Meet Cami the Corolla!

On Sunday, I made yet another step forward into the bright and blinding light of adulthood.

I bought my first car.

I'll admit, it was a bit sad trading in the 2000 Toyota Camry that I had driven since I was sixteen. The Camry went through a lot with me. We traveled to and from high school tennis practices together. I lied to my parents and drove to Chicago with her. She locked me out a few times, and my dad had to come rescue me with a spare set of keys. We had a couple of scary moments when I blew one front tire (twice) driving too close to the curb.

We were pretty close after seven years together, you know?

Of course, most of that nostalgia dissipated once I got inside my 2013 Toyota Corolla. I was blown away by all of her neat features- Bluetooth, a touchscreen to control my music and phone calls, a ceiling that did not leak...!

I chose a nautical blue Corolla with a black interior.

And I named her Cami, in honor of the Camry.

My mom thinks this is dumb, and that Cami deserves a more special name unique to her drive and look.

But I think she definitely looks like a Cami and is thrilled to be named after the Camry.

I am so excited about my new car and am looking forward to the many, many miles we have ahead together!

And the other's gold

I can still remember the way we ended every Girl Scout meeting when I was a little girl.

We would all stand in a circle holding hands as we sang the "Make New Friends" song. Very warm and fuzzy stuff.

Now though, more than ever, the lyrics of that song seem oh so relevant to my life.

Last night, I was able to get dinner with a friend of mine from high school that I only get to see about once each year.

She is the kind of girl who hyperventilates at the thought of staying in one location for longer than a single year. She always has the wildest, most fantastic stories of her adventures to tell. She is also one of the oldest and truest friends I have.

Definitely fitting into the latter "and the other's gold" category.

Rose and I met during our freshman in high school. We were in the same French class (and would remain in the same French class all four years!) and quickly became friends.

Whenever the bossiest girl in our class, Morgan*, tried to...well...boss me around, Rose was always my first defender.

She is part of some of my favorite memories from the past ten years of my life. We had her mom drop us off at the movie premiere of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. We made Harry Potter t-shirts together with iron-on letters from Michael's (Rose's read, "I SPEAK PARSELTONGUE"). We narrated a "Barbie Fashion Show" in French class.

At dinner yesterday evening, Rachel, our friend, Megan, Rose, and I all caught up over incredible salads, gourmet pizzas, and salted caramel gelato.

Megan and Rose

Rose's ultimate quote of the night was, "Well. I did Vegas right. I almost married a Brit."

For real.

So here is to all of those lifelong friends who, no matter how much distance lies between you or how many months have gone by since you've seen one another, still feel like some of the closest and truest companions you could ask for.

*This is totally her real name.

At Last

I hope you read that title (either aloud or in your mind) just as Etta James would have sung it.

This evening, I was pulling up to my apartment after work just as the beautiful, big, brown, UPS truck came to a screeching halt beside me.

"Jenna?" the UPS driver called out.

Finally. Finally after seven months of renting, my neighborhood UPS driver knew my name! At last!

"Yes! That's me!" I shouted back excitedly. "Do you have a package for me?"

"I do!"

"Is it from Kate?" I was practically bouncing as I waiting impatiently for him to rummage for my correct package.

He inspected the label, "Says Kate Spade here."

"That's her!"

"If the shoe fits," he shrugged, handing me my package.

"How did you know? They are shoes! I ordered rain boots!"

The UPS driver feigned enthusiasm before waving goodbye and going on his way.

I didn't know if I was more excited about the fact that he knew my name or the arrival of my KS rain boots.

Either way, it was a wonderful way to begin my evening.

Alright clouds- time to let loose and give me some precipitation.

These boots were made for walking.

Eeeeek! Seriously. They're so posh, I can hardly stand it.

Ringing in 2013!

Happy New Year, bloggers!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Years Eve.

I spent mine at a friend and her fiancé's house. We drank champagne, ate delicious foods (observation: married couples make the best appetizers), and played an incredibly amusing game titled "salad bowl."

Thanks for the amaze photo, Meg!

Just before midnight, we walked over to the neighborhood square.

It was snowing heavily, and even though my feet were terribly cold in my purple glitter flats, the night felt magical.

At midnight, there was a "ball drop" followed by a gorgeous fireworks display.

Another incredibly photo by Meg! Note: We do not know that happy couple beside me.

We attempted to go to a few nearby bars, but the crowds were just too crazy to enjoy ourselves so we headed back to my friend's home.

Around 1AM, I called the cab driver we normally use and requested a pick-up.

"It will probably be thirty minutes, is that okay?" he responded.

"Of course! That's totally fine," I said, honestly expecting a longer waiting period.

