That one time, in middle school...

...yes, I have been MIA for quite a while. I do have to admit, though, that I've been busy enjoying life and balancing the many hats I have found myself wearing lately - wife, friend, employee, volunteer, cook, cleaner, dog-walker, runner...

The one thing that I have really enjoyed as of late has been spending time with the young people at our church. I would encourage all people to give youth ministry a try - you don't have to be good at it, you just have to want to have fun, laugh a lot, and brush up on your herding-cats skills...

Two weeks ago the hubs and I went to Orlando for the weekend with the middle school ministry at church. I had so much fun with the students, and got embarrassingly dizzy/nauseous after riding a couple rides, but I put my big girl panties on and trucked through the rest of the day rode water rides and watched bags the rest of the day.

This past Sunday, we unveiled an awesomely disgusting hilarious game we have affectionately named "Honey Boo Boo Breath Challenge", taken from Honey Boo Boo's family game of "guess who's breath". Word on the street is our video has made it on a youth ministry website #youknowyouvemadeitwhen

I've found myself surrounded by middle schoolers in this stage of life, and I'm finding that I'm really ok with that. In fact, I'm kind of enjoying it! I don't remember much about being in middle school, but what I do remember is that my middle school years were filled with insecurities and questions about who I was and what I was made to do. I needed a lot of guidance then (and I still do), and I found comfort and happiness at church at youth group that lived life with me to figure it all out. Maybe that's why I got pulled to middle school ministry...who knows. But if there's anything I've learned lately, it's that I've been learning how to love innocently, how to pursue God earnestly, even when there is uncertainty. There's plenty to learn from middle schoolers, and I think that's pretty cool.

O-HI-O!

This past weekend the hubs and I went on a trip to Ohio to see his cousin get married. I slept through most of Ohio, but the parts I was awake for I loved!

We had lunch at Blue Ash, featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-In, and Dives

Goofy picture at the rehearsal dinner

On the wedding day, we attended the 30th annual County Applefest in Lebanon, Ohio. Never have I ever had better tasting apple-products. Those apple 'chips' up top? Best. Thing. Ever.

The wedding day came and we watched as cousin Josh married Courtney! The hubs had a hard time good time sharing his iPad to kill time before the wedding with one of the junior ushers and the ring bearer. They played a very intense game of virtual ping-pong.

Even though it was a rushed weekend, it was a lot of fun catching up with family and goofing off with the hubs, his family, and his brother. All this family time makes me super excited about Thanksgiving!

Wait, what?

When we moved into our house in March, we kept hearing a sound that was reminiscent of Kevin from Pixar's "Up" calling from the depths of the beautiful oak trees overhead. Then a couple weeks later, I saw this video of a man interrupting Webb Simpson's interview from the US Open and I was like "How is Kevin at the US Open?!"

Our dog Baxter was driving us crazy running back and forth in the backyard barking at an invisible animal living up in the trees. Every time I went out to look, I saw nothing.

...until I saw it.

Standing in all it's colorful glory, was a peacock.

A PEACOCK.

It was perched on the roof/chimney of my neighbor's house that we share a backyard with. And there was Baxter, barking until he had no bark left in him, at this strange animal living in our neighborhood.

Our neighbor informed us recently that there used to be a farm near our house with peacocks that went 'out of business' (explain that one) and let all the animals lose.

So now, every once in a while, as I leave for work in the early AM, I get escorted out of my neighborhood by a beautiful bird whose calls lull me to sleep at night.

The end.

#notfrumpy

frump // frum-p//
1. A girl or a woman regarded as dull, plain, or unfashionable
2. A person regarded as colorless and primly sedate

frump'y adj

While I was in graduate school, my friend and I made the unfortunate realization that some people dressed frumpily. Even more unfortunate - the realization that I too, have been guilty of dressing in frump-fashion (ie all through high school when I thought baggy tshirts and gym shorts were a-ok for daily public appearances).

I didn't understand what it meant to be comfortable in my own skin until college, and I definitely didn't understand how to dress in a way that represented who I was until then either. It was as if one day things magically clicked, and I suddenly realized that I actually had a little princess in me that really liked fun colors and geometric shapes and dresses. The idea that I could wear a cute top with my favorite jeans - and that that could be cool/fashionable/in style - blew my mind.

I had a minor glitch in my sudden realization of fashion when I found out that keeping up with the Jones could be was expensive. That's when I discovered the wonderful world of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross. I would go to the mall to see what was in style, then I would head to these stores and see if I could find anything (I found something every time #bestdayever). I really could spend an entire day there, going through every aisle and trying on the worlds largest collection of dresses just to find the one I really liked. Saving money and expressing myself through clothes - best. thing. ever.

My second minor glitch was when I entered the working world and realized I could no longer sport 'dressy' jeans and sandals everyday. Enter in: pencil skirts, work pants (why are they always made out of the worst material ever?), button-up shirts, blouses, cardigans and flats that make my feet sweaty. I struggled for a long time to find the right dress shirts, pants, and shoes. I found these really obnoxious probably-made-out-of-polyester bell-bottom-esque dress pants...they were hand-me-downs from J.Crew so I thought the brand name alone would save me.

Not so much. Zipper on the side of my pants -- what?

So I started a mission - to get inspired by other working individuals to see how they were dressing up for work and hopefully finding a happy medium for my own working style. Enter my saving grace Kendi Everyday. Her use of polka-dotted pencil skirts with stripped tshirts, or her lace skirt with a button-up struck a chord with me. I wanted to be just.like.her. I even did her 30 for 30 challenge a while back.

