The Vegas Bowl

I drove with Vic to SLC today. We made it just in time to watch the BYU-UCLA game! My dad, mom, and two brothers joined my grandmother and uncle's family in screaming for a good 2 hours or so. I was torn in my loyalties. I've grown up a BYU football fan my entire life. Both of my parents graduated from there, I was born a BYU baby--for heaven's sake. But let's face it, UCLA writes my paycheck. Do I really want to jinx that while I'm waiting for 2 checks to come through from them? Hmm. I realized I was still a Cougar at heart the minute the game began. We were elated most of the game... until the last couple minutes... and with 3 seconds left, BYU tipped a field goal attempt by UCLA and won the game by one point!

The reactions were priceless. My dad jumped off the couch faster than I did when I realized my house was burning, screamed, and jumped up and down; my grandmother had a slightly delayed reaction—but when she figured out what was going on, she threw her popcorn-brimmed bowl up into the air and onto everyone in the room... which then proceeded into an all-out popcorn fight amongst all the ADULTS in the room; and let's just say I lost my voice after screaming so loud! Yes, it was a Kodak and MasterCard Moment in one... unforgettable and priceless. What a combo.

UCLA wide receiver Dominique Johnson gets hit by BYU defensive back Ben Criddle during the first half of the Las Vegas Bowl football game Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, in Las Vegas. Johnson dropped the ball after the hit, and the pass was incomplete. (AP Photo/Sam Morris)

Almost Finished!!!

In 16 minutes, my last final will begin. I'm sitting in the classroom, waiting. I don't feel excited, relieved, or anxious. The only thing I can think of is how hungry and tired I am. This entire weekend (sans church and the gingerbread house-making party last night) was spent in agony at my kitchen table, feverishly trying to finish a final project, due at 3:00pm today. I didn't quite make it... I ran into class at 4:00pm. I blame it on my cultural upbringings of Mormon Standard Time. Luckily I was able to present my final project to the class, albeit extremely late! Oh well. I don't even care at this point. Six finals down and one to go!!! YAY!!! After 9:00pm you may call me Bachelor.

Short and sweet

I had been unusually depressed and lonely a couple weeks ago. It was awful. I babysat that night—hoping to distract myself from the all-consuming misery and woe I felt. Nothing particularly special happened as I got the two little boys bathed and ready for bed. The oldest fell asleep quickly, but the two year old needed a little more attention. I laid down near him and he scooted up next to me. I closed my eyes and realized I was still utterly depressed. I wanted to cry. Then a tiny little hand popped out from under his blanket and lovingly rubbed my arm until he fell asleep. It was so sweet and innocent. I immediately thanked my Heavenly Father for such a perfect little tender mercy, while wiping away the tears.

I'm not one to share personal things like that, but for some reason I keep thinking about it. This little experience reminds me of the movie Crash. It's one of only three movies that I can say changed the way I view my life and those around me. I highly recommend watching this film if you haven't done so already. The edited version is regularly shown on FX. Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.

From my balcony...

When thinking of balconies, I usually picture myself sitting on a lanai, bathing in the perfect Hawaiian sun, reading a good book, and sipping on cold Cranberry Juice. Ok, maybe I lost most of you with the cranberry juice, but even so... balconies always have a nice feeling associated with them for me. Not anymore.

Many interesting things have been happening on my balcony lately. Last night greatly reiterates this point. Let me begin by saying that we, as an apartment, have been overly-aware of the goings-on around our apartment building since the fires. The temperature last night was close to freezing (a rarity here in LA) and I didn't want our homeless man to show up and start another fire to keep warm. Sad, but true... I like my apartment... I'd like to keep it from being reduced to charcoal.

