Jessica Rose

How to drive >2000 miles without losing your mind

2011-10-07T20:28:00.000-06:00

I finally took the leap and accepted a travel OT job in North Carolina. Driving from Utah to North Carolina has the potential to drive a person insane, so here are some tips I learned to make it enjoyable:

1) Find an adventurous and spontaneous friend to come with you.

2) Avoid Wyoming.

3) Stop and take a hike.

4) Take Route 66, the ghost highway.

5) See as many temples as you can.

6) Stop in Checotah.

7) Visit Elvises' house.

8) Stop at the Opry.

9) Take a narrow, gravel road for a while.

10) Notice the new kinds of plantlife.

11) Find new ways to entertain yourself.

12) . . . .and end at a beautiful spot.

Thanks for driving across the country with me, Seth!

My favorite books

2011-07-28T15:21:00.000-06:00

I have recently rediscovered the joy of reading and I wanted to recommend my favorite books to anyone who may be interested:

Jane Eyre: Please, less Isabella Swans (blech!) and more Jane Eyres! I like a heroine that I can admire, with personality, selflessness, and emotional strength. Jane is kind, good, strong, supports herself financially, and has high self-esteem all despite great odds. This is a great, clean love story with and ending that you don't see coming.
How to Win Friends and Influence People: I told one of my friends that this was my favorite book and he said, "so you want to manipulate people into being your friend?" That is so not what this book is about. It is about making people feel important, because they are important.
The Lone Survivor: Once I met a random stranger on a plane, who's advice drastically changed my life for the better. Since his advice was so good, I decided to read the book he was reading as well. This book is exciting, interesting, increased my gratitude for the military and increased my patriotism. Please note, there is quite a bit of language in this book, so it may not be suitable for all readers.
Into Thin Air: Warning--open this book and you will be gone to your family and friends, struggling for your life on the cliffs of Mt. Everest, until you read the last page.
To Kill a Mockingbird: So many lessons and symbolism.
Cry, the Beloved Country: Many lessons to be learned with biblical parallels.
Hunger Games: This is a great escape book; a page-turner with original and creative ideas. Maybe I'm weird, but I have always liked post-apocalyptic/government-takes-over-the-world books, and this is a good one. (It should be noted that I like these books because I don't want the government to take over the world : ) ).
Tess of the D'Urbervilles: I sobbed a lot during this book, which makes it good. : ) It made me resolve to never judge a person wrongfully.
Hop on Pop. Sorry, I had to add this because it was my very first book and I still remember how good it felt to finish a book all by myself for the first time.

Lists make me happy

2011-07-04T15:36:00.000-06:00

What can I say? Lists make me happy. Here is my new list of things to do/look forward to for this year:

See plays at Hale Center Theatre in SLC
See plays at Hale Center Theatre in Orem
see 17 Miracles
See Aida at Scera outdoor theatre
See Rascal Flats at Usana
Read Newberry books
Go on a quilting retreat
work out in the mornings
Do travel OT
visit Chelsea and her fam
Bike to the top of Squaw Peak
Visit Graceland
Watch the Rockettes
Visit Biltmore
Look at little houses with little yards with a real estate agent

A year of Big Springs field

2011-07-02T19:50:00.000-06:00

NYC

2011-02-22T17:46:00.004-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Trisha and Abby and I went to NYC. Here is what we did:

Times Square, one of my favorite places on earth. I could spend a lot of time here.

This is one of my favorite memories from the trip! It was so cold that there wasn't much of a crowd there. Matt and Al came up to us and talked with us on air. They made fun of our wimpy note-book paper signs. Trisha bantered back and forth with them like it was no big deal, but the thought of being on national television made me freeze! I think I do the same thing when I see a guy that I'm interested in, which is probably why I'm still not married. : )

I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff.

When we were planning our trip, I jokingly suggested that we wear prom dresses a Broadway show. Abby required no encouragement and jumped right on it. She brought this dress which required its own duffel bag. We wore our dresses knowing that a most people would not be wearing dresses and actually a lot of people would be in jeans. Abby got lots of attention on the street and in the theater. One little girl asked her, "are you a princess?"

A few months ago, I discovered a band called the Beatles. I don't know why it took me 30 years to discover this ridiculously addictive and talented band, but ever since I started learning about them, I have not been able to stop. Their history is as addictive to me as their music. This is the Dakota, the apartment where John Lennon lived with Yoko. He was murdered just outside this building.

This is across the street from the Dakota, in Central Park. It is a memorial to John Lennon called "Strawberry Fields." Every year on his birthday, people place flowers here.

I liked this perspective of the Statue of Liberty.

Ground Zero, ten years later. I was sad and disappointed when I saw this because it seems like it has been so long and not much progress has been made . . . .

. . . .. until I realized that this is what they have been working on: the Freedom Tower. I am excited to see what this will
be like when it is finished.


