Latest Post

A new month means it’s time for a new virtual book club pick!

Last spring, I read a book called The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff, and it ended up being the book that gave me my quote of the year: “The work of the artist is to freeze time.” As someone who loves taking pictures wherever I go, there’s almost nothing more satisfying to me than hearing the click of my own camera. There’s something so pure about capturing a good picture — the kind of picture that takes a moment in time and freezes it into a forever memory. A good picture is one you can look back upon — days, weeks, months, or years later — and be transported right back into the thick of it. Back to the laugh you shared with someone you love. Back into the sound of the waves crashing the shore at the beach. Back to the little joys that sometimes seem forgettable and the life-changing moments that made you shed a happy tear or two or three. That’s why I love taking pictures… I have all these frozen capsules I can close my eyes and jump back into. What’s not to love about that?

A new month means it’s time for a new virtual book club pick!

Does anyone else feel like the months of September and October always fly by way too fast? It’s like I wait all year long for my favorite ‘ber months to get here (hello fall, hello pumpkin everything), then I blink my eyes for one second and they’re more than halfway gone already. Boo! September, fast as it seemed to go by, was a busy month for us as we tried our best to balance weekend adventures and baby priorities. We had a lot going on, but I’d say it was a productive month all things considered. Let’s recap my September goals and take a look at what I want to accomplish in October.

I still remember the day I clicked play on Taylor Swift’s debut single Tim McGraw. I was browsing iTunes, looking for music, when I stumbled on an unfamiliar new song I thought at first glance was released by Tim McGraw. I remember thinking to myself, “Tim McGraw wrote a song called Taylor Swift? That’s kind of a weird title.” But after hitting play, I quickly realized it wasn’t a Tim McGraw song at all, rather the debut single of up-and-coming Taylor Swift, a young teenage singer-songwriter with a diary, a guitar, and a dream to become the next big country superstar. From that very moment, I’ve been all-in on Taylor Swift — and what a privilege it’s been to grow up alongside Swift and her music for the last (almost) 20 years.

August sipped away like a bottle of wine (Welch’s Sparkling Red Grape Juice for me)… and so did our second wedding anniversary. To celebrate two years married, Alex and I took an extended weekend road trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where we rented a cozy, newly renovated beach house and spent time exploring the many beautiful places along the scenic North Carolina Highway 12 and Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We spent our mornings with the rising sun, logged many miles on our feet, visited the remote Ocracoke Island by ferry, stumbled upon a couple cute coffee and ice cream shops, opened our wedding box, and r&r’d our weekend away. It was the best of times!

A new month means it’s time for a new virtual book club pick!

When I found out I was pregnant in late-March, I remember thinking to myself, “Oh this is going to take forever.” Six months later and it’s turning out to be the exact opposite — time is FLYING by. Last weekend, I officially entered the third trimester of my pregnancy — the third trimester (!!). It’s a crazy feeling to be in the home stretch. I’m overwhelmed, but overwhelmed in the best way. We’re so close to meeting our baby girl!

Let’s talk about something I’ve not been good at following through on in 2025: creating, sharing, and executing monthly goals. In my defense (here I go again haha), things have been a little chaotic in my life since finding out my husband and I were expecting in late-March, and though I wish I could’ve kept up good routines all year long, I’ve humbly learned that so much of pregnancy is survival mode, and that’s okay too. Couple that with some major work stuff going on, and yeah, I’ve been way off my game. But today I’m feeling inspired — and determined — to build better habits and finish the year in a more intentional manner, so let’s take a look at what I want to accomplish in September.

I take no pride in being a hater, but I just finished watching the Netflix adaptation of Richard Osman’s internationally-acclaimed, best-selling book The Thursday Murder Club (4 stars), and I have some thoughts to share.

It will forever be the loss of my life not getting to see The Eras Tour live in concert. Having been a fan of Taylor Swift’s music since the early days of her lead single Tim McGraw through every musical era to date, it’s no doubt The Eras Tour was made for someone like me — a lifelong fan whose life is rooted in the chapters of Swift’s masterful lyricism; a fan who celebrates growth, embraces change, and appreciates the evolution of what’s at the very core: the music. The Eras Tour was the tour of my dreams. A journey through the artistic milestones of the world’s biggest pop star who I’ve been so lucky to grow up alongside for nearly two decades? Simply amazing. I was 14 years old when I fell in love with Swift’s music for the very first time. Here I sit today, almost 20 years later, still enamored with the charisma, talent, and work ethic of the great Taylor Swift.

A new month means it’s time for a new virtual book club pick!

