An Overdue Return

Two years, 5 months, 3 weeks. That’s how long it has been since I last posted to this blog. (And yes, the OCD side of me wanted to add a day quantity to that timeline. And yes, I struggled for a bit on how to count that exactly since the last post was in February which only has 28 days. The logical side realized all this over-thinking was time-wasted and not really that important.)

I’ve been thinking about returning to blogging for a while. I’ve always felt some weird sense of guilt over not writing here more. I’m guessing it’s similar to my relationship with sewing and crafts – I tend to start projects, then leave them behind. It feels like quitting (“Quitters never prosper!”) or not being motivated enough to see them through to the end.

However, those thoughts of getting more serious about writing probably started during a conversation with my best friend, Summer, a few months ago. Summer and I truly started our careers together. She was a big part of my beginning at New Times, and I’ve since watched her grow and follow two different job opportunities, the second one landing her in LA. While I’ve stayed in the same place, with the same company, I’ve grown too. My full-time staff has grown from one to four. The part time staff has grown from 10 to 30. I’ve taken on a corporate marketing role in addition to enhancing my impact on the business locally.

Summer’s growth has taken her on the path of a business professional, working with women business owners, some of whom own and run multi-million dollar companies.  Hearing her stories of where these women started and how they got to where they are is inspiring; it makes one wonder what more she is capable of professionally.

Don’t get me wrong. A huge part of me loves my job – the event planning, the environment, the reputation in the marketplace. I am probably the most content I have ever been at New Times. I’ve had some trying times, stressful seasons and serious growing pains in learning to be a manager. Right now, I have an amazing team, one I truly respect for their work ethic and what they add to our projects, but also one I couldn’t be happier to spend my time with. That’s a meaningful find when you spend more time with your co-workers than anyone else in your life. We’re not just talking normal working hours – we’re talking long working hours, most meals, and nights and weekends spent working or supporting events.

I appreciate where I am right now when it comes to work. But a girl’s gotta have some dreams and goals and those are a little hazy for me.  I’m not really sure where I want to be in two years, much less five, ten or twenty.

Enter that conversation with Summer. During a discussion of my uncertainty, she suggested I start by building my persona and brand on social media. So much of what I post about is related to work, but what is Jessica really about? There’s more than just the events she produces and the promotions she runs. What if I shared the makeup tips and hair tutorials I’m telling her about? Or posted about music I’m listening to non-stop? Or link back to an article that I found important? It struck a chord and my mind jumped to doing more, blogging about things that interest me, and how through writing I might better understand where my passions lie.

While I loved the idea, I never took the step to start making it happen. I already have such a full schedule, did I really want another commitment in my life? Would it just be another personal disappointment when I didn’t keep up with it? More recently, the idea of writing came up again in a conversation with Reece. We talk often about moving to another country, where we would go, what we each would do, how it could work (or worries of not being able to make it work). As a freelancer who works from home, his job seems much more travel-friendly. Mine not so much.

But we live in a world where people can make a living off blogs and Youtube channels, become a Twitter or Vine celebrity and self-publish books – could I find my place there and create a career that could follow me anywhere? Those people all have a niche. They cater to others who want beauty tips or food porn photos with recipes or Bieber Fever camaraderie or daily entertainment served to them in a constantly streaming feed. What’s my niche? What do I love? Who would I cater to? I’m not really sure.

What I do know is once upon a time, as a little girl who loved to read, I thought that one day I’d like to write a book. Maybe I can. Maybe I will. Maybe that time is just around the corner. I don’t know what it would be about – fiction? personal narratives? – but I do know you have to start somewhere.

In the last week, I’ve felt a final push to write after getting sucked in to a blog getting a lot of press recently. 40 Days of Dating follows two friends as they try dating for 40 days to see what happens – will love develop? will it ruin their friendship? can they conquer the dating habits their not so sure they want to continue? Their honesty in analyzing how they feel about each other, themselves and their careers is exactly the type of self-exploration I’d hope to chronicle by blogging about my life.

With that in mind, here I am, starting somewhere. I hope to write about my job and career hopes, my relationships in love, friendship and family, my interests and general thoughts on the things I see around me. Maybe somewhere in there I’ll find my niche. Maybe my next big step will become less hazy. If not, it shouldn’t matter too much, because either way, I should end up learning something about myself.

New Camera

I bought myself a new camera tonight and I’m pretty excited to use it once it arrives.  It’s the Holga CFN 120.  I always had a love for film photography and especially loved my Dad’s old Canon SLR for the vibrant colors it produced.

