Tag I am it. :-D

Lisa at The Gotte's X 3 tagged me.

Below are the rules.

1. Link to the person that tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is UP

Huh... six non important things/habits and quirks, huh? :)

1. I have some strange food tendencies. I like Creme de menthe on my pineapple. I like ice cream in my oatmeal and I LOVE the ooglies at the bottom of the popcorn bag... ya know, the half popped ones. I also hate tapioca pudding, ricotta cheese and anything with that kind of texture yet LOVE bubble tea which has tapiocas in the bottom. :)

2. I have to sleep with my feet outside the covers... hate having them covered and apparently, I gave that same affliction to my son.

3. I broke my arm when I was in second grade roller skating. There was this rolly hill that you skated down to the next part and I always started at the second hill... well I got brave (it was my birthday party ya know) and started at the top... and at the bottom I fell over and hit my arm braking it. Oh yeah, I was also wearing this horrendous pink plaid floofy dress get up, I think there was tulle involved.... eegads! princess much?

4. I have lived in Akron, Ohio... Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania... Baltimore, Maryland... Philadelphia, Pennsylvania... Stockton, New Jersey... Newark, Delaware.... back to philly... Houston, Texas and now Fort Worth, Texas. Add in working on cruise ships for five years and you have one gypsy girl which is where I got my name.

5. I was in show choir in high school... and no one in my family knew I could even sing... when all of a sudden my parents went on a trip and came home and I had auditioned for the choir and got in. My sister had always been the singer so it came as a complete shock that I would be a performer. :) I had always been the REALLY shy one! HA!

6. I had NEVER camped until about three years ago. My idea of roughing it had always been a motor inn... one without a swimming pool! GASP! ;) So, when my husband suggested it... eegads... I agreed. AND there was the BIGGEST thunderstorm that night and I braved it out... :-D All the other ladies had said that they would have bailed. I was so proud.

Ok... my six tags.
1. Viula at The Torgerson Family
2. Megan at The Peck Family Blog
3. Susan at Life is Sweet in Kerr-ville
4. Delia at Because you have to eat
5. Amber at Pregnant between the Lines
6. Duchess at Confections of a Foodie Bride

Thanks Lisa, for thinking of me. The girls that I have tagged are blogs that I read regularly... I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. :)

Jess

Life just keeps rolling along

I haven't had a ton to say lately... certainly nothing profound or enlightening really... but I really wanted to write something. So... I got to thinking that I have a whole lot of nothing going on... and how wonderful that is. Life just keeps rolling along, we wake up, we work, we spend time as a family... we coexist and it's a wonderful thing. :)

This has been a particularly busy month and I don't see it slowing down until 2009 but that's alright... we have been to Lufkin two weekends in a row for our nephews birthday and then we went to celebrate our anniversary at the lake at Toledo Bend.

Both weekends were spectacular. :) Jackson has turned three, I can't believe it. He is such a big boy and so smart! And boy, does he love his cousin. He takes care of him and makes sure that he is always taken care of. It's adorable to see Joey following behind Jackson and doing everything his older cousin is doing! Too cute!

Peekaboo!







And we were lucky enough for Jason's parents to want to watch BOTH boys for our anniversary weekend. I think they had a blast and I know it was nice for us to relax and reconnect and remember all that transpired three years ago. :)





Three years ago, on October 15th, I married my best friend. What a wonderful day it was and what a ride it has been since. Luckily... it's been great fun! And our weekend at the lake was nice and relaxing and just plain wonderful!












This upcoming weekend, Jason is going fishing with his dad in Matagorda and they are so excited. This is their birthday presents to each other and they have been planning it for two month's. It has changed from Galveston to Matagorda to Galveston to Matagorda. They finally decided on Matagorda and Jason is leaving early on Friday to go. I hope they have a wonderful time and really get to celebrate the bond of father son that is so special!

Next weekend then, he is going hunting for opening weekend of duck season... so, I am alone again and I am really okay with it. No offense honey... but a weekend alone every now and again is nice. :) And payback is coming the following weekend when I get to go on a girls weekend with my best friend, Nicole and some of her other friends. I cannot wait... a whole weekend of spa bliss! Massages.... facials... more massages... scrubs... It will be fabulous and I fully plan on being a big pile of goo at the end of this. And, I will probably need it as another trip to Lufkin will be short thereafter for my Sister in law is due on the 5th with our new nephew, Davis Peyton Hudson... aka Peyton.

Oh and my gorgeous mom, sister and niece came into town and we played hookie. We went to the stockyards and then onto the zoo. What a blast we had! :) The kids had such fun together and it was just great to get the chance to spend that time with them.

So.... as you can see, life is a bit crazy right now. Throw in Boot camp for me twice a week and boot camp for Jason seperately three times a week... work full time and the holidays... and you have one very busy but happy family! Oh yeah and I am filling my house with fabulous friends for a foodie get together the day after halloween, and I cannot wait!!! :)

Anyway... what is life like for ya'll? Anything exciting planned?

I am adding some pictures too... because I just can't handle not posting some of the cuteness. :)
Although, my blogger is slow tonight so pictures of my gorgeous niece to come. Have a great night!

"I did the thing I feared the most"

"I did the thing I feared the most

forgive me while I chear.

For now I stand here a stronger soul

and all I have lost is fear!"  

