A bit about me....(finally).

Where do I even begin? Let's see...Though born and raised in Ohio, I am now a proud resident of the Sunshine State :) I hate the cold weather with a passion. I do crave the crisp autumn air a few days every year, but that is about all I miss about having 4 seasons. Thankfully, my fiancé feels the same way about the cold. One of the many reasons we get along so well :) Speaking of fiancé…I am getting married in August! That’s right-in a little over 4 months (which seems absolutely crazy to me! Where did 2010 go??) I will be a married woman. The poor guy’s name is Scott. I have tried to warn him about what he is getting himself into, but he does not seem phased. J He is quite remarkable. He was born in Atlanta, but grew up on the mission field with his family in the Philippines. He has an uncanny calming effect on me (which is no small feat as I have heard I can be a little tightly wound at times). He is also one of the kindest and MOST patient people I know. As much as we are looking forward to our nuptials, we are so looking forward to our honeymoon in St. Croix. Thinking about plopping myself on the beach with a frozen drink in my hand (with Scott, of course) is going to get me through the next 4 months or so!

Sometimes I feel like a professional student. After earning a Bachelor in Architecture, I took a year off and then started Law School! I am going to school part-time at night while working full-time during the day. Crazy, I know. Currently I am about half way through my legal education and cannot wait to finish (hopefully I will survive to see that day). I have a month left of my spring semester and am anxiously awaiting a much needed break in May before our summer semester starts. My classmates and I always get asked what type of law we want to practice. As of right now I would say Construction Law, but I am infamous for changing my mind. So only time will tell.

I have amazing family and friends all of the country (as does Scott), so we travel a lot! Luckily, we love to travel. And we will be doing quite a bit of traveling for the rest of this year. In addition to our own wedding, one or both of us are in 3 other weddings. A spring wedding in the panhandle of Florida, a fall wedding in Ohio and one very cold winter wedding in Beantown (Boston that is)!!! We are so excited!

Before I bore you all to tears, let me rattle off a few of my favorite things…

• diet coke (especially from McDonald’s),
• coffee (obviously),
• Italy (my 2^nd true love after Scott),
• all Italian food and drink,
• cannolis from Mike’s pastry in the North End of Boston,
• red and white wine (I do not discriminate),
• any and everything pink,
• running (though I do not do it nearly enough),
• shoes,
• the beach,
• cold Yuengling beer (I may or may frequent the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa),
• skyscrapers (did you know that there is a skyscraper museum in NYC? well there is and you should visit:),
• quality design and Architecture,
• writing,
• my sunroof,
• 80s music (especially Journey),
• and....well, I could go on and on. But I will spare you!

Stay tuned for pics from my magnificent beach bridal shower…to come soon!

Snow Birds!

I love Florida weather. After almost 3 years, I am now spoiled by it and will wear a winter coat when the temperature drops below 60 and a pashmina if it is below 70. Judge if you must, but I HATE cold weather. The harsh language is definitely appropriate. This time of year everyone else in the country wants to enjoy a bit of our sunshine as well. The locals get aggravated because the traffic get so bad and all of the high school and college spring breakers are roaming the beaches. But snow birds hold a special place in my heart because I remember what it was like barely surviving a New England winter and craving the sunshine on my spring breaks in Florida in March. After a week, I would return to the Northeast as red as a lobstah, but I loved every minute of it.

Now I get to enjoy the sunshine all year round and I wear waaaay more sunscreen than I used to :) I also get to enjoy all of the wonderful visitors that love to make the trip down in March! March is going to be a busy month! Last weekend I had lunch with two of my favorite college classmates who were down from Virginia visiting family and soaking up the rays. We went to The Hangar in downtown St. Pete. If you haven't been yet, you must try it. (I highly suggest their signature Chicken and Waffles.)

This weekend brings my amazing parents from Ohio :) I cannot even begin to describe my excitement!!! And the 3rd weekend in March is the main event...my bridal shower!!! (The time is flying by btw, I still cannot believe it is March.) So many wonderful people will be making the trip down for the shower. Family from Ohio, Kentucky, New York and Georgia will be flying in and driving down! I am so blessed!

So even though the traffic gets backed up and there is a line at every restaurant in town, getting stuck behind a car with an Ohio license plate still warms my heart :)

jo.

I know I should probably post giving you a few details about myself so you know what you are getting yourself into, and trust me, that post is coming (and I am sure it will be more than you ever wanted to know about me.) First,however, I felt it proper to pay homage to the blog name, and more specifically, Jo. Yes, yes it is my middle name, so not much to discover there. But I just wanted to you to know that I love me a spot of coffee. And it is probably a good idea for you to wait for me to have my coffee in the morning before beginning the small talk. Just sayin'. My absolute favorite coffee in the entire world - other than any Italian coffee (which is in a league of its own) - is Kona. Ahh, Kona. Delicious. I make a mix of Vanilla Macadamia Nut and Hazelnut every morning.

The only exception to that rule is if I know that I will be driving by Einstein Bros. Bagels, in which case I let them do the mixing. The Einstein Vanilla Hazelnut blend comes in a very close second to Kona. Love it.

I also love love love coffee mugs and have some wonderful ones from different places. And if you are a shoe lover like I am you will appreciate this one...

The mug reads "Wear Pumps, Take Taxis." So appropriate and a motto that all women should live by :) (please pay no attention to the clutter of my dining room table.) And the coffee-related question I know you all are dying to know the answer to...do I measure the amount of cream I put in my spot of jo? Yes, why yes I do.

More details about me to come!

Newbie!

Hello bloggers!
My name is Laura Jo and I am a newbie blogger, but hopefully I will catch on pretty quick. Luckily, I know some experienced bloggers who will help along the way. A fellow blogger, I call her G, and my soon-to-be husband both deserve a shout out for helping me craft my blog name.

Thanks for joining me as I venture into the world of blogging. I never imagined that I would ever start my own blog, but I turned 26 earlier this month (did I mention that I already have gray hair) and felt like trying something new. And ta-da...a blog. I will more than likely use this blog as a spot to vent and ramble on about various random occurrences in my life, so it has the potential be interesting. But I make no promises. Also, lately I have been awful about keeping in contact with all of the important people in my life, so hopefully my blog will be a way for me to keep you all up to date with my chaos! I love writing and I am looking forward to sharing it with those of you who are crazy brave enough to follow along :)

Since today the the 22nd of the great month of February, I want to give a few birthday shout outs! First to George Washington, of course. Next is my baby brother who turned 24 today and last, but certainly not least, my beautiful niece turned one today! I love that so many wonderful people share a birthday. I have said it before and will say it again - February is a great month to be born :)

The rest of 2011 should be quite the adventure! Well if not an adventure, it definitely will be chaotic. With 5 weddings (one of which is mine), a few semesters of law school, a full-time job, all mixed in with a bit of crazy fun - the next 10 months are going to fly by! More details about me to come!

Until next time...

Laura Jo