Brighton ● by Jess

As per my nieces requests, I'm finally getting together some of the videos and photos from our travels in the last few months. This set is from our weekend in Brighton back in April. It is the funnest, whimsical little seaside town and it is so close to London!

My favorite part of Brighton is down on the beach. There is a long pier with an amusement park and dozens of fish and chips shops on it. A giant ferris wheel is on the beach, which gives awesome aerial views of the city. Each capsule has a speaker system with a voice-over tour that tells you history and information about the town. Unfortunately, the creators tried to make the dialog like a conversation which means there are long awkward pauses. Its so bad its almost good. 

[For some reason this picture looks like it has had some really crummy photoshopping. Still working on a solution... something to do with Blogger]

The beaches in Brighton are covered in pebbles instead of sand. These naturally occuring holes in the stones are very rare and Brighton is one of the only places in the world that has them. They are said to be magic and are have been called "hag stones" or "sailor stones" as people use them as good luck charms and to ward off witches. Today, they are very uncommon-- but I managed to find 8! Which is pretty cool. 

Dream Job ● by Jess

Since I was fifteen, my plan has always been to get my bachelor's degree in Art and then a Master's in education. I keep trying... like every year. I apply to graduate schools, dance around the house in my underwear after getting in, then inevitably realize I'm broke and have to turn down the offers.

Its a very sad cycle.

Still, as much as I love photography, I keep feeling this deep visceral yearning to teach. I'm particularly obsessed with early education and Montessori based learning. Anyone that has followed me on Pinterest for the last year is probably aware of this (I really am sorry guys-- I know the incessant Montessori pins are probably clogging up your feed).

In the states it isn't too difficult to work in a Montessori environment, but in London it is hardcore. All Montessori teaching positions require International Montessori certification (which costs about $5000 to get). Every couple of months I fantasize about getting certified and becoming a teacher, but, obviously it has yet to happen.

However, not to be one of those weirdos that thinks there might be some credibility to "the Secret," but... I'm now a believer!!

Starting in September, I will be teacher for a private primary school in Notting Hill. In a magical twist of fate, they are not only paying me to teach, but also for the full Montessori certification. Praise!

My photography business will keep rolling on, but I will be scaling back to only doing weddings. No more families and babies, I'm afraid. But I imagine I'll still be photographing little ones at the school.

Anyway, it's a happy, happy day at the Young house! I get to start school on my birthday (September 1st), which is one of the best birthday gifts I could possibly imagine :)

Lately ● by Jess

Celebrating Independence day, while living in the UK (and paying British taxes), definitely has a sort of quirky irony... But that doesn't stop us from having a party! Our friends, the Blocks, threw a BBQ (the pavlova above was made by our friend Stephanie, another guest-- it was AMAZING!). Such a fun evening of burgers, watermelon, and lots of America lovin'. 

As for what has been going on in the lives of the Youngs lately... I've started painting again! I'm sending my stuff out to a few juried shows and it just feel so good to be creating again. Photography, though I love it, has always felt more like archiving then actual art to me. It feels nice to have a paint brush in hand again, even though space is really tight.  

I've also had a lot of Jessica time lately, as Jonathan has been traveling a lot for work. In the past few weeks alone, he has been to France, Germany and Switzerland (on four separate occasions). Generally, I'd be ok with this, but I've been driven to the point of near insanity by a new mouse infestation. 

It started out when one jumped out at me in the kitchen one night. I ran out and bought a half dozen traps and, after several days, finally caught the sucker last week. 

Unfortunately, his life partner (who I've since named Lady Macbeth) is now on revenge plot to attack me in my sleep. I woke up one evening to her clawing and squeaking right next to my bed. 

The next day I went out and bought another six traps. 

Our flat looked like a mine field for awhile, until I realized the little she-devil was coming through the floor hole where the radiator pipes in. So, I barricaded the radiator with heavy wood and covered the exits with my traps. I was certain the problem would be solved before morning. 

Unfortunately, she is a crafty little thing started to chew through the wall instead.

Anyway, for the sake of my nerves and adrenaline levels (which shoot through the ceiling every time I wake up to her night-clawing), I'm headed back to Switzerland with Jon this week. I won't be seeing much of him, but I'll get to explore a bit on my own, which will be lots of fun. :) 

Maggie's Wedding ● by Jess

 This past weekend, I had the pleasure of being able to photograph one of our dearest friend's weddings in southern France. I feel like Maggie has been with us from the beginning-- we doubled with her on Jon's and my first date. Now she's married to Jean Baptiste and back in the US to get sealed in the temple and I feel like I could scream with happiness for her!  

Since my photography site is down for a bit of updating, I thought I'd share some of my favorite moments from the day on here. More to come when I get JKB Young Photography back up... In the meantime,  Enjoy!

I can't get enough of her dress! It was originally strapless, but (after a mildly traumatic experience with the original designer), Maggie took it to her seamstress in Arizona who magically fixed it within 36 hours! A MIRACLE!

Pierrefitte-Nestalas is this little village nestled in the Pyrenees mountains (which are huge). This place is charming, sleepy and one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life.

Just look at his face! GAHHH! So much love.... French weddings are required by law to be public so we had a whole lot of people in a tiny little room.

One of my favorite things about weddings is that I get to be apart of every beautiful moment-- and that includes all the inside jokes. I LOVE moments like this. 

The sit-down reception venue reminded me of Beauty and the Beast (maybe the antlers on the wall?)... but fancier... and just as French!

There were a million courses... The dinner portion literally lasted from 9pm to 2am. As an American, this was the longest meal I've ever eaten in my life. 

JB surprised Maggie by having fireworks go off during their first dance. CAN YOU GET ANY MORE ROMANTIC??!

One more thing... here is a picture of our hotel. Isn't it the cutest little hotel you've ever seen? It was built circa 1910.

That's all! I promise to be better about blogging and more posts are on their way :)

Month Off ● by Jess

Hello again world!

A month ago I decided to take a much needed break from social media and blogging. Its officially been one full month and I'm now in reflection mode. I feel like I've just taken a ride on that proverbial roller-coaster of emotions... and now I'm stumbling off and feeling like I'm about to hurl on an unsuspecting carnie (I suppose that would be you, the reader). 

On the one hand, we've had some incredible adventures-- we traveled to Brighton, Bath, (posts to follow) and were even gifted last minute tickets to see Wicked. The future looks bright and happy and I'm just really happy to be living in this wonderful world. 

On the other hand, this month has brought some troughs... including a full-blown quarter-life crisis, a miscarriage, and I'm pretty sure I saw ghost in my room (and let's get real, the ghost definitely caused the most lasting damage). 

All said, I needed a break from the needless stream of babble, the self-promotion, and the passive aggressive posting (both from myself and others). And golly, did it feel good to step away for a bit!

But now I'm back, so get ready world! I whole stream of photos and video is about to enter the blogosphere. Stay tuned!