currents - 06.04.2012

saturday @ crystal bridges museum for my birthday trip with friends

listening: pride and prejudice soundtrack

reading: the white queen - philippa gregory

eating: luna bar - peanut honey pretzel

drinking: mixed berry water

wearing: dior waterlily nail polish

feeling: a bit stressed - planning a friend's baby shower this week

weather: thunderstorms since midnight - sun coming out now

watching: (every night) masterpiece mystery - inspector lewis

waiting: for rizzoli and isles to come back this summer

wanting: to start my pl style 29th year scrapbook

needing: to get album and page protectors for above

enjoying: (enjoyed) birthday trip saturday w/ friends

wondering: if i'll ever lose any weight

working: on my 30 by 30 list

eye makeup today - mac shimmer moss & dior aurora palette

~ jess

yum vietnamese

we have a lot of vietnamese restaurants around here and i love their food!  in the summers i crave their spring rolls w/ peanut sauce.  any other time i usually get rice w/ shrimp and fish sauce, limes and mint.  it is soooooo good!

for this layout i broke out my silhouette machine.  i have a total love/hate relationship with the machine.  first i tried to cut out the background in a gray cardstock which didn't cut all the way through and shifted mid cut so one line of circles was off from the others.  but i want to use my machine more so i tried it again w/ a thinner cardstock and it worked beautifully.

i also added some lines in black ink around some of the edges.  this is something we did in art class in college and i like it on the more graphic style layouts that i make.

the misting in the backgound is mister huey in sunshine.

~ jess

30 before 30

somebody around here had a birthday this week... yep, little ol' me!  wednesday i began the countdown of the last year of my 20s.  how did this happen!?!  i am a bit sad that i only have one year left of my 20s but i'm determined to make this year count.

last year i made a 28 before 29 list and i was a bit ambitious w/ it and didn't accomplish a lot on the list.  today i sat down to make a 30 things to do before i turn 30 and i'm pretty happy with this list.  i think everything on here is definitely able to be accomplished in a year.  so here's the list...i look forward to checking each thing off...

1. start planning and save for 30th bday trip to nyc (decided to stay closer to home for bday)

2. visit biltmore estate

3. visit savannah, ga

     ---september 2012 vacation
4. spend the weekend in kansas city

5. take a completely random roadtrip

6. see a horse race in hot springs

7. go to a concert

8. spend a day at the ocean (trip postponed until a few months after birthday)

9. visit a state i’ve never been to

     ---louisiana - september 2012 (on my way to florida/georgia for vacation)
10. save more and spend less

11. bake 30 different kinds of cupcakes

12. make french macarons

13. make homemade ice cream this summer

14. stop comparing myself to others

15. seek God more

16. put more emphasis on my health

17. complain less

18. try to be 15 min early instead of always running late

19. mail cards to at least 5 people a month

20. read at least two books a month - and review it on blog

21. create a blogging routine instead of posting randomly

22. re-design blog

23. work on getting a bachelor’s degree

     --- researched; decided to not pursue at this time
24. stop being so unapproachable

25. push past my comfort zone

26. ride a rollercoaster

27. take a 30 day fast from tv (going to movies w/ friends excluded)

28. start scrapbooking my daily life - project life style

29. run a 5k

30. do a project 10-pan

          ---started july 11

around here

it's been quiet here on my little blog for a few days now.  i'm staying busy, enjoying the end of may.  i'll be back this coming week w/ more blog posts.  but for today i thought i'd leave you w/ the biggest change around here...my hair!  i'm still getting used to it as i haven't had blonde hair since i was a child.  so it's still a bit of a shock every time i walk past a mirror, especially in the morning. ha!

i hope you have a lovely holiday weekend and remember all the sacrifices that have been made by our military so we can enjoy the freedom so many take for granted...

~ jess

god is writing my love story

ever feel like your friends got on this great cruise boat and you missed out...  it's so easy to look at someone else' life and compare their lives to your own.

society is ever changing, but it doesn't necessarily influence everyone's life.  anymore it is common to wait until you are in your 30s to marry and start a family.  try telling that to the older people in your life.  like when at the age of 23 my grandpa told me i was already an old maid. ha! he said it half joking and very lovingly of course.  and now there's my nanny who at age 84 constantly reminds me that i need to hurry along so she can see my wedding and hold another great-grandchild.

by your 30s you've had plenty of time to finish college and be well along on your career path.  ummm, yes, i can check both those off my list.  at 28, nearly 29 (in 2 weeks) i've been out of college and at my current job for 7 years this week.  i started as an intern, then graphic designer, lead designer and currently an art director.  however some things, like a house of my own still elude me.  of course living at home until your in your 30s seem to be all too common now as well.

but then there are always those who kick society aside and choose to marry and start their families early.  one of the girl's i graduated hs with became engaged the same night!  and some friends from school and church who are years younger are already married and have lots of children running around.

sometimes i enjoy the quiet, knowing that i should cherish these years.  these are the times i'm still able to be selfish.  i choose what to do w/ my time - meeting up with friends randomly for dinner and movie and staying out til 2am.  i choose what to do w/ my money - shopping weekly for beauty, fashion and crafting.  there is way less stress on me.

but now, especially as i'm nearing the last year of my beloved 20s it becomes ever more present...that longing for someone to spend the rest of my life with and have a family.  it's during these times i must constantly remind myself that yes, god is writing my love story.  you see i choose to give him this part of my life because i know he will choose the perfect person for me in his time, which is perfect timing.

it isn't always easy to choose god's path, but it's the path i'm choosing to take...

~jess