Are you sick of hearing about the coronavirus yet? Because I sure am! I have stopped watching the news because I just cannot be bombarded with it anymore. Every 5 seconds there is some “breaking news” story when in reality no one knows what we are dealing with. They don’t know how to stop the spread, or how to cure it or anything. People in prison are getting it, animals are not contracting it and after weeks of telling us we don’t need to wear masks and gloves, now they want us to wear gloves and masks any time we leave our own homes. It is wild!

Social distancing is hard. Since my fiancé and I are both working from home, I take the bedroom and he has the dining room table. I don’t have nearly as much work to do as he does so I am finding it hard to fill my time. I have started rewatching Desperate Housewives which is so good and I highly recommend you do the same! I have started 2 new books but I am having a hard time getting into either one of them, the apartment is very clean, my drawers have been rearranged, I have taken two bags of clothes to the donation center, cleaned out my kitchen pantry, and cleaned out my car. Other than going grocery shopping, I am not doing much. I am listening to podcasts and going on walks and trying to continue with wedding planning as normal.

My phone is blowing up with questions all the time about what we are doing in regards to the wedding but we are not changing the date (for now). Its stressful but I am praying and hoping that everything will be fine and that our day will go on as planned. Trying to relax and stay home and not touch my face and constantly wash my hands and also check in on family members is getting exhausting. I know we will get through this and everything will be ok and for those who have lost someone or who are sick, my heart goes out to you. Its a tough balance. I am staying up later than I should but I am trying to work on myself during this time. I am not wearing makeup and noticing that my skin is clearer than it has been in months. I am taking more baths, making more complicated dinners, and moving slowly. I have been taking long walks around the neighborhood, taking pictures on my new iPhone, and trying to enjoy all the free time I have. Usually we rush about our days, jump in and out of the shower, dress in ten minutes, grab some coffee and head off to work. Now that we have so much time we should make the best of it. I am often bored and trying to fill my time. I also want to say that its ok to be anxious, sad, annoyed, irritated, and nervous about the future. I know I am trying to keep a positive outlook even though I feel all of those things pretty much every single day. Its a weird time but hopefully normal life will resume soon. I hope you are entertaining yourselves and doing something great with all your free time! Reading, writing, binge watching something good on Netflix, starting a podcast or a blog, teaching yourself how to play guitar or speak French, etc. May we all one day look back on this time and remember when the whole world was forced to slow down and take a break. Future generations will be told of the time when we were all forced to stay home and couldn’t go out anywhere other than the grocery stores. Wishing you all health and happiness!

What a crazy time we are all living in. A few months ago it seemed like everyone I knew was saying things like “people die from the flu all the time” “this isn’t any worse than the flu” “the media hypes everything up” etc. And wow, those people have become silent. The Coronavirus is scary and we do not know when all of this is going to end. My job was trying to keep their doors open for as long as possible until last Monday. Now my fiancé and I are both working from home. I was wanting to work from home for so long because I felt it was the only way to keep healthy and safe. My fiancé was working from home for two weeks before I was.

Now that we are both home all day every day, he has taken over the dining room table because he has two monitors and two computers that he uses. He is making calls all day long. I only have a laptop so I have taken the bedroom. It is a scary and hard time but I am hoping and praying that life will return to normal soon. One of the best things during this time is that I have tried to establish a routine. Obviously it looks different than it used to. I also don’t have a lot of actual work to do so I am trying to fill my time. I get up everyday when my fiancé’s alarm goes off but then I go back to sleep for however long I want. I feel like I might as well take advantage of getting to sleep in while I can. Once I wake up, I make breakfast for him and I, start the coffee pot, make the bed, and then jump in the shower. Once I shower, I turn on my laptop and check my emails, jump on conference calls, make changes to my calendar, etc. Then I make my bed every day even if I am going to be doing work on my laptop in the bedroom. I think it is important to keep our apartment clean and tidy especially during this time especially for my mental health. Getting outside is really important to me. I need fresh air and sunshine right now more than ever. I have found a good 3 mile walk that I take. I put on a podcast, put in my airpods and just go. It is so nice to have a little me time and just to be out of the apartment for a little bit. There is also a middle school near us with a track that we have . been going to just to walk/run a few miles,

Spending all of this time together could be difficult for couples or families which is normal. Of course you are not used to spending 24 hours a day inside with your significant other so I think we all need to remember that. These are not normal times. We all need to practice patience and have a little grace with one another. My fiancé and I are working in different rooms, but we have lunch together every day and a few times throughout the day we will take a break and check in with each other. We have been watching Netflix shows together in the evening, playing board games, making dinner and cocktails together and genuinely enjoying our time together.

