dear little nephew,

my second nephew, hoyt michael, made his debut on september 11th of this year! he is so tiny! he was born at 6 pounds, 14 ounces. such a cutie!

apartment sweet apartment

it's nice having my own place again. i've never had an apartment to just myself, like i do now. it makes me feel really proud of myself. i've got most of the rooms together. i have a real table (not a card table, like when i first started out a few years ago) and chairs, kitchen stuff, and most recently i got my couch! i am so happy with it; it's from ikea. my boyfriend, matt, helped me get it. it's really made my apartment feel more like a "home." 

{ the lamp is from target and the pillows, blanket, and couch is from ikea. }


next thing i am saving up for is a tv! my current movie setup consists of a computer screen on top of a cardboard box. i also am trying to figure out what color to paint the walls. i think some color would make the place a little more lively.

rest in peace

 

 

i've known this sweet little guy, buttons, for quite a long time. i was sad to hear about him passing away earlier this week.

you will be missed buttons (aka heavy breathing cat). 

peace is every step

bachelorette party

the beautiful bride to be, my sister, had a little bachelorette party last friday; it was a fun time! she invited all her bridesmaids to go out for bowling and then back to her house for a picnic-like lunch, desserts, and a campfire. 

 

justin & rebecca - july 27, 2013.

 

the bride to be, bowling away. 

 

delicious cupcakes i bought from bake n' cakes in east lansing, michigan. 

i made the pre-made smores treats, found the recipe on pintrest. everyone thought they were amazing!

izze is never a disappointment. 

each of the bridesmaids (missing one girl in this photo) wore a shirt that said the number of years on the back that the bride has known each of them; i thought it was a cute idea (i'm the last one on the right).

i got becca a little gift card to victoria's secret as a bachelorette gift.  

 becca & boden (her son). 

can't believe that the wedding is this month! i'm so excited!

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i've been trying to get a job as a hair stylist in lansing. i had my second interview at this one place this past weekend. it seemed to have gone very well and they asked me back for a third (and hopefully final interview).  matt got me these flowers as a 'good luck' gift; it was very sweet of him. he got the perfect color and everything; i love them! 

besides my interview...i enjoyed time out and about with matt. we went to lowes and got a bunch of seeds, plants, and pots. i got myself a 'forget me not' plant.

lone wolf

 

last week i went in to the shop and finished my wolf tattoo on my thigh. matt started the outline back in november and i went back in to get it shaded. i really love how it turned out; he did a really nice job! 

the shop tattoo and piercing studio

tattoo artist: matt aldridge

 

m a y

24 before 25

my birthday was a couple months ago, but i really wanted to make one of these lists again. part of this list was composed closer to my birthday date and some of it i finished today. 

1. move back to a city.
2. get another tattoo.
3. donate to charity.
4. go camping.
5. get a job at a salon in the city.
6. purchase an oddity of some sort.
7. take more photos.
8. print photography business cards.
9. go to amusement park.
10. get clutter out of home.
11. visit another brewery.
12. make meditation a daily part of my life again.
13. try out newborn photography.
14. make a homemade pie, besides apple.
15. make new friends.
16. pay off credit card & start saving.
17. be a makeup artist/hair stylist for a photo shoot.
18. visit chicago and my old pivot point academy classmates.
19. print something with my favorite instagram photos.
20. grow a plant from a seed.
21. day at the spa.
22. do at least 5 diys i re-pinned on pinterest
23. go to theater bizarre.
24. plan a special 25th birthday!

there you were, here you are.

  

i found these the other day. it was almost a year ago, i saw matt for the second time. i invited him as my 'date' to my friend alyssa's engagement party. matt and i left a little early and went to see moonrise kingdom. it was a pretty nice day.

present moment, wonderful moment

this year feels like it is flying by so quickly; it's already half way through march. snow came through michigan again. i am excited for the spring! my mom already has her seeds ready to start growing inside. i'm also looking forward to hopefully taking photos outside of nature with matt and not being distracted thinking about how cold i am. 

i know a lot of the time people wish it were the opposite of what it was with the seasons here in michigan. that feeling can also be similar to where we are at in our lives and wanting something down the road. i know i get that in my head sometimes, but it's something to work on and just focus on the now. life does not exist in any moment but the present moment. this year i want to have fun each moment i am experiencing and try my best to keep my mind in that moment and just feel it. 