At midnight, Kami came running up the stairs to see what was going on below. She had heard the familiar sound of bottles and cans being sorted (a favorite past-time of our uninvited neighbor). We both walked out onto the balcony, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary in the burned-out garage... when all of the sudden... CRASH! We look across the street and a Ford Explorer totally smashed into the front of a Mazda RX-8. There were no cars around... no stop signs... nothing... obviously drunk or just NOT paying attention to the PARKED car! The Ford Explorer then proceeds to drive forward, but can't... it REVERSES and gets even more STUCK to the side of that poor little car!!! Now, if this were you... wouldn't you stop and get some help? Get out to see how much damage was done before you do MORE?! No. Not this driver. They DRIVE OFF!!! Kami and I look at each other in my all-too-familiar tone, "Is this REALLY happening?"

I couldn't get the license plate number from where we were, so I grabbed a paper and pen and we literally booked it down to the garage, jumped into the Batmobile and sped off after the felon! Can you believe us?! Someone should be paying us to be the neighborhood watch. Seriously.

We found her, about 2 blocks down, checking out the damage to her SUV. I quickly wrote down the plates as Kami pretended to be looking for a parking spot. We heroically drove back home. Just as we were getting out of the car, the guy who owns the Mazda walked out of the apartment building. He was in shock as we reiterated what we had just witnessed and done! I handed him the paper and we went back upstairs. We're such good Samaritans. Goodness... what a night!

Oh, don't worry, it only gets better.

The reason I was mildly paranoid about another fire being started last night, not just because I really love my bed, but that our Renter's Insurance wouldn't go into effect until the next day. Thus, at 3:20am, after a full day of awful finals and chasing hit-and-run criminals, I finished up my homework and I was heading to bed when I heard the chain link fence being messed with. I peered out the blinds—the same blinds used to discover the two fires and car accident. It wasn't Mr. Homeless Man. No, it was three men this time... dressed in black, their pick-up truck parked next to the abandoned house and burnt garage, sneaking through the chain-link fence that was "conveniently" laying on its side, sprinting into the back of the house, grabbing boxes, tables, chairs, lamps, and more boxes... anything they could carry and chucking it into the back of their truck! (They even had a "look out guy"!)

NO WAY!! NOT ANOTHER "Is this seriously happening to me?" MOMENT!

I was actually watching a burglary in progress. HOLY CRAP! I immediately called the police (who took their sweet time in arriving, btw). The robbers were kind enough to wait around a few minutes for the police to show up as they were forced to jump-start their get-away vehicle! But alas, they got away, free and clean. A minute later, two LAPD helicopters were overhead, spotlights on, searching for the bandits. I was still on the phone with the dispatcher as the the cops arrived. They wanted to chat with me. So I headed downstairs, chatted for a while (he remembered me from our last late-night fire experience a week ago), and went back up to my nice warm apartment. Why do all the hot cops work at night?! Share the wealth! "Come On!" (...in GOB-esque style, for you Arrested Development fans.)

Where do I live?! What is going on with this place? We laughed about it over dinner tonight as we celebrated Jenny's birthday at PF Chang's. It was a fabulous night. I'll post pictures later.

Then it happened. Kami ran upstairs after going to bed, saying she heard the chain-link fence again. Déja vu? I wish. No... I heard it too. We peaked through the blinds, again, and beheld a work-truck, filled to the brim with junk. It had backed into the fence, which knocked it completely over. Pony-tail haired man parked his truck and dashed off down the street, still backed into the fence. WHAT THE HECK?! Can we say suspicious?! After deliberation, Yes. I called the police, again. I gave the dispatcher the history of all the weird things that have been going and told her, as we laughed, that I really don't ever call 911, but in the past two weeks, I've gotten my money's worth. A couple minutes later the guy quickly slipped back into the truck and took off.

I didn't pay much attention to the cops this time. I was busy adding old HS friends on Facebook, and too involved in a debate about being happy vs. being content as singles. But that's another story.

Is it wrong to admit that I'm a little exhausted from all the, "Is this seriously happening to me?" moments in my life lately? I told Gero Student I thought the property next door was cursed. He called me Mrs. Kravitz. He's probably right.

At least we have renter's insurance... charred balconies and all.

