husband

Valentine's picks for the man in your life

2.04.2017

Valentine's Day is right around the corner! I know so many people "don't believe" in it or don't like to celebrate Valentine's Day, but I love it. It is a day all about celebrating the love you have for each other. I know it seems silly and people say "well you should be loving and celebrating your love each day." That is definitely true, and something Hamilton and I really aim to do, but I love having a specific holiday surrounding love.
Hamilton isn't a huge gift giver, and that's totally okay, but I love giving gifts. It doesn't matter who it is, that is one of the ways I show my love for the people I know and care about.
I have some awesome gift ideas for your hubby or boyfriend or whoever you want to get these for!

// For the guy who doesn't have a classy watch yet: Fossil Men's Leather Watch

// For the watch lover: 6-slot Leather Watch Box

// For the book lover: The Last Juror

// For the hipster tie-wearer: Men's Cotton Neck Tie

// For the camper: Winner Outfitters Double Camping Hammock (this is our absolute FAVORITE camping item)

// For the traveler: Leather Canvas Toiletry Bag

// For the one who likes challenging games that make you think: Rummikub

We already own pretty much all of these and I know Hamilton really loves them! Like John Grisham is his favorite author. I have never seen him go through a book like he went through The Last Juror, and he is NOT a reader. So, if you have a guy who kinda likes to read but doesn't want to start, look into these books!

xoxo, Jacquelyn

1.31.2017

birkeland, eternity, family, husband, love, marriage

These are just a few things that I really feel help build up my husband. As a woman, I feel like my husband goes so out of his way to make sure I feel beautiful and loved, but I don't do that as much for him. I really think it is something that many of us women don't do for the men in our lives, and that makes sense. It isn't something that we are told we should do. It isn't something people tell you when you ask for marriage advice. It is just something that is so overlooked.

Lately, I have been trying to make an effort to let my husband know what he means to me. I have just a few things that I would recommend saying to your hubs on a more regular basis.
For me, I don't tell him these things daily, but I really try to say at least one uplifting and very loving thing a week. Obviously, I am always loving towards him, but these are things that are just a little extra. I also don't want them to lose their meaning so I don't want to overuse them.

// You're my best friend.
This is something I say to Hamilton once in awhile and I absolutely love the way he reacts to it. If he's on his phone, he will immediately put his phone down and give me a huge hug. I have found that this is something he loves to hear so much. For us, we spend so much time together, but it is easy to forget that we really are besties.

// I am so happy we met on that day (whenever you met).
Spend a little time reminiscing, but do it from your point of view. Tell him what thoughts you had about him at first. Usually, this makes us laugh so hard because the VERY first time we met, neither of us really liked each other haha. It's fun to hear the others point of view. But use your own discretion because some people are more sensitive and may not want to hear certain things you thought.

// You are such an amazing husband, father, worker, provider (whatever you think he needs to hear at that time).
Some weeks are really rough. Hamilton will come home from work some days and just tell me about how hard it was. These are the days that I make sure to tell him uplifting things. Because he is such a hard worker and he doesn't always think he is.

// Thank you for always supporting me.
My husband doesn't necessarily agree with everything I think, say or do, but he always stands behind me and supports what I am doing. Obviously, if I'm doing anything super crazy he'll let me know, but he really does support me in every way. Also be sure to recognize that your significant other may not support you in the same way as someone else's.

// Tell him 5 things you love about him.
Whenever we get into an argument or after an argument, one of us will usually ask the other, "what do you love about me?" This really helps change the mood and help us get back to that place of love.
I would recommend doing this at other times, though, too. This shouldn't just be a way to change the mood after a fight. This should be something you do on a regular basis. It is so important to regularly remind each other of why you love them. There are so many things that make us up as people, and it is such a nice reminder to be told those specific things.

I hope you take some of these and apply them in your life. They have really helped us uplift and make our marriage more beautiful. These things really help my husband feel loved and appreciated. If you have any others that are different, comment them down below! I would love to hear the things you all do as well.

xoxo, Jacquelyn

11.28.2016

amazing, blessed, Disney, family, friends, fun, happy, husband, travel

So I totally spaced last week and didn't write a blog post for either of my blogs...whoops!
Back to my plan of posting 10 things a week I'm thankful for! I added a few to this post though to kinda make up for the lack of a post last week.

1. State Parks and forests. I am so grateful for these beautiful places that are protected from us ruining them. I have it on my bucket list to visit each state park in Florida, and I will say that I'm doing pretty well so far.

2. All the fishing memories I have with my family. They are some of the best memories I have, and I always hold them close and think about them often.