oh baby!

my dear little nephew, boden hunter, finally made his debut on march 3! he is so tiny! he was born at 6 pounds, 11 ounces. i love him so much already! 

i've always wanted to venture into newborn photography, so my sister let me do bo's newborn photos. i think it is pretty decent for my first time.

www.jessicakirsch.com

NARS

my favorite blush by mac cosmetics, flirt & tease, was finally all used up and i went to buy more of it--then come to find it has been discontinied. i decided to for the first time try out a nars blush. i've heard pretty good things about their blush, so i searched for a few reviews of their most popular shades. i decided to go with 'sin.' it is a berry shade with gold shimmer. i was very scared about getting this because i knew it wouldn't be the same as 'flirt & teast,' and also because i ordered in online through sephora (instead of checking out the shades in store). i do love it! i have pale skin (i wear a nc15) and i have black hair. i think this is a really nice shade for that combination. i've also read really good things about nars blush in 'orgasm,' perhaps i'll have to switch to that one for the summer. what is your favorite blush? 

being near you

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s u n d a y

 

 this past weekend i went to see matt again in lansing. saturday was basically a big movie day. we went out for drinks and a snack at max & erma's. i tried sangria for the first time, it was a very yummy drink. afterwards we went and seen identity thief. after the movie we went back to matt's and watched two more movies, haha. it was a pretty relaxing day that ended with a very lovely homemade meal made by his mom.

sunday was filled with a little more action. we went to east lansing to the eli & edythe broad art museum. there was a really awesome 3D video we checked out and lots of fun modern art that left me feeling inspired. on the drive back to his house we stopped at biggby for some coffee! 

later that afternoon i was sitting in matt's room while he went downstairs to let the dogs out. he came back up into the room and i smelled something rather yummy plunge into the room and noted on it. matt said he mom was making us a meal, he also shared with me that while he was downstairs she was talking with him about how she really liked me and how she thought i was really cute. it made me feel happy.

once again she impressed me with a delicious meal; she is quite the cook.

 

24

 

today i am 24 years old. time seems like it has been going by so quickly. 23 was a fun age, i hope my 24th year brings me stability in my love life, a better focus on my body (making it healthy, clean, and strong), and i want to put better care into my work as a hair stylist (be happy about working, etc.). i would like to create a "24 before 25" list, but i am still thinking of what to all put on it. i will post it on here once i do.

lovely sunday

 

i made a last minute decision trip to lansing this weekend to hang out with matt. we had a fun time together! sunday morning we got up and went to biggby coffee just down the road to help us start our day. later that night he took me out to a mexican restaurant called cancun (it was delicious)!

 

my sister could have her baby any day now and i am so excited. i can't wait to finally meet my nephew. it seems like her pregnancy went by so fast, but these last few weeks leading up to his due date have felt longer than ever. i just hope that my cold goes away in time. i've had the sniffles for a couple days now.



hello february.

i love this month for quite a few reasons! this month is full of birthdays, my birthday is this month as well (i will be turning 24), my nephew is expected to be born this month, and i went on a pretty good 'date' (i guess you could call it) this past saturday (crossing my fingers for more)!

now that i've mentioned it--there is someone quite special i've been talking to, which makes me feel like it's time to start writing on my blog again. i met him last spring one night when i was out at a bar in east lansing, his name is matt. 

i feel happy.

baby shower

today was my sister, becca's, baby shower! it turned out really well; becca looked like a super babe! she had a woodland theme for the shower. 

becca's baby is due in february and i am so excited to meet my little nephew! they decided on the name boden hunter. 

here are some pictures from the shower...

the papa and mama.

here is my sister and me. 

the gift bags for the bingo winners. 

    

here is one of the gifts i got becca from blabla kids.

becca and aunt jean.

i want you to come along for the ride

it's been such a long time since i've posted on my blog! i feel terrible to see this let go. i've enjoyed going back and reading all my old posts and being reminded of lots of enjoyable times in my life. a lot has changed since the fall. i have a lot to write about! hope i still have followers out there and if not...this is still a nice space for myself.