Also, I love the memorial concept that they have come up with.

One of my favorite talks ever.

2011-02-08T22:26:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone, just wanted to share one of my favorite talks ever. Trust in the Lord, by Richard G. Scott, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. My favorite quote from it is,

"This life is an experience in profound trust--trust in Jesus Christ, trust in His teachings, trust in our capacity as led by the Holy spirit to obey those teachings for happiness now and for a purposeful, supremely happy eternal existence. To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning. To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience."

10 Year Plan and Best Photos of 2010

2010-12-20T21:34:00.011-07:00

Possibly the greatest secret to happiness for me in the last few years is what I affectionately call my 10 year plan. A few years ago, I was feeling down about things that I had no control over, and didn't feel like I had much to look forward to. I felt like I had a whole lot of spare time, maybe even 10 year's worth. So I decided to make a list of all the things I wanted to do in the next 10 years. Things that I had control over. The list included:

1) Go to Israel
2) Go to Wicked with my nieces and nephews
3) Get a song on iTunes
4) Complete a triathlon
5) Go to Washington D.C.
6) Fly in a hot air balloon
7) Plant a garden
8) Try out for American Idol
9) Read Wuthering Heights

Just coming up with this list made me so excited about life. I found that I started crossing things off the list more quickly than I had planned. Now, a few years later, I look back on the last few years. Because of my 10 year plan, I have not wasted my time and have made some great memories and strengthened many relationships.

So it's time to make a new 10 year plan. Here it is:

1) make sure Katie knows she is the coolest!
2) get Lasik
3) read as many of the Newberry Award books as I can
4) see Riverdance
5) backpack Europe
6) write more songs
7) learn to raise chickens and sheep
8) become a zumba instructor
9) make a quilt
10) live abroad for an extended period of time
11) publish a book of my photographs

Speaking of photographs, I decided to put together my favorite pictures I have taken this year. Here they are:

Thank you, 2010!

Sneak peak of this year's Christmas cards

2010-11-28T21:03:00.002-07:00

Sisters' Trip

2010-11-12T17:09:00.006-07:00

Last weekend my sisters and mom got together for our annual sisters' trip. A couple of favorite moments include the following: Chelsea and Danny came all the way from North Carolina and since we didn't bring posters, we welcomed them at the airport with sticky notes:

Also, we found an interesting painting at Deseret Book that we interpreted in various ways.
I love my family! Our trip was bittersweet though, due to the unexpected passing of our cousin Brandi's little girl. Our thoughts were with Brandi and her family for most of our trip, and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with them.

Once upon a time

2010-11-02T19:35:00.007-06:00

I found the Disney characters very interesting on this last trip to Disneyland. Here is my collection.

My favorite season!

2010-09-18T15:33:00.004-06:00

Summertime

2010-07-13T08:22:00.003-06:00

Slaughterfest 2010

2010-05-31T16:30:00.007-06:00

I can understand that raising and eating your own chickens is not something that everyone aspires to, but I do. My cousin Merissa and her husband are becoming chicken experts and they allowed me to take part in the slaughtering of their chickens. I didn't like the part where we had to slit their throats, but the rest was okay. I really like the idea of being self sufficient and not depending on the grocery store for everything. For video of the process, see the following:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abh9MZxko68
and for the plucker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASZxxBLg-qE

Ironic Photo of the Day

2010-05-15T19:18:00.004-06:00

Ever since In 'n' Out opened, I have been amused at the irony between the name of the place and the lines of cars.

Sharla's Wedding

2010-05-09T21:40:00.005-06:00

This weekend I went to my friend Sharla's wedding. I'm so happy for her--she found an awesome guy and they are so compatible and happy. I have three other friends my age who are getting married this summer, and I can't contain my happiness for these friends. I reserve a special joy for these weddings. Congratulations to Sharla and Ben!

Sea World

2010-05-09T21:20:00.007-06:00

Some of my favorite pics of Sea World . . .

I thought this lady's nails were cool.

Tour de Goshen

2010-04-25T09:18:00.006-06:00

I love my bike and my camera. Yesterday I went on a long bike ride: through some little towns, a canyon, an orchard, and a lavender field. Here are some pics.

New song on iTunes!

2010-04-15T17:57:00.003-06:00

For those of you who like the blues, my song "Throw a Rock" is now available on iTunes! Just go to your iTunes store, search "Jessica Rose" and click on "Throw a Rock." Hope you like it!

Boston

2010-03-22T16:49:00.014-06:00

So Katie and I just got back from Boston to visit our old roommate Sharla. After some coaxing, they were both willing to be my subjects to practice my photography skills.

We visited Plymoth Plantation, which has been on my 10-year plan for a while.

We found a pilgrim house that had no pilgrims in it, so we made ourselves at home.

