Jennifer Starr

"There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard... No song I could sing... But I can try for your heart...Our dreams, and they are made out of real things... Like a, shoebox of photographs... With sepiatone loving... Love is the answer, At least for most of the questions in my heart... Like why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard? It's not always easy and... Sometimes life can be deceiving... I'll tell you one thing its always better when we're together..."

Dirty Thirty...

Can I just tell you... how happy it makes me feel that my husband turns 30 way before I do!! I'm so stuck on as what to do for this very special occasion.... typically I'm so full of ideas... it's hard just to chose one... but this one I'm struggling with..

Of course Justin tells me "not to make a big deal out of it" and "not to spend a fortune" ~but seriously... doesn't he know me better than that by now??? It's especially cool because Trevor Starr (one of Justin's older brothers will be flying in from Berkeley, CA just to celebrate with us, so this must be super fun, afterall we're trying on convince Trevor to move back to Arizona)

It's a bit of challenge simply because we are going to be out of town in the near future which means I wont have much time to work on it... sooo... in the mean time my friends and family... SAVE the DATE: Friday June 18th!! Ideas... send them my way... my creative juices need some stimulating..

Creative Pick Me Up?

Blah, I've been in a funk the past two days... I need to feel inspired to get me going again...

~shopping? new make up?, new clothes?, maybe
~redesigning an area in my home?, perhaps too much of a chore?
~catching up in my blogging and photo editting?.., ugg I usually love doing this, but I'm so behind
~working out?.., only if I can put new music on my ipod first
~traveling?.... I have to wait another couple weeks...
~planning a new event?... my sexy husband is turning 30 in less than a month...I need to get this going
~driving around and rockin to No Doubt?, always a winner!

The "New Normal"

Losing a loved one, especially tragically certainly just derails your life completely. When you are forced to deal with such unexpected big decisions to be made... you stop and realize.... I'm a grown up now. My sweet husband and his two brothers are doing well. Although I feel it's important for me to keep many details of the past 45 days private ~as a respect to my family... I did want to say again ..............

THANK YOU! To everyone that showered us with love.....it was nearly overwhelming... so much that I've almost lost track of the individual wonderful things that people have done for our family.

I'm currently working on getting my overdue thank you cards out. I know how important it is to send thank yous, even though it seems so small of a gesture when thinking of some of the amazing things people did for us.

I've learned more in the past 45 days then I have in the past 4 years... and I hope all the things I've learned will always stay with me.....and make me a better person.

Much love to my blog readers, and stay tuned as I have a lot of catching up to do with my blogging. Through this journey we have had some special, happy times, and it's important for me to blog about them and appreciate them.

Dear Mom...

Dear Mom,
Happy Happy Birthday to you! I woke up this morning feeling so happy and so grateful that I could pick up the phone~call you, and say happy birthday, say I love you, and say I'm so happy I get to see you tonight for dinner.

Can't wait to celebrate the amazing person you are.

Love Your Daughter,
Jennifer

P.S. The photo above is your birthday present from me. I bought a venue for you to run your floral business and for me to hold weddings and events at ~hope you like it:)

Sailing Away....

I'm so thankful for my amazing parents. This last month has been the hardest month of our lives... truly. It's really weird how sadness can really weigh you down, making even normal day things such a difficult challenge. But mom and dad researched and researched and finally ended up selecting a vacation for us five, Justin, Me, Mom, Dad, and Stinkerbell to go on.

In a few weeks we will be going on a 7 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera!!! Making stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas!! It will be mine and Justin's first time on a cruise. It will be so wonderful just to escape and be together in the middle of the ocean. Can't wait!

And... Life Continues...?

What a weekend. What had such a beautiful day celebrating such a beautiful life. I feel so happy that we were able to create a day that was so perfect, so sweet, so Barbara. I was so touched by our family and friends who attended, truly.......the gift of just simply "being there" is so meaningful and so powerful especially to the broken hearted.

In memory of Barbara Louise Starr

Barbara Louise Starr, daughter of Theodore and Ruth Conley, was born on March 26, 1951, in Newark Ohio. She passed away on April 9, 2010, at the age of 59.
The youngest of four daughters, Barbara had lots of blond hair and an impish smile. She loved making tents with blankets and chairs, outside or inside, she and her sister would hide away for hours. Her favorite time was Christmas when she and the other girls shared a five pound box of chocolates under the tree on Christmas Eve and a pile of presents on Christmas morning. When young she always wanted to do what her big sisters did, so she was the Brownie troop mascot before actually being a Brownie and always kept up with her pack of older sisters.

