weekending

Happy Monday, friends! I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah for today's blog post. How was your weekend? Mine was really good! I accomplished weekend number two as a full time working woman, and I used my time really well. Here's what I was up to all weekend long! 

Before I jump to what happened after work, I took these two pictures to show the distance between the front and back wings at work. This is why I've been meeting my steps goal each and everyday! I'm not complaining, I promise; it feels great to walk that much everyday, and my body is getting used to being more mobile and standing for longer periods of time. You may remember that I mentioned how they call that yellow hallway (the new wing) East Tennessee? This is why; check out that distance! Additionally, each wing goes perpendicular to the hallway that you see here; there are three wings. Each hall is a color for the grades that reside there: it goes purple and red in the front, green and orange in the middle, and yellow in the back. I learned it all really well this week at registration day when i walked fifteen thousand steps.

Okay, moving along to the weekend now...

I'd had a date planned for Friday night, but a couple of things happened to make us cancel. He is into motorcycle racing and helps out/races each time there's an event...one popped up unexpectedly over the weekend, so that's why we went out Thursday night instead. It turns out the race got canceled because of rain, and he ended up sick at home all night. When I found out about the racing event, I made plans for a sister night with Trish! I picked up a pizza and salad for us from my favorite spot (Lost Pizza), and then I took it to her where she was house/dog sitting. We watched My Oxford Year, but I fell dead asleep almost the minute I sat down. I left a little early and came home to meet Graham when he asked if we could swap vehicles for the weekend; it's a long story, but I was happy to oblige. Us moms will do anything for our kids no matter their ages, right?! 

Look at that sunset and this amazing basket of flowers. It was a beautiful night! 

This was my excited face over seeing Marilyn for lunch at our favorite place; you guessed correctly if you guessed The Salad Station! Look at that amazingly beautiful and messy salad. I crave this place all the time, friends! 

Afterward we walked down a few doors to the Sherwin Williams paint store; she was picking out samples of paint for one thing, and I'm thinking of changing my front door again to make it more suitable for fall/winter. I'm leaning towards a beautiful green color...stay tuned!

After I got home, I sat and did this for a while. It was nice! 

I'd made dinner plans with a friend, so I did that and then this is where this post takes a turn; I ended up at the racetrack on Saturday night!

My friend builds/races motorcycles, and was there for the night, so I said yes when he invited me there to join him since I wasn't that far away. It was so much fun! He met me at the gate and paid for me to get in, then I had a blast hanging out with him, meeting his friends, and watching all kinds of vehicles race. I used to do this kind of thing in my early 20's; I'd forgotten how much I love to watch racing in person! And yes, this is a man I've been out on a few dates with now; his name is Chris. It was fun seeing him having fun in his own world, and I was glad he invited me into that with him. Also, if you're not reading between my lines, know that this is the kind of thing I need and want with a man. He got major bonus points this weekend! 

I was home and in bed by ten thirty, and up early for church on Sunday. I was there by eight for praise team rehearsal; it was great to be back!

I didn't have coffee before I left home, so I drank this instead. It was delicious! I had that and a protein bar for my breakfast while I talked to Mare on the phone as she drove to church; she was also the first person I called afterward as I drove to lunch with my parents after my church service ended. It was a great weekend! I did something else that day, but I'll leave off here and pick up with that on Friday.

What did you do that you loved this weekend? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! Love to all! 

Jenn ❤️

Friday Favorites: August 8, 2025

 

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you've had a great week. I'll be so glad it's Friday when this post hits. I don't plan on wishing away my life, I promise, but I say that because I know I'll be tired. I anticipate sleeping in on Saturday this weekend, but on Sunday I'll have to be at church early for...praise team practice! I'm not complaining, because I've missed being on the praise team at church. I can't wait to be able to sing again! 

Speaking of that, here are some more moments from the week that were favorites.

I'm not necessarily looking for love, but this was a favorite thing I saw on socials this week. It's true! I do all of these things, and I appreciate life. How fortunate are we to be able to encourage each other and pray for one another? I was part of a Wednesday morning prayer time at work; it's called Legacy on the Loop, and we spent some time being encouraged and praying for the school year with other teachers, assistants, and all of the administrative staff. What a blessing this is! I love my job, friends. 

Getting dressed is still my favorite! Here are my outfits from this week, starting with Sunday. I'll share more about why I wore what I did under the pictures, but most of these were for work.

I had a date on Sunday; this is one of the new rompers I ordered recently from Amazon. I'll keep this one, but I got this one with fall in mind...I think it'll be cuter with my white sneakers, a jean jacket, and a hat. The date went well! He has young kids, though...I'm not sure I can do that. I'm not opposed to being friends, though! 

Monday was a very long day; it was registration day! I worked from 8-12, and from 3-6. I walked 15K steps! I was DEAD when I got home. 

Tuesday was the Back to School Dragon bash at our high school. We had school pictures taken, which is why I had to wear our school shirt for the second day.

And Wednesday I wore this red romper while I had the chance to wear shorts one last time without students in the building. 

This was a favorite, because I had another date this week, on Tuesday. (I told you I wanted to keep dating, but with a shift in perspective.) The date was the best I've had to date, and he made me laugh from start to finish. I appreciate someone who can do that to me; at one point, I almost spewed my drink out of my mouth, he was that funny. We have plans again Friday night since Mare is busy. 

Thursday was favorite outfit...I didn't anticipate liking this dress with sneakers, but I did. 

