He’s just too precious to not share with the world. =)

I realize this is the second photo post in a row. I will actually write something soon. Promise.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. =)

I’ve been tagged on facebook in like ten of these “25 things” notes. You’re supposed to write 25 things about yourself and then tag 25 people and tell them to do the same. I figured if I was actually going to do this, I should at least post it on my blog. Enjoy!

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1. I really don’t like to plan too far ahead. I like to have a tentative plan, but I also like to keep my options open. It is very important to me to leave my schedule open for a little of the unexpected. That’s what makes life fun.

2. My coffee drink of choice is a non-fat hazelnut latte… light on the foam.

3. I’m an obsessive googler. I google everything. I use gmail, google maps, google calendar, google reader, and google documents. I’m just wondering when they are going to come up with google research paper writer.

4. I really don’t like art museums… I’ll go to them. I’ll pretend to enjoy staring at a bunch of artwork that all looks the same to me. But I just never “feel” it like some people do. Athough, I do love photography museums. I can stare at photographs all day. Especially photos with people in them… because they are real and they actually have a story.

5. I love ethnic food… Indian, Mexican, Thai, Italian, Greek… you name it.

6. I don’t like cats. Once they are no longer kittens, I just don’t don’t see the point.

7. When I am in love I do not even notice other guys. They might as well not exist. I’ve only felt like this twice in my life.

8. As much as I hate really cold weather, I want to experience a little of it each year so that I can fully appreciate it when spring finally comes. I don’t think I could ever live somewhere without seasons permanently.

9. I’m only writing this because I am avoiding the research paper that I should be working on instead.

10. I don’t like secrets. I don’t keep secrets. I don’t like when you keep secrets. I wish we could all just be honest.

11. Some people think that I am naive because I give everyone the benefit of the doubt that I can trust them until they prove me wrong.

12. I believe that I have the best parents in the entire world. Your parents might be great too, but mine definately take the cake.

13. Since this is number 13, I am absolutely scared to death of any sort of supernatural, evil, possession-related movies/books/tv shows/etc. I will have nightmares for years.

14. I have never been in a relationship before on Valentine’s Day…. until this year. I’m looking forward to not dreading the day for once.

15. My mom’s birthday is February 15th. When she was pregnant for me, she hoped that I would be born on her birthday. Instead, I waited until February 17th because even way back then I didn’t want to have to share my brithday with anyone else. (I like to be the center of attention.) Now I share my birthday with my boyfriend’s mom. Go figure.

16. I hate Wal-Mart. I will never support a company that treats its employees like slaves and outsources all of its production to sweatshops in China, all the while squashing every local, family-owned business in its path.

17. 17 is my favorite number.

18. I’m afraid of getting old and never being able to go back to my twenties. I like the age I’m at right now. I wish I could stay put.

19. I have a very minor speech impediment. I won’t tell you what it is.

20. Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world. I have everything that I want.

21. I’ve been waiting for sister to have a baby since the day she got married, more than four years ago. I wanted to be an aunt more than anything. Now I am and I love my nephew Levi more than I could have ever imagined.

22. I’ve met a lot of celebrities, but the only time I’ve ever been truly starstruck is when I met Brad Pitt. My heart was pounding and I had a hard time speaking. It was a weird feeling.

23. I broke my arm when I was 6 years old from falling off the monkey bars. When the doctor was cutting off my cast 6 weeks later, he promised me that the blade wouldn’t cut or burn me. It did. I still have a scar.

24. I’m only going to write 24 things because sometimes I just like to be difficult. (And I’m not tagging anyone either.)

What a weekend! As wonderful as it was, I’m exhausted just thinking about it. But since I am trying to write at this blog more often, I feel like I should write about.

On Thursday evening I attended a wake to support my boyfriend and his family. I was absolutely happy to go, but it was a very sad evening. As hard as it is to say goodbye to loved ones, it’s also very difficult to watch others say goodbye to loved ones. However, the wake was beautiful and I was pleased to have the opportunity to honor the life of a wonderful woman.

I spent all day Friday shadowing sales calls all over Chicagoland. (Which includes suburbs way out in BFE.) By the end of the day, I was just too tired to do anything else and so I went home, climbed in to bed, and remained there for the rest of the night. All of my roommates went out on the town, but I wanted to save myself for Saturday.

Saturday morning I had a doctors appointment at noon which took way longer than necessary. Paul (the boyfriend) and I had a wedding to go to that evening and I made it back to my apartment just in time to pack up my overnight bag and leave. The wedding was in a relatively nearby suburb at a hotel, and since there was open-bar at the reception, we decided to stay there for the night. At around 7:30 pm, at the start of the reception, I get a phone call from my pregnant sister saying that her water just broke and she was on the way to the hospital. Paul’s face immediately dropped because he thought I was going to take off right then and head for the hospital and miss the rest of the reception. But we had both been looking foward to our first wedding together (and the first time dancing together) that there was no way I was going to leave. Plus, my sister had already made it clear to me that I would NOT be allowed in the room while she was in labor so there would be no point for me to go and sit in a waiting room for however long it was going to take. So I stayed at the reception and we had a lot of fun dancing the night away to a lot of oldies and really terrible slow songs.

