs... AHHH, I could go on... I want to go to there! :)

Oh, and by the way... my wedding dress came in already! I got to see it tonight... it.was.PERFECT!

Elegant Classic

2009-11-23T00:48:00.000-08:00

... Or at least that's what HomeGoods StyleScope results told me... And to be honest, I think it was just about spot on! So suprising, because sometimes I really struggle with what my true style sense is. I think it is fully understandable and okay for someone to gravitate towards a few different styles. However, in my recent attempts to narrow down the decor and style for the rooms in our house, I've noticed a definite trend: neutral, classic combined with contemporary, and love for vintage & unique accents. Is this our style? Probably not, but we do love a lot of the same things. The main one is all-around color preferences. Don't get me wrong, I love color, but in looking at picture after picture throughout the blogosphere, my inspiration documentation made me realize one thing... I love neutrals. If I could guess, maybe it's because my subconscious craves some simplicity and cleanliness to my often cluttered rooms. :) I ain't gonna lie. Anyways, Jeff has never been a fan of using bright colors in our decor, unless just as an accent. Through this new process of decorating an entire house I've learned that this is something I do not have to fight. So many trends, along side the ambition to finally do something fun with our new space (meaning not an apartment with limitations), made me feel like we needed to do something bold - add big colored accent walls or paint entire rooms - this just isn't the case. Now, I am okay with this. We are happiest in the calm and elegantly bold neutral realm.

Here's a clip from the StyleScope results along with some inspirational images that we've pulled aside for some rooms - so crazy - spot on! I think we're moving in the right direction, and I will definitely post pics as progress is made. I'd love to hear any of your ideas or thoughts on the matter!

******************************

Jessica, you are an Elegant Classic

You have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty, things that are well crafted, and family heirlooms. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a formal layout give order to a room, and hence your home is refined and calming. You are not taken in by the trends of the moment. You go for things with a timeless appeal, and appreciate old-fashioned virtues like manners and handwritten notes and making a home that is welcoming for others.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

Your Happy Home Colors

Putting Color to Use!

You are probably not one to go in for crazy color, and you may want to keep things fairly neutral and sophisticated overall. But try selecting a duo or trio of colors that work well together, and introduce one or more of them into your curtains, wall color or rugs. This will tie the overall palette together in a coherent way. You could even incorporate your color palette in smaller doses, like in your tablecloths, cushions, throws, or bedspreads, for example.

******************************

[Idea for our Master Bedroom - primarily Grey walls]

{image courtesy of Martha Stewart}

[Idea for Living Room - Use of strong Brown accents, patterned rug, and dark furniture]

- Note: our couch is already tan, and our walls not far off from this (middle-top in swatches above)

{image courtesy of DIY Ideas}

[Other Favorites]

{image courtesty of DIY Ideas}

- I am very much LOVING collections of vases & jars! Anyone close to my wedding planning knows this as well :)

{image courtesy of Sarah Kaye}

- I want a mirror similar to the one in this beautiful room

{image courtesy of Sarah Kaye}

- There I go with the grey again

{image courtesy of Sarah Kaye}

- I think my style is similar to the amazing Bryn of Bryn Alexandra Interiors, I getting excited every time she shows a sneak peek of her new work for her new business - check her out!

{courtesy of Bryn Alexandra}

...technical difficulties...

2009-11-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

...Sorry, all, for the technical difficulties experienced; causing a random, unfinished post. Argh... back to unpacking...

Dining Room Inspiration

2009-11-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Many, many, inspirations have been found lately, bookmarked, notebooked, and now I'm going to start sharing them. Maybe you all can help me make decisions or locate good deals. We are on T-minus 6 days until we get the keys to the house and begin moving stuff in. Although we already have a good amount of furniture, we'll definitely still need more to fill our house. The first of this that I'd like to tackle is the dining/eat-in kitchen. Because we don't have a formal dining room, but the eat-in kitchen space is a good size, I want to find a solution that will make the space casual for every day and formal-looking enough when expanded for larger groups.

I found the image below a few weeks ago and keep coming back to it. Maybe it's a little more on the casual side, but I love the vintage elegance that the Belgian sofa brings to the table (pun not intended). :)

Mimic: large oak (refinished & pedestal-leg) table, sofa or bench on one side, neutral colors
Modify: all chairs for remainder of seating (rather than including foot-stool), and a more modern finish of wood will be needed to match the cabinetry in our kitchen.

