Beautiful Blogger Award

July 30, 2015 19 Comments

beautiful-blogger_awardGuess what? I was nominated for the Beautiful Blogger Award by Arlene at Puffing Colors. My favorite thing about Arlene is that she loves bears, because bears are my favorite. She even has a tag “cute bears”. I don’t even have that!

Four short rules: link the blogger who nominated you; list seven random things about yourself; nominate seven creative, beautiful bloggers; notify the people that you nominate

***Seven random facts***

1. I am so proud of the fact that I can change my own tire on my car, but I recently crashed it and was unable to get the spare out of the trunk because it was screwed in so tightly. Epic fail. All that pride for nothing, still had to call a tow truck.

2. I just found out today that yellow peonies exist. Umm. I must have them. Next year during peony season I will find them. I swear.

3. Every time I go to the zoo, I visit the black bears twice. Sometimes I make up excuses, sometimes I just tell people that we have to see them again and run toward them like a five year old 🙂

4. I am actually very morally opposed to zoos. However, I am a hypocrite on this issue because I cannot resist the animals. Someday I may work this out in my head.

5. I dye my hair much darker than it is, and my eyebrows don’t match. I will pretty much not even leave the bathroom without putting on brow powder. It’s a bit of an addiction. One time I couldn’t get to my apartment because of police roadblocks after my shift waiting tables and I really needed a shower. What did I buy at the store? A new outfit and brow powder…

6. I love fresh cherries, and they are my favorite summer snack. Well, except cocktails and ice cream, but those feel much less virtuous.

7. My favorite colors are yellow and pink.

***my seven beautiful bloggers are***

by Jen Lawson (who doesn’t really do these, but click on her anyway!)

Flashes of Clarity

All-Round Better Me

Only Bad Chi

Did That Just Happen?

assortment box

New Pollyanna

Check out their blogs, and, if you’re in the Pacific Northwest, go find some air conditioning! This is all too much for me right now. I’m hiding inside with my ice water and my portable air conditioner.

❤ Jillian

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My Favorite Search Terms for My Blog 

July 11, 2015 9 Comments

blog stats
Truth be told, I hardly ever look at my stats page. Google Analytics is really cool, and seeing how many people are looking at what on my site is fun. The thing is, it’s kind of a lot of pressure.

When I start looking, I wonder why something I wrote didn’t get many views and something else did. I question why I write absurd things on the Internet.

However, there is a bright spot!! I love to see what search terms bring people to my site.

Here are some of my favorites that have brought people to my little corner (along with my reactions).

I lost weight with happy herbivore (haha I wish but I will get there)

shibainu amazing (Yes. Yes, they are!!)

my bucket list before I turn 35 (aww, crap, I’m getting way too close to 35. I need to work on that list)

childfree 2015 (WHAT? Is that a thing?! Did I start a revolution?)

myself as a sunrise (I have no idea what this means. At all. But maybe it’s a poem?)

how to sex myself (okay, I KNOW I did not write about that)

the bartender loves you (yup. Drink up, readers)

spirit animal sun bear (this person should be my friend)

need a stylist for myself (oh, honey, so do I)

Tupperware myself (okay, what? Are you making your own Tupperware, or wearing it like clothes? Either way I want pictures)

I want more silly search terms. I need entertainment 🙂 Also, if we’re trying to learn from this- I definitely noticed more people came to my blog looking for pictures of Stitchfix clothes than anything else. Stitchfix is amazing!

Jillian

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‘Five Photos, Five Stories’ Challenge Day 5: Portland

March 20, 2015 7 Comments

Alex nominated me to participate in the ‘Five Photos, Five Stories’ Challenge. I like Alex’s blog, Only Bad Chi, because it’s awesomely funny. I probably also like it because I relate to almost everything she says, which I guess is a lot of what drives us to read blogs, right?! I’m hoping this shameless flattery will help her not be mad that I’m just cutting and pasting the next part from her blog 🙂

For the challenge, I have to post a different photo for five consecutive days, and include an accompanying story (fiction or non-fiction) along with each. I also have to nominate a new blogger each day to keep the challenge going! If I nominate you, it’s completely up to you whether you participate. The only other rules are to mention the person who nominated you in your first post, and keep nominating others.

view from the tramI love living in the Pacific Northwest. I am originally from Oregon. I lived in Seattle for eight years and then came back to Oregon. I love the moderate weather, easy going people, and quick access to all sorts of beauty- mountains, rivers, valleys, the Pacific Ocean. We have it all (except warm water for swimming).

However, it’s super easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget that you have it all. This is true of pretty much anything, but I specifically mean enjoying my surroundings.

When my friends come to visit, they always ask for recommendations on what to do. They usually get a blank stare. I’ve lived here for 10 years.

That’s just awkward. What easier way is there to let everyone know that all you do is hang out with your dogs?

I have one friend that is convinced you should always play tourist in your own town (one of the same friends that has given up on getting any good advice from me on fun things to do or places to shop that aren’t on the internet). Once in a while, we actually get motivated to get out and play tourist.

This picture was taken from the tram in Portland. It was built as transportation from the South waterfront up to a hospital, but it’s great for tourists. You get a fun ride and a great view (if it’s sunny).

You also get to feel like you “got out and did something!!!” Then you can reward yourself by going home and hanging out with your dogs some more 🙂

Seriously though, it’s almost Spring! I vow to go outside and play more.

I want to nominate Lisa from Life As Lisa Knows It to do the challenge next (no pressure if you don’t want to!)!

