IF WE DID CHRISTMAS CARDS

I wish I was one of those people who got everything on their list done... including Christmas Cards mailed out the first week of December. Those people probably feel real accomplished, stress free,  and I bet they are completely done with all their Christmas shopping too. Not the case for us. We got back from Aruba the first week of December to find out our baby girl (Bootsie) was not acting like herself. If you know us personally, follow us on FB or IG you are aware that we took her to many places to get answers and help and it's been awful. The results came back and Bootsie has cancer. Can I just say it? FUCK CANCER! I'm sorry for my language but that's about the only thing I can say about it. How does this happen? 

Anyway... Since Tuesday she's been feeling better with her meds but we are suppose to be monitoring her and just observing her behavior. I've taken off work a lot to just be with her. All we want is for her to be comfortable and we want to love on her for as long as we are able too without her being in pain. Saturday she was so energetic running up and down the stairs with me, she even wanted to play with her ribbon again. Yesterday she slept a lot and wasn't too active.  Every little snuggle, every meow, and every little lick we are just taking in. I am so happy that I had so much time with her this week when she was back to her old-self. I needed it. I hope she needed it to. Jacob has been having more of a rough time than I thought. I've always pegged him as a dog guy so when I questioned him about it. He said with a dogs love it's automatic they just love you right away. With Cats you have to earn their love, so with Bootsie it's different. 

My cousin Josephine came over twice this week to check on us and cheer us up with lil Wally (her son)  and donuts. It was then that she decided to come back over one morning and take a family photo of us 3. We never took a family photo. Can you believe that? There has been a million of just one of us and her. Anyway, Jo gave us the best gift possible that morning and I am so grateful. I do not want this post to bum you out I just hope it makes you appreciate the time you have with your loved ones. Furry ones and Human ones. We do not have a human baby. We have a fur baby. If you are not pet people you might think we are a little crazy. I assure you WE ARE but it has nothing to do with Pets. A friend of mine, this week said my posts have been a little outrageous. But that is only because he has never raised a pet on his own so I can't be upset by that comment. I am so thankful that our pretty Bootsie found and chose us 6-7 years ago out of all the people on Castle Court. She broke us down and we opened our back door. She is currently right here with me as I type which is funny because she usually sits on the keys so I can no longer type. I guess she feels like being polite or she knows this post involves her so she's cool with me typing. 

So if we did Christmas Cards this year, they would totally be one of these....

I think we need a painting of Bootsie, her face and coloring are just so pretty. I might even try and attempt it. Anyone have a favorite artist out there that I should look into?

AS OF LATELY /// November

1 /// I have had Strep throat, an Ear Infection, and Bronchitis ever since coming back from California mid September. I think it was my body being run down and forcing me to slow my roll. So when the doctor says take all your antibiotics...even if you start to feel better....DO IT! I don't do well with being sick. I am the worst. Thankfully my husband is the best caretaker in the world. Love him and not sure what I would do without him. Back to diffusing oils on the regular.

2 /// I have read two books recently. One my friend/client let me borrow which reminds me I need to get that back to her. Book 1 was The Yoga Store Murder By Dan Morse. It's the true story of a brutal murder that went down in a Lululemon Store. It was shocking and disgusting what some people are capable. Book 2 was The Girl on The Train, I wanted to read it before I see the movie because I wanted to imagine what the characters looked like instead of picturing them when I was reading...except that I know who two of the main characters are already. Now I am looking for another book to read because I'd rather be reading than watching the boob tube. So please let me know if there is a book I must read! 

3 /// This weekend our small group is going to serve Thanksgiving Dinner and hang out with the youth of the Covenant House. The Covenant House is a charity that helps homeless kids stay off the street. I am equally excited as I am nervous. I want to help so much with a strong face. I tend to cry a lot and get overwhelmed with emotion when I am doing these things. 

4 /// Recently my Cousin asked Jacob and I if we wanted to be a part of something exciting and something we have never tapped into. I had to keep it quiet at first but now I can share! We have invested in a restaurant here in Houston. On 11th street in the Heights to be exact. It's called Presidio. Roosevelt General Contractors have been doing the build out and our friend Adam Dorris from Pax Americana Will be the executive Chef....So it's a win win! We said yes before Adam was brought on and now I feel like that was the best decision we've made all year! I'll let you know when it gets closer to opening! If your curious about Adams cooking and you haven't been to Pax you should come to Lady Birds Bar on Nov 19th for Ghetto Dinner, You will not regret it. Music, Food, Drinks, and a good time! Hope to see you there.

