Hello, Pomodoro Mood

I've put myself in this confessions-only blogger rut a few times in my writing past, but it's always what seems to spark some inspiration and give you a real look into what's going on in my world these days. 

What really sparked this post today was the consistent magic offered by Alyssa in her productivity post titled "How to Actually Get Sh*t Done". The first point about the Pomodoro Technique made me a master of my time after just one use. The "distraction pad" is the cure my wandering attention tendencies while her remarks about being in the mood help to prioritize. 

I've Pomodoro'd four times since reading that productivity post and I've found a new thing to get addicted to. Fun to say, easy to do once distractions are removed and highly transferable to any activity. Think work, cleaning, sweating, intimacy, morning routine. It's all yours. 

This was blogged while pomodoro-ing and listening to a 25-minute playlist I created with multiple versions of "Hello". Mainly because I can't decide if I really like the song, the words, the vibe or if the lyrics could easily be replaced with a ballad about me apologizing to my thighs for the decisions I made in November with food and exercise.  At least I can say that I tried. 

Let the confessions begin. 

:: Cyber Monday was really just selfish Monday where I bought one real Christmas gift, two pairs of booties, a Living Social deal I can use at some point over the next four years, and a ton of Old Navy goodness because sitewide was 50% off with a few other redemption codes I'd been saving up for my next big buy. 

:: Cyber Monday was also a little light on the gift side because the guy found the perfect way to treat each other that we're going to have to be patient about. The paradise all-inclusive sun-soaked adults-only resort vacation is booked and paid for, but it's not until mid-June of 2016! I'm so eager that I already tried to request vacation days at work, but it's systematically too far in advance. We've been chatting about a trip in the Spring with the family, too.

:: The big surprise of the week was when we retrieved actual mail from our overflowing mailbox and found two perfectly timely birthday cards with sweet greetings and wishes for my 28th year on this planet. Both greetings were from women I met over the Internet, a fact I enjoy sharing with anyone who doesn't need to know. A text to each and some social media real estate served as my apologies, but I'll continue to make up for it with some adorable holiday cards of my own that will be mailed this week.

:: This weekend my guy finally got a taste of what it's like for a girl to walk into Target during the holidays. We got in, got exactly what we needed and then I informed him that I needed to look around a little more. We avoided the clothes and shoes, but there was a point where I had to send his hovering-self away to do his own thing while I browsed the holiday decor and picked up soup ingredients. Do your men understand what it's like to walk into Target with a basket to fill?

And this. 

Adele. When you're ghosted, you're ghosted. Or I suppose if you were the ghost then you stick with it, girl. 

Hello?

Linking all over the internet: Kathy, Nadine, Sarah, Laura, Lauren, Alanna and .... ???

Shipping Up!

I'm currently in the forever-awkward-post-Mani/Pedi-can't-touch-anything position. It's awful. There are plenty times each day where I'm sedentary enough that my nails would dry perfectly without a single rub or smudge, but right after a manicure? Must touch everything! Right after a pedicure? Feet-so-cold, this blanket won't ruin that coat of polish that must have dried 20 minutes ago? Lies.

Whenever you're in doubt, always wait 20 more minutes for drying, just as a safety measure. 

These drying nails didn't help me get laundry done any quicker and didn't let me sweat and didn't help me pack, but they are done and unsmudged and I call that a victory.

Pack? 

Yes! I'm headed out of town to Upper-Right USA for a long weekend. Maybe see me around and maybe you won't. Instagram is your best bet!

There's a lot I'm looking forward to about this trip, but think these two new companions are high on the list. At least for those middle-seat plane rides I've become accustomed to! 

Have you read either of these? Have a great weekend!

So I Went to Mexico with a Boy and Other Confessions

Sorry to leave you hanging yesterday, but I couldn't come back from 2 weeks of absence and hit you with substance. I had to get back into the writing flow with something shallow like the length and color of my hair. It was also an attempt to cleverly attract you while simultaneously buying time to write the vacation recap + other confessions.

To be honest, I've been away from blogging for so long that I wasn't sure if Kathy still hosted confessions on Wednesdays, if people still used twitter or if hashtags were even still a thing. #TheyAre #Blessed. Actually I was also surprised to see there was a new iPhone out, like I've been living in a cave or something.