City Girl Aprons

I received an email tonight from an old friend in the LA 1st ward. She just designed her first line of super chic City Girl Aprons and they're now on sale! I LOVE THEM, they're just adorable. What a great, untapped market! These will make fantastic Christmas presents for my mom and grandmother. (Let's hope they're not reading this! If so, Merry Christmas! Which one would you like?!)

Stop, Drop, and Roll!!!

We had a new neighbor move into the abandoned single-car garage just below our townhouse balcony 2 months ago. The homeless man was no longer homeless... good for him! Not so good for us. It really didn't bother me until he began sorting glass and aluminum bottles from 2:00am-5:30am practically every night! Courtney and Kami and I all have bedroom windows—large windows—that open up to his little oasis of noise. Uhh. It was annoying, but we dealt with it.

Fast forward to Monday, November 26th, at about 1:30pm. I was getting ready to go to school when I heard this strange noise. I looked for Meg (the cat), thinking she was playing with some type of crinkly-plastic stuff or something. I didn't see her. Then I realized it was coming from outside. I parted the blinds to find HUGE FLAMES about an arms-length away from me... and I was on the 4th floor!!! It took a few seconds to process. HOLY CRAP!

For the second time in less than a month, I was having a "NO WAY... THIS IS NOT HAPPENING MOMENT"!!! The nerd that I am, I have a "fire drawer" (where I keep my passport, journals, birth certificate, etc. all in one place). I literally hurled all of it (and my iPod and computer) into an empty laundry basket, ran down the stairs from my bedroom, forgot I wasn't wearing shoes, grabbed the first pair I saw (Kami's really comfy sandals from Kauai), screamed like bloody murder for Jenny (who I thought was downstairs, but wasn't), and looked under the couch for the cat (still didn't see her) all within about 20 seconds. Not kidding.

By the time I opened the front door to the hallway, my entire apartment was filled with light gray smoke. I opened the door to the fire escape staircase (I was on the third floor at this point) and it was even smokier and thick in there. AHH! I looked down the hallway and it was perfectly clear down by the elevator. So I did exactly what I've always been told NOT to do!

Yes, call me an idiot, but I took the elevator down to the lobby and ran outside! Just then the fire alarms in our building started going off. GREAT. Those are helpful!!! By the time I got outside, three large firetrucks were already putting out the blaze on my new neighbor's "house" (aka- abandoned garage). I leerily put my laundry basket of valuables down and walked over to the firemen. They assured me they'd put the fire out before it penetrated inside my apartment. By that point our two balconies on the 3rd and 4th floors were burned... not ruined, but definitely blackened.

As I walked back, I noticed someone familiar across the street. He was hiding behind some bushes, watching the flames burn down his "home". I was enraged. I ran over to the closest fireman and police officer and told them the situation. As soon as my nice little neighbor saw me talking with them, he bolted... roller-suitcase and all! The police officer turned and sprinted after him. Thank heavens. He was questioned, but eventually released.

My poor roommates. I called each of them, frantically telling them what was going on. Kami drove up about 15 minutes later, just in time to see the firemen climbing onto her bedroom balcony from their cool firetruck ladder and prying open her sliding door to make sure everything was ok inside our place. I told them to find the cat too... poor thing. (Thinking back on this experience, it's oo bad Max and Miles weren't around to see the firemen in real action! They would have LOVED it!)

After an hour of getting to know our actual neighbors VERY well, we were able to go back inside and begin the airing-out process. Yuck. I feel completely indebted to all the firemen who saved our apartment!!! Honestly... if they had been even 1-2 minutes later in arriving, apartment 304 would have been the first to go. Crazy, huh?

Fast forward again 5 days. It's 1:15am after an exhausting ward Christmas Party. The roar of fire engines grabs our attention as they get louder and louder. Oh yes... they've again stopped right out front. I cautiously walk out on the balcony to find the firemen investigating THE SAME GARAGE! Kami and I ran outside (in our hot pajamas) to see what all the commotion was about. A woman walking her dogs witnessed the same homeless man setting a fire underneath the charred (former) vintage car that was parked inside. The side of the garage was again on fire, but easily put-out. The police arrived and we had a nice little talk with them as they interrogated the guy. Oh yes folks... he was still standing there, sorting bottles and cans! UH!