5 /// Jacob and I have never been to New York together so we will be spending 1 day there before heading to Aruba to meet up with our friends Colin and Tess. A first for us both! I have been singing THIS non stop since I have found out we are going. AHHHHH I can't wait! 

YOUNG LOVE MAD STYLE /// Kelly and Seth Pineapple... I mean Plemmons

Let me introduce to you Seth and Kelly Plemmons, formerly known as Kelly Garcia...my sister. I haven't had the pleasure of really hanging out with these two lovebirds other than this trip because the whole relationship was long distance after Kelly moved to Nashville. I'll let them explain, but I thought they were a perfect fit to get my Young Love Mad Style Series back. They are young and young spirited, They are insanely in love, and their style stands out... mainly because their hobbies and who they are is represented well in how they dress. You'll see.. 

How did y'all meet?
At a titty party in Houston :)

The first time we met (we didn't remember this until after we started dating, but we have photos!) was through our mutual friend, Brent Nettles. Seth had just moved to town and Brent brought him to Free Press Summer Fest with our crew. Years later we started bumping into each other around Houston because he was playing music with my cousins and friends. Eventually, we decided to get jiggy wit it around the time that I moved to Nashville. 

How did you make long distance work?
Traveling back and forth, post cards, care packages, talking on the phone, texting, emailing articles, anything to make it feel like we were still with each other. We started having FaceTime dates, which ended up helping a lot. We would have drinks together and watch movies together while on FaceTime. We talked throughout the day everyday.

What were the biggest challenges?
Not having our best pal around through the ups and downs throughout the time we dated.

Why did y'all decide to get married before living in the same city or state!?
Because Seth is a crazy person. When we were talking about him moving up to Nashville from Houston, he proposed the idea of eloping. I was really excited because the thought of having a huge wedding stressed me out. I was also surprised because this was seven months into our relationship. Then again, we decided to be together on our second date and said I love you after two weeks. Turns out, we are both crazy people.

How much did y'all talk about marriage since you were never engaged?
We decided to elope around November 2015 and had loose plans until after Seth took my Pops out to lunch, to ask for his blessing, in late June 2016. Right before Seth talked to my Pops, we decided to go from privately eloping to inviting parents and siblings.  

Where are your rings from?
Seth bought me the "Moon and Stars" ring from Mociun
I had his ring custom designed and made by our friends at Black Spring Folk Art

What was unique about your ceremony?
We were in a baller af location. We were in the middle of the Redwood forrest, the one where Return of The Jedi was filmed, surrounded by our family and close friends.

Why did you want a small wedding with just family?
I love big weddings and the huge dance parties to follow, but I always hear folks say they don't remember the ceremony or they were stressed about all the plans and not what was actually happening on their wedding day and we didn't want that. We wanted the day to be just about our love and our decision to spend our lives together. It's a HUGE promise and we wanted to remember every detail about that day. We've been asked a bunch if we regret doing it that way and honestly no. We would do everything the exact same. It was unreal.

What do you predict will be most challenging the first year?
Since we dated a short amount of time and all of that was long distance, we are still getting to know each other. I think it will take a while to learn each other's habits and preferences, and finding a balance between how we each approach situations could prove to be challenging. We are also learning the effect our upbringings has on the way we both do our day-to-day activities. Also, we are both a year shy of 30 and we are set in our old ways, so we are learning to compromise. yay! 

Any advice to other couples in long distance relationships?
Just like any relationship, if you want to make it work, commit to that and put the effort in. You can't be lazy and expect the magic to just be there.

Favorite things about each other?
We are having a hard time choosing just one. We love all the things. 

Favorite activity to do together?
You know, the S-E-X...  Listening to records and drinking whiskey has been a favorite past time. Traveling, two-stepping, games, and hanging out with Mr. Zeyk.  

What so far is the most annoying thing about living with the other person? Are you trying to cause a fight?

S /// I'm still trying to get used to Kelly being as stubborn as I am.

K /// Same

You can follow their adventures at Kelly Amber Garcia , IG @Iheartbueno, and Seth's You tube Channel showing his crazy talent.