Life Lately

I almost feel like I need to say 'Welcome Back!'

It has been a whirlwind of a week since I last blogged. So let's get caught up on life lately. 

See this sweet, innocent face?! This was before the madness. Ken is almost 7 months old and needed to go the groomer again. So of course I had to snap a lot of pictures before she lost her long, teddy bear fur!

However, a few days before this, Kenni started getting sick. Now she's always been car sick, so when she gets sick after being on the road, I never think twice! But she started throwing up every day, even without travelling anywhere! As you fur mama's know, we worry about our little ones!! So as Kenni continued to get sick, I knew something wasn't right. I made an appointment with the vet and took her in.

Kenni loves the vet! Mostly because lots of people play with her. You'd think she gets no love at home ;)

 She threw up twice at the vet so they decided to keep her overnight. My poor little heart almost couldn't take it as I walked out of the vet's office without her. I called every two hours for updates and was happy to hear so was doing well!

So they next day, I head back to the vet to pick her up and took home what I thought was a happy, healthy puppy!

We get home from the vet, I carry all her stuff in, and come around the corner to find her sitting here. I think she was happy to be home :)

I wish that was the end of our troubles, but it was not. Unfortunately, she got sick once we were home, and on top of that, starting having a couple of accidents in her crate (which she had only done once before) and having to go outside every half hour. I could just tell she wasn't herself. 

Since I wasn't very happy with our first trip to the vet, we tried a different one in the area and I was thrilled! West Branch Animal Clinic took such great care of both Kenni and I! 

This time, the vet decided she likely picked up a GI bug, and with the overload of IV fluids, she just wasn't feeling herself. We got some new medicine and I'm happy to report she's almost back to normal and feeling much better!

Meanwhile, life has continued and I've been busy with work. Every now and then, I'm lucky enough to pick up my cousin's kiddos from daycare! My cousin and her husband both have tough jobs, and they aren't always able to get off work early enough! On some of those days, I'm lucky enough to fill in!

It usually means my evenings are filled with blocks, playing, and coloring!

This little munchkin was all about playing dress up! She would dump the container out and then put every bracelet, necklace, and pair of sunglasses on before putting them back in the container. Then she'd dump it out and start all over again!

Because I don't always get a lot of time to play with them on days I pick them up, as we head home and then it is time for dinner and bed, I decided to take them each on dates! 

Someone was loving her mac and cheese!

For date 1, this munchkin and I headed to the mall after lunch for pedicures! It was her first pedicure ever and she loved it!

She thought it was so fun to sit in the big girl chairs and put her feet in the mini bathtub!

She choose a sparkly green for her toes and couldn't stop talking about how pretty they were!

I'd say it was a pretty successful day! We had a great time together and she's already excited for our next 'date!'

So that's life lately. Crazy, hectic, busy, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

xo

j

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! 

I don't know about you but I love Fridays and I really love half days at the office!

Today I'm linking up with some of my favorite bloggers to share my Friday Favorites!

1.

So I don't know about you, but I'm falling in love with Nordstrom. They've had their anniversary sale the past month (it ends August 8th!) and I've spent most my free time shopping away. I ordered this dress and let me tell you, I am in LOVE!

It is so comfy!! It's perfect when dressed up for the office with a cardigan or jacket, but can easily transition into a fun outfit with a cute pair of wedges, a scarf, necklace, or jacket! It's perfect for layering, which is another reason I love it so much!

2.

This weekend I'll be in recovery mode, which means lots of wine, Netflix, & Amazon Prime. 

I'm halfway through the show Downton Abbey and I love it! I can't believe I waited this long to jump on the bandwagon, but it's funny, British (which I love), and interesting. I like the dynamics of the all the characters. There's lots going on but never too much so it's just perfect!

3.

Exactly one year ago today I was in Vail, CO enjoying this view:

Needless to say, I'd much rather be there than sitting in the office, but it makes me super excited for my trip to Colorado over Labor Day weekend! So instead of enjoying this view, I'll just daydream about it and plan for my trip!

4.

Today is a very special day. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about......

Tonight is the night of opening ceremonies for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games!!