To make this VERY long story shorter:

1. we are getting renter's insurance ASAP
2. chain-link fences have never looked more beautiful (just put-up yesterday!)
3. homeless man still comes by to sort bottles--on the sidewalk--
but now we call the police each time we see him (per the hot cop we chatted with)
4. the certified letter sent to our landlord made them quite nervous.
I have a feeling that things will be a little safer and look a little nicer
around here VERY soon...

Let's hope this is the end of our Fire Saga!






From this view, you can see the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors of our townhouse... with the two burned balconies. Oh, and did you notice the blanket laid over the top of the charred car? These photos were taken just after the first big fire. The "resident" was already back and marking his territory. Craziness!!!

I'm back!

Although some of you think I've joined the picked lines of the Writer's Strike, I have not. Life just seems to be a bit busy lately and my blog fell by the wayside. Here's a little recap of life this past month...

LA 1st & SM 3rd Halloween Party
This party marks the first time I've dressed up for Halloween since I was 13 years old... when I 'dressed up' as Cousin Itt. Just imagine half of my really long hair pulled in front of my face with a pair of sun-glasses on. Oh yeah... the easiest costume EVER! Although it was the last time I went trick-or-treating, I made out (no, I didn't actually 'make-out') with an incredible stash of candy and items... yes, I said items. King size candy bars, tubes of toothpaste, toothbrushes, chapstick, decks of cards, and $1 bills were filling up my pillowcase. It's all true. I swear.

Ok, back to this year. Three hours before the start of the party, a small group of really hot girls got together and decided to be a RAINBOW! Each of us dressed from head to toe in our own color. We hit up American Apparel and the $3.99 store in Westwood (along with a hundred UCLA co-eds). It was perfect! I must say... we were pretty dang cute.

This Halloween party also marks the end of my dynasty as activities chair. It was a bitter-sweet moment leaving Jim to take the reigns. When I was released, there was an audible gasp in the congregation... which makes the 2nd "wow" moment this year in our ward. I won't mention the prior gasp here, but I'm sure ya'll know what I'm referring to. My new calling? Ward Historian. What does that entail? I have no idea. If you have any ideas as to what I can or should be doing... please share!









HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!
When Shaunathan turned 27 in September, I told him he was officially old. The first thing he said to me on on my birthday was, "Guess what? You're officially old!" Great, thanks. 27 has treated me well so far. It's only been a week, but so far so good!

To celebrate, I went out to dinner with some friends. I chose Frida Restaurant because I've been meaning to go for years and it was a little out of the ordinary. I made reservations for 20, and we ate to our hearts content! I LOVED IT! The atmosphere was perfect, my food was fabulous, and my best friends made pretty great company. Afterwards we had homemade cake and ice cream, thanks to my dental student roommate who slaved all day in the kitchen. Her efforts paid off. This may have been one of the best birthday's ever. [photos to come]


My website
Yes, a real website. An assignment this semester was to build a website to showcase my work. So here it is... for all the world to see... www.jessicabeandesign.com
This is my first real attempt to make a website, so be nice with your comments. Oh, and I need a job. I graduate in 3 weeks and I want to start making money! Anyone know of anything?!!




The toilet incident
Some of you may know that I help an elderly couple in Beverly Hills twice a month. I mainly just vacuum and dust their very large house. As I was going about my business, dusting away, I heard the toilet water running. I went in and jiggled the handle. Nothing happened. I carefully lifted the heavy porcelain lid and reattached the chain. Easy enough, right? Yeah, I thought so... until the lid slipped from my wet rubber-gloved grasp, hit the water tank, bounced onto the bowl of the toilet, and landed on the tile floor. I stood in horror as I watched the toilet shatter and water flood the bathroom! The only thing I could think of was, "Did that really just happen?!" Oh, it did.

I turned the water valve off and ran to the kitchen to find a paper cup and a bucket. The next 5 minutes were spent dipping what water remained in the tank and pouring it into the bathtub. Great. Now what? I cleaned everything up, left the bucket under the dripping tank, and prayed that I was still sleeping.

I was quickly reminded just how awake I was when I went to Home Depot to price that exact toilet. One Kohler special order and $496.35 later (without shipping and installation) would redeem me of my misfortune. I wanted to cry. I went out to the parking lot and sat in my car, postponing the inevitable. I dialed the number and held my breath. How was I suppose to tell this couple that I broke their toilet? And I didn't just break it... I shattered every piece of that thing! Of course I would replace it, but owning up to it took some real courage.


He answered the phone. I explained the situation and my prayers were answered. He laughed and said, "Oh don't worry about the toilet. It could have happened to anyone!" I wanted to yell, "But WHO shatters toilets? Yes it was an accident, but things like this 'just don't happen'!" After insisting that I would pay for it, he calmed me down and said it really wasn't a big deal—that he'd take care of it.

I still keep thinking, "Did I really shatter their toilet? Did I really do that?!" Unfortunately, yes.

THE Gators 2007

The LA 1st ward decided to be nice and let the SM 3rd ward win again this year. It was the neighborly thing to do or maybe it had to do with that Golden Rule thing, I dunno. Either way, the GATORS were amazing!

Go Gators!

The Los Angeles 1st ward and Santa Monica 3rd ward HOMECOMING flag-football game has been an ongoing tradition for the past 4 years. I was on the activities committee for two of them, and after this weekend, co-chair for 3. My fondest memories include the very first game. It was held in January, in the middle of a down-pour. By the time it was over, everyone (whether playing or not) was soaked to the bone and caked in a muddy mess. It made for a fabulous ward photo.

Friday evening, we again take the field to regain the prized Honey Jar Trophy we lost to the SM Silver Monkey's a year ago. Coaches Rider (yes, Josh and Jason) have been feverishly teaching, throwing, and running their hearts out in preparation for this match. We are ready to rumble!

The GATORS are back and BETTER THAN EVER!

Watch out little Monkey's... the Gators' bite is a lethal one.

Craft Night

The first of many monthly craft nights kicked-off tonight at my apartment. I taught the art of Scherenschnitte and Calligraphy. I must say, LA 1st ward girls are mighty talented with tiny pairs of scissors and x-acto knives! Of all the designs, I think the dragons were the favorites. Allana's butterfly was a massive, but beautiful undertaking, and Julia's snowflake was pretty dang cool. Maggie created a Halloween card I'll never forget... complete with a skeleton and floating skull.

I must give credit where credit is due. I was completely inspired by Cindy's blog that I found through a common friend. She's incredibly talented at the art of paper cutting, what she creates is amazing. Check it out.

These are a sample of our first attempts. We did not draw these. I found these images on Scherenschnitte websites and photocopied them for the girls to create their own papercuttings from. As you can see... we rock.

Short Quiz

1. Have you ever heard of Andy Warhol?
2. Have you ever heard of Michelangelo?
3. Have you ever heard of Picasso?

If you answered YES to all three of these questions, then you're doing better than half the kids in one of my art classes at a UNIVERSITY. Be proud people. Be proud that you didn't attend the LA School District. I'm appalled... again.

Facebook (and my dog)

Like millions of others, I 'subscribe' to a couple networking websites (ie. facebook, ldslinkup, myspace). I rarely log-on to these sites anymore, but this morning (during class, of course) I got an email on my facebook account to add a friend. He was my brother's best friend growing up in NJ and I also use to babysit him (which he probably doesn't like to remember). BTW- I'm trying to use as many parentheses in this posting as possible (just FYI). Anyways, back to my story. It was fun to read up on everything he (and subsequently—his sister) have been up to. Then I found my brother and sister on there, added them as friends, and began photo-stalking (a favorite past-time).

And now my dog.

Cody is our little cocker spaniel. It seems Courtney and Clayton both had photos of our 'little chicken' (or in this cas, Dragon) on facebook. Maybe I didn't get the family memo. I don't want to be left out, so here are some of my photos of Cody (and 2 from my siblings' facebook accounts).

Church Activities

I've been the activities co-chair in my YSA ward since March 2005. Yes, it does seem like forever, but I love it nonetheless. From time to time I like to click on the church website and just see what's happening. Today I discovered a new link under 'Serving in the Church' — Activities!!! I was thrilled! It's been a long time in the coming, and it still needs a little more depth/resources, but it's a fabulous start. I finally feel slightly validated that my calling is 'offically recognized' on the church website! You may think this sounds ridiculous, but I've occasionally wondered why a calling that is so time- and labor-intensive never had any sort of online resources. Suffice it to say, I am very pleased with the web developers at church headquarters today.

Just as a reminder to us all...

Purpose of Church Activities
The purpose of Church activities is to bring members closer to Christ through worthwhile events that unite them as “fellowcitizens [in] the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Activities can:

• Fortify and support the [ward] family.
• Strengthen testimonies and foster personal growth.
• Provide opportunities to apply gospel principles.
• Create unity and a sense of belonging.

In addition, Church activities can provide opportunities to reach out to less-active members, recent converts, and those of other faiths. Activities can also help participants develop talents, gain new skills, and give service to others.

Responsibility for Activities
Church activities are planned under the direction of stake presidencies and bishoprics. These leaders assign responsibility for each activity to the leaders of the auxiliary or priesthood organization involved. Stake and ward activities committees, called and directed by the stake presidency or bishopric, are generally responsible for activities that involve multiple organizations or are planned for entire families.

42+ hours Sleep Deprivation

I took a 40 minute nap this morning from 5:55am — 6:35am when my alarm went off for me to get in the shower and get ready for 14 hours of class today. It's now 12:17am. My lips and feet feel a little numb, my body is slow to react, and I'm hungry, but other than that, I'm doing pretty well.

Snortney bought an amazing camera last month and I just looked through the photos that she downloaded to my computer yesterday. Here's a sampling of my summer––in no particular order...

Courtney & Unsuspecting Car Salesman

She was so excited, she asked the salesman to take pose in a photo with her. Talk about doing anything for a little commission. haha.

Flat Tire

Speaking of cars, here's a photo in commemmoration of my 4th flat tire in one year. We had a fabulous time with our tatooed, pierced, and mohawked AAA [triple A] man from Brentwood. He had us laughing like crazy! I'm going to request him next time I'm stranded with a flat tire (or dead battery—which seems to be the case lately). Two thumbs up for AAA!

Don't Ask

For those of you who know JRide well, know that he has an obsession with holding my hands and cuddling with me whenever possible (I hate the word 'cuddle', but that's for another day's blog). I can't blame him for his advances. If I were him, I'd want to touch me too. But that's not the point. For those who know me well, know that I shun his advances like the plague. This photo is another failed attempt of JRide trying to get close [and maybe flipping him off]. Feel the love.

Tres Frijoles

A Night of Shakespeare

Hollywood Bowl—Pink Martini & Fireworks!

Many thanks to Ms. La Dolce Vespa for her INCREDIBLE box tickets to the closing show at the Hollywood Bowl! Not only did we have the BEST seats in the house, but the tickets came with 'gold' valet parking! The only problem was remembering to turn off our incriminating music as we got out of the car. Let's just say the valet-man received a "Toxic" earful of "Lucky", if you know what I mean! Thankfully KrisGirl was able to come at the last minute, otherwise we wouldn't have noticed we were sitting right behind Rebecca Romijn and her hubby Jerry O'Connell.

The Night My Phone Disappeared

Just after Jeremy Coon's UNFORGETABLE Roast, I met up with some friends at the "Movie on the Green" after-party. Silliness ensued and I lost my phone... only to have it turn up, right where I left it, 3 weeks later. I'm such an idiot.

Shoes

Sparklers & Birthdays

Thankfully Lindsey had a birthday so we had an excuse to act like seven-year-olds in the middle of the street with sparklers! I think we should celebrate Lindsey's birthday every day.



I think it's time for bed.