I bought three hats that are this style this week! I want to start wearing them more, but how cute is this one? We are the Collierville Dragons as a whole district, but my school's mascot is the Eagle. I anticipate going to some football games this fall and will wear this hat when I go. The other hats are pink (that says Dolly on the front), and olive green (that says sunkissed). 

Meeting sweet Becca at work this week was a favorite; she and my son Drew are good friends. She's a doll and confessed to doing a deep dive on social media stalking me. This made me laugh, because I always appreciate someone who can do that level of stalking! 

This very large pour of wine was a favorite on Monday night because of how tired I was.

Running into friends at the district event on Tuesday was a favorite! This is my friend Kendra; we trauma bonded over the man that we both dated. She was engaged to him, and I only dated him, but she opened my eyes about some things I needed to hear because of the power he had over me. 

It was fun seeing so many people there!

Sweet Baby Oak is my favorite, and my bed is hers. She likes sleeping with me at night! 

Chloe's favorite was me coming home for lunch everyday, but those days are over! 

Since I'm talking about dogs, I might as well mention Crash too. I love him being here with me again! 

I'll wrap this post up with these last two pictures; the Hershey candy bar was from my friend (the principal), and the flowers are from my co-worker Carla. I work with the sweetest people ever! A standout favorite from the week is that; everyone treats me so kindly. It really is the very best work environment! 

What was a favorite from your week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!


Jenn ❤️

the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy bonus blog post day! I'm here with Joyce again today for the weekly hodgepodge...this is a post that I dearly love; thank you, Joyce, for your inspiring and thought provoking questions each and every week! I'll jump right in. 

1. The midpoint of summer...believe it or not...is August 7th. Describe a perfect summer day. Have you had one yet this year? I'm taking it back to a couple of weeks ago when I was at the beach! On this one particular day, I slept late, and when I finally woke up, I lounged in bed for what felt like a luxurious amount of time. We got up and shared breakfast, then I walked down to the beach. I swam in the ocean, I napped while listening to/looking at the ocean, I played music, I had a drink, I had key lime pie, and my skin felt like it was kissed by the sun. Later on that day I took a shower and shaved my legs, then drenched my skin in after sun lotion, I had seafood for dinner, and we walked on the beach at sunset. It was perfect! 

2. What's one thing you wish you knew before starting high school? I wish I'd known that we were all awkward and weird. I think that I put so much pressure on myself to "fit in", that I didn't see things for what they really were. I'm guessing we would all say this. I know we're told to pick one thing, but something I almost shared was that I wish I'd known the importance of learning to speak publicly. 

3. What's something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly? A made-up bed. I need the pillows and comforter to be straight! I'm laughing at myself, because I made my bed Monday morning and the comforter was crooked. 🤪

4. What's the most overrated food you're convinced people are just pretending to enjoy? What's a trendy food you actually do enjoy and would say is definitely not overrated? For a long time I thought people were only eating kale because of how it was the trendy thing to do. I've also wondered this about kombucha...can it really be that good? The trendy food that comes to mind for me is sushi; I love the stuff!  

5. Wrapping up this week with five fun this-or-that's:

personal stylist or personal chef?

dance like nobody's watching or sing like nobody's listening?

unlimited tacos or free pizza?

bookshelf organization by size or genre?

ten minutes late or ten minutes early? 

My answers are different today than they would have been a year ago with that last one; I used to be habitually early, but now I'd rather be late than early. At the very best, I'm on time. I try to avoid awkward situations as often as possible, and I don't love being early anymore. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I recently came across this song that I really like, by Colbie Caillat called Live Without.

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! I always love reading your responses to the same prompts. Love to all!

Currently: August 2025

 

Happy Wednesday, friends, and welcome to this month's Currently where we'll be talking about what we're currently loving, looking forward to, scheduling, buying, and gearing up for. I'll jump right in!

I'm loving my single life right now; I know this sounds strange after me dating people, but I've decided I don't want a relationship anytime soon. I don't mind going on dates sometimes, but I don't feel like it's something I have to do every weekend. I had an eye opening moment in the last couple of weeks that has made me snap out of whatever judgment was clouding my vision. I love not being tied down, I love not having to consider someone else when I make plans, I love being able to cook/eat whatever I want without wondering what someone else will want, I love coming and going without a thought. 

I'm reclaiming weekends for the girls! This was Marilyn and I out Friday night; we had such a fun night on Friday night! 

I'm looking forward to all the fun things that come with working in a school environment again: spirit week events, fun dress up days, games to attend, Friday Night Lights in the Ville, and getting to know my co-workers again. 

I'm scheduling all of these things as they pop up in my new planner, because I cannot keep up with all of the dates just off the top of my head. 

I'm buying clothing items for work as I come across them. I have a fair amount of things for now to hold me over, but I definitely need to add some items to my wardrobe so that I can start a good rotation. I mentioned this last week, but I found out I can wear leggings with long tunic style tops; this is a game changer! 

I'm gearing up for students to start tomorrow! I have a lot to remember, and it's going to be a crazy couple of days, but I'm excited to meet some of the ones I'll be with this year. I'm still learning the layout of the school and anticipate getting in lots of steps each day. That's a great thing! And our school is massive. They call the new back wing East Tennessee. 🤣

Next month we'll be talking about what we're currently loving, beginning, ending, picking, and posting. I hope you make plans to join in with me again! I'll leave this link up for a couple of weeks in case you want to join in later. Thanks for being here today, friends! Love to all.

Jenn ❤️

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter