JB & Co. Established 2007

Most Beautiful Word

2010-11-07T13:56:00.001-08:00

I am happy. Probably the happiest I have ever been. What makes a person happy? Well I feel it is finding yourself and once you have self respect, know your self worth and are accomplishing a life that is eloquently written by your own dream & goal list, how does one not find happiness? There is the unknown, but what a perfect place to be. Living the life you have always dreamed of, yet having the unexpected moments bring you to a different place than what you had planned on paper or in your head. Read my blogs, but know that I typically write about issues to get feedback, relay challenges and get issues out in the open. I am a lifelong learner and enjoy debates, understanding the deeper meaning of life and am in constant growth. In order to learn, we must be open minded and come to a place of humility.

One of my university professors mentioned that "windowsill" was voted the most beautiful word in the English language. This factoid naturally stayed with me. Words have enormous power. They can make us erupt into laughter or bring tears to our eyes. They can influence, inspire, manipulate and shock. They can build and destroy. Some words have different effects on different people. One such word is humility. It is one of those words that are seldom in neutral gear. Some, like me, love the word and all it stands for. Some almost fear it and interpret it synonymously with lack of self-confidence or timidity

We often confuse humility with timidity. Humility is not clothing ourselves in an attitude of self-abasement or self-denigration. Humility is all about maintaining our pride about who we are, about our achievements, about our worth – but without arrogance – it is the antithesis of hubris, that excessive, arrogant pride which often leads to the derailment of some corporate heroes, as it does with the downfall of the tragic hero in Greek drama. It's about a quiet confidence without the need for a meretricious selling of our wares. It's about being content to let others discover the layers of our talents without having to boast about them. It's a lack of arrogance, not a lack of aggressiveness in the pursuit of achievement.

An interesting dichotomy is that, often, the higher people rise, the more they have accomplished, the higher the humility index. Those who achieve the most brag the least, and the more secure they are in themselves, the more humble they are. "True merit, like a river, the deeper it is, the less noise it makes". (Edward Frederick Halifax). We have all come across people like that and feel admiration for them.

There are many benefits to practicing humility, to being in a state of non-pretence: it improves relationships across all levels, it reduces anxiety, it encourages more openness and paradoxically, it enhances one's self-confidence. It opens a window to a higher self. For me, it replaces "windowsill" as the most beautiful word in the English language.

A Heart Knows

2010-10-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

For work I travel mostly between LA and Orange County, however I am sometimes required to be in San Francisco or Sacramento. On Thursday, I left for San Francisco for work purposes and to see my best friend Sarah Green. It was amazing to catch up on her engagment and to hear of her accomplishment's graduating from Law School, getting her first position and passing the Bar Exam. We had many reasons to celebrate and there were amazing memories. On Saturday evening I drove in my rental car to Sacramento where I will be until Tuesday afternoon. It has been slightly difficult being away from my hubby, yet have realized absense does make the heart grow fonder. I wanted to give a list of a few things I am grateful for tonight:
*My husband-I have never received a more greater gift in the world and I am eternally grateful for our marriage, friendship and love.

*My Mom-where I would be without the comfort of her voice is beyond any belief I can imagine. I love my family, each one...there is just something about a mother's words that can never be replaced.

* A job- despite the lonliness I feel tonight, I am grateful for having a job that offers benefits, provides an outlet for me to professional and skillfully grow and the ability to use my hard earned degrees to show others the power of education.

How blessed are we truly in this world-it just takes a moment to look into the beauty of the great pieces in our puzzle of life. Tonight I am thankful.

Cosmetic Safey

2010-09-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

www.goodguide.com
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
www.gorgeouslygreen.com

Let me talk about "going green." It amazes me how many commercials, food advertisements, packaging, etc do we see now that indicates the particular product is a healthy option. What we still have yet to hear is how cosmetics are being improved. There are hazardous components in many of women's every day products. The websites above provide resources to determine what needs to be in the garbage and what is safe. The website I have frequented the most is the costmeticsdatabase.com, where MANY common brands are listed-needless to say, most of my cosmetics went into the garbage with a hazard score of 8-9 out of 10. If you care about what you put on the outside of your body that could seriously harm the inside, please check out the websites above. It is not just about choosing healthy foods, but having a healthier way of life.

