I Got Drano For Christmas

This Christmas, I expected a quiet morning at home, a few fun gifts, snuggle time with my love, and a little sadness that we weren't home with family. Of course we missed the fam, but to be honest, it was one of the best Christmases to date!

First there were a gaggle of gifts, and here are the funny ones...

Gulf Oil Can Mug...My parents picked this up for Will because his family owned Gulf Gas Stations back in the day. I love that my parents are so thoughtful!

Brad Thor Alpha Jacket...Oh let me tell you about the jacket. Two months ago, Will sent me a link to the Scottevest, which is the end-all-be-all jacket. I went ahead and ordered it as a Christmas present because I'm a brilliant wife, and then the knucklehead tried to buy it himself. Instead of telling him that I ordered it, I caused a huge fight and didn't even feel bad about it. To further throw suspicion, I even told his best friend that I was sending it to his house, when I really had it sent to my work. Buck is terrible at keeping secrets, so I had no choice. As a matter of fact, I tricked them so good that they thought it hadn't been delivered. The hassle was ALL worth it to see his face and know that I GOT'EM!

Then there was the Drano... Remember when our pipe was frozen? Our Realtor assumed it was clogged, which I knew was not the case, so I said not to waste the Drano. The boys made fun of me for worrying about "wasting the drano", so this is what I opened. I KNEW there was something else to it, because Buck bragged about how good his present was, and low and behold there was $100 taped to the bottom. Sneaky Boys!

All I can think is the Modern Family scene where Sophia Vergara tricks Al Bundy for Valentines Day, and shouts, "I win, I win!" However, I think we can tell who was the happiest on Christmas...

Soon after, the meal planning began, and we realized that we had way too much food for the two of us. We knew a few people that didn't have anywhere to spend Christmas so an impromptu dinner was thrown together. Let me tell you, this is the BEST way to do it, because there was no stress- we just picked up the house, and started cooking.

It's funny, we didn't make a single plan other than opening presents or cooking dinner, and yet, it felt good to feed a few refugees, watch Christmas movies during our food comas, and we even ended up going out for a few beers and a lotta laughs. That's what it's all about, right? Food, friends, and beer fun.

One last thing, you may want to do the following, next year. 

I just made a weekly countdown with homemade tags, and corresponding bottles of alcohol, and it was a hit! I got the idea from the popular new Advent calendars made with wine bottles or shots, and streamlined it. We don't need a ton of booze before we move, so this was a perfect surprise for Will. Especially since the last two bottles are VERY hard to find, which made them extra meaningful.

Needless to say, I don't have a single complaint. Not even for the fact that I got Drano for Christmas. Anyone got a clog? I got'chu ;)

Gift Swap And A Surprising Anouncement

I hope you all had a swell Christmas, and I'm SO happy that I get to share some of the loveliest blogger friends that played gift swap with me! Not only did we swap presents, but cards too, and the cards made my day every time I got one! Here are the three cards I've already gotten, and I have a gift on the way that I can't wait to get my hands on.

Jamie ||  P!nky ||  Rach

Although, I'm sorry to tell ya ladies...my favorite card was from Will.

For Oh, so many reasons.

Long story short, Will has pushed me to step away from what I know, and challenge myself to find what I really want to do job wise. But first, he wants me to take care of him during the strenuous schooling he will be doing, and how could I say no to that? I assume that SAHW will be my temporary position where I plan on blogging, writing, and possibly substitute teaching, and am just as scared as I am excited. I can't wait to see how this goes! Let's hope I don't change my mind, haha.

Now for the real stars today!!

Kelly

Rach

P!nky

Kristine

Megan

Meredith

Jessica

Brittany

Jamie ||  Caitlyn

If you need some new bloggy friends, I highly recommend these. Not only are they beautiful {inside and out}, they are sweet, fun, and loyal! I'm pretty sure we all need more loyal bloggy friends these days. Am I right, or am I right?

