Catching Up

We have been really busy lately and it seems time flies and my days start to blur together. 

I guess it is true that time flies when you are having fun...but I still can't believe it is about to be July!!

Last weekend we went to Atlanta to see my family. I try to visit every couple months but since we have been so busy traveling these past few months I haven't been home since March! So since we hadn't been home that meant we had a full packed schedule all weekend so that we could see everyone we hadn't seen in so long.

Friday night we went to my dad's house and grilled out ribs. We caught up with my dad, step mom, brother, and sister-in-law. It was a nice, relaxing evening.

Saturday we laid at the pool with my mom and worked on our tans. Cause you know we are pale. Okay, okay maybe not pale--shall I say our Jamaican bronze look has been fading? Yes, I will regret this when I look like the old lady on "There's Something About Mary".

Saturday night was a pretty exciting event--we had a double date with our cousins. Literally, both of our cousins.  My cousin Tiffani (the one who had the liver transplant-who BTW is doing great!) is dating Matt's cousin Patrick.  They both live in this small town in North Georgia and randomly met a few years ago (weird but neat, we know). They have been dating a couple months and I am super excited they are dating.  They are so stinking cute together!  So we ate at Bahama Breeze (again reminiscing about Jamaica) and went to play putt-putt. I wisely told Matt that no, I didn't not want to bet on our putt-putt game as I would have regretted it when he beat me by 10 points.  We had a good time though and it was fun to hang out with them. 

Me, Matt, Patrick (Matt's cousin), Tiffani (my cousin)

Sunday before we headed home, we met up with my BFF Amanda, and her husband Bobby, and two kids Reece and Avery. She was 9 months preggo at the time and about to pop. Of course she was cute as can be and such a great sport. I miss seeing her and wish they lived closer. I hate that I miss out on so much with her and the kids.

Amanda and I

As luck would have it, Zander arrived today, 3 days after our visit. Here is a peek of baby Z. He is precious and I can not wait to meet him. Congrats to the Coppage family!

Hmmm...so what else is new?? I have been running some though the dailymile tracker on this page isn't saying so. I have been a little lazy in actually entering my progress on it. I think partly it is because I have been so slow. I am somewhat frustrated with running lately because I can not run fast for the life of me! I try to work on my speed and am not seeing the results that I want. Blah. And then there's the treadmill thing. I love my treadmill but get bored running long runs on it. If it weren't 96 degrees outside I would be on the pavement in no time.  So I have mostly been running 2-4 times a week on average of about 3 miles per run.

This week I decided to start back doing the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It is such an awesome workout and I used to do it religiously. When I did the Shred I saw great results and could tell a difference in my muscle tone. Since I have been running, I haven't done much strength and weight exercises. Though I still weigh the same and fit the same in my clothes as always, I can tell a difference and want to be back toned a little more.  And it is clear to tell just how little I have done in the toning and weight lifting department lately as I can hardly walk without pain!! I'm so dang sore!  No pain no gain though right?? So here's to day 3 of The Shred. Only 27 more to go!

We have a lot of fun plans for the holiday weekend so check back as I will try not to be a slacker and will write some great posts!

Please Vote!

So the big news about switching over to Wordpress has got me shakin' in my boots. I have a site and a couple posts actually, but I want to play around with it and make sure I like it before I declare I am no longer in a relationship with Blogger, even though Blogger drives me crazy. Kinda like Brokeback Mountain, I can't quit you, Blogger. The thing is, since I am not comfortable with the set up and how everything works on Wordpress I am not 100% sure I like it better. The truth is, I want to keep you guys on the edge of your seats. Guess you will have to keep coming back to find out the latest news on the big switch. Or not switch.
Okay, so my best friend Mere's sister Lynn (say that three times fast) has come up with this really neat idea called the Pillow Bag. It is a hand made bag that you put your pillow in to travel with. You can get it embroidered and pick your design and fabric. They are custom made! The Pillow Bag is a stylish way to keep your pillow clean and germ-free while traveling.

