The power of girlfriends...

on any given scale, cannot be measured.  EVER!

I had an action-packed girls weekend this past weekend.  And man, was it ever needed.  It had been much too long since I had spent quality time with these girls.  And I was so lucky -- I got to split my weekend between two sets of precious friends.  My husband was all about me multi-tasking/killing two birds with one stone.  Yay!

Somehow, the moon & stars all aligned (thank you!) and off I went.  I was so stoked that my girlfriend, Tammy, was able to ride with me.  We got to start our party just a tad earlier than anyone else!  Hooray!  And, we ended up starting it even earlier, thanks to Mother Nature.  Mother Nature seems to have forgotten her meds here lately, and it seems that she can't quite make up her mind which season we're in.  One day, it's spring.  Another, it's stone-cold winter.  One of my friends coined a new phrase, and I love it.  We're in "Sprinter" season right now.  It's perfect!  Anyway... Tammy & I ended up heading out just a smidge early, because Mother Nature decided to drop some sleet/ice/snow our way.  Snow doesn't bother me in the least.  Bring it on!  I've got 4 wheel drive, and I don't drive like a maniac when the weather's bad (now, when it's nice, that's an entirely different story.  HA!)  But throw sleet/ice into the mix, and ya, I'm not a fan, nor do I want to drive in it.  So, we got the "heck out of dodge" before the worst hit.  And, the roads were bone dry to where we were going.  YAHOOO!

Part 1... consisted of 3 awesomely-wonderful ladies (Amy, Gretchen & Tammy) that I've known since High School.  We all bonded over Geometry tutors, cheerleading, and just being fun.  We've seen each other through just about everything.  And what's weird is that all of our second kids were born within weeks of each other. Seriously, we couldn't have planned that if we tried.  It was fate.  I seriously don't know what I would do without these girls!  We can just look at each other & know what the other is thinking.  And that right there is scary seeing as what some of our thoughts are!  LOL!

Each time we get together, we do our standard "girls weekend" picture.  There is a particular order we are all in, and the hoops we jump through to GET this picture is hilarious in itself.  You'd think that after all of these years, we'd just bring a tripod or something, but no.  We do it ourselves.  Tammy, who has the longest arms (long arm of the law), always pulls the trigger.  And many times, either she or Amy gets cut out of the picture.  Gretchen & I have tons of shots of us.  Mwah ha ha ha... it's planned that way.  HA!

Amy, Gretchen, me, Tammy

We even attempted to lay down for one.  (Y'know, so no double-chins were anywhere to be seen.)  What we learned, however, is that hair goes everywhere, and we basically have to all lay on top of each other for everyone to appear in the picture.  So ya, that one never made the cut.  The looks on our faces, however, were priceless!  Essentially, we turn into 12-year olds when we're together.  Simple words said set us off into hysterical laughter, and fart humor is what we speak.  And most importantly, we plan our time together around food, because y'know... it's ALL about the food!

We set up shop in a hotel, made sure to have tons of snacks (i.e. pretzel/peanut butter M&M's, Twizzlers, and Munchies chips - perfect combination of sweet & salty), and as an added bonus, when Amy checked in, she was notified that she was "Guest of the Day"!  "Guest of the Day" equals free breakfast & snacks for all in your room.  SCORE!!!  It was fully documented with pictures that Amy was indeed, kind of a big deal.  Those pictures, however, were sworn to NEVER be posted.  Mainly because we made Amy an entire "Guest of the Day" super-hero costume.

The restaurant we picked for dinner was literally right next door to our hotel.  Which was a good thing, seeing as how there was a snow storm outside.  We stepped outside into the take-your-breath-away bitter cold & ran next door to the restaurant.  Ah, warmth!   We eyed up the drink menu & ordered up.  Tammy & I opted for a martini sampler, each a different "theme".  One of Tammy's martini's had an edible flower come floating it.  The girl (and I say girl, only because she looked 12, yet had to be 21 to serve the drink) who delivered it said, "oh, and there's an edible or-chid in this one."  Or-chid.  She pronounced it Or-Chid.  Really?  We all said "orchid", and she said, "oh, I've never heard of it."  Huh.  Really?!

