What do April showers bring? MAY Flowers!

As I mentioned last Friday... we had big plans on Sunday to go to the Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon, WA. Well, we actually went AND have pictures to prove it!


It was so pretty... and I don't even like tulips that much.

The purple ones were our favorite. I love me some purple.

This was the best photo I could get of us...my arm is only so long.

I swear my head isn't normally that much bigger than his.

After the tulips we went to purchase this little gem that I have been wanting for several months...

I am SO excited to learn how to use it... currently it's still in the box and I have no idea how to turn it on. I have never been so intimidated by a camera in my life. Time to read the manual. This is PART I of the exciting news for the blog! The major reveal will be coming soon... just trying to get all my projects in a row!

 And to end on a sweet note... how freaking cute is this:

She looks so long! My little furbaby loves her daddy.

Home Part 2

Part II

 

 

This is all out of order but here is the rest of what we did when we went home...

 Read about Part I here.

 

 

We got to shoot guns with my daddy! (I just realized we didn't take a picture together! FAIL) I am now obsessed with The Walking Dead and I NEED zombie training. I mean really... I haven't shot a gun in forever and I knew that a trip to Mississippi meant an abundance of family members with guns and other weapons. What... it's the South.

 

If you follow me on Instagram you might have already seen this one...

 

Chad looks so much hotter...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyways, there was also some killer crossbow action with my brother in law Jeremy in honor of Darrell. Don't worry everyone, I made sure to yell out... SOPHIAAA! While shooting.

 

The rest of the trip was spent spending time with family and another gig this time in Laurel. Here is a photo dump:

 

My sweet Momma!

My sisters best friend Vanessa, me, & my sister

My Mom her two daughters and our men.

SIL Hollye & I

My bestie and I in our new Pony hoodies. This will get an entire blog on it's on soon. HA

I have the best family. Period.

Some of the family the Sunday before we flew back to Seattle.

Random shot at the show... lets talk about the show next time in PART III!

Almostttttt finished with our trip home! We like to jam pack our visits as you can tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



You know nothing

Game of Thrones is tonight!


(source)



(source)
HAHAHAHA! Oh, John Snow you make me excited for Sundays.




\

This girl...

Warning: Lots of F words in this one...

Have you guys seen/heard about the Sorority girl RANT yet?! Omg... I just read the email a couple of days ago and I really can't stop laughing. STILL. Like I kinda want to hate her but this shit is so funny I can't even control my giggles. Of course she got kicked out of her sorority but really who cares about being in a sorority anyways. (Sorry to all you girls that live for it but big groups of girls wearing pearls and letters all over them just ain't my thang) Obviously, this one took the Greek system wayyyyy to seriously but you HAVE to love her enthusiasm. Well, unless you're the University of Maryland/Delta Gamma or one of the asswhipes.
Source

(Full article found here) They also changed her name in this BUT I'm a stalker and her real name is Rebecca Martinson. Enjoy:

