31 {Fri}day Blog Challenge - Tattoos and Piercings

Piercings and Tattoos ... on this is a good one.  I have a story about how I got both {kind of}

Lets start with Piercings ... besides the usually ear piercing the only other kind I wanted done was my belly button.  I begged my mom from age 15 to age 18 to let me get it done and she always said no {I'm not sure why I even kept asking, my mom was pretty strict when I was younger} On my 18th Birthday she surprised me by saying that we were both going to get it done that day!!! 

I was so excited and not nervous at all.  I went first and then my mom went, I held her hand but I didn't look {me and needles don't go well together}.  Then all I remember was the lady telling us cleaning instructions and that she basically "created a tunnel through our flesh" and then I was out.  Passed right out.  I woke up with my arms above my head and my mom shoving M&Ms in my mouth {I guess she thought my sugar was low} I was done for the rest of the day too, we went to lunch and I couldn't eat.

Oh ... and after begging my mom for three years to get it done, I took it out after a year.  Although I give my mom credit cause she kept hers for I think five years or so.

Now on to Tattoos ... I wanted a tattoo in the worst way when I was about 24 I would say.  I wanted a cross on my side, up on my rib cage.  I had a friend that actually designed me a beautiful cross and I was set on getting it.  

My cousin Amanda also wanted to get one so I thought it would be fun to do it together, I had a trip planned to Buffalo around then so we decided to do it up there.  My friend that designed the tattoo for me used to work at a Tattoo Parlor in Pennsylvania and said that we HAD to go there.  So we loaded up early in the morning and drove from Buffalo to Pennsylvania for SEVEN hours.  

Oh Yea ... Dug this picture out .. That was the morning we left .. Look how little we were!!
I think the clock says 5:20 am.

When we got there Amanda went first, she was a trooper, she got it on the top of her foot too, which is painful.  Then it was my turn, they put the stencil on and had me sit down.  Then before they even touched me I started to pass out ... Seriously Jessica?!?!

Amanda's Tattoo

I had them move the stencil to a less painful spot which was more on my back .. but then I really freaked out because I didn't want anything on my back! 

Long story short we headed back to Buffalo and I was tattoo-less, I was grateful that Amanda didn't hold it against me for chickening out.  Looking back now though I am happy that I didn't get it done.

And of course since it is Friday!!

If you  haven't figured out by now ... Mike and I do quite a bit of traveling both together and separate.  We usually always fly Delta as well, Mike is part of the credit card deal so we try to go with them any time we book a flight and {except for one mishap I had} they have been a pretty reliable airline.

My favorite thing this week is the Fly Delta App.  You can sign in to your Delta account or as a guest using your name and ticket / confirmation number so its easy to get started with and it keeps you up to date on everything that changes ... in real time!!

It tells you what gate your coming into and going out of each step along the way {my favorite feature} it tells you about delays before anyone else gets the information.  Its really a lifesaver when your flying {especially with layovers} 

And the best part ... Its FREE

{this post was not sponsored by Delta ... I just really love the app}

Have a great weekend!

What I've Been Reading - January & February Reviews

So back when I made my Resolutions for the year I said I was going to read twelve books this year {one per month} so far I've read one for January and one for February and I have picked my March book out! So I think I'm doing pretty well.  I figured I'd do a little book review on them each month to let you guys know about them {in case you wanted to read one} and it will also keep me accountable for reading them!

First up ... January 

I've been struggling {for most my adult life} with anxiety.  I have pin pointed a few things that trigger my anxiety and at the beginning of this year I was doing a lot of research to find out how to deal with it on my own, before seeking professional help.  I came across this book and thought it might have some good insight.  Each chapter is one of "10 Truths" that you should know about your mind, emotions and tendencies and how they work.  It explains why you think the way you do and how you can manage your emotions and thoughts to live a better life.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested finding out more about why your mind works the way it does.

My Book Rating: 7.5

Oh right ... we need a scale here {1 being as intriguing as an Algebra Math Book and 10 being as intriguing as 50 Shades of Grey ... you know you liked it} 

Next Up ... February's Book 

I was REALLY excited about this book because I LOVE Giuliana and Bill ... their reality show on the Style Network {although I think it might be on E! now} is one of my favorite.  They seem like a great couple and I love hearing about their story.  I also was excited to read this book because ... duh ... I'm getting married and I thought it would have some great insight.  

Each chapter in the book talks about different things that are important in Giuliana and Bill's relationship.  How they discovered it was important, how they got over the situation if it was sticky and how they approach it moving forward in their relationship.  I would say about two thirds of the "important issues" are ones that everyone can relate to but there were some that were most likely just special to their life.

I thought there was some great advice and it was an fun and easy read.

My Book Rating: 8

My March book is "Wild" - it was recently turned into a movie staring Reese Witherspoon.  The book is always better than the movie so I am going to read it before I see it.

