Where to start? (At the beginning?) Two high school sweethearts loved each other so much that a me was made. Fast forward 42 years.

My real name is Jessica, but my husband calls me Bebida because I'm always thirsty, like in the literal sense. I don't go anywhere that I don't have a beverage of some type with me (usually a LaCroix). I'm also a connoiseur of ice. Seriously.

My husband Joseph and I live in a suburb of Atlanta with our son. He's technically still our foster son, so for privacy purposes, I'll call him JJ. We're on track to adopt JJ, and Joseph and I consider him our son in every sense of the word. Also, because of foster system rules, I can't post any pics of JJ, which is a huge bummer because he is so stinking cute! (I try not to swear now that I'm a mom. In my pre-mom life, my language often rivaled sailors.) He's incredible. He loves sharks, books and gives lots of cuddles.

Joseph is an IT guy turned project manager for a large bank. He's also a State Representative, and I couldn't be prouder of him. He's an amazing person in more ways than I can say. He's a leader in our community, the hardest worker I know, caring, committed, reliable, understanding...I could go on forever. I pretty much always call him Pepino. The genesis of Pepino...I'm fascinated by the mafia. We were watching some mafia movie, and the main character was named Joseph, and his nickname was Pepino, a derivation of the Italian form of Joseph. And just like that, a nickname was born.

We met in college at a Valentine's Day mixer that my sorority was hosting. Joseph was obligated to make an appearance because he was the president of his fraternity. We were introduced, spent the entire night absolutely cracking up over everything from my ex-boyfriend to mullets and the rest is history.

I'm pretty much obsessed with animals. We have two dogs - a Great Pyrenese named Ruger and a Pomeranian named Lyoto. We also have three cats: Moonshine, Piper and Jinx. (Note the lack of the Oxford comma. I vascilate on my thoughts with regard to that particular punctuation.) We foster with rescue organizations, donate $ when we can, make in-kind donations, volunteer and just all around try to spread the word about animal welfare issues.

My interests are so widely varied that I'm downright odd. I'd rather give you the chance to get to know me through my posts and my words than just list a bunch of hobbies over and over again. (That's kind of boring, right?) Well, at the risk of boring you...I'm a freelance writer and editor. I enjoy volunteering, helping others and fundraising for worthy causes. I love art, traveling, spending too much time online, reading, making crafts, shopping, planning events...just to name a few. (And I'm learning French...find me on Duolingo!)