2AM rolled around. Still no cabbie.

I dialed his number once more.

"I haven't forgotten about you. A situation came up, but you're next on my list. I promise I'll call once I get there," he explained.

What exactly was this "situation"? Perplexing indeed!

As we waited for our missing cab driver, we tried calling countless other numbers. All were busy.

When the clock hit 3AM, my friend (who was not even catching the same cab) decided to get serious with this cab driver.

"Listen. We've been waiting on you now for over two hours. We use your service all of the time. Can you give us an exact time that you'll be here?"

Her voice simultaneously sounded intensely sad yet purposeful. It was impressive.

But then, my dear friend said the words that would lose us our cab ride.

"You're so late...we shouldn't even pay you!"

Everyone's mouthes dropped open.

A few minutes later, our shady cab driver sent me a text message which read, "Sorry to tell you this, but I'm not picking you up anymore since your friend said you won't be paying."

Oops. Awkward.

Needless to say, my friend and I spent the night on the couch.

I'll be packing a sleeping bag next NYE. Or at least finding a more reliable cab driver! ;)

Au revoir, 2012!

While I am not a big NYE-kind of girl (minus the glitter and champagne, of course), I do love the hope and optimism that a new year brings.

I also enjoy looking back and reflecting on the year that's being left behind.

Here are some of my biggest, best, and worst memories of 2012.

1. While I didn't blog quite as much as 2011, I made some amazing blogging besties and became even closer to some my existing blog friends. I mean, Claire was the first one to email me the news of the Royal Baby! My life is even fuller and happier with you, blogging friends! :)

2. I moved out of my six-bedroom campus house and into a two-bedroom apartment with Rachel.

New adult bedroom!

3. I graduated from the University of Cincinnati with my B.A. in English Literature and a Minor in International Business.

4. I gained back almost all of the weight I lost in 2011.

Skinny Jenna

Not Skinny Jenna (about to eat thousands of calories in pasta)

5. I was a nanny for the first (and probably last) time.

6. I received a beautiful rejection letter from St. Andrews and had to reevaluate my future plans (after eating entirely too many Dove chocolate and consuming a few G&Ts).

7. I was offered and accepted a full-time position at an awesome international company- I became a career woman! ;)

Celebratory mimosa!

8. I had plenty of fun, weird, and wonderful flings yet still no boyfriend. Womp womp.

9. I bought my first car- meet Cami the Corolla! She was named after her amazing predecessor, the 2000 Camry. I just got Cami yesterday and am totally impressed with her!

10. I made my bridesmaid debut in my cousin's December 29th wedding! It was one of the most fun and incredible days of my life, and I was so happy to be apart of her special day. I also had a fantastic wedding date (okay- he was more than fantastic...sort of perfect, actually) who may make a future appearance on this blog if he is so lucky.

Cousins with the beautiful bride! <3 Thanks for the photo, Liv!

Happy New Years Eve, bloggers! Au revoir, 2012! You were a blast (most of the time)! :)

These are a few of my favorite things

As usual, my friends and family spoiled me like crazy this Christmas.

I loved each and every one of my gifts, but here are a few of my more unique presents.

1. Crock Pot

via

2. Kate Spade stationary (Email me your address, and I will write you a letter!)

via

3. Kate Spade "Look on the bright side" bangle

via

4. THE COMPLETE SERIES of "The Gilmore Girls" (It even came in a darling travel case! With a handle!)

via

5. Wine rack

6. Sephora Blockbuster Palette

7. Target dog stuffed animal (I will admit it- I forgot how amazing it is to sleep with a stuffed animal)

So what were some of your most favorite Christmas presents this year?

Wintery Wednesday

I am (very happily) off work today.

I am especially appreciative of this fact considering that it's a total wintery mess outside. Depending on what part of Cincinnati you're in, you could either be seeing inches of snow, some flurries, freezing rain, or simply rain. 

This photo is from 2010 or so. Not today.

My neighborhood appears icy and wet with some occasional snow.

Because I love Cincinnati and its citizens, I am doing everyone a favor and staying off the roads.

This morning though, I was creepily drinking my morning Vitamin Water and looking down below, observing the happenings of my street.

Nothing very interesting was happening until my downstairs neighbor emerged from his apartment. He walked along the icy sidewalk to his car, which he then began to scrape the snow off of.  Then, he looked back and noticed that my upstair's neighbor's car was covered in snow.

He then got out his scraper and cleaned off her car!

I was so beyond heart-warmed by this sweet gesture. I wanted to open my balcony door and yell out, "That was so nice! Love actually is all around!"

I just love witnessing wonderful moments such as those.

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday and is looking forward to 2013! :)