Five After 5

A random selection of five things that I love...

Blueberry pancakes

Bunnies

Sleeping

Classy gals like Audrey and Grace

The human body. It never ceases to amaze me what the human body is capable of, it's beauty, it's strength, and nothing showcases that better than dance, imo.
(Dancers Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk)

Images via We Heart It and Google Images

Happy Monday!

xoxo
J

Five After 5

This week's Five After 5 is a shameless plug. I'm in the midst of creating an entirely new blog just for my Avon business, but in the meantime I'm going to use my Five After 5 list this week to feature some of my favorite Avon products... Maybe you'll be interested enough to try them yourself ;)

Moisture Therapy Intensive Healing & Repair Hand Cream

Colorado is crazy dry and my skin doesn't stand a chance without the help of a heavy-duty hand moisturizer. My manicures last longer, my cuticles are healthy and my hands stay looking young and fresh. I slather it on my rough dancer feet, too. Good stuff and it gives Neutrogena and Aquafor a good run for their money at a fraction of the cost!

Anew Rejuvenate 24 Hour Eye Moisturizer SPF 25

Never ever ever EVER step outside without some kind of 1.) eye cream and 2.) SPF... unless you want to look years older and tired. Our eyes can really make or break how fresh (or not-so-fresh) we look. Also, the sun is the #1 culprit in accelerated aging in skin, so invest in products with SPF. I love this one because it includes both a night eye cream AND a day cream with a legit SPF. Double whammy - take that, fine lines and spots!

mark Lipclick SPF 15 Color Shine Lipstick

I tend to be more of a lip gloss than a lipstick gal as it's less fuss and easier to apply on the go, but this little gem is great combo of both. It give me a bit more wash of color on those days I want a little more coverage, but it's still got the shine and moisture I look for in a gloss. The "click" part? The tube is magnetic, clicking together when you close it up. Add a dash of vitamins A, C and E, and my lips are nourished and smooch-ready for the boyfriend!

Haiku Sunset Eau de Parfum Spray

I love perfume and I love smelling fresh and pretty. I receive a compliment every single time I wear this fragrance, more than the designer perfumes I've worn. For economical, non-designer fragrances, I've been pleasantly surprised with Avon's selection... my perfume snob days are over!

Nailwear Pro Nail Enamel

Hello my name is Jessi and I'm a nail polish-aholic. Tried and true. Again, at the fraction of the cost of some other brands, you can feed your nail color addiction and still have cash leftover for a tube or two of hand cream to make sure that mani lasts. With 21 available colors, and 5 more new spring hues on the way, it's a mani-extravaganza!


I sure do love Avon and I don't say that simply because I sell the stuff. The products, prices and the company are all legit. I mean, it's been in establishment for over 100 years now and counting!

Want to do a little perusing to see for yourself? Check out my store!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

J

Happy V Day!

Today is not only Valentine's Day, but Boyfriend and I's 1 year anniversary! We celebrated by getting all dressed up to eat at the restaurant where we shared our first date - Five Guys Burgers & Fries. Loved walking into the burger joint all dressed up, everyone staring at us, heehee :)

Love you Homeboy!

xoxo
J

Five After 5

This week's Five After 5 features five of my favorite U.S. cities that I've visited. I have different reasons for each, but here is a quick list off the top of my head, in no particular order.

Los Angeles

I actually have mixed feelings about LA (the traffic. omg.) and am not sure I could ever live there, but I have a specific fond memory of LA that I will cherish forever. I am a native-born Coloradoan, as land-locked as you can get, but as much as I love our mountains I have a fascination and longing for the ocean. LA was not the first place I ever saw the ocean, but it was the first place I swam in it. Not only did I swim, I learned to boogie board at Venice Beach. Surfing is a life-long bucket list dream for me and boogie boarding was a step in that direction. That summer afternoon is still one of the best days in my memory.

Denver

C'mon now, I can't leave out my city of birth. I love Colorado and no matter where I roam in the world, the Mile High City will always hold a special place in my heart. Love the abundant sunshine, love the dry climate, love the altitude, love how how you can be both a city dweller and an outdoor enthusiast in one place. I am definitely a proud Coloradoan.

Portland

When I think of Portland I think of lush greenery and the best bowl of [white] clam chowder I've ever had. That is all.