That's how removed I've been from the internet world the last few months and I want to come clean with my list of reasons for being so remorselessly MIA:

1. Work
2. Summer
3. A Boy

While I'd love to tell you exactly what "work" and "summer' mean, I know you really just came here to read about the boy-carrot I've been dangling in front of you for about a month now. (btw, google image search "boy carrot" for a giggle).

The slightly ironic thing about today's confession is that this isn't the first time I've talked about this boy here on this blog.  If you need to catch up, here's the post you might remember. #SpoilerAlert

Through the events that played out as a result of work and summer, we were reunited 75 days after we had mutually decided to spend the rest of our forevers apart. And I mean forever. Quickly through our re-connection, the sparks, the magic and the happy fuzzy feels of being back in contact caught us both by surprise.

From my point of view, an anxious and uneasy surprise. From his, "a pleasant one".

You see, the sparks and the feels were there before and arguably had never died, but we stuffed those beautiful beams of light into a tiny box - locked it, threw away the key, buried the box a mile under ground and erected the next world's tallest building with a "shit-load of concrete" on top of it. Hoping and willing that those sparks and feels would never again see the light of day.

But duh, you know as well as I do that magic and sparks can't be forced into darkness.

The time that we spent apart concealing that magic was liberating, eye opening and extremely helpful for resetting my personal value, my self-worth and experiencing the blossom effect that happens after a break-up. Repairing myself and rebuilding into something better was time well spent, but when those sparks rose from the dead and waved themselves frantically in front of my face, they suggested that I give this man and this terrifying thing called love another chance. A chance that I've since tried to sabotage, a chance that I've since tried to nourish and a chance that I owe to the decisions and sacrifices that have led us here.

So this boy (who I can't really call a "boy" as he's 4 years my senior) and I live 2,000 miles from each other. Aside from hours on FaceTime and quick weekend trips, we don't get to touch each others faces more than the pets we give on the front-facing iPhone camera (you can turn away now from the mush, but I'm just getting to the vacation recap). Because of all this apart-ness, we planned a week-long tropical Mexico vacation to serve as our last escape before a crazy few months ahead in our careers.

Ole! Onto the good parts! By the way... his name is Brian.

Brian and I met up in Dallas for our connecting flight to Cancun and we were so excited to get Popeye's Chicken see each other at the airport that we almost missed our flight. We didn't have seats booked together but somehow he negotiated the aisles across from each other. Meanwhile I was busy doing my part by gracefully spilling 20oz of water into the aisle, accompanied by a chorus of gasps from the witnessing passengers.

When we made it to Cancun we grabbed some cervezas and jumped on the shuttle that took us an hour south to my first all-inclusive resort experience. Our room overlooked the "adults only" side along with the dolphin / manatee tank where they did daily swim experiences.

Between the food, the booze, the pools and the entertainment - the place where we spent the most quality time was at the life-sized chess board.

Let me preface that one of the qualities that I find most attractive about this guy is his brain, followed closely by his competitive spirit. He's brilliant. Put those two things together with a person who's never played chess before (against me who was in the Chess club through 4th grade) and you don't need alcohol for entertainment. Things got heated as I continued to chirp "check" and asked "now why would you move that there?".

Since Mexico he's drastically improved his chess game but I'll just take the credit as my solid teaching. Right?

The week was spent within the grounds of the resort - overlooking the ocean, kayaking, renting a cabana, playing pool bingo, beating him in pool H-O-R-S-E and pool P-I-G (he is athletic, I promise. He beat me in a footrace on the beach), trying out the restaurants, dusting off my Spanish minor with some translation assistance and watching classic films I'd never seen like Blazing Saddles and Something About Mary.

I even convinced his sleepy-head to wake up with me for the sunrise on our last day (that he continued to actually call the "sunset" because I don't think he's ever woken up for a sunrise).

We avoided the flood of work emails that were coming in as much as possible and  kept our phones tucked away in the hotel safe - which is the main reason for so few photos. We ordered corn dogs from room service like it was our last meal. And lastly maybe because of the corn dogs we spent a ton of time battling each other for the toilet - absolutely THE most romantic time we've ever spent together.

