Yesterday was quite the Tunesday. My best friend, Lex, with her incredible luck won a radio contest to go to a private mini concert and a meet and greet with Ingrid Michaelson. (Her song Girls Chase Boys was my first Tunesday. You can listen here!) Lex invited me and I can't thank her enough! It was amazing. It was at the Coca-Cola Lounge in SLC. Lex's luck continued and we ended up being on the VIP list. Front row, inches away from Ingrid. I was giddy to say the least. We also had a gift on our chairs: a water bottle, sunglasses, and chap-stick. Our lanyards were the cherry on top.
Ingrid was so hilarious! She was making jokes about how her mom tells her she has only had one hit in her life. She was laughing about how that song is going to stick with her forever and probably be written in her obituary. She had the whole room laughing multiple times.
Super talented! She sounded amazing live, along with her back up singers. They were spot on. I'm always so pleased to hear an artist that is even better live than recorded.
And then we got to meet her and get a picture with her! It's hard to smile normally while containing that much excitement!
Thank you again, Lex, for such a wonderful day! Not only getting to meet Ingrid but for a fun day spent with my best friend!
Butterflies. I'd like to know who was the first person to come up with that description. It's so perfect. So I was thinking, what are things that give me instant butterflies? And I discovered some of those things are quite silly. Things like:
- When the band first walks out at a concert
- Cliff jumping
- Summer drives with the windows down
- Seeing someone I've missed
- NYC
- When a roller coaster goes down its first drop
- Meeting someone for the first time
- Christmas Eve
- Driving through the mountains when the leaves have changed
- When the plane touches down
- Night hikes
- Midnight movies
- Falling in love with a new song
- Running into the ocean
- Smelling the pines while pulling into the cabin
And of course, the classic..
- Kissing
Some butterflies are more gentle than others but they are always a reminder that I'm alive. Life is exciting and adventure is everywhere, even in the simplest of forms. Oh those silly butterflies. Want to know what else gives me butterflies? Fridays. Have a such wonderful weekend!
Because I love New York. Because Sara Bareilles is incredibly talented. Because I bought this album on vinyl yesterday. Because I love the lyrics and the verses especially in this song. Happy Tunesday!
Because of Him I can be with my family forever.
Because of Him I am never alone.
Because of Him I can change.
Because of Him there is always hope.
Because of Him I have no need to fear.
Because of Him my pains can give me strength.
I have felt my Savior's love so much. I've felt it in the embrace of my family and in the laughter of my friends. I've been comforted when I have felt discouraged. I have felt strength when I have been weak. His love is always there. Even though He has already given everything, He continues to give. Everyday we can look to Him and feel peace. He has lifted me time and time again, even when I have felt undeserving. His love has no limits.
Easter has always been one of my two favorite holidays. It has always felt bright and warm. Isn't it so appropriate that the time of year that we celebrate Easter is when everything is so full of life? Birds chirp and the sun shines. I can feel that He lives as spring comes around with all of the flowers blooming, the kids outside playing, the animals coming out to enjoy the sun, and the grass greening. The resurrection couldn't be more beautiful and more true. I know with all of my heart that He loves us and has created a beautiful world for us to enjoy and remind us of that. I'm grateful for this beautiful life He has blessed me with and for the joy He continually pours out upon me and upon the people I love.
John 11:25
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
Because of Him I will be better.
Because of Him I will love more.
Because of Him I will show more patience.
Because of Him I will have more faith.
Because of Him I am thankful.
Yesterday was Reagan's birthday (one of my best friends) and she is a complete lover of music. We got to hang out recently and it was so much fun and so, so needed. She showed me this song, so I figured it would be perfect for Tunesday! She is truly such a wonderful person and anyone who comes in contact with her is so very fortunate. I'm so grateful to have her in my life. She is an optimist, kind, hilarious, adventurous, and so full of light and love. So, Reag, this Tunesday is dedicated to you and your love of music! I love you so very much and hope you had a wonderful birthday!
Walking around our neighborhood has been one of my favorite things to do in New York. Each step has felt new and fresh and I have loved everything around me. The trees here have missing branches to allow the power lines to run through. Squirrels scurry along them and hop from tree to tree. The lush, green trees turned to trees bursting with colors and eventually were bare in the perfectly white snow. They are the types of trees that are perfect to hang a tire swing from -- strong and sturdy. The kind that have more than enough leaves to form a large pile of leaves to leap into.