Lynn along with her friend Chris who started the company have been chosen as one of the top three candidates for Dallas' Market Center's Next Big Thing and she will soon travel to Dallas to the Total Home and Gift Market to showcase The Pillow Bag. The winner will receive a prize package worth over $12,500 along with $2500 cash. 

You can help Lynn and Chris win though! Mere has been borderline harassing me (Just kiddin' Mere!) and our friends to vote for the Pillow Bag on Facebook but you only get one vote! So, I am now attempting to gain help from the (few) blog followers I have! So please, for Mere, Lynn, and Chris VOTE for the Pillow Bag today! Voting ends tomorrow!! You can vote here.  And to learn more about the Pillow Bag, go here. 

Thankyouverymuch!

Happy Father's Day!

First of all, I would like to say Happy Father's Day to my wonderful father and father-in-law. My father is hilarious, fun, sweet, kind, considerate, and calls me beautiful everytime we talk so clearly, he rocks! My father-in-law is pretty awesome also and is so kind, helpful, and loving. I am so blessed.

This weekend has been pretty busy for us. Friday not included since we sat on the couch all night and went to bed at 10:00. Yeah, old age sucks.

Saturday Matt played golf and I went and met up with some girl friends at the pool. The guys joined us after they got finished and we had lots of fun hanging around the pool. That night I was a bachelorette party crasher as my friend Phoenix invited me to attend one of her co-workers' bachelorette party that evening. I had met the bride-to-be and knew she was very sweet and fun so I thought what the heck and went. My sister in law Megan also tagged along for awhile. It was a blast though I didn't get any photos...I know, I know....I suck.

We had a late night and were slackers and didn't attend church but met up with Matt's family for Father's Day lunch. We ate at Zea Rotisserie Grill which I have been wanting to try. It was delicious and we had a nice time. This afternoon/evening we have been waching golf (Matt)/reading/sleeping(me).

On another note, I have been having MAJOR issues with blogger. I can't comment on other blogs (I promise I have been reading lots of yours!), I am having trouble uploading photos, moving them around, some major formatting issues and lot of other annoying problems. It's really becoming an issue because I find myself yelling at my computer or frustrated that I can't blog when I want to because blogger is acting up. I know you say Jessica, quit moaning and groaning and do something about it. Since I don't know any workers at blogger and can't go show them whats up without being arrested (I kid, I kid) I am in the process of moving to wordpress. Stay tuned for more details as this is a work in progress...

The Resort

The resort we stayed at was amazing! 2 and a half years ago, after hearing TONS of reviews, many personal, we decided we would get married at Couples Negril resort in Jamaica. It was paradise. For this trip we wanted to re-visit Jamaica, but wanted to see new sights and check out a new resort. In Keeping with the Couples Resorts, we decided to venture to another side of the big island to Ocho Rios, and stayed at Couples Tower Isle. It was renovated a couple years ago and was recently listed as one of Yahoo's best all-inclusive resorts.

Couples resorts are very similar to Sandals in being an all-inclusive, couples-only, and adults only resort. Couples resorts are only in Jamaica, are rated better than Sandals resorts, and cost much less. Great deal, right?! We think so! The great thing about Couples is how inclusive it is: they include all food, premium liquor drinks and alcohol, scuba diving, snorkeling, catamaran cruise, horseback riding, the Dunn's River Fall's trip, fitness classes, and more. They don't make you wear any arm bands to tell you stay there which is nice. In some resorts they have a caste system, whereas the better room you book the more perks you get. Couples has no system to tell which room you book and treats all the same. The staff will get to know your name and make you feel like a celebrity every day! Yes, please!