3. I am incredibly grateful for the country I live in and for all those who have fought for my freedom. I am guilty of taking those simple freedoms for granted. I have such great respect for our veterans because I am way too scared to do any of the stuff they do.

4. High school. I am not one of those people who loved high school. I did have a good time and I did meet some wonderful people. I am grateful for all the lessons I learned and for the things that I was taught both by teachers and by the choices I made.

5. Call me whatever you want, but I am grateful for Disney! I love it there and cant help but feel happy there! I have had some awesome memories with friends and family. I've spend Thanksgiving here and lots of other days too. I would still love to be a princess or fairy at some point in my life haha.

6. The creatures in the ocean. I feel at peace when I am close to the ocean. I love the sounds it makes and I love to watch the waves. My favorite is snorkeling around and seeing all the creatures. Dolphins, manatees, sharks, turtles, lionfish, eels, crabs, and tons of other creatures! I love them all and swimming with them is like home to me.

7. Donuts. Do I really need to elaborate on this one?

8. Concerts. Since Hamilton and I have been together we've been to several music festivals and concerts and I have really been missing out. I have the next concert planned and I can't wait. I feel so alive and inspired whenever I go.

9. Architecture. I love having beautiful and intricate things to look at. It makes me think and it makes me want to explore more cities and towns.

10. Dancing. Hamilton has taught me to love dancing in a new way. I have always loved ballet, and my dad would always dance around the house. But Hamilton LOVES to dance, if he could go out and dance every night, he would. He loves to spin me around like a top, and I have really grown to love it so much. I am so grateful that he has taught me to enjoy such small and simple things.

11. Where we live. We live in a tiny little duplex. We rent from my aunt, but I really love it. I love making the space our own and adding our own personality to it. I am so grateful everyday that I have a roof over my head, and a comfy bed to sleep in.

12. I am grateful for the colors of the sky during sunsets and sunrises. I don't think you can find anything more beautiful than the colors that occur during them.

13. I love to watch the storm clouds roll in. I really just love storms. They make me want to curl up with my favorite movie and a cup of soup. I just love the smell of rain and the sound of storms, it is so relaxing to me.

14. The Earth. I am so grateful for all the opportunities I've had to travel all over the world. Every time I watch the stars or look over a mountain I am reminded of how small I am. There is a great big world out there waiting to be explored.

xoxo, Jacquelyn

9.19.2016

birkeland, bowzer, happy, home, husband

it has taken 3 months but i finally unpacked the last couple of boxes.

to be fair, they were just boxes of books that were very difficult for me to pick up because of how heavy they were..

anyways, we have our bookshelves in our kitchen by our table because thats where they fit the best. and all the books are finally put out and the final boxes are empty!!

it is slowly but surely turning more and more into a home and i love being a lil home maker. it makes me so happy to have everything clean and tidy and in its place. and to cook dinner for my husband.

it gives me such joy to have my husband come home after a long work day to a clean home and dinner coming soon.

hamilton got a new job a few weeks ago with an arborist and he works 6 days a week and usually is gone for 10+ hours a day. i miss seeing his face as much as i used to, but he likes his job a lot, and im glad that he's happy.

we also added a new member to our family. we have a dog! his name is bowzer and he is a pitbull and he is the absolute sweetest boy ever. i love him and i think he really makes our family complete (for now)

i have always had a dog at my house, but the past 3 years i haven't, and it makes me so happy! i love him and he loves us too. we adopted him from the shelter probably a month and a half or so ago, and our little family feels so much more complete now :)

he's definitely ferocious, i know.

our little cuddle monster

isn't our place so cute? i love it

oh and bowzer ate his first shoe today..and yes, it was hamiltons favorite shoe..

i guess that means i have to replace them at some point

xoxo, jacquelyn

9.05.2016

amazing, birkeland, crazy, emotional, husband

i have the most amazing and most supportive husband. he is so good to me.
i am no where near perfect and struggle to be the best i can be.
hamilton is so loving and caring towards me. i have had too many breakdowns to count and i lash out too often, yet he somehow finds ways to handle my attitude.
it can be difficult for me to deal with all the emotions that go through my mind.

i cant say enough good things about him.
he is so loving.
he is so amazing with my nieces and nephews, it just makes me excited to have children with him.
he is the hardest worker i know.
he is also the goofiest person i know.
we are constantly laughing.
he makes my cheeks hurt from how much he makes me smile.
i love how he pushes me to be better everyday.
he pushes me to accomplish my goals.
he talks with me about my crazy dreams i have for our future.
he will watch my beauty youtube videos with me.
he builds me up every single day.
he never lets me win games, which i hate sometimes, but it does make me try harder to use my brain haha.
he can have fun doing absolutely anything.
he will travel anywhere and everywhere with me.

and so so much more.