Years later, I think I've done my best Jocelyn version of Kendi's style. And to encourage myself to keep trying, I've started instagramming my outfits, a la #notfrumpy.

Top: shirt from Forever21, skinny braided belt from Marshalls

Middle Left: TOMs flats (bridal shower present), black pencil skirt from and top from TJ Maxx

Middle Right: sandals from Ross, black jeans from Marshalls, top from TJ Maxx

Bottom Left: cardigan from JCrew warehouse (!) out in VA, top from Marshalls, blue & green polka-dotted pencil skirt from Gap outlet

Bottom Right: cardigan from...(it's that old), flower silk-esque dress from Forever21

I've really enjoyed learning how to dress fun, while still staying professional. I just hope that I can keep this up!...or else I might go overboard and start looking like PSY #dressclassydancecheesy

Savannah, you hold my hand like its the first time

Have I told you how much I love this town?
Have I?

It is seriously so much fun to live here. Relient K hit the nail on the head when they wrote their song about this place. Little known fact: every time I drive back to Savannah after having been far away for awhile, I play this song as I'm driving over the bridge.

This weekend was just another reminder of how crazy blessed I am (we are) to be living here. My commute to work is a little over 10 minutes. Ten minutes! Back in Maryland it took me 10 minutes just to get out of my neighborhood (sarcasm, but sort of true). The beach is only 30 minutes away, and so is downtown.

First, I went out with two friends to a restaurant called Sage. One of us read a review of it in a magazine so we made reservations. Our respective husbands/fiance are off at said-fiance's bachelor party so it was ladies night -- and I had so much fun. The food was delicious, and so were the cupcakes we ate after!

Then today, two of us made an early morning trek to Forsyth Park to take part in a free Zumba session. Yeah, you read that right -- f-r-e-e free! Every other Saturday morning around 8:30AM a bunch of women in work-out clothes congregate and Zumba for an hour. Today I learned the wobble and how to dougie (aka I am now cooler than you...)

We were about to do wobble

After our awesome sweat-fest, we went to the Forsyth Farmers market...and we signed up as 'first-timers', and got $5 worth of tokens to shop for produce. We got a packet with information, like what vegetables are in season during which months, and recipes too! I picked up two green tomatoes and an eggplant for this week - yum!

The more I explore, the more I fall in love with this place. I'm glad I found a place to live that excites me so!

Labor (less) Day/Weekend

Labor Day weekend, oh how I loved you!

I literally spent the weekend doing nothing and everything at. the. same. time. Impossible, you ask? Not so! Just look at all the things I didn't not do this weekend:

Baxter was a little jealous

First of all, I ate a lot of really good breakfasts cooked by my awesome husband.

Then we went to the beach and the husband got sunburned.

Kale chips, buffalo chicken dip, guacamole

Then we watched college football, I made tasty snacks, and we had a surprise visit from a good friend.

Crabs, country captain, kabobs, and 3 different key lime pies (!)

Then we went home to Bluffton and had too much fun eating and hanging out. And jumping off docks.

...and my best friend farmer Cait came for the weekend...and we shopped non-stop at the outlet mall for 3 hours straight.

Cleaning our bounty of crab

...and I learned how to crab using a hand line.We were all muddy and I almost got stuck, so I have no photos of the crabbing experience. But it was sooooo awesome!

...and I woke up really early and went shrimping. We didn't catch anything, but I learned how to cast a net!

The most laborious thing I did this weekend were: dressing myself, eating crabs, trying on clothes, and resting so that my stomach could digest the feasts I consumed. Pretty sweet weekend, wouldn't you say?

Weekend Update

I don't know about you, but we've been kind of busy around here lately. Since when was it August?! And now it's almost September...

At the beginning of the month, I got a job! Praise the Lord (seriously). This job has been a daily reminder at how great God is and how much he cares for his children (ie you and me!). There is no way -- no way -- I would have gotten this job/opportunity had it been through my own works and efforts. Big Man upstairs really got my back!

Anyways, between the two of us working and coming home with just enough time to cook and go to bed, we haven't been doing much besides the 'usual'...until this past weekend!

Our weekend started off with Blend -- the annual lock-in at church for the high school youth ministry. We started in a few years back as a way to force introduce incoming 9th graders into the youth group. We're usually up to no good, and this year was no different. We blended things in a blender, we played broom ball in the parking lot, watched kids do Minute To Win It challenges, and watched Hunger Games. A couple hours of sweet slumber, and we were off again! To Forsyth Park we went, to do a really fun scavenger hunt using our nifty smartphones. Then it was time to feed them and send them home. Youth ministry is so much fun, but tiring too (can I get an "amen"?). Glad we can still keep up while we're young!

The aftermath of blending -- CD, banana, leftover wonton soup, golf ball...

Playing Ninja in the parking lot

After we recovered from Blend, we went out for dinner to celebrate my new job (and to reward ourselves for having just survived another youth lock-in). We went downtown and ate at one of our favorite Savannah restaurants. We just so happened to go when an awesome Gospel choir was beltin' out some Spirit-filled tunes across the street. The windows were open, the weather was beautiful, the choir was awesome, the company was great...can life get better? (I submit that it cannot!)

Then today after church, we went down to Bonna Bella for lunch with the in-laws and friends (as if this weekend wasn't already awesome). The weather once again was beyond amazing and the food was too good. It's so easy for me to forget how blessed my husband and I are and how much fun we have with his parents close by. It is always fun to get together and fellowship with one another...and celebrate milestones like anniversaries (!) where a certain father-in-law gifted his lovely bride new bling (!). They are too cute.

Check out your gorgeous bride, Rob!

Thank you, weekend, for being fantastic. If only life was made up of weekends and not weekdays!