Everything I’ve read about these cameras say you can experiment a lot with lighting, color flashes and natural effects from light leaks and vignetting.  Plus, I love the military green and vintage look of the camera body.

Best of Phoenix A’Fare

Months of long, hard work marketing our biggest issue of the year overlap with another couple months of long, hard work planning our biggest party of the year.  It’s a big celebration for the rest of the New Times staff, but it’s a big amount of stress for me.  However, it’s also a big sense of achievement when all is said and done.  This year, I’m got my dream location and I’m really excited about the chance to convert this empty, industrial space into a chic, urban event in two days.

 

Perhaps my favorite part about Best of Phoenix A’Fare is the opportunity to get dressed up and treat myself to a no-holds-barred shopping spree.  For the third year in a row, I went with BCBG Max Azria for my dress (so easy to find a cocktail dress with pockets – an event planner’s dream).  I also snagged this amazing open-band skull ring that goes on two fingers.  A trip to Macy’s helped me find some rocker shoes to spice up the all-black dress.  I’m beyond excited to weart these glittery Rachel Roy pumps featuring pyramid spikes on the heel.

 

Now, I just need a plan for hair and makeup and trip to get my nails done.  Photos from event to come…

 

Lucky Girl

As I was scrolling through my Facebook profile, looking at the number of photos friends and I have uploaded over the last few weeks, I couldn’t help but think what a lucky girl I am. I have a pretty amazing group of girlfriends (who I also get to work with daily), a job that comes with loads of perks, a supportive family and a boyfriend who makes me smile everyday.

I go to cool events, usually for free. I see the bands I want to see, usually for free. I’ve gone on trips to Austin, Orange County, Denver and Vegas with some, if not all, expenses paid.

I get to make my own professional dreams come true. I’ve driven past the CityScape tower over and over as it was being built. About a month ago, it occurred to me that hosting our annual Best of Phoenix party somewhere towards the top would be unforgettable. After working to find contacts and using some networking, I am officially hosting the event there.

I decided a few months ago that I would love to get back into radio. I mentioned it to a friend at X103.9 this past weekend. Today, he called to ask me to be a “Celebrity Guest Judge” for a local band contest. He also talked to the program director and I’ve been asked to submit an aircheck tape and resume for one of their weekend shows. Even if I don’t get it, I’m excited about the things I’m making happen in my life.

I have a lot to be grateful for…

Uncontrollable

Apparently, I have no control over myself.  I really should be watching my budget this week, but just couldn’t help it.  I saw a promo code for “buy one piece, get one piece” from Betsey Johnson and lost all regard for my checking account balance.

While I should be feeling remorse, I’m pretty excited for these two tops to show up next week:

Betsey Johnson Wink w/ Fangs T-Shirt in Red

Betsey Johnson Antique Flowers and Skulls Tank

I have done pretty well in holding back a bit.  My last purchase was a dress for an event in early June and before that it was a couple items for my Thailand trip.  I did buy a lot on a shopping trip before that, but it was at Kohl’s, everything was on sale and I got an extra 20% off the total.  The entire spree was on LC by Lauren Conrad items which has become my favorite line for shopping on a budget.

At least I’ve been getting a lot of wear out everything!

Been a while…

Despite my best intentions, I haven’t kept up with this blog very well.  Just a few days before my last post, I accepted the resignation of my second in command at work – I lost not only a dependable employee but also time spent daily with my best friend.  After she finished her last day, it was a whirlwind of interviews and handling two jobs at once.  Once I re-hired, there was training and throwing my new coordinator straight into the one of the busiest times of year for us.

I have done pretty well in the travel department so well.  I went to Denver for the first time in February (if only for a night) to see an event one of our sister papers produces.  I just went to Austin for five days and my second trip to SXSW.  South By is like a whole other world where it’s acceptable to barhop and drink all day and night while searching out band after band after band.  I leave for Arkansas this Friday for a family reunion (so excited to see all of the cousins) and am hoping to make it to Coachella in California later in April.  Reece and I are also planning a Thailand vacation with our friend Justice (serious advice from my Aunt Kathleen will be gathered this weekend).

My latest purchase I’m excited about is a Betseyville Sweetheart carry-on bag.  For one, it’s the first piece of luggage that I’ve purchased that wasn’t some form of a duffel bag.  Second, it is ridiculously cute – black and white checkers, girl-y pink roses, silver accents, thunderbolt zipper pulls and a silver, studded, heart-shaped luggage tag.  With my busy work schedule, most trips are just for the weekend, so this should be perfect.  I plan on using it for the first time on my trip to Arkansas this weekend.  I found it on Amazon for only $80 – original price is $195. I’m also excited to have something that will force me to pack carry-on friendly as opposed to always checking my bags because I think its impossible to function without my huge bottles of Bedhead shampoo and hair product.