This resort had 4 dinner restaurants: an Asian restaurant, and Amerian Restaurant, a formal restaurant, and the Buffett. For breakfast you could order room service if you are feeling lazy, or you can be more social at the buffett. For lunch there is the buffett, and veggie grill, and a Beach Bar with burgers, wings, chicken nuggets and tons of other healthy greasy food.

There are two pools, one of which has a swim up bar. There is also an island which is "au naturel" which basically means you have to be naked to go there. We passed that one up--I know, surprising right?? There is a piano bar which is open at night and they like to do "sing a longs' which equals a guy playing the piano and a bunch of drunk people singing along. Yeah, we did that several times.

Overall the resort was beautiful, had a very modern style, and was very relaxing. The nightlife wasn't very big, but I bet that depends on the crowd at the time of your stay. It was mostly relaxing and quiet when we were there, but you could find some fun, wilder crowds if you wanted. If you want to go to Jamaica, Couples Resorts does it right and should be your pick! And no, I don't get any credit for saying that!!

One of the beautiful restaurants

View from the Pool Grill of the pool and ocean

Some of the Parrots that were in the Garden, which kept us up early in the mornings....

Setting up for a private dinner...not ours though.

The lobby

The Bayside Restaurant which sits over the water

Another view of the lobby

A mural on the wall in one of the restaurants

Our garden view room, this is the smallest and cheapest room they have and we still thought it was nice...

The Buddha pool we were invited to skinny dip at...which we politely declined.

The piano bar which we frequented often.

Jamaica, Mon! Part 2

Saturday, we decided to start by going snorkeling. We went to a reef and swam around looking at the different marine life. It was fun, but we didn't see much. Our friends Shawn and Tim saw an octopus and another couple saw and eel.

That afternoon we hit the swim up pool bar, which we kept hearing such great things about. And it was pretty great! We met a few other couples and spent the day in the pool. 

Saturday night was the "Gala Night" which we thought meant something special, but turns out it just means everyone has to eat at the buffett and there is a tent with a couple vendors selling stuff. We went with our new friends and had a blast that night hanging out with them.

From left to right: Tim and Shawn from Washington D.C., us, Anna and Brian from Chicago

Later at the piano bar..... Shots of African Mint

Sitting on the pier

On our last full day, we went to Dunn's River Falls, which is where you climb up waterfalls. It seemed scary at first looking up at the large tall waterfalls but was okay once we got started. It was so much fun and I definitely recommend it to anyone in Ocho Rios. 

That afternoon we did this all day....

And that evening we went again to Bayside the Asian restaurant that sits over the water. This was my favorite restaurant. 

We then hit up the piano bar which wasn't as much fun without our friends (who had left already or were at their private dinner) so we then went and relaxed on our patio just like we did on the last night of our actual honeymoon. It seems to be a tradition now. And we like it!



Last night at the piano bar

And then it was over as quickly as it began. We were on the bus for the airport the next morning at 9:15 for a lonnnggg day of traveling. The trip was a blast, and Jamaica was amazing as always.  

Jamaica, Mon! Part1

We are back from our amazing trip to Paradise--Jamaica to be exact. 

We left early Wednesday morning and arrived around 11am to beautiful sunny skies. I had heard that it had been raining all.the.time. in Jamaica prior to our arrival but when we landed to clear skies I was excited! We headed to the hotel lobby and grabbed a few cold beers while waiting for our ride.  We quickly headed to the resort on the 2 hour-ish bus ride. When we got the resort, the skies became gray and it started raining!! Oh nooo!! I was so sad.  We headed to the hot tub with a few more drinks and made the best of it. We met some interesting people in the hot tub that day and had to turn down their requests for us to meet them in the hidden "Buddha pool" later at night to skinny dip. Umm no thanks strangers we just met.  That night we headed to the bayside restaurant and ate some great Asian food.  We called it an early night that night.



Making the best of the rainy day.