Positive side - I didn't get a sunburn and I haven't been peeling my skin like I did after the week I spent in Belize earlier this summer. #winning

[Brian Wants To Interject: "Hey! I like how you didn't mention that I beat you in ping-pong and spoke Spanish better than you. Or that I won a bracelet for the dog you in pool bingo.]

Oh yeah, he won this bracelet for me and I haven't taken it off since!

In short, Brian's pretty special to me and we had a wonderful escape from reality together.

My favorite memory from the trip was tackling each other in the cold sand and staring up at the stars while we threw handfuls of sand in each other's hair. Also, when I come back in another life I want to be a manatee. They were the cutest cows of the sea that did nothing but love and snuggle on one another. What a sweet existence.

I'm excited that my "coming out party" got to be with my Wednesday confessions. Mainly it just feels good to share what's been making me so happy and blog-absent.

Really where I could use your help today is to send your good vibes. He's coming to visit this weekend and will be meeting my parents for the first time! Over Chicken & Waffles, naturally.

Give him your worst, Angie!

Go Link Up with Kathy!

Friday Favorites

Happy happy Friday!

Since I didn’t post any favorites last week you get a 14 day double whammy of both vacation favorites and being back in the normal routine things. 

First, can we applaud the fact that I posted every day this week and didn’t make up any excuses about how busy I am at work?

Second, Jessi stop talking about your vacation please after today’s post? 

Amanda knows how to do a link up right! Get in there!

:: Surprising my brother and meeting his girlfriend for the first time was pretty awesome.

:: Meeting them in paradise was the cherry on top!

:: I was shocked and awed by an email from my managers on vacation notifying me of the biggest raise I’ve ever received. I doubt that happens to many people who are sitting underneath a palm tree! 

:: This guy is my favorite father!

:: Coming home to PDX Carpet made me happy

:: Coming home to a new dress, new wedges and summer raspberries made me even happier!

And finally, my favorite throwback song I heard while on vacation!

Who else is linking up with Amanda's Friday Favorites?

Island Confessions

Guys I’m almost done bragging talking about my vacation, I promise. There’s just so much to cover and in so many different ways that you’ll have to put up with me through the end of the week before you’re in the clear. 

Tomorrow is a fun one so you’ll want to come back for that! You get to see my gross swollen face from what we assume was a bug bite. I’m still anticipating the bug’s eggs to hatch in my brain but that’s another post for another day. 

It truly pained me last week to skip out on confessions. It’s such a soul-cleansing experience and I won’t be missing another for the foreseeable future. 

Let’s confess!

:: I don’t have any family friendly poolside playlists in my spotify library so I stayed up late one night putting one together. Then we never used it - but it’s still good.

:: Shark week decided to show up on vacation and I was surprised to find remedy at the local mini mart. From now on I’m always vacationing prepared because the I’m-only-buying-tampons-so-what interaction was awkward for me.

:: I purposefully ignored work emails that could have been answered with a simple reply from my iPhone, just to support the fact that I was “off” and on island time.

:: I started reading Game of Thrones before finishing my other book at home. This makes for 9 books that I have actively open and “reading”. I just can’t finish a book that I've started.

:: I didn’t pack tweezers with me and the humidity caused my eyebrows to sprout a little scattered unibrow. I couldn’t take it, so I used my fancy new mini razor and swiped those punks away. Please don’t grow back thicker and darker, unibrow hairs. 

:: I peeled my skin peels in public. I’m a disgusting human being. 

:: I couldn’t stay away and I read some blogs on vacation. There was no method to my madness so if I read and didn’t comment I’m sorry. Will you still love me?

:: Coming in to work Monday was a struggle. I doodled palm trees on my notepad in a meeting and was caught doing it. 

Sigh, can I go back to paradise?

Linking up with kick-ass Kathy

Things I Learned in Belize

I was all kinds of excited to come into work today with a tan glow that my co-workers would envy. However, like all people who don’t apply enough sunscreen, my sun-kissed skin quickly adapted to the Portland climate and graciously began to shed and peel and all those other sexy things that happen to burnt skin. 

Literally, it’s like a crime scene in my sheets and I can’t wear black all week because it’ll look like dandruff everywhere. 

No, that’s not confetti. That’s dead skin. Thanks for asking. 

I feel like I forgot to write after taking a week off, so let’s get back in the swing of things with an easy version of Things I Learned this weekend with miss Katie. 

