How about coming back to life...

This is Ricardo, he made made me want to blog again. Thanks, sir!

Hope you are doing well, friends!

I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while the other night and mentioned that I wasn't blogging anymore but I had plenty of time to watch Netflix and play Farm Heroes Saga on Facebook. He couldn't believe that I had stopped the project but had time to spend waste on those petty things and it made me think about the blog. 

I wound up describing that I don't feel like I do enough interesting things anymore, as I pretty much work, hang out with L, go to church, spend some time working on whatever little project I have going on and spending some time thinking about grad school (which I'm almost done with...thankfully!). My friend then told me that I needed to make things to write about, so I have decided to do just that.

I've had some good times this past summer and fall and am already looking so forward to the holiday season that is quickly approaching. I've also been working some on the work front (think bulletin boards, reward systems, worksheets, etc.) and hitting pinterest pretty hard.  I'll be doing some posts about all of these things & whatever suits my fancy at the moment, so it should be interesting. =) 

Thanks for swinging back by & hearing the new inspiration to blog- it's been a while but I'm sure it's just like riding a bike. 

-J

"Adventure is out there!" 

Bassnectar Live: "I'm not in Kansas Anymore!"

If you haven't heard of Bassnectar, you might be surprised how popular the guy is- in the dance music world, he's a pretty big deal. So much of a big deal that people here in Chattanooga were superstoked to have him in town at Track 29 and selling the show out very quickly.

Outfit Recap: Le temps de l'amour (Francoise Hardy Inspired)

Every now and then, when I'm getting dressed, I'll be inspired to go for a certain style. Whether I see a picture or hear a song or think of an outfit Hannah wears in "Girls", it'll spark something in me.  On this particular Sunday in May, I saw some pictures of Francoise Hardy on tumblr and was reminded of my love for the French style that was so prevalent in the 60's and 70's.

I love anything that was worn by Anna Karina, Bridgette Bardot and of course, Francoise- and this photo got me thinking about what to wear that day...

Summah time!

With Mom at her surprise shindig for her retirement

It's summah time for me! Worked my last day today & went to mom's retirement deal at work- and now it's time to relax...or atleast start the summer 'to do' list.

So, there will be updates on the fun times & projects I'm diving into soon. Can't wait to share it with you guys!

-J
"Adventure is out there!" (in the summah time)

Status Update: By the Numbers

8 more work days 

3 more days to have my first draft of my paper done

5 more pages to write for the paper.

1 pair of shorts to dye darker blue for the Renaissance Fair, the reward this weekend for finishing the first draft of my paper. 

Have a great rest of your week, friends! Regular posting will resume after these numbers dwindle down to zero!

-J
"Adventure is out there!" (And I'm almost done with this one!!!!)

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom and I last weekend at church

Happy Mother's Day to my lovely mom & also to all of you awesome madres out there!

I hope that you all have a great day & get to kick off your shoes & relax some!

-J
"Adventure is out there!"

Outfit recap (and Real Talk): "If we holler loud and make our way, we'd all live one big holiday"

So there’s this pink wall in downtown Chattanooga, on the side of Julie Darling donuts. This is one of my favorite walls in all of the town. I’ve threatened to do a photo shoot there many times over the past few years & the other day, L took the camera from me & made it happen. So, here are the results of that.

Real Talk: When to get married?

[Admittedly, the next post was supposed to be an outfit recap, but I felt inspired....so you all get an extra post this week! Hope you don't mind too much..]

Yes, this is my actual Pinterest board.

I got to thinking this evening and felt the topic of when to get married was in the front of my mind. So, here I am to put out my thoughts & see if anyone else has any thoughts on the manner.

So let's start from the beginning...L and I are at somewhat different points in our lives. He is working on his undergrad at the moment & I'm working on the tail end of my masters. Thankfully, this is not proving to be a big deal for us. He works really hard, as do I and we just want to do things the way that makes the most sense for us.

A Weekend Away: Cade's Cove/ Smoky Mountains

My younger brother is finishing up his undergrad degree in biology and recently was offered a crazy amount of extra credit for going up to the Smokies & doing a guided hike or two. It was one of his harder classes & my parents love the area, so they quickly arranged to make it a family trip to the mountains- L included. 

Some Would Call It a "Hope Chest"....

The current view on my dresser

As I've mentioned before, I'm currently in a transitional stage, trying to move up in my job, finish up my masters & really figure out how to the whole "grown up" thing while living at my parent's house still. 

Well, it's hitting crunch time on much of those things & I started my "hope chest" the other day of things to move into my apartment when that time comes (hopefully in January!).

Looks like something Joan might have on "Mad Men", I thought

Outfit Recap: Great Peacock's stage gear

It's been a while since I've been feeling like posting an outfit recap of an ensemble I've put together myself, mainly due to the crazy allergies that have been plaguing me lately, but when I saw the guys in Great Peacock play a show here in Chattanooga, I knew they would more than make up for my lack of stylish posts. Don't believe me? Take a look at these guys....