Never Forgotten

2010-09-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today I got to thinking about blogs and what the purpose is. I KNOW that as much as I would like to believe everyone is into what is happening in our lives, it should also be a resource for sharing and providing information. I thought I would look back into previous blogs I had written that are housed on....dare I say it....myspace! I think some of them will be valuable to share in a more public way!

I cannot construct a post today without noting it is 9/11/2010. 9 years ago today, I remember the exact place I was as I heard the news about the attacks. I was driving to Westminster College and heard it on the radio. When I pulled up to campus and walked into the beloved Shaw Center-there it was on the TV........Classes were closed for the day and students were all around campus hugging, crying, making phone calls, supporting and waiting for more news. Today I also happen to be working at a Yellow Ribbon Event in Los Angeles , which is funding put into place for veterans who have served active duty following September 10, 2001. For all the men and women who serve our country....THANK YOU.

Coco Chanel

2010-09-09T23:12:00.001-07:00

A quick picture of our newest baby "Chanel"!

Orange County-Living the Dream

2010-09-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

Where to even begin-every moment we are writing the story of our life and what a story Jona and I will be able to tell. In July 2009-7 months after getting married we went on our adventure to Memphis, Tennessee. This was a year of learning, sacrifice, strengthening and growth. It almost feels surreal to know how far we have come and now it is September 2010-we officially are now in Orange County, California! I have a new job, we have a new baby (Coco Chanel), live in a resort style apartment and Jona has completed one more year of school, started a photography portfolio, joined a new soccer team and still the amazing husband I married ALMOST 2 years ago.

California truly is home to some of the most talented, vibrant and interesting people I have ever met. In the short time we have been here I have felt more challenged, had thought provoking conversations and feel INSPIRED to greatness. I believe it is true that we are who our friends are-this is also true about your environment. I believe it will take time to detoxify from the last year of our lives-but the important piece is we are well on our way.

The big 2 and 5 is approaching and fast.

2010-01-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

I found my Argentine Birth Certificate while we were moving to our new home and i noticed the birth-date and realized i'm going to be considered an "Antique Person" based on my best friend Brea Williams De Saine. Seems like for the past few weeks i tried to not remember one of my most favorite holidays, because this time i'm not turning 18 and able to purchase cigarettes legally ( I don't smoke by the way ;), i'm not waiting anymore to be 21 and go dancing with my older friends but this time my wife said, "Everything and anything that is 25 years old they consider you antique because they give you discounts for everything and they look at you officially as an adult", at that time there were thousands and one thoughts that crossed my mind thinking, 'have i done everything in my power to be even a better person than i am now'?. Like my very good friend "Said" said, "whatever bad happened i deserved it, and whatever good happened i earned it" as my wife knows that i simply hate with passion thinking about the past specially those bad moments in life, they are gone and we only look forward to be better people based on our experience and to open a better, clearer path for our future, i believe i have earned my blessing and God has provided me with health and love from my new family "The Williams", Oh they have opened a new door to the "Saine" family by giving us more family to give and receive love.
We are only 4 days away from my birthday and i can't say that i'm sad or if i could've done better or what i did wrong or right, but i can only say one thing, that talking to my amazing friends and my wife coaching me and guiding me 'Paso a paso' :)
i have never been so ready to finish school and focus on my future like never before.
On the other hand many of our friends are a little confused about if we were living in Mississippi or Tennessee. Well, when we first got Brea's job offer we did our very best to learn about the city but our concern was where we were going to live since Memphis, TN is considered top 2nd most dangerous city to live. Long story short we lived in Southaven, MS that if you google map it you will see it is only 2 miles into the state line of Mississippi, yes we found a what it seemed a safe neighborhood and rented a house for the first 6 months, then things without going into detail our stay in Mississippi was not longer an option and thank God we were able to officially get out of our contract and move to the newest, safest, coolest, cleanest part of Memphis which is "Collierville".
Now apartment hunting was ugly and quite challenging driving from one place to another in our tight lunch schedule and using our precious weekends to find that one apartment that we would spend the rest of our stay here in Memphis, Tennessee. We went for our very last apartment we had on our long list and everything about it sold us, now i won't say where it is for security reasons ;) but it is in Colliervile and we are so excited that now we don't have to travel a whole lot compared to Southaven, Mississippi and we made some great friends.
I just heard that my parents booked a flight to Cordoba, Argentina and they are planning to stay there for a little over three weeks and get to see the whole family once again, it has been almost a decade since any of us have seen our Argentine family. Well, i hope they better bring something, and something yummy to remember my youth days.
Now that we are settled in our new place we can start blogging more often to keep our dear family and friends updated.

