+SRESS BALL

Today in terms of real estate sucked. I have some buyers who spent almost $300K on a house and they're totally unhappy with the process and the home. We closed today and they're unhappy. It sucks. I cried. And feel terrible, bad, guilty, pit in my stomach, what can I do, kind of stress.

The things that have happened have been out of my control. I can't control how people do their jobs and unfortunately most of the people in this transaction did not do what they said they would. The last thing I want is for a buyer to buy a home through me and look back on the experience as one of the worst.

It especially sucks because there's really nothing I can do for them except apologize for other peoples lack of care and encourage them that everything will work out.

You know when you're told one thing and you plan on that one thing and you prepare for that one thing. And then like a day before that one thing is supposed to happen, it doesn't. And it gets changed. Throwing off all of your planning and preparation. And then on top of that add that you're pregnant with your 3rd baby and your husband is leaving in a couple days for his Army Reserve requirements for a whole week. Oh and it's 120 degrees outside in Arizona.

Yep. Shit.

It's a fine line we have to walk as a realtor. Sometimes it can be really good. And sometimes it turns out terribly. In the past when things go wrong that I had control over, I own up to them and fix them and make it better. But in this situation I'm helpless and that is the worst feeling.

I feel like I let my friends/buyers down. I 'm stressed and feeling like I hate this job. In this moment, I'm feeling like I never want to do real estate again.

+WEEKEND AND THEN SOME

Whoa. What a weekend. What an end to last week and what a beginning to this one. Friday I waited around all morning for my walkthrough time to be announced. Meanwhile, Justin packed up and left to San Diego, catching a ride with some friends. And then, like an hour after he had left, I find out that the walkthrough would again be pushed back until Monday. So I had to drive to San Diego on my own in Justin's work truck. Ughhh. But I made it and had an amazing weekend at the beach.

Roadtrip snack

 

View from the room

Early morning practice

Nothings better!

Hair. Starting. To. Frizz.

My personal shade structure

Me and babe.

Happy boy!

Spectators

 

Playing OTL is Justin's favorite thing in the whole world (besides me) so it's always so fun to watch him play. He's like a kid in a candy store. Makes me so happy.

 

On to this week. School, work, work, work, school. It's gonna be a quick week with all this stuff I have going on and hopefully come Friday I'll be able to leave on time with Justin to San Diego.

 

+OUTFIT OF THE WEEK

So I wore this, this week to work. All the ladies in my office wear scrubs everyday so I feel really ridiculous showing up in heels on any given day. Even though it is an office setting, I've learned that a cute dress and flat sandals go a long way. I will never be required to wear slacks, dress shirt, and heels...thank God.

So I put this little number together. Simple black office skirt with a favorite t-shirt. Threw on some camel colored flats, a little bit of jewelry, and I was out the f-ing door. Easy with a capital E.

I sort of like the mix of fancy dressy skirt with laid back t-shirt. I actually got the idea from seeing Sequins & Stilettos rock this look first. So naturally I stole the idea and called it my own.

Seeing these pics reminds me that I need to buy a new full length mirror so I can take photos in a different room with better light. Mental note.

In other news, this week turned out sort of like I was scared it would. The closing I had scheduled for today is being pushed back to Tuesday. Doesn't seem like a big deal, it's only a few days, but when your buyer had planned to be closed on Friday and moving in over the weekend, it can create a little bit of frustration. Just a little. Plus their lock on their interest rate ends on Tuesday so if we don't close on Tuesday it will cost them. Shit.

So annoying. Especially because it's out of my control. I can't make the subcontractors polish the granite any faster than they are. It's the name of the game in real estate...shiz changes on a moments notice. We're supposed to have our final walkthrough today, which sort of sucks balls because I was supposed to be whisked away to San Diego early this morning. It was originally planned for Thursday, but at the last moment they changed it to Friday. Balls.

But here's the catch, now I'm stuck waiting to learn what time the walkthrough will be. Chyeah...I don't even know what time it is today. I'm sitting here, 7:30am Arizona time, supposed to have a walkthrough today, and I don't even know when!! Talk about last minute. So annoying!

So Justin is going to drive up to San Diego with friends and I'll follow behind in our truck. With all the shit in the bed. Did I mention it's a single cab? Oy. Not excited for that drive in that truck.

In the magical world of "Things Go As I Want", I would hear from the listing agent in 20 minutes and she would say "The walkthrough is scheduled for 9:00am". And then the heaven's would open up and bless me with a Starbucks. And then I'd be able to walkthrough, get done, and be able to go up to SD with Justin on time. Fingers crossed for this to happen. Please.

