cheers to a safe NYE!

In 2009 there were 10,839 people killed in alcohol-related vehicle crashes - an average of one fatality every 50 minutes. Yea, I know how to bring down a party. But...

My ask of you is that you please stay safe as you celebrate the new year. Think twice about getting into a vehicle if you've been drinking. My friends and I have lost not one - but two - girlfriends in separate drunk driving accidents.

The reality is, it happens. You aren't immune. And no one should have to attend the funeral of someone so young. It's a traumatic thing.

If at least one person thinks twice after reading this then I'll have done my job.

Have fun and see you in 2011!

 Jamie Marie Cope 1986 - 2006

a dark day

Everyone has to have a dark day once in awhile. Today is mine. Life will never be fair. I'll  never understand it but I do know one thing: fairy tales don't exist. I have a hard time trusting people, especially when I keep getting screwed over and slapped in the face. Do I deserve it? I don't think so. Will it ever end? I can't answer that. Which scares me.

I'm the kind of girl that jumps at life because I know too well it can end too quickly. I listen to my heart, not my head, and I'll always be that way. I'd rather hurt than to have never lived.
So, I just need to keep reminding myself of this.

{image}

So, how are you today?

looking back

Guys, this is my 57th blog post. I first posted on January 3, 2010 and I'm proud to say I've come a long way since then. OK, so I'm still writing about useless crap that no one cares about. But look, see how much prettier it is?

My first post also happend to be about resolutions, which I make every year. Let’s take a look back at what I hoped to accomplish in 2010.

Spend more time with friends. (We're aligning calendars as I type)

Score: I can never spend enough time with them but we definitely made ample time for one another. Win!

Travel more. (Trips to AZ, Paris & New Orleans are already on the books)

Score: Arizona and Paris happened but New Orleans did not. It was replaced with a heavenly week in Ashland, OR. Win!

Read more. (Powell's, I'm coming for you!)

Score: I read lots of books. Win!

Be nicer. (Not less feisty, just generally nicer to people)

Score: Besides my road rage, I think I tried my best. That’s what counts, right?

Save more money. (Eeek)

Score: Fail

For 2011, I think I need some more specific resolutions, with smaller milestones, so I set myself up for success. Like resolving to drink more champagne with yummy fruity things floating inside. You get the idea.

{image}

How'd you do for 2010?

daisy, duke and the ham

Can you believe Christmas has already come and gone? Every year it seems to fly by faster than the year before. I usually get so stressed out about finding the perfect gifts while keeping my bank account afloat that I sometimes forget to stop and remember what Christmas is actually about: the birth of Jesus.

I spent Christmas Eve with my family in Washington. My grandpa greeted me wearing an Auburn shirt and laughed and laughed. I cried. 

After dinner, we opened presents. I do need to say that my 5-year-old cousin Caleb was awfully polite that night, offering to clear everyone’s plates like that. It couldn’t be because he was trying to get to his presents faster, could it? Nah.

After present opening, we learned that the neighbor’s two beagles had run away. For the record, my family lives over the river and through the woods. With coyotes running rampant, odds were that the little dogs weren’t going to make it. And I won’t go into details but these neighbors have had a pretty horrid 2010 and the thought of their dogs cold and lost quickly sent us all into a slump.

Around 11 o’clock we headed home, down the winding country roads. And then we saw this.

{Actually, this is a reenactment. They were much bigger than this and running the opposite direction. Hence, our issue.}

A Christmas miracle! I hopped out of the car, yelling their names. DAISY! DUKE! DAISY! DUKE! They stopped. Turned around. Looked at each other and kept cruising along. Then a light bulb went off.

HAM! HAM! WE HAVE HAM!

Like any sensible being, no one turns down free ham. Fortunately, we managed to schlep them into the car. They were flying. Mud was flying. Leftover coffee was flying. My white pea coat barely made it out alive. But we got them home safely and to happy owners, just in time for Christmas. I would sacrifice my coat any day for that.

God is GOOD.

the more ridiculous the better

I think that's the general rule for photo booth pictures. We took these at my company holiday party. Fun, right?

I'm oblivious to where I am in the first photo. Don't mind me. This is normal.

cookie discs and champagne

• A dozen eggs
• Flour
• Sugar
• Baking soda
• 4 boxes baking chocolate
• 3 bags baking chips
• 1 bag pretzels
• German chocolate cake mix
• Raspberry brownie mix
• Sprinkles
• Champagne

In our newly established annual tradition - we've done it twice - my seester Sasha and I embarked on our Christmas baking adventure. Seester is cutesy speak for sister. You didn't know I could speak another language did you? Caveat: We are the worst bakers EVER. We apologize profusely to our future kids. We'll be THOSE mothers.

Anyhow, any good baking adventure starts with a good bottle of cheap champagne. You were wondering what that was doing on the list, weren't you?

Our second batch of chocolate chip cookies turned out great. We won't name names *cough Joey cough* but someone turned off our kitchen timer to heat up his coffee so the first batch was a lost cause.

We only burnt the baking chocolate for the pretzels twice. And only dunked the peanut butter stirrer into the white chocolate once. I have a peanut allergy so it was important we didn't do this. Meh. It's only hives.

If you can believe it, we did remarkably better than last year. Excuse you - please don't laugh. I hear you. Quit it.

So, wanna bake with us?

Thursday Thought

Don't lose hope. When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.

{Image}

music. fashion. sex. in pdx.

One of the most exciting projects I've been involved with to date was the launch of Button, a Portland lifestyle magazine that launched in March 2009, dreamed up by the brilliant Brittany McGrath. Acting as Managing Editor, and then Editor in Chief, I wore many hats. I worked with incredible talent, connected with the Portland community on a different level and found myself in front of people I never deemed possible. Simply put, it was EXCITING.

Then the economy went haywire. And magazines, like this one, struggled to hit the press, ultimately leading to demise.

Button stills seems to live on though, as I'm asked about it randomly every so often. Maybe it's time for a Button comeback?

Cheers!
Jessica

button is urban with a twist of idiosyncratic  
independence. button is a lucky hand, a bargain buy,
an innovative idea, and a flirty smile. button is a
scene kid, a portland hipster, and an urban dweller.
button is indie rock, frothy beer, and red lipstick. 

{Debut Issue}

A city is giving birth to the nation’s trends,
Portland is swarming with an increased
number of hipsters, independent youths,
musicians, designers and artists. Portland’s
new magazine, Button, targets this
unmatched and sanguine crowd. Button
magazine is a perfect snapshot of the huge
flux occurring in Portland. 

Button magazine will inform, answer to,
and entertain the unique, twenty-something
Portland hipster demographic. Button
promises to provide exclusive articles on
music, fashion, and sex/relationships,
accurate facts, a well balanced tone, and
original photography from various local
contributors and sources.

{Me and Brittany, Founder, at the Button launch}

 

{We had more than 1,000 people come through that door for the launch!} 

nom nom nom

My parents recently rescued two kittens and, while they are adorable, they each have quite the little personalities. Like this one, who loves to clamp on my head and literally eat my hair. Tasty.

Going in for the kill.

                                                        
                                                                Score! Nom nom nom.

And yes, it hurts. 

God watches football

In spirit of the Ducks kicking ass and making it into the Natty game, I thought today's post should be a shrine to best team EVER. God DOES watch football. I told you.

{images via CBS News; Oregon Live}