Ramblings About Seasons

If you've been following my blog, you might know that I'm taking a personal writing class this semester, and I'm really enjoying it. Personal writing means more time spent writing in my journal. I have been encouraged to just write down all of my thoughts, without removing my pen from the paper, so that is what I've been doing. The following is an entry, or at least part of one, that came out of my writing practice. I was really missing seasons that day, and still am. A high of 92 is NOT acceptable for the end of October.

"I miss the days when I lived in a place with actual seasons. Arizona has two seasons, summer and cooler summer. It is September now and the fall weather would be heading our way. I miss the crisp air in the morning, the pumpkin patches, scarecrows, frost on your windshield, and dew on the morning grass. I miss the smell of apple cider that seems to follow you wherever you go. But most of all, I miss the leaves changing color. They are so beautiful. They change from green to yellow, to red or brown. The crisp crunch under your boots. Fall is a time filled with boots, and scarves, witches and ghouls. I love Halloween with all of its mystery. The dark, chilly nights, jack-o-lanterns, and black cats. I long for those days again. I wish I could capture that, put it in a bottle, and save it for a day when I need it the most.

The endless sun wears on me, don’t get me wrong the sun is great. But only when there is bright green grass, and the smell of watermelon in the air. I long for dreary days. Days with never-ending gray clouds; days that make me long to drink cocoa and bake cookies. The never-ending sun takes away all those desires. I miss the snow and the days where the streets were quiet because every snowflake muffled the air and the sounds. I remember those childhood days well. Sitting over the heater vents, and watching the snow fall quietly to the ground. Those were the peaceful days when you never left the the house because you didn’t want to disturb the beauty."

What's your favorite season, and what do you enjoy most about it?

Jessy <3

RIP To My 20-Something Years

My mom reminded me that today is my last day to be a 20-something because I turn 30 tomorrow. I know that tomorrow morning I'll wake up and won't feel any different but for some reason turning 30 is messing with my head. Not quite sure why, but it is.

Maybe it's because I thought that I would've done more or done certain things by the time I was 30. I guess that's why my resolution for this year is to accomplish more of my life goals, one at a time. As I look back over the past 10 years I wonder what happened to all that time? It feels like it flew by but yet it also feels like I turned 20 like a decade ago... LOL ;) Ok, ok...I know that was corny. Truth is sometimes it feels like it was a lifetime ago. lol




Overall the past 10 years have been great! Sure, there were ups and downs cuz that's just life. But I got married, found a job that I love, made lots of new friends and reconnected with some "old" ones. I became an aunt. I've moved 4 times and you would think I'd have less stuff by now but no, I don't. I lost my dad to cancer but gained a second one and have been blessed by knowing both. I know I could list off a bunch of other things because even the seemingly "small" things make up something in your life. However my brain is not co-operating at the moment. lol

So as I bid goodbye my 20's I raise a glass to the next 10 years. I can't wait to see what's in store! :)


Love,
Jessy <3


P.S. Look at the card my mommy sent me! I love it and the sentiment on the inside was very sweet. Oh and you see that adorable little baby?! That would be me :D ...almost 30 years ago. lol

Business Owners? When Did That Happen?!

My hubby has been in culinary school for the past few semesters and has been going back and forth with what he really wants to do after school. One thing that has always been in the plan was to open his own catering business. Well, he did it!! As of Monday April 1, 2013 he is now owner of Artistique Cuisine & Catering, LLC. - No joke ;) I am so proud of him!

He is putting together a bunch of stuff like the actual menu's and business cards, his website is up it's still under some construction but it's getting there. And of course we created a Facebook Page, because no company is complete without one! ;)

My hubby just has a few weeks of school left, then he will be an official Chef and will be able to put more focus into his new business. We are both super excited to start this new adventure. I can't wait to see where it will take us!

The Wife of a Caterer,
Jessy <3

The Nail Files!

WOW...I remembered two link-ups in a row! Life must be slowing down a little bit?! HA! probably not but I can dream. I haven't been painting my nails as much lately. Honestly I have been depressed/in a funk since January and haven't really had the ambition to do much of anything. Which has included painting my nails *Readers Gasp*.... I *Know* right?! This weekend I got to spend some time with one of my girlfriends who lives out of state so we played games and painted our nails. Here are the designs we ended up with. :)

Rachel picked out a pretty shimmery teal, we topped it with a silver shatter, and added flowers on her thumbs and little dots to the other nails.