{found via Blueprint Bliss and Country Living magazine}

Reminder of what our kitchen looks like:

UPDATE: Just when I thought it might not be possible to combine the style of our kitchen with my eclectic vision for the eat-in dining area... I found this! Note, the awesome rustic table with modern chairs, and it all ties together well (aside from the fact that it's not a dining area). To top it off, it is the workroom of Amy Butler, one of my fav designers:

{image found via decorology, courtesy of Country Living}

What to do? How can I translate this? I've searched Craigslist high and low, and just don't seem to be finding a table that fits my vision. I might have the opportunity to check out the best Rummage Sale at the Portland Expo Center tomorrow... fingers crossed... because I'm gone ALL weekend!! Ahhh, such bad timing, as Saturday is 25% off all items and Sunday is 50% off! But don't get me wrong, I'm super excited to get away this weekend. :)

Any other ideas on where I can search for this furniture (preferably used, due to budget & style) or tips on pulling this look together?

Love, J

Cat People & Family People

2009-11-03T23:04:00.000-08:00

Let me lay it out for you... to be a 'Cat Person', one must have at least 3 cats! As you may remember, we only have 2 - so HAH! Okay, I'm done trying to prove my point. :) However, this is what inspired our creative solution to dressing as 'our worst nightmare'. It was even more appropriate because our friends Stef & Trey (who invited us out on Friday night) always tease us about being cat people. We had a lot of fun Friday night at the party; the decorations were awesome - the entire house was decorated, and we almost won a scavenger hunt - almost. I didn't do the best job photographing the night, as I would've loved to post a pic of our friends, they had awesome costumes too (Red Fire-hydrant being peed on by a dog, lol). We were too exhausted to go out and do something on Halloween night; even too tired to go out and see a movie, but we did have a good evening relaxing at home.

{sorry, not sure why these are coming out blury}

{stupid pic, but had to add so that you could see the cat hair Jeff rubbed on his hat - so gross!}

{big-time rockers, jammin'}

My 'Family People', well, I just love them! It's been awhile since we ventured over to my hometown, Camas, and I got an invite to do my little bro's girlfriend's hair for Homecoming... so I drove on over Saturday afternoon and had a really good day! My family has spent time with her family over the last few months and rave about what awesome ppl they are, so it was great to finally meet them; and they have a beautiful house that overlooks the Columbia River towards Portland. Although I'm biased, I'd like to say Andi's hair looked the best! :) hehe I really enjoy doing hair, and have been so fortunate to have been asked many times over the last 10 years to do it for friends/family on the side (even my girlfriend Jessie's wedding up-do, which I felt really lucky to do). I'm documenting them more now, so if you'd like to see others and/or interested in my side-services, drop me an email. ;) Here are some shots of the day...

{sister, brother, and me}

{mother & brother}

{the happy homecoming duo}

Sneak Preview

2009-10-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a sneak preview of our costumes... we are heading to a themed Halloween party, where we're supposed to come as our 'worst nightmare'. I think our approach, as well as our friends', was for creativity. I'm kind of apposed to gory stuff. We were originally aiming for Bridezilla/Beaten-up Groom, but Goodwill didn't come through for us (I can't believe how much they try to sell bridal gowns for!!!?!?) So, maybe you can guess what we are going to be, maybe not... lol... I'll post after pics within a few days. Tomorrow I get to do some more Homecoming hair :), this time for my brother's girlfriend. And I really should start packing boxes... ugh. We've got a big 2 weeks ahead of us, but at least I get to take a lil' break and head to Coeur d'Alene to visit a girlfriend! I'm so excited!

(Sorry this ones a little blurry, but I had to show Oscar checking out the the competition)

(This is the first time we've ever done this, and I felt so bad! We are using it for the costumes & couldn't resist, Oscar was not so happy and we couldn't even get near Lilly with it. It's supposed to be a ladybug and it didn't even fit on his head, lol)

Hope everyone has a great Halloween and a fun weekend!

Love, J

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

2009-10-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

I definitely have not seen or heard any evil lately, as our lives are just full of events and fortunately, a lot of good news. However, it's definitely been a long time since I have spoken of anything on this blog, and I'm feeling the need to start things up again. Want a recap on the majors since May? Here it is:

Summer 2009
We were so excited to move back into the Portland area, and realized right away, what a good decision it was. Our summer was full of friends, family, wedding planning, wild b-day celebrations, others' weddings, the 80's, superheros, a rodeo, and more...

Wedding Updates
{ We chose a venue! }
{ We have an awesome wedding party! }
{ I bought my dress!!!! }

At the end of June, we started searching, and finally when things were looking down, we (re)discovered the Historic Octagonal Barn at McMenamin's Cornelius Pass Roadhouse and . The name still makes me laugh every time I say it, because I think of Roadhouse, the movie. Anyways, they say that you feel it... and that's pretty much been our motto this summer. I think we knew right away, or at least I did. It had everything we were looking for; top of that being the vibe (warm, charming, open & not overwhelming), and closely behind was $$ (they provide almost every item you'd normally have to rent, including all food/beverage & if you're familiar w/ McMenamin's you know the beverages are great). We've been back multiple times since, to have dinner & show others, and we've never doubted that we found the right location for us. I can't wait!