This little secret we’ve been keeping…

After a busy, fulfilling week of traveling, I’m finally back home in NC and it feels so good. While it’s sad to pack your bags and wrap up a good trip, it’s also nice to get back to normalcy and routine in the confines of your own space. My boys were excited to see me, I was able to make dinner in my kitchen, and I actually felt well-rested after a good night of sleep in my bed. And while we’re on the go already today (because of course we are! — traveling to Outer Banks, NC for our anniversary weekend), I got a day and a half of good rest and I feel like a brand new woman.

Hello and Happy Friday! Welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. It’s been a busy week for me as I’ve been traveling and visiting family in Wisconsin. I’m back home AND off work today — and it feels so so so good to have a “chill day” to rest and relax after being on the go the last handful of days. Cheers to Friday friends, we made it!

Hello and Happy Friday! Welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. Though it’s been a minute since I’ve posted a favorites blog (four months — yikes), I’m happy to be back in the swing of things again — I’ve missed sharing little tidbits like this. Cheers to Friday friends, we made it!

Welcome to 2025 where the first Just Jen Things recap of the year comes… more than halfway through the year. Good job, Jen, good job. In my defense — and I’m going to defend myself here because WHEW — life’s been feeling a little (okay, A LOT) “Lights! Camera! Bitch! Smile!” in 2025. Anyone else agree? Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of things I’m both excited and grateful to have going for me right now, but damn, so many other things have made 2025 feel like the ultimate slog-fest so far. So it seems, my anthem of the year belongs to Taylor Swift’s I Can Do It With a Broken Heart — all the days of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, and yet I’ve had to put on that front because the only way out is through.

Virtual book club’s been going strong over on Instagram, but I’ve not been sharing our monthly picks on the blog on a regular schedule like I intended to. Consider this my formal apology — I’ll be better in the next six months :)

I can officially say I’ve read every book by New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager published to date. After reading and enjoying the premise of Survive the Night a few years back, then loving The Only One Left when I read it in late-2023, I knew I had to make it my personal mission to finish reading all of Sager’s books, including a handful of older titles and a couple newer ones too. Now that I’m caught up on all nine books in Sager’s backlist (including the summer’s newest release — With a Vengeance), I can FINALLY make and share an author ranking.

Clear out a drawer, clear out a shelf — Kelsea Ballerini’s got baggage, but she’s moving in!

Hello and Happy Friday! I wasn’t sure I was going to get something published tonight, but as I was cooking dinner, my mind kept wandering to all the little things I’ve loved this past week, so here we are — with a new post! Welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. Cheers to Friday friends, we made it!

Hello and Happy Friday! And happy last day of February… a month that went by SO fast compared to January! It’s another late night post for me (snuck it in a few minutes before midnight), but welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. Cheers to Friday friends, we made it!

Hello and Happy Friday! Welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. I know I’m super late in posting today’s list of favorites (it’s quite literally almost midnight, oops), so if you’re reading this on Saturday, consider it Friday Favorites (Jen Time). Better late than never though, amirite? Cheers to Friday (and the weekend) friends, we made it!

Of course I’ve added a few books to my (already overflowing) TBR. I’m a reader, that’s what we do — we! buy! all! the! books! haha. All jokes aside, I’ve become so much more intentional about the books I buy over the last couple years. I used to grab a copy of every book recommended to me (which resulted in me reading 20-30+ severely “meh” books that current Jen probably wouldn’t have picked up if she’d been smarter), but now that I know my specific reading taste, I’ve really dialed that part back. So, when I buy a book in 2025, it means I’m all about reading it. Here are a handful of books I’ve purchased over the last few weeks that I’m super excited to read.

We made it to February. I repeat — we MADE it to FEBRUARY! In the 20 lifetimes that passed in endless January… I feel like I really struggled to get into any kind of consistent groove. I tried to create new habits and (kind of) failed. But I’m not going to let it get me down, we’re just going to dial up the expectations and try harder! Let’s recap my January goals and take a look at what I want to accomplish in February.

Hello and Happy Friday! And yay because it’s FINALLY a February Friday! I love the month of February… it’s always a breath of fresh air after endless January. Anyways, welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. Cheers to Friday friends, we made it!

Hello and Happy Friday! And happy last day of endless January (because whew, what a month)! Welcome back to Friday Favorites, where each week I’ll be sharing a handful of things I’m loving lately. Cheers to Friday friends, we made it!

December reading… more like December listening haha. I didn’t read a single book — physically. But I did listen to 4 audiobooks, so that must count for something. I know I’m extreeeemely late to the December wrap up party, but let’s recap anyway!