Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge

Holidays are treacherous! Too much home cooked goodness right my finger tips and cold weather tempt me to curl up on the couch with White Christmas, a blankie and some cookies. Well not this holiday season!!!!!

I am participating in the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge!

HBBC Official Rules

1 Point per mile (run/walk/snowshoe)

1 Point per 3 miles biked

1 Point per 20 minutes of weight lifting, Pilates, yoga, stretching or abs

1 Point per 15 minutes of another form of cardio (i.e. kick boxing, aerobics elliptical)

1 Per day where you reach a minimum of 7 servings of fruits and veggies
Challenge will run from Nov 20 to Jan 7…this helps to cover you for the major holidays!

It should be fun and helpful in reaching my running goals. Friends and family you will be participating with me even if you don't know it yet. Mom, you and I are running on Black Friday instead of shopping and Brooke don't think you are out of this either. SO don't try to hide from me this holiday season because I will find you!

Carol Hannah and her swoon worthy creations

I am an avid Project Runway fan. This season I am enjoying Emilio, Uli was amazing during her season but Carol Hannah has been probably my all-time favorite designer from any season. Her style is just so romantic, sweet and effortless (kinda like me, right?)

Well today while perusing my favorite blogs I see that Jessica (one of my fave bloggers, my fashion guru and fellow Hoosier) participated in her recent bridal fashion show in NYC.

Soon I found myself drooling all over Carol Hannah's Etsy's shop. But what caught my fashion heart was the Queen Street Draped Jersey Dress shown below.


I think it would be perfect for one of the summer weddings on my calendar. I will be just like the girl in the picture but there would surely be a glass of champagne in my right hand and a handsome young gentleman by my side.

National Popcorn Day

Today is ironically National Popcorn Day!

(via Yum Sugar)

Why is that ironic you may ask?  Well maybe it is the fact that I spent my morning in the the dentist's chair repairing a chipped tooth thanks to a popcorn kernel.  I love popcorn but I am a little nervous to dive right back into the the salty, buttery goodness.  This year I am not exactly celebrating this national holiday so please take an extra handful for me.  

 I promise next year we will be enjoying some freshly popped corn while watching a movie together.  

But don't worry, I will make sure I have the dentist on speed dial!

Awesome wall art idea

I'm kinda in LOVE with this idea.  It's a variation on the antique plate walls I have been seeing everywhere lately.  And the greatest part is that I have the perfect blank spot in my living room  Now I just need to go out and cheaply find a hodge podge of both vintage and modern looking plaster ceiling rosettes.  Any ideas on where to look?

{ from DIY }

Checking in on my 30 Before 30 List

We are officially into the new year so I thought I would take a look at how I have been coming on my 30 Before 30 List.  I started this list last year and have made a some progress so I thought I would share.

1)  Travel to another country - Not yet but hopefully next year

2)  Learn to sew - I got a sewing machine for Christmas so this one is in progress

3)  Design & sew myself a fabulous dress - Not yet but please refer to my fabulous new sewing machine above!

4)  Plant a garden - I planted flowers and herbs this past spring but everything died within a month so not a success but a good try.  I will do this again next spring!

5)  Learn to like running - Trying but no real progress yet

6)  Run a mini-marathon - NOPE

7)  By a fabulous piece of art by an up and coming local artist - Not yet but I am loving Allison's art maybe she can create something for me from a picture.  I know her expertise is with animals but I would love a people version of her awesome work!

8) Create my own piece of art - Nothing yet but my creative juices have been flowing lately

9)  Visit New York - YES!!!  Goal achieved!

10) Visit LA - No luck yet

11) Go surfing - :(

12)  Spend a holiday with the needy - I'm hoping next Thanksgiving with Mozel Sanders

13)  Learn Spanish (try to retain more than I did in high school) - Nada

14) Fly first class - Yeah right... no luck there!

15) Throw an awesome dinner party - Sorry no update here, but I should do that soon!