The next morning we got up around 9:00am, checked out, and headed for the hospital. I could hardly contain my excitement on the way over there, because as you all know I have been beside myself waiting for my nephew to be born!

His name is Leviticus, or Levi for short. He weighs 6 lbs and 6 ounces and is absolutely perfect. I am so in love with him already that I had a hard time giving him up when it was time for us to leave the hospital. We had to get going by 1:00pm because we had tickets to see The Dark Knight at the IMAX. (Which was very cool, by the way.)

So without further adue, I present my beautiful nephew…

Today you can find me over at Umm… Now What? complaining about my fear of getting old. (Not really even of getting old… of turning 25 in two years.) Yes, I realize I’m pathetic.

Since I started this blog in May, a lot has changed. I moved from Santa Barbara, California back to the windy city, also known as Chicago. My sister told me she was pregnant with her very first child and I’ve been stoked to be an aunt since that day… the baby is due in a couple of weeks. (Nine months went fast!) I started a M.A. program at DePaul University. I started my first “real” grown-up job. I started dating my now boyfriend… (which, let me tell you, was a LONG time coming!)

All of these changes have been awesome. I can say without hesitation that I’m very happy with where my life is at right now. But as it always seems to go after big life changes, I’m still figuring out how to manage my time, and how to make all the pieces fit together.

This blog, as well as Umm… Now What? are two pieces that I haven’t yet been able to fit into the puzzle. My original vision for JessWrites.com was a blog where I could write funny stories, travel experiences, and random observations… I never wanted it to be a diary where I wrote about my day-to-day life. The problem is, I’m struggling to find the time to write the kind of things I used to post here… I really think I would write more often if I didn’t have such high expectations for my own writing.

In this special instance, would it be a bad thing to substitute quality for quantity? Would you guys still want to read this blog if my posts became more… day-in-the-life?

Hello all.

This week has been kind of crazy. I started a new job on Monday, and I also started my grad program at DePaul University this week. The new job is fun, but I have a lot to learn. I will feel a lot better about it once I’m more in the swing of things and not playing a never ending game of 20 questions. A really awesome perk is that the company is paying for my Iphone, so no more phone bills for me!

I don’t have a lot to say about my classes yet since I’ve only gone to each class once so far. What I do know is that Jess WILL be writing A LOT in the upcoming months. Although it will be less fun blog writing, and more 25-page research paper writing. Ack. Remind me why I decided to go to grad school? lol.

My nephew is due in less than a month now! I’m getting very stoked to be an Auntie. I’m trying to figure out a way to go to my sisters last ultrasound appointment next Friday morning. I’m so excited to meet this little guy that I can hardly contain myself!

Happy New Year! I just realized that I haven’t said that yet! I hope everyone has a wondeful, prosperous 2009! What are your new year’s resolutions?? I didn’t make one. I don’t like to set myself up for failure.

(Thank you for still reading my blog, even though I’ve sucked at being a blogger lately.)

For at least 5 years now, I have filled out this very survey at the end of the year. It is my year in review. Not only is it nice to look back at the year and reflect on all that is happened, but I also read my answers from the year before and reflect on those memories as well. If you end up filling this survey for your blog, leave me a link in the comments so I can go read it.

Happy New Year everyone! See you in 2009!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? I moved to California where I made lots of awesome friends, got some great work experience, and did a little bit of growing up… it was a great experience, but in the end I realized that I belong in Chicago and moved back here. In 2008 I also went camping on the beach, went on a motorcycle ride through the mountains, worked at a film festival, went to Portugal with Kalee, spent a day at Magic Mountain, visited San Diego, and swam with sharks. (all firsts for me)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t think I made one last year or the year before. I’ll probably continue that tradition and not make one this year either. Although, I did promise my siblings that I would read the books that they got me this year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Cassandra and Dave (my sis and bro-in-law’s housemates) had a baby girl in February. And my sister is pregnant now, due in February 2009!
4. Did anyone close to you die? No
5. What countries did you visit? Spain, Portugal, and Mexico
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Right now I have everything I want…except my nephew, but he’s on the way!
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory and why? November 8th, my dad’s birthday, but also the day that Paul and I FINALLY started dating. =)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Moving to California and spending 10 months out there, getting accepted into grad school at DePaul, and getting a “real” job.
9. What was your biggest failure? Not reading enough books. I’ve only read one novel this year and it took me 9 months to finish it.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing too severe.
11. What was the best thing you bought? My Iphone
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My cousin Mariam did awesome in her first year at law school and landed a great internship/job for next summer.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Not really something I want to write about on here.
14. Where did most of your money go? Ummm… bills, student loans, clothes, trips
15. What did you really, really, really get excited about? When my sister called to tell me that she was pregnant!!!!!!!
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
17. Compared to this time last year are you:
Happier? YES! I’m as happy as I’ve ever been. =)
Thinner? Maybe, or about the same.
Richer? No, but at least I have a full-time job lined up.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Read, save money
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? I can’t think of anything.
20. How did you spend Christmas? At home in Clare with my whole family. It was great.
21. How will you be spending new years? I’ll be with my boyfriend.
22. Did you fall in love in 2008? =)
23. How many one-night stands? n/a
24. What was your favorite TV program? The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No
26. What was the best book you read? The ONLY book I read was Middlesex
27. What was your biggest musical discovery? I don’t think I had any big musical discoveries this year actually.
28. What did you want and you got? Everything on my checklist… acceptance into grad school, a job, and Paul. And my nephew is almost here, he was on the list too.
29. What did you want and not get? Ummm… The Office Season 1? Lol. That’s about it.
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Juno
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old did you turn? I turned 22 years old and I spent my birthday camping on the beach with my cousins… and I spent the evening on the back of a motorcycle riding through the mountains in Santa Barbara.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I’m not sure, I’m really satisfied with my life right now.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? I don’t know. Summery, considering I lived in SoCal.
34. What kept you sane? Talking to Paul
35. Which celebrity did you fancy the most? John Krasinski
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Everything involved with the election. I was fired up about Obama, and absolutely couldn’t stand Sarah Palin.
37. Who did you miss? When I was in California, I missed everyone back in the Midwest.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Everyone in California… I can’t pick just one person because they are all great.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: Have faith in your decisions.
40. Quote or Song Lyric that sums up your year: “I anti-hate you.” AND “I’m just a little bit caught in the middle, life is a maze and love is a riddle.”

