Jessica & Donovan

More Randomness

2009-01-28T09:39:00.003-05:00

On facebook I posted a note of 25 random things about me. I was just going to copy/paste that into my blog, but had so much fun doing it that I thought I'll just come up with 25 more things. Won't be that hard, will it? Besides, reading other people's reminded me of things about me. So here goes, and who knows, I might end up with more than 25!

1. I hate bellybuttons, especially my own. I don't want anything to touch it, come near it, and just thinking about it grosses me out and makes we want to cry. Donovan thinks it's funny and sticks random things in his own..which is disgusting.

2. I love cheese. Pizza is my favorite way to consume it. When I go to subway I totally negate anything healthy about it by making sure they put extra cheese on there. I love Moe's and Chipotle because when they make tacos they just reach in there and put a HUGE pile of cheese on...it makes me happy!

3. I believe I will be a very strict parent and often fear that I will be overly strict and sap any fun out of childhood.

4. I used to eat Ice Cream after almost every meal. But one night I got sick after dinner and threw up, ever since then I haven't touched ice cream and now it kinda makes me sick to my stomach.

5. I feel like sleep is a waste of time and somewhat weird. I don't like knowing that I'm in total unawareness for almost 8 hours. It really bothers me and wish I could just stay up and not waste so much life doing nothing.

6. I was a perfect angel as a child. No joke. My mom says she was constantly amazed at how I seemed to exhibit remorse and guilt at such a young age and she could take naps while I was awake without worrying about me at all. I would be in the same place she left me. I remember watching my older siblings get in trouble and thinking that I didn't want to be like that.

7. I used to think flushing the toilet evoked the spirit of Bloody Mary. So after using the restroom, I would stand as close to the door as I could while still being able to flush the toilet and then flush and run as fast as I could without looking into the mirror. Every now and then I still feel a little nervous, lol

8. Speaking of bathrooms, I'm terrified of using the bathroom at a theater in the middle of a movie when they're quiet and empty. I always feel like someone's hiding in one of the stalls and as soon as I shut the door they're going to come after me.

9. Obviously, I'm extremely weird.

10. I once made a joke in youth group that whenever I wanted to talk to someone and I was at home that I would just talk to the wall and pretend it was that person. So one night, when the youth was at my house, they came in my room and wrote their names all over my walls so that when I wanted to talk to them, I would look at that spot. My youth leader wrote his name on the ceiling, haha.

11. I used to listen to the Aladin and Beauty and the Beast soundtracks in my room and make up dances to all the songs and mouth the dialogue parts.

12. I have very strange dreams. The weirdest being a reoccuring dream I had when I was really young. It started out as my siblings and I at Turkey Lake Park. We were told we weren't allowed to slide on the slides at the park because a witch would capture us. We did it anyway and sure enough we were captured. However all my siblings escaped her jail except me. So I made a run for it. She followed me and she turned into this ball of light floating behind me. As I ran I turned down a street of a residential area and saw a mailman. Every time in my dream I would debate whether it would be faster to hitch a ride with him or to continue running. I always ended up running. I turned the last bend and realized it was a dead end. My house was on the right up a steep driveway and a huge white house. That was the end of the dream. A few years later *in real life* My family moved to a large white house on a cul-de-sac that had a steep driveway that me and my siblings liked to ride our bikes down. It wasn't until about two years of being there that one night I sat up in bed and realized it was like the dream. I think it's pretty cool.

13. I used to believe that Mr. Potato Head was like Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny and that he really existed.

14. I still kinda like playing with Barbies.

15. When people see items of clothing for outrageous prices and comment saying "Even if I DID have that much money, I would never spend that much on a ______!", I always roll my eyes. First they don't know. They've never had that much money so they can't accurately make that statement. Secondly, I'm not one of those people. I know full well that I would spend that much and love every second of it.

16. I read the dictionary, for fun. And love reading books about the evolution of words and love reading clever uses of the english language.

17. I think word searches are lame.

18. Orange is my favorite color.

19. I love songs that can make me cry.

20. I've known my husband or rather, known of him, since about middle school. We lived in the same apartment complex for over two years and rode the bus together on and off for about three. I even sat next to him sometimes and even talked to him a little bit. We never hung out outside of that. It took a website to bring us back together. I'm constantly amazed at how I could sit next to him for years, talk to him, and look him in the eye and never know he was my soul mate.