16)  Sing somewhere other than my car or in the shower (this would make my mom very happy) - Nope

17) Take a ballet class (I took 15 years of ballet growing up - hopefully I will be able to at least remember the basics and not fall on my butt) I have checked out the class schedules at Indy Dance Academy and I'm thinking about joining a class there.

18) Give being a vegetarian a try - I went Vegetarian last May after Meat Night at Fogo de Chao.  I stayed with it for almost 5 months.  I really enjoyed it and consider myself a quasitarian now eating mostly vegetarian but I let a little meat slip in once or twice a week.

19) Have some professional photos done (sorry - no nudie pics) - Goal achieved! My Super talented friend Kevin Conners of Kevin Conners Photography spent the day with me on the grounds of the IMA taking some lovely and fabulous pics!  Thanks Kev!

20) Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity - No

21) See a big name artist at a show in Vegas (a show with sequins would be a plus!) - Not yet but I'm going to Vegas in May so hopefully I will then!

22) Work on my photography skills - I have been taking more pictures but I think I should take a class to learn more about photography for this goal.

23) Go on a wine tasting tour in California - Goal Achieved!  I went to Cali this past fall and went wine tasting with mi madre.

24) Start some sort of side venture/pet project where I am showcasing my creative talents

25) Go on an exciting far away excursion with my mom - Nothing planed as of yet

26)  Go to the Indy 500 with my dad - Maybe this year!

27) Go skydiving with my brother - No progress yet

28) Plan a big event/party for myself or someone else - Does planning the holiday party at work count?  I'm hoping for something a little more swanky in this department to officially meet this goal.

29) Buy a forever classic amazing piece for my wardrobe that seems too expensive at the time but I will treasure forever - Nothing yet... but believe me, I have been looking!

30)  Continue this blog until my 30th birthday (at minimum) - I am working on blogging more frequently thanks to my new work schedule.  I have big plans to revamp the look.  I will definitely continue until at least my 30th birthday!

I guess that's not a bad start; 5.5 goals met and 22 months left.  I better get busy working on the rest of the list pronto!!!

Adios 2009... Hello 2010

So NYE was a blast and I would love to share the one million and one awesome pics I took over the course of the evening but in true Jackie fashion, I dropped it at the end of the night and broke it again!!!!!!   This is the second time in the past year that I have dropped and broken my camera.  Thankfully I bought insurance last time!

The year 2010 was rang in with fabulous friends while listening to the one and only DJ Phil b, who made an appearance Talbott Street.  We had so much fun.

Then we went to Blu and then ended the night with a ride in the Chicken Limo.

So all in all it was a great evening spent with great friends and hopefully a sign of great things to come in 2010 (except the camera breaking pattern... hopefully that will stop soon!)

I hope everyone had an equally excellent start to the new year and have no fears... I will be sharing my pics as soon as I can.  I know you are dying to see all the fabulous and crazy events that took place.

Catching up

I know I'm a little bit behind but things have been a little bit crazy during the last few weeks.  So here is the photo heavy recap!

My mom and I went on a trip to California.  First we visited Lake Tahoe.  It was chilly but the water was beautiful.  It was such a hippy, boho, granola environment...I loved it!

Then we went wine tasting.  Miner Winery was fabulous.  The grounds were beautiful and the wine was super yummy!

We went to San Francisco and walked across the bridge.  It was really loud and windy but the view was breathtaking!

Then Aubrey and I went to Miami.  The sun was shining, the weather was gorgeous and beach was exactly what I needed.  

We went out to some fabulous dinners and enjoyed the Miami nightlife.

I celebrated my 28th Birthday!!!!

When we got home Brooke, Gene and I had our annual triple birthday celebration.  It got a little crazy but there was no crying, puking or fighting so I would call that a success!

Oh yeah, ad I got a new job!!!!!!!!!

After 5 years I am leaving my job in television and going to work for Angie's List.  I will be the assistant to the C.E.O.  I am super excited about this new opportunity and a fresh start.  With all of this comes a normal schedule and more free time.  I am hoping that will lead to better blogging habit and (fingers crossed) a blog redesign!!!