I’ve always been hesitant to write anything really personal here. Too many people I know in real life read my blog… or at least know about it. But today I’m going to break my own rule, still with hesitance, but also with confidence that what I’m going to write about won’t piss anyone off.

I don’t have a whole lot of experience being in a relationship. And I have no experience being in a good relationship. I’ve dated a lot of guys, spent about five minutes feeling giddy with each one, and then quickly lost interest, repeat, repeat, repeat. I don’t know if there is a good way to describe my dating habits… but it hasn’t really been pretty. I’m going on 23 and have never been in a consistent relationship for more than three months. (Yes, there was that guy I wrote about a couple weeks ago who stuck around for nearly two years…. but my relationship with him was far from consistent.)

For the most part, I feel like I’ve experienced more in my life than a lot of (or even most) other 22-year-olds. But when it comes to lasting relationships…. FAIL. Blame it on my “location anxiety” (which is actually a term coined by my new boyfriend) or the fact that I absolutely refuse to settle for less than I know I deserve. I guess it could be blamed on both. It’s hard to have a long lasting relationship when you’re never in the same place for more than a few months time. But I feel like part of the reason I’ve moved around so much is because I haven’t been in a relationship that I was completely happy with, and if I would have been then I probably wouldn’t have moved so many times. This is why I point my finger at my high expectations. I’m not into that whole “Mr. Right Now” thing that so many girls go for. I don’t want to spend my time and effort in a relationship that is going nowhere.

Instead… I have high expectations. This is not to say that the guy has to be perfect. In fact, I don’t like perfect. Guys who are perfect make my own imperfections so much more evident, and I’d rather not focus on those types of things. My high expectations have everything to do with how I feel, how I am treated, and how content I am. I want to feel giddy every single time I’m going to see him, not just for the first week. I want to like him so much that I talk/gush about him to anyone and everyone who will listen. I want to feel like he likes me as much as I like him… and I want him to tell me so I don’t have to guess. I want to be able to introduce him to all of my friends and family and already know that they are going to love him. I want him to call me when he says he will, and because he wants to… not because he feels like he should. I want to feel comfortable enough with him that I don’t have to be all made-up every time he’s around. He should like me no matter how good or bad I look. I don’t want there to be any secrets between him and I. We should be able to trust each other completely.

If I don’t have all of that and more… the relationship is a waste of my time. I don’t dwell. I don’t pretend that there’s more there than there is. I just move on…

But just so all of you know, I have all of that and more right now. So much more, in fact. I’m probably as happy as I’ve been ever with my boyfriend (who reads this blog… hey P!) He’s been in my life for over a year, and we have spent hundreds of hours talking and learning everything there is to know about each other. We were friends before we were a couple. We stayed close the entire time I was living in California. And now that we’re together, I like him a little more every single time I see him. (Are you blushing yet?)

I wanted to write about this today because not only is he a huge part of my life now, but because I have been hearing so many stories lately of girls settling for guys who suck. My roommates complain when guys don’t call when they said they would. Friends tell me how they really aren’t into the guy they are dating, but they just like having someone to cuddle with. Couples have been breaking up due to a lack of trust. And after hearing all of that… I can’t help but feel like I am so extremely lucky to not be going through any of it.

So maybe it isn’t ideal that I don’t have a lot of relationship experience. I might not always know what to do or how to deal with problems that arise. But regardless, I’m happy that I have never settled for less than I deserve. And trust me… it is so much better to have exactly what you want.