Monday, June 4, 2012

Nice to Meet You Monday Series #5

Let's give another warm welcome to my 5th edition of the Nice to Meet you Monday of the 2012 series! I am really loving getting to know all these ladies! I hope you guys have enjoyed reading along!



Now meet Jacki from Wine Down!



1. Describe yourself in 10 words or less.
Southern. Wife. Fur baby mama. Phi Mu. Teacher. Monogram addict. FSU grad.

2. What made you get into blogging? And inspired your blog’s name?
A dear friend of mine started a blog right after she got married so that she could keep her family and friends updated on her and her husband’s life as newlyweds. I thought that this was a really good idea, so I decided to do the same. This blog was originally supposed to be about my husband and I, and our lives together, but my incessant ramblings about crafting and wine eventually took over.

My blog name comes from my love for wine. After a hard day at work (which I have a lot of hard days because I teach middle school), I like to come home and wind down from my day with a glass of wine. Hence the name, Wine Down :)

3. What do you enjoy most about the blog world? Have you been a part of it for long or just starting out?
I started my blog in November of 2010 and at first it was really just for me. I originally had no intentions of following other blogs that weren’t people who I already knew. I really like learning new things from other blogs and getting advice (even though these people don’t know that they are actually giving me advice). Sometimes I will read about a place someone has visited and it will make me want to go there, or a book that I was thinking about reading, or when people write about their pregnancies and kids, I think, “oh I need to remember to do that when I have kids.” Even now and then someone will write about something that I am also feeling and it will remind me that I’m not the only person going through this, someone out there feels the same way I do. What I find especially cool about the blogging world is how much I learn about some people’s lives and really get to know them. It’s like they really are my friends, even though they live far away and I have never actually met them.

4. What do you find yourself blogging about most of the time?
I blog about everything in my life, pretty much, except for my job. Occasionally, I’ll mention something about work, but for the most part I like to steer clear of talking about my students or things that happen at school. I usually share updates about what is going on in my life, share things I find on Pinterest, DIY projects that I do, etc. My blog is mostly a place for me to dump everything that is bouncing around in my head. So anything that comes into my head usually comes out in my blog.  

5. If you had an endless budget…what store would you spend hours shopping in?
Probably Hobby Lobby…does that make me the biggest loser ever? I do like shopping for clothes, don’t get me wrong, but I absolutely love crafting. I love making things for my house, updating the décor and just crafting things in general. I must say that I am a pretty crafty person, must be the left-handed thing. I love making decorations for every holiday for my house and for my classroom.   

6. How do you spend a typical Sunday?
Depends on the season. In the fall, Sundays are for driving back from Tallahassee after the FSU football games. In the spring/summer, Sundays are for yard work, tanning and pretty much spending the day outside with a beer in my hand. 

7. What song would be the theme song to your life, right now?
Right now, I am obsessed with the song “Call Me, Maybe” even though it might be the most ridiculous, annoying song on the planet. However, every time it comes on the radio I find myself in the midst of a full blown solo dance party in my car. It’s just so darn catchy. Plus, this song reminds me of my college days. I can definitely see myself out with my sorority sisters dancing around like idiots to this song back when going out to the bar on a Tuesday night was a perfectly normal part of my life.  

8. Tell us about your absolute must-have item in your closet.
Sundresses. I live in Florida, so it is hot 10 months out of the year. Here in the South, a sundress is perfect for any occasion. You can wear one to the beach, out to lunch, to a wedding, to a football game…pretty much anywhere. Plus, they are light and comfortable in the 90 degree heat. I could literally live in them, and during the summer I usually do.

9. Let us know some of your favorites. Favorite food, favorite book, favorite movie, favorite TV show, favorite color, favorite place to visit…now go!
Favorite food – Cheeseburgers and pizza
Favorite book – I read a lot of books so that is tough. For casual reading, I like “American Wife” and “Firefly Lane”. The English major in me loves anything by Hemingway.
Favorite movie – Steel Magnolias
Favorite color – Pink
Favorite place to visit – anywhere in the mountains. I live close to the beach, so when I need a change of scenery I like to go to the mountains. 

10. If you could switch lives with ANYONE for the day, who would it be and why?
Kate Middleton. I mean, who wouldn’t want to switch lives with her? She is poised and beautiful, and married to a Prince. I’ll take that Disney fairy tale any day. Plus, she seems like a really sweet person and I want to steal everything in her closet. 


11. What inspires you? {this can be about anything…blogging, life, crafts, etc..}
My students. They make me laugh, they piss me off, and they make me thankful for the upbringing that I was fortunate enough to have. Almost all of my students come from a low socio-economic background. Most of them have had tragic lives thus far and they are only 12 years old. While most of the time they make me mad, they are a lot of fun at times as well. Knowing that I am making a difference in their lives in what inspires me to keep doing this job. Plus, majority of my students will never have a tenth of the opportunities that I was afforded and they will never live the type of life that I have. They keep me grounded and remind me of how truly blessed I really am.


12. What is your favorite trend for the upcoming spring/summer months?
Maxi dresses. They are so pretty and flowing. Technically, I probably am too tall to wear them because I am 5’10”, but I have had pretty good luck finding some that are really long. Either way, I plan on rocking them anyways even if they are too short for me.

13. Name a product you use daily and would recommend to your best friend.
My Sedu hair straightener. I have very thick, frizzy, wavy hair that I straighten because otherwise I look like a lion. My best friend recommended this hair straightener to me and I refuse to use any other straightener. It is amazing. If you buy it at retail price in the store, it will run you around $200, but if you buy it online through http://www.folica.com/ you can usually get a really good deal when they run it on sale. I absolutely swear by this straightener. 


14. What are your favorite types of blogs to read? (i.e. fashion, home decorating, crafting, running, cooking, etc…
I like blogs that have a good variety to them. I tend to stay away from fitness or cooking blogs because I strongly dislike both of those things. My husband is a lucky man right? Haha, not. I usually like to read about people who are similar to me…twenty-somethings who are trying to survive the real world :)  

15. We all like to find some good new reads, so please share your daily reads! Give a shout out to your top 3 favorite blogs.
            Heather @ Blonde…Undercover Blonde http://www.blondeundercoverblonde.com/
            Leslie @ A Blonde Ambition http://www.blondeambitionblog.com/
            Jamie @ This Kind of Love http://littledaisymay.blogspot.com/

Thank you SO much Jacki for being a part of this!! I love that note from one of your students...so touching.  I am loving maxi dresses too...I am just too damn short to make them work! Haha so we have the opposite problems.  It was great to connect with you and get to know you more!! 
 

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