21. I'm terrified of having a daughter. I will not know how to relate to her and I'm convinced she'll grow to hate me.

22. I'm pretty much scared of all animals. I don't believe we should ever bring any animal into our homes, it just creates problems.

23. I have the most pet peeves in the whole world. That will have to be a different list.

24. I used to be the most sarcastic person. It took someone telling me that "if you poke people with sticks they'll stop coming around" for me to realize that it's not always funny and words can hurt. I've since then tried to cut down and be nicer.

25. I had a crush on almost every boy to ever walk through the doors at my old church. But I only thought about marrying 5, lol

26. Russell Crowe, Matthew Perry, Noah Wylie and Mario Lopez are like the hottest people EVER.

27. I wish I could have a wedding every year.

28. If I had the money, space and time, I would SO arrange my closet to resemble a retail store so I felt like I was shopping everytime I got dressed. Except I don't have to pay for things!

29. I love when the weather's perfect. When the sun's out, warming a cool day, with a slight breeze and blue skies with a few fluffly clouds. I always wish I had the perfect dress with a light sweater to wear and was sitting on a porch drinking lemonade and hanging out with family and friends. It's a picture in my head that I hope one day comes true.

Ok..so I'm stopping at 29. Just because I'm tired of typing.

Back to work :)

-Jessica

The New Year: 2009

2009-01-02T12:39:00.004-05:00

So it's January. January is my favorite month. First off, it's just a pretty word. Secondly, it's my birthday month. Thirdly, now it's my anniversary month. And furthermore, I share it with some pretty cool people, like my niece Natalie, one of my long time best friends Cari, my step-mom, and Mr. Wonderful himself *he knows who he is*.

As is custom, I have decided to set some goals for myself. Some are more significant then others, and some are just for show, because you as much as myself, know I'll never be able to keep them.

In no paticular order:

1. Keep my house cleaner. Now, some might think this one falls under the catagory of "just for show", but it doesn't. I 100% intend on keeping this one. I will do laundry and actually put the clothes away, I will put my cups in the sink, maybe taking it one step further and putting it in the dishwasher, and I will not leave it upstairs anymore! We look like a scene from the movie "Signs" with our half-full cups of water around the house. I will sweep the kitchen floor more often, like once a week.

2. I will put the toilet paper roll on the toilet paper roll holder, not just on the counter above it......yeah right.

3. I will finish the three paint jobs I have started around the house. Before the end of this month. And take the sacred vow of painting that states I will finish all jobs with in a weeks time.

4. I will try to be more content...with everything.

5. I will be more patient...with everything (and everyone) including Rachel Ray, even when she says "evoo" for the forth time in like ten minutes.

6. I will not go to Target just for fun.

7. I will not use Starbucks as a reason to go to Target either.

8. Lose weight. Ok, at least not get bigger than I already am (unless there is a human growing inside me, then it's ok, proportionately)

9. I will limit myself to two shows a week that I absolutely HAVE to watch. Seriously.

10. I will listen to my husband more and speak less.

11. My husband and I will listen to God more and speak less.

12. I will not buy a new car this year.

There, that's it for now.

10 days until my 1 year anniversary, and the thing I'm looking forward to most is eating the top of our cake soley for the purpose of getting it out of our freezer. It's taking up like half the bottom drawer!

Here's to 2009, being a better person and having more freezer space *to hold all the lean cuisine*

-Jessica

A little bit of everything!

2008-11-16T11:49:00.002-05:00

Today is the last race of the season! I'm extremely sad, but it's also a good thing. When Nascar ends, I know that is the start of our "busy season". Actually it starts November 1st. That's Donovan's birthday. He's 25 finally, so we'll be the same age for a few months...that is until I turn 26! (How old am I?!) After his birthday a few weeks later it's Thanksgiving, followed closely by his mom's birthday, My brother in laws birthday and my brother's birthday! Then we move forward a few weeks and we have Christmas and My sister Jamie's birthday. A week later and it's New Years and my niece's birthday. One more week and it's our 1 year anniversary! A week and half later: My birthday, then Valentine's Day which ends our craziness and ironically Nascar season starts (usually) that same weekend. So I tell Donovan that means he should be a race car driver because our life fits perfectly into the Race season :) So I'll just have to plan my pregnancies around that, lol.

