101 Progress: "Once a Month" Fail

O.Kaaay... Well, it's been a while. I thought I would take some time today and blog about my 101 in 1001 progress. I have been really busy lately and haven't posted anything about my progress since September 2012. I guess I didn't meet the "Blog about my progress every month" challenge. I have decided that on my next list I am not going to put a deadline (like once a month) on myself. Life is just WAY too busy for that. So here is my update and some snippets about my life since September.

Accomplishments:
~ Visited Sarah & Rachel in October 2012, we had a blast! It was actually pretty relaxing and I will have to blog about it, because fun was had by all.
~ Hosted a Christmas Craft Party at my house in December. I had Crystal & D'Arcy, as well as Peggy & Sarah over to make Christmas ornaments. I think this is going to quickly become a Christmas tradition. :) 
~ Got a nice digital camera for Christmas so I guess I don't need to buy one.
~ Finally got nail stamps!!! My mommy gave them to me for my birthday. I love her. :)
~ Actually hung a picture in my office. I know hanging one picture probably doesn't really count as "Decorating" your office. But hey, it's a start - don't judge me. LOL
~ In January, I finally got the guts to dye my hair a freaky color. I bleached my hair and then used a wash-out color to dye it red/pink. It was awesome; the reactions from everyone were classic. LOL

~ My latest accomplishment is finding a pen pal!! I actually have two! I am part of the 20 Something blogger community, which I'm not really active in. But they sent out a request for postcard buddies and I jumped at the chance! I just got my two names on Valentine's Day so I haven't had a chance to contact them yet, but one is from Canada and the other is from Spain, so I'm pretty excited to get to know them! :)

Things that I have kept up with:
~ Pedicure of the month; Okay I didn't do a cute pedi in January but I did paint my toe nails. And I haven't done anything this month, but the month isn't over :)
~ Song of the month!
   October 2012 - Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5; For some reason that song was STUCK in my head like the whole month! I even made it my ring tone for a while.
   November 2012 - Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt; Ok, so I just randomly picked this song because nothing stuck out for November, but I was technically already listening to Christmas music.
   December 2012 - Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby for Mark Anderson, who retired from MCC and moved to Hawaii
   January 2013 - The One that Got Away by P!nk; I love this song. :)

Count Update:
I currently own
  ~ 88 bottles of nail polish, 96 if you count nail polish pens. (I count them, so 96...lol)
  ~ 295 pens/pencils for my collection. I am pretty proud of the fact that 278 of those are pencils; I only have 17 pens! :)

Things I am refusing to talk about:
~ My weight loss goal... um...yeah.
~ My "progress" on books that I read.
~ Letters that I have written - I sent Christmas cards to some people, does that count?

I think that concludes the list of accomplishments over the past few months. I have been busy with school, I finished ENG102 last semester. And I'm currently taking PSY101 and BPC110 (a very basic computer class). I am taking the BPC class so that I will have a study-buddy for Math, but I am actually learning a few little tricks that I didn't know about Microsoft Office. Hopefully my schedule will allow me to blog more.

Until next time,
Jessy <3

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 



 

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!! Today marks the end of our Music Advent so I have two songs that I want to share because they both have different messages that I want you to remember today. The first song is Hallelujah (Light Has Come) by Barlow Girl. I know this week some of the Christmas songs haven't really been "classic" Christmas carols but I wanted everyone to remember the meaning of Christmas. Sunday I talked about Christ being a gift to us, today is the day to celebrate and remember that God gave us His only Son to show His love; I can't imagine that kind of love. That is the ultimate act of selflessness. Parents, could you imagine giving your only child away to someone who needed them? I can't and I'm not even a parent. This song is sung as though it is Mary singing about Christs' birth. She is in awe of this little baby and she is praising God that He allowed Christ to come down and save us. Such a beautiful song, keep it in mind today as you celebrate with your loved ones.

The second song that I would like to share is Where Are You Christmas? I think this is a good song to end our advent. I just heard this arrangement a few days ago and fell in love with it. I like instrumental music but I think the little girl at the end adds so much to the song. I almost cried the first time I heard it, just sayin'. The message that I want you to gain from this song is that the joy and peace of Christmas doesn't have to come just once a year. Keep your heart and mind open with thoughts of love and joy, and you can have that Christmas feeling all year round.

 

Where Are You Christmas w/ lyrics 

I know that life is hard and it's difficult to keep those thoughts of love and joy all year. So just remember that there is someone out there who loves you so much that He gave you His son. It is that love that should drive your year. Show compassion to those around you, think of others before yourself, and you will receive blessings that you never thought possible. 

  

^"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:7-9

Merry Christmas and God bless, 

Jessy <3

Music Advent Calendar - Merry Christmas Darling

Merry Christmas Darling.../dreamy sigh. This song is dedicated to all of those friends and family that I can't be with this Christmas. I want to wish my Mom and Dad, Alex, Bailey, and Michael, Aunt Beth, as well as all of my in-laws, a very Merry Christmas. I can't spend Christmas with any of you this year and I just want to say that I love you all and I miss you.

There are also so many friends that I wish I was spending time with too. I am not going to name names because I don't want to forget anyone. lol You all know who you are. :) I would love to have one year when I could gather all of my family, and my friends (who are my extended family), to have Christmas with Andrew and I; I guess I have to start playing the lottery. That would be the most awesome Christmas ever. /let down sigh...Until then just know that I love you; I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Sending Christmas Wishes,
Jessy <3

Music Advent Calendar - I Celebrate the Day

I older I get the more I see commercialism taking over the simplicity of Christmas. The real reason that we celebrate Christmas is to celebrate Christs' birth, not see how many presents we can get underneath the tree, or who has the best decorations outside their house. The reason we give presents is because Christ was given as a present to us, and I think that has been forgotten. I love this song because it reminds me that Christ is a present that was sent from God; he was born so I can live with Him someday. I urge you to remember Christ's gift not only at Christmas but always. Lets try to take away the Christmas commercialism and focus on helping others, spend quality time with family and friends, and remember what Christmas is all about.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

^{Luke 2: 8-14 NKJV}

Remembering Christ this Christmas,

Jessy <3