don't get stuck in the meantime.

I just went on an organization binge around my apartment. You know, standard putting away clean laundry, washing dishes, and organizing craft supplies from Monday's attempt at making stockings. During all of this I was listening to the album In Light by Givers.

I've been listening to this album on steady rotation lately, but on my second time through tonight some lyrics really stood out to me:

Don't Get stuck in the meantime

No such thing as the meantime

I love when something I've listened to before catches my attention for a specific reason. This was great timing to lift my spirits during my bi-weekly-twenty-something-life-crisis. There's nothing like a catchy, indie pop tune to brighten your mood!

You can enjoy the video right here:

This video is pretty adorable. It has a flash back type section with the band members when they were little kiddos, which I eat up every time it's used in TV shows/movies/etc. They have a really rad girl drummer who I now have a girl crush on. It ends with a party full of glitter confetti. What more could you ask for?

25 while i'm 25!

So here is my list of 25 things to do while I'm 25. Last year was the first year I made a list like this. You can check out how I did with my goals here. I've been narrowing down my list for a couple months now; getting the vibe of what 25 is like and what I want to focus on!

In no particular order...

1. Go Cosmic Bowling
2. Read more books
3. Take more photos
4. Make home made pizza dough
5. Visit the National Zoo
6. Quit biting/picking my nails for forever
7. Visit Austin
8. Learn more about graphic design
9. Create my own signature cocktail
10. Try to start running
11. Make a book to keep track of concerts I go to
12. No more snooze button. (This might kill me)
13. Watch the sunrise at Redish Knob
14. Go to the beach & build a sandcastle
15. Create weather/mood related playlists
16. Make a laptop case for Marcela, my mac
17. Work on organization skills
18. Eat out less, especially fast food
19. Make a quilt out of my old t-shirts
20. See Titanic in theaters in 3-D
21. Find some everyday earrings
22. Work on my writing skills
23. Make less impulse purchases
24. Stay inspired
25. Take pictures in a photobooth

There's a lot of doing, making, and learning. 25 has treated me well so far. I hope it stays that way.

being 24: the recap

here's a little recap on my 24 things to do while i'm 24 list:

1. Watch the sun rise at Reddish Knob.- i still haven't done this yet, but i'm thinking this will be added to my 25 list i'm currently creating.
2. Send Christmas Cards - i failed with this one too. then i thought about sending new years cards and failed on that. then valentine's cards and failed on that. then i thought about picking a random miscellaneous holiday like national peanut butter day and still failed. maybe this will be carried over to 25 as well
3. Try out for the roller derby. I did this one and am still a part of the league! Check out my post about my freshmeat try out experience here!
4. Go on a trip somewhere I've never been. i explored staunton a bit and even though it is so close i had never been! there's still some more exploring down there i'm looking forward to doing.
5. Get a new tattoo. i haven't done this yet, but hoping that i make this happen for 25!
6. Decorate the top of my desk. i decided to scrap this one. i ended up not really love the desk i had and have since donated it to goodwill. i have since then purchased the greatest craft table ever and have no need to decorate it. it is wonderful as is.
7. Organize my OPA box. i haven't completed this either. i have made some progress and purchased a mini book from here in JMU colors. so there has been some improvement!
8. Eat less fast food. i didn't really measure this or anything, but i'm going to go ahead and say that i succeeded in this. i'm definitely more aware of grabbing fast food and do my best to avoid it as much as possible.
9. Have a Miss America party. i had my second ever miss america party with the one and only emza! you can check out photos and a recap from our evening here
10. Open an Etsy account. i opened an etsy account, but haven't made anything for it yet. i did make some of my first ever etsy purchases and love them!
11. Experiment with video. i haven't done any of the actual video myself, but i have started a collaboration with my dear friend, tyler, and we've released 2 videos and have two more in the works now. you can see our videos here and some behind the scenes of filming here.
12. Get a haircut I like a lot. i've done this one 3 times! i don't really have any stellar pictures of my most recent hair cut at the moment. you'll just have to see me in real life to see it. i've gotten bangs & went dark to collar bone length + bangs to a part edgy part adorable bob!
13. Go to the National Zoo. i haven't done this either but still reallllly want to see the pandas!!!
14. Get on a regular work out schedule. i would say that joining the roller derby has really helped out on this one. working out at least 3 times a week with the team is a major improvement over my nothing before that!
15. Go to a Drive-In. i accomplished this a few weeks ago! andrew, emza, and i when to lexington to check out 30 minutes or less at the drive in. they played old commercials about the snack bar (which was closed that night:-( ) and cartoons counting down to the start of the movie. i can't wait to go again next season!
16. Find a favorite flower. i'm still a terrible girl and don't have a favorite flower.
17. Get better at walking in heels. i've been wearing heals at least once a week to work, most weeks at least! i've definitely improved, but i'm still not an all star.
18. Buy something from the farmers market. i'm really sad i didn't do this either :(
19. Create a focus for my website. i'm still in the process of this, but it should be better by the end of the year!
20. See Katy Perry perform live. I DID THIS AND I LOVE HER. you can read about the concert here and how i was a finalist and almost got to meet her here. still super sad i didn't win :(
21. Sew something from a pattern. another thing that i failed at doing. at the time i made this list i didn't know how restricting my room was for crafts.
22. Find a place to volunteer. i've done some volunteer with the rocktown rollers but am still on the prowl for something else too. i contacted big brothers big sisters but my schedule is just too crazy right now for a weekly commitment. i know i'm lame.
23. Put yummy smelling candles in my room (and avoid starting a fire). i did this! sweet pea is my favorite sent right now and no fires were started!
24. Do something nice for my parents not on a holiday, just because. i call them randomly. does that count?

