Vinyls & Vino

                    I have to admit, I am usually one of the lasts to accept new technological norms.               When iPods became a thing, I clutched onto my beloved CD collection with all that I had.     When Netflix stopped shipping DVD's and became a streaming-only service, I canceled my account. I JUST bought a firestick for our living room TV when quarantine began. Maybe "technology" isn't the problem, but more that I haven't been quick to accept new ways in which to receive entertainment.  (Weird sentence?)  Same goes for podcasts. "I like talk radio.  Why do I need a podcast?  I'd rather just listen to music... " Until I was introduced to a few podcasts, that is.   Now, they are almost all I listen to when given the chance.  When I'm cooking or cleaning in the kitchen and my family is in the other room...podcast.  When I'm driving.... pod...

As soon as I learned I was pregnant with our first, I began a running list of things for which I prayed.  I prayed for her to be healthy.  I prayed for her to be kind.  I prayed for her to love music.  I prayed for her to be smart.  I prayed for her to be born with a love for God burning in her heart.  I also prayed for her to have a vivid imagination. I was an only child until I was seven years old.  I kept myself entertained quite well, and had a pretty wild imagination.  I was always making up games, stories, songs... and friends.  I had SEVERAL imaginary friends throughout my first 7 years- and what's strange is how vividly I still remember them. I had Sara and Cara, the twins.  One was 10 and one was 12 (I obviously didn't understand how twins worked).  Sara had red hair, and Cara had green hair... they didn't stick around long.  Then, I had the buffalo.  Three, to be exact.  They lived in our backyard, and would...

Man, where have I been? When I come back to this place, it's like visiting an old friend.  It's nice, it's comforting, but also it's a bit sad.  I get sad that I let time, distance, and life get in between this friendship.  I always vow I'm going to visit this space more often... and then I get back to life. So, what has life looked like since my last post, back in the summer of 2018? I'm married. I now have a son, who will be one next month. I've lived through the worst part of potty-training. I've lost a grandparent. I've lost some friends. I've gained some new friends. I've strengthened some dear friendships, thanks largely to technology. I'm feeling more and more "settled" as an educator.  I've continued to work on that life balance of work/family/friends/community/me.  (Still working on it.) I've learned about enneagrams. I've finally become a podcast listener.   We are living thr...

This past Saturday, a couple of my best friends (two out of the three that will be standing up with me when I marry Michael) whisked me away for a day of wine, laughs and great food.  It was truly a special day... complete with a surprise visit from my mom and granny! If you live in the area and have never visited the wineries in North Texas, you're missing out!  We visited 4R Ranch Vineyards and Winery (my first time to visit!) and enjoyed the most beautiful views of North Texas Hill Country.  Wine Flights = Beautiful Next, we visited Blue Ostrich (a regular stop for me) and my mom and grandmother surprised me and joined us for a glass of wine. After the wineries, we loaded up our purchases and headed to Ancient Ovens , an amazing BYOB restaurant that serves delicious brick oven pizza.  Ancient Ovens is known for the beautiful scenery, and it did not disappoint!  We were too busy eating and laughing to take ANY pictures whil...

Before I shared a bathroom with another adult and before I had a child to supervise 24/7, I took baths to relax.  To me, there is nothing more relaxing than a tub of hot water, a bathbomb, some bubbles, some wine and a stack of magazines or a good book with some music (or a binge-worthy tv series)... I took these glorious baths two or three times a week.  Oh frivolous, self-indulgent me.. . These days, I have to wait until Scarlett is in bed (and actually good and asleep...) and Michael is out of the house to enjoy these moments.  At his urging, I've taken baths while he is here and/or Scarlett is awake, but it's just not the same.  If she is up and I can hear them in the other room, I feel guilty for being so selfish with my time (hello, mom guilt!).  Let's be honest, too- it's just not as relaxing if I can hear them in the other room:  the sound of the tv, them laughing/crying/babbling, Michael yelling at my cats, etc.  Relaxation is the end-goa...

