noah row your boat a shore...

this weekend it rained. and then it rained some more.  

and then...

some more.

i had the kids (that i nanny) from thursday to sunday because their parents took a little adult road trip. saturday after the soccer game was cancelled because of the downpours, we decided to load up and go to toys r' us.  

here's the thing about being the nanny.  fun all the time.

except when a seven year old is not nice to their brother.

then i can totally turn on the 'ms. jessica' voice.

this boy loves a "plush" - if you called it a stuffed animal (which i always do), he corrects you everytime.

brad loves wrestling. they love wrestling.

ugh, anyone else notice that this 'bob' went horribly wrong?  too many layers, need to blend a little more?  anyone?

and can i just tell you that i sometimes i am amazed by how well brad loves me.  when i have to work, he always stays with me, plays with the kids, talks to them, gets on their level.  gives them time.  which gives me a break if i need one, or lets me throw a load of laundry in the wash.  my favorite in the above picture:  sister and her hot dog bun smile.  she only eats hot dog buns at sonic because that's cool.

this picture describes their relationship to a T.  it kinda makes me throat hurt because it tells such a word picture.  that little one loves him.  LOVES him.  and brad loves him right back.  

when we have kids, i'm a goner...

in new york.

brad and i went to new york city {say it with me:  NEW YORK CITY!?} for a little get-a-way for our second anniversary.

truth:  brad loves WWE {that's wrestling for my blog friends who only know vintage and chevron} and they just happen to be having wrestlemania {superbowl of wrestling} there when we were looking at going.  i REALLY was dying for a new york trip. wrestlemania one night?  where do i sign up?  love seeing my love happy, and boy is happy when there is wrestling involved so...what's a gal to do?  other than pack her bags and buy some new white jeans for the city that never sleeps.

we also did lots of other fun things there:  central park, museums, shows!!!!!, matt, hoda, dr. oz!,  friends, ate good food...walked, walked and walked. blisters, blisters, blisters.

i am soooooo not a new yorker.
by day two i was totally rocking the skinny jeans with my tennis shoes.

it was a wonderful trip with many highlights.
unfortunately, the standing ovation of highlights ended up at laguardia airport.

after sitting on the runway for 2+ hours trying to get home wednesday night, they cancelled our flight.
cancelled our flight out of new york city.
at midnight.
the next flight left at 6:20 am on thursday.
so guess where we spent our last night in the city that never sleeps?  the airport, and we never slept.
how appropriate.
you got the last laugh new york.

wiww {wraslin' edition}

monday nights we usually watch wrestling.  yes, i just wrote that sentence.  my name is jessica and i watch wrestling with my husband on monday nights.  i forgo dancing with the stars and castle for a later date so i can watch his favorite with him.  go ahead, tell me how great i am.

kidding.

we all are so so busy, most of us work full time (if not more) and i think it is so important to not forget to spend time on your relationship.  even if it is something you would never in a million years do alone, if it is important to the other person, give a little, sacrifice---watch that show he wants to watch.  sit on the couch with your love and take interest in what he is interested in.

ask questions.
be involved.
be engaged.

well, lucky ME.  we didn't watch wrestling on TV monday night.  nope.

we watched it LIVE.
for real.

and because i have made a choice to spend the time with brad on mondays watching wrestling.  being engaged, listening, learning.  i know what is going on.  i could have a wrestling conversation with the best of them.

i don't say this to brag at all.  just to serve as a reminder to all of us.
spend time on your relationships.
invest in him.  even when you think you are going to be bored out of your mind.  you might surprise yourself.
because when i see brad happy and engaged, and then when he sees me honestly taking interest in what he is interested in---it matters.  he notices.

he also noticed that i didn't have workout clothes on and was dressed.  what do ya know?

busted out the first scarf of the season...i think it brought out the roots in my hair and how bad i need some color, but whatever.

and i am totally not that girl that totes her dog around everywhere.  do not call me paris hilton.  but she was dead set on chasing the birds and squirrels so girlfriend had to get in the picture.
she was just groomed so she was lookin' good too.

we had a fun night.
and in case you were wondering...

john cena's arm is still hurt.
vince mcmahon WAS there.
and cm punk is going to fight ryback in the hell in the cell match.
they signed the contract last night.

and i have pictures to prove it.  BAM.

wiww:

shirt, jeans:  old navy

boots: target (last season)

scarf:  it's my bosses (woops)

lipstick:  bikini pink (my MIL gave it to me): bobbie brown

celebrity spotting: oh snap.

to say i am a fan of wraaaaaslin' is probably starting to be true. (lord help, did i really just write that?) here's the thing, i had never ever seen a match in all my live long days, except the few in nashville at the pay by the hour hotel where they have locals in a conference room and it's a great friday night really??? activity, so there's that...