Rachel's Nails

I just got this new purple (Sinful Colors, Amethyst)  and fell in love with it! I've been looking for a good purple that doesn't have any shimmer, found one. :)

My Nails

 I love taking pictures of my girlfriends designs and mine together, it makes for fun memories. :)

Both designs :)

Your Nail Polish Addict,
Jessy <3

It's the Little Things In Life

I don't know about you, but I find the most joy in the little things in life. These are some simple things that make me smile - in no particular order.

1. Spending time with my hubby
2. Painting my nails (especially with Julie)
3. Playing games with Jill on Skype
4. Skyping in general
5. Watching a movie with friends/family
6. A cat sleeping curled up in my lap
7. A good cup of coffee
8. Movie/Game night at Crystal's 
9. Watching my students fill out graduation paperwork
10. Humming birds
11. Hugs
12. Doing crafts with friends/family
13. 3 year olds - they are so curious
14. Holding babies
15. Baby shoes
16. Talking to my mom
17. Sitting on the beach
18. Getting snail mail
19. Baking cookies
20. Hot cocoa with marshmallow fluff
21. Watching snow fall
22. Text messages from friends just to say hello
23. Losing weight
24. Sitting by the fireplace
25. Christmas lights (especially on Christmas trees)
26. Star gazing
27. Looking through my joy box 
28. Reminiscing
29. Singing
30. Surprises

What are some little things that make you happy?

Thankful for the little things,
Jessy <3

Happy Birthday to My Wonderful Mom!!

March 10, 2013

Dear Mom,

I just want to wish you a very Happy Birthday! You are a joy in my life and I love you very much. The world definitely became a better place when you were born and my life is changed for the better because of you. I wish that we didn't live so far away. I would've loved to get up this morning and drink a cup of coffee together. I hope your hubby spoiled you a lot!

Love you forever and always,
Jessy <3

P.S. How does it feel to be 29 again this year?! ;)

Happy New Year!!!

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and realized just how much my life has changed in a year. The beginning of 2012 feels like it was about a decade ago. The first few months were filled with struggles; Andy was without a job, and I was having lots of seizures (most of them were little ones). As I look back it is amazing what I see: 
  
In January 2012, Andy and I both started the new year sick. I had a seizure within the first few weeks of January. Note to all epileptics, never take NyQuil....Ever. Turns out one of my seizure meds wasn't working anymore. I lived out the first 5 months of the year distraught and filled with fear and anxiety. But in May 2012 I started a new medication and I have been much, MUCH better. The anxiety still likes to creep up on me but all I can say is yay for relaxing Yoga and anxiety meds. lol 

Andy started to take culinary classes in Fall 2011 and continued through this year. It was through those classes that he got his new job, which he loves. He has been working there since May too, I guess May was actually a big turning point in 2012.

I got to travel and see a lot of my friends and family this year. I went to WY to visit a friend, my mom flew me to Cali to spend some time with her and her hubby, and I got to go to UT and see some friends and family that I hadn't seen in a long time. I made new friends who have helped me grow. I've said goodbye to a co-worker that I've worked with for 8 years. Lucky him, he gets to live in Hawaii now...but work will be different without him and he will be missed.

2012 was a good year, but I foresee 2013 being an even better year!! Andy is scheduled to graduate in May, I am going to take some more classes and possibly decide what I want to be when I grow up. And maybe this will be the year that we become parents. HA!! I say that every year, I'm not holding my breath. lol

My resolution this year is to be a quitter. LOL No seriously, I want to quit 10 things so that I can be happy. I want to Quit procrastinating on my goals, quit blaming others, quit avoiding change, quit being controlling, quit talking down on myself, quit criticizing, quit running from my problems & fears, quit living in another time/place, quit being someone I'm not, and quit being ungrateful. Oh, I need to learn to that it's okay to say no. 

 
Now, I know that all of those things are NOT going to happen, at least not all at once. But 2013 is the year that I am going to use to change some of my habits and try to be a better person. 