This past week: I went hard into wedding planning mode (seeing as how we only have about 4 weeks left, it's about time I did...).  We shopped, we worked on details, and I have managed to cross most of my tasks off of my to-do list.  Still working on our playlists, so if you have any suggestions for must-play songs, throw them my way! I also enjoyed Michael being home a lot this past week.  His work-load was pretty light, and it was so great for he and Scarlett to have some extra time together.  Celebrating the Fourth mid-week made for a fun change of pace! I bought this dress from Amazon in a couple of shades, and after wearing it this week, I want to go back and order every color available. It is so comfortable and effortless, but doesn't forfeit style.  (Note:  Sizing isn't too off, but in order for the dress to hang as it does in the photo I would consider sizing up.)  I have a feeling I will be living in mine for the remainder of the su...

What a busy few days we've had!  (For this mama, the busyness was a welcome change from the monotony of summer break so far!) Michael worked like crazy last week shipping cattle, so this week was pretty laid back.  Monday off, Tuesday half day, Wednesday off, a partial day Thursday... and he'll be getting off work a little early today, too!  With all of this "daddy" time, Scarlett found herself turning in to a Daddy's Girl again. (This made Michael happy.  And Mama happy.  I got a break!  Whew!)  We loved having Daddy home with us.  They absolutely wore each other out with all the playing!  We spent the Fourth at my Happy Place- Waurika Lake.  I've been so blessed to grow up near a lake. (Although, growing up near a lake in Oklahoma isn't a hard task!  They're everywhere!)  We spent some time with family at a campsite, then took a boat ride, and Scarlett took her first dip in the water (which really means we held...

More than I would like to admit, I find myself wondering, "Am I good enough?" I'm loud.  (I get louder with wine). I don't mean to, but I interrupt and talk over people.  I always try to let people know I relate by telling a similar story.  Then I realize I may be coming off as a 'one-upper.' I don't mean to harm or offend, but I say things before thinking.   Ok... sometimes I get sucked in to the gossip circle and I say things that I know may harm others. I may come off like I don't care, but I worry about how I'm dressed, how my hair is fixed (or more often, not fixed), and how my makeup looks. I get caught up in my day-to-day and lose track of what is happening in others' lives.  This is even worse now that I have a daughter. I fail every.single.day.   But... I never meet a stranger.  (I become friendlier with wine). I love conversation and get excited when sharing stories with people. I do my best to empathize ...

Postpartum.  What a tricky, tricky time. I am in the thick of it. My daughter is four weeks old.   In just a few days I'll be taking her "1 month" photo, and the thought of it is mind-blowing, heartbreaking and victorious, all at once.   I've kept this tiny human alive for an entire month- if that's not worth a victory lap, I don't know what is. Being an "older" mom, most of my friends have already done this crazy kid thing.  I have had some amazing advice from so many of my mom friends that has truly helped me, but even with all of the advice I don't think I was really prepared for this whole postpartum thing.  I don't think anyone truly can be, and I don't think this is a reality that hits until, like me, you are in the thick of it. Nothing could have prepared me for the moment she and I locked eyes.  From the moment they laid my daughter on my chest, my world changed.  I knew I loved her more than anything, but that "heart...

So I'm not putting together a "Birth Plan" for Baby C's arrival... the plan is to get this baby here safely, plain and simple, by whatever means necessary.  I do have a few specific requests for after he/she arrives, but I'll save those for another post.   The one prep "to-do" on my list that I currently obsessed with is my playlist for the big day. Kinda silly, right?  I know.  But if you know me, you know music is extremely important to me- and if you don't know me, Hello.  My name is Jessica and music is extremely important to me. When I sat down to start building the playlist, I envisioned lots of fast-paced hip-hop music, much like my running playlists of days past.  But as I started thinking about it all, I realized I'd like calming, relaxing music.  I don't think I REALLY need Salt N Pepa telling me to "Push It," do I?  So, I decided to opt for more soothing tunes... I started making a list of artists with whom I...