One of our visits back out there was to show our friends the location and ask them to be in our wedding party, which luckily they accepted. ;) We've had such a great summer with our friends & family and couldn't think of any better people to support us through this process.... BM: Jess' brother, Taylor; MOH(s): Jess' sisters Lindsay & Lacey (friend); and our great friends Jesse, Trey, Geoffrey, Stefanie, Ashley & Lisa.

And the most recent update..... my DRESS! Whoohoo! My first time trying on dresses occurred last week and it was such a great experience. I went in very skeptical and nervous, due to budget and the original idea I wanted to redesign/wear my Mom's dress; but it was an entirely different experience. My two mothers (own & future MIL) and my two MOH's joined me, and surprised me with wine & snacks. I will provide more details later on the experience and maybe dress designer... But, by the end of the night, I was in tears and so certain that I had found the dress that I wanted to wear on my wedding day. Again, back to the 'you'll feel when it's right' scenario. I am so lucky & excited! To end this little story, I will remind all why I want to marry this man.... a few hours before I went to the dress store Jeff called me to see how I was doing (he knew I was nervous), and immediately started giving me all these words of encouragement about how it was going to go; reminding me that I should have fun, not to worry, and find something that 'I' really love. He then made me promise that I would send him a picture of me in a dress (not 'the' dress, but any one, just so he could see). I just LOVE that guy! :)

Fall 2009
Excitement thus far.... we're buying a HOUSE!! We finally made the plunge in early September to start looking for a house, with the hope that we could take advantage of the first-time home buyer tax credit. All I can say is, eye-opening! It looked really grim for awhile; anything really new was way outside our budget, and anything older (which we would've loved) needed WAY way way too much work for what we could do/afford in the near future. And then a month later, while driving around with Gail one afternoon, we found this:

{don't worry about the pink, it will be repainted this week to the blue below}

{courtesy of Behr paint}

{love the last pic of Jeff and his Grandma!}

Well, that's all I can squeeze in for now. You should be hearing more from me now.

Love ~J

For a friend... support the search for a miracle!

2009-08-27T00:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time, I know. We have a lot to catch up on, but this post will not be for that, as I find nothing I would have to say could be as important to delay posting about this first... I promise I will post more about our move and our new life back in Portland soon, but for now...

Through my dear friend Michelle, I have learned of the hard times her brother, Scott and his wife, Megan have had getting pregnant through the long, hard road of fertility meds to artificial insemination to in-vitro fertilization and unsuccessful adoption prospects, nothing has worked. Hearing their story in the past had broken my heart, and always made me fear one day being in that position. Fact is, it still breaks my heart, and I was just brought to tears with the reminder that these two amazing people have not yet been blessed with the miracle they've been searching for.

For anyone that is interested, has been in this position, or has a child and can only imagine what they have gone through, please visit this event site representing the huge effort to help Megan and Scott! You can learn more about their story and how you can help, as well as an awesome event that is being hosted this Saturday, 8/29.

They are in my thoughts, and I wish we could be there to attend the event. If you are in the Orem, Utah area, I urge you to find out more about the events that day and the incredible silent auction that will also be involved.

Much love ~J

Ready for the bling?

2009-05-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have a tiny bit of down-time while I'm watching the movers pack the last few boxes of our stuff. Wow, I feel spoiled just saying that! It's been pretty nice, although I am still so tired from being stupid and staying up so late last night. I thought it was much overdue and some peeps may want to see my *bling*..... So here are a few of the best pics I could get a shot of. I LOVE IT! What I love even more about it, is that Jeffery picked it out on his own! He had a pretty good idea of what I liked, but to know he spent (from what I hear) countless hours in a few locations trying to pick the right one, means even more. We've both had a good understanding from the beginning of our marriage-talk days, that our commitment to each other had nothing to do with the ring and everything to do with our love, dreams, devotion and passion to built a great future together. So, don't get me wrong, I am not a material bride that put the meaning of this decision into whether he got me that outstanding ring.... although, my biased opinion thinks he did! The funny thing is that now that I have it, every time I look at it I still get butterflies in my stomach. I am also SO protective of it! I don't really know why I have this strong fear of something happening to it; but the other day I unconsciously took it off to put lotion on my hands and when my eyes looked down and caught that it wasn't on my finger I almost had a heartattack! It took me a good 10 minutes to calm myself down, after realizing I had just set it in front of me on the desk. Now I've learned it's okay to wash my hands with it on, okay to sleep without it on; and Jeff keeps reminding me that it's bound to get scratched, so I shouldn't worry if I think it has already. lol. He keeps me grounded.

Anyway... without further ado...