I want to wish all of you a very blessed new year and I can't wait to see what it brings!! Do you have a new year's resolution?

Happy 2013!!! 
Jessy <3 



 

Christmas Traditions

Just a warning I'm reminiscing today, so this is probably going to be a long post. LOL I tend to reminisce a lot at Christmas, today I've got Christmas traditions on my mind. It's really kind of funny, I was talking to my mom the other day and I was trying to remember past Christmases. I couldn't really remember details about where we went for dinner or the presents that I got for Christmas growing up. There are some Christmas presents that really stand out in my head like: a Pee Wee Herman scooter, an awesome keyboard, a karaoke machine, the jewelry that Andy got me the first year we were dating, and an ipod touch (which I won't really count since I got it last year lol). But the fact that I can only remember 5 presents out of Heaven only knows how many goes to prove that Christmas isn't about what you get, but who you spend it with.

I think it's safe to say that most people, just like me, remember events, and traditions that were done at Christmas. When I was growing up we would go and see Christmas lights every year. There was this one neighborhood in Utah where every house was lit up and each yard had a portion of the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. I went Christmas caroling with my youth group both in Utah and in Idaho. And there is this one Christmas party from Jr. High that sticks out in my brain because someone got hit in the stomach by a beef stick. LOL Oh man, that still makes me laugh.

I've found myself remembering Christmas morning traditions. For example, when I was little my brother and I couldn't come into the living room on Christmas morning until the Christmas music was turned on, then a mad dash to the living room. For a while, we had to wait to open presents until my Great Grandma came over because she liked to watch us open our gifts. And there were some years when we would go to Grandma Pearmain's house and have Christmas breakfast with pretty much the whole side of my mom's family. lol

Most of those traditions were just part of my childhood and are now a thing of the past. However, there is one tradition that has followed me into my adult life. I don't remember when it was started but every year my mom would get me a new Christmas ornament to hang on the tree; Andy and I still do that to this day. It's a really simple tradition that I look forward to every year. We buy each other a Christmas ornament and I still them from my mom too. :)

I have found myself building new Christmas traditions just over the past couple of years. First of all Andy is as bad as a little kid when it comes to presents. He has been asking if we can open presents since the first week of December, his gifts weren't even wrapped yet. So since we don't have kids yet, and I am married to a night owl, we usually end up opening presents really early in the morning...like at midnight before we go to sleep. LOL That will change once we have kids but until then, I imagine we will continue the tradition. I see two other traditions that are in the making right now; Christmas cookies, and ornament craft parties. This is the second year that I have made cookies to give to my neighbors and the second year that I have had an ornament craft party. I think I really like those two traditions so I'll keep them too. :)

If you've made it to end of my ramblings, what about you? Do you have any traditions that you remember from your childhood, or ones that you still do today? I would love to hear about them. Feel free to ramble on as much as you want to. :)

Your reminicent blogger,
Jessy <3

Remembering Mom-Mom

Last week on August 1st, marked 5 years since my grandma, Mom-Mom, passed away. It is really hard for me to believe that it has already been five years, but then sometimes it feels like longer that that too. I felt bad that I didn't post something about her on August 1st but life happens. I did write a journal entry for her tho. :)

For those of you who don't know, I named Mom-mom. She was my mom's mom so it was a fitting name for her. After I coined her name, it stuck and everyone called her Mom-Mom, whether they were her grand-kids or not. LOL I have some simple thoughts and memories that I would like to share about Mom-Mom.

She was a woman who loved cats, I must have inherited that trait from her.

She was a bargain shopper and taught my mom and I everything we know. Whenever we would go shopping at a thrift store and got a parking place right up front she thought it was a good omen and that we were going to find really good deals that day. I still see those close parking spots as a good omens.

She loved to have people play with her hair. It was kinda funny, maybe gross to some, but she used to have me sit on the back of her couch and pluck out gray hairs. LOL

She must have loved music because a lot of the memories that I have about Mom-mom stem around music. She had a player piano that we would play rolls on and sing along to songs like "Teddy Bear Picnic" and "Great Balls of Fire." Mom-mom also got a music book for her piano. This was a special book that came with stickers for the keys so you didn't have to know the notes in order to play the piano. I got that book out the other day and started flipping through old songs that I remember playing when I was little.

