post-it

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven;

but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

elder brown

served his mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador. My grandma did too. Turns out, they both served there, together. At the same time. In the same office. She doesn't remember him.

We discovered this little nugget of information that we bonded over last week. We even called Grandma Eva to confirm it was the same "Nurse Hutchens". Not that it needed confirmation. Little tiny mexican nurse was about enough to cover it. And then, on JKB's birthday, he gifted me these.

[I give him sourpatch kids, he gives me at least three good laughs out of these. oh well.]

and the real reason Jeff was sad to see Nurse Hutchens go:

here was her replacement. bless her heart.

beckham who?

I'm really disappointed that the World Cup is over for me. For a number of reasons. Mostly because I'm so patriotic. Duh.

I knew that soccer players were muscular...athletic...good looking. But I've always thought that the soccer hotties were euro-centric. Or that no one would ever trump Becks.

Boy was I wrong. While watching the FIFA World Cup, something miraculous happened. My eyes were open to an entire new generation of deliciousness. Miss Shavs Lewis, we think alike.

I know I'm a sucker for a baseball uni, but let's be serious for a minute. Does it get any better than Carlos Bocanegra and Benny Feilhaber?



I ain't no fortune teller, but move on over Becks. We've got new boys in town, and I bet they look really really good in Armani underwear.

I'm an outlaw

anyone who knows me, knows that I am NOT a troublemaker.
I don't like to be in trouble, I don't like to be around trouble, and I especially make a particular effort never to be causing trouble.

at least that's what I thought.

since moving to San Diego, I have had three encounters with the law.
that is approximately three more than I have EVER had before, minus the ONE speeding ticket I received in Reno the week BEFORE moving to California.

It was probably an omen of things to come. I should have listened.

incident #1. jack in the box.

three weeks ago yesterday, Tawni and I were in Huntington Beach for a birthday party. following the party, everyone decided to go out dancing, except for us, and Richard Miller and Jeff K Brown. We decided to get something to eat, and it just so happens that nothing is open at 11:00pm, and JIB has made a recent comeback in my life.
(High school was also a huge hit. #5 Sourdough Jack with a Dr. Pepper please.)
They've got these amazing grilled cheese sandwiches, and fresh non-fat smoothies. I just wanted to treat myself to something nice.
This particular drive-thru has no place to sit down and eat inside. It is a drive-thru only, with ONE handicap parking spot.

THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
photo credit: jeffrey keith brown

Jeff and Richard meet Tawn and I at JIB on their motorcycles, and get into my car so that we can all order together. After driving through and placing our order, I drive back around to drop the boys off. In an effort to NOT block the drive-thru, I pull foward into the handicapped spot, the only place to park in the lot. I never left my car. I never turned off the car. I never turned off my lights. We were there a few minutes when an officer dillweed knocks on my window.

DW: can I see your handicap pass?
me: I don't have one?
DW: driver's license and registration please.

I was thoroughly confused at this point, and pretty certain that I'd be able to leave in a few minutes as I wasn't doing anything "wrong".

DW: whose car is this?
me: mine. well, my parents.
DW: why does it have Nevada plates?
me: because I'm from Nevada.
DW: why is your driver's license from Utah?
me: I go to school there.
DW: why are you here?
me: I'm here doing an internship for the summer.
DW: where.
me: in San Diego.
DW: then why are you in Huntington Beach?

Really? REALLY?

me: I'm visiting friends.
DW: here's your ticket. it's a pretty big fine, I recommend you get out of here before you get towed.

you can't be towed if you're sitting in your car buddy. even the biggest puka shell wearing, overall sporting towing toolbag in Provo knows that.

me: Sir, really? I'm leaving right now. I was only here dropping my friends off.

who were parked underneath a "no parking zone" sign. Good one guys.

DW: sorry, sorry! there's nothing I can do. I've already issued the citation.

[all while putting his hands up in the air like a middle easterner getting robbed at a convenient store.]

upon receiving my citation and officer dillweed leaving, I looked at my ticket, and realized I had given him the wrong registration. I handed him my expired registration, which he failed to point out to me while he was dealing with such rowdy troublemakers.

I COULD HAVE GIVEN HIM THE RIGHT ONE, IF HE HAD TOLD ME.

Parking in a Handicapped Stall Fine: $374.00
Expired Registration: $79.00
Total: $453.00


I wish this post was over.


incident #2.

my car got sideswiped last week. the paint is missing down to the frame, and apparently, also knocked my brake light loose. or something? not really sure what happened here.

I got pulled over for a non-working break light, and then since we were there, he also mentioned the Nevada plates. AGAIN. Apparently, you only have 30 days in the state of California to have them switched. I DO NOT LIVE HERE.

he gave me a warning. I really hope I don't see him again before I leave in August.

warning: $0.00
subtotal: $453.00

incident #3. driving while on speakerphone.