Bridal Pictures

2010-01-20T15:12:00.001-08:00

Move to Memphis

2010-01-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

Just as we had our charming decor, 52 inch flat screen, new bedroom set, 2 piece couch and white lights hung with love around the living room......a job offer for me transpired. The opportunity was to work for Strayer University, which is a proprietary college located mostly in the East and Southeast. With 2 interviews in Washington, DC the offer letter arrived via yahoo......relocation to Memphis, TN. Stunned as we both were, we immediately created a pro/con list and decided a great adventure was upon us. Long story short, we loaded up the Mazda 3 with my Mom, Dad, Louie, Jona and I and headed down the freeway.

August 2009 started our new lived in Southaven, Mississippi, which is a suburb of Tennesse. To be honest, the next 5 months were difficult to say the least. Our love and bond was stronger than ever because it has really been JUST THE THREE OF US- Louie included. We have missed our families and friends and the culture of Memphis has been shocking to say the least. The saying what does not kill you only makes you stronger was full force in our lives. We became regulars at Blockbuster, took delight in finding new places to eat, spent mornings at the gym and ventured out to Memphis as needed. The great news is we were able to visit Kansas City, Alabama, Panama City Beach Florida, New Orleans, Nashville and Atlanta. We were also lucky to spend Thanksgiving with my cousin Rachel, her husband Wade and precious daughter Willa. We also have seen my Grandma two times in the last 5 months, which was more than I had seen her in the last 10 years (she lives in Kansas). December 2009 we flew home to be with our friends and families, which was a blessing from heaven. We brought in the New Year in Las Vegas with my sister. 2009 was a year of learning, adventure, happiness, luxury, appreciation and blessings.

The Saine Love Story-Part II

2010-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

Today is January 20, 2010---that is correct, it has been over a year since I last posted a blog, however the Saine's Love Story did not end-it had only just begun. What a year it has been-it is no wonder why I have not taken time out of my life to blog.

Where to start- Jonatan and I are married now : ) That is a great place to begin. We started off our year in a beautiful townhome in Draper, Utah overlooking the city. Our first big addition to our family came in February with the purchase of Louie Vuitton. Louie is a Shiba Inu and has most of the specified characteristics of the breed.

For the first 6 months of our marriage, it was about traveling- we visited Las Vegas, several placed in California, Boston and New York City and this was all before June. Then the transition-

Louie Vuitton

Engagement Pictures

2008-11-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

Brea's Birthday was spent taking engagement pictures and what an exciting event. We treasured taking these memorable photographs together and feel they turned out wonderful. Here is for your viewing pleasure : )

Looking Forward

2008-11-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

We were cuddled up on the couch, as we usually are when we are together. The following dialogue was a confirmation that I am marrying someone who is my best friend and the one who makes my heart smile.

Brea: "What are you most excited about now that we are getting married?"

Jonatan: "I am most excited to live together."

Brea: "Really? That is cute. Why is that?"

Jonatan: "Because I always wanted to live with my best friend."

One Year Anniversary

2008-10-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

WOW! Has it really been 1 year since we met? If you have not read the blog about how we met, please see the first entry to learn about our love story. We celebrate our one year anniversary on October, 20, 2008. There is no greater gift than love. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, Brea received beautiful flowers at work, Jonatan gave Brea the most adorable shoes and Brea gave Jonatan a stunning watch. The passionate that egnites between the two of us is indescribable and as we celebrated our anniversary, it was exciting to know that in 11 weeks, 72 days, we will be Mr. and Mrs. Saine. October 20, 2007 was the real beginning of an eternity together, when two people met, have fallen in love and cannot wait to spend forever together. It is a fairytale come true. Te Amo Che!

This is a picture of the license plate Jonatan surprised Brea with on his car. It reads: JB 1020, which stands for Jonatan and Brea, October 20. It does not get any more memorable than that. What a simple and thoughtful reminder of when our lives together began.