Times are tough but we will get through this. There are worse things then being stuck working from home. My heart goes out to those people who have lost their jobs and especially those who have lost family members. Currently we are planning a wedding and it is stressful but I know so many other people have it so much worse. I am trying not to complain. We have had to reschedule my bridal shower, bachelorette party and honeymoon but as of now our wedding date is still the same. Saying a prayer it wont have to be changed because we will loose so money and having to reschedule vendors. Anyways, hoping that does happen! We will get through this but if you are feeling frustrated, sad, angry, lonely, let those feelings out. It is normal and you are allowed to have feelings! Do not let anyone tell you how to feel! You can be sad and anxious and you can miss your friends and family and be worried for their well being.

So many people are trying to positive which the world needs right now. We need positive vibes. You can use this time to read, watch tv, enjoy movies, clean your home, skincare, paint, learn a new language or instrument, etc. You now have the time to do things that you normally cant because you are working and just trying to take care of your family and make it through the day. You can facetime with loved ones, zoom call your friends and have a virtual cocktail hour, learn a fun Tik Tok dance, organize your clothes, go through your closet, clean out your cupboards, etc. Even if you feel dismayed, you can do some positive things for yourself. The biggest thing for me right now is cleaning. I have organized my closet and my dresser, I started reading a new book, and I clean almost daily. Also not wearing makeup has done wonders for my skin. I am stressed and anxious but I am choosing to make the most of it. I am getting outside when I can, not going to the grocery store unless I have to and trying to be at peace. This is hard but we will get through it. Also turn off the news. I am purposely not watching because it was causing me to be so stressed and we are getting so inundated all day long I just need a break from seeing our president on the tv and calling it “breaking news”. China is seeing less cases and now so is Italy. People are recovering. Hold onto that! We will get through this and may we never take going out for granted again. Stay safe and wash those hands!

So when I started writing this blog in early January I was so excited to have a new project and I was full of hope for a new year. This year has been of to such a crazy start. This corona virus has ruined so many things. People are getting sick and dying and without knowing how to combat it the cases are increasing every day. It is scary to not know how all of this is going to end. My fiancé is working from home for the next three weeks, and I am still coming into the office every day. My office refuses to close or allow us to work from home. The entire state of Massachusetts is pretty much shut down and I am still forced to come in or risk not getting paid.

I wish I could just stay home for the next two weeks. I have so much to do for the wedding still and our honeymoon, we are sending our invitations out this week, and I have lots of shower gifts that I need to organize and put away. But here I am at work until the Governor calls for a shelter in place which I really wish he would. I feel as though the only way to slow down the amount of new cases is if everyone is forced to stay home. Not enough people are taking this seriously and its annoying. For those of us who have to go into work and people are complaining about relaxing, sleeping in, and eating while watching Netflix…..that’s the dream!s. Haha I would love two weeks of quarantine. I feel unsafe coming to work and being around other people when I don’t know if they are sick or not.

I am exhausted and tired of the news. Our president and the other candidates running are using this whole as a way to promote themselves. If the president can turn this around it will be great for his relection and if he doesn’t it will help the democrats. It feels awful that politics are so important as this is a relection year when people are getting sick and dying. It isn’t right but there isn’t any way around it. After about an hour I have to turn the news off because how frustrating and overwhelming it all feels. It all sounds bad and sometimes my perky self just needs some positivity even though its hard to come by right now.