Overall Mom-mom was Spunky, I think that must've been her middle name, Saundra Spunky Gerber. Yep sounds about right! She was funny, silly and a joy to be around. I miss her. I can't wait to see her again someday. Until then, she gets to watch over me and I get to reminisce about all of the great times that we had. :)


Love you Mom-Mom,
Jessy <3

California or BUST!!!

I guess I should've said that before my trip, Oh Well...lol Be prepared for a LONG post, just warnin' ya. I had a blast in California and just spent the last two hours going through making collages of pictures, otherwise I would have to post a blog entry for each day that I was there. I let my inner tourist out to play and ended up with almost 200 pictures. lol YAY for digital cameras, I can't even imagine how many rolls of film that would be. LOL Anyway, without further ado here are snippets from my trip.

My first collage is a little bit from all of the places that we went. I stayed at the Peacock hotel, which is literally right behind Disney so I could hear the fireworks every night. We ate at the "Pig N Whistle", ate at Fish Camp, went to the OC Fair, Downtown Disney, Newport Beach/Balboa CA., ate at Newport Landing and went dolphin/whale watching.

The two pics near the bottom right of this college are some treasures that I got while on my trip. For those of you who don't know, I collect pencils so I came home with 3 pencils, a pen and a new key chain. So I guess I am a collector of key chains now too. LOL

The other little picture is one of all of my trip treasures. My mom got both of us a jar to keep small trinkets in as little mementos from our trip. I may have to keep doing this for all my trips. It was kind of fun to find little things and those trinkets will make the memories last forever. :) I like to think of them as vacation joy boxes, in bottle form. ;)

 

I think from here, we will go by day. This is day number 1. I got to LA in the middle of the afternoon so we went to Hollywood Blvd to eat and wait for the traffic to die down before making our way to Anaheim. I always love going to Hollywood. The things you see and the business of it all just makes me feel somewhat invigorated. Only in Hollywood can you find people dressed as Darth Vader with their little tag along R2D2 and another person dressed as Elmo. Oh and ONLY in Hollywood can you find parking meters that take credit cards. I'm sure there are other places but this was a first for me. LOL In Hollywood, we ate at the Pig N Whistle (mmmmm Halibut fish and chips) and walked up and down the Blvd - My inner tourist taking pictures all along the way.

She took LOTS of pictures!!!! One of the ladies stood right in the middle of my shot, How Rude!!

Day number 2 was a very simple day. It was nice to be able to just relax for a day and spend time with my mom and Jay. My mom and I dropped Moonius off at the beach and we went to Ulta!! /sigh....every girls paradise!! I got $22 worth of stuff for $7! Yes, I am an awesome bargain shopper! I learned from the best, that would be my mom. ;) After Ulta we went back to the beach and discovered that Jay was waiting for us because it was too cold to lay on the beach. I think I left the sun in AZ because it was somewhat cloudy the whole time I was there. Since the beach was too cold we went to Fish Camp for lunch instead (I got grilled Salmon and salad mmmm) and then just went back to the hotel for the rest of the day. My mom taught me how to knit and we did pedicures. After I got home I made this tiny square of knitting to put in my little treasure jar. :)

Since we were so close to Disney, I did Disney themed pedicures on our toes. I offered to paint Moon's toes, but he wasn't too keen on that idea. For the Disney design, we painted our nails red, and then I did a white tip on our big toes, made a little tiny Mickey silhouette on the white tip and then put white dots on the rest of the nail. They turned out really cute!

Day number 3 was Friday the 13th. Eeep! It was the most awesome Friday the 13th Ever! The Orange County Fair opened that day and had free admission for the first hour, so we stood in line and waited. The picture in the top left is a picture of the line once we could see the gate; it was much longer than that, believe me. The fair was a blast!! I had never really been to big fair like that, so the only fried fair food that I'd ever eaten was funnel cake. I made up for it that day. I had a corn dog, fried cheese, a funnel cake (just a little one), a fried Snickers (omg...to die for), cotton candy (of which I still have some) and a gelato. Holy Hannah! I won't need ANY fried food for a while.