+SO THIS IS WHAT THIS FEELS LIKE

 

 

*Warning* Mushy shiz about to go down

 

Since graduating college and moving back to the town I grew up in things haven't really gone as I expected.

 

For some reason I thought when I moved back, that my life would go back to how it was prior to me leaving for college. A.k.a. all my friends still in town and ready to party and hang out. An amazing job waiting for me. And lots of fun things to do.

 

I swear, my last few months in Dallas before moving back to Arizona were pretty miserable. I was going through this "what the hell am I going to do with my life" phase upon almost reaching graduation. I kept looking at facebook and seeing all my Arizona friends seemingly have an amazing time on a daily basis and I couldn't wait to get back to that.

 

Big smack in the face. I got back and my daydream of my future life did not come true. Most of my friends have moved, gotten married, and had kids (I'm way behind my class in the department), which meant no time for old high school Jessica.

 

Which totally rocked my world for a moment. For some reason I thought time stood still while I got my college degree and that everyone would still be waiting around when I came back. Dumb. "What do you mean you've moved on?!"

 

As I searched for my "dream job" I had a really hard time finding it. Actually scratch that. I never found it. Shit. In a small town, well paying and glamorous/fun jobs are far and few between. I felt lost again. Like here I am, graduated with a degree, and I have nothing to show for it. I'm hating my job and I can't figure out what to do. I wanted to do so many things, but those so many things needed lots of money to be done. Money which I don't have.

 

In comes the realization that I should go back to school for radiology. I've always wanted to get into this field and have just procrastinated for like 7 years. Go me.

 

Now that I'm in this program and working some cool jobs, I feel so happy. Like fulfilled. I haven't felt this way in a long time. Things are good. And I'm positive (who am I?) and excited for the future. I can't help but feel content, like this is what I should be doing with my life. This is who I'm supposed to be. I'm supposed to help people and do badass shit with x-ray equipment. Jeyeah!

 

So cheers to finding this feeling. I pray to baby Jesus that it lasts forever. I'll keep you posted on that. And watch, as soon as I write this post, my next one will be all "I hate everything and everyone and I have no money. Help me. I'm poor" or something like that.

 



+VERY EXCITE

That title was done in a Borat voice by the way.

Anyways. I am ready to get this anxiety filled week out of the way so we can head to San Diego for 2 1/2 days of beaches, drinking, and OTL.

Waking up Monday morning I was already freaking out a little bit inside as I thought about all the things I need to do this week. I was also laying there praying everything works out as planned. Then I realized my heart was beating too fast and I was getting a little clam-y so I had to tell myself to calm down.

Anxiety is a bitch. And she seems to visit me every Monday morning.

I mean really and truly a lot of the things I'm worried about going wrong this week are trivial when it all comes down to it. But I'm still gonna freak about it anyways.

This past weekend was fun though. It felt extra long because of the holiday and because I hardly worked on Friday (don't tell my boss). We spent the weekend in total relax mode, watching a million movies on tv and eating out at favorite restaurants. We hung out with the family on Saturday night and watched the pathetic UFC fights. Cough - Silva - Cough Did y'all watch that?!

Mine: Spicy crab, salmon tempura, avocado on top

His: who knows

Misc. dog toy in the background.

Mexican restaurant date

So excited Team America came on tv. He's recording it on his phone in this picture saying "look babe!" 

Whoa.

Doggers love each other

Scruffy booboo

Monday work wear

 

So I used to be all into UFC. I mean as much as a girl like me can be. Chuck Liddel? Hot. Forrest Griffen. HOT. GSP. HOTT. I used to actually enjoy the fights. But now, I'm either burnt out on the same ol' same ol' or I'm just not attracted to the fighters anymore. Either way, I'm totally not going to the next fight night. I already told Justin. While he's watching the fights I'll be at some restaurant with margarita in hand. Or shopping. Or both.

Anyways, so Sunday was slow. On the brink of me having a teenage breakdown slow. I was boooorrred. Like nothing to do. And I didn't want to go anywhere and spend money so I just opted for lying on the couch and watching  random movies. Again.

Which brings me to this week. I have a really important closing happening that I hope to God closes on time. I have 2 clinical rotations thrown in the mix. I have a paper to write. And then I have my normal job with the University to hold down. Oh, and we owe $46872182 for our wedding this week between all the deposits we due to secure our date with different vendors. And I need to get a spray tan somewhere in between all this drama.