Countdown

2009-05-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I really don't know why I do the things I do. Like why am I up at midnight writing a blog, when I can think of many other things to be doing?... packing, packing, calling friends back, working, packing. If only my friends were up at midnight on a Wednesday along with me! [update: just took a break from this to chat w/ my sister... I knew she would be up this late too :)] So, the packing... To be honest, I don't really have a lot of packing to do because the moving company will be packing our stuff for us this go-around. The things they wont touch, of which I'm working on tonight: liquor, cleaning supplies, jewelry, my undergarments(!), and my bag of stuff to tide us over through the weekend (thankfully). As of 11:30pm, I had only accomplished packing WAY TOO MANY clothes into my (already full) suitcase; of which I had to chase Oscar out of about 5 times. :)

I think we both feel like the countdown for our move finally began this morning, when we received a call from the moving company saying that they'd be here tomorrow morning (Thursday). It only took them a week and a half to finally set the date! So we'll help the movers get everything packed & loaded Thursday, clean up the apt., and then drive down to Portland on Friday morning. Yah! Wish us luck on getting the cats in their crates in under an hour, because that is almost how long it took us to do it last time! Uhgg.

Since I still don't have much news on the wedding front, location & date-wise, I will leave you with a few of my current color inspirations. I have full faith in the fact that all my little pieces of inspiration will soon be pieced together. I just have a really good feeling about it (which I should)! I can't wait to get home to my best friends, mom & sister so that they can help me get to plannin'.

I will admit, I've been eying these for awhile now. We were together over five years before the proposal! ;) But you'll be happy to know that Jeff has approved two of them, now I just need to find the right combo. I love them all! I may just pick a hue (betcha can't guess which one, hehe) and do any/all shades of it. We'll see - I'll post my inspiration boards as I put them together.
Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!
Love ~J

{all color boards found via 100 Layer Cake - one of my favs!}

Getting antsy...

2009-05-15T00:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, I really should be in bed right now and I don't think I've made it there before midnight one night this week; to no one else's fault but my own. I have no update on wedding planning or our move. We have a whole lotta little details that as of right now, don't feel like their going anywhere. Alright...I'm whining...sorry. I will stop now and just tell you what I do know:

*******

Keep telling everyone that we're waiting to plan wedding until after the move is out of the way...

It has been so hard not to move forward with wedding planning, so I broke down and bought my first few wedding magazines... of which I have not even looked through yet, can you believe it?!!

The more I bring up wedding, the more I find Jeff mentioning buying a house first...

I am torn about the afformentioned issue.

One of my girlfriends called me a week after our engagement to tell me the exact same news for herself... makes me really want to plan wedding even more...

Kind of feeling the urge to plan a quick wedding now... 4 months maybe? But probably not.

OH! I found us a great place to live last weekend and soon we'll be able to call ourselves official Portland'ers (based on the new address). WHOOP WHOOP!

When I drive along Lake Washington everyday I get really sad to leave a place I already love living in so much...

Had a great drink/dinner date with some fabulous girlies from my Western days... they are amazing, just what I needed to get me through this stressful week, and helped me remember that really great friends won't go anywhere.

I know I have a TON of campaign launches & projects going on at work right now, but been struggling every day for the motivation to stay on top of stuff. I had been doing really good.

Jeff learned the last few days that his company will be giving us crazy amounts of money for our move... I still tell him I'll believe it when I see it...

The amount that we'll receive, aside from what they're paying the movers, could come close to the down payment on a house... {or wedding???} :)

Just found out the moving company is going to pack our stuff... big sigh of relief... but that was yesterday...

Moving company has yet to call and set up a date to come pack/move our stuff. When they do, it could be a 5 day range for them to actually show up & another 5 day range they have to drop it off at the destination. We're only moving 3 hrs away! ..... 'nuff said.

*******

I am so tired and think I will head to bed now. On an exciting note, my Grandma & Grandpa are moving back up to the PacNW this weekend (snowbirds) and I get to see them before our move down south. They are my favorite people in the whole world, can't wait!

Hope everyone is having a great week and enjoys the sun this weekend!

Love ~J

When it rains...it pours?

2009-05-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

Our few blog followers may be losing faith in me by now, but let me just tell you... when it rains, it pours. That might be a little cliché, and you may think this means there has been some bad stuff happening this week; but in fact, it couldn't be more contrary. I'm sorry that neither Jeff or I have posted our engagement stories yet. It was definitely planned for earlier this week, but then we had a little more craziness added to our life... as if getting engaged and having to call everyone & their mother to tell of the news isn't enough (don't get me wrong, I was very happy to make all those calls).

Here it goes...

The actual day that we got engaged (I would say refer back to the story, but you do not know it yet - you'll understand soon), Jeff also received a phone call with an opportunity that we definitely were not expecting. When the call came in, I sat in the background in shock with my jaw probably down to my chest; we were in the car, so the timing could not have been more random either; and I was still reeling from the proposal. We talked it over a lot the following few days, while we were still keeping the engagement a semi-secret and then finally it became more and more evident that this other big change was probably going to happen. Once that sunk in, it involved much more thought, research and time from this week. The final word just came in... by choice and chance.... we are now officially moving back home!