Even if it feels tough we can still open up the windows and get some fresh air, we can go for walks and bike rides, we can facetime people we love, write letters, do home repairs, write thank you notes, binge watch shows on Netflix, cook, clean, paint our nails, color, etc. We have time now to do things we don’t always have time to do. If I was quarantined I would be doing lots of those things. I am trying to use my time at work to get things done and read some books, work on the wedding, but I really wish I could stop interacting with the public and be able to stay home.

This past Saturday was supposed to be my bridal shower. Lots of people have continued to send us shower gifts so my fianc and I went to his parents house, starting day drinking and we opened gifts while factiming lots of relatives. It was lots of fun and we got to take lots of fun things home to our apartment yesterday. Now I just need to clean out and organize our kitchen and make room for all the new stuff!

The year is off to a rough start but we are going to be ok. Spring is coming, flowers are blooming, the sun will be shining soon providing us all with a little more vitamin D. Our immune systems will be boosted and we will learn to not take things for granted. Maybe we can all learn something from this time and end up better for it. Trying to stay positive amongst all of this is difficult but we have to. We have to be happy to wake up every day and to have people who love us, food, homes, etc. and be grateful. Grateful to be alive, and to have things to forward to. Keep on friends! Start writing in a journal so one day your grandkids will read about the great pandemic that took over the world in the year 2020. We will get through this eventually. See ya next time!

Friends are the family we get to choose. Although these relationships can develop at any point in life and last for any amount of time, we choose them. Not knowing how long they will last or if they change. I still remember my first friend. We were 5 and her name was Caitlyn. I thought she was the coolest kid. She had a pool and I didn’t. In my mind, that made her the coolest. We attended the same church and remained friendly throughout the years. Sometimes we were super close BFFs and other times we were both crushing on the same guy. Then there was that time her ex dumped her and he and I started going out a few weeks later (whoops!). Teenage years sure are a trip! We always said when we were young that we would be friends forever. Maybe if I had never left home that would be true. When I went away to college neither one of us attempted to stay in touch at all and so the friendship just fizzled away.

In the 8th grade I met one of my very best friends in the world, Eleni. Magnificent is the word that comes to mind when I think of her. She is the type of person who lights up a room when she walks in. She loves fashion, purses, Chanel and is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. In high school we would always plan our course schedules together so most of our classes were together. Since we always made the honor roll we were able to leave school during our free period. We would jet off in her Mercedes to her parents hot tub, play some hip hop and sneak the occasional drink from her parents bar. I wanted to spend every minute with her. She was fabulous and not afraid to own exactly who she was. I was more of the people pleaser who would change my opinions based on who I was with at the time. Thankfully I have somewhat outgrown that quality. She is one of my Maids of Honor in my wedding and I am so grateful that our friendship has stood the test of time. Being 6 years post grad and still being able to have a friend that you met in middle school is a big accomplishment in my book. It is very rare to find someone like her and she will be in my life forever.

When I went away to college I ignored a lot of advice that had been given to me. I didn’t go to school with any of my friends. I wanted to carve my own path. Be a new person. I was in a new place and these people didn’t know Jessica. I needed a fresh start which began with new people and for the first time in my life, a roommate. Becky had sent me a friend request on Facebook the summer before college began. I searched all over her profile and went through every photo she had posted. I wanted to learn everything. From what my initial research had gathered; she liked reading, cats, had a boyfriend with shaggy hair and in her own words “didn’t like meeting new people”. Wow. My bubbly personality and all pink bedroom was going to a be a big shock for this girl. I still remember the first day being dropped off in our room together with our families all around, crying of course.

That first year was really hard. Right away I joined a club all because a cute guy was in it, I was in a prayer group, I enjoyed floor hangouts and going to basketball games and I quickly started meeting people and forming relationships. I wanted to meet new people and I had no problem just walking to café and eating with total strangers. I was very confident in who in I was. Becky on the other hand enjoyed staying in our room and had a hard time talking with people who she didn’t know. I always say that she quieted me down and I got her to open up. I encouraged her to have friendships and be comfortable with hanging out with the people on our floor, even if I wasn’t around. We both overcame a lot that year and I am so glad we got through all the hard times.

