The Dream

Take a year off

Travel the world.

Experience otehr cultures & people.

Along the way, read as many memoirs as possible.

In the end, know my purpose and start to live a life worthy of a memoir.

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Become a costume designer.

For movies, tv shows, especially Jade & I's tv show

Be a stylist.

A successful fashion/style blogger/vlogger

Open a boutique- clothes, coffee, live music, books.

Write a book- a compilation of my short stories.

Live in NYC, Southern California- Santa Barbara, San Diego, LA, Irvine, Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte.

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Marry the love of my life.

Have 4 children.

2 girls, 2 boys.

Have 2 English Bulldogs.

Winston & Stella.

Have 1 French Bulldog.

Louis.

Maybe 1 Welsh Corgi & 1 Golden Retriever

Fergie & Aurora, respectively.

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Live a life, I'm proud of.

Impact the world.

xoxo

KJB

Red, White & Blue

I'm forever grateful to the men and women that make this country of ours so great! 

Here are my OOTDs for the week, red white & blue truly is my favorite color combination:

Red, white, blue's in the sky

Summer's in the air and

Baby, heaven's in your eyes

I'm your National Anthem 

xoxo

Jordan 

KJB's Day Off!

Today I had a functioning day off where I went on a few adventures! Including a trip to Tim Hortons, Panera & the post office with my family! Then I met up with a few friends from high school to catch up and go to the Decorative Arts Center! Fully experiencing the Edith Head exhibition with my friends was a treat!

 

xoxo 

KJB

KJB, The Summer Intern

 "Fashion is a language. Some know it, some learn it, some never will- like an instinct." - Edith Head

This week on Thursday, marked the first day interning at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, my summer internship placement. This summer I'll be interning at DACO, in conjunction with the Edith Head exhibition along with classes and other needs that I can help fulfill. It's been a whirlwind the past 4 days, but I'm thrilled with the experience thus far and cannot wait to see what is in store for the rest of the summer. On my first day, I was able to shadow a tour of the museum, learned about the house and the museum gift shop. Friday, I went through docent, museum tour guide, training. Then later that night, in Lancaster the museums in town have an event, Walk-A-Bout, where it's free admission and it causes people to visit them all in search of the items on a scavenger hunt. Saturday, I worked my first shift and then later that night I helped work the members-only opening event for the Edith Head exhibit.  This afternoon, I worked another museum shift and I got to spend my day in the gift shop.

Usually meeting new people is rather nerve wrecking to me. Recently, I've felt concerned about graduating and moving away from the friends I've made in Akron, citing that it's taken two-four years to make these friendships, but meeting the new people I've met through DACO, makes me excited to see who all I've yet to meet. This exhibit has brought so many people from near and far, because everyone loves Edith Head. I met a woman from LA, a board member that has a background in fashion history, another costume historian from Cincinnati and a woman that makes drill team and dance team costumes in Columbus. And there was yet another board member that reiterated the fact that when you're young you've got to just jump and know that when your feet finally touch down again it'll all be for the better. Exactly what I needed to hear with my December graduation date looming over my head. I'm not sure where the wind will blow me, but I know that I'm excited to find out. After listening to the curator talk about Edith Head and himself, it just made me realize that it's all about the right timing and who you know. I have my whole life ahead of me and I'm so excited to see what I'm able to accomplish. The networking and encouragement I'm bound to get out of this experience at the Decorative Arts Center is something else. Adventure awaits.

                    "You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it." - Edith Head

xoxo

KJB

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day is the official, unofficial start to summer! So here it goes Summer 2014. So far- I've crossed multiple books off of my summer reading list, got great base to my summer tan & I've almost finished merging my Akron room back into my bedroom! I'm currently reading Lone Survivor & I just started watching Scandal. Last weekend I finished Hart of Dixie, my final summer is shaping up quite nicely.

My recent to do list- brush up on my Edith Head knowledge, for my internship. Plan out the finer aspects of said internship and I've downloaded a thesaurus app so that I can expand my vocabulary. I'm so excited to see what all can happen and come from this summer.

In the spirit of the weekend, thank you to the active and veteran military personnel & thank you to their loved ones. I don't know how you do it. But thank you from the bottom of my heart.