so there is a recap. it was a lot harder to do all this things than i thought! what was i doing with my life?! 24 was a crazy whirl wind of a year and i am currently looking forward to 25. the five days i've been 25 have been pretty good so far. i'm working on figuring out my 25 things list and hopefully will do better this time.

any other restaurant > dave's taverna

This evening I attempted to meet some friend's at Dave's Taverna for some adult beverages and nomz. I'm going to give you a rundown of the events that occurred.

I tried to order a girlie beverage from the bar. I gave the bar tender my driver's license + second form. He was skeptical because my holograms have completely faded since it's so old. It expires next month and has done well for me the past 4 years of being over 21. He shows some other employee, who then takes my ID inside for top secret investigation.

A women came back and then in the most accusing tone I have ever heard said "Why did you peal the holograms off?" I proceeded to inform her that I didn't peal them off, that my ID is old and expiring next month. It's seen better days. As her accusing tone continued, she informed me that she could tell my ID was real, while she flashed the black light over the back revealing Pennsylvania written, however my ID is invalid without the holograms so they wont serve me.

This was the final straw in my dislike for Dave's. Not only was I not served, but it was handled extremely poorly. If the power tripping women in the light blue polo had come over and in a tone that one person usually uses with another and said something like, "Hey, were you aware that the holograms had come off of your ID? We are unable to serve you because of this. I'm sorry, is there anything else we can get for you?" But instead, I felt attacked and disrespected as a customer for the last time.

The thing that bothers me the most is that there are tons of other great restaurants in downtown Harrisonburg and yet people still choose to go to Dave's. I would now like use this blog as a public service announcement for all the other great restaurants downtown has to offer. The next time you are going out to dinner or for drinks with a group of friends, please think twice before your final decision is Dave's.

Clementine: This is one of my favorites. They have a great selection of beers & other drinks. Have you tried the Oh My Darlin' because it is delightful. Also, they just redid their basement which I have yet to visit. I've had lots of good times hanging out with friends in the lounge or restaurant upstairs. It has a great atmosphere and the employees are some of the friendliest in the area!

Pennybackers: Some arguments for pro-Dave's is that it has a roof top, well guess what?! So does Pennybackers! Enjoy some beers and tots and sandwiches on a rooftop, which I think has a better view than Dave's anyway.

