little taste of the good life*

jersey girl. 20-something. newlywed. writing. books. music. cats. car singing. beach. vino. xtina. shopping. xo.

[eearth-deactivated20180601]

me, when literally anything happens: maybe it’s a sign 

[notinthemaps]

I tell everyone this and I mean it. Buy a journal. Carry it with you everywhere you go. And I mean everywhere. Write about your favorite moments, your least favorite moments, ideas, grocery lists, people you’ve met, strangers you’ve walked past on the street, favorite quotes, words to remember, what the sky looked like at 7pm, new songs you’ve discovered and what they mean to you, your childhood, places you want to go or places you’ve been, write about your passions, how you feel in this exact moment, draw out the mountains, scribble all over the pages. And when that one gets full, buy a new one. Reread it in 2 years, 20 years, when you need a good laugh, when you’re crying on your bathroom floor, read it to your children. You need to remember these moments in your life. They are so important.

[davykesey]

[chaosorderandbeauty-deactivated]

Davy Kesey

[heatherjordan]

One of these things is not like the other. 

[heatherjordan]

Palm Beach Getaway

Jamie and I got to sneak away and visit my mom in Palm Beach these past few days. I wanted to squeeze in one last winter trip before the spring season starts and work gets crazy over here. I got to soak in some vitamin D, spend time by the pool, read, be spoiled and pampered by mom, and relax under the palm trees. Morning coffee at the pool, champagne happy hours, I swear the food is better at the restaurants there. I could very easily live this semi-retired/snowbird life that my parents do, I think I would adapt just fine. 

[hbobiglittlelies]

[heatherjordan]

We are all watching this, right?

I think this is so fantastically done, it is literally exactly how I pictured every character, every home, in my head while reading the book. And THE MUSIC. Perfection. I am such a fan. 

[heatherjordan]

Also, Jamie and I became an aunt and uncle for the first time!

Jamie’s brother and his wife had a baby girl this week. Her name is Aria. She is the most perfect, precious, little peanut. I am so smitten and so in love. I got 2 hours of baby snuggles yesterday, breathing her in, watching every tiny facial expression, feeling my heart triple in size. 

It actually worked out well that she was born while in Vegas, I made a quick stop at the Aria Hotel and found the most perfect onesie. Welcome to the family little one, you joined a pretty crazy bunch, but you are going to be so unbelievably loved. 

[heatherjordan]

Vegas Recap 

I spent the last week in Vegas. I really thought I would never go to Vegas, thought I would despise Vegas, never had any real desire to go. 

Alyssa was going to be there for the week, at the Project Women’s Trade Show with her company Hiptipico. She invited me to come along, to work the booth with her, stay in her room, and get out and explore a little bit too. Between the winter blues, wanting a break from work, and my 2017 resolution of getting outside my comfort zone, I agreed and booked a flight. 

I had the absolute. best. time. 

The show itself was really long days but exciting. If you haven’t already, go and check out Hiptipico. She works directly with Mayan artisans in Guatemala and sells their goods to a global market. Everything is so intricately crafted and detailed, hand beaded and locally sourced leather and stones. You can find her products now in Free People, Asos, Topshop and more. It was truly inspiring to see how hard Alyssa works and the difference she is making for the women in this rural Guatemalan village. 

The first few nights we were pretty exhausted after the show, would get dinner and some champagne, play a couple slots and be asleep by midnight. Once the show was over though, another girlfriend met us out there, and we had 24 hours to let our hair down. And we sure did. I got the real Vegas experience. 

I got to see the flamingos, have my first In-n-Out experience, walked the entire strip, dinner downtown on Fremont Street, and...go to Thunder Down Under which was absolutely the most hysterical, highlight of the trip. It was so fun to just get caught up in the excitement and buzz of Vegas, have a girls weekend, get out of my own head and own routine and explore somewhere new and fascinating. 

There were so many amazing restaurants, bars, spas, and pools that I wanted to spend more time there. There were times where we were laughing so hard we could not breathe, that collapse onto the floor type laughing that is so rare. So thank you Vegas for the memories, it was a wild ride. 

[heatherjordan]

Me: no worries!

Narrator: she had several worries

[heatherjordan]

Woke up to some new Sugarfina candies from my husband and pretty pink tulips from my mama. Candy has always been the way to my heart. We decided tonight we would stay in, cook dinner, open some special wine (as if all wine isn’t special) and exchange cards. 