And then, come Friday, I will be whisked away to the land of amazingness a.k.a. San Diego, where I get to watch Justin play in his OTL tourney. Super excited to sit in the sand with one of those premade frozen margaritas in a bag deals and watch some shiz go down. SO ready. SO excite. (also Borat).

+THINGS I GOOGLED LAST WEEK

You should know that I adore Google. I'm constantly looking things up. For instance, everytime I watch a period piece movie (Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth, etc) I Google the characters to learn about them in history. Weird. And Obsessed.

Most of the time though I'm Googling how to do something. So I figured I'd compile them all here on my blog in case anyone else has the same question. And you'll know it works because I've already tried it out. Trust me.


+ "How to Center Blogger Header" Here's the answer that worked best:
FOUND @: http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/2012/11/how-to-center-your-blog-header-on-blogger/

WORKED?: YES! 100% Satisfaction

+ I typed in "loubo" (nothing sexy here going on people) to find how to spell:
Louboutin. That's how you spell it. Am I the only one who didn't know that?

+ "How to get gum off your shoes" yep, I'm the lucky inheriter of a piece of blue gum to the bottom of my just purchased radiology shoes. You suck whoever spit it out in the Barnes and Noble parking lot.
FOUND @: http://knoworthy.com/the-4-easiest-ways-to-get-gum-off-your-shoe/

WORKED?: Didn't get around to trying. Too lazy. Sorry. But it sounds legit.

+MAJOR LEAGUE

The evolution of the fashion blogger

I always seem to find a new blog I like right as they're becoming un-relatable. I won't name names, but this usually happens mostly with the fashiony-lifestyle blogs that I love. And it sucks. Balls.

So I'll randomly blog jump around enough one day to actually find a blog that I enjoy reading and looking at their pictures of them and their families and/or outrageously hot husband/boyfriend (let's be honest). I love that they have a cute family life and they're honest about what they do in their free time and they're open about their life's. I love the instagram photos and sort of blurry iphone photos of their outfits. I feel like I know them after like 30 seconds of looking at their about me page.

I love finding a blog where it's mostly real life photos of their weekend adventures, what they ate, and what their plans are for the week, mixed with one or two "what I'm wearing" posts. I also love when those "what I'm wearing" posts have clothes in them that I can actually afford and duplicate. Bring on the Forever 21's and Marshall's dressers of the world. I feel ya sista and I can totally afford your look. And I'm going to copy it tomorrow.

But it's like seriously. As soon as I get hooked on this girl's blog and start visiting and reading every day it's like all of a sudden they become really rich and start wearing more and more designer brands. First they throw in one Kate Spade bag with their Old Navy look. And I'm like "that's cute, I wonder if TJMaxx has a similar one on sale right now?" And then the next post is like full blown Jimmy Choo with Gucci dress. What the? What is that? You know you notice it too.

And they never revert back to their old selves. And then the next thing I know they're being featured in Marie Claire for their fashion sense.

When I worked for a minor league baseball team, the guys on the team had a saying for this phenomenon. "Major leaguing". They would say this about teammates who would get called up to the majors and all of a sudden couldn't even return a phone call or a wave for that matter because now they were too good to talk to minor leaguers.

I get major leagued a lot in this here blog world. It's like "welp, I'm at 1,000 followers so I should probably break out the old Louboutins (I had to google how to spell that just now) and Phillip Lim."

And then I can't even stand reading their blogs any more because it becomes less stories and real life and more fashion posts with professional photographs and fancy clothes and I can no longer relate. Gone are the fun photos of their weekend bbq's and in their place are 10 photos with the same pose in an outfit that I will probably never be able to afford. Did y'all just hit the lottery or something? Or were you just saving all your money all this time to afford this shiz?

This happens to me ALL the time. I'm cursed. I'm almost afraid to start following fashion lifestyle blogs anymore because I know that just around the corner from their Gap closet is the exit for YSL.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. It's not all of them that do this and I have a steady blog roll of people I love who have stayed true to their cheaper selves. And I love you for that. Thanks for staying in my realm of play and for keeping it relatable. High five.

+THE FOURTH

This was the only semi-good picture I got from the whole day! Weak status.

We had the absolute perfect 4th of July yesterday. I've been dying to go watch the fireworks like I used to when I was little...laying on a blanket, cooler of drinks and food, listening to music, and lying on your back to watch the fireworks above.

Well that didn't happen. (hopefully next year) But we ended up having so much fun anyways.