+ Taking a Friday night red-eye is my jam - duh because we all know I covet my Friday night naps.

+ There is a direct correlation between happiness and palm trees. More trees, more happy. 

+ Brother genuinely enjoyed having us there to surprise him.

+ Having a girlfriend looks good on my brother. It was the first family trip with no sibling quarrels.

+ Less is more when it comes to drinking poolside rum and vodka. 

+ Eating paleo does not soak up the rum and vodka I mentioned above. Fried bread does. 

+ It’s hard taking selfies on a family vacation.

+ It’s harder taking selfies when your face swells up for no obvious reason.

+ Googling “Swollen Face Belize” is not a good idea for the hypochondriac in me. I’m on bug-infestation watch for the next two weeks now because of it. 

+ You can win $1,000 from picking which square a chicken is going to poop on.

+ My mom is very animated after drinking 3 beers and winning aforementioned $1,000 from a chicken pooping on her square.

I’ve read over and over how you guys hate vacation recaps (and book reviews) so I’ll spare you the “mark as read”. 

If you do want to read some of the backstory I spied my mom typing up her Monday recap on our flight back into the states! 

I came, I saw, I snorkeled, I regulated (my Karaoke song).

And now I’m peeling.….. and maybe dreaming of my next tropical adventure. 

Are you linking up with Katie today?

Sneaky Tropical Vacation

I've been keeping an awesome secret for the past few months on my blog!

Since the spring my parents and I have had plane tickets booked to Belize for a family vacation with my brother and his girlfriend. My brother knew about the vacation, but he didn't know that his family would be crashing the party on what he thought was just time in paradise with his lady.

Now now, don't worry - they are still going to get another week of alone time after we head back home. It's just pretty awesome to pull off nearly the greatest heist in history and land in paradise with palm trees.

It was almost impossible to not post a million photos of the journey thus far, but you can bet I won't hold back on any more! 

This girl is going to be taking pool selfies all week, hopefully not drinking as much as I did on day 1!

Hopefully you don't get sick of me!

September's Eight Great Goals

Oh my it feels nice to be back in the blogging groove.

I still feel a bit sidelined as I'm not as available to read / comment or reply to your lovely comments. That means if you get a response you know you've made it big time or just caught me in a free moment - lucky you! Also don't be alarmed if my responses and online presence is all on the weekend. A girl does what a girl has to do.

This post is a little belated as I'm normally slinging this at you on the first blog-day of the month, so hopefully that's not a sign of what's to come in the upcoming 26 days.

I am so jealous that my mom and dad are heading to Luxembourg today to get two weeks with brother and meet his wonderful girlfriend who I've seen a few times over Skype. I usually get to make a trip to Europe in the summer - especially since he's lived there - and am missing that flight across the pond to see my brother.

Look at what I'm missing!

Enough moping about a trip I don't get to take as I've been travelling enough lately - It's time for goal setting!

September's Eight Great Goals

1. Go Get My Diploma's

Did you know that I graduated from Portland State in the Spring of 2009 and still haven't picked up my three pieces of paperwork? I'm not sure what I'm planning to do with it when I have it - but enough is enough, Jessi!

2. Celebrate our 1 Year Anniversary

We missed celebrating last month and I'm not going to let it happen this month. I don't care where you take me honey just make me feel like I'm the most important thing in your world. No phone, no distractions, just us.

3. Watch an entire Chicago Bears NFL Game

Dan has challenged me to watching an entire game with no phone and no laptop. I don't believe I can be that extreme but I can at least make sure I don't choose to go running (conveniently) while the kickoff happens. Plus, day drinking.

4. Appreciate Myself

Sometimes when you feel like you're not getting what you need from others, you have to find ways to give what you need to yourself. Right now I feel like that's appreciation, support and care - so why can't I offer that up to myself? ... I can!

5. Spread Out the Running

100 Miles again - it never changes. Let's do myself a favor this month and not make excuses when I could be getting ahead of my mileage and not piling it all on myself for the weekend - especially if an unplanned Toronto trip comes my way!

6. Sister Time

Since mom and dad will be having a blast in Europe, Dan and I will be watching the blonde Golden Retriever sisters for a week. I want to make sure that I get some time with them as well since we don't get them very often - and especially since Dan has taken a week off from work to play!