Portland, here we come!
Jeff has accepted the offer to take over the GG store in Beaverton, OR. I think we are both SO SO ecstatic for the chance to be around all our direct family & really good friends again! I am especially excited for what it brings for my wedding planning stuff. :) And if all of that wasn't great enough... After communication with my company, I was granted the opportunity to stay on with them and will work remotely from home when we get there! I am having a hard time believing just how lucky & blessed we are right now!

Will write more later. Time for another adventure. Life is good.

Love,
J

{photo courtesy of Portland Ground: Pictures of Portland Oregon}

BIG NEWS!!!!!

2009-05-03T22:01:00.001-07:00

I'm writing because I need to feel like I've been productive; although I did wake up with my fiance, play tennis, cleaned house (j/k, I more directed him while he cleaned house), ran errands (haha, another joke, it was more pleasure @the mall), cooked a fabulous dinner (lemon garlic orzo pasta w/ chicken), and before I go to bed I will finish putting away my clothes..I do feel productive. So, let me correct myself...I need to feel productive on this blog!

A lot, a LOT, has happened since my last post. Most significant out of everything: Jeff asked me to marry him - and we are now officially engaged!!! Yaaahhh! The actual engagement event spans an entire week, and for anyone that has gone through this, you probably understand that I feel like we're still in the whirlwind of our engagement 'story'. We have not even had the chance to call all of our family members to tell them, I have yet to chat with a lot of my close girlfriends about how it happened (sorry girls), and NO, we have not planned a date yet. lol. I know that this is a question I will continue to get on a daily basis, so I better get used to it.

Needless to say, I (WE) are very excited! Not a lot feels like it has changed for us, seeing as we've been together for almost 6 yrs. - living together 3 1/2,and faithfully known for some time that we planned to spend the rest of our lives together. But that's okay, because I can't act ignorant to the fact that things will change and may feel overwhelming at times through the wedding planning process. I hope that Jeff can help me keep a level head. ;)

Jeff and I made a deal that we would both post our story/version of the engagement events, and I think you may see some more posts from Jeff from here forward. I'm looking foward to it. I just love watching the both of us grow every day, learning from the experiences He allows us to encounter in life, and learning more about each other and how we can love each other whole-heartedly every day. Alright, enough sappiness.... I know you want to hear the story now, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. Gots to go cut Jeff's hair, or la....nevermind. ;) Hahaha, I think I'm hilarious.

Tomorrow I will post about how this engagement rolled out, and then you'll see Jeff's tale in the next few days.

Love to all,
J

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." ~Emily Brontë

My Monday Relief

2009-03-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

You know when you wake up from a restful weekend, deceived, thinking that you will have a smooth transition into the week...but then...dun dun duuun...chaos!?!?! Okay, my day wasn't that bad; that was a slight overreaction. But I did have a really restful and productive weekend, went to bed at a decent time (for once), [everything in between], got to work this morning and immediately fell into an insanely busy and chaotic work day! Oh my. At first, I was really worried that this was a bad sign for the week ahead of me, but then...to the end of my day.... I got home to a fully cooked dinner by Jeff and it just got better from there (and it's not even over yet)!!

I hope everyone else had a great Monday & has an even better week! Here are some of my Monday reliefs*:
[*Disclosure: Monday is one of our main TV nights, you'll catch on]

1. Watching The Haney Project w/ Jeff and seeing how entertained & passionate he is about golf. I have to admit, the show is pretty funny. If you've never seen Charles Barkley's swing, you've got to check it out! We also had a jaw dropping moment seeing someone we knew & worked with from Beaverton on the show.

[photo courtesy of examiner.com]

2. Seeing the new Hershey's Kiss commercial for the first time. It is so cute!

3. Falling upon my new favorite design & fashion blog oh, hello friend - You should definitely keep her in your feed to see her daily's:

[all images courtesy of oh, hello friend]

4. AWESOME CBS Monday night shows

[all images courtesy of cbs.com & cwtv.com]

HairLESS

2009-02-24T00:36:00.000-08:00

This may be a lame post; however, per numerous requests, I'm posting a pic of the new hair. Or, should I said - hairLESSness (yeah, that's totally not a word, but I'm leaving it)! Anyways, we are at the beginning of a long week moving into our new apartment, and I am finding that this hour is the only time I can get something done that I want to do and not feel guilty. It's shaping up to be a normal work week for me, but a tiresome & stressful work week for Jeff (poor guy). As such, I will be recruiting my sister to help me move a little on Wednesday (and pawn-off some furniture on her, hehe). I might post some pictures of our new place (pre-furnishings), but I haven't quite decided if that is creepy or not?? Nothing else new on this front, other than some brainstorming for a fun birthday weekend home (March 5th-8th). If anyone can think of some fun things to do for my birthday weekend in, or around Portland, please let me know! :)

{In the car after haircut, Feb 2009 - not the best, but you'll see more soon}

Antique Me, Please!