We proceeded to drink.  Laugh.  Laugh more.  Eat.  Take pictures (which again, will never be posted).  Eat dessert.  Laugh, and well, laugh some more.  After stuffing ourselves silly, we decided to head back to the hotel.  Not because we were too tired, but because it was so cold & snowy, we didn't want to go anywhere else!  We opted for some coffee to stay awake.  Okay yes, we were tired (yet none of us would admit it - hence the hipster coffee at 11pm), but because these get-togethers happen so infrequently, we wanted to soak in every minute.

We decided to watch "Bridesmaids" because Gretchen hadn't seen it yet.  But we watched it on my 13" laptop.  Not ideal, but we still laughed hysterically anyway.  We slept.  We got up (much earlier than intended) and went down for our FREE breakfast!  And we had lots of cawfee tawk.  We made our plan for the rest of the day -- which included shopping, shopping and of course, eating.

As we had all discussed, we didn't have a ton of $$ to spend, but we were determined to shop anyway & keep each other in check.  And of course, we found tons of cute stuff.  Cute stuff that was 50% off of clearance price!  It would've been a crime NOT to buy it!  These girls enable justify "girl math".  Y'know, if you spend another $25, you get all this cool free stuff??!  That's "girl math".  Girl math = new boots, handbag & jeans.  Boy math = no boots, no handbag & no jeans because "it's too expensive".  And as we all agreed, we could've looked in the mirror to see how these things looked on us, but we had 3 mirrors looking right back at us.  Three honest mirrors.  Three honest, awesome mirrors that we can't live without.

We had lunch, and fatigue was starting to hit us.  We decided that in the future, we'll have to start incorporating naps into our weekends & plan around them.  Hmmm.  Are we getting older?  Or smarter?  ;)  We seem to forget that we're no longer 20 & can't stay up all night without paying for it.  Lol!

After lunch, we had to part ways.  Always sad, but we always come away with so many funny memories.  Y'know, the ones that make you burst out laughing when no one else is around because you just thought about it again?  The ones that your face & abs STILL hurt because you laughed so hard?  Those memories are GOLDEN!!!

Part 2... consisted of staying with one of my soul sisters from another mister.  This girl & I, seriously, share so much in common, it's weird.  But weird in a good way!  Cory & I have also known each other since high school -- we were Varsity cheerleaders together.  I was a year ahead of her in school.  As we got older, our paths kept crossing.  Not long after I got married, I ran into her, of all places, at the bank.  I didn't even live in town anymore, but had gone in because I was back visiting & we still had an account. We exchanged information & were glad to see each other.  We ran into each other again several years later because we were both selling "Southern Living at HOME".  We really connected this way, and have really kept in touch ever since.  A couple of years ago when my husband was deployed over the summer months, we spent a TON of time together.  She lives literally 3 minutes from my parents' house, and our kids get along well.  Since the kids & I spent a lot of time at my parents' that summer, we hung out most of the summer.  It was then that we learned exactly HOW much we had in common & it was freaky!  She's someone I can be completely goofy with, and someone that I can talk to about anything, and she's always got great advice.  She's always perky, happy & positive.  I LOVE that!  And did I mention that she's super-talented?  Holy schmoly.  Whatever that girl touches turns to gold.  She's amazing with a sewing machine.  I mean A-MA-ZING!  Clearly, she's a great friend.