Today I cannot imagine my life without Becky in it. We lived together all four years of college and then three and a half years after college. Becky is the best. She is also a Maid of Honor in my wedding. I am a little extra and I needed to have two. Becky has been there with me through the single years, the relationships, the break ups, etc. She was the very person I told after Kevin and I got engaged. We have a special bond and she is like my sister. I always tell her she can never move too far away because we need to have babies around the same time and experience motherhood together. We are both currently engaged which has been so fun because once my wedding is over I can jump right in and help with planning hers.

Some friends you only stay in touch with for a short time, others you can know most of your life. Some people just pop into your life right when you really need them. I love meeting new people but there are a select few from college who I will just always be connected to. We have gone through a lot together. We have seen one another struggle, fall apart, and work hard to pick the pieces up again. In friendships you encourage and you are honest and you help your friends to be the very best versions of themselves, all while hoping they will do the same for you.

Ever since I was a little girl I have had this fascination with Valentine’s day. A day all about celebrating love. Even as a child I loved romance. The heart decorations everyone, picking out the valentines you would give to your class at the Valentine’s party, heart shaped candies, and the idea that someone would proclaim their secret love for you, has always thrilled me. It was a no brainer when one of my long time mentors asked if she could throw me and my fiancé an engagement party last Saturday. Of course the theme was Valentine’s day and love. Hearts everywhere, strawberries, a few silly games and both of our immediate families and our bridal party. It was a great way to kick off Valentine’s week. So much love with some of the people who love us the most. It was also the real start of the wedding festivities. Next month will be the bridal shower, then the bachelorette party and then the big day! I love, love. I love being in love, I love romantic comedies, and I love all things heart shaped. February is a great month and a great reminder how important it is to tell people you love them.

Love songs on the radio and the non stop feeling of mushy gushy love wasn’t always fun when I was the only single girl in my twenties with friends who were all betrothed and posting online about their lovers. Now that I am engaged however, I really enjoy Valentine’s day. Some people are bitter and will call it a fake holiday and I get it. I used to be cynical and in many ways, I still am. I am a real and I don’t like bullshit. However, day to day life can be so hectic and stressful. I have starting working overtime at my job in the mornings and in the evenings. I feel like all I do is work and pay bills and try to plan my wedding in the small amount of free time I get in between. A day that makes you stop and celebrate the person you love is so nice. I enjoy shopping for cards for my man, going out to nice dinner, ordering a bottle of red wine and really spending time with him. Our time is usually filled with planning and talking about bills and other things we need to get done. I really value time that is just ours. We can talk about our dreams both big and small. The older I get the more time I want to just be with the people in my life who matter the most. You can enjoy Valentine’s day if you are single or in a relationship. Have a glass of wine, rent a movie, throw a party with your girlfriends, or take a bubble bath while eating chocolates. Celebrate you and the love you have for yourself! Self care is a form self love and it is so necessary. What makes you happy? Do it! February is a fun month but it doesn’t have to be all about romantic love. You can enjoy time with your family or friends or co-workers. You know you are loved and you know you love others in your life. Take this opportunity to tell them. Send them a card, shoot them a text, ask them to meet up for coffee so you can catch up on life.

My new mantra about enjoying life as it comes and trying to soak up every minute, (although cliché) is really starting to make a difference in my every day life. I am really focusing on living and not just rushing through things. Some days you cant help it. You are running around with no time to get things done and life seems out of control. I think that happens to all of us, however, I am working hard to be intentional with what I set out do at the start of the new year. Enjoying life as it comes instead of waiting for it to come. It is already here! And if you rush through, it will all pass you by. Cliché I know, but oh so true. Are you being intentional with your resolutions? If there anything you are setting out to do daily, weekly, or even monthly for yourself? Are you taking alone time when you need it? Do you have any fun hobbies? Are you seeing your friends enough? Be sure to check in with yourself and spread some love this month. Whether it is to someone you know, or even someone you don’t. We could all use a little more love in our lives.