I realized last night, this is our 9th Valentine’s Day together. Honestly, I have no clue how that happened, no idea where all the time went. It’s funny to think back on the earlier years, there was a time I would cook in lingerie, I would buy ridiculous things like sex dice, make scrapbooks of photos, write him poetry...I used to be so much more fun, huh? Now I will likely cook in pajamas, we will watch Netflix, I will be asleep by 10. We always jokingly say “love and marriage!” whenever we acknowledge how much older and boring we are getting. It is still beautiful in its own way. Though, I am sure he would not be upset to see some of 22 year old Heather come back once in awhile. Valentine’s is always a good day of the year to reflect upon that. 

Also, this bitmoji truly captures the essence of my being and it’s making my day. 

[heatherjordan]

Watching the 2017 Grammys and reminiscing about the good ole days.

[kingjaffejoffer]

[heatherjordan]

Life Lately

Winter always takes a toll on my health. Every year around this time I get hit with some killer flu. You would think I would remember to get a flu shot but no, and once again I have been completely wrecked by a winter illness. 

I am starting to feel back to normal this week but it has been a struggle. And of course, my planner is endlessly booked, my weekends have been crazy busy and I don’t seem to ever slow down. I never learn. 

According to a wedding countdown app that I forgot was on my phone, this past Saturday was 1000 days married. Jamie and I figured that was a milestone worth celebrating, and we opened a special bottle of wine from Napa we had been saving called ‘Marriage’ by Terra Valentine. Seemed only right.

I saw The Lumineers at MSG over the weekend and was completely captivated and in love with them. It’s truly something when a band sounds even better live than on their album. Our seats were in the nosebleeds but it didn’t matter, I did not want that show to end. 

My sister in law is due any day this month. This is the first baby in our families, and everyone is over the moon excited and on baby watch. She honestly looks incredible and had such a difficult pregnancy but has been such a trooper throughout it all. She doesn’t know the gender, we had her shower over the weekend and this has been lifting everyone’s spirits lately. Pretty excited to become an aunt for the first time, not going to lie. I am anxiously awaiting that phone call. 

And a couple other dinners and brunch plans in the city lately, visiting friends and family. Just eating and drinking my way through hibernation season. It’s always hard this time of year too with seasonal depression. I have been having days where I feel upset and anxious, whether over the state of the world, politics, being sick, my family being away in Florida for the winter, work things, being 30, life in general, ya know. But, that’s life lately over here in my corner of the world these days. And only 42 more days until Springtime :)

[scotttfriday-deactivated2020051]

searching for that fine line between “i need to stay informed” and “i can’t take any more of this.”

[heatherjordan]

Speaking of chick things as of lately, Adriana and I went and saw Waitress on Broadway over the weekend. Being big fans of everything Sara Bareilles, as well as the original movie, this show had been on our radar for awhile. 

It did not disappoint. It was so cute. The music and singing were incredible. The sets and dancing and costumes and characters were so fun to watch. We may or may not have both sobbed during “She Used to Be Mine” - but there were plenty of laugh out loud moments too. 

We saw the 3pm matinee and then ventured over to Becco for an early, ridiculously indulgent, delicious, Italian feast. Highly recommend for a spot pre/post a show. 

Twas the perfect girls Sunday Funday outing. 

[heatherjordan]

Some Chick Lit as of Lately

The Hypnotist’s Love Story - I read this in basically one sitting, I became enthralled with the characters. From a professional female hypnotist to a female stalker, I was very intrigued in this story line. I just saw on Goodreads some less than stellar reviews, but I am a fan of Moriarty’s writing style. It was a good book to get quickly submersed into.

Paris for One - this is a collection of short stories, with all strong female protagonists. Moyes is another one of my favorite female chick lit writers. I normally never choose to read short stories, but have found this is the perfect solution for quick reading before bed. And a lot nicer topics to enjoy without causing any nightmares, like everything else I tend to read!

[baetology]

Sometimes it blows my mind that there are people that don’t wear glasses/contacts. Like they can literally see with no aid. Like they wake up and just be out here seeing. What a wild concept.

[bumblebeebats]

And people say stuff like ‘lol don’t you hate it when you look up in the middle of the night and see a spider on your ceiling’ like bitch (!!) i could have Nicholas II last czar of Russia hangin from my ceiling fan and i would be none the wiser