but then i married brad, and slowly BUT SURELY...wrestling started creeping into my life.  when we were dating, nothing...then in the past year or so, true colors started shining through and wrestling fan, he is.

so on monday nights, if i want to hang out with him, it usually means (roll the eyes) wrestling is on in the foreground.  this also means after weeks and months of "what the heck?"  and "this is so stupid."  and "oh, my gosh, HE is gonna get hurt."  and the list goes on and on.  i am starting to get the storyline and get it.  well, not get it.  but get it enough to know that...

if the rock beats john cena at wrestlemania next week, that is so not right and i am for real just gonna have to sit in my room on monday nights and twiddle my thumbs.  because it is not fair to go be an actor and then come back and win and all that jazz.  you hear that rock???  whatev.

saturday afternoon, when we landed from in nashville after being gone a week, i spotted this guy.

whatever, you know who he is.  it's the great khali!  and he's a giant and a wrestler.  

except in my limited knowledge of wrestling, i thought his name was the great ali.

and i totally geeked out and was like "oh my gosh, brian (my boss) DO YOU know who that is??? it's the great ali!!!" apparently his knowledge is limited too, because he didn't correct me.  but he knew who it was.  so what's a nanny/stalker to do?

yep.  grab the baby and act a little flustered and pretend that you are doing something vastly important on your phone, except you are really taking a picture.  i am that smooth.  no one would suspect anything with a baby on your hip.

that's my philosophy.

he might be like seven foot seven, but i feel pretty empowered with lil bit in tow, so i kept moving in...

then this happened.

we'll instagram the bad boy for the full effect:

opppp.  that's when this nanny made like a tree and leaved?  that sounded better in my head.  but you get it.  we moved on to the rocking chairs just a little further down...

because i think he might have been on to me.

and p.s.  and then i sent the picture to brad knowing he would be beaming that his nerd wife was geeking out over a wraaaaaslin man that i KNEW...the caption said, "meet my friend the great ali!"  

he responded excitedly.  but didn't clue me in that his name was the great khali.

so then i took my tactics to the world wide web because i was still feeling all cool and good about myself.

and said the same, except this time brad promptly tweeted back.

"that's the great KHali."

oh.

yeah.

weeeelllll.....it's the big show. (lord help.)

what did you do sunday night?  bet i have you beat.  not that this is a wraaaslin match, like we are fighting and i am trying to win... but maybe it is...  is it?

because sunday night this is what happened to me.  

in the dukes household.

this girl (me) made dinner for this guy (pictures above) - vegetarian philly steak wraps.  because we aren't vegetarian at all, but like to be granola every now and again.  no offense my vegetarian friends, y'all aren't granola.  you are cool.  but i just like to say granola.  because it's cool.  

like i like to say "ray lamontagne is so granola..." and i loooove him.

anyway.

why in the heck are we talking about ray lamontagne?

i made said special dinner with homemade sweet potato fries because it was a special sunday night, because after much begging and pleading, i said "yes" to buying and watching wraaaslin' pay-per-view.  so that meant, it was a mini party and we had to make it special.

p.s.  there was really no begging involved, i was rather agreeable.  because i am easy like that.  brad's trying to sucker me in...and i am not having it.  except, i watch it with him now...and like know whats going on and know the characters names.  

except i am still not convinced it's all fake.

it stresses me out.

chris jericho???  are you out there?  did you REALLY get hurt sunday night?  because i think you did.

get well soon chris!

and then after our special granola dinner, this happened.

and this picture was used with permission.

he let's me play.

it's awesome.

and then he let's me take pictures.

and post them online.

this is reason #496 why i love my husband.

and after a granola dinner, a little wraaaslin' and a facial.  

boy is in heaven.

and me....

i am still worried about the traumatic head injuries i am watching on screen.

the end.

p.s.s.  also i HAVE to call it wraaaslin' because i can't bear to say wrestling because that might mean i actually watch it, and enjoy it and know what i am talking about.

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

incase you were wondering where i was last night.

i was here.

hush.

don't be jealous.  it doesn't look good on you.

i was here, with these greased up, tanned up, muscled up...

(and we aren't talking about a new episode of jersey shore)

men?  

boys?  

guys?  

are they even real?

i am so confused.

it was a ruckus, i tell ya.

there was a lot of fightin' and wraslin.'

and even more yellin'.

i was a nervous wreck because they kept appearing to be hurt.

then he would tap my shoulder and remind me it was just pretend.

then i would stand up and holler "hit um harder!"

they're coming to atlanta soon..who's with me?