We woke up lazily, Justin went off to hit some balls, and I stayed in and wrote a paper for school (which wasn't that fun). I had him bring me some Starbucks for breakfast and then we spent lunch with his brother's family. All our nieces and nephew were taking a nap, so we just had adult time and talked about drama. The usual.

Then we rushed home so I could make my guacamole for the party we were headed to. We spent the evening with cousins and friends. Swimming, drinking, eating, and going through a whole box of store bought fireworks. It was fun watching all the kids get excited over the popping and screaming of the cherry bombs and glitter fountains. We ended the night by playing a few rounds of cornhole and I can't picture it any better than that.

It was perfect.

But now it's back to reality (even though all day yesterday I swore it was Saturday), and I'm headed to work for a bit, then off to school to turn in papers and sit in a class. Yay for me! Hope your 4th was full of family and friends!

+I MEAN REALLY?

My snuggle buddy yesterday

So I had my first ever rotation at the hospital on Monday night. I was a little nervous when I arrived just because I didn't really know what I was supposed to do or who I was supposed to  check in with. But luckily some of the senior students were there and they guided me through the sign-in process. After about 30 minutes I felt really comfortable.
Within the first 15 minutes of my rotation, I got to assist in a chest xray. It was so cool. I really liked the patient care aspect of it too. Talking with patient, making sure they're as comfortable as they can be in that situation, explaining what you're doing...It was all very VERY cool.

It ended up being such an amazing night. It was very hands on and I got to see and help a lot of patients. I met so many cool techs and it was awesome getting one on one help from them. I spent time in the radiology department, I did some portables up in ICU, and then finished the night in the ER. Amazing. I just had this overwhelming feeling that this is where I belong.

I only worked a 6 hour shift, but because we're students we're supposed to get a 30 minute break. Stupid me, I assumed someone would tell me when to break and so I never asked. Before I knew it, it was already 6:30 and I hadn't eaten since noonish before my shift started at 2. I was feeling a little on edge from not having any food in me, but I decided it was only another hour and a half so I might as well stick it out.

I was smiling the whole way home. Just thinking about what an amazing night it was and all the cases we helped on. I downed a water bottle and ate a nectarine in about 3 bites. The tangy and sweet taste of the nectarine hit my body instantly and sort of made me feel better. But it all went downhill from there.

I get home and I'm so excited to share my day with Justin. I wanted to tell him everything I saw and did and it all came out in a rush. He was so sweet and had brought me dinner home. My favorite tuna sandwich and pasta from a local restaurant. I told him about how I never took a break and that I wasn't feeling too good and he told me to try and eat something. I explained about my nectarine and I thought maybe I had eaten it too fast. I tried to eat the dinner. But for some reason, I just didn't have an appetite. My stomach was hurting so bad and I felt dizzy and nauseous. I ended up laying on the couch curled up in a ball cursing at the fruit I had just downed.

I decided a shower might do me some good, so I went and took a hot one. I didn't even want to do anything else, I felt so weak, I just wanted to crawl in bed and sleep it off. I can't really describe how I felt. It was a weird feeling of being hungover, mixed with stomach pain, mixed with weakness. So painful. I kept telling Justin "I don't feel good" and he kept chalking it up to that I hadn't eaten all day/evening.

Long story short, I ended up getting a fever with chills, which led me to a lukewarm bath that helped for a few minutes. Then, after going to the bathroom a couple times, I thought it might be over. So I went back to bed and prayed for it to end. And then, I felt the tingling in my cheeks. My body's telltale sign that I'm about to puke. So yeah...I ended up spending Monday night hugging a toilet bowl.

I felt like shit ALL day on Tuesday. Didn't even leave the house. I moved from my bed, to the couch, and then back to the bed again all day. I watched a million movies as I dozed in and out of sleep. Brady Dog was at my side the whole time. The little sweet pea dozed with me all day and kept me company. I came down with a small chest cough and had a headache all day. It was miserable and I thought it would never end.

We don't know if I got food poisoning (which is what I initially thought it was because I had a bad lunch that day) or if I contracted something from the hospital (which is more likely).

I just keep thinking back to my hospital night. I washed my hands like a crazy person. I wore gloves for everything. I must have breathed something in or touched something without a glove. Not really sure, but I do know that it sucked. I'm hoping my immune system toughens up through this school process and I pray this is the last time I bring something home with me. OY...what a start to the program. Hope your beginning of the week was better than mine!

+OUR ALMOST WEDDING VENUE: Montelucia Resort, Scottsdale, Arizona

When Justin and I first got engaged, we decided that getting married in the town we live in was not an option. We both have large families, but Justin has an even larger friend base. Seriously. His cousin (who is one of his best friends) got married a few years ago and had around 500 people at their wedding. Hello no! So we knew from the get go that going out of town for our wedding was ideal to cut numbers down.

I wanted to get married in Dallas. That's where I'm from and I love it there and it would mean so much to be able to marry there. But unfortunately that was too far for the inlaws to travel too, so we decided to look closer to home. Insert Phoenix and San Diego.







I scoured the internet and magazines for venues. I've checked out and gotten pricing for almost every venue in the Phoenix area and we probably went and saw about 6 of them. Nothing felt quite right until we accidentally ran into the Montelucia. We were actually on our way to another venue and we saw this place and just decided to go in without an appointment. Hello amazingness. It is so gorgeous and totally our style. It's a gorgeous Moroccan/European inspired resort. Super sexy and well decorated, its the ideal wedding venue for us. Small problem though. The minimum for food and beverage on a Saturday night is $25K. Holy shit.





That's hella expensive for us. We're hoping to stay around $20K total for our wedding. Not $25K just for food and beverage. Nope. The only problem was, that we both fell head over heels in love with the place. It was just perfect. We both felt it and knew that we loved it and we wanted to marry there. It was definitely disappointing when we got the price sheet and realized it was out of our budget. I mean on top of the minimum $25K you still have photo, video, dj, flowers, cake, planner, attire, gifts, lodging, and the list goes on. You'd be spending easily over $30K for one night.







I mean if we had the money we would totally do it there. But we don't. So we had to start looking elsewhere. We decided that we would try to come stay at the Montelucia on our anniversary just so we can experience it. If you're in the Phoenix area and you have the budget to support it, I highly recommend you look into the Montelucia.

PROS: Stunning surroundings at the base of Camelback Mountain. 251 guest rooms, 40 luxury suites, and 2 presidential suites to choose from for accommodations. Mediterranean and Moroccan décor. 31,000 square foot award winning spa. Gorgeous swimming pools, bars, and restaurants. 6 dining options including a 4 diamond restaurant "Prado". The only ordained chapel in Phoenix area resorts, Castillo Lucena. You can actually have a priest come in and do your ceremony there if you want.

CONS: For us, pricing for the ceremony and reception, as well as guest suites was an issue for us. More than one wedding could be happening at the same time as yours. i.e. one in Castillo Lucena while another is going on in the Alhambra ballroom.

General Information:

Wedding Ceremony: $3,500 ceremony site fee for all venues. White folding chairs and house linens, setup and tear down, two microphones with sound system, citrus infused water services, altar/unity + guestbook tables, and honeymoon accommodations included.
*You are required to hire a Hotel approved wedding coordinator

Reception: Standard in-house linens provided for all tables, dance floor, round tables, banquet chairs, resort bar, china, flatware, and stemware included. Amplified music outdoors must conclude by 10:00pm. Saturday night minimum for food and beverage is $25K.

Fees: Valet is $5 per car, self parking is free. $150 per bartender, 1 needed for every 75 guests, $150 per cashier, $200 per chef attendant for up to three hours, need 1 per every 75 guests. 24% service charge to be added to all food and beverage costs, plus current Arizona sales tax.

Venue Options:
Castillo Lucena- Up to 100 guests. My absolute favorite. This is the chapel I was talking about. So stunning and totally my style. Exposed beams, cathedral ceilings, dark wood floors, chandeliers, and lots of charm.





Camelback Villa and Lawn- Up to 150 guests. So this is a beautiful suite you can book and then have the ceremony on the lawn and reception somewhere else or on the lawn as well. Your choice.







Valencia Lawn and Ballroom- Up to 225 guests. Also a beautiful choice. The lawn and terrace area are ideal for ceremony and cocktail reception. The ballroom is a standard ballroom, but with the addition of the indoor outdoor feel it makes it more special.







Alhambra Ballroom- Up to 500 guests. We didn't even look at this because we knew we didn't want that many guests, but it looks like it's just as beautiful as the rest.




All photos found at: www.Montelucia.com

Here are some personal iPhone photos I snapped while we toured the venue. Also, I got this pricing back in 2012, so their rates may have inflated since then.

Stunning landscaping

The doors leading into the Castillo Lucena

Castillo Lucena

One of their bars

Another view of the bar

Gorgeous interior in the spa

 

Makes me want to book this venue now as I re-look at all these photos. Such a lovely place. I have the menu pricing if anyone is interested. Just shoot me an email at JetBlackBlog@gmail.com and I'll send it over to you.