Jack & Jill Put Up A Blog

This week’s Date Night Idea: 

Every year we pick out a Christmas ornament that represents a memory, meaning or a place together. We then write on a small card that we attach to the string of the ornament with details on why we picked out the ornament for that year. 

For the night, we get in our pajamas, put on Christmas movies, drink Egg Nog spiked with Brandy and put up our Christmas decorations. We have a lot of fun looking back at our ornaments and reminiscing. Of course, it wouldn’t be a night with putting up lights without a freak out cussing session followed by about 10 minutes of silence when something goes wrong like putting up about 10 stings of lights, plug them in only to find out…you know the rest. Good times. 

I know this is specific to the Christmas holiday. If you are celebrating an upcoming holiday, maybe you can find a way to incorporate the idea. 

Date Night Idea: 

Collect Ornament(s) that represent years in your life together and attach a note card with a little reminder to help you remember why you picked out the ornament. 

Date Night Needs List: 

• Ornament(s) (catch up or make it your first year) 
• Egg Nog (Brandy – if you are crazy like us)  
• Christmas Movies – Jill’s favorite:  ”White Christmas. Jack’s Favorite: “It’s A Wonderful Life”
• Christmas/Holiday Decoration
• String, hole punch, note card, scissors for your memory note card that you attach to your ornament. 

To get an idea and to inspire your ornament tradition, here are our ornaments and the story that goes with each one. 

 

 Leaf

We picked up this ornament in Estes Park, CO, before we were married at this cute mountain town Christmas store. We were up there around Christmas time because Jack wanted to give me a couch for a weekend for Christmas so we stayed at The Wildwood Inn. We were living in a studio at the time with no couch, so it was a fantastic gift. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snow Flake 

Jack took me back to the Wildwood Inn the next year to ask me to marry him. He asked me on a hike in the mountains and it started to snow. We were amazed at the intricacy of the snowflakes natural designs. Later in the day, we found this snowflake ornament at the same Christmas store where we picked up the Leaf the previous year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Star

We returned to Estes Park, CO to the same Christmas Store again to pick up our ornament. The star was just pretty, the special part was the tradition of picking out the ornament at the same store. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did this get in here? Spot found the Snow Man that Jack’s Mom gave us years ago. He has now claimed it and is giving it love. I think he is the only labrador retriever that will not destroy stuffed animals to pieces. He’s a lover not a fighter.

And yes, he is in a t-shirt. It’s hilarious how much he loves wearing clothes. I’ll hold open the neck hole of a shirt and he wags his tail and sticks his head through himself. 

 

 

I heart NY

We picked up this magnet and made it into an ornament to represent the year we moved to New York City. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Door 

This ornament represents the year we bought our first home in Denver, CO. Nuff Said

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labrador

I bet you can’t guess what this one is about. Yes, it is the year we adopted our Spot. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pickle

We found this I think at Target. A little different from the first three ornaments, but we just loved the story so much and wanted to play. It has to have some kind of purpose because why the heck would you ever get a pickle for your tree? On our card for this one we have that it was our first ‘real’ tree purchase. Prior years involved mini trees that you could use as a center piece for your kitchen table. 

 

 

 

The story of the pickle goes: 

“Miniature Gurken. Long Ago when parents decorated the Christmas tree, they hung the pickle ornament last, hiding it in the green boughs. When the children were allowed to view the tree, they would begin searching for the pickle ornament because they knew they would receive an extra gift for being the most observant.” 

 

The Pig

The glass pig we picked up in Sherman Oaks, CA at the cutest store called Handmade Galleries. The reason we connected with a pig…get ready for you veggies out there…you all are going to think we are total HICKS…we had a pig roast at our rehearsal dinner. Hold on now! Hold up! Listen! Pig roasts were something we both grew up with and it spoke to both of our childhoods. My uncle roasted the pig in the driveway just like he did every summer growing up.  

 

 

Acorn

Years ago, we had this brilliant idea to make ornaments out of acorns. We gathered acorns and made a business plan. We were so original and on our way to millions. Then we did a little research and discovered we were far from original. Thus, our dreams were shattered.