Weekend Wrap Up

I can't believe the weekend is already over with! It flew by for me, although I was still trying to catch up from last weekend {Michigan} and getting ready for this upcoming week/weekend ... I'm going to Buffalo :) 

I was really excited for Saturday because all of my bridesmaids {except the ones that live out of state} got together to go bridesmaid dress shopping ... fun! A special thank you to Brandy and Katie who drove an hour to be a part of the day.  Although I won't lie, it was a bit over whelming.  Looking back on the day though I don't know if there was any other way to do it.  

I want my girls to all be wearing the same color, length and fabric but I want them to choose the style {top} that they are comfortable with.  So they had originally looked at the designer's website and picked a style that they liked.  Can you believe that out of 7 girls none of them picked the same dress! Which was awesome.  I was worried that maybe 5 would like strapless and 2 would like something else which wouldn't really work.  I was hoping for almost all different.

There was a lot going on and all these dresses were labeled by numbers so we were blurting out numbers and "Ooooo I like that" and "Oh that's pretty" and "What do you think about this one?" "How about this one compared to the last one" and so on. Not to mention 5 girls in 2 fitting rooms. Marie {my maid of honor} was able to help control the situation and streamline the style numbers and choices which was great!

In the end everyone was able to pick a dress that they liked and ordered it so we are checking one more thing off the wedding to do list and moving onward!

Courtney In One Of The Dressing Rooms

Chelsea Had Hers Picked Early On ... Then She Could Watch The Fun ;)

From Left to Right {Brandy, Laura's Dress, Marie, Courtney, Chelsea, Katie, Amanda's Dress}

After dress shopping a few of us went to the mall but I think we were over the shopping experience so we had some Chinese food and went home.  I was pooped on Saturday night so Mike and I ordered some Sushi {talk about an Asian Cuisine kind of day} and watch a movie.  We were looking for something funny and were bummed when we found out Kevin Hart's movie, Wedding Ringer, was out of theaters and not on demand yet ... so we settled for: 

The title speaks for itself.  This movie was awful, everything from the acting to the story line to the jokes, it was a HUGE miss!!  I was so disappointed because I love Dumb and Dumber {the original} and I thought with the same actors it wouldn't be that bad. {My Movie Rating: 3.5} 

Sunday Morning Mike and I went to church, I used to go when I was growing up but had not been back since I was like 18.  We started going again a few weeks ago and we are both really enjoying it.  We are inviting our families to come for Easter Service.

After church we went to Panera, did yard work, and Mike helped me with some baby shower crafts that I am working on for my cousin Amanda's Baby Shower {which is why I'm going to Buffalo}.  It was a really nice, typical Sunday.  When Mike rented the movie on Saturday night he could get another for $0.50 so he got FoxCatcher {which I've been wanting to see for a while}

This movie is based on a true story, however I'm not sure there is much of a story.  The whole thing was kind of weird and didn't make much sense, nothing really tied together and there was a lot of man touching {wrestling moves} ha-ha.  I wanted to see it because of the great actors in it, Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, and Mark Ruffalo but the movie wasn't great.  {My Movie Rating: 5.5}

I hope you all have a great week and I'm still trying to remind myself to take more pictures over the weekend so I have more to share.

Oh yes ... I forgot I wanted to start adding a little something to the end of my weekend wrap ups.  You see, when I go through my pictures of the weekend to put up I always have tons of Wamp {the cat} and she never makes it on ... so I thought she deserves a little spotlight at the end ... the blog is named after her after all

31 {Fri}day Blog Challenge - Old Photo of Me

An old photo of me ..... hmmm.  I was thinking about this for a while, which picture I was going to choose and/or what time in my life it was going to come from.  I decided on a picture that I often refer back to in my life.  It is a picture that I've recreated in later years, it was on my senior page in the yearbook, and it is with one of my best friends ... Brandy.

This is Brandy and I in the 4th grade.  The first year I moved down and one of the first friends I made.  We are on the swing set at Ashton Elementary.  

If you cannot tell from the outfits and hair this is from 1994.  I'm really loving my stretch shorts and different colored shoelaces.  

I am truly blessed to still have her as my best friend 21 years later.

Brandy is a mother of two beautiful children {Cole and Cali} and has her own ever growing photography company {Brandy Rose Photography} although she does have her Masters in Reading and is a teacher by trade {when she is not raising her lovies} 

Now for my Favorite Thing This Friday

My favorite thing this week is something that I've actually had for a while but just started using.  In my DIY Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub post I talked about how I got into Young Living Essential Oils {a little bit} Well since we've been back from Michigan I have had some trouble falling asleep and I remembered that difussing lavender is supposed to help that.

So on Monday night I set my diffuser for 1 hour and I was out like a light! It was awesome, needless to say I have used it every night this week! 