I love the tight streets lined with gorgeous, quaint houses, American dream houses. Each with a lantern and a mailbox. And each with its own perfect tree. Michelle has always taken particular notice of the houses' colorful doors. Our first stop on our little walk is the neighborhood mailbox. I've taken many walks to it. I was giddy when I first saw it. I found it completely charming. I've never been anywhere with so many of those blue mailboxes. They are everywhere in New York as if saying, "Go ahead, write a letter to someone you love. I'll be here waiting." So I would think of anyone I could write a letter to and take a weekly walk to the mailbox to drop them off.
The next stop on our usual walk is the golf course at the end of the road. I love walking along its crooked golf cart paths, then reaching a tree in the middle of all the grass. A bench sits beneath it. I've taken a picture of it in each season and thus call it the Season Tree. It's become a personal, quiet thing for me. Often times I have wandered there alone. I spend my time breathing the air and floating through thoughts. That tree has been a pause for me even when the world has spun a little too quickly. After taking pictures and strolling through the golf course we head back home.
We stroll back to that little, yellow house on the corner. My favorite place in all of New York. I love its wood floors, french doors, pretty doorknobs, funny half bath, its screen doors that indicate when someone is home, its specific lock on the front door, and that comfy couch that sits in the living room next to where the babies play. Walking up the stairs has become a dance when the babies are sleeping. They creak and finding the most quiet steps has become routine. I love the room that I have been able to call my own. It's connected to a sunroom where it allows the sound of traffic to rush in and soothe like a running river. I sometimes spend nights just looking at the car lights.
Of all the things I love about this house, I love the little family it holds the most. I've felt so honored to be a part of it. I've been able to be a part of the routine and the laughter and the smiles and even the heartaches. I've been incredibly blessed to spend these last seven months so closely to people I love more than words can express. It's been the best seven months of my life. We have been best friends, awkward dancers, bee smashers, saying slayers, synchronized sisters and a true family.
This short walk has meant everything to me. It has changed my life and changed my heart. I have felt so much joy, light, hope, and love. Thank you New York for each footstep I have taken. You have breathed new life into me. I can see clearer now and my heart is so full. But mostly, thank you Michelle, Danny, Lincoln, and Sophie for walking with me. I have loved each step and will cherish it all forever.
General Conference is always held right when I feel in need of it. God's timing is perfect and General Conference is an example of that to me. I always leave feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready to move forward, living life a little better. Hope and solace can always be found in the love of our Savior. Time and time again I have felt that love through the words spoken at this meeting. I so hope that you will join us in listening to our modern day prophets speak!
To learn more about my beliefs click the "Believe" tab above.
Happy April Fool's Day! Has anyone tricked you yet? Also, Happy Birthday to Fred and George Weasley!
I've always been one to be a trickster, especially when I was little. I was always scheming which made April 1st one of my favorite days of the year. Of course, April Fool's is usually full of failed attempts. I remember one year when I was in elementary school that I spent the day trying to trick my family and it just wasn't working. I was pretty bummed that it had been such a failed holiday.
Well, that night I was itching my back and my mom asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I just have an itch."
"Here, let me look at your back." She went full out I'm telling you. "Jess, you have chicken pox!"
I had given up on the tricks so I was taking her very seriously. I was freaking out. Scratching all over. And my sister joined in, "It's worse if you get it the second time. Have you had it?"
I'm sure my eyes widened and I looked to my mom. And doom hit. I had in fact had chicken pox previously. Melt down started to settle in. "It gets worse if you itch it!"
"But it itches!"
That was the day I learned that your mind can play tricks on you. Round of applause to my hilarious mom. It made my day in a very twisted way. I can't help but laugh thinking about it now. My complete terror and the fun my mom and sister must have had pulling that one off. The trickster got played.
So, today, if anyone tells you that you have the chicken pox…it's a lie. Your mind is messing with you. Have a wonderful day tricksters…and bare with us fools! Tomorrow the craziness will end.
Walking around our neighborhood has been one of my favorite things to do in New York. Each step has felt new and fresh and I have loved everything around me. The trees here have missing branches to allow the power lines to run through. Squirrels scurry along them and hop from tree to tree. The lush, green trees turned to trees bursting with colors and eventually were bare in the perfectly white snow. They are the types of trees that are perfect to hang a tire swing from -- strong and sturdy. The kind that have more than enough leaves to form a large pile of leaves to leap into.
We stroll back to that little, yellow house on the corner. My favorite place in all of New York. I love its wood floors, french doors, pretty doorknobs, funny half bath, its screen doors that indicate when someone is home, its specific lock on the front door, and that comfy couch that sits in the living room next to where the babies play. Walking up the stairs has become a dance when the babies are sleeping. They creak and finding the most quiet steps has become routine. I love the room that I have been able to call my own. It's connected to a sunroom where it allows the sound of traffic to rush in and soothe like a running river. I sometimes spend nights just looking at the car lights.