Reece got me those Harajuku Lovers pumps that I wanted around the holidays – such a good birthday present! I have yet to wear them because I suspect that they won’t be comfortable without breaking them in first.

I’ve recently started seriously considering what kind of car I want to buy next year.  I think it will be easier to keep saving for it when I have something concrete in mind.  After driving a Toyota RAV4 for the past 5 years, I think I’m going to need some sort of crossover vehicle – I love having some height and the extra space to haul things, but also want something a little sleeker and sportier.  I’m currently in love with the Volvo XC60, but am pretty sure Reece will give me a hard time if he realizes that its the same car Edward Cullen drives in the Twilight movies.

Resolve

I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions.  It always just seemed weird that one day out of 365 of the year should mark a reason for change.  However, with two years of running a marketing department under my belt and two years of goal-setting through annual plans, quarterly objective sheets and individual event strategy guides, I think I finally see a reason for resolutions.

Truly, a resolution is all about a personal goal someone has for themselves.  I feel like people forget about that part.  If they resolve to stop eating fast food, it’s because they have a goal weight or healthier lifestyle in mind.  Without knowing why you really are making a surface resolution, how can you hope to keep it?  It is so important to know where you are heading in order to complete the trip without too many wrong turns.

So here are the things I resolve to do in 2010 in the form of personal goals:

1. To begin and maintain a regular savings plan in order to purchase a new car in 2011 paid in cash and also have cash to buy large ticket items (TV, puppy)
2. To think BIG in both what I want for my events and staff at work and also for myself and what I want to be and do
3. To be happy and more comfortable with myself, mentally and physically, by making yoga and dance classes regularly scheduled portions of my week
4. To make my first trip out of the country (Thailand!) and finally start my travel explorations and expand my cultural experiences
5. To take better care of myself and my responsibilities in my personal life, especially when it comes to health (doctors visits), finances (paying bills on time), and family (seeing them more, reaching out more, sending cards, calling)

Christmas

I think I am in love – with a handbag.  And possibly more so with my boyfriend than I was before Christmas due to his taste in picking out this bag for me.  It’s no secret to my friends and family that I love almost anything to do with Gwen Stefani (except maybe the lyrics on her solo albums).  However, he came up with the idea to get this bag all on his own.  I already loved the spray paint and paint splatter look of the print on sight, but I appreciate it even more after looking at the other print available.

My parents got me those black platform pumps I’ve put off buying for so long as well as a number of pieces from Lauren Conrad’s new LC by Lauren Conrad line for Kohl’s.  I think I’m most excited for the blazer of the three pieces.

Winter Shopping

I am withholding from purchasing these super-cute pumps by Harajuku Lovers.  Must save money for Christmas gifts, must save money, must save money.  Here’s hoping they are still available in my size on Zappos after the holidays – they are well worth the $94 cost.

On another note, I’m so excited for the leather jacket I bought a couple weeks ago to arrive!  I found an amazing deal on Hautelook and couldn’t pass it up.  The Joe’s Jeans Pixie Jacket is normally $595, but I bought it in the Shadow color for only $180.

It’s finally getting cold enough here to wear it, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect.  I’ve already been planning out outfits to wear it with.  Is it lame that I got excited to see the model for this sale on the site was Allie from Season 1 of The City?  I’m still wanting a black leather jacket, but this gray one has calmed my yearning for leather for now.

I also ordered some new skinnies along with the jacket.  After falling in love with my black William Rast skinny jeans, I needed another pair.  These ones are a light gray wash called Cinder, also from Joe’s Jeans.  I love the pair I have in another fit, so hopefully the Chelsea fit works out well too.

Back in Black

I’m finding myself constantly looking for these accessories in my closet.  I love black accessories because they’ll go with anything.  I feel like these black Rayban Wayfarer sunglasses, black leather jacket by H&M and black platform pumps from Aldo are basics I need to add to my wardrobe.  They’ll add a rocker edge and I know I’ll wear them over and over and definitely get my money’s worth out of them.

Rayban Wayfarers = $139

H&M Leather Jacket = $80

Franchette Pump = $90

P.S. H&M just opened their first store in Scottsdale.  I think a new jacket is in my future…