Ok, so the Patriots were not in the super bowl this year which makes it so less interesting for me to watch. However, I did still watch and I was rooting for the 49ers simply because Jimmy Garapalo was in it and since his is a former Patriot, I wanted him to win. Honestly, I didn’t care that much since I am a New Englander through and through and no team matters to me besides the Patriots because we are the best, we have six rings and we have the GOAT, Tom Brady! Also, Edeleman! There has been so much speculation in the news lately about Tom Brady and what his plans are going forward. This year, I am not going to lie, we played terrible. And teams that don’t play well, obviously don’t make it to the super bowl. We didn’t deserve to be there this year. Since there has been so much talk about Tom and whether he will go to another team (he would never) or if he is going to retire (he wouldn’t end his career without another championship under his belt). After leaving a cryptic post on his Instagram earlier in the week, we were all wondering his plans are.

Tom Brady is everything in New England. He unites in a way that few other sports players have been to do. He leads his team incredibly well and makes us all want to push a little harder and be a little better. Now I love super bowl commercials but when I heard his voice, I actually looked up from my phone and my heart sank a little. I never want to believe that there will be a time when Tom Brady no longer plays for the Patriots but when we haven’t heard from him publicly, I get nervous. For the first few seconds, I was sweating and then I realized it was a Hulu commercial and when he said “As for me, I’m not going anywhere” my fiancé and I both started clapping! Phew! What a relief.

As for the rest of the commercials, a few made me tear up, a couple made me laugh, the Mr. Peanut one I thought was weird, and some I missed because I fell asleep. All in all, it was a good game. I am happy for Patrick MaHomes. He is 24 years old and just won his first super bowl. He is on the top of the world right now. I know a lot people don’t care for him because of something with his girlfriend? I don’t know, I can’t keep up with who we are canceling from week to week. I think the better team won because they played better. I know people love to argue about calls and plays but I think they did a good job and I hope they enjoy their parade.

Now all we can do as New Englanders is start preparing for the next season. After baseball season, of course! Don’t get me started on the Red Sox and this whole cheating scandal. We still don’t know who they are going to hire for a new coach now that Alex Cora has been fired. That’s a rant for another time. All in all the super bowl was good and now I am ready to not think about football for a few months. It feels like Spring this week and I am getting so excited for warmer weather. I need to be open toed shoes again. I hope your week is lovely and fulfilling!

My entire life I have been the center of attention. I know that sentence makes me cringe too, but its true! As the youngest daughter I was always singing, dancing, being a flower girl, and generally made things about myself. Once I began college however, I quickly realized that sometimes it is ok and necessary to allow yourself to fade into the background a bit. Just a bit. I have always been a talker. When I was little my parents would joke that I would never be kidnapped because whoever took me would send me back once I started talking to them. I was always the one at family parties sitting with the older relatives that no one wanted to converse with. I guess I have just always had a lot to say. Hence my starting to write a blog. It’s easy to get everything out of my head and type it all out. In college, I met my best friend Becky. She was so different from me. I came to college with pink everything, talked to everyone and made friends very easily. She was shy, preferred to play on the computer, and was afraid to talk to anyone. As roommates, it would be a challenge to build a friendship in the beginning. We were so opposite of each other but our personalities helped bring out different sides of the other one. We were both Christians, attending a Christian college, but we had been raised very differently, or so we thought. My family had always spurred me on as the “star”. In sports, in dance, in school, whatever I did they encouraged me to the best. Sometimes too much, but that’s a blog post for a different day. Becky’s family had also wanted her to be the best, but she had a hard time seeing that in herself. Once we worked through some growing pains we became the very best of friends. We are . basically the modern Lucy and Ethel. If you don’t know this reference, please google it 🙂 We were always getting into something, having a blast and making people laugh. Everyone has been telling us that we need our own show and that we are so funny. We have so many stories from college about climbing on the roof of the library, to skinny dipping in the pond, to riding a scooter (not sober) around campus at 2am. I encouraged Becky to push the limit and live a little on the edge, while she encouraged me to tone it a bit and relax. The perfect match! 10 years later and we have both settled down a little bit, but we still talk pretty much daily. Now that we are both engaged and planning weddings we are busier than ever but I would be lost without with her friendship.

Since so many people have told us we need our own show we are going to be starting a podcase in the next few weeks. Something about millennial culture, some witty banter, reality shows, and general musings of two 29 year old young women about to get married. It will be entertaining, I promise!

