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Good Morning.....
It's 7am on this lovely Wednesday morning.. and I feel like writing a quick little blog to start off my day, but I don't really have anything too exciting to blog at this moment... all I can really think about is what's on my agenda today, it was one of the those mornings when my alarm went off at six, but I didn't get out of bed until about 6:45am. It's not that I fell back asleep or anything, I just laid that and went over about 100 things in my mind.
Life is good, I'm just continuously trying to find whys to manage my time most effectively...so I've gone back to planning my days out the night before~and I picked up a copy of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People at an old bookstore...I've been meaning to read it for years~so will shall see...now I just need to find time to read it!!!
Here's what's on today's agenda:
6:00 am) wake up, ummm...oops... I woke up but didn't get up, does that count?
8:00 am to 10:00am) Work on J.Starr Weddings ~so, so, so much to do!
10:30am-5:30pm) Work at Superstition Springs Golf Club~calls, emails, proposals,contracts, tours, sell, sell, sell Weddings and Events and don't get annoyed with cheap demanding people
5:30pm-8:30pm) Bridal Open House at Superstition Springs
8:30pm -10:30pm) Staff Meeting at Superstition Springs (not really looking forward to this late night meeting, good thing it's only once a quarter)
11:00pm- Come home and cuddle on my cute husband and weenie dogs
Okay.........Ready.........Go!!!!
Highlight on March 2011
In March I had consciously made the decision to try and not make many social plans because I knew I just needed to focus as much time as possible on my new job at Superstition Springs along with J.Starr Stylized Weddings. Plus life had thrown me a few challenging curveballs...(hence my blogging break). But it was a good month to adjust to all of life’s new changes and transitions.
Here were some of the highlights:
Superstition Springs Photo Shoot
Superstition Springs, Meets J.Starr Stylized Weddings & Still Life Studios
Exactly two weeks into my job at S.S. Springs Golf Club, I coordinated a Bridal Fashion Shoot..including borrowed gorgeous gowns, professional hair and make up...and some lovely models...including my friends Melissa, Jessica, and Allison. I'll blog more about this on my upcoming J.Starr Blog. But until then, isn't this photo of Melissa just heavenly....(such a gorgeous shot, from a very handsome photographer...can you guess who?)
Kendall Tuttle Arrives
So, funny story, Tony and Jacquie have been asking us when the heck we're gonna jump on the baby board. Last June at Justin's bowling party I told Jacquie that we weren't going to start "trying" until Tony and Jacquie had their third child. Jacquie looked at me with huge eyes and said "Jennifer that's not going to happen, we're done... two boys is enough"... Well about a month later... I get a call from Jacquie and little did she know that while we were having that baby discussion...she was pregnant! A few months later I get a text message from Jacquie sharing with us that....IT'S A GIRL! I couldn't have been happier for her and Tony! Little Kendall joined this world on March 7th.
Congrats to Tony, Jacquie, Ethan, and Jackson!!
I hope some day in the near future you'll have little Starr baby to play with.
NACE at San Tan Elegante
Dinner with Sara
Justin's shoots with SLS
Lot's of Weddings happen in Arizona in March... and Justin of course shot a few. Here are some of my favorite shots of his from his March Weddings:
Justin begins 4th Rotation
March kicked off Justin's final Rotation. What's a rotation? Well the final year of P.T. School, students are required to do "rotations"... which means a full time job at different locations, with no paycheck. It's on-site learning and continued education...and it was a great experience..we're just eager to be DONE with school!! Justin's 4th Rotation was his most enjoyable rotation...but I'm thinking that's because he's ready! And now that countdown begins to GRADUATION!!
"Flashing Lights, Fashion Show"
(Me and all my lovely Models ~All models dressed in bridesmaid dresses by Twirl Bridal)
My most exciting, exhausting, and thrilling experience of March was the WEN (Wedding and Event Networking) Event I coordinated. Back in January I committed to taking on this event. I knew that if I did this it would force my hand with my company. So this was kind of like a "J.Starr Stylized Weddings" debut for me. I know my blog readers have known about my company for quite some time, but this was the first time I was "debuting" to the Event Industry~ which I'm not going to lie was a little intimidating. WEN is an event that happens every month but I wanted to really take it to the next level, to show my talents off to all of my industry peers.
(Me and Renata)
So, along with a great partnership with Still Life Studios we threw a pretty snazzy Flashing Show, appropriately titled: "Flashing Lights, 2011". I coordinated all of the vendors including catering, bartenders, cake, dj, photography, videography, models, model's wardrobe, professional hair, and professional make up...and with the help of one of my very talented designers:
Renata Hodl....all of the decor.