The Artful Dodger: They have happy hour specials until 9pm and a great selection of food. I personally enjoy the cheesy bread & know a lot of derby girls who dig their nachos. They have PBR man cans and have Lions Head on tap most of the time. They also rotate their draft beers regularly. It's quirky and cute and they also have outdoor seating. The Dodger is a great place to go hang out with a group of friends in a chill environment, especially on weeknights!

Union Station: Union Station is relatively new and I love it. Their fries are the best in town. They have really delicious cocktails - try the Starburst or the Berry Splash. You wont be disappointed. Check out their bar in the back. They have bar menu specials from 4-7 and starting again at 9pm. This menu includes a cheeseburger & fries for $2.95 and it's awesome.

Finnigin's Cove: This is quite the charming place. They have lots of space for big groups of friends and their cheese fries are a good life choice. You can smoke inside if that's your thing and they have happy hour specials and PBR on draft. Obviously I have really high standards for impressing me.

As you can see with all these other wonderful options in Harrisonburg I am continually puzzled as to why people choose to go to Dave's?! Every other place I mentioned has better food, better service, and a better atmosphere. The only thing you can get at Dave's is a $3 pitcher of Natty & a guarantee that you will be treated poorly by every employee you come in contact with. From now on I'll take my $3 and put it towards something at one of the many other places downtown has to offer. This is a sorry in advance to any friends who invite me out to Dave's. I will be declining unless you switch locations.

smartphone boycott.

as some of you may or may not know, i am boycotting a smartphone of my own. i'm trying to stay strong with my env3. for the most part i think they're unnecessary at this stage in my life. i'm not running a business where i need to be connected all the time. from my point of view people just use them as a crutch or time waster to check facebook or play words with friends while they are already out with other people. check this out for some smart phone owner lolz.

the one thing that continually draws me to the iphone is the photo apps. i get a little bit jealous checking out blogs or facebook photos with those cool filters. they are my weakness and will be the reason i cave, i know it.

fear not because one of the blogs i follow recently posted this! that's right kids, instagram filters as photoshop actions. snapfish had a special for 200 prints for $2. these two events caused me to play around with my photos so i can have some prints for decorating my new apartment:

this is using the nashville filter. i think it's my favorite. emza & hot dogs are also my favorite.

this is the brannon filter. it does better with indoor photos than the nashville one.

this one is the walden filter. it's my least favorite. i think it's because i'm so pale and it accents that. it's growing on me though.

this is the earlybird filter. it'd be cool if this was sunrise and not sunset.... get it earlybird... i'm hilarious!

there you have it, my way of staying strong on my smartphone boycott.

my first infographic.

I entered this contest for a chance to meet, you guessed it, Katy Perry! The contest was basically to submit art showing your love for Katy Perry for a chance to meet her. Since I'm kind of an infographic nerd I decided that was how I was going to show my love! Check it out below:

OMG I am so excited because I was chosen as one of eight finalists in the contest! I had been OCD refreshing the Nylon Magazine site all morning when I saw the finalists and mine was one of them I abandoned my front desk duties in a giddy sprint to call the boyfriend/parents/random strangers. Check out the site here for all the other awesome finalists. If you like me a whole lot you could leave a comment saying mine is wonderful ;-)

Currently I'm geeking out on my lunch break at Greenberry's and enjoying a mango bubble tea. I think it's what Katy would do in my situation. Incase you were unaware of my love for Katy Perry you can check out my previous blog posts on her here and here!

Gonna be rocking out to Last Friday Night (TGIF) for the rest of the day! I find out Tuesday if I win :-)

i love katy perry.

Let me just give you a little recap of my recent trip to Candyfornia. If you are unaware of my love for Katy Perry, please check out my previous post here.

Now that we're all on the same page I will continue. I have been waiting since basically last summer to see Katy Perry live and the day finally came. Andrew and I road tripped it to the 'burgh to make all my dreams come true.

Before we left:

We arrived downtown thanks to Greta and found a lovely parking spot in a garage with the most narrow, curvy, ramp of all time. Yay Pittsburgh! We drove past tons of girls in neon colors, cheetah prints, and blue wigs everywhere. I hadn't really pictured what the crowd was going to be like. I'm so used to college town Harrisonburg being surrounded by twenty & thirty somethings. I was not prepared for 13 year old girls with colored clip in hair extensions. Anyway, we made it to our seats. More excitement!