She believed she could so she did. 

xoxo

Jordan 

Summer Fashion

My dream summer wardrobe would look something like this list, in no particular order:
1) Fedora
2) maxi skirts
3) maxi dresses, midi dresses
4) harem/Capri pant of the tribal print variety
5) J Crew scallop dresses
4) flower crowns
5) baseball caps (NY Yankee, LA Dodgers, monogram or plain)
6) patterned shorts
7) anything and everything Tortoise & Horn
8) keds, preferably red
9) tee shirt dress
10) oversized cat-eye sunglasses

My favorite part of any given movie is a fashion montage. So here's my montage from the last few weeks of school once Mother Nature decided to play nice:

Here's my OOTD from Mother's Day:

Here's a recent OOTD pic stitch: 

I hope to make this more regular as I start spending more time in real clothes, and not a bathing suit this summer, being I'll have my internship and not be working at the pool this summer.

xoxo

Jordan

Love Yourself First

I once read an article that talked about the sad state of affairs that is women in our society always wishing they were thinner. How when they envision themselves in an ideal future they always see themselves a few pounds lighter.

I'm definitely one of those people. Whenever I imagine the future I always imagine myself thinner. I think it's a natural thing. Whether that be healthy or not, I'm not an expert in the matter. I just know that if it makes you happy and it doesn't hurt others then do whatever it takes to make you happy.

So I've decided that this summer, I'm going to be serious about my health and weight loss. Yes, I do tend to say this every summer. But I know that this is different. I feel it. In the 6 days that I've been home, 2 of which had great weather I went on 3 mile walks. On both of those walks I found myself at the top of Mt. Pleasant.

While standing at the top and peering down, I was faced with a very real thought, just how small we all are. In the grand scheme of things, we're all insignificant unless we do something worthwhile. So in my quest of losing weight this summer, and ultimately finding myself, I want to give back. I want to find a way to make my presence in this world, felt by it.

I know that I like who I am on the inside, as a person, as a friend, daughter, and woman. So now I just need to like what I look like on the outside.

  

"The world wasn't built for humans, we were built for the world."

xoxo

Jordan

“Sometimes it’s really easy to shrug it off and other times, things have pinched more. I think most of us are like that, right? Someone lobs a snide remark your way, and sometimes you can laugh about it, while other times you can actually feel the sting. I’m actively working hard on learning to appreciate yourself no matter what. If what someone else says can easily derail you, it means your sense of self isn’t that firmly established in the first place. It’s an inside job. You’re beautiful and worthy and totally unique. People insult each other based on their own insecurities - even though it may feel personal, it really never is. Really. Seriously.”

Emma Stone on dealing with haters 

Summertime Sadness

So over Easter weekend, I was walking around Target and came across planners for sale, I noticed that the same planner that I use was on sale for $8, and I was completely appalled by the idea that a planner that only had 2 valid months left was still so expensive. Imagine my surprise when I realized this was not a July to June calendar, but rather a January to December calendar. Up until that point I had not a single clue that those kinds of planners exist. My head is still spinning. I mean, of course, there's the year round calendars at you can buy at the kiosks at the mall during Christmastime. But I had never imagined that such a planner existed, though once I started thinking rationally it made plenty of sense. But then I started to think... What kind of people BUY January to December planners rather than July to June planners... The answer was obvious and yet my friend had to make it explicit... ADULTS! Adults buy January to July planners. Until this point in my life, I've always lived my life in relation to the school calendar.
I'm about to be a 5th year senior, I'll graduate in December, with a major in Fashion Merchandising and a double minor in Consumer Marketing and Entrepreneurship. I'm about to enter into a world previously uninhibited by my family. My mom is a teacher so our lives have always been ruled by the July to June calendar. So with that realization came the fact that this is my last summer vacation. (Unless of course, my dream life of being a stay at home mom is realized- and even then it won't be for awhile.)
This summer as a requirement for my degree, I have to have an internship. After a lot of work and stress, I'll be interning at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Eeep! So exciting. I still am looking for a summer job, but hopefully something will come up.

My goals for the summer:
1) kick ass at my internship
2) make some money
3) lose weight
4) plan for my future after college
5) set up on my blogging and everything else

Tomorrow, I have a meeting with my supervisors. After I figure out the days and the workload needed to accomplish this summer internship, I'll look for a suitable job. Two out of six days- I've managed to go on 3 mile walks so it's just a matter of time if I can keep it up and eat right.

Only time will tell how summer 2014 will go for me! But I'm excited to see what'll happen.

xoxo

Jordan 

End of Another Year

Another year done... This was seriously the hardest year of my life... I learned a lot about myself and others. Made new friends & made better connections with old friends. I'm so grateful for everything I've learned this year. Not getting what you want can be a blessing in disguise and being open to new experiences creates the person you're meant to become. I'm sad to leave my friends but I'm so excited to see what's next. It's bittersweet to think that the next time I move home, it'll be for the long haul... 