I personally do not sell the oils, but if you are interested learning more about Young Living Essential Oils or would like to sign up for the Starter Kit.  Contact Marie at everydayoiler@gmail.com or go HERE and use Member and Sponsor ID {2260821}

What is BzzAgent ... and how can you become one?

 A while back my friend Chelsea introduced me to BzzAgent.  Basically it is a program that you sign up for {for free} and fill out surveys {that take about 5 min or less each} about a multitude of different things.  

From these surveys you are qualified for BzzKits which are kits of products that they send to you try out and then report back with reviews, posts on social media, blog posts, completion surveys, photos of you using them, how you shared them, etc.  These BzzKits also include a bunch of coupons for the product to give to your friends and family to try the product as well.

Survey Example

You can also connect your Bzz profile with your MyPoints account and earn points for taking surveys and participating in campaigns. 

I have been doing this for a while now and have been part of a bunch of campaigns:

• Pure Via(R) 
• Why Do You Love BzzAgent?
• Secret Outlast(R) Completely Clean Clear Gel 
• Claritin-D(R) Cold 
• MY MONOPOLY 
• Redbox Instant 
• Filippo Berio(R) Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation 
• Cafe Escapes(R) 
• Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut 
• Green Mountain Coffee(R) Wellness Collection 
• Glade Expressions(R) Collection 
• Dentyne Split2Fit 
• UNREAL(TM) Candy 
• Luster Premium White
• BIC(R) Soleil(R) Savvy(TM) 
• LINDOR Truffles Special Offer
• Dr. Scholl's(R) For Her 
• Garnier Fructis 
• Bzz For A Cause 
• Green Mountain Coffee(R) Fair Trade
• StyleFind 
• Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• COVERGIRL NatureLuxe

I have been a part of a couple different survey type programs and this one is by far my favorite and I am so excited every time I get invited to a campaign. 

I'm sharing this because I recently got my BzzKit for PureVia Natural Sweetener.  The kit included some prepackaged kits of coupons and samples as well as a coupon for a free box of PureVia Natural Sweetener.  I thought it would be fun to document testing it out and share it with you all if you are interested in it.

My first taste test of it was to just put my finger in it and taste it straight up.  It tasted quite similar to sugar but a little sweeter.  I also put it in my coffee (which I usually put a little cream and sugar) and I could tell that it wasn't sugar but it wasn't bad ... just different.

I put out the sample packets in my office break room and plan on picking up my free box when I go grocery shopping this afternoon.  I'll post an update on else I use it on Friday's post.

If your interested in becoming a BzzAgent go to their website and sign up {its free .. and fun!}

Weekend Wrap Up - Michigan Wedding

I hope everyone had a great weekend, I know I did.  Mike and I went to Michigan {detroit area} for his cousin Steven's wedding.  Most of Mike's friends and a lot of family live there as well as his Dad, Step-Mom, Brother and Sister.  We were lucky enough to have some good weather since it has been bitterly cold there for the last couple of months. 

One day we took his younger brother and sisters out for some fun, he asked them to choose what they would like to do so we went to Dave and Busters.  I've never been there before but it was a lot of fun and decently priced.  We played a bunch of games and Mike hit the jackpot on tickets for three games!  I think as a team we had 2,000+ tickets and the younger kids cashed them in for some candy and toys.

Right to Left {Mike, Victoria, Brittany, Anthony, Me}

Victoria, Mike and Anthony Nascar Racing

Mike and Anthony loved the basketball games 

Mike won the horse racing game ... twice

Me, Brittany and Victoria's Mirror Selfie

Then we headed to Birmingham Michigan where Mike wanted to try this restaurant called The Townhouse.  I thought it was great, Mike thought it was so - so.

Mike Got - Cream of Mushroom Soup / Pretzels and Cheese

I Got - BLT - A {avocado}

Brittany Got - Burger

Anthony Got - Chicken Wings

Victoria Got - Mac and Cheese 

We All Shared - Truffle Fries 

BLT-A @ the Townhouse 

The Townhouse in the summer time

That night Mike and eleven of his friends had a Euchre Tournament and the "girls"  {everyone's significant other} hung out and talked.

Saturday was the wedding, the ceremony was in a beautiful church in Downtown Detroit - The Historic Trinity Lutheran Church.

The reception was at a place called The Vintage House.  We had a great time and I was able to meet some family of Mike's that I haven't had the chance to yet.  The reception was nice, simple and a lot of fun.  We at some good food and I even got Mike on the dance floor for a few slow dances.

We hope that Steven and Sarah have a beautiful life together.

Sunday we went to breakfast with a lot of Mike's friends, its always a good time with them, they have been friends since middle school and hearing their stories is always entertaining.  We did a little more visiting and then headed to the airport.  We got very little sleep while we were there so we were almost zombies at this point.  Mike slept most the flight but I can't sleep on planes {no matter how tired I am} so I watched one of the free movies.