I don't know if you can tell or not, but yes we are second to the last row from the very back. No, really, it's fine.

Katy Perry opened with Teenage Dream and my heart was as giddy as ever! Seeing Katy Perry live can be crossed off my 24 things to do while i'm 24 list!

View from our seats:

Her set really was a magical candyland! At the end of the show the arena was filled with pink confetti and glitter.

That blue wig right there... that's her! omg!

Check out this video for a little preview of the craziness behind the scenes of Katy's California Dreams tour:

My love for Katy Perry has continued to grow. Probably to an unhealthy level. It's totally fine. I have it under control.

Tootles!

summer resolutions.

So, I didn't really make any new years resolutions. It just wasn't a good time for them, but now that it is officially the first day of summer I think I am ready for some resolutions.

#1 I am giving up drinking soda. I started this at the beginning of June and I have been staying strong. There was some grape soda temptation recently, but I managed to remain true to my goal. Grape and Orange soda are definitely going to be my weakness. I have been feeling surprisingly good about this one. I'm starting out with this as a summer goal, but am actually just thinking about giving it up forever.

#2 I am going to quit picking my nails. This has been a habit since pre-school. So a 20ish year habit shouldn't be difficult to break right? I'm trying to combat this one with super cute nails all the time. I love and have a slight obsession with nail polish already so this is a great motivator. Check out my new teal shade:

You can't tell, but my drink is blue too. I am just so color coordinated!

#3 Perfect iced coffee. I have been working on this for a couple weeks now too and have it down pretty well! I make my coffee at night while I brush my teeth then place it in the fridge over night. In the am right before I leave for work I use around 5 ice cubes, and by around 5 I mean exactly 5, add the coffee, 2 packs of sugar, about 3-4ish seconds of creamer, that's the official scientific measurement, some hershey's caramel syrup & stir! Add a neon straw to my JMU recycle travel mug and I am out the door. I'm going to experiment with some other flavors too.

#4 I am never going to get tragically lost again. Dupont Circle at rush hour taught me a lesson and this girl has been lost for the last time. Meet Greta, my new tour guide:

Greta is the perfect addition for summer time adventures!

There they are, my summer time resolutions. Happy first day of summer!

behind the scenes peak.

If you haven't checked it out yet, here is Big Meadow Sessions's second video featuring Andrew!

My dear SMAD pals, Tyler Conta and Colin Greene, and I started this little live music video project and I am very excited to see how it evolves. We're still in the beginning stages and any feedback you have would be lovely! If you missed our first video of Lights in the Fog you can find it here!

Here are some behind the scenes shots from our sunny day filming adventure:

The fellas reviewing the footage.

Leaving expensive things laying around a playground.

Play time post recording.

Dizzy.

Make sure you follow Big Meadow Sessions on twitter here for updates and so you don't miss our next video! I hope this brings a little sunshine to your Monday!

the little bro is a college graduate!

It seems like just yesterday that little Marc Lonett was moving into Ikenberry Hall as a freshman at JMU. The past 4 years having my little brother in Harrisonburg have been wonderful. I have so many great memories including too many late night Taco Bell trips to count, winning intramural championships, and being an obnoxious older sister driving through campus and yelling out my window at him when he was a freshman.

Everybody wants to be a Lonett and here is some photographic evidence.

warped tour.

those are high school musical dog tags for an army themed party.

road trip to psu.

thanksgiving food coma.

dhall crew.

jmu playoff football.

hannah montana & oliver oken <3

lumberjack slam jam. ps did you know we were born in canada?

let's go pens.

walt disney world!

heading south on 81.

1787.

looking classy.

super sweet 16. plus six or seven.

standard.

wilson steps.

does this count as annoying?

homecoming.

merry christmas from the lonett sibs.

Now he's a big bad college graduate!

