Jitney Jams // Year Five

Have no idea what we're talking about with the Jitney Jams? Read the history behind the Jitney CD here!

Last year we worked incredibly hard on preparing the playlist for the Jitney Album / Year Four. So hard, in fact, that we couldn't decide on which cover design or which songs to shuck from the playlist. Instead, we decided to wait until Christmas. "Let's just do a Christmas edition!! That'll be fun!" So we went to Japan. I took a class on handlettering. I designed a cover that JD is obsessed with... (I tell you this not to brag on myself, but to inform you that he seriously brings it up in conversation anytime we talk about the CD - he speaks to my heart when he affirms my creativity. He speaks my language, people. It's just another way that he loves me well. It may end up being on our Christmas card this year so I can't ruin the surprise.) but once again, we couldn't narrow down the playlist, address all of the envelopes, travel back to America, and see all of our family in time before Christmas. It just wasn't going to happen. 

So, as my friend Julie says, Year Four just didn't happen. Kidding. Obviously, our fourth year of marriage did happen and it was sheer bliss. But the album didn't happen. 

We [hopefully] made up for it this year though! We sent out the envelopes and albums to our wedding party early last week. Only a couple of people have told us they received it [or shared us some social media love (thanks Chase!)] but according to USPS, they arrived in time for our anniversary! This is a first in five years (sans our actual wedding day). 

Behind the Cover Design: 
We wanted to keep it simple. White, dark gray and red. We wanted it to have a theme of travel, foreign languages and love. JD actually visualized the design, I just made it happen. #teamwork

We translated the word 'love' for every country we've visited (by we translated, I mean 'Google translated') then created the shape of the English word 'love' using those translations. Flip over the cover and you'll see Jitney's Journeys spelled out in red as the song list goes down (also JD's ingenuity). It's minimalist, but I'd say it's my favorite from the past five years. 

Behind the Playlist: 
Per the usual, all of the songs are songs we love. They either explicitly sing the word love, talk about great love stories, are related to TV shows that we love, represent our love for travel, worship the Ultimate Love or are simply bands that we love. Normally we would like to write specifics about every song but they're all pretty self-explanatory and awesome. However, we do feel like we need to explain one of the songs.

Disclaimer for Run & Go: This (see Mickey to the left) is what we think of and who / what JD imitates when the song starts playing. Many of you will probably never see this super cute side of JD (which I'm okay with, because I love wrapping these moments up, all for myself) but he really knows how to throw his shoulders back, rear back his head and start whistling a happy tune with fists swaying side to side. His favorite song to whistle is the Robin Hood theme song. Please note that neither of us have killed a man or are on the run and go. 

[P.S. Thank you KidsPlayColor.com for this wonderful image of Mickey whistling.]

Notes about the rest of the playlist: You'll hear the words "Ain't cuttin' my hair till the good Lord comes" when the playlist starts (because JD's hair is that perfect and I never want him to cut his hair short again - unless Jesus tells him to, of course.) and you'll hear a few song cameos from our favorite TV shows that went off air this year (if only we had a song from The Mindy Project on there). You'll hear slow songs, fast songs, songs that will bring you to tears (either from reminiscing or because you're laughing so hard) and songs that will make you want to walk around the house whistling.  

Are you hooked and curious? Never fear! We've made most of the playlist public on Spotify. Also, this is probably a good note to tell you that we'll be doing Spotify playlists for the next few years (maybe we'll send out a tangible 10th edition; and we've even considered a cassette tape version for our 50th. You know, true vintage 'mixed tape' and all).

October 1: New Book. Must Read!

As JD drove away from the hotel, we blew each other kisses and waved at each other until he was no longer in sight. Since this is a daily routine of ours, it threw me off a bit when the security guard looked at me and smiled as I crossed the sidewalk.

“I bet he really appreciates you blowing him kisses like that on his way to work. That probably made his day,” said the tall, jolly security guard. To emphasize my shock at his adoring comment, I must acknowledge that he resembled "the tough guy" from the Zaxby's commercial like you wouldn't believe...

Every couple has the sweet, quirky thing they do. We tell each other "I love you" non-stop and we always make it a point to "kiss each other with a thooouuusand kisses" daily.

I’ve always thought that Hawaii was a state for lovers. Even at the shark adventure yesterday, the cameraman said he had never seen a couple kiss underwater with their snorkels on... with the sharks watching. That baffled me. Haven't any newlyweds ever tried this... or were they too smart to do something crazy like swim with sharks on their honeymoon?

With postcards in hand, I walked to the Post Office in one of the towers to send our “Aloha’s” to our family and to send a postcard back to ourselves. I spent most of the day pool hopping (sun bathing at one pool then switching to another). During lunch, I started reading Same Different As Me. Yeah. I had to stop reading because I started crying.

So I walked to the Tapa Pool and started reading again, tears straining down my face.

Fortunately, I was wearing my sunglasses.

I just couldn’t bare it any longer. I walked up to our room with fear that someone had thought I was truly upset.

On the contrary, God was breaking me down through the written words of Texans I don’t even know.

I sat in a chair on our balcony and literally

wept

as I turned the pages. Every once and a while I would get up to change Kleenexes and to try to regain composure, although I consistently broke down again as I started reading.

Close to finishing the book, JD called and said he was on his way back home. He picked up some dinner for me at Outback. Later he told me how flustered he was about the traffic, as this particular Outback only had take-out… not curbside takeout. You would've thought JD was a celebrity, the way everyone was honking their horns at him in frustration.

I had to put down the book because there is no better distraction than having my sweet husband home (in the hotel). Took note that I must finish it tomorrow.