Dinner our first night



The next morning we woke up at what we thought was 7am and headed down around  7:45 to grab a bite to eat and head to the beach. We got out of our room and walked around the resort to realize we were the only people up. Seriously, we were. The breakfast buffet wasn't open. We thought it was weird but headed to the beach and grabbed a chair to relax.  I then looked at the watch we brought instead of the phone we had been looking at to tell the time and realized it was 6:45!!! No wonder no one was up! Haha!! That day we relaxed on the beach and luckily had great weather. 



Mimosas at 7am! Don't mind if I do.



Thankfully, it didn't rain at all after the day we arrived. Yeah, mon!

That night was our formal night and we had an excellent dinner. The food the whole trip was great, except by the end I just wanted something light, it seemed everything was so heavy.

Our formal dinner night

Friday we started off early with the Catamaran Cruise. It was a nice relaxing ride on the way and we docked after awhile by a nice beach and swam. The ride back from the beach was when things got a little wild.  They cranked the music up, everyone started dancing, and the rum punch was flowing. 

Matt learning a Jamaican dance on the Catamaran Cruise





This lady got down dancing while carrying this tray of drinks on the rocking boat! Now that's talent!



Friday night we headed to the Veranda restaurant for some more delicious food. I'm pretty sure I gained 10lbs on this trip. Eating became a hobby.  We hit up the piano bar that night and had a good time singing along. 



So that's pretty much the first half of our trip. For those of ya'll who placed your bets on me running I regret to say I hope you didn't have a lot of faith in me. I made it a whopping zero times to the gym. I thought about it once. Does that count?

Pack, Pack, Packin'

First tangent here is that I am officially back on the running bandwagon. I may be as reliable to stay on track as Linday Lohan is to stay sober, but I ran 4 times this week which I believe is pretty darn good. Thankyouverymuch. I ran a whopping 7 miles on Saturday which was pretty amazing given my less than stellar stamina lately.  Of course it was on the treadmill and a good show was on--okay, so maybe "When I was 17" isn't a good show, but it was about the Jersey Shore kids and I love me some Jersey Shore. Anywho, I digress. So I get all cocky thinking 'yeah, girl you are doing good now' and then I go and do some yoga Sunday on my day off. Wake up call! Just because I run (sometimes) does not mean I am completely in shape, as I am so dang sore today.

Second Tangent is that we are packin' away for our trip to Jamaica. In between packing today, I got in a 4 mile run on the TM (treadmill), cleaned house, and cooked dinner. Oh yeah and I'm bloggin. Let's hope my multi-tasking abilities don't fail me as I get to Jamaica and realize I forgot to pack underwear. That would be a problem. Pretty sure there are no Walmarts in Jamaica. So I have been a pretty organized packer, carefully selecting cute outfits and matching jewelry.  Yep, this is a first. I'm usually a throw it all in and hope you get something that matches kind of girl. Clearly you can tell how excited I am about this trip since I am hand picking out each outfit plus acessory. I threw in some workout clothes and my running shoes so you can place your bets whether I will actually make an appearance at the gym. I'd say odds are 50/50.

Please note the yellow and blue dress I got yesterday from GAP outlet for $9!! Yeah yeah!!

Tommorrow after work we head to Atlanta to spend the night with my mom and then by 8:15 Wednesday morning we will be on our way to Jamaica. So by about, say, 10:18 central time you can start being jealous of us for being in paradise. I kid, I kid.

See ya on the flip side!

Quote this

My friends and I love funny stuff: clips on youtube, emails, and movies. Therefore, we love to quote these also. It always makes me laugh to think of or hear people quoting this stuff and instantly puts a smile on my face. Laughter truly is the best medicine. Here are some funny quotes we like and have often said in the past. Some you may know and understand, some you may not. But it is always fun to guess where they came from.

On a side note-Today is one of my best friends Phoenix's birthday! Happy birthday to you! I know she is a blog stalker on here and I love her for it even though she won't follow me. Most all of these she will know, so these are sorta for her. And for anyone else who may know them and get a laugh out of them.

-"secuurityyy"

-"on the mike is the queen, so listen to me sing, he wants a number three supersize, onion rings
   he can come out the house with no ankle bracelet on but he's got two strikes so don't get his order wrong!"

-"hi my name is bobby butronic and I'm starting getting back into dating girls..."

-"I got brains, I got big ol brains, I got dinosaur brains"
"Bobby, dinosaurs have brains the size of peas."
"I know. I got a whole can of peas, I got a case, a pallet, a whole warehouse of peas in my head, it's like knock knock who's there? peas."

-"wild wild women, rippen and a tearrin"

-"boats and hoes...It's like deadliest catch, without the crabs, we ran out of gas, call the Arabs"

-"why are you so sweaty?" "I was watching cops"

-"you yelled rape at the top of your lungs."
"I honestly thought I was gonna be raped for a second. He had the craziest look in his eyes. And at one point he said 'lets get it on'"

-"I have a belly full of white dog crap in me, and now you're gonna lay this sh!t on me!?"

-"not at the table, Carlos"

-"do you have to park so close?....I'm not supposed to be within 200 feet of a school...or a Chuck E Cheese"

-"do you know if this hotel is pager friendly?"

-"how bout that ride in? Guess that's why they call it sin city"

-"its not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating in a plane"

-"remember what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except herpes, that sh!t'll come back with you!"

-"none of you know Stu like I do. I can't even tell you what we've been through because we made a pact. What I can tell you is this. This is not Stu's first wedding. There was a whore in Las Vegas a couple of years ago..."

-"What is this? A P.F. Changs?"

-"sometimes when you snort coke your heart stops. Read a book!"

-"I wish monkey's could skype. Maybe one day.."

-"I have a demon inside of me" "It's true, he has semen inside of him"

-"church on the move"

-"I will cuttt you!"

-"hey mister balloon hands"

Okay, so that's all I got for now...Anyone recognize any of these? Are we as crazy as we sound always quoting funny stuff or is that normal?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

For the first time, I am linking up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday.  I always want to link up to the What I ate Wednesday link but I never remember to take pictures and remember what I ate! Whoops.

So, without further ado, here is what I am loving this Wednesday

1.) I am loving some Just Dance 2 for the Wii (duh). In case you haven't suffered by hearing me talk about it all.the.time. it is such a fun game for the Wii when you pick a song and dance to it. And you can dance against another person in competition. So much fun! Makes me wish we hadn't of sold our Wii. Dang!

2.) I am loving that next week, I will be in Jamaica soaking up the sun drinking a cold beverage. Don't hate.

 3.) Recently, I have gotten closer with my sister-in-law Megan and I am loving it! She is such a sweet girl and I have enjoyed building our friendship recently.  I am thankful I can talk to her about anything, and she always is there for support. I am also excited they may be moving closer to us soon! Wohoo!

4.) Although it didn't sound like any type of book series I would normally like, I just finished "The Hunger Games" series and loved it! It was very interesting and action packed! I'd recommend it to anyone--and if you aren't a reader, they are currently making it into a movie as I type.

Thanks to Maria for lending it to me on my Nook! (oh and if you have a nook, please let me know and we can share lendme books!)

5.) My cutie husband, Matt. Because he always deserves some love for being such a great guy. I am a lucky girl.....

6.) Now that is warm (okay scorching hot) many more fruits and veggies are in season. I love stocking up with fresh, local fruits and veggies and finding new recipes to try with them. Our local farmers market, Pepper Place is now going on every Saturday and I have plans to be there early this Saturday morning.  Can't wait!

7.) I am loving that I have my new(er) treadmill so I can now run inside when it is friggin 99 degrees oustide (seriously, it is supposed to be 99 today). I am trying to get back into running more and on a regular schedule again. It felt great to run yesterday, I am going to try again today.

Okay, so that is what I am loving! What are YOU loving??