Sometimes a girl just needs....

1. A cute dress.







2. Some killer boots.







3. Dinner out... maybe for some red beans & rice.







4. A little alcohol...maybe an extra, extra, EXTRA dirty martini...







5. And a night out with a really hot boy.







6. Or your crazy ass girlfriends.




I really need to get out of the house.
*sigh*

8 Sets of 7

I've been tagged by my girl Heather at Stelliform to answer this very intriguing survey. So here goes!



7 Things I Plan to Do Before I Die:

1. Become a grandmother (not till MUCH later in life, please!)

2. Watch my kids graduate.

3. Go to Tuscany & Ireland.

4. Record a full-length cd of original material.

5. Read my kids the entire Harry Potter series aloud.

6. Own a house in the country with lots of land to roam on.

7. Go to the up and coming Harry Potter theme park with my entire family and fellow HP fan friends.





7 Things I Can Do:

1. Read more than one book at a time.

2. Listen to a song 100 times in a row and still hear something different every time.

3. Give really good hugs.

4. Read random blogs for hours and hours at a time.

5. See my favorite artists in concert over and over and over....

6. Make my husband and kids laugh.

7. Drink an entire pot of coffee in one morning:)





7 Things I Cannot Do:

1. Quit biting my nails!

2. See without contacts or glasses.

3. Quit worrying about EVERYTHING!

4. Pay every bill on time.

5. Handle anything relating to computer hardware and/or software upgrading. (or relating to anything else technological or electronic!)

6. Wash my car on a regular basis.

7. Keep my house clean!!



7 Things that Attract Me to the Opposite Sex:

1. Eyes

2. Height

3. Smile

4. Laugh

5. Long leather jacket (see Nic Cage in Face/Off)

6. Voice

7. Walk





7 Celebrities I Admire:

1. J.K. Rowling

2. Faith Hill

3. Sarah McLachlan

4. Guy Fieri

5. Anne Lamott

6. Frances Mayes

7. Nora Roberts





7 Favorite Foods:

1. Sobo-- a Japanese spaghetti

2. Red Beans & Rice

3. Chicken & Dumplings

4. Mac & Cheese from Iron Starr BBQ

5. Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

6. My mom's Beef Tip & Noodles

7. Heather's guacamole!!



7 People Who Need to Do This:

1. My dear husband Jr. (myspace)

2. Kathy at 2 Kids 3 Martinis

3. My sister Sarah (myspace)

4. My fellow musicwhore DeAnna (myspace)

5. Re-Todd (myspace)

6. My sweet Bizzo (myspace)

7. My sis-in-law Kristy (myspace)

The Hardest Job in the World

My babies started school last week. I guess that's really an oxymoron of a statement, since they are obviously no longer babies if they are in school. My oldest, Jaxen, is five and started kindergarten, while my daughter, Jalyn, age 4, started pre-k. Every morning I have taken them to school and guided them thru the cafeteria maze so that they can start their day with a full belly. I know it seems self-explanatory, but I believe that having your child well-rested and well-fed is the best way to make sure they enjoy their school day, especially when they are so young. Heck, I wilt halfway throughout the morning. I can't imagine how it is for a four year old.

Well, now that I'm off that tangent.... watching my children around this madhouse of kids has really put my brain into gear about parenting and what exactly my purpose is as a parent in specific. After much thought, I have come the following conclusions about my parenting goals:

1. I believe that it is my responsibility (and goal) to raise my children to be intelligent, hard-working, functioning members of society.

2. Even more importantly, I believe it is my duty to teach my children to be compassionate, loving people with a big heart. I want my children to love ALL people, regardless of their differences in religion, sexuality, etc. etc..

3. I also believe that it is my job as a parent to provide my children with a positive example of a family life. One of my favorite sayings states that the greatest gift a father can give his children is loving their mother. I agree with this one hundred percent (and vice versa of course) and want my children to grow in a loving home with a srong family base.

As I review what I've written, I'm aware that all of these things seem to be fairly obvious. But let me tell you, it's harder than it looks. Many a time have I called my best friend Heather in a moment of frustration, anger, or even extreme pride, and said, "I am SOOO not cut out for this!!". And I believe her response usually is, "Well, Jess, it's a little too late now. Can't really put 'em back in!". How true that is.

I've composed this blog though so that in those moments, I can look back at this entry and remind myself of what's important. Not the constant spills. Not the endless bedtime routines. Not the projectile vomit. Not the talking back. All that matters is love. Setting a good example. Hugging. Kissing. Listening. Guiding my offspring to the best of my ability to be the best person that I know how to teach them to be. And pray that it's enough in the grand scheme of things.

Books on the Body

I'm a big fan of tattoos. I personally have three, each with highly personal meanings to me that signify times in my life. My left shoulder blade has a piece of artwork drawn by Sarah McLachlan, my favorite singer/songwriter of all time. I stole it from the program of the very first Lilith Fair, which also marked one of the best days I ever spent with my deceased best friend, Ben. Next came the Art Deco/ treble clef tat on my lower back which marked a very uncertain time in my life where music & friends were my only constant. Most recently is the large center back piece I have that is another Sarah McLachlan work known as The Tree of Life. After having two kids, the concept of life as a tree that continues to branch out really appealed to me. Snuck into the center of the design is a hidden 13, my favorite number.

But it's time for a new one. It's been two years since my last inking, and I'm starting to fiend. I've been devoting quite a bit of time and thought into what I am once again willing to put on my body for a lifetime. Although I'm normally not attracted to very literal tats (i.e. roses, crosses, etc.), I've been thinking of getting words of some sort. I plan on eventually getting No Day But Today underneath my tree, but I'm not sure that's what I want to get right at this time. I've been thinking of getting something literary. Something that expresses my love of all things wordy. Here are a couple sites that I've ran across that I thought my fellow bookwhores might enjoy.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Literary-Tattoos-for-People-who-Love-Books

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/07/15/batattoos116.xml

http://www.yuppiepunk.org/2008/04/a-not-so-complete-history-of-literary-tattoos.html

Let me know what you think. Do you have tats? If so, what do they mean to you? And if you were getting a literary tat, what would you get? I can't wait to hear your answers!!

The Big Day

It's official. I'm now Jessica Hall. After thirty plus years of being a Kenney, it seems really weird to have a new last name! I've yet to receive the photos from our photographer, so the ones I'm sharing here have been stolen from various friends and family who posted them on myspace. Thanks, ladies:) Here are a couple random shots from throughout the day.

The back of my elaborate hair do. Surprisingly, this look only took her about thirty minutes to create.



My beautiful sister Sarah (also my maid of honor) and I before the ceremony started.



My precious daughter, Jalyn, who was the best flowergirl ever!



My silly son, Jaxen, who was our ringbearer and would NOT slow down for pictures, LOL!



Yes. We sang karaoke at my wedding.:) Here's my best friend Heather and I breaking it down. (Heather is also the amazing seamstress who made both my dress and Jalyn's dress! She rocks!)



And here we are. Jess and Jr. Jessica and Darrell. Mr and Mrs. Hall.




So there it is. A brief snapshot in time of the number three best day of my life. (Obviously the birth of my kids took up spots number 1 and 2.) Photos of the fantastic honeymoon to follow soon!

Recommendations?

As you all know, I'm getting married this coming Friday. You may ask, "Why oh why is she writing a blog when there are SOOOO many things she needs to be doing?" Well that's simple... I just don't feel like doing them, LOL.

So here's my dilemma. For our honeymoon, we have rented a secluded cabin. Hot tub on the back porch, hammock, short hike to the river... and you know what that means, right?

READING TIME!! LOL Jr. has said I can't take books with me, but you know I WILL be sneaking them into my bag. (See above reference to hammock!)

The question is: what do I take? I've been devouring books lately, fiction in particular, and I need some recommendations. Fess up, ladies... and boy (Hi Brian!!).

I've been tagged!!!

I've been tagged by 2 Kids... 3 Martinis to reveal some random facts about myself. Her post was freakin' hysterical.. you MUST go check it out!

Here is my response:

Random fact #1- I am deathly afraid of mice. It's much more than a general phobia... it truly puts me into a comatose state. Can't move cause I'm simply frozen with fear.


Random fact #2- I love to watch America's Funniest Home Videos. When Jaxen was a young baby, he would always cry when we watched that show because my laugh scared him. ggl


Random fact #3- I had hot pink hair once. Not by choice exactly--more like the end result of a bad peroxide experiment. It soon faded into a peach which wasn't too bad, LOL. The sad part was that I had the pink hair right around Halloween time so everyone thought I did it for that. I looked like a crayon.



Random fact #4- I took tennis lessons for six summers while growing up. I was actually pretty decent, but then hurt my shoulder in high school and haven't played since.



Random fact #5- Aforementioned shoulder accident did not occur exactly as my parents think it did, but I will save that little tidbit of info for another ten years from now. Some things you shouldn't tell your parents till at least 25 years after they happen, LOL.


Random fact #6- I can bite my toenails. Gross, I know....but if you love me enough to be reading this blog, then you should love me enough to get over the grossness. LOL Hey.. at least I'm still flexible enough to reach my feet:)

Random fact #7- In junior high, I played the role of Sally Brown in "Snoopy" at the local community theatre. And yes, I had Sally bangs. It was a sight to see.


Random fact #8- One of my favorite things to eat is spaghetti noodles doused in soy souce and black pepper.

Random fact #9- I LOVE men with a Scottish accent. I could watch 300 over and over and over just to listen to Gerard Butler. John Hannah is another fave.. check out Sliding Doors if you've never seen it.

So there's some random info about myself. I'd love to learn more about all the people connected to me on this blog, so TAG.. you're it!!! And hey, even if you're not linked to me, I'd love to meet you! Tell me about yourself.

Certain Girls

I just finished reading/ bawling my way through the ending of Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner. Certain Girls is a continuation of the story of Cannie, Peter and Joy, originally introduced to us in the bestseller Good In Bed. Although I enjoyed GiB, I thought that CG was the better of the two.

Although Jennifer Weiner is considered "chick lit" and tends to get a lot of flack for that, I find her books well written and entertaining, with lovable characters (which is the most important thing to me). She has the ability to draw you into their lives so deeply that you are sad when the book ends... you want to stay in their world forever.

Certain Girls was certainly no exception. I felt Cannie's pain as she dealt with the difficulties of raising a teenager and the shocking loss of... hehe.. no spoilers here!! I also enjoyed the layout of the chapters, which alternated having Cannie and her daughter Joy as narrators.

If you're looking for a relaxing, fast read, that you won't have to think a lot about, but will find yourself thinking about once it's ended... then CG is the book for you. And if you haven't read Jennifer Weiner before, be sure to Good in Bed first. Or try Goodnight Nobody which is a stand alone title. I hope you enjoy her novels as much as I do!!

Happy reading!