Happy St. Paddy's!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and my Irish heritage, here's the greenest picture I have.

~Jazzy

Chill Out and Puzzles

It's been two weeks since I finished school, and I must say- it feels rather strange. I guess after all that work, I sort of expected trumpets from the skies, or a parade or something. (Call me egotistical...) Anyway, I kind of had a tiny, baby breakdown after school finished. Freaking out at my dining room table, I silently wondered, "what now???" Yes, for all my goals of deeper trust in God, I am still freaking out when I shouldn't be. But over the past two weeks, I have been slowly adjusting to the idea that I don't always have to be running in a million different directions. And once again, I am reminded of the fact that I don't have to know the ultimate plan for the universe, or even the ultimate direction of my life. "Hi, my name is Jasmine. I am a control freak. But thankfully, Jesus is patiently weening me off my addiction." If I could sum up God's instruction to me these past two weeks in two words, it would be: Chill Out. Not overly divine sounding I know, but I really do feel that this is my task for now. Sometimes I feel as if my life is made up of a bunch of puzzle pieces... from different puzzles. And when I can't see immediately how they're all going to fit together, I start to panic. Frantically I start grabbing pieces and trying to force them to connect. It's so easy for me to run away with that thought. The other night though, I was able to take a breath in between my hyperventilating and hear the words of Jesus "Chill Out. I've got this under control, and it's really not necessary for you to know where the next piece goes. Aren't you happy my dear, I've given you a break from your crazy schedule. So enjoy it, and chill out." I didn't hear this audibly, but I'm pretty certain that was the gist of the message. 

If you, dear reader, have ever felt the panic that I do when surveying an uncertain future, or felt the anxiety and restlessness of a waiting period, then I hope you will be encouraged by my simple lesson to not scorn the times of rest. Take it a day at a time, and be thankful for the break. 

Just some late-night musings... I think I'm off to find a puzzle, and a glass of ice water...

~Jazzy 

Sarah & Nathan e.n.g.a.g.e.d

First engagement shoot! L.O.V.E! Sarah and I have know each other since- well, before we were born, so I'm quite fond of her and super, super happy for her and Nathan! We had a fantastic afternoon of shooting in the lovely Durango, Colorado: yellow Camaro, Starbucks coffee, beautiful lighting, and two people in love...it doesn't get much better than that! And I must say- I'm quite pleased with the results.

Congrats you two!

~Jazzy

They're just so cute!

This ring is absolutely gorgeous!

Don't tell anyone, but we weren't actually supposed to be on that bridge.

They're in love with each other, I'm in love with that car.

Say Cheese!

Have you ever thought about what a blessing it is to be able to smile when someone takes your picture? Have you ever pondered the amazingness of laughter, or the beauty of giggles? Is there anything more beautiful than a child staring wide-eyed at a camera, grinning from ear to ear? 

Today is my "Highlight Your Favorite Charity" day, (I really just made that up because I needed an excuse to talk about this) and one of my favorite charities, Smile Train, is bringing smiles to children worldwide by providing free cleft surgeries to millions of children who wouldn't otherwise be able to smile. Cleft lips and palates are a huge problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. Many children with clefts have trouble eating and speaking, and often the stigma associated with clefts means that these children will not be allowed to attend school. An untreated cleft palate or lip often means a life of loneliness and humiliation, especially because in many developing countries, very little is understood about the cause of clefts, which are often attributed to things like evil spirits. 

This is why Smile Train is so amazing to me! Not only are they performing surgeries for millions of children whose families couldn't afford it, they are also providing training to local doctors worldwide to help them continue the mission in their home countries. For $250, you can provide the cost for an entire surgery, and completely change the course of a child's life, and provide them with a beautiful smile as well! Possibly the best part about this, is the pictures that show up in the mail reminding you of how you've helped to put a smile on a child's face. It's a great feeling!

I know this may sound a bit like a PR brief... but I really do get super excited when I talk about this charity! I love that the problem of fixing clef palates is not something that's unattainable. And for someone like me who's scientifically challenged, and will never go to med school, I can still have a part in helping to fix the smiles of children worldwide. Love it, love it, love it!!!

~Jasmine

These are all pictures that Smile Train has sent me. Are these kids adorable or what?!

I'm done!!!!!!