7. Insert and Be Assertive

I've been unlike myself at work lately. I'm such a servant and will do what I'm asked/told -  but I'm also cocky and proud of the work I do. I hope to use this month to own up to the great work I'm doing, speak up when I am the expert on something and really turn this project around when it comes to the way we are handling the hundreds of issues coming our way. Own up to my greatness and stand tall because I know I deserve to feel proud.

8. Use My Lovely Camera

I adore my camera but haven't had much use out of it since I'm not home during normal daylight hours. Weekends are my opportunity to get back in the swing and enjoy the last few short weeks of evening sunlight before the skies turn dark and the weather is gloom. Maybe even an outfit post....?

Thanks everyone for loyally coming back and reading after I took a pause in August - you mean the world to me!

Jessi

Tough Mudder #2

First I want to say another Happy Father's Day to my amazing dad! I didn't get to spend any of the weekend with him but mom treated him right and we will celebrate properly later this week. It sounds like all of you out there also have pretty remarkable dads. That makes me happy.

This weekend was Tough Mudder #2 for me and it was fun to drag Dan along - even if it meant having to watch the DVR version of the US Open when we got home.

Brooke was awesome and drove us East to the city of Fossil where we witnessed the other side of Oregon that those of us from the city often forget about. Fossil, OR is a place where there's no cell service and a simpler way of life on the ranch.

Or way of life on the ranch was anything but 'simple', but at least we had a fun stay!

Quick Hits - then I'm hitting the pillow!

• Last year I only made it over 3 of 4 walls, this year I made it over all 4 (with 2 slanted toward us!)


• Last year I fell multiple times on Everest and never made it up (I quit) and this year I made it up the first time!


• Having Dan there was the extra boost I needed to get me through <3


• Dan was a sweetheart and crashed into the water on the monkey bars before me, just to make it less embarrassing when I fell in on the first rung


• Arctic Enema was actually a welcome relief from the warm temperatures


• I had a 'Brain Reboot" (blacked out) for a moment through Electric Eel. I opened my eyes, heard white noise and just kept crawling.

Sorry for not many photos, my iPhone was stored in our bag pretty quick once we made it to the venue - you'll have to wait for the official race photos!

Thanks for a fun weekend, friends!

And yes, this was me on the monkey bars.

Weekend Links: Tough Mudder Style

Tuesday morning those of us who are participating in the 2013 Oregon Tough Mudder received this photo with a friendly reminder to not worry because "if you're scared...... you can pee yourself. Everyone knows you can't see pee in the mud."

Thanks Big Mudder!

This will be my second Tough Mudder event and I'll be joining my wonderful friends Brooke and her man friend Brad, while dragging Dan along for the torture fun!

In the words of Big Mudder, the vents are "hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie."

I will promise to do my best, but can see something like this happening when I go to grab the monkey bars.

Last time Brooke went Beast-Mode on the same monkey bars and I am looking forward to being inspired by her once again.

Enough from me, here's the links!

• Tough Mudder is for Crazy People
• How other Tough Mudder's Train
• Okay, no, here's the actual training plan
• The "Torture to Expect"
• Tough Mudder Supports the Wounded Warrior Project
• Interested? Sign Up for your own event!

Wish us luck, last time I came home bruised from head to toe!

 

Wedding Weekend

Thank you for sticking with me this week. It's been a long one. #TWSS

From the start of the work week where Dan and I didn't arrive into PDX until 2:30am Monday, to going cross-eyed over spreadsheets Monday and Tuesday, confidently delivering my beautiful work on Wednesday and some defending of my numbers today - I'm so thrilled that it's Friday.

Let's talk about how my weekend was where I finally got to Meet the Parents and a few other special members of Dan's family!

Friday was a wild and crazy day at work and I did everything possible to get out of the building before noon so that I'd be able to connect with mom and make my flight. With a lightly packed gym bag and fully charged electronics I stepped onto the plane and took a nap instantly. Before I knew it I was in Texas for my layover and had already sat down to enjoy the sweet taste of victory for my successful Quarter.

