10 whole years = a decade

10 years is a long time. It's not as long as 50 but I have faith with continued hard work and dedication to the commitment we will get there:)

We spent the day soaking up the beautiful sun that I know some of you prayed for. It was nearly 80 degrees in Vancouver. We walked through the city had Ramen at a Ramen house for lunch...that was phenomenal! Enjoyed an amazing concert in the middle of a beautiful park. And decided to skip dinner and head home...because we are old and 10:30pm is just to late for dinner sometimes:)

I'm pretty sure that this is my favorite picture of the day.

I'm so blessed by this man. And so happy he still likes to kiss me! I didn't promise a post without kissing....it is an anniversary post after all.

In other news I pulled this out of the closet at my moms on Thursday.

I was pretty nervous to try it on. Especially when my sister said I;'m not sure that thing looks tiny....

Well that thing still fits:) Like a glove.

I loved it more than I remembered. The silk was still just as soft....the moment was quite surreal. It was was so strange to think of myself at 19 again and in the dress and how different I was and how different things were.


I've been thinking about things I would like to change for the next 10 and things that I would like to stay the same. Its amazing how much changes without you even trying. How much things grow without you even nourishing them. The things I would like to stay the same are probably pretty obvious. But the things I would like to change are pretty deep. I was thinking about hurts and hard times and what stuck out to me the most in those times. And I attempted to chisel out a few nuggets of good from each one.

The longer you are married the quicker you are to realize that the arguments are usually pretty silly. Saying sorry first doesn't seem like such a big deal. And admitting you're wrong doesn't take as much coaxing. The longer I am married the more I love Brian for his faults and the more I want to fix mine to be better for him. I love him more each day and it isn't because we are mushitty mush al the time although its easy for us to be. Its because the longer we love the easier it is to be vulnerable, and the more vulnerable you are the more your partner is able to learn. And the more I learn about Brian the more I love him.

Beejer this part is for you!! Thank you for making me a better woman everyday I am with you. Thank you for encouraging me to follow my dreams and really meaning it when you say my happiness is important to you. You have taught me what it means to love and be loved. What it means to trust and be trusted. Your heart for me is something I will never understand but something I thank God for daily. You are my best friend in this whole world. And this Team Jager stuff rocks!!

Someone gave me a statistic of kids from divorced marriages, and told me that their own marriages only have a 50% of surviving and in our situation it would be even less seeing as both sets of our parents had been divorced. Not the most supportive info you need to hear months before your wedding. And secondly this woman was pretty brave to judge our situations without even knowing the background. I remember telling her this marriage was going to be a commitment and we were a team. Her response was a scoff, I mean what do 19 year olds know. What she didn't know is this family I have now is the new family I prayed for from the time I was 5 years old, what happened on our wedding day was a fairytale for me that only had one possible ending and that was a happy one. I never told you but this is why I came to you one evening before we got married and made you promise me that we would always make this work. That no matter what we would always be together. That our kids would always have both of us under the same roof. That we would always fight for this not matter what happened. And I remember you looking at me in shock and a bit flabbergasted that I would worry this way. I am am shocked I worried this way too now. This marriage has been the thing that has brought me the most joy in my life, but that does not mean it has been free of hard work. Its a choice, being in love sometimes, but its one I will always gladly make! This marriage will always be worth fighting for!!

You are not only my dream come true but how God answered my prayers. And I don't care how cheesy this may sound to the rest of the world.....I would shout it from the tallest mountain. Aside from all of the other blessings God has given me being married to you would have been blessing enough to last me the rest of my days and that was only the beginning.

Can't wait to see where ten more years brings us babe!


This is the Jager motto. Wish we were part of this generation lets hope God is using us to build a new one that believes these words!

Whats Up For The Weekend You Ask?

Welp tomorrow is the big ten year anniversary. Thats right a whole decade. Its a pretty big deal in my opinion but more on that later.

The hubdub suprised me a few weeks back with tickets to see Bon Iver in Vancouver...Burnaby actually...in Deer Lake Park. I am so excited.

The plan is to spend the day in Vancouver, a weather dependant trip around Stanley Park. Then the rain or shine outdooor concert (if you love me at all you will pray for sun) and then dinner at this place. My nerdy fellow foodies have highly recommended it.

I am so looking forward to this day I can not even explain. We could do nothing all day and I would still be looking forward to this day.

On to the rest of the weekend.

Saturday is a Meet the Meat Open House at the one and only Cackleberry Farm. Its a chance to meet the animals on the farm and see the truly amazing and respectable job they do over there. Angry Blueberry will be providing some appetizers. Should be a good day on the farm I am looking forward to it.