A Local Visit: King of Pops Chattanooga

During my visit to the Spark festival celebration thingy (I'm truthfully not sure what exactly what it was supposed to be addressed as...), I made a new friend. My new friend's name is Hudson and he's the King of Pops guy for here in Chattanooga.  All I knew as I was walking towards his cart was that A) he sold popsicles, B) he was a legit Chattanooga guy this time around [I'd seen him out a week or two before but in an Atlanta shirt...all will be explained in a second though...] and C) the colorful umbrella he was standing under was calling my name. So I ventured over & scoped out the set up.

How About Some Adventure?

I'm gearing up for adventure this weekend & I hope you all have some too!

Total recap coming next week.

Enjoy the sun, friends.

-J

"Adventure is out there!"

AmericanaramA, Here I come!

Just wanted to let you guys in on the amazing news I found out yesterday- My Morning Jacket, Wilco and Bob Dylan are touring together this summer!

They're playing in Nashville and Atlanta, along with a whole bunch of other dates and I'm pretty sure it's meant to be that I attend this show: Nashville's show is at the Riverfront Park, the site of my very first MMJ concert way back when (whose poster I purchased 2 or 3 years after the actual show & it now resides over my bed...so pretty) and the best part of this gig? It's on my birthday!!!! June 30th brings these three acts to Nashville & this girl can't wait- I can cross off something from my bucket list seeing Dylan live- come on, who truly loves music and doesn't want to do that?  and it's very possible it may turn into a Nashville birthday weekend with some of my friends up there, as well.

Picture It: Downtown Chattanooga (Part 1 of many, I'm sure)

 

The roof of the Coolidge Park carousel

 This afternoon, I had a little time to pass and had spent the afternoon working at the school I visit that is right by downtown. Since I was in the area, I had dropped of some clothing to trade at Collective Clothing 1 (in St. Elmo, right up the road from where these pictures were taken) and was scouring the store for fun things that I couldn't live without.  I found a small Bambi stuff animal from probably the 60's or so for a good price & I snatched it up, namely because it had the Disney company tag on it (I figure if all else fails and I don't stay in love with it forever, I can send to to a Disney museum or something....enough Mouse talk...).

Walnut Street Bridge

Alas, Bambi was all that I found, so I decided to head up town some to Collective Clothing 2 and check out what all they had gotten new in stock since I visited a few weeks back. Driving over, I debated where to park in the popular area of town I was headed and decided to take the opportunity on the nice day for a walk to get over to the store. Thusly, I parked across the river from CC2 (sorry, I can't give up my free parking spot info though! Those things are hard to find...) and was ready to walk across the Walnut Street Bridge, a solely pedestrian bridge and one of my favorite places to be in all of downtown.

A Local Visit: Fork and Pie

The ever-changing chalkboard wall!

Here's a shocker- I like food. In fact, good food, I tend to love it. That being said, I especially love local, really awesome food. That's why for this edition of "A Local Visit", I decided to feature the Chattanooga establishment, Fork and Pie.

This place stays true to its name- they have savory pies and also sweet pies- and they are all pretty good, I have to say (and I've had quite a few of the varieties offered...). Ever since the restaurant opened last summer, I've had many a girls night out, visitors from out of town and an especially high number of Sunday brunches with L at this spot. 

It goes without saying....

Here's to bluer skies soon

Prayers & good vibes are being sent from here at NLN to all of those affected by the terrible events at the Boston Marathon today.


I got the opportunity to go to the event 9 years ago when my dad ran it- it was extra upsetting hearing the stories on the radio and seeing the images on tv, knowing that I had been to that place where such unthinkable things had occurred this afternoon. It just somehow hits you a little bit different when it's actually somewhere you've personally experienced and quite enjoyed as well.


Make sure to tell people you love them- we never know what will happen & this is an unfortunate reminder of that. 


<3

J
"Adventure is out there!"  (But stay safe!)

Just a Head's Up....

This picture says it all.

It's kinda crazy around here, I won't lie. I'm working on my final big masters paper, trying to get things tied up to start applying for certified positions at work, trying to fight allergy season starting and also squeezing in time with L in there too (I know, I know, it's ridiculous, but I have a hard time going more than a day not seeing him...call me a sap...).

That being said, it may be a little sparse on posts around these parts for a little bit, but please don't count me out- I'll be back with allergies under control & a paper dominated & hopefully a job before too long (pray for me)!

Enjoy the sun, friends.

-J
"Adventure is out there" 

Finally Friday Night: Breakfast at Tiffany's

At the end of the week, I won't lie, I tend to be quite exhausted. Friday nights are generally lazier nights for me- you can ask L about that one, I have a tendency to fall asleep during movies if we go out or even watch on at the house on Friday nights. That being said, this week is no different. It was a little difficult to get back on the work schedule after the week before off for spring break, so I have had a few moments of naps throughout the week, let alone an early night here or there.