2009-02-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

This is what my photos have been screaming at me for some time now! Jessica sounds like she's lost her marbles, you must be thinking. I assure you that isn't the case, lol. I've mentioned before how much I find creative inspiration in my every day and this is one that I've had for some time. I love antiques... I love antique stores. I love antique gadgets. I love antique jewelry. I love antique people (hehe, this is what my Grandma calls herself). But most of all, I LOVE antique photos! I would be lying if I said I saw antique photos on a daily basis, but in my recent blog roaming craze & interest in photography, I've seen so many photographers and graphic designers that have used this technique. It brightens my day to see these photos. Since I don't have a professional camera yet, I've been wanting to experiment with my graphic design interest and experience in this realm. However, I lost Photoshop when the ol' desktop pc went kaput, and ever since then I've struggled finding a similar program that had the necessary features AND ease of use. Fastforward (or rewind, however you look at it) to a few days ago, when I found it...Picnik.

Picnik is a web-based photo editing tool that allows you to edit photos from your computer, the web or a handful of other photo storage sites like Picasa, Flickr, Facebook, etc. It has a ton of one-click & auto-fix features, exposure, color, red-eye, as well as the standard crop, re-size, rotate, etc... but then comes the good part! There is a whole section of 'Create' features with custom-made effects that really allow you to build and personalize your photos. So, tying it all together, there are two features called 1960s & cross-processed that 'antique' my photos - in one click! I LOVE IT! Seriously, I can't even explain all of the cool things that Picnik can do.

This is definitely a new favorite of mine that I think everyone should check out if they enjoy playing around with and sharing their photos. In honor of my new favorite tool & love for all things antique, I've included some recent blog-find favorites and photos from my trip to Lincoln City, OR for my girlfriend, Stef's, birthday in January. It was such a great weekend and I was reminded of how the beach is one of my favorite places to be.

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Friday favorites:

{from sadie olive's flickr}

{reposted by still dottie from tec petaja}

{from millie motts' flickr photostream}

{old post from sweet sassafras}

{photos by max wagner via a cup of joe}
**some are older post, but I couldn't help it :)

Mosaic Me

2009-02-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been awhile. I should honestly be in bed right now, because I'm running on about 2hrs of sleep. Problems? No, not really, only that Jeff is out of town in Pittsburgh for business and I have this horrible problem staying up until freakish hours keeping myself occupied while he is gone. It's not like I have a problem sleeping when he's not here, or even that I get bored without him (anyone who knows me well, knows that I can keep myself distracted for hours)...but I think it's just a bad habit from the first time we moved and he had to take this same trip for over a week. I was so scared staying by myself in a new town, new apt, and I kept getting these prank calls late late at night. So of course, I was freaked out! I stayed up every night w/ all the lights on until about 3-4am, then finally fell asleep w/ scissors under my pillow and cell in hand. LOL. From there forward, I just have this habit of staying up late when he is gone....

Anyways, I just started Nights in Rodanthe, so I will make this short. I nabbed this from a friend's blog and thought it was kind of fun. I will try and post one for Heffe when he gets back. One a side note, I got my hair cut today and it's REALLY short and I have bangs! Me-bangs, haven't had them since I was 5! I will try to post a pic soon.

p.s. I'm an artist and respect giving others' credit for their work, but if I had...you would know the answers to my pics :)? Hope they forgive me...

Here's how it goes:

Step 1: go to flickr.com
Step 2: in another window open http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php
Step 3: choose 4 columns, 3 rows
Step 4: answer the following questions in the search bar of flicker. pick your favorite one on the first page and paste it into your mosaic.

What is your first name?
What is your favorite food?
What school did you go to?
What is your favorite color?
Who is your celebrity crush?
Favorite drink?
Dream vacation?
Favorite dessert?
What you want to be when you grow up?
What do you love most in life?
One word to describe you.
Your nickname.

"The road to a friend's house is never long." -Danish Proverb

2009-01-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

So far, we are having a great 2009! However, I attribute part of this to our great start to this great new year.... it was spent with awesome friends (hence, the headline). Shortly before New Year's Eve, Jeff and I had realized that in all 5 1/2 years we've been together we have never really taken part in "exciting" New Year's plans. Obviously, we always have fun together...but that's just it, it's always been just us. Except for our first year together, as Jeff didn't invite me to spend it with him & his friends, lol. (I love you hunny, if you read this, as you are probably rolling your eyes - and no, I won't let you live that one down) :)

Anyways...off track. This year, Stef & Trey came up to Seattle to stay with us and ring in the new year downtown. The night started off almost questionable, as we headed downtown late. This was due to me and a little fiasco thinking that I lost my ID right before we left, hahaha. Needless to say, found it! After dinner we headed towards the Seattle Center and were w/in a block radius to watch the Space Needle fireworks. They were awesome! We were a little rain-soaked by the time we left, but it did not matter or dampen our spirits at all. Following that, we were entertained by Chopstix & watching the really drunk people get sick outside, walking for what felt like miles to find a cab, having the longest cab ride of my life (and I kid you not, almost peeing my pants) and playing Rock Band until 4:30 in the morning. Obviously, we were having a great time.