While at the fair, we saw some fun dancers and shopped till we literally dropped! The pretty flowers are hair clips that my mom and I got. It wasn't until we went to put them on that we realized that we had picked the exact same ones. If I believed in reincarnation, I think we may have been twins in another lifetime. LOL After the fair my mom and I took a nap back at the hotel, like I said we literally dropped. After the nap we taught Moonius how to play Hand and Foot and then we all went to Downtown Disney. I had to go to the Gigantic Disney store and I love the lego store too. We ate at Napolini (margarita pizza), caught some of Disney's Fireworks through the trees and called it a day! I think at some point that night I caught my mom and Jay dancing to the wonderful music that was being played in Downtown Disney. ;)

Day number 4. This was my last full day in CA and it was a BLAST!!! We went to Newport Beach, which is in Balboa California. Balboa is my new favorite place in all of everywhere. I loved the beach. I loved the town itself. It was a touristy town with all of the little fun shops right in the middle of residential area. 

We did two things while in Balboa. First we spent some good time at the beach. By the end of the day, I was incognito as a lobster. Luckily, I think I have put on enough lotion so that it is now a tan and won’t peel. :) While at the beach I took lots of pictures (of course) and enjoyed getting my feet wet. When I went down to the shore I hadn’t planned on coming back half drenched but it happened - I should've just known. Luickly the camera survived! ;) 

Since I had my little jar that I had to fill up with mementos from my trip I gathered up a bunch of seashells. The whole time chanting, “I’m picking up seashells, along the sea shore.” LOL There were a couple of pictures that I wanted to get while I was on the beach and those were some pics of my feet with the sea foam coming up to them. (I know, I’m weird) After a LOT of trial and error I did manage to get a couple shots that I really liked. In addition to the pictures of the sea, I also took a little bit of video of the waves. I love the sound of the ocean.

The second excursion that we took in Balboa was lunch and dolphin/whale watching!! We ate lunch at Newport Landing and someone who reserved a table was a "no-show" so we even got a pretty view! :) We saw lots of birds before we left on our boat to go see dolphins. I learned that Jay really likes birds, so I took pictures just for him. :) Our ship was the "Nautilus" and off we went.

I had never been out on the water before. I learned two things very quickly, one I'm not prone to sea-sickness, YAY!!! And two, it is very, very, VERY cold out on the water. I had dressed for the beach: shorts, tank top, flip flops...that is NOT how you dress to go out to sea. LOL Luckily I had brought a shirt with me, in case I got too much sun but that was definitely not enough. Note to self: Next time you go out to sea, bring a jacket, and maybe a blanket. LOL 

Along the way before we got to open sea the tour guide was telling us about the beautiful houses along the shore. I took several pictures of them but I now I don't remember who they belonged to, with the exception of the house in the bottom left corner of this collage. That house, with the green awnings, was Shirley Temple's childhood home. :) 

While out at sea, we saw many, many, many dolphins - but they are camera shy so it's hard to get good pictures of them. What they aren't shy of is video cameras! :) I only took a few snippets of video because video sucks my camera's batteries dry but I did edit them together and it is uploaded to YouTube. :)  We didn't see any whales. :( I tried to summon my inner Dory and speak "whale" but they didn't understand my dialect. LMAO!!!

Overall, my trip was awesome!! I made memories that will last a lifetime and had a blast too! ;)

To my Mom and Moonius, thank you so much for flying me out to spend some time with you!! The whole trip was a blast! I can't wait for the next trip. Hopefully one day I'll make it to Abilene. I really want to see your home in KS too!

Your California Girl, 

Jessy <3

Cheyenne the Beautiful!

A few weeks ago my friend Julie invited me to come and visit her in Wyoming, she flew me up there and I got to spend a whole week with her and her daughter, Miss Abigail. I don't even know where to begin with this post because there is SOOOO much that I could talk about. I guess the beginning is a good place to start right?! LOL

Well first off, my flight out was a red-eye flight so I was able to get such a pretty picture of the Sunrise as I flew somewhere along the way to Denver, where Julie picked me up. I, of course, am from AZ so the "Tornado Shelter" sign in the airport came as a surprise to me, such a surprise that it deserved a picture. At least we know that the baggage is safe, right?! LOL The little picture of the buffalo, is a statue that you can see from the freeway right before you enter Wyoming.