I have been meaning for some time now to get a car GPS system. I have no idea where I'm going. I know how to get to work, and I know how to get home. Anytime I want to get something to eat, or gas up, or get a Diet Coke, I have no idea where I am. Unless I can see it from the freeway.

I KNOW I'm not allowed to talk while driving, and I make a very conscious effort not to do it. and then I got pulled over for talking on my phone.
The unfortunate part about all of this is that I was literally ON MY WAY to Costco to pick up a car GPS system. I GOT LOST. I could not find Costco. I did not know where I was, so heaven forbid I call someone to tell me how to find it.

driver's license and registration please? sure. they're sitting right here on top.
WHERE I LEFT THEM FROM LAST WEEK.

driving while on the phone: $175.00
subtotal: $628.00

Feliz Dia del Padre!

You know what they say.
Su Papa es no mi papa. Okay. No one probably says that. But I do.

Happy Father's Day to the best Dad out there.


thanks for allowing us to get our hands dirty, and do things ourselves.
thanks for teaching us to rub dirt in our injuries, and not to be such pansies.
thanks for believing in us, and telling us that we can do whatever we set our minds to.
thanks for believing in education, and allowing us all to attend school, and graduate debt free.
thanks for buying me my first pony, and not publicly regretting it ever since.
thanks for putting the gospel first, and teaching us how to do the same.
thanks for being mexican, allowing us to not reapply sunscreen every thirty minutes.
thanks for making the best mango salsa, and teaching my friends the gringos how to do it the right way.
thanks for always having the answers, and if you don't, knowing who does.
thanks for making us watch "aliens", "the shining", and all of the haunted movies before the age of 10, so we can have a better appreciation of the classics. and legit nightmares.
thanks for having the patience to haul all of us every summer in one car for two days down to texas.
thanks for always acting like you're one of us.
thanks for being super competitive in pool basketball, and scaring all of my guy friends to be on your team.
thanks for working so hard, and caring for others.
thanks for the most awkward take your daughter to work day experiences, and scaring me directly out of ever having children.

thanks for letting me be a daddy's girl.

LOVE YOU PAPI!

america hates fathers

it's true. Americans hate fathers. You always hear about how awful these estranged fathers are, but as often as you hear about these scenarios, some father out there is waving goodbye to his two-year-old as his cracked out ex-wife has the toddler tucked underneath one arm, only to probably use the child as a weapon later to get something she wants.

"Do you want to see your kid this weekend? I need a babysitter."


Sidenote: Calvin's dad was awesome.

It's significantly more accepted among Americans for a child not to have their father in their life, and hundreds of blockbusters have used the same scenario as a story of trial and triumph.

Disney may be the worst perpetrator of this behavior--almost every single movie is a family with some sort of broken and dysfunctional home. Mainly, because dad left it in shambles.

Cinderella left her to the evil stepmother, Bambi's dad probably had a whole other forest family, Andy from Toy Story doesn't talk about his Dad (neither does crazy next door "Sid"), Dumbo, the Aristocats, the Rescuers. None of them have dads. Not to mention the "ultimate single moms": Erin Brockovich, the mom in E.T., Dorothy in Jerry Maguire, Terms of Endearment, Little Women and a slew of others.

And if a Disney character isn't an orphan in the beginning of the movie, they will be by the end.

Nemo. Bambi. The Lion King. The Fox and the Hound. Tarzan lost both father figures after gorilla father was shot. Jungle Book. Aladdin. Snow White, Arthur from Sword in the Stone, Taran from the Black Cauldron, and Peter Pan is really just a litter of orphan boys.

Dads are awarded sole custody of their children less than 10% of the time, and Americans portray them as the villains.


But the point of this post, is that father's day is coming up.

Some of you may be thinking, Father's Day? What the is that? The media makes a huge hype out of Valentine's and Mother's Day, and most of the time, Father's day is never even announced. You see mother's day commercials exploiting diamonds, cars, flowers, and shopping, but I have yet to see a commercial for "Old Spice" on sale, or even a three-pack of Hanes V-Neck tees.

Sure, dads are hard to shop for. But that doesn't mean we should pretend this Sunday doesn't exist. Has anyone else noticed how much emphasis is NOT being put on fathers these days?

Father's day is this Sunday, June 20th. The least I can do is remind you, right?

And in case you needed it, ten more reasons why Americans hate dads. This is a list that came out last week of the top 10 most popular (and awful) father's day gifts of the past 10 years. are you kidding me?

TOP TEN WORST FATHER'S DAY GIFTS

1. A necktie
particularly ones containing any sort of cartoon characters.

2. Nose hair clippers.
this is the sort of thing that should really be brought up ever. if you love your dad, leave his personal hygiene out of the gift giving.