So, I had this quote framed and on my wall when I was working on ships.  I had always wanted to work on ships, way before college but found myself in love IN college and decided to put aside my dream and get married.  I married for all of the right reasons but I married the wrong guy.  He is not a bad guy (although if you had asked me about ten years ago, I would have had a different answer)... he was just the WRONG guy for me.  The more he would try to control me the naggier I got.  

When we decided to split, I had no idea what I was going to do with my future.  I was single for the first time in what felt like forever.  I had no plans.  I was not the same person in body or in spirit that I had been before him and I went through somewhat of a transformation.  

I moved down to Texas and lived with my parents.  I sent out all of my resume's and head shots to the cruise lines and worked for a restaurant that's big in South Texas.  I was shy, somewhat meek and totally not the Jessica I am now or the one that I was although I started to come out of my shell.  

I got news from Holland America that I had been hired to work as children's staff.  I had literally two weeks to prepare all of my wordly belongings and to get my tuckus to Vancouver.  Now, all of a sudden, I was faced with the reality of my dream coming true and I was terrified.  I wanted to say that the act of getting hired was enough.  I didn't want to do it.  I wanted to stay home in my own little cocoon with my parents and work in a restaurant or manage one.  I wanted to pretend like I could handle it but at the time, I really didn't think I could.  But I did.  

With the support of my friends and family, I got it all done.  I boarded that plane bound for Vancouver.  I wandered around all by myself for the whole day (might have gotten through with a glass or two of wine)...  had a nice dinner and the next morning, got myself to the ship.  I boarded that ship, met my boss and roommate and got fitted for my uniforms.  And then I began.  And I loved it.  

I loved every single part of it.  I loved the sea.  I loved the ship.  I loved who I worked with.  I loved the passengers.  Every worry that I had had slipped away.  I took pictures. I wrote emails. I made friends and I had the realization one day that.... I was happy.  I could laugh.  I could smile and mean it.  That achieving one's dreams is not only important but paramount to who we are and who we are supposed to become.  

I lived this dream for five years.  And finally I decided that it was time to move on, lest I become what they called a lifer.  I didn't want to wake up one day and then say... I should have been a wife and mother.  I wanted a life beyond the sea.  

Within another year, I had met my husband and then again, reinvented myself.  And now, I am a wife AND mother.  And there are still moments when I am afraid...  but now, the fear extends to my husband and mostly, my son.  (sorry honey).  I worry every single second that he is out of my sight.  I worry when he's asleep that he won't wake up.  I worry when he's awake that he'll hurt himself.  I worry that when he does hurt himself he won't recover easily.  But, I think that mostly... I am afraid that I won't be able to give him the tools he will need to make his own dreams come true.  

But that, I think, is the lesson most important for me.  HE needs to learn what needs to be done to achieve his own dreams.  As my husband says, "I'm not driving this chicken, I'm just holding onto the legs."  

Yee haw!  

If I can just make it to..........

I started to type out this whole thing and my darned formatting keeps screwing up.  This is all just recent and it's annoying me.  I think I am just "annoy-able" lately.  

I keep saying... if I can just make it to October, I will be fine.  If I can just make it to November I will okay!  If I just make it to January...  and I suppose that we all say that to a degree.  In fact, my  mom was going to name her new blog that.  But I think she is going to go with "No time for Nancy"... wonder where I get it from?  I guess it seems that I do all things half assed since I am too busy trying to do too many things.  

Anyway... so, we now have every single weekend in October filled up and all of it for fun stuff but I think all of the fun stuff is going to kill me.  Do you ever feel that way?  

So, the above pictures were taken at Sears this past weekend.  Mom and Dad came up and Dad played with Jason and Mom and I went to a "just between friends" sale.  We had so much fun and found the cow costume for $3.25.  Can beat that!  :)  So, we decided to go ahead and take some pictures of him and he cooperated beautifully!  He was in such good spirits!  

Now, if he could take those good spirits and continue with them through the night when his teeth seem to be hurting him.  He stands up and says... MOOOOOOMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE continuously until I go and retrieve him.  He's so cute!  I just want to smoosh him! 

so...  do you guys ever over extend yourselves?

I am starting Boot Camp

Yep, you read right... I, am starting Boot Camp on Friday.  I have decided that round is NOT a perfectly acceptable shape... it's a ROUND shape.  I don't want to be round anymore.  So... I went to a central market cooking class with a friend a week and a half ago... and she told me about this Boot Camp.  

It's Mondays and Fridays at ... are you ready???  5:45 am!  EEGADS!  I will need to get my tuckus up at 5:10 am (shoot, who am I kidding, Joey gets me up then anyways)... and get myself ready and leave to be there by 5:45 am.  Then I will systematically get my butt kicked all over TCU's intermural field.  All in the name of vanity.  :)  

I really really really hope it's successful.   I would love to be 10 pounds lighter when all is said and done.  And then keep it off.  That will be the magic trick.  If I can lose these ten pounds... keep it off... maybe when ...  *WHEN* I decide to have another baby I will be better off.  

And, don't be getting scared on me.. I am not planning another baby ANY time soon.  I love having my one... he is the light of my life and I love being able to dote on him.  :)  You can't tell that, can you?  Nawhhhhh... he's not spoiled.  

I am just tired of my clothes not fitting.  I am tired of feeling round.  I am tired of the muffin top that should not be there.   SOOOO...we shall see how it all goes.  I will trudge my sorry tuckus here to the computer afterwards and tell you all about it.  This is the start of a new me.  :) 

Happy Wednesday people!  :)