Even though I started this blog almost a full year ago, I realize I’ve never formally introduced myself, so I figured, what better time than here and now?

My name is Jessica Marie Smith, and I live in the Atlanta metropolitan area. I am a wife to my best friend, Krissy, and a dog mom to two sweet terriers. I originally grew up in a small southwestern town called Americus, GA and I have one brother who is 21 years older than me. 

Over the years, my favorite color has morphed from purple to lime green, with gray being a close second. One thing has remained the same through my childhood, however, and that’s my dislike for the color pink. I never cared for it when I was younger, and you’ll seldom catch me rocking the color now. 

I am and have always been a big proponent of trying to eat healthy. I enjoy eating fresh fruits and veggies and I try not to overdo my portion sizes. My favorite fruits of all time are pomegranates, limes, and cherries. My favorite vegetable is the most basic of all - broccoli. I could literally eat steamed broccoli for dinner every single day and not get tired of it. 

I also really like seafood. My husband doesn’t care for it too much so I don’t indulge that often, but when I do I enjoy some spicy sauteed shrimp, sushi rolls, grilled salmon, or blackened mahi mahi. Outside of seafood, my favorite flavor of chicken wings is dry lemon pepper, specifically from American Deli. I like wet lemon pepper too, but the dry rub just hits different for me. 

I’m cold natured by default and my hands are usually freezing. I prefer to be cold than hot though. I’ve always figured it’s easier to warm up by putting on more clothes or standing next to a heater than it is to cool your body temperature down. My favorite season is fall. I love it partially because it’s my birthday season (10/10), but also because it’s just starting to get cool. It’s not freezing cold, but just cool enough for me to enjoy wearing hoodies and sweatshirts. The perfect season would be spring if it weren’t for the pollen and insects (wasps) trying to kill you every 2 seconds. 

I used to spend lots of time dreaming, reading, and writing in my Americus bedroom. I was so ready to escape the small town and experience something different from what I grew up with. I would research the major I wanted to take, the type of car I aspired to buy, and other random things that kept my mind busy. In 7th grade, I thought I wanted to be an interior designer. Then it moved to psychologist, English teacher, lawyer, until I finally settled on sports journalist. I got inspired watching one of the NBA Finals games and thought ‘Hey, I could do that!’ since I already enjoyed speaking in front of others. 

For someone who was determined to go out of state for college, I’m a huge UGA fan. It was the only university I applied to in Georgia, and not once have I regretted that decision. Fun fact, I applied early action to UGA  but since I actually misspelled my name, I had to wait on pins and needles until the regular decisions went out. My initial mark on UGA will always be Jesssica. 

Talk about embarrassing lol. 

I believe in being nice and treating people kindly, since you never really know what people are dealing with. I also have no ill intent or bad spirits in my soul, so I don’t wish bad upon others. I try to be as unproblematic as I can (within reason, of course). 

I enjoy cooking meals for my family (which only consists of me and my husband right now, but one day will hopefully grow to include a few kids). I really appreciate when Krissy tells me he likes a new recipe. We don’t buy marshmallow treats anymore since I make them from scratch now using a variation of rice krispy, frosted flakes, and cinnamon toast crunch cereals. I tried my hand at making chocolate chip cookies recently, and I must say Krissy hasn’t stopped praising them yet. I must admit, I did a really good job for it to have been my first time baking homemade cookies AND to not have a real deal mixer to combine the ingredients. 

Hey, I guess our grandparents didn’t have a fancy KitchenAid stand mixer either but their cookies and cakes came out fine just like mine. Since I cook so much, it has become a way for me to create something tangible with my hands that is going to benefit those I love. Nala and Sasha also really enjoy the delicious smells while I’m cooking too. We let them taste most of the things that are safe for dogs to eat. 

I’m sure I’ve only just grazed the surface of who I am as a person, but hopefully this fills in some of the gray areas of Jessica Marie. 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie