i'm not lucky, i'm blessed, YES.

I just had to include that "Yes" in the title because I always end up shouting that part in the song. That's really the only reason. But recently I have just been feeling so stinkin' blessed. The kind of blessed that's like "What in the hay could I have done to warrant such extreme outpourings of love and support?" I have such a great support system here in Idaho, I truly have a family away from my family and a home away from home in this community. When my uncle passed away, my friends were there to make sure I knew I was cared for. It was nice to know that my friends were thinking of me, praying for me, and available if I needed anything. 
My 25th birthday was the day after the funeral and so I got to spend it with my family. That was so nice. I never get to spend birthday's with my family anymore and it was a little treat during that period of mourning. 
I got a text from my friend Stacey who works at the school that I work with saying that she and another friend wanted to take me out to dinner when I got back. I agreed and was totally excited to spend some time with these two women! They picked me up last night, we went to Red Robin simply because Lauren said she wanted to embarrass me by making me stand on that chair with the spoon above my head and a sundae in my hand. If you want to embarrass someone on their birthday, you know that Red Robin is the place to do that! 
When we walked in to the restaurant and were being taken to a table, all of my closest friends were there waiting and shouting surprise. It scared me! As soon as I saw them I wondered why they were all there and remember quickly thinking that it was such a coincidence. It's crazy how in that moment you rarely realize exactly what is happening. 

Well, Lauren got exactly what she wanted and I was so embarrassed standing up on that chair. For someone who is generally outgoing and extroverted, I was super embarrassed! I think it might be because the whole evening caught me so off guard! I have never been surprised like that because somehow my spiritual gift is unintentionally ruining surprises, but man, I was feeling all sorts of shy! 

Those are the two little masterminds. They were super proud of themselves for being able to pull something off without me having the slightest inclination! I just felt very special last night because my friends all have jobs, academic requirements, homework, etc that seems to pile up every week but still, every single person I would have wanted to celebrate with what sitting right there. 

So Nicki definitely got it right when she said, "I'm not lucky, I'm blessed." Thank you Jesus for my sweet and thoughtful support system!

book review: is everyone hanging out with me? (and other concerns)

I love reading and one of my goals for this is to see more books through to completion. I'm the queen (please read that in the way Jennifer Lawrence says it this video) of starting a book and never finishing it. I can think of five different books that I'm doing that with right now.
Sorry The Hobbit... I really want to finish you but you make me tired every time I start reading you!
I sort of cheated with this most recent book I finished. I've actually read it before, but it was a year ago and I found it in my sisters car as I was leaving to go to the airport and I decided that it'd be a good plane read. 
IT WAS. IT WAS THE BEST PLANE READ.

There were quite a few parts in this book where I was laughing out loud and I'm pretty sure the snooty lady next to me who shook her cup at the flight attendant so she could get a refill absolutely hated me, but guess what? I don't care if snooty cup shakers like me because I don't like them. 

This book isn't one that will take you long to get through, in fact, Mindy says if you're reading this book for more than a couple days, there's a problem with you. I was able to finish it on my two flights yesterday. 

Favorite Passages:

"He didn't play that season, and was never as good at basketball after the injury. He dropped out junior year, and I heard he got a girl pregnant. Part of me now feels a little bad for Duante Diallo, but not at the time. I was so happy. That f***ing mean Senegalese kid."

"Unlike other athletes, Frisbee people won't let it go. My theory is that this is because there's a huge overlap between people who are good at Frisbee and people who do Teach for America. The same instinct to make at-risk kids learn, which I admire so much, becomes deadly when turned on friends trying to relax on a Sunday afternoon in the park."

If I kept going with my favorite passages, this post would be as long as Mindy's book because the whole thing is my favorite. It's so funny. I know a lot of people were like, "What a wannabe Tina Fey!" after she published her book, but let's be real, just because they are both two incredibly funny women doesn't mean either one is copying the other. I hate that we have to pit people against each other and compare them until we combust. Mindy is great. Tina is great. I enjoyed both books. 

I feel like Mindy is my really funny best friend that will eat ice cream with me for dinner after a boy did something stupid or she'd watch Law and Order SVU reruns with me instead of doing anything productive. She seems like she's the best best friend. I am sure she has a lot of really cool Hollywood BFF's she could choose from, but I swear if she gave me one sleepover, she'd realize we should be besties, then we'd prank call BJ Novak, and laugh all night.

