I interrupt your regularly schedule program...

... to announce that I am setting up shop in my new digs, aaaaand... drumroll, please... I. HAVE. INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Over and out.

xoxo J

News!

I know I promised you work and dance updates, but the final word on the work sitch is still pending, so I don't want to mention anything until things are finalized. And the dance updates are tied to the work update, so I have to wait on that. Fingers crossed for next week...

Enough babbling... I have news!!

Come late November, I will become an aunt for the first time. And it's a boy! His name will be Forrester Carpenter Day... Forrester for the grandfather that passed away last August and Carpenter is my mother's maiden name and my brother's (the daddy) middle name. He will have the names of both my grandpas. I love it :)

The news that my baby brother's girlfriend is preggers was a bit surprising about a month and a half ago... he's 21, she just turned 20, so well, the situation is not ideal. But life happens. To all of us. So no one in the fam has been judgey (at least not the immediate fam) and we're all loving and supportive... what good would it do to be judgemental?? It is what it is, and holy moley, they're both so young and a bit scared, so the best the rest of us can do is love on them. So that's what we're doing.

And now I have four months of planning and shopping to get ready for this Auntie business :)

xoxo
J

And it goes on and on and on and on

Hey hey!

Long time no blog, I know. Sorry, been busy. Just the usual... work and Avon and dance and church stuff and the typical summer shenanigans. A quick round of pics from last weekend's adventures...

I heart gelato!

Amigos

Air pool-stick guitar

Cue it up!

I want to thank everyone for your sweet comments and condolences for my grandma. All of your comments really touched me!! Her service was small but sweet, and the weather was gorgeous. Colorado-sunny, but not too hot, and the coolest part: while the minister was doing his thing, a yellow monarch butterfly kept fluttering around. We all agreed that it was Grandma hanging out one last time before heading up to chill with Grandpa. It was great :)

Life goes on and both Grandma and Grandpa were no-BS, hard-workin' folk, so I know they'd want me to do exactly that - no moping around for too long allowed! My days are quite full, and my happy-go-lucky, I'm-in-love-with-summer self returned last week and has definitely been in full-force this week.

There are things to report - about my job, about school/dance - but I'll save that for next week (if I can get myself to Blogland long enough to write a post, sheesh...). I just don't have a long post in me right now.

This weekend's shenanigans entail camping and hiking a 14er (that's a 14,000-foot mountain, for you flat-landers ;) ) - or two! Pics to come, I'm sure ;) What are your weekend plans??

Happy weekend, lovelies!

xoxo
J

For Grandma

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend! My weekend was good, filled with the summer activities that I love... the pool, ballet, bike rides, friends, fireworks despite the rain... but it ended on a sad note.

I received a call from my dad on Sunday night saying that Grandma was not doing well, and that he and my aunts had decided to let nature take it's course after months of her steady health decline. At 6am today he texted me that she passed away in her sleep last night.


She's had Alzheimer's and dementia for a couple years now, and over the last month or so she has been in and out of the hospital with increasing health problems. Grandpa died this past August, so the family expected Grandma to go shortly after. She wasn't "aware" in the way we all are, but we know that she knew Grandpa came to be with her at the nursing home every single day, and when he passed, a part of her did, too. So, we all knew it was coming. But it's still sad.

I went to see her yesterday at the nursing home to say good-bye. She wasn't awake (her decline over the weekend brought her into a coma) and wouldn't have known who I was even if she were awake, but I know she knew her family was there, loving on her. I'm grateful I had the opportunity to see her again before she left this world.


If I remember correctly, Grandma's favorite color was yellow. I visited a trial flower garden yesterday with a friend and we took these pictures. I think Grandma would like them. So they're for her.

We will miss you dearly, Grandma. I have very fond memories of you and all your sassyness! :) Although you're gone, I know you're in a better, happier place now, no longer suffering, and with Grandpa. I take comfort in this, and knowing I will see you both again someday. I love you!

xoxo
J

Happy Independence Day, US of A!

We Heart It

xoxo
J

Belated Blogiversary!! And soaking up summer

While out playing this last weekend, I was thinking how I should blog about whatever adventure I was on at the moment - which I now don't remember what it was I was thinking of writing about - and then it hit me... my 2-year Blogiversary was June 13! And I missed it! Bad blogger.

So, happy belated Blogiversary to my little blog!! It's been fun, playing here in my little corner of the blog universe. I know I've been MIA lately, but there is much too much fun to be had in the summer sun, taking me away from the computer (and I still am internet-less at home, so that doesn't help)... but I'm not giving up on you, my li'l baby!

If it is the least bit sunny outside, I absolutely cannot justify staying inside. With each passing moment indoors, this panicked urgency starts gripping my heart - I'm missing precious sun-time! I will actually get grumpy if I can't get out and play. No sleeping in for me (minus last Saturday, and I was quite bummed that my morning was "wasted" sleeping, even though I probably needed it since I went to bed the night before at 3am, lol). My house is in dire need of organizing and cleaning, but I just can't do it. I'm stuck inside all day during the work week, so when the weekend rolls around, it's playtime - that 5 o'clock "bell" rings on Friday afternoon and I mentally check out of work mode like my life depends on it.

Hiking, biking, rafting, barbecues, pool parties, dancing... I just can't get enough of summer...

Suiting up... our wetsuits are s-e-x-y!

Ready to ride the rapids! (I'm crouched in the front row, 2nd in from left.)

Moonlight hike sans the moon... cloudy skies and forest fire smoke didn't keep us from climbing!

Climbing down (I just noticed that I'm totally color-coordinated, lol!)

With the bros and Dad on Father's Day.

Pool par-tay! (I'm standing in the back.)

Head for the hills!

Ballet, mid bike ride :)

I don't mess around with mid-ride snacks - forget energy bars, most of them taste like wood anyway... hell-ooooo fruit & chocolate!

I hope you all are enjoying summer as much as I am! Get out there and enjoy the sun, the surf, the mountains, whatever it is that you have... summer is here and gone before we know it!!

xoxo
J

Sweet, sweet soreness

I'm happy to say that I stuck to my guns last night, and despite dinner plans with Mom, I got down to tae-bo business when I got home. No excuses allowed... "I'll be too full from dinner", or "it will be late and I have other things I should do..." I ate small portions and brought the rest home. I got home at 7:30, so it was definitely not too late. And yes, plans to continue organizing my stuff for this weekend's garage sale got sidelined, but I didn't (and don't) care. My mood was a 180-degree turnaround post-workout from the crabbypants I was beforehand. Game on.

It's amazing how quickly you lose it when you don't use it. I was huffin' and puffin' through those kicks and punches, and the stretch session afterward was humbling. But I pushed and breathed through, and today I have some seriously sore muscles to show for it... and I love it! I may be keenly aware of muscles I haven't used in awhile, but I'm one happy li'l camper today.


Tonight I continue my mission and will head to the dance studios to work through ballet barre, Horton exercises (a form of modern dance technique), and any stretching my sore muscles will allow. And then I get to enjoy dinner and a margarita with friends later... life is good.

xoxo J

Just do it

As I drove to work this morning I began to feel the dark cloud of crankiness start to creep in... I wasn't entirely sure why or where it was coming from, so I just took note and continued about my day. Then at some point this afternoon, it dawned on me: I have scheduled [crammed] so many things this week that I've compromised any time to workout, condition and dance. Not only do I need to do it for my career, but mama also needs it for her sanity.

My initial reactions were along the lines of "I need to make/find time in my schedule!". Nope, wrong. Unfortunately I do not have a magic wand to add more time to the day, nor can I live on less hours of sleep... I need to say, without guilt or reservation, the big, ugly N word: NO. (Not an easy task for this girl!)

This doesn't mean I bail on other obligations or responsibilities, or forgo any kind of social life. I just say NO to bumping my workout time. Make it an obligation as important as other important business I have to take care of, including fun business. Set it in stone and schedule things around it. No budging, no excuses. Excuses aren't going to keep me in shape and get me in better shape. If that means I do it at 9 o'clock at night sometimes, then so be it. If that means I arrive late to dinner with friends, flushed and glowy and my hair a bit disheveled, so be it. I didn't get a get-out-of-jail-free card because it was late in the evening or because I didn't sleep well the night before while in Chicago last summer... and wouldn't you know it, I was in the best shape of my life, physically and technically.

Protect my workout time like it's my job. Because if I don't and I get to Friday each week and have logged way too much desk time without countering it with solid sweat sessions, then I'm going to be wearing my crabby pants like it's my job. And no one wants to be around Jessizilla. I don't want to be around Jessizilla. AND! The dancers that I admire so much in my Dance Magazines don't look like they do or do what they do by coming up with pathetic excuses as to why they can't workout tonight...

Nike has it figured out. Their slogan isn't given a second thought anymore, but if you really think about it, they've summed it up in three little words... no excuses, no whining. Just do it.

via We Heart It

That means you, too... whatever it is you've been meaning to do, putting off... no excuses!

xoxo
J

It's here!!

Ladies and gentleman, I bring you the Fort Collins Party... Like It's 1985 flash mob performance, as promised!!



Too. Much. Fun!!

I was on such a high when we got done dancing, that I turned to the person next to me and said, "we have to take this on tour!" Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but hot diggity I had a BLAST!!

xoxo
J

Forget Monday... where did May go??

Yowza, June is here!! That just tickles my fancy, since June 1 signals the official beginning of summer in my little corner of the universe.

What have I been up to?? LIFE! Bike rides, pool parties, soaking up the sun, teaching dance, learning dance, being an Avon lady... I thought my to-dos would settle a little upon the arrival of summer, but such is not the case. Funny, though, it's a different kind of busy than when school is in session... I think the key is less stress. Summer just brings me a carefree outlook that I love and need!

I'm short on time, thanks to my many to-dos... so I leave you with some of my latest visual inspiration as we embark upon the weekend!

All from We Heart It

Happy Friday, happy weekend, happy summer!!

xoxo
J