Currently…On the Road Again

Whew! You guys, I have been BUSY these last couple weeks. Even now, I’m typing this while literally on the road. We’re in the middle-of-nowhere Texas with super spotty cell service, but I’m trying to cross a lot of things off my list and make use of the fact that I’m sitting, my husband is driving, and the kids are contained. My project list is a mile long, and it turns out that getting stuff done while on vacation is really, really hard.

So what am I up to? Keep on reading to find out, but long story short: I’m busy and really loving everything I’m doing. My stress level is peaking a tiny bit, but that’s just because there’s so much going on. This is easily my favorite time of year, so things are good!

Reunited…and it feels so good.
My husband is finally done with his two-month TDY, so our family is whole again. We drove down to Yuma, Arizona, and picked him up. Then we spent a few days in Albuquerque together. Those days flew by, of course, but I’m so happy we could be in our favorite place together. Before he left, Maddie was barely sitting up…now she’s very close to walking. Julia is now a chatterbox, and they love playing together. It’s simply amazing how much little ones grow up in such a short time. Kenny and I also went on a date night while we were in New Mexico. We’re realllllllly hoping we can make date night more of a regular occurrence in our life.

Driving back home.
Our road trip started yesterday, so we’re officially on our way back to Georgia. To be more specific, we’re on mile 624 of our 2,000-mile drive! Leaving New Mexico was once again, bittersweet. Bitter (or sad, really), because I had a fantastic time for the last two months. My girls hung out with their cousins, I saw my friends, and we ate great food. It was excellent. But I’m excited to go back home. I miss my house, and I miss the routine and the life we have out there as a family. I miss my friends, so I’ll be happy to see them again.

House hunting.
We know we eventually want to live in Albuquerque, so we spent a day actually talking to a Realtor and house hunting to see what our options are. We didn’t find anything that we loved, and we need to get some of our finances in order for the future, so the hunt will continue, but it’s nice knowing we’re both on the same page as far as future plans.

Having cooking parties!
You guys!!! I’m now an Independent Consultant with Pampered Chef, and it’s a little ridiculous how excited I am about this. I’ve always loved cooking. Well, wait. Scratch that. I discovered that I love cooking after I got married. Prior to that, I thought being in the kitchen was horribly boring. But then, after playing a brand new housewife for a little bit, a spark was lit, and now I love it.

Let’s be honest: there’s a pretty big trend in selling stuff lately, and I’ve always been a little envious of people who jumped on board with another business, but all of the other direct-sales companies didn’t jive with me. If I’m going to sell something, I need to be passionate about it, and Pampered Chef is just that something for me. I almost sold it before I moved to Italy, so I put that idea on hold. But when a friend brought it up again recently, it just made sense. I jumped on board, and here I am now!

What does that mean for this blog? Absolutely nothing. I’m not going to get all crazy on here and spam your posts with PC stuff. I may mention it from time to time, but I promise not to go overboard. If you are interested in keeping up with this endeavor, feel free to join my Facebook group, In the Kitchen with Jess—I post kitchen tips, recipe ideas, great PC deals, and all sorts of fun stuff! AND if you’re interested in getting some Pampered Chef stuff highly discounted (and for FREE), get in touch with me about hosting your own virtual Facebook party (shoot me an email or comment below that you’re interested and I’ll get in touch with you). By the way, I have a virtual cookie exchange party I REALLY want to do, so if you and your friends like cookies (and, really, who doesn’t?) let’s chat!

Loving Periscope.
I used Periscope (username: jesstagirl) a few times while I was in New Mexico and I LOVED it. It’s so much fun to have a real-time video with interaction from the viewers. I’m thinking about doing more live feeds in the future, so holler if there’s something you’d like to see. On Thursday evening I’m going to do a Pampered Chef box unveiling. Basically, I’ll show you everything that came in my consultant’s kit as I’m seeing it for the first time. Woohoo!

Going to Disney World!
So, I was the genius who planned a trip to Disney World a mere five days after we get back from a very long trip away. Yeah…genius. On the bright side I don’t have that much time to freak out or over plan for our trip. I have our restaurants booked, and some of our FastPass selections already saved, and our Magic Bands are on their way, so the rest will just fall into place. Sometimes over-planning can be a drag, so I’m hoping this will be a blessing in disguise.

Not Sleeping.
So the only downer to these road trips (and stupid time changes) is that the girls are sleeping like crap, which means I’m REALLY sleeping horribly. I think we all really miss our own beds at this point.

Eating Candy.
There’s still some leftover loot from Halloween in our car, which is turning out to be the perfect pick-me-up while on the road. Speaking of Halloween, the girls dressed up together (because that’s what you do when you’re sisters) as Minnie Mouse, and they were stinkin’ adorable, if I do say so myself! Speaking of eating candy…

Ready to Eat Healthy
Vacations can do a number on you, especially when you’re on the road for five days, and even more especially when you spent two months enjoying all the fabulous food a place has to offer. Needless to say, but we really can’t wait to get back into our kitchen and cook from scratch, especially because I have all of my fun new kitchen tools to play with.

Loving my new hair!
I chopped off 6.5″ a couple weeks ago, and I’m so happy with the outcome. I can still pull it back, but it’s lighter and healthier now. I only wish my hairdresser could follow me, because she’s the best. If you’re in Albuquerque get in touch with Anna from Hairpins and Scissors—you won’t be sorry.

Okay, I think that’s about it for now. I think it’s about time I take advantage of this downtime and take a much-needed nap!