What a busy weekend!  It was also a fantastic one, so I have no complaints! Friday evening, our little town had a big celebration to kick off the traveling Smithsonian exhibit that will be here until early September (random thought:  by the time it's over and moves on, I'll have a BABY!)...  Over 300 people spent the evening together at our historic Rock Island Depot, entertained by music and a fun little melodrama that I was lucky enough to be a part of. A beautiful Friday evening in Waurika! Eight months pregnant, on stage, outside.  Probably not my smartest move... but a blast! Saturday was another full day of events in town, but due to the heat I stayed home until it was time to perform again (an afternoon show... it was BRUTALLY hot!).  Then, Michael and I hurried home to shower and change and head to a baby shower that some dear friends threw for us!  It was such a treat to have so many friends gathered together for an eve...

FINALLY FRIDAY!  This week has been a long, busy and hectic one... and this weekend is going to be just as crazy! Our tiny little town was chosen as a site for the Smithsonian Institute's "Museum On Main Street" program, so starting this weekend and continuing until early September, we get to host a traveling Smithsonian exhibit!  So fun!  This exhibit is titled "The Way We Worked" and focuses on the history of labor in the United States. We have a big kickoff weekend planned, including a one-act melodrama that I am lucky enough to be a part of.   (8 months pregnant, in a play that will be performed twice, on an outside stage.  Am I crazy?!)  There has been so much work put into making this weekend a BIG event, and although I'm looking forward to seeing Waurika full of life and activity, I'm also looking forward to the kickoff being over and taking a BIG, guilt-free nap on Sunday.  All of the late-night play practices have me completely worn ou...

Can we just be real for a minute or two?  As in, "REAL" real? Pregnancy is awful. Don't get me wrong- it's beautiful and magical and amazing and all of those other adjectives I'd usually reserve to describe some sort of fairy land.  It truly is surreal that the human body can do so much on its own, and the mere act of growing another human being is mind-blowing.  As someone who never thought she'd be experiencing this, I'm honored and blessed to have this opportunity.  I get that.  I can remember hearing others complain about it and thinking to myself "Well, at least YOU get to have this life moment...".  So please believe me when I say that I am not complaining.  Well, I am- but I'm not.  Also- I am acutely aware that I am not the first OR the last woman to be pregnant.  I'm not special. This pregnancy isn't something for the record books.  I'm not looking for sympathy or praise.  I'm just wanting to be brutally honest a...

How do you handle your bad days? Generally, I go home, to my mom's or to a friend's and drink wine.  After a couple of glasses and good company (even if that just means me and my iTunes library), things always seem better. Since Baby C entered the picture, wine hasn't been an option, obviously.   One nice thing about pregnancy is that my hormones are SO all over the place, that a bad day doesn't seem to last long anymore.   When I just can't shake one of "those" days, I tend to curl up at home, eat sweets, and sleep.   What can I say- I'm a simple creature. One thing that has ALWAYS helped me with those funky days has been music.   Before wine, during wine, and while wine hasn't been an option, music has always been there to turn things around, or at the least to see me through.  So when I heard this song by a "new-to-me" musician named Ashley McBryde, I instantly connected.  Then, when I heard her tell the story behind the ...

All my life, I've been a planner.  A list-maker.  Someone who feels it absolutely necessary to prepare for every little detail and/or potential mishap.  Despite how badly I want to have a free-spirited soul, I'm Type A, through and through. Because of this personality trait, I could have never imagined that I wouldn't want to be as prepared as absolutely possible for the BIGGEST event in my life:  having a baby.  However, after the "OMG we're going to be parents" shock wore off and Michael and I spoke about the pregnancy, we agreed on one thing right away:  we didn't want to have the sex of the baby revealed to us ahead of time. (But I reserved the right to change my mind at any poing, just in case...) Here we are, almost into Week 30, and not knowing has been so easy.   One of the most fun things about NOT learning the sex of our baby is that it drives everyone absolutely crazy!  It's also been fun to hear everyone's opinions on Boy vs. Girl ...