3. any sort of infomercial exercise equipment.
or exercise equipment in general. this item also makes the top ten worst mother's day gifts. gifting exercise equipment clearly implies that you think their body is needing some attention. and that you noticed.

4. chia pet
convincing your dad to grow grass hair on an animal or character shaped pottery piece, in places he no longer can grow hair is not a good idea. unless your dad is already an avid collector of character pottery that grows grass in a window sill, just leave this one on the drugstore shelf.

5. the singing fish
maybe it's the fish. maybe it's the song the fish sings. maybe it's because it's motion activated. we'll never know.

6. cologne
never give your dad any incentive to splash something on instead of taking a shower.

7. opera tickets
some dads may actually enjoy an evening out at the opera. most dads wont. giving your dad tickets to something just so he'll have to take you is just messed up.

8. colored golf balls
just because you got them on discount, don't count on him putting these in his golf bag.

9. Self-help books
"Dad, I just really wish I'd turned out differently. And it's probably your fault."

10. Barbecue Apron
are you trying to humiliate him? Give him his tongs and his worcestshire. He'll be fine.

(List thanks to ezinearticles.com)

ethan preston

Ethan Preston is my 2nd nephew. He is so darling, and I was there when he was born. My brother-in-law Ben was stuck in Colorado Minnesota or something for work when I got the call from my sister telling me I needed to come meet her at the hospital.

So I did what any logical person would do when knowing it's going to be a long night. I grabbed Seinfeld season 4, and was on my way.

Little E-hee was born June 11th, 2008.
(actually, not so little. he's chubs. he and his Uncle Andre' call each other "chancho" and "chanchito". translation: pig, and little pig)

we fell in love at first sight and all over again the very first time we had carls jr. star nuggets. this little boy and I love our food. he is so funny. He loves music, and loves to wrestle his older brother Aidan. when he begins to lose, he just sits on him. case closed.

He also loves to antagonize his brother, as well as his poor mother.

A little while ago, he ran into Aidan's room screaming, grabbed Aidan's transformer, and then ran out of the room screaming with Aidan chasing him. Boys.

he also loves to shake what his mama gave him. this is how it's done folks.

Ethan's favorite song…Gatorade commercial! from jaclyn on Vimeo.

this kid has got some serious swagger.
HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY ETHAN!

your Aunt Yan loves you!

time to update your resume

everyone knows the current economy makes it tough, if not virtually impossible
to find a job upon graduation.

I've heard from more than a few recent graduates that they are struggling to get hired, and
are unsure what to do about it.

during the P.R. trip to New York this March, I asked one of the hiring directors at MKG Productions what they looked for in new hires, and in hiring interns.

He said, "Be creative with your resume."

Be honest everyone--how many of you think that by taking the time to create a resume and cover letter in a Microsoft Word document template is going to get you hired?

I know we've all been guilty of this, and most of us still are. But in an economy that is making it less than comfortable to graduate, you need to be doing more.

"A template resume can be spotted a million miles away," said Bonnie Vieira, Director of Client Services at j. simms agency. "You may as well tell them you don't care, and aren't creative."

Harsh. But true.

Especially in the fields of advertising or public relations, your competitive counterparts that are looking to get hired are doing more than you. Although it may not seem like much, the content of a resume is just as important, if not more so, than its design.

Elizabeth Jenkins, fellow P.R. grad from BYU, recently updated her personal blog (which you should all have) with a link to her "professional portfolio" blog.

She has taken it upon herself to upload her working portfolio to a blog she keeps online.

Generally speaking, all resumes should be kept to one page. Especially if you are recently graduated, there is no reason to have a lengthy resume.
(no matter how talented you think you are)

The resume should present all of your information clearly, concisely, and in a way that makes your experience relevant to the position you're applying for.
(this goes for cover letters too. do NOT use templates, and tailor the letter to the company you're applying to.)

All resumes should include:

• Contact Information: Full name, address, phone, (a Twitter account is always a good idea, especially for PR)
  
• Education (start with your highest education first, gpa is optional)
  
• Skills (include all skills that are job-related, try to use action verbs)
  
• Experience (always list most recent experience first, and make sure the verbs are correct in their past/present tense)
  
• Activities (campus activities, memberships)
  
• Personal (honors/awards, certificates, etc.)

And most of all, be creative, and appropriate to your job field.
These resumes would not work for someone applying for an accountant position.

I'm definitely not the bees-knees here, but I did update mine awhile ago following the advice from Peter St. John at MKG. Now we'll see if I get hired.

