Denim Daisies

 Hello, We are back in Cincy and a little tired from the driving and from the tornado sirens going off last night. We got to test out our emergency prep set up in the basement which worked beautifully and everyone was fine here. That said the simple pleasures are so much more meaningful and the one I want to highlight is having a slow morning with coffee outside. Sulev and I were able to do this on vacation and it felt wonderful.  That’s all for today as I need to get the day started as Jamie puts it. 💛Jess

 Hello, There are so many things to be grateful for. We have seen and hugged our amazing friends, spent time with our loving family, given the kids unforgettable experiences, but the thing I want to highlight this week is survivor. I didn’t do a survivor recap this week because we watched/listened to the episode while driving to Atlanta yesterday afternoon. Lisa had told me that I’d probably cry during this episode and she was right. It was truly inspiring. Reality TV is not exactly known for its depth, but this episode and the human moment between Joe and Eva to support her during a sensory overload episode just after the challenge was amazing. Her bravery in taking on this challenge, his decision to commit to helping her when this happened regardless of the game, the production teams decision to accommodate, and Jeff’s discussion following to highlight such a beautiful moment was exactly what the world needs. Even if you don’t watch survivor, if your family isn’t impacted by medi...

 Hello, We’re on our last day of spring break and start our road trip back to Cincinnati early tomorrow. I’m so grateful for the memories that we’ve made and will make over the next couple of days. I’m also very excited to get home to our fur babies holding down the fort with Biddy (my mom’s grandma name).  Thank you to Andrea from  Momfessionals  and Erika from  A Little Bit of Everything  for hosting this sweet link party every Friday! 💛 This has really helped me on my gratitude goal and also on taking pictures of all these wonderful things to remember and love! I’m going to do a full vacation recap next week, but here are some highlights that were favorites for us this week.  1. Sulev’s (my husband, aka Grant) and Arnis’s birthday. My Aunt and Uncle threw a party for them to celebrate and it was beyond sweet and very Dino themed which made a five year old (and 39 year old) boy very happy. 🥰 2. Seeing an alligator in the wild on day one. We love wi...

 Hello, Today is all about Grant. The best husband, best dad, and all around amazing person. We are so grateful that he is ours and the boys and I want to make sure that he always feels our love and support. When he chatted me up 16 and a half years ago in nutrition class in our plebe year at West Point, he had no idea what he was in for. 11 moves, a combat deployment, and two kids later I’m so grateful for him. Here is a photo montage tribute. 🥰 We love you sweetie! 💛 Jess

 Hello! We are very much in spring break mode at my Aunt and Uncle’s in Florida and loving every minute (minus the pollen that kicked our butts coming through the Carolina’s 😂). Thank you so much  to Shay from  Mix and Match Mama  and Sheaffer from Sheaffer Told Me To   for hosting a link party celebrating real and authentic life.  What I’m eating. Lol, right now we’re in vacation mode with lots of, somewhat, healthy snacks and all the birthday cakes for my wonderful husband, Grant, and my little man Arnis. This is a record year for dinosaur birthday cakes for us and we’ve finally capped it at three Dino cakes and one amazing strawberry white chocolate that still makes me hungry thinking about it! What I’m wearing. I’m switching my wardrobe even more to a lot of just very classic outfits of plain black t-shirts and tank tops or white button downs along with my hiking-style clothes for work. I really like this simple elegant summer Parisian style and am get...

 Hello, Five years ago Grant and I were given the best birthday present that one could ask for when our little Arnis Leopold was born.  This was right as the start of Covid when things were very uncertain and this little boy came into our lives and brought calm and joy combined. Here are five things about Arnis for his fifth birthday! 1. He is the kindest and most understanding brother to Jamie. I always say that Arnis speaks Jamie better than anyone because they’re very clearly best friends. 2. Arnis can rally a playground in minutes full of kids he’s never met to all play hide and seek or tag together. 3. Arnis is an expert at the floss dance!  4. He is my very assertive guy and was very clear in telling us that he prefers his first name Arnis to his middle name Leo. 5. He is all about the dinosaurs and his favorite is the T-Rex. I am so grateful to be mom to such a wonderful person. Arnis was born on Grant’s 34th birthday and so I’ll do my post to Grant tomorrow. (Fun ...

 Hello! My new absolute favorite simple pleasure is watching my kids with their friends. We met up with some of our sweet friends who have been in our lives for over 15 years over the weekend and all of our kids together were having the best time. They have fun together, accept each other, and frankly Amanda and I started getting misty eyed when it was time to head out and they all did a massive group hug together.  This is without a doubt the best. 💛Jess

 Hello, Writing this at the end of the day today because we had a VERY early start and I get way too car sick to try to do anything on the road. I am so grateful for the women who are my rocks. These are the ladies who have given friendship, mentorship, and endless love for years of my life. I am fortunate enough to be able to spend a little time with several who I don’t see very often this week and we were able to meet up with three of these ladies today.  Bridget, Ms Hall, and Marylin. You mean the world to me and I’m forever changed and grateful for our relationships.  💛Jess

 Hello! Thanks for stopping by! It’s a bit of a chilly week, but there is always something to be thankful for and to have as a favorite! 🙂 Thank you to Andrea from  Momfessionals  and Erika from  A Little Bit of Everything  for hosting this sweet link party every Friday! 💛 This has really helped me on my gratitude goal and also on taking pictures of all these wonderful things to remember and love! 1.  My Pixie Cut!!! I’ve always loved a pixie and have had this haircut multiple times but it just didn’t work because of the minimal access to places to get it cut or because I had to wear a hat with my uniform. I decided that I was just going to go for it this week and it feels so good. I love that it’s so much easier to style without feeling frazzled. I also love that it is something about my body that I had control over. I feel like my eyes pop with this cut and my spouse thinks it looks wonderful. I need to get better at pictures because this really doesn’t...