(All the vendors rushed in following the end of the fashion show with a big hug...awwee)
And when it was all said and done, the event was a true success... but what meant the most to me was all the very special, crazy talented people in life whom I love so dearly...and greatly treasure my friendships with.
Look for more awesome photos from this night on my upcoming J.Starr Blog.
March 26th
Is a very special day to us. March 26th marks little Olive's Birthday (she turned two this year), Our "Dating" Anniversary (nine years since our first date), and most importantly....Mom Starr's Birthday (she would have been 60 this year).
(The famous flying pig made an appearance at the concert)
So, Trevor flew in for the occasion and Justin, Trevor, Shannon ("the boys" as Barb called them) and me all went to "The Pink Floyd Experience" in Downtown Phoenix. Justin had the idea of going to the show, because it would be something fun we could as a family to honor Mom Starr. She always loved Pink Floyd, she had even attended a Roger Waters concert back with me, Justin, and Shannon before... (before we were married). I remember thinking to myself at that time, wow Justin really has a cool mom.
Happy Birthday Mom Starr, we love you .
Casa Grande Ruins with Aimee
And the month ended on a rather random note. Aimee came home!!! She had been traveling the world for several months and she was finally home!! We had so, so, so much to catch up on. She went for one of our famous drives ~an odd tradition that started ever since I got my drivers license. Somehow we ended up at the Casa Grande Ruins...don't ask me why or how...we just did. We looked at the ruins for about 5 seconds, and then talked for hours ~seriously like 4 hours straight on a bench looking at the Casa Grande Ruins, we were finally kicked out. It was one of those days, those conversations that will go down in A & J history. I love you my friend, welcome home.....
please don't leave the country for that long ever again :)
Valentines Day 2011
This year it was my turn to plan Valentine's Day. I was REALLY trying to be mindful of things that Justin would like, rather than the romantic stuff I would like. So.... I planned a day together of all things that would spoil my honey.
The day started with a hike up "A" Mountain, we had joked about how we were both former Sun Devils and yet neither of us had ever hiked it before.
So a top "A" Mountain we took in the views of the valley and had a delightful lil picnic
~ridiculously adorable... I know.
Next I had told my Valentine that we were headed over to Best Buy (his fav store) so that he could pick out anything his little heart desired ~which resulted in the purchase of:
Following Best Buy we headed over to the Movie Theater to see a movie Justin had been wanting to
see "in the theater".
He loves the Coen Brothers... and True Grit turned out to be a great flick.
The night concluded with Pita Jungle to go....and drinks at home, along with playing
the "The Office", board game style.
And this marks our 8th Valentines Day together ~I can hardly believe it. Justin says this one was his favorite of all time...(secretly I was buttering him up, because he was in charge of planning of 5 Year Anniversay, which was incredible....I'll blog about it soon)
Highlight on February 2011
February was crazy.... and here's why....
J.Starr Stylized Weddings:
It was as if all the puzzle pieces started to fall together magically. All of the thoughts, doubts, ideas that my mind has been consumed with for many years...we're coming together and taking off! I will consider February 2011 as the month and year that "J.Starr Stylized Weddings" officially took flight! More on this later. Stay tuned as I'll soon have a separate J.Starr Weddings Blog, COMING SOON.
Casey Moores:
Just a fun day out in Tempe with the family. Casey Moores Oyster House in Tempe will always hold a special place in my heart, because that's where I had my first date with Justin~ awe memories.
Tom and Mo live in Chandler, but we typically only get the chance to hang every few months or so.
Typically we head over to the Parson's Residence when some type of sporting event is
going on... World Series, Superbowl, etc.
Miss Mo~The Hostess with the Mostess
Tommy P ~mixing it up
Tom and Mo both work in the Food and Beverage industry so when you're in their home
your drink is never empty...which always results in a super fun time!
your drink is never empty...which always results in a super fun time!
A night at Symphony Hall with my friends Dani and Cosette and two of their friends. Such a fun night of grace and beauty... I so wish I could be a smooth as a professional ballerina.
Our Valentine's Day:
Hmm... Justin says this was the BEST Valentine's Day ever!!! So perhaps I'll spare you all the lovey dovey details for now and put them in an individual blog post.
Conquered Camelback:
YES, now I can mark off # 34 off my 101s in 1001s...
I did it! And it totally wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. My friend Heather was in town from Boston and she knew that Camelback was on my 101 List.
And I'm so happy we conquered the climb!
And I'm so happy we conquered the climb!
We pulled up on Sunday morning and it was raining and dark.