We talked when I got to her house.  I always hang out in her sewing room when she works.  We talk, laugh, and solve the world's problems.  I decided that I wanted to shower before we went out with other friends that night.  So, being in "girls weekend" mode, I had no concept of time.  I must've gotten in the shower a little after 5.  I got out, dressed, and peeked my head into her sewing room & asked what time we were leaving.  It was 5:21.  She says, "Oh, 5:30".  My hair was dripping wet, and I had smeared makeup across my face from the shower.  Awesome.  I think I recall screaming & then running back into the bathroom.  I literally had the hairdryer in one hand, and was trying (key word being TRYING) to apply makeup with the other hand.  And not well, I might add.  I decided to just do one thing at a time & hope for the best.  I think I made record time, as I was make-up'd, hair dried and fully dressed by 5:37.  It was at that frenzied moment that I met a new friend.  Her name is Tekoa, and she is completely beautiful & AWESOME!!!  We all rode together & picked up another friend, Amy H., on our way to the restaurant.  Amy is an amazing mommy & equally as awesome.  I met her last year by taking her family's pictures, and we've stayed in touch since then.  She's a lot of fun!  We met 2 other friends at the restaurant, Amy P. & April.  Amy P. (I know a lot of Amy's, have you noticed?) also went to my high school, and was also a year behind me.  We honestly didn't know each other well in HS, but have gotten to know each other the past couple of years... FB is mainly responsible for me finding my long-lost "dork twin"!!  We both have more blonde moments than we care to mention, and well, we just "get" each other.  She's amazingly awesome.  This was the first time I met April.  She's SO MUCH FUN!!

We all bonded over drinks and chips & salsa.  I mean really, does it take much else?  I'm just going to state for the record that "Girls Night Out" can be very informative.  I'll just leave it at that.  LOL!  I've never met a group of women that clicked more than we all did that night.  It was as if we'd all known each other our whole lives!  I'm sure the people sitting around us were more than entertained.  I love that through good friends, you meet new ones.  Ones that I hope to keep forever!

Tekoa, me, April, Cory, Amy P., Amy H.

Nights and weekends like these are SO needed.  It's not that I don't enjoy my husband or offspring, but you need girlfriends.  Girlfriends make you get the "rock hard abs" workout by laughing, not sweating.  ;D  Girlfriends empathize.  Girlfriends don't judge.  Girlfriends ROCK!

The moral to this gouge your eyes out long post is this... while your spouse may be your best friend, nobody gets you like your girlfriends.  The power of them is indescribable and unmeasurable.  They are essential.  They are awesome.  They are amazing.  They are, my girlfriends.


I feel incredibly blessed.  I have amazing friends... and these were just 2 of the many groups I have.  They are all so different, but all so equally important.

Thank you, Amy, Gretchen, Tammy, Cory, Tekoa, Amy H., Amy P. and April, for an amazing, much-needed weekend.  You all are ROCK STARS!!  

Chomping at the bit...

So, it's January.  It's time to reflect on all of the "resolutions" I sort of made.  After taking care of myself (sinus infection queen), taking care of Ryan, and trying to get back into the swing of a routine... I'm failing miserably.  I'm trying not to beat myself up... KA-POW!  Easier said than done, right?

In the interim, I'm surfing the 'net.  Getting ideas for new meals, organization ideas, craft ideas, fashion, you get the picture.  I should just set my home search engine page to, you guessed it, PINTEREST!

Last week, I did hold true to the trying a new recipe.  In fact, I cooked ahead, and tried a few!  My freezer is slowly getting stocked, in hopes to make my life a little easier... one step at a time.  (more details & pictures of that to follow on another post)

But, with January comes organization, right?  I found the BEST blog:  iheartorganizing  This woman has it ALL together -- I want to be like her when I grow up!  Anyway, I'm gathering ideas from her, and am hoping to put them into action.  And as I do, I'll share them.  Why?  Because if I say that I'll share them, that means I'll actually DO them.  And my house could definitely use some attention this way!  Especially after the holidays...  I'm in the "holiday hangover" stage right now.  Because everyone has been "sickly", I'm still taking down my holiday decorations.  My kids are in mourning because they're coming down.  I, on the other hand, am doing my own sort of happy dance - simply because I'm more than OVER the holidays.  It was nothing short of a circus, and a stress-filled one at that.  Don't get me wrong, I love my family, the food, the visiting... but it all happened so close together, that we were considering installing a revolving door in place of our front door.  I digress...

