Green Thumbs.

My parents came over today to help give us some ideas for the front yard.
Let's just say my mom's lost calling is landscape design.

A plan is in place, friends.

And by the end, Blake and I will be green thumb champions.

Japanese Maple

and a Scotch Pom Pom Pine.

Lilac

Burning Bushes

Weigela

Hybrid Tea Roses

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry

and Summer Wine.

Daffodils

Prairie Grass

Lavender

Iceland Poppies

Tulips

Salvia

Calla and Asiatic Lilies

Hosta

and Iris.

Begining Tomorrow...Weather permitting.

Will post pictures soon.

-Jess.

Things are Getting Interesting.

I interviewed for an internship today at a local law firm.
About an hour after the interview, I received a message asking me if I could start next week.
Um...Yes.

I'm extremely excited to work within the legal field and see what its really all about from the inside.

Moral of the Story: Things will be getting interesting around here for the next little while.
I'm going to be working 16 hours per week at the law firm, 40 hours per week at Kohls, plus school full-time.

Pretty much I don't have a single day off scheduled for the next three months.
Oh, man....I sense craziness....And possibly a lack of blogging for a while. (=

But, I'm so excited for what's ahead.
And possibly a fun vacation at the end of graduation!
-Jess.

Yes. It's True....

I've always been a little blondie.

It's not pretend.

-Jess.

It's in the Bucket.

The Bucket List:

1-Dance: In a Flash Mob.

2-Dare: To Bungee Jump. From a Bridge overlooking Water.

3-Sky Dive.

4-Endure: Run a Marathon.

5-Travel: Wales, Norway, Denmark, England, Israel--Where I Come From.

6-Read: War and Peace. The Bible. The Koran (Qur'an).

7-Write: Something worth Publishing.

8-Play: The Piano in front of a group of strangers.

9-Swim: With the Sharks.

10-Hike: Let's start with Machu Picchu and Go from there.

11-Learn: The Guitar.

12-Habla Espanol.

13-White water Raft.

14-See: The Pyramids, The Great Wall, and Experience: Africa.

15-Make a Baby. Adopt as Well.

-Jess.

Mother's Day Thoughts.

My Mother has always been content with being the woman in the background.

However great or small, her life has been devoted to giving everything she is capable of to her family.

And everyday I fail to appreciate her the way that I should.

I know I will always fail at this.

When I think of My Mother, this is what I see...

Play back every important moment in my life, one key theme always remains the same.

My Mother is standing in the background.

Though a little blurry at times.

She is there, watching over me.

I see nothing but unwavering love eminating from her, through a gentle and loving smile, and her hands resting softly crossed in front of her waist.

This is what I'll continue to always see.

And this is what makes me grateful for her, but also what makes my heart break; to think that someday she may no longer be within eyesight, standing in the background.

So, I will strive each day to love My Mother the way she deserves to be loved.

The way she loves me.

***

Happy Mother's Day.

-Jess.

Day 4-Coming Home.

We woke up early, checked out, and stopped at a little pancake house for breakfast.

Yum.

On our way home.

We picked up Indi and it felt like she hadn't missed us for even a minute.

Then, my favorite moment of the entire trip.

About halfway home, she snuck up into the front seat and laid her head across me.

She's never done that before.

Awe...Maybe she missed me afterall.

-Jess.

Home. -Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Day 3-Waterfalls and a Petrified Tree.

After Mammoth, we headed out to an overlook of a waterfall and took a break for lunch.

It was Beautiful.

Then, we were on our way to see the Petrified Tree, but of course the road was closed because of the snow.

We saw footprints, and you know what that means.

We hiked through the pass to see the tree.

It was a bit spooky.

All that was around us was white snow, and everything was silent except for the wind.

I felt extremely vulnerable, and Blake admitted he felt a little spooked out too.

But...Just a little.

The Petrified Tree.

-Jess.



Day 3-Mammoth Springs.

First stop of the day.

Is this mountain burning from the inside? Hmm.

Roaring Mountain.

~~

Pit stop on our way to Mammoth.

~~

Upper Terrace-Mammoth Springs.

~~

The loop was closed off to vehicles due to road construction.

So, we walked it.

Main Terrace.

~~

Bluebird.

~~

Orange Spring Mound.

~~

This spring is so active that the road is in the process of being moved about two feet.

The workers let us break off some pieces. It felt like chalk.

After we finished walking the loop, we hiked down to the bottom of mammoth and walked the boardwalk back to the top. 

Mammoth.

~~

 Mammoth was easily my favorite part of the day.

-Jess.

Day 2 #2-Hot Springs, Old Faithful, Black Sand Basin.

After our morning hikes and a short break for lunch, we decided to head out in search of geysers and hot springs.

Wolf!

I loved the contrast of the burnt blackened trees from the fires of 1988 against all the fresh green pines.

The first couple hot springs we came across, I was in awe, making Blake pull over for pictures.

Then, I shortly realized that they are absolutely everywhere!

Old Faithful was cool.

I told Blake I was a little disappointed in its stamina, to which we maintained a running joke for the rest of the day.

The Conclusion: Old Faithful is a sprinter, and if one prefers a sprinter then that's okay, the effort is great and all, but sometimes...Endurance is key. 

Black Sand Basin and the many other hot spring basins we came across on our way out of the park were filled with smelly sulfer holes, which looked pretty cool.

Each one had a different tint to it, and the signs taught us that this was due to the bacteria and other organisms a plenty.

Kind of a stinky place to live, but alright.

Oh, and we also learned by end of Day 1...Yellowstone is completely covered in animal poop.

So, watch your step.

-Jess.

Day 2-The Falls, Uncle Tom's, Artist Point.

We really wanted to hike.

The majority of the trails were closed due to snow, but Blake and I made an educated decision based on the footprints in front of us that if other people had survived, surely we would too.

Bison and Elk on our way to the falls and Uncle Tom's Trail.

Yellowstone = Beauty.

The overlook to Yellowstone Upper Falls was the only option open to the public.

To me, waterfalls are utterly beautiful and terrifying.

The hike from the overlook to the Lower Falls was closed, but we decided to venture off anyways.

The footprints showed it was okay. 

It was overwhelming being on the trail, surrounded by nothing but trees and snow, not a person in sight, not a sound but the trees cracking in the wind.

The view was well worth it.

On our way back from Upper Falls, we came across the trailhead of Uncle Tom's Trail, which had been closed off due to steep terain mixed with snow.

Following the footprints, we were led to a cliff, where we could look down on the valley below us.

It was incredible.

We hiked back and then drove up to Artist Point because my feet were wet from the snow.
What a view.

A passerby told us this time of year was the best time for viewing the landscape because of the contrast from the snow.

It was Good Times.

-Jess.