If you want a funny, light, but still heartfelt read, pick up this book. It felt more like a conversation and there were so many times where I just wanted to tell Mindy that I knew exactly what she was talking about because I too create somewhat dysfunctional fantasies while working out, not always about revenge, but sometimes about Ryan Gosling spilling his coffee on me at a coffee shop in LA and then feeling so badly about that he ends up taking me out to dinner. After our dinner out on the town he realizes how funny, endearing, and precious I am (and humble. so humble) and dates me in a "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" sort of way but where we end up married because he is way better than any guy I know. Mrs. Gosling- I like the sound of that.

i feel pretty, oh so pretty

Have you guys ever been told that you look like a celebrity and you're really flattered? That's always the best feeling.
Have you ever been told that you look like a celebrity and you're absolutely horrified? IT'S THE WORST. It's especially the worst if it's in a public place, someone else hears, and you're trying to laugh it off when all you really want to do is cry into your lemon sorbet. 
Woe is me.
Unfortunately, I've been compared to some less than stellar celebrities in my life. I was just reminded of this tonight when my dear bloggy friend Fran commented on one of my Instagram and compared to me a seriously lovely celebrity named Rena Sofer. Rena is absolutely gorgeous and although I think I look nothing like her, I'll take it. I'll take it because it's not Elton John.

Elton John? You heard me right. ELTON JOHN. One time, the internet (that stinkin' bully) told me that my celebrity face match was Elton John. There's nothing that will boost your confidence more than being told you look like an elderly, homosexual, chunky man. I love Elton. If you were comparing my piano playing skills to his, I'd be stoked beyond belief. But the fact of the matter is that no girl wants to be told the only celebrity she looks like is Elton John.

Another one that wasn't my favorite was when I was told I looked like Anne Hathaway. I know that you're thinking any comparison to Anne Hathaway is a great comparison, but not when the person distinguishes that you're pre-makeover Princess Diaries Anne Hathaway.
Need a reminder?

I think this one is not the best to hear because it's so accurate. That was me. I'm just scarred and I hate hearing this because out of all celebrities, I'm convinced I look most like pre-hairbrush break Princess Mia. WOE IS ME. AGAIN. WOE IS ME.
I decided to see if the internet would be any kinder to me this evening, would it suddenly tell me that I look like Connie Britton or Kristen Wiig? Would I have left my days of Elton John behind me and become a dead ringer for Adriana Lima? I was confident that I'd be pleasantly surprised with my results tonight.
Oh Jess, you foolish, foolish girl.

Do you guys see this? I am a 71% match for Jack Osbourne. I actually have a picture of Jack Osbourne and I together but I can't bring myself to post it because I hate that we're basically twins. I can't look at it ever again without the realization that he is my doppleganger.
AND JIANG ZEMIN? Really, Universe? I really look like a Chinese politician WHO IS A MAN?!

Here I am with my wife just having a blast with the Bush's. Best friends forever.

So here I am, a 25 year old girl, and the best the internet can give me is Elton John, Jack Osbourn, and Jiang Zemin. Thanks a lot Universe. Hope you're having a good laugh. Real mature.  
Who have you been told you look like? I want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly... or if you're me, the bad, bad, and the bad. 

uncle tony

I've had a couple posts I've tried to share but honestly, my world was rocked this week when my uncle passed away. I got the call Wednesday afternoon that he had a stroke and was in a coma. Because of the placement of the stroke it was deemed inoperable and then after more tests they discovered that the damage was too extensive that there was nothing that could be done to save him. He passed away shortly after 5:30 pm Thursday evening.  I will always remember the life of my uncle, the sheer joy, the love, the kindness, and the sass that flowed freely whenever you were around him. I will always remember him as having a glass of red wine resting on his belly and his perfect high pitched laugh that my dad could bring about so easily whenever they were together. 

My father (in the vest) & Tony... look who has his signature glass of wine!

You can read more about the legacy of Uncle Tony here.

Yes, Dear Studio

It has been a doozy of a week. It's been so cold, like negative in the morning cold, the repairs haven't really started in my house yet, and my computer died! A friend spilled water on it at a coffee shop so little Jessabelle (yes, that's my computers name) is at the Mac Store hopefully having some new life breathed into her. 
Although this week has been a little rough, it's also had some really great parts to it, like getting to pose for a really fun (and freezing!) shoot for Yes, Dear Studio! Aubrey and Phil (the two owners) are dear friends of mine and I was so excited when Aubs asked me to pose for her. We had a ton of fun, shared some laughs, and enjoyed frozen noses together. I realize I'm the subject of the pictures, but I've got to say, Aubs did a great job! 
Here's a little teaser for you guys: 

Aubs and Phil make the cutest wedding invitations and take the loveliest photos. You can see the shots from my session here! These two creative lovebirds are relocating from Boise to San Diego this summer, so if you know of anyone needing portraits, invites, or wedding photos- send them to Phlaubs. We've combined their names. It's the best.
I'll see you guys later this week with some Bach Chat when my computer is reborn.  

pipes can freeze?