It was about Somalian Refugees, I thought it was a great movie {My Rating: 8.5} and would recommend it.  Its heart warming and funny and a little bit of a tear jerker.  I would say to make sure you pay attention to the beginning {especially peoples names} cause they grow up and it can get confusing if you don't know who is who.

When we got home we went to bed immediately, I had every intention of getting up early but I just couldn't do it and I'm still struggling throughout the day.  I've got some major sleep to catch up on.

31 {Fri} Day Blog Challenge - 10 Favorite Foods

Moving along to number 7 on the 31 {Fri}day Blog Challenge we are at 10 Favorite Foods.  While I love food, I don't think that I know anyone that loves food more than Mike so I asked him to list his top 10 as well :)

Jessica's Top 10 Favorite Foods

1. Angel Hair Spaghetti 

2. Sahlen's Hot Dogs {Buffalo Thing}

3. Creme Brulee

4. Belgian Waffles {with strawberries - blueberries - bananas - whip cream}

5. French Onion Soup

6. Sushi {specifically a lunch combo at our local Jpan}

7. Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly Sandwich

8. Chicken Wings {mild - crispy}

9. Butter Cookies {another thing I can only find in Buffalo}

10. Pizza Rolls!

Mike's Top 10 Favorite Foods

1. Pizza 

2. Pierogies {a Polish thing}

3. Soft Pretzel {with nacho cheese}

4. Boneless Buffalo Wings {with ranch}

5. Asian Pot-Stickers

6. Crab Cakes

7. Chocolate Covered Custard Donut

8. Sushi

9. Flaming Saganaki {a Greek thing}

10. Fried Chicken Pita Pocket with side of chili cheese {a Michigan thing - Coney Island}

And lets not forget ... 

This week my favorite thing is Jergens Natural Glow Lotion.  I am going to a wedding this weekend and wearing a dress that shows my legs.  While we have had nice weather recently I have yet to work on my tan so that I don't appear ghostly.  Since I don't have enough time to lay out in the sunshine and I'm not a big fan of tanning beds, I use Jergens Natural Glow {medium to tan skin tones}

This works great to gradually develop a nice color, its not streaky or oily and smells great! Be sure to wash your hands after you apply it otherwise you'll have tan palms as well ;)  I get the results I like by applying it once per day over three days.  I'm only on my second day this time around but the picture below {sorry its blurry} is from the last time I used it.

{From left to right: Chelsea, Me, Marie}

Have a great weekend!

DIY Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Finishing up my week of DIY projects {I know its only Wednesday - but my last DIY is not ready to unveil yet and Friday is the blog challenge} I made DIY Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub.  

A while back my friends Marie and Chelsea tried to get me into {or rather talked about it a lot around me} the way they use Essential Oils, I'm not going to lie to you I couldn't bring myself to spend the money {a little pricey} to "try" something.  Coincidentally my sister-in-law-to-be gifted me the Young Living Essential Oil Starter Kit for my Birthday last year.

I started using the oils in the diffuser and cleaning with them ... then Marie made me a Lemon Peppermint Sugar Scrub for Christmas and I fell in love! I used it every time I took a shower and I was so sad when it finally ran out.  So it has been on my list to make another batch! While looking through Pinterest I came across a recipe for Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub and really wanted to try it. 

Gather Ingredients

• 1 Cup - White Sugar
• 1/4 Cup - Liquid Coconut Oil {heated}
• 5 Drops - Lavender Essential Oil
• 1 Tsp. - Pure Vanilla Extract

Mix accordingly 

Start with the 1 Cup of Sugar 

Add the 1/4 Cup of Melted Coconut Oil {I heated mine in the microwave for 30 seconds}

Add 5 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil 

Add 1 Tsp. of Pure Vanilla Extract.

Mix all of the ingredients together until you get a moist mixture evenly distributed.

A few things to note:

• Be sure to use a Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil {Young Living / DoTerra}.  There are oils that you can get for cheaper at your local health food store however, I don't recommend using those for anything that you are going to put on your skin or ingest into your body.
• Be sure you are using Pure Vanilla Extract and not Imitation Vanilla Flavoring.
• If you are going to keep this in your shower use a plastic container that seals tightly {Tupperware}  
• I personally do not use this on my face {mainly because I use the Clarisonic} 

If you are interested learning more about Young Living Essential Oils or would like to sign up for the Starter Kit.  Contact Marie at everydayoiler@gmail.com or go HERE and use Member and Sponsor ID {2260821}

There you have it, the results of my DIY weekend. Monday I'll have my Weekend Wrap Up back as I am heading to Michigan for Mike's Cousin's Wedding.