But by the time she became a teenager, she became fiercely independent and refused to follow anyone’s path. She was fun loving and popular, but also broke the mold for what a girl should do. She was dubbed “the beautiful blond behind the big bass drum” as she was the first girl to play that instrument for the Anthony Wayne High School Marching Generals Band. But Barbara had life interests beyond the bass drum; she also had a part time job at the Sunshine School, a residential facility for severely disabled children. It was there that she developed the kindness, patience, and skill needed to become a nurse.

She earned her Licensed Practical Nurse degree from the Nursing School of Bowling Green and went to work at Blanchard Valley Hospital in Findlay, Ohio. She worked there for a decade becoming highly respected for her medical and administrative skills as well as her careful and humane treatment of patients. During this time she married and had three sons, Shannon, Trevor and Justin, who became the center of her life.

For the past 15 years has she called Scottsdale, AZ home, where she enjoyed hikes in the desert and Sunday afternoons by the pool. She loved Italian food, wine spritzers, smooth jazz, and traveling, often in the company of her companion and partner-in-crime Mr. William Gaillard. In addition to enjoying the simple pleasures of life she also took great pride and joy in helping others, making a name for herself in the valley as an excellent, caring, and dedicated nurse. For years she worked at Phoenix Mountain Nursing Center as a floor nurse and eventually as a nurse manager, before moving to Arizona Hospice, where she continued her work with those in need until her untimely passing. One of her recent achievements of which she and her family were most proud was completion of an Associate of Science degree in nursing. A goal for which she spent countless nights studying at home and which allowed her to achieve her dream of becoming a Registered Nurse.

Without a doubt, the role she most relished was that of mother. She never failed to let her children know how much she loved them, and gave to them unceasingly. Sad to be away from them and overjoyed to be with them, the happiest times of her life were when all three of her boys and daughter-in-law Jennifer came together to be with her. Christmas by far was her favorite time of year, for it was her excuse to give without limit, to set out candies and cookies, to decorate, to wrap presents, and to cook. In short, to make her children feel as loved as anyone possibly could.

Her premature departure from this world deprives a great many people of her love and compassion, of her silliness and her smile, of her soothing voice and her reassuring embrace. She will be forever missed by those whom she touched, especially her children, who can never replace the love they have lost, but most definitely will honor it by following her example to be the best people and most loving parents they can be.

In addition to those mentioned above, her passing is mourned by her sister, Linda Hicks; sister and brother in law, Sheila and Bill Tompos; sister and brother in law, Carol and Tim Evans; nephew, David Daily, nephew and wife, Stephen and Lori Tompos; grand nieces, Laurel, Stephenie, and Lily Ann Tompos; and all her many friends and colleagues.

I don't like feeling sad....

I'm so hesitant to blog...... it just seems so.... surface to me right now and my feelings are so personal... I'm sad that I never had the opportunity to throw my amazing mom in-law a wonderful celebration when she was alive..... I just feel as if no matter how much heart I put into her special day this Saturday, it just can never be enough to honor her.... I so wished I would have asked her a million more questions~

I'm quite convinced....

Doggies help the heart to heal....everyone should have a dog, or two.

Beautiful Life to Be Celebrated.....

The Capacity to Love.....

Is just an unbelievable thing. The last 16 days of our lives have been the darkest days & nights we've ever experienced. But the outpouring of love from our friends, family, co workers and especially my mom and dad has just been indescribable.

Slowly, Starting to Regain Feeling Again....

Please continue to keep my sweet husband and my brother in-laws in your thoughts, your hearts, and your prayers. They lost their most precious person, their mother.....while I lost the person who loved them most ...my mother in-law.

On the early morning of April 8th, there was a fire in her home, during which she inhaled toxic fumes. Her son, (my brother in-law) Shannon, was able to make it out of the fire (through a window on the second floor), but tragically... my mother in-law, never regained consciousness. She, surrounded by her loving family during her last hours and was removed from care the following day.

There isn't anything anyone can do for us, other than keep Justin, Trevor, and Shannon Starr in your hearts.... and always "love" with all your heart, unselfishly,unconditionally~the way Barbara loved her boys....

Barbara, May Angels...Lead You In ~ I love you!

Uncomfortably Numb....

My heart is beyond broken.......words can't even begin to express... please hold your loved ones very tight tonight and never be afraid to say I love you several times a day.

Style, with a side of twisted humor....

So, I have this friend.... who I used to get to hang around with on a daily basis, as she was my assistant at Seville for a few years... I say assistant but really she was much, much, much more than that ~she was and thankfully still is just an incredible friend! I love hanging out with her because she never allows me to take myself too seriously... she cracks jokes at total inappropiate times.. and I start laughing and can't stop..... for example I would be on the phone with some irate client screaming at me and Kim would simply walk in my office, totally "moon" me, and then just walk away....