Jillian

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‘Five Photos, Five Stories’ Challenge Day 4: Yoga Bear

March 19, 2015 9 Comments

Alex nominated me to participate in the ‘Five Photos, Five Stories’ Challenge. I like Alex’s blog, Only Bad Chi, because it’s awesomely funny. I probably also like it because I relate to almost everything she says, which I guess is a lot of what drives us to read blogs, right?! I’m hoping this shameless flattery will help her not be mad that I’m just cutting and pasting the next part from her blog 🙂

For the challenge, I have to post a different photo for five consecutive days, and include an accompanying story (fiction or non-fiction) along with each. I also have to nominate a new blogger each day to keep the challenge going! If I nominate you, it’s completely up to you whether you participate. The only other rules are to mention the person who nominated you in your first post, and keep nominating others.

yoga bear

I think it’s just obvious that this picture is EVERYTHING. I was reading a running magazine one day on the treadmill (probably Women’s Running, it’s my favorite, but I don’t remember), and I found this ad. I seriously starting giggling at the sheer cuteness. Then I just could.not.stop.laughing.

I don’t know if you’ve been to a large gym, but there generally aren’t a lot of runners on treadmill laughing hysterically to themselves and holding pictures of bears, while trying to not fall off the treadmill (unless I belong to your gym, then that kind of thing happens a lot).

It was kind of embarrassing. I pulled myself together.

Then I took a picture of the ad with my phone.

And lost it again.

Every time I need a smile, I look at this bear in cobra pose. What makes you lose it?

My friend M just cannot keep any kind of chill when anyone mentions goats. It’s a long story… but she has this idea that the funniest thing in the world would be to put a goat on someone’s porch. Like… where did it come from? What is it doing there? I kind of get it. But not like she does!!

I want to nominate All Around Better Me to do the challenge next (no pressure if you don’t want to!)!

Jillian

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Creative Blogger Award

March 13, 2015 21 Comments

creative blogger awardSo… Ari likes my blog enough to nominate me for the Creative Blogger Award! Yay! I find this very exciting, because Ari is very cool (and, incidentally, some sort of Twitter genius). I like her blog because it’s a random lifestyle blog, like mine. She talks about anything and everything, and is fun to read.

Here’s the spiel:

  • Nominate 15-20 blogs and notify all nominees via their social media/blogs
  • Thank and post the link of the blog that nominated you
  • Share five facts about yourself to your readers
  • Pass these rules on to them

Here are my facts~

  1. If you can get close enough to my face without getting hit, you can see that I have a wavy scar across my top lip. I fell down with a whistle in my mouth when I was four, and my mom had to pull it out of my lip and rush me to the hospital. They decided against stitches so as to not “mar my beauty”. Ah, the hilarity…
  2. I can juggle. I even used to be able to juggle with a ball, a rock, and an apple and eat the apple while juggling- but I am not sure I could still pull that off.
  3. My sister is my best friend. We even have matching tattoos. (ps she just got an A in her psychology class and she thinks that belongs on my blog. Check it out, C-Bear, here it is!)
  4. I don’t believe that blood is thicker than water. I have five siblings, only one of which is blood related to me. They are all still my family.
  5. I was attacked by a dog when I was six or seven. It drug me down the street until we got to my house, and then my dog ran out and saved me. I was afraid of dogs for years, but now I love them and have completely forgiven them all.

The 15 bloggers that I want to hear five random facts about 🙂

Happy reading and happy Friday!

Jillian

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Liebster #3 and Friday Love

March 6, 2015 11 Comments

yay!Oh my gosh, guys. If people don’t quit telling me they think I’m awesome, I’m just going to keep writing these rambling posts. Consider yourself warned!

When she nominated me for a Liebster award, kzzinsky wrote:

How To Be Myself – Jillian is awesome and I feel somewhat of a kindred spirit

I’m not going to do another post, since I’ve already done two (one and two). However, I do want to say thank you, and mention that you should all check out kzzinsky’s blog. Her tagline is “please allow me to entertain you with my frequent poor decision making”. Cracks me up. Every. Time. I wish I could steal it.

And now… my thought processes of late, expressed in links and short stories. Or, as a less dorky person might say, “Friday Faves!” (some of these are affiliates links- I get a small percentage of the sale if you buy it. I bought everything myself!)

After our company dinner party on Tuesday, my coworker told me the next day that two guys followed me to my car, then walked off when they saw her staring them down. Ummmm… WHAT??? So, I bought pink pepper spray. Hopefully it arrives before any more creepy stalkers show up.

Mag mentioned that Baggu makes her favorite shopping bags. I now want all of the bags, and I want to buy everyone I know all of the bags. It’s possible I have a problem. I haven’t decided yet, we’re just leaving the possibility of said problem open to interpretation.

I keep buying stuff at Modcloth and returning half of it. If you take a credit instead of money back on your card, you get free shipping and $5 extra. Now I have almost $100 in Modcloth credit. I’ve had worse problems (see above weird bag obsession), but I didn’t really see anything I wanted. This shirt is super cute, but I can’t handle any sort of purple. Why is everything cute purple?! I really like this blue shirt, but I don’t think I have anything to wear it with except black. Black would look weird, right?

I’ve been really stressed out lately. Textsfromlastnight.com (probably nsfw) makes me laugh every time. Immature? Maybe. I don’t care 🙂 I’m really still laughing to myself at my laptop.

How To Get Away With Murder and Scandal. I just finished the season finale of How To Get Away With Murder last night. Obviously I won’t ruin it for anyone, but I feel like I need to watch it again (but with a drink in my hand this time). I can’t wait to watch Scandal tonight!

What are your Friday plans?

Jillian

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