While I was in WY, we went to the City Park Pool in Fort Collins, CO. Some of the MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) mom's from Julie's church met there and we had a TON of fun!! I LOVED the City Park Pool! It was unlike any pool I had ever seen before and was made for literally ALL ages. The water started out a couple inches deep and went down from there. Abby went down the blue slide and I'm glad I got a picture of it, because she only went down it once. LOL

One another day we adventured into Downtown Cheyenne. Whenever I think of state capitols I think of big cities with bright lights and tall buildings; Downtown Cheyenne was nothing like that at all. They kept the old town feeling and it fit the atmosphere of Wyoming perfectly. We took a LONG "stroll" in the downtown area. Just a note, if you ever go to Downtown Cheyenne, the Train Depot and the WY State Museum are not blocks apart, they are a couple miles apart. LOL Walking that far in the middle of the day, with a 3 year old was not the brightest idea. However I was able to get some fun pictures along the way; so at least it wasn't a really boring walk. ;) I loved all of the boots that were all over downtown, the one on the left side of this collage is called "Licensed to Boot" and it had little pieces of WY license plates on it! It was so much fun to see everything and I felt like your typical tourist taking all of the cliché pictures. LOL

Overall, the trip was just a lot of relaxation, we spent a lot of time hanging around the house and playing card games. I taught Julie how to play Hand and Foot. We played Texas Hold'em but didn't bet right because I don't play poker like at all and Julie had never played. So it was practically the blind leading the blind but it was fun!! We played Uno with the 0's twist and we threw in a couple games of Fricken' Fracken' Farkle here and there too! Just a side note, the "Dealer" chip is the most awesome chip for remembering who dealt last - go figure. You just have to make sure that you don't get a chip on your shoulder. ;)

Julie and I also painted our nails and unfortunately my camera doesn't take very good close up pictures, but let's just say that we used a lot of nail polish remover that night. I painted all of my fingernails a different color at least once and some of them even twice!! Here is what I ended up doing with my nails. I love Julie's nail stamps so I had to use them. Now my polish is chipping off just in time for the 4th of July, can't wait to do something fun for that! :)

I had such a blast in Cheyenne WY! It was great to see Julie and Miss Abigail, I loved hanging around the house and the simplicity of the trip was nice and relaxing. Just what the doctor ordered! I loved my vacation and can't wait until the next time I get to visit. :)

To Julie, thank you so much for the wonderful time! I definitely miss you and enjoyed spending every moment with you in Cheyenne. <3

Your Cliché Cheyenne Tourist, 

                   Jessy <3

Creative Writing: Who said you had to hit the writing prompt on the head?!

   Okay so about a month ago our power went out. I had been sleeping a while so I decided to get up instead of rolling over and going back to sleep. Well with no power, I am like Totally “off the grid”. No power = no internet, no phone and no A/C. A/C was actually already beginning to be important in AZ. I realized that the longer I went without power. lol 

   I had my iPod, fully charged (YAY!), which has my music, some movies, and some books so there was a little bit that I could do without power. I opened my Kindle app and realized the last book that I had open was a writing prompt book. I thought “Oh how fun, I’ll write!” So I did. The following is one of the prompts that I did and somewhere in the middle of writing it, I decided that it should be a blog post. lol 

Writing Prompt: You have been sent back in time (to kindergarten) and you have the ability to change your entire schooling experience. How do you change the next 16 years of your life to make your life better? Does it work or do you lose some of the flavor along the way?

   Well personally I wouldn’t change elementary school. I loved my classes and my teachers. I had one teacher, Mrs. Clegg, for 3 different years (Kindergarten, 5^th and 6^th grade). She was by far my favorite teacher and I was very sad to leave 6^th grade because I knew that I would probably never see her again. I know that you aren’t really supposed to be friends with your teachers (unless you want to be called a Teacher’s pet) but by the end of 6^th grade, I felt like she was a friend that I was saying “Goodbye” to. I remember crying the most over knowing that I wasn’t going to see her again. I did find her on Facebook a year or so ago. Even though I don’t talk to her much, I like just knowing that she is there.