So until next time Akron 

xoxo
Jordan

Transformation Tuesday

Last week was initiation week, probably my favorite sorority week of the semester. It was weird not having a part this year, bittersweet if you will- but my Ride or Die (ROD) holds the same position I did and she was flawless. My little came through last spring, so this was an exciting time- to see how amazing she still is a year later and she even had her own little going through this year. I'm so grateful to have my little in my life, she's a fierce friend and a strong woman with strong convictions and a great moral compass and her little is precious and fabulous and I love her as if she were my own. They are a fierce duo and I'm so excited to see how much they'll accomplish in life and I am so excited for the wild ride that is life with these two women in my life.

ROD

Little & Grandlittle

This time of year in the sorority cycle is always a nice time to reflect. I'm eternally grateful for the women I've met and get to call my best friends and for the experiences I've been lucky to have thanks to this organization. I've grown up a lot since coming to college and I think the greatest hand in that can be attributed to what I've learned about myself and others through this organization. Initiation is a renewal of vows if you will. Each semester we have a week dedicated to welcoming the new women into our organization while reminding the active members why they're still around.

Here are three things I've learned in my time in college:

1) you do you. Let her do her.
2) what people think about you is none of your business
3) what someone thinks about you says more about them than it does about you

I'm proud to say that I've become the type of women I've always wanted to be, the kind that doesn't handle fools kindly.

xoxo

Jordan

IDWB

April 17, 2014- I had one of the best nights of the semester, let alone my entire life.

But I'll start from the beginning. I love Gavin DeGraw, always have- always will. I had recently downloaded Spotify and started listening to his Make A Move album and it's was pure magic, if you haven't listened- I suggest that you get on that. After listening for probably the umpteenth time- I started tweeted about loving him and the music and one of my best friends texted me and told me that he was coming to the area and we jokingly said that we were going. The tweeting continued until my Big tweeted us and said he was coming to her hometown and suddenly we all had tickets. And naturally life and stress took over and of course, Gavin DeGraw was forgotten for a bit. Then April 17th the day of the Gavin DeGraw concert finally came! The day had finally come! Gavin would be at the Rocksino in. Northfield, OH. My Big's parents said we could have dinner at their house. The perfect outfits were picked out and then we were off. After some excitement (we had forgotten a ticket at my Big's house- luckily she lived less than 5 minutes and so we waited for its delivery from her parents) we made it to our seats and we waited. Our expectations of the night were low- we were only planning to hear some of our favorite songs and go home, what we got was so much more than that. The opening act was a young singer, Rozzi Crane, that is signed to Adam Levine's label- she has an amazing voice and she was more than we expected. And then she said while introducing herself, "I'm so happy to be on tour with Parachute and Gavin DeGraw"... YES! We were also going to be seeing Parachute! After our mild freak out we waited in anticipation for Parachute! And they did not disappoint, they played American Secrets, She Is, Kiss Me Slowly! Classic Parachute tunes, more than we could hope for! And then the main event happened- Gavin DeGraw came on! And he was amazing, flawless-- there really aren't words to describe his skills, he's one of those rare performers that you're not sure if he sounds better live or on recording- he was that good! All of our favorite songs were played, his danced around, he played piano- and we shared a moment-- during I Don't Want to Be- he stopped singing and the house lights came up and he looked out on the crowd while we all sang out the chorus and then he took over and finished the song. I didn't know until the song was over that it was on my bucket list- Sing IDWB with Gavin DeGraw, check please!- and a wave of absolution washed over me. The set list was perfect and then he ended the concert and it was over. When the lights came up and we watched people leave from our seats and waited to absorb some more magic of the night. We could tell that Gavin was talking to fans- so we wanted to get closer and get a picture of him from afar but still closer than where we were. We got so much more than that. We all ended up in different areas- my one sister got her ticket signed while we waited for him to come back our direction. While we waited we made friends with the people around us. Suddenly he was near us and my Big managed to get her ticket signed and we got to take a picture with him! He called us "baby", we fist pumped and he thanked us for coming. We left floating on a cloud. My ability to use words was lost for the majority of the 25 minute car ride home- it's not often that $40 is ever that well spent. Really, we didn't pay nearly enough for the night that we had. As if his music was enough of a reason to be a lifelong fan- the fact that he stayed after his concert, obviously exhausted, and met every fan that stayed after the concert- cemented the fact that Gavin DeGraw is a class act through and through and I wish nothing but the best for him and his career. He truly understands the importance of his fans and he appreciates them. And it was quite obvious that his fans appreciate him.

My only requirement of the night was to get a photo of the three of us- I got so much more than that! I finally got to see Parachute (I had tried my freshman year of college- but couldn't get home in time) in concert, I got to sing my favorite Gavin DeGraw song with Gavin DeGraw, not only did we get to meet him, but also take a picture with him and to top off the night- I got a McDonald's sweet tea with light ice.

It was a night for the books and I'm not sure it's going to ever be able to be topped.

Here's a few photos from the night:

"Things end, but memories last forever."

xoxo

Jordan