Now I have to go get ready for the most epic party of the year. One of my girlfriends is shipping off to Hawaii with her hubby, so we are throwing a 60's themed party at work. Yours truly will be decorating and mentally preparing myself for the shenanigans. Let's just hope that it's fun shenanigans and not drama. No drama fo'yo mama.

Anywho, I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Weiser- "Have a Woof Woof Christmas!"

I hope you are all having the merriest of Christmas's, and enjoying family time! We may be a small family of three, but we are enjoying our Christmas just the same. I have my two boys, Santa already came, Christmas movies all day, homemade breakfast, and we are cooking like we have an army coming for Christmas dinner. Since we are busy cooking, here is a message from the fur child. If you haven't met, this is Weiser!

Hi guys!

I was mad at mom because she hasn't had me on the blog for awhile and dad's better at wrestling, but then she brought home my Christmas presents and stocking stuffers...For future reference, I CAN be bought.

The other reasons I love mom:

Her lap is really comfy, she takes me for lots of walks, and she makes me look like a dog-model in pictures. She most definitely knows my best side.

This Christmas, I am thankful for my three fluffy pillows, the dirt I play in, the warm light I chase around the house, the T-bones I get if I don't beg, and that mom is happy because dad isn't deployed this year. If mom's happy we are all happy ;)

Now I gotta go...it's PRESENT TIME!

Merry Christmas!!

I Missed My Blogiversary, But Perception Is Everything!

For the first time, this little ol' blog turned a year older, and I didn't shout it from the rafters. I can think of a few reasons that it wasn't as big of a deal to me this year, but I still don't have it in me to ignore the significance. This is still my happy place and my outlet, and I am still thankful.

Just a few things from the last three years
I've learned ca-razy things about the InterWeb, graphic design, and html.
I've made gaggles of blogger friends, and even met a few.
I have witnessed a blog friend's love grow and become wedded bliss.
YOU ALL kept me going through a deployment.
I have helped others through deployments, like Meg now.
I have won major giveaways. Thanks Living In Yellow ;)
I have watched many bloggers grow quickly. Some lost their thunder, but some like Helene just evolve and bring us mucho joy.
I think I have found my voice.

Now, here's the last bit of my two cents for good measure:

Dear Baby Bloggers,
I use the term baby bloggers loosely and with love, by the way. Do I think of my blog as a 'big blog'? Heck to the no, but when I was a new blogger, I most certainly would have. That's the thing, you think that when you get to the next ten followers, the next fifty, the next 100...you will have made it, but in actuality, does anyone ever really "make it"?

Blogging is constantly evolving, and although I'm not entirely sure that it is the blissful land of blog that it used to be, it can still be your happy place. I hope you feel the embrace of other bloggers, and know that some of us will ALWAYS be there for you. Just remember, blog for YOU, promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate, don't judge others for you don't know their struggle, and for gosh sakes make sure you aren't a no-reply commentor. Aaaaand turn your word verification off while you are at it too.
Peace, love, and two days 'til Santa!

Look At Me Now, Look At Me Now

Oh hi...is it really Friday?

We went out on a school night {Wednesday}, so it's like Thursday never happened. Who needs'em anyways. For the record, Thursday hangovers are no fun. Especially when you deal with Holiday shoppers aaaaalll day. I've never understood how people wait until the last minute for presents. I'm a basket case all the way until they are all in the mail, so I would make myself sick waiting till Christmas Eve. Let me make this a bit easier for you, if you are one of those people.

Last minute gift ideas:

+ Visit my Pinterest Board full of Gifts.

+ Send your loved ones a copy of The Dating Game!

I'm sure they will find our engagement extremely enthralling, and whether they are dating or reminiscing, it's a good read. I just got my own copies in the mail, so now I'm just waiting on that moolah. Look at me now, look at me now, Oh, I'm gettin' paper.