I want desperately to have one full week where:
1)  No one is sick. (myself included!)
2)  When I don't have any appointments to get to.
3)  When I'm caught up on all housework -- HA!  Okay, that one is a pipe dream.
4)  I can concentrate on one of these organization/craft ideas.
5)  Someone doesn't have a day off of work/school.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family... but when they're home, it throws me off-schedule, and then I feel like I'm 'off' for the rest of the week.  (that was a little bit of a whine on my part -- sorry... just speaking the truth!)

Until then, check out the blog attached at the bottom.  I promise, you won't be disappointed!!

New Year, New Goals, New Me

So, it's 2012.  New Year is a time for new beginnings!

Did you make your New Year's Resolutions?  I did.  Kind of.  I know the new year is about starting fresh.  But really, can't we do that anytime of the year?  I feel Madonna-esque... like I'm constantly doing it, constantly trying to re-invent myself.  At any rate, I've jotted down a few things of which I hope to improve upon this year.

Jenni's Resolutions:
1.  Stop putting time & effort into relationships where I receive nothing in return.  I've had this in place for about the past two years, and it has been amazing!  It has opened up my eyes immensely as to who really should be in my life & who shouldn't.

2.  Stop being a door mat.  I can be feisty in my own ways, but also love to please people.  In the end, it's ME who pays for the nights where I get no sleep because I'm up doing things for other people.  Granted, I always enjoy helping people (who doesn't?) -- but I'm going to be better about saying NO, and being taken advantage of.

3.  Gaining confidence.  It's easy to look at someone else & be intimidated by them.  They're smarter, they dress better, they have it all together, they're more talented.  But, looks can be deceiving.  Everyone is fighting their own battle.  Many times, what things look like on the outside aren't any indication of what's really going on inside.  I'm going to stop letting "outward appearances" intimidate me.

4.  Trying new things.  I'm in a rut.  Food-wise, routine-wise, life-wise.  I'm a creature of comfort, and find it hard to step outside of my comfort zone.  That's going to change!  Well, I'm going to "try" to change...  Pinterest has opened my eyes to SO many new things!  New recipes, new ways to decorate, organization... anything you can think of.  I even have the kids onboard for trying new things!  The other night, we all got on Pinterest and looked for new meal ideas.  We were ALL practically drooling.  So, I'm making it a point to try a new recipe each week.  I'm even considering blogging about it -- for the 3 people who actually read this blog.  Hi Grandma!  ;)

5.  Business Building.  I want to grow my photo business, but want to be smart about it at the same time. I realize I'm only one person, and again, love to please people.  But what I learned this past year is that while trying to please everyone & take as many pictures as I could, I ran out of hours in the day.  Between sports, spouse's erratic work schedules, my free time (ha!) and life... I about made myself crazy.  This year will have an added twist with a deployment, which will leave me as a single parent for a little over two months.  That being said, I need to set a fixed amount of pictures that I can take each week/month & leave it at that.  I will not travel as much for shoots (due to lack of childcare), and I also need to raise my prices so I'm not working for peanuts!  I love what I do, but my time is worth money as well.

6.  Be more crafty.  I have an entire closet full of craft items.  It mocks me each time I open the door.  "Remember me?  I'm from trip #46 into Hobby Lobby when you picked me up thinking you'd whip me out in a couple of hours..."  My sewing machine has a nice layer of dust on it.  My scrapbook bins have dust on them.  My paints have dust on them.  Again, I blame Pinterest.  So many craft ideas.  So little time...  ;)

7.  Decorate my house.  See #6.  We've been in this house a little over 3 years, and I still haven't painted all of the walls.  It still looks like we just moved in!  Oh well.  Baby steps, right?