The Photograph

2008-09-10T14:41:00.001-07:00

Jonatan took this picture and he has a talent for being able to see a beautiful photograph. I love his creativity and the excitement he has when he does something new. I also love the way he looks at me, it is the most adoring and loving look. With a simple grin. Now that is true love : )

El Principio De Una Eternidad

2008-08-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Jonatan and I spent a beautiful vacation in Long Beach, California. We are completely in love with the beach and want to visit every chance we get. We spent our vacation at several different beaches, including Rodondo, Santa Monica, Long Beach and the most significant Hermosa Beach. We ate at LaLa's Argentine Grill, Cafe Sevilla, where there was Flamenco dancing and music from Espana and even drove down La Brea Avenue. We spent time in Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and Hollywood Blvd, many amazing and beautiful sites to see.....but the best was yet to come.

On July 27, 2008 Jonatan woke us up at 5:00 a.m. to watch the sunrise on Hermosa Beach. I woke up very chipper and full of love in my heart (lucky for Jona!) We walked into a Starbucks by the beach at 6:00 a.m. grabbed a drink and 2 old fashioned glazed donuts. The ocean looked peaceful and the day started out glorious. When we sat down on the beach listening to the waves, Jonatan held me in his arms and I felt content knowing what a special relationship we have together.

Jonatan decided we should build a sandcastle, initially the thought of digging in the sand did sound appealing, but then the child inside me decided to enjoy every moment of this special time. As we were building our sandcastle, Jona started to shape it into a heart and this was not surprising...he is one of the most creative people I know. When our sand heart was complete we wrote Brea and Jonatan around it and of course put a bridge around it for protection.

By this time my Starbucks was kicking in and I needed to make a run for el bano. When I came back Jonatan had made a small hole leading to the center of the heart.

Jonatan said a beautiful speech about how his Princesa Brea is the manager of his heart. He wanted me to always protect it and how much he loved his novia. He then told me to reach inside his sand heart. At this point MY HEART started to beat faster, wondering what was happening. As I started to reach inside our amazing castle, my hand pulled out a small white box. I burst into tears, knowing what was going to transpire next. Jonatan touched my hand, wiped by tears and asked me to MARRY HIM!. Inside his heart, was a symbol of his love for me. A beautiful sparkling diamond ring with a PAVE setting :) I hugged my special fiance and he then put the ring on my finger..it fit perfectly! Of course the end of this story is I said yes and we started the true beginning of THE SAINE'S love story!

On the inside of my ring, Jonatan engraved, "el principio de una eternidad." This means, "the beginning of an eternity." People say my ring looks like the Eiffel Tower, which means the picture below would be very relevant : ) We could not be more excited about our new life together as Mr. and Mrs. Saine. When we drove back to Utah, the entire ride home I just stared at my finger and the precious ring mi amor had chosen for me. Made with love and engraved with words that truly did indicate the commitment we were making to each other starting from this day forward.

As I later found out, Jonatan loves me when I am natural...no make up, fancy clothes,..just simple, natural and beautiful....He says, just the way God made me. This is one of the reasons he proposed in the early morning, the other is because we love sunsets, which are paintings by our Savior. This is a day and moment we will never forget.

God Gives Us More Than We Ever Dreamed Of

2008-08-19T14:37:00.001-07:00

Let us first start by telling you about our Love Story. We met in an unconventional way, but in serendipidous circumstances. There is a quote from the movie Bella, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Jonatan and I were at the point of life where we were not expecting to meet , but our relationship has been blessed and is a miracle in our lives. I truly believe God gives us more that we ever dream of and for Jonatan and I our fairytale has come true.

There I was dancing my heart out when this tall handsome Argentine approached me and said, "You are beautiful." He then proceeded to turn and walk away and being the assertive woman I am, I said, "You cannot say that and walk away." Jonatan said, "I will be back."

A few moments later I found myself focused entirely on dancing with Jonatan and it appeared as though we were the only two people in the entire club. When we exchanged numbers I text him and said, "I am the total package." Of course now, this is a humorous moment we both share. We met on October 20, 2007, two days later we went to dinner and ate Italian food, listened to country and techno music in his car and then I left Provo, Utah....called my friend, Tiffany and said, "I just went to dinner with the man I am going to marry."

To be continued....