All I can say is thank you, to Stef & Trey...for a great start to this great new year! I have known Stef since she moved to Camas when we were Sophomores in High School. We have been through a few moves, distance, heartbreak, loss, a lot of growing up, a wedding & most of all...many many fun times together. They visited us when we lived in Boise and now Seattle, and I've always tried to make it home to see them a few times a year... the distance between our houses is never long (or at least we never let it get between us).

I hope that both Stef and Trey know how much their friendship means to us. :) And, I hope that everyone else had a great New Year's. We wish you a happy new year, full of great friendship, love and adventure!
Love, J

Here are some shots from our night (sorry some of the quality isn't good):

Just your normal commute in Seattle

2009-01-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Trying to get to Linds'. Not sure if I was going to make it. Flooded roads and insane traffic. Boo. But I made it. Yah. Wish me luck going home. p.s. I love my sister.

UPDATE: sorry all, for the random stuff my phone added to the bottom of my post...not sure if I will do that again. how annoying!

MIA - the last 3 months

2009-01-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

So, I'm still sick and not feeling up to writing a whole lot, even though I have so much I wanna blog about. In the meantime, here's a recap in photos of what we've been up to the last 3 months. BTW...it's snowing here...AGAIN! Grrr.

OCT/NOV '08: Lots of family stuff - helped my beautiful cousin Tarah & her friend do their hair for Homecoming, Thanksgiving in Maple Valley, Pike Place Market w/ Jeff's Dad; and a little bit of fun with the girls back home.

NOV/DEC '08: Metallica concert, McNeley Xmas Party (where we were the only ones festively dressed), hosted a family get-together w/ a sweet white elephant exchange, snowed-in & worked from home for almost a week, and LOTS of Christmas fun with the family.
**Got a job in November as well, whoohoo - working at AT&T Mobility's B2B Marketing

Some Changes

2009-01-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's time for some brutal honesty.... I do not think I will ever get Jeff to blog on this site; which I am okay with. I must admit however, that I do not want to strive at only posting the things about 'our' life because of it. You may see some changes from here on out with the blog, mainly that there will be more stuff/style of just 'mine' :) In all reality, Jeff is the other half of 'my' life, so it will be natural for me to post about 'our' life together.... and I'm keeping the URL the same.

This may be seen as selfish, but in all reality, this blog is being written for myself and a way for me to creatively express life events, opinions & passions....and in order for me to be successful at it, I'm gonna have to open up the doors. I think I haven't posted very much for two reasons - 1) I'm a procrastinator (since this post is about honesty), and 2) I'm always striving to post stuff about only the things we do together & not the other aspects of my life. Since keeping up on the blog is one of my New Year's resolutions, I'm relaying this message to you and hoping it helps me feel free to post more stuff about my (and our) life.

I am pretty confident that those already tracking this blog (which is probably a small number), or those that find it down the road, will not mind or notice this change.... since I haven't been very good at blogging lately anyways! teeheehee

Feel free to leave me a message, all, so that I know you are out there!

Love ~J

p.s. I just spoke with Jeff about this and he reminded me that he would love to post on this blog, all I have to do is show him how. So, keep an eye out for a post from him. Maybe I'll have to take all of this back, lol.

A long time coming...

2008-10-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

These have been a long time coming. They are not much, as my camera doesn't have the best zoom, but they'll give you an idea of how close we are to Lake Washington and Gene Coulon Park in our new place. Needless to say, we are very happy with our new apartment and location in Renton. We've already had guests (i.e. the pics of Gail & Lindsay...and Mama Lois :) came to visit this past weekend)...enjoy!

(from our balcony)

(the not-as-pleasant view of Boeing from our balcony & our view of Mt. Rainier that will be nice once they finish the condos)

(us & view of Bellevue at sunset)

(Coulon Park)

(lunch from the park with Gail, Jeff's mom & Lindsay, my sister)

Pets

2008-10-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is a little dedication to our current children..hehe :) our kitties! I couldn't help myself, as I found this awesome site that allows you to download their free application to create your own online scrapbooks, pages, postcards, etc. It has many other cool features...you should check it out: Smilebox

Make a Smilebox postcard

Dedication...kind of...

2008-10-04T23:19:00.008-07:00

This is somewhat of a dedication....to my dear friend Michelle, who encouraged me to start actively posting in this blog (requested a few months ago, oops) and has a fun blog of her own that I love reading. She is a gorgeous, kind-hearted, energetic and loving person. Michelle 'tag'ed me earlier in the month to respond to this silly post about high school memories. For you, Michelle, I will definitely kill some time by re-posting it. Love you!