Finished. Completed. Concluded. Over. Accomplished. Executed. Fulfilled. Done. Wrapped Up. Ended. Finalized. Achieved.

I'm done! And I'm happy! My last assignments for school were just submitted, and I feel so relieved! One more thing to check off my "Ta-da!" list, and now to figure out what I'm going to do with all my extra time...

~Jazzy

:D <---------- This is me with a really big smile on my face, because I wasn't able to upload an actual picture. 

Uncertainty. Oh so beautiful!

Yesterday, it was warm and beautiful. I broke out my t-shirts and capris, and started making summer swimming plans. Yesterday, it seemed as if spring might have been here to stay, and that all my tomorrows would be warm. Today though, it's cold. Big fluffy flakes of snow are swirling around the window as I warm myself with a cup of cocoa. Today, I'm not really sure what to think about tomorrow.

Uncertainty. To me, the only thing certain about that word is that it throws me off balance. Just when I think I'm getting a handle on what to expect- it snows! Isn't that just how life is sometimes? Just when you're starting to settle in to a routine, you're sent off on an adventure, or you're hit with a storm, or you're caught in a blizzard wearing flip-flops. Sometimes you think you've got a pretty good idea of what tomorrow is going to look like, and it turns out to be completely wrong!

As I sit drinking my cocoa, pondering the uncertainty of life, I am struck by the fact that, while the sunshine and warmth of yesterday was beautiful, the chill and quiet of the air today is also beautiful. Unplanned. Unexpected. Unforeseen. And beautiful. These days, I'm learning that even if God changes my plans, He never ceases to provide me with something beautiful. I'm in the last few days of school, and while I am super excited for it to be over, the end of school also represents a tomorrow that I'm not too sure what to think about. Will it be sunny or cold? What's the plan? What's next? *shrug* I don't know. But I know that it's going to be beautiful!

It's kind of comforting don't you think?

~Jasmine

Sunroof: reminder that Jesus loves me!

Oh my goodness! Do you smell that? There's a fresh smell on the air, and I think it's spring! I don't know what it is, but there's just something different in the smell, and feel of the air when winter finally starts to loosen its grip, and spring slowly begins to tiptoe in.

It was so beautiful yesterday, I had a hard time not twirling and dancing everywhere I went. It was warm, and sunshiny; the sky was bright blue, and I got to drive around with my windows down, and my sunroof open. I absolutely love my sunroof. It's about as close as I'll ever get to a convertible, and there's something totally carefree about the sound of the wind rushing over my head as I drive, sun on my shoulders, music turned up, and bare feet on the gas pedal- oh yes!

What I love most about my sunroof is that every time I open it, I am reminded of just how very loved I am by Jesus. Last spring, the car I was driving started to die. Bless that little car- it was 18 years old, had almost 300,000 miles, sometimes stalled at red lights, and had trouble going up hills. It was quite the trooper. When I came to the sad realization that I needed a new car, I began my internet search. Craigslist and Google became my most-visited pages, and many a lunch break was spent pouring over classified ads. After months of searching and coming up empty, I was starting to get discouraged. I had a California road-trip planned, and did not relish the thought of braving the LA freeways in my little tired vehicle. One night, I decided to make a list of what I needed in a car, read the list to God, and see what happened from there (Yes, as if God didn't already know what I needed).

List of things I'm looking for in a car
1. It has to be within my budget
2. I'm going to need something with significantly less miles
3. I'd love to have a Toyota again (I'm a big fan of Toyota cars)
4. I love my sunroof, and it would make me beyond happy if my next car had a sunroof too.


As I looked at my list, I started to think how silly it was of me to include the sunroof. Obviously, having a sunroof doesn't affect the way a car drives, and if I'm being practical, the only thing that matters is whether the car gets me from point A to point B. "Well I guess the sunroof's not that important God, but that would be sweet!" 


Well guess what dear reader? A few weeks later, I bought a car that was $300 under my budget, had more than 100,000 fewer miles, happened to be a nicer Toyota model than the one I had, and yes... it had a sunroof! Every time I open that sunroof and feel the sun on my face, or watch the stars as I drive home, I am reminded of how very much my Jesus loves me! 


Think God doesn't care about the little things? Think again. I've got my sunroof!


~Jazzy

I took this picture at a red light, and I think the person next to me thought I was weird.