If you just opened this like I told you to, tie yourself down to whatever chair you're sitting in, because this email is going to be a rough fucking ride.
For those of you that have your heads stuck under rocks, which apparently is the majority of this chapter, we have been FUCKING UP in terms of night time events and general social interactions with Sigma Nu. I've been getting texts on texts about people LITERALLY being so fucking AWKWARD and so fucking BORING. If you're reading this right now and saying to yourself "But oh em gee Julia, I've been having so much fun with my sisters this week!", then punch yourself in the face right now so that I don't have to fucking find you on campus to do it myself.
I do not give a flying fuck, and Sigma Nu does not give a flying fuck, about how much you fucking love to talk to your sisters. You have 361 days out of the fucking year to talk to sisters, and this week is NOT, I fucking repeat NOT ONE OF THEM. This week is about fostering relationships in the greek community, and that's not fucking possible if you're going to stand around and talk to each other and not our matchup. Newsflash you stupid cocks: FRATS DON'T LIKE BORING SORORITIES. Oh wait, DOUBLE FUCKING NEWSFLASH: SIGMA NU IS NOT GOING TO WANT TO HANG OUT WITH US IF WE FUCKING SUCK, which by the way in case you're an idiot and need it spelled out for you, WE FUCKING SUCK SO FAR. This also applies to you little shits that have talked openly about post gaming at a different frat IN FRONT OF SIGMA NU BROTHERS. Are you people fucking retarded? That's not a rhetorical question, I LITERALLY want you to email me back telling me if you're mentally slow so I can make sure you don't go to anymore night time events. If Sigma Nu openly said "Yeah we're gonna invite Zeta over", would you be happy? WOULD YOU? No you wouldn't, so WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO IT TO THEM?? IN FRONT OF THEM?!! First of all, you SHOULDN'T be post gaming at other frats, I don't give a FUCK if your boyfriend is in it, if your brother is in it, or if your entire family is in that frat. YOU DON'T GO. YOU. DON'T. GO. And you ESPECIALLY do fucking NOT convince other girls to leave with you.
"But Julia!", you say in a whiny little bitch voice to your computer screen as you read this email, "I've been cheering on our teams at all the sports, doesn't that count for something?" NO YOU STUPID FUCKING ASS HATS, IT FUCKING DOESN'T. DO YOU WANNA KNOW FUCKING WHY?!! IT DOESN'T COUNT BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN FUCKING UP AT SOBER FUCKING EVENTS TOO. I've not only gotten texts about people being fucking WEIRD at sports (for example, being stupid shits and saying stuff like "durr what's kickball?" is not fucking funny), but I've gotten texts about people actually cheering for the opposing team. The opposing. Fucking. Team. ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?!! I don't give a SHIT about sportsmanship, YOU CHEER FOR OUR GODDAMN TEAM AND NOT THE OTHER ONE, HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN TO A SPORTS GAME? ARE YOU FUCKING BLIND? Or are you just so fucking dense about what it means to make people like you that you think being a good little supporter of the greek community is going to make our matchup happy? Well it's time someone told you, NO ONE FUCKING LIKES THAT, ESPECIALLY OUR FUCKING MATCHUP. I will fucking cunt punt the next person I hear about doing something like that, and I don't give a fuck if you SOR me, I WILL FUCKING ASSAULT YOU.
"Ohhh Julia, I'm now crying because your email has made me oh so so sad". Well good. If this email applies to you in any way, meaning if you are a little asswipe that stands in the corners at night or if you're a weird shit that does weird shit during the day, this following message is for you:
DO NOT GO TO TONIGHT'S EVENT.
I'm not fucking kidding. Don't go. Seriously, if you have done ANYTHING I've mentioned in this email and have some rare disease where you're unable to NOT do these things, then you are HORRIBLE, I repeat, HORRIBLE PR FOR THIS CHAPTER. I would rather have 40 girls that are fun, talk to boys, and not fucking awkward than 80 that are fucking faggots. If you are one of the people that have told me "Oh nooo boo hoo I can't talk to boys I'm too sober", then I pity you because I don't know how you got this far in life, and with that in mind don't fucking show up unless you're going to stop being a goddamn cock block for our chapter. Seriously. I swear to fucking God if I see anyone being a goddamn boner at tonight's event, I will tell you to leave even if you're sober. I'm not even kidding. Try me.
And for those of you who are offended at this email, I would apologize but I really don't give a fuck. Go fuck yourself.
 

Ahhhh how CRAZY is that girl and cunt punt? REALLY.... might be my new favorite saying.
She reminds me of Regina George... ahh now I have to go watch Mean Girls. Oh, and if that wasn't enough to make you laugh enjoy celebrities reading this email on Funnyordie.com

Michael Shannon Reads the Insane Delta Gamma Sorority Letter from Michael Shannon

Friday!

It's that magical day everyoneeeee!! FRIDAY!

I really  hate that I yearn so much for the weekends. I mean I love my job but who doesn't love to not have to work?! I get off work early today but not for anything fun... a doctors appointment that I dread every year. Being a woman blows sometimes. I hate all of you stupid men.

Anyways, yesterday I got a call from my gym to set up a free personal assessment. I'm all like, "I don't need an assessment, I know I'm fat I don't really need you to confirm it." But the girl was super sweet and when I went to the gym after work I met with her and set up an appointment for Saturday. I am NOT looking forward to knowing but I figure why not at least now I'll have a real starting point and hopefully in a few months I can do it again and see some progress!

In other news... this weekend is going to be super packed. I've got a good friends birthday dinner tonight that I get to wear my new black dress to which I'm pretty excited about and then Chad has 2 shows this weekend. I also (hopefully) will be buying my first SLR camera and then on Sunday we are planning to go to the Tulip fields to explore and take a few shots!

Check it out:

Source

Tulips aren't my favorite BUT they are soooooo pretty and I've heard that "you just have to go to Mt. Vernon, WA to see it for yourself" - 380 acres of tulip fields....I'm so excited!

What kind of camera do YOU recommend for me?

What's your favorite flower?
I've always been an orchid girl... but lately I'm falling for peonies.

Oh and here is Chads flyer for the shows this weekend... if you're in the area COME and say hi!

New Things

I have fallen in love with a new veggie... ready for it: BRUSSEL SPROUTS!

Just DON'T boil them. Bake them! With Corn! AND Tony Chachere's!

When our friend's brother (who is a chef) came up for a visit a month or so ago he invited us over for dinner. This wasn't just any dinner... it was filled with gourmet cheese, salamis, grass fed beef, salmon, and fresh veggies! I just wanted to cry when I walked in the door and saw all this food that I didn't have to cook... and it was AMAZING! When I saw the veggies for the night I was so excited to try the brussel sprouts. My only memory of brussle sprout included a horrid childhood dinner with BOILED, mushy, soggy, sprouts. Really Mom! How dare you taint my love for these magical mini cabbages. He prepped them by washing them and then slicing the little root at the end off then cutting them down the middle into halves. Then he added fresh corn, carrots, and something else but the big star of the dish was the Tony's seasoning. Holy cow. It made the little sprouts taste like little balls of spicy heaven! Make this dish right now... really go, RUN to the kitchen and put Tony's on these suckers... even picky eaters like my husband will admit that this is there new favorite veggie! 