Will is now taking full credit, saying that I wouldn't have been able to write the story if he hadn't have proposed. He says he will sign copies for a small fee. Oh lawd...

Other than that, I think we may start continue packing this weekend, because we know we won't have the energy over the holidays, and the first week in January I'll be in Florida. I DON'T want to wait until last minute {even though the procrastination angel on my left side is telling me too}, so it's now or never. Anyone wanna come help? 

Don't all jump at once ;)

I Can Admit When I'm Wrong

With only one week left, I am in the Christmas Spirit! We've decorated the house, finished sending out gifts and cards, and attended the Broadmoor White Lighting Ceremony, all of which have me feeling festive.

The lighting wasn't as amazing as the first time we saw it, but their decor still takes my breath away. They really pay attention to every detail, and you can't help but feel the warmth which could have been the Fireball we snuck in, but that's neither here nor there.

And then there's this...Le sigh...

That makes me feel all kinds'a spirited, if you know what I'm sayin'.

From there we went to dinner, and it's a good thing I had my glasses because the mood lighting at The Cliff House had me whipping out my new glasses! {You know you like that transition} I'm going to go ahead and count them as my first present this year, because they were free are so fancy. Technically, the $100 gift card that paid for dinner was my first gift {thanks Brian!}, but that's off topic.

In case you can't tell how flippin' cute they are, here's a closeup:

I have two other pairs of Firmoo glasses, but these? I'm OBSESSED. 

Aaaaannnnd I guess I should admit that the last pair was the wrong prescription, so I haven't been able to wear them... The worst part, was that it was my own fault. I switched the (+) and the (-), which just goes to show you how savvy I am. WHOOPS!

When they contacted me the third time, I was apprehensive because I was worried about screwing up again, and I really didn't want to have to go through ALL the glasses. I loved looking through them the first time, and using their super sweet try on feature, but it took forever to find ones that fit my oddly shaped face, so I ended up apologizing to Firmoo, and declining the new glasses based on my apprehension. Good thing they didn't take no for an answer or throw my mistake back in my face, and instead, pointed me to a specific page where you could order based on Pupillary Distance. I never new how important that little PD# was until it narrowed down my search immensely.

If you need your own new pair, bloggers can join their cooperation with a review, or even easier, tell me of your interest and I will be sharing a $30 voucher towards the Classic Series {my faves}. Now that I know how easy this is, I will NEVER pay hundreds of dollars for glasses again, and I may even start ordering sunglasses through them. I have problems getting those to fit too, so perhaps I will have more luck.

Have you tried Firmoo? Anyone tried their sunnies?

History In The Making...On The Backs Of Veterans

I know not everyone wants to read the Political details, so skip to the bottom if you want to know how to help in as little as two seconds. Your help would show that you care for Veterans.

Last night, I decided to watch a show about the White House decking the halls, and boy, I wish I had skipped it. I shook my head at the army they employed to get it all done in two days, my eyes grew when I saw the stupid topiary that took six months to make {ONE flippin' FAKE topiary}, but I had to turn the dang TV off when they pulled out the 24Karat gold outdoor decor. How in the heck can the White House spend SO much on decorations during this budget crisis? My exact Facebook status reads thus: They have 24Karat gold Christmas decorations at the White House, yet they want to take money from Veterans...

In case you haven't heard, Congress is currently voting on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. Now normally, I would be happy that they aren't waiting til the shit hits the fan in January, but this Act takes money from Veterans. As Military Special Needs Network puts it:

Christmas for the Troops came early this year. Congress decided it needed to show the entire military family exactly how much they appreciate the sacrifice, dedication, honor and commitment that our troops, veterans and families show every day. In a special moment of bipartisanship, US Representative Paul Ryan  (R-Wisconsin) and US Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) decided to help balance the budget on the backs of the approximate 1% of the American population who are either active duty or retired military, and lighten our pockets and the terrible burden of our mediocre retirement plan by reducing it further. It’s a Congressional two-fer!

Before anyone even tries to rationalize this, DON'T. Even if you aren't against them reneging on their promises to Veterans, remember this is the tip of the iceberg. If they can steal from America's heroes, who do you think is going to be next? It is time to show Congress that this isn't just a game of Monopoly, and that they are playing with REAL lives... We now have our own voice through social media, and we sure as heck need to start using it. What we are trying to do here, is bring attention to the fact that the Fat Cats on The Hill are trying to cover up their mistakes by stealing from the ONLY Americans that are putting their lives on the line for this country. They promised all Veteran's that they would take care of them, and now the scum are trying to tell them to "Embrace the suck". Our response to that is "Embrace your promise".

Like I said, if you support Veterans that have fought so that you don't have to, please help us get the word out that 'Merica isn't okay with stealing from Vets.

Don't tell #Veterans and #MilFams to embrace the suck. Tell your Senators to #KeepCOLA and #KeepYourPromise. #SayNOtoBipartisanBudgetAct2013
— Janna Renee (@Janna_Renee) December 16, 2013

To make this super easy for you, you can directly ReTweet this from right here. It's like magic, I tell ya.

If you can't stand behind them, then we would LOVE to have you stand in front of them.

*Comments have been turned off today. Get to Tweetin'.

Couples That Get Tattoo'd Together...

Thank you, thank you for the love the past couple days!
I don't think I'm going to come close to winning cough they are cheating cough cough ;) but at least we put up a good fight, and just having y'alls support makes me giddy. It sounds cheesy, but tis the season to be cheesy!

I guess you can say this has been a good week thus far. Pretty chill at work, I actually planned out our meals this week, and we got our decorations up. Plus...

+ I told my boss that I'm cutting down to three shifts a week in January, and it felt SO good. That means that I only have a little over 20 shifts left to work, and I am DONE until we get settled in Alabama. Heck-to-the-mother-effin'-yeah.

+ I should have all presents and cards out by Saturday. Will has offered to help, so we will be wrapping and knocking it all out together. I'm glad that he offered, because I always try to do it all by myself, and that's just silly. We are a team, and it's okay to ask for help. Don't get me wrong, he does more than his share... It's just a good thing that there is no such thing as keeping score in a marriage ;) I'm sure I'll get to make it up to him soon.

+ I'm going to my 'other' home in January! I haven't been to South Florida since my best friend passed, but I think it's time. I need to see my other baby brother and sister, and just soak it all in. We'll talk more about that later.

+ Last, but not least...I finally got the pictures from our Tattoo escapade ready.

I say it's an escapade, because we had to travel through a 'winter storm' to get to our tattoo guy. Our friend Chago works at GodSpeed in Breckenridge, and he's totally worth the two hour drive. We started Will's tattoo before we knew Chago, and we learned the hard way that paying more for the work gets you better results. See original tattoo:

The first guy we went to was a great artist, but apparently he had no experience with plain lettering. Who would have thought that plain script would be so difficult? It looked okay, but when Chago offered to improve it, we jumped at the chance.

I am proud to say that I was there with Will when he got his first tattoo, and I have seen it through to the end. Two trips to Breck, about 10 hours, and $1,000 later...
We have a finished product!

We actually expected Will's tattoo to take 4-5 hours this round, so when it only took two, I didn't have an excuse to not jump in the chair. I've mentioned {a long time ago} that I have ink, and still most people are very surprised to find that out. I already have my ribs done, but I had something very special to add in mind this time.

^^ Will enjoys this picture, but I won't tell you why. Juuuust guess.

My whole life, I have been called Janna Banana, Banana, Janna B., JB, Barbie, and even just B, so the letter 'B' has always had significance to me. Would I have thought to put it on my body? No, but now that my last name is Bogert, it means the world to me. I've never been a fan of getting someone's name tattoo'd...nevertheless, Bogert is now my identity, as well. I now have a 'B' to match the 'J' on the other side!

I guess you could say, the couple that gets tattoos together, stays together...

or something like that ;)

A'ight y'all, it's the weekend, it's Friday the 13th, and we have less than two weeks until Christmas; that means that it's par-tay time! Don't waste it ;)

Laugh With Me, Not At Me!

A'ight listen...I need your help!

I'm in a contest for some big $$$, and I have to at least try to win!

Here are your reasons to go vote for me:

1. You love me.

2. I always vote for everything y'all ask me to.

3. You really will enjoy the 10 second video.

4. You will make me feel less self conscious about making a fool of myself.

5. I only have four days to get over 300 votes!

6. Did I mention you love me?

Simply click on this link to watch my COOKIE DANCE or look up @hooterscolorado on Instagram to "like" my video. Each "like" equals one vote, and due to technical difficulties, I am about 300 behind. that means every m'effin' vote counts!

In case you'd like to watch the HILARIOUS video where we drew our inspiration, visit here. It's my boy Jesse {Prank vs. Prank} and his craziness. Just don't forget to go vote for my video.

As an added bonus, leave a comment that you voted {bonus points if you share it via other social media} and I will be giving away a Starbucks gift card AND a cash prize if I win. Who doesn't want cold hard cash?? Just remember, I will be checking!

Thanks in advance, and happy voting!

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Or so one might have thought...

We've had single digit and negative weather for almost a week.
Yes, Colorado does get cold, but not for this long. Among other problems, a big one is having your pipes freezing over, and this time it HAD to be the pipe that went to my nice-hot-relaxing-shower. I was more disappointed than anything, but Will started acting like a butt thinking that I was upset, and then it was my turn to act like a butt, because I knew he was upset. After a few rides of that not-so-merry go'round, we just accepted that neither one of us were mad and the situation just sucked.

The next day, I was still feeling off, so I thought it would be nice if we got a room at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. You know when you think an idea is the best in the world, and the other person takes a minute to catch on? It totally steals your thunder, which made me rethink the gesture and pushed me even farther into my "mood". Thankfully, Will talked me out of cancelling the reservation, so I just tried to make it through until then. We won't talk about how we drove all the way to the gym on post because I was jonesin' for a shower, only to realize that I didn't bring anything to shower with...Did I mention that Aunt Flow was visitng? I think we are all understanding that this day was NOT going well.

This is where "Perception Is Everything" comes in...

“Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

I accepted that we weren't going to have a shower until Monday, but we could go stay at a luxurious hotel, and I'm ALWAYS up for a romantic evening.
It was time to get the party started.

After one of the best showers of my life, I prettied myself up {including my attitude}, and off to dinner we went! There is this great little fondue place in town called Mona Lisa that I've been dying to try, so that was the plan. I also need to mention that I was wearing a silk scarf that Will brought me back from Afghanistan. He likes when I wear things that he got me, so it seemed appropriate for him putting up with me. Not to mention, it's gorgeous-nous and the meaning brightened my spirits. Funny how a piece of cloth can do that.

The atmosphere didn't hurt either...

We couldn't have chosen a better place to unwind. We tend to rush through dinner, so it was the PERFECT scenario to make us take our time, savor, and enjoy each other's company. Most dinners take us half an hour, but this one lasted almost two. We may have ended up stuffing ourselves, aaaand... it was totally worth it.

By the time we got back to the hotel, all was right in our world. 

Well, the pipe was still frozen, but in the grand scheme of things, stuff like that really shouldn't matter. Life isn't perfect, but how boring that would be.

Now, I am listening to the plumbers cut through the garage wall to our pipe, and it is music to my ears. They almost left after confirming that it was in fact frozen, but I guilted them into staying when I mentioned that we stayed in a hotel to get a shower. I'm sure it's just a little hole...and technically we didn't tell them to do it...we just didn't argue either.

Anywho, wish us luck, and remember, you must CHOOSE to be happy.