****************
1. Did you date someone from your school?
'Date' / 'Went out', whatever you'd call it, yes. All for short amounts of time, nothing long or serious for me in high school.

2. What kind of car did you drive?
'Old Blue' - 1990, Blue, Volkswagen Jetta. She was great...until some crazy person followed me up our private road, hit me & ran! Then, it was a lil' ghetto.

3. What was the most embarrassing moment of high school?
Not really sure if I can recall a most embarrassing moment. However, I did just tell Jeff yesterday the story of when I tripped and bit the dust in the middle of a Varsity Volleyball game. It was pretty funny. (Jacqueline still likes to mind me of it.)
OH, I can think of another, but it is still so embarrassing that I will not repeat it.

4. Were you a party animal?
No

5. Were you considered a flirt?
I don't think so..maybe a little when I was younger, but not so much through high school.

6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?
Not in high school, but I played the clarinet in junior high.

7. Were you a nerd?
What does that really mean anymore? I don't think I was.

8. Were you on any varsity teams?
Yep - Volleyball, Basketball, Softball :)

9. Did you get suspended/ expelled?
Ohh...maybe I should rethink the 'party animal' question...not really, but I did get in trouble for just being at a party and was suspended from 2 Volleyball games my Senior year.

10. Can you still sing the fight song?
Heck yeah! "Give a yell, give a cheer, for the Papermakers here, we are fighting for old Camas High. We are brave, we are bold...na nana na na na... So, fight, fight, fight, we're gonna win tonight! Shout out your numbers brave and strong - GO TEAM!"
I should've been a cheerleader, haha.

11. Who were your favorite teachers?
Mr. Ronig (because it was Art, of course), Mr. Croswell (because he was so cooky & kind-hearted) and Mr. Huegli (just loved Yearbook & Graphic Design).

12. Where did you sit during lunch?
In the lunch room? eh? Or, going to Burgerville with Jessie Buck :)

13. What was your school's full name?
Camas High School

14. School mascot?
Mean Machine

15. Did you go to Homecoming and who with?
Yes - Kyle Carpenter, Travis Eubanks & Skyler Mantz

16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
It would seem kind of sad if I said yes. I don't think this is truly how I feel because I don't have any regrets and treasure every moment that I had through that time, but I only wish that I got to see my friends half as much now, as I did then. Like Michelle said, it's a fine line. There are many more great adventures life has had for me and many more to come :)

17. What do you remember most about graduation?
That I kept trying to pause time and take everything in. I remember thinking...Wow, this is all moving so fast! But what I remember the most is hearing my best friend sing the national anthem, getting to sit near all the people that meant so much to me, and having my Dad hand me my diploma.

18. Where did you go senior skip day?
Definitely at school. I learned my lesson about trying to skip (even if it was 'skip day'), the fear of being caught by Mrs. Anderson (Vice Principal) again kept me in class.

19. Were you in a club?
Natural Helpers, Yearbook & Key Club

20. Have you gained some weight since then?
That is such a stupid question! Of course I have...that's all I'm going to say.

21. Who was your prom date?
Brandon Evans, Mike Hayworth & Joe Stevenson

22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion?
Heck Yeah! Now, getting Jeff to go to his...that's another story...

23. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?
Take a little more serious the things you know you have a passion for...as you get older, it can get hard to pursue them to the degree that you once wanted to. And, learn not to procrastinate earlier in life, lol.

New Adventures

2008-10-04T23:10:00.002-07:00

Well, as is to all new bloggers, this feels really foreign. I am not quite sure why, due to the fact that I am pretty computer savvy and enjoy the creative aspect to things like this. Either way, this is one of my new adventures...'our' blog! I, of course, will do almost ALL the blogging, but I'm sure if I win a bet or two I can persuade Jeff into doing one. I will admit to everyone up front that I can be pretty corny, so forgive me. I can also be indecisive, so if I change up our layout many times, just attribute it to that and my artistic side. :) Anyways, I don't want to be a sugar-coated blogger and I hope to show you portions of our/my life, thoughts and adventures...good/bad, ups/downs. Hope you all enjoy. Much love, Jess (& Jeff)

J & J

'P' is for....

Wedding on the Brain

Elegant Classic

...technical difficulties...

Dining Room Inspiration

Cat People & Family People

Sneak Preview

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

For a friend... support the search for a miracle!

Ready for the *bling*?

Countdown

Getting antsy...

When it rains...it pours?

BIG NEWS!!!!!

My Monday Relief

HairLESS

Antique Me, Please!

Mosaic Me

"The road to a friend's house is never long." -Danish Proverb

Just your normal commute in Seattle

MIA - the last 3 months

Some Changes

A long time coming...

Pets

Dedication...kind of...

New Adventures

Ready for the bling?