Tonight is not much different, except I'm going to watch one of the best movies ever, in my opinion, "Breakfast at Tiffany's". I love the time period in which it was filmed, along with Audrey Hepburn (of course) and the complex character that is Holly Golightly.

Date Night: Bowling Marathon

L and I tend to go out for little date nights every so often and are always looking around for fun things to do around town. It's been a little bit tougher to find stuff to do through the winter but I'm thankful to see that it's going to be warming up very very soon. Last Wednesday night, it was my Spring Break from work & we were looking for something to do post church (post church tends to be the time I get to really want to go out & do something), so we decided, after much hemming & hawing, to go bowling.

A Local Visit: Collective Clothing Two

I've been wanting to post about some of my favorite local spots around Chattanooga to shop, eat and just be- I love telling people about the awesome places to go to support folks I know all over town, so I'm excited to get started on these posts, but this one is even sweeter- today's visit was on the soft opening day of Collective Clothing Two. 

I've been a shopper of the original store in St. Elmo for a few years now & have turned on quite a few friends who live in town & else where to the shop. I even have a tendency to take some of my clothes & accessories in for trade credit in the store & have had nothing but great experiences. Even if I can't always find something clothing wise that I can't live without, I can usually find a nick-knack (say, a  ceramic cat...I've got one of them there before...), accessory, vinyl records, pair of shoes or sunglasses to take home or atleast really want to take with me. 

Outfit Recap: Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to Work We Go

Happy Easter! Even though folks have the tradition of a new Easter dress, it was a running late for church morning and I didn't think to get a new dress (don't really need one honestly), so I went for this dress that I haven't worn a whole bunch of times & that I adore. 

 I tend to call this dress my "Grown Up Minnie Mouse" dress and it just happens to be my favorite souvenir from our Disney World trip in January. I wore it a few times while we were in Florida after finding it at an awesome store at Downtown Disney, Tren-D. I loved the store so much I made it my go-to for a not-so run of the mill Mickey shirt before leaving, too.

Outfit Recap: I'm Amazed at Your Warm Devotion

 So, it's Spring Break. And it's snowing. During Spring Break. In Tennessee.And I don't like the cold so much..so I threw on a springy dress and added a really warm sweater and knee high socks. I also made it a point to not go outside too much during the day too.

Who is this L guy that I speak of?

 

 Who is L? He's my amazing guy! We met almost a year ago (next month!) and have spent much time together. He's super into comics & nerdy things & he's super sweet. He loves to cook and watch movies and he's the best to sit around and just talk to.  I'm sure there will be plenty of more L references throughout the blog & photos taken by his ever learning photography eye.

 

I love that guy so much & wanted you to know who he is and not just think he's a random initial that I  reference quite a bit. <3

-J

"Adventure is out there!"

Outfit Recap: From Zero to Hero

 

  I won't say that jeans and a t-shirt are my non-work days uniform, but I do have a tendency to stick to a dressed up version of the look on the weekends. Part of the reason I want to post outfits on here is honestly so I can get dressed a little nicer sometimes- we'll see if it works. 

For this past Sunday, it was "Faux Easter" at L's parent's house since we wouldn't all be in town at the same time for Easter and it was a casual afternoon with a big meal, egg dying and hunting.

Now Leaving Neverland: Why the title?

[With my love L at Disney this past January]

First of all, I'm a pretty big Disney fan, so a Peter Pan reference isn't too unexpected (have a Disney World vacation question?I could probably answer it or quickly find the answer...it's a semi-useless talent I have). 

 So if I dig the place of never growing up, why am I now leaving? Because it's about time.  I'm swiftly coming upon the start of my 26th year at the end of June and I'm getting towards the end of my masters in special education. I'm also working on being at the point that I can move out of my parent's house and perhaps even get married in a year or two. 

Given all of that, I figure it's time to take life from being in Neverland all the time. Of course, I'll still visit from time to time. So for now, I hope to track and share my journeys, maybe make some new blogger friends & hopefully entertain some folks along the way.

-J

"Adventure is out there!"

Welcome to Now Leaving Neverland!

Hey there- I'm Jenny. I like lots of rad stuff, like food, design, fashion, music, trying to get organized, planning and sleeping late on weekends. I work in schools and am finishing up my masters in special education and love doing diy projects.

After reading blogs written by awesome ladies across the blogosphere for a few years, I've made a few attempts at the blogs myself (one about podcasting, one about local music from my college town of Murfreesboro & Nashville) and I want to try my hand at a fashion/lifestyle blogs that I have grown to love so much.

So, let's start this adventure, how does that sound? Thanks for checking out the blog and I look quite forward to learning more about this whole blogging thing, getting to know you all and sharing the random things that come into my brain!

-J
"Adventure is out there!"