So that's a forcast of our weeks to come...as of right now, Donovan is out at an autocross event. That's where you race your own car in an obstacle type thing..they time you and you hope to be best in your class. I'm not aware of any prizes, maybe a trophy. He's hanging out with his new friend who's actually raced in REAL races, which is very exciting to us! So while he's there, I'm here, updating our blog. Which is better, really, since it's REALLY cold out today and it's nice and toasty here in my room.

As far as what I've been up to...not much really. I still work as for the same families watching their kids. However, I'm trying to start my own side business of making custom invitations for special events like birthdays, bridal showers, baby announcements, weddings and so on. I'm already doing some for my niece's birthday and hopefully a holiday card for a friend. I love doing it and it's so much fun to finally do something creative. What's even better is that I have a work space and everything, so I can just walk away from the mess when I'm designing and just shut the door! I love that!

Our roommate moved out yesterday! Finally! Not that he was a bad roommate but it will be nice to be able to wake up, go downstairs in my pj's and not worry about anyone seeing me. And someone not using my butter...for some reason that really bothered me.

Anyway, it's almost noon, about time for the pre-race show! My last taste of NASCAR for the year, have to soak it ALL in!

Hopefully I'll have a chance to update before things get too crazy, but with my sister getting Married in the midst of all the craziness, Don't hold your breath!

Saturday morning...what to do...

2008-10-04T09:26:00.002-04:00

*Yawn*

So it's Saturday morning, Donovan's at work..and I'm up. I tried to sleep more, but my dreams can sometimes be disturbing, so I'm just gonna stay awake.

Well, I see my last blog entry was about finding out I was pregnant, a little clarification, I was pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage, so, now we're just dealing with it and moving on.

Not much has been going on here...we're painting our downstairs and it's almost complete. I also started painting my bathroom, so our house is almost a home. I can't wait to find furninture.

We also have a roommate now..Donovan's friend Bryan. He should be moving out soon....if all goes as planned. Not trying to be mean, but it will be nice to be alone with Donovan again.

Anyway, I guess I should try to be productive today....maybe go get some groceries and cook dinner for my hubby tonight.

Later,

Jessica

A little unexpected

2008-07-04T07:32:00.003-04:00

So, if you haven't heard the news...I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive..actually, I've taken three..and they all say the same thing. Now I have to schedule a doctor's appointment to make sure that they're all correct. I've already started to worry, every little cramp and pain and, well, other things that aren't so wonderful to talk about, I worry about. I was so shocked when the test came back positive and I thought "I don't want this yet" and now, five days later, I want it, because now I'm attatched to the idea. But they say the first three months are the hardest...for obvious reasons. I just pray that I'm healthy and everything goes well.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll post more on this topic, keeping all those who read this, like all 3 of you, up to date. We'll see where this new road takes us!

Florida Retreat

2008-06-19T18:38:00.002-04:00

Retreat usually sounds like something fun and relaxing. Well, not this time. All I got a retreat from was work. Other than that, it was exhausting.