Sunday...Sunday....Sunday is Ski To Sea. Not sure if you read the article Ski to Sea from A to Z in the Herald....But here is what they wrote about the running leg-
P is for....PAVEMENT: The most infamous event of Ski to Sea has got to be the running leg. Runners pound the pavement in an eight-mile torture test from the Mt. Baker Ski Area to the Shuksan Department of Transportation shed, dropping more than 2,200 feet in the process and sending runners to icy streams of runoff to seek relief for their aching knees, ankles, shins and feet. There's a reason the area's top runners stay away from this leg.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/05/23/2526159/ski-to-sea-from-a-to-z.html#storylink=cpy

As if I wan't peeing my pants enough over this whole thing. This post is turning into prayer request central. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't tell you my right inner hip has been a bit sore...not in pain there is a difference but sore for sure. So pray for it please.
We had our first and last team meeting last night. Everyone is pumped and ready to go. The first four legs have to be up to the mountain by 7 that makes for an early morning. Double fist pumps for new adventures!

Monday is the annual Meat Feed for the men in my life. Brians friends have an annual BBQ called Meat Feed where all they eat is meat. This year Brian and my Dad fashioned a rotisserie spit with a working motor and they will be using it to roast a suckling pig.

Monday for the chicks includes a trip to the spa. That sounds a million times better than meat feed to me.

With all that being said it is a huge weekend of celebration and new experiences. One that will go down in my own little history book I am sure!


My friend the Farmer says posts without pictures are boring......

I promise pictures tomorrow. Maybe some that are from the blast from the past category. Come back tomorrow to celebrate ten years with us. They have been epic!

Guess What?

My rhodies bloomed over the last few days. Isn't that bloom gorgeous!

If you have read my blog for any time you know I search for their blooming to signify the approaching of my anniversary. A mark of our wedding day. They were in our wedding ceremony. My grandfather grafted them together and grew them up himself with my mom. I told Brian a week ago I didn't think they would bloom in time this year...but with all of the beautiful weather last week they caught up and it happened. And they are just as beautiful as always!

Not much to share today. At school the state accreditation board will be our our classrooms...nothing terrifies me more, than having someone critique me and my little pupils. So wish me luck or even better say a little prayer:) I mean I am incredibly capable don't get me wrong but I'm not a "real" teacher;)

Have a super day homies I'll be back tomorrow with something more substantial.

My office is better than yours!

When I work in the moo I get to cook how I like. I get to splurge on all of the tasty ingredients I want to. And I have a spectacular corner office with a beachfront view. Its kind of amazing.






But more than the spectacular view and the great clients and the even better staff I get to work in my God given gift of hospitality. I love to cook, I love to serve, and I am satisfied with a yum in my direction.

Being able to work within your calling is a blessing, and sometimes when talking to others I realize it is also a luxury. The fact that my husband makes enough money to provide for us allowing me to work as often as possible or little as possible is the main reason I am able to go a couple months at a time without a job, or turn down a job that I don't wish to take. It makes it possible to stick to my guns about the integrity of my food, where it comes from and how it is prepared. I can bask in the loveliness of cooking exactly how I feel God has called me to . And it makes me feel spoiled but ultimately blessed.

Elliot was troubled with what he wants to be when he grows up the other day. We had our normal deep discussion and he asked what I thought God wanted him to be. I was able to tell him that if he continued to be obedient in Gods plan that God would more than lay out Elliot's calling for him. I was able to tell him in his calling he will find great fulfillment and happiness. And the main reason I was able to tell him that is because I have done it. God blesses me in it everyday. It doesn't matter if I am hosting in the moo or my little family of four at home it provides the same joy....and I am 100%serious. If you ask me how I feel about cleaning the bathroom its a whole other story;)

I am not sure why I am sharing this with y'all, but why do I share half of the stuff I share on this old blog.



This was the main course on Saturday, glazed salmon with a mint and pea orzo with feta and a Beet, Fennel and orange salad with a citrus vinaigrette. It was a lovely meal if I do say so myself. And just so you know I don't usually tell stories about my clients but I have one that moans over her liking for my orzo and risotto. Yep, I can hear her all the way in the kitchen....it makes me happy.

And just to keep it real and show you that it isn't always gourmet around here, I thoroughly enjoy serving cereal to these two for breakfast from time to time.

And Elliot perches like that on his stool every morning. He says its comfortable. And Grace regularly pokes Elliot to annoy him...they may be my rowdiest clients but I sure love them the most!

How bout some pics.

Catering tomorrow. In the Moo. Feeling Nervous and Excited.

So how bout some pics to provide for a very superficial surface level post?

This is how I shop. The Rah and I have an understanding if we are shopping without the other we can send pics via text message to ask for the others opinion. It actually works really well.


I bought this dress for a date with the hubdub next weekend. He's taking me on a date for our anniversary even though we already celebrated with our vacation. He planned the whole day but more on that later. The best thing about the dress was it was on massive sale. Reg. 79 on sale for 20....winning!


Must have been a blue sort of day in Seattle.


And one last one of the Joshy. I took him for a run yesterday in the jogging stroller. He made car noises the whole 4 miles.