I LOVE the Olympics. I love the camaraderie, I love the friendships, I love the stories (an Iowa wrestler btw!), I love Team USA, I love it all!

So in addition to watching Downton Abbey, you'll find me watching the Olympics the next couple weeks. My DVR is already set to record everything so I won't miss any of the excitement!

Well that's all for now! Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

xo

j

Weekend Adventures & Birthday Surprises

So this past weekend was a special one because I headed home to surprise my best friend for her birthday!

Morgan and I go way back. As evidenced by this lovely picture, we've been friends since we were little girls back in Dance Recitals. (Please note the beautiful, slicked back hair. I was very stylish)

Since then, we've run track together in middle school, participated in one year of cheerleading together before Morgan realized that wasn't her cup of tea, and we graduated from high school. 

After we graduated, Morgan headed to Iowa State and I went to UNI. We still remained friends, hanging out over breaks and summers, before she really left and headed to San Antonio, Texas for an internship. 

She fell in love with Texas and its people, so unless we met up during Christmas break, our visits were far and few between. 

Luckily, I was able to fly down one year and spend a week with her. We did Texas right and saw the sights in San Antonio and spent the day in Fredericksburg visiting wineries. If you know anything about me, you'll know that day was my favorite!!!

A few months ago, Morgan was offered a promotion in her organization and moved to Kansas City! I was thrilled because it meant driving instead of flying for visits! And just last week, Morgan celebrated her 25th Birthday! As it so happens, she was heading to our hometown, so I (with the help of her mom) decided to head home and surprise her!

I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen Morgan cry, so when I walked through the door and she started crying, it was absolutely worth it!

Our weekend was spent like most of our get togethers are: eating and drinking! Friday night we stayed up talking over drinks and pizza! Saturday was spent on the golf course (where I observed the golfers and drank). We went out to eat that night before coming home and watching a movie! If you haven't yet watched 13 Hours, you need to! 

 

Sunday was another lazy day, but it started with a special treat. Morgan's sister Lauren came home for the weekend too! She just returned from a trip to Norway, so she treated us with a traditional Norwegian breakfast! It was a little unusual for traditional breakfast food in America, but it was delicious!

 

Another crazy part of the weekend was that we had five people and five dogs! Lauren and Morgan each have their own pups, I have Kenni, and the Egli family has two dogs. Needless to say it was crazy at times, but I loved every second of it!

Sunday night it was back to Iowa City before the work week began. It was a wonderful weekend get away and a real treat to surprise my friend!

Happy Birthday Morgan!

xo,

j

About Me

If you're here, welcome!

After months and months of following some of my favorite bloggers, I've decided to join in.

Fair warning, my life isn't always adventurous, but it is always fun and happy!

To get started, I've decided to share a little bit about my life with you.

Full name: Jaime Pearson, but I go by Jai or J

Age: 24

Education: I completed my undergrad schooling at the University of Northern Iowa before going to grad school to get a Master's in Health Administration from the University of Iowa

Hometown: I was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, but moved to Fort Dodge, Iowa at a young age and lived there growing up!

My family: My immediate family consists of my dad, Eric, my mom, Lynette, and my younger brother, Colin

Favorite Food: Ice cream, pasta, and seafood (Can you honestly pick between those three?!)

Favorite Drink: Wine, wine, wine and more wine. I love a good glass of dry wine. White in the summer and red in the winter

Favorite Show: T.G.I. Thursdays! Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, & How To Get Away with Murder

Favorite Vacation: Italy or Dominican Republic. Such different places, such different vacations, but both amazing!

Favorite Sport: Swimming! Growing up, I loved spending time at the pool. Turns out, I ended up being pretty good at swimming and even swam in college for the Panthers of Northern Iowa. Now though, I'm a big fan of anything that gets me active - hiking, biking, walking the dog!

Speaking of sports, I'm an Olympic fanatic. I love the camaraderie, the spirit, and the strength of these athletes. I've got a countdown for the Rio Olympics and can't wait for my DVR to be full!

3 things I couldn't live without: my friends, my family, and my dog, Kensington. She usually goes by Kenni and the occasional Ken.

Well that's all for now!

XO

J