We sat in the car going back and forth as to whether we should attempt it, Heather was concerned that that rocks might be too wet and slippery.... but we decided to GO FOR IT!!
The only part that totally freaked me out a little was the death climb part of the hike.
But we made it, and it was awesome! The views were incredible.
I so want to do it again!!! Thank you Heather, I heart you!
Vig Uptown
Following our big climb we went straight over to the Vig Uptown to join up with some
girlfriends to celebrate Heather's 30th Birthday!
girlfriends to celebrate Heather's 30th Birthday!
San Tan Legado Photo Shoot
I coordinated my first ever Bridal Photo Fashion shoot at the lovely San Tan Elegante, the end result was just beautiful. I'll post more photos and details on J.Starr Weddings Blog, COMING SOON.
(photo by Auntie Pam Norris)
My cousin's little girl Gracie turned the big THREE! Bri and Donnie hosted a DARLING Happy Unbirthday Party for Miss Grace, complete with costumes and decor! I was so happy I was able to stop by and hug the precious little birthday girl.
NASCAR
Justin was able to spend the afternoon with his long time high school friend Barrett.
Fast Cars & Fun Times...
Justin's February Weddings
Just a few shots from some of the Weddings Justin shot this month...
Taken at Anthem Golf and Country
Another Wedding at Anthem Golf and Country Club
Sometimes rainey weddings days are so bad, how cool is this shot?
**Just a couple of other fun happenings that happened in February that I want to remember...
Belated Bday Lunch with Julie, Dinner at Jimmy and Kelly's, My first day at Superstition Springs, Matt's Bday dinner at Encanterra, Coffee with Miss Kim, Bunco at Melissa's with Jessica. **
Crazy Busy month, but tons of fun and lot's of exciting changes!!
And although these blog posts are super long, I'm soooo happy I'm finally catching up!!
Highlight on January 2011
Wow, I just can't believe how far behind I am in blogging.... oh well life's been busy. The only thing that really bums me out is the longer I wait to blog about life happenings... the fewer amount of details I remember, which makes me sad. That's why blogging, scrapbooking, and journaling are so important to do as quickly as possible, while every thought, emotion, and feeling is still fresh in your head.
So.... in an effort to get caught up I'll just blog about little snippets (how cute is that word...snippets?) about life happenings in January of 2011.
New Year's Day:
Well, after returning home from NYC we were pretty exhausted, too exhausted to even party on New Years Eve... but we did make it to Tommy and Melissa Jonovich's New Years Day Party. They had asked everyone just to come in their jammies and enjoy a champagne brunch, so comfy and relaxing.....
The Keegans
Melissa and her Mom, Tami
The Kinkles
The Jonovichs
Me, Andrea, and Meliss
Following the party we decided to head down to Casa Grande to meet up with Dan, Tiffany, and Ronin Dinneen! I hadn't had a chance to meet little Ronin yet, and I hadn't seen Dan and Tiff in over a year (in fact the last time I saw them was when they told me Tiff was pregnant). My how time flies. But anyways, I got to hold Ronin for a long time and catch up with Tiff a bit. I always hate when my dear friends move out of the state, but I'm thankful that we're able to keep in touch and make the effort to see each other when we can. Ronin is such a chill little dude, seriously way chill, and just too cute! 
Me, Ronin, and Tiff
Following our Dinneen visit, we headed over to Ma and Pas for a New Years Day dinner. After having such a rushed holiday season it was nice to finally be able to relax a bit. Dad's Birthday:
My dad. He's the most amazing man in the world, I don't think words could ever even begin to describe how much he means to me. For his birthday we headed down to CG for a family dinner at Tommy Bistros followed by cake and gifts back at the house. I love you dad.
Such a fun tradition, that was started many years ago. My college roommates Andrea, Melissa and myself all get together around the holidays for a special dinner, just us girls. We always go out to dinner and catch up on holiday stuff and life in general. It's always a special time, and it's just wild to think about all the different milestones we've gone through in each other's lives.
My last month working at Still Life, I was able to assist the crew with their big Grand Opening. It was really exciting and turned out to be quite a success!!! Such a great accomplishment!! Special congrats to Matt and Dani!!
Entrance...
Flowers by Crismons
Do you see me on the ground? That's right, I put together a contract with a couple in the
middle of the mad house
! 
J.Starr Stylized Designs
The Still Life Studios Crew
Just so I don't forget: January was also filled with The Bridal Fashion Debut, My Interview at Superstition Springs, birthday lunch date with my fab friend Renata, the "Recharge" Event Industry Mixer at Noahs, and some fun Date Nights with the Hubs.
It was busy month to kick off the year!!!
It was busy month to kick off the year!!!