Before I embarrass myself, let me start out by informing everyone that I am a California girl. I am used to warm temperatures, I can maneuver traffic on the five like no ones business, and the snow is super foreign to me. I did spend two years in Idaho for school but when I was living here, I was living in a dorm/campus apartment style house. I turned on the heat when it was cold and turned on the air when I was hot. I didn't have to think about pipes and stuff like that. 
I am not dumb. I swear. I know that this whole thing probably makes me sound very naive, but there are so many factors that go into having your own home in a different climate! 
It's been ridiculously cold in Idaho lately. I'm talking waking up to zero degree mornings and having it be twelve degrees at the warmest part of the day. Maybe some people are used to that, but not me. When I left for California in mid December it was cold, but not super cold. It was a normal chilly winter. Ain't no thang, right?
Wrong. 
I got a call three days before I left to come back to Idaho from my boss saying, "Hey. So I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" Bad news, obviously. You always want the bad news first so that the good news smoothes it over and leaves you hopeful. Well, she just decided to tell me the good news first totally throwing off my system! "Good news is you're getting a new kitchen in the house. Bad news is that a pipe in the kitchen burst." After talking for a little while she asked, "Did you leave the heat on when you left?"
Leave the heat on? Yeah right. I know better than that! Turn off the heat! Go green. Save money and energy! A heater left on in an old empty house could start a fire or something, right? 
Wrong again Jess.
Because of my naive California ways, I thought I was doing something so smart and helpful by turning off the heater before I left, when in reality, I was setting this old house up for failure. The couple weeks while I was gone in California happened to be some of the coldest that this area has seen in a long time. This house is old, the pipes are old, andddd those old little pipes just decided to freeze, explore, flood, and refreeze. Real mature of them if you ask me. 

            

          

There you have it. The picture on the left is the basement which is directly below the kitchen. It looks much worse than it actually is. There's damage to the ceiling and the electrical outlets, plus I need to make sure that the espresso machine is still in working order. They decided to rip out the carpet because it was damaged from the water, but that's something I wanted to do already.

The picture on the right is the kitchen. I took this after they removed all the appliances and ripped out the flooring. The kitchen needs a new sink and a new floor, there was a tiny bit of damage to the cupboards so they are trying to see if those will need to be replaced as well. I sure as heck hope so, the people who lived here a couple years prior painted them red and brown. I am not a fan of them. They've been on my to do list as well, so I wouldn't be disappointed to see them go. 

The university I work for has been talking about doing some renovation in this house for a while, so I just expedited the process, right? I'm so lucky to work for a place so understanding and gracious with me when I make naive mistakes like turning the heat off in the dead of winter for two weeks. 

Lesson learned. Pipes can freeze. Fifty five keeps people alive... and houses. 

home is where the heart is

When I originally scheduled my ticket to go home for Christmas, I was able to get a killer deal ($300 roundtrip from Boise to SD- so great!) but it meant that I'd be home for twenty days. I haven't spent more than two weeks at home in over a year and a half so I was a bit apprehensive about it. Don't get me wrong, my family is so great and we adore each other, but I don't have a room anymore since my grandmother has moved in with us so I'd spend the time sleeping in my little sisters bedroom with her. 
You know what? It was perfect. I am so glad that I shared a room with Sophia while I was home. If I had my own room still, it would have been much easier to go up there and be alone, but since I didn't have that opportunity, there was so much togetherness. I got to spend the moments before falling asleep laughing with my sweet sister and pretending to speak Spanish. 
Yo tengo un gorda cabeza. 
Here are some of my favorite moments from my perfect home-cation. 

I was able to assist in throwing my sister Nebrisa a surprise engagement party. She was BEYOND surprised and even cried, which obviously means we were successful! Bris is great at surprising others and always goes out of her way to celebrate people in really lovely ways, so it was so wonderful to be able to do something for her!

In 'N Out you guys. So good. Perfection. I would be super appreciative if they opened a location in Boise. Please? 

Look at that handsome pup! Don't you just wanna snuggle the heck out of him? That's Angus, my sweet German Shepherd! He's so handsome. I spet some great time with him and was able to take him to the dog park where he would not let any of the other dogs hump him. Way to go Gus. 

One of my dear friends from college, Marisa, recently relocated to LA with her husband. I haven't been able to see her since May of 2011 so we made it a priority to see each other when I was home. We enjoyed a great little escape to the Palm Springs area and had some much needed girl time. 

I was finally able to hike Torrey Pines with my sisters and mom. I had seen pictures of them going there and was so jealous. What's better than hiking right over the ocean? I wasn't able to go when I got back from Korea because there wasn't enough time so it was something I definitely wanted to do while I was home for Christmas. It is now going to be a tradition, if I'm home for more than a couple days, we'll head down to Torrey Pines! If you live in the Southern California area, I highly recommend making a trip down there! 

And this was perhaps the sweetest moment of all. Cody has demolished me every single time we've played! EVERY TIME! It's usually by such a shameful amount too but this time, this one time I beat him! I haven't beat him since and I probably won't ever beat him again, but this single victory was enough. 

Most of these pictures are from instagram, 

I don't have any of those fancy buttons that can direct you straight to my insta, 

so if you are interested in following along with life via the insta, you can find me HERE!