I love the idea of having a creative outlet that I get to work on with one of my very best friends. Just creating a space that is all ours. A fun project just for us to be ourselves. Life is getting busier with every passing day but as I wrote about in an earlier post, I am learning to enjoy every minute. Take it all in, breath, hustle, and have fun! We only get one chance at life, better make it worth it! Ugh so cheesy but so true.

An unexpected three day weekend is the best! My head has been in the clouds lately. I have been working so much and the days really are flying by. I didn’t realize until Thursday last week that my office was going to be closed yesterday because it was MLK day.

I left work on Friday so excited to have an extra day off from the office. I went home and changed out of my work clothes and relaxed for a bit before meeting up with one of my best friends. We got together to look at wedding magazines and catch up as we have not been able to get together in so long! We ate and then sat talking until 10pm. That’s a late night for me these days LOL. It was a perfect little catch up. I went home feeling happy and renewed. Time with your girlfriends is so special and I hope to always make time for my girls. Even as we get older and start families of our own we will still always need our girl time.

Saturday morning I woke up early to eat and shower because my dad and I had an appointment to pick up my wedding dress and my veil. This was a special thing that we decided just the two of us were going to do. We got to the store just as they were opening and went right in. I ordered my dress months ago from a bridal shop in Boston that has weird hours. I tried it on and got excited all over agian. I cannot wait to wear it in May! We took it and my veil to my aunt’s house where she is going to be keeping it in her spare bedroom until my first appointment for alterations.

My aunt and uncle are my godparents and two of the best people I have ever known. They spoil me like crazy and have always loved and cared for me as if I am their own child. So the four of sat around and chatted for a bit and then Kevin, my fiancé, came over to the house as well. We all talked and had lunch and just enjoyed some good family together. After the craziness of the holidays it was nice to have some family time that was calm.

After eating, we had dessert and coffee (a staple in my aunt’s home) and sat down to browse bridal shower invitations. My aunt is throwing my shower in March so we were excited to get these ordered so we can address and send them out in the next two weeks. We looked at Shutterfly, Minted, and Vista Print to see what options they had for something that was elegant, not too over the top but still fancy invites. I also needed it to have some pink in it. Pink is my favorite color and always has been. My bridesmaids are wearing a lite pink dress, my colors are white, blush pink and gold accents. I was everything to be soft and elegant when it comes to my wedding.

I found a cute invite that I liked and thankfully everyone else liked it as well so we got those ordered and they are on their way! Exciting stuff! We have been engaged since July of 2018 so it is so exciting now that we are in the last few months before the big day and all of these wedding things are happening! Its cute to see our family and friends get so excited for our special day. It makes me even more excited.

Saturday evening a family I nanny for had a birthday party for their oldest daughter who was turning 16. She has special needs and is non verbal and is one my favorite people in the world! I started working for their family when she was only six years old and her twin sisters were just under two. I have learned a lot about the special needs community by working with her and when I walk into the house she lights up with so much joy. This was Kevin’s first time meeting her and I think he realized pretty quickly why I love her so much. The snow had just started falling and everyone in the room was singing and enjoying a Mexican feast. It was a great Saturday night.

When I woke up the next morning I only had one thing in mind I wanted to do. And that was sleeping and staying home. I have been running around a lot during my lunch break and after work and then most weekends are filled with wedding appointments. I was so ready to have a day to be at home. I went back to sleep for a bit while Kevin shoveled and cleared the snow off the cars (he loves to do this). Once I woke up again I jumped in the shower and put on my comfiest clothes. I drove to Dunks and then came right back home to enjoy my iced coffee and watch the Harry Potter marathon that was running. I made brunch for us and then spent the day relaxing. It was wonderful!

We drove home and got chick-fil-a for dinner as a special treat and then Kevin spent the next hour playing on his phone with the GoPro app to edit all the videos and pictures we had taken throughout the day. I love having a three day weekend which then goes right into a four day workweek! As my schedule ramps up these next few weeks I am so glad we got to take a break to do some fun things and also to rest. It was much needed. January is usually the Monday of the year but so far I think this year off to a pretty great start.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton