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Friday, August 23, 2013

a little blogging for this Friday morning!

So much to say! So much to say! BUT I am freshly back in LA and have LOTS to catch up on soooooo I'll have to save the exciting stuff for tomorrow (stuff like being 25, my trip to Colorado, and the upcoming New York Fashion Week outreach that I'll be leaving for in less than 2 weeks!!). 

I'll just leave you with a little piece of wisdom on being 25 that my friend Dani Cason shared with me recently... Soak it up.


"I would tell a room full of fresh twenty-fivees that you are still young. 25 is a number, not a deadline, so trust God with His deadlines and live it up as fabulous 25-year-old. You didn't have to be married by now. You didn't have to have your first child by now. You didn't have to have a career by now. You didn't have to a have a college degree by now. You didn't have to move from your hometown by now. You didn't have to invent something by now. You didn't have to do anything that was out of God's riveting plan for your life. Relax. Trust God. Trust Him to redeem the ashes of the past;  trust His agenda for today; trust Him with the uncertainty of the future. Don't run ahead of Him, follow His footsteps one at a time. (note:  easier said than done, I would know, I'm still working on it!)." - @danicason (in case you want to find her on instagram!)

Oh! One last thing! On my way home from Colorado I slept over at Hillary's house. Hillary is one of my favorite friends. We have known each other since middle school and despite living MILES away from each other we have actually grown closer over the last 5 years. She is a treasure and I wish all of you could meet her. You'd fall in love with her and her precious family. Since you don't get to meet her in real life I thought you should check out her clothing line. And her blog. I've shared it on here before so you may already know about it, but hey- when you find something wonderful you just have to talk about it! 

Her blog is:

Her clothing line Project Love Apparel can be purchased at:

Her insta is:
@mrshillarysal

Follow her. 
Love her. 
Adore her men.
Be inspired by her life.
Drool over her decorating skills.
Pray for her fam.
Buy her clothes. 
I am CERTAIN you won't be disappointed! 

Chris, Hillary, and Abel. ((Shaun and I are HUGE fans.))
This hoodie? You might just see me in it one day soon ;)
Abel. He is even sweeter in real life.
Rachel. What a beautiful model! Her heart is even more radiant than that smile! PS. Loving this P Love shirt. 

Friday, August 2, 2013

24 things.

24 things.
Because this is my last weekend being 24!
It's true. The big 2-5 comes Monday.
But for now.
Here are 24 things.
Things that you might like to know and I might like to remember. About me. And being 24.


1) I read this verse last night and liked it. I hope I live it. It seems easy to forget.
"Then He said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. 
Life is not measured by how much you own." Luke 12:15

2) This year I travelled to:
China
Hong Kong
New York
Germany
France
Luxembourg
Switzerland
England
Czech Republic
Holland
Colorado
Michigan
Washington
... and maybe somewhere else I am forgetting.

In one sentence, these places have taught me:
Life is incredibly beautiful, 
beyond measure, 
but I have found no place on earth 
that can satisfy my deepest needs. 

3) I love mornings in Manhattan Beach. A coconut latte from Peet's coffee, with a bagel & cream cheese from Noah's bagels, eaten on the beach, are a few of my favorite things. 

4) Right now I live in a church. Today I have 25 roommates. That number changes often. 
Sharing is essential. So is cleaning up after myself. Patience & flexibility make life 100% easier. 
((I am richly blessed.)) 

5) Giving gifts brings me great joy. I love mail. Giving & receiving it. 
I think gifts might be my "love language". Along with words of affirmation. 

6) I've been the director of Models For Christ LA for almost a year now. 
It was incredibly intimidating at first but each week I am learning confidence in God. 
I am finding that God often puts us in positions & situations 
where we are completely desperate for Him. 
In doing it that way- 
we grow in intimacy with Him, 
& then,
when He does come through for us 
(like He promises to)
He gets ALL of the glory. 

7) Ginger tea is nice after dinner. Especially when I drink it out of a pretty mug.
8) Pretty mugs make everything taste better.

9) As of this year Meredith has read the whole Bible 5 times. 
I should definitely go to her for advice.

10) Learning from friends is the best way to go. WAY better than envying & comparing myself to them. Calling out the best in people & celebrating their accomplishments makes for a full heart. 

11) Today I registered to take a college class in the fall. 
One day I'd like to graduate from college. 
My life doesn't depend on it. But I think it would be great. 

12) Shaun has had some really good haircuts this year. 
13) I have had really nice hair this year too. I should refer back to photos of this year when I'm looking for future hair colors & styles.

14) Groupon is AWESOME. 

15) 21 Choices frozen yogurt in Pasadena is an establishment worth visiting as often as possible. :)

16) Terrible things happen. People die early. Marriages end. Babies are lost in the womb. Friends get in fights. Cancer spreads. The economy fails. Spouses cheat. Christian leaders fall. Accidents happen. Loved ones stop believing in God. It's okay to hate it. It's okay to want to give up. It's okay to feel like you don't have the strength to keep going. God is bigger. He will meet us in it. No matter how bad things get. He will hold our hearts. He will save us. 

17) I have a pair of black shorts with yellow roses on them. They are from the thrift store. I love them. 

18) Being backstage at Fashion Week makes my heart come alive. 
Seeing God move back there is something I wish all of my loved ones could witness. 

19) My parents are amazing. There is so much to learn from them. 
Mom is creative & visionary. Dad is motivated & plans ahead. I'm so thankful to be a Wilson. 
((I'm also EXTRA thankful to be a Hover))

20) I like the way Europeans do hospitality. They make your room all pretty like a hotel room & serve you like a Queen. They may not always welcome you into their home, but if they do, they will wait on you and treat you like royalty. 
21) Americans do hospitality well too, but we treat guests more like family. Unlike Europeans, we are less likely to tell someone they can't stay with us... but because of that we are not as fancy with their experience. 
                           (21-and-a-half) I think blending American hospitality 
                       with European hospitality is the way to go. 
Make their room pretty, treat them with special care, and welcome them anytime... like family. 

23) I don't think Gerbera daisies are my favorite flower anymore. I still love them... and I haven't decided on a new favorite yet... But I just don't think they are my favorite anymore. 
Grandma has always loved Peonies... I really like those too. 

24) This year I have prayed a lot for God to make me trustworthy and faithful
Both of those qualities are precious. I'll keep praying for them and aspiring to live them out. 

That's all. 
These are the first 24 things I could think of today.
I like it that way. 
Gotta go with my first thoughts... 
If I think it through too much I'll end up confused. 
You understand. :) 

Photo fun. Sincerely, Jessica's iPhone.


just because they are beautiful. 
from the time we were extras on MTV's show "Plain Jane".
 a breakfast date at Ali's house! she doesn't love having her picture taken
so I settled for photographing her cute home
& her cute nail polish on my nails. :) 
Ali worked at Disney for a while so she arranged a day for us to tour Disney Studios! 
Disney Studios-- Mickey Avenue; one of the stages; the dining area; and the "Cutting" building
More of Disney... its hard to see but even the Security Cart is cute & happy looking.
real props from Disney movies & shows. Plus Walt's camera! 
posing with Walt & friends. 
this building... really? sooo cool. 
my guest pass. I know. the photo quality is incredible. my face... its glowing. 
view from the parking garage. 
glimpses from Models for Christ. celebrating Teddy & Steven's birthdays... and Aaron teaching on 1 John. 
hiking in LA with Emma & Carrie (my Beauty Arise staff) before they left to go back home. 
a true friend... she knows I despise pumping gas... so she pumped mine for me! 
being ridiculous on our hike. 
breakfast in Burbank with Emma & Carrie. (ps. bagel breakfasts are my FAVORITE.)
outdoor movie night in Pasadena! 
at the US Open of surfing in Huntington Beach. the top 2 are early morning shots-- before the crowds arrived. 

in Huntington Beach... rode bikes to church with this good looking husband. 
hello. :) 

had to say goodbye to these 2 lovelies this week!
Emma is back in England &&
 Carrie is home in West Virginia getting ready for her trip to Europe for Eve & JP's wedding! 
Aaaaaaaaannnnndddd now that LA Thrash is over and we aren't living with a huge group of skateboarders...
I finally get to go on a few dates with this guy! Hooray!