Oh how I miss seeing "my kimmy" on a daily basis... but luckily we still get to hang out ever so often and when we do we have so much fun!!! I was thrilled to get to spend lunch with her on St. Patty's day this year. Kim was able to share with me all the new exciting things going on in her life... she's an incredible artist ~ with a truly unique style that is all her own ~check her out http://kimspassionforart.blogspot.com/! Shown above is one of her newer paintings that I just LOVE~ I'm going to have her paint me one soon, can't wait!!

Just pull over the car: I'm Hungry!!!!

My Addie is back in town and I LOVE it!!!! Although she lives in Casa Grande and has a wacky work schedule we do try and meet up as much as possible.

One particular Monday evening, we had a girls date scheduled ~ just the two of us to go out to dinner at an Indian Restaurant... apparently Addie was missing her New York lifestyle and was craving some good Indian food. Well I found this cool place up in Scottsdale and we were on our way.... as we're getting closer, Addie calls the restaurant to double check the cross roads and discovers the restaurant is closed on Mondays!! Boo...so instead I drive up and down Scottsdale Road looking for somewhere "creative" to take my dear friend..(because afterall we have cool restaurant in AZ too... they don't just exist in NY) Well apparently my creative dining experience seekin was taking a little too long because the next thing Addie tells me I "just pull over the car, I'm Hungry"! So okay then.... I told her the next place we pass on the right hand side...I'm turning in!! And this is how we ended up at the FireSky Resort, where we had a fab time!! Welcome home friend, I've missed you...even if you're still a little sassy when your hungry! Next time Indian food for sure!

Bacon.....

One lovely Saturday morning, I had the great pleasure of having breakfast with my dear friend Melissa, and her little man Gregory. We met up at this darling little place in old town Scottsdale called Bacon, we surprisingly did not have very good bacon ~ but the company and conversation was divine!

My Big Sis.....is a real mom?

So.... I never had a sister, which makes my older, wiser and lovely cousin Brianne my "sisterly figure". We had such fun times as little girls... and I'm sooo happy that we remain close after all these years. I was able to meet up with Bri and her simply amazing little daughter Gracie for lunch one day. I just love watching Bri and Gracie interact, it's totally weird sometimes because it feels like Bri and I are still little kids and I think that Bri must be babysitting this tiny person, because Bri can't possibly be grown up enough to be responsible for a child????

But, you take one look at little Gracie and she's the spitting image of Bri. And Bri is sooo patient and you can just tell that Gracie thinks the world of her momma!!! I love them both so very much!!!!

And.....SNAP! The Job's a Game!

My mom,......we really have so much fun together. We may be opposites in some ways, but I do think we share the same heart. One of the BEST parts of having the majority of my Saturday's off is getting to spend more time with my mom. For Christmas I bought her two tickets to see Mary Poppins at Gammage, and luckily she decided to take me!! ( okay, so really I knew all along that she would take me, so I guess in a way it was a present for me too). Something about Mary Poppins has always reminded me of my mom, perhaps because when I was little we watched it together over 100 times.....

We had a blast, we were almost late to the show due to the oh so wonderful parking system at ASU, but we made it just in time before the house lights went off! And the show was truly AWESOME, definelty up there as one of my favorites! At the end of the show, Mary flew over the audience as her umbrella carried her away ~totally gave me goose bumps! I loved it!! Then mom stayed the night at the Starr Bungalow~ which was awesome!!! One of my biggest pet peeves about our home is that it's truly not suitable for entertaining at all ~ WHICH I LOVE TO DO (grr...I will so appreciate the next home we have)!! So we don't have an extra bed because our second bedroom is our office/design studio. So what does that mean? Mom sleeps on the couch just like one of my girlfriends! I love it, it meant so much to me... after the show we were able to pick up Chase from ASU, go out to dinner, go grocery shopping, take Chase back to ASU and come home to place and have girl talk all evening...so much fun!

Gonna take a Sentimental Journey...........

Jim and Jane Norris' Diamond Anniversary

All Because Two People Fell in Love........

Wow, what an incredible event to be a part of! My Grandparents fell in love when they were only 17 years old. 60 Years of Marriage.....7 Children.....9 Grandchildren.....1 Great Grandchild

Let me tell you the pressure was on to make this event so special for these two very amazing people!

Setting the Scene:

SweetPeas Floral and Events had the very fun job of being in charge of all the floral, decor, and entertainment. I have a big addiction to Grand Entryways.... but because this was on a Sunday afternoon I had to keep the design modest, simple, classic and meaningful. So a decorated entry table was in order! Complete with an 16 x 20 retouched & enhanced frame wedding photo of my Grandparents on their wedding day.

My mom, is a very talented florist.... she created 3 different centerpieces for all the guest tables. Our color scheme was black, white, purple & light blue (purple and light blue being Grandma Jane's favorite colors).