   When I went into junior high my mom MADE me go to this private Christian school. I remember fighting with her because I wanted to continue on to a public junior high with all of my friends from elementary school. I told her “I won’t know anybody at this school.” Well, we settled on a compromise. I would go to this junior high and then I could pick which high school to attend. I got there the first day and realized that I knew everyone (It was a very small school) because I had just gone to Bible camp with them over the summer. 

   It was at this school that I made two of my best friends in the whole world; literally because one of them (Sarah) is going to be a Baptist missionary in the Congo. Sarah, Rachel and I have shared so many memories. We have had our silly moments, our serious moments, have gone on so many adventures and share so many inside jokes it’s not even funny. These are two women that I will always be friends with – probably cuz we know too much about each other. Again, I really don’t keep in touch like I should but I know that they are there and whenever we do see each other we pick up right where we left off like no time has past at all. They aren’t just friends, they are my sisters. 

   Rachel is the sister that will put you in your place when you need that dose of reality. She will pick you up when you fall but she will be laughing because she warned you that would something would happen. lol Sarah is the sister that always just wants to make sure that you are okay. Life wouldn’t be complete without either of them. So in the end, I wouldn’t change junior high either. 

   My first year of high school I moved to Idaho, so again my mom put me in a private Christian school – which was okay with me because moving to a new state was bad enough – let alone picking a high school. lol This school is something that I would’ve changed. Even though it was a “Christian” school I felt like an outcast there. I made some friends that I still keep in touch with on Facebook, but overall I didn’t like the experience. I might’ve been better off just going to a public high school. 

   After my first year there I decided that I didn’t want to go back and because of my experience there I was scared to go to a public high school. After all, I was shy and kind of an outcast and we have all seen how the shy kids are treated on TV shows. I decided to home-school instead. This is what I would change. To this day, I always regret not having gone to an actual high school. I feel like I missed out on some fundamental parts of life. I never went to a prom, I never had the opportunity to be grossed out in Biology class, I never dated anyone or had my heart broken (maybe that’s a good thing) but the one thing that I regret the most is that I never had an official graduation. I got my GED but never the opportunity to wear a cap and gown, and walk to receive my diploma. If I could go back, I would go to a public high school. I would face my fears and take my chances. I would deal with the peer pressure, the heart break and yes even the Biology dissections….ewww. 

   I know the prompt is probably just meant for K-12 but life (and schooling) doesn’t end after high school – no matter what you think when you’re 18. After high school I moved again, this time to AZ…on July 4^th. Ick! Note to self: Never move to AZ in July. All I can say is “YAY for movers!” That Fall I started college at a Bible College in Tempe, AZ. This is also a choice I wouldn’t change for the world. It was there that I met Andy. Andy was a lot of firsts in my life: first true love, first date, first kiss and my first (hopefully only) husband. 

   Even though I only went to college for a year, that year was the most pivotal point in my life. If I hadn’t gone to that college, I wouldn’t have met the most wonderful man in my life. Without meeting him, who knows where I would’ve ended up – it could’ve been anywhere. If I had not met Andy at college there are other people that I am sure I wouldn’t have ever met. I probably wouldn’t have ended up in the job that I have today. I probably would’ve never played WoW, which resulted in meeting Jill, Mat (aka Donald), and Danny. I probably wouldn’t have ended up going to the church that I go to and meeting Julie and Crystal. All of these experiences stem from the choice of what college I went to. 

   My life would not be complete without my husband, without the people from my work (who aren’t co-workers, they are family), without Jill, Mat (aka Donald) and Lil’ Andy, without Tom, Julie and Miss Abigail, and without Jed, Crystal and their whole gang of Smithlings. My life would be so different and I honestly don’t think it would be better. 

   So I didn’t exactly hit the writing prompt on the head. But maybe I wasn’t supposed to – I had bigger and better things to write about. 

   To all of the people that I mentioned, Mrs. Clegg, Sarah, Rachel, Andy, my MCC family, Jill and Mat (aka Donald), Danny, Tom and Julie, and Jed and Crystal, you all mean the world to me. I may not say it (or say it enough) but life wouldn’t be the same without you. Each one of you holds a special place in my heart. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, no matter where life may take you, please always know that you have each made a great impact in my life and I thank you for that. I will never forget you and I will always keep my memories of you close to my heart. <3

Your Creative-Writing Blogger,

                  Jessy <3