How to make: Wash and halve sprouts, take fresh corn (or canned) and add to baking pan. You can add sliced carrots, onion, zucchini, or whatever else you think might taste good. Then lightly drizzle a little olive oil over the veggies. Add Tony's seasoning... don't get to carried away this stuff is SPICY a little goes a long way...

 

Then bake in the oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes! I made a big batch of this pictured above to eat on for lunch all week. It's even better reheated. (I can't believe it either)

 

In other news I found an awesome deal on a Michael Kors bag at Ross the other day...

I usually hate the initial print on bags... but this one I fell for because of the material it's made of (and it kinda reminds me of  how DNA looks)... I don't know what it is but it's PERFECT for the beach and outdoor adventures. We have several trips coming up this summer so I couldn't pass this $130.00 bag for over half off at $59. SCORE!

 

Where do YOU find discount stuff??

Home: Part 1

Home, is where the heart is.

Well, home is where our family is but I'd say my heart is pretty much in Seattle. We flew home 2 weeks ago and got to spend a lot of time with our families. No holidays, no events, it was amazing. It's still extremely exhausting having to try and see EVERYONE while home; along with Chad playing two shows in two different cities but I really don't think we would have it any other way. We've gotten used to being busy, to always being on the go and well the pace is just a lot slower in Mississippi which always leaves me time to get bored if I'm not booked up.

This last trip taught me two things: We are extremely lucky that we have such a loving family and friends that travel miles just to see us when we are in town and that moving away really was the best choice we have ever made. I get sad when I hear people that we visit talk about how they wish they could move or wish they could be where we are. The first thought in my head is YOU CAN! It's not some magical thing that just happened to us, we worked really hard to get where we are and I am so thankful everyday that things have turned out like they have. Our life in Washington is very fulfilling and I just wish that everyone could feel that about theirs. It was always my goal in life to really search out and find what makes me/us happy. I never wanted to settle. I feel like some people have lost that spirit, that hope, and the drive to go after whatever it is that you want. DON'T LOSE THAT! I know I might sound like a PSA but GO AFTER your dreams. It's the only way they ever have a chance of coming true in the first place.

Okay, enough of my pep talk.
I mentioned the 2 shows that Chad played and here are some pictures of the first show at Nick's Ice House in Hattiesburg, MS. This place is probably my favorite "bar" in Hattiesburg. I say bar loosely because they only serve like 3 types of beer and no liquor. However, they are always okay when I bring my own in and Ralph the bartender is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. If you're in Hattiesburg and you've never sat on a commode seat as a bar stool or (for the men) peed in buckets full of ice you really should go here...immediately.

Oh Bridgett oh I love you!

My beautiful sister in laws and us. I like to call this the family shot.

Then we got a little wacky.

Such a good time.

 

I do need to mention that BEFORE we went to Nick's we had a little preparty at Red Dragon to Tiki bowl. The owner which I haven't seen in YEARS remembered me from my college days (we used to Tiki bowl a lot)... then he found out I moved and tried to talk to me for an hour about his kids maybe moving away to find jobs because, "there are not jobs in Mississippi" I'm all like... ummm can I just get my Tiki bowl now!?

 

What's a Tiki bowl you ask? Only the most amazing thing ever:

 

All the clear liquors... mixed with any color Hawaiian punch and a shot of everclear in the middle that they light on fire. The goal is to drink the bowl before the fire goes out. What you do though is blow that light out and mix that everclear in there to enjoy! You order these by size and color. Our order always goes something like this: 1 Large Blue then after that one is gone 1 Medium purple AND YOU'RE DONE. Don't get anymore... I warn you now.

 

My drinking partner that night was my sister in law Apryle who JUST had her 21st Birthday!

I Love me some super long straws.

 

We had to race to finish these puppies but it was the start to a really fun night.

Michelle, Nicole, Me, Apryle.  Did I mention that we were the only ones there? Yea, turn up that 90's rap music Mr. man and BRING ME ANOTHER BOWL!

Our group minus Chad who had to go to Nick's and set up. Austin (Whose 21st birthday was that night as well!) Michelle, Drew aka Jace from Duck Dynasty, Nicole, Me, Apryle, and my mom!

 

Has anyone else ever noticed that the word Dynasty is like Dye Nasty or take it a little further- stay with me on this one... Die Nasty? Maybe it was the bowling, maybe it was just the fact that I was with my best friend and we are ridiculous but this spawned a new quote. Live fast, Dy-Nasty.

That's us...living fast and dy-nasty.

 

Haha it was such a good night. I'd like to relive it over and over again. Well, except for the part where Nicoles back started hurting her. That's a long story in itself but my little Twilight Sparkle had back surgery a while ago and she has to be careful not to re-hurt it. That was cause for concern and her back still isn't back to normal yet so I'd like to throw a little request out for everyone to send her good thoughts/prayers/vibes/whatever it is you do.

 

Part 2 to come... it's just such an adventure when we go home that it would be impossible to fit it in just one blog.