Donovan and I left for Florida right after work on Thursday. He drove the whole way while I was "super comfy" in the back of my car. I'm talking a padded mattress cover, three pillows, a blanket and one adorable stuffed puppy dog. As far as I know the trip there took like 30 minutes, lol. However that's where the comfy ended. We stayed at Chez Smith, where it's always warmer inside his parents house than outside. It doesn't matter how, but you'll always be cooler once you walk out the door. We woke up Friday early so we could get to my sisters house in time to clean out the extra bedroom that has been home to all the stuff I left behind. It took us about 4 hours to clean it all out, but for the most part, I think we got it all. After that, we went back and visited some friends of Donovans and then got ready for dinner that night with my mom. She took us to Carrabba's. YUMMY! And that's where the fun stopped and the misery began. I went to bed excited for the shopping that would ensue in the morning, only to wake with a headache, sore throat and achey muscles. I still pushed on, I mean it was shopping right? But as the day kept on, things just got worse. Finally, I just had to go. Donovan and I went to Target for Chad and Julie's Wedding present, and some medicine for me. And after I took it, I started to feel human again. Thankfully, the medecine lasted long enough for me to enjoy the wedding and most of the ceremony. But at about 10 I was feeling horrible again. Feverish and headachey, we went back to the hot humid house we were staying at. I slept barely and did not look forward to the breakfast that Sunday morning brought or the 8 hour car drive home. WHICH I was NOT super comfy this time, since it was full of things we were bringing back to NC. I did survive, but Sunday night brought a horrible cough and I so Monday morning, Donovan took me to the Doctors and he basically told me "deal with it" And now, here I am, Thursday, coughing, sore throat, headache and muscles hurting everytime I cough that it's a double whammy! It's so frustrating too, since I can't work, and the money would be nice. Since we just spent a fortune on gas! *cough cough cough* Anyway, it's fitting. The last wedding <> I went to, I had bronchitis. So I guess I'll be sick again for my sister's wedding in December. Fun!

Anwyay, time to go take my medecines...yum

Saturday's new definition

2008-05-31T11:58:00.003-04:00

I remember a time when Saturday meant going outside to play, spending time with your family, hanging out with friends, date night, or just relaxing. Now, today, it only means one thing: Laundry. For those of you who don't know. I HATE laundry. I strive to own enough clothes that by the time I finish wearing everything and cycle back around, things have aired out all on their own and now remarkably clean or I have forgotten if they are clean or dirty. It's a system that has worked for quite some time now, but, I'm starting a new chapter in my life and well, simply, Donovan won't go for it, lol. So here I am, Saturday morning, faced with about 10 loads of laundry. See, it's not the "putting the clothes in the washer" that I have a problem with. It's just that laundry is such a multi-step process. I want a "set-it-and-forget-it" solution. You know, then it wouldn't be such a problem. But you have to wash it, then dry it, then fold it, then take it upstairs, blah blah blah blah, and not just once but every time that little buzzer goes off! I hate it! Oh, well, this blog is a response to not wanting to do it.

Donovan and I went to a race track last night. It was a local small track where young kids get their first start in racing. It was fun, aside from the fact that Kaleb, the 7 year old boy I watch at nights, came with us. He asked SO many questions, that I thought my head would explode. People are constantly asking me if being a nanny and being around cute babies all day makes me want one. It's the complete opposite. I don't want any now! I like my peace and quiet and special time with Donovan, we have so little of it as it is, that it's precious to me now. No kids, for at least 3 years! Firm!

Anyway, I promised myself to start the laundry process at 12, and now it's 12:04, so, *big breath* I guess this is it. If I don't post another blog in a week, come find me, I probably drowned in a pile of dirty clothes!

It's the Suite life for me

2008-05-26T09:55:00.004-04:00

Donovan and I have attended numerous NASCAR events in the past years. Five Daytona races, Three Charlotte races, along with a trip to Alabama for Talladega and one to Tennessee for Bristol. We've sweated and froze, had good seats and bad, free seats and expensive, but nothing will compare to last night. With the free *please remember that word* Suite tickets that my darling husband won last Wednesday, we arrived at Lowe's Motorspeedway at just around noon, when the suite opened. I had no idea what to expect, but I figured it would be mildy to pretty nice. We took the elevator upstairs and walked down a corridor to our suite number. When we opened up the door, inside a woman was waiting to greet us. She was exceptionally chipper. She handed us bags and we signed in. Inside the bag was a Denny Hamlin hat and diecast car. To those of you who don't know, Denny is one of my favorite drivers :) So that was a nice added surprise. Our tickets mentioned refreshments during the day, but these refreshments were like meals. There were brautwaurst *sp?* and hot dogs, pretzels, peanuts, gummi bears * I don't know where they found these gummi bears but they were really good, lol* Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, not the cheap ones, fresh fruit, and a vegetable platter. Full bar, including coke and juice, water, coffee, alcohol and anything your little heart desired. So we sat in A/C enjoying our front row seats in our suite watching the Indy 500 waiting for the NASCAR race to start. Included in our tickets were pit passes, where we got to go down on pit road and walk inches away from the pit boxes of all 43 teams! It was simply amazing! After that we returned to our suite and watched the remainder of the Indy race *Danica getting wrecked :)* and soon the race started. Also dinner was ready, Steak, Lemon Sauce chicken, Bacon Potatoes, Vegetables, rolls and dessert. Butterfinger layer cake and a triple chocolate cheesecake YUM!. Once the race started, the servers would come and ask if you needed anything and bring you drinks or pick up your empty cups and plates. Most of the time Donovan or I got up for anything we needed, but it was nice anyway. Other than the annoying girls behind me who only knew Kasey Kahne and Dale Jr's names and other than that pointed and said "Oh, there's that car I like" and dressed in halter dresses and flip flops when business casual was the expected dress code for suites, My night was absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, Kasey Kahne was the winner so the girls behind me got all giddy. But since we helped clean up and were the last people there, they gave us two 1:24 Die-cast cars of Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart. Both valued at at least 100 dollars each. Also, before the race, new driver Mike McDowell visited our suite and spoke with us for about thirty minutes and we got his autograph. He's a driver for Michael Waltrip Racing and drives a Toyota which was the suite we were in. Toyota's. All in all, I don't know how I'll ever go back to sitting in the hot sun with 1,000,000 rednecks who only cheer when Dale Jr. is taking the lead. From now on, it's the suite life for me ;)

Coca Cola 600, Rav 4's and New Jobs

2008-05-25T06:58:00.000-04:00

So this is a first blog. Where to start?

Well, it's almost 7 am on Sunday morning. Donovan's sleeping and as usual on the weekends, I'm up early. I'm actually kinda excited. Donovan won tickets to the Coca Cola 600 race today. We've been to races before, and actually, we've been to races here at Lowe's Motor Speedway, but these aren't just regular tickets he won, these are suite tickets. That's right, dress codes and all, we're VIP for the day. We even have a special parking pass. For those of you who have been to a race before, that's pretty amazing. So we want to be there by about 10 just to browse around and then the suite opens at 12. They serve refreshments and at some point take you down to the pits and you can get a first hand look at the cars and drivers in the garage. Then they take you back and serve you dinner. That's right! That's how you do NASCAR, baby! Anyway, as anyone could see, I'm super excited. *I even bought an outfit to wear today, lol)

About two weeks ago, Donovan and I were at the Toyota dealership where he works just looking at cars and I realized that my '07 Toyota Corolla just wasn't cool enough anymore. So I started looking at the Rav 4's which are like a car meets a mini-van and makes this pretty cool SUV. After much convincing, hopefully Tuesday I can pick it up. Since Donovan works at Toyota, we're getting a pretty good deal. I can't wait, and I hate Memorial Day for making me have to wait even longer. I'm getting the Pacific Blue color and it's beautiful! I can't wait for my trip to Orlando to show it off ;)

Also, in the past month, I've officially became a working woman again. After an extensive 4 months off * :) * I finally had to bite the bullet and get a job. I couldn't seem to find anything in the office/admin area, so I thought creatively and started looking on Craigslist. I found two families who are neighbors who needed a babysitter full time, working sometimes for each family. They both have three girls each. The Glynns have Anna, Emily, and Grace *I call her Gracie* and the O'Farrells have Annalisa, Christina, and Meara. Most days I'm just watching Grace while her sisters are at school. A few days a week I'm watching Meara. Overall it's a wonderful job and sometimes I don't feel l ike I'm even working. Then, seeing an evening job opportuinty, I took it. It's taking care of a 7 year old boy Kaleb 4 out of 5 days during the week. He lives right down the street and it's cool since I bring him to my house for dinner and stuff, so I still see Donovan when he comes home and can eat dinner with him, although it's interupted every 5 seconds from a question from the inquisitive Kaleb.

That is an official update on what's going on rather recently. I'm hoping to keep this updated and eventually upgrade my knowledge on how this works to add pictures.

Time to get ready to be VIP for the day. See ya!

-Jessica