8.  Read more.  Whether it be for learning or for pleasure, I LOVE to read... yet I hardly ever take the time to do it.  Michael Crichton is my favorite author -- I devour his books, and was so sad when he passed away.  I got his new book "Micro" for Christmas, and have started reading it.

9.  Laugh more.  Live more.  Love more.  I'm going to try not to take things so seriously.  I'm going to try to step out of my comfort zone.  I'm going to try to spend more quality time with my family.

10.  Find my own happiness.  One of my very best friends has this quote in her house, and I need it as well.  We all hold the keys to this... it's just finding the right one.  Do you ever feel like you have the janitor key ring & you can't find it?  Ya, me either.  ;)

11.  Blog more.  Both for my business and for me.  I'd like to become a better writer.  This is good practice.  ;)  Add this to my new culinary adventures (whether they're flops or fantastic), others can come along for the adventure.  Maybe I'll add some craftiness in there as well.  And organization?  Well, that's ALWAYS a work in progress.  I wasn't born one of those people who has it all together.  I'm organized in certain aspects of my life, but would like to be in more ways -- and want things to look "just so".  Maybe if I write about it, it will force me to actually DO it!

12.  Take more Pilates classes.  I truly love Pilates.  I know, I actually pay people to torture me & my body, but man... I love those classes.  My body responds to it.  It strengthens my back.  It makes me long & lean.  I'm not one of those people who loves to sweat, kick things, punch things and leave completely exhausted.  I know, I know... I'm not doing it right then.  I don't enjoy paying instructors to yell at me!  I like relaxed, quiet, slow, painful death... wait, no.  I mean I like a more relaxed pace and a calm instructor.

13.  Run more.  I have to really coax myself into doing this, and I'm really not sure why.  I love how I feel after I run, yet can think of just about anything else to do besides run.  Mike, Ryan & I are signed up for the Indy Mini-Marathon (half marathon) in May, and this of all things, should kick my butt into gear.  We'll see.  Here's hoping my back is on board & gives me it's blessing.  ;)  While on the note of running, remember in #12 when I said I like a relaxed pace & calm when doing Pilates?  I'm the exact opposite while running.  I'm an angry runner.  I have to listen to kick-ass music to keep me going.  The harder & faster the music & beat, the better.  Enter my head-banging teens.  I'm a sucker for metal & big-hair bands.  I can't give them up!  Oh, and rap.  I know, it's weird.  But it's what motivates me.

14.  Take better care of myself.  See #'s 12 & 13.  I tend to put myself on the back burner.  But really, what mom (or dad, for that matter) doesn't?  Take Christmas break for example.  I hadn't felt well for a few days, yet waited so long to go to the doctor that by the time I went, I had strep AND an ear infection with the start of a second one.  Then I let that go (because Christmas & more family visiting entered the picture) when the meds weren't working, and it morphed into those two things with a side order of a sinus infection from HELL.  Three different antibiotics & one steroid later, it's finally starting to clear up... almost 3 weeks later.  The point to this is that between family staying here, facilitating a class party, shopping for Christmas, getting the house ready for more company, cooking & baking up a storm, trying to be everything to everyone, I went down in the process.  I wasn't able to do all of the fun things I had planned on doing with my kiddos.  Why?  I wasn't taking care of myself & my immune system is now all but non-existent!  I need to sleep more, exercise more, eat better and TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!  Easier said than done, I know.

I know there are many more things I'd like to improve upon this year.  Maybe I'll get to those, maybe I won't.  All I know is that I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't get to accomplishing ALL of them.  But, I will at least try.

I found this sign on Pinterest yesterday.  I'm seriously going to hang this on my bathroom mirror.  I think I could use these reminders daily.

Here's to everyone enjoying and making the MOST of the new year!