I made it into Nashville just before midnight on Friday where Dan escorted me back to our hotel in Kentucky to a King size bed that has us wanting to make a purchase soon. We made a pit stop for a quick snack and since we were somewhere foreign Dan insisted that White Castle was the only place we could go.., so obviously there's no photo evidence of what we actually ordered and consumed. #Faturday

The very next morning came early as we were woken with an invite to breakfast, at which I immediately jumped out of bed and into get-ready-to-impress mode for the first meeting in person. Holding Dan's hand as we approached the restaurant, I instantly felt a calm aura when I saw Dan's mom, dad and sister in the hotel lobby. Before I knew it I was meeting aunts and uncles from Chicago and Switzerland, bridesmaids and former neighbors. I hadn't even finished my first cup of coffee yet!

After passing through the first round of interviews, Dan and I went on an errand run to find him razors and the finishing touches on the gift we got for the bride and groom.  Exhausted and a little taken aback by the humidity, Dan and I both took the afternoon calm to catch a quick nap.

Like magic, I was soon dressed, in the chapel and witnessing this beautiful lady walking down the aisle. Her parents gave her away in front of family and friends while shutter clicks could be heard from all around the chapel.

These are not my photos. I was too busy admiring her dress and dreaming about my own aisle moment.

Following the wedding, we took our time to get back to the reception hall for a wonderful meal and a night full of dancing. Once I dined and was ready to get my man out on the floor, we danced the night away and had everyone in the room thinking that we'd taken lessons together. From there we laughed, I made new facebook friends, I even grabbed the microphone when the timing was right and had family members asking Dan "Where did she come from?"

Sunday morning came too soon and we said our goodbyes at the Louisville airport. Once we were through security we treated ourselves to "two means four" whiskey orders to celebrate a successful first meeting of hopefully many. Other airport antics included planks, walking around, delay after delay and finally coming home to my amazing parents who picked us up at 2:30 in the morning with the golden sisters - and with a special made lunch in hand.

Such a wonderful weekend, thank you for a wonderful time Dan and family! Congrats, Emily!

TBT: Christmas Past

It's December 27th and Christmas is over and gone for the next 363 days. Thanks for the drive-by, Christmas - it's been real!

I'm back to work today - from the comfort of my home + New coffee maker - and I am thrilled that I don't have a tree, lights, ornaments or glitter to clean up after. It's the good life.

As planned, I spent some time at home the past 4 days going through old photos and not even scraping the surface of all of the gems that are in my parent's possession. What I can tell immediately from the photos I did find is that my parents have always been just as cool as they are now, that I had a really amazing childhood and that I have always been surrounded by wonderful influences. In all of the photos we are having fun and that's what my parents always wanted for us. I'm looking forward to sharing more with you!

Today's photo is brought to you by brother & sister matching flannel, old film and many gifts under the tree year after year.

And maybe this rack:

Happy Throwback Thursday!

<3 JE

Stormy Vacation

For weeks my family had planned a beach retreat while my brother is home and it just so happened to be during the biggest storm the Oregon coast has seen so far this year.

On Sunday after spending some quality time with friends over food and drinks at the annual Fakesgiving get-together, we headed south to our beach house in Lincoln City. We knew there was a storm brewing, but had never experienced 100 MPH gusts of wind first hand. When we arrived at the house, the trees were swaying and the rain was falling. As the night went on, we feared the stability of our backyard trees and the roof over our heads.

We made it through the howling winds of the first night to wake up the next morning to no power. My dad delivered latte's to mom and I while we witnessed recycling bins scooting down the road, signs leaning closer toward the ground and maintenance trucks driving past surveying the damage.

We wanted a change of scenery so we hit the road and went to see where we could find the best views of the storm doing work. Bailey was intrigued and the rest of us had never seen waves like these. Instead of breaking like they normally would, the wind would take the surf and blend it into the rest of the ocean.

We still didn't have any power when we returned back home from our adventure, so we devised a plan to eat save the ice cream, refrigerate perishables and heat the home with a crackling fire. After a few naps were taken, we played a few friendly rounds of power-outage jenga and decided to hit the town for dinner and some Monday night karaoke fun.

Our power came back late Monday night and was party-worthy. We all slept well Monday night knowing that the worst of the storm had passed and that we would be able to charge our gadgets overnight not worry about the trees in the backyard causing any damage.

Bailey is starting to feel better from her Saturday illness, but still prescribed for a special diet and the take-it-easy plan. She sure knows how to relax!

<3 JE