Ski to Sea in T-minus 10 days. Its going to be major.

Thats it for today. More this weekend with food coverage from the Moo.

Sometimes things are not as planned but oh so perfect in the end.

Mom guilt is a sneaky little devil. It attempts to crawl in at the most random times and insert itself into places it does not belong and we moms lack the brilliance to disregard it from time to time.

Last night was almost one of those times. Actually it was a bit of one of those times.

Yesterday we had an amazing opportunity to spend some time with our friend Bob who lives in Nicaragua. He was flying into Seattle last night and it was the only time we would have to see him while he was here. So what do the two oldest Jagers do...we decide to make an evening out of it...drive to Seattle see a good friend and enjoy an evening. Well the evening was meant to start about 4 hours before it did...and I thought we would be home at a decent time, but thats not how it worked out. Poor Bob's plane was delayed not once but twice at two separate airports and we were already in Seattle so we decided to wait anyway. By 10:30 he was in Seattle and we went to get a somewhat second dinner and enjoy some conversation and base touching with a friend that we don't get to see - ever. I am so glad we made the effort and double glad he was excited about seeing us after about 18 hours of travel:)

What i was missing from being at home was sort of silly. My kids have summer birthdays which means they don't have birthdays that fall during the school year. So being that they have fabulous teachers they always have their parties sometime around now in their classes. I thought I would be home last night to spend my normal inordinate and unnecessary amount of time making them their typical custom cupcakes but since we didn't get home until 2am that just wasn't going to happen. My mom said just go to Safeway buy some cupcakes in the section they call the bakery:) Brian said thats so smart pop them on your own tray no one will ever know the difference. Here's the deal...Jessica Jager doesn't do the bakery at the grocery, and it has nothing to do with anyone else its just my gig. I feel called to spend the time on my kids in this way and I laid a huge slab of mom guilt on myself when I realized I wasn't going to be able to keep up with the tradition. Life goes on is what I should have said, I should have bought the darn cupcakes and moved on. Well this morning I had to pick my kids up from my moms and get them to school by 8:30 and have their treats to school by 10. Cupcakes were so not going to happen in that amount of time. God knew I needed a reality check and he sent it to me in the form of my sister who is a fresh new mom. I was talking to her on the way to get the kids and she asked what time the cupcakes needed to be at school she laughed at me with my reply and said so not going to happen. Then she went on to say,"Here's what you are going to do...go pick up doughnuts, its practically breakfast time those kids don't need all that sugar in the morning." Pause two reasons I loved this, first off she's a genius, and second those doughnuts have just as much sugar if not more than the cupcakes:)

So what did I do, I went to the bakery and bought maple bars for Elliot's class and sprinkle doughnuts for Grace's. Showed up at school read a book to Grace's class passed out doughnuts, walked across the hall to Elliot's class passed out doughnuts sang Happy Birthday and God Bless You Today....and guess what my kids were blessed(ultimate goal), they thought I was rad and I wasn't stressed at all. Win, WIn, Win, Winning:) My wise MIL told me once that Mom guilt is for the birds and you know what she is so right. With a bit of reformulating the brain and regrouping your thoughts and listening to others advice you could skip over all that stuff and move on like the rockstar you are! MOMS UNITE:)





I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WILL HAVE A 7 AND 9 YEAR OLD IN OUR HOUSE SOON!!!!

Mothers Day 2012

I had the perfect Mothers Day...no jokin.

Really all it takes is these two oh and the Daddyman.

They were yelling I love my Mom when this picture was taken:)

First off the hubdub and Kristin spoiled all the moms in our family with a beautiful lunch and if that doesn't make you jealous enough look what the hubdub made. Yep turkey on Mothers Day thats how we roll.

After lunch was through the kids surprised with a trip to my favorite beach around here. The funny thing was when we got there our neighbors were there too. It was great the kids played in the sand and we got to chat for awhile. Everyone was happy and relaxed. This is my idea of the perfect Mothers Day.


Aren't they cute?

Then they took me out to dinner at Fiamma where I had the greatest burger I have ever eaten in my lifetime!! Bold statement but couldn't be truer. First off I must tell you I love me some Fiamma Burger, organic local ingredients, made fresh, a dip station...I mean come on folks. And the kids meal is $3.75 for something that is actually healthy. Its the bomb, no jokin.

Okay so my burger, not so healthy probably but oh so good. A patty with a fired egg, fresh made onion shoestrings, special sauce, prosciutto, oh man don't get me started so good!


And if you give a Mama some Fiamma she will have to go to Mallards afterward.
And since my little family knows all my favorite things it was already in the plans:)


And every good Mama will share her scoop. Its just the way it is!


My name is Jessica Jager, I love anything rhubarb including ice cream and being a Mom is where its at. I have the best two kids in this whole world! I am blessed beyond compare!

And totally unrelated but related at the same time, while stealing photos from Brian I found this one. It makes me love these two so much my heart hurts:)