Recently, we were shopping for our ornament for this year and came across this very well done acorn ornament. We were so impressed…and pissed. Jerks. 

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason, I am really craving a pickle right now. Happy Holidays! 

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He Said Well as I recall, and I’m certainly not known for my recollection, we were in ‘hers’ apartment, late. Her sister (my roommate) and her boyfriend were out of town for the weekend. The four of us at that time were pretty much inseparable, so for the first time we were left alone to our own devices. Uh oh. The details of this have always been in debate as ’she’ and I were sitting on the floor facing each other and yet when we discuss it… "I was facing the dresser." "No, I was facing the dresser." Well we were both sitting on the floor with the bed, the dresser and the desk around us. Fact. I was smitten. Fact. After loads and loads of talking ’she’ initiated the kiss. Fact. I was facing the dresser. eh *shrug*? I got the girl. Fact. - Jack

She Said I remember it vividly. We were on the floor of my apartment in St. Paul, MN. I was facing the dresser. Jack was facing the desk. -Jill

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Here’s what led us to onramp the InforMEtion Superhighway.

Everybody else’s blogs got all up in our faces. “Blog” this… “blog” that. Blah, blah, blog. How about blahg? That’s what all this inforMEtion seems to be at times. We wanted a way to document our life’s goings on. Not so much day to day what-we-did lists, but what’s crossing our minds at what points in time. Also, we, or at least I, want to learn what the all the fuss is about. Blogging doesn’t seem to be going away. Seems a growing beast.

Clearly I don’t know too much about it. There are the blahgs that are about nothing but “Hey this is how I spent my time in uzbekisganza. See my hair is braided with shells!” Cool. It’s like an online scrapbook for friends and family. Fair enough. Then there are the blAHHHgs. Those blogs that make a positive impact on society with their in depth news gathering and reporting. The fact that someone’s blog has exposed this or that politician or brought light to this or that issue and bettered peoples lives. This amazes me. Truly power of people.

Then there are the really cool blogs that simply share great ideas and tips on life and living. They make this wide world seem like a little community. It’s like having some really smart neighbors from whom to learn.

I’m not sure where this puppy will wind up. Yet. I hope to learn a bit; have a laugh; lighten up; and drink some great wine through it all. And stop watching so much G’d damn TV.

Jack and Jill here. What is up?! We decided to start a blog to chronicle our lives and if we can manifest this into blog mania..(dun dun dun – in a low voice) we accept the wishes of the blog god’s.

Let’s dig in…

On what the fuh are WE doing, we are covering things we find ‘adventurous’ such as date night, marriage, couples, Disneyland, the “when are you having a baby?” incessant question, he says & she says, home improvement, DIY, first time landlords, camping, food, wine…on and on.

As far as the wine goes, don’t expect too much here. We are two people possessing the inability to collect adjectives to describe what we are tasting. Deep down, not too deep down, we want to be those people who exploit and pretentiously go on about their “palettes” – a word I learned to associate with wine tasting from the movie, Sideways.

Side note: Sideways, the movie that is…is one of our favorite movies and we will even admit to have sat down with the script, wine (duh) and aged cheeses to really dig in.

With that bit of info, isn’t it nice how this is flowing to the next thing, you will notice we are also into entertainment – movies, scripts, TV and then music and the like…this will be in the what the fuh are THEY doing, which also consists of environmental issues, maybe some politics. Also, we live in the mecca of it all, Los Angeles and are pursing the industry – hence the pseudo names – Jack and Jill – cause you never know. Who knows maybe you have seen us on TV, Movies or listen to us on the radio…or not:)

Then there is Spot. He has his own page – what the fuh is SPOT doing…he is a sweet, annoyingly grumpy, odd 2 year old yellow Labrador retriever who makes frequent visits to the vet and is afraid of flies…this is not, in any way, an exaggeration.

I think this does it for the introduction. Our mission: to have fun and drink some cheap yet yummy wine…