The thing I love most about the time I've shared with my little brother in Harrisonburg over the years is getting to see him transform into this amazing person. He is doing such great things and is always an inspiration to me. I'm glad I have at least one more year of living in the same town. Around this time next year look out for a "Marc Lonett Become a Townie" petition. I have the best little brother ever. I love you.

i'm currently obsessed with...

here are a few things i am currently a bit obsessed with.

1) guacamole and/or avocados. anytime i am at a restaurant and they have an item on the menu that involves one of these things it's pretty much a 100% guarantee that i will order it. i made some guac tonight and it is such a wonderful way to enjoy a monday evening. want some? (i'm only offering because you aren't here and actually can't have it.)

2) Pinterest. it's a site that you can use as a virtual cork board/inspiration board/place to find the cutest things ever. i enjoy finding craft projects (that i don't have time to do), interior design stuff (for an apt that i'm not living in yet), and tropical escapes (that i don't have $$ to go on). so basically it's a good place to day dream and find inspiration for stuff you may actually be able to do one day. i also found this matching couple tattoo, gag a little but refer to #1

3)

this wine found here. i know pretty much nothing about wine and make purchases based only on physical appearance of the bottle. i first found this wine at Downtown Wines & Gourmet. i felt a little classy. later i saw that they were selling it at sheetz. i felt two things, sad because i wasn't as classy as i had originally thought, and excited that it was easier to obtain. i don't know who i was fooling, it has a screw off top how classy did i really think i was?

4) this:

ok so maybe i'm a little biased, but i love, love, love this song. i don't mind being serenaded by andrew with it every now and then.

OH! also andrew just released his debut ep, a little less rough last week. you can listen and download for free here! his little sis and i designed the cover art:

5) i am obsessed with spring and it cannot get here and stay here fast enough. i painted my nails "mellow yellow" today in the spring spirit. see photo from #1.

what are your current obsessions?

merch table masterpiece...

Here's a little peak at the super-cool-DIY-merch-table-light-up-sign that I made for Andrew's show at Jammin' Java yesterday!

Here is the before, it was the box my roller derby skates came in!

The next thing I did was print out his name in the same fonts I had used for andrewrohlk.com and his stickers. I'm such a font whore this was a crucial step for me.

Then I cut out and traced his name onto the box using the print outs as stencils and carefully cut the lettering with a box cutter.

Almost done:

Add some white lights and you've got a finished product:

Check out the set up the day of the show:

We thought about painting the outside of the box black. it looks so cool in low lighting with out it, but as you can see here in a venue that isn't as dimly lit it looks a little silly with the skate logo on it. We're probably going to tweak the design a bit for the next show.

If you'd like to see a little day before the show performance check out this adorable sing-a-long!

Part of this idea was inspired by this project:

Let me know if you have any suggestions for improving the super-cool-DIY-merch-table-light-up-sign.

rad things i've been doing...

So I've been pretty busy lately! Yikes! Here's a little peek at some of the exciting things that have been keeping me occupied!

I now have all of my very own roller derby gear!! Which i've been using three nights a week at practice! If you missed my post on joining the Rocktown Rollers check it out here. Speaking of the Rocktown Rollers, our first home bout is coming up on March 27th! Let me know if you want tickets because I have some. If you're in Harrisonburg you definitely don't want to miss this!

I saw Hellogoodbye in concert. Before you [completely] judge me check out one of their new songs here. Their sound has changed and matured so much since "Here in Your Arms"... in a very, very good way. Forrest (lead singer) is super adorable. How can you not love them?

I got locked in my apartment. Yes you read that right. LOCKED IN. The roomies and I were late to work and had to exit through the secret upstairs of Jack Browns! Kinda cool, plus all my co-workers found it extremely entertaining.

I bought new heels and have been working on being a better girl by wearing them at least once a week to work! Ohh look at me go! It's on my 24 Things to do while I'm 24 list! Thanks to McKinzie for walking a bit slower with me on my first day out in them ;)

I went to my first Pens game in the new Consol Energy Center! It was also Andrew's first professional sporting event ever! So what the Pens lost, we got to see a couple awesome fights at our end of the rink. Plus here we are hanging out with Geno & Sid!

So there it is. Some exciting updates in the life of Jess Lonett. Expect more excitement soon!