Justin and I created custom programs....I had sent out a questionnaire to all the "kids" with questions like "In one word, what was it like growing up a "Norris"? We included all the surprise answers in the program ~ so funny!

Another one of the beautiful centers

Justin had retouched and ordered large images of my grandparents ~through the years, very precious. It just really showed how much FUN they have together.

We had a another table with the family photos. The first family photo had just the three of them (Grandma & Grandpa and their first born Chip) the last photo had all of us from a family of three to a family of 27.

The event was held at The Property in Casa Grande. The Property did an AMAZING job with the catering. There was so many lovely options, I don't think one person could even see them all, let alone taste them all.

Grandpa had asked me to make sure that we displayed the "kids" photos ....

And the "grandkids" photos........

The "Sachet Bar" ~ me and my silly ideas. I had created an interactive party favor station (something new I had wanted to try out) Although you can't see the display up close... the frame read:

How do you think your parents marriage has survived 60 years?

Respect for each others strengths, recognition of each other’s weaknesses and acceptance of the hand God has dealt. Those and their exceptional progeny.—Chip

Their commitment to us children, solving all our problems never gave them a chance to think about their own. Their joy for life, their sense of humor and their love for each other.—Dennis

God only knows. I am being serious but I think it is a crazy little thing called love, because there have been plenty of good times and bad times but they have believed in each other, and God.—Tom

Their love……they still share it every day.—Patty

Common tastes in life, people, parenting, and bourbon.—Bill

At first mom didn’t have gas money to leave town. Later, they stayed passionate and connected by sharing active lives including playing tennis, bridge, and hosting wine parties. They always showed love, respect, and appreciation for one another.—Dan

In each glass vase had a different color and scent of bath salts ~labeled as an ingredient of "love". The idea was that you could fill up your sachet bag with all of your favorite ingredients to create your own "love story".

My highlight of the entire day was when I was sitting next to my Grandma towards the end of the event and she leans over and asks me" You mean if I put in the green bath salts, he'll get in the bath with me?"

The People/The Moments:

All 27 of us!

Grandpa introduced the entire family.....

Me and my mom ~ she's the real talent

And the introductions continue........

Grams & Gramps participating in the "Not So Newlywed Game" ~so funny!

Grandma really does remind me of Lucille Ball sometimes....

My dad gave a very sentimental toast to Grandparents...very special

Brought them both to tears and brought the 200 person audience to their feet with a standing ovation

A little friendly competition between the siblings........

I really don't know how Patty put up with all those Boys!

Dancing to their song "Sentimental Journey"

Grandma and Grandpa's one and only Great Grandchild ~ Miss Gracie

But not for too long. My cousin Andrea on the far left (blond in purple dress) had approached Justin just before we were about to take the Group Family Shot and whispered in his ear " Go ahead and tell them to say "Andrea's Pregnant" just before you snap the photo.

And this was the prize reaction caught on film from the family ~Congratulations Andrea & Matt!

I Love Our Sunday Mornings.......

For the past nearly seven years, I have worked every Saturday ( up until more recently) so Sundays were always the our only day off together. So I've always been in love with our Sunday mornings......

We usually take the pups out to somewhere big and lush and just let them run, play, explore. Every once in awhile Justin will bring his camera along play with. Starbucks & Sundays ~ Life is good.

Social Grace Studios: Recent Shoot

Just another great photo shoot from Social Grace Studios

I really enjoyed being on this shoot with Justin, mainly because I was in pure shock that my friend Cathy was actually having a baby. I've known Cathy forever! We were little five year old girls in dance class together many years ago.... and now she's a mom!

It was a rainy, cold day... but Cathy ( always the actress) put on her game face ~despite the huge rain drops falling on her head!

You could certainly tell that Cathy had her photos taken a few times before... she reacted to Justin's cues perfectly!

This photo shoot was actually taken a mere five days prior to Cathy's due date!

But you would have never been able to tell.....she was so calm and collected....

Just a darling little maternity model!

I love this black and white image....just so sweet.

Congratulations my dear friend.... I wish you much happiness and joy with your new little boy.

This personal blog chronicles our lives for three years.... January 2009 through December 2011. It highlights our ups and downs and everything in between...it's been a journey for sure...thank you for following and reading...

I have concluded this blog ending in December of 2011. Life is just too darn crazy now for me to keep up with a personal blog.... and I'm challenging myself to simplify some areas in life, to make room for new goals. I'm thinking I'll probably just post more personal photos on facebook..to best keep in touch.

My current professional blog can be found here.
Though my professional blog won't be like online scrapbook (as this one was) I will include personal snippets and blurbs from time to time...as well as highlight my wild world as an Event Designer in all of it's glam and grime... I invite you to start following this blog now ~ I'll include tips to help "stylize" your world and I'll do my best to keep it fresh and fun!