New York City

I've visited three different times and can't wait for my next visit. My memories range from visiting the beautiful campus of Columbia, taking dance classes at Steps on Broadway, taking the wrong train and ending up in Brooklyn when we wanted to end up in Battery Park, the beautiful bed & breakfast in Harlem, eating at a Polish restaurant with old and new friends in the Lower East Side at 3am, staying at the Waldork Astoria... The list goes on and on and on. I heart NY.

Chicago

Chi-town. Love love love the Windy City. I've only been once but I long for the next time I will walk down Michigan Avenue. I attended a dance intensive with Deeply Rooted Productions in the summer of 2009. That was a pivotal experience and it very well could be that my time at the intensive is what makes me so fond of Chicago. I learned SO much that summer, both as a dancer and as a human being. Even as I write this, my heart strings are tugging.

Images from Google Images

What are your favorite cities?

xoxo
J

Who's your muse?

Hey hey! I feel honored to be guest posting over at Le Musing of Moi today for her Monday Muse series. And if you don't already follow Summer, do it. She's witty, genuine, funny and insightful. Her Mommalogues vlogs are some of my fave posts of hers. Seriously, she will give you the honest low down on some mom/kid-related topic while cracking you up. You don't need kiddos of your own to appreciate them - I don't have kids and her Mommalogues are part of my weekly blog stalking :)

Happy Monday!
Stay tuned for Five After 5....

xoxo
J

Let it snow let it snow let it snow!

Winter finally decided to show up! I'm not a cold-weather fan - if I lived someplace where it didn't get below 50 degrees, there would be no complaints from me... BUT! The snow changes things. I get all giddy like a school girl when it snows. (Of course, this attitude shifts considerably when I have to drive more than half a mile anywhere...)


I love how quiet and peaceful it is when the snow is falling. The best time to experience that is at night. Just stand outside in the softly falling flakes and you feel like there is true peace in the world, even if for a moment. I love that.



Today I am grateful for the snow, for the much-needed moisture it brings, for the much-coveted powder it brings the snow-riders up in the high country, and for the moment of peaceful pause it brings this crazy world.

Happy weekend!

xoxo

J

Checking in

On Tuesday of this week I realized that February was only a day away and suddenly I remembered my 2012 non-resolutions. I decided to revisit them to see where I'm at. Not with any intention to feel guilty or pressure to perform, just to get the status update and get myself back on track (or forge a new route, if need be).

So how am I doing?

Dance

I can say that I've worked through the bad juju and I'm finally reclaiming my joy for dance. I have yet to take a hip hop/African/capoeira class, but last night I met up with the ol' swing crew for rehearsal for an upcoming gig. I'm very excited to swing out again!

I'm still sporting the 'tard and tights, have no fear, but there have been some changes. I will go into more detail about them in a future post real soon. Don't worry, things are a-okay. More than okay, actually.

Health/Fitness

In addition to taking my multi-v everyday I've added some other supplements to the arsenal. I've been experiencing random joint pain over the last few weeks, so I decided it was time for some supplements to help keep the joints lubed. This is stupid, but I didn't like buying them. It made me feel old and arthritic. Which is something I'm actually concerned about as my dad has arthritis, but I'm on the low end of my 30s for pete's sake. BUT, after an extensive convo with my pops, he apparently started developing it in his late 30s/early 40s. Hm. No doc visit yet, but more on this later. I've also cut gluten out of my diet this week, at the suggestion of my ballet teacher after I told her about my joint pain. Again, more on all this crazy biz another time.

Work

No freelance writing yet, but it's only February. And the choreography thing - there is a local dance festival to which I'm submitting a solo this month. Have I started choreographing? No. Don't even have music selected. I do have ideas swirling around my brain, though, so that's a start at least.

Community

Sending birthday cards, thank-you notes and picking up the phone? Oy. Let's just say this is still under construction.

Finances

This area of life has always been overwhelming, but I can say for the first time I'm actually making headway. They're baby steps, sure, but at least there is movement forward. I've budgeted my entire month and know where every dollar will be spent. I have a cash envelope system where certain areas of my budget will only be spent with cash - and when it's gone, it's gone. I'm a little nervous about how the month will go, but at least it's short. And if I can make it to the end then I know I can do it next month. Baby steps.

What about you? Where are you at, are you making progress? Don't give up! Even if you've started to neglect the list, forgot about it, losing steam... just pick back up where you left off. No one will know any different. Do it! :)

xoxo
J