shopping success

Of course over Thanksgiving break, I did some Black Friday shopping. The best part is I never left my home or the comfort of my pajamas (those are the best days off of work). Yep, I did all my shopping online and it was wonderful!

One of my favorites are these Steve Madden fringe booties from Nordstrom. I have been wanting a pair of fringe booties for quite some time now and I loved these the most. My treat to myself :)

This week at work I paired them with a long sweater, classic white tee and boyfriend jeans one day. The next day I wore them with skinny jeans, a cute blouse and scarf. I had several compliments and lots of people say, "I could never pull that off" or "I have some booties, I just never knew how to wear them"

The best trick is to make sure you have a tiny peek of your ankle. That's why they are ankle booties! Roll your jeans a bit or make sure your leggings do not tuck into your booties. I also like booties with a sweater dress to show off the legs you work so hard for!

the art of the written word

I am clearly a fan of writing. I was reading Real Simple magazine the other day and there was an article about 5 rituals that should make a comeback. Handwritten letters was one of them and I could not agree more! I have always gotten cards throughout the years from my grandparents, parents and friends. The time I loved it most was when I was in college. It remind me of home and made me feel special.

I try to bring that into my teaching as well. Every grading period I write a note to one boy and one girl from each of my six classes. The reception is generally a warm one. I decided to send them to my students from last year who are now freshmen in college. I got responses from about 50 of their parents with the addresses, so I had a lot of writing to do. However, I loved every minute of it! I am just now starting to hear back from a few of them, but that is not the point. My hope was that they would know they are loved and that I am thinking about them all, wishing them well.

Just a few of the letters I sent out to former students

Christmas is no exception to this rule. I know people receive an influx of cards during the holiday season, and I want to make sure we are one of them. I went a little bigger than last year. We had my parents take the photos and I bought bow ties for Max and Chunk (thank you Target dollar section!). Unfortunately Max is 100 pounds and all fur, so you could not see his bow tie, but Chunk looked dapper in his. I giggle every time I see the photo. Anyways, whether it is writing a handwritten note or sending a "thinking of you" card, it is so important to communicate with loved ones. And who doesn't like being on the receiving end?!

Chunk, such a Southern gentleman :)

Merry Christmas!

thanksgiving break

I am a teacher in a wonderful school district in Rockwall, Texas. We are lucky enough to have the whole week off for the Thanksgiving holiday. It makes me feel like I am in college again! Aside from the doctor appointments and running errands, I had a pretty exciting week.

My momma is a member at the Dallas Arboretum and they are currently hosting the "12 Days of Christmas at Night" event. I normally do not want to see or hear anything related to Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but I made an exception since my husband had the evening off work. The whole thing was designed so beautifully and was very detail-oriented, which I appreciate. Each day of Christmas was portrayed in a separate gazebo - these things were huge!

"12 Drummers Drumming"

"7 Swans-a-Swimming"

"And a Partridge in a Pear Tree"

My husband and I do not make it past the lake in Rockwall very often. In fact, it is kind of a running joke in our house. I had just been shopping that day and I was feeling adventurous in the makeup department. Pictured below is a fun print sweater from francesca's and my favorite red lipstick, "Caprice" from Lancome. Both pair well with black boots, skinny jeans or leggings and a handsome man! ;)

Being a teacher, I love to read! I definitely jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon and read all three books in one week. I specifically remember because I would even take it to the rec center in college and read while I was working out! Tom was a trooper and took me to see Mockingjay Part 1 on Wednesday. Man, it was good!

On Friday, I spent my last of days off with Tom doing one of his favorite things, shooting! We went to Targetmaster in Garland, which is great because they have a pistol and rifle range. We shot about 200 rounds in each of our pistols. Buy your ammo in bulk for target practicing, big money saver! One of our friends that went with us had never held a gun before, so that was fun to watch and be a part of. Tom just got an AR-15 not long ago and he let me play with it. I think it is safe to say, do not mess with me. :)

I finished up my long break with a weekend at the Lone Star German Shorthair Pointer Club's Hunt Test in Decatur, Texas. I have been around this breed of dogs since I was five years old and I finally have one of my own, Chunk. My dad has always been very active with his dogs. Currently, he has five! I love them all and they are a truly amazing breed. Chunk loves chasing birds in the backyard, so it seemed like a no-brainer that I would work towards competing with him in field trials.

Field trials are competitions where dogs compete for championship points. Hunt tests are for judging your dog on their individual capabilities as a bird dog. The categories in which they test are hunting, bird finding ability, pointing, trainability, retrieving and honoring. Chunk is in the "Junior Hunter" category so he is not judged on retrieving and honoring yet. The dog must get a 5 or higher in each category to qualify. Chunk passed on his first try! It was my first time to ever handle a dog on my own and I had a blast! It sounds cheesy, but this is alone time with him that I feel like will only strengthen our relationship. He is a good dog, but still has some puppy in him. I see some areas that we can work on as a bird dog and a house pet, and I believe the hunting together will just solidify his trust in me. pictured below is the two of us after the first run. I could not stopping hugging and kissing him, he just made me so proud!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and found some time to kick up your feet and just relax!

hey there!

Hello! This is my first blog and I am ecstatic! My name is Jessica Michele and I live the simple American Dream life. My intentions here are like me, simple! I love to write and I love sharing the happenings of my life with people I love.

Growing up my dream went from being a teacher, to a waitress and somehow to a country western singer. Once I started high school my dream became more realistic. I wanted to be a college graduate, an employee, a wife and a mom. 

I am a graduate of Texas Tech University (Wreck'em!) with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a teaching certificate in Journalism (8-12) and English Language Arts (8-12). I am married to the apple of my eye, Tom. Together we have two dogs, a one-of-a-kind mutt named Max and a slender German Shorthair Pointer named Chunk. 

In my short 24 years, I am proud to say I have accomplished three of my four major dreams. I live a simple life and that is just the way I like it.

photo credit: Mary Grace Longno from Captured by MGL