Before we left, we told our roommates not to throw any wild parties. Maybe they didn't throw any parties, but when we came home, we found this fort in the living room. Leave them alone for a few days and look what happens.

My New Hobby

2010-01-09T00:44:00.015-07:00

I recently discovered a new way of seeing the world: through the lens of a really expensive camera. I took these pictures over the past few months.

Ward Talent Show

2009-11-12T19:49:00.003-07:00

My roommates and I created this video for our ward talent show. Hopefully people don't think we are bitter!

DC Trip

2009-08-20T22:50:00.017-06:00

Washington, D.C.

So here it is, my second biannual post!
3 of my nephews and I just got back from DC, and here are my thoughts:

1. I love traveling with my nephews.
2. DC is my new favorite city.
3. The Wright Brothers' exhibit in the Air and Space museum made me want to do something amazing like invent something new.
4. I bought a book on Abraham Lincoln, and gained a large amount of admiration for him. He had the courage to do what was right even though a lot of people at the time hated him for it.
5. I like subways.
6. I never realized how large Arlington Cemetery is, and I was unprepared for the amount of gratitude that I would feel in seeing it.
7. I'm totally inspired to become a good cook after seeing Julia Child's kitchen in the Museum of American History, and
8. I could happily spend a full day in this museum.
9. Ryan, Spencer, and Dillon said one of their favorite places was the Smithsonian Air and Space Hanger. It very inspiring and made me want to excel at something the way those who built and flew these planes have.
10. The Holocaust Museum was also a major event for all of us. This has been on my list for many years and it was powerful. The main thing I got from it was a desire to never be a bystander who does nothing.

YAYYYY!

2009-03-25T17:00:00.003-06:00

I didn't think it was possible, but "Winepress" is finally on iTunes! :) :) :) Thanks so much to everyone who kept encouraging/inspiring me! (Rianna, Becky, Marilee, Jordan Allen, Debbie, Destin, the Kunzes, Chelsea, Mom, Merissa Wilson, Whitney Perman, Kristin Mcmullin). I'm also excited about a couple new songs I will be recording this weekend. I'll be posting them as soon as I can. :) :) :) :)

ALMOST THERE!

2009-02-07T12:12:00.003-07:00

I've finally made progress on getting my song out! It has been difficult because of my technology-challenged mind, but I am slowly problem solving through the process and soon my song will be available! It makes me want to write more!

Israel, Egypt, Jordan

2008-11-21T05:22:00.028-07:00

Here it is, my very first blog! My old roommates Katie and Sharla and I just returned from a tour of Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. I'm so grateful for the chance to go on a trip like this with good friends! The greatest highlights for me were the things I learned from the tour guides and from actually being in the places that I have only heard about my whole life--I'm excited to reread the New Testament and Jesus the Christ with a new perspective. The lowest point of the trip for me was forgetting not to use Egyptian tap water to brush my teeth and paying for that for about 3 days!

Beit Lehi (below right): Dr. Lund had obtained permission to hold sacrament meeting at the archeological site of a 500 A.D. chapel outside of Jerusalem. I felt the Spirit very strong there in our outdoor meeting as the personal nature of the atonement was discussed.

Climbing Mt. Sinai on a camel (below): The best way I can describe this experience was once in a lifetime--I only want to do it once in my lifetime! It was actually a very scary experience for me because my camel was very slow and caused me for a short time to be left alone with the camel boy on this scary mountain in the middle of the night. I decided I'm not a big fan of camels and that I love American mountains because they actually have vegetation!

Unwanted attention: I'm not sure if it was because we were American or what, but the three of us got much more male attention than we are used to getting. The men didn't waste any time in asking us out--usually within the first sentence or two of meeting, they would ask one of us if we wanted to go for drinks. One of the best pick up lines I heard was from an Egyptian teenager: shortly after meeting me, he told me, "I want to know you." Also an older Egyptian man tried to pull me to him and kiss me on the cheek about one second after meeting me.

Garden of Gethsemane: Dr. John Lund presented a devotional on the atonement. He discussed forgiveness and said that unwillingness to forgive is one of the most serious sins (D and C 64:9-11) and I felt a strong impression to get rid of any feelings of unforgiveness for others or for myself. Obviously there are times when anger is appropriate, but after the appropriate anger and grief, we can eventually find the sweet peace of forgiveness, and leave the judgement of others to the Lord. He said, "how many of your todays and tomorrows are you willing to give to your yesterdays?"

Islam and Judaism (right is a monument representing Islam, Judaism, and Christianity existing together in peace):There is still so much I don't know about these religions, but I have a much better understanding than I did before, and a higher level of interest. It is amazing to me that three such extremely different religions all claim Jerusalem as holy. I gained respect for the Muslim religion and now am saddened when I hear of the tainted view some non-Muslims have of this religion because of a relatively few number evil Muslim extremists. Some Muslims say that the worse thing ever to happen to their religion was Osama bin Laden.