I need these

ASAP.


aren't they so darling? I would wear them with everything.

things that really chap my hide

1. huntington beach law enforcement
what a douche.
2. people who read out loud while they're typing
3. couples who sit on the same side of a booth in a restaurant
4. the mercy rule in baseball and soccer, now also instituted in the baseball for wii
(why would you ever teach your children to stop playing when they're ahead, or to stop trying when they're behind? this is not the way the world works.)
5. Fat people told they are too big to use the gym
it never hurt any of the Biggest Loser equipment.
6. media trying to convince everyone that Sara Jessica Parker is "sexy" or any kind of attractive
also, Maggie Gyllenhaal. nothing personal Mags.
7. LA students being taught that the new Arizona immigration laws are "un-American"
(this coming from a Mexican)
8. Couples that find out they are siblings, and decide to still procreate
9. Lakers fans
*especially Lakers fans not from California
10. Students who ask inane questions to make themselves look smart, and end up prolonging the class period. You're not impressing anyone
Pre-law is not a major.
11. the use of "yer" in text messages.
Maybe worse than lol'ing.
12. talking ten minutes to a tele-prompter before you get to an actual employee
13. identity theft
14. old asian women texting while driving in their mercedes-benz
15. people you've met at least three times who refuse to remember not only your name, but having met you at all
16. robbery that is now considered to be ok, as long as it's perpetrated by a well-known umpire and the victim's last name is galarraga

As long as it ends up smoothed over with a new Corvette.

make-a-wish

so I mean, it's not that big of a deal...

but it is.

I wrote a press release last week for a j. simms client, the City of Imperial Beach, who was partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant a five-year-old boy from Nebraska's very special wish.


Braden Van Eperen was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in December of 2007. Duchenne's is a progressive and life-threatening disease, characterized by a decrease in muscle mass, and loss of muscle function in male children.

Although Braden is still able to walk, he will be confined to a wheelchair most likely before the age of 12, and may not make it past his teen years.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation asked Braden what his wishes were, and he replied:

1. Go the beach.
2. Go to Saturn.

He learned about the beach in his kindergarten class, and wanted to build a sandcastle.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation flew him, his sister, parents and grandpa to San Diego, the sandcastle capital of the world.


Braden arrived in style Friday morning, chauffeured by a limo to the beach. This was his first time to California, first time to the beach, and first time building a sandcastle.

Volunteers from teams that compete in the U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition were already there to help make sure everything went smoothly, and to help build any kind of castle Braden might want to during his time at the beach.

While here, the family attended Seaworld, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Legoland and Disneyland.

This was such a neat opportunity for me, and a little bit outside of the clients I'll continue to be working with this summer. I arrived at the beach on Friday morning, ready to direct media where they needed to be and to make sure they knew who to talk to.

The story was picked up by the San Diego Union Tribune, and featured on the 6p.m. and 11p.m. news on Channels 6 and 9 in San Diego as well as here.


I was able to talk to Braden's mom, who has tried to stay optimistic about future treatments for Braden, and does not take moments like the ones we shared Friday for granted.


How often we all get caught up in our everyday, and forget things like being grateful for normal days. I've been living in San Diego for a month now, and have already forgotten how beautiful I thought everything was, or just stopping to take the time to feel warm sand between my toes.

Coming from a five-year-old who may only live 1/8 of his life normally, going to the beach is a simple wish.

Tomorrow, I may have to do just that.

hire me

I am now officially published. NBD.

And Mom, just because I'm designing for tequila doesn't mean I'm drinking it.



Lisa Barlow, owner of Vida Tequila hired me to do some freelance design for her last month, and it just happened to turn up in this month's issue of Aspen Magazine. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of working for free. It is just another 2k10 miracle.

addicted

I used to think I was a pretty well-rounded person.

Until I realized that I have addictions. It's not okay.

I am addicted to having a routine, addicted to Diet Cokes, a bebis bit addicted to shopping...

(the first step in breaking an addiction is admitting you have a problem. I take back what I said about the Diet Cokes.)

But the worst one of them all is that I am addicted to staying up late, for no good reason at all.

I will literally be struggling to keep my eyes open by 9pm, and instead of getting ready for bed I have a Diet Coke. Or frozen yogurt. Or both.

Every night, I brush my teeth first. And then I will check Facebook. Nothing good. Then I will put on my pajama top. And then I will be so tired I will sit back down and look at blogs. And then next is the pj pants. And then I lay across the bed and start watching Hulu. Parenthood..Modern Family...And then I'll get the stupid commercial about cat food, and then I get up and floss. Twitter...email...design projects. The possibilities really are endless.

This process literally takes me no less than two hours.

TWO HOURS.

My eyes will be burning, and I will finally go to sleep around 2am.
I am always exhausted the next morning, never not exhausted.
And then I will do it again tomorrow.